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lightsoutmatthews · 2 months ago

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It´s always been you - Nathan MacKinnon

summary: you and Nathan used to date but things came to an end one day in Nova Scotia. Attending the Makar´s wedding together wasn´t something you planned on doing, but unfortunate circumstances leave you no other choice. What happens when old feelings who seemed to be forgotten, aren´t as forgotten as you thought they were?

pairing: Nathan MacKinnon x female!reader

word count: 8.8k

warnings: alcohol consumption, heavy make out, allures to sex (no on page intercourse) probably still advise to read at your own risk if you are not +18

authors note:

I know Cale did not get married in Mexico but for the sake of the story we will imagine he did

I took this idea from a prompt list over the summer, unfortunately I can´t find it anymore to tag the creator

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The Makars wedding invitation came when you were still together, now it was pinned to the pinnboard in your new apartment, weeks after you and Nathan had broken up.

It wasn’t that the break-up came out of the blue, fights had cracked your relationship. Nathans hard working ethic when it came to hockey often something that got in the way. Not that you blamed him. But he and the Avalanche once again failed to make it further than the second round of the playoffs, losing to the Stars in six games.

He grew cold. Not the first time it happened. Nothing you hadn’t dealt with before, but you were tired of it. The arguments, the storming out and the days without hearing from him after he left for Halifax were the final nail in the coffin you needed to end things.

You flew to Nova Scotia just like you were supposed to but left the next day with a broken heart and the determination to find a new apartment as soon as possible. You did after a few days somehow, finally moving out of your… of Nathans apartment.

You moved on, trying not to think about him too much, trying not to let the different corners of Denver remind you of memories the two of you shared.

Then the week of the wedding came.

Cale and Tracy would get married in Mexico, something that had been planned months in advance. Something you had planned together with Nathan. Something you had also booked together with Nathan.

You tried talking to Tracy, hoping she and Cale had another room so that you could attend. Attending together with Nathan something you weren’t ready to. Unfortunately, there were only so many rooms they booked for the wedding.

Tracy said it was your choice if you´d attend but in the same breath she made clear that there was no way they would ask Nathan to not attend. Not that you ever expected them to.

So, tomorrow you would leave for the wedding. How it would pan out something you would deal with when you got there. But then the message pinged your phone.

Nathan MacKinnon: We should talk about the wedding.

No hello. No how are you. Just we need to talk about the wedding.

At first you were unsure if you should reply. Starring at the phone for minutes, the chat open, his words doubling over in your mind.

I Yes, we should.

No indication as to where, how and why exactly, nothing more than his text.

Nathan MacKinnon: I emailed them asking if I can cancel the reservation and book two separate rooms, they declined and said we would not get our money back if we cancelled.

I I asked Tracy the same thing, she said basically the same to me.

I You can go. I don’t need my money back either. Cale is your friend and teammate.

Nathan MacKinnon: I don’t want to keep you from the wedding of a friend.

I And what is your plan? Are you offering to sleep on the beach?

You were slowly getting annoyed with him. Dealing with this over text pissed you off. If he wanted to speak, he could at least have the guts to call.

Nathan MacKinnon: We could attend like planned. Sharing the hotel room. We were together for three years, we can deal with this.

You rolled your eyes.

I Yeah, and there´s a reason we´re not anymore.

Nathan MacKinnon: We can be civil with each other for one week. For our friends.

You swallowed. Hard.

He was right and as much as you did not want to share a hotel room with him for a week, Tracy and Cale wanted both of you there. They planned this expecting you to be there together. For the sake of their special day you could pull through, right? You wouldn’t have to be around him aside from when you would both be sleeping, right?

I You´re right. It´s just a week. We cohabitated without speaking for almost as long before.

You knew it was a low blow. Throwing his behavior at him years after it happened but you could not let him think this would be anything but you doing this for the sake of your friends.

Nathan MacKinnon: I´ll let Cale know, see you there.

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

Two days later you got off the plane in Mexico. The heat outside hitting you like running into a wall. It had been warm in Denver but August heat in Mexico was a different beast.

Just like the entire plane ride the shuttle to the resort had you overthinking. What had you thought agreeing to room with Nathan for a whole week? He was your ex-boyfriend for goodness sake.

Anger was still lingering underneath your skin. Maybe even a little love that was still left for the man who you shared a life with for multiple years.

You weren’t prepared to face him again, but when you stood in front of the wooden hotel room door with shaking hands you knew there was nothing you could do.

You stood there outside the room for longer than you probably should have. The heat from the burning sun giving you a sunburn through your shirt but it was still more comfortable than facing who was inside the room.

You heart couldn’t beat faster if it tried. Not even running a marathon could made you breathe this heavy.

But when the door opened a few seconds later everything stopped. The droplets of sweat on your face suddenly more prominent than ever. The slight breeze that was brushing over your skin spreading goosebumps alongside your arms.

He looked the same as when you left him in Halifax. Unsurprising, given it had only been a couple of weeks.

He was a little more tanned. His hair seemed blonder, probably from the sun as well. His bright blue eyes hidden by a pair of sunglasses you hadn’t seen him wear before.

The world moved in slow-motion as you looked up at his tall frame. His lips were moving but didn’t register any words that left his mouth, too caught up by this being the first time you met him since the breakup.

“I´m sorry, what?” You breathed out, voice quiet. His brows furrowed and a shiver immediately ran down your spine. “I said, there you are, the front desk called the room asking if you made it her okay. I was just leaving to meet some of the guys at the beach, see you later.” Before you could get another word out, he was already ten steps down the path vanishing as quickly as he apeared.

The door snapping shut right in front of your nose pulled you back into reality. The interaction leaving a bad taste in your mouth. Of course, you came here hoping to interact with him as little as possible, but somehow you did not expect him to give you the cold shoulder.

With a loud sigh you finally gathered the courage to enter the room. The coolness of the air-conditioning a strong contrast to the heat outside. Nathans familiar smell hung in the air, indicating that he had been here for quite a while.

Stepping further into the room you noticed his suitcase next to the small couch that formed the center of the main part of room. To the left was a door to what you guessed the bedroom and to the right another door that probably led to the bathroom. You would explore in a second because what really captured your attention was the patio. It held a small pool, some deck chairs and a path that led right to the beach.

The beautiful turquoise that you were faced with at the end of the path took your breath away. The palm trees and flowers that lined the path down to the sand nothing like you had seen before. Cale and Tracy picked a beautiful place to get married and you would enjoy your time here regardless of the man you had to share a room with.

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The first wedding activity followed that evening. You hadn’t seen Nathan until shortly before you had to leave. His eyes lingered on your flowy sundress a little too long for your liking when he opened the door, but he went for a shower without any word.

The resorts restaurant where Tracy and Cale held their welcome dinner was equally as beautiful as the rest of it. The sun, which was dipping low over the ocean, colored the surroundings in a soft orange glow.

When you stepped into the area reserved for the wedding party you were greeted with people, friends, you hadn’t seen since the hockey season ended for the Avs in mid-May. Susanna Ranta and Mel Landeskog immediately embraced you with hugs and how are you´s before pulling you a chair on their table.

Mikko and Gabe acknowledged you with soft smiles but no words. Their two girls the ones you had been closest with while being in the wag circle of the Colorado Avalanche, you considered them more than acquaintances but since they´re still Nathans friends, they´re not yours.

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

He entered the patio with the confidence that surrounded him wherever he went. He was walking like he owned the place, his light summer pants rustling with the steps he was taking. The navy shirt matched them perfectly.

You always appreciated his ability to style himself. It had always been easy to match if needed.

His large strides led him to your table, Mikko and Gabe obviously being the guys he wanted to sit with.

His eyes roamed, once again lingering on your frame for longer than a normal glance should be. Goosebumps formed at the back of your neck when his piercing blue eyes met yours for a brief second, before he looked away again and pulled out the chair across from you.

The energy around the table shifted as he sat down. The air was heavier than before. Everyone obviously knowing your history. No one knowing how they should react. Susanna asking if you had a good trip here broke the silence a short while after. Following that the guys broke into their own conversation.

You didn’t miss how Nathan´s eyes flicked to you occasionally. Lingering. Almost longing.

You ignored it, rather falling into comfortable conversation with Mel and Susanna about the summer. They painted beautiful pictures about the home countries of their partners. Sweden and Finland always having been countries you wanted to visit.

Gabe and Mikko clinked themselves in when they picked up on the topic, raving about how you really needed to visit and how you could stay at their places no questions asked. Many polite smiles and nods were shared. You knew you didn’t belong into their circle anymore, but they still felt like the friends you were when you and Nathan were together.

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The itinerary told you tomorrow would be a relaxing day with different activities planned. You talked with Mel and Susanna about joining Tracy and some of her friends at the beach and later at the resorts spa. You had seen the place when you walked here. The epitome of luxury combined with calm, and relaxation immediately drew you in. A massage truly was what you needed after the past weeks.

When you returned to the room after taking a walk along the beach. Nathan was already there. You were faced with his muscular back as you walked through the door.

He was hunched over his suitcase, looking for something. His back muscled moved as he searched, his big biceps, which hiding behind used to be your save space somehow seemed even bigger than before.

The memories of being snuggled up against his side on the couch, his arms wrapped around you, keeping you save, flooded your mind. You blinked rapidly to wash them away before making yourself known.

“Do you still need the bathroom?” He flinched, apparently, he hadn’t heard you come in. The air shifted when he stood. The space suddenly feeling incredibly small.

“No, all finished. You can take the bed too, I´ll take the couch.” You took at the uncomfortable looking piece of furniture. It was small, there was no way it could hold all six feet of him. He probably would have to tuck in his legs to fit.

“I can´t let you do that. Your back will kill you tomorrow.” His eyebrows shot up, but he didn’t reply. “How else would we solve this?”

“Let´s just sleep in the bed. We´re both adults, Nathan, we can handle sleeping side by side. We did it for years.” He brushed his hand through his already tussled hair and sighed. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“It´s fine. Let´s just go to sleep and get this over with as quickly as possible.” You could see that he swallowed hard. But he didn’t say anything this time either, just gave you a single nod before going back to searching in his suitcase.

You didn’t bother making any more conversation, leaving for the bathroom instead, where you took a long shower, delaying the return to the bedroom where he undoubtedly would already be asleep or still scroll through his phone.

You took your time brushing your teeth, going through all the steps in your skin care routine, spending extra time on massaging the creams in just to spend more time away from him.

After, you scrolled through your phone for another five minutes but when tiredness took over your vision and you were ready to go to sleep you mustered up the courage to go outside again. The doors to the balcony were still open, the soft sounds of waves crashing to the shore mixing with unfamiliar animal sounds. It gave you a sense of peace, the bustling atmosphere of Denver usually not holding this sense of calm.

You paused for a second, watching, breathing in the salty air that filled the room, before closing the door. The absence of the nature sounds casting it in silence.

No sounds were coming from the bedroom either but when you entered Nathan was still awake, typing on his phone.

He didn’t say anything, but his eyes found and roamed your body as soon as he spotted you. They followed you as you walked only looking away when you sat down on the other side of the bed. You didn’t miss how he settled on his usual side. The side he had taken in your shared home as well.

You weren’t sure if it was out of habit or because he knew that you preferred to sleep on the side facing the window and you shouldn’t be touched by the gesture. But you were.

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

When you woke up the next morning something heavy was draped around your waist and your back was unusually warm. Yes, you were still in Mexico, but this was not the heat from the sun already burning down outside.

Your mind didn’t process, just took in the warmth and went back to sleep. Not for long until you realized who exactly was giving you this warmth. Turning around quickly but carefully you were faced with a sleeping Nathan. His arm still wrapped around you as his chest rose and fell slowly, steadily.

Being close to him again was familiar, comfortable even, his body one you fell asleep next to for a long time. But when your brain caught up with the situation you scrambled away from him which woke him up, blinking heavily to get rid of the sleep in his eyes.

When he grasped what had happened, he ran his hand over his face and sighed loudly. “I´m sorry.” He broke the silence, his voice still heavy with sleep. “Force of habit, probably,” he continued.

You knew you should call him out on it, tell him it cannot happen again. But you couldn’t say the words. So, you just glared at him, and he glared back at you. Until he ripped his glance away and got up, almost running out of the bedroom, fleeing an uncomfortable situation.

You let him. It was for the better.

---------

After breakfast you met up with some of the girls to go to the spa. The group enjoying almost the whole day getting pampered. You had never felt so relaxed. The situation with Nathan this morning being pushed out of your mind as soon as the misuse started rubbing your back, easing you of the tension that had followed you since you had left Nathan back in Halifax.

Chatter follower as your group made their way to the pool early afternoon. You would meet with the girls respective partners for a late lunch. Everyone being paired up again as soon as you arrived stung a little more than you expected. This should’ve been you and Nathan as well.

Said man was leaning against a chair a few steps away from his friends and their partners. He looked as misplaced as you felt.

Mel shot you raised eyebrows as you kept looking in his direction. Taking in the body you were once completely familiar with. The subtle shake of your head made her look away again.

Thoughts filled your mind. Thoughts about the vacations you and Nathan had taken. Last year’s off-season, when you spent the summer at his house in Halifax. He was walking around shirtless most of the day when you were at home because the heat was unbearable. As little clothing as possible was the only option.

The number of times this had ended with him dragging you inside, taking off the little clothing you had left and worshipping you until the both of you passed out, were uncountable. The best summer of your life, you had described it to the other girls when the both of you returned to Denver in early September.

“You´re starring.” The voice right next to your ear snapped you out of the memory. Gabriel Landeskog was standing there, shooting you a shit eating grin while wiggling his eyebrows into his friends direction.

You swatted at his chest and laughed. “I was not starring.” Both of you knew it was a lie, but he let it slip. “He was starring too, he´s just better at covering it up.” Gabe´s confession made you heart beat faster. You took a second to take in a deep breath. The sun suddenly feeling way to hot on your skin. The closeness to Gabe suddenly being too much for you.

“I´m going to get another drink,” you mumbled, hoping he heard it, before you almost sprinted away. The floor burning the bottoms of your feet as you walked. You ignored it, just wanting to get away from the situation. He was starring too. Gabe´s words echoed through your head.

But you reminded yourself that you couldn’t go down this road.

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In the early evening the whole group met up at one of the resorts bars that had been reserved for the night. You didn’t return to the group after Gabe had stated the obvious to you earlier. You didn’t see Nathan prior to the party either.

You knew he had been in the room when you retuned from another walk on the beach. His swimming trunks were drying on the balcony and a pair of his sneakers were missing. You didn’t question where he went, it wasn’t your problem anymore. As much as the past two days had given you a familiar feeling with a hint of habit.

-----

Arriving at the party Tracy handed you a colorful looking drink which you immediately took a big sip out of. She didn’t question where you went that afternoon, just shot you a knowing look and nodded to the back of the terrace where Cale was surrounded by his teammates, Nathan included.

You ex-boyfriends eyes found yours as soon as you stepped further into the space. The neon lights reflecting, giving them a slight sparkle. He was sipping from a bottle of beer as he more or less listened to Miles Wood telling a story.

Your glance was looked on his for a while. It was like this was a game. Whoever looked away first lost.

It was him who broke away, when Cale wrapped his arm around his shoulders. Looking like he had already some beers in his system, rocking back and forth, clinging to his friend for support.

The warmth that fled through you as you kept looking at him was familiar. It felt like every other party you had attended together. Him wandering off to chat with people, but always keeping an eye on you, always making sure you´re okay and had everything you needed.

Maybe it was a force of habit, like the cuddling this morning.

“You and Nate seem awfully like you used to.” Mel said next to you, making you jump. “It´s nothing.” She shook her head laughing. “Sure, nothing, just like it was nothing when you ran away this afternoon after my husband told you that he´s been behaving just like you.” She took another sip of her drink, and you followed suit, avoiding having to answer immediately.

“It´s nothing, Mel. We used to be together, we´ve only been split up for a few weeks. Old habits die hard.” The blonde raised her eyebrows. “Sure, keep telling yourself that you and he are not shooting longing glances at each other all day.” With a wave of her hand, she left again, disappearing as quietly as she had shown up at your side.

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Hours into the party the music was drumming in your ears, louder than it probably was. You were a few cocktails deep into the night and the soft buzz had made itself known as you almost stumbled into a waiter who was trying to deliver another load of beers to the group of Avalanche players sitting around one of the few tables that were placed around the open space.

You were desperate to sit down at one. Your feet burning from the heels you had been wearing all night, but every chair was occupied. So, you opted to lean against the fence that split the bar area from the rest of the restaurant it belonged too.

The sun was low on the horizon, telling you it was not that late, yet people were leaving, the early starting hour of the party something no one was really used to but most of them appreciated since tomorrow the wedding activities would resume with the rehearsal dinner as well as final preparations for the big day two days from now.

Tracy and Cale had been the perfect example of a couple heavily in love, preparing for the best day of their lives. When slower songs were played the couples gathered on the makeshift dance floor and danced, clinging to each other. This should have been you as well. You should be out there with Nathan.

The more you thought about the man, the more it stung and that odd feeling of longing and missing something you once had crept its way into your mind. When Nathan took one of Tracy´s friends for a spin jealousy was probably written all over your face. You tried to hide it but old feelings that you should’ve buried deep inside you bubbled up again, telling you that you maybe weren’t as over your ex as you thought you were.

---------

When a thunderstorm made its way upon the resort everybody retreated to their rooms. The silent bolts of lightning followed by the blaring rumble of thunder let shudders move all over your body. You had never been a big fan of thunderstorms. Sleep being impossible most nights they occurred.

Whenever he was home Nathan had held you. Rubbing soothing circles on your back until you fell asleep and he knew you were safely tucked in his embrace. There was nothing more you wanted to do right now than to experience this again.

Maybe it was the alcohol or the protected feeling he always gave you as soon as you were pulled against his chest but the thought of not having it today made you let out a quiet sob. Emotions crashing down on you heavy.

There was so much that was better when Nathan was in your life. Being with him but not actually being with him had shown you how much your lives had been intervened when you were together.

The silence of the room did not help the sadness that was suddenly overwhelming you. Lightning casting the space in a bright flash every other minute followed by the walls almost shaking from the thunder and the thoughts of the past made the tears fall quicker than you imagined.

You tried to take deep breaths. Grounding yourself by lying flat on the bed trying to calm down. When it didn’t work you curled yourself into a ball and let the tears fall. Stopping them would be more exhausting than just letting them out anyways.

You weren’t sure when the door opened but at one point Nathan returned from wherever he went when the party started to clear out. The feeling of not being alone anymore something that calmed your heartbeat like it knew that the man on the other side of the door would slip into bed momentarily providing the comfort you so desperately craved.

Only this time you would get it. He would turn around, facing the door, maybe scroll through his phone for a few more minutes before he would close his eyes and sleep. All that without acknowledging the stare you were currently in.

Your heart wrenched at the thought. Another sob leaving your mouth, the sound probably louder than you wanted it to be.

With the sheets pulled up higher, hoping the fabric would absorb some of your heartbreaking cries you turned around and faced the window again. Lightning still flashing outside, rain heavy and loud against the glass.

The darkness was heavy too. Like it was hiding secrets you never wanted to come into the light. Specifically, the thoughts about how much you missed being around Nathan.

He came into the bedroom at one point, using his phone screen as a flashlight. Your shoulders were still shaking. He can´t see this, you thought, quietly pulling the sheets even higher to try and hide not only from him but from the world.

When a strong arm wrapped around your waist moments later you flinched harder than you probably should have. The warmth of his body a strong contrast to the cool room. “Shhhh. It´s okay. I´ve got you.” He mumbled into your hair, softly brushing some of it out of your face. You were stunned by the tender action. This being the last thing you expected him to do.

He pulled you into his chest and interlinked his fingers with yours. The familiarity of his hand in yours something that calmed you down in an instant. There were many questions in the air but there was no time for them right now. That was a conversation for the next morning.

As he kept rubbing soft circles over your back, whispering soft nothings in your ear, you finally drifted off to a light sleep.

At this point just glad he was there for you, like the last time there was a thunderstorm. Little did he know, he was part of the thunderstorm that was brewing inside you.

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Waking up in Nathans arms the next morning felt less uncomfortable than it was the morning prior. His massive arms were still wrapped around you, your head resting on his chest, while his legs were tangled with yours.

When you looked up at him, he was already looking down at you. His eyes soft, roaming over your face, a small smile spread across his lips. Everything about this moment felt like before. Like the breakup had never happened and you were here at the wedding happy and still very much in love.

Were you still in love?

“Morning,” Nathan mumbled. “Hey,” you whispered back. His grip immediately loosened around your waist. Like reflex you pushed yourself further into his chest until he wrapped them around you again.

If this was the last opportunity you had of being close to him before everything would go back to how it was yesterday you would take it. Regret be damned.

Silence spread through the room again. The sun casting it in a soft glow. The chaos from last night almost forgotten.

You weren’t sure how long you just held each other. Both taking in the comfort the other person brought, maybe for the last time.

You felt him move and even though your eyes were closed you knew he leaned his head down again when he placed a kiss, nothing more than a light brush, to the top of your head.

The tender action made you whimper into the fabric of his shirt.

When he placed a hand on your cheek and made you look at his again it was filled with so many emotions at once. Longing. Regret. Love.

His eyes started to flicker between your eyes and your lips. Your thoughts racing a mile an hour trying to figure out what his next move would be.

On the one hand you desperately wanted him to lean down and kiss you. Feel his soft lips against yours again after weeks of being deprived of them. On the other hand, this would complicate things so much. What would happen if you went down that road again? What would you want to happen?

Before you could overthink too much Nathan took the decision from you and leaned down to connect your lips. For a second at first, like he was trying to see what your reaction would be. When you did nothing but look up at him with pleading eyes he leaned back down, the kiss much more heated this time.

It felt like he was pouring every emotion he had into this kiss. Everything he didn’t say, everything he wanted to say but maybe was too afraid to.

You interlaced your arms behind his neck and pulled him closer into the kiss, equally trying to pour as many emotions into it.

You didn’t know how long you made out like that but at one point he started to slowly move his hands to the hem of your shirt and that’s when you pulled back. “Nate,” you whispered out of breath. Your lips were swollen from the minutes they had been on his.

He immediately pulled his hand back. “Sorry.” He rushed to get up, so fast he got tangled up with the sheets, almost planting onto the floor face first. “God,” he said, smashing his hand against the nearest wall when he stood solid again.

You were surprised at his sudden outburst. “Sorry, I´m…. shit… I´m sorry. I shouldn’t have.” Words failed him as he kept brushing his hand through his hair and over his face.

“Nate,” you said, quietly at first, but when it gained no reaction from the man across from you, you repeated yourself louder. “Nate!” His eyes snapped back to you, and he stopped in his motions.

“Will you calm down, please,” you plead. His eyes seemed darker in the morning light, but they were still equally as piercing when they starred directly at you. “Why are you sorry?” The question left your mouth before you could think about it.

“I… We broke up. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, we´re here to celebrate our friends.”

You leaned your head back against the headboard and starred at the ceiling. “Don’t be. It´s not like you forced me into this.” From the corner of you eye you saw his posture relax at your words. “Still, we´re her for four more days. I don’t want you to not be able to look me in the eyes at breakfast later.”

When you got up and walked over to him you did the least rational thing you probably should have done in this situation. You wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him in for another kiss.

He placed his hands on your back and pulled you flush against his chest, deepening the kiss immediately.

When you wrangled yourself out of his hold another few minutes later, he eyed you curiously. “See, now we´re equal,” you whispered against his lips before pressing one last kiss to them and rushing out to the bathroom.

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

When you arrived at breakfast Nate was already sitting at a table with the Landeskog´s, Miles Wood and Ross Colton. Everyone greeted you with a warm “good morning,” before you sat down at the only empty chair. Obviously, it was next to him.

“Do you have any plans until the rehearsal dinner?” Miles asked mid chew which made you chuckle. “Nothing exciting.” Was the collective response.

You didn’t miss how Nate kept eying you from his seat. The kisses had not left your head ever since you had stormed out of the bedroom and locked yourself in the bathroom under the disguise of getting ready for breakfast.

How soft his lips felt against yours, how perfect you still melted together was all you could think about when you looked at the man sitting next to you.

“What´s up with you two?” Ross called out after he apparently observed your subtle non interactions for a few minutes. “Nothing,” Nate replied too quickly which earned him a round of raised eyebrows.

You tried to look anywhere but into Nate´s general direction. When your eyes met Gabe´s across from you his face held a knowing smile, but he promised you with a subtle nod that he wouldn’t say anything until the two of you said something first.

You appreciated that, there was nothing to tell anyways.

The rest of the day was spent tanning at the beach. You finally took the chance to continue to read you book while the other girls had another day at the spa and Tracy was running around with her wedding planner for last minute preparations for the big day tomorrow.

The guys followed your idea and set up a game of volleyball at the beach. Every now and then you ogled the group, they´re hot athletes, there was nothing wrong with that.

Nate´s eyes caught you starring more than once and he shook his head with laughter before pushing his sunglasses into his hair and shooting you a wink.

It was a simple gesture that shouldn’t make butterflies flip in your stomach. The kiss from the morning once again playing on repeat in your head and you wanted to do nothing more than to walk over to the group and beg Nate to give you another.

“What are you daydreaming about?” Tracy´s voice almost made you jump out of your chair. “Nothing really. Just thinking.” You put the bookmark back into the book and put your whole attention to your friend. The subtle voices of the guys faded into the background and started to mix with the waves crashing down on the shore. You tried to focus on that instead of giving away what you and your ex-boyfriend had been doing just hours prior.

“Just eye-fucking the ex-boyfriend, what´s the big deal really, right?” Your eyes shot up and you starred at her like she just caught your red-handed. “I knew it,” she almost shouted. “You still have feelings for him. Shit, I owe Gabe 50 dollars.”

Your brows furrowed. “You and Gabe placed a bet on me still having feelings for Nate?” She grinned. “I´m sorry?” It was more a question than a real apology. “You two were so good together, we were just rooting for you.”

“We were for a while, then we weren’t anymore.”

She placed a comforting hand on your arm. “You both looked out of it at breakfast this morning, what happened?”

“Nothing really,” you paused, considering your next words carefully. “He comforted me last night when the storm happened.” She placed her sunglasses on her head, eying you suspiciously. When she didn’t say anything, you hoped that she believed you.

It wasn’t a complete lie. You just left out that after that the two of you made out in the morning, twice.

“I have to get back to the venue. If there´s anything you want to talk about you know I´m always here for you, right?” Your arms wrapped around her before she could finish speaking. “Of course.”

She smiled when you let go of her again. “Keep ogling your ex, Cale told me Gabe told him he likes it.” With that she got up and left you alone again.

------

For the first time on the trip Nate and you walked to the room together after the afternoon spend on the beach. You didn’t speak much, your actions from the morning and a conversation that should be held still looming over you.

At the same time you still felt the overwhelming urge to it again. To do more.

“You can go shower first if you want to.” Nate mumbled as he pulled out his phone, seeming like he suddenly had really important notifications. “Yeah, sure.” The tension surrounding the interaction wasn’t lost on you. But neither of you acted on it.

You grabbed your clothes for the rehearsal dinner out of the bedroom and locked yourself in the bathroom once again while he did god knows what.

The hot water of the shower did nothing to clear your head. You were spiraling. On the one side you wanted to act on the tension, on the other hand you didn’t want to go down that road again. There was a reason you and Nate broke up. There was no way it would work a second time…. Right?

-----

The rehearsal dinner went without any specific happenings. You and Nate arrived together, which raised the eyebrows of some people, but you shrugged it off.

When the group made their way over to yet another bar for one drink before everyone would go back to their rooms early in the light of the day tomorrow you walked close to him. His hand brushing yours every now and then, sending shivers down your spine as you continued to try to ignore the feelings that were coming back to you.

The wind picked up as you sat on the open balcony built directly over the ocean. You rubbed your shoulders trying to warm up a little in your thinly strapped dress. It had been an immediate yes, when you saw you had packed it and Nate´s reaction was worth freezing now.

“Here.” A blazer was draped over your shoulders. The navy color something you immediately recognized. Your “Thanks,” a mumble at best but you slipped into the fabric and let the warmth engulf you. It smelled like Nate´s signature aftershave. The mix of wood and cinnamon something that felt like home to you, even after being apart for a while.

Tracy raised her eyebrows and wiggled her fingers between you and Nate when she spotted you wearing it, but you just waved it off. “Nothing,” you mouthed.

The look on her face told you that she didn’t believe you at all, but she turned back to the conversation she had prior leaving you and the man next to you alone.

-----

The group exchanged goodbyes and see you tomorrows soon after. You and Nate walked back to the room together, the tension that had built between the two of you so thick it could’ve been cut with a knife.

You didn’t say anything, just followed him into the room quietly when he unlocked the door with the key, he fished out of the pocket of the blazer you were still wearing. Even engulfed by the warmth you shivered at the look Nate was giving you as he subtly touched your arm to steady himself while searching in the pocket. A look full of lust but mixed uncertainty, as if he was debating if he should act on it.

He brushed his hand over your arm he was still holding, unintentionally it seemed, innocent almost but his eyes didn’t lie. He wanted you, and he wanted you now but there still was this hint of almost insecurity in his eyes.

Neither of you spoke as he closed the door, placing the key and his phone on the shelf next to it. You shrugged off his blazer and let it fall to the floor with a soft thud. His eyes snapped back to yours, roaming over your body.

The moment you enter the bedroom, he had enough and decided to act on what had been lingering in the air the entire day. He pressed you up against the wall next to the door, the one where he stood just this morning.

His lips were on yours, just for a second, before he traced the column of your throat. You turn your face to the side and see the cheeky grin on his face.

“See, I don’t know if you´re still mad at me for how things ended between us.” He pulled your chin up, having you meet his gaze before pressing his lips to the corner of your mouth. “But if you are, forget it, I’ve been thinking about this for the entire night and I know you have too.”

And then his lips were on yours again. His tongue swept into your mouth and danced with yours. The woody scent that weavers around him fills your nose. His kiss was demanding, claiming and deliciously slow, as his fingers laced with yours at your side, pinning you deeper into the wall with his hips.

You could feel him hard already through his pants. He parts your legs with his knee and trails his finger down your cheek to your jaw, under the curve of your ear.

“I thought about this since this morning actually.” He pulled your dress down to expose more of your chest. A low groan escaping his lips before he carefully bites into your shoulder, releasing it as he moved on to your collarbone.

The dress hit the cold floor of the room as he pushed the straps down your shoulders, his fingers finding your pearled nipples effortlessly through the lace of your strapless bra.

“I thought about it all through dinner too. Do you know how hard it was for me to not drag you out of your chair and back to this room?” His voice was gravel in your ears as heat pools into your panties.

You whine against him, inch yourself closer to him. He pinches your nipple. Hard. Before reaching down, cupping your pussy, pressing the heel of his palm into your clit. All you could do was whimper.

You were in sensory overdrive because his other hand was still working slow on one of your nipples.

He looked up and let his eyes rake over every inch of your body, standing before him just in your bra, panties and heels you matched the dress with.

“This might be the hottest thing I´ve ever seen,” he growls as he stands, grabbing your arms, pulling you back onto the bed.

You moan. His lips meet your shoulder blade as you pant. Taking the few seconds, he took to undress himself. You need him to touch you. Somewhere. Anywhere.

His fingers trail under the back of your thong, sliding downward to your ass as he grips you tight with his other hand. A low grumble rumbles through him as you arch your back at the move.

“Fuck, yes.” You breathe out. “What do you want, sweetheart?” The man in front of you far from the man you were met with this morning. This version of Nate one you had only seen in the bedroom after particularly rough games, when he desperately needed to take out all the buildup tension.

Those nights were some of the bests of your life.

“Answer me,” he growled against your ear as he kept trailing your body with his hands but not acting on anything just yet.

Another moan left your mouth as he trailed over the one particular spot, he knew all too well.

“Fuck me, Nathan,” you breathed, seconds before pleasure was taking over your entire body.

--------

Waking up the third morning in paradise felt different than the other two. You woke up in Nates arms, just like you did the other days but this time there was this funny feeling in your stomach.

Warmth and butterflies mixed with that delicious burn from the actions of last night between your legs. The sun was already peeking through the curtains, but you knew that it was still very early.

The wedding would be until midday so there was no rush in getting up and getting ready, especially since neither you nor Nate were in the wedding party. So, you snuggled back into his embrace, his arms immediately tightening around you as he grumbled.

“Good morning,” he whispered and placed a soft kiss to your head. “Morning,” you mumbled back, pressing yourself even closer to him.

Neither of you said anything but soft touches and kisses that were exchanged spoke for you. He connected your lips softly on multiple occasions and followed it up by trying to remove even more space between your bodies.

“How are you feeling?” The question was heavier than expected. How were you feeling?

For one you were feeling good, happy to be in this place again, like you had returned to a place you hadn’t been at in a while but loved endlessly. At the same time, you were feeling conflicted. What would all of this mean for you and Nate?

How would this continue when you returned to Denver? When he got back to Halifax? Would this continue? Was this just a vacation fling, a way to close this chapter of your lives?

Looking up into Nate´s warm eyes, that softened at the attention you were giving him again, you let out a heavy breath.

“I don’t know, Nate,” you paused. “Conflicted, maybe? But also, happy.” A soft smile spread on his lips. “No regrets?” Your eyebrows shot up. “No, no regrets.” He leaned down again and captured your lips with his.

After you made out for another few minutes you looked at each other again. Questions lingered in the air. Unspoken confessions and feelings. The only thing you were sure off was that you were happy. Happier with him than you were without him.

You missed him. Every day since you broke up. You didn’t realize it before. Not when you saw him again the first day you came into the room. Not the first time you kissed post breakup and not last night.

Looking back at the weeks that had passed since that morning in Halifax you suddenly noticed subtle details that were related to missing him.

How he always opened doors for you. How he put your coffee in the fridge before he left for practice or morning skate so it would be cold when you woke up. How your car was never low on gas.

Things you didn’t really think about until now.

“What´s on your mind?” Another heavy hitting question.

“What does this mean for us, Nate?”

Silence.

“What do you want it to mean?” An unexpected question, that at the same time was giving you the feeling he had already made up his mind.

“I don’t know. I need to think about it.” Silence, which he met with silence. Only for a while before he spoke again.

“How about we just get through this day, celebrating our friends and we figure everything out tomorrow?” You nodded. That gave you time to think. To bring your thoughts and feelings in order and to figure out if you wanted to do this again.

“Yeah. Good idea.”

---------

The wedding passed in a blur. Tracy was the most beautiful bride you had ever seen and when Cale shed a tear seeing her walking down the aisle you couldn’t hold yours back either.

Nate, sitting beside you, which obviously raised eyebrows with his teammates and their partners, grabbed your hand rubbing soothing circles to the back of it as you watched your friends exchange their vows.

The reception dinner was delicious, followed by speeches that had you holding your belly laughing, which probably was a side effect of the multiple glasses of champagne you indulged in as the hours passed.

Nate rarely left your side. Once to chat with his teammates, more often to supply you with more drinks or a snack from the massive display of sweets, desserts and fruit the Makar´s put up.

It was almost like before. The routine something you grew familiar with and missed. His protective eyes something you craved. But you still hadn’t made up your mind.

There were pros and cons to getting back together with him. You were weighing them all day.

Sometimes the pros won, sometimes the cons did but you weren’t closer to a conclusion either way.

The dance floor opened shortly after the cake was cut. Everyone was jumping around, screaming, celebrating, having a good time. You were surrounded by your friends, having a blast. Experiencing joy you haven’t felt in a while.

When the newlyweds came together for their first dance and invited everyone to join them you stepped to the side as everyone coupled with their respective partners.

You watched everyone for a bit before a familiar hand was held in front of you. “Dance with me?” “With you? Always.”

With a smile he led you out to the others. As you wrapped your arms around his neck he placed his on your waist.

The both of you swayed in silence for a few seconds. Enjoying yet another intimate moment.

“Come to Halifax with me,” he whispered. “Let´s figure this out. I know we can.”

Goosebumps. Confirmation that he had really already had made up his mind in the morning.

The world around you slowed down when you looked him into the eyes. The other wedding guests that were still mingling around you blurring into the background, their voices quieting.

“What?” your breath hitched. Nate´s touch burning at your wrist sending splashes of memories through your mind. How he held you for the first time. How he had wrapped his arms around you after winning the Stanley Cup. How you held him after he lost in the playoffs earlier in the year.

“After this, come back with me, like you were supposed to. Let´s try again. I love you. I never stopped. Do you have any idea how much I wished to take my actions back? To follow you to the airport and apologize?”

“I waited for you. Before security.” A subtle change in his hold which felt like a bigger than it was. “I wished for nothing more than for you to come and try to save us.”

He stopped swaying and placed his hands on your cheeks, making you look him directly into the eyes. His stern determined look burning into your memory.

“We both needed this time to realize some things, we know this. It was the right thing to do at the time. But we realized this is not how it was supposed to end.”

“Nate…” the words came out quieter than you expected. You weren’t even sure he heard them.

“I already told you I still love you. Please, let´s go back to us,” he plead, grabbing your hands, squeezing them.

A smile spread across your face. All the worry, all the doubts that had crept into your head disappearing the more he said. You looked up at him with light in your eyes.

“We need to talk this out, Nate. Not here, but when were back in Nova Scotia. There is still a reason why we broke up.” But based on the look on his face he didn’t listen to a word you said after you said, “when were back in Nova Scotia”.

“Thank you. For giving me another chance. I promise you I won´t waste it,” he said before dipping you back and kissing your right there in the middle of the dance floor of your friends wedding reception, clapping and whooping from your friends in the background.

#nathan mackinnon #colorado avalanche #nathan mackinnon imagine #colorado avalanche imagine #nathan mackinnon x reader #nhl imagine

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fandoms-in-law · 7 months ago

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Muddy Letters - The Re-Beginning

Authors Note: I have 2 possible summaries for this fic and neither really work for posting it all in one story. Instead both the summary I want to use and the story is in 3 parts: The Re-Beginning (you are here), The Beginnging, The Conclusion

Contrary to normal expectations, I suggest reading the Re-beginning first.

Summary: It begins again with Dustin helping Steve pack up his room.

/\/\

Dustin hadn’t been snooping. He Hadn’t! He’d been helping Steve pack his room up, going through the drawers just like he’d been asked to, barely even looking at the bank statement, photo albums, love letters never given to Nancy and, okay, maybe he was using helping as an excuse to snoop.

This discovery was one he wouldn’t have been able to ignore even if he wasn’t snooping.

Why would Steve keep a bundle of muddy envelopes? Also why would he have wrapped it in a velvet black ribbon?

Just the appearance of the bundle had Dustin confounded and curious.

He was going to read whatever letters were in the envelopes and had already undone the ribbon when Steve returned with cookies and drinks for them. “Where’d you find those? I’ve been looking for them.” He asked, immediately taking the letters away, almost before the tray was set down.

“Middle drawer. What are they?” He asked, trying to take one back.

Steve glared, pulling them further away. “Private. And letters from a childhood friend.”

“Come on, you can trust me.” Dustin tried to coax only to freeze when the glare deepened.

“Not with secrets that aren’t mine to share.” The words were final and hung in the air for a moment until Steve handed one of the cookies to Dustin and stood, taking the letters out of the room with him.

The muddy letters stayed on Dustin’s mind as he finished packing the drawers and helped Steve pack his clothes into 3 suitcases and a charity donations bag. By the time they paused for lunch, he wanted to know more again.

“Does Robin know about the letters?” He asked, certain she was the only person possible closer to Steve than he was.

“No, but she’d agree with me keeping the secrets in them.” The reply was barely thought about as a knock came on the door.

Letting himself in, Eddie greeted them, leaning close to Steve, “You look tense, Stevie. Has Dustin been that annoying?”

With a heavy breath, Steve relaxed, “Not really, just found something I thought I’d lost.”

“Sounds mysterious. Can I know what?” Dustin perked up at the questions, hoping he’d also get answers over the letters now.

Instead Steve stood, “I’ll show you. Just don’t take them from me?” He asked, glancing over sharply when Dustin moved to follow them. “Dustin, stay here and eat your lunch or I’ll take you home right now.”

He groaned, sitting down again. “It’s not fair to leave me out of this.” He called after them before focusing on hearing everything he could without leaving the kitchen.

There wasn’t much he could hear at first, indistinct voices as they chatted until Eddie exclaimed “That was you?”

Silence fell then and if Dustin had been less concerned over Steve’s unexpected strictness, he’d have gone to find them, ask what was Steve and if it explained anything about the muddy bundle.

It felt like forever before Steve and Eddie returned and he was glaring as soon as he could hear their footsteps. “So I can’t see them, but you immediately tell Eddie what they are?”

“Didn’t need to. All I told him was that I have them.” Steve countered, “And you don’t know, or need to know, everything about my life.”

Dustin frowned, slouching in his seat, “Can you at least tell me why they’re covered in mud?”

“I was an outdoorsy kid.” The sentence didn’t explain anything so far as Dustin was concerned and he was set on reading those letters now.

“Eurgh, why are you being so secretive.” He complained, hoping that would get Steve to realise this was a jerk move.

Eddie laughed, expression clearly seeing what he was trying and knowing it would fail when Dustin looked over at him, recognising a moment after that it had been the condescending laugh he used for royal NPCs. “King’s can have their secrets courtiers aren’t informed of, Dusty. Drop the interrogation before it stops being amusing.”

“Fine,” He pouted before brightening as an idea came to mind, “You’re going to need help unpacking in your new place, right Steve?”

Even as Steve and Eddie focused on discussing this move, Dustin was thinking about the letters and how he’d find a way to read them.

“Did you know Steve and Eddie have secrets, Robin?” Dustin asked, hurrying over as soon as he entered Family Video and didn’t see Steve anywhere.

She looked over at him, uninterested, “Yeah. They’ve mentioned it.”

“And you aren’t asking more?” He exclaimed, astounded by her lack of interest.

“Nope.” She straightened only to shrug. “They’ve told me enough and invoked Scoops. I’m not pushing for those secrets.”

Dustin frowned. If it was Erica invoking Scoops meant ice cream. If he did it to Steve, it was usually either wanting back up or to remind Steve he’s important. He’d never considered what invoking Scoops meant between Steve and Robin because it hadn’t happened before. It wasn’t nice to discover that it meant secrets stay secret.

“I’m going to find out what they’re hiding.” He resolved and left without the film he’d meant to rent.

#stranger things #steve harrington #eddie munson #dustin henderson #Dustin is a shithead #platonic steddie #robin buckley

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khoicesbyk · 14 days ago

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The Royal Romance.

Forevermore.

A/N: this is the next chapter in the journey of my OTP. Follow along for the fun.

Rated: Mature (at times can and will be Explicit. I'll be sure to change the rating when and if that happens). | Contains sexual content and strong language. (You know? The usual. Y'all should be used to this from me by now 😁) Also may contain some violence and other themes you may find offensive | Bolded and/or italicized words are conversations and thoughts of the characters. | Main Characters: King Marquise Rys (LI) and Queen Shanelle Miller-Rys (MC) | All Characters and names: (except MC and original characters created by me and/or other authors [their characters have been mentioned and/or used in the story with their permission] ) are property of Pixelberry.

Current Word Count: 14K words. (may be slightly more or may be slightly less. Look, I stop counting after editing and re-editing and driving myself insane. 🤷🏾‍♀️)

If you’d like to be added to my tag list. Just reblog or DM me and I will gladly add you! 😁😘

This series is rated Mature. It is NOT reading material that is safe for those under 18. Reader discretion is STRONGLY advised!

Missing a chapter or want to read a chapter again? I got you covered! Click Here!

Tag List: @choicesficwriterscreations @tessa-liam

Chapter 16.) Glimmer Of Hope. Part 2.

Below is a continuation of Part 1.

“Fine! Since you want to know Princess, I'm here because your father,” she said gesturing to Marquise, “is a no good low-down incompetent son of a bitch! That's why!”

“And your husband is a big stupid chicken so what?”

“Why you—” Lady Makenna started to say before Marquise cut her off, “That is quite enough. Kenna, if you have something to say to me then say it. But, I will remind you to watch your tone in front of the Princess.”

“Oh, I have plenty to say to you! You are a coward who is clearly unfit to rule! You removed my husband, who is a very good and brilliant man mind you, from his post on the Military Defense Council because you fear him! You know he will be a better King than you have been or ever will be!” Lady Makenna hissed at him.

“I'm a coward you say? That's interesting coming from the woman who has done nothing but lose support over the past few weeks because the people are finally starting to realize, that while you and your husband talked a very good game in the beginning, you and Aldon are nothing but smoke, and mirrors, and do not have actual plans and solutions for the kingdom. Interesting indeed.”

“Leaders are not always meant to be liked. They are meant to govern!”

“Now that is something we both agree on. Because I am not trying to be liked as King. I am trying to be respected by the people and be respectful of the people. I know how extremely lucky and privileged I am and my family is. I don't take that for granted. And I damn sure would never allow my children to take the privilege and opportunity they have for granted. This job isn't just about wearing a crown and ruling a kingdom. You would know that if you had actual political advisors and not a former King and Queen who are still so power-hungry that they are willing to sell out to the highest, or in this case, the lowest bidder. Now if you'll excuse me, it's time that I take my daughter home.”

That set Makenna off.

“My husband and I have tried to be nice and considerate of you and your ugly wife! But no more! It will now be our mission to destroy your entire family! We will be sure to wipe Cordonia clean of the entire Rys bloodline! So enjoy whatever final days you have Marquise! Because soon your family will no more!” she yelled at him.

Marquise set his jaw.

“And on that note, it’s time for us to leave. If you'll excuse us.” Marquise said to her.

“We are done when I say we’re done!” Makenna snapped at him.

All the commotion brought Nadia out of her office.

“What is the meaning of this?” she asked, “Your Majesty are you and The Crown Princess alright?

“Go back to your office doctor. This has nothing to do with you!” Lady Makenna said to Nadia.

Nadia looked at Marquise and Khari.

“If it has something to do with His Majesty and The Crown Princess then it has everything to do with me.”

“I said go back to your office!” Lady Makenna sneered at Nadia.

Nadia turned to her receptionist.

“Cami, please call security to have this young woman removed,” Nadia instructed her receptionist.

“Yes, doctor,” Cami replied.

Lady Makenna sputtered.

“Do you have any idea who I am?” she asked Nadia.

“Yes, I know exactly who you are. Your Prince Dante’s daughter. His youngest if I’m not mistaken.” Nadia replied.

“You can't just throw me out!”

“As the main practitioner of this pediatrician's office. I most certainly can. And I most certainly am. I will not have you here disturbing His Majesty and the Crown Princess. Nor will I have you disrupting my patients any longer. Especially when you have no reason to be here in the first place.”

“I do have a reason for being here actually.”

Nadia raised a questioning eyebrow at Lady Makenna.

“Oh? And what reason could you possibly have for being here?” she asked Makenna.

“I’m pregnant.” Lady Makenna replied.

Khari rolled her eyes and Marquise snorted.

“Well, congratulations to you and your spouse, my lady. I wish you both a happy and healthy pregnancy. I can even recommend you to a wonderful obstetrician who will take very good care of you and your unborn baby. Unfortunately, there is nothing I can do for you until your child is born. Which means you have no business here until it is time for you to have business here. So I am going to have to ask you one last time to leave.”

“How dare you! I am Lady Makenna Laurent-Joseph! You will not tell me to do anything! I can and will have your commoner practice shut down!” Lady Makenna hissed at Nadia.

Just as Marquise went to speak, Nadia put a hand on his arm to stop him.

“No, my lady. You will not. Ever. Because you see I haven't been a commoner for close to 40 years.”

“What are you talking about?” Makenna asked.

“You must not know so allow me to introduce myself. I am the Duchess Of Carlo. My full name is Duchess Dr. Nadia Adrianna Sorvano-Rys.” Nadia replied.

“Rys? As in?” Makenna asked.

“As in I am the widow of the late Prince Sebastian Giancarlo Rys I. Mother of the first Prince of North Cordonia, Prince Sebastian Giancarlo Rys II. And the grandmother of Duke Sebastian Giancarlo Rys III and Duchess Nadia Adrianna Rys II. My King was my late father-in-law, King Leonardo Giancarlo Rys. I say all of that to say that as His Majesty’s aunt by marriage, my station, rank, and title, will always outrank yours.” Nadia replied, leaving Lady Makenna stunned.

“You tell her Nadia!” Khari said to her aunt just as security showed up.

“Ahhh gentlemen. You can now remove this young woman from the campus.” Nadia said to the security guards, “I hope to see you soon my dear. Just not too soon.”

They watched as Lady Makenna was escorted out of the building.

“Now that we have all that ugliness over with, you two can head home in peace,” Nadia said to Marquise.

“Thank you, Nadia. I’ll see you soon,” he said to her before he and Khari left.

Once back at the palace, Marquise told Shanelle what had happened at Khari’s appointment.

“Oh, she’s fucking bold. She cornered not only you but she cornered my daughter too?” Shanelle asked.

“Yup,” he replied.

Shanelle shook her head.

“And she's pregnant?”

“Apparently, but I take that with a grain of salt.”

“And she wasn't arrested, why?”

“Because I am playing the long game.”

“What long game?”

“I wanted her to have a meltdown in public. I was hoping that those in the office would see what she would be like if she ever got mad.”

“And do you think it worked?”

“I think it is but only time will tell. In the meantime, we have a visit with Trevor tomorrow.”

Shanelle nodded.

“Okay. But we are done with this conversation. Got it?”

“Of course. All I am doing is tabling this discussion for later.”

“Very well.”

“How were the boys while I was gone?”

“Spunky. They had fun painting with Momma and Daddy and for some odd reason they like telling me no.”

Marquise chuckled.

“Funny how they only ever tell you no.”

Shanelle gave him a side-eye.

“You just wait. You will be heartbroken when they finally tell you no.”

“Until then…I’ll enjoy watching them tell you no.”

Shanelle rolled her eyes.

The next morning Their Majesties were on their way to visit Lord Benton at the hospital. When they got there, they were escorted to a private terrace, where they met Trevor and Naya as well.

“Well you’re a sight for sore eyes,” Marquise said to Trevor, “how are you feeling?”

“I'm lucky to be alive and this one hasn't run off,” Trevor replied, gesturing to Naya, “So there's that.”

“At least you still have your sense of humor,” Shanelle said to him.

“Thank goodness for that,” Naya added.

“I’d have to be dead if I didn't have my sense of humor. But I have to ask, how are you two doing?”

“We are relatively okay compared to what you've gone through,” Shanelle replied.

“You can't be okay. Our children were there. I can't imagine what they're feeling and going through.”

“Our children are doing well. Thankfully they don't remember what really happened.” Marquise said to Trevor.

Trevor nodded.

“Well thank God for that.”

“Y’know if you wanted the Defender Of The Realm title all you had to do was ask. You didn't have to risk your life playing the hero to save me.”

Trevor snorted.

“Had I known that was the easier option I assure you I would've taken it.”

Marquise shook his head.

“Thank you, Trevor. Truly. I don't know how to repay you. But granting you the Defender Of The Realm title is a start.”

“Are you sure Your Majesty?” Trevor asked.

“Yes. And call me Marquise.” Marquise replied.

Trevor nodded.

“And what about you?” Trevor asked Shanelle.

“It's fine with me,” she replied.

He then looked at Naya.

“What do you think, my love?” he asked his wife.

“You have definitely earned it. After all, you are my hero,” Naya replied.

“So what do you say?” Marquise asked Trevor.

“Well, it's unanimous. I accept Your Majesty.” Trevor replied.

Marquise shook Trevor’s hand.

“We’ll work on the name thing later. In the meantime, it is an honor to name you a Defender Of The Realm.”

“The honor is mine. I swear I wasn't trying to do anything heroic. I just reacted. Naya showed me the footage of that day that's been posted online. I don't remember any of it. I don't remember the car barreling toward us, I don't even remember being hit. I just remember waking up here.”

Marquise nodded.

“I understand that. Well, I’m forever grateful for you.”

“I don't need your gratitude, Marquise, just your friendship.”

“Consider it done.”

Trevor nodded.

“Then we’re square.”

Naya laid a hand on Trevor’s shoulder.

“I'm just thankful that you both are alive and safe. I'm happy that it didn't ruin my surprise.”

“What surprise?” Trevor asked.

“I was going to tell you after the race but no time like the present,” Naya replied to her husband before placing his left hand on her stomach. Trevor blinked in realization.

“What?” he asked.

“Would you believe that you’re going to be a father again?” Naya replied.

“You're pregnant?” he asked in shock.

“Yes. I was going to surprise you and our daughter after the race but then everything happened so I never got the chance to tell you.” she replied, “until now.”

Trevor looked at Marquise and Shanelle.

“Did either of you know about this?” he asked.

“I didn't,” Marquise replied.

“I did,” Shanelle replied.

Marquise gave his wife a questioning look.

“You knew?” he asked.

Shanelle shrugged innocently.

“Yes. And when I found out, Naya swore me to secrecy,” she replied.

Marquise shook his head with a smirk.

“I've been betrayed.”

Trevor snorted.

“Well thank you for keeping my wife’s secret, Your Majesty. I appreciate it.”

Shanelle smiled at him.

“Well, this has been quite a day. I can't thank you both for coming to see me. And for the honor of naming me Defender Of The Realm. If there was one bright light out of this tragedy, it's knowing that I have very good friends in high places and that my beautiful wife is pregnant, and that our family is growing.”

Shanelle looked over Naya’s shoulder and smiled.

“And it's about to get better,” she said as she nodded to the entrance, where Edwin had brought Bernadette to see her father.

“Edwin. What are you doing here?” Naya asked him.

“Her Majesty texted me and thought it would be nice for her to see Trevor and she just had to bring everything with her.”

Shanelle winked at Naya.

“Dada!” she squealed as she ran to her father.

“Hello, my little one. It's so good to see you,” he said as she climbed into his wheelchair and hugged him.

Marquise pulled Naya aside.

“We’ll speak soon,” he said to her.

“Thank you. Both of you,” she said to him.

Their Majesties let the family enjoy their time together. They walked out with Edwin.

“Even though I’m gonna regret asking this question, how is your mother Edwin?” Shanelle asked.

Edwin shrugged.

“My mother is…my mother,” he replied.

“So still the same despite being injured?”

“Pretty much. I do want to run something by you two,” he said to them as they stepped into the elevator to head to the garage.

“Yes? How can we help?” Marquise asked.

“With your approval, Your Majesty, I'd like to sue Queen Regina on behalf of my mother. Because of her callous, reckless, and careless actions, my mother's life was put in danger. She knew her driver had no seatbelt and still forced him to drive them the night of the accident.” Edwin replied as they stepped off the elevator.

Marquise shrugged.

“Now as you know Edwin, it's normally the Monarchy’s job to shield any former Monarch from all lawsuits but, given what we learned and the information that was released about the accident, I will allow you to sue her on your mother’s behalf as well,” Marquise replied.

Edwin nodded.

“Thank you, Your Majesty. I’ll be in touch soon,” he said before getting into his limo.

As they rode back to the palace, Shanelle became curious.

“You're letting Regina be sued?”

“Yes, by Edwin and Ernst Tremblay’s widow. It'll teach Regina a lesson.”

“What lesson is that?”

“That she's no longer my problem to worry about or cover for. And since she decided to unfairly put the lives of others in danger, this is her consequence.”

“Works for me.”

The next day while Shanelle was out with the children at their karate class, Marquise was in his office when he got a surprising video call.

“Hello?”

“Well hello, Your Majesty. Do you have time for a chat?”

It was King Desaad.

“For you? No, I don't. But since I know you will continue to call back just to pester me, what do you want?”

“Nice to see that you're as friendly as ever, Marquise.”

“You're wasting my time, Demetrius.”

“I can't even call you to have a simple conversation?”

“No, you can't. Because nothing is ever simple with you.”

“Can we talk?”

Marquise looked at his watch.

“90 seconds. Go.”

Demetrius sniffed derisively.

“I called because I want to come to a mutual understanding between us.”

“I would rather drink battery acid than come to a mutual understanding with you.”

“You haven't even heard why.”

“I already know why.”

Demetrius slowly clapped.

“Very good Marquise. So you are smarter than you look.”

“And your time is up.”

“Not yet it's not.”

“What do you want, Demetrius?”

“I'll keep it simple, I want you to stay out of my business, and withdraw your assistance to Kasnia immediately.”

Marquise tapped his chin.

“Nah.”

“I wasn't asking you a question.”

“Good because I wouldn't care if you were. My answer is no. Now is there anything else you need?”

“This is not a game. I am telling you to stand down!”

“I am telling you, Your Majesty, to go to hell.”

The look on Demetrius’s face turned ugly.

“You think this is a game?”

“No, not at all Demetrius. I think you’re being very serious. I just don't give a fuck about your seriousness.”

“You petulant piece of shit! There's a reason why your father was always a better King.”

“And there's also a reason why he's now dead and rotting in hell where he belongs and why I reign supreme.”

“I will tell you this one last time, stand down now!” Demetrius growled.

“And I am telling you one last time to suck my dick!” Marquise shot back.

“You don't want to go to war with me Marquise!”

“Challenge accepted.”

“I will make you live to regret this!” Demetrius sneered.

“If this is you attempting to threaten me then I would have to take it as an act of war.”

“Take it however you like!” Demetrius hissed.

Marquise nodded then cleared his throat.

“Very well Your Majesty. Since you have now declared war, we have nothing more to discuss.”

“Oh, but we will Marquise. Just wait and see.”

“You can get off my phone now.”

“Before I go, how is your wife doing? She is well, yes?”

“My wife is none of your business or concern.”

“I am merely asking. I know that pregnancy can be a precarious time for a woman. I would never want anything to happen to her or your unborn baby.”

That caught Marquise’s attention.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” he asked.

Demetrius smiled at him venomously.

“You'll find out soon enough.” Demetrius trailed off.

As he said that to Marquise, Shanelle, and the children had just arrived back at the palace. She and the children had just walked into the living room of the residence when a loud boom rocked the palace.

“What the hell was that?” Marquise said out loud.

A second boom was heard that rocked the palace so hard it caused Shanelle to lose her balance and fall.

“Mommy!” Zyon gasped.

“Halp (help)! Halp!” Kylo called out.

“Guards! Help!” Khari called out to the guards, “Find my Daddy! Now!”

Guards rushed to Shanelle’s side while others went to find Marquise.

“Your Majesty! Come quickly! Her Majesty has fallen!” Margo said to him.

“What the hell?!”

Marquise gazed down at his screen.

“If you must know Your Majesty, that was your last warning!” Demetrius said to Marquise before switching off his screen.

He didn't have time to respond. He needed to be at Shanelle’s side. He and Margo rushed to where she and the children were. She was being helped up slowly by her father and mother.

“Daddy!” Khari said to him. Her face was worried.

“Daddy! Mommy fall!” Kylo said to him.

“Youd (loud) boom Daddy! Youd!” Zyon told him.

When he looked at Shanelle she was shaken.

“Are you alright?”

“I'll be fine. What the hell was that?”

“Car bombs ma'am.” a guard replied.

“What?!” Marquise asked.

“We are getting reports that there have been others.” the guard replied.

“Where?!” Shanelle asked.

“There was one that went off at the Parliamentary Building, one at the Palace of South Cordonia, and two at St. Regis Hospital in the parking garage.” the guard replied.

“Oh my God!” Shanelle gasped.

“Son of a bitch!” Marquise hissed, “That's what he meant!”

“What are you talking about?” Shanelle asked.

“Before you got home I had a video call with King Demetrius,” Marquise replied, “and before he hung up he told me that this was my last warning.”

“For what?” Shanelle asks.

“War,” Marquise replied.

Shanelle looked at him.

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

“No. And we will respond accordingly. But for right now all I’m worried about is you and the children.”

“We’re okay Daddy.” Khari said to him, “We were worried about Mommy.”

The boys nodded. Marquise gathered his children in his arms.

“As long as you all are safe.” He said to his children before turning to his wife, “I want to have you checked out just to be safe.”

Shanelle nodded.

“Okay. I won’t argue with you.”

“For now, we need to assess the damage that has happened.”

Later that night, a damage report was given to Marquise. While there was extensive property damage and destroyed vehicles, no one was hurt or killed. The next morning, Marquise was locked in his office fielding calls left and right. He only took a break so Shanelle could join him in releasing an official statement to the people.

“Good afternoon everyone. Today I stand here as King to deliver news of a great magnitude. Yesterday afternoon, we were attacked by a series of car bombs that went off across the kingdom. Those car bombs were a declaration of war by the kingdom of Sulovaria in response to our assistance to the kingdom of Kasnia. This is a declaration of a very serious magnitude and nature and I will be speaking with our Military Defense Council to discuss and assess what our next steps will be.”

Marquise swallowed before he continued.

“As King, I am disappointed in King Desaad’s actions but in no way am I surprised. Strong arming and bullying of other kingdoms have been his modus operandi ever since he stole the throne from his cousin. I make a promise to you all now. I promise that we will never be bullied or intimidated by anyone. We will also never stand down or back away from a fight. We will fight. We will stand tall. We must never waver when others look to treat us as though we are weak. We as a kingdom and nation are not weak. Thank you for joining us.”

When the cameras stopped rolling. Shanelle checked on her husband.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Nope. I don't have time to be okay. I have to convene the council. While you will head to your duchy tonight.”

“What?”

“It's not safe for you and the children to be here. So you all will leave tonight and I'll join you as soon as I can.”

“I am not going anywhere.”

“Yes, you are. You and the children leave tonight.”

“No, I am not!”

“Do not argue with me!”

“I'm not arguing. I am not going anywhere. If you're here I am here.”

“THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR YOU TO DEFY ME!” his voice boomed.

Marquise took a deep breath.

“You will take our children and go to your duchy tonight. Do you understand?!”

Shanelle closed her eyes and then exhaled.

“Fine.”

“I’m sorry. I didn't mean to raise my voice at you. But I need you and the children to go where it is safe. It's not safe here at the palace for you.”

“If this is about to be as bad as you’re making it out to be, then nowhere in this kingdom is safe for us. You might as well send us to Boston.”

“Don't tempt me.”

“I don't want to leave you here. Because what happens if that idiot tries again? And he hurts you?!”

“He got a good warning shot in. I'll give him that. But life is a game of chess, not checkers. I will be safe. If it gets too hot here I know how to hide and then eventually get out.”

“Your daughter won't like it.”

“I know. And I am ready to face her wrath.”

Shanelle shook her sadly.

“I don’t like this. Any of it. But I trust you and your judgment. I'll get the kids ready so we can leave tonight.”

Marquise nodded before kissing her softly on her forehead.

“Thank you. I do have a question.”

“Yes?”

“Is everything ready for the Lantern Festival?”

“Yes, everything's ready to go.”

“Good. We mustn't let this deter us. I know you’re not certain but I promise you, it will be okay.”

“Alright. Let me go get the kids. I'll take my parents and Margo with me.”

“Thank you.”

Later that night as Shanelle and the children got ready to leave, Marquise had to face the wrath of his very angry daughter.

“Are you mad at me?” he asked her.

“Yes!” she replied, her arms crossed.

“My love, I know that you’re angry but you have to understand that I am only trying to keep you, your brothers, and your mother safe.”

Khari shook her head no.

“No, you’re not! You're telling us to run away!”

“I’m not. It's not safe here. I have to keep you all safe and I can't do that here.”

Khari shook her head no.

“Family always stays together!”

“Khari–” he tried to say before she cut him off, “No Daddy! We always stay together! If you stay here then we stay here too!”

“Khari that is enough!” Marquise said in a slightly raised voice.

Marquise closed his eyes before taking a deep breath and opening his eyes to see his daughter holding back tears. He moved a few strands of hair from in front of her face and tucked them behind her right ear.

“My little one. My beautiful girl. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled like that at you. I know you don't like this. Trust me your mother outright hates it. But I need you to understand that you have to go. It's not safe here. For any of you. I want and need you, your brothers, and especially your mother and baby sister to be where it's safe.”

“But who will be here to protect you if you’re here by yourself Daddy?” Khari asked with tears in her eyes.

“I will sunshine,” Damien said to her.

That statement caught Shanelle and her mother off guard.

“What?” Shanelle asked.

“Excuse me?!” Shantel asked.

“You two heard me, I am staying with Marquise,” Damien replied.

Marquise nodded.

“Thank you, Damien.”

“You are not staying Daddy,” she said to her father.

“With all due respect Your Majesty, I just gave His Majesty and the Crown Princess my word that I would be staying and I have no intention of going back on it.”

Khari looked from her grandfather to her father.

“Now you see I won't be alone. Okay?” Marquise asked.

Khari nodded.

“Yes.”

“That's my girl. Now go with your mother and grandmothers. And I’ll see you in a few days. Okay?”

“Alright,” Khari said quietly.

Marquise kissed her softly on her forehead before facing her mother.

“It's Friday right?” she asks Marquise.

“Yes,” he replied.

“You and my father will stay here this weekend but you will be in Volterias by sunset next Tuesday. Do I make myself clear?” she asks.

“Of course my love,” he replied.

“Do not play with me, Marquise! Because if anything happens to either of you, I swear to God that I will burn this entire continent to the ground!”

“I believe that you will. We will see you on Tuesday.”

“You'd better!” Shanelle hissed.

Marquise kissed her slowly to soothe her.

“I will see you Tuesday,” he whispered against her lips.

Shanelle stepped back, and took one last look at her husband and father, before she, her mother, Margo, and the children left. Once Marquise knew they were gone, he turned to Damien.

“Let's get to work,” he said to his father-in-law.

The next day Shanelle and her family spent a quiet day at Duchy Volterias, with the children playing around the lake and gazebo. That evening Shanelle was reviewing and approving the final plans for the Lantern Festival when there was a knock at her door.

“Come in!” she said to the door.

It was Khari.

“Hey babe. Why are you still awake?” Shanelle asked.

“I can't sleep,” she replied.

“You too huh?”

Khari nodded. Shanelle tapped the side closest to her and Khari climbed into bed with her.

“I'm worried about Daddy and Pop Pop.”

“I know. I am too sweetie. But I know they're being as safe as possible. And I trust that they'll be here before we know it.”

“I hope so.”

“I know so. So let's trust your Daddy okay?”

Khari nodded.

“In the meantime, we’ll be here getting ready for the Lantern Festival next weekend. Are you excited?”

“Yeah. We’ll have lots of fun.”

“We sure will babe. Especially when this year's theme is a picnic under the stars.”

“Ooooh!”

“I thought you might like that.”

That following Tuesday, Marquise and Damien arrived at Volterias to their very relieved families. While Damien spent time with his grandchildren, Marquise brought Shanelle up to speed on what he learned.

“What have you learned?” she asked.

“The car bombs were planted days ago and detonated by remote control,” he replied.

“Days ago?”

“The same day of the 5K race. The bombs at the old palace and the hospital were in unattended vans and the two that went off at the palace were in empty limos in the motor pool.”

Shanelle let out an aggravated breath.

“That means there's a mole in our ranks.”

“Yes, there is. And I don't think it’s just Lord and Lady Gallagher.”

“Then who?”

“I'm not sure yet.”

Shanelle ran a hand down her face.

“I do have a way to smoke them out.”

“How?”

“We are going to use this situation as a rally cry at the Lantern Festival. And no one knows how to rally the people quite like you.”

Shanelle nodded.

“Okay. I'll get my speech prepped.”

Marquise squeezed her right hand.

“I will be right by your side. We will find out who is betraying us.”

“And when we do, I want their heads.”

“And I will make sure that you have them.”

“See that you do.”

Marquise spent the next few days putting out feelers for information while Shanelle focused on the Lantern Festival. The Day of the Lantern Festival, Shanelle was ready and excited.

“Well, this is it. Tonight is the night,” she said to her husband.

“Indeed. All of your hard work is about to culminate into a magical evening for us all. And I know it goes without saying but I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks love. I'm excited about this. Despite everything we've gone through the last few weeks, we've earned tonight.”

“Yes, we have. So let's go.”

They joined their family as the sun started to set outside of the duchy estate. The grounds had been decorated with tents, blankets, telescopes, and different food vendors as well as lots of people with lanterns waiting to be lit. Once the sun had set and the moon rose. The stars lit up the clear sky.

“Whoa!” the boys said as they looked up.

“Everything is so sparkly!” Khari said.

“Stars!” Zyon said as he pointed to the stars.

“The Moon! Right dere (there)!” Kylo said as he pointed up to the moon.

“We see them. Are you excited?” Marquise asked his children, and they all nodded.

He turned to his wife.

“And what about you, my love? How are you feeling?”

Shanelle took a shaky breath.

“It's all so beautiful and is everything I envisioned it would be,” she replied.

Marquise kissed the back of her hand.

“Time for you to dazzle like the stars,” he whispered to her with a wink before handing her a lantern.

Shanelle stepped up to a dais, lantern in hand.

“Good evening everyone! Thank you for joining me and my family at this year's Volterias Lantern Festival. The Lantern Festival has always been my duchy’s proudest event. And I am looking forward to sharing it with all of you.”

Shanelle looked out and smiled at the gathered crowd.

“The past few days and weeks have been troubling, frightening, and disheartening. I know that while many are here, and I am very happy to see and have you all here, a lot here tonight are worried. There have been attempts on the life of His Majesty lately. As well as a declaration of war. These are confusing and trying times. Especially the Monarchy. Many have fears for His Majesty as well as myself. As well as being fearful for themselves.” Shanelle said as she placed a hand on her stomach.

“As a pregnant woman I understand those fears because I have them myself. Especially now that our enemies have made their intentions clear. And while I am scared, I am reminded of the story of our kingdom’s beginning. I am reminded of Queen Kenna Rys. Queen Kenna had her kingdom unfairly stolen from her. But instead of giving into fear and intimidation of her enemies, Kenna rose and she fought. She fought for her family, her people, her crown, and her kingdom. She found the courage to stand up for herself and those she loved. And tonight, that is what we all must do. We must stand up to those who dare to intimidate us. We must stand up and stand tall. We must never back down. We must remind those who dare to challenge us of our strength and power. We must remind others of our resilience and defiance in the face of tyranny that is King Demetrius Desaad.”

Shanelle turned the lantern in her hands over.

“The tradition of the Lantern Festival is one of my favorite pastimes. With each lantern, you are to share a hope that you have and to give up a fear. And this year I've decided to continue the hope I have had since I became Queen. My sincerest hope is always for the prosperity, safety, joy, and good health of all Cordonians. That is a hope we all deserve. And as for what I am giving up. I am giving up, giving in to those who fear our strength and power. I am giving up letting fear and the intimidation of others dictate how we as a people proceed and go through life. I am giving up letting others push us around. We are strong! We are stalwart! We are fearless! We are steadfast! We will never back down! Because we are Cordonia!”

Her speech was met with a thunderous standing ovation as she lit then released her lantern.

“Now that's how you rally the people.” Marquise whispered to her with a wink.

“Way to go Mommy!” Khari said to her.

“Yay! Mommy! Yay!” Zyon said to her.

“Yeah! Yeah! Mommy!” Kylo said to her.

Shanelle smiled at her kids.

“Thank you, my sweet babies,” she said to them.

“Now it's time for you three to release your lanterns. So what are you hoping for?” Marquise asked the children.

The children put on their best thoughtful looks.

“Candy!” Zyon replied.

“Toys!” Kylo replied.

“More K-Pop!” Khari replied.

Marquise nodded.

“Not exactly what I meant but I'll take it. Okay so now what are the three of you giving up?” Marquise asked.

“Daddy snoring! Too youd (loud)!” Zyon replied.

“I beg your pardon, sir! I do not snore!” Marquise protested.

Shanelle snorted.

“And what about Kylo?” Marquise asked.

“Broci (broccoli)! Don't yike (like) broci! Yucky! Stinky!” Kylo replied.

Marquise looked at his wife who mouthed the word broccoli. Marquise closed his eyes then opened one eye to look at his daughter.

“I'm almost afraid to ask you what you’re giving up,” he said to Khari.

“I'm giving up…curfews!” Khari announced.

“What?!”

Khari shrugged.

“You asked Daddy.”

Marquise rolled his eyes.

“I knew not to ask…” he groaned.

“And yet…” Shanelle quipped.

“Okay. On three. 1…2…3!” Marquise said before the kids released their lanterns.

“And with that! Welcome to The Volterias Lantern Festival Everyone!” Shanelle announced to the cheering crowd.

The festivities got underway with many releasing lanterns and congregating together. This is what Shanelle wanted. In spite of all the turmoil her kingdom is facing, she wanted this event to be the glimmer of hope the people needed. The evening festivities went on well into the late night and the event was widely and wildly successful.

Late the next night while his family was sound asleep, Marquise met up with Princes Mordecai and Malachi and Captain Felix at a local bistro for an update on their assignment.

“What do you gentlemen have for me?” he asked the Princes.

“We found Simeon Georgescu. Unfortunately, he's dead.” Prince Mordecai replied.

Marquise took a thoughtful sip of his espresso.

“I should've expected that. He always smoked like a chimney.”

“That was indeed a dead end, my Liege. But we do have some news for you.”

“What news?” Marquise asked.

“Not what my Liege. Who.” Prince Malachi replied.

“Who?”

“Me.” a voice behind Marquiss answered.

When Marquise turned around, he saw the former King of Sulovaria, Apostolis Galanidas.

“Apostolis? I thought you and your family were still living in exile in Dubai.” Marquise said to him.

“We are. Dubai is a beautiful kingdom.”

“Not that I’m not happy to see you, Apostolis but I have to ask, what are you doing here?” Marquise asked.

“I'm here to offer you help, Your Majesty.” Apostolis replied as he sat down next to Marquise.

Marquise raised an eyebrow at the Princes. Apostolis chuckled.

“No need to be angry with them. I approached them. I'm the reason why they know Simeon is dead.”

“You told them?” Marquise asked.

“Yes. He was killed last year.” Apostolis replied.

“And how do you know?”

“I may not be King of Sulovaria any longer but I do have people in the kingdom that are still loyal to me. They keep me updated on the goings-on within the kingdom.”

Marquise nodded.

“You said you were here to help, so what are you here to help with?”

Apostolis cleared his throat.

“I have information that you may find to be quite useful.”

Marquise nodded slowly.

“And why would you help me?”

Apostolis took a sip of his tea.

“To put it simply, Your Majesty, I want my kingdom back and I want revenge on my cousin for stealing it from me.”

“I see. So this is your attempt at a quid pro quo?”

“Yes. If I help you in your new war with Demetrius, you will help me regain the throne that was usurped from me.”

Marquise sipped his espresso.

“How can I trust you? While yes, your kingdom was stolen from you, how can I trust that you will keep your end of the deal if I agree to join forces so to speak?”

“You're smart. A lot smarter than your father ever was. If you must know Marquise, I know the identity of the driver who tried to kill you a few weeks ago. And I am willing to share it with you as long as you agree to a deal.”

“I can't make that kind of decision without discussing it with Her Majesty first. You understand don't you?”

Apostolis nodded.

“Of course. How about this? How about a show of good faith?”

“What kind of show?” Marquise asked.

“I will give you the name of the driver for free and you can have your men verify my information. How about that?”

Marquise nodded.

“Alright so since you claim to know who the driver is, who is he?” Marquise asked.

“His name was Demos Garakis. He's the brother of Demetrius’s second-in-command, Andreas Garakis.” Apostolis replied.

Marquise raised a questioning eyebrow.

“And how do you know this?”

“Because car bombs as warnings are how Demetrius was able to take over Alevendia. He planted car bombs all over the capital city that went off before he sent in The Armed Forces to take the kingdom.”

Marquise nodded before looking at Captain Felix.

“Be sure to verify this information, Captain,” Marquise said to Captain Felix.

“At once my Liege.” Captain Felix replied.

Marquise then looked at King Apostolis.

“As for you, we’ll be in touch.”

King Apostolis nodded before he finished his tea and left. Once he left Marquise turned to the brothers.

“Not bad you two. I never would've thought anyone could bring Apostolis out of hiding. Well done.”

“Thank you.” the brothers said in unison.

“Now your work is not done. But you’re both off to a great start. Keep up the good work.”

The brothers bowed before taking their leave. Leaving Marquise and Captain Felix.

“Captain. They are the moles in our ranks,” Marquise said to him.

“Indeed” Captain Felix replied.

“Shanelle will be quite disappointed that they're still loyal to their parents. Which in a sense is admirable yet stupid. Their loyalty also means that they're loyal to not only Lord and Lady Gallagher but to King Desaad as well.” Marquise replied.

Captain Felix nodded.

“How shall we proceed, sire?”

“Continue to breadcrumb them by giving them false information so they can have something to report back to King Desaad.”

Captain Felix nodded.

“Yes sire.”

“Have a few agents stay close to them and keep me abreast of the agents you have in Sulovaria as well.”

“Of course. When will we let Her Majesty know what’s been going on?”

“Soon. I want to have enough evidence on the brothers before I drop this bomb that they're the traitors on her.”

Captain Felix checked his tablet. His face grim.

“According to my sources, it seems the brothers aren't the only moles in our midst my Liege.”

“I know. General Castor is also in the pocket of King Desaad. Not that I’m surprised. Thaddeus was always good friends with Barthelemy of all people.”

Captain Felix nodded.

“How should we proceed?”

“Carefully. I don't want him to be tipped off. So monitor all of his communications and bank records. I want to know what he's doing and when he does it. He’ll slip up eventually. And so will the brothers.”

“And then?” Captain Felix asked.

Marquise thought for a second.

“They only have two options, Captain. They can either tell us everything that we want to know or I can employ the use of a Lythikos cleaver. If you get my drift.”

“I do indeed, my King.”

“Good.”

“One more thing, what about King Apostolis? Can he really be trusted?”

“Of course not. Anyone who waits five years to supposedly retake their kingdom always has an ulterior motive. But for now at least, I’d rather have him with us than against us. He just may prove to be somewhat useful to us.”

Captain Felix nodded.

“Very well sire.”

“Now, you have your orders, Captain.”

“By your command, my Liege.” Captain Felix said before bowing and leaving.

Marquise took one last sip of his espresso before leaving the bistro and making his way back to the duchy estate.

4 notes · View notes

annabelle1901 · 1 year ago

Text

Lost Frank Castle x Karen Page fic

Hi! So I don't really interact with anyone on Tumblr but I don't really know what else to do, so here we go. I'm back on my Kastle bullshit <3 and I've been trying to find this old fan fiction on AO3 that I started reading years ago. Stopped reading after a certain point but had the tab open on my phone and I thought I'd continue reading eventually.. And then my phone got stolen, and I forgot the title & author name. Not great. I've dedicated the past few days to looking for it and so far I got nothing.

So what I'm gonna do is write down everything I remember like a mad woman in the hope that this jogs someones memory. Please help me this fic haunts me. ANY sort of reference or whatever could potentially help (Tumblr posts, links, screenshots, Google history, etc)

Fandom: Daredevil/ the Punisher obv

Pairing: Frank Castle/ Karen Page

Rating: probably explicit (canon typical violence and eventual smut)

Published: 2016-2017 (started post s2 Daredevil but pre The Punisher s1 because I don't remember any of the plot or characters from that show showing up) might have been deleted in 2020ish

Length: has to be +10 chapters (long chapters as well, don't know if it was finished)

Characters: Matt Murdock/ Daredevil, Foggy Nelson, Claire Temple, Elektra Natchios (I vividly remember them making some sort of appearance)

now let's get really unhinged...

Plot:

Pretty sure the story starts on Karen's birthday but her mood is meh.. She's on her way home or something, gets in her car and Shining Star starts playing which let's her know that Frank was recently there. Something else must have alarmed her because she goes looking for him and finds him in like an alley around her building. He's in really bad shape, bloody practically dying. She carries him to her apartment and either helps him herself or calls Claire Temple.*

*Don't think it was in this part of the story but she helps Frank and makes a joke about him not being healthy enough to be sleeping with Karen anytime soon which makes them blush. Don't think they were intimate yet but tensions were rising.

For the next couple of chapters I remember it was mainly beautifully written angst between them in this contained space while he's healing. Karen doesn't want Frank to get killed while being the Punisher, he resists her care and tries to hurt her by saying "You aren't Maria and could never be" or something.

I also vividly remember a scene where he's grieving and keeps like tugging on this necklace Karen has on while he cries in her arms. She leaves her necklace at his family's graves and the groundskeeper or something tells her not to do that because it'll get stolen but she knows that but does it anyway as a sign of respect.

They sort admit their feelings eventually but don't sleep together yet because they know they can't go back after that. For some reason Frank needs to leave the city for a little while to re-home a dog I believe he found while on a "mission" and the idea is that the time apart will help them decide whether or not they want to be together. They reunite on a sunny, lovely day in the city and go back to her apartment and lots of smut ensues. Daredevil shows up at midnight/ morning to get Frank. Something's going down he needs his help. It doesn't end well somehow Karen gets involved and they both go to the same hospital. Frank is in a coma and Karen visits him when she's allowed and urges him to live sort of mirroring when he first got shot in the head at the carousel. He wakes up but needs to go back to prison. Everything is really bad. The press somehow knows about their relationship as well. Last scene I remember is Karen and Foggy talking about all this and a newspaper printing a picture of Karen's legs with the caption Keys to the Castle? or something. Gross everything sucks and that's where I stopped reading.

So that's about all I can remember, feels like a fever dream. If anyone could help me out I'd really appreciate it. Thx!!

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sinukiyo · 10 months ago

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Author you did it again and never fail to leave us readers breathless👏🏼.

Hope you don't mind me sharing my thoughts on your latest chapter as well as a deep dive on your characters as well.

Daichi my guy. You knocked up yo baby mama, abandoned her and left to raise yo kid BY HERSELF and you're upset that her mama and best friend are acting cold towards you. Boi miss me with that shit. You can but yeast in the oven and expect steak to come out. And it sure as hell doesn't seem like you understand the consequences of yo actions. On top of that you have a whole ass family (allegedly) and you wanna reconnect with Ami? Granted if the story does confirm that Daichi does in fact have a wife and a kid(s) that means he had the choice to step up and he could have stepped up. But he chose NOT TO. Like how can you say you want to be in yo kid's life SIX YEARS LATER while you already started something with someone else DURING THOSE SIX YEARS. And I'm curious to know why he waited six years to want to reconnect with Ami.

Kenji, my man, my man telling Daichi of like: "I'm hoping she'll grow out of having bad taste in sports teams just like she did her bad taste in... well, everything else." COLDEST LINE EVER. I WAS SCREAMING AND KICKING MY FEET. And I can't stop grinning. And that cute little moment with Chiho tells me he's still the best dad even after Emi.

My takeaway from this chapter is the importance of having people in your corner supporting you, and Ami has that. Mama Wakita, despite her disappointment in her daughter's choices, chose to be in her daughter's corner coz she, as a mother herself, understands what Ami is going through. And kudos to Juri for being a true best friend and a real one. And Kenji? Do we even have to explain? Like, really?

Many single mums/parents in Ami's position don't always have that luxury of having a support system. Half the times family and friends would just welcome back the absent parent with open arm with not consideration for the single parent's feelings because "they at least stepped up". It's kinda sad that social media is treating single parenthood, especially single motherhood, like it's some kind of achievement and a flex. It's admirable being able to raise your kid on your own without the other parent present you still NEED people in your corner. You NEED your own community coz believe it or not, single parenthood can be lonely at times, not just for you but for your kid also.

1. Y’all are going to find out why Daichi is just now showing up real soon! Brace yourself🗣️

2. Fun fact about Kenji’s line, I originally wrote, “I’m hoping she’ll grow out of her bad taste in sports teams just like she did her bad taste in men,” but even I gasped while re-reading it so I edited it because a more subtle jab is even more exciting than a direct one!

3. Kenji is the best dad! You’ll will be seeing more of him and Chiho in today’s chapter! I actually just took a break from writing to answer this ask.

4. Love your little takeaway because that supportive dynamic between Ami, her mom and Juri was a big part of this chapter fr😭 They may not have liked that Daichi was there but they understood and supported her still.

I for one have experienced the impact of a good community. Life can be so exhausting sometimes. We really do need people behind us.

Thank you for sharing!❤️

#ken sato x ami wakita #kenji x ami #ken sato #kenji sato #ami wakita #ultraman rising #ultraman #asks open #send asks #my asks #answered asks #send me asks #sinukiyo’s answered asks

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call-me-copycat · 2 years ago

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🤡 What's a line, scene, or exchange you've written that made you laugh?

😈 Has there been a point in a story where you did something just to be playfully mean to your readers?

What's a line, scene, or exchange you've written that made you laugh?

I have a couple of WIPs that I haven't finished, but I've noticed that I tend to joke around especially when it comes to writing Dadzawa and Shinso along with Midnight and Mic.

This is a couple of excerpts from my series "Escaping the Night", it's an X Reader where the reader is a vigilante that just got taken in by Aizawa. I just found it a little funny because I accidentally made Aizawa a little awkward at first (and I only found out after re-reading it)

"First things first, he had to find a way to make you comfortable since you were most likely going to feel isolated, not knowing anyone or anything that surrounded you. He remembered how he felt when he was younger, leaving home early and pursuing a life of justice. It would've been worse if he was alone, but he had his good friend Yamada with him, so he wasn't entirely isolated... Like you are now.

'Where are we going?'

He was brought back to reality when you spoke up suddenly, voice as monotone as ever, and he realized that he had walked past the apartment complex during his moment of thinking, and you had followed him just as you were instructed to.

He sighed before making a circle in the air with his index finger pointing to the sky and muttering "back around" before promptly turning 180 degrees.

You snorted a bit, but quickly covered it by clearing your throat when given a look by the man you were instructed to follow."

There were a few more instances like this, but if anyone wants to read it then the link for my masterlist is in my pinned post ( ⑉¯ ꇴ ¯⑉ )

Has there ever been a point in a story where you did something just to be playfully mean to your readers?

Hmm, normally I believe I try to do everything I can to give my readers the easiest reading experience possible (including drawing pictures so they'd better understand things, but I suppose I can count this one instance where I got a fic request for a Reader that has a friend who died and sought out revenge.

Normally in most fics, I've seen authors glaze over characters that they have to create and they often have no motivation or personality. However I wanted this character to have a purpose so I spent quite an amount of time setting him up so the audience would feel more attached and also so the sting of his Death would also hurt a little more. I don't know, maybe it'd also have helped the audience to see things from the Reader's point of view more? It's not out yet anyways, but it will be soon ⸜( ˶'ᵕ'˶)⸝♡

♡ ••┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈•• ♡♡ ••┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈•• ♡

Thank you so much for the ask! I really appreciate it and I love answering these! I hope I didn't confuse or disappoint anyone tho >⁠.⁠<

Wishing you well! (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ)

#📨#ask game

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darling-lambkin · 4 months ago

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Book Review: Helpmeet by Naben Ruthnum

Warning: This book review will contain spoilers. I have tried several times to re-format my analysis in a way that doesn’t give away too much of the content, but with the depth at which I prefer to discuss what I’ve read, it is simply not possible for any of my reviews to be completely spoiler-free. If you do wish to read this book, I encourage you to purchase it for yourself. Keep in mind that I do not claim to be any sort of real literary critic. I am simply one of many people online who enjoys publicly stating their opinions.

Title: Helpmeet

Author: Naben Ruthnum

Publication Year: 2022

Genre: Horror Fiction, Historical Fiction, Gothic Fiction

Average Goodreads Rating: 3.4/5

My Personal Rating: 4.5/5

Pages: 69

Date Started: December 25th, 2024

Date Finished: December 28th, 2024

Synopsis: It's 1900, and Louise Wilk is taking her dying husband from Manhattan to the upstate orchard estate where he grew up. Dr. Edward Wilk is wasting away from a mysterious affliction acquired in a strange encounter: but Louise soon realizes that her husband's worsening condition may not be a disease at all, but a transformative phase of existence that will draw her in as much more than a witness.

Going into this book, all I knew was that this story involved some type of body horror, which for me, was a major selling point. As someone who has been religiously watching horror movies since before my developing mind began to form retrievable memories, there is very little that still makes my skin crawl and my heart race. One of those such things just so happens to be body horror. We, as humans, can run from knife-wielding maniacs and hide under the covers until the monsters go away, but what we cannot run from is our own bodies. We are confined to these vessels, and when there is a flaw in the system, it arouses a primal type of dread; the feeling of “god, I hope that never happens to me”. In the story of a wife and her gradually rotting husband, there is no role that seems ideal to be played.

While I was confident that I would find, at least, a moderate level of enjoyment in this book, what truly surprised me was just how engaged I was. For years, reading has felt more like a chore than an activity to be cherished, and thus, I found myself taking a step back from literature. Even now, with my renewed motivation, I often still find myself dreading that time of night when it’s time to pick up my book and settle down without a screen. This story, however, had me coming back at every opportunity. I read in favor of sleeping, I read to put off countless writing projects–when I say that I was itching for each new chapter, I truly mean it. The descriptions of Edward’s deterioration were vivid enough to leave me feeling uneasy, and I found myself begging for some sort of levity, grasping at straws for answers regarding exactly what was causing his body to decay. While I did enjoy the ending overall, I will confess that upon the revelation of the sinister antagonist, I was rather underwhelmed. Cosmic horror and the likes simply doesn’t appeal to me at most times, and for me, it was difficult to comprehend exactly what the creature itself may have looked like. Having said that, I was pleased when it was clarified that the creature was something that has been here for a long time, rather than something from space or an alternate dimension; new to this world and eager for a host.

Perhaps this is a common opinion, but personally, my favorite character in this narrative was the final version of Louise Wilk. Despite the strife Edward put Louise through in life, there is still something so inherently romantic about finding a life literally inside the body of your deceased spouse. The concept of two becoming one, of two souls and two minds speaking to one another internally until they become so deeply fused that they cannot tell where one ends and the other begins, is something that I can only hope to mimic someday–metaphorically, of course!

Favorite Quotes:

“But she never tended to anyone who mattered, until she married someone who did.” (pg 20)

“Isn’t the earth better off after a burning?” (pg 35)

“I cannot explain to you how it feels because I am too cowardly to feel it.” (pg 40)

“A word can have such force, and a name is an entire incantation.” (pg 41)

“They could feel, in the drifting moment just before or just after sleep, a flower between and behind their lungs. Its roots wrapped around their joined vertebrae, and it grew slowly, careful not to exceed their body until they died.” (pg 67)

#text post #lambkin reviews #book review #booklr #helpmeet #naben ruthnum #horror fiction #historical fiction #gothic fiction #literature quotes #literature reviews #horror literature

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yumeasmrscript · 1 year ago

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[PART 3] [M4A] You’re Unexpectedly Purring in front of the Wizard [Fantasy] [Neko Listener] [Head Pats] [Listener is Purring] [Sleepy Speaker] [Fluff] [Comfort] [Reverse Comfort] [Is this a new beginning?]

Author notes: Here comes the third part of this story! This conclude the first narrative arc. As before, it is okay to monetize with the script! Friendly reminder that English is not my first language, so feel free to edit the script to fix anything that sounds weird. If you haven’t read the other parts, I’ll leave you the link below <3 See you in the second narrative arc, as soon as possible. But for now, I hope you will enjoy!

Summary: It's the next day, and since you're feeling better and you don't want to be a burden to the Wizard, you go to him to say goodbye. But, as the wizard cares for you, something unexpected happens. Something you didn’t even know you could do… Maybe, you will change your mind about leaving too?

____________

[Action/things happening] *Moods* Thinking

[Bubbling sounds]

*Hopeful* Come on, come on… Yes! The potion is done! Well done myself, well done. It took long, but it’s finally ready. What time is it?

*A little bit sad* Crap, it’s almost dawn… I guess no sleep at all for tonight. I didn’t really want to rely on one of my potions to stay awake but…

*Resigned* Sigh, no no, who cares if I’m sleepy, I’ll manage to make it to the end of the day somehow, and I’ll just go to sleep early tonight, as soon as I’ll close the shop. And, now that I think about it, I still need to clean it from the glass shards. I’m glad they didn’t hurt themselves when it broke….

Hmm, I wonder if they’re feeling better. They should still be sleeping now, I don’t really want to disturb them. But…

Okay, since I still have some time left before opening the shop for the day, I want to see through my books if I can find something to help them with the curse, just in case…

So… “Magical spells for everyday life”, nope… what about this one? “Spellbound: A collection of powerful spells”… hah, I don’t think that can help at all. I still need to get there. No, no, I need something more specific here…

[Pause]

Hmm, maybe this one? “The Cursed Knowledge: An in-Depth Guide to Malevolent Magic”. I didn’t even remember buying this book when I started studying magic… Oh well, let’s see what it can tell me.

*Turning pages* Endless Shadows, Silence, Rotting flesh…? What in the world was wrong with those wizards that thought cursing people with this kind of thing was such great idea that they had to document it in a book?

*Concentrated* More random curses… there sure are cruel people out there, huh? Oh, wait, maybe this… Shape-shifter’s Mark…? No, no, wait. That can’t be right. They said their curse was about turning them into a cat, and they can shape shift only because they managed to get away in the midst of the spell.

Where is it, where is it….? Oh, wait, found it! “Metamorphic Awakening”. It must be it! Let’s see…

Hmm… Turning humans into animals… Needed items… Side effects… Yeah, it says that not finishing the spell in one way or another, it will result in the subject being half and half until the curse is completed.

*Worried* Wait… Wait a moment…

*Sad/Concerned* There’s… no way to stop it? “Once the spell is chanted, there’s no going back”…?! What the hell!? “You can complete the spell later on, but”… “you can’t”… “reverse it”…?

*Angry* It must be lying! I REFUSE to believe that this curse cannot be undone! There… there must be some way! They just haven’t tried enough. Yes, that must be it. Damn it… !

*Worried* Huh…? Oh shoot, how long have I been reading books here? It’s already morning…!

[Annoyed groin]

*Resigned* Sigh, I’ll look for something in another book, and in another moment. There’s no way that a curse like that cannot be reversed. Maybe I can try looking for another kind of metamorphosis, from animal to human? Or… Sigh, I don’t know. For now… I’ll just focus on what I can do to actually help: make breakfast and check on them. Reversing the curse can wait, as long as they are safe.

[Book closing, footsteps]

[Yawning] Ugh… daylight sucks when you only want to sleep… But anyway, let’s see what I have in the kitchen.

Do I still have some leftovers? I think I should have a slice of that chestnut cake… I wonder if they will like it? I mean, they were hungry, I think anything would be fine. Okay, so, tea’s on… Fire spells sure are useful in this cases, can’t believe how fast it is now to get the water boiling! Now, warming up the cake too, and...

[Slow and barely audible footsteps]

*Surprised* Huh? Oh! You’re awake… Sorry, did I make too much noise here?

*Relived* I’m glad, so you woke up on your own a few minutes ago... Yeah, sun rays can be annoying when you just want to sleep. But more importantly, why are you here? You should still be in bed! If you needed something, you could have called me!

Hm? So you just wanted to tell me something? Again, you could have used the gem. Aw, you were worried you would interrupt something, either sleeping or working? How considerate of you. But you didn’t need to worry!

*Calm* Anyway… how are you feeling today? Are you better?

A little tired, huh? I bet, that was a nasty wound after all. How is it now? Let me see it. I’ll remove the bandage for a second, let me know if it hurts and I’ll stop right away.

[Sound of gauze being removed]

*Relieved* Well, it looks better. It has not healed yet completely, but it’s still much less red. Here, I’ll fix the bandage again. What about your fever?

...Your forehead it’s still a bit warm, but it’s definitely not as much as it was a few hours ago. Still, your cheeks are still a bit red…

[Barely audible purring sound]

Wait a moment, what was that noise? I think… I heard something… I didn’t imagine it, did I?

*Chuckle* What do you mean I’m too close? You didn’t forget that I did the same thing just a few hours ago, did you? How is it different now?

*Laugh* Ahaha, okay, let’s blame the fever then.

*Calm* So, what is it that you wanted to tell me?

Hm? Oh, no, my scratches are fine. See? All healed. I treated them before I started working on the sleeping potion.

Hey, no need to be sorry. Everything turned out fine for the both of us!

What? What do you mean you’re... going? *Worried* Wait a moment, what- I mean, yes I did tell you that you could leave whenever you wanted, but… can’t you at least wait until you’re fully healed? It’s true that you’re feeling better, but you could still use some rest. What would you do out there? Start stealing trying to survive and then collapse again? What if you find someone dangerous?

*Offended, but still gentle* I’m--- no, of course not! I’m not trying to keep you here at all costs, I’m just… worried about you. Listen, I’m not forcing you to stay here, and I don’t want it to look like that’s what I’m trying to do, I just… want to be sure you’re safe, before you leave. Does it… make you upset? Or in danger, somehow?

No? Then, what’s the problem?

...What? *Gentle* What gave you that idea? You’re not [emphasis on “not”] a burden. There’s no need to feel guilty, okay? You don’t need to worry, and--

[Stomach growling]

Was… that you stomach? *Small laugh* Hey, why are you embarrassed? Of course you would be hungry, I wonder when it was the last time you ate something. Come on, go back under the blankets, I’ll bring you something to eat in a moment, all right?

Good kitty.

I can’t help it, when they blush… they are just so adorable.

[Footsteps]

[Small pause]

Tea’s ready, cake too… [Yawn] I really could use some sleep, damn it…

[Footsteps]

*Calm* Here I am, I brought you something to eat and drink. I hope… you like it.

Oh, you do? I’m happy to hear that! And… I’m also glad to see you trust me… [Yawn] this time.

Hm? It’s just… no, as I told you, sleeping wasn’t in my schedule. No need to worry, kitty, it’s not the first time I had to stay awake to get the job done… I mean, when you run a shop on your own and you also need to practice, gather ingredients, and other things… sometimes it’s just normal to sacrifice some sleep.

Yes, sometimes I use one of my potions or just, you know, coffee. But… if I keep relying on those things, I might just get used it to the point they wouldn’t have the same effect anymore…

*Chukle* What’s that face? Oh, you think it’s hypocritical of me telling you to rest when I’m so sleepy? Heh, touché. But hey, in my defense, I’m used to it and you were not feeling well.

Oh, you finished eating? ...Yes, I’ll see what I can eat later. I still need to clean the shop from the glass shards, before opening it for the day.

Hey, don’t be sorry, you didn’t do that on purpose. Hmm, I wonder if this…

[Rubbing sounds, head pats]

...will reassure you a little bit.

And here they blush again… well, I’m patting their head, I guess I should have expected it.

[Purring sound]

Wait, this sound… again… What...

Was this… wait, kitty, are you… purring?!

That’s it, I’m gonna die for cuteness overdose. And they’re not even complaining anymore about being called “kitty”…!

*Laughing* Oh come on, don’t say that! That was unexpected, and… to be honest, it was sweet too.

[More purring]

*Chukle* Why do you cover your mouth like that? It’s not going to stop the sound, you know?

You didn’t know you were able to do that either, huh? Well, that explains it! But, really, that was adorable and… not gonna lie, it is kind of… soothing, you know? [Yawn]

Well… I better get going before I fall asleep here. You get some more rest, okay? By the end of the day, you should feel much better.

Hm? Why are you grabbing my shirt?

What was that? I didn’t hear you…

*chuckle* I’m not mocking you! You said it so quietly that I didn’t really hear.

You… want me to stay with you a little longer? Well… I guess, if you ask me this nicely, I can’t say no. I’ll just… yeah, I’ll sit down here... [Yawn], *From now on, sleepy* for just… a little while…

No, no, you can stay in bed. It’s just for a moment, after all, I can wait for you to fall asleep just sitting here on the floor, near you. [Yawn] But, maybe… I’ll just… lean my head on the bed.

You know? After all, I’m glad I found you last night. I’ve been alone for a while now, excluding the customers… it’s nice to have someone to talk to.

[Purring sound]

Aww, are you purring again? I guess, that means you’re pretty happy too, am I right?

*Sleepy chuckle* Silent treatment again? I thought we were past this phase. Were you... alone as well?

Yeah, I bet… when you’re hiding from someone [Yawn] I highly doubt you can have company. But, hey, as I told you, as long as you’re here, you can relax. You’re not alone and… not in danger either.

[More purring]

*Very sleepy* Your purrs… are so relaxing… Like this, I’m going to… fall asleep…

[Speaker falls asleep, sounds of relaxed breathing for a few seconds]

[Purring stops, a few seconds pause/time skip]

________

[Yawn, speaker wakes up]

What… Oh shoot, I really did fall asleep?! This… I don’t remember using a blanket myself… Also, wait a moment, where… where are they?

*Sad* Did they… really leave? Sigh… I guess… I don’t want to believe they were just acting, but… oh, well, I just hope they are safe, wherever they are.

How long have I slept? I… oh, shoot, the shop! I need to clean the mess, and-- right, I gotta grab that sleeping potion, the client should arrive soon. I need to hurry…

[Footsteps]

The broom, where is--- huh?

*Surprised* You’re… still here? I thought… I thought you left… Wait, did you just… you cleaned everything? But… why?

*Gentle* Oh, someone’s stealing my line, huh? But- you didn’t have to help here, you’re still supposed to be resting!

I… needed to rest too? And you wanted to do something in return? Wait a minute... asking me to stay with you was just a plan to make me fall asleep, wasn’t it?

*Pretending to be offended* And here I thought you genuinely enjoyed my company!

*Chuckle* Of course, of course, I’m joking. You would have left already if you didn’t like my presence, am I right? Well, thank you for the help, kitty. Now, go back to rest like you should, so I can take care of the shop and give the sleeping potion--

*Worried* Wait, what? They already came?! Oh, damn it...! I didn’t want to lose a customer…

Hm? What did you say? You... have already handed over the potion to them? You’re… you’re right, I’m pretty sure I didn’t leave any money on the counter, so… Oh, you also found a hat to cover your cat-ears so that no one would suspect you, huh?

*Confused* But, wait a moment, how did you know which [emphasis on “which”] potion was the right one?

*Surprised* Oh…! Is that so? You used to help that… wizard, huh? The one who cursed you… So... magic, spells, potions and such aren’t anything new to you, are they? Why didn’t you tell me before?

*Gentle* Well, I’m flattered! I’m glad that you trust me enough now to tell me these things too. Hm? There’s… something else? Yeah, I’m listening. What is it?

[small pause]

You want to help… more? You mean, to return the favor? Well, you managed to clean the front shop and you handled a customer for me while I was sound asleep… Oh, wait, so there was more than one client? And… you got them all the right potions? Hmmm… I mean, I really appreciate your help, but you really didn’t need to, especially not now that you’re still recovering!

Oh, there’s… more?

*Surprised* You want me to… help you reverse the curse? And since you don’t have anything that you can give to me, you want to… work here and help me with the shop? *Happily* Well… You know what? We got a deal. If I have to be honest, I could really use some help running my business and… since you already have experience in assisting wizards, it shouldn’t be that hard for you. I can help you with the curse in return, or rather, I already wanted to help you. And… if you don’t have anywhere else to stay, you can stay here too. I’ll find a way to add a room for you, or a bed, or something… I mean, if you want to.

*Gentle* Of course there’s no problem with it. *Small chuckle* You’re welcome, kitty.

Aaand they’re blushing again. Well, I’m… really happy things turned out this way. Even though the first impression wasn’t the best, this person seems genuinely kind and considerate. I wonder if… maybe… they’ll tell me more about their past? I… would love to know more about them, about the things they like and the things they don’t, why that asshole cursed them… Hopefully, with the time, we’ll get closer. Maybe we can also become… friends?

Ah-ehm, now, since you’re going to work for me… Take today off, go back to bed, so you can gain all of your strength back. Tomorrow morning, you will be able to help me with my shop. All right?

*Satisfied* Good! You still have the gem I gave you, right? I’ll go get mine downstairs in a moment. This time, if you need something, call for me. I assure you that you won’t disturb me. Perfect! You deserve a head pat.

[Footsteps fading]

*Quiet* Shifted into a cat and… upstairs they go. They really are the shy type, huh? *Chuckle* I feel like… this is a new beginning. It’s… really nice having someone else here. Well… let’s get to work.

[Door opening/closing, shop’s bell ringing]

*Surprised* Oh, a customer! Welcome to my shop, how can I help you?

[Dialogue fading] Hmm, there are two kind of potions to help the flowers’ growth… maybe you could try this one…

#asmr scripts #asmr roleplay #asmr #roleplay #asmr boy #asmr boyfriend #redacted asmr #relaxing #comfort #asmr community #scriptwriting #fantasy

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lunannex · 4 years ago

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Allison Hargreeves Fic Rec List

I love Allison dearly so I figured I'd share some of my favorite Allison-centric fics to spread a little more love for her!

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Seven Pounds Eight Ounces Healthy Beautiful Perfect by sunriseseance

Allison wanders more, not ready for the sleep to end, and takes in the breadth of nothing in which she’s draped her house. The fad of void that reflects her heart completely, or else does not at all, and to such a frightening degree she can hardly think it. What if Claire hates it here? What if Claire hates it everywhere? What if Claire has powers and Allison was right, always right to not want kids? What if the nightmares are premonitions and Reginald comes into the dark empty house and rends the child from her breast and talks about finally having a useful seventh and there’s still milk on Claire’s little lip and Allison can’t do anything can’t even breathe and the worst part is that maybe Claire is better off because at least Reginald can do something other than ache.

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An exploration of Allison, trauma, and motherhood.

Happy In That Moment by sunriseseance

She did cry a little bit when she looked out at her family’s section and saw four empty seats instead of the planned three. She did add Ben’s rose, and then Five’s rose, to her bouquet to be pressed later. It was tradition, she heard, to place roses on the seats of deceased family. Save a place for them. She didn’t bother to look into what happened after. Should she have thrown the flowers away? Vanya’s chair sat empty, asking her if she had ever made a good choice in her life. She couldn’t answer.

Karma, Leave These Kids Alone by sunriseseance

Klaus is right, because he usually is. Their childhood was worth fearing. But it wasn’t all bad, she thinks, and some guilt pangs her. I wouldn’t wish this on us, but I’m glad I got him out of it. I’m glad Claire is safe.

She holds out her hand for him, and he takes it.

---

A meditation on Allison and her traumas, guilts, fears, and loves. Centered around her and Klaus, their love for one another, and how that changes her love and fear for Claire.

Smoke and Mirrors by stilitana

She’d find the right string of words someday, the magic words that would conjure the long-dead childhood pet rabbit back out of the hat, whole and healthy, and everyone would scream with joy when they saw that everything was saved, because she had seen that it was good and should be so.

A vignette-style exploration of some scenes from Allison's life, pre-season one.

ode to queen mab by GiuGiu

Raymond stares at her in horror as she tells the man “More, more, more, more, more.”

But she wants to burn this man. This awful bigoted monster. He burned her first, it’s only fair.

When Ray pulls her away she realizes she did it again.

She lost control.

A deeper look into Allison's power with some added elements.

Helpline by Gin_Juice

“What?” Diego’s flat voice greeted her.

“Oh, is that how we’re answering the phone now? Good morning to you, too.”

He grunted. “I’m heading out to work and I’m writing a note that you called as we speak. So unless you have something important to tell me, I’m hanging up.”

Wow, he was a regular ray of sunshine today, wasn’t he? Allison sat down sideways in one of the high stools at the kitchen island.

“Everything okay? Because I expect Five to threaten to hang up on me in the first ten seconds of a call, but you usually make it little further than this.”

Her own problems could wait a few minutes—God knew they weren’t going anywhere.

___________________________

It's hard, sometimes, being out in Los Angeles by herself, but Allison's siblings and all of their issues are only a phone call away.

Echoes by chiiyo86

On the night of November 15, 1963, Allison finds Five passed out in the back alley where she landed two years ago. Together they set out to try and find their siblings, but the task turns out to be more complicated than they imagined...

Terrible Waffles by neuronary

On their wedding night, Ray wraps his arms around her, presses his lips to her forehead, and turns off the lights with a yawn. Allison’s stomach twists, first in confusion, then further anxiety. She doesn’t know what’s going on and she doesn’t know who to ask and it scares her.

They don’t talk about it. Until they do.

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Allison Hargreeves is asexual. She doesn't know there's a word for it, but that doesn't matter so much with Ray.

Fool's Gold by kneworder

What do you do when your sister destroys your world?

You rebuild. You get out the scotch tape and the lies and the dazzling smiles and you make yourself a new castle even bigger than before.

Allison, and the fallout of the bomb that was Vanya's book.

#hoping to find the time to re-read these soon so i can leave the authors some nice comments #it's what they deserve <3 #echoes is allison AND five centric btw! just thought y'all should know #i took a break from writing an allison fic of my own to compile these lol (and it took me forever but it was so worth it)#fic recs #allison hargreeves #tua #the umbrella academy #my queen #luna talks

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allforbtsu · 2 years ago

Text

Will you hold me softly?

Chapter 2

Summary: After being rescued and raised by the Bangtan Pack, you now find your true mates in the Stray Kids Pack.

Tags: Platonic BTS x Reader, Abusive Childhood, Werewolf au, Eventually Stray Kids x Reader

Words: 3.3K

Main Masterlist

Prologue- Chapter 1

Author`s Note: I wanna thank everyone who left beautiful comments on this story despite my lack of updates, I have read them all, they all made this new chapter possible. Despite my lack of consistensy I hope your comments and love can keep me writing. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

Through the window you could see it was early morning, little sun rays illuminating the room. There, laying in the middle of the nest between Namjoon and Jin, you watched as Taehyung and Jungkook crawled to lay beside Jin, you on his other side. The two boys almost laid on top of each other to be able to cast a few glances at you. Taehyung laid down on his back as Jungkook laid on his stomach on top of him, despite their grunts as they adjusted neither seemed to bother about their position.

“What brought you here so early?” Mumbled Jin, his eyes half closed as he held your hand under the covers.

“Jimin hyung”

Jungkook`s answer made Namjoon shake his sleep off, moving his whole body so he could look at the two younger boys.

“We told you to come after lunch time”

Silence followed.

“We know, but Jimin was really excited and that got Hobi excited and then at that point Yoongi hyung didn't know how to say no and brought us here earlier, we`re sorry. We just wanted to see her as well.” Taehyung answered rapidly, trying to get the blame off them. It's not like they woke up earlier than everyone in their apartment and woke everyone up and told them to hurry up and go home already, it's not like that, and it's not like their Alpha and Head Omega need to know that.

“It`s ok Tae, you`re here now.” Jin answered as he looked down back at you. “I guess they were all eager to meet you, sweetie.” You looked at him timidly, almost hiding completely in the covers. As you looked past Jin`s caring eyes, you saw Jungkook and Taehyung waving at you. You were nervous and a little bit scared, but they seemed pretty nice people and apparently the closest to your age, you could be friends.

“I`m y/n” You said shyly. That made them both smile widely, you were so cute.

“Nice to meet you y/n, do you wanna come downstairs with us? Yoongi is making breakfast I believe. Can we hyung? Can we go downstairs with her?” Taehyung asked, almost too excitedly. It's not like Jin couldn't see right through them and was still a little bit mad they brought the whole pack here earlier than agreed on, but neither could he deny them anything.

You looked up to Jin expectantly and he sighted.

“I wanted to be in my nest a little bit longer, you know? But ok, you can take her downstairs if she wants to” As both of the young wolves looked at you, you nodded instantly. Their energy and excitement even reaching you.

“Good, take her directly to the kitchen to Yoongi. I will be there in a minute”

As soon as those words were muttered, Jungkook and Taehyung jumped out of the nest, making Namjoon grunt at all the commotion that early in the morning. Jungkook was the one who timidly extended his arm towards you to lead you downstairs. “Lets go” He murmured with a little smile on his face. But before you could take his hand and be scampered down the stairs, Jin grabbed your shoulder, stopping you.

“I will be down in a second if you need me, yeah? Just tell the guys and they will call me” He looked almost too worried for you only going downstairs, but in his brain it was justified. His pup was leaving his side, where he could not see them. He was the most glad for his sense of smell right now, sure he would be able to catch any difference in scent from you from kilometers away.

You nodded and got off the nest with Jungkook`s help. You could tell by their smell that Jungkook was an alpha, but Taehyung seemed to be an omega as well, this made you content, feeling surprisingly at ease in their presence.

You all got down the stairs with a happy step, Taehyung leading the march as Jungkook not once let go of your hand. As you three got down to the base of the stairs, you smelled two new scents. There seemed to be more people on the first floor than Yoongi and that made you nervous. Would they be as good as the packmates you already met? You didn't have enough time to keep on pondering as a gasp was heard and Taehyung stopped in his place.

“She came down?” A little murmur was heard in front of Taehyun, him nodding his head rapidly. You could not see well beyond Taehyung`s back and you didn't even know if you wanted to see or be seen more than that. Your little feet taking you backwards, behind Jungkook's back, holding his hand even tighter. Despite all your attempts to go unnoticed, a face popped out besides Taehyung, his smile almost blinding you. “She's so cute, oh my god I can't believe it”

“You're scaring her Jiminie” Jungkook said, feeling you hide even more behind his back.

That seemed to pause everything, suddenly it was all silent. You popped your head to the right behind Jungkook to see if he was gone, but everything was way worse. Taehyung left both of you standing and went to sit down beside other two boys, now the new smell of a sad omega and anxious beta filled your nose. There was another omega? And the pack even had a beta apparently. You stared at these new people silently and they stared at you back, too scared to frighten you more. Jungkook realized no one wanted to make the first move so he took the matter into his own hands.

“y/n this are Jimin and Hobi hyung. Jimin is an omega like you and Hobi is the pack`s beta. You can say hi, they won't bite '' He giggled, looking at his packmates waiting for them to introduce themselves.

“Hi y/n its so nice to finally meet you” Said the Hobi guy with a heart shaped smile. Jimin seemed more nervous to interact with you, as if he was paralyzed with fear of doing something wrong. That appeared to change when Taehyung put his hand on his back in an assuring motion. Jimin stood up on uneasy legs and got closer to Jungkook and you, crouching down to your level.

“Hi pretty, we finally met. Namjoon was really excited for us to meet you.” You blushed at the soft mention of the pack alpha and his kind words. If he's their alpha, then they must be amazing people as well. You owe everything to him, so must as well trust him and his packmates.

“Namjoon told me a lot about you too” You said almost intelligibly hiding behind Jungkook`s legs, but that didn't seem to matter as they heard it either way, huge smiles in their faces and croons leaving their mouths.

“Only good things I hope” Grinned Jimin. “Come, Yoongi has breakfast ready for everyone”

Jungkook grabbed your hand once again and following after his three packmates he led you towards the kitchen. They all looked pretty young to you, but Jungkook seems to be the youngest of them all. His cheeks still filled with that adolescent baby fat and round curious eyes seemingly wanting to observe every wonder this world has to offer. He didn't look to be much older than you, but probably seven or eight years older. Everyone else, except Jimin and Taehyung, must be in their twenties you suppose. Their stare stronger, their bodies taller and more defined, that of young-adult men. Jimin almost competes with Jungkook's cheeks, his look round and chubby, and despite his age they seem pretty normal for a pack omega, the same goes for Taehyung's pretty round face.

You've got so many questions, but you're so afraid and shy to ask them. You make a mental list of all the questions you wanna ask. Who's the oldest? Is Jungkook really the youngest? How did they all meet? Do they come from a lab like me? Maybe they also don't have a family.

All your thoughts are cut short when you finally reach the kitchen, suddenly you're bombarded with the most amazing smells. Through the entryway, right behind you enters Jin and Namjoon right after him.

“Oh, you met our Jimin and Hoseokie, baby?” Jin asks you as he grabbed your other hand that's not holding Jungkook`s. You nodded, too shy to verbally answer as he led you to the same chair you used yesterday, right beside him.

The whole pack sat down on the kitchen table, a long walnut wood rectangle filled to the brim with what looked like to be the best breakfast you ever had. Surrounding it, the kitchen itself and on its left side a top to bottom window overlooking the stream that bordered the property followed by the deep woods. The kitchen wasn't huge, but just the right size to be cozy and comfortable. And at this hour of the morning it was filled with the golden rays of the forenoon sun.

“What do you want to eat? Yoongi makes the best apple pie, but Namjoon would like to take all the credit tho, the apple tree was planted by him.” Taehyung laughed as a disheveled Yoongi poured him some tea.

“Hey, it's not my problem that my tree produces the best apples in the province.” Namjoon argues as he sips from his morning coffee, Hobi slicing him some bread and cutting some pastries for everyone.

Jin never stopped looking at you awaiting your answer. “What do you want, sweetheart? I'm gonna cut you some cheesecake, I think you will like that, Yoongi likes to add a secret ingredient…chocolate” He whispers like it's the most magical thing, as expected, he made you laugh.

“Would you like…?” Jungkook started as his eyes roamed around the food and drinks overflowing table. “Would you like some…coffee?

“Jungkook!” Jin screeched. “She`s ten, we`re not giving her coffee”

Jungkook looked the other way, embarrassed.

“It's ok, I made some hot chocolate, would you like some, honey?” Yoongi asked calmly, his eyes going back between Jin and you, asking permission from his head omega. When Jin nodded and you said a very small yes, Yoongi turned around immediately to look for your hot choco. Jin grabbed you a plate and cut some cheesecake for you, as well as three strawberries, mumbling something about having to balance the food with so much chocolate. Namjoon calmed him down, announcing that he will go hunting in a few days, they should all gather and enjoy a warm and fulfilling food together.

As the cheesecake, strawberry and hot chocolate were within your reach, it took only one look to your alpha and a nod to start devouring all the food, and at the same time, all the love the pack was content to give in every love form possible.

After everyone had eaten and their tummies were full, Namjoon thought it was the right time to show you your room and all the things they had prepared for you. Guiding you to the second floor with Jin and Jungkook right on your heels, as the others stayed behind cleaning everything up, Namjoon stopped at the door right beside the room you slept the last two nights. The house wasn't that big, the first floor having a living room and a tiny kitchen and the second two rooms and a bathroom. What stands out the most in the house is the great amount of windows overlooking the woods, the sunlight a constant throughout the whole day.

Namjoon slowly opens the door and steps aside, allowing you three to enter. The color of the wall was creamy, filled with a few empty shelves for storage, and on the right corner was a wooden bed and a huge window right in front the door. The room looked unused and empty, with huge potential for decoration. Namjoon hoped you were the one who was gonna fill the room with your personality, paint the walls if you'd like, hang posters, fill the room with blankets and cushions, make a huge nest, throw your toys around. He wishes you can make the best of the space, your space.

Tho your first comment throws him off.

“What's this for?” You didn't want to sound as bratty as you did, but you truly meant the question.

Namjoon and Jungkook looked perplexedly at Jin, not knowing how to answer. Wasn't it clear? Jin cleared his throat and answered.

“It's your room, isn't it pretty? It's right beside ours so we can always be close in case anything happens.”

“But…I thought I was gonna sleep with you, I want to sleep with you.”

Your mind started racing. They were your pack, right? Packs sleep together and share every living space, that's what they told you at the lab at least. Did they not want to sleep with you? Were you doing something wrong?

As if Jungkook could hear the wheels running in your head, he put his hand in your head to stop you from wandering farther ahead in your thoughts. Instinctevely Jin released some sweet pheromones out of thinking the pack`s pup was in distress.

“But…you`re going to sleep here with all your things and we`re going to sleep in the room right beside you, we won't be far. We can even sleep with our doors wide open so we can hear each other!” Jungkook tried to reason with you, but it was in vain. You didn't know how to say verbally that you were not ok with this, but Jin found it funny how it was obvious with your expressions, a deep frown obscuring your tiny face and a little pout on your lips.

“I thought packs slept together. I don't want to sleep alone anymore, I have you now” You said under your breath, as if you didn't want to be heard.

It broke Namjoon's heart a tiny bit. He knew, from the moment he rescued you, that raising you was not going to be easy. He knew your mind was full of trauma and unhappy memories, a heart too tiny to be dense with so much sorrow. He knew that, he prepared for that, he tried to anticipate it all, read about it all, all ways Namjoon knows how to love, or in this case, his way of learning how to properly love you. Yet he didn't know how to answer, his mind rushing too fast, too many comforting words piling up on his tongue, he couldn't answer.

Jin`s train of thought did not differ much from Namjoons, but what Namjoon lacks in Jin makes up for, like it always has been. Namjoon didn't take this parental role by himself, he has six amazing other partners to help him. Jin knows you will have to learn pack customs, and even how to relate with others, how different relationships work. He will have to show you what love is, how it feels to be holded softly, he will teach you how to love, so one day, maybe, you can love others with the same intensity as you have been loved. So he answers gently, taking the first step in the right direction.

“They do, but when pack's pups grow older they tend to want their own space, so this is why we give you this room, this is yours, you can do anything you want in here. But if you need to sleep with us you can, if you want to sleep here you can, and if some nights you`re too scared or restless, our room is always open for you.”

You seem to ponder his answer for a few seconds, your eyes scanning the room.

“If I want to sleep with you I can?” You ask again, maybe this time they will say yes and stop drifting away from the answer you want. Jungkook puffs, his eyes looking down at you, his reaction denoting the age gap between him and his older mates.

“Yes, but It would be best if you sleep here”

“Why!?” You jump in your defense.

Jungkook does not want to tell the small pup that he wants to be able to be with his door closed and alone at night with his partners. That he would prefer to not be heard as he knots the omegas and gets manhandled by the alpha.

Namjoon intervenes.

“Ok, maybe we can slowly transition you from sleeping with us to later on sleeping alone. How does that sound?”

“Yes!”

Your answer was instant, and Jungkook prayed to the gods that your transition would be as quick as your answer.

As the day went on the pack had already eaten lunch and now Taehyung and Jimin were inviting you to play outside. You were cuddling on the couch with Jin, who was very keen on not letting you out of his sight when Taehyung appeared right in front of you both with a timid Jimin on his side.

“y/n do you wanna come and play outside with Jimin and me? It's really pretty at this hour of the afternoon. It's not that hot” He said the last part staring directly at Jin, as if wanting to convince him and not you.

Taehyung looked so excited and Jimin was grinning so much that it had you begging Jin to let you outside. Jin whined, his hold tightening. Jimin made a few promises of keeping you safe and on the house perimeters as Taehyung nodded rapidly.

“You better be gentle, you better be or I wont be with you” Jin threatened.

Giggling, Jimin grabbed your hand and guided you outside, Taehyung right behind you. After going down the porch, you were outside for the first time after being rescued by Namjoon. The garden leading to the woods was beautiful, it was set up in detail. There were some colorful flowers right beside the kitchen and living room windows, Namjoons famous apple tree was right beside the car parking spot accompanied by what seemed to be a lemon tree. The grass was cut short, the space clean, differentiating it from the wood`s long grass and undergrowth.

Suddenly, tearing your attention away from the scenery, you could hear the sound of cracking bones, startling you, and as you turned around, Taehyung had turned into a beautiful brown wolf. Your eyes were wide open, your first thought was to run face first into Jimin`s embrace. Your eyes tight shut, arms holding Jimin as if your life depended on it.

“What's wrong y/n? It's just Taehyung, do you want to turn with him? It's your turn”

Your lack of answer seemed to worry Jimin.

“y/n? Hey baby, look at me.” He grabbed your chin and held your head up, your teary eyes looking up at him.

“Have you never seen someone turn into a wolf?”

“We can turn into wolves?”

Your answer made Jimin freeze. You have never seen anyone turning into a wolf? One of the first things that mothers do after the birth is turn into a wolf and cuddle the cub who also shifts to their wolf form as a response to their mother. It's how mothers teach their babies how to shift. It begins as an instinct response of the pup, shifting instinctively at the same time their mother does, until they can internalize it and manage it on their own.

Your response makes Jimin wonder and tense up. Your mother was never able to shift with you and bond, cuddle and play with you in your wolf form as a cub, so you never learned how to, you didn't even know it was possible. Jimin`s mind drifts to unhappy places, were you taken from your mother too soon? Have you ever met your mother? And one thing that also worried him the most, you never had contact with your most spiritual form, your wolf.

Jimin answered before his tongue got tied.

“Yes, we can and so can you”

Taglist: @uno7 @eastleighsblog @kpflyn

I know It has been a while, but thank you guys for wanting to be in the taglist, it means a lot. I will try to work harder from now on. Please, tell me what you think of this chapter.

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hotched · 3 years ago

Text

Leavin’ to Me

Summary: Reader and Aaron finally have the conversation they’ve been avoiding but it doesn’t go the way either of them hoped it would.

Inspired by Leavin’ to Me by Kameron Marlowe

PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4

Warnings: angst? Briefest mention of fooling around but completely SFW, no happy ending

A/N: My first!! Hopefully the first of many but at least the first of this story! Thanks to @14buddy22 to reading it over and giving me the motivation to post it! And to @scuttling-celebrates for her beautiful place for us authors to promote our work and readers to find new stories!! I love angst so I wanted my first work to be just that - part 2 should be coming next Friday and so far it’s much worse so beware. Reader’s POV for this one but Aaron’s for next *insert evil cackling* xoxo

“I wasn’t made for givin’ up

But there ain’t much that’s left of us

…

I ain’t the bad guy, don’t make me be

But don’t leave the leavin’ to me”

Everything was great until it wasn’t. Until his one late night became every night became getting home after you were asleep and gone before you were awake. Until the text messages went from “Sorry sweetheart, we have a case. I’ll be home as soon as I can. I love you” to “Case. Be back in a few days”. Until Jack started waking you up with sad eyes when he would find you asleep on the couch in the mornings after his dad never came home. You didn’t know what went wrong but you were starting to lose hope that things would ever be the same.

The fight started like every other.

You were looking at his back as he loosened his tie and took off his watch. Before, his first move would have been to give you a kiss and tempt you into the shower with him. Now, you were lucky to hear his voice the night he got in.

“Aaron...” you started, wanting to address the elephant in the room. You knew he was tired; you knew that he wanted to shower and go to bed. You knew he wanted to do anything but have this conversation. But you also knew he wouldn’t be there in the morning. The nights after a case were the most time he spent at home anymore.

“Can we have this conversation in the morning?” he sighed, running a hand over his face. The motion brought a fresh whiff of chlorine towards you. Early on in the relationship you realized that the ones with the odd smells seemed to be the worst. The ones that brought them to places they had never been before. Normally, you would be more considerate towards this but you couldn’t stand the silence anymore.

“Will you be here in the morning?” you countered, feeling no satisfaction at the way his shoulders sagged. From behind, you could see his fingertips rubbing against the edges of his dress shirt – an old nervous habit that he never seemed to outgrow.

“Can I shower first?” he sighed, turning his face towards you with eyes still pointed towards the ground. At your nod, he took another deep breath and left the room.

You spent the entire time he showered thinking of what to say, how to address the tension. You didn’t want him to get defensive or spiteful but you wanted him to hear you out. Before, if he knew something was bothering you, he would sit down next to you on the couch, pulling your hands between his and those amber eyes wouldn’t leave yours until he was kissing away all of your fears. Now, he wouldn’t even sit on the bed besides you.

When he could no longer put off the conversation in excuse of showering or shaving or re-packing his go-bag, he stood across from you on the bed with his arms crossed.

“Can you not look like you’re interrogating someone, please” you gritted out, trying to calm yourself down. This isn’t how you wanted to start this conversation. It was going to be emotional enough without either of you throwing in barbs.

“I’m not” he clipped back, arms tightening across his chest. His gaze lately wasn’t exactly loving, but it was never as intimidating as it was now.

“If you’re not going to be receptive to a conversation then there’s no point of doing this” you challenged, meeting his stare with an arched eyebrow. The tightening of his jaw wouldn’t have been noticeable to most, but you once believed you knew him better than anyone else. It was the same motion he made when he was trying to hold his tongue on the phone with the section chief.

Through his clenched jaw he ground out, “If you’re looking for an out of this conversation, I’m not going to give it to you”.

“I’m the one who wanted to have the conversation in the first place,” you spluttered, feeling your cheeks heat up with the rise in your emotions, “you’re the one who’s been avoiding me and this conversation for as long as you could.”

“I have not been avoiding-”

“The last time you called me any sort of pet name was 27 days ago” you interrupted, voice full of sorrow to match the tears forming in your eyes.

“That doesn’t mean-”

“You haven’t spent more than 10 minutes in the same room as me in just as long. While you’re awake that is” you maintained, trailing off after the last remark.

“Would you stop interrupting me?” he snapped, hands clenched against his sleep shirt, “Just because I haven’t been around much does not mean I’m avoiding you.”

“This isn’t about your job, Aaron. Even when you’re off, you’re still not home. I know you have paperwork and you’re busy but even when you’re here, you’re not here” you stressed the last word, face crinkling as you looked down at the comforter you used to take so much comfort in.

“You knew what you were getting into when you started this, I warned you” he raised his voice, arms flinging to his sides in frustration.

“Just because I-” you started, looking back up at him.

“I told you I didn’t want to do this. I told you it would be too much; you told me you could handle it. You said I was worth the loneliness” he rebuked, throwing your words back in your face.

“And you are! But you’re not acting like I am. I’m not asking you to quit your job or not take your cases, I’m just asking you to leave some paperwork for the rest of the team to do” you exclaimed, trying to keep your voice down so you wouldn’t wake Jack down the hall.

He shook his head and his lips pulled into a sneer, “you don’t know anything about my job or the work that comes with it.”

“No, Aaron, I don’t. And I don’t claim to. But I know that being in the office from 6 am to 10 pm isn’t right.”

You pulled down your shirt sleeve – his shirt that you wore to bed – to cover your hand and wipe at the tears that started to fall from your eyes. You hated letting him see you cry. You hated how this conversation was going. You hated his walls and the people who made him build them in the first place.

“Aar, I’m not Haley. It’s not about the hours. I could do the hours if you just came home but you don’t anymore. I need something. I feel like I’m in this alone” you lamented, fingers tracing patterns on the comforter as you stared through your tears.

“Don’t talk about her,” he snapped, raising his voice enough that you both paused for a moment to see if he woke Jack. You missed the way his brows furrowed and mouth opened to apologize when you flinched at his outburst. His hands shook as you sunk back into the pillows, pulling one in front of you as a barrier.

Gulping, your throat suddenly seemed tight as you struggled to breathe through the sobs that threatened to break forth. Closing your eyes, you tried to regulate your sniffling and figure out how to end the conversation without ending everything.

“I don’t know what to do anymore. I don’t feel like you want me here” you confessed; eyes brimmed with hope raised to meet his own for a long moment.

“I thought everything was fine” he hesitated, rubbing his ring finger as he blinked for a second too long – his tell. You didn’t know whether it was his lie or the avoidance of your unspoken question that made chills run down your spine. Your fingertips froze against the blanket, your whole being going cold at the realization that it was over.

“Don’t lie to me” you wailed, gasping for air as it felt like your lungs refused to inflate. Your mind was running with where to go as you had moved in with him a few months prior. The only thing that stopped your spiraling was thoughts of leaving Jack. That caused another wave of anguish to choke your sobs before you pushed everything down and wiped at the new tears brimming.

“Honey, I...” he started, eyes flashing with the realization you both had made.

“No,” your voice firm as you moved off the bed and started towards the closet. You kept your back to him and grabbed whatever clothes were first in your drawers, throwing them in one of his extra go-bags. You could hear him start to talk behind you but it felt like you were underwater with the way your head swam.

When you had finished grabbing some clothes, you made your rounds around the room and then the rest of the apartment as he trailed a few steps behind you. He never made a move to stop you and you took it as the nail in the coffin.

With his go-bag full of your things in one hand, you turned towards him as you stood before the front door, “I’m not one for giving up but I have nothing more to give. I won’t stay where I’m not wanted, not like I deserve. I shouldn’t be the one leaving, not when I still love you like I did that very first day. You should be the one saying your piece but you’re too much of a selfish asshole to leave, you just push me away until I’ve had enough and then tell yourself that I couldn’t handle it. Make me out to be the bad guy all you want Aaron. I’m the one leaving but you’re the one who threw in the towel”

Shaking your head, you forced yourself to put one foot in front of the other and leave behind everything you ever wanted. If only he would have realized he deserved it too.

#mads writes #leavin’ to me #country music #aaron hotchner x reader #hotch x reader #aaron hotch x reader #aaron hotchner #aaron hotchner fic #criminal minds #criminal minds fan fiction #criminal minds fic

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cazzyvintage · 3 years ago

Text

A Freudian Slip - Re-edited

Synopsis: Joining your friends, Sam and Bucky on a mission, you are forced to join arms with the villian Zemo. Though you weren't thrilled by this, over the mission you find yourself growing closer to the man through an awkward and embaressing incident. Can you resist this magnetic pull to him? Or will this charamsmatic man drag you under with him?

Word Count: 15k

Warnings: f!reader, smut, use of condom's and unsafe sex, m + f oral, car sex, use of the word daddy

Author note: Today is the 1 year anniversery of me joining tumblr and joining the Zemo fandom! One year ago today our screen's were graced with the lovely Zemo and so many of us fell completely in love with him and all of Daniel's characters. I found such a lovely community here in the Daniel fandom and I'm thankful for how many of you liked my content enough to follow and reblog! It's been really encouraging for me as a writer. For a little celebration I decided to re-edit my popular Zemo fanfic, A Freudian Slip, for when I first wrote it I was still growing used to writing in second person and getting back into writing, and my writing has certinally improved since then. This was originally a three part small series but I have added all the parts together into one big one-shot here. I hope all of you who liked the original fanfic will enjoy this re-edited version and for anyone who didn't read the original one I hope you enjoy this for the first time then!

You couldn’t help the eye roll as you admired yourself in the mirror. A tight-fitting dress, made out of black silk, pleasant on your skin. It only came down to mid-thigh which even then it had a slit along the side revealing more of your legs, likely an ulterior motive of his. Zemo must have planned this from the beginning. Somehow he knew you would find yourself in his private jet, on your way to Madripoor and needing a disguise to pass for the mission.

“In order for the mission to succeed, I’ll need you to be my Baroness for the night. I have something already laid out in the bathroom; I’m sure you will find it… exquisite.”

His words still ring in your mind.

His Baroness. The thought of it sent a shiver up your spine. You had done the odd mission before but never had you had to pretend to be the lover of a wanted criminal. It didn’t rest easy on your conscience.

You glanced over yourself in the mirror again, fixing a few odd strands of your hair. You were certain he was making you wear this revealing dress just to rile you up. Like he was doing with Sam and Bucky. Something to amuse him while the three of you use him to get information. You weren’t going to let him though. You were going to flaunt your confidence in this dress. Shove it right into his ferret-like face; he couldn’t get to you like this.

Leaving the bathroom you found the rest of the jet empty, with the main exit door opened, letting in the light of the new day. Blinking you emerged and glanced down at the site before you.

Zemo’s butler had landed you in a vast but empty parking lot. Only a few cars plotted here and there. At the end of the staircase, the three men rested. Sam was looking at his phone, while Bucky stood rigid, his arms crossed as he glared at Zemo. Zemo smiled back at him, his arms neatly tucked behind his back as he stood to attention. They saw you appear out of the corner of their eyes and turned to greet you, but each of the men lacked any words to say.

Sam averted his eyes as soon as he saw just how high the dress rose on the side of your legs, while Bucky’s face flushed, his eyes lingering on your calves before he too averted his eyes, his body tensing more than you thought possible.

Zemo was the only one who continued to stare. You watched as his eyes ran up and down your body, admiring it. Admiring how the dress he ordered hugged your figure in the perfect way.

Frowning at his lack of decency, you slowly made your way down the stairs, refusing to break eye contact with the man.

“The dress suits you y/n. You look ravishing,” Zemo tells you as he holds out his hand for you to take when you reach the end.

You raise an eyebrow, glancing at his gloved hand that stretched out towards you invitingly. You didn’t say anything to him; instead, crossing your arms over your chest and gave him an icy glare.

“You have to play the part y/n”, he replies, moving his hand further towards you, but Sam brushes past him, knocking Zemo’s hand away as he steps up to you. His firm hand grasps your shoulder, guiding you away from the man as he slowly mutters.

“She doesn’t have to yet.”

He leads you a few paces away, towards where Bucky stood, hands shoved into his pockets and his shoulders tensed. Sam moves to stand before you, his other hand now grasping your opposite shoulder, holding onto you with a harsh grip. He dips his head, looking at your eye level as he asks,

“Are you sure you’ll be okay with this y/n?”

You smile gently at Sam, raising your hand to brush against his reassuringly.

“I’ve done similar missions before, Sam. This won’t be different.”

You glance to your side, looking at Bucky, whose eyes were torn between looking at you and Sam and glaring at Zemo, who watched the discussion with intrigue.

“Plus, this is nothing compared to what Bucky will have to do.”

“We both have to do this mission when we don’t want to because of him.” Bucky spits, his eyes lingering on Zemo, then glancing at you as they lose their harshness.

“We’ll both pull through it.”

“You two aren’t the only ones. I would rather be anywhere than here right now.” Sam says, grimacing as he lets go of your shoulders.

“You should be thankful that I agreed to help you and kindly let you ride in my jet, but no matter now, our ride is here.” the velvety sokovian accent rings out as Zemo nods his head towards the three of you, then spreads his arm out to gesture to the approaching car.

“You might not want to play your part now, but your acting needs to be very realistic when we get out of this car.”

The car stops beside the three of you, the door stopping right by you, yet in a blink, Zemo is beside you and is opening the door for you. He places his hand in the dip of your lower back, the rough material of his glove hardly concealed by the thin material of your dress. You felt the touch linger on your skin, even if his hand was quickly removed by Sam, who pushed his way past Zemo to get into the car beside you.

Zemo let out a chuckle because of Sam’s antics. He closed the door on him and got into the front as Bucky climbed into the other side of the car beside you, sandwiching you between him and Sam at the back of the vehicle.

The car was deathly silent. You could hear how Bucky’s metal fingers tapped on the plastic lining of the car, waiting for the chance he could leap out of the confining vehicle. You felt the hairs on the back of your neck rise up as you glance up at the car’s inside mirror. You meet those warm brown ones, like the swirling mug of hot chocolate. You held his eyes for a mere second, then glanced out one of the side mirrors, feeling how your cheeks burn though you willed them not to.

After half an hour, the car arrives in a busy town. You could feel the energy vibrate through the ground, but it did nothing to ease your tension. Though the town was vibrant and full of unique people, there was an edge of darkness covering the side, the knowledge of how dangerous this place was tainting any other aspect.

You were pulled out of your thoughts as the door was opened. Sam had left, leaving you the only one left in the car, when the gloved hand was pushed out towards you again. Zemo tilted his head, a slight smirk gracing his lips as he watched you decide.

You took his hand in yours.

Zemo didn’t let go of your hand when you were out of the car. He squeezes your hand gently as he leads you forward, being the only one knowing which way to go. He took charge in guiding you along as Sam and Bucky trail behind the two of you.

You two didn’t speak as you walked into the bar. He guided you up to the front of the bar to order as he perched himself on one of the bar stools. You suppose he expected you to sit on the seat beside him, but instead, you wrapped your arm around his shoulder and used the grasp to hurl yourself up onto his lap, stelling down comfortably. You rested the side of your head into the fur part of his coat. It was soft and tickled your skin, yet some of your tension started to fade as you rest your head. Zemo chuckled as he watched how your face relaxed. He wrapped his arm around your waist to ensure you wouldn't slip off his lap. His hand seemed to fit perfectly in the dip of your hip, and gently he rubbed his hand up and down in a calming gesture.

You closed your eyes for a moment, taking in the comforting gesture. You hadn’t expected to feel so safe in the lap of a murderer, especially one as annoying as Zemo, but you felt safe enough that you could also fall asleep right there, leaning into the soft coat.

“Two glasses, please, one for me and my lady here.”

You open your eyes again, shaking your head as you try to push those thoughts away. You were on a mission that should be your primary focus. Your eyes dare to glance at Zemo, and you feel your insides jolting in a strange feeling as you see the side of his lips curled into a smile as if he could have read your thoughts.

The man places the drinks down in front of you. You reach forward to get yours, and you grab Zemo’s and hand it to him, to which he smiles and nods to you in thanks.

“I haven’t seen you around before,” the man says as he looks at you with narrowed eyes.

“I found her on my travels. Showing her the world,” Zemo is quick to reply before you could even think of a response. He leaned forward, and in what you have to assume was an attempt to make your relationship seem more realistic, he kissed your temple gently. He was gone before you could even blink, but you glanced at him, lips parted and a blush blooming over your skin.

The man chuckles as he observes your reactions.

“She seems quite innocent.”

You clenched your jaw as your gaze snapped back to him.

“What did you say?” you spat.

You felt Zemo’s grasp on your hip tighten in warning as he put on a smile, crinkling his eyes as he chuckled.

“Oh, I can assure you she isn’t.”

You take in a few deep breaths. Your hand itches to spin you around and slap that annoying nice smile off his lips at his remark, but you hold it steady. You glanced at Zemo, pressing a thin-lipped smile to him as you raised your drink to your lips and down the content in one sip.

It wasn’t too long after all of you had your drinks when a man approached Zemo to tell him he was unwanted.

As soon as Zemo felt the hand on his shoulder, his hands came to your hips and lifted you off his lap. He turned in his seat, and as he stood up, he stood before you, blocking your view of what was to happen, which made you huff. You watched how Zemo ordered Bucky to fight the man, and you had to bite down on your lip so as not to exclaim in anger for poor Bucky.

You moved to the side, standing next to Zemo as you watched the fight. As you stood, you felt the gloved hand brush against yours. You could have excused it as an accident, but when you felt the glove linger against your skin, you knew Zemo was intentionally doing it. A strange notion took over you. Something inexplicable, but you grasped Zemo’s hand, wrapping your fingers around the gloved ones as you continued to watch Bucky.

Bucky was quick to win the fight, and as if that was some trial, you were allowed to go and meet this Selby. Zemo took the lead, holding onto your hand as he guided you through the narrow hallways. He walked with a purpose. As if he knew this place and had been here before. He likely has, you thought, feeling a sickness in your throat as you imagined all the shady things Zemo had done, and yet here you were holding his hand as he led you into this room.

You intended to stand by Sam and blend into the background, simply keeping out of the situation and letting Zemo deal with it. So when instead, Zemo made you go with him. He practically dragged you along, and when he sat down, you were essentially made to sit back down on his lap again. You had to wrap your arm around his shoulder to ensure you were stable while his hand rested on your exposed thigh, the heat of his glove on your skin feeling like it was burning into your leg. Sam glanced at you, his eyes burning into your questioning if you were okay, and you subtly nodded back to him. Though you weren’t happy being in this more intimate situation, you could deal with it.

Zemo started talking to Selby about Bucky. The way he spoke about Bucky as if he was selling off an animal made you want to grimace, but you knew it had to sound like that to be convincing. Not that that made it any easier to listen to. You weren’t entirely sure of Zemo’s plans, for he had been very vague about everything but what you were sure of was the uneasy feeling of being in Selby’s presence. Especially as you felt her gaze run all over your body.

“So who’s this bird you have resting on your knee?”

You could feel your body freeze as she acknowledged your presence. Suddenly all time slowed down as everyone’s eyes now moved to you.

“This is y/n, quite the treasure, isn’t she?” Zemo replied instantly, moving his head to look at you as he smirked, the sides of his eyes crinkling brightly as you tried not to glare at him.

“That’s for certain,” Selby mutters.

She turned to Bucky, smirking at his still stilted posture.

“What do you think, soldier?”

There were a few moments of silence where it felt like you could hear a sweat droplet on your forehead drop till Zemo said, “answer.”

“She’s very beautiful”, Bucky replied while still keeping a straight face and looking forward.

Selby chuckles, seeming satisfied, so her eyes turn back to you, trailing up and down yours.

“She doesn’t talk much.”

“I can talk plenty when I want to,” you snapped, moving to adjust yourself in Zemo’s lap to appear more comfortable. As you wriggled and lent into Zemo slightly, you heard the slight hitch in his voice, gone instantly.

“Is she only yours, Zemo?” Selby asks.

Before Zemo got a chance to answer, you felt enough was enough. You could speak for yourself, and you wanted to make it clear to her she wasn’t going anywhere near you. The thought that popped into your mind might have been seen as drastic, even cringe-worthy, but you were determined to make her back off.

You moved your hands from where they rested against your lap to gently weave their way through his surprisingly soft and silky smooth hair as Zemo looked at you with surprise. You looked at him, feeling a jolt in your stomach from the gentle way he looked at you back. You opened your lips without thinking about what you meant to say.

“Oh yes, I only belong to daddy.”

His eyes darkened. You felt your stomach drop to the ground at the words left your lips. You hadn’t meant to refer to Zemo like that. Not like that in the slightest; it had just slipped out. You felt frozen in place, mortified as Sam’s eyes burned into your back while Zemo and Shelby looked at you with interest.

After a second's hesitation, gathering his thoughts, Zemo responded to try and keep with the situation, his voice firmer than before.

“Yes, I’m afraid this good little girl is mine and mine only,” he said, smirking while his hand patted your thigh warmly.

From the way his lips curled up into a smile and his eyes sparkled, you could tell that he took immense enjoyment in the situation and your mortification. His head tilted at you, his eyebrows slightly raised, gave off that typical Zemo teasing image. You could feel your cheeks burning, which only caused his smirk to brighten further. And yet, behind that mischievous look, his eyes portrayed something different. Something you could almost describe as soft. They started into yours, and you found that warmth from earlier again, a comforting warmth.

The two of you were so close together you could feel his breath on your lips. It fanned across your skin, warm; you wanted to steal the air away from him. With a jolt in your mind, you realised you wanted to feel how his soft lips would feel on yours, taste the delicate lips and explore further than you had thought of Zemo before.

You tried to rationalise it in your mind.

It was just a mission. It was an act. You had to do it. To prove to Selby that you were his ‘bird’. That’s why those thoughts were in your mind.

With one hand still curled in his hair, you raised your other hand and cupped the smooth skiing of his face, resting your hand against his jaw. His eyebrows quirked up in surprise, his eyes flicking between you analytically. You saw how his lips parted slightly, and then you didn’t give him any more time to react.

You press forward, pushing your lips onto his. They were soft like you imagined, and they slotted perfectly between yours as if meant to be there. He tasted of his last drink, intoxicating alcohol but mixed with sweetness as well that you couldn’t get enough of. His hand leaves your thigh. He wrapped his arm around your body, pulling you as close to him as he can, so your chest is pressed against his. He held you so tightly it would surely leave a bruise. You felt his lips prise open slightly further, inviting you in as if he had forgotten where the two of you were, only focused on the feeling of you on him.

You hadn’t forgotten, though.

After a moment, you placed your hand on his chest and pushed yourself away from those lips. Your eyes lingered on them as you swiped your tongue over your own lips briefly, trying to savour the feeling and flavour of him. Your chest heaved as you finally glanced back into those warm eyes. You had found a strange comfort in him, and his own cheeks now adorned a slight blush as his eyes started into yours in wonderment.

Your eyes were locked on each other, gazing deep into the swirls of colour as desire and unspoken longing ignited within them. You felt you could lose yourself in them till the sound of slow clapping shattered the deathly silence of the room and pulled the two of you out of your trance.

“My my wasn’t that a show,” Selby says, the sides of her lips twisting into a dark smile.

“I didn’t know you still had that in you Zemo.”

“Well…” Zemo trails off, finally looking away from you.

He shrugs his shoulders, shooting a smirk at Selby as he titled his head, putting back on that self-confident mask.

Selby seems satisfied with the show the two of you put on because business resumes. Zemo carried on selling Bucky to Selby while you sat on his lap, hardly paying attention to anything that was spoken. You could tell everything was okay, though, that Zemo was getting closer to figuring out who they go next until the shrill sound of a ringtone cuts through his words.

Wide-eyed, you turned to the source of the sound. Sam stood frozen, anxiously glancing around as his phone rang out loud, capturing everyone’s attention. The colour drained from Zemo’s face as Sam was forced to answer the call in front of everyone.

All that happened next occurred so quickly it felt like a blur to you. Sam screwed it up. They figured it out. But before you could leap into action to fight, Selby was shot. Right in front of you. You felt frozen by the shock of her dying so suddenly in front of you. But Zemo had already snapped into sense as he wrapped his arm around your waist and pulled you out of the building.

He held onto you to guide you along as you, him, Sam, and Bucky tried to leave without looking suspicious. But it was a lost cause. Bullets started to fly in every direction in an attempt to hit you and the others. Sam and Bucky instantly charged forward to escape, and you were poised to do the same, yet with Zemo’s grasp on your waist, he instead pulled you along with him. He pulled you down a hidden alleyway where the gunfire didn’t follow the two of you.

“We need to catch up with Sam and Buc-” you shouted, trying to prise Zemo’s grasp off your waist to chase after them, but instead, Zemo used his body to back you up into a wall and cage you in.

“What-What the hell?” You asked, stunned.

You looked up into his face, only inches away from him again. You could see every little freckle, every little mole that scattered his skin, and for the first time, the thought occurred to you how pretty they were on his face.

“Daddy? That’s quite the title.” he purrs.

“Are you seriously going to do this here!? Right now”

“I don’t believe we will get another chance of a private conversation without Sam and James. They don't exactly like me being around you,” he mutters, still staring down at you, his eyes refusing to move away.

You can feel your cheeks burning bright red. His intense gaze in your eyes forced you to glance away, trying to forget the fluttering feeling in your stomach that started to overwhelm you.

“There’s nothing about it; I was just playing my role.”

Zemo takes his hand, placing it under your chin and turning your face towards his. He leans in, his lips almost touching yours.

“You were very convincing.”

You don’t reply. Instead, your eyes drop to his lips. It was as if you could still feel their softness against yours. The sweetness of them melting you. Zemo moved forward, letting his lips graze against yours, then he pulled back. His eyes look back into yours as if asking a million questions, yet none leave his lips. His hand reaches up to push part of your hair covering your face back behind your ear. As you felt his hand graze the side of your face, the draw to lean into his touch was overwhelming.

“I…” You start but trial off.

“Perhaps…” you try again.

“Perhaps it wasn’t all acting”, you finally mutter.

A cocky smile creeps onto Zemo’s mouth.

“I thought not.”

“Oh, shut up and kiss me”, you angrily reply, and Zemo doesn’t hesitate to give you what you ask.

His lips crash onto yours with a lust-driven force while his hands wrap around your legs, lifting your body up against the wall so you can wrap your legs around his waist, pulling him closer to you. You grasp the fur parts of his coat, your hands melting into the softness as you tug at it and feel his lips move against yours. Your hands don’t stay there for long, though, for Zemo grasps your wrists within his hand and raises them above your head, making you unable to move apart from kissing him back just as passionately. A disappointed moan leaves your mouth as his sweet lips leave yours again, but it turns into a quiet gasp as he places a chaste kiss against your jawline. Then he moved a few inches further and pressed another searing kiss to your skin. He moved from your jawline to your neck, trailing, kissing all over your skin as you closed your eyes and lost yourself in the feeling of him upon you. It felt so perfect though it shouldn’t. His kisses were electrifying, and you felt like you might die if he stopped now. When his lips found the natural dip of skin on your neck and started to suck a bruise into your skin, claiming you as his, you couldn’t help the mewl of pleasure that escaped your lips.

“Y/N!? ZEMO!?” you hear Sam shouting in the distance.

Zemo sighs, his hot breath fanning over the already forming bruise on your skin as he slowly pulls away from your neck.

“It seems our time together is over, for now, little one.”

Gently he lets go of your wrists and helps you stand back on the ground. You whisper a shy ‘thank you’ to him, to which he reaches for your hand, bringing it to his lips to place a soft kiss on the back of your hand.

“My pleasure, little one.”

You rolled your eyes at him over romantic reaction, but you couldn’t hide the flush on your cheeks which he chuckled at. He held onto your hand, rubbing his thumb over where he had kissed it as he guided you forward to where you two could hear the voices of Sam and Bucky calling out for you.

“Madripoor knows how to give New York a run for its money,” Sam says as the five of you walk through the build-up trailers. They towered over you, trapping you in a labyrinth, and you just hoped Sharon knew where she was going.

“They know how to party,” Zemo replies.

He quickened his pace to walk up beside you. You could feel his eyes flicker to you, watching your face, but you continued to look ahead, refusing to acknowledge him. When you felt his arm brush up against yours. Your body stiffened at the contact, refusing to move your arm to him. Instead, you walked faster to step up beside Bucky, leaving Zemo in your wake.

You couldn’t face him after what had previously happened. You refused to. You knew the person he was. You knew the sorts of things he had done. How deeply his actions had affected your life for the worst. You had hated him for what he had done. You despised the man.

Yet when you looked at him, the warmth you had grown to love spread through you again. The butterflies kicked him as you saw his smile. His gravel accent made goosebumps rise on your skin, driving you wild. When you looked at him, you could still taste the sweetness of his lips on yours, and you craved them again with a fever. And what affected you most was those eyes. Those eyes you had managed to be drawn to in a way that felt unreal. The intensity of them and your feelings for them felt out of this world. He made you feel alive. As if with him, you were taking a breath of air for the first time. He made you feel self-conscious for the first time; he made the blush rise on your skin which no one else had even succeeded in before. He made you feel confused.

Earlier, at Sharon’s party, you were watching him. You ever in half a mind to join in the party, but you held back this once. You watched as Zemo walked around the room, turning left and right, trying to find you. Almost like a lost puppy. Eventually, he gave up on his search, through and danced by himself. Alone on the dance floor. You smiled as you watched him, feeling smitten by the silly way he danced as if no one else was watching him. In those moments, he seemed so innocent. He hadn’t killed multiple people like he hadn’t split up the avengers. He was simply a nice guy who enjoyed dancing.

You wanted to join him, but Sam and Bucky were already becoming suspicious, and you didn’t need to add fuel to the fire. When they found you and Zemo again, Bucky pulled you to the side to check you were okay after Zemo ran off with you. He also asked about what had happened with Selby. If you were okay, that he was sorry, Zemo forced himself onto you. But he couldn’t have been more wrong. But it made you realise you had to nip this in the bud. While you could. This couldn't go on. You had to distance yourself before you were in too deep.

You swallow, pushing away the thoughts of you and him as you try to focus back on the mission at hand.

The five of you arrived at the crater, and Sharon handed you all earpieces to wear. You placed it in your ear, wincing at how uncomfortable it was. It was then Sharon left you lot. Sam looked at you three before stepping into the crate, to which you quickly followed. It was pitch black in there, and even with squinting your eyes and trying to focus them, you couldn’t see anything.

Zemo was following up behind you, and as you stopped in your tracks to look around, his body walked into the back of you. You stiffened, feeling his body press up against yours. His arm reached around, squeezing yours gently as he stepped to the side and passed you. Though you couldn’t see him, you knew he was smirking at your reaction.

Zemo pulled out a flashlight that was concealed inside one of his pockets. He turned around and briefly shone the light in your eyes, a mischievous smirk curling at his lips as you groaned in annoyance. He turned around and shone it forward to see the back wall of the crate. He walked forward, reaching his hand out to touch the wall, then pushing it. The wall moved, revealing it as a hidden door. Music flooded the room as the path opened to the four of you. Zemo glanced back around to you, Sam and Bucky as you pulled out your guns in preparation. Sam and Bucky step forward into the pathway, and you follow behind them as Zemo holds the door open for you. His hand rests on the dip of your back as you walk past. The constant felt like a burning sting against your cool skin, and in an instant, you shook his handoff. Zemo turned to stare at you, his eyes burning into your head, but you continued to walk ahead, not giving him a second glance.

The song ‘Comin home baby’ plays out of an old record player as you walk into the room. Your eyebrows furrowed as you looked around the room. Rounding the corner of a shelf, you see a man dressed in a science coat bent over a table, singing along to the song playing. He was unaware of the four of you approaching him as he quietly sang along to his music, and so when Sam grasped him and pulled him away from the table, he was taken by surprise. Sam and Bucky started to question him on the super-soldier serum while you and Zemo stayed back in the background, observing the man but not adding to the conversation.

You couldn’t help the way your eyes trailed over to Zemo as he walked around the room. He had a commanding presence, from the way he dressed in that long coat, his purple sweater tucked into his black combat trousers, tied with a belt that he held onto as he strutted around the room. It made your knees feel like buckling. Zemo’s eyes snapped to yours as he felt you smiling, and he tilted his head at you, his thin lips sneaking up into a curl from catching you staring.

You look away, staring ahead, willing your cheeks to stop burning.

Just when it seemed as if Sam was getting somewhere with the man regarding information, Sharon ran into the room.

“Guys, we’ve got to go.”

Zemo leaps into action, which in his case was revealing a hidden gun he had found, pointing it at the Doctor and shooting the man directly in the head, instantly killing him.

“NO!” both you and Sam shouted as you rounded on him, staring at him wide-eyed.

Sam crashes into Zemo, pushing him against the wall to prevent Zemo from being able to harm anyone else in the room.

You took a step forward to help Sam restrain Zemo by grabbing the gun off him, but the crate exploded before you got a chance.

You were flung onto the floor. Your head collided with the metal floor and a searing pain spread along the back of your head. A yelp of pain escaped your lips as your brain felt like it had been shot, and the licks of searing heat from the flames danced on your skin.

Groaning, you raised your hand to the back of your head, lifting it up from the floor as you tried not to feel sick from how the room revolved around you. When you felt your hand touch something sticky on your head, you pulled it back and found it covered in fresh blood.

“Shit”, you choked out, trying to wipe your hand on your trousers to get rid of the blood, but it had already stained your hand.

Not concentrating on what was happening around you, you felt an alarm flare in you as arms suddenly wrapped around your waist and pulled you off the floor. You were too weak to stop the person, so you let the firm grasp on your waist pull you out of the fire-lit room. You raised your hand to your eyes, rubbing them with the back of your palm to try and get the dust out of your eyes. You were able to blink it away as you emerged into the sunlight. Blinking, you could see the pair of hands on your waist belonged to the Sokovian man as he rounded around the corner out of sight from the burning crater just as you heard it explode behind you. He glanced around the area to ensure no one was around and then rounded on you.

“Are you okay?” Zemo questions you and takes a few steps toward you. His eyes glance you up and down as he tries to take in all the injuries you had sustained in the explosion.

“I’m fine, Zemo. Were they still in there!?” you ask hurriedly as you turn around, trying to see the crate.

“They’ll be fine. Come, we need to go,” Zemo insisted, grabbing hold of your hand again to pull you along.

Your head exploded in blinding pain as you were rushed forward, but you bit down on your bottom lip to stop a hiss leaving your lips as you were dragged along again.

“Where are we going?” you ask, but Zemo doesn’t answer. He pulls you along and then guides you to climb on top of a crater to get a bird’s eye view of everything happening below.

“Zemo!” you exclaim, pulling out of his grasp to glare at him, teeth bared, but your eyes bulge as he pulls something out of his pocket.

“What the fuck is that”

“My mask, ”

“Since when have you had a mask!” you exclaim, shooting him a look.

“I’ve always had one. Now you need to duck,” he ordered, his sharp eyes looking into your eyes, and then he turned to look over the edge of the crate.

“Why should I do that?”

He rolled his eyes in exasperation. He leans over to you, harshly grabbing your arm and retching you down onto the floor, making you let out a muffled complaint.

“Can’t you listen to me for once, y/n’’ he mutters under his breath.

He grabs your gun, which you had managed to drop when he pulled you down, and then, as quick as lightning, he pulled his mask on and walked to the edge of the crater. He shot at something a few times and then aimed for a pipe. As he shoots, the pipe explodes, and the shock wave flows through you, making you collapse to the ground. The crate felt like it was spinning as the blood loss started to take hold of you, and you couldn’t stop the whimper that escaped your lips.

On hearing the sound, Zemo spun on his heel to look at you. Seeing you now on the ground, he rushed back to you, falling onto his knees to try and help you up. He placed his hand on the back of your head to help you up, but when he held the stickiness of your blood soak into his gloved hand, he pulled back. Seeing the amount of blood covering his hand, his eyes widened and then glaring down at you.

“Why didn’t you say something?” he seethed through his teeth.

“I’m fine”, you managed to gasp out, but as he placed his hand under your head again, another groan left your lips.

Zemo huffed as he gave up trying to help you get back up. Instead, he pushed one arm under your legs and grabbed the side of your leg while his other hand went under your back. Ensuring he had a tight grasp on you, he lifted you up, which made a gasp leave your lips. Quickly you wrapped an arm around the back of his head for security; in this moment, not thinking about the closeness of the situation as Zemo started to run while he held you bridal style in his arms.

After a few minutes of searching, he finally let you stand on your own. As he placed you down, you staggered, almost collapsing back onto the ground, but he grasped your waist again, steadying you. You were forced to lean against Zemo, arm around his shoulder as his hand rested on your waist as he helped you along. He let go of you to open one crate, though and as he saw the contents inside, he pulled off his mask and smirked. You let out a groan and shook your head as you watched Zemo disappear into the crate and then emerge a minute later driving an expensive car.

He gets out and opens the passenger seat door for you. He wrapped his arm around your waist again as you put your arm around his neck to let him help you into the car. Neither of you speaks. He knew you were too embarrassed to, and at this moment, he didn’t want to push you.

Zemo drove around the labyrinth of crates till you two could find Sam, Bucky and Sharon, who were thankful to see you alive. Begrudgingly Sam and Bucky got into the car while Sharon left and let Zemo drive them to a new hideout he knew off. One of his old summer homes.

On arrival, Zemo quickly left the car to get to your side and help you out, but you were already opening your own door and attempting to get up. As soon as you stood up, though, you felt a rush of blood leave your brain. You stumbled, and if it hadn’t been for Bucky catching your arm, you would have fallen over.

“She needs medical help,” Zemo ordered as he opened the door to the house.

Bucky gave you over to Sam, who guided you in, as strangely Bucky said he wanted to go on a walk. Sam proceeded to ask you a load of questions as he helped guide you to one of the sofas in the main room of this house. Zemo went to one of the many cupboards and pulled out a medical kit which he handed to Sam. He hung back as Sam tended to your wounds, wrapping a bandage around your head.

When you finally started to feel relaxed as Sam finished up, Zemo appeared beside you and gave you a glass of whiskey.

“To get rid of the pain,” he says, nodding at you to encourage you to take a sip.

Zemo pulls out a chair to the side, only a few inches away from you. He gently raises his hand and places it on your bandaged forehead.

“Zemo”, Sam growls, noticing the action.

“My apologies,” Zemo quipped, removing his hand. You couldn't help the way your heart felt like it sunk a little in your chest at the loss of his contact.

With the pain slowly easing, you felt lulled off into a light sleep as your energy crashed from everything that had been happening over the last few days. You don’t know how long you were asleep, but when you woke up, the pain in your head mainly had vanished and you felt okay to sit up. Looking around the room, you noticed no one else was around. They had seemingly left you on your own here.

Gathering your strength, you stood up from the shower and started to walk around the room, curious about Zemo’s house. As you walked nearer one room, you noticed the sound of rushing water emerging from the other side of a door. Gently you knock on the door, and in seconds, you hear the water stop.

The door is pushed open slightly, and the sly face of Zemo appears in the crack. As he sees it as you, he reaches forward to grasp your arm and pulls you into the room with him, shutting the door behind you. You gasped, taking a step back, your back hitting the door as you stared at his state in shock.

“I-I didn’t mean to come in here; I just wanted to see who was around”, you mutter as your eyes flicker up and down Zemo’s body. He had wrapped a fluffy black bathrobe around his body, but from the way it dipped, exposing part of his chest, you were sure it was the only thing he was wearing, and that thought made you blush heavily. Instead, you tried to distract yourself, focusing on the necklace hanging from his neck, but Zemo knew what thought ran through your mind.

A deep-throated chuckle emerges from his throat as he watches how your eyes wander. He crosses his arms around his chest, tilting his head as a bright smile finds its way to his lips.

“Enjoy what you see?” he purred, his accent sending shivers up your spine.

“N-no,” you say.

Feeling embarrassment flood through your body, you turn to open the door and leave to escape the situation, but Zemo wraps his arm around your waist and pulls your body back to him. You flinch as you feel the way his body pressed up against your back, the bathrobe doing little to conceal the feel of his body against yours. You could smell freshly applied aftershave and it made your eyes flutter as if it was intoxicating and addicting. Gently you feel his lips on the skin of your neck, placing a delicate kiss on the vein that throbbed under the skin, beating in quick succession. You felt a moan tear from your lips as you closed your eyes, wanting to get lost in the feeling of his lips against your neck, but he suddenly pulled away from you, letting go of you to stand back.

“How’s your head?” Zemo asks, raising his hand to touch the bandage.

You turn your head slightly, shooting him a glare from the sudden loss of contact.

“I’m fine.”

“Forgive me, little one, for not believing you, but previously you have lied about saying you were fine.”

“I feel better than before…thank you for helping me.”

“It was my pleasure,” he whispers against your ear as he steps forward again to press his body into yours. You could feel how his chest moved with every inhale and exhale, and you let out a gasp as you felt something particularly hard press against your ass.

“Why have you been ignoring me?” he asks abruptly.

“I haven’t”, you were quick to reply, but you heard Zemo let out a huff behind you.

His hands touch your waist again, and he spins you around and pushes you back against the door. You were caged in again by his body, captured by the warm eyes that now seemed to burn into yours as his dead tiled.

“Don’t lie to me y/n.”

Under his gaze, you felt like you could melt. These new feelings made you so conflicted internally, which made your skin burn as you narrowed your eyes at him, swallowing before speaking to him.

“You are a villain, Zemo! You’ve innocent people, and I should hate you because of it. I should want to rip your guts from you; I shouldn’t be… I shouldn’t be thinking these other thoughts.”

He leans towards you, his lips grazing yours, “Such as?”

You pause for a moment, knowing you shouldn’t step over this line, but you couldn’t help it.

“Kissing you. Touching you… making love with you.”

“Oh? Such scandalous thoughts. I assumed you above such things.” Zemo purrs, his eyes seeming to sparkle as he looks at you.

“Stop teasing me!” You whine, raising your hands to grasp the edge of his bathrobe and pull his lips to you, accepting this guilty pleasure you wanted.

“Ah y/n,” he says, capturing your hand on his chest.

“I want you to make a promise before we get anywhere.”

“What?”

“Please…don’t ignore me.”

You look into his eyes, and for once, it was like the mask he always wore, of a self-absorbed man, slipped away. You were staring into the sadness below. The eyes of a desperately lonely man.

“I promise, but Sam and Bucky can’t know.”

Zemo grins, his teeth flashing.

“I won’t tell if you don’t.”

His lips crash onto yours, the passion evident as he sucks on your bottom lip with need, letting out a little groan as you return the kiss just as passionately. He pushes his tongue into your mouth as his hands wander up and down your body, wanting to feel every inch of your skin. Leaving nothing explored. Pulling back from the kiss for a second, he roughly grabs your arms and pulls you over to the sink, where he lifts you up and places you on it. You let out a loud gasp as he presses his face into the dip of your neck, trailing hot kisses over every inch of skin that he could reach.

Slowly he starts to move his hands down, trailing over your stomach, prising the hem of your trousers away from your skin to slip his hands in. They felt so warm against your bear skin, and when you felt his hand slip past your underwear, you couldn’t help but buckle your hips in anticipation. You moaned as you felt him rub a finger through your folds, pulling upwards to graze against your clit. You throw your head back slightly at the contact as the bolts of pleasure travel through your body.

Zemo smirks against your skin and watches your reactions, but his lips don’t leave your skin as he sucks a hickey against your collarbone. Needing something to hold onto other than his bathrobe, you grasp his neatly styled hair, tugging at it roughly, which spurred Zemo on as he let out a breathy moan against your skin.

He pulls his hands away momentarily to grasp your trousers. Tugging at them, he is able to slip them down your legs, then he works on your underwear and finally your shirt and bra so that he can see every inch of your beautiful body.

You attempt to grasp the bathrobe to pull it away from his body, but cheekily Zemo ducks down before you are able to.

His palms firmly grasp your thighs and slowly parts them to expose your core to him. Zemo trails kisses up your legs, gradually getting closer and closer. Your legs felt like jelly, and they shook in his grasp as you anticipated the feeling of his lips on your core. Noticing this reaction, Zemo chuckles and looks at you with a mischievous grin.

“So needy for me”, he jested.

Before you could get in a single word as a comeback, he moved forward and wrapped his thin lips around where your clit was and gave a deep suck.

You chuck your head back, your chest puffing out as a loud moan escapes your lips at the sensations of Zemo sucking on your clit relentlessly. Your hands find their way to his hair again to tug and pull at it as he flicks his tongue over your clit, rubbing it against you to make your hips buckle into his face.

“Be careful, Y/n, these rooms are not soundproof”, he says, releasing his lips from you momentarily, but you are beyond the point of caring. You wrap your thighs around his head, pushing him back to you.

His fingers ghost your core, rubbing through your folds to pick up all the slick coming out of you. He played with you for a few moments, delighting in how wet you became from him. After another groan escaped your lips, he slipped two of his fingers inside you with ease. He pushed up to his knuckles, curling his fingers into that spot that made your body shake from the pleasure. He stretched them apart inside of you and slowly started to pump them in and out of you, picking up his rate as he licked at your clit. The moans spilt from your lips now from the overload of sensations lighting up the pleasure in your body. You couldn’t think of anything other than how good Zemo was making you feel and how handsome he looked buried between your legs, kneeling before you as he pleasured you.

“Zemo”, you gasp as you feel a knot in your stomach tighten.

“Zemo, I’m going to-” you break off, unable to finish the sentence as you finally release, seeing stars swarming your eyesight.

After a few moments of feeling like floating on cloud nine, you were brought back to reality. You felt how Zemo ran his tongue through your folds, attempting to drink as much of your release as he could. You looked down as he pulled away and shuddered as you saw his lips wet from you, his chin covered in your release as he licked his tongue out to run over his lips.

He pulls back from you and gracefully stands up. His eyes trail up and down your body as you lie there recovering from your pleasure.

“As beautiful as a glass of cold water on a warm summer’s day,” he whispers, trailing his hand along your leg in comfort.

You reach forward, grabbing hold of his bathrobe and tugging it down his body till he wasn’t covered anymore. You smiled, finally able to see the body you had been craving. His body was toned, not muscular per se but with enough to see the hint of abs on him. Light hair covered his abs which suited him perfectly. His body was firm, strong, and slight bulk made him so incredibly hot to you. Your eyes wander down to his hips. How the v line looked delectable. His cock was hard before you, a drop of precum already swelling on the tip as his patience started to wear thin. You knew he might be a touch fit; while good in length, his thickness was another matter.

Zemo swiftly moves over to a draw, pulling out a condom. Tearing it open with his teeth, he pulls the condom out of the package and slips it onto himself.

He steps back to you, his hand reaching out to you, wrapping around your body. He rests his head on your shoulder as, in one hand, he grasps himself while his other hand holds your body. He rubs the tip of himself over your folds, coating himself in your wetness till he can’t hold back any longer. A gasp escapes both of you as he pushes his hips forward, his hand guiding him to sink into you. You moan against his ear, your nails marking his back as you drag them down, feeling how deep he slips into you. It takes him a second but he manages to push your walls open as he bottoms out. He rests for a moment to allow you to get used to the feeling of being so full, but slowly he starts to pull out and then gently rocks his hips back into you. He tries to be gentle at first but hearing you moan and feeling your nails dig into his back, and how your walls clench him, he starts to pick up his pace as he thrusts inside you. He lets out grunts, his eyelids fluttering as he feels the way your walls ripple around him in pleasure. He hadn’t felt something so good in such a long time that he was slowly losing his mind in the sensations. You place a few kisses on his chest, leaving a claiming mark of your own on him. Feeling your lips suck at his skin was electrifying, and he grasped your chin, forcing your lips away from his chest so he could kiss you deeply again as the slaps of his balls against your skin and the wetness of your core echo in the room as he chases his pleasure further.

“Y/N”, he gasps, pulling back from your swollen lips to stare at you with half-lidded eyes as his chest heaves. A smirk curl onto his lips, though as a thought crawls into his mind as he slams into you.

“Are you going to call me daddy again?”

You flush bright red as Zemo brings back the memories of that night.

“Damn you”, you rasp out between moans.

He chuckles, leaning towards your ear.

“I don’t mind if you do.”

His cock pushes deeper to you at that moment, hitting that one spongy spot inside of you that made you cry out in pleasure.

“There, Daddy, please”, you gasp, and he complies, attempting to hit the spot again within you.

He grunts with every thrust into you now, starving off his release so you could reach yours first. His hand sneaks down to your core again, his two fingers finding your clit and starting to rub circles that made your body quiver. You shut your eyes, your head falling back as you let out a loud moan, the knot in your stomach getting tighter and tighter as your walls bore down on his perfect cock inside of you.

You reached forward to pull Zemo’s chest against yours, your hand going into his hair again to yank it, feeling your release crash down on you. Zemo’s eyes closed as he moaned from the vice grip your walls gave him and the feeling of your release exploding over his cock. He thrust into you a few more times as you whimpered from the over sensitivity, but his lips found yours again, moaning against them as his release cums. Slowly his thrusting stops, and he breathes heavily against you as you both try to recover.

You two stay like that for a few minutes, just holding each other. Eventually, as his cock softens, Zemo pulls back. He slips his condom off and throws it in the bin before coming back to you. He kisses your hot and sweaty forehead gently while his hands brush the hair away from your face. He cradles your chin again, pulling your face up so that he can kiss your delectable lips again.

“You were a goddess, little one.”

Bucky carried Zemo back into the house bridal style, his hands gripping tightly around Zemo’s legs and chest. He dropped him down onto the sofa where you had rested not too long ago. Zemo was dead to the world, though. At least for the moment. The bruise on the side of his head, thanks to John Watson, was enough proof of that.

You gently run your fingers over the side of his face. He looked so peaceful. His lips pulled up into a natural smile, parts of his hair dangled down across his forehead, his face softened and not tensed like it usually appeared to be. You brush the hair back into its usual place, running your fingers over his feverish forehead.

You turn to Bucky and Sam, whose eyes burn into yours, millions of questions flashing through them, yet they remain unspoken.

“I’ll look after him,” you tell them, turning your gaze back to Zemo’s peaceful form. It was easier to stare at him than at them at the moment.

“You and Zemo have been spending a lot of time together,” Sam states, raising an eyebrow.

“I’ve been making sure he doesn’t betray us,” You snap back, refusing to look at them.

“Sam and I have been doing that as well, and you haven’t seen us giving him bedroom eyes,” Bucky says roughly, stepping forward, but Sam grabs hold of his arm to stop him from going further.

“Look, y/n, we’re just concerned about you. Zemo is a criminal; he could easily manipulate you,”

Your eyes flash to him angrily as you curl your lip.

“You think I would be easy to manipulate,”

“No, that’s not what I meant-” Sam says, but Bucky interrupts him.

“Yes. I know him, y/n; that is exactly something he would do. You can’t trust him,”

“I’ve told you already; I’m just making sure he doesn’t betray us. There’s nothing else. I’d appreciate it if you believed me,”

They sigh in defeat, glancing at each other, then back to you.

“I don’t want to argue with you, y/n. Go get him the things he requires. Bucky and I need to check to see if we can find Karli. I might get a chance to talk to her again,” Sam says, and he and Bucky turn their backs, sending one last concerned look at you over their shoulders, then disappearing.

You sigh, looking back to Zemo, who still slept peacefully, unaware. A smile tugged on your mouth, but it twisted to a frown. You all knew damn well you had been lying. Whether you wanted to admit it, you liked Zemo. Every time you saw him, the urge to kiss his sweet lips pulled you in. You could still feel his embrace, his kisses on your neck, shoulders, collar. The sensation of him inside you, touching you. You craved it more and more like he was your addiction.

You couldn't believe how far this addiction to him had come. Sure, you had certainly noticed that he was handsome the first time you saw him. But that’s where you thought it had ended. You knew what he was, and you thought you hated him because of it. But when that moment happened on the mission. When you sat on his lap, called him ‘daddy’ and kissed him, your whole world and perception of him changed. Everything that happened afterwards made your cheeks burn. He was so passionate. So earnest. No wonder you had managed to fall so hard.

Your eyes flickered over to the bathroom door. It was there you felt you truly saw Zemo for the person he was. A man who was lonely and broken from his past. A man who cared for you no matter what Sam or Bucky says.

Your heart had seized when you saw how the shield collided with Zemo and how he had collapsed onto the floor. Not thinking about your actions yourushed over to him, kneeling down to cradle his face in your hands and checking him over. John peered down at you as if you were dirt.

When Sam and Bucky ran into the room, you could feel their judgemental stares as they noticed you and Zemo.

While your eyes lingered on his face, lost in your thoughts, Zemo’s eyes slowly cracked open. He moaned as his face scrunched up. He raised his hand, using the back of his palm to rub his eyes. You shouted at him to stay still as you fetched a flannel. You brought it to the sink, turned the cold water tap and soaked it under. When you felt the flannel was drenched in cold water, you turned the tap off, wrung the flannel then took it over to Zemo.

He smiled at you gently as you handed him the flannel, the sides of his lips curling up like a cat.

“Thank you”

“I’ll get you a drink,” repaying the act of what he did when you were the one lying on the sofa.

“You’re kindness to me is admirable, y/n,”

“Don’t get used to it,”

He snickered, his bright eyes glancing up to look at you.

“Will we always tread the line between fondness and detest for each other?”

You exhale, sitting down beside him, handing him a glass of whiskey.

“I don’t hate you, Zemo, though I really should. There’s something about you that, well that I love, and I can’t let it go.”

You hesitate, both of you pondering over your sudden confession. Zemo raises the flannel off his eyes, turns his head and lets his eyes wander over your tensed face. You met his stare, holding eye contact though you wanted nothing more to slink away and hide.

“You terrified me earlier. I thought John Walker had killed you,” you whispered, desperate to not let silence take over the room after what you had said.

His eyebrows furrowed, his face softening, and he continued to look at you.

“I apologise for frightening you, y/n. I- I never thought I would love again since my wife passed away, and though I still love her, you enthral me. You live in my mind constantly, your smile etched into my brain. I want to know everything about you, to feel every inch of your soft skin. To touch and kiss you everywhere. It’s been so long since I’ve felt this way that it frightens me.”

Your heart felt like it had stopped beating. You looked into his eyes, your mouth parted, and slowly you reached out your hand to grasp him. His thumb runs over your knuckles delicately, and you feel the heat swarm inside of you.

“Zemo I-”

You hear the sound of the door creaking, and both of your heads snap to the entrance to see Sam and Bucky walking through. As quick as lightning, you dropped Zemo’s hand. You jumped up from where you were sitting and slowly strolled to the other side of the room, not wanting to hear any more from Sam and Bucky about you and Zemo.

Zemo’s eyes watched you as he sighed, glancing at his hand once more and flexing it, still feeling the remembrance of your hand holding his. He brings the glass you made for him to his lips, taking a sip and then he pulls the flannel back over his eyes and settles back on the sofa again.

Bucky disappeared again, likely wanting his space, whereas Sam grabbed a seat and pulled out his laptop to try and find some information on Karli. The silence of the room was suffocating. At least you felt that way as you paced. Sam seemed to intently focus on his laptop while Zemo just laid back and sipped his drink. You pulled out your phone and glanced through random apps for something to do to mind the time.

“Were you ever offered it?” Zemo’s voice finally breaks out. Sam’s gaze leaves his laptop to glance at you, then at Zemo.

“What?”

“The serum.”

“No.”

You glance between them, curiosity spiking. Sam clearly didn’t want to be engaged in a conversation, but Zemo wasn’t taking the hint or, more likely, choosing to ignore it.

“If you had been, hypothetically, that is, would you have taken it?”

Without a second hesitation, Sam replies with a harsh tone to his voice,

“No.”

“No hesitation. That’s impressive,” Zemo admits, nodding his head.

He raises his hand, taking off the flannel with a grunt.

“Sam,” he continues as he holds the flannel, gaze unwavering from it.

“You can’t hold out hope for Karli. No matter what you saw in her. She’s gone. And we cannot allow her and her acolytes to become yet another faction of gods among real people. Super soldiers cannot be allowed to exist.”

Your gaze moves to the ground as you frown, thinking over Zemo’s words, whereas Sam answers without hesitation.

“Isn’t that how god’s talk?”

Zemo’s eyes continue to glare down at the flannel, not speaking up for once.

“And if that’s how you feel, what about Bucky? Blood isn’t always the solution,” Sam finishes.

There was a moment of silence as you thought over Sam’s and Zemo’s words. The sound of a door click breaks the thoughts from your mind. Bucky struts in, glancing over at the tensed appearance of the three of you. You move from your spot, walking over to where Zemo had sat up, moving so you could sit beside him. As you take your seat, making sure there is space between you, he places his hand on your knee. Your eyes flicker to each other, words speaking in silence. His warm eyes bore into yours, but there was a misery in them, something you were sure was also reflected into yours.

“Something’s not right about Walker,” Bucky mutters, shrugging off his jacket.

“Like we hadn’t known that from the start,” you reply.

“Well, I know a crazy when I see one. Because I am crazy,”

“Can’t argue with that,” Sam agrees.

The two of them break into an argument about the Shield, making you sigh in frustration. Just when you were about to stop their bickering, the door of the villa bursts open and John Walker and his partner storm into the room.

“All right. That’s it. Let’s go. I’m ordering you to hand him over,”

Sam and Bucky walk into John’s path, preventing him from advancing on Zemo. You stood up from the sofa to stand next to them, but Zemo grasped your hand and pulled you back. You looked at him, watching as he stood up, but he shook his head slightly, his eyes burning into yours. You furrow your eyebrows, questioning him but he doesn't give any explanation.

On the other hand, he passes you a bottle of whiskey. He picks up his glass and walks over to the kitchen counter, pulling you with him. In this odd display, you weren’t paying attention to the situation with John until a spear flew past them, embedded into a pillar.

A light gasp left your lips as the Dora Milaje stormed in.

One of them speaks in Wakandan to Bucky, her tone harsh and biting.

“Release him to us now”, she demands in English.

Zemo’s eyes glance anxiously from yours to them, his brow furrowed in concentration.

“Hi, John Walker. Captain America.” John says, walking over to them to assert himself. The Dora Milaje stand still, refusing to acknowledge his presence, making John stand there awkwardly.

“Well, let’s uh put down the pointy sticks, and we can talk this through, huh?” he says patronisingly.

“Hey, John. Take this easy. You might want to fight Bucky before you tangle with the Dora Milaje,” Sam warns, but it falls on deaf ears.

John Walker continues to antagonise them till he takes a step too far and places his hand on her shoulder, and all hell breaks loose.

You and Zemo stand back as the fight breaks out. Zemo sips his whiskey as he watches with amusement. He glances at you and raises the glass, inquiring if you want a sip. You smile at his nonchalant attitude about the fight, nodding your head and letting him raise the glass to your lips as you drink.

Eventually, Sam and Bucky join in the fight, seeing that John was losing, and losing badly.

You started to step forward to join them, but Zemo’s grip on your hand tightened.

“Not now, little one”, he mutters.

He peers around, watching the fight and the surroundings while you glance at him with an eyebrow raised.

“What the hell, Zemo?” you whisper harshly, glancing around as if trying to spot something Zemo was looking for.

“We need to go”, he whispers urgently and pulls on your arm, leading you to the bathroom.

“What? Zemo, Zemo, wait. What do you mean we?” You ask, grounding your feet into the floor.

Zemo’s eyes flickered around the room again, observing the fighting and then looking back to you, his skin paler than before.

“We don’t have a lot of time y/n, please. I need you to come with me,”

You didn’t know where he wanted to go or how he was planning on leaving, but you could see fear prickling in his eyes as he looked at you, and it calmed all the questions and suspicions in your mind.

“What about Sam and Bucky?”

“You know them better, and I do, and I know they will manage well. Please y/n, I want to spend this precious time I have left with you. I don’t want to do this alone,”

You stare into his eyes once more, staring into those pools of warmth and nodding, making your choice.

You let him lead you back into the bathroom and close the door behind him. Quickly he grasps the bathtub in the room and heaves it to the side, revealing a hole in the floor. A passageway into the sewer.

You wrinkle your nose as you stare down into the dark hole. Zemo comes to stand beside you, pursing his lips at the rancid smell.

“I will go first if you prefer,” he tells you, but you shake your head. He places his hand on the dip of your back as you move to step onto the ladder and slowly start to descend down the ladder, grasping the metal tightly in your hand so you wouldn’t slip.

It only took you a minute of climbing till your feet hit the wet concrete below. It was pitch black in this passageway, but when Zemo managed to get down to the ground, he pulled out the flashlight he had from before and turned it on, illuminating the sewer in a creepy light.

He grasped your hand again, taking charge to lead you a certain way.

“So this was the best escape plan you had?” you ask, holding your hand to your nose to try and block the smell.

“My apologies, y/n, did you have a better plan?” he replies sarcastically.

“Well, I didn’t know I was running away with you until a minute before,”

Zemo pauses, beaming the light on your face, making you flinch back. He notices and lowers the light slightly, so it isn’t blinding but still illuminates your face.

“I owe you a great deal for coming with me. I know it wasn’t a simple decision to leave your friends for a person you met meer days ago,”

“When you put it like that, you make me feel even crazier for making this decision,” you grumble.

“But it’s okay. Zemo, Sam and Bucky will be fine without me, and I wanted to be with you,”

Zemo raises his hand to cup the side of your face, his thumb running along your cheekbone. He stares at your face for a moment, drinking you in, till he pulls you to him and captures your lips in a passionate kiss. His spare hand holding the flashlight wraps around your waist as he holds you there, his soft lips moving on yours as you reciprocate.

As suddenly as it had started, it ended.

He pulled a few centimetres away, his lips still brushing against yours.

“Thank you, little one.”

His nickname makes a shiver work its way through your spine. The breath leaves your lips as you feel your cheeks burn, shown by the flashlight. His classic smirk appears on his face as he watches your reaction. He leans forward again and places a quick kiss on your cheek, and then continues to lead you down the passage.

After around 10 minutes of walking, you reach another ladder that Zemo gets you to climb up. You had never been so thankful to breathe in the fresh air. You close your eyes to feel the breeze of air and sunlight on your face till Zemo makes you get out of the way so that he can get up onto the surface as well. You had emerged on the side of a road, and of course, by the side of the escape, there was a car waiting for you.

“I shouldn’t even be surprised,” you say, a chuckle escaping your lips as Zemo holds up some car keys he had been keeping hidden. He opens the passenger seat door to let you in and then quickly gets in on his side, starting up the car and driving off.

“Is this car yours, or one you had stolen?” you ask, running your hands along what you sure was expensive material.

“I believe you won’t like the answer.”

“I suppose aiding with the escape of a criminal now makes me one. You bring about a lot of surprises,”

“I’ve been told I am quite surprising,” he glances at you, smirking as he drives.

“And seductive,”

You slap the side of his arm lightly, a smile tugging on your lips.

“Eyes on the road, mister.”

“Mister? I’d prefer what you called me before. Hm, what was that again?”

You groan and hide your face in your hands as Zemo reminds you of the moment you wished you could forget.

“You’ll never let that go, will you?”

“You calling me daddy? Of course not. I find it most pleasing,”

“Where are we even going?” you ask, trying to direct the conversation somewhere else.

Zemo turns from looking at you to the road, the smile on his face slowly fading.

“Sokovia,”

Your breath hitches as he says the name of his country. The knowledge of his previous family, his wife, and his son, comes back into your memory.

“I want to see the memorial,” he explains, glancing at you.

You stare forward at the road, though, nodding silently.

For the next ten minutes, you two sit in uncomfortable silence. All previous moments where you were having fun had faded, leaving a chilling tension between you two. Eventually, Zemo sighed in frustration and made a sharp turn in the car, pulling into a secluded spot on an empty road.

He turns the key, killing the car engine and then, in his seat, he turns to face you.

“It seems to me we need to talk,”

You look at him, then away again.

“I don’t think so.”

“Y/n”, he growls

“I said we don’t need to talk!” you exclaim, feeling a burst of energy in your body as you snap your head and glare at him. You purse your lips, though, realising how much anger had just flared up in you.

Zemo stares at you for a few moments, his face pulled into concentration, but it detenses as recognition flashes in Zemo’s eyes.

“This is about my family.”

You look away, your cheeks burning as you know how ridiculous you were being.

Zemo nods his head, looking at the road ahead as he thinks over what to say.

“You are part of the reason I want to go to the memorial,” he finally admits

It was your turn to look at him, puzzled. He pushes his lips together, breathing in a deep breath as he prepares himself for what to say next.

“I love my family. Every day, I miss them more. They were everything to me, and after their deaths, I was filled with pain and anger. I couldn’t see anything else apart from revenge, and I made sure I got it. I never thought I could move on from them. But I love you y/n. I am honest. I never thought this old heart could love again. But with you, I know I can. You are someone I want to spend all my time and money on just to make you happy. Every time I look at you, I want to take you, no matter where we are. And I feel I owe it to my family to visit the memorial to pay respect and to accept that it is okay for me to move on,”

It felt as if an enormous weight was suddenly lifted off your shoulders with his words. Tears sprung to your eyes though you tried to blink them away. Seeing the tears, Zemo panicked, his eyes widening and sitting up straight to try and comfort you, but you grinned at him and placed your hand on his shoulder.

“Thank you, Zemo,”

He moves his fingers to your face, tracing your jawline. His eyes flicker from your eyes to your lips, desperate. He moves forward to his seat, capturing your lips with his. Unlike the passion from last time, this kiss was gentle, like he was trying to savour you. You melted into the kiss, feeling completely overwhelmed with its gentleness. You had to grasp the soft fur parts of his coat to try and pull him closer, ignoring how, in the kiss, you could feel his lips smirk.

“Would you prefer to take this to the back seat?” he rasps, and you nod your head quickly.

You pull away from the kiss, shifting in your seat so you can climb into the back apartment of the car. Zemo holds onto your waist as you climb through and as he follows you after. He sits down in the middle seat, and instantly, you pull yourself onto his lap, straddling his waist. The grip of his hand on your waist tightens, his fingers digging into your soft skin as you bring your lips back to him while grinding onto his lap, feeling the wrt stain start to build on your underwear.

A smirk pulls onto your lips as you feel a bulge press into you through Zemo’s trousers, making you grind down harder on it to hear the little gasps leave his lips.

“Let go of me, Zemo,” you murmur, pulling away from his sweet lips.

Hesitantly Zemo lets go of your waist, his eyebrow-raising slightly as he watches you move.

It was hard moving in a limited space, but you were able to get onto the floor, sitting on your knees as you grasped Zemo’s legs and pushed them apart so you could slide in between them. You reach up, grasping the zipper of his trousers and, while holding eye contact with him, pull it down, exposing his boxers. Next, you tucked your hand under the waistband and wrapped your palm around the warm cock hardening by the second. Zemo’s breath hitched as you pulled his cock out of his boxers, exposing it to the cool air.

Some pre-cum was already appearing at his tip, and it made your mouth water, imagining the taste. You stuck out your tongue and lent forward, kitten licking at his tip to lap it up. You could hear Zemo’s gasp as you teased his most sensitive part, and you noticed how his legs tensed as you continued to lick at his cock. You dipped down, licking down the shaft and then tracing the throbbing vein back up to the tip again. Feeling mischievous, you tease his poor tip, licking at it and hovering your lips near but not doing anything else.

Finally, Zemo moves, his patience growing thin. His hands grasp your hair, his fingers wrapping into his securely. He pushes your head down, guiding his hard cock into your mouth. He was gentle, not pushing you down too far, just about half way but you moved further down his cock, feeling the tip of him hitting the back of your throat and making you gag. Zemo let out a lustful moan, his eyelids fluttering from how good it felt to be inside your wet mouth. His head rolls back as he focuses on the heat of your tongue pressing along the underside of his cock. You suck your cheeks in, making your mouth constrict around his cock more as you start to push your lips up and down his cock while your hands take his base and balls and begin to stroke and play with them. Zemo’s grasp on your hair tightens as he lets out louder moans now, his hips thrusting up into your mouth, making you gag on his cock again. He started to push your head faster on his cock, grunting as his cheeks turned red from pleasure, and just when you felt his cock twitch in your mouth, he pulled you up, off his cock and grasped his base, squeezing it delaying his oncoming release.

He grasped your arms and lifted you up, pulling you over to the seats. You let him move you, pushing you down to where you were lying on the back of the seat, staring up at him, already parting your legs.

“Forgive me, little one”, he purrs as his hands roughly grasp at your trousers and push them down, exposing your pants.

“I need to feel inside you.”

He runs his finger up them chuckling, feeling the wetness soaking through.

“Do you have a condom?” he asks, looking in your eyes.

“We don’t need one”, you gasp, the urge to feel him swarming you. You moved your hips up, practically begging for him to be inside you.

“As you wish,” he says, immediately pushing your pants aside with a slight more roughness than last time, slipping into you.

You moan, feeling him stretch you out, but as soon as he was in you, he drew back almost entirely out of you. His hips snapped back into you, pushing your body up and down the car seat. Your moans were mixed in with his grunts, his hands grasped your hips, his cock pushed into you perfectly.

You wrap your hands around his back, your nails digging into the skin as your body moves up and down with his. He settles his head on your shoulder, pressing kisses to your hot skin as he chases his high. Every time he pulled back from a kiss, he whispered something in his husky sokovian language. You couldn’t understand what he said, but from the look on his face you knew it was endearing.

His fingers moved down to find your clit, rubbing it with precision. It felt like a shock wave of pleasure washing over your brain. You let out a series of loud moans as you felt the knot in your stomach grow tighter. Knowing you were close, Zemo’s pace started to speed up while he thrust deeper into you, hitting the right spot inside you. You didn’t even get a chance to warn him as you came, your walls fluttering and grasping his cock as it washed over him. Zemo groaned into your neck, feeling your walls clamp down on him. He was on the edge already, and feeling you come around him triggered his own release. You let out a soft moan as you felt his cock twitch inside of you, spilling his warm seed into you.

He pants heavily, his cheeks flushed, but finally, his shining eyes meet yours.

“I love you, little one,” he whispers.

You smile, placing a kiss on the side of his face, “I love you too… daddy.”

He chuckles, his eyes glowing as they stare into you. Slowly he moves out of you, though, ensuring he wouldn't hurt you as he helps you clean up and make yourself comfortable again. He helped guide you back to the front seat, placing kisses on your body whenever he got the chance till he was back in the driver's seat again and set out on the road.

The car drive after that was comfortable. Zemo drove with one hand on the wheel while his other hand rested on your thigh. You two either talked about things you thought of or sung along to music on your phone. The hours felt like they slipped by like minutes till he pulled up beside the sokovian memorial.

Holding your hand, Zemo slowly walks up to the sculpture. His eyes don’t leave it as he looks at it. The wind waves through his hair, billowing his coat. He doesn’t say anything at first, but he slowly starts speaking in Sokovian, getting what he needs to say off his chest. After that, he turns to you, his eyes capturing yours as they were glazed with tears.

“The loss of my country, of my family, broke me y/n, but in some twisted way, I don’t mourn it as much as I did previously, for it led me to you. I don’t blame you for their deaths. You had nothing to do with the Sokovian attack, similarly to Sam and James. What I’m trying to say, though, is that it has been my pleasure to spend these last moments with you, y/n.”

Your eyes jumped to him, and a frown appeared on your lips.

“These last moments?”

The sound of footsteps behind you made you jump. You spun around on your heel, your eyes widening as you saw Bucky approaching. Your head snapped back to Zemo, glaring at his remorseful face.

“Zemo, what the hell is going on?”

A small smile appears on his lips as he looks to the ground and then back up to you, but there is no joy in his eyes. He leans forward, his cold hands grasping onto yours.

“I’m afraid I must ask something hard of you, y/n. Please, can you leave”

The breath left your lungs; your heart dropped out of your chest at the words.

“… What,”

“I don’t want you to witness what must happen next,”

Your gaze flickers from Bucky, standing back, letting you two have your private moment, but he looks to the ground as your eyes meet his. You glance back to Zemo’s, whose face is now desperately looking at you.

“I’m not leaving you, Zemo,” you state.

“Y/n…”

“No!” you shout.

“Y/n I-” Bucky says, walking forward, but one death glare from you quickly shuts him up.

“How could you ever ask something of me like that, especially after… after everything that has happened,”

“I know I should have told you y/n, which I apologise for, but I needed to spend these last moments with you because you are so special to me; I didn’t want to ruin the moment by telling you what was to come.”

Tears gush from your eyes as you shake your head at him. He steps closer to you, holding your head in his hands, using his thumbs to wipe away your tears.

“And because I love you, I don’t want you to see this. You know there is no other way out of this. It has to happen, and it’s okay; I’m ready. Just like I could with my wife, I know you’ll be able to move on and find someone who will give you everything I can’t and never will because you deserve so much better than me,”

“I love you,” you whisper, the hot tears spilling down your cheeks. Your eyes examine every detail of his face, trying to ingrain everything in your mind.

“I love you, little one,”

He pulls you into one last kiss, but the romantic moment is drowned in sadness.

You pull away. Turned around. You don’t look at him. You can’t because you know if you do, you won’t be able to leave. You glare at Bucky though you know as well as Zemo it isn’t his fault. You walk a slight distance, just enough so that they are out of sight, and then you collapse on the floor.

Your hands into the ground, pulling at the dirt as you let all your pain out, trying to hold in your sobs. How is it you had fallen for that man so quickly? You loved him; you had risked giving him your heart, and he was pulled so soon from you. You felt betrayed; he didn’t tell you what he was planning, but you couldn’t bring yourself to hate him for it either.

You don’t know how long you stayed there, but you opened your eyes when you felt a shadow fall over you. Looking up, you saw one member of the Dora Milaje looking down at you.

Your eyes widen in surprise, and then you gasp, connecting the dots.

“Zemo”, you whisper, jumping off the ground and running back to where you last saw him.

Sure enough, as you arrived, you saw him being escorted to the Dora Milaje aircraft.

Hearing your footsteps, Zemo glances over at you. Sadness flickers in his eyes as he stops walking to look at you, but they grasp his shoulder, forcing him to look forward and to keep moving. You watch as they escort him away till you can't see him anymore.

Bucky walks over to you, looking at the floor guiltily.

“I’ll see him again,” you tell Bucky.

“y/n, I don’t think-”

“I’ll see him again, Bucky. You can count on that.”

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