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claihn · 6 years ago

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A Siren’s Secret [Pt. 2]

The click of her booted heels against the wooden floor echoed across the empty basement. All of the plants that had once dominated the entire room like a miniature world away were now gone. She’d sold them or given them away and now the room had little else to give it character save for a bedroll, a minuscule dresser, a few boxes and some dents in the walls.

Her apothecary had been returned to Vincint or rather, the building and land that she had borrowed in his name were now his again. His shocked expression hadn’t surprised her, but the undercurrent of anger was palpable. He knew Ket’s name now and attributed a lot of the changes towards him or the incident. Incidents? It blurred together sometimes. She knew he was mistaken and even more so, it simply didn’t matter at all. None of it truly did. She’d trapped herself in a cage and then slipped through only to create a new one in the Beds. The old greenery still had the front floor masquerading as some sort of florist’s haven, but the basement she planned to make into a home.

It wouldn’t be grand by any nature given the age of the building and how small or downgraded it would be compared to the shop in Shirogane. She couldn’t stand to look at the apothecary now though or the ocean that she both loved and hated through its windows. It had always mocked her with the sweet song of the waves that she dearly enjoyed and some part of her ached to dance along the beach in the early or late hours when there weren’t eyes about. Maybe she wouldn't be able to stay away for long. That's how such dangers and past habits were for her. For now though, she had to abandon it.

In truth, the peace of the Lavender Beds was a surprise. She had expected to be found even in her new little hideaway. A demanding pounding on the door or the cocky, smug voice of the cat she hated just as much as the ocean. The memory of him blathering out her personal secrets in front of the other woman still made her teeth clench and her blood go hot. He had been different and while she was loathe to speak about anything intimate in front of a stranger, she had picked up on it in silence. It was more than just the hair- he was swaying like the tides themselves again. Otherwise he would have known that such a demand would never work on her. It was enough to almost make Mana laugh. As weak and pathetic as she was, somehow the Raen still clung to a semblance of strength in her own stubbornness. He was far from an idiot too- something had been off. Just like after their return from Ishgard or maybe it was just another broken fragment. Did he even remember Tsuki's room? Mana still remembered her words and-

“Not that it matters now.”

Mana commented out loud as she marched across the floor. The footsteps echoed louder than she would have liked because they punctuated the isolation. She reached the faded ivory dresser- the first piece of furniture for her basement. Opening the drawer there were two envelopes sealed with blue wax sitting atop of the organized mess of vials, jars, trinkets and stones. Two envelopes meant for the same man, but containing two different messages entirely. One with a bullet and one with a piece of broken wood. Mana’s watery hues stared at them dispassionately before she cracked and dipped her head down to laugh underneath her breath. I want to see you break. You’re interesting.

“Idiot.” Mana's melodic laughter ended with a quick suck of breath as she took the envelopes and then ripped them both in half. What good did words ever do? She tucked them into the back pocket of the worn leather pants and instead plucked up one of her snowy white sea-worn rocks. Her eyes scrutinized over it and then she nodded, clutching it between her fingers. Mana couldn't help but let out a defeated sigh while she walked towards the stairs with a natural sway of her hips.

“I don’t hate you.” The whispered words fumbled past her lips before she realized what exactly she'd been thinking, which only made the Raen shake her head at herself. I would have helped. She sighed, but there was a weight upon her shoulders that dug claws into the knots that had built up inside. She had been leery about her trip because of it, but when the only obstacles were her hired hands and looters? An epiphany had struck her. One that she knew should have made her happy, but she couldn’t bring herself to smile. The weight doubled until she forced herself to lump all the experiences and memories in with the rest.

The Siren. Ultimately that was a fate she would never escape. Those along her path had been ruined if they hadn’t fled, and they had been good people and far better than herself. Maybe that’s why she had consorted to dancing with devils and demons? Monsters and wolves? Mana reached the outside door and found her nails digging into the handle for a moment as she clenched her teeth.

Even the monsters leave you. Just like everything else.

“I’m far too busy for stupid thoughts!” Mana lied to herself, speaking aloud to the air when she stepped through the doorway of her home and all but slammed it behind her.

The night air of the Lavender Beds greeted her with the fresh scent of a past rain and a chorus of bugs chirping their pleasantries. Naturally she stood up straighter and walked with forced purpose, ducking under the archway and across the path towards a large river. It wasn’t until she reached the edge where the boat had dropped her off that she stopped just before stepping into the waters themselves. A dark, almost black wooden box was waiting for her where she had set it down beneath the shadow of a tree teetering upon the edge of the shoreline.

What was inside of the box had been found by accident. Mana had heard rumors of a shipwreck among one of the uninhabited islands in the tropical waters of La Noscea. The wreck itself had been described in such a way that it bore into her mind as incredibly similar to the old ship that belonged to her father. The very ship that had been stolen from her in the wake of the storm. It had driven her into urgency and turbulence.

She had gone out of her way, shrouded in a cloak, to hire Landrenel Triluveux. His rumored reputation she had overheard in Ishgard, ironically enough, and while she hardly trusted mercenaries, let alone those in the Mist, she knew she had to push herself out of her comforts. He was a fighter- a survivor- that she had no true connections or sympathies towards. A perfect individual to take with as insurance in case a vengeful party came to make true on their threats and perhaps, deep down, she was hoping for future business.

Mana had also ventured to hire Noah Kelten, the very man who entangled her into a deeper mess of misunderstandings and problems. At least she had the satisfaction of being let into his home while he was away and drinking his tea. Yet there was no denying his expertise with investigations and who better to bring along that someone you can trust to be completely blunt without care for your feelings? Then of course there had been Yuti Kyis for her healing expertise, because Mana wanted to be prepared for the worst and Vincint Venator because he’d already promised to shoot anyone who’d come around for trouble. Although they had been reluctantly brought with, but in her haste she couldn't afford to find more distant connections.

She had tried to keep the entire venture rather business-like and without any feelings, which was easier to do when they discovered the ship wasn’t her father’s at all. That had been an utter disappointment and on top of it, they’d merely been attacked by a few looters. The thought made Mana laugh- she’d been disappointed it was only them that awaited her party. Although, an ill-timed explosion had Vincint shooting it off near Noah, who in turn seemed to retaliate with a fire spell that was close enough to burn the gunner. As if the irritable pair needed another reason to dislike each other. Thankfully Yuti’s healing and Landrenel's cool head kept things from spiraling into an actual brawl, although Mana tried to keep things diplomatic by tending to Noah while Miss Kyis treated Vincint’s wounds. That only pissed off Mister Venator and she never heard the end of that along with many choking-filled comments on the return trip.

Despite it all though, a surprise came from Yuti's discovery that led them to the pair of old chakrams. They had been stowed away deep enough within the ship that the weapons washed ashore with the debris. They'd nearly given Noah a shock when he had tried to handle them and even Vincint felt an eerie sensation that was enough to give them a respectable berth.

Still at the edge of the water, Mana drew in a slow breath as she crouched down and picked up the smooth wooden box. It stored the pair of weapons currently. The inside had a crystal interior that she had used before to handle volatile goods that were sensitive to aetherical surroundings. It perhaps did nothing, but it didn't hurt to try to be a bit safer.

Regardless, this was her new purpose now. The lie wanted her to say it was because they were a mystery and if she unraveled it, then perhaps she could use it to pay off her debts. The truth though was much simpler and selfish. The pair of chakrams, old and tormented by time and sea, could not be touched by anyone that she had found yet. Except for her. The reason was almost laughable too. It was because of her weakness. The accident long ago that led her to give up her magic, her health and many dreams, now was the single reason that she could touch these weapons. Mister Kelten thought it was perhaps by design, but Mana was skeptical. Her gut told her, deep down, that they were like her.

Cursed.

“I'm so tired.” Mana whispered the words to the night air as she hugged the box to her chest. It was rather large and unwieldy in her arms, but even through the wood some part of her felt as if she could feel that familiar sensation that they gave her whenever she took them in hand. Understanding. An inkling of some missing piece being filled. Even the subtlest touch of pleasure and pride. She'd always outwardly portrayed herself a confident creature, but the weapons affirmed the possibility of it being a true reality.

“I'm done trying to hope that these broken pieces will mend and I'm not going to believe that anyone will ever be different. Least of all myself.” She looked up through the canopy and saw the glittering stars attempting to peak through the clouds that had long since cast their rain. Of course it was all still buried inside of her- the loneliness, the sting of disappointments, betrayals, echoes of aches and pains and by the Twelve, the memories too. Her scarred feet itched at the mere thought of it all, but she was done trying to cover it up. She was done pretending that she could overcome it if she simply worked hard and played nice and survived.

They called her the Siren and she had always hated it, denied it and swore at it. They said she was a harbinger of bad luck and she'd cried, refused and kept trying to defy it. They said she was the reason for the storm and the thief and she couldn't clean the bloodstains from her hands. She'd worked so hard to go against all those words and in the end she had... what?

Nothing.

Everything she desperately attempted to grasp fell through her fingers like the very ocean itself. A part of her wondered if this was some sort of breaking point, but that was laughable. One couldn't break something that had never been fixed. No. It was finding something else that was cursed and being told what it was supposed to be that made the picture clearer. It was the empty basement and the audible click of her heels. It was the scars that left traces or the way her throat hurt when she swallowed once and awhile.

She wasn't going to escape these pains. No one is going to help save you. It was time to stop hoping, stop running and accept it. Accept what you are. If they believed she was some unlucky Siren bringing forth a storm? Cursed. Then she'd gladly ruin them all.

“What are you doing?” A familiar voice rang out behind Mana as she blinked and snapped her gaze away from the sky. She whirled around and nearly fell into the water, catching herself by trained grace alone. Her grip on the box tightened a little, knuckles turning white before she drew in a breath and offered them a gentle smile. “Just saying goodbye.” “Oh? Goodbye to who?” Mana paused and turned to look over her shoulder at the water that started to gleam with the growing blanket of stars. Her tail twitched briefly in the air and she caught herself biting her lip, which only brought the gentle curve of a smile with a thought of how she was often scolded for it. “Just another mask.” And another me.

[[ Not a huge fan of my writing here, but I had to drabble it out before shifting gears! Mentions to @ketsuchikotetsu , @crystal-high-jinks , @forthepursuitofknowledge , @yutikyis & Vin (no tumblr). You all rock! ]]

#mana #writing #mana mizu #drown #the siren #dancing with demons #cattails and lilies #end of a chapter #It was a sad one #T_T #balmung #oc #crystal #rp #plot #ffxiv #LF NEW CONNECTIONS FOR HER STILL THO #ugh this was bad writing #shhhh

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falloutdialogue · 6 years ago

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Companions and Vadim

In the Dugout Inn, your companion might start chatting with the bartender, Vadim. (Every companion but Dogmeat and X6-66.)

Cait

Oh... this place looks interestin'

Hey, handsome... what are you servin'?

Bobrov's Best. Is greatest moonshine ever to cross lips, lapochka ( Russian, for "darling/sweetie pie"). Very strong though. Two shots, you pass out on floor... guaranteed.

You don't know me very well, do ya? If you've got a record for number of shots done here, I'll double it.

Record is mine. Fourteen shots in less than two minutes. If you beat, I give them to you free. You lose, you pay double.

[Backing down.] Uh, maybe I'll just have some scotch.

Codsworth

Funny, I was expecting more of a sports bar.

Only the best moonshine in the Commonwealth. "Bobrov's Best" I call it. Robot should try. See if it's strong enough to power that engine, yes?

General Atomics' warranty stipulations only guarantee repairs and replacements when using the designated Mister Handy Fuel.

While an alternate fuel source would be beneficial, I'm afraid I must decline.

Perhaps you miss out on once in a lifetime opportunity? Vadim can give you warranty as well.

I don't doubt that one bit. Let's just say, should the need arise, I shall surely seek out your services... and leave it at that.

Curie

What a fascinating place.

Monsieur. Do you serve alcohol here?

Alcohol? No, I serve nectar. Nectar of the gods. Bobrov's Best.

The gods? You think to fool me. There is no proof of any divinity in all my records.

After you try Bobrov's Best, you will disagree. Mark my words.

He is joking with me? The pulling of the leg. I say, humans are so confusing.

Danse

Dugout Inn. Hmmm, wonder what that means.

Citizen... what is the origin of the name of this establishment?

Is something to do with baseball. Got idea from old map of stadium.

Baseball? I'm not familiar with that.

Go talk to Moe Cronin. He tell you all about old American sport. I warn you. Once you get him started, he not want to stop.

Thank you, citizen. You've been quite cooperative.

Deacon

Hey Vadim.

That swill you call alcohol kill anyone yet?

Ah, the mysterious John Doe. Last time I see you, you were in uniform. But, strangely, the other guards don't know anything about you.

I work the midnight shift, you know. Barely even see the other shifts.

It is almost like you are not a guard at all. Crazy, I know. But also curious.

You know what they say about curiosity. See you around.

Hancock

Well, well. Uh, I'm gonna need a minute.

[Meeting one of his heroes.] You're Vadim Bobrov. As in Bobrov's Moonshine.

Uh, yes. I do not think I've had pleasure.

Name's Hancock. You ever thought about sellin' your product in Goodneighbor?

I... huh. Is good idea.

I'm gonna have one of my boys come talk to you. I think you and me are gonna get along swell.

MacCready

Oh man, I love this place. Vadim is a character.

Vadim! Still killing people with your moonshine?

MacCready! Is good to see you, tovarisch(Russian, for "comrade/friend"). How is Lucy? She still as beautiful as I remember?

No... she didn't make it, Vadim.

I’m sorry, mouth tends to be faster than brain. Tell you what, I give you a drink on the house... for old times.

Thanks. You were always a real stand-up kind of guy, Vadim. Let's drink.

Piper

We're drinking here? Hmm.

So, what's the thing least likely to make me blind?

Piper! You have finally decided to come publish Vadim's latest tale of heroism, yes? H-heroism. That's it. Heroism. I don't say this word too often.

[Sigh] What'd you do this time, Vadim?

You will not believe. So, I awoke after night of fun to find myself wearing a coating of robot coolant... and nothing else...

Vadim, please. Stop. Now. Can, can I just have a beer?

Preston

I'm going to grab a quick drink.

Preston! My friend! Long time, no see.

Hey, Vadim. How you been doing?

I've been worried about you. The stories, you know...

Yeah, it was rough there for a while. But things are looking up again.

Fantastic news. Please, take load off. Relax and have drink.

You don't have to ask me twice.

Strong

Give Strong water. Or hound blood.

Uh... fresh out of hound blood. Not a lot of water either.

Just give Strong drink.

I'll get you a Bobrov's. It's kind of like water.

Smells funny. Tingles.

Valentine

The beer tastes like warm spit, but you'll be hard pressed to find a friendlier place for a drink.

Vadim, you old lech. How've ya been?

Oh, Nicky. I'm glad you're here. I've got new batch of moonshine I'm not sure is, uh, ripened yet.

You mean unfit for human consumption.

Yes, this is bingo. Help your friend, Vadim.

Vadim, we've been through this. I'm not going to be your guinea pig... again.

#Fallout #Fallout 4 #Vadim Bobrov #Vadim #Dugout Inn #Diamond City #Valentine #fallout 4 companions #strong #preston #preston garvey #piper #piper wright #maccready #hancock #danse #curie #codsworth #cait

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sparklyaxolotlstudent · 6 years ago

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La Catrina Part 3

In which Adrien is denser than Stitch.

“Well, that was weird”

Adrien threw himself at his oversized bed, while Plagg came out of his school bag and went to his minifridge for some cheese.

“The fact that you’re a model yet use the same tacky clothes everyday?” He said, taking a big chunk of the stinky cheese he loved so much.

“No…” Adrien looked at his clothes. “Well, besides that. That Anciel guy inviting me to that festival. I thought he hated me”

“Is that the guy who told you that your full name was Adrien ‘Doormat’ Agreste?

“… yes”

“Wasn’t he also the guy who apologized for calling you an idiot because he thought you already knew?”

“… yes”

“And also called you as useless as the ‘ueue’ in ‘queue’?”

“… pretty sure he hadn’t said that”

“Oh, he probably told it to Marinette behind your back” another big bite of cheese. “Oh right, you were saying?”

“That it was weird that he invited me to the festivel, since he clearly thinks so lowly of me”

“What else he said? It’s just the two of you?”

“You were there”

“Yeah, but I wasn’t paying attention”

“We’re going with Nathaniel and Marinette too.”

“Maybe it’s a double date and he’s being the wingman”

“A double date? But I don’t like Nathaniel that way!”

Plagg stopped midchew. He was using all his willpower to not slap some sense into Adrien, as he was pretty sure he would only get the poor kid thanosed. Or more confused. He then realized he only had two options, either be frustrated with this kitten obliviousness, or troll him into oblivion and enjoy the ride there. He chose the second one.

“Well, Marinette did help you that time with the fencing girl. Maybe she just wants a date with the Rainbow kid and was too self-conscious to tell you about it herself.”

“But I’m not gay! I mean, Nathaniel is kind of cute and has pretty eyes, but he’s not my type!... I mean, if I had a type for guys!”

“Ah well, then you should just cancel and let Marinette on her own, despite being such a Good Friend™ to you” Plagg was using all his willpower not to snicker. How could Adrien not realize the setup was for him and Marinette was beyond him, and he was older than time. Well, the Time Kwami was technically his older sibling, but still…

Adrien was confused, on the one hand, he didn’t liked Nathaniel that way, but on the other hand, he did owe it to Marinette. He then wondered if he could switch Nathaniel for Luka, like Marinette did. No wait, maybe for another girl.

“I was sure Marinette was into Luka… maybe that’s her type? Androgynous slim guys with black nail polish?”

Plagg just looked at him. He never jumped this high even when he was Chat Noir. “GAH! Fine! I will do it! FOR MARINETTE!”

Adrien marched to his father’s office, as it was the only obstacle for his date with… Marinette’s date he meant. He knew his schedule was as packed as always (Except when it mysteriously wasn’t) but this time he would go there even if that meant confronting his father. He arrived at the ridiculously big office, outside of which was Nathalie in an equally ridiculously big desk.

“Nathalie! I need to speak with Father”

Nathalie looked up from her work, unimpressed.

“Adrien, what a great coincidence. I was about to go for you, your Father wants to talk with you.”

“Oh fiddlesticks” Adrien swore in a lowe voice. It usually wasn’t a good thing that his father requested him. Nathalie looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Sorry for my rude language”

Nathalie then buzzed Mr. Agreste, and they both got inside his office.

“Father, before anything else happens, I want to ask for permission this Friday for the Festival of Dia de Muertos that the Morales family is hosting.” Gabriel raise an eyebrow, looking intensely at his son. “Marinette…”

“The designer girl from your class? You’re going with her?”

“Well, technically…”

“Hmm… Mister Morales actually called personally to request our presence on the festival. We might even make a deal and he gets to feature some of my brand in his next movie. Maybe his daughter will even dress an Agreste original for a Gala. I think Pink is her color…. Anyway, he did request for us to wear something appropriate to the celebration, so Nathalie has been investigating in some Catrin suits. Miss Morales wants to do the sugar skull make-up herself”

Gabriel was happy that his son finally got on a date with his little secret girlfriend that he did not want to talk about, and in such public event! Maybe it was a bit too soon to be thinking on grandchildren, but he sure as heck was going to keep sketching wedding dresses until he made the perfect one for his future daughter-in-law. He was very glad, if a bit annoyed, that both times that Marinette Dupain-Cheng had attracted his attention – or rather, Hawk Moth’s- she had been able to calm herself down and evade the butterfly. His son deserves the best of the best, and if that meant a girl who managed to convert her negative emotions into something positive, even if it was frustrating him that there was someone defying his akumatizations, then so be it.

Adrien was again at his room. Plagg was… being Plagg. Adrien was still processing what just had happened.

“That went better than how I anticipated”

“Oh?”

“Father allowed me to go to the Festival without any strings attached. Well, I do have to wear a Catrin suit, and Gabriella will paint my face like a sugar skull”

“A Sugar Skull? I love those! They were better when they used grounded human bones, but sugar is okay too.”

“In hindsight, I should have remembered that Gabriella was friends with Marc and Marinette is a much better planner than me. She probably asked Gaby to tell her parents.”

----

“I HAVE NOTHING PLANNED! THIS IS A DISASTER!” Marinette was going though her wardrobe, hoping to find the perfect outfit for her date with Adrien. The girl squad was of course with her. “IF I CHOSE THE WRONG THING THE MORALES MIGHT SEE IT AS AN INSULT TO THEIR CULTURE AND I WILL CREATE AN INTERNATIONAL INCIDENT AND ADRIEN WILL HATE ME FOREVER!”

“Would you relax a bit girl?” Alya teased her friend, trying to be reassuring. It wasn’t working.

“Yeah, I’m sure Adrien would love anything you wear” Added Rose, always the positive influence.

“I bet you could go wearing a potato sack and he would still love it” grinned Alix.

“To be fair, Marinette would make that potato look very cute on her.”

Rose looked at Juleka about to protest, but conceded the point. “Yeah, Marinette would look cute in anything”

“Girls, girls, focus! We have to help Marinette chose something appropriate for her date”

“Do we? Didn’t you said that Marc told you that you were going to coordinate with his friends?”

“Yeah, when I went last year with my daddy, most people went dressed in traditional garb. I was the most fabulous one, of course”

The other girls looked at Chloe. They still couldn’t believe that Marinette had invited her to their Girl Squad™ meeting. She had been behaving, but it was still weird.

“It’s not mandatory, but the Morales really encourage people to share the traditions to have a good time.”

“And how was the party?” Asked tentatively Rose.

“I wish I had been less sour back then, I missed out on some fun. It was great, people dancing, a real mariachi band, and the food! It was exquisite!”

“I thought you only liked sushi…”

“I do love me some sushi, thank you very much, but their salads and traditional dishes were delicious. And the desserts! I had buñuelos, tamarindos, cocadas, and Sugar Skulls are really not my thing, but Gaby gave me one made of amaranth and honey, and it was really tasty. I got a few pounds that weekend hehe”

The girls giggled nervously. They really liked this new Chloe and hoped she would last a lot.

“Cesaire is right, you should relax, the Morales are really nice people, they would forgive you even if you somehow manage to knock down their altar. Plus, I will be there too, I can totally run interference if you do manage to do something embarrassing.”

Marinette smiled at that. She hoped this date was a success.

#miraculous ladybug #ml fic #ml fiction #ml la catrina #maybe nathadrien

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pookapics · 6 years ago

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1940′s!Bucky x Reader - When love must die

(YN) : your name (LN) : last name (NN): nickname (HC) : hair colour (HL): hair length (EC) : eye colour (FC): favourite colour

Bucky Barnes x Reader - When love must die

*(Written before Endgame’s release)*

Warnings : Angst & Slightly Sexual Content and NO SPOILERS FOR ENDGAME (Don’t you guys fret)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ June 4th 1943 Your POV You’d moved over here during the war to escape the war torn England, your small apartment in Finsbury Park back in London now long forgotten as you stood in the booming city of New York. There you stood, waiting for your beau to arrive. For you see, you’d been walking down the dodgy area of Brooklyn when you first arrived in the states, you got jumped to which you tried to defend yourself till the man got punched in the nose by a tall, dark and somewhat handsome figure. James Buchanan Barnes, his knuckles stained red from the man’s now bleeding nose, you held your suitcase close to you as Bucky and his minuscule friend, Steve fought off the attacker who soon scuttled off. And of course, Bucky being a gentleman took you to a diner for something to drink, seeing that you were visibly shaken. And ever since then, it was you and Buck. Well. And Steve of course. You three were inseparable really, but of course you were the closest to Buck. Bucky treated you like a princess whenever he could, whenever he wasn’t teaching Steve how to fight down at Goldie’s Boxing Gym, he would be taking you out dancing. Swinging you around and dancing to the latest tunes, you’d never met a guy like Bucky before ever in your life and you were sure you’d never meet anyone just as special as he was.

Suddenly you felt a pair of hands cover your eyes, they were warm and slightly sweaty, you then heard the smooth and silky voice of your beau “Guess who, doll?” You could almost feel him grinning behind you, like a cat who got the cream “Hmm I wonder~ Oh wherever could my loverboy be?” You faked the impression of a damsel in distress before removing his hands from over your eyes “Its good to see you, Buck.” you leant up to peck his cheek, his hands wrapped around your waist lovingly. You wrapped your arms around his neck “So what’s the plan for tonight, hotshot?” You asked, Bucky never told you about what he had planned for dates, he always loved the look of surprise on your face. Bucky, still in his soldier uniform grinned “Well I may have planned a little double date for Stevie with us, what do you think?” He grinned, he was always setting Steve up, he wanted his best friend to be as happy as he was. You began to fiddle with the wrinkles on your dress “Its true that Stevie needs to get himself out there but you’re still acting all mysterious! What have you got planned Mister Barnes?” You teased and fiddled with his perfectly tied tie, he rubbed your sides gently “You’re going to have to wait and see, doll.” You pouted and huffed at this jokingly to which Bucky simply kissed your cheek, his lips tickling slightly against the soft flesh of your rouge tinted cheeks.

You smiled “So, where are we meeting Steve? And this girl you’ve matched him up with?” Bucky grinned “First doll, you need to get dressed up in your Sunday best! And second, I’ll pick you up in an hour or so, Steve will be waiting with me outside.” He instructed and smiled “I’ll walk you home first then I’ll have to see what mess Steve has gotten himself into.” You giggled at his statement and walked alongside him, his arm wrapped around your waist “God I’ve missed you Buck.. Letters just don’t cut it.” Your nose was nuzzled into his shoulder, he’d been away training in Wisconsin with the rest of the Regiment for the whole winter, you had to mail him his present for Christmas to him instead of spending your first Christmas with him together.

Bucky smiled and pulled you close “I missed you too, Doll.. let's hope this war ends soon eh?” walking along the sidewalk to your tiny apartment, it wasn’t much but it would do in the meantime. You retrieved your keys from your purse and opened the first door, you turned to look up at your boyfriend “I’ll see you in tick, Don’t get into too much trouble before then okay?” joking with him, to which he laughed “Well Doll, when it comes to Steve that’s a promise that I can’t make.” he winked before walking off, going to try and find where his best-friend was. Scuttling up the creaky staircase, you rushed into your apartment to start and get ready, picking out your best dress which you’d been saving for a high-class event.

Any date with Bucky could be considered a high-class event.

Picking up bobby pins, you slid them into your hair to secure your (HL) (HC) hair into a certain style, brushing out the knots of your hair with a soft and gentle comb, before trying to smooth the inevitable flyaways with a tiny bit of hair pomade, you only had a little left and it was considered a luxury item during the war. Everyone needed to be canny nowadays. Sliding off your thin cotton dress you’d worn during the day, you searched through your drawers for your brand-new girdle*, wanting to really dress up as you hadn’t dressed up like this since Bucky went off for training. Sliding on your girdle, you attached your stockings using the small clasps of the suspenders, adjusting them so they looked smooth and not bumpy. Gently, you put on your (FC) dress, adjusting the neckline so it fit just right. Smoothing out the edges of the dress, it accentuated the gentle dip of your waist and feel just above your knee. You twirled around in your dress, watching it twirl around beautifully, you giggled to yourself as you searched for your little black heels which were somewhere in your suitcase. Time flew so fast that soon you heard whistling outside your window, your heart beat fast as the tune belonged to you and Bucky’s favourite song to dance to. You rushed to find your shoes and purse, putting on a little bit of red lipstick for good measure. Grabbing your peacoat as you rushed down to meet Bucky and hopefully Steve.

As you opened the door, there he was. Your Soldier. Your Bucky.

Bucky smiled “Ready to go doll?” You nodded happily and nuzzled into Bucky and glanced over to see Steve “Steve?! What happened to you!” Pulling a handkerchief out of your pocket to blot his still somewhat bleeding nose. Steve dabbed his nose gently “Oh you know me (NN), always getting into trouble that Buck needs to fix.” joking with you but you being so motherly, you did not take that as a good answer “If they come at you again, I’ll knock their teeth out.” showing a more defensive side for your boyfriend’s best friend which made Steve flush “Thanks (NN).” You shrugged and went back to stand next to Bucky “So where are you taking me this time Buckaroo?” you teased as Bucky led you along the sidewalk with Steve trailing behind him. Bucky smiled “Well.. I know how you wanted to see that Stark Expo. So..” he grinned and waited for your reaction, you gasped excitedly “Bucky!! You are the best!” hugging him happily, he gave you a gentle squeeze “Come on then!” he busied you along till you reached the Stark Expo where Connie was waiting, trying to wave down Bucky but stopped when seeing you nuzzling into him. She glared at you with such jealousy and in that moment you knew that tonight was going to be fun.

~~~

There you and Bucky were, he was walking you home after Steve’s date, Connie had badly rejected him. You nuzzled into Bucky, he seemed to have taken all of Steve’s emotions onto himself “Darling, what happened with Steve wasn’t your fault. She was stuck up anyways and Steve deserves a sweetheart!” trying to reassure Bucky that he’d tried his best and that it would be better luck next time. Bucky nuzzled “suppose you’re right, doll.” kissing your cheek as you led him up the stairs of your apartment building “Come on, I have a few beers in my fridge, nice and cold just the way you like them.” Leading him inside your tiny apartment,the floorboards creaking under the two of yours weight as you made him sit on the couch. He took a seat and watched as you wandered off to the kitchen to fetch him a beer. Soon you came back with the two beers, the bottle caps off and ready as you handed one over to him happily. Bucky took a long sip, letting out a sigh of relief and delight “God I love cheap beer.” He laughed, you rolled your eyes and sat down beside him comfortably “Hey its all the shop had.” you retorted and kicked your heels off before settling down beside him properly. Bucky smiled and ran a hand through your hair lovingly, you arched your head back into his touch, humming softly “How long do you have till you have to head out?” You buzzed softly and hummed but heard only a sad sigh from Bucky, you turned your head to him and looked at him for an answer. Bucky inched closer on the couch to you and held your hands sadly “I only have tonight doll..” You felt your heart break at this, only night before he was gone.

“Well. We’ll make tonight the perfect night won’t we?” You smiled, acting a lot more positive and putting on that smile for him. Bucky nodded “Our final night together till I head off to the mouth of hell.” He joked and reached to rub your cheek gently “You will come back to me, Bucky Barnes. You are not dying on me yet.” You insisted and looked at him with such passion and such love, Bucky couldn’t help but smile at this as he reached to brush hair away from your face “Okay. I’ll try my hardest to stay alive.” He smiled and went silent for a moment, you rose a brow at this behaviour “Buck? You got something on your mind?”He nodded and you tilted your head “What is it?”

He opened his mouth to speak and just blurted out “Marry me.”

You blinked and looked at him “W-What?” You watched as he pulled out a small thin metal band, it wasn’t like the rings which most girls wanted. It wasn’t littered with diamonds or ornately designed, it was a simple thin silver band, shining in the light of your living-room. Bucky smiled “I know its only been a few months doll but I know that this between us is right. And when I come back I’ll buy you that diamond ring, white dress and everything. But right now I want to know that when I come back, you’re here. My future wife.” you couldn’t help but flush at his declaration of love to you, you began to smile as he scrambled off the couch to be on his knees before you “Will you? Will you marry me?” He gave you his trademark grin, holding the ring out, still dressed in his army uniform. You nodded “Yes! I will marry you!” You leapt into his arms from the couch, the two of you fell back onto the carpet, you giggling as he cheered up to the heavens or to the neighbours “She’s gonna marry me! My girl is going to marry me!” He declared as he slid the silver band onto your ring finger, you admired it happily.

The two of you sat there for a while, cuddling and almost glowing from the happiness you both were feeling. You inched up into a kiss, this kiss was long and filled with a passion which made your fingers tingle. Wrapping your arms around his neck, leaning into the kiss as he pulled you onto his lap, his hands on your hips and pawing at the material of your dress. Pulling back from the heated kiss, panting heavily you stared into his eyes and he looked at you as if you were the most precious thing he’d ever seen. You wrapped your legs around his waist, the suspenders which held your stockings up peering out from underneath your (FC) dress, Bucky picked you up delicately and carried you to your bedroom, his lips kissing your ear tenderly “What would you like to do, future Mrs Barnes?” smiling as he got to say that finally, you smiled “I would like you to take me to bed Mr Barnes~” you cooed and purred happily to Bucky who nodded “Yes Ma’am.” As soon as you entered the bedroom, clothes were pulled off and thrown aside and lay in piles on the floor.

Skin against skin.

Lips against lips.

Bodies intertwining and pulling apart before intertwining again, pulled together by a sort of electricity or magnetism. You were drowning in the rush of euphoria which seems to explode from your chest, pouring out from you. Bucky could feel it too, the feeling of your soft flesh against his sent his heart a thumping, the two of you admiring one another and taking your time to explore the expanse of each other's bodies as if this would be the last time you’d see each other.

But it wasn’t. You knew he would come back to you.

He would come back to you.

~~~

The morning came, the sun cracked through your thin blinds and woke you, your room a mess from last night’s rendezvous. Rubbing your eyes, you soon spotted Bucky, putting back on his uniform and standing in the mirror whilst trying to straighten his tie. You smiled and reached for your robe, sliding it on your naked form. Padding over to him, your cold feet hitting the wooden floorboards you smiled “Come here. Let me fix that.” You reached to straighten his tie, he stared down at you happily as he watched your nimble fingers fiddle with his tie “There. Now you look respectable.” you teased and pecked his cheek. Bucky kissed you quickly “Thank you, Mrs Barnes.” He smiled and held your hand, his thumb fiddling with the ring he’d put on your finger last night. Smiling, you looked up at him “Come on. Some breakfast before you leave.” you led him to the kitchen, taking a quick peek at the living-room where two beer bottles stood, barely drunk due to last night’s activities. You giggled at that before setting forth to make some breakfast for the two of you, Bucky of course helping.

Breakfast was soon made and devoured, plates almost licked clean as you both watched the time betray you, it was almost time for Bucky to go. You watched as he slipped on his shoes and his jacket, but you knew it truly was time when he reached for his hat. Standing beside him, you reached to cradle his face in your hands as you spoke to him “You will come back to me. Stay alive.” rubbing his cheek gently with your thumb, it was tickled by his slight stubble. Bucky reached to kiss your hands and kissed your ring before kissing you passionately one last time “I will come back to you Mrs Barnes.. I promise you.” He hesitantly pulled away, leaving you standing in the doorway in your robe as he walked down the stairs. Leaving you alone. You rushed to the window to watch him leave, your hand pressed against it as he gazed up to look at you and mouthed in your direction ‘I love you’ to which you returned the sentiment. There you watched him, walking off into the busy streets and disappearing amongst the crowds. Heading off to war, holding onto the hope of soon returning home to you. That hope would keep him alive.

You were tending to the flowers on your balcony, it had been 2 excruciatingly long years since Bucky had left. Worry was eating you up, no letters had arrived for many months which made your anxieties and paranoia soar. Blanking due to your paranoia as you watered the pots with your watering can, you suddenly heard a knock on your door which pulled you from your anxieties “Who is it?” You called out as you put down the watering can and dried your hands on your cotton dress, walking towards the front door before unlatching the lock. You opened the door and looked up at the tall figure standing before you. It was Steve. A much taller and much more muscular Steve.

“Steve?! Bucky told me about this but I couldn’t believe it!” You ran and hugged him, this was so shocking and you could still barely get your head around this “Come in!” you ushered him inside and led him into your living-room, Steve remained quiet. You sat down on the couch beside him and looked at him “Is Bucky okay? He hasn’t been sending me any letters.. I’m worried Steve.” you looked into his eyes which were filled with such sorrow and pain, you bit your lip “He is okay.. Isn’t he?” your voice breaking as you prayed in your heart that he was okay but the feeling of dread was rising more and more.

Steve, looking at you with pained eyes “I-I’m sorry (NN)... it was a tragic accident. I-I couldn’t save him.” You were frozen out of shock and heartbreak, your world crumbling around you as what Steve had just told you settled into your mind. Tears began to run down your cheeks “No. No… NO!?!” You stood suddenly and began to wail hysterically, you could not be calmed down, your pain was flowing out of you like a volcano erupting “NO! HE PROMISED ME! HE SAID HE’D COME BACK TO ME!” You clawed at your arms, acting as if maybe if you cried enough or yelled enough that the truth would not be true. Steve tried to calm you “Please (NN).. I’m Sorr-” You snapped at him “HE PROMISED ME! HE PROMISE! NOW HE’S GONE!” You held spite in your voice, grief had made your voice fill with venom. Steve, though he flinched, stepped forward to try and soothe you but you just shoved him back “GET OUT!” You were taking your grief out on Steve, who already blamed himself greatly for his best friend’s death. But Steve simply backed away “I’m sorry (YN)...” He stood in the doorway as he stared at you, you had your back to Steve as you huddled on the carpet “Just.. Get out.” you said blankly, your emotions now drained as everything in your world came crashing down at you. Steve left your apartment, he felt so guilty for doing this to Bucky and now to you. You just sat, the wind whirring and lashing against the windows, they sounded like cries of a banshee, taunting you.

Numb. That’s all you could feel. You stared down at your ring finger, your cheeks stained with your tears as you hiccuped. Everything around you reminded you off him.

The couch, reminded you of long night cuddles with him

The kitchen, reminded you of your last breakfast with him.

You rose to your feet shakily as you wandered into your bedroom, you picked up a box which was on your vanity and retrieved the photo which was pinned onto your vanity mirror using the frame of the mirror itself, it was a picture of a you and Bucky on a date at Coney Island. His smile, oh his smile was beautiful. Your thumb traced the picture as you sniffled, you sat on your bed and placed the photo down, you started to open the box.

Inside the box was everything to do with Bucky, a shirt of his was in there and there were petals from a bouquet he’d given you on your first date with him. You felt so numb as you stared at the memories laid in your lap.

“He’s gone.” You whimpered out as you fell back onto the bed, pulling Bucky’s shirt out of the box and cuddling it for comfort as you wept like a babe, sniffing his cologne from the shirt and continuing to weep, tears staining it as you lay in the bed where the two of you had made love, became a part of each other. Forever entwined. And now he was gone, your heart felt raw and empty. He had left a crater in your chest, nobody could patch up a heart that broken. Nobody.

August 21st 2016

Bucky’s POV

I was in horrible shape, the fight with Tony had broken me. I was littered in scars and wounds, my metal arm gone from the energy blast during the fight from Tony’s Arc Reactor. T’Challa had promised he’d be able to help with his resources back in Wakanda to help get rid of the HYDRA programming, I agreed. I wasn’t stable or safe until they were gone. Steve had left to free everyone who’d been held in the RAFT like Wanda and Sam.

In my lonesome, my mind scanned through the memories which had been coming back. Each one brought mostly a source of joy to me. I was remembering who I was. Not what I became because of Hydra. That was when the face of a woman appeared in my memories, at first she’d been a blur but now she was fully there in my head, like a beautiful portrait. Her name was at the tip of my tongue, I wanted to yell it out like it was the gospel.

“(Y/N)!?” I screamed, that name echoed against the walls of the quinjet, I panted as if a weight had left my throat, it flooded past my eyes.

The memories. The dances.

The touches. The kisses.

His fiancee. His (YN).

My (YN).

I then paused, what happened to her. What became of my (YN). Before anything in Wakanda, I needed to know. Even if she was dead, I wanted to know. I had to know. T’Challa returned with Steve, the others following behind, all battle-torn and tired. Steve wiped blood from his cheek and sighed “Ready Buck?” I rose to my feet “I am… but I need to do something first. I need to know what happened to… I need to know what happened to my (YN).”

Steve looked shocked at his words, he’d never thought to look up what happened to her, still remembering the day so clearly when he told you about Bucky.

It haunted him…

“You remember her?” I nodded in response, my eyes watering as the memories of her smiling and laughing couldn’t stop running through my mind. Steve frowned “You want to know what happened? Then you will go to Wakanda?” I nodded “That is all I want.. That is all I'll ever ask of you from now on.” Steve nodded and sighed before looking at T’Challa who smiled “With my technology, it will be easy to find her.” I felt so relieved, so thankful that T’Challa trusted me now after knowing the truth “Thank you.” that was all I could muster up to say to him as T’Challa worked on it.

As long as I knew that (YN) had lived a happy life then it would give me peace. Knowing that she had lived. Knowing that she was okay.

It wasn’t long before T’Challa returned with a piece of paper “I found her.” I thanked him too soon as T’Challa interrupted me once more “Not only that but… she’s alive.”

Alive.

She was alive.

~~~

Your POV

You were sat in your small cottage home, it was homely and filled with antiques. Your (HC) hair no longer shone in the same way, it had been replaced with a head of (HL) silver hair. Your (EC) eyes remained the same, though now sunken and wrinkled, those eyes had lasted you throughout your 96 years of being alive, though you could no longer read the small print on the back of food packaging which required your reading glasses’ assistance. Your cat curled up on your lap as you rested by the fire, above the mantle stood photographs, ranging from family events to the main picture which stood up front and centre.

The picture of you and Bucky at Coney Island, framed and well-dusted, you never let it look unkempt and always smiled at it. As you stared at the photograph, you heard a knock at the door. It sometimes seemed that as soon as you daydreamed, something important would follow. Today would not be an exception. You grabbed your walking stick and hobbled over to the door, your cat following, you lived on your own and only usually got visitors from sometimes family or the carers who came to check on you and how your health was currently. You opened the door and there stood Steve Rogers, he looked the exact same.

“I was wondering when you were going to come see me, you punk.” You gave him a cheeky smile, acting like a young girl all over again to which Steve faintly smiled “Yeah. Sorry bout that.” He looked down at you, to which you rolled your eyes “Oh pish posh. Don’t give me that. Now get yourself inside.” Ushering him in, mirroring the day that Steve had came to tell you Bucky had ‘died’. You sat on the couch with him and reached to hold his hand “I cried when I heard you were alive. I did.” You admitted and smiled “Since the day when you came to my apartment, I regretted how I treated you. I am sorry.” Steve smiled “You had just lost someone (NN). You mourned the only way you could.” He rubbed the backs of your hands as you giggled “No one has called me that in a long long time.” referring to the nickname which made Steve smile wider “You haven’t changed a bit you know?” He looked at you happily to which you scoffed “Have you seen me Steve? I am old now. Not the same beauty I used to be.” You let out a hearty laugh but froze as a voice could be heard from the shadows “You’re still beautiful, doll..”

That voice.

It couldn’t be?

But. There he appeared, from the shadows appeared Bucky. He was war-torn, one of the arms to his hoodie limp, you thought maybe it was in a sling or something under his hoodie and his hair much longer than how it was before.

But it was his eyes, it was still the same Bucky. The same Bucky you fell for. The same Bucky you agreed to marry.

Tears brimmed at the edge of your eyes “Loverboy? Is that you?” Your voice cracking as you had to reassure yourself that this wasn’t an illusion or that you hadn’t died. Bucky wandered over and took Steve’s place on the couch, Steve had moved off and stood close to the wall. Bucky reached and touched your cheek with his right hand, it all felt the same yet different. You stared up in wonder “How?” You were still shocked and glanced to Steve for answers but Bucky frowned “You don't know about the news? About me?” You had never seen Bucky this way, so scared for your reaction about something, you shook your head “I’m all alone out here. Alone with my cat. I don't have a tv or any internet, Darling… but even if I did it would not matter. What matters is that you’re here and that you’re alive.” Bucky had tears in his eyes as he embraced you, holding you close to his chest as he cried, you cried too. The both of you cried together, exchanging words and declarations of love which you’d been waiting to speak since before you found out about Bucky’s ‘death’.

Bucky stared at your hand, no other rings graced your fingers. Only the small thin silver band that he’d given you the night before he left was gracing your ring finger, he looked up at you in shock to which you smiled “I told you many times, Mr Barnes that you were special and that I would never find someone like you ever again… And I was right.” Bucky smiled sadly at this “But… you always wanted children (NN)?” You shushed him “I never loved another man but I gave my love to others. I fostered many children, Bucky. I got to see them growing up and in some of them I could see you and Steve.” You told him, your heart bursting at the seams, Bucky smiled as looked at the mantelpiece to see the pictures of the children you’d fostered and welcomed into your heart before spotting the picture of you and him at Coney Island, he stared at it for some time. You nuzzled his shoulder “I never let go of you, Buck. I love you. I never stopped loving you.” You told him, he wrapped his arm around your frail frame “I’m sorry I never came back to you…” Bucky muttered, you frowned “James Buchanan Barnes, you cannot change what has happened. From what I can see, what happened to you was terrible my love.” Touching his left shoulder “But what happened happened my dear, changing the past is impossible.” Bucky nodded sadly and sighed “I need to show you something.”

He unzipped his hoodie and revealed his arm-less left shoulder, you gasped and felt tears form “Oh Bucky… Who did this to you?” You touched where his arm once was, he sighed sadly “I was taken by the enemy. They turned me into a monster.” he stared down at his hands but you reached over “Bucky.” you embraced him, your fragile form embracing him and cradling him like a babe in your arms “Hush. relax...” wanting him to relax and to let go of everything. Bucky froze before calming down and just curling into your arms, Steve watched the two of you sadly.

“Can I stay with her? Just one last time Steve?” Bucky begged Steve, who gave in and nodded. Bucky smiled and looked up at you “I’m getting help from a new friend. I’m not stable yet but he can help. But till then I am not safe.” you nodded at Bucky’s statement “One last night together? Well... We’ll make tonight the perfect night won’t we?” Your words echoed to the past, a reflection of the last night the two of you had together before the war, he nodded “We shall, doll.”

Steve backed away and left the cottage, he would return for Bucky in the morning but for now the two of you deserved time together alone. Not being watched over, given time to reminisce and remember the good times. The two of you sat by the fireplace together, reminiscing on old dates the two of you had and also with you filling him in on your life after he had ‘died’. You’d told him that your life was a happy one, something that Bucky loved to hear. You smiled and rubbed the back of his hand “Bucky, on my vanity there’s a box. Could you get it for me?” You asked, he nodded and soon returned back with the box, you smiled and gently took off the lid of the box.

Bucky’s eyes widened “You kept all of this?” he was shocked as he went through photos, old movie tickets, old records and books which you had flower pressed some of the petals from the bouquet he’d given you on your first date into. You smiled and nodded “Of course I did.” You pulled out his old shirt and smiled “I used to cradle this, it smelled of you.” your wrinkled hands ran across the fabric, Bucky smiled and kissed your head gently before looking at the clock “Time seems to go so fast when we are together doesn’t it?” Seeing that it was now 12pm, you yawned “It does indeed.” resting your head upon his shoulder. Bucky smiled and stood up “Ready for sleep, Mrs Barnes?” holding out his hand for you, you nodded and grasped his hand, shaking a little as you rose to your feet. Bucky steadied you, walking with you to the bedroom, you were already in your nightgown anyways.

You sat down on your side of the bed, Bucky took off his shoes and his jeans as well as his hoodie, leaving him in his shirt and his boxers. You reached out with your hands to cradle his face, finger tracing the contours of his face, remembering everything about him which for a long time had seemed a distant memory. Bucky smiled and got into bed alongside you, being comforted by your presence alongside him, you relaxed also. The two of you looked into each other's eyes, though Bucky wasn’t truly himself, you knew it was still him. You curled close to him and rested your head against his shoulder, his right arm curled around you just like he used to do, you held onto him as if preparing for him to disappear.

The two of you were curled close to one another, relaxed and feeling connected. The crater which Bucky had left after his ‘death’ began to heal, being slowly patched up as you breathed in his smell which somehow still smelled the same to you. Everything felt perfect.

~~~

As if it had only been an hour sleep, the morning had came. You opened your bleary eyes to expect Bucky to be gone or for last night to have been truly just an illusion, but there he was lying beside you. Bucky was still asleep, his brown hair covering his battle-wounded face, you reached and brushed the hair from his face, he leant into your gentle touch. His long eyelashes flickered as he stirred awake, his blue eyes meeting yours. He smiled tiredly and remained by your side on the bed “Mornin’ Doll.” you relaxed alongside him “Morning Hotshot.” Your silvery gray hair formed a halo around your head as you rested against your soft pillows. Bucky smiled sadly “Steve is waiting outside… its time for me to go.” you frowned “How come you know that?” you sat up slowly, taking your time as Bucky chuckled “I have super hearing now.” He too sat up and reached for his clothes, getting dressed but taking his time. You watched from your bed “Why should I be surprised?” smiling tiredly. Bucky was ready to go, you rose to your feet shakily and retrieved something from your memory box which you’d saved for a long time. You stood before Bucky, he looked at you puzzled as you revealed a small velvet box, you opened it to reveal a thick silver band.

A ring…

A ring for Bucky. The ring you’d planned to give him when you met at the altar.

Bucky looked at it and sighed “Sucks that I don't have a left hand eh?” He joked sadly, forcing out a smile, you shook your head “That doesn’t matter now. What matters is that you have this.” You pulled it from the box, dusty as you’d been holding onto it since 1944. You slid it onto his ring finger on his right hand, now the both of you had rings to signify your love, a love which had continued on past supposed ‘death’ and time.

Bucky smiled and brushed your cheek gently with his thumb, he took in all your features one last time as if this time he’d truly never see you again. You looked at him “Steve’s waiting Buck… go.” You insisted and smiled “I ain’t getting any younger.” Bucky chuckled lightly and leant in to kiss your forehead, his lips lingering there as if wanting to prolong the eventual heartache. He pulled away slowly and walked out of your room, you watched him leave like a shadow escaping before the morning sun broke out, you turned to look out of your bedroom window. You saw him and Steve walk away from your cottage, he turned his head to look at you and as he did so he mouthed ‘I will always love you (YN)’ to which you pressed your hand against the window pane and mouthed ‘And I will always love you, James.’ He walked off into the distance with Steve, you felt your heart ache sorrowfully. Because deep down you knew.

Deep down you knew that this was the last time you’d see your loverboy.

A final goodbye.

~~~

? / ? / 2018

Bucky’s POV

I searched for Steve, I had been blasted back by Thanos whilst trying to stop him from advancing towards Vision, my face was covered with dirt and my heart beating fast. I called out for Steve but a feeling in my gut arose, something in my body felt terribly wrong. I reached the clearing, still holding my weapon as I approached Steve and Thor who stared at each other in utter shock.

“Steve?” I asked as I stepped forward, my hands slowly were disappearing into dust. I kept stepping forward but I felt my body just disappear. Disintegrating into millions of pieces of dust, before I was gone completely I heard my gun hit the floor and the dead silence from Steve.

It was only darkness for a moment. But then I heard voices, voices of the team. My eyes blinked awake to see them, they were all shocked and confused. Where are we? I stood up as the team gathered together to figure out a plan on how to get out. But I could hear something, a voice calling out from the dark expanse of the new terrain. I wandered towards the voice, I could see a figure forming out of dust. The figure was wearing a fitted (FC) dress with a pair of black heels, the hair styled like a movie from my time. I froze when I saw the figure’s face, it was (YN) but she was young again…

She looked around in fear and confusion “Where am I?!” I rushed over “Doll!?” I too was confused by this, how was she here and how was she young again. (YN) looked at me, her eyes wide in fear “Bucky?! Where am I?” she then touched her face, realising that she was no longer 96 years old. She didn’t look a day over 21 now. I held her face in my hands “Calm down for me, Doll. I don’t know where we are but you’re safe with me.” she nodded and calmed down slowly before taking a moment to think “Am I dead?” her eyes watering, I couldn’t help but feel my heart ache for her “I don’t know the answer to that doll, but we’re together okay?” smiling gently. She nodded and looked at my new metal arm, she let a tear fall when seeing on my new left hand there was the ring on my finger, her own ring still gently wrapped around her soft nimble finger. I smiled and wiped away the tear with my thumb, she giggled a little before pressing her forehead against mine, nose brushing against one another like an eskimo kiss. (YN) smiled “We may not have any music but… Shall we have our first dance?” I smiled happily, regardless of the horrors of the situation we were currently in, this was our chance for a little while to have the first dance we never got to have at our wedding. I simply nodded “I would feel honoured for you to dance with me, Mrs Barnes.” (YN)’s hand reached to rest upon my bicep as I clasped her other hand and held our arms out horizontally, I began to hum the tune to a song we both loved. A song we used to slow-dance to on our dates at the various dance clubs, we always suggested this song. I hummed the tune to ‘Taking a Chance on Love’ as we started to dance, though there was nothing around us but never-ending shadow and monotone landscapes, we still danced, (YN)’s dress twirling around as we did.

If this is truly the end of me, then I accept it.

Because now I can finally be with the girl I love.

And I’d give it all to take a chance on love again.

The End ~

*Girdle - A woman’s undergarment/shape-wear popularised in the 30’s and 40’s which you could attach your stockings to using suspender clips

#bucky x reader #bucky barnes #marvel #avengers #fanfic #fic #steve rogers #captain america #bucky imagine #request #oneshot #reader #reader insert #angst #lime #character death #love #romantic

4 notes · View notes

littledorkydemon · 6 years ago

Text

Events and things mentioned in Powerpuff Girls comic Mini Series: Second Chances

The mini series is broken into 6 chapters and a short epilogue, as are the notes. In total the notes are just shy of 4,000 words

Chapter One

• The comic starts with the City of Townsville being set on fire

• The girls are called and fly downtown to find Mojo is the cause and Buttercup starts complaining

• The then start trying to recall what they fought already and when, this includes a giant metal robot, giant metal spider, and a giant metal shotgun

• This time he's using a giant metal exoskeleton, and apparently this isn't the first time he's used one

• Exoskeleton looks like the one from the Alien movie

• Mojo tries to convince the girls how cool his and better this plan is only to get upset when they show disinterest

• “Oh, what do you know anyway? It's not like I took an industrial design course! I Mojo Jojo have no need for a college diploma on account of my superior intelligence- ...and superior firepower”

• He then fires a barrage of missiles at the girls, who get them all together and following them before leading them back to hit Mojo

• Buttercup taunts him after, saying they haven't fought a Giant Metal Hedgehog yet [Fist Bump cover by Natewantstobattle played right after I read that]

• Mojo is taken back to jail and on the way he is talking out loud trying to figure out how his genius plans are always stopped by children

• The officer lists off all of Mojo's belongings which are:

○ One big hat

○ One singed purple cape

○ One death ray gun

○ One pack of gum: Mint Fresh

○ Two double-A batteries

○ One Frequent Coffee Buyer's Reward Card

○ One Self-Help Book on Public Speaking

• The girls are at Malt's Shoppe when the shop owner, Mr. Malt, gives them a banana split as thanks for taking care of Mojo. He also tips them off to a special event happening tomorrow in honor of the girls

• Buttercup is exited thinking they finally made statues of the girls

• The next day the Mayor unveils the gift for the girls, Three sets of golf clubs and a Lifetime Membership to Townsville Golf and Country Club

• And the Mayor hopes they'll join him for a round of Charity golf that weekend

• Buttercup is upset, finding golf boring

• A swamp monster rises from the water trap at the 16th hole and the Girls fly off to fight it, but not before making a bunch of golf puns

• The girls fight the monster, not understanding it's heavy accent

• It slaps Bubbles away into a puddle of algae to which both she and Buttercup find disgusting

• The girls use their new clubs to slice and hit the monster, and Buttercup shouts that she now loves this game

• The monster turned out to be a man, Jock Scott, at its core, who thanks the girls for freeing him

• Blossom knows the man saying, “Not Jock Scott, famous golfer who hit a 225 on a Par 72 and mysteriously disappeared at the Masters open in 1963?” to which he confirms he is.

• Blossom says she likes to watch golf

• Mojo is shown watching the live new of the girls' fight

• on the cell wall it says “The Amobea Boyz wuz hear”

• Mojo is upset and ranting about how he has never won against the girls, then asks the visitor he requested see him, free Mojo from the prison of his mind and the memories of his repeated failures

• He begs the Professor for Antidote X

Chapter Two

• It starts back at the prison, with two inmates talking about Mojo Jojo giving up villainy

• It's all framed like Mojo is on death row and heading to the electric chair

• He's last words before Antidote X enters the gas chamber are an apology for any and all inconveniences he's wrought on them. Them being The Mayor, Ms. Bellum, and the Girls

• The gas is let in and Mojo breaks his bindings, but as more of a reaction to the Antidote X

• The Professor has the girls stay back while he gets a sleeping Jojo out out of the chamber

• He also says that Jojo is his responsibility and is thus taking Jojo is as part of their family, to which Buttercup protests claiming it's just some trick of Mojo's

• despite her protesting, they take in Jojo, throwing him a “Welcome Home” party

• Jojo starts running around the kitchen, swinging from the banner and falling on the cake they had for him, which starts a food fight between him and the girls

• during that he manages to slip passed them and into the lab where he is running around breaking more things, and knocking down a beaker of Chemical X

• The Professor catches it before it can fall on Jojo's head

• The Professor locks away the Chemical X in a safe and gets everyone ready for bed

• Bubbles really likes Jojo and wants him to like living with them, while Buttercup hates the idea, saying “A leopard doesn't change its spots”

• Blossom says that he's not Mojo Jojo anymore, that they'll have to find it in their hearts to forgive his past attempts to destroy them, saying it's the right thing to do and that everyone deserves a second chance

• Him is shown watching the girls and complains that they never gave him a second chance

• Enjoying the idea of an eventual betrayal of the trust earned in a second chance, Him decides to “give these girls a little lesson in 'forgiveness'...”

• Him's eyes glow green, and so does every major villain in Townsville

• Blossom bolts up out of bed the next morning and rushes to the window followed by her groggy sisters

• They fly off to get the Professor and all go outside to see Townsville's villains doing a bunch of chores; mowing the lawn, washing the car, repainting the house, and gardening

Chapter Three

• Starts with the Ex-villains of Townsville

○ Sedusa is a hair stylist working on three clients' hair at once

○ Princess is at a soup kitchen ladling money to the poor

○ Fuzzy is a Realtor selling properties to people

○ The Gangreen Gang are making a large statue of the girls in the park

• Buttercup thinks its all fishy, complaining that she hasn't been able to hit anyone in the past week because their all too nice

• Bubbles says she and Fuzzy are volunteering at the animal shelter after she's out of school

• Blossom says she and Sedusa are going to get things ready for the annual tulip festival in the park

• Buttercup points out the weird timing, first Mojo then the rest of the villains, gets frustrated talking to Blossom and unable to completely voice her feelings, and says warned them for when it all goes wrong

• Meanwhile The Professor is having a hard time with Jojo

• The Professor sets some bananas down on the floor below Jojo

• Jojo takes the bait and the Professor sets off a rube goldberg machine to trap him in a cage

• The phone rings and the Professor politely refuses their offer saying his too busy to play any games, and saying he's been getting a lot of telemarketing calls lately

• He then goes to show a grumpy Jojo the experiment he's working on; “an atomic-powered coffee maker guaranteed to keep your coffee hot for 24,100 years!”

• Also meanwhile, Him is shown taking a bath and watching what's going on in Townsville; Blossom is flying kites with Little Arturo, Bubbles is fishing with Fuzzy, and Buttercup is by herself looking grumpy

• There's also two monitors? Him has of cats just to the side of the ones of Blossom and Bubbles

• Him goes on to the next step of his plan and wakes up a giant octopus to attack the city

• The girls are in class when they hear a loud boom and see smoke coming from the city

• Buttercup is excited, taking the lead on the way downtown and saying that she is going to knock Ace and the Gangreen Gang into next month

• Her sisters point out they don't know who is causing trouble yet, and after saying she'll beat up who ever is actually responsible, she's going to beat up

• They get downtown and notice Ace is there

• He and everyone else are wanting the Powerpuff Girls help in fighting the monter

• The girls are all stunned, Buttercup thinking it's weird but doesn't care as she gets to punch something

• Working together, they all fight the octopus; who, when it's had enough, squirts ink on all of them and runs away back to the ocean

• Sedusa says that from now on they'll all fight together to defend Townsville

• Princess suggests they all go for malts, and that it's her treat

• Buttercup says this is going to take some getting used to

Chapter Four

• Starts with the Gangreen Gang at the park playing basketball when a business man walks by throwing his empty coffee on the ground

• Ace, “Eh, youse might want to reconsider your decision there, mister”

• Business man calls them punks and says he has more important things to do, to which Ace replies, “Oh, far be it from me to stifle the progress of commerce in our fair city, but you is gonna put your litter in its proper place if'in you know what's good for ya.”

• Guy still refuses and they stuff him in an trashcan with his empty coffee

• Fuzzy is aiming his shotgun at a poacher planning on killing a moose

• Princess is helping out Madame Foster cross the street and carrying her shopping bag

• The Amoeba Boys join the army

• And the Girls are dealing with a robbery at the jewelry store, and the robbers involved are two nameless guys never seen before

• According to the Narrator, Him resides deep below the city of Townsville

• Him's monitors are place so that Princess's head is covering Ms. Bellum's head

• Now that everyone in Townsville believe the villains have turned over a new leaf, Him says he'll loosen his mind control over them and watch the villains slip back into old habits

• Looking at a screen of Ace and Buttercup laughing together, Him says, “A leopard doesn't change its spots, you know!”

○This saying dates back to the Old Testament, Jeremiah 13:23

• Blossom and Princess are fixing beams under a bridge when Princess's eyes glow green and she aims her laser to hit Blossom

• Buttercup is with the Gangreen Gang cleaning the subway of all their graffiti when Ace's eye glow the same green and he pushes Buttercup in front of a Subway

• Buttercup is able to stop the Subway, pushing against it to stop it

• Bubbles and Fuzzy are having a picnic

• Fuzzy says that he love all the forest animals and that he plays the banjo for them, also stating that the rabbits are his favorite

• Bubbles complements the sandwiches Fuzzy made, and he informs her that they are; meat jelly sandwiches, and are a family recipe

• Fuzzy's eyes glow green and he gets mad at a group of ants on the picnic blanket

• Bubbles tries to calm him down, but Fuzzy says that this is his home and they don't belong here. Then pointing out that all this land belonged to his ancestors until Townsville came along

• He give Bubbles to the count of five before he chases her off his property with his boomstick, and she flies off crying at his threat

• The Professor is at home putting sugar, spice, and everything nice into a bowl

• Jojo is next to the bowl looking ad a bag of Flour and the Professor is laughing about the nostalgia

• The phone rings and The Professor tells them that he's busy at the moment and has no time for games

• He state after hanging up that he's going to have to talk to the mayor due to crank callers constantly calling

• Bubbles flies home just as Jojo spills all the flour on himself, and the Professor mistakes her being upset over the lost of the cake he was preparing

• Bubbles tries to tell him why she's really upset but the Professor interrupts her saying that they'll take a trip to the store and stop for ice cream on the way. Bubbles then tries to bargain for three scoops

• Blossom and Princess are fighting as Bubbles and the Professor drive by on the bridge, Bubbles trying to get even more scoops of ice cream

• Princess says bridges are stupid and blasts a chunk out of it, and Blossom rushes down to catch it, punching Princess on the way and telling her to stop

• Meanwhile the Gangreen Gang are at the park cleaning up litter when Billy sees a hot dog vendor, and starts eating all the hot dogs despite not having money

• Ace says that he's had enough of “this goody-goody business” and he and the other start making a mess of the park

• Sedusa is working again as a hair stylist and is bored and irritated with her clientele, and she shaves off all the ladies' hair. Their screaming gets Buttercup to crash through the window and start a fight with Sedusa

• Meanwhile the Amoeba boys are in the Nevada Desert and put in charge of guarding the states supply of canola oil said to be the backbone of the fast-food economy

• The boys can't stand the heat and head to the mess hall for a drink of plankton water when a bomb goes off on one of the canola silos

• The Amoeba boys get court-martialed, and Slim says Bossman is a criminal genius, while Bossman looks unsure of what happened

• Back at the Utonium house, the phone is ringing non-stop

• Jojo gets out of his cage, smacks the phone and leans in to hear it, hearing, “Why don't you pass the time by playing a little solitaire?”

• His eyes start to swirl green and he sets up a game of solitaire, muttering, “Jo, Jo.” three times before, “Mo- Jo. ...Jojo” and turning green and sneering finally says, “Mojo.”

Chapter Five

• Starts with Bubbles and the Professor at Malph's getting flour when Fuzzy is outside shouting at everyone to get off his property and turning everything into various cuts of meat

• Bubbles is scared stating the last time Fuzzy used that meat gun he turned her pigtail into a drumstick

• The professor comforts her when Blossom and Princess come flying by, only to continue their own fighting

• Princess says that being good is too much work and not enough pay, also saying bridges are for people who have to go work for a living and that she is never going to need a bridge

• Blossom gets one more hit on Princess before Buttercup gets thrown through the window

• Outside, Sedusa, Fuzzy, Princess, and the Gangreen Gang are running amok

• Buttercup and Blossom get ready to go out there and fight them all when Bubbles tells Blossom she doesn't think she can do that. Admitting that she is a little scared of Fuzzy as well as that there's still good in him, that she can feel it.

• her sisters help her not be scared and that while Fuzzy may still be good deep down, he is currently doing bad and needs to be taken care of.

• The Girls start fighting all the villains in the parking lot when an earthquake happens and Him rises from the ground

• Calls the girls gullible children for believing they could reform the worst of society with kindness and understanding. Adding that the girls “never want to see the shadow cast by all living things.”

• Him claims that “They just take what they want, without remorse, and give nothing in return. It's in their DNA!” also says that all it took was a “teeny bit of mind alteration” to have them all getting along

• Him tells Ace that all he did was “put a cork in their bad habits” for a while and when he stopped the suppression of them, all the villains when back to petty crimes and misbehavior

• All the Villains are upset at Him, Fuzzy saying he had a good thing going with the real estate business, saying he was a closer.

• Him says it's all in their nature, and not to blame the chef when the ingredients are rotten

• Fuzzy rallies the villains to stand up against Him and Fuzzy shoots him with his meat gun

• Him gets mad that Fuzzy “dare turn [his] weapon on [Him's] haute couture” and sneers asking what he's going to do about it, calling Him a “Lobster Man”

• Saying that they have their own demons to battle, Him names off the seven deadly sins and the shadows of those around Him, villains and heroes, weigh down the person and bare the names of various sins

○ Sedusa's shadow is Envy

○ Princess's shadow is Greed

○ Big Billy's shadow is Gluttony

○ Blossom's shadow is Pride

○ Buttercup's shadow is Wrath

• Blossom's and Buttercup's shadows actually speak

○ Pride, “I'm the prettiest, smartest, and most important Powerpuff Girl”

○ Wrath, “I have so much anger in my heart. I must hurt others to keep the rage at bay.”

• Bubbles doesn't have a shadow bearing a sin, saying Him's whole shadow talk “falls apart when the light is too bright!”

• Bubbles starts to actually shine, blinding everyone, but also makes the shadows disappear, saying that nobody is perfect but there's goodness in everyone, and all you need is love

• Him has had enough and leaves with these parting words, “Take heed! Trust no one and forgive no trespass. Suspicion, fear, and hatred are the natural order of things, and you'd do well to embrace that.”

• Ace suggest that everyone just go their own way since Him messed with all of them, to which Buttercup protests, but Blossom agrees to, since they aren't actually at fault this time

• Bubbles asks Fuzzy before he goes if they could finish their picnic sometime and though he's still grumpy says maybe, and Bubbles hugs him thanking him

• Blossom and Buttercup are ashamed and tell the Professor that they aren't perfect little girls after all, But the Professor says they're perfect to him, and loves them just as they are, which gets the girls to smile again

• Buttercup asks the Professor how long until go back to how they were, and the he says its hard to say. That real change takes time, but every good deed leaves it's mark, and that the hard part is never giving up hope

Chapter Six

• Starts with the girls and Professor driving home, and Buttercup asking the Professor if he saw all her attacks, getting so excited talking about it she doesn't see that their house is smoking with the Front door blasted away

• The Professor is worried about Jojo and the girls clear the smoke to make it easier to see

• They see the Lab also has blast damage and find the safe with Chemical X has been broken, with the beaker broken on the ground

• Buttercup points out a message written on the wall saying “I'm BACK! -sincerely, Mojo Jojo”

• The message is brown, and Mojo left his diaper pinned to the wall of the lab

• The girls are understandably grossed out

• The Professor points out his coffee maker full of Plutonium-239 is missing as well

• There's a loud, earth rumbling boom and the girls fly outside to see a laser coming from Mojo's volcano top lair

• Buttercup says, “I told you so” to her sisters before braking in to stop Mojo

• Mojo tells the girls he plans on destroying Townsville to rebuild it as he wishes, and when Bubbles asks what changed his mind to make him go back to a life of crime, Mojo admits this has been his plan all along

• Hours before his original attack in the exoskeleton robot he realized that his plan would be stopped again by the girls so;

○ He hypnotized himself with subconscious instructions to find Chemical X

○ Faked all his moping while being dragged to prison

○ Tricked the Professor into giving him antidote X knowing he'd feel responsible for Mojo, and take him back in

○ Set up a giant drinking bird that would make a phone call to the girls house every hour and play his trigger message, “Maybe you should play a little solitaire”

○ Once he heard the message, he sought out chemical X, got back to his old self and stole the Professor's coffee maker

• Mojo had an atomic bomb powered by the Plutonium-239 coffee maker and plans on sending it down into the volcano where it will cause lava to rain down on all of Townsville and cover it in atomic ash for then next few decades

• Mojo also says he has a secret plan B if the girls stop plan A, and Mojo leave in an escape pod while the girls are left trying to stop the destruction of Townsville

• They can't find the button in time and the giant drinking bird hit the button sending the rocket and bomb into the volcano

• The girls dive after it and it's going to fast to disarm it, so instead Blossom get under it freezing the cap with her ice breath to cool the lava under it and slow the rocket, Bubbles screeches to get the outer shell of the rocket to break away and buttercup spirals around the plutonium case and bringing it up with her

• Buttercup's spiral keeps the lava from pouring out after she' out of the volcano,

• Blossom and Bubble are both shown using ice breath to cool the pillar of lava into rock

• Way above the earth Buttercup gets dizzy from all the spinning, but manages to kick the plutonium right into the sun and just missing Mojo's escape pod, to which she's irritated she missed

• Buttercup, still dizzy falls off the top of the very narrow volcano and her sisters catch and hug her, and starts shouting “enough of the mushy stuff! Sheesh.”

Epilogue

• Mojo is in space and not terribly upset that his plan failed, saying that's why he has a plan B

• He hits a button and a “World re Vision” is on the screen with a download bar under it

• Says that he'll come back after a few weeks and come out of his egg ship and the people of earth will worship him like a king

• Realizes that if he's going to be up in space orbiting the planet for a few weeks, that he should have installed a bathroom, adding that he really didn't think this plan through

#ppgs #Blossom #Bubbles #Buttercup #professor utonium #Mojo jojo #Him #gangreen gang #Princess Morbucks #Fuzzy Lumpkins #book notes #comic notes #Second Chances comic #Goodness this is long #just over six pages in my word document

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captainmarvels · 7 years ago

Text

wicked games [6]

Summary: A relationship’s survival is dependent on communication. What happens when you find out Tom’s only manner of communicating is nonexistent?

Pairing: CEO!Tom Holland x Reader

Warnings: Dry humping, substance abuse; minor violence; excessive use of the word ‘fuck’.

Word Count: 7,253 [I seriously can’t stop myself]

A/N: Oh. Did I forget to mention this series was a slow burn? || Dedicated to @stvharrington because this series and I would be nothing without her.

series masterlist

Casual.

That’s all it needed to be.

That’s all it was.

Right?

The rest of your visit to Optimo went well. Ana came in shortly after you and Tom had finished making your mark on the place, so to speak. She took in your measurements over your clothes, making you stand on the same pedestal Tom had used earlier that evening.

“I am going to need you to take off everything except the undergarments you have on now. I will be back in just a few minutes. As for you,” Ana turned to face Tom, who looked away from his phone to meet her stern gaze. “... you know the drill. No peeking.”

Tom nodded, grinning as she patted his shoulder, leaving the two of you alone once again.

“No peeking?” You asked, looking at him through the mirror.

“Usually I don’t come to these appointments, but when I do, I do like to maintain an element of mystery and surprise, you know?” He had made his way over to you, his hands settling on your hips as he met your gaze in the mirror.

“You can - you can stay, if you’d like,” You mumbled, your eyes falling away from the reflection as you played with the hem of your shirt. You felt him squeeze your waist, his lips pressing a kiss to the back of your arm.

“Only if you want me to, darling. You sure you want to ruin the fun?” You snuck a peek at him over your shoulder, catching a glimpse of him raising his eyebrow as he smirked.

“Thought you said we were reserving the fun for later?” You giggled when he rolled his eyes, dropping his hand to squeeze your ass.

“I’d love to put that pretty mouth of yours to work again, darling. Don’t tempt me,” He whispered. You hummed at his words, turning to face the mirror as you felt his arms snake around your waist, toying with the waistband of your leggings.

“Now, you heard Ana. Strip.”

Nodding, you gasped quietly as Tom pushed your hand away, his own hands gently pulling your pants down your legs as you watched. He let them pool at your ankles, his fingers barely brushing against your smooth skin as he stood up.

His hands came up to your waist, carefully pulling your shirt up and off of you; taking his time as if he were savoring the moment. Tossing the clothes on the chair next to him, you watched his hands wander over your body. His eyes studied your figure in the mirror as his fingers traced over the delicate lace of your lingerie, as if he were seeing it for the first time.

“Do you pick out the designs for the new lingerie you buy, or…” Your voice trailed off as you met his gaze in the mirror. Tom smiled, shaking his head as his hands fell away from your body. You mentally cursed yourself for saying anything at all, your skin already missing the warm touch of his hands.

“Sometimes, but not always. My taste is more on the… simplistic side of things. I tend to leave it up to personal choices and wants when it comes to this. Did you have anything in mind?” He ran a hand through his tousled curls, his eyes memorizing every single one of your features as he licked his lips.

“How do you feel about red?” He perked up at your suggestion, eyes wide and teeth digging into his lip. Just as he was about to answer, Ana entered the room, rustling sheets of paper and measurement tape in her arms.

“What did I say about peeking, Holland?” Her attitude was stern, her hands resting on her hips as she looked at you both. Tom blushed, staring at the ground as he clasped his hands behind his back.

“I want him to stay… if that’s okay?” You spoke up, your cheeks hot with embarrassment as you stood there, practically naked in front of a woman old enough to be your grandmother. She glanced over at Tom, who nodded, agreeing that it was your idea.

“Fine. But only because I like this one, mister.” This one?

You didn’t have much time to ponder over Ana’s phrasing as she gently moved Tom to the side, her cold hands splayed all over your legs, stomach, and back as she took in your measurements for just about everything - garter belts, underwear, bras, and you were pretty sure she mumbled something about a corset along the way.

Once she was done, she motioned for both you and Tom to follow her back to the drawing table at the center of the room.

“These are some ideas I drew up based on what we had talked about over the phone. Let me know what you like and don’t like, and if there’s any changes you want to add. I’ll be right back,” She hurried off without another word, leaving the two of you alone to scan over her meticulously detailed outlines.

The designs were astounding and breathtaking - the lace details were better than anything you had ever seen before; so simple, and yet so elegant. You noticed she had scribbled in specific colors for the sets: black, only.

You were beginning to figure that Tom’s favorite color had to be black; why else would all his clothes, his entire office, and probably his apartment, be decorated in black and white monochromatic layouts?

“Darling,” Tom’s voice, soft in your ear, pulled you out of your thoughts. His hand was resting on the small of your back, a small smile on his lips as he looked at you. “You mentioned something about red earlier?”

“Oh, yeah. I uh, was thinking… it’s my favorite color, so I’d love to maybe have some of these in red, too, if that… if that’s okay?” You bit your lip, tapping your fingers against the hardwood surface as Tom nodded.

“I love that idea. I’ll let Ana know - are you sure you don’t want to request anything else while we’re here?” You shook your head, rubbing your arm as you felt a slight draft enter the open space. Tom only nodded, leaving you alone as he flashed you his phone, mouthing “be right back,” as he stepped out of the room.

“What do you want now?”

“Hello to you too, bro. Mum and Dad want to know if you’re bringing anyone to dinner tomorrow night.” Harry did nothing to hide his annoyance as he spoke. Tom rolled his eyes, glancing back towards the room where he had just left you alone.

“No, unless you want to tell them I’m with Harrison.”

“Funny; never would have pegged you for a bottom. Or pegged you at all, for that matter.” He snickered from the other end of the line.

“You’re disgusting, Harry.”

“Oh God, you don’t know the half of it, mate!”

“I’m hanging up now, twat. See you tomorrow, unfortunately.”

“Oh c’mon, you know you never get tired of seeing this beautiful face. See ya.” The line went dead, and Tom held out as his temptations begged him to smash the phone to complete ruin.

“Not today,” He muttered, running a hand through his hair as he took a few deep breaths, calming himself down.

You were combing through the designs while he was gone; Ana was beyond talented, and this was just everything on paper. You were beyond excited to see how they’d look once they were brought to life.

Ana’s words resurfaced to the forefront of your mind as your thoughts wandered off.

“Only because I like this one.”

What could she possibly have meant by that? The obvious answers in particular came to bear anxious weight. Tom’s definitely brought other girls - other interns? - here before, most likely to get their lingerie measurements taken. You wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case; you were more than aware that he had definitely had a relationship like this at least once before.

You just didn’t want to admit it stung just a bit more than it should.

“So, anything I need to know before you leave?” Ana’s voice popped your bubble of concern, alerting you of your surroundings. Tom magically appeared on the opposite side of the table, his suit jacket draped over his shoulder.

“I want double orders of everything, in black and red. I’ll send other specifications over by the end of the week.”

“Sounds perfect. A pleasure meeting you, sweetheart,” Ana pulled you into a tight hug, a small squeak leaving your lips as she squeezed you tight. Tom chuckled at the sight, smirking when you glanced at him. “... and a pleasure seeing you again, Holland. Stop disappearing all the time, alright?”

She had rounded the table, pulling him into a hug as well. You could tell he was slightly uncomfortable; his face was flushed as he quickly pulled away, running a hand through his hair with a slightly nervous expression written over his face.

“I’ll do my best, Ana. Have a good night.” He came over to you, wrapping an arm around your exposed waist as she left, waving goodbye.

“Please get dressed before my impulses get the best of me, darling.” He whispered in your ear, squeezing your hip before stepping away. You shivered at the short moment of contact, quickly crossing the room to grab the clothes from where Tom had placed them earlier.

Finally dressed, one of the various staff members of the shop guided you back out the way you had entered. Tom’s driver was waiting for you in the exact same spot, as if he had never left. This time around, Tom let him do the gentlemanly work, leaving you alone in the back of the car while he rode upfront. He flashed you a small smile before facing the front, leaning over to say something to the driver.

Next thing you knew, the divider was rolling up, leaving you in complete, isolated darkness.

“Martha, I need you to make sure the room I had set up last month is clean and prepped. I’m bringing someone over. Also, pull out the liquor from my birthday.”

Ending the call, he released a deep sigh as he closed eyes.

“Is she the girl you were telling me about yesterday?” Tom looked over at his driver, slowly nodding.

“Yeah; Y/N. Works as an intern at the company,”

“Doesn’t seem to be your type, boss. She’s… the complete opposite of all the others. Not to be rude, but,” He shrugged as Tom rolled his eyes.

“Thanks, Nicky, but I got the idea. Focus on the road, yeah?”

At some point during the somewhat long ride, you fell asleep. You woke up at the sounds of hushed whispering outside the car, followed by a streak of bright light striking your face. Groggily sitting up in the backseat, you bit back your tongue as you looked out the window.

You were pulling up outside one of the most luxurious buildings on this side of the river, the massive structure looming over the rest of the city. As you took in the rest of the area, you realized you weren’t anywhere near Central Park, but Sutton Place. Confusion blindsided you as you recalled that Tom’s primary address was near the landmark, but all you could see across from you was the East River.

The door on your left suddenly opened, Nick appearing alongside it.

“We’re here, ma’am. He’s waiting for you inside the lobby.” He helped you out of the car, gesturing towards the main entrance behind him. You quietly thanked him, spotting Tom at the main desk as you walked towards the massive front doors.

“It’s incredibly difficult to find time for things like that, I’m afraid. Ah, darling,” He turned to face you as you finally arrived at his side, a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.

“I thought we were going back to…?” You let your question trail off as Tom slowly shook his head, glancing over at the receptionist.

“Diane, it’s been so great seeing you. Take care, alright?” He didn’t wait for an answer as he took your hand, leading you towards the elevators waiting behind glass doors.

Once you were alone inside the marble interior of the elevator, you aired your question again.

“This isn’t the address listed in the contract. You move recently?” Leaning against the wall opposite you, Tom chuckled.

“No, actually. I just have two apartments, a few blocks away from each other. Some would say that’s a bit too over the top, but I consider it more of a… safety precaution.”

“And why’s that?” You supported yourself on the rail of the elevator, quirking an eyebrow as he avoided your gaze.

“Remember my friend Harrison?” You hummed in response. “Well, he’s my best mate. But sometimes, he can get to be a bit too… much. I bought out this apartment a few years ago as a sanctuary away from him and the stress of work. Besides, this place has a fantastic view,” He shrugged as he toyed with his cufflinks, glancing up to meet your questioning gaze.

“If you want to be away from him… why pick a place so close to your actual apartment?” The elevator bell rang at that exact moment, opening its doors to reveal a crisp, white and black foyer interior.

“Right this way, love.” Tom ignored your question, holding out his arm. You took it, your steps falling in sync as you entered the room together. The interior left you breathless as you took it all in. Mahogany wood floors, a massive, all diamond chandelier, and sleek black and white walls spanning the floor plan as far as you could see. The decor was stunning, and you found it hard to believe that he had taken it upon himself to decorate it all. The kitchen was off to your right, a beautiful view of the city outside its windows. There was a small laundry room to your left, where Tom was kicking his dress shoes into as he let go of you.

“Make yourself at home; I’ll be right back.” He walked away, passing through the gallery into what you assumed was the living room. You slipped off your coat and shoes, leaving them in the laundry room before heading off towards the kitchen.

Everything was stainless steel; from the counters to the stove, and everything in between. You ran a hand over the cold surfaces as you scanned the room. There was a small TV built into the wall by the sink, and you couldn’t help but chuckle. Really? I’m going to die if there’s a fucking tv in the bathroom.

You marveled at the view from the kitchen’s windows, the city and park to your right, and the skyline directly ahead. Grabbing an apple from the basket of fruit sitting on the table by your side, you headed off into the living room. You nearly dropped the fruit as you studied the enormous space.

White fabric and black leather couches - at least six - filled up a portion of the space; some lined up alongside one half of the room, almost right up against the massive windows. Two smaller seats sat next to a collection of art statues on wooden pedestals, a miniature bar lining the wall opposite the windows. Tom was behind the counter, mixing a glass of vodka and rum when you met his gaze. Your mouth was gaping, and you quickly clapped a hand over it, eliciting a small laugh from him.

“Impressive, I know. I can give you a tour, if you’d like.” He raised his glass, taking a long sip as you looked down at the apple in your hand.

“I might pass out if there’s a second floor.” Tom grinned, setting his now almost empty glass on the counter.

“That floor is for my housekeeper and driver. They’re married, and I thought it’d alleviate some pressure if they could just… live where they worked. C’mon, I promise it’ll be quick, yet amazing.” You rolled your eyes, following him out into the gallery.

The black wooden walls were decorated in abstract art, a few portraits of famous painters and inventors scattered in between. Not a single picture of any sort of family, though.

“All the bedrooms are on this side of the penthouse, along with the bathrooms and a full size dressing area.”

“Dressing area? Isn’t that what you have a bedroom for?” Tom laughed at your question, shaking his head as he started walking. “No, seriously. A dressing area?”

“Yes, darling. A dressing area. It’s where I have the tailors fit me when I can’t make it out to the shop, or when I need them to take something in before an event, last minute. It’ll also house your event attire, just so it doesn’t get ruined. This way,” He stopped outside the second door on your right hand side, unlocking it with a silver key.

The door swung open, revealing a pristine, yet again, white and black interior. You stepped in first, your feet slowly sinking into the plush carpet lining the floor. You passed the bathroom and closet on the way in, too captivated by the spacious bedroom.

There was no specific decor lining the walls; only a massive mirror situated in the corner, a large vanity lined with a few jewelry boxes and other trinkets opposite the bed. It was a king size with a velvet black duvet and white pillows lined up against the grey headboard, off on your right. Floor to ceiling windows were dead ahead, showcasing a stunning view overlooking the city, with a row of plush seating right in front of them.

“Do you like it?” Tom was watching you from the door, his back resting against the frame as he spoke.

“It’s amazing. Oh my god,” You said as you sat down, peering out the windows.

“Well, this is your bedroom. Whenever you want it.” You whipped your head back, eyes wide and jaw wide open as you looked at him.

“Mine?”

“If you had agreed to move in from the beginning. Remember? I said I’d keep it a viable option if you ever changed your mind.”

“Did you bring me back here just to change my mind, Tom?” He averted his gaze as you said his name, tugging at the knot of his tie as he cleared his throat.

“Of course not. I’m no manipulator, love.” You quietly hummed, looking over the room once again while he stood, rooted to the floor.

“Do I get to see your room, too?” You bit your lip as he met your eyes, a small grin pulling at the corner of his mouth.

“Whatever you’d like, princess.” He smirked as he watched you walk back to him, your hips slowly swaying.

“Don’t get any ideas, mister.” You whispered, pulling on his tie just a bit before slipping out of his grasp.

“You’re a minx, you know that?” He said, shaking his head as he shut the door closed, following you to his room.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about! Now c’mon, I’m waiting,” You giggled as he squeezed your ass unexpectedly, his free hand unlocking the door with another key.

“Get in here,” He growled playfully, gently pushing you into the massive, dark interior. The walls were all black, matching wooden floors mirroring the dark ambience as you observed the space.

To your right was his bed; king size, all black everything decorating the mattress, with a matching headboard made up of black, wrought iron rails. It faced the tall windows that lined the other half of the room; the entire city of New York on display for him. You spotted a similar seat setup to yours along one side of the windows, a desk and large dresser opposite the foot of the bed. Once again, the walls were devoid of any decor, accentuating the vivid minimalist detailing of the room.

“This feels like it’s straight out of a horror movie,” You whispered, taking a seat on the edge of his bed. Tom was leaning against the wall, fiddling with his cufflinks again.

“Why do you say that?”

“It’s so dark in here. I’m starting to think I’ll find a body tied up in your closet or something,” You said in a hushed voice, trying your best not to laugh as Tom gave you a bewildered look. “Seriously! Do you hide people in here?” Your poker face was impressive, making him think you were dead serious as you looked at him.

“You’re joking,”

“Tom, tell me you’re not some deranged psychopath,” A giggle slipped out at the last second, and the visible relief washing over Tom pushed you over the edge. You were practically wheezing as you feel back on his bed, your lungs begging for air.

Tom rolled his eyes, quietly chuckling as he strided over, climbing on top of you as your giggling died out.

“You think you’re so funny, hm?” You met his darkening gaze, a familiar shiver crawling down your spine as you nodded. “Let me give you something to laugh about, darling.”

You were momentarily confused by his words until you felt his hands on your sides, slipping under your shirt and tickling you. Your laughing commenced once again, your own hands undoing his suit jacket to get back at him.

You were slightly taken aback by this playful, joking side of Tom, but decided to ignore the questionable feeling in your gut as you rolled around the bed with him, your laughter and heaving breaths mixing together.

Once you successfully pushed Tom off of you, he proposed you stay for dinner.

“I’m starting to get the feeling you like me,” You teased as you walked into the kitchen, his arm wrapped around your waist.

“Where the hell are you getting such a daft idea?” You smacked his chest, rolling your eyes. He laughed, squeezing your ass before stepping away towards the counter.

“Cheeky boy you are, Mr. Holland,” You stuck your tongue out at him as you took a seat at the counter.

“You’ve barely scraped the surface, princess.”

It was just past midnight when you realized how late it was, having spent almost the entirety of dinner asking Tom about his time in college. Not to your surprise, he expertly deflected every question. He coyly suggested you spend the night - in your own room. You agreed, knowing it was best to avoid spending a decent hour or two riding back to your apartment. Tom had set up the room for you as you got ready for bed, providing you with a clean, spare set of his pajamas and other toiletries. He left before you were finished, texting you a simple “goodnight” a few minutes after he had gone.

Disregarding what Harrison always called a ‘normal’ bedtime routine, Tom found himself rummaging through his extensive liquor collection. Settling on a bottle of whiskey, he served himself a few drinks on the rocks, stowing away the handle before he got too carried away.

He finished half the served glasses by the time he sat down by the windows looking over the park. He was nursing his fifth one when his phone lit up, a text from Harrison staring at him.

Are you coming in the morning? Have something we need to discuss.

Tom ignored it, downing the rest of the brown liquid before reaching for his last glass.

“This is fucking pathetic.”

Not much time had passed before Tom woke up, the bright, early sunlight streaming through the windows stirring him. He had fallen asleep in the living room, scattered, broken glass and melted ice sitting a few feet away from him.

“Damn it,” He quietly muttered, wincing as he spoke. The massive headache currently pounding against his brain was hurting like a bitch.

He slowly stood up, mumbling a cold greeting to his housekeeper, Martha, as he made his way from the kitchen to his bedroom, stumbling over every other step.

Barely making it past the door, Tom struggled to get to the bathroom without hitting his head against the doorframe. He cursed himself under his breath, reaching for the rather large bottle of pills sitting on the counter.

Walking back to the kitchen, he grabbed a bottle of water, downing three of the pills before Martha returned.

“Do I need to call Mr. Osterfield again?” Her stern voice grabbed Tom’s attention, his headache slowly subsiding as he met her glare.

“What for?” He muttered, already annoyed just with the mention of Harrison’s name.

“I found traces of white powder by the bar, again. Have you forgotten what happened the last time you messed around with cocaine?” Tom waved her off, rolling his eyes as he slowly stood up.

“It wasn’t… fuck, it wasn’t coke, alright? Just some… leftover crushed up Adderall. I swear!” He held a hand up when she raised her eyebrows, her eyes telling him she wasn’t buying a single word he spoke.

“I already told you what’ll happen the next time you mess with those godawful things. Don’t think I won’t follow through, Mr. Holland.” She waved a finger at him before walking out of the room, barely missing Tom’s hushed curses.

“This is my fucking place, for fuck’s sake.”

You were woken up by the sound of dull knocking at the bedroom door, followed by a soft, female voice.

“You can come in,” You called out, slowly sitting up to greet your visitor as the door opened.

It was a slightly older woman, dressed in what appeared to be something close to black scrubs, carrying a small tray of food.

“Good morning, miss Y/N. I’ve brought you breakfast, per Mr. Holland’s request,” She smiled sweetly at you, slowly making her way to the bed as you pulled the covers up to your chest.

“Oh, thank you. That’s really nice of him.” Martha only nodded, still smiling as she set the tray down next to you.

“Would you like me to bring you anything else?” You surveyed the food; toast, bacon, eggs, orange juice, milk, and a cup of freshly cut fruit. You shook your head as you took a quick sip of juice.

“Just a question - do you know where he is?” You shrugged your shoulders as you took a bite of the bacon, your stomach suddenly growling. She chuckled, nodding as you smiled.

“He’s training in the gym down the hall. Although, I will personally suggest it would be best if you left him alone for a bit while he’s there; usually only works out when he’s angry or stressed.” She bid you a quick goodbye after that, shutting the door behind her before you had the chance to ask about her… suggestion.

Why would he be angry already?

Tom was running his regular boxing session, currently throwing calculated punches at the massive punching bag in front of the mirror. You were standing by the miniature locker room, still donning his borrowed pajamas. You had washed up after breakfast, only to realize you didn’t have other clothes to wear. Sticking with what he’d given you, you found yourself watching him train from afar, savoring the little grunts he made every time his gloved fist made contact with the bag.

From his reflection in the mirror, you could see the sweat glistening on his forehead and arms and his usually perfect, moussed locks were a sweaty, slicked back mess. Even when he was kind of gross, he was still hot.

Stop that.

You pushed away the thoughts when you recognized a familiar warmth spreading in your lower abdomen, your thighs involuntarily pressing together as you watched him switch sides on the bag. The way his back muscles moved… oh, god.

“Princess? You okay?” Tom’s voice pulled you out of your dirty thoughts, spurring on a nervous warmth that rose to your cheeks as you met his gaze from across the room.

“Did you say something?” You asked quietly, biting down on your lip.

“Just said good morning when I saw you in the mirror, but you didn’t answer me. Did you sleep well?” He pulled out the wireless headphones you hadn’t noticed before, setting them down on a weight bench before walking up to the bag again.

“Yes, very. That bed itself may just convince me to move in,” Tom nearly missed the bag, his fist making swift contact with the mirror. You gasped, running over to him as he fell back against it, sinking to the floor.

“Oh my god, are you okay?” You kneeled down next to him, cupping his cheek as he quietly groaned.

“Yes, I’m - I’m fine, don’t worry,” He slowly stood up, gingerly brushing your hand off his face as he stepped away. “So, you’re considering moving in, then?” His tone seemed… hopeful, to say the least. You smiled carefully, shaking your head.

“Key word was ‘may’ there, Tom. You sure you’re alright?” You came up behind him, resting a hand on his waist as he gently pushed the bag backwards with his hand. He tensed at the contact, but made no move to pull away from you.

“I think I’m done for today,” He said, undoing the velcro strap on his glove with his teeth. He dropped one to the ground, turning to face you as he undid the other. “Meet me in my bedroom, love.” He licked his lips, smirking when you nodded, your hand falling to your side as you stepped back.

He picked up the fallen glove, tossing them in a basket by the weights as he walked off into the small changing area. Once he was out of sight, you ran out of the room and straight into his.

You sat on his bed, your back resting against the surprisingly comfortable headboard. You toyed with the hem of your shirt, taking in a sharp breath when you heard the door open a few minutes later. Tom appeared, bare chested with only a towel wrapped around his waist that hung dangerously low on his hips. His hair was wet, perfectly slicked back, a few, stray water droplets running down his abs.

“Enjoying the view, princess?” He quipped, chuckling when you averted your gaze, shaking your head.

“So…”

“Don’t worry. I didn’t ask you here to fuck, darling. I mean, usually that’s why I would but, I need you for a different reason right now.” Oh. Wait what?

“What is it?” You sat up straighter, straining your neck to see what he was doing as he stood in front of his dresser.

“Which of these,” He spun around, holding up three different dress shirts. “...would you like to wear?”

After a more ‘proper’ tour of Tom’s penthouse, you found yourself sitting on the largest couch in the room, watching some random holiday movie on the gigantic plasma screen hanging on the wall. Tom came out of the kitchen, juggling two bowls of chips and popcorn in his hands. He set them down on the coffee table, nudging your thigh with his hand as he sat down.

“What?” You looked over at him, raising an eyebrow as he massaged the flesh.

“Wanna play a game?” He whispered, his eyes looking down at your lips as he spoke. You got the hint, rolling your eyes playfully. You threw your arm onto the back of the couch, your hand coming up to play with his curls at the nape of his neck.

“What kind of game?”

“How about the one you say I always win, princess?” He chuckled darkly as he watched you shift, swinging your leg over his lap, your ass resting on his thighs. “That’s it, baby.” Your hand cradled the back of his head as he cupped your cheek, pulling you down for a kiss.

His tongue swiped over your bottom lip, asking for entrance. You whined as Tom’s hand came down hard on your ass, kneading the flesh while his tongue finally danced with yours. Your hands were intertwined in his hair, pulling every time his hand squeezed your ass.

Without a second thought, you started grinding against Tom, your hips slowly swiveling against his. He grunted, moving his hands to your waist to push you down against his rising hips.

“Fuck, darling,” He growled, pushing his hips up in search of friction. His hardening cock felt so fucking good against your clothed cunt, the fabric rubbing against your sensitive clit with every movement. His lips had strayed away from yours, kissing all over your jaw and neck as you moved in tandem.

His mouth found yours again in seconds, his teeth sinking into your bottom lip as he brought you in for another kiss. Your moans mixed together with your panting breaths, pushing you both closer to the edge.

His cock was straining against his sweatpants, the friction growing more intense with every move of your hips. The knot in your stomach was growing tighter, Tom’s quickening pace knocking you over the brink in record time.

“Oh fuck,” You whimpered, your hips stilling as your orgasm hit, Tom’s lips collecting your mewls as his own hips faltered. His hands dropped to your ass again, squeezing the flesh as he came right after you, a low growl his only warning.

Your head fell against his shoulder, your chests heaving with parallel desperation after your whirlwind activity. He kissed the exposed skin along your collarbone, his breath hot against your warm skin.

“I win,” He mumbled, dropping his head back against the couch. You let out an airy laugh, raising an eyebrow when he pushed you against his chest.

“How did you win, if I may ask?” He laughed, patting your ass as he met your mildly confused stare.

“You gave in first, darling. And you came first. Ergo, I win.”

“Since when are there rules to dry humping, Holland?” You scoffed, crossing your arms so your chest stuck out just a bit more under the dress shirt you were wearing. Tom’s gaze dropped for a moment, his teeth digging into his lip as he glanced up at you.

“Them’s the rules, baby. Deal with it,” He retorted, taking you by surprise as he spun the two of you around, pushing you down into the couch. His lips attached themselves to your neck, making you giggle as his hands undid the buttons of his shirt.

You moaned when his lips started sucking on your sweet spot, your fingers tugging on his hair as he smirked against your skin.

A loud knock startled you both, Tom pulling away to sit back on his knees.

“What is it, Martha?” You scrambled to sit up, covering yourself with your hands as you tried to fight back your growing flustered state.

“Mr. Osterfield is in the foyer, and he’s asking to see you immediately.”

“Tell him I’m bu-”

“Already did, Mr. Holland. He’s insisting.” Tom waved her off, rolling his eyes as he stood up.

“Fucking Harrison, what the hell does he want?” He muttered under his breath, turning away from you so you wouldn’t catch his words; except you did.

“Stay here, love. This shouldn’t take too long,” He cupped your cheek momentarily, stroking his thumb over your lip before leaving.

Once he shut the door, and against your better judgement, you quietly made your way over to the other side of the room, instantly picking up on two muffled yet loud, angry voices in the gallery.

“Learn to pick up your damn phone, you imbecile!”

“Harrison, would you calm the fuck down, for fuck’s sake? What the hell is your problem anyways?” Tom watched him pace back and forth, his chest heaving with frustration and pent up anger.

“The fucking dinner, Tom. The fucking dinner with your fucking parents! Did you forget? It started almost forty fucking minutes ago!”

“Oh, fucking shit.” Tom muttered, his pulse picking up as fear and anxiety flooded every nerve in his body.

“Oh fucking shit is right, Holland! Your father had to send me to drag your pathetic arse all the way to the fucking house! Can’t you get your fucking shit together for one fucking day and do something right for once?” Tom took a step back from Harrison, his hands balling up into fists as he locked eyes with him.

“Don’t be such a fucking twat, Harrison. Yeah, I forgot, but for crying out loud, it’s not that big a deal anyways, alright?” Tom was struggling to keep a lid on his rising anger, his face flushed a bright pink as he held back his tongue.

“Not a big deal, huh? Keep fucking up like this, and you can kiss the goddamn company goodbye, Tom! If you can’t get your fucking shit together, the twins are getting the golden key to your dream job, you dumbfuck! All because you can’t think outside sex and spending money! You’re a fucking idiot, Tom, I swear to God,” Harrison scoffed, leaning against the wall as he tried to calm his breathing.

“I know she’s here, Tom. Martha didn’t have to say anything; I could tell the minute I walked in the door. Does she know, Tom? Does she know how fucked up you really are?” Harrison’s voice was getting louder with every word he said, each one spoken out of spite.

“Mate, calm the fuck down, alright? You’re starting to scare me,” Tom said through gritted teeth, taking another step back as Harrison stepped away from the wall.

“Did you spend all day with her? I’m shocked, in all honesty. I thought the routine just consisted of shopping and fucking, then you’d have dear old Nicky drive them home, every damn day - am I wrong, Tommy?” Harrison scoffed, smirking as he watched Tom shake his head.

“Fuck you and your fucking constant scrutiny of my love life! You’re too busy up my ass for anyone to even like you!”

“At least women like me for more than just what I can do in fucking bed, Tom. Anyone gets a whiff of who you really are, and they’re out the fucking door in the matter of seconds! Why do you think your parents have these fucking dinners in the first place?”

“Enlighten me, you fucker. Why?”

“Harry and Sam always bring their girlfriends to these things, but your pitiful self always shows up with me and a bottle of hard liquor. They’re worried about you, dumbass!” Harrison walked up to Tom, who pushed him away as he reached out to him.

“That’s a fucking lie if I ever saw one, you piece of shit. You know damn well they’ve never given two fucking shits about me or my love life! Now get the fuck out before I fucking hit you, Harrison, I swear to God I will -”

Tom landed a clean right hook against Harrison’s jaw, forcing him back against the wall. He spat on the ground, the tiniest spot of blood on the corner of his mouth as he pushed himself up, hitting Tom straight in the stomach.

“What the ever living fuck was that for, you motherfucker!” Tom yelled, shoving Harrison against the wall, his hand instinctively wrapping around his throat, squeezing tight. All he could do was laugh, wincing at the pain as he struggled to breathe.

“You call yourself my fucking best mate, and yet you come into my home and fucking hit me? You’re whole different brand of fucked up, Osterfield.” Tom growled, ignoring the pain in his hand as Harrison scratched his skin, trying to pull him off.

“Tom,” He wheezed, his throat burning.

“Get your miserable ass out of here before I fucking ruin you, Harrison. Go!” Tom let go, smacking the side of his face with his knuckles as he fell to the floor. Tom kicked him in the shin, muttering a string of incoherent swears as he pushed Harrison towards the door, his best friend practically dragging himself on his knees.

Nick showed up at the base of the stairs next to the kitchen, a pained look of shock written over his face as he took in the scene before him.

“Get him out of here, now.” Tom said, watching Nick help Harrison into the elevator, letting him slump to the ground as the doors shut.

You were sitting on the couch, hugging your knees to your chest. Tom opened the door leading into the kitchen with Martha following close behind. You saw him holding an ice pack over his hand, a few specks of what you thought was blood scattered over his chest.

“Tom, oh my god,”

“You need to leave. Right now.” He ignored you and grabbed his phone off the coffee table, gently pushing you back against the couch as he walked past.

“What?”

“You’re leaving, now. Martha, please,” He didn’t even look back at you as he left the room, slamming the door shut. You looked at Martha, who avoided your gaze as she held out two bags.

“New clothes, and here are your shoes. His other driver is waiting for you outside in the foyer.” She placed the bags on the couch, dropping your shoes on the floor before excusing herself, heading out the way she came in. You ignored the gnawing feeling eating away at your heart and mind as you quickly changed, leaving Tom’s clothes on the couch as you walked out of the room.

The driver was waiting by the elevator, a pair of sunglasses perched on the bridge of his nose. He said nothing as you approached, pressing the button and entering the elevator shaft without a glance or even a nod of acknowledgement.

So much for a good day.

A few hours had passed since Tom had kicked Harrison out and sent you home. He refused to see Martha or Nick after locking himself up in his bedroom. He snorted the last of his pills and was struggling to ignore the part of him that desperately craved the few ounces of cocaine he had stowed away from the last time.

Once he was sure the coast was clear, Tom made his way to his favorite place; the living room bar. He sat down on a bar stool and pulled out a few glasses. He studied the bottles of liquor on the counter, grimacing as he realized that every single one of them was a previous ‘gift’ from his father.

“Fucking asshole,” Tom muttered, grabbing one of the wine bottles by the neck. He flipped the bottle and threw it over the counter, cheering when the glass shattered against the wood floors, glass flying everywhere.

“Serves him right, that fuck,” Tom said as he grabbed another bottle. He flipped open the card tied to the neck, reading over the printed text.

Happy birthday, son. x Dad

“You don’t even know my birthday, you motherfucker!” Tom screamed, throwing the second bottle against the wall behind him, covering his face with his hands as glass flew about.

Kicking a few broken shards to the side, Tom sat down and poured out an entire bottle of scotch into a couple of glasses, throwing the bottle over the counter and relishing in its crashing sound against the hardwood floors.

He downed three glasses of the burning liquid before grabbing as many of the others he could, carrying them to his bedroom.

He slumped down outside his door, nursing the drinks until he fell over, his head hitting the floor with a loud thud.

So much for numbing the pain.

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studentsofshield · 8 years ago

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5 Characters That Deserve a Spotlight in DC Rebirth

By Vincent Faust

(This was originally published on April 19, 2017)

The DC Universe: Rebirth one-shot came out in May 2016. Next month will make a full year of this fantastic era of DC comics.

Amazingly, not a single title has been canceled yet. All 32 books have been running fairly smoothly. Only three of those (Justice League of America, Super Sons and Batwoman) have been introduced since the initial planned waves, though one of which was teased from the start.

Compare that to Marvel’s recent strategy and results…

Not to diminish the magic that DC’s editorial staff and creators have been cooking, but comic fans love the speculation game. So, what character deserves to get a shot at an ongoing title in the Rebirth line? On top of that, can we match a fitting creative team to some of these hopes?

Let’s get a few things out of the way. We know something New Gods related is coming from Tom King soon. (Update - we know it is Mister Miracle and it looks awesome)

King has become the surprise wunderkind of the superhero comics world in the past year or two. He started off as the lesser known co-writer on Grayson. Then absolutely blew people away with his writing on the Kyle Rayner-starring Omega Men. Whose rabid fans saved from cancellation through yelling at Dan DiDio on Twitter. A quick skip over to Marvel and King wrote a dense Vision book celebrated by critics and fans alike. To complete his “King in Black” meta trilogy, the Vertigo Iraq war mystery Sheriff of Babylon comes in. So of course the man gets to write the flagship Batman book.

He’s been teasing what is clearly New Gods for the past few weeks.

Though this project will likely turn out to be the 12 issue miniseries with Mitch Gerads that the two have promised.

We also know at some point down the line that the Justice Society and Legion of Super-Heroes will show up in some way. Johnny Thunder made a brief appearance in the Rebirth one-shot, with Wally West urging him to find the JSA. A girl was shown in police custody with a Legion ring. These franchises are sure to pop up as the underlying Rebirth narrative continues. Jay Garrick, the first Flash, has already been shown on covers to the Batman/Flash “The Button” crossover. Which starts this week, so we may see our friends sooner than expected. (Update - sorta)

With those out of the way, who should DC pass the baton to for the next wave of Rebirth books? I’ve picked the following five and want to hear what you want to see in the comments below.

Booster Gold

Michael Jon Carter is a man from the future. He traveled back in time with future technology in order to exploit his knowledge of history to become rich and famous. Booster is an arrogant, egotistical narcissist. Or, rather he was in 1986. Michael has gone through hell and back (probably literally) in the years since. This Dan Jurgens creation has developed deep relationships with fellow heroes, evolved his morality and seen his best friend die in the line of duty.

The 2007-2011 second series of Booster Gold is one of DC’s most underrated runs. I mean, if Geoff Johns chooses to reboot a character, you know they’re special. The emotional rollercoaster of Booster dealing with the grief over Ted Kord’s death at the hands of their former leader Max Lord was powerful character work.

I’ve thought of two ways for DC to execute the return of Michael Carter.

He could get his own ongoing series. His creator and signature storyteller, Dan Jurgens, is back at DC continuing to do supreme work 30 years into his career. Hand the writing reins on a Booster Gold series to Jurgens himself. He is currently penning two titles, Action Comics and Batman Beyond. Superman is his other signature character and he’s doing well in forwarding that franchise through its evolution across Lois and Clark and Multiplicity. On the other hand, Beyond is not doing so hot. Its most recent issue settled in the bottom third of Rebirth sales. With Terry McGinnis’ adventures taking place in the future, its connections to the rest of the Rebirth line are tenuous. If Beyond got canceled, this would free up Jurgens to return to his favorite hero. There was a mysterious tweet from Jurgens in February possibly alluding to some work on the character. Wear your pajamas inside out for me.

The other route to take for Booster is to reunite the classic Blue and Gold. His friendship with Ted Kord Blue Beetle is among the greatest in the medium. Their playful antics and heartfelt moments were the emotional core of the Justice League franchise for the entire International era of the 1980s and early 90s. As mentioned, Ted’s death in the lead up to Infinite Crisis was a tragedy felt by all fans and especially Booster.

Many of those classic stories were written by the all-star duo of Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis. Are they writing a book right now? Why yes, they are. And that would be Blue Beetle. Whereas Batman Beyond’s sales are iffy, Blue Beetle has been the lowest selling Rebirth title from its launch to today. Reuniting the Blue and Gold to mentor Jaime Reyes just might be the special sauce needed to reinvigorate this book.

Shazam

Yes, I know the character is Captain Marvel. Phew, what kind of heathen do you think I am?

Allegedly Warner Bros. wants to make a Shazam movie. And a Black Adam movie. The comics sector at DC really ought to start promoting this beloved character. Billy Batson will always be a bit of a mess. DC didn’t originally create the franchise, rather acquired it. Though that hasn’t stopped DC from publishing Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman and the Atom, which were originally published by All-American Publications before the 1944 merger. The Marvel Family has legal mumbo jumbo though, which disallows DC from titling books after the actual starring character. Oh well, make it happen.

The Marvel Family had their most recent reboot back in 2012 near the start of the New 52. Geoff Johns and Gary Frank did a Shazam backup in the pages of Justice League. Personally, I am not a fan of their take. Billy Batson is portrayed as a mean spirited kid and the costume design is horrendous.

DC need look only one place to assemble their perfect book. The ever-underrated Jeff Parker and Evan “Doc” Shaner worked together on two tie-in issues for the 2015 event Convergence. This tragically brief book showcased everything fans of the World’s Mightiest Mortal have been wanting for years. The art beautifully captures the old school optimism and fun so linked to the character.

Both Parker and Shaner have shown a deep respect and love for the characters in interviews. Shaner particularly references artistic influences from CC Beck to Don Newton.

Question

Here’s an underrated character. The Question has always been a unique hero allowing for gritty crime drama and exploration of political themes. The character was famously created by the enigmatic Steve Ditko at Charlton Comics. Ditko used him as a cipher to project his objevtivist views through, before creating his own independent Mr. A.

Over the years, the mask has been reinvented. Denny O’Neil and Denys Cowan crafted an influential late-1980s run. That book ran alongside spiritual companions (and sometimes crossover accomplices) like Mike Grell’s Green Arrow, Grant Morrison’s Animal Man and John Ostrander’s Suicide Squad. Rick Veitch had a short take in 2005 that reinterpreted Question as being a shaman-like figure using hallucinogens to “communicate” with cities.

The original Question Vic Sage died of lung cancer in the weekly 52 series while training his successor in GCPD officer Renee Montoya. Though we’re in the post-Flashpoint, post-Rebirth era. Anything can happen.

My pitch – The Question starring Vic Sage. Written by Gail Simone. Co-starring the Huntress aka Helena Bertinelli.

The two crimefighters were depicted as romantic partners in the second season Justice League Unlimited episode “Double Date.” That was written by the very same Gail Simone. The relationship was hinted at in the 2000 comic Batman/Huntress: Cry for Blood. Simone clearly has an affinity for this pairing and is the undisputed signature writer for Helena thanks to her years on Birds of Prey.

Adam Strange

Marc Andreyko has quietly been tracking the adventures of Adam Strange for a while. Through the Rann-Thanagar War spiritual sequel Death of Hawkman and a surprise continuation in the Adam Strange/Future Quest crossover special.

Why not give this character a dedicated spotlight. Without an attention grabbing creative team, perhaps DC isn’t confident in a solo book. Maybe this is the perfect opportunity to bring back the backup feature. DC had some success with co-features in the pre-New 52 era with characters like Jimmy Olsen, Captain Atom, the Metal Men, the Atom, Ravager and Manhunter.

Going back decades, DC’s legacy is built on anthology titles. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and so many others debuted in multiple feature titles like Action Comics, Detective Comics and Sensation Comics. For most of the Silver and Bronze Age, these books continued to contain several stories. These were a perfect opportunity for more obscure characters to continue having their tales told.

Adam Strange himself first appeared in the anthology Showcase. DC can use this history and tie it into the overall tone of Rebirth in their marketing.

Slot an 8 page Andreyko and Aaron Lopresti Strange feature behind Justice League of America, one of the Green Lantern books or the struggling Cyborg.

Swamp Thing

Last but not least is one of my favorite characters. Swamp Thing has been polarized by one character and career defining run. Alan Moore truly created a masterpiece, leading to the entire wave of Vertigo and the infusion of those themes and tones to the genre and medium at large.

However, Swampy has been great before and after that fateful era. It is clear that DC fans and Rebirth creators love this mysterious avatar. Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason recently used him in their first Superman annual. Tom King teased and teased, finally revealing that Batman #23 will be titled “The Brave and the Mold.”

Swamp Thing survived almost all the way through the New 52 in his own title. Initially thanks to a praised (and beautiful) streak by horror master Scott Snyder. Who was writing Batman alongside it (aye, King, there’s a legacy to fill). Charles Soule then arguably surpassed his predecessor by taking the book to new heights. Swampy’s second series lasted an incredible 171 issues from 1982 to 1996 and “his” New 52 series went 40 issues. Plenty of support for another kick at it.

And there’s my list of the characters I most want to see featured next in DC’s Rebirth initiative. Let me know what you’re most excited for.

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topbeautifulwomens · 6 years ago

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#Beauty #Secrets #– #The #Ultimate #Guide #bfirstapparel #bollywood #drawing #fashiondiaries #handmade #instalike #instapic #makeupgoals #trendy #youtube

We have all had a design crisis or needed we could enhance out cosmetic routine with straightforward, cheap alterations. So here are some limited and easy ways to stave off that unpleasant pimple, sustain under eye baggage at bay and have lovely pores and skin all calendar year prolonged.

Pimple Rx

Imagine a pimple coming on and can not stroll about with chalky white way teethpaste on your experience? Consider dabbing some of your fragrance on the blemish a couple of moments throughout the working day. The liquor in the perfume will aid dry it out (in addition you may scent amazing!).

Slumber greater

Have difficulty slipping arest but you’ve got fatigued your sleep aid prescription? Why not consider to capture some Z’s the natural way? Lavender is identified to market alpha waves, which are essential for restful sleep. Try soaking in a tub just before mattress with Lavender salts or Lavender oil.

Listed here is an additional idea: settle for a Lavender face pillower and pop it in the microwave on low for a couple of mins, then area within your pillowcase. Place your arms previously mentioned your brain and clasp arms, then extend your clasped arms as far to the correct as achievable (make certain you remain peaceful) and then back again over your entire body to the still left. Repeat relating to 5 times. Breathe in deeply as you do these stretches, which gets the oxygen flowing.

Ideal that Pout

We can entirely aspiration of possessing lips like Angelina-well by natural means in any case. Most of us have at the very least thought about employing a lip plumper, hoping to look in the replicate and see gloriously luscious lips smiling back at us. The mystery is currently being lips prepared for lip plumper, so it can penetrate and do its activity. This is a minor trick that will not likely cost you a dime. Practice a small sum of Vaseline on a delicate bristle tooth brush which is been moistioned with heat h2o. At any time so carefully brush lips for about 2 minutes-you might need to have to do this although seeing TV, two minutes can truly feel like completely. Take away the Vaseline with moistened toweallowte or soft washcgreat dealh and then blot dry. Apply moisturizer, sunscreen and lip plumper. Then go display off your fantastically plumped lips.

p.s. If you will not want to splurge on a keep-acquired lip plumper, dab a tiny-and we mean tiny-amount of Cayenne pepper on your lips. It’s going to sting a little, but what is a little soreness in the identify of searching gorgeous?

Infant Delicate Pores and skin

Question why some girls appear to have plump, hydrated skin even in the centre of wintertime while yours is so dry it hurts to smile? Probabilities are people other ladies are undertaking a few products in different ways-normally they’re genetically excellent and we don’t like them anyway.

As soon as it’s going to come to staying your skin hydrated it only helps make perception to drink heaps of water. Drinking water retains the cells in your body quenched, so your skin seems luminous and your urge for food is curbed (great skin and a slim determine-it truly is too for the benefit of one!). You’ve got listened to it before but we will say it yet again, get eight 8oz eyeglasses a day. Your skin will thank you.

Here’s anything you may not have heard before: dineverthelessed water is the ideal for drinking considering that chlorine and other contaminants are tremendously reduced after the water is boiled. To hydrate your skin throughout the day try a purified water mister.

Moisturizing Essentials

The best time to moisturize is instantly after bathing when your body is moist and moist. Sleek on Physique Neverthelesster, Body Product, or Body Lotion to lock in humidity. And you don’t have to shell out many funds.

Some may believe the far more expensive a moisturizer is, the more successful it will be in opposition to dry skin. But this really is a fantasy. Which is not to say expensive creams don’t make us feel more sumptuous (even if it’s just because we know how much it cost). But the good information is-specially if you don’t have a $two hundred a month beauty spending budget-is that you can still your self to radiant, sparkling skin for the cost of your every day Starbucks and muffin, just by going to your nearby drugstore. There are lots of great moisurizers that hydrate and ailment dry, thirsty skin with natural elements like shea butter and vitamin E.

Aside from practiceing lotion daily, here are some other welcoming suggestions to keep skin clean for the duration of the winter months:

Shop your shower times shorter and limit your publicity to sizzling water. Try turning on the radio and restricting yourself to just 2-three music as a e-book.

Keep away from intensive scrubbing while showering. Decide on a soft cleaning soap alternatively than an exfolient. Here’s an idea. The SALUX Beauty Skin Material gently exfoliates the skin with a special texture that stimulates blood flow, while necessitating you to use considerably less soap.

Never forget about your sunscreen! Sunshine harm can still happen with clouds in the sky, so it’s very critical to proceed to use no less than SPF fifteen every single day.

Frizz-cost-free hair

On the go and forgot your hair pomade? Don’t freak out-and undoubtedly don’t let your hair freak out. Apply a small dollup of hand lotion in your hands, then gently smooth hands over your hair. This will help to tame unruly hair. You can also use a tiny amount of Vaseline on the ends of your hair. For potential hair emergencies, make sure to decide on up one of these great goods to keep on hand and in your medication cupboard: Frederic Fekkai Glossing Cream , Biosilk Silk Treatment, which also doubles as a great skin salve, and Aveda Bright Emollient Ending Gloss.

De-puff eyes

Believe in me I have grow to be a pro at de-puffing eyes. Personal computer pressure, too little sleep, extreme sleep, pressure-you name it and it makes my eyes puff up like a product cheese wonton. If you happen to be in search of a quick resolve that’s more effective than cucumbers, try a inexperienced tea or black tea bag (it need to incorporate caffeine). Dip it in hot water then throw it in the freezer for 5 minutes. If you have some foresight pop an anti-histamine like Benedryl the evening before and you’ll wake up bag-free. Dietary supplements can help with puffiness too. MSM with Glucosamine, Flax Oil and Night time Primrose Oil seem to help ease puffiness.

Phony tan streaks

With all the publicity about skin most cancers you feel responsible getting a tan the outdated formed way. So you experimented with a self-tanner or perhaps you opted for the Mystic Tan booth. Regrettably you have been with the telltale streaks on your arms, legs, toes … all right all over the place. Don’t fret, you don’t have to wear a turtleneck and trousers right up until it fades. Hop in the shower right absent (some will inevitably come off anyway) and generously rub down with an exfoliating body scrub adopted by a rigid scrubbing with a loofah. For really undesirable situations around the ankles, feet, elbows and hands (typically the driest elements of your body), you can use a callous record to remove unsightly streaks. We don’t advocate introducing these methods into your typical routine but if you’ve got a hot date or a large occasion you can’t specifically show up looking like you got in a struggle with a can of orange spray paint possibly.

Greater yet–stay away from rubbing your skin uncooked with St. Tropez Self-Tan Remover. Such as magic it eradicates unsightly stains from your palms and other body parts if you mess up (the only caveat: it only operates up to four hrs after you apply self tanner). Locate it at Sephora, Tub and Body Performs, Victoria’s Secret and Crimson Doorway Salons.

For a more even self-tanner software, try Tan Airbrush in a Can. We enjoy it!

Beauty Improvs

When you don’t have …

Hair gel USE … Lotion

Mascara USE … Vaseline (it works! Merely go light-weight, you don’t want to have gloppy lashes)

Zit cream USE … Fragrance for on-the-go/White toothepaste for at-property use only.

Lip gloss USE … Vaseline

Neosporan USE … Honey

Lip plumper USE … Cayenne pepper

Eye gel USE … Frozen tea bags

The post Beauty Secrets – The Ultimate Guide appeared first on Beautiful Women.

source http://topbeautifulwomen.com/beauty-secrets-the-ultimate-guide/

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