#i just can’t imagine seeing scott sobbing in the shower as his body is out of his control and he can’t do anything about it

[bericas]

thinking about scott and his asthma and being a kid and finding out your body is different and your life will always be different than your friends’ and then you get attacked in the woods and your asthma is gone because your body is different and your life will always be different than your friends’ and—

[darkenedreaper]

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x Reader, Avengers x Reader

Featuring: GoTG, Peggy Carter

Warnings: Angst, sad I suppose

Summary: 2 years after her death, your struggling even more. And it’s killing the team to keep their secret. (I changed Endgame because I can. Come at me. I might make it into chapters.)

Masterlist

‘It can’t be undone’ she said

*2 years ago*

You had gone through years with her. Years with the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy. You had gone through love with her. You had gone through the 5 years with her. You had gone to Vormir with her. Yet you had won the final fight without her.

When you all came back from the time travel success you had to try and keep yourself from collapsing. You saw the others standing with smiles on their faces but all you saw was her. Her lips and eyes pleading you to let her go. Her body descending forever. And her sprawled out onto the floor, a pool of blood surrounding her head confirming Natasha Romanoff no longer wondered the earth.

“Are you telling me this actually worked?” Rhodey questioned, followed by Thor’s wheezy laugh. Their faces became confused when they heard a long bang. You have dropped down onto your knees, stone in hand and body wet from wherever you had been teleported to after she had sacrificed herself.

“Y/n where’s Nat?” The big green guy said. Your eyes were stuck in front of you. A sorrowful look on your face. You couldn’t even move. You couldn’t speak. You could’ve all been there for hours or seconds. But Steve lifted you up by your arms and tried to read your expression. With the help of Nebula you were taken to your bedroom you shared with Natasha. The both of them tried to gently take you to the bed but instead you walked shakily to the bathroom and shut the door. Of course Steve was upset. He had a lost a part of his family. He had shed tears while he walked with you. He could only imagine what the scene must’ve been for yourself. The unspoken news of his friends death was indescribable, but having to be there in an unimaginable situation would’ve been even harder. And he understood that. Nebula grieved, she barely knew the woman. But she grieved. She saw the distraught and pain on your face and in your eyes. She placed her hand on Steve’s shoulder and took him out of your room.

In the bathroom you had caged yourself into. You had your hand gripped to the sink. Your eyes trained to the sink bowl. Your eyes drifted to the left for you where her makeup and hairbrush had been layed out this morning. You took a step back, nervously clasping your hands together. You tried to calm down before someone got hurt. You looked down at your hands and you were maintaining some level of sanity before you remembered that your hand had let her go. If anyone would walk past your bedroom door, they were bound to hear glass smashing and screams and words of anguish.

You didn’t speak to anyone. You completely shut yourself down. The only reason you spoke to someone was to communicate over the earpiece when you were fighting. There was a short debate over the coms as to who was going to steal the stones from Thanos. You nearly went into a fit of rage and upset before Carol ordered you to look into her eyes. Your excuse to use the stones was so you could be with her again. When Tony clicked his fingers the enemy became dust, and the world became a little more louder and a bit more lighter. The battlefield was filled with new and old faces. Tony’s snap had been so powerful he was able to bring back the people that mattered the most to those around him. Steve had Peggy in his tired arms. Clint had Laura and his children. Wanda had Vision. Quill had Gamora. Thor had his mother and brother back. Tony had Pepper. He was unharmed and Bruce’s arm had healed. Everyone had someone. You had someone. You had your whole family. But your special someone was Natasha. You had never felt so lost. Natasha would be holding you, you holding her. She would tuck your head into her shoulder while letting your arms envelope around her. But all you got were sad looks.

Some of the ‘newbies’ had questioned their closest. After a lot of loud whispering, there was silence. The battlefield was silent in memory of Natasha. The only noises were the hundreds of sniffles and sobs of those who had the news broken to them. The dying fires crackling. The next minute footsteps were approaching you. You had internally begged for it to be Natasha. But you looked up to see a short boy. His suit red and blue with a spider on it. His brown curly hair was tinted with grey. His teary eyes gave you the saddest smile before and steadily put his arms around your shoulders. You accepted the young boys embrace. You were thankful for it.

The news were around the place as quick as they could’ve been. Pictures were taken. Statements were took. The public had tried to surround the heroes but were pushed away by the helping police. It has been released to the enormous crowd that one of the most heroic heroes had died. The crowds became distraught. They sounded like how you felt inside. They tried to surround you and shout out their condolences but you kept walking. Where to? Who knows.

*2 years later/present time*

You spoke to no one. You spoke out in bursts of anger. Anger if someone tried to tell you to come away from your desk and to stop working and trying to find a way. Peggy, Steve’s wife, had became close to you. She understood how it felt to lose a loved one. She understood she wasn’t Natasha. She understood why you were working yourself so hard. She would never judge you, if you looked all disheveled or smelt from not taking a shower. She encouraged you to do your best, but she never pushed you. 2 years ago, you found a solution to stop Thanos. 2 years ago you lost her. 2 years ago Steve returned the stones. You haven’t been able to go through any videos or voice messages of her. Just a photo that you have framed. There were and still are memorials for her, but you would never attend any.

You had only cried to yourself. But right now you were on the edge of having a definite breakdown. Tony and the whole team of Avengers, Wakanda, GotG and Carol had wanted to check in as you had been back to Vormir. Which you greatly regret. Scott had made an extra time travel refill for you. All you were told by red skull was a ‘soul for a soul’. You argued with a ghost. You lashed out a ghost. You didn’t dare look to the edge. Knowing you would either throw yourself of or cry so much you wouldn’t be able to move.

They all met you at the Compound. At the platform that sat on top on the lake.

Steve and Peggy. Tony and Pepper. Rhodes. Bucky and Sam. Clint and Laura. Thor and Loki. Bruce. The Guardians were there. Rocket was by your side. Peter was there with Happy. Carol was at the edge of the platform. Wanda and Vision. And the rest were all there. You had your back turned to them. You were silent trying to understand why they all had such guilty faces, except Thor. They all had a secret. One they had agreed to not tell you, for fear it may completely break you. But they decided enough was enough. They had to tell you.

“Look we need to get her back to stop this shit with the Avengers get it together.” Thor spat at Steve, as he still saw him as the Captain.

“Can’t get her back.” You spoke up, causing everyone’s attention on the two of you.

“Wh..wha..what are you..?” Thor mumbled out.

“It can’t be undone. It can’t.” You said quietly looking at him from over your shoulder.

He laughed at your words before saying, “Look.. I, I’m sorry but your a very earthly being okay, we’re talking about space magic and can’t seems very definitive. Don’t you think?”

“Yeah look I know that I’m way outside my.. my paid rate here. But she still isn’t here is she?” You said. Tony took of his sunglasses, getting upset.

“Yeah well that’s my point.” Thor said in a hushed manner.

“It can’t.. be undone.” Your voice cracking, your tears had crawled their way down your face now. “Or that’s at least what the red floating guy had to say. Maybe you wanna go talk to him. Ok, go grab your hammer and you go find him you talk to him!” You yelled at him. He looked down to the floor. You shouldn’t be angry with him. He missed Natasha. But you couldn’t help it.

“It was supposed to be me.” You admitted with a breaking voice. Bucky let a tear fall freely from his eye. “She sacrificed her life for that goddamn stone, she bet her life on it.” You started to breakdown in the middle of everyone. Angry at how she could’ve died for nothing. How it wasn’t supposed to be like this. Even Wanda began to breakdown. She felt your pain from far away. Your longing. And your grieving. Rockets fur was wet as he was upset just like everyone else.

He couldn’t take it anymore. The lies. Not the acting. But the lies. Clint stood up and said, “Y/n we’ve been lying to you. Natasha is here. She’s perfectly fine. She’s alive. You just can’t see her.” No one else bothered to look up as he said what was needed to be said. You slowly turned around to him. “What?” Was all you could choke out. Steve stood up and walked towards you before keeping a distance. “When I returned the stone. He told me that we could all get her back, after all it was a soul for a soul. But the one who travelled there has been cursed. You can’t see or hear her and I don’t know if you ever will. But she’s alive.”

You took time to observe his words.

She was standing in front of you. Her arms crossed but her eyes were stuck on your face that was wet from the tears you had cried. Your eyes brows moving in a sorrowful way. She wasn’t crying for herself no. She cried for you. For your pain. She had never seen you so upset. And because she had been with you ever since she got back, she’s had to watch you cry almost every day.

Natasha wishes you could see her. She has been next to you this whole time. She was gone a few hours and then she was back. She couldn’t find you and instead ran into Sam who held her tightly. Instead she sped off to Tony’s cabin where she found Bucky and Steve, who explained everything.

She wishes you could hear how proud she is of you. She wishes you didn’t have to see you break yourself and live in your mental anguish. It hurt her. Every night you fell asleep at your desk, she would drape a blanket over you, and almost cry at your confused state in the morning of who had been to your office and covered you.

She wishes you hadn’t been traumatised by her silly yet heroic actions. She wishes she could tell you how much she loves you and how she wants to be held by you and she wants you to be able to hear her words, “I love you.” The others heard it. But they didn’t dare tell you.

She was determined to get her words to you. If not by speaking to you then by page. Determined to prove that she was with you all of this time. She wants to tell you how much she loves you.

She wishes there was a way.

If you would like a part 2, let me know.

[finalgilmoregirl]

off the table (steve rogers x reader)

warning: very angsty, fluff and a little smut but nothing too graphic. ALSO ENDGAME SPOLIERS!!

a/n: based on a request i got from @buckythetinman for the song “off the table” by ariana grande!! i loveeeee this song. 🤍✨🥺

this was supposed to be a blurb but i turned out to be superrrr long so i’m sorry for that and i’m also sorry for any spelling mistakes! i got a little confused with the time travel stuff but it’s okay i think.

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Will I ever love the same way again? (Way again)
Will I ever love somebody like the way I did you?

despite how happy steve seemed in the present day, finally adjusted with your help, you knew deep down he still wished to go back and know what could’ve been. what life would be like with his beloved peggy carter. so when the topic of time travel was brought up, you didn’t know whether to be excited or worried.

when the big “time heist” began you were teamed with the others to go back to 2012 to find the tesseract. but that mission went south very quickly and it was suggested that steve and tony go even father back to 1970. you and scott shared your doubts of the new plan, warning them that they didn’t have enough particles to come back after that. but they went anyway, and when they came back, you were relieved but you noticed steve was acting different. it was like he was stuck in a daze after that and you were worried that he’d seen something he maybe shouldn’t have. your suspicions were proven correct when you caught him looking at his compass. something you hadn't seen since you first started dating.

Never thought you'd be so damn hard to replace

I swear it don't need to be this way

the fight with thanos and his army had taken a big toll on you. physically, mentally and emotionally. bruises littered your whole body but the most pain you felt was in your heart. you tried to accept both natasha and tony’s deaths and be grateful for all the people that were alive because of them. but you just couldn’t. the first few nights after tony’s funeral, steve held you in bed as you cried. he helped you shower and encouraged you to eat when you couldn’t bring yourself to. and you tried your best to help him through the grieving process too, despite how helpless you felt. he refused it most of the time but was grateful nonetheless. and after you cried yourself to sleep, he would pull his compass out of the bedside drawer and look at the picture of peggy, and sighed at the thought of seeing her again. but then he would feel you nuzzling into his side, looking calmer than you’d had in days, and his heart sank at the thought of leaving you so vulnerable. would it be worth it?

you noticed the way he was pulling away from you. first he started staying in tonys basement lab late nights with bruce. he felt bad coming back to your shared room and seeing you in the same position you were in from when he left you that morning. but he was doing what he thought was right. he was hoping that not being close to you now, would make it not hurt so bad when he left.

this continued for a while. he started to think you’d die of starvation so he asked wanda to take you food, to which she said “you’re her boyfriend. this is supposed to be your job.” he brushed her off with an “i’ve been busy.” she took it upon herself to look in his head to see exactly what he was so busy with that he couldn’t look after his girl. and she was shocked to see a daydream of him going back in time and being reunited and happy with another woman, to which she recognized as margaret carter.

If I can't have you, is love completely off the table?

Do I sit this one out and wait for the next life? (Next life)

he missed you before he even left. the night before he was set to take the stones back it all hit him at once. how you’d been there for him through so much, and now he was leaving you? he tried justifying it by thinking you’d want him to be happy. but what about your happiness?

that evening he was determined to show you how much you meant to him, how much he loved you. he went into your room and saw that you weren’t in bed. he panicked for a second until he heard the shower running. he was proud of you for getting out of bed to freshen up, but remembered how he had been no help in it. he sat on the bed you two had been sharing and waited for you to come out. and when you did he felt his heart flutter and break at the same time. you were wearing one of his shirts, which he never got tired of seeing you in. but after taking in the rest of your appearance more clearly, he almost gasped. you looked so much more thinner than he last recalled, clearly a sign you still had yet to eat a proper meal. your eyes were puffy and skin looked dull.

he didn’t hesitate to stand up and engulf you in one of the tightest hugs he’d ever given. it surprised you at first and you couldn’t help but sob as you held him. you missed this. steve held back tears as he let out a sad “i love you so much y/n. i’m so sorry i haven’t been there for you.”

that night, he made love to you like it was the first time again. his showed how sorry he was by kissing every inch of your weak body and never going a minute without telling you how much he adored you. after hours of passion, steve held you in his arms and watched as you slept, trying to memorize every single one of your features. he pulled you close one last time and whispered to your sleeping body. “maybe we’d have our happy ending in another life, y/n. i just don’t think it’ll be this one.”

Am I too cold? Am I not nice?

Might not be quite yet healed already

Should I be goin' too steady? (Too steady)

But I just wanna know is love completеly off the table?

the next morning, you woke up in the arms of your boyfriend. and for the first time in a long time, you felt that things were turning up. you turned to see him already awake, though it looked like he had been crying. you reached up to hold his face in your hands. “what’s wrong stevie?” you asked, tiredly. he rubbed a hand up and and down your waist and exhaled. “i just love you so much baby.” he said. you wrapped yourself around him and ran your hands through his silky blonde hair. “i love you too” you giggled and he felt his heart swell. you pulled away just enough to see his face. he opened his mouth to speak but hesitated. you nodded, encouraging him to go on. “i uh..” he started, “i have to take the stones back today.”

you tensed under his hold and he felt it. “how long will you be gone?” you wondered aloud. steve let out a small sigh and didn’t answer right away, because truth be told, he didn’t even know. what would be days on the mission for him could possibly be only a few minutes for you or vice versa. it had been discussed with him that he’d have to go back to 1970 and was aware of the fact that he’d risk seeing peggy again. so he just gave the only answer he felt he could give. “i don’t know...not long.”

I'll wait for you
Even though it always feels like I'll be number two

To someone you can't hold anymore

If you let me in, I'm ready to give you what I couldn't before

before you knew it, you were standing next to the podium and watched as bruce prepared the machine for steve to leave. you already accepted the thought of him not coming back before he even went through. and even though it pained you, there’s nothing you wanted more than for him to be happy, even if that meant him leaving you for someone else. he didn’t have to tell you, or explain what he was really going to do. you were always good at reading him, which is one of the things he loves most about you. but you guessed it wasn’t enough for him to stay.

so as you wished him luck, you gave him a knowing glance. a look of guilt washed over him as he mouthed a small “i love you”. and then he was gone.

'Cause I got you, girl, let me help you through it

You're trying to fill the void with a couple boys

I can see right through it (You can see right through it)

steve had told bucky what he was going to do. and he was furious. he’d grown close to you in the short years you’d known each other and it was safe to say he was very protective of you. he refused to let steve leave you, especially after all the loss you’d been through recently. but again, his heart was set. he knew bucky would take care of you. and that’s exactly what happened when steve was taking longer to come back than he should’ve.

you guess you hadn’t accepted his departure after all, cause in the midst of sam and bruce’s panic, you fell to your knees in a sob. clutching your chest as tears streamed down your face, bucky was quick to hug you. he didn’t say anything because really...what could he?

I can love you harder than I did before
Was in a dark place back then

I was toxic, then I was toxic to someone else

I was haunted by the hills (Oh yeah, yeah)

I couldn't give you my all, but I will

If you let me in your arms (Your arms)

If you let me in your heart

I don't think that love's completely off the table

steve regretted leaving. he thought this was what he wanted. when he went back and saw peggy again, he felt his heart pounding, but he thinks that it was just out of nerves. after their reunion, peggy took them home and they shared their dance as he promised they would before he went into the ice. but something was off.

dancing with her almost felt wrong. her body didn’t fit as perfectly with his as he’d imagined. he brushed it off again as nerves but the longer the evening went with her, the more doubts crept up on him and he started to worry if this was all a mistake. peggy felt it too. she asked him about the future, how his life was like and what he’d experienced. he told her about saving bucky, the avengers and even going to space. without even noticing, he’d began talking about you. “who’s y/n?” she asked him. he registered what he had said and paused. “she’s uh- she’s a good friend.” she noted the dull glimmer in his eyes whenever he’d speak of this “y/n” but never brought it up. she didn’t want to spoil her second chance with him.

but overtime it seemed to spoil itself. steve and peggy seemed to have little in common, which often led to disagreements. another thing he began to notice overtime was how much he missed little things about the future. modern technology, the internet and most importantly, you.

how could he have left? you were happy together, had so much in common despite being born in two separate time periods. he understood your feelings and you understood his and he missed everything about you. he thought going back to his past would have been exciting and amazing but nothing was exciting without you next to him.

I don't think that love's completely off the table

he needed to come home to you.

he remembered about dr.pym’s lab and knew that with what he’d learned with tony and bruce, he could maybe manage to pull it off. steve didn’t care how long it would take. he just wanted you in his arms again.

Will you be there? (Yes, I will be there for you)

Can I still love you? (Yes, I been hurt before, before)

Not yet healed or ready (Not ready)

Should I be goin' too steady? (Too steady, no, no)

Just wanna know is love completely off the table?

of course there was still uncertainty while he worked through his plan. would you take him back? what if you’d moved on in the time he was gone? did you still love him? he hoped you were okay at least, that you found a way to be happy while he was gone. he explained to peggy what he wished to do and although she was upset to have him leave again, she couldn’t bring herself to stop him.

it took him three months to work it out along with the help of howard stark. and with a new determination, steve was excited to see you. standing on the platform, he pulled out his compass and opened it to look at a picture of you that had replaced peggy’s and gave a sad smile. “i’m coming home” he whispered.

So can you hold me?

If I let you, can you prove it to me? (Oh, no-no, no)

when steve returned to the present, he found the area surrounding the machine empty. everything was quiet save for the whirring the platform settling down. it didn’t look too different to when he had left but long enough for him to see the difference in the greenery. the trees looked taller and the grass that surrounded the area was longer, so he could only assume it had been quite some time for you. looking around the outside of the cabin, he found a way inside and managed to find the keys to one of tony’s cars. his drive back to the city went by in a blur, his mind too caught up in thinking of you. he was relieved to arrive at the compound and see it hadn’t changed much. there were still agents training outside and people coming in and out of the building. parking the car right in front, he took a deep breath and marched right inside, paying no attention to the people’s shocked faces and whispered, obviously bewildered to see the captain back after they learned he had gone back to the past. not wanting to wait for the elevators, he decided to take the stairs, wasting no time in going towards the residential floor you all had called home. in the midst of his quick actions, he almost didn’t hear a voice that was calling his name.

“steve?”

he turned to see bucky. confusion etched on his face. his hair was the first thing steve noticed, it was way shorter than before. he was snapped out of it when he remembered his mission to find you

“bucky! y/n. where’s y/n?” steve questioned. steve was glad to see his face, but bucky couldn’t say the same for himself. bucky didn’t know how to feel after seeing his friend. what the hell was he doing here?

“bucky please i need to see her!!” steve pleaded and as much as bucky wished it were that simple, he knew it wasn’t. it had been almost a year for them of being without steve and in that time bucky had helped to piece your life back together. you still had your bad days but he was still proud to say that with his help you were finally getting over him. he didn’t want all that time and effort to go down the drain if you saw steve, only to have him leave again. bucky shared his worries with him while steve continued pleading for you.

“bucky i SWEAR. i know it was a mistake but i promise i’m not leaving. i miss her buck just please i need her back!” steve professed. when bucky opened his mouth to object again he was interrupted by your voice as you walked out to the stairwell. “bucky? you okay? i heard some yelli-“ you froze. both men looked at you with wide eyes.

'Cause I need you to calm me down, babe

Gotta get out of my head (Oh, woah)

Tryna be here from this bed (Oh)

Just wanna know, just wanna know, know, know, baby (Hey)

steve was the first to speak. “hey n/n.” he said carefully, he could see the fear in your face and didn’t want to scare you away. he took a step towards you and that’s when you snapped out of your daze. you took in a sharp breath and a step back. there’s no way, you thought. you were imagining things. he wasn’t here. this wasn’t real. but then he reached and held your hand and the familiar warmth he gave off was enough to confirm the reality. it really was him. you let out a shaky breath and felt a tear run down your face. steve couldn’t take the wait anymore and pulled you tight against his body, you melting into him almost immediately. the smell was enough to make you choke on your tears.

“what are you doing here?” you asked him.

he gave a small teary smile. “told you i’d come back didn’t i?”

Can you touch it like you believe in it, baby? (Oh, hey)

Let me think you never gonna leave on me, baby

'Cause I ain't her and you ain't him, thankfully (Baby, don't leave)

But it's gon' be hard to let someone else in again (Woah)

Baby, baby (Woo-hoo)

steve was surprised that you had forgiven him so soon but you just couldn’t help it. he was back and you couldn’t be upset at him when he told you he’d never leave again. after all, he always kept his word one way of another. bucky left you two alone and you lead steve to the common room to catch up and figure out what would happen next. because looking back, steve left you for another woman and although you were grateful for his return, you didn’t know if continuing your relationship was the best option.

“steve how can i believe you? how do i know that you won’t think that this is a mistake and leave me again.” you confessed, sitting across from him.

Will you be there? (Will you be there? I'll still wait)

Can I still love you? (I'll still wait for you, babe, oh, no-no, no, can I still love you?)

Not yet healed or ready (Ooh, not ready)

Should I be goin' too steady? (No, no, ooh)

Just wanna know is love completely off the table, baby?

“i understand y/n.” he said. “and trust me when i say this doll, i’ll wait until you’re ready. and i’ll do everything i can to prove to you how sorry i am. i was so stupid for leaving but now i’m here and i can’t life a happy life unless you’re in it. i love you. i just want to know that this isn’t over.”

you put a hand on his cheek.

“trust me. it’s far from over.” you smiled at him.

I swear, I swear

I will wait for you whenever you need

Ooh, ooh

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omg i’m so sorry this is so long i got way ahead of my self. but i hope you enjoyed!!

[stardancerluv]

Being a Good Friend

Part 12

Summary: When the caterpillar thought things could not get any worse, it changed into a butterfly.

Opening, the suitcase he gasped as he once again, laid his eyes on all that cash. He had almost forgotten just how much there was. Took a bit. He wanted to get you a pretty dress, rent himself a tux and have a good night at the gala.

Was that too much to ask for, he didn’t think so. Dumping, the car the other day had gone smoothly. He felt like a new man. He changed, he had screamed into air.

He had you and that was all that mattered. Things were looking up suddenly everything felt like it was within his grasp

You looked so lovely, coming out of work. He rolled down the window, and popped his head out. He lowered his sunglasses “Hey there pretty girl! Going, my way?” He chuckled. He saw you blush deeply.

“Alex!” You pretended to be annoyed but you both new that you weren’t.

Once you slid into the seat, he lowered his sunglasses. “Hi baby.” You both shared a brief kiss and off he went. “Damn, having you dressed like that beside me.” He smirked. “You look amazing, today baby.”

“I could say the same thing. I can’t wait to see you try on those tuxes.”

He squeezed your thigh. “Baby, since its just us now, can you take those leggings off?”

“Alex,” You squirmed where you sat.

“We’ll be shopping. Please, I’ve missed those legs.” You couldn’t read his eyes but if they matched his devil may care smile, you couldn’t resist him.

“Oh, you..”

He smirked. “Thank you baby, it was a very long two days.”

“It was.” He watched as you tugged and slipped off your boots. As you shimmed out of the leggings, he smiled even wider when your legs were bare. “I feel so exposed,” You whimpered a little.

“Just to me baby.”

Soon you pulled your boots back on. “You look like your having a good day?”

“I did because we’re together again.”

He saw you smile and roll your eyes. “I was counting the minutes.” You said sweetly.

*****

Last time, you saw him. You were helping to scrub him clean. You warmed the water just so. You grabbed Alex’s favorite body wash, it was crisp and masculine similar to a forest. Normally smelling it, gave your shivers of pleasure. Especially, if you smelled it on his naked body if he was above or below you for that matter. But right now, you were going to help him get clean.

Coming back out in your robe, you retrieved Alex. He inhaled a glass, before you reached him and he pour himself another.

“HereHaveOne.” His pushed the glass into your hands, it trembled. You took it.

“Drink It!”

Seeing his shattered look, you drank it. It warmed you as it felt like fire coursing through your stomach. How he drank these all the time was beyond you.

“Good.” He took the glass back.

He put the glass down. You didn’t wince as you saw the streaks of dirt and grime on his hands. Or when you felt it. Grabbing his hands, you met his eyes. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

He sighed and nodded. Once in the bathroom, he kind of slumped. Easily, you got him out of his dirty jeans, shirt and flannel. His boxers, socks and caked with mud sneakers were next.

When you slipped out of and hung up your robe, his eyes widened but then relaxed.

You could see just how shattered he was. Normally, quip would pass his lips or they would curl into a smirk. He was silent.

Together you went into shower. Once under the water, dirt was already running in dark rivers from his chestnut strands

Soaping your hands and gently scrubbing his scalp you got all the dirt out. You always loved doing that and he did too.

You rinsed the soap out carefully like you had been with the dirt. You made sure that the soap wouldn’t get in his eyes either.

“Baby,” he whispered.

“Yes.”

He grabbed you by your shoulders. “ThisIsNotMe. This is not the man who fell in love with you.”

The longer he spoke the clearer he became but his voice was still thick and heavy.

“I know. I know.” You reassured him.

Soon, the filth and grim was off him. He grabbed you then. “Y/N, there were worms, bugs. Just waiting. It was like they were watching. They were hungry, Y/N.”

He held you, almost to the point of pain as he sobbed. You could not imagine what it must bave been like to help bury and dismember a body.

“We no longer have to worry about him.” He finally looked at you again. There was so much anguish in his eyes. “He’s gone now.”

You let him talk, nodding or making soft sound of agreement. You knew that was all you could do.

Soon, turning the knobs. You stepped out and toweled him off, ruffling the towel in his hair to give it quick drying, and the you handed him, a new t-shirt and boxers then his robe.

“What about you?” He crossed his arms in front of himself looking at you, some of his wet hair falling into his eyes.

“Oh yes!” You toweled and slipped into a shirt and pajama pants which you tightened.

Eventually, you let him talk and sob his way till he fell fast asleep. You ran your fingers through his hair, til finally sleep claimed you.

*****

You were beyond relieved to see him in much better spirits. The next morning and being at the paper helped him to bounce back.

“So where are we going to park?” You were so excited to get your dress for the gala.

He smiled. “You’ll see!”

Suddenly, you saw Alex driving out of the city. “Alex, where are we headed? I thought we were headed to boutiques.”

“Surprise baby!” He took one of the side roads. It wasn’t long before you saw where he was headed.

“Alex?”

He smiled, soon he found a spot. “Here we are.” He left his sunglasses on the dashboard.

“I’m gonna freeze Alex.”

He smirked. “No, you won’t.” Getting out the car, he went to the trunk and took out a blanket which he held out to you. He held onto a bag.

He took your hand. “Follow me.”

You did, of course you did. You would always.

He managed to bring you to the one boulder on the beach. He eased the bag down onto the sand. “May I have the blankets, please?”

“Of course.”

Soon, he spread out the one then sat in the middle of it with his back against the boulder. “Come join me baby.” He placed the extra blanket beside him.

“Alright.” Gently sat up against him, like you tended to do sharing the sofa or wherever.

He wrapped his arms around your middle, resting his chin on your shoulder. You felt him sigh.

“After this gala, we have plans to split the money and you and I can disappear.”

@theblackmaskclub @rosionis @brookisbi @johallzy @darling-i-read-it @guns-n-marvel @proffesionalclown @starwarsslytherin @chogisss @obiwankenobiness @mac-n-cheesie @i-love-scott-mccall

[maladaptive-ninja-returns]

It’s The Avengers (02x11)

Loki x Reader Avengers The Office AU (Slowwwwww Burn)

Season 2 Episode 11: Oh God! They were Fake Dating!

Warnings: oh shit! I wrote fluff! Aaaah! Also, I’d suggest you guys listen to the two soundtracks added in here so that it’s better to imagine what our precious goofballs are truly up to.

Word Count: I didn’t realise when my medications were over. And now I’m not feeling that good. I was supposed to make an appointment for this weekend to meet the new doc but I am so exhausted mentally that it looks like such a huge effort to travel to and from another city for four hours in a single day and talk to someone from freaking scratch. *falls in the floor face down*

MASTERLIST in bio, darlings. Tags are open (check bio)

Scott's voiceover: I don't feel like they're going anywhere.

The camera showed you sitting in the lounge, your hair a hot mess, your reading glasses nearly falling from the bridge of your nose. Pietro, with quite possibly the biggest sandwich he could make along with a tall glass of iced tea, passed you, sniffing the air of the lounge before scrunching his nose.

"Mh, haven't showered for two days, huh? Let me guess. Your finals are from tomorrow."

You didn't even acknowledge what he just said, too engrossed in the pile of notes and books kept in front of you.

"How could this bitch of a scientist ever think this could work?!" He heard you exasperate before wishing you luck and walking to his room.

The camera shifted from the lounge to the library where Loki sat engrossed in a book only he knew the theme of. Mainly because it was a hardback with nothing but the blackness of the fabric covering it.

I know! I know! This is finals week and I could not possibly let Y/N have any distractions but that doesn't mean Loki can't be distracted?

The camera shifted from a very engrossed Loki- who didn't so much as flip when Clint walked by, calling him all sorts of names, or when Stark quite literally peeped into the library, telling Rhodey to let Loki just sit there and maybe bring him some snacks and let world rest in peace till that book lasts- to a very curious Peter by the library door.

Scott: *concerned* But looking at the way Y/N looks like right now, the only way she's going to distract Loki is with the exam stench coming from her. *very concerned*

Scott sat by the kitchenette and watched as Tony brought you a cup of coffee to keep by your side.

"I can't drink coffee," you mumble, scratching your head with your pencil, "it does something to my heartbeat."

And without any word, Tony took away the coffee to the kitchenette, dumped it in the sink and made a jug full of iced tea with lemon and mint and placed the jug and glass at your table, pouring one for you.

"Thank you," you muttered, scratching your face this time.

"You better study hard or I'll cut your phone time," he announced.

Tony stood there, shifting his weight on his legs before walking out of the room. Your eyes followed him, your smile growing bigger with every passing second at the sweetest little gesture before gulping down the glass of iced tea and feeling drained power return to you while Scott followed Tony, all the while saying, “You know I could’ve had that coffee.”

 The Next Day

Scott: Okay, so I may have done a little something today. And by something I mean I took advantage of Y/N's sullen mood because she doesn't know how her first exam went.

The scene shifted to you sitting in the library this time, a soft playlist on as you sifted through your notes while sitting in your PJs at three in the afternoon.

Oh yeah! I told her library would be so much better to work in. No distractions. *chuckles*

Scott, proud of himself, walked out into the lounge to have all the pride drained from his face as he saw something he wasn't supposed to. "What are you doing here? You were supposed to be in the library!"

The camera swerved from his shocked face to look at Loki lounging in Tony's favourite seat, deeply engrossed in his book.

The God looked up from the pages, only to furrow his brows at Scott. "First the spiderling drags me out of the library saying it's better in the lounge and now you come out of nowhere to push me back in there. What is going on?"

Scott: Dammit! We should have synchronised! *flails his hands in defeat*

Peter: I know! *groans*

Scott: *turns to Peter* don't you have exams, mister?

Peter: *shrugs and droops* I finished all my revision when Aunt May grounded me for hanging out with Mr Brock.

Scott: Who?

Peter: *tired sigh* Venom.

Scott: Oh! OH! Ohh, kid. No.

Peter: I know *nods*

*silence*

Scott: Will she allow you to meet him under adult supervision?

Peter: *stares blankly at the camera before turning to Scott*

Both Scott and Peter give a knowing smirk to the camera before doing a fistbump.

 The Night Before the Last Exam

A soft wail like a note rising from a broken guitar rose from the library, forcing Loki and Peter to stop on their way to the roof to fly Peter's final science project.

Exchanging confusion building on their faces, they entered the space- with the camera following them right at their toes- to find out you slouching into your knees in a corner surrounded by scattered notes and books.

"Y/N?" Feather-like lightness left Loki's lung as he called out your name, "are you okay?"

You raised your head to show the audience the mess that was your face smeared with tears and snot along with the hair sticking in the waters of despair- only the strands that managed to not go wild over your head. "Umm-nna~ff~aal 'marro-"

Loki's brows furrowed at alien language you spoke.

"She said 'I'm gonna fail tomorrow'," Peter tried to help with the translation.

Peter: Of course, I know. I'm an expert in tear-translation. Thanks to all the A-holes who broke Aunt May's heart. *squints in anger at the camera* Especially you, Charles. *camera pans in* You are on my black-list. *forces out a low husky threatening voice* It is so black it can compete with vantablack. Oh, yes! That is exactly what I'm gonna do to you if I ever see you get out of Apartment 24, 75th block, Myrtle road.

"I've been trying to learn the observations and conclusions and their downsides but nothing is going inside my head," you sobbed, your eyes closing up and the tears running down thicker and faster than all the waterfalls you visited in your life.

Loki looked at you before shifting his gaze between Peter and his winged bot in his hands. Coming back to you, he gave you his hand. "Come with us," his words more of a command and less of a wish, "we're going to fly Peter's invention."

You looked at him with third-degree confusion crinkled between your brows, about to burst out but not doing so for the God's hand was still out for you. Waiting.

Peter took one- not so discreet- step towards you, breaking the silent conversation of whatever sort of understanding was going on between the two of you to hand you a tissue.

Wiping your tears, and clearing all nose blockage, you dunked the used tissue into the nearest waste bin before taking Loki's hand. Those long and slender fingers wrapped over the back of your palm, helping you up quite effortlessly- not to mention, gracefully.

The camera recorded the two of you walking out, going to the rooftop and testing out Peter's work. Just as time passed, both men could see the difference in you. By the end of the evening, you were laughing your heart out when Peter tried to explain Loki what was the urban meaning of the sentence 'Word'.

Loki was seen smiling as he watched you cackle without care.

Loki: Y/N has no idea how horrendous she looks when she laughs. *chuckles* her mouth open wide, her tongue on the edge of coming out to catch heaven-knows what while she tries to hold her stomach as if it's going to dash somewhere. *chuckles again* And to think that silly woman was worried about some unworthy test that's not even going to matter in the future. *shakes head and rolls his eyes*

Peter was enjoying watching the two, happy and content, playing with his science project when suddenly he felt his brows crinkle right when Loki and you are standing less than a foot together.

"No, dummy, that wire is the reason it is grounded," he heard you tell Loki, who looked at you with shock in his eyes.

"This dummy created a grounding spell when he was twelve. You better start to learn a thing or two about the God you live with, woman."

You looked up at your 'God' with a tilt. "Damn, son. No wonder you're so single with the ice you spit."

"Learn some better metaphors too," Loki quipped without even taking a breath, feeling a slight nudge in his torso as you punched him.

The crinkled brows turned into narrowed eyes looking at the camera.

Peter: Why have we even been trying so hard? *infuriating whisper*

 Next Day

"I did it! I *bleep* did it!" You stormed into the conference hall with the biggest grin slapped on your face, watching the grim faces of the Avengers turn to you and transform into the warmest smiles. Even some hoots and applause.

"That's my girl," Natasha declared, pulling a chair next to her for you to sit down, the smile never leaving her face till you planted your ass in the cosy leather.

"Oh, wait," you suddenly felt your body sit too straight for your comfort, "am I interrupting something?"

"You mean apart from your biological father going on and on about how incompetent everyone in this room is?" Loki added from where he sat, which was the far corner with a witch-hat that had dunce written over it. This did not seem to bother him for he looked two comfortable with his feet resting on another chair as he read a book- this time with a red hardcover. "No, not really."

"Dum-e," Stark's voice announced, making the robot squeak and stroll towards Loki before gassing him with an extinguisher.

You tried your best not to let the laugh escape your mouth.

"We are having a meeting regarding this latent threat. So, if you don't mind please walk out of the door where you came from," Tony ordered you, swinging his fingers towards the door before turning to look at the screen.

"Wait a minute," Scott nearly jumped off his seat, "that's it! Y/N can help us with the mission!"

A whole bunch of 'excuse me', 'wait what', 'you gotta be shitting me,' and 'do you want me to kill you's rose up around the table, definitely taking you by surprise.

"How could I possibly help in a mission?" you stressed the last part so Scott would know what he was talking about.

You: I can barely lie to myself about how much ice cream I’m gonna have in a day and Scott expects me to lie to professional liars and criminals? *raises his arms in disbelief* What?

"No, seriously, just hear me out," Scott stood and begged out loud, trying to calm everyone. "The target knows us all. He has seen our faces and one whiff of us near him and he'll disappear from here before we get a chance to retrieve the shiny thing."

"The pulsator," Steve helped Scott.

"Yes, that thing. Thanks, Cap. So Y/N can be our eyes and ears at the restaurant that we know he is definitely going to visit tonight with his wife, thanks to his crush on the bartender that works there. All she has to do is go there, enjoy and observe while Peter and I take care of the extraction."

"Why can't you two be the eyes and the extraction?" Pietro asked the most obvious question.

"What we if he sees this and develops a crush on me?" Scott pointed out at his bod while Peter pointed at him with a 'true fact' expression.

"Y/N is not going and that's the end of the discussion," Tony declared. Or at least tried to.

"I agree with Scott on this one," Natasha broke the low buzz, nearly giving Tony a stroke. "But," she raised a finger while sitting up straight, stopping whatever dad-rage was about to come out from his mouth, "I'd rather ask Y/N if she'd be open to the idea of doing it."

That's it. All pair of eyes were on you now. Especially Tony's trying to wear you down.

Y/N: And I thought studying basic psychology was mental murder.

"Oh, I'm in," you simply shrugged, taking away twenty years from Tony's life. "Just give me a test run before you send me out in the field."

"You're grounded," Tony announced, making you furrow your brows at him with a layer of pure judgment.

"Oh come on, Tony," Steve smirked, "she's your daughter after all."

"She is not going in there. Not alone at least."

"Loki can go with her," Scott added without skipping a beat, getting the God's attention. "They can uhh...they can play it like they're on a date!"

Clint: *twists his jaw* *narrows eyes* Is this another one of those bets or is Scott just trying to get on my nerves?

Tony: *gazes right into the camera* Right now I am searching ten thousand ways to slowly murder an ant. *taps the phone without looking at it* *phone chimes* *still stares at the camera* Oh look! It says suffocate them in their sleep.

"I'm extremely interested in knowing why Loki and why not Pietro or Wanda?" Tony was genuinely curious, never seeing the coherent groans and shaking heads that filled the room. Even you stretched the corner of your lips and gestured him to cut the topic.

"Pietro had a crush on a Y/N. Y/N didn't like him. I knew all of that the entire time." Wanda practically picked up the baggage and threw it smack into Tony's face."

Tony: *shocked eyes looking at a distant void* Suddenly I feel Pepper saw what I could never see. And to think *pause* all this time I was worried about frat houses.

Pepper: Oh! Don't put this on this me! *raises her hands in question with crinkled brows* I was worried about her staying with people sharing three brain cells that are solely made for fighting. And those brain cells belong to Natasha, Wanda and Steve. *nods* Probably.

He gave Pietro a 'the audacity of this bitch' look. "You know what, I'll go with Y/N," he finally concluded. According to him.

"Tony, stop being such a whiner," Natasha broke the wave of authority Tony clearly was riding on, justly, "Y/N is an adult who can act her age during the mission and that's all we want her to do. We will obviously be standing by in case anything goes wrong. Loki will be going with her because thanks to you and Fury no one has any shred of evidence of his existence now. No one would even look at them twice while you have a tendency to be a magnet in the crowd."

Loki: She's wrong. *scoffs* *nods his head in his defence* clearly she doesn't know how many heads have turned to look at me twice when I twisted them off their shoulders. *smiles contently*

*camera pans out to show Natasha sitting with him, looking at the God with a judgy brow*

Natasha: Only you could interpret that phrase in such a way. *pauses before breaking into a sly smile* I respect that.

Everyone could feel how hard Tony was trying to refrain from breaking his own jaw by the veins showing all over his face and neck. "I'll be keeping an eye on them."

"No," Steve and Natasha blurted in unison. "You are staying out of this one before you start making it personal," the black widow, announced.

"I'll be fine, Mr Stark!" you stressed, "Loki'll be with me all the time."

Tony: *nearly breaking the glass with his voice* “flailing his hands wildly* THAT'S EXACTLY THE *BLEEP* SHIT THAT I'M WORRIED ABOUT!!!

"That's if he's okay with it," you interrupted yourself, turning to Loki- forcing others to look at him too- to find out his thoughts.

Loki: *counting on his fingers one by one* Going on a covert mission, getting out of this godforsaken place, getting the chance to finally at least punch someone in the face, *faces with camera with innocent wonderment* all the while getting to piss off Stark and Barton because I will be with the former's daughter? *slowly wrecks up the evilest grin* Well, isn't that a ball!

Tony: *his hand on his heart* Friday! Check my vitals! *turns back to camera* I can feel him scheming right this second. *turns his gaze away to the door* there is no way I'm leaving my daughter alone with him.

*camera pans out to a very calm and very pregnant Pepper reading something*

Pepper: *clicks tongue, still engrossed in her Tycoon magazine* Sweetie he's alone with your daughter practically every time you aren't in the room.

Tony: *eyes go white while he turns seven shades whiter before looking at his wife* What, are you trying to kill me?

Pepper: *still doesn't look up* oh, get over yourself.

 Mission Night

"Everyone check your comms," Natasha's voice crackled in Steve's ears, who was dressed rather casually for himself in a black leather jacket over a white shirt and blue jeans. Wanda, on the other hand, was all black, laid back in her seat inside the surveillance van.

Wanda: *smiling* Ooooh! Someone's dressed to hold hands!! *giggles*

"Is the Raven and kitten ready?" Steve asked in the comms.

The click of the door turned the camera to show Natasha stepping in. "They're ready," she announced before checking Steve out. "Oh!" she whistled, "looks like someone is buying a lady some Virgin Mojito tonight."

Steve crinkled his brows before realising what was going on.

"Really?" he flatly spewed at Nat.

"And then maybe ask her if he could get her a cab since she didn't have a car," Wanda added matter-of-factly.

"Oh, yes," Nat continued, sitting down on the empty chair, "and then leaving her at the front of her house and telling her to lock all the doors and windows because ‘this ain’t the good neighbourhood ma’am’, giving her a salute and walking away."

Giggles burst out through Wanda while Steve twisted his jaw and rolled his eyes at his ladies.

"Shut up," he simply cut, looking at nothing in particular in the screen in front of him.

"Okay, but why am I the kitten? Kitten?! Really?" your voice broke through the comms, making the captain smile eventually.

"'Cause you are cute but dangerous," Nat spoke with a motherly intent. "Now go get those bad guys for us." And just like that, she switched her warm tone to a freezing one, "Loki."

"Icy," Loki's voice commented monotonously before clearing his throat, "Are you sure you want me to go in, Captain?"

He almost brought the worry lines over Steve's forehead. "I might kill a few men, women and allies with just my looks."

A crssh and crash followed by barely audible curse echoed through the comms.

"Did he crash into a bin?" Steve whispered to Nat, who shook her head. “Must be our extraction guys. Wait, is Tony listening into this?”

"Scott, Peter. What's your twenty?" Steve posed the question.

"Yeah, sorry," Scott answered, "I think that was me. We're in position. Playing the best servers at the minimum wage we're being paid."

"He's here," Steve announced it more for himself, "all right. Positions, everybody. Y/N, Loki...go."

.

*The cameras planted inside the restaurant captured everything in HD because Tony wouldn't want anything less than a 4k resolution for watching bad guys being taken down by his team*

The subtle light bouncing off the bricked walls inside the restaurant gave it a quaint touch, something way too sophisticated and warm for what they were about to witness.

The speakers playing soft jazz crackled without a warning to softly go 'la la la' before breaking into the heavy beats accompanied by the two figures entering the space.

And suddenly, everything went slow.

*When I popped off then your girl gave me just a little bit of lockjaw

Baby so cold, he from the north, he from the Canada

Bankroll so low I got nothing else that I can withdraw

Ran out the door*

Loki entered the space in his most casual yet somehow scintillating apparel of a black henley hugging him, showing away the muscles no one thought he had.

The cameras caught Wanda and Natasha's brows going up as they leaned in- quite in sync- towards the screens to see the perfect cuts on his biceps that were teasing every looker. Steve really had to look at them twice to believe they were looking at Loki in a new light. Now that henley would have been enough, but the black jeans perfectly curving his toned ass really added to the mix, making both the red-heads turn to eye each other and give a knowing smile, all the while Steve pressed his lips, sighed and let his head drop.

*I shine my wrist it go like shashasha, shashasha

I got your bitch singing like lalala, lalala*

You walked by Loki's side, the camera panned in on you to show your thigh-high sundress painted in yellow flowers drowning in red, your legs exposed to lights, soaking them in, your arm locked in Loki's while the other one let your hair fly free.

Eyes flew towards the two of you- well, mostly Loki- as glasses tipped, spoons clattered, women forgot to breathe, men bonked themselves into walls and the allies drowned in that dapper energy the God just threw off like breathing out carbon dioxide.

*I shine my wrist it go like shashasha, shashasha

I got your bitch singing like lalala, lalala

How I stride like that?*

The music suddenly died, the cameras panning in on Peter standing by the audio controls in one corner while Scott stood next to him with the plug in his hand. "He deserves better than that. They deserve better than that," Scott stressed in a whisper to Peter, who was still stunned by the intro song cut short, "not that this wasn't...kewl."

 Peter raised his brows at Scott. "Kewl? Really? Kewl? That's how you think the youngsters talk?"

The manager walked by glaring at the two dressed as servers. Scott giving him a 'hey how ya doin' smile.

Scott shushed him to see what Loki and you were doing.

The God was clearly basking in the attention he was getting. You, on the other hand, seemed...

You: Of course, I love attention. Who doesn't? *smiles before licking her lips and feeling that smile disappear* Who doesn't love it when people keep staring at you to question if you have something on your face? *smiles again, but this time it's forced* But then it turns out it's just your face!

"Wow," you muttered as you sat down by Loki's side, the camera panning over to your target right behind you- a man in a blue suit, clean-cut beard and soft blonde hair going back- showing the close proximity in which you were sitting, "people are really not buying we could be together."

Loki settled beside you, looking at you in some deep thought before asking, "Would you like to sell it?" You shrugged. "Sure. I always wanted to be an actor," you whispered, leaning in close and touching his chin with your finger, making Loki smirk devilishly. The camera did not miss the woman and man sitting at two separate tables looking at the two of you with such intensity- and quite possibly, jealousy. While the man practically stabbed the table with his fork, the woman cracked the glass of champagne in her hand.

Loki- it seemed- could see everything going around him without even seeing. "Well, Miss Girlfriend," he sang softly, leaning closer to you, his cold breath tickling the hairs on your face, "you seem to be getting a lot of negative attention just by breathing right next to me."

"Hmm," you tilted your head and hummed, taking a swig of water without increasing the distance, "I can surely feel their stare on my back, boyfriend. They are willing to kill me just to get a whiff of you."

"Well, why don't we give them more reason to spell murder on their hands?" he spoke softly before extending his arm behind you, wrapping you in his side.

"Comfy?" he asked. You nodded, trying to suppress a smile. "Smooth raven," you muttered.

A thwack was heard followed by Loki cursing under his breath as he retrieved his arm from behind you for both of you to watch the back of his hand go through a light bruise before quickly disappearing.

"Oh, I am sorry, mister," an old man with a grey beard, fine lines and judgy eyes, dressed in a funky beach shirt and jeans. "I thought you were trying to strangle this beautiful dame."

"No, he wasn't?" you shook your head in confusion at the old man.

Old man: *looking directly at the camera* *in his authoritative old man voice* that's what all men want you to think. *camera starts panning in* don't zoom on my face *stops and slowly pans out*

"Okay, kitten," Natasha's voice crackled through the comms, "the ant and the spider are approaching the target."

You turned towards the man in question, observing him for a good second before turning to the woman sitting with him. "That is one stunning piece of jewellery you have there."

The woman turned to watch your gaze right at her sapphire bracelet. "Why, thank you! My husband bought it from me," she cooed, looking at their target.

"Too bad my darling isn't amused by stones," Loki chimed in, shifting his hand over yours before grazing it softly and letting your fingers intertwine, "otherwise I would have gotten her something...out of this world. Something worth...infinity and beyond."

You: *evidently not being able to breathe* *licks her lips* *tries to talk normally but all that comes out is a whisper* damn! He's a pro!

 Scott: Is it just me or does Loki look effortlessly hot tonight? *turns to watch Loki planted casually in his seat, leaning towards your ear to say something that makes you smile so wide that you have to bite down on your lips* *camera pans out to show Scott glowing* So hot! *creases brows* Of course, full homo! Even Hope knows that.

"Your wife is a very lucky woman," the man finally spoke, taking you by surprise.

"Son of a beee-" a staggering shout came from behind your table. Both you and Loki- along with your target and his company- turned to see the same old man making quite the ruckus, pausing only when he realised all eyes were on him and pointing to the stage.

The piano and trumpet introduced a beat and in came a man in full leather on the stage with his back to the audience, the microphone on ready.

I went down to the river and lost my mind

I said Lord won't you save me just one last time

Thought I told ya'

I was looking for a sign

"Wait, I know that voice," you uttered loud enough for only Loki to hear.

"Son of a-" Nat's voice crackled over the comms before the lights shone about the slick face of Clint Barton swinging and singing on the stage all the while glaring at Loki with a death stare, almost hissing the song through his teeth.

Had it once wonder if I would get it twice

Peace of mind only comes in the afterlife

Thought I told ya'

I was looking for a sign

"Oh," Loki rolled his eyes, "you have got to be joking. Romanoff!"

"Ignore him," Steve ordered, "eyes on the prize. Y/N."

You got up just when Peter the server was 'passing by', to collide with him and have your dress ruined by whatever liquid he was carrying.

Like any villainous gentleman, Mr Target got up and offered his handkerchief to you, asking you if you were okay. Mrs Target, just as quickly she'd gotten jealous, felt sparks when Loki took her hand in assurance.

"It's all right," Loki reassured her, "I'll take care of her."

The woman was growing ten shades of red as she watched Loki give her his signature smile, making her melt right there.

What neither part of the target couple caught was Scott taking advantage of the dim light, you and Loki to swap the man's phone and wallet, hiding it no-one-knows where.

.

The Red Velvet Van

"I got it! I got it!" Scott barged into the van wheezing.

Nat took the phone from him, already cloning it. "You look like you ran a marathon."

"Yeah," Scott huffed, standing straight finally, "my manager's gonna fire me any second so...woah! Do you have a date tonight, Cap? Gonna hang out at a diner? Grab some shakes and do the twist?"

Wanda did a really loud ‘ha-haaa’ while Nat just gave Steve an 'I told you so' look.

"Here, take it back and keep an eye on Clint," Natasha ordered Scott, getting a salute in return before the van's door closed behind him.

.

Inside the Restaurant

The old man too had joined the little mayhem caused on Mr Target's table, accidentally smacking his hand when he tried to grab your arm and ask you if you were okay.

"Hey grandpa," Mr Target nearly shouted in the old man's face, "are you blind?"

The old man looked at him with subjective eyes before muttering, "Not yet, no. I can still see your wife trying to flirt with her friend."

You and Target turned to watch Mrs Target laughing out loud while grabbing Loki's arm every chance she got.

"Babe," you raised your voice just enough for Loki to hear you over Clint's aggressively teasing music, "I'll go to the washroom to clean this out."

The camera caught Scott coming back, smoothly keeping the phone on the table before grabbing the old man. "Let me help you back to your seat, sir," he stressed, nearly running into Loki's back, pushing him into you.

Loki grabbed you by the waist in order to not fall over you- neither of you noticed the shriek that left Clint and the bewildered 'what? WHAT?!' that left the old man- wrapping his other arm around your upper back.

"You want me to come with you?" he asked rather seriously.

"No, I'm good," you assured him with a nod and a smile, all the while the camera capturing the hesitant jealousy steaming up inside Mrs Target as she watched the two of you get so intimate.

Loki let his hand drop from your back to take your hand in his, never losing his eye contact with you. Bringing your hand closer to his lips, he planted a light kiss on the back of your hand. "Come back fast," he requested ever so softly, leaving you without words for a few seconds before you remembered how to blink.

Neither of you noticed Clint's 'son-of-b****' off the mic as he jumped off the stage, walking towards the two of you before being carried away but a young brunette boy soothing him with a 'there, there. Shhh, let's go outside and shoot some arrows, okay? Yes, the spider is clearly stronger than the hawk tonight."

.

The Lounge

"We got the location of that Pandora's box Pulsator. Friday is checking out the geography of the location where it's stacked. Vision said he'll pick it up on his way back from another mission."

"Wait," Sam interrupted Natasha, stopping in his swivel chair with a dramatic pause, "when did Vision go on a mission?"

Peter arched his brow before leaning towards Scott. "Can you say that fast? When did Vision go on a mission?"

And so began the whispering battle of saying the phrase as fast as possible.

"Last night," Wanda joined the conversation, "he wanted to get some special paprika," she ended with a knowing smile, clearly meant for the boys to stop talking and start smiling.

"Dayum," Sam stressed with his little high pitched voice, "that AI is finally getting the hang of it, isn't he?"

"Speaking of getting the hang of it," you spoke from the couch, sprawled on it lazily while Loki sat on the floor, curiously looking at Peter trying to teach him, Steve and Bucky how to play Cards Against Humanity, "somebody looked like they were ready to take their first date to second base."

Steve looked up to watch every set of eyes looking at him with a devilish smile.

"Sure, if by second base you mean eating greasy burgers at a hilltop and talking about how expensive the nearest city is," Clint added as he entered the lounge.

"Says the man who kept being a cockblocker the entire night," Steve did not even miss a beat, leaving everyone to gasp and shriek senseless.

Sam: *Bucky and Peter sitting next to him* I don't know whether to hoot for that comment Clint throw or shriek at Steve throwing a f*****g perfect comeback.

Bucky: *guffaws* I'm just surprised he knows what cockblock means!

Peter: I know!!!! *laughs*

Sam: *looks at Peter in confusion and laughs at him*

Bucky: *pauses mid-laugh* *tilts his head to look at some invisible void, his face still plastered with that paused laugh*

Sam: *looking at Bucky* you don't know it either, do ya?

Bucky: *without missing a beat* Nope.

"What?" Clint nonchalantly poured himself some whiskey, "I was a distraction. Or should I say...main attraction," he grinned at the eyes rolling at him.

"Hey, great job tonight, Y/N," Natasha scruffled your hair, gathering affirmed 'yeah's through the lounge.

"Thanks, guys. It wasn't much though. All I had to do was...be there."

"Cool," Nat smiled at you before morphing her face into a serious one, "now tell me honestly. Did he do anything inappropriate with you? 'Cause I'll drive to his place and break his bones right now if he did."

"Wow, no, thank you so much, Nat. I really appreciate it. But no, he didn't do anything. Loki was there with the whole time. He was a good distraction for our bi target."

Scott: *suggestively sings* Distraction? Or should I say 'Main Attraction'! *arches his brows repetitively while smiling hella wide*

"All right, now you off you go," Nat patted you on your back, forcing you to get up and walk towards the dorms, "go get some sleep and remove all the tiredness from your exam week."

You went off to the dorms while the rest of the gang sat down on the floor to play Cards Against Humanity.

"Javier," Nat pointed at the boy behind the camera, "come with me for a sec."

Both of them got inside the elevator, rode to the first underground level and got out to walk into the direction where the overhead dim lights led them.

"Sir, you have company," the duo heard from across the glass wall where Tony sat amidst an ocean of holograms of information.

Nat clicked the door open to let the camera see Tony swipe away everything with a wave of his hand.

"Hey, you're not allowed here," Tony said, not looking at Nat or camera. "This is my holy ground. So, off you go."

"Oh, don’t mind me. I’m just gathering evidence. Next time wear a better disguise," Nat dropped the bomb on Tony, who sat there puckering his lips at the air for what could be said was a considerably long while for Tony Stark.

"I was gonna go for something Sherlock-y but Pepper says I get very method and it destroys the mood," he finally spoke.

"She's old enough to take care of herself, Tony. Not to mention she had me looking out for her all the time," Nat had her arms crossed across her chest now.

"Why is Javier here?" he looked behind the camera.

"Like I said, gathering evidence to blackmail you in the future. She is just starting to get to know you, Tony. Do you really want to sabotage the father-daughter relationship even before it begins?"

Silence falls over the wide space that is broken only by Dum-e's whirring as he looks between Nat and Tony before turning towards the camera.

"I just want to protect her, Nat," Tony sighed, dropping his hands on his lap. "I just want to protect her from all the bad in this world. And you know why."

"I know," she replied softly before sitting down next to him, "but that doesn't mean you won't let her experience anything out of your comfort zone. And Loki is not bad. You know this better. You travelled to space and met some really weird creatures."

"That's true actually."

"Give him a chance too. He's done nothing yet that would tell us otherwise. And if he ever would, I have stacked up on that alien juice in my poison dart for a reason."

"Sometimes I truly wonder why do you hang out with Rogers. He doesn't deserve a friend like you."

Natasha chuckled and got up.

"Yeah, yeah. Steve tells me the same about you," she commented as she walked away, signalling Javier to follow her.

"Find that old man a date, Nat."

"Go back to your wife, Tony. You need to sleep."

"Right."

.

"For the last time, Peter, the Leaning Tower of Pisa isn’t an example of erectile dysfunction," Scott stressed as him, Peter and Loki walked back to the dorms with their respective cups of hot tea.

"Is this another one of your meme things?" Loki asked.

Before Peter could answer, your door opened and you came out devoid of makeup, your hair tied up- still messy- dressed in your overused shirt and shorts.

"Oh, yes!" you whispered in content, taking Loki's mug from his hand to blow on it before taking a careful swig.

"Hey," Loki ordered, "that's mine!"

"But what's yours is mine, fake boyfriend," you sang ever so innocently, never catching the fistbump that happened behind Scott and Peter's back.

Loki looked at you with furrowed brows before arching his good brow at you. "Oh, if that's the case then you're mine, fake girlfriend."

You looked at him for a moment before going 'cool'. "I've got two assignments, one mini project for the break and three appointments to make. Do them by the end of the day tomorrow since I am all yours, fake darling," you suggested, taking another swig.

Loki opened his mouth to speak something to shut you up and get your cup back while simultaneously you got on your toes, turned to his one side and planted a light kiss on his cheek.

"Good night fake babe," you signed off softly, giving him back his cup and walking back into your room, leaving Scott and Peter more notably befuddled that Loki.

Scott: *water at the edge in his eyes* *whispers* this is it. Peter, this is it.

Peter: *nods at Scott and turns to the camera* *whimpers* why is this so much better than a Disney movie?

Scott: *sniffles* Because it ain't canon. It's real life baby!

[chillassimagines]

REQUESTED) IMAGINE: You are Scott’s little sister and have to hide you and Theo’s relationship from the pack.

BRETT: “You guys are a little too close for comfort…and I don’t like it.” He said to you and Theo while you two were looking down at a map to help the pack.

“Brett, cool it. We’re all good.” You reassured him and put your hand over his. You could feel Theo tense up beside you, but it was the only way Brett would not be so suspicious. He’s become like a second brother, so he’s always high alert.

KIRA: “Theo! Theo! I surrender!” You giggled as he was tickling you for a kiss in an empty classroom. He stopped his torture and pressed his lips against yours.

“Oh no.” You knew that voice. You whipped your head to the side to see Kira in the doorway with a shocked look on her face.

“Kira, you can’t tell Scott! Please, promise me. He’s always overprotective and crazy, please!” You begged Kira as you took her hands in yours. She shot Theo a look and nodded to you.

“I won’t tell if you take care of her, even though I hate secrets.”

ISAAC: “Y/N, I’m not an idiot. Stay away from Theo, before I have to say something about it.” He put his hand on your shoulder softly. You smiled up at Isaac.

“Thanks for looking out for me, but me and Theo aren’t anything.”

LIAM: “Get your hands off of her you psycho!” Liam yelled and pushed Theo onto the ground beside me.

“Liam! I fell and he was helping me!” I angrily shouted and pointed to my scraped knee. Liam’s face softened at the sight and picked me up bridal style. He shot Theo a dirty look.

“She doesn’t need help from you.” As Liam walked you away you blew Theo a kiss.

STILES: “Nope, nope, nope, I’m telling Scott, right now.” Stiles began walking away, but Theo poked out his foot and Stiles fell onto the couch. “I can’t let you do that.” Theo said calmly. Stiles pointed at me.

“How can you like this guy?! He’s crazy!” I chuckled and showed Stiles a roll of duct tape.

“I’m sorry I stole this from your car, but if you insist on telling Scott we’ll have to keep you in my room for the day until Scott is on his way home and then you’ll be off to Theo’s apartment.”

MALIA: “Hey, Y/N! Someone texted you, do you want me to answer it?!” She shouted through the bathroom door as you were taking a shower to get ready to go out tonight.

“Yeah! Thanks!” Then you remembered Theo said he’d be texting you some racy things later. You quickly shut off the water and grabbed your towel to wrap around your body. “Yanno, I can answer it.” You opened the door to see Malia’s horrified face.

“Theo texted and said ‘I wish you were here with me baby, I miss your body’.” She made an awkward face as she read the message.

“Scott can never know, Malia, I was-“

“Yanno what? Let’s just never talk about it.”

LYDIA: “Ahem.” You turned to Lydia who sat in a chair in Deaton’s office. Theo needed surgery, because in the last fight there was a metal shard thrown into his shoulder, and while he was passed out you couldn’t seem to leave his side.

“What’s up?” You asked her innocently, slightly moving away from Theo. You wanted to hold his hand so badly.

“Hold his hand, go ahead. I can tell you love him. I know that look, Y/N. That’s how Stiles looks at me.” She scoffed a laugh but looked at me with a smile. You practically squeezed his hand off when you took it and pressed it against your lips.

DEREK: “I’m asking for a friend. She has a very overprotective brother and she’s seeing a guy he doesn’t really like. How does she tell him that she wants to be with that guy?” You asked Derek as he was fixing his front door.

“Well, you have to get Scott to see that Theo’s changed. If he’s changed.” He said, not even looking at you. You couldn’t help but smile.

“You know me too well, Derek.” He looked up at you and shrugged.

“Always will.”

SCOTT: “Y/N!” You turned to see Theo jump in front of you and be slashed across the chest by the foreign big mutant werewolf. You didn’t remember much of what Stiles said about the creature, but you knew his claws were practically lethal. Scott came up behind the creature and grabbed its hand so he could guide it to stab itself in the throat. However, my eyes went down to Theo.

“Theo! Theo, stay with me! Theo, please.” You began sobbing as Theo lifted his hand to your cheek and pulled you in to kiss him.

“I love you…so much.” He whispered in your ear. Your bottom lip trembled as you looked up at Scott with teary eyes.

“Oh my god.”

“Scott, forget everything about him before. For me, please, we need to help him. We need to get him to Deaton, fast.” The pack without being told came over and lifted Theo out of my arms. Scott sighed and nodded.

“We’ll talk about this when he’s better.”

[cannibalisticshadows]

Loving The Alien (Part 8)

“Blood and Bone”

(Ao3)

For electronicpencil, and the anons who want Megamind to be reptilian.

Megamind stayed for ten more minutes that night, after showing her his flaky neck. He says it only gets worse, since it just begun, and unless she wanted his flakes flying everywhere he should leave. So, despite his original resentment of her lips on any part of him, she gives him a peck on his nose and tells him to drive home safely.

She doesn’t hear from him for the next six days.

And it’s—concerning. She's so used to seeing his face now, in her own home, that when she returns to work after her short leave all she can think about is if he’s okay (honestly, she shouldn’t worry, he said molting was perfectly normal and it will continue to happen until he dies).

Still, though, she’s a little worried. She had no way of getting in contact with him.

“Hey, Roxa-roo,” her red-haired cameraman says, once her report from outside of the Metro Man museum is over (talking about Megamind’s absence—she knows the truth but this is basically a report on nothing). “I was thinkin’, since old Megs is like, probably dead, you wanna come over for some pizza to celebrate? My treat!”

Roxanne resists the strong urge to tell him off. Megamind’s death would in no way be a celebration. “No thanks, Hal, I’ve got dinner plans.”

“Oh,” he said, shoulders slumping. “Maybe next time?”

“Maybe.” For all that he was, Hal was a good cameraman, but his boyfriend material was far, far from what she found desirable.

“Okay. See you later, Roxie!”

She hated that name.

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

She lied when she said she had dinner plans. If anything, she may eat a cup of noodles, but she ends up taking a walk in the park. It’s so late that everyone has gone home, leaving the trails void of any soul. The summer night felt lovely against her skin, prompting her to remove her jacket, leaving her in her ruffled blue dress. Eventually, she sits on a bench, enjoying the sound of the wind in the trees, and the absence of any person around.

Or so she thought.

“Nice night?”

She jolts and spins around in her seat, her blue eyes landing on the one sight she wanted most to see.

“Megamind!” She exclaims, her face lighting up in delight as he approached her.

He’s wearing jeans, of all things. Jeans and combat boots, with a dark blue top and a leather jacket with the collar turned up. His tail swishes around as she runs up to him, so overjoyed to see him she literally jumps him, sending them both to the ground.

He grips her lower back as they land in the grass, laughing as she squeals his name again. “You’re back!”

“I never left,” he chuckles, arching his neck as she places sloppy, desperate kisses along his jaw. “I was just being gross and taking a lot of showers.”

“You couldn’t be gross to me if you bathed in the garbage. Wait. Actually, I take that back. I do enjoy nice smells. I have standards.”

He laughs heartily at that, rolling her over until she’s pinned beneath him. She can see his tail behind him, raised up as his weight presses her into the ground. “Then tell me now, Miss Ritchi. Do I smell?”

She pressed her nose to his neck. He shivers at her touch. “You smell amazing.” And he did. Like something she’d find at a pricey perfume store for a million bucks, but it was so light she found herself chasing the scent because it filled her with such pleasure. There was also something she knew was just plain him, like autumn wind and dark chocolate and fresh leather. Overall he smelled really good, and not to mention his skin felt fucking greeeeeat. She hadn’t realized it until now that the days leading up to his “shedding”, his skin had felt dryer than usual.

“I missed you,” she found herself saying. He tilted his head, smiling softly. “Hey, Megamind?”

“Hmm?” He let out a little purr, moving off of her so they could both sit up.

“Are you… still a villain?”

He sat for a quiet minute, staring at the shaking leaves of the tree they found themselves under.

“I don’t really know anymore.”

“How come?”

“I… Roxanne, I’ve been bad my whole life,” he flopped down on his back, staring at the sky. “The only thing I’m good at is trying to beat Mr. Perfect Hair.”

“You and I both know that’s basically impossible, but that’s beside the point. Megamind, you’re brilliant. You have so much to offer the world besides trying to blow stuff up.”

“Or kidnap you?”

She rolled her eyes, but playfully. “Or kidnap me. Seriously, sweetheart, from the start I knew you weren’t all that bad.”

“Because I suck that much?”

“No,” she said sharply. “You never really tried to hurt me. In all these years it became obvious you were never evil.”

“Tell that to the rest of the world.”

“You’d be surprised.” Roxanne lays down beside him, placing a hand on his chest. “My parents live out in the boonies. Country land.”

“I know. They own a farm.”

Of course he’d know. “The point is, is that they were so proud of me when I went to college and started my path to being a news reporter. Not the place I imagined myself being as a kid, but I was happy and they were happy with my decision.” She put her head on his chest. To her mild surprise, his heart is much louder than a human’s, and at least twice as fast. “My mom barely passed high school. My dad dropped out before senior year. He inherited the farm from my granddad because his mom wanted nothing to do with it. They’re simple people. Quiet, even. And they were so overjoyed that I’d finished my education. But you wanna know something?”

She can see he doesn’t understand where she’s going with this, but he’s paying close attention.

“When you kidnapped me the first time both of them came up here in the old pick up truck and nearly demanded me to come back home. They did this for the first five times. After that, they started to realize something.”

“What?” He asks it like his life depends on it.

“Do you remember our fifth kidnapping?”

He purses his blue lips. “I remember each and everyone.”

“You could have let me fall off the cliff you had dangled me off of,” she said, leaning up again to meet his vibrant green eyes. “But you nearly risked your own life to save mine when the rope snapped unexpectedly.”

He doesn’t respond.

“They saw that. There are a lot of other people who saw that, too. You’ve done a lot of insane and illegal things, Megamind, but being evil isn’t one of them.”

He swallows.

“Now,” she leans in closer. “Are you going to lay here all night or kiss me, lover?”

He doesn’t need to be told twice.

She’s suddenly on her back again, this time with her wrists pinned above her head as he assaults her mouth with the most intense kiss they’ve shared yet. He tried to mold his mouth onto hers, their noses bumping against each other. She moans and arches her back, feeling him wriggle against her until she parts her legs to allow him perches between her thighs.

With his heavier-than-expected weight, she can feel his slim figure move atop hers, grinding into her in the most pleasant way. She opens her mouth in another moan of encouragement, happy to feel his slick tongue touch her bottom lip.

“Megamind,” she exclaims, feeling him grind against her womanhood. He murmurs her name against her neck, making it sound like a plea to God Himself as he laved her skin, dragging his long tongue down to her collarbone.

For a brief moment, she feels—she feels something hard press against her through his jeans—

And then he’s gone—

Someone is shouting her name, and Megamind’s—

“Megamind!” She shouts, sitting up at the speed of light because he had been literally yanked off of her. He’s—dangling, in the air, by his tail.

Out of costume, Metro Man was just plain old Wayne Scott. Poster boy for perfection and all that was righteous. Right now, the buff man was in jeans as well but wore a plain white dress shirt and a gray jacket. His face, though, wore absolute fury.

“This is what you’ve been doing!?” He demands, voice booming. “Molesting Roxie!?”

“Put me down!” Megamind roars, flailing all his limbs, face turning a light shade of purple as seemingly all the blood in his body rushed to his head.

“Stop it!” She shouts, wanting to grab Wayne by the ears and tell him off because Megamind was doing nothing wrong what so ever. She can barely watch it because never has he tried to carry Megamind by the tail and never has she seen him strong enough to hold himself upside down by it. Carry things, sometimes, but he wasn’t a monkey.

“Jesus, and to think I was actually worried about you,” Wayne seethes, and actually—he yanks Megamind by swinging him—and—

Good God what the fuck is he doing to him—

She can’t hear herself shouting Megamind’s name, but she feels her voice rip through her throat because suddenly she’s throwing herself to the ground beside him as he falls to the floor in a loud thump, and something wet and warm splattering a part of her face.

Wayne lands beside them with all the grace in the world, dropping—dropping—it to the ground—

She has zero idea of what to do. This was never done before. Wayne always roughed his nemesis up a bit before bringing him to jail. Never—never really hurting him—

“Megamind,” she sobs, helping his shaking form to lean upon his hands and knees, clutching him to her chest. “Oh, Megamind—“

His beautiful, perfect tail is lying on the ground just a foot away, blood pooling at the base of it. Never before had she seen it so limp. Now—now it wasn’t even apart of—

“WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!?” She shouts at the superhero as loud as possible.

“Um—“ Now, Wayne looks confused. Megamind says nothing, but clutches onto her with his face in her chest, still quaking with tremors of clear agony. His feet kick at the ground.

“HE WAS DOING NOTHING WRONG!”

Now the hero goes pale, and his eyes dart from Megamind to her, to the tail, to—

“W-what?”

“You idiot!” She cries, holding onto Megamind tighter. In her horror and wrath, she has enough brain cells in her to tell her to put pressure on the wound. “He wasn’t molesting me! I wanted it!”

“You—what?!”

Megamind, still shaking, turns his head to face his life-long enemy. “Still can’t resist pulling it off, can you?”

Not really understanding what he meant by this, she just holds onto him and shouts, “Take us home, right now, or I will scream so loud even your ears will burst!”

Wayne, still confused and stuttering manages to pull himself together and pick both of them up. She grabs onto Megamind’s tail and holds it close, knowing it should be put into ice or something until they can reattach it. They can reattach it, right? It’s possible to do that will plenty of detached limbs—

They get to her apartment through the balcony, and she rushes inside and puts Megamind on the sofa. He’s—he’s unconscious, and his blood has seeped into her outfit and it’s on her hands and—

“What did you mean, you wanted it to happen?” Wayne’s asking her, standing in the middle of the room looking dumbfounded. “He was—asulting you!”  

“It’s called making out, you ass!” She shouts, grabbing the vase Megamind replaced the previous one with and throws it at him. He’s unaffected. “And he’s good! He’s fine! He’s not hurting anybody anymore!” She throws a book at his head. “You tore his fucking tail off what the fucking fuck is wrong with you!?”

“Roxanne—“ he pauses as she throws a chair at him. “Roxanne, he’s gonna be okay. This has happened before.”

“W—“ She lowers the dictionary in her hands. “What do you mean?”

“It grows back,” he said, looking mildly weirded out. “Like a lizard.”

I’m not a lizard, Megamind’s voice echoes in her head.

She throws the dictionary at him anyway.

“Get out of my apartment, Wayne.”

He leaves.

And now she’s alone with a tailless, unconscious Megamind, and she’s got no earthly idea what to do.

[ryeimagines]

Always - Stiles imagine

Prompt can be found here. Hope you enjoy! Always love writing Stiles.

He never should have let you go on your own. He should have fought harder to keep you here. But he didn’t, he stood quietly and watched you drive off because that’s what you needed. He swallowed down the words that wanted to escape, that he couldn’t speak out loud. He didn’t move for a long time, remaining rooted in the spot long after your tail lights had vanished out of sight, the image of your face still burned in his mind. 

He should have ran after you and convinced you to come back. In hindsight, there was a lot of things he should have done differently. He’d mad bad choices before, but none as important as this one. 

Someone had found your car on the side of the road and called it in, you were nowhere to be found. They’d tried everything, but so far every lead they got was a dead end and it had been two days now and he was running on nothing but fumes. He was close to the breaking point. 

“We will find her.” Scotty, his best friend, always there at his side when it mattered. The entire pack was worried, all affected in their own ways. Lydia hadn’t stopped researching, the others taking turns helping out but she only lasted so long before shooing them away. Derek was training with his betas, readying for the fight when it inevitably happened. There was a heaviness in the air, a giant elephant that none talked about.

The sound of his phone pulled him out of his musings, seeing a text from his dad. Just like every other time he dared hope for a second, maybe this time would be the one, only to be crushed once more. Another dead end.

A wave of anger washed over him, and he threw his phone against the wall, watching as it chattered into pieces. The sound startled the young beta, jumping up from the sofa ready for a fight.

“Are you seriously playing video games right now? Y/n is fucking missing, we should be out there looking.” He was yelling now, itching to punch something. Liam got to close, trying to calm him down.  He reacted on instinct at the touch, punching him in the face. 

“Hey!”

“Stiles, we care, you know we do. But you need to calm down, you can’t help anyone like this. You haven’t slept in days, let’s just go home and get some rest, okay?”

“I can’t. I need to-” “Just for a couple of hours, I’ll wake you up. Okay?”

“Fine.” He sighed, giving in. 

“Call me if anything happens. Anything.” He threw the newest addition an apologetic smile before letting his best friend take him home and crawled into bed, falling asleep the second his head hit the pillow.

“Okay, I’ll let him know.” A familiar voice roused him from sleep, and he startled.

“What’s going on? Did something happen?” 

“Stiles, that was deputy Parrish. They found a body in the woods.” He froze, the world suddenly becoming blurry around him, tuning out Scott who was still talking. No, it can’t be. He would know, right? He would know if you were dead. He refused to accept it. He needed to see it for himself. He pushed down the urge to cry, and willed his body to move. 

“Let’s go.” He mumbled, heading out the door with the werewolf hot on his trail. They didn’t speak on the drive, the silence hanging over them like a noose. He was struggling to breathe, a tightness in his chest that wouldn’t go away. He was surprised he managed to drive.

He followed Scott, following the scent, trying hard not to think about it.

He was so distracted by his thoughts he didn’t notice when Scott had stopped, walking right into him. 

“What the hell-” He trailed of, eyes following to see what he was looking at. There was a figure on the ground, naked, blood everywhere. He wanted to puke. Against his wishes, his feet moved closer until he was next to it, kneeling into the wet grass. A sob escaped his lips as he watched you, unmoving. A trembling hand reached out, brushing a stray hair from your face. 

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” His eyes blurred with tears, he didn’t bother wiping them away. He didn’t care anymore. 

“I love you, you hear me? I love you and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. You were the best thing that ever happened to me. It’s my fault.” He’d failed you. 

“Please wake up, open your eyes.” Nothing happened. Of course it wouldn’t, because you were dead. You were dead. And he never got the chance to tell you what you meant to him. He got you killed. 

Burying his head in his eyes, he finally had the breakdown that was coming since he found out you were missing. He curled in on himself, rocking back and forth, though buzzing in his brain. Sometime later it turned into a panic attack, he couldn’t breathe. 

“Stiles, I need you to breathe with me, okay? I want you to repeat after me.” He recited the numbers, his breath evening out and returning to normal as he hit 20. He blinked, looking down on the hand squeezing his arm, expecting to find Scott. Though, judging by the gasp behind him, that wasn’t his bff who had just calmed him down. 

“You’re alive.” He breathed, pushing down another panic attack. You offered up a weak smile. 

“I’m not that easy to get rid off.” There was so many questions, and begging, but right now there was only one thing he wanted to do, something that had been on his mind for a long time. He pulled you into his arms and kissed you with all the passion he could muster, pushing everything he felt into it.

“Wow.” You breathed as you pulled apart, and he couldn’t do anything but agree. Reality was so much better than he could ever imagine. 

It wasn’t until a bit later though, after getting you checked out by Melissa, who patched you up and gave you the all clear to go home and getting loved on by the rest of the pack, he managed to get you alone, curled up in his bed wearing one of his t-shirts. You had taken a well needed shower, and he couldn’t resist sniffing your hair as he laid down beside you, snuggling up and watching a movie. 

“I love you.” He mumbled into your ear, placing a soft kiss in your hair. 

“I love you too Stiles.” You smiled, unknowing how much it affected him. You were the most beautiful person he’d ever known, and he finally had you safe in his arms. And he wouldn’t ever let go. 

He made a promise watching you sleep soundly beside him, so innocent and pure, to never let anyone hurt you again. He would spend the rest of his life making sure you felt safe and loved. That was something you never would have to worry about again. 

[karathelastairbender]

For Whom the Bell Tolls

“Where do people go after they die?”

A six year old Kara had asked her father this question after her great-grandfather had passed away in his sleep. His response had been to hug his daughter and say that he’d explain when she was older. She never did get an explanation from him.

When she was sixteen the question was asked once again, this time in a Biology class. Several students said it was in the ground and some others said they went to heaven whereas one boy said that if they were bad, then they went to hell. Kara hadn’t liked that idea very much.

When she was 21, her friend from soccer had died of cancer. At the memorial service, she watched her friend’s casket that contained her body be lowered into the earth, its final resting place. Life was fleeting and maybe it didn’t matter where people went after they died. Because they were gone. As she left Addison’s funeral, Kara told herself that she wouldn’t question where people went after they died. She decided she’d rather not know.

Until now.

The dust had settled. What had only lasted for almost an hour had felt like days and Kara was among the group that had survived the massacre. Granted she looked like she hadn’t; what with blood staining her cami, her skin, and soaking into her curls. She waited around for the names to be called of those that hadn’t. The campus gathered around to hear an announcement from, well, it was someone. Kara couldn’t be bothered to recognize who it was, not with the immanent fear looming over her head. She still hadn’t found Lauren or Cristina and, in the throes of the crowd, she’d lost Zoey as well.

Moving further back, she made her way till she was on the edge of the crowd. She was beginning to get claustrophobic and after being in a burning building for far longer than she would have liked, she needed the space. By the time she made her way to the edge, she heard the Chancellor clear her throat, meaning it was time for them all to pay attention. She scanned the crowd to see if she could find any of her friends, her family, or her girlfriend but came up empty.

As the names of the deceased began to be told to them, she was thankful that she didn’t really know any of them. That is... Until they got to ‘F’ for last names. Her head shot up like a rocket.

“Vivian Fairchild.”

Her jaw quivered as her eyes immediately welled with tears. No. No this wasn’t happening. Flashes of her calling Vivian ‘mom’ on accident flitted through her mind. Of how the other woman always seemed to want to make sure she was okay. The dinners that she’d had with her and Tess. Kara gushing to her about Cristina and them giggling like young children. No, this wasn’t--Where was Tess? She needed to find Tess and comfort her. Kara began to make her way into the crowd, shoving past people. They didn’t matter, she needed to find Tess. She needed to find her goddamned family. The family we choose, Tess’s words echoed in her mind as she tried to find her. Unfortunately, she wouldn’t. Not in this life.

“Tess Jordan.”

Kara inhaled sharply, feeling her chest tighten. The crowd was just a bunch of people crying and being in pain. But she couldn’t hear them. Right now all she could feel was her heart seemingly tearing in two. She felt like she couldn’t breathe. Her family... The family that she had made were--Gone? Kara blinked away the tears that clouded her vision. This had to be some kind of mistake. They couldn’t both be gone. Not when things were going fine with the three of them. Not when she’d told Tess that she couldn’t do this alone. Not when she’d just gone and gotten them Mother’s Day cards. No, she couldn’t do this, she couldn’t.

By the time they got to L, Kara was holding her breath. If she heard her sister’s name, she swore she’d fucking lose it. She’d kill everyone in this goddamned building as if that would make up for having her sister be taken from her. Thankfully they didn’t call her name and she let out a sigh of relief. Or at least.. She’d tried. Because the bells were tolling once more. And they wouldn’t be done. Not yet.

“Hayden Lighton.”

She staggered at this, almost dropping to one knee. Hayden’s smile flashed into her mind as the girl had tugged her towards a stupid shower before it transitioned to them falling into the ocean together. “I’m fine, Kara. You’re gonna have to try harder than that to get rid of me.” Hayden’s words echoed in her ears and the urge to vomit almost overwhelmed her at the thought of her friend being gone. Gone like Tess. Gone like Vivian. She didn’t know how much more she could take. Too many people had died already. She needed to get out of here, her hands had already started fidgeting, fingers twisting together as she tried to press the anxiety down. “Where’s my sister... Where is she...”

Pushing through the crowd once more, Kara burst through the swarm of people as she struggled to get more air. She could hear people crying and it was too much. She needed to get out of there. It was in that moment that she saw Cristina on the sidelines on the other side of the building. Kara’s eyes watered with fresh tears as their gazes met. She started to stumble towards her when it happened. The final bell.

“Harper Scott.”

And just like that, Kara lost her balance. Palms met the earth as she tried to blink, tried to understand why her head was swimming. The coffee shop and that damned first kiss. Her giggle when Kara had fallen on her face trying to kiss her. The breakup. They’d never... They’d never become friends again. They’d never talked after she’d gotten her memories back. She’d wanted to. But she’d been too scared. And now? Now she never could.

Kara could hear someone yelling her name, whether it was Zoey, Cristina or someone else... She could hear the way their footsteps fell as they rushed to meet her. It was too much. It was all too much. Without so much as a second thought, Kara took off towards the exit of the building. She knew whoever it was, was at her heels, Kara heading outside into the darkness of the night before bolting into the sky and flying off, leaving the person on the ground behind her.

Wind whipped through her hair as she headed to some place that wasn’t here. Without even realizing it, she found herself landing where Hayden had shown her. Her face crumbled as she heard those four names repeating over and over in her head. Harper. Hayden. Tess. Vivian. God, she couldn’t breathe. The brunette looked around wildly as she tried to get herself to stop what she knew was coming. But it demanded to be heard, to be felt. It was too quiet... It was just too damned quiet.

So she screamed.

Her throat hurt from the ferocity and utter anguish that she let out of her body. She sunk to her knees as her body shook forcibly with heavy, guttural sobs. Maybe it was her imagination or maybe it was actually one last gift given to her by the people who had meant something so special to her during this last year, but across the way, on the opposing cliff, Kara saw them. Vivian and Tess had their arms wrapped around each other, smiling despite their tears. Hayden winked at her before giving her that sad smile she’d only ever seen once. And Harper... Harper looked at her with a look that could only be done by someone who had been in love. And that broke her.

“Please don’t...” Kara cried out, watching as Harper’s image faded away. “No... No don’t go.” She said, staggering upwards as she tried to walk closer, her toes dangerously looming over the edge of the cliff, not even hearing the crashing of the waves against the rocks beneath her.

“Guess you tried a little too hard, nutjob.” Hayden chuckled and Kara let out another choked noise. She watched as Hayden gave a nod before fading away as well. “No!” The scream tore from her throat as she turned her head slightly to look at the two remaining people. Her family. The people she considered to be her mothers. “Please don’t leave me... I can’t lose you two, I can’t. I can’t take this. I can’t handle the darkness without you. How am I supposed to be able to... You can’t leave me! You said I wouldn’t ever be alone again!”

Tess and Vivian smiled sadly at her. “We will always be with you, Kara.” Vivian called out to her before Tess chimed in. “I still mean it, Kara. You are never alone.” Kara shook her head at them. “No. No no no no no... NO!” She began to say like a prayer before her voice grew in volume and emotion with each time she said it before she screamed it one last time as Tess and Vivian faded out of her life for the last time.

At this Kara almost teetered over the edge but she managed to fall backwards instead of forwards. The world felt like it was slowing to a stop around her as she curled in on herself, pulling her legs in to her chest as she crossed her ankles and began to rock back and forth, head shaking as she buried it against her kneecaps. Sobs wracked her body, sides heaving with the force of it all as she finally realized something. The answer to a question that had been asked all too long ago.

Where do people go after they die?

Kara looked up at the cliff-side opposite of her, where she’d seen or had at least imagined four people that had meant so much to her. They were gone. And there was nothing, nothing she could do to bring them back. And that’s how she knew... She finally understood what the answer was. Her jaw quivered as she looked back down, rocking back and forth once more as she began to repeat the answer over and over again in between sobs.

“Where I can’t follow.”

[darklinsblog]

Chapter 9 Crossing Paths

“MOM” I screamed as I woke up from my nightmare, my breaths were heavy and loud, I wasn’t really aware of my surroundings until moments later, when I felt the scent of Jo getting closer to turn on the light.

“Ana are you…?” She questioned but her question stayed on the air as she focused on my bed, she covered her mouth with both hands in awe as I sat there completely clueless, until I looked at my hands that were filled with blood as my body.

I couldn’t help but scream in fear I jumped out of the bed, not long after the boys came in, I was still screaming “No, Ana, ANA” I heard my mate’s voice as he cupped my face in his hands forcing me to look him in the eyes “Just breath” he said calmly, I tried and started off with irregular and quick breaths but after some time my breaths became steady.

Isaac wiped some tears off my face that I didn’t realized were there until I felt his touch “I think you should take a shower Ana, Jo and I will change the sheets” Scott spoke as Isaac stood there behind me, I nodded and walked over to the bathroom. Isaac guarded the door.

When I was fully naked I walked into the shower, turned on the hot water and let it go all over my body washing the blood away, I closed my eyes nuzzling my hair through the water and then everything seemed to hit me.

I was in a dark forest I could easily see my surroundings through my werewolf sight, the sound of the branches and leaves cracking down on my paws, and then I saw it, a jaguar, -an adult to be precise-looking me right in the eye.

Then I saw my own reflection throwing itself to the jaguar, my eyes glowing but not with their normal yellow shade but a pink/wine color, similar to an alpha’s eyes but not that red.

I immediately snapped out of it letting out a small gasp as I stumbled backwards, I breathed through my mouth trying my best to lower my heartbeats and getting as much air as possible into my lungs.

I had to hold myself down with the wall as I tried to not fall. It took my a minute or so to stabilize myself enough to continue with my bath, after I was finished I managed to grab the bathrobe to cover my body, I opened the door and got out of shower.

I took the pijamas that Jo left and put it on, I walked over to the mirror and flash my werewolf eyes, but they were no longer their natural beta yellow shade, instead they were as I imagined them to be in what now seemed a memory.

My eyes were pink, I was fast enough to flash my eyes back to normal to leave the bathroom, something about this wasn’t right.

After leaving the bathroom I managed to sleep enough for today, I woke up and got ready for school, I was really jumpy and anxious because I didn’t told anyone-not even Jo-what I discovered last night on the bathroom.

I was running all over the hallways looking for Liam and when I finally found him I pulled him into the a lonely hallway ones everyone entered their classes, I was looking back and forth the place making sure no one of the pack was around

“What’s wrong are you okay?” He said holding me by the shoulders and nuzzling them slightly “Liam, there’s something wrong, I don’t know what to do” I panicked and he frowned “Are you hurt?” I shook my head as I took a deep breath praying that I didn’t scare Liam away, I opened my eyes and they flashed their new pink shade and I heard Liam’s heartbeat increasing.

“Liam I’m scared” I mumbled and he wrapped his arms around me, making me feel secure “No, don’t worry, we’ll… we’ll figure something out” he blurted out as I hold him tighter “I’m loosing control and I don’t know what to do, I don’t wanna hurt you guys” I sobbed in his chest “I know you don’t, but we have to get to class” he said and I nodded as I entered to the classroom along with Liam, who excused us with the teacher saying that I wasn’t feeling good so he took me to the infirmary, luckily for us the teacher understood and let us in.

The next few days Liam and I spent as many time as we could researching about what was happening to me, both of us staying late at night, nobody thought too much about it, they just thought we were trying to get to know each other, but as days went by Isaac seemed quite irritated of how much time I was spending with Liam.

Today was no exception, Liam and I decided to sit on a table far away from the others to study the books we had picked up from the supernatural library, we sat beside each other, books scattered all around the table, reading carefully each and every chapter.

But suddenly I felt a strong twinge of anger and jealousy in my stomach, I looked up from all the books to see Isaac coming towards us as he glared angrily at Liam “May I know why you’re with him?” He spat switching his gaze between the both of us.

“Isaac calm down” I mumbled nervously “It’s not that big of a deal” I said calmly but that sent him over the edge

“No, Ana! I’m sick of this! I’m sick of you leaving with him all the time, and when you come back you reek of him! What is so important you have to spent every time with him?!” I couldn’t help it and stood up angrily

“What’s your deal Isaac?! You’re my mate, but that doesn’t mean I can’t have friends! You complain about being always with Liam but you seem to forget I’m always with you!” I spat feeling Liam taking my hand in his trying to calm me down as he felt my chemo-signals rising with anger.

“Ana, breath” he whispered in my ear and Isaac seemed to be even more angry when he saw Liam’s hand above mine “You better take your hand off hers before I rip it off” he hissed through his teeth.

At that moment I’m not really sure what came over me but anger boiled inside me and my fangs showed as also my eyes and I tried to jump over Isaac but Liam stopped me by holding me down, Isaac seemed taken back as Liam struggled to keep me in place.

The pack rushed over to the three of us and Scott spoke “Guys, get her out of here. Now” both boys nodded as they hurried to leave the cafeteria as I let out loud animalistic growls.

“What’s happening?” Isaac panicked as he saw me wolfing out almost completely, I was behaving like betas on their first full moon or even worst “Stop panicking and help me chain her!” He said and Isaac snapped out of his panic moment as he shook his head. “No! Stop you’re hurting her!” Isaac said rushing over to me as he pushed Liam away from me when he heard my animalistic cries and whimpers trying to break free.

He broke the chains and Liam looked at him with his eyes wide open in disbelief “ARE YOU CRAZY?!” He yelled but Isaac ignored him as he cupped my face in his hands

“Baby… baby, look at me” he pleaded as I kept squirming around in despair, scratching him as much as I could, but even though he seemed to get really hurt by my actions he managed to held my head in place long enough for me to see his glowing amber orbs.

When I saw him something just clicked, my breathing was back to normal but my eyes kept glowing intensively “It’s me… Isaac, remember?” He mumbled and I stared into his blue watery eyes, I blinked and examined his face carefully.

“Isaac” I breathed out and he smiled widely in relief ‘Yes! Yes, it’s me!“ He said cheerfully and then I noticed each and every scratch on his face and body, I looked at my clothes were I could smell his blood “Oh my god” I said looking between us both “What did I do to you?” I asked him as I nuzzle his wounds with my fingertips, when I noticed Liam I frowned “You were supposed to keep him away from me until we discovered how to control this!” I said and Liam flickered

“Ana, your feet are on fire again” he said and I took a deep breath and the flames were gone

“Why didn’t you told me about this?” Isaac said stepping closer “Because not even I know what did is!” I exclaimed and Isaac grabbed me by the arms “Ana, you’re part of us now, you have a pack, and that means you have to tell us what happens to you” he reasoned with me as I looked at the ground embarrassed

(…)

“We need to call her mom, she’s a witch, she has to know something” Jo suggested, everyone looked at each other before agreeing with this idea “I need to point out something first” Malia said looking at Jo and Scott who furrowed their eyebrows “If I have to stay here another minute, you two need to control your arousal because it’s making me sick” she said with annoyance and Scott scratched the back of his head while Jo glared at her deadly.

“Speaking of that can I talk to you? Alone?” Scott asked quietly and Jo nodded as they headed to Scott’s room, ones they were both

“So what’s up?” Jo asked with a hint of awkwardness and curiosity in her voice

“I wanted to talk to you about the kiss…” he trailed off nervously and Jo opened her eyes widely

“Oh…” she said feeling her cheeks heat up as Scott looked up in her eyes, his eyes opened in realization

“No, no!” He said hurriedly “I didn’t meant it that way, it was good!” He said with an awkward smile on his face “Great actually…” he mumbled loud enough for Jo to hear him, her cheeks heated a little more as she chuckled

“Oh god, let me start over” he said taking a deep breath “I…” he started off staring into the her deep blue orbs that made her heart melt “Want to know…” She nodded allowing him to continue as he tried to find the right words “If you want that kiss to be something else” he finished his sentence and Jo couldn’t help but laugh at Scott’s clumsiness

“You mean, if I want to be your girlfriend?” She asked hopefully and Scott scratched his head, an embarrassment smile dancing upon his lips

“Yeah… that” he chuckled and she smiled at him sweetly before placing a playful peck on his cheek before leaving the room.

“Oh honey” Ana’s mom said as she grabbed her daughter in her protective embrace “Let me see it” she asked and she nodded before flashing her pink eyes, her mother gasped at the side “It can’t be…” she breathed out, Ana’s heart skipped a beat

“Mom what is it?” She urged but instead her mom brought her daughter’s wrist to her lips and whispered in what seemed to be Greek “káfsi lýkos” moments after a flame locked in a triangle appeared on her wrist as if it had been there the whole time

“What is that?!” Ana panicked and her mother held her by the arms keeping her in place and allowing her to look into her daughter’s eyes

“I need to tell you something, but you need to calm down first” she said calmly and Ana took a few deep breaths, when she was finally calm enough her mom sat down with her in the living room

“A long time ago, they were what we use to call guardians in our villages, they were four wolfs, each one of them represented and controlled one element. Water, Earth, Wind and…”

“Fire” the brunette cut her off remembering the flames that came up from her feet before, she nodded sadly

“They could be identified by there marks that could only be shown to the ones who knew how to unlock them”

“What did you said that unlock my mark?” Ana asked with curiosity

“Burning wolf” she said knowingly “I need to tell you all of you something” she said and all of the pack they gathered around sitting in the living room, Isaac and Liam on either sides of you.

“Ages ago the guardians died and it was rumored they would reborn using the body of four witches that would later become werewolves, and when you were born you started developing fire powers” Ana’s eyes widen in shock as she looked at the mark on her wrist “Your eyes sometimes flashed the same color they are now” she confessed “That’s why when you became a werewolf I snapped”

Without really knowing what she should do Ana covered her mouth with both hands, a few lonely tears streaming down her cheeks “Oh god”

“Ana you need to know that if your powers appeared it means that it won’t be long until they start looking for you” she claimed carefully, and as the girl was about to speak, she abruptly stopped when she felt an agonizing pain in her head, she instinctively held her head with both hands as she began to groan and yelp, her mate rushing over to her.

They were some many voices inside her head, all of them talking at the same time, calling for her, torturing her. Several images popped inside her head.

A highway, cars, the woods, a bonfire, all of that hitting her at the same time, overwhelming her.

“GET OUT OF MY HEAD” she screamed in pain, everyone tried to make her snap out of it, but it was no use, the connection between the guardians was too strong, she soon passed out

“You’re finally awake” a soft voice said, then a girl appeared.

She had blonde curly hair that was just above her neck, her almond brown eyes glowed.

The Earth Wolf

She smiled as the brunette inspected the place

“Were are we?” She asked defensively “Inside your head, I wanted to talk to you alone” she replied simply “About what?” She spat “Just to tell you we are coming” “I don’t want you to come, I already have a pack! Stay away from me” the blonde girl got closer to Ana, her expression was completely blank

“This is who you are now” she said and disappeared, waking Ana up as she gasped for air, her heart speeding at the dangerous pace. Jo was there, looking at her with relief

“They’re coming” she gasped “The guardians are coming”.

[ecotone99]

[MS] A Snowfall's Story

Melissa woke up with a start. Clearly, she had thought that the nightmares had stopped. But no, this time it seemed all the more real and scarier. The baby lying on the snow, wrapped in a white sheet, beckoning to her, “Mama,mama” and then a car rushed over it. That roughly triangular shaped birthmark on the right cheek was prominent too. Melissa knew that her imagining of hypothetical situations had led to her creepy and spine chilling nightmares. She switched on her phone and checked the time. Date – 25th December, Time- 10:14 AM, Temperature- -4 degree Celsius, Weather – Heavy snow. Just like that day. She was dripping in sweat. She started to feel claustrophobic but somehow calmed herself down. The guilt would never leave her body and soul. But she was sure that someone had found her. Someone had to otherwise she would be punished in hell. It wasn’t her fault. She was exhausted and drowsy and she did it impulsively. She was still sorry for it. It was just impossible for her to keep up with everything at once. She started to feel tired all the time. She couldn’t do it all alone. Even Scott left her alone during that time. She still cannot believe how heartless he had been. He showed no sympathy towards her, not even the baby as if it wasn’t his baby as well. He left just like that without any concrete reason. After Scott left, Melissa started working as a night cleaner at a hotel so she could take care of her baby all day. But she still didn’t feel free at work and remained anxious wondering what if Pug woke up. Pug, yes, that’s what she used to call her. She never thought of a name for her, just a nickname. It seems odd to her now. She came out of the shower and the cold hit her. She looked out of the window. The streets were all covered with snow. No one was out but she looked at the opposite building and could see most of the apartments decorated with lights, Christmas trees, plastic stars, etc. As she lived in the last apartment of the second floor, she even got a good view of the neighbourhood. The street was decorated too. There was an atmosphere of merriment all around but nothing could cure her misery. She looked around her apartment. It seemed all gloomy with wallpaper peeling off, old furniture, a broken bulb and clothes all around. She put the towel on the creaky sofa and changed into a sweatshirt and sweatpants. She didn’t care to keep her apartment tidy. The clothes she took off at 7:30 AM after returning from work remained bundled up at one side of the bed. She sat down on her bed to eat some cereal and switched on the TV. The doorbell rang. She looked at the time on her phone, 11:27 AM. Who could it be? Perplexed, she went to open the door and as she opened the door she wished her eyes were telling lies. It was Courtney, after all these years. Standing there and smiling with a basket of cookies in her hands. Her past demons have decided to haunt her back today. She stood there dumbfounded with an inability to move. “How are you, sweetie?”, Courtney exclaimed and hugged her tight. So tight that Melissa could feel her nails digging in her back. “I missed you so much. It has been so long. Why didn’t you and Pug come to visit me even once in the last like what, five years?”, Courtney said in a loud voice. “Oh, you know I’ve been busy.” How could she tell her that she was actually afraid to visit her. “Of course, you’re a mother of a five year old.” Courtney started to look around the apartment and peeked inside the bedroom once. She touched the furniture and the curtains and seemed like an investigator. “Would you like some coffee?”, Melissa asked unwillingly. She felt uneasy in her presence. She wanted her to leave as soon as possible. “Oh yes. The usual, you know. Coffee with no sugar.” “Right.” “Where’s Pug?” “She’s at her Dad’s place.”, After impulsively saying this, Melissa realised the blunder she had made. “Scott, really?” Melissa took a few seconds to conjure up a story. “Yeah, actually Scott redeemed himself last year. Seems like he missed Pug a lot. He really loves and cares about Pug, you know. He visits us at least twice in a month.”, Melissa completed her story and wished that Courtney would believe it. Courtney remained silent for a few moments and then said, “You still call her Pug?” “Oh yes. I mean no. I gave her a name, it’s Whitney. I named her after my favourite singer, you know. But her nickname’s still Pug.” Courtney nodded. The once best friends sat down sipping coffee in the bedroom. “Your house really doesn’t look like that a kid lives in it. No toys or kid’s clothes. Just your stuff everywhere.”, Courtney said looking around. “Errm...”, Melissa started but was interrupted by Courtney. “What? Got them all stacked up like skeletons in your closet?” Melissa looked at Courtney and tried to read her expressions. Was she taunting? Was she being serious? Did she know something? “Oh my God! You got all worked up. I was just kidding.”, Courtney let out a raucous laugh. “Snows quite a lot in Williamsburg. Parking my car was so hectic. It doesn’t snow this much in Manhattan or does it? But I don’t know, I haven’t lived in there since 2012. September of 2012. I remember when I used to live in Manhattan; you two would so often hang around in my house. Pug loved me so much. I think she liked my place more. Then I moved to Connecticut and ya’ll forgot me. Hey, remember the Christmas of 2012. That was the first and the last time you two visited me in Connecticut. Pug was so happy that day. She kept on laughing and cycling her legs. I loved her so much. She loved me too. I wished she were my daughter.” Melissa listened to Courtney’s recollection of the Christmas of 2012 and started to feel guilty again. “Hey, do you remember that church near my house?”, Courtney asked with a strange malignant voice. “Wha... What church?”, Melissa said agitatedly. “Oh, you might’ve not noticed but it’s a pretty big church. Recently, I became friends with a nun there and if you and Pug would like to come around I’ll take you two there. The nun, she loves children and knows all the stories from the Bible and narrates them to the kids. Pug would really like her.” Melissa received a call on her phone. “Oh, yes... no of course I haven’t forgotten. I’ll see you in half an hour. Bye.” Courtney could see there was no caller ID on the mobile screen from the gap between the phone and Melissa’s ear and smiled a lopsided grin. “Well, I see you’ve got to be somewhere in thirty minutes so I’ll be leaving.”, Courtney couldn’t hide her sarcastic tone while saying this. Melissa heaved a sigh of relief but didn’t make it look obvious. As Courtney was putting on her coat, Melissa said, “Pug and I would be surely visiting you next year.” Courtney was waiting for a statement like this from Melissa. “You insolent fool.”, Courtney shouted at the top of her voice. Melissa was taken aback but then gathered up some courage and mumbled a few words ,”Wh... Why are you shouting Court?” “Oh, you’re asking me why am I shouting?” “I... I don’t understand.” “Oh, you don’t understand. Are you still gonna pretend that Pug is alive and lives with you?” Melissa stood there dazed, eyes bulging out and kept mumbling “This can’t be true” under her breath. “How could you be so ruthless? Huh? Tell me.” “I... I... you don’t understand.”, Melissa tried to compose sentences but all that came out were half finished words. “What don’t I understand? That you’re a monster who killed her own daughter.” “I did not kill her.” “Please, Melissa. You did. Involuntary but it was murder. You murdered your daughter. You’re a murderer.” “No... I... please.”, Melissa started sobbing. “What were you even thinking when you left her there like that? Tell me.” “Listen Court. You’ll have to listen to me carefully. You have to understand me...” “I don’t have time for your drama. Just tell me the truth.” “I was only twenty-one when I became pregnant, you know. I thought it wouldn’t be that hard and Scott promised he would be always there to help me. When Pug was born, I realised how difficult it is to be a mother. All that nagging, crying, running around, sleepless nights and then Scott left too and I had to apply for a job. I remained frustrated and tired all day. I just couldn’t take it anymore. That is why... that is why I left her there in front of the church thinking... thinking that someone would find her and take her.” Melissa stopped and looked at Courtney’s face to find signs of sympathy and pity but there were none. “Oh, so you thought that someone would find her. Well, let me tell you the truth. I found her but when I did, she was already dead. You left my house at around 8 o’ clock that evening. At around 10 o’ clock in the night it had started snowing heavily and the temperature fell back to negative degrees. That is when I discovered that my room heater wasn’t working and so I decided to go to the local electronics’ store and see if I could find someone who could fix it. The store is situated at the lane just opposite of the church. It was closed but then I noticed something lying on the ground covered in snow in front of the church. I went near it and was astonished beyond limit to find out it was Pug. She was cold as ice, her skin pale and blue, her eyes were closed and she was as stiff as a wooden plank. I rushed her to the hospital immediately but she was declared dead then and there. I couldn’t believe it. I pressed her close to my chest and tried to transfer some warmth to her. Then I went to the cemetery and buried her with my own hands... with my own hands. The baby I loved so much, you made me see death come upon her face. Oh, how I despise you.” Melissa broke down and started wailing loudly, cursing herself. She pulled her hair, scratched the floor and looked like a total savage. “How could you be so cold-blooded? She was only eight months old for God’s sake. I can’t even imagine that a heartless person like you used to be my friend once. I wish you were dead instead of her.”, Courtney said with a severe abhor in her voice. “Do you want to know the purpose of my visiting you today? I just came here to remind you of the dirt you did. It seemed like you had forgotten about it. You know, I waited for you to come back, realising the horrible crime you committed. But you never came back. You called me and chatted with me like everything was good and the same. You kept on lying about Pug doing this and that. Ugh, you atrocious woman. You kept on enjoying life wh... “, Courtney was cut short. “No I didn’t keep on enjoying life.”, Melissa said with a firm voice. “I have been living in fear and guilt all these years. Can’t you see? I live a desolate life. I don’t socialize. It’s just the job and this apartment. I am terrified to go far away, afraid of being caught. I thought leaving Pug there would give me back my freedom. But I got more imprisoned than before. Every person I interacted with, I felt that they knew something about what I did and would get me arrested. I started drifting away from my colleagues and then stopped socializing at all. I started suffering from insomnia and horrific nightmares kept me from sleeping. I’m just dying each day by day...” “It would be so good for you if you just didn’t exist anymore, won’t it be? I don’t mean it in a bad way. But look at yourself. As thin as a stick, living like a ghost, alone in this apartment. No one would even notice if you just go away one day. What’s the purpose of leading such a life?”, Courtney said trying to accomplish her plan. Melissa looked at Courtney, astonished but gradually understood the veracity of the statement. Her life was a mess, that’s clear. What’s the point of going on with her life? If she were dead she would be free from all the awful guilt and loneliness and she might also get the chance of reconciling with her daughter. “Yes, you’re right. Death is the only option left.”, Saying this, Melissa went into the kitchen. After a minute or two, she came out with a rope in her hands. Her face was expressionless and there was a vacant stare in her eyes. She went into the bedroom and placed a stool on the bed and stood over it and started tying the rope to the fan. “No, you don’t have to do this.”, Courtney said half-heartedly. “I’ve nowhere else to go so I’ll just leave this world. If you don’t want to be here then leave.”, Melissa said almost breaking down. Melissa looked like a human puppet whose strings were being controlled by Courtney’s firm and fierce eyes. Courtney didn’t try to stop her and kept on watching as if it was deem necessary to witness everything that was going to happen. Melissa put the rope around her neck and pushed down the stool. Her eyes rolled up and her tongue came out. Courtney almost threw up and got out of the bedroom to avert her eyes from the awful situation. She took away the two cups and washed them thoroughly and wiped them dry and put them back in the shelves because first of all she didn’t want anyone to suspect that she visited Melissa today and second of all a person who had been so depressed as to commit suicide wouldn’t care to have a cup of coffee in the morning. There was a bowl of cereal in the basin. Most of the cereal was still in it. Yes, the perfect sign of depression and anorexia. She took a cloth and started to wipe off every possible fingerprints and footprints from the floor, furniture, etc. She didn’t for once look at Melissa in the bedroom. She put on her coat, her winter cap and gloves and took away the basket of cookies while leaving. She checked in the hallway. No one was out; no one saw her leaving Melissa’s apartment. While ascending down the stairs, she removed the gift card from the basket and dumped the basket in a dust bin on the street. She got into her car and drove away. She knew what she was starting to feel like. She felt like a legit murderer. But she didn’t care ‘cause she had avenged Pug today. She took a deep breath, pushed out the thought and focused on the road instead. She reached her house at around 4 o’ clock. “Chrissy, where are you?”, Courtney called out. She noticed Chrissy sitting on the porch swing outside. She went out and saw her eating the fruit cake she had baked yesterday. Courtney sat beside her and brushed off some of the crust from the roughly triangular shaped birth mark on her right cheek and then kissed her. “I avenged you today, hon.”, Courtney said with some tears at the corner of her eyes. Chrissy didn’t understand the statement and remained silent. Seeing her scantily dressed, Courtney asked concerned, “Don’t you feel cold?” “No.”, Chrissy replied instantly. Courtney smiled and said, “Of course, you don’t.” “You’re a fighter, you know. You’ve caused miracles. You fought pneumonia at such a small age.”, Courtney said after a pause. “You always say that but I don’t understand what it means, Mum.”, Chrissy said and made a cute angry face. Courtney pulled Chrissy into her arms and made her sit on her lap and rested her head upon hers and said, “You were always supposed to be mine.” and a lone tear escaped her eyes. They sat there silently, staring in the distance until snow decided to fall on them again.

THE END

Author Message - This story was written by me. It hasn't been copied from anywhere.

submitted by /u/idyllic_killer [link] [comments] via Blogger https://ift.tt/2CFEyua

[louismirage]

Dark In The Day~ Chapter 5

Love, you left me haunted. Love, I’m just a shadow now.

Sometimes the darkest of them deserve a second chance.

~Chapter 5

A loud guitar riff filled the car as the driver lowered the window to let air into the car. The beat of the drums quickly followed, making the man let a lopsided smile slip onto his face. Soon he started bobbing his head up and down and singing along Bon Scott, going over a hundred miles per hour on the highway. He loved being dramatic, drama was what he lived for. He sped up as he sang Highway To Hell at the top of his lungs, suddenly having the urge to go home with that song as his theme song. Have the gates to hell open and descend over a hundred miles per hour like a total diva. But he would leave that for his Juniper. His lovely boy waiting for him back home.

His green eyes focused on a golden glow a few miles away, making him speed up more. When he was a few hundred feet from Michael, he moved the steering wheel to the left, barely grazing one of his wings with the vehicle. He slowed down until he came to a full stop on the side of the road, singing as he patiently waited. When the song was over is when he allowed himself to look out the window and give the archangel his undivided attention.

Michael stepped back and motioned for him to get out with a tilt of his head. He rolled his eyes, lowered the volume down, and turned the car off before he stepped out. He made sure to shut the door and lock the car before he started following Michael. He caught up to him on a spot where they could see the town below them. The town lights looked beautiful in the dead of night.

“How have you been, Lucifer?” Michael broke the silence.

“Great. I think I’m ready to go home.” Lucifer focused his green eyes on a big sign that read one of the many verses from the bible.

“Come, ye children, hearken to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.”

Lucifer swallowed thickly, fighting the urge to burn the whole town down to the ground. He wanted nothing more than to see ashes instead of buildings.

“No child was conceived tonight. There’s no reason to take his life now.” Lucifer looked at Michael, expecting an explanation that he knew would never come. “You and Harry are supposed to be long gone. His rotten soul is in the pits of Hell...going through the vile act he was intending to do. I personally made sure Juniper dragged him down. How does a red hot metal rod up the ass sound? Thought of it myself.”

“The patterns changed.” Michael spoke up, saying no more after that. He ignored Lucifer’s forms of punishment when his nature was that of a protector, a savior.

There was a long pause full of tension when it had been a long time since they had actually interacted. They stared down at the town, until Lucifer started getting tired of standing there.

“Look,” He turned to look at Michael. “I did what you asked me to do. Now do your part of the deal and take Harry back up there. I will be going home and none of us will ever speak of this again...or see each other.”

“I can’t do that.” Michael spoke up, his deep voice reaching Lucifer’s ears, and his gaze set on that one house. That small house. “God’s children are still at risk. It isn’t over yet.”

Michael stared at the house, unable to look away until Lucifer’s laugh brought him out of his trance-like moment.

“What!?” Lucifer tried to stop laughing as he looked between Michael and the house. “Are you regretting it? After twenty one years, you’re regretting it?” He giggled. “You’re a weak piece of shit.”

When Michael stayed quiet, Lucifer kept talking.

“You’re all weak pieces of shit!” He shouted. “I wouldn’t have given a shit about Him! I would have gone back to claim what was mine. Because of you, this is happening now. I offered you a place for them to stay. This wasn’t just for humanity, it was for him too. It’s been twenty one years, Michael. Let him be...leave him alone.”

Michael closed his eyes and opened them again, trying to will the tears away. He looked at Lucifer, a being so identical to Harry, but completely different.

Harry was merciful. Lucifer was cruel.

“I did it to protect them.” Michael finally spoke up.

“I did it to protect them.” Lucifer mimicked him, fisting his hands to mockingly rub at his eyes as if he was crying. “Boo hoo hoo, look at poor ol’ me. I had no problem sinning, but I did when it came to manning up and be responsible. Get over it, Mikey. You fucked everything up fo-”

“ENOUGH!” Michael shouted.

“You know what? Fuck you! I am going home. Fuck all of you.” Lucifer glared at him, but made no move to leave.

“I fell in love.” Michael confessed. “I couldn’t stay. We don’t belong here. I made a mistake and I tried to right it.”

“You can not right shit like that, Michael.” Lucifer spat. “Even I would have stayed. And you know what they say about me. I am cruel.”

“You’re a monster.” Michael said. “They like to blame you for everything.”

“I know that, but you know I don’t sit on their shoulder and tell them to fuck up their lives. They like to use me to make themselves feel better and that...that’s exactly what you did. You let Him ingrain it into your brain. It wasn’t my fault you were weak.”

“Trust me. I've spent the last twenty one years wishing I could tell you none of it was your fault. I fell in love, I didn't know something like that would happen. I made a huge mistake, but staying would have been a bigger one. We were never going to have peace.” Michael explained, knowing he hadn't convinced Lucifer when he saw him shaking his head.

“You could have. Your loyalty was and has always been to Him, not to her who deserved it. You failed her, just so you didn't have to fail Him.” Lucifer looked back down at the town from where they were standing on top of the hill. “You are weak, Michael.”

“I won't be anymore. That's why I need your help.” Michael begged. “The patterns were changed and it has started. When He's done with humanity, He'll go after you and your world. I’m trying to stop a catastrophe and it won’t be long before He figures it out.”

Lucifer thought it long and hard. He weighed the pros and cons over helping Michael do something as crazy as he wanted to. It might not even work and they would all have to face His fury. But if it did, Juniper and his home would be left alone.

“What happens to Harry after?” Lucifer asked. “When he fully surrenders to temptation.”

“That doesn't matter.” Michael sighed.

“It does matter!” Lucifer exclaimed.

Michael looked at Lucifer and a small smile slowly formed on his lips, but it was gone before Lucifer could blink again.

“You care about him after all. You've been lying this whole time.” Michael accused him.

“He's my brother, he never stopped being it, even after he did nothing to help me and much less follow me.” Lucifer glared up at the sky.

“Offer him a place to stay.” Michael shrugged. He looked at Lucifer when he started laughing.

“Family reunion.” Lucifer giggled. “I quite like the sound of that. Just imagine, Mikey. I’m gonna have to clear out my home from those wretched souls. They don’t deserve to be near something as pure as Harry’s-”

“Are you going to help me or not?” Michael interrupted him.

“What’s in it for me?” Lucifer asked.

“Juniper. When all of this is over, we’ll have no choice but to go after you.” Michael decided to tell him the truth. “His whole legion.”

“As long as you make sure Harry’s not forced to choose. As long as you make sure he’s not forced to make sacrifices.” Lucifer said, looking at Michael with sad eyes. He almost looked like Harry. “He and Juniper are all I have, I won’t let any of you hurt them. And if you tell Harry I actually give a shit about him, I will personally cut your tongue off.”

“You have my word.” Michael said sincerely.

He would make sure history didn’t repeat itself. Lucifer nodded and walked away to his car, starting it and putting miles between them. Michael looked up at the sky when he felt the first drops of water. When he touched the metal tracker around his neck, he wished he had done something about it back then. But he wasn’t who he used to be twenty one years ago. He still had time to save the human race, His Father’s children.

~*~

It had been exactly an hour since Harry had brought Louis to his apartment, and the boy was yet to react. Louis was laying down on his bed, while he was sitting on a chair. Harry had covered the boy with his blanket to keep him warm when Louis had started shaking. He knew he had to take Louis home and that Jay was probably already worried out of her mind.

“Louis?” Harry finally spoke up, his heart breaking when Louis whimpered. “I have to take you home. Your mom’s probably worried sick that you’re not back yet.”

“C– Can I shower first?” Louis asked with a small voice. “I feel dirty.” He whispered.

If Harry didn’t have great hearing, he wouldn’t have been able to hear that last part. It broke his heart.

Harry swallowed thickly and slowly got up to look for clothes for Louis. He found a pair of sweatpants, and a longsleeved shirt. He then grabbed one of the brand new boxers he had gotten and hadn't used at all. He walked up to a door and walked into the small bathroom, leaving the clothes on the sink then grabbed his extra clean towel from the cabinet.

When he walked back into the bedroom area, Louis was still in the same position, staring at nothing in particular. He was just lost in his own world, wondering why bad things happened to him all the time. Now he was starting to believe his mother. God had forgotten about them.

“Do you need help?” Harry asked him, bringing Louis out of his trance.

Louis slowly got up and made his way to the bathroom, feeling Harry’s gaze on him. As soon as he was in there, he closed and locked the door before leaning his body against it. He was fast to turn the water on and take his clothes off. He looked at himself in the mirror and noticed his bruised arms and the bruises on his hips when Chris had held him down. The thought of Chris made him let out a sob when he remembered how they had left him. Chris was a bad person, but he didn’t deserve to be left alone like that. Louis cried the whole entire time he showered.

When he got out of the bathroom he found Harry setting a plate full of food on the table. The soup was warm and it smelled delicious, something that had Louis’ mouth watering when he hadn’t eaten anything at all since lunch time.

“I made you something to eat. Come eat it before it goes cold.” Harry pulled back the chair, letting Louis take his time to actually walk up to him and take a seat.

When he was sitting down, Harry walked up to a cabinet and grabbed a glass then the apple juice from the fridge. He found Louis eating the soup a little too fast, but he said nothing when there was nothing to say. By the time Harry set the glass down on his tiny table, Louis was halfway done with his meal. He busied himself with putting away the dishes he had done that morning, looking up when Louis got up with the plate and glass in his hands.

“Just put them in the sink, I’ll do them later.” Harry said.

“I can do them.” Louis told him, not letting Harry say or do anything else when he started washing them.

Harry could see how bad Louis’ hands were shaking, and it was killing him to know that if he hadn’t let Gabriel distract him, then none of that would be happening. He wanted to apologize, but he didn’t even know how to start without making Louis remember.

“Could you please drive me home?” Louis asked, startling Harry. “I don’t want to walk.”

“Of course!” Harry finished putting the dishes away, then grabbed a jacket and gave it to Louis who refused to take it. “You just took a shower and it’s chilly outside. You’re going to get sick.”

Louis didn’t say anything after that, he just let Harry guide him to the car and open the door for him. The ride there was silent between them, but the radio was playing an unknown song. The heat was on full blast to keep Louis warm, who had his arms wrapped around himself.

“We should have called the police.” Louis spoke up.

“I called them.” Harry lied, knowing very well that either Michael or someone else had taken care of it.

“They’re going to know it was my fault.” Louis started panicking, and when he started shaking, Harry pulled over on the side of the road.

He grabbed Louis’ hand in his and made sure to look him right in the eyes.

“It wasn’t your fault, Louis. He attacked you and what happened was an accident.” He told him as Louis cried. “I’m sorry I wasn’t on time. I’m so sorry.”

“I thought something bad had happened to you. I was worrying and then he came out of nowhere. He…” Louis trailed off, trying to erase those memories from his head.

“He won’t bother you anymore.” Harry placed his hand on Louis’ cheek, rubbing small circles with his thumb. “I should get you home. Your mom is probably worried sick.” Harry let go of him and Louis found himself missing his touch.

When they arrived to Louis’ house, the porch light was on and Jay was sitting outside with Lottie next to her. They sat up as soon as they saw Harry’s car pulling into their driveway. Harry made Louis put the hoodie of the jacket over his head then got out of the car and jogged around it to open the door for Louis. He held onto his hand and helped him out, then walked him towards the porch where Jay was waiting, having sent Lottie inside.

“Mom.” Louis said before he couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst out crying.

Jay wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight against her chest, giving him the comfort that only a mother could give her child. Jay’s eyes full of fear made contact with Harry’s kind green eyes, letting the man guide her and her son inside. Harry looked behind him, focusing his gaze near a few trees where he was the only one who could see the golden glow and those blue eyes full of sorrow. He looked away and closed the door once he was inside.

“What happened?” Jay asked Harry after she had made Louis sit down on the couch and she sat next to him

She ignored Harry when Louis wrapped his arms around her stomach and hid his face on her chest, trying to escape the cruel world he lived in. He refused to let go of her, even when his sisters walked in and huddled together, unable to do anything but watch their brother holding onto their mother.

“Lottie?” Harry slowly walked up to her, feeling bad when he saw the unshed tears in her eyes she refused to let fall and roll down her face. At such a young age, she had learned it didn’t do good to cry. “You should take your sisters upstairs. He’ll be okay.”

“What happened?” She asked as she ignored his request.

“It’s not my place to tell you.” Harry told her, out of respect for Louis when he could see the blue eyed boy couldn’t even bring himself to tell his mother he had been attacked in the most vile way.

Lottie let it go and with Fizzy’s help, she convinced the twins to go upstairs after she had promised them to let them sleep with them. Harry watched them go until they disappeared from his sight, then turned to look at Louis and his mother. He found her staring at him with tears in her eyes as she rubbed her son’s back and tried to calm him down.

She looked away and Harry stayed where he was, not moving when Jay took Louis upstairs, not even as she made him tea. She offered the cup to him with shaky hands and Harry thanked her, giving her a kind grateful smile.

“He told me what happened.” Jay took a seat next to him, leaving a few inches of space between them. “Thank you.” She looked at him, wondering what they had done for life to bring someone like Harry into their lives.

“It was my fault...I– I was late to pick him up. I’m sorry.” Harry looked down at his still full cup of chamomile tea.

“The world is full of cruel people, Harry. Don’t blame yourself..” Jay told him. “He doesn’t want to do anything against that man. There’s really nothing to do, nothing will be done to make him pay.”

“Everybody will face judgement one day.” Harry said, remembering the way his own brother had dragged that soul down to hell where he would remain for eternity, facing punishment over and over for eternity.

“Its getting late...I should go.” Harry drank the rest of the tea and then got up at the same time Jay did.

He insisted on washing the cup so Jay didn’t have to do it.

“I’ll come by tomorrow to see how he’s doing.” He told her before leaving, having let her walk him to the door.

Jay watched him go and when he was gone, she walked back inside and into the kitchen where she grabbed her cup of tea. She drank from it and had to spit it out in the sink when the liquid burned her tongue. He looked at it and then at the now clean cup Harry had used. Her eyebrows furrowed before her face relaxed and she let out a loud sigh. She guessed people tolerated hot temperatures differently.

She got rid of the rest of her tea then made her way upstairs, going to check on her daughters who were all sleeping in Lottie’s and Fizzy’s bedroom. He slowly walked up to Louis’ door where she could hear him crying. She rested her head against the door, wishing she could take his pain away. She wished she could erase those memories from his head. She opened the door and made her way in and straight to the bed where she laid down next to him, wrapping her arms around her child.

“Shh, it's okay. Everything's going to be okay, darling.” Jay rubbed her back. “I’m here, and no one will ever try to hurt you again. As long as I’m here, no one’s ever going to lay a finger on you.” She kissed his forehead and wiped away his tears before laying her head back on the pillow already wet with Louis’ tears.

Louis fell asleep soon after while Jay looked out at the black sky through the window. It wasn’t long before she closed her eyes and let sleep take over. She never let go of Louis.

~*~

When Harry finally made it to his house, he stood at the door, trying to clear his head. After standing there for more than necessary, he unlocked the door and walked into his temporary home. He was tired, but he needed to find Michael, the archangel owed him an explanation. He was confused, and he didn’t know what was the next step. He didn’t know if it was time to go back home and accept that he had failed his Father.

“I know you’re there.” Harry spoke up when he felt his presence, turning around to face the archangel hiding in the shadows.

“I told you I would come find you.” Michael stepped out from the shadows, wings nowhere to be seen. Just like Harry’s.

“What was that?” Harry asked after a long minute of silence, one filled with tension.

“The patterns changed, you’re not going home yet.” Michael said as he looked around the small studio apartment.

“I– I can’t cause his death. I won’t do it. I don’t care if He casts me out for disobeying. I can’t do that to him.” Harry’s voice trembled. “He won’t conceive a child, and there’s no chance for humanity now. That’s what Father wanted.” He desperately said as his wings slowly made an appearance for the first time in days.

They were sore and they hurt his back as they stretched, still having to hold them back to some extent when the room wasn’t big enough. They were long and heavy but beautiful, glowing golden and quickly illuminating the small apartment. Harry could finally be his true self after many long days.

It was that moment when Michael could see the difference between identical brothers. Harry’s hair was short and his green eyes were kind. He was wearing jeans and a white button up while Lucifer wore nothing but expensive black suits or leather jackets. His hair was down to his shoulders and his eyes were an eerie green, nothing but cold and cruel.

“He hasn’t sent his Legion yet, and we still have time.” Michael explained.

“Michael, there’s no time!” Harry exclaimed. “We shouldn’t intervene. The world is a rotten place, you’ve seen it with your own eyes. W– We both were witnesses to it just a few hours ago! Most of them don’t deserve a second chance. Father’s right. Why should Louis’ child guide them back to the right path when most of them are rotten. Why should Louis and his family have to suffer. You know there’s a place for them at home. They will be better off there.”

“Do you care so little about their well being?” Michael asked. “Are they not good enough anymore?”

“This is what He wants and I won’t go against his wishes. They lost their way, Michael. And if He wishes to wipe them all out, then it will happen whether we like it or not.” Harry tried to convince him, but mostly it was himself who he had to convince when he had seen enough.

“He chose them as the object of His love! And Lucifer, Gabriel, you and I were the first to bow down before them. He told us to love them.” Michael took a step forward, stopping when Harry stepped back. “We can’t turn our backs on them, brother. They need us, they’re just lost.”

“They’ve done enough.” Harry stepped back, trying to erase everything he had seen during his stay there. He didn’t want to think about what had almost happened to Louis. “They’re worse than Lucifer. Even he and his demons ask for permission to enter a body, it doesn’t matter in what way but they do.”

“Don’t let the actions of a few change your views towards the rest.” Michael’s eyes burned due to the tears.

“I’ve lost faith, but at least I’ll guide the few good ones to Heaven, I’ll make sure they find a new home after everything is over.” Harry said, moving to take a seat at the foot of the bed.

“Louis doesn’t deserve to live then?” Michael asked, knowing he had gotten to him when Harry looked up instead of closing himself off like he always did.

“He doesn’t deserve to suffer at the hands of cruel people like that man. He doesn’t deserve to see his mother wasting away, or his sisters going to bed hungry.” Harry got up, letting out a frustrated growl when one of his wings caught against the wall, destroying the sheetrock

“You’re talking about a boy who will not give up. A boy that would do anything for his mother and sisters. A boy that has worked hard most of his life to provide for them. He sacrificed his childhood, his teenage years for them and we never heard him complain once. Life is cruel to him, people are cruel to him but look at him, he still wakes up everyday hoping for a better day and a better future. He has faith, Harry. That boy and others like him are the reason I still have faith in humanity.” Michael said, never losing eye contact with Harry when he needed the younger archangel to understand. “What we need to do is save them. They deserve a second chance.”

“I don’t want to fail Him again.” Harry looked down at his feet.

“You won’t. Trust me.” Michael begged. “Trust your heart to do the right thing.”

Harry looked away, not wanting Michael to see his tears. The many bad things were weighing him down, but he had to admit there were still a few good souls out there. He had seen it in that diner Louis worked at. He had seen it in Zayn and his husband Liam.

A couple that had gone through a lot to be where they were now. Zayn had one of the purest soul out there, tormented with the fact that his chances of ever giving his husband a child were slim to none. He still had hope no matter how many times the doctors would tell him it was impossible. Liam’s soul was just as pure as Zayn’s, never asking for much. Never losing hope just like his husband. Then there was Niall, who he knew volunteered in every center he could to help out those who were less fortunate. They were people who did good things every day of their lives, never expecting something in return

More tears rolled down his cheeks when he thought of Louis and how selfless he was, when he thought about his mother and sisters. He made his decision when he thought of all the people, a small number but still a few, do good things everyday to help out the less fortunate. People that woke up every day and had hope for a better life.

“I don’t want to fail Him again, but I don’t want to fail them either.” Harry looked up at the dark sky through his window.

“We won’t be the sons who will give Him what we wants, Harry. We’ll be the ones to give Him what He needs.” Michael slowly extended his wings.

“And what’s that?” Harry asked.

“His faith in humanity, His children.” Michael answered, his voice full of hope, something he couldn’t hide.

“What’s next?” Harry asked again.

“You have to protect him. That’s all you have to do.” The archangel told him, reaching out to put his hand on Harry’s cheek, making him look up at him. “No matter what.”

Harry nodded and just like that, Michael was gone. Harry quickly dried his tears and retracted his wings once again, unable to stop feeling their weight, the burden that they inflicted on him. He decided to go take a shower as he made a promise to himself. He would protect Louis and his family no matter what. He would give them hope again. That was his new reason to stay on earth.

~*~

The old digital clock struck four in the morning when he found himself in the small dark room. Michael held his hands against his chest, slowly making his way to the twin bed mother and son shared. She held her son with such strength even in her sleep, only moving when he did to accommodate herself around him. The archangel watched them for a few more seconds, then walked towards the window.

His eyes burned with tears when it was the first time in a long time he was allowed to be near her again. She was still as beautiful as that sunny day he had seen her for the first time, and his heart ached for her when she had already been through enough. She carried the burden of his choices on her shoulders.

Lucifer was right, he had been weak. Watching them, he wondered if his decision had been the right one back then. He wondered if his choices were the right ones now. Watching them made him doubt himself, but he quickly pushed those thoughts away and tried to focus on what he had to do.

He made his way to the bed again, feeling ashamed when he realized that the only beauty of a possible apocalypse was that he was finally able to be close to her again. He was finally able to get close to him. He watched the boy sleep with his blue eyes. A silent promise was directed his way. He walked around the bed to his side, careful not to make a noise, careful to stay as concealed as he could. He didn’t need his kind seeing him now, he didn’t want the sleeping humans waking up and seeing him.

He knelt down on Louis’ side and as careful as he could, he caressed his cheek. He could sense it right away, that innocence radiating off of him. Not an evil bone in his body.

“Things will get better, but in order for that to happen, they have to get worse first.” He whispered. “As long a you have faith, my child, everything will get better. It will be alright and you won’t suffer anymore.”

Michael gave him a smile, looking up startled when Jay moved and slowly sat up as she looked around the still dark room. He slowed down time and quickly got out of there, letting time continue at its normal pace as soon as he was gone. The last image of her being her looking down at her son, her expression changing from one of sorrow to one of the purest love out there. It was something he would always keep with him, deep in his heart and mind where no one would ever be able to touch it, to strip him off of it. It was safe within him.