#i just wanna enjoy my silly space time travel show man :(

[meimeikyu]

note to self stop looking at comments about recent doctor who stuff

[harryhoney-bee]

Babymoon

Summary: Harry spent the day with his three years old, but he also loves coming home to his baby mama.

Dad!h <3

word count: 1.3k

Thank you to my friend @harrystyles-tpwk for the inspiration!!

There were a lot of things Harry cherished about fatherhood: watching a little human growing, being the main safe space to someone, guiding their little love throughout life and so much more.

One thing he didn't realize until now is how kids can be little connectors to the parent's own childhood, the experiences children go through also unlock memories in the parents.

When y/n and harry decided to have a babymoon with their little family the man couldn't help but pick Holmes Chapel, they would only be in the little city for a week, traveling to France to spend the next of their vacation there.

But even with the small number of days, Harry was determined to enjoy his time with his two little loves, well, three if you count the 6-month baby in Y/n's belly. Lorenzo was his name, picked by his big sister Cecília, a sweet 3-year-old.

Y/n would describe what she thought he would look like every time before bed, she said she wanted one with the exact same eye color as hers since Cecília got his beautiful green eyes. Harry pictures Lorenzo as y/n carbon copy but with Harry's hair.

They would spend hours imagining the unborn baby and just looking at their already-made toddler. Whenever Cecília was sleeping, the couple would be tracing every line of her face, from her forehead to her chin, mesmerized by what their love had created.

Harry always wanted kids, there was no surprise by that, in the family's barbecues, he could be found playing with his little cousins. While walking in parks he would make silly faces to the children passing by.

He always knew he was supposed to be a parent, a lot of people had calls in life, Harry’s was to create better humans for the world along with y/n, a partner who happily shared his same desires with him.

"The world it's so full of people who didn't grow up with love, I’m sure it would be a better place with everyone had their attention and necessities fulfilled, and I know it's silly, but I think raising a kid it's one of the best things you can do to create a better society," Y/n said in one of their first conversations about if they would ever want kids as a couple.

"They are just small little souls, small pieces of love, there is something so beautiful about that," she continued, with so much tenderness in her eyes.

Needless to say that Harry fell more in love with her that day, proposing to her a year after.

Even though the couple was eager to have their little love soon, they also wanted to enjoy their time as a couple doing things such as traveling and creating memories only with the two of them.

Cecília came almost three years later, she was an oopsie baby, for Harry and y/n surprise. Lorenzo, however, was planned. The baby was gonna have three years and a half age cap with his sister, the couple wanted it to be less, but they struggled to get pregnant for a while.

But now y/n showing a beautiful round belly, Harry couldn't get enough of it, kissing and talking to his baby boy every time.

Even though Harry loves having time together with the whole family, he also knows the importance of having one on one time, especially now that the family dynamics were slowly changing to receive the new baby.

So that's the reason he and Cecília are spending the afternoon together in Holmes Chapel’s downtown. Cecí was sitting in front of him eating a chocolate cupcake (y/n doesn't like for her to eat that much sugar, but Harry let her since it's only for today).

"Did you know this was my favorite treat when I was a kid too, sweetheart? Harry said, eating the same cupcakes as her, "this was the same bakery I used to work at, too."

"Really daddy? Here?" Cecília asked, looking at her dad in wonder, her small hand around the small cake.

"Yeah, fun isn't it?"

"Yes, I wanna be a baker when I grow up," she said, smiling at him.

"Well, I’m sure you gonna be the best baker in this whole world," no matter how much she looked like Harry, the smile Cecília had was always totally from her mother.

"What about we go walk in the park for a bit? Do you want that?" Harry asked, they were almost finished, and the weather was perfect for an afternoon in nature.

When she was done harry was ready to leave, but her small hangs tugged at Harry's shirt, "Daddy, I wanna bring a cake to mommy and baby brother"

Harry looked down at her, taking her in his arms, "You are such a caring girl! Let's get mommy a cupcake then."

"And baby Lorenzo too, daddy!" She pouted

"He's still in mommy's tummy, Cecí, he doesn't eat like us," he tried to explain, while pointing at the different cupcakes on the counter, "what about this one? She loves strawberries!"

"This one daddy! This one!" She peeped

They ended up buying three, one for Anne and Gemma as well since they were staying at their house for the week. Cecília looked happier buying the cupcake for the other than when she was eating one, little-loving baby.

The walk in the park was amazing. Cecília fed the duck and played on the playground, she would also twirl her summer dress whenever she got the chance. Harry also showed her one treehouse he built when he was younger, the little girl was thrilled to see it.

When it was time to come Harry placed her baby seat, both of them singing Queen, when they finally got home Cecília made grabby hands to Harry, who bent down to talk to her.

"Daddy, you tell mommy I bought the cupcake, ok?"

Harry laughed, holding her on his hips while the other held the bakery's package, "Of course, Cecí, you were the one who picked them anyways."

When Harry opened the door and saw his beautiful wife laying down on the couch, feet up because her ankles were really swollen lately. She was watching Mamma Mia, her favorite movie.

"Mommy, mommy!" Cecília yelled, Harry put her down on the floor and gave the bakery package in her hands, "close your eyes, I have a surprise for you."

Y/n closed her eyes, a beautiful smile on her face, one of her hands resting on her bump, "what is it, Cecí?"

Cecília stood right in front of her on the couch, "open mommy."

The woman opened her eyes, being with three cupcakes and a smiling girl, "did you bring this to mommy, baby?" She asked while putting Cecília to sit by her side, "you are so kind, thank you, my love."

Harry got close to the two girls, putting Cecí on his lap and giving y/n a kiss on the lips, "how are you? Is the little guy being good to you?" He asked.

"I threw up three times today, but I'm better now, I just wish this heartburn would stop."

"Baby is being bad, mommy?" Ceci asked, worry on her small face.

"No, love, Lorenzo is a very nice baby, mommy just doesn’t feel good right now."

"I'm gonna make some tea for you, my love," Harry said, kissing her forehead and leaving the living room, only the sounds of the tv and his two girls being heard.

He made tea and three bowls of fruit for them, but when he came back to the couch he was met with Y/n and Cecí sleeping. The small girl with her head on her mother's chest and y/n's hand on her little back.

Harry placed the bowls on the table, taking a duvet and putting on them. He just couldn't wait for Lorenzo to arrive, so they can all be together.

He loved his little family more than anything in the world.

Please come share your thoughts with me, like and reblog!!! <3

[cno-inbminor]

a/n: drabble dump for our boy kuroo -- i love him loads and think about him endlessly. i also apologize beforehand for the awkward ending bc i’m terrible at ending things. hope you all enjoy! gonna go knock back a melatonin and sleep my wooziness away

w/c: ~2.4k; some angst, fluff, mentions of alcohol

you’re avoiding tetsurou, and he’s keen on figuring out why. college!au, friends to lovers.

“you’re not as slick as you think, y’know.”

instantly, a shiver creeps up your spine, electrifying you in quick, tiny bursts. those eight, nine words were more than enough to let you know who was standing behind you, peering over your shoulder in an effort to catch your gaze. his voice made your heart clench and lungs fight for oxygen – you begin to curse the high, intellectual level of tetsurou’s observational skills. you just wanted to make it another day without seeing his face outside of class, opting more for longer walks and just looking back to see the back of his stylishly mussed hair in the far distance. it frustrates you how much you’ve used the word ‘infuriating’ when it comes to him, but there’s no other better word you can think of without having to consult the thesaurus.

you have a few seconds to dart your eyes around, desperately searching for a way to escape. your productivity typically thrives within the library, but he’s always there, so with lots of pleading and promises of baked goods and decent coffee, you were able to borrow a close friend’s ID, a graduate student, and access the graduate resource room in a less traveled hallway. and in the expanse of that area, you’ve tucked yourself away into the back corner behind some shelves where almost no one visits. but it leaves you cornered and vulnerable – no matter which direction, in combination with his long legs, tetsurou would catch up to you in a heartbeat. you thought you had finally found a way to permanently escape his grasp, but apparently not.

much like you, he’s not supposed to be able to access this area. after all, you’re both senior undergrads so –

“how did you get in here?” you quietly hiss. you’re pretty sure you’d be booted out if you made any sound above 15 decibels, and you’re not about to let tetsurou ruin this haven for you.

there’s a rustle of clothing, a hand that rests on the back of your seat, and the hairs on the nape of your neck spike, before a delicate whisper informs, “you’re not the only one with grad student friends, love.”

if you weren’t so focused on keeping yourself rigid, body absolutely understanding of the effect that this man has on you, you definitely would’ve shivered from the proximity. but the gentleness in his tone sends you back to three weeks ago – you’re no longer under a fluorescent light tucked between cream-colored walls, but rather basked in a somewhat garish hue of crimson. your veins were tinged with alcohol, the substance leaving you feeling like you were on clouds, a silly smile breaking across your face uncontrollably. other bodies surrounded you but the only one you were focused on was the one in front of you, following your swaying movements to the beat of the music coming through someone’s speakers. even in the warmth of the house, tetsurou’s hands on your waist seared your skin, branding the feeling on you for eternity. his eyes twinkled with apparent affection, unbridled and screaming at you for you to understand the line he wanted to so desperately cross, that the alcohol pushed it behind his efforts to deny himself the one thing he’s been searching for in all these years.  

“i’m a little drunk, but fuck, you have no idea how bad i wanna kiss you,” he had murmured just loud enough into your ear, then ghosting his lips over the shell of it. everything around you dissolved into a blur as you could only focus on his breaths and the tightening of his grasp on you. his confession wasn’t completely unwarranted – not at all.

tetsurou and you had met in the quantitative analysis lab freshman year, having been assigned as partners for the semester just by how the ta’s drew the seating chart. he was a friendly, kind soul – had saved your ass multiple times from overshooting your titrations, prevented multiple beakers and graduated cylinders from falling over, always down to compare numbers to help ensure that neither of you were fucking up too hard.

coincidentally, the two of you were registered to the same ochem lab the next year and immediately gravitated towards each other, grateful to find some familiarity in all the anxiety. he witnessed your breakdown mid-lab, did his best to comfort you and salvage your sample so there was enough for recrystallization because you somehow got landed with a shitty, leaking separatory funnel, and stayed back with you when you had fallen behind in the cleanup process. from then on, it was a weekly habit to study together and work on your lab journals and reports together, not taking long to become close friends.

tetsurou did his best to keep his growing feelings at bay, knowing that you had explicitly mentioned swearing off relationships as you tried to figure out your future first. he wasn’t oblivious enough to think that you didn’t feel anything for him whatsoever – you were stubborn and tenacious at best. the house party at miya atsumu’s was simply a suggestion for the both of you to relax after a brutal midterm in your inorganic chemistry course, to let loose and treat yourself. he really hadn’t meant to say what he said, but just looked so good, so lovely and beautiful and enthralling, and you were looking at him like he hung the stars and moon in the sky – he knows he’s sent that same look to you multiple times when you weren’t looking, completely sober and unfazed.

he couldn’t stop himself from leaning close into you that night and you hadn’t stopped in – he knows he should’ve resisted, but feeling your soft lips against his was easily one of the top ten highlights of his college career, and his love for you only surged beyond his hold, overwhelming him to the point where all he could think about was nothing but holding your cheek in the palm of his hand so he could get a better angle and let himself indulge just this once.

that’s all it was – kissing and kissing in the middle of the makeshift dancefloor until there was no more oxygen left in either of your lungs. like a decent human being, he dropped you off at your apartment and bid you goodnight, hoping that you wouldn’t forget all the events that had transpired. and maybe, just maybe, he wished that you would let it happen again, that you could make him the exception in your plans.

evidently, you did remember it, because suddenly your responses to his texts were delayed and dry. you were picking up extra shifts, showing up to class at the very last minute, and leaving as soon as the professor dismissed you, allowing practically no room for him to make small talk. and while he would usually pass you in the halls of the chem building at some point, you were always too far from him and scurrying away in a different direction. tetsurou did his best to give you your space, but the less he saw of you, the more nervous and frustrated he grew. there was a wrench thrown into his daily routine, and your presence had always managed to bring some peace to him. so when he realized that you had truly abandoned your usual study spot in the library a week and a half later, he set himself on a mission to find out exactly where you were hiding.

it honestly had been sheer luck that he saw your figure ducking around into a hallway he’s never bothered to go down, and by the time he caught up, the door to the graduate resource room had just closed on your and there was no way he could get in without some help. luckily, his mentor who had stayed at the university for their phd was pretty nonchalant about letting him borrow it for a few days, preferring to study at home or in a coffee shop off-campus themselves.

he knew that since you were hiding, you were probably going to be in the most inconspicuous spot possible. so while there was some time dedicated to navigating the new maze of an area, he immediately felt a sense of relief when he saw your back hunched over your notes, hair tied up into a messy bun, and your laptop open with a spotify playlist.

after you’re done reminiscing, you begin to pack your stuff up, opting to just nor respond to tetsurou and ignoring the pleasant sensation that his term of endearment for you brought. he pulls back and stands straight to give you some room, but the tapping of his foot against the tile floor speaks to his blooming agitation at your silence. you’re still wordless as you weave between the shelves to the exit, knowing that the man plaguing your dreams is not far behind. the game of ‘follow the leader’ (or is it ‘cat and mouse’?) continues until you both have exited the main door, and right before you can walk down the granite steps, tetsurou seizes the opportunity to run ahead of you and stand in your way.

“tetsu, please,” you sigh, avoiding his piercing stare by fiddling with the sleeves of your jacket. “is there something you need?”

“you can’t play coy with me,” he chastises, bending down slightly in hopes that you’ll finally look at him. “you know why i’m here.”

it’s a bad habit of yours to nibble on the inside of your lips when you’re searching for the right things to say. tetsurou only picked up on it just last year – the action itself is very subtle to the outside viewer, and he hadn’t been paying close enough attention back then. “don’t bullshit me right now.”

“do we have to do this now?” you whine a bit.

“yes, or else i’m never gonna get you to talk to me. come on, you don’t do this, love.”

“what do you mean?”

“you’re running away. that’s pretty cowardly, don’t you think? you’ve had 3 weeks—”

you start to walk forward and around his tall, lanky figure. “i’m not humoring you with this—”

“with what—”

“—you’re doing that provoking thing, you’re trying to get me to think that i’m wrong in avoiding you—”

“so you have been avoiding me—”

“i said not now!” you protest in a raised voice, path once again blocked. tears of frustration are beginning to build in the corners of your eyes, and you’re cursing yourself for feeling so weak in this moment. part of you wants nothing more than to run into his arms.

it’s dead quiet for a few seconds – the ambient noise of the wind and the occasional passing car this late at night fail to make themselves known over the pounding of blood in your ears. only tetsurou’s first knuckle underneath your chin to raise you up grounds you, and you can no longer avoid his gaze. small crests of guilt wash over you as you recognize the uncharacteristic brokenness in his eyes – the last three weeks must’ve been much harder on him than you thought.

“just hear me out for a few minutes, okay? you can make your decision then.”

he takes your nod as a signal to continue, but also softening a bit at how nervous you look.

“i’m in love with you,” he softly confesses, a smile of defeat gracing his complexion. “and i have been for a while. i don’t think i’m bullshitting when i say i think you feel something for me, too, but i knew it wasn’t in your plans. didn’t wanna push or force you into making a decision when you weren’t ready. so i held back – but i couldn’t help it at the party, and…i’m sorry, love. i really am.”

tetsurou doesn’t miss the flash of hurt that crosses your eyes. “so does that mean you regret it?” you bite out, nails clenching and digging into the fabric of your jacket sleeves. he shakes his head.

“i don’t regret kissing you at all – it’s all i’ve wanted to do for the last two and a half years. but i’m just sorry that i did it without your explicit, sober permission. i went against your wishes in a time of vulnerability, and that’s pretty shitty of me – i’m not gonna excuse myself either just because i was a little drunk, so i hope you’re able to forgive me.”

he watches you sniffle and fight the grin that’s trying to creep across your face. “someone had their shot of respect women juice this morning, didn’t they?” you chokingly tease.

“five shots directly injected into my veins, every morning,” he jokes back, thumb sweeping over to catch your falling tears. “but i mean it though – i’m really sorry.”

“you’re forgiven, and i appreciate that more than you know. but if i’m being honest…it was something i’ve wanted to do for a while, too. i was just really scared because it was so unexpected and i wasn’t sure if i was ready for our relationship to change, or like if i would be emotionally available enough for you, y’know?” you blubber, hand reaching up to rest against his on your cheek.

“hey—”

“i really want this to work out.” tetsurou can hear your voice shake, and he’s sure you’re almost trembling. “you’re one of my best friends – i can’t lose you, tetsu. and what about grad school? what if we end up too far away from each other and video calls aren’t enough? what if you get tired of me or—”

“i know you hate it when i interrupt, but honestly (y/n), you couldn’t get rid of me if you tried. i’m gonna do everything i can to make this work, too, mmk?”

“okay,” you whisper. “okay.”

his thumb gently sweeps back and forth against your cheek for a little bit before speaking up again. “not to ruin the moment, but do i have permission to kiss you now?” his eyes shine despite the midnight sky, and you can’t help the small chuckle that leaves your chest.

tetsurou swears up and down that your kiss in response is much, much sweeter than the one at the party, and he can’t wait to see what the future holds for you two.

[dreamscapefics]

HEY OMG, i have a prompt,, normal witcher universe except people have animal traits/features so Jaskier is a catboy...black kitty ears and a fluffy tail while Geralt has wolf ears and a tail,,it mostly goes all okay, Geralt even starts accepting and making J a member of Pack, then J ends up going into Heat (magic? Was it just his time? Who knows) and since G has already made J pack, it makes sense that he would help fill his kitty up (go Absolutely insane with whatever kinks u wanna give em ❤️)

I finally managed to finish the last one-fourth of this fic. Thank you so much for sending this prompt, I had a lot of fun writing it, despite the writer’s block haha. I hope you, and everyone who sees this, like reading this.

Brief explanation: I made a few tweaks about the Alpha/Omega aspect. In this ‘verse, Omegas are intersex. When they present, their organs and anatomy shift accordingly. That said, they’re unable to get pregnant unless they go into Heat, and they only go into Heat when they meet a viable mate. Even after they meet their mate, it can still take a long time before a Heat is triggered. They can still have sex, of course, but they just can’t get pregnant when they’re not in heat.

Tags: animal features on human body (partial animal transformation? Idk the right term), Alpha/Omega, breeding, knotting, cunnilingus

~*~

It’s believed that wolves and cats don’t really get along. They can co-exist and interact, yes, but only when it’s absolutely necessary. For the most part they choose not to because it’s not in their nature as a species. Alpha wolves and cats have a tendency to be aggressive towards one another, whereas Betas and Omegas are more manageable.

But an Alpha wolf and Omega cat? That’s an association that’s rarely, if never, heard of.

So when Geralt, an Alpha wolf, met Jaskier, an Omega cat, in Posada all those years ago, he never expected for the feline bard to stick to him, much else befriended him. Jaskier, with his black kitty ears on top of his tousled chestnut hair, almost always has his black fluffy tail held high, alerting Geralt that the young man enjoys being in the wolf’s presence. And Geralt, internally exasperated at his own biological urges, is unable to stop his own fluffy white tail from wagging back and forth, a clear indication that he’s just as happy to have the bard around.

Of course, the beginning of their companionship (friendship?) was filled with arguments and disagreements. It still is to this day, but it was a lot worse then. They’re both territorial creatures, and Jaskier had a tendency to rub his scent all over Geralt’s things, which the wolf witcher didn’t appreciate at first. Then there was the issue of taking on contracts, which Geralt has gotten used to doing on his own. So having Jaskier tag along, prancing about the place while strumming his lute, his black tail poised high as he talks Geralt’s ear off about the monster they’re hunting and the inspiration Jaskier will gain from witnessing the impending fight. It took several months before Geralt got used to having another creature around, his enhanced senses extending to look after his feline friend for any sign of trouble.

Years passed and they slowly grew more comfortable around each other. Geralt still gets pissed and growls at Jaskier whenever he smells the bard’s scent on his things, in which Jaskier would answer with a twitch of his tail. The first time he wrapped his tail around Geralt, it happened a few years into their friendship. They passed by a village who was vitriolic towards Geralt’s kind, spitting vile comments about him. So when he felt a brush of Jaskier’s fluffy tail around his waist, Geralt blinked at the unfamiliar gesture but remained calm. It’s only when they left the village that he allowed his own tail to lightly brush against Jaskier’s rear, who turned to Geralt with a sunny smile, his kitty ears twitching happily.

From that moment, Geralt knew that Jaskier was going to be with him for the long haul. It’s then that he decided to officially welcome Jaskier to his Pack by inviting the feline to winter with him at Kaer Morhen that year.

Jaskier accepted, obviously, and while Geralt was excited, he was also nervous at the prospect of introducing Jaskier to his fellow wolf witchers, not knowing whether his brothers will get along with his feline friend. But his fears were unfounded when Eskel and Lambert reacted favorably to Jaskier and vice versa. Even Vesemir’s grey tail twitched in curiosity upon meeting Jaskier, and his small nod aimed at Geralt was one of approval which made the witcher nearly sag in relief, heedless of his white tail wagging.

Everything was great that winter. Jaskier sang for them almost every night and Geralt took him on a tour around the Keep, showing him his favorite places and voluntarily sharing stories to the eager bard about his time growing up there and what he and his brothers went through to become a witcher.

To say that Jaskier was moved to tears would be an understatement because that night, Jaskier crawled into Geralt’s bed. He curled his body around Geralt, his black fluffy tail wrapping almost possessively around him which made Geralt huff in amusement. But he also wrapped an arm around Jaskier, fingers running through his tousled hair and kitty ears while his own tail curled around the bard’s.

~

After that, Jaskier always went with Geralt to Kaer Morhen for the winter. They still go their separate ways for a few months or an entire season, but they make sure to always reunite by autumn, having agreed beforehand to meet at a city or town.

Even after ten years of traveling together, they still get a lot of stares. Some confused, some frightened, while others give them judgmental stares, eyes drifting from Geralt’s hulking form to Jaskier’s lithe body. Yes, it’s still unheard of for wolves and cats to be voluntarily traveling together, but an Alpha wolf and an Omega cat? Oh, the perverse shit Geralt has heard over the years from passersby.

“The bard is probably the monster’s sex slave.”

“How can a feline degrade themself to a fucking witcher?”

“Melitele, can you smell them? Their scents are basically entwined!”

“I bet the witcher’s knot is magical for the kitty bard to stay with him.”

Geralt doesn’t think the Jaskier ever heard those comments about them, because if he did then his friend would’ve likely gone feral on them - hissing barbed insults at them, body taut and tail puffed up.

Still, given their reputation as traveling companions, it’s a wonder they both managed to have sex at all. Geralt has the brothels while Jaskier has, well, anyone willing to bed a feline bard whose best friend is an Alpha wolf witcher. In the years they’ve known each other, Geralt has never seen Jaskier go into Heat; even the bard admitted that he hasn’t experienced it since he presented as an Omega.

“I guess I haven’t met my mate yet,” Jaskier says with a nonchalant shrug, but Geralt can smalle the sorrow and insecurity in the bard’s scent.

Geralt hums and brushes his tail against Jaskier, whose tail is slowly swishing back and forth. The feline looks at him with a sweet smile, and Geralt’s chest tightens at the sight.

He’s been having these peculiar feelings for Jaskier lately. Geralt can’t pinpoint when it began, but he knows he only became aware of it when they reunited a month ago in Oxenfurt. He’s not certain if it’s just a passing thing or something more permanent, but regardless Geralt doesn’t like to see one of his pack members sad. While a part of him is guilty for feeling happy that Jaskier hasn’t met his mate yet, a part of Geralt wishes he could be that person for Jaskier instead. He loves the bard, he’s Geralt’s best friend. He looks after him and cares for him and is there for him whenever Jaskier gets in trouble.

By the time they begin their trek up the Blue Mountains for Kaer Morhen, Geralt has pushed away all thoughts of him and Jaskier becoming more to the back of his mind. There’s no space for silly fantasies in the life of a witcher. The Path is all that matters, and Geralt can’t allow himself such distractions.

And for a while it worked. Barely, but it worked.

Until two years later when Jaskier went into heat in Kaer Morhen.

~

Geralt takes a deep breath before knocking on the door at the end of the hallway. He hears a muffled, “Come in”, before he opens it and quickly gets in, quietly shutting the door behind him.

“Hey, I brought you some broth Vesemir prepared,” Geralt announces as he makes his way to the form slumped in the middle of the bed. Like all the other beds in the keep, it’s huge and can accommodate at least three grown witchers, the mattress wrapped in soft, thick furs. “How are you feeling?”

“Like my insides are being scraped by a rusty spoon,” Jaskier croaks out, his smile coming out more as a grimace. His cat ears are turned sideways, chestnut hair disheveled as a few locks of hair cling to his sweaty forehead and neck. “I’m sorry for bothering you.”

Geralt perches on the side of the bed, breathing carefully through his mouth so as not to inhale more of Jaskier’s tantalizing scent. He’s always smelled a bit like catnip, lavender, and cantaloupe. But now that he’s in the first stage of his heat, Geralt can detect something spicy sweet, as well as something musky that only heats generate. Overall, Geralt is already addicted to Jaskier’s heat scent, his cock hardening further in his loose breeches.

“I told you, it’s fine,” Geralt says as he places the tray on Jaskier’s lap. “But like Vesemir said, it would help if you told us who triggered your heat. There’s still time to track them down the mountains.”

Jaskier flushes, ducking his head to spoon soup into his mouth. Geralt cocks his head when he smells a hint of nervousness and embarrassment in his friend’s scent.

“You’re nervous,” he points out. “And embarrassed.” Geralt narrows his eyes. “What are you not telling me?”

“N-nothing!” Jaskier shakes his head, but even Geralt doesn’t need his witcher senses to detect the lie. “It’s nothing, Geralt. It was probably that foxy blacksmith I slept with at the town before last.”

Geralt growls low and continues to look at him, unimpressed.

“No, it wasn’t,” he says in a gruff voice. “Stop lying to me, Jask. Who is it?”

“It’s… I.” Jaskier shakes his head and spoons another mouthful of soup. Beside him, his black, fluffy tail twitches. “You won’t believe me if I tell you.”

Knowing he won’t get an answer if he prods further, Geralt decides to take a different approach. He clears his throat, his turn to be nervous as he psyches himself for what he’s about to ask. Offer. If this is the only time… Geralt internally shakes his head and clears his throat once more. Behind him, his tail twitches nervously.

“Fine. If you don’t want to tell me who, then… I have a suggestion.” Geralt pauses, waiting until he has Jaskier’s full attention, the feline bard tilting his head slightly with a curious glint in his eye. Nodding, Geralt carries on. “If you are amenable, and since it’s your first heat after so long, I... hmm. You don’t have to do this alone.”

He can hear Jaskier’s heartbeat pick up, the bard gulping audibly as he stares wide-eyed at Geralt.

“What are you, um, are you suggesting...” he falters, cheeks darkening.

Geralt slowly nods his head. “I’m offering to, um, help you. With your heat. If that’s okay with you.”

Jaskier is silent for several seconds, and Geralt is starting to become more nervous when --

“Geralt, I…” Jaskier swallows. Geralt can smell the honeyed scent of excitement as Jaskier’s kitty ears perk up, turning wide blue cat-eyes on Geralt’s golden. “You silly witcher, you’re the reason why I’m in heat. It’s you who triggered it.” At Geralt’s stunned silence, Jaskier lets out a short, disbelieving laugh. “Say something, you brute.”

“So you…” Want to share your heat with me? You’re my mate?

Jaskier, his smile breathtaking and blue eyes blown wide with arousal, nods his head.

“Yes.”

I want you with me.

Yes, we’re mates.

Something in Geralt unfurls and snaps. Surging forward, he takes Jaskier’s sweaty face into his hands and kisses him, careful to not knock the tray of hot soup over the bard, his mate. Jaskier lets out a punched out groan as he returns Geralt’s kiss, nipping and sucking as their tongues battle for dominance, quickly turning it into something filthy and scorching.

The next few minutes are a blur. Somehow, in their frenzied state, Geralt managed to set aside the food tray on the cold stone floor as he helped Jaskier get out of his damp clothes. It doesn’t take long for Geralt to shuck off his own garments, his mate pushing down the thick furs to the end of the bed as he turns over on his belly. Jaskier is on his knees and forearms by the time Geralt steps out of his smallclothes, and his arousal spikes when he catches a glimpse of his wet, dripping cunt.

“Fuck,” Geralt grunts.

Jaskier arches his back, tail flicking in excitement and wiggling his ass at the witcher as he purrs, “That’s the plan, darling. Please, please come and fuck me. Want your knot so bad.”

“Fuck, Jask.”

Not needing to be told twice, Geralt gets back on the bed and positions himself behind his needy mate. Licking his lips, Geralt gently pushes the other man’s legs wider before taking his plump cheeks in both hands and spreading them apart. Geralt absentmindedly kisses the fluffy tail curling around his neck, but rather than stick his cock in, Geralt leans closer to Jaskier’s taint and inhales the tantalizing scent. His eyes nearly roll back into his head at the ripe smell of his mate, and without hesitation he buries his face in Jaskier’s cunt, tongue lapping at the sweet juices dripping from his hole.

Jaskier’s gasp of shock quickly turns into a breathless moan, his thighs quivering as Geralt takes the little nub between his lips and sucks.

“Ah, ah!” Jaskier gasps out, his head thrown back in pleasure. “Geralt, I - ah! Fuck!”

Geralt moans from where his tongue is buried inside Jaskier, chest rumbling as he breathes in the sweet, musky smell. He licks into Jaskier’s hot, wet channel before stiffening his tongue and fucking his mate. He uses the hands gripping the cheeks apart to push and pull his mate from his tongue, Jaskier thrusting back against Geralt’s face with expletives and moans that would give a whore a run for their money.

He spends several minutes worshipping Jaskier’s cunt, and he alternates between fucking his loose, wet hole and licking a stripe from his little nub to his tailbone. Jaskier’s fluffy tail twitches and Geralt can’t help but lay a sweet, small kiss at the base before diving back in to lick and taste more of his mate’s sweet juices. Jaskier cums with Geralt’s tongue plunging in and out of his hole, and the witcher laps it all up while Jaskier rides out his orgasm.

Giving one last kiss to the swollen nub, Geralt gets up on his knees once more and grips Jaskier’s hips as he finally guides his cock to his mate’s leaking entrance. He slowly sinks into the tight, wet heat, and loud groans of pleasure echo in the spacious room as Geralt bottoms out.

When he breathes out and inhales, Geralt is then made aware of a new smell. It’s a cloying scent, not overpowering but present, blending perfectly with the existing smells that Jaskier has already been producing. His heat has officially begun.

At the thought of his mate officially in heat, and it’s all thanks to him, Geralt growls low at the back of his throat as he pulls out before thrusting back in. Jaskier’s moans urge him to set a fast and brutal pace, and Geralt is unrelenting as he begins to ram his cock in his mate’s cunt. He has a tight grip on Jaskier’s hips, whose hands are gripping the sheets below as he lets out breathy ah, ah, ah’s as Geralt continues to fuck his brains out.

“So good, so fucking good,” Jaskier chants, eyes hazy with lust and pleasure as he attempts to meet Geralt’s thrusts. Their tails entwine lazily, black and snow white twisting around each other on Geralt’s flanks. “Fuck - ah! Geralt, fuck me harder.”

“Insatiable minx,” Geralt says roughly, but there’s a feral smile on his face. He adjusts his grip and position and does as he’s told. From the new angle he’s fucking Jaskier, and by the deep, throaty moans his mate is emitting, he knows he’s hitting that sweet spot.

Jaskier tuts. “More like an insatiable pussy for you, darling.”

Geralt snorts in amusement and elects not to say anything, except to fuck his insatiable bard harder until Jaskier’s hands are pressed against the headboard to avoid hitting his head. After some time, Geralt presses down against Jaskier’s back to bite and suck a ring of bruises across his shoulders and nape. He trails his hands up to pinch and tweak at Jaskier’s sensitive nipples, the bard howling and buckling against Geralt’s hard thrusts. Geralt lifts his head to nose at Jaskier’s hair and kitty ears, playfully nipping at one twitching ear before licking it.

Jaskier’s breath hitch at the gesture, and Geralt’s knot swells as he inwardly smirks before doing it again. He traces the shape of Jaskier’s feline ear with the tip of his tongue, and below him Jaskier’s breathing quickens, his moans rising an octave higher as Geralt nips it again before moving to the other ear and giving it the same treatment.

“G-Geralt, fuck,” Jaskier mewls. He removes one hand that’s pressed to the headboard to claw at Geralt, blunt nails digging into the meat of the witcher’s hip and ass.

“You like that, kitty?” Geralt purrs in his ear. “You like having a wolf cock in your kitty pussy?”

“Yes!”

“So fucking tight and wet for me, kitty. You feel so good, so perfect.”

“F-fuck, Geralt, please!”

“What is it you want, kitty?”

“Y-you! Your knot! Want my Alpha’s knot!” Jaskier sobs.

Geralt snarls. “And you’ll have my knot, Omega.”

Half a dozen thrusts later, Geralt brings two fingers to rub at Jaskier’s little nub. And with a final thrust, he pushes his knot inside Jaskier’s tight channel as his mate cums with a scream, body convulsing at the intensity of his second orgasm. Geralt can feel his knot swell, locking the two together as his cock pulses and shoots thick ropes of cum.

After, Geralt carefully arranges them so they’re lying on their sides, still connected as he shoots another load of cum inside Jaskier, his mate purring contentedly in his arms.

“That was incredible,” Jaskier slurs, pessing his sweaty back against the witcher’s front.

Geralt hums contentedly, eyes closed as he breathes in their mixed scents. He kisses the back of Jaskier’s neck and murmurs, “Rest, love.”

“Yeah,” Jaskier hums back. Then after a few seconds of blessed silence, “Then you’ll fuck me again, right? And knot me again?”

Geralt huffs out a laugh and tightens his grip around Jaskier, his hand resting possessively over his mate’s heart.

“I’ll knot you as many times as you want, kitty.”

Jaskier purrs. “Perfect. My Alpha.”

“My Omega,” Geralt rumbles, kissing one of Jaskier’s black kitty ears. “Sleep now, love.”

Jaskier hums and does just that, their tails curled almost protectively around each other as they both fall into a peaceful slumber.

~*~

A/N: If you think my writing’s a bit weird towards the end, yeah it’s been a while for me haha. Thanks for reading!

Also, I don’t think future filled out prompts will have this kind of length. It would depend, I guess, and never say never, right? But just wanted to give you guys a head’s up beforehand.

[atths--twice]

Magic, Stars, and Desires

This is a story I wrote a couple of years ago. I wasn’t on Tumblr back then and so I am going to be posting older stories every so often. Hope you enjoy this one. This one takes place directly after The Amazing Maleeni. There is some time before their flight the next day and so they spend the day on a “date.” Fun, flirting, and perhaps a bit more are on the agenda for the evening. 

“No, seriously Scully,” Mulder said as they walked out of the police station into the morning sunshine. “How did you turn your arm around that way?”

She stopped at the car and smiled at him. She shook her head as the wind blew her hair in her face. Brushing her hair away, she raised her eyebrows.

“A magician never reveals her tricks, Mulder. Guess you’ll have to always wonder,” she said, shrugging her shoulders, a smile playing at her lips.

She opened the car door and got in, closing the door behind her. He got in a moment later, and looked at her before starting the car.

“You must be double jointed,” he said as he looked over his shoulder and pulled into traffic, then glancing at her again, waiting for her answer.

She smiled again and looked out the window, shrugging her shoulders. She looked at him and made an exaggerated show of zipping her lips, then tossing away the key.

“Oh, you’re not speaking? Okay. Then you don’t get to complain when I turn that Elvis cd on again,” he said, his fingers reaching to turn the cd on and turn the radio up.

“Mmmmm!!” she cried through her closed lips. She made a fist and shook it at him.

He responded by turning it up louder, snapping his fingers, and singing along loudly to “Devil in Disguise.” She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, making grumbling noises, telling him how she felt without words.

He started shaking his head back and forth, his lip curling up, fingers still snapping. She watched him as he drove with one hand on the wheel. She could not stop the smile from spreading across her face. When he noticed her watching him, he grinned.

She shook her head and looked out her window again. “Heartbreak Hotel” started next and she closed her eyes when he started to sing.

Four songs later, they pulled up at the FBI field office in Los Angeles. They turned over the wallet and the playing card preserved with Mulder’s fingerprints on it. They filled out some paperwork and then they left. As they walked to the car, Mulder turned to her.

“Our flight doesn’t leave until tomorrow. You wanna get some lunch? Maybe do something fun?”

She nodded as she opened the door to the field office. “I could eat. Oh, there’s a good place not far from here that makes great salads.”

“Salads?” he asked incredulously, stopping in his tracks. He shook his head. “No, Scully. We’re in California. We’re going to In-N-Out and getting shakes, fries, and burgers.”

She raised her eyebrows at him and he shook the car keys at her, wiggling his eyebrows back at her. She shook her head and closed her eyes.

Ten minutes later they were in line and twenty minutes later they were at an outside table eating their food. Mulder had more food than she could ever eat in one sitting. It always amazed her as she watched him eat, wondering where he put it all.

He had taken off his coat and tie. Her eyes traveled down his chest and his side that she could see sitting next to him. He shoved a bite in his mouth and she was distracted by his mouth as he chewed his food. She watched him lick his lips and she had to look away.

His lips had been on hers briefly, months ago and she was still thinking about it. They had not done anything since they had kissed on New Year’s Eve. Well, not exactly nothing. They had spent more downtime doing normal people things and it had been nice, but she wanted more. Or, she thought she did. Did he? It was so confusing.

“Your food okay?” he asked her and she turned her head to look at him.

“What?” she asked, watching him drinking his shake and wishing that bottom lip was on her instead of the straw. Anywhere on her would suffice.

“Your food. You’re not eating. Is it okay?” he said, gesturing to her food.

“Just because I don’t shove it down my gullet like you do..” she said, picking up her burger and taking a bite.

He laughed and they continued their meal in comfortable silence. He picked up their trash when they were finished and came back to their table, grabbing his shake.

“So, the world is our oyster, Scully. What pearls could we discover?” he asked, glancing at her.

She smiled and thought for a second. “Have you ever been to the Griffith Observatory?”

His eyes lit up as he drank the last of the shake and stood up. “Never. Let’s change that,” he said, tossing out his cup, taking the car keys out of his pocket, and opening the doors.

She smiled and followed him, her eyes straying down his body before she shook her head.

Get it together, Dana.

She got in the car and proceeded to give him directions to the Observatory. They arrived a short while later, parking relatively close as they were there in the middle of the day, in the middle of the week.

Mulder grinned at Scully as he walked up the steps and opened the door. He looked all around and could hardly contain his excitement. Scully asked for a guide map and she bumped Mulder on the arm, gesturing to the left. He grinned and followed her.

She made a stop at the bathroom and when she came out, he fairly yanked her forward. A tour group had just started and he wanted to catch up. She grinned at his enthusiasm.

He was having a great time, listening to everything the guide said, asking questions or offering his wisdom when he knew more on a subject. She had more fun watching him than looking at the stuff in the Observatory.

They went all around and looked at everything. They walked outside and Mulder stared across the way at the hills and the city below them. The Hollywood sign was to their right and he lamented that he did not have a camera to take her picture. She rolled her eyes and pushed him back toward the door.

The tour was over and now Mulder wanted to go back and look at everything on his own and take his time. She followed him as he would stand and stare at one thing for awhile or look quickly and keep moving.

He would explain things to her and tell her what he found most interesting, his hands flying all over the place in his excitement. She nodded along, knowing she would never know all the things he did about space and the planets.

It started to get dark and they made their way to the roof to look through the telescope. There was a line, but not too long. Mulder kept his eyes on the telescope and was quiet for the first time that day. She made a mental note to take him to more observatories if it created that quiet in him.

When it was finally their turn, he put his hand on her back and gently pushed her forward. She tried to hold back her smile. She knew how excited he was for his turn and yet he made sure she went first. For all the times he acted like an asshole, he was also extremely sweet and charming.

She looked into the telescope, not really sure what she was seeing, but enjoying the beauty of it. She stepped back and Mulder grinned from ear to ear. He stepped up to take his turn.

She took another step back and stumbled. Without even looking at her, he reached out his hand to her back and steadied her. She took a breath of surprise and thanked him quietly. He rubbed his fingers softly across her back and continued looking through the telescope.

She stepped away, his fingers making her tingle. She had to take a quiet breath in hopes he would not hear how his touch affected her. Her pulse was racing and all he did was graze her back. Through her clothes. Jesus, she needed to stop these teenager antics.

She walked around while he had his turn and then asked questions to the man by the telescope. The line had thinned down and he was one of the last to take a look. She wandered around and looked at the architecture of the room. It was really quite stunning.

She felt Mulder touch her back again and she turned toward him. He was still grinning, but his eyes searched hers, checking in with her. She smiled and he nodded. He turned toward the exit and she followed.

He looked all around again as they walked out. He glanced up at the sky and smiled. He walked over by the railings overlooking the hills once more. He turned his head and stared at the Hollywood sign, now lit up in the dark.

She reached the railing and stood next to him. He sighed and she looked at him. He looked at her and smiled. His eyes dropped to her lips and she felt her mouth go dry.

He turned his body toward her and his hand covered hers on the railing. Her heart pounded, knowing he was going to kiss her, she could feel it.

“This was a great idea, Scully,” he said, squeezing her hand. “I’m glad you suggested it.”

Covering the disappointment of not getting a kiss, she pulled her hand out from under his and grabbed the railing, looking at the sign again.

“Good. I’m glad,” she said, a little more coldly than she intended.

He nodded beside her, seemingly unaware she was upset or disappointed. She looked down and closed her eyes, chiding herself for her feelings and silliness. She pushed back and smiled at him.

“Should we get back to the hotel?” she asked.

He smiled and nodded. She turned and stepped forward, heading toward the car. He stepped next to her and to her surprise, he grabbed her hand and laced their fingers together. He did not say a word and neither did she, as they walked to the car. He did not let go until they arrived and before he did he squeezed quickly three times. She smiled with her eyes downcast.

They got in and drove back to the hotel, stopping for ice cream cones on the way. They ate them in the car and Mulder’s dripped down his arm as he tried to lick it fast enough. She laughed and then shivered at the thought of how sweet his mouth would taste with the memory of ice cream lingering on his lips.

They pulled into the hotel parking lot and got out of the car. He pocketed the keys and grinned. He started to head toward his room and she stopped walking.

Her heart was pounding with the knowledge that she wanted him. She wanted him to not head to his own room, but to come to hers. She wanted to taste that ice cream on his mouth and feel his lips on her body. His hand on her back earlier and his hand holding hers to the car, made her ache in her most private of areas. If that simple gesture made her feel that way, what would his hands feel like on her naked skin? She yearned to know, but knew it would be inappropriate for so many reasons.

He stopped walking and looked over at her.

“Scully, you okay?” he asked, concern in his eyes. He stepped closer and she felt her stomach flip. His eyes dropped to her lips again and the restraint it took to not grab his face and kiss him was amazing.

“Scully?” he asked softly and she took a step back.

God, she needed to get to her room before she attacked him.  

“I’m fine. Good night, Mulder,” she said turning away and walking briskly to her room.

She opened the door and looked back at him. He was still standing where she left him. His eyes bore into hers before he stepped toward his room, muttering a good night of his own.

She closed her door and leaned against it. God, it was getting harder every day to try and hide her feelings for him. Always wondering about his own towards her was taking its toll and making her crazy. She would be fine and then her hormones would rage and she wanted to shove her tongue in his mouth. She wanted to rip his shirt open and slide her nails down his chest, knowing the contours of it, but not the feel nor the taste.

She set her key down and went into the bathroom, but then walked out. She paced her room like a caged animal. A kiss, just one, would not be so bad. She could just walk to his room and say goodnight again and give him a quick kiss. They had a fun day, a goodnight kiss would not be out of the realm of extreme possibilities.

Fuck it, she thought, grabbing her room key and walking out the door. She quickly walked over to his door and then stopped. She raised her hand to knock and then brought it back down. Christ, why was this so hard? Why could she not have what she wanted? She shook her head and sighed.

“Did you lose your key?” a voice asked loudly.

She turned around and saw the manager standing there. She looked at Scully with raised eyebrows.

“Did you lose your key?” she asked again, more emphasis on the words this time.

“No. No.. I was just,” Scully started to say as Mulder’s door burst open and she turned toward him.

He looked surprised to find her and the manager standing there and Scully could not blame him.

“Everything okay?” he asked with a glance at the manager.

“She lost her key. You know that’s a charge I’ll have to add to your bill. Those keys are expensive,” the manager said in an irritated tone with a sigh.

“No, I didn't lose my key,” Scully said, turning and showing her the key she held in her hand, feeling the blush creeping up her neck.

“Good. Replacing them is a hassle,” the manager said and walked away.

Scully closed her eyes and wished the ground would swallow her up. How embarrassing. She turned back toward him, opened her eyes, finding Mulder staring at her.

“I was going to the vending machines. Thought I’d stop and see if you wanted anything,” she said in a rush.

He shook his head slowly and she nodded, turning to head toward the machines.

“Uh, Scully?” he said.

She turned around and looked at him. He was pointing to the left, toward her room.

“They’re that way,” he said with a smile.

Fuck.

“Yeah. I know. Just seeing if you wanted anything,” she said turning back again and attempted to get away. He hummed and said goodnight.

She waited until his door was shut before she bolted for her room. God, why? Why did it always have to be so difficult?

She threw her key down again and huffed as she started to take off her jacket. A bath would do her good. Some “Scully time” seemed to be in order tonight.

She tossed her jacket on the chair and started on her shirt when two quick knocks sounded at the door. Jesus Christ, if it was the manager asking about the key..

She opened the door and Mulder pushed his way inside, slamming the door behind him. With no warning, no words, he pulled her to him and kissed her, his lips landing hard on hers.

She gasped and he took advantage of her open mouth, sliding his tongue inside. She groaned and gripped his shirt. He stroked his tongue slowly along hers before coming back to kiss her lips.

She kissed him back and she felt lightheaded. His fingers dug into her back and she moved her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. She felt him, his hardness, against her and she moved her arms from his neck.

She pulled back from his kiss and stood in front of him, both of them breathing hard. She smoothed her hair down with shaking hands and took another step back. She looked down, her mind racing with what just happened.

His fingers reached out and lightly grasped her wrist, causing her to look up. He moved his hand to cup her cheek, stroking his thumb down to her jaw. She watched his eyes follow his thumb and then he looked in her eyes.

“Good night, Scully,” he whispered, with a hint of a smirk, and she knew he had not bought into her “do you want something from the vending machine” story. He knew what she was doing and he came to give her what she had failed to take herself.

He dropped his hand and smiled at her. She slowly smiled back, knowing she had been caught, but also reeling from his kiss.

They stood there staring at each other, before he stepped back and toward the door. It would be so easy to pull him back, take off his clothes, and give in to her desires. He was so close, all she had to do was say something.

“I’m double jointed,” she blurted out.

He turned around and looked at her quizzically.

“That’s how I could turn my arm like that earlier,” she said lamely, looking for an excuse to keep him in the room.

“Okaaaay. Good to know,” he said with a smile.

He reached for the door handle and opened the door. He shut it and turned toward her again. He stared at her, his gaze dropping to her lips, and her stomach dropped. He raised his eyes to hers and searched her face.

“Is that the only place you’re double jointed?” he asked quietly, staring hard into her eyes.

She smiled slowly at him and licked her lips. She saw him swallow and she did it again. He exhaled and she took pity on him.

She stepped closer to him and laid her hands softly on his chest. She could feel his heart racing and she smiled. His matched hers and she let her nails scrape lightly on the way to the buttons of his shirt. She bit her lip as she ran her fingers over the buttons, not opening them, but wanting to so badly. His chest rose and fell at a faster pace and he breathed her name.

She looked up and saw his eyes were closed and he was breathing through his nose. As her hands stilled, he opened his eyes and stared down at her. She slid her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, his ear against her mouth.

“I can’t reveal all my tricks at once,” she whispered, and his hands gripped her waist.

He pulled back fractionally and his mouth hovered over hers. His breath was warm and she could faintly smell the ice cream he had eaten. He was intoxicating her with his mouth, as he slowly ghosted his lips across hers.

Finally, she could not stand it and she sucked his bottom lip into her mouth, his top lip landing on hers. She licked his lip, opened her mouth, and pushed her tongue inside.

He pulled her against him and he was harder than before. It seemed fair considering she was almost embarrassingly wet. His fingers pushing into her back, forced her forward and they crashed back into the door.

It broke the moment as it caused a jolt in them. They broke apart, but he kept his hands on her waist. He dropped his forehead to hers as they tried to catch their breath.

He lifted his head and stared at her. His eyes were dark and she felt as if she would drown in them. He straightened up and pushed her gently back from him. He looked at her and shook his head.

He turned and reached for the door handle again, opening the door and heading out. He turned again and she was watching him. His hair was tousled and his lips swollen. She fought off a grin and he shook his head again.

“Good night, Mulder,” she said with a smirk.

He exhaled and started to walk away, continuing to shake his head.

“Mulder?” she called to him.

He turned around and stared at her, his eyes traveling over her body.  

“It’s not the only place I’m double jointed,” she said quietly, her eyes holding his as he stood frozen.

His eyes widened and then seemed to roam all over her body, as if he was scanning her. His eyes like lasers trying to pinpoint the areas she was more bendy. He looked back at her eyes, swallowed and shook his head again. She smiled as she watched his brain struggle and felt there was no reason for him to know just yet, that she meant it was only in her toes and her left pinky.

She watched him walk to his door. Before he opened the door, he glanced back and really stared at her. He looked at her as if he was deciding on something. Weighing the scales and figuring things out. His expression, as he nodded at her and went into his room, left her puzzled.

His face had been unreadable. As if he made a decision but did not want her to know. She was confused but still her heart was racing. His kiss was still burning on her lips. The feeling of how his fingers had dug into her skin, left her body fairly humming.

She shut her door and leaned her forhead against it. Just minutes ago, his body had been there, her fingers at his buttons, and the temptation to open them had been overwhelming. She smiled and touched her lips as she pushed back from the door.

This dance they were in, she thought as she took off her shoes and undid her pants, gave her a thrill. They had been dancing around it for years. They had the steps down, knew all the moves, but right now it was different and she loved it.

Feeling his heart pounding because of her, his arousal pressed against her, knowing he saw her as desirable and had come to her tonight because they both wanted more, made her feel powerful. Her body was tingling with the knowledge that he desired her.

She took off her shirt, bra, and underwear and walked into the bathroom. She turned on the shower and looked at herself in the mirror. Her lips were swollen and she grinned. They matched each other. The kisses they shared had been frantic and rough, resulting in swollen lips. She shook her head and stepped into the shower, still smiling.

She let the water wash over her as she made a decision. No more would she push him away. No more would she deny what she wanted, what they wanted. She felt no need to rush it, she was enjoying this slow burn. If she could resist him and her feelings for seven years, she could go a little longer and see how this all panned out. Enjoy the dance and the burn it created within her.

She got out of the shower, dried off, and slipped into her pajamas. She got in bed with a smile on her face, again reliving his kiss. She wondered how he was faring in his room. She snorted with laughter and turned onto her side.

She was asleep within minutes, the day and the case tumbling around in her head. She dreamed of magic acts, heads spinning on plates, coins larger than her hand, tattoos, and wheelchairs. The best part of the dream seemed to slow down all the other scenes around her.

She was in a crowded room with a spotlight on her, wearing the same clothes she had worn when checking out Maleeni’s van. A top hat was suddenly placed on her head. She could feel it even in her dreams. Mulder pushed his way toward her and stared at her, the desire for her barely concealed in his eyes. They remained locked in their gaze, until he reached up and took off her hat. Doves flew out and around them as he pulled her to him and kissed her. She could taste his lips and she melted into his embrace.

He brought his mouth to her ear and whispered, “The Amazing Sculldini. You have put quite a spell on me. Show me more of your tricky ways.”

She smiled and then the doves and the crowd obscured her view. The spotlight went out and the last thing she saw before the dream shifted was her arms snaking around his neck and his lips moving to hers again.

She smiled and shifted in her sleep while Mulder, on the other side of the wall, at the exact same moment did the exact same thing.

The Amazing Sculldini indeed.

[delusionalwriterr]

Resurgence (1)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Avengers!Reader

Summary: After accepting a mission from an old friend, you and along with the other Avengers set out to another planet to retrieve a mysterious gem. Little did you know that the gem isn’t the only thing inhabiting the planet and soon found yourselves in a sticky situation.

Word Count: 2.1k

Warnings: slow burn, language, friendship issues, mentions of injuries, death, inaccurate depictions of space travel, angst, fluff

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters and any of the other fictional works mentioned.

A/N: I hope y’all like it! Every detail about the mission is purely made up by me so yea HAHAHAH

Prologue | Masterlist | Chapter Two

“You sure you wanna do this, doll?” Bucky asked as he stuffed a few clothes in his duffel bag. The two of you were in your shared bedroom, packing for the mission. After the uncomfortable phone call with Peter, you gathered a few of the Avengers and relayed to them the details.

The Guardians were initially hired to retrieve a gem called the Resurgentium Stone, but the client refused to disclose any more information about it other than where it was and what it looked like. The gem was located on a planet called Mortvivus which was a few lightyears away from Earth and it was a green, irregularly-shaped stone that was about the size of a golf ball.

After explaining everything, the people who were willing to help you were Steve, Sam, Natasha, Rhodey, and of course your boyfriend, Bucky. Tony opted to stay behind to watch over the compound, but you all know he’s still petrified to go back into space after being stuck there for almost a month.

“I’m sure,” you replied, shooting Bucky an assuring smile. “Without me piloting that ship, who knows where you’ll end up.” you quipped, letting out a laugh which Bucky reciprocated. He then proceeded to watch you as you continued to pack, a dazed look in his eyes.

You halted your actions when you caught him from the corner of your eye and stared back. You drew your eyebrows together, an amused smirk displayed on your lips. “Take a picture, it’ll last longer, Sarge.” you teased, causing Bucky to turn red at the nickname. He cleared his throat and went over to where you were seated and situated himself beside you.

He grabbed your hand and lifted it to his lips, placing a delicate kiss on your knuckles. While doing this, he made sure to bore his eyes right into yours as you felt your cheeks heat up at the sudden gesture. Even if you and Bucky had been together for a few years now, he still manages to make you a blushing mess after doing the littlest things.

Bucky pulled his lips away from your hand. “You know I love you, right?” he asked, still staring at you with nothing but love and adoration in his eyes. “And that I’d do anything for you?” You beamed before nodding your head and giving his lips a quick peck. “I know. I could say the same to you, Bucky.”

EARTH - 5 MINUTES TO LAUNCH

Soon enough, the six of you were boarding the ship. “Alright, besides Bucky, who’s never been to space?” you asked as everyone took a seat. You looked behind you from the pilot’s chair and saw that Sam’s hand was raised. “Well sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride, birdie.” you teased, making Sam roll his eyes at the silly nickname you always used to get on his nerves.

“Is this thing on?” you heard Tony’s voice through your comms, “Be careful out there, guys.” he said to which Rhodey answered, “We will, man, don’t worry.”

As you were about to take off, you heard him again. “Don’t let anything probe you,” he remarked, causing you to chuckle, “No promises.”

After making sure everyone is fastened to their chairs, you started the ship and took off. At full speed, you drove the ship up and into the sky, driving your body backwards into your seat as you set the thrusters to maximum.

“I just remembered how much I hated space,” you hear Steve mumble, his voice shaky due to the turbulence. A few minutes later, you exited the Earth’s atmosphere and were met with the dark abyss that is space.

“I change my mind, I don’t wanna do this anymore, take me home.” Sam pleaded, drawing a cackle from you as you put the ship on co-pilot, unbuckled your seatbelt, and stood up from your seat.

The others mirrored your actions as you went over to where they were sitting. “If you thought that was bad, wait until we get to the wormhole,” you taunted before hearing a groan from Natasha, “I hate those things,”

“Wait, isn’t that the thing Matthew McConaughey went through in Interstellar where it was all trippy and shit?” Sam inquired, fear in his eyes. Bucky, on the other hand, looked like an excited puppy after hearing the word ‘wormhole’ and turned to you. “I always wanted to go through one of those, please tell me we’re going through one of those.” he pleaded, slightly bouncing up and down. However, the rest of the team were looking mortified.

Bucky never thought he’d be alive during a time when space travel was possible. Hell, he never imagined that he would be able to make it to space, himself! He spent most of his life picturing the day he’d get to see space in person, and here he was staring dreamily out of the window, admiring the view.

You nodded your head before proceeding to explain, “We’ll arrive at the wormhole in approximately two hours, so get comfortable.” You laughed as you earned a collective groan from the rest of the group. “Sorry, guys, but if we don’t use the wormhole we’ll all be at least two hundred years old when we get to Mortvivus.” you explained, shrugging your shoulders as Bucky put an arm around you, a huge grin on his face.

Rhodey scoffed at the sight, “I’m sure that smile is gonna be gone by the time we go through the wormhole.”

SPACE - 1 HOUR TO THE WORMHOLE

The team was eating their lunch on the table at the back of the ship while you were seated in the pilot’s seat, contacting the Guardians. “Doll, come eat with us.” Bucky called from across the room.

“I’ll be there in a minute,” you called back, your eyes fixated on the screen in front of you as you tried to reach the Benatar. Your leg bounced up and down, something you tend to do when you were anxious, as you waited for someone to pick up and have their face pop up on the screen. You pray to whoever was listening that it wouldn’t be Peter because you’re still not ready to face him after all those years.

It wasn’t until someone picked up the call and Rocket’s face appeared on your screen when you released a breath you didn’t know you were holding. “Rocket!” you squeeked, your voice going up an octave higher as you tried to hide the relief in your voice with excitement. “Hey, kid! Quill’s eating somewhere on the ship so I’m taking charge of it for a while.” the racoon greeted as he sat in the pilot’s chair, a sling around his arm.

You frowned at the sight and leaned in towards your screen. “Aren’t you supposed to be resting or something? You look pretty banged up.” you pointed out. Rocket was the person (or in this case, rodent) you were closest to after Peter. You had this sibling-type bond that you always found comfort in and you were relieved that it was still comfortable to talk to him after years of not seeing each other.

Rocket scoffed as he waved a dismissive hand. “They can’t keep the real captain away from his ship,” he commented, “enough of that. Where are you? You were supposed to call before you left Earth.”

“Right, sorry about that, it kinda slipped my mind,” you replied, sheepishly scratching the back of your head. “We’re on our way to the wormhole, should be there in an hour or so.” Rocket nodded and turned to the tangled pile of branches beside him, “Wanna say hi to (Y/N)?”

A smile broke into your face as you saw Groot squeeze himself into frame. “I am Groot!” he shouted, voice deeper than the last time you talked to him. “I miss you too, Groot!” you cooed. He then returned to playing his game and you turned your attention back to Rocket. “How are ya, kid?” he questioned, leaning towards his screen, his voice suddenly becoming softer.

You answered by giving him a tight-lipped smile before uttering, “Better as I’ll ever be.” Before he could answer, Gamora emerged from behind him. “Rocket, what did I tell you to get some rest— oh, hi, (Y/N)!” she chirped, coming closer to the monitor. “It’s great to see you again, I hope you’re doing well.”

Your heart warmed at the fact that she still cared about you despite your decision of leaving the team. “It’s great to see you too, Gamora. I hope they’re not giving you a hard time,” you joked, earning a chuckle from her.

Just then, another voice came through that made your whole body tense up. “Is that (Y/N)? Let me talk to her,” Peter’s voice filled your ears. You froze when you heard his footsteps approach the computer as you tried your best to think of an excuse to hang up. Fortunately for you, Bucky called you over another time, “Doll, if you don’t come here and eat, Sam’s gonna steal all your food.”

You quickly turned back to your computer. “I gotta go, I’ll update you when we’re near the planet. Bye.” you rambled, swiftly ending the call before Peter showed up. You sighed and stood up to walk towards the table to join Bucky and the others.

You pulled up a chair next to Bucky and started to eat. He wrapped his arm around your shoulders, pulling you towards his body as he looked at you. His eyebrows were drawn together, mentally asking you if you were okay to which you only nodded in return. “So what’s it like going through a wormhole anyway?” Sam piped up. “The worst feeling ever.” Steve grumbled, taking a sip from his coffee.

Sam snapped his head towards his blonde friend, a dirty look on his face. “I don’t know if you’ve ever been turned into space dust before, but I’m pretty sure it’s way worse than travelling through some space portal.” he retorted, earning a laugh from everyone around the table as Steve lifted his arms up in defense. “Y’all still haven’t answered my question,” he pointed out as he turned to you.

You shook your head as you kept shoving spoonfuls of food in your mouth. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

SPACE - 2 MINUTES TO THE WORMHOLE

“Everybody’s seatbelts on?” you asked as you gripped the steering wheel of the ship. “Everything is gonna look really weird when we enter the wormhole— your vision’s gonna get distorted, things around you will look freaky, but that’s totally normal.”

Everyone nodded, too afraid to ask anymore questions. “I don’t think any of this is totally normal,” Sam countered, his knuckles turning white due to the death grip he had on the armrests on his seat. You hear Rhodey mumble in agreement before counting down, “Entering the wormhole in three, two, one.”

You dive into the spherical figure as you saw the light around you bend into something more tunnel-like. You were going through the wormhole in full speed as you felt the ship shake violently. “Why did I agree to this again?” you heard Natasha shout through the noise.

Bucky’s eyes marveled at the sight before him. Distorted stars and planets were whooshing past him at the speed of light, his field of view much wider than normal. He was a full fledged astronaut now, he thought to himself. Rhodey looked over to him to see the same boyish grin on his face as they continued to make their way to the other side of the hole. “Disneyland rides must seem like nothing to you,” he commented.

After a few minutes of speeding through space and time, you finally exited the wormhole. You heard Sam release a big huff of air before breathing heavily. “Hold on, I think I left my soul on the other side, go back,” he panted as he clutched a hand to his chest. Steve shook his head as he leaned his head back to rest on his chair, “I’m too old for this.”

“That. was. awesome!” Bucky enunciated, earning glares from the rest of the team and a smile from you. “Good job, babe. Best pilot in the galaxy,” he added, throwing you a wink. You shook your head and focused your attention to what was in front of your ship.

“There it is,” you began. “Mortvivus.”

You shot a quick message to the Benetar, telling the Guardians that you were able to travel through the wormhole successfully and that you were about to land on the planet. With shaky hands, you guided the ship towards the planet and began your descent.

“Here we go.”

A/N: If you want to be tagged, feel free to leave a reply or just message me! ❤️ Requests are open too ⭐️

Taglist: @thewolfgirluniverse

[lokisgame]

A Generous Donation [15]

[part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 4] [part 5] [part 6] [part 7] [part 8] [part 9] [part 10] [part 11] [part 12] [part 13] [part 14]

"You're not fidgeting," Scully said, slipping her arm under his as they walked up the path to her mothers' house. "Your mom isn't that scary." "You're the first one to say that." "First what?" "Boyfriend." She smiled looking up and seeing his grin. "When was the last time you brought a guy to meet the family?" "Don't ask." "Okay, now I really want to know." "Mulder!" They took the three steps to the front door and he drew her closer into his side, grinning wide. "Tell me!" He teased, but she rang the bell and the a second later the doors stood open.

"Charlie!" Scully smiled, stepping inside and hugging her brother. "You're just in time." "I thought we're early," Mulder smiled as they shook hands. "Here, that's on time, if you're on time, you're late." "What if the time isn't set?" "Then whoever's last, is late." "That's mean." "Don't listen to him," Scully laughed and pushed her coat into her brothers' arms. "Emily!" "Hi, Aunt Dana." The girl smiled, kissing Scully's cheek then came and did the same with Mulder. "Grandma sent me to tell you dinner's ready." "Dana, Fox," Maggie came in, wiping hands on her apron, "good, you're here." "Hi mom," Scully hugged her mother then linked her arm through Mulders' again, "this is Mulder, not Fox." "Of course," Maggie laughed and took the flowers he brought. "Thank you for the invitation," Mulder said and taking a step back to Scully's side, he found her hand, waiting for him, fingers lacing together. "Let's agree that from now on, you're not just invited, you're expected." "Mom," Scully sighed, "we just got here." "Who's hungry?" Charlie said, comically cheerful. "I'm hungry," Emily chimed in. "You're always hungry," he laughed. "Will would understand me," she pouted and turned on her heel, clinking buckles and creaking leather. "He'll be back, before you know it." Scully said and followed, pulling Mulder along. "And you'll fight for the best bits." "Once he's back, he can have them all." "He might want that in writing," Charlie chuckled. "Then he will have to go through my lawyer," Emily laughed and walked through to the dining room. Scully followed and paused, clearly surprised by the amount of food on the table. "You didn't say we're redoing Thanksgiving," she said. "It's just a dinner," Maggie replied taking her usual place. "It looks delicious," Mulder said and pulled out a chair for Scully. "Come, sit down and enjoy."

Scully leaned against his side, playing with her wine glass. That was by far the nicest family dinner he attended, though admittedly, his own family gatherings didn't set the bar very high. He felt full and content enough to doze off on the couch, and that was the best feeling he could imagine right now. Charlie took the end of the couch while Emily sat on the floor, trying to lure Stubb from her grandmas' lap. The feather on a stick got nothing but a twitch of whiskers from the ginger cat, who true to his name, missed a piece of his tail, but like his book counterpart, retained his good humour despite the feline misadventure. After rubbing on all shins and collecting all due pats and scratches, he settled in his mistresses hands. "Tell us about your family, Fox." Maggie said from the armchair by the fireplace. "There's not much to tell," Mulder said, "my father worked for the DOD and died in '95, mom stayed on the Vineyard after they divorced and there she died, in the spring of 2000." "I'm so sorry." "It's okay. After my sister disappeared in '73, we sort of started to live on our own anyway." "That's horrible," Maggie said appalled. "It's ancient history. I go out to the island once a year, to visit the graves and make sure the house still stands." "You have a house on Martha's Vineyard?" Scully asked. "Usually I rent it out, saving a week or two for myself in the summer." "I'll remember that," she said, sipping her wine, "it's always nice to get out of town for a while." "Consider yourself invited," he said, drawing her a little into his side, then looking up, "that goes for all of you." "Can I book two weeks right now?" Emily asked opening her arms for the cat, who finally decided he wanted the toy more than a nap. "I'll pay, obviously. "Don't be silly. I'll email you the number for my realtor and let her know she should expect a call. It's always open for family." "Thank you," she said and grinned, picking up the cat to look into his green eyes, "Uncle Mulder." Maggie and Mulder laughed, but Scully levelled a glare at her brother. Charlie shrugged almost imperceptibly and took a sip of scotch, ignoring her frown. "We should all go together, a family vacation," Emily said, looking up at Scully, "Will would love that." "Small steps, Em," Scully said, "we'll see if he's up for it." "Any ideas for Christmas?" Charlie asked. "Haven't thought about it yet, if his results keep improving, they might loosen the quarantine procedures, but is it worth the risk?" "He will have to come out of there, eventually," Mulder said. "Christmas happens every year," she said a little sad, "Will happens once in a lifetime." "We'll think of something," he sighed. "Is everything okay, honey?" Maggie asked. "Sure, I just had a long day, that's all." "You wanna go home?" Mulder said softly, dropping a kiss on her temple, but she shook her head lightly. "Not yet," she said and handed him her glass, "I'll just rest my eyes for a minute." "Okay." The conversation flowed around her, touching Mulder's childhood on the island, the house and his travels. Some stories she heard and some were new, especially ones from his Oxford years. All the while, Mulder stayed as warm and relaxed as ever, as if he always belonged there. And when he and Charlie realised, they both traveled to New York to see Red Sox play against Yankees in September, she realised, he not only belonged, but became one of them.

They came back to her place, somehow feeling that that's the right bed to end the day in. "You want tea?" She asked, when he helped her out of her coat, ever the gentleman. "Will there be rum in it." "No rum, sorry." Mulder followed through the living room, and caught up to her by the sink, where she filled the kettle from the tap. He put his arms around her, pulling her back to his front. "Then we'll have to think of something else to keep us warm," he said against the side of her neck, "beside tea." "I don't recall you having any trouble with that," she teased, leaning against him. "You're my great inspiration," he chuckled, but let go when she moved to set the kettle on the stove. "I need to shower first," she said, turning and pulling his face down for a kiss. "Can you do this?" "So it's me making the tea?" "I really need to pee." That made him laugh. "Go, I'll take care of this," he said, kissing her again. "Thanks."

She left him to roam free around the kitchen, pulling out mugs and her favourite Earl Grey. He found lemon in the fruit basket and sliced it in half, little thing he knew she liked, and while he waited for the water to boil, a picture on the wall caught his eye. It was a simple landscape scene, seaside sunset in orange and purple, but in the foreground, with their backs to the camera, sat Scully, in a sundress and a straw hat, saying something to Will, sitting beside her on the sand. He couldn't be older than five, and God did she look beautiful. The scene radiated love, a sweet and tender moment caught so perfectly, that he almost felt jealous he wasn't there to witness it. There was a date below the picture, July 1996 with initials, CS. The jealous feeling died the minute he saw the inscription, Charlie Scully was a man of many talents. Mulder followed the trail of family portraits captured on various occasions, from birthday parties to Christmases. The kettle whistled when he was looking at a picnic scene, in which Scully fed watermelon to a three year-old Will. His face was pink as was his stained shirt, but their smiles were so vibrant, they made him laugh softly. "What's so funny?" Scully asked from a distance. Mulder turned and saw her come in, wearing a short, silk nightgown under a long, loose kimono. Both very modest, demure even, but the gown had just a touch of lace trim and it was enough to make his knees weak. "Okay, I feel underdressed," he said, as she came closer, barefoot and stunning. "You like it?" She said, puling the midnight blue robe around herself a little. "You might say that." He swallowed hard, watching her take the mugs from the counter on her way, and handing one to him, while glancing at the wall. "Will and watermelon," Mulder said, gathering his wits and gesturing with the mug to the picture. "Oh, that one, we were in California that summer and he really discovered fruit that year, loved it ever since." She took a small sip and looked up. "You want to see more?" "Show me everything." He watched the silk float around her curves and shins, as she pulled albums from shelves and brought them back to the coffee table. She took the first one and folded herself on the couch against his side, filling his space with her warmth. "Before we begin," she said, keeping her hand on the cover, holding the thick volume shut, "please, remember this was early 90's and my hair was…" "Wonderful, I'm sure of it." He finished, taking the album from her hands. First page held a single picture, Scully in a hospital bed, looking up into the camera, holding a little bundle of blankets in her arms. "He was so tiny," she said wistfully, "but there was always something in his eyes, like he knew more than he showed." "That's all you," Mulder said, pulled into this tender scene, "you can make or break someone with one look." "No I don't." "Yeah, you do," he chuckled, turning the page, "but he only got love from you. Look at this." He ran his fingers around a photo, again showing Scully watching Will in her arms, nursing happily, his tiny palm closed around her thumb. "That's love." "He was two months old." "Who took this one?" "Charlie, that's why he's hardly in any picture," she said, leaning on his side, "he's the family photographer." "Here's one." Mulder laughed seeing Scully's brother holding Will in his outstretched arms, little arms flailing and tiny feet squashing his perfect nose. "Why do I find this hilarious?" "Because it is, Will was a fighter, putting him to bed took hours." Scully laughed sipping tea, "only way was to tire him before the bath, warm water calmed him down and he usually fell asleep nursing. Those were the good nights." "And the bad ones?" "Oh, he wouldn't fall asleep for the world, the little night owl. But he wasn't fussy or scared, he just played in his bed, minding his own business." "We would've gotten along nicely." Mulder said, turning the page to more baby and holiday pictures, pausing by a photo of Will holding on to the edge of a coffee table. "Look at him, he's so proud." "End of an era," Scully smiled looking over his shoulder, "after that, I had to have eyes around my head." "He looks like a runner." "He does, but he always loved water best." She pointed to another picture, where they were sitting in a paddling pool laughing, as Will slapped his tiny arms and legs against the surface, sending water splashing everywhere. "A regular sea monster," Mulder chuckled and turned the page to find a photo of Emily, maybe six years old, and Will with his nose and elbows covered in scabs. "What happened here?" "He tried to run," she sighed, smoothing down a corner that got unglued. "He saw Emily walking through the yard and just ran to her." "Poor kid," Mulder crooned. "You'd think so, but he barely cried, he always was a tough cookie." "That's because he grew up watching you," Mulder said not even trying to hide the admiration, "don't underestimate the strength you're projecting, a self-sufficient, capable and independent figure, who also gave him love, care and support he needed. Positively reinforced example." "Sometimes I forget you teach psychology at Harvard," she smiled, kissing his cheek and leaning her head on his shoulder. They browsed through the album, watching Will grow from a wobbling toddler into a small boy. Pictures of first bike rides, country fairs and family trips to Chicago, Washington, D.C., New York. Mulder paused on a picture of Will in a New York Yankees jersey, a classic baseball card shot. "Wow." "What?" Scully said, startled out of her reverie. "I've got the exact same picture," he said laughing under his breath, "I mean, the uniform is a bit different but still, he could be me. I guess all kids look alike at a certain age." "No, that's not it," she said and her tone made him look up from the album and meet her gaze. "Then what is it?" "He's your son," Scully said. For a second he wanted to tease her back, laugh about it, roll his eyes, but though her tone was warm, he saw she was scared. "What?" She shifted a little, staying close while turning to see him. "Remember when I told you how I had Will, after I had a terrible fight with the guy I was with?""He didn't think you can do it," Mulder said. "My friend is a fertility specialist and she agreed to help me with the procedure." "What procedure?" "In Vitro fertilisation," Scully said, holding his gaze, though her cheeks burned and her hands were starting to shake. "I had Will through IVF," then she added quietly, "using donor sperm." Mulder's blood ran cold and he hid his face in his hands. "Oh sh…" "Did you ever?" She asked gently. "I," his voice came muffled, "I did, once. I never told anyone about it." He felt her side pressed against him, arm around his shoulder. "It was supposed to be anonymous." "I contacted the bank and they gave me a few options to chose from." "The blood test before transplant," he said, looking up, "that's how you found out." "Yes," "And you didn't tell me." "I couldn't bring myself to do it," she said quietly, her eyes growing wet, voice breaking, "if anything went wrong, if the transplant didn't work." Tears spilled and she looked away. "I couldn't give you a son, just to take him away." For the first time that night words failed him, but he puled her into his arms, feeling his shirt grow hot as she held on tight. All the conversations with Will were coming back, the pain he felt at the thought this kid might be gone someday, amusement mixed with respect, when he tried to play the matchmaker, wanting to take care of his mother, the relief he felt, when he heard he was getting better, and suddenly, it all made sense. He had a son, a brilliant kid with bright blue eyes and a huge heart. A kid who facing death, cared more about others than himself, honest and kind young man. Could he have done it better? "We have a son." He whispered and felt tears burn down his face. "Why IVF? Couldn’t you just find a guy?" He asked once he found his voice again and once he spoke, she began to relax. "I was crazy back then," she sniffed, snuggling closer, "the thought I'd have to deal with some guy for the rest of my life, someone who might show up one day and ruin what I build for the baby and myself. In my head, it was the worst thing possible." "You could have at least tried," he chuckled, kissing her neck, "maybe we’d meet sooner." "Or we would never end up together. Maybe now, instead of sitting on this couch, I'd be mourning my son, cursing his father, wherever he was." "You wouldn't be together?" "I wasn't ready to share myself with anyone yet, I wanted a child, but that didn't mean I felt that my life lacked." "Unconditional love." "Everyone told me I was crazy, even Charlie." "Really?" "He said, I love you Danes and I'm with you, but this is crazy." "And your mother?" "She thought so too, she thought I should wait, that Daniel wasn't the right man, that someone would show up, who would love me and our child." Scully looked up and cupped his cheek, meeting his eyes with warmth, "she didn't know, I'd have to wait twenty years for him." Mulder leaned closer and caught her lips, feeling them tear-soft and willing. "I still wish you told me sooner." "I couldn't." She sighed, resting her forehead against his, cool fingers scratching at the base of his scull. "If it failed, if Will died because of the transplant, I couldn’t risk watching you go through that." "And if I wasn't a match? Would you leave me one day, without telling me why?" "God no," she pulled him back into a hug, "I love you too much."

[amazingmsme]

Like We Used To

AN: I know this is late, but I finished my last final yesterday so I can finally start writing more. This is for Thor’s day for Avengers week. I plan on writing the last 2 fics here soon, hope you enjoy!

Things were getting better. His relationship with Loki had been rocky at best, but it had been smoothening out for some time. And then the whole thing with Thanos happened, and the time travel, and suddenly things were okay again. He had journeyed through space with the guardians, each looking for a past version of someone they had lost. Gamora showed up first. She was wiry and kept escaping right from under their noses, but they finally cornered her. They convinced her that in a different time, their time, they were like a family. He still didn't know if she was fully persuaded, but she was willing to give them a chance. She had nothing else to turn to.

Thor continued his search for his brother on his own. He followed leads that turned up cold, and there were times when he saw a face in a crowd that seemed all too familiar. A lingering stare, a knowing smirk slipping into the sea of people. Finally, after years of searching, he caught up with the brother he thought was gone forever.

It was obvious that this was not the same brother he had lost. He had no recollection of certain events, because he didn't have the chance to live through them yet. He was still the brother that he loved and fought with, but all of the vital time spent reconciling with one another had been lost, leaving mostly bad blood between them, at least on Loki's end. The wounds were still fresh, and it took time to adjust to everything Thor told him.

Now that he was caught up to speed on things, he made an effort to be a better brother. They both did. It wasn't perfect, though it never had been. Thor supposed if it ever was, neither would like it and one of them would do something to disrupt the peace. For now, things were good. 

They were holed up in the equivalent of a space hotel, having no real home to return to. Loki was too nervous to return to Earth, fearing how they would react to him. Thor explained how so much has happened since that no one really cared anymore, but it still didn't feel right to him. Valkyrie was doing a great job ruling New Asgard, so he didn't feel a need to return. It was nice to finally be able to relax with the only family he had left.

They found themselves reminiscing their childhood, laughing at the foolish antics they used to partake in.

"Why did you stab me so much? It's not even like you were that mad most of the time," Thor chuckled. Loki found himself snickering along.

"You weren't paying attention to me, and I was bored mostly. It was just the first thing that would come to mind," he admitted.

Thor raised an eyebrow, "There's easier ways to get my attention."

Loki rolled his eyes, "I know that now. But you know you kinda liked it. You thought it was fun," he said with a smug smile. Thor was smiling now too.

"Only because it meant payback! And I think you enjoyed our training matches more than you let on."

"Psh only when I won, which wasn't often," he said dismissively. He tried to go back to reading his book, but now that they were talking, Thor didn't want to stop.

"We used to play so many games as children. What was your favorite?" he asked, shifting his position on his bed. Loki leaned back into the pillows on his own mattress, trying to get comfortable.

"Easy, it was be quiet children. You always lost," he darted his eyes up to glance at Thor before going back to the book. Thor let out a hearty laugh once more.

"I believe that was Father's favorite as well. It was practically the only way he could get some peace and quiet."

"Yes, I almost feel sorry for him." He turned the page, eyes scanning the words. Thor hummed in thought as he picked his favorite. It didn't take long before he came upon his answer. His grin turned feral, though Loki didn't seem to notice."

"Wanna know mine?"

"Oh do tell, I'm dying to know." His tone was drier than the Sahara dessert. He didn't even bother to look up.

"The monster," he answered. Loki tensed slightly and refused to look at him. Thor got on his hands and knees, ready to pounce. "I think we should play it," he said. His voice had a teasy note to it and a mischievous gleam in his eye.

Loki still adverted his eyes as he spoke, "Please don't." He lunged forth, not heeding his warning. He quickly tried to pin his brother down so that he could turn him into a giggly snorting mess. Instead, he got a face full of cushion when he phased straight through his brother's form. He was right about to question what just happened when he felt a weight slam into his side and knock him on his back. He looked up to see Loki looming over him.

"How many times are you gonna fall for the same trick?" he asked. He wore a wide, evil grin that nearly split his face in two. "Still wanna play monster?"

Thor chuckled nervously, "I'm starting to reconsider."

"Too late!" Loki exclaimed as he dug his fingers into his ribs. He threw his head back, laughing loud and free. Thor never held back his reactions when being tickled, he would lay there and take it, cackling his head off. Loki always tried to hold it in, too embarrassed of this silly weakness but ultimately falling victim to the inevitable mirth.

"Wow you were right, this game really is fun! Wouldn't you agree?" He was too busy being thrown into hysterics to answer properly, so he just nodded. How typical: he had never been shy about how much he loved this game, and that hadn't changed. Loki grinned and jammed his hands underneath his arms.

He practically screamed and grasped his wrists, but didn't shove him away. "Lohohoki nohoho!" Thor protested, although he didn't really mean it. Loki knew he didn't.

Loki cocked his head, "Oh but I've only just got started!" To prove his point, he switched spots and started scribbling along his stomach. Thor giggled deeply and smacked the bed with his hand, not knowing what else to do.

"Plehehease, hahave mercy!" Thor begged. Loki shook his head, tutting, "Not quite yet. If I remember correctly, this was a bad spot, yes?" His hands hovered over his hips. Before he could answer, Loki struck.

Thor snorted, throwing his head back as thunderous cackles erupted from his mouth. The younger man couldn't help the smile that broke out across his face. "Ah, so I was correct. Careful though, you don't want to start a thunderstorm."

Through his laughter, he yelled, "Thahahat's not hohow it wohohorks!"

"Yeah well you said you exploded with lighting when you were fighting our possibly fake sister, so I don't think you know how it works either," Loki retorted. He still wasn't sure how much he believed from what Thor had told him. His hands traveled down to squeeze his thighs before skittering along the backs of his knees. Thor snorted as he journeyed deeper into his decent of mirthful madness. He kicked his legs frantically, causing Loki to lose his balance and fall off. He tried to scramble to stay on the bed, but ultimately landed on the floor and pulled the covers off with him. Thor laid there, regaining his breath through residual chuckles. He leaned over the side and smiled down at his glaring brother and offered a hand.

Loki hesitated, seemingly judging whether he could trust him before accepting the help up. He sat down beside him. There was a calm beat of silence.

"I think I deserve some revenge, wouldn't you agree?"

Loki's head snapped to him, eyes wide and a nervous smile already creeping on his face. "Wha- no! Stay away from me!"

A lot of things have changed, but one thing would always remain a constant. They were brothers, and they would continue to play these silly childish games. The past stayed the same, but the future was shrouded in mystery waiting to be discovered. Though for now, they would continue to play like they used to.

[writers-hes]

meet-cute / fluff !

thank you so much for your support on my first ever fanfic! i really had such a great time writing it and i will be updating the second part of it soon. for now, please enjoy this super fluffy fic!

WARNING: UNEDITED !

word count: 3596

in which y/n and harry meets for the first time and can’t seem to get enough if each other

“lou, do i really have to go?” you ask. your sister and lou teasdale have been great friends, immediately clicking it off in middle school. the both of them never lost contact and you were glad that they didn’t because you considered her as an older sister and you knew that she treated you like her younger sister.

“of course you do! your parents entrusted you to me and i have to keep my promise that i will look over for the night.” she chuckles. you roll your eyes. you were twenty for christ’s sake and the last thing you needed was a baby sitter. your parents have always been strict, not allowing you to date till you finish your studies. sure, you had a few short-term relationships here and there. it was all part of growing up but even so, you didn’t let your parents know about them.

lou sensed your annoyance. she felt sorry for you, not experiencing the things that kids in your age should. you should be out, getting wasted and experiencing youth but you were stuck with her. “tell you what, you don’t have to come to the backstage with me. i’ll let you stay in my hotel room and you can order room service or pizza. my treat.” she says.

“will lux be there with me?” you ask, talking about lou’s adorable little girl.

“sure. i needed someone to take care of lux anyway. she’s been losing sleep layely because if the loudness in concerts.” she replies. poor girl.

“where is she anyway?” you ask. you were outside with lou, eating breakfast a block away from their hotel and it was so unusual for lux not to be joined in her hip.

“she spent the night with harry. said its been a while since he last saw the little girl,”

harry styles. out of all the members of the boy band, the person you still haven’t met yet is harry. lou speaks of the young kad fondly, telling stories about how funny and gentlemanly he is. you’ve met everybody twice, in end-of-tour parties in one of their fancy houses (with your sister by your side and your parents’ permission, of course.) still, harry would always arrive late and you’ll always leave early, not really caring for the party itself. you were just there to support lou, anyway.

“oh, what time will you leave for the arena?” you ask.

“noon-time. which reminds me, we should get going!” she exclaims, wiping off the crumbs of the sandwich she just finished. you nodded drank the last of your hot cocoa. the two of you walk side by side to the hotel. “have you ket harry before?” she asks. you shake your head no and explain what happens during the parties.

“ah, well that’s such a shame! you will absolutely love him, i promise,” you nod, not really caring that you were about to meet the harry styles—your personal favourite from the band. you were excited to see lux.

you arrive at the hotel, finally. you were so excited to see lux. “hey, why don’t you go ahead and take lux from harry? his room is 1723 and take her to my room, 1735. i’ll just go get ready and take a shower.” she says. you nod and tread your way to 1723.

you knock once you arrive, not noticing the doorbell right beside the door.

“stay there, luxy! i’ll just see who’s at the door.” you hear from the outside. you blush, anxious to finally meet harry. you hear shuffling as you anticipate the door to open.

“hey, i’m here to get lu—“

“uh, who are you?” he asks, a little rudely. you frown but immediately get over it. he doesn’t know you and was probably just looking out for lux.

“name is (y/n) and i’m here to take lux...lou told me that she spent the night with you.” you told him.

“uncle harry!” you hear lux from the inside. you smile at her cute little voice. “who’s there?” you hear her ask as her head poked from the door. you watch her face light up.

“auntie (y/n)!” she squeals. she ducks under harry’s arm to run towards you.

“lux, i’ve missed you so much!” you say, crouching down to her height and opening your arms to hug her. you see that she was wearing the winnie the pooh pyjama set you gave her and smiled even wider.

“i see you watched pooh without me...” you fake-pout, making lux giggle and hug you even tighter.

meanwhile, harry is leaning on the door frame in awe as he watch you interact with lux. he suddenly felt guilty for being so rude when you first met. he was just being protective of lux.

“y/n, is it?” he suddenly asks. you turn to him and nod curtly, still a little annoyed at how he treated you earlier. “i’m sorry about earlier...thought you were someone else...lou didn’t tell me someone else was coming to get her.”

you picked up lux and stood up.

“s’okay,” you smiled. now that harry apologized he didn’t seem as bad.

“hey, do you wanna go in? i’ll just prepare her stuff in her bag.” he offers. you told him that you were going in so he pulled the space of the door a little more and let you in. “so, how come we’ve never met before? you seem to know the atkins well.” he asks you as he cleans up the little girl’s mess.

“ah, well, i suppose our paths never crossed. i met niall, liam, zayn, and louis twice in your end-of-tour parties.” you say. “you were always late and i always happen to leave earlier.” you let go of lux once you sat on the couch of the grand hotel room.

“uncle har, up!” lux said, making grabby hands for her to be picked up by harry. he looks at you, as if asking if it was alright if he picked up lux first.

“it’s alright. i’ll clean up,” you offer. he smiles at you thankfully and picks up the little girl who’s been asking for attention since the two of you met.

“if you don’t mind me asking, how come you’re here?”

“my parents asked lou if she could ‘babysit’ me…” a little embarrassed that you’re saying this to the man who travelled the world.

“wait--how old are you?”

“i’m 20...my parents are out of the country and luckily, you guys are here so they asked lou if i could tag along. it would’ve been okay to not have someone guard for me if they were out of town,” you grumbled.

harry chuckles. “so, you attend uni then?”

“yeah, i’m currently majoring in political science and minoring in creative writing…”

“you liking it so far?” he asks, slowly rocking lux back and forth, making her extra sleepy.

“yeah. i really love comparative politics and seeing all the different patterns in different political landscapes. did you know that changing the appearance of money causes the economies of different countries to go down? i love studying about political theories by calvin, plato, machiavelli…” you gush. you suddenly stop. “i’m sorry, i’m probably boring you with all the academic talk.”

harry sets lux back to the bed. “no, it’s alright. tell me more about uni! you know, i originally planned to be a lawyer if i didn’t join the x factor. about political science and creative writing, may i please know more?” he asks, plopping himself beside you on the couch.

“well...what do you want to know? i’m still in sophomore so i really don’t know much.”

“you know more than i do and that’s enough for me. ah! look at me, being so rude. i didn’t even offer you a drink. do you want anything? water? juice?”

“water’s fine, thanks.” you watch as he stand up and retrieve a bottle of fiji water from the fridge. fancy.

“so...creative writing? do you think i can get you to read some of my poems and snippets of songs sometime? i need a professional’s opinion…”

“hey! i told you i don’t really know much yet, harry.” you chuckle. harry smiles. it was his first time hearing his name roll of from your lips and he likes it. he really likes it.

“and i said that it’s okay. you probably know more than i do anyway. how about this, let’s go out tonight after the show. we can hang around somewhere, maybe even here. you read my writing and criticise it. if you don’t like it, you have the power to make me do one silly thing. if you like it, i’ll take you to a date.” harry didn’t know if he was shotting his shot here but his smile became even wider when you said sure.

“alright. what time do you want to meet up?” you ask.

“i’m free midnight. do you know anything open by that time?”

“well, there’s a nice coffee shop that sort of serves like a flower market near the hotel. nobody’s really there because it’s hidden but we can go there if you like.”

“deal. i’ll pick you up at lou’s room and then we can go.”

you really like harry. he was so warm and humble. he listened to you while you ramble about politics. you obviously loved your course and he could see that. throughout your conversation, you could feel warmth radiate through your body, not knowing that that was how he felt too.  

---

“looks like you’ve spent the whole morning with my little sister, huh, harry?” lou teased while blow-drying his hair.

“yeah...quite lovely, isn’t she?” he mutters, blushing a little bit.

“oi, niall! someone here got a crush!” liam teases. harry blushed a little bit more, his whole face was red. the lads looked at him funnily. it’s been awhile since harry had a crush on a girl. sure, there were a few flings but those either didn’t work out well because of his busy schedule or because it was for publicity.

“who’s he crushin on?” louis asks.

“you know my friends’s sister, y/n?” lou replies, finishing up harry’s braids.

“oh, pretty girl. she’s super smart too.” zayn comments.

“yeah, m’taking her out tonight…” harry mumbles. he felt like he was back in high school crushing on a girl.

“you didn’t even ask me, oi! i’m her guardian tonight,”

“fine! may i take her out then?” harry asks. why can’t these people let him be? it was just a little crush.

“alright. just make sure to be back before the sun comes up. no funny business, haz. or else.” lou threatens. harry nods while the boys look at each other. it was so unlike harry to have a crush on a girl the first time meeting her. still, they couldn’t deny that y/n was a lovely girl. she was very polite and was well-raised. she was exactly harry’s type.

---

harry felt guilty. he was running late. it was almost 1 a.m. and he still wasn’t at the hotel. the concert ended a few minutes early and harry immediately left after the meet and greet with some fans. he still had about thirty minutes to spare before twelve. he asked his driver to drive around the area in hopes to find flowers for her. in the end, he only got her red and white floating balloons from a liquor store.

once he arrived at the hotel, he ran to the special elevator and jogged to where you were. you were sitting on lou’s bed as she put your hair up in a high ponytail.

“now, love, i know harry’s very attractive and very kind but don’t you forget to come home before the sun comes up. your parents will pick you up here tomorrow noon and you can’t look like you’ve been out dating a popstar. you know what will happen if they find out.” lou warns. you nod absentmindedly. you couldn’t wait till harry arrives. he’s been on your mind since you parted. was he alright? how was the concert? did he enjoy performing? you’ve never really been to their show, finding no time because you were always busy with coursework.

knock, knock, knock.

three hasty knocks were heard and you know it was harry. you immediately zoom your way to the door to find harry holding red and white balloons.

“hey, harry. what are the balloons for?” you ask.

“well, i’ve been looking for an open flower shop around the area since i left the arena but i couldn’t find any. so, i got you red and white balloons from a liquor store instead. just think of them as red and white roses…” he offers you the balloons and you take it from him. lou was smiling in the background, feeling as if she was watching two awkward highschoolers go out on their first date.

“thanks. i love them.” you say. “lou? is it alright if i tie the balloons on the door knob?”

“yeah but lux will play with that once she sees it tomorrow…”

“it’s alright. lux and i can play with it together.” you tie the balloons on the doorknob as harry waits outside. “hey, harry? are you ready to go?” harry nods and offers you his hand. you take it as he bids goodbye to lou from inside the hotel room.

“hey, i hope it’s okay for lux to play with the balloons you gave tomorrow.” you start. you were walking arm in arm down the hallway of the fancy hotel.

“it’s alright. i’m glad that you’re willing to share it with luxie. it’s really cute how you interact with her,” he replies. he was looking really good tonight--even better than how he did in the morning. he was wearing a white britney spears t-shirt, straight cut denim, white socks, and old school black vans. he was also wearing black nail polish on his ridiculously pretty hands adorned with rings and a small gucci pouch that he tucked on his other arm. “so, love, where are you taking me?”

“well, it’s this small flower-slash-coffee shop downtown. we can walk there if you’d like,” you say. he nods in agreement as he unconsciously pulls you closer. “hey, harry?”

“hm?”

“you look really good tonight.” you both blush at your words.

“hey, you look even prettier than i do!” he gushes. you say thanks and look the other way. your face was so red. “let’s walk there, yeah? i’d love to spend more time with you and i feel like if we use the car, we’ll just tire out the driver,”

you nod, in awe at how he just said that so confidently.

--

you arrive at the small coffee shop. flora it read. this was your favourite coffee shop in the whole town. you loved how rustic everything felt--from the white walls to the flowers scattered all over the place. you loved how the smell of coffee and flowers are all mixed in the air.

“wow, this is beautiful.” harry comments. there was no place like this was. flora was so beautiful with the string lights hung from the ceiling. even though the coffee shop is empty, it still somehow felt comforting. “how did you find this place, love?”

“well, once i graduated from high school, i had the mission to drink something from every coffee shop in the area. i guess i was also looking for the best cup of coffee at the best price. coffee here is quite out of my budget. this place, though, it has the best coffee and it’s also quite cheap.” you tell him truthfully. you walked, still arm in arm, to the counter.

“hey! what can i get you today?” the barista asks.

“hey. i’ll get the cookie cream milkshake, please. also, please add a shot of espresso,” you tell him. it was your usual order. “what about you, harry?”

“oh, no. i’ll pay for this, y/n. i was the one who asked you to read my writings and critique them,”

“but--”

“no buts, sorry. hey, may i get a large homemade milk tea, please?” he says and before you could even take out your money, he slides his credit card to the barista. “take something for your tip, too.”

the barista smiles at him gratefully.

“you know, i have to pay you back, harry.” you grumble, making your way to one of the corner seats of the coffee shop.

“no! take that as an apology for the shitty balloons and for being late...also as a payment for the time you’ll be spending tonight. okay?” he protested.

“but i don’t think that the balloons were shitty...i think they’re pretty sweet.”

“okay....why don’t you spend your money on dessert and we will call it even.” he offered.

you smiled and immediately went back to the barista, asking for a honey almond toast with extra whip--your personal favourite.

“thanks. i will just serve your orders once they’re ready since there’s no one else here.” the barista says right before you turn and go back to where you sat.

“so...here’s my journal. read whatever you like. some of them are bits of song lyrics that i have yet to finish. or maybe i’m not gonna finish them.” he shyly slides a leatherbound journal towards you. he watches as you pick it up gently. “i really wanna hear about your opinions on them...we can even edit it together or write something together!”

you chuckle at his excitement. “here. this is my journal. some writings that inspired me for some of my papers. it’s a little bit all over the place. political papers, some emotional, and also some rubbish. i figured, since i will be knowing lots about you tonight, you should also know about me. i mean, if you want to…”

harry smiles at you widely and gratefully takes your journal from your hands.

the barista arrives and sets down the toast and your drinks.

“whoa, this toast! i’ve never seen one of these before.” the toast lays in its glory. thick, golden brown, and syrupy.

“yeah, take a bite! it’s one of my favourite things to eat.” you say. you offer him a forkful of the toast with some of the whip cream and watch him take a bite as you feed it to him. the both of you blush at the interaction.

“this is really good. what is this called?”

“honey almond toast. it usually has lesser whip cream but i really love how it mellows down the sweetness. wanna try my milkshake?” you ask. you give him the glass of sweetness and watch him drink from your straw.

“hey, this is also delicious. taste my milk tea?” you nod and reach for his cup. it was also delicious.

“look at us. meeting for the first time and already sharing each others’ drinks! how chummy.” he teases. you chuckle at his comment. you open his journal and he opens yours.

sweet creature had another talk about where it's going wrong but we're still young we don't know where we're going but we know where we belong

wow. he thought to himself. it was a four line poem of something but it was so good. so, so, good.

just let me know i'll be at the door, at the door

hoping you'll come around

just let me know i'll be on the floor, on the floor

maybe we'll work it out

i gotta get better, gotta get better

i gotta get better, gotta get better

i gotta get better, gotta get better

and maybe we'll work it out

“you wrote this?” you ask. you’ve been flipping the pages, so immersed with his writings.

“y-yeah…?” he replies. he was afraid that you wouldn’t like it. “it’s actually a little song...haven’t finished it yet but i sorta like the flow.”

“it’s brilliant! may i suggest something?” you ask. he nods. “um, well, it seems to me as if this is about someone leaving yes? if this is a song...i think it’s nice if you make it about someone you want to meet again. you know? like, let’s escape together. meet me in five…meet me to where we used to be...in the hallway?”

“i really like hallway...makes it sound more intimate and secretive.”

“here, write it on this page.” you move a beside him, arms touching, and point to a blank space right before what he originally has written. you watch as his boyish handwriting fill up the space. damn, this man is so beautiful and everything that comes out of him is even more beautiful.

“what about that?” he asks. you nod in approval. really loving what he got so far. “i really like your piece on this sweet creature. love the way it’s titled and written. are you planning to finish it?”

“y-yeah...just don’t have the motivation to write. politics has drained the life out of me,” you chuckle.

harry hopes you could write sweet creature soon. harry hopes to be the sweet creature you speak of so fondly.

// end of part one //

[lisinfleur]

Mishaps - Epilogue: Heathens

Author’s Notes | One more series ended! I hope y’all enjoyed this one! Thanks for all the comments, reblogs and feedbacks! All my love for you guys! Words | 1004 ⁑ Warnings: None

"Fucking shit! That's awesome!"

You laughed. Hvitserk's hand was over your belly and every time your child was kicking under his hand, a new swear would come from his mouth. He was surprised your baby could really be so strong to make him feel it outta your belly that way.

"Fuck, man, look at this boy! I fucking feel him outside! My boy will be a hell of a kicker! Jez! He's so strong!"

You were in the living room of that hunting cabin, sitting on the couch with Hvitserk by your side, both of his hands over your belly now, causing the boy to make a real party into your womb, trying to show itself to his father.

The two of you had just discovered it was a boy, even though you were approaching the eighth month of your pregnancy: the doctor tried all the possible positions for the ultrasonic machine, but your baby refused to show his legs open until the last exam. Now, Hvitserk and you were waiting for your time to bring that beautiful boy into this word.

Ubbe was kinda bothered by your presence yet. He was very calmer than before, but you could still see the mistrust in his eyes. He seemed to be always waiting for something bad to come from you and you couldn't blame him completely. Knowing Hvitserk's brothers well made you see that all of them had their own particularity and Ubbe's peculiarity was exactly the loyalty to his family and the need to keep everything under control. You kinda hurt it. You couldn't expect him to trust you so soon. You were something outta his box for him. And that old cat didn't like any foreigner thing near his space.

On the other hand, the musician, Sigurd, liked you completely. He was there, laughing at his brother's silly faces to your belly while messing up with one of his guitars. Björn and Ivar were in another room, playing that hnefatafl game you simply couldn't understand, not even what’s necessary to know who of them had won at the end of a match.

Weekends like that were becoming something common in your life: you were now a part of the family even though being a part of that family was still something strange for you.

They were a common bunch of men, hunting, playing with each other; a bunch of brothers no one would ever say were the heathens you knew pretty well they were.

Despite the fact Ubbe wanted to leave and so wanted Hvitserk, they were still a family of criminals very well succeed enough to erase completely any track of officer Aethelwulf in their town: the police officer you knew very well was somehow transferred to a station BEYOND THE SEA! And you were sure Björn had something to do with it, for he was always giggling when the subject appeared in any kind of conversation.

Maybe it was some kind of fate for you to be surrounded by the world of your father. But Hvitserk wasn't like him and you learned it easily. Ubbe's plans were going right, despite Ivar's discontentment. The company was cleaning itself and Hvitserk was kinda learning to deal with the marketing and public relationship of the business. He was going very well and with his progress, Sigurd would soon be able to leave the company as he wanted to work in his own career with the band he was essaying. It was a small project, but well... "Everyone starts small," in his own words.

"Y/N? Is everything ok?" Hvitserk called you up and you noticed you were silently traveling in your own mind for too long.

But it was so good to hear your name in his mouth... Being able to be yourself, without having to lie about your story was the best you took from that whole situation. July totally understood your situation after you told her a small portion of your former life, but it was with him, with Hvitserk, that you could be yourself without barriers.

"It is, my prince. I'm fine," you answered, caressing his face. "I'm just thinking about how things started, the whole way we made until here..."

Hvitserk smiled and his hand reached your face, caressing your cheek with his thumb.

"I know it wasn't the best way, but you know what?" you said, catching his attention. "After all the curves of our path, we have a hell of a story to tell, don't we?"

He chuckled, nodding in agreement.

"Indeed. But I kinda like the curves of our path, in the end," he said, looking at you with tenderness. "They led me to you... To my place into your arms."

"More honey and I'll become diabetic," Ivar's voice sounded along with the sound of his cane when he and Björn came back into the living room.

"Did you lost enough battles to be this moody, little brother?" Hvitserk asked but Ivar curved his lips in an ironic smile.

"Ya know very well I can be pretty moody without needing to lose, brother. But no. The shitty thing about playing with Björn is that we always end up with an even score."

"Try to do the same after being drunk," you suggested, causing both of them to look at each other and then at you. "What? You may whether decide the score or have good reasons to laugh in the end."

"I saw many kind of things in my whole life, but drunk hnefatafl will be the first time," Sigurd said, interested.

And before Ivar could say anything against it, Ubbe pushed a cup of mead in his hand.

"Hush and drink, little brother. I wanna see this happening..."

Björn was already drinking his part of the deal and Hvitserk was excited like a child, picking up paper and pen to settle a real score for the matches.

You giggled, caressing your belly. There was what you said: they were just a bunch of silly boys after all...

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[forehead-enthusiast]

A Buncha Tag Games (and yet not all of them)

tagged by: @eggyukhei mwah

tagging: this is a LOT of games so i’ll only tag @atinyphobe @nsheetee and @veonjun for the SECOND (2nd) game. if they or anybody wants to do any of the other games, absolutely go for it and say i tagged you <3 i’d love to see what you guys say!! (also, tk if you felt like you wanted to answer my questions from the second game i’d be interested to see!)

One:

tell me the first song that made you stan your current fave group and why did your faves attract you so much?

ok SO the song that probably got me into rv 100% (also yes ik this blog is 99% nct but rv is my forever fave no question) was probably ice cream cake!! i had been a casual listener of many groups up until that point and had never really stanned anyone, but icc was so infectious i found myself watching it over and over. i had heard happiness and be natural before but hadn’t really listened too closely, so icc was the song that captured me. after that, dumb dumb only cemented my love for them more, and the red is still one of my favorite kpop albums to date. rv attracted me primarily because of their incredible vocals and their versatility in genres and concepts. i still get so excited wondering what they’ll tackle next!! they’re just soooo unique and have one of, if not the best discographies of any group. i cannot stress enough, I. Love. RV!! also they’re funny and gay so. anyway stream monster once it drops uwu

Two:

rule: answer the ten questions and write your own!

1. what is your favorite song that’s been released during quarantine? ooooo honestly??? probably something off of Sawayama. literally every song bangs so hard i highly recommend that album to anyone!! i can’t pick a favorite off it but who’s gonna save you now is awesome and xs is just,,, chef’s kiss

2. what is your greatest mishap when you tried cooking? (or something you’ve witnessed) one time, while making soup at my late grandmother’s house on her like gas stove, i put a lid on a pot and somehow that led the pot to be engulfed in flames. IN MY DEFENSE i was like 7, and i’m great at cooking/baking now

3. what’s your go-to outfit or article of clothing? oh i love a nice dress. they can be casual or formal, and you look like you put effort into your outfit except i didn’t because i didn’t have to match anything yo!!!! also shorts have trouble fitting me cause i’m a weird body type so dresses tend to be very comfy for me

4. what is your comfort food? am i allowed to say like all food??? eating in itself is comforting,,, that sounds depressing but also i just like eating yummy food. i guess i’d say like my dad’s fried rice?? its my fave and no one makes it like him soooo

5. what singular moment in your life would you like to relive? i couldn’t tell if this meant like, a good moment you want to re-experience or go back in time and redo a moment and fix it. it’s kind of a hard question so i might cop out and go with a bit of a silly answer: i want to relive the hi touch with astro...... i wanna look at rocky’s beautiful eyes and touch moonbin’s hand ok,,,,

6. what is your favorite line and/or character from a movie, show, or book? i got a bunch but a few off the top of my head are genie lo (the epic crush of genie lo), ty lee, suki (atla), klaus, and ben (umbrella academy) 

7. if you could only choose one ice cream flavor and pizza topping/style for the rest of your life, what would it be? ice cream flavor: this very specific one from a local store that is banana ice cream with strawberries and oreo mixed in. it is heaaaavenly. as for pizza topping, i love a breakfast type pizza with an egg on top and like sausage and stuff!!!

8. what is the worst injury you’ve ever had or witnessed? funny enough, i’ve actually gotten badly injured quite a few times, and always on the face!! god hates me. the worst was probably when i hit a metal bench with my face and it took a chunk out of my cheek. i still have the scar! as for “witnessed” i accidentally broke a grown man’s rib once as a child, so i guess that would count.

9. would you rather explore the unknown of space or the bottom of the ocean? oceaaaan!! i answered this in some other game, but i like how mysterious and yet close the ocean is. like proximity wise it’s so near, yet there’s an insane amount we know nothing about. that’s so frightening but so intriguing

10. if you could be any cartoon character, who would you be? my first thought was literally “kirby. eat fast” GOD my followers are gonna think i’m just a glutton and they’re not even gonna be wrong im dying. but uhh idk mulan or smth?

my questions:

what is your go-to feel good movie?

are you the type of person who’s indecisive about buying, or the type to impulse buy once you see something you like?

do you prefer chocolate-y or fruity candy?

what idol do you think is most similar to you? (not your bias necessarily)

do you have any silly dealbreakers? if so, what are they?

what do you do to unwind?

what is a small thing you like to do for people you love? (be it sending memes, remembering their favorite shows, etc)

what’s/who’s your favorite myth/mythological being?

what is a non-typical pet you would want to have?

do you say pronounce data as day-ta or dah-ta?

THREE

rule: bold the statements that apply to you, italicize your aspirations, then tag nine people. 

AIR ༉⋆͙̈

i have small hands / i love the night sky / i watch animals and birds when i pass them by / i drink herbal tea / i wake to see the dawn / the smell of dust is comforting / i’m valued for being wise / i prefer books to music / i meditate / i find joy in learning new truths from the world around me

FIRE ༉⋆͙̈

i don’t have straight hair / i like to wear ripped jeans and overalls / i play an organized sport / i love dogs / i am not afraid of adventure / i love to talk to strangers / i always try new foods / i enjoy road trips / summer is my favorite season / my radio is always playing

WATER ༉⋆͙̈

i wear bracelets on my wrists / i love the bustle of the city / i have more than one set of piercings / i read poetry / i love the sound of a thunderstorm / i want to travel the world / i sleep past midday most days / i love simply lit dinners and fluorescent signs / i rewatch kids shows out of nostalgia / i see emotions in colors not words

EARTH ༉⋆͙̈

i wear glasses or contacts / i enjoy doing the laundry / i am a vegetarian or vegan / i have an excellent sense of time / my humor is very cheerful / i am a valued advisor to my friends / i believe in true love / i love this chill of mountain air / i’m always listening to music / i am highly trusted by the people in my life

AETHER ༉⋆͙̈

i go without makeup in my daily life / i make my own artwork / i keep on track of my tasks and time / i always know true north / i see beauty in everything / i can always smell flowers / i smile at everyone i pass by / i always fear history repeating itself / i have recovered from a mental disorder / i can love unconditionally

FOUR

the ultimate tag: answer whichever ones you want to because there are a lot and then tag a few blogs you’d like to get to know better! 

PERSONAL

name: sarah

nickname: bells

birthday: april 17th

zodiac: aries

nationality: chinese american

languages: english, some spanish, some korean

gender: female

sexuality: baby bi bi bi~

height: 5′10

BLOG STUFF

inspiration for muse: i suppose nct since i write for them the most?? but i feel like sometimes i come up with the idea before i think of a member so sometimes the muse is just my own fantasies oops

meaning behind my url: i made it at a time where loads of idols were getting bangs and honestly i believe most of them look infinitely better without them, thus i was and still am enthusiastic about foreheads.

blog established: like winter of 2018...?? i think

followers: over 2.5k but most deactivated/left during my hiatus lol

FAVORITES

favourite animals: sharks, chickens, snakes, cats, penguins

favourite books: the epic crush of genie lo and then iron will of genie lo, PERIOD

favourite colour: pink and purple!!

favourite fictional characters: lol, again, genie lo, ty lee, suki, klaus, ben, and just a few more: richard and evelyn o’connell (the mummy), dave (dave), michael (the good place)

favourite flower: sunflower

favourite scent: baking chocolate, heating butter, blackberry, wisteria

favourite season: probably spring! i like warmth but not HEAT

RANDOM

average hours of sleep: ugh idek i sleep horribly

cats or dogs: both, but unfortunately i’ve never had either

coffee, tea or hot chocolate: tea but then hot chocolate

current time: 5:29pm

dream trip: go to paris and eat loads of pastries and enjoy the fashions and beauty of the city, and also learn to bake better maybe?

dream job: actress

hobbies: making jewelry, drawing, singing, reading comics

hogwarts house: according to the quizzes, all of them. people who have just met me think slytherin or gryffindor, people who i’m friends with think ravenclaw or hufflepuff, people who know me really well know you can’t box a person into oversimplified archetypes :’) in my assessment of myself, it varies by the day, but i think perhaps gryffindor today?

last movie watched: hot fuzz (a classic)

last song listened to: summer breeze by sf9

no. of blankets you sleep with: like 2

random fact(s): i won lego building competitions as a child, one of my dream roles is anastasia from the musical named after her, i played violin for a very short time, i bake the cakes for all my family and friends’ birthdays, i have strangely strong grip strength

SIX

10 songs i can’t stop listening to:

love me 4 me- rina sawayama

cherry- rina sawayama

in & out- red velvet

crush culture- conan gray

manic- conan gray

the king- conan gray

summer- pentagon

told you now- jeremy jordan (originally sung by sam smith)

fuck this world (interlude)- rina sawayama

someone who loves me- sara bareilles

[swanky-batman]

I want to be Invisible Part 8

Avengers x Reader

Warnings: maybe some fluff?

There are so many interesting things going on at avengers tower. With all that has been going on, Bucky seems left out. Enjoy <3

Masterlist

Beginning- Previous- Next

---------

A couple of minutes later there was a knock on my door, “Yes?” You answered.

Natasha walked in, “Y/N, I have something I’ve been wanting to tell you.” She said, coming up to me, pushing me onto my bed.

“What the heck?” I answered.

“I love you.” She grabbed your face, laughing.

“Will you cut it out!” I laughed back.

“Sorry, I figured I’d join the fuss.” She winked to me, settling down next to me on the bed.

“Seriously though, I’m the most uninteresting person.” I sighed to her, “I’m not used to all of the attention.”

“Is there a favorite to win?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, Spidey obviously has a giant puppy dog crush on you, Steve- who I thought was going to be a dad figure, pulls out his a game, and rounding it out we had a pouty Bucky on our hands the last two Sundays.”

I giggled to her, “Yeah right. Peter is just being really nice, and I think he finds it cool to have someone near his age here. Steve is also looking for someone to talk to- and since you obviously have no interest in history- there are limited options. And Bucky? Pouty? Please.”

“Bucky has mastered the pout thanks to you.” She winked over to me. “Seriously, he won’t talk to any of us- will you at least go check on him?”

I sighed, exhausted but rolling up, “Fine.”

“I’ll wait here,” She called from your bed.

I waved and walked down the hall to Bucky’s room. I hesitated and then knocked.

“Yeah?”

“Can I come in?” I asked.

There was silence for a minute, and I thought maybe he hadn’t heard me. But he opened the door after.

“Hey,” Bucky said, surprised. “You need something?”

“No, silly. I just wanted to talk.” I smiled.

“Oh, okay.” He hesitated, not knowing how to respond, “Uh, come- come in?” He opened the door.

“Thanks,” I smiled to him, walking inside. I had to gasp a little. The room was fairly dark, lined with bookcases- and had a telescope. “You star gaze?”

He nodded a little, looking embarrassed.

“How many people have seen this?” I realized after a second.

“No one really. There’s no reason to.” Bucky smiled.

“You’ve seen my room, seems a little unfair- don’t you think?” I winked to him, teasing. I walked up to the telescope, “So what do I do exactly?”

“You just look through the lens,” He smiled, “You can change it or change the distance like this.” He changed it, and offered it to me.

I looked through it,” Wow, they look- different. I mean, bigger, sure- but…” I trailed off, staring at them all for a couple of minutes. I abruptly raised my head, “I’m sorry- this isn’t why I came here.” I saw him staring at me for a second and then he turned.

“Why did you come?” He looked rather interested in the other part of his room.

“I wanted to check in on you, Buck. I feel like- well, like we haven’t talked in awhile.” I thought back to the first couple of days I came here, and training.

“You don’t have to worry about me, doll.” He turned to me, “I’m a big boy.”

I walked up to him and elbowed him in the gut, “You don’t have to be so tough all the time, manly man.”

He chuckled to me, “Do you wanna see something cool?”

“Always.” I grinned.

We looked through a book he had that contained a lot of the star clusters and names. We tried to find a couple that should be in this sector- or something? Bucky made it sound very matter-of-fact, so I listened and tried to learn.

Before I knew it, we had spent a couple of hours looking at the sky- the big openness.

“Isn’t it an awesome idea, space travel? To think that we’re- so… small. Even humanity as a whole, but then we’re just single people.” I questioned out loud.

“Viewing things through space sounds-” Bucky cut off, “Dangerous- and exciting.” His eyes flashed. I nodded. We stood there in silence for another minute.

He turned to me, “Thanks for coming by.” He smiled to me, “It’s nice to have someone else to hang out with. Besides- well, Steve.”

I smiled back to him, “Buck, you call everyone else ‘hun’ and ‘doll’- but you’re the real hun. You’re always so nice, and accepting. Maybe a little cautious when new people are around, but you’re really- great.” I finished.

He turned a little red, smiling.

“Can I show you something cool, now?” I raised an eyebrow.

His head tilted, but he nodded. I laughed, grabbing his hand, “Come on then.” We walked down to the kitchen, and I found some stuff to make hot chocolate. I whipped it up as he watched.

“Order up.” I placed his mug in front of him, holding mine up, “Cheers.”

He clinked his glass against mine and tasted it. “This is, really good.” He smiled, “Thank you.”

“Sure thing.” I smiled, “My mom taught me how to make this.”

We got onto a topic about recipes, and he let it slip he knew how to make an awesome pot roast. I had to talk him into it, but he eventually said he’d make it for me. After finishing up our glasses, we cleaned up and walked back upstairs.

“I should probably get to bed, since we have training tomorrow. Thanks so much for an awesome night.” I grinned, stopping at my door.

“Thank you, doll. I really enjoyed myself.” He grinned, hugging me. I was surprised but hugged him back, waving goodnight and opening my door.

I saw Natasha, sprawled out on my bed and I smiled, got ready and slipped in with her. What a night for a sleepover.

[searchingforme23]

One of the best, if not the best, weekend of my life.

Dear my sweet Daddy and Sir (for the weekend), my lovely amazing boyfriend, my friend, my best friend,

I cherish and trust you and our bond and what we have so greatly. There is no man or person I trust more in this world right now. You are my anchor. I feel so lost right now in my personal life but you're my only sense of security and stagnance. You've given me priceless gifts this weekend. From saying I love you to me for the first time before we even left the airport parking lot. To allowing me to be your little one and you be my Daddy for a short period of time. And you being my full time Sir aka practice Master for a weekend. As well as physical gifts like the roses, food, build a bear, life skills like pushing me to go home with better ways to keep me eating. This weekend has been the most amazing. More than I could ever have imagined and asked for. I wouldn't do it any differently. I love you so much. In fact I'm madly in love with you but you know that. Our amazing friendship blooming into a best friendship into a romance and relationship has been so beautiful and absolutely gorgeous. I can't imagine flying back home without you. Leaving you here. Leaving a good portion of my heart with you. I know we will talk like we always have. We will play and scene long distance. But I won't be able to call you Daddy anymore after I've opened my heart up to that. I'll have to tone down calling you Sir outside of scene. Which will be hard and hurt me. Because I love and want you to stay both for a long time. Perhaps forever. But I'll find a way through some how. I'm worried about going into a deep depression. I'm worried. I'm confused. I'm lost. I'm scared. I don't want to try to picture waking up and you're not next to me. And you're across the country again as am I. I don't want to try to picture not being able to call you Daddy when I'm little and small. Or lose being your golden rose and your little willow. I love it all so fucking much. I'm crying a pretty hard down pour of tears right now but I need to get it all out. I don't want to rush either. I want to have time to physically rest. I want to have time to process. I want to make sure I want all of this. Moving across the country would be my last *big* move I would ever chose besides the local ones after with you in Tennessee and I don't take that lightly. I don't take the idea of wearing my last consideration collar and training collar lightly. Especially made by your own two hands. Speaking of paracord you seem pretty handy and I think you could easily learn and take up chain maille working if you wanted. I know you would be good at it. Anyways. I want to jot down our memories here too. All happy and amazing. Even going to cracker barrel with you and getting a squishmallow. Eating pancakes and breakfast sandwich together. Almost going to the ER together. Getting me pain meds and the cute out lady hitting your car and then becoming your friend. Seeing you over and over be a gentleman for me and chivalrous and over protective over me and what is yours. Regardless of dynamic or not I am yours and you are mine and our hearts are intertwined. I want to remember going to the gas station together for water and snacks. Buying a rainbow dino plush. Which ended up as the perfect stuffie for Brown Sugar. Such a funny and cute name. I want to remember going to build a bear with my Daddy. Getting a basic bear but putting him a cute Halloween suit and he perfectly fully reminds me of you. And the voice box. Which was so thoughtful. I can hear my lovely amazing boyfriend tell me he loves me every night. I want to remember the cute gift shops and meeting your sister. And buying that adorable sloth fanny pack that I'll wear and think of you. And that tie dye Chattanooga Tennessee hoodie you helped me pick out and we tried together. I'll never forget hot topic and you putting a surprise play collar on me in the mall. Even though we had to return the first one for the missing gem. I'll never forget my happiness in that moment. I'm so spoiled this weekend and my heart is so spoiled by you.

I won't forget waking up next to you. Stealing glances occasionally just happy to look over at my boyfriend sleeping next to me. Or waking up to you fucking me. Or you going down on me for the first time. Or all the nipple flicks and you teasing and hurting my breasts. Or that some how you trained me effortlessly to voice cum on command. Which I'm excited to still play with long distance even if the orgasms may be less intense far away. I will love to remember our Wal-Mart trip(s) but mainly the first one. And learning exactly how to make sandwiches for Sir the way he likes and to his preference. I am so glad I took initiative and asked to learn how. I won't forget you washing me in the shower. Or setting up my bath and enjoying it with me. Or you fucking me in the ass what 4+ times the first one or two without formal lube. A bit of pain but me loving it and begging you for it. Daddy's special hole just for me. Even when I travel back to my current home in Seattle that hole remains for you.

I'll cherish the memories of our first kisses. The ones after. All the times we laughed harder than we thought we could doing something silly. You making me laugh so hard I would snort. Me being in the hotel room while you work on our last full day and me taking initiative to pre pack my stuff and tidy our space. Spoiler I did that mainly so I could have more time with you later tonight. 😏😉 and we still have under a day left to add new memories. This trip flew by like I knew it would. I loved the gorgeous views that you showed me, all of them. You making me voice cum on command in random places like walking to check out in Wal-Mart and sitting down eating Chinese together in the food court. All your cheeky grins. Your laughs. Your smiles. Seeing in your eyes how smitten and in love with me you are. I'll remember the humidity. The amazing time I had meeting your wife and kids. Getting stung mosquitos. Almost by a bee. The amazing meal. Mario Kart with the kids. You playing Mario party with me at the hotel and kicking my ass in it as Wario. Your daughter handing me so many unicorns. I don't wanna forget a single second we spent together when we're apart. Promise me let's keep making more memories? I already want another trip. And it's scary to leave not knowing when I'll see you again in person. Or where we will be emotionally after this. Or the uncertainty of everything. My life in general as well. I love you so fucking much.

[sh1p1nab0ttle]

Hey @espriexo I'm your secret santa! I want to apologize beforehand as I am still practicing my writing as it is my weakest subject which is why I included a drawing along with the story to make up for it. Anyways, I went with your third wish which was the writing prompt of Russia and America collaborating for space exploration to mars set in the future late 21st century.

Summary: Finally turning their attentions back onto space exploration, Russia and America are able to meet to discuss their trip to Mars. However, unexpected feelings overwhelm America and causes the nation to have other plans. 

Pairing: RusAme 

Ratings: K 

Words: 2493

@rusame-secret-santa-2017

Footsteps echoed through the halls as America got nearer to the doorway. The narrow space he was traveling through felt suffocating, or maybe that was just his anxiousness. The blond had no clue as to why he felt so nervous. It was just a meeting with another nation, no big deal. He could hear his heart thumping louder than his footstep and soon trying to reassure himself wasn't an option anymore. As he reached the opening, his eyes met those of shining purple staring back at him.

“Always late aren't you? I know we are not the best of ‘friends’ but could you still try to show up on time?”

America huffed at the comment he was greeted by. “Well I can’t help that flights in America are busier than flights in Russia!” he boasted proudly to mask how nervous he really was.

The older nation just rolled his eyes at the response he received. Had this been before 2050 then he would've most certainly started a physical fight with the younger nation. Though, ever since better leaders, well better in their people’s eyes, had taken both offices, their relations had been steadily rising. And now that there had been successful completed missions in sending people to Mars, it was their turn, his and America’s; the original Space Exploration Duo as they called it. Russia found this title to be quite ridiculous, but it seemed whenever America had heard it, he had a triumphant look. The Russian would never understand the American.

“So are you ready to do some space exploring once more? I haven't been able to just think about space in years! It’s always been about politics blah blah blah! I think the last time I really truly focused on space was back in the Cold War with you. Man I would never have admit it then but you getting to space first both scared me but also made me gain a lot more motivation and admiration for you. Of course, I thought you were going to use your access to space to destroy me and my people which was why I was so dedicated to getting to the moon! In some aspects though, had we not been so competitive, space would still be left unexplored and we wouldn’t be here planning for an exploration to Mars-,” America rambled on.

Russia sat quietly and listened to the other nation’s voice. Contrary to what most believe, he doesn't mind America’s outbursts of words. Russia loves the sounds of voices in meetings despite the chaos they usually bring. He would always prefer to be with others in a room full of noise than alone in a place of silence. The Russian ordered his papers while he waited for America to finish. The older nation always found it amazing how America could kill an eternal silence by filling it with sound just by himself. Suddenly the room went silent again and Russia looked up from sorting his papers.

America sat still in his seat across the table and fidgeted. He looked as though he were thinking about something. Russia peered at him curiously and wondered what made America stop his one-sided conversation. Finally the American looked up and gave a bashful smile which seemed unusual and out of place to the Russian. Russia could never have imagined seeing America shy or embarrassed in any circumstance. He seemed too outgoing and laid-back. Still, there America was, looking as though he was done talking.

“Ahem. Hey, Russia,” America began. He played with the corner of one of his papers subconsciously. “Are you nervous?”

Russia was slightly caught off guard by the question and tilted his head. “Why would I be nervous?” he inquired as a response.

America was silent for a moment regretting having brought the subject up. “Well, uh, I mean the last time we went to space was decades ago, because of everything that's happened and it's just unnerving to think about you know?” He paused and then added, “What if there are, like aliens on Mars!?”

The Russian just stared at America. “You know Tony is an alien...right?” he questioned.

The younger nation shook his head and looked dumbfounded. “No way! Tony’s my friend and plus he’s not from Mars,” America argued.

Sighing, Russia responded with a hand on his forehead, “America there are no aliens on Mars so you have nothing to be frightened of.”

“What about robots? Or a parasite that could kill us? Or-or-” America continued.

Standing up with papers in one hand and walking over to the blond, Russia put his other hand on America’s shoulder. “Alfred, relax. We need to focus on this mission. Our people have already gone to Mars and checked for all those...things. Plus, we are nations remember? We’ll be fine,” the Russian reassured the overexcited nation.

America felt his heartbeat quicken and face reddening at Russia’s touch as he looked back down as his papers. “Y-yeah,” the American murmured. He had needed Russia of all people to calm his squabble down. Wait- had Russia called him ‘Alfred’? America quickly glanced up quizzically at Russia before looking back down at his papers. It must've been a slip of the tongue, as nations never called each other by their human names unless they were close and were outside of business, neither of which the situation was.

Russia sat down in the empty seat next to America instead of returning to his seat. He hadn't realized he had used America’s human name when speaking to him. Looking back to America he asked, “What will you bring on this trip?”

America reluctantly raised his head and hoped that his blush had ceased or that the Russian wouldn’t notice. He was wrong with both. “Uh, just the necessities and what my bosses and space program suggested I bring.”

Now Russia was confused as to why America looked slightly red. Nervousness and worrying about dangers weren't usually like America, and on top of that America was now blushing? The Russian shrugged it off and responded, “I did too. You have finished packing everything, да?”

America nodded, “Yeah I did, since we'll be leaving soon and all.”

Russia checked the time upon hearing America’s response. “We still have a some time left before we have to leave,” he stated. It had turned from evening to night but there was still much for the two to discuss business wise. Before Russia could say anything, though, America interjected.

“Hey Russia, wanna go stargazing?” the American inquired.

This confused the other nation as he looked down at their papers and then looked back up at the American for an explanation. He didn’t know what compelled America to ask him, of all people, to go look at the stars together, but there was no denying that the Russian nation enjoyed watching the stars at night just as much as he enjoyed being around others. Still, would his boss really be okay with him disobeying orders? Before he could give a response, however, America grabbed his hand and began dragging him out if the meeting room and building. The cool air hit his face upon their exit out of the space centre. He looked up at the darkened sky and was about to say something, but the American had let go of his hand and disappeared to somewhere else. Russia looked around him and saw the other nation speaking with someone in a vehicle. The blond looked away from who he was conversing with and beckoned Russia over. The Russian sighed and began to jog over.

“He said he’d take us to the top of the mountain nearby,” America explained to the older nation. “It has a great view of the stars.”

Russia glanced back at the space centre and sighed. There was no changing America’s mind now. Instead of saying anything, Russia just silently nodded. The two nations were driven over to their destination and it had been a fairly quiet trip. As they got out and started to walk the rest of the way towards the top of the low mountain, America finally broke the silence again.

“Hey Russia?” the younger nation began.

Russia turned his attention from walking to listening to the American. He waited for the other to continue, wondering why he had lost his optimistic and outgoing tone. The Russian didn’t understand why America was behaving weirdly ever since almost the start of the meeting when Russia first saw him again.

“Do you...actually wanna be around me?” America continued quietly and nervously. He wished he could make the nagging feeling in him go away but he couldn’t and so he felt obligated to ask.

The Russian stopped walking and turned to look at America. “Ufufuuf~ Why do you ask the most silly questions America?” he giggled. Russia looked up towards the sky speckled with stars. “I want to be around you. I think you are what keeps me going. You are loud and noisy but that is what I need in my life sometimes,” he explained softly. The lighter blond looked back down and gently patted the other’s head. “Let us go now to the top of the mountain.”

America pouted as he felt Russia’s hand pat his head and reverted back to his defensive competitive attitude towards the Russian. “Ack-Don’t pet me like I’m a little kid! I bet I could beat you up the mountain with no problem!” he taunted.

“Oh?” Russia asked with amusement. “The last time we had a race with Space involved, I won, no?” He smiled as he saw the American get flustered again.

“That was a tie! This is just a foot race anyways,” America argued. “And I’ll totally win this ti-” Before he could finish what he was going to say however, Russia had already began the race and had gotten a head start against the other nation. For Russia’s size, he sure was fast. “Hey, that’s not fair!” America cried.

Russia just continued to run up the mountain but when he looked back, he saw that the younger nation was catching up. Their destination was in view and with a final burst of speed, Russia exited the path up with trees and entered an open space perfect for stargazing. America stopped behind him shortly after and was out of breath, they both were. “Looks like I win, little American,” Russia teased.

America frowned at the defeat. “That’s because you started before I even finished talking,” he argued.

Russia smiled and faintly replied with, “All is fair in love and war.”

Confused, the younger nation was about to ask what he had meant but Russia had already turned to find a spot for watching stars. He watched the Russian sit down and joined him silently. Love and war, they weren’t at war directly or indirectly and hadn’t been since before 2050. But love, there was no way there was any love between them. It was always tension, right?

“America, look,” Russia commented breaking America from his thoughts. The other nation followed to where the Russian was pointing and saw the red speck in the sky. “It is where we will be going soon,” Russia added.

The blond nodded and thought about what it would be like on mars. It was slightly unnerving to the nation but he remembered that he wouldn’t be going alone. Russia would be with him and they’d be the first two nations on Mars, together. He looked at the other stars and tried to find any constellation he could. His favourite would have to be Aquila the Eagle Constellation. “Hey Ivan-I mean Russia, what’s your favourite constellation?” the American asked.

The taller nation blinked in surprise when he heard America use his human name, but it also made him smile. “Canis Major and Canis Minor,” he answered.

“Dogs? I didn’t know you liked dogs,” America responded curiously and wondered if the Russian had a reasoning for liking the two dog constellations.

Russia was quiet for a moment until he said, “Laika.”

America understood and didn’t need to ask anymore. He recognized the name of the Space Dog and felt slightly saddened upon remembering that day. He knew Russia also felt remorse. The American decided to go back to watching the stars. The night was growing colder and he felt the need to instinctively move closer towards the Russian.

They sat quietly throughout the night making small remarks and pointing at stars, planets, or constellations every so often. Russia looked to his side when he felt a weight on his shoulder and saw that the American had fallen asleep. Feeling tired himself, the Russian wrapped his scarf around the other nation and laid his head on the other’s before drifting into a sound sleep under the star-filled night sky.

xxx

America felt a warm light as he opened his eyes. He was met with the sight of a rising sun at dawn. He felt something around his neck and saw it was Russia’s scarf. The larger nation was still asleep but woke up when he felt America stir and move away from him. The blond quickly unwrapped the scarf and stood up avoiding any eye contact with the Russian. Instead, he opted to look at the sun on the horizon. “We should go before our bosses send out a patrol to search for us,” he pointed out.

Russia was still a little dazed but nodded and stood up as well and adjusted his scarf. He followed America’s gaze towards the ball of light. A new day was beginning, and it was the day they would begin their flight to Mars. America grabbed his hand and began leading him back down the path towards where they had been dropped off the night before.

America felt as if his heart would leap out of him and wished it would calm down. It seemed he lost any control of it, ever since he woke up and found himself leaning against the taller nation. He pulled out his phone and saw all the missed calls he received from his boss. He ignored all of them and called the driver from before, who met them at the bottom of the path and drove the two nations back to the space center.

Upon entering the building, the two were bombarded with people scolding them and shoving them to different rooms to get them ready for the Mars trip. Having gotten into their space suits and everything in their capsule, Russia and America found themselves preparing for take off with a few other astronauts and cosmonauts. America looked over at Russia and took the other’s hand as he mouthed the words “You ready?” Russia nodded and held onto the American’s hand as the take off began. Something inside told him that something was going to go wrong, but the Russian didn’t care. He wouldn’t be alone this time; he’d have America with him, right?

[rfsak2]

Cactus; A Conversation

This is almost 100% dialogue so it should be a quick read. This is set during Summer 2016 when Harry was filming.

Enjoy!

Cactus; A Conversation Summary: Communication. The Styles Warnings: None.

Hey… what are you doing?

…

Are you ignoring me?

…

Fuck, I forgot about the time difference.

So sorry, love.

Okay, it’s 5 here, so it’s 8am in LA. What are you doing?

…

Hello?

...

Mother Fucker

Sorry Siri decided I needed to use Talk to Text. I’m actually impressed that didn’t autocorrect.

Must use it too much. Naughty.

:P ha

Did you need something?

Just wanted to talk, love. What are you up to?

Honey Child.

Sweet, sweet Honey Child.

You were sleeping, weren’t you?

Very much so. Can I text you back at a more reasonable hour?

It’s 8am, love?

Bitch, and?

Lol

Okay, I’m awake. What did you want to talk about, cariño?

What does cariño mean?

Sweetheart. Now what’s up, buttercup?

…

Had my first day of filming today.

Yeah? How’d it go?

Cold, wet… foamy.

Yuck. Did you have fun though?

… I guess?

So no then. What happened?

Nothing.

I think that may have been the problem, you know?

We literally sat on the beach for hours in wet wool.

Yeah… Don’t know if I’d enjoy that either.

Actually, know I wouldn’t. Hate getting wet.

…

God I have a joke for you, but I respect you and won’t make it.

Good choice. I’ve only had a cup of tea. I need at least two to adequately respond to dirty jokes.

Lol… Noted.

So you’re not feeling this filming business then?

…

It’s only day one.

But it’ll get better.

I hope.

It will.

But hey… you’re doing something that you’ve never done before.

There’s no shame in trying something and deciding it’s not really your gig.

Yeah. You’re right.

Thank you.

Anytime, pretty boy.

… well anytime in between standard business hours PST. Your homegirl gotta sleep.

:) I’ll keep that in mind, lovely. Have a good day.

**

Knock Knock.

:)

Who’s there?

A cow goes.

Heyyy… That’s one of mine.

Yeah… I know. There’s a compilation video of your jokes on youtube.

…

Yeah…

There’s also one of you grabbing your crotch.

Well more than one.

Seriously. And you have the gall to call me naughty.

It’s part of the song…

Yeah uh-huh.

What are you doing? Looking me up on youtube, love?

Don’t change the subject. We’re talking about you and your crotch-grabbing.

At least, it’s my crotch and not someone else’s…

More than can be said about Trump.

Ugh… don’t get me started.

I hope he chokes on like… goldschlager. Or segues off a cliff.

Do people actually drink goldschlager? I thought it was something you bought and kept on a shelf so you look cool.

Might as well. Tastes like shit in my personal opinion.

You’ve had it then, love?

Yeah my uncle bought it once. I think it’s still sitting on his liquor shelf.

How’s filming going now? Better?

Yeah...

We’re still on the beach.

Still sitting?

No now we’re swimming.

Yuck.

You want to know what else is yuck?

What else, love?

Apparently you know a lot of women who spit.

Jamie Schwartz. You are a very mean woman.

Boo hoo, Baby Boo.

**

What are your opinions on platypi?

…

Hmm… I don’t know if Brits did this in school, but we did these silly story prompts, where you had to fill in the blanks and then you’d read it and it’d make a silly story.

Yeah. Okay.

Platypi are like that.

Someone just filled in the blanks with random shit.

So platypi are silly stories?

Rather poetic wouldn’t you say?

What brought this on?

At the pub with the lads.

So you’re drunk.

I’ve had one pint. Thank you very much.

Libby, our first camera, she’s from LA...technically she’s from OC… anyways, you’d like her.

She said platypi are her favorite animal. Just wanted to know what you thought about platypi.

Aw… cariño, you’re tipsy and thinking about me. That’s sweet.

Don’t be rude, love.

No really, it’s very sweet.

Who’re you?

I don’t know. Who’s this?

Name’s Barry. Are you male or female? Jamie could be either, y’know.

Thought you didn’t know who I was. Also does it matter?

…

No… Not necessarily.

Nvm I googled you.

You’re very pretty. Exactly the kinda girl I’d imagine for dear Harold. Hella cool tattoos.

Well thank you. I guess.

Sorry he’s rude. Hope he didn’t say anything too shocking.

Nope… Not at all. Who’s this?

Tom. Are you Harry’s girlfriend?

Nope… Where is Harry?

He went to the toilet. Oh look he’s back!

…

Sorry!

What did they say tyo?

Nothing… just wanted to know who I was.

Teach you to leave your phone unattended.

Jesus, love… They gave me a bloody heart attack.

**

“Hello?”

“Hello, love.”

She smiled. “Hey Haz. What time is it there?”

“Late…”

“Are you okay, Hazza?”

He sighed and she sipped at her tea. “I just…”

“Hey, what is it? Seriously.”

“I get lonely… sometimes and I feel like I can… talk to yeh.”

“You can.” She leaned back against her couch. “You always can. What did you do today?”

He sighed again, this time the sound was less tense. “We filmed some more out on the lake. It’s amazin’ how long it takes to film one scene. We can work on it all week and still have to do reshoots.”

“Oh god.. That must be frustrating.”

“Yeah… What are yeh workin’ on?”

She smiled. “I’ve been asked to help with a couple of songs on John Mayer’s album and a new artist, Rag’N’Bone Man?”

“Yeah, I know him… Well I don’t know him but I’ve heard of him.”

“They need someone to fill in some blues guitar.”

“That’s excellent. He was pretty big in the UK before he signed on with Columbia. That must be excitin’.”

“Yeah he’s a cool dude.”

“Are yeh excited to work with him?”

She shrugged. “Yeah, I mean. It’s different then what I normally do, but it’s interesting.”

“Have yeh thought about Jamaica at all?”

“I have…”

“And?”

“I’m honestly not sure why you want me there… You have Mitch... don’t really need me.” He tried to interrupt. “But if you want me there, then I’ll be there.”

“I want yeh there for the same reasons John Mayer and Rag’N’Bone and all them want yeh to work on their albums. Yer a fantastic guitarist, love.”

She blushed. “Yeah… well if you want me there, I’ll be there.”

“Good.” He chuckled. “I also think yer a cool person and I want t’be able to- yawn -get t’know yeh better.”

She smiled. “I think it might be bedtime for you, cariño. What time d’ya have to be up in the morning?”

“I’ll probably get up at six and go fer a run. Call is at 9.”

“Ooh… fun.”

**

So I’ll be in London for a week maybe two next month. If y’all are still in London, you wanna hang one night?

Of course! We’ll be in town all next month I think. When are you coming?

As of right now, it’s the 15th through the 22nd, but it rarely ever goes that quickly. Probably will be through the end of the month.

Do you wanna stay at mine?

Oh that’s not necessary… I make Columbia a lot of money and in return they spend some on me when they need me to travel.

They fly me out first class too. Oh la la

Very posh. Seriously though. My house is better than any hotel.

I’m sure it is, but I don't want to be in the way. You have to be exhausted.

Wouldn’t be in the way. We could hang out and I can show you around the parts of London you haven’t seen yet.

Seriously, though. You know you’ll be more comfortable in my house than in a hotel.

It’s a very nice hotel though.

And I live in a very nice house.

What studio will you be in?

Somewhere out in North London I think. Never been there before.

Well that’s just perfect. I live in North London.

…

Are you uncomfortable, love? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.

No its just… I don’t want to invade your space.

You wouldn’t be, love… or rather I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t want you too. I hate rattling around by myself in my big empty house. Come share my space with me.

Please?

Pleeease?

If you’re sure…

This won’t be weird or anything?

I am sure and no, it won’t be weird.

Okay…

What?

I have a question for you.

Shoot.

How do you live like this…

Wait that sounded more rude than I meant for it to.

How do people not take advantage of you? How are you still so kind?

…

They did.

A lot at first and occasionally, people still try to.

But I like to think that I’m better at reading people now.

Are you planning on taking advantage of me?

Of course not.

I want to wrap you up in bubble wrap and protect you from everything.

I just got really worried about you for a second. I’m fine now.

**

We’re in LA on Wednesday. Wanna hang?

Sure! Whadya got in mind?

Wanna go watch a movie?

How bout you just come to mine? I can cook for you. A thank you for putting me up last month.

You don’t need to thank me, love.

Sure I do. Don’t bother arguing with me.

Yes ma’am.

**

Knock Knock

She wiped her hands on her jeans, suddenly nervous. She shouldn’t be, honestly. She’d been in almost constant contact with Harry all summer and then there was the two week stay in London. She shouldn’t be nervous.

But she was.

Opening the door, she smiled.

“Hi.”

He grinned back. “Hi.”

Part XVIII Up Next: Part XIX

[concussed-to-pieces]

Character

Fandom: WWE

Pairing: Nia Jax/Gender Neutral [Northern-Dwelling] Reader

Rating: Holy shit M.

AN: Thirsty Crew, I can only hope I've done this woman justice! I have many emotions about her and how she's portrayed in the company as a whole (of course I do, big sap that I am). Tagging @toxiicpop, @oraclegazes and the king captain of this thirsty wasteland, @hardcorewwetrash! Enjoy!

This was a predicament she’d seen a thousand times before. Books, TV shows, movies. She figured maybe someday they would learn to plan for when the weather was bad where they were performing.

Nia sighed, her suitcase rolling along behind her over the tamped-down snow. Cutting a path through the drifts ahead was her current driving partner, who had maneuvered the dangerous roads like a trained professional. All they had on was a sweatshirt and some jeans out in the harsh elements, they should be freezing! But they showed no signs of having issues as their heavy boots stomped through the snow with ease, crushing it out into a path that Nia could safely follow.

“Not much further.” They said finally, gesturing up at the hotel in front of them. They looked over their shoulder to give her a quick grin. “How you doing back there, Snowbird?”

“I’ll be better after a hot shower.” Nia grumbled. Her shoulder had a bone-deep ache in it from landing oddly during the night's match and she knew if she didn't relax it out it would be much, much worse come the morning. The idea of her wearing tape like Cesaro sprang into her head and she snorted at herself.

“Truer words haven’t been spoken.” They agreed, yanking open the door to the hotel foyer and offering her a deep bow. “Ma'am.”

“You nerd.” She punched their shoulder gently on the way by, unable to help her smile. She hated to admit the effect they had on her, the way she always found herself a little quicker to laugh when they were around. It was frustrating because she knew what she was supposed to be like and yet there they were, always making her break character with some goofy joke. They had taken to calling her ‘Snowbird’ after learning she was a warm climate dweller (for the most part, of course), teasing her about all her 'retiree buddies'.

“They flee my northern climes from September on, to flaunt their incredible paleness on your sunny beaches.” They had grinned. “You’re the real deal though, a legitimate snowbird. Not some phony.”

Nia’s smile quickly faded when she was informed at the counter that her reservation didn’t exist. “It must have gotten lost in the shuffle, we’ve had a lot of last-minute cancellations and bookings today due to the weather.” The young man behind the counter said after trying her confirmation number three times. “We currently don’t have another r-”

“I can’t go back out there, I’ll freeze!” The hot shower seemed to be slipping through her fingers but Nia tried to keep her voice down, knowing that the last thing she wanted right now was to be labeled as 'difficult' or 'hysterical'. Regardless of how difficult she felt like being at the moment. “There’s nothing there? Nothing at all?” She asked.

“No ma’am, I’m very sorry but there isn’t.”

“Can I…can I sleep in your lobby? Push a few of the chairs together or something?” Hell, she’d slept in airport terminals before, this place was probably a thousand times safer than that. But the young man was already shaking his head, mumbling something about fire safety and building codes.

Her friend, camped out beside the elevator and scrolling through their phone, seemed to notice her distress. “Everything okay, Snowbird?” They called.

Nia huffed out a quick breath. “They don't have any of my reservation info.” She replied. “And there's nothing else available. I'll have to go back out and find another hotel.” She put her wallet away and zipped up her jacket again, cringing as she thought about being cold once more.

A hand abruptly landed on her arm. “No way, you’re rooming with me.” Her friend said firmly. “You put in all that work tonight, you deserve a rest. If you think I’m gonna’ let you go back out there, you’re crazier than I figured. C’mon.”

“But-”

“What, you wanna’ drive in this shit? I’m not letting that happen.” They cut in, frowning. “Please.”

“We don’t have any more cots or trundles, either.” The young man behind the counter seemed to have dissolved into permanent apologies. “I’m very sorry about all this.”

“Hey, it’s okay. This crap happens. I’ll figure something out. Snowbird, you’re with me.” Their fingers wrapped around her own to squeeze for a second. “Let’s get you that shower, huh?”

…

The aches always seemed to steam out under the pounding of hot water. Nia did her best to hurry, knowing that her friend was probably just as cold and tired as she was. Upon re-entering the room, however, she was greeted with the sight of her travelling partner in the process of pulling on a sleeping shirt.

“Oh! Sorry, my bad.” Life on the road meant that privacy was more imagined than anything else, but Nia still tried to offer the courtesy to her fellow performers. She held up a hand to block her view before dashing across the room back to her suitcase.

Her friend's laugh was muffled by the shirt. “S'okay, shoulda' stuck my head into the bathroom and asked for an extra second. Nothing you haven't seen before.” They struggled for a second, one of their elbows caught in the shoulder of the shirt. “How's your back? I know you took that landing pretty hard.”

Nia shrugged, rotating her shoulder and feeling the tightness still lurking. “I'm sure it'll be okay. A few rounds of P.T.”

“Good.” They finally managed to get the shirt on fully, their head popping through the neck hole after a momentary pause. “Hey, when you move up to the main roster do you think they'll give you a title shot?” They asked curiously, moving to sit cross-legged on the twin bed. They patted their thigh after a minute and Nia took up her place on the floor, handing her friend the brush and leave-in conditioner from her suitcase.

“I don't know if I'm looking that far forward yet.” Nia tilted her head back into their lap. “I don't know if Creative is looking that far forward either, honestly. Pretty sure my look isn't exactly the 'Women's Champion' aesthetic.” She made air quotes around the words, trying not to let the somberness seep into her tone. The tap on her head with the brush alerted her to the fact that her effort was in vain.

“You and I both know that you'd be a totally badass champion.” Her friend said firmly. “I get that you'd be fresh onto the roster and maybe you don't want to step on anyone's toes, but c'mon. You're the best candidate, you're strong and smart. Plus, you're damn scary when you want to be.”

“And when Creative wants me to be.” Nia tacked on glumly. “I swear, I'm just a caricature sometimes. Pigeonholed in this role of being protective, or beating everyone up like I'm King Kong for the first part of the match then falling victim to some silly little shot to the back of my head. It's so exasperating.” She pulled her knees up to her chest. “I can do so much more than be some stupid muscle, you know?”

Strong fingers smoothed over her scalp, encouraging Nia's drowsy yawn. “I understand that. I know that you have to take at least a few of the cards that are drawn for you. And that's garbage because I also know you're a hell of an athlete.” Her friend put the brush down and started carefully plaiting her hair, separating it out to loosely braid it for bed. “I can't believe in this day and age that people still have to work so hard, uphill, against these BS stereotypes.”

“It's nuts.” Nia turned her head just a little to catch her friend's eye. “So...what do I have to do to get you on the Creative team? Specifically, writing my matches on the Creative team?”

Her friend's laugh was delighted, the noise sending tingles down Nia's spine. “I would be a terrible booker and you know it Jax! Fired within the month because I'd bring some revolutionary idea to the table like...you being crowned the Universal Champion after tearing Brock Lesnar's arm off of his body.”

“Shh, we’re not supposed to know about that belt yet. It’s a secret. Besides, they couldn't fire you! I think they're down to two people as is.” Nia snickered. “Everyone's jumping ship now that they know Smackdown will be its own thing. Wonder sometimes if I should too. Like, go do my own thing.”

“You do what you need to. Just know that where you go, I'll do my best to follow.” Her friend went silent for a moment as they tied off Nia's braid. “Gotta' take care of my Snowbird.” They continued quietly.

“Hey.” Nia caught their hand before they could pull away, tilting her head back further so she could smile at them. “Thanks.” Their resulting blush and stammer stuck in her brain while the two of them bedded down in the small bed.

Nia woke at some point during the night to them wrapped around her protectively, their arm over her ribs. A mouth pressed to her achy shoulder and they mumbled something, their voice heavy with sleep. “Hmm?” Nia murmured. They shook their head, snuggling her even closer. They were incredibly warm and Nia found exactly zero problems with being cuddled by her own personal space heater. She soon drifted back off, making those embarrassing little noises in her throat that she usually tried to stifle.

…

Another event, another airport. Nia had to smile this time though, back on familiar turf. She strode through the terminal with purpose, her traveling buddy trailing behind as they turned in place to look up at the high glass ceiling. Sunlight poured in, bathing the various indoor foliage features and making them appear twice as green and lush.

“C'mon, slowpoke! I'm not losing you in this place.” Nia scolded, chuckling at the bewildered expression on their face. “What, never seen a sunroof?”

“Listen, where I come from the sun is nothing but a distant myth. I respect and fear the brilliant hell-orb.” They joked. Nia's laughter rang out, maybe a little louder than she intended, but it was more than worth it to coax a smile out of her friend. “I'm glad my simple ways amuse you, Snowbird.”

“Never change, sweetheart.” Nia shook her head, rumpling their hair fondly when they fell into step beside her. “Now, I expect you to be able to handle yourself in the harsh elements here. No whining!”

“I would never!” They protested, grimacing abruptly when they stepped outside. “Oh. Oh ugh.”

“Ha!” Nia said triumphantly as they hurried to strip off their hoodie. “Welcome to humidity. Any Northerner's kryptonite.”

“You're the devil!” They squawked, stuffing the sweatshirt into their backpack. “The absolute devil. I'm...oh God, everything's going dark.”

They pretended to swoon into her arms and Nia couldn't keep from laughing, easily righting them with one hand. “On your feet. You know the rules, after that last fiasco we have a three hour allowance as far as checking in on our reservations goes.”

“That's only for inclement weather though!” They protested, squinting up at the blue sky overhead. “Place is cloudless, you can't possibly-”

“Trust me. Weather around here has a way of sneaking up on you.” Nia pulled out her spare pair of sunglasses and slid them onto her friend's face. “Try to keep up!”

…

“My reservation got canceled because of Wrestlemania.”

Nia looked up at her friend's words, startled. “What?”

“They 'accidentally' double-booked my room. I'm...I want to be mad but mostly I'm just so tired and hot I'd like to cry.” They said dully, seeming like they were inches from tears. “I wanted to sleep. I couldn't sleep on the plane because there was a baby crying and I forgot my headphones in my checked luggage and I'm-”

“Hey hey, shh. Easy.” Nia soothed, getting up out of her seat and quickly ushering her friend off into the elevator. “You're staying with me, then. That's only fair. We'll get you to the room, get you a nice shower.” She paused, essentially propping them up against one of the walls of the elevator and pressing their foreheads together. “You're going to be fine, you fragile Northerner you.”

“M' not fragile!” They growled. “I'm hungry and sweaty and bone-tired and I can't tell which one of those is the thing to fix first.” They scrubbed at their eyes angrily.

“Don't worry about it.” Nia (who felt a little guilty at the decent amount of sleep she'd gotten during the flight) took their hand when the elevator doors pinged open. “You get in the shower, then we’ll order food. You'll sleep better with a full belly.”

“Th-Thank you.” Her friend said in a tiny voice, still rubbing their eyes with their free hand. “God, can you even believe that Wrestlemania is in two days? You're gonna' be in Wrestlemania.”

“Well, so are you.” Nia pointed out as she opened the door to her room.

Her friend waved their hand impatiently. “Fuck that, you're going to be in Wrestlemania.”

“I'm going to lose at Wrestlemania.”

“I...seriously?” Their expression twisted with confusion when Nia nodded. “But that makes no sense, they've been building you as-”

“As a protective, glass-cannon enforcer. With lipstick.” Nia filled in wryly. “I'm good for throwing the other women around and looking intimidating. Me actually winning anything isn't going to happen.”

“I'm gonna' kick all of their asses.” They threatened, making Nia tousle their hair. “I’m serious. This is bullshit!”

“No, this is how it always is.” Nia corrected.

“Okay, look. I’m gonna’ shower because I probably smell like barn. And we’re gonna’ talk about this over food. I…pick something to eat while I get cleaned up. Please.” Their sentences were stilted and tight, like they were grappling with their emotions.

“Hey, you don’t need to be all wound up about this.” Nia shrugged, tried to act like her own disappointment didn’t sit heavy in her chest. “I’ll just wait until you’re done and you can-”

“Oh no you don’t. If you don’t choose something, I’ll play Yelp roulette again. You remember what happened last time.” They raised an imposing eyebrow. “For the sake of us living until Wrestlemania, I suggest you pick.”

“Okay okay, you drive a hard bargain.” Nia grumbled, already reaching for her phone.

Those strong fingers wove into her hair, a quick massaging motion on her scalp making her eyes flutter shut. “Thanks Snowbird. For everything.”

“Don’t mention it.” Nia rolled her shoulders once her friend had migrated to the shower. Her body felt overly warm despite the roaring A/C. This is stupid, you’re being stupid! She berated herself, staring blindly at the menu for several minutes before using the tried-and-true method of covering her eyes and picking a few items at random. Hopefully this is okay.

When her friend finally emerged from the bathroom, looking slightly more sane and awake, they wasted no time in plopping down beside Nia on the bed. “Listen up, Jax, because I’m only gonna’ say this once.” They rolled onto their back so they could look up at her. “That’s a lie, but whatever. Listen. You’re…you deserve to win. Ain’t nobody that works harder than you, even with this stupid cubbyhole-”

“-Pigeonhole.”

“Whatever, stupid dumbass restrictions put onto you by the company.” They growled, poking her knee. “Look, you’re cream of the crop material! Cream of the crop. How can they not see that?”

“Maybe they’ve been writing me this way because they think that’s what a ‘strong’ woman is. Big, angry, pretty, and easily broken by other women if they work together.” Nia hated how much she was defaulting to a shrug these days. “I should be grateful I’m even here, right?”

“Hell no.” Their irritation at the current conversation did make her feel just a little better. “You could be a brutal heel! Why won’t they take advantage of that?! You have evil potential!”

“Easy, I’m sitting right here y’know.” Nia pressed a hand to her chest and they laughed.

The room service arrived and Nia ate mostly in silence, just listening to her friend continue to rant between bites of their salad. Had she known they felt so strongly about this, she might not have even brought it up. But no, the thought of how they might have reacted if she lost and it blindsided them was crushing.

“Did you really think I was going to win?” Nia finally asked quietly.

“I sure as hell hoped you would!” They folded their arms, exhaling loudly. “But sure, we’ll give the Horsewomen their usual exhibition. That’s cool. Fuck the revolution unless it’s the same three or four women over and fucking over, right? Fuck me, what a load of hot garbage.” They griped, pushing their plate away to get up and pace. “I've got nothing against Charlotte or Bayley, shit, even Sasha, but this is exasperating. How the hell do you stay so level-headed over things like this?!”

“Probably because I’m usually written like an easily-flustered child.” Nia didn’t laugh, not exactly. The sound choked off in her throat. “I’m written as a trope. I’m supposed to stomp my feet when things don’t go my way, I’m supposed to scream and yell and be angry in the ring. I guess it’s…it’s easier to save my emotions for when I need to get a reaction.”

“Snowbird…” They sat down beside her again, hand reaching for her own. Nia had promised herself she wasn’t going to waste time crying over any more of Creative’s choices. She’d done that more than enough during her time with this company. “Fuck, Nia, don’t…look, c’mon, there’s no need for that.” They protested, knocking their foreheads together. “Snowbird don’t do this to me. You know I’m ugly when I cry.”

“It’s difficult.” Nia managed to say. “I’m tired of being pushed aside because I don’t have ‘the look’. I mean, I know it will happen just because. I guess I’m more tired of being upset about it.” She admitted. “I’m exhausted over being upset. I know since I’m the ‘big girl’ I’m supposed to be confident in my skin and ‘fierce’ or whatever the hell everyone is saying we have to be like this week. But it’s hard to be confident and happy with who you are when you’re constantly being told you’re going to be passed over for things because of who you are.” Nia tried to put her face in her hands but her friend stopped her before she could, making her look up at them.

They were clearly upset, their whole face drawn into a tight pinch of outrage. “You-” They sputtered unintelligibly for a good five seconds. “Look. Listen to me, okay? Just me. With my vast years of life experience across time and space or whatever.” They waved a hand dismissively.” I don’t say all my mushy stuff or go out of my way to try and make you laugh because I think you’ve got it easy, alright? I like making you break character. I like being the one that reminds you you’re not that person. I like letting you shine through, even if it’s just for a little bit. Hell Snowbird, I like you. The real you. Fuck how they write you. Some tiny-minded stereotype could never hope to contain the wonder that is you.”

“’Wonder’, huh?” Nia snorted. “Some wonder. I’m nothing but a crybaby.”

“You’re kind.” A kiss brushed her forehead. “You’re beautiful, you’re a model for fuck’s sake.”

“I was a model.”

“I’m sure you can still get yourself into something fashionably uncomfortable and ignite a catwalk any day of the week. Don’t interrupt me, woman.” They scolded, kissing her forehead again. “You’ve got this great sense of humor. Making you laugh is one of the best parts of my day, Snowbird. I feel like I did my job right if I can get you to laugh.”

“You…if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were…” Nia swallowed hard at their serious expression. “Um, never mind, I’m probably-”

“What? What did you think?” They pressed, sounding concerned.

“I’d say you were interested in me.” Nia mumbled all in a rush, thoroughly embarrassed. Great, perfect, wonderful. You’ve successfully made an ass of yourself.

“That’s correct, yeah.” They shrugged, stuffing their hands into the pockets of their pajama pants. “I mean, you don’t have to take it that way if me hitting on you makes you uncomfortable. Because I totally get that, I’ll stop if I’m making you uncomfortable. I know that I’m not really…’on your level’. I’ll never be as put together or as talented as you are. But I hoped if I told a few jokes, saw you safely through a few snowstorms, then maybe I’d have a shot, y’know?” Their words all spilled out in a nervous jumble, hanging in the air between them. “I like traveling with you. I like being with you. I like you.”

“I…” Nia was blown away by their confession, stunned silent. “Really?” She finally asked, her voice precariously close to breaking. Her friend nodded sheepishly, staring at the floor. “Wow.” Nia grabbed their arm and dragged them into a hug, holding them tight. “I woke up during the night when there was that mix up with my reservation and you were all wound around me, kissing my shoulder blade.”

“You’d hurt yourself earlier. Bad landing.”

Nia smiled. “Were you trying to kiss it better?”

“…Yeah.” They twiddled their fingers, looking up at her through their lashes. “Is that okay?”

Nia tapped her lower lip, the area still conveniently tender from a botched hit earlier in the week. “Y’know, I think this spot here could use a little TLC if you’re up for it.”

They nodded eagerly and Nia couldn’t keep back one of those noises as they quickly cupped her face and pulled her in for a kiss. Their mouth meshed with hers in a frantic motion, swallowing her soft whimpers greedily. Nia suddenly felt small and strangely vulnerable. Here was someone who could see her, the real her, and somehow they wanted her more that way. It was baffling.

“Why-” She began to ask when they pulled back.

“I’ve kinda’ had a thing for you for a while now.” The said breathlessly. “I didn’t know what your uh…preference was, didn’t want to be pushy.”

“You nerd.” She punched their shoulder gently and they giggled, like they were relieved. Their arms draped over her shoulders and they started trailing kisses down the side of her neck. Nia tentatively put her hands on their hips, her grip tightening when their mouth grazed her collarbone.

“This okay?” They asked softly, obviously interpreting her stiffening up as hesitance.

“Oh God yes, please.” Nia wasn't really familiar with this, but she definitely wanted to see what it could be like. Normally people wanted her to dominate them, to put in all the work. Due to her outward appearance there was always that assumption; she was larger than the average woman and could be very imposing if need be. So this was...different. This was new.

They smiled and drew her in for another kiss, those strong fingers tangling in her hair and tugging gently. “You haven't had anyone take care of you?” They murmured against her mouth. “It's always the same crap, isn't it?”

“No matter where I go.” Nia managed to say.

“Mm, that all changes now.” Their hands traveled lower, undoing the first button on her blouse. Slowly they worked their way down the line until her blouse was open, exposing more skin and (Nia had to admit) one of her most worn-out sports bras.

“Sorry, if I'd known that you would be taking off my shirt I would have dressed accordingly.” She tried to joke, but the heated look she got in return made her stomach clench.

“So you would have worn nothing underneath this?” Their voice was a seductive purr. “I like the nice shirts you wear when you have to be out and about, but I could definitely appreciate you with no bra in a nice shirt. Food for thought.” They grazed their hand over the sports bra, one finger tugging at the middle of the hardworking elastic to expose her cleavage. “I like this too, though. Might be fun to tease you through one of these, make you all wet for me without taking your clothes off.” Nia made another sound in her throat and they looked up, smiling at her. “Sound good, Snowbird?” Like they couldn't feel how excited the idea made her, like they couldn't hear her.

They urged her to lie back and she obeyed, thrilled and scared all at once at the idea of being at someone's mercy. Her friend smoothed her hair back from her face once she laid down, searching her eyes for much, much longer than Nia was used to.

“Is this okay?” They asked again, a little louder this time.

“Please.” Nia wasn't one hundred percent sure on what she was begging for, exactly. It just felt incredible to be able to ask for something for once. That helpless sound bubbled in her throat.

“Alright.” They smiled and pulled the sports bra up and off, the raw appreciation in their gaze making Nia shiver from head to toe. “Oh God, look at you.” They sighed, the flat of their tongue gracing one of her nipples with a hot, wet caress. “Why did no one do this for you? My poor Snowbird.” Nia whimpered and cupped their head, running her fingers through their hair over and over as they lapped and gently nipped at her peak. “I love your sounds.” They mumbled against her breast.

“They're weird.” Nia moaned.

“No, they're great.” They placed kisses that burned like fire down her torso and Nia's breath quickened, her fingers still grasping feebly at their hair. Their hands quickly flipped her skirt up and another kiss lingered on the waistband of her panties, dampening the trembling skin there. “Can I put my mouth on you?”

“As long as you keep asking me, you can do whatever the hell you want.” Nia replied shakily.

“I'd always imagined our first time would be with the candles and stuff.” They looked up at her, a devilish smirk twitching their lips. “Not complaining one bit. I probably would have tripped over the bed and knocked myself out on the end table, what with the dim conditions.”

Nia giggled, the noise weirdly high as she felt those damn fingers curl around the sides of her soaked panties and tug them down her thighs. “A memorable first time, that's for sure. I can make do with no candles.”

Her friend kissed her stomach, shoving her skirt up higher out of the way. “I want you to be able to watch me without stressing your shoulder.” Their smug tone was laced with concern and Nia was touched by their worry. “I know you have a few things to do later this week.” They maintained eye contact as they stuck out their tongue teasingly, and Nia let out a soft, keening whine when they dragged the flat of their tongue over her clit for the first time. “Oh, that's a good one.” They murmured, making her flush before they dove in to lick and nibble at her in earnest.

Nia threw her head back, releasing their hair to grip the sheets underneath her body. It was so ridiculously strange to have someone eat her out, without her having to demand it or sit on someone's face in a stereotypical display of dominance. Her friend was merciless in their assault, coaxing Nia's thighs wider with just a few hums. Nia started playing with her own breasts as they pushed their other hand into their pants, her hips rolling in sync with the sloppy kisses laid on her entrance. Two fingers breached her easily, sliding in and hooking up to make Nia cry out.

“That's right, beautiful.” They crooned against her, the words barely registering while Nia chased her completion feverishly. They stroked her clit with the flat of their tongue and she ground up against that mouth, those fingers, her whole body tightening as she drew close.

Nia couldn't have stifled the noises she was making even if she had wanted to. Moans and whimpers poured from her lips but that was alright, it was alright, because her friend was making noises just like she was, their soft, hungry sounds and humming reducing her to quivering under their mouth. “I-” Their mouth fastened down over her clit, Nia's back arched off the bed and she hung in an absolute purgatory for the longest second of her life before her climax struck.

Her hips rolled and shuddered and she threw her head back, only vaguely aware that she was practically sobbing with relief. Her friend gently soothed her spine back down onto the bed, continuing to lick Nia's clit softly until it was too much to bear and Nia had to cup their face. Their chin was soaked with her and they looked a bit dazed but incredibly satisfied with themselves. Nia kissed them fiercely while they straddled her thigh and bucked their hips, grinding their body down in harsh, quick motions. “Want me to come for you?” They asked through gritted teeth. “I bet you do, bet you fucking do, beg me, fuckin' beg me for it Jax.”

Now that was dangerous, their rough, desperate tone commanding her to obey. Nia's mouth felt dry and she swallowed quickly. “Please come for me.” She said softly, her hands grasping their hips and urging them even faster. “Get yourself off on me, come for me, come for me sweetheart.”

Their hands closed over her own on their hips and they tilted their head up, going still and moaning, “Oh, Jesus, Nia, fuck yes,” through their clenched teeth. They went limp and slumped forward, still weakly rocking their hips on her thigh.

Nia carefully eased them down, cradling their body against her own and stroking their hair as they shuddered intermittently. “Thank you.” She sighed into their hair. “Thank you so much.”

They moaned and tucked their face into the hollow of her throat. “So fucking comfy. Thank you, Snowbird, God.” They sounded completely worn out but sincere, one hand coming up to card through her long hair. “Thank you.”

“I'll let you sleep, okay?” Nia whispered after a minute of comfortable silence. They nodded, holding her tighter. “Sweet dreams.”

“Snowbird, I jus'...” They began, their voice petering out as they drifted off mid-sentence.

“I like traveling with you. I like being with you. I like you.”

Nia smiled to herself as she recalled their words, kissing their forehead and letting her own eyes close.