#i know she put in a ton of orders before she left so I'm hoping things start to trickle in

[sleepinglionhearts]

Man, just saw a post about it, but renewed my frustration over work nonsense yesterday

Being like, oh, cool! It's disability pride month! We get to switch the displays in the store! I wanna make a really cool display right up front!!

Getting a cart to go start selecting books from our wide array of children's books, picture books, YA novels, adult fiction, nonfiction, etc that I know feature disabled characters and people and that I've seen sitting on the shelves for a while, our previous book buyer was always suuuuuper vocal about finding books w disabled characters, after all, representation just MATTERED SO MUCH to her,

And then being absolutely dumbfounded when we BARELY HAVE ANYTHING outside of characters w ADHD/Autism. MAYBE anxiety. PERHAPS a character has cancer. THE FAINTEST SUGGESTION of a wheelchair in one book. Huntington's? Question mark? In another? Conditions resulting in disfigurement/amputation? The concept could possibly exist in this book, uhh.. maybe...... anything else? Ha! Not on these shelves I fucking guess?!

Like.... we have a ton of books w queer rep! Different body types! Different skin tones! Teach your toddler about social justice! Transgender characters! Nonbinary characters! The alphabet but we're making it gay! At least one book, I think, with asexual characters! But no, we don't have our self-empowerment books anymore or the little guide to sexuality and disability, we have Buddhist monk advice for anxious people, but nooooo we DON'T have that cool book that talked about disability activism anymore, and definitely not in time for July!

I know she and I were at odds before she left, and I know my specifically putting "National month of..." prompts up on my desk calendar after she expressed it was "so difficult to find out what each month is the month of!" probably really irritated her, but I'm like. Appalled that she hadn't been ordering to restock for disability pride month since she always made such a big deal about having books like that in the store.

[martinluvrr]

CRUSH CRAZY | PAIGE BUECKERS

⋅˚₊‧ paige x fem!physio

⋅˚₊‧ summary: the new physio of the Uconn Wbb has caught the eye of their golden player, but it seems Paige has become a little... crush crazy.

⋅˚₊‧ warnings: hoping none

⋅˚₊‧ duayaps: i hateee thisss but its been sitting in my drafts so i finally finished it 😭

⋅˚₊‧ nav ||

"AND BEFORE YOU TAKE THE PILLS MAKE SURE YOU ATE SOME FOOD" I said to Azzi. It's been about 2 weeks since I started working with her, the Uconn medical staff have been nothing but welcoming.

At first, I didn't know what I was getting myself into, where I come from basketball isn't a big enough thing the way football is ( soccer ). I also didn't spend that much tie on social media, but as soon as I opened tiktok, tons of edits filled my page, most about Uconn and other teams. There were especially edits of Uconn's number five.

Paige Bueckers.

The girl was attractive. And she had the confidence to prove it. Me and Paige had very little contact together , but even if it was for a second, for some odd reason, my stomach was filled with butterflies.

"Thank you again" Azzi's sweet voice said. I turned around to look at the girl, after she underwent surgery for tearing her ACL during practice last November, there was still a little pain in the leg, but nothing that should stop her from rejoining the team in January. Of course, left out from not being in the action.

"No problem and please be careful ,i dont wanna se you anymore, you're boring' I jokingly said to her, she let out a laugh. I heard a chuckle behind me, when I turned, there in all her glory, number five.

"Hi Paige" I muttered, suddenly becoming shy.

"Hey" She said grinning. "Soooooo..."

"Paige" I said sternly, hiding my smile. "What are you doing here?"

"I-I was just checking up on Azzi" She told me, cracking a small smile at Azzi. I hoped the disappointed wasn't showing in my face, the delusional part in me was hoping she just came to see me.

"Well she's all yours"

✰

"Coach" Nika yelled, suddenly at Geno. "I don't feel so good"

"What happened?" Geno questioned her, making her sit down. She was fine 10 minutes ago.

"I feel like I'm gonna throw up" She said, staring at the ground. Coach felt Paige come beside him. "You okay?" Paige asked, Nika shook her head.

"Maybe we should call Y/N" Paige said, Nika nodded. Geno looked at the both of them, did they hit their head?

"Y/N's a physio, she doesn't deal with stomach problems" He explained, then he heard a cackle come from behind them. KK.

Now he got it, just before Nika came up to him, she was talking with Paige and KK, the three of them whispering amongst one another. Knowing Paige and her little crush, he could figure out that she put Nika up to this.

"Try telling me that again after suicides, maybe i'll believe it then" He said,trying to hide his smile, both Nika and Paige groaned. KK struggled to hide her laugh, scratch that, she didn't even hide it.

"Girl Boo, maybe next time" She said to Paige, laughing.

✰

Practice was over, and everybody was tired. Most of them half a sleep, including Paige. While they were used to their morning practices, Paige had a late night.

"Nah I'm going pick up something from Y/N real quick" She hard Aubrey say. Hearing Y/N name, Paige was awake real quick.

" I'll come with you" She offered, the locker suddenly filled with laughs. Her teammate agreed but not before teasing her with the rest. After getting ready, both of the Uconn basketball players made their way to the medical wing, Paige was nervous, she was always nervous to see Y/N. Suddenly feeling insecure, Paige smelled herself, stressing because she's sweaty. She heard her teammate laugh. "Bro relax" Aubrey reassured her.

When they finally stood in front of Y/N's office door, when Aubrey saw that Paige was still in a bit of a daze, she took the honor of knocking on the office door. When they both heard a sweet voice yelling come in, they followed her orders.

"Oh Hi" I said surprised to see both of them here. Aubrey replied greeting me back, but Paige, just stood there staring at her, grinning like a maniac. "Hi P" I said to her.

"Hey" she replied. Before i could ask what she was doing here, Aubrey caught my attention, asking about her meds and if she could take lighter ones. I replied to all her questions, asking if she was feeling okay or if she needed a checkup. While i talked to Aubrey, i could feel Paige's eyes on me at the side of my head.

As Aubrey left, i expected for Paige to follow her, but the blonde didn't move. "P, do you need something?" i asked her.

"there's this party tonight , you should stop by"

Was Paige inviting you as a date? no.

"Okay, text me the details and i'll think about it" i kinda accepted her invite. Tonight i already made plans with my roommate, i don't think its a good idea to cancel those just because i want to see my crush. I also didn't want my hopes to be up.

While Y/N thought about that, Paige was beaming with excitement on the inside, if Y/N did show up tonight. this was going to be the night where she made her move.

✰

She didn't show, she. didn't. show.

In Y/N's head, she didn't think not being at that party was a big deal. she assumed Paige was just being nice inviting her and she definitely didn't know that P was disappointed.

Today they had normal hard practices, and today was actually the final time Paige tried to get Y/N's attention. no like actually the last time.

As she dribbled the ball, suddenly she dropped the ball, and dramatically fell to the ground. Ice let out a laugh, but while she knew what Paige's plan was, Geno and Y/N didn't.

I gasped, seeing Paige suddenly on the ground, she was fine literally 10seconds ago. Quickly running over, followed by the rest of the coaching staff.

“Can u get up by yourself?”

“I can try”

okay good sign, good sign. it’s not broken.

“To my office” I instructed both Nika and Paige. While holding on to Paige, giving her a bit of support.

When we arrived, I made Paige lay down. And started testing her knee. It seemed fine, actually perfect.

“Maybe we should get another opinion, I don’t think my brains working properly”

I can’t seem to find out whats wrong, she says her knee hurts, but the tests i did make her look perfect.

“Ummm Alright” i heard her hesitate. Her voice slightly nervous.

“Paige”

“Yeah”

“Are you… not injured?”

“Kinda” She answered.

I furrowed my eyebrows, making me think back. Maybe she didn’t want the pressure or she just wanted an excuse out of practice.

“Paige if you are using this to get out of practice well you’ve got another thing comi-”

“Im using this as an excuse to see you” She cut you off.

“What”

“I’ve literally been giving you hints all year and you’re telling me you didnt know i liked you?”

“Well no” I answered honestly. When i finally met her eyes, a small smile took over my face. Her sad face turned hopeful.

“I like you too P” i said “You couldve just asked me out and this wouldn’t have had to happen”

“Don’t even try to turn this on me ma” she started ranting, you just laughed and stood there watching. Okay so you weren’t delusional.

✰

[angel1cjules]

forbidden love pt.1

"I'd get my hands dirty in order to kiss you one more time..." PAIRING - assassin!reader x enemy's assassin!jk WARNINGS - lots of blood <3, name calling, mentions of kidnapping and r@pe, unprotected sex ( wrap it up! ), fingering, dom!jk x sub!reader, overstimulation, lots of needy kisses, forbidden relationship between jk and reader, jk would do basically anything for reader to kiss him one more time. enemies to lovers au WORD COUNT - 612 a/n - YALL HAVE BEEN SO SUPPORTIVE WHAT- TYSM. I hope you enjoy this ;) ✂---------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Y/N!" Your boss called. It's another bloody day at work. You wish you didn't end up as an assassin but you did. You had to kill so much people, so much rivals of your boss to be known as one of the most dangerous female assassins in Korea. You were trusted to do any killings the boss needed. "Y/N." Your boss called once again, snapping you out of your daydream. "What has got you thinking like that?" your boss questioned. "Yoongi, why do you care?" you reply, stretching your arms across the table. Min Yoongi, one of the most powerful mafia bosses of this country, had fallen prey to your rude yet sarcastic replies. "Y/N, I need you to kill my ex-best friend, Namjoon." he said, getting straight to the point. Your eyes widen, Namjoon? Yoongi sensed your confusion and quickly added "He killed some of our guys last night. Along with that, his assassin, Jungkook, or whatever his name was, killed my partner, Hoseok." You slowly nod, planning Namjoon's demise in your head already. "Did he know that he killed your workers?" you ask him before leaving. "Pretty sure he did because I didn't send over the drugs he asked for," Yoongi said, looking at his computer. "Alright, when do you want the job done?" you say, grabbing your Lululemon duffle bag which held all your weapons. "Within tonight since he's going out of town tomorrow," he said, glancing over at your seemingly innocent duffle bag. You nod and head out of the room, preparing yourself for the blood to be shed tonight. ✂---------------------------------------------------------------------------- You go to the local rage room and pick out a katana. You know which room to practice in as this isn't your first or last time being here. You see 2 men in your room, slashing away at the punching bag or the air. You put in your headphones and begin slashing. Little did you know, those 2 men in the room were Jungkook and Jimin, assassins of other mafia bosses. "Damn, she's hot as fuck" Jimin remarks, checking out your perfect body. "Dude, back off, she's mine" Jungkook smirks. You were minding your own business when SLASH! A katana slashed through your upper arm, letting blood gush out. "FUCK, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to" Jungkook immediately rushed to you and held your arm tightly. "You assholes, why the fuck can't you practice further away!?" you yell at the older men. Jimin rushed to you with a first aid kit, leading you to think you think that this isn't the first time they slashed someone. "Get the fuck off of me" you try pushing Jungkook's hand away but his grip was too tight. "If I let go, you're gonna lose a shit ton of blood." he replied coldly. Jimin wrapped your wound with a bandage and apologized so many times for a mistake he didn't commit. You left the room, annoyed and in a little bit of pain. This wound was a scratch compared to all your other scars. ✂---------------------------------------------------------------------------- An hour later, you finally got to Namjoon's hideout where he was staying. You wore a skin-tight black suit that covered your torso, legs and half of your elbow. Below your elbow, you wore gloves. You wore a hood to hide your identity. Your movements were as light as a feather as you didn't want any attention while you were sneaking in. You finally found a window that was open and slowly crept in. You landed on your feet with a thud and when you were closing the window, you felt a hand slither around your waist and another hand muffle your mouth.

[yeahyeahchloe]

It Wasnt in my Head (2)

(a/n: ok chapter 2 time. ty for the love on chapter 1!! fyi.. reader is definitely based off me, so if you don't like her pls be nice about it! pls tell me if u see any typos. ♡︎)

Summary: Abby is the starting linebacker at UW and when her team starts to falter her coach decides to get the team into ballet, in order to teach them that grace and stability is important in football too. Abby is just as upset about her teammates about this, until she sees her pretty new ballet teacher...

dancer!reader x football!abby

!!ABBY IS STRAIGHT IN THE BEGINNING. READER IS HER GAY AWAKENING!!

I always knew I was meant to dance.

Ever since I first walked into a dance studio I knew it was just where I was supposed to be. My "calling" or whatever.

I walked into the familiar building with the familiar smell of rosin and wood flooding through my nostrils. I set down my ballet bag and began stretching, still in my sweatshirt and sweatpants.

It had been a week since Coach Vonn asked me to help with his teams little "issue" and the first day was finally here.

Its safe to say I'm absolutely fucking terrified.

I mean I know most girls hate the idea of being locked in a small studio with large groups of men, but as a lesbian?? Way way fucking worse.

As I was stretching I heard the door shut a good few times signaling that said men were coming in, but I chose to ignore it for the five minutes before the class actually started since I was sweating like a pig. Unfortunately that five minutes seemed to pass in seconds and it was time for me to get started.

I finally walked over to stand in front of a large group of men all staring at me. Waiting.

"Alright, I guess it's time to get started," I announced, pulling the quiet conversations in the room to a halt. "Ok we can just-"

The door slammed open interrupting me with a bang, I turned to yell at the person interrupting my class when I felt my breathing stop.

The person who opened the door stood now inside the studio, out of breath from rushing in. She was tall, taller than some of the other men on the team, with the most stunning honey blonde hair rolling down her back in a simple braid. She had a broad nose, yet softer eyes.

And to top it all off she was fucking MASSIVE.

And she was so fucking pretty.

"I'm so so sorry I'm late there was a train and then I couldn't find parking," The woman said in a voice as soft as silk.

I snapped out of my daze to answer the blonde in front of me,

"Oh, you're fine! We were just getting started," I told her, struggling to find my words.

She stalled for a minute looking in my direction for a little longer, but eventually looked away and nodded her head up at a few of her teammates in greeting.

"Uhmmm, ok! As I was saying, we can just get started with an introduction. My name Y/n L/n and I'm a junior here at WU. I was asked by Coach Vonn to teach you guys some ballet basics, in hopes of improving your muscle control, stamina, balance and, like, a ton of other things, um, we can just get started off with some stretching, which I know you all already know how to do that," I began, hoping to sound as put together and professional as possible.

Everyone began to stretch as I watched and observed them all.

Well, watched and observed the blonde who burst in earlier.

She had taken off her sweatshirt, so her deliciously large arms were now on full display, flexing with every movement. And her hands, god her hands, they were large too. The tendons that sat atop, her hands moved just as much as the muscles on her arms did.

I finally decided to tear my eyes away after realizing that I was staring for a creepily long amount of time.

"Ok, everyone lets start by learning our positions," I announced to the room.

The rest of the lesson went as they always do, and at the end I got a few thank yous, and everyone left.

˖⁺‧₊˚ ♡ ˚₊‧⁺˖

My front door made the same usual clanking noise as it unlocked, before I threw it opened and walked in, taking off my shoes at the door.

"Hey bitch!" A voice hollered from the kitchen.

Heyyy D!" I called back walking into the room.

Dina was seriously my favorite person. I had met her last year when I saw an ad on craigslist that said she was looking for a roommate. Hindsight says that using a craigslist ad to find a roommate was probably not a very good idea, but it worked out in the end.

"Were going to a motherfuckin party tonight!" She exclaimed, eating her microwave nachos.

"Aw, D, come on you know I hate parties," I reminded her as I grabbed my own plate and the bag of tortilla chips to start a dinner of my own.

"Y/nnnn I really really wanna get out and do something! I've been doing classes and sitting at home all. day." She groaned.

Her and Jesse must have gotten into another fight.

"Uhhhhmmmmmmnnuuugghhh yesokfine," I answered Dina, as she gave me her best puppy dog eyes. "I guess I deserve a night off too,"

"Hell yeah you do! Ok eat quick because we leave at 10,"

I glanced to the bright red numbers on the oven that read 8:45 and ate my now ready nachos slightly quicker.

I walked into my room and to my dresser and decided on a super basic party outfit: a mini dress.

My hair looked fine down, so I left it as I touched up my makeup from the day.

"Oh by the way, Ellie is coming and she says her friend is gonna meet us there," Dina told me after bursting into my room unannounced.

I smiled at that. I loved Ellie. She was a lot like me in many ways, and she was the one who helped me realize I was into girls.

She was also Dina's best friend so I kind of had to like her.

Around thirty minutes later Dina and I heard honking outside n signaling to us that Ellie had arrived to get us.

We both locked up, walked down the many stairs of our apartment complex, and piled into Ellie's car.

"Hey Els!" I said, sliding into the backseat.

"Hey sweet thing, how've you been?" She asked, eyeing me in her rearview mirror.

"Oh y'know, busy. Get this, I have to teach the football team how to do ballet, per their coaches request. Can you believe that shit? Its like watching a bunch of babies take their first steps," I answered her with my regular joking tone.

She snorted before following it with: "Jesus, looks like you need tonight more than Dina does,"

"Tell me about it,"

We pulled up to the house after another 5 minutes or so full of conversation.

And of fucking course.

Greek letters were proudly hung on the front of said house.\

"Dina, really? I didn't know this was a fucking frat," I told my friend, annoyance lacing my voice.

"Well I knew if I told you, you wouldn't have come," She turned around and looked at me while Ellie parked.

"Ok yeah I guess that's fair," I grumbled from the backseat.

I hate frats. Too many annoying misogynists who think they have a chance.

We got out of the car and approached the entrance where loud music was heard from a few feet away.

Here we fucking go.

˖⁺‧₊˚ ♡ ˚₊‧⁺˖

[heyitschartic]

hi! I saw u recommended artist formerly known as bonesaw, do u have any other worm fic recs? bonesaw is my fav character but god I am so desperate to read good worm fics in general

I have been sitting on this ask for a very long time thinking about it. I've been in this fandom so fucking long that fics have just started to pile on top of each other in my head, so I think the best thing to do is just to recc every single thing I can think of at this moment and give my reason why. There's a lot of good fics out there buried under all the trash! This is going to be a long one, so I'll cut it off here so you don't have to scroll down past all my bullshit. In no specific order...

I have a post here going over some of my favorite authors and the works they produced, so I won't redo what I said there. I think for every one of them, you should definitely check out everything they've done because it is just fucking amazing writing. Most of their stories live in my head rent free at all times, even the stuff I didn't post in that thread.

Glowspider is one of the people I should have included on that list. Her writing is just wonderful, though I'd recc her Pact stuff just as eagerly as her Worm stuff. Lady Tremaine at the Kitchen Table just hits in all the worst ways. For Worm though, Valleyxandria, a story about Valley-girl Alexandria obviously, and Golf Morning, Gold Morning retold as a golf match, are some fucking killer stories. Some of the funniest written. It's Cold Out There Every Day was easily my favorite fic for last year, a story about Missy stuck in a time loop, and still holds my heart in a death grip. BROCKTON is a Riverdale/Worm fusion and oh my god does Glows just nail everything with this.

K800 is another amazing author and no I'm not biased shut up. She's a great writer who has put out a ton of stuff, both Otherverse and Worm. Luz Mala is a great story about an ex-villain on the run in Argentia. Wonderful story and criminally underliked. Forward is the canon-compliant story about Taylor post-gm trying to get better. It's lovely, rips at your heartstrings, and is one of the only good portrayals of how Taylor would be after Gold Morning. Bitter But Sweet is the fandoms only coffeeshop AU and it is wonderful. The name suits it perfectly and Taylor is very gay. Soliloquy is a story based off one of mine (not biased), Taylor who was in the S9 reconnecting with the clone that was made of her during Gold Morning. Very cute, very sad, all that good shit.

Hopeful Penguin fucking PUMPS out words, I don't know how the man does it, and it's all good too, some type of devil contract. He has so many I would recc, but to not fill up the page, I'll give some short ones. Def check out: Flare, a post-gm Taylor dropped in the New York Behemoth fight. It definitely nails a really good from-the-ground look at it. High Soaring Above a perfect look at the life of Hannah Washington before Brockton Bay. Balestra, a love story in the style of This is How You Lose The Time War between Alexandria and Rebecca.

Harbin wisely left this dustbowl fandom, but they are one of the greats. Their snippet thread is wonderful and full of so many great ideas (I love the one about Bakuda switching out with her normal-earth counterpart), but to focus on their stories. Cutting Ties is Taylor with Jack Slash's power. Really well written, interesting concept, but it does do the Rune redemption thing (something the author wishes they hadn't gone with). I still recc it because it's just really good. Overhaul is about Taylor with Sphere's powers, struggling with her tinkering and her disability. Scour is about Taylor with Shatterbird's powers wandering through the desert after she triggered. Very thoughtful, I love it.

Omega_93 needs to post more because all of their works bring joy to my heart. Timeslip is a story about a Taylor clone waking up during the Teacher raid in ward. The reunion between Taylor and the Undersiders is just <3 and all the hints at what's going on behind the scenes intrigues me horribly. See is a short story about Bonesaw in Twig and I think it nails Riley. Just this fucked up girl trying to figure out how to even slightly act like a normal human. Finally, Larva is about a clone of Taylor joining Breakthrough. Just a really fun idea with great execution.

Redcoat Officer has written so many amazing stories, most focusing on original characters too. Ghost in the Flesh is a runaway hit about Sonnie from Love, Death and Robots joining Faultline's Crew. Finished and fantastic! Nightcrawler is an OC story about a Case 53 in Seattle. Finally, for those begging for more Undersiders he made Good People, a Shadowrun cross where the entire worm world is made into the Shadow run world (the shadow verse?) Very fun crime, great writing, and I love how the worlds are integrated!

Discreet is an author that it just shocks me how many fucking amazing stories they've written, banger after banger. It Starts With One is their most famous fic for a reason. A very political story about Alexandria and Skitter fighting it out over Capitalism. A Word is another beautiful story about Taylor with a version of Jack Slash's power. It's a beautiful story about writing and language and being understood. Lost Cat, Please Help is a great story about a case 53 being found far after Gold Morning ended. Really love the main character. The Girl in the Room is an interactive story and I won't say a word, it speaks for itself. Finally One-Sided Rival, a story about Sophia after Gold Morning and how she deals. All amazing.

God this is getting long, only individual stories from now on.

Rank is the Worm story. If you're going to read anything, read this. it's a story about Carrie Kobayashi, a refugee from Japan after Leviathan, joining the PRT and making her way in San Fransisco. It's a fucking behemoth of a story, going all the way from 2004 to Gold Morning and fuck it uses its words well. It covers so much shit, the main character is fantastic, and it is one of the best works someone could create from Worm. PLEASE read this.

Something else to definitely check out is the Parahumans Zine. It's long, it's wonderful, and it covers so many different stories and ideas. A fuckton of love was put into this thing by so many different people and it shows. The little weld article, about a kid saying how Weld inspired him is something I still think about from time to time. Oh my god I love this piece of work.

Bubbles Always Pop is a bittersweet story about Bakuda, who she was and how she got there. It kills me reading it. Some people say it's better without the epilogue, but for me, it would be hard to handle it without.

Throttle is a story about Taylor who turns into a car. It is a fucking insane ride (appropriate I suppose) about burnout Taylor and her best friend Bitch. It scratches that itch for bad bitch stories, I wish there was more.

We Appreciate Power is an insane story. A peggy sue where Emma gets sent back to before Taylor triggers and does her best to stop Taylor from doing it and become as bad a bitch as possible to prove how much better she is.

This is cheating cause it's a snip thread, but Quantum Prompts has some of my favorite snips in this whole fandom. One More and For That Girl make me cry every time I read them.

Just One More Thing, Mr Anders is the story about Columbo taking out Max Anders. The author has a snip thread that is hit or miss(still might wanna check it out, some good stuff there), but this story is a definite hit. Nails Columbo's whole vibe and watching Anders bring himself down is incredibly enjoyable.

In Golden Armour is a love story between Lisa Wilbourn and an OC. I love this romance so much and Corey is wonderful. Definitely one of the better, if not the best, love stories out there.

Voracity is a Case 53 quest about a fun and frightening girl figuring out her place in the world. Cirrata is a delight and her personality just makes you want to see what she does next.

By the same author, Rein is a story about Taylor able to summon Taylor (based off Fate stuff, I don't know that though). It nails the voices of Taylor from four different times in her life and really plays into a lot of fun stuff that would come up in this scenario.

Mixed Feelings is a fabulous story about Astrid, a gay girl born into the Empire dealing with her feelings, her past from a horrible father, and her look towards a future. It can be a very heavy read. This story is a main stay in the fandom, been updating forever, and it's always a joy to see it.

East of Eden, god what a fucking trip of a story. Eden dies and rebirths herself as Taylor Hebert. Shit just gets wilder from there. It seems like a cracky premise, but it plays it so well, managing to make it through the end of the world and end on an upbeat note. I love this story and I hope you do too <3

From the same author, The Countess is perhaps the story I should have recommended first. A Count of Monte Cristo fusion that...well listen, you hear that premise and it manages to mesh the worlds together into a beautiful tapestry. God it's just so wonderful and the kind of thing I'm begging for more of.

City of Salt is a wild story told from a bunch of different viewpoints about Brockton after Behemoth hits instead of Leviathan. It has beautiful artwork, covers so many interesting threadlines, and has an insane companion fic about three Echidna Taylor clones in the Wards.

Agent of Cauldron is the sort of fic we need a lot more of. It fleshes out the worm world in a ton of ways, builds on what Cauldron is and adds so many new and interesting characters. This story is wild and I'd recommend it just to see what they added.

Tabloid was one of the original greats by one of the best artists in the fandom, long gone for better pastures. It follows a cape paparazzi and they are a joy of a main character and the art work is amazing too. A definite read.

Dragon Unbound is another oldie but a goldie. The Dragon that Defiant created in the Epilogue gets free and goes to live her own life. Really fun and entertaining. The sort of thing that should be recommended more.

Diary of a Professional Knockoff about a dorky girl who writes cape fanfiction and finds herself joining the PRT as an intern. Fun antics with social anxiety and tinkertech.

Alright, there are tons more I could post about but this thread is wayyyyyyy too long as it is. Besides, that should leave you thousands of things to read through in the meantime.

[pbandjesse]

The event I'm working tonight is winding down with an auction. It's been a pretty nice night. I am looking forward to going home though. I'm tired. I know it's because I'm not sleeping well. I am just really tired and I just wish I could get a full night's sleep.

Some of the issue is the air is so dry. I would pick up a little humidifier today to hopefully help. But I woke up a ton last night just because the inside of my nose was so solidly scabbed and painful. Sucks.

I was at least able to sleep until 9 this morning. When I woke up I was not in the best place mentally. I tried to shake it off but I just felt gross. I made the bed and took a shower and tried to be in a better mood. It sort of worked. Just the convincing of myself.

I got dressed and went downstairs to have breakfast. James left me an egg sandwich and I also cut up an apple and had that with peanut butter. Sweetp was yelling at the backdoor so I let him out but I warned him it was going to be chilly and windy. And he would come back in pretty quickly. Silly.

I worked at my desk for an hour and a half. Just sewing frog legs. I got three color ways sewn and flipped. They still need to be stuffed but I was really happy with the work I did.

Sweetp is funny when I sew. He will sit up against my foot that's on the peddle. He'll bite my ankle. He is just all in my business. I was afraid I was going to squish his tail or foot with my chair because it's rocking. But so far I have not but it still makes me nervous!

I would go upstairs to lay in bed for an hour. I disassembled a charm necklace. And just watched some videos and chilled.

I would do my makeup and got dressed with layers. I really liked my outfit. I didn't plan to wear boots but I am glad I did. I need to put in my sheep skin insoles for extra comfort ASAP. But they were good for now.

I left the house around 1230. And went to Southside diner for lunch. Which was nice. I watched my little videos and ate my food.

I thankfully have not been as quick to nausea but I also am just anxious. I don't know if I am feeling my baby or if it's just pressure cramps in my belly. And like I hope I'm feeling them but I truly don't know. Which then makes my brain try to protect my heart and I just keep going. Well maybe I'm not pregnant anymore. I don't know what's going on in there. I have no evidence good or bad. And I don't know why I feel so worried. But also I am trying to just feel normal. 11 days until my next appointment.

I walked around five below. Got candy and chopsticks. I am missing a bunch of my chopsticks that I keep strategically around the house. So I got replacements. And a sanrio keychain. And that little humidifier I brought up before. It is hello kitty shaped.

And then I was at the museum. I was happy to sit with James for a bit. I got to chat with Paula about the confusion with my pay and she said I'm getting business cards! I got lots of laughs about my home made events name tag and they said they were going to order me a new one too. Feels nice to feel a part of the team.

James went to take their break and I would join Jesse on a walkthrough for a bit to answer some print questions. I would chat with Jessica who is almost ready to have her baby! She made me feel a little more secure. I appreciate that she was willing to listen to me and she told me her good things. It was a nice conversation.

The event tonight was a charity for scholarships for kids who's parents were maimed or killed in workplace accidents. And everyone has been really nice. I felt very on top of stuff. Not the av or tech stuff. Which I had to call Jesse to help with. But everything else has been good.

I would run around with catering for a while. Checking in with the event organizers. But mainly I've been at the desk knitting. I got 5 squares done. Very productive. I also had lovely conversations with people. And the catering had the good focaccia and feta spread. So I was very happy.

Things are winding down now though. So I'm going to go help direct clean up. And hopefully we get to go home early.

I hope you all have a nice night and a good day tomorrow. Be safe. Goodnight!!

[queen-of-the-avengers]

Iron Man 2: Part Six

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~1.9k

Warnings: canon violence and angst

Author’s Note: any and all comments are appreciated <3

x

Ivan (that's his name, not Whiplash) is taken to an Italian jail where Tony visits him. He wants to know why did he what he did and where he got that arc reactor while you have a secret meeting with Natasha and Fury.

"Hope you enjoyed the show," you tell Natasha. "Could have used your help."

"Not with this one. You handled it perfectly," Fury says. "Have you thought more about it?"

"I'm willing to give it a try if everyone else is. I hear you're trying to recruit Tony," you say and look at Natasha.

"I never said Tony."

"Wait, you want to take the Iron Man suit from him? Did you not watch what happened at the Senate meeting? He won't give it to you."

"He might for you."

"No, not even for me. Look, I know Tony is messy and impulsive and reckless but he invented the suit. He is Iron Man. You're not going to find anyone better to wear that suit."

"He's dying."

"She said you were working on it."

"We are. We just need to prepare ourselves in case Tony can't live up to the challenge."

"And you think Hawkeye and Black Widow can live up to the challenge?" Natasha raises an eyebrow at you but you just wink at her. "What if I say they're not a good fit?"

"Look, all I'm asking you to do is take a moment and think about the dangers Earth is in. Look how easy it was for you and Carol to come here. Earth doesn't have the right amount of protection it needs to prevent such disasters from happening. If we put together a group of remarkable people, then Earth doesn't need to worry about dying."

"Who says Earth needs protecting?"

"You and everyone else who comes in here with threats on their backs. People are going to die if we're not prepared. Now, is that what you want?"

"Who else do you have lined up for this?"

"Right now, it's just you four. We're working on someone else, but you're on a need-to-know basis with that one."

"Who is it?" Fury stares at you without answering. "Fine. I'll talk to Tony and knock some common sense into him."

"That's all I ask."

After you've left the meeting with them, the thought of Earth's safety weighs heavily on your shoulders. Fury is right. Look how easy it was for you to come here. You're not a threat to anyone that doesn't deserve it, but imagine if you had been. What would your life be like if you had stuck to Markus' plan? You can kill millions with a single thought, and that's exactly what Markus wanted to do. 

If the choice came down to it, would you be able to destroy Earth? Would you ever be put in a position to do so? The team Fury is putting together is meant to protect Earth from being that can do what you can do. What if you have to destroy it in order to protect it? Are you really going to put your life at risk to save a planet so small and meaningless compared to the rest of the galaxy? The rest of the universe? 

There are a ton of other Earth-like planets that need help. Why risk your life for this one? Markus ensured you wouldn't survive the trials but you did. He poked, prodded, electrocuted, drowned, burned, and buried you to make sure that the serum inside your body was fit for a whole army. You weren't meant to survive... but you did.

Then came the Kree and that was almost as bad as what Markus did to you. The only difference was you had Yondu to go through it with you. Oh, Yondu. Is he even alive? Is Peter? Yondu made you see that even through all the torture, there can be good.

It shouldn't be like this, but it is.

Even way before you met the Kree and Yondu when you were on foreign planets, governments wanted to use you for the powers you had, so you had to do some unspeakable things to people in order to get the information they wanted. You've been through so much shit in your lifetime, so why are you going through it all for one measly planet?

While on the plane ride back to the States, you think about the Avengers Initiative and what it could mean for you. You splash water on your face in the small airplane bathroom and dry it with a scratchy paper towel. Your reflection stares back at you in disappointment but you ignore her as you turn off the bathroom light. You're on your way back to your seat when you overhear a conversation between Tony and Pepper.

"Tony, what are you not telling me?" Pepper asks softly.

"I don't want to go home. At all. Let's cancel my birthday party and... We're in Europe. Let's go to Venice, Cipriani. Remember?" he chuckles.

"Oh, yes."

That was the time that you three went to Venice and got super drunk. Someone ended up getting naked and you're not going to say who.

"It's a great place to be healthy."

"I don't think this is the right time. We're in kind of a mess."

"Yeah, but maybe that's why it's the best time. Then we can--"

"Well, I think as the CEO I need to show up," she interrupts him.

"As CEO, you are entitled to a leave."

"A leave?"

"A company retreat," he corrects himself.

"A retreat? During a time like this?"

"Just a ride. I'm just saying to recharge our batteries and figure it all out."

"Not everybody runs on batteries Tony," she sighs.

You look around the corner to see Tony and Pepper close together. He wants something to happen between him and Pepper. You can see it in the way he looks at her and talks to her. Bucky used to look at you like that. Why are you so hung up on him? You were with him for nearly a decade. You've been with Ikaris for nine hundred years, and you're not acting like this with him. Everyone has one great love in their life, and Bucky just so happened to be yours.

You sigh, head back to your seat, and stare out the window.

Once you got back home, the first thing you do is look up who the fuck Ivan Vanko is. You and Tony sit in one of his vintage cars while Jarvis rolls through everything he knows about Anton Vanko. Jarvis whips through different news articles and websites pertaining to the man as he speaks about them.

"Query complete sir. Anton Vanko was a Soviet physicist who defected to the United States in 1963. However, he was accused of espionage and was deported in 1967. His son, Ivan, who is also a physicist, was convicted of selling Soviet-era weapons-grade plutonium to Pakistan and served fifteen years in Kopeisk prison. No further records exist."

You look at Tony to see his reaction, and it's not a good one. He looks sick like death and it has everything to do with the thing in his chest.

"Tony?"

He doesn't answer you when you say his name for a second time. Out of the corner of your eye, you see Rhodey enter the lab. He's not happy.

"Tony, you gotta get upstairs and get on top of this situation right now. Listen. I've been on the phone with the National Guard all day trying to talk them out of rolling tanks up your driveway, knocking down your front door, and taking these." He points to the many suits Tony's made that are standing on the far side of the lab. "They're gonna take your suits, Tony, okay? They're sick of the games. You said nobody else would possess this technology for twenty years. Well, guess what? Somebody else had it yesterday. It's not theoretical anymore." Tony doesn't answer him and Rhodey walks to the front of the car in concern. "Are you listening to me? Are you okay?"

"Let's go," he whispers. 

You get out of the car first through the passenger side door and Tony follows. As soon as he's on his own two feet, he crumbles to the ground and uses the car for support. You're by his side instantly and help him up. Things haven't gotten this bad and you're scared that he doesn't have a lot of time yet.

"Hey, man. Are you alright?" Rhodey panics.

"He needs to get to his desk," you urge.

Rhodey helps you bring Tony over to his desk. You already know what to do since this has happened before. You grab the cigar box by one of his computers and open it to reveal the palladium cores. He has five left. Tony removes the arc reactor from his chest to take out the old palladium core which is smoking and is corroded.

"Is that supposed to be smoking?" Rhodey asks.

"No," you answer and hand Tony the new core.

"If you must know, it's neutron damage. It's from the reactor wall."

"You had this in your body?" He doesn't answer. "How about the high-tech crossword puzzle on your neck?"

If that "high-tech crossword puzzle" gets to his brain, then he's dead.

"Road rash," he sighs and puts the arc reactor back into his chest. He grabs the cup containing the liquid Jarvis told him to drink and takes a sip. Rhodey hasn't stopped staring at him since. "What are you looking at?"

"I'm looking at you. You wanna do this whole lone gunslinger act and it's unnecessary. You don't have to do this alone."

"Save it, Rhodey. I've tried to tell him this but he's not listening to me," you sigh.

"Well, I wish I could believe that. I really do, but you two have got to trust me. Contrary to popular belief, I know exactly what I'm doing."

"It's hard to believe that when you're acting like you don't."

"I know what I'm doing," he sighs and takes another sip.

At first, Tony didn't want to have a birthday party but now he's all for it. His birthdays in the past have gotten a little out of hand, and you know this one will end in a disaster. You and Tony are in his room trying to get ready but he's staring at the arc reactor on his chest. Slinging out from all directions of the reactor is what Rhodey liked to call the high-tech crossword puzzle. It's spreading fast and you're not sure how you can get your point across to Tony who is going to die if this isn't fixed.

"You're going to die if you don't do something about this," you whisper and tap on the reactor. "Look at what it's doing to your body, Tony. You're up to eighty-nine percent. Eleven more and you're dead. How many times do I have to say it before it gets through to you?"

Someone knocks on the door and Natasha enters wearing a cheetah print dress with black spaghetti straps. She has a habit of wearing dresses that accentuate her figure. She is holding a box of expensive watches for Tony to pick. She really is taking this Natalie character seriously.

"Do you know which watch you'd like to wear tonight, Mr. Stark?"

Tony snaps back into reality and starts buttoning up his shirt. You look at Natasha and slightly shake your head to let her know it's not good.

"I'll give them a look. I should cancel the party."

"Probably."

"Yes, it's ill-timed and inappropriate," you say.

"Gold face, brown hand. The Jaeger. I'll give that a look. Bring them over," Tony changes the subject.

Natasha does as she's told and brings him the box of watches. He chooses the one he wants and leaves the room, not without another look at you. Tony stands by his dresser and stares at the watch in his hands.

"Do you love her?" you ask. His back stiffens at the question but he doesn't answer verbally. His body language does it for him. "If you plan on making this your final birthday party, then she has a right to know. By not telling her, you're disrespecting her, and I think you'd have more integrity than that."

You let him think about your words alone.

x

Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary​​​​​​ where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)

[cagedchoices]

CALEB & CHILDHOOD

There aren't a ton of details given about what Caleb's childhood was like, really just a few glimpses from when he was abandoned by his mom. But according to his personal timeline which is listed in YY/MM/DD format, Caleb and his mom went to the Ocean Diner together on March 20th, 2031.

I'm guessing they ordered cheeseburgers for lunch because that's what appears to be on the table in front of both of them and it would connect to the fact that Caleb always orders a cheeseburger when he goes to this diner. Then at one point during their meal, Caleb's mom got up and told him she was going to use the restroom. Caleb, having no reason to think that his mom would deliberately abandon him, sits quietly at the booth for quite some time while he waits for her to come back. But she never does.

After telling Caleb she'll buy him breakfast and bringing him to the diner, Dolores offers him a tablet with a scanned transcript and tells him to read it. When he first starts reading, he doesn't know what it is, but as soon as he reads the phrase "I don't know what to do, my mom—" he realizes that this is what he said when he was a kid

She tells him "You sat in that spot for 5 hours. Your mother never returned." But I don't think he just sat around a full 5 hours before he first decided to ask for help, it was probably more like 15-20 minutes before he went "she's been gone quite a while...hope everything's okay in there..." 30 minutes before he went, "this is not normal, I'm getting worried something happened to her." 45 minutes or an hour and he decided "I'm very worried and I'm calling for help" and asked the waitress if he could use the phone.

Then the remaining 4 hours was likely just waiting, hoping his mom would realize she forgot and come back to get him and that hope growing dimmer every minute that nothing happened, and then just waiting until someone from social services was available to come pick him up.

I headcanon little details around like the waitress checking the bathrooms to see if maybe Caleb's mom got trapped in there or fell unconscious by some accident. Periodically checking outside the diner to see if she would come back or just be seen wandering around out there on the street. Telling Caleb he's welcome to listen to whatever songs he wants on that jukebox at his booth while he waits. Caleb punching in a few songs and thinking "That's cool and all but I really just want my mom."

Caleb remembers one of the humanizing details of this memory is that the waitress was named Sara. Sara brought him a strawberry milkshake hoping it would help calm him down and feel better. Instead of helping anything, [tw: emetophobia] his nerves just cause him to throw up and take the situation from bad to worse.

When Dolores brings Caleb to the diner after she rescues him, she tells the waitress "He'll take a cheeseburger and a strawberry shake, no nuts, two cherries" and orders for him, informing him afterwards that he comes to the same diner every year, sits at the same booth, and orders the same thing. I don't know why it's February 23rd he goes and not February 2nd, his birthday - or March 20th, the day he was abandoned, but the more I think about it, the more I wonder if it's a way of taking back control.

Maybe the idea was that if he visits the diner on his birthday or on the anniversary of when the traumatic experience of being left occurred, he's going to have a certain expectation of how the day is going to be and it's more likely to wind up being a bad day. But if he visits on just a regular day in-between that, he's less likely to expect things will go poorly. Or maybe someone just got a date wrong in the script and I'm putting too much energy into this. Anything is possible.

Six months after Caleb's mom goes missing, she is found and diagnosed with schizophrenia and then admitted to a mental institution. Once again, Incite doesn't elaborate on any of the emotional aspects of how this would've made Caleb Feel, so it's all free real estate. I imagine this would've devastated him. "What do you mean I can't go home with my mom? Why are they sending her away?" and that sort of thing.

I think before the abandonment, Caleb and his mom had a good bond and that's part of why he continues to carry those memories with him into the present day - he hasn't given up on her. He spends time with her in the treatment facility every week. He kisses her on the forehead before he leaves. He brings her favorite books to her and he cares about her interests enough to remember what her favorite books actually are. He pays her medical expenses even if he has to commit crimes to make sure he has enough money for it.

He does all of this despite the fact that she left him behind as a kid and doesn't recognize him anymore. She tells him he's not her son the first time we watch them interact. The second, she calls him a good boy, thanks him, and asks him who he is. Then she tells him she wants her son back. That can't be an easy thing for Caleb to hear from his mom, but he takes care of her anyway because he feels it's the right thing to do.

In terms of his mom's diagnosis, the criteria for schizophrenia according to the DSM-5 is that a patient must exhibit at least two symptoms/traits of the disorder to qualify for diagnosis. the symptomatic criteria includes:

Delusions (i.e. fixed false beliefs)

Hallucinations

Disorganized speech

Disorganized or catatonic behavior

Negative symptoms (i.e. Decrease in emotional range, poverty of speech, and loss of interests and drive; the person with schizophrenia has tremendous inertia)

At least 1 symptom must be the presence of delusions, hallucinations, or disorganized speech.

Caleb's mom being convinced that her son is not her son...I think that qualifies as a delusion, a fixed false belief. The way I've always viewed it is she's expecting her son to show up and still be an 8 year old boy. She's not connecting that the 35 year old man who comes to visit her every week is who that kid grew up to be. Her abandoning him at the diner could have been a result of either disorganized or catatonic behavior, or negative symptoms such as a decrease in her emotional range or the loss of interest/drive/motivation to be a mother.

In contrast to his mom's significance in his life, there is never a single mention of Caleb having a father, and being a good dad to Frankie is something that he seems to struggle with to some degree. It's like there's an underlying feeling of insecurity that he's not good enough to be a father and that maybe Rehoboam was right in restricting his marriage and reproductive freedom. It doesn't help that he's sitting on 7 years of unresolved trauma triggers and the symptoms of anxiety and depression that most likely have him wondering "Why am I still not happy with what I've got?"

Me, personally, I choose to think he grew up without a father, so he doesn't necessarily know what a good one is supposed to look like. He knows he needs to show up, to be there for his daughter, which is likely more than his dad ever did for him...but even with that, sometimes there's a fuss in how he goes about this.

Uwade raises the concern that Caleb is teaching Frankie to be like him in all the worst ways for a young girl to emulate. He's a soldier with PTSD, so now his daughter acts like a soldier with PTSD, and it just reinforces this idea that he is Not being a good dad.

After Caleb suggests to Uwade that he's leaving for a while to put a stop to the threat that is endangering all three of them, She states "You promised you'd be a father," and Caleb gets pretty emotional with a defense of "I am one." He knows he should stay, he'll be able to protect his family better if he's physically there to protect them. But that's something he doesn't feel like he's good enough for.

[velvetcloxds]

Okay, okay, okkkkkay!!!!

! So I had to choose my college right?! Well my first choice turned out to be an online (the in-person was in another state) but then the one that I didn't really want to go to (because it's farther away and has snow sometimes but still in state) accepted me. So I did a virtual tour and it turns out that I love it. And after doing some more research into their programs and classes and general schooling life I decided it axtually was the one for me!!! So I accepted their offer! Then I had to fill out the housing application and find a roommate. Well I did it and the first person I say immediately matched up 87% with me... everyone else had like a 20% match with me. So we started talking and I thought we fit together really well. We are similar enough thst would could be really great friends, but different enough that we aren't going to get tired or burnt out on each other! And she is coming in from out of state, but I know where she lives and I know it's a super cool place (not this matters much but still) So we are roommates! But need to still get a dorm room, we'll get that down soon though. I got all my Dr's appointments done for now, the only ones left this month are just like check ins. I finally got my graduation announcements ordered!! They are super cute and awesome!! Last month we had my brothers memorial, the same day as prom and a country concert. It was pretty chill, family only. But I didn't go to prom because I have no friends here lol. I did go to the convert though! It was in the evening, Josh Turner! Which was freaking awesome, then the next day it was Lainey Wilson!!! Best thing ever!! And then a couple days later, I went on a hike to a place where my Poppa put up a plaque in honor of my brother (it's on a rock where my brother would have sat for hours). And then finally my biggest freakin news!! My mom handed me her phone saying I had someone who wanted to talk to me. It was my aunt, she asked me if I was doing anything on April 29... and then. AND THEN...

She tells me we are flying to Georgia to go see TAYLOR SWIFTS ERA TOUR!!!!!!! I couldn't breath for a minute, I thought I was gonna pass out! So now I have to figure that out (but something cool about that is in the 1800s I had a family member who was a murderer right, and his family died... because of him. And we are going to be driving right threw the town where it happened!!! Freaky but awesome!)

Alsooo have you seen Daisy Jones and The Six? Because I just finished it and when I tell you I am obsessed... I mean obsessed!! I don't even know what to do with myself. It was just so good. And I fell in love with one of the characters (the only nonproblematic one)

I love you!! Thank you for letting me do my little happy rant and happy dance 🤠 I feel very giggly and like... well happy!!

bestie that sounds so exciting I'm so glad your time at uni is starting out amazing before you're even officially starting!!

YOU GOT TAYLOR TICKETS AHHHHHHH- I AM BOTH SO EXCITED FOR YOU AND ENTIRELY ENRAGED WITH JEALOUSY FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD BUT OMG I HOPE YOU HAVE THE BEST TIME AND PLEASE SEND ME TONS OF PICS AND VIDS SO THAT I CAN LIVE VICARIOUSLY THROUGH YOU PLEASEEE AND ARE YOU PLANNING TO DO A FUN LITTLE OUTFIT?

I have not seen it yet, I haven't seen anything new for a while lately except for the mandalorian but I really really want to, it's also just not available here yet so I just need to wait for it but honestly good job falling for the good guy, them problematic guys be looking too fine not to fall in love with sometimes

I love you too and I'm so so sorry for only answering now, had such a rough week so I've not been on here much kjsf

[darklove9314-blog]

My first prompt is... Your version of a threesome between Nessian and Hellion.

My second prompt is the first morning after Blood Rite. Nesta and Cassian still are at the River House (because I need to see Rhysand kissing the ground where Nesta walks!!!) and I would like to see Nesta being tended by Cassian because she's definitely injured. With finally Nessian revealing the Mating Ceremony for the IC 🥰🥰 You can also put their first time after they "officially" accepted the bond, Cassian is crazy to touch Nesta again and afraid of hurt her... But it will be romantic...

Author's Note: For the Ask I'm doing the second prompt, because I'm obsessed with the thought of Nesta being cared for by her mate and those around her (It also fits because I’m currently on the mend from being sick since Monday) , I'll try to get around to the other prompt eventually, but I hope you enjoy this one!!!

"Is this really necessary?" Nesta asked Cassian as he wrapped her injured ankle delicately, his fingers roaming over the bruised and swollen flesh, Nesta hadn’t truly noticed the injuries until her adrenaline had worn off and then it had felt like she had been hit by a ton of bricks. 

Cassian had caught her, scooping her up in his arms before taking her up to her room at the River House, Fyere had offered to send Madja in order to help out, but Cassian had declined her offer, Madja needed to be focused on keeping an eye on the new babe and Cassian...well, he could tend to his mate better than anyone could. 

“Yes.” He answered, propping her foot on a pillow as he finished wrapping it, the door opening before Cassian said, not hearing it, “Seeing as how we’re about to be officially mated, I’ll gladly tend to you whenever I need to.” 

Nesta’s gaze flickered up to the person at the door, stiffening slightly when she saw Rhys stalling in  the threshold, Cassian noticing Nesta’s face as he turned to see Rhysand. His face falling slightly. 

Rhys violet eyes glanced between the two, at their now intertwined hands as if he could see that golden bond between the two as his eyes widened, Nesta biting back a retort that if he had anything to say about her and Cassian's mating that he could just turn back and leave the two be, but she refrained. He knew and that was that. He could not change what was already destined in the stars to happen. He wouldn’t dare. 

“Is there something wrong?” Cassian mused, returning back to his work on her wrist, prodding it gently as Nesta winced. “With Feyre or the baby?” 

“No, I was wondering if you two needed anything.” Rhys inquired his eyes shifting between the two. 

“I think that we’re fine.” Nesta told him, Cassian staying silent as she glanced at him, wondering what kept him so. 

“Just let me know if you two need anything. You can stay for as long as you need to.” 

Nesta nodded as Rhys shut the door, her gaze going towards Cassian as he left, 

“What was that about?” She asked, Cassian’s hazel gaze flickering up to hers. 

“It’s just-” Cassian sighed slightly, putting salve on one of Nesta’s cuts, “Mates are especially protective when their mates are hurt. It may just be a sprained ankle and a twisted wrist along with a few cuts, scrapes, and bruises-”

His eyes flickered to her throat, his eyes averting at what he saw there. 

“I hurt you. I put my hands on you.” Cassian remembered as Nesta’s heart softened at the memory, her anger flaring at how Briallyn had hurt her mate, had taken away his autonomy to where he had done such things that he would have never done if he had the option to, 

Nesta took Cassian's hands, squeezing them gently, as his eyes met hers once more. 

“I feel like I’ll never forgive myself, I should have fought harder to get you, Gwyn, and Emerie out of the blood rite, I should have refused to help Azriel with the mission, I should have-” 

“You believed in me. You believed that I had the strength to do it. If you would have come after me, you would have died, and if you think your death is worth my life then you’re wrong. You are everything good in this world Cassian and I won’t let you blame yourself for things you can’t change. I’ve spent so long stuck in the past that all I want now is to look forward to the future. To look forward to all our adventures and our life together, to look forward to our mating ceremony. and-when we’re ready children, probably multiple. I’m thinking three, if that’s alright with you.” 

Cassian smiled, gently pressing a kiss to her cheek as he smiled, 

“Three really does sound like our lucky number.” Cassian mused as two cups of tea materialized before them as Nesta glanced down between them, 

“Compliments of the High Lord, I imagine.” Nesta mused as Cassian chuckled, kissing the palm of her hand, 

“I take it this isn’t the first gift you’ll be receiving from Rhys, he can be quite the giver.” 

Nesta shrugged, “I didn’t save Feyre and Nyx for him. I saved them for-” 

“I know.” Cassian smiled, pulling her to him as Nesta breathed him in, “And now all we can do is look forward to our future together.” 

“Well, I for one can’t wait.” Nesta smiled as they closed the distance between them, sealing their silent promise with a kiss. 

[its-an-obsession]

In Secret

Stranger Things Masterlist | Full Masterlist

Requested made by @greatangelrebel : Lucas Sinclair x Harrington reader

A/N: I don't usually write for Lucas, but I'm hoping to write more for him since season four is out and I've got a ton of motivation. I also realized that this is a similar plot to the other imagine I've written for Lucas, but I didn't feel like redoing it, so...... thank you so much for requesting! Hope you like it, enjoy!

Summary: Your older brother - Steve Harrington - was pretty set on you not having a boyfriend. If you did, they'd have to go through him in order to see if they were the right fit for you. Of course, now that you were a freshmen in high school there was a high chance that Steve would have to drop his attitude. Unbeknownst to Steve, you were secretly dating Lucas Sinclair the star basketball player.

Notes:

Y/N/N: Your Nick Name

Your older brother -> Steve Harrington

Set during season four, but no spoilers!

Warnings: language

Lucas Sinclair x-reader

(At Hawkins High School)

Students walked down the hallway as I made my way to my locker. All of my fellow classmates were excited for the basketball game this coming Saturday. Lucas was eager, but a bit nervous for the game. For the past few months, the two of us had been seeing one another behind my brother's back. Every now and then, Lucas would sneak through the window in my room when my family was asleep.

Thankfully, Steve - or my parents, not that they card - hadn't noticed or known that my boyfriend would arrive in secret. If Lucas stayed the night by accident, he slips through the window and knocks on the front door to act as if he wasn't in my bed for the whole night. I already know that Steve would freak the fuck out if he found out his little sister was sneaking a boy in.

I dialed in the combination of my locker then grabbed my English textbook including the notebook that had all of my notes. I jumped at the sudden feeling of a hand on my shoulder. "Relax, it's just me," Lucas reassured, chuckling. I glanced at him and sighed.

"Sorry, was just in my head," I said.

My boyfriend smiled, shooting me wink before following me down the hallway. "Excited for the game tonight?" I asked as we walked towards our English class. Lucas sighed and shrugged his shoulders. He waved to a fellow teammates of his. "Eager. Jason's having a field day, asking everyone if they're ready for the big game," he replied. I chuckled and smiled as I felt his hand intertwine with mine.

We stepped into our class and found our spot towards the back. Lucas slipped his hand away from mine to pull a chair out for me. I shook my head in amusement and sat down with him beside me. Mr. Finley walked into the classroom with a leather satchel hanging from his shoulder. He set his bag before turning around and writing some terms on the green chalkboard.

"Everyone turn to page 186 in your textbooks," our teacher turned around, "I don't want to hear any complaining."

Lucas glanced at me which caused me to snicker. I sighed and took out of my textbook and pushed it into the middle of Lucas and I, already knowing that he left his book in his locker. He turned to the correct page and we brought our attention to the chalk board. Lucas stole glimpses at me every once awhile, occasionally making our teacher tell him to quit.

📻📻📻📻

(Later)

The cafeteria was filled with students when I walked in to grab my lunch. I grabbed a trey and got my food before walking over to where Lucas and his basketball buddies were eating. Lucas looked over his shoulder, waving me over. I smiled and sat down beside him, putting my tray in front of me. "So, Y/N you comin' to the game tonight?" Chrissy asked as she looked up from her salad.

"Of course. Wouldn't miss it for the world."

My boyfriend winked at me and took a bite of his food. Jason threw an arm around his girlfriend's shoulders, kissing her on the cheek. If only Lucas and I could display that level of affection. The only 'level of affection' we could display was hand holding or arms over the shoulder type thing. If anyone saw something more than just 'friendly affection', Steve would definitely catch wind of it and rant; my parents didn't really care enough, keeping more attention on their work then their two kids.

Rachel - another one of the girlfriends - took a sip of her juice. She turned to the rest of us. "So, who are ya'll bringing to the school dance next weekend?" she questioned. Lucas and I hadn't really talked about the dance, not really knowing if we should go as friends even though it wouldn't feel like 'just friends'. Jason turned to Chrissy and smirked.

"Thinkin' about taking this one," Jason glanced at Chrissy who leaned into him with a joyous grin on her blushed face. I felt Lucas' eyes land on the side of my face. The group began conversing with me and Lucas silent, just listening from what felt like a distance.

📻📻📻📻

(Later)

Music filled the air around me as I wrote in my notebook from today's English class. The rest of the day was pretty laidback, just a few quizzes or new assignments that we needed to get ahead of. A few minutes passed and the music faded once the record was out of music. I stood up from my desk and strolled over to my dresser, switching the music to another one of my favorites.

Steve was out driving Robin to her band practice, probably telling her advice on how to deal with the girl she likes or some other advice that seems useless. I smiled to myself and sat back down at my desk, returning to my studies. My daily homework was cut short by the light tapping on my bedroom window.

I looked up from my paper to find Lucas sitting infront of the window with a smile on his face. I closed my book and unlocked the window, sliding it open. "Steve isn't here, you could've just used the front door," I said. Lucas slipped through the opening and shrugged, standing in front of me with a smile on his face.

"Going through the window's more fun," he responded.

My boyfriend leaned in for a kiss, setting a hand on my waist while the other sat on the side of my face. I smiled when his lips met mine. The back of my legs hit the side of my bed, causing Lucas to fall on top of me. The sound of footsteps caught my attention. "Shit," I muttered. Steve opened the door to my bedroom without knocking, typical brotherly action.

Lucas jumped off of me and swiftly sat on the trunk in front of my bed. I fixed the collar of my shirt, sitting at the edge of my bed. "Steve, hey," I said as I cleared my throat. My brother looked at Lucas then to me who continued to sit there with my hands resting on my knees. "What's Lucas doing here?" Steve asked. The two of us glanced at one another then looked back at my overprotective brother.

"We're going to see a movie," Lucas claimed.

"We're studying," I stated.

The two of us spoke in unison, but two completely different answers. Steve's brows furrowed at our responses. "Studying. We're studying for our English test," I said, smiling awkwardly. My brother opened his mouth to speak, but nodded his head instead. Lucas and I shared a quick glance prior to looking back at Steve who leaned against the frame of my bedroom door. "Okay," he sighed, "Well, I'm going to head to work. Mom said she'd be home late, again."

I nodded in response. Steve waved goodbye to the two of us before walking back down stairs. My boyfriend and I waited till the front door opened then closed. We burst into a round of laughter, trying to forget what the hell just happened.

Taglist: @midnightstar-90 @ramaalkayyali @b-ritney

[ladysparklefarts]

A Song Of Second Chances chapter 2

Summary: Lora’s bullshitting skills are put to the test. She meets the Jedi High Council. She has another meltdown. All the emotions and a cup of caf. 

Warnings: none I can think of, but if y'all notice anything please let me know so I can update it.

A/N: I have about 4 different endings planned for this damn story and about 3 AU’s and I’m only just starting to work on chapter 4. CURSE MY ADHD!! 

I woke suddenly to a sharp rapping at the door. Sunlight was streaming through the small window above the side table. I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes.

“Come in,” I said through a yawn. The door slid open, and Yoda entered, seated on a familiar hovering repulsor pod.  

“Slept well, I hope you did,” he said chuckling at the state of my hair. I nodded swinging my legs out from under the blanket and stretching.  

“Before meeting the council, perhaps some food, a good idea would be,” Yoda suggested at the sound of my stomach growling as it always did when I woke up.

“Breakfast would be a good idea,” I respond, pulling my boots back on. I hadn’t bothered to change for bed, so getting dressed was quick. I slid my arms into my jacket and zipped the front. Combing my fingers through my long dark hair I pulled it back into a loose ponytail to keep it out of my way.

“Then, to the refectory, we shall go,” he stated. I glanced up at him while I tied my boots. Once I was ready, I walked the short distance to Yoda. I pat myself down quickly, making sure I had everything. I turned and reached my hand towards the side table. My phone lifted and shot into my hand. Yoda grunted in surprise.  

“Perhaps less to learn for you there is, and more practice you need,” he said as I slid my phone into my pocket. I glanced at him. His expression was unreadable, but I could feel his confidence in me growing.

“A powerful Jedi, you could be,” he declared as we left the room. I bristled at his compliment, bowing my head to hide a smile as well as a yawn. I needed some coffee.  

“Not too powerful, I hope. I don’t want to become like some I have seen,” I said, smiling at him sadly. He nodded as we started our way through the corridor. I could feel multiple eyes on me, though I ignored them. Yoda nodded in greeting to a few people as we passed.

“Sense that you won’t, I do. A force for good, I believe you will be,” he locked eyes with me as he spoke, and I could feel the confidence he held in me. It was both humbling and panic-inducing. I wanted to respond, tell him that his faith wasn’t misplaced but something kept the words locked deep inside me. I smiled at him, though I was unsure if it was convincing. He smirked and looked ahead as we approached a large set of double doors that were propped open.

“The refectory, this is. Your meals, you can have here. Quite good, the food is, especially the caf. Our own blend it is,” my head shot up at the mention of caf, it was this universe’s word for coffee after all.  

“Do you have any suggestions on what I should try, Master? You’ve probably eaten here for centuries, so you ought to know what's good,” I asked. Yoda cackled at my words.  

“Right, you are. Excellent, the meat pie, is. Hearty and simple, fill you up, it will,” he said, his amusement gaining looks from a few familiar faces. He approached a serving droid and told them his order. The droid looked over at me expectantly.

“I’ll have the same, with a large cup of caf,” I told the droid, who nodded and busied himself by filling a pair of plates. I took a deep breath, inhaling the many scents. The room smelt amazing, spicy, and sweet.  

“I’ll have to check out the kitchens eventually. I love to cook and I’m pretty sure there’s a ton of ingredients I'm not gonna be familiar with,” I was buzzing with excitement and Yoda was taking great pleasure in my enthusiasm. The serving droid made a noise to get our attention and handed us our orders. I inhaled the scent of the caf as Yoda led me to one of the trestle tables for us to have our meal. It was rich, familiar, and somehow different than what I was used to. I set the dishes on the table and tucked myself in on the bench.  

“This smells amazing, thank you for suggesting it,” I say inspecting the food on my plate. Yoda didn’t respond. He was too busy eating his own breakfast to say anything. I picked up the small meat hand pie from the plate. It was baked to a beautiful golden brown and I almost felt guilty biting into it. It was worth it when I did though, and it didn’t take me long to finish it off. My stomach satisfied, I lifted the mug to my lips and took a large sip. It wasn’t as bitter as I expected, and I sighed into the mug happily. A loud beep from Yoda’s pocket drew me from my relaxed enjoyment of my hot beverage.

“Convened the council has, go we must,” he said after pulling a communicator from his pocket. I whimpered in disappointment and set my still mostly full mug on the table. I rose from my seat, pouting. Yoda grinned.  

“Bring with you, the mug, you may,” he remarked with a chuckle. I squealed quietly in joy and grabbed the mug from the table hugging it near my cheek.  

“Yay, coffee,” I murmured into the warm porcelain as I sipped at it while we walked.  

“For me, have you any questions?” Yoda asked, tilting his head to look at me. I blinked, thinking for a moment. I stared into my mug.

“Nothing that pertains to the current situation. Everything I would want to ask is mostly childlike curiosity for a fairytale wiseman come to life,” I answered with a small sheepish smile.  

“And I figure there’ll be time for that later, when we can figure this weirdness out,” I said scrunching my nose in amused disgust. Master Yoda nodded with a small smirk.

“Agreed, questions of that sort, answered will be. And perhaps a few of my own questions you can answer,” his eyes glittered at me when he spoke. My smile widened when I caught his meaning.  

“Of course, Master. Though I did just think of one that pertains to the council meeting. How are we going to explain how I got here? And what I know? It seems overwhelmingly suspicious. Like some sort of ploy,” my smile faded as I voiced the concern that suddenly slammed into me. The small jedi’s smile only widened.  

“Easy to explain, it is. And explain it to them, I will. Worry about it, you should not,” his tone was soothing, and I felt myself relax. I nodded and Yoda gestured to a door that opened. He entered first and I followed feeling as if I were shrinking with every step. The raw power that oozed from the councilmembers as I entered seeped into my skin, pressing into my very cells and making me woozy. I quickly drained the now cold mug of coffee and swallowed. The action helped me regulate my breathing. I was close to hyperventilating.  

“Called this meeting I have, to discuss an unusual scenario,” Yoda’s voice snapped my attention back to reality. I watched him from the side of the room. The door slid open behind me and the presence I felt enter behind me was soothing, though how or why I had no clue, but I didn’t fight its influence. Returning my attention to the council I took stock of whom I recognized on the council. There were the easily recognizable members: Mace Windu, Plo Koon, Ki-Adi-Mundi, and Depa Billaba. I also recognized Yaddle, a younger female member of Master Yoda’s species.  

“From a far unknown world, this young woman has come. How she came to be in this galaxy she has no knowledge. Visions she has had, of many future occurrences. A seer she is. Knowledge of events yet to come. An understanding in the force rarely seen, and unparalleled in someone untrained,” Yoda’s explanation was much more to the point than I was expecting, and I bowed my head as he spoke to hide the red that crept across my face. I had only figured out the basics so far, so his compliment felt a bit empty as well as embarrassing.

“How can we be sure her power is as you say?” Master Ki-Adi-Mundi spoke first, as Yoda motioned for me to step to the center of the room. I straightened my back and took a deep breath. The soothing presence behind me stepped closer and I took that as my cue to walk slowly to the center of the chamber. Thankful for the large windows that encircled the room, I stopped and turned to face Yoda.  

“Seen it, I have. Her visions seen I have as well. Shared them with me, she has,” Yoda shuddered at the memory. There were hushed whispers from around the room.  

“I do sense a lot of potential in her. What would you say you could offer us, miss...?” Master Windu spoke and though his expression was stern his tone was kind, and I took comfort in it.  

“My name is Lora, Master. I can understand the suspicion I sense. It makes no sense to me either. As for what I can offer the Jedi Order, I can’t really say. If anything, I want to do what I can to help. I’ve been having these visions since I was a very small child. I grew very fond of the people I saw in them,” I paused, twisting a stray lock of hair between my fingers. I didn’t want to reveal too much.  

“I sense that you have a great deal of pain in your past. How can we be sure this pain will not control you?” Ki-Adi-Mundi's question made a lot of sense. I smiled sadly at him.  

“I’ve already had my run-in with the dark side, unfortunately. It was actually my visions that showed me where that path could take me. I realized that although that pain was a deciding factor in who I was, I wouldn’t let it cause me to make the wrong decisions,” I explained. Ki-Adi-Mundi seemed almost satisfied with my response and leaned back in his seat his hands folded in front of him in contemplation. I returned my attention to Master Windu. His expression was unreadable, but I could feel him probing gently at the outer corners of my mind. I met his eyes with mine and let whatever walls were there fall. His brow jumped up in surprise as I allowed him access to my memories.  

“Lora, you surprise me. You’re a walking contradiction in a way that I believe I may have perhaps misjudged in the past,” Master Windu spoke softly.

“Should I take that as a compliment, Master?” I asked gently prodding at his mental probes with one of my own. Master Windu broke into a smile and shook his head.  

“Yes, I believe you should. From the bottom of my heart, I trust you,” he said with a pointed nod. My heart jumped at this and I bowed slightly in respect toward him. He bowed his head in response his smile widening slightly. I returned my attention to Yoda who was staring up at me with what I could have sworn was pride in his eyes.  

“Allow her to join the Jedi Order, I ask of you. Wisdom, I sense from her, that all could learn from, as well as a powerful ally she could be,” Yoda looked around the room as he made his motion. I glanced nervously around though I left my expression unreadable.  

“Yes,”

“I agree,”  

“Yes,” the council members all voiced their approval, though I could still feel some lingering apprehension.  

“Very good. Master Kenobi, assigned to you she will be, until adjusted she has. Learn from you she can as you train your padawan, and perhaps from her he also may learn,” Yoda said looking to where I felt that soothing presence. I turned and at once my breath caught in my throat. Obi-wan Kenobi was standing there, arms crossed over his chest, his hand stroking his beard. A small smile turned up my lips as I stared wide-eyed in wonder at the man I knew as a legend.

“Yes, Master,” was all he said before our eyes met. Something seemed to sizzle as our mental probes met. I blinked as his hand froze, his thumb dragging over his bottom lip. The movement drew my eyes, inevitably to his lips. They looked soft. I quickly brought my gaze back up to his. He blinked and withdrew his curious probes his expression betraying his confusion for a moment before his eyes darted away from mine.  

“To Ilum, she will need to go. A lightsaber she will need. The next cycle, in three days, is. Escort her you will,” Yoda said, bringing my attention back to him, though truthfully, I wanted to keep up my inspection of the auburn Jedi behind me. Pushing the thought from my mind, I allowed myself to get excited over the thought of my lightsaber. I wondered what color it would be.  

“Of course, Master. She will be safe with me,” I stifled a giggle at his words. Yoda seemed to sense my amusement and raised an eyebrow at me. I tried to push it down, but I knew Yoda had already sensed it. He looked between Obi-wan and me for a moment before a glint of mischief dawned in his eye. I narrowed my eyes at Yoda slightly and I felt the amusement roll from him like a storm. I glanced back at Obi-wan. His arms were tightly crossed at his chest and his lips were pursed as he stared directly past me and out the window. He seemed a bit rattled, though by what I couldn’t tell.

“Very good, the rest of the day, you have. Perhaps show her around the temple you can,” Yoda suggested. Obi-wan blinked at Yoda before nodding.  

“Thank you, masters’, for this opportunity. I won’t take your faith lightly,” I bowed quickly and backed out of the center of the room. I wanted to get out of there quickly. I was overjoyed at the possibilities that stood before me, but I was overwhelmed by the iconic figures I had just exchanged words with. Obi-wan bowed to the council as well before turning and following me out of the council chambers the door shutting with a quiet hiss. I turned and studied his expression. His eyes were slightly out of focus and somehow, I never expected to see this dazed expression on his face. It was amusing.  

“Maybe we could start with the gardens? I’ve always thought they’d be so beautiful,” I said with a nervous little laugh. A part of me was anxious I was going to flirt. Another part of me wanted to. I decided to take the middle ground and just be myself. Obi-wan started and looked down at me. He was a fair bit taller than my five foot four inches. He could probably throw me over his shoulders easily. I inhaled sharply at the thought.  

“That sounds fine. Though if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to check on my padawan at some point as well. He's supposed to be resting after our recent assignment,” he paused in his thought and frowned.

“You don’t need to explain. You and your padawan were in a lot of my visions. He seems like quite the, forgive my language here, little shit,” I remarked, shoving my hands in my jacket pockets. Obi-wan's eyes widened at my statement. His shoulders quaked a bit as he fought and quickly lost against his laughter.  

“You are not wrong,” his laughter was warm, and I relaxed. Maybe getting along with such a mythical figure would be a lot easier than I thought.  

“Before we go, though, I would like to warn you, I may call you Ben on occasion,” I pursed my lips as he froze.

“It was the first name I knew you by in my visions. As they progressed, I learned how you acquired the alias. If you’d rather I didn’t, I understand, but I can’t promise it won’t accidentally slip out,” I didn’t have to say the name I was thinking of, but he coughed and straightened. His blue eyes were sad, so I knew he caught on. He took a breath and smiled.

“I don’t think it will be a problem. I’ve made my peace with that situation and occasionally will still use that name,” he stated softly. I nodded returning his smile. He gestured to the hallway ahead of him.

“You requested the gardens? Shall we?” his warmth was infectious, and I couldn’t help but let my own radiate back to him. As we started down the hall, I felt a twinge of remorse. He had a right to know what I told Yoda. He was a major part of it after all. I froze.

“Actually, before anything, would there be somewhere more private, we could talk? What Master Yoda told the council wasn’t the full truth and I feel you should know it,” I all but whispered. Obi-wan paused and glanced back at me.  

“Certainly, in fact, the best place I know of would be the Meditation Gardens. They're a couple of levels directly below us and there is usually no one there at this time of the day,” he said, his expression thoughtful. He quickly turned and tapped a button on a nearby panel. A door slid open revealing an elevator and he ushered me in.  

“Thank you. I’ll be honest, I’m still kind of reeling from this entire situation. I only arrived here yesterday and I’m pretty sure I had to die where I come from so that I could come here,” I explained leaning against the wall after the door had slid shut and the elevator had started its descent. Obi-wan's head snapped towards me.

“What do you mean by having to die to come here?” he asked, the concern in his expression tugging at my heart.  

“It’s hard to explain. All I know is one moment I’m sitting waiting for my ride to pick me up after work and the next I stand up and the splitting headache I’d had all day gets infinitely worse and I blacked out. The moment I could see again I was falling on my ass on some random street here on Coruscant,” I frowned as I spoke. Obi-wan hummed. The moment I open my mouth to speak again the door slid open and he led me out to the hallway. Just across the hall was another door that Obi-wan opened and led me through.  

“Oh, wow. This really is as beautiful as I’d thought it would be,” The view took my breath away.

“This is only one of many Gardens of Meditation, but it was the closest and least likely to be occupied,” Obi-wan said with a smile as he brushed past me and motioned for me to follow which I did. The warmth of the sun was filtering through the foliage, and I inhaled deeply. The scent of flowers and sunshine relaxed me in the same way it always did. We came up to a small pond flowing with fish and I sat down next to it and skated my fingers over the surface of the water. I smiled at the smaller fish that came up to my fingers. Laying back in the grass I stretched.

“As I wanted to tell you though, those visions weren’t actually visions. The world I come from is still rather primitive compared to a lot of the planets in this galaxy, but one thing we have in abundance is imagination. I grew up on stories of the Jedi. You being one of the key figures in those stories,” Obi-wan had seated himself next to me facing the water.

“So, you’re saying that where you come from, we don’t exist?” he asked glancing down at me.

“No, you do exist. You may have been considered a fictional character, but you were very real to a lot of people,” I said looking up at him, my arms folded under my head.

“It’s a very beloved story where I’m from. The problem is that I know how a lot goes and I’m not happy with it. There are a lot of people that end up in a lot of pain or worse and I want to use what I know to try and change it,” Obi-wan's brows knit together as I spoke.  

“I can show you a bit of what I know if you’re willing to see. It’s how I told Master Yoda,” I sat up as I spoke. I motion to the gardens around us.

“This is a meditation garden after all,” I remark with a cautious smirk. Obi-wan meets my eyes with his own. I can sense his reluctance.

“I suppose it is one of the only ways,” he muttered and turned to face me. I tucked my feet under me and took a deep breath.

“What would you prefer I showed you?” I ask as the memories flood through me. He shrugged.

“I don’t really know, perhaps you should decide,” he stated. I nodded and decided to have a bit of fun.

“All right then I’ll show you a couple of my favorite snark-master Kenobi moments,” I said causing Obi-wan to narrow his eyes at me before shutting them and entering his state of meditation. I smirked and closed my eyes feeling his probes touch my mind again. I inhaled deeply and pushed a couple of memories to the forefront of my mind.  

“My forgotten, da Bosses will do terrible tings to me, terrrrrible is me going back der!”

“Do you hear that?”

A light rumble echoes in the distance.

“Yeah,”

“That is the sound of a thousand terrible things headed this way,”

“If they find us, they will crush us, grind us into tiny pieces and blast us into oblivion!”

“Hmmm... yousa point is well seen,”

The scene changes:

“You wanna buy some death sticks?”

A wave of Obi-wan's hand.

“You don't want to sell me death sticks,”

“Ah, I don't want to sell you death sticks,”

“You want to go home and rethink your life,”

“I want to go home and rethink my life,”

“I remember that first moment. I remember thinking Jar-Jar was the most idiotic being I'd ever met, but I don’t remember that second moment,” Obi-wan said drawing me from my concentration. I nodded. Of course, he wouldn’t remember.

“There were a lot of people in my world that would agree with you, though personally, I think there’s a lot more to him than meets the eye. And the reason you don’t remember that second moment is that it hasn’t happened yet, and it won’t happen for about four years,” I responded with a sight chuckle at his expression. The grin he wore was laced with confusion.  

“Well, I'd say you’ve shown me enough to know I can agree with the council’s trust in you, though I feel there’s a lot more you want to show me,” his expression softens as his gaze lands on mine. I nod.

“There is, but I don’t feel comfortable showing it. There’s a lot of suffering and like I told Master Yoda, I don’t want any rash decisions made in fear to negatively affect the possible outcomes. I want to be able to make it so that much of that suffering doesn’t happen. You shouldn’t know too much about your own future,” I leaned forward as I spoke, bowing my head to hide a couple of tears that had managed to sneak out as I remembered certain scenes that broke my heart as I had first watched them. I heard Obi-wan sigh in resignation and his hand rested on my shoulder.  

“I understand what you’re saying, but if it ever becomes too much, please, don’t hesitate to talk to me or anyone else. This knowledge sounds like it could be overwhelming,” he tightened his grip on my shoulder slightly when he felt me shaking.  

“It already is. Everything is overwhelming right now. I’ve been trying so hard to process it and all I want to do is break down. Everything I’ve ever known is gone and I was suddenly plunged into a world I know everything and nothing about,” the relaxing atmosphere seemed to press on me as I spoke, every little misery since I had arrived in this universe hitting me from all sides. His hand never left my shoulder as I dissolved into sobs.  

“I’m lost and confused and...” I hiccupped, grinding my hands into my eyes willing myself to stop crying. Unfortunately, the tears refused to stop, and I found myself being pulled into Obi-wan's chest. It was sudden and startling, but he was warm, so I let myself bury my face in his robes until the tears stopped. When my sobs finally started subsiding, I pulled away from him, though his hands stayed firmly on my upper arms steadying me as I straightened. I glanced up at him and froze. His face was only inches from my own and the kindness in his gaze as he looked at what I could only imagine was a tear-stained mess made my heart thump almost painfully. I quickly scrambled backward out of his grasp and stood nearly falling over again in my haste.

“I should probably go to my quarters and clean up. I think I need to change as well,” I stuttered out rubbing the remaining tears from my eyes. Obi-wan stood and nodded.  

“And it’ll give you the chance to maybe check on Anakin. You did say you wanted to do that at some point,” I sniffled turning away from him. A brightly colored butterfly drifted past me, and I let my gaze follow it.  

“I did say something to that effect. That sounds reasonable. And once I’ve made sure Anakin is properly settled, we can resume our tour of the temple,” Obi-wan sounded a little breathless as he spoke and made his way to the door. I followed him at a distance hugging myself tightly. The trek from the gardens to the padawan’s dormitory was made in relative silence only broken by my occasional sniffles. When we stopped at my door he smiled and bowed slightly to me before turning. Without thinking my hand shot out and caught his sleeve.  

“Ben,” I froze for a moment when he turned back and met my gaze. I stammered over what to say.

“Thank you,” I finally said smiling gratefully at him. He returned my smile with one of his own as well as a gentle squeeze of his hand on mine before turning and walking away.

[imerdwarf]

Part One: The First Meeting

Summary: Wanda invites you over to the compound for some unwinding girly time, when a man interrupts halfway through, taking something of Wanda's and your heart.

Pairing: Wanda x Reader, beefy!Bucky x Reader

Warnings: Alcohol consumption, beefy!Bucky, stressed reader, fluffs, love at first sight, strangers to crushes? 🥰

Word Count: 1,350

Author's Notes: This is day one of The Week in Love challenge hosted by @the-ss-horniest-book-club, this is my first mini series so I hope you guys enjoy it 🥰

This week was just sucky, everything about it just sucked. Your boss ended up giving you a hard time at work, overworking you as usual by piling a ton of files on your desk with a strict deadline or the threat of 'you're fired!' and you feared your boss Rumlow may just follow through on it.

Work wasn't the only thing you were struggling with this week, your heating completely broke down and your landlord refused to get it fixed because it wasn't deemed as urgent. It was the middle of winter, a good foot of snow had completely blanketed the streets and sidewalks of New York City, you were left to freeze to death in your apartment and still, it was deemed as not urgent.

To make this week somewhat tolerable, you had been texting with Wanda and had told her just a couple of things that were going wrong and how stressed it was all making you feel. Wanda hated to see her friends upset and stressed, and invited you over to the compound to unwind and stay a couple of days with a promise she would do everything in her power to make sure you have a good time and that you leave in a better mindset.

And, it was exactly how she had promised it would be, warm, safe and comfortable. After she told you to take a hot shower and gave you one of her fluffy white robes, the wine was going down nicely as you cozied up in Wanda's room, giggling and blushing at the erotic scenes from Bridgerton, a Netflix series you were currently binging together.

An evening like this was exactly what the doctor ordered, it had been months since you last saw Wanda because she was away doing her avenging duties. Her celebrity status never played on your mind either, you loved Wanda as your sister and the two of you have been friends for quite some time now. Usually, when Wanda wasn't on missions, she would come and hang out at your small apartment in Brooklyn. But, seeing as you had no heating and in her own words, "your building looks like a run down dump," the compound seemed the obvious choice.

The next steamy scene was just starting when a fist knocked on the door, sending you tipsy ladies into a fit of giggles.

"Come- come in!" Wanda snorts, taking a sip from her drink and sitting up with her back against the headboard, you did the same.

The door opens and so does your mouth - in walks a man who looks like he was carved by the gods themselves. He was a tall, beefy-looking man in skin-tight sweatpants and an off-white tank top with his hair tied back in a messy bun. His left arm glimmers under the mood lighting in Wanda's room and you swear that he's the most beautiful man you've ever seen. Wanda has never mentioned that she worked with gorgeous men before since she always talks to you about Vision.

"Evenin' ladies." The man smiles, his blue orbs meet yours and your heart feels like it's about to jump out of your chest and into his large hands. "Hello." He waves at you, noticing you were staring. Heat creeps up to your cheeks and you wave back shyly muttering a quiet hello back under your breath.

"Evening Barnes, what can I do you for?" Wanda cackles and her joke makes you giggle, he raises an eyebrow and grins.

"Are you two drunk?" He teases, his eyes momentarily flicking to the TV and blushing when he realises what the two of you are watching.

"Maybe a little." Wanda nudges you, a little too harshly that you nearly fall off the side of the bed, this prompts another round of giggles from the two of you.

"Oh well, I've lost my phone charger, can I borrow yours?" He asks politely, smiling at you before Wanda gets off the bed. You subconsciously put down your wine glass and tuck your hands between your thighs under your robe, feeling yourself growing shyer under his sweet gaze.

"I want it back!" She warns, jabbing her index finger in his chest.

"Yes ma'am." He salutes, "you two be good now!" He winks at you before retreating out of the room and closing the door behind him.

When he's gone, you push the air from your lungs and relax your shoulders. Your heart is still racing and his smile is engrained in your memory.

Wanda notices your flushed state and whistles, "my, my. Do you have a little crush already?" She teases, joining you back on the bed and topping up the wine. His presence made you sober up pretty quickly.

"Nooo, I don't know him!" You giggle and drop your head, your smile reaching your eyes.

"His name is James, but he goes by Bucky aaaaaand," she pauses to take a sip, "he's single, like you." She winks, putting her glass down on the bedside table and curling her tired body into yours.

The next morning, you're awake before Wanda and without a hangover. She's still snoring and fast asleep next to you, the air in the room is warm and through the parted curtains, the falling snowflakes makes you smile in contentment.

Pulling the duvet covers back, you reach over into your night bag and pull out your fuzzy socks, your leggings and an oversized sweater. Changing in quicktime, you leave Wanda's room and search for the kitchen for some coffee.

The compound was certainly larger than you expected, there were doors and hallways everywhere. Your head whipped left to right trying to remember which way you arrived last night when she brought you up from the common room after you met Steve Rogers and Natasha. You bite your nails nervously, afraid of stumbling into a room you weren't meant to be in.

A door opens further down the hallway, and your eyes widen. The man who entered Wanda's room last night appears with a yawn, his hand runs up and down his face as he attempts to wipe the sleepiness from his eyes.

Instead of his sweatpants and tank top, he's clad in skintight black jeans to accentuate his thigh muscles, and a black Henley with a silver chain hanging around his neck.

However, his stoic expression turns into a soft smile when he spots you standing there, looking like a deer caught in headlights and dare he say, adorable.

"Good mornin' doll, you okay?" He asks as he gets nearer. Your breath is shaky and you bite your lip when your heart skips a beat again just like last night.

"Um, I'm lost." You chuckle shyly, biting your nail. He slowly reaches out and pulls your hand from your mouth. His touch is electrifying, warm and soft all at the same time.

"Where are you headed?" He clears his throat and shoves his hands in the front of his pockets.

"The kitchen." Your cheeks heat up under his gaze just like it did last night and you're afraid if he keeps looking at you like this, you'll melt into the floor.

"I'm going there too, I can show you if you want..." He trails off and furrows his eyebrows, realising he doesn't even know your name.

"Y/N." You smile, "and yes please, I'd be grateful."

"Y/N." He repeats, your name tasting like drops of honey on his tongue, "I'm Bucky." He pulls his right hand from his pocket, extending it towards you for you to shake.

"It's nice to officially meet you, Bucky." You smile, taking his hand in yours and shaking it. His palm has rough skin, while the back of it is soft and warm.

"Likewise doll, Wanda has talked about you." he blushes putting his hand back in his pocket, "oh and uh, the kitchen is this way." He starts to walk down the narrow hallway, you trail after him, watching his back muscles ripple with each stride in his step.

"I hope she told you good things," you joke, your pace not being able to keep up with him.

"Only the good things, doll." He chuckles before adding, "did you have fun last night?"

"Oh, I did! Very much yes, Wanda has asked me to stay a few nights." He slows down his pace and waits for you to catch up.

"Oh yeah? I'm happy about that." He grins, looking down at you and watches you drop your head to the floor and smile triumphantly.

"I am too." You gaze into each others eyes for a few moments before you look away, knowing you're going to fall fast and hard for this man.

Bucky on the other hand, hasn't been able to get you off his mind since he saw you in Wanda's room last night, the way you became flustered when he looked at you, the shy smile you exchanged. Your smile was the last thing he saw before he closed his eyes last night, and the first thing he saw when he opened them this morning. He only learned your name moments ago, but maybe Steve was right, maybe love at first sight really does exist.

Taglist: @smokeybluebrooke-lyn @pinkdiamond1016 @whatrambles @skkye @bestofbucky @ladyeliot @ddowii @randomfandompenguin @marvelgirl7

Series: @thefallenbibliophilequote @gudenuph @emmabarnes @halietigges @astro-ironman @aliceaddellheidde @justab-eautifulmess @toribentleyva @vicmc624

[fairydxll]

𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐉𝐨𝐲

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧

↳ 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 | uh fighting? Lmk if anything.

↳ 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 | 2124

𝐚/𝐧 ~ sorry I haven't updated this story in a while. But I'm back now!

masterlist | series masterlist | taglist

<- previous chapter

After a couple of days, Rory kinda got used to her new "home." Since Tony didn't know how long it would be before they went back to California, and with Pepper gone, they decided it was best if Rory just took a break from school.

Rory did eventually grow to like her new room. She was not allowed to leave the current floor, so she basically just spent all of her time there. Tony was gone all day and didn't get home until very late at night, meaning Rory had to have food delivered. She didn't mind, though. She figured that if they end up staying, she'll be able to tell Tony what all the good restaurants are.

Tony never told her anything about why they were here with the exception of, "Daddy has business."

So in order to pass the time, Rory would read or watch movies. She even took up drawing which turned out to be something she isn't too bad at.

This morning, Tony was already gone by the time Rory got up, so she got dressed and migrated to the living area. She sat on one of the couches near the large window and began sketching the tall buildings surrounding her.

As she finished the shading on one of the skyscrapers, she peered back up to see a tall man with long, black hair dressed in what looked like a Halloween costume standing on the terrace. Rory put down her sketchbook and looked closer. He was very tall and had large, golden horns that decorated the top of his head. She had no clue as to why this man was standing outside of her window on her father's building.

Rory looked to her right and noticed her father, in the Iron Man suit, land on the landing pad. The man just stood there, watching as machines swiftly removed the armor from Tony's body.

The strange man made his way into the room from the balcony. The room she was in. Rory didn't know what to do. She was frozen, scared. Instead of running away as any sane person would, Rory remained in her chair.

The large man entered the room. He studied his surroundings, his eyes eventually landing on Rory. "Who might you be?" He asked with disdain.

Rory could do nothing but blink at him, too afraid to speak. He opened his mouth to say more, only to be interrupted by the presence of Tony. "Rory, come here," Tony said blankly.

Rory immediately dropped her things and ran to her father's side. Tony wrapped his arm around her protectively, hoping to shield her with his body.

The man watched this all happen before finally speaking, "Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity." He spoke as if she weren't there.

"Actually I'm planning to threaten you," Tony responded. Rory couldn't sense any different emotions other than his natural sarcastic tone.

"You should have left your armor on for that," the man bantered, walking closer to Tony and Rory.

"Yeah," Tony pushed Rory behind the bar. "It's seen a bit of mileage, and you've got the glow stick of destiny." Rory crouched down below the bar and pulled her knees into her chest. She couldn't help but let tears stain her cheeks, afraid of what was happening. "Would you like a drink?" Tony asked the man as he walked behind the bar, actively trying to ignore you in hopes you wouldn't become a target.

Rory heard the other man laugh. "Stalling me won't change anything," he said. If Rory knew what it meant, she would describe their conversation as passive-aggressive.

"No, no. threatening." Tony began making himself a drink. "No drink? You sure? I'm having one.

"The Chitauri are coming. Nothing will change that." His words sounded like gibberish to Rory. "What have I to fear?"

Rory watched her father casually make a drink as if nothing was wrong. "The Avengers. That's what we call ourselves. We're sort of like a team." Rory had no idea what he was going on about. ""Earth's mightiest heroes"-type thing."

"Yes, I've met them."

"Yea," Tony's smile helped calm Rory down. He had to have the situation under control, right? "It takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one. But let's do a headcount, here. Your brother, the demi-god," demi-god? "A super-soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend." He secretly slipped a metal-looking band on each wrist.

"A man with breathtaking anger-management issues, a couple of master assassins, and you, big fella," none of his words were making any sense. "You've managed to piss off every single one of them."

"That was the plan."

"Not a great plan," Tony walked past you and out from the bar. "When they come, and they will, they'll come for you."

"I have an army."

"We have a hulk."

Rory finally gathered enough courage and stood up carefully. She peeked her head over the bar to watch the men while also trying to stay out of the way. Tony was approaching the man as they spoke; the man keeping his ground.

"I thought the beast had wandered off," the man said.

"You're missing the point. There's no throne," Tony's voice rose slightly. "There is no version of this where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damn well sure we'll avenge it."

Tony took a sip of his drink while the man took a few steps closer, a scowl spreading across his features. "How will your friends have time for me when they're so busy fighting you?"

For the first time since this scene began, Tony looked scared. The man brought his scepter-looking thing up and tapped it against Tony's chest with a clang noise. The man's face dropped for a second before he tried a second time, and then a third. "This usually works."

Tony didn't look scared anymore. "Well, performance issues, it's not uncommon. One out of five--" his sentence was cut short when the man forcefully grabbed Tony's throat and threw him onto the floor. Rory squealed and then immediately covered her mouth.

The man turned his head in Rory's direction with a puzzled look. He turned away from her as soon as Tony stood up and went for his neck again. "You will all fall before me," he said.

"Deploy!" Tony called before the man threw him out the window, shattering the glass. Rory screamed with all her might. Did she just watch her Dad be murdered? What was he going to do to her?

Rory hid behind the bar once more, watching and listening closely to her surroundings. A loud sound rippled through the room causing Rory to throw her hands over her ears to block out the noise. She peeked over the bar and saw nothing but more shards of glass and broken furniture.

The man stared Rory down. "Who are you?"

Rory gulped, "who are you?"

He chuckled. "I am Loki, of Asgard. I'm surprised you have not yet heard of me." His tone was a lot softer with her than it was with her father. "What is your name, little one?"

"Rory," she nervously answered his question. "My name is Rory."

"Let me guess; Stark's child?" She didn't say anything. Rory simply nodded. "Ah I see," he gave you an almost heartwarming smile. "Come here, Rory."

Fearing she had no other choice, Rory walked over to Loki and he crouched down to meet her gaze. He smiled at her. Rory watched her father fly up behind him. She was more than thrilled to see her father alive and more tears fell from her eyes.

"And one more thing," Loki's face dropped and he spun around to face Tony. "Get away from my daughter!" Tony shot at Loki, sending him flying backward. Rory jumped out of the way, too stunned to do anything else. With Loki knocked out, Tony looked towards his daughter, "Rory go hide, now!" He flew away into the sky, and Rory wasted no time in running to her bedroom.

She slammed the door shut and locked it. She looked around her room for anything that she could put in front of the door to make it harder to reach her. Rory tried to move the couch, but it was no use. It was too heavy for a ten-year-old to manage. She tugged on her roots as she spotted her desk chair. Once it was securely tucked under the knob, Rory ran over to her window to watch what was unfolding.

Rory couldn't help herself as she began to sob. She was afraid and she was alone. There was nothing she could do to help. Tons of thousands of aliens flooded the skies and streets of New York as Rory sat up in her bedroom, watching. She was sobbing uncontrollably as she pressed her face and hands into the large window.

More loud noises were flowing from the living area into Rory's bedroom and Rory could do nothing to stop them. She hoped that the man who called himself Loki was gone and that her Dad was alright.

At this moment, Rory really felt like a child. She felt small and helpless. Lonely and afraid. There was nothing else she could do except watch. She had no clue as to what she was watching either, which was not making her feel any better.

At long last, the aliens seemed to dissipate and things seemed to calm down. It looked to Rory like the fight was over. But who won?

Rory was drawn away from her thoughts by the sound of her father's voice calling her name. She nearly sprinted out. She ran up to Tony and engulfed him in the tightest bear hug she could manage. He was still in his suit and covered in dirt, but neither seemed to mind.

"I was afraid," Rory murmured into his neck.

"I know, bubs." They pulled away from the hug and Rory got the chance to really see the other people in the room.

There was a giant-sized man with green skin, a man with a shield, a man with a bow and arrow, a man with a red cape and long hair, and what looked like Natalie, only with shorter hair. They looked odd. As if they were straight out of a movie. She noticed Loki in handcuffs. He looked angry and sad at the same time. Rory didn't really know what he did, but she knew he lost and her dad won.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Tony held a silver case in one hand and Rory's in the other as he walked alongside the other Avengers waiting to send Loki away. Tony had made it very clear that from now on, Rory would not be leaving his side.

Rory let go of her Dad's hand to let him deal with the case. Thor, as he had told Rory to call him, led Loki a few feet away from everyone else. He waited for Loki to grab hold of the glass container for the Tesseract. Before she knew it, the pair had disappeared in a storm of blue.

Once everything else was settled, Tony reached for Rory's hand again and walked her over to the rest of the Avengers. "Rory there's some people I'd like you to meet," he motioned to the team. "That's Capsicle, Legolas, Jolly Green, and the Triple Imposter. This is Rory." The others shook their heads at Tony's nicknames.

"Steve," the tall, blonde man smiled and Rory shook his hand.

"Bruce," the shorter man with grey hair politely smiled and waved.

"Yea," Nat showed you a friendly smile to which you returned. "Nice to finally meet you, officially."

"And I'm Clint," the last man with spiky hair and sunglasses introduced himself.

"Hi," you said, shyly and waved at them all.

"Bubs, you go wait in the car I'll be there in a sec," said Tony.

"Okay. It was nice meeting you all!" You said as you walked to the car.

"You ready to go, kiddo?" Tony asked as he got in the car and fastened his seatbelt.

"Are we going home? Like, back to Malibu?" you asked as he started the car and pulled out.

"Yea," he smiled. "I think we deserve a break."

"What about the tower?"

"We're working on it. It'll be fixed in no time."

"Good," you sighed

"Good?"

"I don't mind it anymore. I don't think it would be so bad if we moved here."

"Really?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Really."

Next chapter ->

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[fangirlovestuff]

Smile - Thor Odinson x reader

a/n - hey lovely people!! this is for this lovely request by @cotton-candy-clouds-26​ , thank you!! i just couldn’t bring myself to write Steve cheating, i love him and i just don’t think he’d do that, but i hope it’s okay. enjoy!<3

Summary: you and Steve break up and it’s rough, but luckily there’s someone out there that helps you get over it. you could say he’s worthy of your affections (i had to hehe)

Word Count: 3k

Warnings: Some curse words and a little angst

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

"Steve?" you called out, "you ready to go?"

"Just a couple seconds!" he replied, and you sat down on the couch, scrolling on your phone while you waited for him.

It was your six months anniversary, and you were getting ready to go to dinner with Steve. He's been acting a little weird the past few days, and it was starting to raise your suspicion.

Maybe he's getting me a surprise, you tried to shrug your worry off. You knew Steve wasn't that good at keeping secrets, especially from you, and you'd try and get it out of him tonight.

"Ready t-" you began to ask, but stopped once you saw he was wearing a t-shirt and jeans. "Stevie, you know I love your t-shirts," you said, appreciatively eying the bulge on his muscles revealed by the sort, tight sleeves, "but I was under the impression we're going to a fancy restaurant tonight. You know, the kind that won't appreciate anyone, including Captain America, coming in a t-shirt and jeans," you smirked.

"I'm not going," he sighed, sitting down next to you.

"You're not goi- is everything alright? Are you feeling unwell? I mean, I didn't even know you could get ill, but-"

"I'm not sick," he shook his head, "I just… I thought I could give you this one nice night, but I can't."

"What do you mean you can't? Steve, what's going on? Are they calling you on a mission or something?"

"No, no mission. Not today anyway." He took a deep breath before he continued. "I think we should break up."

Your mouth agape, it took you a couple of seconds to register what he just said. You closed your mouth and swallowed. "What?" you asked, your voice nearly a whisper.

"I'm sorry," he said, averting his eyes to the floor, "I just… I don't think I feel the same way about you anymore, and I don't wanna hold you back or anything. I thought the right thing to do was to treat you to a nice dinner before I…" he trailed off, his eyes fixed ahead of him, away from you, "Anyways, I couldn't do it. I didn't want to lie to you, or lead you on. You deserve better than that," his gaze finally turned to you, waiting for your response.

You didn't know what to say. You knew he was acting weird, but you'd have never seen this coming. "So this is it?" you asked disbelievingly. "This is how we end?"

"Look, I'm so-"

"Sorry, yeah, I know." You took a deep breath, willing your tears away. "I think I'll just go home," you got up, getting your stuff.

"Wait, I didn't cancel the reservation. If you wanna go yourself you��� can," he called after you, the last word after you'd slammed the door behind you.

Outside of Steve's room, you let out a shuddering breath. He was living in the Avengers compound, so you had to keep yourself together until you got out of here, in case any of them saw you. You started getting outside, but your distracted state of mind probably led you to take a wrong turn in one of the corridors, because now you had no idea where you are.

"Shit," you mumbled under your breath before turning to look around you. You heard what you thought was the noise of a TV from behind one of the doors, and you knocked on it tentatively. You heard some shuffling and then the door opened to reveal none other than Thor. You know, God of Thunder Thor. God of Thunder Thor that was standing in front of you right now, waiting for you to say something because you were the one that knocked on his door.

You willed your brain to go back to functioning. "Um, hi," you said hesitantly, "I was just… I was on my way out of the compound and I got lost. Could you, um, point me in the right direction?"

"Of course," his voice was deep, you could almost feel it rumbling around you when he spoke. "Who are you looking for?"

"Oh, just the exit," you shrugged.

"Alright. I apologized, I just assumed, from the way you're dressed…"

"No, it's alright. I was supposed to go to this fancy restaurant for dinner, but then… anyways, I wouldn't want to go alone," you sighed.

"Well, in that case, would you like me to accompany you? I wouldn't mind dining with a lovely lady such as yourself," he smiled.

"Oh," you blinked in surprise. You weren't really planning on it, but you were actually kinda hungry. And hey, eating in a fancy restaurant with Thor does sound a little nicer than eating at home and wallowing in self-pity. The wallowing could wait. "I mean, if you'd like to," you smiled back at him, "but you'd have to put on a suit, something fancy."

"Oh, I'm sure I have one of those," he said, leaving the door open and heading back inside. "Come in," he said, loud enough for you to hear it. You guessed he headed into the bathroom to change, since when you got in all you saw was the room itself. It was simple, not a lot of personal touches. Makes sense since he's probably not here most of the time, but in Asgard, which would also explain why you hadn't met him yet.

"How's that?" he asked, getting out of the bathroom. The suit was slightly tight on his tall, broad frame, but it was more than okay with you.

"Perfect," you smiled, "we'll blend right in."

You drove the two of you to the restaurant, spending the time making small talk about 'Midgard habits', as Thor called them, or, as you called them, social norms.

When you got there, the hostess smiled at you and asked for the name of your reservation. By that point you had nearly forgotten it, but your shoulders sagged as you mumbled "Steve Rogers."

"I'll let you right in," she smiled and led you to your table.

"Wait, so Steve was going to come with you?" Thor asked once you got to the table. "Are you his girlfriend I've heard so much about from Tony?"

"I'm… not his girlfriend anymore," you said, averting your eyes to the table, playing with the napkin.

"Oh."

"He broke up with me today," you said, your voice breaking before you could get your emotions under control.

"My apologies," he offered, and put his hand over yours, "I know how unpleasant it is to be… broken up with."

"Yeah? Who'd ever dump Thor?" you chuckled, raising your gaze to meet him.

"Quite a few people over the years," he smiled, lighthearted.

"Well, I'm sorry," you squeezed his hand in yours.

When you were waiting for the main course, you had an idea. "Hey, you can't get drunk, right?"

"Not on your Midgardian version of booze, no. Why?"

"Perfect. Hey!" you signaled for a waitress to come over, ignoring Thor's questioning look, "Can we get a bottle of the most alcoholic wine you got here?" you smiled.

If the waitress thought the request was weird, she didn't show it. She just told you how much it costs, which nearly made you give it up but you really needed this tonight.

When you were done ordering it and the waitress went to bring it, you turned to Thor. "I know we just met each other, and this probably isn't the best first impression, but please can you just call me a cab at the end of dinner? Because I'm kinda planning to get drunk."

He chuckled, again making you experience the illusion that you could feel the sound between you. "Of course. If that would help."

"That would help a ton, thank you," you grinned at him, just as the waitress came back with your wine and the first course.

A whole bottle of wine consumed exclusively by you and a few dishes later, you knew it was time to go home. You paid the bill, trying not to freak out at how expansive it was. Thor wanted to pay too, but you assured him that it was fine, and it was you that dragged him out here anyway.

While you were standing outside waiting for a cab you could hail, you shivered a little in the cold.

Steve always gave you his jacket when you got cold.

Maybe it was the drinks, the late hour or just plain old breakup sadness, you felt tears come to your eyes, unable to stop them from flowing out.

You started sniffling and Thor noticed, his head immediately turning to look at you. "What's wrong?"

"He left me, Thor," you cried, "I thought everything was fine and he dumped me. And he was nice about it, so I can't even be mad and blame him, and that just means that," you barely contained your sobs, "it means I'm not enough. Everyone leaves me because I'm never enough." You buried your face in his bicep, too wound up in your misery to even notice how nice it was.

"Now, now," his other hand lifted to stroke your hair. It was a little awkward, but in your inebriated state you couldn't care less. "You're more than enough. I met you today and even I know you're wonderful."

You lifted your head to meet his eyes. Sniffling once again, you tried to stop crying. "Thank you," you said once you felt you gained enough composure. "I'm sorry I sprung all of this on you. I'll get a cab, go sleep it off," you said, awkwardness now prominent. God, you just made a fool of yourself in front of… a god. A literal god. Fuck.

"Where do you live?" he asked, seemingly unbothered. You gave him your address. "Well, I believe it's not that far. Do you need to wait for a cab or can you walk home?"

"I mean, I could walk, it's just that New York City at night isn't the safest place for a girl to walk alone," you smiled awkwardly.

"Oh, yes," he frowned, "I suppose you're correct. I could walk you home, if you'd like?"

You looked around. No cabs in sight. "Actually, yeah. That'd be cool."

The chilly night air sobered you up a bit. Once you got to your building, you bid Thor goodbye, thanking him again, before going up to your apartment and stumbling tiredly onto your bed, where you fell into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning, you woke up still wearing yesterday's dress and with a slight headache, groaning as you got yourself out of bed to shower, change and drink some water, get an aspirin.

Once you had done all that, you checked your phone for any messages. You weren't supposed to come into work today, so you weren't expecting anything, but just to make sure. Surprisingly enough, there was a text from a number you hadn't recognized.

It said it was Thor and he asked how are you, but there was no way that was true, right? I mean, you didn't think Thor even had a phone, let alone your number. On the other hand, you couldn't think of anyone else who'd know enough to text you that.

Skeptical, you texted back that you were fine, not too far from the truth but still kind of far, and were planning to spend the day watching movies and eating ice cream, which was the truth.

How'd you get my number? You texted again before he could answer.

Jarvis had it, he texted back. He's quite useful. I do wonder why he won't leave his room.

You laughed. Either this was actually Thor, or it was someone really, really good. Before you could think up a reply, you saw the three little dots signifying he was typing again.

Would you perhaps want some company while you watch these movies?

You gasped out loud even though there was no one there to hear it. Was Thor really asking to come over and watch movies? With you? It was hard to believe. Maybe it is someone else after all.

You texted him he should come over if he wanted to. Thor knew your address, if it was really him, he'd come over. If it was some crazy stalker, you just wouldn't let him in and continue in your plans of bawling in front of some sappy movies. If it was actually Thor… well, you'd have to cry in front of him, you guess.

You already started on your ice cream and started The Notebook, figuring it was a good way to start your wallowing fest, and you were starting to get really into it when you heard a knock on the door. You moved as quietly as you could towards the door, looking through the peephole. To your momentary relief, it was Thor and not some stalker. Why momentary? Because holy fucking shit Thor was standing at your day and you were in your pajamas.

"Just a sec!" you called out. You figured you didn't have time to change, but you at least tried to get your hair in some sort of order before you opened the door, hiding your PJs clad body with it.

"Hi," you smiled bashfully once you closed the door behind him.

"Hello," he said, smiling. "Ah, I see you've already started. What movie is that?"

"Well, it's called The Notebook. Do you know it?"

He replied that no, he didn't, and you explained the plot briefly to him as you sat down, wrapping yourself back up in a fuzzy blanket before taking your ice cream back.

"Oh, where are my manners, would you like some?" you gestured the ice cream towards him.

"Yes, sure!" he nodded, and you were glad he at least knew what ice cream was. If someone hadn't bothered to introduce him that would just be cruel.

You went to get the ice cream, the blanket dragging behind you like a cape, and you returned with another tub of ice cream and a spoon, bringing them to him before sitting back down and starting the movie.

You two didn't speak much throughout the movie. When it got to the really sad parts you started crying silently, but by the ending you were just fully sobbing, and, as it seemed, so was he.

"That was so… sad," he said, "is this the entertainment Midgardians always enjoy?"

"Not always," you said, stopping to blow your nose, "we have happy things too. It's just, I got dumped last night, so I'd like the chance to cry a little, you know?"

"That's fair. And it was very beautiful. They loved each other."

"They did," you said, your eyes filling with tears again.

"What's next?"

You watched some more sad movies, and then introduced Thor to the wonderful world of takeout food while you changed to some rom com, a little more cheerful. He laughed the whole way through, and the movie wasn't even that funny, but you giggled along as well, unable not to join his roaring laughter.

You ended up falling asleep on the couch in the evening, exhausted, mostly emotionally. The next morning when you woke up he was gone, but he did text you that if you needed anything you could tell him.

Over time, you and Thor started hanging out some more. Mostly at your place or outside, since you really didn't want to risk running into Steve.

It took you time, getting over Steve. Time and tears.  And really, Thor being there helped. A lot. He was a rock, a shoulder to cry on.

A broad, muscular shoulder to ugly cry on.

At first, the thought of starting something with Thor didn't even cross your mind. Sure, he was sweet, but it was platonic, and you were busy getting over your breakup anyway.

But then, you realized it became something… more. To you at least. Because despite the tears, he didn't leave. Never wanted to.

Long story short, when Thor invited you to go to dinner one night, a few months after you met each other, you tried really hard not to think of it as a date. A friend-date, if anything.

"How's it going?" you asked, sitting down in front of him in the small diner.

"Good," he smiled at you, "You?"

"Great," you smiled back.

"So, I have some news," he started, continued once you gave him an encouraging nod, "I have to go back to Asgard in a week or two."

"Oh," you said. It made sense, Thor being on earth as long as he already has been should've raised your curiosity, but you didn't really want to think about it until this moment. "I guess you're happy to go home."

"I am," he hummed, "But… there was something I wanted to ask you before I leave. And be honest. Would you like… well, would you give me the opportunity to court you?"

You sat in stunned silence for a few moments. "Like, you're asking me to date you?" you said incredulously.

"I am," he chuckled nervously, "But you don't have to- I know you might not want to because of Steve and-"

"I haven't thought of Steve for a really long time," you cut him off with a smile, "mostly thanks to you. You make me really happy, and I would love to let you court me," you giggled.

"Really?" he asked, awestruck.

"Really," you smiled, leaning across the table, intending to press a kiss to his cheek. At the last moment he turned, making you plant your lips on his in a soft kiss.

You pulled away smiling, and so was he. He took your hand in his from across the table, and you continued to eat your food like you two usually do. Well, almost. Now there were timid exchanges of looks, gently hand squeezes.

And a breathtaking goodnight kiss.

But it was so natural, so normal, you couldn't bring yourself to admit the absurdity of him being a literal god and you being… just a human.

You spent the week he had left together, making the best of it.

In the future, you'd visit his home, he'd visit yours. And he'll always make sure to remind you you're not just a human, you are, in fact, his favorite one.

It never failed to make you smile.

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

this was my first time writing for thor, i hope i did him justice:))

Taglist:  @horny-nd-bored​ @shannon124 @perfectlyharolds​ @wintersoldierslut​ @iceebabies​  @sleepingpapermouse @steverogerswasalwaysworthy @holtzkinnon @angelicl-y @stydia-4-ever @thatoneperson5000 @fangirlfree​ @kaitcordx25 @bequeening​ @steve-barry-damon-logan​ @itscrazycherryblossomcollection​ @hollandxmarvel​ @stargazingfangirl18 @readsreblogsfics @onetwo3000 @beritmetal @harrystylesholland @jazbot2000 @anobscurename @xxxtwilightaxelxxx @peggycarter-steverogers @evansphnx12 @starlightcrystalline @procrastinatingsapphictrash

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[albertasunrise]

It's Yours - Chapter 1

Summary: You and Javier have been sleeping together for almost two years but after his name was leaked by the papers, he is sent home for investigation. You remain behind with Steve to catch Escobar but when he’s finally dead, you decide to go after the man you’ve fallen for. You don’t like what you find when you finally reunite with him.

Warnings: Angst, Smut, Unplanned Pregnancy 18+

Relationships: Javier Peña x Reader

~

Your nails dig into the strong muscles on his back as he thrusts his hips at a maddening pace, teeth sinking into your shoulder as he chases his release. It was your last night together and you weren’t going to let him go without feeling him one last time and he couldn’t leave without one final taste of you. Pulling his head back his dark, lust-blown, eyes lock with yours and he lets out a primal growl as he feels your walls start to tighten around him.

‘You going to cum for me?’ He asks, in a low tone as he angles his hips so that he’s hitting that toe-curling spot over and over.

‘Yes.’ You moan ‘Fuck.’

You cum hard, screaming his name as tears leak from the corner of your eyes and you pull him right along with you. He collapses beside you, chest heaving as he fights to catch his breath and you chuckle as you roll onto your side to look at him. You both remain silent for a short while, revelling in your post-sex bliss as the sounds of the city drift through the open window.

‘You need to quit smoking.’ You say as you place a loving kiss on his shoulder.

‘I think you may be right Hermosa.’ He replied with a breathy laugh as he turned his head to look at you 'But I don't need to start tonight.' He sniggers as he lights one and takes a long toke, blowing the smoke away from you.

‘What time is your flight tomorrow?’ You ask, smiling sadly at him.

‘A little after 12.’ He replies, turning his head back towards the textured ceiling.

‘Do you need a lift?’

‘Murphy’s driving me.’ He replies coldly, not looking at you as he speaks.

‘Right.’ You roll out of his bed and start to collect your clothes, grabbing his attention.

‘What are you doing?’ He asks, his stomach sinking at the sight of you getting ready to leave.

‘Getting dressed so I can go home.’ You state plainly as you scan the floor for your shirt ‘Isn’t that how it works? We fuck and then go our separate ways?’

‘Can you stay?’ He asks and you look at him in surprise ‘Just for tonight.’ He paused as he gave you a wounded expression ‘Please.'

‘Okay.’

You left early in the morning, taking one last glance at his sleeping form before turning to leave. You knew it was wrong of you to just go, but your heart was aching at the knowledge that he was leaving you and you had to stay behind to finish what he's started. He deserved to see this to the end. Sure he'd made mistakes but he made them for the right reasons. Sometimes you have to do bad things to catch bad people as he would say.

~

One month later…

Staring up at the departures board you see your flight listed just below Murphy’s and you glance at your partner who stood at your side, watching you curiously.

‘What Murphy?’ You grumble as you let out an exasperated huff.

‘You’re going to Texas?’

‘Yes.’

‘Because you felt like a change or because that’s where Javi is?’

‘I have family there. I have a ton of leave to take so decided to visit them.’ You lie, shrugging your shoulders ‘Since my parents died, my aunt and uncle are the only family I have left.’

Murphy looks away guiltily. You’ve fooled him. Good.

'What will you do when you get back to Miami?'

'Hold my wife and daughter.' He states as he smiles at the thought of them 'I've missed out on so much.'

'Connie loves you, Steve. She'll be overjoyed to have you back.' You say sweetly as you give him a genuine smile.

'I hope so.' He replies, giving you a slight nod.

You look at the departures board again and see that your flight's terminal is nowhere near your partners so you turn to Murphy and prepare to say goodbye.

‘It’s been a pleasure Stevo.’ You say with a smile as you hug him tightly.

‘Don’t be a stranger.’ He replies, giving your arm a friendly squeeze.

‘I won’t.’ You give him one last hug and then head your separate ways.

'Say hi to Javi for me.' He shouts over his shoulder and you can't help the smile that crosses your lips.

When you finally reach your gate, you take a seat on one of the thinly padded benches and pull out the address Javier had given you on your last night together.

‘This is where I’ll be.’ He’d told you ‘You know… If you wanted to come to see me.’

You’d chuckled at that and told him you'd consider it... Then you’d left early that morning before he’d even woken up because you hadn't wanted to face saying goodbye to him. You’d regretted that move but knew he wouldn’t have cared, you were just fucking after all.

The flight was long and you weren’t able to sleep a wink, your leg shaking nervously the entire time. They'd served the in-flight meal but you couldn't eat a bite, the smell making your stomach turn. When you heard the captain announce that you would be landing in Laredo airport you feel your pulse quicken, palms starting to sweat as your nerves got the better of you. It was late when you landed, gone 11 pm by the time you made it out of the airport and so you decide that you would find a motel for the night and drive to Javier’s father’s ranch in the morning. You rent a car at the airport and drive around the unfamiliar town until you find a semi-clean looking hotel, the vacancy sign flashing in the dim light of night.

‘That’ll be 100 dollars for the night with breakfast included.’ The lady at the desk states, passing you a key with a large wooden tag attached, 101 carved onto it.

‘Thank you.’ You reply as you give her a genuine smile ‘Is there anywhere around here that’s still open where I can get something to eat? Just had a long flight and the plane food made my stomach roll.’

‘There’s a bar down the street.’ She replies ‘Does the best nachos you’ll ever taste.’

‘Great. Thanks.’

You make your way to your room, dropping off your luggage before heading to the bar the girl had mentioned. It was painted a dark red, a neon sign flashing ‘Open’ hanging in the window and you push open the door and make your way inside. Taking a seat at the bar you raise your hand to grab the barman’s attention, smiling as he approaches you.

‘Not seen you here before.’ He says as he smiles at you and you can’t help but notice how attractive he is.

‘I’m visiting some family.’ You reply ‘I hear the Nachos here are the best around.’

‘You heard right. Can I get you an order of those?’

‘And a beer.’ You finish as you give him a genuine grin and he gives you a wink before going off to give the kitchen your order.

You let your eyes scan the bar. It’s fairly busy for a Wednesday night. Mainly men scattered around the various tables and booths, a few women in small groups giggling as they sip their cocktails and you suddenly feel lonely, but the feeling disappeared when your beer is placed down in front of you.

‘So, how come you’re here alone?’ He asks as he leans against the bar polishing a glass.

‘I only landed an hour or so ago.’ You reply as you sip at your beer ‘Noting it’s a favourite of yours yet you’re finding it bitter.’

‘And is there a boyfriend in the picture?’ He asks and you can’t help but blush.

‘There’s a guy.’ You reply, taking another sip of your bitter beer ‘But he’s not my boyfriend. Not sure what we are if I'm honest. We kinda had a -friends with benefits- situation going on but I fell for him. They never end well eh?’ You chuckle and he responds in kind.

‘Shame.’ He replies as he gives you a cheeky grin ‘Would love you take you out.’

Your nachos arrive and sure enough, they are the best you’ve ever had. You chat to the barman, learning all there is to know about Lurado. You talk for a few hours before you inevitably have to leave.

'If things with that guy don't work. Feel free to call me.' States the barman as he hands you a scrap of paper with his name and number on it.

'I will.' You reply as you suck on your bottom lip.

When you get back to your room for find yourself emptying your stomach. You put it down to being jet-lagged and decide that sleep will help but when you wake up in the morning you find yourself hugging the toilet again, a thin layer of sweat coating your skin as you lean against the tiled wall. You brush your teeth and head down for breakfast but every smell that greets you makes your stomach turn and you soon find yourself sprinting for the toilet again but all you can do is heave, your stomach completely empty now.

‘What the fuck is wrong with me?’ You asked yourself as you rinse your mouth and face with water.

Then your mind starts to go over the facts. Your tastes have changed, smells are making you sick.

‘I can't be… can I?’ You ask yourself as you count back the days since your last cycle and your breath hitches.

You're two weeks late.

You practically sprint out of the motel, remembering that you’d seen a pharmacy down the road. You buy a pack of tests and make your way back to the motel, taking it a little slower as the Texas sun beats down on you. You happen to peer into a diner as you approach it and your heart stops when you see who’s sat by the window, smiling at a woman sat opposite. You stop dead in your tracks. Your heart in your throat, stomach twisting in knots as you watch him laugh at something she says whilst he strokes his thumb over her knuckles and he looks at her the way he used to look at you. A server comes to speak to the woman he’s with and he looks up and out of the window, his eyes then locking with yours. You don’t realise your crying but he can see it and his brows furrow as he tilts his head slightly. You can’t look at him a moment longer. You have bigger things to worry about and so you will your legs to move, practically sprinting down the sidewalk to get away.

‘Hermosa?’

You stop dead in your tracks but you don’t turn to face him. You’re shoulders shake as your sobs wrack your exhausted body.

‘What are you doing here?’ He asks and this makes you turn to face him.

‘Seriously?’ You spit, eyes red with tears ‘You should get back to your date Javier.’

‘Hermosa wait.’

‘Don’t you dare call me that!’ You growl ‘You don’t get to call me that. Not now.’

'You left me.' He states and you feel your anger explode.

Without another work you storm towards the motel, stopping by the front desk and asking if you’re able to extend your stay another night. You pay her and sprint back up to the room, pulling out the tests and heading into the bathroom. You're angry because he's right. You did leave him but as you look down at the box of tests in your hands you decide that this is more important right now. You need to know. So you follow the instructions and you pee on two of them, deciding that it's better to be safe than sorry and you place them facing down beside the sink, watching the minutes tick away on the clock opposite the bathroom door. You wait the five minutes it states on the box and turn to look at them, your hands shaking as you close your eyes and flip them over. Taking a deep breath you crack your eyes open and let out a sob at what you see.

Both of them are positive.

A million and one thoughts go through your head. You’re panicking as you think about what to do. Do you tell him? It’s his after all. You’d not been with anyone since he’d left. You sit there and stare at the tests, allowing your mind to think about the future. You growing round with Javier’s baby and you feel a small smile tugging at the corner of your lips. What if he doesn't want it? What if he's serious with that woman? You don't want to be a homewrecker. Do you want to keep it? Are you ready to be a mum? You ponder all of these things for a long while as you stare and the two sticks of plastic in your hands. Yes. Yes, you are ready.

‘I’ll tell him.’ You say to the tiny being inside you ‘If he doesn’t want anything to do with you then that’s fine. We’ll be okay on our own.’ You pause as rest your hand on your stomach 'He's a good man your dad but he's complicated. Never one for settling down yet despite us not being an official couple he remained faithful to me for two years and I was to him.'

You shower and brush your teeth, needing to remove all evidence of your rough morning and head out a little after midday. Hopping into your rental car you pull the address out of your pocket, fingers brushing against the positive test you’d decided to bring and causing your heart to skip a beat. You sat there for a moment and imagined what they might look like. Would they have his expressive brown eyes and golden skin tone? Or would they have yours? Shaking your head you start up the car and pull out of the parking lot, following the signs for the area stated on the slip of paper on your lap. His father’s ranch is surprisingly easy to find. It sits a few miles outside of town and you feel your heart race as you make your way down the dusty drive. The house is a decent size. It's well kept with one large truck parked out front. To the left are some stables, two horses grazing in the field beside it and the nicker and whinny when they see you hop out of your car and head towards the house. You let out a shaky breath as pluck up the courage to knock on the door, your stomach doing somersaults as an older man answers and studies you for a moment before he speaks.

‘Can I help you?’ He asks, his accent much like Javier's Must be his father You think to yourself.

‘I’m looking for Javier Peña. Is her here?’ You asked, your voice shaking as you speak.

‘He’s up by the river mending fences.' The man states 'Follow that track up... You can't miss him.’ He states and you nod your thanks before getting back in your car.

'You're her aren't you?' He asks, stopping you dead 'He mentioned that he'd seen his partner from Columbia in town this morning. Also mentioned it wasn't a pleasant reunion.' You turn to look at him as he sizes you up 'He was broken when he left to fix those fences. You best not be going up there to break him more.'

'That's not my intention.' You state and he nods before heading back inside.

You get back into your car and make your way down the road you were told to follow and sure enough, you see Javier. He's adorning the same shirt he’d been wearing this morning, his signature yellow aviators tight jeans. He looks up when he hears the sound of tires on gravel and watches as you exit your car. His eyes follow you as you step towards him, gaze locked to his. He removes his shades as if he can’t believe what he’s seeing and you finally you come to a stop opposite him, your heart thundering so hard you’re sure he can hear it.

‘What are you doing here?’ He asks coldly with a stoic expression.

Your mouth moves but no words leave your lips. You think long and hard for a few moments about what to say to him but decide to cut straight to the chase. You need to get it out there.

‘I’m pregnant Javier.’ You state plainly as you pull out the positive test from your pocket ‘I'm pregnant and it’s yours.’

~

Chapter 2