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anncanta · 4 years ago

Text

Horses of Carfax Abbey

Fandom: Dracula (2020)

Characters: Count Dracula, Agatha Van Helsing

Relationship: Dracula/Agatha

Rating: Teen and up audiences

Warnings: None

My thanks to my reader Lanovh94 for making me think about this.

Read on AO3

Or read below

The clock in the living room chimed melodiously at noon.

Closing the glass door that protects the dial, Agatha took a step back and checked the chronometer on the chain she held in her hands.

That's right, she noted with satisfaction.

A large mahogany grandfather clock with an exquisite copper dial was delivered yesterday morning, but only now Agatha has the opportunity to set the correct time on it and check how fine-tuned the delicate internal mechanism is.

This Scottish antique clock by Joseph Taylor was chased by Agatha for probably two months. Maybe a little less. In any case, when, after a long search, she finally bought them at auction, intercepting at the last moment from the owner of a hosiery factory in the West End, the owners of all the antique shops in London (not to mention the sellers) knew her by sight.

Taking another step back, Agatha glanced at her acquisition. It was beautiful.

‘Agatha, return my pocket watch!’ a demanding voice from the hallway made her flinch and turn around sharply. Clicking on the silver cover, she hid the chronometer behind her back.

‘Why did you decide that I have them?’ she asked Dracula who appeared at the door in the most innocent tone possible.

‘By the method of exclusion,’ Dracula went up to her and, hugging Agatha with one hand around her waist, with the other pulled out the desired object from her palm. ‘The housekeeper does not understand anything about it, the coachman considers it a pointless trinket, and the maid is afraid of it.

‘I’m the only one left,’ Agatha admitted, following the watch with her eyes.

Dracula nodded silently.

‘Finally, perfect exactly?’ he asked, hiding the watch in his waistcoat pocket.

Agatha turned in the direction he was pointing.

‘I hope so,’ she drawled thoughtfully. ‘I thought yours was in a hurry,’ she added absently.

‘On the contrary, it is falling behind,’ Dracula laughed, pulling her towards him. ‘This is my peculiarity, I would say – my style.’

Agatha smiled, running her fingers over the velvet fabric of his vest.

It has been a little over a year since both of them set foot on the English coast, and they lived together for about the same time.

After Peter, Olgaren and the captain had left Demeter, which had lost half of the crew and all the passengers, Agatha sat in Dracula's cabin for a long time, until the sun began to sink into the horizon. She could not say what exactly delayed her – the desire to postpone the moment of the explosion, or simply the tiredness that had accumulated over the long days. It must be both.

In any case, she did not reach the hold.

Dracula intercepted her on the way, and before Agatha had time to recover from surprise at the fact that he survived, fear for the lives of people whom she tried to save from him at the cost of her own life, and an incomprehensible relief – all together – she found herself on deck in the midst of a hideous quarrel, screaming curses and crying.

Dracula later told her that he did not remember the last time he was so angry. ‘Suicide, seriously?’ he growled at her, as if, having conceived such a plan, she encroached on his personal self-esteem. ‘Double murder is better,’ Agatha hissed, looking at the flashes of fury in his dark eyes.

Somehow they managed not to sink the ship and get to the shore, after which Dracula, without saying a word, stopped the first cab that came across in the port, shoved Agatha into it, and sat down behind. They spent all the way to the count's London house in silence, and when they were in place, Dracula, having paid the cabman, dragged Agatha into the living room and, sitting in front of him on the sofa, said:

‘I'll be honest and won't hide anything from you. You saw who I am and you know me. I will always be like this, more or less. But I want you to stay with me. If for this I have to feed on... rats,’ without looking, he caught the animal running by (Agatha asked herself how long the house had not cleaned) and, after looking meticulously, let it go; the rat instantly disappeared in one of the dark corners, ‘then I ask you one thing: promise, that over time my menu will improve. I don't care how.’

He came close to her.

‘Promise.’

Agatha remembered that she was so amazed that for a couple of minutes she could only sit, looking at him and blinking silently. She didn't even really know what she finally answered. It probably meant agreement, otherwise, she wouldn't be here now.

A year and three months have passed since that day, and during this time Agatha managed to learn many things, some of which she never wanted to learn, the other, as it seemed to her at first, would haunt her in nightmares until the end of her life, and the third, although not become a discovery, still did not stop surprising her.

The danger posed by the sun and the cross, as it turned out almost immediately, was nothing more than a fiction – another legend about vampires, in which Dracula believed so long ago that he himself did not remember what for and why. It scattered like dust from old ceilings when they, examining the house, climbed into the attic, and the roof that had not been repaired for years collapsed on them. Agatha remembered how, lying on the floor, covered with debris, they looked up at the rays falling through the holes in the ceiling, gently caressing them, and how they whispered at the same time: ‘It should be the same with the cross.’

And so it turned out.

Much more effort was needed in order to solve the problem of vampire hunger. After sequentially going through several options and making sure that the blood of mammals close to humans in their physiology was the most suitable for Dracula, Agatha conducted a series of experiments and, discarding goats, sheep, pigs, and cows, settled on horses.

Dracula added a large stable to the west of the house and ordered ten thoroughbred riding horses from Yorkshire. And since Dracula needed food, although daily, but in small quantities, after a couple of months, in order to save noble animals from the blues and inactivity, Dracula began to put them on the races. As a result, his capital doubled in a short period of time, and after another three months, having looked through the settlement books, he called his attorney and acquired a stud farm in the suburbs of London.

Agatha looked at it all with a mixture of surprise and curiosity. At first, out of habit, it seemed to her that Dracula was having fun, striving, as he once told her, to learn to live among civilized people and study them properly, before tying a napkin and picking up a fork and knife. However, days, weeks and months passed, and nothing changed: Dracula was kind, led an active social life, went to libraries and theaters and rode horseback, in the evenings he went to the laboratory, which he equipped in the house at the request of Agatha, in order to give her a couple of ideas regarding the properties of horse blood and the similarity of its taste and the effect of influencing to him with human one and, in general, did nothing else.

Agatha tried to convince herself that the count lived for four hundred years, waiting for a convenient opportunity to enter the civilized world and that another two months meant nothing to him at all, but every day it became more and more difficult to believe it. And she had less and less desire to do it.

Agatha perfectly remembered the evening when it disappeared completely.

She was sitting in the living room and writing something in her diary – a new experiment with horse blood was in full swing, there was a lot of data and a theoretical basis, but the formulas did not agree. Deciding to take a short break, she put aside her notes and began to clean the dull nib. Agatha did not know what was the reason – whether the knife was not sharp enough, or the hand lost its dexterity from fatigue, but even before she could understand what exactly was happening, the blade proportioned the skin of her right hand and got stuck at the base of her fingers.

Agatha spent a moment looking at the scarlet streak of blood that stood out in her palm before a long shadow covered the chair in which she was sitting.

Looking up, she saw Dracula standing in front of her.

For a second, nothing happened. As if spellbound, they watched the blood dripping from her hand. Agatha wiggled her fingers to test. Finally reaching consciousness, a raw pain swirled in her hand.

Without looking, pulling up the second chair standing to the side, Dracula sank into it and, taking Agatha with one hand by the forearm, pulled out a knife. Then he took out a handkerchief and, wiping off the fresh drops that had come through, tore a flap from the sleeve of her shirt, and quickly bandaged her palm.

He did all this in silence, without looking at Agatha, and only when finished he raised his head and leaned back. His pupils were bloodshot, but he himself was absolutely imperturbable. Letting go of Agatha's hand, he went to the fireplace and threw the dirty cloth into the fire. The fabric hissed, cringing in the flames.

‘Tomorrow, samples of the second negative will come,’ said Dracula, glancing into the opened diary of Agatha, thrown on the sofa, ‘you can check the calculations,’ and, turning around, left the room.

Agatha sat for several minutes, listening to his steps, and then got up, climbed the stairs, went to the door of his bedroom and knocked. And he opened.

… ‘There will be guests in the evening,’ said Dracula, distracting Agatha from her memories. ‘Two stud breeders from Australia and a professor from Cambridge.’

Agatha raised an eyebrow questioningly.

‘He has ideas on how to improve the breed,’ Dracula shrugged. ‘He is unsociable and usually does not go anywhere. I promised him dinner in a pleasant company and access to a reprinted version of On the Origin of Species. I had to somehow lure him. We met several times in Cambridge, but apparently too briefly. I invited him to participate in the experiment, even offered a small stake, but he refused. I hope today I will be able to persuade him.’

Agatha sighed. She knew well what it meant to ‘persuade’ in Dracula's language.

Dracula handled business with the same careless ease and a certain mocking touch that were inherent in him when dealing with people in general. Not that he disliked or disdained them: watching him day after day, Agatha came to the conclusion that it was just convenient for him – as if, not being able to eat them, he nibbled them with words and a look, held some time in his teeth and let go.

‘The hunting instinct is not going anywhere,’ Dracula smiled in response to her remarks after another visit to another salon or to a party, on which behind him, like on a battlefield covered with black velvet and silk dresses, there were glades of silent condemnation and bloody spots of flaming cheeks.

What a truly warm relationship he had, was the one with the horses. Which at first puzzled Agatha. ‘You drink their blood,’ she said hesitantly when Dracula asked her what exactly she thought was strange about it. He gave her a long look, and, muttering something like ‘who would speak of it’, took her hand and led her into the stable.

There Agatha witnessed one of the most incredible things in her entire life.

She knew that Dracula can communicate with animals, can control wolves and bats if desired, and is able to establish contact with most mammals.

But it was more than contact, communication, or control. Standing in the stable doorway, Agatha watched as he opened the corral and, clasping the head of Lissa, a young mare that Dracula was one of the first to acquire, stood for a long time, pressing his cheek to the smooth skin, smiling and whispering something before embracing becomes stronger, – and after five minutes he opens his hands and, gratefully patting the horse on the withers, leaves the corral.

Agatha never thought it could be so... beautiful. Then she did not dare to ask, but later could not resist.

‘Do you hypnotize them? Fool? What are you doing?

Dracula smiled as if he was waiting for this question.

‘Horses are stronger and tougher than humans. The portion of blood that will cost you a serious illness or put an adult young man to bed is almost imperceptible for a horse. I had never tried drinking their blood before and therefore did not know how sharply and deeply they react to contact. Amazing animals.’

‘But they can't like it!’

‘They like closeness,’ Dracula said thoughtfully, ‘and they are incredibly generous.’

Yes, and also sincere and discerning. Resistant to Dracula's charm, they seem to have loved him for no reason.

During the time that they lived together, Agatha managed to find out that Dracula had two types of charm. The first is the very vampire charm that was written about in books and legends warned about. It was powerful, bright, and beating on the spot. It reminded Agatha of the scent of flowers that appeared in early spring in Holland – hyacinths. Thick, heavy, enveloping odor. Among the peasants, there were stories that if you fall asleep in a tightly closed room, in which there is a bouquet of hyacinths, you may not wake up.

Dracula used his vampire charm mostly for entertainment, or when he wanted to quickly get what he needed. He lavished it generously at balls and appointments, signing contracts with business partners, on walks and social events such as theater premieres and horse races, while sparing no one.

Once they were at the performance of the famous opera diva who came to London on tour, either from France or from Germany, – Agatha did not remember, – and after the performance, Dracula invited Agatha to go into the diva`s dressing room, – ‘to express our admiration for the singer,’ as he said... Agatha agreed, not suspecting a catch. The performance was really beautiful, the diva sang magically, and there was nothing surprising in the desire to personally pay tribute to her talent.

So they did, and everything went well until Dracula – the very kindness and the embodiment of secular courtesy – asked the diva if she would be an encore. Diva replied that, alas, she would not, as she was tired and would like to go home as soon as possible.

And then it turned on. Vampire charm. In vain the unfortunate singer babbled something about how exhausted after the performance she was, – when dark eyes flashed and a soft smile lit up the cramped dressing room, the diva's fate was decided. Hearing the words spoken in an intimate tone about how much his companion loves opera and how happy she will be to hear such a delightful performance again, the singer turned around and silently wandered onto the stage.

Agatha did not speak to Dracula after that for three days. She hated violence in any form.

But there was also another charm, the one that Agatha remembered from Demeter, the same, probably, that made her believe in a cozy living room and soft conversation at chess – more than vampire illusions and drug intoxication.

Agatha called it ‘a charm for his own’, and if she quickly learned to resist the charm of a vampire, and soon completely lost the interest, then she was powerless against this one.

Dracula looked at ‘his’ people with a gentle warm look and smiled with a cheerful, almost boyish smile. It was physically impossible to deny him anything when he was like that, which he shamelessly used during quarrels.

He did not ask, did not demand, and did not scandal. Did not push and did not try to confuse. He just smiled and said: ‘As you say, dragostea*.’

‘Better vampire charm,’ Agatha moaned and vowed to buy a bell so that she could inform him in advance and without words that he had crossed the line.

...Agatha pulled away from Dracula and, smiling, went to the sofa.

‘The poor professor deserves a second chance,’ she said, leaning back.

‘I gave him everything possible,’ Dracula answered, ‘he missed them.’

‘So maybe we should just leave him alone?’

‘No, I need him.’

Agatha waved her hand. It was useless to argue. All she could do for the Cambridge pundit was to arrange for a good dinner and a relaxed, friendly atmosphere at this very dinner. All the rest was, alas, beyond her power.

The clock struck a quarter to one. Agatha thought idly that she should go to the kitchen and discuss the menu with the housekeeper. And let her cook the steaks with blood, she decided vengefully.

***

Professor Theodore Clifferson was a great scientist and no less an idiot. A combination that Agatha did not believe existed until today. But after spending three hours at the table with the aforementioned professor, she had to admit that sometimes intelligence and learning are depressingly different things.

When the door finally closed behind the venerable merchants and the Cambridge celebrity, and it became possible to remove the kind smile from her face and give vent to the irritation that had pursued her all evening, Agatha wandered into the living room and, groaning with relief, fell on the sofa.

‘Why didn't you warn me?’ she asked Dracula, who came in after her.

‘About what?’ he sank down beside her and pulled her to him.

‘How can you know so much and be such a cretin?’ Agatha continued without listening to him.

‘A common story,’ Dracula chuckled. ‘You look from the point of view of someone who, for the sake of knowledge, was forced to fight the circumstances and mine them like gold,’ he said. ‘And your inquiring mind cannot imagine someone who, from his youth, having access to the fruits of progress, does not realize their value. And worse – to whom they are not useful.’

Agatha covered her face with her hands and shook her head.

‘I want to forget this.’

Dracula buried his fingers in her hair and sat for several minutes, fingering the thick strands.

‘Forget this or what he said at the end?’ he asked quietly.

Agatha, leaning back in his arms, straightened.

‘What did he…’

‘Agatha.’

She knew that look too well. Freeing herself from his embrace, she sat up straight, as if in a theology lesson. Come on, she never visited them. Although it might have been worth it. At least, she would have learned – if not to quote freely from the holy book, than to look calm and confident, when she had not a penny neither the first nor the second.

Damn Clifferson.

‘Dracula, you shouldn't, really…’ Agatha began.

He sighed.

‘I thought so. Should I say it myself, or, as before, do you perfectly understand where you are?’

Agatha shivered at the reminder. But he was right – the situations in which it sounded were too similar. And something had to be done about it.

She tried to smile.

‘Of course, I know. But that hasn't... Look, he's just a stupid boy. Saw something and said tactlessness.’

Well, if you could call it that. Agatha briefly thought that the dinner was already as unpleasant as it could, so that...

‘Clifferson said that you and I are lucky,’ Dracula said slowly, ‘since our age is not too different. And that means,’ he added in the deep silence, ‘we are not threatened to live the rest of our lives in separation, without another who has left this mortal world.’

Well, Agatha thought. Well, he said it. It will no longer be possible to pretend that what the unlucky professor blurted out does not exist or none of them heard him.

Turning away from Dracula, she began to look at the copper dial of the clock, which she was winding in the morning.

Time. Over the past year, she and Dracula were absorbed in settling in the new world, taking care of the house, experimenting, in the end, each other, so much that they forgot about time.

Anyway, she forgot. She hadn't thought about it at all. Looking at Dracula again, Agatha suddenly realized that she would not believe for anything, that he hadn`t.

‘I'm forty-two,’ she said quietly. ‘And if I'm lucky, I'll live long enough to bore you terribly.’

He was silent.

‘And even when I... When you live with people, time does not drag on as long as when you spend it alone,’ Agatha felt how with every step the ground beneath her becomes less reliable. ‘When it is filled with events... and meetings…’

Dracula still didn't say a word.

‘In fifty years, I will be…’ she made another attempt, in an almost inaudible voice, knowing perfectly well that it made no sense.

In fifty years, a decrepit old woman will be with him, but he will remain as young, no older than the same forty-five or fifty.

Pulling herself together, she finally looked into his eyes.

‘Sorry,’ she said in response to the silent gaze that met her, and, quickly getting up from her seat, left.

When Dracula went up after her into the bedroom, he pretended to believe her awkward attempts to pretend to be asleep, and Agatha spent the time until dawn, staring into the darkness, trying to figure out how to be and what to do next.

‘How could I forget that you are a vampire?’ having entered the next morning without knocking into the parlor and resting her palms on the table at which Dracula was sitting, she asked.

Dracula looked up from the settlement book, in which he was writing something.

‘Yes, that's my omission,’ he said, leaning back in his chair.

Agatha looked at him for a minute, then turned on her heels and left the parlor.

They did not see each other for the next two days. Early on Saturday morning, Dracula went out of town to choose a place for a new stud farm, warning her through the housekeeper that he would not return earlier than Monday evening, and Agatha, not knowing whether to enjoy the unexpected respite, or be angry with him, considered it best switch to something else, and completely immersed in experiments.

‘Why is your face black?’ were the first words that returned Dracula greeted her with. He stood at the door of the laboratory and surveyed the surroundings with curiosity. To tell the truth, a lot has changed here since he visited it three days ago: then there were many more whole flasks and jars and less broken glass on the floor.

‘When heated to the boiling point, horse blood explodes,’ Agatha said calmly and carefully placed the test tube she was holding in a tripod.

Dracula nodded and, looking out the door, took out a scoop and a broom and began sweeping soot, stone dust, and debris that covered the floor in the middle of the room.

Armed with a rag and a jug of water, Agatha joined him in cleaning the table and chairs from the burning.

‘I'm not angry about your silence,’ she said after about half an hour, distracted from polishing the gas burner. ‘I understand that the problem is not that this question has no answer.’

Dracula looked up. They both knew very well that the problem was that the answer was too obvious.

‘You know it can't be my decision,’ he said.

‘I know,’ Agatha nodded. ‘Give me time,’ she added after a short pause and began scrubbing the alembic.

***

‘Sir, I swear I would never…’

‘Remove your pockets.’

Agatha glanced into the living room.

Dracula stood by the fireplace with his back to her, in front of him was a terrified coachman, drawn to the line.

‘It's a mistake, sir. I beg you…’

‘It was a mistake to keep the silver cigarette case in the dresser. However, so was hiring you,’ Dracula's voice was cold and indifferent. ‘By returning it voluntarily, you will save time for all of us.’

‘I…’

Dracula tilted his head.

‘It's in your right pocket. Next to old tissue paper, dirty silk ribbon, and flakes of tobacco.’

The coachman hiccupped and recoiled.

‘How…’

Dracula held out his hand.

‘It rustles deafeningly,’ he said, taking the cigarette case from the coachman's shaking hand. ‘If you are attracted by the career of a pickpocket, then first learn not to stomp like an elephant when you take someone else's, and not to rattle with loot. You will come in the evening for the calculation,’ he finished, gesturing to let go of the unfortunate man.

Dropping his shoulders, the coachman nodded and went to the door.

‘Vampire hearing,’ Agatha said, letting the unlucky thief pass and entering the room. ‘Strongly interferes with maintaining faith in people.’

‘Those who had the one,’ Dracula smiled. He put the cigarette case on the mantelpiece and turned to Agatha. ‘Looking for the benefits of being a vampire?’ he asked innocently.

‘I'm conducting surveillance,’ Agatha said.

She went to the fireplace and looked at the cigarette case.

‘You knew he stole it because you heard it rub against the lining of his pocket.’

Dracula rubbed the bridge of his nose.

‘He dragged around with it for a week. He had been looking for someone to sell it for so long that I could hardly resist not offering myself as a buyer, just to get rid of this annoying sound.’

Agatha walked around one of the armchairs by the fireplace and stood in front of Dracula.

‘Have you been waiting for his nerves to break down and he confesses, or for the right occasion when you can show me once again the benefits of being a vampire?’

‘How can you,’ Dracula was sincerely offended.

Agatha grinned and sank into a chair.

‘Okay, what else?’ Decently folded her hands on her knees, she asked.

Dracula shrugged.

‘You know all this. After all, you've been watching me for a year. I'm sure you wrote it down and sorted it into categories in those notebooks of yours.’ He nodded at Agatha’s diary on the table. ‘It is unlikely that I can add something else.’

‘Okay, then let's go over the main points,’ Agatha nodded, without changing her pose.

Dracula smiled.

‘You are strong and enduring, you have an increased ability to heal wounds, you can stay awake for weeks and understand some animals.’ She paused. ‘You can control some of them. You can climb walls and send fog.’ Noticing his approving nod, Agatha continued: ‘Let's add to this the ability to keenly smell and hypersensitive hearing…’

‘...tirelessness in bed...’

‘Um, did you notice that I fall asleep in the middle?..’ Agatha got up and walked over to him.

Dracula smiled again.

‘I'm working on it,’ he said, hugging her.

Agatha was silent for a moment and turned away.

‘Is it normal? I mean, how... how right is that?’ absentmindedly running her hand over his shoulder, she said.

‘What exactly?’ Dracula asked.

Agatha frowned and rubbed her forehead thoughtfully.

‘The world works the way it works, for a reason,’ she said slowly. ‘All living beings die, replacing each other. How natural is it to be immortal?’

She lifted her head and looked at Dracula.

‘Vampires are mortal,’ he said. ‘Agatha, the time when I offered you eternal life is over,’ he added after a short pause. ‘But it’s obvious that I would rather live long before I’m ready to face death. I do not know how much this is against nature, but I still have not heard of heavenly thunder punishing parrots, sequoias, and turtles.’

‘Oh my God,’ Agatha laughed. ‘Of the above, I know only sequoias. And then according to the pictures.’

‘And the parrots?’

‘Are they centenarians?’

Dracula shook his head.

‘The oldest ones are four hundred years old. Turtles can live twice as long. Ask Clifferson about sequoias, but as far as I remember, their exact age cannot be determined.’

Agatha grimaced, demonstrating her attitude to the need to learn something from Clifferson.

‘I will not become immortal,’ she said, summing up, ‘but I will lose the ability to eat human food, sleep at night, and breathe.’

‘A matter of habit,’ Dracula shrugged.

‘But I will learn to understand bats.’

‘What scope for your work on small rodents and nocturnal insects!’

Agatha sighed.

‘Are you kidding?’

‘Yes, I am.’

She nodded.

Everything is the same as before.

‘Decide yourself.’

***

‘Please, try to be more restrained in the future,’ Agatha said with a sad smile, holding out an envelope to the boy standing in front of her. The young man nodded, drooping guiltily, cautiously, as if afraid that his touch would burn her, took the envelope from her hands, and, saying goodbye, left the room.

For a minute Agatha looked at the door that closed behind him, and then she also left the parlor and went into the living room.

She managed to persuade Dracula to give the coachman decent recommendations, and a couple of weeks after the unpleasant incident, Agatha found a good place for the guy. Dracula watched all this with restrained skepticism, but remained silent and did not interfere. Agatha suspected that he had threatened the poor coachman with some terrible punishment – the boy was in too much haste to leave their house. But in the end, even she was forced to admit that he got off easy.

In the living room, on the sofa with a book, sat Dracula. When she appeared, he moved, making a place next to him.

Approaching, Agatha climbed onto the sofa with her legs and leaned back, resting her head on his lap. Several minutes passed in silence, broken only by the measured ticking of the grandfather clock.

‘Will it be like with Harker?’ Agatha asked. ‘Will you break my neck and sit down to wait for me to wake up?’

‘God, Agatha, no, of course,’ Dracula put down the book. He looked shocked. ‘Where did you get that?’

‘The first thing that comes to mind. I mean,’ she said, looking sideways at him, ‘the most obvious and simplest.’

‘Didn't you say that you would beat the barbarism out of me?’

She looked up at him.

‘Is that when you burned a five hundred pound electric kettle? I was on edge.’

‘I noticed.’

He brushed a lock of hair from her face.

‘How could you think that I…’

Agatha shrugged.

‘It must somehow... I mean, if in order to turn a person you need…’

‘No damage. This is out of the question,’ Dracula said in an unchallengeable tone.

Agatha looked at him thoughtfully.

‘There are other ways,’ she said, scratching her nose. ‘Strangulation, various poisons. Drowning…’

Dracula bent down and, choking with laughter, buried in her shoulder.

‘Agatha,’ he moaned, ‘your imagination is really scary.’

‘I'm trying to solve the problem,’ Agatha said. ‘That's what the smart do,’ she teased.

‘The smart ones like to complicate things,’ said Dracula, straightening up and looking at her. ‘The most obvious is not always the simplest. Why, of all imaginable and inconceivable ways, did not the most humane one come to your mind?’ He rolled his eyes at her puzzled gaze. ‘Which one of us is the prince of darkness and the lord of shadows?’

‘No one encroaches on your laurels,’ Agatha grinned. ‘Wait. You want to say…’

Dracula bent down again and brushed his lips lightly over hers.

‘My love, you forgot that a vampire's kiss can be very long.’

***

The fabric was red and the earth was red. Heavy woolen floors flowed like a scarlet stream over the horse's white rump, crumpled from above, and ended in a silver fox collar. The rider's long hair was messed and matted with blood, and crimson dawn caked in his wide-open eyes.

Bending down and grabbing the horse by the neck, the rider rushed forward, as if not making out the road, through the black and red forest, in a straight line, to the ancient castle, frozen on the rock.

Bursting into the courtyard, the rider stood up sharply, pulled on the reins. Dismounting, he threw them to the frightened horseman who ran up, unfastened an oblong large sack from the saddle. He walked with a quick step through the gate, dragging his load along the ground. In the great hall, he stopped and threw the sack on the floor in front of him. He raised his head and brushed the dirty, wet strands from his forehead.

‘I said he would be here before sunrise,’ he turned to someone sitting in a dark corner.

‘Is it really him?’ asked from the darkness.

Pulling a knife from his belt, the rider bent down to the sack and cut the thick cloth, soaked and hardened in the frost.

A pale human face appeared in the narrow gap.

‘I said I’ll deliver him,’ the rider said again, put the knife back in his belt and left, not looking neither at the one he was talking to nor at the dead man lying on the floor.

...

Two thick long candles were barely enough to light the middle of the room. Hands were aching from the cold, and he felt as if Transylvanian soil was poured into his eyes. The younger heir to the old Count Dracul raised up, turned several times, on one side, on the other, and finally lay on his back, his meaningless gaze resting on the carved canopy above him.

There are no younger heirs. Neither for princes and kings from distant lands, nor for Wallachian rulers. From ancient times the eldest sons inherit the ruler who has died in peace or fallen on the battlefield. But what if both the ruler himself and his firstborn left God's world in one day? From the elder brother, if he has no male descendants, the younger takes power. The one that survived.

The heir moved his head and gritted his teeth. God knows he did not seek this power, he did not want to. In vain the courtiers grinned in disbelief, clinked their tongues, suspecting treason, the squad whispered in vain when they brought them, father and brother, on a narrow sleigh – without a drop of blood on expensive clothes and without a single paint on their faces. In vain the brother's widow sobbed loudly, rushing in the yard like a thin hungry bird, in vain screaming and howling – you did not keep him safe, you did not rescue him. In vain she threatened to curse.

He did not wish death to either his father or his brother. Never wanted to become a ruler. Perhaps that is why he was not touched by the piercing words of the courtiers, or the cries of his daughter-in-law, or the sidelong glances of the squad. Standing motionless next to the sleigh, he silently looked at the gathered soldiers and household, did not say anything, only wrapped himself in a warm cloak. And only when the wrong old steps were tapping on the stone slabs of the yard, did he turn around.

Old Count Dracul, a patriarch of eighty-seven years of age, dressed in a light marching cape over a simple linen shirt, slowly walked over to the sleigh and sat down beside it. With long fingers, white and hard as a January crust, he stroked the dead faces. Raised his head to the gray sky. Said, addressing the younger:

‘Bring me the murderer.’

The younger nodded.

He did it all, he did it, – the young Count Dracula got up and ran his hand over his face damp with sweat. It took five hours to search, three of which the heir spent on horseback, racing to the border, hurrying to catch up the defector who had surrendered the lord and his son to Turkish spies, and who was about to join the foreign troops. Almost drove father's stallion. Intercepted, managed.

The light from the candle flickered, swept as if alarmed by a sharp gust of wind. Dracula looked around and lay back on the pillows. What a strange night. It feels like there is something, moving in the corner... As if sitting in silence and looking, waiting for the moment when...

‘What's wrong, young heir, not sleeping? Do ya not satisfied with the blood of the enemy?’ a voice, deaf and raspy, rang out very close to him.

Dracula jumped up and backed away.

‘What scared you, noble master? Why don't you meet a guest?’ squeaked mockingly from the shadows. ‘Or are you afraid to look?’

Dracula turned in the direction from which the voice was heard.

A thin, tall man with an unhealthy blush on his sunken cheeks emerged from the thick darkness that began two spans from the bed.

‘Why are you silent, master?’ he asked Dracula, who stared at him in horror. ‘Why don’t you offer a glass, why don’t you invite me to the table?’

Without waiting for an answer, the man stepped forward and stopped at the very edge of the bed.

‘It can't be. I killed you,’ said Dracula.

‘That's right, you did,’ the man bared his teeth and opened the tattered, worn-out sheepskin coat he was wearing. A scarlet slit crossed the shirt underneath from throat to groin. The man lowered his head and, touching the cut, plunged a knotted finger into it. ‘It hurts,’ with a barely audible smack, removing his finger from the wound, he said thoughtfully, ‘it hurts, but you can live.’

Dracula felt sick.

‘How did you manage...’ He straightened up in bed and reached for his belt for a knife.

‘Take your time,’ the man rushed forward, grabbing Dracula's raised hand. His fingers were inhumanly strong and cold as ice. ‘We`ll have all night.’

‘What are you?’ Dracula, recoiling, whispered with his lips, already knowing the answer.

‘I am Grigor Vostritsa, Grigor-The-Traitor, Grigor, whom your gullible dad warmed on his chest, and the crazy grandpa ordered to catch and feed the mad dogs,’ the man replied, grinning. ‘Grigor, who missed the spoil, and came for it. And what a feast it will be...’

Long, sharp teeth gleamed in the candlelight.

Dracula screamed.

...

‘Dracula! Wake up! Dracula! Come on, wake up, it's just a dream!’

Agatha struggled to shake Dracula, who was rushing about in unconsciousness. Not needing to sleep in the usual sense of the word, at night he plunged into a semblance of numbness, which helped him not so much to restore physical strength as to give rest to his mind. This state was in every way similar to a human dream, with the exception that it was more difficult to end it.

Agatha moved closer to Dracula. He looked even paler than usual, shivering and whispering something in Romanian.

Sitting on the bed, Agatha took a deep breath. The sounds made by Dracula were not loud enough to wake her up. But after what happened on Demeter, already here, in London, Agatha sometimes began to sink into his dreams.

Most often they were just scraps of images and vague impressions – reminiscent of flat shadows on a gray stone wall. They were short and blurry, and after them, in the morning Agatha got up with a headache, a feeling of loneliness, and dull melancholy.

Today, for the first time, the dream was so real and clear.

‘Dracula! Wake up, Dracula!’ Agatha tried again.

Dracula groaned and reached for her without opening his eyes.

Agatha bent down and ran a hand over his sweaty chest. Gently stroked, sliding from shoulder to stomach and back, lingering to the left, where the heart was silent, softly touched his cheek. As if alarmed even more by this short caress, Dracula got up and sat up in bed.

For a while, he simply sat without moving, in the light of the moon falling from the window.

Agatha was silent, not daring to turn to him again.

Dracula winced and took a deep breath, and then suddenly opened his eyes and looked at her.

There was such pain in his eyes that it stabbed inside her.

Without a word, she stirred and, sitting down on his lap, hugged him tightly.

‘Everything is fine, everything will pass,’ she whispered, ‘everything will pass, it's just a dream. This is a dream. This is a dream, you killed him,’ she said, kissing his hot forehead and cheeks, ‘you won, he's gone.’

She was saying something else, snuggling up to him and feeling how the nightgown was getting wet from the heat, putting herself under the hands and lips that were taking possession of her – for the first time so strongly, furiously – and so unexpectedly good.

When the splash of pleasure dies down and she opens her eyes, the moon seems higher – the light floods the room, leaving no corner untouched. Agatha looks at Dracula, who is holding her with both hands, and just sits for a couple of seconds, admiring his tired, peaceful face.

The rest is seen as natural as spontaneous. Slightly pulling back, Agatha pushes aside the collar of her shirt, throwing her hair back and exposing her shoulder.

‘Come on. I'm not afraid,’ she says, moving closer to him again and screwing up.

For several long minutes, nothing happens at all.

Opening her eyes, Agatha stares blankly at Dracula. He sits motionless and looks at her, smiling openly and tenderly.

‘No, Agatha,’ he says. ‘Not today. Not this way.’

***

‘You're avoiding me?’

Agatha met Dracula at the entrance to the living room and stopped, blocking his path.

‘Where did you get it?’

‘Oh, I don’t know. Maybe it's all because we haven't seen each other since last week.’ Agatha shrugged.

‘I have a lot to do,’ Dracula tried to walk past her into the room, but Agatha did not budge.

‘You leave home in the morning when I’m still asleep, and you come back after midnight,’ she said. ‘If you come at all. On Tuesday and Wednesday, you were not here, although the carriage did not leave the gate and all the horses remained in the stable.’

Dracula took a deep breath.

‘If I wanted to lead a secret life, I should have chosen someone not so observant,’ he said with a short smile.

‘At least,’ stepping aside, Agatha nevertheless cleared the passage.

After following Dracula into the living room and sitting next to him on the sofa, she was silent for a while.

‘I don’t believe it’s because of what happened that night,’ she said quietly at last. Lowering her eyes, she absentmindedly smoothed the folds of the dress. ‘You and I knew worse times, and I saw you in a much more unsightly light. If now...’

‘Agatha.’ She raised her eyes and met his gaze. ‘You know that's not true,’ he said.

‘I know,’ she sighed. ‘And I also know that you never lied to me or hid anything from me. Even on the Demeter.’ She waved off when she saw the protesting expression on his face. ‘You didn’t deceive me – all I needed to know about what was happening was in front of my eyes. I just didn't get it right away. Which, of course, doesn't make your behavior acceptable,’ she said immediately. And added: ‘You drank my blood and made me a favorite dessert, but you did not lie to me.’

Dracula was silent.

‘You were honest, although you fed on me, and took me to the ship against my will,’ Agatha continued. ‘That is why your behavior seems all the more strange to me... now when I said ‘yes’.’

Still silently, Dracula leaned back on the sofa. His lips were tightly compressed, and his eyebrows were furrowed, as if for a long time he had been trying to solve a problem that turned out to be too difficult, and could not bring himself to stop thinking about it.

Agatha regarded him thoughtfully.

‘Maybe…’ she began slowly, ‘maybe this is the whole point? That I agreed?’

Dracula turned his head and looked at her amazedly.

‘Count Dracula, the Wallachian ruler,’ said Agatha, ‘cannot choose the daughter of a merchant from a distant province as a life partner. Which has neither a title, nor a suitable name, nor a sufficiently well-born family.’ She looked straight at Dracula. ‘The laws of blood are harsh and unbreakable.’

‘Agatha,’ it was clear from his look that her suggestion took him by surprise, ‘Agatha, I have been living with you for over a year.’

‘It's one thing to live together, sharing leisure and bed, and even going out by the arm, and quite another,’ she smiled, ‘to enter into a relationship under the hand of the clan and under the coat of arms of the dragon. You could reject me when I become a vampire,’ Agatha said, not allowing him to object, ‘reject, as soon as I would bore you – but it was not accidentally that you called those you turned brides. Obligated to you with a new life – no matter how terrible and gloomy it might be – they have become part of your family. As I would. And even you wouldn't be able to change that. Wherever I went and wherever I lived my indefinitely long centuries, I would forever remain Dracula's companion, recognized and accepted by him.’

The silence that followed her words was long, but contrary to her expectations, it did not seem depressing. For a couple of minutes, Dracula just sat, still frowning and unconsciously rubbing the ring on his ring finger.

‘Four hundred years ago I was baptized in Orthodoxy,’ he said thoughtfully.

‘What?’ Agatha did not understand. She leaned back slightly and eyed him suspiciously.

‘I presume, you are a Catholic,’ Dracula continued, as if he hadn’t heard her. ‘It is unlikely that we will be married under this condition, so, apparently, I will have to convert to Catholicism.’

Agatha looked at him in amazement.

‘Why not me – to Orthodoxy?’ she asked blankly.

‘Because considering what you just told me, it would be offensive to me.’

They looked at each other for several seconds until Agatha turned away, covering her face with her hands.

‘Am I making up nonsense?’ muttered, feeling him hug her.

‘You're too smart,’ Dracula smiled, kissing the top of her head. ‘I should have taken this into account when I suggested to you... I should have talked about it with you right away. Everything you said’ he pulled away and looked at her ‘is absolutely reasonable and absolutely real. Except that has nothing to do with you and me.’ He brushed the hair from her cheek and added: ‘I have not been a Wallachian ruler for a long time, Agatha. Not in the sense in which you described it. And even if I were still a sovereign medieval seigneur, I would be free to choose a wife to my liking. I would have offered you my hand and heart a year ago,’ he said when he saw Agatha trying to protest, ‘if I thought it meant anything to you.’

Agatha averted her eyes.

‘I thought... I thought after I agreed...’

‘I suddenly realized with all clarity how you would humiliate my good name,’ Dracula laughed. ‘This is perhaps the best thing that I have heard about myself in four hundred years.’

‘But still...’ Agatha did not stop.

‘You were right,’ Dracula interrupted. ‘That night I realized for the first time that it was serious. And I wondered if I really want this for you?’

‘You told me...’

‘Agatha,’ he said, burying his fingers in her hair, ‘it's a long life, Agatha. A life in which values, people, traditions, and customs change. The future and the present, as before, become the past. Only now you don't go with them. Others leave – relatives and acquaintances, faithful servants, and old friends. Not all of them you can take with you. And sometimes you just have to look after them. It hurts, Agatha.’

He fell silent again. Raising her hand, Agatha ran her fingers over his cheek. ‘You will be with me,’ she wanted to tell, but she held back. They both knew perfectly well what a world closed for two could turn into over the years.

Unexpectedly to herself, she laughed.

‘Changing faith can be easier than coming to terms with yourself,’ she said in response to his questioning look. ‘But if trees and birds can,’ Agatha added, remembering their conversation with Dracula about longevity, ‘then I can too.’

He looked at her uneasily and incredulously, and it was like their first evening in this house.

‘And you know what else?’ Agatha said. She hesitated. ‘I want to ask you: do not create any illusions by doing this. I want to know what's going on. I go for it with open eyes, and I want it to apply to everything.’

Dracula smiled and covered her fingers over his face.

‘As you wish,’ he replied.

***

November 15, 1898, Times

‘We are pleased to announce that on November 15 of this year in London, at Carfax Abbey, the wedding of Count Vlad Dracula and Miss Agatha Van Helsing took place.’

Agatha put the newspaper down on the dressing table and cast a thoughtful look at the ring on her hand. A thin strip of gold glittering in the twilight of the room seemed like a spark on the surface of the calm sea. Agatha chuckled shortly. A sea that she never intended to enter. It was not only about her past as a nun – her stay in the convent was short and rather forced than chosen at the call of her heart. Marriage as it was just never seemed attractive to her – or useful from any side.

She was distracted from the contemplation of the wedding ring and, straightening, began to remove the hairpins from her hair. Agatha hated complicated hairstyles, but for a sophisticated lady, especially in her current status, a wedding hairstyle was a must. Agatha sighed. It was already good that they managed to avoid a magnificent celebration, limiting themselves to a modest wedding in a local chapel.

The door to the room creaked softly as it opened and closed again.

Freed from bobby pins and hairpins, the hair fell to the shoulders in a heavy wave. Agatha looked in the mirror.

‘I look like a witch from old fairy tales,’ she said, turning in her chair, lifting her head and looking at Dracula standing in front of her. ‘Who appeared without an invitation to the royal palace.’

Dracula smiled.

‘Witches usually have a much more interesting past than the daughters of foresters and crown princesses.’

‘Maybe,’ Agatha agreed. ‘Did you let the servants go?’ she asked, getting up.

‘Gave them leave until next Wednesday.’

‘So long?’ Agatha, approached the bed and began to unfasten the hooks on the dress, anxiously turned around.

‘I think it will take less time,’ Dracula came over and freed a lock of red hair stuck in one of the fasteners. ‘Still, it’ll be better if you and I will be alone in the next week and we don’t have to look back at the door.’

Agatha nodded. Her fingers returned to the hooks and laces. Having straightened with them, she shrugged her shoulders, and the dress slid to her feet.

She did not see Dracula, but she knew for sure that he was watching her. Stepping over the dress, she straightened the lace shirt on her chest and, walking slowly to the bed, climbed onto it.

Slightly closing her eyes, she watches as Dracula locks the bedroom door, extinguishes the lamps one by one, leaving only the candle at the head of the bed to burn, and, going up to the bed, reaches for a silk scarf tied with an elegant knot around his neck.

Once next to her, he sits down behind and, holding Agatha to him, runs his palms over her hands. His fingers stop at the shoulders, freeze as if in thought, grasp the shock of hair that has been scattered down her back, and lift it up.

A slow, long kiss on the back of her head makes her arch and bite her lip. For a few seconds, Dracula does not move, and then he kisses her again and sinks lower, his hands slide forward, to the buttons of the shirt, lower the thin fabric from her shoulders.

Closing her eyes, Agatha completely surrenders to her feelings. From fleeting touches, the body burns and melts, filling from the inside with a silent ringing, opening and dissolving, almost disappearing, until it gathers again at one point to the left, where the neck passes into the shoulder.

...Soft darkness surrounded her from all sides. There was absolutely nothing frightening about it: Agatha stirred and tried to turn her head rather out of curiosity.

‘Don't resist,’ Dracula's voice rang through her head. And a second later – a chuckle. ‘You'll like it.’

***

The awakening was... sharp. And in a completely literal sense. Smells, sounds, colors were sharp. From the world hanging over Agatha, details seemed to appear and emerge at once.

Dust particles on the dark red velvet curtain of the bed. A scent of fresh varnish rising from a parquet floor painted three weeks ago. Spiky sheets that scratch the body with the skin of an ancient beast. Electric discharges from the back of the head and lost in the thick of long hair.

Agatha closed her eyes. The raging sea of spots of color disappeared and was replaced by a thin squeak.

‘When will the convulsions begin?’ Agatha asked into space without opening her eyes. Her own voice sounded low and hoarse, heavy in her ears.

‘So you want to try?’

Agatha opened her eyes. Dracula's pale face bent over her. A mosquito hovered carefree beside his right cheek.

‘Not that I wanted,’ Agatha said slowly, shifting her gaze from the mosquito to Dracula. ‘I just thought it was part of the process.’

‘Apparently, not always,’ Dracula held out his hand and helped her to rise and sit, leaning on the pillows. ‘How are you feeling?’

‘Loud,’ Agatha muttered, wincing.

‘It's okay,’ Dracula leaned away and reached out to the side. ‘You are hungry?’ asked. Agatha lowered her eyes to the crystal glass that appeared in his hand. The dark scarlet liquid in it looked unusually tempting.

‘I don’t know,’ Agatha said barely audibly and looked at Dracula in dismay. ‘I can't,’ she blurted out and closed her eyes, once again dazed by the sound of her voice.

‘Agatha, this is not human blood,’ Dracula reminded her gently. ‘And if you're not ready, we can still wait. It's just that the sooner you satisfy your first hunger, the less strong and uncontrollable it will be later.’

Agatha nodded silently.

Swallowing shortly, she stretched out her hand to the glass – and immediately leaned back, groaning exhaustedly.

‘Agatha?’ Dracula asked worriedly.

‘So many... so many things,’ she said, shaking her head and licking her lips.

Dracula put his hand on her forehead. The rough skin of the palm felt like a touch of stiff paper, but it was cool and soothing.

‘You’ll get used to it,’ Dracula said quietly. ‘In the beginning, it is always like that.’

Agatha could not resist a skeptical smile.

‘It has advantages,’ Dracula whispered conspiratorially, bending over slightly. ‘And a lot.’

‘I remember,’ Agatha snorted. ‘The ability to hear rats scratching under the floor, to catch negligent coachmen...’ Hot lips, catching her earlobe, silenced her. ‘Give me a little time,’ she said with an effort, ‘maybe I can find more.’

He laughed.

Agatha turned and looked again at the glass on the nightstand.

‘Lissa?’ she asked.

‘No,’ Dracula shook his head.

‘Are you afraid that I will find out your secrets with her?’ Agatha teased him. She climbed higher on the pillows and made herself comfortable. The first shock receded, and the deafening world gradually became just unusually bright and clear.

‘Too much information confuses newbies,’ smiled Dracula. ‘Besides, Lissa is active and willful. Her blood may excite you unnecessarily. This is Richard, a stallion from Angola, who arrived four weeks ago. Gentle and meek like a sleeping child.’

Agatha reached for the glass. She held it in her hand for a moment, staring at the dark liquid inside. Then she raised it to her lips and took a quick sip.

Nothing happened, and the curtain of the bed did not collapse on her head. It felt as if she had taken a sip of old thick wine. The metallic flavor confused her at first, but the further she drank, the more acutely she became aware of her hunger and the satisfaction of being able to satisfy it. A piercing blue sky, humid winds, and a light rustle of hot sand were felt in the shades of taste.

Having drained the glass to the end, Agatha put it back on the nightstand and licked her lips thoughtfully. Neither the taste, nor the sight, nor the smell of blood made her lose her mind, which she most feared. Perhaps, she mused, the insanity of many newly turned vampires was not caused by the craving for blood as such, but rather a consequence of the ‘return’ and the wave of impressions and feelings that attacked them.

Suddenly the silence of the room was broken by a sharp, persistent rustle. Like someone... Agatha turned quickly towards the sound and saw a large rat crawling across the floor.

Agatha squinted at Dracula. He gazed at her in silence, without a shadow of a smile, but his nostrils fluttered in a very familiar way.

‘You will not get it,’ she said.

* Dragostea (Romanian) – love.

#dracula 2020 #bbc dracula #count dracula #agatha van helsing #dragatha #geth #drama #romance

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doyouever-daydream · 5 years ago

Text

Friends with Kids.

A/N I re-watched Friends with Kids for the firs time in years and I came up with this, if you, like me, love rom-coms I highly recommend it, therefore if you don't want spoilers for the movie, go watch it and then come back here to read this! For the sake of the story there might be some OOC moments, don't kill me. Also there are many time-jumps so I hope it’s not too confusing. English is not my first language so bear with me, I try my best, I'm still working on it. I enjoyed writing this so much! I started last month and it was a blast so hopefully you enjoyed it as well, if you did, let me know! Thank you for reading this super long oneshot. P.S. This is the first work of the Movie AU series that I've been planning (if you pay close attention, without intending to I wrote a couple clues about others stories I'm working on (Movie AU's as well) 👀

P.S. 2 You should go and check this post and this post and help if you can ❤

ALSO this is another entry for my @cmbingo card, the square is Friends to Lovers.

Summary: After seeing all of their friends having kids, Penelope and Luke decide that since none of them seem to have found their person, they agree to have a child of their own. Having a kid with your best friend can't be that bad, right? (Movie AU: Friends with Kids)

Pairing: Penelope Garcia x Luke Alvez (with a little bit of Jemily 🤭)

Warnings: Cursing, mentions of sex, bad jokes, SLOWBURN, some angst I guess, some grammar mistakes.

Word count: 15410 (y’all told me to post it as a one instalment lmao 🤯🤯🤯)

Masterlist (You can also find this and other fanfics in my AO3 acc )

Luke didn’t need to look up to know that Penelope was finally down in the lobby, the sound of her high heels gave it away, he pocketed his phone and got up, ready to go and meet their friends.

“Hello chica” He kissed her cheek and she returned the gesture.

“Hi newbie, I’m sorry it’s so late, I got caught up at work, let’s go”

“After you” Once they were outside their apartment building, they called a cab, eager to get to the restaurant and catch up with their friends.

“How was work?” Penelope asked him as she put on lipstick.

Luke shrugged “Same as usual, nothing exciting happens, what about you?”

“Terrible day, I can’t wait to drink a couple glasses of wine” Luke snorted and raised an eyebrow “Or five”

“It’s Friday so I’m also thinking about getting a little tipsy” She placed her lipstick in her purse and rested her hands in her lap with a smile on her face.

“It’s been so long since the eight of us have gone out to dinner, I miss everyone”

“I know, I don’t think I’ll recognize their faces anymore” Penelope rolled her eyes instead of going along with it.

They remained in a comfortable silence the rest of the time, saving everything else they had to say until they were with the rest. Penelope and Luke saw each other much more often than the others, mostly because they lived in the same building, just an elevator ride apart, Penelope’s place was on the third floor while Luke’s was on the seventh. Another reason as to why they didn’t see each other that much was because half of the gang, Matt, Kristy, Derek and Savannah were now parents and they didn’t have as much free time time as before.

Once in the restaurant, Penelope walked as quickly as she could, Luke following close behind careful to act if she tripped or something. Penelope’s smile fell just a little when she only saw Emily and JJ sitting at the table.

“Hey, you guys are here” Emily and JJ quickly rushed to them, and after a round of greetings and hugs, the four sat down.

“Where's the rest of the gang?” Luke asked, looking around to see if they were by the bar or coming from the bathroom.

“Yeah, we can’t be the awesome eight when there are only four of us here” Penelope stated as she nicely signaled the waiter to come over.

Emily bit her lip and looked at JJ “They called to inform us they can’t make it tonight” The blonde woman informed them.

“Kristy’s not feeling well and Matt has to be there to take care of the kids and Derek and Savannah couldn’t find a sitter” Emily added carefully watching Penelope, they all knew she had been looking forward to this dinner for a few weeks now.

“Oh” Penelope forced a smile “It’s ok, I get it, things happen” Under the table, Luke took her hand and squeezed it, she looked at him and smiled a little less forced this time.

“We’ll be the fabulous four tonight” JJ raised her glass and Penelope remembered she hadn’t seen them in a few months so it was still exciting getting the chance to see them.

“I’ll drink to that” They all proceeded to order their drinks and dinner, ready to make the most of the evening.

They spent the next hour and a half talking about how life was, JJ and Emily told them about the trip they made to Italy to celebrate their three years of marriage, Penelope told them a funny story about a blind date gone wrong, Luke shared he was getting promoted at work, overall life was good for all of them and it made the evening much more pleasant even though four of their best friends weren’t there.

“There’s this guy at work who I think would be great for you” JJ commented while eating her dessert.

“I don’t know if I should trust you to set me up anymore, last time was horrible” Penelope replied remembering the last date she had with one of JJ’s prospects for her.

“No, this time it’ll be better, I promise”

“I think you’d like this guy, Pen” Emily said while sipping on her glass of wine.

Luke nudged her with his elbow “Come on, chica, let JJ set you up, it can’t be worse than the time the guy bursted into tears when you told him you were a Libra”

They all laughed, followed by a loud sigh from Penelope “God, I missed this so much, being with you, laughing at my terrible luck when it comes to dating”

“I missed it too” Emily interjected “Being together not laughing about your love life”

“I gotta say it” Luke started “I love our friends’ kids so much but I miss the times when it was just the eight of us, you know?”

Before JJ or Emily said anything Penelope spoke “I know, I mean I’m also super grateful those little sweethearts joined the fam but on nights like these I get all nostalgic reminiscing the pre-babies era”

JJ and Emily shared a look and both Penelope and Luke knew something was up “What’s that?” Luke wondered.

Emily took JJ’s hand “Well, one of the news we wanted to share tonight was that JJ and I are adopting” Penelope and Luke were wide eyed “We actually started the process a few months ago but didn’t know when we were going to be matched and we didn’t expect it to happen soon but we’ve been matched, it’s sweet one year old girl” JJ finished telling their news to their friends.

“Her name is Emerson and she’s coming home with us in a couple weeks” Emily waited anxiously to see their reactions.

Penelope was the first one to speak “Oh my God, you guys, congratulations, a new addition to the fam” She was genuinely excited with her news and so was Luke.

“It’s great to hear this, you’ll be amazing moms” He turned to Penelope “We’re getting a new niece”

“I know, I know, look about what we said earlier-” JJ cut her off.

“Oh, it’s ok, we know kids aren’t really your thing so it’s alright” Luke was the only one who noticed how Penelope’s face changed for one second, she quickly smiled again, hoping no one noticed the flash of disappointment in her face at JJ’s words.

After saying their goodbyes and promising to reunite once Emerson was settled with JJ and Em, Luke and Penelope took another cab to go back to their apartments. She was silent and Luke didn’t know if it was a good idea to ask what was on her mind, he debated whether or not to start a conversation.

Before thinking it twice he started “So was it true?” Luke questioned and Penelope tilted her head.

“What do you mean?” Luke licked his lips.

“What JJ said about kids not being your thing” Penelope sighed and bit her lip, of course Luke had noticed her expression when she heard their friend saying this.

“She was referring to both of us, Luke” She tried to avoid answering his question.

“I know but in my case she’s wrong I would like kids” She looked at him with raised eyebrows and a smirk in her face.

“I didn’t know that, newbie” Luke shrugged “I honestly assumed you were the no kids kind of guy”

“Are you kidding me? My mom would never forgive me if I never gave her grandchildren” Penelope laughed imagining Elena, Luke’s mom, lecturing him to give her grandchildren.

“So you’re doing it for your mom then?”

“No, I really wanna be a dad, someday, a tiny human that’s half me, that would be great” She patted his shoulder.

“You’re right, that would be great” He looked at her expectantly “What?”

“What about you, Penelope? Would you like to have kids?” She pressed her lips together.

“Yes, I would love that” She admitted after a few seconds of being silent “The thing is I have no one, sometimes I think I should’ve said yes to Kevin when he proposed, I’d have children by now”

“You’re gonna find someone” She rolled her eyes “You will, you are gorgeous and an amazing woman”

“Have you ever wondered if you’ve already met your person? You know, the one you’re gonna end up with?” Penelope questioned.

“No, I haven’t met my person, I know that much, but I will and so will you, Pen, you’ll see” He put his arm around her and she rested her head on his shoulder, starting to feel sleepy, they remained like that until they got home, said goodnight and went to sleep to their apartments.

Almost four months later, Luke and Penelope were hosting a baby shower for Matt and Kristy, it turned out that time they had cancelled dinner with them was because Kristy was having a hard time during the pregnancy.

Everyone was there, including friends they hadn’t seen in a while, all of them with their significant others: Spencer, Tara, Alex, Kate, David, Aaron and Elle.

At one point of the party, Penelope escaped from the conversations about marriage and kids, and she stood in a corner trying to go unnoticed, during the entire gathering Luke had kept an eye on her, since they were planning the party, he noticed the subject was still a sensitive for her.

“We did good” He said as he leaned against the wall.

Penelope looked around his place, everyone seemed to be having a good time “Yeah, I think it turned out pretty well” He offered his glass of wine, it was almost full “Thank you”

“I’ve always known we were a dynamic duo” This earned him an eye roll from Penelope, he expected her to say something else but she remained quiet and so did he.

She took in the scene of her friends with their children, the look on their eyes were like nothing she had ever seen before, she knew these people from a very long time and there was always a huge difference between the before and after having kids.

“I want this” Penelope said out of the blue.

“Ok” Luke said unsure as to what she was referring, he thought about it for a second “I can plan a birthday party for you next year, Pen”

“Not a party, I want to have a baby” He didn’t know what to say to that but just in that moment JJ walked over to them with Emerson in her arms.

“This little one is looking for her fairy godmother” Emerson reached her arms to Penelope and she happily took the one year old in her arms.

“Did you, little Em?” She kissed her goddaughter’s head “I was missing you too” The baby babbled, content to be with her auntie.

“I’ll go grab some cake” JJ turned around and walked towards the kitchen and Kristy came to join the three of them.

“Thank you guys so much for this” She offered a warm smile “I promise you we’re done after this one” She announced while she rubbed her round belly.

“Oh don’t mind us, you have as many babies as you guys like” Luke joked and when they laughed, little Emerson joined them with a giggle.

“No, we’re definitely done, it’s your turn to find someone and start giving us nieces and nephews, right, Emerson?”

“I think this one will get a little sister or brother before we know it, Em and JJ are over the moon being moms” Penelope stated.

“I know” Kristy agreed “It’s been really touching seeing them in this new phase”

“I hope someday you guys get to see me being a mom” The nostalgia was obvious in her voice.

“It’s gonna happen” Kristy assured her “And I can’t wait, Penelope” She smiled to her and then proceeded to go with her husband.

Seeing Penelope with Emerson and the rest of their friends’ children left him thinking, after the baby shower was over Penelope stayed to help him clean even when he told her to call it a night and go to get some rest, but she refused, they spent the next couple hours tidying up the place, once they were done Luke offered to order takeout but she didn’t accept and went to her apartment.

Luke tried to get some sleep but he kept turning and tossing in his bed, his thoughts not letting him rest, he tried everything but ultimately failed, he looked at his alarm clock, it was almost 2:00 AM. Unable to get his idea out of his mind, he got up and walked towards the elevator, he needed to tell Penelope what was happening on his mind.

Once he got down to her floor, he stood outside her door for a few minutes thinking maybe it was too out of line to make her the proposition he was thinking about. He pressed his lips together and rubbed his palms in his pajama pants, trying to muster enough confidence to knock on her door.

He sighed and knocked a couple times.

Luke tried a few more times, wanting to tell Penelope what he was thinking about, after all it was his best friend, if she didn’t accept, they could laugh it up and continue as if nothing happened.

Penelope opened the door “What’s up, Luke?” She put on her glasses as her eyes adjusted to the light.

“Can I come in?”

“Yeah, what’s wrong?” Penelope yawned.

He stared at her and took a deep breath “I want a baby” Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“Are you… Drunk?” She questioned and he shook his head.

“I want to be a dad” He blurted.

“Ok? Well I know everyone calls me the fairy godmother but it’s not like I can make a baby appear and give it to you”

“What if you could?” Luke objected.

Penelope let out a frustrated sigh “Are you high?”

“No, Penelope, you want to be a mom and I want to be a dad, we haven’t found our person but we’re best friends I thought maybe we could try this”

“How would that even work? Luke, what the fuck?”

“Look, there are different types of families, two best friends having a kid and then finding their person doesn’t sound too crazy to me” He insisted.

“Are you being serious right now?” Penelope wondered, trying to examine his face to see if he was messing with her.

“I am” He walked to her and took her hand “Think about it, we’re best friends, we have a baby and we split everything 50/50 costs, responsibilities, and it will be good because we’re not attracted to each other, we won’t get to have married couple fights and all the complicated part” He offered a small smile to his friend who looked at him open-mouthed trying to process everything he was saying.

“I need some time to think about it” Luke smiled when he heard those words and let go of her hand.

“Alright, that’s ok” He walked towards the door “Let me know what you decide on, you know where to find me” As he was about to leave, he turned around and quickly walked to her to hug her.

“Go to sleep, Alvez”

“Garcia-Alvez has a nice ring to it” He whispered in her ear before she swatted at his chest, he rushed to the door and closed it behind him, leaving Penelope standing there, shocked at his proposition but also thoughtful, she walked to her bedroom and snuggled once again in her bed, trying to regain her sleep before Luke came to disrupt her mind.

Penelope and Luke were busy with work for the next couple weeks, until one night she texted him if she could come up to see him, he instantly replied with a yes and Penelope was on her way with an answer to his proposition. She let herself in and walked to his living room, he was watching TV.

“Hello stranger” He patted the couch, inviting her to sit beside him.

She plopped next to him and Luke put his arm around her without taking his eyes from the screen “How’s… life?”

“Good I guess?” He quickly shot her a look with an eyebrow raised “How about you?”

Penelope played with her hands “Did you mean what you said that other night?” Luke turned to her and took the remote control turning the TV off and giving her his undivided attention.

“About having a baby with you? Absolutely” His voice was firm and his face was serious.

“I’ve thought about it” She looked at him and he was waiting for an answer.

“And?” He questioned with raised eyebrows.

“Ok” Penelope stated in a whisper.

Luke smiled “Ok?”

“Ok” She returned the smile “You are right, there are different type of families and two friends having a kid doesn’t sound like the worst idea”

He leaned forward to her “Should we get to it? Like now?” Penelope jumped.

“No, not now but soon I guess, I’m not sure” She was suddenly self conscious, thinking that in an attempt to have a baby together, they’d need to have sex.

“We could do those fertility tests to know when you’re ovulating” Penelope looked surprised.

“How do you know about those?” She asked with amusement.

“What? Because I’m a guy I can’t know? Come on, Pen, I’m a modern men” She chuckled and looked at him waiting for the truth.

“Ok I saw it on a movie but I do want to know more about this, I plan on being there for you during the pregnancy, Lamaze classes and all”

“Alright, we can talk about all of that later, I’ll just go have dinner now” As she was about to get up, Luke took her hand.

“Don’t go, we can order something or I could cook something for you”

“Didn’t you already had dinner?” He nodded

“But you can have dinner here, you don’t need to eat all by yourself”

“Alright I’ll go check your fridge, I’m sure there’s some leftover takeout I can eat” Penelope went to the kitchen and Luke started to look for something she could also enjoy on the TV, this was their routine, having dinner at each other’s apartments whenever they could, talking about life, family, dates they’ve been, adding a baby to their dynamic didn’t sound like the worst idea.

“We are having a baby” Penelope announced to their friends, Luke was a little bit terrified of Derek’s reaction to the news, Penelope and him were very close.

“So you’re finally together?” Savannah said with a smile on her face.

Derek who was sitting beside his wife started grinning, he knew this day would come “I’m happy for the both of you”

“Uhm, no, we’re not together, we’re just having a kid” Savannah’s and Derek’s face changed into frowns.

“Oh” Savannah said smiling again, trying not to show her confusion, she wanted to be supportive of her friends, especially Penelope, she was Derek’s best friend.

“So how far along are you, baby girl?” Derek wondered with a more serious expression.

“I’m not pregnant yet, we just decided to have a baby”

“It’s because we both want to be parents so w-we came up with this idea” Luke added.

“Well, that’s great, isn’t it, babe?” Savannah squeezed Derek’s knee for him to say something supportive.

“Yeah, yeah, it is” He tried his best to offer an honest smile “Hank would love to have another cousin, especially coming from his fairy godmother”

Penelope smiled at Luke reassuring him that everything was ok, he had expressed his concerns over Derek’s reaction but as close as Penelope and Derek were, this was her decision.

Later that evening Penelope offered to help Derek to do the dishes and he was glad he would have a moment alone with her.

“Are you sure about this, baby girl? The whole having a baby with Luke thing?” She noted the worry in his voice, she finished drying the last plate.

“I am, it’s not like we are getting any younger” She shrugged and leaned on the kitchen counter, he shot her a concerned look “Hey, if you weren’t married I’d go to you for this” She joked nudging him with her elbow “Just imagine your DNA and mine, that kid would be something else” They both laughed.

“I can only imagine how that’d conversation would go” Derek commented while drying his hands.

“I actually can’t, I mean Luke was really the one that came up with the subject”

“Was he now?” He asked with an arched brow

“Stop it, it’s not like that” She rolled her eyes “We’re friends, that’s all we are and all we’re going to be”

Derek shook his head and let out a sigh “Alright, if you’re sure then just know you have us for support, questions, help, anything you need, sweetness, and I better be godfather”

Penelope got teary eyed, it was really important to her to count on Derek for this new adventure, he was her most precious friendship, so listening to him saying those words made her feel more at ease, she was sure of her decision but that didn’t mean she wasn’t terrified of the changes coming up.

Soon all of their friends heard the news from Penelope and Luke, Matt and Kristy were very supportive, mostly because in their eyes those two belonged together, they thought that maybe for them the baby had to come first then they’d realize how perfect they were for each other despite their differences. A contrast from Emily’s and JJ’s reaction, JJ had always been super protective of Penelope, and she thought this was a terrible idea where Penelope would end up being hurt, Luke was her friend as well and knew he wasn’t a bad guy but raising a kid with someone was complicated even when you were in a serious relationship with someone you were in love with, Emily wasn’t a fan of the idea either, someone was bound to get hurt and no matter who, their kid would have to pay the consequences, they didn’t explicitly voiced their concerns but neither did they applaud their decision.

Kirsty, JJ brought their kids at Savannah and Derek’s for a playdate, and it was only a matter of time before the subject was brought up.

“So what do you guys think about Pen and Luke’s plan?” JJ asked watching Hank helping Emerson to get the toys she wanted.

“Well I hope she gets pregnant soon, so their baby can be close to this little one in age” Kristy replied while rubbing her stomach.

“It’s gonna be interesting” Added Savannah while taking a sip of wine.

JJ squinted and looked at them “Don’t you think it’s crazy for them to go through it? Penelope is too sensitive, I’m not even sure she’s not feeling something for him already, what if she gets her heart broken?”

“It may not be ideal but…” Savannah shrugged her shoulder and pressed her lips “It’s their decision and I don’t think anything we say will change their minds”

“They want to be parents, they are planning this and seemed excited, I don’t think it’s the worst thing”

The blonde woman remained silent, she was still unsure it was the right choice but everyone seemed to be on board so she tried to be supportive of Luke and Penelope, hoping with all her heart they they’d prove her worries were silly and that they would make it work.

The day had finally come, they were trying tonight and Penelope was a bundle of nerves, Luke on the other hand was excited, lately his desire to be a father was getting stronger, all of his co-workers talked about their experiences in fatherhood and even though they shared both, the good and the bad, he was anxious to experience it firsthand.

“Alright I’m ready” Penelope announced as she entered his apartment in her mermaid nightie and fluffy robe with unicorn slippers, Luke smiled at the sight of her, soon with all the confidence she had mustered, Penelope straddled his waist.

“A ‘hello, how are you?’ would be nice” He joked and she lost all confidence, the blood traveled to her face and she stepped away from him but Luke took her hand and pulled her so she was sitting next to him “I’m kidding, it’s j-just I don’t know, I’m using humor to lighten up the mood”

“I’m mortified, Luke” She admitted with closed eyes “We’re having sex”

“It can’t be that bad, I know it won’t be bad” Penelope opened one eye.

“How could you know?” Luke shot her a smirk and a wink.

“If we’re comfortable enough to have a baby together then I’m comfortable enough to confess I’ve had some dreams”

Her eyes shot open “LUKE!” Penelope’s voice raised with surprise.

“That’s exactly how it sounded” He joked and if Penelope wasn’t red before she was now.

“Oh my God, stop, I don’t know if that makes me feel better or not” Luke laughed, not really understanding why she was so worried.

“Come on, chica, it’s gonna be alright” He placed a strand of her out of her face.

She sighed and sat up straighter “Ok, let’s do it”

Luke caressed her cheek “Are you sure?”

Penelope swallowed and nodded, he went on to kiss her and after a few seconds she started laughing.

“Pen, this is not helping my confidence” He commented as he pulled away, Penelope rested her forehead on his.

“I’m sorry, it’s just, you know I laugh when I feel awkward” Luke softly placed his hands on her shoulders and got up.

He extended out his hand to her “Let’s go to the bedroom” Penelope looked hesitant “If you don’t feel like doing this today, we can do it some other day, it’s ok”

“No, I want to, it’s just… Weird”

“So I shouldn’t have lit the candles or put a million rose petals on the bed then?” Penelope rolled her eyes, he was teasing her to that one time a guy had done that and it was a huge turn off for her.

“Shut up, shut up, shut up, I hate your mouth so much”

Luke loved to mess with her “I bet you a hundred bucks you won’t be saying that in a few”

“Fuck you, newbie” Penelope spat.

HIs hands signaled to himself “Be my guest” This time he saw the eye roll on her face accompanied with annoyment and he decided to stop his teasing “Alright, alright, look, I know you like fresh sheets and I even used that softener you like, let’s go to bed and… Do this”

“I need a minute” She went to the bathroom and Luke sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for her, he licked his lips, hoping she wasn’t regretting everything, soon Penelope came back and stood between his legs.

“Ok, shut up for real this time and let’s do this” She placed her hands on each side of his face.

“One baby coming up” Penelope facepalmed “... In nine months, th-” She kissed him in an attempt to shut him up for good, Luke immediately responded and placed his hands on her hips.

Once they were done, they remained on his bed, both were hopeful that everything was on their side so within the next couple months they could see a positive pregnancy test, Penelope’s awkwardness was all gone, she figured she was making a big deal of the whole thing, having sex with Luke wasn’t bad and she actually had enjoyed it more than she thought she would.

“Shouldn’t you lift your legs up or something?” Luke suggested.

He didn’t see her rolling her eyes “Is this another thing you saw in a movie?”

Luke turned to her “Maybe”

“Let’s go to sleep Luke” She turned to the other side and fell asleep easily.

That night Luke had another dream with Penelope, except this time, in his dream they were a family, they were even married and had twins, he woke up in the middle of the night thinking about it, he remembered the joy he felt in his dream and allowed himself to imagine how life would be if that scenario became a reality, after a few minutes he shook his head, Penelope was just his friend, there was no interest in being more than that from either side.

They decided to give it a few tries, to increase the chance for them to get pregnant, the next times weren’t awkward except for one time where Luke came in unannounced.

“Pen” He called for her entering her apartment “Chica, let’s get to baby making, there’s a game I really want to catch later” As he finished his sentence he reached Penelope’s living room only to find her sitting there having dinner with a guy, Luke’s eyes widened, she was going to kill him probably.

“Uhm, I think you already have plans for tonight” The guy said while getting to his feet.

“Wait, Joe, it’s-” Penelope didn’t know exactly what to say.

“No, no, it’s ok, I’ll go, it was nice meeting you” He hurriedly got his messenger bag and walked out of the apartment.

Luke immediately apologized “I should’ve knocked, sorry, I’m really sorry” Penelope waved him off.

“A mutual friend set us up, she insisted a lot and I ended up saying yes” She sighed “But right now, I’m not interested in dating, not when I’m trying to have a baby with my friend, so it’s ok” He still felt terrible so he decided to skip the game and stayed to have dinner with her.

“Pen” Luke squeezed her hand “Are you actually gonna take the tests or are you just gonna stare at them?” She looked at him.

“Maybe if I stare them long enough they’ll get some sort of vibes from me and show us if that week of trying worked or not” He smiled sympathetically, six weeks had passed since that week and Penelope avoided taking the pregnancy tests, even though her period had been late, she was scared of seeing the results, Luke was understanding and supportive, he had a good feeling but he put himself in Penelope’s shoes.

“Come on, let’s go” He took the bag of pregnancy tests he had bought and tried to guide her to the bathroom but she didn’t move an inch “It’ll all be ok”

“What if it’s not?” Penelope asked in a whisper.

“Then we’ll get through it, together” She felt tears coming to her eyes, she was terrified of the results, whatever they may be, she knew they would have an impact to her.

Luke was open to keep trying if the results were negative but he didn’t know what Penelope wanted so he wanted to know what the tests actually ended up showing before bringing up the conversation. A few minutes later, he was waiting outside the bathroom for her, he was starting to get worried, she was silent.

“Penelope, can I come in?” No response, that didn’t help his nerves “Ok, I’m coming in” When he entered, he saw her face filled with what he believed to be surprise.

She barely smiled “It’s positive, all of them are actually” Luke’s lips spread into a wide smile.

“I knew I had a good feeling about this” He hugged her and kissed her hair, they were going to be parents.

The next few months flew by, soon they were getting ready to welcome the little one, true to his word Luke had been with Penelope as much as he could, whenever he wasn’t at work he was beside her learning together, reading books, attending classes, building baby furniture, reading Penelope’s favorite children’s books to the baby, feeling the baby kick for the first time, discussing names, imagining how life would be once the baby arrived.

None of them had been really interested in meeting new people during the pregnancy, until Phil, Luke’s friend insisted on setting him up with a doctor, after much insistence Luke accepted, not without asking first Penelope for advice on whether he should go out with her or not.

“She sounds great, you should do it, it’s been an eternity since you’ve gone on a date” Penelope mentioned rubbing her belly “I miss listening to your disastrous dates stories, they are quite entertaining” Luke glared at her and handed her the ice cream pint she had asked for.

“Ha-ha, you’re very funny” He pursed his lips together “I think I’m gonna tell Phil yes”

Penelope winked at him while licking ice cream off her spoon “Great, I’ll help you choose a nice outfit”

A week later Luke was out with Lisa, Phil’s friend, she was really nice, easy to talk with and gorgeous, she didn’t seem to freak out entirely when he brought up that he was about to be a dad, he was actually enjoying the night, for a second he saw that she seemed distracted and looking behind him.

“I’m sorry, Luke” She cut him off “I think there’s someone trying to get your attention” His brows furrowed as he turned around to find Penelope carrying her hospital bag, this immediately made him panic as he rushed to her.

“Are you in labor?” He took her by the shoulders and examined her.

“Yes, my water broke” Luke was in shock for a second “An hour ago but it is until now that the contractions are getting frequent and…” She placed her hands on her shirt and clutched the fabric “...Stronger”

“Oh my God, you should’ve called me the minute it happened, let’s go” He tried to take her hand but she managed to remind him to give an explanation to the nice woman that looked at them with empathy in her eyes.

Soon they were settled in the hospital room, Penelope wasn’t ready to push yet but both her and the baby were doing fine.

“You were supposed to go into labor in two weeks” Luke was scared this was a sign something was wrong but after some tests, doctors and nurses assured them everything looked normal.

“I guess we already know newbie junior is antsy like daddy”

“We don’t even know if the baby’s a boy”

“Oh newbie is gender neutral, I’ve been calling them this without actually thinking it’s a boy or a girl”

Luke smiled and started to push some strands of hair out of her face “You’re being a champion, Pen, you’re handling everything amazingly”

Penelope laughed as she took deep breaths “Oh, don’t be fooled newbie, I’m freaking out and I might pull one of those ‘what have you done to me? I hate you’ lines just like in the movies”

“I’ll take it, chica, you can even punch me if you want, so I can experience at least a little bit of pain with you”

“I’ll keep that in mind” She joked.

Soon Penelope started to push and not even once she cursed at Luke, he held her hand, cleaned the sweat off her forehead and kept encouraging her to trust her body, Penelope was exhausted and sometimes she felt like she couldn’t go through it but then she remembered that after all the pain she would finally look her baby in the eyes and fall in love like she had never done before, she tried to remember everything she had learned from her doula, and within the hour she heard her baby’s cries.

Luke swore it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard, while Penelope’s eyes focused on the baby who was being all cleaned up.

“Congratulations, it’s a boy” Doctor Kim said as she placed the newborn on his mother’s chest.

“Hello you” Penelope whispered with tears on her eyes, and Luke stood over her head watching his son “You couldn’t wait to meet us, little one” The small baby fuzzed.

“It’s alright, we couldn’t wait to meet you either” Luke said while seeing him open his eyes for a brief moment before he closed them and nuzzled to her mom’s chest.

“He’s here, Luke” She stated without taking her eyes off her boy “We did it”

The following morning, the new parents were still living in their own bubble with their son, he was healthy and so was Penelope.

“Ok so we agreed on Bowie, right?” Penelope tried to see if Luke would budge.

“No, sorry chica, we didn’t”

“Alright, Ziggy then” Luke laughed softly, she kept suggesting those ever since she got pregnant.

“Nope”

“Ok…” She tapped the baby’s little nose “David it is”

“What about Julian?” He suggested and Penelope felt in her heart that was perfect for him.

“Julian” She bit back the smile and thought about messing with him for a little “I guess we’ll go with your suggestion”

“Hey, I’m trying to-” Penelope finally looked up to him and smiled widely.

“I’m kidding, I love it, he looks like a Julian” His tiny lips turned up in what looked like a tiny smile “See? Jules agrees” She passed the tiny bundle to Luke and he happily held his son.

“Hello young Julian Garcia-Alvez, we love you more than you could ever imagine”

Later that day Derek and Savannah came to visit, they couldn’t wait one minute more to meet the new addition to their lives.

“Hello, hello” Savannah announced as she carefully opened the door and peeked her head “We’re here to meet the handsome boy”

“Ah! We were waiting to see you” Penelope was beaming at the thought of her found family meeting her boy “Come on in”

Derek entered eyeing the three of them, he was glad for her best friend, she had always wanted to be a mom and now she had finally become one.

“Look at that, my baby girl had a baby boy” Derek saw the tiny baby in Luke’s arms, he was familiar with the look on Luke’s face, it was one of pure love and adoration, the one he had for Hank when he had been born.

“Let me present to you to Julian Garcia”

Derek raised an eyebrow at Penelope “It’s Julian Garcia-Alvez but I guess Luke’s too lazy to say the full name”

Luke didn’t even seem to hear them mention his name, he was to absorbed in his son “I love the name, he’s gorgeous, congratulations guys” Savannah squeezed Penelope’s shoulder.

After a conversation about how Penelope had to interrupt Luke’s date and how was Julian’s birth, all while his auntie held little Jules, Savannah suggested Luke to go and get some tea and muffins, she wanted to give Derek and Penelope a moment so they could have a conversation of their own, ever since she had started dating Derek she knew him and Penelope shared a really special friendship and that sometimes they needed a moment just them alone to talk about life.

“We’ll be right back” Luke glanced at Penelope and Julian and smiled at them before closing the door behind him.

They remained silent for a few minutes as they only focused on Julian who was now wide awake.

“How are you feeling?” Derek asked softly.

“I feel like I’m in a dream” She admitted “I can’t believe this sweet little boy was given to me”

He placed his hand in the side of her face “I already know you’re gonna be the most amazing mom to Julian” Penelope leaned into his touch.

“Thank you for being there, both you and Savannah were the two people that were the most supportive, I’m still not sure JJ and Em are totally on board with this and Matt and Kristy they have five kids now so we don’t get to see them much but you and Savannah were always there for us”

“And we plan on continue being there for the three of you” Penelope couldn’t hold back her tears “May I?” She carefully handed Julian over to him.

“Can I confess something? I’m scared about how this is gonna go, I mean with Luke, how we’re gonna make this dynamic work”

“Baby girl, are you sure you don’t have feelings for him?” Penelope smiled.

“I love the guy, I mean he’s the father of my baby but no, there’s no feelings there” She was being honest but still Derek felt uneasy, thinking the situation could change and Penelope would end with a broken heart.

“Ok, well I’m sure you will make it work, maybe it won’t be easy but both of you are very determined and at the end of the day it’s this little guy you’ll be doing everything for so I’m sure you’ll be ok”

“Oh, chocolate thunder, you always know what to say” Penelope stated seeing Derek smiling at Julian “I wanted to ask you something, well, Luke and I did”

“Anything”

“We were wondering if Savannah and you would like to be Jules’ godparents?”

“Oh, Penelope, I would’ve disowned you if you hadn’t asked, of course, we would be honored to be his godparents”

“I love you, Derek Morgan” She reached out for his hand.

He looked at her and squeezed her hand “And I love you Penelope Garcia” He looked down at his new godson “I love you too Julian”

That day after Derek and Savannah, Luke’s family, and the rest of their friends had visited them to meet Julian.

Penelope came out of Julian’s room, she had put him down to sleep, already knowing he was going to wake up in a few hours, three months had already come and gone, neither could believe how fast time was passing by, they had adjusted quite nicely.

“Ok, I have some more things I need you to store in your apartment” She signaled some things next to the door, they were some coats, a pair of skis, shoe boxes, even her ukulele was being forgotten at the moment and since it was taking space it had to be stored on Luke’s place, they had been doing that ever since they’ve brought Julian home.

“Have I ever told you you own way to many shoes?” Luke commented rubbing his eyes.

“All the time” She smiled “I still don’t care”

“Alright, I’ll take them now and don’t worry about waking up later, I’ll come down to feed him” She raised an eyebrow.

“Are you sure?”

“Of course, it’s around 2 when he wakes up, right?” Luckily for them, Julian was the greatest baby, he easily fell into routine, he woke up around the same time each night, so Luke had alarms and he came down so it wasn’t only Penelope waking up at night.

“Yeah”

“Ok, goodnight”

For Luke it felt as if he had just closed his eyes when the alarm went off, he quickly got up and went to Penelope’s place, he opened the fridge to find the different bottles, each of them were labeled:

One glass of wine.

Couple of Margaritas.

Pure.

Stressful day.

Pure.

He snorted and grabbed one of the bottles labeled as ‘pure’ and proceeded to warm it, he didn’t hear any crying when he came in so he assumed Julian had yet to wake up demanding to be fed, a few minutes later the three month old woke up and Luke was ready to feed him, he sat in the rocking chair with the baby to his chest, once Julian was done with the bottle, he burped him and sat a little bit more with him, he loved those moments were he could hold his son and sing the lullabies his mom and grandma used to sing to him when he was a kid.

He was loving being a dad and co-parenting with Penelope, he practically lived there, he would leave only at night but even then, he’d come back and sometimes would end up crashing at the couch waking up at Penelope’s. Luke placed Julian on his crib and left the room, as he walked out of the room he saw a photo of the three of them in the hallway and smiled, everything felt right.

Luke hurried through the stairs, he was coming home from work and Penelope was calling him nonstop to get home, he didn’t wait for the elevator and took the stairs, once he opened the door, he was met by a crying Julian and a crying Penelope.

“I’ve done everything and he won’t stop crying, he hates me, Luke” She said through her sobs.

Luke felt bad for Penelope, she was more sensitive than usual, the hormones were to blame, he went to them and took Julian in his arms.

“I’m his mom and he already hates me” She cleaned her tears off her face.

Luke started to sway him from side to side “He can’t hate you now, wait until he’s sixteen”

“LUKE!” Soon Julian stopped crying in Luke’s arms “How the fuck did you do that?” She asked in surprise.

“Oh, I don’t know I guess he loves me but he hates you” He saw the tears on her eyes “I’m kidding, I’m kidding”

Penelope sighed and sat on the couch “I’m returning to work soon and we don’t have a nanny yet”

“I know, I asked around some of my coworkers and they recommended me some agency” She smiled.

“That’s great, but we need to be clear on something” He looked at her with a frown “You can’t fuck the nanny”

“Penelope! I wasn’t planning on doing that”

“Ok, just saying, newbie”

By the end of the week they had hired Max to be Julian’s nanny, Penelope was faced with another challenge, learning how to manage going to work and being a mom, soon she discovered it was hard but she could handle it, she missed going to work, seeing her co-workers and having an excuse to actually put on some decent clothes and makeup.

Matt, Kristy, JJ, Emily and their six children were visiting Luke, Penelope and Julian, they hadn’t seen them since the hospital, they were curious to see how ‘the experiment’ as Emily called it was going.

“I’m not gonna lie, I think the reason they didn’t invite us over sooner it’s because they’re having a hard time adjusting” Emily spoke up.

“You think? I don’t know” Matt replied.

“I mean it wouldn’t be a surprise, becoming a parent it’s not easy” Kristy added to Emily’s comment.

“We’re about to see” JJ said as they all stepped out of the elevator, it took five seconds for Penelope and Luke receive them, he had Julian on a baby carrier close to his chest.

“Hello!” They said in unison, after a round of hugs and greetings, they went to the living room.

“Please, get yourselves some drinks, I made some tapas, I’ll go get them” Penelope announced and JJ joined her in the kitchen.

“Hey, everything looks great” She meant it.

“Thanks, we manage to keep everything in place but Jules is about to start crawling so next time you won’t find a tidy place” Penelope laughed.

JJ frowned “Is Luke living here?”

“No, well, kind of, he spends a lot of time with Jules” She shrugged it off, it wasn’t a big deal for them.

“Penelope…” JJ sighed “What’s this that you have going on?” Penelope rolled her eyes at her words, it wasn’t the first time she questioned it and certainly wouldn’t be the last.

“We’re raising a baby, he stays over, sue me” JJ’s eyes widened “No, he stays over but nothing happens, I’m not attracted to him and he’s not attracted to me, it’s all fine”

“Ok, then it’s time for you to get yourself out there again”

“Actually I’ve been thinking about it”

“Say no more” Her friend winked at her and Penelope just went long with it, JJ said about a co-worker of hers that sounded dreamy. Once they returned with some appetizers, everyone was settled, Luke had taken the older kids to the other room where they put on a movie for them and gave them some sandwiches and toys so they could be entertained.

“It looks like you’re doing amazing, man” Matt said as he placed Rose on the ground, she was eager to follow Emerson,

“Yeah, it is, Pen and I are convinced we got very lucky with Julian, he’s great”

“Wait until he starts walking” Emily commented while she watched Emerson closely, she was walking around the adults, observing what she could grab, unfortunately for her, the apartment was childproof so there was nothing she could really play with other than Julian’s toys and her own.

“I know I told Luke that by then I’m sure I’ll have to give up my high heels” Penelope said while sitting down next to him and absentmindedly resting her hand in Luke’s thigh “Can you imagine me running around a kid in five inch heels?” They all laughed and Luke placed an arm around her, everyone could see the look on his face as Penelope continued talking, Matt and Kristy shared a knowing look and JJ was just starting to think Penelope was lying about “nothing going on”.

The rest of their visit went by quite quickly, all of them enjoying their time together, at some point, Penelope realizes it’s their first time her and Luke can relate to the parenting experiences and struggles, even though Derek, Savannah and Hank couldn’t make it, her heart fills with joys as she sees most of her found family together.

“You’re almost there, buddy” Luke was sitting on the floor, multitasking, he folded laundry and watched Julian as he tried to stand using Luke’s arm as support.

“Breakfast is ready for my favorite guys” Penelope announced carrying two plates “Here, put these on the coffee table, I’ll go get Jules’ plate” She leaned down to carry him “Come on little guy, let’s get those hands clean”

While Luke and Penelope both sat on the floor, Julian used the coffee table for support and finally managed to stand up and grab some of his breakfast, he was a good eater, they stared at him, amazed by the little boy who owned their hearts.

“Can you believe he’s almost nine months? He’s getting so big” She sighed nostalgically.

“I know, I feel like in no time he’ll be going to preschool” Luke added as he took a bite of his own breakfast.

“Don’t even start” Jules looked up to his mom “Yeah, baby, what if we slow down a little with this whole growing up so fast? Can you do that for mommy?” Luke was also looking at Penelope, he was thinking about how wonderful the last year and a half of his life had been, since finding out about the pregnancy to that very moment, he felt extremely content to have Julian and Penelope in his life.

“Ma!” He exclaimed and went back to grab a fistful of scrambled eggs.

Luke smiled at his son then he turned to Penelope “You know? I don’t think it’s been that hard, all of this”

“Right?” She took a sip of juice “I feel the same, we make a good team, newbie” Just as Luke was about to say something else, Penelope’s phone dinged, she quickly took it and smiled at the screen, he remained silent and took Julian and sat him between his legs and put his plate in front of him so he could continue eating his breakfast.

“You’re done, Julian” He said to his son as the baby looked up to him with wide eyes “Yeah, it’s gone, it’s all in your tummy now, come on, let’s get you changed”

“Oh, I can change him, don’t worry” Penelope took her eyes off her phone.

“Alright, I’ll go wash these” He said as he took the dishes into the kitchen, trying to think who was Penelope texting.

A very happy Penelope entered the kitchen carrying a very happy Julian, they went to stand beside Luke as he finished drying the plates.

“You’re in a good mood” Luke stated trying to seem nonchalant.

Penelope couldn’t hold back the smirk “I am, I need to tell you something” She sat Julian in the kitchen counter “I’m going out with someone tonight”

Luke wasn’t sure why he felt a stinging sensation in his heart “Oh” He couldn’t think of something else to say.

Her smile soon changed into a frown “Is that ok? I thought this was my free night, but if you’ve got plans I can- “ Luke interrupted her.

“No, no, no, no plans at all” He tried his best to fake smile “It’s great, I’m happy for you, who’s the lucky guy?”

“His name is Sam, JJ set us up, we’ve been texting these past couple weeks and we decided to go out today”

“Great” Luke said without looking at her nor sounding very cheerful but Penelope failed to notice that.

Later that evening Penelope was a nervous wreck, she had facetimed JJ and Emily to voice her concerns about going on a date, she felt like she didn’t even remembered how to go on a first date, she remained sat on her bed, with her robe on, looking at the outfit her friends had helped her choosing, she thought about calling Derek, he was great at helping her when she wasn’t feeling her best self, as Luke passed her bedroom after putting Julian to bed, he stopped and saw that she didn’t have the happy look she had that morning.

He opened the door a little bit more and peeked at her “Hey, how is getting ready going? Everything good? Did he cancel?”

Penelope quickly looked up “No, it’s just that I’m nervous” As soon as she said she felt a little embarrassed “That’s stupid, isn’t it? Oh God” Luke entered and sat beside her and took her hand.

“Not at all, it’s normal to be nervous before going on a first date, but I’m sure you’ll be fine, from what I gathered he’s a great guy”

Her eyebrows raised “Did you eavesdropped my conversation with the girls?”

“Pen, you were literally sitting across Julian and I”

“Oh, that’s true, sorry, I was a little distracted then” She confessed running her hands through her hair.

“Should I prepare some tea for you and your nerves?” He suggested, not liking to see her stressed and thinking she shouldn’t be worrying, it was impossible she wouldn’t blow the guy’s mind, she was a catch.

Penelope placed one hand on the side of his face “Luke, that would be wonderful, you are a gift”

“Alright, you continue getting ready and I’ll bring your tea in a moment” Just as he was about to leave, Penelope called him “Yeah?”

“Nevermind” She sighed and stood up to start doing her hair.

“Penelope? Come on, you can tell me anything” He leaned in the door frame, waiting for her to say something, instead she turned around and opened her robe, she was in her underwear.

“Do you think my body is ready to, you know, get out there?” Luke ignored the sensations the image in front of him caused to his body and walked to her, putting his hands on either side of her face.

“You are beautiful, Penelope, don’t ever think you’re not, you could’ve gone out on a date the next month after having Julian for all I know” She blushed and looked down “I mean it, you are the whole package, you’re smart, kind, witty, and sexy as hell so stop doubting yourself and if for some reason this guy doesn’t seem to be into you, then we’ll tell JJ, her friend is out of his mind” He kissed her hair.

“You really have a way with words, Alvez” She managed to look up and smiled “We need to find you someone as well” He pressed his lips together and that’s when he knew he didn’t want someone else, he wanted Penelope.

As he prepared her tea, he sat on a stool and tried to think when his feelings for her had changed, he was sure he didn’t feel that way before, or maybe he was but didn’t realize? He was so deep in his thoughts he didn’t listen the kettle whistling, he rushed to it so it wouldn’t wake Julian up but he was late, he went to get him and later appeared in Penelope’s room with Jules attached to his hip and nuzzled in his neck in one arm and a mug in the other.

“Here you go” He said placing it on her vanity.

“Oh thanks” She glanced at him through the mirror “And thanks for getting him, I can’t exactly stand up fast and move freely with these attached to my boobs” She laughed.

“It’s ok”

“Isn’t this sexy?” She joked “Hair curlers on my head, makeup half done and pumping breast milk” Penelope laughed, she felt much more relaxed after Luke’s words.

He managed to smirk, it was an amusing image but in that moment it was also a beautiful one to him, even though in some part of his heart he felt it was wrong seeing her getting ready to go out with someone else.

“Your mom doesn’t believe what I tell her, Jules, please don’t be like her when you grow up” Penelope swatted his stomach.

“Hey! Don’t put my baby against me” She reached to Julian and Luke got him closer to Pen “Go to sleep, my sweet boy, I love you” The sleepy baby barely registered his mom kissing his forehead.

Luke put Julian to sleep and half an hour later saw Penelope walk out the door, he tried to watch TV but got distracted every few minutes by his thoughts who were set on Penelope and how her date was going, he glanced at the clock every frequently and even at the door, hoping to see her come in and say she wasn’t going out anymore because she had realized it was him she wanted to be with.

He leaned back on the couch “Stop, Alvez” He said to himself, he thought about calling Matt but it was kinda late, so he decided against it, after what it seemed like an eternity, Penelope walked through the door, she quickly took off her shoes and coat, she didn’t see Luke until he spoke.

“Hey, how was it?” He said rubbing his eyes.

“Oh, sorry I didn’t mean to wake you”

“It’s ok, I wasn’t sleeping well anyway, so did you have a good time?” Penelope smiled widely and nodded.

“JJ was right, he’s amazing, I-I think he could be the one, and I know it sounds precipitated to say that but...” Luke felt his heart break and couldn’t even focus on what she was saying, he felt his world starting to crumble down “Luke? Are you hearing what I’m saying?”

He snapped out of it “Yeah, yeah, I’m glad, Pen, uhm I guess we won’t have to complain to JJ about it” He rubbed his palms against his jeans and got up “I’m gonna call it a night, I’m gonna go up, ok? I’ll see you guys tomorrow”

“Ok, have a good night” She replied with the smile that had never left her lips since her date started, she really felt a connection with Sam.

A few weeks passed by and Luke called Matt to ask him if he wanted to go shoot some hoops with him, Matt found the urgency in his voice odd and was sure it was a bad sign, he agreed and met him at the basketball courts they frequented. As they started, Luke tried to tell him how he had felt ever since Penelope had started seeing Sam, he was going around about other things without saying what he actually meant.

At one moment when Luke tried to take the ball from Matt, he abruptly stopped and went to the bench signaling Luke to go with him.

“So you have feelings for Penelope” It was a statement not a question.

“That’s not what I-” Matt rolled his eyes.

“Cut the bullshit, Luke, I wasn’t asking, I know for a fact you do, it was bound to happen and that time we all went to your house, you looked at her the way I look at Kristy, the way Derek looks at Savannah”

“You should’ve told me then, maybe then she wouldn’t have gone out with mr. Wonderful”

“Hey, it wasn’t up to me to get your stubborn ass to come to terms with your feelings, it was something you had to figure out on your own, unfortunately you did until you saw her with someone else” He drank water as Luke sat beside him running his hands through his hair.

“Should I talk to Derek? Ask him some advice?” Matt snapped his head at him.

“About what? Winning her over? I hate to say this but if she’s happy with this Sam guy, you shouldn’t interfere” Luke looked at him feeling almost betrayed “Dude, I know she’s feeling very happy, she’s talked to Kristy and she seems hopeful to see where it leads”

Luke sat with his head in his hands, not liking what he was hearing but knowing Matt was right, Luke himself had witnessed Penelope’s new happiness and excitement over the relationship “Why do I have to be so fucking stupid? Imagine if I had known before, maybe it would’ve been us in a relationship” Matt patted his shoulder.

“Hey, their relationship is fairly new, no one knows, maybe they’ll be done in a few months and you’ll have your chance, don’t lose all hope but don’t interfere”

He sit up “I guess you’re right”

“You should try and find someone as well, give it a try and see where it goes”

“Yeah, maybe I will, I don’t know” Matt got up.

“Alright, let’s resume the game ‘cause I’m beating your ass, Alvez” Luke rolled his eyes and followed his friend.

A few days later, after getting some groceries Luke had encountered with Lisa, the woman he was on a date with the day Penelope had gone into labor, he remembered how nice she was and they agreed on meeting again sometime, soon after that they were dating and although he knew he still had feelings for Penelope, she was very happy with Sam, he had met him and he hated the fact that there wasn’t much to dislike about him. He was amazing to Penelope and Julian, he was attentive, very respectful, kind, and the list went on, Luke was starting to come to terms that maybe Penelope and Sam were going to become permanent at some point and it did hurt him to think about it, but then he remembered he had Lisa, who was also an incredible person that was very understanding of his co-parenting situation.

It was almost New Year’s and the entire gang were going to a cabin to spend it together, it was the first trip since Julian was born and Penelope and Luke brought significant others, everyone was excited to spend the holiday together.

Penelope was packing her suitcase for the trip, Luke had packed Julian’s the day before so she only had to worry about her stuff, she remembered Luke had her skis and went up to ask him if he could take them in his car. As the door opened she was met with a smiling Lisa, the one year old in Penelope’s arms squealed happily.

“Isa!” He extended his arms to her and Lisa looked at Penelope to which the blonde nodded and allowed Julian to go with her before asking to be down.

“Pen! You’re here, are you ready?” Luke greeted her.

Penelope swallowed unable to get her eyes off Lisa who was helping Julian to walk “Uhm yeah, almost ready, I was wondering if you could take my skis?”

“Sure thing, I already loaded them in the car”

“Alright, we’ll get going” Penelope announced wanting to have his son back in her arms.

“Hey, if you want we can take Jules” Luke suggested and before Penelope could say anything Lisa spoke.

“Oh, absolutely, we could do that” Penelope gave them a tight lipped smile and clasped her hands together.

“Alright if you want to, it’s alright, I mean, if you’re sure”

“Of course, he’s the sweetest boy, aren’t you Jules?” Julian hugged Lisa’s leg and Penelope felt something she didn’t know how to label.

“Ok then, I’ll see you guys later”

“Wait Pen, I’ll go down with you to get Jules’ stuff” Luke walked with her to the elevator and for the first time in years, there was an awkward silence, at least that’s how it felt to Penelope whereas to Luke was just a normal silence.

“Is it okay that Julian goes with us, right?” He turned to her.

“Oh, yeah, totally” She mirrored his actions.

“I’m really looking forward to this trip, it’s the first time JJ, Em, Derek and Savannah are gonna meet Lisa” Penelope shot him her best forced smile and nodded.

Luke was in fact, telling the truth, his relationship was in a good place, he felt hopeful about a future with Lisa, she was very clear by telling him that she was looking for something serious and it came as a surprise to him when he found himself telling Lisa, he was also expecting to be with someone for the long run and that they should work towards a relationship of that kind, he was finally moving on from Penelope.

Or so he thought.

The cabin they rented was beautiful, it was big but cozy at the same time, everyone, adults and kids, were excited to be spending the next few days there, getting to know Sam and Lisa a little bit more since everything indicated they could eventually be more present in their lives. Matt and Kristy entered carrying, what it seemed like twenty bags, followed by their five kids, David holding little Rose’s hand who was excited to be walking in the house.

“The Simmonses have arrived” Derek yelled as he walked over to them to help with their stuff.

“We have and we are ready for the kids to be with their uncles and aunts while mom and dad rest” Kristy joked placing the bags on the floor.

“You definitely deserve some relax time, you guys are saints” JJ said hugging the kids.

“Where are the others?” Mat asked.

“We’re here!” Penelope announced appearing from the kitchen walking hand in hand with Sam “I’d like you to meet Sam”

“Oh we’ve heard great things about you, it’s great to finally meet you, I’m Matt, this is Kristy, and these are Jake, David, Lily, Chloe and Rose” Sam shook hands with the married couple and high fived the kids.

“Nice to meet you all, I was looking forward to finally see you, I have two boys myself that are actually your age I think” He said to Jake and David “So if you want to play something maybe I can join you” Both kids eagerly nodded.

The next couple days, almost everyone seemed to be having a great time, except for Emily and JJ, they seemed a little bit off but no one dared to ask why, it was only at moments they would be quiet than usual and seemed to be a little bit out of it, they tried to put pieces together but no one seemed to have a clear idea of what was going on, they didn’t look distanced from each other nor from Emerson, so they tried to not interfere.

“Oh, I’m happy to see you’re feeling better, babe, are you joining us for breakfast?” Penelope said to Savannah who had missed previous breakfasts.

“Yes, I’ll be down in a minute” She replied while tapping Julian’s nose.

Penelope went down and found Sam helping the kids with their breakfasts, it was a funny and sweet sight, Jake, David, Chloe, Lily and Hank gathered around him as he placed pancakes on all of their plates.

“Look at you JJ, you finally got it right with Sam” Kristy teased her, JJ had the worst record setting up Penelope and it was a never ending joke between the group of friends.

The blonde woman rolled her eyes and smirked “If you ever decide to have a kid, Pen, I must be the godmother” She half joked.

“I don’t know, maybe eventually” Both Kristy and JJ snapped their heads at her “What? I think this is going somewhere, he has two kids, I have one but I don’t know”

“I can’t believe there’s something you don’t know, Pen” Luke’s voice made them turn around to see him walking from the hallway, having listened only the last part of what Penelope was saying “Good morning ladies, I made some coffee if you want”

“Thanks Luke, where’s Lisa?” Kristy questioned.

“Oh, she’s getting ready for the day, she’ll be out in a few”

Once they were all sitting in the large dining table, Derek called their attention, both him and Savannah had big smiles on their faces.

“We would like to tell you that next year we’ll need a bigger cabin” Savannah taking her husband’s hand.

Derek continued “There’s going to be not one, but two new Morgans causing trouble” The entire group erupted in cheers and congratulations, JJ’s eyes went immediately to her wife, she knew her and knew that it took everything in Emily to smile, they were going through some stuff.

Part of the group had decided to go skiing while the others preferred to stay at the cabin and drink some hot chocolate, Matt, Derek and Luke walked a few feet behind Sam, Lisa and JJ.

“So Morgan’s party of five? How are you holding up?” Matt asked Derek, he remembered the surprise, nervousness and excitement that came when receiving the news he was going to have twins.

“Oh man, I can’t believe it, I still am processing all of it, Hank’s four so I’m not even sure I remember exactly how life with a newborn is, let alone two” All along Luke and Matt noticed how his features softened.

“I bet you and Savannah will get the hang of it” Luke assured him.

“You know we got you guys, so anything we can help with, I’m sure there’s some stuff we have that we don’t use anymore but it’s in great shape that you could use” Matt added and Derek felt thankful for them, all of them.

“Now that I have a son maybe you’ll finally trust me to babysit”

“I’m not sure, we’ll see, we’ll see” Derek teased him and Luke scoffed.

“I vouch for him, Derek, I’m actually sort of proud of you, dude” Matt turned to Luke “It’s really warming to see you with Julian”

“I gotta agree with that, I was just messing with you Luke, what Matt is saying it’s true, I’ve loved to witness both you and baby girl, as parents to Jules”

“Thanks guys, it means a lot to have your support and to have you as a part of Julian’s life” Luke spoke from his heart but he also needed to point something out “Not to end the soft moment here, but did you see Sam’s face the other night when you called Penelope ‘baby girl’?”

“Oh I did, it took everything in me not to burst into laughter, Kristy actually kicked me in the shin beneath the table” Luke laughed.

“Honestly I’m so used to it that I didn’t notice but Savannah did and she told me to do something about it but Penelope assured me that she had explained everything to him and that he seemed fine with it, but I’ve toned it down a lot, I don’t know, I think this could be it for Penelope you know?” Luke swallowed, he had thought about it but wasn’t sure what to make of it.

Matt spoke up “They seem to be very serious, I like him”

“I guess I do too?” Derek shrugged, his mind remembering how just a few months ago he was convinced Luke was the one for Penelope, Luke and Matt eyed him curiously and that made him rephrase his words “I-I do like him, it’s just I’m super protective of her but he makes her happy so yeah” Luke refrained from offering his thoughts on Penelope’s relationship, he wasn’t sure what he made of it, how he felt, just then Lisa called out for him and he remembered he had an amazing woman in his life.

It was finally New Year’s Eve, the kids were all asleep and the adults were planning on enjoying dinner and drinks together, they were halfway through their dinner when Sam brought up an interesting subject.

“I have to say, I’ve been curious how did you come up with the idea of having a child together? Whose idea was it?” He wondered genuinely interested in listening the story.

“I… Don’t remember” Penelope tried to shrug it off, not wanting to discuss that in front of everyone.

“It was me actually, I had the idea, she had talked to me about wanting to be a mom and I wanted to be a dad and next thing we know we had Jules” Luke replied nonchalantly.

“The truth is he wanted this genepool for his kid, I mean, can you blame him?” Penelope joked while signaling herself.

“And have you thought what exactly are you gonna tell him when he’s older? About his parents being with other people” Lisa inquiried, her tone wasn’t rude at all.

The rest listened and focused on their plates, that was until a tipsy Emily decided to jump in the conversation.

“Oh, I want to listen to this, I bet they didn’t think about it”

“Well we might have talked about it once or twice but didn’t came up with a plan exactly” Penelope replied nervously, thinking it wasn’t any of their business, except Luke and hers.

“I’m sure you’ll do great, at least you were always aware that you were going to have the conversation, I never believed I had to until I got divorced” Sam interjected, regretting bringing up the subject.

“No, but that actually makes more sense to me, I mean why you decide that you’ll bring a child into a world with someone you don’t love” The alcohol started to make Emily talk way more than she intended to

JJ tried to stop her, she took her hand “Babe, stop” Emily shook her hand and ignored her suggestion.

“You were in love with your wife I assume, I understand shit happens, people get divorced all the time and have to talk about this with their kids but doing it deliberately? I can’t fucking understand it”

Luke cleared his throat “Em, with all due respect, that’s how you think but-” Emily cut him off.

“No, not only me, everyone on this table believed you were crazy for doing this” She slurred “We all thought having a kid with someone you don’t love wasn’t the brightest idea”

Penelope who had remained silent, couldn’t hold it anymore and started to speak “Ok Emily but how are you so sure we don’t love each other? I’ve known Luke for more than half of my life, he’s one of my closest friends” She took a deep breath trying not to raise her voice and continued “He has been there through the good and the bad more than any of you have, sure it’s because we’ve been practically neighbors for years but that doesn’t make it less valid, I know pretty much anything there is to know about him and I love him for who he is, I know why when we first met him he was kind of a loner, I know he’s not a great cook but he does a mean lasagna, I know he’s loyal and honest and has one of the kindest hearts ever, we have the same values, we have the same sense of humor, I know his position on just about everything and I wholeheartedly agree with him, what better man could I have possibly chose to be the father of my son? Huh? So please refrain from giving your opinion on something that’s not your business at all, Em” Luke seemed to be at loss of words, many different emotions were going through his heart, for a second he forgot why was Penelope telling all of this, because of Emily, and everyone else seemed to fade into the background, he wasn’t moving on with his life, he was deeply in love with Penelope Garcia.

“Well-” Penelope cut Savannah off

“And I know, I just know that no matter what happens in a year or two or ten, we’ll be fine, because we love each other” She finished feeling how her pulse had quickened.

Emily snorted “Alright if you say so, but let me tell you something, you seem fine now but life gets complicated, friends” She addressed the entire gang “You don’t know it yet but it does” She rushed to their bedroom and JJ goes after her not before muttering apologies to Penelope, Luke and the rest of their friends, everyone is uncomfortable and confused by Emily’s outburst.

Penelope is excited to see everyone and celebrate Luke’s birthday together, she’s rushes out of the cab to the restaurant, only to find Luke in the waiting area of the restaurant.

“Hi, happy birthday” Luke hugged her “Where’s everybody? I thought I was going to be the last one here?” She breathed out.

“Oh, it’s just us tonight” Penelope frowned but didn’t say a thing “Julian seemed really happy to be with his grandma” Luke tried to change the subject so she wouldn’t question him.

“Aw, he does love her, how’s your mom?” He took the chair out for her and then proceeded to take his sit.

“She’s doing alright, she asked me to say hi to you” He passed the message, knowing his mom wouldn’t forgive him if he forgot to do so.

“I should go and visit Elena one of these days, talking to her always lifts my spirits”

“Yeah, I’m sure she’d be thrilled to see you, she loves you, Pen” He leaned against the table and took her hand in his.

“She’s the sweetest, really” She adjusted her glasses and opened the menu “And where’s Lisa?”

“No Lisa tonight, she’s on duty” He lied, rubbing his beard.

Penelope pouted “Oh, I’m sorry, Luke” When he saw her sympathetic look he decided to cut the act.

“Don’t be, because it’s actually not true” Her face filled with confusion.

“Oh no, what happened?”

“Nothing, everything was great, she’s great” Luke looked down and felt it coming.

“Then what’s wrong?” Penelope asked with a furrowed eyebrows.

“Nothing’s wrong, I’m sure my mom would’ve loved her but…” He looked in her eyes and once again grabbed her hand “All I do when I’m with her is think about you and only you” Penelope mouth fell open, she felt the air removed from her lungs “I didn’t want her here tonight nor anyone really, I broke things off with her, I wanted my family with me and I realized you are my family” His voice broke “You and Julian are everything I need to get through life” The moment Penelope realized there were tears on his eyes, her own vision became blurry, she moved her chair to be next to him and leaned her head in his shoulder.

Next thing she knew Luke was lifting her chin and searching for her lips, she pulled away even before their lips touched “Luke, I’m with Sam”

“Oh, yeah, sorry I should allow you to talk to him before-” Penelope closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“We’re moving in together” Luke forgot how to breathe for a moment “I met his kids a few months ago and we’ve been talking about taking the next step ever since and we found a great place, I’m sorry, Luke”

He looked confused “But what about all you said that time Emily questioned us?”

Penelope look dumbfounded “I-I, it wasn’t a lie, I meant everything that I said, I love you but I-I’m not-” She took the hair out of her face “I love you so much as a friend, I thought we were on the same page, I don’t know what-” Luke let her go and got up, he needed to get out of there “Luke, wait” Before Penelope could walk to him, he was gone, and she was left there not knowing what to do of his confession.

The truth was her and Sam were in a great place, they were looking forward to start a life together, they had even discussed marriage, Julian loved him, she loved Taylor and Benji, Sam’s kids, everything seemed to fall into place with him.

The next months after that, Luke and Penelope barely spoke unless it was regarding Julian, the times where they would just spend weekends together with their son were long gone, Julian still spent a lot of time with his parents just separately, Penelope was starting to pack their stuff, she felt terrible and she wanted Luke to lash out at her, to tell her off, yell at her for taking Julian to another house, instead all Luke ever did was remain distant, she couldn’t blame him but she missed her best friend.

Penelope sighed “What’s going on in that beautiful mind of yours?” Derek said, he had offered to help her packing the last stuff before she was out of the apartment.

“Do you think I’m making a mistake by moving in with Sam?” He frowned, not knowing exactly where that was coming from, she had seemed when she told him and Savannah the news.

“I think you should do what makes you happy, if-” Penelope didn’t let him finish his sentence.

“Do you think I should’ve given Luke and I a chance?” Derek’s eyebrows raised, he was surprised at her question.

“Why are you asking this?” Penelope bit her lip and then sat down on the floor, since there was no couch or chairs left, and proceeded to tell him what had happened a few months ago, as Derek listened he didn’t have it in him to be surprised by Luke’s feelings nor Penelope’s second guessing her decision.

“Look, baby girl” He started as he cleaned the tears falling on her cheeks “I still think you should do what makes you happy, and follow your heart, you shouldn’t do something because you feel obligated to, you know? Moving in with Sam because you already leased the house or give Luke a chance because he’s the father of your son” Derek wrapped an arm around her “There’s nothing more I want than to see you happy, whether is with Sam, Luke, only you and Jules, look, even if you wanna go back to what’s-his-name let’s go live in a farm guy?” She laughed through the tears “I want you to be happy and I’ll be there for you, ok?”

“Ok” She managed to say “Kevin, he was the one that wanted me us to go and live in a farm”

“Alright, well if you wanna go live in a farm I’m sure Julian will love all the free space to run around” They laughed and Derek kissed her forehead, hoping she’d follow his advice and go with whatever made her truly happy.

Penelope was meeting Emily for drinks, she entered the bar to see Emily already sitting there, she greeted her and they started to catch up, it had been a really long time since they last saw each other, once again, life making it complicated to hang out more often.

“So” Emily started “I don’t think I ever actually apologized about that one time” She felt embarrassed reminiscing her behaviour during that New Year’s.

“Come on, Em” Penelope waved her off “It’s ok, you don’t have to say anything”

“No, but I do, I was- we were going through a difficult time, JJ and I were going through the adoption process for Nick and we weren’t getting matched and there were a lot of setbacks, that’s why we didn’t tell any of you at the time but it was difficult for us and of course, JJ was way better than at handling everything and I just let out my frustration that time when it wasn’t my place to say anything, I was an asshole to you” Penelope placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t say that, Emily, we all snap sometimes, I’m sorry you were going through that but now you have Nick and he’s a great kid” Penelope smiled remembering the curly boy.

“I didn’t mean anything that I said, I mean, we did have our doubts but you proved it was possible to do what you did”

“Oh no, I actually think you were right, it’s a bit of a mess right now” Penelope looked away.

“I... Know, and even though the situation is not great right now, I’m sure you’ll get through it” Emily gave her a sympathetic smile and Penelope nodded “I gotta say one more thing though, I’ll never understand why you guys didn’t even try”

The blonde woman just shrugged, at that point neither did she “It’s just, we’ve been friends for half of our lives, it would’ve been, I don’t know, weird? We’ve seen each other at our worse and our best, he’s like always been there” As much as Penelope tried to convince herself it wouldn’t have worked out, she never actually did it.

“Babe, I don’t see how that’s bad” Emily commented taking a sip of her drink, her words echoed in Penelope’s head.

Luke opened the door and Julian immediately launched himself at him.

“Daddy!” He clung onto Luke’s neck while Penelope awkwardly stood there.

“Sorry I couldn’t pick him up tonight” Luke said, looking at Julian instead of her, he was still hurt but really trying to move on this time.

“Don’t worry, it’s ok” Luke expected to see her turn around and go back to her place but she remained there “I found this at my place, it’s your birthday present from last year, you never actually got it so I thought I should bring it” He saw the bag in her hands and it just reminded him of the day he had gotten his heart broken.

“Oh, Penelope, I appreciate it but I’m fine, I don’t need anything”

“Please, I insist” She offered it to him and Julian was fast take it.

“Open it, daddy!” He started to kick his legs so Luke would put him down.

“I’ll open it tomorrow, bud, it’s time for bed now” He could see Julian was not happy about it.

“NO!” Julian dropped to the floor “Open it! Open it!” The terrible twos were not a joke, he started to throw kicks and Luke kneeled to his level.

“Jules, it’s time to go to bed, come on” He grabbed him in his arms.

“Open the pwesent” Luke sighed.

“I’ll make you a deal, we open it and then you go to bed” Julian seemed to calm.

“I’m gonna get going now, good night Jules, have sweet dreams, my love” She took a step to them and leaned to kiss Julian’s head, when she was about to step away she grabbed her sweater.

“Stay!” Penelope softly took his little hand and let herself free from his grasp.

“I can’t, I gotta go, baby” Julian started to cry.

“Maybe you can stay and help us with bedtime” Luke suggested, Penelope silently agreed.

They walked towards Julian’s bedroom and Penelope felt like an outsider, it had been a long time since she had walked inside Luke’s home, once they got there, she helped Julian to put on his PJ’s while Luke watched them and untuck his bed covers.

“Pwesent!” Julian said once he was underneath his blankets, each of his parents sat on either side of the bed next to him.

Luke opened the bag and put out something that look like a binder? Photo album? ‘Luke + Jules + Pen’ was engraved on the cover, when he opened it, he saw it was a scrapbook, it had photos of him and Penelope when they first met back in college, ticket stubs of that time when Penelope was in different plays, from when all of the gang had gone to see the Yankees, Luke’s favorite baseball team, photos of them with their friends and then it was Julian’s first sonogram, photos of Penelope pregnant, photos of their baby shower, their first picture the three of them that Savannah had taken at the hospital, all of it was filled with memories.

Luke closed it abruptly, it was all too much for him “Alright, bud, it’s time for you to sleep, we’re picking up Roxy from the shelter tomorrow, remember?” A sleepy boy nodded and just when Penelope and Luke thought they had won, Julian spoke again.

“Mommy, stay!” Penelope tried her best to smile.

“I have to go to your other home, remember?” Luke noticed how Penelope’s voice faltered and decided to back her up.

“Julian, remember what I told you about your two houses? That only the most special little boys get two, so Mommy needs to go and take care of your other house”

“I want Mommy to stay!” He demanded, starting to cry again.

It took everything in Penelope not to tell him that he wanted to stay as well so she just held him and sang the lullaby Luke used to sing to him when he was a baby, it didn’t take long until he fell asleep, Penelope kissed his forehead and silently left the room with Luke behind her.

Before she could speak Luke beat her to it “Drive safe, I’ll take him to you on Sunday” He said and Penelope could only nod as she walked out of the door an to her car.

She sat there for a few minutes, not realizing tears were rolling down her cheeks, when she calmed down she started to drive home, it took her ten minutes to decide she was not going home, she made an u-turn to go back to Luke’s place.

She knocked, unsure what she was going to say but trusting it would be the right thing.

“Penelope? Did you forget something?” Luke asked, confused as to why she was back.

She walked right past him into his apartment “Remember when I asked you if you had met your person?” She said with tears in her eyes.

“Yes” He breathed out.

“We both said no” Penelope stated “Can you ask me if I’ve met my person, please?” Luke felt some sort of anger form in his chest.

“Why? So you can tell me it’s perfect Sam? I don’t under-”

“Please” She interrupted him “Please ask me”

“Have you met your person?”

“Yeah, I have, for a long time now, but I was an idiot and I didn’t realize it until just recently” She said through her sobs, Luke forgot how to breathe, playing her words over and over again “When I found your present and looked through it I realized it’s you, it has been you all along, Luke, you’re my person”

Luke didn’t waste no time and kissed her, feeling his heart being mend with every second that passed, when they pulled away, he asked “What about Sam?”

“He’s been out of the picture for months” She admitted and Luke resumed their kiss only to pull apart immediately.

“You’re my person, Penelope, always have, always will” He choked out.

“I love you, Luke” She caressed his face in her hands.

Luke closed her eyes, her words giving him a joy he didn’t knew existed “I love you too, Penelope”

“So… Can I stay?” She chuckled through her tears.

“Only if you stay forever” Luke answered and took her in his arms, planning to make up for all the lost time where he wasn’t able to show her how much he loved her.

“Home, let me come home, home is wherever I’m with you”

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

#cmbingo20 #cmbingo #garvez #penelope garcia #luke alvez #criminal minds #luke x penelope #garcia x alvez #garvez au #garvez imagine #garvez fanfic #criminal minds imagine #criminal minds fanfic #i write things

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dolphin-enthusiast · 4 years ago

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hello there buttercup!! 🌟💝☀ it's lovely to see you again this night, morgy dear! i hope today was much better for you than yesterday, you do only deserve nice and pleasant days after all dolcezza 💞💞 (1/12?)

"in all seriousness, i'm sorry to hear that yesterday was so terrible for you my darling, but the hard part is over, you got through it! its hard when things get overwhelming, but please remember that it's okay to take a step back and get through it one day at a time!! make sure to do some things that you find relaxing/enjoyable, and if you do need/want a little cheering up at any time, don't be shy to let me know!! i have a lot of tricks up my sleeve hehe 💓 (2/12)

and oh my, you like cheesecake too dear?? ahhh it's one of my favorite classic desserts!! my favorite kinds are strawberry, key lime, and this special family recipe of mine,, it's a limoncello cheesecake with a touch of strawberry compote, it's especially refreshing during the summer! oh goodness, i'll have to make it for you sometime, i bet you'd love it! ✨ (3/12?)

ah, and the accident?? i actually don't mind talking about it since it was so many years ago, i've worked through it enough,, so i can tell you! a warning though: it is pretty brutal, so for those who are easily triggered, please scroll past for your well-being! (4/12)

it happened the weekend after one of my annual finale ballet recitals, which was strange timing indeed,, my mamma and i were driving down a highway to go home from an appointment, when a car behind us suddenly swerved and hit us from the left side, towards the back,, unfortunately i took most of the impact, but thankfully my mom wasn't too injured, just in shock (5/12)

i don't remember much except flashing lights from the police cars and people yelling, but a few minutes later i found myself being carried and placed into the back of a truck,, apparently a good samaritan wanted to help drive us to the hospital since it would take too long for the ambulance to arrive, i fell asleep and woke up in the ER (6/12)

and thank god, i didn't have any life-threatening injuries or any broken bones, just a very sprained ankle, a concussion, and cuts/bruises from glass shards,, i only stayed for a night and then we both left quickly,, what caused me to sadly stop ballet and skating wasn't the injuries themselves as much as it was the aftermath (7/12)

i found myself having a very painful time when trying to execute different moves and my endurance took a severe hit,, we soon determined that continuing such high-intensity sports in this state would be detrimental to my body,, (8/12)

it was truly crushing since being a prima donna was little me's biggest dream, but not everything works out,, i've greatly recovered over the years, but it's still difficult to do certain things because of the after-effects, so for now i'll just continue dancing and just watch figure skating and ballet from the sidelines! (9/12, i had to go on anon since i hit the limit 😅)

anyway, aside from the sad stuff, today was quite relaxing for once!! i actually ate a nice breakfast today, and i ended up spending my morning lounging around and playing minecraft, which was nice 🌸after cooking dinner for my family, i went to check on the bunnies again, and today they got themselves into a sticky situation hehehe 💫 there's a section of the garden that's fenced off, where different types of hot peppers grow,, (10/12)

they're not allowed in there since the pepper plant leaves are extremely spicy and not good for them to eat,, but somehow, they were able to jump the high fence and get inside!! the poor little bunbuns were trapped and couldn't find a way out... so i had to lure them close with vegetables and pick them up (which took all of 10 minutes) they're little troublemakers, but i guess they make up for it with cuteness 🌺 (11/12)

boh,, i seem to be getting sleepy now, maybe that's why a headache came on all of a sudden! well, i guess i'll take my leave for the night!! sleep well amore, i'll be thinking of you 💘- love from the moon and back, waifu xoxo 💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗ps: rollerblading hm?? ooh, maybe you could teach me~ 😘 (12/12)"

Let me start off by saying that ur so lucky u made it out without any severe injuries like....ur life really sounds like a movie bc wtf🤡🤡 u went thru some real shit yet here u are snatchin wigs and acting like an angel, we all dont deserve u fjdhdjd like honestly thats so fucked?? Imagine loving to do smth only to not be able to do it anymore and ur dreams being shattered bc of smth like an accident that was someone else's fault happenin...its a damn shame and i hope maybe someday u will be able to pick up on ballet or ice skating again and i'll be personally looking for the one who did this

On another note, im glad u relaxed again bruh shhchd i also a d o r e cheesecake and its one of my fav desserts, i acc really love the strawberries, blackberries and raspberries ones the most (although lemon ones arent bad either and i once tried an orange one which was g o o d) 😩😩 thank u as always for whising me the za best also, unfoetinately today my volleyball practice was canceled due to cases increasing again and the coach said they'll resume in the following weeks so 🗿🗿🗿🗿

AnYwAYs u lookin our for the bunnies is still the cutest most disney princess thing ever and im all for it👁️ also i def will have to teach u rollerblading fjshhss ppl say its the same as ice skating but i beg to differ....while i can rollerblade like a pro i cant ice skate to save my own ass s o-

#but fr now...u went thru some shit and dare i say it was fate bc u made it thru all of it??#i mean the universe knew u were way too kind and pure hearted so u always made it out no matter what #its a damn shame bruh....i do want to see u succeeding as a ballerina or figure skater one day😤#the confessional

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thecrazydragonlady · 5 years ago

Text

Pride Zine 2020 Piece

Summary: After travelling, Aria and Magnolia get a moment’s rest in a hotel. However, they’re still learning about each other and with it, comes some pretty open talks about identity. How does one classify a half-dragon anyway?

Author’s Note: Happy Wrath Pride Month everyone! This Zine was established by @kestrelmakesart and is available for free download at gumroad. There are optional tiers for some extra goodies. All proceeds are going to global charities. Please check out the hardwork of all the amazing creators who put a lot of work into it.

One last note, this is an original character story. Aria and Magnolia are the main protagonist for a novel I’m planning for my Dragon Breeder’s Daughter series. I hope you enjoy this small snippet from their world!

Aria sighed as she sat down on the edge of the bed. The heat was high in the village they were in; it was much different than the comfortable, temperate climate she was used to with her teacher, but that was a past, many days, and months now removed. Thinking back on it almost seemed like a dream. One minute she was training to be a town doctor. Then she was on this journey, trying her hardest to help her friend find her mother.

Who could’ve imagined that this was how her life was going to turn out?

Speaking of her friend… Aria opened her eyes and assessed her sitting on the windowsill, her tail’s tip twitching back and forth as her ruby red eyes scanned the ground below. A soft rumbling noise came from her throat. She pressed her face closer to the glass as something caught her attention. The two horns that protruded on both sides of her head, circling a bit towards her face, made a soft tapping noise as they hit it. Aria giggled into her hand. She wasn’t sure how aware Magnolia was of her cat-like behaviors, but it was always cute to her when she spotted them, especially in the calm moments.

The room they were in was pleasant. It wasn’t big but had two beds for the both of them, a table and chair for writing, a basin for washing, and that was roughly it. The walls were made of sandstone. The floor, a hardwood harvested from the odd trees she had seen in their passing. Aria was not sure what to call them, but she would be sure to ask. The door had a deadbolt on the inside, which was good for them since this was where Magnolia was going to spend most of her time during the day, just to keep her perceived unnatural appearance out of sight of the common people. It made her feel a bit sad. After everything that they had been through, this type of situation fit their current lifestyle, but she hoped that, one day, after they found her mother, Magnolia was going to be able to live the life of freedom that she deserved.

“I’m sorry that you can’t be in the sun,” she said. Magnolia turned from the window to face her. Aria looked at her with soft eyes. Magnolia shrugged.

“I am dragon,” she returned, “Dangerous if in front of humans.”

“Your language is getting better,” Aria praised. Magnolia beamed a bit. Aria reached into her satchel and pulled out her notebook and quill, documenting the brief exchange. Magnolia leaned her head to the side.

“Why write?”

“I’m documenting.” She smiled when the word elicited another turn of her head. “It means I’m copying down what just happened. It makes it easier for me to remember things.”

“Why write instead of remember?”

“Well,” Aria mused, “Sometimes, my brain does funny things. It can change what I remember so to be acc- correct, I write what I need to as soon as it happens, so I don’t forget.” She held the book up for Magnolia to see, and the half-dragon squinted at it. “See? I wrote down ‘She claimed to be a dragon today by saying, ‘I am dragon’. That way, I’ll remember how good your language was and I can figure out how to help you more.”

Magnolia’s tail hit the ground a bit harder, “Why she?”

Aria froze. She placed the book down on her lap and looked calmly at Magnolia, taking in the signs of irritation: the tail twitching, mouth at a slight angle, eyes narrowed, pupils narrowed like a cat, tiny wings twitching a bit. After a few moments, she asked, “Do you not identify as ‘she’?”

Magnolia huffed. “Am dragon. Not she.”

“Yes, well,” Aria started. The words were caught in her throat for a second as her head spun. How in the world was she going to explain supposed gender identity to Magnolia?

“Not he or she,” Magnolia repeated. “Dragon.”

Finally, Aria released her breath, “Okay.” Magnolia perked up.

“Okay?”

“Sure,” she smiled. “It’s how you identify.” She paused and the smile turned a little bit sadder. “Magnolia, I know you don’t like it, but I have to ask you something really serious.” She moved a bit closer, pulling the wooden chair nearby closer so that they could have this conversation. Magnolia allowed her. “Magnolia, there are some dangerous people in this world. You know that, right?”

“I remember,” the half-ling growled. “Circus. Bad men. Stole me. Hurt Mama.”

“Yes, just like them,” Aria confirmed. “However, there are people out there that are dangerous for other reasons.”

“Different… dangers?” She shook her head. “All dangers are the same. They hurt.”

“You’re not wrong.” Aria took another breath. “There are people out there that aren’t going to care that you are part dragon, like my teacher. You remember her, right? The nice lady I was with when we pulled you out of the stream?” Magnolia nodded. “But there are people that are going to seem like they don’t care about that, and they won’t, but if you say you are not a ‘she’, they will… hate you.”

“Hate me? For that?” Aria nodded.

“It’s sad, and pathetic,” she confirmed, “but cowardly people can be afraid of people who don’t always fit their ideas. Gender, the ‘she’ and ‘he’ thing that you don’t like, is one of those ideas.” She reached out and gently grabbed Magnolia’s hand. Aria could feel the heat radiating off the golden scales embedded into their skin like tiny metal plates, the claws gently brushing the skin of her wrist; there was a stark difference between Magnolia’s golden color and her darker skin. “It doesn’t make sense. Humans don’t always make sense. However, I’m telling you all this so that I can ask you if you would be offended if I used ‘she’ and ‘her’ to talk to other people about you? I want to protect you and sometimes, if we don’t know that person is going to be dangerous for that reason, it would be best if we used the ‘she’ and ‘her’ to keep you safe.”

Magnolia’s tail thumped again, “Don’t like…but understand.” She nodded. “May use when talking to strangers.” Aria smiled softly.

“Thank you, Magnolia.” She released their hand. Aria looked out the window as a small flock of birds flew past it, up into the crystal blue sky and white fluffy clouds. “One day, I pray that someone changes the laws and the mindsets of the people. I hope that people can learn to love everyone, no matter their type.”

“Speaking from sadness.”

Aria turned, surprised. “What?” Magnolia huffed again but didn’t divert their attention from her, ruby red meeting hazel brown; they sparkled with a wisdom that was yet to be voiced and Aria made a mental note to document her questions into her journal later: was it Magnolia, the human-dragon hybrid, speaking now or was it something much more ancient? Could she truly carry the knowledge of her parents as dragon legends often proclaimed? Would the dragon blood make her that perceptive?

“You speak from sadness,” Magnolia repeated. “You know.”

Aria sighed-chuckled. “You did much better that time with the sentence. You added in the subject at least.” She looked back out the window. “Yeah, I do speak from sadness. I know what it’s like, being attacked by people who hate you because you don’t fit their narrative.”

“Skin?”

“Oh no. That was thankfully not one of the reasons. My hometown was fairly good about that; I don’t recall anyone ever attacking me for my skin color or its condition.” Her shoulders slumped a bit. “In fact, nobody there hated me for anything that I am. They were pretty accepting when I finally was old enough to tell them.”

“Tell what?”

Aria looked down at the people. She spotted a couple passing by and she pointed to them, “You see that couple down there? They’re together because they love each other and what is traditionally supposed to happen next is that you’re supposed to be attracted to them sexually.” She could tell that the last part escaped Magnolia’s understanding, so she explained, “Having sex between a male and female is how more humans are made. They make a baby together.”

“No egg?”

“Well there is an egg, but it’s really complicated, and not important right now. I can explain it later to you if we can work on your language first. Okay?” She coughed. “Anyway, I do not feel that kind of attraction. I love people, and I have had relationships like that in the past, but I do not feel that need to make a child with anyone.” Her head dipped forward a bit as she looked at her hands in her lap. She squeezed her skirt as the memories came back to her, to the harsh words that were thrown her way after visiting the capital for the first time. “My family was visiting a cousin,” she whispered. “I had never met him before, but he was related to my dad. I was so used to the safety of my hometown that I didn’t think anything of it, when I explained what I felt to them.” She sighed. “They called me broken, told me that I was less than human, and failing my job as a woman. For a long time, I thought that I was broken because of it and I tried, I tried hard to feel something for someone, anyone, for years after that. But… I never could. I was a kid. They hurt me, a lot.”

“You are not broken. You are Aria. Aria is Aria. Aria is whole.”

She couldn’t help but laugh, “You’re right. I am Aria and I am whole.” She sniffed a bit. “I am better now. I promise. My teacher helped me to understand that when she agreed to take me in as her student.”

Aria looked down, in surprise as she felt the warm scales of Magnolia’s tail wrap around her left arm. Her little wings flapped a bit. She knew that this was one of a few ways that they showed affection; many nights, she had found them curled around her when they were sleeping in the woods or a nearby cave. Their tail was often wrapped around her arm. Aria closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth they gave off, even if it was already so hot in the room from the desert sun. It was comforting to be supported.

“I like you.”

She had to catch her breath for a moment, remembering that Magnolia’s “like” was not a normal human’s like. The dragon part played a role in this so Aria smiled, and softly said, “Thank you, Magnolia.” She stood, allowing the tail to gently slide from her arm. “I’m going to purchase lunch. I’ll make sure to grab your favorite grilled meat if I can find some.”

“Travel safe,” Magnolia chirped, another sign of happiness. Aria waved to her as she opened the door and stepped outside, pulling the hood up on her travelling cloak to protect her from the glaring sun.

#pridezine 2020 #pride zine 2020 #magnolia #aria #original characters #oc #the dragon breeder's daughter series #dragon's heir

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trinkets-and-spirits · 6 years ago

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Seen you on my dash a few times and wanted to say hi and thought this was a good way so: 14: Name some people on tumblr you'd like to hang out with (if any) 25: Discribe the worst fashion choice you ever made. Feel free to discribe it in detail.

Crap, I just saw this. I got too into Naruto & furniture hunting. 😅

Thank you for deciding to drop in & say hi !! And thanks for the questions !! 😉

14:— Name some people from Tumblr that you’d love to hang out with. (Oof, I hoped someone would ask!)

Hmm, a few prominent names pop to mind immediately; who I tend to use as answers for most of these questions; but there’re one or two—whom I don’t actually interact w/ that much, but secretly admire them from afar, tbh. 😂

1:— @cheapymccheaps // I realised last night that I’ve known him for like, 3 fucking years. We met on fanfiction dot net; I’m pretty sure it was either on my own forum, or a…mutual acquaintance’s (eck) forum. :p He’s essentially my favourite person in existence & I will fuckin drop kick anyone who tries to attack him, bc he’s wholesome; kind; and can’t beat me in knife combat in RD2O—but somehow still fills me with terror when I see him respawning. 😂

2:— @deltanoid // D E L A D D Y. T H A T I S A L L.

3:— @meek-minded-masochist // We don’t really talk that much; and I totally left him hanging on a RWBY RP acc that I…haven’t been on in ages, bc I’ve just been so dead inside, and I still feel bad about it. ; u ; But he’s a really wholesome person; and again—I will destroy anyone who attaccs. :’)

4:— @keepcalmandcarrieunderwood // Again, I don’t really interact w/ him bc I barely manage to focus on talking to two people at the same time, so any more & I’m just kinda…oh no. But his blog is fuckin’ amazing & I get way too hyped over his infamous Oreo hunt, and his dad vs bad advice moments. He just seems like a genuinely chill person & I love seeing any reference to him. His blog & posts are literally a huge light in my life; and I’d probs actually die of ‘oH MY GOD *squee*’ vibes, if I ever actually saw him IRL. I am weak.

5:— @slavicafire // Viper Queen, so precious and beautiful. ❤ Another person that I share minimal interaction w/ ; but her entire presence expresses radiance on my life, and her blog is full of informative & amazing topics. 😊 She’s an extremely vibrant soul, and I’m happy to have found her, tbh. c:

6:— @smolpocketmonstercoffee // I’ve always had pleasant interactions w/ them !! My…forgetful ass is punting the info of pronouns & names into the trash, and I’m so sorry, if you’re reading this!! ; - ; But I totally love any time we’ve chatted or had any interactions on tumblr; your blog is just. Y a s s s.

25:— Describe the worst fashion choice you’ve ever made. Feel free to describe it in detail. (O h n o)

Uhh. Yikes, the first thing that comes to mind is an outfit from 2017—when I made the horrific decision to wear an already short dress w/ a sweatshirt on top, because body dysmorphia was telling me that was the best thing to do. It was not; because not only was this dress very flowy & would blow up at the slightest breeze, but my sweatshirt actually hiked it up a lot more, somehow.

I’m still uncertain on how; maybe bc the fabrics got clumped together under my shirt, but regardless—some boomers got a kick outta staring at my…lower quarters. Me being 15/16 & oblivious as fuck to how I could get the same effect that my present outfit had, without giving old fuckers a peep show; I wore that outfit multiple times, before I finally realised my mistakes around 2 months after I’d been wearing the outfit frequently. :’)) I now avoid short skirts at all costs, and only wear midi and maxi skirts, bc I just…clearly don’t know how to style ‘em. 😂😂 This was also around the time that I used to wear wedged heels everywhere; not platforms; w e d g e d heels. That was one of the worst mistakes ever—and my dyspraxia & chronic pains still hate me. :’))

Recently, I also made the decision to wear a plaid button-up beneath one of my tops; because I’d been seeing it on Tik Tok and Instagram w/ striped tops, and I really wanted to get in on the trend. It didn’t work out too well, tbh. It wasn’t bad; and I think it could have definitely worked—but my top looked way too chunky (not great w/ body dysmorphia) w/ the two layers; and I felt really uncomfortable the entire time. You know that feeling; when you put on too many socks, and your feet just become kinda numb, and you feel like you’re walking on a mix of clouds and jelly?? It was that; but my entire upper body. It wasn’t a hideous outfit, and it definitely looked fine to most people, but in my eyes…it was just really bad?? I wanna try it again; but w/ a thinner top beneath my outer top, bc I just. I can’t deal w/ that body dysmorphia rn.

And then there were the terrible cosplay attempts. Jeez. But I’m honestly blanking a lot, conveniently, despite knowing I have tons of other terrible fashion choices; so I’m just gonna…leave my attempted answer there. 😅😂

#iconicbiboy #answered #rambles #ramblings #long post #txt

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kootenaygoon · 6 years ago

Photo

So,

Cold tears lingered on my cheeks as we hiked downhill through ankle-deep snow, icy wind gusting up from Kootenay Lake and flowing full in our faces. We trudged from one streetlight to the next, squinting into the swirling darkness, lurching unsteadily. There were four or five of us migrating from a house party further up the hill, and none of us were dressed for this sudden blizzard. Paisley had me around my hips as she took careful steps down the sidewalk, and I pulled my coat tighter around my face. I’ve always been a wuss when it comes to winter, having grown up on the west coast, and I was contemplating a U-turn towards home—it was almost midnight and I knew Muppet and Buster were waiting to be cuddled.

Since the beginning of our relationship neither Paisley or I had done much partying, as we’d settled into an increasingly cozy home life, but over Christmas we found ourselves navigating increasingly bombastic social scenarios that left us feeling like clueless ancients. Before we’d been feeling bored and under-stimulated, staying home all the time to order takeout and re-watch the Harry Potter series, but now we had the opposite problem—we were scrambling to keep up. As we crossed through the final intersection and rounded down to Front Street I wondered if there was anything at this upcoming party that could compare to luxuriating in a hot bath.

“I’m starting to ponder the nature of suffering here,” I said. “I’m like one minute away from dying in a snowbank.”

“We’re almost there,” yelled back our friend Caelynn. “It’s right up in that building, the Hall Street Emporium. Like only two blocks further.”

“The party’s in that building? The one with the new pot dispensary?” I asked.

“Yeah, he’s the one that’s putting it on.”

“Who?”

“The main grower, Niles. Apparently he’s handing out a bunch of free weed.”

“You’re shitting me.”

“That’s what my friend texted. She said there’s like 50 people there.”

I’d been keeping a close eye on the cannabis scene since the municipal election, but hadn’t actually pulled the trigger on any Star stories after the pushback I received from management over the Sensible BC thing. I didn’t want to come off to the community as overzealous, too pot-friendly, but marijuana seemed like the main Nelson story that wasn’t being told. There was a long-standing culture of silence around the controversial plant, of secrecy, but with legalization coming I felt like it wasn’t necessary for everyone to hide anymore. Paisley and I had checked out the new place a few weeks earlier, when gossip reached us, and we’d been surprised by how amateur the operation was. It was being run by a 24-year-old former forest fire fighter named Marv, and he’d essentially dragged a glass countertop into an empty room devoid of decorations and proceeded to sell weed and a variety of edibles to whoever walked through the door—he didn’t even check for ID.

I figured it was only a matter of time before the police intervened.

“That guy Marv is such a heat score,” I said. “It’s like he’s daring the police to raid him.”

“What are they gonna do?” Caelynn asked, defiant. “It’s gonna be legal in like a year anyways, right? Fuck those pigs.”

“They may not be able to do anything right now, but he’s still going about this the wrong way.”

“What’s the right way, then?”

“People appreciate some professionalism. I mean, once legalization comes everything’s going to be so different, above board, and there’s not going to be room for people like him.”

“You wanna put money on that?”

I thought about it for a second. “I bet you 50 bucks he’s shut down within three months.”

Caelynn smiled. “Three months from today? 50 bucks? I’ll shake on that.”

A few minutes later we reached the party, and noisily banged the snow off our boots as we entered the building. The first thing I saw was a baby, unattended, crawling across the floor. Mounted speakers blared Shambhala-style EDM, there was a table crowded with ravaged grocery store appetizers, and a whole variety of bongs and smoking apparatuses surrounding a trio of leather couches. In the corner was a pile of air filtration tubing, attached to a heavy-looking appliance the size of a dishwasher, but none of it was turned on. Marv was drunkenly circling the party, taking pictures, and wasn’t wearing a shirt. He was scrawny to the point of looking emaciated, and his thin moustache was dusted with white powder. He careened across the room to embrace Caelynn, then fished a joint out from his toque and held it out in my direction.

We lit it.

“Newspaper dude,” he said, taking a toke. “You’ve got a pretty fucking cool job.”

“It’s Will, and this is my partner Paisley.”

“Your partner?”

“I always hated the term ‘girlfriend’, and we’re not married, so…”

“You are fucking beautiful,” Marv said, as he shook her hand. “Don’t mind me, I’m really fucking high right now. I’m actually totally harmless.”

Paisley laughed uncomfortably. “It’s all good. Thanks for having us.”

“It’s not me, man. It’s all Niles. Have you guys met Niles yet?” he asked, his eyes darting. “He organized this whole shindig, he’s the guy. Hey Niles, Niles! Come here, man.”

Niles shook his head apologetically to the people he was standing with, then sauntered over. He was in his early fifties, with a Swayze-esque mane of golden hair, wearing a baby blue suit. His walnut brown tan made his eyes seem supernaturally white, his golden bowtie was comically oversized, and he even kept a chained watch in his side pocket. It almost looked like he was in costume, like he could be tea partying with the Mad Hatter himself.

“The Kootenay Goon,” Niles said. “It’s an honour. I’ve been reading your stuff for months now, wondering when I would get the chance to meet the new shit disturber in town.”

I shook his hand, half-standing from the couch. “Yeah, shit disturber’s about right.”

“And here we have your lady love—Paisley, right?” he said, turning to her. “That was one of the first articles I read by you, Goon, the column you wrote about her. I remember thinking: ‘people should write about love in the newspaper more often’! I thought ‘when was the last time you saw someone fill two pages of a community newspaper with an ode to his girlfriend?’ I find kids think it’s cool to be nonchalant these days, to never emotionally commit to anybody or anything, and I ask you: what ever happened to true romance?”

Niles sunk down on the couch beside us, crossed his legs and began bouncing his foot in the air. Paisley and I shared a quick glance, acknowledging his Shakespearean flamboyance with secret smirks. He took a few tokes from the joint and passed it to Paisley, then draped his elbow on my shoulder. There was an instant familiarity there, a comfort level I wouldn’t typically have with a stranger, and pretty soon our conversation had veered into philosophical territory. He asked me if I believe in pure, unadulterated love. Did it really exist?

I sat forward, tugging at my beard thoughtfully. “For me, there’s just so many things I’ve lost faith in — like I used to be a hyper-Christian teenager and then I ditched on the whole God thing — and love, like human love, is one of the last things I actually believe in, you know?”

“You were a Christian kid?”

“Totally. Worked at a Bible camp in the summers, did missionary trips, the whole deal.”

“And what ended things for you?”

“My youth pastor was arrested for molesting a teenage boy down in Mexico, summer of 2005, during a missions trip. He was a father figure to me, so I started questioning: if I can’t trust him, and he taught me about God, then how can I trust what I know about God?”

“What a funny word, God.”

“I thought you guys would get along,” said Marv, stumbling off. Niles whipped over to a nearby fridge and returned with three beers. We clinked them together and took long pulls as a handful of party-goers began to dance around us. I felt a pleasant heat in my eyeballs. It was starting to get crowded, and loud.

“The vision I have for this place, Goon,” Niles said. “This wouldn’t just be a dispensary. It would be a smoking lounge, a social club … I was thinking maybe massages too, like a spa. Maybe a counsellor, mental health coach, that sort of thing.”

“I’ve heard that there are multiple new ones getting ready to open. The Green Rush, they’re calling it.”

“Yeah, but everyone’s too chickenshit to pull the trigger because they don’t know which way city hall will swing. They let Phil run his club because he keeps things below the radar, but nobody’s really tried strutting out into the light with their balls out yet.”

“Well, except for you.”

He smiled humbly.

“Well, Deb Kozak’s supposed to be more pot-friendly than Dooley,” I said. “That could make a difference in how things go down.”

He sighed. “They’re all the same. All three of them. There was no real choice there. It’s not about their opinions on cannabis, or their public stances or whatever. At the end of the day it’s about the money, and when the time comes they’re going to want their cut. Doesn’t matter who’s sitting in the big seat. They’re all so full of shit.”

He paused for a moment to take a thoughtful pull from his beer, then continued.

“I mean I’ve lived here since 1976, and there’s never been an honest politician in this town. Not once. They’re all lizard-fucking slime bags, all of them dirty in one way or another. You can’t trust a single word they say, remember that. It’s all the same pablum bullshit they’re force-feeding everybody. They say they’re going to act, they have all kinds of pretty words, but what do they actually do? What do they actually accomplish?” he asked.

“Nothing.”

After chatting intensely for twenty minutes, Niles circulated off to the rest of the party and Paisley and I found ourselves awkwardly clutching our half-finished beers. Caelynn pulled up a chair, sat down on it backwards, and we re-started an earlier debate on the moral standing of Jaime Lannister, the Kingslayer. I engaged hard. Paisley put her head on my shoulder and we accepted another joint that was being passed around, sitting comfortable in the rolling fog of bong smoke. My consciousness began to fuzz.

“Oh, I love him,” I heard Paisley say. “What’s his name?”

I tried to locate my partner, distinct amidst the chaos of bodies around me. There were lots of colours. She was down on one knee, laughing, as a German shepherd took happy tongue swipes at her face. Brutus. I looked beyond her to where Snapper stood, leash in hand, wearing a sleeveless jersey that nearly reached his knees. He said something to Paisley, and she said something back, while I tried to maneuver into a standing position. I tried to take a swig of my beer but found it empty. When did that happen?

“Oh, that was tragic,” said Blayne, appearing beside me. She was wearing a bright red jumper, and had her hair braided into pigtails. “You should’ve seen the look of disappointment on your face.”

I smiled. “All these beers keep ending up empty.”

“Funny how that works.”

“I was just heading over to rescue my partner from Snapper before you showed up.”

“Oh, come on. He’s not that bad.”

“Not that bad?” I laughed, and then I doubled over and laughed some more. “Not that bad! Not that bad!” I knew my reaction was disproportionate, maybe nonsensical, but it was just one of those evenings. Blayne had her hand on my shoulder, trying to pull me back under control, and she was laughing now too — but she was laughing at me, laughing.

“You can be kind of an asshole, huh?” she said.

“I’ve made peace with that, yeah.”

“What’s Snapper ever done to you?”

I looked over to where he was chatting with Paisley. I didn’t like how close he was standing to her. She glanced over and made eye contact with me, then looked away again. I’ve never been a particularly possessive boyfriend, but something told me I needed to keep her away from him specifically. I turned to find Blayne blinking up into my face, because I’d failed to answer her.

“He hasn’t done anything to me, I just don’t like his energy.”

“He’s actually a really generous person. You guys could be friends, if you gave him a chance. You’d just have to stop being such a fucking snob.”

“I’m not a snob.”

“No? What are you then?”

Blayne and I sat back down on the couch, still bickering. Dru and Cy were sitting on the couch opposite from us, hand-rolling cigarettes on the coffee table. The music had a pulse, like a heartbeat, and I felt time melt. What was this sensation? I lifted my hands and marvelled at how the blood pulsed into my fingertips. My gaze settled on a dude wearing a psychedelic hoodie, on the sunburst erupting from his armpit. Wow. A woman walked by with a toddler on her hip, her billowing brown hair interlaced with red highlights, beads and little scraps of leather. I wondered what was going on in the minds of these strangers, if they were experiencing a fraction of what I was. This was one more moment, in this interminable line of moments, and who could say if it was any more special than any other? I wondered if anyone else were to tell a story about this moment, would it be different? What were they feeling, what did they see?

The Kootenay Goon

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queerauds-blog · 6 years ago

Text

Thank You. - Plat!Moxiety

≫ tw; uncensored cussing, self-deprecation, mention of chest pains and difficulty in breathing !!

≫ an; this was posted on my wattpad (@saltylouie) and Thomas Sanders Fans Amino (TSFA - louie) !! i don’t use this tumblr acc as much, so, do not be mistaken! ^^ i decided to post it here, because i really want this acc back up and runnin’. i also apologize for the confusing use of capitalization, i had a writing block when i wrote this, too.

≫ Summary: Virgil was out with some friends, but got bored. he went onto a social media platform where he had met most of his online friends. he started to feel.. nervous, and couldn't understand why. he went to Morality, knowing he was someone who could help him.

usually, he doesn't go out of his own house. at all. he stays at home even if he knows he is able to go outside and do so much more fun activities rather than lounge at home, nose stuck on his screen; he'd been introduced to the magic of the internet a while back, joining social networks and meeting people.

knowing they were only strangers online, and they didn't know him, he was still frankly quite shy about meeting people who are merely just strangers behind a screen. you'd expect for him to be anxious and very nervous about talking- but, they don't know who he is. they don't know who Virgil is. he convinced himself that there isn't a lot to worry about, just as long as the people they met strayed away from gaining personal information, he guesses he can consider them mutuals.

he sat with a few people around a small table, a few friends of the names' Remy, Deceit, and Emile. all three were occupied doing their own thing, having their own phones close to their noses. Remy was too busy playing games and calling someone on the phone as he sat with Virgil's earphones (for he had forgotten his), Deceit was flirting with a certain someone who Virgil was very close with, while Emile was simply looking through his phone, most likely looking through Pokémon Go out of boredom. Virgil doesn't hate company, in fact, Deceit is the person he hangs out with most, and of other gatherings, Remy's with them, and occasionally Emile.

Virgil noticed how everyone was doing their own thing, and he couldn't help but do the same and go on a social media platform. he went immediately to the media's feed, looking through loads more of art, writing, edits, other forms of art. he didn't realize how long he spaced out for as he stared at his phone, his own anxious thoughts telling him off. he felt his breathing quicken, chest tighten a bit too much, he hunched over slightly, praying it was unnoticed. he glanced at one hand, watching it shake a bit more than usual; it was a bad habit he does, looking at his shaky hands just make him feel even more anxious.

he quickly swiped a few times on his screen, his thumb seeming to have a mind of its own, but eventually stop. currently on his screen, the chats category was opened, displaying the many- well, few chats he had. some were private messages, and one group chat. he tapped a group chat that was titled Crofters Cookies for some reason... he didn't mind, he actually quite liked it. there were five members in the chat, including Virgil. of course, it was the internet, you can't just reveal your names. so, Virgil went by the user ✘ ṃʏ ċһєṃıċѧʟ ԁıṡѧṡṭєя ✘. they called him Anx, even if Virgil would've preferred to be called Anxiety when he can be labeled as the living embodiment of Anxiety.

like any group of friends, each friend had a label- not the bad kind, but that it was used to reference to someone as a shortcut. one user went by 🐶 ᎵᏌᎵᎵIᏋᎦ 🐶; just by looking at the user, one can perhaps tell this user really.. really loves animals, especially puppies. he was a male who went by Morality as his nickname— for his friend label- he went by Dad, because we was pretty much a father figure to his sons (let's not dwell on the topic that no one actually calls him dad).

another user went by L o g i c 🎓, and also just by his user, he went by Logic, immediately knowing the outcomes of other peoples' nicknames for him. he was called nerd a lot, that was definitely a common nickname, but, someone else in the group chat was very, and i mean very creative when it comes to nicknames for Logic.

this user went by ✨Ɛŋƈɧąŋɬąɖơཞ✨, you'd think he was some charming, dashing, lovable prince who can swoon any man or woman within a matter of milliseconds; he was. a kind, thoughtful prince, and quite a warrior, although, he was still a bit of a, nuisance, to how Logic phrases it. this.. Princey dude was a bit, no, that's a lie, he was an egoist and he was self-centered. he also loved Disney, and he was pretty indecisive. at least once every week, he'd change his icon about 3-7 times.

the last user was someone who went by Foster Dawg who was not very well active in the chat, he'd pop in from time to time, but the rest were very active. although an inactive member of the friend chat, it was like all four of them knew what was best for them. whenever he was dealing with emotions, Morality would step in. if he needed new ideas, prompts and plots, Princey would provide those. if he needed anything like an objective opinion, or something from an logical perspective, or have a question, or perhaps begin a debate, he'd go to Logic. Foster Dawg went to Anx when it came to certain doubts, insecurities, fears, and his own fairly heightened anxiety. all four of them were always of great help, to one another. it was strangely remarkable on how all four and each of their personalities form Foster Dawg all together, if ever possible. it's not like the four would be parts of Foster Dawg's personality; impossible, there are similarities, but, a person can't be a one's living embodiment of a personality trait. would it be a miracle? a coincidence? a curse?

that isn't the main focus right now. Virgil wasn't feeling very.. pleasant at the moment. he felt like throwing up everything he had just eaten, feeling quite uneasy. he typed a couple of words, stating how his social anxiety wasn't helping, but, out of nervousness, deleted his response before he could send it. yes, Virgil had a habit of doing that, but he would know to what the reason is. this time, he knew something was wrong, but he couldn't understand as to why he is feeling this way. the overwhelming thought that these, annoying emotions, were- or are the reason to his unanswered questions and complicated thoughts. moreover, Virgil isn't used to expressing himself, or venting in all general. he sighed quietly in defeat, looking over that list of members in the chat, tapping on a familiar dog icon. after a few more shaky taps, he'd finally entered his private message chat with Morality. he didn't even bother with scrolling up in their conversation, he really needed someone to talk to, unless he wanted to drive himself up a wall.

✘ ṃʏ ċһєṃıċѧʟ ԁıṡѧṡṭєя ✘: my chest feels heavy.

✘ ṃʏ ċһєṃıċѧʟ ԁıṡѧṡṭєя ✘: it's bothering me.

✘ ṃʏ ċһєṃıċѧʟ ԁıṡѧṡṭєя ✘: it

✘ ṃʏ ċһєṃıċѧʟ ԁıṡѧṡṭєя ✘: itbhurts

✘ ṃʏ ċһєṃıċѧʟ ԁıṡѧṡṭєя ✘: *it hurts

Virgil was still shaking as he typed his messages, his quick breathing becoming louder. he didn't want it to be heard, so he tried to take a deep breath in. it worked.. for a bit, until he saw the small text pop up at the bottom left corner of his screen, just above his keyboard.

🐶 ᎵᏌᎵᎵIᏋᎦ 🐶 is typing...

the small text disappeared, which didn't help Virgil at all. he refreshed the chat, almost sighing in relief once he saw the small bubble pop up again.

🐶 ᎵᏌᎵᎵIᏋᎦ 🐶: Why? Is something wrong, Kiddo? Are you ok??

✘ ṃʏ ċһєṃıċѧʟ ԁıṡѧṡṭєя ✘: i.. i don't know.

✘ ṃʏ ċһєṃıċѧʟ ԁıṡѧṡṭєя ✘: i just feel really weak, thinking about it makes me light-headed.

it really was weird for Virgil to express how he was currently feeling, especially with the voice in the back of his head, telling him he didn't deserve to be helped. he was always looking after the rest, which meant if he can balance out their problems with his, he can go just fine with his own. he thought wrong. he waited as he watched the small text bubble, showing that Morality was typing; he averted his gaze from his phone, looking anywhere else. his eyes landed on the three almost-forgotten-friends with him, chatting with each other every now and then. Deceit and Remy were both complaining that they were hungry again, the anxious companion couldn't help but laugh at their nonsense. they had just eaten, now, they want desert; not that there's a problem with that, it's just that Virgil wasn't particularly hungry, even if he ate quite little for dinner with the mentioned people with him. Emile stood up from his seat, quietly groaning as he excused himself to the bathroom, leaving Virgil to hold his phone for a while. he took Emile's phone and placed it in front of him-

the sound of glass falling scared the living hell out of him, resulting him to dropping Emile's phone on the table; thankfully, it wasn't too high off the table's surface, but it added to the sudden noise, and stating the obvious, it didn't help. apparently, Remy was moving something and it tipped an empty glass over, making it fall. Deceit almost jumped from the sound, his first instinct being to pick up the glass and stand it right up again. he then glanced at Virgil and Remy, before stifling a laugh as his shoulders shook slightly. Remy saw this, and smirked, Virgil couldn't tell if he was embarrassed, but he was laughing, so he chuckled nervously. he took deep breathes,

In. one.. two.. three.. four..

Hold. one, two, three, four, five, six, seven-

Out. one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight...

Virgil was silently thanking himself that he only had to do that breathing exercise only a few times; usually, he'd have to them for at least 15 minutes, especially that he was in public. knowing he isn't as overwhelmed as he thought, it was a clear sign to him that..

maybe he was just a weak person, whose problems weren't that big of an issue like he thought.

🐶 ᎵᏌᎵᎵIᏋᎦ 🐶: Aw.. Kiddo..

out of pure fear, Virgil had typed and sent without thinking twice. fuck.

✘ ṃʏ ċһєṃıċѧʟ ԁıṡѧṡṭєя ✘: im sorry im bothering you with whatever the hell is happening to me

shit. shit, why did i send that? fuck, oh no, what is he going to think? i'm such an idiot. i know this is Morality- but—

🐶 ᎵᏌᎵᎵIᏋᎦ 🐶: No, wait- Kiddo!! calm down. You aren't bothering me,

🐶 ᎵᏌᎵᎵIᏋᎦ 🐶: Why would you even think that you're bothering me??

✘ ṃʏ ċһєṃıċѧʟ ԁıṡѧṡṭєя ✘: because i don't like to vent. i don't like expressing myself, despite my loud, sarcastic, self. i always aim to protect and prioritize others over myself.

✘ ṃʏ ċһєṃıċѧʟ ԁıṡѧṡṭєя ✘: it's like.. whenever people come to me, looking for advice, their issues take a toll on me; why i'm reluctant to vent myself, thinking i'm being a burden to the person i'm talking to.

✘ ṃʏ ċһєṃıċѧʟ ԁıṡѧṡṭєя ✘: i also dont want people to worry about me, because i don't have feel the need to be helped, i don't deserve it.

✘ ṃʏ ċһєṃıċѧʟ ԁıṡѧṡṭєя ✘: plus.. my problems are literally nothing, yet i'm whining and complaining about them.

🐶 ᎵᏌᎵᎵIᏋᎦ 🐶 is typing...

see, you don't even know how to reply. see how much of a burden i am? all i do is weigh others, you down. god, why did i think going to you was my first thought? i could've gone to Logic, but, no, i'm bothering someone i care most abo-

🐶 ᎵᏌᎵᎵIᏋᎦ 🐶: C'mon, Kiddo! Don't think like that!

too late, Morality-

🐶 ᎵᏌᎵᎵIᏋᎦ 🐶: You aren't bothering me at all! Heck, if I have problems, I go to you or Logic! You both always seem to have the right words to say, and I'm really grateful!!

✘ ṃʏ ċһєṃıċѧʟ ԁıṡѧṡṭєя ✘: gasp

✘ ṃʏ ċһєṃıċѧʟ ԁıṡѧṡṭєя ✘: morality typed heck

yeah, joking around wasn't necessary at the moment, but, Virgil couldn't help it. he wasn't sure why he did that: either to avoid the topic, or he just unknowingly chimed in.

"Virge, want anything? Dee and i are getting desert." Remy spoke, his eyes meeting Virgil's gaze after noticing he's been staring at his phone for what he assumed was ten minutes or more. Deceit stood up from his seat, about the same time Emile walked back over, and taking his seat. "Picani, do you want anything?" Asked Deceit, adjusting his outfit and earning an unsure shrug from the other. "well, i'm getting the Golden Oreo Ice cream- whatever that is, it looks good."

"hey, i'll get everything!" exclaimed Remy, even if he didn't have the menu in hand. "no-?" chuckled Virgil, "well, let's get everything, for all of us to eat, hm?" Remy earned a joking glare from Virgil, "no!" he snickered as Remy shrugged. "whatever floats your boat- i'm hungry! i will get everything!" he exclaimed, standing up with Deceit to go over to the counter and order. Emile giggled and playfully rolled his eyes, "you sure you don't want anything, Virge? don't think i noticed you ate quite little earlier," said Picani, tilting his head slightly at Virgil, who turned his head away to avoid the other's gaze. "i.. don't know, what's on the menu?"

Emile stood up and walked over to a table, where an unused menu laid. he took it and walked back over to Virgil, sitting himself down still next to the anxious companion. "here; we can share, if you want? the desert Dee mentioned earlier did sound appealing," he said as he opened the small booklet up, flipping through the pages to reach for the Deserts section. he pointed at the desert Deceit mentioned earlier, something with a Golden Oreo with ice cream? that looked good, but, who was going to pay?

"Emile, who'll pay?"

"oh, i think Remy will."

Virgil frowned, "only him? if that's true, then i'm not getting anything." it seemed.. you know.. uh.. he couldn't think of the word, but, it just didn't feel right. if Remy doesn't want to get his money, then he isn't getting anything. "Virgil, it will be fine, besides, it was Remy who insisted. you know he visits this place a lot, he's practically known here," which wasn't a lie; Remy did visit this place to eat, or just hang around to talk to the staff. it's a fond little thing he did, pretty cute, too! Virgil then sighed, giving in to the offer. "alright, alright. we'll share, right?" Emile smiled and mused a giggle from Virgil's reply. "yes, of course! i'll go and tell them of our order, ok?"

before the anxious friend could reply, he had already gotten up and skipped his way towards the pair by the counter. he grinned softly, glancing back to his phone. he had missed three messages from Morality.

🐶 ᎵᏌᎵᎵIᏋᎦ 🐶: At least I don't type such foul language, Anxiety.

oh shit. he used the entire name, not the nickname. oh no, he's in Dad™ mode-

🐶 ᎵᏌᎵᎵIᏋᎦ 🐶: Don't think you're less than what you think and say to be, you know very well it isn't true. Don't let your negative thinking ever convince you, or drag you into its void. Like I said earlier, you aren't bothering me. I come to you whenever I'm not in the bestest mood, you always manage to cheer me up, even if you're that dark and strange! Know that you're heard, and you can come to me if you ever have any problems!

🐶 ᎵᏌᎵᎵIᏋᎦ 🐶: I worry about you, Anxiety, which means I care; yes, this is the internet and we're all strangers, but, our group is like a family! I would give up anything to meet you all! Also, you should let people help you. it may be difficult at first, but, really, it'll help you. A lot.

a corner of Virgil's mouth was tugged, forming a small grin on his face. not many people the ones Virgil's has come to were able to help him, but, he knew he cared. Morality, however — had the right words, and showed that he really did care and did his best in helping. Virgil appreciated Morality's efforts a lot, thankful he had met someone with a kind heart like his. maybe the thought of meeting Morality wasn't so bad...

✘ ṃʏ ċһєṃıċѧʟ ԁıṡѧṡṭєя ✘: i

✘ ṃʏ ċһєṃıċѧʟ ԁıṡѧṡṭєя ✘: thank you, morality i really appreciate it, like a lot

🐶 ᎵᏌᎵᎵIᏋᎦ 🐶 Is typing....

🐶 ᎵᏌᎵᎵIᏋᎦ 🐶: Call me Patton !

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starscreamloki · 7 years ago

Text

When Witches are Thieves and Tricksters are Saviors, all will fall

Chapter Three - Trickster

Previous chapter

Imagine: You’re an immortal witch who was cast out of Asgard and kept in a cell in another realm where you couldn’t escape nor hurt anybody. When Loki learned about you, he was instantly curious and did all the research necessary to find you. He also learned that you were unstoppable when you used to possess the mind stone. Loki started to pay you very interesting visits, where he actually developed a sort of fascination and loyalty to you, to the point where he actually plotted to break you out, get the stone from Vision and give it to you so you could join forces and do the unimaginable together.

Warnings: none

Words: 4475

A/N: It took some time to write this chapter because I had a lot of research to do about some other Marvel characters. I’m still not sure I did a good job because I’m a little unsure if I gave enough credit to the characters. However, I do like the events I’ve written in this chapter, so it might be not so bad after all. I’m sorry if characters are OOC, I gave it my best shot!

----

They called me an antagonist, a cruel vixen who wanted nothing more than to watch the Nine Realms burn.

But pray I ask you, have you ever wondered why? Have you ever asked yourselves why a villain becomes a villain and doesn't see herself that way? Because, believe me, one has to get battered down, a lot, and hard, to become as malicious as I was… Am!

I come from a big family and things weren’t always easy. Mom wasn’t around, dad was often gone, and I had to deal with 4 siblings and half of them weren’t even spouse from my mother.

But most of that didn't matter because everything was fine and worked out, until one day the enemy invaded our house when our father wasn't home. He failed to protect us. My half-brothers got in a fight with each other, not able to settle between them what they should do, and one killed the other. We all got dragged out of the house and I never saw them again.

They bound a large rock to my ankles and tossed me in the ocean, but at that point I already had gained immortality. I could not die but it had taken me quite some time to break free.

You see, all I - and my family - ever wanted was to live in peace. But they invaded my home, hurted us, reigned death without any explanation, and thus I became an antagonist.They dragged me out, forced my hand, and with that created an uncontrollable rage and hate.

And now I will not rest before I get my revenge!

***

For a couple of days Loki had traveled between Asgard and Muspelheim using the secret passageway in the mountain.

It had been a good way to practice his portalling. At first he still had used his horse to get to the mountains, creating portals to cross small distances at first, larger distances after a couple of times. He had also practiced his portalling in Muspelheim and so far so good. After a while he was able to portal from the palace to the mountains, step through the rift in the realms, and portal to Morganna.

On his first visited she had berated him, “I don’t see you carrying any food.”

“I’m not a donkey. I have magic for that!” and it became sort of their running gag. Loki would drop the food in the cage and after that they would talk about various things. Morganna was slowly getting her strength back and with that, her magic. She had showed him some of her magic which Loki had tried himself. He couldn’t control the powers she controlled, but he learned from the theoretics and had used it to apply, and amplify, his own powers.

And occasionally they had tested the cage, as they were doing now.

“Let me try something,” Loki said and portalled away only to reappear a second later with a struggling demon which he roughly shoved against the glass. He called forth his seidr and wrapped the demon in it. Then he started to magically rearrange the fibers of the magic and the glass of the cage so he could shove the demon through. The demon screamed and struggled but Loki’s grip was firm and slowly it was being pushed through the cage. This could work! If Loki could push the demon in, then he would be able to get Morganna out! But his joy was short lived as the demon got ripped apart by all the magic, leaving Morganna and Loki sprayed with blood and guts.

A look of astonishment on both their faces turned to one of disappointment and then they started to laugh. “At least we’ve made some progress,” Morganna said.

“You’ve made no progress, I have,” Loki said cocky and Morganna fixed him with a stare.

She shrugged, “You’re right.”

Loki was taken aback by her words. It wasn’t very often that someone said he was right, and if they did, he usually got berated or scolded after that. I little wistful smile formed on his lips.

He really liked Morganna and it was nice to have someone to talk to. Someone who understood him, understood his rage, his pain, his hate. But they were also very different, because he was ice and she was fire. He was the liar and she was the storyteller. It was weird that he was drawn to her so much, yet he didn’t feel like she would ever make a good lover but he didn’t understand why.

“Are you going to try it again?” Morganna asked him hopefully.

“No, not today.”

Morganna looked disappointed but it was short lived and she smiled. “Well, it was good talking to you.”

“Are you under the impression I’m leaving?” Loki asked while he leaned against the glass.

“Well, yes. You usually do when you’ve tried to breach the cage once. So I thought this time would be no different,” she said, a sadness audible in her voice.

Loki opened his mouth to say something, but she beat him to it and calmly said, “Loki, behind you.”

Loki looked over his shoulder to see three demons running at him, murder in their eyes, ready to rip him apart. He focused his attention back to Morganna.

“Well, maybe I can make an exception today,” he said with a smile on his face. Behind his back he flicked his wrist while calling forth his Seidr and send two demons flying back, smacking them against some rock and killing them instantly.

“Hm, what do you want to talk about?” she said while she also leaned against the glass on the other side. “You forgot one.”

“No, I didn’t,” with a quick turn Loki grabbed the demon by its neck and drove a dagger through its skull, and once again he was sprayed with blood. “I really have to stop making a bloody mess when I kill these things,” he muttered while turning back to Morganna and dropping the body unceremoniously to the ground.

“Then don’t let them come near you.”

“I thought you of all people would understand why sometimes a close combat is so much nicer than one from afar,” he grinned wickedly at her.

She smiled and hummed in agreement. Loki’s smile dropped and he seemed to ponder on something but didn’t speak his mind. “Out with it,” Morganna ordered him.

Loki gave her a dirty look. He didn’t like to be told what to do but experiences from the past had taught him to heed her commands because she could always tell when he was lying. And even if glass and distance separated them, she could acces his mind and wreak havoc in there. She had done it once, just to prove a point, he shuddered. It hadn’t been pleasant, uttermost intrusive even, but she had made amends by sharing some knowledge with him so he could amplify his own ability to read minds. Soon he would be able to alter a person's memories, the real one not distinguishable from the fake one he would create. But she had made a promise and a threat at that very moment, “don’t ever think I will not do that again if I deem it necessary. And don’t ever think about messing with my memories because that would be the last sane thing you would ever do!” Loki believed her, not only because she wasn’t able to lie, but also because he had felt the truth in her words.

Morganna banged on the glass, startling Loki back to reality from his reverie. “You’ve never told me which realm you are actually from,” he blurted.

Morganna knotted her eyebrows at his weird question but answered, “I’m from Asgard. But I’m not quite sure of my heritage.” She spoke softly but her words couldn’t have sounded more loud to Loki. “But I do not wish to speak any further about this subject,” she harshly said. “So, what will you, or we… try next to open this cage?”

Loki was silent for a moment, mulling over her words and trying to keep some of his own dark feelings at bay. Then he spoke, “I don’t know. I’m running out of ideas,” he sighed while probing the class. “It's just-- Maybe… I--” he stuttered which surprised him, he wasn’t one to stutter often and actually always had a plan. The thing was he had deprived his plans and with that came realisation that--

“Your not strong enough,” Morganna said laconic.

Loki shot the witch an angry glare, fire blazing in his eyes for the sudden rage he felt at her remark. He slammed the glass and screamed at her, “WITCH, SAY THAT ONE MORE TIME AND I’LL LEAVE YOU IN THIS CAGE TO ROT!”

Morganna only laughed which further enraged him. “Loki, you can seeth in anger, rage and hate all you want. You can threaten me until our end of days, it still doesn’t change the fact that this magic might be beyond you. It's not for the lack of will, and probably it isn’t your strength because those lie elsewhere, but it just simply is.”

Loki bared his teeth and growled viciously but before he could set of a tirade, she spoke again, her words were barely audible, her voice soft and she meant what she said, “you are NOT weak. I never implied nor said that…”

Loki’s rage suddenly seemed to subside and he looked down, biting his lip. He mused over her words, not entirely sure what to do with them or where to place them. The painful part actually was that she was right. She indeed had never called him weak but there were still things he had to learn and maybe indeed he wasn’t strong enough-- No, this wasn’t his department. This was her department tough, and she would be strong enough, but what could he do? How could he give her the power she would need to break free out of her prison?

“If only I had the mind-stone…” Morganna mused.

***

I saw a spark in Loki’s eyes as I mentioned the mind-stone. The Trickster seemed intrigued and both of us didn’t say a word as our eyes locked and a silent battle erupted between us, only spoken with our eyes.

Loki clearly didn’t want to let on that he knew about the stone, but I already had caught on to it. He noticed I already was on to him and he tried to steel his gaze in order to not give away any more. But I’m a creature of truth and I can not only feel when someone is lying, but I can feel when someone is holding something back, because let’s be honest, I’ve invented that trick.

With a solemn warning I looked him in the eyes, he’d better spill it or I would create havoc in his mind, searching long enough until I got the answer I wanted. Loki held on to his steel gaze a little longer, hoping he could outwit me, but I wasn’t in the mood for games and jabbed his mind. Nothing intrusive, just a little reminder who was in control and that he was playing with fire.

He yielded at that and I saw him cringe. He blinked and looked down, a fraction of frustration washing over his face and mixed with a little bit of anger because he had to yield. Then he sighed and spoke, “I know where the mind-stone is.”

I’d already thought as much otherwise he wouldn’t have tried to hide something. “Pray tell me, WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE AND NOT COLLECTING IT?” a sudden burst of rage overtook me. Why was he standing there, walking through the fires of Muspelheim every day, if he could’ve gotten me out of this cage days ago? Was he really that incompetent?

He banged the glass, hard, a snarl on his lips, seething with anger and he spoke through clenched teeth, “I’M NOT INCOMPETENT--”

Apparently I had spoken out loud in my rage… It happened. Yet again I had antagonized the one person who would be able to get me out. Sometimes it just scared me how much rage and hate lay beneath those green eyes, but then again, I’m no saint either.

“--and if it was so easy to collect it, I already would’ve done so!” he finished his sentence.

I could see the anger and hate keeping him in a tight grip and it was at that moment I realised two things. First of all, if I pushed all the right buttons he would do anything for me if it was only to prove himself. I wondered if he knew that proving himself to anyone wouldn’t diminish his feeling of self-loathing...

Secondly, he would burn down every Realm if that was what was needed to prove himself, and I liked it! He might be of ice, but the cold fires that burned inside of him could very well drive him to each succession he wanted. If only he wouldn’t allow to be held back.

“Why is retrieving this stone so difficult?” my calm demeanor back in place.

“Because it’s lodged into someone’s skull on Midgard and there are a couple of fools protecting him!” Loki almost shouted the last worst, so deep was his frustration.

“Than you’d better come up with a plan, little Trickster.”

***

Angry Loki walked through New York. Not only had Morganna belittled him, she had also given him an impossible mission. She had told him not to kill Vision because death would taint the gem. Was she out of her mind!

Killing Vision to get the stone out of his skull would prove to be difficult, let alone getting it out without killing him. And then there was the problem of that little red-haired witch. She would be no match for Morganna, and Loki snickered at the thought of the two of them fighting. That would be an interesting fight.

And if things weren’t difficult enough, there also was the small problem of the ‘heroes’ who called themselves the Avengers which he had to get past. Where was an army of Chitauri if you needed them?

Loki looked up at the building and sighed, if he wouldn’t gain anything from setting Morganna free, he wouldn’t have done it. But already she had given him some knowledge and her powers would be beyond compare, so he would get himself in this torment. On the other hand, this might be fun as well, and an mischievous laugh formed on Loki’s lips.

He opened up a portal and stepped out of it on the helicopter platform on top of Avengers Facility. Immediately alarms went off and an artificial voice spoke through the speakers of the entire building. “Unidentified person on helicopter platform, please make yourself know.”

Loki laughed. “Tell that Can of Iron and old friend is stopping by to say hello,” Loki told the AI and with that he used his Seidr to multiply himself a numerous amount of times.

At that moment Iron Man burst out of the building and hovered in the air above Loki. “Reindeer Games! Long time no see. Did you want to talk or just get your ass whooped?”

Loki snorted. “Your language is still as colorful, I see. Good to know things haven’t changed,” and with those last words Loki, and all his illusions, shot a green blast of magic at Tony who got blown away into the air.

At that point the door to the helicopter platform opened a second time and Loki was just quick enough to catch an arrow that flew from Barton’s bow. Having learned from his past experience Loki wasted no time and threw the arrow back to Barton while using his magic to enhance it’s speed and aim. Barton was barely quick enough to jump aside but he did get a strike from the blast that followed.

“BARTON! Stop blowing up the building,” Stark screamed from above and mumbled something about ‘Hulk’ and ‘enough damage’.

“Is that all?” loki taunted. Loki sighed and made his illusions surround Barton who quickly tried to stab them with an arrow he was holding. “Just the two of you? That is hardly--” A sudden wave of red magic knocked Loki of his feet and he landed hard on his back.

“We are with four,” Wanda said while approaching Loki.

“The vixen can count,” Loki said mockingly as he scrambled up. He briefly glanced past her and saw Vision. Good! Precisely the one he came for. He wickedly smiled at Wanda and send a wave of green magic her way before he portaled away to get behind Barton. Loki grabbed him by the collar and with a few quick paces Loki was by the edge, Barton bungling above the high drop to the ground.

“Let him go!” Vision said to Loki and Loki turned his head to look Vision in the eye. A sly laugh played around his lips afore Loki spoke, “as you wish.” And with that Loki let Barton go who plummeted to the ground. Loki turned his back to the edge and slowly paced toward Vision while he saw a streak of red crossing the sky in the direction Barton was falling. Of course Tony would be there to rescue Barton, Loki snickered.

“Why are you here, Loki?” Vision asked.

Loki shrugged, “Why not?”

“Are you here for your brother?”

Loki snarled.

“Or are you here to wreck havoc?”

Loki eyed Vision and smiled. “Maybe a little bit of both,” and with that he disappeared just as Tony tried to blast through him with a beam from his hand.

Loki started to play around, sending green blasts of magic at whoever was in range, creating illusions to fool them, and when they got near him, he just portaled away to another place somewhere on the compound. He would be able to keep it up for the better of the day, but that would bring him nowhere near the Mind-stone.

The Avengers were by now fighting as a team and at one moment Loki saw an opportunity. He used multiple illusions of himself to attack Tony and Wanda, while the real him lunged for Barton. But he had made the mistake of losing track of Vision, and when Loki made his move, Vision phased through the wall behind him and send Loki flying through the air with an energy blast. Just before Loki landed an iron hand grabbed him by the horns of his helmet and his wrist. Using Loki’s momentum to spin him 360 degrees around, Tony threw him into the wall. Before Loki could get op Wanda was there, her hands glowing red with magic and Barton next to her with two arrows loaded on his bow which were aimed for his head. “I’m really having a hard time not to shoot these through your head,” Barton said threateningly.

Loki swallowed. He raised his hands and inwardly laughed at the irony of it all. Would this forever be the dance with these so called heroes? “I’d preferred if you did not. It gives a nasty headache,” Loki said sassy.

At that moment Tony landed in front of him. “Nice work guys,” Tony complimented the team. “Now let’s put Bambi in a cage before he sprints away,” he said mockingly.

***

When I own the Mind Stone the first thing I will do is hunt Odin down and make him writher and beg for mercy. Because that is what he deserves after what he has done to me.

I almost possessed the mind-stone once. It had been long ago but it still feels like yesterday. I was so close, but that arrogant God had to intervene and making me lose track of its whereabouts.

But now I have a spark of hope. Maybe more than a spark for I am sure the Trickster will be able to bring it to me. The sheer and raw power of this particular gem will give me everything I need to make the Nine Realms beg at my feet. Nothing or nobody will stand in my way, and if they do, well… That is their loss. I will be unstoppable once it is mine and I’m almost salivating at the mere thought of it.

This Trickster better live up to his promises, because if not, I will tear his mind apart over and over again until he begs for the sweet salvation of death.

But… if Loki succeeds and retrieves the gem successfully, I will reward him handsomely!

***

Loki calmy paced around in his cell in the Avengers Facility. He walked to the glass and placed his hand on it to see if he could feel any magic, but a little shock went through him and he retreated his hand quickly. Loki snickered. He had to give Tony some credit for this confinement; electricity running through the glass would indeed make sure he wouldn’t try to break it. With a wistful smile Loki thought back at the first time he had run into the Avengers and they had put him in a glass cell as well. So much irony!

Loki sat down on the floor and observed his cell. The cell was in a room below ground-level and the room itself was not much more than four walls and a door, nothing else. Little cameras were placed in the room, all pointed to his glass confinement. He smiled wickedly and got up. With his magic he summoned the other parts of his armour, including his helmet and took a few strides towards the glass, stopping some inches before it. Loki knew this was going to hurt, be he had to see how far he could go and if his plan would work.

He used his magic to create an illusion in his entire cell and then banged the glass hard. A shock went through him but it was manageable. Meanwhile he adjusted his illusion to make it look like the glass was cracking and he made sure the cameras would register it.

He smiled, banged the glass again, another shock, a wider crack. Then he waited while studying his hand which had some burn marks. It didn’t take long before the door opened and Barton entered the room to seize up what had happened.

Loki smiled at the sight of this particular Avenger entering his little room. “My former thrall.”

“Shut up, Loki” Barton snapped. “I’m not in the mood for games!”

“Oh, but I am,” Loki said wickedly and banged the glass again. The crack got bigger.

Barton put an arrow on his bow, aiming for the center of the crack. “Break the glass and I’ll put an arrow between your eyes,” he threathingly said.

Loki scoffed, “you and I both know you aren’t capable of that.”

“Try me!” Barton almost shouted.

Loki let his illusion sit on the floor, on the exact place as he was, and he released his doppelganger but not the cracks. He only smiled at Barton, waiting for him to make a move.

Then the door opened again and Tony walked in. “Friday, why didn’t you inform me Loki’s cage was cracking?”

“No need for that Sir, there are no cracks in the glass.”

“What do you mean no cracks? Friday, scan the room and cell please.”

Loki watched in interest as some mechanics flashed some red lights and scanned the room.

“Sir, nothing is out of the ordinary,” Friday reported.

Tony turned to Loki, “what are you up to, Reindeer Games?”

A snarl crossed Loki’s lips. He wasn’t very fond of the nickname Tony had given him but he quickly wept the snarl from his face and replaced it with an innocent smile. “Just playing around,” and with that he altered his illusion slowly so it looked like the crack in the glass was cracking further at a rapid speed.

Then everything was happening at once. The glass shattered while Tony called for Friday. Barton set loose his arrow and Loki quickly put up an illusion of him jumping through the glass and attacking Barton while in reality he opened a portal. Loki put on a third illusion to make it look like he wasn’t in his cell anymore and when his first illusion fell, Barton and Tony were staring at an empty cell which was fully in tact. The arrow Barton had set flying lying on the floor.

Loki gritted his teeth in order to keep the portal open and his illusion up.

“Friday, scan everything quickly and call Vision and Wanda. We’re going on a hunt.” Tony left the room with Barton in his wake.

Fridays scanners scanned the room again and Loki could hear her answer through his portal. “Sir, I’m not getting any decent readings from the room. It looks like someone is still in there but there is some other form of energy as well.”

Loki had heard enough and let the portal snap shut and let go of his illusion. While panting heavily, he leaned on his knees. Just what he had hoped for. With the knowledge Morganna had given him, and his ability to open portals, he could somewhat bypass that annoying AI.

Loki breathed in and then out and summoned another illusion of him keeping Wanda captive. Now all he had to do was wait.

It didn’t take long before Vision entered Loki’s chamber and the game could begin.

“Vis! Get me outta here,” Loki made Wanda say through gritted teeth. Loki had a dagger which he had put on the throat of the Wanda illusion.

“Wanda, why are you in Loki’s cell?” Vision asked suspicious.

“He opened a portal and dragged me in here,” Loki voiced Wanda.

Vision still eyed Loki and Wanda skeptical. Loki had a feeling Vision would not fall for it but he had to keep this game going until he was certain.

“What do you want, Loki?” Vision asked calmly.

“How about open this cell and let me out.” Loki said dryly and pushed the knife harder against Wanda’s throat.

“Don’t listen to this blabbering idiot!” Loki made Wanda say.

Vision still paced around the perimeter of the cell, eyeing Loki wearily. “What if I do not open the cell?” he asked calmly.

“Make an educated guess,” Loki shot back while he made it look like Wanda was struggling.

Vision sighed, “let her go.”

“Or what?” Loki laughed.

“Make an educated guess,” Vision shot back.

Loki only smiled and with that he traced the knife over Wanda’s throat.

Vision reacted precisely as Loki had hoped and at the moment Vision phased through the glass into Loki’s cell, Loki dropped the illusion, pulled open a portal, grabbed Vision and half jumped, half stumbled through the portal, dragging Vision with him.

Next Chapter

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Taglist: @punkrockhufflefluff, @lokiloveforever, @inspectornotmydivsion, @inumorph, @brinschk, @blueswedebeatbox, @wolfsmom1,

#loki #vision #loki imagine #loki fanfic #loki x reader #vision fanfic #vision x reader #imagine loki

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