#i was giggling and kicking my feet and spinning and shaking with my brother during this portion of the episode

[mintypsii]

I'M LOVING PUNK HAZARD SO MUCH RIGHT NOW

also i love how DONE Law is with the straw hats. he's regretting his decision SO hard right now

also luffy's face here was so funny

LAW'S REACTIONS ARE SO FUNNY

FREE MY MANS HE LOOKS SO HUMILIATED also look at chopper's little face

THEY'RE SO FUNNNYYYYYYYY

[comfortwriting]

Papa Don’t Preach - F.W

Fred Weasley x Reader, inspired by the song ‘Papa Don’t Preach’ by Madonna.

About: the reader discovers that she is carrying her boyfriends baby, the two of them decide to keep it; but the storm gets heavier when she breaks the news to her father.

Theme: fluff and angst

Warnings: teen pregnancy, mention of abortion, swearing.

Throwing up into the toilet, moaning Myrtle giggled at you and sat on the window ledge. “That’s the third time this month” 

You wiped your mouth with your sleeve and got up off your knees, flushing the loo you unlocked the door and washed your hands at the sink. “I’m aware Myrtle.” You answered, glaring at her before walking out.

You rushed into the common room, luckily the only people in there were Fred and George. They were messing around pretending to duel with their wands, little sparks hissing out the end. 

“Have you seen my bag?” you asked, searching around the room.

The boys couldn’t hear you over their loud laughter, you stood there and put your hand on your hip, glaring at your boyfriend. “Fred, please. This is important.” 

Fred and George stopped messing around and spun on their heels. 

“You okay love?” Fred asked, walking over and putting his arm around you.

You shook your head no and sighed “I just need my bag” 

George walked across the room and picked up your red toiletry bag. You quickly retrieved it, walking over to the sofa you sat down and rifled through it, flicking past your period pads and tampons you pulled out your mini calendar.

Fred and George sat down next to you, the two of them sharing looks of concern. 

You counted through the squares, week by week and flicked the page, then another. A wave of sickness and panic pooled inside of you, you put your head in your hands and shook your head.

‘I can’t be, we used a contraceptive charm... surely it worked’ you thought to yourself, your knees shaking and your stomach churning. 

“Y/N, what's going on?” George asked, his brother too worried to utter a word.

Everything started to make more sense: the persistent morning sickness, the bloating, the all-day long nausea, your weepiness and mood swings, your breasts constantly feeling tender.

“I think I’m pregnant” you choked out, swallowing hard.

Fred felt his heart sink, feeling scared and annoyed at himself for getting you into such a scary situation.

You went back into your red bag and pulled out a pregnancy test you got from the pharmacy at Christmas when you were back in muggle London.  

You stood up, putting the test up your sleeve, walking to the same bathroom, hoping Myrtle would be elsewhere harassing Harry.

“Back so soon?” Myrtle questioned you.

“Fuck off, Myrtle!” You yelled at her, losing your temper.

You walked into the empty stall, locking the door behind you. Fred waited outside as you pulled down your skirt and knickers and sat down. “Fred, put a tap on for me will you?”

Fred walked over to the sinks turning the tap on waiting for you.

You followed the test instructions and stood up, the sound of the fast flowing water made this a lot easier for you, but then again you were always needing a wee with the growing pressure on your bladder.

Flushing the toilet and putting the lid down you placed the stick on lid and walked to the tap to wash your hands. “Thanks love” you smiled at Fred.

“You know, whatever happens won’t make me run away.” Fred smiled, tucking a stray hair behind your ear. “How long do we have to wait?”

You smiled at him, drying your hands on your skirt you walked into his arms and pulled him into a tight embrace. “I’m surprised that you didn’t leg it” you joked, trying not to linger in your fear. “we’ll find out in five minutes.”

Fred stood outside the stall where the test was waiting. “Want me to get it?” He asked, pushing his hair out of his eyes.

You shook your head “it’s okay, I’ll get it.”

Walking into the stall, you creeped up on the test like it was a pest you were about to wallop. You grabbed it, your whole future, your whole worth and life would be determined by this stick.

You walked out of the stall standing next to Fred, he wrapped his arm around you. You took me a deep breath and turned the test over so it was facing you. Two blue lines in the little windows stared back you, looking at the key on the handle you got your answer; you were pregnant.

“What does it say sweetheart?” Fred asked sounding nervous.

You turned around to face him, wrapping your arms around him. “I’m pregnant with your baby Fred and.. I want to keep it.” You decided.

Fred pulled away for a moment in shock but he smashed his lips against yours, kissing you like he had never kissed you before; his pool of love spilling into you.

“Let’s go and find George, I want him to be the first to know.” Fred beamed, you nodded your head in agreement with him.

“Am I really?!” George asked, sounding like his father, he grinned at the two of you.

You nodded your head and showed him the test, George got up on his feet and hugged you and then his brother.

By 5 months your little Weasley started to move inside of you, you would jolt at first and you started to notice stronger movements and little kicks during your classes, grabbing Fred’s hand you placed it on your bump.

The students started to spread rumours and the professors couldn’t ignore it anymore, after all, you weren’t denying it.

You and Fred were forced to address the rumours, you were both scolded for being so irresponsible but you were also provided with support for your academic studies and a much needed appointment with Madame Pomfrey.

You were lucky, Hogwarts still accepted you, The Weasley’s (after taking time to adjust) were so excited for you and Fred, but you were most nervous to tell your dad; the man who always believed in sex after marriage, hated the Weasleys, and slated pregnant teens who needed help.

Fred pulled out a chair for you at the kitchen table, once you sat down he pushed it in for you making enough room for your little bump.

“Pack plenty of food on that plate, dear” Molly smiled warmly at you.

This caused Ron’s mouth to gape open “All because she’s pregnant doesn’t mean she can—“

“If I were you I’d shut it” Fred warned his little brother

“unless you want to wake up to spiders in your bed.” George added, smirking.

Papa I know you're going to be upset

'Cause I was always your little girl

But you should know by now

I'm not a baby

“So what’s with the visit?” Your father eyed up you and Fred, trying to figure out why you were home on a Saturday.

Fred sat awkwardly on the sofa, his focus shifting on various objects around the room, he feared that your father would rip his head off if he were to look him in the face for longer than a second.

“I just wanted to come and see you, I thought I’d come here instead of going to Hogsmeade for the fifth time in a row” you smiled shyly, trying to keep calm.

Starting to sweat, you fanned your face with your hand, if you were to remove your jumper showing your larger bump you’d be kicked out before you could offer an explanation.

Your father noticed the fishtail braid in your hair and smiled.

“I remember braiding your hair like that when you were a little girl, you could never sit still on my knee. You would always fidget wanting to go and play with the other little girls and boys down the street”

You smiled at such a fond memory of you and your dad, hoping that he would do the same if you were to have a little girl.

“Dad, we uh.. we’re actually here because we’ve got some news.” You opened up bravely, remembering to not place your hand over your bump.

You always taught me right from wrong

I need your help, daddy please be strong

I may be young at heart

But I know what I'm saying

“Has something happened at Hogwarts?” He asked, “have you done something?” He turned to Fred with a fast forming glare on his face.

Fred shook his head, “I—“

“Fred hasn’t done anything” you replied quickly, stopping Fred’s chance at coming clean.

“I brought you up to know right from wrong, to work hard, to respect yourself, to stay away from vermin.” Your father spoke, his words like tiny pins pricking at your chest.

You held your dads hand walking through Diagon Alley to buy the equipment you needed for your first year at Hogwarts.

Waiting in the queue outside Ollivanders a young girl with a baby bump walked past, holding out her dirt covered hands. “Could you spare a sickle or two? I’ve got nowhere to go.” She begged.

Your father pushed you out of her presence, standing in front of you “not a chance, you silly girl.” He spat at her.

You gave her a glance of sympathy and stared down at your shoes.

“Don’t have sympathy for that pathetic girl, she got herself into this mess and she shouldn’t rely on hardworking people to get her out of it!”

The tears in your eyes made your vision go glassy, wiping them away with your sleeve, Fred was quickly asked by your father to leave the room and to wait outside in the hall.

“Dad” you cried, feeling a lump form in your throat “I don’t want you to be angry or upset, I’m responsible for my own actions and choices—“

“What have you done? Tell me!” Your father began to lose his patience.

Fred stood outside the door in the hallway, pacing up and down in tears, he blamed himself - you grew up without a mother and thanks fo him you might be losing your father.

The one you warned me all about

The one you said I could do without

We're in an awful mess

And I don't mean maybe, please

“I don’t want you hanging around them Weasleys, Y/N. They’re bad news.” Your father droned on, walking you to the train.

“They seem really nice” you muttered quietly, admiring the twins getting onto the train.

“They’re too poor for their own good, Arthur has a strange obsession with muggles. That wife of his clearly has a problem closing her legs with all them kids!”

You sighed, feeling annoyed and embarrassed to even be related to the man who was dropping you off.

“I better hurry up or I won’t find a good seat” you replied.

Your thoughts spinning around your head made you dizzy, you had to swallow down the bile. “Please don’t be mad with Fred, he’s a really good guy”

Your fathers hands were bunched into fists, his knuckles started to turn white. “What has he done? Fred, get in here now!”

Fred felt he could faint at any moment but walked back into the living room and sat next to you, taking your hand in his.

“We’re in a really tough situation.” You trailed off, more tears spilling from your orb like eyes.

Papa don't preach I'm in trouble deep

Papa don't preach, I've been losing sleep

But I made up my mind, I'm keeping my baby,

I'm gonna keep my baby,

“I’m pregnant.” You breathed out, feeling the weight suddenly lift of your shoulders “and I’m keeping it”

Your fathers face flushed with rage, he got on his feet and pulled out his wand but your instincts beat him to it, disarming him you shielded Fred.

“Dad please don’t do this.”

“You’ve really done it this time, girl!” Your father yelled. “Did I not raise you better? Did all those lessons mean nothing?!”

You began to shake in your shoes, but you stood your ground, Fred took himself away from your shielding. “She’s done nothing wrong!” He defended you.

“I bet you’ve done this on purpose, haven’t you? Get a beautiful young girl up the duff so no one will want her!” Your father bellowed at him.

He says that he's going to marry me

We can raise a little family

Maybe we'll be all right

It's a sacrifice

You and Fred cuddled in the upgraded double bed, his thumb circling yours as your hands glued together.

“I’m going to marry you, Y/N. Once we have this baby and get on our feet.” Fred murmured lowly, trying not to wake up his brother who laid fast asleep on the floor.

“That’s all I’ve ever wanted.” You replied, your hormones making you weep in relief.

“We’re going to have the most amazing life, mini Fred’s and Y/N’s running around.” He chuckled, kissing your head. “We can get through this.”

“It was an accident!” You yelled at your dad through tears, you gripped your bump feeling the little one kick out.

“A mistake more like!” Your dad yelled back “I was begged not to bring you up after your mother died, that was my mistake! And even worse, there will now be a bastard in the family!”

His horrible comments ripped you into pieces, the pins now turning into hot pokers.

Fred wanted nothing more than to tackle your father to the ground, to beat him senseless but he grabbed your hand and tried to control his emotions.

“We’re going to get married dad, but now it’s more common for non married couples to have kids!” You argued, trying to persuade him.

“Married! With what money! You’re more deluded than I bloody thought, he doesn’t even love you!”

But my friends keep telling me to give it up

Saying I'm too young, I oughta live it up

What I need right now is some good advice, please

“Have you truly thought this through?” Hermione bored into you, pacing in the common room.

You looked up from your books and nodded “yes, how many times do I have to explain?”

“I’m just saying it’s not too late to change your mind, you’re too young to be bringing a child into this world.”

“I’m still studying and attending classes aren’t I?” You huffed, scowling at her. “You’re younger than me!”

“But what about getting a job to provide for your child? It’s irresponsible!”

“I get it!” You yelled at her, you slammed your book shoot and tossed it across the room, storming out.

You were hyperventilating, Fred rubbed your back helping you regulate your breathing.

“You’re dead to me, now get out, both of you. Leave my house and never come back!” Your father yelled.

“Daddy please” you wailed “I really need you, please don’t do this.”

You walked away from Fred and up to your dad gripping his hand in yours, “I need my dad” you cried, searching his lifeless eyes for a response.

Papa don't preach, I'm in trouble deep

Papa don't preach, I've been losing sleep

But I made up my mind, I'm keeping my baby,

I'm gonna keep my baby,

You cried your eyes out, climbing into your dads arms for a cuddle.

“Please don’t cry” he wiped your tears “what’s got you so upset?”

“I’m not ready to go to Hogwarts, I don’t want to be so far from you.” You wailed, your hair sticking to your face from all the tears.

Your dad tutted and chuckled at your silly worries “you’re going to love it once you’ve settled in, and you can always write to me if you need to.”

Your father snatched his hand back out of your grip, he picked up his wand and stared down you and Fred.

“You both need to leave before I do something I can’t take back.” He warned “NOW”

You cried all the way back to Hogwarts, Fred and George comforting you when you broke down into a mess. Hermione helped you catch up on all the work you had missed from being unable to attend classes as you got into the later stages of your pregnancy, you were about to burst at any moment.

Daddy, daddy if you could only see

Just how good he's been treating me

You'd give us your blessing right now

'Cause we are in love

We are in love (in love), so please (so)

“Mum!” Fred yelled from the bathroom, holding your hand “It’s happening!”

Laying a pool of the water that burst from inside you, you were slammed with contractions making it hard for you to get back on your feet. This was it, the moment you had been waiting for the past nine months.

Molly stumbled into the bathroom and moved her hands around rapidly, piles upon piles of towels and blankets filled the room and the bath started to run.

“Fred help me get her trousers off so we can get her into the bath.”

“Mum we can just use—“

“We can’t use magic for everything!”

After finally getting you undressed they placed you into the bath.

Fred held your hand and knelt beside you, stroking your hair and placing kisses against your temple.

“Please don’t leave me” you cried, feeling frightened.

I’m not going anywhere, love.” He reassured you.

Papa don't preach, I'm in trouble deep

Papa don't preach, I've been losing sleep

But I made up my mind, I'm keeping my baby, hm

I'm gonna keep my baby, ooh ooh

You opened your eyes and looked down still thinking you were in the bath, you found yourself in Fred’s bed, wrapped in blankets with a towel over your chest.

You tried to sit up but Molly stopped you, “take it slow, dear” she said softly.

“Where’s Fred? Where’s.. where’s my baby?” You asked feeling panicky.

Before you could drive yourself into worry, the bedroom door opened and Fred walked in with your bundle of joy.

Fred now delighted you were finally awake came by your side and placed your child into your arms.

You had passed out from losing too much blood just as your child came into the world.

“Madame Pomfrey was hammering at the door, brilliant timing really.” George told you as you counted your child’s fingers and toes.

“Is it a girl or a boy?” You asked, looking up at the Weasleys standing around your bed.

“A beautiful baby boy.” Fred replied, kissing your head.

“Fabian Weasley” you smiled, looking at Molly. “Let’s name him Fabian.”

[swan-of-sunrise]

Spellbinding (Chapter Five)

Summary: After a flirtatious sparring session with Loki and a troubling encounter with Peter Parker, (Y/N) confronts Tony and struggles to control her magic around the billionaire.

Pairing: Loki X Reader

Word Count: 5.3k

Warnings/Disclaimers: None

A/N: I hope that you enjoy!

Chapter Five June 10th, 2015 Avengers Tower, New York City (Previous Chapter)

The sound of the arrow hitting the edge of the bullseye was overshadowed by the loud applause filling the cavernous weapons training room. Grinning triumphantly, (Y/N) lowered her bow and headed over to the two figures standing near the doorway.

“Nice job, (Y/L/N)! You’re comin��� along pretty good!” Clint patted her on the back, a playful smirk on his face. “Not as good as me, obviously, but pretty good.”

Natasha gave him a small shove. “Clint, be nice!” He only giggled to himself and she gave (Y/N) a kind smile. “You’re doing really well, (Y/N). Maybe you could replace this idiot as the team’s resident archer someday.” Over the past couple of months, the two women had slowly gotten to know one another; Natasha was almost always away on missions but whenever she was free, they bonded over their training sessions and their statuses as the only female Avengers on the team.

(Y/N) chuckled. “That’s okay, I’ll let Hawkeye here keep his job; besides, I have a feeling I’ll be even more comfortable with a sword than a bow.” She set her bow back on the weapons rack and picked up a familiar blade. The hilt was decorated with intricately designed etchings, and it felt perfectly balanced in her hand; Loki, with Bruce’s help, had created it for her in the lab, explaining that it would be better to learn swordsmanship with a well-matched blade and that it would be easier to create one rather than search for the perfect fit. It really does feel natural, she thought with a smile, easily twirling the sword around in her hand. “Do either of you know when Loki’s coming down for practice?”

“Nope, haven’t seen him since breakfast.” Checking his watch, Clint’s eyes widened almost comically. “Shit, we’re late for that meeting, Tasha, Fury’s gonna kick our asses! We’ll see you later, (Y/L/N)!” He grabbed Natasha’s arm and began dragging her out of the room.

“Good luck with your first sword fighting lesson, (Y/N)!” Natasha called over her shoulder as she and Clint left and sprinted down the hall, desperate not to be reprimanded by Director Fury yet again. “Ow, quit trying to pull my arm out of its socket, asshat!”

Giggling, (Y/N) wandered around the room and occasionally swung her sword, silently enjoying the sounds it made as it cut through the air. She was excited when Loki and Steve told her she’d begin training with a bow and sword; she’d never told anyone before, but guns made her nervous and she was glad she’d never have to use one. And she couldn’t help but feel that learning to use the weapons of her mother’s culture would bring her closer to her somehow, but she was too embarrassed to say it aloud. The others might scoff at her sentimentality, but she knew that Loki would never do that.

At the thought of her best friend, she sighed in frustration and began pacing around the room with more purpose. It was becoming harder and harder to suppress her feelings for him, especially after he helped her through that horrible day two weeks prior, but she was determined not to lose the fight for their friendship. Shifting his focus from romantic literature to mystery novels certainly helped; it was easier to set her feelings aside as he read aloud from novels such as The Hound of Baskerville than when he read aloud from ones like Sense and Sensibility. Maybe I should have him read Mary Shelly next, she thought with an amused smile, that’ll really calm the romantic thoughts.

But just as she reached the opposite side of the room, an unsettling feeling put her senses on high alert. Quickly spinning around, she brought her sword up just in time to meet her attacker’s blade with a reverberating clang.

“Your senses are improving, Lady (Y/N),” Loki grinned, pushing her blade away with his own and stepping back. “I’m impressed.”

Before she could reply, he swung his sword at her abdomen and she was quick to clumsily swipe the attack away and block his next from clipping her shoulder. “I thought we were having a formal lesson today?”

Her best friend shrugged as they started to circle one another. “We were, but I concluded that unlike magic, swordplay doesn’t need to be taught formally. You have generations of Light Elf blood flowing through your veins, which means that you already possess a natural skill with swords; besides, I feel that using weapons takes considerably less concentration and caution that using magic.”

“Oh, I don’t know, if I wasn’t concentrating right now I’d never realize that you’re only trying to distract me.” She suddenly raised her sword and swung, but Loki disappeared as soon as the blade made contact with his; a heartbeat later, the cool edge of a training knife was at her throat and a sword-wielding arm was wrapped tightly around her waist, holding her securely against a strong form. “Clever, Loki…”

“My brother isn’t the only Asgardian-trained warrior in this tower, you know.” His warm breath tickled the side of her neck, and (Y/N) swore she could feel his nose nuzzle into her hair while her heart fluttered in her chest. “Now, try and break free of-”

Before he could finish his sentence, she elbowed him hard in the stomach and used his surprise to duck under his loosened arm, quickly straightening and parring away his fast sword strike. “You mean like that?”

“Precisely,” Loki sheathed the dagger and twirled his sword in his hand, an amused gleam in his green eyes. “Now, let’s see what else you can do.”

For the next half hour, they were at a stalemate; neither of them had been able to disarm or knock the other down, no matter how hard they tried, but (Y/N) knew she was tiring. Her strikes were becoming slower, it was becoming much harder to dodge his attacks, and she had a nasty feeling that Loki would quickly take advantage of her weakness at any minute. In desperation, she parried his sword away and swung hers at his head, but she immediately regretted her action; Loki easily blocked the strike and used his sword to twist hers out of her hand. It landed on the ground with a loud clang, and before she could reach for it, he kicked her leg out from under her and she landed harshly on her back. A moment later, he was hovering above her, one hand pinning both of hers above her head and the other holding his sword to her throat. The sounds of their heavy breathing filled the silence of the room, and (Y/N) couldn’t help but giggle in equal amounts of amusement and embarrassment.

“Well, it looks as though you’ve won fair and square, Loki. I’d shake your hand, but they’re a little preoccupied at the moment.”

Loki’s triumphant grin widened at her joke. “Your apology is accepted, Lady (Y/N), though I personally prefer your hands right where they are.” When she gave him a questioning look, he continued. “Now I can finally enact my revenge upon you for your heinous crime. You know which one, of course.”

(Y/N)’s eyes widened and she began struggling against him. “L-Loki, I told you, it was a complete accident, Steve and Bucky were there, they’ll tell you the exact same thing…!”

“I’m not quite sure that I believe your story; you’re telling me that the other day at dinner, you accidentally tripped over Steve’s foot, you accidentally fell on me and you accidentally began tickling me? You have to admit, it doesn’t sound very convincing.”

She tried in vain not to smile guiltily as he spoke. The truth was that she was curious whether the Asgardian was ticklish or not, so when she noticed Steve’s foot sticking out from under the table she decided to test out her theory. It turned out that the Asgardian did make the same sounds as the Pillsbury Dough-Boy when tickled, just as she suspected. “I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about, Loki!”

“Lady (Y/N), you should know by now not to lie to the God of Mischief.”

In one quick movement, he tossed his sword to the side and attacked her stomach with his free hand. She shrieked with laughter, tears rolling down her cheeks as she squirmed under him. She felt his hold on her wrists loosening, so she hurriedly tugged a hand free and began tickling him back. As expected, he laughed loudly, the cheerful sound mingling with hers and echoing off the walls as they rolled across the floor.

“Miss (Y/L/N), is something-? Oh man…”

They immediately stopped, Loki quickly rolling off her and helping her back on her feet when they noticed a familiar figure standing in the doorway. “Hello Peter, um, Loki and I were just…practicing our sword fighting.” (Y/N) blushed scarlet, embarrassed at having been caught in such a compromising position by the fifteen-year-old.

“Yeah, um…sorry if I interrupted you guys, I’ll…just…come back later, I guess.” Peter Parker’s eyes were flicking nervously between her and his black Converse sneakers, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his jeans and a light blush spreading over his ears.

“Actually, I need to…I need to speak to my brother about our, um, mission tomorrow. I’ll see you later, Lady (Y/N).” After she murmured her goodbye, he gave Peter a nod as he brushed past him and left, his usually pale face turning more and more crimson by the minute.

(Y/N) picked up their swords and placed them back on the weapons rack. “So, what can I do for you, Peter?” During her two months in the tower, she’d only spoken to the teenager once and that was when Tony briefly introduced them; the billionaire had infuriatingly introduced her as ‘Galadriel, but if Galadriel was a total book nerd,’ something he was extremely lucky he said when Loki wasn’t around to hear. The teenager was in awe of her magic and heritage, and she was equally impressed with his incredible knowledge of math and science and how he applied his skills to his intriguing powers.

Peter shuffled from foot to foot and briefly made eye contact with her. “Well, I-I was just talkin’ with Doctor Banner and he mentioned you used to be a librarian before joining the Avengers, and…I was wondering if you could help me write my final paper for my English class?”

“Of course, I’d love to!” She led him out of the weapons room and down the hall to the elevator. “What’s the topic of the paper?”

They stepped into the elevator. “That’s actually what I’m having trouble with. We were supposed to read The Great Gatsby, but I never got a chance to, and now we have to come up with our own topic and finish the essay by Friday, and I’ve got absolutely nothin’.” He sighed and slumped against the wall of the elevator as it rose. “I understand if you’re too busy training for a mission or something, I know it’s a lot to ask but it’s worth like twenty-five percent of my final grade…”

“It’s okay, Peter, I said I’d help you; I haven’t been assigned a mission yet, so my schedule’s wide open.” The doors opened and she led him down the hall to the dining room table next to the kitchen. “Besides, I loved helping people with papers when I was a librarian, and it’ll be nice to continue using that college degree I paid a lot of money for.” Peter laughed and sat down next to her. “All right, since you haven’t read the book and you only have two days to write this essay, I’ll start by giving you a short summary…”

(Y/N) had absolutely no idea how long she spoke for; explaining the plot of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s most famous novel reminded her of how much she missed being a librarian. Not that she regretted joining the Avengers, of course, she just missed being able to use her extensive knowledge of literature to help people. She was glad to see Peter listening with rapt attention, and he even pulled a notebook out of his backpack and began taking notes while she continued. By the time she was finished, he was looking more relaxed than ever.

“Thank you so much, Miss (Y/L/N), that really helped!” He flicked through his notes one last time before turning to a blank page. “I think I’ll write about Daisy; she sounds like a pretty interesting character.”

“You’re welcome, Peter, but promise me you’ll try not to procrastinate next semester? It’s just that it’s so much easier to finish assignments well before the due date…”

Peter grinned. “I know, I know, Aunt May always tells me that! And I didn’t mean to procrastinate this much, it’s just that I suck at English and me and Mister Stark have been workin’ on my new suit a lot and, well, I guess I just got distracted.”

She smiled, but the wheels in her head began turning. “It’s okay, everyone has that one subject they struggle with and everyone gets distracted from time to time. I’m going to go get cleaned up and change, and I expect to see an introduction written by the time I get back, okay?”

“Yes, ma’am!” He chuckled and turned his attention back to his notebook.

(Y/N) took a quick shower and changed into a pair of jeans and a green blouse, quickly toweling off her damp hair before hurrying down to the lab. Just as she suspected, Tony was there, snacking and chatting away with Bruce as the doctor peered into a microscope. Taking a deep breath, (Y/N) opened the door and entered.

“Hello Bruce, Tony.”

“Oh, hi (Y/N),” Bruce looked up and smiled, whereas Tony only rolled his eyes and continued eating his blueberries. “What can I do for you?”

“I’m actually here to speak with Tony, if that’s all right,” Both men looked at each other in surprise and she turned her attention to the billionaire as Bruce quietly excused himself. “Tony, I know that we got off on the wrong foot when we met and I’m not going to apologize for turning you down when you asked me out, but I am sorry if I’ve been rude to you ever since.”

Tony sighed, popping another blueberry into his mouth before answering. “Well, I’d be an asshat if I didn’t try and follow that up, so I’m sorry for being rude too. Now that that’s over, can we get back to work?”

(Y/N) gritted her teeth but remained calm. “That’s not all I came down here for; I just spent over an hour helping Peter write a final paper for school that’s due in two days. He told me that the reason he didn’t write it sooner was because he’s been too busy working on his new suit down here with you. Is that true?”

“Yeah, so what’s your point?”

“My point is that since Peter listens to you, you should remind him that his education is very important. If he continues putting Spider-Man before his schoolwork, he’s not going to have a future.”

The older man only sighed. “Of course he will; when he decides he doesn’t wanna be Spider-Man, he can always have a job at Stark Enterprises.”

“And what if he doesn’t want a job with your company? What if he decided down the road that he wants to be a lawyer or a firefighter or a photographer? Without an education, he’d never be able to live the life he wants!” Realizing that she was speaking loudly, she took another deep breath and adjusted her glasses. “Tony, all I’m asking you to do is help him be a normal high schooler for as long as possible. I’m not saying you should take his suit away and forbid him from being Spider-Man next semester, just…let him be able to study for tests or hang out with his friends or go out on dates. Just try to help him find the balance his duties between being a high schooler and being Spider-Man.”

Tony only raised his brow and smirked. “Why’re you being so pushy about this, Hermione Granger? Is it ‘cause you’re trying to live vicariously through him? Let him experience the things that you never did?”

(Y/N) felt her anger beginning to build up inside her. “This has absolutely nothing to do with me, Tony, this is about making sure you don’t ruin his life in the long run. Need I remind you that not everyone is as privileged as you are and can make mistakes in life without there being consequences?”

“And need I remind you that if not for my ‘privileges,’ there’d be no Avengers and you’d be stuck in a Hydra lab somewhere being experimented on?”

“Are you going to talk to him or not?”

Tony shook his head, an unusually serious look on his face. “Parker can do whatever he wants to do. It’s his life.”

She nodded, her jaw clenched tightly. “Fine, then, I’ll go and speak to Steve about it.” Giving the man one last glare, she turned on her heel and headed for the door.

“You know, you’re starting to sound exactly like your boyfriend did when he tried to take over the world. Must be an alien thing…”

Without a moment of thought, (Y/N) turned around and thrust out her hands, her anger finally boiling over. A familiar purple aura surrounded Tony as she used her powers to swiftly lift him into the air and slam him into the wall behind him. Her unfiltered fury kept him in place, and she was sure to keep his mouth magically shut so he was unable to call out to J.A.R.V.I.S. for his suit. “Don’t you dare speak about Loki! He’s doing everything he can to make up for what he did, and maybe if you started caring about other people besides yourself you’d realize that!”

“(Y/N)!” Bruce appeared in front of her after running in from the hall, his hands raised in a submissive gesture. “(Y/N), you need to listen to me!” When she made no move to attack him, he slowly inched forward. “I need you to breathe, can you do that for me, (Y/N)? Take a deep breath and just relax, find control over your powers!”

(Y/N) struggled to control her breathing as she listened to his words, but just when she felt her muscles and powers begin to relax, Tony stretched his fingers and pressed a button on the metal bracelet he wore. One of his security suits burst through its storage container and aimed its repulsor beams at her; without a second thought, she allowed Tony to fall to the ground in a heap and thrust her hands towards the suit, effectively knocking it into the opposite wall with a swirling cloud of purple magic before it could fire. The suit immediately got up and just as Bruce shouted “No!” it shot its repulsor beams directly at her. Acting on instinct, she pushed Bruce out of the way and crossed her forearms in front of her, deflecting the beams and making them ricochet off her magic and back towards the suit, causing it to explode in a ball of fire.

The entire room shook violently with tremors and the ceiling began to tremble; panicking, (Y/N) thrust her hands upwards and concentrated on stabilizing the concrete with her magic. After a tense moment, the ceiling tremors began to calm down and stop altogether, which was when she realized that the emergency sprinklers were on and the lab was filling up with dark smoke as the fire alarms blared. Where’s Tony and Bruce, she thought, coughing as she stumbled through the wrecked lab in search of the two men.

“Bruce! Tony!” She called out, her voice shaking with worry. “Bruce! To-!” A hand on her arm caused her to turn and gasp; standing before her was a soaked and worried but unharmed Bruce Banner. “Bruce, thank goodness you’re all right!”

“C’mon, I already got Tony, we need to get out of here!” Bruce grabbed her hand and quickly led her through the smoke and smoldering remains of Tony’s suit to the exit. When they finally got out of the lab, the doctor slammed the door behind them and leaned heavily against the wall. It was then when (Y/N) noticed that Tony was laying on the ground, his chest heaving as his eyes stayed focused on the ceiling, and that there was a distinct green tinge to Bruce’s jugular that was slowly fading away.

“Thank you, Bruce.”

“…Fury’s gonna be pissed, isn’t he?”

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

Director Fury looked up from the security footage on his computer monitor with a disapproving frown on his face. After rushing up to the lab and having them thoroughly checked for injuries, Director Fury ‘requested’ (Y/N), Bruce and Tony join him in his office several floors below; (Y/N), who had only ever spoken to the director once before when she first joined the Avengers, was scared out of her mind, something she was sure Bruce knew when he gave her hand a comforting squeeze. She felt guilty that she lost control over her powers and scared of what her punishment would be; she didn’t want to be kicked off the Avengers team all because she’d risen to Tony’s childish bait. I wish Loki were here, she thought as she pulled the blanket the firemen had given her tighter around her shoulders for comfort.

“So, you’re telling me that several S.H.I.E.L.D experiments were compromised, thousands of dollars’ worth of our equipment was destroyed, the Hulk was nearly unleashed and an entire floor of your tower is temporarily condemned all because you couldn’t put a sock in it, Stark?”

Tony smirked. “Sounds about right.”

Deciding she needed to speak up for the billionaire, (Y/N) quietly said, “It’s not all his fault, Director. I went to the lab and asked Tony to speak to Peter about how important his schoolwork is when I should’ve spoken directly to Steve instead. And it was me who lost control and destroyed the lab in the first place, not him.”

“Thank you for your honesty, Miss (Y/L/N), but I’m not pissed off about you losing your cool or even about you two destroying the lab; I’m pissed off because your guys’ petty arguing’s keeping you all from functioning as the team I believe you can be.” Director Fury stood and leaned against his desk. “Now, Doctor Banner and I are gonna leave to check in with the clean-up, and if this stupid-ass fighting isn’t resolved by the time we come back…well, let’s just say that you’re not gonna like the consequences.” The director gave them one last glare and gestured for Bruce to follow him into the hall; the doctor flashed them a sympathetic look before leaving, and (Y/N) flinched as the door slammed shut.

The billionaire lounged casually in his chair, twirling a small screwdriver around his fingers over and over as he made fleeting eye contact with her; he looked sincerer than she’d ever seen him before. “I, ah, guess I should apologize…I’ve been treating you kind of unfairly over the past few months and saying some harsh things, and I’m really sorry about that…”

“Then why say them in the first place?”

His fingers stilled as he looked down at them, remaining silent for several moments before answering. “I guess it’s ‘cause I didn’t like the fact that you’re such good friends with Reindeer G – I mean – Loki.”

His answer took her by surprise. “Why not?”

The older man looked out the window and smiled humorlessly. “Well, for starters, the guy tried to take over the world with a hostile alien army and is responsible for the deaths of at least eighty people over two days, not to mention he threw me out a window and I…well, my heart stopped when I came out of that wormhole and I would’ve been a goner of not for the enormous green rage monster out there. Can you really blame me for not wanting to become best buddies with him or anyone who actually likes him?”

“Yes, I can, at least a little bit.” She ignored the confused look on his face and continued. “Loki’s here on Earth to make up for everything he did; he joined the Avengers, the people he was once sworn enemies with, of his own free will to do good. Loki’s my best friend and I believe wholeheartedly that he deserves a chance to redeem himself for what he’s done, just like Natasha and Bucky. Everyone else in this tower has put the past behind them and accepted him as their teammate except you, Tony. I’m sorry about what happened to you during the battle, I really am, but you can’t change what happened in the past so it’s pointless to keep hyper-focusing in it.”

“I think Capsicle’s been rubbing off on you, (Y/L/N); that was some speech,” Tony chuckled, then grew serious. “But you’re right; I haven’t given either of you a fair chance.”

(Y/N) nodded. “And I’m really sorry I lost control and said those things earlier, it was wrong of me to say them. You’re not a selfish person, Tony, and it’s unfair to degrade you because you happen to be more well-off than most, it’s not your-”

“It’s okay; seriously, I was definitely asking to be talked to like that. And don’t worry, I’ll speak to Peter about balancing being a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man and a high schooler; Banner’s been bugging me about it, too.” His usual grin returned. “So, can we agree to start over and maybe be friends from now on? ‘Cause you actually seem like a pretty cool person to be around, (Y/L/N).”

“I think I can agree to that, Tony.” She accepted his outstretched hand and shook it, a cheerful smile finally making its way across her face. Not the way I expected this day to go, she thought to herself, but I’m glad we’ve finally made up.

Just then, the door opened to reveal Director Fury and Bruce. “Great, now we all can get back to work. Except for you, Miss (Y/L/N), I want a private word.” Without wasting a moment, Tony and Bruce left the two of them alone. (Y/N)’s hands began to shake, so she started tugging at the sides of her blanket again to keep them occupied. “I believe congratulations are in order, Miss (Y/L/N).”

“C-congratulations?”

Director Fury made his way over to his chair and sat. “You showed real control over your powers today.”

Frowning, (Y/N) stopped fiddling with the edge of her blanket. “But Director, I almost killed Tony, a-and what about almost unleashing the Hulk and all the damage…?”

“The key word there is ‘almost’. Sure, your emotions clouded your judgement, but you were able to reign in your powers and stop yourself from doing anything too serious.” The director’s eye twinkled slightly. “In my book, that’s something that deserves a congratulation and not guilt, Miss (Y/L/N). Wouldn’t you agree?”

“I suppose so, Director.”

Director Fury nodded. “Good. And as for the damages, Stark has more than enough money to fix them within a day, this time with even stronger fortifications. Now, you’d better go change clothes before you catch a cold; we wouldn’t want one of our newest Avengers getting sick, would we?”

Blushing, (Y/N) stood and smiled shyly at the director. “O-of course not, Director. Thank you.” She quickly left the office as he returned to the paperwork on his desk, hardly believing what had just happened; she’d been absolutely convinced that she’d be kicked off the team for her actions. It was kind of Director Fury to give me another chance, and I don’t intend on throwing it away, she thought with determination, hurrying down the hall to the elevator.

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

“To make a long story short, you lost control over your magic, regained control with the help of Doctor Banner before you could kill Stark, destroyed one of Stark’s suits in self-defense and stopped the ceiling from collapsing on all three of you, correct?” Loki asked, his lips already curving into a proud smile. Only minutes before, (Y/N) had found her best friend in a fit of rage and the only thing keeping him from confronting Tony himself was Mjolnir resting on his lap; the moment she entered his suite, however, he ceased arguing with Thor and immediately asked her if she was all right.

Despite her best efforts not to see too far into his actions, his obvious concern over her well-being caused her heart to flutter and her cheeks to redden, but she was quick to hide her feelings by giving him and Thor the full story of what happened; all they knew of the incident was that her and Tony’s argument led to an explosion in the lab, so Loki had immediately assumed Tony was at fault and went into a rage. Luckily Thor had enough foresight to prevent him from doing anything too serious, she thought to herself.

Nodding, (Y/N) relaxed her aching muscles against the cushions of the couch. “Correct, and Tony and I had a good talk. I think we’re going to get along from now on.”

Loki nodded, directing his attention to his brother and gesturing to the hammer. “Now, can you please remove this infernal thing from my lap? I promise I won’t go after Stark.” Although his face was relaxed, she could see a glint of anger return to his emerald-green eyes so she quickly laced her fingers through his slightly colder ones. He looked at her in surprise and the anger seemed to melt away the longer he stared into her eyes. “I swear on our friendship, Lady (Y/N), that I won’t harm Stark in any way.” He glanced back at Thor with a brow raised in expectation. “Now will you move it?”

“All right, all right, don’t get your cape in a twist, brother,” Thor chuckled, standing from his armchair and easily picking up Mjolnir. “I’ll go and see if Banner and Stark require assistance in cleaning up the laboratory. Again, I’m relieved you’re unharmed, Lady (Y/N).” He gave her what he apparently thought was a gentle pat on the shoulder and left before he could see her nearly topple off the sofa.

Rolling his eyes, Loki helped her right herself. “Such a brute, honestly.” He glanced down at their intertwined fingers as his face once again grew serious. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

“Well, it would be a lie if I said I didn’t feel guilty about losing control…”

To her surprise, Loki’s face broke out into a bemused grin. “You Midgardians are so odd; you pen sayings such as ‘to err is human’, and yet you always blame yourselves for your mistakes. It’s perfectly acceptable to make errors, Lady (Y/N), and you should be extremely proud of the fact that you managed to rectify yours so easily. Trust me, as someone who has fought against and alongside Doctor Banner, regaining control over oneself is no easy feat.”

“You sound exactly like Director Fury, you know, but you’re right.” (Y/N) elbowed him playfully in the side and grinned when he suppressed a giggle.

“Is it really wise of you to begin this again, Lady (Y/N)?”

“Well, it’s not like you’re brave enough to do anything ab-” She was cut off when she was struck on the side of the head by a throw pillow.

Loki burst into laughter, clutching his sides and his pillow tightly as he looked at her. “You should see your face!” He choked out between breaths. “You look like-!”

At that moment, (Y/N) grabbed another pillow and smacked it against his face, giggling at his stunned expression and mussed hair as she adjusted her crooked glasses. “You were saying?”

“Um, Miss (Y/L/N)?” They both hastily lowered their raised pillows and looked at the doorway where Peter Parker stood, once again as red as a tomato, holding his notebook. “I-I, um, need some help on my body paragraphs…”

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

A/N: Thank you all so much for reading and commenting! I’ve created a Spotify playlist inspired by this series, and I’ll be updating it every time I upload a new chapter. Enjoy!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2wx8TZwpDN0l33tES3W3Nk

Chapter Six

Spellbinding Masterlist

Tagging: @nexiva @ravenclawbitch426 @cminr @confusedfandomwriter @momc95 @nickkie1129 @austynparksandpizza @brooke0297 @destructivebliss @outoftheregular​ @itscomplicatedx​ @0-artemis​ @vivloki​

[legolaslovely]

Placeholder

A/N: Hello friends! Happy happy Fili Friday! I am very excited to share this story based on this ask that took on an insane life of its own! Thank you to the anon for sending the lovely idea in and for giving me permission to run with it! The Fili heart wants what the Fili heart wants.  This is based on this video = the dance scene from Tangled! I listened to this while writing if anyone wants to know! It’s fun!  Listen guys, my impatient ass is counting this as a slow burn because the end is just so comfortinggggggg and fluffffyyyyyy so I hope you guys enjoy! Thanks for reading!

Pairing: Fili x Reader

Word Count: 4,270

Warnings: ... none?

Summary: Based on an ask! I’m not telling any more!

Link to the photoset below

It was only after months of rough traveling that Thorin decided to stop and spend a full day and night in a village along the route of the quest to Erebor. This much needed break came just in time for you, and more specifically your pack, which had continued to wear with every step you took and at this point, started to look as though a warg’s teeth had got a hold of it. You had been waddling around with its one serviceable strap slung over your shoulder for days and if you didn’t buy at least a replacement strap soon, you were sure you’d end up shrinking- hunched to half your size by the journey’s end.

Luckily, though this village was quite small, it did have a rather extensive market. As soon as Thorin made clear the details of the company’s overnight plans, you set out to comb through the many tents in the square. Most of the crafters fawned over the princes and king, leaving you free to browse without distractions. It didn’t take long for you to find a leather shop that boasted gorgeous weaponry, armor and tools. 

You were running your fingers over a strong leather strap, enjoying the geometric designs so common in classic dwarvish craftsmanship, when Fíli spoke from just over your shoulder.

“Will this do? I know it’s a bit larger than the one you have, but I think it will serve you well.”

The pack he was holding was extremely fashionable and even from the outside, it was clearly quite handy. Though it was currently empty, the sturdy leather still held it’s strong boxy shape. From the top and sides fell straps and hooks for your bedroll, canteens, weapons, and tools and what’s more, the design almost perfectly matched the strap you’d been admiring. The leather was tastefully embroidered and stamped with sharp triangles that weaved and folded into one another to wrap all around the body of the pack. Such a commendable creation was overwhelming and left you silent. 

“I should have asked first,” he said. “I’m sure I can return this one and we-you can pick out one you’d like. I shouldn’t have-”

“Fíli,” you said, taking the pack from him. Despite its size, it was light in your hand. “It’s beautiful. But I’m sure it was expensive- I mean, not that you don’t have the... I just... you didn’t have to- oh! I’ll pay you back. Here.”

You wanted to crawl into a whole. Who were you to talk money with the prince of Durin’s Folk? All the same, you were sure he expected you to pay for it. Maybe he’d merely grabbed the best pack for you before it was gone, bought by someone else. He was simply doing you a favor, watching out for you as company members do. You dug into your ripped pack for your coin purse, though you knew you wouldn’t have enough money. Mortification was rolling through you and if you allowed it, tears could have gathered in your eyes.

Then a hand covered yours.

“No, (Y/N). I don’t want anything from you. This is a gift. Come over here, we’ll transfer your things.” He led you over to a bench on the edge of the square.

“I can’t accept such a thing,” you said, sputtering. “I- really, this is too much-”

He took your torn pack from your shoulder and set it open on the ground before he moved to the new, pristine one, holding it still for you. “(Y/N), you need a good pack. We still have a long journey ahead of us.”

“I can go buy one. Actually, I was just going to buy a new strap to mend this one-”

“(Y/N),” he said, lifting your fallen chin with gentle fingers. “Please accept my gift, hm? I want to do this for you.”

“Thank you,” you nodded, accidentally shaking away his touch. 

He hummed and gave you the soft smile he so often sent your way. As you transferred your belongings into your new pack, you marveled at the many pockets and layers you found inside. There was a place for everything you’d brought with you- food, bathing and eating utensils, blade sharpening and repair tools. Apparently, Fíli was entertained by your ogling and when you looked up to the sound of his low chuckle, he was shaking his head at you. But you knew it was fond.

“I suppose I’ll see you at the inn then,” he said. “I have a few more things to look for in the market, so-”

“May I come with you?” you asked. “Everyone else is driving me mad. Even your brother is haggling with the archery merchant! I can’t bear it.”

“Of course,” he said, holding a hand out to you and lifting you to your feet. “Did you hear Dwalin at the ax vendor earlier?”

“ ‘What am I meant to do with this blade? Do they think I have time to hack through a warg’s leg?’ ” you mocked.

“I said it would be a good challenge for him,” Fíli said, leading the way back to the tents. 

“What did he say to that?”

He leaned to your ear. “You don’t want to know.”

As Fíli studied the tables of the shops, running hardened fingers over knitted scarves, lifting bars of soap to his nose for a sniff, taking in the shine of intricately decorated blades, your attention was pulled to the other end of the market. A fiddle in the corner slowly creaked into tune before erupting into a jig that was wealthily accompanied by a lute, a whistle, and a cajon drum. The shoppers barely paid the musicians any attention, but your feet couldn’t help but tap to the deep thumping of the hand drum. 

The music reminded you of home, but instead of sending you into a bout of homesick blues, the tune lifted your spirits and brought back fond memories of dancing around a crackling fire during crisp summer nights. Even the dance steps that you hadn’t performed in years came flooding back to your mind and soon, your feet. Heel, toe, hop ‘n turn. Kick, ball change, circle round. Not a soul in the small village’s plaza around you seemed at all moved by the music and though you itched to dance, you turned your bopping head back to the tables.

It seemed your yearning to enjoy the music hadn’t gone unnoticed.

You let out a surprised noise when an arm wrapped around your waist and a hand yanked you to spin around. Only when the tents stopped revolving around you were you able to focus on a bright grin and messy, brown hair.

“Kíli!”

“I know you want to dance, lass. Come on.”

He led you, hopping in time with the speeding fiddle, to the center of the square. Together you circled through the gathering crowd with precision and speed like a pair of bumblebees through a lush garden.

“Kíli!” You heard Fíli’s voice. “Not so fast!”

But Kíli spun you around him, yelling, “She doesn’t need your protection all the time, brother!” 

You laughed- even now the brothers bickered! But it added to your amusement. However, as Kíli lost himself in the fun, he also led you too close to the market tables and captivated audience members and you soon wished Kíli would heed his brother’s advice. 

You squeaked his name in fear as the fabric of your trousers caught on the corner of a display table of glass trinkets. It was clear he paid your worries no mind. Instead of slowing his lead, he chuckled lowly in return and tightened his grip on you, balling your tunic in his fist before he whirled you around him once more.

“I gotcha, (Y/N),” he said. 

Then the music shifted. You raced out of his arms into the open, unobstructed space where he could stand across from you like an opponent ready to lunge. 

“I love this song!” you cried as the fiddle weaved into a familiar tune- one that filled your heart with melodies and memories of adolescence. Your nerves seemed to disappear, as did the years since you’d learned the traditional dance of the dwarvish culture, and every nuance of the jig came flooding back to your memory. 

“Kíli! Remember the steps?” you asked as you hopped around him, hands on your hips and head turning side to side. 

“Not a bit!” he said, attempting to keep up with you anyway. 

Your sight grew blurry with laughter as you watched his stuttering feet, but when you looked up, you saw you weren’t alone in the dance. Others from the village had joined in. You were now surrounded by a hive of hoofers, some forming graceful and evolving formations, others giggling and stepping on unsuspecting toes. All was just as it used to be when you celebrated feast days in your own home town.

The musicians played louder and faster, encouraged by the participation and indulgence they saw before them. The sound of echoing claps brought your attention to the edge of the crowd while you continued your dance with the well known steps. There, Gandalf was grinning at you, lifting his hands to applaud you. Beneath him stood Bilbo, hairy feet tapping, hopping, and stepping in place so as not to get trampled by the sturdy, and quite passionate dwarves. Even Thorin and Dwalin seemed a bit beguiled, but as your head swiveled round you couldn’t find the dwarf you were looking for. 

You leapt on top of the large stone fountain in the center of the square, skittering around its edge and looking for a golden head of hair. But it was nowhere to be found. Even your frolicing heart sank a bit at the thought of Fíli missing this fun. 

“Kíli!” you cried as he bounced past. “Where’s your brother?”

He gave no answer and instead knocked at the back of your knees, plucking your legs out from under you. You fell from the high fountain, too startled to scream, but not too surprised to give Kíli a good smack on the shoulder when he caught you. Through the village plaza he raced, carrying you in his arms like a dangerous bird through the whirlpool of bees. You hid your face in his vest as he narrowly missed a few of the villagers, only opening your eyes when he set you safely on the ground. Before you, Thorin and Dwalin shook their heads, sporting deep smirks and cocked brows. 

Lucky for Kíli, by the time you turned around to catch him, he had vanished, safely hidden in the crowd of dancing dwarves. A bright pat pat came to your ears, sounding just over the music and when realization of its origin dawned over you, you grinned. “Are those… tapping toes I see, Mister Dwalin?”

Dwalin shared a look with Thorin. “I see no such thing, little lass.”

“Come and dance,” you said. You took his hand, finding it before it could disappear behind his back, and pulled. He didn’t budge. 

“Find yourself a different dance partner, (Y/N). There are many here,” he said, sliding his hand from your grasp. 

“Come now, Mister Dwalin,” you said. There was a twinkle in your eye that he recognized. It seemed you had learned a few things from Kíli in your weeks of traveling together at the company’s caboose. “Don’t be boring.”

“Oh, I’m boring, am I?”

“Yes!”

You had no time to run from him. One moment you were standing firm on the ground, the next you were in his arms being spun like the wheel of a wagon. The sky reeled, puffy clouds blurring into long white circles and dancing dwarves into blears and blobs of color. You screwed your eyes shut to save your frenzied mind, but it plainly made the dizzying effect worse. 

“Dwalin!” 

You screamed over the music, but the sound seemed to evaporate into the swirling air around you. Even when your feet eventually touched the flat ground, you were still twirled by your hands, shoulders, and waist. Just when the tormentor had finally relented, a familiar, smooth voice distracted you just enough for one foot to trip over the other and send you hurdling to the ground. Luckily, someone caught you.

“Are you all right?”

You opened your eyes to a blur of gold. It was Fíli who had caught you and you now lay in his able arms, helpless to stand. 

“I called Dwalin boring.”

“Oh, not your smartest idea, lass,” Fíli said, slowly moving you upright. 

You held his shoulders as your head continued to spin. “I think I may need a moment,” you said.

Fíli chuckled. “Let’s go sit, hm?” He led you to the fountain, watching just one of your wobbly steps before deciding to lift you in his arms once more and carry you to the stone seat. It was a smooth wave of movement you didn’t at all mind enduring. Once sat, he smoothed your hair behind your ear, marveling at your lips that were still grinning, even as you rocked back and forth in the aftermath of Dwalin’s “dancing.”

“Where were you?” you asked him. 

“Why? Did you want a better dance partner than Kíli?” he asked. You just saw his wink.

“Your brother is a good dancer!” you said with a slap to his shoulder. “He just dances to his own beat.”

Presently, Kíli was arm in arm with Bofur, skipping and hopping through the other dancers with precious little grace. You waved as they passed. Bofur barely made it past the fountain with Kíli’s dangerous lead. You couldn’t help but laugh. 

“If you can call that dancing,” Fíli chuckled. His form had finally stopped swaying in your vision. “When you can stand on your own again, I’ll have to show you how it’s really done.”

You nudged his shoulder with yours. “Why do you think I was looking for you in the first place?”

As the afternoon passed, other members of the company shopped through the market with notably lifted spirits. However, as the sun slid through the sky, it stretched gangly shadows of the pair who still made their perch on the fountain in the middle of the village plaza. Though you protested, sure Fíli had many other things to do rather than sit and listen to the music with you, he remained by your side, clapping to the beat as his feet collided with your swaying boots every once in a while. 

It wasn’t until the sun had completely disappeared behind the horizon that Kíli ran back into the square calling for his brother.

“Fíli! Have either of you moved all afternoon? We’ve been waiting for you at the inn.”

Fíli sputtered and stood, pulling you to your feet. “No, I lost track of time.” He sandwiched you between him and his brother as you followed Kíli through the small streets to the inn. A heavy hand on your new pack kept you close when dwarves filled some especially crowded pathways. 

When the inn came into view on the far end of the lane Kíli turned over his shoulder and said, “There are taverns full of beer and food all over this village and you two spend the entire day sitting on a rock in the sun!”

You shook your head. “I would much rather spend the day outside in the sunshine than in a dark bar, getting a sore belly from too much ale and smelly dwarves.”

Kíli, of course, had something to say about your reaction but you didn’t hear his reply. You were too distracted by Fíli leaning to your ear and running his fingers past your hand. 

“And I’d much rather spend the day with you than anyone else,” Fíli said.

Before you could discern his exact meaning, his hand found your back and led you through the door to the tavern. The moment you stepped through the threshold of the bar, he seemed to disappear, joining his uncle and helping to make the arrangements for the company’s overnight stay.

He stood tall next to Thorin- shoulders back, hands on his belt before one rose to shake that of the inn owner as Thorin dropped a few coins on the counter. Despite the months of travel, his clothes and hair were neat, even shining in the low light of the dark tavern. He turned over his shoulder and immediately found you watching him, giving you a high browed look as if he caught you stealing a treat from the kitchens. 

“That’s a nice pack, (Y/N).” Kíli’s voice interrupted your long distance facial feature conversation with Fíli. 

You hummed. “Thank you.”

The first thing you did when you reached your private room was bathe. You were given a large tub full of steaming water and fresh soap- no fish, plants, sharp rocks or sweating dwarves in sight. It should have been the most soothing event to occur in the past weeks. However, instead of relaxing and sinking deep into warmth and peace, your mind whirred and your body remained tense. Before the water had even run cool, you leapt out of the tub and dressed to run across the hall.

The hair by your neck was still damp and curling by the time you knocked on Fíli’s door. But it was Kíli who answered. You should have known they’d be sharing a room.

“Is Fíli in here?”

“Yeah, he’s in the bath. You want him?”

“No,” you said, jealousy rising and peaking above even your frustration at your endless jitters. “Will you just tell him I wanted to speak with him?”

“It’s not about the pack, is it?” Kíli asked.

“What? No-”

“Because he just wanted to give you something he knew you needed. It doesn’t even really count! He’s told me how badly he wants to make your gift, but there aren’t exactly any forges he can take advantage of while-”

Fíli’s voice stopped him. “Kíli! Who are you talking to, brother?”

“(Y/N)!” Kíli answered.

“(Y/N), our (Y/N)?” On the other side of the open door, you could hear water slosh onto the floor accompanied by Fíli’s incomprehensible grumbling. Then he peeked around the door with a sheepish smile. You could just see the soaked ends of his hair sending streams of water down his bare chest. “What were you two talking about?”

“The pack-”

“I just wanted to speak with you,” you said over Kíli. “Not right now. Later. When you’re… ready. I’m across the hall.”

Fíli nodded, forcing a smile that looked more like a wince. It didn’t reach his now stormy eyes. “I’ll be over in a minute.”

“Take your time,” you got out as he slammed the door shut.

Before you stepped back into your own room you heard Kíli cry out, “What! What did I do?” 

You closed your own door quickly, not wanting to eavesdrop any more. But it didn’t stop you from thinking about what Kíli had said. Had Fíli wanted to make you a pack once Erebor was reclaimed? Why would you need it then? Maybe Thorin was planning to ask you to travel back to Ered Luin once it was safe to lead the people back to the mountain. Imagine a trip free of wargs and orcs, you thought. 

You jumped when the door vibrated with his knock. 

“Come in, Fíli.”

You had never seen his hair loose and untied before. Its waves fell around his face like sweet rays of sun and the dripping ends left sheer wet clouds on the chest of his tunic. Did Kíli usually braid his hair? Had their mother taught them the traditional styles? Or did Fíli do it himself, never needing to ask for help with something so trivial? You were sure you could manage it. The braids weren’t so intricate and they were similar to yours if you thought about it. Which you often did.

He was looking at you with that “caught ya” grin again. “What did you want to talk about, lass?”

You turned, digging through your pack that was laid out on the bed. “Not so much talk,” you said. “I wanted you to have these.” In your hands sat the strap you had been admiring from the market. While you were alone in the morning, you’d paid to have it fashioned into a scabbard and a matching pair of bracers. It was simply coincidence that the pattern on your new pack happened to match these gifts you’d picked for Fíli. “I saw the engraving and immediately thought you’d like it. I know your bracers were torn by the trolls a few weeks back.”

He looked at you before he took the gifts. You couldn’t quite place his expression, you were sure that even after months of traveling together you’d never seen it before. He flipped the bracers over and could have seen his reflection in the shine of the buckles. They were immaculate and new- obviously made this morning- however they seemed comfortably broken in as if they’d been worn for days previously. He could imagine what custom gifts like these would have cost you.

“I can’t take these.”

You waved his hands away. “Fíli, please accept my gift,” you said, repeating his words from earlier in the day.

He ran his rounded fingertips over the familiar triangular etchings and hummed. “Thank you, (Y/N). They’re perfect.”

“You like them?” you asked. Your nerves were starting to build again, as you took one of the bracers from him. “Are you sure? I was wondering if these straps were long enough. I can go back to the seller in the morning and get them adjusted-”

His hand covered yours. “They’ll fit fine.”

“And you like them? They’ll be of use?”

“I love them.” He set the leather pieces in the seat of a chair by the door. “However, I believe there is still one thing you owe me.” His eyes shined. Mischievous. He too had learned a few things from his little brother.

“Oh?”

You let him lace his fingers in yours and wrap an arm around you. “I never got my dance.”

“Ah,” you said, melting into his embrace. “And I suppose you’ll tell me we don’t need music?”

“You read my mind.” You could just feel his thumb waving back and forth against your tunic as he seemed to tuck you into the crook of his elbow. “And just for you, I’ll go very slow. Can’t have you getting dizzy again.”

“My hero.”

He hummed and held his cheek to yours. His skin was so warm- not from the bath, not from his soft, thick beard blanketing the side of your face, but just from Fíli. He glowed. Finally, you were close enough to feel the beams radiating from him and you couldn’t stop yourself from burrowing into the heat, eyelashes tickling his skin, nose nestling into silky, clean hair. You bathed in his sunlight, blinded to anything other than his arms around you and chest supporting you, his lips caressing the side of your head. 

“Dizzy?” he asked.

“A little.” 

“Me too.”

He only just rocked you back and forth, barely swaying as if to merely keep up the pretence of dancing. Safe in his arms, he led you along to the melodies of your beating hearts, steady breaths and unspoken confessions. You leaned your head on his shoulder and that tiny movement seemed to break a spell. Fíli’s voice, however, brought a new kind of magic.

“Aren’t you going to ask me what Kíli meant?”

You breathed out a laugh, sending cool air over his neck that made him shiver around you. “I was going to let you tell me when you were ready.”

“(Y/N), I’ve been ready.” You lifted your head, but he tightened his grip on you, keeping you close to him. “The pack was meant to be a courting gift- a proposal. But you deserve much more than that. I want to make something for you with my own hands. Something grand and gorgeous that you could love forever and would possibly begin the greatest adventure of our lives.” He swept tender fingers through your hair and held your cheek, feeling his own warmth still radiating from your skin. “But I don’t know how long it will be before I can do that for you and I don’t want to wait that long. I don’t want to wait another moment, so I’m asking you now. Will you allow me to court you?”

“Yes.” You nodded. “Yes.” You turned your face into his hand and kissed his palm. “But Fíli, of course I want to treasure something you’ve made for me and have it with me always, but what matters to me is being with you. I don’t need gifts. Only you.”

You saw his radiant smile before he pulled you close, pressing his forehead to yours. The tip of his nose nuzzled yours and then settled. The two of you shared the same air for long, peaceful moments, before he went digging into his trouser pocket. 

“Wait,” he said, drawing away. He pulled out a hair piece, the one he wore on the bottom of his backmost braid, and held it flat in his palm. “I have this. I can secure a courting braid with it, though it’s a tad unusual.” He took your chin in his fingers, running his thumb back and forth. “It can be a placeholder.”

Pride bubbled in your chest. You kissed him. “A placeholder.”

Taglist: @emrfangirl​ @misslongcep​ @raindancer2004​ @ladybugg1235​ @xxbyimm​ @burningcoffeetimetravel​ @fire-flv​ @nerdbirdsworld​ @dashesofink​ @teagarages​ @dreams-of-wander​ @winchesterandpie​ @bluebellcotton @tumblinglringlring @fxngsfogxarty @specialagentsnark @afeistyfairy12 @queenofmankind @karlthecat15722 @sagabriar @marymegger @daydreamer-in-training @aidan-kili-mitchell-forever

[kkeidawrites]

Gone (Filler)

Part 2

Flashback continued~~~~

Esmé walked with a pout on her face as she stubbornly, pushed through the bushes and low trees while Sypha followed behind her, trying to stop her.

“Esmé, please wait. Alucard didn’t mean it, he’s just being childish.” Sypha tried and Esmé stopped turning to her.

“Whether he meant it or not Sypha, it’s the fact that he said it.” Esmé said and rubbed her tired eyes.

“I don’t...” Esmé frowned, taking a deep breath as she looked at Sypha sadly.

“I don’t like when people make fun of my looks, I’ve already been through it when I was younger.” Esmé told her. Turning around with a sigh, Esmé hugged herself suddenly, feeling self conscious.

“You’ve been through it?” Sypha questioned.

“When you are raised by a single father who himself has never had a mother or any female contact, it shows little to what he knew about raising a girl.” Esmé smiled at the bitter feeling.

“I acted more like a man than a woman and it made the other villagers begin to tell me that I was beginning to look like a man.”

“My hair was cut short like a man’s, my body was slow to develop than other girls in the village and I fought all the boys, young and older.” Esmé said remembering one time when a boy asked her why she acted like a boy than a girl. Then making fun of her still flat chest and boyish hair cut.

Her mother had died giving birth to her. Her mother Ihan was actually carrying twins but, it was a difficult pregnancy, when she went into labor she was in a great deal of pain, perhaps more painful than any other woman has ever been when giving birth.

“She was only able to push out me while she and my younger brother died, and ever since I was always outcasted. They pretty much blamed me for killing both my mother and brother.” She laughed bitterly.

Fuck those people in Jova, they thought they were so smart.

“Things became worse when I grew older and I began looking more like my mother. And you know what’s funny,” Sypha frowned, she knew that Esmé was in a lot of emotional pain.

“They said I was cursed, because I was able to gain her face and that every time I would look in a mirror it would be a reminder of who I killed.” Esmé said clenching her fists.

“You can’t let those people get to you.” Sypha touched her arm in comfort and the two sat down on a fallen tree.

“They had no right to treat you that way and say those things to you.” Sypha said.

“You can’t control the way of life...I’m sure your mother was the strongest woman ever, she even had the opportunity to have twins!” Esmé still didn’t feel convinced and Sypha frowned sadly.

“At least you had the chance to have a father and mother,” she said.

“My parents died when I was very young and my grandfather took me in and raised me. I don’t know much about them and my grandfather would be very brief when talking about them.” Sypha told her fixing her cloak.

“He just tells me that they were speakers as well but, that is all I know of them. Now, my grandfather is traveling the countryside...I should be with him.” Sypha says.

“But, I have a purpose in this world...to stop Dracula and be able to return to him and the other speakers without the fear of night creatures attacking me.” She continues and Esmé nodded in understanding.

“So, the things that both Trevor and Alucard say don’t faze me in the least. If anything, ignoring them is what has kept my sanity.” Sypha laid a hand on her shoulder.

“Just ignore Alucard if he says something childish like that, he’s harmless really. And I’m sure he’s hurting too.” Sypha says and Esmé sighs.

“I know...it’s just...when someone says something like that it brings back a lot of unwanted memories.” Esmé stood to her feet and smiled down at Sypha.

“Thanks for the pep talk, Sypha. I’ll try and ignore him but, I won’t promise to hit him when he says something out of line.” Esmé mused and Sypha laughs, standing as well.

“I won’t stop you.” She giggles as the two women return to the wagon finding Trevor and Alucard arguing as usual.

End of Flashback

Unfortunately, Alucard had yet to apologize to Esmé and the brownskinned woman had yet to say a thing to him.

Stirring the contents in the pot, the two remained silent, and Esmé wondered where Sypha and Trevor went. They were just supposed to get more firewood.

Then it clicked, they set them up. Sypha must have made Alucard come and sit by her to try and talk with her and Esmé rolled her eyes with a sigh.

‘Damn you, Sypha.’ She thought annoyed.

“Listen,” she heard the dhampir say and Esmé continued her stirring. Alucard knew she was ignoring him and after getting a earful from Sypha he agreed to apologize. Or at least attempt to.

He had heard their conversation and felt for Esmé. Losing his mother to people who did not understand her methods of helping them, to being considered an outcast to others were all familiar to Alucard.

“I wanted to apologize-”

“You’re forgiven.” Esmé interrupted and Alucard rolled his eyes.

“I’m trying to apologize here-”

“And I said you’re forgiven.” Esmé stopped her magic and moved the pot from the campfire.

“That’s hardly a decision to make so easily. I can’t properly apologize to you if you don’t listen.” Alucard said growing frustrated.

“I don’t need to receive an apology from you as long as you keep your mouth shut and stay away from me we’ll both get through this safely.” Esmé snapped and Alucard growled in annoyance standing to his feet beginning to leave when he stopped.

Taking a deep breath, Alucard turned back and stood beside her, Esmé raised an eyebrow at him.

“No, I’m not going to take that.” Alucard said and Esmé frowned.

“I’m going to apologize and you are going to listen.” He told her.

“Oh, am I now?”

“You are! I want to apologize for what I had said earlier. It was unnecessary and very rude, I had became annoyed and the words that left my lips were all...adrenaline rushed words. And for that I am sorry.” He placed a hand over his torso and bowed to the woman. His golden hair curtained his entire face, blocking her way of seeing if he was telling the truth or not.

Esmé watched him closely and sighed dejectedly, she supposed that staying mad at him wouldn’t solve anything.

“I forgive you, Alucard. Now, stop with that bowing shit, I’m not a noble or anything.” Esmé waved her hand at him and the man returned to his straightened pose.

“I was taught mannerisms when I was young, it’s a habit.” He says and Esmé chuckled.

“Yeah well, you don’t have to do that with me. Just be polite with me and I’ll do the same.” Esmé gave him a small smile and Alucard returned one.

“So, friends?” She asked holding out her hand to shake.

Alucard moved to grasp it gently in his gloved ones and shook it.

“I suppose so. You’re not as bad as Belmont, I guess I can deal with you too.” Alucard joked and Esmé flicked him off when their hands let go, with a laugh.

“Fuck you, asshole.” Esmé said earning a grin from the dhampir.

“Hey, we’re back!” Sypha announced as she and Trevor had armfuls of wood with them.

Placing the wood beside the fire, both Sypha and Trevor took a seat and Sypha looked at Esmé with a knowing look.

“So, anything happen while we were gone?” She asked.

“Nope. Nothing at all.” Esmé said with glancing at Alucard then returning to the pot of rabbit stew.

“Anyway, let’s eat shall we?” Esmé changed the subject quickly before Sypha had the chance to tease her some more.

During dinner, Alucard told them about how his parents met and what the next agenda will be for everyone after Dracula was defeated.

The sound of a stick snapping alerted the foursome and they all turned to the sound of the source.

“Did you hear that?” Trevor asked.

“Animals humping in the undergrowth.” Alucard jokes. The sound was heard again.

“Wait, no.” Esmé put a hand over her face in annoyance.

“Which town is closest, is it still Gresit?” Trevor asked as he used his foot to shovel snow on to the fire, quickly extinguishing it.

“Arges is closer to us.” Sypha informs crouching as Esmé readied her hands. They glowed a light blue color and she raised them up to fight anything.

The sound of hissing and growls were heard as the night creatures made their appearance from the forest.

Trevor ran to the right to climb a tree while Alucard went left leaving only Esmé and Sypha. Sypha sighs and pulls on her hood while Esmé shrugged and moved to the left as well.

The night creatures began their attack and the first two were quickly killed by Alucard.

A griffin like monster came charging at Esmé and she dodged to her right to watch as it ran past her. The monster turned quickly and charged once again, Esmé used this time to ready her stance.

It lunged at her with a roar and Esmé grabbed it by its neck to body slam it.

Raising her left leg, she brought it down on the monster’s neck and twisted it, cracking its neck. Hearing a hiss to her right, Esmé dodged the flying night creature with a sythe and raised her hands to fire, fire balls at the wings of the monster. One hit one wing and it screeched in pain, flying towards her with the one wing it still had.

Esmé dodged its sword that landed on the snow next to her and got on her hands to land a spin kick to its head.

Discombobulated, Esmé returned to her feet and quickly grabbed its head smashing it against her knee than kicking it away. Conjuring up her magic to make a knife, Esmé ran to it and stabbed the side of its head.

Removing her knife, she turned to see the last few demons were killed by the others and sighed, then falling to her knees holding her side, as she felt the pain from her previous wound.

“Esmé!” Sypha called as she and the men rushed over.

Esmé looked up with one eye and saw that a demon was still alive. It was flying towards them and Esmé noticed that it’s flapping was too quiet to not be detected.

“Watch out!” She yelled out weakly to them.

She raised her hand and released a fire ball at it and the demon screeched as it landed with a heavy heap. Feeling a bit faint, Esmé felt her body grow heavy as she tilted to the side.

Her body was caught by Alucard as he let one leg rest on the snow while the other was holding her up and Sypha knelt by her to lift up her shirt to look at her wound. Alucard rested her body on him and he looked down at her worriedly.

“Fuck, that hurts like hell!” Esmé hissed as she felt the bandages of where her scratch mark from that demon was when they first met.

“She’s reopened her wound. I can stop the bleeding, but, she mustn’t fight again until she is healed.” Sypha instructs as she took some bandages out of her cloak.

Once she was rebandaged, Esmé winched from the pain and held it. Alucard gently removed her hand.

“Don’t touch it, you’ll only make it worst.” He scolded gently.

“Yes, mother.” Esmé joked. Alucard gave her a small smile.

Alucard helped her up and walked her to the wagon. Helping her inside, Esmé laid back against the wagon and Alucard sat next to her. He pulled a blanket over her and Esmé smiled in gratitude.

The next couple of hours went by and Sypha looked behind her to watch the two sleeping figures in the wagon.

“We’re almost to the next town, think we should wake them?” Trevor asked popping his stiff shoulders.

Sypha looked at him a second and shook her head.

“Let them sleep until we reach town.” Sypha said with a smile as she saw the position her two allies were in.

Esmé was curled up on Alucard’s shoulder, snoring softly as the dhampir’s head was lying on top of hers with one leg pulled up to his chest.

“I guess, even assholes like him, can have a heart.” Trevor mused as Sypha giggled softly.

“Are you speaking from experience?” She asks and Trevor raised an eyebrow at her.

“I’m not an asshole to everybody.” Trevor defends.

“Then why is most of your stories always start off with you getting into a fight in a bar. It’s like the start of a bad joke.”

“I’ve already told you it’s because, the people there are assholes. I’m telling you it’s a Belmont curse.”

“Sure it is Belmont. Sure it is.” Sypha laughs.

Esmé snuggles a bit closer to Alucard and the dhampir rubbed his cheek in her soft hair. He peeks open an eye to look down at her and smiled, snuggling into her hair more.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

I don’t own any gifs or Castlevania related things just my oc Esmé and that’s it.

End of Part 2

1 // 2 //

[ourneverendingpossibilities]

I’m Sorry (9/?)

Anime: Kuroko no Basuke Pairing: Aomine Daiki x reader Rating: K+ A/N: FINALLY!! After soo long, here’s ANOTHER chapter!! AHH. I hate to say it, but this story is coming to an end... I think there’ll be a few more chapters? Can’t guarantee.. But I’m grateful everyone has been patient with me!! You can also find it on my AO3!! Enjoy! ___________________________

The day you met Aomine Daiki, was on a clear blue sky.

You were practicing dribbling on a nearby court, moving the ball between your legs in a quick motion. It was one of your weaker moves, but you were at least good at shooting. It wouldn't be enough to win the next game though.. You frown, halting your movements and stare up at the hoop, as if studying it. How many times have you faced up against opponents taller than you? Surely there has to be a way to outsmart them and be able to reach the hoop?

The ball began hitting the cement once more, and you narrowed your eyes, making fake movements before spinning on your feet. Taking a jump back, you shot the ball into the hoop, watching as it effortlessly sinks in.. Wiping the sweat from your eyebrow, you sigh, staring at the ground... Is there a way to get better? How can you be the assistant captain if you can't lead your team with the captain?

"OI! Move off the court! It's not meant for girls!"

The voice cut you out of your reverie, and you glare, turning your attention to the group of boys... Great... You're going to be harassed once again from playing a 'boys' sport. You made your way to your ball, only to stumble when one of them grabs it, spinning it on his finger as he sneers at you.

"You think a girl can play against a group of boys and win?" he laughs, not bothering to look at you. It was clear to you he was the leader... His arrogance was evident.

"Girls can play any sport boys can!" you glower, eyes narrowing. "Besides, this is a PUBLIC court... Anyone can play on it!"

He sneers, stopping the spinning of the ball. He looks at it, casting a glance at you. He then starts to tease you with the ball, watching as you jump up and down, trying to reach it... Curse your height!

"How can you play when you're not even tall enough to reach the hoop??" He laughs, and then proceeds to throw your ball off the court... You gasp, turning to chase it, only to trip on his foot, and you almost hit the pavement. Hard...

Instead, you wind up in someone's arms..

"OI! Pick on someone your own size!"

You blink, gasping lightly as you inhale the young boy's scent, finding yourself blushing... He smells good... You look up at him, mouth parting as his beautiful navy blue hues meet yours, and you're suddenly tongue-tied... H...He's so....

Cute.

"Tch... Whatcha gonna do about it, shorty?" the older male sneers, not liking his bullying was being interrupted...

Aomine's snaps out of his fascination of you, turning to look at them, glaring. He puts you behind him, grabbing the ball from the other teen and laughs, spinning the ball on his finger...

"I'm gonna fight you! Four on one! If you can beat me, I'll leave with her and we won't be on the court again!" He replies smugly, bouncing the ball on the ground... "But... If I win..." He then charges at them, bouncing the ball between their legs, and throws the ball into the hoop with one hand.

"... You'll apologize to her and never step foot on this court again."

xxx

You watch the game, mesmerized by the young boy's plays... He was laughing, grinning with mischief as he made each shot, dodging each of their moves effortlessly... It was hard to believe he was your age.... He plays like a natural.. As if he breathes basketball...

At the end of the match, you're unable to tear your eyes away, feeling slightly flustered at the scene before you... No words could begin to describe what took place, and you feel rooted to the ground... Everything about this... Is surreal, and she finds herself feeling just a little envious... Not because of his skill persay... But because he looks like he's enjoying himself... And she finds herself wishing, he never stops smiling.

The thought makes her blush deeply, and she crouches down, burying her face in her knees.

"Oi! You okay?"

His voice brings her out of her turmoil, and she looks up at him, his gaze curious and a slight hint of worry. You immediately stand up, nodding your head as you dust off your shorts.

"A...Ahh!! I'... I'm okay!!" She looks around, noticing the males are gone... "W...What happened?"

He clicks his tongue, a soft frown on his lips, "I kicked their butts.." He replies, tossing the gross ball away. He didn't want to touch anything belonging to them.. He then runs towards the edge of the court, grabbing your long forgotten ball. He brings it back to you, holding it out towards you.

"Here!"

As if shocked, you take the ball from his hands, gasping at the small twinge of electricity... You hear it from his lips too, before looking up at him , swallowing the lump in your throat..

"T....Thank you..." you whisper, a tiny smile on your lips. He rubs the back of his head, unable to meet your eyes, a small blush dusting his cheeks...

"Those guys had it coming...:" he whispers, "Anyone can play basketball... and I was tired of them picking on you..."

You find yourself staring up at him, a tiny giggle leaving your lips.

"Y...You're a really good player... er..."

"D...Daiki..."

Your eyes widen at his stutter, but he says his name with clear conviction, and you're once again, amazed at his stature... And you feel... safe with him... Something you've only experienced with your father... Speaking of...

"AH! It's getting late!! I have to get back home!" you gasp, bowing at him. You meet his gaze, grinning at him brightly,

"Thank you Daiki!! I appreciate what you did for me!"

You then begin running off the court, only to stop at his voice.

"Oi!! I didn't catch your name!!"

You whirl around, eyes wide at his words, and you smile bigger, waving a hand.

"It's _______!"

You almost trip in your haste, but you had to get home! Otherwise your dad would start to worry... and he wouldn't let you out to play on the courts again! As you ran away, Aomine couldn't take his eyes off your form.. You were cute, and he had caught you training a little... He could tell you were a good player, and he hopes to see you again on these courts...

"Be safe, _____-chan...." he whispers, before he makes his trek back home.

_____________________________

~ Two years later ~

It'd been a couple years since you ran into Daiki on the street court... And you couldn't stop thinking about him... His enthusiasm for the sport your father played somehow renewed your interest, allowing you to bond with your father... It'd been rocky since you were forced to live with your mother, and during that time, you couldn't return to the courts, unable to meet with Daiki again... You wanted to play with him, get to know him as a person... Everything about him, it screamed at you.. Somehow you found yourself going to Teiko... Per your mother's request.

And that's where you now stood, in front of the gates, staring up at them with wide eyes... A prestigious school... The aura around it was powerful, and you found yourself sweating.. You were feeling anxious, having everyone's attention on you... Since you'd grown up, some of your assets... had well... stood out...

"Hey.. She's cute!! We should go talk to her!"

"I'm going to make her my girlfriend!"

"Let's get her to join our club!"

You started to feel your palms clam up, and you swallow the lump in your throat. All you want is to make it to homeroom, and relax. The first day is always the hardest, and you didn't want to fall behind... It was when you were heading inside you saw a flash of navy blue hair.. And it made you pause... You watch, eyes wide as the boy you met a couple years ago walks by, accompanied by a beautiful pinkette, and they seem very close... You wanted to shout his name, to confirm it was truly him, but something held you back.. Before you got caught, you ran up the stairs towards your class, unaware of those hues looking in your direction.

xxx

"You're _____-chan, right?"

You were in the middle of eating when the VERY same girl who you saw with Daiki earlier appears.. A huge grin on her face. You place your food down, tilting your head to the side..

"H...How do you..."

"It's my duty to know everyone ! I also heard of your basketball abilities!!" she grins, unaware of your inner turmoil... If this was Daiki's girlfriend... Why was she here in front of you?

"I want you to join the basketball team as an assistant manager!"

Her words bring you out of your reverie, and you look at her, stunned...

"...Eh?"

"I don't think Dai-chan has realized you're here.. But from your description, I'd say you're the same girl he met on the court a couple years ago!" she coos, sitting beside you. Her eyes were wide, but the sparkling effects were there, and you felt a twinge of guilt for the bluenette.

"He couldn't stop talking about you _____-chan! He was excited to meet someone who liked playing basketball like him! Though he was upset you didn't show up again after that."

'H...He talked about me?' you thought, eyes wide and a slight blush on your cheeks... Why was your heart, beating fast, as if you were running on the track? What kind of face would he make, when he sees you again? Suddenly, your stomach began to churn in knots, and you bite your bottom lip.

"W...What's your-"

"Oh! I'm Momoi Satsuki!! I'm Dai-chan's childhood friend!" She explains, understanding your confusion.. You let out a soft sigh.

"I.. I thought you were..."

"Dating??" She scoffs, making a face, "No way!! Dai-chan is more like a brother to me!" She pouts, before shaking her head, holding out a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, _____-chan!! I hope you'll help me manage the basketball team!"

You look at her, before your gaze goes to her hand, with a smile. Gently taking it in yours, you can feel the smile meeting your eyes, and nod. "I look forward to helping the basketball team!"

Little did you know, a certain someone was on the other line, tucked inside Momoi's pocket.

____________________

End of day came by in a flash, and suddenly you were dreading going to the gym... You wanted to, but the prospect of Aomine NOT remembering you lingers in your head. From Momoi's words, he DOES remember you, has even talked about you non-stop... Despite the one meeting... And yet, why wouldn't your heart stop fluttering?? Was meeting you that exciting for the bluenette?

"______-chan!!!"

Startled from your thoughts, you look up, watching as Momoi runs to you, grabbing your hand happily. She drags you towards three people... An older man, who you assumed was the coach... A guy you recognized as the team's captain, and senpai, Nijimura Shuuzo, and finally.. The red-head who was vice captain, and one of the smartest boys in Teiko..

Akashi Seijuro...

"This is who I was talking about!! This is _____-chan!!" She looks at you, gesturing to the three males, "This is the coach, Sanada-san... The captain, Nijimura-senpai, and vice captain, Akashi-kun!"

You take in each of their expressions, but the one sending chills down your spine the most, was the red-head. Despite him being your age, his demeanor spoke volumes, and you swallow thickly, bowing in front of them.

"I... I'm ______! I...It's a pleasure to meet you!"

You knew it was slightly rude not to say your last name, but you never wanted to be addressed so formally... Even in class, you'd rather be addressed by your first name. Most people respected that, and never questioned it.. And thankfully, the others nodded at you, accepting your introduction before talking to each other about the regimes... You look at Momoi, prepared to ask her what your duties were, when a very familiar voice echoed through the gym, causing you to gasp..

"_-_-_______?"

Turning your head around, you notice Momoi's smile, but find your eyes widening at the boy you met a couple years ago... He's much, MUCH, taller now than he was back then... And suddenly, you never felt so... small.

You give him a smile, lifting a hand in a hesitant wave, "H....Hi there..... Daiki-kun..."

When you greet him, you watch as his face lights up, and those beautiful blue hues sparkle until your skin was burning... And you longed to keep that smile on his face... It was as if the two of you were in your own worlds, only attention was on each other, and nothing else matters... You were brought out of your thoughts when he ran at you, wrapping his arms around your shoulder as he gives you a noogie..

"Be prepared!! I've gotten stronger! And I want to face off against you one day!"

You tilt your head in confusion, trying your hardest not to sound like an idiot... Because your entire being was screaming to touch him.. To hold him... And just like that day, when he had beaten those boys for you, Aomine was the sun, and if you got too close, you'd surely be burned.

__________________________

You let out a soft whimper, though it immediately vanishes when a tiny pressure rests against your forehead. You don't want to open your eyes, in fear he's going to leave.. He's not physically here... He's only here in your dreams... And you want to keep him here... You want his heat, his scent, his warmth... Everything Aomine Daiki is... You want to hold it in the palm of your hand... And yet, it's time to stop living in the past, and move on...

You slowly open your eyes, releasing a slow breath, and when you feel the swing shift, you realize one thing...

Aomine is resting underneath you...

When you fell asleep, you landed on his chest, and the whole time you were napping, he remained in place, keeping you close... As if protecting you from the cool breeze.. His heart continues to beat under your ear, and you were scared to move, in case he got angry, or he would place you down, leaving you alone...

Instead, his arms tighten their grip, and you snuggle closer to his chest.

"Miss me that much, _____?"

His voice is teasing, hot against your ear, and you feel your cheeks burn in embarrassment... C...Curse him!! Your heart continues to beat in your chest, and you knew... You couldn't get over him... Not even if you moved to a different continent....

Your heart would always be Aomine's...

Slowly getting up, you cast him a glare, half straddling his hips as you look down at him, pouting...

"I could say the same about you... Aomine-kun.." you murmur, not missing the frown at addressing him by his last name. You grab onto his sweater, and move to get off him, when he tugs you back into his chest, growling darkly.

"I...It's getting late!!"

"Don't care..." he mumbles, gently nipping your ear, "I'll stay the whole night if I have to..." he lets the words linger, and it makes your heart race... Letting out a soft gasp, you ignore the heat on your cheeks as you meet his blue hues...

Licking your lips, again ignoring the burning stare on your mouth, you whisper, "....Why?"

He clicks his tongue, rolling his eyes before leaning in, closer than before. His breath tickles your mouth, and you so badly want to close the gap... To just drown in him again and again.

"Use your head, _____... I know you're not stupid."

And when you open your mouth to retort, he swoops in, and silences your protest with his own, forever sending your heart into a frenzy.

[heli0s-writes]

Surprises

Summary: You and Bucky babysit the Barton clan. Pairing: Reader x Bucky Barnes A/N: Silliness, little angst at the end. TW: Mentions infertility.

Bag of Tricks One-Shot Masterlist

You are surprisingly good with kids.

When you visited the Barton farm for the first time, all of Clint’s kids loved you. After the initial excitement over Captain America, Thor, and Auntie Nat, they always came back to you. You’d be plopped down on the couch, flipping through the channels, and Clint’s daughter would find her way into your lap with a picture book.

To be polite, you had read it to her the first time, accidentally becoming very invested in the Lorax’s plight for environmental justice and the next thing you knew, your voice was loud and booming, rising and falling with the cadence of each line. The boys had shown up, too, clapping and cheering at the end and requested another book.

Clint never let you live down reading his kids four books that evening. And building a blanket fort. And rolling yourself up in the blanket and hobbling after them.

The next time you returned, Lila had moved onto chapter books, and you were happy to help her read those as well. She had a lot of questions about volcanoes and dinosaurs, and you would answer them to the best of your ability. She knew quite a lot for a 2nd grader, so you ended up asking her quite a few questions about volcanoes and dinosaurs as well (who the heck knows how to pronounce Deinonychus anyway?)

At the end of the night, she was curled up in your lap while you braided her hair. You were glad she fell asleep because it was quite honestly a travesty that all 7 braids were different sizes and shapes.

“You ever think about raising your own kid?” Clint asked later that night. “In this business? Pfft.”

So, you settled on being the Barton’s babysitter when they needed one. And on one dark October night, you enlist Bucky Barnes’ help.

-

“Can you braid my hair while we watch the movie?” Lila asks as she settles in next to you on the couch. Cooper and Nate are down on their bellies in front, squished pillows underneath them to soften the hardwood flooring.

“Lila,” You sigh, “You don’t remember this, but last time I braided your hair… you looked terrible.”

“It’s okay.” She giggles, “It just feels nice!”

Bucky is on the other side of the couch, gaze attached to the slasher movie you had been told specifically not to put on for the kids. With a slight kick to his knee, you ask him for help with your eyes. Lila doesn’t know, but you can’t braid worth a shit—most of what happened to her hair last time had a lot to do with sheer dumb luck. And it was still a travesty.

She might say that she doesn’t care, but you know any eight-year-old girl cares about what their hair looks like. Even if it’s just a night in with her brothers.

He sends you an annoyed look back, because you dragged him to bumfuck middle of 80 acres of nowhere and he’s watching Planet Terror with a bunch of children. Barton is going to skin his ass when he gets back.

“Bucky, can you braid?” You whisper as Rose McGowan fires her fucking machinegun leg and the ricochet shudders through the T.V.

“Yes.” He replies.

“Help a girl out, man.” You motion to Lila, who has now covered her eyes as red sprays from an enormous wound. Bucky grimaces at the way your fingers have separated three locks. Already it is a tangled mess and you haven’t even started.

“What are you trying to do? Give the kid dreadlocks?” He scowls, slapping your hand away and scooting over so that she’s now mostly in front of him and you are squished and diagonal, pushed away by his shoulder. In mere minutes he makes short work of the herculean task you had tried to take on.

It’s a perfect fishtail braid, and he’s even used strands of her hair to wrap around the elastic neatly. You stare open-mouthed at him as Lila pats the back of her head and happily squeals at what he’s done. Bucky grunts in reply and then sinks back into the sofa, crossing his arms.

“I gotta turn this off. This can’t be good for the kids.”

--

“EARTHQUAKE!” You scream, grabbing the edge of the dinner table and rocking it so hard all the pieces of the board game fall over. Cooper is out of his seat, throwing his hands up in the air as he yells, “CHEATER!” And Nate looks like he’s on the verge of tears.

Lila could care less, still enamored by her beautifully weaved locks.

Bucky puts his face in his hands as you expertly dodge the metal dog and thimble piece Cooper is throwing at you. It’s bad enough that you had been massively in debt to the bank but shaking the board because you were losing is a new level of low. The kids chase you around the house and throw pillows at you when you climb too far out of their reach. Pastel strips of Monopoly money lay scattered all over the house.

Bucky hisses your name as you perch on the hutch in the dining room. “Get down from there! Christ!”

Nate tosses a cushion up that you swat away easily. Cooper throws a cookie that you catch in your mouth. “I’ll die before I come down.” You mutter, “Stupid, capitalist, Monopoly-monocle’d, pocketwatched motherfu—”

A pillow to the face muffles the rest of your complaint and Bucky points at you in a silent scolding. Thank God he has good aim because if the Bartons come home from date night and little Nate was calling someone a motherfucker, Laura would skin his ass.

“You are terrible with children!” He whispers when the kids leave the room to find something else to do.

Slowly, you climb down and pat his shoulder. “My favorite part about kids is the part where I give them back to their parents.” You admit. “I didn’t think they’d take this long.”

From the corner of the dining room, Nate and Cooper rush forward screaming at you. Pillows are raised high above their heads as they leap and pummel you with the fluffy squares. You shriek and fall down and make a huge show about it—something about melting and turning green and flying monkeys. It’s all too much, but the kids love it and tell you it’s what you deserve for being a cheater.

But then Nate and Cooper yelp as you snatch their ankles in your hand and stand tall, holding them upside down. It’s easy to forget that you have super-human strength because you certainly don’t look like it. But it’s on display now as you spin around on your heels and take the boys circling with you.

Nate’s head misses the corner of a wooden chair by centimeters and Bucky thinks he might fucking faint. Lila takes this opportunity to try and jump on your back to save her brothers, but she’s just a fraction too slow and your arm crashes into her instead, sending all three siblings tumbling and you as well.

Bucky sighs severely as he stands over the mess in the kitchen. One adult (tentatively labeled), three children, rubbing their heads and limbs, pouting like babies. There is a swelling mark underneath Nate’s hairline and he rubs it gingerly, whimpering when his fingers touch it.

You run to the refrigerator for an icepack before he can burst into tears.

-

Forgiveness is earned after three hurriedly made root beer floats—extra whipped cream piled so high that it overtakes the entire glass and the kids stick half their noses in it to try and lick some off. You slump heavily in a chair and dig a spoon into your own glass of fizzing cream and soda.

A single cherry is plopped on top of the bubbles. Bucky peers down at you, licking the syrup off his finger with a smirk.

“I guess you’re not so bad with kids.” He says, glancing over at where the three previously dour Bartons sit, now giddy with cheer as they slurp their desserts. Cooper has stuck his finger in his glass, scooping up the last remnants of sweetness before turning over and eyeing Nate’s half-full container.  

You throw the cherry into your mouth and grin, “Yeah. I’m kind of a miracle worker.” And then your tongue pokes around in your mouth and you shut one eye as if in intense contemplation. When you stick your tongue out again, the cherry stem has been tied into a little knot, glistening with spit.

“Woah!” Lila yells, “How’d you do that?”

“I wanna learn!” Cooper rushes forward, peering at the stem between your fingers, and then all three kids are screeching, “me too!” and jumping in circles around the table. Bucky puts both his hands up when you start explaining what to do because he—an actual, reasonable, adult—does not think teaching three kids to tie a cherry stem into a knot is a good idea.

Before he can do much else, the Barton children are shoving each other and arguing. Then they break out into laughter and take off into the living room. All Bucky hears next is screaming and the sound of six feet jumping on every cushion there is. They tumble, wrestle, run, and in general act like little hazards. Nate screeches at the top of his lungs—just because, apparently.

Bucky takes your spoon from your mouth and scoops a big chunk of ice cream for himself, resigned to getting skinned. When Clint and Laura come home and find their kids cracked out on sugar at—he checks the clock—good fuck, half past midnight, they are going to kill the both of you.

The spoon is still in his mouth when he mumbles, “You are terrible with kids.”

--

“Huh.” Clint says when he enters the living room and finds all five of you settled in comfortably with the children sound asleep. Laura’s cheeks are a bit peachier than you remember and there’s a lazy little smile that graces her features as she peers down at her children.

“Sorry—they fell asleep during the movie and I didn’t have the heart to wake ‘em up.” You say with a sheepish grin, tilting your chin up and watching him upside down.

“That’s okay, kid.” Clint grins, hand on his hip. “Jeez, you really wore ‘em out. What’dja do?” He gives Bucky a curious look but doesn’t say much else. The two of you are sharing a blanket in the middle of the floor, heads propped up by one couch cushion. Lila is to your left with her head on your arm, fishtail braid bursting apart, strands of hair flaying about around her head like a halo. Cooper and Nate are on the other side of Bucky, mouths open and snoring softly.

They’re even changed into their pajamas, teeth brushed and everything.

Slowly, Clint picks up Lila and Cooper and Laura does the same to Nate. They go upstairs to put the kids to bed while you and Bucky peel the blanket off, quietly making your exit.

Before you can reach the car, the front door swings shut and Clint is stepping out with his hands tucked in his pockets. “Hey.” He calls, “Thanks for the night. Laura and I haven’t been out alone in months.”

“Don’t mention it.” You beam. Behind you, Bucky scoffs just enough for you to hear.

“You sure you don’t want any kids? You’re damn good with ‘em.”

Bucky snorts louder, kicks the dirt beneath this boot and puts his hand on your shoulder, “Her favorite part is giving ‘em back.” He announces before you clamp your hand over his mouth. His eyes twinkle under the moonlight as Clint waves goodbye and retreats into his home. The screen door clicks quietly, and you watch the yellow glow of each room turn off until the cabin is just an afterimage against the darkness.

“You think brushing twice was good?” You mutter with a sigh as Bucky pulls out of the dirt driveway.

“No, which was why I suggested mouthwash.”

A silence passes before you suck on your teeth and say, “Hey, check it out.”

Peeling your lips back, you show him the cherry stem from earlier in the night, now neatly tied with another knot next to the first one. Bucky scoffs and snatches it from your teeth.

“I swear to all fuck, how you got them fooled is beyond me. Fuckin’ Planet Terror, then shaking the goddamn Monopoly board, and then teaching fuckin’ kids how to tie--” he throws the stem back in your face, “and then ice cream at midnight.”

“Hey! They had fun!” You cry, dodging him.

“They threw up!”

You cackle, because they did all throw up, and it was really funny. Bucky groans and rolls his eyes because you would absolutely be the worst mother. Your kids would grow up in the most chaotic household. But, he thinks, they’d be loved. So maybe you wouldn’t be the worst. You also had them help you clean up the house and were firm with them when they didn’t want to. Bucky feels a smile grow on his face. Maybe you are good with children.

“You’re pretty responsible, Buck. You think you’ll ever have kids?”

It’s a quiet question. Suddenly your demeanor is sullen as you turn to gaze out the window, peering at the full moon and he knows where your mind has wandered to.

Clint has something the rest of you can only dream about. You might crack jokes about being terrible with children, but it’s no secret that domesticity is something you long for. A baked apple pie in the windowsill, running under summer sprinklers, hanging the sheets up to dry, dancing through the living room barefoot, kind of life.

There are mobiles of stars and paper airplanes in your dreams, swaddling cloth with giraffes and moons. Gerber Baby food jars and baby-proofed corners. There are nights when you think about what the gene experiments did to your body and all you can do is stare silently.

The irony of you being so good with children is not lost on him.

A warm hand clamps itself over yours. Bucky links his flesh fingers through your smaller ones, holds onto the wheel with his metal hand.

“Nah.” Bucky says, “My favorite thing to do with kids is give ‘em back.”

A short laugh escapes as you grip his hand tighter, letting the moment pass on by like it always does. Usually you ride the wave on your own, crash on your own, and awaken the next morning in disarray on your own. But this time, his warm hand is holding you steady as the pain crests and ebbs away.

“Hey.” You say, rubbing your thumb over his in a surprising show of affection. Bucky feels his heart pick up a faster beat as you worry your lip with your teeth. Then, because you’re always full of surprises, you stick your tongue out where the cherry stem has collected another knot. “Check it out.”

He laughs, a deep, rumbling, genuinely joyful sound as he squeezes your hand. “You’ll have to teach me that some time.” He jokes-- anything to keep you from looking so sad.

Your lashes flutter as you blink slowly in contemplation. Bucky’s heart picks up again when you turn to him and shyly say, “If you pull over, I can teach you right now.”

[one-girl-once-upon-a-dream]

Lucifer’s Challenge Ch. 5

Chapter Four here!

Read on AO3!

Description: Levi has been even more reclusive than usual after Mammon went and bragged about his time with MC. So she is there with presents and a determination to prove to him that she wants to spend time with him.

Pairing: Levi/MC

Warnings: Some suggestiveness but nothing explicit 

Title: I Want to Spend Time with Otak-You!

It wasn’t unusual for Levi to not be seen around the house much but he hadn’t even answered MC’s texts with stickers. She was starting to grow worried about him and went to Lucifer about what she should do. It was through him that she found out that Mammon had been less than quiet about the time they had spent together. That wasn’t unusual either but he had apparently taken it too far when he told Levi that he would never have something like that with her during a heated round of a game. Unfortunately Levi fell for the taunt, not believing that anyone would want to be such an icky otaku. Mammon tried to take it back but the damage was done.

Lucifer was trying his best to mend the situation on his own, which mostly consisted of lots of threats to Mammon, and hadn’t wanted to upset her but conceded that maybe she could better handle the situation. He sent her off with a kiss and a quiet plead, their foreheads pressed together, to help his brother. MC nodded but reminded him that she wasn’t just doing this because he asked, she was doing it because she loved Levi. Lucifer backed away, giving a firm nod, but she could swear that she heard him mutter something about that was why he loved her.

That was how she ended up at Levi’s door, a wrapped present in hand and a bag of extra goodies dangling in the crook of her arm. She knocked on the door, putting on her most cheerful voice as she called out his name. When she got no answer her smile faded slightly and she knocked harder. She heard the sound of his favorite fighting game get louder and she frowned fully. He was trying to drown her out but she wasn’t here to give up. Her knocking turned into pounding, throwing her body into it as she shouted at him that she knew he was in there.

She nearly fell on her face when the door suddenly opened, the only thing stopping her was crashing into a firm chest instead. MC blinked slowly, looking up to see a blushing Levi whose lips were quivering as he tried to keep an angry face. “You can’t keep making all this normie noise and then try to distract me by pulling an anime troupe! Y-you didn’t even do it right! You’re supposed to run into me in the school hallway or when you’re running away from danger. What do you even want?” he asked, hands hovering over her shoulders like he wasn’t sure if he wanted to push her away or pull her closer.

MC knew that she could easily fall into an argument with him here, she could demand to know why he had been avoiding her and wouldn’t let her in, but knew that would get them nowhere. Fighting now would just confirm to him that she didn’t actually want to be there, that she would be having a better time with his brothers, and she wasn’t about to let him retreat into those thoughts. Instead MC pushed the bubbling anger down and found her smile again, something Levi hadn’t been expecting given his nervous gulp.

“I missed you Leviachan, isn’t that reason enough to want to come see you?” she said, juggling the gifts so that she could hug him tightly. She could feel him tensing and heard a distressed noise in the back of his throat but she wasn’t letting up. They stayed like that for several minutes before he finally gave in, still not saying anything but at least returning the hug. MC took this as a good sign and pushed herself onto her tip toes so she could kiss his cheek, giggling when she saw his whole face go red and felt the shaking in his legs.

“I knew you had to miss me too,” she said with a couple more kisses for good measure before she pulled away from him. She kicked the door closed without looking, giving him no time to argue as she presented the presents to him. “I was thinking of you while I was up in the human world too. Here, to prove it,” she said handing them over and pushing past him to make herself comfortable in his room.

He didn’t seem to know what to do with this quick turn of events, he held the presents away from himself and nearly tripped as he spun around to watch her. He opened his mouth, choking on whatever argument rose there which just made him turn even more interesting colors. She could see that he was on the verge of getting overwhelmed from all the different things he must be thinking so MC tried to focus his thoughts. “You’re supposed to open them,” she prodded gently, hands clasped behind her back and nodding encouragingly. 

It seemed to work, though it didn’t stop Levi from muttering a note to his phone about posting something about normies being pushy to his blog later. He looked into the bag first, rummaging in and pulling out the assortment of candy that was in there. His mood instantly changed, eyes lighting up and unable to contain an exclamation of excitement. “These are from an exclusive snack subscription box promoting the Ruri-Chan movie! I couldn’t get them shipped through Akuzon so it wouldn’t deliver to the Devildom. How did you get your hands on it, I thought they had sold out?!” he said, eyes already darting to his shelves trying to figure out exactly how he could display them. Probably how to keep them away from Beel’s bloodhound nose too.

“I have a friend who was a monthly subscriber but didn’t know much about the series so they let me have it. I would have done anything to get it for you though, I know how much it meant to you,” she said, smiling brightly that he enjoyed it as much as she hoped he would. “That was just for you, the second one is something we can do together!” she said, now bouncing on the balls of her feet in anticipation.

Any anger was now replaced with a child like eagerness to rip open the wrapping paper. She loved seeing that passion in him and was glad she could play a part in sparking it. “Wooooooaaaah! A Switch?! An actual non demon knockoff Switch. Its not cursed or anything!” he said holding it up to show off to Henry 2.0 who glubbed in what she assumed was unparalleled joy. “I have a game list a mile long of what I want to play and you told me you have one too, right? That means we can play together!” he said, eyes closed as he smiled and swayed happily.

“Mhm thats why I told you I got it for you. I can kick your butt at Mario Kart whenever I want and you can come see my Animal Crossing island! You would be proud of how many hours I’ve put into it, the dark bags under my eyes from no sleep and days in my room are really a testament to how far I’ve come from being a normie,” MC said, giving a sage nod before erupting into a fit of giggles. Levi had rushed over to her, capturing her in a hug. It was slightly awkward, he didn’t seem to have much practice with what to do with his lanky limbs or where he was supposed to put his head but she didn’t mind. She didn’t have any problem with helping him practice this or any other way he wanted to get close to her.

“Mammon is going to be sooooo jealous~ he’s been talking about how much he could sell yours for if he ever found it. Oops I don’t think that I was supposed to tell you that. Oh well, guess you’ll just have to be mad at him now and not spend any more time with him lol” he said, a vicious glint in his eyes. Ah, there was that envy of his. She knew that she probably shouldn’t condone it but she couldn’t deny that there was something that stirred in her stomach at seeing that anger, that near possessiveness, that she liked.

“I’m so happy that you like it,” she said, sitting down on the second gaming chair he had gotten for her during her last stay in the Devildom. She gave a quick spin, sighing happily seeing him clear space hastily for his gifts. She looked around the room contently, giving him the time that he needed to set everything up but frowned, noticing something missing. Or rather a new something that was supposed to be there.

“Levi,” she said, slamming her foot down to stop her rotation. She tried to keep her voice even but Lucifer must have been rubbing off on her because even she was shocked by the sternness in it “wasn’t there something that you were supposed to get while I was away at school? A gift for me so that I wouldn’t have to try to cram myself into a bathtub with you if I spent the night in your room?”

He froze, his hands shaking over his line of Ruri-chan branded food collection, his shoulders hunched up nearly to his ears. She could practically see a dark cloud forming over him as he remembered the promise he had made and had neglected to keep. She tapped her foot impatiently, not angry exactly but disappointed that she had put all this work in and he hadn’t even done the one thing she had asked of him. She knew that he was easily distracted but did he really not give her much thought at all when she wasn’t around? It actually stung a little but she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

“Uhhhh well um the thing is that …” he started, fumbling for words and bringing his hands close to his chest to start wringing them. “I did start looking for a bed but they all looked so boring! I couldn’t concentrate so I figured I would put on some anime as background noise to help but it turned out to be a really good new one. It can’t be helped! It wasn’t my fault! Blame That Time I Thought I was Playing a Mobile Game but It Turns Out it was Evil!” he cried, throwing himself down onto his knees and crawling to MC. He hugged her legs, resting his head on her lap and giving another round of wails “My horrible, stupid otaku brain is a sabotage, I’m useless and its no wonder that you don’t want to spend any time with me!”

MC pinched the bridge of her nose, it was taking one step forward and two steps back with him. She went over her options of how to deal with this, she didn’t want to let him off the hook but didn’t think that berating him would get the reaction that she wanted from him. She had to find an even ground, use a bit of tough love and hopefully get to reward him later. “You’re not useless but you should have tried harder. Or at least told me so I could have helped,” she told him, patting his head before pushing him off. He fell onto his butt, lip quivering while he looked up at her.

“It is going to get done now. We’ll go shopping together, in a real store not just online because you will just get distracted again. You need a bed, I can’t sleep in a bathtub with you Leviathan,” she said sternly, marching back to the door and swinging it open “I am going to be in the entry hall and you better be there in five minutes, do I make myself clear?” He didn’t say anything, he just sat on the floor staring at her with his mouth open and she was afraid she was being too harsh. Sure, it was nothing like how Lucifer dealt with these things but compared to her normal tone she was sure it was jarring. She almost apologized until she saw the blush on his cheeks and a bulging outline in his sweatpants.

It took all of her willpower not to call him on it then and there. Apparently he liked this bossy side of her, she wasn’t really surprised when she thought about it but it was nice information to store away for the very near future. So for now she just gave a cock of her head, as if daring him to disobey, then left without looking back. Sure enough at almost five minutes on the dot Levi was there, flushed but dressed for their impromptu day out.

“If we shop for a bed together aren’t people going to think that we are like a normie couple?!” he grimaced when they walked down the row of shops “I told everyone online that I was dating someone as cool as Henry. If someone sees me my online life will be ruined!”He ran his hands down his face, only stopping when MC clicked her tongue at him and grabbed one of his hands.

“We are a couple and we are doing a normal thing but it doesn’t make you a normie. Even just saying that word and being concerned about that makes you very much not a normie,” she laughed with a roll of her eyes. “Not to mention a normie couple doesn’t involve eight people. I think you are safe and if not I’ll fight all of those mean old trolls for you,” she cooed and pinched his cheek with her free hand. It brought more pouting but it didn’t stop him from rubbing his head against her hand when she let her fingers linger after the pinch.

The argument seemingly over now MC rewarded Levi with a kiss to his knuckles before dragging him into what she was sure was his own fresh level of hell: a furniture store. She had to admit that it wasn’t her favorite either, if she thought that human salesmen were bad it was nothing compared to demons. Apparently since summoning crossroad deals had gone out of style those demons had gone into commissioned sales work and they were doing a hell of a job. It was Levi who had to keep reminding her that they weren’t there to furnish a whole house as she kept getting pulled into the, what could have been a very literal, spell of the place.

It all seemed to get better when Levi snapped, showing his demon form and dropping Lucifer’s name as well as his own Lord of the Devildom status. It was scary and a bit of a turn on, which about summed up most of her experiences with all of the brothers anyway. It seemed to do the trick, they were left alone to browse at their own pace. “Ugh I can’t believe that actually worked,” Levi groaned, tail twitching and only stopping when it wrapped around her leg possessively. MC didn’t mind having to walk close to him and grinned when it seemed that he didn’t even seem to know what he was doing. “I have seen Mammon try it a few times at places that didn’t know him yet. It's horrible but I just couldn’t take it anymore. So hurry and find something you like please.”

MC nodded, she didn’t want to spend any more time there than needed after all, but she also was liking spending this time with him. She loved the nights spent staying up until the early morning hours watching or playing things with him but it felt nice to have him away from all those distractions. It felt like there was more time to actually be with him and she liked seeing this side of him, only in part because it made her the center of his attention.

She pulled him along to a section that had a few styles of bedroom sets she actually liked, having to pull him away from the water beds that he was eyeing. There were too many claws in the house to even humor the novelty. She gravitated towards the one she thought he might like the most, a headboard with lots of shelving and lights. She pulled him down on the bed with her, sending them both bouncing. “Look at this, lots of places to put new figurines and box sets. And possibly the best part,” she said humming a fake drum roll “it has charger outlets built in! You won’t even have to leave the bed to charge any of your devices”

He seemed to perk up at this news, eyes going wider as he seemed to consider the possibilities but there was still a reluctance there. But there was hope in the fact that he wasn’t trying to argue so MC pushed a little more. “There’s lots of room for us too,” she said, sliding back to the middle of the bed and dragging him with her. She eased them down so they were lying down, she nestled herself in the crook of his arm and rested a hand on his thigh. “A lot more room than a bathtub or my small bed. You could still be playing something while I …” she trailed off, her hand creeping up and none so gently rubbing at his crotch.

He shot straight up, nostrils flaring and eyes shut tight. “I think this bed is fine,” she said, voice cracking “they have same day delivery. Is that ok MC?” He turned to her, searching for any sign of approval. She of course wanted to give it to him right away but she made him wait for it. She pretended to mull it over, mumbling about how this really should have been done already before finally giving him a nod. It was all he needed before rushing off to take care of all the paperwork. She watched him go biting on her lip, wondering if it was wrong that she liked having this sort of power over him.

MC knew that this was perhaps going to be the most torturous part so she left to go find something that would be some light at the end of the tunnel for him. Or at least something to tide him over until she was able to make good on her promise from inside. When Levi finally escaped, looking like he just sat through a live action Netflix special of his favorite show, MC was holding two Devilgram worthy crepes. He eyed them wearily “You didn’t have to wait for me if you were hungry enough for two,” he sighed.

“I did if one of them was for you,” she said, handing over the purple themed one before squeezing in for a selfie with him. She took it while he was still frazzled by the whole thing and quickly read out what she was typing underneath the caption “the only thing I love more than sweet treats is spending time with Leviachan~” She added several emojis, hashtags and tagged him for good measure. She giggled and held up her crepe in a cheers motion before finally digging in.

“.... did you mean what you posted? Or do you just do that thing Asmo does where he posts anything just to get attention?” Levi asked as they started the walk back to the house, kicking an empty bottle they passed into the street. He was still staring down at his food like it was a trap, barely touched even though she was currently finishing off the last of hers.

“Mhm, every word buuuut I did do it for a bit of attention too. I wanted everyone to see that I got to spend the day with such an amazing guy and maybe make a few people jealous too,” she said with a wink, skipping ahead a few paces just so she could turn around to face him. He stopped, looking down at her with dewy eyes that she quickly tried to shoo away. “I like spending time with you Levi, I hope we can do it more. Its one of the reason I wanted to get the bed you know? So I can spend as much time with you as possible, as close as possible” she said, batting her eyelashes up at him. She stepped in closer, standing on tip toes and craning her neck as much as she could hoping he would take her invitation.

“MC, y-you got whipped cream on your lips,” he stuttered, raising an unsure hand to wipe away the smudge and his face getting closer “let me make sure there’s nothing else I missed …” Then with a deep breath he finally kissed her. Or at least he pressed his lips against hers but she wasn’t above getting an inch and taking a mile. She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him in closer. He squeaked but didn’t protest, one arm holding onto her waist protectively as she deepened the kiss. 

They finally parted, him gasping for breath which made her giggle. “Y-yep I think you’re all clean!” he said, face red and looking away from her.

“Mmm you might have spoken too soon … oh Levi you didn’t even get to eat any,” MC said with a frown looking down at the cream filled pastry they had squished between them in the heat of the moment.

“Its ok, I’m getting to spend the whole day with you so as long as you aren’t angry about your shirt then uh it was worth it I think,” he blushed, trying to wipe away as much of the mess from her as he could.

She grinned at him, grabbing his wrist so that his hands were forced to rest against her chest. “I don’t mind, I have something I think you’ll like seeing me even better. So lets go wait for that bed hm~”

[softspiderling]

honest feelings and bad timing - TEASER | t.h. / h.o.

Summary: It’s always been you, Tom and Harrison. A package deal. But sometimes things change.

Pairing: Tom Holland x Reader x Harrison Osterfield

Author’s Note: shoutout to @afangirlwashere for spinning this idea around and making me want to read it so bad, I had to write it. This is not going to be polyamorous, btw, I just didn’t want to give too much away.

Warnings: angst, underage drinking

Word Count: 1,5k

C O M I N G  T H I S  F A L L!

2 0 1 3

“What’d you tell your parents?”

Tom tugged the hood over his head before glancing at Harrison. It was nearing nine pm, they just had their last day at school, and even though it was already dark and the street lamps were slowly flickering on it was still considerably warm.

“I told them we were having a good bye party at Cassidy’s place and that their parents were home, you?”

Harrison stuffed his hands into his pockets. “Told them we were hanging out at Y/N’s place. Didn’t your brothers wanted to tag along when you mentioned a party?”

“Obviously,” Tom snorted. “But mum luckily didn’t let them, said ‘Tom deserves this, you two should stay at home’.”

Sometimes Harrison envied how open-minded Nikki was. Even though he didn’t like lying to his mum and step-father, he knew that they wouldn’t have let him leave the house if he had mentioned a party, let alone alcohol. He usually wasn’t one for breaking the rules, but Nikki was right. It was the end of the school year and all three of you had a busy year.

Tom had been filming his film with Saoirse Ronan, you were going to countless auditions and Harrison had just recently been signed by a model agency. On top of that, you had been juggling the school work which you sadly did not get a free pass on just because you were auditioning, because basically every student was doing the same.

“Lucky you,” Harrison muttered Tom grinned at him, fishing his phone out of pockets when they rounded into your street.

“You think she’s already ready?” he asked and Harrison shrugged, glancing at your house that was standing at the end of the street, windows illuminated by the lights from within.

“She said she was.”

THE BRITS

You: I’ll be done by nine, don’t be late!!11!!

Tommy: we’re standing outside ur house. Should we knock?

“Do you think she told her parents about the party?” Harrison wondered and Tom tapped his phone against his chin, thinking as he stared up the window from your bedroom.

“I’m not sure actually. She’s usually honest with her family, so maybe?” he said, glancing at his phone when it vibrated with a new message from you.

You: no, I’ll be right down.

The boys watched as the light from your bedroom turned off and a couple of minutes later, you exited the house.

“Yeah, I will! Love you!” you called before shutting the door behind you and traipsing over to where the boys where standing, a black oversize hoodie hanging over your bare legs.

“Aren’t you going to be cold?” Harrison asked with a creased forehead and you squinted your eyes at him.

“I just snuck out before my mum could see me and now you’re the one concerned with my choice of clothing?”

“Haz is just saying that we brought hoodies but inevitably one of us is going to have to lend them to you because you’re cold,” Tom piped up and you scoffed.

“I’ll be fine. We’ll be inside the whole time and as soon as I’ve downed some shots, I won’t be cold, I promise,” you told them and linked your arms with them. Harrison sighed but let himself be dragged from you.

“I take it you didn’t tell them about the party?”

You gave him a look. “Are you crazy? Of course I didn’t tell them, you know how weird they get when I even show one sign of growing up and drinking underage is definitely that.”

It was three hours later when Tom and Harrison realized you had planned on doing exactly that.

The boys had left you alone to play a few rounds of Mario kart in the basement of Cassidy’s parents’ house while you had stayed upstairs at the main party. As the music upstairs was turned up so high, even drowning out the music from the basement, the boys found their way back upstairs, only to be greeted by a bunch of people dancing drunkenly and you in the middle of it on top of the dining table., crooning to whatever Rita Ora song was playing

Tom was gaping at you while Harrison sighed, rubbing his hand over his face.

“For god’s sake.”

“R.I.P. to the girl you used to see. Her days are over, baby she's ooooooveeeeer!” you yelled, your voice cracking. You lifted the WKD Blue bottle that served as your microphone and when you caught sight of your two best friends standing in the doorway, you beamed at them, waving them over.

“Haz! Tommy, come on and sing with me!”

You took a few steps forward and the table tipped over, sending you flying. Lucky for you, Tom dove forward to catch you in his arms while Harrison nearly got a heart attack.

“Whoopsie,” you giggled and looked up at Tom with glassy eyes. “Thanks Tommy,” you said and pressed a kiss on his cheek, your lip gloss smearing on his cheek.

“Alright, it’s time for us to leave,” Harrison announced and grabbed your hoodie that you had taken off during the night.

You pouted while Tom gently put you back on your feet. “You okay to stand, love?” he asked, his eyes full of worry.

“I’m fine,” you insisted, fixing the straps of your dress. “I don’t want to go home.”

“Well, life’s hard darling,” Harrison pointed out as he and Tom pulled the hoodie over your head. You planted your heels in the ground as they dragged you out of the crowded house.

“Bye guys!” you shouted, waving with your hands excessively.

“Bye Y/N!” Cassidy called back, her hands around her mouth. “Text me tomorrow!”

As you stepped out of the house, the cold air did a pretty good job of sobering you up a bit and you leaned quite heavily on Tom, as your surroundings started spinning.

You groaned into Tom’s shoulder. “Can we sit down for a bit?” you asked and he sighed before stopping, letting you fall on your butt. You leaned your forehead on your arms and closed your eyes, while two pairs of hands were rubbing your back comfortingly.

“You wanna tell us what this is about love?” Harrison asked, his annoyed tone from earlier having dissipated at seeing the state you currently were in.

“What do you mean?” you mumbled, voice muffled. “I just had too much WKD. Doesn’t mean there’s a deep meaning behind every stupid thing I do.”

The boys shared a look over your head because it usually meant exactly that. Out of three people in this friendship it was usually you who took care of the boys and scolded them for being stupid and not thinking things through. Even though it was refreshing to not being taken care off once in a while, Tom and Harrison were still concerned for your well-being.

You sighed and looked back up, a frown on your face. “James broke up with me,” you mumbled out, plucking some grass from the dirt before throwing it at your feet.

Harrison pulled a face while Tom furrowed his brows. You had met James at an audition for a film and immediately clicked with him, which neither of the boys understood because they both couldn’t stand the guy. He was way too polished and the way he looked down on BRIT school just because he went to some fancy actors’ school in New York was maddening.

“I know you guys didn’t like him, but I really did,” you said and Tom leaned his head on your shoulder.

“What happened?” he asked and Harrison mirrored his actions.

“Do we need to kick his ass?” the blonde asked and you laughed, causing the boys’ heads on your shoulder to shake with the vibration of your body.

“No, you don’t have to. I’m fine,” you said and they gave you a look. “Okay, I’m fine now. I just wanted to forget for a few hours. Being dumped fucking sucks.”

You then grew quiet and the only thing that could be heard was the music playing at Cassidy’s house. Trickling your fingers down Tom’s arm he was leaning on your knee, you laced your fingers with his before doing the same with Harrison’s. You still felt a little empty inside, but sharing the news with your best friends seemed to have dulled the pain a bit.

“I’m really glad to have you guys, you know,” you said quietly. “Thanks for joining me at my table in the cafeteria two years ago, I never had friends like you two.”

“Of course love,” Harrison hummed, squeezing your hand. “Who else would keep us out of trouble?” Tom joked and nudged your arm with his nose.

“You were the ones keeping me out of trouble tonight,” you threw in and closed your eyes for a bit. The way home was long and it was late, the alcohol still coursing through your veins. You weren’t sure how to get home without your parents hearing you and finding out about your drunken state, but you knew that everything was going to be fine as long as the boys next to had your back.

A/N: I’m sooooo excited for this to come out!! Please let me know what you think of this and share your excitement with me!!!

Bolded means I couldn’t tag you for some reason. If that is the case with your user, please shoot me a message so we can figure out the problem! Message me if you want to be on the taglist!

Taglist: @sunflowercth // @thatphandomchick // @psychicforest // @llamasaurousmaddie // @fandomdarlings // @unfortunateshelby // @skyfall8600  // @yeahimcrying // @spideys-gurl // @one-big-fangirl // @imagine-lovebug // @professionalphangirluniverse // @zabdisamor // @palindrome-teddy // @axa-vega // @btsgot7crackheads // @angelicshinigami // @mrsfortune1306 // @spicy-mango626 // @thorsvotary // @boughs-of-hollie // @magicalturmoil // @overdramaticdepressedteen // @tomhollandismyspiderman // @tomshufflepuff // @trustfundparker // @evelyn120700 // @sincerelygmg // @the-surviving-revolutionist // @darktwistydiamond // @tomspidertingle // @jackiehollanderr // @jsusofsburbia // @nerdyandproudofitsstuff // @marvelislove10 // @chaoticc-loki // @pluckypete // @starlightfound // @lost-in-translating // @chaoticharmonyqueen // @beautifullydisconnected // @parkeret // @strang-ersclub // @afangirlwashere @xidaughterofthemoonix // @screamholland // @laureharrier //

[oh-theatre]

Objection!: Chapter 14

Chapter title: Two Birds, One Stone

A/n:  HELLO!! How is everyone doing! It's another chapter! And oh no! So much has been revealed! Have fun you guys hehe ;) I love Patton Sanders, I'm legally required to tell you that every day sorry. Anyway you have all the letters so have fun with that. Please do leave me some comments!! I appreciate them so much! They genuinely make my day!

First | Previous | Next

words: 5379

summary: The day after Halloween poses a strange one with good and bad events occurring

pairings: Eventual logicality, eventual prinxiety, platonic demus, romantic remile

warnings: Murder mention, child murder, Law and Courtroom, swearing, blood, hospital, crime scene, dead bodies, murder, gun mention, guns, swearing

Ao3 Link  

Let’s get a few things straight, shall we? One. Logan is not straight. Second, Logan could absolutely get used to waking up like this. Patton must have adjusted the lawyer for instead of sitting comfortably in the corner he was laying down with a pillow under his head and a blanket covering him. It took him a moment to recognize the warmth he felt around his arms and chest, that is until Remus squirms slightly, clutching tighter to Logan. He lets out a soft yawn before carefully sitting up trying not to wake up the twins. He moves Valerie first setting her softly on the pillow, she stutters but promptly falls back asleep. Remus turns out to be harder, clearly whether subconsciously or not sticks to Logan. Finally removing the tight grasp of the twin he sets Remus next to his sister, pulling the blanket above them for warmth.

“Apples don't have pits” Remus mumbles softly, rolling over with the blanket. Logan smiles softly, guess he listens. His tired eyes dart around the room, blinds aren't fully closed allowing some early sun to bleed in. He yawns once more covering it with his arm, moving stiffly to the kitchen.

“Good...morning” Logan would have jumped but he didn't know if he was fully conscious. He turns slowly his eyes set on a sleepy Patton, standing under the arch of the kitchen in his pajamas. There are a few things Logan can't explain, but the overwhelming need to take Patton in his arms and kiss him good morning might take the cake. The way Patton fiddles with the ends of his shirt, the soft shuffling of his bunny slippers as he yawns in place makes Logan, in the most professional sense, swoon.

“Good morning...Patton” His eyes slowly track the lawyer, his breath catches for just a moment. How could a person look so...perfect at all times? “I apologize, did I disturb your sleep?” He questions, Patton chuckles sweetly shaking his head. Their voices contain pleasant whispers.

“No no...I usually wake up early, so much to do” He mentions making his way further into the kitchen, Logan steps aside. “Coffee dea-” He stops himself, taking a deep breath, the pot of coffee shakes in his hand. “Would you like coffee Logan?” He corrects, Logan fears his own words. The silence consumes the room but his thoughts were pulsing. The same question in his mind, he knew the answer but was afraid of how he felt.

“Yes, I would enjoy some if it isn't too much trouble” He decides, ignoring anything really. He rubs uncomfortably at his clothes from the previous night. Patton notices gasping carefully.

“it's no trouble at all, are you alright?” He asks, Logan tilts his head raising an eyebrow. “I just mean your clothes, I have some clothes you could borrow” He suggests, Logan wouldn't be needing the coffee anymore, his eyes shoot open. He coughs as Patton returns to serving a delectable cup of freshly brewed coffee. He hands the cup gently to Logan their hands meeting for a moment, the slight shock from the carpet running through them. “Oh! I'm sorry!” Patton rushes pulling away, Logan shakes his head.

“It's alright, just friction and electricity” Logan tries, he's much too tired to explain anything. He gestures towards the table, Patton nods following him and sitting next to him. “What are your plans for the day?” Logan inquires, Patton yawns, his nose scrunching as he does so.

“Mmm,” He hums, stirring his coffee slowly “I'm not sure, Emile and Remy asked to babysit the twins so I am free for a while…” He recalls mentally going over his day “I was um…” He pauses meeting Logans trying eyes behind his glasses “I was thinking of working on...the case” He whispers, Logan takes a breath.

“Well if you would...want some assistance or company on that...I would..” Logan struggles not sure how to offer his help, Patton smiles taking Logan's hand.

“Thank you, Lo” He assures, for a moment the soft snoring of the twins, the morning noises as the earth wakes from its slumber...everything just falls away. It's these moments Patton treasures, where he can allow himself to get lost in someone. Feeling the ever soft fiddling of Logan's fingers in his own, the way his eyes sparkle during a conversation, the way his hair sits perfectly messy atop his head. The clock chimes, echoing through the house causing Patton to pull away. He averts his gaze looking anywhere but Logan's eyes. “I was going to visit Roman later tonight, would you like to join me?” Patton asks planning what he will bring the judge, maybe some sweet treats.

“One hundred percent” Virgil joins in, his voice causing both lawyers to jump, not giving Logan a chance to respond. Patton greets him with a warm smile and a light squeeze to the arm as the detective passes by for his own cup of coffee. A few moments later tired scurrying enters the room, Damian clutching to one of Patton's guest bedroom pillows. He eyes the lawyers curiously before following his father into the kitchen.

“How did you guys sleep?” Patton calls out from his table, the twins stir but they sleep deep. Virgil returns a moment after grumbling as his little son follows his almost every step, clearly creating a game of his own with it. Remus used to do just that, Patton recalls smiling fondly at the shy boy. He must have misstepped or forgot to look as he ended up bouncing right into his father's legs, hugging them for stability. Patton laughs gently allowing Damian to focus his attention towards Patton, waving coyly with his small hands towards his uncle.

“What are you doing down there?” Virgil teases picking up his son as he giggles ferociously. He buries his head into Virgil as the detective sits on the other side of Logan. Patton stands finishing his own beverage placing the hand-made china delicately in the sink for a later wash. He then proceeds to journey towards the couch where Remus and Valerie have somehow managed to cuddle with one another. Patton strokes their heads sweetly, all three yawning in unison. Remus wakes first instantly grabbing one of his father's fingers squeezing it.

“Morning crabcake” Patton whispers as Logan and Virgil continue a soft conversation in the background. Remus’s eyes flutter open as he sits up, his legs spread as he places his arms in the space between rubbing his crusted eyes.

“Mormin” He mumbles incoherently. “Day?” He mutters, to the normal person this would just be another child's weird thoughts but Patton knows his children well.

“You're going to spend the day with Remy and Emile!” Patton exclaims. Remus gives two thumbs up before falling dramatically backward onto the couch, Valerie grumbles kicking her brother annoyed. They commence in a small, tired fight before Valerie gives up crawling into her father's arm deciding that's her new resting spot. Remus, feeling left out, jumped upon his father resting in his others arms. Logan and Virgil look up both gain an increasing smile at the trio's antics.

“Home now?” Damian wonders tugging on his father's jacket. Virgil yawns nodding, he stands to gather what few things he has including Damian's candy from the previous night. Patton makes his way over to him allowing Remus to somehow slither away from him to greet Logan. The lawyer had grown quite comfortable and used to Remus’s ways and fully welcomed the young boy in his arms.

“Yes home now” Virgil confirms, Patton smiles at them from afar. Virgil pulls him into a hug, a hug he wished he had given Roman. “I will meet you guys at the hospital later, thanks Pat” Virgil nods, Patton shakes Damian's small hand much to the boy's glee before they make their way out of the house, disappearing behind the door.

“Remus I would kindly ask you to refrain from messing with my hair” Logan interjects Patton's thoughts, the father spins instantly turning red as Remus uses Logans head as his canvas. Patton is never embarrassed by his kids but there are times when he wishes they wouldn't act on impulse. He glances incredibly apologetic towards Logan barely pulling Remus off of Logan.

“I'm so sorry” He regrets releasing the twins into their bedroom, listening as they cause commotion every step of the way.

“Don't be” Logan assures, Patton sighs just in time as the doorbell rings. Patton makes his way towards the door opening it, Emile acts first waving excitedly as Remy simply makes his way into the house.

“Are there two munchkins in this house or what?!” Remy exclaims, Patton politely invites Emile in laughing at the detective. Sure enough, two excited pairs of feet return to the common area squealing with delight as they jump into Remy's arms. “Well if it isn't thing one and thing two” He greets, they hug him, squeezing him possibly a little too tight.

“Uncle Rem!” They manage through their absolute enthrallment, Logan wonders if he could ever procure such a reaction. Emile swears he's swooned multiple times, watching his partner lovingly from afar.

“Thank you so much for doing this, I would take them with me but I don't want them to see Ro in such a… dismal state” Patton informs, Emile takes his arms shaking his head.

“Always and thank you, I think it'll be great for us…” Emile admits now watching Remy ‘tackle’ the twins on the floor, screeching in ungodly laughter. “And hey if he wakes up shoot us a text and we’ll bring them over” Emile adds turning to Patton.

“Thank you” He gives a quick lean before making his way towards his things, making sure he has his belongings. “Oh! And Virge will be dropping Damian off in a little bit” He remembers, Emile nods. “I am going to go change, I will be right back” He announces returning after a moment fully clothed. Logan stands straightening out his own outfit feeling tight. Patton kneels in front of the now calm twins, they stare expectantly.

“Hello, Papa!” Valerie greets using her small hands to boop her father's nose. Remus falls back into Remy's lap giggling, clearly recovering from an adrenaline rush.

“Hello Valerie” Patton replies booping her right back, she swats her nose. “Alright, you two are going to be on your best behavior right?” They nod in unison, a little too fast. “Good, well Papa loves you and will see you later,” He says giving them both a kiss on the forehead. They wave him goodbye before returning to their own game. Logan stands following Patton towards the door, Remus looks up waving him goodbye with a cheery grin. They step out of the house making their way towards the sidewalk.

“Do you ever worry about leaving them?” Logan ponders out loud

“Not if its someone I trust, and I trust them” Patton responds. They settle silently into the car, a nagging thought pulls at Logan.

Would you trust me?

~~~

“Well well well, look who finally came to visit me!” Roman greets, a proud smile across his face. Patton freezes rejoicing in a squeal running towards his friend. A careful hug is shared between the pair, only so much can be done with Roman's injury and the fact that he now resides in a bed. Logan follows closing the door, he smiles relieved at the judge who acknowledges it.

“Oh Ro! You're awake!” Patton claps, he sits at the end of the bed now still holding onto Romans hand afraid to let it go. “We were so worried” Logan recognizes the difference, it's softer and freer. Patton isn't checking every word that falls out of his mouth, its...childish almost. As opposed to how he speaks to his children or in court. Fascinating, Logan decides.

“Well I'm ok now padre, a little roughed up but nothing a Reial cant handle” Roman beams, Patton squeezes his hand. “Now, let's get-

“Roman?” No one heard him come in, his steps were so soft, so cautious. Patton and Logan jerk their heads towards the door a very stricken Virgil stands, his eyes fixated on the judge. “Y-you're…” He starts pushing past his shock and moving into the room. Logan and Patton share a thought before leaving the room, closing the door.

“I hear I have you to thank for m-” Being cut off by a hug was not...something Roman was against. Especially from Virgil, He hugs back not realizing exactly how terrified he felt until Virgil was practically clinging to him, afraid if he let go Roman might just slip through his fingers. “Virge-crushing...can't breathe” Roman tries, Virgil lets go frantically.

“Sorry, sorry” He checks himself, scanning Roman up and down. “I just...missed you” He admits, Roman laughs hiding his own blush. “How are you feeling?”

“Like someone poisoned me” Roman replies, Virgil gives a small smirk cocking his head. “If I wasn't so mad I would be pretty excited! Like talk about a mystery” Roman rants, the amount of relief Virgil feels cannot be described. “Hey…” Roman pouts examining the room, the cold walls swallowing his excitement “Where are the kiddos?” He pokes, Virgil smiles softly.

“Rem and Emile have them, I'll tell them you're awake...I'm sure they would all love to see you” He comforts, knowing he has to but hating the thought Virgil lets go of Romans hands, lingering maybe a little too long. He opens his phone sending a quite rushed text to Remy, his partner responding fast assuring him that they will be there soon, then once he regains his composure turns back to Roman. The judge stares at him, and for a moment it really is just them. “I should get Patton and Logan” Virgil coughs, oblivious he truly was.

“Right...right” Roman nods, avoiding Virgil's eyes, a disappointed gaze falling on the bed. The detective uses this as a cue to venture outside calling in his friends, they enter halting their conversation. “So what're the haps! What did I miss? C’mon pocket protector, anyone new in your life?” It just slipped out, Roman was still dealing with the debris of anesthesia. Logan froze, raising his eyebrows. Patton shifts uncomfortably sharing a glance with Virgil.

“I brought some treats!” Patton announces, hoping his voice isn't as shaky as it feels. The green-eyed monster is no fun, that's what Patton always told his kids. But the thought hadn't crossed his mind, what if Logan did have someone else? He would eventually, would he not? He would fall in love and…

“Treats!” Roman cheers, making grabby hands towards the snacks, clearly wanting to push away the previous interaction. Patton crosses the room ignoring the two pairs of eyes watching him handing Roman some delectable sweets. He fans himself quickly, wanting the amber color upon his face to leave. “I love food, I feel like I haven't eaten in ages” Roman stuffs some food in his mouth, chomping down even more. A chime from his phone distracts Virgil from the conversation.

“Hey, Remy and Emile just got here” Though fast, they were apparently on their way to the park so it made sense. Patton nods assuming he would be joining Virgil in his quest to recover the children. Roman sits up feeling discordant as Virgil prepares to leave, he makes no sound but his eyes say enough. “Ro, I'll be right back” He assures, Roman gives a grateful nod, returning to a comfortable position. Soon they left venturing through the harrowed halls to meet up with Remy and Emile.

“Roman...are you alright?” Logan checks, unlike the others he stands at the end of the bed. Roman takes a moment, sorting his own thoughts. His body feels off, he feels as though any remnants of adrenaline have just drained away.

“I think so?” Logan cocks his head trying to comprehend “I-i don't know, to be honest, I just feel...here” Roman motions to the bed, trying to grasp the concept. Logan takes a breath averting his eyes, he himself cant exactly connect to what Roman is saying or feeling but it wouldn't do him good to not try. He wants to continue the conversation, his friend clearly needing someone to talk to but it seems the deafening screams from down the hall have other ideas.

“Guys!” Patton cries in warning but the trio has other ideas. Damian wriggles free from Virgil's hold first unfortunately intercepted by Logan who scoops him up. The twins use this distraction to escape Emile and Patton's clutches but a newly freehanded Virgil stops them in their tracks. Damian balls his fists hitting an unaffected Logan in the shoulder, wishing nothing more than to be set free.

“Wanna ...see...RoRo” He begs in between each hit, Logan might have laughed it was such a soft touch. Virgil relinquishes hold over Remus giving him to a now recovered Patton. Roman, who has been gleefully but also nervously watching the collision, laughs. “Hnng!” Damian now tries a different approach, trying to push himself free of Logan.

“You guys have to be careful ok?” Patton informs, Logan gives a knowing look towards Damian who pouts in return. “One at a time, uncle Roman is very fragile right now” Patton advises, instantly the clamoring starts up again.

“I wanna go first!” Damian squeals raising his arms high

“No me!” Remus retorts squirming excessively in Patton's arms.

“He's my uncle!” Valerie argues, Virgil stifles a soft chuckle.

“Mine too!” Remus tells her, Valerie sticks her tongue out.

“He's my dad!” Damian shouts Virgil couldn't get much paler. Logan and Patton dart their eyes towards the very frozen father, Roman possibly a little too hopeful, looks too. Valerie takes this moment to jump on the bed as Virgil's grip loosened.

“Val careful!” Patton warns moving closer, Virgil shakes his head grounding himself. Valerie heeds her father's warning, moving slowly on the bed until she's safe in Romans arms, enveloped in a hug. Over the shoulder, the judge could see Logan watching wearily, but Roman knew what he felt now; Happy and relieved. That's how he always felt around the kids.

“How is my favorite princesa?” Roman asks as the hyper girl pulls away, sitting idle on the bed.

“I went trick-or-treating!” She manages, Roman grins allowing her to continue, “I was a princess warrior! And Remus was my duke-

“Hey! That's me!” Remus points out to his father, Patton nods laughing slightly. Remus removes his fingers from his mouth giving a slobbery wave to Roman. The judge waves back re-centering his attention to the patient girl.

“And Dee was a wizard! And Papa was a cat! And mister Logan was something called LoLo” Valerie shrugs, Patton and Virgil stifle laughs ushering their eyes away from a reddened Logan. “And then we had a big sleepover!” Valerie finishes throwing her triumphant hands in the air.

“That sounds awesome Val!” Roman notes and it did. It proved challenging for Roman to smile as he learned about everything he missed or was missed from. Valerie nods as Emile takes his cue to remove her from the bed. “Alright, who's next?” Roman jokes. Remus, who has been waiting quite frantically, pushes against Patton trying to steer him forward. Patton sighs deciding not to fight, he transfers his son to Roman who waits with open arms to retrieve the young boy.

“Hello!” Remus greets hugging Roman, the judge hugs back. Once separated neither say a word, Remus simply bounces excitedly. The room waits, Patton and Logan share a glance, Patton shrugs. “I didn't think this far” Remus admits after a moment, Roman falls against his pillow practically wheezing. “I'm done! Bye-bye uncle Ro!” Remus waves proceeding to make grabby hands towards his father. Logan sets Damian on the bed, he stands on the comfy mattress waddling around. Virgil sits at the end of the bed watching carefully.

“Heya Dee!” Roman catches the curious boys' attention, he smooths out a part of the sheets before plopping down. Patton yawns, somehow he must have lost himself tuning out the conversation. As it continues Patton excuses himself leaving Emile in charge of Remus.

Patton has been through these hallways more times than he should have, visiting, being a patient here, and of course...the birth of the twins. It was hard to associate happy or sad feelings when its been pretty balanced. He's been here enough to know it like the back of his hand, he knows that to get to the coffee cart he has to go through the nursery, which he has no qualms about.

He stops in front of the window waving sweetly to the newborns, some giggling, some resting some not so happy but still adorable. He spots the place where Remus and Valerie once were, now occupied by two equally adorable babies.

“Which one's yours?” A woman asks approaching, Patton moves aside politely smiling.

“Oh, I'm not- none...just reminiscing I guess,” He says, his eyes still fixed. “And you?”

“That one, to the left” She gestures, Patton's eyes fall onto a small baby, smaller than the rest. The label reads female yet no name has been written. “She's my life,” The mother tells, Patton knows the feeling, and he's said the words.

“She's beautiful, any ideas for her name?” Patton wonders, the woman sighs content.

“We were thinking…”

~~~

“...Valerie” Patton beams, he points to the baby in the next crib over “And that's Remus” He informs. He knows he should be giving his attention but he can't take his eyes off of them.

“Pat they're beautiful” Barbara swoons, waving brightly at the babies. “I'm sorry I missed the birth” She atones, Patton waves her off too happy to care. Patton takes a moment to breathe, placing his hands over his chest.

“Don't be, you're here now and that's what matters Babs” Patton assures, Barbara links her arms with his, resting her head on his shoulder. “Hey, you're an aunt now” Patton teases, Barbara gasps softly.

“Oh my! I guess I am” She jokes back, she swears Valerie smiled at her. “I'm sorry mom and dad arent here” She laments, Patton knew this was coming. Patton leans slightly, his head resting a bit on his sisters.

“You know they would if…” He trails off, Barbara sighs lifting herself. They both know exactly why they aren't there, it doesn't make it easier. Patton won't lie, he held out the slightest hope that maybe...just maybe they would put their opinions aside and come to see their grandchildren.

“I know” Barbara shakes her head, nudging Patton softly “Hey! Don't let that get you down, you have kids! Pat, this is all you've wanted for a long time and look at them, they're perfect” Baraba gushes, Patton laughs nodding. Barbara takes a look around the hallways “Hey, where's Liam?” Before Patton has a chance to respond, a new voice joins the mix.

“Probably off disappointing Jesus” Marcy quips handing Barbara and Patton their cups of coffee. Barbara frowns, nudging Marcy carefully. Marcy returns the gesture with a loving kiss on the cheek.

“Marce” She whispers, Marcy shrugs sipping from her own drink. “I'm sure he’ll be here” Barbara hopes, Marcy scoffs and Patton has to appreciate her honesty. No, he won't, Patton thinks but gives them both a grateful smile. “Where are the others?”

“Uh...Lo and Roman got held up in court, Virge is at a crime scene but he should be here soon” Patton scratches his head trying to recall the position of all his friends. “Emile and Remy stopped by earlier and went to go get some food for everyone” Patton finishes, Barbara and Marcy nod taking in the information.

“Just means more baby time for us” Barbara jokes, Patton chuckles “Have you held them?” She inquires, Patton releases a breath his shoulders fall.

“Yeah” He barely whispers “Yeah right after they were born, the doctor just…” Patton trails off staring at the twins with a look he would come to use many a time, lovingly he stares.

“I apologize for the interruption Mister Hart” Patton swerves turning to the doctor, she smiles at the other two. “Your husband has arrived” She informs leading them away, Patton huffs.

“He is not my husband” He retorts softly, Marcy takes his shoulders as they walk.

“That means you technically have full custody over the children, seeing as you are the legal guardian and the adoption papers have-” Marcy recites bluntly only stopping as Barbara pleads, Patton purses his lips nodding ‘thankfully’. “Apologies”

“Have I ever told you how much you remind me of Logan?” Patton remarks, should he be the person on his mind? Probably not but Patton couldn't wait for his friends to meet the twins.

“Oh…” Marcy sighs dryly “Wonderful”

“Don't sound so excited” Barbara comments following her wife and brother down the saddened halls.

~~~

“I'm getting really sick and tired of this” Remy sighs ushering himself under some yellow tape stepping into another apartment. Carlton laughs dryly following in after him, Remy chooses to ignore this furthering himself into the room.

“Detective Nyx, good to see you again” Talyn greets, Remy meets them halfway shaking their hand.

“Same goes for you, though I wish it was under uh...better less murderous circumstances” He admits only half-joking. Carlton squeezes past them examining the rest of the scene.

“Hows Emile?” They ask guiding Remy through the house, he shrugs, trying to avoid the uneasy perfection that the house maintains.

“Good, he's with my friend at the hospital so...if we could wrap this up?” He hopes, Talyn scoffs. “Yeah thought so” He mumbles to himself, Talyn finishes at the bodies. “Two bodies?”

“Seems like it, well my boys are basically done here so the crime scene is all yours” Talyn insists patting Remy a farewell leaving their notes on the table. Remy gives them a peace sign goodbye watching them go.

“Doesn't seem like his style” Carlton comments approaching Remy, the apartment falls silent as the last of the forensics team leaves. “Although recently nothing seems like his style” Carlton points out, Remy finally agrees.

“Tell me about it” Remy breathes, he kneels in front of the remains nothing but two letters stain the house with the memory. The memory of the treacherous acts committed here. “L…and...I” Remy notes scribbling the two letters down, Carlton looks around.

“Spell anything new?” He questions, Remy shuts his notes.

“I'll have to check when we get back to the precinct” Remy decides, he examines the rest of the floor, slowly moving around the walls and ceiling. Nothing is out of place, nothing is even touched. “I'm gonna update Virge, let him know what's happening” Remy informs Carlton, his fellow detective nods as Remy sends an informative text.

“Where is he by the way?” Carlton inquires

“Uh Roman woke up so I told him he should probably stay” Remy replies, Carlton stands after looking over the area.

“Oh that's good, did they ever figure out who poisoned him?” Carlton slips, he continues casually tracing the apartment. The next few moments become crucial. Remy nods slowly, making his way carefully to the door, praying Carlton stays turned around long enough. He opens the lock they had for safety, the click echoes through the apartment. What he did not expect was another click, a loud one, a clatter to the ground.

“We never told anyone he was poisoned” Remy bites, his breathing shallow. He turns to raise his hands above his head. He's stared down the barrel of a gun many times but never had he felt so much anger. And so stupid, how did he not see it?

“That's what tipped you off?” Carlton teases, he holds control now, he can say whatever. Remy seethes, he plays loosely with his fingers, inching closer to his own gun. Carlton smirks, his face morphing behind his own sunglasses. “Should've given you more credit, thinking Virgil would be the problem” Carlton laughs, it's sickly, could be the fumes but Remy claims it's his voice giving him a headache. “Took care of that…”

“What the fuck did you do?” Remy whispers viciously, Carlton tilts his head. Remy swallows his throat pushing the pain down as it travels.

“It's not what I did to him” Carlton adjusts the gun in his hand, it wouldn't sit still. Clearly, he wasn't comfortable with it, not his weapon of choice. “But poor Roman…”  He pouts mockingly “I was pretty upset when he came out alive, but then I realized I could get two birds with one stone”

“Why are you telling me this? I know I'm not walking out of here alive so why bother?” Remy begs, keeping his composure cool, he turns sharply to the door locking it. Carlton re-determines the power he holds but allows the motion. Remy doesn't want anyone else to suffer, anyone else to bleed red at the hands of someone who mocks their life.

“So you can die-” He clicks his gun again, Remy tries not to flinch but its so silent. The smallest noise feels like a flood into his ears. “With an ending, it would be unfair of me to...not tell you my happy ever after” Carlton jokes, Remy takes a deep breath, shutting his eyes. Even if just for a moment, to be anywhere but here. And asking why in the hell he didn't turn his ringer off. The buzzing itself was loud, but the cheery tune playing out was worse. Carlton glares, moving closer to the detective, he grabs Remy's phone from his holster, reading the caller ID.

“Carl-” Remy's desperate now

“Quiet,” He smiles, turning the phone to Remy “Looks like a murder a day, doesn't keep the doctor away” Remy fights to keep his breathing steady, as the illuminated photo of Emile flashes on screen. He remembers when he took that photo, their first date. Emile had spotted a dog, and his face just lit up, how could Remy not capture the moment? He's had it ever since, longing for simpler times, crazy what mortality can do to a person. “Pick it up, I don't need people worrying, and hey...if I hear even one falter” He warns, Remy exhales but takes the phone. His fingers trembling over the green light.

“Hey, Em...what's up?” He whispers, Carlton clears his throat. “What's up?” He asks clearly now, anything that was stuck in his throat, swallowed with any hope he had to survive and any hope to keep Emile as far away from this as he could manage.

“Rem! I have the best news” He knew it was coming, and yet… as soon as Emile's voice made its way through the phone, into Remy's ear, he couldn't. He held the phone away from his mouth, stifling very fearful sobs. “Remy? You still there? You alright?” A faded call.

“Y-yeah I'm ok...I'm ok, what's uh...what's the news?” He regains his posture, it's easy when Carlton's aim had not budged.

“The adoption agency! They called just now, someone picked us!” He exclaims, there really aren't words to describe the stabbing pain Remy felt. Carlton didn't even have to shoot the gun for Remy to feel the agony.  

“Someone...picked us?” He begs his voice remains so soft, Emile's delighted squeals from the other line confirming his question. “That's...that's wonderful Em…” He mutters, his lips pursed quickly. Just a little longer. Carlton gestures for him to hurry up. Impatient, Remy notes, great. If he wasn't so terrified, he would be pissed. This bitch, Remy thinks, surprisingly the familiarity calmed something in the detective. “Babe, I'm so sorry, I gotta go...new development and stuff” His voice is perfectly normal, perfectly calm, perfectly Remy. The same cannot be said for his face.

“Oh! Alright, well lunch tomorrow, and I'll see you tonight” No you won't “If you can make it home of course” I can't “Love you!” I love you so much. Remy holds the phone to his chest as the dial tone plays.

“So...its you” Remy states hearing the line go dead

“Not necessarily”

Well, shit

[getthefckouttahere]

Two Hearts Fixed, One’s Still Broken

prompt/thank you to @lifesasickjoke​: nikki cheats on the reader (his fiancée) with tommy’s fiancée, tommy and the reader fall in love and get married. nikki is super upset and that’s why he did the whole drug thing at the wedding pairing: tommy x reader (with a nikki x reader history) A/N: hey this is my first fic for the dirt/mötley crüe so yeah i hope y’all like it and yeah, i guess reader replaces heather here. warnings: mentions of cheating, swearing, mentions of drugs, angst and fluff

“Hey Y/N, d’ya know where Nikki is? I want him to meet Roxie and my parents.” Tommy asked her, giddy like a child on Christmas.

Man, he looked so happy and so excited to get married, she just wished that Nikki would show the same enthusiasm toward her.

Sure, it wasn’t all his fault, seeing as the only other woman in his life had been nothing but a bitch to him. She understood that he couldn’t trust anyone, because the two people that he was supposed to love had let him down, but it still made her sad that he always spoke to she so coldly.

The day he asked her to marry him was both the happiest day of her life and the most relieved she had ever felt in the course of her relationship. She found out that he really did love her, it was just difficult for him to show that strong of an emotion. Because he didn’t know how to.

“He’s probably still in his dressing room getting ready. Follow me.” she replied, walking down the hallway with him following suit.

“You ready for the wedding?” she asked him, grinning when a little squeal emitted from him.

“I’m so pumped! I really like her, dude, and I’m totally ready to spend the rest of my life with her. Maybe even see some little Tommy’s running around the house, y’know?” he snickered.

Tommy really was ecstatic, but what made her feel bad was that his fiancee, Roxie, wasn’t all that interested in him. She had met her before…she really wasn’t that great. Pretty, but that’s where the good qualities end. It just seemed like she wanted to marry him because he was famous and he could buy her things.

It hurt to see her friend so blinded by love, that he can’t see how much he’s being manipulated and taken advantage of.

“Eww, that’s gross! I don’t wanna think about that!” she said, giving him a playful shove on the shoulder.

“What, it’s a perfectly normal part of life! Don’t you have the same thoughts with Nikki?”

“Well, yeah. But honestly if it were to happen, it’d probably be by accident. That man doesn’t make love, he fucks.”

“Fuck that’s disgusting, Y/N!” he laughed.

“Payback, asshole.” she giggled, deciding that her goal was now to make him as uncomfortable as she can.

“I’m serious, man. The noises he makes are basically inhumane-”

“You mean like the ones that are coming from his room right now?”

They were standing outside Nikki’s dressing room door and she only payed attention to what Tommy said right when he mentioned it.

And he was right, those were normally the sounds she’d bring out of him on a regular night.

But now, it was some other girl doing the job for her.

And it wasn’t just some other girl.

“Hey, those female sounds seem familiar too.” Tommy commented, his voice turning softer. She assumed that he had put two and two together.

He knocked on Nikki’s dressing room door and deepened his voice to make himself unrecogniseable.

“Yo Nik, you ready? Tommy wants you.”

They heard the shuffling of feet and what she supposed was them clambering to find their clothes, accompanied by muffled curses.

The door sprang open and confirmed all of their suspicions.

“Shit.” Roxie breathed out, freezing when her eyes met her fiancé’s.

His whole face had gone pale, his bottom lip was trembling. And she could’ve sworn that she could see tears glistening in his bright, blue eyes that were normally so full of joy.

Which was also the moment where she realised she weren’t even hurting for herself, but for him.

“Babe-” Roxie started to explain herself.

“Don’t.” his voice croaked as he turned and ran away.

“I hope you fuckers are happy.” Y/N spat in her face, shooting Nikki, who was stood behind her, a dirty look.

Maintaining the eye contact with him, she slid the engagement ring off of her finger and threw it at him before she ran off after Tommy.

“Tommy! Wait!”

He froze and turned around, tears were starting to fall down her cheeks when she noticed his own tear stained face. It broke her heart, because this was her fault. All of this could’ve been avoided if she’d just told him how bad Roxie was and she was bound to break his heart one way or another.

But she didn’t. She stayed quiet. And now, she was witnessing her best friend’s heart shattering before her.

“Y/N...shouldn’t you be yelling at Nikki?” he said between sniffles.

“I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

He couldn’t reply, he just smiled sadly at her while his sobs grew bigger. She ran towards him, wrapping her arms around his torso and buried her head in his chest. He was way too tall for this to be any sort of comfort to him, like he only wanted to comfort her.

But the reminder that the man she loved didn’t love her back made her weak, her knees buckled under her and he fell down with her.

It all felt like an out of place movie scene, the way that her tears slid down the leathery fabric on his shoulder, arms clinging to him while his own hands tightened their embrace.

The way Nikki had given her hugs in the past was nothing compared to how Tommy was holding her. She felt safe, warm and, dare she say it, she actually felt like she was needed. Loved.

She picked her head up from his shoulder to greet his eyes again, tending to the small strands of his black hair that had stuck onto his face. He gave her a toothless smile as a thank you. After all, the last time he ever got a hug that reassuring was from his mom.

Things were tense between the band and Y/N from then on. She had moved out of Nikki’s place in an instant, Tommy by her side helping her as she stuffed all of her belongings into a suitcase.

Tommy himself kicked Roxie out as soon as he could, not even giving her a chance to explain herself.

He cried himself to sleep that night - and every night onwards. He had never had a relationship that ended as messy as this one did, he had never loved a girl as much as he loved Roxie.

The pain got to him, so much that he had to isolate himself from the band for a while, as he couldn’t even manage to look at Nikki without having the urge to punch him.

Not because he stole his girl.

Because he broke Y/N’s heart.

The pair found themselves growing closer together. Tommy would frequently invite her over and they’d spend the day sprawled across his sofa, a platonic tangle of limbs, watching whatever distraction was on TV at the time. But she would never spend the night there.

Until one day where she left her coat at his place and only realised it when she got home. She excused herself out of the apartment she shared with her friend again and drove back to his house, entering his unlocked house, at this point she had her own set of keys, surprised to be greeted by sniffles.

Y/N knew that a week isn’t enough to get over something like this, but she was always under the impression that he was getting better. She immediately ran into his room, where she saw him curled into a ball, rocking back and forth. She took her place next to him.

“Hey, Tom.” she cooed, placing a hand on his shoulder that was shaking as a result of his continuous sobs and tears.

They subconsciously slowed down at the sound of her voice, because he was so used to being soothed by her gentleness, even when they talked about something random like the best flavour of Twizzlers.

Being around Y/N was like a soft, warm blanket, shielding him from the horrors of the world. She, herself, was his safe space.

She helped him sit up and he immediately wrapped his arms around her.

“She fucked me up, man.”

“I know.”

“I’m never gonna find anyone like her.”

That formed a pit in her chest.

Sure, she knew she was just a shoulder to cry on and the only one that offered to comfort him, but she couldn’t help wanting more. It was wrong of her to even think about it.

“No, you’ll find someone better.”

He pulled out of the hug, their faces no more than mere inches away from each other, while Y/N thumbed away the river of tears that had flowed down his face.

“I think I already have.”

She could feel his eyes switch between hers and her lips as he licked his own. He leant toward her, entwining his soft, pink lips with hers and the taste of salt had never been sweeter.

Maybe it was because their fond for each other had grown deeper, or maybe it was because they were both needy and desperate for someone to care for them again, but the kiss just felt right. 

Like it was meant to be.

At least, that’s what she told him during their wedding vows. And the two of them laughed her asses off at the fact that her vows were almost identical. He too mentioned that the kiss felt like something that the angels above controlled.

And it would’ve been the happiest day of Tommy’s life, if it wasn’t for Nikki deciding to act like a dick throughout. He regretted asking him to be the best man, but no matter what they’d all gone through, he was still a brother to him.

“She’s really gonna marry me, huh?” Tommy had asked the band when he walked into the lobby, straightening his tie. Vince was sat in a big armchair, spinning around as a result of his boredom, while Mick stared into space, fighting the urge to murder his friend every time he could hear the chair squeak.

“This isn’t some kind of a sick joke, is it?”

“Life’s a sick joke.” Mick chimed in, being the life of the party he normally was.

“Hey, what time is it? I think we should get out there. Hey Nikki, let’s hit it.” he said, looking at him. He was quite clearly doped up again, practically unconscious across the couch. That wasn’t what he meant by ‘hit it’.

“Yo, best man, let’s go! I got a wife waiting.”

Still no response.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Tommy muttered, walking over to him.

“Nikki! Wake up, asshole!” he continued, slapping him awake.

“Fuck, dude.” Nikki grumbled as he sat up.

For a split second, he thought that the world he frequently hallucinated every time the heroin entered his bloodstream was real, that this was all for him and the boys were getting ready for his special day with Y/N.

But then he saw the rings placed neatly on the pillow next to him, the rings that weren’t in any way shape or form like the ones he had proposed to her with (he hated to admit it, but they were much better. Tommy had really outdone himself), the reality of what was actually happening hurt him more than Tommy’s slaps.

It got to a point where he was practically stabbing needles, careless whether it drew blood or not. He just wanted to use the heroin as a replacement for what (or who) was once the best part of his shitty life.

His primary sources of happiness were mostly reliant on Y/N and the band, so what else could he have turned to when he drove her away and broke the band with it?

He found his hand flying toward the necklace he never took off, the one Y/N bought for him on their one year anniversary - just a month before he proposed. His fingers toyed with the engagement ring threaded in the necklace, the one he wanted her to wear today. He had been wearing that ring around his neck since the day he broke her heart - and his along with it.

“I’m good.”

No, you’re not. Your best friend is getting married to the love of your life.

“It’s all good, man.”

No, it isn’t. That’s your wife. This was supposed to be your day, but you just had to fuck that up.

“It’s most definitely not ‘all good’, man, but whatever. Just clean up-” Tommy started to spit back, growing sicker of his sarcasm the more time he wasted.

He was interrupted by the sound of Nikki getting up, knocking over the contents on the table in front of him when he leant on it for support.

“Hey!” he yelled, grabbing Nikki aggressively by the shoulders, glaring at him with narrowed eyes.

“Get your shit together. I don’t want Y/N to be embarrassed, okay?”

“I’m embarrassing? Cool.” Nikki scoffed. He pushed himself out of Tommy’s painful hold.

“Let’s go marry your fancy ass hand-me-down in this fancy ass hotel-”

“Hey, at least I know how to love the woman.”

“Oh, shut the fuck up. Neither of you even know how to respect a woman, not to mention love one. Nikki just set the standards really low so she fell instantly for Tommy.” Mick rolled his eyes, getting up with some struggle.

“I can be the best man instead if you want, Drummer.” he continued, losing the same amount of hope as Tommy did for Nikki.

“Nah, ‘s cool. I got the rings already. Let’s just get this over with.” Nikki sighed, making a start out of the hotel lobby, not looking back to see if Tommy or anyone else was following.

The time finally came when the boys had taken their spots in a semi circle around the vicar and Tommy, waiting for the heart and soul of the ceremony herself to walk down the white-carpeted aisle.

And what a truly magnificent sight she was, her hair and makeup done to the 9s and her dress…

Fuck, Nikki thought, his hand gripping tighter around the ring on his necklace.

Her dress was the exact same one Nikki had confirmed would be the best one for her.

He felt like the air had been knocked out of his lungs and when he looked over to Tommy, he saw that he had the same expression.

That’s when he realised how much this meant for his best friend. He couldn’t ruin this day for him.

He found himself growing more nauseous as she walked toward the front of the church and a huge grin on her face.

The same grin he saw when he proposed. Or when he made cookies that were perfectly crunchy, but also chewy, fit for her liking.

“And do you, Thomas Lee Bass...”

Nikki could barely hear what was happening over the voice that echoed through his head.

You deserve this.

“...take Y/N Y/L/N to be your lawfully wedded wife

You deserve to be hurt,

“…to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health.”

sad,

“To love and to cherish…”

and jealous.

“from this day forward, until death do you part?"

You brought this on yourself.

“I do.”

“I do.” Nikki found himself whispering.

“Yo Nik, the rings.” Tommy whispered. When he didn’t reply, he looked behind him to see that the veins on Nikki’s hand were about to burst, his cheeks the colour of tomatoes.

“Nikki!” he said a little louder this time.

“What?” he jumped, blinking away the tears that started to burn up in his eyes.

“The rings.”

“Oh. Right.” he replied, giving the pillow to the officiant and stepping back, not meeting anyones eyes.

"And now, by the power vested in me by, I hereby pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride."

Their family and friends all cheered and applauded the happy new couple, giving Nikki the perfect opportunity to slip out unnoticed. He felt as if he would throw up if he spent one more second seeing Tommy in the spot where he should be.

Admittedly, he was happy that Tommy had gotten his moment with a girl that really did deserve it. That she deserved to be loved in a way he couldn’t.

He just had to live with the fact that, if he had gotten his shit together, if he could’ve been a better boyfriend, if he just had the chance to apologise and show how much he really loved her, this would’ve been his moment instead.

-

let me know what you thought :P

tags (for the dirt fics), ask to be added or removed @thathappylandfill @merlehs

[tellthosewithpowersafeintower]

Ramblings About What I Loved In A Live Production of Newsies I Had The Chance to See

I loved! Everything this cast did so much I'm so thrilled I had the chance to see it

Three's The Day was real with this cast okay

There were several times I had to twist my head away freaking out because I was like this is my ship and holy heck I'm too gay to handle this

It was very gay

OKAY so I’m going to ramble about Three's The Day stuff that made me so happy and excited and if you don’t want to listen to that feel free not to read

This is very lengthy

Okay. So it opens with the Santa Fe prologue and Crutchie got up and I immediately adore him

The ladder is like on the right end of the penthouse and Crutchie's climbing down before he tries to reach up to grab his crutch and slips

Jack pushes Crutchie's crutch into his chest and just seemed so panicked and worried about him

Jack blows a raspberry at the streets of New York and giggles and I died inside

He made the funniest voices and faces and was just so playful and cute I can't

Jack and Crutchie sing directly into each other's faces during Santa Fe prologue and always looked like they're about to lean in and kiss

Crutchie just looks so adoringly across the rooftop to Jack the entire time he's singing

Crutchie starts crying a little after the "watch me run" instead of just his face falling and tries to hide his face bc this is Jack Kelly and he can't let Jack see him cry and Jack just runs over and pulls him into a hug and rests his hand over Crutchie's heart and sings so tenderly to him

The transition into Carrying the Banner is great

The towers were so cool! They had to hook/unhook little door things to connect or wall up the areas and it was really cool to watch

Their Race is so fun

Albert just goes about his activities like it was the easiest flow in the world and grabs Race's cigar so fluidly as if it was part of his routine and Race becomes so indignant

He shrugs a little and like "that's fair" when Albert told him he'd steal another

All the boys are just so cute through the whole explanations

Albert just gestures like his brain exploded and "duh! That's so obvious" after the whole "any banker, bum, or barber"

In Carrying the Banner Jack does these little wiggles and shuffles around at the front of the stage with the boys and it was lovely

After the boys scoff and turn away when Crutchie starts singing about his personality Jack runs to him and is super supportive and sweet and pats and hugs him and they were both so smile-y and sweet

Jack was constantly swinging or dancing in the background when he was watching the boys

Crutchie hands Finch his slingshot before he ran up to sing his line

Specs blows a raspberry at the Delanceys and pulls faces at them when they chase after Jack after he knocks them around for going after Crutchie

Wiesel mostly stays Center Stage and yelled out to the boys from there to go where both of the Delanceys have the papes

Davey stops by Crutchie to count his papes and Crutchie is sneaking looks from behind his papers like "oooh what's this?" about Davey

Jack is the one who gets Davey's last paper and crosses to give it to him

After he gets his papes (all 20) he tries to jet for the exit as quickly as possible

He gets stopped by Crutchie talking about Jack and still seems to want to get out of there as soon as he can

Davey shakes his head a little when Les fake cries and sniffles to look sad

Les lights up when Jack goes to spit shake

His jaw just drops and he gasped a little like whoa, we can do that?! He looks so gleeful

It was baby's first show beyond small community theater and he was SO SO AMAZING I ADORE HIM

I'm so sad I can't remember some of the smaller things he did bc I love him

Crutchie is the first one to greet Davey and shakes his hand while Jack starts talking to the other boys and their expressions were just. The sweetest. Davey's little shy smile is the first expression he's shown really beyond like a hand on Les's shoulder and a little protective glance

Les has a limp when he goes up to sell a pape and is fake crying and he doesn't drop it even for a few seconds after she's walked offstage

Jack runs across stage to him and is so thrilled

Davey lingers as far back on stage as he can in most of the scenes

Jack's delivery of "I said he heard it right here and he did" was so great

Davey starts to walk off stage when Les blurts out "doesn't everyone" and Davey fumbles to try to explain to Jack why they're there when he crosses back

Jack panics and Davey immediately is on his heels following without hesitation no matter how much he's seemed to want to get out quickly

When they're running from Snyder Jack guided the Jacobs up the stairs in front of him before going after the cop to try and keep them safe

He shoves the cop back and ran up the other side of towers before Davey and Les meet him in the middle of the balcony thing in Medda's theater

I loved Medda!

Les like

Wiped his arms and hands ALL up and down Jack's painted set in the theater for a while before asking "you pictured that?"

Davey looks a little overwhelmed when the lights came down in the theater and flinches slightly but when he started watching Medda he became really invested and it was cute to watch

Medda's voice is deep and rich and she sung so gorgeously

She interacted with the audience and was just so amazing

Jack stuck around from back on the towers behind her balcony trying to see how Kath reacted to his drawing

Jack and Crutchie are like always chest to chest or hugging or touching at least several times each scene

One of the boys yelled "that's-" and then tries to do the math for what 60 cents per hundred would mean after they see the headline

Davey stays as far back from the boys huddle as he can and is pretty far away when he says "you mean like a strike" and Jack's head just snaps up

Davey keeps talking but seems a little flustered and is trying to keep as much space as he can

Crutchie limps over to Jack as quickly as he can after nominating him president and Jack wrapped an arm around his shoulders and they grinned at each other and it was the sweetest thing

After the boys start talking and gathering close together Davey hovers at the edges like he doesn't know what to do and backs as far off the stage he can muster before Jack asks him "Davey?" and he looks so visibly uncomfortable like he doesn't know how to interact

Davey slowly stepped up onto a stack of newspapers as a few of the boys darted over and gathered around him

He was so happy to be included in the pats and lingering hugs with the newsies and it was the cutest

Crutchie's so excited to beat people up at that one point in World Will know and frantically thrust his crutch in the air for emphasis and stomped and flung his fist a little after they said he couldn't like "dangit I wanted to beat people up with my crutch"

Davey starts doing smaller little motions and sometimes getting really into the dance like the other boys and it was great to watch

Jack climbs up to write Strike on the board and Davey stands with Les like downstage right away from the rest of the boys singing sneaking looks up at him

When Jack said Davey would go to Brooklyn Davey went, "Me?" And he kind of slumped and his voice went whiny "I have to do it?" Like Jack don't make me interact with people

Jack and Crutchie brush hands almost like they wanted to hold each others' but didn't have time/oh wait we can't do that right now

Crutchie was so sweet in all his scenes

He was constantly chatting with the other newsies and sitting next to them

Kath starts going up the stairs before Davey says they should save any exclusive for a real reporter and Jack starts nodding before Kath spins around and is like "Do you see anyone else giving you the time of day?"

Jack was so excited all the time

He never stayed still

He constantly swung down from the railings and kicked his feet in the air when he was really happy

He jumped up and down and stomped when he got emotional

He pounded his arm over his chest rapidly and gestured a lot and all the little quirks were just SO WELL DONE and made my heart so happy

Crutchie was the sweetest friendliest boy who constantly was talking with the newsies and gravitates to Jack always

He darts between Jack and Davey visibly on stage like he couldn't decide which one to go to during a lot of the numbers scenes and they were all just really sweet with each other

Katherine was so cute

Her voice went really high and it sounded like she changed what she was going to say halfway through when she said Plumber

She did this like sassy type thing during Watch What Happens and got really frustrated with her writing and did a whole bunch of gesture things that are a Writing Mood

She was so pretty and her voice was gorgeous

She just gestured angrily with the paper she crumpled up after she yanked it out to try to start the article fresh

She posed like she was going to fight when going through Watch What Happens

I really wish I remembered more but I loved her!!

She was rapid typing when she was wheeled off stage

Davey tries to talk to Race or Albert but he's so nervous he can't talk and stammers and runs over to Jack asking him to tell them because he can't

He starts singing Seize the Day immediately after being told and is so awed like "whoa I did that"

Davey's voice was really deep and when he went to sing Seize The Day I swear my heart stopped

Davey stammers at the start and someone snorted before he gets traction in courage and went on

Davey goes to Crutchie around "You're still our brothers," and their faces were so close and they looked so adoring

And then Jack joins them and they all look at each other and kind of hug/drape their arms around each other and sneak looks while singing

Their "and we will fight for you" is for each other okay

Jack and Davey and Crutchie were constantly drawing close to each other and were just super tactile

And then when they go into the next Seize the Day's

Davey and Jack are nearer to the front of the stage with Les tucked in front of them

Jack wraps his arm around Davey before Crutchie joins them and then he has an arm around each of them and the three of them sing and sneak glances at each other while the rest of the newsies sing on the other side of the stage

Crutchie was READY to throw down with the scabs and looks so disappointed when everybody else has to stop him from going after them

When Les said "Please?" he was up on the cart with the newsies and Specs ruffled his hat and the other newsies reached out to him and it was adorable

Davey looked so startled and touched when he glanced back and saw that the newsies were singing after him in Seize the Day

Davey runs up to join Jack in the dance line without prompting and they both were just super sweet

Davey glances over to watch Jack when they were running the line trying to make sure he was doing it right/follow

Crutchie stands by the curtain and was so bouncy and cheerful for the boys

When Jack was running off stage after they did the line stomp and paused for a second by Crutchie who was so bouncy excited for them being like "You okay boo"

HOLY HECK THE DANCERS WERE SO INCREDIBLE BEYOND WORDS

The boys come on to do their fancy flips and twirls and they did so much on stage everyone was screaming

Jack and Crutchie stand by each other back on the pillars during the dance break and dork off sneaking looks at each other

They're so happy

Davey is behind Jack and Crutchie and grins a little

Crutchie and Les tear the paper and Crutchie only got a tiny corner

When he and Les walk off they're talking and I couldn't hear but it seems like yeah kid, you did it! good job bud

Jack and Crutchie are constantly on each other

Tommy Boy? Or whoever spun so many times KICKED UP PAST HIS HEAD after he did the spins

Davey seems so animated and expressive and so happy for himself when he starts dancing when he never seemed to have the courage to go all out in the other numbers before

They all pose and Crutchie comes on and he is just such an expressive boy okay

Jack is the last to notice the bulls because he was really happy and faced to the crowd and he sort of faded out like "what? What's happening?" and he turned to the boys and saw the bulls

They all just throw the papers and none of them really hit anyone but they are all trying okay

Davey got so beat up in the fight

Everyone did

Poor Jack was just knocked everywhere

Davey got pinned by a Delancey and beaten on the cart and only got away by chance bc the bull showing up and hitting Romeo was a surprise long enough for him to get out

He had to stop a bull from snagging Les

The bull pinned him to a wall and started beating him

He got away and hid behind a cart with Les and he looked so agonized when Crutchie was getting beat because he couldn't leave his baby brother alone like this but that's Crutchie

Jack looks so hurt and terrified and when he starts screaming for Crutchie I couldn't even

When Davey ran with Les he looked so unbearably guilty and Jack's expressions... There are not words for how easily they could rip the heart out of your chest okay

I have seen the fight scene so many times

Never live

But this one felt so. Much. Worse

Everyone was getting knocked around and hit so many times (a lot more than they seem to in live) and it was so chaotic and helpless and it was devastating

Jack sounded like he was trying not to sob when he was breathing when he made it to the penthouse and he threw the door open to pace

He stopped where Crutchie was crying at the opening

Santa Fe

There are no words

He paced the penthouse and he was so emotional

I swear you could just see a lifetime of that weight and tragedy and abuse and this man just SHOWED ALL OF THAT that he hadn't lived in a few minutes

His emotion just blew me away

At one point he reached up to the spotlight like it was the moon so big and yellow and stretched his hand out like they were the stars and it was just beautiful

Near the end of the song he turned his back and it just felt several times like he was seeking for Crutchie expecting him to be there but he WASN'T THERE

He hit that note and held it for a long time and it was so gorgeous

When the curtain slowly went down Jack stayed there devastated and unmoving without twitching until the curtain was all the way down, maybe even a few seconds after

Davey seems really awkward in the start of King of New York, I couldn't even find him from where he was in the corner of Jacobi's

Race is so amazing

He was so dramatic with his gestures and I adore him

His the world is your erster is great and he just kept his cigar in his mouth and drew it into his hand to give them a long disapproving look before repeating himself

Specs glances over his shoulder to make sure with Davey he got the word right and Davey is so gleeful excited because he finally understood something

Les is the one who battled one of the newsies in the spoon-fight esque thing

After he did he ran back to Katherine and jumps up on the table by her. Les is so excited and she is telling him "yeah?" And it was the cutest thing

Davey looks so thrilled whenever Les did anything

Proud big bro

Les just seems SO SO EXCITED when Davey was getting more expressive and becoming happy as he spent more time with the newsies

Les and Davey were constantly goofing around together, more in later scenes because Dave was growing more comfortable

Letter From The Refuge broke me

You do not understand

They started wheeling the bed on with Crutchie folded over and his bruised eye and bleeding

And this kid started singing and I died

He hunches over mostly so you can't see him and he quietly set the paper aside to sing out at one point

The only time he seems happy and excited is when he sounds so entranced and adoring singing about the penthouse and Santa Fe with Jack

One of the boys hits Crutchie's bad leg to get him to stop during Letter From the Refuge and one of the boys smacks him upside the head

Crutchie breaks down sobbing which is when he barely manages to get out "damn this place"

He's trying to scrub tears away when he's saying "I'll be fine"

His voice grows (and holy heck this kid can sing) when he's begging for Jack to tell the others to take care of each other

He grabs the paper in time to try to write his farewell

They had a flickering candle (not sure if it was a cool effect battery powered one or something) that he blew out and the stage immediately went dark after

Jack looks like he wants to flee after Davey enters but Medda gives him a Mom look

Davey dropped the bottom half of the paper and did the cutest little laugh grin after above the fold and it WAS SO PURE

His delivery of the we're inevitable line was SO GOOD I don't have words

You could just see the slow shift in Davey's mannerisms as he grew more confident in himself and it was so so gorgeous

Davey whacked Les with his hat after the "and then he died" like Les that isn't polite people talk

Jack becomes super tense when Kath and Les show up

He grows more and more panicked and jumpy and he had a very visible bruise on his face

Davey's voice sounded like it broke after Jack talked about Crutchie

Jack made these little side to side head nod tilts as Davey was singing behind him trying to explain that they had them all scared

Davey and Jack sang into each other's faces like Jack and Crutchie did at one point in Watch What Happens Reprise

Katherine and Davey just shared these little looks

They held hands for a moment after they got Jack to listen to them encouraging him to come join them before he hops up next to Les

Katherine was really kind to Davey and I would die for their little friendship interactions

Katherine and Jack and Davey and Les all stood together like a proud family and then Jack and Les and Davey played around for a little near/after the end of the song

Jack was so goofy and fun in the office and he loses it when Snyder goes in

He looked so terrified of Pulitzer especially when he shoved right into his face and was snarling about the Refuge and went rigid and I was left wondering if Jack was bracing to be smacked hhhng

He was yelping and shuffling and trying to keep the Delanceys from touching him when they were guiding him away

Brooklyn's Here was amazing!

So many red colors

Everyone was up there on ‘the bridge' and Spot was so expressive and all the Brooklyn boys were great to watch

Spot posed and folded his arms and tipped his chin up on the ending note of the song

Spot pumped up the audience until everyone was screaming and then silenced us

He started the chant of Jack and Davey looked so panicked

Davey's voice is high and really fast when he steps into the center of the rally incredibly stiff and says "Newsies of New York!"

He like squeezes his eyes shut and winces for a second

And he gasps and glanced around a little looking so terrified and awkward and anxious and stammering before he gets into his speech

The boys start yeahing and cheering

By the end Davey looks so proud of himself as he gets more into it and is yelling words and looks so freaking accomplished

YOU DID IT YOU BEAUTIFUL CHILD

Davey stammers so much

Davey constantly stuck at the edges of the stage at first (even in KoNY) and seemed to really struggle with understanding interactions

But he's proud and happy and speaking up at the end and my heart was so happy beyond words

Then Jack comes in

Kath snuck in to stand on the balcony by some of the other borough's boy at some point

Davey looks so happy! He's watching Jack and smiling and then things twist and there starts to be quiet dissent until everything falls apart

Davey is the first one stepping up and protesting because Jack turns to him first

All the boys were yelling and Davey was right there like "Jack no!"

Davey literally put himself between Jack and Spot who was trying to hit him and then all the other boys after the Bowery Speech when everyone was yelling and lurching towards Jack to guard him with his own body

He was like no you aren't touching him okay I love him

Les got knocked to the floor by Jack after he got the money in the chaos and Davey looked so heartbroken before he grabbed Les to get him out of there

I think Jack made a little choking noise and didn't even have time to shout Davey's name

Jack was so tense and rigid when he made it to the penthouse

He seemed so terrified and it TORE MY HEART OUT OKAY

He froze for a second when Kath kissed him like for a second he hadn't made the connection and still thought he was about to be hit or just had been

Les was the most adorable child ever

He was so intense and did everything he could to be with the newsies and it was wonderful

This kid was so vividly expressive okay

Kath made a voice to imitate Les and Davey looked so offended for a split second like 'don't insult my baby brother'

Davey puts a hand on Jack's shoulder to slow him and looks so hopelessly gone when he says it's good to have him back again

Jack got so flustered and stammered for several seconds "Shut up"

Jack grabs Davey's collar and they leaned really close together when they were excited during Once and For All and they were both gleeful and excited and looked like they were going to pull into a kiss

Jack squeezed Davey's shoulders and grinned at him when he was walking past him behind the printing press

Once and For All gave me so many chills

Jack went to spit shake with Davey and it's the first time Davey does it back

They lingered for a minute just giggly and in awe and staring at each other softly. Jack looks like he doesn't want to stop or move away from each other when they had to go opposite ways on the stage

They both end up on opposite towers on the ends of the middle row closest to each other

Jack reached out to Davey as soon as he was near enough to reach him when their two pillars were being pushed together and pulled his arm around him when he was close enough to do so in their Once and For All's

In Once and For All Jack and Davey just touched whenever they could

They sang so emotionally to each other and looked so in love

Jack just… pelted into Pulitzer's office and slammed the paper down on the desk

When he flicked the money back it bounced off Pulitzer's stomach and landed on the desk and it was really funny

Davey didn't even flinch going up to Pulitzer

He might have glanced at Jack once in the exchange

Jack just watched where he was lazing having fun on the chair looking so smug and proud

Jack got up to go to Davey and say "Cause guys like Joe don't talk to nothings like us" and it broke my heart a little but he and Davey just shared a really touching look

The light on the stage is red in Pulitzer's office and it cast really cool shadows!

The newsies came in along the aisle to sing Seize the Day up to Pulitzer's office and I noticed when they were creeping in and I was so happy

Les was sitting on one of the newsies shoulder's holding up the sign they had for Manhattan

They all did an awesome stomp in time for chanting Seize the Day

Jack was about to spit shake and then he realized it was the governor and just stammered before shaking his hand

Davey tried to whack Jack on the chest after he ran back to Davey after talking to the Governor and Davey looked really confused like he wasn't sure if he was doing casual pats right siaifaj

Davey shakes his head and starts speaking like he isn't going to leave Jack until Kath goes to get him and Katherine held his hand when he was freaking out

Jack gestures to his heart and waves and smiles at them before they exit

He had a super deep mocking voice and for the "compromise we can all live with"

Davey swung Les around in the air when they'd heard they won

Race took his hat off in respect for the Governor when he entered like "your majesty"

Davey blew a raspberry from across the Square and did the weird thumb on nose finger wiggle thing Jeremy Jordan does in Live at Jacobi's making fun of Snyder after they see he's arrested

Davey jumped like a foot in the air in joy when he saw that Crutchie was back with the happiest expression ever

Davey looked so proud after Crutchie sent Snyder away

Crutchie blew a raspberry in Snyder's face after cuffing him and hit him with Snyder's back with his crutch on the exit

Davey ran to Crutchie as soon as he could and hugged him really tight and even when they pulled back they were grinning and stayed really close and kept holding onto each other

It was beautiful

They were just giggly and excited and chattering when Jack comes down the stairs

Davey's face just dropped when Jack started talking about leaving for Santa Fe

He looked so in love with both of them all the time okay

Davey did say "Sand storms" and Jack chuckled a little and it was precious

Crutchie and Davey were like on either side with Kath like in the middle behind Jack if I remember correctly and Crutchie just looked so in love

Jack finally ran and pulled Crutchie into a hug after "we're a family" and didn't let him go for probably longer than a solid minute

Crutchie and Davey went off together to get their papes and they were so dorky and playful

Davey barely stops touching Crutchie

Crutchie didn't care how badly his leg dragged when he was excited to get places and I just... Adored him

Les slowly side-walked towards Jack and Katherine when they're talking at the finale gaping at them and it was HYSTERICAL

Davey!! Was so good! He showed so much emotion and growth and I loved seeing him go from the smallest little expressions to how engaged and goofy he was in King of New York and how ecstatic and tactile he was when he was with Jack and Crutchie again

They hugged so many times and my heart died

Jack just lit up the stage every second he was on

I absolutely adored their Crutchie beyond words

Crutchie was the best thing ever and I would die for him

He was so great

Davey always seemed confused

I have said it before and I will say it again

All Davey Jacobs are Confused Davey Jacobs

This one was no different and he did SO WELL

Crutchie was always expressive and sweet

He leaned in to check on one of the boys in the wagon

His expressions never ceased to bring joy in the entire show

My friend thought Les fell into the live orchestra for a minute bc he vanished

I don't think he did

I hope

The ensemble and swings

I have no words

They did so many incredible flips and spins and dance moves

Davey did a high kick at the end!

One of the dancers dropped their cap and rolled it up their arm and it was INCREDIBLE

I don't know if it was planned or not but I absolutely adored it

All of them deserve appreciation and I'm so sad I couldn't watch all of them individually

All the boys did so many precious little gestures

They all did so great

I don’t have words for how much I adored having the chance to see this it was incredible

[writing-of-a-british-bitch]

The Fairy King- Chapter 1

Fandom: Queen/Borhap

Specified gender: Female

Pairing: Queen X reader/ To be determined, x reader

TW: language?

Genre: Fantasy. (Labyrinth AU)

Series: The Fairy King

Requests: OPEN

Masterlist

A/N: Please bear with me, it’ll all get better from now... And I promise Roger will be introduced next Chapter.

A quiet groan escaped (Y/N)'s lips as she rose from her bed, scrubbing her eyes that were still sore from the previous night's tears. Her book had fallen to the floor during her slumber and now lay open on the floor, words facing the ceiling. She felt exhausted, despite the fact she'd only just woken up. Silence rang through the house, causing her eyebrows to furrow upon coming to her senses. There was never silence in her house. There was always something yelling, or her brother giggling or some shit tv show on the tv. Something wasn't right. Cautiously, she swung her feet from the bed, creeping over to the door and pulling it open. As (Y/N) slowly made her way through the home, she could feel eyes watching her and whispers seemed to filter into every crevice.

"Dad? Alice? Sam?" She called reluctantly, investigating every room with careful steps. Bundling her dressing gown close to her body, her footsteps grew faster as she raced between rooms, desperately searching for her family. "Hello?!"

But upon reaching one of the guest bedrooms, she froze. Then gently, warily, her hand rested on the door. The voices grew louder and louder, however, when (Y/N) pushed the door open, they instantly silenced. The feeling of eyes on her body never left, sending shivers to run down her spine. It was cold inside and the windows were blown open. Though, strangely, at the same time, it was all too hot, resulting in (Y/N) to shrug off her dressing gown. She was left in just her oversized sleep shirt and some shorts as she paced through the room, eyeing every corner intently. A hushed call of her name made her turn sharply. She saw nothing. Only a large teddy bear in the corner that she was sure hadn't been there before.

"Sam? Is that you?" (Y/N) asked quietly, fear coursing through her veins as she hesitantly approached the bear "Knock it off Sammy- this isn't funny!"

Every step closer made goosebumps rise on her skin and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. That muffled whispering returned ten times louder as she stepped towards the bear. However, drowsiness started to seep in and before she knew it, she had collapsed onto the floor of the bedroom, three pairs of strong hands latched onto her body.

Hushed voices seemed to bounce through every crack of the icy stone walls. Shadows danced behind the door, disintegrating through its decades of existence. (Y/N)'s ears strained to hear the exchange happening just beyond the padlocked door, but she daren't open her eyes, in fear of what was hidden behind her eyelids. A few hours ago, her life had been certain. Absolutely awful, but certain. She knew everything she needed to know and never had a question to ask. Those questions had been forced out of her many years ago. But her discovery had left her to stir in confusion and for the first time in her time, she was lost.

Stories are an old expression of fantasy, existing long before the days of you and I. In her book, it spoke of an island, hidden in the centre of the seven seas of rhye. An island which contained the black and white queens, ogre territory and ...The Fairy King. Ever since childhood, (Y/N) has been enamoured by this tale, playing games with other children about it. However, that was all it was: a tale. A fragmentation of reality. Or so she thought. Never in her life did she expect to be on that island.

"What is a human doing here?" A cold voice sneered, breaking her from her hurricane of thought. (Y/N)'s ears perked up and she allowed her eyes to open, only for them to snap shut when a click echoed into the room, followed by the harsh creaking of the old wooden door.

"We found it, like you requested, my king," The next man to speak held a softer tone, but there was no fear as if he was used to the other man’s hardened nature.

"I said, souls. I never said, human souls! You know how much I hate them? They're disgusting, pitiful creatures. May, you promised me when I became king that no human would step foot on this island!" Oh. The King. But surely, that wasn't possible? The fairy king was a story. So was the island. She had to be dreaming. Or hallucinating. Anything but this. Though the cold seeping through her shirt, the dampness swarming around her toes and the ache of her wrists against the rope felt too real. Footsteps sounded, getting closer, closer, closer. Until they stopped.

"Yes my king, I did. But you requested weak, damaged souls, and hers is the worst we could find," A new voice joined and his was the most delicate of them all. So quiet, it could hardly be heard over the dripping behind (Y/N)'s head.

"Ah, I see we have an actress on our hands," The King sated and (Y/N) couldn't ponder on the meaning behind his words before a hand grabbed the front of his shirt. Her eyes shot open, a gasp being pulled from her lips as the king yanked her forwards so she fell before the trio's feet. As fast as a cheetah, the woman kicked her feet, effectively distancing herself from the three men that towered over her form. Her heart was a pounding drum, beating against his ribcage. But then, she finally got a look at them.

The first- who she assumed was the king- wore a bright red outfit, flimsy strings of fabric crossing half of his chest and falling down his arms. Giant eyes, unblinking and glossy decorated his body, beginning from his right leg and journeying diagonally to his left shoulder. he was adorned with an odd looking crown, positioned on his mane-like black hair. There was a dark smile on his lips that sent shivers running up (Y/N)'s spine.

The second had long curly hair that twirled in the breeze. His hair made him loo poodle-like and if (Y/N) had been in a less potentially life-threatening situation, he would've laughed. He was tall and lanky with a sharp jaw that could cut through metal and a crooked (and clearly anxious) smile. His hazel eyes were fixed on (Y/N) with a scary intensity, studying every move she made. Calculating her next move. Her next words.

And the final man wore a knight's costume, but the helmet he had tucked under his arm had a unicorn head upon it. Permed hair jumped as his head switched between his king and the prisoner, eyes flickering between kind brown to blazing orange.

"Deacon, release this girl from her confinements," The king demanded and the knight, now known as Deacon, approached the shaking woman. (Y/N) backed up until she was pressed against the wall.

"I'm not going to hurt you, human. Just going to release you," Deacon reassured, shooting her a gentle smile, eyes flashing orange once more. (Y/N) reluctantly presented her bound wrists, an invisible force tugging them to Deacon who untied the knot.

"Now, human, I am the Fairy King, the ruler of this land. But you, my dear, may call me Mercury. Now you will cooperate with me, or you might find me to be rather...cruel."A small smirk rose onto Mercury's lips and Deacon and May exchanged nervous glances. But, with that smirk, a strong sense of fear welled up in her body.

"Where am I?" She requested feebly, eyes wide as saucers as she took in the unfamiliar setting, head whipping around with a small jerk.

"You're on the island of the Fairy King," May answered softly, taking a small step back upon seeing her fear.

"But-but that's impossible. You're all- you're all fictional. This can't be real," Every second that passed pulled a shorter breath out of her. It wasn't an uncommon thing for her to get panicked in unfamiliar circumstances, but this definitely was a weird circumstance she'd found herself in "Why am I here?"

"You were miserable in that life, dear, we've come to your rescue, if that wasn't already incredible obvious enough," Mercury replied, flicking his long, immaculately neat hair from his face. (Y/N) shook her head.

"But what about my family?" She pushed, resting her chin on her knees as she sat up a little, eyeing the three suspiciously. May's gaze hadn't faltered for a second and it had started to unnerve her a little. The frequent flashing of Deacon's eyes had also begun to freak her out. Eyes like that couldn't be normal, could they?

"What about them?" Mercury shrugged, not even looking up from his nails, as if the words coming from his mouth held no importance.

"They won't know where I am! I need to go home. I don't belong here!" May and Deacon exchanged a look of worry at (Y/N)'s defiance. Last time someone had defied the Fairy King, it hadn't ended prettily for the prisoner.

"Did they make you cry?" Mercury interrogated, eyebrows raised for a response. Her eyes flickered up to the king and she nervously looked back down, fingers spinning and twisting her shirt.

"Yes," She responded quietly, almost silent.

"Can they make you cry now?" He pressed further, a small smile rising to his lips upon seeing her face drop.

"No," (Y/N) answered but just as the three men thought she was about to give up, she looked back up "But I have to go home. I need to be there. For my little brother."

"You want to go back for some child? Why? They're disgustingly dirty and they stick their fingers where they don't belong," The look on Mercury's face was one of pure revulsion and (Y/N) stood up shakily.

"You would be safer here," May added, worried for what would happen if she kept trying her luck with the King.

"I don't want safe. I want to be there for my brother. He needs a better influence than my father. I need to be the big sister that helps him," She stated, more forcefully this time and a dark chuckle escaped the king after a prolonged silence.

"If you want to go home so much, you can go home. But first, you must follow me..."

Tags (for this series): @loveandbeloved29 @sam-mercurry-sixx @sunflower-borhap-boys @bouncingjoe @lets-go-panic-at-discos @storiesandcelestialbodies @everything-you-dont-wanna-be

Tags:  @writingfortoomanyfandoms @metaphorical-love-for-a-car@queens-n-roses @freaky-dcaky @yourealegendfred@fierce-bab@dusthas-beenbitten   @bensroger @strangeandwonderfulconcepts@babebenhardy@benhardyjones @silvver-rose @psychosupernatural

[silliusssoddus]

The First Names Concept - Night 2

(Roger Taylor x Reader x Vince Neil)

MASTERLIST

A/N: THANK YOU FOR THE LOVE ON NIGHT 1, I DEADASS THOUGHT THIS WOULD BE A FLOP BUT Y’ALL ACTUALLY LIKE IT :’)  aight bear in mind i’m not rewriting everything scene for scene, but i might use direct quotes from either movie from time to time. but i did use a scene from harry potter and the deathly hallows for a part in this anyways this is a psa to watch teenage kicks, seeing as i wrote most of this watching it this is also a psa to listen to ‘hot love’ by t. rex, a whole ass bOp

WARNINGS: SMUT (marked with when it starts and stops), oral and straight up sex, slight degradation/praise kinks, squirting, swearing, drinking, blink-and-you’ll-miss slight angst/fluff

WORD COUNT: 4,407 (i apologise)

CHAPTER SUMMARY: the boys take you to see mötley crüe without knowing that you’d previously met the singer the night before.

since i used the movie gifs in the first part, i’ll use them real life peeps in this one. i’m not gonna spoil the chapters before you read it with these, but i will caption quotes that will make more sense when you read that part. for example:

‘...the charm on his necklace...’

(creds: @tenementfunzter)

‘...you heard him whisper in your ear.’

-

In their defence, Mötley Crüe was just a band trying to get themselves known, not too different to the spot Queen were in just 10 years ago. But you did feel like the ground should just open up and swallow you whole as you walked into the Whisky a Go Go, Vince shooting you a subtle wink after he noticed you immediately.

“Our last song is gonna be something our very own Nikki Sixx picked out, because he’s a slut for the band T. Rex.”

The audience erupted into a fit of cheers and yells. Even Roger cupped his hands around his mouth and hollered, a boyish action that never failed to bring a smile on your face.

“This one’s called ‘Hot Love’.”

The audience died down slowly as they lost themselves in the music. You couldn’t blame them, because you yourself let your head nod to the beat. The cheesy, ‘You’re My Best Friend’ style rhythm seemed to take over your body as everyone around you - even Brian, who wasn’t one for dancing - started to hop around.

John, the disco master himself had bopped on over to you, taking your hand and spinning you. You giggled a lot, feeling more bubbly than the champagne bottle the five of you shared before the show, which was also the reason why you were late.

John and Freddie exchanged a quick look, nodding to each other as John spun you out of his arms and let you go. It sent you pinballing off of various people in the crowd, before Roger caught you.

“You alright?”

“Y-yeah.”

You pushed yourself off of his chest and found your balance on your heels again, desperately avoiding his eyes because God only knows what you’d do if you met them.

But his grip on your shoulders didn’t seem to have the intention of moving themselves anytime soon.

“Let’s dance, Mayflower.”

Your head snapped up at the old nickname, seeing the giddy look on his face fall.

“I- only if you want to. F-For old time’s sake.”

You smiled, wrapping your arms around his neck. Of course, you were surprised that he had even remembered those nights you stood on his feet and danced around to an Elvis record in the background, but you were more overjoyed to do so again.

As you both copied the movements of your young, teenage selves, you felt like you were transported to the times where you didn’t care about whether he liked you or not. You knew that you were his, even if it was only for a few minutes.

He started off by swinging your arms from side to side, clumsily crossing his legs over each other as you slowly turned around. You laughed hard, completely having forgotten that Roger never was the best dancer, but you could see that it was mostly the nervousness that was holding him back. So you eased into the movements yourself, letting him spin into your side.

The frequent twirling continued throughout the song, along with your shared giggles whenever you accidentally stepped on each others toes, or nudged your elbow in the side of each others ribs. But it kept you occupied in the 70s and it couldn’t have felt any better.

During the final ‘la’s of the song, you sidestepped a couple more times, holding each other in the waltz pose and felt yourselves getting closer, your chests pressed against each other. The smile on his face faltered against your shoulder and you placed a reassuring hand on his, resting your chin on it shortly after. His arms slowly crossed the small of your back, tightening around your waist softly.

You could barely hear Nikki, the bassist, thanking you all for being a great audience, before he and the rest of the band walked offstage into the wings to slap some sense back into Vince.

Because what you didn’t know was that Vince frequently lost his focus throughout the song.

He kept stealing glances from you to admire how stunning you looked twirling around. A vivid contrast from how you were yesterday, if he did say so himself.

“Look, I’m sorry guys-”

“Whatever, man, just sort shit out with your girl and don’t fuck up tomorrow.” Mick, their guitarist, scoffed, walking off toward their individual dressing rooms as Tommy, their drummer, followed him.

Nikki himself was about to go, if it wasn’t for being stopped by Vince’s tight grip on his arm.

“It’s not my girl that’s the problem, it’s someone else. Man, what the fuck do I do?”

“Alright, alright. Show me who this chick is.” Nikki sighed.

Vince pulled his arm enthusiastically toward the curtains again, forcing him to peek out of it and turned his head to where you all were standing.

“Holy shit, that’s Queen!” he gasped, starstruck.

Vince then used the same hand to turn his head toward your direction, where you and Roger were still wrapped in each other’s arms. It was an embrace you couldn’t bare to break out of. And Roger didn’t want to let go of the smell of vodka just yet.

“I miss you, Mayflower.” you heard him whisper in your ear.

Before you had the chance to think about what he meant, let alone ask him, you started to notice the people around you disappearing more thanks to a cold waft of air breezing through the club. It forced you to break off the hug, but you quickly turned away to find your brother, too scared to confront him.

“Okay, maybe they’re not together.” Vince mumbled, struggling to fight the fucked-up smile of relief off his face.

Nikki ran after Freddie, determined to both help his bandmate out and meet one of his idols. He repeatedly called his name out to catch his attention.

“Hey man! I’m name’s Nikki Sixx, a huge fan.” he beamed, sticking out his hand for him to shake it.

Freddie took it eagerly. He always liked talking to fans, especially if they were musicians themselves.

“Very nice to meet you Nikki. You played the bass, right?”

Nikki nodded, honoured that the Freddie Mercury had seen what he did. He then turned to see John standing next to Freddie.

“John Deacon! I love your bass lines, man!” his eyes widened in awe as he shook John’s hand.

John blushed. He wasn’t used to getting compliments - he wasn’t even sure if people knew his name at all, so he felt more than flattered.

“Oh, i-it’s nothing, you’re much better than I am anyway.”

“Aww, c’mon dude. Where’s the modesty?”

“Disappeared after Brian wrote ‘We Will Rock You’.” John gave a shy chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

Luckily for him, the others found it funny and his grin grew bigger.

“That’s a cool sweater. Wouldn’t expect that from a rock band.” he laughed, elbowing Vince.

“Did you not see what Tommy was wearing on the way here?” Vince replied, noticing that John had blushed deeper from being called out like that.

“Shit, you’re right. Dude, Tommy totally needs to see this.”

“Tommy Lee’s, our drummer.” Vince explained to the boys.

“Yeah, he went to go change but he’ll be back to pack the stage. C’mon, I can introduce you.” Nikki beckoned for John to follow him.

With a shrug and an apologetic look to Freddie (who replied with a shrug himself), the two bassists set off to walk backstage.

Freddie had started making his way over to his curly haired friend, when he noticed that Vince was following him.

“Uh, d’you mind if I come with? I kinda wanna say hi to Y/N. We talked yesterday before you had to leave.”

“I...don’t see why not.” Freddie smiled.

“I must say that I love your pants. Not everyone can pull off white leather.” he continued.

“Thanks, man. My girlfriend bought it for me. They were, like, $800.”

Freddie relaxed at the word ‘girlfriend’. Maybe Vince wouldn’t get in the way with you and Roger after all.

“Aren’t you a lucky man?” Freddie grinned, punching him on the shoulder playfully before turning to walk again.

“Yeah, she’s great.” Vince frowned, hearing the uncertainty in his voice himself.

“There’s the pretty lady!” Vince called out, shocking you out of your conversation and making you turn around. Your face immediately lit up as you walked into his outstretched arms.

“Hey Vince! You were so good up there.” you said, feeling his rough hands slide across the bare skin on your waist thanks to your crop top. It felt rougher than Roger’s hold, that was for sure. Maybe it was the way his biceps flexed into your sides.

“Thanks, dude. I tried to sing that last one to you.” he managed to speak quietly, so that Brian and Freddie in their own conversations couldn’t hear.

You felt your cheeks heat up from how upfront he was, but then you remembered what you had been doing the majority of the song.

Vince seemed to have noticed you biting your lip and he apologised immediately, worried that he had hurt your feelings somehow.

“You good?” he asked when you failed to say anything.

“What? Oh. Yeah. Bit knackered from the dancing is all.”

“Why don’t we sit down and have a drink? Then you can tell Dr Vince everything.” he joked, nodding his head over to the mini bar situated behind you.

“Yeah, I could really use one.” you shrugged, following him over to the counter. The bartender seemed to have anticipated his arrival and immediately put a cocktail and a bottle of whiskey before you.

“So, what’s this between you and that other dude? Do you like him?”

“Huh? Who?”

“Taylor.”

“Roger.” you snapped back quickly.

“That’s it.” he laughed.

You started stirring your drink, not really wanting to take a sip. But you did shortly after, as a way to avoid the question.

“Well?” Vince egged on.

“I don’t know, it’s a long story.”

“We got time.” Vince replied, beckoning for more drinks.

“I don’t have money.”

“It’s all on the house anyway.” he said, letting out a chuckle as he heard the bartender groan.

“Okay, fine.” you sighed, gulping down a big mouthful before continuing.

“I’ve known him since I was 13 and I instantly fancied him like mad because, well, he was a long, blonde haired, blue eyed drummer with a beautiful voice in a rock band. Everything you’d want in a guy really.”

“I wouldn’t know.” Vince snickered.

“Anyway,” you giggled, “he and Brian were great friends and he moved into our little apartment a few months later. Naturally, I was terrified to have my crush around in the house 24/7, but we did grow closer. It’s funny, really. I found myself liking him more than my own brother. And what I loved the most were the times I couldn’t sleep or I had a nightmare. He’d sing me to sleep.”

You smiled to yourself before taking another sip, but you found your head somehow turning in the direction of Roger’s laughter as you drank. 

The band were back onstage with Roger, Freddie and John and it seemed as if their drummer was teaching Roger how to twirl drumsticks. Evidently, he wasn’t good at it. He managed to make one fly across the room toward a group of girls, winking at them as he went over to pick them up.

“But then I found out - well, I heard - that he kept bringing girls over every night and that’s when I decided that I had to move on. He started seeing one girl in particular, so then I found Oliver. And it wasn’t like I was using him to get back at Roger, ‘cause Oliver was trying make his ex jealous.”

“Jeez, the both of you are so fucked up.”

“Hah, that’s not the end of it. They stopped dating and I broke things off with Oliver, around a month before I turned 18. That’s when everything changed.”

The bartender refilled your glass and you thanked him.

“We started talking to each other again and it felt like nothing changed...until one trip to Hyde Park two years later. I was meeting up with one of my friends, Dominique, and he wanted to come with me because he wanted to tell something. I still don’t know what he wanted to say, because as soon as he caught the French girl’s eye he couldn’t resist chatting her up.”

You chuckled pathetically at the memory. He’d ruined your favourite place. 

And you were just about to sit down on that stupid bench.

“He would always ask me how he should get her attention.”

“Well, there was your perfect chance to sabotage it.” Vince laughed.

“And make him hate me? Yeah, I didn’t do that. I just gave him stupid excuses to see her.”

“Like what?”

“Uh...this one time I got annoyed at him, so I picked up a random daisy - bear in mind it looked ugly and half of the petals had fallen off - and told him to give it to her and say he thought it would go well with her clothes.”

“Noted.” Vince laughed, throwing his head back at how absurd it sounded.

“So is he still with this Dominique?”

“Honestly? No idea. They’ve been constantly breaking up and getting back together for 5 good years now.”

“Judging from that dancing, they’re probably on a break again.”

“Oh, yeah. That. The first time we’ve hugged in...8 years? Give or take a few.”

“Jesus Christ- this is the worst game of cat and mouse I’ve ever seen.”

You turned to him, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. 

From the little time you had gotten to know him, you wouldn’t have taken him for a serious guy. You wouldn’t have expected a single word of advice from him, but what he said next completely proved your judgement wrong.

“Look, man, don’t stress it. Like, not trying to be a hippie and shit, but if the universe wanted it to happen, it would’ve by now. Dunno if you should be wasting more time on something the universe doesn’t want.” he said as a matter of factly, finally prying his eyes away from you to take a sip of his Jack Daniels.

“Huh, you actually listened. I just thought you’ve been undressing me with your eyes this whole time.”

“Well, Y/N, eye contact is important to maintain a conversation.” he paused his drinking to say, raised eyebrow and all.

“Careful, or I might have to knock those smarty pants off of you.” you scoffed, rolling your eyes and finishing the last few drops of your drink.

“How about you start with my normal pants?” was his reply to that, a force of habit he should really work on.

“Never mind, I was right the first time.” you smirked.

Vince placed a hand on his chest with a jokingly hurt look on his face.

“Please, I’m a gentleman. Way more than your Roger friend apparently.”

“Oh really? Prove it.”

You laughed a few seconds after at the look of defeat on his face.

“No, wait.”

He took his leather jacket off and wrapped it around your shoulders, both for you to put on but also to reveal his abs in all its viewing glory.

“There. Did I do it?”

Embarrassingly you were too entranced to hear anything he said, let alone tell him that you weren’t cold in the first place, and you gulped. Hard enough for your worries about Roger to wash away. Loud enough for for him to snicker over it.

His hands trailed down your shoulders to your fingers, intertwining them lightly as his thumb drew circles on your knuckles.

“I’ll let you take the rest off, pretty lady.” he leant in to your side and growled quietly.

You bit your lip and nodded, letting him fully grasp your hands and pull you up, following him as he lead the way.

*it’s sinning time boys*

His hands left yours and grabbed your waist instead, pulling you in close to him as he walked backwards into one of the toilets. You kicked the door shut behind you, tugging the charm on his necklace lightly to connect your lips.

You felt his hips roll against yours before his hands went further down the back of your thighs, pushing your legs slightly apart to hoist you up on the sink. Your lips parted for a second, giving him the chance to bunch your pencil skirt up to your hips and admire the sight in front of him.

“Fuck, you’re perfect. And no panties, you naughty little shit.” he growled, his hungry, hooded eyes meeting yours.

But something seemed off with the way he looked at you.

Roger had soft eyes, the calming kind. Vince’s felt threatening, like he’d pounce on you without a warning. Even his grip on you was tighter, more aggressive, but at the same time comforting.

Like he was desperate to keep you.

It was something you weren’t used to, but you were starting to like it.

You wrapped your arms around his shoulders, bringing him in for another heated kiss while your fingers flew down to his waist to palm him through his leather jeans.

A smile formed on your face as you watched his head fall back with merciless groans leaving his mouth, but his hands grabbed your wrists to stop you.

“Not yet, pretty lady, I wanna make you feel good first.”

His words brought out what was a mix of a whimper and a moan from you, as you felt his fingers brush up the inside of your thigh. His head fell into the crook of your shoulder and started to plant small pecks, eventually turning them into deeper kisses that undoubtedly would leave marks, while his fingers teased your folds.

“Taste how fuckin’ wet you are.” he said, letting you swirl your tongue around his digits before returning them back to where they were.

“Good girl.” he growled, starting to rub firm circles on your clit.

“Oh...Christ.” you gasped.

He smirked at your reaction, sliding two fingers down and pumping into you slowly. You could already feel your walls clenching around him and you saw the way his cock twitched in his pants at the thought of how you’d feel around him.

“More...please…”

“I’ll gladly give you more.” he whispered huskily as he latched his lips onto your clit, his fingers continuing to curl in and out of you.

“Oh- blimey...” you moaned, your whole body shuddering as his tongue played with your bud.

Then his head whipped up with an amused laugh.

“‘Blimey’?”

“I-It’s a British thing. It’s, uh, it’s like saying...damn?”

“Yeah yeah, I know that,” he chuckled again, “but is it ‘cause you don’t swear?”

“I- no, not really. I’m sorry.”

“Nah, it’s cool. It’s cute. Are you a mormon or something?”

“God, no. Just not used to it. The boys swear all the time and it just...feels weird.”

“Bet I can help with that.” he smiled and winked.

You felt warm and giddy again.

He bobbed his head down to where it was before and continued from where he left off.

“Try it.” he mumbled before sucking your bud.

The sight of his hollowed cheeks made you let out another breathy moan.

“F...fuck…” you hesitantly breathed out along with it, feeling him smirk against you.

“Let go, baby, I know you’re close.”

His raspy voice caused vibrations to ripple through your body, enough to send you to your high as you grabbed onto the sink and screamed his name, your legs shaking around his shoulders.

“Good girl.” he repeated, swirling his tongue around the evidence of your orgasm.

“‘m sorry, I’ve never done that before.” you felt your face heat up with embarrassment, just as it was starting to cool down.

“No one’s made the pretty lady come?” Vince smirked cockily and raised an eyebrow.

“And that’s only your mouth.” you shook your head and chuckled shyly, eyeing the painful bulge in his trousers as your hands went to unbuckle his belt again.

This time he let you, but it was a struggle. The leather had really tightened itself around his length and it seemed impossible to even get the waistband past his hips. Both of you erupted with laughter as you watched him hop around.

Eventually, he managed to slip it down to his knees, which made him let out a massive sigh of relief and a chuckle when he saw the look of shock on your face.

“What, bigger than you expected?”

He was big alright, with veins bulging out and the swollen tip leaking precum. You were about to hop off the sink to repay him, but he placed his hands on your thighs to stop you.

“Another time, baby. We’ve already been gone for a long time, they’re probably looking for us.” he chuckled lowly, grabbing your hips and lining himself up against your entrance after rolling on a condom.

“Besides- fuck.” he groaned as he pushed in slowly, “watching you cum almost got me there.”

You whined when he pushed in completely, your walls adjusting to his size.

“Fuck, you’re so tight.” he mumbled, snapping his hips into you. He quickened his pace, knowing that there wasn’t any time to take things slow, even if he wanted to.

One of his hands hooked onto the back of your neck, pulling you in for a kiss while the other one ran up under your shirt to your boobs, his rough hands massaging them in a way that sent a shiver down your back.

*smut ends*

The room was filled with sounds of skin slapping against each other, blissful moans from the both of you, tiny yelps from when you tugged the ends of his hair playfully and short giggles when you accidentally nudged each other’s noses, or when you bit each others lips from kissing.

Until the shriek of a blonde-haired woman rang out from the doorway.

“What the fuck?” she yelled, making the two of you snap your heads round. You were trying desperately to place if you had seen the woman before, but gave up as soon as you saw the look of regret on Vince’s face.

“You bitch!” she gasped, but you weren’t sure if it was directed toward you or Vince.

“Babe-” he started, pulling out of you to brace himself from the slaps he was about to receive.

And all you could do was sit there and witness it, partially in shock but fully knowing he deserved it.

“Fuck you, you piece of shit!” she grabbed his trousers off the floor and slapped him on the shoulder repeatedly.

“Motherfucker!” she huffed, turning round to walk out and slam the door behind her.

“My pants! Babe!” he tried to call out after her, but all he received was a muffled ‘fuck you!’ in return.

Roger was the only one that didn’t have anyone to talk to, seeing as John had stolen Tommy away from him, Freddie and Nikki were chatting away like aunts at a family reunion and Mick and Brian were too busy complaining about their childish bandmates.

Roger was also the only one to notice the woman that was stomping across the club, white leather pants slung across her shoulder and her forehead wrinkled in annoyance.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” he said, hopping off the stage and walking over to her.

“Ugh, just my asshole boyfriend deciding to fuck another girl.”

She looked up to meet Roger’s gaze, immediately softening when she was greeted by the older man’s sympathetic blue eyes.

“Like, I never took Vince as a person to do that.” she pouted, trying her best to sound seductive.

But he didn’t notice. He had understood who Vince was with and he was beating himself up for not putting two and two together after realising the both of you had suddenly left.

He decided to break his streak of not using groupies to distract himself from you and shoot his shot.

“Oh, that’s awful.” he said, managing to muster up all the genuinity he could in his voice as he slung an arm around her shoulder, walking toward where he assumed the dressing rooms would be.

“Ah, Roger. Ever the charmer.” Brian chuckled and shook his head, ignoring the confused looks Freddie and John were giving each other.

“Yep. It’s always the blondes.” Mick rolled his eyes and chuckled with him.

“Nikki and I aren’t blonde.” Tommy laughed, giving Nikki a high five.

“It’s just you that doesn’t like groupies, old man.” Nikki agreed.

“Not my fault I’m old fashioned.”

“Yeah, It’s perfectly normal to only want one woman in your life. Isn’t that right, Brian?”

“Deaky!” Freddie hissed, the others started laughing when they saw Brian’s face turn into that of a tomato at the reminder of Chrissie.

“Just wait for our next album.” John hummed, taking a sip of the bottle of beer.

“Hey, speaking of blondes, where’s ours?”

“Based on the fact that Brian’s sister is also gone…” Freddie started, ready to greet Brian’s temper.

But, to both of their surprises, his reaction was completely the opposite.

He laughed.

“Ah, it was time she did. But I always thought it’d be Roger.” he said, turning to look at John and Freddie’s shocked expressions before they started laughing nervously as well.

“Yeah, so did we.”

Vince was busy trying to explain everything to you, but you didn’t want to listen. He had made you the reason for another person’s sadness, maybe even the reason that they can’t trust anymore. You couldn’t believe it, you couldn’t believe him.

“Don’t lie to me.” you hissed, putting your clothes back on again and swatting away his hands that tried to help you. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t find it cute.

The two of you stood in silence for a while, like you were expecting him to do the same, but then you realised that he had walked in shirtless.

“I’ll go find something in your dressing room.” you sighed, trying your best to tame your hair before walking out of the bathroom without a second thought.

“Even when you’re mad, you’re still fucking generous. Thank you, pretty lady!”

A smile formed on your face.

The same smile fell when you walked past a row of doors leading to Vince’s dressing room, where you heard familiar grunts.

Familiar, because they had been the source of many of your sleepless nights.

The door to an occupied was left open by a crack and all it took for your heart to plummet to your feet was seeing Roger’s head being thrown back in pleasure.

But you didn’t deserve to feel jealous, betrayed, or anything like that. Because you had hurt him the exact same way.

-

TAGS - link in bio to be added/removed

NIGHT 3

[h3llostrang3r]

Guardians of the Heir (TRH)

Liam x Sophie Word Count: 2,064 Warning: Just a bit of fluff.  Summary: Pregnant Sophie spends some time with Maxwell, Hana, and Drake. Note: This idea stemmed from “The Queen's Throne.” Here we see what Sophie did during the day. 

The Fun Uncle: 

“Hi there Maxwell Jr.! This is your favorite Uncle… Maxwell! I’ve decided that not only will you have written documentation of your mom and uncle on their great adventures, you will also get to see it first hand via video!” 

The camera is zoomed in close on Maxwell as he attempts to vlog and walk alongside Sophie and her corgis, Lord AppleSeed and Lady AppleBottom, and they make their way to the menagerie. In the background, Sophie laughs and can be heard saying, “Names are still up in the air until the baby comes.” The camera is still on Maxwell, huge grin on his face, he mouths, ‘Maxwell Jr.’ 

“Alright baby, here is your beautiful mommy, Queen Sophie, but you call her Queen Mommy.” 

He pans the camera to her and she waves, her smile bright and freckles highlighted by the sunlight. 

“Aaaand here are your fur siblings! They will give you lots of kisses and hours of entertainment when your Uncle Maxwell isn’t around.” Lord AppleSeed and Lady AppleBottom wag their tails and bark their “hellos” to the camera.

 As they approach the menagerie the two corgis run off in search of Milo and Sagwa, Sophie’s red pandas. The picture is slightly blurry as Maxwell chases after them to catch their interaction.

Milo and Sagwa yawn as the corgis’ barks wakes them. Sagwa untangles herself from her brother’s cuddling embrace and the two climb down to greet their visitors. Sophie reaches out for Milo and he happily embraces her in a hug, while Sagwa circles around the corgis. 

“Alright everyone, are we ready for the most amazing dance video the world has ever seen?” 

All the animals tilt their heads as they watch Maxwell set up the camera on a tripod and adjusts it so everyone is seen in the video. Sophie gets the music ready on her phone, and connects it to the portable speaker they brought along. 

As soon as the music starts playing Maxwell gyrates to the beat and makes his way to group. Sophie laughs infectiously at the site and sways from side to side with Milo still in her arms. He grabs treats from his pockets and uses them to encourage the animals to dance on their hind legs. At the sight, Milo jumps from Sophie’s arms and joins the others. 

“Aww, there goes my dance partner,” she dramatically pouts, but as soon as the words leave her lips she feels the baby kick.

 “I was kidding, baby love, I know you’re still dancing with me.” She cradles her belly as she continues dancing and feels the baby moving around. 

Maxwell begins popping and locking with an occasional spin, while Milo and Sagwa hop on the backs of Lord AppleSeed and Lady AppleBottom. He then makes sure his space is clear before he performs and lands a backflip.

“I am the master of the dance!!” He shouts as he raises his arms in the air. 

The corgis respond with an, “ARooOoOoo.” 

“ArooooOoOoOOo,” Maxwell joins in, then looks to Sophie. 

“Maxwell, a Queen doesn’t howl.” Her face is stern, and her full lips transition into a thin line. 

He doesn’t blink as he continues to stare at her, while simultaneously shimmying his shoulders. 

A smile creeps up and she shakes her head in defeat, “ArooOoOOoOoOooo.” 

As soon as their dancing ends the two corgis and pandas run off with each other, and Sophie finds a quiet spot to sit. 

“That is going to be the best dance video in Cordonia history. Do you think Liam will let me upload it?” 

“Not a chance, Maxwell.” Sophie said, slightly out of breath. “But, it will be a great video to show the baby when they’re older.” 

She places her hand on her belly, the baby still not done dancing.“Maxwell, feel this.” 

She takes his hand and places it on her stomach.“They loved dancing with their fun Uncle Maxwell.” 

His face lit up with joy as he sat next to Sophie, “don’t worry little one, we’re going to have plenty of dance parties together.” 

**** 

The Loving Aunt:

The weather outside was warm with a cool breeze, the flowers were in full bloom and the air was filled with their sweet scent. Sophie and Hana were on the grass adjacent to the gazebo, paint easels set-up, and a picnic blanket laid out with an assortment of goodies they prepared earlier. Sophie wasn’t much of a painter, but she enjoyed the feel of the paint gliding across the canvas. She found herself reaching out for the finger foods as she mindlessly swirled her paintbrush. 

“Sophie, I’m almost finished. How about you get some plates started for us, and I’ll join you on the blanket when I’m done.” Hana giggled, she knew Sophie had been excited to eat since she put the basket together in the kitchen. 

“Oh thank God.” Sophie cleans up her hands then scoots onto the blanket and grabs their plates; adding dumplings , spring rolls, and fruit. From the picnic basket Sophie pulled out two small cups and a thermos. It was filled with an infused tea made up of oolong, and hints of apple and cinnamon.

“Alright, finished. Are you ready to see?” Hana looks over from the canvas, spotting Sophie with a dumpling halfway into her mouth. 

Sophie nods her head with anticipation as she takes a bite of her food. Hana carefully rotates the easel and displays it for Sophie to see. The portrait was filled with bright shades of red, orange, and yellow. She had painted Thornwood’s sigil, the ever rising Phoenix.

“What do you think? I hope the colors are alright, I tried my best to match the ones that you have throughout the duchy.” 

Sophie swallowed her bite, and brought her napkin up to her mouth; attempting to wipe the crumbs and hide that she was about to cry. Sophie was never one to hide her emotions, but since the rise in hormones she found herself crying a bit more than she wanted to. 

“Hana,” the tears started to form, stinging her eyes as she attempted to fight them off. “It’s absolutely gorgeous.” She chokes up, trying to compose herself, but in the end the hormones always win. “It’s going to look fantastic in the nursery.” Her tears begin to fall, and Hana quickly scurries to her side. 

She lovingly wrapped her in a warm embrace, “Please don’t cry. I accept payments from you in smiles only.” Hana squished her cheeks to Sophie’s hoping she would get her to smile and giggled, “you’re going to get salty tears in your tea.” Sophie squeezed back and a gentle laugh replaced her tears. 

Sophie could feel the pressure in her belly shifting to where Hana was. Once she realized what was happening, she grabbed Hana’s dainty hands to where the baby had moved. She chuckled at the sensation, “the baby wants a hug too, Hana.” 

Hana’s smile glowed at Sophie’s words, she found the baby with her hands and leaned down to give it a kiss. “Sweet little baby, I can’t wait for you to see your painting in person. Oh, and for us to have cocoa-parties, I promise to make you my best treats. We’ll have so much fun.” 

“I think they’ll like that very much, Hana. If we’re best friends, I can only imagine the joy and happiness you’ll bring them.” 

“Aww, Sophie.” They embraced again, this time the tears belonged to Hana. 

****

The Whipped Uncle:

“Alright, let’s see what we got here,” Drake grunted as he bent forward reaching for the portable air pump. 

Earlier in the month Sophie ordered new inner tubes for her and Drake. She loved that he would take her around the lake in the row boat, but with the warmer weather she wanted to relax in the cool water. She handed him her inner tube first, as she sat with her legs crossed on the grass she carefully watched his reaction. It wasn’t long before he dropped his head and shook it, when he looked at Sophie he gave her a smirk. 

“Thorn, what the hell did you buy? I thought we were going to be relaxing in the water. Not… role playing the Crown and the Flame.” 

Sophie’s smile lit up as the inner tube inflated more, it was a blue dragon with fire that came out of its large mouth. She bought it off of the show’s website, she always wanted to have a dragon. Sure this one was plastic, but it would do just fine. 

She called out, “Your turn,” as she chucked his inner tube in his direction. He squinted his eyes at her as he turned on the pump. It definitely wasn’t the same as hers, but it wasn’t a plain one either. 

“What should I be expecting, Thorn?” 

A coy smile crept upon her lips, “You’ll see!” 

Drake ran his hand over his face as he came to realize what she bought. He shook his head furiously as he glared her way and shouted, “No way, Thorn. I am not getting in this.” 

“Yee-haw, cowboy!!” She cried out as she pretended to wave a lasso in the air. It was a float in the shape of a horse, a saddle as the backrest, and functional reins.

“Yee-haw, my ass” he grumbled to himself. 

“C’mon Drake, it’s totally you! And it has a cup holder for your whiskey.” She giggled at the sight of his face, he was irate, but she knew he would still sit in it. “Help me up, I’m stuck.” She reached out her hands playfully and with his head still shaking he made his way towards her. 

 His large, calloused hands carefully held on to her soft, small ones and he lifted her up with ease. 

“Why thank you, kind sir. Now let’s grab some drinks and ride off into the sunset!” 

In a small cooler, Sophie had two insulated tumblers - one filled with whiskey, and the other with a virgin pina-colada. They made their way to the lake and she handed off Drake’s drink as she wiggled into her inner-tube. He took a long sip of his whiskey as he stared at the inflatable horse. 

Sophie pushed herself off from the shore, happily sipping her drink as she watched Drake contemplate getting in. “C’mon water buddy, I am floating away and Liam is going to be pissed if I’m stuck in this water all night.” 

He hollers back, “I’m fine with just walking away right now.” 

“Draaaaake, please!” She whines, as she splashes her feet in the water. He takes another sip as he gets onto the tube. 

Time passes as they savor their drinks, and Sophie occasionally singing off-key, “If you like pina-coladas.” They talk about anything that doesn’t involve the royal council or any sort of politics. Just relaxing, laughing, and enjoying the simple moment.

“I’m so excited to take them camping, and fishing, and horseback riding.” Drake’s smile is wide as he helps Sophie to shore and out from her seat.

“They’re going to love it too. I really want them to be able to step away from court from time to time. Just because we’re royalty doesn’t mean we’re not human, we should be able to take pleasure in ‘commoner’ activities.” 

Sophie suddenly wraps Drake in a hug, he’s startled at first, but hugs her back. “Thanks for doing this for us, Drake.” She steps back and rubs her hand over her bump. 

“Any time, Thorn.” He looks to her questionably and she nods in approval. He reaches his hand out to her belly, “Any time for you too, Little Thorn.” He feels a strong kick to his open palm, 

“Hey, Little Thorn’s first high-five.” 

****

The moon and stars were out, Sophie had taken a long and steamy shower, then a delightful dinner with Hana. She discussed tomorrow’s plans with Gladys and responded to a few emails before she started to feel a bit nauseous.

She finally decided it was time for bed. Her feet ached, so one by one she slipped off her shoes. Her hair had been up all day, so down it came. Her breasts were sore, so off came that restraining bra. As she made her way to her bedroom a light peeked out from Liam’s office.

“Oh look, baby love, daddy’s home.”

[willykappymarnsmatts]

By the Way

-Y/N is best friends with Willy and is super close with the rest of the guys on the team. One night, during their Hockey Night in Canada watch party, Mitch comes over and they finally get to meet-

-Mitch/reader-

-Willy/Kappy-

“Hey hon!” Willy calls from down the hall, waiting for me after my game. My face breaks into a smile when I see him and I pick up my pace. I drop my hockey bag and throw myself into his arms. He picks me up and spins me around.

Will and I are best friends, have been since our first year of high school. We were lab partners in ninth grade science and just clicked. The two of us have helped each other through everything and had each other’s backs throughout. We’ve had arguments, but it’s always been the two of us against the world. He tells me everything and I was the first he told about his feelings for Kap.

“Great game, babe,” he whispers. He, along with our closest friends on the Leafs, manage to make it to most of my University hockey games despite their busy schedules. It was a tight game, tied at 2 at the end of the second, but I managed to score the game winning goal with seconds left in the third period.

“Thanks, Willy,” I say, grinning wide. “But it’s only Uni. Nothing like the NHL.”

Will shakes his head, throwing an arm loosely around my shoulders. “You’d be so much better than 99% of the guys in my league. I’m the one percent you’re not.”

I punch Will in the ribs lightly for that comment, earning a soft “oof”. We laugh as we make our way out of the arena. “Kap went to get the car with Auston and Zach, the rest of the guys will be coming over later.”

I nod, wondering how our Saturday Night Hockey Party got arranged at mine and Auston’s place. Again. “Who’s coming this time?”

“Uhh, other than these guys, Freddie, Mo, Travis, and Connor.”

He pauses for a second, looking at me out of the corner of his eye. “And Mitch.”

“Really?! Oh that’s awesome, I finally get to really talk to him!” Once Will made it to the Show, we stayed super tight. He introduced me to all his best friends on the team and around the league, but I’ve never been able to have more than a quick conversation with Mitch.

Will laughs and adjusts my bag on his shoulder as we near the car and releases his arm from around me as I run towards Kasperi. “Y/N!” he exclaims as he pulls me into his arms. “Nice goal, babe!” He releases me to pull Will into his arms and he plants a kiss on his boyfriend’s lips.

“Hey hon,” Auston wraps his arms around me from behind, causing me to jump before I relax into his arms. “Hey, Aus,” I giggle. He turns me around and gives me a tight squeeze before letting me finish my hellos.

“Y/N!” Zach calls as he runs around the car from the opposite side. He picks me up, throws me over his shoulder, and runs in circles as I hit and punch at his back light-heartedly.

“Zach put me down! Hyms!”

“MVP! MVP! MVP!” He chants, ignoring my protests. I give up and shake my head as the boys whoop and cheer. They’re basically my brothers and I love them so much. I’ve never had many friends other than Will and a few other guys in high school, but around these guys, I feel loved. They’re my only family. Zach suddenly throws me into Auston’s arms, who proceeds to gently put me back on my feet before pulling my back against his chest.

“Ready to go, guys?” Will is leaning against the passenger side door with Kasperi, watching the scene unfold. Nobody responds, but we all pile into Kasperi’s unnecessarily huge car. Auston pulls me directly next to him in the back seat with his arm tightly around my shoulders.

“Missed you,” he sighs as he relaxes against me.

“Missed you too, babe,” I say, resting my head on his shoulder. “That game wore me out.”

Auston hums in response. “Nice sweater,” he comments, playing with the sleeve of my Leafs sweatshirt, a birthday gift from him.

“Oh shut up,” I hit his hand lightly and he laughs.

“So,” Zach starts from next to me. “Excited to meet Mitch?” Kasperi laughs from the drivers seat at the question and Auston kicks the back of his seat while tightening his arm around my shoulders.

“I’ve met him be-“

“He’s excited to meet you!” Kasperi says, which receives a slap on the arm from Will and a glare from Zach.

“Don’t worry about him, he’s high on Willy’s cologne.” Auston explains.

“It is kind of strong, Nylander,” I chirp.

“Would you be quiet, Y/N?”

Auston’s phone rings and Mitch’s name comes up. Auston picks it up, glancing at me as he raises the phone to his ear. “Hey, Mitch, what’s up?”

“What do I wear? Do I bring anything? Auston I don’t know what to do I’m fr-“ he stiffens next to me and I shoot a questioning look at him.

“Mitchy, shut up. We’re in the car and everyone can hear you. We’re 2 minutes away from Y/N’s, okay? I’ll call you back.”

I look at Auston with a question mark on my face, which he dismisses with a wave of his hand.

•••

The buzzer sounds as me and the guys finish putting beers, chips, and pizza on the coffee table. We’ve set the living room up with two couches and a bunch of pillows and blankets. By the end of the night, through elbows and stretched legs, half the group ends up on the floor, so tonight we got the pillows beforehand.

“Auston, get the door!” Without a response I hear loud footsteps run to the door before he swings it open and a chorus of the boys’ voices sound through the house. I smile at Will as the three of us stand up and move to welcome in the guys. I watch as Auston fist-bumps or hugs each of the guys until he gets to Mitch. I bite my lip to keep in a gasp. I’ve talked to him before, but he’s been in all his hockey gear and really rushed. He takes off his jacket and hands it to Kasperi who brings all the jackets to the closet. He’s wearing a white Nike sweatshirt with tighter-fitting green sweatpants. His hair is swept lazily to the side with a few strands falling forwards. He smiles wide at Auston as he pulls him into his arms and holds him tight.

I’m pulled out of my daze when Freddie taps my shoulder to get my attention. “Hey,” he says with a soft smile on his face.

“Freddie!” I wrap my arms around his mid-section and the bigger guy wraps his arms around my shoulders. “How are you? I missed you.”

He smiles at me as he pulls away. “I’m good. He couldn’t stop rambling all the way here.” Freddie nods his head in Mitch’s direction, who’s now in conversation with Willy. “He’s really excited to finally get to know you.”

I smile as Freddie tucks a stray piece of hair behind my ear. Then he pouts and gives me puppy eyes. “Why’d you put your hair up? I like it when it’s out.”

I raise an eyebrow at him as he pulls the elastic band off of my ponytail. He smiles at me in satisfaction as my hair falls to just below my shoulders. I shake my head as he makes his way into the living room. I say my hellos to the rest of the guys who have just arrived and turn my attention back to Auston, Willy, Kappy, and now Mitch. I smile at the first three and my gaze lingers at Mitch. Before he notices me looking at him, he’s watching me with a soft look on his face. When I catch him, he looks at the floor at pulls out his phone to scroll through nothing.

I step forward until I’m standing in front of him and smile up at Mitch. He’s still taller than me, but not as tall as the other guys. “Hey, Mitch.” I say, unsure of whether I should hug him or not.

“Hey,” he grins shyly. He glances over my shoulder at Auston before pulling my into a tight hug. It feels right, like this isn’t the first time we’ve talked to each other outside the locker room. When we’ve pulled away, the two of us look at each other for a second too long that should be awkward, but it isn’t. My chest constricts and my temples throb with the way he’s looking at me, but I choose to ignore it. He’s a friend, that’s it. If that.

“Y/N,” Auston drags out my name. “You’re gunna miss puck drop!”

I lead Mitch into the living room where the guys have all taken their usual places. Willy and Kappy are snuggled into one side of the first couch with Freddie and Connor next to them. Morgan and Travis are on the floor with their backs against the table, facing the TV. Auston is on one side of the second couch, saving just enough room for Mitch and I. I take my place next to Auston and Mitch slides in next to me. Hockey night is extremely informal for the group, but one rule we’ve always had is nobody can start food or drinks before everyone else gets settled in. It’s kind of dumb, but we’ve always done it.

“Lets go Bruins!” I joke as I reach for a chip, knowing the overreaction I’ll receive from my friends. Auston punches my arm, Travis turns around and fires a couple pieces of popcorn in my direction, Freddie throws a pillow at my head, and the rest of the guys boo and yell at me. We all laugh and scream at each other. Screwing around with each other is tradition, one that Mitch quickly jumps on board with.

“Marchand’s a catch.” Mitch announces, which makes me laugh from pure shock. The rest of the guys laugh despite themselves and I feel Mitch relax against me.

Travis turns around when the commentators on the TV turn to commercial to reach for a slice of pizza and everyone follows suit.

“No pineapple? Damn you guys suck,” Mitch jokes. I smile at him as I reach for a piece.

“I know right? Auston never lets me order it!”

“Well then maybe you and I should get pineapple pizza together sometime,” Mitch jokes. I choose to ignore the way my stomach swoops and my cheeks heat with the idea of going out with Mitch one-on-one.

“Mhm,” I hum, trying to contain myself. As I sit back, Auston places his hand just above my knee to try to calm me down. I grin at him and put all my focus on the TV, listening to the annoying commentators seconds before puck-drop.

Mitch hands me a beer when he sits back and when our hands brush against each other, sparks shoot up my arm. Calm your shit, it’s just Mitch.

•••

The first period flies by and nothing extraordinary happens. At break, I stand up to gather a few dishes and organize empty pizza boxes. Will follows me to the kitchen and sits at one of the stools at the island to watch me clean up.

“If you’re just gonna sit there, why don’t you help me?” I say as I throw paper plates in the garbage.

“Nah I’m good. How do you like Mitch?”

I swallow hard and tense, but take a breath to relax myself. “He’s cool.”

“Cmon, Y/N, I know you like him.”

“What are you talking ab-“

“Y/N, I’ve known you forever, I can tell what you’re thinking by now. And just so you know, he feels the same way.”

I scoff. “No he doesn’t! He just met me!”

“You just met him, too, but okay.” Will puts his hands up in mock-surrender.

I frown at Will, leaning against the counter across from him. “Mitch is cool, and yeah okay he’s pretty cute and maybe I have a thing for him, but nothings gonna happen. It’s me. When was the last time something worked out with a guy in my favour.”

“Hey, it’s their loss,” he says, pulling me into his arms. “I’ll drop it, okay? Let’s go enjoy the game.”

I follow Willy back into the living room where conversation abruptly stops when we enter. Auston grabs my hand and pulls me down next to him before I can change my mind.

We watch the second period, jumping up and yelling at the TV like the absolute children we are. Suddenly, the puck lands in the back of Boston’s net and the bunch of us jump up and celebrate. Auston stands up next to me and high-fives me, then once I’ve turned my attention away, he pushes me.

I fall into Mitch, who proceeds to cooly wrap his arms around me to help keep me upright. “Hey,” he whispers, so close to each other our noses are brushing.

“Hey, Mitchy.”

After tons of flirting and getting to know each other all night, there’s something in the air between us. For a second, I think he leans in, but only for a second. He abruptly lets me go and I step back to sit down.

After a couple seconds of staring at the TV, Mitch grabs my wrist and pulls me towards him. He plants his lips on mine and kisses me. It’s the best feeling in the world. For the few seconds, I feel like there is nobody else in the world, like we’re the only two people in the room. When we pull away for air, his face breaks into a gentle smile and I mirror him.

We’re brought back to reality when the guys start whooping and cheering. “Yes Mitch!” “Finally!” “So cute.”

We laugh and sit back down, closer to each other than before. “I like you, by the way,” he says.

“Oh really? I didn’t know.”

The room laughs and I smile at Mitch. I’m the happiest I’ve been, surrounded by my best friends and the guy I have very strong feelings for.

“You’re still my roomie, though,” Auston chirps, and Mitch puts his arm around me.