#i've only had them for 6 days i'm not ready to let them go yet

[calkestis]

me? putting my mental wellbeing into the hands of a sports team i've started following less than a week ago?

yes that's exactly what i'm doing

[ja3hwa]

♡ 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐊✞𝐎𝐁𝐄𝐑 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 ♡

Welcome to this years Kinktober festivities!! I've been working hard on all of these, so I hope you can all enjoy each and every one of them. (I'll also be pinning this post for the duration of October, so if you miss a day, you can check my blog for updates ♡)

There are also some specials in amongst the days for the lovely event my dearest friend @whatudowhennooneseesyou is hosting. So please go check her out and the event ♡♡. I hope you all are ready to sin.

♡ Every day, a new day will be revealed. So sit back, relax, and don't forget to enjoy the ride ♡

Masterlist | Navigation | Buy me a Kofi ♡

Day 1: Tit fucking [Winner Takes All]

↳ 【Synopsis】 : If you win, you get a prize...But if yeosang wins he gets to fuck your tits.

Day 2: Masturbation [My Kind Of Prize]

↳ 【Synopsis】 : You couldn’t wait any longer for your boyfriend to finish the match, so you decided to take matters into your own hands.

Day 3: Dry humping/Clothed sex [What Was Rule One Again]

↳ 【Synopsis】 : There were rules Mingi needed to follow, but had the tendency to break them.

Day 4: Biting/Bondage [No Bark But All Bite]

↳ 【Synopsis】 : It was just an innocent game of truth of dare. Nothing bad was going to happen... Right?

Day 5: Gentle sex [Special Treatment]

↳ 【Synopsis】 : Your loving husband just needed some extra care, and being an amazing wife, you were more than willing to provide.

Day 6: Cock warming [Focused, I'm Focused]

↳ 【Synopsis】 : Mingi finds his little mouse trying to do her exams. Too bad he needs her right now.

Day 7: Rough sex [Our Girl]

↳ 【Synopsis】 : Yunho and Mingi couldn't stop thinking about you since they first tainted your beautiful body. They were craving more and lucky for them, exams just finished.

Day 8: Voyeurism [Eye's On Him]

↳ 【Synopsis】 : There was no denying that Seonghwa had always loved to watch his leaders' angel being pampered. It was his favourite past time afterall.

Day 9: Bike sex - [His His His]

↳ 【Synopsis】 : You were his girl, and he can take you wherever and whenever he wants.

Day 10: Thigh riding - [Sit]

↳ 【Synopsis】 : You couldn't sit still the moment you started drinking. Jongho ended up dragging you home to punish you by the end of the night.

Day 11: Double penetration - [Lonely Together]

↳ 【Synopsis】 : A creature cursed to wander the earth alone, finds himself falling for a sweet little human that finds peace in the lonely forestry.

DAY 11 SPECIAL: ALIEN AU - [One With The Cosmos]

↳ 【Synopsis】 : Travelling in deep space, you and your crew must deliver and pick up cargo to a jump station. Woosan is to accompany you on this mission. San being the muscle and Woo as the navigator and scientists...problem? You got lost.

Day 12:  Pussy slapping/squirting - [Just One]

↳ 【Synopsis】 : You had one rule. One little rule, and you decided it was a good idea to break it.

Day 13: Getting caught - [Show Time]

↳ 【Synopsis】 : You didn't expect the night to go the way it did, but who are you to complain...

Day 14: Cum play - [So Soaked]

↳ 【Synopsis】 : Your roommates decided to play a little game, and you were the prize.

Day 15: Oral/Fingering - [Vocal Training]

↳ 【Synopsis】 : Yeosang was struggling withi is vocal range. Stressing over it, he decided he needed a snack break. Good thing he knew just the treat to eat.

Day 16: Fae/Orc - [Knight In Bloodied Armour]

↳ 【Synopsis】 : Yunho was a myth amongst men. Yet here he stood, ready to protect you and take you away from the cruel life you lead... The only catch is you have to give him something in return... your hand in marriage.

DAY 16 SPECIAL: COLLARING - [Pretty Boy]

↳ 【Synopsis】 : Who knew Mingi would be into collars.

Day 17: Drunk sex - [Pour Up]

↳ 【Synopsis】 : Shot after shot, the night became lively by the minute. Mingi and Seonghwa were finding it increasingly hard to keep their hands off you as more alcohol ran through their system. Let's just hope they dont get caught being too handys with you by your brother...

Day 18:  Monster Under The Bed - [Guilty Confessions]

↳ 【Synopsis】 : A creature that feeds off lust and fear finds himself falling for the very prey he was supposed to consume. What a cruel twist of fate.

DAY 18 SPECIAL: BITING -[Sign On The Dotted Line]

↳ 【Synopsis】 : He had signed the dotted line for his revenge, but now, he was starting to think there could be more lying beneath his contract.

Day 19: Bath sex - [La Douleur Exquise]

↳ 【Synopsis】 : You searched far and wide for the perfect spell to bring Yeosang back to the earthly plain, and now that he's here, you're gonna use your time wisely of course.

Day 20: Priest/Demon - [Sinfully Blinded]

↳ 【Synopsis】 : There was a demon on the loose. Wreaking havoc in the small village that San was a priest in. And little did Father San know is that the creature was a lot closer than he would think.

Day 21: Sex pollen - [A Blooming Mess]

↳ 【Synopsis】 : It's just one quick to your home planet. It's just one dangerous plant for collection. Nothing can go wrong, right... right?

Day 22: A/B/O - [Subtle Scents]

↳ 【Synopsis】 : He was your best friend. The only person would could trust. But yet you had kept a secret from you that would change your relationship in an instant. How would he react once he finds out?

Day 23: Masked man - [Mr. Rough And Rowdy]

↳ 【Synopsis】 : You haven't seen your friends in years given you had been overseas studying. Now that you're back, you've noticed how much they've all grown. And what better to celebrate your return than an innocent party.

Day 24: Haunted Maze - [Cravings And Desires]

↳ 【Synopsis】 : Wooyoung found a note about you being taken away from him. And now he'll have to play the maze in order to get his prize back.

Day 25: Angel/Worship - [Heavens Gate]

↳ 【Synopsis】 : His job was to be an observer. Do not under any circumstances interact or intervene with human lives. Oh, how he royally fucked that up.

Day 26: Vampire/bloodplay - [Exquisite]

↳ 【Synopsis】 : You were saved by them. Taken cared for by them. Everything you could ever ask they provided to the best of their abilities... but why?

Day 27: Pirates/Sirens - [Alluring Whispers]

↳ 【Synopsis】 : Through life at sea, it's proven that anyone deserves to be loved. Even a pretty pirate and a thieving siren.

Day 28: Werewolf - [Don't You Dare]

↳ 【Synopsis】 : With Rogue's hot on the packs trail, Yunho had to make a tough decision. He needed to be able to know you could handle yourself even when you were away from him. So weekly training sessions became your new normal. But tonights training session went a little of course...

Day 29: Giants - [Dearest Husband, Darling Wife]

↳ 【Synopsis】 : Being betrothed and shipped off to far away from your kingdom was the least of your worries when you saw exactly who you were marrying...

Day 30: Alien/Egg laying/breeding - [Try Me]

↳ 【Synopsis】 : You husband is in need of your "person assistance"... unlucky for you, San and Wooyoung want a taste of you also.

Day 31: DND Ft. Gang Bang [To Love Is To Be One]

↳ 【Synopsis】 : You want, needed to prove that you could achieve just as much greatness like the other guild members. So what better than a hunt that only you and your team can solve.

—

© 𝐉𝐚𝟑𝐡𝐰𝐚. Do not steal, plagiarise, translate, repost, or use my work in any way, shape, or form.

𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐑 : 𝑇𝐻𝐼𝑆 𝐼𝑆 𝐼𝑁 𝑁𝑂 𝑊𝐴𝑌 𝐴 𝑇𝑅𝑈���� 𝐷𝐸𝑃𝐼𝐶𝑇𝐼𝑂𝑁 𝑂𝐹 𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝐴𝑇𝐸𝐸𝑍 𝑀𝐸𝑀𝐵𝐸𝑅𝑆. 𝑇𝐻𝐼𝑆 𝐼𝑆 𝑃𝑈𝑅𝐸 𝐹𝐼𝐶𝑇𝐼𝑂𝑁 𝐴𝑁𝐷 𝐼𝑆 𝑁𝑂𝑇 𝑇𝑂 𝐵𝐸 𝑇𝐴𝐾𝐸𝑁 𝑆𝐸𝑅𝐼𝑂𝑈𝑆𝐿𝑌.

[legandairy-horror]

Does anyone else feel a strange sort of dread waiting for new deltarune chapters?

It sounds crazy right? I admit it's a weird feeling for sure, and I'm not even 100% sure if dread is the right way to describe it. But as more info is revealed and the next chapter inevitably gets closer and closer to releasing I can't help but feel a strange sort of, melancholy? Longing? The only way I can describe it is "when you know the goodbye is coming". The strange somber feeling when you know you’re going to have to leave stuff behind, but aren't quite ready for it yet.

warning: words. Homestuck

In 3 months Chapter 1 will be 6 years old, and in 2 months Chapter 2 will be 3 years old. Deltarune is ostensibly in Early Access but this release schedule puts new chapters closer in time scale to whole sequals if anything, which they most assuredly are not trying to be. This has created a strange situation in the fanbase that I don't think I've ever truly seen anywhere else. One where, In the time between chapters It feels like everyone has had their own chance to decide what Deltarune is to them. To create their own version of this story, to write their own themes that they want to see explored, to imagine their own events and plot twists they want to see play out.

@lynxgriffin Paper Trail Comic Being an Alternate Story following off of chapter 1

@lilybug-02 The Chara Timeline Being one of many interpretations on the popular Asriel & Chara roommates headcannon.

@huecycles Andromeda Chapters being their interpretation on the full game

The innumerable Deltarune Theorists and analysts like HalfBreadChaos, Andrew Cunningham, Stuffed Alpaca, etc. etc.

@vyletbunni Deltatraveler being a whole ass fangame based around a chapter 2 meme that it has long since outlived

And that's kinda the thing isn't it? Once more deltarune comes out, a ton of these projects will just become outdated, it's an inevitability. So what will happen to them? will they become forgotten? maybe, maybe not, it's impossible to tell. but either way it feels kinda sad to think about yknow? that one day all the time and effort spent and all the memories made might one day just cease to exist.

There's a lot more I could say on this topic if given the chance but to keep this tumblr post from morphing into a 2 hour long video essay in text form let me leave off with this.

In the age of the internet and social media there will always be a fan of something. Nothing truly dies quite like it used to anymore, regardless of whatever influencers want you to believe. But that doesn't mean things stop changing, that there wasn't a past that has since been left behind. I'm a Homestuck fan. more specifically I'm a Late Homestuck fan, one who came in after the comic had already ended and it's peak in popularity was long behind it. The fandom's still around all these years later. But it'd be foolish to admit that, 8 years after the comics controversial end, the inescapable trend of new fans replacing old fans has left the fandom wholly disconnected from the monolith that it once was. the only remnants of which lie in decades old discourse and fanfiction. Like old relics of a long forgotten city, waiting to be excavated under a fine layer of dirt.

Before I close out here I just want to make it clear: I'm not saying that we should be trying to return to some nebulous "glorious past" that never really existed. I'm not trying to deride Toby Fox for not working in the sweatshop hard enough to produce more content™, or whatever you wanna try and spin-doctor this post into. It's just a thought that creeps into my head every now that I wanted to share, see if anyone feels the same, yknow?

Besides it's not all doom and gloom. For those of you OG Homestucks who read till the end. You remember Heinoustuck? Guidestuck? Nightfall? Fucking Ke$haStuck? yeah those are still going by the way! after years of inactivity they've now started back up again. some under new authors and some by the same author but still!

You could say a lot about that but to me at least, it makes me feels hopeful in a way. That, even if not everything will survive. we'll at least have some mementos to remember what came before.

[marvelmymarvel]

The Uchiha

Tobirama Senju x Uchiha!Reader

Synopsis: He hated all Uchihas, every last one of them. But you? You were somehow different... And he didn't like that.

Important note: I know the timeline/ages are OFF as Tobirama was 39 when he became Hokage. Let's pretend he was 25 :)

Naruto Masterlist: Here

Also, Tobirama drinks respect women juice. It's canon in this house.

Madara's huff of annoyance sounded out in the room as you turned down yet another suitor. "Sister, why must you sabotage every proposal that comes your way? I'm trying to help you find a husband-"

"I do not wish to get married yet Madara, I'm only 21" You bit back, arms crossed as you pouted up at him. This whole 'suitor' search had been going on for months now, and you were growing tired of the good-for-nothing men your brother brought your way. "And when do you expect to finally be "ready" for marriage, Y/n... Your time is running out-"

"I'm only 21"

You always hated the idea of marrying young and it was the Uchiha way to be married by the time you turned 22. As the head of the clan, Madara was having a very hard time accepting that you were not willing to follow protocols when he was already struggling to maintain power amongst the members. "Y/n please..."

He sounded so pitiful, so tired... But you were done with this conversation. Standing from your spot on the floor, you brushed off the dirt from your dress and started towards the door "We can talk about this later, I want to go for a walk"

"You can't run from this forever Y/n. You will be married within the next 6 months"

You slammed the sliding door shut, eyes rolling in anger as you took off towards the town. "How could he be so selfish, trying to set me up with men that I clearly have no interest in" you huffed out to yourself quietly as you stormed past members of the clan. Some sent you glares, others averted their gazes knowing that one wrong look would mean certain death from either you or your brother.

Your body relaxed as you entered Konoha's downtown area, the Uchiha section and its demands of you were now far away. The sound of the people bustling around the market filled you with joy. There were many girls that were around your age sitting around outside of a cafe, they seemed to be laughing about some stupid thing that had happened to one of them. It was so simple but it was a reality you yearned for.

Sometimes you hated being a part of the clan. They were just so far behind the times and it felt almost suffocating to exist among their stuffy ideologies.

'You're supposed to get married young and give your husband as many children as he desires.'

'Your place is in the home, where you care for your husband and children.'

'Ambitions? You don't need them! Don't forget, your place is beside your husband and that's that'

God, it made you sick. There was nothing wrong with being a homemaker, but it wasn't for you. You wanted to get out there, work, have dreams, and find love naturally... Not through your brother of all people.

You wanted someone else, someone different. Someone who wasn't in the clan and someone who would challenge you to be something more than just a wife and mother. You wanted-

You halted in your tracks as he crossed in front of you, his Kage cape flapping in the wind behind him making him look bigger than he was. Your mouth dropped a little as you watched them walk away, you hadn't seen either of them since Tobirama became the second Hokage and it felt like today was your lucky day.

"Tobirama! Hashirama!" You called out, hand shooting up as you caught up to them. Hashirama smiled brightly at you, arm opening up urging you to hug him "Y/n! How've you been? How's Madara?"

You slyly shot a glance toward the white-haired man, and you didn't miss the slight annoyance that flashed across his face at your presence. You knew he didn't like your clan. You didn't like your clan either.

"I've been good. Madara's been... Madara" You were trying to sound chipper, but the thought of Madara soured your mood again. Hashirama nodded, he knew you and Madara were on thin ice what with him trying to find you a husband and you NOT going along with it. "Husband search not going well?"

Your face morphed into a scowl and Hashirama kicked himself for even asking when he knew that's what was wrong. Tobirama's eyebrows furrowed together at your change in demeanor, he was used to your ruthless attitude, so this was something he wasn't expecting. You grew embarrassed under Hashirama's pitiful look and Tobiramas inquisitive stare, "If I do marry, it won't be an Uchiha" you muttered quietly before brushing past the two men.

The two brothers stood there in silence as they watched you walk swiftly down the street towards some food stands, "I shouldn't have said anything" Hashirama sighed as he rubbed his face in anguish, "Her brother's going to kill me"

"Why does she not want to marry an Uchiha?" Tobirama breathed out, he didn't know what was getting into him, but it felt like he was seeing you for the first time in his entire life. He had known you for years, ever since you were children. He found you to be quite annoying and lumped you together with the other Uchihas that he hated.

Yet something felt off.

"They treat their women like property. It's mandatory that a woman marries before 22 and has a child before 23. Her place is in the home and they can't do anything without permission from their husbands"

"That's ridiculous. Women have needs and desires as well-"

"Yes I know Tobirama but that's how the clan operates-"

"Well, it's another reason as to why I despise that god-forsaken lineage-"

"If you're so upset with it why not marry her?"

Tobirama slammed his mouth shut at Hashiramas statement. Him? Marry YOU? An UCHIHA of all people?! Hashirama stood his ground though, he wasn't stupid and he saw the looks Tobirama has been sending you for YEARS now. Tobirama could lie all he wanted to, he has always cared for you more than he'd like to admit. Tobirama started to take off back to the Hokage's office, not liking the look Hashirama was giving him "I don't think marriage is a good idea, the clan will disown her if she marries outside of their circle-"

"She hates her clan Tobirama and honestly, I think you're the only person who can make her happy"

Tobirama tripped on his footing trying to stop in disbelief. His eyes were wide and his face was full of disgust at what Hashirama was insinuating. Him? Make you happy? Not possible.

"Uchiha or not, you can't deny that you care for her in some way. I know this because you look at her differently than you look at anyone else. You don't even look at the women you try to court that way-"

"I'm done with this conversation" Tobirama huffed out, his face was burning red and the whiteness of his cloak only made it more noticeable that he was embarrassed. Hashirama opened his mouth to make another statement but Tobirama stormed towards the Hokage's office, leaving him standing there in disbelief.

How could someone so smart, be so clueless.

* 2 weeks later *

Your feet kicked at the ground as you waited for your turn to talk to the Hokage. Madara was unable to meet with Tobirama to go over the latest requests of the Uchiha clan, so you were left to the task of talking to the stubborn man who always seemed to make your heart race faster than it should.

"Y/n Uchiha? You're free to go in now"

You nodded at the secretary before standing and heading towards the door, heart pounding as your gripped the wooden door. Sliding it open, you popped your head in before letting out a quiet 'hello'. Tobirama's head shot up at the sound of your voice, he was expecting Madara so this was quite the surprise. "Y/n" he greeted firmly, trying very hard to calm his nerves as he took you in.

You were wearing a simple dress, not too fancy but not too casual. It fit you in all of the right ways, you were attractive sure.

But it was your smile that took his breath away. It reached your eyes, making you appear carefree even though he knew you weren't. "So sorry about my brother's absence. He grew ill over the weekend and asked me to step in for this discussion" you explained sheepishly as you navigated your way to one of the chairs across from the desk.

Tobirama didn't say anything but nodded at your apology, he wasn't upset with this change of plans. He was actually happy. After his discussion with his brother, he tried to push you out of his mind, but every time he saw you he was reminded of the feelings he so desperately tried to hide. "What do you want to speak about?" Tobirama started as you sat down in front of him. You looked at him wide-eyed as if he was asking you something foreign, "Oh! Yes, that" you finally stated as you opened up the envelope with the items to discuss.

Your eyes scanned over each bullet, humming to yourself in agreement with the requests on the page, but you grew still at the last bullet point. Tobirama cocked his head as he took in the way your face fell into disbelief and sadness. "Is something the matter?" His voice was clear but muffled at the same time thanks to the growing rage pounding in your ears. "They want your help with finding my suitor..."

His blood ran cold at the words, if they were asking for his help, that meant-

"They want to look outside of the clan" you breathed out, and in a way, you almost sounded relieved. "Is that something you want?" Tobirama's question was met with silence, but it wasn't a no. "I guess you'll need to marry into a higher-ranking family, do you have a preference-"

"Wait wait wait" you started, waving your hands as your cheeks heated up at the idea of marrying someone who wasn't in your inner circle. You didn't know if you were happy about this, you didn't know if this was a better option. Tobirama studied you from across his desk, you were somehow giving off the energy of relief but also anguish, two feelings that never went together.

"What do you want, Y/n?"

His question took you off guard, it wasn't usual for someone to ask you what you wanted. "I... I want to marry someone who will let me be more than just his wife. Someone that will let me be me." You finally breathed out, your nerves beginning to somehow morph into excitement at the idea of getting what you wanted. "So a higher-ranking individual who will let you be you? Is that all you desire?" Tobirama sounded calm, but inside he was kicking himself. He tried to rack his brain for who you could marry, but all he saw was himself.

"Yes. I suppose"

Your answer was quiet and bashful, had you somehow read his mind and saw the very image of you two together? "Do you have a preference to what clan-"

"Um... Maybe a Senju?" It was bold, very bold of you to blurt it out so quickly. It told him that you had pondered the answer to that question for some time now. "Well, you're in luck. The Senju clan isn't as backward as the Uchihas are. You will have no issue finding a husband who will nurture you and your desires" Tobirama was thankful you couldn't see his shaking hands below the desk. He didn't like the idea of you being with someone in the Senju clan, someone who wasn't him.

This felt wrong. He hated your clan so why were you different? Had he always felt this way and hated you to cover it up? He thought back to when you were kids. You were a couple of years younger than him and you were always trying to talk to him even though it was forbidden.

Forbidden.

'The Uchiha clan is evil. I forbid you from talking to them in any way shape or form'

That's what his father always preached, Hashirama never listened but he did. Now he was regretting it.

"How do you feel about me?"

"I'm sorry what?" You sputtered out, eyes wide at how calm he sounded. Tobirama didn't falter, only stared at you as if urging you to answer even if you didn't want to. "I uh. I guess I like you? I don't know I enjoy your company and-"

"I meant marrying me"

Your blood ran cold but not in a bad way. Your face burned and the heat began to travel down your neck and chest. He was what you wanted, what you've always wanted. Ever since you were kids you decided that he was the one you wanted to be with. But he always hated you so you wrote it off as a stupid crush and tried to move on.

The key word was 'tried'.

"I've wanted that for a while yes-"

"Then it's settled. I will send a notice to your brother. I will be taking you to dinner tonight, do you have a restaurant you like- What's wrong?"

Tobirama noticed your eyes widening at his words and he didn't know if it was a good or bad thing. You had just admitted that you wanted to marry him, so why were you looking at him like he had 5 heads? "I just didn't expect this to happen. I thought you hated me to be honest"

He bit his lip, contemplating what to say to reassure you that you were different. He did hate your clan but he didn't hate you. The hatred he felt was because he was infatuated with you. But how could he put that into words? There was no way to reassure you in the way you deserved. Instead, he stood and circled the desk before leaning against it. "Let me take you out. Let me court you... You'll see that the feeling of hatred was one of forbidden desire"

You nodded slowly at his words, still uneasy and unsure.

"Now where do you want to go for dinner?"

[waywardsou2]

Drunk!Logan X Drunk!MaleReader Part 6

I've said it once and I'll say it again, this title is completely inccroect but I'm not going to change it because I like to keep things orderly and the same.

Also I realised I never said but this takes place between X Men and X2

Summary: Logan and you have finally sorted things out and decide to go on a date

Word Count: 3.2k+

Tags: fluff, date, motorcycle ride, Logan being a gentleman, discussion of past trauma

That morning you woke up buzzing with energy. You were still physically tired, as you had only gotten 4 hours of sleep but your mind was full of images of Logan.

Last night did not feel real. All that had happened between the two of you did not seem possible.

When you had first met Logan you believed you weren’t good enough for his notice, and that he thought the same. But you craved to be noticed, you really wanted that attention and only from Logan. And you didn’t know why. Those feelings were just one more thing to add to the complicated emotions you had been burdened with over the years.

The whole reason you were here is because Xavier had sensed your mutational presence near by and offered you a place amongst his mutants at the school. Not as a student but as resident and eventual teacher. You weren’t ready to teach yet, but you knew Xavier thought you were. All of those things, the hurt, the abandonment, the compassion showed by a stranger and the conflicting feelings you had for Logan, that you didn’t realise until last night was adoration, had built up in your mind creating another space for you to build a wall. But that building took time. And in the meantime, alcohol was your best friend.

But then of course Logan had to come along and knock all of those walls down, even some you had only begun to build. And at first you were mad at him. Infuriated at him for taking away your security. But now…now you were glad he had fought his way inside. Even if it had brought forward feelings you had refused to let yourself feel. You were glad of it.

The pain of being emotionless hurt your heart beyond measure but Logan’s violent appearance had given you that push to allow yourself to feel again, and that’s when you knew that you felt for Logan. You couldn’t call it love.

Not yet.

You didn’t know him.

But it was like a childish crush, one you knew was maybe not so childish.

You spent that day going about your duties as best as possible trying to keep yourself unassuming and placated. You didn’t really want anyone to ask questions in fear they might work out what was going on with you. You didn’t need to be Charles Xavier to figure out what a crush was.

At the end of the day you went back to your room trying to calm your nerves and figure out what you were supposed to wear. Though you were eager for the date you hadn’t been on one since high school. And that hadn’t gone so well.

Logan on the other hand had woken up with a feeling in his gut he couldn’t place. And he refused to let that feeling be nervousness. He just…he didn’t want to wait.

But he did, and he did so patiently. Teaching his classes like he always did, recounting all he could remember from his time during World War 2. What it had been like, what society and the government were like. The front lines and the battles.

As usual the kids were wrapped up in the way he explains their American history. Engulfed in the realism of the tale. There were few students who knew how old Logan really was. So most believe he was just a fantastic storyteller. Maybe he should have been an English teacher instead.

But as the day went on and classes finished, Logan retired to his room briefly. Pulling out a beer from the mini fridge he kept in his room. He wasn’t nervous he just needed a pre-dinner beer.

During the day he had booked them a place in a restaurant 6 miles from the school. It was a small Italian restaurant. Despite all his years of traveling he had never been to Italy. And this was the closest he was ever going to get to it. He rummaged through his closet looking for some his more presentable clothing. Many of his t-shirts had holes in them or roughly stitched together holes. Most of his jeans had also begun to tear in places and he had let them. Even creating a few more to make them look like the ripped jeans he saw all the teens wearing in the 90s, that’s one fashion trend he wishes hadn’t faded.

He finds the only pair of jeans that don’t have any holes in them and one of his buttons up flannels which he accompanies with his leather jacket. He looks over to his nightstand where a small bottle of cologne sits. Rouge got it for his birthday last year but he never used it. What need did he have to smell nice. Plus, it was overpowering to his oversensitve nose so he never bothered with it.

But today felt like a reason to use it. So he took the bottle, removing the glass lid and spraying a small amount of his chest trying not to inhale the airborn particles.

He checked his hair in the mirror and stopped for a moment to stare at himself. He never put this much effort into how he looked. He never had a reason to care. Subconsciously he must've already deemed you important and special, he realised that as he stared into his own eyes.

He was in the deep end now.

Logan straightened up and moved to head to the garage where he said he would meet you. Waiting by his bike checking it over before they got going.

You on the other hand were pacing back and forth in your room. All types of clothes laying around your room, on your desk chair, bed and even the floor. You couldn't decide if you wanted to go with the Canvas pants in that deep shade of green with your black and white varsity jacket or if you wanted to go with the ripped jeans and the black and red flannel. You knew this was a date, but you didn’t know how dressy you were supposed to be or if he was taking you somewhere that required you to dress up a bit.

In the end you chose neither outfit and went with your informal-formal button up that could easily be tied into a crop top if the place wasn’t that fancy and your black set of canvas pants.

You make your way to the grave, hoping and praying no one will see you. Your breathing is controlled as you try to stop your emotions from overwhelming you as you reach the grave entrance.

You open the door and look around for Logan. You see him crouched down by his Harley Davidson. You knew it used to be Scott’s. But at this point it was an X-Men vehicle, so it was free use for anyone who got to it first. He was bent over by the chain on the back wheel. Cleaning it off with an old rag, clearing away any extra grease that might clog it up.

You stood silently behind him, watching him as he worked. The way his hands ran over the chain, taking care with the mechanics. Making sure to use a firm hand to clear away the gunk but not too firm to damage the hardware. The bikes hull was glossy black. Buffed and shined, completely spotless despite its constant use.

“Good evening, Professor Howlett” you say with a smirk on your face. He jumps slightly and turns around to look down at you. Standing up and cleaning off his hands on the rag.

“Don’t call me that” he huffs as he says it

“Rolls off the tongue don’t you think?” you say cheekily

“No, not from your mouth, since you aren’t one of my students” he grabs you gently by the cheeks and smushes your face.

“Are we gonna get going?” he says swinging his leg over the bike and kicking up the stand. He looks at you expectantly. And with the slightest hesitation you hop on the bike behind him.

He turns the key and the bike roars to life. The sound echoing throughout the garage in a thunderous uproar of 2 cylinders exhuming a plume of gasoline. You grab a hold of his jacket as he sped out of the garage entrance and down the street. Where the road was dimly lit by the setting sun and the sky was painted in beautiful pinks and oranges.

He sped down the street heading towards the town and you held onto him. Leaning forward to press your chest against his back, your head resting on his shoulder. Tilted towards the sun set you were riding alongside. Like a beautiful backdrop to match the closing scene of an old romance movie.

‘How clique is that’ you thought, smiling to yourself.

You could not believe that you were here right now, sitting on the back of this monstrous vehicle holding onto a man you believe would never have paid you any mind. This felt like a perfect dream.

Logan tried to focus on the road as the two of you sped down it. But with your heart beating against his spine and your arms around his waist all he could focus on was you. His eyes were on the strip of bitumen in front of him, but his mind was thinking of your face. Your windswept hair and your bright eyes shining in the dim light.

Once they had made it into town, he had taken his hand away from the throttle and instead trundled down the streets until he stopped on the corner of a small side street and hoped of the bike. Turning to offer you a hand as you swung your own leg over the bike.

“Since when did you become such a gentleman?” you ask him

“I’ve always been one, I just show it to those who deserve it” He smiles at you.

You smile back, some warmth creeping onto your cheeks.

He continued to hold your hand as the two of you walked through the entrance. He opened the door allowing you to walk ahead of him, inside was a quaint little restaurant. All the tables and chairs were a varnished wood, sitting in different arrangements for different parties. The waiters wore simple white button up tops not dissimilar to your own, the lady at the reception wore soft red lipstick on her lips. She looked over the two of you before checking the reservation under Logan’s name. She directed you two to a small seat by the window that had a direct view of the main road. As you walked you decided to tie your shirt up. Silently thanking yourself for picking versatile attire.

You sit down and Logan sits across from you. You hadn’t been out to many restaurants before. Between the MRD, and Xavier’s school you hadn’t been on many dates past the age of 16. And those could hardly be considered dates. Even in this quaint little restaurant you felt a swell of emotion rise in your chest. You pushed it down thought. First dates weren’t for gushing and heart felt confessions.

The two of you order your food. You decide to get some spinach and fetta ravioli, and he ordered a calzone. You haven’t had many well-cooked meals. Mostly old, reheated meals or whatever was given to you by the scientists monitoring you. Usually nonperishables that were bland and in amounts that were not sustainable.

‘What brought you to Xavier’s school?” you ask, trying to start up a conversation. So far the two of them had been quietly enjoying their meals, the silence wasn’t awkward but it was still silence and you wanted to get to know him. That was the point of this date, wasn’t it? You didn’t know, and for a moment you began feeling severely out of your depth.

“Charles sent Scott and Storm to find me. Told me if I gave him 48 and helped him figure out what Magneto was doing before the UN conference that he would try and help me with the memories of my past. But I guess after those 48 hours I got attached. Even when I left to go find answers I always came back.” He took another bite of his food

“And did he help you?” You ask

“As much as he could. I know most of my story now but…still got fracture pieces. Don’t know where some memories are still from or why I even have them”

“Like what?”

He thinks for a moment, searching through the catalogue of memories recently discovered

“I remember a lab. Being cold. I think I way laying in a tank, because the memory is distorted. The same way the world looks when you have water in your eyes. And I remember the pain. But other than that, I have nothing. I know it’s an important memory, but I don’t know why” He confesses this all so honestly. You look at him as he speaks, his eyes searching as he looks at his food. You don’t think he’s really looking at it though. He's somewhere else when recounting this.

He shrugs and takes another bite of his food, he looks up when he sees your hand reach out to hold the one resting on the table. You run your fingers over the knuckles on his right hand. He was so open about this, from here, listening to him speak, you could hear in his voice how badly he wanted to explain, to understand. You assumed that he hadn’t told anyone about this. The only person who probably knows any of this is Xavier because he was the person who pulled these memories to the surface. But that isn’t the same as being able to share the story. Share the memories.

“Do you remember anything else?” You want him to keep sharing, you want to know more about him, but you also want to give him the opportunity to continue to tell whatever version of his story he remembers. You can hear it in the ease of his voice that he needs this.

“I’ve got memories of battles, fights and wars without context. Some faces, there was this one girl…her name was Kayla, I think. And…a man named Creed. But I don’t know why I know these names or these people” He huffs slightly, it sounds like a laugh but it’s missing humour

“I don’t even know how old I am, because you can’t date the age of my bones due to the Adamantium and because my cells are constantly regenerating, they aren’t aged the same way another people would be. I’m sure you’re probably the same with your regeneration.”

You nod your head slightly, agreeing. You wondered what was worse. Not being able to remember or remembering everything. You and Logan were complete opposite ends of this. Your memories kept you up at night, and his fractured ones plagued his sleep. You are missing parts of your life at the vile hands of others, and his was completely taken from him without him knowing for so long. Logan tries so hard to remember, and you try so hard to forget.

Logan pulls his hand out from under yours and places it over the top. Running the pad of his finger over the tendons in your hand.

His calloused hands felt so gentle over your skin.

“Hey-“ he says trying to get your attention. Your mind had wandered, and he had noticed “-don’t worry ‘bout me yeah? This ain’t for you to worry about”

You look at him and smile sadly “I just hope you can get your memories back”

The two of you go back to eating your food momentarily, the mood having taken a solemn turn. Logan decides to ask a question now.

He didn’t bother to ask about your backstory, he knows that isn’t a story you are ready to share. And he didn't need to ask why you were at Xavier’s school. He was the one that had picked you up at Charles request. Instead he asked about your life, in a future sence

“What do you want with your life? I mean…Xavier gave you a second chance, but that doesn’t mean you have to be at the school forever. What do you want?”

You were slightly taken aback at his question, for so long future had never been something to be considered. But he was right, about Xavier giving you a second chance

“I haven’t really though about it, I mean…I just needed time to get any semblance of my life back together. And I’m still working on doing that. So I haven’t really thought about anything long term”

He nodded “But that’s still something. It’s still a plan”

You hummed in agreement

The two of you continued to eat in a calm silence with conversation permeating the air around you between mouthfuls. Once the two of you finish the meal you sit and talk over your empty plates.

Your elbows are up on the table, your head in your hands as you lean forward listening as he talks. Logan was talking about the time he met Rouge and all of the misadventures they’d had since they’d met. He was such a good friend to Rouge. And from where you were standing it seemed that he was like a big brother to her. You were glad the two of them had each other.

As the date came to a close the two of you felt at ease and much closer with each other. The hours spent talking had began the building of a bridge between the two of you. You both felt content with the amount of ground you had covered.

Like a crack slowly being filled in enough for you to meet in the middle. Perhaps not quite yet, but it was a start.

The two of you rode back through the night, the moon high above your head.

When you got back to Xaviers mansion the bike rumbled to a stop in the garage and he helped you off once more.

“Good thing we got back before a full moon, you might’ve turned into a werewolf on the bike” you joked

He laughed “Wolverines aren’t Wolves” he corrected you

“What are they then?” You ask a smile on your face

Logan softly grabbed your chin and tilted it up towards him “Maybe I’ll tell you on our next date? But you gotta promise not to look it up before then. Deal?”

“Fine-“ you concede. “-But next date is my treat”

He leans forward and places a chaste kiss on your lips and lets go of your chin

“Sure thing” And with that Logan took your hand, like the gentleman he is, and lead you back to your room before walking back to his own.

You watch him walk down the hall, your door cracked open just a peek. And when he was gone you shut it. As the door clicked shut you sank to the floor in front of it, your cheeks a bright red and grin stretched across your lips.

Sorry this took so long guys. I promise I'll finish this one before I start any more projects. Either way I hope you enjoyed and keep your eyes out for future parts!

Part 7!

[a-star-that-burns-brightly]

I've already brought this up in this post, but I absolutely believe Hu ended up telling David what her secret was and why it made her so uncomfortable (presumably because she more than likely has the hopeless child secret)

Hu: I have to be the one to give everyone guidance. That's the only thing I can do. If no one relies on me, then I won't be useful anymore. Hu: You knew how I felt, and yet you... You... Hu: You toyed with my heart!

Like, let's really analyze this dialogue for a second. Why would Hu say that David knew how she felt, why she acts the way she does, unless she told David herself? David is not a mind-reader, he can barely handle the things going on in his own mind. So the only way I can see David knowing about this is if Hu told him herself. Throughout all of Chapter 2, David is constantly pressuring others to tell their secrets. Especially in CH2-6. And that is made especially apparent with how he handles Nico's forced-coming out

David: I know this isn't the ideal time for me to do this, but... David: Nico, do you know what your secret is? Nico: [Sniff] Hu: He's clearly upset. Don't bother him with your questions. David: Part of me thinks that this conflict between Ace and Nico stems from the position of power Ace holds over Nico for keeping his secret. David: If that secret was exposed, then Ace would no longer have that edge over him. David: Nico, can you reveal your secret to everyone? Nico: W-What? Nico: I...I don't want to. David: I know it's difficult to reveal a secret that mortifies you, but aren't all of our secrets going to be revealed in 2 days anyway? I don't think it matters much if you do it now or later. Nico: ... David: Unless you're thinking that the secrets won't be revealed at all? Nico, don't tell me that you-- Nico: Okay, fine!!

David: So then, revealing your secret was a good thing, right? That way, you won't have to be misgendered anymore. Nico: ... Nico: I wasn't ready. David: This is definitely an improvement. It's good for everyone to be open with their secrets.

Nico: Hey I don't think I was in any way shape or form ready to have this part of my identity that I've been ostracized and bullied for for my entire life to not only be outed in front of my classmates but to what is presumably international TV David: K, so anyway :)

He even does this specifically to Hu later in this scene

David: Hu? Hu: I'm sorry, but my secret is something that makes me uncomfortable. David: Even though it will be revealed by MonoTV anyway? Hu: Perhaps it's not an admirable thing to do, but I'd rather put it off for as long as possible. I apologize.

I also have no doubt that David and Hu had some time alone. Teruko left the Relaxation Room, and considering the fact that Nico was planning a murder and also...is reasonably pissed at David

Nico: But David is really suspicious. He's always been really pushy on getting people to reveal their secrets. Nico: And he can do that only because he revealed his own secret first. That way, he doesn't look like a hypocrite. Nico: But if he lied about his secret, then he can just pretend he's in the right. And then other people will follow his lead because it's "good" to share secrets. Nico: And, um, I'm not just saying this because I'm mad at David. Really.

(they say after basically recounting word-for-word what happened to them)

I don't doubt they would've left at some point soon after Teruko given their personality.

Which would leave David and Hu alone to have a conversation about her secret, to which Hu would most likely fall victim to the same pressure Nico did, and reveal what secret she got.

You only took on your talent to distract form your incessant need to harm yourself for fun.

I bring up this frame in particular, by the way, because I find the difference in how she talks about not sharing her secret very interesting. In the Relaxation Room scene, she describes the act of not sharing her secret as "not an admirable thing to do". Here, she straight up calls it "selfish". It's almost as if someone implanted that seed in her brain to pressure her, wonder who that could be.

Along with this, she would also probably explain why she felt so uncomfortable sharing her secret as that was also something David tried pressuring her to explain, which would lead to her talking about her experiences and reasoning for why she is the way she is, which as we have commonly theorized, is most likely in line with the secret Veronika received

You were quite the hopeless child. Dying once wasn't enough, so you attempted suicide three times.

Which David would put together based on the secret appearing on the board. And that's why he taunts her over it.

David: And in spite of how easily you'll spill other secrets for the sake of "peace," you're still too much of a coward to admit your own. Hu: I...that's not what... David: What's wrong, "Julia"? Go ahead and share your secret. It can't be *that* bad, can it? Or is it worse than mine? Worse than Nico's? David: Or could it be that you're actually not as noble and strong of a person as you make yourself out to be?

He is the only person in the room who not only knows what secret Hu received, but knows why she won't say it out loud. He knows her secret and he is hanging it over her fucking head like a carrot. He knows how she feels, and even still, he toyed with her heart.

[wings-of-ink]

Hear ye, hear ye!

All of you who have been anxiously awaiting Chapter 4 can send a big thank you to the Microsoft mayhem that happened on Friday. Because of it, I have had two entire, unprecedented, days off of work during which all I did was write and edit chapter 4! Stuff like this never happens to me either, so I ate it up. My work computer is still super broken too, so who knows what will happen tomorrow, lol.

So, chapter 4, barring anything disastrous that I do not yet foresee – is coming very soon. Like, any day this week soon. For now, I am looking for bugs and other errors until I feel comfortable getting the update loaded. I will also be updating the warning list and some things on the itch page. I keep feeling like I'm forgetting something I wanted to do, and am having a hell of a time remembering what it was…

Anyway, if it interests you, more details below!

In going through some of the Google Error Reports, I had a couple that I either could not resolve or find.

It was reported that checking player stats in chapter 1 would not work – that it would flash only for a moment. I could not recreate this. If anyone else has seen this, please let me know.

In the end of chapter 2 where there are multiple ways to spend your time there seems to be some issues with how choices become unselectable after certain clicks and it just doesn't seem to function correctly. I have fixed the issues I have found, but could not recreate all of the instances that were reported. This section may get an overhaul in the future since I understand the coding a bit more now.

It was also reported that fonts are not changing. There is definitely a weird issue with this and it will take some time for me to sit down and hammer out. The fonts do change for me, but notably, I don't think they are switching to the correct font types. They don't even appear to be the same fonts from when I first starting this project, lol. This issue is on hold for now.

The last 2 bonus segments for the end of chapter 3 are being pushed aside for the time being. I kept finding myself feeling like I was hammering them into the chapter and it was a little exhausting. If I force it, it will be less enjoyable to read. The segments that are missing are the ones for hanging out with Zahn and Nathanael. Zahn's is easy to wiggle in elsewhere at least, but I'm not sure if Nathan's will make it in or not. We'll see, my motivation was purely for chapter 4, so now that it is ready to go, I'll have another crack at it before I drop or move them completely. They aren't super important to the story, but are just for fun (and if Oswin got his, it's only fair that Zahn gets theirs too). That last section of chapter 3 ended up way too long, so it may get adjusted later anyway.

As with any work in progress, I can't guarantee that your old saves will work. That's probably how we are going to have to roll for a bit until I really get things nice and smooth. Eventually, I will add an option to start from a later chapter and go through and make the (MANY) relevant choices to skip ahead. This may be implemented when Chapter 6 is ready to go since all the ROs will be available.

I also want to figure out how to implement named saves to make it easier for you to sort. I appreciate IFs that feature this, but I do not yet know how to do it, but I'm going to research. I like to play through with several MCs, and I'd like to offer enough info in the saves and/or Stats Menu that you can do this and easily know who you are playing as. Let me know what you would like most in the Player Stats Menu too. Note, that some options do not appear here until you choose them in the story.

Coming up…

Since Chapter 4 is down, I will soon be posting a big poll about future IFs. I've been compiling info for it here and there for a couple weeks on possible options for me to write in conjunction with God-Cursed. So, stay tuned for that in the coming days.

I will FINALLY get to my inbox in earnest as well! I will keep reaction asks paused until further notice since they take me the longest to answer. Feel free to still send in comments or quicker questions. If your question is too spoilery to answer, I will not be able to post about it.

Anyway, hope you are all doing well! I can't wait to see what you think of chapter 4. I hope you enjoy it. I'll get it out just as soon as I feel comfortable enough with it. ^_^

[jpmarvel90]

Not going to make it

Masterlist Scarlett Masterlist

Relationship: Scarlett x Reader

Summary: Y/n and Scarlett are expecting their first baby together. But when Scarlett's project is delayed, there's a risk she may not make it home for the birth.

Word Count: 4498

Y/n's POV:

Never allow your wife to go and work on a project a month before you are due to give birth. That's exactly what I did and now I'm regretting it as I'm sat in the delivery room about to push a baby out of my who ha. To be fair, she didn't really want to go, but I'm in an incredible amount of pain now, so everything is her fault! Let me back up a bit.

I've been in an incredible relationship with Scarlett for 8 years. Married for 5 of them. We met a while before that though on the set of Iron Man 2. I was one of the cinematography assistants on set. Scarlett, being the wonderful person she was, always made an effort with everyone on set. She knew everyone's name and treated them the same as she would her fellow cast mates.

Our relationship turned into one of friendship when she was going through her divorce. I was working to make sure everything was ready on a set on the backlot. Turns out Scarlett was using it to have her daily meltdown. Her words, not mine. At first, I didn't know what to do. In the end, just sat next to her and offered her a tissue. She broke the silence to explain what was happening.

From that day, we became close. She would search me out when she was having a down moment, and we'd go to an unused set, and she would let her feelings out. Sometimes she would scream, others cry. Sometimes she would be so angry she's just kicked the shit out of the props. It was cute, because she would then politely put everything back to where it was before her rampage.

I often didn't say anything. I think I was mainly there as a soundboard for her. I didn't try to offer her much advice. My own love life was a disaster so I couldn't speak with any wisdom on the matter. As things from her divorce calmed down, we started to hang out away from set. Coffee and lunch here and there. It was nice to see the change in her as she started to get over and move on from her divorce.

In fact, I was surprised when she had moved on far enough that she kissed me at a cast party for Avengers. I had just got a promotion and Kevin had talked about me taking over head of cinematography when Patrick retired at the end of this movie. I was so excited, and Scarlett was the first person that I wanted to tell. After I excitedly told her, she grabbed my shoulders and pulled me into a kiss filled with fireworks, whispering "I'm so proud of you." I was completely shocked, but after talking, we both admitted that we had feelings for each other and started to go on dates together.

We were definitely a slow burn. Although the feelings there definitely there, there was always a hesitation to take it to the next step. It wasn't until I was going to work on a movie in England that it kind of forced us to address the situation. Scarlett burst through the door to my apartment almost in a rage. "Were you going to tell me that you are moving to England for 6 months?" She fumed.

"I only found out this morning and was planning to tell you over dinner tonight." I admitted, as she towered over me whilst I was sat on my sofa. "Oh, uh. Sorry. Seems I overreacted a little here." She awkwardly laughed, rubbing at the back of her neck. I was quick to pull her down onto my lap. "I don't want you to go without knowing you're mine." She whispered with vulnerability. "Oh Scarlett. I have always been yours." I confess, making her eyes light up. "Be my girlfriend." She rushed out as she cupped my cheeks.

I leaned in and captured her lips in a sweet kiss. "I'm taking that as a yes." She grinned and I nodded. "I've wanted to ask you for so long, but I didn't know if you were there yet." I admitted shyly. "Babe, we've been dating for 4 months. Of course I was there. But I appreciate you being so thoughtful of my own feelings. But let's make sure that we have clear communication. We're going to need it over the next six months." She suggested, something I easily agreed to.

Those six months were really tough. Being so new to our relationship, I think we were both worried that it would be too much of a strain to have a long distance relationship. But we made the effort with each other, both taking the trip across the pond to spend time together, talking every day. I actually think it's why our relationship is so strong.

I knew after being with her for less than a year that I wanted to propose, but her work schedule, and mine, as I worked with Marvel, became so busy. I wanted the proposal to be perfect, so I waited. Too long really. I proposed after we had been together for two years. With the help of our friends in the cast and crew, I proposed on the set where I first saw her having her break down. That was where I started to have feelings for her. The set may have changed over the years, but my feelings for her didn't.

A year later and we tied the note and have been happily married ever since. We made a home in New York, and it was where we planned to start our family. It's not been an easy journey to get here. IVF was difficult. With the commitments Scarlett had, we agreed that I would carry first, and then Scarlett would carry our second. But it took us a little longer than we had anticipated to get pregnant the first time round. It took us 18 months. It's not bad in the grand scheme of things and people go for much longer. But for us, we were so desperate for our own little family, it was a painful time. Especially when I miscarried twice.

But after a year and a half of trying, we were finally successful. We were so cautious in the early stages. I barely went out and took some time out of work for a month. The press, and even our friends, thought that we were going through a breakup. So, it was a shock to them all when we announced our pregnancy when I reached 12 weeks.

Our friends and family were so happy for us. Scarlett's mom only lives a few minutes away and her dad is within the hour. Being based in New York wasn't what some of our friends wanted though. Both Lizzie, Scar's best friend, and Florence, mine, bought apartments near us so they could be near by once the baby came along. There were like two sisters to us. It was great.

Through my pregnancy, Scar was amazing. Very protective, not that I blame her after the stress the miscarriages put us through. But she was so loving, and my favourite moments were watching her interact with the bump. Every night she would read a book to them, and she would so often singing to them. Though this would often send me to sleep as her voice is so calming to me.

I was annoyed when it was a Marvel project that caused there to be a hint of worry that she wouldn't make it for the birth. Initially there weren't any issues. She was filming on the new Scarlett Witch movie. It was a great opportunity, with Natasha coming back in the Multi-Verse and Scar was so happy to be back in the Marvel fold.

The project was due to finish a month before my due date. We talked for a long while about whether she was going to take it. To be fair, it was mainly me trying to convince her to go. I knew how much she wanted this, and I didn't want me or our child to be the reason she didn't get to do something she loved so much. It was the promise that her mom and Flo would be around for anything I might need that ultimately helped to convince her.

We were both shocked when Hunter came back from Puerto Rico to be around for the birth. He stayed with Melanie but was a great entertainment to me. Flo was around every day, and she would often stay over. In the beginning, it was actually quite fun. I was waited on hand and foot, with Hunter and Flo being far too scared of Scarlett to do anything less.

But then I got a phone call I dreaded. When I answered the phone, I could already head that Scarlett was crying. It sent my anxiety up straight away and I was terrified that something was wrong. "I'm so sorry." Is all she kept repeating, but not actually telling me what she was sorry for. I could hear Lizzie in the background trying to calm her down.

It took her 15 minutes until she was able to calm down and tell me that filming was delayed by two weeks. She was terrified that she was going to miss the birth of the baby. I was too, but I didn't want to make her feel any worse by adding to those fears. Instead, I took the time to talk her down and explain that there would be time and at the last appointment, out little man was very comfortable and didn't look to want to be going anywhere.

I even worked out how long it would take her to get to be from Atlanta and showed her that unless I was having a super speedy labour, she would more than likely make it in time if she was able to leave as soon as she knew. Thankfully she agreed and stopped threatening to walk out on her contract. As I knew Kevin Feige quite well, I called him up and explained the situation. He said that he would allow Scarlett to leave if I went into labour and offered his own private jet to ensure that she got here as quickly as she could.

It was all sorted and everything was going to work out. That was until I started to feel lower back pain when heading to bed one night. Not thinking too much of it, as I had pretty bad back pain through the pregnancy, I ran a warm bath and soaked to help ease the pain.

It helped and I climbed into bed feeling slightly better. I feel asleep pretty easily, but I woke up with the pain returning. I looked at the clock on the side of the bed and saw that it read 3am. I got up to make myself a cup of tea and a quick snack as I was getting pretty hungry. By 8am, I was worried as the pain wasn't going away. I picked up the phone and decided that it would be best to call Flo, just in case. "Hey Y/n/n. Everything ok?" Her perky voice echoed down the phone. "Hi Flo. Could you come over. I'm not feeling great and think it would be best to have someone here just in case something happens." I ask.

Before I can even finish asking, I can hear her moving around her apartment. "I'll be there in 15 minutes. Do you think you've gone into labour?" She asks and I think about how I'm feeling. "It's only a sore back. Probably nothing." I try to shut down any thoughts of this baby coming early. I've still got another 10 days until the due date and Scarlett is due home in two days. This little bugger better stay put.

When Flo arrived, she helped get me comfortable on the sofa. I considered calling Scarlett, but I didn't want to worry her if this wasn't the real thing. But the decision was soon taken from me when I shot up from the sofa, clinging to my back and stomach as a wave of pain washed over me. I tried the best I could to breathe through it. Flo came in just as I was coming to the end of is and her face turned to have a worried look on it. "Shit! Y/n are you having contractions?" She asks, taking a seat next to me and slowly rubbing her hand up and down my back.

I nod as I control my breathing and wait for the pain to pass. "You need to time them." I grimace as I try and get comfortable again. Flo grabs her phone and starts a timer. "Ok, we need to call Scar." She says, handing me my phone. I call her a few times and she doesn't answer. "Seriously!" I huff when she doesn't pick up for the fifth time. I change tack and call Lizzie instead. She answers after two rings.

"Hi Y/n. Are you ok?" She asks with a cheery voice. "Are you with Scarlett?" I question and I know she can hear the slight panic in my voice. "She's filming at the moment, but I'm on set. Is everything ok?" She enquires. "I think I'm in labour." I reply, which earns a squeal of excitement. "Lizzie. Any chance I can speak with my wife?" I ask when she doesn't seem to be doing anything but bouncing around with excitement. "Oh right. Of course. I'm on my way."

I listen as she rushes across set. I hear the voice of Kevin and then he calls out to Scarlett. There's some mumbling before I finally hear my wife's voice. "Hi my love. Is everything ok?" She asks a little out of breath. "How quickly can you get to New York?" I ask, feeling a pain starting to pick up again. "Don't mess around Y/n." She lightly scolds, but the sudden cry of pain shows her that this is no joke. "Oh shit. Is that a contraction?" She questions through the phone, her voice getting frantic.

"No, I just like crying down the phone to you." I respond sarcastically. "Fuck. I'm not there. I have to be there." She starts to panic. "Then get going." I almost shout down the phone as Flo tries to help me through the contraction. "Right! Yes. Put Flo on the phone." She orders and I put the phone on speaker. "I'm here Scar." Flo announces, giving me a smile. "How far apart are her contractions?" She quizzes. "At the moment 15 minutes and her waters haven't broken yet." She informs my panicking wife.

There's some mumbling as she talks to someone and then returns her attention back to us. "Ok, when they're 5 minutes apart, she has to go to the hospital. I'm going to leave as soon as I can. I just need to change and then I'm heading to the airport. I should be with you within 7 hours. Call my mom and brother so they're there too." She instructs to Flo. "Just hold on for me babe. I promise that I'm going to be there, right by your side." She then tries to comfort me. "I need you Scar." I cry as I finally come through the contraction. "I know my love. I'm going to be with you as fast as I can." She says, before reluctantly telling me she needs to hang up so she can get ready.

After that phone call, Flo does as asked and calls Melanie and Hunter. They both say to call when we go to the hospital as they don't want to crowd me. Which I'm really grateful for. It's now a waiting game for my contractions to get closer together. I stand up to walk off some of the pain, slowly rubbing my hand over my bump. "I'm begging you little man. Please hold on so your mama can get here." I beg him, not wanting to do this without her.

My phone rings and I grab it to see a facetime from Scarlett. I answer it to see her smiling at me, but I also see the concern in her eyes. "Hi babe. I'm in the car on the way to the airport. How are you?" She asks me. "Sore. This fucking hurts Scar." I tell her and she chuckles, but quickly stops when I glare at her. "I miss you." I sniffle, trying to hide the tears. "I miss you too. So much. But I'm going to be with you before you know it!" She tries to comfort me.

"How far apart are your contractions now?" She questions. I look over to Florence. "8 minutes." She informs me. I see Scar's face falter at that. "Wow, that's quick." She mumbles, panic taking over her. "You'll get here on time." I tell her more confidently than I feel. "Maybe I can just close my legs." I joke which makes her laugh. But that soon stops when I feel a gush of water between my legs. I look down and see a puddle of liquid by my feet. "Y/n?" Scarlett calls to me.

I slowly meet her eyes through the phone. "My waters just broke." I inform her. Flo jumps up from her seat when she hears that and gasps when she sees the state of me. "Shit. OK um, I'm just at the airport. Kevin's plane is waiting for me, and I should be in the air within an hour." She tells me. "Ok angel. We'll be waiting for you." I tell her with a smile, trying not to show her the fear I'm feeling that she's not going to make it.

90 minutes later and my contractions are now 5 minutes apart. Scarlett messaged to say they were just taking off about 15 minutes ago so it was definitely going to be close, she still has at least 4 to 5 hours until she can realistically be with us. "Come on Y/n/n. Let's get you in the car. I've called ahead to the hospital and let Melanie and Hunter know too. They're going to meet us there." Flo tells me as she helps to guide me to the car. She runs back into the house and grabs the to go bag and we're on our way.

It's been over three hours since we've arrived at the hospital. I'm now 6cm dilated and I no longer have control over my emotions. "Where is she?!" I shout through another contraction, my hand squeezing the sides of the bed. "She should be landing any minute now sweetie." Melanie tries to comfort me, dabbing at my head with a wet cloth. "I can't do this on my own." I start to cry. Melanie and Flo both stop what they're doing, taking one of my hands each. "She'll be here. And if she isn't, you're not alone. You have us with you. We're not going anywhere." Melanie tells me firmly.

I'm not close with my parents. When I came out, it had a negative affect on my relationship with them. When I told them I was pregnant, they could barely hide their disgusted at the thought of Scarlett and I having a child together. Melanie has been the mother I didn't have and I'm so grateful that she's here. But she's not the one that I want next to me. I want my wife.

"She's landed and making her way here." Hunter rushes into my room with a smile, but it's not met with enthusiasm. "She's 9cm dilated. It's almost time." The midwife tells me, but I shake my head refusing to believe it. "Nope. Not happening. I'll just hold my breath or something. This baby is not coming until my wife is next to me." I say firmly. "Come on buddy, we had a talk." I plead to the bump once again, only to be hit by another contraction. "Oh, fuck you!" I scream as Flo imitates the breathing pattern I need to do. "Come on Scar." I whisper to myself.

"No, no, no." I chant, gaining Flo's attention. "What's wrong?" She asks, gently running her fingers through my hair. "I feel the need to push" I tell her, which gets the midwives attention. "Ok, that's the sign that your son wants to join the world now Y/n." She says but I'm shaking my head, sobbing at this point. "NO! She's not here. Please!" I beg, but I know it's no use. "Ok, we can only have one person in the room during labour." The midwife informs the three of them. "You're her back up birthing partner Flo. We'll wait outside." Melanie responds before leaning into leave a kiss on my forehead. "I'll be back to meet my grandson." She smiles, which I easily return.

Hunter is next to say goodbye, before they both disappear into the hallway. Flo takes my hand and gives me a confident look. "I thought she'd make it." I cry as Flo tries to shush me. "I know. I know I'm not the one you wanted with you. But I'm not going anywhere." She tells me, providing me the smallest of comforts.

"Ok Y/n. We're going to need you to start pushing with your next contraction." The midwife informs me. She's not here. She's not made it. Our son is going to come into this world without her. As I push with the next contraction, tears stream down my face to know she's not here. It's breaking my heart.

"I'M HERE!" Scarlett's voice fills the room as the door slams open. Relief washes over me as my contraction comes to an end, and I see the one face that I've wanted by my side. Flo places a kiss on my head and leaves so Scarlett can take over. She instantly takes my hand in hers and places a kiss on my head. "I'm so sorry. I'm late." She says panting, out of breath from clearly running. "It's ok. You're here now." I smile at her, puckering up my lips to show I want a kiss. She giggles and leans down and captures my lips in a kiss.

It doesn't last long as another contraction kicks in. "You got this baby. I'm so proud of you." Scarlett encourages as I push. "That's great. Y/n I can see the head. Take some deep breaths for me. You're almost there." The midwife says. I follow Scar who is guiding me through the breathing techniques. "I'm not sure I can go again. This hurts so much." I pant, leaning my head back against the pillow, dreading the next contraction to come. "Yes, you can. You are the strongest person I have ever met. It's something I admire about you so much and our son is so lucky to have you as their mom. I'm here with you. We are going to get through this together."

The sincerity in her voice is making me emotional, until another rush of pain hits. "Sure! Together! How's your pain level?" I hiss as I push once again, for what I hope is the final time. But all that frustration washes away when a baby's cry rings out. I look to Scar, to see her eyes filled with tears. There is no sound more magical. "Congratulations. You have a healthy baby boy." The midwife tells us, with a big smile. "Go cut the cord." I instruct Scarlett, with a push, who's reluctant to leave me. She places a kiss on my forehead and moves down towards our son.

She lets out a gasp as she meets him. "He's gorgeous." She whispers in awe. "Just like his mama." I smile. Seeing how happy Scarlett is as she takes the scissors to cut the cord. The midwife wraps a towel around the baby and pass him to Scarlett who holds him like he's made of glass. "He's got your eyes." She says as she walks him towards me and places him on my chest. Tears fall freely as his eyes meet mine. "Hi there. I'm your mom." I say with a teary smile.

Scarlett wraps her arm around my shoulders and rest her other hand on the baby. "He's perfect. Thank you." She beams, turning her gaze to me, love overflowing. "Thank you for making me a mom." She clarifies, leaning down to rest her head on my own. "We're a family of three." I smile and she chuckles. "My perfect family." She sighs contently.

After going through birthing the placenta and getting myself and the baby cleaned up. All the pain and grossness are in the past as this bright bundle of joy rests in my arms. Calmness now fills the room as Scarlett sits next to me, cooing at our newborn son. A knock at the door draws our attention as Melanie pokes her head around. "Can we come in?" She asks and we both nod quickly.

The door opens fully, and she's followed in by Hunter, Flo and also Lizzie. "They all gasp as they see the baby in my arms. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet our son. Leo Hunter Johansson." Scarlett announces to everyone's surprise. Hunter is frozen to the spot as tears fill his eyes. "Really?" He asks and Scarlett nods, standing up to pull him into a hug. "Do you want to hold your grandson?" I ask Melanie who nods, words escaping her.

I adjust my hold so she can take him. As soon as he's in her arms, she's cooing and crying herself. "My first grandchild." She babbles. Flo and Lizzie take their place by my side as Scarlett, Hunter and Melanie have a moment together. "What are you doing here Lizzie?" I ask. "I couldn't let her go on her own. She was so out of it, I'm sure she'd have gotten on the wrong plane! Besides, I wanted to be here to meet my nephew." She replies, a big grin her face.

I then turn to Flo who's already looking at me. "Thank you for being there for me. I can't thank you enough. I don't think I could have done any of this without you." I tell her honestly. "What else are sisters for." She states simply, and just like that the dam breaks and I cry into her shoulder. Stupid hormones!

After everyone has had a cuddle, they eventually have to leave as visiting hours are over. Scarlett's allowed to stay with me before Leo and I are discharged in the morning. She scoops Leo up into her arms and starts to walk around the room, bouncing him in her arms. I take a few photos and videos as she starts to sing to him. It fills my heart with so much joy and love and I can't wait for our lives together as a family.  

[according2thelore]

Need me some more of your LS!Sam jealousy if you have any ideas. But also just overall want more of your specific brand of hurt/comfort. It always hits just right, which is to say it stabs me in the heart every single time. Bless us with your ideas please😩

(Or smut of course we'd never say no to smut👀)

i'm back baby!!! i never forgot about this one bestie don't you WORRY--and i've come to deliver 😌 (2.7k words...this is just a ficlet good lord)

sammy looks down at his phone for the seventh time. his screensaver--dean asleep on his chair in the TV room with a blanket pulled up to his chin and hand in a bowl of popcorn--glows up at him. no new notifications.

sammy shifts in his chair. he looks around the empty library. he checks his phone. no new notifications. he swipes up and types in his code 3-3-2-6 (and he'll never fucking tell dean what it stands for, ever, good lord, he'll take it to his grave), but his last message still sits in an unread blue

Sam: Hey, I've got to stop by the store later to get some stuff for dinner. Come with?

Dean: Sorry man. Busy. Text later. 20 min?

20 minutes later, Sam: Hey, I'm ready.

and nothing. not a peep. it's been over an hour since dean said he'd be ready in twenty, and dean hasn't even poked his head in.

the act of sammy asking was performance. he and dean have been going to the store together every friday since they damn moved into the bunker. they only miss a day when they're pissed at each other, and sammy starts to worry. is dean mad at him?

things have definitely been a little...tense...since the younger version of themselves showed up. conversations have to be stilted, and they have to talk around things more than they can actually talk about them.

they've had to get more careful about sharing a bed. they haven't had sex in a week, and the only time they got to actually share a bed was after younger sam had gotten a sprained wrist on a hunt and younger dean had been practically sleeping on top of him a few months ago.

sammy knows that his younger self has been having a rough go of it. especially after he found the voicemail last week, he's completely shut sammy out, like he can avoid the future by ignoring it. and sammy represents all the messy, ugly parts that sam dreads.

sam also knows that his younger self has been clinging to dean--both deans, really--like a child clings to their mother. sammy thinks that a reminder of how close they can come to losing dean in a near-permanent way has shaken him.

this version of sam has never had to stare down the barrel of the gun of dean's death. sammy almost pities him, if he didn't also harbor his own resentments.

it's not surprising--therefore--to find sam with older dean. it is surprising, however, to find them in the room their younger selves' share. sam doesn't know where younger dean has gone, but sam is almost glad he found them first.

because if his younger self had stumbled across it, it would've ended badly.

sammy freezes in the doorway, horror-stricken. there's no other word for the dread that sinks into his bones, the i knew it, i knew it.

they're sitting on one of the beds, sam tilted forward into dean's space. but--and sam inhales are staggered as realization hits--dean's hand on the back of sam's head directs him to a shoulder.

sam's younger self mutters something that sammy can't hear. it's quiet, agonized, and dean claps him on the back of the neck a few times, gentle.

dean hasn't noticed sammy in the doorway yet, all of his attention at the boy almost melted into his arms, even though they're positioned too awkwardly for a full embrace.

"i know, sammy." dean murmurs, his neck pat on sam's head almost a caress. his brow is pulled together, and he looks uncomfortable. "c'mon, cut it out with all that."

sam's going to be sick. he's never seen such naked affection or care on dean's face before. not directed at anyone else. the glimpses he's gotten directed at himself have been snapshots of fear, moments in which he lets the mask slip. he's gotten anger, and fear, and worry, but not this.

dean, in this moment, thinks he is unobserved. and it's love. naked, on his face.

sam's chest is tight. he feels like something has reached inside of him and squeezes his stomach in its fist. he knows what that feels like. he's going to be sick, he's going to scream, he's going to kill someone.

jealousy, hard and ugly and roaring, claws at the inside of sam's ribs.

he has never been on the outside of a look like this. not from dean, and not to someone else.

that's mine. he's giving away what's mine.

"i don't want to hurt him. please tell me i don't hurt you." young sam begs, and sam watches as his fist curls into a ball on his lap. it's quiet, harsh, like sam is hissing it between clenched teeth.

dean adjusts them both, but sam sees it for what it is--dean's head tilts to the side, a fleeting nose nuzzled in sam's hair.

sam feels it like he feels the barrel of a gun in his mouth. 'burning' is too kind of a word for what he does. his body feels like a wick, his only job to be destroyed.

"you know we can't talk about it." dean says, softly.

"fuck." sam tilts his head so the thin skin of his forehead scrapes against dean's stubble. "i don't even know why i'm telling you this. i'd never say this out loud."

sam sounds miserable, trapped. it doesn't make older sam feel better. it makes him angry.

what does sam have to be miserable for? he hasn't lived through any of it yet. he hasn't been forced to live through it.

he hasn't earned the look on dean's face. he hasn't spent two decades trying to earn it.

he doesn't know anything about loving dean.

"shh. look at me." dean murmurs, and he pushes sam away by the shoulders. sam stubbornly keeps his eyes on dean's shirt, and dean taps him on the shoulder. "c'mon baby boy. look at me."

baby boy. baby boy. c'mon baby boy.

sam--because of course he fucking would, any version of sam is bred to respond to that, is created to--looks up. he meets dean's eyes.

that's sammy's. 'baby boy' is sammy's.

hearing it come from dean's mouth, seeing it land on foreign ears. ears covered by scruff that find truth in other things, still.

dean smiles--indulgently, proud, with a twist of sarcasm that makes it so dean that sammy has to catch himself against the doorjamb--at younger sam.

"good. there he is. it's because it's me. and it's because you're you. i always look out for you, don't i?" he nudges sam's chin up with a scarred knuckle, and drops his hand against sam's shoulder, a stiff clap. "you're mine, and i look out for what's mine, isn't that right?"

"dean--" "dean--" sam, in concert.

younger sam, in front of dean, awed. older sam, in the doorway, grief-stricken. angry.

how the fuck could dean sling that around like it's nothing? how the fuck could he say that, take ownership of something--someone--other than sam?

even if it's a younger version of him, dean has sworn his fealty, proclaimed his complete devotion to a facsimile of sam--an improved version of him. the version of him that he wanted first, that has all the fire and none of the nightmares.

i'm me. and you're you. i always look out for you don't i? i look out for what's mine.

words that sam has fallen asleep to, words that--at some points in his life--were the only things keeping him sane.

sam feels--absurdly--like he just heard dean say their wedding vows to someone else, like a jilted bride watching someone else on the altar. later, he'll unpack that, but now it's--

"sammy." dean's eyes on him, finally. sam slumps in the doorway, so fucking relieved to have broken the intense, devoted spell of the room. younger sam turns to look at him, face frozen in a scowl. intruder, it says. this is mine, it says. sam's about to ask dean to speak with him in the hallway, when dean says, "i'll be with you in a second, okay?"

i'll be with you in a second. dismissed. sam's been dismissed. priority has been established. and it's someone else. sam doesn't move.

he wants to press his fingertips into every inch of dean's skin until they bruise. he wants his name carved in dean's skin. they share so much--the sigils burned into their ribcages, their tattoos, their history--but it's not enough, anymore. he wants to rip into dean's carotid and drink.

mine. mine. mine. his blood sings. dean seems to have forgotten.

"chin up, kid. i'm still here, aren't i? with sammy." dean's chin tips towards sam in the doorway, seemingly knowing sam wouldn't move an inch. he gives younger sam one last pat on the arm, a gentle nod. "always been yours, baby. couldn't hurt me if you tried."

a nail in sam's coffin. yours.

not fucking likely.

~~~

"what the fuck was that?" sam shoves dean, hard, and dean slams back into the closed door.

they're in dean's room--the room that they shared until a few months ago when these parasites swooped in and tried to take what sam had fought for, had earned, fair and square.

he's sunk his claws into dean's being, and he will be damned and fucked if he gives even an inch up. he won't.

"woah, sammy, what--" dean starts with anger, but when sam turns around, dean's entire body shifts. his shoulders slump, and his hands come up, placating. "woah hey hey hey. come on, now. what happened?"

sam dodges dean's hand that reaches for his arm, and dean still follows through with the movement, confused, like he's adrift without the contact.

good, sam thinks viciously.

"he's your 'baby,' now?" sam spits, but dean only blinks. he's not reacting at all with anger, like sam was hoping, and sam has to work to keep his fury, has to throw logs on the fire.

"sam, what are you talking about?" dean asks, and his voice is only raised a little. not enough.

"we said we weren't going to start shit. that we weren't going to take any firsts. did you just decide to change that without telling me?" sam jabs dean in the chest again, once. dean shoves his hand off of him, and good. good good good--sam wants a fight--he wants dean to hurt--

"well, why didn't you tell me you had a suicide plan, huh? when you were twenty three?" dean says, and now his voice is raised. he shoves sam back, and sam takes the step back.

"it wasn't like that." sam rolls his eyes. and it wasn't. and damn that little fucker for trying to tell dean anything.

dean shoves him again, but sam doesn't move this time, and dean gets in his face.

"that's what he told me. that you'd been thinking about ways to kill yourself if you turned darkside." dean's close, so close that sam can see the colour changes in his eyes, and he shoulders past dean, just to get some fucking air.

incredulity and hurt and anger broil over in sam.

"so you're going to take his word for things now? over me?" his voice cracks. there it is. weak spot targeted.

dean deflates like a balloon. sam's still puffing, still heaving for breath, but it feels pathetic now, not righteous. he looks away from dean's sharp gaze.

"sam." dean says. even. "sammy."

sam won't look at him. dean stomps forward, and before sam can protest, dean is pulling him down into a vicious kiss. it feels like a punch, all teeth and punishment and tongue. sam takes to it like a starving man, matching dean blow for blow and trying to press himself into dean's body, tongue first.

dean has to put a hand on sam's neck to push him away.

"i don't--" sam pants, chest heaving.

"you're mine." dean snaps. and his hand tightens a little at the base of sam's throat. "say it."

sam can't. his throat closes. all that fire, all that fury, for nothing. sam's throat burns. he swallows.

why would he say it, if it's not true? if dean can say those things to someone else, what was the true veracity of them to begin with?

dean's hand drops from sam's throat, and sam feels actual tears building now.

a hand on his chin, and unlike the one younger sam got, this one sticks.

"you and me." dean says, firm, eyes on sam's. sam looks down into the face of the man he loves, the man that raised him, the man that is him, almost, and quails. he hopes. "yours." dean says, hard, and it doesn't sound like deference, or submission. it's an assertion. i am yours.

sam's insides quaver. he's still so angry. his hands shake. he doesn't touch dean back, and dean winds his hand into sam's collar like he's going to wind up for a punch.

but sam knows him. it's to keep him close.

sam doesn't know what for. even if dean has shiny new toys, sam has no where else to go. it would take dean's younger self all but a week to get sick of him. to get confused and tired of the things sam can't do.

"don't make it sound like i don't need you to breathe, sammy." dean says, and something slips into his voice. a tone that sits wrong. desperation. "it's not the same with him. you know it isn't."

dean's eyes are wide, like he's realizing the depth here. he stepped out onto a pool float and realized he's over a trench, thousands of feet of water and hurt and disappointment and anger.

"i hate that he's me." sam says, but he doesn't mean to. "that he has things and can give you things that i will never get back--"

dean shakes him, hard, like a dog with something in its mouth. it knocks something loose in sam, the part of him that wants to fight, the part of him that's gotten buried under years and years and years of torture, the immediate instinct to submit to make it hurt less.

this is the part of me that he loves, the part of me i don't have anymore.

sam tries to stoke it, to make that rage, that possessiveness, the innate entitlement to dean bloom and blossom. it rises. it rises. it rises.

sam wants it back. he wants dean.

"shut up. shut the hell up." dean says, suddenly goddamn furious at the slight sam has lain against himself. dean shoves him away, chest heaving. then, like a switch has been flipped, he goes still. calm. eyes hard. "get on your knees."

sam has a split second where he questions it, where the animal under his breastbone tries to reconcile submission and possessiveness. dean is mine, it howls. and sam is starting to realize, that dean needs this too.

that the answer, is a simple yes.

sam knows this game. it's not one they play often. one they haven't played in over a year, now. the request is not a command. it's asking: do you forgive me? are we okay? do you trust me? will you give me a chance to prove i mean it?

sam gets on his knees.

dean's exhale is shaky, mouth trembling. he didn't think sam would, did he?

"sammy." dean says, relief. he pads forward, and fits a hand under sam's chin, gentle. soft. sam closes his eyes, leans against dean's thigh. the denim of his jeans is soft against sam's cheek. it smells like dean and detergent and home.

sam just wants to go home.

"he hasn't earned this." sam says. it's as much as question as it is a statement. his younger self isn't dean's in the way that sam is. he hasn't loved him as long, or as hard, or as deeply.

he hasn't forgiven and fought and held grudges and hated. he hasn't felt this deeply, yet.

he doesn't know dean like sam does. sam knows him better than anyone. even if he tried, he couldn't give older dean what sam can. what sam wants to.

when he looks up, though, dean looks...upset. frightened, almost. unhappy.

"never had to earn it, sweetheart." dean swears, and he tilts sam's chin up. dean bends so he can press a kiss to sam's lips. apologetic. it tastes like love, this time. open and naked and vulnerable. dean pulls up on sam's shoulders, urging him to stand up. "come here."

so sam does. and he makes sure dean knows who he belongs to.

~~~

so i took the steering wheel on this one and jerked us off the road, lol. i hope you were wearing your seatbelt, @animangalover15 <3

this got a little bit more dom/subby than i usually write, but i took at look at my last NSFT ES/LS ficlet and LS!Dean do be domming a little...as a treat...

anyways, i hope you liked!!!! i hope it makes up for the embarrassing time it took me to respond. just know i've been plotting and planning behind the scenes!

mwah mwah!

-lizzy

AN: we've gained quite a few followers, so hello new followers! the ES/LS verse is a little thing i've written on here. it's a time travel AU of sorts where the ES!SeasonBoys (early season) get transported to the LS!BunkerEraBoys (late season). the tag is below if you're interested in seeing more :)

[sissylittlefeather]

This is the Story:

Chapter 2

A/N: Not every chapter will come this quickly! I just happened to have the day to write, so here it is! ICYMI, this features the OC Grace Dubois (doo-bwah) and Elvis Presley in 1973. She has joined him for his Vegas residency in August to ghost write his book. Want to read about all of that in Chapter 1? Here is the link:

Chapter 1

Warnings: cussing, mentions of smoking, period-appropriate sexism from Elvis, no smut yet, but it's coming 😏

Song inspo:

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"I recorded my first song for personal use. I never intended to release anything..."

******

Once she gets Elvis talking, it's hard to get him to stop. He's standing up acting out a scene from something that happened in 1956 and laughing when the Colonel comes in to fetch him to get ready for his show that night. Grace is laughing despite herself. His animated and chaotic method of storytelling is certainly entertaining.

"My boy, I think that's enough for one day. Let's let Ms. Du-boys rest for the evening." She cringes at the mispronunciation of her name, but decides it's not worth it, standing up to leave.

"Dubois." She whips her head around to Elvis. She did not expect him to correct the Colonel either. He smiles warmly again and she feels her cheeks flush.

No, Grace. Keep your distance. She gives him a smile, but tries to make sure it's devoid of any real emotion.

"Thank you, Mr. Presley, for your time today. Same time tomorrow?" His face falls at her use of his last name. Maybe she'll be different tomorrow when it's just them. But why does he want the familiarity so badly? He nods.

"Sure. Same time tomorrow." She follows the Colonel out and gets on the elevator to head back to her room to call Wendy. It'll be bedtime before too long, so she better call quickly.

******

They continue in this pattern for the next week. Grace comes up to the penthouse and Elvis tells her about his life. Even after a week, though, he's still only talking about his time before the army. She can tell he's enjoying reminiscing and doesn't want to get into anything serious. A couple of times, he tells her a story she's already heard, but she lets it go and just listens. Something tells her this is what he's really been needing: someone to just talk to. And the way his eyes light up with childlike energy when he gets excited is exceedingly charming. Several times, she wants to tell him a story about herself and twice she starts to. He sits down eagerly to listen, but she stops herself with an apology for interrupting. His disappointment is palpable, but he doesn't want to push her away again. By the end of the week, he's looking forward to the sound of her soft knock on his door.

On Friday, there's something different about her. Her eyes are sparkling and she smiles more. Elvis is enthralled by her liveliness. When the time comes for her to leave he turns to her and does something even he doesn't expect.

"Come to my show tonight." She laughs before she realizes he's serious.

"Wait, you're kidding right? It's been sold out for months. And besides, I can't."

"Oh, yes you can, I'll find a seat for you. Hell, I'll make one for you, honey, just come to the show." Her heart skips when he calls her honey. He hasn't done it all week, even after she decided she would let him.

"I'm sorry; I really can't. My daughter is coming tonight. That's why I've been in such a good mood. I haven't seen her in a week." He sits back a little.

"Daughter?"

"Yes. Her name is Wendy. She's 6. Why?"

"Oh, nothin', I just thought you said you hadn't been married."

"I haven't been."

"Then how...?"

"I had a fiancé. When we figured out I was pregnant a week before the wedding, he left." She's not sure why she's telling him about this. It's not a thing she normally tells people. But all the time they've spent alone together in this room has started to get to her. For a second, she forgets he's a subject and not a friend.

"You... before you were married?" In a second, his whole tone changes. His southern Christian values come out to play and he's not sure what to make of the woman sitting in front of him. Then, he notices that her cheeks are red and her eyes are glassy again.

"Right. Because I suppose you were a virgin when you got married?" Her voice is tight in her throat. She will not let him make her cry. The truth of how her daughter came to be has haunted her for the better part of her adult life. She is not going to let this man, of all people, make her feel less than because of it.

"That is totally different."

"How? How the fuck is that different?" Her cussing catches him off guard too. Aside from one "damn" she's been nothing but a lady the whole time and now here she is talking like one of his army buddies.

"I don't know, honey, but it is."

"It absolutely is not, you misogynistic pig." Her chest is heaving as she tries to keep her tears in her eyes and not on her face.

"I can't believe you! Who are you?" He feels the anger swelling inside him. It's like she's been lying to him this whole time about who she is. She stands up and slams her notebook on the table.

"Who am I? You are such a fucking hypocrite, Mr. Presley. You think all women should be virgins until they get to you? Ha! Even if that was the case, I would die a virgin before I would let you touch me." She's shaking with rage at this point and the tears start rolling down her cheeks.

He's wracked with hurt, betrayal and anger, and yet, when she cries, something inside him needs to comfort her. He takes a half step towards her and then realizes what he's doing and what she's just said.

"Not a problem, honey. I wouldn't touch you even if you were a virgin. Middle-aged librarians aren't really my style." He spits it at her with all the venom of his hurt feelings and confusion over his inner struggle. Her mouth drops open and she stands there for a while with tears ruining the front of her blouse.

"You really are a fucking asshole." She gathers her things haphazardly and shoves them in her purse.

"Goodbye, Elvis."

She practically runs out the door, slamming it behind her and going straight to the elevator. She smashes the down button over and over, reeling from the conversation that just took place. The things he said to her have rattled her to her core, but what sticks out the most is his question: "who are you?" Why did he say that? Why does he care who she is? Finally, the elevator comes. She steps inside to go back to her room and freshen up before picking up Wendy and Paulette, the nanny, at the airport.

Back in the room, Elvis notices she left her notebook on the table. He grabs it and runs out of the room to catch her and give it back, but the elevator doors close just as he gets to the lobby. He turns back into the room and throws the notebook as hard as he can at the wall across from him.

"FUCK." He yells and drops onto the couch with his head in his hands. He's never felt this conflicted before. As much as he should be outraged and disgusted by the fact that she has a daughter out of wedlock, he's really not. And that makes him angry. Angry that he's more hurt by her keeping parts of herself from him than anything else. Angry at himself for being so cruel to her when he isn't in any place to judge. Angry that this is going to come between them. The last thought makes him take his glasses off and pinch the bridge of his nose. Why does he care that something might come between them when there is no them in the first place?

He throws his glasses at the wall too and they break into pieces and land on the floor with the notebook. When he goes to pick them up, he notices the flurry of little notes that fell out of book when it hit the wall. He looks around the room, as if to check it anyone is watching, and then carefully picks up all of the notes. He knows he shouldn't read them. Knowing her opinion of him, they will probably just make him more angry. They're in his hand when he gets back to the couch, though, and his curiosity gets the better of him. Her handwriting is round and loopy and he thinks of her pretty little hands, one with a pen and the other with a cigarette. He shakes his head and reads the first one:

"He is unfailingly humble in his expression of how he came to be as talented as he is..."

He flips to another one:

"His fierce affection for his friends is both endearing and inspiring..."

And another:

"His boyish excitement when he talks about something he loves is electric, drawing you in to care about anything..."

His breath catches a little as he keeps reading:

"Sitting here with him is less like basking in the light of the King of Rock'n'Roll and more like listening to a childhood friend catch you up on the important happenings in their life..."

And the last one is just a collection of words:

"Compassionate, energetic, loyal, heartfelt, genuine, warm, giving..."

He swallows the lump in his throat and looks towards the door. He has to find a way to get her to come back.

******

Chapter 3 coming soon!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Taglist:

@ccab @elvisfatass @elvisalltheway101 @ashtag6887 @aliypop @your-nanas-house @dkayfixates @everythingelvispresley @xanatenshi @returntopresley @p0lksaladannie @deniseinmn @jaqueline19997 @joshuntildawn13

Want to be added to the Taglist? Let me know!

[loveroftoomanyfandoms]

Cooking Up Love, Chapter 6

Pairing: Chef!Matt Murdock x F!Journalist!Reader

Rating: T

Story Summary: Here 

Warnings/Tags: Hallmark levels of fluffy, cheesy goodness (and speed that their relationship develops, lol), No use of Y/N, Matt is not a vigilante, Denial is not just a river in Egypt, Idiots in love

Word Count: ~3700

A/N: Here we are with the next chapter! I had to split this day into 2 chapters, so the 2nd half is coming soon!

(And as always, thanks to @theradioactivespidergwen for the super cute divider!)

Tag List: @yarrystyleeza @hailey-murdock @mattkinsella @bellaxgiornata @danzer8705 @chezagnes @shouldbestudying41 @thepunisherfrankcastle @mattmurdocks6thscaleapartment

No need to rush, they just opened, you told yourself as you headed to Daredevil the next morning. 

You had awoken early and in an effort to keep yourself busy (and distracted from thinking about Matt too much) you had done a load of laundry, straightened your living area, rearranged your kitchen cabinets, and had begun cleaning out your closet.

Finally it was time to leave for Daredevil, so you had taken a quick shower and gotten ready, then hurried out the door.

You slowed down and took a deep breath as you reached the restaurant, then headed inside. 

Karen looked up and smiled. "Hi!" she said. "Matt said you had mentioned coming by today."

You nodded. "Yeah, I loved the crepes he made yesterday during the cooking demo he did for me, so I definitely couldn't resist coming back for brunch."

"Well I know Matt definitely appreciates it." Karen grabbed a menu. "Right this way."

She led you through the smattering of diners to a small table near the kitchen. "Can I get you something to drink? Water, coffee, juice… champagne?"

"Just some orange juice would be fine," you replied as you sat. "Thanks."

Karen nodded. "Okay, I'll let Matt know that you're here then I'll be right back with that."

You smiled. "Thanks so much, Karen."

You looked down at the menu as Karen headed to the kitchen. You were definitely planning on getting the crepes, but you wanted to try something else alongside them. Steak and eggs, french toast, southern-style grits… oh, maybe an omelet?

You read through the omelet choices, finally settling on a 'create your own' style made with your favorite ingredients.

A minute later, Karen returned with your juice. "Here you go. Matt said he'll come say hi as soon as he can. In the meantime, are you ready to order?"

You nodded. "That's okay, I understand that he's busy. And yeah, I'm ready."

Karen pulled out a notepad and pencil. "Okay, what can I getcha?"

"I'd like an omelet, please." You listed off the ingredients you wanted in your omelet, briefly pausing in-between so Karen could write them down. "And a side order of the breakfast crepes."

Karen nodded. "Got it. Okay, I'll get this put in for you."

"Thanks."

You looked around the small restaurant as you waited. While it wasn't completely empty, there were only about a half-dozen tables that were occupied by couples and families. Granted, it was only about 20 minutes after opening, so you figured the after-church crowd hadn't yet descended upon the neighborhood but that it would fill up soon.

After a few minutes, Karen stopped by your table. "Doing okay?"

You nodded. "Yeah, just fine."

"Great. Your food will be out in just a minute."

"Okay. Thanks."

Your phone buzzed with a text message.

Skyler: Remind me why I agreed to take over Lifestyles from you? I'm about to die of boredom at this fundraiser for the senior center.

You shook your head with a grin. Because it was a permanent position and paid a lot more than your old internship.

Skyler: Oh that's right. Thanks. 

You huffed out a laugh. No problem.

Skyler: What are you up to today?

I'm at Daredevil having brunch. Matt did a cooking demo for me yesterday morning and made the absolute best crepes I've ever had in my life, so I decided to come back today and try something else on the menu.

Skyler: Like some of Chef Hottie's cake? 🍰🍑

You huffed out a laugh. Pretty sure that's not on there. 

Skyler: But it might be on the *secret* menu… 😉 And wait, he's *Matt* now? 👀 When did that happen?

Yesterday. He said that I could call him by his first name. But that doesn't mean anything because even if I *was* interested, which I'm not saying I *am*, he's been nothing but strictly professional towards me the entire week.

Skyler: Mmhmm. Methinks thou dost protest too much. Anyway, I gotta run, they're about to start the auction.

Okay, talk to you later.

You shook your head as you locked your phone back. There wasn't any point in letting yourself fall for Matt since he clearly wasn't interested.

"Create-your-own omelet and a side of crepes?"

You looked up as Matt's voice broke through your thoughts. 

Your heart fluttered. He was back in his red chef's coat, but instead of making him look fearsome and intimidating as it had the day you had met him, today it made him look professional and suave. "Matt, hi."

Matt set your plate down in front of you, a bright smile on his face. "Hi. How are you?"

"I'm good. How are you today?"

"I'm good too. Thanks for coming by."

You nodded. "Of course. I definitely wasn't going to pass up a chance to try some more of your food."

Matt's smile widened into a grin. "Well good, because I was actually wondering if you were busy tomorrow evening."

You shook your head. "No, I'm not busy. Why?"

"I was thinking maybe you'd like to come by and help me test out some new recipes? It'd be helpful to get an outside opinion on some of the things we're considering adding to the menu."

You smiled. "Yeah, I'd love to."

"Great. And, uh, I was also wondering what you were doing this afternoon?"

You shook your head again. "No big plans for today, either."

"I really enjoyed my time with you at the farmer's market yesterday, so I thought maybe you wouldn't mind accompanying me while I ran my after-work errands?" Matt bit his lip. "You don't have to, of course, I just thought it might be beneficial to your article to spend some more time with me outside of the kitchen."

You smiled. You couldn't ignore the fact that your article would be due soon, so you were happy to spend whatever time with Matt as you could until then. "No, I don't mind at all. It would actually be really helpful to get some more insight as to who you are when you're not working."

Matt gestured back towards the kitchen. "Speaking of the kitchen, I should get back in it, but can you meet me back here after closing? Say, around 3:30?"

You nodded. That would give you plenty of time to do the few things you still needed to do around your apartment. "That sounds good. Want me to text you when I'm nearby?"

Matt nodded. "Yeah, that'd be great."

"Okay, I'll see you later then."

"Okay. Enjoy your meal."

As Matt headed back to work, you cut a piece of your omelet and blew on it slightly to cool it before taking a bite. Of course it's amazing.

You had no idea how Matt could make something as simple as eggs taste so good, but he definitely had. The omelet was perfectly cooked with just the right proportion of salt and pepper to cheese and fillings. 

"How is everything?" Karen asked as she stopped by your table.

"Oh my gosh, it's so good." You took a sip of your juice. "Everything is great."

Karen nodded. "Good. Let me know if you need anything else for now."

"Actually, you can go ahead and bring my bill if you don't mind."

"Okay, sure thing."

You continued eating as Karen left once again, trying to not audibly moan at how good the crepes also were. Definitely going to have to mention how great the food is here in my article.

Karen stopped by to drop your bill off. "Here you go," she said, setting the folio with your bill on your table. "No rush."

You nodded. "Thanks."

You finished your food then picked up the bill.

Your brow furrowed. This can't be right.

Luckily, Karen was walking right past you. "Hey, Karen?"

Karen stopped at your table. "Yeah?"

You slid your bill over to her. "I think my bill is wrong."

Karen looked at it. "No, that's correct. Matt said it's on him today."

Your eyes widened in surprise. "Oh. Well, that was very generous of him."

Karen shrugged, a tiny smile playing across her lips. "Matt's like that."

You smiled. You were sure he had comped your meal because of your article, but the gesture was still nice. "I'll have to thank him later."

Karen turned as the bell above the front door chimed. "I better get back up front to go seat these customers, but I'll see you later?"

You nodded. "Thanks, Karen."

You looked back at your bill, then grabbed a pen out of your purse. Thanks for the wonderful service! you wrote on your receipt, then tucked $30 into the folio, figuring that the cost of your meal could at least go towards Karen's tips.

You stuck your pen and wallet back in your purse then grabbed your phone.

You glanced towards the kitchen before sending Matt a text. Thank you so much for brunch! Everything was great. See you this afternoon.

You stuck your phone in your pocket and stood, then headed towards the door. "Thanks again, Karen," you said as you passed by the host stand.

"No problem," Karen replied. "See ya."

Your phone chimed with an incoming message.

Chef Murdock (Matt): You're very welcome, and I'm glad to hear you enjoyed everything. See you this afternoon.

You locked your phone back and stuck it in your pocket as you headed towards home with a smile on your face. 

"Man, I think that's the fastest we've ever gotten through closing," Foggy remarked as he and Matt finished packing up the last few containers to take over to the soup kitchen at Clinton Church. "I might actually have time to visit with my folks a bit before we sit down for Sunday supper."

Matt nodded. "Tell them hi for me."

"You know, you're always welcome to join us after you get done."

Matt shook his head, trying to keep the smile that wanted to form off of his lips. "Actually, I uh, I have plans after that."

Foggy chuckled. "Do these 'plans' happen to be with a certain journalist from the Bulletin?"

Matt's brow furrowed. "How'd you know?"

"Because you've been on cloud nine ever since you personally brought her order out to her this morning and comped her bill." Foggy chuckled. "I thought you were going to sprint out of here as soon as you had her omelet ready."

Matt shrugged. "Even though she's writing a profile on me she's still going to mention the food, so I wanted her to get her order as fresh as possible. And I thought it would be helpful for her article to spend time with me outside of the kitchen, so I asked her to accompany me on my errands this afternoon."

Foggy chuckled. "Uh huh, sure , Matty, it's all because of her article, not because you've got a thing for her."

Matt shook his head. "I don't -- it's not a thing." 

"Mmhmm, keep telling yourself that, buddy." Foggy patted him on the shoulder. "Listen, I gotta run so I can get to my parents' before my brothers eat all of my mom's potato bread, but we're continuing this conversation on Tuesday."

Matt grinned. Mrs. Nelson's homemade potato bread was the stuff of legends and as much as he had tried, he couldn't quite replicate it. "Okay, have a good one."

After Foggy had left, he pulled out his phone and dictated a text to you. Hey, we finished closing up earlier than usual, so if you're free now you can come on by.

A few seconds later, his phone chimed with a reply. That sounds great! I'll be there in about 10 minutes.

Matt grinned. Sounds good.

He grabbed his gym bag and the cart of food containers, then turned off the kitchen lights and headed towards the front of the restaurant. 

He smiled as he heard you approach, waiting until you knocked softly on the door before walking over to let you in.

"Hey, ready to go?" you said. 

Matt nodded. "Yeah, just give me a second."

He set the alarm then wheeled the cart of food containers outside before locking the door. "Okay, all set."

"So where are we headed?" you asked. 

"First stop is Clinton Church. I volunteer to cook for the soup kitchen every Sunday after service."

"Oh, that's so sweet of you."

Matt shrugged. "It's my way of giving back to the community."

You reached for the cart handle. "Here, I'll get this cart for you."

Matt smiled. "Thanks."

"No problem. Lead the way."

Matt took his cane out of his pocket and unfolded it, then the two of you headed down the street. "So, how has your day been?" Matt asked as they walked. 

"It's been good," you replied. "Started some housekeeping this morning and finished it up this afternoon. How was your day?"

"It was fine. Service went smoothly."

"That's good. By the way, I appreciate you comping my meal. You really didn't have to do that."

Matt shook his head. Karen had told him that you had left the full amount plus tip anyway. "It was my pleasure, really."

You hummed. "Looking forward to your day off?"

Matt nodded. "Yeah, even though I don't actually take the day off it's nice to have the time to just be alone in the kitchen and experiment with new flavors."

"That does sound exciting." You paused as the two of you stopped at a crosswalk. "I'm looking forward to trying out some of your new dishes."

Matt smiled. "I'm looking forward to it too."

"So have you ever had any culinary disasters?"

"Oh, tons, especially when I first started cooking. I once accidentally added garlic salt instead of sugar to a cake recipe."

You let out a light laugh. "Oh my gosh, that sounds awful."

Matt nodded, grinning at the memory. "I started labeling all of my containers after that."

The two of you continued on towards Clinton Church. 

"Okay," Matt said once the two of you had arrived. "We're heading this way."

He led you down a sidewalk towards the soup kitchen. "Okay, here we are."

He opened the door and gestured for you to go in. "After you."

"Thanks." 

Matt waited until you had wheeled the cart inside, then followed.

He could hear voices coming from the kitchen area. "This way."

"...Yes, that would be fine. Thank you, Sister Frances. Matthew, hello!" Father Lantom said as Matt and you walked around the serving area towards the kitchen. "I wasn't expecting you quite yet."

Matt nodded. "Yes, we finished our closing duties a bit earlier than usual, so I figured I'd just make everything over here rather than at the restaurant."

"Ah, I see. And I also see that you brought us some extra help today as well! I'm Father Lantom, the pastor here."

You introduced yourself. "It's nice to meet you, Father."

"Nice to meet you too. I certainly appreciate you coming today."

"It's not a problem. I'm happy to help out in any way I can."

"Well that's wonderful. I have a few administrative tasks to handle, so I'll leave you two to it. Matthew, let me know if you need anything."

Matt nodded. "Thanks, Father."

He folded his cane up and put it in his pocket, then took the cart from you and wheeled it into the kitchen. 

You moved to wash your hands. "Alright, Chef, put me to work."

Matt smiled, his heart warming at how eager you were to help. "Would you set the oven to 350 for me then cut up some cucumbers and tomatoes for a salad?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Okay, great." Matt took a couple of bowls out from under the counter and gave them a rinse in the sink. "You can just put them in these once you've got them all done."

"How do you want the tomatoes cut?"

"Wedges would be fine -- like in eighths, and about half-inch slices for the cucumbers."

"Okay."

Matt got to work seasoning the chicken he had brought for the night's dinner, smiling to himself as he heard you humming softly under your breath.

He felt a pang in his chest. As hard as he had worked to get where he was in his career, he missed having someone to share his joy of cooking with. There was Foggy and Karen, of course, but as much as Matt loved his friends he wanted someone special to cook for, someone to come home to.

…He wanted you.

Matt mentally shook his head, determined to get the melodic sound of your voice out of his mind. Don't get distracted. That's where mistakes happen. Deal with it later.

He finished prepping the chicken and set it on a baking sheet, then put it in the oven. "How are the cucumbers and tomatoes coming along?"

"Almost done," you replied.

Matt moved to wash his hands. "Okay, great. I'll go ahead and make the dressing for the salad."

"You make your own salad dressing?" you said in surprise, then let out a light laugh. "Wait, what am I even saying? Of course you do. What kind do you make?"

Matt grinned as he rinsed out a measuring cup. "A couple of different varieties, actually. But today we're just making a basic Italian dressing."

He got his Braille measuring cups and spoons out of the cart, then grabbed the container marked salad dressing. "There should be an immersion blender somewhere around here. Would you mind grabbing it for me?"

"Sure." You moved to Matt's right, then set the blender in front of him. "Here you go. Wait, let me plug it in for you."

"Thanks."

Matt began measuring out the ingredients for the dressing, adding everything in precise order before blending it together.

"So is there a reason you use an immersion blender rather than a regular blender?" you asked.

Matt nodded. "I can better tell the consistency of the dressing with an immersion blender," he explained. "Using a stand blender runs the risk of overblending."

"Ah, ok. That makes sense." You stopped cutting. "Okay, salad stuff is done."

"Great. Then I need you to portion this dressing out into individual take-out cups. There should be some in the storage closet in the back of the kitchen."

Your footsteps headed towards the storage closet. "Let's see… oh, here they are."

You returned with the cups and lids. "How many do I need to make?"

Matt shook his head. "It should yield about 80 servings or so. Just keep filling until you run out."

He began to work on dessert, which were homemade no-bake oatmeal cookies, and had just finished shaping them and putting them on some parchment paper-lined cookie sheets to set when he heard Father Lantom returning.

"How's it going?" Father Lantom asked.

"There's a few minutes left on the chicken but everything else is ready to go," Matt replied. "Salad is ready to be mixed and I just need to cover these cookies with some cling wrap until they're ready to be served."

"Thank you so much -- both of you. I know everyone will appreciate the wonderful meal."

Matt shook his head. "It's no problem."

"Happy to be of service," you added. "Here, Matt, I'll get started on cleanup."

Matt nodded. "Thanks."

He got the cookies covered then took the chicken out of the oven. "Okay, you're all set."

"And just in time, too. Thank you again, Matthew," Father Lantom said. 

"You're welcome. Do you need us to stay and help serve?"

"No, I have plenty of volunteers for today -- the church's senior youth group offered to help out. They should be here as soon as their meeting wraps up in a few minutes."

"Okay, sounds good." Matt turned towards the door as a cacophony of voices filtered towards him. "Actually I think that's them now."

"Ah, good. Let me go get them situated then."

Matt nodded. "Oh, do you mind if I leave my cart of stuff here and pick it up tomorrow? I have a few more errands to run after this and wasn't really thinking about needing to drop it all off at the restaurant tonight."

"Oh, no, not at all. Go right ahead."

"Thanks."

Matt began packing his supplies back into their respective containers while you finished washing the various dishes the two of you had used.

"Here you go," you said, handing Matt his set of measuring cups. 

Matt froze as your fingers brushed against his palm, your touch softer than silk. 

He swallowed. "Thanks."

You stepped away, your heartbeat increasing slightly. "No problem."

Matt finished packing up while you put away the kitchen supplies you had used. He ached to caress your skin, to know what you would feel like under his own touch. 

He sighed and moved the cart out of the way. "Okay, I think that's everything."

"Okay, great."

Matt grabbed his gym bag and led you out of the kitchen and into the dining hall, where Father Lantom was giving assignments to the volunteers. 

He turned towards the two of you. "Ah, all done?"

Matt nodded. "Yes, we got everything cleaned up and I moved my cart out of the way for now."

"Okay, wonderful. Thank you again for your help."

"You're welcome," you said. "It was lovely to meet you, Father Lantom."

"You too, my dear. See you tomorrow, Matthew."

Matt took his cane out of his pocket and unfolded it. "Have a good evening."

"Where to next?" you asked as the two of you headed outside.

Matt shook his head. He wanted to keep your next destination a surprise until you got there. "Can't tell you yet, but do you trust me?"

You were quiet for a moment. "Yeah," you finally said. "Yeah, I trust you."

Matt felt a wave of relief. "Okay, good. This way, then."

He bit his lip as the two of you set off down the street. He just hoped he wasn't making a mistake by letting you into his world.

[poomphuripan]

10 BL Boys I Want Carnally To Love, Take Care and Cuddle With Every Night

@bunnakit awww thank you for the tag 🫶 as an asexual i can't say i spent much time thinking about fucking anyone (so coming up with this list was really hard ;_;) but if any of these characters propositioned... i would NOT say no 😉

10. Phob (Something In My Room)

if there is an award for cutest ghost of all time in a BL series, i think Phob will take home easily. Phob deserves better sex. my meow meow friendly ghost Phob, i will tuck you in bed my ghost sweetie 🥺🫶

9. Shao Fei (History 3: Trapped)

my righteous cop with a strong sense of justice, i really love Shao Fei so much. Shao Fei doesn't beat around the bush and is really straightforward with his wants, I LOVE HE!

8. Khuafah (Sky In Your Heart)

Khuafah, the HOT CHARMING doctor that you are. i would volunteer to get sick every day just to visit him 🫠

7. Gene (Lovely Writer)

if Gene ever needs to write a straight romance novel, i'm happy to make out with him for research purposes 😉

6. Pisaeng (Be My Favorite)

most patient boyfriend who tries super hard to get you plushies? yea i would bang Pisaeng in a heartbeat, no doubt. in fact, i believe Pisaeng would be considerate and wait for me to be ready (Pisaeng babe i'm always ready for you 😉)

5. Tennoji Haru (Trillion Game)

while Trillion Game is DEFINITELY not BL, but Meguro Ren was in Kieta Hatsukoi so my boy should get a PASS 😤 Haru is confident yet humble, self-proclaimed selfish yet always selfless. god i love competent men *swoons* Trillion Game is out on Netflix, please check out my boy Haru and his boy(friend) Gaku and their start-up adventure together 🥺👉👈.

4. Charn (Laws of Attraction)

while i can't guarantee that i can give Charn a good time, i believe that as a fellow lawyer i can assist Charn with any case work he got. Like i said, i am a sucker for competent men 😮‍💨.

3. Tangmo (Great Men Academy)

you don't understand how obsessed i am with the og golden retriever, nation's boyfriend, Tangmo. it's been 4? years... i have not let him go... gentle soft boi but great at judo too? i think Tangmo and i should have our wrestling sessions ending up as makeout sessions.

2. Joe (My Stand In)

this is kind of a cheat but i've read the original novel for My Stand In (Professional Body Double by Shui Qian Cheng) and i can confirm Joe/Zhou Xiang is the sweetest soul, most precious, unluckiest gay ever (Ming, you are on sight, watch it sir or imma steal Joe away). i'm super excited for My Stand In because i hope i get to fall in love with Joe once again the way i fell super hard, head over heels for him when i finished this danmei novel within less than 24 hours. (was this shameless PR for Poom Phuripan's new BL series next year? yes, yes it absolutely was 🤗)

1. Khun Yai and Jom (I Feel You Linger In The Air)

if i don't have a gentle lover like Khun Yai Kritsada Palathip or a soft boyfriend like Jom Ravit Pittayanan then what's the POINT. i want both of them so BAD. also isn't it such a crime that Yai lives his entire life the rest of his live in celibacy, having fucked only ONE person (the love of his life) in his lifetime. LET ME IN. i will love both of you equally.

+ bonus: Chef Guy (Bake Me Please)

did you REALLY think i was gonna end my list without current loml, our resident sad boi, considerate and caring Chef Guy? 😅 Guy deserves a spot on here because well i'm absolutely feral for this man. Guy is just the nicest guy and i will literally do anything for him. Guy had me at hello but my heart truly broke when he comforted Peach saying he doesn't want to see Peach who's given him so much positivity, cry 😭.

oooooh that was soooo hard ;_; i love all these characters, maybe one day i need to start listing the female characters i'd totally hypothetically bang too because WOMEN ARE HOT 🔥.

[linane-art]

GF's AUpocalypse 2024 - Cinderella AU

Bonus fullsize Fili

MY OTHER EDITS

There's also a bit of a story to go with this one, some 5.2k of it. I've been sitting on it since April 2017.

However, before you read it, you should know that it's not great, in fact, I consider it to be sub-standard writing for me, and will not be publishing it on my AO3 or anywhere else. It's also unfinished and will not be getting finished - you should also know that.

Fundamentally, I wrote as much as I did and had a major disagrement with the concept of 'love at first sight'. You see, to my mind, it doesn't work for FiKi as a pairing (or possibly it just doesn't work, full stop). What my heart wants is about 80k-100k of a slow burn, covering the span of about 6 decades where they get to know each other, heaps of mutual pining, construct proper personalities for both Fili and Kili, unpack the blatant inequality of power between them etc. etc. I want to flesh out and develop plot-lines for Dis, Thorin and the Ri-brothers, and figure out how the magic works in this universe.

But the original Cinderella fairytale doesn't allow me the space for all of that. It's all: ball > marriage > happily ever after. Which to me, frankly, is utter nonsense. *Shrug*

But it fitted perfectly with the photoset I came up with and I'm glad to see it aired out and of my Writing Folder, so here goes nothing:

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

Prince Fili’s Third Coming of Age Ceremony took place at a tender age of 65.

It was early perhaps, but then these were perilous times: the Prince was not only battle-ready, he’d had some practical experience of it, having taken part in a number of skirmishes with orcs around the kingdom’s borders. He was a fierce warrior, a cunning diplomat and a hot-headed idiot in turns, which in the common folk was met with a mix of disgruntled admiration and exasperation. But he was liked well-enough and easily acknowledged as King Thorin’s heir both within the kingdom’s borders and outside of them. He’d inherited the position; but he made it truly his own with charm, charisma and hard work.

Had he fully understood what the Ceremony entailed, Fili himself would have perhaps resisted, but he was young and confident and used to getting his own way. Besides, the Third Coming of Age meant far greater freedom and independence from the Crown and, like any young dwarf, Fili pounced at the opportunity of having a longer leash.

The celebrations were planned to befit the grandeur of the House of Durin: there was to be a great ball of course, guests from the four corners of the world, tables laid full to the brim with good food and drink, music and entertainment, and even a firework display at midnight.

Once again, Fili graciously agreed, happy enough to share his own joy with others and delighted to have some merriment within the walls of a usually restrained palace.

The trouble started when Thorin let slip that he’d be looking for a bride for Fili during the ball. It was important that Fili was married as soon as possible and would be better yet if he had a bairn on the way not long after. Succession was paramount to kingdom’s stability and Thorin was nothing if not determined to have not only an heir, but also a spare.

There was a meticulously planned and researched list of eligible princesses, all lined up to be whisked away onto the ballroom floor, in appropriate order of course, sized up as potential brides, and romanced just enough to become an enthusiastic fiancée or an un-problematic rejection. The ball was now less than a month away and all invitations had been sent, with folk pouring into the mountain day and night, all excited to boot at this excellent opportunity to get utterly plastered at someone else’s expense.

In short: it was too late now to back out.

Luckily, Prince Fili, who at that point had 65 years’ worth of experience in dealing with his King and uncle, kept his cool.

“Yes uncle,” he agreed with a grin just wide enough to suggest to an ardent observant that mischief was brewing in that clever head of his.

Luckily, King Thorin, was not the most ardent of observants.

Fili bowed with just a touch too much charisma and left the Council chambers to the respectfully low murmur of voices.

And then he did what any young dwarf would have done in his place: he hatched a plan.

---

Kili gave a triumphant little grunt, as he finally managed to remove a particularly stubborn patch of soot from the inside of the fireplace. He’d been scrubbing at it for the past 20 minutes and had to admit that it felt good to be finally getting somewhere.

“You’ve missed a spot,” Dori supplied behind him helpfully, pointing to the opposite corner with a poker.

Kili sighed and crawled in that direction. When it came to cleanliness, Dori was a tyrant.

He started scrubbing anew.

It wouldn’t be fair to say that Dori was being mean per se. He himself had been polishing all the wooden furniture just feet behind Kili, which might have been a cleaner job, but no less labour intensive. It was simply that Dori had really high standards when it came to cleanliness of a respectable dwarven homestead. Higher even than Kili’s own mother and that was saying something.

Still, could be worse, Kili supposed: Ori had been relegated to cleaning the outhouse.

He sighed and attacked the stonework again. At least Nori was nowhere to be found, which meant that Kili couldn’t get into trouble. For now.

---

It took Prince Fili a while to weasel the right info out of the right people. It was important though that he got this right, and Fili took his time. He only had one shot at this.

It was only a week before the party when he finally managed to get away from the Palace for long enough to make the trip.

He pulled his hood tighter around his annoyingly-recognisable golden head, before stepping confidently into the light.

“Are you the one they call the Fairy Godmother?” he addressed the dwarrowdam by a cart, who was overseeing it being loaded with some heavy-looking casks by three burly characters.

She turned away from the wagon slowly, giving him a measured once-over. The scrutiny chafed somewhat, when directed at the royal heir without an ounce of respectful deference, but Fili stood his ground and offered what he hoped was a friendly smile.

“That depends on who’s asking,” she said and tilted her head curiously. Behind her, three sets of hands produced an array of heavy and sharp objects indicating that there was a correct answer to this question.

Fili held out his empty hands, hoping that the pommels of his daggers weren’t showing. “A simple, unarmed traveller, who has use of your… services and will pay for them handsomely.”

He produced a heavy purse of coins and offered it on his outstretched palm.

She arched an eyebrow at him, as if to say ‘that’s what you’re going with?! Really?!’, but took the coin and gestured for the other three to stand down and get back to loading the barrels.

Fili attempted his best friendly smile once more.

“And what is it that you want from the Fairy Godmother? Fame? Fortune? Both?” her voice was dripping with sarcasm.  

Fili took a deep breath. “I wish to marry the one person in all my life that I will truly love,” he demanded. “And soon. Like… in the next week or so.”

The woman snorted. “Honestly, lad, in your position that’s hardly a sensible wish. Fame and fortune would have been easier.”

“Sensible or not, is it possible? Men in taverns all the way from the Mountain to the very ends of our lands swear by your name, so I understand you have the power equal almost to that of the wizards. Unless this simple wish is beyond you?”

Flattery, sprinkled liberally with a hefty dose of goading. He’d honed that particular technique on the Elven delegations.

“Son, I sell spirits,” the dwarrowdam deadpanned. “Spirits happen to be exactly what men in the taverns wish for more than anything. Sometimes they call me the Fairy Godmother for it. That is all.”

It was an unfamiliar feeling, as if he had lost his footing all of a sudden, but Fili recovered quickly. “Fine spirits too, as I see. Is that blue absinthe seal that my eyes see on those barrels already loaded?”

“What’s it to you?” the sorceress’ eyes narrowed and, as if by some unspoken command, the sharp implements behind her manifested themselves once again.

“Nothing,” Fili took a step back in a minor tactical retreat. “Only if I am to have my heart shattered, I should very much like to purchase one of those. You know, to soothe the pain.”

“They are not for sale. Already paid for and going to the Ceremony,” she gave him a Look that was more of a threat than the blunt tools she indirectly controlled.

Contrary to the popular belief Fili did have a self-preservation instinct. He just wasn’t very good at consulting it.

“Oh, I see! Only, I happen to know that the royal requisitioners are out of the invoice forms for these,” he said. “Something to do with the printing presses and a mucky contingent of ink, I believe. So that would make this little operation of yours technically… um, black market.”

The sorceress glared and Fili had to admit that the glare was rather impressive.

Still not completely sure he had the upper hand, he gave her his best dimpled smile, the one that made people drop things sometimes.

Finally the Fairy Godmother sighed, rolled her eyes, unceremoniously grabbed Fili by the elbow and pulled him away from the others. “There may be a way, but it doesn’t work well on young, hot-headed fools,” she hissed ominously once they were out of the earshot.

Fili nodded seriously, reassured that he was at least eligible. “Excellent.”

“The Spell of True Love. It will work regardless of whether you agree with your heart’s choice or not. People often overlook that last point.”

Fili nodded again.

“There is a price to pay.”

“I was expecting that.”

“For every moment you spend with your love when you first meet them, you will spend years and decades apart before you can finally be together.”

“… Years or decades?”

“A long time!  It’s not exact science!”

“Right, right. And how long do you consider to be a moment?”

“Seriously?!”

“This is quite important,” Fili protested.

The sorcerers spun on her heel and made to walk away.

“No, wait! I accept!” he decided on the spot.

The dwarrowdam stopped.

Turned.

Looked him up and down.

Fili, once more, withstood the scrutiny.

“Alright then,” she said finally and the Prince breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thank you, truly. Now what do you need for your spell?  Some of my blood? A lock of hair? A black chicken to sacrifice at midnight?”

She stared at him again. It was getting unnerving. “Your heart is young yet, but kind and likeable enough for someone who might find that cockiness of yours charming somehow,” the sorceress said finally, making him feel strangely flattered. “But you’re also an idiot,” she finished.

“Er…” Fili was not used to this kind of treatment. “Thanks. Mostly. Now, about the contract –“.

“No contract,” she threw over her shoulder, now almost back to her wagon.

“No contract?!” Dwarves felt strangely unnerved when they didn’t have a piece of parchment in their hand which clearly defined each party’s roles and responsibilities. “But then how will I know?!”

“You just will.”

“But when?!”

“Soon.”

“How soon?! It would have to be at the ball at the latest, otherwise I fear even your magic won’t be able to make my uncle change his mind.”

Fairy Godmother calmly climbed to the seat of her cart full of contraband booze. “You’re going to have to trust me,” she told him by the way of goodbye and clicked on her ponies to walk on.

---

Dis got back home later than she expected.

By then the house was mostly asleep, including Kili, who had somehow slotted himself, legs and all, into an armchair in front of the fire. He’d clearly been waiting for her.

She paused to watch her son for a moment. He had a smudge of soot on his cheek and dark stains, probably of the same nature over the knees of his trousers. He looked exhausted and his knuckles were scuffed.

She sat heavily on the sofa opposite from him and stared into the fire for a moment.

This was not a life she had envisaged for her son. When she and Myori fell in love, both of them widows – she, once, Myori staggering three times – it looked as if life had finally slotted itself onto the right tracks.

They both had families of their own of course, but with all four boys between them grown and close to leaving home, it seemed like they could make it work. Dis finally took over her father’s brewery full time and Myori dived head-first into her fledgling alterations business.

It felt like they were living once again and there was laughter in the house even if every now and then teenage boys sparked into some new drama.

Little did she know that they only had three short years together ahead of them. Illness took her love and there was nothing Dis could do about it. It was then that she promised herself never to dabble in love magic again.

Love – she couldn’t remember any more why people craved to be loved so much. 

And now she was the only mother the four of them had left.

There was no backing out though, not when they all depended on her, not to mention all the families the brewery employed.

She wasn’t spending nearly enough time with Kili, and if she was honest with herself, that was the one thing that was eating at her the most.

He must have felt like an orphan at times, but he smiled for her all the same and did his best to be useful around the house. She knew he worked hard, perhaps harder than he should have, if Dori was involved. Dori, who was a perfectionist and had his own home for a time, but returned now to help her look after his two younger brothers.

Kili deserved better; they all did.

Dis sighed and licked her thumb so she could try and wipe the soot off Kili’s cheek.

“Wha -?” he blinked at her owlishly and stirred in his seat.

“Hey, there, Grasshopper. You should be in bed,” she smiled at him.

“Cooked you dinner. S’ on the stove,” he mumbled and returned the smile when she kissed the top of his head.

“Thank you. Now scamper off to bed.”

“No. I’ll sit with you.”

“Kili.”

Her son sighed dramatically in that peculiar way all teenage dwarves seemed to have, but obediently padded towards the stairs.

“Night, mum.”

“Good night, Kili.”

Dis didn’t move immediately. Instead she sat back for a moment longer and pondered the dubious problems of a princely life.

And then she blinked, as a terrifying thought gained momentum in her mind like a fully loaded cart with no breaks on.

---

Prince Fili made it back to his chambers just as the steps sounded on the corridor outside his door. Thankfully, this was hardly his first time sneaking out, so Fili kept a cool head: he kicked off his boots, ran his fingers through his hair and in one smooth move rolled under the covers.

“Fili?” his uncle peered into the room before approaching his bed.

Fili performed his best snore and tried to slow down his breathing.

Bed next to him dipped a little as his uncle and king sat on the edge of the mattress and moved to stroke Fili’s soft, golden hair away from his face.

“You must be exhausted from all the preparations,” his uncle’s low voice sounded in the spacious chambers. “Don’t you worry, sister-son. We will find you a worthy bride, I have taken all the right steps. In your position there will be times when she’ll be your only source of solace, so we’ll be sure to get it right,” he whispered, then tugged Fili’s fur-lined covers up to tuck his shoulder in.

Fili supposed that it must have been difficult, not having a child of your own, or a consort to share your life with. Thorin had had plenty of offers back in his time, but he’d always put the affairs of the kingdom first, until eventually the offers stopped coming. Fili was going to do it all in reverse: consort first, affairs of the kingdom second. Not because he was selfish, but because he thought that a good consort made for a brilliant king.

Blue eyes opened just as the door closed once again. “I have taken steps too, uncle,” Fili informed his chambers, before setting about pulling the rest of his clothes off and making himself comfortable.

---

Dis cast her runes.

She squinted, peering at the answer they formed.

“No,” she huffed, gathered them once more and cast them again.

Yes, the runes insisted.

Dis rolled her eyes and lit another candle. “Give me another option,” she demanded and cast again.

This time all of the runes bounced straight off the table, landing in a complete gibberish on the floor.

“Absolutely not,” Dis insisted with emphasis, focussing all her energy and causing the six candles around her to burn blue for a while. “Tell me.”

The runes, perhaps fed up with the stubbornness of dwarves, bypassed the subtle hints and suggestions and simply lined themselves into neat, straight lines of a name:

KILI

---

A lazy Saturday morning, some 6 days later found Kili fighting with his tunic.

“This is way too fancy, mum!” he whined, when his hair caught in the elaborate lacing around the neck.

“Nonsense, you have to look your best. It’s the Royal Palace, Mahal’s sake!” she snapped and helped him find the edge of the collar only to reveal the desperate state of his hair.

“Fancy clothes or not, I’ll be standing out like a sore thumb,” Kili huffed, but finally managed to fit all his various limbs into the right holes. “I don’t belong there! They probably won’t even let me in.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! The posters clearly invited everyone who wished to attend ‘with good will in their hearts and best wishes for the Prince’.”

The rest of the household was still asleep when Dis slipped into her son’s room with a little parcel in her hands – which was just as well, since they only had the one set.

The clothes had been made by Myori, as one of her most lucrative orders ever, and then returned for some petty reason or another. The tunic was a beautiful navy blue shade, embroidered in real silver thread, free-flowing from the waist down. The trousers were made out of fine, dark fabric and had a flattering cut.

Thank Mahal, although Myori would have wanted to alter it here and there, for the most part the clothes suited Kili great.

“But why do I have to go?!” Kili whined for the umpteenth time and attempted to sort out his hair, which only made everything worse.

Dis huffed and took a brush to it yet again. “It’s fate,” she told him once more, matter-of-factly, like the previous five times. “Besides, there will be free food and drink for all. All the high society, the great and powerful of our kingdom. Who knows, you might even find the love of your life there!”

“Amad…” he gently caught her wrist and half-turned to look her in the eye.

“You’re going, and that’s final,” she told him sternly, ushering him out into the corridor. “Come on, your carriage awaits!”

“My carriage?!”

“You’re taking the cart.”

“I can’t take the cart to a Royal Coming of Age Ceremony!! I’d rather walk!”

“Which I would approve of normally, if we had about 2 days to spare. But since we don’t, you’re taking the cart,” she practically shoved him up onto it. “Now then. Mind your language and manners, always remember who you are and – oh. You must return the cart by sunrise. My other orders do not stop just for a fancy dress party.”

“By – sunrise?! But that’s -”

“You’ll need to leave at midnight at the latest.”

“Mother!”

“Don’t you ‘mother’ me, young man!” She gave him a look, which seemed just a tiny bit too harsh to be believable. “Now off with you.”

After that she slapped the pony’s rear and suddenly Kili went from naught to twenty in no time at all.

It wasn’t until he made it to the next town over that Kili realised that with all the ushering, grooming and cajoling, he was still wearing his comfortable, worn house slippers.

---

Prince Fili was certain that his legs were going to fall off any minute now.

He’d danced twenty dances straight. A lesser dwarf would have thrown in the towel by now, grabbed the nearest fair-bearded, highly-accomplished, delightfully charming, brilliantly-intelligent, exquisitely-well-connected beauty and called it a day.

But not Fili.

Fili could, and would out-stubborn Thorin, who was widely regarded as the most stubborn dwarf in the land. It was a point of personal pride, honed over long decades of his childhood. So instead he stomped towards the ale station and poured himself an entire tankard of whatever happened to be on the tap.

He’d chugged down about half of it in one go, which deprived him of a view of one excellently-dressed, yet utterly befuddled dark-haired youth stumbling in through the main entrance.

Fili licked his moustache and threw a desperate glance at a hall heaving with excellent opportunities.

Then blinked.

His heart beat faster and if Fili believed in such nonsense, he’d swear that the room fell silent in that moment, the candles twinkled around them a little warmer, the air smelled sweeter and –

The lad, with an unerring instinct of his young and thirsty dwarven blood, zeroed in on the drinks station and strutted purposefully towards it, with every intention of drinking the house down.

He was coming towards Fili. For Fili. To save him from a love-less life.

The lad reached for an empty tankard, and Fili, like a seasoned battle commander that he was, made his move.

“Would you do me the honour of a dance?”

The dark-haired dwarf jumped and turned to look behind himself. Then to the sides. “What, me?!”

“Yes, you.” Fili cringed and then slapped himself mentally. “Forgive me, I’m being rude. I would have addressed you by your name, but I’m afraid I’ve missed it upon your arrival.”

“It’s Kili, actually,” the lad replied, head cocked to one side curiously. “And you are –“

“Prince Fili of the House Durin –“

Kili dropped his tankard.

“Excellent, now you have free hands!” Fili decided for both of them, practically threw his own tankard at the nearest servant and swept Kili right onto the dance floor.

---

“Oh, hell no!” Dis groaned, watching as a delicate silk ribbon, which up until a moment ago peacefully occupied one of the drawers of her dresser, now tied itself into a perfect, triple bow.

She yanked at one end, but it held. Beside her a candle flame turned blue.

Dis narrowed her eyes and breathed deeply. She supposed if she got her son this far, she’d have to get him the rest of the way too.

---

“You… look uncomfortable,” amused, but not unkind blue eyes watched him as they sailed across the sea of swirling couples.

“I wasn’t exactly planning on dancing with a Prince.”

Fili arched an eyebrow at him and Kili wondered if he’d said the wrong thing. “Would you have danced with any other dwarf?”

“Depends on the dwarf.”

That got him an incredulous smile and Kili stared at the dimples which peeked from behind a neat, honey-coloured beard.

He wasn’t prepared for the easy charm, strength and intelligence he saw. Something else underneath it all, quiet, but hopeful. He wasn’t prepared for the normality of it all. It didn’t feel like he met a Prince; it didn’t feel like he met any other dwarf either.

It felt like he met someone special, someone who might have been a friend if they had enough time together.

Kili swallowed, torn about what he should do next. He didn’t want to joke and flirt and try too hard to keep their conversation casual, when it simply wasn’t. Equally, he couldn’t very well plunge into any meaningful conversation, when they only likely had a few moments together.

“You look like you have questions,” Fili guided him gently, the same way he guided the movements of his body. “You should ask, even if only a couple. Otherwise you’ll forever wish you had.”

---

Thorin did a double-take.

Fili’s partner was beautiful and dressed in a way that spoke of pedigree, wealth and class. She was grace and poise itself, as they glided across the dance floor like they belonged together. They were also deep in conversation, real conversation, which was more than could have been said for any of Fili’s previous partners.

His nephew had been nothing if not courteous to all of the various assorted princesses and duchesses and ladies of appropriate breeding, and he’d danced with all of them in the pre-prescribed order, until Thorin was beginning to feel kind of guilty about the whole affair.

He knew Fili and he knew when he was being polite, but not invested. If he was honest, Thorin was expecting much more of a rebellion, so when Fili continued on his best behaviour, Thorin started to wait for the other shoe to drop.  

But now… now the whole thing was beginning to look like it had been worth it.

He watched as one song came to an end with Fili swirling his partner in a wide arc, which landed her in his arms, with her rich, dark brown hair sweeping around his neck like a shawl.

Their eyes locked for a moment, their chests heaving as they held on.

And then Fili disregarded his next ticket and guided the mysterious lady into another dance.

Thorin allowed himself a single smug grin and then ordered another shot of the excellent blue absinthe they were serving.

---

“I saw a fire moon once. It rose over the pass near Dunland. Huge! Red and gold it was, it filled the sky.”

Fili was drowning in expressive brown eyes. Right in that moment he wanted to see the fire moon too, with Kili. He could have listened to him for days, describing the smallest and biggest of adventures.

Then the clock chimed midnight and the magical tales stopped abruptly.

“Oh shoot, I have to go!”

“What, now?!” Fili whirled them to gentle stop around the edge of the dance floor.

“Yes, right now! Mum will kill me if I don’t return with the – ah, carriage – on time!”

“The – what?!” Fili blinked. That sentence didn’t make any sense.

“I’m sorry!” Kili threw him a pleading look and took off back towards the entrance, promptly disappearing in the throng of other guests.

“Kili!” Fili tried to follow, but was hampered by all those who spotted that he was finally free to engage once more. By the time he’d made his excuses and got outside, all he could see was Kili at the very bottom of the staircase –

- Tripping over his own feet and very nearly face-planting into the gravel of the front drive.

Kili waved his arms about and, through sheer witchcraft it seemed, managed to find his balance once again. Something flew off his person and he stopped to search for it briefly, but whatever it was, from his position Fili saw that it wedged itself high in a nearby hedge and got stuck there.  

He tried to run down to help, but he was too far away.

Kili threw a few choice words in the general direction of the staircase, which would have impressed the Mountain’s mining community, turned on his heel and stomped away, somewhat unevenly.

Around Fili, who was only half way down the grand stairs at that point, a thousand brilliant fireworks exploded, making him duck automatically and try to take cover.

And somehow in that moment Fili just knew.

But Kili was gone. For several dreadful heartbeats Fili felt horribly alone, left with an array of princesses, all of them completely disqualified by the lack of the right laughing brown eyes.

And then he remembered that he had had a plan. A brilliant plan, which so far had been executed flawlessly.

Fili moved. He had a shoe to find.

---

Thorin rolled out of the grand banqueting hall as soon as he realised that he couldn’t see Fili and his lady dancing anywhere.

This proved to be a bit of a challenge, since the floor decided to resist him, what with the copious amounts of blue absinthe he had ingested during the course of the evening.

Thorin snarled. He was the King, damn it; he had people for just such things! He called for Dwalin and together with his best friend and a loyal companion of many other such battles, they defeated the evil forces of gravity just enough to make it outside after his nephew.

---

Fili sat on the stairs and stared.

The shoe was – there was really no other way to put it – a worn, falling-apart, slipper. It was stretched, discoloured and if he was honest with himself, it didn’t smell too good either.

He held it cautiously at arm’s length and debated his options.

In all fairness, Fili wasn’t paying enough attention to Kili’s feet to be able to identify if it was the same sort of footwear as he had been wearing right from the start. He was certain however, that the brunet left sans one of his shoes and the slipper happened to be the only shoe available.

Perhaps it held some sort of sentimental value, like a treasured family heirloom, to be worn only on special occasions, Fili tried to reason with himself, when his uncle and the Head of is Personal Guard both barrelled down the stairs towards him in a slightly life-threatening manner.

“Well, where’d she go?!” Fili’s King and uncle demanded.

“She?!” Granted, Kli’s beard hadn’t grown in properly yet, leaving him with an adorable stubble, which made Fili want to run his fingers all over it, but that was an uncalled for remark.

“Oh, don’t play coy with me now, it doesn’t suit you. Your lady! Dark blue dress with silver bits. Dark hair – we are taking that one, I hope you agree. Now, what was her name? We shall send for her within the week.”

Fili hesitated. He wasn’t sure he wanted anyone being sent for on his account. Perhaps Kili didn’t want life in the palace at all. Perhaps he preferred his fire moons and the freedom that came with them.

“I don’t know. I didn’t catch it when she first arrived, and it seemed silly to ask for it later, when we danced” he lied smoothly, without batting an eyelid.

Thorin gaped.

Fili stood his ground, metaphorically. If he was going to marry the person he loved, he was going to do it because they loved him back and not on the orders of a King, damn it. Somehow. This was going to happen. He just needed to… aid his spell a little.

Thorin sat down heavily next to him on the stairs. “Do not fret, nephew. We will find her. At least we have this –“

He took the slipper from Fili’s hands and stared, mesmerised, at an exquisite, petite crystal pump which seemed to fracture the moonlight like a diamond.

Fili stared too, at a shoe which changed between one glance and another, and silently kicked himself for not having insisted on a proper contract when he’d had the chance. With a Sorceress no less!

He had no idea what the terms and conditions of this romance were.

---

Dis’ son arrived with the first rays of sunshine and missing one shoe. He looked exhausted.

“Well, how was it? Did you get to meet the Prince?” she issued a quick-fire round of questions.

Kili threw her a Look and in the warm, golden rays hitting his face at a low angle, he looked like nothing less than a King himself.

“Like I left a piece of me behind,” her son told her and slipped heavily off the wagon, throwing her the reins.

---

[eventinelysplayground]

Wake The Blacksmith

Kinktober Day 6: Voice Kink|Discipline/Punishment

Pairing: Clavis x Female Reader

This fic was fun for me to write, I haven't written much with Clavis yet but there's so much you can do with him. The title of the fic is a play on the last line of Robin Hood Men in Tights. Clavis has gone to far this time and you decide to punish him for it. CW: light bondage and teasing. This fic is NSFW so minors do not interact. WC approx 1805.

Clavis stood in front of the desk in your room looking over some paperwork when he heard the door very faintly open and shut. He knew it was coming in and that you were trying not to be noticed, no doubt you had planned something to get back at him for what happened earlier. Briefly he thought about turning around and ruining your plan but at the last minute he pushed the idea aside, what's the worst that could happen after all?

Your footsteps were exceptionally light and they stopped almost right behind him and he heard you take a steadying breath followed by the sound of something metal. It took him only a few seconds to recognize the noise as handcuffs and his eyebrow perked up.

Well now, just what are you planning to do with those my lovely fiancee? Not that it really matters, I'll have them off in no time. Oh well, I can be generous and let you think you've won this one for now.

Still with his back to you he felt the metal touch his wrists followed by the clicking sound as you shut them.

“My my, what is this for my lovely fiance?”

“You know very well what this is for!”

“Hahaha of course I do! You're feeling jealous that your darling Clavis has been spending so much time away from you and want to keep me fro-”

“I was having tea with the Princess!”

“I see, you're sad I broke my promise to use my traps only on you. To be fair I hadn't planned for that one to go off at that exact moment.”

“Clavis!”

You huffed and stomped your foot giving him what you no doubt thought was an admonishing stare; but alas you looked to cute even mad for him to take you seriously.

“There were flowers and confetti everywhere, I was so embarrassed!”

“I'm sorry my darling love, but from what I heard Princess Mirelle found it amusing once she recovered from the shock.”

“That's not the point! You deserve to be punished for what you did.”

“I assume that's why I'm wearing these.”

Clavis raised his hands a little, making the chain rattle.

“Yes, I'm not going to let you get away with it this time.”

You set your lips in a hard line and your cheeks were flushed. Clavis laughed internally delighted at the situation and the attention.

“Well since you're so serious, I'm ready to see just what punishment you have in store for me my lovely lover.”

Clavis lowered his voice almost purring at you. Normally he could smooth over the worst of your ire by showering you with love but…

“Oh no you don't, not today.”

Apparently you were more resolved than normal, or more angry with him, either way he found it amusing. He laughed out loud as you placed your hands on his chest and gave him a shove making him fall back into the desk chair. He was still laughing as you stepped away from him and studied him for a moment before nodding your head.

“Is your plan to lecture me? Or perhaps leave me here to think about what I've done and repent?”

“No! My plan…my plan is…”

Clavis tilted his head in curiosity. Your earlier bravado and anger seemed to subside in an instant and the red flush of anger on your cheeks was very quickly being replaced by a pink one that traveled up to your ears.

Just what are you up to my lovely fiance?

He watched you shake your head and let out the breath you had been holding as you squeezed your hands into fists.

“For you to have to sit there and not be able to touch me.”

Well…that's not what I was expecting, though it would explain the handcuffs. What exactly is she thinking about doing though? Regardless this is delightful and I should play along just a bit longer.

“That does sound like quite the punishment, depending on exactly what you do.”

Clavis grinned impishly at you as he waited for a reply but none came. Instead you reached for the top button of your blouse and slowly undid it, then the next and the next.

Oh my, it seems my darling little rabbit intends to give me a show. This certainly is a punishment, or it would be for somebody not as skilled as I am.

Clavis kept his eyes on you as his hands fumbled behind his back. He deftly retrieved his lockpick from his sleeve and went to go about undoing the handcuffs.

What??

Clavis' face fell only for a moment but you apparently still noticed as you let out a giggle.

“Those are a special pair of handcuffs, metal's been melted into the keyhole so you won't be able to get them off. Well not without the help of a blacksmith at least."

Clavis' eyes widened in disbelief.

“Where did you…”

“Prince Keith gave them to me, he wasn't too happy with what happened to his sister either.”

Clavis was still coming to terms with the reality of being unable to free himself when you reached the last button on your blouse. He watched you slowly pull it off one shoulder at a time then letting it slip from your arms. He could feel his cock starting to throb and grow already and he grit his teeth.

“Come my lovely fiance, do you really want to do this?”

He watched as you nodded a coquettish smile on your face.

“I'm certain.”

Damn it. What was Keith doing with something like this anyways! It will be fine…

Clavis' thoughts came to a halt as you slowly tugged on the top lace of your corset. Carefully and painfully slowly you undid each corset lace until it hung loosely off your shoulders. Clavis' eyes were burning with lust and focused on your every movement. You shrugged your shoulders out of the corset dropping it to the floor before you sat on the edge of the bed and hiked up your skirt. Clavis swallowed hard as he watched your delicate fingers teasingly roll down one stocking then the other exposing your beautiful legs.

Clavis followed you with his eyes as you walked over to him, your stockings still in your hands. You stood as far away as you could from him and began leaning towards him. He was desperate to feel you but instead of kissing him you quickly crouched down and wrapped one of your stockings around his ankle. He jerked the other away from you before you could tie it to the chair as well.

“That's fine, this will still keep you in here.”

Clavis glared at you as you stood back up and moved away from him again.

“My lovely fiance, you certainly have become quite naughty. Where did you learn such behavior?”

“From my darling lover of course.”

Clavis sighed realizing he was beat, this time at least, and he helplessly watched as you removed the rest of your clothing. His cock straining against the buttons of his pants desperate to be released. This had already been enough for him but unfortunately you weren't finished with him yet.

Once you were naked you walked over to the bed and lifted one leg onto the bed. You bent over and slowly ran your fingertips up along your leg. Clavis growled and went to move but you had tied his one ankle surprisingly tight and he was pulled back onto the chair.

He watched as you repeated the arousing yet torturing sight with the other leg, this time when you reached the top instead of just stopping you let the fingers he could see move along and graze your sensitive spot and he bit his lip. His cock was twitching and straining even more against his pants and he wanted nothing more than to touch you and make love to you. As he bit his lip in frustration you turned to face him running your hands under your hair and letting it fall around you before bringing your hands down to your sides slowly caressing them.

Clavis was almost rabid as he watched your hands moving along your body wishing they were his. Just as he thought he couldn't take anymore you stopped and he let out a low groan as he shifted on the chair trying to find any relief from the discomfort of his cock being unjustly contained. He saw you smile as you crouched down and began to crawl across the floor towards him.

This is not, you can't, I won't survive it!

“Stop right there my lovely fiance.”

But you didn't stop, you just smiled even more. You reached his lap and brought your lips to his bulge kissing it before undoing his pants and setting it free and taking it into your mouth.

Clavis groaned, the feel of your lips tight around his cock making him want to touch you and pleasure you even more. He watched as you bobbed up and down his length while your tongue ran along his tip.

“When I get ngh out of these…”

Clavis said nothing more as his eyes closed and he felt himself about to cum. You had picked up on it as well and gripped him around the base as you went faster. Not long after he thrust his hips as he unloaded his thick cum in your mouth. He watched the way your throat moved as you swallowed every last bit of it down before licking his cock clean and putting it back into his pants. He thought surely now you would at least let him kiss you but you just stood up and walked away from him back to your clothes and began to dress.

“Very funny my love, now untie me and come her so I-”

“No.”

“No?”

I swear when I get free…

“This isn't fun any more, now quickly-”

“It wasn't supposed to be fun, it's a punishment, remember?”

My my she's grown quite devious, I'd be proud if I hadn't been on the receiving end. Not that I'm going to tell her that of course.

Clavis watched half-heartedly as you left the room and only vaguely heard you wish him goodnight. After all, he was too busy coming up with a plan to get you back for this most creative punishment.

A few hours later the door to the bedroom opened but it wasn't you that came in, it was Cyran and Clavis greeted him with a strained and twisted smile.

“Be a dear Cyran, wake the blacksmith will you.”

Cyran said nothing instead he just let out a sigh and sent up a silent prayer for his lady as he shut the door and walked off to carry out his master's request.

Tag List: @queengiuliettafirstlady, @nightghoul381, @nani-nani-nani.

[actuallysaiyan]

Freaky Stories: A Monster Prompt List

Welcome ghouls to another prompt list by yours truly. Since I have finished Kinktober and I'm on vacation, I thought why not have a prompt list. Down below are a few rules to follow!

RULES

Please only choose up to two of the prompts in the list of your choosing.

Be clear about who you'd like to have say the lines. Whether it be reader or the character.

I'll mostly write fem!reader but I'm open to trying male!reader as well.

I will be writing these all the way up til Halloween and then maybe a few days after, but any prompts received after October 31st will be ignored. I apologize as I know I don't finish prompt lists often but I'd like to try and finish this one.

Please be kind and have fun! Think of this almost as a Trick or Treat event of sorts!

These prompts are all written by me. They feature 5 prompts for 6 different monsters.

Fandoms I will be writing for: MHA, JJK, Dragon Ball, Naruto, Bleach, FF7, Ranma 1/2, Demon Slayer, Chainsaw Man, Devil May Cry, Kill La Kill...along with others in my fandom list in my rules, but these are probably the main ones.

The Prompts

Werewolves

“I'm going to keep my knot in you, so my seed will take.”

“Look at you, covered in my marks. Everyone will know you belong to me.”

“You know it's the full moon. I can't control myself around you right now.”

“Careful, little mate. You're tempting me right now and I could easily fall into a rut.”

“Are you in heat? How adorable…let me help you with that.”

Vampires

“I can smell you from here. Do you have any idea how much you drive me insane?”

“You should have run when you had the chance. Now I cannot tear myself away from you.” 

“I can hear your heart beating. Are you scared, little dove?”

“I could tear you to fucking shreds, and yet…I'd rather turn you.”

“Here we are…ready to love one another for eternity.”

Dragons 

“How dare you come into my lair and not realize what you were getting yourself into?”

“Tsk tsk…many adventurers have come in here. And none of them have stayed. What makes you think you're any different?”

“You have to take my eggs…take them and have our precious babies.”

“You have my mark on you. That means you've been promised to me for all eternity.”

“Nobody lays a hand on my mate. They don't realize who you belong to.”

Witches 

“A love potion? Don't you know how dangerous those can be? You're better off falling in love with me in the natural way.”

“You've got ancient magic in your blood…just like I do. We were destined to be together.”

“I will lay my life on the line to protect you, but I know you can use magic as well. So why don't you show me what you got?”

“No love spells. Just you and me…and tonight under the full moon.”

“I've known who you are for years. You're my rival…and I love you.”

Siren/Merpeople

“So you heard my song? I didn't think it would affect you.”

“Listen to me…you're here with me forever. It's our destiny.”

“My voice enchanted you. You came to me. Now you must pay the price.”

“Such a cute little human…I knew you'd fall for me.”

“Listen to my voice. Listen to my words. You are mine.” 

Succubus/Incubus/Demon

“Silly little human…so tiny. I'll have fun breaking you in.”

“All those dreams you were having? They were all about me, weren't they?”

“You're in my domain now. And now anything I say…it goes.”

“You belong to me. You said the words and you did the incantation and the invocation…now you are mine.”

“You sold your soul to me. No returns!”

[wandamyconfort]

if I were you.. | CH.2

wanda Maximoff x fem!reader

summary: y/n is best friends with vision, who ironically, is the boyfriend of his worst enemy, wanda maximoff. until one night, when the clock struck midnight, they are both struck by something mysterious that completely changes the fate of their best friends, including a certain redhead… be careful what you wish for.

CH.1

sorry for any translation errors, english is not my first language

You woke up at 6:00 a.m. sharp as usual. I did this every day even on weekends so as not to lose the habit. Soon went to the bathroom to do his facial skin cleanse followed by 30 minutes of elliptical bike. a relaxing shower to soon after get dressed. a black blouse, jeans and white sneakers. you went downstairs quickly and ate breakfast.

Punctually at 8:00 a.m. you was at school, ready for another day that was already promptly scheduled; First class in history, Biology, Physics II and Mathematics. Then about 10 minutes to clear yourself of the likely scratch cards that were yet to come from Wanda, Valkyrie, Sam or Bucky. Then would perform his solo at the club leaving everyone else dumbfounded and dying of envy of his talent. Not to forget, of course, Mrs. Miller who would try to ruin his life. And later after school would go home to Vision to help him with his subjects which he was still struggling.

Vision left his girlfriend's house before the sun came up. Wanda's parents liked her boyfriend, but didn't find it at all pleasant for the boy to enjoy the moment. Since they had to spend the night out for work reasons.

Natalya and Erik worked together because they were two successful entrepreneurs. They had to always be traveling to conferences, meetings, outreaches, and partnerships with other companies. The trips were sometimes to cities closer but also distant, requiring them to stay up to four days away. That was one thing Wanda and vision had in common: the absence of her parents.

But Mrs. Agnes was the one who rescued the girl's parents. A very nice lady who bordered on 70 years old, gray hair and expressive blue eyes.

Wanda had her as a grandmother, or rather a second mother.

The lady who lived alone, despite having a granddaughter who lived in New York with her father, had been caring for Wanda since the frauds. She had a huge affection for the girl that only tended to increase.

Her house was close by, next to her own. To be sure. In her room, the girl was near the window that facilitated communication between them without having to go to the other's house.

- Banana and... Bacon? - asked moving closer to his bedroom window.

The woman nodded with her infectious smile as she stirred the pot.

- Are you coming for coffee or need a formal invitation? - Agnes asked, raising her gaze.

Wanda didn't think twice about running to her grandmother's house. she would never turn down bananas and a good bacon.

(...)

- Your clothes... I don't know what classification to put them in. - She said, as she analyzed you from head to toe.You just rolled your eyes.

- Y/N, l mean it... I've offered you a redesign but I don't know why it costs to refuse... Look at me. - Took a turn for you to analyze the look. - I'm from Celine today. - she said with a proud smile referring to the brand of your clothing as you looked at it as if it had three heads.

- Get out of the way, freak. - Insulted Bucky followed by a scratch card by one of his friends.

-Thug! - she let go as he took a deep breath covered by the newly scratched card.

- I think your Celine outfit is a lot better now. - You can't help it, trying your best to hold back the laughter.

Natasha ignored it.

"My eyes are burning," she paused for a moment and went back to talking still static. - My clothes will stain and my hair that took me hours to tidy up... And now see how it is! - She let out a scream tapping her foot angrily.

-Comes... Let's go to the bathroom. I help you.

(...)

It was exactly 7:30 p.m. when you arrived at the vision house. The boy opened the door and made a funny grimace.

- Punctual, huh? - Smiled letting you walk past him.

- As always. - she added and smiled when saw his mother in sight there.

- Good evening, Mrs. Stark.

- Hey, good night, Y/n! - Smiled friendly at the girl. - I already told you it's just pepper. Without that Mrs.

you blushed in agreement.

"Son, I'm going to have to be on call again today. It was an unforeseen event, Patricia asked me to replace her and I could not deny it... But I've already prepared dinner. - Argued for vision while fiddling with something inside the bag.

The boy sighed shaking his head in agreement.

- Feel at home, honey. - she said goodbye to the two of them by placing a kiss on each other's foreheads. Already near the door she looks at the vision and smiles.

- Mom Loves You.

Vision just gave a half smile listening to the door of the house closing.

- You should tell her. - You filled the silence that had become.

- Say what?

- Vision... Don't make a fool of yourself. To say that you miss her, her company. Saying you wanted her to spend more time with you. Who loves her!

- I don't know what you're talking about. - He tried to disguise himself while looking at the ground.

-Let's go... Stop. I know you very well. - Got close to him stroking the boy's arm.

"I'm your soul sister, remember?" I know you like the back of my hand.

"So let's go, my soul sister, take my math questions because I'm completely lost. Since the teacher arrives saying "Good morning, class!" I get lost. - he tried to change the subject by making her friend laugh.

He led you into the living room where there were several books on the table.

"And there we go," - you whispered.

(...)

The night quickly followed. You tried to help him with all the doubts without realizing that the hours were passing. He looked at the time on his cell phone and almost had a heart attack when he realized it was 11:27 p.m.

- My parents must already be worried, I have to go.

- Yes, of course. I accompany you. - He said already getting up and screwing up his whole body making a grimace appear on his face when he heard several streaks that to you, were agonizing.

- No need. I'm walking and it's not even that far, just a few blocks...

- I'm not crazy about letting you go alone, especially at this time. Not even thinking. - Grabbed his coat that was on the couch and put it on.

"Okay," rolled his eyes. - I'd really be scared to death of going it alone.

-I know. I know you like the back of my hand. - Smiled repeating the same phrase she had used hours ago.

(...)

It was cold and You ran his hands over his arms to try and warm himself in vain. When he realized it, he instantly took off his coat and gave it to you, who smiled thankfully. You both traced the path by talking about trivial things without being able to avoid spontaneous laughter until you stood on your feet staring at something. The boy frowned looking at you and followed gaze. There was a fountain with a large gray statue in the center, very beautiful. you who adorned that huge almost empty square. had never noticed that source there, so you assumed it had been placed recently. Without holding back, they came closer, exploring her.

They just watched her for a while until her voice broke the silence.

- Vision... Why are you with wanda? I swear I don't understand. - It's been a while since you've wanted to ask that.

-Why not? I like it, simple. - Said friendly.

- I honestly don't understand how anyone can like wanda maximoff. She's so... urg. - He shook his head in disgust.

- You say that because you don't really know her. -Retorted. You snorted looking at him.

- I also don't understand how I can be friends with Sam and Bucky's idiots. They're disgusting!

- I'm not friends with them! We're just teammates on the same football team and that's it. You don't see me talking to them, do you? - He shrugged. - And it wouldn't go down well either, since they threw scratch cards in my face when I was a rookie.

- You said it. - Retorted sarcastically

- I don't know what you're complaining about so much, Y/n. Your life is perfect! - you laughed incredulously hearing that.

- No kidding, right, Stark.

- i'm serious. You are decisive, you don't care what others think of you. You know where you came from, where you're going, you have two parents who love you and who will always be by your side. you has an amazing voice for just a seventeen-year-old girl. you has a bright future as a singer, always knew what you wanted and fights to achieve it tooth and nail... And me. He looked at himself letting out a nosey laugh. - I'm a guy who has no idea what he's going to do after high school, I don't know where I'm going... What good is this 'popularity' now, if in a few years it will be worth nothing?

- What are you talking about? - She asked incredulously. - My life sucks! Everyone sees me as a loser and deep down I really feel that way. I'm not as determined as you think, I try to show myself like this to camouflage my insecurities and not feel like garbage like everyone makes me feel. You are the Quarterback of the team, handsome, popular, all the girls die of love for you. Date the most beautiful and popular girl there, everyone loves you there and... - You rambled and Vision rolled his eyes.

- that's enough!. - He snorted, interrupting his speech. - Don't fuck, Y/n...

- Your life that's perfect here! - You finished by tapping your foot.

- It's yours. -Insisted.

They began a discussion about the perfect life monologue between them. you turned your back on him crossing your arms with a frown ending the argument, Vision did the same. Their breaths were flawed from the debate. They stayed like that for a few seconds, not knowing each other's next move, they both turned forward screaming together:

- I wish I had your life! - They shouted in coincidence, actually ending the discussion.

The pole light flashed instantly and shattered startling you who took a step back. All the lights in the square began to flicker as they broke soon after, leaving the two of them staring at each other in the total darkness of the night.

(...)

you woke up early, at the usual time, slowly opening your eyes, still sleepy you headed for the bathroom when you stopped on your way looking at the bedroom.

What the hell am I doing in the vision's house? -you thought out loud looking around recognizing he friend's room.

- I remember going home and... - Murmured thoughtfully to herself. - Oh, shit! My parents are going to kill me... Sleeping here unannounced, they'll have the marine guard after me by now! - You raised your voice.

- You frowned. - Damn, I've gone hoarse. - This time you whispered, and choked, noticing that your voice was thick.

You didn't think twice and left the room, stunned and sleepy. You went down the stairs looking for the exit, you had to leave urgently and you would get out of there without waking anyone.

It was then that her reflection caught her attention in the mirror that adorned the wall in the large room. you frowned more and took a few steps back. The first thing she did was to widen her eyes, petrified, and cautiously observe if what her eyes stubbornly showed her was just a dream.

Slowly you moved hands up to his face, feeling it, now was sure that this was not a dream? It was a nightmare! You opened your mouth in horror and began to scream sterilely. Your eyes were still on the mirror that showed you the reflection of your friend Vision.

You screamed, screaming louder and louder.

- Son, what happened? Are you okay? - Questioned Pepper, newly awakened by the screaming, walking down the stairs in her pajamas, almost tripping over her own feet, totally frightened.you still had your eyes wide open. you didn't answer, just stared at your reflection in the mirror.- Son? Why are you screaming?

- she approached me, evidently concerned, touching the shoulder that was supposed to be your son. There were no answers to your questions.

- This can't be happening? - you hissed almost inaudibly. Hearing that thick voice, which was not her own, made her even more terrified. - If I'm here then vision is... - you whispered thoughtfully, and without finishing reasoning, walked quickly to the door with quick steps. you just didn't expect to fall. you wasn't used to those long legs.

you stood up again, grabbing the first pair of pants saw on the way. pepper stared at the scene in confusion.

- Where do you think you're going at this hour? - The woman asked as she saw him open the door.

- Don't worry, Mrs. Pepper, everything is fine! - you replied at last unconvincingly, his voice shaking terribly. you tried to calm himself by walking out the door, leaving the stunned and even more confused woman in the middle of the room.

- Mrs. Pepper? - she murmured confused.

(...)

every evening after dinner, scott and hope would sit in the living room in front of the fireplace and talk about banal things, accompanied by a good wine, which always made them go to bed later, which resulted in: they always woke up later the next morning.

you always reproached them for this. always saying that we should all get at least eight hours of sleep. But today you were grateful for that. You entered the house very easily with the extra keys that your parents left hidden in one of the flower pots in the garden.

she closed the door, trying not to make a sound. Her parents were completely unconscious on the living room floor. She walked cautiously up the stairs on her new long legs. If they woke up, she would be dead because she had been caught in the act. After all, what was the boy doing there at that time? She arrived in front of her door and began to knock, trying to make as little noise as possible.

- vision, open this door. - She whispered and knocked again.

You cursed yourself for always sleeping with the bedroom door locked, since you liked privacy, but at this moment you really wanted to break the damn door down and you were sure you could.

- Vision… Damn it, vision, wake up! - You increased the frequency of your knocking, realizing that you wouldn't wake the other one up.

The boy frowned, his eyes still closed.

- Y/n? - he asked lazily, still getting out of bed.

- Open the damn door! - Despair was already taking over his body when he heard a pair of footsteps downstairs.

- What are you doing here? - He didn't finish his sentence after opening his eyes and observing the place.

- Hey… What am I doing in your room?

- Vision, will you please open this fucking door?! - I was getting more and more nervous, impatient, scared, and afraid of what was going to happen behind that door.

- Hey, calm down, I'll be right there… - He speech died after opening the wooden door, now the two were face to face looking at each other in terror.

- You… but I… what?

Vision couldn't formulate a sentence so he limited himself to screaming. you entered, locking the door behind you and covering the boy's mouth to stop the screaming.

- Damn it, don't scream. You'll get my parents' attention! - you whispered.

- Will you be quiet? - vision shook his head frantically.

- W-what happened? - He managed to speak in a stutter, his eyes opening wider and wider as if it were still possible.

- I don't know. I have no idea, when I woke up I was like this. - She spoke quickly, apprehensive, looking at her body.

- If you are me and I am you, then… - He looked stunned at his new body and his eyes widened. - damn y/n… I HAVE BREASTS! - The boy shouted hysterically, running his hands over his body.

You, who hadn't stopped to notice this derealization, turned red, and became hysterical again.

- Oh, holy shit, I have too much volume between my legs.

Unlike Vision, you didn't dare to put your hand on the new body, you just looked down and even though you were wearing sweatpants you could feel it.

- Y/n, honey, is everything okay? - Scott's voice made itself present, knocking on the door, and you widened your eyes.

- Answer! - you whispered to vision remembering that you couldn't do it with that man's voice.

- Yes... Everything's fine baby! - The boy murmured in a shaky voice, trying to sound natural with that feminine voice. He scratched the back of his neck nervously at the girl's gaze on him.

- Everything's fine baby? - mumbled Scott, confused by his daughter's slang, but shrugged. - Come down, coffee is ready. - He said as he walked down the stairs to the kitchen.

slapped Vision on the head, who was now smaller than you.- Everything's fine, baby? Everything's fine, baby?

- I didn't mean it. I was nervous!- It's okay... - He sighed, running his hand through his hair and soon missed his long hair.

- Y/n, what are we going to do? I can't go home like this... - He spoke angrily on the edge of the bed.

- Calm down ... First let's think about what could have caused this. - Reasoned a little trying to keep calm walking from side to side with his hands in his hair.- Maybe it was something we ate...

- Don't be an idiot. No food, no matter how bad it was, couldn't have done such damage.

- Sorry, I'm nervous... - He stood up, tapping his foot on the floor at every moment without taking his eyes off the body he now occupied.

- Or maybe... - You looked at him who now occupied your body.

- Last night... When we came from your house... - You said thoughtfully pausing the words and Vision seemed to understand.

- In the square... - He followed your reasoning.

- The fountain...

- We wished...

- To have each other's lives! - They concluded together.

- No, no, not this! This can't be happening… I didn't mean it, and how is that possible? I was happy with my life, I want my body back! - The young man spoke in agony pacing back and forth in the middle of the room.

- I didn't mean it either, I was just trying to be nice. And this is all your fault, if you hadn't started with the 'Your life is perfect, y/n, blah blah blah' talk, none of this would have happened.

- My fault? It's your fault that you came up with all that monologue about the perfect life and 'Your life is perfect here, Vision'. - he imitated in annoying little Y/N voice, a perfect imitation, by the way, since the voice was her own.

You looked at him with a frown and went on. A small fight started between the two of you, who were now rolling on the floor of the room.

- Give me my body back! Give it back! - Vision shouted, his small body on top of the other as he squeezed what had been his face the night before as if he wanted to get her off him.

- No! You give me back my body! - you shouted, now taking control of the fight and standing over the other, pulling the brown hair that used to be his.

- Ouch, ouch, enough! - he pushed her. - This way we won't get anywhere! - Vision put an end to the fight.

- You're right... Instead of fighting let's try to find solutions to solve this. - she stood up and helped the other soon after. - And I think I already know where we start...

The two went out the back door without being seen by Scott who was watching TV. Hope was still asleep, now lying on the sofa. You, who now occupied the boy's body, were dressed in a blue tank top that made the blonde's statuesque body clearly visible. A pair of black sweatpants and sandals. Vision who occupied your body was wearing his pink pajamas and put only a jacket on top, they drove to the square where everything started.

When they arrived at the place they were surprised, for there was no fountain anywhere. But there was a huge hole where it used to be, with pipes in sight and some bricklayers assessing the place.

- What happened here? - Vision asked, approaching one of the bricklayers involved in the work.

The same one stopped his work looking at the two young people, immediately looked at Vision drying him, seeing that the unknown girl was wearing a baggy pink shorts leaving her legs showing. You, who was behind Vision, noticed this and made a face of disgust, clearing his throat.

- Ah, there was a problem with the plumbing, some pipes burst, that is, a disaster! We'll have to replace everything.

- And the fountain... where is it? - You in the friend's body asked, checking all around without any trace of it.

- It had to be removed while we fixed everything.

- But you don't know where they took it?

- Um... No. But if you go to the city hall, I think someone can tell you. - The youngsters didn't waste any time. The town hall was right in front of the square.

- Can you give us some information? - The person who occupied the Y/N body turned to the old receptionist, with a face that said 'I hate my job'.

- It's about the fountain that used to be in the square. We want to know where it is. - You who occupied the boy's body asked, already impatient.

- I don't know. - answered automatically while you were messing with the computer.

- What do you mean you don't know? For God's sake, it's a fountain with a huge statue right in the center.

- Calm down. - interrupted the boy next to her. - You'll have to excuse her... I mean, he! - He corrected himself when he noticed the confused look on the woman's face, who was now looking at them with an arched eyebrow. - It's just that that fountain was of great sentimental value to us... So if you would be so kind, could you help us, please?

- she rolled his eyes at the girl's plea. - not in town, I don't know exactly where are. There's no information here. - she said while his dark eyes checked the computer screen. - But it says here that he will be back. Well, let me see…

Your eyes scanned the screen and you started tapping your foot on the floor impatient with the delay.

- Ah... Here it is. In a month it will be back.

- ONE MONTH? - You shouted and some people who worked there looked at him. Vision, occupying her friend's body, elbowed her in the rib.

- Okay. Thanks! - Vision resigned himself. he knew she had nothing else to do but wait. He pulled his friend's strong arm and left the place to spare themselves from further humiliation from the stares and whispers of several people who were in the place stared at them for not being dressed appropriately. Especially you, who was now him and tentatively wearing pink pajamas.

- What are we going to do now? - You groaned, putting your hands through your hair. You were visibly worried as you stared at the road in the passenger seat and at the driver's seat occupied by the body that now didn't belong to you.

- I don't know. - You looked at her and saw your own worried brown eyes. - I guess we'll have to wait... I still don't understand how that fountain could have caused us this. I mean, what kind of fountain was it? Fountain of desires? - he exclaimed sarcastically, making quotation marks with your fingers without looking away from the road.

- I don't understand it either. But now that you told me that, I remembered something… - you was trying to remember. - Just below the central statue of the fountain there was a small metal plate with some words… Do you remember?

- I think so… - he wrinkled his forehead, thoughtful. - Yes, there was but it wasn't in English so it didn't hold my attention much. It seemed to be in Italian, or Russian or German… I don't know. - He was also trying to remember.

A brief silence flooded the car and Vision decided to go home, and as the clock was eight o'clock he assumed that his mother would already be in the hospital.

- Wait... Fare Attenzione a ciò che si desidera! - you tried to pronounce the words that were now invading his mind.

- What? Speak our language, Y/n! - That was the phrase. - And what does it mean? - he asked confused.

- I have no idea? but we can find out. - You answered, getting out of the car and following the boy who had already opened the front door. They confirmed that the boy's mother had already left for work with the typical notes that they used to leave her, this time on the coffee table in the living room.

"Son, I won't be on call today, Patricia is already better and will be taking over my shift as a thank you, I was worried about how you were this morning. You looked dazed. I'll be early, don't be late for school.... Mommy loves you."

Vision was reading that note as You already took hold of the small laptop, which was sitting on top of the couch. To search for those unknown words that now could not get out of your head.

- Be careful what you wish for... - You whispered, seeing the meaning of that phrase, still keeping your eyes fixed on the computer screen in your lap.

- So... That's it. I guess we'll just have to live each other's lives. - murmured the boy, coming closer.

- Are you crazy? - you asked incredulously. - We have no other way, you heard that lady. The damned fountain won't be back for another month, what are we supposed to do between now and then?

- Let's tell someone what happened. - Maybe someone can help us. - You said.

- Do you think that's a good idea?

- It costs nothing to try. - you frowned and remembered something, looked at the clock on one of the walls. - Damn, Vision, it's going to be almost nine o'clock, we're already late! - you whined, crying. Yes, you were crying, but not because you were going to be late, that was just a pretext. You were crying because you were terrified of everything that was happening.

- Stay calm. It's okay if we're a little late, everything will be fine. I'm here, we're in this together.

He knew you better than anyone else and knew you were afraid so he wrapped you in a tender embrace which resulted in you both feeling strange, embracing yourself was indescribable

- Besides, I'm horrible at crying, so stop. - He said in a humorous tone, separating from the hug and looking at the face that until yesterday belonged to him.

You couldn't help but draw a small smile at the comment.

- Have I ever said I have a nice smile? - Vision asked smugly, causing you to slap him. The boy looked at you with a pained expression, it had hurt.

you chose not to take a shower, you really weren't ready for that yet. You couldn't imagine cleaning a body that wasn't yours, even though you knew it would happen at some point. You still needed to assimilate all this, so you just changed clothes trying to keep your eyes closed with the help of Vision who showed you what to wear: a pair of beige jeans, a white tank top, and a green plaid shirt over it, and sports shoes.

- Y/n, I don't even think I'll need to go to your place to change. - You had slept a few days ago at your friend's house because of a double work and decided to stay there. you should have forgotten that sweater and a pair of jeans that had already been washed.

- Great. Then get dressed and let's go.

- I think I should take a shower first. - he said expectantly with a humorous sideways smile.

- Don't you dare! - You gave him a murderous look.

- Okay. The one who spoke is no longer here. - He laughed lightheartedly and started to change his clothes.

(...)

In less than ten minutes by car they arrived at the school. In the end neither of them had been late, because the first class was geography for both of them and it had been vacant. Then they walked, as if everyone in the hall knew it, towards the lockers to get the books for the next class.

- Are you ready? - sighed the boy with all his belongings in hand.

- I think so.... I mean, no! - She closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them, she was nervous.

- And you?

The image of Valkyrie and Sam appeared in the hallway with the usual scratch card in their hands. The tall girl smiled with amusement as she saw Loki picking up his books from the floor, freshly knocked over by a basketball player. As the boy stood up with everything in hand, the girl knocked the scratch card right into his face, who now dropped all the books again to wipe his eyes.

- You immediately closed your eyes tightly as you saw Sam come close. But the cold scratch never came.

- Damn... I had forgotten how it burns. Poor Loki. - muttered the boy, his eyes closed with anger.

At the same moment you opened yours and found your friend's face all soaked and squeezing his eyes, at that moment you mentally thanked for not being in your body.

- You'll have to get used to this. - You helped him clean himself up.

- This is supposed to be the moment when you are supposed to help me look on the bright side of things. - He opened a small smile still scratching his eyes. Vision quickly remembered something and opened his still red eyes and looked startled at you.

- What now?

- Damn, what are we going to do with Wanda? - You widened your eyes.

- Oh... Oh, shit! - You cursed.

- Vision, why didn't you call me yesterday?You said you would call me but I didn't get any call from you. Why didn't you call me? - questioned the redhead who had approached the two of them.

- I'm sorry... - She interrupted herself realizing the situation she was in. The girl who had her hands on her waist dropped them when she heard the other's voice. She turned her eyes away from Vision and looked at the girl, seeing how soaked she was, she tried to hold back her laughter.

- Your house ran out of water and the only way was to take a shower with a scratch pad?

- You hunchbacked ass...

You couldn't continue with the insult as Vision glared at you with his big brown eyes followed by an elbow in the arm subtly so that Wanda wouldn't notice.

wanda was surprised that Y/n didn't retort to her insults. But she paid no attention to it and turned her gaze back to the boy. He looked as if he was having an epileptic fit because he was so restless in his seat. Tension took over. Vision didn't know how to act in front of his girlfriend and you just wanted to get out of there as fast as possible.

- Wanda I-I'm going to class now... - You tried to be as natural as possible in front of the other's attentive gaze on you. - Talk to you later, okay? - You improvised, slowly walking away taking Vision with you.

- Vision. - called him in a velvety voice making both of them stop their way. - Aren't you going to give me even a kiss?