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sapphirefallschronicles · 2 years ago

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- ̥۪͙۪˚┊❛ Welcome to Sapphire Falls - chapter 22 ❜┊˚̥۪͙۪◌

Basketballer!Chris Evans x Abigail Syverson (plus size!ofc) & Farmer!Syverson x Livia Darmandi (Asian ofc)

Summary: The Syverson twins have a little heart to heart.

Word count: 2k

Warnings: None

The Advent Calendar (a.k.a. the masterlist)

The deal with loving Chris Evans as much as I do, is that you’ll inevitably get your heart broken. No, wait, it gets ripped out of your chest and someone puts it on a juicer, only to make me feel that gut wrenching feeling.

Why don’t I stop loving him?

I sign deeply as I stare out the kitchen window, a cup of steaming hot tea in my hands. When he showed up in town again, I was afraid of letting him back in my life. But on the other hand, it felt good. So good.

Now that I got a taste of having him back in my life again, I don’t want him to go away. But I don’t know if I can deal with him if we’re only friends. I don’t want to be just friends. I never wanted to be, but back in high school I didn’t have the confidence to ask for more.

And I regret that. I regret not telling him what I wanted. I regret one particular moment. Going to prom. As friends.

●・○・●・○・●

I knew that when the school asked me to be the photographer for prom, I’d be riding solo a lot. Despite arriving with Chris. Of course I didn’t expect him to be by my side all night.

However it did hurt when that happened. After we arrived at prom, he guided me towards the photo stand. He stayed with me for a few minutes, but then the first girl came to ask him for a dance. He politely declined, but when another one came, I just told him to go. I didn’t want him to go, but how could I deprive him of dancing at prom? Of having fun?

That didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. I saw him dancing with another girl, followed by three more.

What I hated even more, was that they were slim, pretty and wore gorgeous dresses. Of course Chris would dance with them. I couldn’t even get my dress at that one store in town they all brought theirs. Mom took me to another town, to a store for grown ups where they had dresses I fit.

I took pictures all night long and usually it was enough for me to be distracted. Seeing Livia and Sy being the designated wall flowers, a lot of the players of our school’s basketball team managed to sneak in some alcohol and I could safely testify that alcohol did not increase their ability to dance.

The night luckily went by quickly. I took the most beautiful pictures, but it didn’t feel like my prom. I hadn’t been on the dancing floor, not for even a second. And that stung to be honest.

Somehow I figured Chris would come ask me for a dance. I should have known he wouldn’t, not when he had all those other girls to dance with. I had to say, they were beautiful, so of course he wouldn’t ask me.

As I was packing my bags at the end of the night, my heart felt heavy. I had no business feeling this disappointed. I had no business feeling so hurt. Chris Evans would never choose me. It was clear he had a type, as every girl he danced with tonight was pretty and skinny.

And I was not. I was the best friend. Just the funny best friend. The sidekick, never the main character,

‘Hi,’ I heard behind me and I looked up, only for my eyes to meet Chris’. A spark of hope ignited inside me.

‘Hi,’ I said.

‘Are you ready to go?’

It was clear, the last spark of hope I had, where he asked me for one more dance, despite no one being here, dissolved into thin air.

But who was I kidding? I never stood a chance to date Chris Evans.

‘Yeah, I’m ready,’ I said.

He grabbed the bags from my hand and said: ‘Let me show you the way to the fancy carriage.’

And that was how it would always be: me and Chris would remain friends.

Forever.

●・○・●・○・●

Why did I always put other people before me? I regret not standing up for myself back then. Prom broke my heart, and while it’s no use now, I should have spoken to Chris about it. Or at least Livia. But as a true Syverson, I bottle feelings up.

Just like I haven't told Sy I’m not happy at the farm anymore. I’ve put everything aside to be with the one bit of family I have left, but… Maybe it’s time for me to be a little selfish and put me first. I bet that if Sy knew how I was feeling, he would… Understand. I hope.

And maybe I can still do the logistical parts of the farm from wherever I am. It’s just calling, arranging and answering emails. I don’t want to burden Sy with that, because that would just give him more stress. Plus, I’m actually good at it.

There has to be a way for us both to be happy, right?

I realize I have to talk to Sy. Today.

There is a possibility I have reached top tier rage. I cannot believe she went with him. Fucking Ian. By the time I got out of the bar, Livia and that asshole were nowhere to be seen. We were about to discuss something important. I now know she remembers our night in the shed, but fuck, I need to know more about it, about how she hoped my wish came true and I had her forever.

All before Ian had to ruin it.

The last thing I remember was that look. Her pleads, telling me it’s not worth it. This happened many times before and I hate how even then she was my external conscious and nothing has changed.

Not even after more than eleven years.

●・○・●・○・●

There was blood running down my face, while Livia gently tugged me with her. ‘You didn’t need to do that,’ she said once we entered the kitchen of the farm. Thankfully no one was home, meaning no one was gonna ask questions. ‘Sit down.’

Like I was a little puppy, I plopped down on the chair, while she grabbed the first aid kid. ‘That’s not necessary.’

And then she looked over her shoulder with probably one of the sternest looks I’d even seen on her. ‘Shut up,’ she told me, before she grabbed a cloth, as she turned on the tap.

‘Liv, I was only trying to protect you.’

‘Who says I need protection?’

‘Didn’t you hear the things he said to you? It was racist and sexist. You can’t possibly think I am gonna let some asshole talk about you like that?’

‘Violence is never the answer,’ she deadpanned once she made her way over to me. She carefully cleaned the wound and now she had a certain expertise. She had done this a few times too many in the last year. We both knew why.

Dealing with losing my father hadn’t been easy and my temper was evidence of how hard I found it. But because I felt like my dad’s role of protector was now resting on my shoulders, I lost my patience and temper way too quickly.

So when that shitface said those things to Livia, I just couldn’t help myself.

I remembered clearly when my dad, Liv and I were in town. Livia was already ahead of us, when my dad heard some dipshit say something racist to her. While I was already fuming, my dad kept his cool, but managed to terrify that guy. My dad told her he would always be there to protect her.

But he wasn’t here anymore. Now I had to protect her. But I wasn’t that calm and collected like my dad.

’Sy,’ Livia whispered, as she held my chin, ‘promise me you won’t do that again.’

I shook my head. ‘I’m not promising that,’ I told her. ‘I’m not going to stop protecting you. Ever.’

She scoffed. ‘I don’t want you to get hurt, okay?’

‘You did see the other guy, didn’t you?’ I asked her as the vivid memory of the intense nosebleed ran through my mind again. ‘I’m not gonna get hurt.’

She placed her hand on my cheek, before shaking her head. ‘Sy,’ she whispered, ‘you can’t get hurt. Please. I can’t lose you too.’

I wrapped my arm around her waist, to pull her into an embrace. ‘You’re not gonna lose me.’

She rested her chin on top of my head and whispered: ‘I know that losing your dad hasn’t been easy. But maybe, instead of throwing a punch at everyone who looks funny at you or me, consider counting to ten.’

‘Mhm.’

‘And know that I always want to listen to everything that is on your heart,’ she said.

‘I know that.’ I pulled back and asked: ‘You’re not gonna tell me off because I hit the guy?’

‘No, because he did deserve it. Can you just try to count to ten?’

I nodded. ‘Yeah, for you I will, however whenever someone says something like this to you ever again, I will not.’

‘I fear I have to live with that,’ she said with a chuckle. ‘Now sit back and let me take care of these wounds.’

●・○・●・○・●

‘I know you’re angry and shit,’ I hear a voice from behind me, ‘but I need you to listen to me.’

‘I’m not in the mood, Abigail.’

She stops in front of me and I glare at her. For fuck’s sake, she doesn’t care whether or not I want to listen to her. She is going to spill the beans and I am not here for it. ‘I don’t care whatever it is that’s going on between you and Livia and that Ian guy and since you are such a Syverson, you will not listen to my advice anyway.’

I don’t even pretend to not be offended. ‘Okay.’

‘I don't wanna live here anymore,’ Abigail says and I thank the stars for my immaculate poker face. ‘You know how photography is my life, but you also know how farm life isn’t for me. I put my life on hold when mom died, because you are my brother and I couldn’t leave you behind, but… I am not happy, Sy.’

While Chris prepared me for such thing, this does come as a surprise. However, I will not let Abigail in on my shock. ‘Oh, okay.’

She blinks her eyes. ‘Did you even hear what I just said?’

‘Yes,’ I tell her. ‘I heard what you said. I… I guess I took you putting your life on hold for granted.’

She is utterly confused. ‘I can still do some logistical things from a distance, until you find someone who can do that.’

‘Okay.’

‘For fuck’s sake, Sy, you gotta give me more than an okay. I just told you I wanna leave. I must mean something to you, for you to give me a better reaction.’

I sigh. ‘Okay, I appreciate having you here,’ I say, ‘but you are right. This was my dream. Honey Bee Ranch was always gonna be my future. But you were made for other things. A life outside Sapphire Falls.’

Abigail smiles sadly. ‘I’m gonna miss this place,’ she then says. ‘And I promise you I’ll be back, so you can do whatever you wanna do. So you can visit Livia.’

I scoff. ‘Like that is ever gonna happen.’

‘Do I want to know?’

I shake my head. ‘Nope.’

‘Well,’ Abigail says, ‘I wasn’t planning on leaving tomorrow or anything, but… This upcoming year, I have to spread my wings.’

‘I know,’ I tell her. ‘And you’re gonna conquer the world. Mom and dad would be proud of you.’

She smiles. ‘Likewise.’ She sighs and asks: ‘Is this a moment where other siblings would hug?’

‘Perhaps, but we ain’t like other siblings. The day I hug you, is probably the day I die.’

She flips me the finger. ‘You’re an idiot, I hate you.’ But then she smiles. ‘Sy, thank you, for being so understanding. And know that wherever I am, I’ll always come back.’

‘I know.’

‘I will also leave behind some instructions on how to deal with the goats.’

‘You’re not taking the demons with you?’ I jokingly ask.

‘No,’ she says with a smile. ‘But don’t worry, from now on, I’ll only say sweet things about you to them.’

#Welcome to Sapphire Falls #Welcome to Sapphire Falls Masterlist #diegos-butt & keanureevesisbae advent calender #Chris Evans #Henry Cavill #Syverson #Basketballer!Chris Evans #Farmer!Syverson #Plus size!ofc #Asian!ofc #chris evans x plus size ofc #henry cavill x asian ofc #chris evans x ofc #henry cavill x ofc

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taylorswiftandx · 2 years ago

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Taylor Swift and Minds

Note: "Minding" (ie. don't mind me, minding my business) will get its own post. This is for "mind" the noun and adjectives/adverbs like "mindless"

'Taylor Swift'

Stay Beautiful: I'm taking pictures in my mind so I can save them for a rainy day

Should've Said No: And I should've been there in the back of your mind

'Fearless (Taylor's Version)'

Fearless: Run your hands through your hair, absent-mindedly making me want you

Fifteen: And Abigail gave everything she had to a boy who changed his mind, and we both cried

Breathe: I see your face in my mind as I drive away

Breathe: People are people and sometimes we change our minds

Tell Me Why: Why do you have to put down my dreams so you're the only thing on my mind

'Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)'

Sparks Fly: My mind forgets to remind me you're a bad idea

Back To December: Because the last time you saw me is still burned in the back of your mind

Back To December: And then the cold came, the dark days when fear crept into my mind

Back To December: I’d go back to December, turn around and change my own mind

Back To December: Maybe this is wishful thinking, probably mindless dreaming

Dear John: And my mother accused me of losing my mind but I swore I was fine

The Story Of Us: How I was losing my mind when I saw you here

Never Grow Up: Take pictures in your mind of your childhood room

Better Than Revenge: She should keep in mind, she should keep in mind, there is nothing I do better than revenge

Innocent: Lost your balance on a tightrope, lost your mind trying to get it back

Innocent: Minds change like the weather, I hope you remember today is never too late to be brand new

Last Kiss: You can plan for a change in the weather and time, but I never planned on you changing your mind

Long Live: I said, “Remember this moment,” in the back of my mind

Ours: Don't you worry your pretty little mind

Timeless: Time breaks down your mind and body, don’t you let it touch your soul

'Red (Taylor's Version)'

State Of Grace: We are alone with our changing minds

Red: Loving him is like trying to change your mind once you’re already flying through the free fall

Treacherous: Your name has echoes through my mind and I just think you should, think you should know

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together: And you would hide away and find your peace of mind with some indie record that's much cooler than mine

Everything Has Changed: And all I’ve seen since 18 hours ago is green eyes and freckles and your smile in the back of my mind making me feel like

Everything Has Changed: And meet me there tonight and let me know that it's not all in my mind

Come Back... Be Here: I told myself, "Don't get attached," but in my mind I play it back

Better Man: I know I’m probably better off all alone than needing a man who could change his mind at any given minute

All Too Well (10 Minute Version): But I'm in a new hell every time you double-cross my mind

'1989 (Taylor’s Version)'

Shake It Off: It's like I got this music in my mind saying, "It's gonna be all right"

How You Get The Girl: Tell her how you must have lost your mind

Wonderland: Haven't you heard what becomes of curious minds?

Wonderland: It’s all fun and games 'til somebody loses their mind

You Are In Love: And you understand now why they lost their minds and fought the wars

'reputation'

Don’t Blame Me: For you I would cross the line, I would waste my time, I would lose my mind

Don't Blame Me: Echoes of your name inside my mind, halo hiding my obsession

Getaway Car: I struck a match and blew your mind

King Of My Heart: I made up my mind, I'm better off being alone

This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Get you on the phone and mind-twist you

'Lover'

I Forgot That You Existed: Your name on my lips, tongue-tied, free rent, living in my mind

Afterglow: Tell me that we’ll be just fine, even when I lose my mind

Daylight: And I can still see it all in my mind

'folklore'

The Last Great American Dynasty: Her saltbox house on the coast took her mind off St. Louis

Exile: I never learned to read your mind / Never learned to read my mind

'evermore'

Gold Rush: My mind turns your life into folklore

'Midnights'

Question...?: She was on your mind with some dickhead guy that you saw that night

Bejeweled: Didn't notice you walking all over my peace of mind in the shoes I gave you as a present

Bejeweled: And you can try to change my mind but you might have to wait in line

Labyrinth: It only feels this raw right now, lost in the labyrinth of my mind

Sweet Nothing: You say, "What a mind," this happens all the time

Mastermind: What if I told you I'm a mastermind and now you're mine?

Mastermind: It was all by design 'cause I'm a mastermind

Mastermind: You knew that I'm a mastermind and now you're mine

Mastermind: Yeah, all you did was smile 'cause I'm a mastermind

Paris: Let the only flashing lights be the tower at midnight in my mind

Would've, Could've, Should've: The tomb won't close, stained glass windows in my mind

Other Songs written by Taylor

Best Days Of Your Life: 'Cause I’ll be there in the back of your mind from the day we met til you were making me cry

Best Days Of Your Life: 'Cause I’ll be there in the back of your mind from the day we met to the very last night

Christmas Must Be Something More: And everybody's here, it seems like the last thing on your mind

I Don't Wanna Live Forever: I'm sitting eyes wide open and I got one thing stuck in my mind

You’ll Always Find Your Way Back Home: You can change your mind, that’s just the way it goes

Official Alternate Releases

Question...? (Clean Version): She was on your mind with some meathead guy that you saw that night

#taylor swift #lyrics #taylorswiftandx #lyric parallels #mind

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justjessame · 5 months ago

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Light Through the Darkness: Chapter 52

“Damon.” Abi’s eyes stayed closed, knowing whatever had him calling her now wasn’t going to be good or easy to hear. He’d left her alone for this long after all.

Hearing him inhale on the other side of the line, she knew she was correct, and steadied herself. “I know you probably don’t want to hear from me, Abi, ever.” He waited to hear her deny it, or confirm it, or hang up. Nothing came, so he went on. “Today was Founders’ Day. 150 years, or 146 years since I -” She heard the catch in his throat, and it hit her in the gut, the anniversary of his attempt on her life. How strange that he’d think to celebrate it. “I wish like hell I wasn’t calling you today, not for this.” She waited, wishing like hell she had the will to hang up, but his voice was potent, even across miles and filtered through the cell phone. “There was a device, Gilbert created it back when we were young,” he gave a harsh laugh, humorless, and it cut her again. “It was meant to -” Another breath, she could almost see him searching for the words, the way to get through it. “Get rid of things like me.” The twist her heart took at the thought of him being gone, really truly gone shook her. “The founding families set it off, rounded us up - I watched John Gilbert kill Anna myself.” Anna? She was my size, barely more than a child, and hardly a monster. “Pearl died before -” An afterthought, more death, more destruction. “If it wasn’t for Stefan, and Bonnie, I’d be -” He wasn’t done, which scared her, so very much and she wished she could make him stop.

She stood up, thinking that she could move, get a different perspective, force herself to speak. Damon kept going. “Mayor Lockwood is dead. I’m not sure what he was, but -” Another pause, another wish from Abi for strength. “Tyler, his son, was driving a car with Matt and Caroline in it. There was an accident.” No, please, no. They’re children. “Tyler and Matt are fine, but Caroline -” The first tear finally broke free, and she waited for the horrible news. “Bonnie asked me to give her my blood, she - She could have deactivated the device, Abi, but she didn’t, and I did, I gave it.” She collapsed on the bed, thinking that had to be all of it, but it wasn’t, because of course it wasn’t. “Katherine is back, Abi.”

“What?” If nothing else could break her silence, that could. “How?”

He was silent, bracing himself for something, some truly terrible confession, but she wasn’t prepared, not really when it finally came. “I - I kissed Elena on her porch tonight, Abigail.” She heard the words, understood their meaning, but in the context they made no sense. “Jenna, Ric’s girl, Elena’s aunt saw and -” Again silence, while Abi’s mind tried to process it, she’d known, she even thought she made peace with it. The entire point of being here, in Chicago was this, wasn’t it? “It wasn’t Elena, Abi. John was injured, and when I saw Elena, the REAL Elena at the hospital - she had no idea what I was talking about.” Abigail was still picturing it, again, Katherine and Damon, the smirking and the clothing being in disarray. A repeat of the past. “She’s back.”

“I see.” Calm, deceptively so, but something broke inside her as she contemplated it. “Thank you for calling and telling me about Caroline, Damon.” Cold even, cut off. The twisting was still turning, but at the same time, she was pushing it down. “I think my food’s arrived.” It hadn’t, not even close, but anything to get off the phone. Away from his voice, from this nightmare. “Bye.”

She didn’t wait for him to return the parting. The end button hit the power button, and then Abigail contemplated precisely where in Chicago she could go and scream as loud as she wanted without anyone calling the authorities.

Damon was staring at the phone in his hand, wanting to throw it across the room and break it apart. He’d never heard Abigail sound so cold. Ever, not even when she’d walked out of his car when she first woke up and came across Elena’s picture in his phone. Instead, he did what he usually did when things went wrong - he made TERRIBLE decisions.

Katherine wanted Stefan. Elena wanted Stefan. Jeremy’s neck is not made of rubber. Thank GOD he has that damn ring. Look mistakes were made - Damon thought about all the crap decisions he’d made since - well since the moment he first laid eyes on Katherine Pierce actually. And for some reason he just kept making the damn things.

Abigail managed to find Gloria’s. It wasn’t an abandoned place where she could primal scream, at least not at first glance, but as she walked into the technically closed to the public bar, she thought it might just do for her needs.

“We’re closed,” the slim woman with the cap of blonde hair barked from behind the bar, her eyes on a ledger. “Can’t you hear?” Her eyes rose and when they took in Abigail Morgan, whatever she saw stopped her warnings. “Well, well, well. I thought you were a myth.”

Abi’s lips curved. “I truly wasn’t aware I was famous, until I left my hometown.”

Gloria laughed and it sounded lyrical. “Come in here, let me have a look at you.�� Abigail came closer, smiling wider as she felt the crackle of energy around her. Magic, she knew. Almost tangible. “My, my, my. He wasn’t exaggerating. You are a sight.”

“Who?” Abigail wasn’t entirely certain if Elijah had sung her praises near and far, or if Damon might have, since he’d actually travelled as well. And there was Stefan, and his obsessive mind. While she waited to hear just who had sung like a bird, she climbed a bar stool.

“Elijah came first,” she nodded. “But he wasn’t the only one. Those other two,” she sighed and shook her head. “Those other two have issues.”

“Yes, they do.” Abi agreed, the call from Damon rising back fresh and new.

Gloria’s gaze turned shrewd. “You look like you need to let off a little extra steam.” Abi’s eyes snapped shut. “Let it go.” When she didn’t, Gloria’s hand touched hers. “Let it go.”

And so, in the middle of a bar, in the middle of the day, in Chicago Abigail Morgan did just that. She opened her mouth and released a scream that would have shattered windows in every damn building for three blocks, if Gloria’s wasn’t magically reinforced.

Jeremy had come to kill Damon, but somehow it ended in a bonding session. Nothing made sense. Caroline was a badass vampire. Jeremy and Damon found common ground. Mason Lockwood came crawling in from who knew where? Mystic Falls wasn’t the center of normalcy, but Damon could swear that things were getting weirder and weirder. And he just couldn’t put his finger on why.

Once Abigail got her anguish under some control, she and Gloria got down to business. The entire reason for her trip to Chicago. Figuring out where she might come across her family, or how to steer clear from them, depending on the member.

“Klaus is problematic,” Gloria admitted, pouring herself something that Abi begged off from a sample of. “He has worse mood swings than any woman I’ve ever come across, witch or not.” She cracked a smile. “And you aren’t safe just because you’re family, it’s worse then, if possible.”

Abi nodded, smiling when she was handed a bottle of water. “The others?”

“Elijah has a tighter reign, but that can make him more dangerous, not less.” Abigail sighed, this was the one she was promised to, she knew it. Yet everyone seemed certain he was somehow scarier than Klaus the moody. “Rebekka is the typical only girl, protected to the point of spoiled and she acts out.” She had less to say about Kol and nothing good to say about Mikael. “Finding them isn’t as difficult as you’d think, especially for you. Your blood is your guide, Abigail.”

Abigail nodded, the book said as much, but she was still unsure. Of her power, and her purpose. Did she want to meet these people? No one seemed all that complimentary. “You knew Damon and Stefan as well?”

Gloria snorted and nodded. “Oh, I knew them.” She shook her head and stared into Abi’s face. “You are far too good for any of the likes of these monsters you’re looking for, Abigail.” She meant it, Abi could tell. “You’re powerful and true and nothing but pain is coming from more time with any of them.”

“Do you see that with your extra sight?” Gloria was a self described soothsayer. Something Abigail’s father firmly believed in, there was a set of runes in her luggage she’d found in the family heirlooms. “Or are you depending on your knowledge of the other parties?”

“Give me your hands, smartass.” Her lips were pursed, but Abi did as the other woman told her. As Gloria’s eyes shut, the heat built between their hands. Abigail waited, silently for Gloria to see or hear what she could. It took less time than she expected. Gloria pulled away gently and opened her eyes slowly. “So many paths you can take, and so many choices.” She stared at Abi, as if trying to find the path that she’d take. “It’s not set. Your future. Your destiny.” She shook her head. “Everyone’s future can change, but I’ve never seen all the options laid bare, not like yours.”

“There’s no solution? No ending?” Abigail asked, curious.

Gloria smiled, soft and soothing. “No ending for you, Abigail Morgan. Nothing set at all in stone for your future.”

#alternate universe #damon salvatore x ofc #the vampire diaries #along for the ride

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eidetective · 6 years ago

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i was hoping you and i wouldn’t have to say goodbye.

#behind the curtain. | ooc #mun's edit #hannibaledit #inside my heart there's a picture of a girl. | will & abigail #i'm sorry i did this

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roger-that-cap · 4 years ago

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cardigan

natasha romanoff x f!reader

word count: 8.9k (haha)

warnings: swearing, cheating!natasha, sad!reader, uhm this is angsty for me, asshole!natasha, sort of asshole!team, more angst, sort of happy ending sort of, secrets™️

this is inspired by taylor swift’s cardigan. folklore and evermore are really getting me through this i swear

obviously i do not own this song, picture, or any of the warped lyrics that i attempted to slide in as creatively possible :) this is also my first one shot and my first reader insert ever- i tried to not go into any physical details about miss y/n but i hope y’all like it!

No editor. All mistakes are 100% mine!

You couldn’t have been any more excited to see Natasha. She had been gone for what felt like forever on a mission with Steve, Bucky, and some agent that was on her first big mission, a girl that you recalled to be named Abigail. Regardless of what her name was, they were all heading home today after so long, nearly two months.

There was no telling how much you were ready for the return of your fiancée. The two of you had promised to get married nine months ago, and you were already deep into planning. You were going to your dress appointment at Kleinfeld’s (your literal childhood wish) in two days. You had the venue picked, the table accessories done, the seating chart already filled out and sitting pretty in laminated sheets in a binder. The day was going to be perfect, and it was what you and Natasha deserved after so long. Especially Natasha, after every single thing that she had been through just to save the world and to help those who weren’t able to help themselves.

Natasha was your angel.

Your heart was racing in your chest as you waited for the quinjet to land, the ring feeling light on your left finger as you rolled back and forth on your feet. You couldn’t hold back a toothy grin as you waited for them to fly back in, and to hug Natasha again. That was the most important part. To have her back in your arms so that you could do things like stay in together for the weekend and stay holed up in their room just doing innocent things, like counting each other’s heartbeats.

You stood with your hands clasped in front of your body as they landed, a dopey grin on your face and the same nervous glint in your eye that was there every time that you waited for your fiancée to come back home. You knew that Natasha would always find her way back to you, but there was no telling what condition she would be in.

The moment the doors opened, Abigail ran through them, and down the ramps nearly knocking you over. You reached your arms out to steady the other girl, who looked like she was about to burst into tears at any second. As much as you wanted to just hug Natasha and go home after you ate and sleep in bed with her, you couldn’t leave a girl in tears like that without checking on her. “Woah, are you okay, sweetie?”

The girl’s bottom lip jutted out, like she was about to cry just because of you asking the question. She didn’t say anything, but she was obviously falling apart from the inside, and it made you more than mildly concerned. You didn’t like to see anyone cry, let alone a girl who had just come back from her first big mission. “I’m fine.” Her voice cracked.

“Are you sure?” You were no medic or super soldier or even assassin-spy, but you were nothing if not rational and sympathetic. You were so in tune to the poor girl that you didn’t feel the palpable awkwardness of everyone else who walked off of the quinjet, almost all of them cringing. “Do you need to talk to someone?”

“I- I’m sorry,” Abigail said, and she was running away from you faster than you had ever seen anyone run before.

You frowned as you watched her run. “I hope she’s alright, poor thing. I can’t imagine how a first mission feels,” you murmured, turning around and seeing the slightly spooked eyes of the rest of the team. You smiled at them cautiously and walked over to Natasha, arms already raised as you went to embrace her tightly. You breathed in and put your face in her neck, nearly crying tears of joy as you smelled her shampoo, a rich scent that meant the safety and comfort of them both. “I’m so glad you’re alright.”

You were so happy to hold your fiancée again that you almost didn’t notice how standoffish she was being, and her lack of enthusiasm. She had never been not enthusiastic to see you, especially after going so long without seeing each other. After too long of her not reacting to your warm embrace by kissing your hair or murmuring her usual missed you, princessa, you pulled away and looked at her, a questioning look on your face. “Are you okay, my love?”

Natasha stepped back, not looking you in the eyes and choosing to just smooth out the sleeves of her combat attire, eyes on the floor. That was very unlike her. Something must have gone terribly wrong. “I just want to get home.”

Your vibe visibly deteriorated. It was obvious that Natasha had just popped your bubble and left it as an empty shell, but you were still smiling anyway. Like you always did. “Okay, Nat. We can do that.” You reached out for Natasha’s hand and grabbed it after waving goodbye to the other team members, who all looked either extremely displeased or like they had been caught doing something very awkward.

You walked back to your part of the tower together in silence that wasn’t characteristic of the two of you. You were a known chatterbox, happy and always starting meaningful conversations, but also one of the best listeners to ever grace the earth. Natasha liked to listen, too, and she had the best words and the best voice to listen to. One of them was always talking. The silence between them was almost haunting.

Natasha went straight into the shower. She didn’t offer for you to go in with her, which was what the two of you always did after a mission. You got to see Natasha at her most vulnerable, and Natasha was finally allowed to let down the shroud of strength that only lasted for so long without being damaging. It was the thing that kept you close and often the action that got Natasha to open up about what happened and how she truly felt. Natasha skipping out on that time hurt you and made you expect the worst.

She turned the lights off the minute that she was out of the shower, not speaking to you or even offering any physical assurance, which was something that Natasha knew that you needed after she came home.

You just prayed that she would be ready to talk in the morning.

§§§

Natasha wasn’t there when you woke up. You frowned and patted the empty spot in the bed beside you even though you knew that she was probably at the gym or running around doing errands. You sighed and crawled out of bed, doing the daily routine that you usually did with Natasha, and leaving the room to go make some breakfast.

There were whispers that hissed like snakes when you came around the corner, and they came to a screeching halt when you bounced into the room. You grinned at everyone sitting or standing in the kitchen, ignoring their deer-in-headlights looks and searching for the woman you were set to get married to. You frowned a bit when there was no sign of her.

“Good morning!” You hummed out anyways, going towards the pantry once you saw that no one had made food yet. Because you were staying there and you had no other skills, you had been the one to take up personal chef for the entire team just to pull some weight, even though they insisted that you didn’t need to do a thing. As long as you “kept Nat happy”, they said.

It took a second for any of them to respond. “Good morning,” Steve said, his voice oddly clinical for the way he usual greeted you. He was the morning person of the bunch, and probably your closest friend other than Wanda.

You took the supplies out of the pantry with a thoughtful look on your face. “I’m not trying to pry,” you started softly, back still towards them as you started with the pancake mix. “But, was the mission bad?” No one spoke for a few heavy moments.

“We succeeded,” Bucky finally stated vaguely, his voice floating through the room.

You never the type to spill all of your personal business to people, but these people weren’t just anyone. These were your closest friends, the people who were going to be in the wedding, either in one bridal party or the other’s. “Nat’s not talking to me,” you sighed out, and turned around to see all of them stiff as boards. “Was it hard for her?”

No one said anything.

You pursed your lips and turned your back to them again, looking away from them to gathered your thoughts for a second. You took in a deep breath and told yourself not to pry, not to think about what Natasha would surely tell you when she was ready. You turned your head and gave them your trademark grin. “Who wants blueberries in their pancakes?”

§§§

You sat in your shared room after a full day of Natasha blatantly ignoring and avoiding you. You were patient, because that was what you had to be to date an Avenger, but Natasha had never straight up ignored you before. You learned very quickly that it called for a different type of patience than the one you were used to.

In the kitchen when she was forced to be present after you cooked a huge welcome home meal, she didn’t hug on you or kiss your cheek or even look you in the eyes. It wasn’t like her. You came to the tough conclusion that it wasn’t because of the mission, because she had never done that before, not even after the one where the children were caught in the crossfire. You were always the one that she talked to, no matter what.

The lamp light was the only light on in the room, because you knew that Natasha liked it better that way. Maybe less light would make her open up a bit, and the two of you would finally see eye to eye after the annoying stalemate that felt eternal.

You didn’t know how long Natasha would take come back and speak, but you knew that it wouldn’t be too long. Natasha liked to talk, and she had said multiple times that she liked to talk to you the most. It would be any time, right? That’s what you thought until the hours crept by, and you saw and heard no sign of anything. Not even the ding of an elevator or the shutting of a door, or her soft footsteps that she made on purpose because her natural steps were so quiet that she scared you when she appeared.

When Natasha finally came in, it was late in the night, morning time. Three in the morning, to be exact. You shook off your nerves and smiled at her, and the smile wasn’t returned as much as it should have been. “Hi,” you said, almost a little star struck by finally seeing her. It brought you back to the time you didn’t truly know her.

You had always admired Natasha. Not even because of her being Black Widow, but because she was Natasha Romanoff, an enemy spy and assassin turned good. And it brought you pure joy knowing that you would soon be taking on her last name, which you secretly thought of as your greatest achievement. Natasha was the one you wanted with for life, and you were steps closer.

You waited to hear Natasha’s voice. You waited in anticipation for her to run to you and start to spill immediately. You were waiting to wipe her tears and assure her that it wasn’t her fault, and that she couldn’t have done anything differently. “Hi.”

You frowned. Confusion flooded your senses at the short greeting. “Huh?”

“Why are you up?” Her tone sounded almost accusatory, like she had caught you doing something that you weren’t supposed to do, like you were intruding on her time. The frown on your face turned into a slight scowl, and then you reminded yourself that patience was key with Natasha.

“I’m allowed to wait up for my future wife,” you teased, but the look in your eye was serious. You could see how the red head lingered at the doorway, like she was trying to decide whether to bolt or leave with grace. You weren’t going to give her enough time to make the decision. Come sit, please.” When Natasha didn’t move an inch, your facial expression fell. “Please.”

Natasha walked over to the bed slowly, like she was being forced to move or die. You shook your head side to side, eyeing her up and down like the answer to the problem that you didn’t know yet was written on her body somewhere. “I’m here,” she said quietly, like a distant whisper.

“Are you really?” You asked quietly, and it felt like your voice echoed like the beating of drums in the nearly silent room. “Can you please tell me what’s going on?”

“Nothing happened.”

You knew that you shouldn’t pry. You both hated prying, but you were also both naturally transparent. You two had never truly had to pry with each other before. The truth was, you didn’t know how far you could push until she snapped on you. “Are you sure?”

Like someone had flipped a switch, a small smile lit up on Natasha’s face. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to sate you for a while. “Yes, princessa. I’m very sure. I’m tired.”

That was all it took. All it took was Natasha muttering the sweet nickname to you, and it was all as good as talked about. You could rest for a moment.

“Then we can go to bed, my love.” You reached out to touch Natasha’s face, loving the familiar feeling of her soft skin. “You know, you don’t ever have to be afraid to tell me anything, Nattie.”

You stared at Natasha for a while, just admiring her face and everything about it, almost missing the way that she didn’t do it back. This was something that you two did nearly every night before going to sleep- you just watched each other. A slow, dopey grin slid onto your face, and then you leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her nose, then her cheek, and then to her pink lips in a soft yet passionate kiss, as soft as rose petals.

You pulled away and smiled at her with your eyes closed, nuzzling your face into her neck. You took in a deep breath, inhaling her sweet smell and feeling the comfort was over you like waves in the ocean. You could have told her a thousand things in that instant, but they all revolves around one master idea. “I love you so much, Natasha.”

You brushed a red strand of hair out of her face before reaching up to kiss her forehead, and then you were back in her neck, trying to sleep.

There was no response, just Natasha’s arm’s getting tighter around you and squeezing three times, each harder and shakier than the last. That was all it took for you to fall asleep.

When you woke up the next morning, you recalled having a dream that featured a woman crying, the sound distant yet close.

§§§

You had a feeling that Natasha was going to do the exact same thing that she did the first time, and you assumed correctly. You took it in stride this time and went to the flower store to pick out your bouquet that you would walk with, and probably throw. It was something that you wanted to do on your own, anyway. Like most brides, you didn’t want your future spouse seeing anything that you were going to be wearing until the big day. Not even the veil or the flowers that you would be carrying.

“That’s gorgeous!” You grinned at the employee, who mirrored your excited look. “That’s perfect, she’ll love it.”

While you gushed about your flowers, you also wondered if Natasha was doing a bouquet, too. You hoped that she had someone that would help her out with it, maybe Sharon or Wanda. Natasha wasn’t really big on the planning of the wedding. In fact, she wanted it much smaller than it was going to be, but you had convinced her to do it your way. Maybe it was your natural charm that helped you swindle the spy, or perhaps it was because she just secretely wanted the same thing.

As you walked away from the flower shop after placing the order, you walked by the busy donut shop that Natasha loved going to. Usually, it would be Natasha that stopped by and brought you some donuts, but maybe the other way around would be enough to make the red headed woman smile a bit. You stopped for a second and then didn’t hesitate to go in, pulling out a couple dollars for a tip, too.

Natasha loved chocolate donuts, even though she tried to resist eating them. You liked glazed better, but it was alright. You’d buy chocolate for her. You had hope that they would get Natasha to open up just a little, as dumb as it sounded. But a bribe never went wrong, and what was the harm in donuts?

“Thank you, Sarah,” you said after you got the box of donuts, walking out of the sweet smelling shop and down the street towards the tower.

When you got back, it was loud. It usually was pretty loud, with everyone and everything going on, but this was a different type of loud. It wasn’t the tinkering of metal in the lab or the sounds of sparring or elevators going up and down. It was shouting. A full on shouting match that was loud enough to be heard from floors down was happening. You nearly dropped the box of donuts as you hurriedly pressed the level that you and Natasha stayed on, hoping to find her in the room and out of the fight. The ride up the elevator was almost too full of anticipation as you waited in what would have been silence, if not for the yelling.

“No, because you can’t control yourself!” The voice was now obviously Steve’s. You were shocked. You had never heard Steve so riled up, ever. It was out of character for him to be so angry at someone, even if that particular someone fucked up royally. “You did something stupid, and now you’ll own up to it. Simple.”

“I fucking can’t!” You frowned. That was without a doubt Natasha. “I can’t, not right now. So fuck off.”

“I can’t fuck off after you’ve done something like this, Romanoff.” You winced as the elevator doors opened. Steve didn’t use Natasha’s last name anymore, not since they got close. And he certainly didn’t use the f-bomb much. “This is… it’s beyond-”

“What happened?” You shoved the donuts into Sam’s waiting hands, which were open for business when he saw you coming out of the elevator. “What’s all the yelling for?”

Everyone was staring at you like you were a ghost that wasn’t supposed to show up even though they had called on you. No one had an immediate answer, and so you put your hands on your hips. “Is everything okay?”

Tony looked at Natasha with sharp eyes and took a step back, raising his palms. “On you.”

It took a second for Natasha to say anything to you, and it was clear that everyone was waiting for something. It was even more clear that everyone was equally pissed at Natasha, for whatever reason.

“Everything is just fine, princessa.” Natasha’s voice carried over to your ears, smooth as honey, even though she wasn’t looking up into your eyes. “Don’t worry.”

You didn’t really believe it. How could you? She wasn’t talking to you, she wasn’t lying with you, she wasn’t counting your heartbeats like you did with her. There was something wrong, something had to be for Steve to be yelling like that, in front of everyone else. You eyed Natasha for a few extra seconds and then took the donuts back, muttering a thanks to Sam.

“Alright.” As if seeing the box made you remember why you went out in the first place, your trademark grin was back. “I ordered my bouquet today,” you hummed, walking up to Natasha and planting a kiss on her lips. When you pulled away, you murmured the customary I love you under your breath, like you two did every time you kissed. The one who initiated the kiss would say it first, and it would be answered by a quick “always”.

“A-always. Oh?” You realized that Natasha’s voice fluttered when she said it.

“Yeah, you can’t see which one, though.” You winked at her playfully, trying to ignore the way that the others looked mildly uncomfortable. You were used to uncomfortable looks, but never from them. You knew that it wasn’t homophobia, because they were never that way. So their behavior ran deeper than that. What the fuck happened? “My dress appointment is tomorrow.”

“Yeah.”

You were too busy getting a donut from the box to see the looks that everyone else shared when you spoke again. “How’s the girl who went on the mission with you? She seemed a little upset when you guys came back.”

Natasha’s hair nearly bounced with how high she shot up, her body going straight at the mention of the other girl. She looked away from your eyes for a split second, and then back. “Fine.”

You wiped your mouth with the back of your hand, eyes on Natasha. “Is she good with fashion? Maybe seeing dresses and all that would make her feel a little better.”

Natasha looked horrified as she realized what you were insinuating. “No. No, she’s fine. She doesn’t need to be invited anywhere.”

“It’s just to sit and watch me try on dresses. Wanda, Sharon, and Pepper are going, right?” You looked towards Tony to confirm, and he nodded his head firmly before looking at Natasha again, a serious look in his eyes. “Maybe Abigail can go.”

“No. She’s not going.” There was something in Natasha’s tone that sounded so final, so adamant, that you knew in your heart to just drop it. It saved you both in that moment.

That didn’t mean that you weren’t allowed to make a face of disapproval. “That’s not nice at all, Nattie. I hope you weren’t the reason she was crying. You’re known to be a little mean.”

Natasha looked away from you, taking a step back. Her eyebrow was twitching, a sign of stress that you picked up on like it was your own. “I have to go.”

“Wait, I got these for-” Natasha left in a hurry, so fast that you barely even registered that she had left. She left awkwardness in her absence. “Well, she can eat them later. Feel free to have some, guys, just save one or two for her, okay?”

They were all quiet for a few seconds, like they were in the midst of a special moment where they were all feeling the same thing, everyone in the room except for you. Finally, Wanda spoke. “Okay, Y/N.” You smiled at them, gave them all sweet hugs, and left.

§§§

You were bursting at the seams at being seen for a dress appointment at Kleinfeld’s. Wanda was with you, and so were Sharon and Pepper. They were excited for you, but no one matched your energy.

You were a girl finally getting what she had been dreaming of her whole life; to get married in a beautiful dress to the person she loved. You would soon be walking down the isle to see Natasha waiting for you, flanked by everyone else that was ever important to them.

You must have been the luckiest woman in the world.

“You’re really excited,” Sharon mused, but it was more of an observation than a statement.

“I’m so excited,” you confirmed. “I’m marrying the love of my life in what’s going to be my dream dress, I know it.” You grinned as the four of you watched people bustling around the shop. There was a bride near tears, just like on the TV episodes, and you watched fondly. Seeing people get what they wanted made you happy.

The search for the perfect dress went nothing less than perfectly. Within the first two sweeps, you managed to get into a dress that everyone thought was perfect for you, and you loved it, too. It even brought the three out of the haze that they were in, out of focus and minds so far gone that your excited squeals were all that broke them out of their thoughts.

“It’s gorgeous, Y/N.” Pepper said, her voice soft and cautious as they walked up to pay. It was silent as you waited for an attendant to come to the counter and check you out.

“I- I think there’s something you should know.” The other girls’ head whipped Pepper’s way, and she gave them a look that told them that she wasn’t going to back down from whatever she had to say.

You had what felt like a permanent grin on your face as you thought about the dress. It was a dramatic ball gown, blush pink and flowy. You were almost as in love with it as you were with Natasha, and the matching heels that you got and the gorgeous veil that matched topped it all off. You and your soon to be bridal party walked out into the crisp air, and you turned your head towards Pepper. “Sure, what is it?”

There were a few beats of silence. “Let’s go sit in the car,” Pepper insisted, and so they walked back to the car that Happy was driving for them, where he was sitting with the partition rolled down. He gave them a half assed greeting before they all piled in. “Can I start off with saying that… I’m sorry if you feel like any of us betrayed you.”

You trusted them all with your life, but that didn’t stop your heart from starting to race at the words Pepper said. Whatever this announcement was, it wasn’t good at all. “What?” When no one said anything, you laughed a little. “What, is the dress actually ugly and you didn’t say anything while we were in there? Do I need to go back?”

“No, the dress is beautiful.” The other girls nodded, and then you were sure of yourself and your taste again. “It’s just… Abigail.”

You frowned a bit, immediately thinking of the tragic scene where the girl rushed out of the quintet, breaking down by the second. “Oh, poor thing. Is she not doing as well as they say she is? I know a first big mission can be tough.”

There was a thick silence before Sharon blurted it out. “I am so, so sorry.” You leaned forward, heart skipping a few beats while Sharon took in a deep breath. You knew that some kind of blow was coming just by her apology, and you were bracing for it. “Natasha and Abigail had an affair on the mission.”

In the movies, it was like an instant shattering of the heart when news was broken like that. Immediate tears, automatic screaming and cursing and wanting to call up the other person to threaten them. There was lashing out, the breaking of glass, all the cinematic things that made actors on screen look better and less awkward when they broke down. You always thought that they were overreacting.

Now you knew that they weren’t. You felt that way on the inside. Your mind was raging like a hurricane and a tornado all at once, one disaster coming from the east and the other from the west. Your anger was the tornado, whipping around and threatening to destroy everything in your path and lash out at every single damn person in that car. But just like a tornado, you wore out and disbanded, all in your head. All that was left was the hurricane. The sadness. The disappointment. The heartbreak.

You had never even entertained the thought of how you would be after getting betrayed by her, but if you had, you probably would have imagined that the tornado would have acted first. But it didn’t. Unlike in the movies, all you did was tilt your head to the side and ask for the words to be repeated, even though you didn’t even listen for a second. You couldn’t believe it. Not Natasha. Not your Natasha. Not your angel.

“Natasha and Abigail slept with each other on multiple occasions on the mission, by word of Steve,” Sharon pointed out, her voice similar to the way a doctor sounded while delivering bad news, only a little shakier. “Abigail ran out crying because she fell in love with Natasha and knew that it would never really happen, not because she ruined the mission.”

Not only had Natasha slept with another person, but she had somehow convinced the girl that they were going to be together. Natasha didn’t have a ring, and the girl was new. There was no way she would have known that you two were together unless someone explicitly told her, and there were better things to do on a mission. It wasn’t her fault. Even if she had known, it wasn’t Abigail’s fault. Natasha Romanoff knew better. She knew a thousand times better.

“I don’t think either of them meant for it to happen,” Pepper said, immediately trying to calm you down, even though you hadn’t even spoken an angry word yet, and you looked like you weren’t even close to shouting.

The distinct sound of the partition rolling up was what brought you back to the present.

“But it did happen,” you said slowly, not even realizing that your teeth were gritted. “It happened.”

You couldn’t believe it. You didn’t want to, you wanted to believe it was a lie and calmly confront Natasha, but Steve was the one who had said it, and Steve didn’t lie. Why hadn’t he told you before?

Now that you knew what went on during the mission, you could see that everyone was acting weird. Everyone knew, there was no question about it. Which meant that everyone knew, and no one told you. They didn’t even hint toward anything, and they knew that you were supposed to be marrying the woman who went behind your back and did the unforgivable multiple times.

“We- we’re supposed to be getting married.” The pitiful sentence was all that you could string together in a thought as you looked out of the window at the traffic. You wished that the cars would just go, fly around so that you could cry by yourself. “I don’t even know what to say.” There were a million things happening in your mind at once, and trying not to cry in front of everyone was the biggest effort.

“I’m sorry,” Sharon’s voice said, and she really did sound apologetic. But it wasn’t enough in the moment. You wanted to hear Natasha say it, if all was true. But you knew it was. “We’re all sorry. We were waiting for Romanoff to own up to what she did.” Sharon said, obviously trying not to feel the wrath of you that was surely bubbling beneath the surface.

You could have been angry towards them. You knew that you felt betrayed, by everyone that knew and chose not to speak, that was a no-brainer. You could have been a lot of things at the moment, but there were bigger fish to fry. You clenched your fists and looked at the window, blinking rapidly as you grappled for composure. “Don’t apologize, you didn’t do anything.”

“I don’t think you-”

“I get it. It’s alright. I just prefer not to speak right now, ‘s all.” And conversation ended. But that was when the turmoil in your head and heart started to crank up the energy.

Your first instinct was to bust in there and look for the Black Widow herself, to yell until you lost your voice. Your first instinct was to cause a scene and embarrass her as much as Natasha did to you. You couldn’t believe she had gotten everyone to lie for her. You couldn’t believe that she had an obvious affair with a new agent. You couldn’t believe that you walked around thinking that nothing was wrong while everyone else pitied you behind your back.

Unfortunately, you were quite used to not being enough. Not enough to make it into ivy leagues, not enough to make the track team, not having enough to afford to buy all of your clothes without cringing and thinking about putting some items back. But you were never going to be used to not being enough for Natasha Romanov.

The drive back was the most awkward drive that the four of them had ever been on, without question. You had tears streaming down your face but you were still as silent as the night, just like everyone else. You hardly ever cried. You were always the ray of sunshine and rationality in the tower, and now everything positive had been blown out by the darkness that Natasha created.

When everyone got out of the car, it was sluggishly. Everyone knew what was bound to happen, but it was questionable whether or not the end of the blow out was going to result in settlement or people storming and and leaving. You already knew how it would end.

The second that the elevator landed on you and Natasha’s floor, you shakily thanked the girls for their honesty and walked right out, knowing that it was probably the last time that you would ever be going up in Stark Tower. In your angry fantasy about confronting your fiancée, you imagined storming in and shouting her name, getting her attention and then breaking her down into pieces like the words did to you in the car.

But once you were in your room, you found that the fantasies were just that, and you couldn’t say a word or do a thing but find your suitcase and pack, all the fire leaving your body the second that you saw your room.

You were halfway through gathering everything that was yours in the room that you and Natasha shared, tears streaming down steadily, when you registered that it was real. Natasha had really done the unimaginable, and there was no turning back. A small sob escaped your throat when you saw the sweater you had gotten Natasha hanging up in the closet, the same one that she wore when she got down on one knee for you. Did that mean nothing, too? Was the meaning and emotion of that and everything that led up to it blown to smithereens by something as trivial as two months?

The door flung open. “What are you doing?”

“Don’t talk to me.” You blurted, turning your head to not look at Natasha, trying to avoid her blue gaze. If you looked, you had no doubts that you would turn to stone, and that you would never find the strength to leave the woman who you loved the most and hurt you the most, all within three minutes.

Natasha looked bewildered by the suitcase on the bed. “Are you- are you leaving?”

“What the hell else am I supposed to do?” The temper that was kept just below simmering in the car was finally starting to boil over. “I can’t believe you, Natasha!”

“I-” She sputtered, and you gave her a pointed look in response. “Who told you?”

The question brought fire into your veins. She knew that you knew, because she knew that it was the one secret that had the power to make you so emotional. You two kept no secrets, and for this to be the first? That was painful.

You knew that Natasha would sense your lie about who told you and who didn’t, but you told it anyway. There was no use in causing a riff between the team because they wanted to help you. “I figured it out myself. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Natasha held her hands out in front of her body, and the gesture was so similar to the way that she used to hold her hands out in a silent ask for you to hold them. You hated the way that your heart lurched, and the way that you craved the feeling of her hands even more. “It was an accident.”

An accident? A two month escapade with another woman was an accident?

“After that long ass ride home on the quinjet, you could have at least come up with a better lie.”

“Princessa-”

“I- fuck you.” Your voice cracked in the middle of the explicative, tears falling into the suitcase pitifully. It made your raging temper even worse. “Fuck you.”

“My love-”

“I don’t understand why!” You couldn’t contain the waves of emotion you felt anymore as you slammed the top of the unfinished suitcase closed. “I give you everything I have every single day. Every day. I love you with all of my heart and I do everything I can to make you happy and you give me this? I tried so hard to make sure that we were both happy together, and we were. So, why?”

The look on Natasha’s face wasn’t unfamiliar to you. You knew it well, but it had never been used on you before. It was the look of a spy who didn’t want to say a damn word, silent resistance that you knew would be unbroken. That’s when you knew that you may never know the real reason. And it broke you. “There isn’t a reason.”

You crumbled faster than you ever had before “Natasha, we were- how could you do this to me?” You collapsed into sobs, falling onto the bed and putting your face into your hands. You didn’t know how long you cried for until you felt a hand on your shoulder, very hesitant to even attempt at being comforting. You didn’t have the energy to tell her to fuck off.

“I’m sorry,” Natasha cooed, and for a second, it felt like something was right again. Natasha being gentle was a regular occurrence, a side to the famous ex assassin that only you saw. It was your biggest safety blanket in life. But when she opened her mouth again, you were brought back to why you two were even doing this in the first place. “I didn’t mean for any of it to happen.”

You shook your head out of anger. The fact that the lie was shitty made it worse, made it hurt more. She didn’t even want to come up with a lie that would make you stay?

“Somehow you convinced that poor girl that you were going to be with her. How did you manage to do that on accident? How did you sleep with her multiple times on accident? You lead her on emotionally.”

“No.”

“Yes.” You pushed her hand off of your shoulder. “You told her some pretty little words and she fell for them as most do, right? Like I did, I guess. Just tell me the truth.”

“I didn’t-”

You remembered the way the girl was so distraught. You remembered the amount of tears that she had. You remembered the way that she avoided looking in your eyes, the way that she looked completely heart broken. Just like how you looked. You scoffed. “She told you she loved you, didn’t she?”

Natasha’s light blue eyes were boring into yours as she was silent. For the first time in a while, there was no telling of what Natasha was thinking in your mind. You were disconnected. “Yes.”

The words hurt to get out, but you had to know the answer to them. At any cost. Even at the cost of your own heart and sanity. “And you told her the same.”

There was a thick silence that spanned across multiple frantic heartbeats. “Yes.”

The next words were automatic. “I’m done.” You opened the suitcase again. The tears were coming harder than ever, warping your voice so much that your not Natasha hardly recognized it. “Done.”

“You can’t just-”

“Yes, I can!” You whipped around, eyes nailing Natasha right in her place. “Unless you can give me a good reason for what the hell you did, I’m done.”

Excruciating silence. It struck like lightning on the last tree in a struck down forest.

You turned on your heel, but then, words bubbled up in your throat, and you couldn’t shove them down. “When you miss me after you’re done, don’t come back to me.” Your voice cracked in the middle, but you kept pushing. “When you stop and think about what we could have been, do not come and find me. Because you’ll figure it out one day, and it’ll get through that thick skull.”

Natasha’s eyes were slightly watery as she looked on, taking a few steps forward with on outstretched arm, looking to latch on to you. “Love, please.”

You scoffed and ran out of the door, with nothing but a suitcase and a bag in your hands. You cried all the way to the elevator, ignoring the fact that Wanda and Vision’s room was right there across the hall, and how they without a doubt heard everything. Hell, everyone had heard everything. The argument weren’t exactly quiet.

You cried even harder when the doors of the elevator closed. Your hands shook as you brought them up to your face, remembering far too late that Tony Stark sometimes watched the tapes, especially elevator ones. You couldn’t even bring yourself to care. You turned into yourself and sobbed as your body and head shook, trying to rid herself of everything that happened. You cried more when you realized that you hadn’t meant a word of what you said to Natasha.

Deep down, through all of the emotions, you wanted her to seek you out when she learned her lesson. You didn’t know why, and you knew that you didn’t want it any time soon, but you knew that you wanted it.

It was supposed to be a magical day. The day you got the dress was the day it all became real, the day that solidified the fact that you would be getting married to the woman that you loved. You were heart broken. The familiar sound of the elevator stopping and the doors opening barely snapped you out of your well deserved pity party.

You only took one look at the new arrival, and that was when it was decided that the universe, was indeed, very unkind.

Abigail stood there like a deer in head lights, swallowing and looking with wide eyes, certainly unsure about whether or not she should just leave or apologize and hop in and pretend like she didn’t know what was going on. She looked like she expected confrontation.

Your wobbly smile shocked her. “You don’t have to be scared. Come in.” Your voice was just as shaky as the smile you offered, stepping to the side a bit and giving the other woman enough room.

You felt bad. Abigail was young, even younger than you. There was no way that she knew. No one really resisted the charms of Natasha Romanoff, anyway, and you knew it. Especially not a wide eyed newbie who was desperate to please on her first mission with the big guys, some of the original Avengers. There was no doubt that she felt terrible based on the way that she didn’t look you in the eye, and how she avoided everyone. There was only one person in the wrong, and it wasn’t this poor girl.

The doors dinged as they reached the bottom, and right before they opened, you smiled at her. “It’s okay,” your voice was a strong whisper. “It’s not your fault.” You gave her one look as you wheeled your suitcase out of the elevator, taking long strides to reach the huge front door of the tower, praying for no more interruptions.

“Y/N!”

You didn’t want to stop at all. You knew who’s commanding voice it was, and stopping to talk didn’t seem like an option. You preferred not to talk to anyone on the team, especially not one of the people who went on the mission. You wiped your cheeks and turned around anyway. “Yes?”

Steve stood before you, a sincere expression on his face as he looked you up and down, your obvious and inevitable departure making him wince. “I’m sorry.”

There was nothing that you could really say to him. He wasn’t the point of your anger and he was a friend, even if he had kept something from you. “You’re not the one who did it.”

“I could have told you.”

“No, she should have, a long time before someone else did. You didn’t do anything wrong.” The story of infidelity that happened was Natasha’s story to tell. While you still felt a little more than bitter about being an idiot in the dark about the whole thing, you would have preferred to hear it from her, one hundred percent. “I’m just pissed I found out after buying the perfect dress and veil and all of it. I was so ready.” You felt like a fool.

“I don’t know why she-”

“I don’t know why, either.” You admitted, shaking your head slowly. “But one day, maybe I’ll figure it out.”

“You’re leaving.” Steve saw it as a closed chapter now that you were storming out. Anyone would, but you knew better. You knew how Natasha worked, you knew how you worked, but most importantly, you knew how you two worked together. “You and Natasha- you and Nat are special. I’ve never seen anything like what you two have in my life, no one has. That’s why we’re all so mad. She ruined the one relationship that everyone obviously knows is true love, for no reason.”

“I know.”

He looked guilty for even saying the words. “You’re not going to try and work it out?”

“Don’t you think that I know what we have is special?” You asked him, new tears welling up in your eyes as you spoke. “I’m leaving this to her because I trust her with it. I don’t forgive her, and maybe I never will, but this is for her to decide.”

“What makes you think that she’ll decide right? Or what she’ll even decide at all?”

“She’ll come back.” You stated with certainty, and these were the first words that hadn’t had a crack or wobble in them since you started talking to the red head. “She’ll miss me and she’ll be over the thrill of whatever happened on the mission, and she’ll find me, wherever I decide to go. She’ll come back to me, just like I would come back to her. It could take weeks or years, but she will. That’s how we work.”

Steve was momentarily stunned, but after a few short moments, you knew that you had convinced him. “And you’re willing to wait for her? However long it takes?”

You lifted your lips at him, even more tears building up in your eyes as your answer flew up to your lips without even thinking. “She’ll come and find out.”

You walked away with heavy steps, already feeling her lingering on your skin, and the haunting memories of the two of you as happy as could be swirling around in your head.

You were well aware that removing Natasha from your life would hurt. But you never could have anticipated how much it would hurt.

Natasha was the safety net you never knew you needed. She was the one person on earth who made you feel truly wanted, needed even. She knew everything that you required to feel loved and you knew her just the same, and you both did those things. And that’s what made you two different.

You had been cheated on before. That was how Natasha had met you, actually. Your last boyfriend had cheated on you like the dirty dog he was with nearly every woman he was cute enough to be with for a night, and Natasha met you while you were getting hammered at a bar because you found out. Natasha met you at your lowest point and raised you up with all her might, and still had energy to love you. You felt useless and discarded, thrown under the bed and tossed to the side of the road, but she found you and made you something new. She made you her favorite.

Natasha was everywhere.

She was in the way that you made your coffee, because you hated it before you met her, and she introduced you to a kind that you liked. You got as addicted to it as you were to her.

She was in the way that you walked around the park at night instead of in the morning like you did before you met her, because she liked looking at the stars together.

She was in the way that you searched for her next to you in your sleep and when you first woke up. She was in the ring you still had. She was in the way you wrote your letter ‘n’ now, because you wrote her notes for years and always made the ‘n’ fancy just for her. It stuck. She was somehow related to every show and every movie and every brand of ice cream, and from the second week of suffering without her, you knew that she would linger on you like a faded tattoo.

During the third week, you swore that you could smell her perfume, though it made no sense. You had done laundry many times, and all of a sudden the smell popped up, like she was dropping in to spray the perfume and then leaving as soon as she came. The rich smell was something that you would never forget, and it hung around like thick smoke in your mind. You wanted it to leave.

You cursed her name all throughout the fourth week of being alone in your small apartment in Brooklyn. Everything was her fault. The washer broke, Natasha somehow did it. If you woke up with makeup still on your face from the past night, Natasha was at fault.

You went shopping during the sixth week, and you swore you saw flashes of her red hair in the grocery line, pitifully walking faster with your cart to both flee and go towards it. A part of you knew that she would never shop this far out, but you couldn’t help it. You missed her. You missed her a lot.

But that didn’t change that it stung so, so badly.

It was disgustingly close to what the wedding date would have been when you were lying in bed with a stray cat that you had managed to nurse back to health and call your own about two weeks prior. In a way, it was freeing. Natasha hated animals. They were a responsibility in her mind, nothing more. You loved the cat quickly, and named him Henry.

There were three sharp knocks on the door that you would have taken for strokes of thunder if they weren’t so close. You frowned and stood up, walking to the window to peak outside and see that there was a thunderstorm rolling through, the wind higher than usual and the rain coming down sideways.

You walked to the door with the small cat trailing behind you like a loyal companion. You cracked a smile when he meowed, and you looked through the peep hole, the bright porch light shocking your eye for a second, and then you saw.

Natasha Romanoff was standing there, soaking wet with her arms hanging at her sides, trembling from the cold.

You took two steps back that startled Henry, causing him to meow louder this time. You breathed in, trying to be quiet, but you knew that she knew you were there. She was so trained that you knew she heard you approaching, and when you took your steps away from the door. You both knew each other were there.

You had indirectly told her to seek you out when she was ready, and here she was.

Were you ready?

Like you were a child trying to eavesdrop, you held your breath as you leaned into the door, putting your ear on it as you struggled to hear something, anything, from her. She wasn’t talking. You looked up into the peephole again, and she was looking at her feet, waiting for something to happen. She knew that you were deciding.

You had spent time looking for her in places you knew she would never be, running to and from things that looked like or reminded you of her, and now the real thing stood in your porch light in the rain. She came back to you.

She came back, but that didn’t erase everything that happened. Not at all. Her two months of fun and new experiences acted as the eraser, painting over everything that they had ever done in black paint. The joy of dancing with her under street lights and kissing in Tony’s limos and her hand under your sweatshirt didn’t amount to the pain it felt when she ripped herself from you.

But why did it hurt so much if they weren’t the same amount of emotion, if not more? If you looked at it with a rational mind, was the joy not worth more than the pain?

The pain weighed like bricks. There was one big brick that weighed half a ton on one scale, nearly tipping the other side.

But the joy? It weighed like clouds, because that’s what joy was. It was the feeling of being above the clouds. And you found that every moment of joy that you had Natasha, even though it was the weight of clouds, still outweighed the fat brick.

But were all of the cloud moments enough to possibly take another brick?

Your hand moved before you knew it, and you were undoing the chain and unlocking the door, yanking it open roughly and staring her down.

She was shocked. Her eyes were wide as she stared at you without any barriers, automatic tears welling up. Had she come all that way to not even know whether or not you would answer? Hell, you had done all of that while in limbo with yourself.

But now, without even knowing how Natasha truly felt, without even hearing one word from her mouth, you knew something changed.

“I knew you’d come back.”

#natasha romanoff #natasha romanoff x reader #marvel fanfiction #fem reader #lgbtq #natasha x reader #natasha x you #marvel imagines #my fics

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queenxxxsupreme · 4 years ago

Note

I just thought of something- Arthur as a dad and having a little girl that he's so overprotective of and he's got a ranch and he's all healthy and thick- This should be canon I swear.

A/N: BABE this might have just started a mini series involving dad!Arthur and my new ending to rdr2 that I know we deserved. There’s at least going to be two more parts (that could be read separately from this one) including Daisy’s birthday which has some members from our lovely gang in it and some drama as well as the part where Daisy gets her first horse which also has some drama in it! Also just saying, I am open to dad!Arthur requests...

Additional Note: So in this, Charles’s SO is named Lucy and Abigail and John’s unnamed daughter that they eventually have is named Grace :) They are just mentioned but in this RDR2 AU mini series they will be appearing!

Warnings: DOES INVOLVE SPOILERS FOR RDR2 ENDING, mostly fluffy!, female!reader,

***

“I’m a survivor, Morgan!”

Arthur jolted awake. His hands gripped the pillow beneath his head with white knuckles.

For a split second, he didn’t know where he was. The room was dark save for a bit of moonlight that came in through the curtains that covered the window.

He sat up, rubbing his eyes as he tried to get his bearings. A thin layer of sweat covered his skin. He pushed the quilt and fur blanket off of himself, throwing his legs over the side of the bed.

Arthur’s gaze fell on the end table by the bed. The picture on the table brought him back to reality.

He picked the wooden frame up, a small smile coming to his lips. It was a picture of you, him, and Daisy when she was a newborn.

“Oh how time flies.” He murmured quietly, placing the picture back down.

Arthur glanced over his shoulder to where you should have been sleeping, but that side of the bed was empty. It wasn’t too much of a surprise that he was alone. You had trouble sleeping sometimes. But it was odd that he hadn’t noticed you getting out of bed.

“I’m a survivor, Morgan!” Micah Bell’s voice thundered in Arthur’s ears. “That’s all there is! Living and dying!”

Arthur stood to his feet and moved down the hallway, making his way to Daisy’s room. He pushed the door open and poked his head inside.

The little lump beneath the blankets on Daisy’s bed settled Arthur’s racing heart. All the worry that had been swirling in his stomach dwindled down at the sight of his seven-year-old daughter.

The family dog, Carson, huffed from the foot of her bed, alarmed that someone had opened the door.

“Shhh, boy.” Arthur tried to hush him before he could disturb Daisy, but it was too late.

“Carson.” She whined.

“Sorry, sweetpea.”

“Daddy?” Daisy turned over in her bed, brushing her messy hair back out of her face.

“Didn’t mean to wake ya up.” Arthur moved into the room, giving Carson a pat on the head. “Just wanted to check on ya.”

“Why?”

“‘Cause…. Well ‘cause I was just worried about ya.” He explained.

Daisy looked up at him for a few moments.

“Momma said you was havin’ bad dreams.”

Arthur furrowed his brow.

“When did she say that?”

“Earlier when she came in to check on me.”

Arthur would’ve laughed if the reason that you both were so insistent on checking on Daisy wasn’t because of your past.

“Were you havin’ bad dreams, daddy?”

“No, sweetpea.” He started to tuck her in, making sure the blanket covered her properly and that she was comfortable. “I was just a little restless. Sometimes it’s hard for daddy to go to sleep ‘cause he knows there’s so much to do around here.”

“I can help you do stuff, daddy.” Daisy offered. “That way you can sleep better.”

Arthur smiled.

“Sweet girl.” He leaned down to kiss her forehead. “You help me plenty. Try to get some rest. Tomorrow is a busy day. Do you know why it’s a busy day?”

A huge grin spread across her face.

“I get a horse.”

“What? No, no. That don’t sound right.” Arthur shook his head.

“Daddy!” Daisy giggled.

“I’m just teasin’ you, sweetpea.” Arthur kissed her head once more. “Sleep tight, sweetpea. First thing tomorrow mornin’, we’ll be goin’ into town to get you a little horse.”

“What if I want a big horse?”

“Well, we’ll have to just see what the stables have got.” He chuckled. “Good night, sweetpea.”

“Good night, daddy.”

Arthur closed the door to Daisy’s room behind himself.

He looked down the hallway towards the kitchen, hearing the sound of a quiet conversation.

He found you and Hosea sitting at the kitchen table.

“Drinking coffee in the middle of the night? What is it with you two?”

“We’re already up.” Hosea shrugged his shoulders. “No point in trying to go back to sleep.”

You chuckled a little.

Arthur moved around to stand behind your chair.

“Was Daisy up earlier?” He leaned down to kiss your head.

“Yeah, briefly. Carson heard something outside and started barking.” You nodded, taking a sip of coffee.

Arthur looked to the large window in the kitchen that looked over the backyard. His brows furrowed together.

“Hm. Why didn’t I hear nothin?” He moved towards the window, lingering towards the side instead of standing directly in the middle.

“You were talkin’ in your sleep again.” You said quietly. “You only do that when you’re having real bad dreams.”

Arthur nodded.

“I already went out there and looked around. Didn’t see anything.” Hosea told him.

“I’m gonna go double check.”

“What- You think I don’t know what I’m doing?”

“That’s not it, old man.”

Hosea watched as Arthur disappeared down the hallway, going to the backroom to retrieve a gun.

“He only wants to see for himself that there’s nothin’ out there.” You spoke so only Hosea could hear you. “He was sayin’ Micah’s name again, Hosea.”

Hosea let out a sigh.

“He thinks Micah’s gonna come after him.”

“You don’t think so?” You tilted your head to the side a little, eyebrows drawing together. “After…. After what happened…. Arthur ruined his plans at getting the money from Blackwater. Dutch died on that mountain. You’re the only other one who knows and Micah knows you’re here too. It would only make sense for him to come here and…. and I’m afraid, Hosea.”

Hosea shook his head softly, reaching over to take your hand.

“Micah Bell is a coward, Y/N. He knows it. He knows Arthur’s got all of us in his corner. You, me, Charles, John-,”

“But Hosea, we’ve got families.” Your voice cracked. “We have Daisy and-and Charles and Lucy are having one of their own. Abigail and John have Jack and Grace. We-We ain’t what we used to be.”

Hosea was quiet for a few moments.

Arthur passed through the kitchen fully dressed and carrying a shotgun.

Your eyes met his briefly. The air in your lungs escaped. It felt like someone was sitting on your chest.

The back door closed behind Arthur.

“If it comes down to it, Y/N, we will do what we have to do.” Hosea assured you.

You nodded your head, wiping the tears from your cheeks that managed to escape.

***

A half an hour had passed and Arthur had yet to return to the house. You ventured out to find him. He sat on the front step with the shotgun still in his hands. Upon hearing the front door open, he looked over his shoulder.

“Do you plan on stayin’ out here all night?”

He didn’t answer you, turning his head to look back to the woods.

You sat down next to him, slipping your arm around his. You kissed his shoulder and leaned against him.

“Is everything okay?”

“I just…. just got this feelin’ that ain’t sittin’ right with me. That’s all.”

“We’ve been here for four years, Arthur. We’ve been quiet, haven’t drawn any attention to ourselves and haven’t let any of the locals know our real names. There’s no way he’d know where we are.”

“If that snake wants to find me, he could. I know it. And if he…. I don’t want him anywhere near Daisy.”

“Charles and Lucy are just down the road. You know Charles is just as vigilant as you are and with those dogs he’s got, he’d know if anyone was setting up camp in the woods between our property and his. If need be, next time Sadie comes through we can ask her to dig around and see where Micah’s at. You know she’d be willing to help.”

“I hate to get her involved.” Arthur muttered, shaking his head softly.

“If it involves the future of her niece, you know damn well she’d want to be involved.” You rubbed his arm. “It’s early, but we still got a couple hours before the sun comes up.”

He let out a breath.

“M’not gonna sleep at all tonight, pumpkin.”

“Then at least come lay down. Let me read to you. You don’t need to be out here alone with just your thoughts.”

Arthur’s eyes found yours.

“You know I love you, don’t you?”

“I know.” You smiled. “Come on.” You patted his arm and stood up.

“Daisy’s real excited about gettin’ herself a horse.” Arthur put his hand on the small of your back as he walked behind you. “You don’t think she’s still too young for one, do you? I mean, she’s so small. She’s smaller than Jack was and he was a tiny kid.”

“She’s just fine for her age, Arthur.” You assured him. “It’ll be good for her to get started with a horse now. It’ll keep you both busy all spring.”

“What if she gets hurt?”

“She’s bound to get hurt. It’s a part of growin’ up.”

“I don’t want her gettin’ hurt.”

The door to Daisy’s room opened and Carson slipped out.

“Daisy.” You said her name. “You should be in bed. It’s four in the morning.”

“I can’t sleep, momma.” She lingered in the doorway to her room, a frown on her lips.

You looked back to Arthur. He nodded his head, moving past you so he could get to your daughter.

“You wanna come lay down with me and momma? She’s gonna read a storybook to me.”

“Yeah!” Daisy held her hands out for him. Arthur grunted as he picked her up and placed her on his hip.

Carson slipped into the bedroom just before you closed the door. Arthur put Daisy down on the bed and took his hat off, placing it on her head.

“Daddy! It’s too big!” She giggled, pushing it back so it didn’t fall over her eyes.

“Nah, I think it fits just perfect.” He grinned. “I’ll be right back. M’gonna go change. Don’t get too comfortable though, sweetpea. You’re in my spot.”

You slipped off your houseshoes and pulled a book from the shelf.

“Momma?”

“Yeah, honey?”

“Where can I get a hat like this daddy’s?” Daisy put Arthur’s hat on the stand next to the bed and then settled back against his pillows.

“I reckon if you mention it to daddy while you’re in town tomorrow he can get you one.” You sat down on your side of the bed, opening up the book. Carson made himself comfortable at the foot of the bed.

A few moments later, Arthur returned to the bedroom. He stopped just after shutting the door and put his hands on his hips.

“Sweetpea.”

“Yes, daddy?” She giggled, bringing the blankets up to cover her nose.

“I think we got a problem. Where am I supposed to sleep if you’re in my spot?”

She giggled again, pulling the blankets up over her head as if to hide from him.

“Arthur, she needs to sleep some.” You told him quietly. “Don’t get her-,”

He didn’t listen. Instead, he chose to tickle her through the blankets. Daisy’s delighted laughter filled the room. You couldn’t help but smile.

Once Arthur was content with her laughter, he stopped tickling her and pulled the blankets back. Daisy’s hair was a mess.

“Little Miss Daisy, we are definitely going to have to fix your hair in the morning.” Arthur leaned down to kiss her forehead. “But first, you need to get some sleep.”

“Nuh-uh! Momma was gonna read to us!”

“I’ll read until someone falls asleep.” You yawned. “Though I might be that someone.”

“You heard your mother, sweetpea. Scoot over so she can read us a story.” Arthur nudged Daisy over towards the middle of the bed.

Once the two were settled, you began your story.

“A long time ago, there were two cowboys….”

Taglist: @doggone-cowgirl @winterwolf @lauramb7 @caraqas @bluscryn @krenee1drful @zodiacaldust @nonodino @gabstaroc @cal-lifornication @thefirelordm @sargeantsea @sokkasdarling @thecollection @mayday1284

#arthur morgan x reader #arthur morgan x reader fluff #dad!arthur morgan #dad!arthur morgan fic #rdr2 #rdr2 fic #red dead redemption 2 #arthur morgan ask #kacey answers

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2am-theswifthour · 4 years ago

Text

The 8 Theory-Folklore’s Commentary on Youth

Yesterday, I took note of @taylorswift and her careful attention to the number 8.

“Not a lot going on at the moment” had 8 words. The 8th track is “august,” which is also the 8th month in the year. She has 8 deluxe editions of her album. Many attributed this to Folklore being Taylor’s 8th album. I thought it meant either a.) we needed to pay very close attention to track #8 or b.) that 8 references infinity, a.k.a “forever and ever.”

To my surprise, I was actually selling Taylor Swift short.

When listening to the album, there’s a lot of back and forth in emotion and circumstance. I was confused about the order, especially when the strikingly sobering “hoax” followed the self-aware almost-tranquility of “peace.” Then it hit me. There are two schools of thought going on.

There are 16 tracks on Folklore (excluding the bonus track none of us have heard). 16/2=8. This means there are 2 equal emotional song threads on the album. In other words, you can get two drastically different lessons listening to each group of 8.

When you separate the even numbered tracks from the odd numbered tracks you get the following:

Odd

the 1

the last great american dynasty

my tears ricochet

seven

this is me trying

invisible string

epiphany

peace

Even

cardigan

exile

mirrorball

august

illicit affairs

mad woman

betty

hoax

Odd Interpretation:

Starting with “the 1” and “the last great american dynasty,” the lyrics are very upfront in showing that the protagonists are making fully intentioned mistakes. “the 1” says, “in my defense, I have none for never leaving well enough alone” (I see you “ME!” reference). In “the last great American dynasty” it says, “she had a marvelous time ruining everything.” These characters’ folly is their youth-induced selfishness. They’re casual in the harm they cause because they distance themselves from it. They’re fine with what they don’t look at closely. When you’re young, you make a mess of things in service of YOUR need. Your need for companionship. Your need for the thrill of danger. Your need to make your mark, to be somebody, to leave something behind. The marvel of the excitement and the chase and the very vitality of teens to 20-somethings’ shenanigans blinds us to the scale of our destruction…

…until you have no choice but to face the consequences of your recklessness.

The next track, “my tears ricochet” is not your average track 5. It functions as a pivoting point. Now our narrator is the hurt party, the one baring the brunt of callous treatment. Fickle mistreatment is no longer so casual. Now it’s a torment, and the tormentor learns the scale of their damage. So much so, that they get burned too. They learned their lesson at a terrible price, but what’s most important is that they learned.

“seven” is a long-overlooked memory revisited. In this picture of naïve innocence, the narrator tells of their childish belief in the impossible. Through magic and play pretend and fantasy they are invincible. They have all the control in the world to control the world they live in. Obviously, this is a flawed perspective that everyone eventually grows out of. Fairy tales don’t solve real problems. The point is that their sense of self-importance is in service of a stronger moral compass than the first two songs. If we accept our responsibility to others, to do what we can to ensure their welfare, are we not better and more satisfied people for it?

“this is me trying” hears that lesson and attempts to walk the walk. Part of being responsible to your fellow human is taking accountability when you fumble. The narrator doesn’t know what to say or how to make it right. What they do know is that they’re here, they’ve put the bottle down, and that they’re willing to try what’s necessary to heal what they’ve hurt.

“invisible string” gives us the reward we’ve been waiting for. The narrator says, “cold was the steel of my axe to grind for the boys who broke my heart, now I send their babies presents.” This is someone who has gone from lashing out in anger at a partner from a burned relationship to genuinely wishing them well in their next stage in life. It’s a powerful testament when you can recognize that youth drives us all to make hurtful decisions and that no one is immune to change if they truly want to change. When you let the anger and lies go, the strings that tied you to them fade away. All that’s left is the string you want to hold onto. The string tied to the one who matters, because you’ve made the conscious decision to deduce that their worth as a person should equal yours. It’s a painful path to traverse through, but when you do it’s all worthwhile. That’s why the narrator can say with confidence “hell was the journey but it brought me to heaven.”

In any other album, a song like “invisible string” would be the quintessential emotional payoff for this story arc. However, because this album is a masterpiece, we have a different payoff point in “epiphany.” “epiphany” takes us out of the world of a romantic relationship. We hear descriptions of war and nurses dealing with the despair of this international pandemic. This point in this emotional thread is that it powerfully declares it’s not enough to do no harm nor is it enough to just empathize with your romantic partner. You MUST show your responsibility to your fellow man. Stand beside them. Empathize with them. See them as whole human beings. Do good by them. In other words, it is our duty to do right by everyone, for everyone bleeds, loves, and dies.

The 8-song selection ends with “peace.” The song begins by saying that their, “coming-of-age” has come and gone.” I believe this (along with “invisible string”) to be the most overtly “Taylor Swift” track in perspective. This is her speaking as herself. She lets us know that she’s grown through taking her mistakes, and the mistakes she learned through folklore, into account. She is overly aware of her flaws and feels she pales in comparison to her partner. Rather than allow those insecurities to manifest in unchecked rage or resentment, she takes it as a challenge for herself to do better. She knows she can never give him complete peace (due to inside and outside factors), but she can make the choice to give him unselfish promises and embrace the entirety of her partner’s life. This is a person who has learned the value of selflessness in love and life, which makes this whole thread worth everything.

Even Interpretation:

“cardigan” foreshadows the eventual failure of the even path. The odd interpretation I just described culminated in the narrator finding their place with “the one” because they’ve left everything petty and casually cruel behind. In “cardigan” it says “chase two girls, lose the one.” On top of this directly referencing the first track, it also implies the partner’s self-destruction. By toying with two girls, James is losing “the one.” I don’t think losing “the one” means that you keep one of the two of them. I think it means that engaging in that kind of behavior makes you into a person that isn’t ready, or worthy, of “the one” that they are meant to be with forever. Meeting and keeping “the one” has to require each partner to love themselves and their partner wholly, truly, and selflessly. They can’t be a cardigan you pick up and only wear on the weekends. They must be a wholehearted commitment.

“exile” shows the blowout from “cardigan.” The two couldn’t stay together, and Bon Iver’s (character’s) toxicity comes out full force. He thinks her new man is lesser than him. He’s prepared to throw punches despite being at fault over a hundred times. He’s seen the film before, and he didn’t like the ending because it didn’t work out for him. He wants her under his thumb, not having learned from his prior relationships that that just can’t work. They leave out the side doors, neither fully ready to confront the problems head on.

“mirrorball” is daring in its shift of focus. While all of the tracks I’ve mentioned thus far have dealt, in some way, with the problems that result from a young person’s selfishness, this song doesn’t do that. This song illustrates an extreme that young people participate in at the opposite end of the spectrum; radical selflessness. To be selfless means that you should never allow something that harms someone else to happen just because it benefits you. Young people, girls in particular, are often groomed to interpret selflessness differently. Their definition is synonymous with accommodation. Change your looks, change your personality, don’t object, and embody what your partner wants so that they’re happy. That’s why the symbol is the mirrorball in the song. It reflects everything in the room but itself. By explicitly not factoring in their own sense of self-respect in a relationship, they are unknowingly and tragically enabling their partner’s mistreatment. To be clear, that doesn’t mean abuse is their fault if they have low self-esteem. It’s not, even remotely. But not having the capacity to defend your self-worth is what keeps so many drawn into toxic relationships there for so long. This radical selflessness manifests itself in the other woman too. In “august” it explicitly says that she was living on the, “hope of it all” and that she would cancel plans in the name of a potential hookup with someone who was never hers. The idea of radical selflessness culminates in “illicit affairs” when one of the women deals with their addictive compulsion toward someone who treats them like a cheap lay. Their relationship is a secret that leaves her feeling used in parking lots and as though any trace of her is gone. These three songs have taken the desperate hopelessness of “Abigail gave everything she had to a boy who changed his mind” to the extreme.

Many have speculated that “mad woman” is a commentary on the Taylor/Scooter conflict and I’m inclined to agree. However, if I were to assign an interpretation that goes with my theory, I would say that “mad woman” details the unforeseen consequences of a tormentor’s abuse. When a toxic partner performs bad behavior, their expectation is that they will always be found in the right. After all, Taylor noted on her previous album that for men, “everyone believes [them].” So in the face of lies about her character that everyone believes, she gets rightfully angry. Her anger is their affirmation. For many, a woman being angry on her own behalf is “crazy” and “irrational.” What kind of a society have we set up? A society that promotes women to lack self-worth and, should they find it, they’ll meet a whole other exile.

“betty” is our complete look into James’ perspective. On its own, it sounds like a big romantic gesture to get behind. However, this path is very clear to put “cardigan” first. “cardigan” says, “I knew you’d miss me once the thrill expired and you’d be standin’ in my front porch light.” Lo and behold, in “betty” he shows up to her party when she doesn’t want to see him and asks if she would, “kiss [him] on the porch in front of all [her] stupid friends.” It’s an absolute punch in the gut. Betty knows in “cardigan” that he would come back after he had his fun with another girl, but that she would take him back when he saw momentary value in her again. James in “betty” claims he didn’t know anything, but that’s just an excuse. He knew what he was doing, he knew that he would be able to pick up her broken pieces with ease, he knew he could isolate her from her friends, and he knew that he could capture the imperfect “comfort” of that cardigan again.

This path ends in the final even-numbered song, “hoax.” In the odd numbers, “peace” shows a lesson learned. This even path shows what happens when we don’t learn. The seeds of youth-driven mistakes have led us here. The narrator wants nothing outside the pain of this faithless love. Without learning what it means to be selfless, the traumas of these young relationships create a never-ending cycle. The narrator knows that the “love” is a “hoax” but doesn’t care because that’s all they have. There’s no point to wanting anything else. Without the perspective of age, of truly going beyond that, they’re stuck in a truly dark place.

Final Thoughts:

Taylor Swift is an exceptional artist for a lot of reasons. No one makes albums this good this far into their career. Most artists teeter off after two or three because they retread. Their audience inevitably gets bored of them e same thing time and again. Repeating themselves is something that a lot of artists do because they want to go with the formula of what works. With Folklore, Taylor has done what few artists have dared to do. She’s allowed her discography as a place to uncompromisingly expand her worldview and challenge her listeners. She’s not reiterating previous lessons to make another quick sale. Instead, every album prior has been a steppingstone. As she said at the Time 100 Gala, she has truly turned her lessons into her legacy. From a variety of narrators, she has brought what I decree to be her best album to date. This wouldn’t happen for anyone else 8 albums into their career, but she’s done it by devoutly embracing age’s wisdom.

Learn from the highs and lows presented in these paths. As all good folklore does, it teaches us how to live better. It is our duty to live selflessly and with self-assured dignity. These writings, I have no doubt, will become integral to the legend that is Taylor Alison Swift.

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neon-junkie · 4 years ago

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Hopefully it's not a bother, but could you write something about the Van Der Linde gang getting magically transported (Magic, Tardis, Marko, Science ) to the modern universe and having the gn! Reader help them adapt to this world? Maybe some of their reactions to new things (indoor bathrooms, new music, tv, memes) Thank you so much, love!

oh god this is a long post, and as always, im convinced i’ve missed one member out... minor drug warning on Johns headcanon, but the rest are tame. hope u enjoy!

Part 2 is here | Part 3 is here

Arthur finds your computer and figures out how to turn it on. Your face turns white when you find him on Tumblr, quickly shutting the tab and urging him up off the chair. "Hey! I was reading that! I was... erm, I think I was having sex with myself," he tells you. Yep, he's found the fanfiction. "Do they really mean that? That I got kind eyes and a, uh... fat ass, I think it was?" You quickly show him the kitchen and run back to delete all your history. John goes rummaging through your cupboards for something to eat, and eventually finds the brownies in the fridge. You find him on the roof, his eyes red and his heads spinning. "Them.. them brownies..." he mutters. "I know, John," you sob back. You know which brownies he ate, and my god, he ate a lot of them. Arthur babysits him, his mind still questioning what he just read on your computer. Dutch finds the beast of a lawnmower you have in your garage, so you show him how to use it. Why not? He's mowing your lawn for free. Well, he did mow your lawn, but you eventually have to send a search party out after him, only to find him a couple of streets away, parked up next to a childs lemonade stand, insisting they should be selling this lemonade for more if they want to make a profit.

Hosea also goes missing, but you find him during your search party mission. He's walking up the street back to the house with a paper bag in his hands, and he tells you he's managed to con the gas station clerk into giving him some free booze. You're not sure how, but he's done no harm so you let him enjoy his wine in peace. Bill found your anime figure collection, the ones with the big boobs. He asked you what they were, despite seeming rather flustered, but you tried to explain that it's normal and gave him a book to read. You catch him on your computer a few hours later buying himself a waifu body pillow because "I love her, dammit! Just let us be!" He also keeps pressing the squishy boobs on your anime mouse matt, and yes, he's still very flustered. Javier finds the TV in your room that has Netflix on it, so you show him how to use it and he seems happy distracting himself with that. You walk in a few hours later to see that Javier hasn't moved, but Molly is now by his side, also engulfed in the drag show on the screen. Javier has a thick pair of false lashes on that Molly managed to put on him, and the first thing he says to you is "can you believe this? They voted her off! I... I can't believe this." He's shaking his head and looks like he's about to cry. Charles discovers your computer, and you decide he'd be happy just browsing the web. You come back hours later to find 100 tabs open and your computer fan is louder than an airplane. The current tab open is on a 'where's Waldo?' piece. He's very close to the screen, and you decide to show him how to zoom in to help him find Waldo faster. He's very thankful, and not causing any damages so you leave him to it. Lenny also rummages through your kitchen and finds a pizza in the freezer. He asks you what it is, so you put it in the oven for him. He spends the whole 15 minutes sitting in front of the oven, briefly saying hello to Sean as he runs through. Lenny manages to get the pizza out without burning himself, turns the oven off, cuts up the pizza and takes it upstairs to enjoy with Jack. Yes, he also fed Sean a slice. Sean finds the energy drinks in your fridge that you keep for work. They tasted a little funny at first, but after the third one, he's decided he likes them. You catch him opening his fourth, his eyes are wider than the moon. He cries when you take it off him, and spends the rest of the day running around the garden with your dogs, followed by going to each member of the camp and personally annoying them until he crashes out under your dining table. It's a cozy spot for a nap. Kieran uses your computer after Charles comes off it, and discovers youtube. He starts off with simple cat videos and eventually moves on to fails and meme comps. By the time dinner rolls around, nobody can understand him, and you barely understand half the things he's saying. The only thing you do understand is "big mood," which is what Kieran says when he sees Sean asleep under the dining table. Pearson decides to avoid the kitchen and try something new, and you're quick to decide he'd enjoy rock music. You show him a couple of CD's and leave him to have a listen, only to come storming back up the stairs a few minutes later because he's turned the volume up to full blast and is having a rather funky jam session. "Now this, this is real music!!" He's really enjoying the classics. Trelawny is quick to figure out how to use the TV. He's seen "those moving picture shows" before, and he's mesmerized by how far they've come! You catch him up at 5am watching documentaries to help bridge the gap between his time and yours, and when you walk into the lounge, you're met by a very sleep deprived Trelawny. The only thing he says to you, with heavy bags under his eyes, is "terribly sorry to hear about all these wars you've been having, my dear." He finally goes to bed, but only because you make him. Swanson disappears, but there's a church down the road from you so you decide to check there first. He's inside, joining in on the ceremony, singing his heart out to all the hymns with a real bible in his hands, not the fake one he has back at camp. He seems content so you leave him to it. He thankfully returns just in time for dinner, and tells everybody how he's been blessed and that we can "never leave this land!" Strauss also disappears very quickly, and you have to search for him when you go to look for Dutch. He's also at the lemonade stand, trying to explain to Dutch that if the child sells the lemonade for more, then they're less likely to get customers as it's too expensive. The two of them are arguing, and the child seems rather confused. Strauss later has a breakdown at the noise your toilet makes, he informs you that he'll be using your outside bathroom, even if it is just the bushes. Micah says he doesn't need you to show him the ropes and swats you away, so you leave him to it. You've not seen him for a good few hours, so you run around the house trying to find him. You eventually find him in your room, going through your underwear draw. Arthur is quick to knock his lights out, and you leave him tied up in the garage so he can't do any more damage. Micah also pissed all over your toilet seat and didn't flush. Abigail joins Trelawny in the lounge, watching the TV after Jack tells her he's happy playing with the toys in your room. She and Trelawny have an argument over what to watch next, so you give her your laptop to watch TV on, along with a pair of headphones. She refuses to come off a few hours later because she's way too engulfed in the modeling show she's watching. You promise her you'll let her give you a makeover if she comes off, and she finally agrees. Jack discovers your big box of legos and he seems more than content playing with those. He ends up building a fort, with the help of Lenny, and the two fire pillows at you when you try and enter the room. The pillow canons are, of course, made from legos. At least they're not lego pillows! Jack also thanks you for the pizza, describing it as 'yummy.' Sadie finds your katana collection, and you're quick to take them off her and attempt to hide them. She spends some time pretending to be interested in something else, but as soon as you turn your back for a split second, she's found them again and is heading straight for Kieran. The room where you keep your katanas is now locked and Sadie is in time out. Susan comes across your sewing machine and you're happy to show her how it works. She picks it up quickly, and her eyes glisten as she realizes just how fast this thing is. You leave her be since she's not causing any harm, but come back an hour later to find she's made new a new dress for herself, and all the girls in the gang, including Sadie. They're all matching! Tilly finds your piano and tells you she's happy to be left to her own devices, she knows how to play. You eventually have to tell her and Susan to calm down after receiving another noise complaint, as Susan is attempting to sing opera, and Tilly is killing it on the piano. At least she hasn't damaged anything. She later joins Mary-Beth in time to watch Beauty and the Beast, also sobbing at the film. Karen goes into your garage and discovers your old golf clubs. You show her how it works in your garden, but just like everybody else, it goes wrong. Your neighbor knocks on your door, screaming, demanding to know why you keep firing golf balls through their window. That's when you find Karen and Sean (who is still on his energy drink high) having a contest to see who can smash the most. Mary-Beth discovers your kindle, and she seems rather content with being able to read. There's no way this could possibly go wrong? Well, you come back a little later to find that Mary-Beth is sobbing after reading Beauty and the Beast. She wants a sappy romance just like that to happen to her. She cries even harder when she watches the Disney film, along with Trelawny who hasn't moved from the TV for hours. Molly picks up your tablet, and after showing her what youtube is, you leave her to it. You find her a few hours later sat in front of your mirror with the most flawless, full face of makeup. She greets you by going "hey sisters!" and speaks to you like a vsco girl. You have no idea what she's saying, but she seems to be doing fine, so you leave her to it.

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vanillasakura · 3 years ago

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IT’S FINALLY HERE <3

I first got into Red Dead around late July or so when I watched my friend and her dad speedrun the game, and one of the first things I came across for this fandom was Sapphic Week, so I’m very very happy to be able to contribute this year, especially as I’d be lying if I said the lovely ladies in this game weren’t the main reason I initially got into it and ended up buying it for myself.

Once again, a HUGE shoutout to @rdrsapphicships and Aldrig for hosting this event! I’m so excited to see what everyone creates <3 Without further ado, let’s get into it!

RDRSW21 Day 1: Music

Title: Close Your Eyes (As it Eats at Us)

Words: 1857

Pairing: Abigail Roberts/Molly O’Shea

Warnings/Notes: Slight John bashing I’m sorry but this takes place early chapter 2 so... slightly warranted

(Title from Close Your Eyes by The Midnight Club)

ao3 link

≿━━━━━━━━━━༺❀━━━━━━━━━━≾

Don't you know, when your eyes are closed, you see the world from the clouds along with everybody else?

Indeed, Molly was on her own much of the time. Dutch could only afford her so much attention, and when he was away from camp or otherwise occupied, there wasn’t anybody who really came up to her on their own will. Not exactly like she could blame them, Molly wasn’t the easiest person to get along with. Growing up, she’d always assumed otherwise, but after seeing how Karen and Tilly had told her to stop coming up to them and “being a bitch for no good reason”, she began to wonder if everyone back home was nice to her because they had to be. Even if Molly herself wasn’t a picture-perfect example of politeness, being anything but an angel to the O’Shea daughter could have been considered blasphemy.

It was lonely, terribly so, but Molly wasn’t quite sure what she could do to remedy the situation. She wrote poetry, she read books, she went on walks in circles around camp, she looked out over the valley (Horseshoe Overlook really hadn’t gotten its name from nowhere), but more than anything, Molly watched.

She watched how Reverend had gradually stopped bothering pretending to read the bible, instead choosing to start downing drinks earlier and earlier. She watched how Bill devoured Kieran with his eyes, all but confirming her suspicion that the man did indeed want to bed the new camp member. She watched how Karen would clench her jaw when Mary-Beth asked how things were going with Sean, but would then take his hand later and pull him out of camp, the pair slipping away to either do each other or to do nothing at all. She watched how Arthur hadn’t bothered to take down the photo of the woman who did nothing but cause him pain even after Hosea had told him to do so, instead still glancing at it longingly every now and again while he cleaned his guns in his tent. She watched Josiah practice speaking in all sorts of different accents on the outskirts of camp, correcting himself out loud whenever something wasn’t quite right. She watched how Jack would try and weave flower crowns for his mother, small hands shaking as he attempted to tie the stems of various blooms together, putting the ones he had broken too short or knocked a petal off of in a pile to his left. She watched how John admitted to Javier and Pearson that, if he could, he would kill Abigail and never think twice about it.

The comment shouldn’t have startled Molly as much as it did. She knew that John was a good man deep down, but the way that he uttered the confession without so much as a second thought as to if what he was saying was okay made her sick. Abigail was nothing if not kind, hard-working, and strong, nothing like the type of woman you would imagine deserved those kinds of threats. What made John that angry at her, Molly didn’t know, and she wasn’t quite sure that she cared to.

After that night, Molly didn’t just stop watching. She’d heard people say worse things, many times, but there was something about the raw earnesty in which John had spoken that made his words haunt Molly like nothing else had. She decided to start watching Abigail more, justifying it by telling herself that it was for the other woman’s safety, even though realistically, there wasn’t much protection that Molly could offer her.

And one of the first things that Molly noticed as she began watching Abigail was that the woman could sing.

Abigail had this habit, whenever she was sitting in her tent on her own while working on something that needed to be done, where she would hum a tune, letting her own voice pop in here and there with the words that she knew. It was an uncoordinated affair, but it was never intended to be anything but.

It was also adorable.

So adorable, in fact, that Molly decided that maybe she didn’t just need to watch anymore, maybe she could actually go and sit with Abigail. After all, much like her, Abigail was alone, more often than not. What harm could come of it?

“You need any help?” Abigail looked up from her work, pausing her humming as Molly stood by her, close, but not so much so as to suffocate the other woman.

“Didn’t know you offered that.” Abigail responded, expression unreadable.

“Hasn’t been something I’ve extended before.”

“With all due respect, Miss O’Shea, I don’t need anyone’s help if they only do so because they take pity on me, especially someone who ‘isn’t anyone’s servant girl’.” Abigail’s eyes turned cold, her brow furrowed, and Molly felt anxiety beginning to set in.

“That wasn’t my intention whatsoever, I just…” she trailed off, and Abigail cocked her head, “I just don’t want to be alone. Is it okay if I enjoy your company? Just for a short while.”

Abigail sighed, chewing on her lip. “I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t know that feelin’ all too well. Truth be told, you’re the first person who’s come up to me in weeks.”

“I have no idea why that is, though.” Molly picked a sock out of the basket by Abigail’s feet, grabbing a needle and some thread along with it. “You’re such a nice person, it truly is a shame that others don’t recognize it.”

“ ‘Nice person’? Miss O’Shea, you hardly know me.”

Molly felt the same dreadful wave of anxiety begin to rise inside of her again. “I may not have talked to you much in the past, but I’ve watched.”

“Watched? Me?”

“I watch everybody.” Molly admitted, stabbing the cotton with her needle. “Although I must confess, I do enjoy watching you. I know that isn’t exactly polite, though.”

“You’re right in that it ain’t, but I suppose I’m a hypocrite, so what does my opinion really matter?”

“You, a hypocrite? How so?”

“Gets lonely when nobody comes up to make conversation. Sometimes, you’ve gotta get your fix by watching others.” Abigail laughed. “You never really feel like a part of the group, but it can help alleviate the pain sometimes.”

“Have you ever seen how Karen and Sean sneak off all the time?” Molly asked. “Lord only can imagine what shenanigans they get up to.”

“If I know either of them, they’re probably finding some tree to fuck up against.” Abigail said, a smile appearing on her face. “Although, on second thought, maybe not, given what happened at his welcome party.”

“At the welcome party? I guess you must have seen something I didn’t. Mind sharing?” Molly asked, her interest thoroughly peaked.

Abigail snorted. “Well, you saw how the two of them were all over each other that night, right?”

“Would’ve had to be blind as a bat to not have.”

“Well,” Abigail continued, “at some point, I saw the two of them go into John’s tent, and given my proximity to them, it wasn’t hard to hear what was bein’ said and fill in the gaps.”

“So they slept together at the party? Can’t say that I’m quite surprised.” Molly tied up the thread as she reached the end of the tear, reaching for a handkerchief to work on next.

“They sure did, but that ain’t the good part.” Molly watched as Abigail’s eyes laughed, full of a mischief that she had never seen present before in her usually quiet companion. “Sean has got to be the quickest quick shot I’ve ever seen, and given my history, that’s sayin’ somethin’.”

“No.” Molly covered up her mouth, stifling a laugh.

“Yes! Poor Karen never even got hers, it had to have been the most pathetic thirty seconds in her entire life.” Abigail smiled, and Molly’s heart twitched. Why?

“Thirty seconds? Wow, if that’s so, then maybe they aren’t all over each other when they go out, and you’re right.”

Abigail laughed, smiling at Molly. “Well, who’s to say, I’m not sure there even is such a thing as a constant when those two are involved.”

“You may be right there.” Molly puffed one of her cheeks out, trying her best to figure out what to bring up next. She was having a lot of fun, she should do this more often, especially as Abigail also seemed to appreciate the time they were spending together. “Okay, now is it just me, or does Bill look at Kieran a little too often for it to be considered friendly?”

“Oh, it’s not just you, no worries. I’m just a little surprised that out of everyone, he decided to be sweet on Kieran.”

“Why do you say that?”

“I mean, he’s nothing like the kind of men Bill’s been sweet on in the past.”

Molly stopped in her tracks. “Wait, you’ve known about Bill before this?”

“Yeah, it ain’t that hard to figure it out if you know what to look for.” Unable to gauge Molly’s reaction, Abigail continued on. “I mean, I don’t have a problem with it, whatever makes you happy makes you happy, y’know? And if that means lovin’ somebody of the same sex, I sure as hell don’t see a problem with it.”

“We’re in agreement there.” Molly smiled, going back to her work, her heart beat now more palpable. “I mean, as nice as it can be to see everyone here fall in love-”

“Or lust.” Abigail interjected, a smirk on her face.

“Or lust, that’s true-- I still think that my favorite person to observe is you.”

“Hm? And why is that?” Abigail still had that smirk on her face, raising an eyebrow. “What about me is so interesting that you’d prefer to watch me than whatever the latest addition to the Sean and Karen saga is?”

“I, uh,” Molly flushed, suddenly aware of what she was saying and how weird it could be considered. “I just, I like watching you hum and sing whenever you work. Something about it is just, I dunno, very relaxing.”

Abigail clicked her tongue. “You really do notice a lot, huh?”

“Yeah.” Molly replied sheepishly.

“I guess it’s only fair that I tell you that I find watching you write poetry is quite calming.”

“You saw me doing that?”

“How could I not? Both of us do a lot of watching and thinking, we’re both very similar in that regard.” she said, unbothered by Molly’s embarrassment.

“I’m… glad, you can find comfort in something that I do.” Molly settled on.

“The more we talk, the more I’m beginning to think that I just find comfort in you. Somethin’ about you just makes you easy for me to talk to.” Abigail smiled.

“The same goes for you.” Molly sighed, nibbling on her lip. “We should do this more often. I’m having a good time.”

“So am I.” Abigail agreed. “It’s much better to be with you than to be alone.”

“It really is.” Molly shifted a bit, turning more towards Abigail. Maybe working wasn’t so bad after all.

#rdrsapphicweek2021 #abigail roberts #abigail roberts marston #abigail marston #molly o'shea #rdr2 community #rdr2 #rdr2 fanfic #rdr2 fandom #red dead fandom #red dead redemption #red dead redemption 2 #my writing #fanfiction #wlw #sapphic

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maehara-san · 5 years ago

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not enough to keep // katsuki bakugo x reader

Part 23

Pairing: AU! Katsuki Bakugo x F!Reader

Summary: After looking for months for a job position you finally get an opportunity at a big company. Being the assistant of the angriest person was going to be a lot harder than you thought it would be.

Warning(s): angst, fluff,

👑 series masterlist👑

*taglist at the end*

a/n: if you’re new i highly recommend you reading the entire series or else it won’t make sense but you’re welcome to read anyways! I hope you like this part it took a while but I love how it came out <3 feedback is appreciated <3

“Hey are they all coming?” Mina asked as she waved around the candy apple in her hands.

“Yeah.” Denki replied “I made sure to tell them. Y/n even said she would be joining us.”

A frown formed on her lips “I hope so...I want her to have a good time with her friends. Even though I’ve known Bakugo for a while now what he did was fucked up.”

“I can’t disagree there.” he said “I don’t see why she feels bad about accepting Midoriya’s opportunity. I would have been out of there if I was falsely accused.” even thinking about the situation still made his anger appear again.

“Let’s forget about it…we came here to have fun!” she exclaimed “That’s all that matters plus…the fireworks will be on soon.”

His cheeks turned light pink thinking about being alone with Mina during that explosive moment. “Y-yeah…I don’t want to miss it.” he softly said.

Denki’s phone buzzed, Shoto had sent him a message regarding Y/n’s situation. Mina looked around the crowded pathway seeing more people appearing by the minute. The stands were overloading and soon the food would be gone.

“What did they say?” she asked.

“Shoto told me they were waiting for Y/n when she told them she didn’t feel like tagging along all of a sudden.” he sighed.

“Whaaaaat?” she groaned “But she was excited to come! We even picked out her Kimono!”

“I know…” he reached out and held Mina’s hand “However we can’t force her to come…especially when there’s a chance that Bakugo might show up.”

“I guess so…”

Todoroki || 18:21

Hey Midoriya. Is there a chance you can come over for a moment?

Izuku’s eyebrow rose in interest upon seeing the message from Todoroki. He quickly replied and made his way to your place. However, when he knocked on the door he saw your figure standing in the doorway.

“Y/n?” he asked “What are you doing here? I thought you were on your way to meet up with the others.”

You bit your lip and awkwardly shifted your weight on one foot and then the other. “I…um decided not to go…” you mumbled.

“How come?” he looked at you in the eyes “You were excited to go yesterday…is everything okay?”

“I don’t want to run into him…there’s a chance they will be there…”

Izuku wanted to believe you yet there was something within him telling his mind that there is another reason why you didn’t want to go. Half of him knew it was because of the problem you have with Bakugo, the other half was telling him you wouldn’t be able to handle seeing them close together.

A small smile formed on his lips “There’s no guarantee that they will not be there. Even so…you should go and have a good time with the people who care about you. The festival only comes twice a year. I don’t want you to regret not going and miss out on what could be the best day of your life!”

‘He’s right…so why am I so hesitant to go…’ you thought. Deep down you knew the reason why but felt afraid of admitting what you know was the truth.

“I don’t want to force you to do something you don’t want to. But I also don’t want you to feel sad because of what happened. I’ll be by your side if he is there…I promise I won’t let him make you feel less again.”

You wanted to cry for some reason. Besides having three best friends you’ve never met such a kind guy in your whole life. People like him are very unique jewels that don’t get the amount of respect they deserve. Your arms wrapped themselves around his neck, Izuku chuckled nervously and hugged you back.

The hug lasted for a few seconds before you realized what you had done. “i-I’m sorry!” you felt your face heat up from embarrassment. “I-I s-shouldn’t have done that…-”

“N-no!” he nervously spoke “I-it’s okay! I’m glad I could help you out…Y/n.”

“Give me a few minutes?… I will quickly get ready,” you said. He nodded and walked inside your home. Butterflies erupted in his stomach, his eyes scanned the house seeing pictures hung up on the walls. It was a simple house but looked very elegant at the same time. Izuku walked over to the living room. There was a picture that caught his attention. It was a little girl in the middle of a small boy and two people.

“That must be her family…” he muttered “She looked adorable…” a soft smile formed on his lips as he looked at the picture. You had gotten your looks from your dad and those [e/c] eyes from your mom.

“It was my brother’s birthday…” you spoke. Izuku turned around, his eyes widened seeing how beautiful the Kimono looked on you. It brought out the color of your eyes not to mention the long braid that went past your shoulders. “He was excited to go on the roller coaster but soon after I didn’t feel well afterward and ended up going home. I felt bad he had been dying to go for such a long time.”

“I’m sure he knew you didn’t do it on purpose.” he said, “Even with the short time you guys made memories together.”

“We should get going before we miss the fireworks display,” you spoke changing the subject.

“O-oh right!’ he chuckled lightly ”You look really pretty by the way.“

“Thank you.” you tucked a piece of hair behind your ear, your smile widened.

“Oh I bought this for you,” he said taking a small plastic bag from his pocket, “I thought you’d like it and it matches your Kimono too.”

The flower’s petals were red mixed with white. It was truly breathtaking the pin was gold making the colors stand out. Your eyes lingered on the beautiful accessory, “Can you help me put it on?”

Izuku smiled and took it out from the plastic bag carefully. You tilted your head to the side giving him room to place it on your [h/c] locks. “It looks nice on you,” he said.

“Thank you.” you softly smiled and grabbed your bag. You both headed out and walked down the neighborhood with a comfortable silence.

“How do I look?” Abigail asked as she shyly looked away. “It’s my first...um time wearing a Kimono...”

“You look pretty,” he answered and stepped forward standing in front of her. “Here.” his hand gently tucked a loose hair strand behind her ear.

Her heart began to beat at an uncontrollable speed. Those teenage feelings from back in the day were returning, giving her slight guilt feeling for what she did to him. Abigail never planned on seeing him again never the less thought of falling for him once more.

“A-...um w-we should get going!” she said nervously “W-where do you want to go first?...”

Bakugo looked around seeing the many food stands. He wasn’t particularly hungry “I don’t feel like eating yet...are you hungry?”

Abigail shook her head “I ate a while ago. We can go to one of the game booths instead if you want. I heard there’s a balloon where you shoot it with a water gun.”

He chuckled slightly “Let’s go there first.” she nodded excitedly and walked towards the stand. Bakugo followed yet his eyes scanned the crowds of people. Deep down he wondered if he’d run into her tonight.

“Finally you’re here!” a voice shouted, you jogged over to your group of friends. Izuku hurried up and followed. “I thought you weren’t going to come!”

Mina pulled you into a bone-crushing hug making you wince “S-sorry!” you muttered. “I wasn’t planning on coming...but Midoriya convinced me.”

She then pulled away “Thank you for dragging her. I don’t think it’d be the same if she wouldn’t have come.”

“I agree!” Izuku said, “I’m glad she decided to come after all.”

“Let’s just have a good time tonight.” Shoto spoke, “There’s a lot to do.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” you said “Let’s go before the fireworks start!”

Iida smiled and looked at the lit-up place “There are a few game stands nearby we can go there first.”

“OOH!” Mina spoke, “Can we get a candy apple afterward?”

Denki chuckled “We can go afterward and eat as many apples as you’d like.”

You raised an eyebrow at them “I see I missed something.”

“They deny it but it’s obvious.” Hanta added, “They have acted like this for a while now.”

“At this point, I won’t be surprised that they’re suddenly dating,” Shoto said.

“Didn’t Kirishima come? He said he’d be here,” you said. “I hope he didn’t back down too.”

“Oh, he arrived a few minutes before you did. He said he had to go to the bathroom.” Denki answered.

“Should we wait for him?”

“I’ll let him know where we’re at,” he said. Everyone then agreed on a place and headed over. You walked beside Izuku the entire time making small talk and talking about your favorite festival food.

Kirishima jogged down the colorful lit pathway, “Shit!” he mumbled looking around and not seeing his friends. He pulled out his phone and saw a text from Denki. “Oh they’re not too far away.” he turned around and started to head towards the booth when he saw a familiar pair in front of the fish tank.

He squinted his eyes and realized it was them. Abigail had said something to Bakugo and left. He went over quickly. “I didn’t think you’d be here.”

His friend turned around “I wasn’t...” he placed his hands in his pockets “Abigail asked me and I decided to come. Weren’t you going to come with those idiots?”

“I was on my way to meet them when I saw you with her.” Kirishima said “You never liked to come to these sorts of things. Are you willing to be with her again?”

Bakugo became irritated “Why the fuck is everyone asking me that shit?” he rubbed the back of his neck “I never said I was going back. What can’t I simply hang out with an ex? Is it a crime now?!”

“I’m not saying you can’t.” he explained “But the way you’re acting around her says you have other intentions. I remember you having those same ones with y/n.”

“Stop talking about her as if I had liked her.” Bakugo said “If you’re only going to bug me with that shit then I rather leave it here.” he walked passed him but stopped as Kirishima spoke again.

“You can deny all that you want Bakugo. But you won’t be able to hide it any longer. You damn well know y/n didn’t pull that crap on us and if you’re wrong not only will you lose her as an assistant but also the only person who could have possibly made you happy.”

His head tilted downward standing silent. Everyone assumed how he felt yet Kirishima always understood him. Why were his words suddenly affecting him now? There was nothing he could say not when he didn’t even understand himself.

“Kirishima!” a voice shouted breaking the tension between the two brothers. “I didn’t know you were coming too!”

The redhead smiled slightly “Yeah...I came here with some friends of mine.”

“Oh did Mina come too?” she asked.

“I’m not sure...I left to go to the bathroom. I should probably head back myself too.” he said, “I’ll leave you guys to yourselves enjoy the festival.”

“We should meet up to see the fireworks!”

“I’ll let my friends know and see what they say.” Kirishima waved goodbye and left in the opposite direction.

“Katsuki are you ready to go to the next stand?” she smiled.

Bakugo nodded and followed her. Not a sound was heard coming from him, his mind became filled with too many thoughts to properly form a simple sentence.

The night had turned into a wonderful memory. Tenya and Shoto had managed to win against Denki in an eating contest. It didn’t end well for him since he got some whipped cream stuck inside his nose. However even Mina liked it that she didn’t find it weird only laughed at how hard he tried.

You and Izuku laughed the entire night. Enjoying spending time together and talking about different things. He couldn’t help but glance a few times at you. A smile lingered on both your faces during the festival. Your worries had disappeared with the help of your best friends and your new close friends.

“I've got to win this,” Denki said as his eyes sparkled seeing a giant anime doll that he had been dying to collect. “Can we please try this?”

“Do we have enough time before the fireworks display?” Shoto asked.

“We have about 30 minutes it should be enough time for one try,” Tenya said.

“I’ll win this in one try!” Denki exclaimed being cocky in front of his future girlfriend. Mina held onto his glass candy strawberries and the stuffed animal he had won for her.

“I think I’ll give it a try too.” Izuku said, “You think I can do it?”

You gave him a firm nod “You’ll win for sure!”

With confidence, he silently prayed he’d win so he wouldn’t make a fool out of himself. You stood next to him and cheered him on as he tried to score as many points possible.

“You’re close! Come on Midoriya!” you yelled “OOO! One more!”

He bit his lip in concentration, he pulled the trigger as hard as he could. “I got it…I got it…” he mumbled.

The bell then rang signaling he had won against Denki. “NOOOOO!” he yelled “I was so close! Another try please!” the owner shook his head and gave him a small figurine in return.

“Better luck next time.” Hanta laughed “You said you’d win and look who lost!”

“Shut up!” he retorted.

“You gotta admit he did good.” Kirishima commented, “I didn’t expect him to have a good aim.”

Shoto then walked over to him and whispered into his ear. “Did…you tell Midoriya?”

He shook his head and turned his head slightly so only Shoto could hear him. “I was going to but I didn’t have a chance I only told you and Tenya…as long as she’s not alone y/n won’t run into Bakugo.”

Shoto nodded as he looked at you, your smile was finally back after a few hard days. Being your best friend your happiness always came first before his. He just hoped that this night wouldn't be remembered in a bad way.

"Choose your price." the owner said looking at Izuku.

"How about the corgi stuffed animal and the white bracelet please." he said the man nodded and handed both prizes to him.

Izuku then turned to look at you, "These are for you. I know it may look cheesy but I hope you had a fun time y/n."

Your smile was filled with happiness and your blushed cheeks made it quite obvious. "It's all thanks to you and our friends. If I hadn't listen to you I would have regretted not coming." mustering up the courage you then wrapped your arms around his figure.

"Thank you for tonight." you mumbled. Izuku smile's widened and his arms then hugged you back tightly. His heart was beating rapidly as he realized how close you two were. This was a night he wouldn't forget.

You heard the sound of a flash and decided to ignore it. After a while you both pulled away. "NOW should we head to the top of the hill to see the fireworks?" Hanta asked.

"Oh right!" Izuku said "They should be starting soon we better hurry."

"I need to go to the bathroom actually. I'll meet you guys there?" you said.

"I'll go with you that way you won't get lost." Shoto said.

You shook your head "It's okay!" you chuckled "It's not far away plus I know where you guys will be. I'll be here before you know it."

"Alright be careful okay?" Kirishima spoke "Let us know when you're on your way back."

"Got it." you smiled and proceeded to walk quickly to the bathroom.

"I hope she doesn't run into him." Mina said "She's finally happy."

"If we went it would have been too obvious." Hanta added "As long as they're both distracted it'll be fine."

"I hope so." Izuku mumbled.

You checked the time to see you only had three minutes left before the fireworks started. Your walk turned into a jog as you focused on going to the top of the hill.

"The fireworks will begin in just a few minutes!" they announced. "Hurry you don't want to miss it!"

"Crap..." you made sure to watch where you going to avoid bumping into people. Everything was going fine you were about to go up the hill but crashed into something hard. Something sticky then got splashed onto you. "What the hell..."

You were about to leave when a voice stopped your tracks. "You should watch where you're going." they said "You could have gotten hurt."

Your nerves were starting to show up, you swallowed hard and looked away. "I-I'm fine...sorry..."

"Here." they handed you a piece of cloth "Your Kimono got ruined."

You waved him off "It's fine. I need to get going anyway."

"Are you coming back?" He asked.Your head tilted downwards not feeling sure about what to say. A part of you wished to never return not after the way he treated you.

“I...I’m not sure...even so there’s no use in you thinking about it Bakugo. I’m sure you can find another replacement.” you reminded “After all, I was a bolder in the way right?”

“Are you trying to make me feel guilty? I’m not the one who ruined everything I had worked hard on.” he raised his voice making you feel intimidated.

Taking a deep breath you relaxed and spoke what was on your mind. “I’m sorry...but you’re not the only one who worked hard on that project. Midoriya, Kirishima, and I also put our effort and countless hours for it to come out perfect. I didn’t do it...that I know...I have a clear conscious so there’s nothing I should feel timid about,”

He ran his fingers through his hair “It’s obvious Midoriya is the one covering for you-”

“Stop dragging him!” you interrupted. “I don’t know what happened in the past between you two and it’s none of my business. What I do know is that you’re acting arrogate and rude! I’m still an employee however I will not stand by and see how you bad mouth about him. Midoriya is a good boss and he’s been the only one beside Kirishima who has supported me! If you keep making those around you feel less then they’ll be the ones ending you in the end.”

Bakugo was taken back by your outburst. Never did he think his (ex) assistance would be the one to put him into his place. He wanted to retorted back and tell you off but it was impossible. Now he realized how much Midoriya was helping you than your own boss should have been doing. If he doesn’t come to terms then he’ll be losing you in the end.

“I didn’t think you’d have it in you to say all of this.” he suddenly said “Makes me think about why I even hired you in the first place.”

You on the other hand wanted to run away after making such a big fuss. There were a few people staring at you two which made things worse.All of these emotions were coming through none stop, you were on the verge of crying. And his comment did not make things easier.

“That’s what I ask myself.” you added “Still...there’s no use of talking with you sir. If you excuse me I need somewhere to be.”

You blinked away the tears that were forming on your eyes. Abigail then arrived as soon as you were out of sight. The fireworks started to light up the sky with beautiful patterns. Couples held on to each other and children looked at the sky in awe. Izuku scanned the crowd trying to find you.

“I’m here!” you slightly smiled going over to him. He breathed in relief seeing you arrive on time.

“You made it.” he said helping you to the top of the hill where the rest of your friends stood. “I was worried.”

“Sorry! There was a big crowd and it was a while until I was able to go around.” you lied. “I’m here now though.”

Izuku nodded and smiled slightly. You looked up at the sky and focused on the breath taking view. The bridge and boats passing by made the moment memorable. He kept switching from looking to the sky to looking at you. The way the light reflected onto you made your lovely eyes stand out. It’s only been a few months and somehow your way of thinking and personality made its way into his heart.

Bakugo closed his eyes remembering the scene that played out. Enjoying the display of colors was the last thing he wanted to do. Abigail looked up smiling as the patterns grew bigger by the moment. She then slowly brushed her fingers against his, startling him. He looked down at both their hands they were mere centimetres away from touching. Taking a chance he held her hand and brought her closer to him.

You looked off to the side and saw them both. Bakugo was holding her in a sweet embrace. Swallowing down the tears that were trying to escape you teared off your gaze and looked back up at the sky.

‘There’s no way...I’ll be able to work normally. Not when they’ll be together all the time. What am I going to do?...” you thought.

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the-awkward-outlaw · 5 years ago

Note

Hello! I have a request to make. Can you write Arthur flirting with a very shy reader who ends up hiding and avoiding him but loves it deep down throughout the day? He's being no help though, finding her demeanor adorable and goes after her to see her blush some more by teasing.

Hello Anon! Sorry for how long this has taken! Anywhere, here’s this fun one shot for ya, I hope it isn’t too bad.

You finish hanging up the shirt you’d just washed so it can dry in the early afternoon sun. It’s a beautiful day at Horseshoe Overlook. The sun’s been out all day but it’s not too hot. You’ll take this any day over the frozen misery of Colter. You’ll be happy if you don’t have to see the snow again for a long time.

Just as you head over to Pearson’s wagon to get a drink, Arthur trots up on his horse. Your eyes find him instantly and he beams at you, waving. He’s done that every time he returns since Colter. You blush and return the wave quickly before scurrying off. Something about Arthur gives you butterflies.

Out of all the gang members, Arthur’s the man you’re closest too. It probably has something to do with that event in Colter, but you only dare remember that in your dreams. It’d been too perfect, but Arthur changed towards you after that, for the better. Before, he’d been just as friendly with you as he was with the other girls, but now he’s… no, you sternly say to yourself. He’s not flirting with you. No way in hell is Arthur Morgan flirting with you.

Throughout the day while he’s in camp though, he seems to pop up whenever you move from one area of camp to the next. When you went from Pearson’s wagon to your own tent to get something, he’d been at Dutch’s tent, talking to him. He’d tipped his hat to you and smiled, again making you blush. When you went to the main campfire, he walked past you and it seemed like he purposely bumped into your shoulder. Not hard, but enough to gently push you. “Sorry, Y/N,” he said, catching your arm. “Gotta watch where I’m walkin’.” He gave your arm a gentle squeeze before walking off.

By afternoon, you’re helping Pearson make dinner. Arthur and John walk past. They stop a few feet from the wagon and you can hear them talking. They seem to be deciding the best way to rob a stage with some wealthy people riding up from Blackwater.

“I say we just do the usual approach, Arthur,” John says, his back to you. “Just point some guns at ‘em, they’ll throw all their money our way. These soft city people ain’t got much spunk.”

“Yeah, but then they’ll talk,” Arthur counters. “I’ve robbed enough rich folk to know that merely scarin’ ‘em ain’t gonna keep them off your back long. I suggest we take one of the girls, have her put on an act. Make the stage stop, distract ‘em while we rob ‘em blind.”

“Well which one of the girls?” John asks. “Mary-Beth is always a good choice, but there ain’t no one who plays the lost little girl like Karen.”

Arthur’s eyes brush over to you briefly. He’s got one hand on his gun belt. He couldn’t look more attractive if he tried. “I say Y/N. I bet she knows how to do the act just fine. Y/N!” he calls you over.

You blush again and walk over, feeling quite small to the men. “Yes?”

John looks at you, almost as though wondering if you’ll do, but Arthur smiles softly at you. “You wanna help us on a job?” he asks.

“Sure. Is it that stage you’ve been talking about the last two days?”

“Sure is,” John says, walking over to the horses. “Come on you two, mount up and let’s go rob these bastards.”

Just as you’re about to hop onto your horse, Arthur stops you. “I was thinkin’... you should put on the injured woman act on the trail. Best way to pull it off is if you ride my horse.”

You can feel your cheeks burning. “O-oh, that’s okay, Mr. Morgan. I’d hate to be a burden.”

“Ain’t a burden, miss, I’m the one offerin’. Come on, it’ll be fine.” He hops into his saddle and then offers his arm expectantly. You’re not sure how to tell him no so you just grab his arm and he swings you up behind him. Hesitating a bit, you wrap your arms around his body. Damn, he’s firm but warm. He turns his horse with a soft click and then canters up to meet John. You bury your face in his back to keep the wind out of your face. Little do you know he’s swimming in the joys of having your arms around him. There isn’t a thing he wouldn’t give to put his arms around you too.

The trip is relatively short as the men take the horses just south of Flatneck Station. There, Arthur helps you dismount. He and John give you instructions on how to stop the stage and then they disappear into the trees. Feeling inspired and determined to do this job properly to impress Arthur, you sit down and roll around in the dirt a bit to make your clothes dirty to make it look like you’ve fallen from your horse.

Not long after, a stage approaches from the south end of the trail. You hold your arm up and wave to the driver.

“Oh please sir, could you help me?” you say from the ground. “My horse got spooked by a snake and threw me.”

The stage miraculously stops. “Anything broken, ma’am?” the driver asks as his two passengers peak out. They’re both women, finely dressed with broad hats on their heads, colorful plumes waving lazily in the breeze.

“I don’t think so, but my leg’s numb. I know Flatneck ain’t too far from here, could you give me a ride there and I can grab a train home?”

The driver looks back at his passengers, who nod. He gets down and helps you up, although you put on quite the show of having an injured leg. You see John and Arthur quietly approaching the back of the stage where the luggage is. You’re almost standing and the driver’s about to turn and see them, so you pretend to take a bad step and fall to the ground again, knowing how ridiculous you must look.

“Oh, I’m sorry, sir. Guess my leg’s worse than I thought. This is real embarassin’.”

“That’s alright, ma’am. Come on, let’s get you up.” Arthur gives you the thumbs up and then he and John run off the trail and out of sight. You stop putting on nearly as strong of an act and let the driver guide you into the stage. Inside, you thank the two women and the stage goes down the road. After only a few moments, it stops and the driver helps you onto the platform of Flatneck Station. Arthur and John walk up on their horses, acting like two innocent travellers.

You thank the driver. “Oh I wish I could pay you somehow for your kindness, but I’ve only enough money for a ticket home. Perhaps this will suffice?” you reach up and kiss his cheek. The man smiles.

“That’ll do, ma’am, you stay safe ya hear?” He climbs back up onto the stage and whips the horses, riding off down the trail. You make a show of waving the two women off. Once they’re out of sight, you run over to Arthur and John, beaming. “Did you get it?”

Arthur grins. “That we did. That was one hell of a show.” He slides off his horse and walks over to you.

“I’ll see you two in camp,” John says heavily. “I promised Abigail I’d go into town, pick something up. That woman…” He rides off before finishing, leaving you alone with Arthur.

“So, should we actually get a train home?” you ask Arthur, feeling quite self conscious. You’ve never fully appreciated just how big Arthur really is.

He smiles. “Nah, I’s thinkin’ we could just ride back on home. That’s if you don’t need nothin’ else? We could go somewhere if ya want.”

Is Arthur really offering to take you somewhere? He’s never offered this to any of the other girls, even when he heard them complaining about being stuck in camp.

“I… only if you don’t mind, Arthur, I know you got a lot going on.”

“Ah, that stuff can wait. I got time to spend on ya.” He hides his eyes beneath his hat, a soft pink touching his cheeks. You’re blushing too of course. You know exactly how rough and even scary Arthur can be, you’ve seen it. You never knew he could be so sweet and generous though.

“Okay. I wouldn’t mind seeing that moving picture in Valentine. Heard some folks talkin’ about it the other day,” you say. “Only if you don’t mind, of course.”

“Nah, I won’t mind as long as you don’t mind ridin’ on my horse again.”

Your face must look sunburned at this point, you’ve no doubt. “I don’t mind in the slightest.”

He nods and mounts up again, lifting you up behind him. He doesn’t gallop to Valentine like you expected he would. Instead, he walks his horse there. When you point out it’ll take a lot longer, he doesn’t seem to mind. “Unless you’re in a rush,” he adds.

“Of course not, Mr. Morgan.”

“Arthur. Call me Arthur, miss. You been runnin’ with us long enough, ya can drop the formalities.”

“Okay, but only as long as you stop callin’ me miss.”

He chuckles. Along the way, you both talk. You’re finding it incredibly easy to be open with him, you tell him things you haven’t told another person before. He doesn’t judge you though, and he tells you about his own past as well and how he feels about things. You can’t help but trust him.

When you finally get to Valentine, he helps you off his horse again and then leads you up to the ticket vendor. The boy there charges him fifty cents for two tickets.

“Oh no, I can pay for my own seat, Arthur,” you say but he slams down the money and winks at you.

“Arthur, you really shouldn’t have paid for me,” you say as he walks you over to the tent. Just before reaching the entrance, he stops you.

“I wanted to, Y/N. But… well, there is a way you can repay me for this.”

“How’s that?”

His cheeks are red and he smiles a bit. “Same way you paid the stage driver.”

Your heart skips a beat. Kissing the stage driver had been nothing, he was just a stranger. But this is Arthur Morgan. You’ve only had a crush on him for weeks now. How you imagined it would feel to have his hands on yours, to feel his lips caress your skin. You blink, you’re getting ahead of yourself. He’s just merely asking for a kiss on the cheek, it’s not like he’s asking you to strip down or touch him inappropriately.

You smile, trying to calm yourself down. “I can do that.” You reach up, but just as you’re about to kiss his cheek, he turns his head and his lips meet yours. You freeze at the contact and then quickly pull away. “S-sorry! I must have twitched!” you say. You must have.

He chuckles, his whole face red. “Did that feel like a twitch? Nah, sorry. I been wantin’ to do that for some time now. Hope… hope you don’t mind.”

You smile at him. “Not as much as you think. Should we go see this motion picture?”

He gestures for you to go in front of him. Once seated, you make sure to stay close to him. He seems stiff, like he feels bad about the kiss. You’re desperate for another one though, but it seems like he won’t make a move first this time. When the movie starts, you ignore it. You grab his arm and wind it behind you. He looks at you curiously in the darkness. Before he can whisper anything, you kiss him on the lips again. You’re glad it’s dark, he can’t see how much your entire face is burning. You hesitate in the kiss and then dive back into it with much more enthusiasm. His arms wrap around you, his hands tangling into your hair. You’re practically on top of him, but you don’t care.

“Shhhhh!” a voice suddenly hisses from two rows up. You break apart and look, but whoever shushed you is staring at the screen again. You’re quite embarrassed now. Arthur’s hand rubs up your back.

“Come on, darlin’,” he whispers in your ear. “How about we go somewhere we won’t be a distraction?”

You bite your lip and smile before standing up, his hand in yours. You lead him towards the bright opening. Lord only knows where this encounter with Arthur Morgan will lead, but you’re excited to find out.

#rdr2 fanfic #red dead fanfic #arthur morgan #awkward asks #he's too handsome in this photo!

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primroseprime2019 · 3 years ago

Text

The Little Girl and The Dinosaurs

On a dark cold December night, there was little four and a half American/Italian girl was coloring on a piece of paper in the carpet near the fire. She has dark brown hair and blue eyes, and slightly tan skin; she was wearing pink nightgown and a silver whistle attached to her neck. Her name was Valentina Rosalina Grady and she was waiting for her parents to come from work. Truth be told, this was no ordinary little girl. She was different from the rest of the kids in her neighborhood. She had unbelievable powers. Ever since she was born, strange things happened. Animals from shape and sizes would come near her and tried to make her smile or laugh. And when she was in the backyard, flowers and plants would grow. It was really strange but her parents accepted her gift but they had to keep it a secret. So her parents decided to keep her home schooled so the kids in her school won't be scared at her.

Speaking of her parents, they were really good people. Her dad was name Oscar Grady. He had light brown hair and adventurous blue eyes. He used to be a Navy soldier but he retired to become a collage history teacher. He loved to teach others to learn but during his free time, he would play with his baby girl and make her smile while teaching her how to do combat to control her powers and even though she was small, she was a fast learner. She was smart for a little girl but her curiosity got the better of her and she would get into a little trouble. Her mom was name Alma. She was a beautiful Italian woman. She has dark brown hair and warm brown eyes. She was a doctor and was very kind to her patients. Every man wanted to marry her but she chose Oscar because he was very funny and smart. Valentina loved her parents with all her heart and soul and would stay by their side no matter what. Well, except when she had to go to the bathroom.

Then a teenage girl with blond hair and chocolate brown eyes; She wore a red sweater, brown pants and cowboy boots. She was about the age of eighteen. She came out from the kitchen. "Val, it's almost past yer bed time." She said in a sweet western accent.

Val looked at her almost pleadingly, "Awww… but Abby, can I stay up fow five mowe minutes? Mommy and Daddy pwomise to wead me a bed time stowy."

Abby smiled at her, "Alright but remember yer ma and pa ain't gonna like it to see their little baby girl still awake and energetic."

Val smiled brightly, "Thanks Abby! You'we the best babysittew evew!"

Abby's real name was Abigail Starious. She lived down the block with her big brother, Joshua or Josh, close to Valentina's home. She and her brother moved from their family ranch to study in the big city to be doctors. Abby worked as a full time babysitter for Valentina also a waitress in a cafe and her brother Joshua worked as a mechanic, for cars. They knew about Valentina's power and would keep it a secret because they took a liking to her.

"Ah shucks, yer making me blush." Abby smiled then she noticed Valentina's drawing, "Watcha drawing there Val?"

Val showed Abby a red long neck animal with a crocked drawing of a tree. "It's a Ba-wo-sau-wus." She said trying to say the name correctly. It's correct name was Barosaurus.

"Is it a dinosaur?" Abby asked playfully, knowing the answer. Val loved dinosaurs so much that she had stuffed dinosaur toys in her bed room. She always dreamed of meeting one in Jurassic World but her parents were busy with their jobs so they didn't have time to go there. Not that she was complaining but Val understood her parents and would listen to them always.

"Uh-huh, they awe pwant eatews and they awe weally big!" Val said with a big and bright smile.

"Wow! I bet they can reach the tallest of all trees!" Abby said playfully.

Val nodded, "Yup! But they have to stand on theiw back wegs."

Abby smiled before going to kitchen to make some hot coco. Val went up to the sofa and looks at the window to wait for her parents. Val waited and waited and waited but her parents didn't come home yet. She fell asleep when the clock strikes nine. Abby became worried. Why didn't Mr. and Mrs. Grady come home yet? Abby pickd up Val and puts her to bed. She looked at her phone and sends an e-mail to Mr. Grady.

Mr. Grady, it's me Abby. I was wonderin' why ya aren't home yet with Mrs. Grady. If ya'll have an extra shift in yer work, I'll watch Val till tomorrow.

-Abby

Abby went to the couch and fell asleep as she waited for the text of Oscar. On the next day, Abby woke up and prepared breakfast. It was pancakes for breakfast. She heard little footsteps coming down the stairs. She turned and smiled to see Val holding her stuff honey colored raptor doll named Honey.

"Mornin' Val," Abby gave Val her breakfast. Val sat down and yawned before eating her breakfast. Abby opened the mini TV on top of the counter and let Val watch Disney Junior. Then the news appeared.

"I interrupt this program for this breaking new. Two married couples were killed on a car accident when a truck hit them last night. Police discovered the truck driver was drunk. The two married couples did not survive the crash."

Abby froze. 'Oh God! Please don't tell me!' She thought in fear.

"The married couples have IDs and their names are Oscar Grady and Alma Grady. The drunken driver was survived and his sentenced will be in soon after he recovers."

Abby's eyes widen in horror. She looks at Val and her heart broke at the sight. Val's eyes were wide as she broke down in tears. Abby comforted Val as she and Val would have to visit the police station to inform them about Mr. and Mrs. Grady having a four and a half year old daughter and retrieve their bodies to be buried. The funeral started early morning. It was cold and the snow fall down at them slowly. Val was wearing a black dress and shoes. She was in a graveyard with men and women that were friends with her parents. Abby was there by her side, wearing a black dress and her brother Josh, who had green eyes and blonde hair, was wearing a black clothes as well. Val placed a red rose on her mother and father's coffins as they were buried. Val put her picture in the middle, on her parents' grave, so they can see it in heaven above.

After she did she went to Abby and Josh and started crying, Abby and Josh comforted her. As the funeral was over everyone went home. Val was staying with Abby and Josh for a while until they can find any relatives that Val had. But the problem was that no one knew who was the closest family member.

Val was sitting on a couch, wearing her black dress. She has a red scarf that belongs to her mother; her whistle was buried in it, and her father's black beanie hat. She had dry tear stains on her face as she looked at a picture of her with her parents. Josh and Abby watched her with sympathetic looks.

"Is there any news 'bout her relatives?" Josh asked.

Abby shook her head, "Not yet, I'm still lookin'."

Josh sighed and he looked at Valentina sadly. Val wiped her tears away. "We can't just stand here and do nothin'." He looks at Abby, "We have to find her a family or at least part of her family. Do you remember if Mr. and Mrs. Grady havin' relatives?"

Abby tapped her chin with her index finger before snapping, "That's it! I remember seeing a picture of Mr. Grady with his brother. I think his name was Owen and he works at Jurassic World."

Josh smiled, "That's great! Do you know his number?"

Abby shook her head, "No but I bet Oscar has his number on his phone."

Josh nodded and the two went upstairs in Valentina's temporally room and went to her father's things and grabbed his cell phone before looking for Owen Grady.

"Let's see," Abby looked at the names inside the phone. "Here it is." Abby found the name Owen Grady and she calls him.

In the Isla of Nublar, a man with green eyes and light brown, hair wearing a blue shirt, with a black vest full of pockets, brown pants and shoes. He was in his bungalow fixing his motorbike. Then another man came. "Owen! Still enjoying your afternoon?" he asked with a strong African/French accent.

Owen wipes out a sweat from his forehead, "Yeah, taking a break from the girls, Barry." He throws his wrench in a toolbox.

Then Owen's cell phone rang. He picks it up to see a picture of a man with brown hair and blue eye. "Oscar? Huh, it's been long since I seen him."

"How long you haven't seen him?" Barry asked.

Owen counted his fingers, "I think about sixteen years."

Barry rolled his eyes at him as Owen answered his phone, "Hey Oscar! It's been long time since we spoke."

"Ah…howdy," Abby's voice answered, "Is this Owen Grady?"

"Yeah this is Owen and who are you and how the hell do you know my name and also how did you get my brother's phone?"

"I'm Abigail Starious." She answered, "I know yer brother because I and my brother, Joshua, lived down the blocks close to his house."

"Uh-huh, yeah and why are you calling in me using my brother's phone?" Owen asked.

"Didn't anyone tell you?" Abby asked.

"Tell me what?"

"Owen, your brother Oscar and his wife died in a car accident."

Owen froze, his phone was still in his ear and his mouth was hanging open and his eyes were wide as dinner plates, "When did this happen?"

"A week ago," Abby said, "Look, I know we just met but yer brother has a little four in a half little girl, who needs a family and yer the closest family she's got."

Owen didn't say anything. He and Oscar use to work at the Navy together until Oscar retired to be a history teacher in a university college and married an Italian woman name Alma. He and Oscar rarely talk due to the fact they were very busy in work but now his big brother was dead along with his wife and now his niece- one that he didn't know he had- was now an orphan.

"What's her name?" Owen asked, wanting know his niece's name.

"Her name is Valentina Rosalina." Abby said, "So are you going to take care of her? She's a very sweet girl and well behaves."

Owen thought about it. He is the only family left for his niece and he did took care of raptors, how hard can it be?, "Alright, I'll send her a ferry ticket next week to bring her here in the Isla Nublar."

Owen could hear Abby and Josh cheering happily, "Thank you! Josh and I are gonna get her a passport. She is goin' to be so happy!"

"Alright and thanks for the information." Owen said as he turned off his cell phone.

"What was that all about?" Barry asked.

Owen looked at him before saying, "Oscar and his wife Alma died in a car accident." Barry's eyes widen. "And I have a niece, that I didn't know I had, named Valentina Rosalina." Owen looked at Barry, "I'm the only family member she has left."

Barry's mouth was hanging open in shock, "Owen, you're going to raise a little girl that you barely know while working with Raptors?"

Owen shrugs, "Hey, I raised the girls and I'm still alive." He said, "How hard it is taking care of a little girl?"

Barry was about to answer but Owen quickly raised his right hand and said blankly, "don't say it."

Barry chuckled, "And how are you going to get a ferry ticket?"

"Easy, I'll asked Claire to give me and that doesn't work I could ask Simon Masrani." Owen looked at him, "But first can you help me buy the things that little girls like." Barry rolled his eyes but he decided to help because that little girl might not survive here. Barry and Owen went to the park to buy stuff for Val.

Meanwhile, Abby and Josh told Val everything. Val was shocked, happy, and worried. Shocked that she had an uncle that she didn't know she had, happy that she had an uncle and she wasn't alone and yet worried that her uncle might not like her. Abby helped Val pack her things like clothes, some toys, her Mandora Lute and her pink Ocarina. Val likes to play music. Her mom would teach her during her free time.

Josh bought Val a passport. They were lucky because Oscar used to work in the Navy. Owen was able to make Claire give him a ticket for Val after hearing the event and send it next week. After a few weeks, Josh was driving his car with Abby in the front seat. Valentina was wearing a red t-shirt with gray long sleeves, brown combat pant and orange shoes. She has mother's red scarf and her father's black beanie hat on. Her dark hair was tied into pigtails. As Josh parked the car, they went inside and saying their goodbyes to Val.

Abby was hugging little Val, "Bye sweet pea, I'm gonna miss you so much."

"I'll miss you too." Valentina said then she hugged Josh. "Bye, Josh."

Josh hugged her back before he let her go and he took out a small red box with a ribbon, "Yer Pa wanted to give ya this on yer birthday but since he can't I was wonderin' if ya wanted yer birthday gift a little early."

Val took the box and opened it to reveal a raptor claw fossil necklace. Val smiled and she put it own. She loved raptors as they were her favorite dinosaur. "Thanks Josh."

Josh smiled until the airport voice speaker's announce, "Ladies and Gentlemen the plane will leave in twenty minutes."

"Well, go on, ya don't wanna be late." Abby said with a smile.

"Yeah, yer gonna see many dinosaurs there." Josh then added, "And if somethin' cashes you...run." He whispered the last part, alarming Val.

"Josh!" Abby scolded.

Josh chuckled, "I'm just kiddin'. Jurassic World has tight security; ain't nothing gonna hurt ya."

Val nodded and went in line while she waved at Abby and Josh. Val sat near the window and put on her seat belt when the airplane took off. Val looked at the clouds in the sky. She took out the raptor necklace and held it tight. "Please, please, please, please like me." Val whispers before going to sleep.

#fanfiction #sad #family #jurassic world #my ocs #the little girl and the dinosaurs

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