#it was super fun to research all these weddings i never heard of before

[mimiatmidnight]

Include pics: What are your top 5 ( 10 if you want) royal wedding jewelry ( earrings, bracelets, necklaces) you would want in your personal collection.

Hi, thanks for the question! I'm way less versed with other royals than everyone else who already answered this question, but I did a bit (a lot, lol) of retrospective research to try my best ^_^

Tbh I was surprised how the vast majority of the jewelry I saw was reallyyyyy not to my taste. I thought this was just a BRF problem, but man, most royal jewelry is . . . ugly. Especially what they choose for their weddings. I don't know, maybe I'm just too poor and plebeian to understand the tastes of the elite. But still, I managed to scrounge up a few pieces that I liked. Namely (and in no particular order):

Princess Claire of Luxembourg — Earrings

I don't know if this is a cheat or not, since she technically wore these to her civil marriage ceremony and not the actual big wedding, but whatever, I'm counting it, cause LOOK at that gorgeousness. Stunning aquamarine pendants with a sleek diamond halo? Absolutely lovely. I'd wear these in a HEARTBEAT.

Princess Rajwa of Jordan — Earrings

Especially as bridal earrings go, these are so fresh and unique. She didn't go for the tired old look of dropped pearls that eeeeeeveryone and their mama falls back on for wedding looks. Plus that double-draped line is so cool, especially with how the stones are all irregularly shaped and sized. (My friend is reading this over my shoulder as I write this, and she says the shape of the earring looks like a vagina to her, but ignore her, she drinks). These earrings were a super interesting and pretty choice that complemented her tiara well, but would also not be out of place on a peasant like me to get dressed up in.

Archduchess Gabriella of Austria — Earrings

If I absolutely have to go for dropped pearls, this, in my opinion, is the way to do it. Super minimal, sleek, letting the pearl speak for itself, with nothing but the tiny diamond stud to help balance it out. Very nicely done here. Tbh I don't think it matches particularly well with the tiara she chose, but that's not my business lol. We're just talking about what I'd take for my own closet, and these earrings are for sure the most wearable of any royal bride I've seen yet.

Queen Sofia of Spain — Necklace

Similarly, Sofia's necklace was probably the wrong choice for what she had going with the neckline of her dress at the time. It's getting overwhelmed by all that high-necked lace, unfortunately. BUT, as you can see, she wore it multiple times afterwards (swapping out the cross pendant for a simple diamond), as well as her daughter-in-law Letizia, and both of them had the sense to pair it with much more open and clean necklines, where you can see that absolutely lovely shape and glitter of the piece. I don't know what this kind of pinched, V-shaped design is called, but I love it.

Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex — Ring

Now, in my research for this post, I'm obviously not pretending I was able to closely scour every single royal bridal look ever. But I did go through a LOT, and none of the ones I saw ever experimented with some fun statement rings like Meg did. I love this absolutely enormous aquamarine on her, both because it's so bold and unexpected, it's objectively beautiful on its own, and of course, its connection to the story of her late mother-in-law.

BONUS: Princess Eugenie — Tiara

Okay I know you probably did not mean for tiaras to be included, and so I tried very hard to work around that. But I'm sorry, I just have to sneak this one in at the end. As I mentioned in another post a while ago, I've been largely unimpressed with the tiaras I've seen in the past (though I did come across some interesting ones while researching this post), but I make absolute exception with Eugenie's wedding tiara. I suspect I might be partial to the Kokoshnik tiara style in general, but what the Greville in particular pulls off with those breathtaking emeralds and the perfectly sloped shape and all those lovely scalloped diamond details . . . perfection. Truly. Best piece of royal jewelry I've ever seen in my life.

[lookinglass-fic]

Hi, sorry but can I ask your coming out story?

Of course, no need to be story. It's a little weird and complex. It started in my teens, because that was when I first realized I had a crush on a girl. I confided in two of my queer friends about it, but kept it to myself because I wasn't sure how to define it. Mind you, this was in the very early 2000s, like maybe 2004, and people liked to have a nice, neat label on sexualities back then. You were either gay or straight or you could be bi, but people wouldn't believe you. At this time in my life, I took this very unscientific Kinsey Scale quiz online with my friends and got a 2.81 out of 6, so I kind of thought, okay, I'm straight with bi tendencies. Again, very outdated thinking.

In my late teens, I very nearly went to prom with a girl who had a crush on me. I started considering, okay, maybe I'm bi? I'd never really liked anyone that much, and further reflection would reveal that I'd never actually been attracted to anybody in the way that most people are.

I first heard the term "asexual" in my early 20s, and after researching a bit, I realized that that was what applied to me. But I was still pretty certain that I liked girls. I did some heavy self-reflection, which is difficult when you’re ace and not super interested in or "turned on" by anyone. But I eventually realized that I thought I was more gay than anything. I took that same quiz and got like a 4.5 out of 6 this time, and that was confirmation enough.

At this point, I told my best friend, who was gay. He pretty much asked me if I was sure, and that maybe it was a phase (I am 100% not kidding.) I also came out to one of my best female friends, and she kind of had an "are you sure?" reaction, which was better than the reaction of my other friend.

I started a couple of online dating profiles (this is still in the earlier 00s, around 2010, before dating apps were a thing) on like... match and plentyoffish.com. I was immediately attracted to this one girl, who ended up messaging me... and not to put too fine a point on it, but we have been talking nonstop for the past 12 years. It was the person who would become my wife. I didn't know that then, but I did know that I liked her a lot. In fact, after one week of talking to her non-stop, I came out to my parents.

This is the fun part, and I guess it's my true 'coming out.' I was 21, and we were in the car on our way to the airport to go to my cousin's wedding. It was like 4am. Picture it: Pitch black. Music low. My dad driving. I realize, you know what, this is a great opportunity, we're all stuck here together, might as well talk about it. So I say, from the backseat, "I have to tell you guys something. I think I'm gay." And then my dad ran over a raccoon.

Okay sorry that that came out of nowhere and is terrible, but. It's what happened. He hit a raccoon. It completely disrupted the moment. Anyway, my dad responded "well I think I'm straight," which, if you know my dad, is a perfectly typical response. My mom cried. She wasn't mad, and by the time we reached the airport she was asking me if I'd met anyone and if she could see pictures. I honestly don't know why she cried, and to this day we haven't really spoken about it.

If you've made it this far, I'm sorry this was so long. I was in my early 20s when someone first explained what the difference was between romantic and sexual attraction to me, and I realized for certain that I was both gay and ace. And I'm proud of both.

Thank you for asking. 🖤

[llycaons]

Section Four: Part XI

In another life: modern AUs - no magic

*giant mancala* by astrolesbian

summary: uh oh! wwx, jc, and jzx get locked in the basement the day before the xuanli wedding! they proceed to get smashed. family bonding ensues. I just love this fic - very funny and heartwarming work issues: none author issues: has written genderbends

A Temporary Fix by bosgood

summary: wen qing, wen ning, and wwx are living paycheck to paycheck and on the run from us immigration authorities, who will deport them to face death if they’re discovered. wq pov, and not long, but a harrowing and painful journey, especially when they run into a familiar face while seeking medical care. this fic is devastating, but it’s really well-done, it does not end on as depressing a note it could have, and it’s not without its moments of levity and humor work issues: none author issues: jl/lsz

*Unstrictly Ballroom by Ariaste

summary: WOW. professional dancing AU. lwj reunites with wwx after 13 years away from the scene and they embark on a quest to challenge heteronormative dance regulations. the characterizations are good! the writing flows well and is funny. the juniors are really a delight, jc is great except he’s maybe too heroic, and wq is a bit too mean :( also we never saw jyl which bummed me out. but mianmian had a really prominent role, and I loved how they incorporated sl and xxc wwx is well characterized as a wonderful but not perfect teacher, and someone who masks constantly to avoid letting his true feelings or wants be heard. maybe a little more insecure than I’d like. lwj is correctly portrayed as an intense, obsessive, harshly disciplined professional who cares about doing right. however in the flashback part in his early 20s he was totally normal about stripping which I really don’t think would be faithful to his rigid, judgemental, traditional outlook as a younger man the drawn-out miscommunication plot is really annoying but their dynamic and chemistry is so good and the final scene is such a brilliant amalgamation of the setting and canon themes and characterizations. really blew my expectations out of the water and definitely worth reading. either canon work issues: the issues with the drunk kissing scene were not as well examined as I would have liked but it was whatever author issues: xiyao, jl/lsz

*strangers on the shore by seularen

summary: a super fun cold war-era spy fic where wwx and lwj, together and on the run, have to outmaneuver a nefarious blackmailer! on the ocean! not quite a modern AU, but close enough. switches between jyl pov and wwx’s. all the characterizations were excellent, especially lwj. special shoutout to this jyl, too - she’s personable, kind, bright, protective, daring, sneaky, and very human. the wx was really lovely. I enjoyed the drama and interpersonal tension and secret identities and intrigue, and the way relationship dynamics mirrored canon was very impressive. extremely well researched, and not really taking the side of any country, but instead exploring the people and philosophies behind the conflict, and the injustices all government commit. all the espionage in this fic is really for the safety of the characters, not to benefit any government. there is some violence but really not as much as the tags make it sound. easily one of the best fics that actually confronts societal homophobia and how it would impact a wwx who knows he’s into men and knows that’s dangerous for his family. not ignoring homophobia, but recognizing it without making it gratuitous unfortunately the jc in this one is awful. just really disrespectful and ‘jokingly’ homophobic and he’s never called on it and he never apologized and I hate him, but him and wwx work together for some action scenes. and I think the writing also got a little away form the author at certain points, because the pacing got weird at the end and events seemed disconnected, and I could never tell where anyone was, country-wise. it was a bit confusing. still a satisfying finale, though! work issues: none author issues: none

你吃饭没有 / have you eaten? by heuheu_the_goose

summary: so lwj hasn’t seen wwx in almost a year, and neither has anybody else. he’s still in touch with some of his friends, but hasn’t contacted lwj once in all that time. why did he vanish? where has he been? is he okay? what was their relationship before he disappeared? what happened between them? and will lan wangji ever be able to speak to speak to him again? this modern AU has lovely characterizations - it's about recovery from grief, and the expression of love through food, with a well-written trans lwj. the mystery is fun in the first few chapters but I think it spends far too little time on actually dealing with grief and too much time getting really elaborate on the minutiae of self-analysis and guilt and ‘he’s going to hate me!!! he should hate me!!! which gets tiresome. it’s overall nice, and I liked it a lot, but it wasn’t quite as magical or romantic towards the end as I would have liked. the wq and a-yuan were really great though, as well as the lwj and wwx. work issues: none author issues: none

on your marks, get set, bake! by BlackWiresOnHerHead

summary: if you don’t already like great british bakeoff, you probably won’t enjoy this fic. but I watch gbbo and I am just floored by how accurate this fic is to the show in terms of structure, dialogue, judging, tone, atmosphere, and food. a bit ooc by necessity, but not too much. mostly a lighthearted, funny, and engaging work depicting the characters we all know and love competing in this baking competition, with a satisfying conclusion. half of the fic is the juniors watching the show from the future and getting super invested, but I think that section is bad so I skip it. also there is wx at the very end, but I find the lwj and the romance very dull and forgettable, even cringe work issues: wwx (the juniors’ RA at college) just loves calling himself their mom. super fucking annoying author issues: well. see above

An Ache Like This by sofriel

summary: trans wangxian! fic starts with lwj mourning his mother and follows him through his childhood and young adulthood. it skips through years and arcs and ends at a really tender postcanon get-together scene work issues: none author issues: none

Everything You Wanted to Find by brooklinegirl

summary: wwx and lwj visit the jiangs as a couple and things are good! it’s a sweet fic, I thought the character dynamics were all very natural and I enjoyed it a lot work issues: none author issues: age gaps, lsz/jl, and sex pollen

*and after all…by BlackWiresOnHerHead

summary: a funny little oneshot where characters keep trying to play wonderwall and other characters get mad and interrupt them before they can finish. that’s it. wangxian are cute. jyl is horny for her boyfriend. nhs is secretly a menace. jc is clowned upon. it’s good fun. note: this work uses the term ‘chengxian’ in the tags to refer to wwx and jc’s platonic sibling relationship work issues none author issues:: genderbends, wwx calling himself a mom

varied my velocities by fantasiavii

summary: ballet dancer lwj and soccer player wwx. lwj is gnc and works through internalized homophobia exacerbated by other members of the ballet community. emotionally powerful and clearly written out of personal experience, so I both cried and learned a lot about ballet as an art form lwj’s issues here are rather specific to ballet, so he feels somewhat disconnected from his canon character. and wwx isn’t quite ooc, but he’s rather generic and nothing jumps out about him that the reader would recognize as wwx without being told. it read almost as original fiction, and therefore I found the chemistry rather lacking because I didn’t feel like I knew the characters. but it’s a good story nonetheless lwj is a sub in this and it’s actually explored quite thoughtfully and beautifully as an important part of his identity work issues: none author issues: none

My Heart’s Desire by phnelt

summary: established relationship. either canon. a funny and sweet little fic about lwj taking a shot at some jin event and getting drunk and trying to steal a painting and wwx wrangling him to take him home. really funny! I love how judgemental wwx is about the jins work issues: none author issues: has written genderbends, cnc, A/B/O, and sex pollen

the whole day alone with you by fantasiavii

summary: hurt/comfort oneshot - wwx is trans and having a bad period. a very loving little fic written by a trans author work issues: none author issues: none

merry christmas ya filthy animal by belovedmuerto

summary: jzx pov! he, jyl, and their baby fly from china to california to spend the holidays with wwx, lwj, and their baby. jzx is endearingly awkward in this fic and he clearly loves his family so much. it’s funny to watch him and lwj vibing without needing to talk while their respective spouses carry the conversation, and the writing for the babies was really cute work issues: it described wwx as a gremlin and make him kind of annoying and immature, but not to the point where it ruined the fic. also, wwx and lwj start celebrating christmas here, which I don’t love, but they’re taking it as a family holiday/tradition for themselves rather than a religious event. since this is modern AU and set in the usa, I can see it. my roommate did the same thing author issues: none

the thought of us seems wholly make-believe by fensandmarshes

summary: very short, very fun oneshot where wwx, jc, lwj, and some others play dnd. jc gets mad. it’s hilarious work issues: none author issues: none

Back to Start

[obeymefictionwriting]

Alright, love, I don’t know if requests are open or welcome and please feel no obligation to write this, I just need people KNOW. Okay, anyway, can I request how the brothers would react to their S/O (MC) wanting a pagan style wedding? (With the handfasting ritual and everything)

Absolutely! Also, I wanna let all my followers know that I really love how creative your requests are. Thanks for respecting my hc preferences and providing me with endless inspiration 🥰

[UPDATE: I enjoyed writing this so much that I really think I should write some fanfics on each brother’s wedding day. What do you think?]

Lucifer

He kinda suspected you'd want a wedding so he was secretly reading wedding blogs and watching DevilTube to get a better understanding.

Spoler: he hated it but was willing to do anything to make you the happiest.

What? You don't want a traditional wedding? Do other weddings exist in a human world? Oh, you want a pagan one?

TBH, paganism makes much more sense to him so now he will be truly involved.

He will respectfully ask to be excluded from calling upon the God and the Goddess because well... he has different beliefs?

However, he totally loves the handfasting ritual ("What a beautiful visual display of our bond, MC")

He will pick your rings out of nowhere "Oh look, seems like Mother Nature left her present for us right here".

OF COURSE he spent hours looking for forest-themed rings on the Akuzon. MAYBE he also looked at a few human world shops as well.

Did you think he'd skip jumping over the broom? Well, wrong you were!

"I never thought our ceremony would be as beautiful as you. Thank you for being mine, MC".

Mammon

Poor guy is so confused when it comes to official ceremonies. Like, he is the King of the Parties but he has no idea about more traditional events.

A pagan wedding? What's that?!

"Whatever makes ya happy, MC, whatever makes ya happy".

At one point (before the wed day), you'll find him sobbing quietly in the dark corner.

"What if I screw up the most important day in your life?"

He cheers up as you explain to him that a pagan wedding is impossible to screw up as everyone is supposed to just have fun and enjoy the day. No super strict rituals!

During the handfasting, he suddenly squeezes your hand tight and whispers "I love you so much MC”.

After the “official” part is over, he will transform to his usual self and will be killing it during the dancing and singing.

“Who could’ve thought weddings are so fun?”

Leviathan

When it comes to weddings, he is a 100% OTAKU

“Do whatever pleases you, MC, just don’t drag me into the process please”

At one point, he will sneak upon you looking at decorations and will get interested though.

“A pagan wedding? It’s like a medieval folk-fantasy anime!”

100% INVOLVEMENT

“Can I make us dresses? REALLY?”

He totally understands how much it means to you but he is just so excited about the decor and costumes.

In the middle of the ceremony, you’ll notice tears in his eyes.

“It’s j-just s-so beautiful... I never thought I deserve anything like that”.

Satan

So you want a pagan wedding huh? 

He will spend several hours researching the topic and will come to you with a ready and ~excellent~ wedding plan.

He really approves of your idea because paganism feels so... natural to him. 

He respects and worships natural power and the idea of a pagan wedding sends shivers down his spine.

During the ceremony, he will be collected and calm as ever. But after you look him in the eyes, you’ll sigh in amazement: there is a whole wildfire burning in them.

He’ll close his eyes during the handfasting ceremony and you will see a tiny smile crossing his lips.

“That was almost as beautiful as you are”.

Asmodeus

He was about to present you a 100001 idea for your wedding but what’s that? Oh, you have an idea? He’s all ears!

To be honest, he never thought and even heard of a pagan wedding before but it sounds really special - just like your bond.

He will ask endless questions to learn more and eventually, he will be 100% into it!

Asmo appreciates beauty in all forms so he finds the idea of a nature-inspired wedding really charming.

“There is so much what we can do with decorations and dresses!” During the handfasting ritual, he will quietly gasp because he is so amazed with everything happening! You thought Mammon would act like a child but it’s actually Asmo who is so purely innocent and joyful.

When you share a kiss, you’ll notice how serious he looks.

“Our bond will last forever now and I am forever yours”

Beelzebub

The guy isn’t really into ceremonies and weddings but he knows it will make you happy.

“Just don’t sqeeze me in a fancy suit, please”.

Oh, a pagan wedding? What’s that?

What kind of food you serve at pagan weddings?

He will be unusually serious about the whole process and will for sure help you with planning and organizing.

To him, everything will be a new experience so he will realize that he, in fact, is really enjoying the ceremony.

“I’m so glad I can be myself and we don’t have to do any fancy stuff”

All the rituals seem really magical to him and he takes them really seriously.

At one point, he will quietly put a crystal out of his pocket on the altar.

“I want to contribute something special too. I want to always contribute to anything that makes you happy”.

Belphegor

He honestly does his best not to ignore your talks about wedding though all this stuff makes him sleepy... Though an unknown word wakes him up.

Pagan? What’s pagan?

“If you think that’a good idea I won’t stop you”

He doesn’t show it but he is actually interested in preparations.

He seems so cool and indifferent throughout the planning that you might think he doesn’t care at all.

But then, when you arrive at the spot, you gasp because there is a wonderfully beautiful altar with so many special items.

“You thought I didn’t do my little research, did you?”

During the handfasting, he squeezes your hand and looks you right in the eyes.

“I will always make an effort for you, never doubt that”.

[tomtenadia]

A Little Braver - 20

Even if I had a crazy day at work I did manage to do my Monday post as promise... but if you notice typos...I am sorry. I read it and edited but my brain  left with the boat tonight (I work for a ferry company, hence the joke)

This is the first of a few chapters where our bird boy is away and Hamel is causing problems to our gang.

Also, Aelin tries to cook... well... you can imagine how did that go.

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

After the trip to the base Aelin had taken home a very sad Elide and then got back to her own place and cried herself to sleep while hugging Rowan’s pillow. It was very late in the afternoon and it was her day off and she had no intention of leaving her bed.

Her head was buried under the pillow when she heard her phone buzz so she scrambled to get it and her heart raced when she saw it was Rowan.

“Hi,” she said with a croaked vice.

“Are you okay?” Rowan was already in fussing mode.

“Yes I just woke up.” She heard a lot of background noise “where are you?”

“Vulture’s row.” He activated his camera and showed Aelin the view of a fully functional flight deck. “Uh, wait.” He pointed the camera stern of the ship and showed Aelin a jet landing.

“That was so cool.” He turned the camera to him and she saw him with his sunglasses and his hair messed up by the wind. Then he switched off the camera and they went back to normal.

“Are you there yet?”

“We are skirting around. We still have a few hours before we are fully in enemy territory.”

Then Aelin heard a siren of some sort and Rowan swore “I’ll call you as soon as I can again. I need to scramble. Love you.”

“Be safe.” She managed to add before he closed the phone call.

She collapsed again in bed then decided to call Lysandra and Elide and organise a day out the three of them shopping. Elide needed cheering up as well.

The next day Aelin, Elide and Lysandra had decided to have a girls’ afternoon to cheer up the two ladies who had their boys away. They met at the entrance of the shopping centre and Aelin went to hug Elide first of all “how are you doing?”

“Lorcan gave me a brief call yesterday telling me they were on the ship and on their way, then he had to go.”

Aelin sighed “today we don’t think about our far away boys.”

“And maybe you can buy some very sexy lingerie as a present for when Lorcan comes back.” Commented Lysandra and Elide blushed.

“What’s the point?” Asked Elide “you are taking it off anyway.”

Aelin laughed and took Elide’s hand “remember the dress I had at the navy party?”

Elide nodded “it was stunning.”

“I was not wearing anything underneath. It drove Rowan crazy.”

“I have done it a few times with Aedion and I agree with Aelin. The sex afterward has been amazing.”

“How do I learn all these things?”

“Stick with us and we will teach you.”

“Let’s go for some food,” said Aelin, “I haven’t eaten yet.”

“How will you survive now without your sexy chef in the house?” Asked Lysandra.

“Oh, I’ll just go back to my usual order in and ready meals.” Shrugged Aelin who had no intention of even trying to cook anything.

Lysandra took Aelin’s hand and walked toward a restaurant “come on Elide, let’s get this girl properly fed.”

The three women got into the restaurant and sat down and Aelin started perusing the menu eager for some decent food and not long after they placed their order. Lys was right, without Rowan she would be lost when it came to food. Rowan had properly spoiled her.

“How are the wedding preparations going?” Asked Aelin.

Lysandra and Aedion’s wedding was not far away and she was excited to see her best friend finally having her happy ending.

“We are getting there.”

“Do you have a dress yet?” Asked Elide all excited.

Lysandra took out her phone and showed them her dress.

“That is gorgeous. Aedion will not be able to keep his eyes off you during the ceremony.”

“That is the plan.” Lysandra smiled wickedly “but the biggest question is who is going to be next?”

“My money is on Aelin,” chimed Elide “Lor is not emotionally ready for such a step. You and the captain on the other hand…” her eyebrows flicked in amusement.

“She is right, and the two of you basically live together.”

“Yes and no.”

“What do you mean?” Lysandra was confused by the admission.

“We haven’t covered the subject yet. He still has his flat and some of his stuff there. Even after I recovered he never left and I never pushed because I like having him around.”

“Will you ask him to move in officially?”

Aelin sighed “maybe. When he comes back. I don’t know. Things are going well and I don’t want to mess it up.”

“Do you think he’ll say no?” Asked Lysandra. Brainstorming with her friend was always helpful and recently she hadn’t done it enough.

“I don’t think so. But living together is as far as we can go just now. For many, many reasons.”

“Is it because of Sam?”

“Only partially.” She was not going to tell her friends Rowan’s story. She had no right. So she remained vague hoping the two friends would get the hint and not ask anymore questions.

“Still, my money is on you two.” Added Lys “Elide is right, Lorcan does not seem to have yet the emotional ability to commit.”

“Hey, he kissed her in public. And yesterday at the base he seemed quite nice to her.”

“Quite?”

“I don’t know, I was concentrating on Rowan I just cast a brief glance at them.” Replied Aelin.

“He was super kind.” Added Elide taking biting on a breadstick.

Their food finally arrived and Aelin was the first to tuck in.

“Does the captain know about your crazy eating habits?” Asked Lysandra amused.

“Yes,” replied Aelin, enjoying her food “he calls me his bottomless pit. When we had our first date he joked that he might need a mortgage just to feed me.”

Elide laughed “Sam used to joke and say that he needed a second job just for feeding you.”

“I move a lot,” replied Aelin with a grin “I have a big appetite.”

“I think it must be a firefighter thing. Aedion is the same.” Lysandra grinned “and we burn a lot of calories.”

“Eeewwww, I did not need to know that. He is my cousin.”

“Oh come one, as if you and hot captain do not engage in illicit activities. The whole squad guessed that the other night you two had sex in the shower after the call at the club.”

“I was just giving him a special goodbye.” Her hand gently brushed the spot where she could feel his tags. She did a bit of research and she was happy she had a copy. Having the real one meant he was gone and she could not think about that.

“Are you okay?” Asked Lysandra worried at her sudden change of expression.

“Yeah.” She added flatly, then gave them a big smile. It was their day off she should not spoil it.

“So, are we taking Elide lingerie shopping?” Aelin teased trying to raise the spirits of her friend.

“Yes, it’s going to be fun.” Added Lysandra all excited.

“Girls… there is really no need. What I have is okay. Lorcan is not fussed.”

Aelin took a bite of her food “oh but we will make sure he is fussed and also that he knows how sexy you are so he does not decide to…. wander.”

“How do I keep him? I am nowhere near as interesting as the two of you. He might get bored of me very soon.”

Aelin stared at her friend and it broke her heart that her horrible past left her with no confidence at all. Elide was brilliant at her job and she was an intelligent woman and she was positive she would make quite a few heads turn.

“Don’t you say something like that ever again.” Lysandra preceded her. She was even more protective of Elide than her “I work with you everyday and I know how awesome you are and I am positive that if we go to a club you’d have your share of men looking at you.”

Aelin nodded.

They finished their meal and went back wandering around the shopping centre and visited a few shops. In one of them Aelin wandered in the male department and spotted a couple of lovely jumpers. One of them was a deep green and looked very cozy and she realised she had no idea of when it was Rowan’s birthday.

Silly question, you never told me your birthday. She sent the text and knew a reply might take a long time to come. She grabbed the jumper and tried to decide whether it was the right size for him.

“That is a lovely jumper.” Said Lysandra joining her at her side “already thinking about useful presents? You are like an old married couple.”

Aelin laughed.

“But I think this one is really nice and the man seems to look amazing in green.”

“I am just wondering about the size.”

Lysandra grabbed the tag “this one will fit Aedion so you should be fine.”

A moment later Elide rejoined them, her face beetroot red “I feel so silly.” And showed the girls her bag with her lingerie purchase.

“Hey, Ace and I are joking. You didn’t have to buy it if it makes uncomfortable.” But Elide surprised them “I will buy just one pair for now and I’ll see how it goes.”

Lysandra laughed “Aelin is already buying presents married couple style and you are still in the sexy lingerie stage. My girls have grow up so much.”

“And what stage are you and Aedion?” Asked Aelin with a grin.

“The one where I go to the grocery store and I phone him to ask him if he wants beef or chicken for dinner.”

The rest of the afternoon went swimmingly and she loved spending the day with Lys and Elide. They didn’t do that nearly enough.

Now she was back home and in the kitchen trying to accomplish her new mission. She had bought a cooking book for beginners and she had decided she was going to try and cook dinner. Lysandra had told her to start with something as simple as a stir fry. So she had bought a few more kitchen supplies and a pan Lys had told her was called a wok. She had mused why she could not use the pot she already had and Lys had rolled her eyes. Aelin had also bought the ingredients and now they were all lined up in front of her, the book open and a fire blanket and a small fire extinguisher on the counter just to be safe it was her cooking after all. She took a photo and sent it to Rowan then started working. When it got to cut the onions she cursed herself for deciding to cook.

Her phone rang and put it on speaker “hey,” her voice sounded strained and Rowan went in full fussing mode “are you okay?”

“Yeah, cutting those blasted onions.” She sniffled.

Over the line she heard Rowan roar with laughter “what are you making?” He asked as soon as he stopped laughing.

“A chicken stir fry. Lys said it’s easy to do.”

“Why are you putting onions in it?”

“Because I like them, mr I know how to cook.”

“I even bought a wok. Apparently I cannot use my pot.” She added as while throwing the ingredients in the pan.

“Seriously, when I get back we are going to have a massive overhaul of your kitchen.”

And Aelin’s heart raced in joy. It sounded like he had no intention of going back permanently to his flat. Maybe when he got back she should ask him the question after all.

“Aelin, it’s a miracle you have cutlery and two plates.” She could hear the humour in his voice.

“How are things going?”

“I just came off patrol. I am on my way to my quarters to get changed. I don’t have the most appealing scent just now.”

“Shower without me, so what? Two minutes max?”

“That’s about it. The water supply is not endless.”

He finally got to his quarters and collapsed on his bed after removing his boots then lay down and activated the camera.

“Hi sexy,” she did the same and placed the phone against the wall in front of her so he could see her as well.

“I don’t see any smoke. That’s a good start, considering it’s you.”

Aelin gave him the middle finger and then showed him her small fire extinguisher “I am prepared.” She took a bit of her food “for now it tastes edible, but not as good as yours.”

She saw him give her a smug smile and her instinct was to wipe it off his face with a kiss.

“The answer is July 16th, by the way.”

Aelin looked at him not understanding his statement.

“My birthday? You asked me earlier on.”

That she did “That’s two months away.”

“And when it’s yours?”

“May 3rd.”

“Aelin, that’s in two days.” He added sadly “and it sucks I can’t be there.”

“Lys has planned to drag me out with the girls of the firehouse. It’s also her bachelorette party. I have to go.”

“I almost forgot they were getting married. That came around quickly.”

Aelin laughed “not when you have been around them for years.” Aelin placed her food in a plate and moved to the sofa, taking her phone with her.

“When is the wedding?”

“This weekend. The weather is meant to be gorgeous which is a good thing since they are getting married outdoors.”

She heard him sigh “I really, really wish I could be there with you.”

She did not add that she had been thinking the same. So she just took a bite of her food.

“Edible?”

“Fuck no,”Aelin spit the morsel back in the plate “I must have done something wrong with the spices. It tastes horrible.” She grabbed her house phone.

“What are you doing?”

“Clearly ordering in. I am not eating this.”

Rowan rolled his eyes “you should practice more.”

“Why bother? I am clearly not cut for cooking. I am hopeless.”

“Do I need to tell you the amount of times my food sucked when I was still learning to cook decently? I got better with trial and error.”

Aelin huffed “fine I’ll try again on my next day off.” Then she put her house phone down after placing the order “I thought you were going for a shower?”

“Eager to get rid of me?”

“No, I just was hoping to have a peek at that nice arse of yours.”

Rowan laughed “If you behave.”

“Do you have the quarters all for yourself?”

Rowan nodded in the screen “the perks of rank. Gav is sharing with Vaughan. The twins are on their own.”

“Is that wise?”

“This carrier has a nice number of female officers. No one wants to go anywhere near that room.”

“Remember I am jealous, Whitethorn.”

“Some of them are middies on their snot cruise, so very young. The others… still not interested.”

“Who is a middie?”

“It’s short for midshipman or woman. They are the lowest ranking officers in the navy, just above the cadets. And a snot cruise is their first time out at sea on a proper mission.”

“Are your students middies as well?” She loved asking all those questions that might have sounded silly to him, but he never made her feel stupid for asking. He was always happy to answer.

“No, my students are called pilot officers. Then they become Flying officers, then flight lieutenants which is what the twins are, then Vaughan is our squadron leader, Gav is the Wing commander and then you have me.”

“Sounds so complicated.” She definitely needed to do more research to understand his job a bit better.

“It’s like you guys. Aedion looks after one rig as a lieutenant, you are the captain and are in charge of the operations of both at the same time and Dorian will be in charge of all the engines in case multiples houses are involved. Am I correct?”

Aelin nodded impressed.

“Same for us. Vaughan looks after our small squadron, Gav two or three squadrons, which is called a wing. I look after a unit composed of different wings and then Lorcan plays god in the CIC.”

“Now it makes more sense. So I could be your wing commander.”

“Having you fly with us would be insane. We would not concentrate on the enemy.”

Aelin laughed, then the buzzer of the door went off “just a sec, buzzard, food is here.” She went to get her food and plopped back on the sofa resuming her call with Rowan.

“Is your ship nice?”

“I served on her before. Not as swanky as the new one, but she is decent enough.” Rowan sat back up “hey, I really need to take that shower and then it’s chow time. If I miss it I don’t eat until tomorrow morning.”

“Go. Sorry for keeping you.”

“You did not such things. I have been looking forward to call you.”

“I love you.” She told him, sending back the tears that had started forming.

“I love you too, Fireheart.”

Aelin waved him goodbye and went back eating while tears had begun flowing down her cheeks. It had only been two days and she hoped it would get easier being so far apart.

***

The next morning she arrived at the station bright and early, got changed and went straight to Aedion “Are you ready?”

The man nodded “Peter is covering you until we get back from the police and I got Manon in charge of the second rig.”

“Good. Let’s go.”

They arrived at the police headquarters not long after and Chaol met them at the reception area “Hi guys,”

“Here’s my favourite cop.” Aelin went to hug Chaol.

“Just because I keep reporters away from you.”

She gave him a huge smile back.

“Come, detective Ytger is waiting for you.” They followed behind him in silence and stopped in front of a door and knocked.

A female voice told them to go in and once in the office Aelin recognised the same woman at one of the arson cases a few months back.

“Captain, Lieutenant, we meet again.” The three shook hands and the detective sat back down and invited both cousins to do the same.

The detective threw a thick file on the desk “you two have just made a very powerful enemy.”

“The man is a bastard.”

“Believe me, captain, when I tell you that Hamel has been a thorn in my side for a very long time.”

“And why is he still at large? Two people died and the man did not care.”

The woman pinched the bridge of her nose “he has very powerful lawyers and always gets away with murder. We have been working on him for a long time but whatever piece of proof we bring in is never enough to get him behind bars for good.” Aelin could sense the tiredness in her voice.

“Did you close his club as I asked?”

“We did, but he owns almost all the ones in Orynth. And so much more.”

“Can’t you arrest him for murder?” voiced Aedion.

“No, his lawyers showed us the papers of the latest inspections and the place was deemed to code. He blamed the company that did the inspections for lying to him.”

“Detective, I hope you are aware that is a bullshit.” Said Aedion, fury burning under his surface.

“I am well aware.” The woman added almost apologetically “the closure is temporary. It will not stick too long.”

Aelin almost swore “Have the other clubs been checked?”

“We did some undercover recon but we don’t have the full skillset to know what’s up to code.”

Aelin smiled wickedly “well, it’s a good thing that you have a firefighter whose birthday is very soon and was planning to go to a club.”

“You are not dragging Lys and the others in this.”

“Calm down. Hamel does not know them, they are safe. I will wear a disguise.”

“I don’t like the sound of this.” He protested again but he knew Aelin could be stubborn.

“I am coming too.”

“No,” said Aelin “One: Hamel remembers how you lifted him up and he will not forget such act. Two: it’s Lys bachelorette party as well. So, no.” she paused “you can take the guys to another one.”

“What happens if we find both clubs not up to specs?” Asked Aelin worried that it was going to be a lost cause.

“We can start by closing them and gather a bit more time to have more material against him. We have other leads. We just need something significant.”

They discussed with the detective which clubs to hit and they left.

Once in the car Aedion made his displeasure quite clear “I do not like this.”

“Neither do I, but the police has no idea what to look for.” Replied Aelin.

“We are not cops.”

“And they are not firefighters.”

After that they drove in silence all the way back to the station.

***

Two days had passed and Aelin’s birthday had arrived. She arrived at the station and laughed at the scene. One of the rigs was covered in balloons and a sign saying happy birthday, cap and the second rig was for Aedion and Lysandra and the front of the truck had a long white sheet over it that looked like a bridal veil and two massive papier mache rings attached to the front.

She laughed and joined Ansel and Manon who were doing some checks “did everyone see this?” She pointed at the engine and truck. The two women nodded.

“Then let’s clear it. I do not want to go on a call in that state.”

“Yes, captain.” Said the two women in unison. 

The locker room was empty and she sat down on the bench and looked at her phone again. She was hoping for a text from Rowan or a call but nothing yet. She kept telling herself that he was busy and probably out flying. She removed his dog tags and hung them in the locker and stood and stared at the pictures she had hung up. It was some of the photos they had taken in Doranelle. With her finger she brushed a photo of him. He was standing and looking up to the sky. His eyes closed and a small smile painted on his face and his hair all tousled after she had messed it up. It was one of her favourite photos of him. “Be safe, please.” And she blew him a kiss.

Aelin got dressed and then reached the team who was having breakfast in the communal room.

“She is here.” Shouted Nox happily.

Luca grabbed her arm and pulled to the table where a cake was waiting for her.

“Chocolate hazelnut cake. Your favourite.” He cut a slice and offered it to her.

Aelin grabbed it eagerly “mmmmm”

“Get a room you two,” shouted Ress.

A moment later Manon came through with a man carrying a large box “he says this is for you, captain.”

“Thanks, Manon.”

Aelin grabbed the box from the courier and sat down on the sofa. It came from a shop in Orynth. Strange. She opened the box and when she peeked inside she saw a massive stuffed toy. Once she lifted it she realised it was a bird and she had a feeling she knew who it was from.

“A bird? Why a bird?” Asked Lysandra.

Aelin smiled, grabbed the stuffed toy and walked to her bunk to be alone when she noticed the letter inside.

Once alone she sat down on her bed and placed the bird at her side and read the letter

Happy birthday, fireheart.

I wish I could be there for you but I can’t and it hurts more than I thought possible.

If you are reading this, you have met your new friend. I could not find a buzzard but a toy shop in Orynth had a white-tailed hawk and since I have silver hair I thought it was the closest option. Do we look similar? He will keep you company while I can’t be there with you.

I will try and call you tomorrow if I get a free moment, but the guys and I have pulled alert crew duty for the day so no phone for me.

Have fun with the girls and leave the other guys alone especially if they are navy and army.  Aelin chuckled at the joke

I miss you already.

I love you. Madly. 

To whatever end.

Yours, 

Buzzard.

By the time she had finished reading the letter she was in tears. She hugged the soft toy and for a moment she hoped to smell his scent of pine and snow. She went to her locker, grabbed the dog tags and put them around the bird’s neck “you look after them while I am on shift, but then I take them back.” After that she took a photo and sent it to Rowan “I think I will call him Rowan.”

**

It was later that night and Lysandra and Elide were at Aelin’s place to get ready for their fun night. Aelin though, was not in the mood. Rowan had eventually called her but the phone call was cut short when he had go and scramble. Soft toy Rowan was on her bed, his dog tags back on since she would not be wearing them with her dress.

Lysandra was going through her wardrobe looking for a dress for the night.

“So, the captain does have clothes that are not uniform,” said the woman going through his clothes but Aelin glared at her and Lys went back to Aelin’s side of the dresser.

“Did he phone you?”

“Yeah.” Said Aelin flatly while wearing her dress.

“Lorcan said they were having a couple of shitty days.”

Aelin ignored her friend or she would end up in tears and ruin her make up.

“Did he give you his dog tags?” Asked Lys noting them pending from the bird’s neck.

“No, he can’t. He made a copy. And I don’t want the original ones until he retires.”

“Why?” Asked Elide while she was busy fixing her hair.

“Because it means he is dead. They are used for identification.” Replied Lysandra flatly. She had learned that from Aedion.

“Can we please change subject?” Snapped Aelin.

Lysandra grabbed a green dress “what do you think?”

“It will go perfectly with your eyes.” Said Aelin wearing her blue dress.

“I thought you loved the captain.” Said Elide.

“Uh?”

“That dress?” Added Lys pointing at her attire “it makes you look as if you are open to being chased.”

“Too slutty?”

“Ansel will be proud of you.”

Aelin smiled “I do love the captain and I have no plans on taking anyone home. My only companion in bed tonight will be bird Rowan.” Then she wore a wig of red hair.

“Why the wig?”

Aelin and Aedion had decided not to tell anyone about their plan for the night, so she had to lie although it hurt lying to Lysandra “just for some fun.”

They arrived at the club half an hour later and Manon, Asterin and Ansel were already there and apparently already having fun.

“You made it” shouted the red-haired woman. “And who is the hot red-haired friend?”

“It’s me, Ansel.”

“Captain, you look hot.”

Aelin laughed “thank you.”

“We got some drinks already,” said Manon.

“Happy birthday, captain,” said Asterin raising her glass “and congratulation to Lys for bagging the meanest lieutenant in the TFD.”

Their glasses clinked and then Aelin spotted Chaol in the distance. What the heck was he doing at the club? She nodded at him and he gave her a small nod back. Everyone knew Chaol and if the girls spotted him it could raise some questions so she texted him with the pretence of being the overbearing girlfriend checking on her man.

The girls went out dancing and she stood behind saying she was not in the mood when she was actually trying to check out the place. She was about to join Chaol in his hideout when a guy stopped at her side and blocked her way “aren’t you a stunning creature?” He said and Aelin cringed. She really hated clubs and the pigs that came with them.

“Of course I am.”

She felt his arm sneak around her waist and his body move closer to hers and she closed her eyes at the fact that those arms were not Rowan’s.

“What if I buy you a few drink and have some fun you and I?”

“You couldn’t handle me.” She said to him in a whisper.

“I love a good challenge. My flat is not far from here.” And his hand slithered up on her back.

Aelin scoffed “I’d never have sex with you even if we were the last two humans left in the world.”

She made to walk away but he grabbed her arm. She almost punched him but in that instant she felt someone hugging her from behind “it’s me, follow my lead.” He whispered in her ear and she noticed it was Chaol.

“Thank you for finding my girlfriend. I went to the gents and I lost her.”

“Sorry darling,” said Aelin caressing Chaol’s face.

The stranger walked away annoyed.

“Thank you.”

“You were holding your own anyway.” He commented.

“I was about to punch him and cause a scene and mess up the mission.” She whispered then grabbed his hand and pulled him to a quiet booth at the back of the club

“What are you doing here?”

“Detective Ytger sent me here as back up. Hamel’s minions know all of the detectives but not us beat cops.”

“How do you want to proceed?” She asked him.

“You are the firefighter, I am just here to make sure you get out okay.”

“Ok, I need to walk around. Just keep an eye on me.” Chaol nodded and Aelin walked away.

She went back to the bar area and smiled when Elide walked toward her “Ace!! Come on it’s your birthday, you need to come and have fun.” She also had a job to do but felt bad at abandoning her friends. So she joined them again and Lys grabbed her for some dancing.

“How how many hearts did you break?”

“Just the one but he was a pig.”

“Did you tell him you have a super hot captain waiting for you?” 

Aelin shrugged and turned to Elide.

“How many drinks did Ansel give you?”

Elide lifted three fingers in front of her face “two.”

Aelin laughed “no more alcohol for you.”

“Buuut I am sad and I miss Lorcan.” Aelin hugged her friend knowing full well how she felt.

“Still, no more alcohol, you just can’t hold it.”

She walked Elide to Manon “can you keep an eye on her please? And just water please. Elide has reached her alcohol quota for the evening.”

“Of course.”

Aelin smiled at the white-haired woman. She was very introverted and of a very few words but she did not care about that since she was good at her job. She was the complete opposite of Ansel.

Speaking of the woman…”where did Ansel go?”

“Last time I have seen her she was dancing with a brunette.” Aelin dragged a hand on her face “I am going to the ladies. Just behave, okay?”

She used the excuse to slip away and walk around as she was supposed to do. She wanted to try and take some photo as proof but covert operations were not her forte.

“You are back,” whispered Chaol at her back.

“I’ll pretend to be drunk and lost.”

“Be careful, this is making me nervous.”

She nodded and walked away from him. Part of her was glad she had not mentioned this to Rowan, he would have gone in full protective mode.

She kept pretending she was drunk and dumb and ended up in the kitchen “sorry,” she slurred, leaning against the doorframe “are these the loos?”

“No miss,” said one of the staff “they are down there and on your right.” She gave the man a goofy smile and a wet kiss on the cheek “thank you, sweet man.” The hug had given her the time to have a very quick look in the kitchen and note there was no safety equipment. That was enough for her to shut down that club as well. How could they run a kitchen that way? She really had to take down the bastard. She hid in the shadows of the club and and checked the fire doors without activating them and found them of shoddy quality. She was fuming. She had a good look at the club and realised even the numbers of people allowed in was probably over the limit. Those doors were for 60 people, she could only see three on ground level, which meant a limit of 180 people. There were probably over three hundred, all crammed and spread on two levels. It was a firefighter nightmare. She ran back to Chaol “go home. I have seen enough. Tell the detective this place needs to be shut down as well.”

“I’ll phone her as soon as I am out. She was waiting for news anyway.”

“Go, and say hi to Yrene.”

Chaol left and she ran back to her friends nervous that she was placing them in danger. She wanted to go but the idea of leaving all those people behind made her nervous. She texted Aedion and rage surged back when he told her that their club was the same.

The girls took her dancing in the middle of the dance floor and danced away ignoring a couple of guys basically dancing on her. She hated clubs so much and the music was horrible. She bit down her annoyance and went to hug Lysandra “how does it feel to be almost married?”

“Weird.” She looked at Aelin “are you having fun?”

“You know I don’t like clubs but I came for you, it’s your night after all.”

“It’s your birthday too.”

Aelin shook her head “I get one every year, you better marry my cousin and stick to him.”

“And you stick to the captain. I want to come to your wedding.”

Aelin laughed “we’ll see…” then she turned and saw Elide leaning against the counter half asleep “what if we take the party to my place? I am sick of this place.”

“Please,” said Manon in a hopeful tone. She hated clubs as well “we can get alcohol on the way home. If I hear another man asking me why my hair is white I am going to start snapping necks.”

“Hey Manon, no need to snap necks,” then Aelin looked around for Ansel.

“I’ll get her,”said Asterin when she noticed the woman in the distance.

The woman came back with Ansel in tow and moved closer to Aelin “the fire exits are not enough and one is blocked.” She whispered.

“I know, I am going to call Peter and explain the situation to him.” She took her phone out “take the others to the cars. I’ll be there in a moment.”

Aelin watched Asterin walking the group to safety then hid in dark a corner and phoned Peter explaining that they had to pretend they had an anonymous call and come and pay a visit to the place and shut it down. The man agreed after she explained him the situation in terms of safety. She was playing dirty but could not care less. People’s lives were at stake. Hamel could just go and impale himself for all she cared.

Quickly she left the building and she went to her car joining Lys and Elide. The remaining women were in Manon’s car.

They stopped for booze on the way and finally got back home. Aelin took Elide piggyback style as the woman had fallen asleep. Once in the flat she placed Elide in the spare bedroom and covered her with a blanket then went back to the rest of the group camped in her living room. A text from Peter told her that the club had been safely evacuated and closed. Apparently he had found even more infractions that she had not the time to spot. 

“Ok, ladies back to the party.” Aelin grabbed a mixed selection of glasses and mugs for the beer.

Ansel stood and went to use the bathroom and came back a few minutes later “why do you have guy’s stuff on the bathroom shelf? Do you live with the silver fox?”

Aelin sighed “Rowan has been living here since I was discharged from the hospital.”

“That was a while ago.”

“I know.” Aelin sighed.

“Yes!” Shouted Ansel pulling Aelin toward her “our captain is shacking up. I am so proud of you.”

After a few drinks, Ansel would become very friendly with anyone. It was a good thing they had left the club.

In that instant she got a text from Aedion saying that he had activated the fire alarm in their club and evacuated the whole place after he had spotted a shit ton of infractions. Well, that was probably another club down. Definitely not what they had agreed with the detective but they had to do something.

“Ok, since this is a bachelorette party as well, we can have a bit of spiciness.” Said Asterin while drinking her beer “unusual place where you had sex. We need to give Lys some ideas.”

“Do we?” Joked Aelin “Lys would definitely teach us something.” Then everyone looked at Ansel “after her of course.”

“I once hooked up with civilian pilot and we did it in his cockpit before he got to fly the plane”

“Where you flying as well?” Asked Lysandra curious.

Ansel nodded “it’s a long story.”

“Aelin, you are up. I bet the captain is wild.” Lysandra’s eyebrows lifted suggestively.

“He is pretty amazing but the strangest places have been a beach, the sea, behind a waterfall, a pool at the foot of two different waterfalls and almost on a military ship.”

“Almost?” Asked Manon curious.

“I’ll show you the dress.”

Aelin went to get her black dress and got back a moment later “and he knew I had nothing underneath.”

The group of women cheered loudly “that must have driven him insane.” Joked Asterin.

“That’s why the almost. We would have been in a lot of trouble if we got caught.”

“I have nothing left to teach you.”Ansel was sprawled on a chair and lifted her beer in acknowledgment.

“Lys?”

The woman blushed savagely “in a car wash. Aedion and I stayed in the car while it was getting washed and… well.. it was quick but fun.”

“Definitely nothing to teach you,” Aelin clinked her bottle with her friend.

“Asterin?”

“My previous firehouse, with one of my colleagues on top of a rig on a night shift.”

Manon gave a light chuckle “was it when you were at the Regional 2?”

Asterin nodded “he was some hot firefighter. We are still friends. We did it once and then it felt so weird and never happened again.” She explained.

Aelin sighed “The night of the mayor’s party, Thomas and I hooked up. We ended up at my place. We did it, realised it was rebound sex and finished the night with tv and junk food.” Thinking about him still pained her.

“No friggin way. More than the kiss?” Asked Lysandra shocked.

Aelin nodded “after you saw us kissing I left, he found me, we went back to my place.”

Aelin looked around and noticed that no one wanted to make too many comments, his death was still too fresh for everyone and he had been Manon’s and Asterin’s captain.

“Does Rowan know?”

“I told him and he is fine. We were nothing at the time and I was mad at him.”

In that instant Elide joined the group and Aelin stood and went to her “hey, how are you feeling?”

“My head hurts.” Replied the woman leaning against Aelin.

“I should take her home. We are working tomorrow we should all go home.”

“Lys is right,” added Asterin “another 24hrs shift ahead, we need some sleep.”

Manon and Asterin offered to take Ansel home and Aelin remained with Lys and a sleepy Elide.

“I am sorry the evening sucked.”

“Hey,” Lysandra placed her hands on Aelin’s shoulders “it didn’t, and to be honest we were all quite tired. All it matters is to marry that annoying cousin of yours.”

“Take Elide home, she is about to go to sleep again.”

Once Aelin was alone she finally shed the dress and opened one of Rowan’s drawers and grabbed a t-shirt. They were usually far too big for her but she loved them as pyjama. She went to the bathroom, got ready and then finally got in bed with bird Rowan and squeezed close to his pillow to inhale his scent.

She grabbed her phone and found a text from Rowan

I hope you had a nice evening. I wish I had been there with you because it’s bad out here. I hope bird me is keeping you company. Have a nice night, Fireheart. Love you.

Aelin’s heart sank at the anguish in his voice. She tried to call him but had no answer.

I love you, come back to me, was all she managed.

She squeezed bird Rowan and tried very hard to fall asleep.

TAGS:

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@aelin-bitch-queen​

@bruiseonthefaceofhumanity 

[himbo-only-zone]

Hi! I was hoping I could ask for a Nekomaru fluff ABC’s post please? Thank you in advance (:

nekomaru nidai || fluff alphabet

requested by: @tanakabxtch !

trigger warning: mentions of heart defects and hospitals

Never wrote for the blessed boy before so let's see how this goes!! Dud some research so hopefully this is good enough, but no promises. Please look into his backstory before you read, or else this won't make any sense.

- Mod Anna

a. attractive. what does he find attractive about you? he finds your passionate side attractive! he's a person driven by motivation, and seeing you passionate about something makes him motivated.

b. baby. would he want a family? it's not his number one priority, due to the fact that he does have athletes to take care of, but if you want to, of course!! he'd love to take care of kids and help them become athletes if they wanted to!

c. cuddle. how does he cuddle? he likes laying on his back with you across his chest. arms wrapped around his neck, legs wrapped around his torso. he loves holding all of you, knowing that you're there and safe is all he wants.

d. dates. what are dates with him like? they're usually very exciting! something big like sky diving or bungee jumping is always fun! however, if you guys want something more relaxed, he loves staying and home and resting with you.

e. everything. what are you to him? (ex. you are my _____) you're his relaxation. he's always so focused on others: his athletes, his friends, everyone. he never really had someone that helped him relax, until he found you.

f. feelings. when did he know he was in love? whenever he talked to you about his heart defect. he never really told anyone about it, he didn't want others to look down at him for it. but when you said that you would always be by his side and even go with him to doctor appointments ... he actually started crying.

g. gentle. is he gentle with you? extremely. compared to his athletes, he's easy on you. he encourages you to take care of your health and will give you a regiment if you ask, but he's super gentle. he makes sure to save the extra good massages for you.

h. hands. how does he like to hold hands? he doesn't hold hands often, actually. he's not big on pda, surprisingly, but if you guys do ... it's so gentle. his touch is loving and supportive, and he'll occasionally give you a small squeeze. it's so loving.

i. impression. what was his first impression of you? he thought you would be a good athlete. that's usually what goes through his head when he meets someone, inspecting their body and making sure that it meets athlete standards. any body can meet athlete standards, he just wants to see how long it would take. he did find himself marvelling at your beauty.

j. jealousy. how often does he get jealous? never! he loved you and cherishes you, so he really doesn't mind if others do the same. he's super happy go lucky with his partner, as long as you're happy, he's happy! he would be upset if he found out that you were cheating on him, of course he would be, who wouldn't? but he's pretty lenient.

k. kiss. how does he kiss? who initiated the first kiss? he's very soft with his kisses! all of them are passionate and careful. he makes sure they're good enough for you! and he did, he was so proud of you for doing something, and he kissed you to show it.

l. love. who says "i love you" first? he did. back to the talk he was having with the heart defect, he buried his head in your shoulder and repeated those three words over and over again. he's so smitten for you.

m. memory. what's his favorite memory with you? probably when you two were skydiving. the exhilaration and the excitement paired with spending time with you? he absolutely loved it. and the way you clung to him after it was over was super adorable.

n. nickel. how much does he spend on you? he spends quite a lot! you two do a lot of things together, and you keep saying that you want to split the bill, but it always ends in a competition. who can put their money or card down first. nekomaru has lightning reflexes, dear.

o. orange. what color reminds him of you? pretty much every color reminds him of you. you're so bright and welcoming to him, like a rainbow! whenever he sees a rainbow, whether it be painted on or actually in the sky, he sends it to you. no context.

p. pet names. what pet names does he use? he's not very big on pet names, but when he's talking to others, he never used your name. he'll always say "my girlfriend/boyfriend/partner" or "the love of my life." always something super sweet.

q. quaint. what's his favorite non-modern thing? (a friend of mine helped me out with this one, credit to him jfjdkd) he loves writing love poems! he had to have some passion before he threw himself into sports managing. and that was poem. he only writes poems about and to you, now, but they're absolutely wonderful. cherish them.

r. rainy day. what does he do with you on a rainy day? the gain never stops. no, i'm joking. it's pretty normal, though. he does tend to be a bit more relaxed and wanting attention. sometimes he'll just sit on the couch and hold his arms out.

s. sad. how does he cheer you up? he is the king of cheering people up! he will give you a speech about how great you are, and about how much potential you have. he will be by your side as much as possible, hyping you up and shoving your anxieties away.

t. talking. what does he like to talk about? he loves rambling about sports and his friends! he rarely talks about himself, so if you want that, you will have to dig really deep. but he is always talking about his friends and athletes!

u. unencumbered. what makes him relax? just lay him down across you and play with his hair. show him that it's okay to worry about himself, and that self care mentally is perfectly okay. you know he's stressed, and he deserves to feel relaxed. you can't give as good massages as he can, but you can damn sure try!

v. vaunt. does he show you off? he does unintentionally. he will hype you up anywhere, and he doesn't care who heard! you're so amazing to him, and if that counts as showing you off, so be it!

w. wedding. when, how, and where does he propose? you two go on an actual fancy dinner date, which you found odd. you never went on something so normal ... and then he got one knee. you knew that this wasn't normal. he proposed, a little teary-eyed but classically. you said yes and then proceeded to do everything under the sun. dancing, bowling, running around practically everywhere.

x. xylophone. what song reminds him of you? what's your theme song? when the day met the night by panic! at the disco reminds him of you! your theme song is tongue tied by grouplove!

y. yes. does he think about proposing to and marrying you? he would want to have a conversation with you about everything first. he does have health problems, and he doesn't want that to weigh you down. he wants the best for you. but when you say that the best for you is him, he's set on marrying you.

z. zebra. if he was able to get a pet, what would he get? he would totally get some huge exotic animal. like a tiger or lion or something. if he can't, he'll settle for something like a cat.

[sirowsky]

The Flowers Always Know

Description: When a mad scientist uses you as an experiment while you’re on holiday, the Heroics only just manage to save you. And in your recovery you become very close to the leader of the group. (Slow burn)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Language.

Link to Masterlist

Comment: The aftermath of the confrontation leads to some unexpected fun. But also some annoyances.

Chapter 25

  When you got home, Missy and Anita were waiting for you in the living room, and you could tell that they’d been worried.   Missy had quite clearly been crying and she shot up and came to hug you the moment you stepped through the door.   When you’d left the house that morning, you’d done it absolutely terrified for her safety, and while you hoped that that threat was gone now, you didn’t know it for sure. And that made it such a relief to see her safe and sound, and untouched by the darkness from your past.

  “I’m so sorry I scared you, angel.”

  “You just took off! I didn’t know where you were, and then dad got really scared cause he knew where you’d gone, but he wouldn’t tell me and I didn’t understand what was happening!”

  She broke into tears again while she spoke, rambling everything out in a hurry as though she thought that she might not get it all out otherwise.

  “I’m sorry, sweetie. I was really scared too.”

  “Why?”

  You took a breath and looked at Marcus to see if he was okay with you telling her the truth. He nodded and took your hand.

  “The man from earlier… that was my brother. And he is not a good person.”

  She pulled back and stared at you.

  “The one you were so angry at you made the house shake? He’s your brother?!”

  “Yeah. When we were kids, he hurt me really badly, and today… he threatened to hurt you too.”

  She looked horrified, and it made your whole chest ache. Marcus’ hand tightened on yours, but he seemed to want you to do the talking. Missy was still holding you around the waist, and her grip tightened too.

  “But, why?”

  “Because you’re my daughter. Because he knew that by threatening you, I’d do what he wanted. And I did, but I did it knowing that I could, and would defeat him.”

  “Thank you, Alma.”

  “Hey, you don’t need to thank me for protecting you, that’s what families are supposed to do.”

  “I know, I was thanking you for adopting me. That’s the first time you’ve called me your daughter.”

  You smiled a little teary-eyed.

  “Actually, it’s the second time.”

  “When was the first?”

  “Telling my ass-backwards no-good piece-of-shit-family not to lay a hand you.”

   Missy smiled glowingly, but Anita scoffed.

  “Are you ever gonna stop using that kind of foul language in front of her?”

  “Sometimes, there’s just no substitute for a good expletive. Besides, have you ever heard her use one?”

  Anita just cocked an eyebrow at you.

  “Exactly. That’s because she’s smart enough to know that just because I’m beyond salvation, doesn’t mean she has to be.”

  “It’s still bad manners, mujer.”

  “And you’re still not fooling anyone. You were just as worried about me as Missy was. You can admit it, I won’t laugh at you. I might even hug you.”

  “Hah, that’ll never happen.”

  “Which part? Cause if it’s the hug you’re talking about – consider that a challenge accepted.”

  “Don’t even think about it, loco.”

  “Don’t worry. Obviously, I plan on getting you when you least expect it.”

  “You really think you can sneak up on me? Oh, that’ll be the day.”

  Your stomach suddenly growled, and Missy, being right in front of it, actually flinched and pulled away from you in shock.

  “Holy cow! You weren’t kidding, dad, that really does sound like a bear.”

  Marcus tried not to laugh, but his shoulders were shaking and his face contorted into a strained grimace.

  “You guys discussed my intestinal vocalisations? Really?”

  Marcus gave up and doubled over, laughing in earnest, while Missy tried to elaborate through her own giggling-fit.

  “Good thing, too… or I might’ve… called a… wildlife animal rescue…”

  “Alright, that’s it. I’ll give you something to laugh about!”

  You attacked them both with tickling, knowing exactly where to hit them for maximum effect, and using your ghost hands to reach them both. Which was particularly annoying to them since those hands couldn’t be waved off. You chased them into the kitchen and continued your attack while telling them to yield, and never laugh at your stomach again, to which they both shouted – never!   But after just a few minutes, your energy started to drain again, and you had to sit down on one of the kitchen chairs.

  “Hermosa? You okay?”

  “I think my body just remembered how much energy I wasted this morning.”

  Anita came into the kitchen and clapped her hands together.

  “Well, then, lunch it is. Who wants enchiladas?”

  As was becoming your routine, you ate as much as the rest of them combined, all by yourself, and then all but passed out once you were full.   You didn’t remember getting into bed, but you woke up there anyway, and the clock on the wall said 14:23. You’d slept for about two hours.   You groaned a little and rolled over, accidentally elbowing Marcus.

  “Oh, shit! I didn’t realise you were here, sorry!”

  He just hummed a laugh, and slung his arm around your waist.

  “You’ve done worse.”

  “Ugh, don’t remind me…”

  “How many times do I have to tell you, preciosa: you can attack me anytime.”

  “Well, I’d rather attack you like this.”

  You rolled on top of him and kissed him, and he made an affectionate sound in the back of his throat, but his hands came up to push your face away from his, after a few moments.   You frowned. He’d never pushed you away before.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yes, of course. I just wanna talk to you.”

  Damn. That was always a mood-killer. You rolled off of him again and sat up and folded your legs together so that you could rest your elbows against your knees. He just pushed himself up on his elbow and laid there looking like some Greek god.

  “Okay. Let’s talk then. What’s on your mind?”

  “Marriage.”

  Gulp! Fuck… Give a girl some warning, for Christ’s sake.

  “Oh…”

  It was literally all you could choke out. But he just smiled.

  “You do remember saying yes to me, right?”

  You just nodded. Was that yesterday? Shit. What day was yesterday?

  “Well, first off, there was something missing from that moment, but it really wasn’t planned, so I didn’t have time to get it. That said, I do have a ring picked out for you, and I am going to go and get it as soon as I can.”

  You just swallowed hard, certain your voice was still non-existent.

  “Second, I’d like to know what kind of wedding you’d prefer? I’m not saying we have to start planning right away, I realise that it’s a big deal, especially for you. I’d just like to start talking about it, get comfortable with it.”

  Right. Comfortable.

  “……I hv…”

  Your voice really wasn’t cooperating. You tried clearing your throat, but it just sort of hissed. Thankfully, Marcus wasn’t fazed. He knew you well enough to know that your nervousness came from insecurity, not cold feet, and he also knew just how to help you with that.   He sat up and scooted closer to you so he could kiss you in that tender way that made you feel safe and wanted, while his current washed over your whole body.   It still came out hoarse, but at least your voice started working.

  “I’ve never… I’ve never once thought about it. I have no idea what I might like.”

  “Okay. Well, I’d like it to be small, just us and our closest friends. And I’m pretty traditional. I like the whole not seeing the dress before the ceremony, not sleeping together the night before. I don’t need a church, or an altar, just as long as there’s a priest to help me get through the vows, because I know I’ll forget how to even formulate sentences.”

  “Wow. You’re pretty clear on all this. But then, I suppose I would be too, if it wasn’t my first time.”

  “Missy’s mother and I, we did the whole celebrity wedding, and it was nice, don’t get me wrong. But it was more of a publicity stunt than our wedding-day. I always regretted that. I don’t wanna have any regrets with you.”

  “Good. But I’m gonna ask for some time to think about this.”

  He smiled.

  “You mean ‘do research’.”

  “Well, yeah, how else am I gonna figure out what I like?”

  “Take as much time as you need, mi amor.”

  You smiled and kissed him again, and this time he didn’t push you back, so you let your hand sneak under his t-shirt and lightly tickle him. He caught it and pulled you forwards until you were straddling him again, and right then, the door to the bedroom flung open and Anita scowled at you.

  “Your timing, woman…”

  “Oh, this time it’s not my timing, I’m afraid. You two had better make yourselves presentable. You’ve got company.”

  Marcus groaned under his breath.

  “Let me guess – Management?”

  “Yep. And they’re less than happy.”

  “Fuck. How much trouble am I in?”

  “That depends.”

  “On?”

  She huffed a little, but her expression was dead serious.

  “On your willingness to play by their rules.”

  Thanks to that comment, you were angry before you even entered the kitchen, where the representative from management, and his assistant, sat at the table, along with a person from the PR section, sitting by the island, a woman you’d never liked to begin with.   You might not have felt quite so confrontational towards them, if they hadn’t looked like they owned the fucking kitchen, just because they happened to be sitting in it.

  “Good afternoon, miss. You’ve had a busy morning.”

  “You have no god damned idea.”

  Marcus had moved to the corner of the kitchen, behind the island, and you knew that Anita and Missy where in the living room. But this was about you. They were here to question you.   You moved up to the table, but didn’t sit down, your energy was building with the tension in your body and you needed to be able to move around.

  “Then why don’t you tell us.”

  “Because this was a family affair, it doesn’t concern you.”

  “It does when an entire acre of lawn is destroyed by an unregistered super.”

  “Unregistered? Don’t fuck with me, Allen. I am in every record imaginable, from my time as a victim, right up until my self-appointed discharge – what? Two days ago? What you meant to say was: Unofficial. You’re only here because I’ve refused to become part of your little band of heroes (no offense, honey) which makes it that much harder for you to explain what happened, because you can’t cite it on official Heroics business.”

  They squirmed a little in their seats. They’d been trying to get you to join the Heroics ever since your assessment was completed, but you weren’t ready for the spandex just yet. You might never be. You still saw yourself as a normal person, and you’d just started getting the hang of the whole Manager-thing when all this happened. You wanted a chance to actually get good at it, before you let it go. It didn’t mean that you wouldn’t still help, if you could.

  “Your actions were witnessed by some of the staff-members at the clinic, and they’re all too happy to make statements to the press. You’re all over the news, honey. And we need to get out in front of that.”

  The PR-woman. The thing you’d always disliked about her, was her falseness. She had this plastered on softness that she probably thought was endearing, but it really wasn’t. You’d seen her real self, and she was a viper, through and through. There was no softness anywhere inside of that woman.

  “First of all – Don’t ever call me ‘honey’.”

  The kitchen started rumbling a little as your energy began to fill the available space.

  “Second – It is your job to stay ahead of the media. If you want me to make a statement, I will, but you won’t like it. Because I’m not gonna just read out whatever company-line-word-vomit I know you already have prepared in that folder of yours. I’ll tell the truth, short and simple, in my own words. Take it or leave it.”

  She just glanced at Allen and his assistant.

  “Third – I just had one of the worst mornings of my life. If you’re gonna come into my home, on a day like this… Do yourselves a favour and don’t antagonise me.”

  You could almost feel Marcus smile over in his corner. He’d always loved it when you took charge.

  “Okay, listen. You’re right. From our standpoint, this is a mess. Since you work for us, already, we can’t publicly address anything to do with your abilities without your expressed permission, and since you refuse to join the team, we can’t say that your actions were approved or valid either. So, right now, we can’t do anything to help the situation at all.”

  “So, let me make a statement.”

  They all looked extremely worried. But Allen continued.

  “What would you say?”

  “That I have a shitty fucking family that tried to exploit me, and since my powers are new, I had a little trouble controlling myself. But hey, nobody died, so yay! How about that?”

  The PR-woman actually groaned. What the hell was her name? You were usually so good with names.

  “Obviously, we’re not going to let you say that.”

  “Let me?”

  The kitchen started shaking, and you felt Marcus move towards you, but you kept him away with your power. You were angry, yes, but in complete control for once.

  “That was a poor choice of words, from Miss. Chopper.”

  Ah, right. You’d always thought of her as Hell-a-copter, that was why you couldn’t remember her name.

  “Since you’re an employee of the Heroics, you have certain obligations too.”

  “Yeah, I know. I can’t talk to the press about anything that relates to HQ without approval from Management or the PR division, don’t worry, I don’t plan to. But, let me be clear: I have no intention of being your fucking puppet either.”

  “Charming.”

  “Fuck you, Erica. I’ve seen you handle media circus’ before, remember. I know exactly how you keep people in line, and if you think I’m gonna let you control anything that comes out of my mouth – you’ve got another thing coming.”

  She glowered at you, but her usually so well-oiled mouth stayed closed. Allen just sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

  “Okay. How about this; we make an official statement saying that the events at the clinic were an isolated incident pertaining to a personal conflict involving a powered person. And that said incident is being investigated but since no one was harmed and the damage to the property is manageable, no legal action is being considered at this time. We don’t mention anyone by name, we don’t agree to take any comments, and you don’t use your powers in public again, without our approval.”

  “Your approval? And if a kid falls off of a balcony and I use my powers to save it, you’ll - what? Fire me?”

  “Of course not. But let’s just hope no kids fall off any balconies around you.”

  “That’s it?”

  “That’s the best I can do with what you’re offering us. Keep your powers off the radar, until the blowback from this incident has mellowed out, and then we can talk about where to go next.”

  You just shrugged. It wasn’t a great solution, but it would have to do.

  “Good. Then we’ll expect you back at work first thing Monday morning.”

  “Fine.”

  With that, they left, and you let your powers fade. You hadn’t used enough to drain yourself this time, and it made you feel a little proud of yourself.   Marcus’ arms snaked around your waist from behind, and his chin came to rest on your shoulder.

  “That was entertaining.”

  “It was annoying.”

  “You did good. If you don’t wanna be a Heroic then you’re not going to be, no matter how much they try to persuade you.”

  “Thank you, honey. Ugh… I can’t believe that bitch called me that, in my own kitchen.”

  Anita appeared from the living room, scowling at you again.

  “Don’t even go there, she is a bitch, and you know it just as well as I do.”

  “I didn’t say anything.”

  “You didn’t have to; your eyes are plenty judgemental all on their own.”

  She just walked past you, and started making a fresh pot of coffee. Marcus kissed your cheek and then let go of you to go check on Missy.

  “Hey, Anita, what day is it?”

  “It’s Saturday. Dear lord, you are terrible at keeping track.”

  “Yep. It’s a flaw in my design. Curiously, it didn’t reveal itself until after you hired me, though. What do you actually do at HQ, anyway? I never see you there, never see your name on any paperwork, never hear anyone mention your work, and yet, according to my contract - you are my closest superior.”

  “Because I am.”

  “Then why didn’t Management have a go at your scalp, too?”

  “You don’t really think anyone of those clowns has the guts to take me on, do you? Even you had them trembling in their boots.”

  She had her back to you, so you moved closer to her and was just about to slip your arms underneath hers to tug her into a surprise hug.

  “Touch me, and I’ll pour coffee over your hands.”

  “Damned it. How’d you know?”

  Even from behind, you could see her smile.

  “The flowers always know, loco.”

  You actually looked at the flowers in the kitchen window, suspiciously, wondering if they could somehow speak to her.   Shit. Now, that thought was gonna haunt you forever. There were flowers in every fucking room of the house…

Authors’ Note: I love criticism, don’t be shy to let me know if there’s anything you like/don’t like/have questions about.

@blueeyesatnight​​ @farfromjustordinary​ @allmyspideys​ @hrk-fic-recs​ @strawberryperegrine @lucrezia-thoughts​ @computeringturtle @sarahjkl82-blog

[atlafan]

Take it Slow - Part One

a/n: okay this is my first shot at a harry:y/n fic, and it will be multiple parts. y/n had a bad experience with an ex over a year ago, and finally accepts her coworker and good friend Niall’s invitation to go on a blind date with his friend Harry. (There eventually be smut, but this part is mostly fluff.)

You had been seeing each other for about three weeks. You still couldn’t believe you had agreed to meeting someone on a blind date. But you were so sick of the online dating scene, so when your good friend Niall from work told you he had a single friend, you jumped at the chance.

He didn’t have any social media, there was an Instagram with his name, but no photos of him. Only pictures he had taken. He was a photographer, and a good one at that. Niall had roomed with him during their undergrad, and stayed mates after graduation. You had wondered why he never mentioned this single friend before.

“Well, after your last break up, I honestly didn’t think you’d ever want to look at another man.” He shyly told you in the break room one day.

It was true, your last break up was a really bad one. It was barely even a break up though because you two were barely dating. You had sex with him rather quick, and after him blowing you off two separate times, he ended things over a text. This sent you into a rather depressive episode. You vowed to not jump into bed with a guy quite so quickly ever again, even if you really wanted to.

You begged Niall to see a picture of him, but he said no. You tried to snoop around Niall’s Facebook page, but you couldn’t be certain of who he was. All you knew was his name: Harry Styles. Niall wouldn’t even give you his number to arrange the date.

“I’ll set everything up for the both of ya, and if it goes well then you can both take it from there.”

You were happy to have a best friend at work. Your days would be boring without each other.  You and Niall were two of the younger people in your office, and you both felt it was necessary to stick together.

“What are you doing this Saturday night?” He asked you Wednesday morning, handing you a coffee. You each took turns buying coffee for the other. Today was his turn.

“Um, I think I was just going to binge watch something on Netflix. Why?”

“Harry was wondering if you’d be interested in dinner.”

“Oh he was?” You raise an eyebrow, and take a sip of your coffee.

“Yes, well I nudged him a little, but I’ve told him a lot about you and he’s very interested.” You blush at the thought.

“Well, I’m definitely free for dinner. Where was he thinking?”

“You’re both vegetarian, well, he’s a vegan actually, but he knows of this really great tapas place that has a lot of meatless options.”

“Wow, vegan. I like tapas so that works for me. What time?”

“Seven. I’ll text you the name of the place so you can look it up.”

“Thanks, this should be fun.” You smile at your friend.

Friday night after work, you decide to do a little shopping. After researching the restaurant, you knew you needed something a little nicer to wear, and you didn’t feel like anything in your closet would make a lasting impression. You drove out to the mall, cursing at yourself for not just going Saturday morning. The parking was crazy, and it felt like everyone and their brother was there. You stumbled into the Macy’s and looked around at their cocktail dresses. You wanted something to accentuate your best features, but also wanted to leave a little mystery. You settle on a basic, black dress. It was form fitting, and hugged just above the midpoint of your thighs. It had short, capped sleeves, and the neckline came just high enough to cover most of your cleavage. It was perfect. You knew you had shoes to match at home, so you didn’t waste any more time at the mall.

Saturday morning, you scrolled through countless hair and makeup tutorials on YouTube trying to find the one that suited you most. After getting frustrated, you settled on your go to hair style. You curled your hair, and waited a couple of hours to brush it out. You then had perfect waves, which almost looked natural. About an hour before you needed to leave, you put your makeup on. You decided to go with a subtle purple to make your green eyes pop, and swept some liquid eye liner over it. You contoured your face (something you had gotten quite good at), and then put your new black dress on. Happy with your appearance, you slide on some purple some nude, strappy heels, and headed out.

As you got closer to the restaurant, you grew nervous. You texted Niall to tell him it was silly you’d be walking into a place, looking for someone you had never met. He asked you what you were wearing, and he would tell Harry to look for you. But what if you got there first? What if he never shows up? How dare he! You thought. You shook the thought from your head and drove up to the restaurant. You circled around back where the parking was. You smoothed out your dress, praying it hadn’t wrinkled, before you walked in. Taking a deep breath, you looked around.

The place was even nicer in person. There was a really big bar, and the dining area looked so elegant. He must do well for himself if he likes this place. Before the hostess could greet you, you saw a somewhat familiar face walking towards you, but you couldn’t place where you had seen him before.

“(y/n)?” He asked.

“Um, yeah, are you Harry?”

“Yes, it’s nice to meet you.” He puts an awkward hand out to shake, and you take it just as awkwardly. “That was weird.” He says in a laugh. “I didn’t know if it would be appropriate to hug you.” You runs a hand through his hair.

“No, no, it was very polite. It’s nice to meet you too. You found me pretty quick.” You smiled at him.

“Niall had just texted me explaining what you were wearing. I happened to look up, and there you were.” He smiled back. That smile…you just remembered him.

“Did you happen to go to Niall’s holiday party last year?” You furrowed your eyebrows.

“Um, yeah. Were you there too?”

“Yes, I was gonna say you looked familiar. I don’t think we properly spoke to each other there.”

“Definitely not, I would’ve remembered you if we had.” You feel your cheeks flush and let out a simple laugh. “Well, our table should be ready. Let me check with the hostess.”

Harry walks over to the woman, who hands two menus to one of the waiters. He says you can follow him. Harry gestures to let you go first. You wondered if it was so he could check you out, but he didn’t seem like the type. He looked so handsome. His hair was short, but not too short that you couldn’t make out his curls. His eyes were green like yours, and he was wearing a pair of blue dress pants with a white button up shirt.

As you both sat down at your table for two, you noticed his nails were painted. How you didn’t notice earlier when you shook his hand, you weren’t sure. Every other nail was this deep orange, and the other a navy blue. You smiled at it. At least he was the type of guy to take care of his nails. He had a few rings on as well, and you could see a couple of tattoos. You assumed he had a sleeve since you couldn’t see the rest of the anchor on his wrist. After a moment you heard him couch, and you realized you were staring. Your eyes darted up to his.

“Sorry, I was just admiring your, um, rings.” Pointing to the H and S.

“Oh, thanks, they were a gift from my mum a few years back.” His accent was already so intoxicating. Now you figured out how him and Niall got roomed together, they both must’ve been international students. “You were looking at my nails too?” Your face feels hot, and you feel yourself sweat a little. “It’s alright, a lot of people stare.”

“No, it wasn’t staring, necessarily. I was admiring it as well. I think more men should get their nails done. It looks nice. I love getting mine done, see?” You put your hand out, and show him your black nails. “I get the shellac so they last longer, totally worth it.” He smiles at you. “How long have you been painting them for?”

“Oh god, years. I mostly started out with black, but then I got bored with it. I felt like I was only doing that color because it ‘masculine’.” He holds up air quotes at the word. “Then I started experimenting with more vibrant colors. I like doing pink and blue a lot, but this also suits me. Then I started getting creative with the placement of the colors.”

“I’ll do an accent nail once in a while myself, but I do like the style of every other color. Maybe I’ll try it some time.”

“I know it doesn’t look super professional, but since I’m not in an office I can kind of do what I want.” He shrugs.

“Right, you’re a photographer?”

“Mhm. Mostly for, like, outdoors type of things. I really like taking pictures at night. But I’ll also do a little freelance work for people who want a photoshoot. I usually clean up good during the wedding season.”

You got so lost in conversation, you nearly forgot you were at a restaurant. A waitress comes over, frantically, and out of breath.

“Hi folks, so sorry for the wait. We got slammed all at once.”

“Oh, that’s no problem.” You beamed at her. Remembering your time in the food service industry.

“Can I start you two off with any drinks?” You look at each other, and he gestures for you to go first.

“Um, could I please have a vodka tonic, with titos, and lime?” He gives you a surprised smirk, probably expecting you to have just ordered a glass of wine.

“Sure thing, and for you sir?”

“I’ll have the same as her, please.” The waitress nods, and walks away.

“I take it that’s your drink?”

“Yeah, I’m not really a wine with dinner kind of gal.” The strange thing was, any time you had wine with dinner, you always got drunk. Vodka, however, you didn’t feel as much. You felt sager having that. “You like vodka too?”

“Once in a while, it tastes good with whatever you eat.”

“We should look at the menu and figure out what dishes we want so it’s easier for her when she comes back. I feel bad she was so out of breath coming over here.”

“Good idea.”

The waitress comes back with your drinks, and takes your order. You both had decides on some flat bread with arugula and goat cheese. It wasn’t vegan, but Harry didn’t mind. You also ordered some roasted cauliflower that came with a dipping sauce.

“How long have you been a vegetarian for?” He asks you, taking a sip of his drink.

“Um, a little over a year. I wouldn’t necessarily call it being a vegetarian, I just don’t eat meat.”

“What made you want to stop eating meat?”

“Well, it just didn’t make me feel good. My doctor also told me to straight up lay off the red meat. I got sick of eating chicken and fish, and if I’m being honest the thought of eating it just started to make me not feel good. I do still enjoy the smell of a fresh steak on the grill.”

“So you did it out of health instead of ethics?”

“Yup. I don’t have much dairy either. I love cheese so I keep that in my diet, but I have up milk a long time ago. I stick to coconut milk mostly if I need my fix. What made you go vegan?”

“Health benefits, I suppose. I was also taking a lot of pictures of animals for this one magazine and it just made it hard to even eat fish. I think it’s been five years now.”

“Good for you, that’s incredible.” You take sip of your drink, and notice the bar tender was a little heavy handed with the vodka.

“So, you met Niall at work right?”

“Mhm.”

“I know what he does there, but what do you do?”

“I’m on our marketing team, with him. He and I tag team a lot of projects. I work more with our digital pieces. I photopshop images, and edit video.”

“What made you go into that?”

“Well, when I was younger I wanted to be a film maker, but I fell in love with marketing, and put the film making on the back burner. I still write now and then for fun.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone say they loved marketing before.”

“Well, it’s not so much the marketing, it’s more how creating the right content can change someone’s point of view.”

A food runner brings your food to your table. You both put your napkins in your laps, and dig in.

“Mmm.” You lick your lips after taking a bit of the flatbread. “This is delicious. Great choice.”

“Thanks, I like coming here, there are just so many options.” You see him pick off most of the goat cheese, and feel a little guilty.

“We didn’t need to get this type of flatbread. I feel terrible you can’t fully enjoy it.”

“It’s no big deal really, I can eat everything else on it.” He gives you a reassuring smile.

The waitress comes over to check on you.

“Can I get you both another drink?”

“I’ll have another, yeah. (y/n)?”

“Um, sure, that would be great.” You promised yourself you’d nurse the next one.

“Tell me about Niall in college, I’m dying to know what he was like.”

“Oh, he was rambunctious. Lad never had any clothes on, then again, neither did I.” You nearly choke on your drink. “I think that’s why we got on so well, neither of us liked wearing more than our trousers.”

“Were you both international students?”

“Yup, but we didn’t room together until our second year. We had met at one of the international student events, and we clicked. They made us room with other students from the states to get a more well-rounded experience.” He shrugs. “I remember this one time he came with me to get a tattoo, and he nearly pissed himself.” He lets out a laugh.

“Niall doesn’t have any tattoos.” You furrow your eyebrows and smile.

“No, he definitely does not. He was being a good mate and came with me when I got my first really big one. I have a butterfly here.” He puts his palm flat just under his breast plate.

“What made you want to get a butterfly?”

“Don’t know, I just like the way they look. They have an odd beauty to them.” You felt like you could listen to him talk all night. But your trance was broken when your waitress brought the check over. She told you no rush, but you knew how these things went. You knew she probably needed to get the table turned soon.

You both reached for the check, but Harry snatched it away. He gave you a “get real” kind of look, took his wallet out, and set his credit card inside the small plastic flap, leaving the check on the edge of the table.

“At least let me pay the tip.”

“Sorry, can’t letcha do that, love. Wouldn’t be very gentlemanly of me would it?” Did he just call you love? It was something Niall did too, but not until he really got to know you. Maybe Harry’s alcohol was starting to hit him, the way it was hitting you. Maybe he just felt relaxed around you.

“I thought you were more progressive than that?” You said jokingly.

“Oh, I am. But I also abide by the rules that whoever asked who out should pay.”

“Okay, that’s a pretty respectable rule, I’ll give you that.”

The waitress sweeps by the table to grab the credit card, and is back in minutes. Harry takes out some cash from his wallet, and signs the slip of paper.

“Thank you.” You say to him.

“Don’t mention it.” He smiles back. “Shall we?” He gets up first, and extends a hand to you to help you up. “Did you park out back?”

“Yup.” You really didn’t want the night to end yet. You look at your watch and it’s only almost nine.

“Great, so did I.”

He walks closely next to you on your wat to the parking lot.

“That’s me.” You point to your car. He walks you over to it, and you lean against your door. “I had a really nice time tonight.” You say looking down at your shoes, then back up at him.

“Me too.” He looks away for second, and runs a hand through his hair. He looks at you again. “Would it be alright to ask for your number?”

“Sure.” You reach into your purse and grab your cell phone. You hand it to him. “Feel free to just text yourself.” He smiles, and takes your phone, putting his number in.

“So, I take it you’d like to do this again?”

“Definitely.” He hands you back your phone, and put it back in your purse. In a bold move, you lean forward and give him a slight peck on the cheek. “Talk to you soon.”

You both blush, he smiles and lets out a nervous laugh. He opens your car door for you.

“Have a good rest of your evening.” He says to you.

“Same to you.”

You drive off, feeling your heart flutter. It was the perfect date. You were proud of yourself. Normally would have tried to make out with a man that attractive, but you showed wonderful restraint. You couldn’t wait for him to get in touch with you again.  

[pit-and-the-pen]

Hii. Can I request a George x reader, where after the war like a year later, she applies for a job at his shop? But she didn't go to Hogwarts so she doesn't know too much about the details of the war, and just them working together and fluff??

A Small Piece of Home

A/n: Ah so sorry with how long this took. I went a little off the prompt since I was having really bad writers block and this was all I could think of. This also got a little sadder and longer than I planned but there is fluff at the end. This also takes place about two years after the war, so around 2000. I tried to do as much research to make sure everything was as accurate as possible. Hope you like it, lovely. :)

Possible warning: mention of general and parent death.

Taglist:

General: @thoseofgreatambition @ickle-ronniekins @summer-writes @obsessedwithrandomthings @harrysweasleys

Weasley twins: @wand3ringr0s3

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It was your first day at work. Nothing too extreme. You couldn’t keep living off the small amount of money you received after your mother passed. No, you needed to do something. Literally anything. 

Enough time had passed that you were finally settling into a comfortable routine. Moving anywhere wasn’t a fun experience. Moving to a whole new country to be closer to the few scatter relatives you had was even less so. But it did have it’s perks. Your aunt would invite you over for dinner some weekends and she would always send you with leftovers so you wouldn’t have to cook for a few days. You were slowly starting to save whatever was left of your relationship with your father. So yeah, things were getting better. 

Sure you felt out of sorts a little, the wizarding world here was so different from America, but you were adjusting. And that’s what led you here.

The ad in the Daily Prophet had been bright and colorful. It stood out among the plain black ink of all the other ones. “Stocker/ sales needed at Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes”. Seemed easy enough. You had worked customer service before. So after sending an owl loaded with the answers to some questions you received one back a few days later asking if you could start right away. 

You took a deep breath as you pushed open the door and had to stop yourself for letting out a gasp. The shop was amazing. It was so full of color and had this light hearted energy that you never wanted to leave. Even when empty, this place almost seemed to have a heartbeat of its own. You were just looking around at everything when a voice called out

“Ah. You must be y/n, right?” Someone called from one of the higher floors. You looked around for the voice but couldn’t seem to find where it came from. A small laugh left your lips as you responded with a simple “yes”. 

“You’re a little earlier than I thought you would be” You found the source of the voice a few floors above you. A tall red-head was hanging over the banister smiling down at you. 

“Oh, yeah. The place was easier to find then I thought it would be. I’m still getting used to the area.” You shouted, probably a bit too loudly, in his general direction. 

“Nothing wrong with that. George is still wrapping up some new products, I can show you where they go when he’s done. Oh I’m Fred by the way.” He said cooly, matching your loud voice. It made you laugh again. 

You kept wandering around, trying to take in all the names and descriptions of the numerous items in the store. Growing more and more impressed as you inspected everything that was around you. 

“Those are probably my favorite thing in here.” A voice said from behind you, causing you to let a surprised scream and drop the small flesh-colored ear. 

“Oh shoot. Sorry” You say bending down to pick up the ear. 

“Didn’t mean to startle you. I’m George by the way.” You had to do a double take when you looked at him before it clicked in your head. The owl said he and his brother owned the shop. Twins. You gave him a small smile and stuck out your hand. 

“Y/n” He chuckled, a deep grumply sound.

“I would hope so.” George said as he took your hand and gave it a little shake. “Here. Let me show you where these things go and then we can open.” You noticed the brightly colored boxes he was carrying under one arm and offered to take some from him. He brushed you off and started pushing various boxes on the shelves, explaining the general order of what goes in each section of the shop. 

“Typically our other brother, Ron, helps out but he’s been busy planning a wedding lately. So we decided we needed an extra set of hands.” George had explained to you in between his tour. 

All of the products seemed to be organized by how much havoc you wanted to cause. More harmless things were in the front, closer to the ground to catch the eyes of younger kids that came through. More “dangerous” and obnoxious things were higher up, all the way up to the dark arts protection at the very back of the store. It seems easy enough to grasp. It would just take you a little bit to learn what products did what, but you were excited to learn. 

“So how are you liking London?” Fred seemed to pop out of nowhere. That was going to take some getting used to. 

“I’ve only been here a couple of months but I like it so far. I haven't been out too much. This is actually my first time in Diagon Alley.” You responded. Unable to keep the excitement out of your voice.

The two of them exchanged a little sad look before George spoke up.

“It’s definitely getting better again. There was..” He started before pausing for a second.”There was a lot to rebuild after everything that happened.”

You knew what he was talking about. Your aunt and father had explained all about the war that had ended just a little over a year and a half ago. 

“We could show you around sometime!” He says, the little bit of gloom gone from his voice. 

“I would love that.” You respond and they both look at each other and nod. Clearly planning something. 

A little after that the twins decided that they were ready to open. “You can just watch for today if you want?” George says when he notices how nervous you were. 

“I think I’ll be fine.” you're not sure how confident you sound but he just nods and drops it.

Overall, it was a pretty steady day. You stuck to stocking, helping a few younger kids that came in. Stumbling a little over remembering how many sickles were in a galleons, but otherwise pretty smooth. 

George had tried to keep some small talk going throughout the day. Learning a little more about you but he kept it light. He could sense how you always tried to dodge the topic of family or the big “why did you move here” where you pretend to hear someone call you. It wasn’t necessarily something you wanted to talk about your first day. You were used to the way everyone's face would fall and they would instantly pity you. That wasn't something you wanted to happen with the twins. At the end of the day, you could really see yourself liking them. George especially stood out. 

You shook that thought out of your head and continued to help them close up the shop. After everything was in order you said your goodbyes and headed off for the night. 

The next few months went by smoothly. You somehow managed to survive the rush that came with back to school season. Fred and George’s other brother, Ron, had come around a few days a week to help out. The three of you were very grateful for the extra set of hands. After that died down, it was mostly owl orders which were super easy to get out. 

Outside of the shop the twins and you started spending more time together. You even helped them come up with a few more product ideas. Everything was going great for the first time in a long while. George had started going out of his way to get you two to spend more time together. 

One night while you were all huddled around looking at the latest product design, George had asked you to come to dinner at the burrow, yet again. 

“Mum is dying to meet you.” George said when you tried to claim you were busy for the fifth time. 

“Yeah. This is probably the most she’s heard about someone without meeting them. At this rate she’s going to pop into the shop and get it over with.” Fred interjected. 

“Sooner or later she’s just going to think you don’t want to meet her at all.” George gave you the biggest puppy dog eyes and you caved.

“Alright. Alright. I’ll come.” You finally shout as they keep pushing the topic. “You two are the worst. You know that?” They just smile and you laugh, throwing the closest thing you can reach with a giant smile on your face. 

The burrow wasn’t that far from your aunts turns out. You were a little apprehensive. It had been so long since you had been around a big family like that. Everything you had heard about Molly Weasley reminded you of your own mother and you'd be lying if that fact didn’t sting a little bit. The boys still didn’t know anything about that particular topic, which took some skating around. Family seemed like such a big part of their life and they wanted to know absolutely everything. It was hard to keep dancing around the topic and they seemed to get more and more pushy. You knew meeting their family would bring up the inevitable “what is your family like” question. 

Yet Saturday came around and you found yourself at the front door. When you knocked there seemed to be a great flurry of movement behind the door. You heard at least five separate voices screaming that they wanted to be the one to get it. When you did open the door it seemed like Geoge had won whatever argument had taken. You were laughing despite yourself. 

“I didn’t hear anything. Promise” You said as you took in George’s stern look. 

“Seems like more than mum wanted to meet you.” George said, ushering you in. 

Just like the first time you walked into the shop, you couldn’t keep the amazement out of your face as you looked around. The burrow was as warm and inviting as you imagined it would be. It instantly felt like home and this safe feeling wrapped around your chest and tucked it’s way past your nervousness. 

“Is she her- Ah!” Said a woman from the kitchen. It was obvious this was Mrs. Weasley. “You must be y/n! You’re just on time, dinner's nearly ready” Her voice was full of excitement and she smiled brightly at you. 

“George.” She turned suddenly stern. “Make sure you introduce her to everyone.” 

He rolled his eyes. “Of course.” 

If you haven't known any better you would have thought it was a special occasion. There had to be more people than you had ever met here. You did briefly remember George mentioning he came from a big family, but you never imagined that big. 

You ticked off the names in your head. Ron and Hermione, Ginny and Harry, Bill and Fleur the latter currently holding their newborn daughter, Victoire. You felt like there were a few people missing despite the number of people here.

“Charlie still lives in Romania so he doesn’t come around much. And Percy’s..well he’s Percy still.” George said when you asked him. You just nodded. Trying to match all the faces to the names. 

You sat down on the floor, right next to Fred who waved at you. He was talking to Ron about something and you just sat listening to everyone. Despite not talking to anyone, it didn’t feel awkward surprisingly. You would interject a little on conversations but otherwise just fell into a comfortable silence. 

After about ten minutes Mrs. Weasley announced dinner was ready and everyone started making their way to the kitchen. When you tried to give Molly a hand, she shooed you to the table with a laugh. 

“Absolutely not.” Was all you were able to make out as she all but pushed you into a chair next to the twins. Who were trying to hold in their own laughter at your bewildered expression. 

“Well I don’t see you two offering to help.” You shot back at them.

“Cause we know better.” George said with a wink. 

All that could be heard for the first few minutes were plates clinking and the small babbles of Victoire from across the table. When the first question was asked. 

“So dear, how are you adjusting?” Mrs Weasley asked you. You smiled. 

“A lot better now that I’ve had some time. Working at the shop has given me a lot of time to learn how things are over here.” You looked at the twins. George seemed to have a pink tinge to his cheeks. “The twins have been really patient with me and helped me get more accustomed to everything” 

“That’s great! You have family here though right?” She seemed slightly concerned. 

“Oh yeah. Most of my family is here actually. My aunt lives in the next town over.” You kept the answer short but she just kept going.

“I would hate to think you were all alone over here. The boys told me you were from America so I worried.” 

“America? How’d you end up over here then?” Fleur chimed in. Your face fell. 

“Well. um. My parents met while my mom was working at MACUSA. He was visiting for some conference. She was working in the department of international travel, so I’m assuming they crossed paths and the rest is history I guess. Mom didn’t want to just leave everything behind when I was born and they were a little rocky anyways. So he went back and she raised me over there.” You tried to gloss over the biggest part of that question but Fleur didn’t drop it. 

“Then why move here at all?” You could tell she was just curious, her tone light and friendly. You still couldn’t help the pit in your stomach.

“Well a big part of it was I wanted to finish school but... “ You paused weighing if it was really worth ruining the happy energy in the room. You let out a deep breath. “The biggest reason was my mom passed away a few months before I left. We had already talked about coming over anyways as she had gotten in a big fight over some stuff with her family. I’m assuming it was health related since she had been sick for a while and hiding it from them. So that was kinda the last push I needed. I had nothing but bad memories and needed a new start.” Everyone had paused and looked at you. Fleur suddenly looked like she was very sorry for pressing the subject. 

“Oh you poor thing.” Mrs. Weasley said suddenly. You could feel your chest tightening up at the attention. You cleared your throat. 

“I..I have to use the bathroom. Excuse me.” 

“It’s right around the corner, dear” As you got up you noticed George looking at you with a strange look on his face. There it was. The pity everyone always gave you. They always treated you like you were suddenly fragile when they found out. You should have just kept your mouth shut. Just left it at the simple “I graduated and wanted to travel”, like you had told the twins originally. 

You looked at your face in the mirror and could see the tears threatening to fall. You weren’t sad about your mother, sure it always hurt to say out loud but you had gotten all the closer you needed at her funeral. You were over it as much as anyone can be that loses a parent. What had you crying was the thought of everyone suddenly treating you differently. You were crying at the thought of being someone worth pitying. Most of all you were crying because you were frustrated at yourself for ruining a perfectly good evening with your problems. 

You signed and whipped the few tears that had dripped down your face. Splashing some cold water on your face, you could see the slight red tint that took your eyes. “Get over it” You muttered to yourself as you took a deep breath, getting ready to apologize and get back to normal.

“‘Ow was I supposed to know?” You could hear Fleur muttering softly to someone.

“She hadn’t even told us yet.” A voice you recognized as George responded back. 

“Enough.” Harry, you thought, cut in. “Trust me, that was a look of someone who just wants to forget about it.” You were grateful that someone seemed to understand. 

“Harry’s right. The poor girl looked terrified. The last thing she needs is for us to make this any harder on her.” Molly said in a stern voice. 

When you walked into the room, it seemed like everyone turned to stare at you. Shit. The ball clenched back into your chest. 

“I’m really sorry. I’m suddenly not feeling the best. I think I might just go to my aunts for the night.” You said. “It was really nice to meet you all. I’m sorry I have to go so early.” You apologize once more. Giving the table a small smile. 

Mrs. Weasley gave you a soft, kind smile and stood up. “At least take some food with you. There’s always left overs.” You crossed your arms over your chest and nodded. She quickly scrambled to get you a plate of food wrapped up. 

George was looking at you, everyone else seemed to be back to normal. 

“Alright dear. That should be enough.” Mrs Weasley said, handing you a small bag. The two of you walked to the front door.

“Thank you. I’m sorry if I ruined dinner.” You said in a small voice.

“No. No. Don’t worry about it. These things happen. And um..y/n” Her voice got softer. “Feel free to come over whenever you like.” Her voice was so sincere that you couldn’t help but throw your arms around her neck in a big hug. She let out a surprised grunt but quickly returned the hug. 

Over your shoulder you saw George standing in the doorway to the kitchen. 

“I thought since you weren't feeling well and don’t like to apparate, I could walk you to your aunts.” George grumbled, running his hand through his hair. 

“Well it looks like someone remembered their manners.” Mrs. Weasley said in a cheeky tone. She gave you one more hug before saying her final goodbye and heading back to the kitchen with the others. 

The two of you walked out the door, heading along the garden path to your aunts. 

“I’m sorry. That turned into a mess.” You said after a few minutes of silence. George let out a little huff. 

“Y/n. You didn’t do anything wrong. If anything you're blowing it a little out of proportion.” He said cooly. You were taken aback for a second.

“I just. I know how people tend to react-” You started.

“Look. we’ve all lost people. Everyone in that room has lost someone they cared about.” He had stopped walking and his usual humor was gone completely. “Honestly. I’m a little hurt that was how I had to find out. But trust me, no one in the house is going to think you're weak or anything.” You were having trouble holding his eyes. 

“I just don’t want people to pity me.” You say letting your eyes fall to the ground. 

“No one is going to do that. Trust me. They had all been so excited to meet you after everything I told t-” He suddenly cut off and when you look at him, you notice his cheeks have gone a little pink. This seems to cut whatever tension is in the air. 

“What have you told them Georgie?” You tease. Happy to get over this topic. 

“Well.. I mean.. Nothing but the truth. How you’re kind and caring and smart. And maybe something along the lines of how cute I think you are.” His hand is running through his hair. Now it was your turn to blush. Sure the two of you had been getting closer over the last few months but you had never expected him to think of you like that. 

“So that’s why everyone wanted to meet me so much?” You asked, suddenly feeling awful all over again. 

“And I just made myself look like an absolute idiot by running out.” You were instantly very self conscious and wanted to crawl into a cave. 

“Not an absolute idiot. You couldn’t do that with Ron there.” He said and you laughed. ‘Plus, mum seemed to like you enough. I doubt she’s ever going to stop bugging me about you coming over. If you want to, that is.” He suddenly sounded a little timid. You laughed and stood up on your tiptoes, giving his cheek a quick little peck.

“Of course I want to come back. I have to redeem myself somehow right?” You giggled at the dumbstruck look on his face. 

He took your hand and the two of you walked back to your aunts. When you got to the door, he gave you a small kiss to your forehead before saying goodbye. 

You quickly found yourself over at the burrow constantly. Mrs. Weasley teaching you a lot of simple house magic that you had never seen before. It sure made your life a lot easier.  For the first time in a long while, you felt like you had a big happy family. It wasn’t long before you and George were official. 

Now the most awkward thing in your life was everyone taking beats on how long it was before you and George got married. You would always get super red whenever that was mentioned before George would tell whoever it was to “piss off” and give you a giant kiss to get them to leave you two alone.

[cosmicbug379]

You Look Good in Purple

Pairing: Francisco “Catfish” Morales x Reader

Rating: T? There’s like one swear word. 

Warnings: None? This is super soft because I’m in a Mood™ and don’t seem to want to write anything else right now.

I’m back with another fic! Woo! This is extra extra SOFT because I woke up to a damn earthquake this morning and I felt like I deserved a little self indulgent fluff. I love Frankie so much and this is my first time writing for him so hopefully it’s not too bad. Honestly I should probably stop saying it’s my first time for anything because this is like the 3rd fic I’ve posted here so it’s safe to assume it’s my first time writing anything. SO if you desire to read my reader insert you may, but this is mostly for me. Also I suck at titles and endings, but I was afraid if I tried to drag it on more I would just make it worse so I hope the ending isn’t too bad.

Waiting for Frankie to get home was taking too damn long so you had decided to start painting the nursery without him.You hadn’t been able to decide on a color for the baby girl you had on the way and finally he had just picked one. You two had decided on a lavender purple for the walls and then Frankie had spent hours finding the perfect little pink butterfly decals to put over the crib. He was more excited than you had ever seen him and everyone could tell. He always made sure to research and buy the best things available for your baby girl. He was going to spoil her, you just knew it.

You had finished the white base coat by the time he finally got home and he was less than thrilled that you had started without him.

“We were going to do this together, baby,” he almost whined.

“I know, but I was bored and you were taking forever. Besides, I only did the base coat! We can still do the purple together and put up the butterflies and the crib and everything,” you defended. 

Frankie sighed but wrapped his arms around you and kissed your forehead.

“Alright, but you’re not getting on that step ladder anymore. It’s old and I don’t want it to break and you get hurt.”

“Fine,” you agreed. “But you have to buy me Chinese food because I’m really craving some crab rangoons and sesame chicken.”

He laughed and agreed to buy you Chinese food before helping you set up the rest of the paint and get started. You were on opposite sides of the room, and he smiled when he heard you singing along to the music coming from the speaker you had set up in the middle. He liked it when you sang, it usually meant you were happy. 

“I haven’t heard this song since our wedding,” he mumbled and turned to look at you singing along.

“Really? That’s impressive, because I listen to it all the time. It’s one of my favorites. It reminds me of you.” You smile at him before going back to your painting. 

Frankie watched you a little longer before switching sides and coming to stand beside you to paint the same wall. He doesn’t say anything, and neither do you, it’s just nice to be near each other. You’re about to say something about how nice it is to spend time with him when all of a sudden you feel some paint hit the side of your face and you gasp.

“Francisco! I swear to god if you just got paint in my hair I will kill you!” you turn to him and glare, but he can tell you don’t really mean it. 

“I didn’t do a thing,” he feigns innocence and tries not to smile too big. 

You roll your eyes and go back to painting. He thinks you might not retaliate, but after a few seconds, you gather a large glob of paint on your brush and fling it at him, getting it all over his shirt and face. It takes him a moment to register what just happened before he laughs and turns to you. 

“Oh, I’m gonna get you for that one, sweetheart. That was way more paint than I threw at you.” He waited a moment before lunging for you and you laughed and moved away from him, but he was faster. Catching you and pulling you back against his chest he uses the paintbrush in his hand to brush it all over your growing belly and then up over your neck before laughing and kissing your cheek.

You laugh along with him before turning around and kissing him deeply, pulling yourself as close as you can. He kisses you back enthusiastically and you both lose yourselves for a moment, but when Frankie is least expecting it, you strike. Using the paintbrush still in your hand you pull away from the kiss and immediately wipe the paint over his mouth and face before running from him again.

He chases after you, but not before gathering a little more paint on his brush for his revenge. The paint fight that ensues has both of you laughing and leaves you covered from head to toe. You decide Frankie looks good in purple and you tell him so with a laugh.

“Well thank you, beautiful. I was thinking the same thing about you. But we’ll have to buy more paint to finish up these walls,” he teases gently.

You look around and realize he’s right. Most of the paint has made it onto the two of you instead of the walls and there’s definitely not enough left to finish the job. 

“Well. Shit,” you laugh and look up at him. “To be fair, you started it. I guess we’ll just have to go get more and finish tomorrow when you get to stay home with me all day!”

Frankie laughs quietly but smiles and kisses your hair gently before whispering, “that sounds perfect, mi amor. Now let’s go take a shower and I’ll order us some food.”

You agree happily and follow him to the bathroom. It takes longer than you both anticipated to finally get all the paint off both of you. Frankie helps you wash your hair three times before it’s all out, but it was worth it. With everything that had been going on recently with Frankie getting his pilot license revoked and trying to get it back, and with a baby on the way, the two of you deserve a break to have a little fun.

When you’re done with your shower, Frankie orders the requested Chinese food for you and then sits with you to watch your favorite movie while you eat. It’s nice to just relax a little bit and spend time with him. You hadn’t been able to spend enough time alone together lately. 

Frankie has his head in your lap and you’re running your fingers gently through his hair while you watch your movie. You’re just starting to fall asleep when you feel the baby start to kick, but it’s a common occurrence at this stage in your pregnancy and you’re tired, so you try to ignore it. You keep your eyes closed even when you feel Frankie shift to kiss your belly and start whispering. 

“Hey, princesa.” he mumbles. “You need to let your mama sleep, she had a long day.”

You try not to smile when you hear him talking to your baby girl so he doesn’t know you’re awake, but it’s hard. You hope he’ll keep going, you love it when he talks to her. It’s so obvious how much he loves her, and it makes your heart melt.

“Do you know how much we love you, baby girl? We can’t wait to meet you. We’re getting your room all ready for you, you’re gonna love it. We got a little excited earlier, that’s probably why you’re not calm right now. Sorry about that, but your mama and I were having a good time. We’re just excited for you to get here and we love each other a lot, sometimes we get carried away. But don’t worry because everything will be perfect for you when you get here,” he keeps talking to your baby girl, telling her how much you both love her and how you can’t wait for her to join you.

The next time you feel her kick, it’s closer to Frankie’s head, right where he’s talking to your belly. That one is hard enough that it jolts you and you open your eyes and smile at him. 

“She likes hearing your voice. I think she might already like you more than me,” you tell him.

“Don’t say that. I’m sure she doesn’t like me more. She’ll like both of us.”

You smile a little bigger and push his hair away from his forehead. “Of course she will, you’re right.” 

“I’m definitely right. But maybe, just in case she does like me more, we should have another one and that kid will like you more,” he grins at you and you can’t help but smile back.

“Maybe,” you laugh. “We’ll see how we feel in a year or two. I have a feeling this little girl is gonna be a troublemaker just like her papa.”

He smiles a little then sits up and looks at you nervously, “What if I’m not a good father…? What if she really is just like me and something happens to her and I can’t stop it. God, what if she decides to join the military when she’s older?! I don’t want her anywhere near that. I don’t want her to go through all the shit I went through.” 

Frankie looks genuinely scared and it hurts your heart a little to see him like this. You know his time in the military isn’t something he’s always proud of and he always worries it will catch up to him and hurt you or your growing family. You cup his face gently in both hands and kiss his forehead, his cheeks, his nose and finally his lips, as light as a feather.

“Francisco Morales,” you begin quietly. “You will be a wonderful father. You already love me and our baby girl so much, there is not a doubt in my mind that you won’t do anything for her. The fact that you’re so worried about being a good father should prove that you will be. We won’t be perfect, that’s impossible. We’ll make mistakes and sometimes things won’t go exactly how we want them too. She’s probably going to fall off a bike or something and get hurt and she’ll have her heart broken, but guess what? Her wonderful, kind, sweet, loving papa will always be there to pick her back up and help her feel better. So never doubt that you will be a wonderful father.”

There are tears in his eyes when Frankie looks at you again. He kisses you with such passion, you think you never want him to stop. 

“Thank you,” he mumbles against your lips. “I love you, baby. More than anything, you know that right?”

You smile and nod before kissing him once again, “I know, Frankie.”

He kisses you one last time before standing and helping you up to go to bed. You follow him willingly and you two finish your nightly routine together before climbing into bed. It’s hard to snuggle with your belly in the way, so Frankie pulls your back against his chest tightly and kisses your neck while stroking your belly gently. “Get some rest, mi amor. Tomorrow we’ll go get more paint and finish the nursery.”

You nod sleepily and scoot back a little closer to him, “Goodnight Frankie. I love you.”

“I love you too, baby,” he whispers, but you’re already asleep.

Tags: @rzrcrst​ @landlockedmermaid77​

[dandelionflower]

She Sits Alone

Based off of the haunted mansion AU by @miraculous-of-salt

——————

Marinette was on the bus to the Culpa Mansion and she was sitting alone.

Normally she would feel hurt, but this was nothing new. She sat alone in class, she sat alone on the plane to the US, she was sitting alone on the bus now. She just felt numb by now. So numb she was barely excited for the mansion.

The Culpa Mansion. Marinette could babble about the history of the Culpa Mansion for hours.

~~~

Once the home of the businessman Garfield Culpa, it was a refuge for injured soldiers. One such person was Abigail Laurens, a nurse who got injured when an explosion hit her base. She critiqued his process and he fell in love.

Years after, their daughter Harriet Culpa met Darrian Poll. They were in third grade. He pulled her hair and she chased him around the playground.

They lost contact after high school and reconnected after college. She was a pro wrestler and he was a librarian. They got married as Harriet and Darrian Culpa. (She insisted on keeping her last name.)

Their son Micheal Culpa married Wenda Delair. They were unable to have children and assumed their bloodline would die with them until they saw a young girl rummaging in their trash can. They instantly adopted Rosemary and began training her in watercolor.

Usually, Marinette would be cut off from talking now and she would recite the rest to herself.

Rosemary never married and opened her home to any starving or homeless artist who couldn’t get on their feet. She passed the Culpa mantle to one of the more present artists, Denise.

Denise never married, though she had plenty lovers. She continued the tradition of housing the starving and homeless but allowed them to be employed in the manor as cooks, maids, gardeners, and security. She eventually gave birth to a son, Felix Culpa.

Felix had nearly every trait of the Culpa family, despite not being blood related to any of them. He was caring and cynical, like Garfield and Abigail. He was physically able and a bookworm like Harriet and Darrian. He was a lover of the arts like Micheal, Wenda, and Rosemary, and he was suspicious of the existence of love like his mother.

He became suspicious no longer when he met Bridgette Chang, the designer child of an author and illustrator pair. She designed all of Denise’s favorite gowns and was commissioned for Felix’s first suit. She struck up a conversation about his favorite novel and they became fast friends.

Soon, they fell in love and they were inseparable until Felix left for college. Even then, they were the only thing on each other’s mind. Felix wrote daily letters to Bridgette and whenever she didn’t read them, she was weeping in the private room Felix gave her.

The minute he returned, he proposed. They were set to be married, if not for one tiny detail.

Delila Ross.

She was a fellow member of Felix’s college and was obsessed with him. She almost got her hooks into him when she used a love spell. Luckily, Felix knew some witchcraft of his own and was able to fight it off. She disappeared soon after.

However, the day of the wedding, she returned to kill Bridgette. Felix warned all of the staff against her and threatened them with extreme punishment. She came in and, assisted by the staff, stabbed Bridgette through the heart with her favorite flower pin.

Theorists say Felix went insane, but Marinette didn’t believe that part. He allegedly killed every member of the staff that allowed Delila to enter the mansion and soon he died himself. Legend has it that he roams the halls of the mansion, now a hotel, in search of the reincarnated soul of his loved one and when he found her, he would have the power to return from the dead and be with her until the end of his days.

~~~

Before she met Adrien, Marinette had fantasied about being the reincarnation of Bridgette, after all, Chang and Cheng were very similar. However, now she had met Adrien and was dating him.

Speaking of, Marinette checked her phone. Sure enough, there was a text from her boyfriend.

Sunshine 😍: Hey sorry bout not sitting w/ u 😰

Sunshine 😍: It would have seemed rude if I turned lila down

Princess 💞: It’s fine! I totally get it.

No, she didn’t get it! She was Adrien’s girlfriend and he still managed to make Lila a priority over her. And not just Lila either, Marinette knew Adrien thought she didn’t notice the stars in his eyes whenever Ladybug was mentioned. How touchy he would get with other models during a shoot.

Marinette growled and pulled out the vest she was embroidering. Half was black with small white snowflakes and the other half was pink with little flowers. It was based off of Felix and Bridgette’s favorite seasons; spring and winter. She had already made a strictly Felix themed outfit for the trip and a Bridgette themed outfit, she wanted to make one based off of the relationship the two had.

After finishing, she took a nap, dreams of swirling snowflakes and a blue eyed cat approaching her filling her mind. She woke up with Adrien sitting next to her, tapping her shoulder.

“Hey, Princess. We’re here.”

She bolted up and pressed her face to the window. “What? I missed it? But I heard such great things about the gardens…”

He laughed and pressed a kiss to her temple. “We’ll find some time to check them out, promise.”

“‘Kay.” She hummed and leaned forward for a proper kiss, before another popped up.

“Hey, Adrien?” Lila. “You mind helping us out back here? We’re stuck on a level of Super Penguino, and I, as an award winning player, need a partner. Would you want to help me out?” She bat her eyes innocently and Marinette felt the all too familiar sense of rage well up inside her.

No, don’t do that again, she reminded herself. You don’t need this, Adrien loves you and he doesn’t want you to get in trouble.

“Sure, Lila! I’m sure Marinette won’t mind.” He pressed another kiss to her temple and went back to Lila’s seat.

Marinette sighed and stared out the window as they finally approached the mansion.

———-

There was a bit of concern over rooming, there was an odd number of students and the teacher surely couldn’t room with anyone. They talked about three in a room, but Lila said she read a study that claimed that three in a room was harmful to sleeping patterns.

“Alya! Want to room with me?”

Alya gave Marinette a sympathetic smile. “Sorry, girl. I told Lila I’d room with her.”

“Oh, alright.” That meant she’d be rooming by herself then. “Have fun.” She sat on the bench again, alone.

She heard a giggle from across the room. “Yeah, I’m definitely the distant relative of Bridgette. Who knows? Maybe I’m his soulmate and Felix will come back from the dead for me.”

“He’s supposed to come back for the reincarnated soul.” Marinette muttered. “Not the relative.”

“You know that?” A red headed boy in a cap approached her. “No one knows that, Grace and I usually have to tell them a million times. Grace!” He shouted over his shoulder. “Grace! Come over here! This chick knows the Culpa story!”

“Wait, really?” A girl with a two long braids walked over from the reception desk. “No one knows the Culpa story.”

“My parents told me some when I was little, I did some research.”

“Well, the fact that you know it makes you a celebrity to us. I’m Grace, this is Finny. What’s your name, celebrity?”

She grinned. “I’m Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I’m with the school trip from Paris.”

Finny gasped. “You mean you’re, the Marinette Dupain-Cheng? The same Marinette Dupain-Cheng who designed Jagged Stone’s favorite sunglasses, and his album cover?!?!”

“Fin’s a bit of a music nerd.” Grace snorted.

Fin, meanwhile, was patting his pockets down for a pen. “I don’t have a pen! Grace! Can you give me a pen?”

“No, ask her for he autograph later, dork. It’s the middle of the night, she probably wants to get back to her room.”

“Oh, right, sorry.” He rubbed the back of his head. “But I am totally asking for one later.”

Marinette winked. “That’s fine with me.”

“Where are you staying, anyway?”

“Umm, I actually don’t know. There was a room problem.”

“I can handle that.” Grace winked and Marinette noticed her eyes were a beautiful silver. “I’ve got some pull.” She sashayed over to the desk and started scribbling on a piece of paper. Apparently satisfied, she picked up a key and tossed it to Marinette. “Here. It’s the key to Bridgette’s room. A huge honor. Not something we take lightly around here.”

“Thank you! It’s not something I take lightly either.” Then, seeing her class was leaving, she lifted her bag and followed. “I’ll see you tomorrow, I hope!”

“We hope so too!” Finny yelled after her.

—————

Marinette hummed to herself as she began unpacking, planning her outfits for each day.

Her Felix themed set for museum day.

Her Bridgette themed set for the art museums.

Her Felix and Bridgette themed one for tour day.

And her ghost themed ones for all the other days.

Satisfied, she turned around and admired the room. It was exactly what she would have wanted. Pink everywhere, a beautiful white lace canopy over the bed, flowers all over the balcony and above the bed there was a portrait of Felix and Bridgette mid-proposal, Felix on one knee.

Marinette snapped a picture of it. Perfect for inspiration.

She texted Adrien a quick goodnight and went to sleep, soon to be struck with the same dreams of the blue eyed cat and the swirling snowflakes.

——————

Meanwhile, a sleek black fox and an orange bee held a meeting in the basement.

You think he knows yet? The bee asked.

I don’t know, Fin. He will once he makes his rounds.

She has to be her. Gracie, her life directly parallels with Bridgette’s. All the way down to the company she keeps.

Speaking of, we need to get everyone locked down and in their punishments for the night before Felix starts his rounds.

Before you do, a white and turquoise turtle crawled into view, we need to have a conversation about the other her.

What about her? Grace asked innocently.

What will we do about the ghosts? If they see her...

They’ll go insane.

Maybe they won’t, Finny suggested, they might just ignore her.

Unlikely. They’re more likely to torment her, which will end on the mansion being quarantined.

They won’t do anything without Felix’s permission, Allegra. Grace rolled her eyes. Which he won’t give until he has his bride.

But, it wouldn’t hurt if we let them scare her a little… Finny landed on Grace’s head. Would it?

Allegra and Grace smirked, well, as much as a fox and turtle could smirk.

Probably not… Allegra mused

I’ll spread the word when I lock up my section. See ya, Allegra.

As the bee and the fox climbed out of the basement, unnoticed in the empty halls, thunder cracked and a red headed boy, paired with a raven haired girl strolled the mansion, unaffected by the ghoulish shrieks of horror that followed them.

—

The rest

[orbitariums]

more afro carribean please please please!

hi anon!!! this got super lost in my inbox i don’t know how long it’s been for u so sry!

instead of headcanons of peter parker with an afrocaribbean girlfriend i’m gonna do a quick imagine based of the headcanons! this is the first part!

this one is an imagine, so it mentions afro-caribbean culture/heritage but i also wanted it to b super cute and like a regular imagine ! also i hope this brings about a bit of light during this quarantine bc this is very cute and very much involves events with other people (which aren’t really allowed rn lol)! also i was watching love is blind, that’s why i was so focused on weddings and i made it all deep HAHAHA.

keep sending in requests! it’s short but cute so here it is

peter parker + afro caribbean reader

      “peter, don’t you dare put on more cologne,“ you scolded your nervous boyfriend while standing in front of the mirror, applying more eco-gel to the loose curls on your edges.

    peter pouted, and he looked like the literal equivalent of the crying emoji with the small pout. meaning his cuteness overpowered the intense amount of cologne he put on.

    “i’m nervous. i wanna smell nice,” he complained.

    “you smell nice. trust me, i can tell. but it’s not like you haven’t met my family before, honey,” you pulled up your braids, which were currently in the style of fresh faux dreads.

    peter shifted on your bed behind you, shrugging his shoulders up and down,

    “i knowww… but this is a wedding. very different.”

    “just…” you sighed, finally tying your thick dreads up. “don’t think about it too much, yeah?”

    “yeah. don’t think about it too much,” peter said, in that timid way you knew all too well. he was saying one thing but definitely thinking another, and you knew he needed further reassurance.

     he was currently looking at himself in your vanity mirror as well, readjusting his hair, which had taken on a wild, curly form since the beginning of summer. and you lived for his hair like that. so luckily, you had the opportunity to turn on the charm, and you put down your scrunchies and eco-gel, turning to walk towards him. you stood in front of him with a gentle smile on your face, playing gently with his curls so you didn’t ruin them, just like how you taught him to do when he ran his fingers through your hair.

    “your curls look really pretty,” you cooed, smiling down at him. he looked up at you, a grin on his face. his gentle hands took hold of your waist, which was encapsulated in your colorful dress that fit tight your body shape. his worries seemed to be alleviated just from the sight of you up close, as he gazed up at you, a twinkling in his eyes as he smiled,

    “you’re so beautiful.”

    and you were. you were all made up, you’d gotten your hair redone specifically for this day - it was your cousin’s wedding, and your family went all out for weddings. you’d taught peter all about afro-caribbean wedding traditions, but he had gone out of his way to do his research beforehand. they weren’t so different from other weddings, maybe just a lot more fun. peter was nervous though, going to a wedding with you.

    he’d met your family before and impressed them with his dance moves (courtesy of yourself), and he was a hit amongst your relatives. they saw him as your cute white boyfriend who knew how to whine. he was polite and sweet, charming your family instantly. so he wasn’t necessarily worried about that. he was just nervous because of the significance behind weddings. he didn’t want to open up any possibility of embarrassing himself or making too big a deal out of the fact that you were at a wedding together in front of your entire family, but he already had. still, your very presence calmed him down. you’d be there with him, and that was all that mattered.

     you blushed at his heartfelt compliment, the way his voice got softer and quieter.

    “you’re beautiful,” you replied, biting down gently on your lip, which was lathered in clear lip gloss. you sat down on his lap, your legs hanging off of his. “listen, i know you’re nervous. i get it. weddings are a big thing, and you’ll be in front of my family and all that. they’ll see us together. i was nervous too, but it’s not like we’re being expected to get married right now! we’re just a young, cute high school couple to them.”

    “i know, i know,” peter nodded, relaxing. “i just want it to be perfect, you know? and you know, it’s not that i’m scared they think we’re gonna get married because we’re here together. i’d love that. you know that. i want… us to be together for a very long time. sometimes i just let my nerves get the best of me, y'know?”

     "i know, spidey-boy,“ you grinned, once again using the nickname you had donned for him. "i know.”

you leaned in to kiss him, his soft lips against your own, the two of you forgetting your surroundings until you heard the door open and the disgruntled noise from your brother.

    “ah ah!” he put on his best west african accent. “what are you two doing, eh? you want to be fondling my sister, when i’m right here?”

    “sorry, sorry!” peter was exclaiming frantically as you climbed off of his lap with ease, unbothered by your brother’s scolding.

     he was laughing wickedly like a hyena as you marched up to him, ushering him out of the room.

     "use protection, sis!“ he called out, just as you pushed him away.

    ”thanks!“ you chimed in sarcastically. you closed the door behind you, rolling your eyes. but you couldn’t be annoyed for long, not with peter there. the two of you found yourselves chuckling, shaking your heads.

    "your brother’s great,” peter nodded.

    “i could use a better word to describe him. come on,” you extended your hand towards him, getting ready to leave.

| | |

    the wedding ceremony was beautiful. everyone, including the bride and groom, was dressed in traditional afro-caribbean clothing. your cousin and her almost-husband looked like kings and queens. and their wedding vows brought tears to your eyes, and you definitely heard peter sniffling as he sat next to you.

     you each squeezed each other’s hands as you sat next to each other when they said “i do.” cheers from the wedding-goers, and then the long-awaited broom jumping. peter was amazed, as he forgot about that tradition, and you could see his face light up into an open-mouthed grin.

    “that’s so cool,” he said, turning to you, and you giggled - he looked like a little child.

    the wedding reception started, and you and peter were almost too tired to dance - that is, because of the amount of jollof rice and jerk chicken you piled down on your plates. but even then, your bellies full and eyelids heavy, you were on the dance floor the whole night, dancing with your aunts and uncles and little cousins. you stayed close together for the entirety of it, and peter realized he never did have anything to worry about, not with you here with him. 

     he reveled in your culture, the naija and caribbean music blaring on the speakers during the reception time. your family knew how to have a good time, and because of this you found that you and peter were very popular on the dance floor. your aunts complimented you on your good taste in boys, and your uncles challenged peter to dance battles, which only ended up in clownery for all of them.

    by the time the night was winding down, it was time for the crossing sticks ceremony. the bride and groom had picked a lovely beach venue, standing by the water on the cool sand. the sun was going down and it was getting dark, calling for more intimate times. you stood by peter, holding his hand, your head on his shoulder as you each held a sparkler together.

     "you ready?“ peter asked, his soft face turning to you as he lit the sparklers.

     "i’m always ready,” you nodded up at him, as if challenging him.

     "believe me, i know,“ peter chuckled, shaking his head playfully.

     and your night ended with the bright flash of all the sparkling lights, as you watched the bride and groom run by you, eternal smiles on their faces. you looked up to peter and kissed his cheek, because you knew you’d always be that happy with him.

[ambivvvert]

Hey, it's me again.

Hey. It's me. I came back. I know, I'm sorry. The last post was in January. Wait, that rhymed. lol I suddenly had the urge to write and rant after weeks of not knowing what to write about.

A lot of shit happened. My life has been eventful these past few weeks - which has never happened, like ever. It was exhausting, to say the least. This is a life update, so you're gonna read a lot of I's in this post but I'm not egocentric okay? I just feel like making chika and these two chikas are the highlight of my 2021 for now. 😂

First, a dear friend is getting married. I'm not gonna say who cause it's not my place, but I love her to death. And I'm so excited. She told me last January. Honestly, I'm super happy for her, I want to cry. Chars, ako ang ina? lol This makes me think that I'm getting older. I feel like I'm already super old. I can't believe a friend is getting married, although a lot of my acquaintances already have families of their own. I'm not at that stage yet. It's not a priority for me at the moment. I kind of envy people who marry at a young age. I, too, wanted to get married young. My friends know. I want, I just can't. For some reason. I'm not satisfied with how I'm living at the moment, I want to explore the world more, I want to excel more in things that I'm good at, I want to experience things that are outside my comfort zone. Don't get me wrong though, I'm not judging people who marry young, I envy them, I get so kilig when I see young couples. Like hays, I want that too but I'm scared that if I marry young I'll be too focused as a wife, I'm scared I'll enjoy being a wife, I'm scared I'll forget to be me and just be a wife. I just feel like I do not know myself fully and if I don't do the things I want to do before getting married I'll just end up regretting it and regretting getting married at the same time. And that would be unfair for the other person. Do you gals get me? Or am I just being weird? Anyways, happy for all young couples out there, for now, taga SANA ALL muna ako. I keep thinking, I was always right on time, up until college. I slowed down. Now, I just want to savor the moment, I don't want to be too fast or too slow in life. I just want to get to the ending completely happy and satisfied and without regrets. (I'm not saying that people who get married young are not satisfied and have regrets, nope, I'm not saying that. Some people might twist my words. So unahan ko na kayo. I'm talking about myself, not other people. Uki? 😝) To my prend, I'm so happy for you. You're the first to get married!!! I wish you eternal happiness and a lot of babies. My heart is at peace knowing you already found the person you're gonna spend the rest of your life with and you're never going to be lonely. I've heard that there's a lot of ups and downs in marriage but know that I'll be one of the people praying and rooting for you guys and your marriage. Ayieee. Kainis, sana all. You guys have been through a lot, and this is it. Marriage - what all those experiences prepared you for. I am so honored I get to experience this with you, to see you get married. And I promise, I'll save my tears for the church wedding. (Kaarte ko😂) I love you!

Next up on my little life update is scented candles. I got interested in scented candles and started planning this last year actually. I was skeptical because duh we're in the middle of a pandemic, who would buy candles? But still, I took the risk and opened my own business, if you can call it that. I launched a scented candle line. It was not easy, definitely not. There was a lot of roadblocks, twist and turns, delays and stuff. Oh, and I almost got scammed. It was exhausting, but I tried, I really tried hard. The research, communicating with the suppliers, marketing and all that jazz - I did all that by myself. I was exhausted but I had fun, I felt like a literal adult. Some of my candles were displayed at my Uncle's store. What I liked most about the candles - they're not perishable goods. Like they don't have to be bought right away. They can just sit at the store and wait for the rightful owner. lol I already have a few ideas for my 2nd launch, but it's not definite yet. One thing's for sure, I want it to be personally made by me. I want my 2nd collection to be handcrafted by me. I'm still at the research stage and I'm a bit of a perfectionist and I like nitpicking details so the planning will probably take months but I'm for sure launching it before the year ends.

Last, but not the least, I'm working on my temper and just myself in general. I read somewhere that yoga helps, so I tried it. I like how it keeps me calm. Here's a little fact about me, I used to just do and say whatever I want before, I did not care whether or not the other person is gonna be hurt because I wanted to be treated like that too, that was my main problem. I was okay with that, but other people were not. So now I take a deep breath first whenever I feel angry, annoyed, happy and sad before making a decision and before saying something. I notice the progress, and I'm proud of who I'm becoming at the moment although I'm still not sure about who I am. lol My life's super fucking messy at the moment, I'm walking on eggshells and holding my breath. I still have bad days where I just don't want to talk to people and what I want is to literally just breathe. Yoga helps me do that. It helps me breathe and be calm and centered and be at peace so I'm gonna continue doing it. Hopefully, yoga can continue to help me be a better version of myself. What? lol basta yun na yun.

So there's that. A lot more happened but it's personal stuff, I might share it someday when everything gets resolved. Arte. 😂 The thing that I noticed the most about myself since January is that I always look for peace of mind in everything that I do. This might sound weird for all of you but whenever I have to do something I think about whether it will give me peace of mind. Like I don't want to do something that's heavy on my heart. I've been through shit, I've been disappointed by so many people countless times and I've disappointed a lot of people too and I don't wanna go through all that again. That's just been my thing since January, finding peace in all the things I do. Feeling adult. Charz. Thank you to my silent readers. I know you're there. 'Til next chismis friends! ✨

[sunflowergirl522]

Legally Blonde 5: Chip on My Shoulder

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: Just a legally blonde AU with you starring as Elle Woods. Based on both the movie and musical.

Warnings: Language

Word Count: 4022

Series Masterlist | Masterlist

You don’t pay attention to the group of guys playing football on the lawn and they don’t pay any to you as you set up your seat. A cooler of drinks sits next to you and Rocket is on his own cushion on the other side of you. Once you sit down to start to try and study your jacket opens up and reveals your bikini top to the group of boys. You hear a “whoa bro, who is that” and look up to wave at them with a smile, not meaning to distract them. You recognize Steve in his confusion on why the game stops and wave specifically towards him with a big smile.

Steve eventually gets the group to stop staring and get back to the game. You had stopped paying attention to them after getting a wave back from Steve. He thinks that it works but the group keeps throwing the ball ‘accidentally’ in your direction so they can come over and say hi. It’s not until the fifth time it happens that you start to get annoyed and begin packing up. You could get more done at the salon anyways. 

“Y/n! How are you today hun?” Wanda’s warm smile greets you as you walk into the shop.

“I’m alright, I’ve just been trying to study all day. How are you?” You sit yourself down at a chair in her section and set your bag next to you. 

“We’ve been so busy today and it’s finally slowing down.” She huffs as she falls into the seat across from you. Your attentions are drawn to the door as a handsome man in a USPS uniform walks in.

“Hello, ladies!” He announces for the whole shop before turning to speak to the woman at the desk. “How are you doing? Sign here.” You hear Wanda’s breath hitch at the sound of his voice. The man leans on the counter and beams a smile while glancing around the shop. He catches sight of Wanda and winks at her. He turns back to the receptionist to collect his clipboard and while leaving does a double take towards Wanda. You don’t miss how her face glows red or how she bites her lip as she watches him leave. 

“Have you been having trouble studying? Maybe you should join a study group.” Wanda is quick to speak up as if she could sense what you were about to ask.

“That’s not a bad idea. Maybe I could make them cookies or something for when I ask.”

“Yes! Come to my place when I’m off and I’ll help you make them.”

***

The next day you wake up excited to join a study group. You get dressed and grab your basket of cookies before heading to the library hoping to find Steve’s study group there. You don’t even want to join because of him, he's just the only person you know. You can’t stop the smile on your face when you spot his group.

“Hi, everybody.” You keep your voice down as you approach the table.

“Y/n, what are you doing here?”

“I’ve come to join your study group.” You turn to the rest of the table with a hopeful smile and hold out the basket. “And look, I brought sustenance.”

Peggy hums and shakes her head. “Our group is full.” She glares at Steve and he just ducks his head.

“Oh, is this, like, an RSVP thing?”

“No. It’s, like, a smart people thing.” You cringe as Sharon, Peggy’s friend speaks to you. “And like Peggy said, we’re full.”

“Come on, guys, we can make room for one more.” Peggy kicks Steve under the table and he gives a little “ow” in response.

“We’ve already assigned the outlines. The answer is no.” Everyone at the table avoids looking at you and Steve sends you a sympathy smile.

“Oh, okay. I’ll just leave, then.” You give one last grateful smile to Steve for trying before turning and letting it fall.

“Hey, maybe there’s, like, a sorority you could, like, join instead, like?” Valkyrie speaks to you from her group as you walk to the door.

“You know, if you had come to a rush party, I would have at least been nice to you.”

“Oh, is that before you voted against me and called me a dyke behind my back.”

“I don’t use that word.” She scoffs at that not believing it. “You must’ve heard it from Peggy.” With that you walk out of the library and head back to your dorm. 

You change into pajamas and cuddle up with Rocket before dialing Hope’s number.

“Hello?”

“Hey, it’s me.”

“Oh my god, Y/n, guess what I’m doing right this second?”

“I don’t know, what?”

“I’m picking out my wedding dress!” 

“What?” You shoot up into a sitting position in shock. 

“Scott proposed!” You can hear her happy giggles in the background. 

“Did you get Steve back yet?” Jane is the one to speak this time, Hope must have handed the phone over to her. 

“Not yet.” 

“Well we miss you hun, come visit us soon.”

“I miss you guys too. The people here are so vile. Hardly anybody speaks to me…”

“Oh I almost forgot to tell you I got bangs now.” Jane interrupts you and then the phone gets taken away from her. 

“Keep June 1st open, you’re one of my bridesmaids and give Rocket our love. Love you bye!” You’re faced with silence as the phone is hung up and sighs. 

“I’m happy for her Rocket I am but, I do wish I was the one who was at least happy with their life.” All you get is a small yup from him and a lick. Talk of a party from the hallway floats into your ears and immediately excites you. 

“No way is somebody at this school actually having a party?” You jump out of bed excited only to stop when you see it was just Peggy and Sharon. 

“Yes.” Sharon crosses her arms and purses her lips at you. 

“But it’s a costume party. You probably wouldn’t even wanna come.”

“I love costume parties.” 

“Oh. Well, then, I guess we’ll see you there.”

“Okay.” You smile at them and they turn to walk down the hallway before turning quickly to give you the address. 

***

The brisk night air clings to you as you head towards the house. You shouldn’t have decided to walk but it had been warmer when you left. Now all you wanted to do was get inside and finally make some friends.

The party that was in full swing seems to freeze when you walk into the house full of costumeless people. You freeze in your tracks, you’ve never been more embarrassed in your life. How could anybody be so mean to do this to anyone else. You stood there frozen in place dressed as a playboy bunny for a few seconds before deciding to not let anyone see how embarrassed you were. You looked good and you’d own it. Seeing Peggy and Sharon sitting on a couch together and head towards them. When Peggy sees you she spits her drink out with a laugh. 

“Thanks for inviting me, this party is super fun.”

“Nice outfit.”

“Oh, I like your outfit, too. Except when I dress up like a frigid bitch, I try not to look so constipated.” You take a deep breath in and strut over to the drink table hoping to ease your embarrassment a bit. You don’t hear Peggy say that you’re horrible or Sharon try to comfort her.

“Hey stranger.” You notice Steve just as you get there and he has an astonished look on his face.

“Y/n, wow, what’s with the costume.”

“I just wanted to shake things up a bit.” You figured it was pointless to tattle on Peggy, besides you don’t want to attack her even if she’s rude.

“Yeah, but how come you couldn’t wear this when we were going out?”

“Because I guess you never asked.” He leans back onto the table and caresses your waist like he did when you were together.

“Which is now ranked as the biggest regret of my life.” You both laugh at his joke. “I still can’t get over that you’re here, at Harvard. I mean back at UCLA I never would have guessed it. Sometimes I miss the memories, like those parties senior year, I thought we ruled the world.”

“You funneled all that beer at one and I had to hold your head while you threw up.”

“We felt like gods back then, tell me why can’t it be that way again.”

“You know, dreams don’t just disappear we could keep dreaming them here, like senior year but funner. You have your future all planned, and what if I’m standing there too. I’m here because I understand.”

“I’m not sure if I understand.”

“I’m here cause I’m serious.”

“Yeah right, you look real serious.” You pull away as if his words burned you. How could he still not believe you were serious.

“Steve, don’t forget I got into this school too. And now we’re both studying law together. Maybe we’ll both get Pierce's internship so we can work together too.”

“C’mon, you’re never get the grades for one of those spots. You’re not smart enough sweetie.”

“Y/n, you’re looking fluffy this evening.” Peggy digs into you about your outfit again as she rounds the corner to stand at Steve’s side. 

“Look Boobear, Y/n.” Steve is quick to correct himself on his slip up. “You have to ace his course to get that internship.”

“You’re not gonna make it through the semester let alone get Pierce’s internship. Even if you keep going and going and going. Face it bunny, one of these things is not like the other, someday we’ll nominate supreme court justices and you’ll tan.” Your eyes begin to tear up at them both attacking you like this. “Run home Y/n and change out of your skank costume.”

“Oh, is that what you see Peggy, how unfortunate.” You hurry over to someone with glasses and take them from their face. “Because I am Gloria Steinem, circa 1963, researching for her feminist manifesto, I Was A Playboy Bunny. Are you actually calling Gloria Steinem a skank?”

“Who’s calling Gloria Steinem a skank?” Valkyrie comes into the conversation then beginning to fume.

“She is!” You point at Peggy and give the person back their glasses as Valkyrie makes her way towards the culprit. You make your escape from the party then and start to walk home, making it to a bench on the lawn before starting to cry.

Bucky passes by you in regular clothes not recognizing you but doing a double take after glancing at the outfit. “Wow, Y/n, what’s up, Doc?” He chuckles at his own joke and you just give him a funny look.

“Love.”

“Excuse me?”

“I put my faith in love, I followed where it led to my personal circle of hell.”

“Love led you here?”

“None of it has worked out well. And I wish that I were dead, cause instead of a wedding and love, I’m flunking out of school. And I’m someone that he and his friends just mock! So go on, here's my head just hit it with a rock!” You bow your head down, almost losing your ears doing so.

“Wait, go back. You came out here to follow some guy and Harvard was just part of that plan? What rich, romantic planet are you from.” He crosses his arms as he looks down at you.

“Malibu.”

“So instead of lying outside by the pool, you stalked some guy to an Ivy League school. That’s the weirdest reason I’ve ever heard.”

“Well why’d you come then?”

“Okay.” He sits down next to you while taking the jacket from around his waist and placing it on your shoulders. “I grew up in Brooklyn slums with my mom, my sister, and a series of bums. These guys that would show me all the ways a man can fail. I got through law school by busting my ass, I worked two jobs in addition to class. So you’ll have to forgive me for not weeping at your tale.”

“Well excuse me just because you’ve got a chip on your shoulder.”

“You’re right. I’ve got a chip on my shoulder that’s big as a boulder. With the chance I’ve been given I’m gonna be driven as hell. I’m so close that I can taste it, so I’m not gonna waste it. So yeah there’s a chip on my shoulder, you might want to get one as well.” He stands up and starts to walk away after patting your knee.

“Well that sounds highly negative.”

“I’m just being honest, when you aren’t born into privilege you gotta work twice as hard for what you want. I want that jacket back.”

“Wait!” You yell out for him and he stops and turns back to you. “Two jobs and law school, how did you do it?” You get up and meet him halfway.

“Well I didn’t go to parties a lot, it wasn't a good use of my time. Couldn’t spend hours doing my hair and staying in shape. I know it’ll all be worthwhile when I win my first lucrative trial and take care of my mom and sister.” You both start to walk towards your dorm building.

“That’s so sweet.”

“No, that’s the chip on my shoulder. I hugged my mom and told her with the chance I’ve been given I'm gonna be driven as hell. You need a chip on your shoulder.” He looks at the ears on your head and smirks while his eyes fall down to your face.

“No I don’t, I just need to prove to everyone that I’m serious.” You open the door to your room and turn to face Bucky after walking inside. “Make yourself at home.”

Bucky chuckles to himself while looking around your room. When his eyes land on your energy drinks he can’t help but poke fun at you. “You drink a lot of Monster don’t you?”

“It gives me energy!” You yell from your bathroom as you change out of your costume.

“For when you’re up late studying?”

“When I try to study, I’m not very good at it.”

“Well where are your law books?” 

“They’re uh, under, um, there!” You snatch a dress off of your desk just to reveal a magazine that Bucky then picks up and raises an eyebrow at you for. “They’re here somewhere. I mainly use my notes.”

“You know this vanity is a real picture but it started as a desk. You should clear it off and find room for books instead.” He hands you a medium sized crate and starts to go through the things on your desk and throwing them in it. “Can you live without this, can you live without that? I don’t know what this is?” He holds up an extension for your hairdryer.

“It’[s for hair.”

“Wear a hat and spend some time improving what’s inside your head. Out, out, put it in storage, sell it on ebay, or leave it behind. What are you angry? Good, so get angry and you may find the chip on your shoulder!” You grunt in anger towards him as you all but throw the crate at him. “Ooh, the room just got colder. There’s no way around it, you’ve got to plow through til you-”

“Found it!” You proudly hold up one of the law books from the pile near your bed. With your luck though it was one you haven’t even unwrapped yet.

“You’ve been reading it hard I can tell.” Bucky unwraps it and hands it back to you. 

“I just haven’t gotten around to that one.” You pluck it out of his hand and pick up the rest of your books before placing them on the desk Bucky cleared off. “Like I said before I normally just use my notes. I’m not the best at studying.”

“You should join a study group.” The suggestion is harmless and you know he was just trying to help but it stung. You sadly sigh and sit in your chair, resting your head in your hands.

“I tried that. I went and I tried to join one, just for them to say no, make fun of me, and embarrass me in front of everyone in the library. I don’t understand why everyone here is just so mean.” You didn’t mean to start having a breakdown but that didn’t stop the tears from coming.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. How about I help you study? We can be your own little study group.” Bucky crouches down next to you and starts to rub your back, calming you down a bit.

“Really?”

“Yeah.” Bucky’s heart clenches when you look up at him with your tear streaked face. “We’ll start tomorrow after your classes but for tonight get some sleep.”

***

Bucky has been helping you for a month and it’s helped you so much. Wanda even started to be a part of your small group sometimes. You couldn’t have asked for better friends. It was time for Thanksgiving break and everyone was getting ready to leave.

“Bye Steve, Happy Thanksgiving say hello to your mom and dad for me!” You yell out the door waving to him.

“What is this, my second, my third? I don’t know but I am loving it.” Bucky downs another Monster at your desk with his laptop open and getting some work done while asking you study questions here and there. It became a common occurrence that after some studying he would stick around for a bit. You enjoyed his presence. “Define malum prohibitum .”

“Um it’s..”

“An act prohibi-”

“An act prohibited by law like jay walking or chewing gum in Singapore!”

“Therefore malum in se?”

“Malum in se is an action that is evil in itself. Assault, murder, white shoes after labor day.” Bucky chuckles at the example while typing. Rocket jumps into his carrying bag and you go to put him on your shoulder when Bucky sees you.

“Where are you going?”

“Home of course, it’s Thanksgiving break remember?”

“Interesting.” He shuts his laptop and you hum in response. “I predict you’ll probably pass in the bottom percent of your class. If you’re going for mediocre you’ve done great.”

“What? That’s not fair.”

“Look they laughed at me like they’re laughing at you. We won’t win unless we follow through. Might I venture, your vacation plans can wait?” Bucky stands and walks in front of you with one of your books in his hand.

“Why do you always have to be right?” You take it from him while you both laugh. “Let me call everyone to tell them I’m not coming and we can get back to it.”

***

“Bye Steve, merry Christmas! Enjoy Vail!” You wave to him getting a wave back as he heads to Peggy’s room. You’re gonna miss seeing everyone over break but the outcome after all this studying will be worth it.

“Y/n, focus!” Wanda gets your attention from your bed, notecards in her hands. “Now, the case of Russel versus Sullivan?”

“Determined that Russel was legally the child's father even though he was just a sperm donor.”

“Gold star!” Wanda stands up and embraces you in a hug excited that you finally got it right. That one had been throwing you off for a while.

“Ho! Ho! Ho!” Bucky enters the room with his hand behind his back.

“Bucky!”

“Hi Y/n, Wanda.” He nods respectively at Wanda before turning all his attention onto you. “Ah, for you.” He holds out a wrapped present. “It’s not as good as going home for Christmas but I wanted to make sure you still got something.”

“You are too sweet. I thought we all agreed no presents though?”

“Oh would you just open it!” Wanda seems more excited than you are about it. You take the wrapping off to reveal a shampoo bottle.

“It’s a real time saver shampoo and conditioner in one.” You and Wanda both do a little scream of joy at it.

“Hair care? Where do I find a guy like you? I’ll just leave you two alone, I’ll see you later Y/n!” And with that Wanda walked through the door.

“You are so adorable to think of me!” You pull Bucky into a tight hug before jumping apart when Steve comes into the room.

“Have you seen Peggy? I can’t find her anywhere.”

“Uh, no.” 

“Great, we're gonna miss our flight.” Bucky then leaves, sending a small glare at Bucky who just gives him a small wave.

“Um, Y/n. I don’t know if you’ve noticed but each time Steve’s around your IQ drops down to forty, maybe less.”

“Huh?”

“Though it’s hardly my business to say, could it be the real thing in your way is the man you’re trying to impress?” A look of realization washes over your face at his words.

“Yes. I’ve been smiling and sweet and thoroughly beaten, throwing my chance. Let’s not chase him away, let’s face him and say hey punk, let’s dance! This chip on my shoulder will make me smarter and bolder. No more whining or blaming I’m gonna reclaim my pride. Grab that book and let’s do this, instead of doodling hearts all through this!” Bucky gets to work setting up to help you study and you rip a page out of your notebook that had hearts all over it. “Now there’s a chip on my shoulder! Let’s see him knock it aside.” You and Bucky do your handshake and get to work studying.

***

“Yeah but Mr. Latimer wasn’t stalking. He was clearly within his rights to ask for visitation, Russel versus Sullivan.” Steve answers Mr.s Peirce and you scrunch up your nose.

“Yes but Russel was known to the mother, Latimer was an anonymous donor.”

“Well ya but without his sperm, the child in question wouldn’t exist.”

“Now you’re thinking like a lawyer!” The class applauds him but it just sounds wrong to you. Your hand goes up without double thinking it. “Yes Ms. Y/l/n?”

“Mr. Rogers makes an excellent point but did the defendant keep a log of every sperm emission made throughout his life?” The class chuckles at you a bit. 

“Interesting. Why do you ask?”

“Well, unless the defendant attempted to contact every sexual encounter to determine if a child resulted in those unions, he has no parental claim over this child whatsoever. Why now? Why this sperm?”

“I see your point.” “And by Mr. Rogers standards all masturbatory emissions where his sperm was clearly not seeking an egg could be called reckless abandonment.”

“I believe you just won your case.” In front of you Steve and Peggy gasp not expecting that. You can’t help but smile to yourself for the win. Bucky can’t help how his heart swells up with pride or the big smile he shoots your way. “Class dismissed. Ms. Y/l/n excellent work today. I assume you’re applying for my internship? Do you have a resume?” Over his shoulder you see Bucky with a smile on his face.

“I am one step ahead of you, here you go.” You pull it out of your bag and hand it to him.

“It’s pink.”

“Oh, and it’s scented. I think it gives it a little something extra, don’t you think? Okay well, see you next class and thanks in advance for your consideration.” You walk out of the room leaving Pierce and Bucky alone.

“You know, three months ago I would’ve recycled this. Make sure to put it on file.” Pierce hands the resume to Bucky before walking out himself. Bucky thinks to himself how you were something to see today and he was just happy that he could be there. He smells the paper while smiling to himself and shaking his head and walks out to do what Pierce had said.

[mags0607]

This is my Survey from a reading Fest that I participated in. WIZARD HEARTS for the Game of Drarry.i had so much fun reading a ton of new fics for this, and this survey has some wonderful stories recced in it.❤️

1. What was the first fic you read for the game/fest? Why did you choose it?

The fist fic i read was for the fake dating trope, because it is one of my favorites. The fic was Failed Application of Thought by RuArcher. https://archiveofourown.org/works/16624730 I loved every second of it.

2. What was the last fic you read for the game/fest? How did it feel reading 52+ fics?

The very last official Fic that I read for the fest was from the smut suit for Ace. It was Lost Boys by Dahlia_Rose_83 https://archiveofourown.org/works/10759788 and I absolutely fell in love with it. It was a perfect Fic to end on. I’m not going to lie, I breathed a sigh of relief when I submitted that last comment. I did the smut suit and tried to do all the “go squid” submissions as well, so reading over 70 fanfictions in about 4 months was a bit daunting. I did love that it made me branch out and discover great stories and authors that I had never heard of before.

3.What's a fic you think is a hidden gem and deserves more hype?

I thoroughly enjoyed Loose Ends by justkeeptrekkin https://archiveofourown.org/works/21662668 is a gem, and an awesome Fic featuring the Room of Requirement.

4.What was your strategy for choosing fic/tropes for your reading list? Was there a fic/trope you found you simply couldn’t resist?

I really didn't have much of a strategy at first, except i tried to go for the longest fic possible. Then I just started reading them in order by suit for the most part. I left the smut suit till last, which probably wasn't the smartest decision on my part since some were hard to find after a while.

5.Was there a trope that you’ve read a lot of previously that you found uniquely presented?

I have read quite a few First Time fics, but one i read during the fest was such a unique take on the trope. It was called Lost Boys, by Dahlia_Rose_83 and it was so unique from the very first paragraph. (i'm not giving anything away, but go read it.) https://archiveofourown.org/works/10759788

6.What's a line from a fic that you can't stop thinking about?

The Destiny You Sold by tryslora https://archiveofourown.org/works/5203025 was a fantastic read, and I cannot gush enough about how fantastic it was. This bit right here was just simply perfect.

“When this is done,” Draco whispers. “When it’s done, I’ll still be here, and you will come back to me. Because Luna is right: this is where we’ve always been heading. No matter what you did that bonded us, no matter what I unknit, there will always be a thread between us, drawing us back together. And I want that, Harry. I want you. I just want to be absolutely certain that you want me too.”

7.What's a moment in a fic that genuinely got you to tear up?

I don't want to spoil it, but A Lick and A Promise by tackytiger https://archiveofourown.org/works/21599401 was simply beautiful. Harry and Draco are both fantastic, and this one just punched me in all the feels. Since i don't want to give away what made me cry, i will give you one of my favorite lines.

“Harry supposes they've already seen the absolute worst of each other, over years of taunts and fights and crushed bones and the careless slice of magic through skin and vein and tendon. They've seen the worst of each other, and yet they're still able to understand the very best of each other too, the way no one else seems to. And isn't that a funny one?”

8.Was there a trope you’ve never read or heard of before? What did you think?

I had never read a deaging fic before. Everyone recommends Away Childish Things by lettered https://archiveofourown.org/works/16052816 but i just had never sat down to read it. Let me tell you, I WAS BLOWN AWAY. It was hands down one of the most well-written and beautiful fics i have ever had the privilege of reading. If you have not, sit down and do it NOW!

9.Which trope did you read that pleasantly surprised you?

I am not super into Vampire fics in general, so i typically don't search them out. But, gracerene is one of my favorite writers, and when i saw she wrote Palace of Eternity https://archiveofourown.org/works/19900939, I immediately sat down to read it. It was a fantastic fic, and I absolutely loved every second of it.

10.Is there a fic that made you laugh out loud?

Yes! So I read the crackfic!trope and the fic i read was funny and entertaining. It was Ten Points for Gryfindor by VivacissimoVoce And it featured Auror Harry that was growing antlers and had to go to Healer Draco! It was hilarious and I died at all the puns. https://archiveofourown.org/works/2436389

11.What is your favourite trope and why?

Fake dating/meddling friends. Hands down! I will read anything featuring this trope, and they are so often intertwined. The one I read for the fest was so so good! It was called Dating for Dads in Denial by aibidil https://archiveofourown.org/works/11979036 and it was totally worth the read. It's also a kid fic, and the kids definitely steal the show in the best way!

12.Which tropes did you skip? Would you be willing to share why? If you didn’t skip a trope, was there one that gave you pause?

I read every single trope that you guys dished out. I vowed to push myself out of my comfort zone with this, and i'm so happy that I did. I did pause for a moment at the darkfic!trope, but in the end, i even liked that one. The fic i read was Railway Lands by maelipstick https://archiveofourown.org/works/133294, and i probably would not have read it without the fest, but I'm so glad I did.

13.Did you read multiple fics by the same author? What tropes? Wax poetic about the author a bit, eh!

So i discovered quite a few new authors during this fest, but one that i just have to mention is Andithiel. She was on my team, and before this, i had never read her stuff. She is amazing. I think I read three of her fics for the fest. My favorite was I’ll Never Be Your Chosen One https://archiveofourown.org/works/20774483. It was angsty and beautiful. I read it for the HateSex Trope and it was fantastic.

14.Who's an author you think deserves more hype?

Gracerene is fantastic and deserves all the love in the world. I know she is pretty well known, but I just think she deserves the whole world and writes the most beautiful fics.

https://archiveofourown.org/users/gracerene/pseuds/gracerene

15.Which suit did you have the most fun reading? Why?

CLUBS hands down was my favorite. I think it was because I read so many fest fics for it, and fest fics always bring out the best creativity from some wonderful authors.

16.Did a fic send you off on a tangent reading or researching anything? Which one was it and what was your off the path adventure?

I tend to just flit around to different tropes and stories, so I honestly didn’t go off on a tangent for any one trope. I do want to read every Fic on the thrice Fic list, that I haven’t read yet! That’s my goal.

17.Did you rec any fics to your friends during the game/fest? Which ones?

I have a few fics that I recommend to anyone that will listen. Two memorable ones that i recommended to other readers were Ligabus Filium by Tessa Crowley https://archiveofourown.org/works/11972160 and Five Weddings and a Potions Accident by Lauren3210https://archiveofourown.org/works/8452648. One fic that i read for the first time during this fest and couldn't say enough good things about was The Promise of Summer by Omi_ohmy https://archiveofourown.org/works/21921442/chapters/52322524

18.Do you have any feedback for the mods of the game/fest? Would you be interested in playing again if the opportunity arose? Share more info about your experience.

I absolutely loved doing this fest. I don't write very often, so i don't always get to participate in the fandom as much as i would like. I loved being included as a reader, and i loved that this fest made me more aware of the comments i make on fics. The author feedback was so encouraging, and it was nice to know my words made a difference, i also loved the sense of community that came with being in a team. This made me read stories i never would have found otherwise, and I loved it. Please do this again!

[imaginesforyourfandom]

Loving Her: Alex Morgan - Chapter 17

Alex POV:

“No.” I said as I opened the door to see Allie, Kelley, Tobin, and Ash standing there with various upset looks.

Without saying a word, Allie reached forward taking my arm and looking at my hand. The ring that we had just got sat comfortably as they all inspected it.

“Are you engaged?” Tobin asked as they all walked past me into the room. (Y/N) was sat on the bed looking at her phone as Ash grabbed her arm looking at the ring that was on her finger.

“No.” she said snatching her arm back. I walked over and sat next to my wife waiting for them to ask more questions.

“You’re not engaged? Then, explain the rings…”

“We’re married.” I said as they all gave me shocked looks.

“WHAT!?” Kelley yelled looking between us both. I turned to see (Y/N) texting Christen as I waited for her to look up.

“Yeah. We are married.” She said looking up at them. All of them glared at her as I chuckled at how nonchalant she was being.

“Since when?”

“We got married before the final.” I explained as they all then gave us hurt looks. I bit my lip knowing that we were going to have to have this conversation with various people over the next couple of weeks.

“You got married and didn’t tell us?”

There was a knock on the door as I stood up and opened it. Christen gave me a smile as she and Pinoe walked into the room. I went back and sat down throwing my legs over (Y/N)’s lap and resting my arm around her.

“This is such garbage. We are supposed to be you’re friends and you had this major event without us.” Tobin said angrily crossing her arms. I was slightly surprised because usually she is so chill but she genuinely looks very upset with us.

“What happened?”

“They got married in France before the final.” Kelley said with an irritated expression.

“Oh.” Christen said shrugging her shoulders.

“Oh did you send me the videos for that actually?” (Y/N) asked the other forward who nodded her head while pulling her phone out.

“I forgot but I’ll send them right now.” She said as the midfielder nodded her head.

“You knew!?” Tobin asked with a look of hurt on her face.

“I did…” Christen said carefully.

“Don’t be mad at her. I made her promise not to tell anyone. We didn’t exactly want everyone to know at the time.” She said with a defensive look on her face.

“Why not?”

“It wasn’t your business.” She said causing all of them to get hurt looks on their face.

“Okay…” I said as they all looked to me. “It was a last minute decision. We weren’t going to tell anyone but given what was going on that day Becky and Christen were trying to check on (Y/N) which is the only reason that they know.”

“I knew too. So does Servando.” Pinoe said shrugging as they all gave her wide eyed looks.

“Servando knew before I did!” Allie yelled as we all nodded.

“To be fair, he found out when I punched him.” I gave her a look of disapproval as she smiled at me.

“Yeah it was great.” Pinoe commented getting a grin from my wife. I shook my head at her as she gave me a giant grin.

“Look, we plan on having a wedding that you can all help us plan. We didn’t want to wait though.” They all frowned as I smiled and kissed (Y/N) on the cheek.

“I swear to god I will fight all of you….I’m really not in the mood right now.” She continued as most of them gave her a dirt look. No one protested though and for that I was grateful.

“So, what are you guys thinking for date and time?” Kelley asked crossing her arms.

“I don’t know. We still need to tell my family.” I said gaining more wide-eyed looks from everyone.

“Your parents don’t know?” Allie said with a shocked look on her face.

“What part of we didn’t tell anyone do you not get?” (Y/N) asked with an irritated gaze. I chuckled slightly as everyone shrugged.

“How do you think they will react?” Christen asked looking between the both of us.

“I think my family will freak. I know they will probably have concerns considering how everything with Servando happened so…”

“Santiago and Sebastian are definitely going to murder me.” The girl next to me said as everyone shot her amused looks. The team had come to adore the boys in the short time that they had known them. Mostly because of how protective they are over (Y/N), but they are also super entertaining.

“That should be a fun conversation.” Pinoe commented as everyone laughed.

“Yeah…I can’t wait.” She responded sarcastically.

Eventually, they all left as I decided that maybe it was a good idea to let my family know sooner rather than later.

I laid down on the bed pulling my phone out as I called my mom. (Y/N) laid down on my stomach wrapping her arms around my waist giving me a smile as we waited for my mom to answer. I had the phone on speaker phone as I lazily ran my fingers through her hair.

“Hey sweetheart.” I heard my mom as I smiled.

“Hi mom” I said somewhat nervously.

“What are you doing?”

“Just laying here with (Y/N).”

“Hey Pam” she said as my mother said hello back to her. I forget how much my mom adores her. Hopefully, that will make this conversation easier.

“Are you guys enjoying New York?”

“Yeah, its been really hectic but nothing we can’t handle.” I said as (Y/N) smirked at me clearly knowing I was avoiding saying why I called.

“So, what can I do for you?”

“Can’t I just call my mom?” I asked earning a scoff from her as I got a grin from the girl in front of me.

“Alex I’ve never known you to just randomly call me. Your phone calls usually have a purpose.”

“I need to tell you something, but I don’t want you to freak out.”

“Might as well just tell me what’s going on…”

“Okay…(Y/N) and I are married…we got married while we were in France.” I said quickly as I waited for a response.

“You did not.” There was a ton of disapproval in her voice as I bit my lip. “Alex please don’t tell me you eloped.”

“I did, but I can explain.” I said quickly as she sighed.

“Go ahead.”

“Okay…I love her a lot mom. I know that I am meant to be with her and before you say this is the same situation as before…it’s not. It’s different. I feel different. I don’t have any fears about whether my heart is safe or not. I know that this future I am creating with her is what I am supposed to do. Asking her to marry me was the best decision I could have made. Things aren’t always going to be easy for us, but I don’t want to do this with anyone else.”

(Y/N) had a soft smile on her face as she stared at me. I needed her to know that there was only truth in my words. The only future I want is with her.

“Alex…I just wished we had known about this. I think we all would have loved to have been there.” She said though she didn’t sound mad anymore.

“I know.”

“If I may…we are still planning on having a whole ceremony and stuff and we would love for you to be as involved as possible.” (Y/N) said as I heard my mother let out a gasp.

“Oh my gosh! Of Course. We will have to start planning as soon as possible.” She said as she went on her own tangent of things we would need to do. I just smiled as I listened to her ramble on before she finally decided that she needed to go to do some research on stuff. She suggested letting the rest of my family know as we let her know we had phone calls planned for everyone else.

After we got off the phone, we called other members of my family. Everyone seemed to have similar reactions to my mothers as (Y/N) just smiled at how predictable they all were. We then decided to call Sebastian and Santiago. I could tell she was nervous because they are such a huge part of her life.

“What’s up Bitch?” Santiago’s voice came through the phone as (Y/N) just rolled her eyes.

“I hate you.”

“No, you don’t” he said immediately causing her to smile.

“Are you with Seb?” she asked as we then heard Sebastian’s voice come through the phone.

“Hey (Y/N)!” she grinned at hearing the boys voice.

“Hey!” I smiled at the excited look on her face.

“What can we do for you?”

“Alex and I got married in France.” My jaw dropped slightly at how blunt she had been as she just smiled at me.

“What?” Both boys sounded shocked as she shook her head in amusement.

“Yeah…we got married.”

“Please tell me you’re joking.”

“No. I am not. We got married and we do plan on having a ceremony and stuff. I want you to know that I have thought it through, and I don’t regret my decision of saying yes when she asked.”

“She asked you?” Santiago asked as (Y/N) sighed clearly knowing what was coming next.

“Yes.”

“That’s very bottom of you.” I grinned at her as she rolled her eyes.

“I’m a top thank you very much. The slutty lisa if you will…” I gave her a confused look as she shook her head.

“Does that make Alex the horny puppy?” he asked as I heard Sebastian scold him.

“I don’t know what that means but it doesn’t sound good at all.” I said as (Y/N) burst into laughter.

“Oh. Hey Alex.” He said nervously. “I don’t really know how to properly explain that statement…”

“You know what? I don’t want to know.” I said as my wife gave me a grin.

“Well…I won’t lie. It sucks that we weren’t informed of your wedding, but I am really happy for you guys. Also, dibs on best man.” Sebastian said as the boys then started arguing over who would be the best man for (Y/N).

“Okay we can argue later…I got to go.” She said ignoring them.

“Fine. I loooooove you.” Sebastian said as she smiled at the phone.

“Love you Lisa.” Santiago said as they got off the phone.

“Please explain.” I said immediately as she grinned at me.

“I don’t know even know where to begin.” She said as I rolled my eyes. That was basically code for she wasn’t going to. I know her tricks.

Eventually, we decided that we might as well make a public post about it knowing that it was only a matter of time before everyone found out. We both posted things on our social media accounts before deciding to stay off and just spend time with each other. It wasn’t long before we had to go out for dinner.

Our dinner seemed to pass my very quickly as we enjoyed the company of our teammates. It was nice being able to enjoy our time with everyone. Mostly everyone seemed to take our marriage really well. We were congratulated by everyone after promising invites to the wedding to the whole team.

“Tomorrow is going to be amazing, but like also suck…” she said as we laid in bed later that night. I nodded my head knowing what she meant. It was going to be fun, but also extremely stressful.

“I know what you mean. Some unforgettable memories though.” I commented as she nodded her head.

It didn’t take long for sleep to find us considering how much stress we’ve been under. That seems to be the one thing we are really good at. I don’t know how I will be able to cope when we have to go back to our clubs. It’s been bothering me a lot. I’ve grown used to her being right there and being away from her for even a few hours feels unbearable. It’s something that will definitely take some adjustment for me and I am not thrilled about it.

The next morning seemed to go very quickly as we had to be up and out to head out for the ticker tape parade. I was relieved to find out that I would be on the same float as (Y/N), Ali, Ash, Pinoe, Becky, etc. I know (Y/N) was especially relieved about Becky.

Prior to the parade starting, it was mostly all of us drinking and messing around. I could tell (Y/N) wasn’t drinking from how reserved she remained through the morning. In the times I have done things with her, she has never been a huge drinker. She usually remains pretty sober and takes care of me which I am grateful for.

“This is amazing.” She said looking around as we made our way through the parade. I smiled at the look of awe on her face. Even with all the sights around us, her face still managed to be the best thing I could look at. She looked at me as I grinned at her. I kissed her cheek as Pinoe then offered us more drinks.

We continued through the parade before finally getting to city hall. We went through that whole ordeal and getting our keys. (Y/N) bit her lip in amusement as Carlos got booed. I think we all trust that he will do right by our team, but it doesn’t make it any less funny. I almost lost it seeing the excited look on (Y/N)’s face when she got her key. Kelley and Allie also almost killed me with their whole situation with the keys.

Once it was over, we got a quick lunch before heading to the airport to get head to LA. Mostly everyone was getting ready on the plane or doing their best to do so. I grinned as Kelley and Ash whined at (Y/N) to explain the ‘slutty lisa’ and ‘horny puppy’ conversation from the night before.

“You wouldn’t get it anyway. You don’t know the context.” She said as they both pouted at her.

“Yeah but Alex said that Santiago said she was the horny puppy of the relationship…so like what does that mean?” Kelley asked with a suspicious look on her face.

“It’s like a top-bottom conversation but its more of an inside joke between us. I’m not explaining the context to you.” She said as Ash rolled her eyes before walking away.

“So, like in my relationship….” Kelley said as (Y/N) rolled her eyes. “Who is the slutty lisa?”

“In my opinion?”

“Yes.” Kelley said a little too quickly.

“You would be the slutty Lisa and Chrissy the horny puppy.”

At this point, Sonnett and them were practically on the ground laughing as I chuckled at the smile that had graced Kelley’s face.

“Nice. Okay do preath…” My wife grinned and went to open her mouth when Christen cleared her throat.

“I will punch you so hard.” She said glaring at (Y/N) who bit her lip most likely weighing in her head if it was worth it.

“Okay I won’t….Lisa….” she said before trying to dodge Christen who went to smack her on the arm.

Once we arrived in LA, it was a whirlwind to get to the ESPY’s on time. We were all running around as I made my way out of the hotel room. (Y/N) and I had got dressed separately because I had to do some quick planning with my team, and she hadn’t really wanted to be too involved. Some of the dresses were super nice and I wanted to impress her, so I was pretty grateful that she opted not being there.

As soon as I made sure my hair was good, I walked out of the room to see (Y/N) leaning against the wall outside my room. She was looking down at her phone clearly waiting for me. I took the moment to check her out. She had a black suit on that matched my dress really nicely. I know my team had something to do with her outfit so I would need to thank them later. She glanced up and smiled biting her lip slightly as her eyes roamed my body. I shook my head as she took a step towards me offering me her arm.

“You look really sexy.” She commented causing some of the girls that were with us to smile.

“You’re not so bad yourself.” I said leaning over and kissing her cheek. We got in the elevator as she leaned against wall smiling at me. Her eyes went down my body again as something caught her eye. She frowned grabbing my arm and inspecting the bruise that the dutch player had left on me.

“I’ll fight them.” She muttered as I shook my head.

“No, you are not.” I said causing her to frown.

“I thought you dove.” One of my stylist and close friends said.

“So did the rest of the world.” I commented causing (Y/N) to frown.

“You didn’t though. I’m still going to fight.” I rolled my eyes as we exited the elevator and made our way to the car to take us to the show. We were running late already so we needed to hurry. As we got comfortable in the car, I noticed (Y/N) frowning at her phone.

“What’s wrong?” I asked as she looked over at me.

“I agreed to meet with my sister. She wants to meet in like two or three days. She invited me to her house. I’m just really nervous.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” I asked wanting to do as much as I can for her.

“No, you’re going to be so busy the next few days…”

“Hey, you’re more important to me than all of this. If you want me to go, then I will be there.” I said causing her to give me a weak smile.

“I would love for you to go with me then…I don’t want to do it alone.”

“Then, I’ll be there.” I said earning a soft smile from her. She leaned over and gave me a kiss.

Once we arrived too the show, everything happened quickly. I took home the award for best female athlete and the team took home the award for best team. Since we announced that we are married already, I was able to thank (Y/N) in my speech earning a giant smile from her.

We had been invited to a few after parties, but I was way too tired and with everything I still had to do in the coming days I knew it was better to not attend. There were no complaints from (Y/N) who decided to lay down on the couch of our hotel room. I smiled laying on top of her as I rested my head on her chest listening to her heartbeat. It didn’t take long for met to doze as she had been scratching my back lightly.

The next day also seemed to fly by as I was pulled away for more interviews and media. I was bummed cause I couldn’t spend anytime with (Y/N) which was horrible. I know how nervous she is for the meeting with her sister, so it was killing me to be away from her. She had been spending time with my family and her friends. My mom had thrown a ton of stuff for wedding planning at her to which I got some great reaction pictures and videos from my sisters.

“Your mom is trying to kill me I swear to god.” She mumbled as I chuckled at her. I had just got back from a full day of media. I was laying in her arms trying to fight the tiredness so I could spend a little bit of time with her.

“She’s just excited.”

“Still…I don’t really care about the details. I just want to be there with you.” She said as I grinned at her. I gave her a kiss earning a smile from her in return.

“I want you to have what you want though.” She shrugged her shoulders causing me to chuckle slightly.

“Like I said…” she trailed seemingly getting lost in her own thoughts.

“Are you nervous for tomorrow?” I asked earning a nod from her.

“Yeah…I haven’t seen my sister in so long. I don’t know what’s going to happen.” She admitted as I nodded my head.

“You can always change your mind you know…”

“I know. I just…I want it to go well. She sounds super apologetic. If this goes well, I could get my sister back. I don’t think it will ever be the same, but its something…”

“It is.” I agreed as she nodded her head.

“Well, whatever happens tomorrow I will be there by your side.” She nodded her head giving me a kiss. After that, I realized I couldn’t fight the tiredness any longer as I snuggled into her arms and drifted off into sleep.

In the morning, I could tell she was nervous. She was unusually quiet as we got ready. I did my best to offer her some comfort to which she seemed to accept. From what I could gather, she had been texting back and forth with quite a few people most likely getting advice from everyone. Christen and I had talked about it just a little the day prior. I was a little shocked to know she knew but considering they are best friends I really shouldn’t have been so surprised.

The car ride to her sister’s house seemed to go by quickly as we were soon outside. The house was two story house that was quite big. Her sister clearly did well for herself as we got out the car. We made our way up to the front door. (Y/N) seemed to hesitate to knock as I frowned at her.

“We can still leave.” I said softly as she nodded at me.

“I know. I just…I am scared.” She said shaking her body slightly. I took her face in my hands giving her a kiss.

“I am with you the whole time. We can leave whenever you want, and I promise that if this doesn’t go well…Pinoe and Ash will beat her up.” She laughed slightly giving me a soft look. She leaned her forehead against mine.

“Thank you.” She said as she turned back towards the door. She knocked and we waited for the door to open. It felt like an eternity before the door was pulled open. There before us was a woman who seemed not much older than (Y/N). I immediately noticed all the similarities between them as her eyes shined slightly. Her gaze was completely focused on my wife. She had something that seemed like awe and wonder in her eyes as she stared at (Y/N). There was something else in her eyes that I couldn’t place. Maybe something like a silent apology or something….almost like she was pleading with her.

“(Y/N)” she said breathlessly and somewhat stressed.

“Hey…” (Y/N) replied nervously.

“Please come in.” she said as she stepped inside inviting us in. We walked into the house and the inside seemed very cozy. There were family pictures on the wall, and I didn’t miss the hurt look on (Y/N)’s face at seeing them. She wasn’t in any of them. It seemed like her family had gone to great lengths to cut her out of the family. “Now, I need you to let me explain.”

“Explain what?” (Y/N) asked as we made our way through the house following her sister to what seemed like the kitchen.

It felt like watching a car accident as we entered the room. Watching a horrifying moment happen and knowing you can’t stop it. All I could do was stand there as (Y/N) froze completely staring at the people sitting there. The attention seemed to completely turn to my wife as she surveyed the room. They all seemed to keep their focus on her as a man that I had seen once before stood up.

“(Y/N).” he said as she swallowed looking at her sister with betrayal before shifting her gaze back to him.

“Dad.”

To Be Continued…