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lotusss-flowerbomb · 4 years ago

Text

Liberator

Bucky x reader

Warnings: Smut, cream pie eating, cum swapping

A/N: My sis @bluestarego randomly came up with an idea for this chaise and her ideas are literally the bomb, so of course I had to write it. There is unprotected sex in this story. Remember, this is fiction, so in real life package the meat before a beat. Hope y’all enjoy!

Word Count: 4.7k [My baaaddd]

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"Ayo, tin man, where you going?" Sam asked Bucky when he saw him grabbing his jacket.

"To the bookstore. I'm tired of sitting here." He hurried to the door.

"Hold on, I'll tag along this time. Maybe we can finally look at some furniture for this place. We'll be here for at least another four months." Sam laced his shoes and followed him out.

Bucky and Sam had been undercover on this mission 3 months and counting. Nobody seemed to notice them in the small southern town. Either that or no one really cared.

Sam had been going on and on about getting furniture for the house to be more comfortable, but Bucky knew he was full of shit. Tony had given them a bunch of cash and he just wanted to shop.

"You know, you've been down to this bookstore everyday this week... What's her name?" He inquired.

"What?" Bucky tried to keep from smiling, but it was almost impossible whenever he thought about you.

"Yeah okay, you can pretend if you want. She'd better be cute or I'm gonna clown you. Does she know you're half robot?"

"Sam..."

"Relax, I'm kidding," he laughed.

When they pulled into the lot, the men jumped out, but before Sam could open the door Bucky stopped him.

"Please do not embarrass me." He said seriously.

"Man, move, you do enough of that on your own," Sam brushed past him.

"Welcome! I'll be up shortly," you yelled from the back.

You put away the stack of papers that you were going through and exited the small office.

"Hi, how may I — oh, Mr. Stan, how are you today?" You smiled.

"Please, call me Sebastian," he smiled. "I'm good, how are you?"

You heard some books hit the floor. When you both looked over there, Sam was clutching a rack trying to keep it from falling completely over.

"Guess I should go help with that. Be right back," you walked off.

Bucky rolled his eyes. He made busy pretending to look for a new book, but he was having a hard time ignoring your laughing at all of Sam's lame jokes. He finally walked over.

"Are you done tearing up the store?" He asked.

"I've already apologized to the lady, Mr. Stan," he teased.

"Do you have any new recommendations for me today?" Bucky asked, completely ignoring Sam.

"Oh, yeah, I was telling Anthony about this new thriller we got in today. The author is pretty new to the scene, but this will definitely put her on the map. I had a chance to read it before the book was officially released." You handed him one of the books from the rack.

"But this is new, so I can't rent it."

"I won't tell if you won't," you winked and walked away.

"Are you gonna ask her out?" Sam asked.

"Are you insane?" He rolled his eyes and followed behind you.

He handed you the book to check out. He liked your store, because it was a little different from any bookstore he was used to. You sold books, but you also rented the older ones. New books couldn't be rented for six months, but you were always willing to do buybacks for the ones in good condition.

"Oh, I remember you telling me that you were looking for new recipes. I thought you might like this," you grabbed a cookbook, scanned it and then handed it to him.

"That's nice, maybe he could whip something up for you," Sam patted his shoulder.

Bucky gave him another murder glare.

You laughed at his expression.

"Don't worry, Mr. Stan, it's fine if you don't want to."

"No, it's not that I don't want to —"

"So you do?" You cut him off.

"I uhh…" he ran his fingers through his hair. "Give me two days to find something that I think you'll like."

"Your phone?" You held out your hand.

He handed it to you and you put your number in and gave it back to him.

"So I'll see you Saturday?" You gave him his bag.

"Yeah, I'll see you Saturday," he confirmed. "But only if you promise to call me Sebastian."

"Promise," you chuckled.

You waved goodbye to the two men and watched them leave. You waited until they were in the car and pulling out of the lot before you picked up your phone and called your best friend.

"You'll never guess who I have a date with this Saturdayyyy," you sang.

"Is that weird guy who wears a leather jacket and gloves even though it's hot outside?" She said sarcastically.

"Yes!" You replied giddy and undeterred by her sarcasm. "You have to help me find something to wear. I also need you to do my nails please?"

She was quiet for a moment and then she bit out, "Fine, but I think he's weird and if he tries anything you'd better not hesitate to pepper spray him."

"He's not weird. He's just different and I'm ready to find out what it is."

Sam and Bucky walked through the furniture store. Bucky didn't know exactly what he was looking for, but he knew he wanted it to be nice for when you came over.

He felt like every piece he liked looked really old. He may have been 100 years old, but he didn't have to let you know that.

His eyes were suddenly drawn to this odd looking chair. It was red leather with a high sloped back, a deep arc in the middle and the bottom was low with a slope. He read the tag; Liberator: $400, but who cares? Tony could afford it.

"You thinking about getting this?" Sam asked, seemingly coming out of nowhere.

"What do you think? You think this is something she'd like? Should we get a few of them for the front room?"

"Nah, this should go in your room. I think she'll like it. She's young and this is a very modern piece of furniture." He advised.

Bucky decided to trust Sam for once. He told the salesperson that he wanted that chaise. The poor girl's face turned a bright red and she was unable to look at him. He didn't pay too much attention to it, he was used to people shying away from his presence.

The guys picked out the rest of the furniture and headed home. Bucky noticed that Sam was giggly. More so than normal.

"What are you so happy about?" He asked.

"Nothing man, a guy can't just feel joy? It's a good day, Buck, we finally got some furniture. You got a really nice chair. I'm happy." He tapped on the dashboard.

"Why'd you bring up the chair?" Bucky squinted at him.

"Because it's a nice chair. I like the chair. You know I'm all about relaxation."

Bucky let it go. If he hated the chair once it was delivered, he'd simply return it. No big deal.

Bucky put the final touches on the meal he'd chosen to prepare for you. He garnished the plates, set them on the table and wiped his hands on the apron he was wearing.

The doorbell rang. You were right on time. He gave the table a once over before coming to the door.

"Hi," he greeted.

"Hello there," you said.

He just stood there and looked at you from head to toe. The white lace dress you wore hugged you perfectly at the top and flared at the waist.

"Can I come in?" You asked, tearing him away from his thoughts.

"Oh, yes, sorry. You look beautiful," he said as he walked you to the dining area.

"So do you. I think the apron is my favorite part," you teased.

He looked down and quickly removed the apron from around his waist. He blushed a little. You smiled at how cute he was.

He pulled your chair out and pushed it in once you sat down and then took his seat.

" It smells wonderful."

"Thank you, I tried something new tonight."

Truthfully, everything was new for him. Bucky never did any of the cooking. That was usually Sam's thing. He only got the cookbooks to suggest things, but tonight he gave it try for you.

You took a bite and tried to keep from gagging. You saw Bucky take a bite and immediately swallow. He didn't bother chewing it anymore.

You took a sip of wine after you were finally able to swallow.

"It's terrible," he said.

"No, it's not bad at all," you absolutely lied.

"I'll order us a pizza," he said and took your plate away.

You just smiled at him. You didn't have the heart to tell him the food was gross, because he tried and that's what counts.

You moved to the living room and he turned on the TV while you waited for the pizza. You noticed that he still wore a glove on his left hand and was sure to keep it away from you. You figured he was just a little shy about having a prosthetic arm.

Once the pizza arrived, you put on some quirky movie and ate your dinner.

"I'm sorry about this. I should've practiced the recipe a little more."

"What? This is perfect," you told him.

You talked with him a little. He told you that he grew up in Brooklyn. How he and Sam were college roommates and started a contracting business together.

You clung to his every word and listened without interrupting.

"So, are you gonna give me a tour of the house?" You ask.

"Oh, sure," he says. He slips your shoes off of your feet before walking with you hand in hand to the stairs.

"It's not much, but this is our office space, that's Sam's room, bathroom and this is my room." He pointed.

You flipped the switch on in the room. You were shocked and quickly walked over to the red leather chaise.

"You don't strike me as the type to have one of these," you ran your fingers over the cool leather.

"Oh, yeah, I thought it was a very nice modern piece of furniture to have. Um, Sam actually talked me into it."

"Did he now?" You smirked.

"If you hate it, I can move it out of here. I won't force you to look at it," he rubbed his neck.

"Come here," you reached out for him.

He gave you his hand and you told him to sit down on the chair. You straddled his lap and moved your hips in a circular motion until you felt him getting hard. He rested his right hand on top of your ass and laid his head back.

He had been so focused on his work that he'd forgotten how much he missed the feel of a woman. You leaned in close and put your lips to his ear.

"Undo my dress," you whispered.

He reached up and pulled the string of the bow ties on your shoulder. The thin material fell down and exposed your breasts. Your nipples immediately pebbled from the cool air.

You scooted back a little and pulled at his shirt.

" No," he grabbed your hands, "I um, maybe we shouldn't."

"What's wrong?" You quiz.

"Nothing, it's just that I…" He was lost for words. He didn't know how he would explain his arm without you freaking out.

"Sebastian, I don't care that you have a prosthetic arm or hand. Whichever you hide under these long sleeved shirts and gloves."

He inhaled and pressed his forehead to your chest. He was nervous. Now he remembered why it had been so long since he'd had a relationship or sex.

"Hey," you lifted his head, "it's okay, we don't have to do this if you're uncomfortable." You kissed his lips.

You felt his body relax as he exhaled slowly. First, he took off his glove. You ran your fingers over the shiny black metal. You then lifted the shirt a little, this time he didn't stop you. You pulled it over his head and tossed it aside.

You lightly dragged your fingers down his neck until you reached where the metal connected to his shoulder. You traced your fingers over the lines of gold, before moving back to his scar.

"It's connected to you, so is it fully functional?" You were curious.

"It is," he replied.

"That's pretty cool. The doctors must've put a lot of work and thought into this."

"Yeah, much better than the first one I had after the war," he blurted.

"Oh, you're a vet?"

"Uh, yeah," he said after realizing his mistake.

"What was your rank?"

"Sergeant…"

"Well, thank you for your service and sacrifice, Sergeant." You pressed your lips to his.

He slipped his hands underneath your dress and squeezed your ass. The cool metal of his hand made your pussy clench.

He slid a finger down your ass until he reached your folds. He rubbed your clit in a circular motion over the fabric of your thong. He moaned into your mouth when he pulled it aside and felt how wet you were getting.

You broke the kiss, stood, unzipped his pants and pulled them down. His hard dick popped up and was at full attention.

"Sss, ooh," you hissed as you wrapped your hand around him.

Bucky laid back and closed his eyes. Your hands felt so good on him. You spit on his dick and rubbed it all around making sure it was coated.

You lined him up with your opening before slowly sinking down on him.

"Shit!" He had to brace himself and fight a mental battle, so that he wouldn't cum at this very moment.

You were trying your best to take all of him, but he was stretching you wide and the pain was almost too much.

Once he was able to get himself together he grabbed your hips and thrust into you. He pulled your dress over your head, so it wouldn't be in the way.

You rolled your hips slowly and sped up as the pain turned into pleasure. You braced yourself on the balls of your feet and held to the head of the chair as best you could.

"Bounce on this dick," he smacked your ass.

You bounced up and down while he sucked a nipple into his mouth. He used his right hand to rub your clit.

"Fuck, I'm gonna cum," you warned him.

"Don't." He said and continued to rub.

"Sebastian, I —"

He grabbed you by the throat, "I said, no," he stuck his tongue in your mouth and continued to drive his hips upwards.

He waited until you were right on the edge of your climax and then lifted you up. Your first instinct was to rub yourself to completion, but he stopped you.

"I'm the only one who touches you from now on. Understand?"

You nodded, but he wasn't satisfied. He wanted to hear you say it.

"Yes, I understand," you said as you moved back, so he could stand.

"Good, girl," he pulled you close to him and kissed you.

He sat you down at the foot of the chair and dropped to his knees. You spread your legs wide and watched while he admired your pussy. Running his fingers up and down your slit.

"Can I taste you?"

"Yes," you moaned and laid back.

Bucky sucked your clit into his mouth and licked you in circles. He was using his tongue to apply just the right amount of pressure to your clit.

"You taste so good," he said. He spit on your pussy and rubbed it before sticking two fingers inside of you.

He sucked your clit into his mouth and curled his fingers a little.

"Ah! Fuck!" You screamed as you felt an orgasm building.

He could feel you contracting around his fingers. Once again he kept going until you were almost there, then he pulled his fingers out and stopped sucking.

"Why? Please!" You begged.

"Ooh, that was only the second one and you're already begging? It's gonna be a long night, baby girl." He teased.

He pulled you to the edge a little more, rubbed the head of his dick up and down your slit and then slid inside of you.

You rolled your nipples in between your fingers while he fucked you. He couldn't take his eyes off of you. He'd wanted to feel you for so long. Ever since the day he wandered into your store and laid eyes on you.

He pulled out of you and turned you on your stomach. This time switching his pace. He spread your ass cheeks apart and rolled his hips slowly as he watched his dick disappear inside of you.

"Fuck!" He moaned as he felt himself losing control once again.

He watched as you clawed at the chair. He could feel your pussy getting tighter and tighter.

"Can I cum? Can I —" you were cut off by your own moans. Your body didn't wait for permission.

He felt it. Your pussy gripped him tight and he exploded inside of you. His hips jerked as he gave you every last drop.

He pulled out and dropped to his knees behind you.

He smacked your ass, "Give it to me, push it out," he demanded.

You pushed the cum mixture from your pussy and was shocked when you felt his mouth on you sucking it out. No man you'd ever been with had been so bold or comfortable.

Once he was satisfied, he stood and turned you around to face him. He squeezed your cheeks together, so you'd open your mouth. You stuck your tongue out ready for what he was about to give.

You were so fucking turned on, you grabbed his hand and slipped his fingers back into your pussy.

He spit the cum into your mouth and then kissed you. Swirling his tongue around yours as he fingered you to another quick orgasm.

He looked at his cum coated fingers and then licked them clean. You couldn't resist kissing him again and tasting yourself on his tongue.

Bucky picked you up and carried you over to the bed. You didn't want to let him go, but you finally gave in. He walked to the bathroom and came back to clean you up and then himself.

He got in bed with you and laid his head on your chest. You ran your fingers through his hair. So many nights he'd thought about this moment. So many nights he'd thought about just being closer to you. He wished he could stay with you forever.

He sighed.

"What's wrong?" You asked him.

He sat up and looked at you, he wanted to tell you the truth, but he knew that he couldn't. It would put you in danger and he couldn't risk it.

"Nothing, everything is perfect," he smiled.

"You have beautiful eyes, they remind me of someone, but I have never been able to quite put my finger on it."

"Thank you," he kissed you again and turned away.

You played with his hair until he fell asleep and then you slipped out quietly.

You were opening boxes and getting ready to stock a rack of magazines. You'd been doing well with keeping them out of the store, but a few of the teenagers kept asking and you finally caved. You let them know that you drew the line at tablets and that they were absolutely out of the question.

You flipped through one of the fashion magazines and came across an article about Earth's mightiest heroes. You were skimming the article when you heard a knock at the door. You looked up to see Bucky waving at you. He was holding a cup holder with two coffees and a bag of donuts.

"Hey," you greeted him.

He returned your greeting with a soft kiss. You didn't think you could ever get tired of those kisses.

"Doing some stocking?"

"Yeah, I was taking a break and reading this article. I finally ordered some magazines for the kids," you picked it up and thumbed through the pages.

Then he caught your eyes. There he was stretched across the page. The photo had a blue and purple tint to it and his hair was long, but it was most definitely him.

"You're Bucky Barnes," you said in disbelief.

"What?" He seemed startled by your words.

"This is you!" You shoved the magazine in his face. "I knew that you looked familiar. A freaking superhero?! You lied to me, Sebastian — Bucky, whatever your name is!"

"No, it's not like that, I couldn't tell you." He tried to explain. "I'm on a mission. Sam and I, we're undercover."

"Oh, you're on a mission, so get with a local to blend in a little better? Ugh! I knew you were too good to be true." You paced back and forth.

"No, that's not true," he grabbed you, "my feelings for you are completely real."

You squinted at him, "Get off of me and get out, because you'd still be lying to me if you'd never gotten caught." You pushed him away and walked into your office slamming the door behind you.

Bucky picked up the box of magazines and took them. If you recognized him someone else would too. He couldn't take that chance.

He knew doing that stupid photo shoot would backfire. He didn't want to do it, but Steve and Sam talked him into it, because it was for a good cause. He knew they'd have to speed up their plans.

He called Sam as he headed back to the house and let him know that they had to move in on the targets sooner rather than later.

You came out of your office once you were sure Bucky was gone. You looked around to see that he had taken the boxes.

"Great now he's a liar and a klepto," you rolled your eyes.

You heard the bell on the door and turned around thinking it was Bucky again, but it was just one of the people who ran the laundromat a few doors down.

"Oh, hey, Austin," you looked at your watch, "is something wrong? You know I'm not open yet."

He didn't say anything. He just kept stalking towards you. Your fight or flight kicked into gear and you made a dash for the door. He reached out and grabbed you, but you kneed him in the balls to escape.

You didn't get very far before you were grabbed from behind. They put a bag over your head and threw you into the back of a car where they zip tied your hands in front of you.

"Let me go! What do you want?!" You kicked and screamed.

"Keep it up and I'll gag you… Maybe even with my cock," you heard one of them chuckle.

You immediately calmed down. Last thing you wanted was that.

"Please, if you want money you'll have to take me back to the store. I keep it in the safe."

"Shut up, we won't tell you again." Austin said.

"Austin, please tell me why you're doing this?"

"Because your little boyfriend needs to be taught a lesson. Him and his friend have been causing trouble and it's bad for business. Unfortunately, sweetheart, you're collateral damage."

They drove you for almost 20 minutes before they dragged you from the car and into a building. They took you inside, sat you down and bound you to a chair.

"Call your boyfriend," one of his henchmen ordered.

"How exactly am I supposed to do that with my hands tied, genius?" You sassed.

He reached into your pocket and pulled up his name. You could hear the line ringing.

"Can you at least take the bag off of my head?" You requested.

Bucky was fuming. He and Sam had followed the rest of Austin's gang to this warehouse. But when Austin himself pulled in, he had you.

He thought it was odd that they were all coming out here, but now he sees that this is a set up. His phone was vibrating in his pocket. It was a call from you.

He accepted the call and sat his phone down to look through his scope.

"You can either let her go right now or I will kill every single one of you." He said calmly.

"Sebastian," you cried.

"It's okay, baby girl, I got you," he hung up.

He let off two shots taking out the men who stood guard at the door. He took down the others as they came running from the building.

"I'm in position," Sam said into his comms.

Bucky jumped down from the tree he was in and moved in. He hoped you were safe. He never meant for this to happen to you.

You heard the shots. They were so loud and it seemed like all hell broke loose after. The men around you started shouting and then you heard the door slam.

You rocked from side to side in the chair until it tipped over. You tried your best to get loose, but nothing was helping. You started to panic as the gunshots were getting closer.

Fear and adrenaline took over and your ears began to ring. It seemed like the bag was keeping you from breathing as you started to hyperventilate.

You started screaming when you heard the door get kicked open. You could feel the person cutting the tape away. You were gonna fight this time. They wouldn't get the opportunity to take you somewhere else. They'll kill you for sure.

Once your hands were free you started swinging.

"Stop!" Bucky yelled. "It's me—"

You punched him in the eye. He could barely get a grip on you, but when he finally did, he snatched the bag off.

"Y/N! It's me, calm down." He hugged you.

You relaxed into his hold and sobbed into his neck.

"They were gon-gonna kill m-me," you stuttered.

"I never gave them the chance. You're safe now."

Weeks had gone by and nobody spoke a word about Austin or his mysterious disappearance. In fact, people seemed to celebrate the fact that he was gone.

He'd been running a drug operation through the town and using his business as a front. Apparently, he had ties to Hydra, which is why Sam and Bucky were brought in to shut him down.

You were back at your store and business resumed as normal. Bucky had left the same night of the incident. He didn't even say goodbye. He was too ashamed to face you.

You heard the bell above the door and looked up from your phone. Your heart skipped a beat when those blue eyes stared back at you.

"Hey," he waved.

"I'm busy," you said and tried to walk away.

"Wait, please," he grabbed your arm, "please?" He asked a little softer.

"I'm mad at you, you didn't even say goodbye!"

"I know and I should have, but I was a punk and I want to make it right." He pleaded.

"You have two minutes," you crossed your arms.

He lifted you up on the counter and stood in front of you. It was very dramatic.

"I'm James, but my friends call me Bucky. I'm 103 years old, but I spent most of those years frozen and brainwashed. I really did lose my arm in the war, but it was world war 2. I'm from Brooklyn and my favorite food is pizza." He said. "Oh and I fought in two alien wars, although it felt like only one, because I died in the first one and when I woke up 5 years had passed."

"Hi, Bucky, nice to meet you."

You pulled him in for a passionate kiss. He pulled away and pressed your forehead to his.

"I'm sorry," he said.

He helped you down and watched you lock the front door and switch your sign to closed.

"If you're really sorry, you'll make it up to me," you grabbed his hand.

He scooped you up and carried you to your office. He'd absolutely make it up to you with no problem.

@titty-teetee

@bluestarego

@literaturefeen

@fandomfavesss

@angrythingstarlight

#bucky x reader #bucky x you #Bucky Barnes #Sebastian Stan #Smut #marvel smut #Avengers #marvel fanfic #avengers fic #Lotusss Writes

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vintagedolan · 4 years ago

Text

mixtape | track eight

| masterlist | faceclaims | playlist |

“Left or right?”

“Don’t look at me, I never fucking graduated.”

“Right, then you move it to the left,” Lisa offered, attempting to get past Grayson. He was having none of it, sticking out his tongue a bit while he focused on getting Indy’s cap arranged correctly, making sure her tassel was in the right spot.

Indy had passed her finals with flying colors, which came as no surprise to anyone who knew her. Top of the class, which was enough for her to feel a tiny bit proud of herself. The Dolan’s on the other hand, we’re over the moon, ready to celebrate her as if it was the greatest achievement anyone could accomplish. Grayson had picked her up from her last final, coaxing her to take a nap in the truck while he drove them out to Jersey, her head in his lap as she was finally able to relax after so many days of stress. He was glad - he wanted her energy to be high when she got to the house, considering he’d planned out a big family dinner as a surprise. He’d even caved and bought her her favorite non-vegan ice cream. She was so surprised that she cried as soon as she went in and saw Ethan and Lisa in the kitchen with little fake graduation cap headbands on.

Even though surprises weren’t her favorite, he hoped he could sneak in another, considering the real one wasn’t until the next day, and it’s arrival came as a text that buzzed in Grayson’s pocket.

Here!

He cleared his throat quickly, trying to hide his excitement as he stepped back from his girlfriend.

“Hey Indiana, I think there’s something at the door for you,” he said.

She squinted at him in accusation.

“You just called me Indiana.”

“Indeed I did.”

“That’s sus.”

“Just go to the door Dee.”

“Sus.”

“Dee.”

“G.”

“Indiana Jamie Cross, will you please open your door,” he said as formally as he could, knowing it would make her laugh enough to give in.

“If something jumps out and scares me, I’ll kick your ass.”

“Holy shit just go open the door before I do it for you.”

She walked slowly but she listened to him, pulling the door open cautiously.

“I was wondering if you were gonna let me in.”

Indiana’s mouth fell open.

“Charlie?!”

Grayson Dolan had learned in the last week that the Cross women were stubborn beings, especially when it came to money. Which was why it took so long for him to convince the older Cross sister to let him buy her and Devin a plane ticket at Thanksgiving.

“We would love to be there, but I just bought the ticket to get out here, and money is kinda tight for us right now. I don’t know if we can swing it so soon again.” Charlie kept her voice down, pretending to look at some of the picture frames on the bookshelf while Grayson talked to her.

“I’ll buy your tickets, both of you, first class.”

“Grayson, no, I can’t ask you to do that,” she shook her head.

“But you didn’t ask. I offered, there’s a difference. C’mon, you know that she’d love to have you there.”

Charlie hesitated, bit her lip the way Indy always did. The back door opened, signaling that everyone was coming back inside and that their conversation needed to end. She looked up at him quickly, eyes darting across the room.

“I’ll think about it.”

It had taken her four days to finally agree and let Grayson send her the money for the tickets, though she insisted on flying coach, sending him back the rest of what he’d given her to cover first class, down to the cent.

Which was how she ended up getting tackled by a very excited Indiana outside her apartment door, so hard that they almost knocked Devin over in a whirl of blonde hair. Grayson caught her cap as it flew off.

“What?! What are you doing here?! How did you get here! I thought you couldn’t come, what the fuck!”

“Ask him,” Charlie laughed, lifting her chin towards Grayson.

She spun, eyes wide and shocked.

“You did this?”

He couldn’t help but laugh. “You look exactly like the soft eyes emoji right now, you know that?”

“Shut up,” she smacked his chest before she buried her face in it, sniffling.

“Hey, you don’t have to cry, you’ll mess up your mascara,” he said, pressing a kiss to her hair before she stood up straight again, letting him swipe his thumbs under her eyes.

Ethan was watching the interaction from the couch with a bit of a frown. He pulled his eyes away and picked at some lint on his henley, but he kept his ears towards the kitchen. There was a tenderness, a careful nature in the way he spoke around Indy. It reminded him of the first time that Grayson had gotten a girlfriend. Peyton. They’d met on the first day of 7th grade, in science class, where Grayson didn’t care to pay attention, especially not with Ethan and the prettiest girl in the grade at his table. Ethan had teased his brother relentlessly until he finally got his words handed back to him when she actually agreed to a date - which involved him picking flowers out of his mom’s window box garden (he got in trouble for it later) and hiding them under his jacket when Sean dropped him off at the movie theatre. They’d kissed each other during the end credits, with tongue according to a very excited Grayson who came home and plopped himself on his brother’s bed and spilled every little detail. Ethan was single at the time, so he could only listen, and watch. Watch the way he carried her books for her to class and then sprinted to his own with only a few seconds to spare before the bell. Watched him beg his mom to dye his hair blonde when Peyton said she thought it would look cool. Watched him pass her notes all of class, not caring when Mrs. Patterson took one and read “I love you so much, you’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen” in front of the whole class that included the majority of his wrestling team. And, he watched the pain on his face when they stumbled across Peyton kissing Jacob Bates behind the bus when she thought Grayson was at wrestling practice. He tried to keep it together, but he sniffled his way through Lisa dying his hair brown that night. Ethan had tried to cheer him up with his usual tactics - stupid inside jokes, making fun of Cameron, even making fun of himself. But Grayson didn’t laugh.

That was when he knew his brother loved hard. He was halfway convinced the reason that Grayson was the bigger twin in the womb was because of the size of his heart. That being said, it wasn’t unusual for Ethan to watch his brother be kind, and sweet, and loving to his girlfriend.

But there was something different with Indy. It was the first time that he could look at Grayson with a girl and see Grayson - unfiltered, unaltered. His twin brother, in his full form, not having changed a single aspect of himself to fit another person. And it made him happy. So happy that for a moment he was able to ignore the guilt that started to rush over him as he remembered all the things he’d said, about how their relationship wouldn’t work, and how Grayson needed to address it. It made him feel worse that he knew he was still right, no matter how in love his brother was.

In the kitchen, Charlie was flicking through settings on her camera.

“I know we have to leave soon, but we have to get at least a few pictures before you get all sweaty cause you get sweaty when you’re nervous,” she said, grabbing her sister’s arm and leading her over to the windows, positioning her with the right lighting.

They took a few normal portraits, some with her cap and some without, a few candids where Charlie did her best to make her laugh as Grayson watched on, the proudest smile on his face.

“Alright, I want one, I want one!” Devin chimed in, surprising both the Cross sisters. They turned to him with the same expression that had him laughing so hard he held his chest. It was the loudest sound that any of the Dolan’s had ever heard come out of him, but it was contagious enough to have them all smiling.

“What?! It’s not every day my little sis graduates college!” He teased, going to ruffle her hair but thinking better of it at the last minute, instead choosing to wrap her up in the biggest hug, her face adorably squished in the picture that Charlie captured.

After that, it was a revolving door of poses with everyone. Lisa fixed Indy’s hair for her before their picture, and Ethan stole her cap and wore it himself. He offered to take the camera, thankful for Charlie’s settings that seemed to work magic as he took a few cute one of the duo, even a few with Indy on Charlie’s back. Devin joined in and they recreated the shoot from their engagement party that Indy still had on the top shelf.

By the time it was Grayson’s turn, Indy’s cheeks were sore from smiling. But she couldn’t help but beam at him as he waltzed over to her in his dress pants and button down, all dressed up for her big day. She did her best to ignore the click of the camera as Grayson fixed her cap, moved her honors cords so they were even where they hung. They took the normal formal poses, and Grayson stole Ethan’s idea of borrowing the cap. But Indy gasped when he tossed it to the side and scooped her up bridal style, laughing as he held her tight and kissed her cheek, even dipped her a bit and looked up at Charlie for the photo op. Indy put it on her mental to-do list to get them printed as soon as she could, beyond excited to see them once Charlie sent them over.

“Okay, we gotta go or we’re gonna be late,” Lisa said, making sure everyone had what they needed for the short walk to the university. Everyone layered up, but while Grayson disappeared in search of his dress coat, Indy pulled her sister aside.

“Hey um. Did… did Dad talk to you at all this week?”

Charlie’s face melted into pity. “I’m sorry bubs.”

“No it’s fine, it’s no big deal. Didn’t expect him to, I just wanted to check so I didn’t get blindsided or anything if he showed up.”

Charlie just nodded and gave her a small smile. She didn’t tell her little sister that she’d told Kenneth about her graduation - four times, actually. He’d never responded, though she could see that he’d read them. Charlie was so used to making excuses for him that she had a whole list of them backed up. He had to work. Traffic. He wanted to come, but something came up. But when she looked at Indy, who wasn’t so much her little sister anymore, she bit her tongue, put her arm around her and headed out the door.

The ceremony was in the science building. John Clark University didn’t have anywhere big enough to house the entire graduating class, so they opted to split it up into smaller ceremonies by discipline instead.

“It should be pretty quick actually, there’s not a ton of us,” Indy said when they arrived, looking over her shoulder at all the graduates moving to get checked in and lined up.

“We’ll wave when you come out so you can find us!” To Indy’s surprise, Lisa’s eyes were teary. “I’m so proud of you.”

“Li,” Indy smiled, pulling her in for a last minute hug, trying not to get emotional herself at the fact that a woman who had no obligation to love her cared so much.

“Don’t trip,” Ethan grinned, nudging her shoulder to lighten the mood.

She turned to Grayson, kissing him quickly before she finally headed off, looking back a few times before she disappeared around the corner.

“Okay seats, seats, we gotta get good ones!” Charlie exclaimed, immediately leading the group through the rows - it was a massive lecture hall with the flip down chairs Grayson had only seen in movie theatres and movies. When they finally found five seats together, he found himself wandering what it was like to be in class somewhere so big, with so many other people learning the same thing.

Despite feeling like they were running late, there were plenty more graduates and families that filed into the building, taking their seats and patiently awaiting the procession.

Thirty minutes later they finally began to file through, a straight line of black robes and red and white tassels. Charlie spotted Indiana first, with Grayson a millisecond behind her, both of them standing up to wave until she saw them and waved back. He kept track of her as she went to sit down in her row, kept his eyes on her as best he could while the main speaker began his speech. He didn’t care what he had to say - he only had eyes for his girl, who looked back every so often and offered him a little wave that still had his heart fluttering like they were hiding in the curtains of Emma’s room all over again.

Grayson hadn’t experienced a lot of moments of pride in his lifetime. There were a few he could pinpoint - when Ethan won one of their wrestling tournaments in middle school, when their team won their lacrosse championship. When his mom’s salon won best in the city a few years back, when his sister graduated college. But what he felt in that next moment topped every single one.

The dean of the college of sciences asked everyone to hold their applause, and without any prior consulting, Indy’s entire squad ignored the rule.

“Indiana Jamie Cross. Bachelor’s of Biological Sciences. Summa Cum Laude.”

“WOOOOOO, YEAH DEE!” Grayson yelled it at the top of his lungs, not even noticing the way everyone turned to look at him. He could see Indy’s blush all the way from the stage as they all continued clapping until the next person was called.

For a moment he was afraid she was embarrassed, but when she took her seat again he saw her turn around and blow him a quick kiss. He caught it in the air and threw her a wink, excited to get to her to give her a real one, which was exactly what he did when she finally made it out of the stream of people at the end of the ceremony. Everyone’s hearts melted when he spun her around and planted one on her.

Charlie took a few more pictures of her with her diploma before Grayson spoke back up.

“Alright, coffee’s on me!”

It seemed to have gotten somewhat colder outside as the wind whipped around the buildings, and Indy curled into a much warmer Grayson as the group headed down the sidewalk. He moved his finger to her palm.

P-R-O-U-D-O-F-U

She leaned her cheek against his shoulder, her blush almost warm enough to soak through his coat.

But it was nothing compared to the redness that spread over her cheeks when she walked into Jets.

“HAPPY GRADUATION INDIANA!”

The cry was championed by Patrick, who stood in the lobby absolutely beaming at her, below a banner that they’d hung above the espresso bars that read the same. Indy didn’t have to ask - the grin on Grayson’s face gave it away. She wanted to ask him how long he’d planned that surprise, how many more he had in store. She felt woefully undeserving, especially when she realized that Patrick had shut down the store for an hour just for her.

“And I thought you giving me free coffee was bad for business,” she said in his ear when she hugged him.

“I don’t know what lover boy over there does but he covered normal sales for the hour and then some,” he mumbled.

One of the baristas handed Ethan a sign that read “closed for private celebration” to hang on the door, and then it was truly time to celebrate. Indy walked behind the bar like she had a million times before, happy to see that everything was still in the same place. Patrick threw her an apron that she jokingly tied on over her robe before she clapped her hands together.

“Alright, who wants what?”

She made some of her best latte art that day - leaves, a flower for Lisa, a slightly lopsided swan for Devin per his request. It felt nice to be in a familiar place doing something she was good at - it blanketed over the uncertainty that had begun to settle in when she realized that everything was on a trajectory of change. She would never sit in another undergraduate course, never have some of her favorite professors again. And there was always the factor of possibly looking at other schools - they all started their programs in the fall, which meant she had time to truly look, if she really wanted to. From her first tour of campus she’d always thought she would be at JCU for her whole academic career, but her mind began to wander when she heard the buzzing of all the other top schools that her cohort were applying to - Baylor, Harvard, and the one that had piqued her interest the most, UCLA.

She’d googled their admission rates one night when Grayson had fallen asleep during a back scratch, and her chances looked good. Really good. But she’d closed the tab quickly - LA was too far away from New York, from home.

“Hey. Where’d you go?” Grayson’s voice was soft as he clinked his mug against hers to get her attention.

“Just thinking,” she smiled, turning her head and tilting up until he kissed her quickly. “I’ll be right back.”

Indiana hopped off her barstool and headed back behind the bar, following Patrick who had disappeared to the back storage room. It was like walking into a friend’s house you hadn’t been to in a while when she passed through the swinging door. The freezers on the left and the syrups in organized rows on her right, just like before.

“Don’t even think about trying to do any dishes while you’re here,” Patrick said, his back still to her as she moved to the sink. She’d had too much time to think while she sat and waited for her name to be called during the ceremony - too much empty mental space that could be allotted to all the things she should be doing. Which meant she’d managed to hatch up a whole plan to better herself in more ways than one in a mere 20 minutes.

“Do you guys still have the same insurance policy for employees? Like the new health benefits, the mental health ones that you all put in like two months before I left?”

Patrick turned the water off.

“Yeah, insurance is the same, it covers four therapy sessions a month for anyone who qualifies. But that’s just for full time employees. But I could probably pull a few strings and get you some benefits with part time hours… is everything okay?”

“Yeah, yeah everything is fine! I was just curious. Thanks.”

Indy turned to leave, jumping a bit when she realized that Charlie was behind her.

“What’re you doing back here?”

“I was looking for Patrick, there’s a delivery guy here with milk,” Charlie explained, but there was a seriousness in her brows that let Indy know that she had not only heard enough of the conversation, but that she was definitely going to have to talk about it later.

Damn.

She pushed the thought aside and put on another smile before they all exited the backroom, laughing at the sight of one of Ethan trying to steam milk. He turned at her entrance and lost his focus, moving the pitcher down too far and spraying almond milk everywhere before the barista who was helping him flipped the wand back up.

“Eden’s on facetime for you over there!” He pointed towards the counter and his phone, which Indy happily picked up to find a beaming Eden, who informed her that she’d sent a card that would probably be there a few days late, but she’d tried. She stayed on FaceTime while they all thanked Patrick again and headed back to the apartment, Lisa unveiling the gift pile and vegan cookie cake she’d managed to sneak in while Grayson had distracted Indiana with questions about his outfit choices. Almost every gift made Indiana cry - just the idea that they’d spent any time thinking about her was enough to have her emotional anyways. But between the blanket that Lisa had embroidered with JCU 20’, Ethan’s gift of a JCU Alumni sweatshirt and Indy’s dream record player that Charlie and Devin had got her, she was teary-eyed. Her mouth fell open when Grayson came out with a giant box from the spare room - she couldn’t for the life of her figure out how he’d managed to sneak it in past her - but she didn’t care when she unwrapped it and realized it was a Mastrena.

“You bought me an espresso machine? Grayson! These things cost a fortune!”

“Yeah, but you graduated college! And now you can make lattes all the time.”

“Gray-”

“And you can make me lattes,” he teased, knowing it would take her a while to fully accept it. She just shook her head when he kissed her cheek, overwhelmed.

By the time the night was coming to a close, everyone was piled onto the couch, with Charlie and Indy on their boyfriend’s laps to make room for everyone as they watched Collateral Beauty at Indy’s request. Grayson frowned when she sniffled and held her when she cried, eyes more focused on her than the screen. And he couldn’t say he was too sad to see Lisa and Ethan say goodbye, or for Devin and Charlie to say their goodnights before they disappeared into the spare room.

The duo brushed their teeth in the sink side by side, and Grayson snapped a picture of them in the mirror with a foamy smile before they stripped down to underwear and scurried under the covers.

Indy was just as glad to have him to herself for the first time all day, and she soaked in his warmth, sighing when he pulled her closer.

“I love you. Thank you for today.”

Y-O-U-R-E-W-E-L-C-O-M-E he traced on her shoulder blade, lips on her forehead.

T-I-R-E-D?

“Why?” Grayson smirked, laughing quietly when she smacked his chest.

“It’s been a long day, that’s why.”

“For you,” he corrected.

“You had to sit around and watch me all day though.”

“You say that as if it’s something I wouldn’t enjoy. I could celebrate you everyday baby.”

She blushed at his words, burying her face in his neck.

“For someone as accomplished as you, you really suck at letting people acknowledge your accomplishments,” he teased, running his fingertips over her skin lightly. She did the same over his chest, tracing a hexagon.

“I’m… I’m not used to people being proud of me I guess.”

Grayson frowned and pulled back and looked at her, really looked in her eyes. They were still the color of the jellyfish, just a bit duller in the low light of her bedroom.

“I’m proud of you Indiana.” He paused, offering her a small smile. “But you know what? I’m not the most proud.”

Indy waited.

“Your mom. She’s gotta be the most proud of you. She’s seen every single minute you put in to get where you are right now.”

She crumpled into his chest, and the tears that had threatened her all day finally fell, hot and salty as they traveled onto his skin. It was quiet in the room for a while, and Grayson waited patiently - quietly, until she spoke again.

“I felt her today. She was there.”

“Yeah?”

“I didn’t see her or anything. But I had a dream about her the other night though, and it felt like she was really there with me. And it felt like that today too. Does that ever happen to you? With your dad?”

“Oh all the time. He’s always with me. Sometimes it’s stronger than other times - like when I’m about to do stupid shit, or make a mistake, I can hear him clear as day in my head. But it’s comforting, you know? Knowing they’re there, watching over us.”

“Yeah.” Indy’s throat was tight all over again. She wished she could have met Sean for a moment, and then she realized that in some ways, in knowing Grayson, she had.

“You know, one of the things that really stuck with me, towards the end, was something his nurse said. Her name was Charlotte, and she must have been working fucking overtime because she was always there. But one day I was in the hallway, cause I just needed a break, and she came and sat down next to me on the floor. And at that point, I mean we knew. We didn’t know when, but we knew. And she looked at me and she said ‘sweetheart, this is a gift for him. He gets so much more time with you, because he can always be with you instead of only sometimes.’ And I remember, I was so fucking mad at her, because who the fuck says that shit to someone whose about to lose their parent? But she was right. She was so fucking right.

“And while the doctors were in and out, giving us all these numbers and all these timelines and all that, Charlotte was the only one who really told me anything that mattered. I don’t know if I ever told you this, but my dad didn’t want to know anything about his… his cancer. He didn’t want to know his counts, or how much time he had left. He never asked, and she was the only one who stood by him in that, made sure that he didn’t know anything he didn’t want to. And it meant so much to him, in the end, that he had that choice. That was one of the only things he asked us to do, before he went. He told us not to cry, and he told us to take care of Ma, and Cam, but he told us to look out for Charlotte too. When we could think, we went back to the unit, asked the other nurses if there was anything she needed, and it turns out she’d been driving a 1995 Honda for a decade, and she didn’t think it would make it through the rest of the winter. We bought her an SUV, and I still don’t think she knows it was us, but I swear my dad told me which one to get for her. And he was so fucking proud.”

Indiana hung on his every word, watching him as he watched the ceiling, like he always did when he talked about his father.

“He has so much to be proud of Grayson. He helped raise a wonderful, wonderful man. The best, actually.”

Her voice snapped him out of his own head, and he turned to her quickly, worried.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to do that.”

“Hey, don’t ever apologize for that. I like hearing about your dad, and it’s good to get it out sometimes. You can tell me anything that’s on your mind, you know that.”

He looked at her, there in his arms, eyes a bit puffy from tears passed, that soft smile on her lips that was somehow more endearing than her full one, and he felt tears of his own start to prickle. He knew she meant it, knew she would be understanding, and that somehow made it worse.

What was he supposed to say? I love you so much, and I think you’re the love of my life, but our lives are completely different, and I promised I wouldn’t ask you to go to LA, and I’m terrified of losing you and I don’t want to hurt you.

His lips parted, and then he closed them again. She yawned so hard that her nose scrunched, and when she was done she curled back up against his chest, wrapping her arms around him.

“M’tired,” she mumbled, which meant she was already half asleep.

He pulled the covers over her shoulders and kissed her hair.

“I love you,” she whispered, tracing the same letters she spoke.

“I love you more.” His voice was tight as his finger moved against the back of her arm, and he turned the lamp off before any of his tears fell.

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

When Indiana woke up, Grayson’s arms were like a cage around her. Usually, they were still somewhat intertwined when they woke, but she’d never had to maneuver her way out of his arms with so much force before.

She finally managed it, and replaced herself with a pillow that he gladly pulled to his chest. Indy couldn’t help but to lean over and brush some of his floppy hair out of his eyes, staring for a moment before she pulled herself away and headed into the kitchen.

The reason for her early wake up was standing in front of the fridge, with a head of blonde hair that resembled a birds nest.

When she turned around, she looked guilty as ever.

“Shit, did I wake you up?”

“Nah,” Indy reassured her sister with a smile, moving over to the coffee machine. “It’s 10 anyways, I’m surprised I slept that long.”

Grayson had gotten her a newer version that was actually fairly quiet, but she made sure both the bedroom doors were shut before she ground the espresso for her latte, and Charlie’s flat white.

Charlie was nice enough to wait until she had her mug to bring it up.

“So.”

Indy sighed. “So.”

“You asked Patrick about insurance stuff.”

“Yes.”

“So you’re going to work there again?”

“I have to pay rent somehow, don’t I?”

“Dad pays your rent.”

“I don’t want dad to pay my rent, that’s the whole issue.”

“Okay, but you didn’t ask Patrick about salary, you asked him about insurance. For mental health specifically.”

“You know, it’s not polite to eavesdrop.”

“Are you okay? Because you know that you can always talk to me about stuff, whatever it is. And I know I’m not the best about talking about mom, but I can try, I’ve been doing better with it and-”

“Char. Stop. It’s not about mom.”

“Oh.” It was obvious by her long pause that she hadn’t considered an alternative, but Indy waited anyways.

“Then… what’s going on?”

Indy toyed with the foam on her latte with her finger, ignoring how hot it was.

“I was thinking about trying to get a handle on the plane thing.”

“Oh.”

“I don’t want it to be such a big deal for me to just, fucking fly somewhere. I gotta get over that shit.”

Charlie pondered it for a minute, and she chose her next words carefully.

“Just to fly? Or to fly to a specific place.”

Indy laughed.

“You know, you’ve never been good at subtle. You got that from mom. But no, I’m not just doing it because of Grayson.”

“Did he ask you to?”

“Of course not, he wouldn’t do that.” Charlie’s shoulders relaxed. “But he does live in LA, which means I’ve gotta be able to fly out there.”

“How often?”

“I don’t know, we haven’t really talked about it.”

“Oh. Doesn’t he leave soon though?”

“January.” She said it casually.

“Inds that’s next month.”

“We’ll figure it out.”

Charlie had a million more questions, but she held her tongue and sipped her coffee.

“I’ve gotta pack, our flight leaves in a few hours. I’m assuming you don’t have any breakfast food.”

“Actually, I do, but I’m not the breakfast chef around here.”

She sat her mug down on the counter and threw Charlie a wink before she headed back into her room as quietly as she could, sneaking up to the edge of the bed. Grayson had rolled to his stomach, something in his unconscious realizing that the pillow that he’d tossed away was in fact not his girlfriend. He almost looked too adorable to disturb.

Almost.

She went the gentle route, changing her mind on the pounce plan that she’d originally made. Instead, she crawled up the mattress and over his back, laying down on top of him with her cheek pressed to his warm shoulder.

He grunted a bit, but it turned into a sigh when she started peppering kisses along his skin.

“Mornin gorgeous,” he grumbled, eyes still closed. “What’re you doin’ back there?”

“Just hanging out.”

“Well- “ he rolled slightly, just enough to pull her over his side and onto the mattress so he could move right back with her underneath him -” maybe you should hang out down here instead.”

She relaxed into him like she always did, peppering kisses against his chest. Her hands ran over the ripples of muscles in his arms before she stopped and traced.

B-R-E-A-K-F-A

“Ahhh, so you didn’t just come in here for cuddles huh,” Grayson cut her off with a smile, quirking an eyebrow when she looked up at him.

“If you make us all avocado toast I’ll pay you in cuddles,” she offered. It puffed up Grayson’s chef alter ego just enough to convince him to get out of bed and throw some pants on. Indy stayed closed to him, soaking up the last bits of warmth from the morning as she helped him prep everything for breakfast. She could have done it, but Grayson’s pride at a very nicely laid out plate of avo toast, strawberries and honeydew was the best addition she could make. So she stuck to the coffees instead, passing over mugs as Devin appeared and Charlie followed, though she was still working on her cup from earlier.

“Well, now I see how he turned you into a breakfast person,” she said, graciously accepting a plate. They ate over quiet conversation, enjoying the last little bit of time they had before the airport and the inevitable goodbye. Grayson had bonded with the duo even more during their visit, and he was sad to see them having to leave again so soon. When Indy went to change, Grayson followed her, frowning when she didn’t pick her warmest jacket.

“It’s supposed to get really cold out, you’ll probably want your big one,” he said as subtly as he could, popping his knuckles as he spoke.

“I thought it was supposed to be a little warmer today,” she pouted. “We’re only gonna be outside to walk to the car.”

“Right, but you’re always cold. Just wear that one.” He gave her his most dazzling smile and she gave in, sliding in on before she left. Grayson was grateful that she listened - it meant he didn’t have to reveal his final graduation surprise too soon. He bit his tongue on the drive to the airport, gave out his hugs to Charlie and Devin, squeezing Indy into his side when she sniffled at the sight of her sister disappearing into the terminal.

Indy didn’t have a single suspicion until Grayson took a different turn into the city, much earlier than usual - 50th, instead of 26th.

“Bub? This is the wrong way.”

“No it isn’t.”

“We get off on 26th for the garage.”

“We aren’t going to the garage.” He couldn’t keep the smile off his face - the sheepish one that always made Indy’s heart flutter. She’d seen it so many times, but it still had the same effect on her every single time.

“Well then where are we going?” There was a childlike excitement in her voice that made Grayson laugh. He pulled her hand up to his face, kissed her skin softly.

“You’ll see.”

The first stop it seemed, was a jewelry store.

“This is not the surprise by the way, just an errand. Gotta pick up a christmas gift for mom.”

“I was gonna get her a sweater for christmas, do you think she’ll like that?”

“Li does love a good sweater. She’ll love anything you get her though, you’re the favorite.”

Indy rolled her eyes but didn’t respond as one of the workers came up and asked what they were there for. When Grayson gave his name she headed to the back and came back out with a small box.

“May I?” She asked.

Grayson nodded, waiting for her to open it. Inside was a beautiful ring, silver and delicate, with a large light blue stone in a princess cut.

“It’s beautiful,” Indy mused.

“Blue topaz. My dad’s birthstone. Mine and E’s too. You think she’ll like it?”

“Gray she’ll love it, of course she’ll love it.”

“I hope so.” His nerves were evident - he was always on a mission to make sure that his mom still had a good Christmas, although she always said all she needed was to have her kids back under her roof for the day. He paid the final portion of the ring payment and slipped the box into his pocket, waiting until they were back outside to turn to Indy with a wide smile.

“Now, we really celebrate.”

They walked hand in hand down the street. Indy kept her protests to herself - she wasn’t used to being spoiled in any way. In fact, it still made her uncomfortable when anyone spent money on her in any form, but she tried to remind herself that money didn’t mean the same thing to him as it did to her. So when they strolled up to one of the nicer restaurants in the city for a late lunch, she bit her tongue and tried not to think about the prices, following him inside to the warmth. It was dimly lit, the type of place where the host would take your coat off and pull your chair out for you.

Grayson beat him to it, fingers brushing over her shoulders while he pulled her coat off. She felt underdressed in just jeans and a sweater, but he looked at her like she hung the moon for him and him alone, and she wondered for a moment if there would ever be a day in their lives together that he couldn’t make her blush just by looking at her.

The menu didn’t even have prices next to the items, and it made Indy’s mouth dry enough for her to finish her water before the waiter even came back for their order.

Grayson noticed. He always noticed. He reached a hand across the small table for her hand, thumb running over her smooth acrylics that she’d gotten pre-graduation.

“Why are you nervous bub?”

“This place is expensive,” she explained after a moment’s hesitation.

“And graduating college a year early is a feat worth celebrating,” he reminded her, raising up his wine glass filled with water. “Despite the fact that you seem to hate being celebrated.”

“I don’t hate being celebrated. I’m just… not used to it I guess. Wasn’t a big Cross family thing, even before.”

“Well, it’s a big Dolan family thing.”

“I guess I better get used to it then.”

She clinked her glass against his as he swallowed hard, the movement of his throat hidden by the lighting. He pushed the thoughts from his head, the constant nagging he seemed to never be able to escape from, the better part of his conscience begging him to do the right thing, to tell her what he was thinking. She didn’t deserve for him to drag it out if he really was going to end things - she deserved so much more, more than he could give her with the life that he led. But every time he thought he had the courage to say something she’d reel him back in with a smile, or a witty comment, or just a look, entirely unaware of what she was doing. And he couldn’t imagine her anywhere else but the spot that she’d managed to carve out in his soul in just a few short months. He knew deep down he’d never find anyone else to fill it, but he also knew that she deserved to live the life she wanted to. A life without a boyfriend whose life interfered with hers. He just didn’t know how to reconcile with the fact that he would break her heart, and his own in the process.

So, he ignored his conscience and gave in to the selfish side of himself.

When she asked where he’d gone, he said he was planning, and it wasn’t a lie. If he was only going to have so many days with her, he wasn’t willing to sacrifice a single moment.

So he held her hand on top of the table while they waited for their food, striking up a conversation about college memories and her classmates that she would miss the most. The food was as incredible as he expected, and he made a mental note to thank Ethan for the recommendation. Grayson made sure that Indy didn’t see the inside of the bill when the waiter brought it, even being careful to slip the $200 in cash in the billfold practically under the table.

He led her back out into the cold, for once thankful for the early sunset of NYC that already had the city lights glowing against the fading sky. There was something magical about it, about existing on the streets with so many other people, knowing each one of them had their own story and life that they led. Indy people watched as Grayson led her safely down the streets, letting her cling onto his arm for comfort and warmth. It was only a few blocks until they saw the metallic flags and turned the corner to find the Rockefeller Center tree, massive and glorious in its height. It was speckled with what seemed like millions of lights, all twinkling in bright colors amongst the branches.

“Wow.”

Grayson watched the wonder on her face with a chuckle. “You’re a New Yorker, aren’t you supposed to be used to this shit?”

She smacked his arm, but kept her eyes forward. “I haven’t been to see it in years. It’s beautiful.”

He looked at her. “Yeah. Beautiful.”

He let her admire it as long as she wanted, resting his cheek against the top of her head when she leaned over on him.

“You wanna get closer?”

She frowned at him. “How?”

Grayson started walking with her in tow, down the stairs and around the plaza until he got to the ground level, fishing two tickets out of his jacket pocket for the attendant at the front of the ice rink. Indiana squeezed his arm.

“Gray. Baby, this is so sweet, but I can’t skate for shit.”

“Why am I not surprised,” he laughed, shaking his head before he kissed her forehead. “I won’t let you fall. Promise.”

They checked out their skates quickly, lacing up on one of the benches before Indy rose on wobbly feet, immediately letting out a squeal and reaching for her boyfriend. He caught her with a laugh, adjusting his own balance before they started walking to the edge of the ice. That familiar Grayson confidence was evident as he stepped on, getting his bearings before he reached out a hand for her.

“C’mon, I’ve got you. You got this, just one foot at a time.”

She grabbed both his hands and let him counteract her weight as she tried to get her footing, finally finding her balance after a moment of wobbling.

“Okay, now push off with one foot and glide with the other. Like this.”

He went to let go to demonstrate, and she clung to his hands with a squeak. “Don’t let go!”

Grayson’s cackle bounced off the ice. “Okay, okay! I’m right here, you’re good. Just try.”

Indy didn’t like not being good at things. But god was she terrible at ice skating. It didn’t matter how much instruction Grayson tried to give her, it was like it refused to translate into the movement of her legs. She was adorable when she was frustrated, but Grayson wanted it to be enjoyable for her too, so after a few laps around of watching her struggle he slid behind her, hands solid on her hips.

“Just keep your legs and feet straight, and I’ll do the rest.”

She held onto his hands as he started to push her along - she’d forgotten that he was annoyingly athletic but the feeling of actually gliding across the ice kept her from teasing him about it. It was peaceful, and despite the crowd both on the ice and above them by the tree, she felt like they were the only two in the city.

Grayson took them through the middle after they’d gone around a few times, towards the center for one pass and she squeezed his hand when they got there.

“Wait, stop!”

He turned his skates, throwing a bit of ice onto her ankles on accident, peaking over her shoulder.

“What’s up?”

“Turn me around. Please.”

He did as she asked, faster than he meant to, and it had her nails digging into his shoulders as he tried to hold her up without them both going down. She was breathing fast when he got them steady, quirking an eyebrow.

“We gotta take a picture in front of the tree!”

He obliged, pulling his phone out of his pocket and turning them slowly until the tree was behind them, snapping a few of the two of them smiling before he kissed her cheek, and then her lips, randomly pressing the button and hoping they were still in frame.

Her lips were cold against his, and tasted like the vanilla chapstick she’d put on before they’d left the restaurant. It sent tingles down the back of his neck that made him put his phone back in his pocket and pull her closer to him.

Wrong move. He’d never met someone so uncoordinated in his life, and it was the closest call of them all when her legs started to flail. His only hope of saving her from hitting the ice was to pick her up fully and hope that he could keep his balance with the sudden weight shift.

“Sorry,” she said sheepishly, clinging to his neck while he laughed.

“What am I gonna do with you,” he teased, and in a moment of confidence he dipped her down like they were dancing and kissed her again. The same tingle went down his neck, the hair there standing up, still there even when he sat her on her skates again, keeping an arm wrapped around her waist.

Above them, as if someone had turned on a machine, it began to snow. Big fluffy flakes fell around them, disappearing into Indy’s light hair and speckling the top of Grayson’s. It was magic in its simplest form, and Indy couldn’t help but beam at him.

“I love you. So much.”

“I love you more,” he said, and he meant it.

They headed off the ice a few minutes before their session expired, unlacing their boots with numb fingers that they shoved in their pockets for the walk back to the truck. As soon as they climbed in the cab Grayson blasted the heat and opened an arm for Indy to cuddle up next to him. Once they were thawed enough, Grayson proposed the idea of hot chocolate, specifically to help the fact that Indy’s teeth were still chattering. Which was how they ended up at Jet’s 40 minutes later, squished together in the blue chair by the window, watching the snow fall as they sipped peppermint hot chocolates that Patrick had given them on the house. Grayson dropped a 20 in the tip jar anyways.

The lobby was busy, with people in and out constantly, wiping the snow off their shoes as best they could on the small doormat. They shuffled through the line, a few of them sitting down for a moment to wait for their names to be called. Indy was used to the bustle, though she felt a bit guilty that she wasn’t behind the bar helping out when she had the skills to. Instead, she just smiled any time a barista looked her way, and spent the rest of her time watching the snow outside.

Grayson’s eyes were on a girl. A few girls, actually, who looked oddly familiar though he couldn’t place where he’d seen them before. They’d sat at a table towards the back of the store, having come in right behind him and Indy. But since then they’d moved forward one table, and then another, and the not so subtle way that two of them had angled their phone had that familiar prickle at the back of his neck rising again. He shifted in his chair quickly, turning his head away and attempting to do his best to block the view of Indiana.

“Hey, you ready to get outta here?”

“Did you finish already?” She asked, surprised considering her cup was still half full.

“Yeah,” he lied. “Just figured we could get home and change into some cozy pjs is all.”

“That sounds nice.” Indy moved in to kiss his cheek, and though he tried to pull away, he didn’t do it fast enough.

“You alright?”

“Yeah, I’m good.” Two for two. “Let’s just get home.”

The walk was as short as ever, but it was enough time for Indy’s mind to race. Had he been annoyed that she said something about the restaurant being expensive? Maybe he hadn’t wanted to help her ice skate - most people could at least hold themselves up on the rails at least. But he’d seemed so happy, which somehow made her feel worse, that she’d missed it somehow.

By the time they made it to the elevator, she was borderline panicking.

“Are you sure you’re okay? Did I do something?”

Her words broke Grayson out of his own thoughts, and he rushed into reassurances.

“No, it’s not you baby. It’s not, I promise.”

“Then what is it? And don’t say it’s nothing.”

“I’m good, really. Just wanted to get home.”

For the first time in her almost three months of knowing Grayson, she didn’t believe him. But she knew when to drop a subject, so she just nodded and followed him out of the elevator.

Half of Grayson’s wardrobe seemed to have migrated into Indy’s apartment, so it wasn’t hard to find cozy clothes that had them curled up together on the couch in no time. Grayson felt guilty, and tried to distract himself by running his fingers through her soft hair, tried to focus on the weight of her leaned against him. She was quiet as she scrolled through show after show, not really looking. She picked a random cooking show eventually just to fill the silence in the room, moving to lay across Graysons lap. His hand moved under her shirt, fingers still a bit cold as he ran them lightly over her skin.

She didn’t say anything, just glad to have him there with her. She traced on top of his sweatpants, shapes and words, L-O-V-E-Y-O-U and T-H-A-N-K-Y-O-U. The fabric was so thick that he could barely make out what she was writing.

“Thank you? For what?”

She rolled over so she was looking up at him. “For today. For celebrating me.”

He traced a thumb over her cheek. “You’re welcome. I love you. So much.”

“C’mere,” Indy said, reaching up for him. It took some shifting, but eventually they got settled where they were laying together on the couch, with her pressed between the cushions and his chest. She was warm as she kissed him, slow and calculated, trying to get across to him that she was there for whatever he was going through without the words. He reciprocated, but his mind was still spinning, images of the girls and their phones behind his eyelids.

The kiss faded out into cuddles which faded into an uncomfortable silence that Indy was desperate to resolve.

“What’s the update on the tiny homes? Weren’t the floor guys supposed to come in yesterday?”

“Yeah, Ethan went out there and said they were almost done. We’ve got some interior designers coming out tomorrow and then they’ll be done-done,” Grayson explained, heart rate rising as yet another opportunity to tell her came up.

“They really got those done so fast. I guess that’s a perk of a tiny home though, not much floor space to floor. How often do you guys think you’re gonna come out and stay in them?”

He licked his lips, trying to find the right words to tell her.

“Well, actually-”

His phone buzzed in his pocket - a call from Ethan.

He didn’t know whether to feel grateful or annoyed, but he fished his phone out of his pocket anyways, sliding over to answer.

“Yo.”

“Hey, mom wants to put up the christmas decs tomorrow cause she still doesn’t have them up. You remember where we put the lights?”

“Yeah, they’re in the attic I think, with the tree.”

“Well, you’re the family santa, so get your ass out here early tomorrow to hang some lights. And bring Indy too, I’ll make breakfast.”

“Don’t make breakfast, we’ll bring donuts or something.”

“Fuck you, be here at 10.”

He hung up, making Grayson roll his eyes and look down at Indy.

“You up for Christmas decorating tomorrow at home tomorrow?”

“Yeah, that sounds like fun! But I’m sure as fuck not getting on the roof.”

He kissed her forehead. “I’ll do the roof, you can do the stuff inside with Ma. Deal?”

“Deal,” she smiled, wiggling up to kiss him again, trying to chase out the rest of her worries before she curled up into his chest.

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

The snow had piled onto the sides of the highway in ugly mounds stained with dirt and asphalt drudged up by the plows. So Indy kept her eyes on the trees as they flew by, specifically the evergreens she saw, with their green bristles weighted down with white, heavy and thick.

“Are you sure you guys wanna get on the roof with all this? Won’t it be slick?”

“Nah, Dad used to do it all the time. I’ll just make E shovel while I try to find the clips we put up there last year. Besides, if I fall off I’ve got a doctor to mend me up,” he teased, squeezing her leg.

“I’m not a doctor yet.”

“Okay, well an almost doctor then. How many years until you’re actually one again?”

“11 years minimum. Well, 10 for me cause I skipped a year in undergrad. But it could be up to 16, depending on how long my residency would go.”

“And you’re gonna do it all through JCU?”

“Yeah, that’s the plan right now,” she mumbled, eyes still focused out the window.

“Hey,” he got her attention, waiting for her to turn to him. “You’re gonna be an amazing doctor someday. You’re gonna help so many people. Just having you in the room, doing the little things for people, that’s gonna mean more to those people than you even realize. They’re gonna be really lucky to have you.”

The sentiment seemed to arise out of nowhere, but she still blushed at his kind words. “The little things are actually more the nurses, but thank you.”

He let her watch the trees for the rest of the drive, and she was so focused on them that she barely noticed Ethan already on the roof when they pulled in.

He had a bright orange shovel in his hands, the scoop full of snow that he began to swing back and forth once they stepped out of the car, shoes crunching the snow below them.

“Don’t you dare!” Indy called, but it was too late. The snow was already flying and she squealed, grabbing Grayson and pulling him out of the way while it rained down right where they had been standing.

A moment later and Lisa was outside, hands on her hip with the menacing energy only a mom could produce.

“Ethan Grant! That’s how you fall and bust your fucking head open! Knock it off!”

Grayson bit back a laugh when Ethan kicked a tiny bit more snow off the edge so it sprinkled down by Lisa.

“Will you get up there before he falls off please?” She turned to Grayson, exasperated. “Indy, come in, it’s cold.”

It was Indiana’s turn to laugh when Lisa hooked their arms together and led her into the house, leaving Grayson out in the snow. He grabbed the lights that Ethan had already gotten out, looping his arm through before he headed up the ladder at the lowest point of the roof.

“I’ve already done the other side of the house, so I’m just here for moral support and to save your ass if I need to, my job is done,” Ethan explained, moving over to a spot by the chimney to sit down.

“Oh yeah, you shoveled on a downhill slope, the horror,” Grayson muttered, but in all honesty he would rather do the lights himself anyways.

They talked about the tiny homes and the final touches they needed while Grayson moved around the roof carefully, trying to counteract his balance when he got closer to the edge, cursing his mom silently for having roofs so high that they couldn’t do it from the top of a ladder.

The front of the house went without incident, and Ethan begrudgingly helped by holding the extra lights while Gray strung them. But when Ethan went down the ladder to get the next strand to connect, he took a minute too long to come back up. Grayson tried to use what little patience he was born with, but it fizzled out quickly, making him stomp across the roof to the edge.

“Yo, what the fucks taking so long?”

“Gray.”

“Can you not find them or what?”

“Grayson.”

He didn’t like the tone of his brother’s voice.

“What? What happened?”

“Come down here.”

Grayson took the ladder so quickly that his feet almost slipped, but he was at his brother’s side in a moment, taking his phone that he had outstretched.

His stomach dropped into the snow under his feet as he began to scroll with a numb thumb. There were pictures. So many pictures, and Indy was in every single one of them. Tweet after tweet with different screenshots of the two of them - looking at the tree, ice skating, sitting in Jets, even walking down the street. He pieced it together, realized that the reason the girls had looked familiar was because they’d followed them.

“Fuck. Fuck.”

Bile rose in his throat when he found a video, zoomed in as far as it would go with surprising quality as he pushed Indy along on the ice, towards the middle of the rink. He watched her squeeze his hands and laugh, watched himself turn her around so they could get their picture, watched himself kiss her cheek and her lips.

He didn’t want to read, but he couldn’t help himself. There were a few familiar handles that talked about how happy they were for him, but the majority of it was exactly what he expected.

So much for ‘working on himself’ he’s back on the constant girlfriend trend

Didn’t think she was his type but okayyyyy I guess 🥴

When we said we didn’t want Grayson to end up with an LA girl, we didn’t mean ~that~

Her insta is indiana.jamie, i’ve never even heard of her

The worst was a two set of images from Jet’s, where her face was in plain view. The second one had edited lighting, and was zoomed in on his pocket, with the text above it.

Look I know I sound crazy but WTF IS IN HIS POCKET? IS THAT A RING BOX? GRAY BABY NOOOOOOO

“Fuck.” He couldn’t find another word, and Ethan was no help. A call from Adele came in on his phone, and E looked at him for approval. He just nodded and let him answer, turning away and heading into the house, not even bothering to clean his boots.

“Dee! Indiana!”

“In here!” She called back and he jogged into the living room, not realizing he was breathless until he got there and saw that the tree had been assembled. She had an ornament in her hand when he ran in and she put it on the tree quickly, her stomach tightening at the look on his face.

“What happened? Are you okay?”

“Where’s your phone, have you looked at your phone?”

“It’s over there, it’s just been playing music. Baby what’s wrong?”

He ran over to it, muttering out a ‘shit’ when the screen lit up, both at the flood of notifications and the fact that her lockscreen had changed to their picture from the ice.

“Woah.” She took her phone from him, unlocking it and heading after all the notifications on instagram. “Holy shit. I got 3,500 new followers, what the fuck?”

“Indy, I’m so fucking sorry. I’m so sorry.”

She closed her phone and looked at him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “For what?”

“I should have thought about it, there’s not usually paps in New York, I didn’t even think about fans, and now everyone’s tweeting a bunch of bullshit about you, I’m just, fuck, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

“Slow down,” she murmured, hand moving to his face. She saw Lisa leave the room out of the corner of her eye, but she kept looking at Grayson. “It’s okay. We knew this was going to happen.”

“They saw the ring box in my pocket in some of the pictures, they probably think we’re fucking engaged, and they’re gonna be relentless. Every time you get online you’re gonna see some bullshit about you because of me.”

“Gray, it’s alright. It’s okay, I can handle it.”

“No, you can’t, nobody can, it’s gonna get to you. If you say it doesn’t effect you, you’re fucking lying.” He ran his hands through his hair and then down over his face, sucking in a breath that Indiana recognized.

“Gray, don’t cry. Look, look.” She unlocked her phone again, exited instagram and held down until it shook, deleting it quickly from her phone. “I don’t even post much anyways. And I don’t have a twitter, I’m not gonna see what they say about me. I don’t care, I promise you I don’t.”

Her gut told her a different story. Though it wasn’t her favorite quality of herself, Indy liked to be liked. It was natural, but she sought validation from other people more than she wanted to, and it made her dangerously curious to see what had caused such a visceral reaction in her boyfriend.

“I’m sorry,” he said again, dropping his head. She got up on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

“It’s okay. We’re okay. It’s not your fault.”

And for the first time in his almost three months of knowing Indiana, he didn’t believe her.

#WOOOOOO #I hope you guys like it!#let me know what you think pls :')#mixtape #grayson dolan #grayson dolan fanfiction #grayson dolan fanfic

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persephonesfill · 4 years ago

Text

choke on me—chapter three

breathe me in (prequel fic)

chapter two

chapter four

a/n: no you did not read that wrong, this is chapter three. i’m not dead. 2020 did not kill me. this is a bit of a filler chapter but chapter four should be up before the month’s over. if not, yell at me, i won’t mind.

rating: pretty gen this time but don’t worry chapter five is a goddamn trip

warning(s): n/a

—————

Despite being on opposite sides of the country, Tony and Pepper talk more often than people think. Pep’s an early riser, and Tony hasn’t gotten a good night’s sleep since he was born, so it balances out.

“I should tell you to go to sleep,” Pepper says, sighing. “But I miss the sound of your voice too much.” She’s sitting at the island, a cup of coffee in hand. She had pulled her hair into a bun and still has her reading glasses on, the red ones that she hates because she thinks she looks like someone's grandmother.

Tony loves seeing her like this. Loose and comfortable with him. After they broke up, a part of him worried that things would be strained between them. He should have known that was impossible.

“I don’t know whether to be happy or insulted,” Tony says.

“Both,” Pepper says. “Your sleeping habits are abysmal.”

Tony shrugs and takes a sip of his own coffee. He had always had issues with sleep. He woke up frequently throughout the night and would only start feeling sleepy around two in the morning to the point where attempting to sleep at all felt like a waste of time. Give him a cup of coffee with four shots of espresso, and he'd be good to go.

“You can’t deny that I’m more productive, though,” he says.

“Okay, you do work hard,” Pepper admits, pursing her lips. “But you work too hard. When’s the last time you had a day to yourself that you didn’t spend in your workshop?”

Usually, Tony's quick with a quip, but Pepper's question makes him pause. Last week, Steve asked Tony if he wanted to join him on his run around Bryant Park, and what had Tony said? "No." Like an idiot. It's not that he hadn't wanted to go; it was just that between SI and Avengers business and—

Tony was making excuses. Even he could see that. Hook-ups? Hook-ups Tony could do, specialized in, even, but Steve's question had ventured dangerously into "date" territory. The last time Tony had tried to seriously date was when he was with Pepper, and that had been a piping hot mess in the end.

"Tony? Hello? I swear to God if you've just been using your life model decoy on me, I'm going to fly directly to Manhattan just to—"

"What? No!" He says, raising his hands. Hell hath no fury like a Pepper scorned. "I'm here, in the flesh. I just got...distracted. I guess I haven't really taken a day for myself."

Pepper sets her mug down and levels him with a stern look that puts him in the mind of a school principal.

"Tony," she says in that way of hers that usually means she's worried about him, and Tony's heart twists. "Is everything okay?"

Tony's not a liar, but he does believe in omitting information.

"Everything's as good as I can hope for, Pep. I'm going to therapy, and I'm still taking my meds. You know how it is," he says, shrugging. "Some days are better than others."

Pepper nods, looking a little less concerned, which is all Tony can ask for. "And the others? They're not bothering you?"

It takes him a second, but Tony realizes that she's talking about the Avengers. He shakes his head. "They're fine. It's...weird living with so many people," he says. Tony had lived alone for half of his life now, aside from that brief stint in Malibu with Pepper. "They leave coffee grounds in the sink, and last week, Romanov and Barton convinced JARVIS to play Iron Man every time I went into my workshop and—"

"You like them, don't you?" Pepper says. It's not a question.

He does like them. The entire time he had been complaining about them, he knew his face had been stretched into a grin.

"Maybe so. It's refreshing having another scientist to go mad with," he says, smiling devilishly when Pepper pales.

"Oh, God, you've corrupted Bruce. There's two of you now."

"Okay, I take offense to that," he interjects. "Bruce keeps me in line, promise.”

“Give him my thanks,” Pepper says. "Is it just Bruce? What about the others? How do you feel about them?"

He speaks without thinking, something you'd think wouldn't happen so often to a literal genius. "Steve's been...Steve's been good." More than good, actually.

Pepper raises a brow. "It's Steve now? What happened to Rogers? Capsicle? Any other one of your incessant nicknames?"

He's been caught. Lying isn't even an option; Pepper would sniff out the truth like a bloodhound. She was like Natasha in that way. If those two ever team up again, Tony feels sorry for whichever poor soul they set their sight on.

His only choice is to play it cool. "First off, you know you love my nicknames, case in point, Pepper," he says, knowing damn well she hadn't gone by Virginia since she started working for him. "And…it's Steve now. He's not so bad when you get to know him."

Pepper looks unconvinced, but mercifully, she lets it go. "Hmm. You guys are friends now?"

No. Never. Not even close.

"What can I say?" Tony gives her his cheesiest grin. "I wore him down."

She rolls her eyes, but it's all in good fun. "Well, then, I'm happy for you. You deserve all the love that comes your way."

"Ugh, don't get all sappy on me," he jokes, even though his heart spasms in his chest. He doesn't love the Avengers, and he doesn't—

He doesn't love Steve either.

And they don't love him back.

Pepper's eyes soften. "Tell you what," she begins, "since you're so adamant on working too hard to have some fun, how about I do it for you?"

Tony latches onto the change of subject like the lifeline it is. "What do you have in mind?"

"Carmen Solomita is doing a fundraiser event for A Helping Hand. Does that sound up your alley?"

Carmen Solomita was an old friend from his prep school years. A fellow gifted kid, and the daughter of the iconic Italian husband-wife fashion designer duo, Isabela and Marcello Solomita, it was a no brainer that Tony and Carmen would become friends.

She had followed in her parents' footsteps, designing luxury clothes and even starting her own separate fashion house right here in Manhattan.

“What’s she doing this year?” he asks.

“She’s organizing a week-long carnival in upstate New York for local orphanages. Think you or any of the others would be interested in working a booth?” Pepper says. “Having all of the Avengers show up would drum up a lot of publicity.”

Tony furrows his brows. A carnival does sound fun, and he has no problems with running a booth. It’s the others that are a problem.

“Don’t you think six, let alone one Avenger, would take away from the cause? And that’s if they even agree to it.”

Pepper raises her hands. “Just throwing it out there. Again, you need a break. And think of the kids when they see your faces.”

Tony’s face wrinkles. So, maybe, he has a soft spot for orphans. He still can’t help but feel like Pepper has some ulterior motive.

“I’ll ask,” Tony says, caving. “And if they say no, I’m not forcing them to go. Tell Carmen she’s getting one Avenger, at the least.”

“Yes! I knew you’d come around.”

“I hate you.”

“Love you too, Tony.”

***********

Tony broaches the topic of Carmen’s carnival at dinner and immediately braces himself for the worst. He’s not a pessimist by any means, but he sure as hell doesn’t expect the best from people whenever he asks them for a favor.

There’s a pause as they take the time to ponder over what he said, long enough to make Tony squirm.

God, why did he even ask? He should have just told Pepper that the others were all unavailable or—

“What kind of carnival?” Clint asks, breaking Tony out of his reverie.

"I'm sorry," Tony blinks. "Are you actually considering this?"

Clint shrugs. "What's not to like? Just want to know what we'd be doing."

"Um, okay," Tony says. He's never, never been at a loss for words in his life, and yet...

"We'd just be running booths, meet and greets, that sort of stuff. Nothing too crazy," Tony says. Pretty run of the mill stuff for a fundraising event.

"And the charity, A Helping Hand, was it?" Natasha says. "One of yours?"

"No," he replies. "Carmen Solomita's. She's big on philanthropy, always trying to help out in some way or another. She's always been like that."

"Solomita?" Natasha asks. "Fashion designer Carmen Solomita?"

"That's the one," he says, some of his initial anxiety ebbing away. They weren't saying no. Not yet. Or maybe they were just trying to let him down gently.

"She an old flame of yours?" Clint says, and Tony tries to ignore how quickly Steve's head turns to look at him.

"No," Tony says immediately, putting an end to any questions before they can begin. "We've been friends since high school. It'd be like dating my sister." Not to mention Carmen had known him when he had still been under five feet and had a mouth full of metal. Any attraction on her part had either never existed or died as soon as Tony had opened his mouth.

"Hm," Natasha says. Tony's still learning how to speak Natasha fluently, but it's apparently enough for Clint.

"Alright, I'm in," he says. "Dibs on the sharpshooting booth."

"You can't call dibs on a booth," Natasha says, rolling her eyes. "And it's mine."

"I'll arm wrestle you for it."

"No," Tony says, pointing a finger at them. "The last time you two arm-wrestled at this table, you split it in half. You'll be assigned whatever booth is available."

Clint grumbles something under his breath, and Tony closes his eyes.

"I think you annoyed Mom," Natasha whispers, and really, for a spy, she sucks at being quiet.

But if he was mom, who was dad?

"Enough, you guys," Steve says, backing him up. "Stop messing around."

"Thank you," Tony says, massaging his temple, trying to stop his stress headache before it begins."It's like having children."

"Am I your favorite?" Clint asks with a shit-eating grin on his face.

"No, it's Bruce," he answers immediately, his voice deadpan.

"...You answered that insultingly fast."

"You asked," Tony says. "Speaking of Bruce, Brucie, you've been quieter than normal. What's going on in that brilliant head of yours?"

Tony doesn't want to put him on the spot, but he knows Bruce will just try his best to brush his problems under the rug.

Bruce is staring down at his plate, poking absentmindedly at his pasta with his fork. "I don't think I should go," he says.

"And why not?" Thor, of all people, asks. The god levels Bruce with a heavy stare. "You deserve to amuse yourself like the rest of us."

"Is that a joke?" Bruce says, throwing his fork down, sending it clattering against his plate. "Do you really think unleashing a big green rage monster at a carnival with children present is a bright idea?"

"Where's this monster you speak of?" Thor says. "I don't see one."

"Come on," Bruce mutters.

"I don't see one, either," Tony says. "I see a genius nuclear physicist who moonlights as an equally amazing superhero."

"And I see a kind, honest man who would never harm anyone intentionally," Steve says, jumping in.

Bruce purses his lips but based on the flush spreading across his face, Tony can tell they're wearing him down.

Oddly enough, it's Natasha who reels him in. "I've seen a lot of monsters in my life, Banner. You're not one of them."

Bruce chuckles, but it's not a happy sound. Tony's familiar with it enough to know that it's chock full of bitterness.

"I'll be there with you," Thor says, his voice a soft timber. "I won't let anything happen to you. None of us will."

"...It's not me you should be worrying about," Bruce says. "But...if you're going...I guess it'll be fine."

Thor smiles, looking every inch the god he is. "We'll have a grand time, Doctor Banner."

Dinner ends quickly after that, the others petering off until it's just Steve and Tony left sitting at the table.

Tony's glad the Avengers are helping him out, honestly. It's just...the thought of six Avengers...around young, impressionable children…

"Oh, God," he says aloud, burying his face into his hands.

He can hear Steve stand up, rounding up the dishes left behind. "It's not going to be that bad," he says.

"We don't know that," Tony says, his voice muffled. He looks up to see Steve raising a judgmental brow at him. "I'm letting not one, but two master assassins, the Hulk, and a fucking god, interact with children."

"They'll be on their best behavior," Steve says. "Thor said he'll keep an eye on Bruce, and I know for a fact that wherever Clint goes, Natasha's gonna follow and vice versa."

"And that doesn't worry you?"

"No, because I actually have faith in our teammates. Clint's not gonna peg a kid with an arrow just because he feels like it. He's not the type."

Tony sighs but damn it, Steve's right. He's always right. Tony doesn't know much about Clint's life before SHIELD and the Avengers, but he knows it wasn't pretty. Seemed to be a common theme amongst their little team.

"Must have a shitty parental figure in order to be a superhero," he thinks to himself.

He rises out of his seat and grabs the few dishes that remain. Tony helps Steve load up the dishwasher. He tries not to think about how domestic it all feels, how it's practically become routine for Tony and Steve to look after the others and put away their dishes. He doesn't know what it means, but he has the strangest feeling that Pepper is smiling to herself halfway across the country.

***********

Carmen's beyond delighted when Tony gives her the good news over the phone the next day. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Her voice still does that weird squeaky thing when she gets really excited.

"One more thank you, and you're going to rupture my eardrum," he says, holding his phone to his ear. He's making breakfast, which for him consists of swiping a yogurt cup and spoon from the kitchen.

"I'll stop shouting," she says, which is a complete lie. "I just can't believe the Avengers are going to be at my fundraiser!" Case in point.

There's still that gnawing pit in his stomach at the thought of the Avengers running rampant around a carnival, but they could use the publicity. Maybe it'd calm down some of those Daily Bugle conspiracy theorists who thought that the Avengers were Chitauri shapeshifters who actually started the invasion. Tony has a video of J. Jonah Jameson screaming about it saved to his phone whenever he needs a good laugh.

"I know, I'm amazing," Tony says around a mouthful of yogurt.

"You are, and I will literally owe you for the rest of my life," she replies.

"I want your firstborn child," Tony says.

"Done," Carmen says without missing a beat. "That's how serious I am."

He can't help but chuckle to himself. Talking to Carmen was always so fun. She had the same (admittedly dorky) sense of humor as him. He remembered the days when they sit in the back of their homeroom, laughing at each other's stupid jokes over the morning announcements while their teacher gave them death glares. They kept in touch after graduation but not enough for Tony's tastes.

"But seriously, how does it feel to be a superhero? You guys all live together, don't you? Oh my God, you're just like firefighters. Do you have a little pole you slide down when there's an emergency? Ooh, is there an alarm—"

"Carmen, cool it before you pop a blood vessel," he says, mentally filing away the idea to add a pole leading directly to the tower's hangar. "And I promise you can grill them when you see them at the carnival."

"I'm holding you to that, Stark."

"Figured you would."

"Smart boy," Carmen says. "Any questions, comments, or concerns you want to pass along?"

"Actually," Tony begins, his brain chugging along at its usual speed of light. "I have some requests…"

Two weeks later, the look on everyone else's face when Tony presents them with the matching t-shirts he designed is more than worth the hour of alone time he promised her with Natasha.

“She’s so mysterious,” Carmen had said over the phone. “Tony, I need to see if she’s as calculating as she comes off.”

“Why,” he had said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Why would you do that?”

“Because I’m bisexual and have no sense of self-preservation. It’s why we’re friends,” she had chirped.

He didn't blame her, though. Had he not jumped at every chance to hook up with Steve like his teenage self would have wanted?

"Is this another one of your strange Midgardian customs?" Thor says, holding the t-shirt out in front of him. They're done up in his signature hotshot red, of course with Carmen's charity, A Helping Hand on the front, but the back is the real masterpiece. Under the words, Super Helper was a personalized emblem meant to represent each one of the Avengers. Mjolnir for Thor, Cap's Shield for Steve, a bow and arrow for Clint, and so on so forth.

"...Is it weird that I kind of actually like these?" Clint whispers to Natasha, who's tracing the lines of her hourglass on her shirt.

"You would like them," she says.

Tony blinks. "I can...get us normal shirts?"

"Nope, too late," Clint says, shrugging his shirt on over the long sleeve he had been wearing. "I've already grown attached.”

Tony looks at each of them head-on, noting the way Natasha’s slender fingers dance over the cotton and Thor’s curious gaze as he inspects the true to life runes Tony had painstakingly copied from the real-life Mjolnir. Bruce looks at the fist clutching the beaker on his shirt like it holds all the secrets to the universe, and Steve—Steve’s not looking at the shirt at all. He’s looking at Tony. Of course, he is.

Tony's always liked puzzles, and right now, the biggest puzzle of them all is what exactly made Steve's face go slack, his eyes all clear and soft and staring directly at him.

Tony shakes his head, clearing his head of puzzles and Steve and piercing stares.

"So," Tony says, "we're good to go?"

Later on, when they're all piled into Tony's limo like they're going on a field trip, Steve texts him even though they're sitting right next to each other.

It's just four words, but it's enough to make Tony blush. He facepalms, under the pretense of annoyance at something one of the others had said.

"I'm proud of you," follows him all the way to upstate New York.

#stony #steve rogers #tony stark #stevetony #steve x tony #superhusbands #marvel #mcu #imperialstark fic #my fic #my writing #choke on me

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gansey-just-gansey · 3 years ago

Text

The Princess and the Half Bloods part seven

They drove to Leo’s house first. When they pulled up, the garage door was open, showing an old car and a pair of legs sticking out from underneath it. Percy rolled the window down.

“Hey Ms. Valdez. Is Leo even awake yet?” Percy called out.

“Yes, I just saw him eating.” A woman emerged from the depths of the car, t-shirt and jeans splattered with oil and grease. “Leo!” she yelled. “Percy y una chica estan aqui! Ven aqui!”

“Yo se, Mama. I heard them pull up,” Leo said, appearing in the doorway to the house. “Estamos ir a la casa de Jason. Don’t wait up, okay?”

“Toma tu tarea, por favor. I don’t want you to fall behind, mijo.”

“Si, Mama,” he sighed, shoving his backpack into the backseat ahead of him. “Let’s get out of here before she starts looking up what schoolwork I’m missing and makes me play catch up on that, too.” Percy pulled out of the driveway with a wave at Ms. Valdez.

“Do you have homework you need to get done?” Annabeth asked.

“Yeah, but it’s not important. We practice pretty much the whole day so I won’t even have time to do it, were I inclined to.”

“I promised Chiron I would keep you guys on track with school. You can’t fail and get grounded and miss a night at The Big House.”

“Well Saturdays are off limits, we definitely have to keep up with our practices,” Percy interjected. “And Sundays are usually working on developing songs.”

“When do you typically do homework then?”

Percy and Leo shared a look in the rearview mirror. “Whenever I have the spare time,” Percy said with a shrug.

“I see. So you just don’t, right?” she asked, exasperated.

“Not usually, no,” he admitted.

Annabeth sighed. “Piper, Hazel, and Frank meet up with me on Tuesdays so we can work on our homework together. I’ll help with anything you need. We usually go to a coffee shop but all seven of us would take up a lot of room. I’ll have to talk to Piper about letting us use her house instead.”

“If we have to study, a tricked out mansion isn’t a bad place to do it in,” Leo said, perking up.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. “So how long does practice last?”

“You’ll be getting home pretty late, if that’s okay with you. The garage has been soundproofed after a lot of complaints from Jason’s neighbors, so we can practice well into the night without having to worry about keeping anyone up,” Percy explained.

“That’s fine with me, I don’t think my dad is expecting me back for dinner anyway.”

They pulled up to the Grace house, parking behind the van on the street. Jason came out to meet them as they got out.

“Hey guys, girl,” he said, nodding to Annabeth.

“Unlock the van, I need to make sure my baby remains unscathed,” Leo called, pulling on the back door of the vehicle.

“Your girlfriend is just fine, Leo,” Jason said, but pulled out his keys and unlocked the doors anyway. Leo started checking over his drum set. “Everything is all set up for practice, just gotta get the drums in there.”

“Cool,” Percy said. He went around to the trunk of his car and grabbed his guitar. “We’re going to do a playthrough of all our songs and covers for Annabeth today.”

“Sounds like a plan. Mom is out for the day, possibly the night. Either way, I doubt we’ll see her.” It was only a little bitter. Annabeth wondered at the relationship there, but didn’t feel it would be appropriate for her to ask.

She followed Percy and Jason into the garage, leaving Leo to struggle with the drum set on his own after he insisted she let him carry it himself. The other two started checking that their guitars were tuned while they waited. Annabeth booted up her laptop and started setting up a YouTube channel for them. She created a new email for the band and used it to make the account.

Piper texted her while Leo was finishing putting up the drums: Are you awake? The band was a hit, obviously.

Yeah, she sent back. I’m at their practice right now. Setting up social media for them before they start at the bar.

The reply came almost immediately. Without me???? Annabeth chuckled.

“What’s so funny?” Percy inquired.

“Piper. Hey, is it cool if she comes and helps me set up all this social media for you guys? She’s like, a PR goddess.”

“Yes. Yeah, of course. She’s totally welcome here,” Jason stuttered out.

Annabeth texted Piper the address with no explanation and put down her phone in favor of the computer. She didn’t have to wait long before her phone was buzzing with another text from Piper.

I’m here but no one else is? I’ve been ringing the doorbell for like five minutes.

“Oops, shit,” Annabeth muttered as she got up from the beanbag she had taken over when she came in.

The boys all looked up from their instruments. “Something wrong?” Percy asked.

“Piper,” she said as she opened the door that exited to the front yard. “Hey, we’re back here. Sorry, it’s soundproofed.”

“There you are,” Piper said. “I was beginning to think they had kidnapped and murdered you.”

“Not yet. I think they were just about to start, yeah?” It turned into a question at the end as she looked toward the band.

“Yeah. We’re going to start with our covers. Ready?” Percy asked the others. They murmured their assent and it was quiet for a minute until they started playing. The first song they played was After Midnight again. Percy winked at her just before he started singing.

Most of their covers were songs that Annabeth knew, Blink 182 and Sum 41 and the entirety of the Green Day album that Percy said had inspired him to start playing. There were a few she didn’t recognize, some from a band called Waterparks that Annabeth vowed to listen to when she had the free time because The Half Bloods played them so perfectly, and some from Taking Back Sunday, New Found Glory, and other bands she’d never even heard of. She was glad for their long list of covers that they could pull songs from to play during their sets so they didn’t play the same songs every weekend. They could play a couple original songs and a bunch of covers each time and people wouldn’t get bored.

Annabeth watched them play, making a note in her phone of each song. When they took breaks for water and just giving their arms a rest, Piper and Annabeth busied themselves with setting up an account on every major social media platform for them. She added them all to a group chat and sent the login info for all the accounts. Piper took a picture of them while they were playing and set it as their profile picture.

“Until we can get a professional in, it’ll do,” she said, nodding to herself.

They took a longer break once they’d exhausted their list of covers. It was already near dinner time, so they all piled into Jason’s van and went through the Wendy’s drive through. The boys refused to let the girls pay and split the bill three ways as a thanks for the work they were doing.

“So we were talking,” Percy said once they were back in the garage and eating, “and we were thinking that we’re going to use the extra ten percent you wouldn’t take for things for the band. Like the photoshoot you were talking about and like recording time and stuff.”

“That’s actually a very good idea,” Annabeth approved. She probably should’ve thought about that herself.

“Would you mind taking care of that money? I’d probably lose it or accidentally spend it.”

“I can put it in a separate account that’s only for band stuff. I’ll probably be the one booking everything anyway so I might as well. I’ll go make the bank account this week.”

“You’re a godsend,” Jason said with his mouth full of fries. Piper laughed and he tried to quickly swallow it all but only choked. She laughed harder as Leo pounded on his back.

“Okay, enough fucking around. Let’s get playing our originals,” Percy said, grabbing his guitar. Annabeth settled deeper into the beanbag she had claimed. Her part of the job was over for the day and she could truly enjoy watching the band play their originals with no distractions.

They played their whole CD through, followed by a couple others that they hadn’t had an opportunity to record. Percy and Jason were perfect, their voices harmonizing beautifully. Leo was a beast, slamming out the beats with no more than a thirty second break between songs.

Things slowed and relaxed as they started playing parts of unfinished songs and suggesting changes and additions. Jason nailed down a bridge for one song and Leo played around with a solo until it was up to his standards, then pushed it a little farther, a little faster. Percy strummed and hummed mostly to himself in one of the corners, trying to find words to fit his little riff. Annabeth watched, enraptured, as they worked their magic. Piper spent most of the time setting up little details like bios on the social media accounts and circling the boys to take more pictures for Instagram. She handed her phone over to Annabeth so she could pick out which pictures were good enough to post. She sent the ones she liked to herself so she could post them.

Eventually Piper had to leave because her dad was supposed to fly home early tomorrow to spend the week with her before setting off for another film next weekend. After she left, Annabeth put up the pictures on Insta and Facebook, then turned off her phone and leaned her head back. The music that The Half Bloods played wasn’t exactly lullaby material, but the party the night before had really taken it out of her and she’d been on the whole day since she woke up. She drifted off.

She woke to Percy gently shaking her. “Hey, it’s time to go. We’re finished for the night.”

The bean bag was not the most comfortable thing she’d ever slept on, leaving her with a stiff neck and heavy arms. She blinked blearily and stood, grabbing for her bag, but Percy already had it packed and slung over his shoulder. She smiled sleepily at him, and Percy responded with a brilliant one of his own, grabbing her hand to guide her clumsy limbs to the car.

“Could you carry my shit, too?” Leo called after them. “I’m not holding your hand, though.”

“Get your shit in the car and let’s go,” Percy said, flipping him off. Leo grumbled to himself about how he was tired too but got in the car after Percy had deposited her safely in the passenger seat.

As they drove Leo home, Annabeth pulled out her phone to check notifications on the band accounts. They already had three followers: Piper, Hazel, and Frank. Piper must’ve texted the others.

There was another post in addition to the pictures of the band playing that she didn’t remember making. She clicked on it, worried that she had accidentally posted something that wasn’t meant for the official account.

“Late night band practice. Catch us live @thebighouse every Friday and Saturday starting this weekend!” the caption read. It was a picture of Annabeth, curled up on the bean bag, asleep. Percy crouched next to her with a smirk, one hand making the peace sign and the other taking the picture.

Annabeth smiled to herself and watched the houses fly by as Percy sped away.

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hermankopusortizorsumshite · 4 years ago

Text

Chapter Two

Present Day-Coming Home

TW: Angel is an angsty prick

Present Day

She packs her last bag and grabs her things. She was going home today. EZ was being released today and she didn’t want to miss it. Getting on her bike, she clips on her helmet and rides for Santo Padre. Her first stop is Pop’s Carniceria.

“Excuse me, por favor! Can I get two hamborguesas?” She asks, tapping the counter. As pop turns to face her, he smiles so wide she can barely see his twinkling eyes.

“Chiquita! Excuse me, folks. My daughter is here.” He grins as he slides around the counter to grip her so tightly in a hug that she can’t breathe. “Chiquita, we’ve missed you so much.” He murmurs. “You came home to see Ezekiel?” He asks.

“Si, Pop. Of course, mi mejor amigo. Mi hermano.” She smiles, letting him lead her to a seat.

“EZ! Come out from back there! Take off your apron!” He calls, getting back to the customers. Her nerves overwhelming her as she waits for him. He was her best friend, he’d accidentally killed a cop, but she loved him like a brother. She loved him more than most. She watches the back cooler door as it swings open, revealing a taller, buzz cut man, with a goatee and large arms and chest. He was much thicker than she remembered. Prison would do that. She nods to herself.

“Pop! I was almost done with the roas— oh my god!” He shouts, rushing her, lifting her out of the chair and swinging her around as if they were young again. “Chiquita!” He whispers, holding tight to her as he places her back on her feet.

“I was thinking about moving home, ya know?” She coughs, looking to Pop and the Ezekiel.

“Move home? For real?” He asks, eyeing her.

“Si, mi hermano. Is that okay?” She asks, looking between him and Pop once more.

“Si Si Si! You can stay with me!” Pop responds before she says anything else.

“Oh pop, I don’t want to —“

“Impose? Sweet girl, you could never.” He assures, gripping her shoulder. “Dinner at my place. You can have your old bedroom.” He smiles, patting her back.

“Yeah, after she moves Angel’s shit out of it.” Pop chuckles with Ezekiel at the inside joke that she didn’t understand.

“Why is Angel’s stuff in my old bedroom?”

“Chiquita- sometimes Angel would go in there that first few weeks after you left just to sit. Sometimes he even fell asleep there. He really missed you Chiquita. No one challenged him, or made him as mad as you did.” Pop nods, shooing them out of the restaurant. “You two go catch up! Start dinner! I’ll call Angel!” Pop calls as they scurry out the door like a couple of teenagers.

“He really slept in my room?” EZ nods, hopping on his bike and looking for her car. With a huge smile, he watches her climb on her own Harley with ape hanger handles and kicks it to life. They race back to Pop’s, EZ only winning because she got stopped at a light.

“You ran that red light!” She shouts as she places her helmet on the handlebar.

“Yeah? So?” He shrugs as he grabs her bags off the bike.

“You cheated, Chico!” She retorts, playfully shoving him up the steps into the house. “I’ll get it.” She assures, taking her bags up the stairs to her room. She remembered as if it were yesterday, Angel standing at the top of the stairs while EZ carried her bags and she followed him up the stairs to her room, right next to EZ’s. With a smile, she starts up the stairs and swings open her door. Everything was put away neatly in it’s spots, except for the black and red blanket heaped on the end of the bed and the grey pillow there. It was so odd that he’d sleep in her room. She didn’t understand why, he hated her so much that he didn’t want to know she existed, yet when she left; he chased her to the bus station, and when she was gone, he slept in her room.

“Weird, huh?” EZ asks from behind her.

“Yeah, a little.” She nods, grabbing the blanket and pillow and heading down the hall. Swinging open his door, she tosses the items onto his bed and shut the door. Heading back into her room, she unpacks her first duffel of jeans and shorts but when she starts to unpack the second one, she curses loudly. “Are you fucking kidding?” The duffel was full of old clothes she meant to throw out. Not her shirts.

“What’s the matter?” EZ asks from the doorway.

“I threw out the wrong duffel, Chico.” She nips, tossing the bag to the ground.

“You wanna piss off Angel?” He asks, and she greets him with a dangerous smirk. They were evil when put together. She packed all her old clothes into his dresser and took out all his older tee shirts and button ups. They laugh and cackle as they hoard his clothes to her room.

“They might need a little love, but they’ll work.” She laughs, grabbing a pair of scissors and cutting off the bottom half of the shirt and the neckline, making a cropped tee.

“That’s impressive, Esme!” He nods as they head down to the kitchen to start dinner. She knows he’ll recognize the shirt. A part of her hopes he gets real mad. Pop comes into the kitchen and a joins them. They’re dancing around the kitchen with dinner completely done when a knock echoes at the front door.

“I got it!” She shouts, all but sprinting to the front door and swinging it open before skipping back to the kitchen. Her pounds against her chest in anticipation. It has been so long since she’d seen him. Angel watches the petite woman skip through the doorway and his eyes follow her, a small smile on his lips. She reminds him so much of her, her happiness like an infection.

“Yo EZ! This your girlfriend?” He laughs as he steps into the kitchen. “What the fuck? Everybody fiestas without me now?” He asks, raising his hands.

“Christ Angel, everything is always about you.” She mutters, rolling her eyes as she cute up the mango for the fruit salad.

“Chica you got some balls to talk to me like that. EZ you better control your-“

“His what?” She turns and faces him, lips pursed.

“Esmeralda.” His breath whooshes from his lungs and he stands there staring at her.

“You okay, bro?” EZ asks, raising his eyebrows. “Te conviertes en un estatuto?” He peeks around his shoulder. In the next moment, he sucks in a breath and steps forward, crushing her against him.

“Chiquita, if you ever pull some shit like that again, I’ll kill you myself.” He growls low in her ear as he hugs her so tightly she can’t breathe.

“Oh ya tough guy? Is that why you slept in my bedroom while I was gone? Cause you were so mad?” She asks, eyeing him.

“Did he tell you that?” He jabs a finger at EZ and gives a low warning.

“No, it wasn’t exactly rocket science. Your stuff was in my old bedroom when I went up there.” She shrugs, heading back to the fruit salad. She fills the table with dinner as they all sit down.

“How was north Cali?” Angel grunts, his eyes on his plate, fork pushing around his chicken.

“It was good. I had a good job, a good house,”

“Had?” EZ jumps in, head tips a little to the side.

“Yeah, I quit to come home. It just didn’t feel right being away.” She shrugs, taking a bite.

“You like it up there?” He asks, looking up at her for a moment.

“Clearly not if I came back.” She chuckles. EZ pats her arm and chuckles along with her.

“Hey-I didn’t ask for sarcasm. I’m just trying to-“

“Make conversation? Angel, jesus, this isn’t that difficult. You’re so on edge over there you haven’t even eaten yet. You think one wrong word and you’ll just leave. You didn’t even take your boots off.” She stuffs another bite into her mouth.

“Disculpame por no confiar en ti de inmediato.” He hisses.

“Estas enojada que me fui!” She shouts back, tossing a piece of mango at him.

“You know what, Chiquita? You’re right.” He bites through clenched jaw.

“Angel, don’t leave. Please, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.” She assures, standing in front of him, her hands on his upper arms. Tears almost fill his eyes as she stands in front of him. Sighing he sits back down and eats.

“Anyway, EZ, we have a run tonight and no, your girlfriend can’t go.” He laughs, looking at her for a second. As they finish dinner, she stands and clears the table, finding the radio. Switching to the pop station, ‘Papi’ by J.Lo comes on as she starts on the dishes.

“Chiquita, change this.” Angel hushes as he stands behind her, his arms wrapped around her upper arms. Switching the radio, ‘I Could Fall in Love’ by Selena. Turning in his grip, she hugs his waist and he sways with her hugged against him. That old crush she thought she’d buried so well was resurfacing with every sweet lyric to Selena that he swayed to. His phone buzzes in his pocket.

“Yeah?” He answers, still hugging her under one arm.

“Clubhouse, ten minutes. Bring the prospect.” Bishop informs.

“You got it, boss.” He clicks to hang up and stuffs the phone in his pocket, gripping her tightly in another hug before he heads to the door. When his hand hits the door knob, he looks over his shoulder. “Hey, Chiquita. Good to see you.” He calls as he steps out into the cool night air, taking a few calming breaths. Swiping his nose with his knuckle, he heads for his bike.

“Hey pretty boy. You okay?” EZ calls as he gets on his bike.

“I’m fine. Shut up.” He barks, kicking his bike to life and leaving. All the way there he thought about her. She wasn’t just a young girl anymore, scared of everything. She looked independent and strong, she looked beautiful.

By the time Angel and EZ got back, the house was silent and they crept to their rooms. But Angel couldn’t help himself as he passed her room, like every time he passed before, he swung the door a little to peek in. But unlike every other time, she was there. Sleeping soundly, softly snoring as she danced in dreamland, for a away from here. Angel leans against the door jam, watching her with a little smile on his face for a little while. He was mesmerized by her presence. To see her there, safe where she should be did wonders for his heart. Pushing off the door jam, he heads to his room and pulls open his top drawer for a tee shirt. Tiredly he goes to pull on a shirt, but it stops at his shoulders, entirely too small. Yanking it off, he flips on his light to see Justin Bieber on the front.

“Chiquita! Ezekiel!” She runs to EZ’s room, grabbing him and running downstairs. Angel’s thundering footsteps follow closely after them.

“Angel?” She asks, stepping out of the shadow of the fridge in his black tee shirt.

“Chiquita. Give me my shirt.” He barks, holding out a hand. She grins at him.

“You don’t want me to do that.” She laughs, looking to EZ.

“I’m sure I don’t. Hand it over.” He nips. She looks at EZ who shakes his head and she grins from ear to ear, grabbing the hem of his tee shirt and tugging it over her head. She reveals her bare chest and quickly covers her breasts with her hands, but not before Angel was shell shocked.

“What’s the matter, Angelito? You never seen these before?” She asks as she heads back up the stairs finds another of Angel’s shirts and slips it on. EZ sat at the table, holding the edge and laughing so hard he was wheezing.

“You-never-seen-these-before!” EZ wheezes.

“Shut up.” Angel barks, pulling his shirt over his head and heading back upstairs to bed. Stopping at her door, she looks through the door at him, winking at him. He steps in and shuts the door. “Chiquita, what the fuck was that?” He growls low.

“What?” She asks, pulling the blanket off and flicking on her fan.

“That little act in the kitchen? You think you’re funny?” He demands.

“I thought so!” She giggles, grabbing her phone.

“The last time a girl did that to me—“

“What happened? It shriveled up? You cried? What?” She chuckles. He gets in her face, his inches from hers.

“I fucked her so hard the neighbors called the cops. Keep up your little act, puta. See what happens.” He challenges, jabbing a finger into her chest before heads back to his room.

She wakes up around seven, pulling on a pair of shorts, one of Angel’s light blue button downs, rolling the cuffs and tying it above her belly button. As she jogs down the stairs, she finds Pop sitting at the table drinking coffee.

“Where are you headed so early?” He asks, greeting her with a kiss and hug.

“I’m going to find some fruits. Do you need anything?” She asks as she slips on her shoes. She hears thumping down the stairs and looks up to find Angel standing at the bottom of the stairs, rubbing his eyes, shirtless.

“Where you going, Chiquita?” He asks, his voice deep and rough.

“For fruit, Angel. Did you need to get back to babysitting me?” She and Pop giggle at her dig.

“No,just be careful. Is that my shirt?” He asks, pointing to her.

“Yeah, did you want it?” Pop looks between the two as Angel shuts up and his cheeks turn the lightest shade of pink.

“Nope. Have a good one.” He shutters, heading for the coffee.

Angel got ready for the day, putting on his Romero Brothers work shirt and heading out the door. When he arrives at the yard, everyone’s still at home but him. Was he really there that early? Just as he reaches for the spare key, he hears another bike pull in.

“Angel, today is your day off, you know that right?” Bishop asks as he walks to the door. Shrugging, Angel follows Bishop into the clubhouse.

“It’s all good. You mind if I work today?” He asks.

“Nah, go ahead. Something wrong, kid?”

“Nope, just figured I’m already here, might as well work.” He shrugs. Around noon, EZ and Esmeralda come squealing into the parking lot lunch in hand.

“Again you cheated! Tramposo(cheater)!” She shouts as she walks towards Angel leaned against the building, cigarette to his lips. As she got closer, she could see the sweat across his forehead, the droplets that dripped down his neck. Licking her lips, she presses her lips together and clears her throat.

“Chiquita. You okay?” He asks, his eyes flicking to her.

“Yeah, don’t worry Romeo. I’m fine. You hungry?” She asks, handing him a bag and pulling out her own.

“Yeah, actually. Thanks.” He grabs the bag and waves her over to a picnic table where they sit and eat lunch. As they’re eating, a few bikes roll in. She recognizes Coco, his nose still crooked. But the others she wasn’t so sure about.

“Holy fuckin’ shit dude! Esmeralda?” Coco shouts from across the dirt yard. He jogs over and they grip each other in a warm hug. “Glad you’re back. Angel’s been a real martyr since you left. How was North Cali anyway? You find a vato?” He digs his elbow playfully into her side.

“No, clearly not. That’s why I’m back here.” They laugh together before Coco heads inside, once again leaving her and Angel together. “Yo, so Pop wanted to know if there was anyway I could stay with you.” She spits out quickly, stuffing a bite of sandwich into her mouth.

“Pop wants to know? Que?” He asks, taking another big bite.

“Said he’s got some family coming in and staying there. Needs our rooms.” She shrugs, still eating her sandwich.

“I mean, I guess. You got rules though. No dudes. No loud music, unless its good. You wear your goddamn clothes. You don’t open the door for nobody. Except me. You better open the door for me, Chiquita.” He points a stern finger at her. She grabs her lunch bag and heads for her bike. “Chiquita!” He shouts, jogging over to her. “Last rule, my room is off limits. That means you don’t go in there. Okay?” He asks.

“Fine. I wouldn’t want to anyway. Except maybe to borrow that purple, sparkly colsoladoro(dildo) you hide in the top drawer.” She laughs.

“Chiquita, you comin’ tonight?” He asks, rolling his eyes.

“Ya, if that’s okay with you?” She asks. He nods, turning and walking away.

“See you tonight, Chiquita.” He calls before walking into the building. She gets back to Pop’s and packs her stuff, including Angel’s shirts.

“Hey Pop! I’m going to Angel’s tonight.” She calls as she heads for the door.

“Hey Esmeralda? Thank you again, try not to kill him. Ya?” Just as he finished speaking a motorcycle roars into the drive followed by two cars. Two older Hispanic men start up the steps where Felipe greets them. Angel stands back, watching the interaction.

“Chiquita, this is mi hermanos. Luis and Guillermo.” He waves to each of them. “Hermanos, this is my adopted daughter Esmeralda. She is EZ’s friend and Angel’s little Chiquita.” He chuckles, waving to his son.

“Thanks pop. Maybe you could tell ‘em I put on a Justin Bieber shirt at three am when I got home too.” He calls, rolling his eyes. “Chiquita, you ready?” She watches with a smile as Pop chuckles for a moment, his eyes meeting hers in blame. She nods and heads to her bike.

“I guess. Have a good night pops!” She shouts over her engine. They ride together in silence, both grinning. As they stop at Angel’s, he bails off his bike and heads in the house, leaving her with her own bags. Dragging them up the stairs and into the house, she huffs as she gets through the threshold.

“Hey, you hungry?” He calls from the kitchen.

“Yeah!” She calls back as she drags her bags down the hall towards the other empty room.

“Good! Why don’t you cook something?” He calls, causing her to roll her eyes.

“Thanks for the hospitality.” She huffs as she steps up to the fridge, swinging open the door and hitting him.

“Ow! Damn you’re not a very nice house guest.” He barks, sauntering away. She watches over her shoulder, his strides were long and his hips swung so perfectly. For the second time that day, she finds herself licking her lips.

“Angel! What am supposed to cook? Beer or the limited amounts of restaurant ketchup?” She shouts, shutting the door and stepping into the living room. As she stood there, she realized how hot is was getting. “Christ, don’t you have air conditioning?” She calls. No response. “Angel-“ she stops when she hears a noise coming from his room.

“Shit. Querida.” He whispers breathily. She doesn’t wander very much further, figuring there is probably some girl in there. A few moments later, he comes out still shirtless, as if nothing happened.

“You call that sparkly thing querida?” She asks jokingly.

“Don’t you fuckin’ worry, Chiquita. I said don’t fuckin’ come in there. Ya?” He barks.

“Jesus, I didn’t. I was just wondering what the hell I was supposed to make with beer and ketchup packets?” She asks.

“Christ, there’s some carniceria, no?” He nips.

“There’s Dos Equis, and Heinz. That’s it.”

“Well fine, let’s just take my bike.” He grabs his keys and yanks on a tee shirt. “Is that my shirt?” He asks, looking at the band tee she cut up.

“Si.” She laughs, grabbing her helmet and climbing on the back of his bike.

“Hold on Chiquita.” He laughs as she squeezes her knees tight against the body of the bike so she didn’t have to hold on to him. He pulls them into Cerniceria Reyes, goes in through the back door and gets a hunk of ground beef. They head to the store next, she buys onions, peppers, rice, and a few seasonings. As they walk around the store, women glare at her while Angel winks at them. He even exchanges numbers with the clerk before they head back.

“You are unbelievable! You know that? I guess I could understand how you haven’t locked down a girl yet. You’re homemaking skills are impeccable.” She laughs as she tries to find a baking dish in his bare cupboard. Finding on small metal baking dish in the back, she puts what will fit in it after washing it and makes casserole.

“I don’t want to be tied down, Chiquita. Or I already would be.” He chuckles.

“No you wouldn’t.” She laughs finding a seat on the couch. He sits across from her, drinking his beer.

“Why did you leave that day?” He asks, eyes on the table.

“Why are you asking?”

“‘Cause I need to know. Was it me?” He digs, chewing on the inside of his lip.

“Partly. But, Angel, it wasn’t all you. I wanted to experience life, ya know? Without beating up whatever life threw at me. I wanted to beat it up.”

“Did you?” He asks, raising his eyes to hers.

“No, but it beat the fuck outta me. I’m glad for it though, ya feel? I didn’t have big bad Mayan blood protecting me. It was just me against the world.” She smiles, nodding to him.

“No one seriously hurt you though, right?” He asks, taking another swig.

“Other than my pride, no. I got caught having sex with a married man. That was as hurt as I got. He was telling me he was divorced, ya know?” She laughs hysterically. Angel smiles and chuckles, but doesn’t laugh.

“You had sex?” He asks softly.

“Yeah, so what?”

“Nothin, did you like it?” He asks, frowning a little.

“Angel, what’s this about?” She picks, furrowing her brows and glaring at him. He just grunts as the timer goes off in the kitchen. Standing, she follows him into the kitchen. “Angel, what’s this about? Why were you sleeping in my room?” She asks as she pulls the casserole out.

“Why you want to know, huh? You want me to tell you that I love you? That I was some lost little boy without you?” He shouts in her face, catching her off guard. “Cause I don’t love you! And I’ve never been lost because of you!” He barks, slamming his fist into the counter before huffing and disappearing. He came back half an hour later, half-drunk.

“Jesus, you hungry?” She chuckles as he stumbles through the house.

“Yeah, a little.” He chuckles, trying to hold himself up.

“Here, sit down. I’ll get you a plate.” She smiles, heading into the kitchen and finding him a plate for dinner. By the time she got back out there he’d successfully taken off his shirt and pants claiming it to be too hot. “Angel please leave your boxers on. I don’t want to fight a loaded weapon to put you to bed.” She laughs, pulling his hands from the waistband.

“Chiquita, you think I’m hot?” He ruffs, holding her hand against his warm chest.

“Yeah, I guess you should get some air conditioning.” She laughs.

“No Chiquita, I mean seriously. You think I’m hot?” He asks again.

“Angel, you’re drunk. Quit pushing this, you won’t like the answer.” she laughs, patting his chest. She gets to bed, shutting her door and going to sleep.

In the morning, she pads into the kitchen to find a huge, Goliath of a man in Angel’s kitchen. Looking to her left, she sees a woman sitting in the chair until she gets in front of it. It’s just a head. Gasping, she looks to the man in the kitchen.

“Who are you?”

“I’m a friend of Angel’s. He asked for that as a housewarming gift. Who, uh, who are you?” He asks as she slips into the kitchen and pulls out his old blender and the stuff for her smoothie. “You want one? It’s just a mango smoothie with peaches and yogurt.” She offers as she buzzes up the frozen fruit with some almond milk.

“Sure, you live here?” He asks as they drink their smoothies together at the counter.

“No, just visiting. You want me to wake up Angel?” She asks, pointing down the hall. He chuckles and shakes his head. He could hear her drunken roommate rustling.

“Nah, he’s coming now.” He ruffs, leading her to the couch. “Have a seat.” She sits as she drinks her smoothie, watching the huge man stand in the kitchen digging through the fridge.

“Alice? You climb through the fuckin’ window?” He asks, when he hears a man talking to Esme. His heart jams against his chest as his thoughts race. As he steps up to the chair, his eyes meet hers for a second as she continues chatting with the stranger in the kitchen. Angel was a sight, bare chested, jeans yanked on haphazardly, the band of his underwear riding just above the waistband of his jeans. A pistol in hand and a confused look on his face. As he sees the head in the chair, stuck onto a gun, he barks, “what the fuck?” “Get off the fuckin’ couch Chiquita! You don’t even know him!” He demands, reaching for her, his eyes never leaving the huge guy in the kitchen drinking out of the carton of milk.

“Jeez Angel! He said he was your friend!” She barks, standing and heading towards him.

“And you think that is what?” He deadpans, waving an excited hand at the head. “Just a fuckin’ gift? Want me to put it on the fuckin’ wall?”

“I don’t know. He seemed nice enough.”

“Jesus christ.” He groans, pushing her back towards his bedroom and shutting her in there. “Don’t touch anything.” He barks as he shuts the door. She snoops, of course, and she finds her picture in his bedside table drawer. Tugging open his top dresser drawer, she pulls a sweatshirt out of the drawer and pulls the soft fabric against her cheeks, breathing in deeply. Sitting on the edge of his bed, time drags her away to a distant land.

Angel stalked into the room, mad about something. He found her curled up on his bed, holding steadfast to his black hoodie. He gently sat next to her and grabbed her hand.

“Chiquita?” He asked, his hand patted her knee.

“Hey. Sorry for barging in. I just had a terrible day.” She murmured. He hooked an arm around her shoulder and he leaned them back, his hand rubbed little circles into her shoulder.

“You okay?” He asked, eyes closed.

“Yeah. I didn’t mean to barge in. I can go.” She whispered and went to sit up, but his arm stopped her.

“Do you want to?” He asked.

“Not really.” She replied in shame.

“Then don’t.” He shrugged, held her once more until they fell asleep.

“Chiquita?” He asks, peeking into his room. He smiles a little at the sight of her, curled up on the end of his bed with his sweatshirt tucked under her head. He shakes his head and leaves the room, letting her sleep there.

TAGLIST:

@woahitslucyylu @gemini0410 @starrynite7114 @claytoncardenasbabymama @phoenixhalliwell @angelreyesgirl89 @dazzledamazon @cind-in-real-life

#imagine #cute imagine #angel reyes fic #angel reyes mayans #angel reyes mayans mc #angel reyes imagine #angel reyes #mayans mc fic #mayans #mayans mc

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laserdog10 · 4 years ago

Text

Loneliness

”It’s not so bad not being in a league that suits me.”

It was a personal mantra that she told herself every day, even if it did kind of hurt. Citrus was born as both a Rose and an Arc, two powerful family bloodlines that were well renowned on Remnant by now, thanks to the defeat of Salem. However, Citrus’ elder siblings Garnet and Blossom, have been shown to be marginally stronger and almost gifted...or actually gifted. Garnet had inherited a portion of Ruby’s Spring Maiden magic on top of Jaune’s hefty Aura with the addition of a strong Semblance, while Blossom was a Silver Eyed Warrior, the greatest of all destined to slay Grimm and be the heroes of humanity. While Citrus was...just normal.

Yep, no insane powers, no off-the-wall weapon that has multiple transformations, no fancy Semblance (other than the ability to talk to animals), she was a normal girl who wanted to be a Huntress, like everyone her generation. However she felt an odd lonesome feeling inside her, when her brother and sister went off to Signal for the first time, Citrus was alone at home with her aunt Yang, grandpa Qrow, uncle Tai, and aunt Raven. If that wasn’t enough her Semblance let her speak to the family dog Zwei and the five wolves Ruby adopted, Drei, Vier, Funf, Sechs, and Null. And yet...she still had this emptiness in her heart. Well unlucky for her it was about to intensify that feeling tenfold as she was about to head to Signal tomorrow, the day after her siblings and cousin graduate. Right now it was well into the evening, the sun setting on the horizon, rays of light beaming down on the Rose-Arc & Xiao Long-Branwen residence, Citrus leaning against the railing, teetering her weighted collapsible scythe, Soulful Reave, back and forth, her emerald green eyes staring off into space, tangerine curled hair catching the wind.

Jaune: Someone’s a little broody.

Citrus: Hmm?! Oh, hi dad!

Jaune: Is Qrow’s mysterious edginess rubbing off on you or am I just reading too much into this?

Citrus: Pffft, nooo dad, I’m fine, thank you. Just...thinking, deep contemplation about the future.....

Jaune: Excited you’re going to Signal tomorrow?

Citrus: Heheheee, not really...?

Jaune: Why not?

Citrus: *stops teetering her scythe* Dad, do you think I’m...special?

Jaune: The “daddy loves his special girl” kind of special or...

Citrus: The special that’s meant for amazing things, I don’t feel like I am.

Jaune: Woah woah woah, what brought this on?!

Citrus: Nothing, I’m...*sigh* Dad, compared to Garnet and Blossom, I’m so bland! I have nothing truly remarkable about m-* her shoulders are held as she faces her father*

Jaune: Citrus, tell me what’s going on, is everything okay?

Citrus: I don’t think so...have you ever had the feeling of overwhelming loneliness and that you’re far behind people close to you?

Jaune: More than you could fathom, sweetheart. But that was a long time ago, and with a little bit of time, and the love from those people around me, it eventually went away. Why, is it the fact that your brother and sister are way ahead of you getting to you?

Citrus: *tears form in her eyes* Y-yeah, a lot...

Jaune: Oh, sweety. *he brings his small daughter into a huge hug* Believe me when I say that feeling is completely normal, your mother and I had this lonely, by-our-selves spell when we first went to Beacon.

Citrus: I just feel so out of place. I hear about all these kids who were raised by amazing Huntsmen, their amazing transforming weapons, and their powerful Semblances, then there’s me. Swinging around a simple scythe and talking to animals, no Maiden or S.E.W. powers...

Jaune: Citrus, look at me. *his gaze is met by the distraught, teary-eyed face of his daughter* All these feelings, all these issues you’re feeling right now are completely normal for a thirteen year old to experience! Think it like, you’re still going through your “character arc,” which always starts just as you turn thirteen. You’ll get to that important “climax” of your story some day.

Citrus: *sniff* R-really...?

Jaune: I know so. Now let’s go inside, dinner’s almost ready!

Citrus: I’ll head in a second, gotta go put Soulful Reave back in in the shed.

Such an action to her weapon would make her brother, proverbially, lose his mind, but she took good care of her scythe, occasionally but primarily leaving it in the room she shared with her siblings, like they do with their weapons. Tomorrow would be the first step into this “character arc” of hers, and she would tackle it however she could!

-The next day-

Strolling down the halls of Signal wasn’t so bad, she was old enough to be by herself while her parents weren’t too far off. Ruby had gone with the many other parents of new students to a little meeting, confirming their classes and whatnot, meanwhile Citrus wandered around Signal, her orange cloak flowing as she strolled along, seeing big metal lockers to hold plenty of supplies, classrooms, a library, and the cafeteria. What she didn’t expect to come across was a large crowd of kids clamoring around a board with a myriad of papers on it. Among this crowd the youngest Rose-Arc saw the red-patched blonde hair of her sister.

Citrus: Blossom? *she called over the talkative graduates*

Blossom: Hey baby sis! You here on your intro tour? *the blonde side-stepped through the moderate sea of teens, a few of which turned heads to the younger teen*

Citrus: Yep, mom just went with the other parents to that meeting! What are you doing over here with everyone?

Blossom: Seeing who got their academic success title.

Citrus: You’re what?

“An awesome title for how well you did in your classes!” chimed a female student.

Citrus: Oh, cool!

Blossom: Wanna guess what I got?

Citrus: I...don’t know what they are.

Blossom: Oh, well come look.

Taking a closer look at the board, Citrus saw this hefty list of names that made her head spin. So many names, numbers, scores, classes.

Citrus: This makes my brain hurt...

Blossom: Same here, and could you help me find my name, I’ve been helping everyone here find their’s for a while n-

Citrus: You got Salutatorian, Garnet got Valedictorian, and Lea’s below both of you!

Blossom: I’M WHAT?!

The students: THEY’RE WHAT!?

“I’m what now???” came a familiar voice behind the girls and the crowd. They turned to find Garnet himself, in the midst of eating a roll of cookie dough from the cafeteria. Without thinking the students swarmed him, barging questions left and right; “How are you so smart,” or “Please teach me your ways,” and “You’re amazing Garnet!”

Garnet: Woah, slow down guys, I’m not that great honest! I just studied and practiced like anyone else would.

“But you got Valedictorian, dude!!!” exclaimed a male student with very punk-rock hair.

“That’s an achievement in and off itself!” cheered a preppy looking girl.

“You’re a freaking prodigy, bro!!!!” cried a sporty, muscular lad.

Garnet: Alright, listen up everyone, I’m gonna give you some life advice you all need to hear. Trying to be like me is impossible, and I wouldn’t go as far as to say I’m a prodigy. Yes I have powers of a Maiden inherited from my mother, yes I have a massive amount of Aura and strong Semblance to boot, yes I also have multiple weapons and am highly skilled in using all of them. However that doesn’t place me above the rest of you, nor should it make you all downplay yourselves! You all have your strengths and weaknesses, but you shouldn’t strive to become like me, because I’m not perfect. Imitation is the cheapest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay in greatness. Don’t strive to be me, strive be a better you, because their can only be one of us in the world! And if you do find someone like you later in life...*claps hands* Then I got nothing. *awkwardly smiles*

His audience applauded, but mostly laughed at the perplexing finish to his speech. His sisters had their own reactions, Blossom shaking her head and smiling in a way that conveyed a “The fact I’m related to you is astonishing” feel, Citrus on the other hand was captivated. “Strive to be a better you,” this phrase alone struck many chords in her, to the point that the lonely feeling of hers dissipated somewhat...

“Ohhh yawn-a-fuckin’-rama! That was the cheesiest shit I’ve ever heard, One Armed Arc!”

The students instinctively winced at the sound of the boastful and snarky voice. Collectively looking to the source, a tall girl with long burnt-orange hair and indigo eyes, clad in gray armor with a gold trim, a jet black waist cloth on the tool belt around her. Strapped to her back in a sheath was a morning star mace, the signature and feared weapon wielded by Signal Academy’s tyrant.

Blossom: Carly Winchester...

Citrus: ...

Garnet: And why are you here?

Carly: No reason, except I just heard a one-armed loser spouting some bullshit and being humble. Face it, you could be running this school! And yet you choose to be weak, lumping yourselves with these peons who could get their asses reamed by you.

Blossom: Garnet isn’t weak!

Carly: Aww look, little Ms. Self-loathing wants to act all big and tough! Why don’t you can it and go cry on the roof like you always do.

Citrus: *grits teeth and clenches her fists*

Garnet: What I do doesn’t make me weak Carly, I-

Carly: OH FUCKING SPARE ME! Hearing your high and mighty “holier-than-thou” bullshit makes me sick, you have the powers of a damn GOD and look where you are!

Citrus: ...hat’s it to y... *mumbles*

Carly: Hmm what’s that Shorty, got some shit to say? If you don’t then butt the fuck out, the adults are tal-

Citrus: WHAT’S IT TO YOU!? All you ever do is hurt and scare people, that’s not power, that’s being a jerk!

Carly: You-!

Citrus, standing in front of Carly now: My big brother is more of a Hunter and leader than you could ever hope to be! All you are is a bully, a coward, and an absolute BITCH!!!

Everyone present gasped, Garnet and Blossom were shocked into silence. Calling Carly a bitch was something else entirely, but hearing it from Citrus, someone who had never sworn in her life?! Surely they must’ve been dreaming, right??? Obviously they weren’t, for Carly had looked around incredulous, thinking she had heard the orangenette right.

Carly: The fuck did you just say to me you little shit...?!

Citrus: You heard me, you’re nothing but a BI-!

Carly: SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!!!

The warrior girl screamed in tandem with swinging her mace directly down onto the smaller girl. The motion happened at such a speed, all that was seen was a shiny, gray blur kicking up dust and debris when it landed.

Garnet/Blossom: CITRUS!!!

The youngest Rose-Arc braced for the impact beforehand...but it never came. Instead when she opened her eyes, she was in a dust cloud, embraced by her cousin, Lea Xiao Long-Schnee, her giant gauntlets blocking the crushing blow.

Lea: Might I ask why the hell you are attacking my cousin, Carly? *she said in a low tone, pushing the warrior girl back a good few feet*

Carly: Mind telling me why your brat isn’t on her child leash?!

Lea: *eyes turning lilac, blue fire adorning her hair* I think Citrus is going to be the least of your worries right now...

Citrus stepped back, knowing full well what was coming next. Garnet walked past her but not before looking at his baby sister.

Garnet: Might wanna go get mom and the principal, this courtyards about to become a war zone. *he winked*

Carly targeted him first, her mace colliding with the boy’s head and sending him staggering. He regained his footing, readying his own gauntlets as Lea pounced on Carly, throwing her into one of the support columns in the courtyard, Garnet running up and landing jab after jab upon Carly. Blossom held Citrus’ hand as they ran off to find their mother before the situation got worse, as they ran they heard the unmistakable sound of the Maiden powers flaring from their brother and cousin.

Blossom: We’ll leave it to them to kick Carly’s butt.

Citrus: ...

Blossom: You okay?

Citrus: Yeah yeah, just thinking.

Blossom: You narrowly avoiding getting brained by an amazon brute???

Citrus: Well...besides that, but what Garnet said earlier.

Blossom: Oh that.

Citrus: It stuck with me, and...and I think it should solve all my problems.

Blossom: ...if you say so!

Seems her father was right, today was when her character arc would begin, and now she would walk through it with her head held high!

#rwby #ruby rose #jaune arc #rwby lancaster #garnet rose-arc #blossom rose-arc #citrus rose-arc #voila! my final lancaster kid has received her story!#hope you guys enjoy the absolute jerk that is carly winchester #don't know if I'll make her a recurring oc since I don't have anyone I ship with cardin lol

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sporadic-writer · 4 years ago

Text

Welcome to the Neighborhood pt. 3

Harrison x American!reader (nothing hella specific other than mentioning the states, so try pretending if you aren’t American. If not.. sorry?)

Warnings: same as before, swearing, mentions of weed and alcohol (because I enjoy both safely and responsibly), and um I think that’s it.

Note: I made this a Harrison fic because I feel we need more of those in the world. Also, this fic doesn’t have like, an idk.. overarching story/theme yet? other than reader and Harrison stuff. Lastly, this fic is a result of bits of writing courage during a writer’s block mess. I have a better concept for the next chapter. So sorry this could count as a filler or fun simple read.

Part 1 here Part 2 here

°•●•°●°•●•°●°•●•°●°•●•°

"What about just a casual cookout?" This was the 3rd idea he has asked out loud.

Sam and Harry watched Harrison all but pace as he spit balled ideas to have their new neighbor over. The whole morning he was thinking through stuff to do that wasn't too much for quarentine. It was starting to end, but he didn't want to push anything.

The other men in his presence groaned. "Jesus just ask her to come hang out! No agenda, just invite her here to hang out and then you can get to know her!" Sam suggested in a shout back to his friend. "Stop fucking moping about here like a nervous puppy." That last statement was a quieter grumble.

Tuwaine nodded in agreement. "You're starting to get annoying Haz. We all like her, so having her here is fine. Then you buddy up to her in the process." This seemed to help the blonde settle.

"Harry! You talked to her a little more earlier today. Any info I can use to break the ice one on one?" Harrison looked to his friend hopefully.

The man in question rolled his eyes. "We barely talked. Her room and bathroom windows are right next to my room. We talked because she apologized thinking her music was loud and coming into mine. Then we made small talk a little before she went to the store."

An idea sparked in Harrison's head about conversation ideas next time he saw you. Music was always a great ice breaker. He remembered you wore a Green Day shirt one time, so that's something. Also, he has heard you singing to yourself on your deck; some Irish band his mother listened to sometimes. He mentally scanned his music selection in his room. Just then he heard a car door shut outside. He asked if it was you and Tom nodded yes after peaking out the window. He calmly dashed outside with Tuwaine and Sam following seeing what the commotion was. Plus, Sam left stuff in his car.

Walking towards your front door you heard your neighbor's open and noticed Harrison looking right at you. You looked over with wide at men rushing towards you, but smiled and greeted them once seeing their familliar faces.

"Hey guys!" You attempted a small wave with your things in your hands.

Sam and Tuwaine nodded and waved in repsonse. Harrison looked a little flustered. "Hey y/n. Um I had a question for you."

Your smile didn't help his nervousness. "Shoot." You replied while walking to your door, then working on unlocking it.

Upon no response, you looked at him to see him open and close him mouth once, and just had a slight 'umm' noise come out. It was sweet. There was a simplistic charm about people getting slightly nervous over being around othee people they were into. You were no fool, you had seem him peak glances at you through his yard and window upstairs. Now you watched him try to gain courage to simply ask you a question. You thought about doing it yourself, but you are a tad old school and see if the guy will get to it. Once impatient, you'll ask him. But now you watched him as his hair moved lightly in the breeze of the cool London air. Not to mention he looked handsome as ever in his sweater. Wonder if it is as soft as it looks...?

"Y/N! What are you doing tomorrow love?" Twuaine bit the bullet for Harrison since he couldn't get a full question out. You snapped out of your trance. Luckily the distance helped hide your embarrassment.

She checked the date on her phone lockscreen. "Umm I work tomorrow 7 to like 4. So after that a shower, maybe a nap, then nothing. Why?"

Rather than the one who asked reply, Harrison finally jumped in and spoke. "Want to come over tomorrow? We were going have dinner and watch the match and relax one more night for sure before things start up again for us." Tom just got final shooting schedules and he knew things would soon pick up for him most likely in following. As much as he loved being home, doing nothing, he did miss working. However, of course it happens after desiring more time with you.

"I would love to! What time?" The little bounce thing you did to balance your groceries and to open your door was precious to him.

"Um come by any time after you're home from work."

Sam piped in saying, "Match starts at 5 or 6 I think, around then is perfect."

"Awesome! Thanks for the invite guys. Also hey, do you guys know good pet stores around here? Sorry if that's random but I am running out of supplies and can't mooch off work.. new job and all."

"'Fraid not y/n. Sorry we don't know where Tom gets his dog stuff."

Harrison nodded in agreement. "Yeah and my dog is at home and my mum gets everything usually."

She shrugged. "No worries. Internet search it is. Well I gotta put these away. I'll see you guys tomorrow." They said their fairwells to her and did as she did, went inside. She didn't notice this time how her admirer watched her to see she got in alright.

After watching you get in your house, Sam shut the car door he opened earlier with his hat in hand, and Harrison sighed. He turned to his friends.

“I could have asked her over myself.” His tone suggested he knew he couldn’t. But that didn’t stop him from sulking back into his home. “I’m the one into her, I could have asked her over.”

“Mhmm sure Haz, an hour later after leaving your mouth open to catch flies. She’s coming over. Get over it and enjoy that your painful attempt was cut short.”

On that note he thanked his lucky stars and went into his home, not before hearing music come out of your open windows. He shazamed it and made a mental note to use it as a potential ice breaker tomorrow. Man he felt like a 15 year old.

*time skip*

It was around 4:30ish when Harrison saw your car pull into your driveway and you get out. Even with your hair up after a day of physical labor, uniform London Zoo shirt covered in dirt and a couple bleach stains, and basic khaki shorts; he still thought you looked pretty as ever. He was a little shocked you didn't look totally exhausted remembering you started work at 7am. That just impressed him more. Now he only had to wait an hour or so for you to be over and hanging out with him. Ground work would be set. He made sure his shirt, pants, and hair were in good sorts before relaxing on the couch with Sam. About an later, he heard the door open and a familiar voice greet everyone. However, not the voice he was expecting.

"Sis? What are you doing here?" He sat up as she rolled her eyes.

"Hello to you div."

He rolled his eyes right back. "Not what I meant. Just wasn't expecting you to drop in." He loves Charlotte, but didn't need her when a girl he's trying to get with is supposed to come by very soon.

"Harry has a camera for my friend to borrow for a class of hers. Why? You guys got plans or something? Look at me give a shit as I interrupt this rager." She moved about the house looking for the Holland she spoke of. He was about to blow her off and get her out but Tuwaine appeared out of nowhere to be a stellar friend.

"He does have plans actually. Tryin' to get with our fit American neighbor. Got all worked up and could barely ask her over tonight. He didn't actually, but not the point." His sister, who still hasn't left, smirks at him. “He’s into her and this is him ‘laying the groundwork’ or something.”

"Really?? Aw look he's blushing!" She poked his cheek. “Relax though, I’m just gonna find Harry or his cam, whichever comes first, and be out. Alright?”

Thanking his lucky stars he was about to tell her to just get on with it, but the doorbell rang. Harrison and his sister made eye contact, he pleaded with his to stay, hers glimmered with mischief, and they were off! Both siblings dashed for the door while Sam and Tuwaine enjoyed the show. The luck didn’t last, because Charlotte reached the door first. She kicked away the eager man and smiled as the she greeted who she assumed was the American girl her brother fancies.

Harrison saw you were turned around as you began to speak, looking at a car that honked for some reason, and as you entered your head was still looking down a tad. “Sorry I’m late, late-ish anyway. Rolled one after work, enjoyed it after the shower, then passed out for an unexpected nap - ah your new!” She locked eyes with his sister and if he could frame a mental image he would. Y/N looks like she wanted the ground to swallow her, and needed saving. She was clearly still a little buzzed, and a joint was sticking out of her beanie. “Well not new, but new to me I mean. Um ignore that first impression.. Hi! Y/F/N Y/L/N, their neighbor.” As she spoke, the hand holding a bottle of vodka tucked the joint discreetly further into the hat. Smooth, sorta..

“Charlotte, Harrison’s sister. Pleasure to meet you. That lot you speak of told me a touch about you. From the states ey? Very fun, caught Hazzy’s eye so watch out. I love him but he’s a bit dodgy on getting things done sooner than later.” She winked at her brother while the newest addition to the house just stood there taking it all in. “Now if you excuse me I shall find Harry’s camera.”

Harrison watched you follow his sister, who he will get back at later, out of the room. You still looked a tad surprised, but smiled through it anyway. Then you made eye contact with him and smiled brighter before saying, “I brought drinks!”

°•●•°●°•●•°●°•●•°●°•●•°

Taglist (crossed out means it didn't take yours): @jillanaholland @averyfosterthoughts @sarah-m-limelight-2007 @astridcommings

As always, like and reblog if you want. Hit me up if you want to be tagged or not, or if I forgot to tag you. Thanks for reading and enjoying! Lmk of there are any errors or stuff like that.

#harrison osterfield x reader #harrison osterfield fluff #harrison osterfield fanfiction #harrison x reader #harrison x american!reader #harrison osterfield x fem!reader #harrison osterfield x american!reader #tom holland blurb #tom holland x reader #tom holland fanfiction #tom holland imagine #tom holland #peter parker blurb #peter parker x reader #peter parker #peter parker fanart #peter parker fanfiction

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crystalgirl259 · 4 years ago

Text

The Flame and the Dragon Ch5

Chapter 5: The Kitchen Catastrophe

Bansha remained silent as Morro ranted and raved in the privacy of the carriage. He had lost whatever grip he had on his temper as soon as the carriage started taking them back home. Morro looked ready to kill somebody, most likely Lloyd.

"That insolent little brat! How dare he insult me!"

"Lloyd or Kai?" Bansha spoke out of turn, something she instantly regretted when Morro's scowl turned on her.

"Lloyd, of course! If it wasn't for that little brat or their ugly sister, I'm sure Kai would be mine by now! Doesn't he realize those two are the ones who are holding him back?! I could give him anything and yet he still refused me!" He ranted, clenching his fists in rage. "I mean, how naïve can he be? What must I do to persuade him to pop the question?" He scowled critically. Bansha could only shake her head. Morro was without a doubt a prodigy, but he lacked the most obvious common sense.

Kai was a dreamer, it didn't matter how rich Morro was or what society deemed appropriate.

He wouldn't chase Morro like everyone else. No, he was chasing the foolish dream of finding true love. A frivolous illusion of course, but nevertheless Kai believed it. Bansha had no doubt Morro would never have his 'precious darling' unless he convinced him to love him. Something she knew would never happen. She knew Morro well enough. The duke always got what he wanted.

"Why are you so obsessed with him?" Bansha spoke aloud and Morro's attention turned to her. Bansha hadn't meant to speak out loud but Morro could tell she was only curious. "I mean, you could have anyone you wanted, yes, Kai's beautiful, but personality-wise, he's the complete opposite of the man you want; why do you keep chasing him when you could have people so much more charming, obedient, and wealthy! You're the Duke! You're wealthy, well-educated, people throw themselves at your feet every day! You could replace Kai in an instant! Why do you waste your time with him when you could have anyone else?"

Morro chuckled darkly, a crackling sound that would make even the bravest of hearts shiver in fear.

"You've just answered your own question, Bansha." He smirked. Everything she said was true of course. Kai's appearance was in every inch the way a fairy tale prince was supposed to look, but it was his personality that needed work. Kai was perfect, but he was too brazen, too wild. He needed to be tamed, and he was the only one to do that. After all, as a Duke, he needed not only the perfect partner but also someone who would never challenge his authority.

In business or in bed.

"Because I can have anyone else."...

****************

The enormous landscape surrounding the Smith home was a sight to behold. A wide golden field and stables with a large pond in the corner bordered on two sides by woods and a house large enough for a large family flew by, unnoticed by its two youngest occupants as both Kai and Lloyd bolted across the yard and up the stairs to their house. Both ran surprisingly fast for all the bags they were carrying. Then again, it was Nya who was in the kitchen.

That alone was cause for alarm.

Both practically broke the door down, causing more smoke to erupt from the house. Lloyd batted the inky wisps away and coughed harshly before Kai found him something to cover his mouth with.

"NYA!" Kai howled, furiously, before stomping towards the kitchen, with Lloyd behind him. "GOD HELP YOU IF YOU'RE IN THE FUCKING KITCHEN!" He warned as both brothers dropped the books and groceries on the dining room table and stormed inside. The kitchen was still intact, but the smoke was everywhere, pouring out the open windows now that it had an escape. Huge spots of soot and ash covered the floor, the counters, and the stove which was wheezing smoke.

The wood from the old-fashioned brick stove had burned itself out leaving only ashes.

The bowl on top of it was covered in ash and looked even more charred than the inside of the hearth. Nya, the younger twin, was on the floor, coughing and wheezing, covered from head to toe in thick soot. Her midnight black hair tied in a ponytail was the only thing dark than the soot as her stunning blue eyes seemed to light up her face. Her tanned skin was revealed through the ripped jeans. When she stood to her full height in an attempt to brush the ashes off her, she stood a few inches shorter than Kai.

She also had a small beauty mark on her right cheek.

Even in her ripped, paint-splattered jeans and the light blue shirt she wore when she painted or invented and hiking boots caked in oil, paint, and covered in soot, Nya looked ravishing.

"Nya," Kai said dangerously low with a clearly angry smirk on his face as he glared down at Nya on the floor. "When Dad said you were never allowed in the kitchen again, what made you think he was joking?"

"You two were late." She replied, crossing her arms and trying to look as casual as possible.

"We're always late! That doesn't mean you have the right to try and burn down the kitchen! AGAIN!" Lloyd scolded. "What did you do this time? Forget to take the plastic off?" He asked and Nya's eyes widened guiltily, assuring them both that was exactly what she did. Despite being an excellent painter and even better inventor, Nya wasn't so good in the kitchen. That's why cooking the family meals was Kai's job. The eldest Smith sighed and smacked his forehead.

"Nya, you can't cook to save your life!"

"Doesn't mean I can't try!" She smirked, rubbing the soot off her cheeks. "At least I didn't burn anything." She mumbled. Both brothers glared at her referring to the black soot covering the kitchen. "You know what I mean." She snorted, ego deflated a bit. "What took you so long anyway?"

"We stopped at the bookstore, and Dr. Saunders found Kai's writing."

"That's it?" Nya raised a cool eyebrow in disbelief. She knew full well that her brothers could live at the library if given the choice but even they always came home on time.

"We ran into Morro on the way back," Kai growled.

"That explains it." She rolled her eyes. "What did he want this time?"

"Same old shit he wants every time," Kai replied, tossing a bag into Nya's lap, which she hesitantly caught in her surprise. "Help us put the food away otherwise no one's eating until breakfast." He ordered. Nya was on his feet in an instant, her stomach winning over her pride.

"You should've seen his face when he thought Lloyd insulted his!" Kai chuckled, making their little brother blush. Nya only blinked in surprise before grinning.

"Well hopefully after next week, you won't have to deal with him anymore."

"You finished your invention!" Both boys asked with hopefulness. Nya smirked and grabbed both their wrists before pulling them out of the kitchen and upstairs, where their bedrooms were located, as well as the room she and their parents used as a workshop. Kai sometimes painted something if he was bored, but he hasn't done it in a while. Nya threw the door open, revealing the wooden floor covered by paint-splattered sheets and blotches of paint-decorated walls.

The wall opposite the door was made entirely of glass, like a giant window allowing air and sunlight inside.

Blank canvases and stacks of papers and scrolls lined the opposite wall while easels with trays of oil paints, watercolors and charcoals cups filled with pencils, pens, and brushes of various, shape, size, texture, and design covered the table by the sink where water cans and jars held paint-caked brushes. In the corner sat her newest invention, while a tray of oil paints in various colors rested on the table next to it. The machine itself took Kai and Lloyd's breath away.

It is a wooden machine containing various types of gadgetry, including an ax.

This machine was intended to be used to chop wood, supposedly making it easier than chopping with an ordinary ax.

"Wow!" Kai gasped.

"It's amazing, big sis!" Lloyd hugged her. "Now I know you're going to win this year!"

"Let's hope so." She beamed as she wrapped her arms around her two brothers and pulling them both close in a hug. "Then maybe we can get out of here."

"Finally!" Kai cheered.

"Now, I'm gonna get changed." She released her siblings before strolling down the hallway to her room. "Unless of course, you want me to help you clean the kitchen and-"

"NO!" They both said with such force she was taken aback. Nya meant it as a joke but it seemed neither Kai nor Lloyd were taking the chance.

"Oh and since Lloyd will probably be too busy cleaning the kitchen you'll just have to suffer pasta with my sauce," Kai warned teasingly, following Lloyd downstairs, smirking when he saw Nya cringe. Kai's sauce was incredibly hot and spicy. It hadn't taken too long to clean the kitchen, since Nya had only caused smoke and soot to cover the house and fortunately hadn't really burned anything. Still, it took at least an hour to clean the kitchen and make dinner.

Those were two things Nya was not allowed to help with since all her elegance and grace with creating and movement seemed to cease the second she entered the kitchen.

Once they finished, the trio spent the rest of the night the way they always did. Closing up shop and enjoying the night until Lloyd finally fell asleep, resulting in Nya carrying him upstairs and putting him to bed. Nya could only smile at the adorable sight.

"What?"

"Nothing." She shrugged her shoulders, still smiling. "Just wondering what you're still doing here?"

"What does that mean?" He asked confused, before turning back to Lloyd's sleeping form.

"I don't mean, here as in with the family, I meant here in general." She explained, sitting down next to her brothers.

"Let's face it, I don't fit in here." He groaned. "I mean, no one here gets me, and I have no one to talk to except you, Lloyd, and the librarian; and if you say Morro I swear to God I'll scream!" He threatened her and Nya burst out laughing.

"I wasn't going to, but remind me again why you don't like him?" She teased and Kai snorted.

"He's not my type."

"Poor Morro, maybe if he'd stayed the same, he might have a chance."

"I doubt it; honestly, I just don't wanna get married, I wanna be in love when I get married, not just settle down for the sake of it, or give myself up for money; I wanna travel and write and make my own happiness before I start looking for someone to share my happiness with." He explained. "Morro doesn't care about me, he just doesn't understand me! I want someone who loves me for me, and who can show me they love me like even without saying the words, I'll know they love me."

"Sounds cheesy," Nya replied with a teasing smile, before placing her hands on his shoulders. "Lloyd's right, you are a hopeful romantic." She giggled. Kai blushed before playfully punching Nya's arm. She just laughed before smiling sadly. "But seriously, Kai, that's a pretty amazing thought." She promised and Kai blinked at Nya's sudden change of tone. They sat in silence for a little while before Kai took a deep breath to settled his nerves.

"Nya? Do you think I'm odd?" He reluctantly asked, scared of the answer. His sister froze and looked at the brunette as if he'd suddenly grown an extra head.

"Is this because of what those idiots in town keep saying?" She asked angrily and Kai looked up to meet her saddened eyes.

"It's not that," He replied looking away. "It's just... I don't know, I obviously don't fit in, but sometimes I wish I did; then maybe I could find someone who actually understands me aside from you and Lloyd." He added and suddenly found himself wrapped in a warm hug by Nya before he was released. Nya's gaze rested on him with a look of firm affection.

"Kai, you're an artist like Mom and me, just with words, that means you see the world in ways other people can't or simply don't understand and it's your gift, to see the beauty and the horror in ordinary things, it doesn't make you odd, or strange, despite what the idiots in this town seem to think, just different, and there's nothing wrong with being different." She explained like it was a fact that needed to be memorized. Kai wasn't sure whether to smile or laugh at his silliness so he did both.

"Thanks, sis."

"Anytime," Nya laughed and got up before kissing Kai's forehead and then Lloyd's before turning to leave the room. "Night, big bro." She smiled and winked. "And remember, Lloyd and I are leaving tomorrow so we gotta get up early."

"I remember." He smiled, before getting up and retiring to his own room for the night...

#The Flame and the Dragon #ninjago #ninjago zane #ninjago cole #ninjago kai #ninjago lloyd #ninjago jay #ninjago nya #lavashipping

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ohwereusingourmadeupnames · 4 years ago

Note

Wine

do the thing - send in all the prompts.

So! I spent way too much time listening to songs about wine to grab some inspiration. Here you have an old country song meeting total canon divergence - I hope you enjoy <3

The fall in New York was always Peter’s favorite. The mugginess that sat over the city during the summer started to dissipate – the last dredges of it clinging, but just barely. A sharp temperature change swooped in overnight and brought chilly mornings – the actual need for a hoodie something Peter came to love over the years. Though there weren’t a lot of trees in his neighborhood, the subway ride to get to Central Park wasn’t too bad; he could see the leaves change and watch as nature prepared for a jump into the colder months.

Luckily, Peter graduated from high school with a pretty impressive resume that secured him an internship at Stark Industries – so he got to stay in the city and enjoy the changing of the seasons there for at least another four years. NYU orientation excited Peter more than he thought and the idea of starting in the coveted SI labs made his skin prickle with anticipation.

He walked over to Stark Tower earlier in the week to get his credentials and access badge – the sight of it making his mouth water. Ever since, he’d been dreaming about what kind of opportunities awaited him there.

On his first official day, Peter wandered into one of the elevators and hit the button for his floor. The elevator car was a little bit crowded and his smaller stature got him pushed to the back of it. He watched for the first few floors, the doors opening and closing – people moving into and out of the elevator; all of it lulling him into a sense of comfortability. He exited the elevator on his floor with a swift smile on his face.

Turning the corner, Peter let out a loud huff when he ran straight into something that felt solid and immovable, but pliable all the same. A soft grunt had him looking up, his cheeks starting to flare with heat when he realized the person he just tried to tackle was none other than Tony Stark himself. Peter was too afraid to move any further, so he froze - his chest flush against Tony’s.

In this proximity, Peter could feel the arc reactor on the older man’s chest, the hum of it alive, tangible – his solid core and legs were warm where they pressed against his own. Widening his eyes, Peter suddenly realized just how close they were and took a step back.

“Oh shit, Mr. Stark – I mean – “ Peter babbled for a second, his brain pinging off the side of his head like a pinball from the combination of too much stimulus and the delectable smell of cedar wood, mint, and the slightest undertone of musk. He looked at him then, Peter noticing for the first time that Tony’s face was pulling into a smile, the deep crinkles by his eyes way more flattering than they had any right to be.

Peter’s right shoulder was surrounded by long fingers and a palm that radiated heat – Mr. Stark’s grip moderate, the idea of it there without being all that threatening. “No worries, kid. I was talking to Jarvis and wasn’t paying attention.”

The most important person in this entire building was looking at him with a mixture of amusement and hilarity. Peter was still stuck on the warm hand engulfing his upper arm, the touch distracting – making it so hard to pay attention.

“Jarvis, sir? The AI that runs most of this building and the battle tactics in your suit?” Peter blurted a moment later, his face red as a beet. He went from not being able to keep up with the conversation to rushing forward, his head down and brain to mouth filter on obvious holiday. “I got to come to the big scholar’s dinner you threw in May. I was valedictorian at Midtown Science and Tech, so I got to see the interactivity of your penthouse. Very, very, very impressive, Mr. Stark – sir.”

Tony tilted his head and quirked an eyebrow at him – the man’s eyes hard to decipher behind the blue-tinted glasses. Peter wondered if that’s why they became his trademark – if no one could see his eyes, they probably couldn’t guess what he was going to do next, either. Slipping his tongue out to wet his suddenly dry lips, Peter flashed him a smile – the fact that the man hadn’t run off to wherever he was going surprising.

And if he were honest with himself, satisfying. He would have chopped off his own foot to get face time with Tony Stark – now he had the man’s attention, enough so that the hand on Peter’s shoulder hadn’t dropped. “Midtown, huh? Must have a good head on your shoulders, then. What department did they stick you in - ” The hand on his shoulder shifted until those fingers were playing with his credential instead. “Peter Parker.”

Just hearing his name on the other’s lips sent a shiver down his spine. The magazines and TV broadcasts did not do the man justice – he was gorgeous, charming, and had the sexiest voice. They didn’t let this guy talk nearly enough. His eyes roamed over Tony’s face, down the length of his body, then back up until their gazes were locked. “I’m in Testing, sir. I applied for R&D, but they didn’t have any spots left.”

White teeth bit into a plump bottom lip, Peter watching avidly as they did. He could feel the heat radiating from his face and neck – the blush completely overtaking him now. Oh, how he wanted to be those teeth, that lip looked like something that needed to be worshipped – explored with his own lips and tongue, enjoyed for its thickness and the rush of color that would come to it after a few nibbles and several hundred kisses.

“Cool – leaves you free to come work with me, then. I could use an assistant. And stop with sir shit, okay? I’m Tony. I’ll have Jarvis change the security clearances you have. The labs on 103 – I’ll be up there in about an hour. Go familiarize yourself,” Tony said, his words demanding – the man probably not even thinking about how monumental the things he just said were.

Peter looked at him dumbfounded for a second, mouth open at the jaw like a broken hinge. The other merely smiled at him, the eyes behind his sunglasses moving over him for a second. “Jarvis, have Peter Parker’s clearance changed to include my office and lab.” He looked Peter dead in the eye while he spoke, the words leaving no room for Peter to doubt any longer.

At first, it felt weird being in the lab that was twice the size of his own apartment. There were millions of dollars’ worth of equipment spread out all over the room and the coveted Iron Man armor was in parts and pieces on one of the longer lab tables. Peter walked over without a thought and looked at each of the pieces – his fingers skimming just barely over the surface of the metal on the face mask. It felt cool to the touch and sent tingles down his spine. Not wanting to fuck anything up, he took a few steps back and settled behind one of the emptier tables. Seeing some schematics for suit updates, Peter pulled them to him and started to read.

Tony found him there a little while later, the man looking at him curiously when Peter finally noticed his presence. “I gave you free reign in here and that’s what you settled on?” The man loosened the knot in his tie while he spoke, the expensive piece of fabric soaring across the room a moment later. “What do you think? I’m trying to put a better stabilizer in the glove – but it gets bigger the more energy I want to yield from it.”

After looking at the plans for a while, he’d come up with a number of things that could be tweaked here and there. With that specific question in mind, Peter opened up to a page towards the back and pointed out one of the equations. “I think if you change this coefficient, you’ll be able to get rid of the size and still have the same amount of energy you’re looking for.”

They spent the rest of the day reworking some of the math – the begrudging grin on Tony’s face more than enough to know that he’d done good; that whatever test Tony was giving him, he passed with flying colors.

The weeks flew by after that – Peter enjoyed every second in the lab, even when they spent 14 hours within the confines of it. There weren’t a lot of things calling Peter away, so he allowed himself to get swept up in it – the excitement of working with Tony on the Iron Man suits, the knowledge and technique he was learning, and the developing crush that would not go away, no matter what he did.

Close to the end of the year, both men were exhaustedly working on solving the palladium problem of Tony’s arc reactor – they’d been going for 45 hours straight, neither leaving the lab for anything other than bathroom breaks and to answer the door for takeout. It was wearing on them; Peter could tell by the sluggish conversation and the snippiness of the older man. In his time working in the lab, Peter knew the further away they were from an answer, the more on edge Tony got.

Finally, after 50 hours of doing nothing but staring at the multidimensional schematic in front of them, Tony finally found the answer. It happened suddenly, Peter was talking through an idea, his hands moving the diagram around until Tony stopped him, his eyes flashing.

“Pete, I’ve got it.”

Tony quickly started to prattle off his findings, his hands moving a mile a minute while he described the process and the tools they’d need. Without much thought, Peter jumped into Tony’s arms, his fatigue and excitement getting the best of him.

“Thank God,” Peter mumbled into the skin of Tony’s neck – after 20 hours of sleep and a few rushed orders, they’d finally be that much closer to figuring out how to save Tony from the poison slowly trickling through his veins. Tony’s presence was solid and warm, the feeling of his body not any different than that first encounter – except it was – completely different.

Now, Peter knew how much those legs carried to keep so many things in the air at once. He understood that his core kept his shoulders upright, shoulders that were constantly trying to lift and remove the burden of the world. A shuddering breath left his mouth, his thoughts not anywhere near appropriate for the moment they were currently in.

The sudden space between them almost drew a moan from his lips, Peter so absorbed in the feel of Tony against him that he missed it instantly. Hands framed his cheeks a half a second later – Peter’s chin tilting up to suss out the purpose, to see what exactly Tony had on his mind in that moment. What he found there stopped him dead in his tracks – heat, arousal, confusion, anticipation – all the things Peter figured were reflected in his own eyes.

“You know I’m an old guy, right? Twice your age – could be your dad kind of old,” Tony mumbled, his face pressing in to close the gap between them. With mere inches separating them, he stopped – amber eyes looking into his, waiting for the answer – for him to fill in the last bit of empty space.

Peter let his actions answer for him – the swift press of their lips together more than enough to shock him to the core. The rightness of it couldn’t be denied, despite the glaringly obvious details that might say otherwise.

The soft caress of their lips lingered until the need for breath arose, Peter pulling back first to see the serene look of Tony with his eyes closed and a full-face smile. Tucking his lower lip between his teeth, Peter shook his head, fondness painted into his expression. “You know what they say about fine wine, Tony.” He brushed his nose against the older man’s, the words stuck in the heavy air between them.

In the brief seconds before they kissed again, he whispered “it just gets sweeter with time.” He felt the smile on Tony’s lips in their kiss, the softness of it divine, the taste sweet – like promise and love.

#goindownshipping #starker #ironspider #ask prompts #prompts #thanks for the prompt <3 #bobbie writes

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suffering-and-happy-about-it · 5 years ago

Text

Mount Everest Ain't Got Shit On Us (Fezco x fem!reader, part 7.)

Description: You were always told that your life will be as you wish it to be if you’ll study enough. That it will pay off if you work hard. And some people were given you like the scary example of what will happen when you don’t obey. But sometimes it feels good to disobey.

A/N: None really this time?

Warnings: Fezco being FLUFFY as fuck. Rue and Jules with yo sis Fran being fucking the best supporting bitches ever. No drugs or so mentioned, except weed, this part is overall pretty ok I think.

Read the rest here, babe: PART 1 PART 2 PART 3 PART 4 PART 5 PART 6

Masterlist and declaration: H E R E

When you have a meeting which is truly important for you, the time slows down around you. It could be a meeting with someone new, which usually tears you apart from the inside because of the curiousness of how it will be, to be with them.

You have those feelings when you have an appointment with your new work. Your nervous about the questions that they will ask you - you're nervous that you will not answer correctly. People can be very keen on the first impressions.

The same feeling appears in your chest when you have to go to meet someone for the last time in your life. A sudden feeling of loneliness stops the world turning around you. You feel the need to be sad, to be alone, you feel a lot of anxiety.

So when Fez didn't text you for the first week, you felt like you have fucked something like. When you told Fran, she just busted out of laughter, watching you with her eyes closed playfully. She giggled for the last time.

She always told you that she finds you astonishingly beautiful, especially in your tight dress showing your cleavage almost completely and some high heels on. When you were doing a little catwalk to Rue and Jules, Rue told you that you should not wear them when you'll go out with Fez, because it could give him a heart attack. So you decided that those were definitely the ones to wear when being with Fez on a date.

"Are you serious? You from all the people feel insecure? Shithead, you're hilarious sometimes, for god's fuckin' sake." - Fran swung her feet on the small table in front of the TV, taking a fistful of popcorn and shoving it up to her mouth. It was almost nine p.m., Cal was already sent to bed and you two watched some badly written and badly shotted horror movie. Your mom and your dad were on the way to your old hometown to visit granny and grandpa.

“What would I even do without your honesty?” - You snuggled to her side as you always did. From the time you were small, Fran was basically the boy-ish manly element in your everyday life. She was the big sister who was rude, loud, who was cursing like a sailor with the humor the darkest humorist on the planet.

When you were little and you were afraid, she took you to her bed to snuggle you for the rest of the night. When you were feeling bad, she tried to make everything on the planet felt right for you. And when you watched some movies, you always cuddled and she braided your head or massaged your scalp, being the protective one.

You, from all of your siblings, were the woman element, the princess which everyone felt the need to protect and to take care of. You knew that you are capable of the watch after your own fucking ass. It wasn't your choice that you looked like a gentle, small woman, the rose in beasts palace.

Cal was obviously the dumbest and youngest, or that was what Fran was saying all the time. He was extremely likely to be persuaded with Fran's bullshit - and she was capable of thinking almost extremely crazy things. She made him go all nature-loving vegan boy for almost three years and one time, she told him that he should drive circle on every dog hell see to make him a dalmatian.

But that was what your family was like from the day you three were officially together. So it was completely normal for you to snuggle with Fran in the most sister-like way even possible.

“What would ya do without me? Well, mostly, you wouldn't have anyone to be truthful with ya.” - Fran whispered, leaning her cheek to the top of your head. She had a huge smile on, again shoving a whole fist of popcorn up to her mouth. - “Second of all, ya life would be completely without a direction and without any sense of humor in ya boring day-to-day survivin'. Dear fuckin' lord baby Jesus.” - She yelled and laughed when a jumpscare took her by surprise.

A vibration next to your upper thigh took you by surprise as you and Fran laughed it off. You shook it off as Rue's gibberish, but the phone continued on vibrating. Eventually, after a minute and three texts later, you finally looked at the screen. When you looked at the screen, you didn't even know who the hell it is.

But then you focused on the grammar and the nickname, it all clicked into one place.

“What happened? Somebody took a picture of a yeti again?” - Fran joked around, but you looked like the Lord and Savior himself just put a halo on the top of your head. You watched the display with mouth opened, without having a single idea what to say to Fran.

Unknown number: Heya newbie.

Unknown number: It Fez 'ere. Wanna know when ya have the time?

Unknown number: Wanna see ya. The sooner the betta.

“A... A boy who I like just texted me if I want to go out? Jesus, Fran, do I want to go out?” - You shuttered and exhaled out loud, being all nervous and rosy all of a sudden. Fran was giggling at you with a raised eyebrow.

“Is he the knight of the Catholic cavalry you were searching for?” - Fran closed her eyes a bit and then she started to giggle. - “You will never know, shithead. You better find out, hm? Go get 'em, tiger! You can go out with that boy tomorrow, I will look after shithead number two, just have a nice evening. Live a little while the two of them are gone.”

So you texted him back, feeling all confident with your sister's support. Fran then stood up and stopped the movie, pointing with her thumb in the direction behind her back. - “Gonna have some fine time, just me and ma weed while ya will be all over dat boy, okay?”

Y/N: I have some time tomorrow. Wanna hang out?

You sat down, eating some popcorn and drinking the root beer Fran had bought for you two. You tried to keep your mind occupied while Fran was stoning on her balcony.

Fez: Alrite. Wanna do somethin' special-special or just han' out? We can go to the cinema and shit.

Y/N: Dinner, cinema, and shit? That's what u mean?

Fez: Yea, I mean dat type of shit.

Y/N: Ok. See ya tomorrow at 5?

Fez: Tomorrow in front of da expansive Italian bistro.

You almost screamed out loud with joy, your brain was all over the fucking place. Fezco wanted to go out with you. Holy fucking shit. Fezco. That fucking bearded stoner who you were all around. In an Italian bistro which everybody considered the best in the city. You two between all of the businessmen, rich people and there you would be, just the two weirdos.

“So wazzup?” - Fran walked into the room completely tuned down by the weed. She was slow, all over the place; she usually acted like a fucking philosopher or a magician when she was stoned. - “Yo man, I am so fuckin' high.” - She sat down and laughed loudly.

That meant only one thing - she already found one of the local dealers and she bought some good fucking shit, as she would most likely say, from him.

“You're asking about me and the boy, aren't you?” - You let her sat down next to you, again snuggling you. - “It is all going a-ok. I have a date yesterday.” - You said excitedly with a joy-filled voice. You looked and Fran. She was smiling happily and after a half an hour, she leaned down to kiss your forehead.

But in her head, no time has passed between she was happy for you and after she leaned to kiss you.

The other day, Cal left the house really early. He was going to skate with his band of friends, in which was Gia Bennett included as well. But your three fangirls decided to be with you all day, telling you some useful tips and tricks, doing your hair, doing her make-up.

“If ya not gonna wear that, I mean THAT dress, I’m going to disown ya, girl.” - Rue stood up and took those tight black dress hugging your cleavage fuckingly tight. She and Fran had a joint together so they were on cloud nine. Fran said she was watching over Rue - that meant Rue hadn't got more than two shots. - “Oh yea boy! You need to fuckin' wear that, bitch!” - Fran exclaimed.

“Those spaghetti straps plus ya boobs? I tell you that you're going to kill ma man with that kind of shit. And girl, I saw yo ass looking just yummy in dat skirt.” - Rue gave you the dress with a slight smile. They've made your face prettier, your hair looked like the hair of a Hollywood star.

“And may I recommend you those black high heels?” - Jules smiled. They had a plan - to make you look the most devilish way you ever possibly could. Rue knew what Fez is going to like, so she just continued with making a really good outfit.

“That's it. We done 'here, ma ladies. Now ya have it in yo own hands. Good luck girl.” - Rue kissed you on both of your cheeks an hour later. You were nervous that you will fuck something up. Fran voluntarily said she would take you to the Italian restaurant in her car.

“Good luck with that man, babes.” - Jules hugged you, then giving you an encouraging smile to kick you in the ass. Jules and Rue were staying at your place to watch over Gia and Cal. Cal was on your team. The two of them fangirled all over you as well, but Rayman was way more interesting than your date was.

“Hey ho, let's fuckin' go!” - Fran opened up the door for you, playing with the keys in her hand. The way in the car was a quiet one, only interrupted by the hip hop station. You were nervous and Fran was sobering up after the joint, tuned down a bit. But she looked you in the eyes when you were there.

“Yo look absolutely stunnin', shithead, no matter what he's gonna say. Be confident, be cool and be you, ya comprehend?” - She took your palm to hers, playing with your fingers with a slight smile on her lips. You nodded and took a deep breath in before you basically jumped to circle your hands around her neck.

“I love you, dingus.” - You whispered and Fran smoothed your back in a slow matter. - “I fuckin' love you too, shithead. Fuck off or I'll be fuckin' emotional.” - Then she waved at you when she was leaving, holding her thumbs up.

You nervously trembled when you stood next to the entrance. You looked all over the place just to see him smoking behind a car. He looked nervous as hell, paler than before, with your eyes flatter than any time else. But he looked really cute.

He hadn't got a tux, but he had a white shirt with a tie around it, tight black trousers. He overall looked cute than when you have seen him before. You tiptoed to be seen from behind the car and you waved at him. Fez gave you a nod and a knowing fast smile. Your eyes were scanning his way of walking and you almost fainted. Fezco looked sexy as hell.

But you had the feeling that that was the first and official last time that you saw Fezco in something like a suite.

“Heya, newbie.” - Fezco smiled at you, offering you his elbow to hold onto. You took a hold of it almost instantly. - “Hi, Fez.” - A big, happy smile appeared on your face and you smoothed his upper arm with your fingertips.

“How ya doin'? Ya lookin' all happy and shit.” - He opened you the door but made you go after him, holding them open for you.

“Can't I look happy? I'm just excited about this evening.” - You said and you were completely honest with him. Fezco made you really surprised - he had a reservation of a really good table in the restaurant, he made you ordered the best food you wanted to taste in the restaurant and he truly paid for you in the end. It must've cost a fortune at least, but Fez looked like he's completely cool about that.

You were sure about one thing - it didn't matter that Fez was not the smartest, the brightest, the strongest or the best boy in the hood, yet he was the perfect match for you. Fezco knew how to make you laugh and your smile made him smile as well. He loved your imperfections - that you were nervous about all of that, that you sometimes said something utterly stupid and the panic when you were sorry for that.

At one point, your fingers brushed on the table and since then, your hands intertwined gently. He did some serious gentleman shit. He was really nice to you, seriously concerned about you and the things that you like even tho his brain looked like it's about to freeze. Yer he found you sweet, so he tried his best to be the brightest he could. That was some serious effort he put into that evening.

You took a quick picture od those hands on the table lightened up with all the chandeliers and candles in the Italian style. It looked seriously romantic. And Fez didn't even notice, because he was doing something with the menu.

Then, even tho you looked like some big hugs, you two went to a cinema. You had the upper hand off choosing the movie. So you definitely went to watch some horror movies - it was seriously visible that you made that only move because you wanted to be closer to him.

That evening was the best one you have ever had. You were with a boy you were into, he was funny and charming and even hugged you and cuddled to his chest when you were freaking out. Your mind was on cloud fucking nine because of Fez.

When the ride home came, you were completely relaxed as hell. You completely opened up the car windows and you sang loudly, which made him giggle. It almost looked like he is about to kiss you when you stood in front of the house. But all of a sudden, you saw your mom in the window. So you giggled and took his hand into your palm, running off with him into the garden, pressing your body into his.

“I didn't know that my parents will be home so soon. If they saw you here, they would have killed me.” - You whispered to him, leading him under your window. He just nodded when you stopped, smiling shyly and playing with his hand in yours.

“So... Can I see you anytime soon?” - You put your palms on his chest, still looking into his eyes. You were still whispering - because you wanted to be longer with him and you seriously didn't want to get to trouble.

“Yea. Would be cool.” - Fezco said immediately and you bit your bottom lip with excitement. You made the first move for the second time, leaning into a long kiss. You put your palms on his jaw, holding him a tight grip. The kiss was getting more passionate and more desperate as you moaned lightly. Dear Lord, you were so fucking impressed by his kissing techniques. They were even better than when you were drunk. When the kiss came to an end, you scanned his face with a happy, loving gaze. You liked that boy. You really did.

He stood there until you crawled back to your room through the window, kissing you one last time, this time starting the kiss and leading it.

"Ya wait for a sec like dat?" - He pointed at you suddenly. Your face frowned a bit, but you smiled with excited expression in your face. Fezco ran off as quietly as possible, before going back in the same manner. He was giving you something - upon a further inspection, it was a single rose only decorated by a red velvet string in a somehow strange yet beautiful manner. You smiled widely, your stare turning to his once again.

"Thank you so much, where the hell had you the time to get this?" - You leaned for another long kiss. Okay. So that was your thing. The couple who is basically obsessed with kissing each other. That one was a sure thing. But it was so exciting, he tasted so good and your head just made the reality blur around you every single time. Yeah. You could easily consideration yourself officially lost in the way Fez kissed.

"Bought it before but forgot it in da car. I was so nervous." - A wide smile broke out on his lips and you couldn't anything else but smile happily.

That was the moment when it all has started. This was one of the top moments in your whole life at that point. There was a lot that was ahead of you, but you didn't want to see it. So many fucked up bullshit was just beginning to rise in your future without you even noticing. At that moment, you had everything.

It was just Fezco and you.

And it was perfect.

#fez x reader #fezco x reader #fezco euphoria #fez euphoria #euphoria hbo #rue bennett #jules vaughn #rue euphoria #jules euphoria #fezco imagine #euphoria fanfic

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yungimmortals · 4 years ago

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long drive | graves & miranda | part 1

date: friday, may 22, 2020

summary: two of the hermes siblings wake up at the crack of dawn for a road trip. final destination, myrtle beach. current location: somewhere on i-95 south.

“Hey! Monty! Let’s go!” Graves strolled into Cabin 11, making a beeline for the kitchen. “Loretta’s outside, doors are unlocked. Put your shit in the truck. Vamos, vamos! We got a long drive hermana.” He checked his watch as he dug through the fridge. 4:30. He closed the fridge, scooping up the food he’d gathered and dumping it rather unceremoniously into a bag. He snagged his water bottle from the counter and popped into his room to give it a once-over, making sure he had everything for the weekend.

“Mira!” Graves called, after unloading more supplies into the truck. “We’re already behind schedule, andele.” He decided to forgo nicknames, his tone a little more serious than usual. “My mom’s cookin’ dinner tonight and we are not missin’ that!” Grave picked up his duffel bag and hooked the strap over his shoulder, seconds away from knocking on Miranda’s door.

Miranda opened her bedroom door, shuffling out of it with a few bags in tow. "Okay, okay! Te escuché." She bent down to grab her magic bag, which was currently in its usual black backpack form, and threw it over her shoulder. "Coño, don't remind me about the drive, I'm tired just thinking about it." She headed over towards the front door, pausing to slip on the flip flops she had left there before she finished packing. "Do you need me to bring anything out? Once I get to Loretta, I make zero promises that I'm coming back for you."

Graves shook his head, stepping back so she could pass. He made a shoo-ing motion with his hands in an attempt to usher her out the door. "Nah nah, she's already loaded up. I just need my-" he looked around the room, spotting the item and swiping it off the edge of the couch. "Hat, and now I have it. We're good to go. You're navigator and DJ, you know the drill." He put his hat on, turning it backwards. He gave the cabin one more cursory glance and closed the door behind them. "I hope Roz doesn't set the place on fire while we're gone." Graves hopped in the truck after loading in Miranda's bags and closed the door; he turned the key and the engine roared to life.

Miranda climbed up into the truck, dropped her backpack at her feet, and immediately started getting her phone connected to the stereo system Loretta had. By the time Graves had finally joined her inside of the truck, she had already kicked her now bare feet up on the dash, and had her road trip playlist loaded and ready to go. "Nah, we should be good, I didn't tell her what not to do, so it should be still standing when we get back. I told Mace we were going to be gone, so maybe she'll swing by occasionally and check up on the place." She shrugged, ignoring the small part of her that was in fact worried about leaving her younger sister in charge of the cabin. Once the engine started up, she turned on the radio to let her playlist start, leaning her head back into the seat as they started to drive. The music filled the silence between them as they started getting onto the highway, and the farther they got from camp, the more excitement started to flutter inside of her. "I'm glad we're doing this, Gravy. I didn't realize how badly I wanted to get out of that place."

He took the exit, as instructed by the GPS and looked over at Miranda. "Yeah, me too. I haven't been home since...I got here." It was weird to say out loud; now that he had, Graves' excitement doubled. "I can't wait for you to meet my mom. And Gran! And see the shop. And-" he cut himself off with a laugh. "I'm gettin' ahead of myself. This is gonna be fun as fuck."

Miranda nodded her head as he spoke, a smile appearing on her face at his very obvious excitement. "Yeah, especially since you're such a momma's boy, and all." She teased, choosing to do that instead of thinking about the last time she had gone home herself. She hated thinking about it, but the idea of going on an adventure to meet Graves' mom had her feeling a little on edge about the whole family topic. Regardless, she plastered a smile on her face. "I'm mainly in it for those fishbowls you showed me, but yeah I guess the rest of it is fine too."

"Hey, I have a great mom! Of course I'm a momma's boy. You'll love her too, wait and see." Graves bobbed his head along to the song Miranda had picked. He checked the time. 5:00. He was not awake enough for the drive ahead of them and decided that the first pit stop would be at a Starbucks. His ears perked up at 'fishbowls'. "Oh fuck yeah, Monty, you're gonna love Duffy's. Well- actually you might hate it, it's kind of a dive? But the fishbowls are fuckin' bomb and we can walk there from the house."

"Why the fuck would I hate it? I'm not an elitist or some shit. But I am very okay with being able to just walk down the street whenever I want a drink." Miranda rolled her eyes, shuffling in her seat a bit until she was comfortably situated while half facing her brother, then pulled a blanket out of her backpack and draped it over her legs.

Graves shook his head with a laugh. "We'll have to walk there every day then. It's like a ten minute walk to the main avenue and there's Duffy's and really good pizza and we can get ice cream at Sweetz and- I'm ramblin'. You have to wait and see." He looked over at Miranda as she got comfortable in the passenger seat. "You wanna nap for a bit? I'll wake you up at the next rest stop."

Miranda laughed as well, though hers was laced with exhaustion. "You, ramble? Never, Manito. But, as long as they have black raspberry then I am in for ice cream." She curled up slightly in her seat, and smiled when she heard Graves' offer. "Yeah, I didn't really sleep last night, so that would be awesome." They talked for another few minutes, Miranda's voice slowly getting quieter before her end of the conversation dropped altogether as she fell asleep.

~~~

The rest stop parking lot was packed, considering it wasn't even 9 AM. It took Graves two loops around the place before he found a parking spot. He cursed himself silently for forgetting about the holiday weekend as he turned the car off and gave Miranda's shoulder a shake. "Mont, wake up. We're in New Jersey." When she didn't stir, Graves tried another tactic. He shook her arm again, talking louder this time, "Hey, hermana, levántate! I'll buy you coffee. There's a Starbucks here." As his sister began to wake up, he hopped out of the truck and sent two quick texts: one to his mom, the other to Macey, updating them with the progress of their road trip.

Miranda let out a small groan when she felt her shoulder get shaken, adjusting herself so that she was away from the source of the movement. When it returned, but stronger this time, she let out a louder whine, though it cut off when she heard 'coffee'. It took her a minute to wake up enough to register where they were, then another three to stretch and climb out of the truck to join Graves in the parking lot. "Oh gods, coffee. Yes, please."

Graves stretched his arms over his head and yawned. "Okay, cariña. Let's make this quick, we still have nine hours to go. You grab breakfast, I'll grab the coffee?" He handed her a very wrinkled twenty dollar bill from his pocket then bumped her shoulder with his. "Meet you back here in five?"

Miranda looked down at the money he handed her, then back up at him and raised an eyebrow to silently ask him why this moment was happening. Then she saw the look on his face, and the excitement in his eyes and decided not to say anything, instead pocketing the bill and following him towards the rest stop. "Lo tienes. See you in five." She started to walk, put turned around when she thought of something, but continued to walk backwards. "Iced coffee!" Miranda turned back around and over to the food court. The line made her take a little longer than five minutes, but roughly ten minutes later, she returned to the truck with two breakfast sandwiches in hand.

Graves was sitting in the driver's seat already, door open, his feet hanging out the side. The line for coffee had been much shorter than that for food and he'd beat Miranda back to the truck, taking the opportunity to check his texts. As she walked up to the car, he grabbed her iced coffee and handed it to her, eagerly trading for a sandwich. "Thank gods you're back. I'm starving to death, Mont. You ready to get back on the road?"

Climbing back into the truck, Miranda let out a huff. “I swear to gods, people are idiots. Someone was trying to get a vegan egg sandwich. At a rest stop. Like, where the fuck do they think they are, a gourmet coffee shop?” She rolled her eyes, exchanging food for a coffee and took a long sip. “But si, vamos, get me away from this place.”

He chuckled, waving his sandwich at her, "I assume this is not a vegan egg sandwich then?" Graves unwrapped his sandwich and took a bite before putting on his seat belt and turning the key in the ignition. "'This place' as in the rest stop? Or 'this place' as in New Jersey, armpit of America?" He joked before pulling out of their spot and getting back on the road.

Miranda laughed, returning her feet to the dash as he pulled back onto the highway. "Sorry to disappoint you, I know how much you're dying to have something in common with 'tough guy' Brent." She teased, unwrapping her own sandwich and taking a bite out of it. "I was going to say just the rest stop, but you know what, either one is fine by me at this point."

"Oh my gods, did Macey tell you about that?" Graves asked, indignant. He took another bite of his sandwich. "Brent is cool, and scary. Y'all stop makin' fun of me for bein' intimidated or I'm not talkin' to y'all about anything anymore." His eyes flashed to the GPS and he switched lanes before focusing back on the road. He repeated his earlier statement, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel in time with his words, "Nine hours to go, hermana. Luckily, we'll be out of Jersey in about an hour. "

"No? I was just there after the first night of fight night. Brent just said the same exact thing Macey and I had already said you practically fell over trying to get back to the cabin after that. Though now I will be texting Macey." Miranda took another sip of coffee. "Cool, I'll give you. Scary? Sorry, can't agree there, Gravy." When he switched topics, she decided to ease up, considering he was driving and was honestly in complete control of her not getting lost while wandering around Myrtle Beach. She started the process of connecting her phone back to the stereo to get the music playing again. "That's not bad, Any requests for the DJ?"

“Ah, fight night,” Graves confirmed, finally understanding the moment Miranda was referring to. He took another bite of his sandwich, mumbling, “punched a god” around his mouthful of food. He was thankful Miranda didn’t press the topic; Graves wanted to get to know Brent better. He didn’t really find the older demigod that scary, but he didn’t know him well enough to see the softer side that his sisters always pointed out. And if this guy had punched a god in the face without being vaporized on the spot? Well, Cam definitely wanted to call him a friend. He blinked, registering Miranda’s question a few seconds after she asked. “Hm, somethin’ we call yell along to? Somethin’ that’ll keep me awake until we make our next stop. It’s a long drive, but it’ll be worth it, I swear.”

Miranda nodded. "Alright, I can work with that." She debated offering to drive for a little bit, but her brother was stubborn. Besides, it didn't even matter if she said anything or not, they both knew that they would swap if he needed a quick power nap, so she decided to not bring it up. Tapping her phone a few times, she pulled up a new playlist of songs they could easily jam out to and pressed play, reaching out to turn the stereo up as it started blasting out.

#m: graves #graves&miranda #graves&miranda 004 #chatzy

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five-stages-of-gris · 5 years ago

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Welp, @sadghostgirl001 here it is. Nearly 4K of salt and fluff. I hope you like this.

Warnings: omegaverse, Team Cap being dicks, some feminization but barely noticed

Stephen could say he understood both sides in this rift, as much as he hates to admit it. He still thought it was awful, as it didn’t affect both parties at all.

Let’s recap, to see why our soon-to-be Sorcerer Supreme was getting real tired of his workmates’ bullshit.

It began when Tony Stark proposed Peter Parker, one of his formers students at M.I.T. when he graduated with honors within five years, both undergraduate and graduate programs. He could understand why Tony was attracted to someone as brilliant as him, even though the young man wasn’t older that 23.

And yes, that was the factor that broke tensions between the Avengers. Stephen massaged his temples while waiting for his coffee to be over as his workmates sent the others murderous looks. Why, why did they were fighting for something so banal. Especially when neither Tony, nor Peter Parker where in the Avengers.

That caught you off ward, right?

Well, let me explain something first. After Tony was fatally injured in Siberia, he had to abandon the Avengers’ initiative because of his injuries, as he couldn’t pilot the Iron Man armor any more. He was offered a position as a consultant, but he refused, as last time he was just giving advice to projects he didn’t have control with ended up with three helicarriers crashing on Washington. Also, it was the best time for retiring, and focused his time both in his relief charities and reviewing projects from Stark Industries. It seemed new workers felt safe when he was around, so he was happy to see those fresh spirits making new stuff, and he was glad to mother hen them all. A few years ago, he also accepted a proposition in M.I.T., as part of the engineering department.

Peter was just a college student. He was majoring in Chemistry and Biology, and was assisting to a graduate program Stephen couldn’t actually remember. He wouldn’t have met Tony if the ex-avenger didn’t look forward to meet him, as Peter was currently one of the big gossips between the professors because his brilliance. And after that, as those pink press magazines Wong keeps around said, everything was history. Tony proposed Peter after the graduation ceremony at a restaurants that would probably cost more than the Sanctum maintenance. It was an open mic night, so Tony decided to dust off his musical skills and proposed to the young man while playing the piano, someone recorded it, and it went viral. Maybe that was the intention.

Of course, it became known for the Avengers too, received with different reactions. Rogers and his merrymen got the most visceral reactions: ranging from saying that Tony was a complete pervert for marrying someone nearly thirty years younger than you to saying that Peter was a temptress probably from Hydra who was seducing Tony to steal his new weapons, no mattering that neither Tony nor SI made weapons anymore, the closest to making weapons was checking and repairing War Machine equipment from Rhodes’ personal request, or that Peter PArker was completely clean, as he was a close friend from Gwen Stacy, their friendly neighbour spider sentinel. They met in a ballet academy since they were five and they quickly hit it off, even going to the same major and minoring in ballet studies. Gwen couldn’t understand how Peter could finish college so fast, but the young omega told her she could do the same if she weren’t getting any of her extra “night runs”. She was static after the notice and she was going to defend his friend with tooth and nail.

Alongside Gwen there were others, like Captain Marvel and the Asgardians who didn’t see the age difference as an obstacle, with Carol’s aging being slowed down by space and the Asgardians living for millenia. With them there were others, like Danny and Bruce, who, even though not outwardly supportive, preferred to leave Peter and Tony alone, as they didn’t have any business with the Avengers’ Initiative.

And so those were the sides, with Luke, Jessica and him at the middle, wondering for the one thousand time why did they decided to join.

“Is everyone here?” Asked Rogers on his usual “mission” face. For Stephen, he looked like he just sucked a lemon. As seeing how the rest made a hum of approvement, he began his speech.

“Avengers, we can celebrate that thanks to us the world is at peace. And we can thank all of that to our training and discipline…” Stephen wondered if anyone else had drifted off already. He just sipped his coffee from time to time, drifting some glaces to Rogers to look like he was listening when Gwen got up from her seat, at Stephen’s side, like pushed by a spring.

“LEAVE PETER AND TONY ALONE FOR FUCKS’ SAKE!” she shouted, and if it wasn’t for Jennifer and Stephen she would have thrown a punch to the face of America.

“Sit down, Stacy” Rogers ordered, and for a moment Stephen wished to free Gwen. She didn’t stopped in her accusations though.

“DON’T TRY TO GIVE ME ANOTHER OF YOUR MORALISTIC BULLSHIT! YOU KNOW SHIT ABOUT THEM! I’VE BEEN THERE! I’VE SEEN THEM! THEY LOVE EACH OTHER, AND THAT’S IT!”

“Gwen, I know you’ve seen them, and that Peter’s your friend” Steve tried to placate, something that didn’t work because he used the same tone someone would to a toddler. “But sometimes, we don’t know our friends as good as we think. Sometimes, they might be hiding dark intentions and we just can’t see it because they’re our friends”

“What. Like your friend Bucky, you say?”

The room fell in silence. If Khamala or Miles were there, surely they’ve just blown on screams.

“Ghost Spider. Out” Rogers said, and Gwen stormed out of the room, closing the door with a slam. Stephen leaned into Jennifer and whispered.

“I think I’ve chosen a bad moment to space out, what it’s going on?”

“Steve want us to make an “intervention” on Tony”

“What?”

“He wants to go to Tony’s home and convince him out of marrying his fiancée”

“You can’t be serious”

“He just asked for voluntaries to go to the mission. All his friends offered”

“Of course” Stephen frowned, this wasn’t going to end well. “Someone needs to go with them and keep an eye for problems”

“Yeah, sure, but who? Don’t look at me, I’m not going to bother Tony Stark with those headless chickens”

Stephen sighed. “If you want to do something you need to do it yourself. Hey Rogers! I’m coming”

“W-What?” said Rogers, and his surprise was contagious. Everyone turned their head at him, and Stephen began to regret already his decision.

Peter felt a tickling sensation on both of his sides and nearly threw the pot because of it.

“Tony!” the omega protested, turning to see his fiancee behind him with the biggest grin he could make. “You were supposed to help me with the dinner! Not to distract me!”

“Sorry baby, but you know that the kitchen is my mortal enemy” said Tony, picking a spoon. “By the way what are you cooking now? It smells delicious”

“Oh no, take your hands away from the gravy!” Peter ordered while swatting Tony’s hand with the wooden spoon.

“Ok, ok I’ll stop,” Tony giggled raising his hands in defeat. “What a poor destiny of mine, not being able to taste my fiancée’s delicious cuisine”

“Oh please, Tony. You eat what I cook every day! Nothing’s bad gonna happen if you wait ten minutes”

"Awww, but I'm hungry now!" Tony's hands traveled downwards to his top's end. Peter squirmed, trying to get away from the alpha.

"Please Tony!" he said before going back to the pot, the sauce began to boil, alarming the omega. "Tony, please, can you be a dear and get me one of the casserole plates?"

"Everything for my Prince" he said. He gave him a quick peck while putting the vegetables on the plate, despite Peter's protest. He wanted to help after all.

"Alright, so we have the potato salad, the green bean casserole and the pork chops with gravy, anything else?"

"What? Just that?" Peter closed the oven and looked at the kitchen. "Shit I forgot the croquettes!"

"Croquettes? Peter isn't it too much?"

"And the mashed potatoes! Fuck, fuck this is a mess, sorry Tony!"

"Hey no problem, it's just our Honeybear with Gwen and some friends, there is nothing to worry about"

"...Alright" said Peter with a huff. "Can you get the croquettes out the refrigerator please? I don't have time to make the mashed potatoes myself but there is some of the other somewhere"

In the end, they managed to prepare both the croquettes and the mashed potatoes before the doorbell rang. At the other's side there were Rhodes, Carol, Gwen, Luke and Jessica. Gwen and Peter hugged each other, the spider-woman lifting him and a King a whirl.

"Careful Gwen or you'll make Tony jealous" teased Rhodey, which the billionaire dismissed it.

"Sorry, Tony. I just missed Peter so much!" she said as Peter gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"I missed you too, Gwen. Tell me, how has been your summer?"

With that they moved towards the dining room, staring in complete awe at the banquet Peter has prepared. The dinner was amazing, talking and laughing. It was such a nice evening, those at the start of the summer when the soft breeze cooling the place.

After they finished the dessert, three chocolate ice cream cups with caramel syrup, they began to stream a Spanish movie, something about a bunch of priest joining a soccer tournament, when the doorbell rang again. Peter looked at his guests, asking if someone else was supposed to come. When they answered that no, anyone’s going to come, Tony decided to be the one to get to the door.

He certainly didn’t expect Steve and his gang at the other side of the door, dressed in full costume that made Tony harden his grip of the doorknob.

“Rogers! Guys! ... What a surprise” he mentally chastised himself for the poor rhyme. “What… What are you doing here? There is a mission and you came to pick them up?”

“... Yes. There’s a mission” answered Steve, his expression softening. Tony had a bad feeling about it. “But it’s here, we don’t have to pick up anyone?”

“What? Here? Shit! PETER! GO TO THE BASEMENT!” Tony was about to get back to the living room when Steve’s grabbed him by the shoulder. Tony choked on his breath, he was going to have a long therapy session next Monday…

“Tony, the mission is here, in this house” surely Tony’s expression must have alarmed Steve as he quickly proceeded to further explain. “Tony, we need to talk”

“Wait,” Tony shook his head. “Are you telling me that your supposed mission is coming to talk with me? Steve, it has been years since I left the Avengers Initiative. Not because I want, but because I can’t pilot my armor after Siberia” He said. Someone could read between the lines that last phrase was a quip at Rogers, but that Captain was a bit dense when he was on a mission. More like, he didn’t pay attention to anything else but what it could affect it.

“Tony, is not about that…”

“Yeah, sure. Then why are you coming to my house close to midnight and saying you want to talk to me?”

“Well, technically, we’re not in your house…” commented the Ant-guy he didn’t remember the name.

“If you only came here to blurb ridiculous remarks like the last one, then you can go and kindly fuck off”

“Wow, so much for old friends” said Clint, winning a tired scowl from Rogers.

“Tony, I know we had been bothering you about returning to the Avengers in the past, but today’s different.” Natasha came to the front and leaned on the door frame, letting Tony see her feminine figure. Strange, at the back of the group, did his best to not to roll his eyes as the ridiculous scene. Wanda looked at him with her eyes narrowed, but he was sure the mind repelling spell was working.

“Yeah, right, like it will not jump to that after today’s pathetic excuse is over. Listen, if you came for anything else, I’d probably would have let you in! Really! Anything else! But no, for you I’m only Iron Man. Tony Stark is only a minor inconvenience as long you have my suits. But listen to this words very carefully: I. AM. RETIRED”

“Tony, I swear, we didn’t come to ask you to rejoin the Aven…”

“Tony? Is something wrong?” asked Peter from behind. Tony turned to see his friends behind his fiancée, and he circle a hand around him. For Peter to feel safe. For him to feel safe. “Are these your friends?”

“Well, you can say that…” smiled Steve before Tony could have the time to answer. Peter looked at Tony and frowned.

“Are these your friends Tony?” he asked again, at which Tony answered with a concerned look, like he was afraid of their reaction if he said no. Then, Peter turned to the others, whose were entertained by giving mean sideyes to Steve and his guys. Deciding to be the adult here, Peter put the most natural smile he could.

“I’m sorry guys. I wish we could invite you in but after today’s dinner we are nearly out of food!” something not completely false, as he was surprised to see how much their guests could eat. And the few left-overs that remained were packaged and ready for their guests to take, he was glad they liked how he cooked. “Why don’t you come next weekend so we have time to go grocery shopping?”

“Like Stark couldn’t call and get a supermarket right here in less than twenty minutes” scoffed Clint again, and this time it was Natasha who scowled at him.

“But it’s true!” Clint protested, and for Peter, it sounded like the neighbours’ toddler when she asked for a popsicle when she had already cookies for the afternoon snack. “Look at that ring! It probably costs more than my arrows”

At that commentary, Peter hid his left hand behind his back, feeling ashamed of his expensive gift. Yes, Tony loved to spend money on him, and Peter loved to wear his gifts to show how much he loved them, like that day’s outfit which were composed of a white, green patterned shirt, high-waisted cropped jeans and red and black espadrilles, all from the designer brand Fendi. Tony’s grip tightened, and Peter could smell the faint scent of his alpha, that citric, woody floral smell emerging past his cologne and the remains of motor oil. Peter surely must have been releasing pheromones too, as Tony got him closer, letting Peter’s head on his chest so he could secretly smell his fresh and fruity scent hidden beneath the smell of the kitchen and his perfume.

“I like to give presents my people I love, and my fiancée specially deserves those presents, no matter how expensive they are” said Tony with a possessive growl.

“That’s what we want to talk about!” exclaimed Steve, like Tony had finally gave the correct of an incredibly easy test. Tony didn’t like the other’s tone at all.

“What? That you don’t like how I spend my money?”

“No! not that. Well, it’s related but…”

“They want you to leave Peter” Carol interrupted, while Gwen was already on a defensive stance.

“Wait what?”

“It’s not what you think Tony!” Steve quickly began. “But, can’t you see? Tony, Peter’s way younger than you, don’t you think that there’s a reason for him to get closer to you?”

“What?” That was Peter’s turn to be confused. What was that man talking about?

“Steve, if you’re implying what I think you’re implying…”

“Tony, please, listen to me. I know what you’re thinking”

“No you’re not”

“Please Tony, let me talk for once. What we’re trying to say is that is not normal that a young man like him came to your life after you retired from the Avengers. How can you trust him?”

“Oh shit. Here we go again” complained Gwen before putting herself between the couple and Steve. “Listen I don’t fucking care you’re my superior because the President decided to get you back to being the public after your tantrum with the Accords. But hear me out when I say that Peter’s not, neither was nor will be a bad influence for Tony. Peter’s true to the bone so please stop this before you get himself in a even more embarrassing position”

“If Peter’s so good then why is he spending all Tony’s money?” asked Wanda. “He’s wearing designer clothes everyone can see that”

“She’s right Tony,” Steve squared up his shoulders, liberating some of his hormones that for Peter they smelled foul and rotten, burying his head on Tony’s chest.

“See? That’s one of his tricks Tony” accused Natasha this time, passing a hand through her hair so she could free some of her pheromones too. For tony they were sickeningly sweet, receiving Peter’s fresh smell like water on a dessert. “He’s playing the helpless deer in front of you to occupy all your time, so you can’t pay attention to most important things”

“And what are those more important things supposed to be?” Tony asked, nearly growling.

That question got them without words. Tony was almost impressed, seeing how suddenly everyone shut up with that question. Of course, Tony knew the answer, and he was sure the others knew it too.

“Hmmm…” Steve began, trying to win some time. “Hummh… Your work with SI…”

“I’ve been reviewing and checking SI most important projects since I retired, and I even get them done myself if there’s a request. I just took a step behind to let new talents grow”

“You? Getting out of spotlight? The world is ending” Wanda scoffed, getting a furious glare for Sam, the only one who didn’t talk, but he barely ever talked besides being Steve’s “yes man”.

“I do it for the people who deserve it, dearie” said Tony with such a saccharine tone that even the pet name sounded like an insult.

“You…” Wanda took a step closer but Steve rushed to calm her.

“Tony please…”

“Please what? You are the one who came into my house asking me to leave my fiancée who is, in fact, the person most important to me” Peter could see how Steve winced at the last sentence. “And, by the way, you didn’t answer my question. What are those “more important things” I need to take priority over Peter?”

“Well…” There was the uncomfortable silence again. “... You were a professor at M.I.T. wouldn’t dating with a former student be bad for your career?”

“Not if I don’t teach him, which I didn’t” Tony said in a matter-of-fact tone. Peter turned to see Rhodes’ barely concealed giggle. At least someone was amused with that situation.”

“And… what about your personal projects? ...Or private requests? ...You can’t take as much requests as before before you spend more time with your… with him” ooh goddammit, that was the last straw.

“What? If they are my personal projects I’ll take my time with them since I have no deadlines or whatsoever. And private requests? Are you serious? I don’t do private requests anymore. Now, if that absurd intention of getting my fiancée, my Peter, away from me is over, get away from my sight. And don’t come back, even if it’s not Avengers business related”

“Tony, I…”

“Leave, just leave Rogers. Please”

“I can’t leave Tony. We can’t leave. Not with Peter’s still at your side”

“Then I’ll have to kick you out”

“Please, Stark, like you can do something to us” Wanda sneered. Something completely foolish, as the other Avengers squared up.

“We’ll be happy to help Tony. I think it will be nice to throw out the trash after that dinner” Luke said.

“Guys, just get out please. I don’t want my house to turn into a battlefield”

“Too late Stark” said the Witch with a bright smile as the rest mist began to circle her, but before any of them could take a step, Stephen made a swift sweeping motion and the portal where they came from engulfed them one by one.

“I’m sorry of their number” apologised the wizard. “And to interrupt you, it seemed you were having a good time”

“Oh! It’s nothing. To be honest, we should thank you” said Peter. “Do you want to enter? I wasn’t lying with the food, but I can make tea and we have some pastries if you want”

“That would be great, actually” Stephen said and all went inside the house. Ster the tea the drinks went, and it was nearly four in the morning when they stopped talking.

“Stephen” Rhodey called before he entered the portal to his room. “Thank you for keeping an eye on them”

“Oh, it’s nothing”

“Seriously, thank you. You always seemed so neutral with this situation, I was impressed when I saw you sweeping them into the portal”

“I wasn’t going to let them hurt two civilians you know? Besides…”

“Yeah?”

“When Peter appeared, I saw their auras. I’ve been in many dimensions and worlds, Rhodey, and I can assure you, few times I’ve seen two auras as combined as theirs. It’s like they were…”

“Soulmates?”

“... Yes, you can say that”

“Keep that for the wedding speech, I’m sure Peter will love it”

“Do you think they’ll invite me?”

“After you saved Peter from Steve and his merry men? I should be afraid of you stealing the best man’s position” Rhodey joked before stepping to the portal. When Strange closed it, he took a last look to the cabin. The was a room light up, and Stephen could imagine them in the kitchen, Peter drinking an infusion while Tony cleaned the dishes. He sighed, wishing for them the best of lucks before going back to the Sanctum.

#starker #tony stark x peter parker #peter parker x tony stark #peter parker #tony stark #anti team cap #just to be sure #my writings

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bucket-girl · 5 years ago

Text

Chapter 2-1 Personal Info logs

In chapter 2, it’s possible to buy the personal info of Nao, Reko, Gin and Q-Taro with tokens, but it’s easy to miss. Reloading saves and redoing minigames is a hassle so I wrote them down for convenience. Most of them are in the form of conversing with AIs, I’ve put Sara’s lines in italics. Text under cut.

Gin > History ...History? What should I talk about, woof? "Hm... Just an introduction would make me happy." Gin Ibushi from Heiwa Elementary Class 6-3! I'm 12 years old, meow! I take care of the animals, meow!! "Is school fun for you?" Hmm... It's not that fun 'cause of some guys I don't like, meow. But it's fun to meet friends, woof! We play games together, meooow! "Do you wear that outfit to school, too?" Nah, because people get mad. It's only when I'm at home, woof! ...It's kinda easier to talk when I wear this, meow. But I can't wear it to school, so I get uneasy, woof. So people at school tell me I'm obedient, woof! But that's wrong... meow... My aspirations are to live with animals all the time, meow! "Heehee... What kinds of animals?" I'm way into gators right now, meow! They're cute, wooooof!

> Physical Info I'm 138 centimeters and 35.5 kilograms, meow! That's 4 foot 6 inches and 78 pounds, woof! And I grew 2 centimeters at my last checkup, meow! "Your growth spurt and voice change must be coming up soon." Obviously, meow! I'm gonna be bigger than you, big sis Sara! "Ahaha, I'm sure you'll look really cool. I've got high hopes for you." Yeah! I'll sweep you off your feet, meow! Be grateful, woof! "Okay, let's make it a promise." Got it, meow! A promise for when I outgrow you, woof!

> Relatives My family's a double-income household, meow! I don't have siblings, so... It's lonely when I'm there by myself, meow... My mom's super nice even when she's exhausted, woof. No matter how late she gets home, she always makes dinner... And no matter how much I tell her not to overwork herself... "Do you like your mom?" I love her, meow! I'm worried how she's even busier lately, woof... "What about your dad?" I don't like some things... but I like him, meow. But I super hate when he's a drunkard who causes trouble, meow! It's embarrassing, woof! And he's always getting yelled at by mom and apologizing, so it's like he's got no dignity, woof. I don't wanna be that kind of pathetic grown-up, meooow! ...But I'm sure I won't, meow. 'Cause I'm not blood-related to dad, woof. "Huh...?" I heard he married mom when I was 2, meow! So that genetics stuff won't make me turn out like him, woof! "Is that so...?" Well, it's not like I hate dad, woof. It's true, meow!

> Death Game info I dunno, meow... It's scary, woof... What's dying feel like, meow...? "I... don't know either." I don't wanna never meet mom and dad again, meow... Big sis Sara... are you scared too, meow? "...Yeah, I am." "...Really scared..." .......... I'll definitely protect you, meow! Come see me anytime, woof! "Heehee... Thanks..."

> What he holds dear What I hold dear...? That's hard, meowww. Hm... It's gotta be mom and dad, meow! I'd be sad if they went away, woof! Ah! And the Mew-chan cushion I'm always with! They're super precious to me, meow! We're always together, so I forgot, meow! Sorry, Mew-chaaan! Woof... "Mew-chan is family to you too, huh?" That's right, meow! I got seriously mad when dad was gonna throw them away, meow! Unforgivable, woof! Get me a new one?! No way, meow!! You're a dummy, woof! I'm getting furious just remembering, woof! Mom should yell at him again, meowww!

Q-Taro > History I was raised up in an orphanage that's just a mite bit weird. Had people from all sortsa countries. I got a lotta dialects and stuff mixed in me... 'Course, they sent me to compulsory education up 'til high school. Can't thank the place enough. An' now, I'm a pro baseball player. ...Kiddos at the orphanage root for me, too. I wanna hurry up and show 'em... That even guys in situations like ours can get on a mound and have the stadium roarin'... Well, point is, I got no history yet. I'm about to be makin' some radiant records! Better get yer autographs early, Sara!

> Physical Info 6 foot 4 inches! 230 pounds! And lemme tell ya, it's all muscle, not fat! My position's pitcher, but I got confidence in my batting, base-running, and fielding! But my greatest weapon's my head. Gotta be smart to be a first-class athlete. "Is that how it is?" 'Course, I'm reflecting on the time I tore apart those puzzle rings by force, but...

> Relatives .......... "Is it hard to discuss?" Nah... there's just nothing to discuss. 'Cause I've never seen my birth parents' faces. Only place I knew was the orphanage. That's why... the people there were my moms and dads. Doesn't matter our blood relation. But, well... I do get thinkin' sometimes. What kinda people was I born to, and what kinda genetics do I got...? I started baseball jus' for fun, but... I've thought how if I pitch as a first-string pro... maybe my birth parents'll be watchin'. "...Do you want to meet them?" If we could talk and laugh it up, that'd be the best. All at ease, like "I'm havin' a great life"...

> Death Game info Huh, you're doin' this Death Game, right...? Knowin' me, I doubt I got even the slightest notion of dyin'. Hell, to a second-stringer, baseball's a Death Game with my life as a player on the line! But to do some self-analysis... I wonder if maybe I'll try an' win within the rules of the game... In the saga of a sports player, ya tend to forget about breakin' the rules. Maybe somebody like you, young and not knowin' fear, is more suited to findin' a path to survival. "...Is that so..." ...Sorry to make it sound like it ain't my business. I mean look, I'm an AI, y'know?

> What he holds dear Hold dear, huh... The caretakers at the orphanage, the kiddos... Of course, baseball, and... Myself... probably. I ain't gonna sugarcoat it. I don't wanna die, and I don't want the people I like to die. So I don't like to kick people... But if I gotta, I got the resolve. But I hate the kinda asshole who's got that as their first thought! ...Sorry for gettin' all fired up. Shouldn't have said that all cocky-like when you're involved in it... Don't you mind me.

Reko > History Err... I'mma super cool, 23-year-old singer-songwriter... Something like that? I've liked music since I was a kid. Classical, folk, heavy metal... I listened to all of it. Think around grade school, I found myself starting to compose and write lyrics. My instincts moved my body. That was a fun time... People praised me, and my parents were just plain happy... Once they started calling me a gifted kid... Then there started being more noise. Old bastards in the music industry wanting money... My pops craving the limelight... Before I knew it, I was making music that my heart wasn't in. In middle school, I rebelled. I was a rocker! I made tons of songs nobody even wanted! But even then, noise swarmed around me. Man, even my spirit had to give in. From high school on, all the spice was gone... Didn't even have anger... My activity dried up. I had tons of chances to be famous. But I smashed 'em all. I was totally just the industry's problem child. Everybody kept their distance from me. Once I couldn't even gather members, I borrowed Alice to make a band... Hahaha. Then two and a half years ago... He caused that incident... ... Well, at any rate, I am who I am now 'cause of that shitty past. Learn something from that, Sara?

> Physical Info 5 foot 7, 121 pounds. Pretty proud of my reflexes! And I can remember choreography in a snap, so... My memory's bangin'! Well... I'm not great at baseball and stuff... Hell, maybe I'm not great at anything that's got nothing to do with music. "By the way, what are your measurements?" N-No reason to tell you that, right?

> Relatives Family... Well, uh... ...I like my mom. Though she's a little weird. She's affectionate... and I cause her lots of trouble. Yeah, I gotta show my appreciation more. My old man... Well, he's a good guy... But let's say he gives in to temptation. He's not the most true to his convictions. I hated him for the longest time... But he's woken up now, and gone back to his plain and simple personality. After them is... Alice, huh. He's... what should I say? Why'd he do something like that...? A while after he got arrested... I left music Ahh... I just remembered. At the time, I wrote in my diary, which is rare... I wrote that music, the thing I'd poured my soul into all this time... suddenly felt like a cold series of notes... this inorganic thing. I wondered, was this how music sounded to people who didn't care about it...? ......... I always thought I didn't care about my brother, and never listened to him, but... Truth is... Maybe I was a little jealous of my normal brother. And acted that way out of spite. ... ...You shouldn't ever murder somebody...

> Death Game info Why do I gotta go through this shit...? Do we have anything in common...? I haven't got a clue...

> What she holds dear Believe it or not... I think family's important, right? I wanna show appreciation to my parents. But like, right now... The original me is being put through this Death Game, yeah? If she dies, she can't do... anything. So when you think of it like that, what's important's my own life, ain't it? "...What about your instruments?" Instruments...? "When I first met Reko... I heard she treasured her bongos." Bongos...? Well, sure. I'm playing bongos in my new band, but...

Nao Unlike the others, Nao's personal info comes as documents you can read wherever. > History Egasaki Elementary School ... Graduated Egasaki Middle School ... Graduated Third Kurotsuki Private High School ... Graduated Takesasa Private College of Art ... Currently 1st year Middle-class, born and raised by a very ordinary family. School grades below average. Focused on art starting in high school, and now seems interested in pursuing only that. Looks up to an art club advisor she met in high school, staying deeply intimate with him even post-graduation. Often seen going to the man's atelier. Doesn't appear to have many friends, but has a long association with most she does have, so it's suspected she values relationships. Also, refrains from going out at night, generally staying at home even on days off. No information known on what men she associates with.

> Physical info Nao Egokoro Age: 19 Gender: Female Height: 162cm (5'4") Weight: 55kg (121lb) Has little experience in sports and the like, limited to P.E. classes in compulsory education. Even so, her reflexes are poor. Perhaps due to her inclination toward art, she has very good eyesight. Her ability to remember a scene for a long time or recognize the individual flaps of a bird's wings is within reason, yet superb. Since much of this comes from practice, about the only thing that can be called a born talent, it is thought, is her passionate love for art. No other notable characteristics, although she has a large bust. (Sara will remark that the last line is harassment and tear it out)

> Relatives Born to a middle-class, extremely average family. Both parents are in good health. Having good relations with them, her situation is common yet happy. The father has been an office worker for 20 years. The mother has carried various jobs. No siblings. The father is under his wife's thumb. When they fight, it appears Nao Egokoro often defends her father to resolve the conflict.

> Death Game info Safely cleared the First Trial. Survived the first Main Game. Greatly affected mentally by death of her teacher. Took off with teacher's head and ran amok. This could be taken as mental weakness, but endurance of great shock could make her that much more mentally sturdy going forward.

> What she holds dear Most likely, Nao Egokoro treasures the artworks she has created, and brushes et al. received from her high school teacher. Due to minimal desire for money, she does not seem the type to want expensive things.

#your turn to die #kimi ga shine #yttd #gin ibushi #q-taro burgerberg #reko yabusame #nao egokoro #yttd spoilers #I'm not sure how to structure this any better #my posts

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