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pretty-little-howtown · 3 years ago

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Untitled Peter Parker Headcannon

Peter Parker(TH) x Stark!Reader , A smidge of Peter Parker(AG) x Stark!Reader

(written while listening to pov: you are in love with peter parker and loves [insert name] playlist)

Mainly head cannons with some normal kinda writing (sorry I’m working on a pretty big fic - for me lol).

Please feel free to give name suggestions for this fic either in comments or PM (I don't mind). I really have no idea where to start with it.

NO WAY HOME SPOILERS

Summary: You get pulled into Spiderman’s fight because of his proximity to your dad. Needless to say you’re not very happy about it but you feel sorry for him so you decide to help.

Genre: lots of angst, and lots of fluff, enemies to lovers type trope

So sorry in advance some bits are gonna end up being super generic because I really don’t remember everything in detail.

Your woken up by pounding on your door and Pepper yelling, confused you get up and find that several FBI agents have barged into your home

You yell demanding to know when they have entered your building and they have no right to do so under the law. They show you a warrant and you find out it to search your house for tech that was involved in the London incident

When they find nothing you’re brought in for questioning - “don’t you want to lawyer up?” the policeman asks “I’m happy to represent myself considering I’ve been accepted by the state bar” you smiled as his jaw dropped

After questioning you were essentially free. The law had nothing on you and could no longer hold you. Seeing as they hadn’t found the tech that linked to the incident and Edith was in the hand of the spiderling (in this case derogatory) so your legal troubles were over and luckily for you your dad’s legacy also saved you from the court of public opinion

Pepper was relieved but nonetheless a little worried for the spiderling, you on the other hand didn’t particularly like your dad's pet project so much so that you never bothered to learn his name. Anytime Spiderman was mentioned in the news you tuned out. Thank God for Netflix

Everything was peaceful for the next couple months. You worked on your suit and improved all your dad's tech as well as looking after Morgan. You even taught her some tricks but only if she wanted to. Just because she’s a Stark doesn’t mean she has to carry the family legacy.

You were making some adjustments to your Nano suit that morning. You always wanted it to change colour and you finally figured out how. While the original was your dad's colour you wanted it to be a bit more you. You kept the small details red but everything else was black. While you were testing the colours of the mask watching them change from black to red to purple you heard your ringtone sound next to you. You looked down at the caller ID and picked up with some hesitation.

“Good morning Doctor Strange, what brought you to call me so early?” you answered.

“It’s the spider. He kept changing my spell and now a bunch of bad guys from different universes have shown up,” you had to physically stop yourself from screaming when you heard that the multiverse was real. String theory, the many world interpretation, everything was real! “I need you to help him catch them. I don’t think he and his little trio will be able to handle it.” He continued to explain the rest of his plan.

“What makes you think I have what it takes?” you replied still a little confused as to why you.

“Y/N Stark, if you're anything like your father I know you're more than up for the task. His legacy is passed on through you.” he stated with conviction. Your heart dropped. There it was again your father’s legacy, the one that now hung over your head like the executioner's axe. The Stark throne and all it’s troubles were forever passed onto you.

“Fine, I’ll go find him, and then you can press your anti-doomsday box and we can go back to normal

When you get to where the spiderling is you tell him how his antics dragged you into his mess and that now you have no choice but to help him fix it.

You and Spiderman capture all of them and Strange is just about to press the button the spider webbed him and ran off with the box.

You and his friends MJ and Ned from what you could remember stood there confused and a little panicked. You turned towards the equally confused bad guys trying to wrack your brain thinking ‘what would dad do?’. When you couldn’t come to a conclusion, tears picked your eyes and you started to cry.

When the spider walked back in holding the box you quickly whipped your tears forgetting the voices inside your head

When the spider revealed his plan you couldn’t help but be baffled. These were the bad guys and he what? Wanted to cure them just because they die back in their world? Oh boo hoo, everyone dies and it’s people like them that survive it’s time for their comeuppance you thought.

Before you were able to voice your concerns the spider said “and you Y/N you’re coming with me.” You quickly ignored the slight flutter of your heart when you heard him call your name.

While in Happy’s compound you saw the Spider’s plan come to fruition as he worked on the fabricator. Suddenly you were reminded of your dad. Peter was being everything he raised you to be while you shunned the plan. If only he could see you now you let out a scoff.

Quickly you set aside your feelings and helped Peter out

“So Doc Oc’s arms are controlled by an AI that could invade his brain at any given moment?” you double checked you had heard everything correctly.

“Yeah, all we need to do is create a new chip to replace the fried one,” He replied.

“That’s easy and I can do you one better. You get started on Electro’s I’ll finish up here.” told him and he gave you the brightest smile making you smile as you turned around to the fabricator loading it up with some cutlery that you ‘borrowed’ from Happy. You left a note saying you’d get him new ones so you were sure it would be fine. You put in the data needed for your dad's AI program. The same one he used to fortify his suit and your prototype one against any attack from Voltron. This would ensure Oc’s tentacles would never take over and that nothing would be able to control them.

You walked into the room and announced you’d finished holding the small glowing orb in your hand for everyone to see. Everyone had the same expression on their faces aside from Osborne. His expression was clouded and almost unreadable. Almost as if he wasn’t quite there. Nonetheless you and Spiderman walked up to Oc who was tossing his head side to side yelling about how he won’t accept anything and he doesn’t need two children messing around with his circuitry.

“Oh for Pete’s sake shut up and hold still,” you shout pushing his head forward allowing you access to the back of his neck. You placed the orb against the metal and it quickly dissolved into a blue chip that fit perfectly where the old one used to be. His head pulled out of the palm of your hand and you got scared that you’d killed him. You were relieved when his head shot up and he had a grin on his face.

He was in control again and thanked both you and Spidey profusely giving back the Nano tech that formed the Iron Spider suit.

As the spider was finishing up Electro's cure. You kept a firm eye on Osborne. His expression still clouded but there was something maniacal about him. You stepped over to the Spider and whispered in his ear “I think the Green Goblin is about to come out and play. Keep an eye out.”

When the Spider froze you realised you were right. He’d sensed the danger emanating from Osborne and your suspicions were confirmed. You dived for him but he dogged stabbing you with the knife attached to his gauntlet.

Everything else flew by you so fast you could barely register it all. The adrenaline kicked in and you went on auto pilot trying to fight off anyone you could to survive.

You got out onto the street and ripped off part of your shirt tying it around your stomach to stop it bleeding more than it already had.

When you saw the Green Goblin on his glider you suited up once again ready to take him on. He however, had other plans, throwing his grenade towards the Spider and his aunt. You heard him shout and you ran towards the explosion.

When you saw his aunt stumbling you knew what was about to happen. Your heart broke for the Spider but when you heard police sirens you suddenly had other priorities

“Spider! We have to go. Now!” you were kneeling over his aunt’s body crying and shaking his head. Your heart shattered to pieces and you promised yourself that you would do anything in your power to ensure he never cried like that again.

You pulled him away repeating that you're sorry over and over again.

When MJ and Ned came to find their friend you were relieved. Despite knowing what it’s like to lose your closest family you felt unequipped and unable to help him. Especially after he yelled at you when you mentioned your dad, saying that you’ve still got family and he’s now got no one.

To your surprise they also appeared with two other Spider men in toe who managed to talk your world’s Spider down off the metaphorical ledge.

While in the lab everyone was getting on with finding cures for each villain. You focused on sandman’s when the tall spider with fluffy slightly quaffed hair came over to you.

“I didn’t wanna say this earlier I think it might have been a bit too much but in my world there’s basically an exact version of you but without the suit,” he laughed a little and you with him.

“Who was she to you?” you enquired.

“She- well, she was my girlfriend. The one I couldn’t save. Now I know you’re not her but you sound and act the same and I wanted to say that, it’s really good to see you again. Not scared, falling you but you.” he smiled a little painfully. You gave him a small smile back and mumbled you're welcome before the both of you got back to work. The Spider overheard the whole exchange and his heart skipped a small barely noticeable beat.

During the battle at the Statue of Liberty you thought it was over when Elector you and the other Spiders captive even worse when you saw Oc with a maniacally smirk on his face. However, very quickly you were to be proven wrong. When he used your cure on Elector freeing all three of you.

He turned around to you and said “I believe this belongs to you young lady. Fighting recompense for the one who saved my life.” , “yeah, I guess we can call it even” the both of you chuckled.

Later panicked you flew over to the spiderling with the other Spiders to try and stop him from making a big mistake. “Don’t do this! Don’t let the hate consume you. You heard the other yous when they got their revenge they got bitter. It was a miserable existence. It is a miserable existence. I know exactly how you feel. I went with everyone else to find Thanos. I was there and I had a hand in killing him. It never brought me peace and neither will this.”

You saw him hesitate and you hoped that he would put down the glider but instead he rose it higher above his head ready to strike. The other Spider got in front of it and stopped it looking him in the eye. It looked like they were having a mental conversation just the two of them and that’s when the spiderling put the glider down

Sadly before there was time to celebrate the Spider was stabbed by the Green Goblin and the spiderling reached for something and stabbed Osborne in his neck. You cried out running towards him trying to stop him but you were caught by the quaffed hair spider. The look he gave you told you everything. It was the antidote.

When it was all over the spiderling informed the others that they would be going home soon.

“It was really nice to meet you,” you remarked to the quaffed spider.

“You too,” he replied smiling. You bit your lip gathering your courage. You weren’t really sure why you decided to do it but there was not turning back now you thought as you crashed your lips onto his. The spiderling watched on with surprise and a small pang of jealousy as your lips moved against him.

When the two of you broke the kiss you breathed out trying to catch your breath he said “now I can really tell the difference,” at which you chuckled. “Thank you though. That was nice.”

The spiderling hugged it out with the other spiders and you both went to MJ and Ned. You remarked how brave they were allowing the Spider to say his goodbyes

He then turned to you, “we made a pretty good team in the end didn’t we? It's a shame that’s coming to an end.” He nodded his head and gave you a firm handshake saying “maybe in another life.” and he swung off.

The next morning you woke up as normal. Made breakfast for Morgan and Pepper and you all sat down on the couch watching the news.

As usual the daily bugle appeared making you roll your eyes. You never liked J. Jonah Jamerson.

When he spoke about Spiderman you smiled remembering the adventure of yesterday. You gasped when you realised you still remembered.

Immediately you run outside and walk around the whole of Queens trying to find him when you remember you don’t actually know him and anyone one other than Spiderman

When you got back home you dogged all the questions from Pepper and when into your room

You got one of your old phones hooking it up to your laptop to try and tap the police frequency

For weeks you’d sneak out at night hoping that at one of the crime scenes you’d find Spiderman

However, you came up short for weeks and decided to take matters into your own hands.

You camped out of rooftops with a proper creep kit. You felt more than a little strange. ‘Guess this is what perverts do’ you thought grimacing. You took out your binoculars and some crisps and started looking. This was a pretty crime ridden area hopefully the police would pick up on your tip. You’d seen a gang of weapons dealers operating in the area.

While waiting you contemplated what the spider must feel like right now. He’d lost his aunt and everyone he ever cared about has forgotten him completely. Your heart broke. You had no idea what you would do if Pepper and Morgan forgot you ever existed.

You followed a tall bearded man with your binoculars watching him grab two guns from the back of his van. You knew these weren’t normal weapons, they were alien, something the cops wouldn’t be able to handle on their own. You prayed your gamble would pay off.

You heard the wailing of sirens in the distance coming closer towards where the deal was taking place. The closer the sound got the less hope you had for Spiderman showing up. Suddenly something blurred in your line of vision. You took the binoculars off and used your camera to zoom in on what was going on. You saw the spider man swinging and punching his way through a horde of weapons dealers before webbing them all up and leaving them for the police. You sat there in awe. So much so that you barely had time to pack up your creep kit and follow Spidey.

When he was just out of sight you fired up your suit and flew after him. You did not expect him to be this quick

When you were both on the ground you made sure to keep well back so that his Spidey sense wouldn’t alert him to your presence.

You saw him walk into a small bare apartment with hardly anything in it.

You waited a while before you knocked on the door

When he opened it his jaw dropped, “Hello Spiderman. Good to see you again” you smiled but he was still shocked.

Stuttering he invited you in and then handed you a hot chocolate

The two of you sat on the floor with your backs facing the wall. You explained that the reason you remembered him and everything that happened was probably because you only ever knew him as Spiderman

“Yeah about that. As soon as I heard Spiderman I turned off the news. I didn’t particularly like you” he looked down sadly and apologised.

Soon the conversation went sour and an awkward silence settled and you realised that it’s not really a relief for him having you around. You know him so little you don’t even know his real name.

“Look, I know I’m not MJ or Ned, but I found you because it seemed like you needed a friend. No one should have to be alone.”

“I appreciate it Y/N I’m glad I’ve made a new friend”

“Seeing as we're friends now, maybe you could tell me your name?”

“Peter Parker” , “It’s nice to finally meet you. Peter Parker”

From that point onwards the two of you patrolled the city together. You used your radio (the one you used to find him) because it was an untraceable one without a sim card whereas Peter actually used his in his day to day life.

You told him that you could support him in anyway he needed but he always refused saying it time for him to make it on his own

This led to your very first argument: you’d brought a couch because he was constantly sitting on the floor watching the TV and you felt bad. When Peter saw it he yelled at you saying he could have saved up and he doesn’t need another Stark financing him. You yelled back that he never seemed to complain when your dad made him all of his suits and ran out of the apartment. Later he called you to apologise for yelling at you and that you had a point. You apologise as well not just for yelling but also for getting the sofa without his permission.

At which point you guys installed some ground rules. Just because you had money to spend didn’t mean you had to spend it and certainly not on Peter but in the even that he was struggling you were allowed to help him just until he was able to get back on his feet again

For the most part Peter did really well balancing Spidey work, normal work and studies and with the tiniest bit of help from you his shoe box apartment actually started to look like a home

You guys did everything together

You also spent a decent amount of time round his sometimes staying over a sleeping on the couch especially after long patrols

Pepper would constantly tease you saying there had to be a boy behind your frequent absences from the home but you really couldn’t admit that that was true. Saying it out loud would make all your feelings real

“Well, at the very least I hope you two are using protection, I don’t want you becoming like Tony anytime soon, not while you're under my roof.” You blushed profusely at the word that came out of her mouth, stuttering in refute only making Pepper laugh more.

At one point you invited Peter over to prove to Pepper that he was nothing more than a good friend forgetting how weird it would be for him because he already knew Pepper

This did not quell Pepper’s relentless pursuit only fuelled it, before long Morgan started joining in on it too

One patrol was especially difficult. The two of you would usually get beat and bruised while out on patrol and then tend to each other’s wounds but this one was truly bad. You’d ended up stabbed in the leg with a knife and as a result Peter had to haul you off to his apartment. He suggested going to hospital but you yelled at him. Pepper was your emergency contact and she already worried about you enough and if she found out you would be grounded and your chances of even living up to your father’s legacy let alone surpassing it were shot. [Now for scientific reasons I want everyone to imagine the scene in b99 when Captain Holt has to give himself stitches while talking Jake through the pain). Instead you told him to get the first aid kit. You tried to talk him through stitching up your wound but it didn’t work so you talked him through while stitching yourself up.

After you had a slight limp one which you were relentlessly teased for by Pepper

“Looks like you had a very good night with your special friend. Is he the reason you're limping?” you panicked and agreed. Pepper nearly choked on her drink and you started spitting out the most elaborate story about how you guys did it but you have no idea what it means and ran to your room.

Later you went by Peter’s again and told him exactly what happened

His mind was muddled and his heart even more so. A small part of him leaped for joy at the thought of sleeping with you but the other yelled at it saying MJ was who he needed to be with no you. MJ. Without thinking he blurted out “What, why would you say that? What happens if MJ finds out?!”

Peter explained that he’s been seeing MJ for a couple weeks now and once she remembered everything they decided to pick up where they left off. Your heart shattered by your face smiled.

You told him that’s fantastic and that he should have told you sooner. You told him you were really glad his friends could remember him and that you can’t wait to reintroduce yourself to the both of them.

You cried your eyes out as soon as you got home. You knew this would probably happen and you knew you set yourself up for failure. Falling for Peter was such a big mistake and you knew it but your idiot ass did it anyway

From that point your life was hell

Peter wanted to carry on being friends and wanted you to be friends with MJ and Ned which was really nice of him and it hurt you even more than he could realise

He’d invite you to all their get togethers and you got along with them, you actually really liked them and could see why Peter was so sad to have to let them go

You felt like the third wheel all the time and unlike Ned you weren’t oblivious to it. It was funny to see it go down until you remembered all your feelings for Peter

Patrols were cut short, you didn’t want to spend more time with Peter than you had to. That meant no more staying round his. You’d only stay longer if he was seriously hurt and needed medical attention.

Pepper got worried when she started seeing you around the house more. If that boy had done anything to hurt you she would personally hunt him down

When Pepper asked what’s wrong you couldn’t hold it back anymore. You told her everything. That Peter was Spiderman how you really liked him but you knew he’d do everything to make sure MJ got her memories back and how they’ve now started over and how fucking much it hurt.

Pepper had a small flash of memory where she remembered who Peter was; it just made her more upset for you. She remembered how much of a nice lad he was and still is understanding how much that hurt you

All she could do was sit with you on your bed holding you in her arms. She really wished she could take away all your pain and knock some sense into Peter but she also knew how it wasn’t his fault. Not entirely anyway and neither was it yours. Life just happened sometimes

You looked at her and just said “thanks mum” smiling. Pepper’s heart swelled; she never thought you’d end up calling her mum.

Somehow letting it all out made you feel so much more relieved and you felt like you could finally process all of these feelings

You walked into Peter’s apartment ready to start anew, sure it hurt that him and MJ were together but with time patience and a tiny little bit of luck you’d be able to get over that

When you barged into the apartment expecting business as usual you were surprised to see Peter on the couch crying

You froze in place not quite knowing what to do. This is only the second time he broke down in front of you and the first time his friends bailed you out.

You took a deep breathe and sat next to him asking what happened

He looked at you with swollen eyes and spoke with a hoarse throat. When you heard what he said it all made sense. Him and MJ had broken up.

A small part of you leaped with joy, you could finally take her place, all Peter’s love and attention would be on you. You quickly silenced that part of your brain because that’s not what he needed right now.

Right now he needed a friend

You took him into your arms the same way your mum did last night and just held him as he cried into your shoulder

The next couple days were lonely for the both of you Peter because he lost the girl he loved and you because you’d lost Peter. You covered patrols on your own after tucking him into his bed after another night of crying

You did everything in your power to make things better. Every day you’d bring him his favourite from Delmar's along with some coffee. You'd stay with him until you needed to be somewhere else. You’d put on a movie and make him some lunch, getting him to eat it with you so that you’d know he ate.

One night Peter got ready for Patrol with you

“Peter, what are you doing?” you asked

“I’m coming with you.”

“Are you sure, just yesterday you refused to move from the sofa because there was no point if MJ wasn’t around” he winced when you said the name.

“Yes it’s time for me to move on.”

The patrol went strangely smoothly and Peter came back smiling and raving about the whole fight

It felt good to have the old Peter back but the sudden mood change felt strange to you

Peter was over the moon, just like he thought the feeling of being useful made him feel a lot better not to mention the fact that he had you by his side

Over the past few weeks as you ran circles around him trying to help him all he could think about were the words MJ said to him when they broke up ‘you’ve moved on Peter.’ He had no clue what MJ could have been referring to but seeing you everyday and his heartbeat picking up every time you walked over to him. It made more sense to him everyday. Out of respect for MJ he kept those feelings under wraps for a few days but by tonight he couldn’t hold it in any longer. He was desperate to get out there and fight crime with you again.

When you left for your house Peter got out a sewing machine and some blue fabric. It was time for a change.

You walked in the next morning with coffee and Delmar’s Peter might be feeling better after fighting but you’d rather be safe than sorry

You saw him asleep at his desk with a sewing machine in front of him. You saw a red and blue suit finished next to him. It was a sharp contrast from the previous black but it would suit him just the same.

You smiled and gently woke him up eh smiled in return taking the cup of coffee from you and thanking you

Things basically returned to normal for the two of you with the slight difference that Peter was now a lot more touchy than previously

You didn’t complain, of course it was nice having his arm on yours when he really wanted you to pay attention to something or when you guys were watching a movie and he’d wrap his arm around your shoulder. That’s not mentioning the kiss his placed on your cheek after he patched you up for what was quite possibly the hundredth time by now

Peter suddenly longed to be close to you in any way possible and he noticed that you weren’t stopping him. Your heartbeat just sped up every time he got close to you and when he placed that chaste kiss on your cheek it might as well have been beating out of your rib cage. It was music to his ears

He couldn’t believe it took him so long to notice he actually truly liked you. Sure at first he thought you were a bit arrogant and self-righteous but Tony was like that too and Peter admired that about Tony so why not you. The way you fought with him was majestic, almost like you were trained by the black widow herself and to be honest you probably were

That’s not mentioning how kind you were to him when you came to find him and then again when he and MJ broke up. You were amazing and he kicked himself for not realising it sooner

When you were out on patrol one night you caught a group of generic bad guys and when you were holding them waiting to hand them off to the police one looked at the two of you and asked if you were a couple. The both of you were real confused but quickly denied it thanking the heavens above that you were wearing masks

When you got back to Peter’s apartment apparently he thought that because it was all over the news. For some reason every gossip column and tabloid believed you two were a couple

“As if we’d be a couple right? That would never happen in a million years” you tried laughing it off knowing full well that what you said was true. Peter didn’t like you as anything more than a friend and at this point that’s all you needed. If it was the difference between telling him you liked him with him then being awkward around you and not telling him but keeping a strong friendship you would always without hesitation choose the latter.

Peter on the other hand had had enough. Sure it was fun knowing you liked him and just living with that knowledge contentedly but it was getting to the point where it frustrated Peter that you weren’t picking up on the signal he was so clearly leaving for you. The small touches, the kisses on the cheek, cuddling you while watching a movie. He was dropping all these small hints and you were still ‘just friends’. Maybe this rumour was the universe telling Peter to change that.

One summer evening he invited you over way before patrol was meant to start. For one it was still night outside.

When you walked in your saw the table all laid out with decorations and food. You were confused to say the least

Sensing your confusion Peter announced, “It’s for our one year anniversary.”

“One year anniversary?” you questioned.

“Yeah it’s been a year since you found me and we became partners in fighting crime. Ya know Spidey and the Stark.”

“I don’t think anyone calls us that Peter,” you said as you sat down.

It was a really nice little dinner Peter even cooked everything himself and it was all surprisingly delicious.

At the end of it Peter’s facial expression seemed to get serious and he looked you directly in the eye

You swallowed the last of your drink

Peter then spoke. “Y/N, you’re awesome, like really awesome.” you continued staring at him confused and not sure where he was going with this. “We’ve been friends for a full year now and I really hoped that we could be something more. Recently I have been doing some self-reflection and I’ve realised that I really like you. More than a friend would like you. I’ve tried leaving subtle hints but you just didn’t seem to be picking up on them in the way I hoped you would so you leave me no choice but to make a fancy dinner and ask you to be my partner in our non-superhero lives. Y/N, will you go out with me?”

You just sat in your seat, eyes wide. He? Liked you all this time?

At this point Peter started panicking a little, you weren’t saying anything had he misread all of those signs maybe your heart was beating fast because you were scared of him not because you liked him. Oh my god he had made such a big mistake.

You took a deep breath steadying your nerves and told him, “Peter. I really like you too and I would love to go out with you.”

Peter let out a huge yelp in celebration, picking you up off your chair and twirling you around before crashing his lips onto yours.

“Well at least this can be our proper anniversary now” you remarked and Peter just looked at you confused. “I’m pretty sure it was winter when I started searching for you.”

A/N: I'm so glad that the formatting was kept when I copied it into tumblr because I'm so lazy and never would have posted this had the formatting not been kept lol. I think I've corrected all the grammar and spelling mistakes if not as always please let me know.

As above please feel free to suggest a name for this headcannon, I've lost my mojo when it comes to coming up with titles.

#peter parker #peter parker imagine #peter parker x you #peter parker x reader #mcu spiderman #spiderman #spiderman no way home #no way home #spiderman nwh #nwh #spiderman no way home spoilers #sm nwh

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classic80sand90smovieloves2 · 3 years ago

Text

Meeting and Dating Kevin Lomax

(Not my gif)(Requested by anonymous)

- You and Kevin met when he was still a little new to the courtroom. He was fresh out of law school, had a few cases under his belt, and was out celebrating his latest victory with a few friends when he just so happened to spot you in the crowd.

- The minute he saw you, he couldn’t take his eyes off you. He thought you were gorgeous and he had to stop himself from staring as his friends patted him on the back and stroked his ego.

- Your eyes might have met from across the room a few times and you might have taken turns looking over at each other throughout your time spent sitting at the bar but nothing of value happens until you’re a drink or two in.

- It’s a little later in the night when he finally approaches you. You’re standing/sitting at the bar and he comes up behind you, asking if he can buy you a drink and doing so before introducing himself.

- The two of you sit and talk for a bit, blatantly flirting with each other the entire time. He mentions his victory and you congratulate him, asking if his friends mind that he’s sitting there with you instead of celebrating with them. He merely smiles and tells you that “frankly”, he doesn’t give a damn.

- It isn’t long before he asks you if he can take you out sometime and like any rational person, you agree and spend the rest of the night feeling like the luckiest girl in the world.

- For your first date, he takes you to a nice little restaurant for dinner. If you weren’t aware already, he’s incredibly charismatic so you find yourself falling for him more and more the longer you sit there with each other.

- You share your first kiss later that night as you’re walking back to his car. You have to pass a crosswalk and while you’re standing there waiting for the little light to let you go, he just leans down and kisses you.

- By the time he’s pulling away, the signs already telling you to go, so he takes your hand and walks you across the street, a handsome smile evident on his face as you try to fight back your own.

- It’s safe to say that the lawyer won you over.

- Kevin legitimately never leaves you the fuck alone when the two of you are together. He’s constantly touching and kissing you to his hearts content. He lives to have his hands on you so expect a ton of Pda.

- Handholding. He usually has to lead you places; whether out of a courtroom or through a crowded bar, so it’s useful habit of his.

- Lots of hugs; oftentimes hugs from behind.

- Him biting your ear. He likes playful, teasing affection that makes you giggle so he does a lot of stupid stuff like that.

- Cheek kisses.

- Neck and back kisses.

- Quick, passionate and somewhat rough kisses. He likes stealing your breath away.

- Lots of making out and …other things.

- Most of the time, he’ll just use a shorter version of your name to address you but the occasional “baby” will slip from his lips from time to time as well.

- Oftentimes, you’ll wind up going to bed alone but whenever he arrives home, he’ll fall into bed behind you and pull you into his arms.

- Falling asleep on the couch waiting for him to get home or be done with his “quick” work problems. You’re going to be interrupted by business a lot; particularly after he goes to New York.

- The best thing you can do is find a couple hobbies and know how to keep yourself busy if you’re going to be in a relationship with Kevin. He’s a busy man and you’re going to be spending a lot of time on your own.

- He knows about all your hobbies and likes listening to you talking about them or showing him what you’ve done. He loves seeing you all excited over something.

- He never does anything without your permission. He needs to know that you approve of something before he finalizes anything.

- Being spoiled. He does everything he can for you; he wants you to be as happy as possible.

- After your relationship became more serious; or after you got married, he practically insisted that you quit your job. He didn’t like the thought of you working when he made enough to support you both and he liked coming home to you after a long day so it was only a matter of time.

- Being in the audience of his trials whenever you can.

- Helping him calm down and loosen up after tough cases.

- He tries not to talk to you about the details of cases most of the time; especially if he feels guilty over defending a certain person. Regardless, you can almost always tell when somethings wrong and immediately start to try and cheer him up.

- He likes messing with you every now and again; usually before he has good news to tell you. He’s a good actor and he uses his skills to psych you out.

- For a man who can be so serious at times, he can also be quite playful, constantly teasing and making you laugh.

- Celebrating with him after he’s won a case. He’ll usually pick you up and spin you around in his arms.

- Walking through the city together and sharing some street food.

- Going to the bar and dabbling in some dirty dancing.

- Going to nice restaurants after he gets a little more of that coin.

- Cheap takeout and a night in. Sometimes it’s just nice to relax on the couch together; usually with your legs in his lap while you watch television.

- Ice skating dates and other fun little things.

- When you lived in Florida, the two of you would cruise around town at night, listening to the radio and occasionally parking to makeout or walk around a certain area.

- Testing out his people reading skills and being amazed by how easy it is for him to dissect a person by their clothes and facial expressions.

- Packing him lunches or having dinner ready for him to come home to.

- Considering the types of people he’s represented in court, he’s probably made a few enemies around town, meaning that some people will just dislike you by default; though oftentimes it’s also out of envy.

- Telling him how proud you are of him. He knows that he’s a good lawyer but it’s nice to hear you say it sometimes too.

- Straightening out his jacket, tie or hair for him. He takes a particular comfort in you fussing over him and giving him motivational talks during breaks or before trials.

- Going to work parties and get togethers with him.

- Getting close to his coworkers wives and spending days with them; all while having a bad feeling settle in your gut.

- Getting targeted by Milton later on.

- His mother usually comes to spend time with you whenever he’s really hung up at work. You appreciate the company, especially when you start getting the same weird feelings as her; though you might chalk up your fear to her religious paranoia getting in your head.

- He tries to be as understanding as he can when you’re upset but he’s not the greatest at it. He’ll usually try to find a reasoning behind why you could be feeling so upset and try to calm you down that way which doesn’t do much good. But at least he tries, right?

- Kevin’s got a bit of a vanity problem but that's sort of a good thing for you because it means that he doesn't think you’d cheat on him; meaning he isn't gonna freak out when other guys so much as look at you. With that being said: I do think he’d occasionally take issue with you being all alone with men/male friends or people he knows wants to fuck you; even if he’s aware it’s irrational.

- Kevin’s not the most protective person in the world but he definitely does everything in his power to comfort you and make sure that you’re safe and happy.

- He’s a lawyer so of course he’s going to be good at arguing with you. The two of you don’t fight all the time but when you do, he’s going to be a bit of a jerk, following you around the house and trying to “win”.

- Because of the way he fights, more often than not, you’ll just have to take a step back and ignore him before you lose it. He doesn’t like the silent treatment and will sometimes spitefully use it himself or ask if you’re “done ignoring him” every time you can’t manage to avoid him.

- Once he thinks a fights gone on long enough, he’ll carefully choose his words and make his apology, telling you that you know he didn’t mean to upset you and so on and so forth. He’d expect you to do the same if you were in the wrong.

- He doesn’t say it constantly but he’ll tell you he loves you every now and again; usually when he’s really reminded of it.

- He’s got the ring already picked out, honey. It’s only a matter of time before you’re picking out a dress and a color for the walls in the nursery.

#kevin lomax imagine #kevin lomax headcanons #kevin lomax headcanon #kevin lomax imagines #the devils advocate imagine #the devils advocate imagines #the devils advocate headcanons #the devils advocate headcanon #90s movie imagine #90s movie imagines #90s movie headcanons #90s movie headcanon

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mandoalorian · 4 years ago

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I Believe In Love [Maxwell Lord x F!Reader] — Ten: Justice

Summary: When you find your calling to leave Themyscira, you venture out to the World of Man with intentions of helping and healing a very specific person’s relationship with his son. You’ve heard his voice before, but only in dreams. You’ve felt his pain and anguish and you’ve never been able to relate to anything more. But things don’t come easy for you, and they certainly don’t come easy for him either. [This series contains spoilers for WW84 and is my interpretation of what happens after the movie ends].

Warnings: so many tears, mention of child neglect and abuse, child custody battle, court. This is essentially the chapter we’ve all been waiting for. I’m so nervous to post this so please let me know what you think and, as always, reblogs are very much appreciated.

Word count: 5000>

Masterlist

Previous - Chapter Ten - Next

Just like the past few days, you had been rudely awoken by a phone call from Diana Prince. This time, you were back in Maxwell’s king sized bed in D.C., with Alistair sandwiched between you and Max.

“Di?” You asked, rubbing your tired eyes.

“Barbara is here. Now. You have to come over. I’m trying to get her to renounce her wish but she’s fighting back. Come in your Amazonian gear and don’t forget your lasso. Hurry!” she exclaimed before hanging up.

You yawned and put the phone back on the hook. You could stay in bed with Alistair and Maxwell forever but, if Diana needed your help, you had to provide. You followed her instructions and headed out without saying anything to Max. You shouldn’t be too long anyways, you decided. Everything would be okay.

***

When Maxwell eventually woke up and you weren’t by his side, he was confused. In fact, to say he was devastated would have been an understatement. Today was his big court date-- the battle where he’d fight for Alistair’s custody. He had faith you’d be there, just like you promised. Only, there was one small thought haunting him in the very back of his mind.

What if you had become too powerful for this world? What if you already had to go back to Themyscira? No. It would be fine-- Max reassured himself. Maxwell got all suited up and Raquel came to the door.

“Thank you for agreeing to watch Alistair.” Maxwell sighed, adjusting his cufflinks.

“It’s really no problem, Mr. Lord.” Raquel smiled graciously, taking Alistair’s hand.

“Daddy?” Alistair asked, his eyes glossy with unshed tears.

“Yeah buddy?”

“I don’t know if I’m allowed to say this, but I really hope you win today.” Alistair confessed before turning around and leaving with Raquel.

***

“You… Diana!?” You shouted, running up to Barbara and untying her from the bed. Barbara’s eyes locked onto you as you helped release her. “Hey listen… I don’t know what’s going on but I’m your friend. I don’t want to hurt you.” you promised, locking your gaze onto her ocean blue eyes. The colour alone was enough to remind you of the beautiful oceans back on Themyscira.

A tear slipped down Barbara’s cheek and you quickly wiped it away, smoothing out her blonde wavy hair. “I feel so foolish,” she choked out, shaking her head. “Just for once I wanted to be the greatest. And all to prove a point.”

“It’s okay,” you shushed her, cautiously wrapping your arms around her and pulling her into a hug. You wanted to be careful not to smother her. Barbara had done terrible things, no different to Max, but you knew that it wasn’t really them. That they were both possessed by the power of the wish. “Did you speak to Diana?” you asked eventually, truly wondering where your sister was. She’d called you and yet she wasn’t here.

“I came after her… for-- for the dreamstone,” Barbara confessed as her tears soaked your tunic. “She told me it had been destroyed but that’s… that’s impossible.”

You exhaled. “No Barbara, it’s true. Max and I… we--” you tried to explain but Barbara cut you off.

“Babajide said only true love can--”

“I know.” you sighed, looking down at your feet.

“Oh.” Was the only sound Barbara could bear to omit. “You love him?”

You smiled weakly and nodded your head. “I’ve never really been in love before, I don’t think. But I have this feeling in my heart and no words can describe it. I’ve read about it in mythology… like the story of Orpheus and Eurydice and when I’m with Max I just feel… complete. I feel whole.”

“I know the feeling because I feel it too.” Barbara sniffed, pulling off you and crossing her arms over her chest. You could immediately tell that she was feeling vulnerable.

“You do?”

“With Diana.” Barbara confirmed.

“...You-- you’re in love with Diana?” You asked with a small gasp.

“I’ve never been so sure about anything in my life.” Barbara sighed into admittance.

“Then you will know that love is the most powerful thing in the world. Barbara… if you renounce your wish then--”

“I know.” Barbara whimpered, rubbing her tearful eyes.

“The wish might have given you all this power, but I promise you there is nothing more powerful than the love you have for Diana,” you reassured Barbara and took her hands. “And the love she has for you.”

“The-- what?” Barbara asked.

“I’m the goddess of family, Barbara, I have a pretty good judgement of knowing when somebody is in love. I see the way she looked at you in the tomb back in Athens. You could have something so beautiful together,” you smiled, giving Barbara’s hands a light squeeze. “Renounce your wish. For Diana.”

Barbara turned and looked out the window, her lips trembling before she looked back at you. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I renounce my wish.” she declared, and you felt a breeze-- and wind, almost, gush through your hair. The grip on her hand became electric and you pulled off her, noticing the way your body began to glow. Barbara’s eyes snapped open and her jaw slackened as she watched your feet leave the ground. You were floating, a glittering golden aura similar to the lasso of truth highlighting your entire body. It was blinding.

The walls of Diana’s apartment began to crumble around you and you eventually fell to the ground. Barbara gasped upon seeing you again. “You-- you’re outfit. You’re glowing…”

You looked down at yourself and your eyes widened in disbelief. Your typical Amazonian tunic had literally changed colours. What was once brown, was now gold, red and blue-- the traditional colours of a child of Zeus. “Like Diana,” Barbara mumbled. “It’s beautiful.”

You couldn’t help but smile as you admired the way your new armour looked. The Gods had blessed you with this transformation, and that must have meant you had done something right. You had gotten Barbara to renounce her wish, after all.

No, love was what had gotten Barbara to renounce her wish.

But the walls around you were still crumbling down and the ground beneath you was splitting. “Oh my-- Barbara. I have to go. I’ve already overstayed my welcome.” you said in a panic.

“What? I’m sure Diana doesn’t mind you being here.” Barbara replied, scratching the back of her neck in bewilderment.

“No. The World of Man… I’m too powerful I-- I have to return to Themyscira,” you said in a fluster. You remembered that Diana told you-- with the combination of both of your lassos, you could create a portal that would ensure you returned back home safely. “I have to go now.”

“What about Max?” Barbara asked, standing up and staring at you.

Shit, Max.

The court case.

You were already so late.

“Barbara, I have to go. Keep Diana informed. I-- I have to go see Max and tell him… tell him…”

“Tell him you love him.” Barbara confirmed.

Could you really do that when you were leaving so soon? You opened the window and unravelled your lasso of truth before signalling one final goodbye to Barbara. In a panic you flew out the window and glided through the air, overhead the bustling city beneath you. You had to get to court, at least before the verdict. You couldn’t let him down.

***

“Can both parties please rise?” Judge Edward Wilson requested.

Maxwell felt sick to his stomach. You weren’t here. You were supposed to be here; fixing all of this. You had promised. And you were nowhere in sight. He squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his fingers into a fist. He heard the scraping of the chairs as Julianna and Theodore stood. He followed their actions just a few moments after. It was fine. He could do this without you. Maxwell had come from nothing and he had gotten this far in life completely alone, he could do it again. Maxwell took a deep breath and flattened his suit down before shooting the judge one of his charming, albeit fake, television smiles. The judge grinned, excited to be working on a case with the Max Lord.

“Your honor, I am Theodore Thomas, esteemed family lawyer and I will be representing Miss Julianna Grey on this child custody case.” Ted introduced himself, holding himself high and mighty.

“I’m Julianna Grey, your honor. I’m the biological mother of Alistair Lorenzano and I am here today to request full custody of my son.”

The judge nodded in understanding before turning to Maxwell. “O-oh,” Max shuffled uncomfortably upon realising it was his turn to speak. He looked at the jury of twelve that sat before him. Twelve randomly selected members of the public who were about to learn his true identity. The identity he had kept so well hidden for the last twenty years. “I’m Maxwell Lor-Lorenzano and I’m the biological father of Alistair Lorenzano,” he looked back at Julianna and Theodore who were glaring in his direction. “And I am here today to tell you that I love my son so much.” Maxwell exclaimed.

Judge Edward Wilson adjusted the brimless reading glasses that sat on the curve of his nose. “Mr Lorenzano, you do agree to the case proceedings that will be occurring today, yes?”

“Yes. I do.” Maxwell affirmed, placing both his palms flat on the oak wood table.

“And you do not have an attorney?” Judge Wilson quizzed further.

Maxwell sighed. You should be here. “No I do not. But if possible, may I request a publicly funded attorney?”

“Now now,” Judge Wilson reprimanded, pointing his finger. “I will be the judge of whether or not Mr Lorenzano’s lack of care is sufficient for the transferral of custody.”

The jury murmured amongst themselves, questioning whether or not Max Lord didn’t have a jury because he was broke. They raised their eyebrows, judging the businessman who stood before them. “Unfortunately, with this being a civil case, you are not entitled to a publicly funded attorney.” The Judge hummed, rearranging his stack of papers.

“With all due respect, your honor, we gave Mr Lorenzano ample time to find a representative for this case. This right here is an example of Mr Lorenzano’s lack of care for the minor child in question. If he wanted to even stand a chance at gaining custody of Alistair, he would’ve gotten a lawyer.” Theodore scoffed incredulously whilst Julianna tried her hardest to suppress her smirk. Maxwell knotted his eyebrows together as furiosity consumed him.

Thankfully, Judge Wilson knew better to just dismiss his comment. He turned to Maxwell. “Mr Lorenzano, you said you were ‘busy doing other things’, indicating that those other things are the reason you did not find an attorney to represent your side of the case. May I ask what those things were? Perhaps a work commitment? Or a family commitment?”

Maxwell was still glaring at Theodore for his out of pocket comment. “I care about Alistair, so much.” Maxwell told the court, but his dark eyes were trained only on his ex wife and her current boyfriend. “I would argue that a week in advance is not enough time to hire a lawyer and familiarise themselves with the facts of this case. I was busy doing other things.”

“Facts?” Theodore laughed. “Your honor, Mr Lorenzano knows nothing about ‘facts’. This man is deceitful. He has built his whole career on lies. Don’t you think young Alistair deserves two good role models to look up to? For example, a stay at home mother such as Julianna who can give him her full attention and care, and a family lawyer such as myself, who fights for justice in society?” Maxwell felt nauseated as he was being forced to hear the absolute bullshit Theodore was spouting out. He was painting himself as some kind of hero to a courtroom who knew no different. But that’s what Theodore Thomas did the best. And that was why he was the most successful lawyer in Washington D.C.

“Uh,” Maxwell squeezed his eyes shut. “Not exactly. It’s complicated, your honor. I was in Athens with a friend.” He hated the way the revelation left his lips. But it was the truth. And if he had learned one thing from Diana, it was that the truth is beautiful. But was truth going to win the case?

Judge Wilson blinked momentarily as silence filled the courtroom. A smile flexed upon Theodore’s lips. “You were in Athens with a friend?” Judge Wilson repeated, gritting his teeth.

“Yes, your honor.” Maxwell sighed in admittance.

“Mr Lorenzano,” Judge Wilson addressed Max before glancing towards the jury who were taking notes. “I hope you realise this does not sound good in your favour.”

Maxwell cursed in his mind. Of course it didn’t. He’d gone with you to Athens to help you find and destroy the dreamstone. But he couldn’t say that in court. Hell, he couldn’t say that to anyone. You trusted him with your secret and he wasn’t going to expose you like that. Then again, you had broken your promise. You hadn’t shown up in court. You lied to him. And Maxwell was hurting a lot. He felt betrayed. Nevertheless, he still loved you so much. No doubt the jury would even believe the fact a magical goddess came into Max’s life and encouraged him to accompany her to Athens to destroy a wish-granting stone possessed by the God of Lies. That would just be ridiculous.

Maxwell didn’t reply. “On that note,” Judge Wilson grimaced before turning back to face Julianna and Theodore. “I ask that the claimant address all their points as to why they believe Mr Lorenzano is an unfit father to Alistair Lorenzano.”

Julianna clapped her hands excitedly. Maxwell figured she must have spent her entire life preparing herself for this moment. Max knew that he’d likely have to sit through possibly hours of Julianna and her sleazeball of a boyfriend demonizing him and pushing him down. Nothing new. But when it came to illustrating the point whether or not Maxwell was an unfit father, he didn’t want to hear it. To Max, Alistair was an angel. He deserved the best and Maxwell had always wanted to be the best for his son. None of this would’ve happened if Max hadn’t been led down such a dark path in the first place. Yes, Maxwell often doubted his capability as a parent, but at least he was trying to change. Julianna didn’t even care about Alistair. She was a neglectful mother, always dumping Alistair upon Max without warning so she could spend time with Ted or go shopping with her friends. Maxwell loved his son more than anything else in the whole world.

“Mr Lorenzano, as I’m sure you all know, is what I’d once describe to be a ‘successful’ businessman. Now I personally think he’s just a businessman,” Theodore smirked and Maxwell rolled his eyes. “He’s a television personality who goes by Max Lord. He’s a liar. A con man. Not only has he lied about his identity to the whole world, but he’s tricked the weak minded into investing into his ponzi-scheme.”

“Hey!” A juror interrupted. “I invested in Black Gold Cooperative!”

“Well-I mean, obviously you’re not weak minded.” Theodore quickly backtracked.

“He did just call you weak minded.” Maxwell muttered with a shrug of his shoulders. The juror frowned and sat back down.

An hour passed and both Julianna and Theodore were still taking turns to drag Max down. He felt like giving up. You were his only hope, and you weren’t even there. “Mr Lorenzano,” Judge Wilson began. “Do you have any objections to the claimants allegations?”

“Yes, I object to it all!” Max exclaimed.

“I should rephrase,” Judge Wilson sighed. “Are they telling the truth about you?”

They were. They hadn’t lied. They’d compiled a list of all of Maxwell’s mistakes, errors, and flaws. They had him backed up into a corner he couldn’t get out of. On occasions, were they making a mountain out of a molehill? Of course. But were they honest? Yes. Maxwell had fucked up.

“They are.” Maxwell nodded, his knees becoming weak with anxiety.

“Okay,” The Judge replied, his tone dripping with disappointment and perhaps even sadness. “It’s now your turn to speak, Mr Lorenzano. Although I have no doubt the jury has already come to a decision.”

Maxwell turned to face the jury who were looking at him with identical stone cold expressions. Like he was some kind of villainous monster. A lying criminal. And it was all thanks to Theodore’s stupid little speech.

“Uhm,” Maxwell stood up and brushed down his suit again before walking over to the jury. “Theodore is right. I have done bad things and I have lied to many people. I’m not perfect, but I’m trying to get better. For my son. For Alistair. He gives my life hope and reason and purpose. I believe that he makes me a better person. I’m not sure if any of you have kids of your own but you know how hard the pressure can be. The truth is, I never considered myself a family man. I never wanted children but when Alistair came into my life… for the first time I felt like the universe was on my side,” Maxwell took the polaroid out of his pocket and slid it over for the jury to look at. “This was the day he was born. I had never felt so much love.” Maxwell smiled faintly at the memory.

“Quit it with your sob story.” Theodore moaned, rolling his eyes.

“Let Mr Lorenzano speak.” Judge Wilson snapped back. Max nodded his head with gratitude.

“I never used to believe in love before Alistair was born. And then recently, I got lost. Things didn’t make sense and my mind became clouded with just about all the wrong things. And then this girl came into my life and she reminded me of how it feels to love and be loved in return. So now I do. I believe in love. I believe that love conquers all. That love can end all wars and quash all hatred in the world. Please, I ask that you empathize with me. We’ve all made mistakes. If I could go back and fix it I would in a heartbeat. But I can’t and I don’t know what I’d do if I lost Alistair.” Max croaked, letting a real, genuine tear slip down his cheek.

Silence filled the courtroom and deciding that Maxwell had nothing else to say, he sat back down in his seat. He knew he’d lost. You weren’t there to help him. He had no attorney. And like Diana had warned him; the consequences of his actions lay in his fate with Alistair. He was going to lose the little boy he loved so much. His only son.

Maxwell knew he was a lot of things but he was not an unfit father. He was prepared to give Alistair the world. An unfit father would be his own father. A man who spent his days drunk and abusing him and his mother. Both physical and mental torture. Max would never ever do that to Alistair. Ever. He tried so hard to be a positive, influential figure to Alistair because he never had one himself.

“I believe the jury has come to a conclusion,” Judge Wilson announced, taking a painful amount of time to open the envelope that had been handed to him. “The jury have decided that full custody of Alistair Lorenzano will be granted to Juli-”

“STOP!” You screamed, using your full force to push open the sturdy double doors that led into the courtroom.

The scene ahead was something straight out of a courtroom drama movie. Maxwell’s jaw dropped upon the sight of you and the jury gasped, muttering words of bewilderment amongst each other as you ran up to Max. And oh, you were a sight.

Maxwell didn’t know what happened, but there you were, dressed in red, blue and gold. He pinned it down to an Amazonian warrior’s outfit, for sure, because there was no way any Sears’ or Macy’s or Bloomingdales’ would sell anything like that. You were sparkling, your tiara fit perfectly on your head and your gladiator sandals tied in neat ribbons to your kneecaps. You looked like a real-life Goddess. In your element.

“I thought you weren’t coming,” Maxwell gasped as you ran into his arms. You hugged him tight and he tried to hold back his cries. “Thought… you’d already gone back to Themyscira.”

The thought of you leaving Max without a proper goodbye was debilitating. He was the man who took you in, gave you a home and comfort, and showed you what real, true love was.

“I couldn’t leave without keeping my promise.” you sniffed, cupping his cheeks and offering him a small smile. You spent a moment just gazing into his chocolate brown eyes. In the past day, his eyes looked like they had aged ten years due to all the stress he was under -- but they were still the most beautiful things you had ever seen.

Gods, you loved him so much. And you wanted him to know how much you loved him. He deserved to know. But right now, you had to focus on keeping your promise. The reason you had come to the world of man in the first place was to reunite Alistair and Max, so that was exactly what you were going to do. You hadn’t constructed a plan, and you knew that would be your fatal error -- but it had to be now or never. All you could do was hope that, somehow, everything would fall into place. You cleared your throat and presented yourself in front of the judge, before introducing yourself. “I’m here to represent Maxwell Lorenzano in the custody battle for Alistair Lorenzano.”

The judge sighed, adjusting his white wig. “The case started two hours ago, ma’am. With all due respect, the jury has already reached a verdict. Unless you have any valid evidence as to why you believe Mr Lorenzano would make a worthy father, or Miss Grey an unworthy mother, there is nothing more I can do.”

You felt your heart stop in your chest and it was like everything around you was in slow motion. Goose pimples pricked your arms as you looked around the courtroom at all the different faces. You were standing in front of fifty or so people, easily and they were all staring at you. Of course you knew why… you weren’t exactly dressed like a ‘typical’ citizen of the world. But you just had to suck it up because you had made a promise to Maxwell, all those days ago. You had a duty to fulfil as the Goddess of home and hearth, and you knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but in that moment you knew exactly what you had to do.

“I have evidence.” you said with a shaky exhale.

Maxwell narrowed his eyes and leaned into you. “What?” he asked, just as confused as everyone else. Julianna and Theodore exchanged a nervous glance as the jury and audience continued to murmur amongst each other.

“Trust me.” you smiled a tearful smile and you felt your lips begin to quiver with anxiety. You closed your eyes and tried to regulate your breathing. It would be okay. It was going to be okay.

“Well, present your evidence.” Judge Wilson sighed and you nodded your head with affirmation.

Taking your lasso of truth, you began to unravel it, and showed the courtroom the way it glowed golden upon touching it. “What is that?” you heard one of the juror’s ask.

“This is the lasso of Hestia. It belonged to my mother and it’s powered by the truth. The truth and purity of the universe.” You explained, and the jury were in complete awe.

Julianna was the first one to burst into laughter. “You can’t be serious? A magical lasso? What? You got that from the costume and prop store on 2nd Street? Please. This is actually a serious case. Get outta here.” she snarled, her lips curling into a frown.

Maxwell went to snap back but you quickly stopped him before slowly padding towards Julianna and Theodore. And you smiled. “May I demonstrate?” you asked her, and Julianna gulped hesitantly. “If it’s just a prop from a costume store then… you have no reason to be afraid, do you?”

Julianna turned to Theodore who just shrugged his shoulders. “Okay. Fine.” Julianna sighed, holding out her wrists. You carefully tied them together with the lasso before trailing it across the courtroom.

“Ted, Max, Judge Wilson… feel free to hold on to the lasso,” you pulled it to where the jury was sitting and made sure that each member held a tight grip onto it. “Don’t worry, it won’t hurt.” you promised.

“What are you doing?” Maxwell gritted out. “I can’t let you do this. Exposing your powers in front of all these people… it’ll turn you into a mortal.”

You knew that. But it was a sacrifice you were willing to take. If this past week had taught you anything it was that love was the most beautiful thing in this universe. And that love truly does conquer all. You were able to tell Barbara that with your whole chest-- so just for once, maybe you should listen to yourself. You deserved your happy ending.

And you were never happy on Themyscira.

But here, with Maxwell and Alistair? You were happy.

You were finally happy and you wouldn’t let anything get in the way of that.

Taking a deep breath, you shrugged off his comment and turned around to speak to the courtroom.

“The lasso of Hestia compels you all to see the truth about Alistair Lorenzano.”

You watched intently as their eyes snapped shut and they saw the truth. They saw how neglectful Julianna and Theodore had been, and how loving Maxwell was. How Maxwell flew home from Greece just to be with his son whilst Julianna left him in the house alone. They saw the way Julianna verbally abused Alistair, and Maxwell winced as it paralleled his own childhood memories. They saw it all. They saw the truth.

But-- it was draining you. It was like you could slowly feel your powers slip out of you. You were losing your immortality, and your strength. You felt yourself become weaker by the second until eventually, it was over. They opened their eyes and looked at Maxwell in shock.

You took the lasso from each person and you whimpered slightly at how weighted it suddenly felt in your grip. Attaching it back to your tunic, you took Maxwell’s hand. “Did it work?” you asked weakly, hoping and praying that your sacrifice would change something.

Maxwell swallowed but before he could open his mouth, a juror spoke.

“The jury would like to change their verdict.” he announced, and the judge looked down at the envelope. He rubbed his teary eyes and sighed. The Judge had been… crying?

“Well, I hereby grant custody of Alistair Lorenzano to his father, Maxwell Lorenzano.” Judge Wilson declared before banging his gavel down on the desk.

Julianna screamed. Members of the audience cheered. You turned to Maxwell who’s cheeks were tearstained. “Oh my Gosh Max, we did it!” you cried, and Maxwell let himself fall limp in your arms as he sobbed uncontrollably.

“You-- you just-- I can’t believe--” He cried before pulling off you and flashing you the most precious grin. It was enough to make your heart swell with happiness. “I can’t believe you sacrificed your powers for me and Ali--”

“Well, believe it.” you said, leaning in and pressing a soft yet passionate kiss into his lips. Max’s hands fell down to your hips as he held onto you and relished your taste. He pulled away from you and instinctively smoothed out your hair.

“I love you so much,” Maxwell admitted finally, unable to keep his true feelings to himself any longer. “I’m so in love with you.”

And now, it was your turn to cry. It was the words you had longed to hear from the moment you came to the world of man. “I love you too Maxwell Lorenzano,” you confessed, running your fingers through his golden hair. Max choked back a sob as he gazed into your eyes. “Come on,” you encouraged, rubbing the small of his back. “You have a son to get home to.” you giggled and Maxwell’s eyes lit up.

“Does this mean you don’t have to return to Themyscira?” Maxwell asked hopefully and you felt your cheeks flush with heat as you shook your head.

“No, I don’t have to return to Themyscira. I’m a mortal now, just like you”

Somehow, you thought you’d be hurting more. You just gave up your powers-- your whole life. But this… this felt perfect. Like it was meant to be. You weren’t hurting, in fact, you had never been so elated in your life.

“Well, you’ll always be a goddess to me.” Max confessed, pressing another kiss into your lips. “Come on. Let’s go get Alistair.” he grinned, tugging on your hand as you excitedly ran out of the courtroom together.

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darkficsyouneveraskedfor · 4 years ago

Text

Secrets ~ 1

Warnings: noncon sexual acts later in series

This is dark!Bucky and dark!Steve and explicit. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: A buried family secret comes to light thrusting you to the forefront of an old alliance.

Note: Bruh, other series are still going. At least one update a week for existing series in future, I promise! Probably more.

This was semi-inspired by The Princess Diaries but obviously we’re not going highschool.

Thank you. Love you guys!

As always, if you can, please leave some feedback, like and reblog <3

You found it hard to focus on the lecture. You copied the slides without processing the words. You couldn’t tear your mind from the unusual stranger. The one who had slipped from the room not ten minutes earlier. The one no one else seemed to notice; even the professor as she outlined the fall of the Roman Empire.

You did because you were early every week. You sat in the same seat, pulled out your notebook and pen, and put your phone on silent. You’d worked too long to screw this up. Years of saving and scrounging just to pay the application fee, bursaries awarded for your volunteer work and nearly forgotten extracurriculars from high school.

So, you noticed. The man sat in the back row with not a possession before him. Silent, discerning, and to be frank, a bit too old for the student body. Even you, after several years away from academics, thought so. You used the reflection in your phone screen to watch him and when he stood and left without cause, you angled it after his departure.

Perhaps he had come to the wrong room. Or maybe he had got the wrong time. He could be an older student or a guest speaker. Whatever he was, he was gone and you needed to focus. You didn’t have much time outside of class to revise your notes. Between your job at the campus bookstore and your intern position at the museum, you didn’t have time for anything beyond a few hours sleep.

You packed up as the lecture came to an end. Tuesdays, Professor Halren went over the week’s material and Thursdays you had a class discussion on the assigned articles. Basic, simple, but at least eighty pages of reading a week. You climbed the steps between the rows of tables and passed through the upper doors. The east entrance down the rear stairwell was the quickest exit.

You tossed your bag in the passenger seat of your crummy used Honda, parked in front of the burger joint several blocks away from campus parking. It cost you more to park on-site than it did for the beat-up contraption itself.

You drove to the museum and got out, your lanyard around your neck denoting you as a volunteer. You usually worked the help desk or handed out pamphlets for upcoming tours. Most of the time it was quiet enough for you to study in between visitors.

Sheila was the curator on duty that night. She kept to her office, saying she trusted you to direct the rare patrons who arrived on a Tuesday night. As expected, it was dead. You wandered around with textbook in hand, occasionally looking up to check that you were alone.

There was a man by the chart of Greek gods and their relations. A spiderweb with no end. You closed your book and quietly set it down on the nearest bench as you kept an eye on the man. It was him, the one from the lecture hall. A frightening coincidence. He leaned closer to the diagram then turned away, walking, no marching along the wall and rounding the corner into the next section.

Your heart was beating; in confusion and fear. You followed, carefully not to let your shoes click as you did. As you reached the next corridor, he was nowhere to be seen. You continued on, around corner and corner, on and on, looking up and down the walkways. He was gone.

You came back to the bench where you left your textbook. You glanced around one last time and opened it. Behind the cover was a ribbon, a tricade of red, white, and blue, a star emblazoned three-quarters of the way up embroidered in gold and silver. You’d seen it before but none so new as this.

You held it up and felt it between your fingers. You closed the book again and tucked it under your arm. You went to the next wing; medieval history. You walked along the timeline of European kingdoms, below each was a display of royal families of each.

The same ribbon, aged and frayed, laid beneath the kingdom of Astrania, marked by the house of Rogers. A long storied bloodline thrust in and out of power by civil wars and politics well into the twentieth century. A country that stood still, one of the few who still lauded a monarch, as famous as the Windsors in England and beyond. The last vestiges of long lost era.

You shoved the ribbon in your pocket. It was likely a souvenir from some commodified tour of the country. A forgotten novelty sold for pennies and shoved into a used textbook. You shrugged and headed back to your usual spot among the ancient civilizations. Strange things happened. That was life.

👑

You spent your few hours before midnight writing up your rough draft for Life and Death in Ancient Greece then finally crashed. You slept on your back, uncomfortably; a heavy, exhausted sleep. You woke to voices. Your mother’s and another. One you didn’t know.

You checked the time, it was barely seven in the morning. You grumbled as you sat up. Your mother’s tone set you on edge as her voice rose. You stood and crossed to the door. You turned the handle slowly, listening through the crack of the door as you eased it open.

“You get out of my house.” She snarled. You’d never heard her sound so vicious. “I am not that person anymore. I never was.”

“You can hide behind a name,” The deep voice replied evenly. “It doesn’t change your real one.”

“My father is dead, his name died with him.” She hissed. “I won’t tell you again to leave.”

“Or what?”

“I’ll call the police, asshole.”

“I’ve been sent here under the banner of diplomacy, what are they gonna do?”

You stepped out as the argument continued, your mother growing angrier as you tiptoed down the hallway to the kitchen. She grabbed a frying pan from the dish rack as you stopped in the doorway and she waved it at the man standing on the other side of the table.

“I’ll just have to make you,” She warned. “Now go--”

“Mum,” You rubbed your eyes. “What’s going on?” You looked to the man as he turned to look at you. It was the same man from the day before. You recoiled and pressed yourself to the wall. “Who is that?”

“No one. He’s leaving.” She edged around the table and drew back the frying pan.

He didn’t move. She swung and he caught the pan as his palm deflected it away from his head. He wrenched it away from her and tossed it away.

“Sit down, your highness,” He glared at your mother as he clanked the pan against the table.

You frowned and looked at your mother. Her eyes glinted at you and she shook her head.

“You will not tell my daughter what to do,” She scowled. “Not in my house.”

“You can send me away now, but I’ll be back.” He looked around the kitchen. “Looks like you can afford a fine lawyer, indeed.”

“Lawyer?” Your mother spat.

“There’s a contract, Princess,” He sneered.

“There is no kingdom left. No crown, no throne.” Your mother neared and grabbed your wrist, drawing you to her. “My daughter does not belong to anyone.”

“Your own father signed the accord. We paid our dues, even after his fall, we expect you to fulfill your end of the contract.”

“My father is dead,” She pushed in front of you, shielding you from the man. His square jaw twitched and his blue eyes glimmered defiantly.

“As his heir, you would acquire his responsibility. She is his first born granddaughter.” The man asserted.

“She has no title.” Your mother insisted. “You can see we have no wealth, no holdings. We are displaced; we are common.”

“Princess Karissa of Ecklun,” The man addressed your mother, “Her daughter, Duchess of Brey. You needn’t land to uphold your titles… and your obligations.”

“The contract is old. Outdated.” Your mother countered. “There are other duchesses. Real ones.”

“The contract is legal still, it has been upheld to this point and there is no clause for annulment. Unless of course you have the funds to buy out the agreement.” He challenged. “Fifteen million, with interest.”

Your mother was silent. He hand squeezed your wrist.

“I never received any of these payments you claim to have made,” She said.

“In a trust, as stated in the contract, to be accessible upon the day of marriage.” He declared. “If you insist, however, I can return with my legal council… and a military escort.”

Your mother let out a long breath. She released you and shakily pulled out a chair from the table. “Sit,” She gestured you forward and drew another chair out. “I’ll entertain your… discussion.”

You stepped forward and sat and she did too. The man across from you lowered himself into another chair and set down his briefcase on the floor. He reached inside and drew out a bundle of papers. He slid them across to your mother.

“If you’d like to look over the terms,” He smirked. “You’ll see all is as I said.”

“He couldn’t find another bride?” She spat as she ignored the contract.

“Not legally.” He insisted and looked at you. “Forgive me. I didn’t introduce myself, your highness. James Barnes, I am a representative of the Astranian court.”

“I don’t--” You blinked. “I don’t understand what’s--”

“Yes, apparently your mother has created a convincing ruse here in this… slum,” He sighed. “What do you know of your grandfather?”

“Don’t talk to her.” Your mother snipped. “Talk to me.”

“She must know--”

“I will explain. That is my responsibility. My right.” She sneered and grabbed the papers.

She flipped the first page, then the second, she continued as she hastily read through it. You peeked over her shoulder but she kept turning away to block you. When she finished, she turned it face down.

“You signed it, Princess,” The man said.

“I was sixteen.” She said. “I was still a child.”

“You were a married woman.” He returned.

“A girl forced into a ring.” She slapped the paper. “And you would have me do the same to my daughter?”

“You already did,” He said plainly. “And she is older. Quite a few years, in fact.”

“It took you years to find us,” She grinned. “You think you’ll be as lucky again?”

“You are being watched. You have been watched.” He pushed his shoulders back. “We have waited long enough.”

“Can someone tell me what the fuck is going on?” You said.

The man, Barnes, looked at you. Appalled.

“I will,” Your mother squeezed your arm. “Mr. Barnes.” She turned back to him, her head held high. “Might you allow me some time to prepare?”

“To run?” He challenged.

“If we are being watched as you say, that should not be an issue,” She sniffed. “You must understand the circumstance.”

“I do understand your negligence,” He raised a brow. “One day. That is all I can allow you.”

He left the contract and stood. He took his briefcase and nodded to the table. “A copy for your records.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card and flicked it onto the document. “My information should you require it.”

He bowed his head and turned to leave you. The door opened and closed loudly as he strode out the back door. You sat, perplexed, and reached for the contract. Your mother caught your hand. She turned to you and drew your hand back with her.

“Honey,” She said softly. “I need you to listen to me. Just-- don’t talk, just listen.”

“Mum, I--”

“You’re going to hate me. I know that hate, I felt the same for my own father. I would not blame you for hating me even more than that.” She said grimly. “But please, there is much I need to tell you. That I should’ve told you before.”

“I don’t-- I don’t understand.” You sputtered.

“So just listen,” She pleaded. You nodded and your stomach bubbled nervously. “You’ve heard of Ecklun? You were always so fond of history.” You confirmed and she continued on. “And Astrania. Occasional allies until the dissolution of the former… but that all doesn’t matter.”

Your mother hung her head.

“My father knew the tide was against him. He tried to rally his reinforcements, he made promises to those he thought could help. He was the king, you see? He was dethroned, we were all thrown out of the country. I tried to… stay with him. Tried to make him move on but he wouldn’t. So after I had you, I left. Your father didn’t want to let go either and he refused to come with me.”

She touched her cheek and shuddered.

“It was all gone so I thought that meant it was over. Everything. The promises, the debts.” She shook her head. “I tried so hard to start over. For you. But… Your grandfather promised you to the heir of Astrania to fund his personal guard. The same that ejected us from our home.”

She twined her fingers together then pulled them apart. She gulped before she found her voice again.

“That heir is now in power,” She could barely look at you. “And you… you are to be his wife.”

“I-- no, they can’t-- it--”

“I thought I could stop it. I didn’t think they’d want it still but-- I always hated how backwards it all was. Bloodlines, lineage, privilege… It was all so ridiculous.” She huffed. “I-- tried. I failed.”

“You ran once, we can--”

“That man found me. I am not foolish to think he did not come with back-up. I have seen what happens when you undermine others. I have seen the ugliness of it. I can’t say what’s worse; to let them have you or to refuse and suffer further. You don’t know how-- I was stupid enough to think I could ever outpace them.”

You gaped at her. Shocked, angry, sickened.

“And now I can’t stop them.” She uttered.

“You didn’t tell me,” You breathed. “You should have told me.”

“I’m sorry--”

“I have school, work...I… No, they can’t. I have a life!” You stood and the chair wobbled.

“Honey, please,” She got to her feet. “I know how it feels. Trust me. My father, he did the same--”

“So what? Family tradition?” You scoffed. “They can’t make me. I’m staying. I’m going to school, I’m working. I’m not--”

“You don’t have a choice.”

“I won’t go!” You shouted.

“They’ll make you.”

“How?”

She looked at you. Her face was grim, her wrinkles more apparent than ever before. She didn’t need to say.

“They can’t--”

“They’ll find a way.” She muttered. “They always do. I’m so so sor--”

“So I’ll make them drag me,” You said. “I’ll fight it.”

“It’s treason--”

“It’s the twenty-first century!”

“Not there. It’s not the same as here. There’s no one to stop them.”

You didn’t know what to say. You hit the table and swore. You stormed from the room and slammed your door before you fell onto the bed and screamed into your pillows.

It was a dream. It had to be a dream!

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joshuas · 4 years ago

Text

sue me

♫ pairing: han jisung x gender neutral reader

♫ genre: college/university student!au, slice-of-life, crack, fluff, best friends to lovers

♫ word count: 3.9k

♫ warnings: nil of note!

♫ summary: just chaos and lawsuits?

♫ tagging: @fluffyskzclub

♫ a/n: the seventh addition to my christmas drabbles! i don’t really know what i’m doing anymore ;-;

♫ skz christmas drabbles: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

The door jingled as three figures huddled through the store together,

“It’s so cold!” One of them — Jeongin, exclaimed, bringing your attention to them from your organising,

“Lucky it’s warm in here. Hey, guys!” You waved as they approached, looking at the display of records and CDs behind you.

“Y/N!” Jisung approached you first, pulling you in for your signature handshake.

The taller boy, Seungmin, scoffed, looking down on the two of you,

“I can’t believe the two of you still do that elaborate greeting.”

“You’re just salty that you haven’t been friends with someone since childhood and had the awesomeness to come up with something like this.” Jisung defended.

Bitterness bubbled in your stomach,

Right. Friends.

The two of you had established your friendship way back in daycare when you lent Jisung your crayons... reluctantly, at that. But you were kind of desperate to make friends, so you accepted his request. What you had underestimated though, were his motives. Jisung had no intention on actually giving your crayons back. Long story short, hair was pulled, paper was thrown, including scissors at one point, all resulting in Jisung eating your crayons so that you would never get them back. You had never been more shocked in your entire life... well you were two-years-old, so there wasn’t much that you had experienced. However, your parents, after hearing of this fight, insisted on taking you to visit Jisung in the hospital (he had just digested crayons, it’d be concerning if he didn’t at least get it checked out), giving him a CD of your favourite songs for him to listen to. How a two-year-old was supposed to appreciate that was beyond you, but when he came back to daycare with a set of colour pencils and drew pictures beside you, the two of you were inseparable since.

However, once you had gotten into university, the two of you had exchanged more than friendly comments, making you reconsider his place as your best friend after all. I mean, did he make your heart flutter? Yes. Did you miss him whenever he wasn’t around, even when he was being a pain? Yes. Was he incredibly talented, handsome and amazing that you couldn’t help but fall for him?... Yes! You had been trying to figure out ways to hint to him what you really thought of him, but he was about as clueless as Cher in the movie Clueless. And seeing as New Years was round the corner, you had resolved to yourself that you’d confess to him as one of your New Years resolutions... It was now just a question of how...

As Jisung pulled you in for the final part - a hug, you inhaled his familiar scent, interrupting your internal monologue, your mind calming from its racing, seconds before.

“How may I help you guys today?” You brushed your clothes, trying to maintain an air of professionalism.

“Jisung dragged us all the way here to get some of your famous ramen.” Jeongin explained, sighing.

“You came all the way to a music store... to try my ramen?” You asked confusedly.

“I don’t understand the logic behind it as well. But we did come all this way, in the snow as well.” Seungmin looked at you pointedly.

“...okay. Wait here, I’ll make it.”

“Oh my god, I love you Y/N,” Jisung called out as you went to the staff room, your heart skipping a beat at his comment.

Sighing, you turned on the kettle,

Why is he like this? How does crayon eating boy have this much power over me?

“Be careful, it’s hot!” You passed the steaming bowls of ramen and chopsticks to each of the boys, as the four of you sat around the till.

Bowl dangerously balanced on his elevated leg as he tried to pull apart the wooden chopsticks, Jisung flashed you a grateful smile,

“You know, Y/N, one day you’re going to make someone extremely happy with—“ He yelped as he jolted from the force of taking the wooden chopsticks apart, the bowl tipping off his leg and onto the carpeted floor. The red ramen soup soaking into the light carpet, staining it.

“Oh no! Y/N, I’m so sorry!” Jisung exclaimed, frantically grabbing at tissues from the counter, dabbing them on the ground.

You bit back a smile,

Of course, it was Jisung. But ugh it’s going to be a pain to get that dry cleaned...

“I might just have to sue you for that!” You said sarcastically.

Jisung looked at you wide-eyed,

“Oh! I— isn’t there anything else I can do? I can help out at the store for the rest of the break!” Jisung said frantically.

“Ohhh, no I’ll have to have sue you. Company policy.” You hid a smile, deciding to tease him further.

“Oh. Um, okay.” He blinked, unaware, “Let me just get a lawyer to represent me— Seungmin! You’re a lawyer, right? You need to represent me for this case.” Jisung grabbed Seungmin’s arm, looking at him pleadingly,

“I’ve literally only had one class and isn’t this a jo—“ Seungmin broke off as you stared him down, imploring him to partake in the practical joke you were playing on the other boy.

You sighed, “Okay. Seems like it’s sorted. We’ll meet up in two weeks. Hopefully, you’ll have your money ready, because I’m going to win this.”

“It’s Opposite Day. So you won’t, and I will, okay?” Jisung gave you a quick smile, dragging Seungmin towards the door.

“But, my ramen!” Seungmin complained.

“No time, we need to win.” Jisung dragged Seungmin out of the store.

You shared a glance with Jeongin,

This is going to be interesting...

“You aren’t a parent, nor a teacher, what are you doing here?” Jeongin warily watched you approach, narrowly avoiding the little kids running through your path.

“I need your help.” You said solemnly.

“How did you know I was doing work experience at the daycare?” Jeongin raised an eyebrow sceptically.

“Believe it or not, Seungmin can be extremely candid and direct when Jisung is harassing him on the other side of a phone call. Also, you’re working towards your teaching degree. It doesn’t seem too weird that you’re working at a daycare.” You noted, taking in your surroundings.

“Oh, alright. What can I help you with?” Jeongin said reluctantly.

“I need you to dress up like an old businessman and pretend to be my lawyer.” You said quickly, thrusting a back-rubbing cane into his hands before getting ready to bolt.

“Wait! Why?” Jeongin looked at you sceptically yet again.

You sighed,

“Look, I need Jisung to think it’s the real deal, otherwise...” You stopped, squinting at the two figures attempting to act casual outside the daycare.

“Oh my god, are they spying on us?”

“It was most definitely Jisung’s idea.” Jeongin joined you, staring as Jisung attempted to casually lean against a car, trying to converse with a stony-faced Seungmin, not long before setting off the car alarm and yelling at Seungmin to run.

You watched the two of them take off,

“Looks like we’ll need to up our game, Mr Yang. Or should I say... Prosecutor Yang?” You smiled pleadingly at him.

“Fine...”

“Let me get this straight, we’re spying on them now even though this whole lawsuit thing isn’t actually going to happen?” Jeongin asked, bringing his jacket closer to him as he entered the University café.

“Well, it’s not like we can’t put any effort in because then we’d be admitting defeat to this... joke? Regardless, we need to win.” You pushed your cap further down after nodding at Chan in acknowledgment.

You sat down in a secluded area of the café, Chan approaching to greet you,

“Why is it always that chaos is brought to this café by this friendship group?” Chan looked pointedly at Jeongin as he shrugged.

“How do you know that shenanigans are to take place? Can’t we just enjoy our coffee in a secluded area of the cafe in our spy clothes without suspicion?” You asked, slightly defensive.

“...no. Anyway, what can I get for your spy mission?” Chan asked, eyes glinting with amusement.

“I’ll have an iced americano.” Jeongin.

“And I’ll have a—“ you broke off as Chan interrupted you,

“New York Cheesecake? I know. Jisung and you come here to get some like every Friday. Speaking of Jisung, why are you sitting over here instead of with them over there?” He pointed to the two boys huddled at the table, Seungmin slightly bored, checking his phone regularly, and Jisung talking animatedly to him. Jisung, noticing Seungmin’s disinterest, grabbed his phone, getting up and placing it in the trash can before heading back to a very much annoyed Seungmin.

“It’s... a long story. Very chaotic! You probably wouldn’t want to hear it.” You ushered Chan away, Jeongin looked at you smugly,

“You and Jisung, huh? It’s almost as if you were... soulmates. Now I think I know why you need my help.”

You scoffed,

“I don’t need your help.”

“Oh really? Then I guess I’ll get going—“ You pulled him back into his seat, the chair scraping as it was pulled erratically from both directions. The commotion caused Jisung and Seungmin to pause, looking at you two, eyes widening in recognition.

You looked at Jeongin, panicked, before throwing the money at a stunned Chan and rushing out of the cafe.

“Don’t give my cheesecake to Jisung! We both know that he’ll eat it instead of giving it to me.”

[09:38] (Jeongin) Hey, make sure you come on time.

[09:40] (You) Why do we have to go to the shops for this?

[09:41] (Jeongin) sadly the courts were all booked out with proper criminal cases, so the shops will have to do to resolve this fake lawsuit. just get ready and come quickly!

[09:43] (You) fine, fine. I’ll get my finest attire on. See you soon.

You placed your phone on your bed before dressing up to the best of your ability, steeling yourself as you looked in the mirror,

I will tell him how I feel... no matter how complicated this lawsuit thing becomes.

“Look who finally decided to show.” Jisung drawled, sipping at his soft drink. You looked him up and down appraisingly, ignoring your beating heart... he cleaned up more than nicely.

“Okay, shall we get started?” You clapped your hands, sitting opposite Seungmin and Jisung... and next to a very poorly disguised Jeongin.

“Interesting outfit choice, Jeongin.” Seungmin noted.

“What’s even more interesting is that Y/N selected Jeongin as her representative. He’s not even a lawyer!” Jisung looked at you triumphantly.

“Neither am—“ Seungmin interrupted, Jisung shushing him before he could complete his sentence.

“I thought you were going to dress up like a business man! Not some young mobster. This isn’t a fanfic. You’re not the main character.” You hissed under your breath, leaning slightly towards Jeongin so he could hear.

“And what? You are?” He scoffed, before smiling widely at the two in front of him.

“Right, so Jeongin and I have discussed the case beforehand.” Seungmin nodded at Jeongin.

“We’ve decided that we’ll put together a bunch of trials, and whoever wins those will win this lawsuit.” Seungmin proposed.

“I... feel like this isn’t how lawsuits work.” Jisung said doubtfully.

“This is what I was taught in law school!” Seungmin defended.

“Gotta trust the guy who attended law school.” You pointed out.

“What do you mean attended? He’s still at law—“ Jisung broke off as Seungmin cleared his throat, pointedly.

“The first challenge being, who can make the two of us the best milkshake.”

“Ready to lose, Y/N?” Jisung raised an eyebrow competitively at you.

“You wish, Han Jisung!” You sprinted to the other side of the food court, lining up as Jisung hurried after you, ending up directly behind you.

[20 minutes later]

You sighed loudly,

This is taking too long.

You politely pushed in front of people to the front of the line,

“Hey, are you guys right or do you need help? Because I can help out if you want. It’ll help you get through this queue a lot faster.” You asked the worker at the register.

“I can too!” Jisung sidled up beside you as you narrowed your eyes at him.

The worker looked at you sceptically before sighing in defeat,

“You know what, you may as well help because we’re so swamped. Grab some gloves and a hairnet and get started.” The worker let you through.

That was easy enough.

This is not easy.

“Chocolate ice cream thick shake for Sara!” You called out, frantically pushing the lid on the shake before handing it to the customer. Jisung rushed beside you,

“No-fat, non-skim, skinny latte with soy milk, one and a half sugars and a drizzle of vanilla for Jacques?” Jisung called out,

“Actually, can I change my—“ Jacques started.

“No.” Jisung deadpanned.

“Ready to admit defeat?” You smirked.

“Never. We’re yet to make the best milkshakes for Seungmin and Jeongin.” Jisung ran to the blender, chucking in as many ingredients as possible.

“Two can play at that game.” You said resolutely, approaching another blender, using as many ingredients as possible.

This is either going to be a disaster or a five star Michelin dish in the making.

“Stop. Stealing. The. Caramel. Sauce.” You gave Jisung a death glare as you wrestled the sauce bottle, the manager of the store glaring at the both of you,

“Alright, that’s enough. The two of you need to leave. You basically ditched serving the customers and did this. I don’t even know what this is but you need to stop using our resources for it.”

“Wait but it’s the finishing touch!” Jisung pleaded as the manager shook his head resolutely.

You scoffed,

“Whatever. It’s not like we’re getting paid for this or anything. Which we should! In fact, I have a lawyer friend that could help me sue you. He’s very good and wins about... 100% of his clients’ cases.” You threatened.

The manager pinched the bridge of his nose,

“Half of the orders that you served came back with complaints so you really did nothing.”

“The people really don’t appreciate our talents.” Jisung gasped, offended.

“If you guys think you’re talents are in milkshake making, you really should reevaluate your...um...life choices.” The manager said sheepishly.

“Whatever, be prepared for a lawsuit! Let’s leave, Jisung.” You grabbed your milkshakes, grabbing Jisung’s arm and dragging him out of the store.

“100% track rate, you say? Have you admitted defeat already?” Jisung raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, shut up, Jisung. I was obviously talking about Jeongin.”

“Right...”

“Um. What is this?” Seungmin scrunched his face in disgust, looking at the... mess of two drinks in front of him and Jeongin.

“Milkshakes!” Jisung said excitedly.

“I know that. But why did it take so long to make... you didn’t poison it, did you?” Seungmin looked at the two of you skeptically.

“Just drink it and tell us who wins.” You sighed as they picked up their drinks, tentatively sipping and then tasting the other,

“We need time to confer, so we’re going to give you the next challenge. You’re going to have to... pick out the best present for each other, and we’ll judge that once we see it.” Jeongin shooed the two of you away, winking at you as Jisung took the lead, striding towards a craft store.

As you browsed around the store, closely following Jisung, you stopped at the crayons section, exhaling a small laugh.

Jisung turned around, confused, eyes wide, settling on the packet of crayons,

“I dibs getting that for you.”

“You can’t dibs getting a present for someone.” You said incredulously.

“Um, well if it’s a competition, yes I can.” Jisung retorted, hands on hips.

“So you’re telling me, that the best present you could ever get me is crayons? You wouldn’t get that for me normally?” You rolled your eyes, exasperated.

“Why should I?” Jisung said, confused.

“Let me remind you. Twenty or so years ago, a young Jisung eats my crayons in retaliation for getting told to give them back. Young Y/N visits young Jisung in hospital, giving him a free record as a gift. And Jisung never reimburses Y/N with another set of crayons. You know, with your track record, it’s not even accidental. It’s serial. Like serial killing but serial property damage. Honestly, I could extend that to this lawsuit, as well.” You defended.

“Okay one, it’s too late to do that... isn’t it? I don’t have enough money for both! And two, is all you’re saying that your ideal gift is a pack of crayons?!”

“Are you admitting defeat already?” You smirked.

“Pfft no! Give me— that—“ He grabbed the pack of crayons from you, heading to the counter to pay as you grabbed another pack, lining up behind him.

“You both bought each other the same gift?” Seungmin raised an eyebrow at the two of you.

“Not intentionally! Please don’t disqualify us.” Jisung defended, apologetic.

“You literally went to the same store.” Jeongin deadpanned.

“That’s—“

“Whatever, I don’t have time for this. I need to go to the hospital in a bit. Okay, here’s what you can do. Explain to us why you bought the gift for said person, and we’ll judge based on your response.” Seungmin checked his watch, leaning back in his chair.

“Jisung, you go first.” Jeongin gestured for Jisung to start.

“Okay, well the short story is that Y/N told me that it was their ideal gift. The long story is that Y/N called me a serial property damager, and I really can’t afford that being added to my list of offences and be sued further.” Jisung said a matter-of-factly.

“Oookay... anyway, Y/N! What’s your reasoning?” Seungmin turned to you.

“Hmm... okay well when I was a child, Jisung stole my crayons and ate them, somehow we became friends, and he never bought me crayons to reimburse me, so I decided to be the bigger person and buy him crayons to share. Honestly, you’d think he’d know how to by now.” You tutted as a soft pink colouring flooded Jisung’s cheeks.

“...what?” Jeongin blurted out.

“It doesn’t matter! Jisung and Y/N are both... odd personalities. I mean, no wonder they’re best friends.” Seungmin dismissed.

There was that “f” word again...

“Anyway, I don’t have time for this. We’ll deliberate again as you do another challenge. You’re going to have to race each other around the entire shopping centre. Whoever comes first, wins... that round. Obviously. Otherwise, there would’ve been no point to these other challenges.” Seungmin dismissed the two of you, getting you to start at the same time.

Is this what my life has come to? Racing the literal love of my life to show that I’m serious about a fake lawsuit?... I really need to reconsider my lifestyle choices... and friends.

You and Jisung were neck and neck, you huffed as you sprinted next to him,

“Why are you so caught up on this whole lawsuit thing? You and I both know that it’s fake.”

Jisung glanced at you through the corner of his eye, “Hff— I— hff— know that but fake lawsuit or not, it was one of my New Years resolutions to win it.”

You stopped,

“You can’t be serious.”

“Dead serious.” He stopped in front of you.

“Well— I... who am I to stop you from achieving your goals? I forfeit.” You stepped back, relieved to be out of it.

“You can’t be serious,” Jisung said, slightly shocked,

“I need you to finish this! I can’t just win by default. That defeats the whole purpose. Actually try.” He challenged.

“This is so stupid, though.” You grumbled.

“You’re the one that proposed it. Why did you, if you don’t want to do it?” Jisung raised an eyebrow expectantly.

“I— ugh. To be honest, it started out as a joke but then I saw how serious you got about it! So, I decided to play along so I wouldn’t let you down.” You sighed.

“You’re right, I paid Seungmin $100 to represent me.” He sighed in sync with you.

“...you really need to stop doing that. First Minho, now Seungmin? Are you going to pay the entirety of your friendship group for being your friend?” You looked at him disappointedly.

He rolled his eyes, “Speaking of friends... why did you play along?” He asked, curious.

You inhaled sharply,

Now or never. No more friend-zoning.

“Do you know what my New Years resolution was?” You asked.

He shook his head, clueless,

“It was to confess my feelings for you. I’m not as great with words as you are, but Han Jisung, I like you. A lot. Even if you do crazy things like eating my crayons.” You closed your eyes, unwilling to view his reaction... only for a slight pressure to meet your lips.

Your eyes fluttered open, only to meet Jisung’s as he kissed you softly.

He pulled back, bringing you into a hug,

“You’re always going to hold that against me, aren’t you?” He chuckled, whispering that to you.

“We just kissed and that’s what you’re concerned about?” You lightly smacked his chest.

“Well, what else am I supposed to say? I kissed you. I don’t think that best friends do that. Do I need to say it explicitly? Okay then, I like you too!” He said, confused.

You rolled your eyes,

“Whatever. We better get going if we want to finish this race, and help you achieve your life goals!”

“Oh my gosh, Y/N. You’re such a supportive... lover? We’ll figure it out.” He held out your hand, dodging past people as you both sprinted down the mall.

You slowed as you approached Seungmin and Jeongin, dropping your hand from his grasp. Jisung turned back to you, confused.

You ushered him forward, smiling encouragingly,

“Go! Finish first. Achieve your goals.”

He paused, before taking your hand again, dragging you over to Seungmin and Jeongin, they looked up, equally as confused as you.

“We both forfeit.” He said, in between catching his breath.

“What? Why?” Jeongin started, as Seungmin groaned,

“You’re telling me, that I spent the time that I could’ve been sleeping, only for you to forfeit. You know what? It’s fine. Neither of you won anyway because drinking your milkshakes was the worst thing we had to suffer through since the time you both made us cake!”

You reeled back in mock offence, Seungmin sighed,

“I’m sorry if that was harsh. I’m working nights at the hospital.”

“Wait. What does a lawyer have to do at a hospital?” Jisung questioned, confused.

“Do— do you guys even listen to the things I say? I quit law school after one lesson and went back to medical school.” Seungmin said, exasperated.

“And no! You can’t have your money back. We’re leaving now anyway, so bye!” He grabbed Jeongin, running away from the two of you as fast as possible.

“You know, I lied about my New Years resolution.” Jisung spun you around to face him, your hand meeting his bicep.

“Oh no! How could I ever trust you again?” You sighed dramatically.

“Y/N— I was trying to be sentimental and tell you that our resolutions were the same but you ruined the moment!” He pouted, annoyed.

You laughed, grabbing his cheeks (jeekies ahhhhhhhhh they’re so cute right—),

“I’ll sue you if you don’t stop being so cute!”

“Ha! I’d like to see you try.”

➳ part eight? | masterlist!

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youwontlikethisblog · 3 years ago

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Locura Mia <3

Remember when Betty clarified everything to Mario and Armando about Nicolas role in Terra Moda and general manager?

She let them know that though Nicolas did manage Terra Moda that he didn't do anything without her say and that she was still the legal representative of Terra Moda.

One: that sets aside the fear of Betty giving too much responsibilities to Nicolas for the sake of him noticing her as she clears the air that she is the one with the last say.

Two: that Nicolas has Betty blinded.

This is both Mario's and Armando's worry, they talked about it at the cocktail the night before and Betty goes to clear the air so they aren't worried or distrusting of them.

However they still decide to enact the sinister plan.

When Armando realizes that Betty potentially cares for him as more than her boss its when the guilt of hurting sets in but when he hears Betty speaking on the phone with Nicolas he decides that he will make Betty fall in love with him.

Now, I want to make it clear that Armando is not in love with Betty. He's confused about his feelings. As well that Armando is worried about Eco Moda, the future of it, and his. That's why he agrees to do that.

Later that night when Betty returns to the meeting room after having spoken to Nicolas she tells them that because she's staying to work that he{Nic] will be going to talk and deal with the lawyer and Armando gets mad at her but she explains why it's important that they do that and Mario agrees.

Then Armando tells Betty to bring him the entire bottle of whisky and she asks if he's well and that he's drinking too much which he tells her to bring it to him.

When she leaves the room Armando tells Mario that she's no longer listening to him or obeying him.

This again proves again that Armando isn't solely worried about the company as now his subconscious is the one leading as he now worries that Nicolas is taking Betty from him.

I do believe that Armando would have fallen in love with Betty regardless of Eco Moda and Terra Moda.

What we have seen so far(before Nicolas was introduced as the love interest of Betty) was Armando slowly building a friendship with Betty as he was also developing feelings for her but all of a sudden these small moments of him just simply liking to spend time with Betty at the office and letting his guard down and letting her into his personal life come crashing into a wall of realization that he isn't ready to face and when he is being forced to face it he decides to deny it. Had it not happened like that I do think he would have ended up falling in love with her in the long run.

As a writer you have to think of all the possibilities that can happen. A scene you write has different alternative endings and you always go with the best one that pushes the story and the intensity forward.

So when watching the romance begin I often wonder what could have been of that scene and where that could have lead the story. When his original secretary quit because she fell in love with him the girls told Betty that Armando was never even aware of it and that he didn't even pay attention to her, it is a fact that Armando doesn't like getting involved with the employee's of Eco Moda so we can assume that it was true. After all when Bertha mentioned that Mariana had foretold that she'd quite her job Armando didn't even look fazed by it. He had no micro expressions or reaction to that. It was as if it wasn't important to him that she quit or why.

She wasn't important to him and she didn't really matter at all as he tells Betty that if she were to leave Eco Moda he would miss her.

Armando is hella drunk here. His eyes are droopy, he can't stand straight at times and he looks like he wants to run out of there.

Betty despite her feelings is trying to keep everything professional. When Armando tells her that they should cheer for something Betty cheer's for Eco Moda, now here Armando is acting. He isn't really talking with the heart.

I often talk about Armando but I am honestly so excited to finally start talking about Betty and her complexities because this romance isn't just from Armando's perspective but Betty's too and she deserves to be talked about more.

From previous episodes we know Betty had a relationship with a guy named Miguel. We know this because when Roman asked her to go out with them for the night as a joke Betty mentioned it after her Don Hermes didn't let her go and later that night after she got stood up she wrote in her diary something that personally moved me a lot.

"When will someone give me the opportunity to give them my love?"

Most times when we're watching a romantic drama or reading one we get this trope of the main character wanting to be loved themselves. They're searching for someone to love them because they've got this idea that love is meant on what others can give you. Armando is like that. He bases love on what others can give you, just like his parents and Marcela is the exact same way however real love isn't like that at all. That's being selfish.

Real love is wanting to give yourself without expecting anything in return and that's how we see Betty show her love towards Armando but the reason why it moved me so much to hear Betty say that is because she wasn't looking for someone to love her but instead she wanted to give her love, she wanted someone to give her the chance to give all the love she knew she could give to them. Betty, our sweet and kind Betty wasn't looking to be selfish in love.

However because of the fact that she did once love someone, she gave her love to someone who didn't appreciate it and just used her Betty is traumatized. It wasn't just heartbreak that she dealt with but she dealt with a humiliation that broke down her self-esteem more, ruined her self worth and killed her.

Though Betty knows she's "ugly" to people and that because of that no man will ever notice her, she believed that her love, the love she could give, would make someone love her. She believes that real love isn't based on physical attraction but rather a deep rooted spiritual connection with someone. Betty has a very beautiful understanding of love.

So it isn't just because her parents raised her to be a decent human with morals that she is keeping things professional but as a defense mechanism.

She is keeping herself away so she won't suffer again but her emotions start to win over after Armando asks her to dance.

She leans her head closer to him, not resting it on his shoulder, and we hear her inner monologue of "I can't believe it." in a hopeful and shocked tone while Armando's inner monologue is the same words his tone is disgusted.

He is disgusted to be so close to Betty, that he is dancing with an "ugly"(I always put quotation marks when I refer to Betty as ugly because she is very gorgeous to me!) woman.

When they return to the table Betty, as a concerned employee but also someone who is secretly in love with her boss respectfully tells Armando to forgive her for not minding her business but that he's drinking too much and he has to drive.

Notice the shift in tone from Armando's voice. Before he asked Betty to dance and they were talking Armando's tone was superficial. It was manipulative but this time it's careless and he's annoyed.

Again here you can notice in the same scene that shift as he lies to Betty and tells her "I'm enjoying my drinking" he shifts to look at her so they can talk better and his emotions give way here as he says "or what is it? What's your problem, Betty?" his facial expression switches to anger as he asks her in an accusing tone "or what am I so boring?"

Betty quickly tells him no "It's not that."

"Then explain it to me. Since Calderon left all you've wanted is for us to not drink, to not dance, to not do this or that. Beatriz, tell me, am I boring guy?"

I recalled Armando talking to Marcela once(when they were going to decide whether they got married though the church or court) and he told her "It's not about me. Are you sure you want to be married to me for life? I'm a really boring guy and you know that."

Here we can tell the difference in how Armando views these two women. While with Marcela he doesn't care that he's a boring guy, he does care that Betty doesn't think of him that way.

You can argue that Armando is drunk therefore he doesn't know what he's saying but he's manipulative by nature. He can do that sober or drunk and we saw that already in the scene before he asked Betty to dance. Besides have you ever heard the saying that toddlers and drunks have one thing in common and it's that they both can piss their pants but speak the truth.

Armando is a lot more drunk than he was at the start of the night with just him and Betty.

Once again Betty reassures Armando and in a loving voice tells him No , but that she understand he is worried for the company, marcela and that he is in a place unusual for him and with company he's not used to.

Really pay attention to Armando's tone. It constantly shifts from being natural to being forced. You can pick up when he is lying and being manipulative to it being honest.

Before I continue this I want to bring a detail I've noticed that came full circle the night of the museum.

Betty often tells Armando not to explain things, that she understands him. Armando however, unlike with Marcela who he just gaslights and manipulates, with Betty he constantly wants to explain things and talk them through, but Betty telling him that he understand him holds a lot of weight in their conversations because she truly does.

Armando takes in a deep breath, squints his eyes at her, before he speaks. He's thinking of what to say to her and trying to figure her out because unlike all the other women who Armando has been with(it's not because of what he said that he didn't know how to seduce an ugly woman) Betty isn't responding to any of his advances. She continues to keep things professional and behaves like a concerned employee so naturally Armando is confused and trying to figure a way to make things work.

He agrees with her about the first thing she said but disagrees about him not being in a place he'd enjoy that he's having a good time and all of that was said in a natural tone but when he leans closer and whispers drunklike "and as for the company." He widens his eyes and tells her "I love it."

Betty's eyes grow wide and she looks at him and then around. She looks surprised but also scared.

She tells him that she thinks he should drink slower or mix his drink with water and he chuckles at that.

"You're not coordinating with what you're saying."

"What? How am I not coordinating with what I'm saying?" He has a smirk on his face and turns to look at her, making eye contact he tells her "'cause I tell you Beatriz" he switches from openly speaking to now whispering as he finishes off by saying "I enjoying being with you." he says looking around the room. This represents the actual dilema he is facing. We know he does like spending time with Betty, especially in the previous days so we know that's true but notice how he was able to talk so openly before until he had to admit that he likes spending time with her. He whispered it to her and looked around the room. He knows he's somewhere that none of his friends or people in his social circle would be in so he isn't paranoid that they'll catch him. It symbolizes his inner battle. He's embarrassed to be seen with a woman like Betty, so he denies to care for her, however he admits he enjoys her company.

Now Armando lets his guard down, you can tell that he isn't as tense however still feeling nervous, he touches his upper lip and leans forward on the table "I'mma tell you something you know." he chuckles and points to Betty's drink "there with you blackberry juice" he chuckles, he finds it endearing, he touches his lips for a micro second often seen as a sign of nervousness. He's nervous to confess this to Betty or even to say it outloud.

Betty is starting at him freaked out and girl I WOULD TOO.

"See when you started working for me, if they would've fired you then I wouldn't have cared or been affected by it but now if you left I wouldn't be able to bare being without you."the haws theme song starts to play and he crazily looks around him. He really doesn't want anyone to hear him say these things because he is embarrassed to feel this way!

Betty's expression doesn't change. She's like a deer hit with headlights.

"But it's just a matter of custom. I'm sure if I left Eco Moda and I left everything organized for the new assistant they'll accomplish-" she's interrupted by an angry Armando.

As Betty was telling him this he took a drink and then started to rub his eyebrow; self soothing.

"Nonononono! I'm not talking about another assistant. " he hisses at her. "I'm saying that you," He chuckles nervously and swiftly covers his face, smiles and says "this is incredible." he fidgets with rubbing his forehead and his tone of voice is what lets us know he is being truthful to Betty. Here Armando is nervous to confess this, not only because he is confessing it to Betty but because now he has to accept it and no longer deny that he does care about Betty. He is being vulnerable.

Do you remember when you'd talk to your crush in middle school how you'd get, especially when the conversation shifted to talking about who you liked?

Armando's behavior reminds me of that.

The literal translation of what he tells her butchers the meaning as Armando tells her "Yo estoy diciendo, es increible esto, pero usted me haria falta, me haria falta como mujer."

"What I'm saying is that you, i can't believe this, is incredible, but I would feel the absence of you, the absence of you as a woman." his tone is very truthful. It isn't like before where it shifted from lying, manipulation and being somewhat truthful. Now it's coming form the heart and we later get more examples of this.

"Um sir please don't continue drinking anymore."

"Why? Why not? I need to drink, see." He drinks from his whisky. "You know why?" he shivers, slightly coughs because of it and shakes his head. "You know why I need to drink? Because I need to, I need to get out what, get out what I have inside of me about what I feel for you." Betty again is looking at him like a deer with headlights. "This is serious don't look at me like me shocked eyes. I'm going to tell you." He slurs. "Since I found out that you have a boyfriend right-"

"But I don't have a boyfriend."

"well, well, whatever, whatever he is, I don't care." He starts to angirly point his finger on the table and with a tone that matches continues "since I found out that guy Nicolas Mora exists I began to feel like bad." He's hunched forward, leaning towards the table and then turning to Betty, his face is very expressive as he shows that what is saying is hard for him to say because it pains him "like this wimper inside of me, I felt like a discomfort that I didn't like and I reflected, I started to think." He begins to act out him reflecting. "Reflecting. Armando, what's going on with you? and I discovered that I'm jealous, I'm jealous of Nicolas Mora." his eyes are wide and lips pursed, showing that he is stressed or holding back emotion.

"Sir don't joke."Betty's voice is shaky, she looks like she's got her heart in her throat as she is leaning far from him. She is afraid of what he is telling her and on guard.

"Do I look like a clown to you?" Betty shakes her head "No right? I don't play with that, Betty. I don't play with that."

Notice the shift in his tone again. It went from being his natural voice, albit drunk and slurred but still his natural tone, to now again being raspy, it's the best way I can discribe his tone which he has whenever he is being manipulative towards anyone. Armando grabs his glass to drink from it which shows us that now he no longer is being honest.

The next sequence is Armando trying to seduce Betty. She explained that she's got nothing going on with Nicolas and tries to excuse herself but Armando tells her to stay and that she isn't going anywhere.

This is him using his power of position to keep Betty in a situation she wants to run from. It is wrong. We know this and so does the writer as we get the Jaws theme song and a creepy smile from Armando. This is intended to be this way and not to be mistaken as something romantic.

He leans in closer and tells her "You fascinate me." Betty reacts to him being so close and leans forward and puckers her lips and they kiss. Armando's reaction is him being grossed out by it.

For the comedic effect Betty opens her eyes and then faints.

What do we get from this?

Armando is a piece of ish!

Now that that's out of the way.

We see Betty struggle with what's going on. She really is scared of what Armando is doing and saying because she doesn't want to have her hopes up and she's afraid of what it entitles. She doesn't want to get hurt.

Armando as always is all over the place. One moment he is angry, the next annoyed, then grossed out, and then he is being vulnerable, honest and baring his bones and then he is being manipulative. I am personally exhausted, imagine him?

Betty wakes up and apologizes, tells him she doesn't know what what's going on and that she crossed the line. She gets up and leaves and Armando goes after her.

See unlike the women of the past, the models or whatever, Betty isn't reacting like he expects her to. She isn't flirting, fawning, getting closer to him. She is in her seat silent while he speaks, telling him to stop drinking, that he doesn't know what he's saying.

Betty runs out of that place and once outside she touches her lips and thinks to herself "He kissed me, he kissed me."

I already mentioned how someone else wrote a post about Armando and the reason he doesn't date women outside of his social circle and here, now, in this scene he is going against that. He is doing the very thing that he lectured Mario about.

He used his position of power to keep Betty there. We get a scene of Armando sitting at the table with his head down and his fist clasped together, unlike with Mario who did that to show power, Armando's body language allows us to see that he is doing it to self-sooth.

I imagine that he is processing everything but mostly feeling guilty for what he is doing. Guilty for taking advantage of Betty and following through with the plan to seduce her and then it hits him that he kissed her. He touches his lips over and over again, it doesn't seem like he's wiping his lips as he gently rubs them and repeats that he kissed her. His brows furrow and instead of having a face of disgust he shows to have a face of confusion because now he is left with the feelings that that kiss produced and left in him. As well as him realizing what he is capable of doing.

Again, Armando is aware that Betty isn't society's standard of Beauty and aware that she isn't want he imagined in his perfect woman body wise, so he is grossed out by the idea of having something physical with her because of his obsession with perfection. This doesn't mean he is grossed out by her, just the idea of her, if that makes sense.

Which I know it's hard to understand, muchless explain right now but I am tired and hungry so I will leave y'all off here.

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

'Til next time :)

Ps again ignore my typos.

#analysis of ysblf #armando mendoza #don armando #armando ysblf #beatriz pinzon solano #beatriz pinzón solano #betty ysblf #betty la fea #betty #yo soy betty la fea #betty pinzón solano

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lia-jones · 3 years ago

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Growing Together - Chapter Twenty-Six - Dura Lex, Sed Lex

Before we start:

This work is unbeta'd and English is not my first language. I apologize for any mistakes you may find. Have fun reading!

They made us pack a suitcase, just in case. So that the child wouldn’t have to go through the pain of being separated at the place he learned to love and call his own. Like leaving the love of his parents in a cold and impersonal courtroom would be any better.

I resentfully grabbed a duffel bag and filled it with some of Owen’s belongings without him knowing. I put inside a toothbrush and a comb, some underwear and some clothes, pajamas. I put in there all the things he would need for a night out, keeping his favorite things in his room. Because he wouldn’t need to go. Because even if he did go, he wouldn’t go for long. But mostly because the things he loved the most belonged with the place he loved the most and with the people that loved him the most.

The morning of the trial, I found myself staring at his room, holding that duffel bag tightly, my nails digging deep in the fabric, almost ripping it. I hated that duffel bag and all it represented. If I could, I would set it on fire.

“Are you ready? It’s time to go.”

Victor was standing in the doorway, impeccably dressed in his charcoal suit with a burgundy shirt. He looked calm and focused, undefeatable. Ready for the battle.

“I don’t want Owen to see this.” I showed him the bag I was holding. “Go ahead and put Owen in the car, I’ll go shortly.”

“Andrea.” My husband held my hand, giving me a determined look.

“I know.” I squeezed his hand. “We got this.”

____________________________________________________________

Something came up. I’ll be home for dinner.

The note was taunting, sitting perfectly on the polished marble surface, sporting her usual perky handwriting.

Andrea was nowhere to be found.

“Are you sure she didn’t tell you where she was going?”

Owen, who was busy cutting his french toast, shrugged yet again.

“No. Only that she had a plane to catch. And that I should behave while she’s gone.”

“It’s not like her to just leave without saying anything.” Victor took his phone from his pocket, wondering if he should try to call an eleventh time.

“Well, she did say something.” The boy replied matter-of-factly, eyes still on his plate. “She left a note.”

Victor wanted to explain to his son that the information on that note amounted to nothing, that even though his mother had been clear enough that she’d be gone, she had also been cryptic enough to worry him. Victor hated to be kept out of the loop like that, it was a habit that came with his job, to always hold every single piece of information about everything. Andrea, however, was well versed in the art of pulling the rug from under his feet, and sometimes could act so randomly it was hard for him to predict her next move. He had to admit he found it alluring, but also annoying.

It wasn’t like he was controlling or domineering, he just felt safer knowing at all times where she was, what she was doing, and who she was doing it wi-

“Eat your toast.” Victor quickly ended the subject, not in the mood to explain anything anymore.

___________________________________________________________

“All rise.” The bailiff announced. “Department One of the Family Court is now in session. Judge Erica Bridges presiding. Please be seated.”

We all got up from our seats, Victor taking Owen’s hand as to motion him to do the same. The judge was a petite woman with bright blue eyes that were framed with dark eyebrows and hair. She looked far too young to be a judge, yet she had this intimidating aura that made everyone around her feel insignificant. It,reminded me of my husband, keeping everyone on their toes with his mere presence.

“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.” The judge opened a file in front of her. “Calling the case of Cole VS Lee regarding the custody of Owen Cole. Are both sides ready?”

“Yes, Your Honor.” The layers replied.

I couldn’t help but look to my side, to the familiar face that had been giving me grief for so long: Pamela Cole. She sat beside her lawyer with a humble look on her face, wearing a modest black dress like she was in mourning, probably to earn sympathy points from the judge. A heatwave coursed through my body, as anger started to churn inside of me. Anger for her audacity to come into my office and tell me all those lies, wanting to take advantage of my sympathy. Anger towards myself, for being an idiot and believing her.

I hated her for having the same DNA as my child, as I hated DNA for being used for such vile purposes. My mind was running wild with thoughts of revulsion and grievance when I felt a warm hand taking mine. It was my husband, looking intently at me like he could read my thoughts, probably because he was having them too. And with just a little magical squeeze of his fingers, all the fire was gone, being replaced by a sense of confidence. We were ready. She would not win.

“And are you Owen?” I heard the judge addressing my son. “You are a very handsome young man.”

“Thank you, Your Honor.” He answered politely. “My mom tells me the same thing.”

Laughter echoed in the courtroom.

“You know what we are doing here today, Owen?”

“My grandmother wants to be my forever family.”

“Good.” The judge smiled at him. “Now, I have something to ask you. We are going to start talking about very boring grownup things, so it would be better if you go with this gentleman to a special room we have, where you can read, or play a little. Is that ok?”

“Aren’t you going to ask me who I want to be with?” Owen frowned.

“Oh, I definitely want to know what you feel about all this. It won’t take long, I’ll call you after a little while, ok?”

I squeezed Victor’s hand tighter as I watched our son being taken away. This was it, it was about to start. How did he look so cool, so centered, when all I wanted was to just grab the boy and make a run for it? But then he looked at me, and I could see it in his eyes. The glint of worry only a wife’s trained eye would recognize on him.

“Very well, now that the child is away, you can make your first statements.”

__________________________________________________________

“Where on Earth are you?” He answered the phone, ready to scold her.

“Well, you are correct. I am indeed on Planet Earth.” She joked, unfazed by his severe tone. “I have ten missed calls from you, didn’t you see my note?”

“You mean the elaborate itinerary of my wife’s whereabouts and the extensive list of reasons why she suddenly disappeared the day before our son’s custody trial?” He gave her a mocking tone. “No, I must have missed it.”

“Victor…” She sighed.

“If instead, you are referring to the ridiculous piece of crumpled paper you left on our kitchen counter stating you were alive by the time you left the house, then yes, I am holding it as we speak.”

“Something came up.”

“Your note already told me as much, if I can decipher your messy handwriting correctly. What else do you have to say for yourself?”

Another sigh came from the other end of the line. Victor was perfectly aware of how difficult he was being, but he couldn’t be more indifferent to it. A week ago, they were fighting because he had kept her at bay. Now, she was doing the exact same thing. If Victor was a gambler, he would bet his fortune on how he wouldn’t like the reason.

“Look, I’ll be completely honest with you.”

“I’m listening.”

“I had an idea. Something that can help us. And I wanted to give it a try.”

Victor pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to contain his frustration. What was she up to this time? And why wouldn't she give him a straight answer already?

“You can tell me when I get there. Just tell me where you are, and I’ll come to pick you up.”

“Do you trust me?” Her disarming question.

“With my life.” He promptly answered. “However, do I need to remind you that we agreed never to keep things from each other? What happened to “we’re in this together”?”

“You told me I wouldn’t fight hard enough for you and Owen.”

Victor paused. He did say that. He wished he didn’t.

“I don’t think that’s true, and you know that.” His tone softened.

“Maybe it is. Well, it was. The truth is…” She hesitated for a second. “I felt weak. I felt like I was losing. And I was so afraid to lose again that I thought it would be better to just stop fighting. I felt like if I lost, I would never recover from it. Do I make sense?”

Victor remembered her howling in his arms at that clinic in Switzerland, when she was told they couldn’t have a biological baby. And his own desperate moments on that kitchen floor, not long ago.

“What I didn’t realize was that, by giving up, I was letting both of you down. I was letting my family down. So this is my way to show you that I believe in us, I believe in us as a family, I’m fighting for us. That’s why I need to do this alone. I need to prove to you that I’m all in. Will you let me?”

___________________________________________________________

“Your Honor, the adoption was made under extremely odd circumstances, and with no respect for the law.” Pamela’s lawyer argued. “My client was not informed of her daughter’s passing, or that the child was left alone.”

“The late mother left a suicide note stating that she did not intend the grandmother to have any contact with the child.” One of Victor’s lawyers argued back.

“I take it you have such a letter in your possession.” The Judge asked.

I jumped on my seat, surprised that they were even mentioning it. Didn’t we agree we weren’t going to use it? I watched incredulously as the lawyer glanced at Victor, waiting for instructions. Victor squeezed my hand again, nodding to the lawyer. What the hell was happening? The lawyer paused and sighed heavily before addressing the judge again.

“No, Your Honor, we do not. That letter was unfortunately lost with some other papers.”

“Your Honor, with all due respect, this trial is a waste of our time.” The other lawyer spoke again. “Should Victor and Andrea Lee be ordinary people instead of public figures, the orphanage would have contacted the grandmother, as it lawfully should, and we wouldn’t be wasting public time and resources! My client has proved that she is fit to be the child’s guardian, and by law, she should have custody. And despite whatever story Mr. Lee’s lawyers wish you to believe, there is obviously no letter from the daughter. Even if there was, there would still be the matter of the daughter’s mental condition when she wrote it.”

“Do you have anything else to present to us to make your case?” The judge turned to our legal team.

__________________________________________________________

Owen spent most of his day in his bedroom, coming out only when summoned. Things had changed dramatically between Victor and Owen since the panic attack, and Owen was treating him with the same distance he did back when he first started living with them: he started to address him as Sir again and seemed to avoid all kinds of interactions. When they were forced to be together, like when sharing a meal, Owen kept his eyes on his plate, barely saying anything other than some short bitter words.

Victor couldn’t blame him. He had acted cold and distant during the funeral, disregarding his family. Everything one won’t expect from a parent. It was only natural that Owen was suspicious of him now, he had lost his trust in him. Victor’s penance was now to get it back.

“Are you hungry?” Victor entered the boy’s room after a brief knock. “I have some frozen mango, we could make sorbet together.”

“No, thank you.” Owen answered, not caring to lift his eyes from the book he was reading.

“What do you have there?” Victor tried again. “Is that the book Mom bought you?”

“Yes.”

“The Beesy Life.” He read from the cover. “Anything interesting about bees?” Knowing his son, he would surely jump at the opportunity of stating an extensive list of facts.

“They make honey.” He quickly dismissed him. “Can you leave so I can read?”

“Why don’t we go outside and play some football together? It’s sunny today.”

The boy seemed to bury himself even more in his book.

“No, thank you. I’m reading.”

Victor surely had his work cut out for him. With a heavy sigh, he sat on his son’s bed. Diversions wouldn’t work, he would have to stop being a coward and just cut to the chase.

“Owen, we need to talk. Do you think you can put that book down?”

Victor grimaced as his son obediently placed the book on his lap, giving him his undivided attention. It was so hard to find the right words. Andrea usually helped him with these things, making notice little things he couldn’t see, encouraging him to open up a little more. Ironically, when things were hard, Andrea was always nowhere to be found. Or maybe things were hard because she wasn’t around, Victor wasn’t sure anymore. He closed his eyes briefly, trying to imagine how Andrea would do it.

“I need to apologize.” Victor began. “I was callous and cold towards you and your mother, and-”

“Was it because of that letter you got? The day we went to the market?”

Victor turned to his son, astonished.

“Mom cried the day you got that letter. And every day after that.” The boy explained, like he understood Victor’s surprise. “And you began to fight. You never fight.”

“Owen...” Victor looked at his son, not knowing what to say.

“What did it say?”

_______________________________________________________

“Alright Owen, now that the grownups have talked, I want to get to know you better. Do you mind if I ask you some questions?”

My son looked at me with hesitant eyes, and I gave him a small nod of reassurance, mouthing It’s ok.

“Ok.” He nodded, following the bailiff nervously to the witness stand.

“Well done. Are you comfortable there?”

My husband’s hand squeezed mine hard. I ran my thumb over his. Owen would be ok. He was a smart child.

“Do you see this document I’m holding?” The judge showed him a folder. “This is your file, it tells me things about you. So, I know you are five, and you have been living with the Lees for almost a year, and you are doing very well at school… But it doesn’t tell me other important things, like, what are your favorite hobbies, if you have any close friends…”

“My best friend’s name is Mathew, he’s from my class. We play soccer together.” Owen promptly answered. “I like to play soccer, with my friends or with my Dad. I also like insects, I want to be an entomologist. That’s why my Mom calls me Bug. Oh, and we have a pet lobster! His name is Mr. Lobster, my Dad lets me feed him sometimes.”

“A pet lobster? That’s unusual.” She chuckled. “I can see in your file that you are doing well at school, no disciplinary reports… It seems you adjusted very well to that new reality.”

“Miss Dillon says God works in mysterious ways.” The boy looked at the judge in all seriousness. The judge frowned, taken aback by his statement.

“I could say that He does, Owen. But why do you say that?”

“A while ago, we went to have dinner at Gavin and Mia’s, and Mom got sick and threw up all over the floor. And later that night, I woke up and Mom and Dad were talking, and I did something I shouldn’t have.”

I looked at Victor, confused. What on Earth was Owen talking about?

“What did you do, Owen?” The judge asked.

“I eavesdropped.” His head hung in shame. “But I didn’t mean it in a bad way, I was worried about Mom. And then I heard Dad talking about the bad man that hurt Mom, and because of him she can’t get a baby. So…” Owen looked at me, hesitating.

“Yes?” The judge pressed.

“I don’t like that Mom got hurt so badly, but if God works in mysterious ways, maybe He made that bad man hurt Mom so she would adopt me, because He knew my other mom would die.” He shifted nervously in his chair, giving the judge a pleading look. “I know the other lady is my real family, and maybe she is a really nice lady, but I already have a family. I love my Mom and Dad, and I know they love me. Can I please keep them? Can they be my forever family? Please?”

My son’s words pierced my heart, and all the tears of fear and anguish I had been hiding came full force. Despite knowing my background, Owen would never really know how he was an angel in my and Victor’s life, filling our life with color and love. Losing my son was like getting my heart ripped out of my chest, and nothing would ever fill that gap. Victor’s grip on my hand tightened, the brief twitch of his finger making me look up. His eyes were also filled with tears, as he held onto my hand for strength, just like I held his. And as I looked around, wiping my tears with the back of my fingers, I noticed there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. Except for Pamela, who looked at us with utter disdain.

“Well, Owen…” The judge cleared her throat. “Thank you so much for talking to me. I will consider your words.”

_________________________________________________________

Victor looked his son in the eyes, trying to formulate the right words to say. There weren’t any. If his wife was there, and not on some kind of wild goose chase, she would tell him to speak from the heart. And it was more and more evident that raw honesty would have to do.

“You have a grandmother. Your biological mother’s mother. She wants to adopt you.”

“I have a grandmother?”

Victor’s eyes fell to the ground.

“Yes.”

Owen jumped from his seat, eyes wide in anger.

“You told me nothing would make you send me back! You told me you were my forever family!” The boy broke down crying. “You were lying!”

“I never lied to you, Owen, you-”

“You told me I was a Lee! That I was your son!” Victor tried to hug his son, but he wouldn’t let him, hitting him with his clenched fists. “You don’t love me, you want to send me back!”

“You are my son!” Victor held his son tight, his voice echoing through the apartment. “You are a Lee, you’ll always be a Lee, and no one will take you away!” Victor felt his eyes sting with emotion, his voice faltering as he spoke. “I will not allow it.”

Victor pulled his son to his arms, tears running freely from his eyes too. He was so brutally inept when it came to expressing his feelings, yet he needed to show his son he loved him above everything.

“I am your father, Owen, and there is no law in this world that can change that. And we do want to be your family. Otherwise, why would your mother be crying all this time? Why would I become so insufferable?”

“Please don’t leave me.” Owen begged, his face buried in his father’s chest.

Victor knew that sentiment all too well. To hold a loved one so desperately and still feel her slip away from his fingers, leaving nothing but loneliness, no one to gather and mend the shards of his broken heart. But those days were over for Victor. And they were also over for Owen.

“I’m not going anywhere.” Victor smiled, wiping the tears from his boy’s cheek. “You belong with us.”

Before he was a father, Victor would scorn those romantic fools that told him about how deeply a parent can love his child. He simply found it impossible to be. He has never been loved that deeply, he couldn’t even fathom how that must feel like. But at that moment, with Owen's little arms wrapped around his neck, Victor’s heart felt like a deep wide ocean, filled with love and joyful selflessness, a complete devotion to that little red-haired boy. And a promise, no, a purpose to devote every single day of his life to his happiness.

“So I don’t need to go?” Owen asked, breaking his embrace.

“No, you don’t. You’re a Lee and that’s settled.”

Owen’s bedroom door flung open.

“Mom!” Owen left his father’s arms to run to his mother.

“Bug!” Andrea lifted him in her arms, giving him a tight hug. “I missed you so much, little one!”

“Where have you been?” Victor went to his wife.

“I did it.” She bit her bottom lip in excitement, putting their son down and reaching for her purse.

“And may I know what exactly did you do?”

“We won.” She smiled widely, handing Victor an envelope.

Victor read the document inside, not believing his own eyes. They had never contemplated it, it seemed so impossible…

“What is it, Dad?” Owen looked at both of them, excited. Victor lifted him up in the air with joy, twirling him in his arms.

“What we needed to officially make you a Lee.”

__________________________________________________________

Victor stood quietly at a hidden corner of the main hallway, talking on his phone. An oblivious passerby would think he was having a calm conversation, but I knew better: by the look in his eyes, Victor Lee was making some serious threats at that precise moment. Our legal team was reunited not far behind, deeply engaged in a quiet conversation, the panic very clear in the faces of some of them. Something had gone wrong. Something had gone terribly wrong. And my job was to sit quietly with Owen, trying to distract them the best I could from the gravity of the situation.

“One, two, three, four, I declare a thumb war!” Owen chanted excitedly, as I tried my best to discreetly grasp what was happening. “Mom, are you paying attention?”

“Yes, Bug. Go ahead.” I answered distractedly as I noticed my husband look at his phone in silence, poker face in place.

“You may all come in.” The bailiff called us. “The judge has come to a deliberation.”

A bad feeling glued me to my seat, and for the life of me, my legs wouldn’t work. I looked at my son, the sweet five year old that meant the world to me, and I feared this would be the last time I would see them. I slapped myself mentally for being distracted looking at Victor and the lawyers, when I could just have enjoyed this last moment with him and played thumb wars.

“Owen, you come with me to the other room, alright?” The bailiff took his hand and I held his other one, unwilling to let go.

“Lady…” The bailiff pleaded.

Just one second, damn it! I may lose him forever, I just need this extra second!

“Owen…”

“Yes, Mom?” Sweet brown eyes stared at me expectantly.

I wanted to tell him I loved him, and that he would be an honorable man, and that someday I would love to know the kind of person he would grow up to be. I wanted to tell him that I would cry for him every single night, that he wasn’t born out of my mangled body but he was mine, that I would never forget about him, for as long as I should live. I wanted to tell him I would never adopt another child, that no child would ever take his place, and that my heart would belong to him forever. But I couldn’t. If he was going to be with his grandmother, I had to make things as easy as I possibly could for him. Even if they were impossibly hard for me. So, instead, I ruffled his hair.

“You did very well, with the judge.” I smiled. “I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks!” He smiled confidently. “I love you, Mom!”

As Owen walked away, holding the bailiff’s hand with a smile, a dark shadow ran across my line of vision. It was Victor, taking his son in his arms. And that was when I knew my suspicions weren’t unfounded: we were losing him.

I witnessed the sadness in Victor’s eyes as he smiled at his son, hugging him and tousling his red curls. And then the glint of despair, as his eyes landed on me, his expression telling me he was close to falling apart. I wouldn’t have to be strong just for Owen. I would have to be strong for Victor too. So I summoned the last of my strength and stood up. For better and for worse, we are in this together. I won’t let you fall, handsome.

We never said a word, as Victor took my hand and led me inside the courtroom. I didn’t know what had failed, and it wasn’t important. I took a shot and I missed. We wouldn’t win this one. I thought about the duffel bag in my car and regretted not putting one of Owen’s favorite books in there. He would need something to distract him tonight.

The judge entered the room, and while I could see the hesitant look on everyone’s faces, I couldn’t care less about it. I had no interest in hearing someone say I couldn’t be a mother, I already was. Even if a piece of paper said otherwise. Owen was my son.

“I have to say, this was one of the hardest decisions I had to make in my whole career.” The judge started her deliberation. “Dura lex sed lex. This means, the law is hard, but it is the law. The law speaks of rights and duties, it tells us in which direction to go, but the law does not contemplate feelings. The law does not abide by what makes us feel better. The law is impartial to love and to emotions. It is so by design, so we don’t let our hearts cloud our judgments. The law is correct, but that doesn’t exclude the fact that it can be very painful.”

The sound of heavy wooden doors opening abruptly echoed through the room, making us all jump in surprise. From them, one of our lawyers ran, stopping only in front of the judge.

“Your Honor, I apologize for my audacity towards this court.” The lawyer bowed. “But new evidence has arrived that cannot be ignored.” He handed her an envelope.

I looked at Victor, puzzled. Was it…

“Can you please explain to me and Mrs. Cole’s lawyer, what exactly am I looking at?” The judge opened the envelope.

“Mrs. Lee was able to track down the child’s biological father.” The lawyer explained. “She flew yesterday to Acomb and met him at the hospital where he is working as an intern doctor, and he granted her and Mr. Lee parental rights. We were just waiting for the lab to give us the DNA results.”

“And why am I getting this just now?”

“We couldn’t present the documents without being sure that Mr. Richardson was indeed Owen’s biological father.”

“Your Honor, this is highly inadequate! I contest this man’s right to give parental rights, he was never in the child’s life to begin with!” Pamela’s lawyer argued.

“Neither was your client, Counsellor.” The judge gave the lawyer a frown. “Well, it works for me.” The judge banged her hammer. “The Family Court decides that Mr. and Mrs. Lee will be granted full custody of the child Owen Cole, concluding the adoption process, effective immediately. Congratulations, you can get your son for the next room.”

Victor and I practically crashed against each other in a tight embrace, smiles mixed with tears, emotions running wild. We had won, we had our son. We were officially a family.

We entered the other room with joy in our hearts, laughing as Owen ran into our arms.

“I'm going home with you guys?”

“You are officially a Lee!” Victor laughed as he threw the boy in his arms.

“You adopted me? You are my forever family?” Owen teared up, reaching out to me so he could hug me as well.

“We are a family.” My throat tightened as I hugged the two men I loved the most in this world. “And we are forever.”

Victor pulled me close to them, wrapping both me and our son in a tight hug. And I couldn’t help but think back to our year, so full of adversity. Despite it all, we came through. We fought and found solace in one another. We became stronger and more united, we grew together, as a family, and we would continue to do so.

Love does conquer all.

Author's Note: This project has been going for a year now (it started in February 2020) and it won't be over any time soon, so I would like to ask you, as much as possible, for your support, because we still have a very long way to go. So, if you enjoy the work, don't forget to comment and reblog. It gives it traction and enables other people to learn about it, and for me to get more excited about what I do.

#victor mldd #mlqc victor #love and producer fanfic #li zeyan #Growing Pains - Series #growingtogether #victor x oc #mldd fanfic #dad victor

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patchoulimademoiselle · 4 years ago

Text

Guilty. (Part 6.)

Part Six.

Steve Rogers (Lawyer AU) x Reader Insert.

Word Count: 2.7k

Warnings: A bit of angst, Steve is an asshole at dinner and you make a hard decision.

Notes: I missed last weeks update, so here it is. I’ll be posting on Friday as well. Sorry that this is a bit shorter than the other parts, this was just the right place to end it.

Masterlist.

Part Six:

When James let's you into his apartment, he and Steve dive into conversation like old frat brothers. You on the other hand remain distracted, a blonde haired blue eyed someone has his hand on your thigh under the table, an innocent placement that would look more friendly than anything if someone else were to see it.

But you know the difference.

You can feel his restraint, muscles taught as he holds himself back from doing anything inappropriate. But all you can think of is where that hand was minutes before, and nothing they talk about proves to be more interesting than that. His jaw ticks ever so slightly, the only indication that he doesn't really care about the words coming out of his mouth. He gestures with his other hand, speaking so vividly that you can almost see the words rather than hear them.

Almost.

Because then his eyes land on you, along with the other set across the table, and you realize that now was a bad time to space out.

"What?"

He has the nerve to smile, hand squeezing you gently before retreating entirely, and you almost whine at the loss.

"Not so bright, is she?" Steve jokes, and the glare you give him is far from playful. What the hell are you doing?

Bucky scoffs from across the table, eyebrows high in disbelieve of the exchange he's seeing, and you're pretty sure you know what he's thinking. "I would hope she is, she's working with you on my case after all." Bucky reaches for his glass of water, and you can tell it's only in an attempt to relieve the tension in the room.

"Only where it counts." The smile Steve gives you is large, all teeth and sarcastic, and you aren't sure what his angle is. "He asked what your opinion is on how I'm leading the case."

Is this a power play? Here, now? In front our your client?

You grind your teeth, crossing your legs and sitting up before looking over at Bucky, who wears a small smirk on his face at your expense. "My opinion is that it's the best shot we have at winning your case at all." You say honestly. "I hope you understand Mr. Stark himself had nothing to do with this, and that it is Zeke Stane who we will be facing in court. He has been making moves under the table to buy Stark out of the company for years. The proof we have of the fraudulent claims he is making against you is the only way we can outsmart his lawyers."

You feel like you're on the stand right now, being drilled by two different men with two different perspectives. One knows you are right, and is only trying to see how well you can prove yourself. The other has no idea what to expect from you, and is blindly assuming that you know what you're doing. Steve is trying to embarrass you, Bucky is trying to simply understand.

"From a lawyers perspective, that makes perfect sense." Bucky plays with his glass. "But you aren't trying to prove it to the opposing side, you're trying to prove it to a jury, everyday people who are selected at random, and perhaps in Stark's pocket." Bucky holds up his hands, "Sorry, Zeke's pocket."

Steve nods, clearing his throat. "That's why we want to call and eye witness to the stand. Either Stark himself will have to testify, or an eye witness named Natasha Romanoff." Steve explains. "She's a former lawyer who worked closely with Tony Stark, and gave us some vital information we will be using against Zeke at the trial."

Bucky sighs, shoulders slumping, and your heart aches at the sight of it. "This whole thing feels rigged, and the fact that this is all on chance alone doesn't help ease my mind." He admits. "I was hoping you would come here with good news," His eyes zero in on you, and your breath catches in your throat, "But all I'm hearing is possibilities."

It's a coin game, head or tails, no real certainty of who is going to win, the only odds you have in your favor are chance, the probability that there's an option for the jury to decide with you at all. This is all you have to offer, just the basic knowledge that as long as you present something, there's a chance the jury will vote in favor of it.

"It's what we have." Steve is collected as always, brave faced when he needs to be. "When we have a statement prepared from our witness, we'll let you know."

To put it simply, dinner does not go smoothly. The daunting words Bucky left you with haunt you the entire time, and Steve simply ignores you for the sake of being good company. It's not until you leave that he finally addresses it, his hand catching your hip as he sits on the hood of his car, eyes dark and gleaming against the moonlight as he looks up at you.

He's probably going to scold you for loosing your cool, and you're probably going to scold him for trying to embarrass you. It all comes down to who speaks first.

"I can't believe you-"

"You know better-"

Both at once, and then silence. His eyebrows furrow, and you sigh, pulling your bag from off of your shoulder and depositing it in his hands, you dig through your toiletries for a cigarette. He lets you take a step back, the small flame from your lighter illuminating your features in the dark. It's concerning how often you've been reaching for them.

It's then that he speaks again, a small puff of smoke leaving your mouth. "You know better than to let your feelings get involved."

You scoff, looking up at the night sky as if it will crack open and give you an answer. It doesn't, and your eyes turn back on him in a glare. "Why did you put me on the spot like that?" The weight of the cigarette between your fingers feels heavy, a burden of your inability to function without chaos slapping you in the face as you go in for another drag, holding the smoke in your lungs as you speak again. "I got you your lead, I let you do all the talking, and you throw me under the bus as a thank you?"

It's Steve's turn to sigh, holding his fingers out, and you place your cigarette between them.

"I need him to trust me." He says. "I need him to trust me to lead the case, and the only way I can do that is by dimming the spotlight on you."

You aren't even sure what that means, crossing your arms over your chest as you wait for him to explain, cigarette tucked between his lips, the picture of pure sin as he tilts his head up to release the smoke straight up into the air.

"Bucky doesn't think with his head, he's been thinking with his dick." Steve is blunt enough to say, placing your purse beside him on the hood of the car. "He asked you to come over for dinner, and asked you what your opinion was on our lead. He favors you, and if I'm going to lead the case I need him to trust my judgment."

Just like you thought, it was all a power play, all a show to prove his dominance over you, to prove that he wears the pants and he runs the operation. It feels like a slap to your face, even though it shouldn't matter to you, Steve finds triumph in your embarrassment, and it makes you feel belittled not only as a lawyer but as a person.

"So you mock my intelligence in front of our client?" You question. "You mock my credibility as a lawyer in front of the man paying me to represent him in court?"

Perhaps he didn't see it from your perspective, because his jaw goes slack and his eyes glaze over with what you can identify a guilt. Or concern.

When you reach back in for your turn with the cigarette, he grabs your wrist, pulling you down to his eye level. "It's nothing personal." He says, "It's just how the game is played." You roll your eyes and try to tug yourself free from his grip, but when it doesn't budge, you realize he's looking at you with an entirely different expression now. Lust, desire, red hot and burning you alive when his eyes flick down to your lips, "Besides, if you knew what I knew, you wouldn't be complaining."

You did all the hard work, you risked everything to bring him the information he has, and now he's risking your credibility to boost his ego? You aren't exactly listening to him at this point, lost in thought rather than his words, but your responses are automatic, "What do you know?"

He hums, pulling you just a little closer, your heels scuff on the parking lot pavement as you shuffle forward, between his open legs, his hand reaching up to cup your jaw. "I know that Bucky Barnes is a dirty man," He says, lips only centimetres from yours. "I know that if you came here alone tonight, he would have tried to fuck you."

His words shock you back into focus, and he only nods at your expression. "I know because he was looking at you the way I look at you," He says. "And the dress I picked out for you didn't exactly help either, did it?" His finger hooks on the thin strap on your shoulder, tugging you down into a kiss. It's quick and chaste, his intent isn't to seduce you, but to reassure you. "But I wasn't going to let that happen. That's why I did what I did, to show him that I'm not stupid, and neither are you."

"You prove to him that I'm not stupid, by telling him I'm stupid?"

He shakes his head, clicking his tongue at you. "It was only to confirm that I'm leading the case, that you're loyal to me." He says. "It eliminates the probability of him trying something."

Of him....trying something? You never saw James as a threat, and never considered that he would try to make a move on you. But you also didn't think Steve was the jealous type, making a show for all the right reasons, just executing it the wrong way.

It's hard being a women in your line of work.

It almost makes you more upset, the fact that this was all a dick measuring contest, Steve needing to prove himself not only to you, but to Bucky as well. Not to mention Bucky, did he really see you as nothing more than a good fuck? Did he not take you seriously as a lawyer, only feeding into it for a chance to have sex with you? It's suffocating, and his gaze suddenly becomes too much, his grip suddenly feels too tight, his advances feel unwelcomed, and for the second time, you tug your wrist in an attempt to free yourself.

He lets you. "You're upset." Not a question, but you can tell by the look on his face that he wants a response.

"I'm overwhelmed." You admit, "The past few days have been rough."

Between this case and the emotional roller coaster that Steve has put you on, you feel just about ready to break. That doesn't make you weak, that doesn't make you emotional, it makes you human. You're running off just hours of sleep, the only thing keeping you on your feet was caffeine that is now burnt out. You haven't had a home cooked meal in what feels like years, eating takeout and fast food for every meal. The hangover you had this morning doesn't help either, your entire body thrown off.

The conversation you had with Natasha floats through your head, your presence a ghost in the shell of your body as you recall her advice. All of your benefits come with commitment, that's what she said, and as far as you're concerned, Steve Rogers isn't committed to you. He's committed to the job.

You watch as he stands, shrugging out of his suit jacket. He tries to drape it across your shoulders, but you dodge his attempt, ducking under his arm to take his place where he stood in front of the car. He clucks his tongue at you, annoyed, but patient as he tries a second time. You let him, his fingertips brushing across the skin on your shoulders as he bundles you up, eyes swimming with.....you can't quite place it.

"Stop trying to butter me up." You say. "We need to talk."

He too looks stressed out, rubbing a hand down his face. He hasn't had any sleep either, or at least that's what you gather from his sudden lack of energy.

"What did you promise Stark for those files?"

"I already told you, he just wants us to keep his name out of this." You tell him for a second time. "But, Natasha did tell him we were fucking. We have dirt on each other now, I went to his house and met his wife, he has a daughter, he just wants this to go away."

He lets out a sound of disbelief, a light puff of air rather than a laugh. "You really are too reckless, our faces could be plastered on tabloids as we speak."

You shrug, "Would that be the worst thing in the world?"

Even his smile looks tired, lip barely twitching.

"I guess not."

There's something unspoken between you, something dancing along the line of confessions and commitment. You can see it in his eyes. He's done. The chase isn't thrilling anymore, or at least not as thrilling as you. The heat in his gaze is like flames licking your skin and once again his fingers gab you, pulling you close, nose brushing your cheek as he whispers in your ear. "Don't do anything like that again. Do you understand?"

He must mean you acting without him, or it could be getting drunk alone, coming in to work hung over, a number of things on the list of don't do. There's a very fine line of what he does and doesn't tolerate, and it feels like you have to constantly dance between the two in order to keep his attention.

But the point he's trying to make is lost on you, the feeling of his hands traveling down your waist distracts you from the words coming out of his mouth.

Your mind is racing, too much is happening too fast, too many plot twists and turns that are overwhelming your brain. Bucky, Stark, Natasha, you feel like you're letting them all down, failing at your job as a lawyer even though you have guidance.

Gently, you remove his hands, taking a step back. "This is unprofessional." Your voice sounds weal even to your own ears, but you don't back down. "Take me home."

"Y/n-"

"Just take me home, please."

Your voice sounds distant, it makes his expression drop. But he doesn't say anything else, walking to the passenger side of the car and holding the door open or you.

The drive is silent, he doesn't even play the radio as he drives through the city to take you home. you don't mind it, but it does give you time to think.

You didn't mean to have a small breakdown, you did admit you were overwhelmed, but he kept pushing. There's but so much a person can take, sleepless nights and early mornings, one too many has finally caught up with you, and the way he touches you doesn't help. You only hope it doesn't change the way Steve sees you as a lawyer.

He wouldn't judge you, right?

You're not quite sure yet, but if the way he's gripping the steering wheel is anything to go off of, you can tell he's pissed off about it. Seeing him pissed off pisses you off, because what does he have to be upset about?

"You used me tonight." You say over the soft silence. "You dressed me up pretty and used me as bait to get Barnes to eat out of our palms." The gesture you had thought so hard about, the attentive way he kissed your shoulder, it was just to ease your suspicions. You felt used, hurt, which is exactly why you have to do this.

"It won't happen again."

It doesn't need to, it only needed to happen once.

This won't be the end of it. It's just a new chapter, a turned page in the dynamic you share. You're no longer his arm candy, no longer a pretty faced right hand, no longer his little assistant. You're partners, and it's about time you start holding up your end of it.

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

Guilty Masterlist.

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grimboii · 5 years ago

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gustafsnightangel · 4 years ago

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Shattered Lives Ch 22 Pt 1

He woke tired but let her sleep. She needed to be sharp today, he just had questions to answer which he could do half asleep anyway. Nothing a quart of coffee wouldn’t take care of at the studio. With the kids showered and ready for school, Lily dressed and snuggled into him for morning cuddles, he sat on the bed and brushed his fingers against Sildies cheek.

She woke with a start and inhaled sharply trying to get her bearings.

“Morning love.” He said gently as those ice blue eyes found his.

“Morning.” She mumbled.

“I’d let you sleep more but I don’t want you to be late.” He dipped down and kissed her tenderly, her heart was broken as much as his was and he’d forgotten that. Forgotten that on top of losing her brother, he’d hurt her and in doing so left her alone thinking she’d lost him, that he’d left her too.

“Thanks.” She rubbed her eyes and focused on the little lady in his arms all smiles and kisses. “You seem all chipper this morning Lily bear.” She chuckled and stroked a knuckle down the girls cheek. “You on the other hand love, are tired.” She cupped a hand to his face and stretched up to kiss him.

“I’ll be fine. Up you get, defendants to roast, cases to slay.” He said and stood bringing the covers with him.

“Such a task master.” She chuckled and climbed out to stand, wrapped her arm around his neck and kissed him. “Thank you for the sleep in.”

“Go shower I’ll make you some pancakes.” He kissed her seductively and let it linger as she deepened it.

“Still illegal.” He quipped breathlessly when she pulled away and walked to the bathroom.

“Still gonna do it.” She called turning the shower on, his chuckle making her smile. They were finding their rhythm again. It was there he thought, they just had to get it flowing how it had been before he he’d been stupid.

“You know you take my breath away every morning love.” He said as she walked to him a little while later, lawyered up in a black suit and power red blouse. He set the pancakes down on the table and kissed her, that passion and a promise of pleasure rippling just under the surface.

“So do you in a crisp white dress shirt.” She purred and kissed him again, nipping his neck just below his jaw as he moved away from her.

She sat and ate while the boys finished getting dressed and Gustaf made lunches. That shirt she thought, she just wanted to get her hands on it, under it. Damn he looked and smelled amazing today and as her luck would have it they were both working. She finished eating and washed her dish, bringing her teacup to sit on the counter.

“Can I see you for lunch today?” He asked gently.

“Text me when you’re done and when we recess for lunch I’ll let you know how we’re looking.” She wanted to say yes but knew she could very well be indisposed. “I may work through lunch today depending on how much we have to scramble with what I figured out yesterday.”

“I’ll text you.” He kissed her softly and handed her some lunch. “Just in case lunch falls through.” He grinned.

“Boys lets go.” She called. “Good luck today.” She said softly and kissed him sweetly. Those lips she thought, how she wanted them on her.

“Ha! Cakewalk. I can do this shit in my sleep.” He kissed her grinning. “You look fucking hot by the way.” He growled and cupped a hand behind her neck drawing her close for one last kiss. One of those toe curling mind altering kisses that stole her thoughts.

“So do you.” She purred. “This shirt does things to me.” She kissed him sinfully.

“Does it now?” He asked slyly.

“Mmmm hmm.” She kissed him seductively and let her body brush his. The groan was all she needed for that wicked chuckle to escape her lips.

“Bye love.” He grinned. Damn he loved playing this game with her. “Go kick some ass.” He kissed her again deeply.

“Bye.” She said slightly fuzzy, the man could kiss her dumb.

She walked into court with a shit eating grin on her face. Today was going to be a good day and if things went well she could close this tomorrow. She ran through her discovery with Oliver and he stared at her blankly, blinked, as if not quite registering what she’d said, before that same shit eating grin cracked his face wide.

“Oh.” He said nodding. “You’re good.” Oliver was her boss and her first chair, they made a pretty awesome team, but she always seemed to surprise him with how her mind worked. “And I owe Nilsson a bottle, damnit.” He chuckled.

“A bottle for what?” She asked as their client’s representative came in. “For you closing out this case before it went to trial. We had a side bet.” He scoffed, still in disbelief at the woman in front of him.

“It’s not done yet. Don’t get ahead of yourself.” She laughed. “Good morning gentlemen. Let’s get to it shall we? I have news and a game plan.” Sildie locked herself into lawyer mode and got down to it.

“You’re going to want to listen to this lovely lady. She’s about to seek restitution damages for a few million dollars.” Oliver said grinning. “And save your clients the ordeal of a trial.”

Gustaf collected his bag and headed out the door not long after Sildie. He’d be finished by ten and planned to text Sildie but also sneak in and watch her in action. It wasn’t just the fact she looked smoking hot in her suit, or what he knew was under it, it was her wicked sharp mind, the way she’d cut him down last week leaving no room for misinterpretation. She just fascinated him, not that he was about to push his luck again just to see the lawyer surface, she was also scary as fuck when she let it loose.

Daisy met him at the studio and they reviewed his schedule for Oslo, making sure to update his calendar with Sildie. He couldn’t forget that again. He’d made good progress with Ana’s shit and felt better now the physical remnants of their relationship were out of his apartment, the bulk of the internal shit in the notebook.

He was apprehensive on what Sildie would say or do after reading it, he was starting to wonder if he’d made the right choice giving it to her, was it too much he wondered? She didn’t seem the sort of person that would hold all that shit against him, throw it back in his face, reject him or their relationship but it was there in his mind, burrowed deep. He breathed out just before sitting down for the interview, fuck he hoped she wasn’t going to kick him to the curb over this, the doubt still lingered.

With the interview done, the usual questions answered, and a few laughs along the way, Gustaf decide to walk the three blocks to the courthouse. It was an ok day outside and he needed the air to clear his head. He texted Sildie that he was done and decided to sit in and watch the proceedings until her lunch break. Even if she couldn’t get away for lunch he’d at least get to see her in her element, it interested him.

He went through security, shucked his coat, and squeezed through the courtroom doors taking a seat at the back of the room behind Sildie. He didn’t want her to see him and throw her off. She’d fucking kill me he thought, hell she might even kill me for just sitting here regardless.

He watched and listened as the other lawyer spoke, laying out what could only be determined as a last ditch effort in selling his case to the judge. It looked as though Sildie had them on the ropes already and was waiting for the opportune moment to deliver the knockout blow. It came soon enough and Gustaf was go smacked.

“Your honor as I stated previously, opposing counsel has had ample time to refute these claims...” Sildie began and rose to her feet to address the judge, who Gustaf thought, looked very intrigued by what she was about to say.

Gustaf saw the opposing counsels shoulders slump, he knew the writing was on the wall, Sildie was about to bury them. He watched in amazement, she was a completely different person inside the courtroom, like an alter ego had emerged and taken over. He was holding his breath as she poked holes in opposing counsels case. This is better than watching it on TV he grinned behind his hand as he leaned his elbows on his knees and watched.

There were objections against and further interruptions until the judge calmed it down and allowed Sildie to continue. Gustaf was on the edge of his seat now wondering what the killing blow was going to be.

“... the slander and racial discrimination of Meyertech employees by Meyertech itself, especially in a public domain, is unacceptable and downright disgusting. In light of this information your honor I ask that the court seek reparation damages for those Meyertech employees affected in the amount of $2.3 million for each count, which if my math is correct totals in the realm of $1.3 billion.” Sildie remained standing and had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop the shit eating grin that wanted to crack across her face as the courtroom exploded in an uproar.

“Counselor $2.3 each is a gift.” She said flatly once the judge had restored order. “...and you know it.” She said slyly and gave him that sidelong glance that clearly said I fucking owned you, and she had. She’d wiped the floor with him.

The gavel slammed down a few times and the room fell silent. Gustaf was grinning so wide his cheeks hurt. She was going to win this case before it even went to trial. He watched her now, standing tall, head high, confident, and with a touch of arrogance he’d never seen before. He smiled as he saw the twitch of her pen in her hand, a nervous trait she did at home when she was thinking, calming herself while working, or sorting through her thoughts.

“Do you have anything to add counselor?” The judge asked opposing counsel.

“Nothing at this time your honor, thank you.” He said defeated and threw up a hand to his client to remain silent, he knew there wasn’t going to be anymore time after this.

“Then in light of this new information and the egregious nature of this case, damages in the amount of $3.7 million for each count will be awarded. And before you object counselor remember this. Those employees will struggle to find employment outside of Meyertech due to the nature of this case and remind your client to be thankful it’s not more. This court is adjourned.” The gavel came down and Gustaf watched Sildie’s shoulders relax, it was her only outward show of emotion if you knew what to look for.

She breathed out slowly and bit her cheek to stop the grin, professionalism wasn’t rubbing the win in the opposing counsels face. The handshake was firm from Lucas, the congratulatory smile of knowing she’d “lawyered” him, as Gustaf would say.

“Well played. Until next time Sildie.” He grinned as he collected his bag. “Good to see you as always.”

“Until next time counselor.” She smiled, the guy looked relieved to be done with it. She couldn’t blame him with the fact his client had blindsided him. Lucas was a good adversary even if he was slightly sweet on her. Had Gustaf not come into her life she might have ended up with him but even that was a stretch. He was good looking, good career, but he just didn’t do it for her, there was something missing that Gustaf filled in spades. And why the fuck was she even thinking of that she wondered?

He saw the look back at Sildie. The long sweep from head to foot, the flirtatious smile of a man on the edge of testing those waters, the slight cock of his head to the side taking in those curves he no doubt wanted to get his hands on. “Eyes off my woman asshole.” He growled to himself as opposing counsel walked past, and wow, where the fuck had that come from, the thought startling him. Sildie was more than capable of fending him off if it came to that. Did they already have history?

This was not a good headspace to be in he decided. He wasn’t like that, he’d never been the possessive, jealous type and he couldn’t start now. He trusted Sildie in that respect, she wouldn’t cheat on him just as he wouldn’t cheat on her. If she had a history with him it was exactly that and none of his fucking business. It didn’t negate the fact he wanted to have words with the smirking lawyer as he made his way out of the courtroom. Sildie would skin him if he did though, she’d make Wednesday night look like a friendly conversation.

He watched her shake hands with her clients, her first chair that he determined was her boss and the guy was extremely happy. He sent her a text saying he was here and let it be. He knew she quite possibly had work still to do.

“Thanks Oliver.” She laughed as he overly praised her in front of their client.

“How did you figure it out?” Alex asked.

“The tone of the emails. Once I looked at the stack you sent over last weekend I knew something wasn’t quite right. It took me all last week to wade through them again and it just clicked last night.” She said honestly, it had been brutal work but well worth it.

“Gotta love those epiphanies.” Alex chuckled and shook her hand. “Thanks again Sildie, you’ve made a difference in their lives. They can at least try to move forward and rebuild their careers.”

“You’re welcome. Please send them my best, I hope they can find some peace in their lives now it’s over.” She packed her bag with all her notes and files as they walked away.

“Take the rest of the day Sildie, maybe tomorrow too. I know you’ve been racking up the hours on this at home and weekends and it’s appreciated. Take some down time now, we don’t want to burn you out.” He held out his hand. “Good job, really good job.”

“Thanks. I might take a couple of days either side of next weekend. My boyfriend is taking me away somewhere.” She smiled and flushed slightly.

“Sounds good. You’ve earned the downtime, take it and relax. Really good work and just as a heads up, you’re names in the hat for partner.” He left her standing there slightly floored. She knew she did good work but partner, holy shit, she thought, holy fucking shit. Her grin got bigger. She finished packing her bag and checked her phone, smiling at the text from Gustaf. Today was a good day and it wasn’t even noon.

Sorry for the wait. Coming out now.

She texted.

“Turn around.” He murmured and chuckled at her slight jump at his voice.

“Hi.” She laughed. “You startled me.” She almost groaned as his lips met the strip of skin just above the collar of her blouse.

“Can I take you to lunch?” His kiss was tender and slow, that slow burn that made her belly quiver. “We have some celebrating to do.”

“What are we celebrating?” She looked at him curiously.

“Your win.” He smirked.

“You were in here?” She looked shocked and the flush of red on her face was adorable.

“Yes, I was in here. I wanted to see my lawyer in action.” He grinned. “And you’re something else love.” He was still in awe. The woman fought for people’s rights and it only endeared her to him more. She fought for those who couldn’t be heard, gave them a voice. It was pretty amazing stuff.

Her smile was that beautiful smile that lit up his world as his fingers brushed her cheek.

“You are beautiful love.” He whispered and kissed her sweetly.

“Only to you.” She grabbed her bag and his hand gripped the handle, she let him take it. “I need food.”

“Grilling the opposition not enough for you today love?” He chuckled as they went to leave.

“Ha Ha funny man.” She scoffed.

“You know.” He started as they walked out of the courtroom. “Watching you work is an extreme turn on.” He growled.

“Good thing I have the rest of the day off then huh?” She purred as they stepped in the elevator to the garage.

“Do you?” He gently pinned her to the wall of the elevator with a chuckle, pressing himself against that body he had the sudden urge to fuck. Damn the woman made him lose himself.

“Mmmm hmmm.” She kissed him sinfully. “When’s your next interview?” She asked as she nipped his jaw, her hand slipping down to palm him as as the elevator slowed to a stop at their level.

“Tomorrow morning. This afternoon’s interview was rescheduled to Thursday.” He said as they stepped out and walked to Sildie’s car. He pressed her against it and kissed her longingly. “What time do you have to pick the kids up?”

“Five.” She kissed him so his mind blanked. “I want us to go somewhere.” She breathed, as an urgent need bubbled up inside her, to feel that body against hers. “Be alone somewhere.” He gripped her behind the neck and kissed her with that seduction he knew made her wet. “I want to peel you out of this shirt.” She purred and kissed his neck where the starched fabric stopped and left that strip of skin visible. “Or maybe fuck you in it, I haven’t decided yet.” She murmured. She’d wanted to kiss and nibble him there since he walked out in it this morning. There was something about him today that she couldn’t get enough of. His smell, his taste, he’d gotten under her skin and she was desperate for him.

“Get in the car.” He growled with a chuckle.

This was a new side of her, urgent hands, that smoldering look from under her lashes, she was stripping him bare with her eyes and damn if it didn’t make him want her more. If it wouldn’t get them arrested he’d fuck her right where they stood.

Her hand wandered while he was driving, his groan more a low growl as she palmed him at a stop light. Grinning he took her hand from his crotch and kissed it, nipping her knuckle as her giggle filled the car. She kept a hold of his hand and slipped it under her skirt which she had deliberately hitched up. She moaned as his fingers found the soft flesh of her upper thigh where the lace of her stockings ended.

His parking wasn’t the best and as soon as he’d pulled the parking break on he leaned over and kissed her, letting the hand she’d placed between her legs ride higher. Her hands cupped his face and she kissed him with a barely restrained passion as her hips arched toward his hand urging him to touch her where she ached for him. She cried out as he gave her what she craved, that one finger grazing over the black lace of her g string.

“Gustaf.” She breathed, almost vibrating out of her skin with the need to feel him inside her. “Please.”

Her whimper made him harder, his cock twitching in response. His finger slipped under the lace and down into her heat, that soaked pussy just begging for him.

“What’s gotten into you?” He asked grinning as her fingers undid the buttons of his shirt, her mouth claiming his. This wasn’t like her at all, not that he was complaining but there was something else going on.

“You.” She breathed, she was ravenous for him. Never had she ever behaved like this with a guy. She always showed some measure of self control but today she just needed him to be inside her, to fuck her. She needed to claim him for herself. Mine, she thought.

“Not yet I haven’t.” He growled playfully. “But I’m working on that.” He nipped her jaw roughly. His finger slipped between her soaked folds to circle her entrance, her whimper desperate.

“The car’s not big enough for me to fuck you in love.” He murmured as his finger circled and dipped into her.

“I need you.” She gasped as he sucked the one spot on her neck that was a favorite.

“Not only that if someone walks past.” He growled as she reached over and took his cock in her hand through the material of his dress pants.

“I don’t care. I need you.” She choked.

He watched her as he slowly slipped his finger all the way inside her. She cried out, wrapped her arms around him and crushed her mouth against his. Beyond desperate he thought. He kissed his way down her throat to suck on the pulse at her neck, his finger sliding in and out of her while his thumb found her clit and circled.

“Find what you need love, let me watch you fall apart.” He whispered.

“Gustaf.” She gasped as her hips rocked against his hand. She crested quickly already on the brink of orgasm when he’d parked. He slipped a second finger to join the first and felt her body tense, her cry of his name hoarse as she came. He prolonged it for as long as he could until she relaxed and kissed him, panting. He withdrew his fingers and licked them clean as he watched her, those ice blue eyes intent.

“Nothing like my favorite dessert for lunch.” He quipped and kissed her seductively.

“I’m not done yet.” She murmured palming him, he was rock hard for her. His groan was one of desire and lust.

“Upstairs.” He growled and nipped her bottom lip gently but she grinned against his lips.

“Not yet.” She whispered. “Let me return the favor.”

He stopped her as she went to unzip his pants. Gently gripping her chin he pulled her to him slowly before capturing her lips tenderly. “Not this time.” He murmured. “I want to be in you when I come.” He kissed her again.

He sat back as she gently pushed him and crawled over the center console to straddle his lap, his hands pushing her skirt up to bunch at her waist as she towered over him, hunching herself to fit in the now very confined space.

“I don’t care if someone sees.” She whispered, kissing him sinfully. His hands gripped her hips, resolve almost snapping. No one would see anyway she thought, because they were all at work and her neighbor couldn’t access their car parked beside them because she was about to fuck him in the front seat of her car.

She devoured his mouth as her hands found his belt and waistband of his dress pants. Once she’d released his cock from its fabric prison she stroked him, his groan sheer lust at the slender fingers destroying his manhood. His mind was racing at their location and current activity as well as being overwhelmed with need for her, a heady mixture which he let himself succumb to.

With one hand on her hip his other dipped into her cleavage and opened the buttons of her blouse, fingers skimming breast and nipple. Once her skin was revealed his lips were on it, the taste and smell of her bringing him undone. Her hands turned suddenly urgent as he sucked and licked the pulse at her neck.

“Inside me.” She whimpered. “Gustaf please.”

“It’s all you love, I can’t move.” He breathed. “Take me how you need to.” He understood the need radiating off her. “How you want to.” This was a power play, she needed to be in control, to feel him give in to her, to let her find her own pleasure, claim him.

Her hand stroked him along her folds and rested him at her entrance. Her kiss, that clever mouth tormenting his. She lowered enough to take his tip, her body shaking with the overwhelming need to take him hard.

Ghosting his lips with hers, she fisted a hand in that crisp white dress shirt and took him in slowly, one inch at a time, her eyes never left his.

“Fuck Sildie!” It was a warning, he was on the edge as her warmth enveloped him. He savagely bit down on her neck and felt her flinch before holding him closer urging him to take more as she started to ride him.

It was a slow hard ride to begin with. With the limited space she was reduced to grinding on him more than bouncing though that didn’t stop them finding the erotic pleasure they were desperate for. They soon found a devastating rhythm, one that took him deep. She leaned back as far as she could while she fucked him, his cock brushing her in all the right places.

Neither of them were going to last, it was going to be quick and brutal, shattering them both. His teeth bit into the tender flesh of her shoulder as he pushed the silk from it sending a thrill to her pussy as his hands held her hips pulling her on and off him as she rode him hard. His hips rocked as best they could in the confined space, pelvises grinding together.

He felt her crest and slipped his hand from her hip to finger her clit furiously. She cried out, gripped his shirt and shoulder tightly as she let herself be consumed by it all. He kissed her as she screamed, that gorgeous body writhing and bucking on him.

His resolve snapped when her pussy clenched him, that velvet vice so erotic. He gripped her hips painfully hard and thrust as much as he could as she rode him harder. She grinned as he bit her neck again and came with her name on his lips, that half groan half cry of complete euphoria. She kissed him long and hard as they rode out their pleasure together eventually slowing to a stop and trying to force air into their lungs.

His chuckle had her looking at him. “I like seeing your moves love.” He whispered, kissing her and letting his hands gently massage her hips and ass as she sat there. “They were something else.”

She looked at the man she’d just fucked on the front seat of her car and kissed him sweetly, she was so in love with him. “Sorry if I was a little too forward.” She mumbled, leaning her head against his. She had to apologize, she’d jumped him.

“No, don’t do that.” He said sternly and gripped her chin gently so she’d look at him. “If I didn’t like it I’d tell you.” He growled. “And I happen to like it when you take control like that. Especially after seeing you in court, all lawyered up, and desperate for me to fuck you.”

“I was pretty desperate.” She giggled. “It’s you and this damn shirt.” She quipped tugging at it. And you smell good.”

“Good thing I’m not done wearing it then isn’t it.” He said quietly. “Upstairs so I can give you what you truly need.”

That low growl always did it to her, the shiver across her skin, the tingle in her pussy. There was something about him today that just sent her need for him to fuck her into the stratosphere. Whether stress or something else entirely she wasn’t sure, she just knew she needed his thick length inside her and for him to fuck her until she was wrecked.

He opened the car door so she could climb out easier and helped straighten her skirt. Once on her feet he stepped out and fixed his pants, closed the door, pressed her against it roughly, and kissed her.

“Come with me.” He rumbled, that low tone only making her wetter. “I need you naked and begging.” He purred. Once the elevator doors closed he pinned her to the wall hard and devoured her mouth until she couldn’t think and barely breathe. It excited and aroused her with his rough but gentle handling. There was no doubt he could throw her around like a rag doll that weighed next to nothing if he wanted, however his strokes and kisses were always gentle, always restrained. The bite at her neck in the car was the first time she’d seen that restrain crack and couldn’t help the shiver of fear turn to arousal at the thought of him really letting go.

He was intensely devouring her neck when the elevator doors opened on their floor. He shot a hand out to stop them from closing, wrapped an arm around her waist and stepped out without breaking stride or his current mission of feasting on her neck. He pressed her against her front door and fished his keys from his pocket still torturing her neck, she’d have marks tomorrow.

Once open, he stepped over the threshold, shut the door forcefully and pinned her against it grinning at the familiarity of her seduction that first night he’d stayed here. Her hand disappeared into the V of his dress shirt and with the top three buttons already undone it gave her enough access to feel his chest beneath her hand.

“This is not like you love.” He said gently, her need palpable even after the pleasure she’d already found.

“I’ve had a taste for you all morning.” She purred. “Ever since you came out wearing this shirt.” She nipped his jaw and tugged at his dress shirt.

“I’ll have to wear one more often then.” He kissed her, that need for her starting to overwhelm his system. “But it’s more than that.” He said softly.

“I don’t know what it is, but I need you.” She breathed and palmed him through his dress pants, his slight thrust into her hand making him groan. “I need to feel you fuck me.” Her voice wasn’t steady. She wanted to lose herself to him today.

“Oh you will love. You’ll feel every inch of me.” He growled. “But I want you begging for it first.” He wrapped a hand at the back of her neck and kissed her roughly as her hand gripped him through his pants. He started walking backwards toward the bedroom, her heels clicking on the wooden floors as she followed grinning against his mouth.

He sat on bed and pulled her to stand between his legs. His goddess, all lawyered up, and wanting, oh she was wanting. His hands streaked up her legs and under her skirt, the feel of her lace top stockings and bare skin sending his arousal soaring. He pulled her to him tightly as he gripped her ass and buried his face into the silk at her belly, inhaling the scent of her, nuzzling her belly and slowly pulling the shirt from her waist and with his teeth until he could kiss her there.

He unzipped her skirt and let it slowly fall from her hips, the sight of those long legs in black lace making him groan. Fingers caressed her skin under the red silk blouse, teasing, his lips kissing the same trail. He tormented her, slowly unbuttoning her blouse as his teeth nipped and nibbled.

“Gustaf.” She breathed as that clever mouth sucked on a nipple through the black lace of her bra, her hands holding his head to her begging him to take more.

“So beautiful.” He murmured pushing the silk blouse from her shoulders. He feasted on her breasts as her hands slipped under his shirt to graze his neck and shoulders, he could feel the tremble in her hands and smiled.

She was whimpering as his mouth tasted the dip in her collarbone, the almost painful nip at her throat. His fingers raked the straps of her bra down her shoulders and sucked the tender flesh of her breasts. As he destroyed her system her hands busied with the rest of the buttons of his shirt, sliding her hands beneath it she moaned at the feel of those strong shoulders.

Her hand slid to his waistband and he let her fight with his belt as he continued to strip the lace and silk from her body. By the time she had unzipped him her bra was on the floor along with her g string. His hands dived into her hair and kissed her hard as her hand stroked him. His control only slipping for a split second as she pulled at him.

“On the bed, on your knees.” He growled and stood. Even though they were the same height with her heels on he had that towering presence that made her entire being feel tiny and tremble with anticipation. He held out his hand for hers to steady her as she knelt on the edge of the bed.

His hand pressed against her belly as he stood behind her, the feel of that curvy body against him making him harder as he stepped out of his dress pants and pulled her shoes off. “You’re so beautiful Sildie.” He whispered. “My Sildie.” His fingers sparked the fire under her skin as they trailed across her body as his other hand cupped her gently around the throat.

“You like it when I do this.” He growled and squeezed gently, her pulse thrumming under his fingers. Her gasp made his cock twitch as his lips claimed that one spot below her ear as his hand slipped into her heat.

He brought her to the edge of her climax and stopped just before she tipped over. Her whimper one of desperation. “Not yet love.” He murmured and nipped her shoulder. “I want you begging for it.”

His fingers slipped into her heat again as he worked her to the edge and stopped as her body began to tense. He could feel those curves tremble against him as he tormented her. “I want to be inside you, feel you when you come.” He breathed as her whimper filled the room. The hand at her throat gently pulled her head back until it rested on his shoulder, he wanted her comfortable while he destroyed her.

He’d pinned her body to his with one hand. She could feel the relentless control he had and it sent a thrill racing up her spine. She was at his mercy, determined to completely wreck her as she’d hoped for. She’d asked for it, with her own desperation she’d asked him to take her, to fuck her into oblivion, and she knew he would.

His fingers continued their erotic assault. Slowly bringing her to the edge of orgasm and letting her teeter there before stopping and ravaging her neck and shoulders with his mouth. He was a patient man when it came to pleasuring a woman and this was only the beginning of their afternoon.

“Gustaf.” She whimpered as her climax built. Her body was shaking uncontrollably as he built this orgasm, she’d lost count how many he’d denied her now, knowing that when she came it would completely shatter her.

“Mmmm?” He asked as he kissed her neck and squeezed her throat gently.

“Please.” Her tone music to his ears.

“Do you want me to fuck you love?” He murmured, that low tone making her quiver.

“Yes.” She breathed.

Her whimper was loud and one of frustration as he stopped just before she went over.

“You’re going to be so tight when I fuck you, you’ll remember me taking you, the feel of me fucking you.” He whispered against her ear, her guttural moan making him smile. He moved her forward on her knees until they were at the headboard. He’d wanted her like this again, the thought of how she’d felt around him that day in his apartment all decked out in a corset making his cock twitch.

“Hands on the headboard love.” He murmured not releasing her throat. He helped her as she did as he asked, the shudder of anticipation flooding through her. “I remember how you felt the last time like this.” His lips grazed her shoulder as his hand tightened on her throat. “So tight.”

His fingers slipped over her heat and she gasped. The slight hiatus was enough to calm her body for the next round, prolong the pleasure she was so desperate to feel from him. “So wet for me.” His growl rumbled through him and made her whimper. She was so lost to him now, aching to feel him take her.

“Please.” She gasped as she crested.

“Soon love.” He whispered.

He worked her into a trembling frenzy almost in tears she was so desperate for release. His hand flexed between her thighs for her to spread them slightly. She couldn’t fully open them as his knees were either side of hers.

He leaned forward and rested his hand on the headboard between hers, caging her in. Keeping his hand on her throat he teased her with his cock, the head slipping along her wet folds.

“Please.” She whimpered, her voice almost delirious.

“Once I start I’m not going to stop love.” He kissed her shoulder and bit down gently. “I’m going to fuck you hard until you scream.”

“Please.” He barely heard it. The breathless whimper of a woman desperate to be fucked by a man that knew how. The long strings of “please” over and over again begging him to take her falling from her lips.

He held at her entrance and tortured her with his mouth, the gentle squeeze of her throat making her shiver. He knew she would come as soon as he thrust inside her, this would destroy her completely.

Finding his balance he took his hand off the headboard and slipped it over her clit, those juicy folds begging to be spread and fucked. Her cry turned to a whimper as he slowly worked her into a beautiful mess. He pushed slightly so his tip slipped inside her as she crested, the sensation making her shake violently, she was so close.

Without warning he squeezed her throat and plunged into her hard, fingers frantic on her clit. The sudden bombardment to her senses and body had the orgasm exploded through her. Her scream of his name filled the room as he took hold of the headboard and began to fuck her as he’d promised.

“So tight.” He breathed and nipped her ear. “So beautiful.”

She was seeing stars as her release brought her undone, that blissful buzz from his hand at her throat, the feel of his girth stretching her, the feel of him taking her. His slow rhythm built her up again and again, letting her body crest and fall into bliss at will. She had no control, pinned to him and content to leave it up to him.

“Do you feel me?” He growled teeth grazing her neck, his hand skillfully squeezing her throat.

“Yes.” She cried as another orgasm crested. “Harder.” She whimpered. “Please harder.” Her choked plea the sweetest sound.

“Anything for you love.” His hand tightened at her throat as he pounded into her, the sound of flesh slapping against flesh echoing around their bedroom. He felt her entire body tremble before bucking against him as she screamed, her climax ripping through her again.

He knew she was tiring, being in this position for so long and for the amount of pleasure he’d given her. “Rock back onto me love. I want to be deep inside you.” And he groaned as she did as he’d instructed.

Her breathing became frantic at the sensation. He bottomed out with every thrust in and push back, her head was spinning. His hand gripped the headboard and her throat as he took her hard and fast. With her legs together and pussy spasming over and over again she was deliciously tight.

“Yes.” He breathed. “Sildie.” His murmur of her name as he crested had the most beautiful cry escape from her lips.

He felt her release bubble up from within her and speared into her as her climax ripped itself from her body. His hand tightened on her throat as he bit down on her shoulder hard. As she writhed and bucked at his mercy he continued to take her apart as he tensed for a split second before spilling his seed inside her. His roar mixed with her cries as he continued to ride out their release.

He pried her hands from the headboard and pulled her back against him. Her soft sigh at the warmth and security of his arms around her made his heart lighten. “I’ll have to wear a white dress shirt more often.” He growled as they caught their breath, her chuckle making him smile. “I like seeing your moves love.” He whispered nipping her ear before kissing the spot below it.

“I like it when you fuck me like that.” She smirked and nipped his jaw playfully before twisting around and kissing him with that smoldering kiss that always made his head spin.

“You’re in a mood.” He chuckled as he toppled them over, gently falling to the mattress so he could snuggle her in. He’d missed this and kicked himself for ever driving that wedge between them. “I like this mood.” He murmured and cupped her neck in his hand kissing her.

“I am in a mood. I’d be sorry, but I’m not.” she grinned.

“You’ve had a good day.” He smiled as her face was bright and cheerful.

**************************

@hausofobsession @ill-skillsgard @grandpa-sweaters @authentic90skidd @tuckersgirl @fairlyfallacy @flowers-in-your-hayr @raewritesfiction @stinkerbelle007 @kamie-b @mrsaugustwalker @skrsgardspam

#gustaf skarsgard #gustaf skarsgard fanfiction #shattered lives

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brianramosbailbond-blog · 4 years ago

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The Ultimate Guide To online bail bonds

Some of the most difficult times of your life will arise out of time spent in court. Make things easier on yourself by choosing someone to represent you that can make a strong case in your defense. Read this article to choose the right lawyer for any situation you may find yourself in. Visit us at online bail bonds .

A good tip if you're thinking about hiring a lawyer is to listen to your gut when it comes down to whether or not you're going to hire that person. Your lawyer is going to represent you in court, so if your lawyer seems unscrupulous, it's going to fall back on you.

Hiring a specialty lawyer may cost you more up front, but it may cost you less later on. If your lawyer is not a specialist, he will have to spend a lot of time on research. That time comes right out of your pocket.

Avoid selecting the first lawyer you find in the phone book. This is one choice you need to get right. When I bought my first home, the real estate agent referred a lawyer. I accepted the referral, and I was surprised to learn that the lawyer had been sued for malpractice and was no longer licensed. You need to be careful when making this decision.

A good tip to keep in mind when hiring a lawyer is to be very wary of any lawyer who seems more interested in getting paid than winning your case. There are many unscrupulous lawyers out there who will try to get you to pay a contingency fee, or even get you to mortgage your house.

Check online to find out what sort of fees are typical for your legal issues. This will help you avoid being scammed down the road. Choose a lawyer who has a good track record and a great deal of experience to ensure that they don't overcharge you for their own time-wasting mistakes.

Never be afraid of asking your lawyer any questions you have. A good attorney keeps his client informed. If you feel, at any time, that your lawyer is unable to respond to your questions as he should, you should discuss this with him, and if need be, find someone who will.

Wait to sign a contract with an attorney until you feel the situation is right. Request an estimate from the attorney so that you know approximately how many hours he or she intends on putting into the case. If the lawyer refuses, move on. A range is acceptable, but it is not fair if you have no idea what you are getting into.

You can find great, local lawyers through online services; however, don't assume these online services screen the lawyers that they recommend properly. Do as much background research as possible to find out more about the lawyers you find listed on these services before you contact them to ask more questions.

There are lawyers for many specific kinds of cases, and despite any jokes, lawyers should be interested in justice. Instead of increasing the stress surrounding your situation, make things go smoothly. Remember the tips in this article so you can choose the best lawyer for you and get out on top!

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evien-stark · 4 years ago

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✧I Need You✧ Chapter 183

November first the ring was finished. While the smarter option would have been to leave it with the jeweler for a little while longer so as to not potentially get caught with it, you just couldn’t help yourself. Tony was busy in the labs working on that new Beck project, nearly night and day at this point. It was easy to schedule yourself around meetings that had you coming and going to go get it. He would be none the wiser but…

Your excitement could give you away. A little box could give it all away. The twenty-fifth was- well- twenty-five days away. That was a long time to not get caught. To not screw something up. But you thought yourself more than capable. Capable of steeling your emotions, of finding the perfect spot to keep the ring where he wouldn’t find it. And then finding yourself growing warmer by the day, wondering if this was how he felt before he found that perfect moment. At least he’d been truly waiting. You had yours all planned out.

Things went fine for a long time. So much so that you almost bought into the idea that life was more than mishaps and world-ending disasters. The fourteenth of the month changed that for you.

A lunch meeting ran extraordinarily long and you were late for a Board meeting back at the Tower. About fifteen minutes late, but they understood. Pepper had called ahead for you once you’d given her the signal. She’d accompanied you on the little outing to a restaurant that was only a few blocks away. Just your luck, as the two of you power-walked the small distance back to the Tower.

But before you could get there, a newsstand finally caught your attention. It had probably been calling to you the first time you passed it, but your mind had been in a bit of furious fog over such a busy day. Pepper walked ahead a few steps when you stopped so abruptly, looking at a copy of the New York Bulletin just waiting to be purchased.

There was a big burly sad looking man on the front, in an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs, flanked by two court officers. In giant bold text read- Trial of the Century. Underneath that- “The People VS Frank Castle”. And the last line- Hell’s Kitchen Lawyers Nelson and Murdock represent the vigilante known as “The Punisher”.

Murdock. Matt, to be exact.

Warning bells were going off. Vigilante? An enhanced one, perhaps? He had a superhero name. The Punisher. Strange that you’d never heard of him until just that moment. What had he been doing? And where had he been doing it? He’d gotten caught- he was being tried-

“Hey- you okay?” Pepper finally had doubled back.

You broke out of your stupor, but instead of answering her you picked up the newspaper and addressed the old clerk inside the booth. “Do you take cards?”

“C’mon, lady…” Right, right. Of course not.

Pepper shook her head. “That important, huh?” She fished a five dollar bill out of her purse. “Keep the change.” Giving the clerk a wave and then pointing a finger your way. “You owe me.”

“Thanks.” Your mind was a million miles away.

---

Back at the Tower, your continuing sense of gloom started to overwhelm you. And when you got back to your office, instead of heading directly to a meeting you were late for, Pepper stood in the doorway as you put the paper down on your desk and leaned in while still standing, hands bracing the top. Her voice was quiet. “Should I cancel the rest of your day?”

“Just the next two meetings, please.”

“...should I call Tony?”

Immediately your head started shaking. “Not yet.” There was no need to involve him in this if it wasn’t serious. He was busy. He needed to stay busy. He deserved to be busy working on things that he cared about. This- ...you could handle this.

Pepper murmured some noise of okay and then shut your office door behind her. Finally you moved to sit and opened the newspaper, reading the intense article.

Francis David Castle. A decorated former marine. Something he’d seen had allegedly spooked him into quitting. He’d gone home- to New York City. To be with his family. His wife, Maria, and their two children. A girl, Lisa, and a boy, Frank Jr. Not long after, while on an outing to Central Park, they’d been the victims of a shooting. All murdered. Save Frank himself.

Frank made it a mission to clean up crime in the city. Very violently so. Not hard to imagine, with a moniker like Punisher. But you couldn’t find any evidence of him actually being enhanced. Vigilante was a buzzword the Bulletin was using. Well… it was correct, but the way it was being used these days, to define your kind, paired it too closely with someone who was just…

Going around shooting people. Making justice for himself. Trying to find peace for himself. But- the other thing- even though the media didn’t know it- Matt Murdock, Daredevil, was taking this case. There had to be some sort of connection here. Some sort of reason that Matt would do this. It was more than likely that they’d come across one another. It may have even been more than likely that Frank knew Matt was Daredevil. ...and what then? What if this was some sort of blackmail scheme?

Too many what-ifs. All of them trouble. And aside all that, aside Matt’s personal affairs, this reflected poorly on you. It was a wonder the media hadn’t asked you how you’d felt about it yet. Vigilante indeed. This was a mess. This was an explosion waiting to happen. Frank Castle was on the hook for at least a dozen counts of murder. An endless list of minor other things. Anything they could indict for. Counts of property damage… reckless endangerment.

Those two words put a freeze inside your heart. Frank Castle might not have been enhanced, but he was a vigilante going by a superhero alias and had made it public that his mission was to clean up crime. To defeat evil.

If Matt didn’t handle this correctly, it was going to become a huge issue for you. It very well could have marked a long slide down on a road you’d been trying to long to avoid. The problem was, you didn’t know Matt very well. You weren’t sure what the best way to handle this was. The trial was going on right now, it wasn’t like you could call and expect an answer.

This had to wait.

It filled your head the rest of the day after you left from your office, shoving that newspaper into the corner of your bottom drawer of the desk. Your mind was a million miles away but you powered through. The courts closed at five. Matt would need time to get home. You made a plan to call his offices around six, knowing he’d be there preparing for the next day of trial.

Another meeting ran long. You didn’t actually make it back to your office until seven. Hopes were dwindling that you were perhaps too late. Although you could always personally pay him a visit. Maybe that’s what you should have done, anyway. But…

With your office door shut, you sat down at your desk. Took a deep breath. And then dialed the direct line for the prestigious law firm of Nelson and Murdock. It was a little too predictable that it rang and rang and rang… so you called again. And it rang and rang and rang… They were probably inundated with calls from the media right now. It made sense that no one was paying attention to the phones.

But you tried your luck a third time-

And a tired, frustrated voice picked up the other end. “This is Foggy- no I don’t have a comment-” He was ready to go into a tirade.

You cut that short. “Hello, Mr. Nelson.” Introducing yourself sharply and quickly. Of course, with the unnecessary tagline, “-from Stark Industries.”

“Oh.�� His fire died instantly. “Uh- ...what do- um- what do you want?”

“Is Mr. Murdock around? I’d like to speak to him, please.”

“Right.” Something new emerged. A different kind of anger. You didn’t need to be standing in front of him to feel the sudden tightness of his tone. ...did he know Matt’s secret, perhaps? “Well- Matt doesn’t work nights. ...at least not here.”

Oh. Oh he knew. And he was very upset about it. This… this was dangerous. This was trouble. Both of them were representing Frank Castle. And both of them were at odds with each other. Maybe Frank had been blackmailing Matt. Maybe that’s why they took the case. Maybe that’s why Foggy, as he’d called himself, was mad.

This wasn’t a mess. This was a disaster.

“Are you still there?”

“Yes.” There wasn’t enough time to decide what the best way to handle this was. Whatever Matt had gotten himself involved in- that was beyond you and maybe not even any of your business. What it was doing to his law firm and his friendships- definitely none of your business. But what mattered to you was the case going on. And so… “Look. I’ll put this plainly. Whatever is going on between the both of you? It matters very little to me. What does matter to me is that the two of you have this case handled.”

A scoff came from the other end of the line. “Why don’t you talk to him about that?”

“I’m talking to you, Mr. Nelson. If your law firm needs resources, Stark Industries will provide them. I will get you whatever you need to win this case. If you need to hand Mr. Castle over to our lawyers, we’ll work on it ourselves-”

“No! ...no.” He quickly resettled after his outburst. “I don’t know what’s going on with Matt. But this is important to him- and to me- and- and the firm. I get it. I get why this hit your radar. But Castle isn’t- ...he’s not like you- or- err-... your people, I guess.”

“Be that as it may, the media’s already having a field day with it. And-” The door of your office opened, stopping you cold. Tony was on the other side of it. The two of you looked at each other briefly before he closed it behind him.

“...hello? Is everything okay?”

“Everything is fine. Listen to me. Frank Castle assumed a vigilante moniker. He went around killing people for what he called justice. The press is already linking him to other enhanced individuals around the city that do the exact same thing.”

“...they don’t all do that. ...kill people, I mean.” Obviously he was talking about Matt.

Tony put his hands behind his back and walked closer, but moved over towards the windows, looking down on the city. You took a deep breath. “Sure. They don’t. But Frank Castle did. We’re in the middle of a very delicate situation. I’m just asking that you… try and appreciate that. You don’t owe me anything. You don’t owe any of us anything. The Avengers or…” You made a point of clearing your throat. “-...any of the other superheroes walking around New York City. At night.”

“...yeah.”

“But if you need assistance you have to tell me now. This is an important case.”

Foggy sighed very heavily. “I know. I get it. And- no- I don’t want your help- and we don’t want your lawyers, no offense. We’re going to do this. And we’ll do better than our best. Okay?”

You didn’t know Foggy. You had no reason to trust him. You didn’t even know Matt. The smarter part of your brain was telling you to take this away from him. Your lawyers would not only handle this, but they’d make it go dark. They’d take it out of the public eye. They’d do whatever was necessary to protect you. And Tony. And your people. Because they took orders from you.

Matt and Foggy didn’t. This was dangerous.

“I’m trusting you.”

“I really appreciate it. Not to make it too obvious or anything but… we have a vested interest in this, too.”

“I hope your lines aren’t bugged.” Saying this flatly, unable to help yourself.

Strangely, he just laughed. “Yeah. Me, too.”

The line hung a little uncomfortably with dead air. This conversation was over. But you hadn’t really gotten what you wanted out of it. That more driven part of you wanted to take it all back. Tell him you’d changed your mind. It would be safer that way. For you. The team. Everyone. But… “Goodnight, Mr. Nelson.”

“Goodnight, ma’am.”

Putting your desk phone down- it felt heavy. Your hand held on to it just a few seconds longer than you should have. Watching. Waiting for Foggy to call back. Tell you he’d changed his mind. But that wasn’t happening. Tony’s hand on your shoulder drew your attention away and you looked up at him. His expression was worried. But not because of what was going on. “You alright?”

You pressed your lips together, eyes falling and then nodded in such an empty way- then shook your head instead. “I don’t know. You see the news about this Punisher guy?”

Moving, Tony sat himself on the corner of your desk, folding his arms together. “Yeah. Entire family got shot up while taking a carousel ride in Central Park so he goes on a killing spree to put down the people responsible. Let’s be honest… can’t say I blame him.”

“Tony.” Mostly admonishing him but… “He’s not enhanced but he may as well be. With the way everyone’s treating him.”

“Yeah. And Big Red is representing him. The mind wonders…”

“I thought blackmail, too. But, who knows. Could be Matt is interested in doing this right for the same reason I am.” Shrugging as you sat all the way back in your chair, putting one leg up over the other. “I think he also got caught by his partner moonlighting. It’s a mess over there.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “See. This is why you just tell everyone up front. None of this sneaking around business.”

“I’m still waiting for that other shoe to drop. And it might be falling right in that courtroom.”

If they lost this case- if Frank Castle- if Punisher went to jail for his vigilantism… it would matter very little about whether or not he was enhanced. The conversation was already starting. And if that’s the way that trial ended, that was trouble for the rest of you. You could argue until you were blue in the face that he had nothing to do with your people. ...and that was probably what you were going to have to do.

People knew who Frank Castle was. Now Frank Castle was on trial.

People also knew who you were. Who Tony Stark was. The Avengers- all of you. You all had names. You were all traceable. You were all culpable the moment the world started deciding property damage and accidental loss of life- even when you didn’t cause it- were more important to go after than what ends they were drawn from. Which was usually saving the world. None of that would matter the second the tide turned.

And once that happened…

“Hey.” Tony put his hand on your shoulder again. “I thought we were walking back from all that.”

“How can we?”

“Murdock’s working on this. Let them do what they’re gonna do. And whatever way it turns out, the team has a legal team-” “I am their legal team.” “We have a legal team. Everything’s wound in red tape. We’ll be alright.” The way he was looking at you- those deep brown eyes of his, the small turn down at the corner of his lip, the wrinkles in his forehead…

He was worried. As he always was. The two of you had said you weren’t getting involved in this stuff anymore. But this was exactly what you still needed to do. Even if you didn’t want to go out on missions, this was part of your job. Not for yourself. But for the team and… more importantly for Tony.

If this went the wrong way, they’d come after him. He was the first. He was the loudest. He was the one everyone knew the most. You couldn’t have that. You wouldn’t let that happen.

Your smile was weak as you looked up at him. You’d do anything to protect this man. “How’d you know I was having a moment of crisis?” He’d come up here unasked right when you’d needed him. As always.

He grinned back, just as weakly. “Call it lover’s intuition.” His hand raised, touching back some pieces of your hair, sliding his fingers through after.

You were drawn to him immediately, lifting up out of your desk chair to wrap your arms around him, pressing yourself close. “Why not husband’s intuition?” Smiling tiredly into the side of his neck.

“I like the sound of that- but- need to sign some papers first.” He wound his arms around you in return though tilted back just a little to press a kiss at the side of your temple to regain your attention. When you looked at him again, “Now. Why don’t we get some dinner and open a new bottle of wine?”

“That sounds nice.”

Tony had come to rescue you in your momentary upset. As he always did. And no matter the cost, you would always pay him back.

Always.

#Tony Stark #Tony Stark x Reader #INY Chapter One Hundred Eighty Three

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sitra-achra · 4 years ago

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Car Accident Lawyer Savannah GA

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