#look at that disgusting old man with one hand on Adeline's leg and the other on Dick's he needs to be beaten with a stick

[zeroducks-2]

Hi Hello here's the clean version of the art piece I made for the lovely nyxkvistad and averia, specifically for their @wilsondick-winterexchange ! It's gonna be a blast yall should participate :D

Thank you so much for commissioning me guys, I loved to work on this. Tendinitis tried to stop me but I prevailed \m/

[knightofameris]

uncharacteristic team-ups — avengers (stark!reader)

Setting: Timelines? What are timelines? I have no clue when this could be so have fun but also who cares lol (basically an AU) Gender: Neutral Contains: curse words, an in-depth description of death (like lots of it), blood, a bit of fighting alcohol mention, everything in here is platonic but relationship with peter parker could be read either way Word Count: 3.4k

Summary: What happens when a mission gone bad leads you to team up with some vigilantes who aren’t known to be good team players? Except, you have to team up with the so-called Defenders of New York as they’re the only way to get your dad back.

a/n: a self-indulgent piece,,,, lol. also uploading this despite it being done a long time ago since i haven’t posted in a hot minute.

Let me know if there are any mistakes, regarding the gender of reader, grammar, spelling, or with the story. c:

Enjoy! [repost from old account

☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆

❝ the most powerful people in New York and you were a part of it ❞

☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆

The abject horror one feels when coming across a dead body is one no one ever talks about. The stench, the sudden realization of how fragile life is. If said dead body is mutilated, violated, eyes left open to stare into the unlucky person to come upon it, it’s even worse.

But (Y/n) was left in a worse situation. The feeling of their dinner wanting to leave their stomach the same way it entered caused them to cover their mouth, trying to hold it back. The array of bodies strewn about in the warehouse caused them to shut their eyes and pinch their nose.

No one ever talked about how a body releases everything, and I mean everything, when they go onto the next life.

Now (Y/n) knows why.

“Holy shit,” Peter murmured, plugging his nose. “The smell, I didn’t realize the smell—”

Tony shushed him, his head turning back towards the two teenagers. He should have known that this small takedown of a few crimelords should have been left to the police. But when he saw his name on one of their weapons, he couldn’t help but want to investigate. Now he regrets it because even on missions, he’d ensure that (Y/n) and Peter would never see dead bodies. And now they were seeing more than they should.

Tony’s hand gripped (Y/n)’s shoulder, giving them a small squeeze then looking back over the railings onto the first floor where the bodies laid.

The lights on his armor dimmed and (Y/n) looked up at him with a tilt of their head.

“Something’s wrong,” a voice spoke out, a group of footsteps sounded throughout the warehouse. (Y/n)’s eyes widened and began to back up on the catwalk they were on, hiding from the voices.

“God, this is disgusting,” a woman spoke out.

“You’re telling me, Frank Castle, did this?” A man in a hoodie asked.  

“Yes, but this group, they wouldn’t be his MO,” another man wearing a red armored suit responded. “Luke I’m going to need you to—wait.” His mouth parted, and he tilted his head. Unbeknownst to anyone else, his eyebrows furrowed as he continued listening into his surroundings.

“We’re not alone.” The man turned his head upwards.

“Daredevil, right?” Tony was already over the railings, hovering in the air above them. The HUD on (Y/n)’s domino mask they wore had instructions over it: ‘Do not show yourself until I say so. I know you’ll do it, but don’t do it.’ (Y/n) and Peter exchanged glances in which Peter only shrugged.

“Or should I say, Matt Murdock?” Tony pointed his finger at the man in the suit, his helmet promptly coming off. Matt tensed up, his jaw clenching. His fingers parted from the eskimo sticks he held then regripped it.

“Great, now we’re dealing with superheroes,” the woman sighed, walking away.

“Isn’t that Jessica Jones?” (Y/n) murmured towards Peter. Peter inched forward, peeking over the railings then looked back at (Y/n). He nodded his head. (Y/n) lets out a silent grunt of approval then slowly sat down, wanting to hear their dad’s interactions with them.

“I’m sorry,” Tony gestured towards her and his eyebrows furrowed. “Rosie the Riveter, from what I could tell, what you guys have done in the past few years could deem you as heroes.”

“Look, this isn’t something you could blast your way through, Stark.”

“Oh, so this is something you could, punch your way through, Mr. Luke Cage is it?”

“Okkaaayyy,” (Y/n) called out, jumping over the railings and ignoring the dead bodies below. “Dad, they’re on the same side as us, they might know more than us.” They landed with grace in front of the adults and then promptly jumped back up, tapping their mask that uncovered their face. “(Y/n) Stark, but you probably already knew that.”

Tony began protesting (Y/n) but they just ignored him after putting their hand out to shake the hands of the others with a smirk on their face. (Y/n) didn’t even notice Peter landing next to them until he did a two-finger salute.

“H-hi, Spider-Man, nice to meet you guys,” Peter stammered out. “I’m usually in Queens.”

(Y/n) rolled their eyes then turned around to face Tony who’s helmet already came off. His face full of exasperation and the wrinkle lines could probably very well be from the stress from taking care of his kids.

“I swear to god,” Tony flicked the back of (Y/n)’s head lightly, “you’re both going to be the death of me.”

(Y/n) giggled, trying to make light of the situation before turning back to the others.

“We’re on a bit of a time crunch, so please, if you could just get out of our way.” Jessica leaned on one of her legs, her voice slightly desperate. (Y/n) arched a brow at her. Peter raised his hand in the air and everyone glanced over at him. “Just talk, kid.���

“You know, if you work with us you won’t have to deal with the illegality of being a vigilante,” Peter spoke up.

“So what, we’d be Avengers-in-training?” A man (Y/n) and Tony recognized as the heir of Rand Enterprises, Danny Rand. Tony had meant him once, with Pepper.

Luke scoffed, “No thanks, we’re not—”

“Heroes?” (Y/n) interrupted. “Don’t you guys already have a nickname?” (Y/n) glanced up at their dad who clicked his tongue and began nodding his head, gesturing to (Y/n) then back to them.

“Yeah, yeah, the Defenders, right?” Tony asked. “Rhetorical question but you guys need us,” he turned around, looking over the dead bodies then back up at the catwalk he was at minutes earlier, “just as much as we need—”

(Y/n) frowned and everyone exchanged glances wondering why Tony would just stop talking, he loved hearing himself talk.

He was even frozen in place, his hand raised to the side and his foot just hovering over the ground.

There’s a certain gut wrenching feeling you usually get before the bad thing happens, in movies, in real life. Usually you just look away, ignore it, and wait for the next scene. But in this situation, in this world that (Y/n) lives in, you gotta look. You gotta watch to find out what the next move is.

(Y/n)’s gaze followed their dad’s, wondering what Tony was looking at.

“Don’t look up!” Matt shouted, pushing both teenagers’ heads down. “Don’t look at her.” He held both of them there.

“Oh my,” an alluring voice called out. (Y/n) suddenly felt at peace and almost wanted to fight against Matt and look up to see who the voice belonged to. “I never would have thought I could catch one of the big ones.”  

“If you can,” Matt murmured towards the two of them, “Change your masks to see in infrared.” He slowly let go. (Y/n)’s mask covered their eyes, and they blinked, suddenly seeing everything in infrared. They looked up and saw a woman who radiated no heat but her eyes, her eyes were burning hot.

Jessica and the others had on goggles with the name Rand on the side, their fists were held up, prepared to fight the moment they saw Tony’s helmet come back online.

“Mr. Stark?” Peter called out, his voice wary.

The woman laughed, weaving her arm through Tony’s arm and hugging it tight. “I’m afraid Mr. Stark isn’t able to come to the phone right now.”

“What did you do to him!?” (Y/n) demanded, pulling out their bo staff. Jessica grabbed their arm and held them back.

“Not now, kid,” she said. (Y/n) tried shrugging her off but her grip just tightened. What they didn’t realize was another man walking out from above, a skull painted on his chest and two assault rifles in his hand.

“Alright, honey,” the woman wrapped her arms around Tony’s neck, “Let’s get out of here. And Frankie, be a dear and take them out for me?”

“Wait, dad!” (Y/n) called out, reaching their arm up towards him as he flew up and blasted a hole in the roof.

“Watch out!” (Y/n) was jolted out of their daze from Tony seemingly under the woman’s control when Luke grabbed them and set them behind him once the man, Frank Castle, began raining bullets down on them. Matt, Jessica, and Danny dove behind a car that was set in the warehouse.

Peter launched himself up onto the roof using his webs. Then pointed it towards Frank.

“That’s unfair, you can’t use guns on unarmed people!” His webs hooked onto the two guns and he yanked it back. Frank stumbled forward, grunting as he lost his balance. He wasn’t able to react fast enough when Peter launched two webs beside him only to catapult into him, knocking him out the moment his head slammed into the wall behind him.

(Y/n) gripped their bo staff, their knuckles white and waited before the shooting stopped. They watched as Peter jumped back down with a webbed-up Frank Castle in his arms. (Y/n) turned to face the other adults and their mask came off, their face red with fury behind their eyes.

“You better tell us what the deal with that woman was because she just kidnapped my dad, Tony-fucking-Stark and we’re helping whether you like it or not.”

***

“So you’re telling me,” (Y/n) rubbed her forehead, “that Adeline Trost, the woman who took my dad, can control people when she makes eye contact with them.”

“Yes, and that’s why we don’t want to call in the Avengers,” Matt replied. At this point, he was unmasked, relaxing in the confines of his apartment. (Y/n) glanced over at Peter, who still wore his mask, and then over at the others who sat spread out. Frank Castle was webbed to a chair, making him incapacitated in case he’s sitll under her control.

“Well, when one of us is compromised, we have to alert the others,” (Y/n) sighed, burying their face into their hands. They let out a frustrated groan and leaned back in the chair.

(Y/n) didn’t want this, they didn’t want to be the one making the call but they were an Avenger, and a higher ranking one than Peter was. At least, that’s what they both saw (Y/n) as.

Peter fiddled around with his hands, tapping his foot against the ground. He watched (Y/n) let out another frustrated groan and though they just seemed exasperated, he knew that they were worried about their dad. Naturally, he was too. But (Y/n) had probably lost him more times than the two of them can count combined.

“No,” a new voice spoke up, his voice gruff. “If she ends up controlling them, the whole world will be at risk.”

Chairs scratched against the floor as everyone stood up. Frank sat still though, as still as he could. He looked up, his face was bruised up and littered with cuts and scars. If he had powers, he’d be a force to be reckoned with; he still was.

“Are you still…” Danny’s arm was outreached towards him, cautious in case Frank could break out of the webs, despite it being extremely strong.

“Under that bitch’s control?” Frank asked, his head tilted. “No.” He shook his head. “I’m not and Murdock over there can tell you I’m telling the truth.”

(Y/n) looked over at Matt, their eyes narrowed at the lawyer. Matt’s face was relaxed, most likely listening to Frank’s heart.

“He’s telling the truth, you can unweb him,” Matt assured. Jessica walked over behind him before Peter could make his way over and ripped open the webs. Frank shortly stood up, letting the webs fall to his feet. He groaned as he rubbed his neck and dusted the webs off of himself.

“Woah,” Peter murmured and looked over at (Y/n) while pointing towards her, “she’s strong.” Jessica rolled her eyes and walked over to the fridge and took out a beer.

“I’m taking this Murdock.” She raised the beer then took the cap off and began chugging. Matt didn’t respond, knowing he couldn’t deny her.

“So what’s the plan?” Luke crossed his arms, looking back and forth between (Y/n) and the others.

“Alert the Avengers and,” (Y/n) raised a hand up in the air before anyone could protest, “let them know that Tony’s compromised and to not trust him. I’ll let them know that I can handle it too.”

“And you’re sure they’d trust his kid and Spider-Kid?” Luke nodded towards Peter.

“Spider-Man, it’s Spider-Man,” Peter whined.

Jessica cocked a brow at him, “You’re a kid, Spider-Kid.” (Y/n) stifled a laugh, patting Peter on his back before taking out their phone.

“I’m sure,” said (Y/n) and walked away from the group to call Rhodey.

***

Rhodey walked up to Frank, who was significantly taller and more toned, despite Rhodey actively being War Machine and a Colonel.

Frank stared down at him, adjusting his stance and his fingers fiddled around against the palm of his head rhythmically.

“Look, Colonel,” Frank started, “with all due respect, this is one of the jobs that the Avengers can’t take up. Might as well be well below your paygrade.”

Rhodey scoffed with a smile, placing his hands on his hips, the whirring of the mechanics surrounding his legs filling the quiet room. Everyone watched with silent, observant eyes. You could literally cut the tension in the room with a butterknife. (Y/n) knew they were in deep shit when Frank glanced over at them from the corner of his eye.

“This is a job that’s already been taken up by the Avengers,” said Rhodey. “When one of our own is compromised, we’re involved. I could call in the authorities right now and have you arrested. All of you.” He pointed at the other four. “But I won’t, even if I should.”

Jessica groaned, walking towards a chair and falling into it. “I need a fucking drink and I blame you, Stark.” (Y/n) ran their hand through their hair nervously and walked over towards Peter, hoping to find comfort near him.

“Can we stop this?” Luke asked, desperation laced in his words. “The longer we take on finding a way to work together, the longer it takes to take down Adeline. Frank, you need to learn how to be a team player.”

(Y/n) draped an arm over their stomach, their other hand going up to the side of their face, taping on their mask to let it go over their face and watched Tony’s vitals that the two of them setup for each other. A way to make sure the other was safe in a situation like this.

They pursed their lips, tapping their fingers against their side, ignoring what the others were talking about and just watched Tony’s heartbeat across the screen.

That’s all (Y/n) wanted, for their dad to be back and safe and alive. They’ve lost him too many times, too many near death counts. This can’t be the one where they truly lose him.

***

The streets were nearly empty of civilians. Buildings were destroyed and, despite ‘the Defenders’ wanting to keep the Avengers out of it, the Avengers became a part of it. But with the Avengers becoming a part of it, the risk of them falling under Adeline’s control increased.

The plan was to bring Adeline out in the open, have the Avengers as secret weapons in case the plan went south if the Defenders (and Colleen, she didn’t want to be left out) got stuck in control and to have Wanda use her powers to invoke her worst fears and to read her mind.

But what they didn’t expect was Adeline being able to counter Wanda’s powers and she worked backwards, bringing Wanda down to her fears and then putting her under control. One by one, the Avengers who were there, Rhodey, Steve, Sam, and Natasha, fell straight into her control.

Leaving the misfit heroes (not that they’d ever call themselves that) with the two Avengers-in-training to take out Adeline and bring them back. Which brought the block they occupied in Manhattan to be destroyed.

(Y/n) slowly walked up to Tony, ignoring the sounds of protests behind her. The Defenders, miraculously, brought a few of the Avengers back to their side, aiding them in the fight against the others, especially  Wanda. They all helped each other up, leaning on each other for support as they watched (Y/n) confront Tony.

His mask was off and his eyes were dull as he stared into (Y/n)’s eyes. His gauntlet was pointed straight at them, one repulsor blast and they’d be done for. But Tony was hesitating.

(Y/n) tapped the side of their mask allowing the nanotech to show their face; allowing themself to be vulnerable even in the case that Adeline appeared. But they didn’t care, they just needed to get their dad back.

“Dad, it’s me, it’s (Y/n).” They smiled but choked on a sob when they heard the whir of his repulsor. Until Tony cracked a smirk and he grunted, using his other hand to pull the one pointed at (Y/n)’s face back down.

Tony yelled, falling to the ground, his face scrunched up in determination. The ground hit (Y/n)’s knees, landing next to him and grabbing him by the shoulders.

“Hey kid,” he breathed out, placing his hand on her shoulder as he stood back up. The glimmer in Tony’s eyes coming back and (Y/n) knew he was back. His helmet covered his face and (Y/n)’s mask followed. “You in infrared? I don’t want you to fall und—”

(Y/n)’s arms wrapped around him, despite the bulky armor.

“How do you always get caught up in this shit, dad?” Tony hugged back, the mouth of his faceplate slightly tapping the top of their head as if it was a kiss.

“I don’t think I’d be me if I didn’t get caught up in this shit.” He pulled away, glancing back to the fight. “How’d you even pull me out?”

(Y/n) shrugged, “I just looked you in the eye. We got Frank out by knocking him out really hard too, and the others.”

“Sounds good, now how do we deal with the Adeline chick?”

“Already got her,” Jessica said. The two Starks turned to face the powered woman who held a woman with her eyes covered. Jessica shoved her down at their feet, her hands tied together. Both of the Starks’ masks came off, showing their face.

“Well, that was easy.”

“For you, maybe.” Luke spit out a mouthful of blood, walking up to them, limping. Others trailing behind.

Steve grabbed his helmet from the ground, holding it to his side. “You guys did good, you know. Not a lot of people could say they went toe-to-toe with the Avengers and survived. We could use more people with your abilities.”

“Yeah well,” Colleen sheathed her sword and held her side, leaning on Danny for support.

“We’re not heroes,” Frank finished for her.

“No matter how much you guys deny it,” said (Y/n), “you guys are heroes. You worked with us, saved us, helped me get my dad back and defeated the enemy. You’re my hero.”

“We should cap this conversation for another time.” Natasha gestured towards Adeline squirming on the ground and then towards civilians making their way to watch a large group of heroes interacting with each other.

“Sure, but I’m tossing it in the ocean because I’m not down to join a band,” Jessica began walking away, despite her wounds. “You know where to find me though, if you need me.”

They all watched as she walked off.

“She’s always like that, don’t worry,” Matt brought up with a slight smile.

“She acts cold, but she’s warm-hearted. A bit blunt at times,” Luke added.

(Y/n) rolled their eyes as the adults began to talk about trying to recruit the others to be Avengers. Peter inched his way over to them and (Y/n) looked up at him.

“This is pretty crazy, isn’t it?” Peter asked.

(Y/n) nodded their head, “It’s like a crazy crossover special episode. Pretty badass.”

a/n: skfhgkdsfg i had fun writing this even if it’s not the best but i hope you guys still enjoyed it nonetheless!

[hey-mando]

A Bit Of Both (Gaston x Reader)

Part 5 (epilogue) of “Another Look Around”

Word Count: 2,825

Warnings: If Gaston being flirty counts as one, then there’s that...

Tags: @mmegaston @lovelylpevensie @with-a-hint-of-pesto-aioli @lj-laufeypevensieweasley @juggernaut-jones @timeskipeleven @cherrrylimes @ciaprincess @thesizeofabarge @thewhisperingfox

A/N: yeh, it took a while longer than the previous parts, but yo, I finally finished it. Thanks so much for all the reads, likes, reblogs, and the AMAZING comments, lil chickadees!!!

For several moments, you tried to ignore the prodding on your arm. It was early after all, and yesterday had been a particularly exhausting day. But after half a minute of the timid motion, you finally shifted, stretching out your legs and arms and with a groan.

You felt soft breath fanning across your face as a small voice asked, “Are you awake?”

You cracked your eyes open, a smile spreading over your lips. “Well, I am now,” you answered quietly, your voice raspy from sleep. As you spoke, you moved your hand and poked the side of the little girl laying opposite you. She squealed and swatted away your hand, smiling widely.

“James was snoring again,” the dark-haired girl said accusingly. “You can hear it from all the way down the hall. He woke me up.”

“Did he?” You responded, gently stroking a few stray strands of hair from her eyes. “Well, we’ll have to speak with him about that when he wakes up, won’t we?”

The child, Rosemarie, nodded, a mischievous expression on her delicate features which coaxed a snicker from you. You brushed your thumb across her cheek and leaned forward to kiss her forehead before asking, “Ready to get up?”

Rosemarie nodded again, swiftly shimmying her little body from under the covers and slipping off the bed. Her curly, deep brown hair bounced around her waist as she scurried from the room, her bare feet filling the silent morning with a pattering sound.

You grinned widely after her, sighing as you hauled yourself into a sitting position and raked your hands through your hair. The morning was pale and just beginning, and through the window across from the bed, you could see a thick mist hanging above the ground as the sky turned pallid blue. The house was warm, but outside the cool whispers of fall were beginning to fill the land.

You briefly glanced at the empty space beside you, noting the absence of your husband from his usual position before tossing the covers off your legs and rising from the mattress. You quickly pulled a blue skirt and vest on over your white underdress, then joined Rosemarie in the large kitchen, the floorboards cold under your feet. When you arrived, you found her sitting with boy who was slightly older than her, but who had the exact same chestnut waves atop his head.

“Ah, well if it isn’t the culprit himself,” you teased, ruffling James’ hair as you passed him. He gave you a satisfied smirk, leaning back in his chair. “I can’t help it,” he said simply. “It’s Rosemarie’s fault for being a light sleeper.”

Rosemarie gasped, “Is not. I can’t help that either.”

“Well if we’re being specific, I made both of you, so I suppose it’s my fault,” you said, grinning at the way that James scrunched his nose in disgust – reminding you so much of his father – while Rosemarie sat there blankly. “I don’t understand,” she confessed. You laughed lightly, moving to fill a large kettle with water to boil for tea. “Trust me, Rosie,” James answered. “you don’t want to understand.”

The pot was on the stove and Rosemarie was halfway done braiding James’ hair when the youngest of your children finally emerged from the bedroom that the boys shared, looking hardly awake.

Gabriel was the only one who’d inherited your hair color instead of his father’s, and incidentally he was also what James liked to call a “mama’s boy”. It was true. Gabriel was almost always stuck to one of your legs, no matter what time of day. It was of course something he would eventually grow out of, but until then, you relished every instant that the stunning little boy spent at your heels, asking to be held or reaching his small fingers up to wrap around your thumb.

At two years old, Gabriel’s speech was still rocky, but he remained silent as he crossed the room straight to you, holding his arms out. You smiled and acquiesced, hoisting him into your arms and resting him on your hip. Rosemarie was next in the age line at four, followed by James and his twin sister at six.

It suddenly dawned on you, just as Rosemarie and James began bickering over Rosie’s decision to put flowers in his hair, that your other daughter was nowhere to be seen.

“Wait a minute,” you muttered, looking from Gabriel, to the other two. “There are supposed to be four of you. Rosie, where’s Adeline?”

“Outside with Papa,” she answered before engaging James once again in debate. The corner of your mouth turned up. “When is she not?” You commented, kissing Gabriel’s cheek quickly before moving him to sit in one of the chairs at the table. “Mama will be right back, alright?” You told him, tapping his nose with your finger. He yawned in response. “Good. James.”

The boy froze as he was about to smack Rosemarie’s arm with a nearby spoon. He blinked and you raised an eyebrow. “Can you keep an eye on Gabriel for a few minutes?”

He smiled appealingly, dropping the spoon onto the table and making a knightly vow to protect his younger brother with his life. You winked at him and moved towards the door as Rosie asked, “Oooh, if you’re a knight, then does that make me a princess?”

“Of course not, Rose. Mama’s the princess. You can be the dragon.”

You ignored the sounds of Rosemarie’s indignant protests, knowing that James could handle the younger children until you returned. You exited the house, leaving the door open and stepping out into the chilled morning air.

Your rustic home sat upon several acres of lush forest green, and practically perched on top of a mountain. From the front yard, it was possible to look down and see Villeneuve spread out below. The area was secluded, but not difficult to find. A small stream ran behind the house, and the surrounding forests wrapped around all sides except the front, which looked out over the lands beneath. It was picturesque to say the least.

The dewy grass felt divine between your toes as you walked slowly to where two figures stood out in the fog. You stepped carefully, not wanting to alert either one to your presence just yet.

The young girl stood, her brown eyes blazing with concentration as she held a small bow in her hands, the string drawn to her cheek and the knocked arrow aimed at the trunk of a gnarled old oak tree. Her stance was solid and professional for someone so small, better than that of most fully grown hunters.

The man on his knee beside her had his back slightly turned to you, one of his large hands resting gingerly on the girl’s side. He was talking quietly, and after every sentence, the girl adjusted something in her position, lowering her elbow or altering her aim.

After a minute or so of this, the girl finally pulled back. You saw her shoulders rise as she took a deep breath, then fall as she exhaled. Next thing, she released the bowstring, and the arrow went whizzing from the weapon, spiraling straight into the center of the dead oak.

She shrieked joyously, and deep, rough laughter that sent shivers trembling down your spine joined in with the child’s giggles. She threw her arms around her instructor’s neck, nearly knocking him backwards, causing him to shift towards you in order to keep his balance.

There was a smile on your face as Gaston’s dancing eyes caught yours.

When Adeline pulled back from her father, she too caught sight of you, instantly running forward exclaiming, “Mama, did you see? I hit it!” You dropped to your knees just in time to catch her in a tight embrace. “I saw!” You answered. Then you pulled her back and said, “Keep shooting like that, and you’ll be rivaling your father in no time.”

“Now that I would like to see,” Gaston shot back, striding towards the two of you. You raised an eyebrow and gave him a sly smirk, to which Adeline sniggered again.

“Papa says that he taught you how to shoot too,” she said, lacing her fingers through yours as you stood. “That he did,” you replied, keeping your eyes on Gaston. “I don’t think he ever thought that one day I’d turn out to be better than him.”

Gaston narrowed his eyes as the corner of his mouth tilted up. “In your dreams, perhaps,” he taunted.

“Ooooh,” Adeline gasped, gazing up at the two of you. You squeezed her hand, then her face lit up as she declared excitedly, “I’ve got to show James and Rosemarie!”

Gaston chuckled as his daughter spun on her heel and bolted towards the house, snaking an arm around your back as the two of you watched her go. You in turn moved closer and turned to face him, sliding your hands around his torso and resting them on his sides.

“How long have the two of you been at it?” You asked him, glancing down at the bow in his other hand. “Not long,” he murmured, shifting his full attention to you. “That was her first shot.”

You nodded, unable to keep the smile off your lips as you gazed up, examining his features in the pale blue light. After six years of being together, it still astonished you how ridiculously handsome he was.

On this particular morning, Gaston’s hair wasn’t pulled back as usual, but rather left unattended in all of its thick, wavy glory. Despite a few additional wrinkles around the corners of his eyes, mouth and forehead and the occasional grey streak to his hair, he hadn’t changed at all in terms of appearance. He was still every bit as muscled, and he still stood nearly a full head taller than you.

“You’re staring…” He pointed out cockily, pressing his forehead against yours. You grinned, using your grip on his midsection to pull him against you. “So are you,” you countered, causing a husky chuckle to emanate from his chest. His hands rose to your face, the contrast of his calloused fingers on your smooth skin making you shudder. “Is it not common for a man to stare at the most beautiful thing in sight?”

You laughed, making him smile wider. If there was one thing the years definitely hadn’t taken from him it was his inhumanly perfect charm. To this day he could still send your heart pounding effortlessly.

Without hesitation he pulled your lips to his, eyes closing blissfully as he kissed you for the first time that day. There was a chorus of squeals from the house, and realizing that the children – none of which necessarily appreciated the frequent displays of affection between you and Gaston – were on their way out, you started to pull away, but then stopped with a shrill gasp as he caught your lower lip between his teeth. You brought a hand up to smack his chest. He laughed smugly, pulling back just as Adeline returned with her siblings behind her.

You opened your eyes as Gaston pressed a quick kiss to the corner of your mouth, winking roguishly before moving back and heading towards the kids. You lingered behind a moment, feeling dizzy and light, taking a few seconds to regain your composure. It was only when James ran up to complain about being hungry that you truly snapped out of it.

After Adeline had showed her brothers and sister her archery skills, you gathered them inside and set to work immediately.

Gaston stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame, a smile on his face as he looked on. It didn’t matter how much time had passed. You still baffled him with your elegance and poise. He watched as you somehow managed to keep your head cool amidst a wave of chaos – “No, Rose, we can’t have pastries for breakfast. James put that down before you poke someone’s eye out. Adeline, keep the shooting outside, please. Gabriel, what on earth is on your face?” – and the way you moved around the room with fluent grace. Every gesture was effortless, and merely watching you interacting with your sons and daughters, even in the mundane, every-day manner was enough to make his heart swell.

To him, you were the embodiment of perfection, a gorgeous sort of mystery that never ceased to amaze him. You were his and only his, and though he may have been reluctant to admit it out loud, he couldn’t deny the way he was wrapped around your finger as well.

After breakfast had been eaten and each of the children had gotten themselves dressed, you assisted the girls while Gaston helped the boys to get ready for the day they were meant to spend in town with your parents.

Gaston corralled the boys into the hallway, telling James for the fifth time that he couldn’t bring the dead bird that he’d found in the yard that morning with him. No doubt it was the work of the family cat, Rufus, but the concept that it might be disturbing to some of the villagers to see a young boy skipping around town with a deceased bluejay in his hands couldn’t seem to get through his son’s head. James gave him a sulky look before stomping into the kitchen.

“Dramatic,” Gaston muttered, shaking his head. Without missing a beat, you leaned out of the girls’ room, saying, “Mmm, I wonder where on earth he gets that from.”

Gaston didn’t get a chance to respond as Adeline shot past you into the kitchen, then proclaimed excitedly, “They’re here!”

You simpered at Gaston teasingly, while he stepped towards you, leaning down to your ear and practically growling, “You will be the death of me, woman.” You only smiled as his hand traced up your spine, but then let out a bark of laughter as he squeezed your side, making you double over.

Rosemarie appeared from the bedroom and gave Gaston a reprimanding look, silently commanding him to stop tickling you, to which he obeyed. You straightened your back and subtly kicked his leg, trying to look cross and failing utterly as he gave you a dashing grin. You shook your head, wrapping an arm around his waist and walking onto the porch with Rose.

Gabriel and Adeline were already climbing onto your parents wagon when Rosemarie bolted forward, barely giving your father any time to catch her before she flung herself into his arms.

Your mother made her way towards you with a wide smile, placing her arm on your shoulder and looking between you and Gaston.

“I’m not sure how the two of you do it,” she admitted, making you laugh as you glanced at the children. “To be honest, Mama, we aren’t either.” You kissed her cheek before adding, “I hope you can handle them for the day.”

At this your mother made a face. “Now, now, (Y/N), one day is perfectly manageable.”

“Are you sure?” You asked. Your mother raised an eyebrow.

“Of course I am, I raised you. I’m prepared for anything.”

“Mama!” You exclaimed, Gaston and your mother sharing a laugh. You rolled your eyes and linked your arm with hers, the three of you strolling to the wagon where your father had just finished situating James, Gabriel, Adeline and Rosemarie.

"Well," your father said, embracing you fondly. "I suppose we'd better be off. Ready, darling?"

Your mother nodded, giving you one last hug while Gaston and your father shook hands.

"And remember," you said as your parents mounted the wagon. "If at any time you lose track of Rosemarie, you'll almost definitely find her at Père Robert's."

"Don't worry!" Your mother scolded. "We'll be perfectly fine."

You didn't argue, but secretly you knew that by the end of the day, your parents would undoubtedly be pleasantly exhausted.

Each of the children waved wildly as they set off, trying to be the one who yelled their goodbye the loudest. You smiled and waved back as they disappeared from sight, their voices growing smaller and smaller.

"My parents have no idea what they've gotten themselves into," you joked, placing your hands over Gaston's as his arms encircled your waist. "Mmm," he hummed, his chest vibrating against your back. "They've done it before, they can do it again."

"I guess so," you sighed as Gaston grazed his lips across your neck, making goosebumps bloom on your skin. "You know what this means," he asked, his voice an octave lower than usual. "What?" You whispered, your eyelids fluttering as the scruff around his mouth scratched your skin. "For the first time in weeks, I have you all to myself."

You managed a flustered laugh. "Should I be scared or excited, Monsieur Gaston?"

His arms tightened around you and he placed a kiss beneath your ear. "Maybe a bit of both..."