#my motorcycle trousers finally came

[foreignobjecticus]

Me at the supermarket: Tee hee £1 cherry energy drink? Sure! :3

Me at the now, after 3/4 of a can 4 hours ago, on the edge of my seat, getting through the anxiety and racing heart, straight to crash town: This bitch still tired. This bitch still tired. It just made me wired and tired. Now I’m tired and wired. WHY DO PEOPLE DRINK THESE. HHHHHNNNNNNNNN

[storytowrite]

|Drive ~ Han Jisung|

Theme: Night Race, little angst

Word Count: 1,449

Warnings: none

Summary: Han Jisung is the best night racer in the city, until you came up...

Authors note: Hello people. This is my first ever story that I've finally decided to post. Please enjoy and don't be too harsh in the comments <3 Maybe in future I will make this story into series.

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The day was cold and rainy. Not the perfect day in early autumn in Seoul, but it is what it is. No one can rule the weather anyway. You were looking at the view through the large window in your new apartment. The Han River looked amazing and shiny. You smirked to yourself - it will be a really good evening. Hopefully everything will stick to the plan. 

You started preparing yourself for the night. You put on a black t-shirt and black skinny motorcycle trousers, and then you tied up your heavy boots and took the black helmet and a jacket matching with the trousers. You looked into your reflection in the mirror and smirked again to yourself. You were ready. 

You got out of your apartment and went to the underground garage, where your motorcycle was parked. After a while you were on your way to the place where the night race will start. You felt a little uncertain, but it wasn’t time for any second thoughts. You had to do it. Had to show everyone there that you’re alive, and ready to come back. Had to show HIM that you didn’t disappear because you were scared. He probably still thought that you were dead. Everyone thought that. Well, they will have a really (not that) nice surprise.  

Personally you were excited. You knew that everyone would be in shock, maybe even angry with you. After all, you'd disappeared without any message. You played dead for four years. Four long years without contacting anyone. Without saying a word to your friends, family, and to HIM. You were afraid of his reaction. Will he be happy to see you? Or maybe he will be furious? Or disappointed? You didn’t know what to expect from him, and from your old friends. 

Finally, you’ve arrived at the place. You didn’t take off your helmet too afraid to show your face, just yet. You scanned the environment looking for some familiar faces. Finally you spotted HIM and his two best friends - Christopher Bang - for some people Chan - the leader of their group called Stray Kids, and Seo Changbin, the best mechanic in the whole city. You couldn’t find a better guy to repair your bike than him. 

Finally, your sight fell on HIM. His posture, his whole silhouette had changed. He looked a lot different than four years ago. His hair was a little bit longer and… and blue. You had to admit that dark blue definitely suited him. Also he gained some muscles and looked more healthy than before. From your source you knew that both Chan and Changbin drag HIM to the gym everyday after your disappearance. You will thank them later for that. Eventually, you still cared about HIM and never stopped. 

Han Jisung was your true and only love since high school. You two were one of those sweet teenage couples that everyone wished to be. Back then he was this cute little nerdy boy and you were that popular one girl, who fell into him like in some kind of drama. Who knew that after all these years the roles will be switched. Now he was the bad boy, the popular one and you were known as dead. 

You’ve decided to move from your spot a little closer to them. You wanted to hear what they were talking about. Hear their voices, his voice. Gosh, you’ve missed him so much. There was even a time, where you wanted to call, to tell him, that you were alive, that you didn’t die in that accident. But you were too afraid to do so. 

‘Hyung, are you sure that everything is alright?’. You heard his voice, definitely more mature, but still similar to what you’ve remembered. 

‘Yes Han, I am SURE that your bike is alright. Friendly reminder that I am the one who made it.’ Changbin’s answer was sharp. Was he irritated with Han? 

‘I just want to be sure, that’s all…’ Han pouted and Changbin rolled his eyes. 

‘Han, everything is fine. Don’t be that nervous’. You’ve heard Chan’s soft voice. As always he was calm. ‘You will win this race and after that we will go to grab some beer with the rest of the boys, as usual. What’s the big deal? Come one.’

‘Don’t you remember what day it is today?’ Han asked. Ah yeah, the day of the race was the same date as the day of your accident.  You almost forgot that. 

‘Oh please for god’s sake! It was four years ago, get over it Han!’ Changbin’s voice was a little too edgy. 

‘Guess what, I cannot get over it Bin!’ Han snarled.

‘Okay, okay, calm down boys. Calm down. Han focus, you will win this race and after that you will do whatever you want, okay? Is that clear?’ 

‘Yes, it is VERY clear.’ Han rolled his eyes and sat on his motorcycle. ‘Wish me luck guys… But if I win, which is the only option, you two buy me beer.’ 

‘We have a deal bro, and now go and win this race.’ Changbin smiled and the younger boy, and Han drove to the start. 

You did the same. All the competitors lined up at the start. Your motorcycle was next to his. You looked out of the corner of your eye, gosh he looked so handsome. He put on his helmet and his bike made a noise. Han was impatient, you knew that. Also he was so determined to win. It was almost impossible to compete with him. But even the chances were low, you knew all his weaknesses. 

The loud noise made out of the gun was the information that the race had begun. All the competitors started their machines, but their bikes weren’t as fast as yours and Han’s. You two were first, almost head to head. You both left the others far behind. The road was simple, you had to drive straight to the main park, and then turn right to the main road. After five kilometers you had to turn back and go straight to the ice.

As simple as the road was, the race wasn’t. You knew that Han would do anything to win, no matter what, which meant that you had to be extremely careful. He tried to push you from the route a few times. But you didn’t let him do that. You knew all his tricks. Suddenly you stopped your bike for a while, he had to be surprised by this action, because till that moment you were head to head. He slowed his motorcycle a little, and then within a few seconds, you overtook him, which led you to first place. 

So Han Jisung, the best racer of all, lost. He definitely will be devastated by it, you were certain about that. But you didn’t care. You wanted to show him that there are people who are better than him. You didn’t care about the prize, didn’t care about money, you cared about him, his attitude, his everything. 

He took off his helmet in complete shock. The boys also were surprised. It was unexpected, the first loss in Han’s career as a night racer ever. He blinked twice and looked at your silhouette. You didn’t take off your helmet, you couldn’t show your face just yet. You just wanted to win with him. After all he was the one who taught you everything you knew about motorcycles. 

You looked at him through the dark glass in your helmet and just nodded. That was all you could do. Before the organizers of the race came to give you your prize, you had been gone. So they gave the money to Han. He took it, still in shock. 

People around were curious. Who was the person who won the race with Han? They started to discuss what actually happened. And Han was the one, who stood in the same place and looked at the road. He was devastated. 

‘Han? Are you okay?’ Chan asked and put his hand on his shoulder. 

‘I’ve lost… I’ve lost Chan.’ The boy answered. ‘H-how is that even possible? Find me that bitch whoever it was. I need revenge.”

‘That’s not possible… No one knows who it was. They call him or her The Ghost… Come on man, let’s go home.’ Chan said calmly. 

Two men disappeared in the dark van. One was completely shocked, and the other one was worried about the other. But in this whole situation only one thing was certain. He will be looking for you, no matter what. And when he finds you, no one will be able to help. 

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masterlist

[hardynwa]

Abducted Kaduna pupil narrates how he escaped from kidnappers

One of the kidnapped pupils from Kuriga, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Mustapha Abubakar, who luckily escaped has recounted his ordeal in the hands of his abductors. This was according to a report by BBC Hausa Service published online on Monday, March 11, 2024. According to Abubakar, the kidnappers treated them like a ‘herd of cows’ grazing in the bush. Recall that over 280 pupils and teachers of Government Secondary School and LEA primary school at Kuriga, Kaduna State were abducted by bandits on Thursday, March 7, 2024. The bandits reportedly invaded the Kuriga area of the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Thursday, shooting at their victims before taking away at least 280 of the pupils and teachers from both schools. The PUNCH reports that the secondary school was relocated to the primary school on account of the insecurity in the council. Narrating his experience, Abubakar said he escaped by craftily hiding in the bush while they were being transported into the forest on foot by the bandits. He said, “We trekked in the bush; sometimes we crawled. We were so thirsty that some of the girls were becoming weak and falling due to tiredness. The bandits were lifting them and putting some of them on motorcycles. “We reached a big river, where we drank water and continued trekking. There was a plane that hovered above us. That was when the bandits ordered us to remove one of our clothes and lie down. “The bandits themselves are tired, they didn’t have anything to eat but they are eating grass and rope in the forest, they didn’t give us anything to eat. “While we were trekking, I noticed a shrub that was brown in colour, like my trouser. I hid inside and crawled like a snake. I was there until it was completely silent before I came out and headed to the bush.” He noted that he met an old man who could hardly walk, so he could show him the way to the side of the road or another town to get drinking water. According to Abubakar, he travelled a long distance until he later arrived at Gayan, a community from where he finally escaped. Meanwhile, Senator Uba Sani who led senior government officials and heads of security agencies in the state to the scene of the attack on Thursday evening, assured the community that those abducted by the bloodthirsty bandits would return unhurt. The governor said he had spoken to the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu on the matter and that security operatives had swung into action in search of the abducted pupils. Read the full article

[klcthebookworm]

WIP Wednesday

The adventures on the formerly Flying Ship are coming to an end.

Milly put Meryl on the motorcycle seat. Meryl had retracted her wings back into her body and holstered the black Colt, but didn’t say anything as she grabbed the motorcycle’s handlebars.

“Brace for impact!” Hannah yelled. “Brace for impact!”

Milly grabbed hold of Hannah’s seat as the ship plowed into the ground. Milly’s feet vibrated off the floor but her arms held tight.

“Reverse thrust! All propulsion to reverse thrust!”

The motorcycle honked.

Hannah gripped her station desk tighter. “Yeah, I have bad words for the people who built this ship without landing gear too!”

The vibration finally slowed and then stopped. Milly put the soles of her boots on the floor and they stayed. “Have we landed?”

Hannah checked the details on the small screen connected to the keyboard. “Yeah, we’re down. Safe to leave the vehicle.” She unplugged the motorcycle’s cord.

The crowd began to mutter as they regained their feet and whined. “The ship. We’re done for. We’re stuck on this planet. Our way of life, our peaceful days, they’ve over. Damn! How did this happen? This is all her fault! That’s right; it’s her fault! Everything was fine before you came here!”

Hannah jumped up on the seat and howled. “AOOW! You ungrateful bigots! Congratulations, you are alive to figure out how to live in peace and harmony and not get robbed by bandits! Not that I did it for any gratitude, but my bros are probably dead so shut your snouts!” She choked back a sob.

Meryl stretched out her left hand. “Vash needs us.”

Hannah took Meryl’s hand, stepped on the motorcycle’s seat, and dropped down to sit in front of Meryl. The motorcycle revved, circled around the station Hannah had used, poked a cannon out of its front, and blew apart the stun bolts before jumping through the hole.

The crowd recovered from their screams as Milly brushed her coat off. “I’m sure Vash has everything in hand. He’s good at that. I’m going to find Nicholas now. Welcome to Gunsmoke.” She made sure the stun bolt gun was tucked under her coat as she headed back into the rest of the ship.

It didn’t take her long in the dim light to find Nicholas stomping on wrecked puppets and growling at himself as he trudged through the corridors. “Damn it! Everything happened just the way they planned it.”

“Not everything. Are you all right?” His trouser leg was slashed and she was pretty sure he was bleeding there.

“Nicked, but nothing to worry about. I knew these people living on the surface was inevitable,” he waved his free hand to gesture at the whole ship, “but I never thought I would be the one to trigger it.”

“That was less you and Vash not stopping destruction than Hannah starting landing procedures as soon as we found the Command Room. Less people are dead than would have happened with crashing.”

“Good for her; I do like that girl.”

They both heard muffled screaming and turned to each other. “Did you hear that?”

Nicholas turned to a door and pried it open. Jessica, stripped of her outer layers of clothing, was tied and gagged on the floor of the room. “My God, what are you doing here?” Nicholas asked.

Milly pulled her coat off, knelt next to the young woman, and began to untie her. “It’s all right. We’ve got you now.”

Nicholas’ voice rose with alarm. “Oh no, you mean the girl we saved is—”

[mypoisonedvine]

okay but here me out: you're a prostitute hired by laurie bc she found out that andy is cheating on her and needs proof for a divorce. when you see him, the payment is merely a bonus

wait i love this but i wanna modify it slighty: you’re a private investigator hired by laurie to seduce andy to prove he’s cheating!

this got so nasty so fast omg watch out for really dominating andy, with lots of dirty talk and a little bit of manipulation if you wanna read into it

“you don’t have to go through with it, obviously,” she explained, “you just need to get him to admit he’s done it before, and he’ll do it again.  on tape, with this.”

she set the audio recorder down in front of you, and you smiled sympathetically.

“don’t worry, ma’am, this isn’t my first time with a case like this.  I have my own equipment that’s less conspicuous and more reliable.  I could even catch him on film if you wanted.”

“you can do that?”

“yep, I have cameras that look like pens, buttons, rings, earrings, glasses...”

“well, video footage would be even better,” she explained, excited yet somber.  “I mean, it would make a better case in the divorce.  it would kill me to have to watch it, though...” she trailed off, scratching the back of her neck.

“is there any doubt in your mind he’s cheating on you?”

“only because I don’t want to believe it.  but it’s become to obvious to ignore,” she shook her head.

“I understand.  it’s hard to stomach that the people we care about most would hurt us like that.  but sadly it is all too common.  let’s just say that as a private investigator, this is a huge portion of what I do... and I get very steady work.  you’re not alone, laurie.”

“thank you,” she smiled weakly. “can you do it tonight?  I want this over with.”

“um, as long as it’s pretty late, I have other tasks this evening.”

“oh, late shouldn’t be a problem, he’s out until 4 or 5 in the morning these days.  this is the address of his work--” she set a piece of paper in front of you-- “just follow him to whatever bar he goes to from there and you shouldn’t have a problem.”

she’d shown you a photo, so you knew what to expect.  you had to come straight from your last assignment following somebody else around the city, so you weren’t dressed for the occasion at all.  to follow someone, you needed to dress plain and forgettable; to seduce someone, especially someone like andy barber, you needed to be extremely memorable.

you brought a change of clothes in your car, which you hastily slipped into in your back seat-- it required some acrobats to put tights on in the back of a small car like yours, but you managed to get through.

not just tights, but lingerie and garters.  sky high heels, a skintight dress that made you feel like your whole body was on display.  a motorcycle jacket and dark lipstick to give the whole look some edge.  basically, you’d tried to look as different from his wife as possible.  married men who were fucking around on the side always wanted something different, something fresh.  you knew how to do that.

plus, the jacket had the hidden camera attached to the lapel, nearly invisible among the snaps and buttons.

the echo of your heels on the concrete floor of the bar made every head turn.  it was quiet, and apparently a pretty slow night with only a few men scattered here and there-- the only other woman was the waitress.

andy was sitting at the bar, nursing a beer, and he gave you a quick glance before doing a double take.  you tried not to smile visibly. gotcha.

you sauntered up to the bar, leaning forward and making sure to arch your back just so, showing off your ass. “vodka cranberry?” you requested, smiling when the bartender nodded and started pouring grey goose into a glass.

you took a seat decently far away from andy, “adjusting” your jacket to turn the camera on.  you wanted to make sure you caught him coming up to you, starting the conversation, flirting first.  he looked over at you a few times but never said anything, making you start to get a little impatient, before finally the bartender arrived with a second drink.

“from the gentleman at the end of the bar,” he explained as he handed it to you.

“oh!” you smiled, “that’s so sweet!  you can tell him to come say hi if he wants.”

and it was just a few minutes before andy got up and leaned against the bar beside you, looking down at you with dark, half-lidded eyes.

“thanks for the drink,” you grinned coyly, letting your gaze drift a bit.  he was really good looking, honestly, and he looked all kinds of right in that suit, too.  if it weren’t a job, this might be the kind of guy you would actually flirt with of your own accord.  then again, you knew better than to go for a guy who had a tan line on his ring finger-- you hoped the camera was able to see that he’d taken his wedding band off.

“I’m here almost every night and I’ve never seen you before.”

“I’m from out of town,” you explained.

“business or pleasure?” he asked with a little smirk.

“I guess we’ll find out,” you winked.

it didn’t take much more flirting and a few more rounds of drinks for him to ask if you wanted to ‘get outta here,’ and with a giggle and a nod you let him guide you to his car with a hand on the small of your back. 

of course, you thought he was going to drive the both of you somewhere.  you didn’t expect him to push you up against it and kiss you roughly.

it was so sudden, and you knew you should stop him, but you somehow couldnt bring yourself to push him back, not when the way he was breathing heavily against you made your head spin, not when you could feel his beard and it was so hot for no good reason at all, not when his thick hands were grabbing you at your waist just tight enough to make you breathless.

“get in the back,” he instructed when he pulled back, making you blink up at him in shock.  you knew you had enough, you knew you should make an excuse and leave, get this footage uploaded from your mini cam and onto your laptop so you could get laurie what she needed...

but instead you found yourself biting your lip and nodding, letting him open the door for you and hopping in before he climbed on top of you, shutting and locking the door.

“we can go back to my place,” you offered as he started to suck on your neck, pulling you closer.  

“cant wait that long,” he mumbled quickly before helping you push your jacket off.

and you could tell that the way he tossed it onto the floor made the camera perfectly angled to see what he was doing to you.  maybe it was the perfect evidence for laurie’s case.  maybe it was about to tape you in your most intimate state with no way for you to stop it.

certainly there was no way you could stop when he manhandled you onto your hands and knees, pushing your dress up to find your black lace panties, and the garters holding up your tights.

“fuck, look at you... that’s why you came out tonight, then?  to get fucked?”

you nodded a little, gasping when he slapped your ass.

“little whore.”

you didn’t think you’d like being talked to like that, but it made your pussy throb beneath the lingerie that barely covered it.

just when you thought he was going to give it some attention, he flipped you around again and pulled you into his lap. 

“get on the floor, on your knees, and suck my cock.”

how was he so comfortable telling you what to do?  better yet, why were you doing it?

you slipped down, barely finding enough room with your massive heels in the way, and started to palm at his cock through his suit trousers, moaning absent-mindedly when you felt the thick, hard, hot length hidden beneath.   your mouth was already watering.

you started on his belt, looking up at him occasionally to find him watching you with a cold, unyielding stare.  when you reached inside his boxers and pulled it out, he smiled at your little gasp.

“bigger than you expected?” he taunted.  you were speechless, only able to nod in response before he put a hand on your hair-- not exactly forcing you forward, but definitely encouraging you to go ahead and put it in your mouth.

“fuuuck,” he groaned with you licked the head and finally closed your lips around it, suckling gently as your eyes fluttered shut.  “no no,” he correctly instantly, “look up at me with those pretty eyes, sweetheart.  take it deeper.”

you moaned around him but obeyed, using your hand to stroke the portion you couldn’t fit in your mouth (which was more than half).  you started to back away when you choked a little, but he pushed you back down and moaned a little louder, “I like it when you gag,” he explained gruffly, smiling when you looked up at him again, your eyes watering this time.  “god, you look so good like this.”

he pulled you off by your hair while you took in a gasping breath, gripping his cock at the base and slapping you lightly on the face with it a few times.  when you put your chin by his balls, the head hit you on the forehead... it made your gut burn as you tried to imagine how that would possibly fit in you without breaking something important.

when he pulled you back onto him, bucking up into your throat as you choked and gasped for air, you felt need tingling up your spine from seeing him like this.  he was completely in control and yet looked totally wrecked as he fucked your face.  it made you so wet you couldn't stand it.

just when you thought he might come, he stopped suddenly and lifted you up onto his lap, pulling your dress down to admire your completely impractical bra.

he grinned when he saw your nipples were already hard, reaching up to tweak them gently until your hips rocked on top of him of their own accord.

“you like having your tits played with, sweetheart?”

“I like when you do it,” you blurted out.

“sweet young thing like you, you’ve probably never even been with somebody who knows what they’re doing.”

it’s not like you hadn’t had some adept partners in the past, but none of them were like this. nobody had ever made you this desperate.

“please fuck me, andy,” you whimpered.

“not yet,” he growled, ripping your bra and tossing it aside.

“that was expens--” you started to protest, but it fell into a moan as he latched his lips onto an exposed nipple, sucking and licking eagerly.

“f-fuck!” you stammered, gripping his jacket tightly as you tried to stop yourself from humping his leg out of desperation

but he wanted you to-- he grabbed your hips and pulled you down, guiding you to rub yourself on his thigh.

“go ahead, pretty girl, show me how bad you want it.”

you were pretty confident that even through your panties, you were going to leave a stain on his trousers. 

you could even feel his cock on the inside of your thigh, hot and still slick with your spit, so hard you wondered why he wouldn't just put it in you already.

“please please please, need it so bad,” you whined, “I'm so wet for you, baby, I'm so fucking ready....”

“I know,” he whispered, pulling you closer to put his lips right beside your ear.  “I know, baby, I can feel it.  I can smell it.  you smell so fuckin sweet...”

you whimpered and your head fell back, pleasure shooting up through your body in jolts as you rubbed your swollen clit on his thick thigh.

“want me to fuck you?  I’ll fuck you, babydoll.  hard and rough just how you need it.”

“yes,” you sobbed.

“I’ll give it to you so good you won’t be able to walk straight tomorrow, won’t be able to sit right cause I tore that pretty little pussy up.”

you gasped but you wanted it, god you wanted it so fucking bad you couldn’t even remember that this was supposed to be a job, not a hook-up.  but you didn’t care.  

“please baby, I’ll do anything just fuck me, please--” you cried, cut off by him grabbing you and pushing you onto your knees again, slapping your ass one more time before pulling your panties aside.

“god, you’re soaked,” he chuckled condescendingly. “you’re so sensitive, honey.  I bet you’ll go crazy if I touch you here,” he proposed, rubbing his thumb over your clit and making you jolt forward from the intensity of it.  

he leaned down to wrap his body over yours, holding you close with one arm around your neck as he whispered in your ear, turning your face slightly with a hand on your jaw.

“look into the camera while I put it in you, baby...”

you weren’t sure if it was realizing you’d been caught, or the feeling of him pushing into you that made your eyes water, but a tear fell down your cheek as he buried himself into you with a groan.  it was just the right type of pain; with how wet you were, even a cock as massive as his slid into you easily.  but it felt like you’d never been stretched so wide and you didn’t even know what to do with yourself as he pulled back and slammed into you.

“I never told you my name,” he reminded you, “but you knew it anyways.  and with what I do for a living, I can smell a p.i. from a mile away.  you’re not as slick as you think, sweetheart-- well, proverbially slick... cause literally, this pussy is so fucking wet for me.” 

you could only gasp and sigh as he pumped into you faster and deeper, reaching parts of you that had never been touched before, let alone ravaged like this.  you could feel his smile against your ear as he started to fuck you faster, his free hand palming at your breasts before reaching back to hold your hips steady.

“god, you’re so fucking tight... anybody ever fucked you this good, honey?  anybody ever taken you like the needy little slut you are?”

he bit down on your ear and you realized he wanted an answer.

“n-no,” you replied, “never.  nobody’s ever fucked me like this, andy.”

“anybody ever fucked you on camera before?”

you swallowed dryly. “no.”

“was it all an act, then?  all part of the job?  I don’t buy it.  I think this is who you really are, a desperate little slut who needs to be stuffed full of cock by somebody who can give you everything you need.”

his filthy monologue fell on deaf ears as you tried with all your might to look away from the camera on your jacket, knowing that you had totally blown your case as well as presumably destroying your reputation.  fucking a married man is one thing, fucking a married man whose wife is your client who hired to prove he was cheating?  maybe you could spin it as doing your job a little too well?

“I can tell you’re close, sweetheart, go ahead and come for me.  I wanna feel this pretty pussy squeeze me, milk my fuckin cock when you come.”

mainly you were just trying not to get too loud, afraid that the car wouldn’t be enough to muffle your noises in case somebody walked through the mostly empty parking lot.

“andy!” you yelped when you reached your peak, not really meaning to but it came out anyways, he chuckled a little, the sound morphing into a growl as you clenched down around him with each wave of pleasure washing over you.

“fuck, don’t fuckin stop, this pussy feels so good I think I’m gonna come inside...”

you were too out of it to protest; you would’ve gone limp and fallen down onto your chest if he hadn’t held you up, his cock flexing against your overstimulated walls as he painted your insides with his come.

he grinned as he stilled his movements, catching his breath for a moment before sitting up and pulling out, slipping your panties back on to keep his come inside for a bit longer.

it was all a blur as he helped you half-redress before he all but shoved you out of the car, stuffing his cock back into his pants before getting into the driver’s seat and starting the engine.

“tell my wife I said ‘hi’,” he winked at you as he drove off, leaving you with wobbly legs balancing on your heels while his come leaking down your thighs.

[arveeee]

The beginning

Bishop Losa x Reader

Like always: sorry for my bad English.

Gif by: sonsofeorl

The bicycle was in parts, you just hoped all parts were there. You brushed your hair back from your sweaty forehead and took another look. The bicycyle was your only hope of getting out of this shithole. An idyllic holiday on your father's farm was supposed to be the beginning of a new life. You were glad you were going to spend some time with your father. And you were hoping to recover a little from the toxic relationship you'd been in for the last 7 years. 7 years of a wasted life.

But here in Southern Cali, nothing was as it was supposed to be. The farm was no longer a farm, but a house in the middle of the great semi-desert hills, and it was a house in need of a lot of renovation. Southern California was no paradise either, but a sunburned dusty place. And as soon as you arrived, your father left you the keys to his old truck, muttered some words, something between goodbye and apology, got on his motorcycle and drove off into the blue, which was really not a blue, but a dusty road ahead.

You didn’t have much to do. You should be looking for a job, but first, you wanted to get some rest. And after cleaning the old house, making the beds where you planted tomatoes and peppers, and in the boxes on the terrace, herbs, you found resting is boring. Especially as the phone coverage was really poor and certainly didn't allow you to watch Netflix. So the next day you packed a small bag, grabbed a map and decided to make a trip to the ocean. The truck made strange sound. It stated somehow strangly, jerked and stalled. Gentle speech, swearing and kicking did little. It was still working 3 days before when you went shopping in Santo Padre and everything seemed fine. But now it wouldn't move.

You returned home and realised that all you had left was a hammock on the terrace and admiring the blue sky. An idyllic holiday in the middle of nowhere.

After a few days of lying in a hammock, you understood that, yes, it was nice, but you also had to eat. And even if the fasting is good for your figure, it cannot go on indefinitely. You didn't really know who to call. Anyway, the phone most of the time didn't want to connect. You considered walking towards the city, but Santo Padre was too far to walk. And then you remembered that you saw a bicycle in the shack. You went to inspect it and you quickly realised that these were bicycle parts rather than a bicycl. But you dragged everything outside the house and decided to try to put it back together. There was not a single cloud in the sky. It was hot.

You brushed your hair off your sweaty forehead. And then you heard the whirr of a motorcycle. Motorcycles - you corrected yourself while still leaning over the bicycle. You were a little relieved that your father was coming back and would take care of the truck. The sun was shining straight into your eyes, so you shielded them with your hand and looked out the way. Two motorcycles were coming along, but it wasn't until they got closer that you realised that neither looked like your father's. Neither of the motorcyclists was your father. You bent down and discreetly picked up the wrench you were using to assemble the bike.

They stopped two metres in front of you and removed their helmets. You involuntarily stepped back without letting go of the wrench.

The one with a smaller posture and a moustache smiled and as he did so his whole face lit up.

- Are you Taza's daughter? We came to check on you.

You didn't say a word because you didn't know what was going on. And who was Taza?

The other, taller, with a round, nice face and hands tattooed up to his wrists noticed your confusion.

- We're friends of Che. I'm Hank and this is Bishop - he pointed at the other guy. - Let me see what you have got here.

He walked over to the bike parts and before you knew it he took the wrench out of your hand.

He looked at the parts and put the frame of the bike upright.

- Let me help you here.

- Che is not at home. - you murmured.

The other one smiled.

- We know he isn't. He asked us to stop by and see if you were okay. Let's go inside. - He passed you by and entered the house. You followed him in. The man opened the fridge. It was clearly not his first time here. He looked inside.

- it’s empty. Not even a beer.

- I can make tea. Or give you water, if you like.

- Tea? - he laughed again.

He took a glass and poured himself some water from the tap. He sat down at the table. You leaned against the kitchen table. Now you could look at him. He was quite a bit younger than your father. He had a moustache that quite suited him, a very nice smile and warm eyes. On the cut he wore he had similar stripes as your father. Now you noticed it. Only where your father had “Vicepresidente”, and that one had “Presidente”. “Interesting” - you said to yourself. He had a nice smile, but you also saw his muscular hands and knew it was better not to get in his way. Just like the one who stayed outside. That one looked a bit like a wrestler.

- Are you all right, sweetheart? - He looked at you until you blushed. You were wearing a tiny blouse that you had put on to repair your bicycle and quite short trousers. You were sweaty and dusty, but he was looking at you with... admiration?

You didn't really know what to say, so you just wrapped yourself in the scarf that was lying on the back of the kitchen chair and poured yourself some water too.

- It's not going to work, princesa - you heard Hank's voice. - One of the wheels is missing a hub. And the brakes are missing too. Unless you have them somewhere.

- I don't have any - you sighed.

- Why do you need a bicycle, where would you like to go in this heat?

- I need groceries.

- Shopping? And you know that the nearest store is 30 miles away.

- I have no choice. The truck broke down.

- Broke down? Then why didn't you tell me right away?

- When was the last time you ate? - Bishop was concerned and threw a meaningfully look at the fridge.

- Jesus christ, girl. - Hank just sighed.

- Let's go - Bishop moved to the door. - Come on, you need to be fed.

- I need to get changed. - The conversation about food finally convinced you to trust them.

An hour later you were finishing your burger at the diner and talking to Bishop like you'd known him for ten years. Hank left you by the dfiner alone with Bishop. And it didn't bother you at all. Bishop wanted to order you some more dessert, but that was too much.

- We'll go to the club now and figure out what to do with your truck.

- I need to do some groceries.

- Don't worry about it, querida. - Bishop put his arm around you and led you toward his motorcycle. And smiled to you. You suddenly felt as safe as never before. And that's when you realized that despite thousands of promises that it would never happen to you again, it did.

You fell in love.

Tags: @megapeacelovemusic-blog @est1887

[mymoonagedaydream]

stark! daughter reader and Bucky get into a motorcycle accident. Bucky runs over to the reader who’s laying on her back on the side of the road, injured.

Bubble Wrapped

Summary: Breaking free from your overprotective father felt really good, at least for the first few minutes

Pairing: Bucky x Stark daughter!y/n

Word Count: 1.4k

Warnings: Language

---

For the daughter of a fucking avenger, you really didn’t get to have much fun.

The world knew Tony Stark as the self-proclaimed genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist, but the side of him they never saw was the unreasonably strict and overprotective father, the one who barely let you set foot outside the compound without surveillance from a full secret service of bodyguards and a personal apache attack helicopter.

He made sure you stayed close to home job-wise too, arranging for you to begin work as an assistant to your mother as soon as you turned eighteen.

He even kept all the other residents of the compound under strict orders, that no circumstances warranted you getting mixed up in the dangerous side of their work, and that he’d completely ruin anyone who dared challenge him on that.

You lived in bubble wrap. 

You knew that your dad was doing what he thought was best for you, and he did everything he could to make up for your lack of freedom, but all you really wanted was a proper life.

Then Steve brought the newest avenger back to the compound.

You’d seen him in passing a few times, when you ate with Nat in the communal dining area or walked past one of your father’s many meetings, but you only properly met him after he’d been living in the compound for a few weeks.

While Tony was away on business, Pepper gave you a few days off work to relax and have free reign of the compound, during which time you bumped into the newest avenger fixing his motorbike in the parking lot and decided it’d be nice to properly introduce yourself .

‘Hi, I don’t think we’ve met. I’m y/n.’

‘We haven’t, but I’ve heard lots about you.’ He flashed you a smile before standing up and sticking his hand out towards you. ‘Bucky.’

‘Nice to meet you.’

You shook his hand and gave him a polite nod, then taking a few steps past his bike, but stopping when he spoke again.

‘So what's the deal with your dad?’

‘Good question. Could you be more specific?’

He chuckled, pulling a dirty rag from his pocket and wiping the sweat off his forehead. ‘When I arrived, he sat me down and said you need to stay away from all the exciting stuff. You got brittle bones or something?’

‘Not as far as I know, unless they’ve deteriorated from lack of use.’

‘I’ve heard of that happening.’ You huffed slightly at his amused smile, giving him a face of complete resignation in return. ‘You should probably try having some fun.’

‘It’s on my to-do list.’

You headed back towards the door, smiling to yourself and finding that you were extremely intrigued by your father’s new team member. Just as you yanked it open, Bucky shouted after you.

‘I could take you for a ride?’ You spun round, looking back at him in slight shock. ‘On the bike, I mean.’

Your heart started thumping. You definitely wanted to, more than anything, but Christ if your dad ever found out he’d probably lock you in your bedroom until you were forty.

‘That’s a really, really bad idea.’

‘So is that a no?’

You felt a warm smile spread across your face and your legs started moving on their own, instinctively carrying you towards him as you battled the choice out in your mind.

‘Alright, but you can’t tell anyone. For both our sakes.’

‘Deal.’

He only had one helmet, which he gave to you, insisting that it’d take much more than a road accident to cause him any damage. Throwing his leg over the bike, he positioned himself right and gestured for you to hop on.

Your whole body was tingling with excitement as you settled yourself behind him, nervously running your hands over your thighs. As soon as he revved the engine your heart leapt out of your chest.

‘You’re gonna want to hold on, Stark.’ He called over his shoulder. ‘First time can be nerve wracking.’

The bike roared fully into life and he pulled away from the building, the sudden momentum prompting you to throw your arms around his waist and hold on as tight as you possibly could. 

You swivelled your head round, watching the compound disappear into the distance, ecstatic to finally be away from that place for a while.

Bucky sped down country lanes and back roads, laughing heartily at every squeal you let slip, purposefully gunning the bike a little harder after each one. 

You could feel each burst of fear and excitement and adrenaline coursing through your veins, you’d never felt more alive.

But it all changed in an instant.

A car pulled out from a hidden turning without checking the road, speeding right into your path.

Bucky quickly swerved and the motorcycle crashed down onto its side. 

He was thrown over the handlebars, landing with an almighty thud on the tarmac and rolling away a few metres. Your leg got trapped underneath the bike, both you and it sliding across the road so fast that the material of your trousers got ripped away and you felt the rough road surface scraping against your bare leg.

The car immediately sped off, leaving you and Bucky sprawled out in the middle of nowhere, both lucky to be alive.

Even with the unholy amount of adrenaline your brain was producing, you still felt an intense, stabbing pain grow from your trapped leg. It worsened with every deep breath you gulped in, until it became almost unbearable.

Battling through shock and confusion, you lifted your head slightly to try and figure out where Bucky was, spotting him lumbering back onto his feet a few metres away. He sprinted over to you and yanked the bike away like it weighed nothing, relieving some of the pain in your leg, before dropping to his knees.

‘Fuck, are you hurt?’

You shifted slightly and groaned in pain. ‘I think my leg is broken.’

‘Alright, don’t move. I’ll call an ambulance.’

You tried to keep control of your breathing as he spoke down the phone, but you weren’t able to stop intense panic and fear rising in your chest. 

Bucky must’ve seen how scared you were, because while the two of you were waiting for help to arrive, he lay down himself on the road next to you. He held your hand and reassured you that everything was going to be alright. 

He made what would otherwise have been the most terrifying ten minutes of your life completely bearable.

Once you arrived at the hospital, you were taken for x-rays, which showed that you’d only sustained a stable fracture. Your doctor kept passive-aggressively reiterating how lucky you’d been, stating that she rarely saw such minor injuries from severe motorcycle accidents, especially ones that happened at such speed.  

You noticed she didn’t bother lecturing Bucky, even though he was the one not wearing a helmet. Then again, he’d somehow come out of it with no injuries whatsoever and had taken to shooting intense daggers at anyone who even tried to approach him, so she was probably just too intimidated to attempt it.

Fully casted and drugged up, you made your way back to the compound with Bucky, where you explained everything to your mother. Thankfully, she’d always been much less strict, and she agreed that Tony could never know what’d happened. She even helped you devise a very detailed story about how you’d fallen down the stairs while tipsy. Genius.

The evening came around and you found yourself alone in the living room, disappointed at how quickly the morphine they’d given you at the hospital was wearing off. 

Just as you were about to hoist yourself up and raid your father’s liquor cabinet, Bucky shuffled into the room, looking extremely sheepish.

The rest of the avengers weren’t usually allowed into your parents’ private quarters, but with Tony still away and Pepper working all night, he probably figured he was safe for a quick visit.

‘I just came to make sure you’re alright.’

‘Yeah I’m all good, thanks Bucky.’ You glanced over to your monstrosity of a cast and chucked. ‘Well, apart from that thing.’

‘I’m really sorry. Should’ve just stayed away, like your dad said.’

‘No, it wasn’t your fault. That driver was an asshole.’ He nodded, a slight smile spreading across his face. ‘I’m still really glad I said yes. Up until things went sideways, I was having the best time of my life.’

That seemed to cheer him up. His expression evolved into a wide grin and he took a few steps towards you, scanning his eyes over your face.

‘Maybe next time, we should go smaller. Whack-a-mole or something.’

‘Next time?’

‘Yeah. Unless Tony finds out what happened and murders me.’

You bit your lip, trying your best to suppress a giddy grin. 

‘Sounds like a plan.’

---

[one-boring-person]

i love your works sm!! do you still take terminator requests? if so, i had in mind one where the reader had like, a bad day and the T-800 comforts them c:

Thank you! I'm really glad you like my stuff!And I do take Terminator requests; you're my first!😅 I hope you like this!

No Problemo.

T-800 x reader

Warnings: none

Masterlist

The door slams loudly behind me as I enter the house, my bag colliding violently with the wall as I throw it there, a scowl etched into my features. My coat soon joins the bag, left behind as I stalk further into the house, heading towards the kitchen, intent on grabbing something to eat or drink before going upstairs to wallow in my room, shoulders aching from my tense posture, clenched jaw equally as painful from the hours of biting back sharp replies. There are low noises coming from the lounge, but I ignore them, not quite in the mood to interact with the other members of the household. 

Entering the kitchen, I flick on the light and go over to the fridge, yanking it open to check its contents. A groan of frustration leaves me as I realise we're low on food (again), the cool shelves deserted after a week of feeding the four of us living here. Mentally, I make a note in my head to go to the store tomorrow and pick up some more stuff, knowing full well neither Sarah nor John will go, and Bob is unlikely to take the initiative by himself. Sighing, I close the fridge again and go to the cupboard, opening it to find the shelves yet again void of any edible substance. In their place, I find a few loose scraps of metal and some empty containers, some old spices pushed to the back of the space, the sight of which makes me roll my eyes.

"You have returned." 

The monotone voice behind me makes me jump, the owner of said baritone having managed to sneak up on me despite his generally massive size. Spinning on my heel, I come to face Uncle Bob, the T-800 regarding me quietly, expression mostly blank. Swallowing to calm myself again, I reach for a cup and go to the tap, filling it with cool water as I go to reply.

"Yeah. Finally." I respond dryly, downing the glass of water with a sharp jerk of my head.

The cyborg's brow creases a little, the terminator still learning to express human emotion as others do, his head cocking to the side, evidently scanning me.

"Your stress levels are very high and your muscles are unnaturally tensed. What is wrong?" Bob questions, coming further into the room, watching as I refill the glass.

Pulling a face at his automated observance, I shoot him a look from my position by the sink.

"Bad day." I eventually answer, pushing off the counter and going to move past him, heading up to my room.

I frown as I hear him follow after me, his heavy boots thudding on the stairs behind me. Paying him no mind, I simply walk to my room, pushing open the door and going in, starting to pull at the smarter clothes I'm forced to wear for my job. My fingers fumble with the buttons of my shirt, frustration clouding my mind as I struggle to undo them. From the corner of my eye, I can see Bob loitering in the doorway, watching me carefully, before he suddenly pushes into the room, coming over to me. Confused, I stare at him, backing up a little until his eyes meet mine, somehow managing to reassure me with his carefully crafted mimicry of human reassurance.

Hesitantly, I let him come closer, tensing when he instantly goes to start unbuttoning my shirt, his passive gaze staying focused on the task, even as he starts to speak, his large frame hunched over me.

"What has solicited your negative assessment of the day?" The cyborg queries, easily loosening each button in turn.

Clenching my jaw again, I watch him work, feeling somewhat soothed by his calm actions, enjoying his closeness and unwavering stociness. 

"It's just been a long, difficult day. Nothing went right, my boss is making things harder for me, and none of the things I needed to get done actually got done." I sigh, trying to relax, "I have a ridiculous amount of work due tomorrow, and I've had no way of doing it today. I didn't eat lunch because I had no time, so now I'm hungry, and tired, and just want to go to bed."

Having told him these things, I start to feel a little better, but not by much, having been reminded of the exact reasons why I'm like this in the first place.

"I see." The T-800 recites one of his newly-learned phrases, glancing up at me, "It is recommended that you obtain food and take rest for optimum recovery."

His diagnostic advice comes quickly, a hard contrast to the more human way of speaking we've been trying to teach him, the sound of which almost brings a small smile to my face.

"I plan to do that." I mutter, batting his hands away as he finally finishes his task, turning away from him as I strip myself of my shirt and trousers, pulling on some more comfortable clothes.

"Good." He nods in approval, moving over to me again as I go to sit on my bed.

Quietly, he eyes me, seemingly running through some line of data on his HUD, before he leans down and easily scoops me into his arms. Squeaking in surprise, I wrap my arms around his neck, only to let go when he places me down against my pillows, taking care to make sure I'm comfortable, removing everything that may be considered uncomfortable from the bed.

"What are you doing?" I ask him, curiously, watching as he neatly folds a shirt and places it on my desk.

"Helping you recover." He states simply, glancing at me, "Stay where you are."

Frowning at his command, I stare after him as he leaves the room, unsure of what he is doing but not adverse to it. It feels nice to be looked after, for a change, instead of looking after others, even if it is by the surly cyborg sent to protect my best friend. He's always been stumped as to how John and I came to be friends, given the large age gap between us, somehow not quite understanding the concept that I had worked at the arcade the teen used to frequent and had come to know he and his friend very well. Eventually, I got roped into a situation that changed my life, and now here I am, living with the Connors, doing a terrible job to keep myself busy, trying to forget that the life I now lead is far from normal.

After a moment, the T-800 walks in again, a plate in one hand a mug in the other. As he comes closer, I realise there are a couple of slices of pizza on the plate, which confuses me.

"Where'd you get the pizza from? The fridge is empty." I ask him, sitting up to take the plate and mug from him as he offers them to me.

"Sarah and John ordered takeout. There was some spare." He fills me in, handing me the items.

Nodding, I place the plate in my lap, cupping the mug between my palms as I sniff it, glad to recognise a tea of some sorts, unaware that we had any. In doing so, I don't quite register that the T-800 has slipped onto the bed with me until his hands are suddenly on my waist, lifting me into his lap. Eyes widening in shock, I tense up, unused to the feeling of his huge, muscular body against mine, though he says nothing, only starting to rub my arms and legs gently.

"What're you doing?" I ask him again, still unsure, though I can slowly feel myself give in to his touch, the gentle sensations highly comforting to me.

"My files state that physical contact between two people can induce relaxation and a lessening of stress." Bob replies, pulling me back to lean against his chest, sitting back against the headboard as he does so.

"Right. Well, thank you." I say to him, hesitantly starting to relax into him, enjoying the feeling of his hands tracing my arms, the scent of motorcycle fuel, metal and the cheap cologne John bought him flooding my nostrils as I start to eat.

"No problemo." He replies, holding my mug still as I continue to eat.

Instantly, I feel my tensions starting to drain away, my hunger soon satiated, my exhaustion taking over as I settle back into Bob's chest, my eyelids starting to droop closed.

"It is recommended now that you sleep to regain your energy." The T-800 states, much quieter than usual, his arms wrapping around me properly after removing the plate and mug from the bed, keeping me against him as he gently manoeuvres himself to lie down with me on his chest.

Turning in his arms, I look up at him, smiling contentedly as I rest my head on his collarbone, nodding at the cyborg.

"Yeah, I will. Thank you." I murmur, closing my eyes properly, totally relaxed in his hold.

He doesn't reply, only tightening his grip on me, a kiss suddenly pressed to my forehead, leaving me smiling like an idiot in my sleep.

[hitmyheadagainstthewall]

This is one of my unfinished dsmp hero au's that I've not ended yet, so I'm posting it here to share it with you people!!

A blond kid sleeps with his head laying on the counter of the 24/7 opened Gas station.

Wilbur frowns. The kid, presumably, is the cashier. The kid has light blond hair, so bright that reflects the white bulbs, his eyes twitches under the eyelids, visibly having a good sleep from how he sighs relieved with his head wrapped by his arms—he has freckles just like Wilbur, and acne scars.

It is sort of an inconvenient from how hungry he is and how asleep the guy is, and he is not feeling like stealing anything tonight. (Tommy: the badge says, tossed careless above the counter.)

Wilbur pokes the kid’s mess of yellow curls. “Tommy” only hides his face further in his upper arm.

He gives in, leave the money on the counter takes two cereal bars of chocolate from the hook. In this way, he left.

The next time he won’t go buy something at 3AM.

SOCIAL NAME: WILBUR GOLD

NICKNAME: SALINE SOOT

BIRTH DATE: OCULTED

RELATED: OCULTED

POWER (DESCRIPITION): POISONING VOICE

INSTITUITION: FIRST HEROIC ACADEMY (F.H.A)

MAIN COMPANIONS: “The Perpetrator”, “Crowned-Raven”, OTHERS.

Wilbur is a hero. He’s Saline integrally in the suburban cities.

He had been highlighted for being in the Top 5 of Most Powerful Hero’s, carrying an unacknowledged quirk to science, enough for him to be considered a danger in the start of his hero-career.

Therefore, he ran away for a bit.

It is not like he regrets being a hero. In fact, he cannot imagine a life doing something that isn’t it: with the wind running against his face and the pumping adrenaline of an inconceivable battle, the taste of victory in his mouth and the sense of union that makes his heart beats rapidly when Phil (Crowned-Raven) stokes his hair and says that he did a “good job, son”.

He is a human, nonetheless. He deserves a vocation.

God, he can’t be workaholic when the just said “work” could (and has high chances that will) kill him soon.

He packaged his begs, hugged Phil, and stole a jumper from Techno (The Perpetrator, or the Blade. (It is a very dramatic name was given to Techno by the media that cannot fail to make him giggle)). The then moved the farthest he could.

He ended in an end-of-world called Mountainsight—the name is self-explanatory.

It’s a cute little place, the mountains are not that beautiful, mostly looking like enormous amount of mud solidly stocked; the houses are made of wood, non-defaulted. Wilbur was able to walk since the start to the end of the city and he just found two supermarkets, no popular fast food’s—no McDonald’s nor Burger King—just familial-like ones, and one Gas station at the final stop.

Besides that, he feels comforted by the small town, mainly because no-one knows his hero-identity. No-one knowledges that Saline Soot exist in such a tiny and friendly place.

He returns to the Gas station.

Midday came fast, and regardless his will to do nothing during his vocations, he did not sleep that night. He organized his rented flat to make it soothed for his uncertainly long stay. The lady that rented him the flat was ultimately kind. He stopped not a long time ago, and the call of hunger made him walk for fifteen minutes to eat gas’ station food.

He makes his arrive, and he is blithely surprised that even for a small town the cars and motorcycles are frequent streaming on and off the streets.

He enters the gas station and in front of him the blond kid is sweeping the floor ahead the entry of the convenience store. He’s using polo shirt and jeans trousers; a cap decorates his curly hair and completes the egg-white uniform of the firm.

“Tommy”, Wilbur quite whispers.

The kid lifts his head, stilling from his sweeping and eyes Wilbur. “What?” The kid responds.

“Oh”, Wilbur exclaims.

“How do you know my name?” The kid scowls.

Wilbur pauses, suddenly figuring how creepy he sounds, “You were sleeping during your shift last night,” Wilbur hums, “or earlier this morning”.

The kid grown pallid, widening his grey-blue eyes and he makes a face. It would be funnier if the kid didn’t look fully aghast by his comment.

“Are you alright? You look quite–”.

“You’re going to report me,” the kid astonished speaks.

Wilbur dramatic gasps. “Me? I’d never!”

The kid scowled to him, rather distress.

Wilbur settles down, “Really, kid. I’m not here for it. Actually, do you sell food here?”

“I’m not a kid,” the kid responds, then bent the sweeper over the wall, it stills. “And why the hell you need to eat gas’ station food, you shouldn’t be old or something?”

“I’m not that old”, Wilbur says, “I’m twenty-five”.

Tommy ample his eyes companied of a sceptical smirk, “Jesus”.

“Perhaps you are just too young to comprehend time”, Wilbur pouts.

Tommy doesn’t seem distressed. Indeed, the kid chuckles and he shines like the sun from how large his grin is—so, Wilbur feels a grin bloom out of himself.

“Come with me”, Tommy grins rises, “we’ve great chips here”.

Tommy enters the store.

Tommy is sixteen years old. He’s tall, (6’1 tall), and lanky. He was born and raised in this town and never left but is waiting the right moment to do it. He emancipated from his brother’s guard when he was fifteen, dropped out college and started to work on the gas station six months ago.

Wilbur says that it’s not the better, and Tommy shrugs.

But the chips are actually great—he’s not sure where it was made, but with the blank expression on Tommy’s face on every bite of his says better than asking this question.

“You’re new here, then”, Tommy says. He looks over his left shoulder, no-one seems to appear, then he pulls a chair and sits on. Tommy steals a chip. (Wilbur doesn’t bother to complain.)

“I am. I arrived yesterday. You’re my first real talk since I left Blinson”.

“Blinson!” Tommy gushes. “You’re from Blinson!”

Wilbur chuckles, “Yes, I am.”

“Oh, God. Oh, God,” Tommy happily talks.

“What?” Wilbur grins, squinting from how Tommy shines from joy.

“How’s the city? The big cities. Oh, God. I’m waggling!”

Tommy is in fact waggling. Wilbur leans on the back of his sit—it is one of that very uncomfortable metal stuffed chairs—and smiles at the kid.

“The city is good”, Wilbur thinks. “It’s big, enormous even, and there’s music everywhere. Every type of music. And it is sorta filthy, but people always try to make it clean. There’s a lot of crime there, although”.

“Have you met some hero?” Tommy dramatically shouts.

Wilbur smirks out of amusement, “Perhaps I did.”

Tommy chuckles, sighs, then he leans on the back of the chair like Wilbur just did—he looks more situated, nevertheless.

“I always wanted to go to the cities”, Tommy drawls, dreamingly, “but run away from this tiny town is difficult– we don’t even have a train station anymore. I would have to walk out of here, or pay an Uber–, but there’s not a lot of Uber’s here, because we can just wander around and entry whatever location we want”.

Wilbur giggles, “I see.”

Tommy giggles back.

They talk for a bit longer.

Wilbur’s phone rings.

“Oh”, Wilbur hums.

 “It seems like you’ve to go, big man”.

“It seems like it– yeah”.

Wilbur pulls his phone out. It looks that he didn’t receive a call at all but loads of massages from Phil in his personal number. He frowns.

Philza Minecraft: Wilbur

Will

Will

Check up

Your 

Email

Check it

I think we may have problems

“It’s all good?” Tommy asks. Wilbur glimpses at his face, Tommy’s freckles are localized almost perfectly as a constellation.

Wilbur doesn’t respond at first. He gets up, ruffles his hair back and straightens his own shirt. (Tommy copies the movement, and it rose a modicum of fondness into his chest.)

Wilbur tries to tranquil Tommy with a faint smirk, “It’s all good, Toms. I need to leave, thought. Your shift ends at 06PM today, right?”

“Toms–”, Tommy wide his eyes. “Uh, yes–. Nocturn shift a day yes and a day no.”

“Good!” Wilbur shouts and sprints out of the gas station.

Philza Minecraft: What are you doing?

Me: Nothing much

Me: What e-mail?

Wilbur asks to Phil while climbing the staircase with a dash, dodging the sweet lady owner of the building.

He bursts through my door, the number 247 spelt on a wooden plate ricochet, and it thuds on the door because of the force he draws it.

The flat is small and cosy, it has a fireplace in the corner of the walls, the tiles are dark brown, and the sofa contains loads of empty cardboard boxes. The TV is hanging in the wall (it is the biggest TV he had).

Wilbur thruds towards his laptop resting on his kitchen table. Wilbur boots it, digits the short password, and waits some seconds to open Opera Browser, his wallpaper of a pic of multiples cat amuses him enough for him to survive in his wait.

He enters his work “Hero” e-mail.

Nothing.

He logs out and sign in on his personal e-mail.

1 new (E-mail.)

He clicks it.

For: Will Gold

Subject: Mountainsight

Wilbur Gold,

I am afraid to send you this e-mail, along these lines interrupting your well-deserved vocation.

Nevertheless, your visit to Mountainsight is of great prestige as well as great necessity. There are dangerous people that lives under this city, covered by shadows.

I ask, in this way, that you take care of something rare that belongs to the world. An extraordinary and precious power. A Starborne. A child who lived and was born in this city, who is chased and observed by forces I do not acknowledge.

Please grant this boy protection. Locate him and keep the last Starborne alive, safe.

Please,

F.H.A.

The F.H.A never sent personal e-mails to him, nor to anyone else. They not even usually sign with the Academy’s name. Ordinarily, who would sign it were Captain, or Phil. If the messages of Phil say something, it means that it was a reunion of the High Syndicate, and presumably it was out of Phil’s jurisdiction or acknowledge. (Phil is a step higher from the rest of the other heroes. The fighters as Wilbur, as Techno, they are just it: fighters. Phil actually commands things, and also fight crime. The Crowned-Raven acts as a little bit of everything on the F.H. Academy.)

Wilbur ignores the messages of Phil that got non-responded. Unblocks the phone and calls Phil.

“Phil”, Wilbur murmurs, a little out-of-breath.

“Wilbur”, Phil responds, then he sighs. Phil sounds as he wasn’t sleeping enough, and Wilbur thinks back to himself about how much time the Starborne was hight priority in the talks of the Syndicate’s reunions during his absent. “How’re you, mate?”

“I didn’t know it, Phil. A Starborne alive and walking on Earth.” Wilbur maniacally chuckles.

“I know, mate. I am…speechless in a better order of words”, Phil is pacing the room.

“How– how did they hide something so important for so long?”

“I don’t know. We don’t know– Puffy and I are totally out of this situation. It’s a government risk. I don’t really think that F.H.A was supposed know this. We are tripping on a weirds jurisdiction here.”

The room goes to silence. Wilbur put his head on his hands, leaning his elbows on the cold table.

“So much for a vocation”, Phil says.

Wilbur chuckles, “Indeed, Phil. Holly shit.”

For: First Hero Academy

Subject: Starborne

F.H.A,

I’m in.

Nonetheless, I require more information about this Starborne-kid.

Sincerely,

Will Gold.

In 2017 the first quirk was granted into the world. A pure and docile Starborne. Above it all, it was a little girl, born in laboratory, genetically modified. In 2020 the first massacrer of people with quirks happened.

The power was a dangerous threat to powerless population during the time they were a majority. The army murdered thousands of people-with-quirks, they hided inside houses that wasn’t theirs, they masked their power, supressed, manifested for the right to live.

The Starbornes were the last to be annihilated. Talented creature, glimmering under light, burning like supernovas.

The little girl died June of 2022, and with her death an explosion opened crater in the middle of the Earth.

The little’s girl name was Niki Nihachu. The last Starborne that lived and paced through the Earth. Now exists a statue of her image in the core of Blinson.

Now there’s another one. 

[slyttherins]

A Jily wedding | Wolfstar

Summary: Slices of life leading up to Jily’s wedding

Pairing: Sirius Black x Remus Lupin / James Potter x Lily Evans

Word count: 2589

-

James, Sirius and Peter sat at a table at the Leaky Cauldron, drinking beers and celebrating James' last days as an unmarried man.

''I can't believe you're getting married. Married!''

James rolled his eyes and finished the last of his beer. ''Shut up, Pads.''

''I mean, who would've thought you'd end up marrying Evans. All those years of trying and failing to get her on a date finally gave something.''

On the other side of the table, Peter snickered, remembering how desperate James had always been for her during their years at Hogwarts. Someone will without a fail mention it during their speech at the wedding. There were so many good stories about James Potter's grand flirting techniques - and failures -, it would be a shame to not share some with their guests.

''Moony, where are our beers?'' James called out to him.

''Coming!'' he replied from the bar, only now receiving the tall glasses. ''You're getting the next round,'' he told Peter when he sat down.

Sirius wrapped an arm around his shoulders and toasted to James - again.

''I don't get it. How can you be so calm about this? You're getting fucking married in twelve days, Prongs!''

The closer they were to their wedding day, the less nervous James was - unlike Lily who was a nervous wreck, planning everything with his mother. Sometimes, she'd ask his opinion on things like cake toppers or flowers, but James always told her the same thing: I don't care, do what you please. To some, it could pass like he was behaving like an ass, but he truly didn't care whether there were white or blue or yellow flowers on the table-centers. To him, all that mattered was that his beautiful fiancé would become his wife at the end of the ceremony. That Lily Evans would become Lily Potter. The rest...was just confetti.

.

''Is Petunia coming?''

Remus Lupin knew nothing about weddings, but, unlike the other marauders, he was helpful. He had come to the Potters' to help Lily with some last minute preparations like the final seating chart and making sure everything was in order for next week - and she couldn't be more thankful.

Lily looked down. ''No. She...she isn't,'' she replied, feeling her eyes welled with tears.

Remus pursed his lips into a thin line, now regretting asking. ''I'm sorry.''

''She made her choice a long time ago. I don't know why I ever thought for a second that she'd send a positive RSVP...''

''She's your sister. You're allowed to be upset.''

''I thought she could make an exception for one day, for my big day, and put her hatred against the wizarding world aside, but I guess not.''

Family was a difficult subject for Lily Evans. Mainly her relationship with her sister, Petunia. They used to be very close, but her witch abilities put a strain between and their relationship had kept deteriorating until they became completely distant.

Two years ago, Lily - alongside James - had attended Petunia and Vernon's wedding. Although they hadn't talked the whole night, Lily saw this as a step into rekindling their relationship, but Petunia had proven wrong when she didn't return the favor and checked the RSVP as 'no' for Lily's wedding.

''My parents cannot make it to my wedding either. It's so sad to think that on my big day I won't have any family there to see me walk down the aisle. I don't even have someone to give me away to James-'' She pushed her face in her hands, more upset than she let on.

Remus' heart broke at the sight of a crying Lily, five days before her wedding. She didn't deserve this. She deserved a beautiful wedding with all of her loved ones in the attendance. A wedding filled with love and happiness.

He squeezed her forearm. ''You have me. I can be your family for one day.''

At Hogwarts, she and Remus had become best friends - much to James' jealousy. Their friendship wasn't to the marauders' level, but they were very close - thanks to being both prefects, and studying and potion partners.

If James were there, he'd add that they were both bookworms too.

Lily raised her head, the couple tears she had let slip now visible. ''You'd do that?''

Remus nodded. Yeah, he'd do that.

.

This morning, a letter had arrived from Madam Malkin announcing that their robes were finished being crafted and that the boys could come in and try them on in the afternoon.

The accent color of the wedding was a rich purple-y red color which somehow suited everyone. When Madam Malkin revealed the robes to the marauders, they were pleasantly surprised and excited to try them on.

Everyone's robes were different while being cohesive, just like their personalities. The base of the outfit was simple: white shirt and black trousers - except for Peter who was the ring bearer. James, as the groom, had a cloak, a vest - matching with his best man - and a bow tie. Instead of a bow tie, Sirius and Remus had matching ties. Remus also had suspenders instead of a vest because Lily prefered that for him - and, according to Sirius, he looked fine.

''How do I look?'' James asked, standing in front of the floor length mirror and perfecting the cloak over his shoulders.

''It looks nice. But, won't you get hot in this?'' Peter replied, slouched in one of the chairs, munching on some snacks and leaving crumbs on his nice dress shirt.

''Probably. I'm only wearing the cloak for the ceremony, though. Padfoot? Moony, what do you thi-'' James turned around and groaned, seeing the two kissing in the corner. ''Bloody hell, can you two not suck faces for ten minutes?''

At James' voice, Remus pulled away and looked down, sheepish. ''Sorry.'' His lips were slightly red and a piece of his hair was sticking up at the back.

Sirius, on the other hand, was unbothered and still staring at Remus as if he was some bone to munch on. ''If Evans hadn't put Moony in bloody suspenders and fit trousers, it wouldn't be an issue,'' he defended, taking a seat beside Peter. ''Have you seen his ass-''

''I don't want to hear it!'' James interrupted before Sirius could finish, raising his hands to cover his ears like a child.

Madam Malkin appeared in the fitting area. ''Everything alright here? I heard screaming.''

''All good, Madam Malkin,'' Remus replied politely with a small smile, hoping she hadn't noticed his burning cheeks.

Sirius looked smug and Peter was snickering in his seat, amused by the situation.

''If one of you tears or stain anything before the wedding, you'll be paying for the repairs,'' James warned them - Peter included.

.

One week before the wedding, James did the unthinkable and walked in on Lily trying on her dress. It wasn't intentional - he didn't even know she was home -, but Mrs. Potter had shooed him out of the room quickly, screaming that it was bad luck to see the bride in her dress before the wedding.

''I didn't even see the dress!'' he promised from the other side of the door. ''But, just so you know, I'd still marry you if you were wearing a pillow case.''

Lily had laughed. She was going to marry that idiot. ''And you better have a dress robes when I see you at the altar, Potter.''

.

''So...who's next?''

''Next what?'' Remus asked, confused.

''Who's the next marauder to tie the knot?''

''Well, Peter. But I suggest you take a seat because that's not happening for a long time. Have you seen him flirt with Dorcas? He can't even pick up that she isn't interested in boys!''

They both bursted laughing.

''It must be you, then.''

Remus choked on his tea, almost spittering it all on himself. ''You know Sirius and I can't get married, Evans.''

''Not now, obviously.''

''Even if we could, marriage isn't Sirius and I's deal. We love each other very much, but have no intention on getting married - ever.''

Although it could sound nice to call Sirius his husband, Sirius' view on marriage had been heavily tainted because of his family and blood purity obsession. In the Noble House of Black, you didn't marry out of love, but to keep the bloodline pure. Toujour pur.

A few years ago, his parents had even tried to force him into marrying his cousin, Narcissa. Sirius had found it morally disgusting and was very thankful when Narcissa married Lucius Malfoy.

''He might changed his mind for you.''

.

''How was your afternoon with Lily? Has she gone all bridezilla yet?'' Sirius asked when he heard the door of his and Remus' shared flat open and close.

Remus chuckled as he removed his boots. ''Surprisingly, no. She'd have all the reasons to, though. She received some last minute RSVPs and has nowhere to place them on the seating chart, the florists got the wrong colors for the arrangements and the Ceremony Official mixed up his dates and Lily and James' date isn't available anymore,'' he explained. ''If I were her, I'd be crying on the floor - but don't tell her that.''

Sirius laughed and went around the counter to greet Remus properly, abandoning the sandwich he was making himself. ''Your secret's safe with me, love.'' He kissed Remus who scrunched his nose, smelling a mix of exhaust and leather on his boyfriend.

''You've taken out the motorcycle?''

''Yeah. I went on a ride with Prongs. We came up with a genius idea to drive him to the altar on my motorcycle, but there's very small chances Lily will let us.''

''With reason.''

Much like Remus, Lily wasn't a fan of that motorcycle. Motorcycles itself were dangerous and had a high risk of fatalities, but Sirius' was huge and fast and could fly, which made it ten times more dangerous. Plus, James and Sirius were very reckless on that motorcycle and had once been chased by muggle authorities.

.

The ceremony went on smoothly - if you don't count Peter almost dropping the rings. James had shed a few tears when he saw Lily in her white dress and Lily didn't forget her vows, which she had been nervous about. Her memory wasn't the best under stress.

After saying 'I do', everyone had moved to the magically enlarged ball room for the reception. As expected, the place was beautiful. Rich purple-y red and white flower arrangements, chic drapes, floating lights and a massive cake.

Like expected, Sirius had filled his best man speech with embarrassing anecdotes of the couple - mainly on James' end. He did tease a bit Lily too - otherwise it wouldn't have been fair -, but he was harder on James, as expected. The guests had laughed and James was embarrassed, which was all Sirius wanted.

''You just wait for payback on your wedding day, Padfoot,'' James threatened as they shared a shoulder hug.

.

Lily might not have gone all bridezilla on her wedding planning, but she insisted on handing her guests a list of rules for the night. There weren't too many and they were simple and basic. No pranks. No gorging yourselves at the buffet table. No exhibitionism. No drunken speeches. No getting so wasted you can't walk. No white for the women attending.

Some were specifically hinted toward one or more people, but she figured that all their guests could use those rules.

Lily had joined Remus at a table as the guests danced to rest her sore feet. She had charmed her shoes before putting them on so they wouldn't hurt her feet from wearing them all night, but the charm must've worn out by now.

''Mrs. Potter,'' Remus greeted, nodding his head.

The redhead chuckled and took a sip of her champagne. ''That's me.''

''You look beautiful, Lily. Radiant.''

''I can't believe I'm married, Remus. Married! This is insane.'' She smiled and took another sip.

A few feet from them, Sirius' shirt was halfway unbuttoned and his tie was undone as he danced with James, a drink in his left hand. His hair was pulled into a messy half-up, too hot to let them down fully, and Remus watched with discouragement and endearment. They looked ridiculous.

''Seeing this makes me regret what I just willingly signed up for.''

Remus laughed. ''Worry not, we're in this together.''

''They look like idiots.''

They laughed and James held on to Sirius who's drink tilted and almost made a mess. Sirius brought it up to his lips and kept on dancing with his best friend.

''You think Sirius will make it till the end of the night? How many drinks has he had?''

At this moment, Sirius tripped on his own foot, making him vacillate and almost falling. More than he should've.

''I'll handle him,'' Remus assured.

.

When Remus decided it was enough, he pried Sirius from the room and led him to one of the couches in a secluded part of the ball room to - hopefully - sober up before going home.

Lily had offered them a sobering potion, but Remus had declined it, knowing Sirius would be annoyed and want to drink more after - which he really shouldn't if he doesn't want to get alcohol poisoning. It wasn't his first time dealing with a drunk Sirius - and he didn't really mind. He was easy enough to manage.

Sirius' head rested against the high armrest of the couch, sprawled like his bones had been replaced with jelly. Drunk and dazed, he reached out for his boyfriend and dragged him down with him, making Remus squeal in surprise.

Sirius took hold of his hand and brought it to his face and leaned into it as Remus sat on his lap.

''Where's your tie?'' Remus asked, not seeing the silky strip around his neck.

Sirius looked down and shrugged, only now noticing that it was in fact not there anymore. He shrugged, not caring much about the lost tie. It's not like he had planned to wear it again.

''You're very drunk.''

''And you're very pretty.'' Sirius wrapped his arms around Remus' neck and started kissing his jaw lovingly and drunkenly. ''I love you, Moony.''

In his last stage of drunkenness, Sirius Black was a needy and affectionate drunk - before blacking out, that is. Once he was past the goofing with James stage, he was the neediest person, wanting nothing else than to hug, cuddle and kiss everybody he knew - especially Remus.

He'd look around the room, searching for Remus just so he could wrap his arms around him and kiss his face and flirt with him. To love and be loved in return. It was all a drunk Sirius wanted - needed.

Remus tried to resist Sirius' kissing and pulled away, insisting on keeping his promise to Lily and following her wedding rules. He looked down at the raven haired wizard, seeing clearly how much of a mess he looked with pieces of hair were falling into his heavy eyes, a soft smile across his lips and the smooth skin of his chest on display from his half buttoned shirt.

''Shall we go home?'' Remus took a piece of Sirius' hair and twirled it around his fingers.

Sirius shook his head in protest, feeling the effects of alcohol dissipate a little. ''Wanna stay a little more,'' he said...only to change his mind less than a minute later, which made Remus laugh.

''Let's go say goodbye to the newlyweds, first.'' Remus helped him get up from the couch and walked back to the party area.

[thequeenxofhearts]

Finally (Jason Todd x Reader)

After the Reader is dumped by her boyfriend, Jason comforts her, he finally admits his feelings for her. SMUT - Rated T

This is my first SMUT, let me know what you think! :D

April 8th, 2020

For the last few weeks, Bruce had been planning a party for Alfred’s Birthday. It wasn’t going to be a surprise, nothing got by Alfred anymore. He wasn’t surprised when Bruce asked Selina to marry him, he wasn’t surprised when Dick left Kori to be with Barbara, and then proposed to her, and he wasn’t surprised when Tim and Stephanie announced they had been dating for weeks before they decided to tell anyone. It didn’t surprise him, because he knew.

He knew Bruce had been up to something in the early days of the party planning, and but Bruce knew that Alfred couldn’t be surprised anymore, so they had been discussing plans for the party. Alfred didn’t want a big party; he was starting to have trouble remembering names of some people he hadn’t seen in a few years and told Bruce that he didn’t want to embarrass himself. No, he was more than happy to just be around his loved ones; Bruce had arranged for Julia to come over from England and he’d prepared one of the many spare rooms for her.

Dick and Barbara were coming over, Jason, Stephanie, Harper, Kate, Y/N, Luke and Lucius Fox and Duke Thomas were all coming over as well. Bruce had Tim, Damian and Cassandra cleaning the house all day whilst he and Selina prepared the food and they let Alfred have the day to himself.

 5PM, and Bruce had everyone getting dressed; he wore his usual suit and tie and Selina went with her black dress and silver necklace. Tim and Damian both wore a suit and tie, Tim making sure to apply extra cologne, which Damian complained about. And Cassandra wore a black dress, like Selina’s; they had been shopping the week before and Selina helped her pick out a dress.

 Just after 6PM, the car Bruce had sent to pick Julia up from the airport had arrived. She was delighted to see her father and wished him ‘Happy Birthday’ before she Selina led her to the bedroom she’d be staying in, so she could get washed and dressed for the evening. Just after Julia had arrived, Dick and Barbara arrived, followed by Jason.

“Barbara, let me see the ring again.” Selina said when Dick hung up their coats. Dick and Barbara’s engagement may not have surprised Alfred, but the huge ring he’s bought her surely did; it was an 9 carat rose gold ring with a solitaire diamond, it was gorgeous and Selina and the other girls all admired it.

 Jason hug up his coat and looked eagerly around the living room. “Alright, Jason?” Bruce asked, placing a hand on his shoulder and put a glass of whisky in his hand and gave him a warm smile. Jason nodded and took the glass. “She’s not here yet.” Bruce said, lowering his voice, Jason’s eyes widened, and he looked at Bruce, “Who are you talking about?” Jason asked, quickly.

“Y/N.” Bruce smirked. “Why would I be looking for her?” Jason asked, “She’s got a boyfriend.” He said, bitterness thick in his voice. “Because you like her.” Bruce said. “I do not.” Jason scoffed; Bruce smiled. “Why wouldn’t you like her?” Bruce asked, “She’s gorgeous and she has a great personality.” He said.

“And she had a boyfriend.” Jason said firmly, “Let it go, Bruce. I don’t like her that.”

 “Hey there, little brother.” Dick smiled as he patted Jason on the back and taking a swig of his drink. “Dick.” Jason muttered, Dick laughed, Barbara came up behind Dick and put a hand on his shoulder, she stood up on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his cheek, and Dick smiled.

Jason mentally scoffed at the two of them, it had been years since he’d been in a relationship and he was glad he’d gotten out of it. A few weeks after the breakup, he met Y/N. He met her in a book shop where she was looking for a crime novel, Jason thought it was fate as he was also there looking for a crime novel and he fell in love with her instantly. He was expecting a boyfriend when she told him she was there to pick someone up, he couldn’t believe his luck when Barbara appeared and announced to Jason that Y/N was her and Stephanie’s new roommate.

Dick and Barbara got back together not long after and Jason planned on asking Y/N on a date, but he feared rejection.

One night on patrol, he forgot he left his comm on and muttered to himself about asking you on a date, Dick was listening in on Jason and intended on teasing Jason about it. But Dick later learned from Barbara that Y/N had been seeing someone who worked in the Iceberg Lounge. And Jason had finally built up the courage to ask you on a date when Dick broke the news to him; Jason was utterly devastated.

He scolded himself for not asking you out sooner, and he only hoped that your boyfriend was treating you the way he would treat you.

Less than 2 years later, he’s still hung up on you and has never felt the same way about any other woman.

  They sat down for a drink, and Alfred came in with his arm around Julia. Kate had arrived with Luke and Lucius, and then Duke arrived. Bruce and Selina were making their way around the guests, offering drinks while Alfred spoke to everyone. Jason noticed that Tim was becoming impatient waiting for Stephanie, and he mocked him.

Finally, they arrived, Tim ran to the foyer and greeted Stephanie. Jason stayed in the living room and waited for you to come in. Harper stepped in followed by Tim and Stephanie, arms wrapped around each other. But you didn’t follow, he thought maybe you were hanging up your coat, or you’d gone to the bathroom. But a few minutes later, you still hadn’t arrived.

“Where’s Y/N?” Jason asked, Barbara looked around, “I don’t know, Jay.” She said. “Maybe she’s running late?” Dick suggested. “No.” Jason muttered. “No, it’s not like her to be late for anything.” Barbara said, she climbed off the couch and went over to Stephanie, who was wrapped in Tim’s arms, both drinking champagnes.

She came back a few minutes later, looking unhappy. “What’s the matter?” Jason asked, quickly standing to his feet. “Steph said Y/N is at home; Jamie broke up with her.” Barbara said heavily. “What?” Jason asked. “Stephanie said Y/N found out Jamie was cheating on her, and then he dumped her.” Barbara said. “Tell Bruce and Alfred I’m sorry.” Jason said, before he ran out of the living room, grabbed his jacket and ran out of the house.

Dick and Barbara noticed the talking quietened down when the sound of Jason’s motorcycle revving was heard outside, and Bruce eyed Dick and Barbara.

  Jason pulled up outside your apartment building, he trudged up the stairs in his tight-fitting suit trouser which he sworn he’d never wear again, but he did promise Bruce he’d try for Alfred.

He got up to your apartment and he knocked on the door, “Y/N.” He said, and knocked again, “It’s me, it’s Jason. Open up.” He knocked on the door again and heard movement on the other side. The handle turned and the door slowly opened. Jason saw you; you leant against the door frame, tears streaming down your face and your hair messy. “What do you want?” You asked. “I heard about Jamie.” He said sympathetically, you looked at the floor and sighed. “I’m sorry Y/N, he’s a scumbag and he didn’t deserve you.” Jason said.

You pushed the door open and turned back to your apartment, Jason followed you in and closed the door behind him. You slumped onto the couch and brought you knees up to your chest. Jason sat next to you.

“So, what happened?” He asked. “Why do you want to know?” You asked, leaning to the coffee table and pick up a glass of whisky and drained it. “Because you’re here on your own, and you obviously need someone to talk to.” Jason said. You sighed and put the glass back on the coffee table and leant back on the couch.

You cleared your throat, “You know I met him at the Iceberg lounge?” Jason nodded. “Do you know how many women go there every night?” You asked, Jason sighed, “I guess a lot.” You chuckled. “Yes, a lot, but not all of them are single.”

 “I had my suspicions about him, he didn’t return many of my calls and he barely text me.” You said. “Do you remember when we met at the bookshop, and there was that girl who kept dropping all the books?” You asked, Jason nodded, “Yeah.” He said. “That’s Emma, she started working there the day before we met. She went out to the Iceberg Lounge with her boyfriend the other day. Jamie was working at the bar and a couple of girls were flirting with him. She thought it was strange, but she thought perhaps it happened to all the bartenders.” You wiped your eyes noticed Jason was listening intently.

“She kept her eye on him and she saw him get in a taxi with one of the girls. She took a picture of him and sent it me. I called him the next day, he answered, and I asked him to meet me at the coffee house. I asked him if he was cheating on me, and I showed him the picture Emma sent me. He told me that it was just one night and didn’t mean anything, I didn’t believe him, and I asked him if it was only that one time, and he said no.”

Tears fell from your eyes and you heard Jason sigh as he put an arm around you shoulder. “He told me he was planning on breaking up with me anyway, so it didn’t matter.” You cried, Jason pulled you close to his chest and stroked your hair. “It’s ok.” He whispered, “He didn’t deserve you anyway.”

“I gave him nearly 2 years of my life, and for what?” You asked, “How long was he cheating on me? Was everything he ever said to me a lie?”

Jason held you tighter, “Why are you here on your own anyway?” He asked, you sniffed, “The girls wanted to stay but I told them I’d be fine on my own. Why are you here?”

“You can’t be on your own right now.” He said. “I know that.” You said, “You said that when you came here, but why you?” You asked. Jason looked deep into your eyes, he’d spent many hours imagining having you in his arms, and here he was right now, holding you.

“Jason?” You asked. “Yes.” He asked dreamily. “Why did you come here?” You asked, he didn’t say anything, instead he slowly leant in and captured your lips with his. Surprised, you remained still until his lips moved against yours and you melted into his kiss. You could taste whisky on his breath, but he was so gentle; and then he pulled away.

“Was that why?” You asked, Jason nodded, “Yes.” He said, leaning back in to kiss you again, but you turned away. “I’m sorry.” He muttered. “How long, Jason?” You asked, he sighed, “Remember the day we met in the bookshop?” He asked, your eyes widened, “That long ago?” You asked, he nodded.

“How come you never told me?” You asked. “I wanted to, for so long. But when I finally built up the courage to ask you, Dick told me you were seeing someone.” Jason said, he stared at the blank TV screen, you sighed. “Well then, I guess this works out for us both then.” You said, Jason looked up at you, “Huh?”

“I-when I first me you, I liked you.” You admitted, “But, Barbara, Stephanie and I went to the Iceberg Lounge and Stephanie convinced me to talk to Jamie, she said he kept looking at me. After spoke for a while, he gave me his number. I met him at the coffee house and that was pretty much it.” You said.

Jason pressed his lips to your forehead, “How did you feel about him?” He asked, you shrugged, “I don’t know. It felt weird being with him at first, but I got used to it.” You said. “That doesn’t sound very convincing.” Jason said. “Did you really like being with him?” He asked.

“I guess, it was just nice to have someone around.” You said, “How did you feel when he kissed you?” Jason asked, you looked up at him and narrowed your eyes, but honestly, how did you feel? Thinking about it, you felt nothing when Jamie kissed you. When you slept together you didn’t enjoy it the way you should have.

“I didn’t feel anything.” You muttered. “Did you feel anything when you kissed me?” Jason asked, you looked up at him and smiled gently. “I don’t know.” You said, your eyes glancing to his lips before looking back to his eyes, before either of you could say anything, you leant forward and kissed Jason.

Jason kissed back, as you’d hoped he would. His lips were soft, and you could still taste the whisky on him. You felt his tongue brush against your lips, you moaned as it slid into your mouth and collided with your own. You wrapped your arms around his neck, and he pulled you close to him. He lifted you off the couch and onto his lap. “Jay.” You mumbled. “Hmm.” He groaned, pulling his lip away from yours only to trace kisses along your cheeks. “Nothing.” You smiled, and lowered your head onto Jason’s shoulder, and he chuckled, “Alright then.”

You pushed his blazer off and started to undo his tie, Jason began kissing your neck and trailed kissed down to your shoulder and began nipping at the skin there, making you groan. Jason’s hands went under your t-shirt and he began to lift it up, but you stopped him. “What?” He asked. “I’m not wearing a bra.” You said, your cheeks turning red. Jason smirked, “One less thing I have to take off.” You blushed heavily and giggled at his comment; you let him lift your t-shirt off and he stared at your breasts with a grin spreading across his face.

His warm hands cupped them both as he continued nipping at your shoulder and working his way up to your lips. You began to unbutton his shirt and pulled it off him, and you stared at some of the scars scattered on his body, but you could hardly concentrate as his hands began squeezing your breasts firmly, and he pulled you closer to him and took one of your nipples into his mouth your head fell back and you groaned loudly.

He began to stand up, you went to climb off him so he could stand, but he wouldn’t let you go. He finally got to his feet and stepped away from the couch, “Which bedroom is yours?” He asked against your lips. “On the left.” You groaned.

Jason carried you and pushed open the bedroom door and kicked it shut behind him. He laid you down on the bed and hovered over you. “You have no idea how long I’ve dreamt of this.” He smiled, you chuckled and reached your hands up to his neck and you pulled him down to you.

You felt his erection press against your stomach, and you groaned again. His hand slid down your stomach and slid under the waist band of your sweatpants. You gasped when you felt his hand slide under the fabric of your underwear and his fingers brushed against your wetness.

He pecked at your neck as you panted under him and he slowly inserted one finger. He lifted his head up from your neck and he watched you. “What?” You asked, then gasped as you felt him push another finger in, Jason chuckled, “You’re so beautiful.” He smiled, you giggled, “Shut up.” You gasped as his fingers moved quickly.

“Y/N.” Jason groaned. “Hmm…” You muttered. “Did Jamie ever do this to you?” He asked, his voice was thick, and you sensed bitterness in his voice as he mentioned Jamie. You shook your head, and you winced when Jason thrust his fingers in further and faster. “I said, did Jamie ever do this to you?” He asked again.

“No!” You shouted, “He didn’t.” Jason chuckled in your ear, “That’s what I wanted to hear.” He growled and he continued with his thrusts. You unbuckled his belt and the button on his pants and reached into his boxers and grabbed his erection, making Jason gasp. You giggled at his reaction, and you began to jerk him off.

Jason growled in your ear, “Y/N…don’t stop.”

“You like that?” You asked, sensing your orgasm. “I like that a lot.” He groaned, lowering his head to take a nipple into your mouth and bit gently onto it, and that threw you over the edge. Your head flung back, and you came all over his fingers as Jason sucked on your nipple.

Jason pulled his fingers out of you and brought them to his lips and licked his fingers clean of you. You continued jerking him until he was leaking precum. He pulled your sweatpants and underwear down and removed your hands from his hardness. Then he pulled his own pants and boxers down, leaving him in just his socks which he didn’t bother to remove.

He hovered over you, teasing your entrance with his penis, “Go on.” You smiled, he smiled down at you and brought his lips down to yours and you felt him push gently into you. You hissed, but reassured Jason to keep going. Once he was in fully and you were adjusted to him, he began to pull out and push back in, slowly.

“Jason.” You gasped, “Jay.”

“Y/N.” He groaned into your neck. “Did it ever feel this good with Jamie?” He asked. “No!” You groaned. “He didn’t feel this good, huh?” Jason asked. “No, he didn’t.” You groaned. “That’s good.” He growled, picking up the pace and you panted under him. “God you look so beautiful.” He smiled, your fingers tangled themselves in his hair and tugged on his dark locks.

Jason groaned and began moving faster and faster, you felt yourself begin to unfold, and at the sound of your moans and groans, Jason was also close.

“Jay.” You gasped, “I-I’m so-”

“Uh-hu, me too.” He groaned, kissing your jawline. “Jay, I’m going to-” You were cut off by Jason’s growl in your ear, “Me too, Y/N. Together?” He asked. You nodded, “Ok.” You smiled. Jason’s lips captured yours and he continued his thrusts until you both came together.

Jason’s head fell onto your shoulder as you creamed him, and he came into you. “Y/N.” He moaned, “Y/N.” He moaned again, “I like saying your name, Y/N.”

“I like hearing it, Jason.” You smiled when he stopped moving and he started to pull out of you. “No!” You exclaimed, “Stay there for bit.” You said, you blushed but you didn’t want to not feel him yet. “Ok.” He said, settling himself back down and laying his head on your chest, and listened to your heart beating.

You brushed your fingers through his thick hair and kissed his forehead. “Jason” You said. “Yeah?” He asked. “Do the others know you came here?” You asked, Jason looked up at you. “I don’t know.” He said. “When Barbara told me that Jamie broke up with you, I came straight here. My guess is Dick and Barbara know, maybe Bruce too.” He muttered. “Your skin is so soft.” He said, brushing his hands up and down your arms and he pressed his lips to your shoulder.

“Jason, we should probably get dressed.” You said. “No. Let’s stay here.” Jason groaned. “Jason, we should go to Alfred’s party.” You said, Jason groaned, “Fine.” He said, gently pulling out of you and he climbed off. He picked up his clothes and began to get dressed, then he went out to the living room to let you get cleaned and dressed.

When you were dressed, you stepped into the living room and Jason’s jaw dropped when he saw you. “Oh, my god.” He gasped, “You look beautiful.”

You admired the dress you had picked out, it was a choice between a sparkly blue cocktail dress, which to be fair you were going to throw away after Jamie had dumped you, it was him who’d picked it out, you always thought it showed too much cleavage.

So, you went with a dress your father had picked out for you when he planned your mother’s 50th Birthday party. It was a knee length black dress and sparkled subtly. It was deep cut at the back but didn’t show you off too much.

“Thank you.” You smiled as you pulled on your black dress coat.. “Come on, let’s go.” You grabbed your keys from the bowl Stephanie had put on the shelf next to the door and had decorated it with glitter, so it read KEY BOWL in wonky writing.

 When you got outside, you were about to hail a cab, but Jason grabbed your arm and motioned to his motorbike. “No, Jay I can ride on that.” You said. “You’ll be fine, I promise.” He said, he climbed onto his bike and you reluctantly climbed onto the back. “Just hold on tight, we’ll be there in no time.” He said softly.

“Ok.” You sighed, wrapping your arms around his waist and laying your head on his shoulder, he started the bike and before you knew it you and Jason were speeding through the city, back to Wayne Manor.

[grvntld]

05 august 2021 • excited and happy aina on the loose

i know it's the sixth tahday, i just really wanna talk abt yesterday first so okie.

the 5th of august was an enjoyable day for me, even though i had no sleep the night before, because my live-selling-sucker of an ass decided to watch tita's live that was supposed to end at 5am, but instead ended at 7:30am. lmao. it was just really fun. i got blazers, trousers, a few tops, and skirts!!! ive been loving wearing skirts lately — you know the long ones, the midi ones, and the ones with slits specially!!! aside from all that, izzo fun to interact with the other buyers because we're honestly like a community already, we're all like tita's children, if that makes sense. also, tita makes everyone comfortable and happy. she shared to me though that lately, a lot are joy reserving which makes her sad and i get that. they do so much for their business — imagine going on live for 9 or more hours and then people will just joy reserve your items. that's honestly disheartening and frankly some next level bullshit. tita even told me that she'd rather give her items for free than hv someone joy reserve them — and believe it or not, she does give out freebies!!! she gives a lot of freebies. one of the most fun part of her live is when she starts giving out freebies because she gives long codes to type and it's so fun to watch how the buyers type those shit out. besides the freebies while she's on live, tita also puts some surprise freebies on our package every time we check out our items. that's how generous she is!!!

after the live selling, i really tried my best to sleep, but i was only able to do that for maybe two hours; so then i decided to just go down in the living room and start my day. i had cake and fresh milk with milo for breakfast so dazz a yay. i was also able to finish some werq tasks. the items i got from tita's lives last week came in so i opened that, folded them, and put them in an ecobag because i might send them to a laundry shop in the coming days — most of 'em are lightweight oversized polos like button downs and button ups so i think i wont be priced a lot for it which is sulit.

when ive cleaned up the mess i made after opening up my parcel and checking out my items, i started packing my stuff which i would be bringing here at boyfie's. yay! it's been a long time since we were able to spend some quality time together. on top of that, ive been missing our bb doggo soooooo much. once i was done packing and fixing my things, i then tried to take a nap which i was able to for perhaps two hours too.

once i was awake, i started prepping such as taking a shower, dressing up, putting my things down in the living room, and waiting for boyfie to pick me up. it's just my second time riding his motorcycle (((but it's definitely not my second time riding ~his motorcycle~ iykyk wink w0nk))).

anyhoooooOOOoOOoOoOoot, our bb doggo really missed me even moreso than i missed him, i think. he wasnt able to contain himself and just wait for me to reach our floor because he already went down the stairs to meet me, jumped on me, and kissed me (((licked mah face))) 🥺 i miss mah bois for realsxz!!!!

there. finally a documentation of how my 5th of august went.

[lu-undy]

Chapter 36 - SBT

Here it is!

"Oh, hey M!" 

Eddy was delighted to see his friend. 

"Hey Eddy." 

"What's up? Been a while since I saw you!"

"Yeah, I was just passin' by. Thought I could stop and say hi." 

"O'course! By the way, great job on those 'gators for Johnson."

"Yeah, well, it had to be done, eh." Mundy took a seat on his usual stool.

"So you're done now?" Eddy asked. 

"With Johnson's alligators, yeah." 

"What are you gonna do? Gonna get back in the desert and…?" 

"I've uh… I've got some work that needs finishing properly." Mundy answered. 

"What animals this time?" 

"It's… It's not-" Mundy started to answer when a group of young boys entered the shop. 

"M! We got a message for you!"

"Oh, yeah, what is it?" 

"Here, there's this box." One of the kids handed him a similar box to that which contained the suit Richard had made for him.

"Okay…" Mundy took it and Eddy raised an eyebrow. It was so odd seeing the scruffy Mundy with a glossy white box with a red ribbon…

"L sends us. He said to go and meet him at Maurice's street tonight at 7pm sharp with what's in the box and your dartflute."

"My what?" Mundy asked, confused.

"He said with your dartflute, he insisted on it." The kid repeated. 

"Oh, I see." Mundy rolled his eyes and smiled. "I get it, ok. Thanks, kids."

"What's that all about? And who's that L guy?" Eddy asked as Mundy headed for the door. 

"See ya Eddy!" 

-- Suite 504, Grand Palace --

"Meow?" 

"Mon bébé…?"

[My baby…?]

"Meow!" 

Lucien heard the tics of Perle's claws on the floor. He only had to follow the noise before he found her trying to climb the piano's seat. 

"Je te tiens!" 

[Gotcha!]

He went to her and scooped her off the floor, tickling her belly. She squealed and squirmed in his hand, making him chuckle. How come he was the only one she accepted in her life…? He had no clue.

"Aïe!"

[Ouch!]

Lucien looked at his finger. Perle had scratched it a bit too deep and blood was prickling. 

"Je dois te couper les griffes." 

[I need to cut your claws.]

He dropped her on the sofa and went to get her special clippers. When he came back, he sat on the sofa and put her on his lap, on her back. She raised her paws to him but when he started cutting her claws, she realised she wasn't in for a treat…

"Tsk, tsk, tsk… Plus tu te plains, plus ça va durer. À ta place, je resterais le plus tranquille possible."

[Tsk, tsk, tsk… The more you complain, the longer it will last. If I were you, I would stay absolutely still.]

Of course, she was dissatisfied with it all, may it last a bit or a long time. She continued squirming in his hand and on his lap. Lucien resorted to singing to soothe her. 

"Frère Jacques, frère Jacques,

Où es-tu? Que fais-tu? 

Sonne les matines, sonne les matines,

Ding, ding, dong"

She stilled in his hand and her eyes were on him. He gave her a sweet smile as he went on with the nursery rhyme, trying to bring peace to her. She only squirmed occasionally until he finally got to all the claws. 

"Voilà, c'est fini. Tu vois? Ce n'est ni long, ni douloureux."

[Here we go, it is done. See? It is neither long nor painful.]

He rewarded her with a hug and a few kisses in her fur before dropping her on his shoulder and going to the piano. He rehearsed on his own to kill some time.

But then his mind came back to that man. He had lied to him, an awful lot. But it was better that way and very practical, as it turned out. As long as M didn't know that L and Lulu are the same, Lucien could ask him what he thought about himself under Lulu's disguise and M would be none the wiser. It was perfect. 

There was also something thrilling about it. It reminded Lucien of his younger days, when going undercover with a fake identity was both a professional obligation but also something that he immensely enjoyed. Toying with people, having power over something. Those were times where he did not feel like the victim of powers greater than himself. Non, he felt like he was the master of his own decisions and he wasn't counting his days. 

Now, things were different. Lucien knew he walked to his death. As soon as he and M would kill Duchemin, his life would be forfeit. 

He sighed and raised his eyes to little Perle. 

He couldn't leave her behind. Who would take care of her? No one. Not only did Lucien not have friends anymore, but Perle herself wouldn't accept anyone's touch but his. So it became clear, Duchemin had to die, but Lucien had to survive. 

Not only for Perle. 

Lucien frowned on the piano. There was one man that he wanted to see again. Mon Dieu… A few months ago he was gladly walking to his death and now, because of the eyes of a baby and those of a man he knew would surely die with him, he was reconsidering everything around him. Non. As soon as they're done, they needed to part ways, fly apart, as far away as they could from each other and cut ties, all the ties. 

They will have to leave, Lucien will have to stop seeing that tall silhouette, those earnest eyes, that shy smile. He will have to live his life without that harsh voice, which spoke in low growls, in stuttered words and ideas, as if its owner had been parachuted on a planet of which he didn't know the customs; as if English wasn't his first language, or he hadn't spoken to another fellow human ever before. 

Lucien sighed before raising his eyes to the clock. Time to get ready.

He got off the piano and went to his room to get in his costume. It was made of dark blue, golden and white, and it did look indeed like an eighteenth century attire. He put on a white shirt with a scarf that puffed up below his chin. Then came the trousers in light beige with a few threads of gold that reflected the light beautifully. But those were one pair of those "short" trousers that stopped right below his knees. He then slipped on the long socks - white tights really - that stuck to his calves closely. Finally, he added the light, dark blue vest and waistcoat and the black shoes that indeed looked like they were made a few centuries before. 

Lucien looked at himself in the mirror. He took the last piece of his disguise and went to the bathroom. He combed his hair and looked at the mask in his hand. It wasn't a balaclava, non. It was made of plastic and was to be tied behind his head with a satin ribbon. The white face of the mask was elegantly painted: thin black eyebrows, black lips and golden sunbeams at the edge of it, a reference to Louis the fourteenth and his nickname, the Sun King. 

He put the mask on and tied it behind his head.

"Meow?" 

He smiled. 

"Tu restes sage? Papa doit aller travailler."

[You stay quiet? Daddy has to go to work.]

Perle mewled and meowed, complaining about it. Lucien took her in his hands and got her close to his face. He pushed the mask up to stay on top of his head and kissed Perle a few times. 

"C'est mieux?"

[Feel any better?]

She purred and brushed her head on his mouth to ask for more. He put her on his shoulder and went to grab his accessories. He couldn't go with a gun as he no doubt would be searched. He didn't need one anyway, so he took his cigarette case and his lighter.

Finally, he went by the main door and put Perle down before turning to the coat hanger and putting on a long black coat.

"Bien, mon bébé, Papa va travailler et va sûrement rentrer tard. Tu as de quoi boire et manger."

[Listen, my baby, Daddy will go to work and will surely come back late. You have enough to eat and drink.]

"Meow…" She walked in circles between his feet, brushing herself on his shoes and ankles. 

Lucien opened the door. 

"Ne m'attends pas pour aller te coucher et ne veilles pas trop tard, d'accord?"

[Don't wait for me to go to sleep and don't stay up too late, alright?]

"Meow."

Lucien crouched down and put his hands down in front of her. Perle jumped in his palms and he kissed her one last time. He scratched her head and put her back on the floor.

"À plus tard." 

[See you later.]

Perle sat on the other side of the door. 

"Meow." 

He closed the door and waited for an instant. No meow. He smiled. 

Lucien called the elevator and as it opened, he found Bastien inside. 

"Oh, hey L."

Bastien pressed the button to get down to the ground floor.

"Ah, Bastien, this is a good surprise. I need you to get my car out, please." 

"Sure. That's a mask you have on your head?"

"It is business."

"Ah, fair enough." 

The doors rolled open and Bastien headed for the garage. 

-- Maurice's street -- 

"Alright, seven sharp, here I am, you snob…" Mundy had parked his van at the usual spot in Maurice's street. He got out of it and leaned against it. "Hm." 

He decided to wait with a cigarette. He lit one and puffed on it while watching the kids play. The sun was setting now and the air was still, only disturbed by the occasional breeze. Beggars passing by stared at the tall man dressed like an aristocrat from a couple of centuries before. 

Mundy's ears pricked up. He heard an engine. But it wasn't the motorcycle he expected, neither was it the sound of an ordinary car engine.

"Bloody hell…" 

The Panthera came along the street as if it was hovering above the asphalt itself. The dark blue sheen of it shone shyly under the lamp posts until it parked next to the van. 

The window on the passenger's seat rolled down.

"I see you are on time." The French accent behind the mask said, not leaving the driver's seat or cutting off the engine. 

"And you're late, Spook." Mundy peeked his head through the window. "Five minutes." He tapped his watch. "Did you need to adjust yer bloody mascara?" 

Lucien rolled up his eyes with a smile.

"Get inside before I change my mind." 

Mundy obeyed and the Frenchman drove off. 

"Do you have your mask with you?" Lucien asked. 

"Yeah, here." 

"Good." 

"Bloody hell, you must be one hell of a filthy rich bloke…" Mundy looked at the wooden and leather interior of the car. "Is this yours?" 

"Do I look like I steal things?" Lucien asked. 

"When you have yer balala-mask on, you do look like a thief." 

They both chuckled and Lucien looked at his friend. 

"But you're right, Spook, the seats here are much more comfy than those in my van. I've never seen a car like this, what's it called?" 

"First, like your van, this car is a she. Second, unlike your van, she is a unique model."

"Yeah, well, quite unique." 

"I mean it, Bushman. She is the only car of that model." 

"Shut your mouth?!"

Lucien chuckled. 

"Again and as always, feel free to think that I am not telling the truth. And as to her name, she is called the Panthera." 

"Nice name. Posh, but it doesn't surprise me."

Lucien raised an eyebrow to Mundy and they exchanged what he meant as a conniving smile. Mundy smiled back, thinking he was graced with a flash of the Frenchman's pearly white teeth behind the white mask, through the hole for the mouth. 

Lucien's eyes lingered on the Aussie while the Panthera raced through the desert, the last colours of the sky disappearing in the horizon.

"What?" Mundy asked, blushing slightly under L's gaze. 

"You would make a stunning king's advisor, were we living in the eighteenth century. The costume suits you." Lucien said. Mundy was wearing a similar outfit to his, only it was dark red. But it had the same slight sheen on the trousers and the waistcoat was beautifully lined with velvet.

"It's horrible to wear. It sticks to my legs like slugs, the trousers are short and I don't get why I need golden bits on the waistcoat thing…"

"If that is any comfort, I spared you to be my Pompadour." Lucien said with a smirk. 

"Your pump a what now?!" 

"Pompadour, Lucien repeated. Louis the fifteenth had a lady who would entertain him, if you know what I mean. She was a countess and her name was Madame de Pompadour. Had you been a woman, I would have told Richard to go for Louis the fifteenth and her."

"Well thank God I'm not a sheila, eh…" Mundy answered. "Uh, speakin' of, how's yours?"

"Perle?" Lucien asked. 

"Yeah, unless you changed." 

Lucien chuckled. 

"She is alright. I left her home alone and she didn't complain for the first time since we've known each other."

"Oh… She doesn't like it when you go away?" 

"Non, she doesn't." 

"Victoria told me that she doesn't like people either." Mundy said and Lucien hid his surprise. So Victoria had talked to each of them about the other, hm…?

"It is true. Perle is very… possessive of me. I would have said protective but she can hardly even protect herself."

"Ah, I see…" Mundy answered and there might have been a hint of sadness in his voice. "So, uh, what's the plan for tonight?" 

"Mere observation. We collect any and all intelligence we can on Duchemin's security. How many men? What guns? What type of defense? How are they organised?" 

"Hm, I see. So we just take a look-see, right?" 

"Oui." 

"Then why ask me to bring my blowgun. Also, it's called a blowgun, not a dartflute…" 

Lucien looked at his friend. 

"Well, I couldn't remember the name of it in English but you understood me anyway, non?" 

"I did, even though you made absolutely no sense." Mundy teased.

"If you prefer, I could speak French." Lucien answered. 

"Actually…" 

The Frenchman looked at his passenger and raised an eyebrow. 

"Been listenin' to a lot of French songs lately." Mundy admitted. "So uh, maybe I'd understand bits." 

"Oh, in this case…" Lucien smiled. "Je te parlerai en Français." 

[I will speak to you in French.]

"Wow, wow, wow, you gotta speak way slower, mate!"

"Ah, oui, pardon." Lucien cleared his throat and repeated comically slowly. "Jeee teee parleraiii Fraaaançaaais."

"Oi! No need to stretch it too much!"

"Make up your mind, Bushman!" 

They both chuckled. 

Lucien's eyes went back on the road. 

"I think we are getting closer. Now, we will have to pretend that we are uh… romantically involved with one another." 

"Do we have to?" Mundy asked.

"The idea of people seeing me getting less than a kilometre away from a man who uses jars as a bathroom disgusts me as much as you hate me, believe me."

"So why do we do this?”

"Because Duchemin is convinced that we are together."

"Together together?" Mundy asked. 

"Oui, together together." Lucien answered. 

"Bloody hell…" 

"I know. So try and have some manners for tonight, and act as if you liked me."

"Well…" 

"Come on, take this as a privilege." Lucien said. 

"A privilege?" 

"There are quite a few people who would give a lot to be in your shoes tonight." Lucien proudly explained. 

"Yeah well, idiots exist."

"Bushman! Those are people of great taste!"

"Ah, and how d'you know that? Just cause they like a posh snob doesn't mean they have great taste, eh." 

"Non, it is true. But they do not like a posh snob. They admire me." Lucien said.

"Ah yeah, the poshest of all the bloody snobs on Earth…" Mundy teased. 

"Bushman!"

"Well ok, I'll try and not show that I can't stand ya." 

"Likewise for me, although it won't be hard. I spent my life playing that game." 

Mundy raised an eyebrow and was about to ask what Lucien meant but they soon arrived where they should be. 

"Bloody hell, how many people can fit in this house…?" 

"It is a palace."

"Yeah, more like a village. And look at the number of cars parked there, Gosh…" 

They queued in the car until they arrived at the gate where an impressively built security guard asked for their invitation. 

"Here is it." Lucien gave his. "And this is my plus one." 

The guard raised his eyes over to Mundy, through Lucien's window, and the Aussie smiled and waved.

"G'day, mate, heh."

"Fine, you can get in. Your slot for the car is B15." 

"Noted." Lucien answered. "Many thanks." 

And he drove in, following the queue of cars. The parking lot might have been one for a supermarket. The Frenchman parked the car and both exited it. They took a moment to take in the view. 

They were in the middle of the desert and this entire place looked like it had been unearthed from somewhere else altogether. The palace was made of white stones, projectors of multiple colours shone on it. The lights split the night sky in beams of colours. 

"Bushman?" 

Mundy snapped out of his daydream and looked in front of him. The King of France was waiting. 

"Yeah, sorry Spook."

He followed Lucien to the entrance. 

"Wait, before we get too close, M."

The Aussie turned his head. 

"Yeah?"

"We have to drop the Bushman and Spook. It wouldn't make sense that we call each other that way."

"What should I call you then?" Mundy asked. 

"Whatever you want, as long as it goes with the act." 

"Alright."

"And put on your mask."

"Ah, yeah." Mundy put his own mask on his face and tried to tie it behind his head. "The ribbon… it doesn't want to stay in place, keeps slidin' off."

"Let me help." Lucien went behind Mundy and tied the mask for him. "Do you have a pair of gloves too?"

"Yeah, white ones, they were in my pocket."

"Put them on, please. We don't want to leave fingerprints."

"Ah, yeah, right."

They arrived at the entrance where another bouncer asked for their invitation. After inspection of it, he let them into the hall. Lucien and Mundy entered a room that looked so vast, Mundy could hardly see the walls at the end of it. But more strikingly, it was full of people and the lights were dim. Music was floating in the air and the Aussie saw an orchestra on a stage at the far left of them. 

The guests were all wearing costumes too, such that it was hardly possible to know who was who in any other way than going and talking to them directly.

"Gosh, that's a lot of people…" Mundy said, feeling overwhelmed by it. 

"Hey." 

The Aussie lowered his eyes to the Frenchman. 

"Take a deep breath." 

Ah, yes. Mundy did as he was told. 

"Stay close to me and everything will be fine, d'accord?"

[Alright?]

Mundy nodded. A waiter came to pass by and Lucien took two glasses off of his tray. He smelt them.

"Here. This is water. It will help." 

Mundy drank a bit. 

"I did not know you could not stand crowded areas." Lucien said. 

"I don't care about it."

"What is it then?"

Mundy looked left and right. 

"One of these bastards… He killed my parents."

"Oui. And he killed my soon-to-be wife, the only woman I ever-..." Lucien exhaled. "He killed her and my young son, a little angel who did nothing wrong on this Earth, my flesh and my blood." He clenched his teeth. "You have no idea what it feels like." 

Mundy opened round eyes. He could feel the blood in Lucien boiling. 

"I would gladly have died instead of them. I would have traded my life for theirs. What did they do all their lives to deserve this? She had lived honestly, a hard-working and loving woman. She even… She even gave me a gift no other person in the world could have. She made me a father. Each time our son would look up at me, I would feel like a man; a proper, whole and complete man. And she…" Lucien put his index on Mundy's chest and tapped it repeatedly. "She. Gave. That. To. Me." 

The Frenchman was furious and it was something Mundy was genuinely frightened of. The look in his ice furious eyes seized him powerfully. 

"She made me a man and that son of a whore took it away from me, stole it from me, killed it from me."

Lucien paused to catch his breath. 

"I understand your uneasiness, M, but it is part of the price we have to pay." He splayed his white gloved hand flat on Mundy's dark red waistcoat. Like a reflex, he started dusting it off and adjusting its collar. 

"The price we have to pay for what?" 

"Me, for not going with Marie and Jérémy to protect them; you, for being away from your parents while they needed you equally." 

Lucien raised his eyes to Mundy. Their masks hid their emotions but the words they used didn't. The Frenchman's hand laid flat on the Aussie's chest. Mundy put his hand on top. 

"Let's both take a deep breath, and then go." He said with his husky voice.

Lucien nodded and they both inflated their chests with fresh air that cleaned their insides, before exhaling their troubles away. 

"Well, a moment has passed; back to work." Lucien said and Mundy nodded. "Will you be alright?" 

"Yeah, thanks for… for everythin'." 

Lucien nodded and removed his hand. 

"Let us walk around and see what the security looks like." 

"I'm with you." 

Both men walked in the vast room, slithering through dresses and robes, suits and togas. Their eyes darted and scanned, security agents here and CCTV cameras there. 

"Security people don't all look the same." Mundy said. 

"Which means he has hired different private companies. Hm. This man knows he is a moving target."

"Yeah, loads of cameras too."

"And I would bet that some of his guests are none other than security agents in disguise." Lucien added. 

"How are we gonna get to him then…?"

"I do not know yet. But we will, trust me."

A voice slashed through their conversation. 

"Ah! If it isn't Sun king of singing, Lulu!"

Lucien raised his eyes to Mundy before turning to the man addressing him.

[hardynwa]

Abducted Kaduna pupil narrates how he escaped from kidnappers

One of the kidnapped pupils from Kuriga, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Mustapha Abubakar, who luckily escaped has recounted his ordeal in the hands of his abductors. This was according to a report by BBC Hausa Service published online on Monday, March 11, 2024. According to Abubakar, the kidnappers treated them like a ‘herd of cows’ grazing in the bush. Recall that over 280 pupils and teachers of Government Secondary School and LEA primary school at Kuriga, Kaduna State were abducted by bandits on Thursday, March 7, 2024. The bandits reportedly invaded the Kuriga area of the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Thursday, shooting at their victims before taking away at least 280 of the pupils and teachers from both schools. The PUNCH reports that the secondary school was relocated to the primary school on account of the insecurity in the council. Narrating his experience, Abubakar said he escaped by craftily hiding in the bush while they were being transported into the forest on foot by the bandits. He said, “We trekked in the bush; sometimes we crawled. We were so thirsty that some of the girls were becoming weak and falling due to tiredness. The bandits were lifting them and putting some of them on motorcycles. “We reached a big river, where we drank water and continued trekking. There was a plane that hovered above us. That was when the bandits ordered us to remove one of our clothes and lie down. “The bandits themselves are tired, they didn’t have anything to eat but they are eating grass and rope in the forest, they didn’t give us anything to eat. “While we were trekking, I noticed a shrub that was brown in colour, like my trouser. I hid inside and crawled like a snake. I was there until it was completely silent before I came out and headed to the bush.” He noted that he met an old man who could hardly walk, so he could show him the way to the side of the road or another town to get drinking water. According to Abubakar, he travelled a long distance until he later arrived at Gayan, a community from where he finally escaped. Meanwhile, Senator Uba Sani who led senior government officials and heads of security agencies in the state to the scene of the attack on Thursday evening, assured the community that those abducted by the bloodthirsty bandits would return unhurt. The governor said he had spoken to the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu on the matter and that security operatives had swung into action in search of the abducted pupils. Read the full article

[sunflower-swan]

Wolfstar Chapter 8

A/N: Here’s what you need to know: I created this story for Writer’s Month 2020. Every day is a new prompt, and therefore a new chapter. This is an AU Wolfstar where Remus is a tattoo artist next door to Sirius who manages a flower shop. James and Lily are alive in this universe and own a coffee shop across the street. And to make parts of the story work with the prompts, Remus is about 10 years older than Sirius. It also takes place more or less in present time, minus Covid-19.

This is chapter 8 of a multi-chapter work. If you’d like to start from the beginning, here is chapter 1.

Disclaimer: I don’t own these characters. I just like to play with them.

Day 8 Prompt: Eight

Rating: Teen and Up

Word Count: 1917

Tags: angst, language, humor, friendship

Chapter 8

Remus

Dropkick Murphys, “Rose Tattoo”

A rose that shines down from above

I signed and sealed these words in blood

I heard them once, sung in a song

It played again and we sang along

Remus stood and set his cup down on the coffee table. “Wait here. I’ll get it ready for you.” He walked toward the bathroom. Before he entered, he turned to cast a wary eye upon his friend.

Sirius had returned to laying in the fetal position on the couch. He had a pillow over his head, and his shoulders were trembling.

With an internal sigh, Remus entered the bathroom. He turned the tap to fill the tub with water, and then dropped in his last Lavender Vanilla scented bath bomb. It was his favorite to use when he felt stress, anxiety, and pain. But Sirius needed it more than him right now, and he made a mental note to pick up more next time he did the shopping.

Then he grabbed a towel from the linen closet and set it on the sink. He looked in the mirror over the sink at his reflection. The wisps of grey at his temples and the beginnings of lines forming at the corners of his eyes mocked him. They hinted at a man aged, through complicated circumstances, beyond his actual years.

He remembered being on his own during his own grief, and how the darkness had consumed him. Sirius didn’t know it, but his friendship had helped Remus finally find his way out. Whatever he could do to return the favor, he would do it. Remus closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The lavender vanilla scent was already percolating through the air, and it helped to calm him. 

James, Lily, and Remus had decided it was probably best if Sirius didn’t stay alone at his own flat tonight. So Remus found his largest pair of athletic shorts, which had never fit him but would hopefully fit Sirius well enough, and a clean undershirt. He set these next to the towel, and went back to the living room to fetch Sirius.

He was right where Remus had left him. Sirius had shifted positions on the couch, and was now laying on his back. His eyes were staring blankly at the ceiling, one arm draped across his stomach, and his other rested on his forehead.

Damn. And I thought I was broken, he thought as he looked at Sirius.  “Come on, mate.” Remus helped Sirius to his feet and led him to the bathroom.

Sirius took a long deep breath, and let it out. “Smells nice.”

“Yeah. It’s my favorite.” Remus cleared his throat. Sirius didn’t need to know how often he needed to be calmed or comforted, or that it was often enough to keep a stock of bath bombs handy. “Uh, anyway. Towel and clean clothes are here.” He patted the pile on the sink. “And you take all the time you need. I’ll be out there.” He gestured with his thumb over his shoulder.

Suddenly Sirius threw his arms around Remus. “Thank you,” he whispered into Remus’ shoulder.

“You’re welcome.” Remus melted into his embrace, and silently vowed again to help hold the broken man together. 

Sirius released him, and he took the opportunity to leave, closing the door behind him. He let out a heavy sigh and went back to his favorite chair, grabbing a sketchbook and pencil on the way. Flipping open to a blank page he began to draw. Mainly for something to keep his hands and mind busy, and not thinking about the naked Sirius in his tub.

Forty minutes later, he had sketched a beautiful rose. Lots of detailed petals spiraling into the middle, and a few spiked leaves sticking out from underneath. The rose itself seemed to embody the sorrow he knew Sirius was feeling. At that moment, he heard the lever flip to drain the tub, and the sound of Sirius getting out of the bath. Setting the sketchbook on the coffee table, he went into the kitchen to make more tea. 

“Did you draw this?” Came a voice from the living room.

Remus poked his head out and saw Sirius holding the sketchbook.

“Uh, yeah. Did that while you were in the bath.”

“This is it.”

“What do you mean?” Remus asked, entering the living room with two fresh cups of tea.

“This is what I want.” He fixed Remus with a pointed stare. “Will you tattoo this on me?”

“Erm...yeah.” Remus handed him a cup. “We can do it in the morning, yeah?”

“Now.”

“Now?” Remus worried Sirius was feeling a little reckless and not thinking this decision through. “Why don’t we sit and have some tea and talk about it a bit first.” Sirius was undoubtedly feeling emotional, and Remus didn’t want him to let that control his decisions.

Sirius rolled his eyes in a huff and accepted the cup offered to him. “Fine.”

The two men sat, Sirius back on the couch and Remus back in his favorite chair. Remus sipped his tea and studied Sirius over the cup.

He was still staring intently at the drawing. There was an intense fire consumed in his flitting eyes. Remus sensed a recklessness disguised as adrenaline in Sirius.

“I decided...in the bath I decided I wanted to get a tattoo in remembrance of Silas. And when I saw this,” he was still holding and looking at the rose, “I knew this was it. I want it right here.” He placed his right hand over his left chest and shoulder and looked at Remus through misty eyes.

He continued to study Sirius for a long second. If this is what he needs to begin to heal, then I can do it. Remus' heart ached for himself and for Sirius when he finally said, “Ok.”

Sirius gave him a sad smile and closed his eyes. “Thank you, Remus.”

~~~~~

Sirius stayed on Remus' couch that night. James had popped by in the evening to see how he was getting along, and brought him a change of clothes. He also managed to convince Sirius to not be alone at his flat for the night. He was worried about what Sirius might get up to if left to his own devices right now, a concern he shared with Remus. Although Remus never had company. And sort of forgot come morning, that he had a guest on the couch.

Remus’ alarm went off, and he slammed his hand on the button on top. With a tired groan, he hauled himself out of bed. Bleary eyed and wearing only his boxers, he stumbled to the kitchen. He poured himself a glass of water from the tap, paid the Daily Prophet owl, and wandered back through the living room. It was at this moment he noticed the human shaped lump on his couch.

What the...he wondered, squinting at the mass.

One of the eyes of the mass opened. “Remus, the dragon boxers are very flattering, but put on some trousers, mate.”

Remus jumped as the recollection of the prior evening ricocheted around his brain -- Silas death, Sirius bath, James stopped by, Sirius stayed the night -- and he remembered what and why and who was on his couch. Of course, this jump also caused him to spill most of the contents of his water glass all over himself. “Sweet Merlin and Godric damn-it anyway!” He covered the front of his boxers with the newspaper, and side-stepped into the bathroom.

A few minutes later he emerged from the bathroom, thoroughly embarrassed but fully clothed and dry. Which was more than he could say for his overnight guest. Remus stopped in his tracks. Sirius was lounging on his couch wearing only jeans, his feet propped up and ankles crossed...reading a book.

A Wrinkle in Time, Remus read on the cover. One of his favorites, despite it being considered a children’s novel. He found inspiration in it’s ideas of friendship, individuality, courage, and nonconformity.

Finding Sirius relaxing on his couch, and reading his books, however. Well, that made his insides squirm in a way that was not appropriate given the situation and circumstances.

“I see you’ve made yourself at home,” Remus remarked. Casual. Be casual.

Sirius turned a page. “Well, I figured if you’re going to do my tattoo this morning, then there was no point in putting on a shirt.” He looked at Remus with a wide, toothless smirk.

Oh, yeah. While Remus was covered almost head to toe in tattoos to cover his scars, he noticed Sirius had a few specially placed so you’d never know they were there if you never saw him with his shirt off. The one that stood out to him most was on the inside of his left forearm.

“Canis Major,” Remus said.

Sirius moved his hand from holding up his head and held his arm out to examine it. “The star Sirius is right there.” He pointed with a smile. “The Dog Star.”

“How many tattoos do you have?” Remus asked, sitting in his favorite chair. 

“Seven. Today’s will be eight.” Sirius swung his legs down to the floor. “The constellation dog was my first. Then I got this one.” He held up and pointed to the inside of his right bicep. “For my brother, Regulus.” It was the Leo constellation within a lion.

“Then, when Reg died, I got this tribal band.” It was two lines encompassing a band of triangles with every other one flipped.

“The day after James proposed to Lily, I got this one.” He showed the outside of his right bicep, with an intimidating stag surrounded by colorful orange lilies. 

“Then I also got this motorcycle.” He leaned back and showed off the left side of his abs. “I think motorcycles are a brilliant Muggle contraption.”

“And this Gibson guitar head.” It was on the outside of his left bicep. “Shortly after I started learning how to play guitar, and I realized it was going to become a big part of my life.”

“What about the one on your sternum?” Remus was most interested in this one. It was very familiar to him, despite having never seen it on Sirius’ body.

Sirius looked down and touched this tattoo with a chuckle. “Oh. Got this one shortly after leaving Hogwarts.”

“The rest of your tattoos have special meaning though.” This one looked like a weird letter Y with lines through the bottom. He recognized the sign. “What does this one mean?” Does it mean to you what it means to me?

“Ok. So, I’ll tell you, but you have to promise not to freak out.”

“Ok…”

“It’s an amalgamation symbol. It kinda means like...a merger or a mixture.”

Remus could only stare and blink. “Ok…”

Sirius scratched his head with a grin. “Erm...James and I figured out how to become animagi while we were in school. That’s why his tattoo is a stag, because that’s his animagus form.”

What the hell? Remus had been on the edge of his seat throughout this explanation, and at this revelation he fell back. “What?”

“I’m an animagus.”

“And so is James?”

“Yes.”

“No.”

In the time it took Remus to blink, there was a big black dog sitting on his couch where Sirius had been moments before. He jumped. “What the hell?!”

The dog hopped off the couch and padded over to where Remus sat, and looked up at him with great puppy dog eyes. Then in another blink of the eye, Sirius crouched in front of him.

“Let’s go do that tattoo now.” Sirius said with a grin and a slap to Remus' leg.

Next Chapter: Chapter 9

[pookapics]

Sugar, Butter and Flour - A CEO!Steve Rogers x Baker!Reader (Christmas Series) Chapter 2 ~ Little Miss Sweet Tooth

Summary: Steve Rogers is a Grinch, he pushes through the Christmas holidays with a smile for his young daughter, Sarah. The widower doesn’t enjoy the holidays and would rather focus on his work at the ‘Avengers Law Firm’ but with an upcoming ‘Christmas Wrap Party’ at the firm, his path becomes entwined with (YN) (LN), the owner of a small bakery who’s catering for the event and has managed to steal the heart of Steve’s young daughter. Will he fall for the young baker? Or will his bitterness toward the Christmas holidays and his grief keep him from finding happiness again during the ‘happiest time of the year’?

Warnings - Mention of Loss of Loved one & LOTS OF FLUFF! Steve and Reader meet in this chapter!

Word Count -  4338

A/N - This series will be completed by the end of January! Sorry for the delay! December was extremely busy due to university deadlines I had due!

Masterlist - https://protectthelesbians.tumblr.com/post/189337379588/are-you-wanting-a-heart-warming-fan-fiction-just

________________________________________

Steve’s POV

Today was a momentous occasion, Steve Rogers had a day-off. Something which Bucky always teased him about was his lack of free time. Being a working parent was something difficult to balance, especially as a single-parent, working both roles of mom and dad for Sarah. Both the disciplinarian and the fun parent, another set of dynamics to balance inside of himself. Adjusting his dressing-gown, he sat in the comfort of his couch, Sarah having not woken up yet, still tuckered out from spending yesterday out in the snow with Bucky at the park. The television softly playing reruns of Christmas films he hadn’t seen since he was growing up, a cup of coffee on the coffee-table and his phone nowhere in sight, when Steve was out of office, he tried to disengage himself as much as possible, wanting to take these days off to be with Sarah entirely. 

Said phone currently on the kitchen counter alongside the remains of the doughnut which Steve had received from the baker Sarah couldn’t stop babbling about, constantly begging to go back and bake with the sweet lady who owned the bakery. Walking over to the kitchen counter, staring at the empty paper-bag which was imprinted with the logo and the address for said bakery on the somewhat crumpled paper-bag. 

                                                  ‘Fairy-Cakes Bakery’

                                                   353 Columbus Ave

                                                  New York, NY 10024

With the bag in hand, Steve ran his finger across the logo on the bag and hummed, an idea coming forth as he heard the padding of little feet on the floorboards up above, the soft giggling gave away that the sound wasn’t a rat but instead…

A cheeky little monkey.

Sarah was giggling and made her way down the stairs, making her way down carefully before running up to Steve “DADDYYYY!” She raced forward and came face-first into Steve’s calves and knees “Hi Sunshine.” Picking her up and placing her upon his hip “Why are you still in your sleeping clothes, Daddy? Don’t you have work?” Tilting her head up at him, Steve chuckled “Sunshine, Daddy has a day-off today to spend with you.” He lay a peck to the crown of her head gently “REALLY?!” Sarah perked up immediately and wriggled in Steve’s arms excitedly “I get to spend a WHOLE day with you?!” The deeper meaning behind those words made Steve flinch slightly, it was true that he rarely got good time alone with his daughter, today was the start of a small change he’d hoped to start making. Steve nodded “Yes Sunshine and I think I have an idea of what we could do today.” Booping his daughter on the nose gently, with his finger, his daughter doing the head-tilt thing again “How about we head to the bakery that you keep talking about?”

Sarah was bubbling with excitement “WE’RE GOING TO SEE MISS (YN)?!” She wriggled “I have to get ready! So do you Daddy!?” She squealed and rushed towards the stairs, Steve chuckling and following after his enthusiastic daughter who scrambled to her room to get changed, so he decided to follow suit and clean himself up in preparation for heading out. Changing into a simple blue shirt and trousers, not as dressed up as he usually was due to his work attire being so formal. Swiping his hair back and taming his growing facial hair, the ‘dad beard’ as Bucky called it on many occasions, staring at his reflection in the mirror, it was a stark comparison to the man who started his career all those years ago, he’d aged in those years. The tiredness which lingered under his eyes, fatigue and droning nature of meetings and writing reports. 

But Sarah brought out the energy and happier side to Steve which many people at work never saw. Never saw in the same capacity that Sarah and those closest to him saw. The lighter side of Steve which had been in hiding since Peggy. A side of him he missed dearly. Today, the weight of his work was off his shoulders and all that mattered today was his little girl who he heard running up to his door. Turning on his heel, he saw his beautiful little girl waiting at his door, her soft brown eyes full of wonder and excitement about what today might hold “I’m ready Daddy!” giggling as she dressed herself with ease, becoming better at doing the buttons on her cardigans day by day. Walking over and picking her up with ease, Steve happily carried his daughter back downstairs “Let's get a few things packed with us and we can get going.” He definitely still babied Sarah, but she was his only child, his little girl.

 So of course she was coddled and spoilt rotten by her father. 

Steve grabbed her paw-patrol backpack for her and packed a few snacks and a juice-box inside she got hungry on the way into the city, he’d learned over the years of being a lone dad, he needed to pack for any eventuality, like the apocalypse itself would start any moment. Handing over the backpack to his daughter as well as her coat and boots, helping her tie the laces as she hadn’t gotten the knack of it.

“I wanna do my own laces but I can’t!” Sarah crossed her arms in a huff, her chubby cheeks looking even more round when she pouted her petted lips. Steve laughed and rubbed his daughter’s cheek gently “You’ll get the hang of it, Sunshine. How about I teach you a rhyme your nana taught me to help me tie my laces?” Sarah nodded excitedly and sat on her dad’s lap on the floor as he reached to guide her hands with the tricky shoelaces.

“Over, under, around and through,

Meet Mr. Bunny Rabbit, pull and through.”

Steve recited the rhyme for his daughter as he guided her little hands to tie the laces, taking his time to show her each step, finally tying the laces up and clapping his hands happily “There. And if you remember that rhyme and keep practicing, you’ll be a shoelace tying champ!” Blowing a raspberry into his daughter’s cheek as she squealed “DADDY! Your chin is scratchy!?” Pouting as Steve let out a bellowed chuckle “Oh is it now?” He did it again and rubbed his bearded chin into his daughter’s face, making her squeal even louder “DADDY!!” She wriggled in Steve’s lap as she was being tickled, a happy moment between the two. Steve laughed and looked down at his daughter “Okay I relent! Since we want to go visit your friend the baker don’t you?” He stopped tickling her as he saw her now burst into the widest of smiles “Miss (YN)?! We have to go now Daddy!” grabbing her father’s hand and trying to get him up onto his feet and drag him out the door, giving him on a few moments to grab his shoes, jacket and the 3 essentials.

Phone, keys and wallet. 

Being rushed into the lift by little Sarah who was jumping up and down excitedly, the two descending in the lift from their 2 floor penthouse home, heading down to the private parking lot which contained his car and motorcycle, the latter something he hadn’t ridden on in many years, not since little Sarah’s birth. Walking up to his car, he helped Sarah into her car-seat, strapping her in before heading over to his side of the car, starting the ignition and strapping himself in. Driving out of the car park and using the GPS to direct him to the bakery.

Sarah giggled “Music, Daddy! Music-time!” She insisted, to which Steve gave in and flicked through the music stations before Sarah called out again “No Daddy! Special CD!” Steve smiled faintly, the CD she was mentioning was a CD of music from his childhood to music he and Peggy used to drive to, all the music was suitable for Sarah but some of the songs made him smile sadly as he drove, his eyes on the road as he listened solely to the sound of the GPS and Sarah’s singing, blocking out any of the songs which were too difficult to listen to. Songs which were too significant for him and the past, songs which hurt. 

Soon enough after avoiding the traffic as much as he could, they turned into the street where the bakery was hidden from the main-street, immediately the atmosphere was different. The busyness of the city didn’t touch this nook, the shops were their own little community with the butchers, flower shop and of course, the bakery in questioned they’d travelled through the city to get to. Parking up beside the shop, he got out and stood on the pavement as he helped Sarah out of her car-seat and onto the ground beside him. Locking up the car and getting a ticket for parking before turning to look at the bakery which was decked out in Christmas decorations, something which made Steve grimaced slightly. Sarah was excitable and rushed up to the window “I see her! Come on Daddy!” Grabbing his hand and dragging him inside, the bell above the door ringing, notifying the owner of their arrival, whose back was turned. 

“Miss (YN)!” Sarah squeaked which made the owner turn around finally, her hair dusted with flour leaving a white caste in her hair which was styled in an easy way but in a way which suited her features. Steve’s eyes locked onto her own, her cheeks tinted a faint pink “Hi there!” The woman smiled and pulled her eyes from Steve’s and looked down at Sarah “Hi again, I’m guessing this guy here is your dad huh?” Steve smiled “Steve,” he introduced himself as Sarah nodded and giggled, holding onto his hand happily “We came to see you! Daddy enjoyed his doughnut, his beard was covered in crumbs in the morning when I woke up!” Steve coughed and used his spare hand to cover his mouth and to hide his flushed cheeks “I see.” (YN) turned her eyes to look at Steve, a smile on her face “Your friend Bucky said you didn’t like sweet things so I’m glad to know you enjoyed it.” Pure joy in her eyes at the thought of people just enjoying her baking “Yes. I very much enjoyed it.” Steve ran his fingers through his beard, as if making sure there was no crumbs in it this time. (YN) smiled “So Sarah, how would you like to help me do some baking today? Only if your dad doesn’t mind of course!” Kneeling down to Sarah’s height and looking between Sarah and Steve. Sarah looked at her dad happily “Can I Daddy?! Can I Can I?!” Looking at Steve with puppy-dog eyes, and of course he gave in “Of Course that’d be alright Sunshine.”

(YN) rose to her feet and smiled, running a hand through her hair “Wanna go wash your hands and get an apron on?” Sarah nodded and followed (YN) to go wash her hand and gave her a small apron which had snowflakes on it, helping her tie the apron for her, muttering something under her breath “Over, under, around and through, Meet Mr. Bunny Rabbit, pull and through.” Sarah gasped “You know the Mr Bunny rabbit song!” turning to (YN) and rushing up to her dad “Daddy! Miss (YN) knows your Mr Bunny Rabbit song!” Steve looked up to (YN) and then to Sarah “She does eh?” (YN) smiled “I sometimes say the song when I’m tying up my apron, habits never die.” (YN)’s cheeks were flushed in embarrassment slightly as she rose back to her feet from when she was knelt down tying Sarah’s apron for her. Sarah tugged at the edge of your apron softly, pulling you from your rising embarrassment “Miss (YN), what are we going to bake?” excitement clearly spread across the little girl’s  face “How about cupcakes or even fairy cakes?” Sarah squealed and nodded excitedly, bouncing up and down, ready to start baking. 

Steve took a seat at a table which made (YN) raise a brow “Sitting this out eh?” cheeks still tinged faintly pink as she looked at him, Sarah distracted for a moment by the Christmas ornaments. Steve looked at the baker with an amused expression “I’m not much of a baker to be honest.” He rested back in the seat “I can cook but baking isn’t my strong-suit.” Sarah joined in “Daddy can’t bake, last time we tried to make pancakes, they were like rocks!” sending a cheeky smile to her father, standing beside (YN) who let out an uncontrollable laugh/snort. 

Steve watched her snort and laugh and how she quickly contained herself and covered her mouth and nose “I’m so sorry for laughing!” The remnants of the laughter in her throat, threatening to come out again if triggered. Steve smiled faintly “She gets the humor from her uncles, they’ve teased me since college about my baking skills.” It felt like a window was being formed, a peek through into Steve’s inner self that he was letting this woman see, he didn’t know why he felt so comforted in her presence and the setting of her little bakery. 

YOUR POV

As you smiled at Steve for another moment “Well maybe I can teach you a fool-proof recipe that won’t end up in disaster,” you offered, not knowing where the confidence was coming from to say this to the highly attractive man that sat down in your bakery. You think its maybe your friend Dot’s energy and behaviours rubbing off on you, god you hoped this didn’t make you look like an idiot. 

Steve cracked a smile again, chuckling which made your stomach twist in a nice way, as strange as that sounded in your head. Steve smiled “I don’t think any recipe is fool-proof with me around.” his brow raised, it was almost as if a younger version of the man before you was now sat there, a shroud of shadow left him and was letting him smile. With an equal playful tone, you retorted “I like a challenge,” crossing your arms across your apron with a smile across your face “But for now, how about we start on those cupcakes?” looking over to Sarah, who was looking at the desserts cabinet, she perked up and followed you as you led her around back to the kitchen “There’s a window in the kitchen, you can sit by the window to keep an eye on her?” you offered to which Steve nodded and followed after the two of you, this was when you were reminded how tall and broad he was, not that you hadn’t noticed it when you first saw him and Sarah enter the bakery. 

Entering the kitchen, you tried to quell the growing redness in your cheeks, focusing on baking with Sarah, though you felt Steve’s eyes from the window, watching as the two of you worked together to make the batter for the cupcakes. Your holiday playlist softly playing as you baked, the festive songs playing through the portable speaker you always brought into work, letting the music fills you with spirit and cheer. Sarah was perched on a stool beside you so she was level with the table, able to stir the batter and help. Her little hands dusted with flour as she helped pour in the cups of flour, her little apron dusted with flour a little which reminded you of the snow which had started to fall across the city a few days ago. With the bowl of batter, you whisk the batter till fluffy, you showed Sarah each step and smiled, even gently booping her nose with your flour covered finger, smiling as she let out a happy squeal. Taking a glance at the window for a moment, you locked eyes with Steve. His blue eyes on yours, your palms getting sweaty for a second before you pulled away from his eyes and focusing on distributing the batter into some cases. 

Two trays of cupcake cases were laid out in front of you and Sarah, giving her a spoon and showing her how much batter to use in each “Should reach up to there, so they can rise and not overflow!” Like a machine, you filled your tray quickly as you were so used to the action, deciding to help Sarah “Need a little help?” seeing as the little girl’s hand was shaking as she tried to concentrate so hard on filling each case perfectly, you reached around and guided her hand “There we go! You’re doing so well with filling these, giving my best friend a run for her money!” giggling with Sarah as you helped her complete the second tray of cupcakes. Carrying the trays over to the ovens, placing them in gently to bake “We have 15 minutes to wait! Time to clean up! Everyone’s least favourite part!” Sarah just seemed excited to be in the kitchen and up for doing anything and spending time with you which made time fly so fast. 

TIME SKIP ~~

Sarah had fallen asleep on the table, her little hand still grasping the bag of green icing she was using to ice her cupcake masterpiece that she’d been working on before she passed out. You smiled, looking at Steve who was watching his daughter fondly, turning back to the cupcakes you grabbed a cake-box from up front and started to fill the box with the cupcakes you and Sarah made. Sprinkles covering the table from Sarah’s excitement with decorating, you’d clean it up after you got all this sorted. Gently, you picked up Sarah, removing the icing bag from her hands and putting that on the table before you carried her out of the kitchen and out to Steve who was at his table still, two empty coffee cups which you’d made for him when Sarah was helping you clean and decorate. Her little hands reached for something to hold instead of the icing bag and wrapped her arms around your neck and entangling her fingers in your hair which made you giggle quietly. Steve smiled as you approached, rising from his seat to walk with you to the front register. 

“Definitely tuckered her little self out.” Steve gently brushed his daughter’s cheek, which was dusted with flour and icing sugar, making you smile as Steve now turned to you “Thank you for this, she’s been wanting to come back here since Sam and Bucky brought her.” You nodded “I love baking with little kids, they love getting creative in the kitchen.” Steve seemed focused on your face, you blinked “what?” tilting your head to the side for a moment as you looked at him, his hand reached up to brush your cheek gently “A bit of icing sugar I think.” your face a little pink “I-I see! Happens all the time,” feeling like a nervous teenager again. Steve nodded “I could only bet,” he reached over to gently pry Sarah off of you, she clung on like a little koala as you supported her from the back and bottom “Let me fetch the cupcakes and bag them up for you!” with your now free arms, you walked back to the kitchen to get the box as Steve soothed the stirring Sarah, who was nestling her nose in her father’s neck. 

You watched the little scene from the kitchen-door, smiling as Dot’s mischievous voice entered your mind, nagging you to do something. To give him your number. You knew your friend would kill you if you didn’t so as you bagged up the baked treats for the two, you suppress the voice and kept bagging everything, ignoring the nagging voice. Walking back to the register, you handed the bag over “There’s her little cupcake masterpieces,” fingertips brushing as you handed the bag to his free hand as the other arm cradled the sleeping Sarah. Steve smiled, “You really made her day. She was so excited to come here and I now understand why.” Shyly, you rubbed your clammy hands on your apron out of nerves from the compliment, you could playfully banter with him but as soon as he gave you a compliment, the shyness bubbled over completely “Well she made my day I-I mean you both made my day!” slipping up on your words slightly which made Steve chuckle “Don’t worry, I understood what you meant.” Holding Sarah close as he chatted with you “Well I suppose we’ll definitely be seeing each other at the Christmas party?” You nodded “I guessed so, your colleagues well should I say friends called her their ‘taste-tester’ so I guessed that you worked with them.” Steve nodded “Well Sam’s my employee and friend, Buck’s just a very close friend of mine.”

‘Employee?’ That meant Steve wasn’t simply a worker for the Avengers Firm, he was a big player, a boss. You simply nodded at his words “Well they were both lovely when they were here, they’ve emailed and asked about my lunch delivery service already.” Steve chuckled “Lunch delivery? You do lunch deliveries?” He questioned and walked to the door, bag of cupcakes in hand “My friend Dot and I work on deliveries, brings in more business and very popular amongst offices.” You noted as Steve hummed “I’ll have to enquire about that myself, has peaked my interest.” You bit your lip to stop it from smiling to much at this “Oh really?” You thought this may be a proposition for him wanting to see you again but you wouldn’t keep your hopes up, though you didn’t see the wedding band on his left hand, you didn’t want to overstep or assume anything especially with little Sarah. Steve with your help, opened the front door and carried Sarah and the bag over to his car, you waved from the shop window, watching as Steve put Sarah in her car-seat. 

You don’t know what overtook you in the next moments but by the time Steve had put Sarah in the car with the cupcakes and was getting into the driver’s seat, you’d run out with a small bag in hand and a napkin “WAIT!! STEVE!” You rushed over to his car as he switched on the ignition, walking over to the driver side window, seeing him roll the window down, you panted softly as you held the bag out to him for him to take through the window “I-I thought you might like this… since you don’t like sweet things that much.” Cheeks tinged pink from the rush but also shyness, Steve grinned “Thank you.” You nodded and backed up as Steve drove off, you gently waved from the sidewalk. His car disappearing with sight and hoping that your inner-Dot was right when you snuck him the napkin and sweet treat, the napkin having you number scrawled on it with a few words. 

‘I promised to prove you wrong that you can make something which is fool-proof but you’ll need this’ (YN) - 202-555-0104 <3

As you stood pondering what you’d just done on the sidewalk, winter started to show its face once more, slowly snowflakes began to cover you as snow took over this side of the city, your hair now littered with snowflakes. Hearing you name, you saw it was Dot, who was stopping by to check in on you as she usually did during her lunch-break. You pulled away from the edge of the sidewalk and made your way over to the shop where your friend was stood, waiting for you. 

The two of you heading back into the bakery, her asking immediately what you were doing standing out on the sidewalk in the softly falling snow. And you knew you couldn’t hide anything from your best-friend, so of course you spilt the beans 

“So you just ran out with a cake and your number and stopped him from driving off!” Dot squealed as you nodded “Oh my god (YN)! This sounds like something out of a rom-com!” You flushed “But what if I totally misjudged it! What if he finds my number and is weirded out!” You were thinking irrationally but you were just nervous, sipping your hot chocolate which you’d made as you chatted with your best friend. Dot rolled her eyes “It’ll be okay (YN)! Stop being irrational!” She laughed “You’re a catch and if he doesn’t recognise that then jokes on him! But I have a good feeling he has.” Smiling into her mocha as you chatted about Steve. And as if almost teasing you, your phone went off, it was placed by the register. 

Quickly, you scuttled to the register before Dot could, she was nagging you and wanted to see if it was Steve who’d texted you “Come on! You’re killing me! Is it Steve or not!” She was squealing and desperate to find out if Steve had messaged you. Taking a deep gulp, you checked your phone to see a message from an unknown number and checked your text messages, deep down hoping it was Steve.

Your face went bright red as you looked at the message, it was Steve. You let out a squeal which you’d been holding in, feeling like a teenage girl all over again. The flurry of emotions taking over. Dot took that as a yes to it being Steve and scrambled over to see what he messaged, reading it “Holy Shit! He’s definitely into you!” Dot squealed with you, you just stared and bite your lip. Dot shook you “Message him back Woman!!!” laughing as you nodded “Okay Okay I will!” Pulling away from Dot as you began to message him back, putting him in your contacts.

Something was blossoming in this cold December afternoon in New York and you hoped deep down it was something that would grow, like snowdrops growing in the coldest of winter, during this most wonderful time of the year. And you hoped that Steve could feel it too. 

END OF CHAPTER 2

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