#now that my insane long passion project is finally done ill probably go back to baby kiss it better pt 2😋

[phoebesspikytitties]

🌸 your last fic holy shit that was insane (in the best way possible) this will be living in my brain for the next several hours

TEEHEHEHEHEHEHE YAAYYY THANK YOU SO MUCHH!! I always aim for insane and unforgettable so this is the highest of compliments, I really really appreciate it<33

- 🌸

[obae-me]

Upside Down CH-1

Author’s Note: Hi, yes, hello, welcome to the fic series that no one asked for! Do I have other things I need to finish? Yes! But has this been the only thing on my mind for the past four days? Also yes! For some reason I was incapable of writing anything else! Thanks, brain, for this out of the blue obsession! 

Tags: Reverse AU

Word Count: 4587

                                                      Next Chapter

Hell Away From Hell

Wrong. You didn’t do anything wrong. It was a mistake. It had to be. Although, with every clink of your restraints, your reality was becoming ever clearer. The chains rattled, echoing down the hall like a set of twisted wind chimes. Ones that sung of your dismal fortune. The demon ahead of you yanked the lead attached to your cuffs, sending you stumbling forward. You bit your lip to keep from cursing. Steading your body, you took their less-than-subtle message and picked up the pace. Keeping your eyes glued towards your destination, your stomach sank to your knees. Why? Why had you been brought to the castle? You hadn’t done anything wrong. Well, not anything to warrant being escorted by the palace guards in chains. And as they led you silently inside, past the polished halls and gaudy antiques, your fate pounded just fervently in your mind as your heart was in your chest. 

They were going to present you in front of the prince. 

It was torture in and of itself just making it to the throne room. The worst part about it all was your rampant imagination. You could only imagine what type of horrific techniques the prince was aware of. Halting in front of the large double doors, the demon behind you moved to open the entrance. Holding it open, the guard tugging you along guided you in. You managed to take only a few steps inside the room before you were practically thrown inside, your body tumbling over the ground. Both the guards smirked at you, flashing their pointed fangs in their conceited gestures before shutting the door, leaving you alone inside. 

“MC.” All the air inside your lungs had conveniently escaped. Lifting your chest off the ground, you tightened your lips as you met his gaze. Those glistening emerald eyes pierced right through you. Quickly, you lowered your eyes, attempting to show as much respect as you could to gain his favor. 

“M-my lord.” 

The melodic note that left his throat was a mix between a laugh and a coo. “Now, now, none of that groveling. I had you brought here to ask you a favor!” You could hear him stand to his feet, and you watched his shoes approach, clicking against the marbled tile. Then, you felt the smooth skin of his hand caress your right horn. The sudden sensitive feeling had your tail rapidly twitch and tuck under your leg. He pushed your horns back, raising your chin so you could look up at him. His dark hair drifted down across his forehead, curling around his horns that curved above his head like a broken halo, his face soft and inviting, and yet your gut wouldn’t let you believe it. “Please, from now on, just call me Simeon.” 

Simeon hummed as he lifted his tea cup to his lips. He had been hospitable enough, but you still couldn’t shake this feeling of unease. Plus...what he had brought you in to ask you was...well, something short of insanity. You continued to rub your wrists where your constraints had been. And as much as the prince of hell apologized for his guard’s brutish behavior, you had a feeling it was purposeful. A message of sorts. Even now, as he had his little servant bring in sweets and tea as sickly sweet as it could get, it all tasted bitter to your tongue. “So let me get this straight,” you started. “You want me to be a member of this…” 

The prince tilted his head, eyes practically shining. “Restoration program.” 

You cleared your throat after the little scone this blonde demon had given you made your throat run dry. “R-right. And I’m assuming I don’t have a choice in the matter?” 

His voice was soft, but the light reflecting off his horns and his fangs suggested another answer. “We all have choices, MC.” 

Swallowing your nervousness, you lowered your head again. “But, with all due respect, sir...why? Why a restoration program?” 

Another voice chuckled behind your figure. “Because, why not?” You strained your neck, getting a view at the newcomer behind you. White hair, a mischievous smile, and something unknown swimming at the back of those dark eyes. Not only that, but the figure was wearing clothes as pure as clouds, with a certain glow to him. 

Simeon stood, hand out to greet this person as if they were an old friend-and for all you knew, they might’ve been. “Solomon, how good to see you.” 

The new guest-now known to you as Solomon-beamed. “Likewise. You’re looking well.” He turned, giving you a once-over to take you in before nodding. “And you are MC, yes?” 

Glaring, already feeling your skin about to burn, you leaned away from him. “And you’re an angel.” Your distrustful attitude let him frown for just a moment, but whether it was just his angelic nature or his personality, that smile was right back on his face. 

“Yes, well, the plan requires an angel, so Simeon personally asked me for my hand in this matter.” 

The both of them could tell that you were unbelievably confused, so Simeon gestured for the angel to take a seat at the table. “Luke.” The prince gestured to his small servant, the one who had not only brought you sweets but had taken the liberty to be staring you down the entire time. Finally, he turned his attention away from you. “Please do me a favor and get our new guest some refreshments.” The lesser demon squinted at you, nearly growled at the angel, and then took his leave with rapid little steps. Simeon laughed quietly to himself. “Don’t worry about him, he’s not used to others quite yet. But, MC.” With your name mentioned, you straightened your posture. “I’ve been planning this for quite some time. It’s been a desire of mine to bring the three realms closer together.” You couldn’t help but wonder why, what purpose it served, but you kept your mouth shut. “And while I’ve started to make decent progress fixing the old wounds between the Devildom and Celestial Realm, most of my kingdom and Solomon’s people refuse to make connections with the humans.” 

Mortals...even just the mention managed to leave a heavy pit in your stomach. “If I may speak.” You waited for the prince’s go-ahead before speaking your mind. “What would be the point of connecting with the humans? They serve little purpose. They’re either so corrupt they destroy their own kind or they think they’re so pure they isolate themselves or get themselves killed in the name of their twisted justice.” Speaking so passionately against the idea, you didn’t realize your nails had grown into talons, leaving marks in the wooden table. You took a breath, reclaiming your typical form. “They can’t even do themselves any good, what makes you think they’d be good for our realms?” 

Solomon, an expression of understanding mixed with pity, bounced a little in his seat. “That’s the question, isn’t it?” He turned his head to Simeon, who was nodding at you with a bit of approval. 

“That’s what this plan is all about. Testing them, observing them. We’ll be watching these humans, and at the end of this project, we’ll be able to determine if they’re ready and worthy of being brought together with us.” The ruler crossed one leg over the other, his tone making it sound as it was as simple as eating pie. 

Setting down the fork to your pastry, you felt a sense of dread wash over you. “And by we you mean?” 

“Why, you and Solomon of course! A demon and an angel, both working together to restore the bond between the human world and ours! The Demonic and Angelic Restoration program! Or D.A.R. -dare- for short.” If it weren’t for the horns, you’d almost think this demon was an angel with the way he eagerly talked about restoring bonds and bettering the nature of the realms. But, then you felt nauseous. 

“What...what exactly do you need me to do to help with this...program? And why me?” 

It was actually the angel that spoke up. “I’m sure you’re aware of the Morningstars?” 

It was such a silly question, you ended up scoffing. “Who doesn’t down here? Those brothers are filled with so much corruption and chaos they end up fueling about half the lesser demons down here...why?” 

They both straight up ignored your question and instead asked you some of their own. Simeon leaned forward, looking at you intently. “It took me quite a bit of time to find you MC. Most people don’t know you exist, and those that do hardly know your name. You simply are known to most as Isolation. Is it true that you’ve never made a pact with a human? Rumor is that you even refuse to subsist off their sins. And you’ve never taken a soul? That’s typically unheard of nowadays.”  

Shifting in your seat, you gave it to them straight. “It’s true. I do whatever I can to avoid contact. Haven’t even seen a human in the past millennia. Haven’t talked to one in about twice that time.” 

Clapping his hands together, Simeon let out an amazed sigh. “Perfect. You will be able to have a fresh eye! A clean slate. An unbiased--well, mostly unbiased opinion. You won’t be tempted to corrupt them, you’ll give me honest answers.” 

“Plus,” the angel agreed, “if you have the strength and willpower to live without human sustenance and influence for this long, you probably will have the patience to keep from killing them. If anyone could manage to live with the Morningstars, it would be you, from what I’ve heard.” 

You were grateful you had put down your drink a while ago. Your breath caught in your throat. “Wait, excuse me, what did you say? Live...with the…” 

“Mr. Morningstar!” A laugh, a handshake, even a pat on the shoulder, it nearly made you ill watching the upcoming king of the Devildom greet a human like this so casually. You couldn’t help but sneak glances at this mortal...one of the Morningstars, the eldest. The one who fueled the most demons without even knowing about it. People down in the Devildom called him by Pride. A human world CEO-whatever that meant. He was powerful, influential, not to mention ridiculously rich. And he’d do whatever it took to keep his status, even at the misfortune of plenty of other people. His suit and posture told you pretty much all you needed to know about him. A fancy well tailored pitch black suit, a striking red tie with a subtle but regal diamond design, diamond cufflinks, the works. It was as if dust and winkles knew to avoid him entirely. His hair was as dark as his suit, save for the ends which were greying. He didn’t seem that old, so you wondered if it was intentional or simply stress. You thought you heard someone say that once, that humans could get grey hair from stress. Did they all possess capabilities to change their hair based on their emotions? That human lady you saw outside the building with the blue hair must’ve been feeling something intense. 

“Mr-” The human you had come to see was cut off. 

“Please, you know to call me Simeon by now!” 

The mortal cleared his throat. “Simeon…” The human glanced at you, and raised his chin as he took Simeon by the shoulders and brought him away from you. If you had been a human, it would’ve been a decent tactic to keep you out of earshot. Unfortunately, you could still hear everything they were saying. “I know you have good standing with the company, and I’m pleased to know you respect and trust me with such a task, but...this is far from business.” You could feel his eyes on you. “I have to respectfully decline your request. I don’t think I can allow them to live with us for a year. You know my family.” 

“It would only be for a year, and I know you have plenty of room in that house of yours!” Simeon laughed a bit and then lowered his voice. You could feel the alluring pull of his influence flood the space. The human stiffened, his intuition picking up on a shift in the room. “Besides, Lucifer. You know I wouldn’t ask for a favor like this without some proper and well deserved remuneration. Listen...I happen to have something on the head of that business owner that’s been butting heads with your company. Wouldn’t it be nice to have them completely out of the picture? Not only is that increasing your profit, but if they happen to...I don’t know, completely go bankrupt, that little building of theirs on the corner of Main is some prime real estate.” Reaching into his pocket, Simeon pulled out a small...plastic...rectangle of sorts, with metal on one end. “I got everything right here.” Smiling, one hand firmly against Lucifer’s upper back, he looked him right in the eyes and whispered something you knew would have this human caught. “You can’t let them bother you like this. You need to show them and everyone else who you are, and that you’re not to be messed with.” 

It took the mortal a moment of internal struggle. Decline the offer and figure things out himself without assistance? Or swallow the smallest bit of ego for self satisfaction? Either way, this mortal was past helping. Already drowning in pride. Eventually, he gripped the object, tucking it into a pocket beneath his suit jacket. Despite being handed assistance, he still found a way to be demanding. “Alright, but no more than a year, and if I feel like anything is going awry, I’m sending them away. Is it really too unreasonable to just set them up on their own? Surely for you it’s no problem.” 

Backing up slightly after his incentive worked, Simeon shook his head. “I would feel endlessly guilty leaving alone, desolate, isolated, after what happened. Poor thing...they haven’t even said a word to me in days.” That last part wasn’t a lie. You’d nearly refused to say anything to him since being dragged to the human world. Prince or no prince. “My poor cousin, suddenly losing all their family like that. It’s tragic, isn’t it? Losing people you love?” 

Lucifer, with his arms folded, let his hand tightly grip the fabric of one of his sleeves. His eyes lowered the slightest touch, his jaw tightening. “It...is...I know it all too well.” You caught a hint of some emotion from the mortal. 

“Then you know that what would be best for them right now is company. Trust me, I wouldn’t have brought them to you if I didn’t think it would help. Besides, this is a win for all parties involved, right?” Simeon gestured to the gift Lucifer had tucked away, and the last string of resistance had been snipped. 

Sighing, the human looked at the luxurious watch on his wrist. “I’ll take them home. Let my brothers know what’s happening. Is it too much to assume they’ll be better behaved with a guest in the house?” 

Laughing once more, the prince shrugged. If only Lucifer knew who he was in the presence of. “You’ll all just have to find out!” Patting the other man on the shoulder, Simeon then came over to you with his arms outstretched. “It’s all settled, MC!” He pulled you into a hug, taking the time to speak quietly to you. “Remember to keep your identity a secret. I’ll be checking up on you and Solomon once a month for a report. Keep them safe. Play nice.” He pulled apart, coming around behind you and settling his hands on your shoulders. “And remember, what Mr. Morningstar is doing is unbelievably nice, so make sure to thank him and keep yourself out of trouble.” 

You broke your vow of silence out of irritation. “I’m not a child you’re sending away to school. I know how to keep my own head on my shoulders.” You attempted to brush his hands off but the grip was tightened. Swallowing your frustration, you kept yourself from grimacing, looking at the fabled Lucifer Morningstar. “Thank you...for letting me live with you.” 

For a human, he had a tenacity for picking up on things. He noticed your lie, giving you a stare down of his own before grabbing his phone. You only recently figured out what those devices were. Simeon had made sure he gifted you one of your own, since apparently it was the main source of communication in this realm. Too strange, but you picked it up fairly quickly. Lucifer just raised his head and pressed his cell against his ear. “Just make sure you refrain from being as irksome as my brothers.” The line he was dialing picked up. “Yes, have a driver prepare to come pick me up. And someone please contact my brothers for me so they know I’m bringing home a...guest.” 

It was going to be a long year…

The...metal contraption rumbled, making your head feel light. Without magic to get around, they had to use...these things. The movement slowed till it came to a stop. Looking out the pane of glass, you peered forward to see what the issue was. A big red circular light shone a bright crimson in front of the lane. Was it a threat? If so, why was the world seemingly filled with them? Then the eye turned green and the long carriage rumbled back to life. It was completely different than the last time you had been here. 

“Before you even step foot in my home, we need to set some ground rules.” Even just the sound of his voice almost physically rubbed you the wrong way. You bit the inside of your cheek. Play nice, the prince had said. How long could you keep your patience around these mortals? You looked up at him, feeling him stare you down to the corrupt depths of your soul. “Since you’re going to be living with us for so long, you’re going to have to follow the same rules I give my brothers? Understand?” 

Was this all worth it? Would having your soul be torn to shreds be that bad? “Yes.” 

He nodded, then decided his attention would be better focused towards whatever he had on that electronic device of his. He gave you orders without even looking at you. No wonder all the lesser demons who fawned after him were so pretentious. “No parties. No pets. You can stay up however long you want, but you must be back at the house no later than midnight. You can have your own room but you must keep it clean, don’t expect me to hire a maid for you. You’re responsible for looking after yourself. I might be providing a roof over your head, but anything you need is up to you. You break anything, you’re responsible for replacing it. Just use the basic level of common sense and we should have no trouble. Hopefully the year will be over before we—oh excuse me.” Without another word he picked another call, his third one since you’d been blackmailed into this ride. You just gave a gentle sigh and stared out the window. Just a few days ago you’d still existed in your botherless existence. A personal utopia of your own making. Now you were in this...hell away from hell, the scent of smog and exhaust still burning the inside of your nose. 

The rest of the ride was spent with you trying to think of ways to escape this fate, but finding none in sight. You didn’t need to fully see the building to get this overwhelming wave of impurity. The tempting allure of sin. Practically a demon buffet. These morons were just screaming to be killed or worse, eaten. Even just approaching the gate to the driveway, you could see remnants of spirits, demons without full forms clawing at the fence. Wisps of black sinking into their sidewalk. But not even those, you could smell the presence of other lesser demons...but more dangerous ones. Outside the gate were small crowds, not too many, but enough to safely conceal their presence. Photographers, journalists, fans, wherever they were, they were eager to get in. And amongst the rabble stood demons pretending to be mortals in an attempt to sink their fangs into one of the Morningstars. You slunk down in your seat, trying to conceal your presence, but you were sure they’d be able to feel you. The car slipped past all of them, approaching the first set of gates. Whoever was patrolling the vehicle pressed their fingers against a small pad attached to a pillar by the gate. It waited for a moment, then made an affirming noise before the gate swung open. The cries of mortal and hidden demons alike pleading for the smallest sliver of attention from this human made you feel sick. 

Despite having nearly ignored you the whole time, Lucifer scoffed. “You’ll get used to it.” The curved metal fence shut behind you, and the sound of the crowd slowly faded as you pulled up in front of the massive house. If anything, it reminded you a little of home. It was an old fashioned looking house, but fanciful nonetheless. With dark stone, piercing towers, arched windows, and an overall gothic aesthetic. You managed to take a moment to breathe. At least there was one silver lining. Lucifer stepped out of the idle vehicle first, paying you no mind as he approached the steps to the door. Slightly panicking, you tried simply pushing the door before noticing the small handle. Pulling it unlocked it, and you rapidly exited, feeling the motion sickness fade with your feet on the ground. You followed the mortal to the door, and was slightly pleased when he put his phone away to open the door, leaving it open for you. Lucifer shut the door, a small high pitched noise ringing through your ears. You turned and watched him mess with a little panel near the door. “Our security is top of the market. I make sure the code is changed every day, so if you’re not inside by midnight, I hope you enjoy camping.” 

You were about to speak up about that, but both of you were bombarded with noise. A noise you would later learn to get used to. “Oi! Lucifer!” A bundle of energy came racing down the stairs. Wild hair, dark skin, rings on nearly every finger, you recognized this individual without having to ask his name. You could feel the influence. Greed. Demons almost loved this brother more than Pride, because from what you’d heard, he’d make deals impulsively with demons without knowing their true intentions. As long as money or something expensive was in front of him, he’d jump for anything. It had gotten him in more than enough trouble, and it made him too much of a prime target. At least Lucifer knew how to look over his shoulder. The second brother confronted the eldest. He didn’t even glance at you. “Hey, I need some cash! For some reason my card keeps declining...you can spot me right?” 

Lucifer didn’t even hesitate. “No.” 

“Eh? Why not?! I did that thing the other day for you, remember?” 

“Hm?” Lucifer tilted his head, taking the time to recall-or pretending to. “Which thing would that be? Would it have been before or after you stole and immediately maxed out my card?” Lowering his eyes, the older one gave off a menacing smile. 

Mammon took a step back, muttering. “O-oh you found about that, huh?” 

The smile turned into a full on yell. “Of course I found out! I got a call from the bank as soon as they saw the purchase! What exactly do you need a golden tiger statue for, Mammon? Seriously, you’re absolutely ridiculous! I returned it by the way, and in the meantime I cancelled all your cards.” Mammon went to open his mouth in anger but didn’t have the chance to say anything. “You can try to find some extra work to pay off all the bills you’ve left me with. And if I think you’re ready, I’ll reopen your accounts in two months.” The effort of shouting sent Pride’s eye twitching. He lifted a hand to press against his forehead, the blood draining from his face. You shifted ever so slightly in your spot and he groaned. “Right, you’re here. Mammon, this is MC.” 

Eyebrows raised, he jumped a little when he finally spotted you were in the room. “Wait, wait, wait, that whole thing with someone staying with us for a year wasn’t a joke?” 

“No.” Although the slight warble to his voice seemed that that fact was just now settling in. “It wasn’t. And since you’ve so kindly volunteered yourself, you can take their bags and show them to their room.” He simply turned. No welcome, no tour, no warmth in those cold eyes of his. 

“Hey! Come back here!” Yet the younger sibling showed no signs of chasing after him. “Lucifer!” His older brother just quickly headed up the stairs and disappeared into the house. Was it really going to require a full year of observation? Just from what you were seeing right now, you wanted nothing to do with humans. Nothing. Mammon ran a hand through his hair, one of his strands getting stuck in one of his rings, but he tugged it out without noticing, like it was a daily occurrence. “I can’t believe this.” You could watch as the anger started to swell within him. “Screw this, I’m out of here!” You were ready for him to leave, to give into his emotions. He had wrapped his hand around the door handle before he stopped. Pausing, he just tutted to himself before shoving his hands in his jacket-pockets, looking in your direction but not fully at you. “You want the guest room we have upstairs or down?” Loud, brash, rude in some ways, but there was a weird sort of innocence about him. You simply shrugged. He nodded, grasping one of your bags suddenly, gesturing you to follow. “I’ll give you the downstairs one. Most of our rooms are on the second floor, so it’s a bit quieter down here, plus it stays cooler.” He led you past the entrance hall and back into the rest of the house. “Plus, it’s easier to sneak out from here, but you didn’t hear that from me. I’m guessing Lucifer gave you the whole rule spiel?” 

You restrained the urge to roll your eyes. “Yeah.” 

He hissed in air through his teeth. “Sucks, man, are you sure you want to stay here?” 

The pain around your wrists was still too prominent. Etched into your skin was a mark, a line of runes and symbols around your wrists. Who knew demons could give temporary pacts to other demons? Simeon ensured you a small fraction of his power, just in case you ran into trouble. But in exchange he had a hold on you, able to summon you to him whenever he needed you. It was your chain keeping you imprisoned here. There was no running. There was no hiding. “I didn’t have a choice.”

[ridiculousn3sswrites]

Weak Heart

*Tom Hiddleston x Reader

*Request from Wattpad: “Can I request a song fic for Tom Hiddleston. The song is weak heart by zara larsson”

*Warnings: Kinda unhealthy relationship, vague references to sex and alcohol. Let me know if I missed anything.

*A/N: As we all know I’m terrible at doing requests in a decent time frame. This request was from back in June (I think?) but I had fun writing it (and listening to the song while I was working). Happy Holidays everyone!

Song || My Ko-Fi

**********

Early morning / Someone's calling / Who could this be? / Reach my phone and / Your name showing / On my caller ID / I decline / then change my mind / and call you back up

When you first met Tom, the first thing you noticed about him was his charm. Well, the second thing. Of course you saw how attractive he was, and when you found out just how nice he was on top of that? He got ten times more attractive. You met him on set - it was your first leading role and he was an absolute dream to work with. He could tell you were a little nervous and was willing to do anything to help you put forth your best performance.

Late nights working with him, shooting scenes and running lines, dinners and drinks shared, they all added up to the biggest crush on someone that you saw as so incredibly out of your league. On wrap day, you decided to just go for it. You, of course, ran all the information by your friends before coming to this decision, not wanting to risk an awkward press junket. Once you got the go ahead that it seemed like he was into you, you went ahead and asked him on a date.

There were a few months that things had to go long distance, but knowing that you’d be reunited soon made it worth it. Both of you would fly out to visit the other for a few days at a time, and you could say that you were legitimately happy with the new relationship. It worked until it didn’t.

Once the press junket was done and each of you started working on your own projects, it was just incredibly difficult to find time for each other. The week or so every month shrunk to a few days at a time, then to one day, and then to nothing for a couple months. You knew it would be difficult - you were both fairly sought after, especially after your movie together - but you didn’t realize it would be like this. The promises you made at the beginning to call every day, video chat every weekend, text throughout the day seemed less and less feasible, and they didn’t even happen all that often. You weren’t yourself, and the people around you started to notice. You spent your days looking at your phone, waiting to see if he’d sent you a text, or maybe even tried to call you. It took nearly a year of this going on for you to finally end things when the two of you happened to be in New York for your own interviews.

It had been nearly a year after your whole situation ended, but you still missed him dearly. There were no ill feelings towards him. It wasn’t like the two of you ended on terrible terms; it was a simple case of right person, wrong time. The memories of the good times were still there, but there just weren’t enough to override the months of loneliness and hurt you went through.

You didn’t know what time it was when your phone blared on the bedside table, but you knew it had to be early from the darkness still outside. You blindly grabbed for your phone, trying to make yourself the slightest bit aware. When you checked just who was calling you at this ungodly hour, you nearly dropped your phone. Hiddleston.

You immediately declined the call, trying to calm your racing heart. It took a few seconds before you changed your mind, calling back. He picked up before you could even have the chance to steady your nerves.

“Hey,” he said. It’d been a while since you heard his voice like this. Sure, you saw his interviews every now and then, but this was different. Like it was just for you.

“Hey.” You didn’t know what else you could say. What do you say to the person you were still in love with, even though you ended things a year ago? What are you even supposed to do?

“I’m sorry, I forgot about the time difference. What time is it for you?” Tom asked. You could tell he was trying to do small talk, to get past the initial awkwardness.

“It’s five in the morning, Tom. Are you in London?”

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that.” It was something that happened a fair bit when the two of you were dating. Tom would forget that there were a full eight hours between the two of you, calling at odd hours in the morning until the two of you found a time that really worked. “Have you talked to your agent lately?”

“Not since yesterday, no. What have you heard?”

“I’m going to be starting work on a project soon, and they asked if I had any people in mind to be my costar. I could only think of you.” There was something else, a deeper meaning behind his words. Maybe you were overthinking it, but you swore there was the slightest bit of longing there. Why would he recommend you for a role when there was bound to be an awkwardness between you? Did he miss you like you missed him? “I understand if you don’t want to work with me, but please read the script at least. I think you’ll like it.”

And there was the charm that made you fall for him. “Yeah, I’ll read it. I can be professional.”

“Great.”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, uh, (y/n)? I’m really glad you didn’t block me.” You wouldn’t admit it, but you were too. The two of you didn’t have anything else to talk about, so the call ended fairly soon after that. You couldn’t convince yourself to just go back to sleep. Your mind was racing and you couldn’t convince your body to just lay still. Now that you knew you should be expecting a call from your agent in the next few hours, there was no way you could relax. So instead you were pacing your living room, Netflix playing on your tv just to provide some background noise. What would you do when you saw him again?

You come over / I say slow now / This can't go on / Grab a chair, please / Sit right there it's / Time we had a talk

The second you walked in to the table read, you spotted him. It would’ve been hard to miss him, chatting with some others, that heart-melting smile bright on his face. You didn’t know what to do. There was the part of you that wanted to go up to him, just go back to the time when things were good, act like nothing happened over the past couple of years. But then there was the part of you that was stuck on the times you spent waiting by the phone, the moments you wanted him there for you, all the times he just wasn’t. It wasn’t his fault, with both of you having busy schedules and then the time difference between you.

You found your way over to the refreshments, sipping on some water as you watched the room. There were some others you recognized from your projects over the years, but no one you could easily mesh with to distract you until the table read started. Just as you were going to attempt to join some conversation, you saw the moment Tom realized you were there. He did a double take before quickly excusing himself from his conversation, quickly crossing the room to be by your side.

“(Y/n), it’s been a while,” he told you, a shy little smile gracing his lips.

“Yeah, it has been,” you said. “How have you been?”

Catching up was easy. You had forgotten just how easy it was to be with him, how easy it was to talk to him and just be yourself. The two of you talked until it was time for the table read to start, and once the table read was over, Tom invited you to grab some dinner. You knew you shouldn’t say yes, but the little hopeful look he had was too much. You sent your manager a text, letting them know they wouldn’t have to send a car for you.

It was too easy to fall back into step with Tom. You tried to remember what it was like when the two of you were apart, busy with your own schedules and lives, but when he was here next to you, it was so easy to forget. You could see things going back to the way they were with the little things - running lines together, getting lunch or dinner with one another, not even mentioning the time you nodded off in his trailer and woke up to him skimming through his script, sneaking looks at you like a schoolkid with a crush - and you needed to sort things out before they got out of hand.

“Are you kidding me? It’s a suicide mission!” You yelled at him, stepping just a smidge too far into his personal space.

“It’s what needs to be done. You know we have to do whatever it takes,” he said calmly, looking down at you. You could feel your body burning at the gaze, but he what he was saying was pure insanity. Almost automatically, you brought your hand up to smack him, but he easily caught your wrist, turning it and forcing your arm down.

“You can’t do this,” you choked out as he pulled you closer.

“Say what you actually mean.”

“You can’t do this to me. If you die-”

“Then I’ll just have to not die.” He said it like it was so easy. Before you could say anything, he pulled you in, kissing you soundly, passionately. When he pulled back, he gave you a knowing smile. “It’ll be easy, especially with you watching my back.”

“And cut! That was great guys,” the director said, pulling you out of the scene. You and Tom looked over at him, still standing way too close than you should have once the shot ended. “We should probably do another take or two just in case, but I want you guys to keep that energy. Take twenty minutes then come back.”

“Thank you!” You and Tom said at the same time, finally putting some distance between the two of you. As soon as you were far enough off set, you pulled Tom to the side. You tried not to notice how right your hand felt in his, dropping it quickly.

“Are you okay?” Tom asked as soon as you were somewhat secluded from the rest of the crew.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Listen, I think we should talk about whatever’s going on here,” you huffed, looking away. You didn’t know how you were supposed to actually have this conversation with him when you were struggling to even look at him after bringing it up. “Just… come with my to my apartment after shoot. We shouldn’t have this conversation on set.”

“Yes, of course.” It was almost amazing how fast Tom got serious. You only needed to finish these last few takes and then you’d be free to have this conversation. If only you could figure out what you wanted to say.

The apartment you’d been renting for the shoot was cold and empty when you got back, Tom following close behind. You made a beeline for the kitchen, putting your bag down on the counter as you went to grab something to drink. Tom stood awkwardly, watching as you went about your little routine. “Uh, well, feel free to sit wherever. Do you want something to drink?”

“No, thank you,” Tom said as he took a seat at the breakfast bar. You stayed on the opposite end of the counter, needing the distance between the two of you. “What did you want to talk about?”

“Forgive me if I’m the only one seeing it, but have you noticed something happening here? Like, how it was before we got together last time?” You asked, not daring to look at him. Maybe you were just reading too much into it, and he was just being the polite person he was known to be. Maybe you’d just forgotten that was how he was with everyone.

“(Y/n), darling, could you look at me?” His soothing voice drew your eyes up to his. “I didn’t want to come on too strong, but working with you again was just an excuse to be near you. Of course I think you’re perfect for the role, and I love working with you, but I missed you and I didn’t know how to get you back in my life. I’ve missed you more than you could know.”

You looked back at the counter, your heart pounding. You must have heard him wrong. There was no way he wanted you back. Every bit of pain you felt when the two of you were together - or, more accurately, apart - came rushing back. “We can’t do this again.”

You heard Tom move, probably getting off of the stool. Before you knew it, you felt one of his hands on your shoulder as the other one tilted your chin up. Your breath hitched at his proximity, reminding you of the scene earlier. “And why not?”

“Not when we both get so busy and we can’t even properly be together. We both have careers, we live on opposite ends of the world,” you said. He hushed you, gently enough that you weren’t annoyed by it like you would’ve been otherwise.

“We can figure it out this time, get it right,” he reassured you. “I don’t want to lose you again.”

You let yourself relax in his hold, and Tom took the moment to search your face before leaning in slowly, still giving you enough time to push him away or move. The kiss was different from the ones you shared on set, actual emotion poured into this one. It was more than your characters sharing a heat-filled moment before a dangerous mission, it was just you and Tom. Tom kissed you softly, but that didn’t mean there was any less passion behind it.

When you woke the next morning, Tom’s arm was a solid weight around your waist, holding you close to his bare chest. The memories of the previous night flooded back. There wasn’t much talking once he kissed you, but there was touching. Soft, gentle touches like both of you were worried of scaring the other away. Light kisses pressed to bared skin, not wanting to leave any marks for the makeup team to deal with the next day. There would be time for pure lust later, the two of you only concerned with reacquainting yourselves with one another. Tom stirred beside you, pressing lazy kisses to your shoulder as you melted into his touch. You could worry about the consequences later.

So I'mma keep singing this sad song / It never felt better to be wrong

It was easy to slip back into the way things had been at the beginning of your relationship the first time around. You didn’t want to tell anyone you were together again - knowing how the rumor mill ran wild, and that was without the tabloids being involved - but it was almost embarrassing how obvious it was. If one of you had a scene and the other didn’t, the other could always be found nearby, watching with a fond smile. The chemistry you had in scenes together was insane, enough so that your director commented on it. Everything just seemed to fall into place.

When you weren’t needed on set, the two of you spent the night together at one of your apartments. You fell into an easy routine: cooking dinner with each other when you weren’t exhausted (getting takeout when you were), watching something together or running lines before you had to head to bed, cuddling until you fell asleep. It was more domestic than when you dated before, and it just felt right. You knew your time like this was limited, but you couldn’t help to try to forget it. You just wanted to enjoy it while you could.

Before you knew it, wrap day was here. You were immensely proud of the work you and everyone else had done for the movie, but you couldn’t help to worry about what exactly this meant for your rekindled relationship. Even as you finished the last scene and everyone applauded for the end of the shoot, the thought was still at the back of your mind. You were supposed to be overjoyed, glad for the chance to have even a short break, but you couldn’t get too lost in the moment. You smiled and chatted with the rest of the lingering cast and crew before they had to start cleaning up, trying to ignore the slight feeling of dread you had. Apparently you hadn’t done a good job at it, especially when Tom pulled you aside after you got invited to drinks with the rest of the cast. 

“Are you okay, darling?” Tom asked, searching for something in your look. “You did fantastic, but are you okay?”

“Yeah, of course. I’m just kinda sad we’re actually done.” You looked away, worried he’d be able to tell somehow.

“That’s not entirely true, now is it?”

You sighed. Of course he could tell. “I mean, you’re going back to London now, aren’t you?”

“Darling, you don’t have to worry about that. We said we’d figure it out the right way this time, didn’t we?”

“Yeah, but we haven’t even really talked about what we mean by that.”

“How about after drinks with the rest, we get food and go back to my apartment to talk through it? And we still have the rest of the week before you go back to LA, right?”

“Right.” You didn’t know how exactly you guys were supposed to talk through it - you thought you had done a pretty good job at that the first time around - but you were willing to believe he had the answers. He had to have the answers this time.

Yeah, I've a weak heart, baby, I've a weak heart

You had to admit, there were times when you wondered why you were going through this yet again. Though this time was significantly better than the last, there were still times when you needed Tom there and he just couldn’t be there. Even though the two of you tried making trips to see each other, your work schedules and just life in general got in the way of spending any significant periods of time together. Phone and video calls became the most frequent form of communication, with most calls happening first thing in the morning for you, the middle of the afternoon for Tom. Just the fact that you guys talked every day made it seem worthwhile to hold onto.

“Darling, you sound like you’re still asleep,” Tom joked as you groaned, covering your eyes with your arm.

“That’s because I kinda am. I’m not supposed to go back for filming for another couple days,” you told him. “Waking up this early is actual hell, I don’t know how you do it.”

“I’ve gotten used to it, though it is harder to leave when you’re sleeping next to me.” You couldn’t tell if he was teasing or not, but you knew he did linger a little longer when you were visiting one another. “How’s the show been going?”

Though you normally didn’t take part in pilot season, a show writer had come to your agent with a chance that you couldn’t pass up. You’d worked with them a couple times when you were just starting out, and now they wanted you to star in a new drama. You talked about it with Tom a few times, not wanting to really say anything until you knew if the show got picked up by a network or not. “It’s definitely going. I really like the people I’m working with, I think you’d get along with a few of them.”

“Is that so?” Tom seemed slightly distracted, but as far as you knew, he wasn’t supposed to be doing anything today. You could hear sounds of the city around him, like he was taking a walk or something.

“What are you up to? You seem kinda… I don’t know.”

“I’m sorry, darling. Just give me a few minutes and you’ll have my full attention, I promise.” You held in the sigh that you wanted to give so bad, a little annoyed that the half hour you normally spent on the phone during the day was being interrupted.

“Alright. Do you want me to keep talking or do you want to tell me about the project you just signed on to?”

“Tell me more about your show, I want to hear your voice. I’ve missed it.”

“We talked yesterday.” You couldn’t help but smile even as you teased Tom. He was so sweet without even really intending to be. The moments that made you melt were always just Tom being honest. It was insane what that man did to you.

“Indulge me, please sweetheart?” You couldn’t say no to him.

As you were in the middle of telling a story from the first table read when you heard knocking at your door. You groaned as you finally got out of bed, making Tom laugh. You told him to wait for a second as you put your phone down on the counter, going to answer the door. You were glad you put down your phone, because the second you opened the door, you knew you would have dropped it. “Tom?”

“I was going to use the spare key, but I didn’t want to worry you by just coming in,” Tom explained, hanging up the call on his end. Just as he put his phone in his pocket, you launched yourself forward to hug him. He laughed as he held you close.

“Please tell me I’m not dreaming.”

“I’m here, darling. I’ll be here for at least a couple months before my next project starts.” You pressed your face into the crook of his neck, trying to ground yourself in the reality that he was here. You knew he wouldn’t be here for as long as you’d like, but he was here now, and you wanted to savor the time you had with him. Even if things weren’t the way you imagined, the way you would’ve preferred, he was here now, and that was enough. You could ignore the ache in your heart when he was gone, the nights spent alone, everything, if it meant you could have moments like this.

**********

Permanent Tag List: @treatallwithkindness, @laic2299

[bi-dazai]

Hey! You! Yes, you!

Do you like fantasy stories? Of course you do. 

Do you enjoy stories of teenagers trying to deal with the typical emotional hardships of being a teenager while also handling a revolution that involves swords, magic, occasional gods chiming in to help, and the power of friendship and learning to be confident in yourself? 

And do you like the promise of not one but several endgame gay pairings? Fantasy gay pairings?! Of course you do!

Then my new online serial is for you!

Priyana is the story of three teenagers - Nik, Rada, and Kane - who find their “fate on fast forward” when the most annoying yet strangely likable character I’ve ever written cruel Prince Leander arrives in their small town. After the prince captures Amarandos (the man who raised the trio), burns their home down, and vows to destroy the escaped three kids, our trio find themselves thrust abruptly into the destiny which they thought they would be following much later on. Vowing to rescue Amarandos and reclaim the throne from Prince Leander and the evil King Olbert, they venture across the land of Priyana, learning about the true, hidden history of their country and their family, and making friends, enemies, and mending a scarred populace on the way. 

The first book, Soul, follows the trio as they attempt to recapture Amarandos and struggle with the strange new existence they have been thrown headfirst into. With nothing but each other, they must learn to work as a team and not just as three moody teenagers raised by the same man. They journey to the mountain-enshrouded city of Nahvsenn, where they encounter a passionate, well-established underground rebellion simply awaiting the moment to finally take their city back from the evil King Olbert’s reign. Could our trio be the herald of that moment?

Priyana takes strong inspiration from Avatar: The Last Airbender in terms of the exploration of themes, worldbuilding style, our main characters’ relationships with the history of the land, and character development. It is written by a bisexual non-binary with an adoration for fantasy, the written word, and using fiction to criticise the ills of the society we live in.

A recommended minimum reader age would be approximately 10-12 years old, as the work contains some death, minor violence, and minor strong language.

Priyana will be published as an online serial, with the first 4 chapters published on the 12th January, 2019, the 5th chapter published on the 19th January, and the rest of the 19 total chapters of Book One: Soul being published fortnightly (every two weeks) from the 2nd February. It will be available as a PDF with occasional sketches for the series on a Google Drive (I will post the link to the folder on my Twitter and on this blog each time it is updated) and as a text-only version in the Original Work tag on Archive Of Our Own.

Chapters range between 2000-10,000 words, so it will only take 10-20 minutes out of your day to read a chapter. Sweet! And even better - it’s totally free. That’s right. A cool fantasy story, easy to read, not to long and overbearing, for free! *Keanu Reeves voice* Whoa.

And good news! If you are just so hyped for this series that you find yourself at the edge of your seat in anticipation for mid-January, well guess what! The first chapter is currently available as a sneak-peek preview! Nice! 

Check out the first chapter here! It will only take you about 10-15 minutes to read, and even less time to reblog and share the news! Because this is the only form of advertising this thing has! 

Even more information available under the cut:

I’ve been working on this almost exclusively over the last two years. Everything is so insanely thought-out and I’m sure I must have gone over everything over a million times now. So to say this means a lot to me is an understatement.

Certain tropes in this story are criticisms and deconstructions of common fantasy tropes, particularly tropes rooted in misogyny, racism, and xenophobia. Certain character beats are familiar to character beats in other stories that I wasn’t entirely happy with - for example, in Book 2A, there’s a character beat in Rada’s arc which is remarkably similar to a character beat in Sakura’s (from Naruto) early episodes. However, I never liked how Sakura’s character change from that beat (hint: when her hair gets chopped off) was so minimal, and often she would be acting like she would when she was first introduced. Rada is probably the best example of me using different character beats and subtly implementing them in hers to, at least in my opinion, show would could be instead done with said character beats.

So yeah, this story is in essence, a lot to me. If you’ve read and shared the news, it means the world to me. Each person that reads it I am eternally thankful for. Each person that shares it and recommends it even more so. 

This isn’t my first major writing project - I’ve been writing long-form chapter books all throughout my teens, with my first chapter book having been written when I was 10 years old (sidenote - that one is a preteen mess in which I introduce vampires out of absolutely nowhere and include a wizard called Carrot-Eye). However, this is the first project I’ve written with the intent of being seen by eyes other than those in my close community of friends and family, and instead being published for those all over the world.

I struggled for a while with whether or not I would charge for this work. I’ve spent so much time and effort on it, and every day has been spent buried in Priyana, that it almost feels unfair to myself to release it for free. But as my first work, and as a poor person with few industry contacts and no industry contacts that could help me in this format, I realised it would be unwise for me to charge for it, and would make it accessible to other poor people like me. Free stories, yall!

That being said, if this project reaches a certain level of success, I’ll happily open up a Patreon, Ko-Fi and maybe a few other routes of donation. It’s my dream to be a full-time writer, and I’ve poured so much of my heart into this project already that I’m fully sure this is what I want to spend the rest of my life doing. I want to make people think with my stories, but I also want them to enjoy them and escape from real life. I want people to fall in love with my characters, to experience their emotions and to connect with my work. I hope I can do that for as many people as possible.

I’m going to now set some promises, as this series is going to be published for many years to come and my promised gay pairings are, as I mentioned, endgame, so they will be happening later on. So the following things, I promise here and now, to uphold in this series:

- there will be both a WLW and a MLM pairing with major characters

- there will be time spent exploring the dynamic and romance of said pairings

- there will be a trans girl  (hint, hint: sister girl) major character with a major character as her love interest

- there is a nonbinary character from the first chapter, who although starts as a villain, undergoes a long arc in which they eventually decide to redeem themselves on their own terms

- i promise not to demonise the gender, ethnicity, race, or customs of any minority or minority-coded characters

- at least two major characters are mixed race, with issues of race, immigration, generalisation, and xenophobia explored from the perspective of racial minorities

- issues such as the above are explored with a mindset of long, long hours and days of research into real life scholars of race, gender, sociology, etc, and especially their perspectives on fantasy and allegory

Thank you for reading this, and if you did, thank you for reading that chapter and sharing!

-Natalya

[medeafive]

A settled affair - Chapter III

[1792] When Natalia “please, call me Natasha” Romanova, almost a Russian princess, insanely wealthy, impossible to overlook, arrives in England to stay with her uncle, Bucky really can’t do anything else than fall in love with her. Much to his friends’ disdain, because Natalia Romanova is the fiancée of Duke Alexei Shostakov, whom she is to marry upon her return to Russia. And Bucky is nothing but a simple army officer, renowned for his skills with a sword.

When Natalia thus asks him to teach her, secretly, of course, he can’t say no, even though he knows it’s a terrible idea. As they meet privately, again and again, and inch closer and closer, Natasha also builds a deep friendship with Sharon, who keeps postponing her wedding with Steve. But while they become increasingly entangled, they all know it is going to end eventually.

Chapter I Chapter II

You can also read on AO3

“She almost knocked the sword out of his hand,” Sam reports. “He’s done for. He’ll never love another woman again.”

Bucky rolls his eyes looking around the room but does not contradict him. Steve looks confused. “Buck, why did you lose to an absolute beginner?”

“I didn’t lose,” Bucky replies sorely. “I just wasn’t prepared for such a strong attack.”

“Which is a fancy way of explaining away that she almost stabbed you in the neck,” Sam adds.

Bucky sighs in frustration. “I guess I should have seen it coming. Did you see her sword?”

“She has her own sword?” Sharon asks, clearly intrigued.

“A damn good one, too,” Bucky adds. “Sorry. A really good one. Probably worth more than my house.”

“Buck, you live with the regiment,” Steve reminds him. “You don’t have a house.”

Bucky rolls his eyes. “Jesus Christ. You get my point.”

“But where did she get it?” Sharon probes.

“From her brother,” Bucky says. “One of her brothers, I guess. If that’s their idea of a fun gift, they must be filthy rich.”

“Which, my dear friend, as I’ve been telling you, is precisely why she will never ever consider marrying you,” Sam repeats. “No matter how lovely she smiles at you.”

“She did no such thing,” Bucky insists with annoyance. “You didn’t even hear her. She called me an idiot.”

“Ohoh,” Sharon remarks amusedly.

“What, does that mean something?” Bucky inquires.

“Of course,” Sharon says, pointing at Steve. “Just ask that idiot over there.”

Steve blushes, though nowhere near as much as Bucky. Thankfully, they are interrupted by Sam’s uncle, Nicholas Fury. “Well, nephew, you look like you are enjoying yourself.”

“I am,” Sam admits, trying not to laugh. “But I couldn’t possibly tell you why.”

Fury looks at them inquisitively with his one eye, making Bucky blush even harder. “I hope you guys didn’t do something. Anyway, would you mind if I borrowed Sharon for a moment?”

“Of course,” Steve agrees gracefully, letting go of her arm. “As long as you bring her back.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Sharon says, nodding her goodbye.

“Come on, stop looking around,” Sam chides Bucky. “You can’t do that all evening.”

“No, really, Buck, I don’t like this,” Steve adds. “This is not going anywhere and I’m not sure you’re aware of that. You shouldn’t get your hopes up.”

“I’m not doing that,” Bucky replies annoyedly. “Of course this was never going anywhere. I don’t care if she never talks or writes to me again.”

Sam starts laughing. Bucky growls. “What’s so funny about that?”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Sam wipes at his eye. “I thought you meant that as a joke.”

“Seriously,” Steve repeats. “You’re going to make yourself very unhappy. And maybe her as well.”

Bucky is close to losing it. “Oh, shut up! Just because for you, everything fell conveniently into place and Sharon was right there, and Wilson is apparently happy with his Shetland pony- do you even realize how lucky you are?”

“Yes,” Sam says. “My pony is great, just so you know.”

“You’re just making it worse,” Steve says. “I know it’s not fair, of course, but she’s just not going to do it. Just accept it.”

“Well, well, well,” a familiar voice interrupts. “If it isn’t my favourite Captain-Sergeant duo.”

Steve sighs. “Stark.”

Bucky doesn’t say anything. He couldn’t anyway because Stark just keeps talking. “You look unhappy. And you, Wilson, did your pony finally learn a handstand?”

“Stark, ponies don’t have hands,” Sam replies. “That makes it kind of difficult. It can nod, though.”

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” Stark says. “Barnes, you haven’t said a word. What crawled up your ass and died?”

“Be glad Sharon didn’t hear that,” Steve mutters into his glass.

“Well, you came over, so that’s that,” Bucky returns sourly. “Didn’t exactly brighten my mood.”

“Well, that’s too bad.” Stark gesticulates with his glass. “Because I have a favour to ask you.”

“You? Me?” Bucky repeats. “Please don’t tell me you need me to duel someone again.”

“No, no, not this time,” Stark assuages. “Just come over for a second, will you.”

Bucky sighs. “Really? Can’t you just say it? Is the drama really necessary?”

“It is, just come on.” Stark beckons him over. “Wilson, Rogers, nice talk.”

Steve snorts and raises his glass slightly. Bucky follows Stark reluctantly towards the middle of the room. “So, my favourite Sergeant,” Stark starts conversationally, weaving through the crowds. “It didn’t escape my notice that on the Wilson’s ball last week, you talked quite a bit with soon-to-be Duchess Natasha Romanova.”

“I guess,” Bucky admits reluctantly, guarded. “What about it?”

Stark smiles. “Well, you know my business, I spend a lot of time in the countryside testing my projects and don’t keep up with social activities as much - in short, I want you to introduce me to her.”

“What? Me?” Bucky asks dumbfounded. “Why? No. No way.”

“Come on, Barnes,” Stark says. “Just a few minutes. You don’t have anything better to do.”

“Still no,” Bucky insists. “Why even me? I don’t know her.”

“Oh, come on, do I have to look for someone else, really?” Stark questions. “Why are you making this so complicated?”

Bucky snorts. “I’m not introducing you to her. What do you even want from her? You’re married, need I remind you.”

“Precisely, I am married, I don’t do that anymore,” Stark returns. “I didn’t say I wanted to entertain a relationship with her. But she is related to the Russian tsar and I need to know her.”

“Still no,” Bucky insists. “I only spoke to her once, find someone else. She’s not even here.”

“Of course she is,” Tony disagrees, pointing across the room. “Right over there, talking to… oh, that’s Miss Carter.”

Bucky’s heart stops. That is Natalia, indeed, in a wonderful green gown, smiling and chatting casually with Sharon, who looks kind of unbelieving herself. “I’m going to ask Miss Carter. I’m sure she’ll be more cooperative than you,” Stark’s voice says from somewhere far away.

She’s beautiful. He almost forgot since last week, the beautiful red of her hair, her slender neck, her razor-thin waist and the graceful way she holds her arms. What does she want from Sharon, though? “Barnes? You can go now,” Stark says. “Seriously, I don’t need you anymore.”

Bucky shakes his head to clear it. “Whatever.” It occurs to him that he should also walk away, so he does, back to Sam and Steve.

“So, my dear,” Fury remarks, leading Sharon through the room. “Still haven’t set a date?”

Sharon snorts softly. “Oh, you know how hard it is to get Peggy down from Scotland. But I refuse to get married without her attending, so, we’ll have to see.”

“Send her my best,” Fury suggests. “Anyway, I have been asked to introduce you to someone.”

“Really,” Sharon repeats. “Who? Who asked you?”

Fury smirks because him actually answering a question is something that has never happened. “Well, someone who I, as your godfather, believe would be very beneficial for you to know.”

“That tells me just about nothing,” Sharon complains.

A red-haired woman turns around and smiles at them. Natasha Romanova. Sharon’s breathing accelerates. Not prepared for this. “Miss Romanova,” Fury starts. “I would like to introduce you to Miss Sharon Carter.”

Sharon curtsies as quick as she can because she is just a relatively poor country aristocrat set to marry a Captain without much nobility or wealth to his name and if she screws this up with a person so far above her, her parents are going to be mad. Natasha, to her surprise, curtsies as well. “A pleasure. So, you are Mister Fury’s goddaughter?”

“Yes,” Sharon confirms, looking at Fury. “The pleasure is all mine. Do you mind me asking how you know Nick?”

“Oh, my uncle and occasionally my aunt stay at his health resort,” Natasha explains. “In fact, that is the reason that they came here because my uncle suffers from a chronic illness. I accompanied them in order to further my education.”

“If you would excuse me,” Fury adds. “I have business to take care of.”

Sharon snorts when he is gone. “He always says that. I’m not sure what that business is.”

Natasha smiles encouragingly. “How did he come to be your godfather?”

“He is married to my aunt,” Sharon explains. “Maria. My great-parents were very skeptical, of course, but he already had the resort and the money that comes with it back then, so they ended up agreeing to it.”

“So you are related to the Wilson family as well, by marriage,” Natasha states.

“Sure, Sam Wilson is my great-cousin,” Sharon confirms. “I know that is funny because we look nothing alike.”

Natasha smirks. “Oh, I have seen stranger things. I heard that you are a passionate hunter.”

Sharon blushes. “I guess you could say that. Do you hunt?”

Natasha laughs, in an extremely fashionable way. “Sometimes. I have been on a bear hunt once, as a child.”

“Really?” Sharon asks, very intrigued. “How was it?”

“Incredibly boring,” Natasha replies, sipping from her glass. “We were sitting in a pit for hours. It was raining as well. I fell asleep and only woke when the bear was already dead.”

“Still,” Sharon insists. “I’d like to try that. Not that many bears to shoot in England, though.”

“Ah, you can’t have everything, no matter where you are,” Natasha agrees. “Do you hunt with your… fiancé, Captain Rogers, if I’m not mistaken?”

Sharon blushes. “Oh, no. That would be highly improper. He doesn’t particularly enjoy it either.”

“I thought it was a men’s sport,” Natasha suggests, smirking.

Sharon snorts. “Oh hell no. Excuse me.”

Natasha smiles like she just learned an important secret. “Well, would you like to accompany me to the Odinsson’s on Thursday? I have been invited. A goose hunt, if I remember correctly.”

“That is very gracious of you,” Sharon says. “But I couldn’t possibly accept. I haven’t been invited, after all, and I haven’t been introduced to the Odinsson family.”

“I am almost certain that won’t be a problem,” Natasha assures her. “I will ask and send you notice. You live behind the Bellebury Forest, don’t you?”

“That’s correct,” Sharon agrees. “Thank you for the kind invitation. I would indeed appreciate it, that is, if the Odinsson family wishes for me to participate.”

Natasha smiles encouragingly. “I am sure they will. It was an absolute pleasure to talk to you.”

“The pleasure was all mine,” Sharon returns, curtsying, still kind of perplexed.

Natasha breezes off, in her green gown with the expensive lace on it, and is talking to someone else in absolutely no time. Sharon stares for a second, then catches herself and goes looking for her fiancé.

Steve is still where she left him, arguing with Bucky about something or the other. Sharon looks around to make sure that nobody else is listening in on them, then interrupts Steve brazenly. “What the hell? She invited me on a goose chase!”

“Natasha Romanoff invited you on a goose chase,” Steve repeats, as if that somehow made things clearer.

“That’s what I said, you idiot.” Sharon looks at Bucky accusingly. “What the hell did you tell her about me?”

Bucky raises his hands defensively. “Nothing! Swear to God.”

Sharon snorts. “Liar. Nick just introduced me to her and now she already invites me? That is strange, you have to admit that much.”

“Maybe she just found you very charming,” Steve suggests, smiling fondly. “As I do.”

Bucky rolls his eyes. “No, really. We never talked about you. She mentioned you briefly, you know, because of the thing Rumlow said.”

“That I am a feckless shrew who doesn’t know her place,” Sharon interrupts him. “I remember. And my ears are not as sensitive as Steve pretends.”

“Yeah, anyway, she just said she saw the duel,” Bucky repeats. “I really don’t know why she invites you now.”

“Are you going though?” Steve asks.

Sharon snorts. “She invited me to the Odinssons. What was I supposed to say, no thank you?”

Steve gulps. “I’ve been there, once. It’s like a palace.”

Sharon sighs. “Oh dear Lord, I’m going to make a complete fool of myself.”