#pearl's top says “the dad that stepped up”

[ghostlylulla-by]

turns out birthday parties ARE compatible with order

[sweetheartsaku]

(BLLK) this life, this one

𝜗𝜚 ITOSHI RIN: CHAENOMELES.

a/n: [fem!reader] me when dad rin dad rin i. i am so weak for him this will not be the last of it. YOU WILL BE FED RIN KISSERS

the alarm clock that sat on your bedside table blinked 2:13 a.m. as you stirred from an uneasy sleep. you roll toward the empty space beside you for rin's familiar comforting weight to fall protectively across your arms, but the space was cold.

you frown, sit up and carefully listen. then you hear something. downstairs, someone giggling.

you slipped out of bed carefully and padded down the hall toward the soft glow emanating from the kitchen. with every step, the sounds grew clearer: your baby's bubbly laughter and rin's unmistakable soft chuckle.

curious, you peeked into the kitchen and the image that graced your eyes almost burst your heart.

rin was sitting cross-legged on the tiled floor, his hair adorably messy from sleep and his hoodie slightly askew. in front of him was a tub of neopolitan ice cream, flavours all mixed up. sitting in his lap was your baby fuyumi clutching a tiny spoon, babbling excitedly between bites.

"itoshi rin. itoshi fuyumi." you sternly whispered, leaning against the doorway, your arms crossed but a fond smile tugging at your lips. "care to explain what's going on here?"

rin looked up, evidently startled for a moment, lips agape, before offering a rare grin. "'yumi woke up." he said simply, nodding toward the tiny human in his lap. "and she was hungry."

"so naturally, you thought ice cream at two in the morning was the solution?" you teased, raising an eyebrow as you stepped closer.

"of course," he deadpanned, gently wiping a smudge of chocolate off your baby's cheek with the pad of his thumb. "but... look at her. worth it." he says the latter part under his breath.

your baby let out a squeal of delight, waving her spoon triumphantly in the air as if in agreement.

you shook your head, unable to hold back a laugh. "unbelievable."

rin smirked, and held out the tub of ice cream, "want some?"

regardless of how much you scold them for it, you're also not able to resist it. with a drawn-out sigh, you took a spoon out from the drawer, plumping yourself down beside them onto the floor. "only because."

the three of you sat there, sharing ice cream and stealing quiet moments of joy in the stillness of the night. your daughter fuyumi, thoroughly energized-by-the-sugar-rush decided that her small pink plastic spoon made an excellent drumstick, causing her to start tapping it against rin's knee and giggling uncontrollably at the sound.

rin played along, tapping his own spoon in rhythm. "we have a small musician..." he said, his eyes soft as they met yours.

"or a troublemaker,"

"takes after their mom."

you gasped in mock offense, and rin laughed a rare, unguarded sound that made your heart skip a beat.

as the minutes ticked by, the ice cream tub slowly emptied, and your daughter began to yawn, their tiny fists rubbing at their sleepy eyes. rin scooped them up effortlessly, cradling them against his chest as he stood.

“i’ll put 'yumi back to bed,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

you followed him upstairs, watching as he carefully tucked your daughter into her crib. his movements so gentle, like he was handling the most precious pearl in the world.

he walks out with a faint smile. the smile you fell for when you were 16. "thanks for not killing me over the ice cream," he whispered.

you smiled, leaning up to kiss him softly. "you're just lucky you guys are cute."

he wraps an arm around your waist, pulling you close. resting your head against his shoulder as you both stood there, watching your baby rest.

and in that quiet moment, with the warmth of rin's arms around you and the peaceful rise and fall of your baby's breaths, you knew there was nowhere else you'd rather be.

it has to be this life.

with this one.

[jamespotterismydaddy]

Cleaning Off

step!dad daemon x reader smut

A/N: for all the ppl who requested it! sorry this was rushed oops

TW: smut!!, DUBCON, spanking, pussy slapping, daddy kink, degrading, rough sex, overstim

wordcount: 1,121

last part

You do as your stepfather bids and make your way to your bed after pulling your pjs back on, the soreness between your legs making your steps painful. You lay there, dazed, as you wait for him to come and get you, the rough pounding you received causing you to not be able to form any coherent thoughts.

You hear mumbling outside your door. Daemon explains to your mother that you aren’t feeling well and are sleeping off the sickness. She coos with pity in response before thanking him for taking the day off work to care for you. It isn’t long before you hear the front door close, signalling that your mother has left. You can hear footsteps approaching your room and you turn over, pretending to be asleep as you hear the door open.

“I know you’re not sleeping, pet.” Daemon says as he walks over to you and tucks a strand of hair behind your ear. You roll back over and look up at him. “I’m not finished with you yet.” He smirks and lets his fingers run across your lips before pushing them into your mouth. You suck on them like a child with a pacifier and he keeps them there for a few moments. “We have lots more play to do today.” He takes the fingers out of your mouth.

“I already feel sticky.” You pout and he gives you a look before pulling the blankets off of you.

“I’ll clean you off then.” He hauls you over his shoulder and begins to make his way to the master bathroom.

“Hey put me do- ow!” You squeal as he slaps your ass for complaining.

“Stop your mewling, little pet.” He takes you into the bathroom and sets you down so you’re sitting on the counter. “Let’s take this off then.” He grabs the hem of your pj top and begins to lift it up but your delicate hands grab at his wrists.

“I can shower by myself.” He just laughs at that.

“I don’t think so.” He takes your top off forcefully and tugs your bottoms and panties off as well. You try to cover yourself with your hands. “Such a shy girl. What are you covering that beautiful body for? Don’t you want daddy to take care of you?” You blush as he pulls your arms away, his gaze falling on your chest. “Perfect fucking tits. Spread your legs a little, baby.” You don’t move so he sighs and pries your legs apart and gives you a sharp slap right on your pearl.

“Ah!” You squeal and recoil at the feeling.

“Don’t disobey me anymore.” He says sternly. He then walks over to turn on the shower before stripping himself down. Your eyes widen as you notice the size of him. You never realized how long and thick he is and you wonder how it ever fit inside you. “C’mon.” He says and picks you up again under your thighs and takes you into the shower. “You gotta stand now, princess.” He advises and places you back on your feet under the water.

Daemon grabs a washcloth and lathers it up with soap. He stands behind you with one hand on your waist and the other wiping you down. He washes you silently for a few minutes and it’s almost… nice? That’s before the hand on your waist begins to wander gently down your tummy. He makes gentle circles and patterns before sliding his hand between your legs.

“N-Not there.” You beg as he begins to rub back and forth.

“Daddy is just making sure you’re clean everywhere, princess.” He says and then smirks when you whimper. “I think you need extra cleaning here.” He rubs directly on your pearl and you become putty in his hands, having to reach back and hold his other arm to stable yourself. “Actually I know just the tool you need for a proper cleaning.” You feel his hardness press against you and he pushes you flush against the wall, holding your hands behind your back.

“Nooo I can’t again.” You whine.

“You can, pet and you will.” You gasp as he slides himself in and once again gives you no chance to adjust as he begins thrusting into you.

“Wait… slower!” You beg and he scoffs.

“We both know you like this. You’re such a whore for daddy’s cock.” He says while plowing into you. There’s no such thing as gentle with Daemon Targaryen.

“Hurtsss.” You whine again and he spanks your ass.

“Don’t be such a brat. Your tight little cunt took me fine before and it’s going to do it again.” He says firmly, his pace getting rougher somehow. 

Your stepfather then grabs you by the hair and tugs it to the side so he can kiss you. You whimper softly into his mouth as he hits the sweet spot inside of you. He then lets go of your hair and rubs harshly on the most sensitive part of your pearl, causing you to scream.

“What would your mother think if she saw you acting like such a slut right now?” He laughs at you and it only makes you squeeze around him more. “Oh you like that? You like it when I treat you like the whore that you are. You’re my personal fucking cocksleave now, pet. I hope you understand that.” You can only whine in response, words not coming to your mind. He feels you squeeze him more and he knows you’re getting close. “You gonna cum for me, little girl?” You nod as much as you can. “Beg.”

“P-Please… daddy… need it.” He knows that it’s all you can manage to say so he lets you.

“Cum for me then.” You moan loudly as you reach your peak, squeezing him like a vice but he doesn’t stop fucking into you.

“Wait… no more.” You whimper but it doesn’t stop him.

“You’re not the one in charge here, I am.” He says simply as he continues to slam his hips against yours.

“No I-I can't.” You feel the tears spring to your eyes as you try to free your hands from his grasp.

“I’m almost done, baby. Just a little bit longer. You’re doing so well for me.” He assures you and continues to thrust in and out of you for about a minute longer as you cry. When he’s finally done, he spills his seed deep inside of you. “Good job, pet.” He praises and turns you around so he can hold you. “We’ll clean you off again and then you can come cuddle in daddy’s bed, okay?” He presses a kiss to your head and you nod.

“O-Okay.” You breathe out.

taglist (comment to be added): @valeskafics @urmomsgirlfriend1 @girlwith-thepearlearring @darylandbethfanforever9 @lovellies @juhdoche @papichulo120627 @watercolorskyy

[m4rs-ex3]

ALLLL RIGHTY YALL

if u haven't already seen.............. guys i was late i was fucking late for the panel give me a break

BUT here is a play by play of everything from the second i got in

[A GOOD CHUNK OF THE SECRET SCENE] if you saw this post within the first few *hours you got to see but you know what? they got to me i don't wanna be the snitch (i did on accident but its the though that counts)

opeli is being led blindfolded (which we see from opeli's pov. riveting visuals i tell you) by soren to the ✨secret meeting location✨

when she comments on the fact that it is literally just callum's office soren shuts her up bless him

opeli's like "DID BAIT GIVE BIRTH??!?!?" and soren's like no these are "rescue baits" and opeli gives them the greatest fucking look i can't even describe it to you

you've seen that leak "look it's the pearl :D""WHA""yep he's in there :)))))"

rayla says it like "per-al." just thought you should know

soren suggests forming a Fellowship of the Pearl and going to throw it into a volcano i fucking hate this show

they're all debating what to do with it meanwhile the most cryptic-ass shots of callum with the pearl like we get it he's fucked (i take it back i want more)

they finally get to him and he's like "uh????? destroy it obviously?????"

he suggests--and these are 100% his words (not actually cuz u know but its the general idea)--"smash it? throw it off a cliff? take a big ol axe and just--KA CHOP." i love him so much

rayla asks how they know it won't just release him

the way callum is so confused and conflicted and he just says "i... i don't know" oh my god by precious baby

cool ass top-down to the pearl whirlpool esq transtion into the next scene hello??

zym is being emo at a painting of his mother (the one from 4x03 yeah they just stitched that shit up it's all good)

ezran's like. huh. we oughtta do smth abt this

callum is Thinking Thoughts on the turrets(?? yk where soren does his lunges) and tossin the rune cube when he sees the star rune light up......................................

it's stella stella's there and the way he reacts to her is so precious 😭 he's not the step dad he's the dad who stepped up type shit

enter rayla "they told me u would be up here brooding"

(in a tragic turn of events the rayllum of this scene had my brain fuzzy so i can't remember a few chunks here and there have pity my brain has rotten)

callum's like "we have to do something i'm scared he's gonna use me. i know what we need to do ok we need to go to the starscraper"

it's honestly hilarious the way he says "and *WE.* should go" he's like "don't be gettin any ideas now this is an us thing"

and then ohoho "they have something there for you, too" (THAT was an exact quote)

he's like "PLSPLSPLS i've studied star magic i know the spells i know the runes i just need the quasar diamonds!! LET ME FREE UR PARENTS AND RUNAAN PLEAAAASSSSEEEE"

rayla is veryyyyyy opposed she's like "NO i want to help my parents as much as you"--honestly i don't think ANYONE wants to as much as him--"but i don't want my biases to affect that" BIASES?!??!! like that was the word she used i can't stop thinking about it

zym has entered his wolf child era his ass is HOWLING at the moon

soren hears him and goes "aww little guy misses his mom :((( sometimes i wonder where my mom is...." WHAT AWHAT WHAT AWHAT PJARDON SAY IT AGIAN YOU WAHGTS SAY IT AGIAND HUAH HUWH A

ok. yeah callum does not have pajamas BUT I THINK WE HAVE BIGGER ISSUES HERE????????????? HE WAS SLEEPING IN HIS OFFICE

THAT COUCH THING THAT THEY WERE ON WHEN RAYLA CAME BACK IN 4x03???? HES JUST SLEEPING ON IT I CANT MY GUY WHAT R U DOINGGG

in other news

bruv is tossing and turning and then just. ~stops.~ this can only mean good things (i think you know where i'm going with this)

he sits up. hobbles over to the door. there was a really cool transition (can u tell i respect the cinematography) and he's in the cellar holding the pearl.

he wakes up in aaravos' prison and is like "well this looks neat!" until he sees the mirror and screams and wakes up. when he realizes where he is he goes "what have i done" dude you fell asleep?? god he's never sleeping again (<- me when i lie 😈)

the description we got of this next scene did NOT do it justice it was fucking incredible

callum kicks down the fucking door (not actually) screaming for rayla

rayla TUMBLES OUT OF BED ON TO THE FLOOR, pillows in hands and unafraid to use them

"WHOA. HEY HEY ITS OKAY ITS ME! it's just me rayla. it's me. callum" i feel like he was saying the same 5 words for 7 hours it was beautiful

rayla: "callum?? jeez i could have-" *looks at pillows*

callum giggles the cutest fucking giggle and says something along the lines of "yeah, it would've hurt real bad :)"

oh yeah DE-LAYERED PONYTAIL RAYLA CONFIRMEDED??!?!?!?!?!

she sits back on the bed and my guy KNEELS DOWN AT THE CORNER OF THE BED TO PICK UP HER STUFF BEFORE HE SITS DOWN NEXT TO HER and they say chivalry is dead romance was birthed and ended with this scene

he tells her about it and she goes "callum, you're exhausted. you had a nightmare. if i thought you were in any real danger you know i would-" and then ironically i forget the same line that the person from nycc did wouldja look at that

can i just mention how close they were sitting in this scene i mean i jsut thikn i should mention hwo clo

yada yada he has a lightbulb and runs off with her blanket

the iconic "i know stella.. he took our blankie :("

god knows why barius is up in the middle of the night whispering sweet nothings to his jelly tarts

callum comes in with a certain proposition mwuhahaha

rayla comes into his office and sees his aesthetic ass sewing by fireside and graciously says "ah i get it! you're taking your mind off things by peacefully knitting" so iconic for both of them

callum explains that he's stitching runes to create a protection spell when barius comes in with the """"""""pearl""""""""""

rayla DIVES in front of callum and says "what r you doing get that thing AWAY from him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" she got SO protective SO fast it was blessed

callum's like au contraire 😈

ok so obviously we had all heard about the fake pearl but. you know that one guy who makes insane sculptures out of nothing but chocolate? that's what they did the pearl is brown sludge with a candy coating 💀 i'm losing my mind that is so funny to me

so yeah with the decoy out the real pearl is protected by--and callum literally said this--"a magic blankie >:)"

he also pops in to tell ez and omg GUYS BAIT HAS HIS OWN LITTLE ROYAL CANOPY BED ITS SO FUCKING CUTE

dawn in the courtyard--ez is saying goodbye to soren, zym, and pyrrah who are going to look for zubeia (i almost just typed zendaya i need sleep) and callum and rayla who r going to the starscraper

my roman empire is this: callum was acting all eepy and then when they get going hE RESTS HIS HEAD ON RAYLA'S BACK AND FALLS ASLEEP. I CANNOT FUCKING MAKE THIS UP IT WAS PHENOMENAL SHE LOOKED SO FUCKING HAPPY I I I I I I HAKJSDHFKJASHFDKJHSADKFHKJASHFIHASEKFH

on a slightly lower note

scene from teaser except they did cut a couple lines in the teaser. mainly just terry going "didn't see you there,, cuz i was asleep. with my eyes closed"

he does not in fact get impaled but claudia tells him she's gonna leave him first and does just that

as she's going omfg terry's cries and pleas and "I LOVE YOU"s and "I WILL WAIT. I WILL WAIT HERE FOR YOU" was absolutely insane idk what was in the air in that recording studio but shout out to ben

i am so tired goodbye!

[avocadish0w0]

A Christmas Fright: one of their cats run off and they end up finding them curdled up with a stray cat's kittens to help keep them warm.

Modern AU

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Grian's POV

During a peaceful snowy Christmas Eve night, the fireplace inside the cozy house crackled in unison with the soft footsteps on the dark wood floor as I called out my boyfriend for dinner, a wide smile on my face "Hey! Scar! Dinner's ready!", the soft clink of a cane echoes through the room as he walks down the stairs "Hello there, songbird." He walks up to me, placing a gentle peck on my lips, the feeling soft and warm, a contrast to the cold weather outside, "Have you seen Jellie around? Her food is already on her bowl but I haven't seen her yet..." Scar asks, concerned, the worry evident in his vibrant green eyes "Actually now that you mention, I didn't see her at all, Maui and Pearl have been sleeping near the heater in our room all day, I thought she was in the backyard..." My brows furrow, knowing how much Jellie matters to him

We spend some time looking for the cat, calling her name, for half an hour, yet, no response, or even a glimpse of her gray fur, I could see the hopelessness in Scar's eyes, and it shattered my heart, I looked out the window, the snow falling slowly, trying to come up with an idea "Hey, Scar... Wanna look outside? Maybe she's hidden somewhere because of the snow." I suggest, looking back at him, his eyes sparkling "Well, what are we waiting for?! C'mon! What if she's freezing!?" He immediately started putting on his coat and getting his shoes, I sighed and put on my scarf, putting on my boots and taking our beanies "Scar, darling, calm down, we're going to find her" I say as I cradle his face in my hands, putting his beanie on his head "Trust me." I look in his eyes, kissing him softly, earning a soft nod in response, and taking a flashlight.

I open the door, flicking the flashlight on and looking around "She might be nearby still, eyes open for any signs" I step out, Scar following close behind with some small blankets "Jellie! Baby! Are you there??" He calls out, almost making me chuckle, I walk with him on the sidewalk, out footsteps muffled by the soft crunching of the snow under us "Jellie!? Pspspspspsps!" I take off one of my gloves, snapping my fingers. We spent some minutes searching around, I was already losing the last bit of hope I had "Scar, let's go home, the snow is getting thicker..." I place my hand on his shoulder, squeezing it "But- what if she's still out there? She might be scared! Or cold! Or hurt! Or-"

'Meow'

"Babe, calm down! She's-" i paused, feeling his hand on top of mine "G, did you hear that?-"

'Meow'

I recognised that meowing from miles away, I looked at Scar, seeing him already looking at me, which confirmed that we weren't going crazy

"That's Jellie..."

"That's Jellie!"

We said at the same time, running as fast as we could not to slip, following the meows, the closer we got, more two high pitched meows joined in.

I turned in an alleyway, seeing Jellie curled up in a cardboard box "Jellie! Finally-" my gaze drifted to the two small kittens curled up next to her, maybe twins "Scar! Come see this!" I call out for him, watching him run to me, his eyes glowing under the streetlights "Did you find her- awwwwwww!!" He immediately crouched down next to the box, already going to pet Jellie and the kittens, who were surprisingly docile and shy "Griiii! Can we keep them??" He looks at me like a child at a candy store "Scar! We already have three cats!" I sigh, already knowing I'll give in and take the cats anyway "I know but look at them!" He pull me closer, the kitties were indeed adorable, I couldn't deny it "Oh my goodness, fine! We can keep them! C'mon, pick them up and I'll get Jellie" I take one of the blankets and pick Jellie up, wrapping her in the blanket and cradling her close to my chest "Next time don't give your dad a heart attack, girlie" I smirk at the cat in my arms, walking behind my boyfriend.

-

After we got home, Scar cleaned and fed the kitties by the fireplace, playing with them with some toys from Pearl, he was smiling from ear to ear, I couldn't help but stare, committing every small detail about him to memory "What are you naming them?" I ask, smiling warmly "This little missy here," he points to the female kitten in his lap "She's going to be...." He thinks for a while "Katy Bee!" He picked her up carefully, lifting her above him, making me chuckle "Katy Bee it is then, what about that troublemaker by the tree?" I point at the other kitten, a male, that was playing with one of the ornaments from the base of the tree "He looks like Finnegan." Scar nods "What do you mean? He's like, a copy paste from Katy Bee! Just male!" I laugh, Maui meowing next to me, judging the kitties, I walk to the living room, carrying two mugs of hot chocolate, handing his and sitting down on the couch, relaxing as Scar tries to defend Finnegan's name.

This was one heck of a rollercoaster... Thanks Santa...

===============================

Oh God, I actually managed to post it in time!

Anyway, happy holidays my darlings!! Be safe wherever you are!

Lux out!!

[soxcietyy]

Temptation

Chapter 5 -> Chapter 6

Your dad is tired of you bringing home these unworthy men. None of them being fit to take care of you or to be given the family business since you are the only daughter. He decides to find you someone fit to be your husband and receive help from the father of the church. That’s when you meet Yuta, though just because he goes to church doesn’t mean he’s much of a saint

Mafia, murder, violence, mentions of religion, (will contain other things in the next chapters)

You didn’t react quite fondly when you were given the news. Weddings usually took months, sometimes years to plan out and this man had given you a month? On top of that he decided to drag the day to an earlier date, that being this Saturday? He had told you this the morning after laying in bed for a few minutes awake. He laid in bed shirtless as he had his hands intertwined behind his head. The words coming out of his mouth like if it was nothing serious.

You looked at him shocked trying to process if this was a joke or not. There’s no way he could move the date to be so soon. You waited for him to laugh and say he was kidding but that never quite happened.

“So you just moved the date on your own accord? Why didn’t you come and talk to me about it?” you sit up.

“you would of said no, its fine sweetheart, I promie everything will be set. Including informing everyone about the new date. Just worry about lookin pretty on the wedding day.”

He didn’t break his promise, you did not need to lift a single finger ever since that day. Now you sat infront of a vanity as you had multiple women working on your hair and makeup. You could almost not even recognize yourself in all this fancy stuff. Yuta had really orgized this in a few days? He even invited everyone you had planned to attend. He didn’t miss a single detail that you specified had told him you wanted.

Looking into the mirror you could see Yuta enter through the doors quietly. That was odd, shouldn’t he be getting ready? From the looks of it he was only half ready seeing that his button down was lazily tucked in and the colar was popped up. His bowtie was missing and his hair had yet to be tamed.

You pretended to have not noticed him yet and waited for him to make his first move. Hes an odd person when you think about it. He likes to walk into places undetected you noticed. He’s always trying to find out information about anyone he reads on the news. He sleeps with a gun next to him. While you guys take strolls you notice how people move to the opposite side of the sidewalk from you guys. How people shake his arm or bow at him when they pass by. The fact that you’re not allowed in his study. The way he analyzes you before speaking.

Stepping inside the ladies scurried right out the door one behind the other. You then feel something cold touch your neck as you’re half way to turning to look at him.

He slowly turned you back around so you could face yourself in the mirror. Averting your eyes to your neck you notice that the cold object that was touching you was a neckless. One that seemed to be made out of diamond’s and pearl’s.

“sorry I just wanted to give you a small gift to wear for today.” He said as he clipped it in the back. “you look stunning.” He kisses your neck before taking a step back.

You looked at him with thankful smile in the mirror.

“I also wanted to tell you something, well I don’t know if I should say something like this right before our wedding.” He laughs as he rubs the back of his neck.

“well say it now or forever hold your silence.” You joked

“well I guess your right about that huh?” He got more comfortable with you and rested his face on the top of your head. Resting his big hands on your shoulders. “If anyone objects during the ceremony, I will decapitate them and send each of their body parts back to their parents house every time we celebrate our yearly anniversary.” Yuta whispers as he grabs a lose strand of your hair, he slowly brought it up to his face and inhaled it. You look at him in the mirror not knowing how to respond to something like that. “Haha…I was obviously kidding, anyways ill see you at the alter, cant wait to be able to call you mine.” He said before walking out the door.

Everything was happening too fast. Was it normal to feel this way? Was it normal to feel sick? For your plams to be sweaty? Was it normal to see so many men in suites standing with you by the door? Was it normal for them to have guns in their hands? People standing there watching you as if you were going to run away. Seeing medical staff standing on the side of the building.

In the blink of an eye you watch as the double doors open in front of you. The music starts playing as you stood there frozen. This was really happening right now. You were going to get married to a guy you met not too long ago. An average girl would be thrilled about having such an eventful thing but your heart dropped. Looking inside at the crowed that turned to face you made you want to walk away. On the left side was your family and everybody else you’ve invited. On the right was Yutas side, they all consisted of men and a few females but what they all had in common was that hey held big guns that rested in their hands. You stood there frozen not wanting to move an inch but someone nudged your shoulder.

Turning around you see your dad looking at you with an expressionless face. He grabs your hand and puts it around his arm. The wedding music started to get louder once you were made to walk down. All eyes were on you, you could feel how they followed along. You could hear whispers and laughs. You and your dad didn’t exchange any looks in the process of him walking you down. Finally reaching the alter you dad lets go of you and takes his leave.

Yuta stood infront of you wearing his nice black suite. Not only that but a gun in his hand that he kept playing with the safety lock. He looks up at you with such a kind smile. One you were doubting was real at this point.

Father began talking after everyone settled down. He pulled out his book and started speaking. Going on and on about marriage. You looked down at Yuta’s watch, watching the seconds go by slowly. For some odd reason it felt like you were finally self aware of everything. This wasn’t normal at all..

As the father went on and on about what marriage was, you could feel the palm’s of your hand’s begin to sweat. You know that gut feeling you get when something bad it going to happen? Well yea you were feeling it and you felt like puking. You must of looked like you were having a hard time because Yuta gave you a supportive smile.

Finally reaching the end you felt relieved after what seemed like hours.

"If anyone objects to the marriage, speak now or forever hold your peace." The priest says taking a pause.

Yuta turned around toward the people with a smile plastered on his face. Hand reaching to grab the pistol that he neatly shoved into his waist band a while ago. Clearly waiting to see if anyone dared to object. Everyone remained seated with a nervous look.

"Y/n do you take Yuta to be your husband, to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to him, as long as you both shall live?"

"I do"

"Yuta, do you take y/n to be your wife, to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to her, as long as you both shall live?"

"I do"

The both of you exchange wedding rings and bands as you state your vows.

"Yuta and y/n , having witnessed your marriage vows in the eyes of God and before all who are assembled here, by the authority invested in me by the State of New York, I pronounce you husband and wife.

You may kiss the bride!"

Loud music starts playing as Yuta pulled you right in kissing you so passionately. His hands having a firm grip on your waist almost as if he thought you would run away. His lips devouring yours instantly making you feel dazed. Letting go he grabbed your hand and walked you down the aisle. People clapped and cheered as you guys walked. Reaching the end you look at Yuta with a happy look.

"Did I miss it?!" You hear someone yell.

Turning to the left you see your best friend running in. He was drenched in sweat from running in a tuxedo. You were shocked to see him like this and to know he missed everything. He was a man your size that you’ve been friends with since childhood. He had such fair skin, blond hair, and his eyes glowed green when he was in the sun.

"Fuck, don’t tell me I’m late?! I was going to object! PLEASE PRIEST!" He begged father who was still standing at the alter.

Before he could say anything else you watch in horror as Yuta pulls a gun out and shoots him three times in the chest. You let out a scream unknowingly as you watch him drop onto the floor.

"What a waste of oxygen." Yuta rolls his eyes. "At least your already dressed nicely for your funeral." Yuta snickers as he walks over you best friends lifeless body.

He tugs your arm but you don’t seem to move. You were in such a state of shock that your body no longer seemed to function. Letting out a heavy sigh he picks you up so easily and carries you to the car in bridal style. Placing you in the front he leaves a kiss on your forehead.

"You killed him…" you look at his with watery eyes.

"Oh, did you want him that bad? Should I of shot myself instead so you could lived happily? Because it seems like you love that man more than me." Yuta grabs his gun and faces it towards him.

"No!" You yell, "that’s not what im trying to say! I just… why did you have to kill him?" You say

"Because his death wouldn’t of been so nice if my men did it." Yuta slams your door.

_________

Yuta was annoyed, not only because he was doing all of this but because someone was actually going to object. That would mean that they would have to restart the ceremony but since the father had a busy schedule then it would mean that he would have to plan another wedding. He just hated the thought of his plans being ruined.

Thankfully Yuta had made his men do research on each person on your guest list. When he found out that you had a guy best friend he took it upon himself to hand deliver the invitation.

The guy lived in the slums making Yuta doubt that he would object a wedding. From the looks of it he wouldn’t be able to afford a wedding. Nor would he be able to afford your life style. Yuta also didn’t think you would lower status to be with one from the slums. Then again you were a idiot.

He wait’s by the front after he nocks at the old wooden door. It took a few second for the malnourished twink to answer. Yuta couldn’t help but look at him up and down in a judgmental way.

"Im here to invite you to y/n’s wedding, she wants you to be there." Yuta says.

The man look taken aback almost as if Yuta just told him that’s his parents died.

"She’s getting married?!" He says

His reaction didn’t seem good. He definitely had to do something about this.

"Yes, to me. Also there was an error during the printing stage. It’s supposed to start at twelve not end at twelve. Have a good day." Yuta says as he turned around.

Obviously if he did have bad intentions then Yuta gave him the wrong time. If he didn’t then oh well.

The second that man even mentioned stopping the wedding in front of Yuta he decided he would kill him on the spot. He didn’t have time for a boy like him to fill your gullible head with ideas.

Yuta and the group on men that followed right behind him entered an outside venue he had rented out. He made you pull yourself together in the car on your own. You were a mess on way here, sobbing, whining and you would punch him occasionally. He let you hit him to take your anger out on him but he made sure you wouldn’t hit him face. You eyes were in so much pain and you sight was blurry. So blurry you couldn’t enjoy the sight of the event. You had designed and helped decorate this area. Just for you to not be able to enjoy it at the end.

He could appreciate creativity and good work but what he couldn’t was the attitude you were currently giving him. You ignored him everytime he would try to talk to you. He left you alone here and there but would come back for another attempt.

"Y/n the guest are wondering where my wife is." Yuta says annoyed. He opens your car door and cups your face. "Look, I’m sorry sweetheart but I had to. Did you know that man was working with the people that are harassing your dad?" Yuta makes you look at him.

You stay silent.

Letting a sigh out he pulls you out the car and fixes your dress. He whips your tears away and helps you fix your makeup. When he was done he turned around and you notice a tall man behind him.

"Y/n this is my cousin Gojo." Yuta present’s someone to you.

Your breath hitches as you see the pin he was wearing on his collar. It’s exactly like the one Yuta has at home. Does this mean he is the CEO of the Gojo franchises? The man was pretty tall and had such interesting features. This was the first man Yuta had even bothered to call family.

"Hello," you say trying to not cry anymore from what happened not too long ago.

"Aw, where you crying pretty girl? Did Yuta do something mean to you?" He says getting closer.

You look up at Yuta who rolled his eyes. You end up shaking your head not wanting to make the situation worst.

"No need to lie, I know him like the back of my hand. Now tell me what did he do so I can scold him." Gojo looks back at Yuta.

You hesitated but when were you going to get the chance to rant about such thing. "Well…he killed my best friend in front of me after the ceremony!" You squeeze your dress from the sides hoping it would help contain yourself.

Gojos eyes widen, obviously he had been told that you were crying over a small issue. "Yuta at least do it the day after the wedding! It this woman’s special day! You just ruined it for her, poor girl." He mumbled as he tried to comfort you with a hug.

"I’ll take that into consideration for next time her friends try to get into our relationship." Yuta pulls Gojo away from you. He dragged him to a quiet corner of the party and pushed him against the tree.

"What the hell are you doing? She’s going to be gone by tomorrow if you keep this up." Gojo puts his arm on Yutas shoulder

"She’s not going anywhere," Yuta shrugs his hand off and walks away.

"The purpose of this was for you to fall in love! Not for you to just have your god damn offspring." Gojo says.

Walking to the opposite side of the party he pulls out a Cigar. He felt like he needed to release all this pent up frustration. He felt like it wouldn’t end until this party was over. If it were up to him he wouldn’t of done this but you were begging him for a after party. Patting his pockets he realizes that he didn’t put a lighter on him. Letting out a loud sigh he throws his head back.

"I was surprised you invited me." He hears a man speak.

Great, just what he needed, another person to talk to. Yuta looks towards there direction and sees it Fushiguro, the head of the Zenin clan. He had decided to invite him to the after party for his own benefit. If he was able to befriend him then business would be booming for Yuta. He gives Fushiguro a pleasing smile and extends his arm out for a handshake. The man glady took it with a firm grip.

"We’re in the same industry, thought it would be nice to make friends. I’m not really part of the Zenin and Gojo drama as you can in the name." Yuta says pointing at the welcome sigh that showed his last name on it.

"Yea, Iv been trying to fix this mess ever since I became the head. Glad you invited me, hopefully we can make a better future for our families." Fushiguro smiles.

Pulling a lighter from his pocket he flick it on and puts it under Yutas gaze. Yuta immediately put’s the tip of his cigar over the flame and watched as it started to burn. “Yea, let’s do that."

The party went smoothly as it was planned. No other interferences happened, thank god. You dragged him around the party forcing him to do idiotic wedding traditions. You guys took an annoying amount of photos and ate too many sweets. To anyone this would be a dream, to Yuta it was a nightmare. All he wanted to do was go home and sleep.

"Would it kill you to smile?" Inumaki says as he passes Yuta a glass of wine.

Accepting the kind gesture he brings it up to his nose and takes a whiff of it. Once he smells the exact brand he pours it onto the grass. You would never catch him drinking such wine. It was unfortunate his wife belonged to the family that founded this company.

"You know the answer to that already, how was your vacation?" Yuta grumbles.

If it were up to Yuta then Inumaki wouldn’t have taken a last minute trip. That’s why the sucker straight up left without informing him. He had to find out from his men that Inumaki had just boarded a flight.

"Splendid, can’t believe you’re married. I mean common you with a female? She seems feisty too." Inumaki smirks.

They were both currently watching as you were trying to stop your uncle from taking another shot.

"You’ve seen me deal with the biggest mob bosses in the states. You’ve seen me kill people with my bare hands. Iv taken two gunshots and still managed to survive and your worried that a girl like her will ruin me? I don’t know whether to feel insulted or not." Yuta looks at him amused.

"I know you, she’s going to humble you well. Ah speaking of look she’s coming here with a piece of cake." Inumaki says.

You show up infront of Yuta and hover a spoon full of cake near his mouth. As he opens his mouth to decline you decide to shove the spoon deep into his mouth. You hear him gag and forcibly swallowed the cake.

"What are are trying to do? Ki-"

"Mrs. Okkotsu! So nice to meet you, my name is Inumaki. We’ll be seeing each other more often than you think." Inumaki cuts in before his boss could blow up on you.

If he knew Yuta correctly then he knew he had an image to keep up. That is until you guys get home, then he’s probably going to drop the mister nice act. Inumaki would say that Yuta wasn’t a horrible person at all, he was just cold. He likes when things go his way, he likes silence, and order.

After the party Yuta dragged his feet inside the house. You made him carry each gift. While you didn’t help at all, because how could he possibly make you lift up anything with those delicate hands. Dropping everything onto the floor he grabbed you by the wrist and pulled you into the room with him.

He had made sure to tell his men to be back in duty by tonight. They should be guarding right at the entrance doors of his house by now. This letting him be able to let his guard down and to complete his duty as your husband for tonight. Shutting the door behind him he throws you on the bed.

He could see as your innocent eyes widen as they realize what’s about to happen.

[darkcrowprincess]

In TLO, we are told that the Oracle cannot date. So what if Percy and Rachel were dating beforehand, and then right before she becomes the Oracle, they have a quick wedding ceremony so they’re married, not dating?

*most of my knowledge of how consent of marriage in New York between two 16 to 17 year olds comes from google. So if I get anything legally wrong I apologize*

"Are you sure about this Rachel?"

"I'm sure Percy." Rachel says from inside the single family bathroom at the court house.

"Besides if it doesn't work out we can always get divorce."

"Gee thanks." Percy says sarcastically.

Rachel giggles softly, "You know what I mean Percy. Besides I've got a good feeling about this. It feels right."

"Like I'm about to have a weird vision of the future feeling, or just a regular good feeling?" Percy questions.

Before Rachel can answer Percy's Mom and Paul comes up behind him. Sally smiling with a piece of paper in her hands. Mr Dares written consent. He smiles and waves back. Nervousness fully hitting him

"How did you get your dad to agree to this?"

"Blackmail". Rachel says, finally opening the bathroom door and stepping out.

"Oh". Percy says, stunned at the sight he sees before him. Ocean eyes wide, cheeks turning red.

Rachel Elizabeth Dare is a vision in ivory white. The dress she wears hangs around her all drape like but beautiful. Reminding Percy of greek women in movies. Two pieces of fabric attached to the skirt are also clip around her wrists so the skirt flows and swishes with her. As she move the dress moves with her, as if shes floating in water. The part of the bodice thats attached to the flowing skirt is aligned with white sea pearls. One perfectly lined up in a row, one after another. Circling her waistline. More pears are sewed at the top of the bodice near her chest. Showing a modest but greek style neckline. The look is completely with her red curls still wild but beautiful. A greek style flower laurel on her head, with a bit of white veil going down her back. Her face plain but no less beautiful natural. Big green wide eyes pop amongst the white, freckles all over her body standing out even more, but still beautiful. The most beautiful thing of all is her happy carefree smile.

Percy has said nothing, completely amazed by how beautiful she looks. He feels (embarrassing to think let alone admit) like Prince Eric from that Disney movie when Ariel the mermaid steps out of the shadows for the prince to see her in her pretty pink dress.

Flustred and still amazed Percy comments, "Yo-you look beautiful "

Rachel gives a happy flirty smile back. Eyes Percy up and down in satisfaction.

"No so bad yourself Percy. You clean up nice."

He laughs nervously, and tries not to mess up his styled black hair by running his fingers through it. After the yelling(first time ever really his mom has ever yelled like that and questioned what he was thinking) Percy's mom quickly came around once he fully explained about Rachel becoming the orcale. She again asked him if they were both sure(mainly eyeing her son for his reactions). But quickly became fully supportive with Paul's help. Paul more so getting Mr Dare's written consent, and finding a court house that would marry two teenagers in New York. Sally Jackson not only helped Percy with his hair, she got Percy a suit. A dark ocean blue suit. Plain white dress shirt. Matching ocean blue vest and tie. Percy felt like a ridiculous little boy playing dress up. However seeing Rachel, and her over all reaction. For once Percy felt maybe he did look good too. That they could actually maybe do this.

Percy reaches to hold both of Rachels hands. Linking their fingers together.

"Ready?" Questions Percy(he doesn't really need to.)

A determined look flashes in Rachel Elizabeth Dare's eyes. "Ready."

Percy nods then turns to his mom. She smiles at him.

******

Everything after that is a blur, what Percy remembers most is standing in front of the judge with Rachel. Holding her hands. He would be afraid that he's squeezing the circulation from her fingers, however shes squeezing just as hard back. So good to know he's not the only one freaking out. But soon the judge is having them sign their names on the paperwork. Afterwards he has them recite the typical lines you always hear at weddings.

"Do you Perseus Jackson, being of sound mind and body take Rachel Elizabeth Dare as you lawful wedded wife?" The old judge says, looking like stereotypical old man judge with glasses and gray hair. He has a disapproving look on his face('probably at their ages, but the old geezer can stuff it' thinks Percy).

Percy genuinely grins at Rachel. A soft fragile thing. He is fully putting his heart in her hands. "I do."

The judge continues, "And do you Rachel Elizabeth Dare, being of sound mind and body take Perseus Jackson as your lawful wedded husband?"

Rachel eyes shine. She has a serious look on her face. Not letting her eyes leave Percy she says, "I do."

"Than by the state of New York I pronounce you husband and wife. Young man you may now kiss your bride."

Percy sees a flash of blonde in the corner of his eye in the back of the court house but he ignores it(he's not letting her ruin this. Especially for Rachel). He takes a quick look a his mom and Paul (his parents) both smiling and crying. He finally looks at Rachel who smiles at him in reassurance. Rachel mouths the words 'I have a good feeling about this.' It gives him the courage to finally close the gap. Rachel leans up on her tip toes as he leans down and their lips touch. Warmth and comfort flashes through the both of them. It feels like home to Percy(it feels like he's breaking the cycle. Making his own destiny. They are no longer pawns of the gods)

Percy pulls Rachel closer and runs his fingers through her red curls. Kissing her a little harder. She hums in pleasure.

Too quickly they end the kiss and both pull back. Meadow green eyes meet ocean. Both unbelievably happy.

Hand in hand they walk to Percy's parents. Rachels sees the blonde sitting in the back and ignores it too. Through congratulations from both hugging parents Percy and Rachel dont let go of each others hands.

********

Rachel and his parents are both waiting outside the courthouse when Percy finally goes up to Annabeth. She meets him half way. Walking quickly to meet him. He expects it, but still flinches at the hard punch she gives him to his face( Annabeth is also wearing a silver ring with owl craved into the band. The owl cuts against Percy's eyebrow).

Casually the blonde shakes her fist out, her knuckles brused. Annabeth's eyes are cold, yet her face doesn't show much emotion. "How could you! Especially with her! She's a mortal Percy!"

Percy (ignoring the pain) tries to stay calm, hopefully he can get through this quickly. The quicker he gets through this the quicker he can get back to his parents and his girl- no his wife. His wife now he happily thinks.

"Since when is that your concern Annabeth? I can date and marry who I want. Your my friend. I would think you'd be happy for me."

Annabeth face goes a little red in angrer. Finally some emotion is showing.

" I kissed you, I thought even a seaweed brain like you can even figure out what that means!"

"Yeah you kissed me. Meaning you like me. But that doesn't mean I return those feelings Annabeth!" Percy says through clenched teeth.

Annabeth has worry in her eyes now. "This wasn't how this was suppose to go!" She grips his jacket collar hard and desperate. "You think this will be ok with the gods Percy?! Not only is she mortal, she's the psychic of Delphi too. They will not be pleased with this! They wont like being out smarted like this!"

Percy removes her hands from his person. "Its my life Annabeth! And I get to choose how I want to live it. We both get to. So I'm choosing her." Percy finally gives her and apologetic look. "I'm sorry, but I care for her enough to risk it." It's too early to say love Percy thinks. But he's definitely starting to feel it could go that way with time. "I don't feel that way for you Annabeth. I'm sorry."

Full blown emotion finally shows on her face. Her lip wobbles, and tears gather in her eyes. But than her face goes angry again. Tears finally spill. "I gave up Luke for you. Fine than, if that's how you want to play it. Have fun with your mortal. When the gods get pissed off enough to think of some horrible pay back. Don't come crying to me." She turns swiftly and not looking back. Percy makes a motion to follow her, but Annabeth puts on her baseball cap and goes invisible.

He feels horrible for Annabeth. But he wont let her ruin today. He looks at his hand with his ring on it and smiles. He wont let anyone one ruin it.

********

"What happened to your forehead?" Rachel questions with worry, she gently touches the mark on his eyebrow.

Percy just smiles at her, clasping her hand with hers.

"It's nothing don't worry about it Mrs Jackson."

Rachel laughs at that. The look on her face is so beautiful he can't help but kiss her.

(Don't like don't read. Post hate and I'll block you)

[lunaroserites]

The Moon and Stars

Word count: 1439

Requested: No

Pairing: Castiel x fem!reader

Additional character: Dean, Sam and Bobby

Warnings: Marriage, fluff, cuteness. Not beta read, we die like Supernatural Characters.

Plot; Castiel and his fiancé get married.

The stars hung low in the dusk sky as it became just dark enough for them to be visible. They stood with Bobby and the Winchesters on top of a cliff overlooking the ocean. You could hear the waves as they splashed against the rock below, a soft breeze drifted through the pine trees behind them. It was peaceful. 

Sammy had a small portable music player set up with Hozier’s Like Real People Do playing quietly in the background. Bobby held an old, worn, but well loved bible in one hand, wiped a stray tear with the other. The brothers wore button ups rolled to their elbows and nice slacks, a bottle of beer held in their hand. 

The Impala was parked a little away from them, the headlights providing a small amount of extra light in the dusk.

She wore an elegant dress, it was white with lace stars and moons embroidered all over it, it was floor length and pooled at her feet, a slit ran from the bottom of the skirt to mid thigh. She wore a veil adorned with delicate pearls, and embroidered with stars and moons, matching the bodice and skirt of her dress. Her finger lay bare waiting for the ring that she had worn everyday to be placed back during an exchange of heartfelt words. She gazed up at him through the veil, it did little to obstruct her view of him. 

He wore his usual trench coat over a black suit, it was new and well tailored. The Winchesters had taken him to a local shop in town and for the first time he picked out something of his own. A tie pin of a silver moon and star, matching her dress clipped delicately to his tie, he had specially made, with the help of Dean of course, the internet was still lost on him most days. He matched her gaze, she looked utterly magically in her dress, everything picked out and placed in deliberate manner. 

Dean, Sam and himself had arrived at the lookout spot prior to her and Bobby. Bobby insisted that if they were doing this, they were doing it right. If his (adoptive) little girl was getting married he would be damned before she was married in some janky drive thru chapel, wearing greasy jeans and one of Dean’s band tees. Sure this may not be official in the eyes of the government, but in the eyes of heaven it was as official as it could get. 

He was not an emotional man by any standards, usually stoic and hard faced. She had never seen him this emotional before, when she walked out of her room asking him to zip her dress up he couldn’t help but shed a few tears. She was stunning in her dress, it was as if it was crafted for her and her alone. But all he could see was the little girl she once was standing in the center of pooling fabric saying “daddy, zip my dress up please.” Once it was zipped up and she spun around with a bright smile, taking the skirt in her hands and swaying it. “How do I look dad?” He choked a cry back and gave her his best smile. 

“Like an Angel, baby,” he had pulled her into a tight hug, she let a few tears fall into his shoulder. He helped her into his truck making sure her dress was safely tucked into the cab. The drive was quiet, something she was grateful for because it gave her time to calm her nerves. Once at the lookout, Bobby helped her step down from the cab, and walked with her on his arm making sure she wouldn’t trip on the uneven terrain.

Dean nudged Castiel when he noticed Bobby and her approaching, he turned slowly. Once fully facing the two approaching he finally looked at her, the dusk sky making her white dress stand out. She was beautiful, he choked on air looking at her stunning beauty. She made Angel’s grace look dull. Dean let out a low whistle and Sam gasped. The two had never seen her dolled up this before. She grew up alongside the brothers, she was rough and tumble with a side Singer sass, even if she wasn’t one by blood. 

Bobby spoke softly, reading a couple verses from the bible in his hands. His voice was rough, from the unshed tears. She stared into his eyes, listening to the soft chorus of their song as it melded with Bobby’s voice. He spoke so soundly, speaking to her, him and the night. They had prepared a few worlds for each other to exchange before they placed rings on each other and sealed the deal with the all important kiss.  

Castiel started, “In this space right here that we have made for each other, you can say anything and I will not abandon you. Unwrap the worst things you have done. Watch me hold them up to the light and not flinch. Your love is the light by which my soul follows. You are my sun, my moon, and my stars. I may never find words beautiful enough to describe all that you mean to me, but I will spend the rest of our time searching for them. With this ring, I am bound to you, mind, body, and soul.” He slid the ring onto her awaiting finger. It was a three part ring, the center ring was a moon stone with three crescent moons around it and smaller stones filling the space, the second sat underneath it, 7 little stones creating a ‘V’ shape. The third and final piece was two wings wrapped around both of the other rings. Castiel had it made custom for her, he poured all his love into the design. When it arrived 18 months ago he had been on a hunt with the brothers, one she skipped out on because she wasn’t feeling well. When he got back to the bunker and she mentioned a package he feared she knew what it was. His fear was for not as she had just laid the small shipping box on his side of the bed undisturbed. 

“If you came to me with a face I have not seen, with a voice I have never heard, I would still know you. Even if centuries separated us, I would still feel you. Somewhere between the sand and the stardust, through every collapse and creature there is a pulse that echoes of you and I. Till death do us part, they say. I say, I will love you till this life to the next. And if the next life won’t grace me with you, I will still love you till the next one, and the next, the next. Till death finally gives up on us,” her voice wavered slightly, the weight of her words and how she felt crashed like the waves, she loved him so deeply. “With every fiber of my soul I will love, cherish and care for you. For you are the moon, the stars and the sun in my soul.” With trembling fingers she slid the matching white gold ring on his finger, it had an engraving of their names in Enochian on the inside band, and etchings of angel wings with little stars dotted on the outside. A custom piece made by the same person who made her rings. It wasn’t planned that way, but it was a happy coincidence when the seller messaged her asking about the ring she wore. 

Bobby spoke a few more words and announced they were husband and wife, and he may kiss the bride. Castiel’s hands found the tull of her veil and lifted it gently over her head, not to disturb her hair, or damage the veil. He placed it down once her face was fully uncovered and looked down into her eyes, his own eyes pouring every ounce of love into hers. His water line had unshed, happy tears. He cupped her face in his hands and poured his soul into the kiss, her cheeks wetted from his now spilled tears. She wrapped arms around his neck and pressed close to him. 

Sam, Dean and Bobby all clapped their hands hollered. Castiel pulled back from the shared moment and rubbed his nose to hers lovingly. 

“Honey just put your sweet lips on my lips, We should just kiss like real people do,” the song closed on them, it had been playing over and over through the whole ceremony. Castiel put his lips to hers once more. 

[freakshowtwopointoh]

When The Chips Are Down - All I've Ever Known Part 8

Help yourself, to hell with the rest

What you gonna do when the chips are down

< prev | next >

Finals season flew by and all of a sudden, the semester was over. There was this holiday benefit thing that I had to attend, so I was dressed to the nines, with red lipstick and pearls like a true lady. Gag me. I straightened the emerald green bodice of my gown, feeling incredibly nervous and out of place. At least the dress was gorgeous, and it did fit me alright. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t in the top 10, my brother was, so there we were with Cate, adjusting each other’s hair and clothes. Then, we entered the golden ballroom for the annual holiday gala. 

We stepped into place on the red carpet, Cate on one side of Luke in a gorgeous red gown color-matched to his tie, and me on the other. Photo after photo - some of the two of them together, some of me and my brother, some of just me, some of all three of us... I felt like my cheeks might fall off. Brink stepped in from the other side to pose with his number one student, and I made my way to a table a little separated from the crowd.

I saw a few familiar faces - Grace Jones and Professor Park chatting surreptitiously over some fancy looking hors d'oeuvres, for two. Jordan and their parents stepped up to take photos next. They looked stunning in a burgundy embroidered suit, and I felt a blush creep up on my cheeks as I realized I was staring. Despite their beauty, I could see the struggle in their eyes - they didn’t want to be here either, especially not with their parents. They get a few photos with Brink before being forcefully guided by their parents to a series of donors and trustees. Ah, what a way to welcome in the holidays. 

Luke finally finished with his photos and came to sit by me while Cate went to speak with Shetty. He passed me a flute of champagne and I nodded in thanks. 

“So, what do you think about all this junk? We haven’t really... talked much since you got #1.” I asked awkwardly, feeling the familiar guilt rising in my gut about the distance between Luke and I. I never doubted my decision not to tell my family about The Incident - they had too much on their minds. But it was just another wedge in the widening gap between me and my remaining family. 

“Oh, ya know. It is what it is. I don’t love that it all has to be so... quantitative. But I know if I do well here, it’ll make my future easier.” I nodded at that, understanding all too well the allure of a stable future. He looked at me for a long while, a look in his eyes that I couldn’t quite read. “I love you, Mags.” He said softly. “I’m glad you’re here.” 

“I love you too, Luke. I’m... still getting used to it here. But the people have been really nice, and I’m learning a lot.” I said hesitantly. Luke’s eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly, and I bit back the snappy retorts that came to mind.

“You fit right in here, Mags. And you’re set up for a great future. Try not to worry so much.” My jaw tightened as I recognized our father’s words coming out of his mouth. There was so much I wanted to say. Does it count as a great future if I don’t want it? If I have to live a lie? I could’ve had a real future, the future I wanted, but it was taken from me. Taken when I was taken from that fucking party. Taken when our brother vanished into thin air. And you want me not to worry? I could feel the rage threatening to consume me, and I caught Jordan’s eye across the room once more.

We didn’t even share a smile - just a moment of eye contact - but it carried understanding and empathy in a way that nothing else could. A reminder that I’m not alone. I have an ally. 

“Uh, are mom and dad here?” I asked, hoping to change the subject.

“No, they couldn’t make it. But they wanted you to meet some people.” By that he means that dad wants me to schmooze with some associates of his. I down the rest of my champagne, daring my brother with my eyes to say anything about it. I couldn’t deny the small bit of pleasure I got when I saw his jaw tighten again. Good. I let him lead me to the group of men in suits, drawing my back up straighter and pasting a demure smile on my face. 

“Happy holidays, gentlemen. I’m Margaret, it’s wonderful to meet you all.” I said formally, beginning to make conversation about vacation plans and family functions. I don’t recognize any of their faces but there was still something that felt... familiar. Like a dream that I couldn’t quite remember. The usual games were played - they ask about my father like they care about the answer and I answer like I know anything about my father’s life. They ask about school, and I sell myself like a used car salesman. We were discussing the most recent guest speaker in my ethics class when darkness took over. 

Someone cut the power. A few screams echoed in the ballroom, and a strangely familiar smell of eucalyptus and cigarette smoke invaded my senses. I felt hands on my arms, bodies bumping against mine, and panic wracked my system. I felt strong fingers grasping my wrist and another hand attempting to grab my shoulder, and everything suddenly became too real. In the darkness and panic of the crowd it was hard to tell at first which hands were looking to help and which were not. I found myself wishing I was near anyone I knew. Jordan, Cate, Luke, even Grace would be preferable to the strangers surrounding me, pushing, shoving, grabbing, pulling, tugging. They were pulling me away, pushing through the crowd that was closing in around us. Politeness flew out the window as panic threatened to take over. This was all too familiar. But I had already been to hell once and I wouldn’t be going back. I took a deep breath before pushing out the energy field around my body, causing the two men to be pushed back, stumbling over their feet. I felt them coming closer again and I knew my only option was to run. 

I booked it in the direction that seemed to have the least people, praying these stupid fucking heels would hold out for long enough. At this point I wasn’t sure how much of my fear was projection and how much was because the situation really warranted this level of panic, but it didn’t matter. My legs were moving on their own, taking me as far from the situation as they could. Not home, that’s the first place they’d look. Not any of the crime fighting buildings, that’s too close to the gala. I found myself hiding out in a third floor bathroom of the performing arts library, perched on top of a toilet and trembling. I carefully unstrapped my heels and thanked my lucky stars that I had decided to bring a clutch instead of leaving my phone in my coat, which was still at the gala. I took it out with shaking hands, seeing a flurry of phone calls and texts, most from Jordan. Even Andre had tried to call me, but neither Cate nor Luke had even texted. It shouldn’t have bothered me - they were probably just as swamped and panicked as I was. But shouldn’t my older brother be the first to make sure I’m safe, not the last? I turned my phone off, worried that somehow it would lead someone to me.

A dark thought occurred to me, one that had been occurring to me more and more recently: how involved is Luke in doing our dad’s bidding? Would he stoop so low as to interfere in my life for him? 

It’s usually at this part in my spiral that I wrench my mind away from these questions and focus on the present. But I was alone in this dark toilet stall, heart still racing, and I couldn’t help but entertain the thought. Luke had access to my journals. He knew about my research. He was home for a weekend trip two days before Sam disappeared. He delivered me into the hands of those men who did not seem fazed by the power outage nor eager to ensure my safety. And that smell - so eerily familiar. All together it gave me a sickening sense of deja vu. I hated that I was questioning my own brother, but I had been questioning everything since Sam disappeared.

It sounds cliche, but truly nothing had been the same since. Even before The Incident, nothing was right without him. Luke became even more of a carbon copy of our dad, laser-focused on future success.. Our mom slid further into her shell. Our dad ... well, he didn’t change much. He was always a distant man, a family man only by duty and never out of love. He was our dad, of course he loved us. Of course he wanted what was best for us. It didn’t matter if his actions aligned with that notion, he was our father. But with Sam gone, any semblance of a “real” family disintegrated. I had woken up to the empty platitudes and the way they sugar coated the truth. The people who should have understood what I was feeling looked on in apathy.

After almost half an hour of anxious stewing, I turned my phone back on, and saw another bevy of messages from Jordan. I texted them one word: safe, hoping that would assuage their worries. And then I turned it off again. I knew logically that I would be safe here. But every time I thought about leaving, I swore I could smell him again, or that I could hear laughter echoing in the hallways. I wouldn’t leave until I saw morning light peaking through the window.

< prev | next >

[redwolf17]

Cake-pocalypse: Return of the Frosting-ing

Some of you may recall I've mentioned being busy with a cake-pocalypse. Well, here's the end result. I made both of these cakes, from scratch, for my parents' 50th anniversary party last weekend. Now that it's over, I thought it'd be fun to do a post about it, because while there's tons of popular baking shows, it's not a topic everyone necessarily knows about.

So, what goes into making cake for approximately 100 people?

Step 1) Baking the wedding cakes

A) The tiered cake was based on a photo of my parents' original wedding cake. To replicate it, I needed four tiers of vanilla cake, which meant eight layers of cake, two for each tier.

Fun fact: I learned how to bake from my mom, who is a talented home baker. I made my first cake by myself at age 9, and then gradually expanded my skills through years of practice. And when I say my mom is talented, I mean it; she's made wedding cakes for at least half a dozen friends and family over the years. It was only right that I use my mom's favorite wedding cake recipe for the batter; I think I ended up using 6 batches to make all the tiers, plus 2 dozen cupcakes to use up extra batter.

B) Once the cakes had cooled, I wrapped them in plastic wrap and put them in the freezer overnight. This firms up the cake's "crumb" or structure, making it easier to work with. By this point, it was late Sunday night; baking the cakes had taken almost all day. What with work and errands, I didn't resume work on the cakes until Thursday night. After partially thawing the cakes, I leveled each one by cutting off the tops where the cake had domed. This is a crucial step to make sure the cakes will stack properly; you don't want them tilting or toppling over.

C) Now that the cakes are leveled, they need their base coat of frosting. I used SO MUCH buttercream for these cakes CRY The trick is to frost them while they're still cold from the freezer, so the crumbs don't get into the frosting as much. Even so, every cake needed two coats of frosting, first the crumb coat, then, after a trip back to the freezer to set the frosting, a second coat to hide the crumbs stuck in the first coat. At this point, I was done (for now) with the wedding cakes, because I was NOT going to try to transport a completed four tier cake, which meant I couldn't stack/decorate them until the day of the party.

Step 2) Making the sheet cake

A) My entire day Saturday was spent baking, and it began with making the 12x18 chocolate sheetcake. It took three batches of cake batter; my favorite chocolate cake recipe is from Sally's Baking Addiction. I used the sour cream version, which is sturdier and thus would hopefully travel better.

B) Once the cake was baked, it took a loooong time to cool. You NEVER frost a warm cake, because the icing will melt and make a huge mess. Side note, this cream cheese frosting recipe is the best I've ever seen, and the coffee version I made by adding espresso powder turned out delicious.

C) After carefully chilling the cake in the fridge (it barely fit), I covered the entire cake with a chocolate glaze. The combination of chocolate cake + coffee cream cheese frosting + glaze comes from the Yule logs my mom makes every year, and which my dad and the rest of my family really love.

D) I draw a lot of practice grids and decoration ideas when I was first planning the cakes. I ended up deciding to do a pattern of frosting swirls with espresso beans, plus piping the message in the center. Since it is VERY hard to fix fuck ups, I practiced my calligraphy and my balloons on a piece of parchment paper before I put a piping bag anywhere near the cake. Once the buttercream had set, I painted it with a mixture of edible gold-colored pearl dust and vodka. Amazing stuff, a friend who has a home bakery recommended it. It was around 1am when the chocolate cake was done, and went back in the fridge to keep safe until the next day.

Step 3) Piping roses

While the chocolate cake was baking and cooling, it was time to work on decorations for the wedding cake. Buttercream roses are a pain in the ass, but since the original cake had them, this cake needed them too. Bless my niece, who served as my assistant for about 3 hours. My initial attempts at dyeing the frosting came out way too garish, but she tweaked them into the lovely shades of crimson and green you see here. She also held the flower nail so I could make my first 20 or so attempts at the roses using the Wilton technique. The buttercream was NOT cooperating at first; we had to add more powdered sugar to stiffen it, and then we had to keep putting the piping bags in and out of the fridge to get them to just the right consistency for piping. After my niece left, my bf held the flower nail for another 30+ roses. My hand and my arm were killing me by the end, but I was really worried about not having enough to cover the cake. Also, more practice meant better roses.

Step 4) Assembling the tiered cake

A) Sunday morning was D-Day. We got to the venue 3 hours early because I knew I'd need every minute to assemble and decorate the tiered cake. Each tier sits on a cardboard cake board, but that's not enough support. To counteract the inevitable peril of gravity, the center of each tier is filled with straws. These hold up the tiers above so they don't smush the cake below.

B) Once the tiers were stacked, I piped a swirl of vines, as close to the original cake as I could manage.

C) Then, very, very carefully, I stuck the buttercream roses on using a dab of fresh frosting. You have to work quickly; the buttercream roses are firm when you first take them out of the freezer or fridge, which means you can pick them up, but if you take too long, your fingers will melt the petals. I was terrified about placing roses on the vertical sides of the cake, but thank god, none of them fell off. Once the roses were in place, I added leaves to the vines and beneath the roses.

D) A close up of the final result. I finished literally 1 minute before the party was supposed to start, at which point I had to carry this from the venue's kitchen to the table where it would sit; my bf went in front of me to shoo people out of the way.

Step 5) Dealing with leftovers

a) Oh god, leftovers! The chocolate cake got demolished, as did the vanilla cake, once we sent some slices home, but there were still leftovers. Why? Because the way a tiered cake is served, you cut slices from the outside ring, but NOT from the center round which is stuffed full of straws. So... what to do with all that extra cake?

b) Well, if you pull the straws out and re-frost, then you've got three perfectly nice cakes. I already had plenty of extra frosting and roses, lol. My students were quite happy to take all this cake off my hands, though I only had enough slices for the first half of my classes.

c) However, I also still had SIX CUPS of cake crumbs from the offcuts which I'd cut off the cakes when I leveled them. Crumbs + frosting+ a dip in chocolate = cake pops! Massive, massive cake pops, lol, I used my biggest cookie scoop. The second half of my classes got these beauties, and a couple coworkers finished off the extras.

And that's it! God willing I won't make a cake again for quite a while, lol, this was exhausting.

[keep-the-wolves-close]

Movin’ Mountains

Chapter 10: Run Devil Run

* Pairing: Kayce Dutton x OFC Stella Daniels

* Rating: M

* Warnings: NSFW, unprotected sex (wrap it up y'all, but what's new for these two lol), p in v penetration, creampie (again, shocker lol), language

* Word count: 3,181ish

I would love to give credits to @dameronscopilot and @deanscroissant and @lexixstewart for being sounding boards for me during this whole process, giving outsider insight, being cheerleaders, and allowing me to screech at them about things that have happened during the writing process. I seriously couldn't have gotten this far without y'all.

Author's note: I’m really loving writing these chapters of the last bit of season 3. Also, I have wanted to use this particular gif for so fuckin’ long lmao. I hope everyone is enjoying so far! I hope you love this chapter as well!

Kayce stepped out of the closet in the master bedroom. He snapped the pearl buttons on his denim shirt and called out for his son, who was visiting for the next couple days. “Tate? Let’s get down for breakfast.”

Stella meandered closer to the door while she slipped a t-shirt over her head. “Your son left with his grandfather before you woke up to see the cowhorse guys at the fairgrounds.”

“Cowhorse guys?” Kayce stepped back into the room and rolled his eyes. “Oh Jesus, that means he’s horse shopping.”

“Don’t worry,” Stella giggled, “I gave your father a list of what I want him to look for. Cause I’m still in charge of that too, by the way. So he’s technically not unsupervised.” She ran her fingers through her hair that she hadn’t gotten to put up yet. “If I didn’t know any better your dad was doing a soft launch of his retirement.”

She watched him as he snapped the buttons at the cuffs of his shirt and looked at her from under his lashes. She bit her lip at how attractive that small act seemed. The entire look he had going on today had her clenching around nothing below the belt. The quiet gravel in his voice, the full denim outfit, his hair mussed just right.

“My dad ain’t retired, Stella.”

She huffed and leaned a hip against the armchair in front of the fireplace, crossing her arms. “I know, but he spends almost every day with Tate, which, okay fine. I appreciate him putting in the effort to be a good grandfather to your son. But he galivants around all day with Tate, leaving us to pull 16-hour days doing our jobs, and his on top of it.” She shrugged, “and you end up doing both of his jobs. So all I’m saying is, I think he’s toying with the idea of retirement.”

Kayce scrunched up his face at her as she walked by to go to the closet. Something was off about her today. He wasn’t sure if it was that little girl from a week ago, or Hotshot giving her problems. But her attitude was throwing him for a loop. “So what are your plans today?”

Stella dug through the hanging shirts in the closet, looking for a specific green one. “Probably gonna work Hotshot some more. Or maybe do some chores around until your dad calls me about a horse.” She walked back into the room to throw on the green plaid button up and Kayce leaned on the archway. “Haven’t completely decided yet.”

She could feel Kayce’s gaze burning into her back. She turned to face him and her cheeks went pink while her heart sped up. There were devilish thoughts that she watched dancing across his face while he stared at her. She felt like she was the prey and he was the lion sizing her up, but in the most delicious way possible. “What,” she asked innocently.

His voice came out so low and gravelly it made goosebumps blossom along her skin. “Damn, you look good, sugar.” He stepped closer to her, which she tried to back up and fake like she was resisting the temptation. His hands snapped out and grabbed her waist, pulling her snugly against him.

Stella gasped when she connected with his hard chest. The lace of her bra scratched pleasantly across her nipples. With her mouth open, Kayce dove in. Without a second thought she gripped the hair on the back of his head and pulled him as close as she could get him.

His hips aligned with her thigh and she could feel his growing erection, tight inside the denim. “Fuck, Kayce,” she panted out against his lips. “I need you inside me,” she reached down and popped open the button of his jeans.

He gave her the little grin he knew she loved. “Don’t gotta ask me twice, sugar.” Kayce’s hand trailed from her waist, unfastening her jeans. He gently pushed her back until her knees hit the bed. Instead of letting her fall, he twisted her around and pulled her pants down to her knees in one fluid motion.

A little squeal slipped out of her at the quick motions as she tried to catch herself on her hands on the bed. Shuffling could be heard from behind her and her pussy clenched with anticipation. She felt like she couldn’t get any wetter. Kayce pushed his pants down just enough and slipped inside her. They both breathed heavily at the sensation.

With her legs not able to spread all the way, the fullness overwhelmed her to the point that her knees trembled. “Jesus fuckin’ Christ Kayce,” her hand slapped on the comforter and she dropped her head.

Kayce drew his hips back and snapped them forward abruptly. Stella let out a sinful moan that almost made him cum right then. He continued the motion at an irregular pace. Working toward the end goal of orgasm for the both of them. They both had places to be, so this was going to be quick, but he’d get her to that high if it was the last thing he did.

Stella dropped her top half to the mattress with a grumble, “don’t fuck with me, Kayce.”

“Oh?” He pulled out, making her groan at the loss. “I guess I’ll go to the fair grounds then.”

Stella shot up and reached around to grab his arm. “Don’t you dare!”

He grinned wide, and gently turned her around. “Lay back, I’m gonna pick your legs up.”

Stella bit her lip as Kayce manhandled her legs, pants still attached, up and over his left shoulder. He slid home, sighing lewdly. His hips snapped to meet hers forcefully. The moans and sighs he pulled out of her made him want to whimper with carnal need. The desperation of need in the both of them made his hips wildly slam into her slick pussy.

“My god,” Kayce panted, “you look so good taking me.” He felt her clench around his cock and he chuckled.

“Baby,” Stella moaned while tossing her head back, giving his hips a second wind, “please please please,” she begged.

“Where?”

Stella’s focus snapped to his face. Dewy with sweat, concentration fading as he got closer to his release. “In,” she was breathless at the pace he chose.

Primal need took over Kayce’s brain at her request. He crested over the hill of his orgasm and shot his release inside her, moaning her name. She fell off the precipice not far behind him when she felt him fill up her waiting cunt.

Kayce leaned forward against her legs, using the angle to help keep him upright while he caught his breath. Stella reached forward to grasp his arm. “Hey,” she whispered. “You good,” she asked, enjoying the full feeling of him still seated in her.

“Yeah.” He pulled out much to her dismay. “Let me go get something to clean you up.”

Once they were both redressed, Kayce sat on the bed and watched Stella as she fluttered around the room. She rushed to finish getting ready in her post sex daze. While her movements were hurried, it was almost like she was in slow motion. She was home to him. Gentle but firm, peaceful but equally chaotic. The lighthouse on the coast that called him back to shore. Steady hearted. Sure footed. His chest swelled with affection. “God I love you, you know that?”

Stella stopped moving, looking over at him. The post-coital flush on her cheeks ramped up again from the look he was giving her. It was a look of complete adoration that almost knocked her off her feet. “I love you too,” she whispered with a small smile. “And as much as I would love a repeat, we’ve both got responsibilities to get to.” She took a few steps closer to him and held out her hand.

He grasped her fingers in his. He had a thought to pull her down to him, but changed his mind. He stood while complaining, “yeah, but we kinda make the rules for our schedules now.”

She chuckled, “mmhmm, we do. But that doesn’t mean we should take advantage of it.” She put a hand on his chest, leaning up and placed a light kiss on his lips. “Now, c’mon cowboy. Go save your father’s wallet from himself and keep him on track with my list.” Stella watched him walk toward the door, but called out to him. “Kayce.”

He stopped and looked back at her. “Yeah?”

Stella gave him her trademark lopsided grin and shrugged. “Nothin’. I just wanted to look at you before you walked away.” Kayce’s movement stilled. At her use of his own words on him a flicker of something soft, only for her, colored his gaze. He gave her a sideways grin and made his way downstairs.

Stella gazed out the window for a few minutes after Kayce left, feeling the responsibility weighing on her shoulders. ‘Better get it done and over with.’

It had been a few hours as Stella drifted around the ranch getting chores out of the way that she'd been ignoring for far too long. Rip had insisted she take the day off after being told about the incident with Kayce and Ryan. John’s voice after a particularly rough session with Lee and an angry gelding echoed in her mind: ranch work didn’t stop just because you had a bad day. His words had never rang truer than now. Which was the perfect excuse to show her Abigail girl some tender love and care.

Since Rip was away at the fairgrounds helping keep John in line with her list, it was Lloyd and her in charge since Ryan was laid up for a few days. They’d sent Colby and Teeter off to fix some more fence lines they hadn’t gotten to yet. With those two gone, it was just Lloyd and Stella moseying around the barn. Jake and Ethan were off doing their own thing. It was the time of year that they could get away with having a little extra free time.

The brush she held in her hand slid along Abigail’s spine, swiping the last bit of dust off her coat. Stella blew out a breath trying to keep the cloud she’d just brushed off Abigail from going in her mouth. She placed the brush into her grooming bucket and grabbed the show sheen to spray Abigail’s coat down making her the cleanest mare on the ranch. She enjoyed little moments like this because it didn’t feel like the world was out to get the ranch and everyone that resided here.

Lloyd wandered into the barn and poked his head into Abigail’s stall as Stella finished up. “Well if she ain’t the prettiest roan I’ve ever seen, I dunno who is.” He smiled affectionately at Stella. He watched as she finished up making sure she didn’t miss any spots on the mare. A swell of pride overtook him as he observed her.

She’d been through hell, more than most her age should have to deal with, in his opinion. But somehow she still managed to keep her head up. He could see it in the way she threw herself into the work, not letting any issues stop her. The way she made sure everyone else was alright, when she had every excuse to quit. He knew under Rip and Kayce’s careful eyes, she would do just fine.

“How ya holdin’ up from last week?”

She dropped the show sheen bottle into the bucket. “I think I’m alright. That bastard stole our cows and calves and shot my brother,” she wiped her hands on her jeans feeling the anger roll through her. Sadness quickly took its place when she thought of the little girl. “I do wish the little girl hadn’t been there though.” She cleared her throat. “If I have any guilt, it would be that.”

“Aw, Lil’ Bit. You can’t blame yourself for that. You didn’t know.”

“I know, but it doesn’t make it any better, Lloyd.” The little girl’s scream pierced her ears, and the image of her standing over her father burned a hole in her mind as her stomach turned. Lloyd reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

“She’s gonna remember that for her whole life. And I’m a part of that.” She fixed her glasses with a sniff. “I still remember when I found my dad like it was yesterday, you know.” Her hand raised and she chewed the skin on the side of her thumb.

The small motion reminded Lloyd of Stella at 15 when she confided in him for the first time about finding her dad dead on the floor of his apartment when she was 11. He grimaced as the memory smacked into him. Stella had been acting out and reckless, and Ryan couldn’t get to the bottom of it with his lack of experience at 19. He came to Lloyd and asked him for help finding out what the problem was. When she explained to him everything going on in her mind, it had been just after a grizzly tried to eat her and Kayce saved her from it.

Stella opened her arms and invited Lloyd into an embrace. She needed a hug. Lloyd pulled her in and held her close. It wasn’t often she reached out for comfort outside of her brother or Kayce, but when she did he knew not to turn her down. He gently rubbed up and down her back. “Life ain’t fair, Lil’ Bit. You can’t carry around the weight of someone else’s sins like your own. It’ll crush you eventually.”

She exhaled deeply, trying to make herself believe his words. She whispered, “yeah, workin’ on it,” as she pulled back. Flattening the hair on her head, she brought her focus back to the present. Worrying about that little girl’s new path in life wasn’t gonna do her any good. It felt harsh to think, but Lloyd was right. She couldn’t carry that. Taking a steadying breath, she frowned seeing the sun dip lower towards the horizon.

She took out her phone to check the time, she found it had been quite some time since Colby and Teeter had wandered off. It had been long enough for Teeter to corner Colby, breaking down his resolve. Stella grinned despite the heavy weight on her mind. Teeter wanted Colby like bees loved honey. Stella loved that woman and her tenacity. She was glad they chose her.

Her chest tightened with the need to move. She couldn’t be still and wait for Kayce to get home. Ryan had always said to her, when in doubt, ride it out. That mantra followed her all the time, and today it seemed it was more than necessary to follow. “I think I’m gonna saddle up and go check on Colby and Teeter,” she chuckled, “more like rescue Colby from Teeter.

Lloyd smiled at her shift in mood. “The ride’ll probably do you good. Go keep those cowboys in line, ya hear me? Make sure Colby doesn’t give you any lip.”

Stella made quick work of getting Abigail saddled and ready to go. With the possibility of being out after the sun fell behind the mountains, she made sure she had her pistol, an extra clip, a flashlight and a few extra batteries. She’d be damned if she’d get caught without them. She was sure everything would be fine, but the wildlife in Montana didn’t care if she was just out there to find her friends.

She cursed herself for sending them out so far. It may have only been to pasture four, but it was about a 45 minute ride on Abigail. There was plenty of flat land to open up the mare’s speed, helping kill some time, but the sun had fallen behind the mountains at this point. As Stella got closer to where she thought the pair should be, the tree cover thickened. She found the side-by-side, but not a single sign of Colby or Teeter.

In the dark, her eyes widened to help her see better. Her skin began to crawl at the implications the deserted gator had. The chilly night air blew across her face, making her shiver. Stella stopped Abigail’s walk to listen for any sign of her friends. The only sounds that met her ears were Abigail breathing, and the wind moving through the high grass and the combination of Englemann Spruce and Douglas Fir trees that dotted the landscape of pasture four.

Monitoring Abigail’s body language closely, Stella slid off the safety of her saddle. The large mare kept her ears perked, twitching them in multiple directions. Stella ran a hand along Abigail’s wide shoulder, her muscles flexing in anticipation when she shifted back and forth on her hooves. “Whoa, girl,” Stella whispered. She grabbed the reins and brought Abigail with her. “Let’s check over here.”

Stella reached to her holster on her hip, unsnapping the button that kept it secured. She crunched as quietly as she could through the grass over to the gator. The doors were closed and it was shut off, but the keys were still in the ignition. The more details she found, the less she liked the situation.

The thought of breaking the silence of the wilderness made her cringe, but she needed a heading to find her friends. “Colby! Teeter!” She paused and listened for anything that could be a sign of them.

A silence splitting splash at the bottom of the hill to her right caught Stella’s focus. She draped her reins across Abigail’s thick neck — knowing the mare would follow her — and drew her weapon. The deadly click of the safety signifying she was ready to defend herself. Abigail listened to their surroundings for a brief moment longer, her ears at attention down the hill. She snorted noisily, scenting the air. She could sense Stella’s unease and fell into line behind her.

Stella grabbed her flashlight holding it in one hand and aimed her pistol with the other, just like Ryan had taught her many years prior. Walking to the top of the hill, she stopped and gazed down, trying to see through the thick trees. Stella squared her shoulders and called out again, but down where the sound had come from this time. “Colby! Teeter!”

A muffled voice responded in question. “Stella? Down here!”

She felt her heart lift hearing his voice. He was okay and that’s what mattered. “Colby!”

“I can’t find Teeter!”

Stella’s stomach did a somersault when she heard the desperation in his tone. Something bad had happened. She holstered her weapon quickly, and left Abigail standing ground tied. She darted down the hill toward his voice as fast as her legs would allow.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she made her way to the bottom. If Colby couldn’t find Teeter, Stella worried that it was worse than she thought.

[sanvirtheobserver]

Taking Flight, Chapter 59: They Are Here, Part 4

Just outside the house, the others patiently wait for an update from the away team. Melony is tending to an anxious Shroomy while FM, Mario, and Meggy play a game of Cards.

FM: Got any threes?

Meggy: Go Fish. How about you, Red?

Mario: *mental windows startup noises*

Their game is interrupted when what can best be described as the LIGHT OF GOD erupts out of the second floor wall. The beam streaks across the sky, clips an airliner by the wing, passes over the Showgrounds, and lands directly onto Bowser's new Airship.

Bowser: Oh for God's sake, I JUST PAID THAT OFF!

The light fades and reveals a smoldering hole in the top floor. Inside, we see the smoldering remnants of the monster sizzle away into dust, leaving Tari and the Anti Spook Squad victorious. Tari falls onto her knees as she tries to get her bearings. Channeling all that energy into the gun has left her rather winded. She feels a large hand pull her back up to her feet.

Heavy: Little girl is credit to team!

Tari: Oh, um, thanks. It was nothing really.

Soldier pulls himself back up and dusts off some ascendant ash from his coat. He peers out of the blast hole and down to the rest of the group below, all of which are still rather shocked apart from Mario who holds up a random three of clubs.

Mario: UNO!

Bob's head peaks out of the stairwell.

Bob: Hey guys, did you find anything- holy s*** what the hell happened up here?

He comes up to see the massive hole, Tari being all wobbly, and Engi square dancing because why not.

Bob: Well, call everybody inside and get downstairs. Crabcakes found something in the basement. Something BIG.

The whole crew makes their way down the damp and chilly stairway. Shroomy is still shaking as he keeps his shotgun at the ready. At the bottom they see Lykoa waiting for them in what appears to be an underwater garage, complete with a small submarine docked above a moon pool.

FM: *whistles* Joe seriously spared no expense on this place, did he?

Lykoa: Here, friends.

Tari and Melony follow him into a room on the north side, with the Squad following closely behind. The sight was........ a sight, tp be sure. The room itself was made of polished black stone, and at its center was a large apparatus of rings within rings holding crystaline lenses. Bob is the next to arrive on the scene.

Bob: So, any ideas as to what all this is?

To the side of the room was a mass of green crystal cubes radiating with an emerald glow. Melony notices a note stuck to the pile.

Melony: Hm........ "Remember to say hi to your uncle for me. Safe travels...... Dad." Mr. Boopkins built this place?

Tari approaches the green mass. She could feel the immense energy radiating from its interconnecting facets.

Tari: What is this stuff?

Lykoa plucks a cube from the mass with the upmost care.

Lykoa: Ionic Crystals. It is said that a single one of these cubes contains enough energy to power a large Ketch........ and reduce a small moon to ash.

Tari: But why would Boopkins need...... ANY of this?

Boopkins: And how the hell did Joe even afford this crap?

Tari approaches the mechanism at the room's center. Whatever it was, there didn't seem to be any way of controlling this thing as far as she could tell. There did seem to be a point of power here, though. She pulls the Compass from her pocket. It began to hum and glow as she fiddled with the dials and pearls, until the lever on its side flicks out with an audible click. She takes a few steps back before facing the Compass forward....... and clicks the lever. A spectrum of light appears before her as an interweaving lattice of beams forms into a solid disc with an incandescent sheen. She looks back to see the others gathering behind her.

Tari: Only one way to find out.

Tari is the first to emerge on the other side of the portal. The rest follow suit as they all find themselves on a long black stone bridge. A monolithic triangular fortress stood before them, indescribably ancient and disturbingly titanic. Infernal patterns dotted its surface, seeming to almost glow beneath the two black suns hanging above in a caustic yellow sky.

Mario: Oooooooh nooooooo.

Spy: MY *sips wine* GOD.

Soldier: Sweet land of liberty.

Heavy: Heavy cannot believe eyes! Oh, this is bad!

Engi: ..........Cute.

The sense of dread was as pure and potent as sunshine soaking through your skin. Every instinct told Tari to run and not look back for the sake of her sanity, yet she finds herself petrified by the malefic sight before her. It's only when she notices Bob marching towards the citadel that she snaps out of her daze.

Tari: Bob!? What the hell are you doing!?

He looks back to the others. His gaze was as cold as steel.

Bob: I didn't come all this way just to s*** my pants and run.

Mario: You must be coo coo crazy!

Bob: Nobody asked for your opinion, Mario! If you're all too pissy to go forward, the door is right there.

He racks back the charging handle on his SMG.

Bob: My best friend is in there, and I'll turn this whole place inside out to get him back. Either help me or stay out of my way. I don't care.

His words rang true to Tari. This isn't just about fighting aliens and saving the world. It's about helping a friend in need. The oppressive atmosphere of this place suddenly had no sway over.

Tari: Bob is right. We didn't come all this way just to give up, now. These invaders made a big mistake coming into our home and taking our friends!

The sense of dread slowly receded from the crowd, giving way to a collective sense of determination as everybody readies their weapons and Engi brings out the Sniper from earlier. Again, we don't question it.

Sniper: Apples.

Tari looks back to Bob, and they both share a nod as she draws her glaive.

Tari: Let's get in there, and teach these freaks you don't mess with Earth!

The crowd roars into a frenzy as Tari charges forth.

Tari: LET'S DO THIS!!!!

And so the whole group charges across the monolithic bridge and towards the fortress. A chorus of valiant battle cries echo through the air like am anthem of war and determination as they charge forwards!

Tari: HANG ON BOOPKINS, WE'RE COMING!!!!

FM: OOH RAH!

Bob: LET'S POP SOME CAPS!

Melony: HYLIA IS WITH US!

Kaizo: YOSSHA IKU ZO!

Meggy: SPLETZER GOES FOR THE KNOCKOUT!

Jub Jub: JUB JUB!

Shroomy: RIP AND TEAR!

Mario: LET'S A F***ING GO!!!!

Lykoa: THE LIGHT PROVIDES!

Soldier: SCREAMING EAGLES!

Heavy: RAAAAAAAAH!!!!

Spy: FOR FRANCE!

Engi: YEEEEEEEEY!!!!

Sniper: Apples.

They come charging into the fortress, ready to fight whatever invaders may come their way. They storm through the monolithic halls until they come to a cavernous throne room. Atop the throne sat a titanic being clad in golden cloths, a pallid visage tilting down to see the defiant army that stood before the throne. Tari raises her Glaive to the figure with a defiant smirk and a fire in her eyes.

Tari: Listen here, creep! Either give us back our friend and leave our world alone, or face the might of humanity!

Lykoa: And Eliksni!

Shroomy: Don't forget the Mushrooms

Kaizo: And demons!

Bob: Yeah! Kiss my black Garo ass!

The figure examined the crowd before him. His voice echoed through the halls as he spoke.

??????: F I S H Y.

A door slides open on the side, and a friendly face comes into the room.

??????: Y O U R F R I E N D S A R E H E R E T O S E E Y O U.

Bob: BOOPKINS!

He immediately rushes to his little green friend.

Bob: THANK GOD YOU'RE OKAY!

Boopkins: What are you guys talking about? And who are those guys?

He points to the Anti Spook Squad.

Soldier: We are here to crap ass!

Engi: Yeah!

Tari: We're here to save you from the aliens!

Bob: Did the aliens hurt you!? Did they probe you!? I swear to God, if they probed my best friend!

Boopkins: Aliens?.........

Meggy: Yeah! We told their leader to either give you back or get their ass kicked.

She points to the figure on the throne. That's when it clicked for Boopkins.

Boopkins: You mean my Uncle Hastur?

Hastur: S U P?

A wave of confusion washes over the crowd.

Tari: That's.......your UNCLE?

Boopkins: Yeah! Come on, I'll introduce you to the other relatives! The family reunion is just getting started!

The surprise revelation hit everybody like a truck.

Everyone: RELATIVES!?

Sniper: Apples.

[isis-child-of-iris]

Isis Te Ario

Favorite nicknames: Pēpe, my little Tahitian pearl

Type: demititan

Child of Iris

Pronouns and gender orientation: he/they, transmasc/enby

Sexual orientation: pansexual

Partner: αστεριού

Height: 5’2

Age: 17

Skin type: no vitiligo but some scars on arms and legs

Ethnicity: Tahitian

Languages: Tahitian, English

Birthday: June 6, 2007 under a triple rainbow

Powers: photokinesis (ability to bend light) and virtuakinesis (ability to create illusions)

Fighting style: Aikido, Golden leopard, Lethwei

Weapon: brass knuckles, bo staff

Suffers from: ADHD, Dyslexia, Anxiety

Current voice claims: Odetari, Shawn Mendez, Alec Benjamin

Aesthetic:

Fun facts:

Mute and uses glimmers of light to talk

Doesn’t like to fight

Has the body of a girl but got top surgery ( (a monster did it, and they did it for free, so no killing)

Weird and fun facts about children of Iris:

They each have a sigil, which can be used to contact them specifically no matter what. It is also their symbol, so messages to them, you write their sigil on the envelope and throw it into either a fire or a rainbow. It will come out on the other side.

When claimed, not only does the symbol of Iris appear above their head, so does their sigil.

Every weekend, they open up a hair salon from their cabin and change hair and eye colors to whatever you want.

When on a quest, their hair and eyes adapt and change to blend into the environment.

Children of Iris attract monsters a lot like Olympian children due to their mom being the messenger of the gods, but they can hide themselves very well so as not to be seen or found.

Hanahaki flower:

Stargazer Lily

Backstory:

Was abused by stepmom and ignored by dad. Their stepsiblings helped them and protected them from bullies. Then one day, Iris visited the stepsiblings and told them about who Isis really was a child of. She blessed the stepsiblings and made them her champions so they could also get across the border. Then they ran away, avoiding monsters and finally crossed over the border, being claimed as champions and a child of Iris

Cabin: 14

Favorite camper: their partner

Friends (help me add onto this list by commenting and saying what name you want):

@superbstarlightsheep: Jax, really nice to me and gives me fruit

@ravensonofhypnos: Ray, we like to sometimes just sit in silence. It’s calming being around them

@random-child-of-nyx: αστεριού, my partner! Love her, they are the most amazing person in the world

Family(help me add onto this list by commenting and saying what name you want):

@messenger-and-rainbows (my mom)

@yes-im-nyx (αστεριού’s mom)

@originalerebus (αστεριού’s step [?] dad)

Appearance:

Brown hair with blond bangs. Rainbow eyes, but prefers to keep them a light yellow. Scars on their arms and legs. Wears a very small crop top (this is what they’re comfortable with) and baggy pants.

How they were claimed: just stumbled over the hill, where they were met by the campers. Has been here for longer than their partner

Death: poisoned with chimera poison and a hole in their side from the bulls. Last words: I love you αστεριού.

Picture and sigil

Appearance in Gacha Club:

Playlist:

[beatsboy]

10.19.24 @ 2:37

i’ve been journaling physically a lot lately, but my brain has been firing and there are too many digital moments i want to contribute to this entry, so i’m back here in my notes app.

today, or rather yesterday at this point, i released my first single for boypop, king. i keep wanting to say boypop’s single and remembering that boypop is me. i am boypop.

it came out officially at 9pm last night in la (midnight est) as m and i were eating noodles down the block from my apartment, shortly before we rushed home to get ready for the fka twigs show. the fact that i didn’t even know there was a dress code, just tried to dress as myself as possible, and was complimented for my look, fitting right in. granted, there were plenty of better outfits of me, but i was in the hotter 50%, shall we say (in the normie to hottie ratio of any show bc these bitches reaches are getting too wide). and i did not fit in with the slur of rick owens shoes meeting my eyeline on the dance floor. but i had prosthetics on, which i applied myself for the first time (fuck yes), had draped fabric over my boots to create a different silhouette, and was wearing my new favorite vintage torn knitted top with the pearl beads at the hem, and i felt confident.

even with af in my inbox questioning every creative decision i’ve made so far for the music video and, in parallel, acting the least supportive out of all of my friends in this time when they are, in fact, my best friend. trying not to let that take up too much of my headspace while i’m starting this new evolutionary phase of my life. i think it’s important to notice these things now, though, and i’m glad to have people around me who are supportive. it’s just always hard to trust support, questioning it as mere validation, while also distrusting any hesitance to cruelty, able to justify my reactions as just being sensitive.

i have talked and journaled and though that decision to death, however, and as of tonight, have locked color on the video and fixed the issue af told me was unfixable and i am content and happy and proud of what we have created, so i will move on.

last night, i saw my artistic mother, fka twigs, in person for the first time in my life, having come into myself, in a different time, with her music as my soundtrack, as a teenager. interesting, talking to freak today about high school, spending so much time institutionalized against my will, and that fka twigs’s music had so much relevance in my life at that point. i used to reblog gifs of her swinging in hair bondage and now i am about to release a music video with the same sword performer she used in her video for sad day. we danced the night away, tried to see through the ocean of phones, tried to capture what we could, made out in stalls, corners, smoked in the basement, and watched twigs, the mother of creatures, reach out to us, and just as i felt when i came out of the hole in the ground on the first day of shooting, it felt like boypop, the creature inside me, had been borne into something new. into life, into reality. we saw friends on the dance floor, ones we didn’t even know would be there, and rejoiced in a world where music is what holds us all together, what drives everything from our fashion to our work schedules, and it was eusexua.

and after we danced, the song was out in the world, and there was nothing i could do about it. all there was to do was sleep.

and today, although i woke up with a text from af that made me want to physically crawl through the phone just them if they know they are being just. like. their. mother. right now, or if it’s just a fucking coincidence, i did pivot enough to focus on the light + joy + excitement + relief that is this moment. i am proud of myself, for doing this, for making it this far, for fucking finishing the first last step. i didn’t call my mom, and i sure as fuck didn’t call my dad, but i did post like hell, send the song directly to the people who have expressed interest and are in my life.

i feel like people in music are kind of afraid of sharing their work when it’s not promo? and like direct messaging is a lot more work, but feels so much more genuine? i come from the literary world before music, so i’m very used to actively share your work with people who want to read it. it’s not often you get to the place where you can direct them where to buy your sales. when people expressed interest in my work, i would send them links to my website or articles/essays/short stories/poems that had been published of mine, or unpublished ones too, and it was never about getting views, but it was about the act of sharing your art/work with that individual person and them giving you back feedback and/or support if they liked it/fucked with it. so, yeah, i know that plenty of people are plugged in while also being very not plugged in, i know that there are people who have supported me along the way who have asked me where to listen to my music, and today, i finally had something to send them. so, i sent it to everyone in my close circles (ok maybe like 60% but i’ll keep going throughout the week), and i did write a lot of personalized messages to people who loved + supported me through this process/into the version of myself that has created this art.

the response i received, both from people i shared the song with, and from people i didn’t, was honestly overwhelming for my first single. i just like expected no one to know it was happening? at this point, i am just so shocked anyone has interest in something i’m doing that isn’t for something or someone else. so, i am forcing myself to paste the comments and notes and messages that made my heart happy today, because i want to remember this, because i need to cement celebration in my brain if i am going to survive my relationship with my art through this industry. and because reading every single one of these reminds me that the little decisions i make, the hyper fixations, the lore, the thread, is all worth it, because i know it, because it’s important to me, and sometimes, other people see it too (not pictured here)

[benefits1986]

1 AM Brother Dear Sesh

In true love, you choose not to count the demerits and detentions; even when you can easily afford to do so.

My baby brother called me at an odd hour while I'm hyper-focusing on time-bound tasks in time for YE 2023. Since my social calendar is quite loaded until January Week 1 or 2, I timed myself to down this baby dragon EOD, Friday.

Since my phone is usually on sleep mode when I'm doing important and urgent stuff, I almost missed his call. He asked me how I was and where I was, too. Told him I'm home. He paused and took a really deep breath. I asked if he's having anxiety or panic attack. He told me that he's okay, but the sister of his MIL expired. I can't believe what I heard because I'm still grieving the loss of soul sis' MIL that coincided with this year's Immaculate Conception. Since mother dragon is Marian, too, I'm dumbfounded, honestly. No triggers but there's a hollow pain that hits hard. I tried finding peace by reminding myself that death is friend everyone should welcome.

Baby bro asked if I heard his news. I said yes. I asked about the details but just the top line ones. I asked what help he needed. He said that it's fine and that he's got it. His voice was shaky but determined. I asked again. His reply didn't budge. He asked if I can come visit once the arrangements are in order. I kidded him that I'd most likely be up all night to down work stuff. LOL. He assured me that it's okay. I told him that I'd be there, of course.

Dad went back to Manila house and called me up to remind me that we're going to the wake. I almost forgot that we'd have to go and support my brother during this trying times. Dad egged me saying that it's fine if I don't go because work is life. LOL. Ano ba naman ang pag-drive niya on a Friday back to Manila to pick up the passenger princess me, 'di ba? Maliit na bagay. LOL. I told him that I'd come and that honestly, I didn't notice the time passed today.

When he arrived, he asked if I could cook fried rice for him to go with his legit Laguna pasalubong, fried white tilapia. I actually don't want to get up and do this bit, but, I've seen dad in a wonky emotional state that's so surprising because he's always chill and go with the flow. I even added more rice so that he can indulge a bit more than my usual portions for him due to his weakening knee and his overgrown paunch. As he downed the fried rice, he said that it kind of reminds him of North Park fried rice. I laughed out loud and told him that I don't have a wok so the flavors are not as popping as the North Park OG version. Of course, he bashed me again. He asked me to join him for dinner but I already got my go-to pampagana sa deadline -- Serenitea trio + 1L pearl milktea (kakataho ko lang kasi the past days), 50% sugar, less ice. I watched him finish his food and off we went to the wake.

I saw my brother stepping up even when he's wobbly inside out. He has sleeping problems on top of looking after his almost newborn son. However, over vape, he shared that he was promoted. And I told him that my specific prayer for his interview with another company is simple: May he get the job he deserves especially at this time. Raising two kids ain't a joke. I even added na sana, macover na gatas atbp nung bunso niya para 'di na ako maabala. LOL. Poof. He was rejected by company B and bagged an overdue promotion. No merit increase yet, but, I'm trying to train him to negotiate with empathy at the core. He's proud of this milestone and I can sense and see how much validation he felt after the rejection in his latest job interview.

I told him to wiggle a decent pay bump and I am willing to sit with the panel or the HR to lobby this. LOL. Of course, he said no way. I pushed a bit more and said that it's about time he levels up his game not only RPG-speaking, but IRL, too. He also shared details of his personal life updates. I listened and ask some questions. I guess, this is me choosing to be kind rather than to be right; even when it's so easy to bash him straight up. I tried being a bit gentler even when I want to whack him right on the face, too. This ain't easy because I am my brother's wicked keeper since 1989. He asked me if I was in my element and why the hell am I not raising an eyebrow. I told him that it was just a long day and a hard night. He seems weirded out, too.

He also shared details of his fatherhood era. I can't still fathom how I'd be able to swing a formula milk that's hypoallergenic. LOL. I asked him if my pamangkin would like a Samba or formula milk. He said that he's going for the milk. I chuckled and asked if he was super sure. He said yes. He also shared that he has already computed th cost of raising two kids until college. Natawa ako e. But, let this be a reminder that while my brother is flawed and we're opposites, he is trying his best to step up.

Perhaps, I am seeing glimmers of intention. Perhaps, I'm finally sensing a stronger sense of giving more and taking less. Perhaps, it's him living his dream (to have kids and get married) along with battling its harsh realities and shadows. Perhaps, mother dragon's fervent prayer for him is finally being answered. Perhaps, this is me seeing his light, in a more forgiving angle. Maybe, a little flattering, too.

While I am full on tough love to my only brother, now, may I choose to be his partner instead of his pulis pangkalawakan. As I am keying this in, I am taking deeper breaths. This is not gonna be easy, but, seeing him emerge with growth sprouts is a milestone. Nadali tayo ng correct answer na hindi Samba for the holidaze ni bunso niya.

I'll be back to my work drawing board in a bit. Excited to finish it off, honestly; but time is always a construct and a constraint. Being the go-to elder sister of the universe and saying no more and more is something I'm learning on training wheels. I know this is gonna be tough but I'm ready for the pivot. LUH. Tapang 'yan? LELS. Or baka excited lang ako sa catch up sesh na sobrang tagal planned and 'di na talaga puwede put on hold this Saturday!

[gaysindistress]

Sad Girl

summary: James has an interesting new business’ proposal and one hell of a condition to deal with. 

pairing: Mob!Bucky Barnes x Reader

warnings: cursing... for now

word count: 1.8k

authors note: This is my first time posting so please let me know if you want to rest of this series!

series masterlist

disclaimer: credits to original creator/poster of image/gif. found on google/Pinterest

Angry foot steps stomp through the large hallways and up the marble stairway. Raised voices try to alert the others that she is coming and is fuming. She waves a manicured hand above her head, telling them to shut the fuck up before she takes her anger out on them. Her heels nearly crack the marble as Scott trails after her, trying to get her to slow down.

“Ma’am please stop,” he gasps, lot of breath from chasing her through the foyer. 

She stops, taking a deep breath, and turns to look down at him. The diamond “S” of her necklace swings as the pearls and chain barely leave her skin. Her hair nearly whips Scott from the force of her turn. 

“Oh Scott it’s too late to reason with me. I’m already seeing red so why don’t you be a good boy and open that door before I tear it down,” she says eerily clam, pointing to the door in question at the top of the staircase. 

“I… I can’t do that,” he stutters. 

Her black french tips rub the headache coming on as she closes her eyes, “Yes, yes you can. Now go.”

The movement from her arm causes her black outercoat to open slightly and the holster with its accompanying gun flashes every so slightly. Scott’s eyes go straight to it, knowing that she would never pull it on him but the men she’s after are an entirely different question. Scott just nods, climbing the stairs around her as he curses himself for taking this job and dealing with such horrible people.

Once he reaches the door, he gives it a heavy push causing the room to go silent at the intrusion. There is a large oak desk towards the back of the room, crowded by men who all look the same. The head of the family is sitting behind the desk in an even larger throne-like chair, two giants at his sides. The men doing business with him are lounging in the oversized chairs in front of the desk. They too have men flanking their sides as if to say “fuck around and find out”. A woman typing feverishly at a computer is the corner and doesn’t even look at Scott because her job is not stop typing no matter what happens. The room also houses two couches and a coffee table for the “easier” business dealings, at least that’s what the family head says. 

Scott makes eye contact with the head, “she’s here and pissed.”

The head just nods and gestures to one of his side men. He starts to say something to him when the woman in question slides behind Scott, one hand on his shoulder and the other on her hip. 

“Hello, Dad.”

He smiles, “Hello, Darling. We were just finishing up.”

She lets out a sinister laugh, “Like hell you were. Did you really thing you could get away with doing all of this shit without me present?”

She gently pushes Scott out of the room, shutting the door in his face before walking towards the bar her father had installed to fuel his drinking habit. Grabbing 4 glasses and an amber bottle, she makes her way to the desk, not saying a word as if to dare any of the men to utter something. She pours a drink for each glass and hands her dad a glass. 

“You know you’re not supposed to be involved in all of this,” her dad states as he takes the glass and leans back in his throne.

Ignoring her dad, she turns to the men and gestures towards the glass, silently saying “go one and take one”.

“You know you aren’t supposed to offer your daughter up as collateral when you fuck up a business deal,” she offers over her shoulder as she takes a sip from her glass, leaning against the desk, “now which one of you fools actually agreed to this deal?”

The brunette is watching her and taking in every detail she has to offer, willing and accidentally. The blonde sits up a bit straighter and readjusts his suit jacket under his overcoat. 

“No one has agreed to anything yet, Miss. Stark,” the blonde says, crossing his hands in his lap. His watch peaks out from under his sleeve, shining under the natural light from the window. A slight glint bounces of his finger and she makes note of the pinky signet ring he wears. 

“Darling we were just about to sign the papers, so if you could leave that would be great,” Mr. Stark’s voice is growing slightly impatient at his daughter’s invading presence. 

“Don’t you want your business partner to see what prize he won for saving your ass, dad?” the last word is meant to land like a dagger in his heart but his unbothered face proves it does little to change his mind. 

“Don’t you think they might want an inspection? You know to make sure their new property isn’t damaged,” she sneers as she sets her glass and down and begins to take off her overcoat. 

“I’m sure they would love to make sure there are any structural flaws that would render their property useless,” she continues to shed her blazer, leaving her with her holster and v neck blouse. Her necklaces are now shining in all of their glory from the sun and the gun strapped to her ribcage makes everyone stand on high alert. 

“Stop,” is the single word that leaves Mr. Stark’s lips and now the impatience is growing to the surface. 

The men to his side step forward when they spot her gun and the men behind her step closer to their bosses. The blonde and brunette share a look as they both chuckle under their breath at the display of defiance and anger. 

“You are not property so stop referring to yourself as a real estate transaction.” 

The gun is pulled from the holster as she slips the holster off and tosses it on the desk beside her jackets. She points the revolver at her dad’s forehead as she shakes her head. 

“Then don’t treat me like I am one. I am your daughter so start showing me some respect and call of this deal.”

“Doll put the gun down,” the brunette says from behind her. 

“Doll?” she questions as she drops the revolver and turns to look at him, “Don’t call me by some pet name, Barnes. Use my name if you really want to talk to me or did you forget what it was considering you’re too dim witted to see what that contract actually entails.”

A shift in the air around her causes her to look to her right as the blonde takes the revolver from her hand and sets it on the desk. He towers over her, looking down as he scans her face. 

“We already made the necessary changes, Miss. Stark. I can assure you James and I are well aware of what we are getting ourselves into. Is there something you might want to add?” he says to her and her only. 

She scoffs at his pretend nice attitude and goes to push him away but his hand pins hers to his chest. 

“Do you want to make any changes?” he whispers again, blue eyes boring holes into her eyes. 

“Yeah take me out of it,” she whispers back and rips her hand from his. 

“Wanda!” the woman typing looks up at the sound of her name, “I have one thing that I want to add. If he harms me in any way, I reserve the right to cut his dick off, leave and nothing happens to my family.” 

The blonde continues to watch the enigma of a woman in front of him as she tries her hardest to not shot her father, him, and everyone else in this room. 

“Define harm,” Wanda asks, still typing. 

“If he lays a hand on me, breaths wrong, looks at me wrong, says something I don’t like, anything that I don’t like,” she replies and pushes past the blonde to steal his chair. 

The blonde chuckles again when it’s his turn to lean against the desk and glance between his friend and her. 

“She’s gonna be a real handful,” James states as he stands, “can we sign the papers and get out of here?” 

Confusion flashes across the woman’s face for a second but it returns to her resting bitch face. 

Mr. Stark nods his head, handing  James a pen as the blonde slides out of his way for him to sign the contract. 

“Um excuse me? Why the fuck are you signing?” she questions, pointing a finger at Barnes, “Isn’t Rogers the one my dad made the deal with?”

James takes a look at her before going back to finish signing the papers in front of him. Rogers, the blonde, hands back her hostler, blazer, and overcoat before speaking, “James and I both made a deal with your dad. In exchange for our protection and resources, we will receive a portion of his earnings from Stark Industries. For extra reassurance that he wouldn’t cross us, he gave me his vibranium supplier and he gave you to James.” 

Silence fills the room. She stares daggers at Rogers, slicing her way to Barnes before settling her knives on her father. 

“You gave me up instead of some other supplier?” she nearly screamed at her father as the two men at his side quickly grab her by the arms. All sense of self preservation and elegance has left her body as she thrashes in their hands and desperately tries to keep her sobs in. 

“You chose a fucking supplier relationship over me?” 

Mr. Stark ignores her as he signs his name and passes the papers off to Rogers. He shakes James’ and Rogers’ hands before stalking his way towards his daughter. 

“You are my daughter so start fucking acting like it. You knew this was going to be your life when I found you begging on my door step. If you’re going to be mad at anyone, be mad at your mother for leaving you for drugs,” he whispers through clenched teeth into her ear. 

Her eyes had welled up with tears but her father’s words freeze her, only one escaping down her cheek. Mr. Stark makes a motion with her hand and the men release her on unsteady feet. She stumbles forward into her father’s arms. 

He wipes the tear away, pulls her into a death grip hug and soothes her hair down as he whispers in her ear again, “James is the lesser of two evils. He won’t hurt you if you play the part. You know I wouldn’t let any undeserving harm come to you. Now go pack a bag and get ready to leave with him.”

He pulls away, keeping her at arm’s length and pretends to check over her as a good father would if his babygirl was upset. All she does, all she can do is nod, pick up her dropped jackets, and walk out of the room. All eyes are on her as the head strong façade crumbles in front of them, leaving behind the frightened little girl she really is.