#she contacted her family (that lived in the same area)

[typederror]

literally yesterday i was saying that i was relieved she turned up alive and i can’t stop wondering if she was gone when i said that

[greenglowinspooks]

The way that I’m brainrotting over a DCxDP crossover with a Danny who’s a vengeful villain rn

Like, let’s just say that the GiW finally get into contact with the JL. They need help neutralizing a threat, you see, and they’re on their last limb trying to keep civilians safe.

They have video evidence! They have studies to back their claims! The JL have to help them!

Unfortunately, the JL believe them. They join a fight against Danny, and defeat him due to being far more experienced than he is. Danny is locked away and experimented on by the GiW.

That would CHANGE a person. Your heroes turning against you and seeing you as a monster, being experimented on for who knows how long, not knowing if your friends and family are safe.

Danny gets out due to a simple mistake on the GiW’s part; having Blüdhaven as part of their transport route.

Of course the trucks were attacked, they’re government property!

So now, whoever decided to raid the government transport trucks (the Penguin or something) has a ton of experimental weapons with no idea how they work, and a heavily traumatized teenager.

Danny knows how they work. Danny can be useful! They won’t throw him out if he’s useful! And so, now Danny is working for the Penguin, altering the ectoplasm weapons to make them work on humans.

It’s a good deal for both parties. Danny gets to neurotically imprint on the Penguin like a small baby animal, and the Penguin gets a brilliant mind who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

But eventually, Danny finds out what happened to his family in his absence.

Jazz is in Arkham. Not as a psychologist, but as a “patient.” Apparently, she snapped and completely destroyed the house, leveled a few blocks of Amity Park, and conducted organized attacks on government bases (mostly GiW) for months.

Sam and Tucker helped her, eventually splitting once Jazz was captured. Sam travels to areas of extreme pollution, completely overgrowing them with her plant powers. Currently she’s in the Amazon rainforest, engaging in an ongoing feud with logging companies. Sam is winning.

Tucker faked his death, and Danny has no idea where he is. He only knows that the death wasn’t real because of a code that the three of them made together, just in case.

Ellie’s trapped in the Infinite Realms. Danny had a failsafe in place so that if she was ever cornered by the GiW, she would be sent to her haunt in the GZ. However, with the portal destroyed, she can’t come back. Danny just hopes she’s okay.

His parents are now top GiW scientists. They’re traveling the country giving speeches. They’re working on a battery powered by ectoplasm, but apparently started “having difficulties” around the same time that Danny escaped.

None of it is fair. None of it is right.

The Justice League destroyed his life, the lives of his friends, and they’re doing as good as ever. The GiW is respected, and his parents are happily working away for them.

Danny takes up some of his more experimental weapons and breaks Jazz out of Arkham. She’s a little different now, colder and more quiet, but she still loves him all the same. It’s an unimaginable comfort to him to see his sister again.

He can’t use his powers anymore. He’s so used to associating them with pain that even transforming into his ghost form is enough to take him down for hours.

However, he understands ectoplasm more than anyone else in the world. He knows how to use it in virtually everything; how it can become a weapon, how it can be used as a supplemental ingredient in poisons and nerve agents, how it can twist and distort the mind if applied correctly.

He doesn’t care what happens to him. He’s going to take down the GiW, and destroy the lives of the JL members who helped lock him away, just as they did to him.

No matter the cost.

[ohtobeleah]

Was It Over? // Jake Seresin

-> Chapter Eleven: [The Man]

Summary: When Jake and Jensen go head to head over who means what yo you, things escalate to new heights, so much so that Jake lashes out and says something that may not be forgiven.

Warnings: Sick!reader. Breast cancer diagnosis. Jake Seresin x F!reader. Angst, hospital & medical inaccuracies. SLOW BURN ROMANCE/ Inaccurate medical information. Relationship turmoil. Mentions of religion. JEALOUS JAKE!

Word Count: 5.6K

Author Note: This chapter brings the total word count of this series to 50k....I cannot believe that an idea that began as a one-shot has turned into this. Thank you all so much for your support on this one. xxx

Series Masterlist | Main Masterlist

There was a brief moment right before your shower where Jake was able to step out into the hall to call his sister Jasmine. He knew the call he was about to make was going to be neither short, nor pleasant. But he also knew that deep down, you weren’t mentally prepared to tell your children you were sick. But the pair of you had to start somewhere. And that somewhere was Jake’s sister. 

“What the FUCK is going on!” One single ring. One dial. That's how long it took Jake's sister to answer, hell, Jake thought it would have been sooner but he gave her a little good grace for potentially having to step out of whatever family dynamic she found herself in. “Mum said Y/n’s sick?” 

“Did she say it like that?” Jake replied unamused as he found an empty chair to sit on in the waiting room area down the hall. He didn't want to stray too far away from your room. Although he knew that you were with the nurses, he couldn't find it inside himself to leave. If Jake tried hard enough, he could still see your bed socks at the end of your hospital bed. 

“Uh–” Jasmine's apprehensive silence confirmed all Jake needed to know. “She may have said it with a little hope in her chest, mentioned the words dropped and dead in the same sentence of wishful thinking.” Jake couldn’t say he was surprised after the way Janeen had spoken so poorly about you directly to his face. He couldn't really imagine what she’d been saying to other members of the Seresin family. “But what's going on? I'm keeping an eye on the kids as much as I can but holy shit mum's just on a warpath–” 

Fuck: Jake knew leaving the kids behind was a bad idea on his behalf. The guilt of running off on his children in the middle of the night was beginning to eat him alive. The idea of lying to them about your condition only made that guilt harder to rationalise. 

“Okay, can you just promise me you won’t tell the kids?” Jake groaned into the phone. “Y/n doesn't want them to worry so she doesn't want to say too much.” 

“Jake–” Jasmine's voice changed, the serious nature of the conversation at hand was beginning to shine through with ease. “She's alright, isn't she?” Jasmine asked as Jake let his elbows rest on top of his thighs. This whole situation, the newly found world of which you were living in was begging to give Jake the head spins. Keeping up was exhausting, but this wasn't about Jake now was it. “This is Y/n we’re talking about, she has to be alright.”

Unbeknownst to you, Jake had been reading all your files, all your reports, everything and anything he could get his hands on about your diagnosis. After all, he had been named your emergency contact not long after showing up. He’d made a convincing case. Jake knew a lot about your current situation. He knew the odds, chances, risks and possibilities. 

“She's been diagnosed with Stage three A, triple positive grade three invasive doctoral carcinoma.” Jake explained to his sister who on the other end of the call, sat watching his youngest try to eat the sand from the sandpit Jake himself used to shit in as a child. “The oral chemo they had her started on caused a stroke, apparently it's a common side effect, to me they shouldn't be pumping people full of that crap if its gonna cause a fucking stroke forty percent of the time.” 

Jake knew the silence on the other end of the line was due to an overload of information getting caught in his sister's cerebellum. It was a lot to take in, hell Jake still hadn’t really been given an opportunity to take it all in. since he found out he’d been go go go. He knew an impending moment of weakness mixed with overall exhaustion was coming. When that moment would come he wasn't sure. 

“You’re lying–” Was all Jasmine said. Jake wished more than anything he could say he was. 

“Fucked up thing to lie about Jas–” Jake responded softly as he listened to the hustle and bustle of the hospital wing his sat in. “She hadn’t been feeling well for a few months, Doctors say it's aggressive, feeds off her hormones and stuff.” Jake didn't understand a lot of it, but he was trying his best to navigate a field he wasn't an excerpt in. “She's in for a preventative double mastectomy on Christmas Eve. It would've been earlier but the strokes kinda set her back a few days.” 

“Jake– I don't believe you, the kids–what about the kids, what do I tell them?” Jasmine couldn't comprehend the devastation this would cause on the already struggling family dynamic. You and Jake were meant to be, everyone knew that. But this whole separation, the miscommunication and overall fractures within your marriage were all major contributing factors as to why love just couldn’t be enough.

“Don't tell them anything, please, for the love of God Jas don't tell them anything, I just–” Jake let out a sigh of frustration as he ran his hand free hand through his hair. God he needed a haircut. “We just need a little time to process what's going on and Y/n–she's been doing this for too long on her own, I can’t keep letting her down so just, take a moment to breathe for me.” 

“Holy fuck you aren’t kidding about any of this are you?” Jasmine with all her good graces and problematic marital issues of her own, looked over at where her husband sat with hers and Jake's father. The sight was enough to send a shiver down her spine. The man who raised her was not someone who Jasmine ever wanted her brother to become. Losing your wife to such a disease that was as unforgiving as it was inhumane could potentially be an origin story bubbling under the surface of Jake's skin. 

“Jake–You don't get to turn into dad if this ends anything less than Y/n walking away from this cancer free Jake, your kids deserve to have a dad that won't treat them like burdens and mistakes.” 

***~***~***~***~***~***~**

“Watch your step alright?” Our skulls are designed to cushion our brains. Our rib cages are specifically moulded to guard our hearts. The human body is built to protect our most vulnerable parts. At least, that’s how it’s supposed to work. 

The way in which Jake helped to guide you out of the bathroom with his hand pressed firmly against the small of your back made your heart skip a beat. You held tightly onto his forearm with one hand and in the other? Was your IV poll, still pumping you full of antibiotics and fluids. 

“I got it.” You tried to focus on just putting one foot in front of the other. That's what this whole thing was about right? This battle, this fight. It was all about putting one foot in front of the other. With Jake by your side, albeit with some underlying resentment still to be discussed, you felt as though those steps, small but meaningful in their own right, were made with intent and purpose to keep fighting. “Shit the air-con feels so weird on my head.” You chuckled to yourself as Jake shut the bathroom door behind the both of you. 

“Yeah holy shit it's like–” As Jake's eyeline faltered from you to the figure standing over near the door, his heart sunk into his stomach. His face turned to stone as the green in his eyes, usually an emerald colour, darkened to something more pine-like. The half finished sentence that left your husband's mouth and tailed off into complete and utter silence was what got your attention the most. It wasn't like Jake to not say what was on his mind. 

“What's up?” As you turned your head slowly, you saw the man who had been nothing but a pillar of support for you to lean on since your diagnosis. It was the man who had kept you above water when you felt like you’d been drowning in a sea of unprecedented mortality. “Jensen–” The shock and excitement in your tone was something Jake couldn't miss no matter how much he wanted to. “You came?” 

Jake made no attempt to move as you shuffled forward, he stood still with his heart hammering inside his chest. He stood completely still as his thoughts carried him away into a world where nothing made sense to anyone. Into a world where he didn't have you, a world where for the last year he’d tasted of that very misery and hated every last second of it. 

“I uh–” Jensen held out the bouquet of sweet peas, peonies and pansies he’d brought for you. The overwhelming colours and signature scents captivated the entire room with their freshness. “I wanted to stop by, see how you were doing, hope I'm not intruding?” 

The body tends to adapt quickly to new circumstances and pressures it’s put under. It knows how to protect itself. But it can’t close off completely, or well—we’re not really living are we? Biology tends to override our fears, so we leave the door open, just a little…hoping like hell that it's worth the risk. 

“Oh no, no we just finished up some DIY haircuts.” You beamed, the smile that ignited across your face was a smile Jake hadn't seen in years. A smile so pure and full of love that it couldn't ever be faked. “Jake, this is Jensen.” You introduced the two men who had played significant roles in your life, having no clue that they had both already met one another in the hall. “We met at the doctors office, as unfortunate as that sounds, it's been really nice to have someone who just, knows.” Jake slowly but surely aided you over to your bed before he made his way over to where Jensen stood watching idly. Assessing the situation unfolding before him. “Jensen convinced me to go to a few of those CCA meetings, although not my cup of tea–it's nice to know that that support system is there.” 

Jake eyed Jensen and his bouquet of flowers off as he stepped closer and closer with a look Jensen couldn't quite read in his pine green eyes. The betrayal of love often has boundaries that people end up living with for the rest of their lives. For Jake, his betrayal and the consequences of his emotional ineptitude inside his marriage was starting to play out right before his very eyes. 

He saw the potential that there was in fact another man. And oh boy did he hate it. 

“And Jensen, this is Jake, my husband.” Jensen took subtle notice of the way you introduced Jake to him as your husband, not your ex-husband like you'd been referring to him as since the two of you first met. Something had changed, Jensen could sense it. But for as much as Jensen could sense the chemistry between you and Jake, Jake could see the way your eyes lit up with overjoyous surprise when you realised that the flowers Jensen held in his hand were in fact for you. “Are those, are those for me?” 

“Oh–yeah.” Jensen beamed as he walked a little further into your room. “I thought they might bring a little light into your room but it seems that you have it pretty well decorated.” It was the small nod to the Christmas lights that hung around your room that made you smile even brighter as Jake made his way back over and helped you into bed. You could tell there was tension brewing just from his quietness alone. “And the new haircut suits you, good thing you don't have a weird ass head huh?”

“Hey Jarred–” Jake interrupted before you had a chance to reply, the way he intentionally called Jensen by a different name rubbed you the wrong way. The frown that cast itself across your face left little to Jake's imagination, but as he made sure you were as comfortable as could be in your bed, he kept going. “Nows, probably not a good time–” 

Jensen looked around your room carefully, he knew the system well and what times were more common than not for nurses to do their daily rounds and check-ins. He knew that by the looks of things you had just showered and were probably settling in for the afternoon. If Jensen was correct in his assumption as he looked back towards where Jake stood at your bedside, he would assume that he couldn't have picked a better time to drop by. 

“Seems like a pretty good time to me man, besides, why don't we let Y/n here make that call.” Jensen replied calmly as he went about finding a place for your flowers to go. Jensen could have played the safe card, he could have chosen to be the bigger person and not mention it, but he didn't really have a hell of alot to lose. After all, he was a dead man walking. What was the harm in stirring the pot a little where he still could. “Honestly, I didn't expect you to be here if I'm being completely honest.” Jensen smirked as he turned back to face Jake. You felt like your heart was about to explode right through your chest as you looked back and forth between the two men who had seemingly gotten into a mines bigger than yours contest on either side of your bedside. “Didn't think you knew your wife was sick–” 

The silence was deafening as Jake thought about all the ways he could kill a man in one single motion. The rage he felt inside his chest was red hot jealousy. Jensen could practically see the steam spewing out of Jake's years. 

“What my wife decides to share with me has nothing to do with you–” Jake growled, you could just see the way he was grinding his teeth. Jake's jawline had never seemed more profound. His knuckles were almost entirely white as he leaned against the railing of your hospital bed. Lowered down for convenience of getting in and out. 

“It does when I’ve been the one listening to how much she wishes you loved her the same way she loves you.” Jensen shrugged. “Come on man, don't play this game, don't pretend that I don't know what been going on–” 

“Enough!” You couldn't have shouted it slider if you tried. “Both of you, my god we’re all supposed to be adults here?” You sighed as you looked at Jake and then over to Jensen. Something was off with him, this wasn't the Jensen you knew. He seemed off, very off. “Can you two just back up, let's start over.” However, it was a plea that fell on deaf ears.

Remember that impending moment of weakness mixed with overall exhaustion Jake mentioned earlier? Yeah– about that. Guess it was coming around the corner sooner rather than later. 

“Nah–” Jake shook his head as he let out a sigh. This was bullshit, you really had him fooled. He really did think that there was a possibility here that maybe, just maybe, the two of you could fix what he had unintentionally broken while focusing on your health. “Nah, I'm not gonna put up with this dickhead.” Jake hissed as unclenched his hands from the railing on your bed. “I'm gonna go get a coffee, try not to catch each other's cancer cells while I'm gone.” 

“Jake, don't leave!” You begged as you sat up a little straighter in your bed. “Please—“ The panic that followed was something otherworldly as you watched Jake round out of the hospital room that had become your home away from home. “Please!” 

Jensen was if anything, enraged. He hadn’t helped the situation but he never would have left your side after making a remark so thickly lacquered with jealousy. He didn't think Jake would react the way he did, so quick to make assumptions. The small gift Jensen still held in his hand was quickly placed on your bedside table. 

“I’ll go talk to him—“ Jensen pressed his lips together as he let his hand fall gently to your shoulder. “My fault, I shouldn't have said what I did, I'm sorry.” Jensen didn't pretend to not see how upset you truly were. He understood what it was like to feel the weight of the world crushing your spirit. “He didn't mean what he said Y/n.” 

“He did–” You sighed as you wiped away your tears. “He asked me when he came to take the kids to his mum's house if I was seeing anyone–” 

Ah, Jensen thought to himself as he stood by your bedside and listened. 

“He wants to get back together, fix what's broken, change.” You sighed as you looked over to the open door that Jake hadn't long before walked out of. “He probably thinks you're more than a friend.” In another life, perhaps Jensen could have been more than just a good friend. In another universe somewhere he hoped that maybe you never had this unforgiving disease. But this wasn't another reality, this was right now. 

“All the more reason to fight for his girl.” Jensen cooed as he leaned in to kiss the top of your now very smooth head. “I'll go talk to your husband.” 

You caught onto the not so subtle subtlety of the way Jensen teased that title. Husband. Jake Seresin was still very much your husband. He was the very definition of a man who was supposed to be at your side through thick and thin. But right now? You were doubting his ability to fully comprehend what was happening to you. Jake’s focus shouldn’t have been on Jensen and who he was to you. But yet you couldn’t not defend him. 

“He’s not a bad guy, he’s really not—“ There was an awkward silence that lingered in the room as Jensen chose to take in what you’d said. “This is all just so much for him to take in.” 

“You don’t need to explain your relationship to me.” Jensen wanted to say that if Jake was such an alright guy, then you wouldn’t have left. He wanted to remind you of all the conversations the two of you had had over the past few months. All the times you’d cried about the man who didn’t value your time, your energy, your love. “But a woman like you should never have to beg a man to stay.” 

“I left him.” You felt the need to remind the man who stood at your bedside with an ora surrounding him you didn’t recognise. “I stopped begging him to love me a long time ago and you know that.” 

Jensen could have thrown the fact you just called out after Jake back in your face, that you’d begged your husband not to leave. But he wasn’t that mean. He was just looking out for you. Someone had to. Someone had to make sure this Jake guy had his priorities in check and that you were at the very top of that list where you belonged. 

“I know—“ Jensen pressed his lips together into a fine line. “But that guy just walked out the second things got a little more complicated, what’s gonna stop him from throwing in the towel if your health declines more than it already has?” Jensen shrugged his shoulders like he wasn’t being nasty. It was his version of tough love. 

“I’m sorry—“ You scoffed as your face contorted into that of a frown mixed with frustration. “Are you, are you testing Jake?” 

“Cancer is one of the world's most leading causes of divorce.” Jensen added like it was a statistic you should have known. He knew you knew it. “I just wanted to see how well he handled a little external pressure.” 

“You’re—“ Before you could finish your sentence, Jensen was smiling down at you from ear to ear. 

“A menace, I know, but I’m a menace that only has your best interest at heart.” Jensen explained as he sat down beside you for only a brief moment. “Your fight isn’t with Jake right now, he shouldn’t be fighting you or anyone else in your life that may come and go.” 

“Jensen—“ You knew Jensen hadn’t been well, but he hadn’t explicitly told you how bad it was. There was something in his eyes though, the way he looked at you like he was looking at you for the last time that had you worried. “What’s going on with you?” 

“I’m just making sure if you’re letting that man back into your life that he’s gonna stick around when things don’t go the way he wants them to.” Jensen smiled softly as he picked up your hand to bring towards his lips. He left a fleeting kiss upon the palm of your hand and let out a sigh he wasn’t aware he was holding in. “I’ll go track down your sook of a husband, make sure he’s aware that you’re hopelessly devoted or whatever you wanna call it.” 

“Please be nice—“ You pleaded gently as Jensen stood from your bedside. “Please.” 

“Anything for you Y/n.” Jensen replied, he knew that this would be the last time he ever saw you apart from in his own version of heaven. “Anything for you.” 

***~***~***~***~***~***~*

Jake Seresin had never been a fan of hospitals. That mentality first started when he broke his leg in kindergarten and needed a full cast, but it grew with him well into adulthood. Jake had never liked hospitals, even when all three of his children were born he still hated them. Not even the love he had for his children could override the hate he felt towards the sterile environment that gave far too many infections to people to be considered ‘normal’ 

“Seresin.” But Jake had never hated hospitals more than he did the second he heard his last name being called from just a short distance down the hall. Called by a man who Jake would happily like to never see again. “The hell is your problem?” Jake caught the sight of the man who’d brought you flowers coming right towards him with a fire burning in his eyes. The man you had kept somewhat a secret from Jake. Much like your diagnosis. 

“My problem is asking me what my problem is.” Jake groaned as he took a sip of his shitty ass hospital coffee. “Don’t you and my wife have things to talk about?” Jake asked as he took a few steps away from where Jensen had stopped in his tracks. “Things I’m not privy to as it seems? Like her health or new love life?” 

“You don’t even know who I am to your wife!” Jensen barked loud enough to have Jake stopping in the middle of the hall. The six foot something aviator turned slowly on his heels to give the almost matching in height bald dude the time of day he seemed to crave. “But I know all about you, because I’ve been there for Y/n while you’ve been busy playing part time parent across the country.” Jensen had nothing to lose, he was just a dying man who had no time left to cherish. 

Jake wasn’t about to stand here and take this. He didn’t need some guy who’d stepped into your life to tell him what to do. You were the mother of Jake’s children, you’d always be that to him regardless if he could fix what he broke. 

“Get out of my face before you need a plastics consult.” Jake growled through gritted teeth all the while Jensen grinned. He was standing his ground as Jake continued on his defensive. “Because so help me god, you may feel like god right now with your self-righteous heart and knight in shining armour attitude, but you sure as hell won’t feel all high and mighty when you meet him.” 

Jensen didn't want to fight with your husband, but he did want to make it known that time was forever fleeting, and if Jake kept going the way he was there would be no time left to fix what he broke. You needed someone to be there for you, Jake had to be that person. 

Because Jensen couldn’t be that guy for you anymore, he had no fight left to give you. He had no fight left in himself. 

“You know I sympathise with you Jake, I do, it must be hard being the guy who broke your own marriage to a woman who loves so fiercely and so much.” Jensen started as he let his elbows rest atop his sweatpants clad knees. “And now having to deal with the fact that said wife is dying must be a lot to work through.” 

Jake remained speechless as his eyes lingered down to the man who was almost out of breath from his walk through the halls. He held his half drunk coffee cup in his hand with enough rage coursing through his veins that Jake was actually surprised he hadn’t crushed the flimsy cardboard vessel. 

“But you know what the worst part of all that is? Is that your priority isn’t your wife, or fixing your marriage—“ Jensen continued on. “No, it’s on the guy who your wife chose to confide in when you were nowhere to be found.” 

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Jake replied with a hiss in his tone that mimicked the deadliest of snakes. “I couldn’t give a shit who you are to her or what you want, because she’s my fucking wife—mine!” 

“And yet here you are arguing that point with me in the hall when you could be at her bedside appreciating all the small moments you’ll be lucky to look back on one day.” Jensen grew more heated as Jake took a few strides his way, towering over where Jensen sat. “You threw a fit the second I stepped into that room without using any critical thinking skills you aviators claim to have in the heat of the moment.” 

“She told me she wasn’t seeing anyone! Come to find out that that’s—“ Jake didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence before Jensen intervened that train of thought. 

“She’s not! You’re wife fucking love’s you!! She kept her prognosis from you because she was so scared you didn’t love her back enough to fucking care! And you’re hung up on the idea she’s seeing someone? Me!?” Jensen scoffed as he stood, the few strides he took towards Jake were made with intent behind every single one. Enough to have Jake stumbling back every so slightly. “Here’s a concept for you man.” Jensen pressed his index finger into Jake’s sternum. “Maybe, just maybe, if I was sleeping with your wife, she’d remember her worth.” 

“You really don’t know what you’re talking about.” Jake sighed, there was no way he was entertaining this delusion any more than he already had. “I think you should leave.” The idea of you being with another man sent Jake into a blind rage of jealousy that saw no reason. But at the end of the day, he was the one who walked out on you. He’d strayed too far from your hospital room and couldn’t see your bed socks anymore. 

Fuck….

“Maybe, maybe I should—“ Jensen agreed. “And hell I don’t even know you at all, but from what I’ve managed to piece together? it’s that you're a crap husband who doesn’t have the emotional capacity to handle the fact his wife could lose this battle.” Jensen retaliated with a stone cold expression. “But something I do know is that no amount of prayer or candles or begging will reverse time, so put your ego side and focus on the fact your wife needs you now more than ever before and if you leave her side the way you did today ever again, trust me when I say you’ll regret it every day of your life.” 

“Y/n isn’t dying—“ Much like Jensen was taking his fear of the unknown out on Jake, Jake was just about ready to let loose on the guy who was picking apart his very character. Sure, Jake recognised he wasn’t the best husband, but he also knew you weren’t dying. Not right now, not while he wasn’t by your side. 

“I wasn’t either, but as it turns out we all have an expiry date.” Jensen replied. The atmosphere and energy surrounding the two men who were going head to head suddenly shifted. “Some sooner than others, but we all have one, and when yours is up yours is up and there ain't nothing you can do you extend it.” 

“You’re—“ Jake couldn’t bring himself to say it. 

“A walking corpse.” Jensen finished the sentence he knew Jake was trying to speak into existence. Although he didn’t care to beat around the bush. “So trust me when I tell you that wishful thinking does shit when your body decides it’s had enough.” 

“Does Y/n know?” Jake's first worry was how this news, how this detrimental turn of events, would affect you. His heart forgot how to beat inside his chest when he watched Jensen shake his head in response. 

“She needs to focus on her own journey, and before I go I need to make sure she has a support system because for a while there I was all she seemed to have.” Jensen explained. There it was, the truth of the matter. 

Jake saw it clear as day, the care, the worry, the intention to make sure you had someone there for you because Jensen wasn’t going to be there anymore. You may not have slept with the guy standing before Jake but if Jake knew anything, it was the look of a man who was unequivocally in love with you. He saw his own reflection of Jensen's eyes. 

“Go back, apologies, and you fix your marriage man because that woman? That electrifying woman who sees the good in everything doesn’t deserve to go through this alone—and you turning your back on her the second someone made things a little difficult for you isn’t a good representation of the husband she deserves.” 

“You love her, don’t you?” Jake asked as he took a second to truly take in Jensens whole argument. The world seemed to go on around them, with doctors and nurses carrying out their daily duties and rounds. Family members walking to and from rooms visiting loved ones. But for Jake and Jensen? The world stopped when it came to you. “You’re in love with my wife, say it.” Jake couldn’t hide the pain in his voice. “Tell me you love her, then this all makes sense.” 

“Maybe—“ Jensen tried to play his love for you down into something that was just a social construct. “Maybe I love her, but I don’t get a chance to explore that, you do though.” Jensen was truly trying to hide the pain in his eyes, but Jake could see it all too easily. Jensen knew that. “So if not for yourself, for her, pull your head out of your ass man—“

“I never stopped loving her though.” Jake sighed out in frustration as he sat down on one of the plastic hospital chairs that lined the hallway. Jensen followed soon after, both men decided that the heat of the argument was settling into something more valuable. “I just—I lost sight of what I had.” 

“That’s just not a good enough excuse.” Jensen replied as he let his head fall back against the wall. “Listen, I don’t plan on coming back after I leave today.” 

Jake didn’t respond, he simply waited for Jensen to explain. But the explanation never came and Jake never pressed. If anything he was kind of relieved in a selfish way. 

“If you truly want to fix what’s broken, if you really want to fight for her and be by her side when she needs you the most, you’ll get up and you’ll go back in there and you’ll be the guy who gets to hold her like no one else does.” Jensen pauses momentarily before he continued on. “Because there’s better guys out there Jake, and she shouldn’t have to settle for one who doesn’t appreciate what’s right under his damn nose.” 

“Is this your way of telling me you’re a better man than me?” Jake asked cautiously, a part of him didn’t want the answer to be yes. But Jake needed to know what the man sitting beside him truly thought. You saw something good inside him, inside both of them.

“I’m not a better man than you Jake—“ Jensen sighed as he stood from his chair. It was getting late, he had said his peace, he had put the fear for a dying man inside Jake Seresin. There wasn’t much more Jensen could contribute to your life besides what he had already given. 

The body tends to adapt quickly to new circumstances and pressures it’s put under. It knows how to protect itself. But it can’t close off completely, or well—we’re not really living are we? Biology tends to override our fears, so we leave the door open, just a little…hoping like hell that it's worth the risk. But for Jensen….He was ready to close the door and lock it shut. 

“I’m just a man who’s run out of time and has nothing left to lose.”

***~***~***~***~***~***~

Tags: @blindedbythelightt @starset21 @tayl0rhuynh @mamachasesmayhem @marvelogic @itsmytimetoodream @maverick-wingman @kodzukenmaaa @eternalsams @seitmai @nota-professional @jessicab1991 @hardballoonlove @senawashere @fanficfandomlove @withahappyrefrain @dizzybee03 @maisie-rebloging-blog

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[mrs-barnes-rogers-writes]

Pretty As A Picture - Chapter 1

Marvel

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader x Bucky Barnes

Theme: Soulmates - Feeling the connection as soon as you see each other.

Summary: When Bucky fell from the train, their soulmate was told he was gone. When Steve Rogers disappeared into the ice, their soulmate was again told one of her soulmates were gone. But she didn't believe it. Couldn't believe it. Committed to a mental health institute, she dies of a broken heart. That's at least what the hidden S.H.I.E.LD files say, but if that's the case than why is there a photo of her. A photo that shows her side by side two redhaired Avengers.

Warnings will be per chapter.

For this fic reader will be British, but let your imagination replace if needed.

Chapter Summary: The team are back together and their soul family back in place. Emotions run high, their exhausted and a photo is about to shake Bucky to his core.

Chapter Warning: Mentions of death, sad Bucky.

Natasha looked around the room, scanning her weary team mates. Her soul family. It had taken a while to get here but they had. Sure Tony and Steve continued to be at each other’s throats and Bucky’s face got more broody by the day but they were together.

Knowing Wanda was also back in the Compound, Vision at her side as they settled into their new quarters brought a smile to her face.

The rush of emotions of everyone being together had been too much for Wanda, and when Steve and Tony had squared up to each other for the third time in as many hours, Rhodes and Wilson forced to keep them apart as Bucky packed a bag to leave, she’d had enough.

Natasha had ushered Bruce away to avoid a code green, as Vision had tried to do the same with Wanda. But Wanda had reached her breaking point and had enough of the arguments, the intense negative energy that surrounded her soul family had brought her to breaking point. Her nights were plagued with nightmares about her family, Pietro, and her days were a living nightmare with her soul family at each other’s throats. Wanda had screamed as she’d nearer collapse.

“Enough!” she’d yelled as Vision looped an arm around her waist to keep her upright, “do you see? You never see do you? The damage you’re doing? To our family? To each other?!”

She paused as she took a breath.

“I’m leaving.”

There were calls of her name as Vision led her from the room. An hour later they were in a Quinjet over the Atlantic, directions to a safe house and a contact of Natasha’s. The rest of them didn’t speak to each other for a week following Wanda and Vision’s departure, the only exception their own soulmates. When Natasha wouldn’t say where they were, they didn’t speak to her for a few days longer.

Wanda’s return came three months later, sure there was still bickering but they’d learnt the hard way to keep it away from her. As much as they’d had preferred a longer break, missions and their skillsets had meant a need for them to return.

The Hydra clean up had originally been going well but a repeat of dead leads and bad intel had caused any more arrests to dry up. 

As the digital map displayed across the meeting room showed the dead ends and places still be searched. Natasha scanned the faces of her team mates and soul family in the room. Steve was seemingly staring into thin air. Tony flipped a pen between his hands. Rhodey rubbed his eyes. Sam had his eyes on a screen full of text but the movement of his eyes indicated he was reading the same sentence over and over again. Bucky stared at a spot on one of the maps. A no go area in part of Germany. An old Nazi bunker that they had very little chance of getting permission to search even with the New Accords. 

Unless she asked for a favour. A favour from you. Her attention was brought away from her stray thoughts as Bruce wrapped himself around her, a soft kiss to her forehead.

“They need a break.”

She smiled warmly at him.

“Guys, let’s take a break, half an hour and regroup.”

The only responses were sighs, stretches and yawns. Bucky was the first one up and out of the room rubbing his hand down his face in frustration as he went. Tony’s voice broke the silence. 

“Is there a reason he keeps staring at the same spot?”

“The same reason I keep rereading this.” Sam replied pointing at the screen. 

“It’s one of the no go areas left from the war, but it feels to me like that’s the next stop” Steve added.

“Has he been there before?” Tony asked.

“We both have.” Steve replied.

“Recently or before?” Asked Natasha, referencing before Steve was in the ice and Bucky was in cyro.

“Before.”

“Look if it’s a no go area you know the chances of us getting in there are real slim.” added Rhodey.

“Not necessarily.” added Nat.

“Let me guess” Sam enquired “you know a guy?”

“A girl actually.” she replied. 

Tony cocked an eyebrow and glanced round at his soul family.

“Spill it Romanoff.” 

Meanwhile down the hall Bucky splashed cold water on his face. He knew the next spot was likely to be that bunker and he knew he wasn’t going to like it. If they could even get in there it would bring back too many memories. 

Memories of when they’d raided it. Memories of when he was back there twelve years later. He needed coffee or something stronger. Where was Thor when he needed him. 

He headed out of the bathroom and along the corridor to the coffee station and began to start up the machine and root through the snacks. In the distance he could hear the hums of Wanda from the printing room. The room was barely used, the team opting for electronic devices or projections instead but Steve still liked paper copies and every mission had a pack of freshly printed paper maps just in case. Two packs in fact. One for use and one just in case. 

Every time Steve would drop the two packs on to the meeting room table or fiddle with them on his lap in the Quinjet he would give Bucky a sad smile and nod his head, which Bucky would return. 

It was silly really how things reminded them of their shared soulmate. Their soulmate had prepared maps for British Special Forces during the war and their eye to detail had been the best around, making Peggy quick to recruit their girl to her team. The fates leading her to Steve first and then Bucky. Their soulmate would do anything to keep them safe. Nagging Howard for better equipment and weapons. Telling him to “quit flirting and stop trying to fondue anything in a skirt and bloody get on with it”.

Howard never let on he was slightly scared of their soulmate, not to any of their faces but the panic in his eyes gave him away. Steve had nicknamed their soulmate a Spitfire, like the British fighter plane. The look on their girls face said he shouldn’t have.

Her way of keeping them safe was to slip extra bandages into their gear, sew small bits of metal into their suits to cover key areas but not too much to weigh them down. Then there was the packs. Always two packs of maps, just in case. Bucky sometimes wondered if their girl slipped extra copies to the other Howling Commandos. 

“Can’t have you getting lost lads. You Yanks are awful with directions.”

Bucky would always tap her ass playfully as she passed by for that comment. 

His thoughts were soon snapped back by Vision’s soft voice. 

“James?”

Bucky cleared his throat to answer, and wiping his face roughly when he realised he was crying.

“Yeah? You need something?”

“Actually I wanted to check if you needed anything.”

“No, I’m good, thanks Vis”

“Were you thinking of her again? If you’d like to talk about her, Wanda and I would happily listen.”

Bucky turned away, dipping his head, gripping the counter of the coffee station. He tried to take a deep breath but it came out shuddered. 

“James, I maybe speaking out of turn and uninvited but there is no shame in grief and you certainly don’t need to hide it from us. For anyone in the outside world it is a lifetime ago but for you, it is not, and there is no timeframe or timeline for grief.”

Bucky heard Wanda’s soft footsteps approach. 

“James, take it from someone that’s knows, it is better to talk than it is to keep it inside. You listened to me talk about my brother, I’d be honoured to hear about her.”

Bucky nodded and turned towards them both teary eyed.

“Whenever you want us to, we’ll listen” added Vision.

He rubbed his face and nodded again. It was then he noticed a pile of photos in Wanda’s arms. All different sizes clutched in her hands, he was puzzled as he had barely seen a printed photo since being out of cyro, Sam telling him that people don’t often print them anymore. He then noticed Vision was holding picture frames. 

“Did you print these? I didn’t think people did that anymore?”

“Not always but I like them,” Wanda answered “reminds me of home. This one Tony found for me on an old friend’s social media account” as she handed him a picture of Pietro. 

“This one is when we were away” she handed him another. A picture of the couple near a lake, Scotland, Bucky thought to himself.

“This one is from” Wanda started only to stop abruptly as some of the photos scattered to the floor. She cursed in Sokovian as she went to pick them up.

“I’ve got it” Bucky said as he reached for them. He passed the first two up to Wanda but the third made him freeze.

To anyone else it was a normal picture. Three friends side by side. Two red heads and a (Y/H/C). Only it wasn’t a normal photo at all. Because alongside his two redheaded soul sisters, Wanda with a soft smile and Natasha looking nonchalant, was another woman. A woman that haunted his dreams. 

His soulmate.  Their girl.

Enjoy this fic? Fancy a cuppa? My Ko-Fi.

[stayconnecteed]

❪⠀🪐.⠀couch cuddles⠀𓏔⠀seo changbin⠀❫

☆ㅤseo changbin x afab!reader ( valentine's collab oneshots )⠀★⠀3.4k words

synopsys: everyone knew that changbin and you had met at ikea. you had been friends for years, and yet he never got tired of repeating the anecdote that had brought you together. there was one part he had never told you, though: he had asked his parents to buy that green sofa on which you had been sitting together in that first meeting. that very same couch you always ask cuddles in when one of your dates goes wrong.

note: not happy at all with how this turned out, and i know it's a little bit angsty before all the fluff but happy valentine's day cuties !!

Everyone knew that Changbin and you had met at Ikea. You had been friends for years, and yet he never got tired of repeating the anecdote that had brought you together that afternoon when you had gone to the Swedish shop with your family. It had been a very chaotic first meeting, as it could only be if it had happened between the two of you, but there was one part he had never told you. Whenever the subject came up he would ask you to narrate how it had been, with that pout and puppy eyes he knew you couldn't resist, and he would just stare at you, a smile curving his lips, hiding a part of your story that you didn't know.

You always started your story with a little context, saying that you had just turned sixteen, that your parents had decided to move when they found out they were going to have another baby, that it was a weekend in January and you hadn't started high school yet, that you had planned to travel to Gwangmyeong, where your grandparents lived, and visit the Ikea that had opened in the area. And Changbin couldn't help but stand still when he heard those words, because he knew what it was you were going to start talking about, and he loved to hear it from your lips, so he would command everyone to be quiet, to let your voice echo in the silence as you spoke.

And then you explained, under Changbin's attentive gaze, how you had driven to the shop after lunch, parking as close to the entrance as possible, and how you had to take care of your two little siblings, then aged eight and five, while your parents talked to each other about what furniture to buy for the new home. You dwelled on the details, making eye contact with Changbin from time to time, prolonging the moments before you first spoke, creating some expectation, and he knew it, but he didn't mind because he enjoyed it as much as you did.

And when you had described how small you had felt in such a big place 一the biggest Ikea in the world at the time一, when you had let slip that your parents had been so focused on shopping that you and your siblings had been left behind, when your face was a shadow of the worry, the panic you had felt at the time, then you broke the news: your brother, the troublesome eight-year-old, had gone missing. You, at sixteen, had found yourself in a maze of kitchens and living rooms with your younger sister clinging to your leg, your heart pounding, and the uncertainty of whether you would be able to find Doyun in such a large space.

Changbin's heart always twisted in agony at that part of the story, just as it had done when, already desperate, you had approached the first boy of your own age you had seen 一he一, whispering if he had seen a kid with your brother's description. He had hated seeing you like that, absolutely distressed, on the verge of tears, pretending in front of your little sister that Doyun was playing hide-and-seek. Both she and you had looked at him as if he could miraculously find him, with a blind confidence that had made him assure you that he hadn't seen him, but that he would help you look for him. He had whispered to little Jia that it would be fun, and had taken her hand, turning to you only to see you smiling hopefully at him.

At the time, and he had never acknowledged it, he hadn't cared for Doyun. He certainly wanted to find him, that was what your eyes and the values his parents had taught him screamed at him, but at the same time he longed for the way your face had relaxed at the sight of him, when he had told you not to worry, that he would find him. How calm you had been, just as you always said you were, knowing he was by your side. And with your sister on one side and you on the other, you had walked the corridors, passing where you had been over and over again, checking every possible hiding place, whispering your brother's name for him to hear.

But you always came back to the same place, the green sofa where you had asked him about Doyun. And no sign of him. You checked your phone obsessively, fearing that your parents would ask you about him and you wouldn't have the answer, and at one point, Changbin simply proposed to take a break. He indicated that you could exchange numbers, and that while you went to buy something from the shop's cafeteria, he would take another walk, in case there was any more luck, and he would text you if he saw him. You declined, his mouth suddenly going dry at the thought that he had gone too far, but then you announced in an exhausted voice and slumped shoulders that you were the one who should look for him, that you were the one who had lost him in the first place, and that Doyun wouldn't go with a stranger as Changbin was to him, anyway.

You had sat on the couch, your head in your hands, all the frustration and fear building in your chest, your pent-up emotions on edge, on the verge of overflowing, and he busied himself entertaining Jia with some cute cat pillows lying around as he squatted down in front of you, resting a trembling hand on your knee. He had spoken softly to you, like to a wounded animal you want to help, telling you stupid facts about his life, anything you needed to calm you down a bit and face the situation from the ease of a clear-headed mind. You had covered your face, hiding your silent cry, and whispered to him that he didn't need to waste his time with you, that you were a horrible sister, and an inconsiderate stranger by dragging him into your problems.

And then, in one of his most precious memories, you related how you had looked at him, tears glistening on your cheeks, and he had frowned back at you, as if you had offended him, before announcing, in the most serious tone you had ever heard from a sixteen-year-old boy, that you were the best sister in the world. And you had let out an incredulous laugh, closing your eyes and resting your forehead on his shoulder, and had kept silent as he muttered that only the best sister in the world would worry so much about Doyun, searching for him without Jia knowing what was going on, to protect them both. Only the best sister in the world would talk to a boy she didn't know, despite her shyness, just in case he could help her. You really were the best sister in the world.

They were words you repeated from memory, reciting them just as he had whispered them to you, and they always made anyone who heard them sigh. It had been almost like a fairy tale, you in his arms, asking him to show your sister the cafeteria as you took one last walk, wandering back down all those corridors you'd been down before, only to return to the green couch where you knew Changbin was waiting with your sister, but who had also been joined by Doyun, who was listening to Jia laugh at how much fun the hide-and-seek at the Ikea had been.

You had let out a breathy sigh, moving towards your little brother, scolding him for disappearing, while he protested that he had been fiddling with the tablets in the warehouse area 一a place you had hardly been to at all. Then you had made both Doyun and Jia promise not to leave your side for the rest of the afternoon, and when you turned to Changbin, all he could think about was that he didn't want to leave you yet. So when you opened your mouth, he interrupted you before you could utter a sound, asking if you could see each other again.

And you had blushed, unused to that kind of attention, and nodded shyly, the silence falling between you. You had cleared your throat, fiddling with your phone, not knowing what your next move should be. And Changbin had taken the lead again, pointing out that you should ask your parents where they were, and that he would accompany you to them if you wanted. Then you always told, with the same luminous smile you had given him at that moment, that you had walked together to the bedroom section, shoulder to shoulder, your siblings playing in front of you, always under your view, and it was then that you had begun to know each other, to develop that bond that had been born when you had asked him for help and he had not denied it.

What he had never told you was that he had seen you in the parking lot, as soon as you walked in. He had never told you that he couldn't stop looking at you, the way you nodded attentively at your parents' words, or how your eyes lit up when you glanced at your siblings even when they weren't looking at you, how you smiled at the silly things they did, how you crouched down to talk to them. He had been so dumbfounded that his sister had teased him, threatening to come over and talk to you. And every time he saw a glimpse of your white hoodie in the aisles of the Ikea, his heartbeat quickened at the possibility of talking to you. When you had approached him with that face he had seen so happily turned to distress, he had lacked the time to bring the moon down on you if you asked him to.

Nor had he told you that the only thing he had asked his parents for, although he never asked them for anything he didn't need, was to buy that green sofa on which you had been sitting for a few minutes, and which had gone from his children's playroom to the living room of his flat once he had become independent, and which you had never shown any signs of recognising. After that first meeting you had discovered that you lived in the same city, which had facilitated your weekend meetings, and the blossoming of a friendship that stayed with you until years later.

He had lived your last years of high school with you, studying together for the hardest exams even if you went to different institutions, attending each other's graduations with a proud smile, spending summers at your home with him, to the point where your parents treated him like one of the family, and his parents did the same with you. He had watched your younger siblings grow up, caring for them with the same infinite affection as you did, and his older sister had taken you in as her little girl, and everything was perfect. You had been in the good stuff, even applying to the same university, celebrating his first major contract as your own, him coming to the opening of your shop and insisting on being the first customer.

He didn't understand how anyone could look you in the face and tell you that they didn't want to be with you. He didn't understand how anyone could see you and think you weren't the most beautiful person they'd ever seen. But most of all he didn't understand why he hadn't told you yet that he loved you. Because he did, of course. After so long by your side you had managed to get into his mind, and his heart, and even if he wanted to, he wouldn't be able to kick you out of his life. You were too deeply tangled up in him, to the point where everything you did affected him in one way or another, and your absence was the worst punishment. So he knew why he hadn't said anything to you, why he kept these secrets from you 一the fear of losing you was even worse than the fear of rejection一 but he didn't understand why he hadn't been more direct before the possibility of you saying no seemed so painful to him.

Because since he'd figured out what his feelings for you were, every Valentine's Day was pure torture. Especially when he couldn't be with anyone but you, so he spent them single, while you had kept yourself pretty busy all those years, with partners, or affairs, or dates or one night stands. You always seemed to be busy on February 14th. And when your boyfriend dumped you with any bullshit excuse, or your flings found another girl, or the date didn't go the way you'd hoped, then you'd come back home, defeated after another failed romance, and it was he who picked up the pieces and put them back together, who offered to get your favourite flavour of ice cream at two in the morning, who had seen the same rom-com film more times than he could count, who held you until you fell asleep and the cycle began once more.

And every year he allowed himself to hope that this time it would be different, that you would stop running away from your appartment for once, but every year the same thing happened again, and his heart broke just a little bit more. When he saw you that afternoon in that dress he loved so much, the same one he'd seen you wear for his birthday a couple of years ago, with the black tights that had a little rip in the back of the thigh, and those platform boots that showed off your legs and made you look slightly taller than him, he said goodbye to you in a quick cheek kiss that made his lips burn, and locked himself in his room. No matter how much weight he lifted in the gym, he was never strong enough to bear the sight of you leaving.

The plan was simple: put on his sound-cancelling headphones, work on his music until he couldn't keep his eyes opened, and pray he'd be asleep by the time you got back. He sat down at his desk, looking at the pictures hanging on the wall, and sighed before picking up his laptop. The screen read nine o'clock at night, so you'd been gone for over an hour. Now that you weren't there, he could leave his room to make himself some dinner, just to get back to his projects and stop thinking about you. At least that was the initial idea. Because it wasn't working. He kept remembering how you smiled at the feel of his lips against your skin, your still hands with the mascara bottle still between your fingers, and he wouldn't let himself forget that he didn't know who you were going out with, he hadn't reminded you to keep your location active in case something happened, that he'd be with you in a phone call.

So when he couldn't take it anymore, he got up, grabbed his car keys and took his gym bag. Maybe the physical exertion would make him tired enough to sleep, maybe if he stopped thinking about you so much he could focus on his life, maybe the fact that he didn't know about what you were going to do you was a good thing. But when he crossed the hallway ready to leave the appartment and looked into the living room, he saw you sitting on the couch 一that couch that meant so much in your friendship一 and he stopped. He walked slowly towards you, leaning against the doorframe, and watched you for a few seconds. You had taken off your boots so that you could put your feet up on the sofa, and you were curled up towards the corner where he always sat, leaving the gap he used to occupy, as if you were mourning his absence, your eyes fixed on your phone.

"Hey," he said, his voice soft, seeking not to startle you, waiting for you to make eye contact with him before continuing, "weren't you going out?"

Your eyes were wet with unshed tears, and for a moment Changbin wanted to confront the one who had upset you so much, to make him pay for making you sad. He saw you shake your head, straightening slightly, and pull your knees to your chest, curling into a ball.

"I couldn't," you whispered, swallowing back a sob.

"Did he stood you up?" Changbin asked.

"He..." you began, shying away from his gaze, your red cheeks making him frown, "he's not you."

"What do you mean with…? Oh"

"Yes," you chuckled, humourless, your laughter a sound devoid of emotion, your face falling as you realised that the surprise in Changbin's eyes could only mean one thing. "Oh. No matter how hard I've tried, no one has ever managed to be you. Not even close to what you mean to me, or how I feel about you. It's... it's not fair. But it's the truth."

"So, all this time...?" he asked, absorbing your every word, drawing in his mind a sketch of all he had missed out on because he had been too lost in you, letting the gym bag fall to the floor and crossing his arms, a shield between you, in case something went wrong. He had looked at the calendar, right? Today was Valentine's Day and not April Fool's Day, even if it surely felt like someone was pranking him.

"Not all the time" you pointed out, each sentence feeling like a stab in your heart, bleeding over your voice, as he stood in front of you, asking you about your stupid crush like he needed an ego boost, and not like you were opening up to him. "Not at first. You were the cute guy of the Ikea, a real friendship. You're my anchor, you know that. But when things started to change, I... I didn't deserve you. I never did. And even though I started dating guys, none of them were you. You... you were my best friend, Binnie."

"Were? As in not anymore?" then he approached you, squatting down in front of the couch, just as he had done so many years ago, resting a trembling hand on your knee. He had looked at you softly again, as he had looked at you once, but this time his eyes exuded a fear that he had never let you see before.

"I can't" you muttered, closing your eyes and covering your face with your hands, black tears of ruined make-up sliding down your skin. "Not when I'm in love with you, and I know you don't reciprocate my feelings."

And when he saw you look up, panic shining in your pupils, and he frowned back at you, as if you had offended him, it all felt like déjà vu. He told you, his tone dead serious, that you were wrong, and that although it seemed like you were reliving that anecdote you both loved to tell, you should never take his feelings for granted. You let out a disbelieving laugh, closing your eyes and resting your forehead on his shoulder, and silence fell over you both as Changbin whispered how much he loved you, that he hated that you had both suffered so much for a love that was actually so obvious, that you had been idiots with a lame communication, and that if there was anyone who deserved to be with him, it was you.

And he knew you were trying to take in his words, to memorise them, to lose yourself in his arms and never leave them. And almost like in a fairy tale, you asked him for a kiss, in that soft voice he would do anything for, and the gentle touch of your lips against his made him pull you on top of him, sitting on your green sofa. You sighed happily, perched on his lap, enjoying his warmth, the firmness of his hands on your hips, the soothing rest of his chin on your head, and Changbin watched you drift off to sleep, your heart beating along with his, savouring the moment.

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[enavstars]

Cyberpunk au characters (Part 2)

Details:

Jay

He lives in the city junkyard with his parents Ed and Edna, who work as tinkers and scrap sellers; he got his passion for engineering from them.

When he was a kid, he got extremely sick with a deadly disease that was very difficult to treat. In the shitty society that is the city, his parents could not afford the safest medicines to cure him, so they were forced to risk it and buy a cheaper version from a not so reliable seller.

Unfortunately, even though he did survive and recovered, the medicine was mixed with a drug that had an unexpected side effect: he began to lose feeling on one of his legs until eventually he lost control over it entirely.

Rather than having him to deal with an unresponsive leg, to help their son deal with his disability Ed and Edna decided to spend all the resources they could spare to build him a prosthesis and amputate the flesh, and, after a few months of tireless work, the family’s joint efforts were able to get him walking again.

As a silver lining to this traumatic incident, though, he discovered his passion for technology and realized his aspiration: he wanted to make bionic prosthesis to help other people forced to go through the same kind of situation as his. But his family did not have the proper technique nor the resources to teach him (it had been hard enough just to make a single rudimentary leg), so it was after meeting Nya and eventually telling her about his goal that he finally got the opportunity to learn from an expert. Although he was intimidated by Ronin at first, the two of them grew fond of each other almost like an uncle and his nephew (yes he's become a literal wine uncle).

To this day, the man is (secretly) very proud of his boy and thankful he got him doing something useful again after his retirement.

The anecdotes with these gangs happen when they are older:

Morro

He’s the leader (alive and in flesh) of one of the many, many city gangs; particularly one known for their violent tendencies. For the area’s criminal standards, they are in fact relatively tame, because at least they do not ever mess with other arguably more serious criminal activities like drug dealing or pimping. They do like, however, beating the shit out of people for barely any reason at all (most of the time, just to “assert dominance” lmao).

One time, this habit came back to bite them in the ass when Morro decided it would be a good idea to mess with Lloyd. Obviously, underestimating him and the RGB as a whole just for being weird Outsiders was a terrible mistake, because as soon his brother caught wind of the situation, the fool got to taste Kai’s vengeful fury :).

As a result of that encounter, both Morro and Kai got VERY badly beaten, but finally the RGB got famous for being Those People You Don’t Mess With.

Harumi

The leader of THE most dangerous of the city gangs, known as the Sons of Garmadon (le wink), a cult-like criminal organization whose ideology is basically “survival of the fittest”. In fact, she is so obsessed about demons that she even wears pointy ear accessories to mimic their ears.

The organization itself is almost like a mafia, being at the center of most of the worst shit that goes on in the city. Of course, she loves being the head of all this attention, and she prides herself in being the deadliest and most cunning gang leader of them all.

On one occasion, after learning about the RGB’s (aka the outsiders) reputation of being tough as shit and hard to get advantage of, she figured it would be best to form an alliance with them to expand her contacts and (secretly) keep them in check. However, upon arranging a meeting with their leader, Kai, he is able to discern her true intentions. For this reason, when she eventually oversteps their agreement to try to manipulate the group, he is ready to confront her, and the siblings end up beating the shit out of her, marking the first time the great boss Harumi has ever been beaten up badly (by our queen Nya) and defeated in her scheming :).

Brad (le Greenflawa cuz why not)

Since back when he was a kid, he's been part of a little group of orphans named the Darklys, who like to pull pranks and cause trouble in general.

However, back then it used to be a lot more harmful than it is today, as the children were not completely aware of the damage they were causing. In fact, Brad himself was still an entitled brat, so much so that the first time he met little Lloyd ("Green"), the first thing that came out of his mouth was "Outsider, bow before me!". But it was due to Lloyd's deadpan response (he's used to his brothers being crazy stupid) and the awkward relationship that grew from it that Brad eventually realized that his bratty attitude was not getting him anywhere, and that little gangs' pranks were actually harmful.

So by the time he gets older, his gang is reformed to a more tame biker gang who only really pull harmless pranks from time to time. Brad himself is a far calmer person, but he still holds on to some problematic aspirations:

At one point he became fixated on the idea of him and his gang to join the Sons of Garmadon out of oblivious admiration. It was so bad that only Green was able to convince him, and only after having a pretty serious argument with him about how vicious and deadly they could be and how wild their insane leader's influence had become. But the stubborn Brad was not completely convinced, until in the end, Green managed to get through to him by emphasizing how his life would be in constant danger if he joined the literal most dangerous criminals in town. Most importantly, he confessed just how important of a friend he was to him, to which Brad, insecure and doubting his words, quietly replied that he didn't even know his true name. Right before leaving, though, Green offhandedly revealed his name to him, and Brad, left speechless, became the first person in years to learn his real name.

Long story short, he realized he was being stupid and was rewarded with massive gay panic :)

[kyojurismo]

I don't know If this counts as an Emergency Request and I know I've already made like two, but can I have an emergeny request?!

I'm just now realizing how freaking messed up I am with comfort and knowing when I need help and Why I want and hate physical contact so much!

I'm terrified when people start yelling and I get really shaking and -twitchy when people start raising their voices becuase I associate loud voices with "physical punishment"

I hate asking for emotinal support becuase I'm afraid of being pushed aside and scolded. I'm now realizing why I want to be hugged with so much force and just scream!

I'm asking for Kyojuro, Tengen and his wives, Akaza and Sanemi in a scenario where fem reader is remebering her home life as a child so she suddenly gets really jumping, twitchy, emotinal, and anxious, but refuses to admit she needs help becuase actaully aknowleging it terrifies her, but then she hears someone loudly yelling and breaks down just wanting to squeeze and scream and becuase her family relationship, she doesn't know how to react when she is just genuinly comforted.

Please, I'm really wanting some comfort right now, even if its just ficton.

▸ ANSWERING. i’m in super delay and i deeply apologise. i’m not sure i actually did justice to this kind of feeling… i hope that’s okay and that it’ll help you a bit <3 i’m sending you a big big hug 🫂

▸ FANDOM. kimetsu no yaiba

▸ CHARACTERS. kyojuro rengoku x fem!reader, tengen uzui & wives x fem!reader, sanemi shinazugawa x fem!reader, akaza x fem!reader

▸ RATING. sfw

▸ WARNINGS. this is my first time writing for akaza i’m shaking, tension, crying, childhood trauma, angst but with comfort, not proofread ofc. lemme know if i missed something !!

KYOJURO RENGOKU

kyojuro is checking senjuro's training, giving him advice and such, while you're cleaning the living area. you remember a moment from when you were young, casually: it's your mother scolding you because you're crying, then your father is here too... you sigh heavily and shake your head, as if to get rid of that memory.

you're unconsciously trembling the whole time, but keep on cleaning. every noise starts to get you more and more nervous, until you hear shinjuro calling kyojuro's name from his room, his tone always so rude, that you break down.

you fall on the ground, hiding your teary face and heavily shaking. kyojuro notices and is soon by your side, checking on you. senjuro goes to their father instead, avoiding him getting angry.

"y/n, what's wrong?" he asks you, trying to gently move your hands from your face. "i'll... i can handle this," you quickly reply, pushing him away. kyojuro frowns, not truly understanding the situation. "i just need to finish cleaning," you whisper and try to grab the cloth you were using to clean the table before kyojuro stops you.

"why are you crying?" he tries again, searching for your eyes. "i'm not crying!" you snap at him, not really making him back away. "baby..." it is as if you're crying even more at this point. kyojuro pulls you against his chest, circling you with his arms.

he's warm, his perfume is comforting and familiar, his big hands are caressing your back gently, soothing you. "w-what are you doing?" you ask, trying to move in his embrace. "i'm comforting you. you're not alone, darling," he caresses your wet cheek and smiles down at you. "i'm here for you, when you're feeling good and when you're down, you don't have to push away your feelings, or else it will get worse."

you stare into his glowing eyes, listening in silence. you've never felt like this before. you were used to force yourself to simply push forward when you were feeling down or overwhelmed, your parents never truly comforted you and kyojuro doing it so loving made a new wave of tears streaming down your cheeks.

"it's okay, let it out."

TENGEN, HINATSURU, MAKIO AND SUMA UZUI

[the memory is pretty much the same for the tengen & sanemi too]

you let a plate fall on the floor, making hinatsuru, who's standing by your side, jump. "wait, don't move..." she says, before kneeling down to gather the broken pieces before throwing them away. "i'm so sorry," you say on the verge of tears.

hina simply shakes her head and smiles at you. "we have plenty of plates, honey," she chuckles, before resuming washing the rest of dirty dishes.

you follow her example and keep drying the now clean dishes. in the back of your head you hear your father shouting at you for breking something and you jump, making another plate fall and break. hinatsuru turns towards you, nothing your distressed expression.

"lord tengen is gonna get mad... i'm so sorry, hinatsuru!" you cry, even though deep inside you know tengen rarely raised his voice at the four of you. "oh baby... don't worry about the plates, no one will scold you for breaking them," she tries to assure you, taking your hand.

makio comes into the kitchen, noticing the broken plate. "what happened?? someone tried to attack you?!" she raises her voice due to preoccupation, checking the whole area to make sure nobody is there to hurt you. "an attack?!" here comes suma. "hey!" tengen enters the kitchen too, to see what's the matter.

"he will get angry, he will scold me again, he will..." you curl up on the floor, cutting your hand with one of the broken pieces but you can't notice it. you're repeating the two phrases over and over, hina and tengen are the first to notice.

"there's nothing, calm down," makio pushes suma away, sighing. "but what if he’s hiding?" she cries, looking around nervously. "don't be dumb, how can he hide when there's five of us here?!"

"shut up!" hinatsuru shouts at the two, making you flinch. tengen moves closer, moving you away from the broken plate and checking your hand. "dumb baby," he whispers while carefully removing the splinter. "don't get mad at me please," you're crying at this point.

"i didn't wanted to break them, i swear!" you scream right into his face while more and more tears stream down your face. "i don't care about a bunch of boring dishes," tengen assures you deathly serious. "get of the kitchen," he orders the others, who quickly obey and say nothing.

tengen notices you're shaking while staring at the ground. "hey, it's okay," tengen cups your cheeks and kisses your forehead, trying to calm you down. "i... i don't know what to do," you whisper, simply staring at his face. "you’re very nervous baby, why don’t you try breathing with me?”

you follow his suggestion and once you’re more calmed tengen hugs you, cuddling with you. he leaves a few kisses on your head while holding you.

“this is… so comforting,” you mutter against his chest, surprising him. “t-that’s the point,” he stutters, noticing how you never actually asked for help and are the one who’s rarely seen seeking this kind of treatment. “you’re okay, darling.”

SANEMI SHINAZUGAWA

you’re walking by his side while you two go back to his mansion. he just finished training with iguro and you clearly see he’s a bit tired from the past few days.

when you walk past a little group of slayers, you don’t notice at first but they’re arguing about something. when one of them shouts you jump, bumping into sanemi’s side. “what?” he glances at you and notices something isn’t right. the following screaming and shouting stress you even more, while memories from your childhood take control over your mind.

“what’s wrong?” sanemi asks you, stopping mid track. “n-nothing, i’m alright,” you reply, as if you weren’t clearly shaking and on the verge of tears. “yeah, well that’s bullshit.”

you meet his eyes and flinch back a bit, scared of actually opening up. “i just want to go home…” you try to avoid talking about it and resume walking, moving rapidly. sanemi grunts in response but follows you, staring at you.

once you reach his mansion you’re quick to get the dinner ready, hoping to distract yourself, but you’re failing. sanemi follows your every action and it makes you even more nervous.

if i speak about it, he would push me away and start hating me, stating that i’m weak.

“okay, i’ve had enough of your shit,” he snaps and stops you. he grabs your hands and makes you turn towards him. “you’re all twitchy, you’re holding back tears and you’re clearly distressed. what’s wrong? someone hurt you?” you shake your head, knowing that you would end up crying if you speak. “y/n, i just want to help alright? but i can’t do that if you don’t tell me what’s wrong,” sanemi gets more worried as the time pass.

you notice it and you start crying, feeling bad for making him worry so much. “jeez,” sanemi pulls you into an embrace and you hide your face against his chest. “i’m so sorry!” you raise your voice, crying. his hands caress your back slowly, trying to calm you. “it’s okay,” he assures you and rest his chin on your head, keeping you close to his body. “i-i don’t know how i should react, i just don’t know,” you grip his uniform and sniff, shaking a bit. “just let it out, baby.”

sanemi keeps comforting you, making sure you know that he’s here for you and that it’s okay. it’s okay to cry and ask for help.

AKAZA

[i opted for a nightmare in his case, akaza is visiting reader during the night]

you’re turning in your sleep and sometimes little wails leave your lips, you’re sweating. akaza enters into your house and reaches the bedroom. you wake up right before he enters the bedroom and quickly wipe your tears, catching your breath.

dreaming your parents scolding and yelling at you is the last thing you expected. you’re feeling as if your every next move would be the wrong one and someone will appear to scold you, making you feel small and useless.

“you okay?” he kneels beside your futon and notices your status. “mh, i just had a nightmare. it’s okay,” you reply, trying your best to get over it soon. “you wanna cuddle for a while?” akaza asks, a gentle smile appears on his face. “oh, um… why would i?” you genuinely ask, confusing him a bit.

“well… i think humans like being comforted after a bad dream,” he scratches his neck while chuckling lowly. “i-i’ve never done that… i mean, i don’t know how…” you stutter and start crying without noticing. akaza frowns and raises his hand to wipe away your tears. “let’s do that, alright,” he says before laying down beside you. he circles your body with his arms and holds you closer to his chest. “t-thank you..?” you whisper, letting him do whatever he please.

akaza caresses your hips slowly, kissing your cheeks every once in a while. “i love you,” he mutters against your skin. “i’ll always be with you,” he promises. you scoot closer and smile, taking one of his hands into yours.

▸ BEFORE LEAVING. reblog and comments are super appreciated. well i hope it wasn’t too bad because it started to suck for me lol lol lol

[chai-berries]

all my friends support palestine and know neil druckmann is a zionist

Decree # 13: No Scary Movies before Bed for Abby Anderson (#13)

abby’s voice is a whisper to match the darkness of the room. “hey, baby, are you asleep?”

“yeah” you respond in sleepy sarcasm. you shuffle deeper into your blanket.

“can i turn on the light?” this makes you peep open one bleary eye.

“uhm okay?”

the room is suddenly flooded with light from the bedside table.

the, open floor layout serves as a surprisingly large studio sized apartment, with a living, dining, and bedrooms in the same area as the kitchen. it’s wonderfully packed full of found books and pieces of art that took ages to collect. you and abby had lived here together for 17 months and each of you brought your own collections into one space. thanks to abby’s rank within the leaders of the WLF the apartment is big enough for you both to create a proper safe haven for yourselves.

however it’s not always as safe as you’d like it to be. especially tonight.

it’s been extremely stormy this winter and today has seattle bracing itself against wind coming through the bay and right against the stadium's walls. everyone was prepared for it. making sure the animals were inside and the crops were covered so everyone can hunker down for the big ocean storm. this storm has you and abby having a movie marathon. she found a bunch of intact dvds for the stadium collection and was rewarded with a functioning tv and dvd player for the storm. you picked out a romcom and a movie about found family while abby picked out two scary movies.

now four hours later, here you guys are, in bed, abby’s bedside lamp blinding you completely for a second.

“mmnph, you okay baby?” you mumble. your eyes are shut again, but you turn your body to face abby. the girl has moved to sit up against the headboard. she’s breathing deeply and clutching the blankets in her fists. when she doesn’t answer, you peek up at her with one eye. “baby?”

“yeah,” abby says when you sit up next to her. “i’m fine. i just couldn’t sleep. you can go back to sleep. i’m sorry.”

“no it’s fine!” you try to make eye contact with your girlfriend but it’s like she’s actively avoiding your eyes. “abby? did you have a bad dream?”

she looks at you from the corner of her eye. your face is earnest and full of love but abby knows what’s gonna happen next.

“i, uh, i had a dream about being sucked into a black hole. like, like the movie we watched.”

now, abby’s nightmares are rare. if she has them it’s either based on a book or movie she recently watched or the day at the hospital in salt lake. growing up in the apocalypse, your nightmares are usually the least of your worries.

still you did warn abby about the dreams. she already had a messed up schedule because in the three days leading up to it, isaac had everyone preparing for the storm. and when you warned her about the scary movies, she brushed you off and swore she’d be fine. now she was at the mercy of her know-it-all girlfriend.

your lips twitch upwards. you lay back down and shift under the blankets until you’re back in the warm spot. you look at abby.

“am i allowed to say ‘i told you so’?” you smirk up at her.

she rolls her eyes. “whatever.”

you pout. “hey! be nice to me! i tried to warn you, you big baby! now come here and let me cuddle you!” you open your arms and abby eagerly falls into them. she snuggles into your chest. your hands go up to her loose hair and comb through the waves.

“i got you. go back to sleep, baby” is all abby hears before she lets sleep take her.

when you wake up, it’s to a giant tree limb slamming itself against the large stadium window. you jump in fear before you recognize the noise for what it is, taking a breath. abby has tucked you against her chest with your head under her chin, so she feels you wake up. her warm hands run up your back and she lets out a groan when you pull away from her. “i gotta go pee!” you apologize, practically running for the bathroom to keep the warmth in your body. abby’s watches out the window until you return with a sleepy smile and arms open. all of your responsibilities have been put on hold until the storm is over and you're going to take advantage of being able to lay in bed a bit longer than usual.

“did you sleep okay?” you mumble against abby’s collarbone. abby’s midnight worries are gone now that the sun is up. well it’s up there, behind the clouds somewhere.

“yeah,” she sighs. “sorry about that”

“you don’t have to apologize. you remember when i had nightmares for a week after we watched that killer doll movie?”

“yeahhh, that movie was fucked up”

“it was! and the black hole movie was also fucked. you don’t have to apologize… But am i allowed to say i told you so?”

abby playfully squeezes you tight to make you giggle.

“yeah,” she grins down at you. “you can”

“okay… I Told You Watching that Movie would Give You Nightmares.”

“why’d you say it like that? are you decreeing it?”

“yeah. you know i like being right. and besides, when you get scared i get to protect you so honestly it’s a win for me.”

“glad my misery brings you happiness”

you respond to her grumble with a kiss on the lips.

“my sweet scaredy-cat,” you say against her mouth. “i’ll always protect you. don’t worry” you promise into another, deeper kiss.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

WIBTA for mentioning college again to my online friend, despite her telling me she knows it's not for her/not making a decision about it right now?

We both turned 18 this year, and are in our last years of highschool, and hopefully will both graduate this year! We met two years ago, and call and play games together sometimes, send each other selfies, share our silly crushes—she's the best girl friend I have right now and im very grateful for her.

Some info about me: both of my parents grew up very low income and from rough places and got full scholarships/a deal(like they pay for your college, and then you work for them after), because of this they're financially doing much better than both their families(my mother regularly sending money back home to pay for surgeries , bills, etc.). All of this is to say I've been raised with the mindset that higher education is my ticket to bettering my life, and I take school very seriously. I live in an area with a lot of immigrants, and all my friends do plan on going to college. Here is my disclaimer that I know college is *not* for everyone, and you do not need to go to college to be successful. But my friend is in the same stage in life as me, and I think it could be beneficial for her. She's not the best student at all(also home-schooled and does online schooling), but she's passing all her classes. We've talked about it before and I've asked if she's thought about college, and she said no because everyone in her family who went was just left with debt. Additionally she's not motivated in school now, so she doesn't think she would be motivated in college and would just end up as a "money dump". She's also talked about college with her mom, who said that she was only 18 and didn't need to make decisions about it right now. Right now her plan is to get a minimum wage job after high school(she's mentioned a fast food chain). I do think it would be good for her to get out of the house because right now she's basically stuck at home because her mom doesn't like going places. To my knowledge she has no friends irl, because of the homeschooling. Which is one of the reasons why I think college would be great for her--the chance to be with other people your own age.

We've only talked about college one time where I just asked, and after that I haven't mentioned it because I don't want to act like I have any say in her life decisions or make her feel bad. I've just been thinking about it lately because logically to me it seems like if she did want to go to college, now would be the best time because she would have the support of her online school where she has a counselor. Her mom didn't go to college and she isn't in regular contact with her dad.

For more context my family is middle class and I'm not sure what her financial situation is, but I do know comfortable but not deeply so. I would hate to bring up college if it's something she knows she cant afford( but long term I think going to college would help her make more money than any job she started now, which is why Im thinking about bringing it up again). I don't know if this is enough context, and I'm willing to provide more! I'll admit I'm not the smartest teen out there, so if you see any thing wrong with my thinking or think I'm a total asshole please tell me and I'll check my behavior. Im also keeping in mind her lack of motivation that she mentioned she had in school, and of course her mental health and wellbeing is of like. the utmost importance.

so, would I be the asshole for bringing up college with her again, despite knowing her situation? I really love this friend and the last thing I would want to do with her is be disrespectful and insensitive. thank you for very much, Tumblr! any advice you can give in the comments would be greatly appreciated.

What are these acronyms?

[avengerscompound]

The Tower - Nyotaimori

The Tower One Shot

Series Masterlist

Pairing:  Avengers x OFC, Bruce Banner x Bucky Barnes x Clint Barton x Wanda Maximoff x Steve Rogers x Natasha Romanoff x Tony Stark x Thor x Sam Wilson x OFC (Elly Cooper)

Word Count: 2253

Warnings:  smut (nyotaimori, bisexual orgy, oral sex, vaginal fingering)

Synopsis:   During the twins' first day of school, the Sex-Vengers decide to do something they can't do with the kids around, and Elly agrees to be the table while they eat sushi.

Author’s Note: Requested by mary_2824 on Wattpad.  You can send in your requests too

Nyotaimori

Takes place during The Tower: Family immediately after chapter 16: Reminiscing.

I stepped out of the shower, aching in a pleasant post-sex way.  I’d just been put through my paces.  Today was the twins' first day of school and when we’d gotten home, we’d gone to the home cinema and fucked while we watched old videos of our past exploits.  I’d ended up with Tony, Thor, Bruce, and Clint all inside me at the same time, so I was feeling particularly fucked out.

I wasn’t done though.  Natasha had the idea that we have Nyotaimori for lunch and that I would act as the plate.

I was a little nervous about it.  Not because I was feeling insecure or anything like that.  It sounded sexy and I knew my husbands and wives all found me completely irresistible.  I didn’t doubt that they’d be turned on by me lying there while they ate sushi off my naked body.  After the wedding ceremony on Asgard, I didn’t even have any sign of scarring from my cesarean to feel self-conscious about.

I just knew what it was like having to lie completely still for a long time, and I worried that if I got bored it might spoil the experience.

I did want to try it though, and I knew I was safe with all of them.  If I was going to try it, I might as well do it properly.  I dried and fixed my hair, put on some makeup, and grabbed a black and silver filigree masquerade mask and a pair of black kitten heels from the walk-in.

Natasha came into the bedroom while I was slipping on a robe.  “Lunch is here.  Are you ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” I said.

She laughed and took my hand.  “You can always say no, you know?”

“Of course, I do,” I said.  “But you look pretty when you do the puppy dog eyes.”

She laughed and nudged me.  “You’re one of two people I’d let get away with even hinting that I would ever do puppy dog eyes.”

“Speaking of puppy dogs…” I said.

She laughed.  “Don’t worry.  The dog walker came to take them out for a few hours.  You’re not gonna get any random dogs running in and trying to eat sushi off you.”

We went down to the dining area, the rest of the group was over in the living area and could see what was going on, but Natasha called out to them not to look so it would be a surprise.  I felt a little bad for Natasha that she didn’t get the surprise too.  Especially given that this was her idea.  I figured that the reason why it was her was just that she knew what needed to be done.

She’d already laid a cloth over the table with one of our nicer towels on top of that and a pillow.  I took off my robe, climbed up on the table, and lay down.  As I slipped the mask on, Natasha brought the bags of sushi over.

“Okay,” she said.  “Get as comfortable as you can.  Hands at your sides.”

I lay down as she instructed and Natasha started to lay out the sushi. She started by placing long green leaves over various parts of my body, down my stomach, over my groin, down my arms and legs, and two small leaves to cover each nipple.  She artfully placed each one down and placed orchid blossoms around some of them.  “Where did you even get those from?”

“Honey, you haven’t figured out that money can pretty much get you anything delivered in an hour?” she teased.  “FRIDAY contacted a place that does these kinds of parties and negotiated a price for them to be delivered as soon as they could.”

I laughed and shook my head. “I guess I’ll never get used to that.”

When the plants were in place, Natasha began setting up the sushi.  There were a lot of us, and with Bruce, Steve, Thor, and Bucky, a lot of food was needed, so there was far more sushi than could ever fit on me.  Natasha wasn’t concerned.  She placed the sushi in patterns so it worked, putting as much on me that fit without looking cluttered.  She then set the rest out around me in piles on plates along with the dipping sauces and accoutrements.

“Okay, she’s ready,” Natasha said, getting up on a chair so she could take a photo of me.

The rest of the group all made their way into the room.  “Damn,” Sam said.  “You look so hot, princess.”

Clint whistled. “And how.  God damn.”

They all took seats around the table.  Tony was the first one to take the leap and take a piece of sushi.  He picked up his chopsticks and took a piece from my stomach.  “Mm… presentation does affect the taste,” he said.  “This is good.”

Steve had taken a seat closer to my head.  “How are you doing there, sweetheart?” he asked. “Are you comfortable?”

“Mm-hmm,” I hummed.  “I’m all good.  Thank you, honey.”

“You tell me if that changes,” he said and picked up a piece of sushi from my shoulder with his chopsticks.

“I wonder how the kids are going?”  Wanda said.

“I am sure they’re having a wonderful time,” Thor said.  “Riley will be entertaining all her new friends with her powers!”

“Oh god, I hope not,” Sam said.  “It was hard enough for us to convince them she would be safe to go.”

“I’m sure if anything had happened, they’d have called,” Natasha said.

“I hope so,” Bucky agreed.  “I hope they’re settling in okay.  But if they’re having trouble, I hope the school calls.  I don’t want things to get out of control because we never find out about it.”

“I’m sure it will be fine, Buck,” Steve said.  “They know things are a little different for them.”

“Can you check, El?” Clint asked.

I looked down at the threads that connected me to my family and I wound my fingers around the sky-blue thread that joined me to Riley and the grass-green thread that connected to Pietro.  I closed my eyes and focused on them.  Warmth and joy traveled down into me from the children and a soft smile settled on my lips.  “They’re having fun.  It’s lunchtime there too.  They’re outside playing.”

“See, it’s all good,” Clint said.  “Now let’s stop worrying about them, and enjoy this feast in front of us.”  He ran the end of his chopstick up my side and I squealed and flinched away from him.

“Stop it, Clint!” I said.

“Don’t mess with her, Clint,” Steve said, his disappointed-dad tone in full effect.  “This has to be hard enough to do as it is.”

“Yeah, Clint,” I pouted.  “No one has even offered to feed me any yet.”

“I’m sorry princess,” Clint said.  “What do you want?  One of these tempura thingies?”

“Yes, please.”

He picked up a shrimp tempura nigiri with his chopsticks and held it to my mouth and I awkwardly took a bite.  We both started laughing when the Nigiri broke apart at my bite and showed rice on my face.

“Well that didn’t work,” Clint said, eating the other half of the piece.

I shook my head laughing, trying to shake the sticky rice off my skin.  Steve reached over and brushed the rice from my face.  I swallowed what was in my mouth and wrinkled my nose.  “On second thought, I might just wait to eat when the rest of you are done.”

“Are you sure, El?  You really don’t have to do this,” Steve said.

“I’m sure.  I like being the center of attention,” I assured him.

“I’ll set some aside for you,” Steve said and began to fill a plate with sushi that I could eat.

There was a small lull in conversation as everyone focused on eating for a moment.  There was getting to be less food on me, though the two pieces covering my nipples were still in place along with a scattering of others over my body.

“Do we think these babies will have powers?”   Bruce asked, breaking the silence.

He sounded worried.  I knew he was. The potential for powers was a big part of that.  His struggles with the Hulk had been so hard on him and so volatile that the idea of powers being good, even now that his two aspects had been merged, was difficult for him to understand.

“You have all been absorbed into the Asgardian Pantheon.  You are gods, minor deities granted, but still gods.  Our children will all be gods as well,” Thor said.  “So they will each have their own gifts.”

“Will they be like ours?” Clint asked.  “I mean, Riley has weather-related powers like you.  Will Natasha’s baby have some kind of camouflage power or animal-related power?”

Thor shook his head.  “It is difficult to say.  Stories shape our magic.  Powers can be revealed at opportune moments, be passed on from parent to child, and be passed from one to another to complete a quest.  My powers can be shared through Mjolnir for example.  The powers our children are blessed with will fit their story.”

“That sounds like such horse shit,” Tony scoffed.  “Just say you don’t know.”

“Tony,” Steve scolded.

Tony huffed.  “Fine.”  He paused for a moment then mumbled, “Sorry, Thor.”

“You do not have to believe, Anthony,” Thor said. “The magic exists whether you believe in it or not.”

I knew how hard it was for Tony to bite his tongue after that.  It was pretty funny how absolutely dedicated to his atheism he was after everything we've been through.  He always said just because he was old and did things we didn’t understand, didn’t make him a god.

Tony huffed.  “Fine,” he said.  “I’m gonna eat one of these nip pieces.”

He snatched one of the maki rolls from my breast and put it in his mouth.  The leaf remained in place, so as he chewed, he reached over and flicked it away.  My nipple had pebbled under the cool leaf, and Tony ran his thumb around it and began to massage my breast.

I let out a soft moan and Tony smirked at me, swallowing his sushi.  “You like that do you, honey?”

“Uh-huh,” I hummed.

Tony leaned over the table and began to suck on my breast.  I moaned louder and my toes curled.  “Fuck, Tony.”

I had no idea what Tony’s plans were here.  We’d just had some crazy sex.  I thought it would be at least an hour or two before anyone was ready for more.  He was more than happy to just tease me though.  It made it very hard to lay still, and I squirmed as he suckled on my breast.

Steve ate the other piece that had been on my breast and as soon as he’d picked it up, Clint was leaning over the table and latching onto my nipple.

I cried out and my legs trembled as I tried not to buck my hips and send food flying everywhere.  My eyes squeezed closed as I tried to focus, but it was becoming increasingly difficult.  I was already soaking wet.

There was movement around my legs, plates being moved out of the way, and then two hands gripped my ankles, one cool metal and the other warm flesh. 

Bucky dragged me down to the end of the table.  I squealed and broke into giggles.  What remaining sushi that was still on me was sent scattering, some still sticking to my skin, the rest rolling off onto the table.  My giggles were cut short as Bucky lunged in and began eating me out.  He didn’t hold back, his tongue lapped all around my folds and he plunged two fingers inside me.  Given how recently I’d had pretty full-on sex, I was already overworked and over-sensitive, and I arched up hard and cried out.

No one else seemed particularly interested in doing anything other than watch or help bring me over - and that was not going to take long.

Bucky suckled on my clit and thrust his fingers in and out at a frantic rate.  His fingers hit my g-spot again and again.  I was sent reeling, unable to focus on anything but the pleasure surging through me.  It was added to by Tony and Clint sucking and massaging my breasts, and the other touching and kissing me. 

It was too much.  I couldn’t hold on and my orgasm crashed down on me hard.  I cried out, bucking up and arching violently off the table as I gushed on Bucky.  Lights popped in my eyes and for a moment, I was aware of nothing except that intense endorphin rush.

I flopped back down, breathing heavily and Bucky pulled back. “God damn,” he said.

I moaned, breathing heavily, and waved my hand back and forth.

“You okay there, Mishka?” Natasha asked.

“Uh-huh,” I said.  “No one else gonna come?”

“That was for you,” Bucky said.

“Thank you,” I said in a slight sing-song voice.

Steve came and helped me up, and Bruce helped with my robe.  “Do you want to eat now?” Wanda asked.

“Yes, please,” I said.

“You do that, and we’ll clean up,” Steve said.

“And when you’re done, you can get dressed and we’ll go get the kids,” Sam said.

I beamed at him.  I thought today would be stressful and full of worry, but instead, thanks to my unique family, it had been completely amazing.

~ END ~

[thesamoanqueen]

Blackwater X

Raiting: 18+

Warnings: Drama, trust behaviour.

A/N: and that’s how you turn love into a toxic relationship...

He had her for breakfast. In the bed, ending up waking her already with a broken voice and shortness of breath. And he'd had her for breakfast again on the kitchen counter, breaking the plate he'd eaten from and a couple of glasses. But he would have gladly had his third breakfast of the day at that moment, against one of the trees, in the SUV, even standing against the fence of the refreshment ticket area, not giving a damn about whoever was around, showing them what they would never have, why they were not like him, like them.

- What a nice view - he noted with a grin, gazing the perfect curve of her glorious ass, tight in that white skirt that wrapped her up to her ankles, the same ankles that that morning she had crossed behind his head, while he was eating her alive.

Y/N turned to face him, same smile, drumming her fingers on the fence, her hair flowing over her shoulder only partially covered by the top that left a strip of caramel skin in full view just below her breasts.

Her. Just for him.

- True – she agreed, letting out a laugh when Roman put his hands on her hips to pull her against him – did you ever come here as a kid? – she asked curiously, looking away again, to put her attention to the lake where they had stopped.

It was one of the largest in that area, just outside one of the cities near the bay area and now it was a kind of park for people, a point of reference. There were kidz running everywhere, some couples with no great prospects, even a group of old people arguing animatedly over who knows what game under the huts on the other side of the bank. If he remembered correctly Heyman had advised him to approve the works for the coffee shop and the nearby store, he received dues every year, but he received them from basically the entire state, he had lost count. But he remembered that place, because years ago it wasn't like that, not even close to it.

- A few times, was outside the pack land. It was a swamp down there, with alligators swimming around and outside wasn't any better… we didn't have a good reputation at the time – he said, seeing Y/N looking at him seriously, before gently rubbing her head against his shoulder to comfort him in silence.

That part of the county far from the mouth of the river had been marshy for decades. Mud and private land as far as the eye can see, with a few useless towns in the hands of alphas that weren't worth even one of his legs. No one had ever seen potential there, especially since it bordered the edge of what was once territory that his dad and uncle had hard-won for their family. They traded, lived as a pack and for decades people had called them savages, deciding to have as few contacts as possible, investing elsewhere and forcing them to make absurd trips to earn something with shameful deals.

His family had honor, they had always refused to compromise and Roman had grown up with impossible rules, seeing his father disappear for months to ensure everyone a poor future, while his mama and uncles kept things in check. He had dealt with all the idiots and their dumbass families who had called savages after him, but he couldn't remember their faces, they had never been worth it. But he remembered the beatings that him and his cousins had taken sometimes for crossing the border when they were kidz. And he had given them back with interest.

Now no one called his family savages. No one dared even say a word from the reserve to the next state if they crossed their path. And where those little dogs had left trash for years, he had built everything, showing them that he was better, that his family was better and that they even had to thank for the air they breathed. Now everything around him was his and one day it would go to his sons and they too would do whatever they wanted.

- Have you ever swam with them? Alligators I mean - Y/N distracted him, pulling him out of his mind with a harmless movement of her hips that made him lower his head to look at her.

- I tried to avoid it - he laughed, recognizing an all too curious look on her face and her tentative to improve his mood.

- But did it happen?

- That's not a question you should asking me sneaky lil - he pinched her and the bratty face she showed him forced Roman to wedge her against the fence to press his body against hers.

What wouldn't he-

- My Tribal Chief - Heyman called and Ro stopped looking at Y/N, who just as silently, seemed as unhappy about the interruption as he was, even if he knew the reason for that face.

Her and the Wiseman didn't get along, they tolerated each other, to be honest it was a miracle that he still hadn't seen her cut off his head mercilessly. Especially since Paul had perfect timing for the wrong moments.

- I'm sorry to interrupt you, but here... that agreement that had to be signed today, things has become a lil complicated now - Paul insisted, mistaking the silence of both on them for a go-ahead.

- What's complicated? They can't write their names? – he asked annoyed, seeing Y/N suddenly turn around when Paul started laughing at the joke.

He hadn't meant to be funny, but she definitely was with that face. He was torn as to whether she was shocked or disgusted, but whatevere it was, he liked it. She was adorable, always narrowing her eyes as if she had to force herself to see better when there was nothing to see.

- My Tribal Chief, it's funny, you’re so funny. I got a call, though… it was one of the other side's lawyers, a kid I had kicked out of a Dumbo studio years ago, he wasn't even qualified to be an assistant, but apparently they've been doing charity work lately. He reminded me who he was at our first meeting and I reminded him what happened, so he must have thought to be smarter this time and do his job well

- Wise man - Roman called him back, instantly stopping the river of words that he was emptying on them, because Paul Heyman who started talking in bursts would have been too much for anyone.

- Yes, going straight to the point... there are other parties involved. They are… I quote, thinking about it.

Y/N still under his arm bent her head almost imperceptibly at that news, but Roman found himself just as quickly finally turning to his special counselor, frowning. Had he really interrupted him for that bullshit? What was that supposed to be, a joke? Now they allowed themselves to bother him and joke about business?

- There's no one except me, there’s only my family here. There's only me – he growled not at all amused, but before his mood could even cross the limit, probably making Paul cry, Y/N leaned on his arm, her ponytail full of waves swinging behind her shoulder.

-It wouldn't be a bad idea, however, going there, just for checking things - she reflected, giving a cold look to Paul who had breathed a sigh of relief.

Show up? Should he bother himself and go to them? That wasn't how it worked, he was the alpha, the head of the table, they weren't the ones dictating the rules.

- I don't have to go. It's not my place, they come to me and if they want to talk to someone, they can talk to him.

- Yes, but it would be a way to remind everyone how things are, that he's not the one running your family's business. And I already had plans for the day, remember? You have nothing to do, keep yourself busy doing something useful - she tried to reason with him and although she was right, Roman ended up turning up his nose at the idea of getting into the suv again and what's more without her.

Plans, she had plans. He knows, she'd told him during the boring breakfast and she'd been firm, but those plans didn't sit well with him.

- Naomi can wait – he muttered annoyed, making her raise an eyebrow.

- No. I'll go to her, you to take those business done or whatever should happen - she cut short, without even negotiating and Roman moved his gaze to an empty spot in the park, swallowing the bitterness that had risen in his mouth .

He didn't like knowing her in town with Naomi, he didn't like the idea of splitting up and he didn't like not knowing what might have happened since Solo had to stay with him and the twins were still around trying to undo the damage they had caused a month earlier. The instinct to stay close to her made him nervous, there were too many people in town, too many places to disappear, but he had promised to give her space now that things had changed, he said he would trust her...

He felt her tug at his neck, her face leaning softly against his, her lips leaving a quick kiss on his beard and then rubbing against his ear, sending a rush of heat into him.

- I'll be with her, I promise. No runs. Be good and I’ll be good for you too - she whispered, moving to look him straight into his eyes.

She was a blessing and his fuckin endgame.

***

Y/N was so happy to hug her again and it was a strange feeling, without a definite purpose, the simple excitement of a rekindling a bond. Since she'd crossed the border and settled there, so much had changed, but what continued to amaze her most of all were the bonds she was building. She had kept everyone at arm's length her whole life and now she had someone to come back to, someone to tolerate, people to miss. Everything had changed so quickly and so radically that she always felt like she was dealing with her first times.

- Don’t do it again! It's so strange… I missed you – she admitted, frowning and immediately prompting Naomi to break their hug to glare at her.

- Is it weird if you miss me?! Yo what?!

- I'm not used to missing someone... but now that we’re talkin’ I'm having second thoughts.

Sitting back down and taking the drink and jerking back, pretending to be offended, she watched Naomi pout to look her up and down knowingly.

- You kept yourself busy though – she teased her and Y/N nodded with an exasperated smile.

They had last spent time together the day before that night, and things were different back then. They hadn't been able to talk while she was at her parents' house, every time Y/N tried to call she didn't answer and she had hardly heard from her after the twins had left to take care of who knows what business for the family. Roman had been almost her only company for over a month and well, that said a lot about how much things had changed between them.

It was strange to talk about that, too, now that she thought about it. Another absolute first time.

- You know… I think Paul is jealous, but I get it, it's difficult to see your ex with someone else, especially if the other one is me - she joked seriously and Naomi nodded even more seriously.

- The way he looks yo mate… mmh, it’s weird.

- Don't get me started! - she smiled, trying to chase the image from her mind -But... it's going well. He takes care of me, he treats me like he should, no problems, no dramas. Sounds boring – she mused jokingly, her fingers twirling the straw inside her glass.

Y/N for one would not have bet a dollar on her and Roman together and instead they ran as if they had done nothing else before. From one moment to the next everything had been perfect and it felt so strange, because she knew she had put him in a corner with her attitude and that she was still impossible sometimes even today, but Roman hadn't backed down. He respected her, made her ask for nothing more, he had learned to control himself - not completely, but Y/N acknoledged his efforts -, he didn't miss one time and even spoiled her. On his initiative, he had also decided to make dates, to really get to know each other beyond the idea of destined mates and make up for the years they had spent apart. They had done it for an entire month, every day, but he kept to organize dates anyway to spend quality time together. It was as if everything she had avoided and pushed away, every doubt, every fear, had been shut out by him.

- Don't make that face. Don't even try! It was terrible just looking at you before, you always looked broken and I can't buy the story of you all bored and sitting at home with those marks on you – Naomi pointed out and Y/N didn't even bother to figure out where she was pointing, giving in to a laugh.

Leaving marks on her was the compromise in order not to get bitten on her weak spot, she had to grant it to him and she didn't mind in reality. He was good at those things, she acknowledged it.

- Well, its not so bad

- Wha-what? Not so bad? Now its not so bad! And you didn't want hear talking about it before!

- It has its positive sides, are you happy?

- Yes, yes

- Good!

- Good for you. Honestly when there was that story about your presentation with the elders and the trial I was worried, it didn't sound good and I didn't want it to end badly… I'm happy to see you like this – Naomi admitted, drinking a sip of her drink, but Y/N remained stunned shot.

- What? – What she was talking about? Trial, presentation? Was something she didn't get?

She watched her set down her nearly empty glass, hands raised in a silent apology at the confusion she read on her face.

- You two are true mates and the whole family was involved, I know, but even Jimmy's dad didn't see our bond well at the beginning, I know what it feels like. We both got out though! And now that Jimmy and Jey are back here, maybe we can start over? Roman will be fine with it, right? He doesn’t want problem? – she asked, her tone serious for that last question and Y/N nodded without even knowing what, so as not to remain speechless or make that moment between them one to forget.

Mate's good with us.

Her she-wolf's voice rumbled in her head as soon as a glimmer of doubt made its way into the confusion of her thoughts, but Y/N ignored her, impassive, waiting for her to silence again as she had been doing for a month now.

- Yes, yes sure. I'll talk to him – she promised, feeling Naomi take her hand to reassure her.

- Everything works out, that's how it goes when you have a big family and now you're in it too! You will get used to it! - her smile made her chest tingle, her hand tightening around hers in return.

The ringing of a phone stopped her before she could say anything and Naomi was quick to rummage through her purse to retrieve it, standing up as her eyes caught who was calling.

- Wait it's chicken nugget, they were already back.

- It's ok. I'll finish my drink – Y/N released her, mentally thanking for that moment of pause, while Naomi walked away from their table.

- Take another one for me too, I’ll be back, hey babe!

Silently Y/N saw her glow just talking to him and for a long moment she froze, watching her move past the venue, her attention fully turned to her mate, the one she had chosen for her.

She hadn't chosen Roman as Naomi with Jimmy or her parents, but she had chosen to give Roman and their bond a chance. She had chosen to build something, to move on, to open up and it had all gone so well since then that Y/N didn't know what to feel now. Part of her wanted to go back to being angry, but had to?

They had talked about what had happened that day. He had said that he had been cornered for some reasons, that he was mad for all the pressure his family was putting on him, the responsibilities and by what she understood from Naomi's speech, he had not lied. Not completely. He hadn't told her she was the reason for that pressure, but maybe he hadn't because she wasn't the only reason. Now Y/N knew what he faced every day, he told her about the plans, he showed her what he had worked hard to achieve, Y/N had listened to him talk about what his family had gone through in the past, what he had gone through and how those efforts had changed everything. Maybe her presence had been an extra pressure to add to the load and his family had worried about how he was reacting, she hadn't made things easy for him anyway… but she was his mate, she was nobody to them, Y/N didn't even know them. If she wasn't the only one who caused that trial, court or whatever happened, why would he hide it? Now that she thought about it, when she'd just arrived, Solo'd said something about her and how Ro'd ordered anyone to not talk about her to the elders.

Looking away from the street, she thrown down her drink, raising a hand to order another round without even thinking. She felt her muscles tense again and that feeling of tension that she thought had left her once and for all… she didn’t like it.

***

Her scent had guided him through the forest to the river dock, replacing the chaos of his day with the beating of her heart, her breathing slow, a little heavy. He would have preferred to find her at home, to know her safe in a place that was only theirs now, but he had to give her some freedom, he knew that and up to that moment she had never gone beyond the reserve without him. It wasn't a good time, things had suddenly added up that not even the Wiseman had taken into consideration, but Y/N loved to run and as long as the situation didn't get more complicated and she remained safe, it was a whim he could give her.

Roman found her sitting at one of the only two tables they had set up next to the river. There was a nice view from there, the river curved in a larger area between the slopes from which you could see part of its course, the water there always had the color from which it got its name. When his house was finished, years before, he had bought a small boat to move along that stretch of the river, he had arranged some tables, a housing for the bonfire, but no one had ever used any of it over the years, things had changed quickly. Now Roman had a big barbecue in the backyard that only his cousins had used, a yacht at the docks downtown that he'd only signed a few deals on. Perhaps, however, things would have changed again, as had happened in those months, perhaps Y/N would have liked it.

He sat next to her on her bench, immediately wrapping his arms around her hips and burying his face in her neck, to inhale her scent.

- We haven't been separated for days, you know? – Y/N sighed in resignation, feeling him leave a streak of kisses up to her temple.

- It was enough.

It had been. Having that meeting without any warning, having to deal with certain issues again, like it was not clear enough out there who was in control, staying away from her. He had gotten used to having her close all the time, in that month they had hardly ever moved away from each other and even half a day at that point seemed too much to Roman. She calmed him down. More or less.

-You're so dramatic... how it went? – he heard her ask, as his hands worked their way under her top, touching as much of her as they could, pulling her closer and closer until she was wedged between his legs.

- They'll sign - he stammered, his face still buried in her neck, heat building.

Her presence, touching her, managed to close every external door in his head, as if his wolf ceased to sense anything other than her. Nothing mattered beyond the curve of her back, her fingers lazily scratching his thights or the back of his neck, that scent he couldn't living without anymore.

- What were the agreements for? – he heard her ask softly, his kisses becoming more needy.

- Let's not talk about it... it doesn't matter now...

Those stuff had value outside, not when she was with him, when no one could disturb them and he was able to give a boundary to the rest. In those moments all he cared about was having her as close as possible, his breathing slowly replicating hers, her pulse rumbling in his ears, his bones turning liquid as the blood boiled. It was something he would never tire of having and seeking, like an addiction he fought to get worse.

He growled against her skin, biting lightly into her shoulder, feeling Y/N gasp as he licked at the spot she still refused to give him and he fought hard to avoid. He released one hand from her top, moving up along her throat, placing the other on her soft hip to keep her pressed against him, his boner starting to wake up on his pants.

- I don't want to mind your business - Y/N said, her head bending - I was thinking, however, that I'll have to do something now that I'm here, so maybe I could help in some way... - hands that kept stroking him slowly, too slowly - I've never done this before, but there will be something I can do. If Paul can do it, I’ll be great, right? – and Roman froze, what was that story?

She was always attentive when he showed her something and she had been even in the weeks when things still didn't work out between them, but she had never seemed interested to the point of wanting to help. And besides, she didn't even have to do it, he was the one to provide for everyone, especially her.

- You don't have to do anything, there's no need. You have everything and if something isn't enough, say it, I'll take care of it – he assured, stroking her chin and watching her shrug.

If she needed anything, whatever, she just needed to tell him. He wouldn't deny her anything and there was nothing he couldn't give her.

- I want to help you. Do my part, so maybe we don't get another trial popping up for me that I don't know anything about - she said as if they were talking about the weather, and Roman stopped the instant the word left her mouth.

Speechless, he watched her impassively return his gaze, her hands still in their place, her body that showed no sign of moving and that he was only now aware, hadn't moved to reciprocate his attentions.

Where did that trial story come from? She shouldn't have known anything about it, he hadn't told her, he had kept her away from that story, how was it possible that she knew anything about it? She spoke little or nothing to Paul, they weren't compatible and Solo… Solo hardly ever opened his mouth with anyone, was impossible. She couldn't have found out by walking around town for half a day, people were talking about her family's business, but that was a confidential matter that very few knew about.

That last thought hit him full force and without even controlling himself, he pursed his lips angrily, brow furrowing, nervousness mounting. Very few knew about that story and the only person she had spent the day with as far as he knew, the only one he had sensed a trace of on her was his cousin's wife and that was definitely none of her business.

- Naomi said that to you? Now she talks about me when ain’t around? That story ain’t even her husband business, she has no right- he growled, going from nothing to exploding in less than a second and Y/N turned to face him just as quickly.

- It's about me though – she noted seriously and Roman wrinkled his nose, moving his gaze elsewhere in an attempt to uselessly control his anger.

They shouldn't have had that conversation, should never have had it. He still did everything after a month to avoid it and half a day away from him was enough to get there. He was furious, so angry that he felt his wolf growl in his ears to get out. Because yes, it was about her and he didn't want her to worry, he didn't want wrong thoughts in her mind.

That's not good for our mate. Stop it.

- She wasn't talking about it, it's not her or Jimmy's fault, she just mentioned it… she assumed that I knew and wanted to give me her support, but I had no idea what the hell this trial was about, because you didn't tell me anything - she said slow and Roman looked back, breathing short, muscles tense.

- Because there was no need, I'm the one to provide for others, for you. Im the giver, I'll solve it, I-

- That's enough, hear me out now- the tone in which she shushed him wasn't the kind of tone an omega would use, not with an alpha, not with anyone else. No one shushed him.

But she was his omega, she was his mate and however badly he might have reacted, his wolf couldn't help but stop himself and certainly, feeling her hands caressing him helped. Overwhelmed, he looked down, following the movement of her fingers tracing the tattoo on his arm, her tatau, her thumb rubbing the back of his fist clenched around nothing. He heard her take a deep breath and lifted his brown eyes again, anger slipping away from him as she returned his gaze with a different expression.

- I like this thing between us - she confessed and Roman clearly perceived the weight of those words, like a boulder on his back - At first it didn't go like this, but now I realize that I needed it... I like it. I like that you want to take care of me, that you are always there trying to gimme everything and that everything around me is perfect, but if something is wrong… we should talk about it, you need to tell me what’s going on. You always say that I'm your mate, I shouldn't be your mate only on certain occasions.

Since the night after the trial, things had changed between them in many ways. In ways that even he hadn't planned on and that had spiraled out of his control. Y/N had become fundamental. The stories told so much about mates, but not even the most unrealistic of those stories could have prepared him for what she had become in his life. It wasn't about attraction, complicity or who knows what else, he needed her like the air he breathed and knowing that it was the same for her now, it went to his head. Because he wasn't going to lose everything, to see that doubt, that look on her face after what he'd worked hard to achieve. He made a promise to make her happy, he had given her everything, everything she had never had and he didn't tolerate that some stupid rumor, a useless doubt born of someone who knew nothing about it, undermined what he had built for them. Roman didn't allow it, he couldn't bear it, no.

- We shouldn't even have this talk, it's not like that, it's a stupid drama, it comes from outside, it's not between us. We're fine, there's not a single problem between us - he tried to reason with her, hand now rubbing his beard.

They were fine, they were finally fine. They woke up every morning together, they talked, they spent hours doing anything to spend time with each other, they started talking through bonding during runs, they fucked every freakin day without getting tired, she laughed even. She was happy, she had even admitted it and Roman had found what he had always lacked, they were fine! There was no need to talk about that story! They didn't have any problems to discuss or solve, they were perfect, dramas came from outside. It was others’s fault.

Its them again.

- Ro a month ago you weren't good at all, I was there, I saw you. And now I find out it was because of me? - his head moved quickly before she'd even finished speaking.

- Nah, nah. It wasn't you, it was a problem that came from outside, like this one and I solved it anyway. It's okay now, you're fine, we're fine. I take care of everything as I always have and as I will continue to do. You don't have to think about it – he reassured her, hands moving up to hers, stroking her cheek, holding her shoulders.

That trial had come upon him for no reason, because of those who still doubted despite all he had done in those years, guaranteeing everyone better lives that they had not managed to achieve on their own for decades. It had been a low blow, thrown at her because she was now his weak point, but he'd gotten out of it anyway. He had gone out with her. Because whatever obstacle life put in front of him, he found a way to overcome it, it was in his nature and it was also in his nature to go further. Just like he was doing with her. They had gotten off to a bad start, but now they had a bond that no one out there could replicate and so it should continue to be.

- I just want you to tell me if something is wrong, I want to do my part if it's important and not find myself in situations like this like some shit that ends up in someone's foot during a fight-

- If I’ll ever need you by my side, I'll tell you. But don't think about it now. It's stupid, I'll take care of it.

It was his job, it was his role, and he was in control. She just had to stop worrying. It wasn't what he had in mind for her, not what he had planned, it wasn't what he wanted for her.

- Care of what? – he heard her ask in exasperation and he tightened his grip on her shoulders, resting his forehead on hers, inhaling her scent.

- Nothing, cause whatever they said to you its not true. Everything is fine. We're fine.

- Ro…- Y/N called him, his eyes fixed on hers and Roman nodded, his hand caressing the back of her neck with love and devotion, sinking into her soft hair.

- You have my word – he promised seriously and for a long moment, Y/N didn't move looking at him and deciding what to do.

He saw in her eyes the same expression that had haunted him for weeks, that judgment that had kept him in the balance, that had driven his wolf to try anything to win her approval. As if she was looking inside him for an answer and Roman remained silent to return her gaze, his fingers unable to stop moving along her skin, caressing her as he had done every night for the past month to help her fall asleep more quickly and give up completely into his arms. Who knows how long seemed to pass, his mood began to mount again, his patience to run out, but just as she had begun that speech, Roman saw her leave it with a heavy breath and a nod of her head, quick not so sure, to hide herself anyway in his neck and allow him to squeeze her again.

- I'm a man of my word - he reminded her, kissing her hair and feeling her hands tightening on his white shirt, behind his back, as if she were clinging to him.

- I know

Tag squad: @sunnyfleur23 @racerchix21 @alyyaanna @angelreigns444 @romanreignsdefencesquad @romanstheory @claymorexpunisher @keybladeofsteel @msbigredmachine @nayys-world @gobbersworld @utika151209 @cumxxslutt @civildawn @romanmydaddy @triscillal @papireigns-05 @helensanders92 @darqchilddaydreamz @meggylynnloves @unfriendly--blvck--hottie @nicolewoo @wrestlezaynia @reignsx @reigns-central-blog @kianaleani @daguenoire @extra-11 @thedonsfactory @snowpanda18 @brattyfics @mzv11 @romanreignseater @namjoonspinkytoenail @tribalchiefdaily @2baddies2furious @vebner37 @depressedneedingrevenge @cyberdejos2 @thewarlordsworld @jeonmahi1864 @jxtina-86 @harmshake @harlem11680 @joanoai @southerngirl41 @blkbutterfly816 @spritelucozade @sheerbeautyreigns

[pimosworld]

The ties that bind

Pairing- Dave York x f!reader x Francisco Morales

Series Summary-Dave is a private investigator who tracks down soulmates. He’s tasked to find Frankie’s, but what happens when he finds you and he wants you to himself?

CW-18+,MDNI, Angst,Fluff,Eventual Smut,Hurt, Comfort,MMF dynamics. General warnings for each chapter. Anything sensitive will be added to individual chapters.

WK-5.5K

A/N-This starts out angsty but I don’t write sad endings so keep that in mind going forward. Reader has a best friend very near and dear to my heart.

[Series Masterlist][Main Masterlist]

Not beta read

Chapter I

Dave looks over the file on his desk again before he makes the call. He reviewed it the night before and was going to contact the client until he realized not everyone holds the same weird hours as he does. Insomnia. 

  He takes a sip of his coffee as he dials the number with a Florida area code. At least he would get to enjoy some nice weather this time. The last soulmate he tracked down mid winter lived in Buffalo New York, he wasted weeks trying to find him only to find out he was happily married and had no intention of leaving his current wife. The woman who hired him was devastated but…devastated doesn’t pay the bills so she was out twenty grand, and went back to being single a few states over. 

  They don’t always end in misery but he’s used to it now. He wonders why he still does it, maybe helping these people will erase the thought of killing someone’s soulmate when he’s contracted for his other job. He can’t think about that one too much. 

  “Hello Santiago speaking.” Dave glances down at the file once more to be sure. 

  “Ugh yes I’m Dave York calling to reach Francisco Morales?” He hears a low curse on the other end and some apologies. 

  “Oh ya, just give me a second.” He can hear ruffling and the sound of a sliding door. My patience is already wearing thin. 

  “Thanks for returning my call. I’m actually hiring you on behalf of my friend Francisco.” 

  This wouldn’t be the first time he was contracted to find someone’s soulmate because some friend or family member couldn’t keep their nose where it belonged. There would most certainly be drama and resistance. Two things Dave did not handle well. 

  “That’s very generous of you. Is Francisco eager to find his soulmate?” 

  “He ugh…well…yes, yes he is.” Fat chance

  “I would need to meet him of course to go through with this, you understand?” 

  “Of course, that won’t be a problem at all. I sent you the details of when and where we can meet and provided you with the deposit.” At least he means business, either way Dave doesn’t care about the in’s and outs of why people do it. He knows it’s important… or at least he did. 

  He finishes going over the rules with Santiago that will hopefully get relaid to Frankie. He’ll find your soulmate and set up a meeting. If the person does not wish to pursue the relationship he will relay that to you to avoid any in person embarrassment. No stalking or harassment involved. If he can’t find them within 30 days you get your money back. 

  Some people frowned upon what he did. Purists thought you should meet your soulmate organically. They were rarely alone for more than a few years before they found theirs so he didn’t like listening to what they had to say. 

  He wasted years trying to find his love. When he did find her…it was already too late. Those six months were the best and worst of his life. Knowing he’s found his soulmate and gets to spend every waking moment with her only to have it ripped from his grasp. 

  If he had to spend the rest of his tortured life helping others not waste time then he would. 

  ****

  Why the hell did Will make them wear bow ties? This must be Amanda’s suggestion, there’s no way he decided they should all be this uncomfortable on his wedding day. 

  Frankie looks over at Ben and Will having some brotherly talk as if the younger miller has some wise words of advice having been married for all of six months. He loved rubbing it in that he was able to tie the knot before the rest of them of course excluding Tom who got married years ago when they were all in basic. 

  He tries really hard not to be bitter on these days but he can’t help himself. Of course he ran that risk when he married someone who was not his soulmate. He loved Sophia so much it didn’t matter to him. It’s worked out for plenty of other people and it worked for him…until it didn’t. 

  He didn’t try very hard to find his soulmate. Between being in the military, not being able to put down roots for so long and the fact that his soulmate probably hated him for all his scars and tattoos he can’t say he put much of an effort into finding them. 

  The hummingbird tattoo on his wrist practically taunted him his entire marriage. He pretended he didn’t care and so did she. She always told him they would try for kids when she was ready and he never pushed. He thought she was finally ready when she told him they needed to talk. Never in a million years did he expect her to say she found her soulmate and she was leaving him. 

  Their baby boy should be a year old by now, Sophia was pregnant within a month of the divorce being finalized. This was information Santiago insisted despite the others protests that he needed to know so that he could move on. 

  He can’t put the blame all on her. He left for Colombia to bring home money so they could start a family and he came home with nothing but news that her best friend's husband was dead. 

  It must be some kind of fucked up karma that they went back for the money and now he’s alone. If he’s really being honest with himself, he knows they never really loved each other. It was convenient for both of them. Frankie doesn’t like being honest with himself so he'd rather continue on painting her as the villain in his story. 

  “Hermano, you need some help with that tie.” Santiago starts fidgeting before he can even answer no. He slaps his hands away and Santi backs away with his hands up in surrender. 

  “Why are you being so nice?” 

  “I’m always nice.” Frankie scoffs at that. Santiago was never nice unless he wanted something from you. 

  “You picked up my tux, gave me a ride here and now you’re offering to fix my tie?!” He gives him a look and Santi knows it’s only a matter of time. 

  “I have a surprise for you.” He resumes fixing his tie despite Frankie’s protests. 

  “The last time you surprised me someone died.” Santi clears his throat but doesn’t protest, it must be bad. 

  “I hired a PI to find your soulmate.” That last part is rushed out but Frankie hears him clear as day. 

  He shoves him back a few steps which draws the attention of Ben and Will. “Why the fuck would you do that?” 

  “Chill out Fish, what’s your problem?” Ben steps between the two of them as Frankie looks as though he could spit fire. 

  “I told him about the PI.” Ben whips around to Santi. 

  “I thought we were gonna wait until tomorrow.” Frankie looks over at Will in disbelief. 

  “You fucking knew about this?” He can see it in their eyes and how no one will look at him directly.

  “Can we please talk about this tomorrow? I’m getting married in an hour.” 

  Sure he’ll talk tomorrow, they can all talk about staying out of his life and meddling in his business. Pope can call off the PI and they can all go back to being happy with their soulmates and Santiago can go fuck off somewhere in another country as he always does, leaving Frankie to mope alone with his thoughts. 

  “Ya we’ll talk tomorrow.” Ben comes over to fix his tie and Frankie clenches his fists at his side. 

  This is going to be a long day. 

  ****

  The new Mr.& Mrs. Miller do look very in love on the dance floor as Frankie enjoys his second piece of cake. Cake never betrayed him…his ex wife and his best friends maybe but never cake. 

  Ben dips his wife and it sorely reminds him of his wedding day when he and Sophia ended up with calloused feet from dancing all night. 

  His chest tightens at the sight of Molly dancing with her girls. She stayed so strong through it all and she looks so happy, maybe it’s just a front or maybe she’s choosing not to be a miserable sap like him. She lost her soulmate and never once judged them for what they did. She knew how Tom could be. Frankie doesn’t know how someone could treat their soulmate the way Tom treated Molly. He’s better off alone than with a soulmate who doesn’t love him back. 

  Santiago makes his way over to the table and gestures to the seat next to Frankie. He nods his head for him to sit down while he watches the dance floor. They sit in silence for a moment and Frankie thinks about how selfish he is for being so petulant about the whole thing. 

  Santiago never cared about finding his soulmate, maybe because of their line of work or maybe it was the nature of his being. He’ll never forget the look on his face when his tattoo’s disappeared. He told the guys it was fine but they could hear him trying to muffle his cries in his bunk. 

  “I’ll do it Pope.” Santiago looks at him with a mixture of shock and excitement. 

  “I came ready for an argument.” He slides Frankie’s plate closer to him to steal a bite of cake. “We meet him tomorrow.” 

  “Jesus what if I said no?” Frankie slides the plate back to himself, not ready to let go of his precious dessert. 

  “You might want to lay off the cake if you’re going to meet your soulmate soon.” Frankie flips him off as Santi grabs the plate and saunters off to the dance floor. 

  ****

  Dave’s always early to meet a client, but never this early. He couldn’t find a lot of information on Francisco Morales but he did find out he was Delta Force and so was the man that hired him on his behalf. He always met potential clients in a public place of their choosing to get an idea of who they are. There's no doubt in his mind that this coffee shop holds no significance to the two men and will most certainly not help him figure out anything about Francisco. 

  He knows it’s their military training that they will never seem to break free from. It doesn’t make it easy for your soulmate to find you when you're as mysterious as Francisco Morales. No social media, no parking tickets, no convictions. A minor hiccup with his pilot's license but his record was scrubbed clean a few years ago. It takes a lot of money to completely wipe your record. 

  Their trip to Colombia wasn’t as off the books as they thought. With Dave’s connections he can find out a lot more about the average person than they think. It’s true he is paid to find your soulmate but he has a duty to uphold to not put said person in harm's way. Frankie’s sketchy past and interesting finances make him a little wary to just introduce him to the person he’s supposed to spend the rest of his life with. He doesn’t know the circumstances behind his wife leaving him and that also has his guard up. Who just up and leaves after 8 years? 

  He pauses his thoughts momentarily as he notices an old Jeep pull into the parking lot of the cafe. He hasn’t seen a Jeep like that in years. His suspicions are correct when two men around his age step out. Still relatively in military shape, the shorter of the two in a black t-shirt much too tight for him and black jeans. The taller one in an open flannel and blue jeans donning a dirty cap and aviators…that must be Francisco. 

  They both survey the area as if it’s their first time here and that confirms his other notion that these men wanted to meet somewhere not near their home. Probably thirty minutes to an hour outside of where they actually live if he would guess. Fifteen minutes early to be safe but still not earlier than him. 

  “I should’ve worn something nicer.” Frankie smooths his hands down the front of his worn flannel as they approach the coffee shop. This was his nice flannel but maybe he could’ve taken an iron to it or something. 

  “Relax hermano, he didn’t bring your soulmate to the meeting.” 

  “You vetted this guy?” Frankie couldn’t find much information on David York, which worried him a little. 

  “As much as I could.” Frankie holds the door open for Santiago as they enter and head straight for the counter. Coffee is much needed after imbibing too much at the wedding. He’s grateful in hindsight that he chose this location just outside of town. 

  “Corner,black suit.” 

  Frankie glances up, hopefully shielded by his sunglasses. “He looks smug.” 

  “Don’t start.” Santi hisses under his breath as he steps up to place their order. “ Two black coffees please.” 

  Best case scenario, this guy finds his soulmate and Frankie can’t even wrap his head around what he would do with that information. It scares him to even think about it. 

  Worst case scenario, Pope is out some money that he didn’t ask him to spend in the first place and he can go back to whatever semblance of a life he was living before all this. 

  Way to be positive Frankie

  ****

  Introductions are awkward to say the least. Frankie and Santi seated at the small cafe table across from Dave who has set a notepad down next to his small coffee. The silence is deafening as he scribbled down a few things after giving them a once over. 

  “So I’m sure you have some questions for me. If you don’t mind holding those until I’ve gone over everything.” He’s not really asking and Frankie already had his hackles up at the grim outlook of the man in front of him. 

  He always hated ‘suits’ . This guy is obviously ex-government and he’s not really sure how someone like him ended up in the line of work of finding someone’s soulmate. Besides the obvious monetary aspect there is a lot of love and emotion involved and the man seated before him doesn’t strike him as the romantic type. 

  “Why did you decide to hire me to find your soulmate?” I didn’t hire you. Frankie looks over at Santiago hoping he’ll help him out a little. 

  “Well ugh…I actually didn’t.” Dave raises his eyebrows at that but lets him continue. “My friend here was kind enough to give me a push in the right direction.” After too many drinks and a lot of talking he reconciled with Santi that this was something he should at least try to pursue. 

  Everything seems pretty straightforward once he starts going over his normal way of doing things. Frankie understands after the initial round of uncomfortable questions that Dave needs to make sure he’s not some weirdo. He opted to return a few peoples initial deposit upon meeting them and not deeming them safe enough or sane enough to track down their soulmate and uproot their lives. 

  Frankie’s thankful he doesn’t pry too much into his reason for divorcing. Dave mostly wanted to make sure that he was not still legally married because he won’t set anyone up for heartbreak. 

  Dave has a thirty day guarantee, if he doesn’t find them in that time frame you get a full refund. Frankie is a little shocked at his confidence. People spend their entire lives trying to find their soulmate and he can somehow guarantee it. 

  “So, now that I’ve gone over all the logistics. Do you have any questions for me?” Frankie looks to Santiago who’s been uncharacteristically quiet throughout this meeting. Maybe out of courtesy for Frankie or perhaps he’s sizing him up. Either way, Frankie really only has one thing he is curious about. 

  “Why do you do it?” 

  Dave takes a sip of his lukewarm coffee. It’s pretty bad if he’s being honest but he needs a moment. He always needs a moment when this question is brought up. It’s usually one of the only questions he hates answering. Truthfully answering would require to let people in ‘strangers’. 

  These same strangers trust him enough to do this so as uncomfortable as it is he provides enough of an answer to suit both parties. 

  “I hate to say that it pays well, but I have to state the obvious.” For the first time during the meeting Frankie can see his hard exterior crack a little. The first time where he seems nervous and unsure of what he’s going to say. 

  “Also…I wish I had met my wife sooner. I may have had more time with her.” 

  Santiago excuses himself from the table. He doesn’t do well with emotions. Frankie knows that probably stung a little. He’s not sure if it’s worse that Santi never got to meet them or if meeting them briefly makes it all that more painful. 

  “I appreciate your honesty Dave.” He sends him a tight lip smile that doesn’t meet the eyes. 

  “If that’s all you have for me I’ll be in touch in the next few days hopefully with an update.” 

  Frankie shakes his hand, a firm handshake he notes to himself. Dave has a nice build, he’s not sure why he makes a note of that as well. 

  Frankie finished the rest of his coffee and headed outside. Santi leans against the back of the Jeep scrolling idly on his phone. He looks up at him but says nothing as they both get in, Frankie in the driver's seat. 

  “I just needed some air.” Santiago looks out the passenger window seemingly fixated on the passing cars. 

  “I know hermano.” He doesn’t need to say anything more. 

  Neither of them speak for a while, too many thoughts on their minds as they ponder the meeting and what all of it means. Seeing Santiago still struggling with losing his soulmate makes Frankie want to give this his all. 

  ****

  Santi can’t shake the thought of Dave doing all this because he didn’t have enough time with his soulmate. At least he got to spend some time with them. He's lied to himself all these years after his tattoos and scars of his soulmate were long gone. This was not about him though, this is about helping his friend move on and be happy. That’s all he wants for them after the chaos he caused in Colombia. He has to make things right for him. Frankie may not see it as his fault but Santiago can’t help but think maybe Sophia would’ve stayed if things hadn’t gone so poorly. 

  Santiago would never know that things started to sour in their relationship long before that Ill fated trip to steal someone else’s money. 

  Frankie was the one who had it all together. A real job he could be proud of , a wife he loved , a house for their future family. Things quickly fell apart for him after they returned and he was no longer the one that they looked to for guidance. 

  Santiago made it his mission to help Frankie get back on his feet after they went back for the money. Frankie got his license back, he bought a home that didn’t remind him of all his memories with his ex wife, now all he needed to do was find love. 

  Santi rubs his hands across his jeans trying to shake himself from the trance. Frankie eyes him cautiously from the driver’s seat. 

  Santiago leans forward to turn the radio down. “So how are you feeling about all this?” 

  “Considering he has a guarantee, a little better than I felt going in.” 

  He doesn't want to get his hopes up too much but he’s starting to get that feeling like things may be taking a turn for the better. 

  Frankie pulls up to Santi’s house and puts the car in park. 

  “I know what you’re gonna say, I’ll be fine I promise and I’ll call you later after I sleep off this hangover.” Frankie smiles at that,Santiago only lets a select few into his world and he won’t push it any further. 

  “I just want to say thanks Pope. This really means a lot.” Santi waves him off and hops out, he knows how much it means but he’s not gonna get any more emotions out of this day. 

  “Love you hermano, this time next year we’ll be planning your wedding.” Santi calls out over his shoulder before he enters his house. Frankie wants to roll his eyes at that but he secretly hopes that he’s right. 

  ****

  “Alicia! We’re gonna be late.” You stand in your bedroom in front of the floor length mirror putting the finishing touches on your makeup. The modest yellow sundress and strappy heels you bought ages ago are finally getting some use. 

  “I can’t decide on what to wear.” You faintly hear her yell from her bedroom. 

  You’re not particularly excited about this singles event she signed you up for but you certainly didn’t want to walk in late and have all eyes on you. She’s your best friend so you agreed to accompany her on one of her many schemes to get you back on the dating scene. 

  You cross the hall to her room and find a mountain of clothes on her bed and more clothes flying out of her closet. 

  “Let me see what you’re wearing.” She emerges from her closet in a slinky black dress to match her long black hair. She was a bombshell in anything she wore so you aren’t sure what the hold up is. 

  “Alicia that looks hot, wear that.” She gives herself a once over in the mirror as she smooths her hands down the front. 

  “You don’t think this is sending the wrong message?” 

  “Babe you said yourself you need to get laid.” You glance down at the time on your phone. “Shit we’re gonna be really late.”

  “You’re right, I did say that. Thanks for talking me off a ledge.” She grabs her phone from the nightstand as you follow her out of the room. 

  “You’re gonna need to pretend my room is yours if you bring someone home though.” You gesture towards the disaster she left on her bed. 

  She turns to you, grabbing your face and kissing your forehead. “Only a true friend would let me defile her bed for the sake of a hookup.”

  You laugh as you shoo her along out the door. “That’s what friends are for.”

  ****

  The bad news, you were indeed late. The good news is no one seems to notice as you both enter the hotel lounge for the event. Everyone is talking and mingling amongst themselves so you and Alicia have an opportunity to grab a drink and settle in. 

  You haven’t been on a proper date in years so she thought this would be a nice way to ease back into things. No pressure or obligations and no awkward first date etiquette. People were just here to simply talk and get to know each other. If you made a connection that was great but if you just didn’t like someone then there were no hard feelings. 

  “Cute guy at twelve o'clock is checking you out.” You try to do a subtle scan of the room as you sip your fruity drink. 

  “Alicia I don’t know what that means…Wait how do you know he wasn’t checking you out?” She steps in front of you to slightly block your view. 

  “He’s in the gray button down on my right .” She half whispers as she attempts a head nod. “Do you see him?” 

  “Oh shit he’s coming over here.” You both do your best worst to act casual as a tall and very attractive…distractingly attractive man walks over. 

  “I do have to say yellow is definitely your color.” 

  “Told you.” Alicia says under her breath as she leaves you at the bar with this stranger. 

  You thank him politely for his compliment and introduce yourself as you try to ignore the lewd gestures your best friend is making with her hands behind his back. Thankfully she’s interrupted by a man with a tap on her shoulder. He’s noticeably not the type she goes for. He’s much too tall for her…she prefers to tower over her love interests ‘it makes me feel powerful’ in her words. 

  Jeff was nice enough as he engaged you in conversation. He mostly droned on about his job in finance and his hobbies, his five year goals and now come to think of it…you didn’t really get a chance to talk about yourself. He excused himself from the conversation when he saw someone he knew in the crowd, leaving you in your comfortable silence once again. 

  Your moment of reprieve is short lived when a woman approaches you. You actually enjoy talking to her and you can tell she’s listening intently. She’s beautiful, funny and smart. Perhaps another time you would be interested but she mentioned she just got out of a long term relationship and you don’t have the energy to be someone’s rebound. You’ve spent years repairing your broken heart and if this is your one attempt at trying to find love again it just wouldn’t be fair to either of you. 

  You still exchanged numbers after she’d said how nice it was to meet you. Your eyes immediately find Alicia’s across the room with a man who could be her grandfather. He doesn’t seem to notice her look of save me etched across her face. You take this moment to tease her a bit, making the same hand motions she did earlier. An older woman looks on in shock when you realize a little too late that you’ve caught the attention of others in the room. 

  After offering an apologetic smile, you gather yourself and join her across the room. 

  “Sorry to interrupt, Alicia, can I borrow you for a moment.”

   She loops her arm in yours pulling you close to her side. “It was nice to meet you Irving.”

  “The pleasure is all mine dear.” He takes her free hand, planting a sloppy wet kiss on the top. You bite your cheek to stifle a laugh as she waves him off. You can feel her eyes on you as you exit the lounge. 

  If looks could kill you’d be a goner. 

  “Irving seemed nice.”

  “Shut up.” 

  You both burst into a fit of giggles as you make it safely to the hotel lobby out of sight of anyone trying to vy for your attention. 

  These were the moments you lived for with your best friend. The reason you were able to get back on your feet when you moved across the country to start your life over. She took you in like a stray cat, no questions asked when you replied to her ad looking for a roommate. You didn’t find out until later on that she didn’t need the money, she just hated living alone. 

  She came from a wealthy family and traveled the world before settling in Naples Florida. She never had a soulmate…it wasn’t out of the ordinary for people to go their entire lives without so much as a mark or tattoo. It makes you wonder if the universe chooses at random or if people are destined for that path. She is such a free spirit it almost makes sense why she can’t be tied down to just one person. Her biggest problem is making sure her current interests aren't only after her for money. 

  “So…what’s the plan for the rest of the evening babe?” You both step out still arm in arm. It’s a beautiful sunset starting just over the tops of the buildings downtown. You could walk down to the beach or drab a drink at another bar. 

  You can feel your dress starting to cling to your back from the humidity and you made a huge mistake wearing heels that weren’t broken in yet. Alicia looks at you and then pulls out her phone to call a car to come get you. “Let’s go home and eat ice cream while we discuss what a train wreck that was.” 

  You let out a sigh of relief as you push back trying to stand on the heels of your feet. “That sounds like a perfect night.” 

  ****

  “At one point he actually took his dentures out to show me.” Alicia buries her head in the pillow as you make a disgusted face. 

  “That’s awful. I’m so sorry.” You’re laughing to the point of a stomach ache. 

  “Ya, you sound really sorry.” She throws the pillow at you on the other end of the couch. “So tell me about the girl. You were talking to her for a while.” She raises one eyebrow at you as she reaches down to the coffee table for the carton of rocky road. 

  “She was nice.” You lean forward grabbing the carton from her hands. “She was more than nice actually…but she just got out of a serious relationship.” 

  “Ugh…no one wants to be a rebound.” 

  Your thoughts exactly. 

  You swear sometimes you share a brain, or maybe you have just spent so much time with each other that you can’t help but think alike. 

  “I’m glad we went, I needed to break the ice. It’s not like the love of my life is gonna waltz into the record store.” You loved your job, you always had a love for music. There was something so special about the medium of records standing the test of time. That’s the kind of love you wanted. 

  “Let’s just marry each other if this dating thing doesn’t work out.” She holds out her pinky as you wrap yours around hers. 

  “Deal.” 

  “Deal.” 

  You raise from the couch gathering your plush blankets. “I’m gonna turn in for the night, love you leesh.” 

  “Love you too hon’, get some sleep.”

  ****

  Sleep

  That was a joke in its own right. The problem with having anxiety is the one time where your brain should quiet down is when it wants to be the most active. 

  You brush your thumb along the etched roses on your ring finger. It’s such a fine and delicate tattoo, the line work is beautiful and the stem of it perfectly curls around coming to a point at the end of your finger. 

  You hate to assume, but it’s always felt feminine in nature. It doesn’t seem like a drunken mistake or a rushed decision. The tattoo feels intentional. You had a lot of tattoos in a short amount of time when you were in college. These tattoos were overtly masculine. A small Blackhawk tattoo on your left wrist, almost mirroring your hummingbird. A gun of some kind on your left ankle…you weren’t familiar with firearms. A tiny elephant on the inside of your left thigh, by far the most adorable of the set. 

  In short succession they all adorned your body before you graduated from the California Institute of the Arts with a minor in arts management and a major in music history. Your step mother always said it was a waste and your father couldn’t be bothered to defend you. Your mother would have been proud though. 

  It was years before the roses showed up on your finger one beautiful spring day. It was so unlike the others it turned your world upside down. 

  The reason you moved across the country to escape the control and the pressure of someone who couldn’t love you with those scars and tattoos. Resenting you more and more each day knowing that you belonged to someone else. 

  It’s those thoughts that keep you up at night. The nightmares and horrible things that only your mind thinks up. As much as you try to push those thoughts away, you know deep down someone is out there. Made for you. 

  We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses. 

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[merrybloomwrites]

You Can Start a Family (Chapter 2)

Summary: Movie night with the Rowland family shifts gears for the trio.

Thank you to everyone who read part one! I could not believe how many notes that received in just one day! If you haven't read it yet you can find chapter 1 here

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Tammy’s next two surgeries also went as planned and left her family breathing a sigh of relief. She spiked a post-op fever after the final surgery which extended her hospital stay by a few days, but once she became stable again, she was able to go home to finish recovering. She would be assessed to see if there were any more abnormal cells in her labs. If there were, she would likely begin a course of treatment but if not, she would be considered cured.

You had started to see Mitch and Sarah around more often. Once Tammy came home, they would all sit out on the front porch, since the fresh air made her feel better. Any time you were outside with Ryan you would pop over to say hi. You hadn’t met Mark and Tammy previously but were now very invested in her recovery. You would occasionally bring over more baked goods and sometimes a tray of food for their dinner. It had always been ingrained in you to help take care of the people around you.

You no longer fangirled when you saw Mitch and Sarah. After just a few quick conversations you were very comfortable with them, and they felt just like any of the other neighbors on the street. You actually felt closer to them than anyone else you had met in town. In the year you lived there you hadn’t had a lot of opportunities to meet people. Plus, the area you were in was home mostly to retirees. If you went to the center of town you were surrounded by the local college students who seemed so young. Even though Mitch and Sarah were a bit older than you and were pretty famous musicians, you felt like you got along with them quite well.

They felt the same way around you. Each time you stopped by they found themselves smiling, excited to talk to you and hear how your day has been going. They always invited you to stay for dinner when you brought them food, and after declining a couple of times you decided to take them up on the offer. While you didn’t eat with them all the time, you had been to their house on a few occasions over the past couple weeks. You enjoyed everyone’s company, and it was nice to have people to share a meal with again.

One evening about a month after first meeting Mitch and Sarah you were helping get dinner ready while Tammy and Mark were at a doctors appointment. Just as you were putting the last dish on the table they walked in the door. “I’m officially cancer free!” Tammy shouted immediately.

There was a second of processing time and the next thing you knew everyone was cheering and laughing out of pure relief. You found yourself hugging each member of the family. Each hug was fleeting, and after they ended you found yourself craving more. Aside from the occasional cuddle from baby Ryan, you rarely had any physical contact with anyone. Before that moment you hadn’t realized how starved you were for human affection.

You pushed that thought aside and focused on the conversation around you as everyone sat down for dinner. They all complimented you on the meal, as it was one you hadn’t made for them before.

“Thank you! It was always one of my favorites that my mom made. Took me a few tries to get it right, but I think I finally figured out all of the ingredients.” Sarah was watching you closely as you mentioned your mother and noticed how you once again spoke of your family in past tense. It had happened a couple of times, but Sarah had yet to ask any personal questions that would confirm her suspicions.

After dinner everyone moved into the living room to watch The Princess Bride since it was one of Tammy’s favorite movies. She and Mark sat on the loveseat and Sarah took the right end of the couch. You sat on the other cushion while Mitch set up the DVD player to start the movie. Once it was playing, he walked back to the couch, and you realized you were in the middle of the open space. You went to slide to the other edge, but Mitch sat there before you could move that way, pushing you to the middle between him and Sarah. It wasn’t exactly a large couch and you tried to make yourself as small as possible but that didn’t stop their limbs from occasionally brushing against yours.

Each point of contact sent a feeling of warmth through you that seemed to stay even after they moved away. You really thought you had gotten over your nervousness around the couple, but you were definitely feeling it again tonight. Shortly into the movie you started to think that this specific tension you were feeling had less to do with the fact that they were celebrities, and more to do with the fact that they were two people you found quite attractive.

It would be a lie to say you hadn’t formed slight crushes on both of them, even before you all had met. It was impossible not to, they’re incredibly talented and very easy on the eyes. You actively tried to squash out the crush now that they were real people in your life rather than individuals who just existed in videos on the internet. But in this moment, you simply couldn’t ignore the way they were making you feel.

Seeing you shiver, both from the feeling of Sarah’s thigh rubbing against yours and because you were legitimately a little cold, Mitch got up and grabbed a large blanket. He sat back down even closer than before in order to lay the blanket across the three of you.

In an effort to keep from freaking out about the now constant contact, you glance over at Mitch’s parents and realize Mark is very busy with something on his phone. A few minutes later the movie ends, and you immediately learn why.

Mark turns to his wife and says, “I’ve been texting with Susan and Jim. If you’re feeling up to it, they’d love for us to spend the weekend at the cabin with them. You could tell them the good news, and we can celebrate together.”

“I would absolutely love that! Thank you so much for coordinating this, dear,” Tammy replies and leans in to give her husband a kiss.

"And you're sure you feel up to it?"

"I can sit around the cabin resting just as well as I can sit around here resting. As long as you're not planning for us to hike a waterfall I'll be fine."

“Well if that's the case they'll pick us up tomorrow morning around 10.” “Oh gosh then we’d better pack and get to bed. It’s been too long since we’ve had a weekend away. And even longer since we’ve hung out with Sue and Jim. This is such a wonderful surprise.”

They walk over to the stairs and Tammy turns around saying, “Good night kids. Don’t stay up too late!”

“Mom, we're adults, I think we can handle a later bedtime on a Friday night.” Mitch replied with a smirk.

“I know, I know. A mother’s habits never go away. Y/N, feel free to stay over if it gets too late. These roads are terrible at night.”

You all finish saying good night and Mark and Tammy head upstairs. Mitch picks the remote up and starts playing Schitt’s Creek. You had seen it a couple of times before and it had quickly become one of your favorites. Upon learning that Mitch and Sarah hadn’t watched it yet you insisted that it be the next show they start.

The second episode of the night started playing and Sarah shifted next to you, putting her arm on the couch behind you. At first you thought she was just readjusting to be more comfortable, but a minute later you felt her fingers start to comb through your hair. You tensed at first but quickly relaxed, allowing yourself to enjoy the attention. After a few minutes of her fingers playing with the ends of your hair, she slid her hand to the left side of your head. You felt her put pressure on the side of your head, pushing you gently towards herself. Hoping you were guessing correctly, you leaned your head onto Sarah’s shoulder. She immediately placed her head gently on top of yours and began to scratch at your scalp. It felt heavenly and you practically melted at the attention.

Mitch was watching very carefully out of the corner of his eye to see your reactions to all of this. So far everything seemed to be accepted and welcomed. Mitch and Sarah shared a look communicating that it was time for the next test. You reacted positively to friendly touch, but what about something a little more intimate?

At the start of the next episode, Mitch slid his hand to rest on your knee as casually as he could. You again immediately tensed, first due to the surprise of the sudden contact, then because no one had ever touched you like that before, and finally because you realized this attention was coming from a married man. You had a brief moment of panic, wondering what he was doing. You looked down at your leg and realized it was a rather thin blanket, and you could easily see that his hand was resting on your knee. Which meant that Sarah could also see what was happening and chose that moment to place a soft kiss against the top of your head. It felt like a signal that everything was fine.

You once again relaxed, allowing yourself to simply be present in that moment and forced yourself not to overthink what was happening. Clearly Mitch and Sarah had some sort of agreement where this kind of physical touch with another person was okay.

You focused on the way Sarah’s head rested so gently on yours and on the shapes Mitch was drawing on your leg as he casually ran fingers back and forth. You knew this was all platonic, but you couldn’t stop the passing thought wondering what it would be like if his hand moved higher on your thigh. You tried not to think of that and instead got lost in the sensations once again.

You were no longer paying attention to the show, practically falling asleep as Mitch and Sarah lulled you into a mindset of peace, comfort, and safety. Suddenly the trumpets from the credits’ music jolted you awake, and you lifted your head off Sarah’s shoulder as Mitch’s hand slipped off of your leg. You looked at the clock on the wall and realized it had gotten quite late.

“I should probably be getting home,” you said, choosing to look at your own hands rather than at either of them yet.

“Like my mom said, you’re welcome to stay here. It's so dark on these streets and everyone drives like idiots.”

“Thanks, but if I don’t get home and feed the cats, they’ll poop on my pillow to teach me a lesson.” As much as you wanted to stay, you needed time alone to process whatever it was that just happened.

Sarah stood up from the couch first, grabbing the blanket to fold it and put it back in the basket.

As they walked you to the door Sarah asked, “Are you busy this weekend?”

“Aside from my normal weekend tasks of cleaning and going to the grocery store, my schedule is wide open.”

“Would you like to spend the weekend here with us? It’ll be pretty quiet with Tammy and Mark away,” Sarah continued. Mitch suspected what she was up to but kept his thoughts to himself for the time being, curious to see how you would respond.

After a brief pause you replied, “Yea, that sounds nice!”

“Great! Why don’t you come by around noon? We can start with lunch and see where the day takes us. Oh, and make sure to pack a bag, I’m thinking a slumber party could be quite fun.”

“Okay, but only if I get to braid Mitch’s hair,” you replied cheekily, causing Sarah to laugh and Mitch to roll his eyes with a hint of a small smile.

“Sounds like a plan,” Sarah states before pulling you in for a hug. Your arms wrap around her waist while hers tighten around your shoulders before she gently rubs your back. It was a longer hug than you were expecting, one that you had been craving since dinnertime. “Sleep well darling,” she says softly before giving a final squeeze and letting go. Mitch pulls you in next, holding you in a tight embrace that again goes on for longer than you expect. He places a kiss to the top of your head before saying a quiet “Get home safe.”

You blush and duck your head before glancing back up to say goodbye. You finally turn and walk to your car, your head full of confusing, but ultimately happy thoughts.

As they watch you leave, Mitch stands behind Sarah and wraps his arms around her waist. He leans down, pressing a kiss to her neck before leaning to her ear and saying in a low voice, “Are you plotting something?”

“You make me sound so devious Mitchell. I’m simply creating an opportunity for something to happen naturally.”

“And what exactly is this something that you hope will happen?”

“I guess we’ll have to wait until tomorrow to find out.” With that, Sarah turns around and pulls Mitch in for a deep kiss, breaking apart before they get too heated. After all, their room was directly next to his parents. That would simply have to wait until Tammy and Mark were out of town.   

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A/N: Thank you for reading chapter 2! The next chapter should be out in a day or two.

I've seen other people do tag lists so readers can get notified when new chapters are out. Would anyone want that? LMK!

[dailyunsolvedmysteries]

What happened to Christine Walters?

Christine Walters, a 23 year old botany and ethnobotany student at the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point, set out for a trip to Portland, Oregon to visit a friend during the summer of 2008. She wouldn’t return home to Wisconsin, and in fact, would never be found. Christine, along with 4 other missing women that have been labeled “The Humboldt Five,” would vanish in California’s Emerald Triangle: an area in the northern part of the state famous for growing marijuana.

What was originally supposed to be a two week trip to Oregon turned into a more permanent move for Christine, who decided to take a leave from her studies at the University of Wisconsin and remain on the west coast. She moved to Humboldt County, CA in September 2008. There is very little information about Christine’s life in California; however, her mother and other friends and family in Wisconsin reported that her calls became less frequent, and being without consistent work, she would often ask for money. Her mother reported a series of concerning phone calls in the months leading up to her disappearance, and her requests to return home to Wisconsin were returned with “I’m not ready yet.”

Christine had a genuine love and admiration for the natural world and California’s landscape. Having taught yoga and Pilates in Wisconsin, Christine’s passion for the environment and living naturally would also bring her to the Green Life Evolution Center. Now defunct, the center was known for its environmentalism and promotion of living a natural, vegan life. On November 7th, Christine would attend a “tea ceremony” or “cleansing ceremony” sponsored by the Center. A private investigator later hired by the family learned that Christine and others at the ceremony had ingested ayahuasca, a South American psychoactive. Known for its potential to invite "spiritual revelations," negative physical side effects can include nausea, tremors, and vomiting.

Four days later, on November 11th, Christine appears naked and disoriented on a couple’s porch in rural Arcata, CA. While Christine has scratches all over her body and is severely dehydrated, she also appears extremely paranoid and confused. From this point forward, eyewitness accounts remark on Christine’s unusual behavior. Unfortunately, it is unclear if Christine’s paranoia began directly following the tea ceremony, or had been developing over several weeks or months.

The couple calls the police and Christine is taken to a nearby hospital where she becomes evasive and refuses to answer questions about her injuries. Instead, she reports that she has “walked a long way” and that “demons … were trying to get her.” She is released and taken to the Red Lion Inn, where she calls her mother several times and repeats the same concerns about being followed.

On November 14th, Christine is seen for the last time while visiting a copy center. Having lost her ID, her mother faxes relevant documents to the copy center for Christine. It’s her mother’s hope that she will be able to book a flight home once she has acquired a new ID. It’s also reported by some sources that her father wires her $1,000.00 at this point, which remains untouched in her bank account. At the copy center, Christine appears disheveled and acts paranoid; she repeatedly looks over her shoulders, and asks for directions to a DMV approximately one mile from the copy center. She is never seen nor heard from again, and is reported missing by her family on November 17th, 2008.

Later, Christine’s missing backpack – with her identification and cash – is located at Green Life Evolution.

If you know anything about the disappearance of Christine Walters, please contact the Eureka Police Department at (707) 441-4060 or the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office at (707) 445-7251.

[apollos-olives]

Hey, this is a somewhat complicated personal thing? But I’d really like your weigh in on it— you’re a blogger who’s perspective i respect a lot. I’m wondering if i have the right to call myself palestinian.

A bit of background- i’m a romani-jew. My family is, as far back as i can trace, indigenous to palestine, but when my grandmother was a baby was forced out and fled across the continent to romania, and eventually she left for the US to become a doctor. I believe this was around 1947 when they were forced out, if i’m pinning it to other timelines, but she isn’t sure and neither am i, so i don’t think i have the right to claim that. She doesn’t identify as Palestinian, only roma, and practically raised herself without her parents (who were absent via work) and identifies as jewish, vehemently anti-israeli and not actively practicing because of that. I was raised jewish, but really often with scorn to most local jewish orgs and institutions, and i know my family is very actively excluded from the bullshit ‘right to return’ programmes in our area because we are, well, roma, despite how at this point compared to my grandmother we are very pale— to them, it’s a blood thing. My father is no contact with my grandmother, so i was not raised with her. My father does not identify as Palestinian as well. I wasn’t raised with her culture and practices because of that— I am almost completely divorced from what would be my own culture, but i still, when i hear her stories now, and her perspective on the very active genocide going on, wonder if i have the right to speak on it as a voice with any authority on the matter. Am i able to identify as palestinian? Do i have any claim to it at all, really?

i wrote practically a whole essay and then tumblr deleted it right before i could post. so i'm gonna make my response significantly shorter, but i'll explain why.

you are not allowed to call yourself palestinian. you were never raised as one, you were never part of the culture, and your family does not identify at all as the people of the land. you have not lived your life as a palestinian, and you do not have claim or authority to speak on the matter at the same level of other palestinians at all. it is not your right to call yourself palestinian, and claiming to have any authority of what the palestinian experience is like is incorrect. i assume you're about a quarter palestinian, yes? but only by blood. not by culture or connection or anything. your family identifies as romani, and do not identify with the palestinian identity. you have not experienced life as a palestinian, diaspora or not, and you have not suffered the same type of oppression that indigenous palestinians have faced. while your father would be half palestinian (i assume), he could technically be considered as palestinian diaspora (as would your grandmother), but since both of them have been disconnected from the culture, and don't identify as palestinian, then you do not have claim to that identity. like for example my grandma is half (i'm unsure about the percentage) turkish and palestinian, but my mom does not identify as turkish, and i do not identify as turkish either, because i was never part of the culture and never lived my life as a turkish person. i can say im part turkish by blood as a random fun fact, but claiming i have authority to be a turkish person is not correct. i also want to mention that being palestinian is a nationality, not a race or a specific ethnicity, so that is another factor you must consider when evaluating your identity.

you can, however, look more into palestinian culture and try learning about it. i hope when palestine is free, you can come visit and fall in love with our hospitality and culture, and look into your ancestors who lived there. and if you'd like to connect back with your palestinian roots, that's absolutely something that we are welcoming and would love for you to do. many palestinians who fled during the nakba have a tough history and connection with the land, so i'm sorry your grandma had to leave and disconnect with palestine, but i hope one day you can come to a free palestine and celebrate with us.

if your grandmother was a baby during the nakba, i assume you're very young. around teenage years (early twenties maybe). i know that figuring out your identity is a big part of this stage in your life and you're probably looking into your family's past. i suggest to look into palestinian culture, but don't discard the romani and jewish part of you. being part of those communities is a very culturally rich experience and you should be proud of that. don't stress too much on having to "choose" what you're trying to connect to.

in the end, i can't tell you what to identify as with your romani-jewish family and your palestinian ancestry, but calling yourself palestinian currently is not right. i hope i answered your question.

[jhoneybees]

The Cowboy & The Beekeeper(Chapter 3)

Welcome to chapter 3 :) I'm pretty excited for this one but it is quite a lot so please read at your own risk! Gosh, it's been a while, sorry for not being active😅

Taglist: @hooked-on-elvis @scarlettlight06 @joshuntildawn13 @elvisalltheway101

Characters: 60s!Cowboy!Elvis X Beekeeper!fem!Reader

Warnings/triggers: guns, gunshots, panic attack, people being shot, mentions of Y/n, Elvis' mother getting hurt(imagine Gladys if you want), age regression, slipping into little!space

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It’s been a few weeks since you insisted on letting Elvis stay and after that moment you had with him in the backyard, seeing those blue eyes and feeling his lips on your skin, you came to the conclusion after thinking for a week that you’ve caught feelings for him. The same with Elvis, spending this time with you made his heart pitter patter, made him think that he’s caught feelings, when you would look at him and whenever your skin might brush along his, Gosh his heart would gasp “She feels so soft…” kicking its feet “She’s the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen…” You’re both oblivious to each other’s feelings.

And it didn't help that you were secretly admiring each other's features when one is talking and a hand grazing along the grass onto one's hand in the backyard.

“No, rising sun can be a rascal sometimes…gotta watch that horse” he chuckles “Same with Rosemary, gosh she can be so naughty!” you answer with a quiet giggle and a shake of the head. Elvis' grin grows “Both got mischievous pets huh?” he questions with a laugh and a quip of an eyebrow, nodding as a response, you laugh. 

Your eyes interlock with his, a comfortable silence fills the air as your chests rise and fall with slow breaths until a sharp, loud, frightening sound breaks through “What was that?” you slip out, Elvis turning his head around with slightly parted lips “Sounded…like a gun-” another rips through the air, making you flinch. Elvis begins getting himself on his feet, slowly walking towards the side of the house. Peeking his head around the corner, his eyes landing on something far away, moving closer and closer as he breathes, cowboys.

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After getting on his horse to escape his hometown that was on fire, destroyed. He came to a realization that he couldn’t look at it the same way again, especially after seeing from afar, the leader of the  enemy cowboys shoot his mother in her shoulder to get her to move out of the way of the front door to the bank her family ran for generations. Seeing her gasping for air, weakly reaching her hand out to blindly capture one of the men's legs only for them to yank away. 

Running over to kneel down beside his mother, gently pulling her hand into his. Trying his absolute best to comfort her, to someway take the pain of the bullet in her shoulder away but it only earned a weak smile and a soft, quiet, weak last sentence “I love you Booby” That moment his vision turned red and led to actions that many would regret doing but to him, it was what he had to do. Barging in to meet eye contact with his mother’s murderer, clutching his pistol tightly in his grasp, tears brimming.

BANG

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Elvis looks at you, who's still sitting on the grass “Get in the house” your eyebrows furrow “What’s the matter?” questioning in a soft tone, Elvis making his way over to you, his Adam’s apple bobbing, he lifts you up from under your arms “I-I’ll explain later, just- just go find somewhere to hide” You eyes widen a little with fear, why do I need to hide? You thought to yourself. Elvis guides you inside through the back door and pushes you by the shoulders into the kitchen then to the living area, his eyes darting around the place as he curses under his breath in annoyance. He thought them cowboys would have lost him miles away, biting his bottom lip.

 “Maybe- Maybe the wardrobe in my room will be alright?” you stutter softly with your voice unsure of what's going on, Elvis nods and drags you to your room, opening the door roughly but making sure to not let the handle hit the wall before he opens the wardrobe to let you climb in. Urgently pushing your dress that was hanging over, under your legs and bringing his thumb and index to lift your chin, bending over to meet your eye level “Stay here, Okay? Don’t go anywhere, don’t make noise, just stay put Kay? Be as quiet as mice…I-I’ll come back to ya just gotta deal with something…Alright honey?” raising his eyebrows with his eyes shining with anxiety. You nod frantically, keeping your eyes on his “A-Alright I’ll stay…B-but what’s happening? What’s gonna happen?” Elvis sighs, he doesn’t want to tell you about his situation quite yet “There’ll be a lot of noise, just cover your ears, darling Okay?” you nod again “Mhm..okay” Elvis gives you a small smile, mumbling a “Good girl” pecking your forehead softly before closing the doors. 

The darkness of the wardrobe fills in your vision, your breath inhaling and exhaling loud in your ears. Elvis didn't really answer your question about what's happening but you won't ponder on that for too long and do what he told you to do, covering your ears.

Suddenly some muffled rustling and shuffling noises from outside catch your attention and you lower your chin closer to your chest. Hoping whatever is going on would end soon. You're scared. Just then when you were thinking of what Elvis could possibly be doing, a loud, threatening gunshot went off. Making you flinch and your toes curl, the slightest whimper emitting your lips. 

Then again another one shot through the sound waves, tears begin to pool in your eyes, you’re not used to guns, shaking your head silently, sending your thoughts into a never ending whirlpool in your head.

What if Elvis got hurt? What if he died! Oh no…what if you die? 

Your breathing picking up at rapid speed and your blacked out vision going blurry.

The ringing in your ears, you thought sounded far away suddenly charging towards your eardrums, not hearing your own quiet whimpers and choked up sobs. You don't know what you're gonna do, of course you're going to listen to Elvis and follow his instructions but the sudden urge to burst out of the wardrobe because of the claustrophobic feeling. Not caring for your own good if you get in direct contact with danger, and an urge to go find Elvis. Your mind rocking itself back and forth in the corner of your skull “We have to find him” your heart drumming “MOVE! HE MIGHT BE DEAD, PLEASE-” the world caving into you, heart strings being tied around all over your body as your mind cries out- 

…

The darkness you think would consume you, turn to light, almost like you’re sitting on a cloud…your body feels lighter.

“Honey?” a warm, familiar, concerned, heaved breathy voice echoing in your ears, you let out another of your distraught sobs.

Your body jolts at the sudden touch, you look up and see those eyes that could bring you to tears, your breath caught in your throat finally pushing itself out “E-Elvis…Elvie-” your hands shaking uncontrollably and your legs jelly, reaching your arms out to grab onto his shoulders and as you try to lift yourself to your feet. You instantly fall to the floor, fortunately Elvis quick to wrap an arm under your arm and behind your back and a hand gripping your thigh to break the fall. 

“Woah, woah… easy there, almost hit your head there” Elvis says in a quiet tone, getting on his knees. Rubbing his hands up and down the sides of your upper arms but then suddenly letting out a huff when you launch onto his lap, wrapping your arms around his neck, digging your face in the crook of his neck, the smell of his manly musk almost lulling you into a dream and your legs curling in. You just wanted to feel small. 

“Hun-” his voice softening, then you feel a pair of arms wrap around you, squeezing lightly.

“I-I-I thought I wost’ you…” you mumble earning the soft, gentle embrace to tighten. “Oh honey… I could never let you lose me…could never let myself lose you” more sobs slithering out of your throat as you buried your face even further into his shoulder, you really did think you lost him, you’ve only known him a month but it feels like you’ve known each other for centuries.

A meow interrupts the silence making you lift your head out of his shoulder slightly to see Rosemary walking in with a few leaves and twigs sticking on her fur and her head lowering to sniff the floor quietly with her ears turned down she must’ve been so scared from the commotion. Slowly untangling yourself from Elvis, you call for your feline. Wrapping your arms around her furry body as she nuzzled her cheeks against your chest, making you giggle. 

Elvis’ muscles relieved themselves seeing your smile and he breathed out through his nose with his smile appearing, his eyes trail down to his pistol discarded on the floor, his smile fades when flashes come back to him, feeling the weight of the gun loaded, pressed up against one of the men, seeing their faces filled with slight fear. Eventually putting it back in his holster when they all get back on their horses, running away.

He couldn’t do it to anyone else.

A sharp and long inhale escapes, he shakes the thoughts out of his head “Darling…” his hand reaching out to lift your chin, the sight of your eyes glistening with soon shedding tears and gleaming with an innocence, almost child-like. His heart thumping again when you smile and lean up, craning your neck up to kiss his cheek.

“I love you daddy” you say with confidence that withered quickly, replaced with panic and confusion. Elvis eyebrows knit together, looking down at you “Y/n?”