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queen-haq · 3 years ago

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Fic: A Woman Scorned - Part 1

Pairing: Billy Russo x Reader

Words: ~2200 words.

Summary: You’ve been sleeping with Billy Russo for a few months now. Knowing his aversion to any kind of emotional commitments, you’re satisfied with your clandestine arrangement until you catch him having dinner with Dinah Madani one night. Then it finally dawns on you. It’s not that he doesn’t want to commit, he just doesn’t want to commit to *you*.

Billy may think he knows you, but he has no idea what he’s just lost...

~~~~~~

You met Billy Russo at an industry conference two years ago. While you didn’t know much about military security at that time, your specialty was online security and both of you ended up attending a lot of the same events. He was the most beautiful man you’d ever seen, magnetic and a total flirt, and it was obvious he was aware of his good looks and used it to his benefit. You didn’t sleep with him during the conference. Something told you his dance card was already full every night. So, instead, you exchanged contact information and left it at that.

A year later you were hired as a consultant for one of Anvil’s direct competitors and moved to New York City. When Billy called you to meet for drinks, you knew exactly what he was up to. You were no fool. He wanted information on your employer and thought he could charm you into spilling secrets. You told him it wouldn’t work over a second drink, and he simply laughed.

You didn’t fuck him until a month later. The official reason for the delay was conflicting schedules but mostly it was due to insecurity on your part. To the outside world you were attractive in the kind of way that snuck up on people. You weren’t the type to turn heads, like Billy was, and your fucked up childhood had ensured you didn’t let anyone in easily. It wasn’t until a pep talk from your best friend, Davina, about enjoying Billy Russo for what he was – a fun time and nothing more - did you finally decide to take the leap.

Fucking Billy had been unlike anything you’d experienced before. You’d had sex before of course, but not the kind of sex that made you lose all of your inhibitions and scream and come for hours. Billy knew how to coax you out of your shell and demand things from him you’d never even knew you wanted. You fucked him in your apartment, his penthouse, the underground parking lot, in his car and that was all within the first week. He had opened up a whole new world for you and you were willing to try anything and do anything he wanted. After that first night together, all the walls you’d built around your heart collapsed. Your best friend warned you repeatedly that great sex made people confuse lust for love, that she was worried you were falling for Billy, but you told her you were an adult and could handle yourself.

Of course that had been bullshit.

It had been been almost a year now since you and Billy were sleeping together and you had no idea where you stood with him. You didn’t even know if he was fucking other women, though a part of you suspected he was. If he was with you two nights a week that left five other nights to be with someone else. It clawed at you, knowing you weren’t enough for him. It heightened all of your insecurities, made you believe that you were worthless and ugly just like your abusive father used to scream at you. Of course you’d never tell Billy that. The minute he suspected you were getting attached to him emotionally he’d bolt, he’d already warned you of that. So you kept your thoughts to yourself and let your pain eat away at your insides when he wasn’t with you.

At least that had been the plan until you saw him on a date with Madani.

You were at a restaurant with some of your coworkers, enjoying happy hour, when you got up to use the bathroom and spotted Billy sitting in the other corner of the room. The breath rushed out of your lungs, your knees felt weak. They were enraptured with each other, legs intertwined, heads close, a true couple. You knew who she was because he’d let it slip he’d been working with Homeland on something and, you being you, you’d looked her up. Her pictures didn’t do her justice, because she was stunning. And exactly the type of woman Billy would be proud to be seen with.

After you and Billy started sleeping together, Billy rarely took you out. Sure you guys would go to some hole-in-the-wall places or fast food joints but never to fine restaurants, not like this one. You never complained because why waste time when you could be busy fucking his brains out? Except now that you saw him and Madani sitting only a few feet away from you, and he was proudly holding her hand and being openly affectionate, you realized it had all been by design. He never took you out because he was ashamed of you. If you had been prettier, thinner, sexier, taller – anything but what you already are – he’d want you as more than a fuck buddy. He’d want you as his girlfriend.

It was a bitter pill to swallow but at least now you knew the truth and that meant you were back in control of your life.

As much as it hurt, it felt good to know you were the ones making decisions about your future again and they didn’t revolve around Billy. No longer would you be obsessing over what he wanted, what he was doing, if he’d like a certain thing on you or not, if he was fucking someone else or not. You wouldn’t spend hours researching Billy like you did in the past and finding out things about him that he never knew you knew. No, now you were finally free.

And it was time to move on.

Tonight was the night of the fundraising gala. Your company had purchased a table and the CEO of your company had personally extended an invite for you to attend. Based on a conversation you had with Billy three weeks ago, you knew he would also be attending to represent Anvil. When you’d first broached the subject you’d hoped he’d asked you to attend as his date – but he hadn’t. At the time you’d reassured herself the reasons were practical. It would be weird for Billy to be sitting at a competitor’s table (if he went with you) and you would risk offending your boss if you sat at Billy’s. But now you knew the truth.

So, tonight, you were dressed to the nines in a curve-hugging gold dress with a plunging neckline which emphasized all of your assets. Your heels, which cost more than the dress itself, were over five inches high and made you feel like an Amazonian goddess when you sauntered in them.

When you walked into the ballroom with Davina in your arms that night, you felt confident in a way you hadn’t in a long time.

The thing about you that a lot of people didn’t know was that you were fucking fantastic at owning a room – despite your insecurities. You may not be beautiful but you were charming. You were really great at getting strangers to open up, people were drawn to you. It was one of the reasons your CEO promoted you so quickly after a few months. Your job, initially at least, was meant to be a technical role but when you were invited to a party with potential clients you had schmoozed them so easily they had signed the contract within the week. And then you had impressed them with your actual technical skills which only cemented their positive impression of you.

So, yeah, you were in your element and you were ready to charm.

“What table are we?” Davina asked.

“14,” you said. Of course your eyes were automatically drawn to Anvil’s table on the seating chart. 157. A safe distance from your table, which meant there was a good chance you two wouldn’t even be crossing paths in the grand ballroom. You didn’t know whether to be overjoyed or disappointed.

A while later you were circulating around the north bar, chatting up with some potential clients that your boss had wanted you to pay particular attention to when you saw Dinah Madani. She was in one of those slinky, maroon satin dresses, her hair up, and you felt that surge of jealousy go through you again. She was probably here as Billy’s guest considering this wasn’t the kind of events Homeland agents typically attended.

“Y/N!” You turned to find your boss waving you towards him.

Glad for the distraction, you picked up two glasses of champagne from a nearby server and headed towards him, handing him his drink. Your boss was chatting to a group of people you vaguely recognized, but the smile on your face stiffened when you spotted Billy amongst them.

Fuck. He looked good in a tux. His hair was slicked back, and you were struck with the sharp memory of fucking him in his car one night with your fingers roughly fisting his hair. God, you loved his hair, loved running your fingers through the silky strands.

Billy’s eyebrow quirked up when he saw you and you wondered what he thought of you so dressed up. No. It didn’t matter what he thought of you. Fuck him, you reminded yourself.

“Y/N is our new Executive Director,” your boss said, introducing you to the group. “Her division has shown a significant growth ever since she joined Valiant.”

You smiled, shaking hands with everyone. When it was Billy’s turn, you reached out to clasp his hand, not betraying any emotion even though you felt an immediate charge upon touching him. He gave you an amused smile, like he was enjoying the charade.

“Nice to meet you all,” you said. “And don’t listen to Roger. Valiant was doing fine on its own.”

“But Y/N has definitely changed the way we do some of our regular operations. I didn’t realize how archaic this industry’s systems and processes were until she came along.”

“Sounds like I may need to poach Y/N from Valiant,” Billy said with a smug smile, his eyes fixed on you.

“Anvil couldn’t afford me,” you reciprocated with equal smugness.

Roger laughed, patting your arm. “We’re not giving her up without a fight.”

“Clearly,” Billy replied.

The expression on Billy’s face was new to you, you had no idea what he was thinking but you also didn’t want to waste any more of your time obsessing over him.

Roger leaned in closer, lowering his voice so others wouldn’t hear him. “Table 35. Those were the clients I told you about.” As you glanced over to the table he mentioned, your eyes met Billy’s. He was watching you intently, still with the unreadable mask on his face.

Ignoring Billy, you flashed a confident smile up at Roger. “Don’t worry about it. It’s taken care of.”

You turned back to the group, your gaze skipping past Billy’s. “It was a pleasure to meet you all. I hope you have a great evening.” Bidding everyone goodbye, you headed to Table 35.

***

An hour later you were on the terrace, enjoying the cold, crisp New York air that rattled your bone. You were exhausted. Networking took a lot out of you and now you just wanted to go home and soak in the tub. Davina, a natural extrovert, was still in the ballroom, flirting and socializing but you needed a few minutes of privacy so you had snuck outside to compose yourself.

“Congratulations on the promotion.”

Your jaw clenched as soon as you heard Billy’s voice from behind you. You turned around to look at him as he swaggered forward, closing the distance between the two of you.

“You never told me,” he remarked.

You shrugged your shoulders. “We didn’t tell each other a lot of things.”

“I get the distinct feeling you’re pissed at me but I don’t know why. Care to fill me in?”

“What reason would I have to be pissed at you?”

“You tell me. I’ve called you-”

“You’ve never called me,” you interjected.

“Fine. Texted. Whatever.” Billy took a step closer, forcing you to look up at him. Even in your fucking stilettos, he towered over you. “You’ve been avoiding me for two weeks now. Why the ghosting?”

“I just think it’s time I move on.”

Oh, Billy didn’t like that. His eyes grew darker, so dark they were almost pitch-black. “Really? You’ve got the next one lined up already?”

As much as you wanted to believe he was jealous, you knew that wasn’t the case. “We both know you don’t give a fuck about me so drop the fake jealousy bit.” You tried to walk past him but he grabbed your arm and pulled you close. You felt his angry breath skim over your skin as he glared down at you. “Let me go, Billy.”

“Why?” he snarled. “So you can go fuck Roger?”

“You really expect me to believe you’re jealous of me seeing someone else?” you snapped back. “Or is it because it’s Roger? He’s more successful than you, he’s your competitor, his company has been taking all the contracts you’ve been fighting for and now he’s got you beat in the one area you thought you excelled at. Fucking.” You angled forward on purpose, holding his gaze. “Here’s an idea. Why don’t you go fuck Roger and leave me out of it?” You smiled up at him. “Or does Madani not let you stray?”

Understanding dawned on Billy’s face. “So that’s what this is about.”

Part Two

A/N - This is my first reader insert fic. Hope you guys enjoyed it. If you’d like me to tag you, please leave a comment or DM me.

If you created this GIF, please let me know so I can give proper credit :)

#billy russo x reader #billy russo #billy russo imagine #the punisher #reader insert #ben barnes #my fics

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redgillan · 4 years ago

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Under Pastel Skies - 9

Sugar daddy!Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: Modern!AU Bucky doesn’t need anyone, especially not a sugar baby. He isn’t that desperate… but she smiles so sweetly and she’s endearingly awkward, and he’s so lonely. She’s an artist, a painter, the type of person who always puts others before herself. Throwing caution to the wind Bucky offers her a place to live, a place where she can finally paint whatever her heart desires. He doesn’t need much in return; a friend, a muse.

Word Count: 6,257

Warnings: mention of accident, mention of blood

A/N: I’m sorry this took longer than usual but it’s pretty long so yay! I hope you’ll like this chapter. We’re slowly getting there :’) Thank you for the feedback, I truly appreciate all of you! Also 1 marvel quote and several Bob Ross quotes that I obv don’t own.

Wannabe sugar daddies don’t interact, idc if you have money, eat it and leave me be.

Good luck on your interview xx

Bucky had just hit ‘send’ when Sam cleared his throat noisily, drawing Bucky’s attention away from his phone. His friends were frowning crossly at him, their glasses raised in a silent toast. He set his phone face-down on the table and picked up his glass.

“Sorry, you were saying?”

Sam shot Steve a ‘see?’ look and Steve replied with a shrug and a little smile. They looked like two sassy grandmothers judging their only grandson. Bucky checked his phone again, and out of his peripheral vision, he could see his grandmothers share another look.

“What?” he barked, annoyed.

“Nothin,” they both answered at the same time before they took a synchronized sip of orange juice.

Smacking his lips together, Sam opened the menu and began to skim through the choices. A waiter suddenly came out of nowhere to take their order. Bucky ordered a cranberry rosemary scone, smoked bacon, an eggplant sandwich, and a plate of lemon-ricotta pancakes.

“Excuse-me,” Sam called out to the waiter. “Could you make his pancakes in the shape of an angel?” he asked, ignoring Bucky who was openly glaring at him.

The waiter, albeit a little surprised, kept a smile on his face. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Bucky told him, handing him the menu. “Thank you.”

Without another look to his friends, he grabbed his phone and checked his messages for the third time in less than two minutes. Steve snatched his phone up and sat back in his seat, waving the phone at Bucky.

“Enough! Live in the moment.” He pocketed the phone and gave Bucky a pointed stare. “You’ll get it back later.”

“What the hell? You’re not my father, give it back!” Bucky snapped, extending his hand, the palm facing up. Steve shook his head. “Give it back, you fucking meatball.”

He got up and tried to reach inside Steve’s pocket for his phone but Steve kept shifting in his seat. They wrestled like that for a minute while Sam watched them, eating a breadstick and looking mildly entertained.

“Okay, fine,” Bucky panted, pushing himself away from Steve. “You leave me no choice, Rogers.” He cleared his throat like an actor about to jump on stage. “Give me back my phone, Steve!” he said, raising his voice. “Do you enjoy stealing from disabled people?”

He nearly shouted the last two words, and to Steve’s horror, the buzz of conversation around them had died. He could feel people staring at him. Cursing softly under his breath, he reached into his pocket and dropped the phone into Bucky’s awaiting hand.

“It’s okay, we’re friends,” Steve said to the people sitting behind him. They looked at him with a disapproving glare. “Jesus, Bucky, you’re making me look like an asshole.”

An amused expression crossed Bucky’s face as he sat back in his seat. “Don’t touch my stuff.”

It was quiet while he checked his messages. Slowly, those around them returned to their own conversations. Sam pointed his half-eaten breadstick at Steve.

“Do you think the waiter will spit in your omelette?” he said the last word with an exaggerated French accent. Steve glared at him.

Their waiter arrived a moment later carrying a large tray with their brunch. Steve poked at his omelet with a suspicious frown, then looked over at Bucky who was still on his phone. Sam stole a slice of bacon from Bucky’s plate and gave it to Steve.

“I hear you’ve got a date tonight,” Sam said, making conversation.

“Yeah,” Steve chuckled, embarrassed. “It’s not a big deal. I’m just looking for something casual. I’m leaving in two days.”

“Where’re you going this time?”

“South Africa,” Steve replied, stealing another slice of bacon. “What about you? What’s that big emergency?”

Sam glanced at Bucky who was grinning like an idiot at his phone. “Not now. Let’s eat first.” He took the plate of bacon, took what he wanted then handed it to Steve. “Want another?”

Steve kept looking over at Bucky while they finished his bacon but Bucky didn’t seem to acknowledge their presence. He was in his own little bubble.

“It’s like we don’t even exist,” Steve remarked out loud.

“I know, it’s amazing. Look!” Sam straightened up in his seat and cleared his throat. “Bucky Barnes is the biggest idiot on the planet, and he can eat my farts.” Bucky was hunched over his phone, his thumb typing away. “See?”

“Impressive.”

“That’s the angel effect,” Sam said.

With a happy little sigh, Bucky pocketed his phone and turned his attention to his friends. He frowned at the amused look they shared.

“What are you guys talking about?”

“Steve’s first date in two years.” Sam turned to Steve. “You must be nervous.”

“Strangely, no.” Steve broke off a small piece of omelet with his fork. “I actually know him. He’s an old friend from college.”

“Nice,” Sam said.

“He’s a fashion photographer now.”

“Wait, what?” Bucky’s brows pinched in confusion as he stared at Steve.

Undeterred, Steve continued. “We’ve been facetiming a lot lately.” He shot Bucky a glance. “Why do you think I go to bed at 8?”

“But I thought-”

“You thought I had a date with your girl,” Steve said with a warm smile. “Listen, man, I like her. She’s cute, funny, talented. She’s a real sweetheart. But I like her because she brought back that light in your eyes. You look happy. That’s all I ever wanted for you. You had to go through so much crap, Buck. You deserve this.”

Bucky looked down at his pancakes, feeling tears pool in his eyes. He blinked them back and sniffed quietly. “So you were never going to ask her out.”

“I was until you called her ‘angel’,” Steve replied with a shrug. “You kept saying you were okay with this but, I mean, I’m not that dense.”

“Why do you keep going out with her then?” Bucky grumbled.

“Jeez, Mother Gothel, I didn’t know Rapunzel wasn’t allowed to leave the tower,” Steve exclaimed. “We were bored. You’re in your office all day. It was fun to mess with you though. You’re a grumpy Gus when you’re jealous.”

“I wasn’t jealous, okay. I was annoyed. There’s a difference.”

“Uh-huh.”

Bucky looked over at Sam who had been strangely quiet throughout this whole exchange. He loved teasing Bucky, and he always had something to say about Bucky’s love life. Sam wasn’t looking at Bucky, he just pushed his food around with his fork, his lips pinched shut. He met Bucky’s eyes, then lowered his head again.

Bucky had a feeling something bad was about to happen.

“What’s the big emergency?” he asked quietly, afraid of the answer.

Sam set his fork down beside his plate and leaned back against his chair with a sigh. He trained his gaze on the front door, seemingly deep in thought.

“I’m moving to D.C.” He paused to let the information sink in. “They’re transferring me to the D.C. office. I’m their new chief financial officer.”

“Congrats, man!” Steve exclaimed. “You deserve it.”

“Yeah,” Sam replied with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “That’s what I’ve always wanted.”

“So why the long face?”

“I’m a little anxious to leave New York. What will Barnes do without me? Without his mentor? Without someone to look up to?”

Bucky rolled his eyes. “I think I’ll be all right.” He hesitated before he asked, “Did you tell her?”

“Tell who?” Steve inquired, polishing off the last of his omelet.

Bucky felt the wave of long-held sadness his Sam’s eyes. “I’ll tell her tonight.”

“Can someone tell me what’s going on?”

Sam and Bucky shared a look. They weren’t sure how Steve would react.

The word sugar daddy held a pejorative connotation. Every single one of those relationships featured a powerful, rich man and a poor, vulnerable man or woman. There was a clear power imbalance here that never appealed to Bucky, and he was pretty sure it never appealed to Sam either.

Whether it was a no-strings-attached service or an emotional service, it was still a hole in your resume. One that would be hard to explain to your future employers. He was afraid people would call you names, treat you differently or harass you if they knew.

He often wondered if he had unintentionally ruined your life.

Deep down he knew Steve would never call you a whore or treat you differently but he was still trying to protect your reputation. He believed that Sam had Natasha’s best interest at heart too.

Sam told Steve everything. He remembered the day he had met Natasha, their instant chemistry, the subtle flirting, the arrangement, their first night out, their first kiss, their first time together, their new arrangement. Steve listened attentively. When Sam told him that you were Natasha’s best friend, Bucky interrupted him and told his own story.

“Wow,” Steve deadpanned, leaning forward to take one of Sam’s poached egg and avocado toast. Sam slapped his hand away. “Is that a thing now? Sugar daddies, I mean?”

“Is that all you have to say?”

“Yeah.” Steve sipped his mimosa with a bored look on his face. “You’re both not ready for the real conversation, so I’m just making small talk.”

Sam and Bucky exchanged confused looks. “What real conversation?”

“Sam, you just got an amazing promotion, you’re going to be the Prince of D.C. and you’re sitting here like someone kicked your puppy,” Steve replied, then turned to Bucky. “And you, well... I’ve been living with you for the past two weeks and you’ve gone all Alpha male on me, Buck. Cut the shit. You’re both in love with your sugar babies. Companions, or whatever the fuck you want to call them.”

Sam and Bucky sat in silence with their heads hung low. Steve opened his arms wide like a lawyer in a bad TV show saying ‘I rest my case’. When he spoke again, his voice was soft.

“Look, as maybe the world's leading authority on waiting too long, don't,” he said. “What’s the worst that could happen, um?”

It made Bucky think. Best-case scenario, you loved him too and life was a breeze for the next fifty years. Bad-case scenario, you didn’t share his feelings. Worst-case scenario, you shared his feelings but couldn’t make the transition from sugar baby to girlfriend.

Yeah, worst-case scenario sucked...

He came home around three in the afternoon, and smiled when he saw your shoes and coat. Knowing you were home always put him in a good mood, but his heart was heavy. He felt conflicted. He didn’t know if it was better to tell you how he felt now or to just keep living in this little bubble with you until it’d inevitably burst.

And to make things worse, Sam was going to end his contract with Natasha tonight. He made Bucky promise not to tell you about it. Bucky felt sorry for Natasha, he wondered if she had feelings for Sam. He wondered if she had a backup plan.

He found you in your studio, sitting on the floor, huddled against the wall, with one knee drawn up to your chest and your arms loosely wrapped around your leg. You were staring at the painting you’d just made, the still wet paint glistened under the artificial lights.

This painting was different from your usual landscapes and occasional portraits. There were various shades of blue and grey intertwined, and five big splotches of dark red paint layered on top of the canvas.

Bucky knew just by looking at you that something was wrong. You looked defeated, sad, upset. He reasoned that your interview didn’t go as planned. Quietly, he stepped into the room and sat down on the floor next to you, his left shoulder brushing your own.

“I just got home,” he said.

“Where’s Steve?”

“He said he had some errands to run. He’ll be back later.”

You nodded, still staring straight ahead. “Okay. I bet you can’t wait to have some time to yourself. I asked Natasha if I could stay with her, but she’s going out with Sam tonight. I’ll stay in my room, I won’t bother you.”

Bucky felt his heart drop, his breath caught in his throat. He had made the woman he loved feel unwelcome. God, he wanted to kick his own ass.

“I’m so sorry,” he said, tilting his head to look at you but you were stubborn and refused to meet his eye. “I thought you were going out with Steve and I- I didn’t want you to feel like you had to stay with me.”

“I’m not interested in Steve. I told you that.”

“I know.” He moved so that he could see your face. “I’m sorry for the way I treated you, and for the way I treated Steve. It won’t happen again. I promise. Can you forgive me?”

“Of course, Bucky,” you huffed.

He saw your chin quiver slightly and your eyes glaze over with unshed tears. You looked utterly broken. He reached up and wiped a stray tear from your cheek.

“Sorry, I had a difficult day,” you said.

His palm cupped the side of your face, his thumb stroking a caress across your cheek. You met his eyes for the first time and he smiled softly at you.

“My angel.”

His words made you cry even harder, silent tears streaming down your cheeks. With his hand still cupping the side of your face, he leaned closer and pressed his lips against your other cheek. You closed your eyes and basked in his affection.

He could feel the warmth of your tears, could taste the salt on his lips as they streamed down your cheek to his mouth. Slowly, he pulled back and looked at you, a smile forming on his lips when he saw a fleck of dried blue paint above your eyebrows.

“Painter Smurf,” he teased, wiping it off. You let out a huff of air that sounded like a laugh. “I’m here for you, angel, whatever you need.” He pulled you against his side and you rested your head on his chest.

“My interview didn’t go very well,” you said after a long moment of silence. “She said that I’m really talented, that my technique is perfect. But my work is too figurative. It’s not what she’s looking for.” You paused to wipe your nose on your sleeve. “It’s just- It wasn’t my first meeting. They all tell me the same thing: I’m not good enough.”

“That’s not true,” Bucky said, kissing your hair. “Your work is unique. It’s raw and beautiful. If they can’t see that then they’re morons.”

“She told me that if I had been a white man in the nineteenth century, people would still talk about me today.” You sighed. “I don’t know, Bucky. Maybe I should work on something more abstract.”

Bucky tilted his head to one side as he looked at your painting. “Is that why you painted this?”

“Mhhh,” you hummed. “She told me to play with the textures, the forms, the lines, the colours. Suggest rather than show. Let the painting tell its own story.”

“Yeah, I think you did it.”

“You think it’s good?”

“I don’t think those adjectives apply here. Not with modern art. It’s in the eye of the beholder,” he said, running his fingers along your shoulder. “Abstract art isn’t supposed to be beautiful, it’s supposed to make you feel something, right?”

“How does it make you feel?”

“Unsettled, sad.”

You straightened up and sat shoulder to shoulder. “My brother died in a hit-and-run.” You let the information sink in for a minute. “I was with Okoye, we got a call from our mom but by the time we got to the hospital, he was already dead.”

Your voice was surprisingly calm and controlled. Bucky wanted to reach out to you but he was unable to move. He listened attentively, his heart squeezing painfully in his chest.

“He was wearing some kind of compression shirt, grey-blue with two white stripes, and it was covered in blood. When I close my eyes and think of that day, all I remember is that shirt and the blood.” You tilted your head and gave him a little smile. “That’s what I painted.”

Bucky didn’t know what to say. He just sat there, opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water. He couldn’t think of anything to say.

“Sorry,” you let out a small laugh. “I had a shitty meeting and then I came home and basically relived one of the worst days of my life to put it on a canvas. Now it’s staring at me and all I want is to shred it to pieces.”

Bucky noticed that your hand was close to one of your palette knives. Your fingers brushed against the handle, debating whether you should pick it up and slash the canvas. He laid his hand on top of yours.

“It won’t help,” he said. “Trust me. I can put the painting somewhere else if you want. You won’t have to look at it again. I promise.”

“Yes, please.”

“C’mon, beautiful, let’s go downstairs. I know someone who can help you.” He got to his feet and extended his hand to you. You frowned up at him, a silent question in your eyes. “His name is Bob and he paints happy little trees.”

A bright, wide smile spread until it lit up your whole face, and Bucky’s heart melted at the sight. He grinned at you and pulled you to your feet.

“I love Bob Ross,” you said, and Bucky gave your hand a little squeeze.

In the living room, you sat down on the sofa, crossing your legs under you and grabbed a blanket while Bucky connected his YouTube account to the TV. He sat down beside you, propping his feet up on the coffee table and adjusting the blanket in his lap.

“Hi, welcome back. Certainly glad you could join me today.” The show started and you melted against Bucky’s chest, pulling the blanket up to your neck. “Thought today we could do a fantastic little painting-”

You were pressed against his bad side, but Bucky didn’t mind. As the show progressed, you slid further into his lap until your head rested on the armrest of the sofa, close to Bucky’s right hand.

“People know when you’re happy. They can look at your paintings and tell how you were happy. They reflect your moods. Paintings are a reflection of your innermost feelings.”

He gave your head a little massage while you both watched Bob Ross create a stunning lake view painting.

“Cuz in your world, you can create any kind of illusion that you want. I spent half my life in the military, and I had to live in somebody else’s world all the time. Painting offered me freedom, I’d come home after all day of playing soldier and I could paint the kind of world that I wanted. It was clean, it was sparkling, shiny, beautiful-”

You shifted a little, and Bucky wondered if those words resonated with what you had been through. Being adopted, losing a brother, taking care of your sick mother when your siblings left, graduating, making ends meet... Those experiences had shaped you into the woman you would be for the rest of your life. A kind and strong woman who never really got to live or enjoy life.

He understood how important painting was to you. He was an artist too. He wasn’t a painter, but writing offered him a kind of freedom he had lost a long time ago.

“We should paint along,” you said, tilting your head up to look at him. “Then I’ll sell yours. I bet people would pay a lot of money to own an original Grant Thomas painting.”

Bucky chuckled. He knew you were teasing him, the slight curl of your lips said as much. “I’ll sign it James Barnes. It’ll be worthless.”

“It’s not worthless to me,” you said.

“Would you hang it in your room?”

“Absolutely.”

“Then, okay, I’ll paint along with you.”

When the episode ended, you decided to eat dinner first and paint later. You were sitting at the kitchen island, eating a bowl of leftover pasta from the night before, when Steve came home.

“Hey guys,” he greeted, throwing a plastic bag on the kitchen island before he made his way to his bedroom.

“I’m so fucking late. I still need to take a shower and get dressed.” Steve came out of his room, shirtless, and working his belt buckle open. “Hey, Buck, can I borrow some clothes?”

“I swear to fuckin’ God, Rogers, if you undress in the middle of the kitchen I’ll make you eat your jeans.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

He rushed to the bathroom and closed the door behind him. A minute later, Bucky heard the shower running.

Later, you went upstairs to gather canvases, paint brushes and paint while Bucky helped Steve pick out an outfit.

Steve was too excited about his date to remind Bucky that he was an idiot, and Bucky was happy that for once they didn’t talk about his feelings for you. He teased Steve and watched as Steve squirmed, the tip of his ears bright red. Just like old times.

Then they met you downstairs where you had two easels set up in front of the television. Steve stood in front of you, visibly nervous and agitated, while you looked at him from head to toe.

“How do I look?”

“Like you’re wearing clothes two sizes too small for you, which makes you look even bigger than you normally are so... pretty good.”

“Yeah?”

You chuckled. “You look great, Steve.”

Steve responded with a relieved sigh and a little bashful smile. Bucky liked that look on Steve, it reminded him of their childhood when Steve awkwardly flirted his way through Brooklyn.

Bucky jerked back to the present when Steve turned to him for confirmation. He gave him a firm nod and a thumbs-up, then walked him to the kitchen. They talked about Steve’s plans for the night while Steve gathered up his things.

Bucky was walking back to the living room when Steve called out his name and threw something to him. Bucky caught it in mid-air, then looked down at his hand. A shiny looking condom wrapper was nestled in the palm of his hand. He scowled at Steve.

“Just in case,” Steve said with a shit-eating grin.

“You’re a dead man.”

Steve’s laughter echoed down the corridor as he left the apartment.

Blowing out a breath, Bucky pocketed the foil packet and joined you in the living room. You were sitting at your easel, blobs of paint arranged in a semicircle on a palette. There was another easel next to yours, with a palette resting on a stool to make things easier for him.

You selected the lake view episode you had watched earlier, thinking that it would make things easier. Bucky was in awe of you, you made painting look so effortless and beautiful. You added your own trees and clouds, shifting things around to create your own world.

Bucky followed Bob Ross’ instructions closely but, in his opinion, it looked like someone had made it with their feet. You laughed at his comment and told him that you would still hang it in your room. It boosted his ego a bit.

When you both finished your painting, Bucky looked up at the clock. It was close to midnight which made him do a double take.

“Time for me to hit the hay,” he said, yawning. “This is as good as it’s gonna get.”

“Mhh,” you mused, turning the TV off.

“You okay?”

You shrugged. “Yeah, I- uh, I was kind of hoping we’d do this all night,” you said, playing with a mostly dried paintbrush. You looked at him from under your lashes. “But it’s fine. I understand, you’re tired. I think I’ll wait for Steve.”

Bucky looked at you with a pained expression. He could tell something was bothering you. He placed his index finger under your chin and tilted your head up. “Angel, I don’t think Steve is coming home tonight.” You pinched your lips together and nodded. “Talk to me. I want to help.”

“I don’t want to be alone tonight.”

Your words hit him like a punch in the chest, leaving him momentarily breathless. He pulled you close and pressed a long kiss to your forehead. You clung to him for dear life, your warmth and familiar scent made his heart ache.

“It’s okay,” he mumbled against your skin, then pulled back a little so he could look you in the eye. “Let’s change into something more comfortable, um? Then we’ll catch some shut-eye. I have an idea, the first person to fall asleep has to make breakfast tomorrow.”

“You sure?”

“You’re right. I’m exhausted, I’ll fall asleep first,” he said, shaking his head. “New rule, last person to fall asleep has to make breakfast.”

You snorted. “No, I meant... are we going to sleep in the same bed?”

“I promise I’ll stay on my side. But if it makes you uncomfortable, there’s a bunk bed in Steve’s room.”

“No, it’s fine. I want to wash my face first. I’ll see you in a minute.”

Bucky tried to play it cool but his heart was pounding. He kept seeing flashes of his dreams in his mind: skin against skin, steady puffs of air brushing against his skin, the smell of sweat and something uniquely you surrounding him.

He was absolutely terrified.

He went upstairs, took a quick shower, brushed his teeth and changed into his pyjamas. His night-time regimen took longer than he had anticipated so he wasn’t surprised when he found you sitting cross-legged on his bed, scrolling through your phone, looking so calm and peaceful.

You were wearing your pyjama bottoms and a fluffy sweatshirt stained with blue paint and tomato soup. He felt his stomach flip when you raised your head and smiled at him. A chill ran through his spine, and made the hairs on his arm stand on end. He’d never seen you look more beautiful.

“Hey,” you said, placing your phone on the nightstand. “Which side of the bed do you sleep on?”

“The side you’re sitting on.” You rolled to the other side of the bed and slid under the covers making him laugh. “You didn’t have to move.”

“It’s fine. I prefer this side.” You looked around the room. “I like your room. It’s very you.”

“Ah?”

“Yeah, neat, organized, lots of books, a cosy armchair, stormy blue comforter. It looks intimidating but it’s actually really soft. Like you.”

He suppressed a laugh. “Thanks.”

Bucky climbed into bed beside you, turned off the light and drew the blanket over him trying to get warm. He lay on his back looking up at the ceiling. He was so stiff and nervous, he forced himself to breathe normally. You turned onto your side and slid one of your hands under your pillow.

“Do you usually read before you go to sleep?” you whispered, afraid to disturb the silence.

“Yes,” he whispered back. “Do you?”

“Sometimes.” There was a moment’s silence before you spoke again. “I’ve started reading your book.”

“Oh, Christ,” he let out a small laugh and turned his head to look at you, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. “I hope I didn’t traumatize you.”

“You have a very dark sense of humour,” you said. “But I already knew that.”

“I’ve always had a dark sense of humor, but trust me, when I lost my arm I wasn’t in the mood for jokes. Therapy helped a lot. Besides, laughing is good for your health, right? My books are very personal, I don’t censor myself.”

“I know. I wasn’t expecting it to be so honest.” You shifted a little and looked away from him. “I don’t know if I’ll finish it, I feel like I’m intruding.”

“I understand.” He shifted slightly so he was lying on his left side, facing you. “I wrote it like a diary. Talking isn’t my strong suit. I don’t know, I think I’m trying too hard and I just end up being rude or not making sense. When I write, I take my time, I find the right words. It’s easier when I don’t have to look anyone in the eye.”

He knew his book was a little rough. He focused on his depression, his rehabilitation, relearning basically everything. He talked about rediscovering his body, intimately. He talked about his friends, his family, strangers, therapy, dating.

“Can I ask you a very personal question?”

“Of course.”

“Have you ever been in love?”

He swallowed hard, his throat raw and tight. “Yes.” In fact, he was in love right now. “Once. I don’t trust easily.”

“I know I read what happened between you and your girlfriend.”

She had been his first girlfriend since the accident. She was kind, patient, a little over excited but he found it cute. In a way, she reminded him of himself before the accident. She wasn’t afraid to touch him, and God, he needed to be touched.

Sam had witnessed little things that irked him but Bucky had ignored him, refusing to see the warning signs. He wanted to be happy again. But then he couldn’t bury his head in the sand anymore.

She treated him like a child in front of their friends, and her friends praised her for taking such good care of a man like him. A man who, in their mind, was high maintenance. She cut his meat for him even though he was perfectly capable of doing it himself. She helped him dress, tied his shoes, zipped up his coat, etc... He felt infantilized, humiliated.

He didn’t think she was a bad person though. It was just her personality.

“How’s Natasha?” he asked suddenly.

A puff of air caressed his face as you snorted out a laugh. “Why do you ask? You don’t like her.”

“I like her a lot,” he argued. “She seems wary of me, which I understand, but she’s great.”

“Yeah, she is.” You considered his words. “She’s doing well. She went on work date with Sam.”

Despite his promise to Sam, he couldn’t bear the thought of keeping things from you. “I have to tell you something about Sam and Nat.” You waited for him to continue. “Sam got promoted, he’s moving to D.C. He broke things off with Natasha tonight. I mean, their arrangement.”

“I know,” you said. “She texted me while you were in the bathroom. I’m going to spend the night at her place tomorrow. It’s been a while since we had a girls’ night, and we both really need it.”

“Good.” He cupped the side of your face, let his thumb brush your jaw. “I’m going out with the boys tomorrow. Steve’s leaving soon.” He pulled his hand back. “We should try to get some sleep.”

“No, please,” you said, shifting closer to him. “Not yet.”

“Angel, we can’t stay awake all night.”

“I don’t want to be alone in the dark.”

“I’m right here with you,” he spoke gently.

“But once you fall asleep I’ll be alone.”

Bucky raised his head and kissed your forehead, his lips lingering on your skin. When he pulled back, he rested his hand on your forearm and let his warmth seep into your skin. His thumb caressed the inside of your wrist, stroked over your racing pulse point.

“I’ll wait until you fall asleep,” he said.

“Thank you, Bucky.” You smiled and let your index finger run down the length of his nose. “Does it hurt when you sleep on your left side?”

“Not really,” he replied. “Most of the time it’s just weird. It feels like my phantom limb hangs down through the bed. Like my arm is invisible and just goes through the bed.”

“What do you miss the most?”

He let out a long exhale. “Not much. Hugs. Proper hugs... I guess. Holding someone close and wrapping myself around them. Squeezing someone against my chest, making them feel protected. I used to be a great hugger. Now I give bro hugs.”

“I love bro hugs.”

His chuckled dissolved into a grin, and you both stayed quiet for a moment. He knew you weren’t asleep, he could hear you thinking. “What’s on your mind, beautiful?”

“I was wondering,” you started, then trailed off. “One day we’ll have to end this arrangement. Do you think it’ll end well, or is it going to be messy?”

It took him a minute to respond.

“Y’know, one of the things I learned in therapy was to stop worrying about things I can’t control,” he said. “That’s in the future, for future-you and future-me. I don’t know how it’ll end but I can promise you one thing: I’ll always be there for you. Arrangement or not.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” you breathed out. “Right-now-me is a lucky bitch.”

You both laughed softly, then fell into a contemplative silence. There was something so peaceful about lying in bed with you, his hand loosely wrapped around your wrist, sharing warmth. He didn’t want to fall asleep.

For the next hour you talked about your families, your childhood, your friends, your likes and your dislikes. You told him about being an adopted child and living with other adopted kids. He could tell you were holding back when you talked about your siblings.

The only one you gushed about was Okoye. You were evasive when you talked about Scott and Wanda, though you did tell him that you had agreed to meet Wanda.

“What’s your favorite comfort food?”

“Breakfast for dinner.” Your voice was soft and small, he knew you were falling asleep. “When I was a kid, we had breakfast for dinner every Sunday night. We’d grab a bowl of our favourite cereal and eat together in front of the TV. I miss those days.” Your face was half buried in your pillow. “What’s yours?”

“Easy, pancakes.”

You smiled, your eyes were closed. “I like pancakes too.”

He watched you fall asleep and made a mental note to make some pancakes for breakfast. Your breathing evened out, and he waited a few more minutes to make sure you were asleep before he rolled onto his back and closed his eyes.

Bucky woke up to the sound of rain striking against the window. He opened his eyes and noted that the room seemed brighter than usual. A quick glance at the bedside clock told him that it was already a little past eight.

He stretched, sighing contentedly, and rubbed the sleep from his eyes with his closed fist. He tilted his head to look at you, still sleeping next to him. You lay on your stomach with your face turned away from him and your arms hugging your pillow. He adjusted the covers around your shoulders and stealthy slipped out of bed.

He went to the window and fixed the shades to make sure they didn’t let any light in. Then he made his way downstairs where he found Steve cracking eggs into a bowl. He was still wearing Bucky’s clothes, but his hair was a mess. Still he looked positively glowing.

“Mornin’,” Steve greeted with a wide smile.

“Hey, man.” Bucky took a seat at the kitchen island. “When did you get back?”

“About ten minutes ago. Long enough to notice that your angel hasn’t slept in her room last night. Wanna talk about it?”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Bucky said with a shrug. “She didn’t want to be alone.”

“So you slept with her.”

“We slept in the same bed. Nuance.”

“I’m gonna nuance your face with my fist if you don’t talk to her soon,” Steve exclaimed. “She’s not going to stay single forever, Buck. Things are gonna change, one way or another.”

“I know.”

Steve set the bowl aside and held the edge of the counter behind him. He sighed, exasperated. “If I were you, I’d talk to her before something happens and takes your choices away from you.”

Bucky pinched his lips together, hard, and looked down at the counter. A muscle in his jaw jumped. “I- I don’t know how to talk to her,” he said, feeling tears gather in his eyes. He met Steve’s eyes. “I physically can’t talk to her. It hurts. It’s stuck here-” he aggressively grabbed his stomach “-all the time. And it hurts, Steve, you have no idea how painful it is.”

“That’s love,” Steve replied, smiling at him like he, too, knew how it felt.

“Well, it fucking sucks.”

Bucky wiped the back of his hand against his runny nose. Steve stood there in silence.

“This book I’m writing,” Bucky said, breaking the silence. “It’s about her. Just her.” He paused. “I can’t back down now, my publicist’s too invested in our story. I know it’s an eccentric way of telling someone you fell in love with them but... writing’s easier than talking.”

Steve nodded, his eyes glued to the floor. “It’s like a long love letter.”

“Something like that.” Bucky climbed off the stool and rounded the kitchen island. “Now, I’m going to make breakfast. I promised her pancakes.”

Steve smiled and watched him move around the kitchen. “I hope it works out for you, Bucky. I really do.”

Part 10

#bucky barnes #bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #marvel #marvel fanfiction #marvel imagines #bucky barnes imagines #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes imagine #marvel imagine #redgillan #redgillanwrites

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wolfwalkersau · 4 years ago

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WolfWalkers AU (Part 1)

NOTE; This is a pretty dark AU, I am not going to lie. There are topics dealt with, such as realistic near-death experiences, poaching, and quite a bit of blood mentions. If these topics make you uncomfortable, I recommend you find an AU besides this one you find fancy :)) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Alright, it is the time, my friends. The Wolfwalkers film has officially has been put onto Apple TV, which means I can finally make more in-depth of this AU. Sadly, at the moment, I do not have access to my art tools, which means I will be focusing more on writing and expanding this AU rather than drawing out characters and backgrounds as I planned. But trust me when I say that type of stuff will come along soon.

The three keywords of this AU are Compassion, Bravery, and Freedom. All of these keywords, in some way, relate to the triplets. One thing this AU challenges toward the triplets other than keeping their secret on their new powers is what would happen when faced with something that they have a hard time understanding or performing. At the moment, I will not go into too much detail on which kid has which keyword associated with them, but I will touch upon it as I go more into detail story-wise in a second.

THE STORY (Part 1)

The whole mess of the kids gaining the Wolfwalking ability begins ultimately with Della’s storytelling. Near the beginning of it all, Della tells a story of this lost civilization called the ‘WolfWalkers’ who had some freak magic allowing them to speak to wolves. Some rumors even claim WolfWalkers become wolves in the dead of night, making them somewhat dangerous and wild people.

In some freak luck, it is stated from Scrooge that wolves are roaming the forest near the mansion. All the kids, aside from Dewey, grow concerned with the idea of wolves around the house, mainly after the whole WolfWalkers tale. Scrooge is instantaneous to reassure the kids that it is just ordinary wolves and makes sure to note how the civilization was meant to be lost and somewhat forgotten. Before any more questions can be thrown at him or Della, all the kids get sent to bed. Then a small convo between the triples ensue, we get to hear Louies worry about the wolves, but Dewey’s interest in them in the case they may be Wolfwalkers or Wolfwalkers among. When Dewey verbally mentions how he may just go outside from curiosity, Huey is real quick to shut him down and snaps at him to go to bed and stay in there, or else he will legit kill him. Dewey ‘agrees’ and acts as if he is asleep until he knows his brothers are out cold. Luckily for him, both of his brothers are pretty heavy sleepers (Louie the most), and he manages to dip out a window.

Dewey heads straight for the forest, claiming to himself adventure is calling for him. He trots around in the woods for a while, and to his dismay, he finds nothing. Dewey is about to give up and go home when the duckling hears something in the bushes. Dewey, not thinking correctly, nears the brush where he overheard the noise. Dewey sticks his hand in, and to his horror, something immediately locks its jaws onto his arm. He screams and pulls his arm out to find a large bite mark left there. A large, dog-like creature creeps out of the bushes and begins to near Dewey. It was a wolf. Dewey tries to stand his ground, but admittedly he is horrified. But the weird thing is that the wolf doesn’t seem aggressive or angry; it just had a surprised look on its face. It nearly looked human with its surprised eyes and a somewhat dropped jaw.

The wolf drew closer to Dewey, who was too shocked to react appropriately. Though the wolf seems more interested in the bite mark it had left behind. Dewey, in an act of bravery, allows the wolf to inspect the fault. It lowers its head before licking the wound it left behind. Suddenly, yellow like mist surrounds the damage. It swirls around his arm, and out of the blue, the bite mark disappears. The wolf gives a relieved smile before giving Dewey a polite nod and bounding back into the brush it came from.

Dewey was baffled. But he as well suddenly felt different. He was still him- but the things around him just felt odd and yet so interesting. Dewey would have gone on to sit there bewildered and curious about this magic wolf, but he suddenly heard his name being called aggressively and somewhat worriedly. He turned around to see Della and Huey running towards him. Apparently, Huey had managed to catch Dewey running out, and when he couldn’t find him, he decided to grab an adult for help. Dewey gets scolded by his mother and sent home for the night.

As Dewey falls asleep while getting scolded by Huey, he dreams of something- interesting. He is back in the forest, where a wolf is once again back. But it isn’t the same wolf. It is taller and thinner, with a bit of a human look in its eyes. Though he has never seen the animal before, he feels as if he understands it. Its worries, its anger, and its general feelings. He reaches out to touch the wolf, but he is sucked out of his dream world by Beaklys voice calling him out to breakfast.

Dewey ensues on a very awkward breakfast. He knows he is still in trouble, but he cannot brush off that dream once more. After breakfast is over, Della warns Dewey to not enter the forest again, and if he does, Dewey will be confined to the house for a long while. Dewey wants to argue with her but decides against it, not wanting to further anger her nor risk slipping up about the wolf he’d meet in the forest. He didn’t want to let her be correct about the wolves.

Out of story here. I’d like to make a side note of how strong Dewey’s emotions and beliefs are to the story even if they come off as ignorant and selfish. Believe me when I say his actions will not only come back at him but just generally come full circle.

Throughout the day, Dewey proceeded to space out about the events of last night. The wolf, it’s healing and the dream. Dewey begins to debate if maybe the wolf could be one of those Wolfwalkers from his mother’s tale. He recalls it being rumored they can turn into wolves. But do they as well have healing abilities? But most importantly, why are there a pack of those ‘Wolfwalkers’ near the mansion in the first place? Dewey attempts to ask Webby about them, curious if she has any books, yet all said books merely recall them being dangerous and wild people, nothing on a possible calm nature or their actual past.

That night, Dewey found himself stressed out and curious. He wants to know more, but he also knows any chance of him being sneaky is thrown out the window since he has worries Huey will wake and catch him again. So, Dewey decides he should wait a day or two to smooth out his plan. He goes to sleep, to only be thrown back into the same dream as last night. The wolf is back, and now he is growing inquisitive again. Out of curiosity, he reaches out his hand to acknowledge the creature. As Dewey makes this error, he wakes up, although he is quick to note something is wrong. His eyesight seems more potent but also seems to lack in seeing specific colors. He also has a stronger sense of smell. Confused, Dewey goes to face a window next to his bed.

Dewey must have let out such a loud screech because nearly EVERYONE in the house started screaming and make a ruckus as well. Dewey wasn’t meet with himself, but rather the wolf that had kept appearing in his dreams. He now has a long grey body and large blue eyes. One loud shrill of fear broke from Louie, and Huey let out a yelp of fear at the sight of his brother. Dewey desperately tried to speak to them, but they couldn’t understand him from the looks of it.

As Dewey withdrew into the open window, he located his body asleep, as if nothing was occurring around him. Dewey was starting to freak out, scarcely noticing Della running into the room trying to grab him in wolf form. Attempting to think fast, Dewey leaped out the open window and into the forest with his new body. He ran as fast he could, still not thinking and letting thoughts run through his mind. As he ran, he tripped into something enormous and fluffy. He tumbled downhill with it, howling and whining all the way down. As he and the creature came to holt, it was quick to react and pin him to the floor, teeth-baring as a horrible deep hiss rose from its throat. But the second it got a look at him, it stopped. It was the wolf from last night.

“Duck kid?”

If guys have questions, go ahead and ask. Part two should be out soon :))

#ducktales #ducktales au #dt17 #wolfwalkers au #dtwwAu #dtau #dewey duck #Louie duck #Della duck #Huey duck #Scrooge mcduck

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middleinthenight21 · 5 years ago

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‘’Ain't that the worst thing you ever heard? 1''

@ravenfan1242 You are beautiful and I have no words

Thank you ❤❤

***

They didn't talk for a week, and that was enough so that the tension could be cut with the edge of a knife. She could feel it, his emotions were always easy to detect, his aura shone in different colors, marking the yellow tones representing happiness and joy, emotions that were difficult to achieve for someone who is half demon, whose control over her feelings and emotions contained her powers or these would consume her human side, and unwittingly would be liberating her father to destroy the world that for years participated in her salvation.

She was sitting next to him with the phone in his hand taking selfies for his social media and interacting with his followers, Raven had a book in her hands as she slurped a tea pretending that her mind absorbed every single letter, But she couldn't stop thinking about the moment everything broke down.

Were they too different for it to work? Should she have been surprised when everything went wrong?

She felt his indifference, as he also pretended not to have seen it and she could not blame him. Nor could she blame herself.

Sometimes she wondered what would become of her if she were a normal girl, if her fate wasn't a constant struggle, her worst nightmare ran through her veins and had imprisoned a demonic being destroyer of worlds in a glass resting on her forehead that responded to the name of her father, who was also the murderer of her mother and all the people who were part of her upbringing, What would happen to her if she was still that girl?

She had no right to forget all those people, who died on a childish whim.

She did not forget her heritage, going back to the worst-case scenario, but even with all that she could not help but see more. She glanced sideways at Garfield, who was resting on the sofa with a small smile on his face, tapping into his phone, felt a pinprick of emotion running through his body, his sadness resting between the layers, and she continued to dig as soon as she could contain it.

It wasn't hard to feel his emotions, Garfield was never someone who held back and lived every day as the last. Two drops from different ponds.

When they started dating months ago, everyone in the tower applauded. He was so happy that he wanted to post it on each of his social networks, but Raven had grimaced, because she wanted to keep her privacy to herself; no one should know. She wasn't ready for a public-domain relationship, she wasn't happy that everyone knew about her intimacy, so she wouldn't let him.

Garfield turned out to be a loving boyfriend, he wasn't afraid to touch her in front of the titans, when they watched movies he'd circle her shoulder resting his head against hers, After the missions he'd come over and put one hand down on her waist and smile happily for defeating all those bad guys by placing a kiss on her forehead, every time he had a chance to touch her he did, like she was something he could claim. Raven wasn't used to being touched, her last tokens of affection she remembered had been from her mother, before her life was completely transformed and ended in hell where contact with her father and half-brothers was as painful as the flames of fire, it had made her reluctant to show affection to her friends. She never initiated contact, nor desired to receive it, but Garfield was cut from a different cloth.

She was awakened by that feeling, that emotion of desire that she detected whenever the young man's thoughts moved away from reality, as if he were desperate for something or someone he would never have, and it was not her.

Raven figured it out. She was just hoping that one day she could forgive him, but she had understood, she didn't own his heart and she had grown tired of thinking that it would be Terra's life if she had given herself one more chance and stayed with them, Garfield would sigh every time he appeared in the halls, his emotions were strong enough for her powers to be detected from her room. It was different than what she noticed when they were together.

She remembered how his jokes and good humor could ease her reserved personality, cast his head back laughing like a little boy, as if he had never witnessed gruesome crimes and the deaths were only obstacles that jumped with a smile on his face, but there was a sadness in his eyes that he refused to reveal before her. Maybe his was a masterpiece until the two of them destroyed it.

He gave her flowers and let them die, she'd wanted him to open up, be serious for a few moments and tell her what was hurting him, but he didn't.

She wanted him to sit next to her and have a moment of peace, a space where he would walk away from social media and try to understand each other. Raven felt like she was the one who noticed the internal bleeding, she didn't mention it, and he kept giving out samples that didn't fill her heart anymore, she just felt cold every time he kissed her.

She knew he was doing his best.

Raven hadn't seen him until that breakfast. That morning she rose early, the sun hardly caressed the city, the fog covered the port and from a distance she saw the activity on the dock, small figures loaded the forests, collected the nets and filled containers with products of the sea; That tiny boat that took tourists along the coast of the city was hoisting their fictional pirate flags.

The steam from her tea burned her fingers, but she didn't care. It was a typical winter morning covered by a gray sky like a thick, spoiled soup, and the teenager sat in the chair facing the window in her pajamas, which consisted of a thin fabric blouse, shorts and thick woolen stockings.

She drank her herbal infusion, poaching on her tongue.

Turned off her father's voice, but her mind was restless and distant. She thought Garfield was probably still sleeping, seeing her consume tea would make him grimace and express how disgusting it is to drink hot flavored water; he would eat his yogurt with cereal and make so much noise until others would be bothered.

'Isn't it too early? ' Damian showed up in a sweaty sport outfit. Titus was walking behind Batman's son with his tongue hanging out of his muzzle, gasping, but he was still wagging his tail when he saw her in the kitchen "Come" He took the leash off his pet.

Damian had grown since he first arrived three years ago. His bones grew so big that Raven felt her pain at the first sprout of growth, his hair was short and dark black like the color of tar, his eyes green and his chin took a square shape; Anyone who saw him without his Robin costume would relate him to Bruce Wayne, it was his vivid image, except for the color of his eyes and the toasted tone, inherited from his Arab ancestry.

"Good morning to you too." After all this time she had to remind Damian of his manners. She drummed her fingers to the rhythm of a loose melody on the table. The marble brought the cold on her skin, it was like touching a snowflake "You want to take a cup of tea?"

He nodded, passing a towel around his neck to keep the perspiration away. His sweatshirt was broad in a black hue matching the pants, probably from a European designer whose surname she could barely pronounce.

They sat in front of each other in silence. They weren't very talkative people, Damian had been one of the few people who kept their emotions and feelings hidden behind an impenetrable wall, trained since childhood to be the perfect soldier and not make mistakes, never give the enemy the chance to use any emotion as a weakness, yet he was the person who understood most possibly because they had no social skills and had pasts from which they could not escape. Birds of the same feather.

Both had made an involuntary connection by saving each other.

There were uncomfortable silences, he was not easy to deal with and preferred to maintain distances before interacting, he had heard the whispers saying how creepy she was and did not fit in the middle of the group, In spite of being a heroine, there was an aura of mysticism and rarity that she couldn't shake off.

Damian turned out to be the least social Robin, keeping his appearances in the alleys of Gotham, patrolling and fighting criminals since he was a child, a stranger. He listened to the news in the online newspapers, testimonies from apparent nearby sources, and home video footage of witnesses as the team ended up with a criminal showing Robin's distance from the Teen Titans.

A few weeks ago, a video had gone viral that showed him after a battle where Damian was wounded, and Starfire came up to help him stand up but rejected her by waving his arm. The others weren't surprised, it was just Damian being him, however, people made it a topic of discussion whether or not Robin was a jerk to his peers, None of them would have found out if it wasn't for Garfield who expressed his dissatisfaction at seeing Robin in trends and not his name, but seeing what was going on, he told the team.

Damian snapped his tongue over the subject and went to his room. The whole drama moved people into twittering on Twitter about Robin's bad behavior towards the team, Justice League even with Batman himself showing blurry pictures of his fight a few years ago with Batman and before you know it Robin was canceled on social media without having any.

Garfield calmed things down by sending a friendly Tweet, but it was too late, and Robin's name was already tainted.

Now Robin was dealing with the constant images and videos taken on missions criticizing what he did. It would be easier if Damian was an anonymous person, but he's the son of one of the most powerful billionaires in the whole world and people were obsessed with knowing who he was dating and how the years made him into someone desirable in the eyes of teenage girls there were constantly photos of his body being on social networks under yellow titles such as: Bruce Wayne's son is already a man, look at his picture, Incredible!

Damian took a hard sip of his tea.

"How was the warm-up? "

He shrugged "I guess good."

He finished taking the last sip of his hot drink and got up to wash his cup.

"Do you have the first edition of David Copperfield?"

Raven raised an eyebrow, now curious. She turned around leaving her cup still soaped and her wet hands dripping on the floor "Have you read David Copperfield? "

He frowned analyzing the cover and back cover. The book was covered by a thick soft green fabric to the touch, had stains and pages fattened with a yellowish tone, plus a permanent old aroma, Raven had gotten it in a used book store and cost her two months' savings, but it was worth it.

Damian nodded and her heart leapt from emotion, but quickly neutralized "Yes. A few years ago."

"What did you think?"

"It was fine."

Frowned "I love your emotion."

Raven turned around and finished washing her cup by taking advantage to store the few dishes from the dinner the night before. Okay, maybe David Copperfield can be just ''It was fine'', but it's a book that needs to be analyzed more deeply and had more meaning.

"It's not bad" She froze "In fact, it's a good book, although a little childish for my taste and we all know that David wasn't going to stay with Dora."

She smiled "I have to agree with you. I think David always knew that the right one was Agnes, but he doesn't belittle Dora or that he didn't love her."

Arms around her waist stole the words she was about to say. She looked down, encountering green limbs, which left her quickly to kiss her hair muttering between yawns a greeting.

Looking at him, he was still in his pajamas and judging by his messy hair he had just woken up.

"Hey, Damian, you're all over the internet."

He folded his arms wincing at the sight of Logan, if there was one thing Damian hated was lazy and noisy people, Garfield getting up late and stirring the refrigerator in search of his favorite yogurt was the combination.

"Am I still canceled?"

Her boyfriend smiled with his mouth full of dried cereal "Robin, of course he did. Damian Wayne, heir of Wayne Enterprise, went out for a run with his pet, it was so adorable and hot that you're all over the gossip pages."

He picked up the phone showing a collection of photos of Damian jogging through a city park accompanied by Titus, in some photographs he was shirtless shaking his clothes from his pet's hair, in others he gave the dog a bottle of water to drink, Which drove the internet crazy.

"Worse."

And walked away.

Garfield shrugged, brushing the subject aside. Raven hugged the book on her chest and waited for him to finish breakfast, the silence was a monster that consumed her inside and wanted to break this, but she didn't know how.

She looked at his face, wondered if he noticed it too.

It made her feel like she was crazy, like she saw things that were never there. Raven wanted to know why they were keeping this thing afloat when it clearly leaked from the start, because he didn't see it, because Garfield kept clinging to it, she wanted to ask, but he was never that open.

He smiled at a post and slid his finger down, surely sharing with his followers.

Raven let the relationship go first, before it ended up destroying them both. He didn't love her.

It was a painful but powerful truth and she had refused to understand it until then.

No matter how much her heart was broken, she could not replace anyone or love a person who gave his heart to another. She'd made mistakes in her past, her road to hell had been full of good intentions, yet she wouldn't do that to him, she wouldn't do that to herself, In her time on earth he learned a thing or two about relationships and hers was doomed to failure from the beginning.

The others had known it. When the demonstrations of affection ended, they understood that the story had an end.

Not all couples are like Dick and Kory, who in spite of time and distance kept sticking together, going back to each other at some point; Raven had seen the connection to the minutes of seeing them facing each other, felt the nerves, lust and love floating between the heroes, like a thread that was electrified with every touch. She knew it.

When she was a child she had not believed in love, that of myths and legends that were so tragic and passionate that culminated with the death of lovers, nothing but explanations of natural phenomena, however, she did not expect herself to understand it in a bad way.

***

Walking down the street carrying the grocery bag for that weekend, they were heavy packed with a collection of products of different shapes and sizes that struggled to escape from the cloth bags.

It would have been a good idea to be accompanied, so I could share the work with someone else. She volunteered to make the purchases trying to get away from the tower, even for a while and did not accept the offers of her companions.

She wanted to be alone for a few minutes, but she didn't expect how difficult it would be to walk the streets with two bags loaded to the brim. The fabric was strapped through the circulation of her fingers, and her limbs were pulling as if she was carrying the bluntest weight in the world. She snorted, reminding herself that she should exercise more in the future.

An apple fell from the bag rolling into an alley and cursed.

'"Girl idiot, you deserve everything that happens to you"

"Shut up."

A figure cleared up next to her and was familiar. Damian was dressed in civilian clothes (which is strange) he wore a sweatshirt three times his size, some loose pants and on his face a white mask that made others think he wanted to get away from a potentially dangerous illness, but he never got sick. She never saw him once.

This covered outfit was given to be nothing more than a disguise so that no images of him would emerge and then she thought about what people would say if Damian Wayne were close to a stranger in an activity as casual as carrying grocery bags. She could feel the annoyance, caution and irritation of her friend, which was normal in him, but this time it was directed outward, towards anyone with a cell phone in their hands.

She genuinely felt sorry for him, for Robin was an identity where he had always felt comfortable and allowed him to go unnoticed. Damian always preferred action to conversation, privacy to public demonstrations and didn't ask for recognition; she looked at him sideways wondering what it felt like to be embedded in a family of vigilantes, the weight on his shoulders, to bear an inheritance so great that he could not escape. Raven could relate to that.

She remembered something.

"Weren't you on patrol?"

His eyes turned to the apartment building, a white-colored concrete block; it looked like a residence for wealthy people. She was able to feel his reluctance to talk about the issue of patrols.

"It's no longer so simple" He folded his arms "Every time I fight criminals, I only see the cameras pointing at me. People make work difficult."

Robin's name was currently repudiated, she found it somewhat strange since the reception of the previous Robin was good, and every child wanted to be Batman's helper. Boy Wonder.

She adjusted one of the bags over his shoulder with a grimace.

"You're popular on Twitter."

"Being canceled is not the same as being popular," he snarled. His voice behind the mask sounded thick "Before I can avoid it a new act is already being added to a thread. People have a lot of free time."

She gave herself a few minutes to think "Garfield calls it cancellation culture."

He made a face when she mentioned that name.

"I heard you broke up."

Raven put her head down. It had been three weeks since that conversation at breakfast, the wound was not fresh, but it was still there; she wondered if she had made a good decision. The doubt haunted her every time she heard him laughing with Jaime while they were playing video games and watching him approach other people giving out hugs, but it wasn't so painful anymore. She made peace with not having him in her life.

She was surprised that Damian brought up the subject of her previous relationship, not that he was very interested in the Titans' love life, and when they announced the relationship he put on an expression of boredom. Raven didn't expect any reaction, he never got along very well with beast boy barely withstanding his screams.

They were friends, so he'd have something to say, wouldn't he?

Damian always had an opinion.

"We did," she replied.

They passed by some shops where big posters were displayed announcing discounts, apparently wanting to get rid of last season's products. Jump City was located at the beginning of the summer, the rays of sun burned the skin of its inhabitants and dyed the city of an apparent atmosphere of festival proclaiming in each of the local media the upcoming events and fairs.

A group of teenagers was making their way to a clothing store. One of them pointed at Damian's face with her cell phone, and he hid his face in the sweatshirt, walking faster, holding her arm, and got into a car parked a few blocks away.

He looked back "We lost them."

She had not realized the extent of the people's persecution of Damian. She glanced at him sideways as he took off his mask showing his sculpted jaw, his face was free of imperfections and he looked like something from an old film where he played the gallant protagonist.

In Azarath there was a word to describe how precious and charming beyond words, that beauty that hurt and made you wonder if something like this could exist, she had not found a translation or a word that could describe that feeling, so she left him as he was Arratax sounded in her head when she looked at his profile. Raven knew that Damian was conceived and trained to be perfect, designed, but that didn't stop her from feeling a pinprick of anger, for a demon's daughter, someone with unholy blood, beauty escaping from her hands.

"I hate this."

Raven arranged the bags in the back seat of the car. You could feel the aroma of new leather, the interior is luxurious and well cared for, it was probably a car made to withstand high speeds, last generation, probably exclusive.

"Do you think someone filmed you?"

He put his hands on the steering wheel "I don't think so, but they did take pictures of me."

She grimaced.

"I'm sorry" Raven apologized for all the shit that was going on, even though she had nothing to do with it.

Damian stared at her for a few seconds with a frown, as if he were figuring out the meaning behind her words, measuring whether there was a double intention. He started the car quietly and headed for the Titans' tower.

She looked out, the buildings and houses passed through her vision in a blink of an eye and leaned her head against the glass. She closed her eyes, quietly repeating a prayer taught to her by the monks, a plea for tranquility and new beginnings.

After months of a stormy relationship, a painful breakup and change after that, she needed some peace. For the first time in a month she really felt calm, yet it still seemed to her that this summer had been cruel, full of ups and downs.

She started it by being in a stable relationship, or at least that's how she classified it, if they'd told her she'd break up with Gar, she wouldn't have believed them because everything was fine. What an irony.

"Whatever," he said. His fingers tapped softly on the steering wheel like he was sending out a message in Morse code "It's not like it matters."

Raven bowed her head.

In her hands rests a book, she had not been able to finish it during these three weeks, unable to focus her attention on words. She kept the stories of Edgar Allan Poe clinging to her chest, as if to guard the letters.

"Have you read The Raven?"

"I think we all have. It's the writer's most popular story."

Damian folded through the intercept; his greenish gaze fixed on the road. There was something comforting about talking about books while he was driving, an atmosphere hovering over the two, a soft, protective mantle.

"I read it for the first time in the library."

She had to imagine that the Wayne mansion had its own library, after all Bruce Wayne was known to be a billionaire who visited charitable events talking about current issues with powerful people. He may be a playboy, but that didn't make him a fool.

His library probably had first editions and collections that would cost houses.

"What's your favorite?"

He glanced at her sideways, it was a fleeting glance. His brow was still wrinkled in a frown, and his mouth twisted in a grimace, like a pouty child when he was rebuked. Damian didn't like to talk, rarely had he shared with the Titans beyond the missions, so they saw him with a book in his hands, name a certain character or quotes were surprised, But Raven knew it, saw the momentary interest every time he watched her read or made sure she wasn't disturbed.

He was full of surprises.

"Oliver Twist."

His gaze relaxed and for a few seconds his mind escaped, as if flying in a different direction. She didn't need to be empathetic to understand that it was a private memory.

The rest of the journey was peaceful, but Damian gradually became more bitter, spoke less and frowned more, as if a being were returning to his body.

Damian Wayne's exhibition and Robin's cancellation had only made him distant (more than usual), he realized how his friends could find themselves in the tabloids and media for more than missions if they were discovered by his side. Damian Wayne captured attention for his heritage, Damian Al Ghul was destined to lead the world's most powerful league, Robin is the companion of one of the most popular and beloved heroes, who is also part of Justice League, But the Damian who drank tea cups and added brown sugar reading poetry, won prizes at the fair for children and was amazed at the taste of sweets, enjoyed the silences and whispering conversations; that Damian didn't appreciate it.

Raven sighed as the car pulled up in front of the Tower of the Titans.

Back to reality, it was said. She had pretended to be a lonely evening, she wanted to engage her thoughts in something other than that fateful morning, in her failure of love that her father mockingly reminds her of declaring that demons fell in love, that it was her fault and doomed to destroy everything, just like she was meant to destroy the earth.

She had been angry, tired and hurt, and the walls of her room already threatened to drive her crazy. Normally she would be in her room meditating, drinking tea or reading a book, but not anymore.

She needed to get out.

She seriously considered making up an excuse to be away for a while. She looked upon the city, the rays of the sun reflected on the windows of the buildings like lit candles, and the mountains were dyed a pastel pink shade.

The first stars appeared in the sky. It was getting dark.

"Thank you for the ride."

She felt the need to speak, though she knew she would get no answer from Batman's son, so she got out of the car with the grocery bags. "You're welcome."

Raven stopped wondering if she heard, but the car was already pulling away.

***

In her head everything went well, he called her and replied with a smile, but it was all a montage.

A montage she wanted to erase from her head.

Garfield would knock on her door, offer a smile in peace and feel the world fall at her feet. His heart would pound into his chest, his fingers would itch to get her close, to taste her skin, and how it would feel to say she was his. The worst lie ever.

She sat on the floor of her room facing the window, the city was a dark painting filled with thousands of lights turning on and off. The sight comforted her, sheltered her heart and she remembered why she was doing this.

Raven turned off the light and remained silent, just looking out.

She had been described as a lonely person with whom she was difficult to deal, her past was a chain she could never cut, could learn to wear the chain and share when she weighed the chain. A few years ago, she had said she had a bad judgment, believed that she had not changed at all.

She wondered if she would ever learn from her mistakes.

Love was not for her; she was much better off alone; no one had to deal with a demon's daughter. As much as she hated her father and would ignore each of his words, she recognized that he was right in a sense, people like her were not meant to be loved, for others to give them their hearts.

I could live with that.

***

After that mission Robin's name echoed on social media, apparently someone had taken a picture of the moment the superhero hit Beast Boy in the stomach after he yelled in his ear. Damian's reaction was bad, he didn't like surprises, so every time someone managed to scare him, he would respond with blows.

That's not what they said on Twitter.

Garfield was a beloved titan, as much as his peers rolled their eyes when they saw him doing live on their social media and posting everything that happened to him was not a world opinion, his more than five million followers lived for each of his interactions, So, they didn't react well to the image.

Garfield tried to calm the situation, But the photograph of Robin's fist crushing his stomach and the justification he gave was enough for his followers to believe he was some kind of martyr and make petitions gathering signatures so that the Boy Wonder would no longer be part of the Titans.

"OMG… Robin assaulting another of his companions, what a surprise'"

"Beast Boy is a love. He doesn't deserve this''

''We should all cancel Robin. I don't understand how Batman can have him as a partner, and even the Titans, he just shouldn't be there''

''Beast Boy is a very calm person, he's never bothered anyone, but Robin treats him very badly #JusticeforBeastBoy''

The hashtag became a worldwide trend with the video going around the world. The Justice League intervened saying that Robin is just a boy and that his action did not reflect on the Titans, and Batman found himself contacting Starfire.

Damian rolled his eyes away from the situation. In the last few days he was quiet, spent his days training or patrolling being invisible, a shadow appearing to save them and disappear in smoke.

In the few moments he was in the tower he was absent when he heard any comments about social media, Starfire had suspended the posting of photos on the tower or other titans, as well as the mention of a certain team member.

Garfield protested, but Kory's frown was enough for him to nod.

Being around Damian had only caused her emotions to overwhelm her.

The teenager was a tide of anger and frustration, she felt it in his veins, like a monster waiting for a provocation to come out. His emotions were there, deep down he was affected by the situation, had something else to show besides latent anger.

She was not mistaken when she said that inside he is a noble and generous soul, she still believed he was that person, but sometimes she would like to do more than just scratch the surface.

Interrupted her meditation by paying attention to his blade by tearing apart a hologram. He was not wearing his uniform, only a pair of shorts and a loose T-shirt revealing his arms, his frown falling drops of sweat and holding the sword stronger than necessary. The last time he was like this was after a discussion with his father about a mission.

"You've been gone five hours, Damian."

He didn't pay any attention. "It's okay. Ignore me."

Raven was not in the mood to put up with Damian's mood, could normally bear his rough edges and understood that none was easy to deal with, however, this time she preferred to walk away.

She headed for the exit.

"Are you still reading Edgar Allan Poe?" He frowned.

She was struck by surprise, took a few moments to understand his words and process a response.

Was he stopping her?

"Yes" She turned. He looked into her eyes but bowed his head and the sword swung in his hands without purpose. "I almost finished the stories."

Damian sighed.

He ran a hand through his hair. His face is covered with sweat, small drops descended on his forehead and he put the sword in the holster; he walked towards the controls and for a minute she thought he would reschedule the program from the beginning, but he took a book out of a backpack.

Raven wanted to look away, she sensed it was a book she planned to read, but the title made her look back at the play. She recognized it wherever she saw it, she'd been looking for it for days on the internet sighing disappointed at the price.

The first edition of The Raven had been sold out, yet the price was enough to make her pocket hurt. The book is dark, of a worn color, on the cover a raven on a pillar with the title barely standing out from a yellowish shade, and its pages thickened over time.

"How?"

He shrugged "Family Library."

Oh.

"Keep it" He paused "If you want it… "

Only Damian could make accepting a gift sound like an order. She made a mental note not to underestimate his detective skills, however, by her lips slipped a smile against any thought of exhaustion about the behavior of the younger Wayne.

He handed her the book, while he was away with the sweat on his forehead with a towel. She stared at the work passing one hand across the cover feeling the softness of the paper, as well as the relief of the title and the dust accumulated between its pages, as if it were awaited by Raven for a long time in the most hidden place in the world.

"Thank you very much, Damian."

He did not respond, but she could feel his shoulders relaxing and the tension seemed to leave his body. The emotion came to her like a wave on a quiet day, a softness that invaded her spirit and almost let out a sigh.

There was something intimidating about the scene, Raven holding a book leafing through its pages like devouring its contents, Damian drinking water and wiping sweat from the body.

They had a good relationship, they went through a few moments of roughness when they met and that is that the circumstances could not have been worse, but they were forged since then. She begged him to stay away, now she just wanted to keep him close.

Her heart was forming new strings around him, handled by the worst puppeteer she'd ever met in her entire life. She put that feeling away before it came up, it was just excitement for the gift and nothing else.

You want to take advantage of the boy. Her father's voice roared in her head, a tone of mockery and the smile disappeared from her face, Are you that easy, you filthy witch? Demons devour love, feed on feeling, and make it worse. We are made for this, ungrateful. When are you gonna learn?

Raven frowned at that.

She stared at the book, it was so beautiful that in a few seconds it became a sign of uncertainty, a reminder of the fate of all this. She wanted to return it, just like the little injection of feelings that shook her heart and nip it in the bud like a rotten thing before it branches off elsewhere and she couldn't do anything, just cry in the dark at the end.

She watched Damian, the boy was at the height of his reputation, each of those people who took the time to write comments against him hated him, repudiated his image and wished him out, as Damian Wayne was no better, the world was leaning at his feet and was haunted by magazine photographers starving for an update on the life of the Prince of Gotham's son, So much so that it affected the teenager's personal life by avoiding going out, and when he did, he tried not to be recognized on the streets. She felt that people should see him beyond titles and flaws.

Do you want to ruin this one too?

"What is it?"

He put the towel aside and came over. When there was something that aroused his curiosity, he demanded an answer and was content with nothing but the truth, she felt exposed and overwhelmed, perhaps it was because of her father's voice that no matter how much it cost her he was right, she never learned from her mistakes.

Put an end to it before the prologue is written and ends badly.

Raven retreated in one step, then two, but Damian continued to approach.

"What is it?" he repeated.

She opened and closed her mouth like a fish, unable to utter a single word, but what would she say? what if this was just a nice gesture and she was confusing everything, she didn't want to ruin a friendship by a prick of confusion.

She Looked into his eyes. In a second her whole mind lit up completely and she realized that that feeling was not unknown, his green eyes brought her hope and strength in the moments when the world was falling apart even when they were just getting to know each other, they had seen so many bad things, they could have opted for a life of pain and destruction, but here they were waiting for the best, that kind of familiarity embraced her and made her entrails turn.

The feeling was not new.

They were inches away. She raised her head squeezing her lips out of sheer nervousness, wanted to divert attention to whatever it was, but Damian's eyes were demanding, being empathetic she felt his anxiety about knowing what was going on, It was almost as if he was calling her and emitting a magnetic force that made it impossible to lie to him.

She embraced the book on his chest "I…'

"You're all over social media, Wayne"' Jaime stopped dead. He appeared holding a cell phone and showing the teenager casually conversing with a waitress in a restaurant; the latino exchanged a glance between the two and scratched his hair, insecure "I'm sorry."

Damian frowned and rolled his eyes as he processed the words. He collected his belongings with angry grunts, probably tired of all the media scandal surrounding his life.

He made a grimace of discomfort.

"Brother, everyone is linking you to the waitress and all the girls are suffering," said Jaime. He had pretended that the words were a mockery, but no longer knew if his friends would take it as a joke, in any case, not that he had a sense of humor; he would swear that he was not welcome "Rae, you should read the comments."

She looked away from him.

Raven shrugged "I'm not interested."

"I don't want to know anything!" Damian put his backpack on his back and walked to the door in strides "I can't order coffee anymore" he snarled.

Garfield showed up with his tablet accompanied by Conner "Look what they did to Robin…"

Damian pushed him, and he slammed the door so hard he sent a draft of air. Beast Boy backed away issuing complaints, the device almost slipped between his hands like butter.

Conner laughed, gripping his stomach, mocking his friend.

"What's wrong with him?"

Raven sighed.

Sometimes she was surprised at how dense the three are, Jaime could be calmer, but as for the feelings and what his companions experienced, he was totally unaware of it, while Garfield only saw the truth if he came face to face and danced to it.

About Conner, well, she doubted he saw anything but his own vanity.

"He's frustrated," she said.

Garfield and Jaime exchanged glances, finally shrugged, while Conner continued to mock his friends for a reason that eluded her knowledge. She was used to people reacting like that when she spoke, as they related it to her powers and her mysterious aura, they assumed that she saw something that others did not, in some cases it was real, in others the problem was them.

Raven stared at the book.

The gift in her hands, the beating of her heart, the fire in her cheeks, which would burn to ashes.

She wasn't meant to love.

#damirae #fanfiction

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surveys-at-your-service · 5 years ago

Text

Survey #250

"you’re so pretty, dripping sin.”

Do you plan on having children in the future? No. How big is your house? It's very small. Two bedroom, one bathroom. Do you believe that the world will actually end? Humanity, yes. The planet being inhabitable, probably at some point. The universe itself, life itself, won't, though. Describe your handwriting: Very fancy/fluid, a weird mix of cursive and print. Can you speak any other languages than your first language? Some German, but not a lot by now. I've lost a lot of memory of it. If you could speak another, which would it be? I wanna be fluent in German, but it's not something I pursue 'cuz I guess like... why. I don't think I'll ever really apply it to my life, nor is it something I'm DYING to do, so paying for classes just seems. Idk. What is one trend you think is stupid? I don't care. Let people enjoy things. Do you ever watch any soap operas? No. Do you ever get goodnight or good morning texts from people? Not usually. If I do, it's only ever Sara. When did you last go to the doctor and what for? I'm assuming you mean a general doctor, in which case, I think it was just a regular check-up a month or so back. Are you socially awkward? To a painful degree that I'm incredibly sick of. Can't be in a social situation and not feel uncomfortable even if it saved my ass. Would you rather watch a comedy movie or horror movie? It would depend on my mood, but horror would usually win. Do you know where your family came from? Europe. If you could choose to be any mythical character, which would you choose? Realistically, probably like, an elf or something 'cuz they're pretty unlike me so it'd be a nice change. :^) Where are both of your parents right at this moment? Mom's at church, and Dad is probably at home 'cuz it's Sunday. Have you ever seen a movie so ridiculous you couldn’t watch the rest? Yep. Does it make you angry when people text short messages back? If I'm seriously trying to have a conversation, it doesn't make me *angry*, just aggravated. What is your favorite animal and why? Meerkats. I could write a damn essay on why, but I'm not up for it, so basically, they are just extremely interesting animals with serious fire in a foot-tall body. Are you satisfied with your gender? Yeah. Have you ever kept a successful diary before? Not really. Well, I guess for short periods of time. I'd call them just "journals," though. It was something to do every time I stayed in the hospital, a good, insightful thing even, and just really at my lowest times, it helped me, but I never stuck to it. Are you good at admitting your problems? I think I'm very honest about them, really. Have you ever had a hangover? No. What is something you’re looking for in the next three months? I don't know. What’s something you normally cannot spell on your own? I have trouble with certain words where "e" or "a" could both easily be used (ex., "independEnce"), so I rely on spellcheck with words like those a lot. Looks or personality? Which is more important to you? Personality. Do you know any strippers? I don’t think so. How many times have you dyed your hair? Holy fuck idk. What is something that reminds you of your childhood? Cranium games. Do you think you eat healthy? I think I eat decently. Since I started paying attention to calories, I improved a lot. How would you describe your style of speech? Are you a fast/slow speaker? Do you stutter often? Generally, I think I speak quietly (but sometimes actually too loud, according to Mom) at a pretty normal pace, sometimes kinda fast, but I stutter a lot. When was the last time you’ve visited a family member’s house? What was the occasion? I haven't been to anyone's in a while... I think the last time was when I went to Ashley's to babysit my nephew a few months ago. Have you ever tried to construct a language? How do you feel about fictional languages (such as Dothraki and Klingon)? Not really. One of my old RP friends and I kinda-sorta had this "ancient meerkat language," but it was faaaar from developed. I don't feel any particular way about fake languages. Were you born and raised into a certain religion? What was it and have you changed your religion? Yes, Roman Catholicism. I've changed my religion quite a few times... Well, I don't like "changed." It just developed away from what was instilled in my head as a little kid. How do you usually feel when one of your favorite television or book series end? This doesn't apply to me really, because I haven't been involved in those things for a long time. The only one that I really cared about/was watching when it was current content was Meerkat Manor. I was sooooo so bummed out. That show had such, such, SUCH a colossal impact on my life. What do you like most about your town or neighborhood? Nothing. Well, it's small. Are you looking forward to any upcoming events? I'm obviously anticipating Mom starting chemo this week, but also very nervous. I don't want to see the physical toll it takes on her. What were your first impressions on your current best or closest friend? Lmao it's still funny to this day to me, our start... I just didn't like her. I thought she was over-dramatic and attention-crazed. What would you do if you knew a person that you were not fond of or even disliked, but they considered you as a friend? Would you confront them, avoid them, etc.? "I wouldn’t confront them unless something happened that made it come to a head. I’d try to be civil yet non-committal. It would also depend how I knew them and how much I had to interact with them." <<<< This. It doesn't seem necessary to just randomly walk up to this person and be like "hey you know you're not my friend, right?" Just leave it be unless something occurs where it seems more relevant. What are some things that you do to make you feel relaxed? Listen to music, nap... How often to do go to concerts? What was your favorite experience so far? Not even nearly enough because 1.) I'm not in a position where I can afford tickets and 2.) NO good bands like, ever come here. We only ever have country bands. The only concert I've been to was Alice Cooper, which was great. What is your newest and/or current passion? Newest, uhhhh. Idk man. I have a lot of current passions, but none surpass the Blazing Inferno of Love in my heart for Mark Edward Fischbach. Do you still have a fear that you had held since childhood? If not, how did you overcome one or more of your childhood fears? Yes, dolls. It's really mild now, but still, I really don't like porcelain dolls. What is your favorite type of weather? In general, a moderate snow. To actually be in, ohhhh man, gimme that cool, crisp fall air with a partly cloudy sky, very little to no breeze, depending on how cool it is. Do you watch documentaries? If so, do you have a particular favorite? I love animals docs. Meerkat Manor is of course my favorite. Is there a particular sentence or line from a book that carries a deep meaning to you? What is that sentence/line and why does it speak to you? I'm sure there is, but none immediately come to mind. When's the last time you ate bread? A couple days back for a sandwich. What's the last movie you watched on your own? UHHHHHHHH I think it was The Shining. Great movie, so glad I finally watched it. What about the last movie you watched with another person? Now this I'm unsure about, but I want to say The Lion King (live action) with Dad. What about the last movie you saw at the cinema? Was it good? ^ It was fucking great. I mean maybe I'm biased because it's my favorite movie, but either way, the hate it got shocked me. I know people were upset about like "oh they looked so emotionless" but like... they're animals made in the most realistic portrayal possible. I thought that was very cool. Do you attend school, college, or uni? I'm a college student. What do you study, wherever you study? Photography. What industry do you want to be a part of when you’re older? At least SOMETHING with art, or even animal rescue and conservation. How many girls can you trust? Like, two. What about guys? Also probably two, maybe three. How do you earn your keep? I don't. I don't/can't work (at least right now) and my disability case was just denied for the second time, so, y'know, I'm basically a leech. If you could speak three different languages fluently, what would they be? Not including English? German, Japanese, and Spanish, for convenience's sake. Who do you usually text the most? My mom or Sara. Baths or showers? Showers; baths gross me out. Cheese or tomato? Noooot a tomato fan, so. At least I like some cheese. Shaved legs or shaved arms? ??? I mean I think shaving your legs is more noticeable, but I don't care. I'd only ever shave my legs (I mean unless I had a good reason to shave my arms?), but shave whatever you want, dude. How many coats do you own? One winter coat. What about shoes? A handful, though I only ever wear my sneakers or flip-flops, lol. One word to describe your most recent ex? A soldier. Fried, poached, boiled or scrambled eggs? I will only ever fully eat scrambled eggs. Boiled, I'll only eat the whites. Fuck yolk, shit's gross. Have you ever been surprised with breakfast in bed? No. Where, in your current cournty, would you like to live, other than where you do now? Western NC, in the mountains. It's beautiful. Where wouldn’t you want to live? Several places, like North Korea. Do you like snow? I'm a kid when it comes to snow, I love it. Have you always got good grades? Up until college, I did... Do you like sheer clothing? With something under it, yes. List four things about your facial appearance: 1.) It's this really weird mix of dry as hell and oily; 2.) I have blue/gray eyes; 3.) I wear large, black-rimmed glasses; and 4.) I have a vertical labret in my bottom lip. List four things about your general appearance: 1.) I'm fat even though I've worked my fucking ass off to keep losing weight for two years now :^); 2.) I have some but certainly not enough tattoos and piercings; 3.) I'm very pale; and 4.) I have very short, brown hair that needs to be dyed immediately. List four things you like about yourself: 1.) I'm extremely empathetic; 2.) I care a fucking LOT about the people I love; 3.) I'd say I let myself fall kinda easily, yet I'm resilient as shit and will always get back up; and 4.) I'm extremely open-minded and capable of considering a whole lot. List four things you dislike about yourself: 1.) MY GOTDAMN WEIGHT; 2.) my teeth are too yellow for my liking (I've been exceptionally self-conscious of that lately as I've used whitening strips); 3.) I'm extremely impulsive with what I say and do when I'm seriously upset; and 4.) I will, without fail, jump to the worst possible conclusion in any and all situations. List four of your favorite TV programs: 1.) Meerkat Manor; 2.) That '70s Show; 3.) Fullmetal Alchemist (+Brotherhood); and 4.) Deadman Wonderland. List four of your favorite foods/drinks: 1.) Mountain Dew Voltage is my absolute worst enemy; 2.) I will ANNIHILATE the spicy shrimp fritas from Olive Garden; 3.) the shrimp & cheese quesadillas from Mexican restaurants are not safe either; and 4.) pizza is, of course, rather gucci. Cats or dogs? Idk, I really like both. Have you ever seen anyone famous in the street? Hunty I live in NC, that doesn't happen here. Are you hungry right now? No. What do you think of couples who have entire albums just for them, with pictures of them just randomly at home, doing nothing that really requires a photo? Dude, I love that. Cherish every moment with each other. Make memories, freeze them in pictures. Can you work the microwave? Well, considering it's the only thing I cook in and we've had the same one my entire life (ours is extremely old/can't be bought anymore and is SERIOUSLY durable with time, apparently, as it works perfectly), I know it well. Can you work the washing machine? Heh. Not really... embarrassing as that is. My mom does both of our laundry together, so... but I should seriously still know. She's shown me a few times, but with how abominably horrid my memory is, I forget again and again. There's too many options. Do you like your photo being taken? NO. Have you ever got into a club, whilst being underage? Never been to a club period. How many magazines do you buy a month? None. How many of them are car-related? "If I did, they certainly wouldn’t be car related. That doesn’t interest me at all." <<<< Big same. What about fashion? Well, I'd like ones that offered alternative clothing choices that you could order. Any celeb gossip ones? Ew. What pets do you have? We're about to have only two: my snake Venus and cat Roman. With Mom's cancer diagnosis and both chemo and surgery coming along, she simply can't handle our dumb dog anymore. He's needed to go for a LONG time, so we're trying to find a new home for him. Last gig you went to? Still Alice Cooper. Next gig your going to? Should Ozzy still have his concerts like he wants to after his treatments in Sweden or wherever it is, most likely him. Mom and I planned to, and we will absolutely go if he reinstates them. I'm completely understanding if this doesn't happen though; he has to take care of himself, the poor 'ole man. Bless him. Life's a cruel bitch, giving a legendary singer Parkinson's (it's going to disable him from singing with time). Favorite color? Pink! o: Are you regularly tired? Only always, my friend. Are you excited to live on your own? Completely alone, no. I know it would be extremely unhealthy for me with depression and becoming so easily lonely and unmotivated without encouragement and companionship of some sort. I'll have to live with a spouse. Even then, I'm nervous about it. Living with Jason and our friends in that apartment was both a good and very bad experience; it taught me a good deal of independence, but I still found it very stressful. When do you plan on moving out? When I've been in a long-term, healthy relationship. Do you daydream? Only all the time. Do you dream at night? More like have nightmares/terrors almost nightly. BUT! They've actually chilled some the past few days!! I don't recall what the dream was (but I'm 90% sure Mark was in it, A SHOCKER), but I woke up laughing hysterically recently, Mom told me. So that could only be a good sign. When you’re sick, do you like to be pampered, or left alone? A mix, but mostly the former honestly. Halp pls. But I also want my time to sleep. Are you superstitious? Nope. How many pictures are in your wallet? Ohhh I'm actually not sure. I know I have a handful of my nieces and nephews. I need one of Emerson now. If someone cries while watching a sad movie..do you laugh at them? ???? That is so insensitive???? No???? How often do you change your sheets? I'm... not sure, actually? I know at LEAST once a month (which probably isn't enough), but possibly another time? Idk, I don't pay attention. I just do when I feel it's time to. Is you bedroom upstairs or down? We only have one floor. Is it true blood is thicker than water? Nope. If you could wish someone out of your life... who would it be? Well, he's not *literally* a part of it, but Jason, as far as in my head. Remembering him, sudden memories, flashback prompts, all that jazz are very much daily events. Truly, it doesn't *really* affect me much anymore, it's just so "normal," but it would certainly be grand if he wasn't the most staple person in my head. If you could be with anyone in the world..famous or not..who would it be? HUNNY SWEET CHILD- Are you high maintenance? Nope. If you could change one thing in the world... what would it be? PEACE. JUST PEACE. No war, no violence in general, just. Handle shit like mature adults. If you could star in any movie... which would it be? None. I'm too self-conscious of myself to be in a movie, and I'm a horrible and extremely awkward actress. If you could live in a fairy tale..which would it be? "Alice in Wonderland." <<<< 100% 100% 100%. If you could live in the past..where would it be? The '80s, baby!! If you could see only one person right now..who would it be? Ugh, Sara. I've missed her to death and desperately wanna hang out. Do you wear shoes in the house? No sir. Do you dream in color or black and white? YO! I only recently learned this is a thing with some people, but I dream in color. What is your favorite accent? British. Do you write poetry/songs/stories? Poetry, occasionally. Stories, well, you could easily consider RP that, as we're all collaboratively writing many. Do you wear socks with sandals? gtfo of here with that shit Would you marry for money? HA, no. Do you have any “in the mood” music you like to listen to? AHAHA YES I'M SORRY. Would you vote for a woman president? "If she was a good candidate in my own personal opinion, yeah." <<<< "This. I want to vote for someone who I feel can do the best job. Their gender has nothing to do with it." <<<< Ditto. Are looks/appearances really important? For me personally, not really. Like yes, it's nice to feel physical attraction towards your love interest, but it's a very, very little factor for me, if at all. When you die, do you want to be cremated or buried? Please just cremate me. I really don't wanna be buried. Just taking up space. Do you like to play video games? Yeah, but not as much as I used to, though I wish I did... I think I've watched way too many let's plays to where I can enjoy just fine watching YTers I like experience the game, and I do secondhand while getting some good laughs. Do you like Final Fantasy? Which one do you prefer of all? Oh my god, I wish I was more involved in that series, as I know how madly beloved it is. I used to be obsessed with the demo for FFVIII; my sister, brother, and I would play it like mad, but only Bobby could beat it. The final spider-like boss of the demo was fuckin impossible. I did play a lot of FFVII, which I adored, it was just... so long and by maybe over halfway through, I just drifted from it. I need to watch a playthrough of it, honestly, because the story was so captivating and I genuinely would love to witness how it ends. Have you ever caught on fire? WOW no thank fuck. Do you have a YouTube channel? Yeah, but I don't really make stuff anymore. I don't have Vegas on this computer and honestly I'm just not motivated to really make videos. Do you ever go to video game arcades? No. :( Do you care what people think of you? In most cases, VERY MUCH. Not always, though, but it STRICTLY depends on the situation, big time. Like, I'll walk into Wal-Mart in my pj's np, but there are just a lot of things where I will seriously care too much. Have you ever had a crush on a teacher? No. I had one teacher that ALL the girls thought was super attractive, but I definitely didn't have a crush on him... and then later he got fired for sexual relations with one of the students. OOF. Do you like Lady Gaga? I don't mind her, usually. She's got some good jams. "Bad Romance" is legendary. Do you think you have been in love before? Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaadly in love, friends. Do you like Edgar Allan Poe? Love him! Have you ever gotten hit on by some creeper? Oh god yeah and it was awful. Do you bless random people when they sneeze? Yep. Do you have a short temper? No. Have you ever had a yard sale? Yes. Do you go to Barnes and Noble for books, the library or someplace else? I go to Books-A-Million. Do you have an iPad? Nope. Are you scared to die? Yes and no. It's the unknown of what comes after that makes me apprehensive. Do you go to church every Sunday? I never go. Do you think you draw well? I honestly think I draw decently. Have you ever wanted to be a meteorologist? No. Do you like Taylor Swift? Not really, and DEFINITELY not newer stuff, but I will rock hardcore to "Picture To Burn," "Safe and Sound" is positively beautiful, and "Love Story" used to be my favorite song at one point.

#survey #quiz #questions

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got7teenexoticup10tionboys · 6 years ago

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☽ Dreamer | Chapter 1

↣ Pairing: Jung Hoseok x Reader ↣ Genre: Slight angst, future fluff | dystopian!au ↣ Warning: There’s really nothing to warn y’all about, maybe just some bad writing here and there lol ↣ Word Count: 1.929 words ↣ M.List: In bio, because Tumblr isn’t showing posts with links in the tags...

“-and 3 chocolate muffins.” The oldest beamed.

A few days had passed and Hoseok finally started to come out of his house. The 7 boys were heading to their practise, but Jin insisted on stopping by his favourite bakery.

“Hyung! You know the double chocolate are better!” Namjoon whined. He reached out to grab his muffin, a pout visible on his lips, as the oldest turned away from him holding onto the bag with the 3 chocolate muffins. He reach into the bag and handed one of the muffins to Yoongi. “Ya! What about me?” Namjoon asked confused and slightly irritated. “If you want double chocolate go and buy one yourself, these two are mine.” The 3 youngest couldn’t help but laugh at their oldest hyung’s childish behaviour. “Are you kidding me?”

Hoseok already stood outside the bakery holding the door open and waiting on the others, letting strangers in in the meantime. He rolled his eyes at the others little argument, but stopped when something, well someone, caught his eye.

Never had he seen someone like that. Mysterious and intriguing. Of course no one could top the girl he was still mourning over. But something about this someone caught his attention. Why was he feeling this way? What was so special about this g-

“Finally! Can we hurry up now! We have practise in 5 minutes!” Jungkook yelled to the rest. “Hoseok? You okay?” Yoongi asked when he noticed how distant the boy looked. Hoseok shook his head a few times and looked up at his hyung trying his best to show a smile. “Yes! Yes. I’m fine. Let’s go!” Hoseok yelled taking the lead and walking next to a hasty maknae.

“Guys, go ahead and take a break! I’ll be back in half an hour.” The choreographer yelled before leaving the room. It didn’t even take a second before all the boys crashed down on either the couch or the ground, their limbs aching, their muscles burning and their lungs trying to inhale as much oxygen as possible.

“And then Joon-hyung tripped and I-haha it was hilarious” Hoseok didn’t even realise what Jungkook had said to make everyone laugh as hard as they were doing, his mind spinning. “H-Hyung, you okay?” Jimin said through ragged breathes, his brows furrowed a little in slight concern. “Yeah, just a little headache.” He said waving Jimin off.

His head lulled back onto the couch behind him, eyes pushed close to suppress the headache spurring trough his brain. The light behind his eyelids fading and breath slowing down as he fell into a light slumber.

“Hyung watch out!” Taehyung laugh-yelled as he pulled my arm towards him. Jungkook and Jimin came riding their bikes of the hill at a new-record-speed pace and almost crashed into me. They laughed loudly, trying to apologize. I don’t know how I ended up lying on the ground next to Taehyung, he probably pulled me too hard, but I didn’t feel the impact I made with the ground.

As I opened my eyes further, two grey cars passed by. Suddenly a girl appeared, walking on the other side of the road, she seemed familiar. “Hyung! I’m so sorry.” Jimin came running to me, holding out his hand for me to grab. As I looked back to the other side of the street I remembered, she’s the girl from before. From at the bakery. I grabbed Jimin’s hand, standing up quickly to run to the other side of the street. But before I could a car passes by and then the girl was gone. “Hyung?” “Hoseok-ah?”

“Jung Hoseok?” His eyes flew open, head popping up to fast as he felt another surge of pain going trough his head. “Shit.” He cursed holding his head. “Are you okay?” Namjoon asked worried.

Hoseok’s eyes scanned his surroundings, he was still sitting in the same sweaty practise room with his 6 friends. “Yeah, just had a dream or something.” He groaned. “Maybe you should take it slow from now on, come on guys. From the top!” Their choreographer, who suddenly appeared back in the room yelled.

Yoongi stood up first holding a hand out for his friend to grab. “Take it slow buddy, you seem a little out of it today.” Hoseok nodded, still feeling the remains of the weird dream roaming his mind. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

“Y/n y/l/n!” Your head shot up from your book and you looked up to your best friend. “Yes?” “Help me.” She whined before sliding down into the booth in front of you. “What?” You chuckled amused and put your face in your hands leaning over the table and mirroring her pout. “I swear my boss hates me. She makes me do extra chores and makes me take the most busy and annoying shifts just to irritated me.” She sighs exaggeratedly. “Wait, doesn’t she pay you extra though?” You asked, putting your hand on your chin acting like you were deep in though. “Okay yes! But that doesn’t mean working sucks!” She moans again laying her head down on the table. You laugh at your over dramatic friend before snatching her apron from her hands and putting it on.

She eyes you from her position, a cheeky smile on her face. “You owe me!” You laugh before walking over to the bar, grabbing a towel and walking around the café cleaning tables and taking some orders.

“Y/n, you don’t even work here yet you do more than Seohyun does.” Your best friend’s boss tells you with a small smile gracing her lips. “That’s not completely true, though she should start sharing her pay check with me.” You quip as she nudges your shoulder.

Narae wasn’t a terrible women, she just loved making her employees suffer sometimes. But she repaid them well with their pay checks, the daily free drinks and the freedom they received both in- and outside of work. She had a particularly soft spot for you and Seohyun and treated you two like her own daughters, it filled up the empty space she got after her own child passes way too soon. It wasn’t because of the stupid wrist-time system, she just chose to hang out with the wrong people at the wrong time. But now Narae had a successful café that kept her busy and Seohyun who she could bother as much as she wanted, knowing Seohyun could handle it.

After a few hours of working for school at your usual booth, talking to Seohyun and doing most of her job, you were going to head home. Seohyun lived in the dorm a block away, so you often walked home together on days you hung out together.

“And then he asked me out!” She screeched. “Really? Your ultimate crush, lover boy 1.2!” You faked interest. “Yes! But I said no.” “What?” You asked dumbfounded. “You rejected the boy you have been talking about since last semester?” “Yeah, you were right. He’s a total jerk. He called Subin, the cute nerd that always hangs out in the library, not my type, but still cute-“ “What did he call him!” You groaned annoyed. “Oh yeah, he called him dumb for wearing glasses, but he didn’t even know the difference between poached eggs and soft-boiled eggs so nah, I’m good.” You laughed incredulously. “Hey! I’m serious about my eggs.” You just shook your head before someone caught your eye.

He seemed familiar, but you don’t recall really seeing him before. “Yah, y/n were here. What are you looking at?” Seohyun asked as she followed your gaze. “N-nothing. Okay, I’ll get going then. Get home safe.” You said before hugging your friend and running inside. “Well that was weird.” Seohyun breathed.

After kicking of your shoes and taking of your jacket, you got comfortable on your couch. A few days back your dorm mate was called up by her parents, her little brother got really sick so now she was out of the city for a little while. You didn’t really need to talk to anyone, though you liked having people around so it doesn’t feel as lonely. You switched on the TV, grabbing some popcorn and wrapping yourself in a fluffy blanket and watched the movie playing before you.

You should’ve known better and turned the movie to something else when it started to get scary, but you were to immersed in it and now you were in your bed, your sheets covering your head as you winced at every single sound you heard. “Why do I do this to myself?” Tears were brimming in your eyes, it was stupid how scared you were and you wondered if you could even fall asleep.

“Y/n!” The voice echoed. “Y/n!” I ran as hard as I could, not seeing where the hell I was even going. All I knew was that the footstep behind me were nearing closer and this was going to be the end of me. I turned the corner the first chance I had hoping I had lost whatever was following me but the footsteps were only getting heavier, louder, faster even. “Please leave me alone-“ Just as I turned another corner I lost my footing, believing I was going to fall on my face and probably break my nose, but I felt myself getting pulled into someone and a hand covering my mouth when I wanted to start screaming.

“Don’t make a sound or we both die.” This voice sounded threatening but also… scared. Whoever this was must’ve been another victim trying to run away as well. He was probably hiding, trying to stay alive. I couldn’t turn to face him though. He had a death grip on me as he pulled me to his chest as close as possible. If I wasn’t deathly afraid right now of what was chasing me earlier I would’ve tried to get away from him.

It seemed to take a while for my heart beat to calm down, even after I hadn’t heard the footsteps for a good few minutes. It was as if the person behind me felt my heart calming down to, because only after my breathing calmed did he let go and I was free to face him.

“What was that?” I asked as I was turning to look at him, but when I did I only saw his opened mouth close as if he forgot what he was going to say. “A-are you okay?” I asked softly, my heart beat picked up again as I examined his face. The boy in front of me was gorgeous, but his beautiful face was littered in scratches. “W-who did that to you? Was it… that?” I asked pointing at my own cheek but mentioning his small wounds and then pointing in the direction the footsteps left. He only nodded softly like he wasn’t even fulling listening, away in his own thoughts. His face was so close to me and as I took in every feature ending at his lips that were slightly apart he finally spoke again. “Y-You…”

You jumped up at your alarm abruptly waking you, which was new since you almost always wake up before your alarm, never being able to sleep well. As you got out of bed and made yourself some breakfast and a morning tea you thought back at the weird dream you just had. “Weird… I never dream like that. Probably the stupid movie I watched yesterday.” You mumbled, silently scolding yourself for watching that movie the night before. You wondered how you even fell asleep then.

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arazialotis · 7 years ago

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Hunters Academy - Part 1

Word Count: Around 3200

Summary: The reader is looking for a way forward in life. A cryptic business card may provide her with a new opportunity at an unconventional school. Introduction

Warnings: Language

This is purely for a hobby and my enjoyment. Maybe some of you will enjoy it too. I am by no means a writer so I apologize in advance for any mistakes or grammatical/spelling errors. I appreciate any feedback or suggestions!

@misguidedconqueress Thanks for always reviewing, editing, giving suggestions, and being there for me. 🐱

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The bunker was eerily quiet with no one else around. The first couple of days, you did some general snooping around, but kept mostly to the rec room or your own. After a few more days, you grew more comfortable. With no one else having shown up, you frequently wandered around with just a baggy t-shirt and no pants, because seriously… who needs pants anyways? You were making breakfast and dancing like nobody was watching with your headphones plugged in. After having grabbed carton of eggs from the refrigerator, upon turning around you dropped the entire thing, at the shock of a tall, lanky man in the doorway.

“Jesus Christ!” You yelped as you dropped the eggs.

“Not exactly.” He responded flipping his black hair to the side. You couldn’t tell entirely, but you were fairly convinced he was wearing eyeliner.

You took your headphones out and tried to pull the hem of your shirt down. “I’m sorry, you startled me.”

“So are you like faculty?” He asked unimpressed.

“Umm..” You nervously laughed. “No, just a student.”

“So where are the professors?” He demanded.

You chuckled a bit, imaging Sam and Dean as professors. “Oh, they went for a hunt before classes start. Should be back any day.” You explained.

“And they left you in charge?” He scoffed.

“Well… not exactly, just to show new students around I guess.” He remained silent, the awkwardness growing. “I’m going to go put on some pants… and then let me give you the grand tour.”

He rolled his eyes and walked back towards the library. After becoming fully clothed, you walked around with him, showing him the ins and outs. He picked out a bedroom and flopped down.

You remained in the doorway. “I’m Y/N by the way.”

“Ned.” He answered.

“See you around, Ned.” You left to go clean up the mess in the kitchen.

A few more days passed and more students trickled in. You mentally kept notes for each one. Ned was definitely the soul searcher, eyeliner, hair gel, emo music, which you could get behind, you just needed the occasional ray of sunshine. Serena came next. She was a total glam queen. You thought one of her suitcases was just for her makeup. You silently snickered when she realized the bathroom was a common space. Kaveri and Skylar showed up together. They were sisters. Skylar was a no-nonsense kind of chick. You would not double cross her on any occasion. Her sister Kaveri though, was a definite follower. She tried to come across like her sister but had none of the bite to back it up.

The only other guy of the group showed up the same day as the sisters. His name was Joseph but you referred to him as Broseph. He was 100% beefcake but was lacking a certain intellectual quality. Serena couldn’t keep her mouth off of the floor, drool and all. She was attached at the hip to Broseph from the beginning. Last but not least was shy Ciara. She showed up on the 31st. The last day that would be accepting students. Although, Sam and Dean had not yet returned and you weren’t sure if you would be able to turn anyone away. You’d just sick Ned on them, he wouldn’t have a problem.

As for you, you were quickly developing the reputation as mama bear. Yes it bothered you, but someone had to be responsible. You mediated arguments, ensured Broseph got a variety of nutrition (not just red meat), tried to keep the place decent looking - at the very least hygienic - and made sure Ciara got a bit of socialization. But in a way, you were simply satisfied the bunker had life in it again and had a few foosball partners to fill the time. However, a few days after the 31st Sam and Dean had not yet returned, you grew more nervous.

That was until you woke to sirens blazing at 6:00 am. You and the other students made your way to the control room to figure out what the hell was going on. The Winchesters were standing like brick walls. When everyone had scrambled in, Dean turned off the sirens.

“Listen up you screwheads.” Dean started as you shot Sam a look of confusion. “We’re not here for an all American summer camp. You're here to learn how to become ruthless killers. What you’re signing up to hunt is not going to show any second thoughts or acts of mercy. How well you do in these classes is a matter of life and death.”

Sam rubbed his forehead at Dean’s flare for the dramatic. “My name is Sam Winchester and this is my brother Dean. We will be guiding and instructing you in preparation for hunting on your own. My classes will focus more on lore, various species, tactics and IT skills. Dean will primarily be instructing physical hand-to-hand combat and weaponry.”

“Alright.” Joseph clapped his hand together excited for some action.

Sam coughed before continuing. “Additionally we will be handling some courses together such as disguising techniques, interviewing, and interrogation.”

“If you choose to leave or you are dismissed during your time here, we highly suggest that you do not pursue hunting whatsoever. However, we are not your parents and your choices are up to you. But in either case you will not be welcomed back to the academy.” Dean explained.

“The first lecture will begin at 8:00 am in the library where we will be going over schedules, syllabus, rules and expectations.” Sam instructed.

You all stood unsure of the next move.

“You are dismissed.” Dean instructed with the wave of his hand.

You all dispersed down the hall.

“They could have at least waited until 7:00 to so rudely wake us up.” Serena complained.

“Speak for yourself,” Skylar disagreed. “7:30 for those who don’t need to file their nails every morning.”

Serena sneered at her.

“Yeah, I think I’m going to try to get a few extra minutes of sleep.” You agreed with Skylar.

“Shut the fuck up Y/N.” Serena argued. “Not all of us have our own private bathroom.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” You defended.

“Well, it takes a lot longer being distracted by Ned who literally has to have every single strand of hair crusted in gel and in place.” Serena continued complaining.

“Okay, I think we all just got to the wrong start this morning. How about I put together some eggs, bacon and coffee?” You suggested.

“Egg whites and spinach.” Serena demanded before slamming her door shut.

“And sausage.” Joseph piped up.

“I’m not taking individual orders guys.” You emphasized.

“Sunny side up.” Kaveri ordered from the back not hearing you.

“Poached.” Ned said passing you to his room.

You sighed.

Ciara came up to you. “Do you think you could make some of those raspberry muffins again?” She softly squeaked.

You couldn’t say no to her. “Of course, babe.” You patted her shoulder and headed to the kitchen. So much for those few extra minutes.

Sixty minutes and a dozen eggs later, Sam joined you in the kitchen. He poured himself a cup of coffee and started another pot.

“I mean I’m making everyone else something, so what’s your order slim?” You asked him.

“Is that an egg white omelette?” Sam pointed at Serena’s order.

“For sure. Go for it. The recipient is probably putting on fake eyelashes at the moment anyways.” You offered.

“Sweet, thanks.” Sam did not hesitate.

You were working on a pile of bacon and tried to casually bring up Dean’s behavior. “Umm.. so that’s a pretty intense initiation.”

“Oh, it used to be worse. We’d let at least ten zombies loose and just see what happened.” Sam sipped on his coffee before adding a bit of cream.

“What?” You asked deadpan.

“I’m just kidding.” Sam laughed. “No, but uh, Dean can get pretty serious. I think he believes he is just doing best by the students. Preparing you guys for the worse and weeding out anyone who can’t cut it early on.”

“Well, I can tell you if every morning starts that way, I’m going need to quickly explore other options.” You confessed.

Sam chuckled. “I can assure you, these mornings are quite out of the ordinary.”

When you finally had every breakfast order ready to go five minutes to 8:00, the students started filtering in and grabbing what they pleased before heading to the library. You were focused on cleaning up what you could so a mess wouldn't be waiting for you after class. Unfortunately, you were too focused to see that the food options were dwindling down to nothing.

After the students had entered the library, Dean came out swiping the rest of the bacon. You turned around and sighed upon realizing there was nothing left and not enough time to throw something together for yourself.

Sam had knowingly saved you a cup of coffee. He handed it to you and nodded towards the library. “Come on.”

You grabbed the last available chair as Sam made his way to the front. Dean remained in the back leaned against the wall, attempting to analyze the students. Sam handed out a packet of paper.

“So, we operate on a portal system. Each one of you has a login on the top of the packet. You will submit assignments through the website, along with keeping journals of your weekly progress.” Sam explained.

Kaveri raised her hand. “What if we don't have a computer?”

“Get one before the end of the day.” Dean instructed.

You turned around looking Dean up and down. Something about him had changed. When you first met him his guard seemed down. Now it was like trying to infiltrate the Pentagon. You wondered if something had happened on their hunt, or perhaps maybe he was just better one on one. Dean took notice of you staring and pointed at Sam. You took the hint and returned your attention to Sam.

“Each semester is eight weeks long.” Sam explained. “The first semester you will primarily be here learning and receiving instruction. After four weeks we will break for five days. Another break is scheduled before the beginning of the second semester, during which you will be getting the hands on experience. You will be partnered and assigned a case.”

Skylar interjected. “Are we going to shadow you first?”

“Too many of you and it would take too long.” Dean explained.

“The first case will be selected at a very basic level by myself and Dean. It will be heavily monitored through the portal until complete. We will pull you back if things become too complicated.” Sam expanded.

“But by then, the point is that you are prepared well enough so you can handle it on your own.” Dean clarified.

“So, um… why don’t you all take the next few minutes to read over the syllabus and schedule and let me know if you have any questions.” Sam finished.

The syllabus resembled any college course format. They used a standard grading scale for projects, the only exception was weaponry and combat were rated on skill. It seemed like there would be daily reading, weekly papers, and ongoing projects. You were particular nervous about the shooting range having never fired a gun. Not that you haven’t tried, but your mom had caught you red-handed; stating you were still too young.

“So you use a grading scale…” You started without raising your hand. “But what is the point? Like what would happen if we fail?”

“You will not be invited back for the next semester and your memory will be wiped so you don’t do anything to get yourself or someone else hurt.” Dean explained.

You popped your eyebrow, not believing his threat.

Sam didn’t deny Dean’s statement. “We want to think you are here on your own will and in accordance will put in a reasonable effort to succeed… And if there are no other questions…” He briefly paused. “Let’s begin the first lesson. Because you are all coming in at different levels and knowledge, we are going to start at a very basic level and work our way up. Today we will be covering to most common beings you will encounter as a hunter, especially in the US; ghosts, vampires, and werewolves…”

Sam’s lecture droned on for over two hours. You did managed to keep focus though, absorbing information that wasn’t found in your mother’s journal. He had also given you the first assignment which was to compare and contrast at least three subtypes of ghosts. He had pushed back his IT lesson in order for Kaveri to find a computer.

With no other classes on the agenda for the day, you tried to figure out what life was going to look like day to day at this academy. It was a bit disappointing that Sam and Dean seemed to separate themselves from the group. They weren’t in any of the common areas except the occasional sneaking in and out of the kitchen. You figured they were probably just recuperating from their hunt. Joseph had some gory video game going on in the rec room so you decided to spend the afternoon in the library getting a headstart on Sam’s assignment. Ned joined, lurking over your shoulder and sitting right next to you even though every other chair in there was open. And although you were just imagining it, you could practically feel his breath on your neck. Serena joined you both, flipping her hair before she opened her laptop.

“So what’s the assignment again?” She nonchalantly asked.

“Ghosts.” Ned blankly stated before plugging in headphones to escape the conversation.

Serena rolled her eyes. “Y/N, what are you writing on?”

“Um…” You flipped through your current notes. “Vengeful spirits, specters, and poltergeists.”

“What’s the difference between a vengeful spirit and a specter again?” She questioned, fingers at the ready to type up your response.

Oh, like hell she was going to take all your work.. “You know, actually I’m not feeling all that well.” You rubbed your head hamming it up. “I think I’m just going to go lie down for a bit.”

Serena huffed as you left. You made a mental note to change from vengeful spirits to death echos so your paper would slightly differentiate from hers.

The following day began combat training with Dean. You were all dressed down in workout clothes, still not fully sure what to expect.

“Alright, listen up.” Dean entered the room. “This class is all hands on,” He threw a padded mat down on the concrete floor. “Be prepared to get sweaty, bruised and even bloody. We’ll start with self defense before looking at attacks or weaponry. I need a volunteer…” You along with everyone else except Broseph, looked anywhere but at Dean. “Y/N, come here.”

Fuck, you thought to yourself making your way towards him.

“I want you to come at me.” He ordered.

“I’m sorry, what?” You asked for clarification.

“Hit me.” He directed.

“Um.. okay..” You lightly swung in his direction.

He easily pushed your arm away. “No, like you really mean it. Like I just killed a basketful of puppies and you can’t stand the sight of me.”

“Dean, that’s terrible.” You scolded him.

“I know, show me how angry that would make you.” He ordered.

You huffed but did as he instructed. You put all your strength into your arm before rearing back and lashing out to strike him square in the jaw. But as he had planned, he grabbed your wrist, twisting your arm behind your back and pushing you to the ground, his knee on your spine so you couldn’t get up.

“Lesson number one, use your opponent's strength against them. In this situation, all her momentum was a forward motion. By diverting the initial blow, you can use that inertia to force them down and go in immediately for the kill.” He explained to the group. “Okay, so why don’t you partner up and grab a mat so we can practice these moves together.”

Using your free leg, you lifted your heel and lightly tapped his back to remind him that he still had you pinned down. For a moment, his wall broke down and he softly chuckled, but quickly returned to his hard exterior. You got up of the floor to find that everyone had paired up together.

“Y/N, you’ll continue to be with me.” He instructed.

“Oh, come one that’s not fair, you’re like twice my size.” You complained, about to suggest you switch places with Joseph and Serena.

Dean interrupted, loudly enough for the class to refocus. “Lesson number two. Your opponents won’t play fair. It won’t matter if they are twice your size or if you are stronger than they are… their single goal is to end your existance by any means possible.”

Okay, how’s this for fair? You thought as you used your foot to hook around the back of his ankle, tripping him and with a push, sent him to land on his ass. If he was going to make an example out of you, he needed to know you’d dish it out just as much as you would take it. Dean gritted his teeth staring you down. Ned followed by example and attempted to hook his foot around Skylar. However, she shoved him straight back into the wall.

Dean got up. “Okay, okay… instead of a full out brawl. Let me show you the move first, step by step before you practice… Y/N, come at me again… this time slowly so we can walk through it.” He directed, unsure if you were going to comply.

You lazily swung your arm through the air. He grabbed your wrist again. “You’ll want to catch the opponent’s wrist with your mirror arm. That way, your other hand is free to block if there is a second attack. Then twist their arm, forcing it and you behind them, using the opportunity and momentum to pin them on the ground.” Dean presented slowly, still ending up with his knee in your back, this time you were convinced deeper than before. “Why don’t you all give it a go, just practicing a couple of times before we do it for real.”

As they started practicing with each other, Skylar and Ned bickering about who should be the attacker; Dean, leaned down to whisper in your ear. “You may come from a hunting background Y/N but that doesn’t mean you know shit. Either take this seriously or get out.”

Dean left you on the ground with crimson cheeks and stinging eyes threatening the verge of tears. But you refused to make a fool of yourself in front of the class by starting the waterworks. You sniffled, stifling your embarrassment and returning to the fighting stance, ready to go through it again. Dean’s lips pressed together as he tried to read you, but it seemed you followed his example and started building a wall of your own. If Dean’s attitude was going to remain in this shifted demeanor while continuing to single you out, stuffing your emotions would be the only way you could survive the semester.

---

Continue to Part 2

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#dean winchester #dean x reader #sam winchester #supernatural #spn #spn fanfic #spn fandom #dean x you #dean x y/n #fanfic #fanfic series #hunters academy #dean winchester x you

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prorevenge · 7 years ago

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Revenge on a horrible boss that cost me 10K + a lot of self confidence.

warning: long story. tl;dr at the end.

Here I was, bright eyed and bushy tailed having just graduated college, looking for my first "professional" job. I took the first reasonable offer. It was a 3 month contract to hire position as an analyst.

How they said it would work: 3 months as a contractor no benefits at $15.5 an hour; I live in MD so we have a high cost of living, once the contract period ended I would get full benefits and a raise to $21 per hour. Ill spare you the details on the benefits, but basically an extra $500 per month in value.

The job started off awesome, worked daily with 10 other kids my age. My boss at the time was a hellva human being, the pinnacle of a boss. 1 month into my residency he left for greener pastures, leaving a void in the power structure, the "team lead" got promoted to manager, she was not the pinnacle of bosses or even a nice human being.

When the og boss left so did 2 of our team members (they both only gave 1 weeks notice, and were completely check out) naturally the work had to flow down, I was grasping the job rather quickly so I got some of the more advanced reporting duties.

The first time running the report I messed up, the end user politely informed me, awesome! I run it again, mess up a second time. End user understanding I was new, lets me know again. So I go to one of my co-workers to get assistance, the report was still wrong, F*CK!!! That was the 3rd time so the end user told my boss (totally understandable). We have a meeting, she asked why I didn't ask for help, I told her I did. Her only response was I can no longer trust you, DOPE.

Theses 3 errors were held against me for the next 9 months. At my 3 month review time she informed me that I could not be trusted so my contract period would be extended. Ok, I deserve that, I messed up. So I decide to put in an extra hour per day, learned the shit outta the system and preformed everything perfectly for the next 2 months. At the 4 month period she said I still could not be trusted, she sited the 3 errors in my first 2 months as the reason. This went on for a total of 9 months after my contract should have been up. Every month she said we will see how you are progressing next month. I didn't want to change jobs for fear of being labeled as a "job hopper." So I stuck it out just trying to make it a year.

On the 10th month I finally said f*ck it and started looking for a new job. I asked the new team lead (he was an awesome guy and was always in my corner) if I could use him as a reference as 15.5 was not paying the bills, I was working 2 jobs to make ends meet, with no end in sight. The following month I was offered the full time position. But the ball was already rolling.

I killed 2 interviews with new companies and was offered a position for 57,500 which I got through a recruiter. 3 weeks after finally becoming full time I put my 2 weeks in. I didn't bash her in my exit interview, no reason to rock the boat because if I was really as bad as she said I was, I would get canned at the new job. Said my good byes and started plotting my revenge.

It has now been 9 month since I left that job. I have poached 4 of her best employees and gotten them new jobs, all through the same recruiter (made that dude so much money). Mind you these were people who felt the same way about the nameless boss and were ecstatic to be leaving. She is now is no longer the manager of the team, she got moved to a new role, she was always very good at her job, but lacked the interpersonal skills to be a manager.

So the 4th person I got a job just got his written offer today (to work with me at my new company). He is the only person that knows how to process files on the team, as the other file guy just put in his 2 weeks as well. MUHAHAHAHAH She is so f*cked.

I did this all because the reason why I didn't get hired full time was because she didn't like me. She cost me 10K 7 in salary and 3 in benefits after my 3 month contract shoulda been over. Not to mention how taxing it was on me as a person I hated coming into work everyday. I feel bad for some of my old co-workers they now have mandatory 10 hours of over time per week because the team is in shambles. There are 3 more people I would like to get new jobs, the work environment there sucks and they are my friends, and F*CK HER.

TL:DR- Boss kept me at a lower pay for AN EXTRA 9 months, I have poached 4 of 10 good workers from her. She has been demoted. All over just not liking me.

(source) (story by Working_Mans_Reddit)

#pro revenge #by Working_Mans_Reddit #prorevenge #pro revenge stories #revenge stories #pro #revenge

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ask-de-writer · 7 years ago

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MAD - IRRITATED SCIENCE! : Bizarre Borderland : (Part 2 of 2)

MAD IRRITATED SCIENCE!

De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck)

2488 words

written 2008

TUMBLR EXEMPTION

Blog holding members of Tumblr.com may freely reblog this story provided that the title, author and copyright information remain intact, unaltered, and are displayed at the head of the story.

Fan art, stories, music, cosplay and other fan activity is actively encouraged.

~~ ~~ ~~ ~~

PART 1 is HERE

~~ ~~ ~~ ~~

Had to wonder, you know, if folks learning to do this sort of thing wasn't the basis of the tales about witchcraft. Thinking it through a bit more, after destroying a few persistent vermin in my garden, I realized that if this was the foundation of witchcraft, those fears in the general population could be well founded. It took almost no imagination at all to see how someone with this sort knowledge could be a very real danger to the community at large. Especially if the general population treated the “witch” badly. I didn't intend to find out what would happen in a case like that.

I'd just got a pair of deer up close and doing a bit of a step-dance for a big flake of hay when I noticed the dust cloud of a truck barreling along the road from Al's place. I sent the deer away, cursing Al under my breath. Bad news only got worse when Al's pickup roared up my drive, scattering gravel as he skidded to a stop. Al bailed out with a rifle in hand, starting to aim at the retreating deer.

I glared at him. Al's rifle fell to the dirt from hands gone nerveless. Wide eyed with anger, he demanded, “Damn you, Art! What did you do to me?”

Not bothering to get up from my seat on the porch steps I replied tartly, “Me? I'm here on my porch. You are ten feet away. From here, it looked like you managed to drop your gun just in time to avoid poaching charges on top of the Felony Trespass and Protective Order violation.”

Frowning in a black faced rage, he flexed his now almost functioning fingers and retorted, “Poaching? No way! This is private land so its legal. No hunting without permission your signs says. Wasn't no time to ask first, so's I was gonna ask after I blasted 'em. Would'a given me a whole Winter's meat.”

Lips pulled into a tight line I snapped, “Only problem, Al, is I would have said NO. Those signs allow me to get game from my land. Desert game is spread thin and I don't share mine. At least not with you. I heard from Joe Sanderson how well you share yours.”

Al was looking down at his hands and flexing them. Still pissed off, he spit out, “Joe had it coming! Bastard wouldn't pay me for Neighbor Watch.”

I raised one eyebrow and pointed out, “Neither will I. Looks like your hands are better. Get into your truck and shove off. Don't come back, either.”

Al stared to bend over to get his rifle and just kept on going down. He landed in a heap on the scattered gravel of my drive. “Don't try to take that gun, Al, unless you want to leave here in a hearse.”

Twitching on the ground, Al yelled, “I knew it, you asshole! You've used some sort of evil witchcraft on me. I'll have the law on you for this!”

I smiled down at him from my vantage point on the steps. A sensible wolf would have stepped away from that smile. “One: Killing Felony Trespassers is legal, and that's what you became when you hauled out that rifle. Two: You have a Protective Order that requires you to stay at least a hundred fifty feet from my property line and do nothing to compromise my property, including discharge firearms on or across it. I can legally kill you for that violation, too. Three: Witchcraft IS legal. Four: I just sat here and watched you apparently have some sort of seizures. Five: I am calling the Sheriff's Office on your Trespass and and Order violations.”

I got on my phone and called the situation in to the County Police. I fixed a sandwich and went back out on the porch to watch Al. He was staying down. I knew that he would.

As I started to eat, Ratty popped up from his nest under the house. He did his little rat dance and got his chunk of sandwich. He settled down by my feet and happily nibbled his bread and cheese.

Al looked on in what I believe was genuine fear. Trying to point, he exclaimed, “There's the proof! You are a witch-man! That's your familiar!”

Amused, I replied, “Ratty? A familiar? The worst he could do is nip your nuts while you're down.”

Ratty squeaked firmly.

I laughed, “Right Ratty! Why should you risk lice and other crawling vermin just to bite Al's privates?”

Ratty expressed his opinion of Al by taking his part of the sandwich and retreating back under the house. With his tail up to show Al his ass.

Not too much later a deputy arrived. I greeted him, “Hi, Deputy Mustic. 'Fraid your cousin Al's in a spot of trouble. Seems to have not only broken the Protective Order, he brought a firearm onto my place. Trouble is, unless he's faking it, he seems to have some sort of paralytic neurological event. He's even trying to blame me for it. Witchcraft, no less. Can you believe it?”

Deputy Mustic closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Of Al? I'd believe near anything. I gotta call for a backup and let him do this one to be sure that everything's done right. If I try to do the arrest, Al's lawyer is sure to try for a conflict of interest or some such because we're related.” The deputy got on his radio and I overheard him giving dispatch a piece of his mind for sending him out to deal with a relative.

Soon both the backup, Deputy Jorgen, and an ambulance were on the scene. Al was duly informed of his rights and placed under arrest while the ambulance crew verified with a pin that Al really was paralyzed. Deputy Mustic took me aside, day book out and asked, “Art, why didn't you call the ambulance? Even if he is my family, we both know that Al is slime. Still, you should'a called.”

I nodded, while watching Al being loaded into the ambulance to be hauled away, “I would have, Deputy. Thing is, he pulled that stunt on Sadie Halloway where he faked an injury on her place. Since she called the ambulance, she wound up getting stuck for near enough a grand. Al did it because she wouldn't pay into his neighbor watch scam. I won't pay him either and just figured he was doing the same to me as he did to her.”

Writing in his day book and flipping a page to finish, Deputy Mustic nodded, “I heard about that. Thought it might be the reason. Needed it clear for the record is all.”

More anxiously, now that he was done being official, he asked, “Any idea what is wrong? I mean, scum or not, he is family and I'm worried for him. Believe it or not, the kids like him at reunions. He does slight of hand coin tricks and card stunts really professional.”

I shrugged, “The slight of hand for entertainment is something I'd not have guessed. Slick as he is at lifting small tools and such, I should have known something like that was behind it. As for this, no idea at all. I am sure that it's not sunstroke. The AC in his truck was on and it works. I would guess that it might be an oddball stroke of some kind. Maybe an aneurysm or bleed in the upper spine could do it. Just a guess, though.

“Al appears to be sure what it is. I heard him telling both Deputy Jorgen and the paramedics that it's witchcraft. If it is, I don't think that I'm the one. Frankly, I hope he's right. Witchcraft is legal.”

Three days later, Deputy Mustic was back. It was an unofficial visit. Looking sad, he said, “Al died in the hospital, last night, 'bout midnight, Art. The doctors did find what it was but there was nothing that they could do. Doctor Collins said that it was the fastest growing neurological tumor that she's ever heard of. It was just near to the top of his spine. Inoperable. Al died swearing to everyone there that you cursed him.”

I watched a hawk soar overhead for a moment before I replied, “Not to speak ill, but if I could have, I would have. Didn't like him at all.

“You, on the other hand are one of the best. Never heard a single bad word about you, even from folks you've arrested.”

Deputy Mustic smiled but only slightly, “Thanks for that, Art. I didn't expect any sympathy for Al but I figured that you'd want to know.”

“Indeed, Deputy. My condolences to your family.”

As Deputy Mustic drove away, My mind was in high gear. I liked it out here, but it did get pretty lonely on occasion. The ease with which I influenced animals and settled Al's hash led to an interesting line of thought.

The next time that I was in town, I spotted a pretty young lady. Checking her out by 'feel' I found that she was not only available, she didn't like being tied to one guy. She enjoyed having a variety of lovers.

All that I planted was the urge to drive out my way. The weekend was fun for both of us. Besides bed, Sally hiked around the hills with me and even liked watching a hawk or buzzard fly. We took a bunch of pictures of her around my house and up in the rocks and hills. Nice cheesecake, barely risque. Good memories.

It turned out that Sally knew a fair number of other like minded friends. After she introduced me to her buddies, neither my days or nights stayed lonely.

---The End---

#MAD - IRRITATED SCIENCE!#Part 2 of 2 #Bizarre Border #written by De Writer

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blahblahblippyblah · 7 years ago

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Magnus Chase and a Plotless Hogwarts Fanfiction

Chapter 12: The Unicorns http://archiveofourown.org/works/11429727/chapters/26295711 Summary: Magnus spends some time with Alex and some fluff ensues. (Plus some blitzstone fluff). Then things happen and it gets sad. The plot thickens. ****** It was the first day back after Christmas holiday. The sky was clear and the sun was shinning down on the blanket of white snow. Magnus stood watching as his 6 year class stood surrounding the paddock. He had managed to capture a mother unicorn and her two golden twin foals for his first lesson back. The class was busy sketching the unicorns and taking notes as he spoke whiel walking around the paddock. The foals stayed close to their mom, but as they got use to the crowd they began to etch forward towards the fence the class was gathered against. "Alright I know they are cute an cuddly but be careful. Keep your voices down. They are easily frightened. Boys in back, come on now" Magnus said as the class crammed to see the unicorns better. A few students squealed in delight at the sight of the creatures. The mother was glistening white. The snow appeared grey next to her. Her horn sparkled in the sun long and extremely dangerous. She nickered unsure, and Magnus held out his palm to feed her an apple. She calmed and quickly chopped it down. She nuzzled his arm as if asking 'more apples?'. "Now unicorns are very secretive creatures. Very hard to find. They don't trust wizards, and for good reason. Their hair has many magical properties. The most well known use being wand making. Their horns are often used in rare potions. This means that they are often captured and harvested from. A terrible practice that has led to alot of poaching and illegal harvesting." Magnus said as he approached his class. The foals and the mother followed behind him. He reached into his pocket and passed bags of sugar cubes for the class to pass around. The foals moved forward eagerly as student began holding out their palms to feed them sugar. They even let some Gryffindor girls pat their velvet noses. "Foals are born gold and turn silver around 2 years old. These two are around 1 and a half. You can see some silver starting to come in around their chins and ears" Magnus went on patting the neck of the closest foal. " They don't go pure white until 4 years old when they reached sexual maturity. Now the twins we have here are pretty common. Most unicorn give birth to twins. We have two girls here. Male unicorns foals are typically smaller and less afraid of wizards. Now who can tell me what is the favourite food of the unicorns?" A male student in the back raised his hand high. "Yes Basil" "Unicorns love heather flowers" Basil answered loudly from the back. "Excellent. 10 points to Hufflepuff. Now something your text book won't tell you is that if a unicorn eats too much heather it can actually affect the colour of it's white horn. Heather has many magical properties but we I still having figured out how it turns the horn purple. But in once met a particalulry large female unicorn that had taken over a large field of heather and had eaten so many flowers her horn turned completely lilac." The rest of the class Magnus spent talking about the many important facts about unicorns that would probably come up in their NEWTS. His students took notes sometimes but seemed more intent on listening and trying to feed the unicorns. When the bell from the castle rang across the grounds they begrungly hiked backup the hill to the castle. Magnus hung around the paddock after his students had left feeding the mother some dried heather he had brought with him. He looked around quickly when he heard a voice by the fence. "I've never seen a unicorn up close before. They are very beautiful." Alex Fierro was now sitting on the fence legs swinging inward to the paddock. Alex was wearing a green cloak that matched a pink turtle neck tucked underneath. Alex smiled at him as he looked up. "Are you a girl today?" Magnus asked. He was pretty sure he knew the answer. Alex had a very girl like air about her today. He didn't know how he knew, or if he was right so he asked. "Ya she/her. How did you always know?" Alex asked smiling and tilting her head. Magnus shrugged blushing slightly. "I don't know. Lucky guess maybe?" Alex chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Anyway since your a girl you can come over. Just no sudden movements. These guys are pretty skittish" Magnus said waving her forward. Alex jumped down from the fence and came forward. She got right up beside Magnus and looked up at momma unicorn with a bright look in her eyes. The foals peeked out from behind their mom to look at Alex curiously. "Wow" Alex said slowly raising her hand out to the unicorn. The unicorn stepped back unsure. Magnus wasn't thinking, but he reached out and took Alex's hand. He guided it towards the head of the unicorn. The unicorn didn't back away this time with his hand guiding. She let Alex's hand run over her face and into her brilliantly white mane. Alex grinned wide in amazement. Magnus looked down at his hand over Alex's as she rubbed the side of the unicorn. He suddenly felt self conscious. He quickly pulled his hand back. Alex kept her hand on the unicorns neck but looked at him with a curious expression. Wanting to say something to distract himself from his furious blushing he reached into his pocket and pulled out the rest of the sugar cubes and dried heather flowers. The golden foals came up eagerly when they saw the food. Magnus held out his hand to Alex and she took some of the treats. Magnus gave the mom some sugar as Alex bent down on her knees and fed the foals. An 'awwww' escaped her mouth as she petted the golden fur of the twins. "Ya, they are very cute. Took me forever to get their trust. Being a male didn't help. But they are very sweet." Magnus said to Alex. One of the foals raised its head and stuck it's nose into Alex's ear. It began to nuzzle against her neck. The other foal laid down beside her and laid it's head in her lap. "They seem to really like you" Magnus said impressed by the what he was seeing. Alex looked up at Magnus with a proud smile. Magnus knelt down beside her to pat the foals as well. The mother unicorn stood over them she leaned down and licked the top of Magnuses head. The slobber caused his hair to stick up crazily. Alex laughed at his new hairdo. She reached up and ruffled his hair to make it worse. "There, I fixed it" she said playfully. Magnus gave her a sarcastic smile. The butterflies has returned to his stomache. He suppressed the urge to throw up. "Anyway I came down to ask if you wanted to come have some dinner and beers with me in the village tonight." Alex said looking away from Magnus and focusing on her hand in the foals golden mane. Magnus was taken back. That was not what he was expecting. He probably waited to long to process what Alex said because she statred saying. "You don't have to say yes. I mean you are probably busy." " No no no. Wait I mean yes. Well yes to dinner. No to being that busy. I mean I have some papers to mark but it's not the important. I mean I do have time to come to dinner" Magnus felt himself rambling. Alex gently bumped into his arm. "Ok beantown. Let's go" Alex said gently getting to her feet. Magnus got up and followed her out of the paddock. He locked the gate on the way out. He would let the unicorn family out back into the forest tomorrow evening after his other 6th year class got their lesson. "One sec" Magnus said. He went into the cabin and grabbed some blankets. He went back to the paddock and draped the blankets over the backs of the three unicorns. He quickly filled their hay and water troth. He than trudge across the snow covered grounds with Alex. * When they got to the village they headed towards The Three Broomsticks. The inside was warm cozy. The smell of beer and food wafted around the place. A few patrons were scattered around on the bar and at tables around the room. They ordered 2 beers and Alex led them to a booth seat in the back corner of the room. She pulled off her cloak and began sipping her drink. Magnus did the same. He looked around the room. At the bar the bar maid was watching Alex and him with narrow eyes. Magnus all of a sudden felt a bit uncomfortable. Suddenly he realised how close he was sitting to Alex. The bar maid noticed him looking at her and gave him a angry look her lips pursed. Magnus lowered his head and focused on the bubbles in his beer. Alex broke the silence. "Hungry?" She asked. "Uh a little bit" Magnus said. "Ok, be right back" Alex said getting up and heading to the bar. Magnus watched as she talked to the angry bar maid. What's her name? He had forgotten. He felt bad about forgetting but to be fair he was a little tipsy when he was told. Either was he didn't like the look the bar maid was giving him. Magnus watched as Alex conversed with the bar maid. They seemed to be talking rapidly. Eventually the bar maid stormed into the back. She came back awhiel later and passed Alex a basket of chips. She said something else to Alex and Alex quickly turned away from her. Magnus could see her roll her eyes impatiently as she came back. Alex crashed down beside him again and began twirling a fry in her finger before nibbling at it. She muttered something Magnus didn't catch. He didn't know what to say. But Alex quickly got over it. "So what's the coolest creature you have ever seen" Alex asked turning towards him and smiling. Glad for the change in focus he immediately began telling Alex the story of the time he found the nest of a Chinese fireball that had been stealing pigs from a local farmer. They sat sharing stories, laughing, and poking fun at each other for a long time. They had successfully eaten through 3 baskets of chips and a pitcher of beer before they figured it was time to go. Magnus didn't want to go. He loved spending time with Alex. He missed spending time alone with her. Since she had successfully taught him to be an animagus they had only hung out in groups. Usually with T.J. Mallory and Halfborn. To be honest he liked this way more. When she was teaching him they didn't have alot of time to joke around. When they hung out as a group he had to be careful how much he stared at Alex or else Halfborn would begin to tease him. Here he could joke and stare at Alex as much as he wanted. He only had to endure the occasional abuse to his arm when Alex punched him lightly for saying something stupid. "Do you want to go for coffee?" Magnus found himself asking. Alex paused as if thinking then said "Kind of late for coffee". "You can have decaf then like the monster you are" Magnus suggested playfully wanting to keep the night going. Alex smirked and said "Ok let's go". Magnus led her down the dimly lit streets of Hogsmade towards Madam Puddifoots, his favourite teashop. The sun had gone down and the clear sky showed the stars above. The night was calm and no wind blew. Magnus could see some small clouds on the horizon in the light of the full moon, but they seemed very far away. The tea shop of cozy and warm as well. It smelled like fresh brewed coffee and baking bread. The shop seemed empty except for two figures in a booth at the far end. As Magnus walked in the shop towards the counter he recognized the two people. It was Blitz and Hearth. They were sitting side by side in a booth. Hearth had both hands up on the table around a still steaming cup of tea. His head was resting on Blitz's shoulder his eyes closed as if he had fallen asleep. Blitz's arm was around Hearth holding him up against him as Hearth snoozed. His other arm sat beside 3 empty cups of coffee as it busily sketched across the notepad on the table. His eyes were so focused on what he was drawing he didnt even look up to see Alex and him walk in. Magnus wanted to wave and say hi but felt a little awkward about interrupting. Instead him and Alex sat down in a booth at the opposite end of the shop. The sandy haired blue eyed waiter came out of the back and took their drink orders. He came back quickly with 2 steamy cups of coffee goodness. Once he left Alex spoke. She was facing the direction of Blitz and Hearth and crammed her neck to look over the booth to peak at the two of them again. "I'm so happy they finally got together" she said. " If I had to sit awkwardly with the two of them in the staff room during break for one more year I might have lost it. I don't know if this will be much better tho." Magnus turned in his seat and looked over the booth to see Blitz place a kiss on top of Hearth's sleeping head while he brushed eraser bits off his notebook. It was so sweet he figured only eating the entire bowl of sugar on the table would be more nauseating. He was happy his best friends had each other. Knowing what they both had been through he couldnt think of anybody who deserved each other as much and Blitz and Hearth. Yet it made him feeling kinda empty seeing them like this. Usually Blitz and Hearth toned down the affection completely when they were with their friends or in the castle. Magnus looked back to see Alex now sipping at her blasphemous decafinated beverage. She smiled up at him from her cup. "Speaking of Blitz and Hearth did you hear about what happened to Hearth in London." Magnus asked Alex. Alex nodded her head and clenched her fist. "Ya, if Alderman or any of his goons show their faces in Scotland I'll personally strangle them with my garrot before sending them to an early grave" she spat out. The corner of Magnus's mouth twitched into a smile. If anyone would forget magic and strangle someone with a clay cutting cord and their bare hands it would be Alex. " I wouldn't worry about it. Hogwarts is the safest place in all of Europe. Alderman isn't getting anywhere near here. Sam will make sure of that. Also I pity whoever goes after Hearth with Blitz around." Magnus said trying to lighten the mood. "Or the fool to try anything dangerous near Blitz with Hearth around." Alex interjected as she dumped alot of sugar into her cup. "He may be a scrawny pile of cuss words and sarcasm but I've seen him do some scary pretty powerful magic. Anyway change if subject, this one is getting kinda dark." Magnus smiled and warmed his hands on his coffee. "Do you like hiking and camping?" He asked. Alex's eyes lite up at that question. She began a long ramble about how she practically grew up hiking the mountains with her old pottery studio in Boston. She started telling a story about how she had once ran come across a hidebehind on solo hiking trip and how she had to fight it off. The story was quite terrifying but Magnus also couldn't help but be impressed. " You know I'm heading to the Appalachians this summer to find and do some observational studies on Wampus's this summer. Would you be interested in coming" Magnus said. "Really?" Alex asked. "Ya I could use a sidekick with outdoor skills and hidebehind fighting skills" Magnus said. He teased a bit but was actually very serious about what he had just said. "If either one of us is a sidekick it would most likely be you" she said leaning across the table to poke him in the chest. Magnus smirked. "So is that a Yes?" Alex smirked back and feigned thinking hard. " Hmmm I don't know. I mean I have alot of laying around and doing nothing this summer. I couldn't possibly find the time to go somewhere awesome and help you study some crazy dangerous magical cat" she said sarcastically. Magnus laughed. He took that as a yes. Suddenly he felt like he was floating on air. He was excited to spend the summer studying Wampuses but now he was estactic. * Eventually it got very late and the barista came over to tell them he had the close the shop. He went to go tell Blitz and sleeping Hearth but Alex told him they would do it. They both got up and headed towards the couple. Hearth was now curled up in the booth his face resting against the wall as he snored lightly. Blitz only looked up from his sketches when Alex waved her hands in front of his face. "Ahh!" He yelped in surprise knocking over an empty coffee cup. "Oh hey guys. Since when have you been here?" he said once he saw it was just them. "Around 2 and a half hours" Magnus answered. Blitz looked out the window confused and pulled out his dads old stopwatch on a chain from his robes pocket. He checked the time. " Oh man we've been here nearly 6 hours." Blitz mummered. He looked over at the sleeping Hearth and nudged him to wake up. Hearth did begrudgingly and looked up at Magnus and Alex. He sleepily signed "Hi. What time is It?" "Around midnight" Alex answered. "Come on lover boys we can head back together." Hearth frowned at Alex and made a rude gesture as Blitz packed up his drawings. Alex just smirked and gave a devilish eyebrow raise. The four of them headed down the dark streets of Hogsmade back towards the castle. The moon shone bright so they didn't need to pull out their wands to see the path. Hearth had decided to get revenge on Alex for her comments by enchanting about 30 snowblls to fly and attack her from behind. She screamed as the cold snow probably went down her neck and back. This promptly caused a mini snowball war between the two of them as they chased each other back to the castle. Magnus and Blitzen straggled behind to avoid getting in the cross fire. "So did you just finish a date or something?" Blitzen asked. Magnus caught so off guard by the question accidently slipped on a patch of ice. When he regained his balance he stammered out. "What? No!... Well at least I don't think so. I mean maybe, but we'll. No probably. I mean she didn't ssy it was a date" He managed to spit out. Blitz raised both his eyebrows at him skeptically. "But you do like her?" He asked. "No. I never said I liked her. Well I do like her. But not in that way. I just like her as a friend. But I don't like like her like her" Magnus babbled out. "Kid take it from someone who spent the last 3 years of his life fighting his feelings for his best friend. Don't lie to yourself. It doesn't work." Blitz said putting his arm around his best friends shoulder. Magnus pursed his lips unable to think of a logical excuse or explanation. Magnus thought about his feelings. Maybe he was lying to himself. He always found himself thinking of Alex during the day, even if he was doing something completely unrelated. He thought about the butterflies that welled up in his stomach everytime he got to close to Alex, and how he felt like melting into a puddle everytime she laughed. He then thought about all the times he had caught himself staring at her. How beautiful her two toned eyes were. How much he loved it when she teased him and punched his arm. Maybe Blitz had a point. He was brought back to reality when Blitz and him caught up with Alex and Hearth. Hearth was standing in the middle of the road wand raised turning around madly looking for something. There was no sign of Alex. Suddenly a large bird flew overhead. Hearth raised his wand to send a column of snow up in the air but the bird was too fast. The levitating snow flew past the birds and the birds dived down dropping a large snowball in Hearths face. Hearth stumbled back wipping the melting shulsh out of his eyes and spitting out snow. The bird flew around and landed in front of Hearth. Now that they were closer Magnus could make out that the bird was a giant eagle owl. As they approached the owl turned back into the form of Alex. She was rolling around on the ground laughing her head off. Hearth kicked some snow at her which made her laugh harder and grab for his legs. Hearth fell over into the snowbank with Alex. "That's enough you two" Blitz said striding forward and helping Hearthstone out of the snowbank. Both Hearth and Alex were now covered in snow and soaking wet. They both magically dried themselves but Hearth still shivered, and his lips had turned blue. Blitz pulled off his cloak and put it around him. Blitz linked arms with Hearth and they continued to trump up to the castle. Alex however seemed to be awakened by the snow fight. Magnus walked beside her as the followed Blitz and Hearth. After about a few minutes Magnus felt Alex's hand reach over and grab his. Alex's hands were cold but very soft. Her fingers were strong, probably from all the pottery she did. Magnus felt his hand tingle and was suddenly aware of how sweaty his hand was. He let go sliglhy and repositioned it. Alex kept walking and appeared unruffled. Magnus however felt like a nervous wreck. Yet he kept holding her hand. There was something comforting and thrilling about holding Alex's hand. Beside him Alex started humming a song he wasn't fimilar with. He wanted to say something to break the silence but he was scared she might let go of his hand . So they walked in silence all the way to the gates. They began to cross the grounds when a piercing cry rang out through the night. Blitz, Alex and Magnus all stopped in their tracks. Hearth noticed the sudden change in mood and turned to them. "What's wrong?" Hearth signed. "Heard something strange. Be quiet while we listen" Blitz signed but Hearth didn't need telling twice as he was a good judge of danger. The night stayed silent. Magnus was on edge. That shriek didn't sound human. Not wanting to talk out loud in case they heard it again Magnus signed to everyone. "Sounded like a beast in pain. Also sounded like it came from over near the forest" He pulled out his wand and everyone followed suit. They turned slightly their path now leading to the forest edge. Magnus squinted in the dark. The moon was full and bright by he couldn't make out any detail along the tree line. After a few seconds of scanning he heard the cry again. It was now louder and more panicked. It was the sound of a horse in pain. He broke into a run towards the paddock his friends following close behind. As he reached the top of the hill above the paddock he looked down into the gale see to see 3 tall figures standing in the enclosure. The white unicorn was on her hind legs trying to bat the intruders with her front hooves. The foals close behind her trying to avoid the jets red light coming from the wands of two of the figures. The third figure is what shocked Magnus. It was large and humanoid except it was scraggily and muscular. Poised on 4 limbs. From the head of the man beast sprouted the muzzle of a wolf. Before he could think out the situation the stupid part of his brain took over. He shouted a guttural cry and shot some stunning spells down into the paddock. The wizards turned and focused their attention on the group. The werewolf kept edging forward towards the unicorn. Magnus could now make out had a large bleeding gash across his back leg. "It worked you stupid mut. Leave the horse and focus on the target!" Magnus heard one of the men cry. His accent was thick and rough. Beside him Alex dissapeared and flew down toward the 2 men and the werewolf as an eagle owl. Not knowing how to fly Magnus, Blitz, and Hearth ran down the hill towards the paddock shooting stunning spells and dodging whatever the wizards threw at them. The werewolf snapped at the baby unicorns as the mother stilled tried to fend him off. Alex got there first she landed as herself in front of the werewolf and quickly turned into the form of a giant German Shepard, her fur on end. She barked in warning at the werewolf but it just snapped back at her ready to pounce. Alex made the first move lunging towards its throat. The wolf let out a cry of pain and the night was filled with the sounds of dogs fighting. Luckily for Alex the 2 wizards seemed more focused on the 3 other wizards bounding over the paddock fence. They shot spell after spell unmercifully towards them. Magnus wasn't a good fighter but he wasn't going to let these guys get away with messing with his harmless creatures. He shot another stunning spell and it barley missed goon number one. Another spell flew past his right ear, it was the green light of a killing curse. It came so close he could feel the heat coming off it. Magnus dived to the ground. Blitz levitated the food troth and sent it flying towards the wizards. It almost hit them but the deflected it in time. Goon number two shot another killing curse this time at Blitzen. Magnus scrambled to get up and push him out of the way but he tripped. Hearth got to him instead. He slammed the short wizard to the ground. Magnus shot out a binding curse at goon number 2. Ropes flew out of his wand and tied around asslaint 2. Hearth tried to pull Blitz up but his leg bent in the wrong direction. Hearth pushed him back and stood in front of him as if to protect him. Goon number 1 watched this. Magnus could make out the amusement in the eyes that peered out from under his cloak hood. He fired spelles so rapidly at Hearth Magnus couldn't even keep up watching. They were like bullets. If it would have been him he would have been a goner, but to Magnus's surprise Hearth had mad skills. He blocked the spells and fired back just as quickly. His wand arm a blur, his body never moving from in front of Blitz. Magnus needed to figure out something before his friend lost it. He concentrated and turned into a mangy golden wolf. He lurched forward and grabbed the wand arm of the assistant in his jaws. He bite down feeling the blood squirt out of the mans arm, and his bones break under his teeth. The man let out a scream. He dropped his wand. Magnus pulled him to the ground. His hood fell reavealing a pale face with bright blonde hair. Hearth stepped forward a small bit towards the man but kept Blitz in his shadow. Blitz was sitting up now his leg laying at and odd angel, but his wand was raised. Hearth raised his wand at the man but no spell came out. Maybe Hearth was fozen. Having forgot about Alex and the werewolf fight Magnus let go of the assailants arm just in time for both of them to be plowed over by the rolling figures of Alex the Shepard and the mangy werewolf. Assailant number one was flattened to the ground but quickly got up. He came to his senses and freed his partner. Magnus and Hearth went to stop him but the werewolf and Alex rolled around in a ball of chaos. The werewolf finally got the upper hand and threw Alex across the paddock by the neck. Alex hit the far fence as herself. She rolled around the ground obviously in pain. Hearth Magnus and Blitz turned just in time to see the two goons running into the forest behind them. Unfortunately the werewolf wasn't done. It slowly approached the now panicked unicorns teeth barred. Apparentlt the wolf was intent on unicorn steaks. Magnus used all his wolf strength to bound forward. He tackled the back of the back of the werewolf and sunk his fangs into the back of its neck. The werewolf howled and lashed out. It's claws swung around trying to reach Magnus, but it couldn't as Magnus swung his whole weight trying to bring down beasts to the ground. It rolled over him and he lost his grip the werewolf. Now raging the werewolf lunged at the closest living thing, mother unicorn. The unicorn cried our as the werewolves claws raked it's face and it's teeth sunk into its neck. The unicorn went limp in its mouth. Magnus let out a guttural cry now back as himself. He made to get up, his wand raised but suddenly the paddock exploded in blue light. He found himself frozen in place. Wait not frazen in place. He was still moving but so slow he might as well be moving through cold honey. From behind him Hearth strode forward. Everyone else seemed to be stuck in slow motion except him. His eyes were blazing with anger. Magnus felt a chill go down his back. Hearth's gaze made him want to crawl into a ball and hide it was so terrifying. Hearth walked up the the werewolf and stunned him. He the wrapped it in cords that flew out of his wand. The beasts could do nothing as it seemed to be stuck like it was suspended in jello. Once the beasts was bound Magnus felt the world shift. He fell forward as regular time and movement came back. Hearth was the only one left standing. He glared down at the now bound werewolf. Magnus came to his senses and rushed forward towards the fallen unicorn. It wasnt moving. He placed his shaking hands on its neck trying to detect any sings of life but felt nothing. He pulled out his wand and tried to revive it anyway. Nothing happened. He tried again. Nothing. Again. Nothing. Again and nothing. He let out a loud frustrated sob cutting it short as it caused him to choke out tears. He felt a hand rest on his shoulder and looked up with teary eyes to see Alex kneeling down just as distraught. He fell down to the dead unicorn crying out. He had failed this pure gentle creature. This was all his fault. Out of the corner of his eyes he could make out the two foals coming forward slowly gently nuzzling their mom. His heart broke and he cried out again. He felt Alex bring him in to a hug as they knelt in the snow. Behind him he heard the werewolfs wreak moan tied on the ground. He heard Hearth shuffle back towards where Blitzen was. He barley paid attention as he heard Blitzen yelp as Hearth susposedly healed his leg. He only looked up when he heard a new voice join them. "Oh my Gods. What happened? Are you all alright?" A Irish brought called out from the gate. Magnus looked up to see Malory and T.J. making their way toward them. Magnus heard Blitz call out behind him. "We are fine. Someone got into the grounds and ..." Blitz trailed off at the end. Mallory and T.J. walked up to them and took in the scene. Magnus wiped his eyes on his sleeve. 'Get a hold of yourself' he told himself. He shakily got to his feet. He saw Hearth help Blitz to his feet and sign to Mallory and T.J. "Take this thing to the dungeon. Don't let it out of your sight. We will be there soon. Also wake up Sam it's urgent." Mallory and T.J. looked down at the now unconscious tied up werewolf. If they were freaking out they didn't say anything. They levitated their new prisoner and sent a patronous up to the castle. Magnus looked around once Mallory and T.J. had dissapeared. He watched the two young foals pace sadly around their now dead mother. Alex walked over and they went to let her stoke there backs. Blitz and Hearth walked over to him. "We should bury her before she attracts something worse from the forest" Blitz said in a low voice. Magnus was still in shock but Blitz spoke sense. He nodded and choked out. "Um Alex... can you take the foals up to the castle. Umm my classroom should be big enough. There's stuff in the trunk under my desk. Could you stay with them until I get back" Alex nodded and raised her wand. Two leather ropes appeared around the foals and she led them gently up the lawn. Once they were gone Hearth turned to him and put his hand on his shoulder. He didn't need to sign anything his message was clear 'Its ok we are here'. Blitz dug a deep grave by the forest edge and Hearth lowered the body of the beautiful beasts. Hearth seemed a little on edge being so close to the forest they had seen the 2 goons disappear into but they managed to bury the body of the unicorn. Hearth waved his wand one last time and purple Heather flowers bloomed on the freshly dug frozen dirt. The flowers immediately frozen in the cold night. They tromped back to the castle. They ran into Sam in the Entrance Hall. She was hastily pulling on her hijab over her hair. She had pulled a cloak over her jogging pants and shirt. She held her belly protectively. She looked alert and on edge. "What happened? Mallory sent up urgent message saying you guys had been attacked and that they have a werewolf in the dungeon." She began. "My father" Hearth managed to sign before Blitz cut him off. "Sam it's probably best you come with us to Magnus's office and we can explain everything." Sam nodded and led them to Magnus's office. Inside Alex had laid out some blankets and was sitting on the ground beside the two sleeping foals. Sam took in the scene and looked back at Magnus. He held out his hand as if to say 'give me a sec and I'll explain everything'. Magnus walked over and collapsed in his chair. Blitz and Hearth collapsed in nearby desks. Sam walked over and sat on top of Magnus's desk. "Can someone please explain what is going on?" Hearth raised his hands and signed everything that had just happened. Occasionally Blitz would take over where Hearths signs got shaky. "So long story short you think Hearth's father sent two guys to come and try to take Hearth and they used the Unicorn to lure you guys away from the castle. And they brought a werewolf" Hearth nodded solemly. "That raises one important question. How did they get in? They obviously were watching Hearth because they knew he left the castle. Why not attack him in the village? Why come onto the grounds? How did they even get in the grounds? This whole place is on magical lock down." "That's a good question Sam" Alex said slowly getting up from the floor being careful not to wake the foals. " I say we wait until morning and interrogate the mutt in the dungeon. I bet he has answers" The way Alex said interrogate made it sound like she was saying torture. Sam shook her head. "I can't let you guys interrogate him. I need to go contact the ministry and they will come arrest him. They will do the questioning" Sam said. Alex didn't look happy about that but stayed quiet. She must have known Sam was right. Hearth raised his hands and signed "Sam please let me talk to him before the ministry comes. I need information. I promise it will be short." Sam locked eyes with Hearth. After a few long seconds she nodded faintly. "What about the foals?" Sam asked turning to Magnus. Magnus breathed in deeply and said. "I can take care of them. This is my fault so it's only right. It'll be another few years until they can go off on their own." "Ok then" Sam said sliding off the desk. "Ill let your classes know they have the next three days off. That should be long enough for you to sort that out. As for future precautions I'm going to increase the number is staff on patrol at night to at least 3. Also no more Hogsmade visits. Teachers included until we figure this out." She sighed exhausted. "Sorry I have to leave you all but I have to go send some owls as well as check on Mallory and T.J. I'm relieved that you are all ok." Sam walked out of the classroom. She looked exhausted. Magnus looked around the room everyone sat in silence. Surprisingly Hearth was the one to break the silence, kind of.

#fierrochase #alex fierro #magnus chase #blitzstone #blitzen #hearthstone #magnus chase and the gods of asgard #mcga #harry potter crossover

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topicprinter · 5 years ago

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Quick Intro: Hi all I’m hoping some of you can help me. About 12 years ago I started a small behavior consulting company. It’s a group of mostly licensed (the entry level employees aren’t licensed, but do hold a certification) professionals that provides behavior therapy to children with special needs – mostly autism. I started the company because I was horrified by the unethical and greedy behavior I saw in our field. I’m an actual practitioner (still seeing patients) and not a businesswoman – although after 12 years I’ve learned a lot, but have so much still to learn. We’ve had our ups and downs (most of the downs were dealing with changing health insurance woes). We are one of the few small businesses that do what we do – most have been bought by venture capitalists and are huge companies. We’re basically the tiny guy surrounded by Goliaths so things are often tough to compete, but we’re holding our own. Our clients are thriving and most employees are also quite happy – so much so that if they move out of our service area they beg us to open up services wherever they’re moving to because they like working for us so much. That’s not to say we don’t have our problems and of course we can’t offer as many perks as the big companies, but there are a lot of tradeoffs to working with a smaller company. So, I’ve recently come across a problem I’ve never had to deal with before.The problem employees: We started having one region that was struggling with often upset clients or upset employees. I put so many things in place to figure out why this region was doing so bad and all of the others were doing fantastic in comparison. To make a long story short, I figured out it was the director of the region and few rotten employees.One of those employees (Employee A) was committing insurance fraud and I fired her. Employee A also got fired from her next two jobs. I only know this because she reached out to a colleague with all kinds of crazy claims about her last two jobs (not us) and why she was fired from there. The colleague was asking me if I though her claims were legit and if I could help her – not knowing she had worked for us.The second employee (Employee B) I think may have some mental health issues and was on probation. She worked well with the kids, but was a horrible employee (always late on assignments, constantly breaking policy, trying to encourage dissatisfaction amongst other employees, constantly threatening the office staff and telling them they were useless and below her because she was a high and mighty practitioner and they were lowly admins, never taking ownership/entitled, etc). It got to the point where I should have fired her, but I was so worried about the kids having a gap in therapy that I held on to her longer than I should have. She was put on probation then enough was enough and I was about to fire her but she moved away. She left with all kinds of threats to sue us. She even contacted the department of labor and tried to get us in trouble. The department looked into our claims. It took us a lot of manpower hours to prove that her claims were bogus. The department of labor agreed with us that her claims were 100% bogus.The third employee (Employee C) was the director of the region I mentioned. I ended up firing her after putting her on a 1-year improvement plan (again, I know, lesson learned I shouldn’t have kept her so long but it’s both hard for me to give up on people and also I worried about the health of the patients knowing the practitioner role is hard to fill). I found out she was also sabotaging the region because I guess she was upset that she was being called out on her poor performance. Anyway, after Employee C was fired I never heard from her again. She’s important in this story just because when I fired her my real problem started.Here’s the problem: We’ve had such a hard time finding new staff when we have never really had trouble before. Long story short I discovered that Employee A and especially Employee B both left bogus reviews of us (specifically naming my name and other employees titles) on Indeed when employee C was fired. Indeed is where we find most of our candidates. The other large recruiting sites don’t work for us no matter how much money we sink into them because of the specific specialty of our field. When you search for our company name and review it comes up with their Indeed reviews and a 1-star rating. They are the only 2 people that have left reviews for us on Indeed. We’ve only had one other employee review us and it was anonymous and on Glassdoor and was a 5-star review. Since we work in the healthcare industry it is illegal for us to even acknowledge that people are our patients online so we’ve never asked for public patient or employee reviews. We conduct surveys in-house though of course – they’re always glowing results. Our field is fast-paced and stressful and satisfied employees would never think to go leave a review online for us. We’re so busy giving everything to our patients we don’t have time for things like that.I’ve just never had to worry about this before and now I do. It’s starting to hurt our patients because we’re so understaffed and can’t find more staff because we look so bad online now.I asked one employee who loves our company to go on indeed and leave a review. She signed up and immediately got poached by one of the large companies. She’s still saying how much she loves our company but they are offering her a director position (which she’s not qualified for) and she wants that title. A trusted colleague that works for that large company says they have closed-door meetings to discuss how they can shut down our company and one way they decided was to try to poach our employees. I don’t see them stopping at just this one. As for why they want us to shut down again I guess it’s just because we’re the little guy doing really well with patients and many patients choose to sit on our waiting list over signing up with the big companies because the patient community likes us so much. Normally I just ignore all of the politics & drama and we just do our thing but now I can’t ignore this. I suppose that makes sense of her wanting to be a director and I can’t control any of that but now it makes me nervous to ask other employees to go on there and leave reviews knowing they’ll immediately be bombarded with offers.My question: What’s the best way to approach this? Should I ask my current employees to leave reviews? Should I hire a PR or marketing firm? To many of you the answer may seem simple but I am so emotionally invested and not qualified for this kind of problem. I would love any advice. Thank you for reading :)

#/r/smallbusiness #reddit

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3one3 · 8 years ago

Text

The Sequel - 791

Troubling Trend

André Schürrle, Juan Mata, other Chelsea players, and random awesome OC’s

(okay they’re less random now but they’re still pretty awesome)

original epic tale

all chapters of The Sequel

“Chriiiiiiiiis.”

“I’m awake. I’m just not ready to open my eyes yet. Stop jiggling my boob.”

André hopped unceremoniously and with no consideration for Christina’s comfort whatsoever onto the bed next to her to lay down, bunch up a pillow under his head, and rub her stomach instead of her left breast. She’d kicked or pushed his heavy comforter down to about her waist and looked adorable to him on her back with both arms splayed open at her sides like a dead person. Her black ribbed tank was bunched up above her navel, and it was tight enough that it kind of kept her chest together. He let her sleep until 11 on Tuesday morning. It was pretty clear that she needed the extra rest, and he was ready for some father-son time with Lukas. They got up much earlier to walk the dogs, have breakfast, half pay attention to Paw Patrol, and play with all the toys Lukas forgot he had there. The child also usually returned from horse show weekends extra tired, though he got the same amount of sleep as home. He passed out for an early nap after many rounds of trying to beat Lucky and Spencer to the tennis ball that André threw across the living room for them. Lukas seldom got to the ball first but he enjoyed the game nonetheless.

“Are you going to training now?” his mom inquired sleepily, without turning her head or opening her eyes. Her face was pointed away from the intruder, and he wanted to poke at the muscle sticking out of her neck. His wife had a finite tolerance for his annoying behavior before her coffee or juice though.

“Yes.”

“K. I’m going back to sleep for 6 hours then,” she yawned. “Later.”

“K but who is going to look after Mausi?”

“Buzzkill.”

“If I leave like right this second I could drop him at Marco’s to be his new nanny’s problem for the day.”

“Naaaaht.” Christina shifted her head to her left, rubbed her eyes, and then raised her arms to stretch. Her spine twisted in an S-shape to help in the slow stretching of her muscles, which weren’t used to getting so much rest. Twelve hours of sleep was at least 5 more than she got on a regular basis. André found this behavior adorable too.

“Did you sleep good?”

“Your accent gets so cute when you’re here. Your voice gets higher at the end of some words. Reminds me of when we first met.” She blinked sleepily at the face across the way, and worked her fingers into her hair and down to her scalp for a tempered scratch. I don’t wanna get out of bed, like, ever. It’s so warm, and comfortable, and not filled with the sound of horse show announcers and people yelling instructions in 5 languages.

“I hope yours doesn’t change too much after you live here for a while.” André slid his hand around her side to her back as she rolled over to hug her very large pillow. He thought it a very “Prinzessiny” thing that she liked to sleep in the very middle of the overstuffed square pillows instead of one of his nice standard shape ones with more than adequate fill to avoid going flat overnight. Her pillow choices at home in London had grown inconsistent in his absence. The rider used to use the standard pillows because it was easier to get close to her partner that way. She couldn’t get very close from the middle of a big square pillow. Sometimes she didn’t use a pillow at all when she fell asleep because her head was on him in some way, and then she just used whatever pillow was close and convenient as they shifted apart during the night. That wasn’t much of a concern anymore, on her own. Juan liked to share his square pillows with her, and they were flatter and squishier.

Christina thought of her pillow preferences like Julia Roberts’ character’s egg preferences in The Runaway Bride. She liked her eggs prepared the way her current boyfriend did, no matter what. Whatever he liked, she liked- scrambled, poached, overeasy, whatever- and it happened with every boyfriend and eventual fiancé. She didn’t even know which way she really liked on her own. Christina didn’t know which pillow situation was her favorite. Granted, she didn’t think that much about it except in hotels, where she tried to decide what to do with whatever pillows were on offer, and never really knew which kind of thing she hoped to create with them. She figured if she had a standard preferred pillow plan, she would know how to arrange her hotel pillows to try to achieve the same effect. Her selection at the apartment on Monday night was based purely on immediate comfort. She laid down on one of the square pillows she got to put against the wall in lieu of a headboard for André’s bed, it was divinely comfortable, and she stayed put. His arms were long enough that he could still angle himself and spoon her for a little while before he went to sleep. Another decision made on the basis of immediate comfort was that to ignore his reference to her living in Germany permanently. The expat dodged it.

“What time do you get back?”

“From what?”

“Training.”

“I don’t have training, Silly Prinzessin. I was just kidding. Do you not remember the lengthy discussion we had last night about all the stuff we were going to do today?” The Dortmund midfielder tried to tug her tank top down over the small of her back in case she was cold. He had the day off. He didn’t really need one since he didn’t play on Saturday, and Sunday training was only with the rest of the guys who also didn’t play, and that was never very intense or meaningful.

“Maybe?” His wife yawned and nodded her cheek against the pillow, though the movement was because she had an itch, rather than to answer his question. “What stuff are we doing today?”

“We’re going to go see the house, and you said you want to see your baby horse, and take Mausi to the good playground. Did you look at the link I sent you with the play place, with the trampolines and foam pits and stuff?”

“No. I was watching Chelsea on my phone and then I forgot about it. Did you watch at all at the hotel? What a game.” Christina did remember deliberately not talking to him about Chelsea’s win over Arsenal on Saturday because she didn’t want to remind him that his old club went 12 points clear at the top with that victory, while his current one battled to the death, without him, to get a win a few hours later that only took them to third. He and his teammates celebrated that win like it was some huge thing, which she personally found embarrassing. She found it embarrassing that a club like Borussia Dortmund should be so excited and so thrilled to beat RB Leipzig at home 1-0, especially in light of a last minute equalizer that was probably wrongly ruled offside. To her it was a sad state of things, and despite André’s implicit happiness, she was sure that he would later, on reflection, realize it too. So she didn’t bring up Chelsea. Days later, it seemed okay.

“No.”

“Eden scored a ridiculously good goal after a solo dribbling run from his own half, and then Juan scored a really nice one too.”

“I saw the score. Arsenal is shit. Everyone is unfair to Mesut though. Anyway, why don’t you get up and I’ll make you a coffee and then we can head out to the house, or to Holger’s?” I’m happy for Chelsea. I’m happy for my friends in the team. I’m even happy for Juan. That doesn’t mean I want to talk about Chelsea, the ex-Chelsea man thought as he tried to ease conversation away from the West London club. I don’t get how she doesn’t care more about Borussia anymore. I play now for the club she has loved a lot longer, and cared more about, and was more invested it. On bad days she used to re-watch great Borussia games, not Chelsea triumphs. Now it’s like a sore subject to her, he concluded while his girl appeared to be mulling over his proposed agenda.

“How about you pour me some juice and we go for a walk with Lulu Schü and the puppies to the coffee place my Mario’s? We can hang there and have better coffee, and I can have something to eat, and then we’ll go to the playground on the way back?”

“What about the house and the horse?”

“We can do that later. His barn name is Dylan now, by the way. Tom said everyone is calling him Baby Dylan because somebody said he looks like a Welsh pony and somebody else thought that person said a Welsh poet, and he’s afraid of the dark, and Dylan is a “D” name like Dirk. Dirk has Welsh pony ears and Navarra looks like an overgrown Welsh pony so I guess it’s all fitting.”

“I don’t get it.” The non-poetry reader of the family shook his head with plain eyes that gave away his disinterest. Firstly, he didn’t care what they were going to call Navarra’s foal if Christina wasn’t going to include him in the decision making process, and secondly, he automatically checked out of conversations involving things he didn’t know anything about, like Welsh poets.

“Dylan Thomas was a Welsh poet who wrote that famous poem “Do not go gentle into that good night”.” She looked back at him questioningly, waiting for signs of recognition. “Rage, rage against the dying of the light?”

“Never heard of it.”

“Oh. It’s about dying.”

“So your Dirk baby is named Dylan because of a poem about dying? That’s nice.”

“Are you grumpy all of a sudden because you don’t like the idea that people in a barn know Welsh poets and poems and you don’t, or because you think I don’t want to go see the house?”

“I’m not grumpy.”

“Well you went from cute and nice to blank and short, so I’m sticking with grumpy. And I noticed you didn’t deny the second part.”

“Well are we actually going to the house or are you waiting until this mythical “later” to say “Babe, I’m tired, can we just go home instead”?” André sat up on his elbow. It wasn’t that easy to be combative at such close range. The amount of awareness in Christina’s eyes- the way they immediately broadcasted how she internalized his words and how she felt about them- was an extra layer in her attack or defense. He couldn’t simply assume she wasn’t hurt, or upset, or angry, or anything else, and proceed without having to feel he impact of doing that to her. Whatever was on her mind was in her eyes, and it was most clear at close quarters. Being inches from her eyes made them weapons against his resolve.

“Are we gonna start doing this again?” the rider sighed impatiently. “Making everything into a fight?” She took his distance as a sign that he was ramping up for a proper argument.

“You just called me dumb, accused me of having a complex about it, and then labeled me grumpy for hiding a feeling I don’t even have, so if someone is looking for a fight, I don’t think it’s me.” He tried to be calm, but his tongue had bite.

“I didn’t call you dumb. I know you think you are sometimes, and that’s what I was saying, and how was I wrong about you thinking I don’t want to go to the house if you then followed up with “well are you avoiding it”? You didn’t even deny it.”

“Why would you even assume that I assumed that?”

“Because you always do.”

“No I don’t! I’m sorry if you had a bad weekend and you were upset yesterday and this process is really annoying, but I will not let you take us back to where we were two months ago, assuming the worst of each other and suspecting each other of wanting different things, and hiding it. We’re not doing that again.” André was firm. He wanted to strike down whatever was happening before it could grow legs. Christina’s tone gave him a flashback to every fight they had throughout the fall, and every mistake they made, and every way they hurt each other. There was no way he would allow them to succumb to that again.

“Whatever.” She lifted her head off the pillow enough to shake it dismissively, and then lifted the rest of her body to get up. He watched her crawl to the edge of the bed and get out of it, flopped onto his stomach while she walked around the bed to go to the bathroom, and at the last minute decided to turn the other way and watch the rest of her journey there. Her “angry” stride involved a specific little wiggle of her butt, and he could see it in the parts that weren’t covered by her underwear. She’s just mad because she’s busted. She wanted a fight, not me. I don’t even know why.

The scratching of at least one but possibly two Toy Fox Terriers at the bedroom door drew the player out of bed. He didn’t want to just lie there waiting for Christina to get over her huff in the bathroom anyway. He went out to the living room to make sure the dogs weren’t seeking his attention because they desperately needed to go out. Neither one ran back and forth to the front door or dug at the carpet, so it didn’t seem like a potty emergency. They just wanted attention. He sympathized with them. He wanted attention too, from his wife, and not in the form of criticism and provocation. There were less than 24 hours left to her visit. It wouldn’t be worth holding a grudge.

When Christina emerged in fitted sweats and a leather jacket and running shoes- all in black like a gym class teacher going to a funeral- he knew she was either still mad at him or genuinely didn’t feel great, and not in physical terms. Her body should have felt great after all the extra sleep. It had to be stress and disappointment that was bothering her, if her exceedingly comfortable and literally effortless outfit wasn’t just meant to be a slight on him. Normally she went out of her way to look nice when they finally got to see each other. Surely she would have packed for that, and surely her fashionable but unimpressive sweats were something she packed for wearing on a plane, or for wearing to breakfast at her hotel in France before it was time to put riding clothes on, he thought.

“Where’s Luke?” She also had her little crossbody bag, a supplement to the “Lukas bag”, and was stuffing essentials like her card wallet, Chap Stick, and phone inside.

“He’s sleeping still. Do you want to wake him from the nap or just wait? He’s only been in the crib maybe a half hour.” The German scratched his chin on the couch and tried to sound open to either thing, lest she accuse him of anything. He didn’t even know what she could accuse him of, but was sure she’d find something.

“We can wait, I guess.” The girl in head to toe adidas cotton fleece and no makeup at all shrugged off her jacket and sat on the opposite end of the couch, with her hood up over her third-day top knot, making her look like a cone head. She had her phone, to catch up on whatever she missed during her lie-in. Most of what she missed was Juan. He sent her a bunch of pictures and videos of his teammates dancing in the dressing room at Cobham, and also an invitation. Sotheby’s was having an auction called “Erotic: Passion & Desire”, and the Spaniard wanted to know if she was interested in attending an exhibition of the works prior to the sale. His message included a link to the auction catalogue, which featured paintings, sculpture, photography, prints, books, drawing, and even furniture befitting the title, from centuries ago to the present.

André tried to guess what on Earth she was looking at as he watched her expression change while she swiped through the lots. A print from one of the earliest erotic novels, depicting a man with his fingers in a woman across his lap, for example, made her eyes widen with surprise. A sculpture from the second century AD made them even bigger. It was the torsos of a man and women- he was penetrating her. They had no heads or arms and lacked most of the length of their legs, penis in vagina were perfectly intact. They happened to be in Christina’s favorite “Juan position”. Then there were incredibly detailed ink prints from the Qing Dynasty that had her cringing and swiping faster. Something that the catalogue described as a 10th century “green glass fertility talisman” of Persian origin looked like a really big dildo to her, which evoked more displeased faces. A table adorned with penises of multiple sizes, including extremely large ones acting almost like legs, made her giggle. There was even a Helmut Newton photo she kind of wanted for herself, but she frowned when she saw the expected price range under the description.

“What are you looking at? Or are you doing a live Instagram of weird faces?”

“Huh?” She looked up from her phone like she had no idea there was another person in the room, let alone someone throwing squeaky toys.

“What are you looking at on your phone?”

“A catalogue of stuff for sale at a Sotheby’s auction. It’s erotic art, but some of it is more disturbing than erotic. Apparently guys in the 1800’s liked to get in big baths with their girls and eat them out while other guys hide and watch, which is cool I guess. There’s juice, right?” Christina looked back at the screen and tapped out a reply to Juan.

“I would love to go but you can’t judge me when I get deeply embarrassed just being in the vicinity of some of those pieces.”

André said there was orange juice, apple juice, and ingredients for green juice if she felt like making it. She left the phone behind to go help herself to one of the first two, and he saw it light up almost right away with a text. There was no reason to guess who she’d be talking to about an erotic art auction. That had Juan written all over it. It wasn’t a problem really, but he did feel tempted to guess about who started the conversation and why- did Juan text her about the auction, or did she text him about fighting and then he brought up the auction?

“Are you going to the auction?” he asked when she returned with her sugar-free apple juice diluted with water.

“I don’t think so. Juan asked if I want to go to the exhibition, like a preview, I guess. I don’t know when it is though so I don’t know yet if I can go. Thanks for getting apple juice.” The grim reaper of leisurewear offered a wink to go with her thanks, and when she sat back down on the sofa she sat on the closer side of her phone instead of where she’d been before. Her attention went right back to the Apple device though.

“We can go to the appointment-only exhibit and cocktail this Thurs night or the open ones any day Weds-Fri 12-5 next week. How thoroughly did you look at the catalogue? There is something I want very much. Guess?”

“Thursday night is good. I have no idea where I am next week. Is it one of the Helmut Newton prints, cuz I want one too.”

“I’m sitting here debating back and forth in my head whether to bring up what we were saying in the other room, and I don’t want to have to debate things like that, so I’m just going to ask,” the more immediately available footballer told her. “What was that about and are you upset with me or is it over now?”

“I don’t know. Can we just forget it? I’m not upset.” Christina shook her head and let her eyes fall to the phone again, not because she was anxious to read Juan’s next reply but because it was easier to look at his messages than his former teammate’s face with his prying seriousness. “I’m just unhappy, and it makes me unpleasant to be around.”

“Maybe you can figure it out when we look at everything :)”

“If it’s the offensively large glass dildo, plz don’t buy thinking you’re bringing it anywhere near me.”

“I don’t think you’re unpleasant to be around,” he interjected with sincerity. “I’m very happy to be around you. I wish you could separate unhappiness about a difficult weekend and unhappiness about our house never being finished from the rest of life. I’m unhappy with my opportunities to play right now, and I’m unhappy about the house too, and your footing, but I wouldn’t say a blanket “I’m unhappy”, because my life in general is what I want, and what I need, and I enjoy it, and I love the people in it.”

“I can’t do that!” she argued back, desperate. “I’m incapable. I am good at what I do because I can’t shrug it off and just be happy with everything else.”

“I know. I know, pretty girl. Calm down.” André tossed a pillow gently in her direction, for no real reason. Lucky was impatiently waiting for him to throw the squeaky fire hose toy he’d just delivered back to his lap, and almost went for the pillow instead. Christina patted the cushion next to her to invite him up. Petting a silky soft black and white dog wasn’t a bad way to calm herself down. Spencer came too, and then she had two dogs to pet.

They are not apartment dogs, and I am not a commuter wife. I am not a part-time rider and full-time globetrotter. This doesn’t work for me. I can’t do this, she thought, glum and frustrated and on the verge of re-experiencing everything she had to endure before Christmas at that same pre-Christmas magnitude. André got up and came over as well, but he intended to do the petting, not be pet. He gently tugged her hood down, mindful of the hairstyle underneath, and then hugged and kissed her head.

“I need a day off from life,” she whispered inside the headlock since he was close enough to hear even her flimsiest of voices. There was gratitude in her heart that her partner’s embrace felt more like something he wanted than something he thought she needed. Constantly requiring comforting babying from the men in her life was a major irritant and disappointment to her. The German hung onto her head like he just enjoyed hanging on to her, and kissing her less than clean hair, and using her as a chin rest. “I’m going to have one Friday, I think, since Luke will be here. No baby, no horses, no work. I’m staying in bed with multiple coffees, anything I want to eat, daytime television, and a book.”

“You could have today off from life if you like. We don’t have to go anywhere, and I can handle Mausi.”

“Noooooo. I came here to have today with you. I need that too.”

“Good. Don’t spill your drink. You look like you’re about to spill it.”

“I won’t.”

“What do you call a priest who becomes a lawyer?”

“Who gives you these jokes?”

“A father in law. Get it?”

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