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help-im-a-gay-fish · 4 years ago

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Brightly Shone The Moon That Night. A Dark-Cream Christmas story.

The following is a slice of life story about my Dark-Cream family at Christmas. It exists in a universe different to @zu-is-here cannon. In this universe positive emotions are not fatal to Shattered so Cross and Dream didn't rush to break the curse. It splits off around 'things will never be the same' or 'the price of happiness'. The twins were created before the last 3 chapters of Dark-Cream were drawn. Any changes to the story or changes to the characters should be accepted as being part of an alternative timeline. Thank you. Enjoy. Original cross and dream belong to jakei95 and joku blog. Original shattered dream belongs to @galacii. This design for shattered is based off the one by @zu-is-here and the Dark-Cream story is also by @zu-is-here. Most of the Story will be under the cut.

"isn't this a bit much?" the gloopy one said, as his partner wrapped a scarf around his neck.

"nope" the former guard replied "can't have you getting frost bite my love"

Dream simply rolled his eyes. "but I can't really get cold? Or even hot for that matter"

"what are you talking about? you're always hot" Cross replied with a sly smile. This earned a confused look from the smaller skeleton, as Cross carefully tied the scarf and gently folded it under Shattered's jacket. Though it became clear to Cross that Dream had twigged what he'd meant a moment later, evident by the creeping gold blush spreading across his face.

The golden guardian playful punched Cross in the shoulder. "Shush you, keep in clean in front of the little ones"

At that Cross couldn't help but smile and turn his head to his two daughters. The two were in their cot, all dressed in snuggly winter clothes, waiting for their Dad's to be done getting ready. Celest was dressed in a cosy jumper with a little bobble hat, while Luna wore a full bodied coat. Their consistent look of confusion and wonder changed into toothless smiles when their dad looked at them. (idk how teething works for skeletons..... Teeth magically form or something......also tbh they should start teething soon) it warmed Cross' soul.

His attention was drawn back to dream by the sound of metal being placed down on wood. He looked to him, seeing that he'd removed his crown band and set down on the bedside table. Dream then sighed and sagged his shoulders. "it.... It feels wrong not having something on my head"

Cross chuckled.

The 4 of them where taking a trip out today. This was something both Dream and Cross had agreed was a good idea.

Cross' eye lights travelled back to the little ones. They seemed so innocent right now, as if recent events hadn't happened. As if the last two weeks hadn't been difficult to get through.

Celest's code had been burning her a lot, to the point where she'd screamed when either of them had tried to hold her, or even touch her. As for Luna, her throat had become clogged with more gloop then ever before. So much Shattered had to use a tentacle to pull some of it out. She had surely been 5 seconds from suffocating.

It had been a fortnight of sleepless nights, screaming babies and a large amount of arguing. The stress of the situation had pushed them very far apart. Many things had been said, old wounds jabbed at, tears shed. But after a lot of long talks they had sorted out each fight. They were a lot stronger then some petty arguments. There was no room in their relationship for emotional strain......not anymore. The two loved each other, it had just been a difficult time.

In recent days, the twins seemed to have recovered to a stable state. Back to the laughing, smiling, Cow lovers. Cross never thought he'd be so happy that they'd started playing with their cow collection again.

After a long talk with his finance, the two concluded that they'd all been stuck in the void space for way to long. Even with the few rooms and furniture, it's not like there was much to do there and a serious cabin fever had developed. So while the twins were in a good place, they had to take the opportunity to spend some time together as a family.

Cross once again looked back at his partner. Only to need to do a double take. Dream was wearing a hat now. A festive white one with golden stripes running across it. It was reminiscent of a classic Santa hat, other then the colours. The fabric had black stains in several places due to where Dream had touched it. Though despite that Cross recognised it all to well. To his dismay, he felt his face slowly get warm. Their first kiss.

He could remember it clearly in his mind, the mistletoe, the hotel, Gaster sniggering in the corner. But mostly, Dream. The sweet, positive skeleton from back then was very different to the one who stood before him now. But he wouldn't have it any other way.

Remembering that day caused his blush to darken. It had truly been one of the most embarrassing, but best days of his life. Though a part of him wondered how Dream still had the hat. After everything, the hat had been saved.

"you've still got that hat?" he said, in a half teasing tone.

Shattered smirked at Cross' flushed face "of course, so many good memories".

A stream of positivity ran through him and with it, it brought a sudden, but expected twinge in his soul. It was a sharp pain, like a knife being slowly pressed in. Dream tried to ignore it but he visually flinched causing Cross to come over.

"positivity again Dreamboat?" he questioned.

Dream nodded "it's alright, I'm used to it" The guardian sensed some sadness from Cross, even if he kept a natural face.

"I'm OK Crossy, promise!"

Cross sighed and gently kissed Shattered's forehead. "if you say so my love"

With that he walked back over to the twins so that he could get their carriers. Dream sighed slightly. It was strange seeing Cross in an outfit different to his guard uniform. So much so that Dream already kind of missed it, not that Cross didn't look handsome is what he was currently wearing.

The last time the family had left the void to go shopping, (which is really a story in itself) they had been stared at from all angles. Every man, women and child. Monster or human, had taken part in watching them. Like animals in a zoo. Cross had insisted that it was the twins they were staring at, since his children were so beautiful that of course people would stare. But in the end both him and Dream knew the real reason.

They were staring at them.

He couldn't really blame them though, how often do you come across a monster with heterochromia wearing what was best described as fancy dress, accompanied by a slime covered skeleton in heels and a crown? Many things had changed since the apple incident, but people staring as he passed had not.

Today they both wanted a peaceful day with their babies, so they had opted to wear more normal clothes. Cross had traded his normal cape and jacket for a puffy white winter coat which he wore a red jumper under. Dream had opted for something similar, though a deep brown colour as to not show the stains so much. It felt odd being in a new outfit, but also very nice. There was only so long someone could take being in tight trousers and shirts with big collars.

The former guard straightened up, clutching a harness in his hands.

"these were definitely a good buy" he said, as he walked back to Dream.

Dream raised an eyebrow "did you really 'Buy' them Cross?" he said is a inquisitive tone.

Cross' body tensed and his partner gave him an sharp stare. Even without his emotion sensing ability, Dream could read Cross like a book.

"uhhhhhhh.......yes?"

"sure" Dream replyed, with slight amusement in his voice.

A nervous chuckle came from Cross. "look they were a good thing to get ok?....... Very helpful for the little ones"

Dream gave him an unsure nod. He still wasn't exactly well versed in child care, so he wasn't really sure what these harnesses where even for yet. Since he figured that the answer was probably obvious, he didn't ask.

"want me to help you get it on?" Cross asked, raising an eyebrow. Shattered wasn't the only one who could easily read his partner.

Shattered said nothing but nodded. His golden blush reappeared when Cross started to run his hands across and around his body to get the harness into place. His soul gave a tiny learch for a moment, but not one of pain.

He knew there was a part of him that wanted Cross to touch his soul again, It had been such a close experience for them both and had brought about a lot of pleasurable feelings. It was truly something he wanted to experience again. A feeling he almost craved. But he knew all to well, as his eye sockets fixed onto the cot to his right, that the potential consequences made it impossible. He was just going to have to live with these unmet desires. Just as he was sure that Cross lived with similar ones.

"there all done"

Dream jumped. Snapped out of his thoughts by his future husband's voice.

Now the harness was all attached. Not too tight, but not too lose. He could see that he now had a pocket on his chest which he guessed the baby sat in. Clever. It was kind of like a kangaroo pouch.

Cross strapped a identical carrier around his own chest and walked over to the babies cot to collect his daughters.

Luna smiled wide at the sight of him. The older skeleton matched her smile and slowly picked his child up. Luna giggled and kicked her tiny feet out as he did. Her tentacle flickered around the corners of her mouth as she laughed. Cross could feel his own joy fill him at the sight. But he nullified it for his partner's sake.

Speaking of which, he turned back to Dream.

"you wanna take Celly or Lu Lu?" he asked.

"I'll take Luna" the smaller skeleton replied "since you are already holding her". He held his arms out in an awkward, slightly unsure way.

Cross gave a soft, knowing smile "Its OK Dreamboat, I'll help you get her in the carrier"

Shattered sighed, irritated by his own incompetence and nodded.

With that Cross carefully attempted to slip the wriggling baby into her carrier. Which wasn't easy, as she cheerfully shifted her legs around. In fact Cross had a slightly hard time keeping hold of her.

After much difficulty, Cross managed to feed her legs through the leg holes and sit her safely inside. The whole time, Dream remained mostly still, he didn't want to do anything in case he ended up hurting Luna.

Once she was buckled in, Cross took a slow step back to admire his handy work. Luna bounced excitedly in her carrier and her Papa looked almost comically uncomfortable by all her movement.

"do you want me to take her Day Dream?" Cross said, upon noticing Dreams unease around the wiggling baby. Dream shook his head "no, its fine" he replied as he relaxed his shoulders. "you get Celest and we can go"

Cross gave a nod and turned back to the cot. As he went to pick up his slightly younger daughter, he noticed that she had in fact fallen asleep. Cross sighed - not again....

For most parents, the time when the children slept was a time of bliss, and after a fortnight of little sleep, Cross almost agreed. But his child had a habit of falling asleep suddenly and for long periods. Dream had told him that when this happened her energy levels were low, showing that her body couldn't regulate itself fully.

With another sigh, Cross carefully picked up the sleeping baby and slipped her into the carrier. It was very hard to wake her when she was like this, but he was still extra careful. Not waking a sleeping baby was basically a universal law, though he would have to if she was asleep to long. After double checking that she was safely inside and her head was supported, he walked back over to Dream.

"any particular preference for an au Dream boat?" he asked

Shaking his head, Dream replied "Not really, just try and get a pacifist timeline"

With a nod, Cross extended his arm. There was a spark of magic at his figure tips and his knife materialised. He dragged it through the air in a fluid motion, as he did it split the air as if it where a piece of cloth. It was a causal splitting of space and time. Simple.

Luna watched her dad with a look of wonder. Her silver eyes where wide and bright.

"gahhhhh daaaaag" she cooed and reached for him.

Cross glanced back at her with a smile "just you wait Princess, when you are older I'll teach you how to do this"

These words hung heavily in the air for a moment, as Cross carefully finished opening the portal. The same thing was on both Cross and Dreams minds.

If you get older.

With a sigh and a snap of his fingers, the knife was gone and the portal was open.

"After you" Cross said, stooping into a slight bow and winking at his fiancé.

Dream covered his mouth with his hand and fake giggled. "Oh what a gentleman" he said with a large smile across his face before walking forward and entering the portal.

The first thing that hit Dream as he reached the other side, was a cold crisp breeze. The chill made him feel grateful that he was wearing his boots, even if they were old and an obnoxious shade of yellow.

The breeze blew lightly causing Luna to shiver. There was no wind in there home, so this brought a welcome change to Shattered. He took a deep breath into his non existent lungs.

It was evening. Strange? He figured that their sense of time must have been thrown out a little. They did live in a void after all. However it was a pleasant evening, with sky littered with stars and a full moon.

Shattered allowed himself to bask in the fresh air for a while, as he heard footsteps behind him and the portal close.

"Oh it's good to be outside again" came Cross' voice from behind.

With a nod, Shattered turned around to face his partner. Luna wriggled more in her carrier, looking around at all the new things she'd never seen before.

"someone is excited" Cross said, leaning down and kissing his daughter on the forehead. She giggled and very nearly headbutt him as he did. Chuckling, he pulled away.

The guard looked around "looks like we're in a small town... If I had to guess its the surface"

The two of them started to look around, trying to find something to engage with. It wasn't long before they spotted something.

Both skeletons attention was caught by something in the near distance. A large crowd of people. Among them were people in hats, jumpers and coats, carrying bags and cups of hot drinks. A vast amount of stalls and stands were among them, not to mention fur trees in fancy dress and lights. Hundreds and hundreds of lights.

"a Christmas Market!" Dream said, his voice hinting an excitement "I've never been to one! I forgot that it was this time of the year"

His excitement felt like a balloon filling inside him. Only to be burst when his soul gave a sting inside his ribs.

But Dream couldn't help but feel a little happy, this was such a good thing to come across, perfect for their trip out.

Cross tilted his head "how do you know what Christmas is my love? It's more of a human custom".

"well that's easy" Dream said, a slight smugness in his voice at the fact he seemed more knowledgeable then Cross about something.

"Christmas is a time where positive emotions take hold, even in the darkest of times, positively rules here"

He eye lit up slightly as he spoke. Even if Dream was corrupted, and technically not the positivity guardian anymore, he was still happy to talk about it. It reminded him of easier times.

"as the former positively guardian it was only natural for me to learn about the festival...." his voice turned somba for a moment "Heaven taught me...... remember?"

There was another heaviness in the air at those words. A unspoken guilt and regret and then a thought. Dream now possessed the very power that had killed him.....

The gloopy one sighed and straightened the baby carrier. Luna gurgled as he did so.

"he would have loved to meet these two wouldn't he" he spoke, his voice twisting in its somba state.

"yeah... But it's ok" the guard replied, taking Dreams hand.

"in a way, he is here" he said in a soft tone, running his finger across Dreams ring. A smile ran across his face before he realised Shattered's hand.

After a short moment of silence they were disturbed by a soft noise. Celest had woken from her sleep. She wriggled and shifted against Cross' chest, her tiny voice gurgling.

"Nice of you to join the party Sweet pea" Cross said, upon noticing.

"we should probably get going, before she falls asleep again" Dream stated in reply. Cross nodded.

The family started to walk together towards the market. As they approached the air was filled with the smell of food and the sound of cheesy pop songs. The emotions of the people around them where starting to fill in.

The first thing that Dream felt was a lot of emotion around him. He was going to need to take a moment to get used to it. From what he could feel it was primarily positive, but then he felt something else.

To his right he felt anger and frustration. That wasn't the kind of thing that he expected this time of year, so he turned his head slightly. There was a human and a monster stood in the huddle.

He caught a few words of what they were saying.

"typical every year you leave gift buying to the last minute" said one.

"it's not completely last minute" said the other.

"it's the 23rd! How is that not last-" and then he was out of ear shot.

"23rd?" Shattered said to himself "huh.... It was my birthday 2 days ago". He counted on his fingers for a moment, trying to figure out how old that made him.

"it was!? Oh my goodness that's right!" came a voice from his side. It was slight panic from Cross. Uh oh.

Dream waved his hands in a jazz hand fashion "woah woah woah, before you go flying off the handle, we both didn't realise-

"I'm so sorry my love!"

Shattered groaned. Here we go.

"I can't believe I forgot! I'll make it up to yo-

Dream cut Cross off with a peak on the teeth. Cross jumped and his face flushed.

"......... Cross, I'm going to have hundreds more birthdays... Its OK if we skip one" the guardian whispered before nuzzling his gloopy face against him. "presides.... We had more important things to worry about"

As if on que both twins cooed.

A little smile creeped on to Cross' face. Dream mirrored it.

"now let's stop standing here go to the market" he held his hand out "it's waiting for us".

With a soft smile, Cross took his hand and they started walking again. It wasn't long before they finally reached the market.

The market was busy.

Both humans and monsters were walking around, talking happily. Children of all ages were rushing around with chocolates in their hands and candy canes in their mouths. Positive emotions were swirling like the snow in the wind. A warm blend of joy, song and family.

The smells of cakes and and pies were everywhere. Hot wine, ginger, cinnamon, dried fruit and nuts. Coffee, chutney, jams and cheeses.

For Dream it was like being spun in a giant bath of spice. The smells did not help his developing headache. There where positive emotions everywhere, every angle.

He let go of his partner's hand and stumbled slightly. The emotions were threatening to make him collapse as they came at all sides. Being in a void space for so long meant he'd gotten used to only Cross' emotions being around. But now there must have been 100 people at lest.

With the surrounding area becoming a blur, the sky and ground became one and he felt something hit his back and press it.

After a moment of silence he could hear the sound of a baby crying from off in the distance. Someone was calling his name but he could hardly hear it as the crying baby got closer. But eventually both got clearer.

"Dream! Dream are you OK!? Can you hear me?"

It was Cross.

"C.... Cross?" he said, looking for his partner's face. He eventually found it, hovering above him.

"why....." he said reaching his heavy arm up "why are you flying?"

The former guard gave him a confused expression. A moment later, Dream realised that the pressure on his back was in fact the floor and he was laying on it.

"you collapsed" said Cross with a pained expression. Cross' worry and stress washed over Dream and snapped him back to reality. The crying baby was very close. In fact it was coming from his chest.

Dream pushed himself onto his elbows and looked down. Luna was crying and wriggling in her carrier.

"oh.... OH!" Shattered said as a sudden and huge instinct hit him. Something he'd not really felt up till this point. Caring not about his state, he pulled her out of the carrier and rocked her in his arms.

"shhhh shhh it's ok, I'm sorry sweetheart, are you hurt?"

If Dream hadn't just collapsed, Cross would have felt happy at the sight of him comforting Luna. The tiny skeleton quieted down, but her non-existent lip was still trembling. Shattered inspected her, happy not to find any marks that would indicate she'd been hurt by the fall. Probably just scared.

"what happened my love?" came Cross' voice again.

"emotions" Dream bluntly responded, before attempting to get to his feet. He hadn't gotten far when he felt his partners hands grip his and help him pull up. He'd barely just gotten to his feet when things started to blur again and his head started to once again throb.

He fell forward slightly into Cross' chest, the guard put his arms around him to support him and keep him steady. He had to be careful to make sure the babies didn't get squished.

Cross' fiancé give out a low, pained groan and Luna give a wine of discomfort.

"Keep hold of her Dreamboat, I'll find somewhere where you can sit down" he softly said, looking around to find a seat. Luckily he spotted a park bench not to far from them.

Cross slowly and gently guided Dream backwards until Dream's legs brushed against the bench and he was able to slowly sit down. He sank his weight against the wooden frame, his limbs felt heavy and his head felt horrible. After a short time he started to adjust. Feeling himself coming back into reality, Shattered adjusted his hold on Luna to make sure he didn't drop her. Cross kneeled in front of them both.

"we can always go home if it's to much for you"

Immediately Dream shock his head, which he regretted a second later as the dizziness ramped.

"no Crossy, we both agreed we needed some time out of the void. ...im sorry that I'm ruining it"

The tall skeleton lightly gripped Dreams shoulders and looked him dead in the eyes.

"you are not ruining anything"

He kissed the bridge of Dreams nose.

"you have made everything in my life better, don't forget that"

A smile ghosted Shattered's face at those words.

"you know.... You're blind, unconditional love for me is really cheesy" he said, his smile turning into a smirk.

"I do try"

The couple shared a laugh and Dream felt himself feel a bit better. He didn't feel great though. The emotions around him where still dizzying.

Behind Cross he could see the market. It truly did look like fun and he felt bad that he'd soured the mood. He continued to rock Luna and she turned around in his arms to burry her face into his chest.

"you should....." Shattered paused as another wave of dizziness hit him "You should go ahead of me, I'll catch up"

"Absolutely not" Cross stated firmly "I will not leave you, I refuse"

"Cross" Dream said in an equally as firmly manner "I can look after myself for 10 minutes, it will be fine..... I want you to go have some fun"

The guard's expression softened and he stood up again, running his hand across the back of his skull unsurely as he did. "I.... I don't know"

Dream rested Luna in his lap and reached his hands out, Cross took them.

"Cross, I want you to go ahead, I'll join you soon, I promise"

Letting go of Dreams hands, Cross sighed. "Alright..... But I'll come back in 15 minutes, if you are still here then we are going home"

Dream nodded slowly "Deal"

After a few more unsure moments Cross started to back away from Dream. He went slowly in order to give Dream time to tell him to stop. After he didn't, Cross turned and walked in the direction of the market.

As Shattered watched Cross walk into the market, he felt his daughter start to fuss in his arms. His golden eye travelled down to her again. She looked a bit confused or upset. Her emotions weren't developed enough to be easily readable by Shattered. But from what he could sense she was distressed by her dad walking away.

He looked back at Cross again, as the guard inspected what seemed to be a stand of various pastries and cakes. There was a sad, yet nostalgic smile on his face.

Shattered watched as he exchanged some words with the vendor and took Celest's little hand and waved it. Clearly he was introducing them. The vendor seemed to coo at the baby a little and Cross straightened up proudly. Probably bragging about something cute Celest had done recently.

After a few more words he put some coins on the counter and was handed a paper bag, containing what Dream had to assume was a pastry of some kind. He waved good bye to the vendor and started to walk away.

As he did, he took his food item out of its bag and went to take a bite. He locked eyes with Dream mid-bite and gave him a slight deer in the headlights look. After finishing taking his bite, he smiled and waved to his lover. Dream waved back.

It was clear from Cross' expression that whatever he was eating was very tasty and it caused Dream to wonder how much food Cross was going to buy tonight.

Luna fussed again as her father and sister got further away.

Luna and Celest had been almost inseparable since day one, Shattered was still a little unnerved by it. They were always most comfortable when together. Knowing this, Dream told himself that Luna was fussing because she was parted from her sister. But another thought came to him.

What if she was sad about Cross leaving?

It was a stupid thing to think, both babies had been apart from Cross before and not responded this way. Yet the thought wouldn't leave him. It was the kind of thought that bounces around your head and burrows into you the moment you try to forget it.

The first time he left them with me for an extended period of time, I'd tried to....

A chill ran over him followed by a long twang of guilt, which caused him to tighten his grip on his daughter. Cross still didn't know about that night and he wasn't sure he could ever tell him. What was wrong with him? He acted like he cherished them these days (or at lest most days), but how could he when he'd thought of doing such a thing? When all he'd felt upon seeing them for the first time was nothing. His eyes stung and threatened to start crying. In that moment he felt tempted to call Cross back and have him wrap his arms around him. But he couldn't. Not while Cross didn't know.

"I'm sorry that I'm not the best parent to you Mi hija"

The words left his mouth as barely even a whisper. They sounded if he'd not been aware he said them. As if he'd not fully intend to say them out loud. His throat was dry and his soul was burning and twisting.

Cross says you are getting better.

One part of him said

But who's to say they will live to see you be better?

He answered to himself.

He felt the fabric of his jacket get tugged slightly. This drew his attention back to Luna.

She had turned in his arms slightly and was looking up at him with wide eyes. If Shattered hadn't known better, he'd have thought he could sense her worrying. Her tiny fist was curled in the fabric of his coat.

"paaaaaa gaa?"

Dream sighed.

"I get a lot of things wrong..... And I'm going to keep getting things wrong, I might be wrong most of the time"

The former guardian continued to speak in a near whisper, his finger stroking the tiny creature's cheek.

"but I'm going to get some things right as well...... And I'll make a deal with you"

Luna's face scrunched up a little. It was almost amusing to see, as if she was thinking really hard.

"if you and your sister keep on fighting, I'll keep on trying" Luna turned her face into his hand and chewed his glove.

"if you stick around long enough, you'll see a day when I get things right most of the time.... You want to see that right?"

"maaaaaa"

"deal?"

"gahhh gahh"

Dream laughed slightly "I'll take that as a yes"

He looked away from her again. Cross had completely disappeared from his view now, probably off stuffing chocolates. Since Dream wasn't someone who needed to eat, he didn't fully understand, but the sweet and warm smells in the air were very pleasant. He'd not eaten a thing for at least two and a half years, maybe he could try a little something. Carefully he slipped the tiny skeleton back into her carrier and fastened her in.

"Should we go check out the market mi pequeña estrella?" he asked, finally getting back to his feet. His daughter gave a gurgle of approval.

"then let's go shall we"

The atmosphere of the market was all together jolly. As he walked into the heart of it, his head throbbed again, but he didn't feel dizzy. He'd adjust to it fully soon.

Despite what he would want to admit, he felt a very slight anxiety without Cross by his side. He was in no way dependent on Cross, but he was so used to having him near, it was strange to have him absent. To not be able to feel his energy or be able to hold his hand.

No Dream! He thought. Don't be such a baby.

He patted his daughters head with his hand absentmindedly, feeling the fabric of her bow slip down slightly as he did. She giggled and a smile creeped onto Dreams face as she did.

A stand caught his eye. It was a stall of what seemed to be jewellery. As many of the stalls were, it was adorned with colourful lights and decorations of all shapes. Though this one in particular stood out to him. He wasn't sure why, but he decided to approach it.

The monster running the stand stiffened as he approached, but he paid it no mind. He could see the jewellery much closer now. Each piece seemed unique and hand made. There were bracelets, earrings, rings and necklaces, shimmering in all different colours. He greatly enjoyed looking over each individual piece, until his eye socket landed on one.

It was a necklace. Gold, set with a blueish purple stone. There was a small crescent charm on the chain as well. Dream stared at it and knitted his eyebrows. For a moment he wasn't sure why it caught his eye. But as he moved his hand up and traced his thumb across the stone, he realised. He then retracted his hand is if he'd been shocked. He stepped back and folded his hands together, but his sight remained locked on it.

Where are you? Are you even still alive?

A long sigh left his mouth as he forced himself to think of something else. But as he turned to walk away, he glanced at it again. It was almost like he couldn't bare to leave it.

I'm being silly, I'm a man, why would I need a necklace anyway?

With that, he tore his eyes away and proceeded to the next stand. As before the monster running it tensed slightly.

This vendor was selling what seemed to be plastic toys and figures. These weren't home made and seemed to be just the same old toys you could buy anywhere. There was doll house items, human figures and animals. He was so busy looking over the collection, that he didn't notice as his daughter reached for her favourite animal. He was only alerted to what she was doing by a slobbery squish sound.

She had suck the head of the toy into her mouth and was chewing on it.

"Luna no!" Shattered said "I don't want to have to buy that"

Carefully his pulled the plastic cow from his daughters mouth. A thin trail of a mix between gloop and saliva followed it. He had no idea how one baby could produce so much spit so fast. He wiped some off on his coat, but it didn't come close to cleaning it. Yeah....... he was going to have to buy it. He had a small purse of gold coins that Cross had given him. He hadn't asked where Cross had gotten the coins, it was probably best not to.

As he handed it to the seller and asked for the price, the slimy coating ran onto his fingers. Yuck. Not that he could really talk though, he was almost completely covered in something worse.

Dream expected to feel anger or disgust come from the stall owner. But instead he could only sense fear. His eye locked with the eyes of the monster behind the counter. It didn't take long for him to realise. Cross might have treated him like he was the most beautiful and sweet skeleton in the multiverse, but that didn't stop his appearance from being...... Striking at best.

He grimaced and handed the monster the money he owed and took back the toy.

"have a nice evening" he said, trying to sound friendly.

"y-you too sir.... Merry Christmas"

He turned away from the stall and walked back into the market. After inspecting the toy to make sure there was nothing small that she could choke on he handed it back to Luna. She happy put it back in her mouth, flicking his hand with her mouth tentacle as she did.

Shattered felt a burst of joy from his daughter, which made him light headed for a moment. After collecting his bearings he smiled.

"Adorable idiot" he said leaning over and kissing the top of her head. "now let's go find Daddy shall we?"

It wasn't a market that was too large, just a fair amount of stalls and stands and a handful of people. There was no doubt that he and Cross stood out, so it shouldn't be to hard to find his partner.

If I where cross.... Where would I go?

The answer came to his mind not even a second after asking it.

Chocolate...

As he'd noted before, there was a vast amount of edibles all around him. Mostly foods of the sweet variety, commonly fruity cakes and pies. But it wasn't long till he saw what he wanted. Out of the corner of his eye socket, he spotted what he was looking for. Just as he'd expected, chocolate.

Humans and normal monsters, seemed to be fascinated in forming chocolate into many different shapes. Animals, people, stars and bells. Shattered supposed that they got more pleasure consuming the sweet substance when it involved biting the head off of a defenceless reindeer, or mutilating a Santa or two.

He approached the stall of chocolate items. It was a pleasant smell, reminding him strongly of Cross' coat. There was no doubt the guard would have come here. He just had to find him.

Meanwhile, as Shattered looked for him, his mate was busy in a hearty conversation with his daughter.

The guard slipped a snowflake shaped chocolate into his mouth, having finished off the pastry long ago.

"now what should be get for Papa as a late birthday present hmm?" he asked Celest as she blew a spit bubble. "Something simple, you know he doesn't like flashy things"

Celest continued to blow a spit bubble and watched it as it expanded. "why is it that he must be so difficult to shop for....

His voice trailed off as he continued to ponder the question. What to get someone who didn't like material things. Other then his scarf, his ring and his crown, Dream never held onto things. Maybe he could get him a new accessory, like a new piece of jewellery or something. He continued to think and slipped another chocolate into his mouth. As he did this, without him noticing, the tiny skeleton had popped the spit bubble and was now reaching for the candy cane sticking out of his shopping bag full of goodies. She grabbed it and without hesitation, plunged the bright stripped stick into her mouth without a care.

After not even a second her face screwed up and she recoiled. She let out a wine of regret and disgust, which alerted Cross that she was distressed.

"No sweetie , that's pepper mint" the guard sighed, plucking the now sticky candy from his daughters hands. He put it on the counter of the stand they were stood next to. A stall selling Christmas fauna such as Holly, pinecones and mistletoe.

As he set the candy down, he saw daughters face still looked unhappy. "that must have tasted horrible" he said, dabbing the spit from around her mouth with his sleeve.

"we'll get you some nice warm milk when we get home ok?" he said in a baby voice, bouncing her slightly to try and cheer her up. It worked and she giggled. Cross sighed in relief, crisis averted.

He thought back to his question about presents. About Dream. It had been a little while since he'd left him. It would probably be a good idea to go back.

"Now if you are done sampling my treat bag Celly, maybe we should go check on-

"hey" came a voice from up close to his left. He jumped. After a second he realised he recognised the voice and turned to meet Dreams gaze, some chocolate still on his cheek. He was about to say something about how it was go to see that Dream was feeling better, when Dream spoke.

"wanna prove you aren't just a 20g wager?" the golden guardian said, with a slightly sly smile.

For a moment Cross was confused. Had the emotions caused his partner to go loopy? Before he could ask, Dream pointed his finger upwards. Feeling more confused, Cross glanced up. He could now see that they were in fact stood under a mistletoe. Quite a few actually. The sight of the white berried plant made his cheeks flush. He'd fallen right into Dream's trap. How had he not noticed.

He swallowed what was left of the snowflake the chocolate in his mouth "uhh um.... Uh"

He locked eyes with Dream again, finding that he'd taken a step closer. Taking a gloved hand and cupping Cross' cheek, he said.

"I'll take that as a yes"

With that he gently pulled Cross' face closer, till the gap was closed between them with a soft kiss. Cross' soul fluttered as Dream leaned in more to kiss him stronger. The taste of chocolate in his mouth was soon replaced with the flavour of bitter apple sauce. But he didn't mind it, he much liked apple sauce. Unfortunately the kiss wasn't long lived. The two were forced to separate after feeling their daughters starting to fuss, since they were being pressed between them. Dream stepped back slightly, giving his children room and took a breath of winter air. The euphoria from the kiss surged through him, as it had been a while since they had and therefore felt really good.

In fact, It had been a while since they'd done a lot of things. Including telling Cross that he........... That's something he needed to fix and fix straight away. His eyes locked on Cross.

"Te quiero, mi soldado" Dream said, with his face dusting gold. He looked away and pulled his scarf over his face slightly.

Cross returned his blush and smiled "yo tambien Te quiero, mi sol"

191 notes · View notes

little-writings · 4 years ago

Note

can i request a fanfic where mc is a veterinarian with her own clinic and the reason she meets jumin is because of elizabeth needing a checkup!

Oh my goodness absolutely! This was actually so fun to write!

Anyhow, I hope you have an amazing day and enjoy!

———————————————————————————————————–

“How long has it been since Elizabeth 3rd has been to the vet?” V asked, grinning fondly as the snowy-white cat pressed against his legs, a purr beginning to rumble in her throat.

“She doesn’t need to see a vet. She’s in perfect health.” Jumin remarked, fiddling with the cuffs of his sleeves absentmindedly. “I have a chef prepare her a perfectly figured diet, one of the most accalimed groomers brush her coat once a week, and-”

“They’re supposed to get examined yearly.”

“Who are?”

V scoffed. “Cats, dogs, and any other animal you could call a pet.”

“I’ll see about having a house veterinarian come by.”

“Well, I’ve actually been hearing quite a bit about a certain veterinarian. I think you’d like them.”

“Are they on call?”

“No, they have a well-established practice downtown.”

“Then I’m not interested.” Jumin stated matter-of-factly. “Taking Elizabeth 3rd outside presents too many risks. She could get hurt, lost or both – or even worse. I would never forgive myself if that were to happen.”

V’s brows furrowed behind his tinted frames. “They’re apparently one of the best in the country. I hear there’s not a pet they don’t get along with.”

“I would hope so, being a professional. That doesn’t change the fact that it’s an on-site practice. Any potential danger to Elizabeth 3rd isn’t worth it.”

“Do you really think I’d recommend something that could hurt Elizabeth 3rd?”

Jumin jerked his head to V and found himself stumbling over his words, cornered by his own stubborn mind. “What? No, I ah – no of course not.”

The ends of V’s lips curled up and he knelt down to scratch Elizabeth behind the ears, her quiet purring volume erupting to that of a lawnmower.

“Then give them a try.”

Jumin wrinkled his nose. “Why are you so adamant?”

“Because,” V simpered. “I think you’d like them.”

Jumin didn’t have to ask the next question for V to know what he was wondering.

“They’re professional and very devoted to their work,” He rose to his feet and rummaged through his jacket, snagging a crisp, clean card from his pocket. He gave it to Jumin who eyed it curiously.

“In fact, they remind me of you.”

Jumin paused. Pawprints bordered the card alongside hearts and a phone number he supposed he had no choice but to call at this point. He hardly saw V enough these days, the last thing he wanted to do was disappoint him.

“I’ll… I’ll think about it.”

And so, later that evening, he found himself calling.

“Loving Paws Animal Hospital, how can I help you?” The voice on the other line was sickeningly sweet and welcoming, as though dipped in honey and soaked in sugar.

Jumin paused and bit the inside of his cheek, swallowing his pride. ”Yes, I’d like to speak to your lead veterinarian?”

“MC? They’re currently with a client at the moment, but I’d be more than happy to transfer you to their voicemail. Have we seen the pet before?”

“No. No one has.”

The secretary must’ve been left at a loss at the stern tone and proclamation, but she did her best regardless against the statue that was Jumin Han.

“So, it’s a new pet?”

“No.”

“Then… you’re a new client?”

“Yes. Potentially.”

Jumin heard an attempt at a stifled snicker and the hospital gained a mental strike in his mind.

“Okay well, I’ll just go ahead and transfer you to MC’s voicemail. You have a wonderful day, sir!”

That sugary sweetness returned once more, perhaps even more high-pitched than it had been. There was a pause on the other line before your voicemail began. Your voice, in comparison, was light, airy. Jumin could only think of a pleasant song when listening to it – something he found himself falling into.

“Hi this is MC, I can’t get to the phone right now but if you’ll leave a message I’ll do my best to get back to you as soon as I can!”

Despite all the preparedness Jumin thought he might’ve had, he still managed to stumble the second that alerting sound went off.

“I-I ah yes – my name is Jumin Han, and I was considering setting up an appointment for my cat, Elizbeth 3rd. It’s just for an annual exam, though I don’t even think she really needs it she’s in pristine-”

Jumin realized he was rambling and cleared his throat sheepishly.

“Anyways, I was hoping I could ask you some questions before making a final decision. If you would call me back, it’d be appreciated. Thank you.”

Jumin let out a deep sigh and relented to the horrible process of waiting.

You returned the phone call in the evening when the warm oranges, purples, and slightest hues of a deep, murky blue were settling in and spreading overhead. Jumin answered in an instant.

“Hi! Is this Mr. Han?” Your voice was even softer beyond a recorded message. You sounded sweet, but just the tiniest bit tired.

“Yes. MC, isn’t it? I’ve heard many things about you.”

You chuckled. “Good things I hope.”

A smile tugged at Jumin’s face. “Good things only. It has set my expectations high.”

“Well, I’d be delighted to meet those expectations, Mr. Han. Now, what can I do for your Elizabeth 3rd?”

“Technically speaking, there is nothing that’s necessary. Elizabeth 3rd is perfectly taken care of. I simply can’t imagine any problems arising for such a creature.”

“And what kind of perfect creature is she?”

“She is a Persian.”

You thought for a moment, and Jumin could hear a pen tapping against a desk. “Persian cats can have some complications, even if they’re in otherwise perfect living conditions. Unfortunately, it just comes with the breed.”

A sudden twisting of knots appeared in Jumin’s stomach. He tensed. “Such as…?”

“Well, you know their cute little smushed faces? Like pugs their nasal passages are shorter and more susceptible to their environments.”

Jumin opened his mouth to speak, but you continued on like a textbook’s worth of knowledge had just been released.

“And Persians specifically are prone to polycystic kidney disease, and you have to watch out for that because if ignored when they reach eight or nine years old they could suddenly collapse and die-”

You stopped yourself. You might’ve not needed to jump to that immediate conclusion.

“But I uh – it is also perfectly possible that Elizabeth 3rd is in a completely healthy state!”

Jumin was now staring wide-eyed at Elizabeth 3rd who sat uncaringly in the center of the living room. She was grooming herself and only her tail was lightly swaying from side to side across the carpet. She appeared almost serene.

‘They could suddenly collapse and die.”

A pit crumpled in Jumin’s insides.

“When’s the soonest I can come in?”

You laughed nervously. There was a clicking of a computer mouse and a brief moment of silence where you glanced through the schedule. “I can squeeze you in tomorrow afternoon?”

“I’ll be there.”

“Mr. Han… are you okay?”

Jumin looked once more at Elizabeth 3rd who now raised her head to meet him. She closed and opened her eyes slowly, mewing.

“I will be when I know Elizabeth 3rd is okay.”

You sighed. “It sounds like Elizabeth 3rd has a very devoted pet parent. She is lucky to have you Mr. Han.”

“I am lucky to have her.”

The call ended soon after with you meekly attempting to assuage his fears, and Jumin beginning to pace about Elizabeth like any cause for concern he’d already miss would simply leap out for a dramatic entrance.

Jumin could now hardly wait for the appointment he considered pointless just hours ago.

V may or may not have received multiple texts of concerns throughout the night. The internet truly did not help the situation.

‘I read online that Persians with blue eyes can have something called Congenital ankyloblepharon. While the website says it’s not deadly, another said it’s linked to a fatal disease.’

‘Because of Elizabeth’s small nasal passage, a website is now telling me Elizabeth will more than likely develop a heart condition. Elizabeth 3rd does not deserve this.’

V had begged him to just wait until tomorrow and Jumin reluctantly agreed.

When the appointment finally arrived, Jumin had made sure Elizabeth would only travel in the best his wealth could provide. However, diamond-encrusted cat carriers apparently took a great deal of time to create, so a polyester and mesh carrier would have to do – lined with sherpa, of course, and filled with her favorite toys.

While Jumin had been anxious and fidgety the entire drive, Elizabeth 3rd was curious, excited even. When Elizabeth was pawing at the mesh lining to peek closer at the car window Jumin was tugging at his sleeves and holding his breath. Even Driver Kim took notice, though his support did little to ease his worries.

He only felt a little ease when he finally arrived at the clinic. The secretary had been stunned at the famous heir’s arrival, but quickly recognized his voice. Her surprise then shifted to amusement, a sly smile stretched across her face.

“Hello Mr. Han! How’re you doing today?”

Jumin furrowed his brow, glancing away. “I am… anticipating my meeting with MC.”

“Stressed for the little lady?” The secretary pointed with her pen to Elizabeth 3rd, now rolled over on her back and playing with one of her toys. This was easily one of her favorite days already.

“Very much so.” Jumin answered.

“We’ll be sure to get you in quick then.”

Jumin nodded hurriedly, and sat down. When his name was called he nearly tripped from how quickly he shot up. It was a… difficult day for maintaining composure.

He ran his fingers through his hair, took a deep breath, and then proceeded on through the hall where you waited in the consulting room.

He hadn’t quite known what he’d expected when he saw you, but he still found himself without words, if only for a second. Your face was kind, far more than the ones he’d known throughout his life with eyes that offered a sense of comfort to soften the stress so clearly brimming at the surface.

“Hi Mr. Han.” You set a ginger hand on Jumin’s shoulder, offering a warm smile. “I heard you’re feeling a little concerned for Elizabeth 3rd?”

“That is an understatement.”

You folded your lips in thought, drawing your hand away only to lightly clap, determined. “Well I’ve never met an animal I can’t help, and I don’t intend to stop now.”

A bit of the weight dropped from Jumin’s chest. You tapped against the examination table – a heavy counter in the center of the room with a smooth, thick surface.

The room itself was decorated with pictures of animals surrounded by varying degrees of puns. The one the most caught Jumin’s eye was a photo of a cat, tail tucked just over its paws and a sweet expression beneath the words, ‘you’re purrfect.’

He wondered if you chose that one personally. He hoped so.

Jumin unzipped the carrier atop the counter for Elizabeth 3rd to poke out. She only hesitated for a moment before stepping out to greet your hand, fingers outstretched for her to curiously sniff. You beamed at the very sight of her, leaning down as she dipped her head against your hand, eager to be pet.

“Hello, Ms. Elizabeth! Aren’t you beautiful?” You scratched her cheek and her purring began, akin to a lawnmower. “She’s so sweet!”

Jumin watched as you examined her, flashing a light in her eyes and ears, squeezing her tummy for any masses, and flexing her legs for achy joints. Her temperature was normal, not even a rapid heart rate.

“Now I don’t want to stress her out on her first visit but I recommend we do an ultrasound,” You had remarked, rubbing her belly in one of the rare opportunities that a cat not only tolerated such an action but enjoyed it. Elizabeth 3rd was a rare creature indeed. “It’s just to make sure she doesn’t have anything bad developing in her kidneys.”

“Do you expect there to be anything?”

Elizabeth pawed playfully at your fingers, pulling them close to rub her cheeks against them when you relented. You had to draw your gaze back to Jumin to keep yourself from becoming distracted. It was rare to see Elizabeth 3rd warming up to someone so quickly. “Do I?”

You paused, and then laughed. “Of course you’re asking me, I’m sorry! I don’t know what got into me – she’s just such a cutie! But ah – no I don’t. Elizabeth 3rd is as close to perfect as it gets. You weren’t kidding when you said how well she’s taken care of.”

“She means the world to me.” Jumin hummed, Elizabeth tipping her head to see him and meowing. She almost appeared to smile when he scratched just beneath her chin.

“May I ask how you found her?”

Jumin hesitated, remembering the golden hair and slender hands that once held Elizabeth. It brought a pang.

“She was a gift from someone dear.”

You could see Jumin’s sadness so easily. You could only make your best effort to soften the hurt. “They must’ve known you two would be perfect for each other.”

Jumin lifted his head to look up at you, and you smiled. It was gentle, and at that moment, brighter than the very sun. You wore your heart on your sleeve, and it was beautiful. He grinned, if only gently. “Thank you.”

“Just being honest.”

The ultrasound was an experience. Jumin thought you had to be lying or attempting a cruel joke when you brought the clippers. There was simply no way you truly could want to ruin Elizabeth’s coat!

You had promised only the ‘teeny-tiniest’ area would be shaved, but you also promised it’d be cute. Jumin couldn’t completely disagree.

You had him hold her still during the ordeal, his hands folded over her front legs and keeping her close as you carefully ran the clippers over her stomach. Elizabeth simply rubbed her head against Jumin’s suit.

“See! Look at that little pink tummy!” You pointed to the now thin white hairs where just between the faintest hints of skin could be spotted. You encouraged Jumin to run his hand over and it was… oddly soft if admittedly strange.

“There’s no way you don’t think that’s adorable.” You exclaimed.

“It’s not not adorable.

That made you laugh.

The procedure itself was quick and easy. The probe found no problems within Elizabeth’s kidneys and the only issue that arose was Elizabeth 3rd squeaking in surprise at the cold gel spread over her stomach.

“I’m sorry sweetie, I’ll get this chilly stuff off you quick, okay?”

You made plenty of little comments like those to Elizabeth 3rd. While many others would hardly regard something as minuscule you took every effort to make Elizabeth 3rd comfortable. Jumin noticed each and every time. You were doting.

Just as you said, you wiped her clean, only peppering her in pets all over her belly and sides as she could rollover.

“She is the picture of health, Mr. Han. The only thing I’d recommend is we make these ultrasounds yearly to keep an eye on her – and so I can see her again.”

Jumin chuckled. “I take it she’s swept you off your feet?”

“Like she’s my prince charming.” You snickered. “I’m a sucker for pretty kitties.”

“I’m glad someone else can appreciate Elizabeth 3rd for her perfection.”

You nodded. “I also appreciate the owner that’s given her the chance to flourish so much.”

There was a different type of pang in his chest and the tiniest bit of red flickered upon Jumin’s cheeks. Either you didn’t notice, or you didn’t say anything.

But you smiled.

“I ah – I might need to bring her in again sooner than her next yearly. I’ve been researching and read of other conditions in her breed that I’d like to look into.”

You caught on quick. “Right, and we wouldn’t want to overwhelm Elizabeth 3rd with so much on her first visit! It might be best to stretch these concerns over multiple appointments just so we can do the best job possible for her.”

“And you can teach me what to look out for and how to find them.” Jumin settled Elizabeth 3rd back in her carrier, pawing at you through the mesh, pink pads just barely peeking through.

“Of course! And you are more than welcome to call! In fact…”

You tore off a piece of paper from your notes, scribbling quickly before giving it to him. “Here is my personal phone number, for any questions you may have.”

Jumin smirked and tucked it away in his pocket. “I expect I could find quite a few until our next appointment.”

You clicked your pen, simpering. “I’ll be patiently waiting, Mr. Han.”

“Jumin is fine.” He stretched out his hand, palm open. “In fact, allow me to properly introduce myself – we weren’t given the proper chance. I’m Jumin Han. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

Warmth reached your cheeks, but you didn’t object, returning the gesture with a firm grip. “MC. The pleasure is all mine. I really do look forward to seeing you again, Jumin.”

It was rare Jumin could say the same, but for once he did, he truly, truly did.

“As do I.”

141 notes · View notes

wkemeup · 4 years ago

Text

James

inbox request: “Hii, I was thinking that you could write for the By Any Other Name one shots about (all) the times she still called him ‘James’?“ and “...reader ever gets triggered back to any traumatic situations that happed when she was with brock...” by anonymous ❤️ pairing: bucky x reader chapter word count: 3.5k warnings: PTSD symptoms, dissociation, nightmares, attempted sexual assault a/n: for the anon who requested her calling him James, I swear I didn’t intentionally start out to make this angsty, but it felt right. Also doesn’t surprise me that the angstiest one shot so far is definitely the longest lol. oops. 🌹series masterlist 🌹

“Don’t get cocky just because you survived your first assignment,” Bucky warned, rolling his eyes as Sam sprawled out on the chair in Bucky’s office. Wide toothed grin and the lipstick of an agent on his cheek welcoming him back to HQ after four months under in a biker gang outside of Albuquerque, Sam’s ego had nearly tripled.

“I can and I will,” Sam replied with a snort, sinking further into the chair and kicking up feet up to rest on the desk.

Before Bucky could retort, a short vibration from his cell buzzed against his pocket. He didn’t have a chance to speak as he put the phone to his ear before the voice of a woman came through, firm and calm, though there was a slight edge in her tone. A bated breath. And then --

“Is this Bucky Barnes?”

Bucky narrowed his eyes, throwing a look at Sam that quickly faded the playful smile from his face as he straightened in the chair.

“Yes. Who’s this?”

“My name’s Maria. I work with Y/n at the university,” she explained, a little rushed. “Somethings happened... a fire in the break room and... well... she keeps asking for James.”

Bucky’s stomach dropped.

It was rare when you called him by that name. In the beginning, it had slipped out on occasion; little moments here and there when you were absorbed in your book or focused in the kitchen and the unconscious habit spilled through the cracks. It was always followed up with dozens of sweet apologies because you knew how much it meant to him when you called him by his name – his real name -- even though he told you as many times that he didn’t mind.

But lately, he only heard that name through your screams in the middle of the night, under the faint glow of moonlight seeping in through the curtains and sweat beaded on your forehead, through stammering heartbeats and tears streaming down your cheeks. When you couldn’t quite remember where you were or the last year since your husband had died and you’d been freed from under his reign. It disoriented you, threw you back into the midst of Hydra and James Karpov and sometimes it took longer than Bucky could bare before you came back to him.

Maria sighed. “I don’t know who James is, but I thought you might be the next best bet.”

“Y-yeah,” Bucky chocked out, snapping himself from the strange sense of shock. “I’m on my way.”

He lunged for his keys, gave Sam a short grimace to which he nodded in understanding, and rushed out the door.

“What happened? Is she hurt?” Bucky questioned as he sprinted through the halls, pushing past agents and shoving aside interns carrying dozens of files in their hands.

“I couldn’t find any new burns,” Maria confirmed, though there was a trembling ache in her voice she was clearly trying to push aside. “She seems alright physically. I don’t think she got too close to the fire, but… I’ve never seen her like this before. She won’t say a word to anyone without James. Do you know who she’s talking about?”

Bucky gritted his teeth as he flung open the car door, slid inside, and threw it into reverse. “Yeah, I do.”

Sam must have called in for a police escort it seemed, because they met him at the gate with flashing lights and sirens at the ready. Bucky told them through the windows he needed to get to Columbia as fast as possible, and they nodded without question, even though his voice was wavering in every syllable.

By the time he got there, as he burst through the front doors and raced through the halls, it felt like he was drudging through sand, through mud up to his waist, with anvils tied to his ankles and weights shackles on his shoulders. He didn’t stop to pay attention to the students as they stared at him as he ran past.

He found Maria standing at the edge of the hallway next to a fireman and a yellow tape blocking off the area. She softened as he saw him sprinting towards her. Maybe she noticed the sweat on his shirt or the panic in his eyes, but she stepped aside quickly and gestured for the fireman beside her to do the same.

“She’s down by the break room,” Maria told him. “I couldn’t get her to move. EMTs are with her but I’m not sure if she let them examine her yet.”

Bucky nodded, muttering out a short ‘thank you’ before he pushed down into the hallway.

Sure enough, there you were. Sitting on the floor, knees tucked up to your chest, staring straight ahead at the lockers opposite you. There was a vacant look in your eye as you ran your right hand across the scars on your left; discoloration and raised edged that extended around your wrists where the wires had once dug through your skin and the scorch of a fire burned.

An EMT was standing beside you, trying to grab your attention, but you wouldn’t even look at him. He exchanged a look with his buddy as they noticed Bucky approaching. He gave them a quick flash of the badge tucked into his pocket and they stepped back.

Slowly, Bucky knelt down at your side. He could see the faded burn marks on your forearms, nearly seamless to the color of your skin, but still raised and distorted, though they were clearly from the fire over a year earlier. There didn’t appear to be any new marks; no burns on your clothing or red patches upon your skin save for the imprints of your nails upon your hands and you dug them in for relief.

“Y/n?” he called gently, though you didn’t turn in his direction, almost as if his voice were miles away.

He’d only seen you like this once before; the night Rumlow had roped Peter into the underworld of Hydra’s crimes. You’d been so still, so petrified, that you practically looked right through him. It took a while for you to come back to your surroundings, to recognize where you were. He thought about what your friend Maria had said and who you were asking for.

“Sweetheart, it’s me. It’s James. I’m here,” Bucky eased, soothing a hand along your shoulder. You blinked a few times, recognizing his voice, his name, and you turned to him.

“James?” you whispered, relief quickly sweeping through you. You threw yourself into his arms, causing him to stumble back against the wall, but he held you steady.

“Yeah, honey. I’ve got you.”

He could feel the tear marks on his skin where you pressed your face to the crook of his neck. He tried not to stiffen his body, to prevent the muscles from turning to stone and his hands from curling to fists. He couldn’t stand that Rumlow still had this power over you.

It made his blood boil and rage churned like fire in his chest, but he held onto you with the tenderness you needed. He nodded as you called him James, as you stroked your fingers through the short wisps of hair at the nape of his neck.

It took a few minutes, but eventually, you pulled back. You seemed to recognize what happened, remembered the fire as your turned back to look at the break room and the firemen exiting the building. Realization clicked and you glanced up at him; eyes red with tears.

“Bucky?”

Instant relief.

He offered you a gentle smile, prepared, because he knew the wave of apologies that would follow. He’d hold you in his arms, whisper over and over again that it wasn’t your fault, that he didn’t mind you called him James, that he understood. You didn’t always believe him, but he tried.

***

That name quickly became a warning. You’d loved James Karpov, but you loved Bucky Barnes, too. It mattered to you that you called him by his name, no matter how many times he told you otherwise. So, when you used that name, when you called him James, he knew something was wrong.

“Agent Barnes?”

Bucky glanced up at the intern standing in the door frame; nervous grimace on his face and a tie hung a little loose around his neck.

“You have a visitor, sir.”

Bucky shook his head. The sun had already gone down hours ago and he’d been up for days trying to find a connection in the financial records of a white-collar businessman to an underground trafficking ring for Sam and the rest of his former team. It meant another all-nighter at the office, but he knew Steve wouldn’t have asked if they didn’t need the help.

“It’s late, Miles,” Bucky sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “See if they’ll reschedule for tomorrow. I’ve got a lot of work to do on this case.”

“Sir, I really think you should see this one.”

Miles stepped aside, moving back to his desk sitting outside Bucky’s office, and leaving the entrance open. Then, almost as if he were imagining it, Bucky heard a muffled meow just beyond the door.

“James?”

Bucky dropped the file in his hands as you approached the edge of his office. Dressed in leggings and a sweatshirt two sizes too big for your frame, dark circles under your eyes, and Cheddar held tight in your arms amongst a pile of blankets inside his carrier, you looked as though you hadn’t slept in days.

“Y/n?” Bucky walked around the side of his desk, making his way to you and gently pulling the carrier from your hands and setting it upon the floor. “What are you doing here?”

“I couldn’t sleep,” you replied with a shrug.

It had been two days since he was home. It happened sometimes, not often, but enough that you knew what it meant; that the team needed him. You understood, you always said as much, and Bucky called when he could, had takeout delivered to the apartment for you and promised to make it up to you when he got home.

But something was different this time.

“I, um,” you started, glancing around the office nervously. “I keep thinking I’m seeing things. In the dark. In the shadows.” You cleared your throat as Bucky furrowed his brow, a sort of embarrassment seeping through. “I keep seeing Brock.”

Bucky didn’t know what to say. He led you to the couch in the corner of the room and as he eased you down, he turned to find Miles closing his office door with a sad smile. Bucky leaned down and opened Cheddar’s carrier, letting the cat roam freely around the office, though he decided rather quickly to jump up onto the couch beside you and curl up against your thigh.

“I know it’s crazy,” you said, running your fingers along Cheddar’s spine as he began to purr, “but I… I keep wondering… what if he’s out there? They never found a body, right? I mean… it’s possible he escaped and—”

“It’s not,” Bucky interjected as gently as he could. He remembered the vacant look in Rumlow’s eyes, how he dropped to the ground in a mess of his own blood. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind. As you looked at him again, there were tears in your eyes. “I promise you, sweetheart. He’s dead. He can’t hurt you.”

“I want to believe that,” you whispered, stare dropping down to the floor.

Bucky could see the tension in your jaw, in your shoulders, and how your eyes flashed over to the windows. He pressed a short kiss to your temple and let the silence take over. It was comforting, just listening to the crickets outside and the typing of Mile’s keyboard outside the office door.

“James?”

“Yeah, honey?”

“Can I stay here?” you asked, voice as small as a child’s. “With you?”

You looked at him with a strange kind of hesitation in your eye, like you might be afraid he’d turn you away. It broke his heart, but he tried not to let it show and pushed out a smile instead.

“Of course, love. I’ll see if we can find some blankets for you, alright?”

You nodded, relief quickly spreading through you as you pulled Cheddar into your arms, hugging him tight to your chest. Bucky quickly got up and opened the door a crack to find Miles sitting at his desk, typing away.

“Hey, kid,” Bucky started, “can you track down some—”

“Already got them, sir.” Miles grabbed a stack of blankets from under his desk and a cushion he must have stolen from the lounge and handed them to Bucky.

Bucky nodded, taking them into his arms. Miles was a smart kid. He overhead a lot more than he should, but he never asked questions, never pried, never so much as considered gossiping to the other interns about the personal details of Bucky’s life. Bucky made a note to write him a hell of a recommendation letter.

“Go home, Miles. I’m good for tonight.”

“You sure?”

Bucky smiled. “Yeah.”

Miles jumped up, gave him a quick nod, and practically jogged his way to the elevator.

As Bucky made his way back into the office, he turned to find you already asleep on the couch. He paused, watching as Cheddar tucked himself against your chest as you laid on your side. Your hand was still rested on Cheddar’s back. The cat looked up at Bucky as he approached, his purring loud enough to overshadow the crickets outside.

“You take good care of her, huh?” Bucky whispered to Cheddar, scratching behind his ears. He purred a little louder in response.

Then, Bucky draped a blanket over your legs, letting it fall by your waist. He leaned down and brushed the hair from your eyes, pressed a kiss to your temple, and slowly made his way back to his desk. He had a lot of work to do, but a few glances over at your sleeping form and the ease with which you slept were enough to keep him going through dawn.

***

“That smells incredible,” you gasped as you walked past a bakery in Queens.

You dragged Bucky by the hand to the window where you could see dozens of rows of cookies lined up inside; gooey and warm and wafting through the air enough to make your stomach growl. You turned to him with that pleading look in your eye, teeth biting down on your lower lip.

“Alright, alright,” Bucky chuckled. “I’ll be right back.”

You grinned, clapping your hands together as you waited for him outside. It was a small shop, with barely enough room to walk around inside without knocking into the tables filled with sweets, so you opted to wait by the edge of the bakery.

The sun was setting into a beautiful orange and pink in the distance, and the street lamps barely illuminated the alleys beyond the shop. Across the street, you watched as a young man walked by with two dogs, whistling to himself with every bounce in his step. You smiled.

“Ah, what do we have here?” a voice growled from behind you.

You jolted, heart skipping a beat as you whipped around to face the man standing behind you. Tall, burley, with a long-jagged scar along his jawline, you recognized him only as Markovich; one of the men who worked at the docks under your husband. Ex-husband. Dead husband.

“It’s good to see you, Mrs. Rumlow,” Markovich sneered and suddenly, a hand snacked around your forearm, digging razor sharp into your skin and you felt the violent tug as he dragged you into the alley.

You couldn’t speak, could hardly move, you wanted to scream but you couldn’t find your voice. It all happened so fast. You couldn’t have prepared for it.

Your back slammed to bricks, head pounding in the effort as Markovich pinned you to the wall.

“I’ve been looking for you for a while. The pretty little bitch that put Hydra in chains...”

Markovich drew a line down your cheek to your jaw with his finger. You struggled to stretch out from his reach, but he held you firm.

“But I slipped through the cracks, didn’t I?” he continued, sinister grin upon his thinned lips. His hand slid lower, daring to touch over your neck, your collar bone, over the rapid rise and fall of your chest and the thunderous pounding of your heart. “Now, I’m going to take what’s mine, take what’s been owed to me now that you’ve destroyed Hydra. Stay quiet for me, Mrs. Rumlow.”

You screamed.

“James!”

A hand slammed down over your mouth, dirty and suffocating. You desperately looked up to the streets, but they were empty, filled only with the dark overcast of the sunset and faded flickering of the street lamps.

“Karpov’s dead,” Markovich spat. “He can’t help you now.”

You whimpered, tears burning in your eyes. Your whole body felt numb, shaken, frail, and as Markovich put a hand on your thigh, sliding up your skin and seeking under the hem of your dress, a surge of rage came over you.

You raised your knee with as much force as you could swing between his legs and suddenly, Markovich doubled over in pain. He released you in favor of clutching his crotch, and you stumbled back towards the streets.

“James!” you screamed, voice breaking in the effort. “James!”

Bucky swerved around the corner in a panic, paper bag dropped to the concrete as he saw you rushing towards him. You slammed into his arms, shaking terribly, and Bucky only had seconds to react when he sat Markovich stumbling back to his feet. Bucky quickly pried you from his arms though it killed him to do so.

“Sweetheart, I need you to call Steve.” Bucky kept his eyes on Markovich.

You shook your head. “James, I… I….”

“Do it now,” he ordered, firmer than he ever wanted to be with you, but as he watched Markovich crack his knuckles, baring his teeth, Bucky knew he didn’t have much time. He kept a hand on your shoulder, stilling you at the edge of the street, before he made his way into the dark shadows of the alley.

“You’re supposed to be dead, Karpov,” Markovich growled.

“Yeah, well, you’re supposed to be in jail, aren’t you?” Bucky shot back. “We’ve had outstanding warrant for your arrest for over a year.”

“Should have figured you were a narc.” Markovich spat, sizing Bucky up as he stepped forward. “Always so soft with the boss’s wife. Heard you were fucking her too. Tell me... was it good?”

Bucky clenched his jaw. Over his shoulder, he could hear your voice quietly on the phone with Steve. It wouldn’t take long. Maybe a few minutes before backup arrived. He didn’t like to carry his firearm when he was off duty, especially around you because you’d be subject to enough violence in your life and you didn’t need the constant reminder that Bucky had perpetrated it himself, too. But now, as he stared down the rather large figure of a man with an intent to kill, he seconded guessed his choice to leave it at home.

Markovich rushed forward, lunging straight for Bucky’s neck, which he was able to side step easily. He had more agility than Markovich and he’d use it to his advantage. He got in a few hits before Markovich landed a punch, but when he did, it nearly sent Bucky spiraling to the ground.

“James!” your voice yelped out from behind him. He didn’t dare turn around.

It took until the both of them were panting and Markovich has a steady stream of blood down his nose and Bucky was limping on his left ankle before the cops arrived.

They rushed into the alley, separated Markovich to the wall and cuffed him. Bucky didn’t say a word as Markovich shouted at him through the window of the cop car, threatening him, threatening you.

Hydra didn’t have resources anymore. Markovich couldn’t hurt either of you the way Rumlow had once threatened. Steve would find a way to make sure Markovich stayed silent. It might mean a reduced sentence or privileges behind bars, but he’d keep the two of you safe. Bucky didn’t doubt that for a second.

“Oh, thank god, James,” you rushed towards him, throwing yourself into his arms. It was nearly suffocating how tight you were holding him, but he didn’t mind. You needed this, needed to remember that he was real and safe, and maybe he needed that too.

“I’m alright,” he exhaled, wiping the blood from his cheek. He pulled you back just enough to see your face. “Are you okay? I shouldn’t have left you out here alone. I didn’t think— I should have come faster— I—”

“I’m okay,” you confirmed, leaning up to press a kiss to his cheek. “But I guess ‘okay’ is relative.”

He chuckled at that, nodding as he pulled you back to his chest. “I’ve got cookie dough in the freezer and that movie you’ve been wanting to watch on rent. You up for that?”

He could feel your smile against his chest.

“Yeah, I’m up for it.”

Bucky gave a short nod to the officers clearing the scene behind him and guided you back to the sidewalk. It was a short walk back to the apartment from where you were.

“Hey Bucky?” you asked, and he felt a wash of relief in his own name.

“Yeah, honey?”

“Thanks for keeping your promise.”

Bucky narrowed his eyes. “What promise?”

“To always protect me,” you said simply, squeezing his hand a little tighter.

Bucky nodded, a soft kind of smile pushing at his cheeks. “Always, sweetheart. Always.”

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes #bucky x you #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x y/n

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freedom-of-writing · 3 years ago

Text

The Stable Girl

Chapter 2 – The night shift

That had felt like a never-ending day. After her encounter with Nicole, Waverly had joined her father to watch the first round of the tournament. Luckily, some of the oldest suitors were immediately eliminated, but it was not like the remaining contestants were much better. Everyone’s favorite, Lord Hardy, was a good-looking young man of about Waverly’s age, which made the princess root for him as well. But even though he was strong and really good at riding a horse, he was all but smart and educated. At least that was the impression he gave Waverly that evening as she listened to him having a conversation with the other men in the dining room. That almost made the princess wish sir Robinson would win the tournament and marry her. Said sir was a middle-aged man, but he had such polite manners and he was always so kind when he addressed her in conversation. Plus, she would never tire of listening to the stories of his many travels around the realm. He had seen pretty much everything there was to see, and could speak eight languages at best. He even owned a library that might have been bigger than the one they had there in Purgatory. He would have been the perfect match if only he were younger.

“What about the blonde one?” Waverly was brought back from her thoughts by Chrissy’s voice.

After a three-hour-long dinner, she and her handmaids had retired to her room. Obviously, Chrissy and Stephanie had wasted no time in getting into their usual blabbering. The two were now talking about their favorite contestants as Waverly was sitting by the window not really paying attention to the conversation.

“Wait, sir Thomas?”

“Ew, no! That man could be my grandpa. I was talking about Lord Reynard.”

“Oh, the one with hair for days and beautiful ocean eyes? I think I may have fallen in love with him…” Stephanie said in a dreaming tone.

“Don’t be ridiculous, you’ve only seen him one.”

“They call it love at first sight for a reason…”

“What are you, seven? Love at first sight only exists in fairytales, Steph.” Chrissy mocked her.

“That’s not true… it’s a real thing. Right, Waves?”

When in public, the two young women would use all the courtesies in need, but when it was just the three of them, they still addressed Waverly in informal terms like when they were kids.

“Oh c’mon, Waves, you gotta back me up on this one? You know I’m right.”

“Steph, I’m sorry, but… Chrissy’s right. Love at first sight only happens in the books.” Waverly agreed with Chrissy, although she was not so sure the girl was actually right.

The truth was, she had stopped believing in such things as love at first sight at a very young age. But after her encounter with a certain ginger girl… well, she might have been starting to reconsider her views on the matter. Maybe love at first sight did exist after all. Wait! Was she actually pondering the idea that she might have been… no, come on, that was ridiculous. She had only just met her.

Her trail of thoughts was suddenly interrupted by the arrival of a carrier pigeon who had landed right outside her window. Her friends watched her curiously as she opened the window and took the piece of paper from the bird’s claw. They got closer as she closed the window and proceeded to unroll the note, but Waverly made sure they couldn’t read the message on it. She had come to learn from experience that, sometimes, keeping secrets from them was for the best. Those girls were just too nosy.

I’m on night shift, wanna keep me company? I’ll be under the oak tree by the stables. Nicole.

Waverly couldn’t help but smile her brightest smile as she read the note. It was crazy. She had only known this woman for a few hours, and she already felt so drawn to her. She could almost feel butterflies in her stomach just at the idea of getting to spend more time with Nicole. But first, she needed an excuse to leave her room.

“What’s gotten you all smiling there?” Chrissy asked when she folded the note and put it down.

“OMG! Is it a special message from a special someone?” Stephanie exclaimed all excited.

“Did one of the lords send you a love note?”

“Was it lord Hardy?”

“He was totally eating you with his eyes this afternoon.”

“And he’s so dreamy.”

Oh boy… she needed to stop them before they took it too far.

“It’s actually just Wynonna. She wishes me a happy birthday and says she’ll try and be home soon.” Waverly lied.

“Oh.” Both Chrissy and Stephanie said in a rather disappointed tone.

Okay, so now that the explanation for the note was done, she still needed to find a way to get out of her room without getting caught by the guards, and especially without her nosy friends finding out about Nicole. Not much because she didn’t want anyone to know she was hanging out with the stable girl. Mostly, she needed space and time to understand how she really felt about this woman, which was all very new to her. And to be completely honest, a part of her was already extremely jealous of Nicole and did not like the idea of having to share her new friend with her old ones. She had to think fast. What could have been a good excuse to have the girls leave her room? Maybe that she felt sick and… no that wasn’t going to work. When a princess is sick her handmaids are expected to tend to her not leave her. Okay, c’mon Waves, think of something else! She looked down at the note in her hand, and suddenly she got an idea.

“You know what, I think I’m going to write Wynonna a letter. Tell her everything about the tournament and the handsome lords I got to meet these past few days...” Waverly told her friends. Chrissy and Stephanie knew that meant she wanted to be alone.

“Oh okay…” Stephanie said sounding disappointed once again.

“Yeah, it’s pretty late actually. We’d better go to bed.” Chrissy added. “See you tomorrow at seven?”

Waverly nodded in agreement and smiled sweetly at them.

“Goodnight, Waves.” They both said as they gave her a quick hug.

“Night, girls.”

Luckily, Stephanie and Chrissy had already helped her out of her silver dress and into a night gown, which she could easily take off on her own. She just needed to find a comfy dress to wear and then she was ready to go see Nicole.

--------------------------------------------------

Apparently finding the right dress to wear was easier said than done. Waverly had spent a good half an hour staring at the dresses in her closet without being able to choose which one was suited for the occasion. She didn’t want it to be too fancy, but she also wanted to look good, not casual. It’s crazy how you can have a closet full of clothes and still feel like you have got nothing to wear for a special occasion. At last, she settled for a lilac dress, consisting of a short-sleeved lace top and a long skirt, whose color perfectly matched the flowers still pinned to her hair. She didn’t put any make up on, and opted for a comfy pair of sandals which were better than heels for walking on the grass.

When she was ready, she slipped out of her room, and got out of the castle using secret passages only she and Wynonna, and the servants, knew. When she was positive no one had seen her, she started walking towards the stables as quietly as possible. As written in the note, Waverly found Nicole sitting on a bench under the large oak tree by the stables. A big lantern was hanging from a low branch right over her head to lighten the pages of the book she was reading. The title said something about a knight, but Waverly couldn’t make it all out. Whatever it was, it must have been really interesting because Nicole was completely immersed into it and didn’t even notice her arrival. Clearing her throat, Waverly was finally able to catch the woman’s attention. Closing her book, Nicole looked up at her and greeted her with a sweet smile. Waverly returned the smile nervously, but said nothing. She didn’t really know what to do. Would it be okay if she just sat on the bench next to her? Nicole must have noticed her hesitation, because she quickly scooted over to leave more room on the bench for Waverly to sit.

“Thanks.” Waverly said in a shy tone as she sat down. “I didn’t know stable girls had night shifts.” She added after a moment.

“We do when the stables are filled with royal horses.” Nicole tried to explain, even though it was clearly just a lie. Everyone knew there was a camp by the village where all the horses and the servants of the king guests were to stay. But luckily Waverly made no remark about it, to which Nicole was extremely grateful. To be honest, she had spent all afternoon thinking about the princess trying to come up with an excuse to meet her again. Truth be told, she had seen Waverly around the castle before, and she definitely found her really attractive, but her interest in the princess grew even bigger after she finally got that chance to talk to her. What Waverly had said about feeling trapped in a life that was not hers to choose, she could really relate to that.

“May I see?” Waverly asked pointing to the book in Nicole’s hands. She didn’t really know how to start a conversation, so maybe talking about the book could help.

“Oh. It’s…”

“The Knight of Hearts.” Waverly read out loud when Nicole showed her the cover. “Oh, I’ve never heard of it. Is it good?”

“It’s actually my favorite book. I’ve read it like a million times.” Nicole said sounding a bit embarrassed.

“Well then, I’m gonna have to borrow it sometimes.”

Waverly’s words made Nicole regain all her confidence. “Ask and it shall be yours.” She stated in very which made Waverly chuckle in amusement.

The two of them looked at each other in silence for a moment. Nicole couldn’t help but stare at Waverly, who looked even more beautiful when she smiled. Her adoring gaze surely did not go unnoticed because Waverly started blushing and quickly averted her eyes from her.

“So how did the tournament go?” Nicole asked trying to end the awkwardness of the moment.

“It was…” Waverly trailed off as she searched for the right words to describe how she felt about it. Truth was, the tournament itself wasn’t so bad, and everyone seemed to be having a really great time, it just was…

“Not your thing?” Nicole concluded for her.

Wait what?! How… that’s exactly what she was going to say, how did she do that?

“Is it that obvious?” Waverly asked trying to hide her surprise.

“Well, from the way you were talking about it earlier, it definitely didn’t sound like your kinda afternoon.”

“Yeah well… I’m not even sure I know what my kinda afternoon looks like anymore...”

“Mmm…” Nicole hummed in thought. “Well… my kind of afternoon includes a trip to the lake, with a nice book to read seated under a tree… and maybe some animals to play around with. And a bucket of snacks, obviously. I could never go anywhere without snacks. Eating is kind of my passion.” Nicole concluded with a shrug.

Waverly chuckled lightly at that. It actually sounded like a great way to spend the afternoon. A little bit lonely though… She thought when she realized Nicole didn’t mention the presence of someone else with her. “Sounds like someone doesn’t like sharing her snacks with anybody.” She joked.

“Well, I wouldn’t mind sharing them with a pretty lady for sure.” Nicole said with a smirk, causing Waverly to blush again.

But this time she did not look away. Instead, she chose to play along. “Maybe we could do it sometimes. I haven’t been to the lake in forever.”

That made Nicole smile brightly. Was the princess really offering to spend an afternoon together, just the two of them? She couldn’t believe this was really happening. But before she could get too excited about it, she remembered Waverly would be married to a charming prince or lord real soon, and there was no way she could compete with that. All she had to offer was a bucket of snacks, and a book to read.

“I’m sure your prince will bring you to the lake any time you want once you’re married.”

“I’d rather go alone…”

“I’m sorry…” Nicole immediately regretted having said that when she heard the sad tone in Waverly’s voice. “I shouldn’t have brought that up, we were having a nice conversation, and…”

“It’s okay. Don’t even worry about it. Sooner or later, I’ll have to make peace with it.” Waverly sighed heavily.

Nicole couldn’t stand seeing her like that. She needed to do something to cheer her up. “But in the meantime… How would you like a midnight snack?” Nicole offered. And when Waverly looked at her confused, she continued to explain. “I know the perfect spot for a picnic under the stars. C’mon.”

Without giving Waverly time to answer or realize what was happening, Nicole grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. Then she started walking past the stables towards sir Nedley’s house. It was actually just a cottage built nearby, where the guardian of the stables lived. The old man had worked for the royal family ever since he was a teenager. At the beginning he was just a stable boy like the others, but with time he had gained the respect and trust of the king, Waverly’s father, who put him in charge of the stables as head and guardian.

“Wait. Are you sure we can get inside?” Waverly asked in a worried tone when Nicole moved to push the front door open.

“Of course we can. It’s my house too. Just… keep it quiet, we don’t wanna wake Nedley.”

“Hold on a sec, you live with sir Nedley?”

“Where else would I live?” Nicole sounded confused. What was so weird about her living here? She honestly couldn’t understand why the information surprised Waverly that much.

“I just thought you lived in Purgatory like all the other boys…”

Oh right. Nicole finally understood. “My family’s not from here. I had nowhere else to go. Since Chrissy has officially moved into the castle, he gave me her room.”

“Nicole, is that you?” A voice came from inside the cottage.

Shit! Nedley! What the hell was he doing awake so late? Nicole quickly motioned for Waverly to go hide around the corner before responding.

“Yeah, it’s me!” She said as she opened the front door. “I’m just here to get some sna-”

“Nicole, it’s almost midnight what the hell were you doing still out there?” Sir Nedley interjected in a very fatherlike tone.

“I’m… I…” Come on, Nicole, think! Just find a quick excuse. “Shine wasn’t feeling well so I thought I’d spend the night by his stall. Just to make sure it’s nothing serious. But don’t worry, I got it covered. You go back to sleep, and I will take care of the horse.” She reassured quickly as a worried wrinkle formed on the man’s forehead.

Sir Nedley didn’t seem very convinced, but he chose to believe her anyways. Stepping to the side, he let Nicole get in and grab the snacks she came looking for. She was back only a couple minutes later with a huge wooden bucket.

From her hiding spot, Waverly could see sir Nedley handing her a blanket as well. “Here, take this. It’s getting cold out there. We already have a sick horse, I don’t want a sick help as well.” He tried to make it sound like a professional worry, but it was clear he really cared.

“Thanks.”

“Just… call me if you need any help, okay?”

Nicole nodded and smiled gratefully at him. “Goodnight.”

“Night…” And with that the old man stepped back inside and closed the door.

With a sigh of relief, Nicole motioned for Waverly to come out of her hiding spot.

“Well, that was close…” Waverly said as she reached the redhead. “We gotta be careful. If someone sees me and tells my father…”

“Because I’m the stable girl.”

“No!” Waverly almost shouted, but then remembered Nedley could hear her. “Look, everything good that I’ve had in my life, my father’s ruined it. I just don’t wanna lose you.” She explained and her words made Nicole smile her brightest smile.

“Well, the place I told you about, it’s a secret spot. No one will find us there.” Nicole reassured her. “C’mon.” She said handing Waverly the blanket and taking her hand.

They walked hand in hand for a good twenty minutes, and for the first time, the silence did not feel awkward at all. Waverly let Nicole lead her across the garden and it felt like she was a little girl all over again, discovering new places and admiring nature’s beauty. There was something about the tall trees of the woods surrounding the garden that always terrified her. Especially in the night, when the trees cast long shadows on the grass as the moon shone bright upon them. The silence was just as terrifying as the dark because it left room for her thoughts to resonate, and sometimes they just got too loud. But not that night. Nicole’s warm hand firmly leading her through the woods made her feel safe and the redhead was the only thing on her mind.

When a sudden noise came from above them, Waverly jumped a little, but Nicole immediately reassured her with a light squeeze of her hand. “It’s probably just a squirrel.”

Waverly smiled at her, but it was quick and she didn’t look very convinced.

“C’mon. We’re almost there.” Nicole tried again, tugging at her arm lightly.

This time Waverly nodded and followed her. All of a sudden, the two of them found themselves in a beautiful opening amongst the trees. It was like a secret garden right in the middle of the woods. Nicole was right, the trees surrounding them created a sort of wall that made it impossible for people to see them there. It was the perfect hidden spot. And it was breathtaking.

“Wow…” Waverly looked around in awe.

“And you haven’t seen the best part yet. Look up.”

Waverly did as she said and found herself facing the most beautiful starry sky she had ever seen. The Milky Way ran right above their heads in thousands shades of yellow and white.

“It’s pretty magical, isn’t it?”

“It’s… wow.” That was all she managed to say. She was completely speechless in front of such beauty.

“It will look even better if you lay down.” Nicole said putting down the basket and taking the blanket from Waverly to set it onto the grass.

“M’lady.” Nicole bowed jokingly at her as invitation to sit down.

Waverly chuckled at lightly at that. “Why, thank you.” She played along as she let Nicole help her down onto the blanket.

“You like apple pie, right?” Nicole asked as she opened the basket and took out a plate with a huge slice of pie.

“Love it.”

Nicole smiled and handed her that plate and a small fork.

“Wait, what about you?”

“Oh, there was only one slice left. It’s okay, you have it. I’ll have a glass of juice.”

“What? No, no way! We can share it.”

“You sure?” Nicole sounded a bit surprised. She genuinely did not think the princess would ever be up for sharing food with a stable girl.

“Of course! It’s your midnight snack after all, right?”

Nicole smiled at her and took out another fork from the basket as well as two glasses and a bottle of orange juice.

“Mmm. It’s delicious.” Waverly stated as she tasted the pie.

“Nedley made it this morning.” she said as she filled the glasses. “But don’t tell anyone he’s a good cook. It’s kind of his secret passion.”

------------------------------------------

When they were done with the pie and the juice, they lay down side by side to star gaze. The air was cool, but the woolen blanket underneath them was enough to stay warm. As they looked up at the sky, they started talking about anything and everything. And so, Waverly learned that Nicole was 26, only a year younger than Wynonna, and she came from a small village in the south. She had left home at 18 and hadn’t spoken to her parents since. Apparently, her family did not take her wish to become a knight of the king’s guard very well.

“The king’s army is no place for a peasant. And even less so for a girl.” Her father had told her the day she left.

It hadn’t taken long for Nicole to find out that her father was probably right, and becoming a knight was easier said than done. But she was too proud and stubborn to go back. So for the first 5 years, she had kept on the move, heading north to pursue her dream. Working as a waitress in several taverns, she had managed to gain enough money to buy herself a wooden sword first, and then a real one. She didn’t really know how to use it properly, but owning one seemed like a great first step in the right direction. In Kork, a small city halfway up on the road to Purgatory, she had made friends with a bunch of boys, rookies in their lord’s army. She and the boys had come to an agreement: in exchange of a free drink every night, they would let Nicole come and spar with them in her free time. And so, soon enough, she had become a better swordsman than most. She had been in Kork for almost 6 months when the War of the Free Cities broke out. Seven armies battled each other for over a year, destroying every city, town and village that was on their way. Nicole’s friends and the lord’s army tried their best to defend Kork and its people, but they fell under the attack of the Storm, an army of ruthless mercenaries under the command of lord Clootie. As their name gave out, everything was torn apart on their passage.

“They slaughtered everyone…” Nicole sat up as a lump formed in her throat. “Men, women… even the children.” She continued, fighting back the tears.

“My God…” Waverly looked at her in shock as she sat up as well.

“I somehow got myself onto a horse and fled. I roamed around the woods for days, heading north and hoping the trees would hide me from those monsters.”

“Oh Nicole…” Waverly grabbed her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze.

“I don’t exactly know how I got to the next town. One night I was sleeping under a tree, and the next day I woke up into a warm stall next to my horse. Somebody must’ve saved me and brought me there, but the guardian of the stables swore he had seen nothing.”

For the past couple of years, she had worked as a stable girl for the Cullies, a rich family who ruled over the town of Tombstone. As creepy as its name was, the town was actually a very peaceful place to live. The whole town was surrounded by tall wall, and built on the top of a hill. Isolated as it was, it had never feared an attack from any near cities. And its lords had always been fair and peaceful rulers who had never engaged into a war. Nicole was happily welcomed into their home and was always treated with great respect by everybody. Peasant or noble, it didn’t matter at Tombstone, everyone was free. So servants weren’t really servants. Most of the time they were just orphans or poor people working for the Cullies in exchange of a place to stay. They were like a big family, and Nicole loved it there. Gregory, the guardian, was like a grandfather to all the stable boys and stable girls. Ha taught them how to take care of the horse and each other, and gave them life advice all the time. In his seventy-six years on this earth, he had seen all and done all, and everyone, from the lords to the servants, loved to hear his infinite stories. Unfortunately, last winter he got really sick. He still made it through, stubborn as always, but by the time the hot season came, his body was just too weak to recover. The old man passed on a warm summer night, but before he died, he gave each of his kids a letter and a gift. No one had secrets with him, which meant he knew exactly what each one of them really needed. And so, Nicole was given a young chestnut mare, strong and full of energy.

You got the sword, kiddo, but you can’t be a knight without a horse. Take good care of my Flicka, she’s yours now. And there’s one more thing: I got a nephew in Purgatory, his name is Randy. He’s waiting for you at the king’s castle. This is your chance to get where you wanted, kid, don’t let it go to waste. You’re an extraordinary woman, Nicole, and I know it in my heart that you’ll make a great knight. You just gotta believe it too. Remember: no dream is too big. May your name sound high in the infinity of the sky. Until we meet again.

That was the letter he had left her. Flicka was a young chestnut mare, beautiful and strong and full of energy. She was exactly the kind of horse a knight would want to ride onto. And so, about a month ago Nicole had arrived in Purgatory, where sir Nedley had welcomed her with open arms. Life at the king’s castle was very different from the one she had gotten used to in Tombstone. It didn’t take long for her to realize that the Earps were nothing like the Cullies, and that sir Nedley was going to be the only friend she had. At least until that day.

“I’m really glad I met you.” Nicole told Waverly when she was done with her story. She almost regretted saying that, but Waverly quickly gave her a reassuring smile and squeezed her hand lightly.

“And I’m really glad you found me.”

They remained like that, smiling and staring at each other for a moment, but when Nicole tried to lean in, Waverly turned and looked away. She wanted to kiss her, really, but she wasn’t ready. Not yet. They had just met; this was crazy. How could she have been so drawn to her already?

“Sorry…” Nicole apologized and cursed herself for pushing it too far too quick.

“We should probably head back now. The tournament starts at 9 tomorrow, I’d better try and get some sleep.” Waverly said trying to get out of this situation.

“Right, yeah, of course. I… I’d better get back to stables. Just in case Nedley comes to check on me.”

With that they both got up and started gathering everything up. Once they were packed and ready, Nicole walked Waverly back to the castle.

“So, hum…” Waverly stopped and turned to look at Nicole once they got in front of the side door she had used to sneak out.

“I’ll… I’ll see you tomorrow?” Nicole asked hesitantly. She was really hoping she hadn’t fuck everything up.

“Yeah.” Waverly nodded with a small smile, which was immediately returned by Nicole.

Waverly couldn’t help but notice a little worry wrinkle on Nicole’s forehead. She had to let her know it was okay. That what happened tonight didn’t ruin anything. After a moment of hesitation, she leaned forward and gave Nicole a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Goodnight.” She said sweetly when she leaned back.

“Night.” Nicole said beaming and blushing a little.

And with Waverly walked into the castle while Nicole turned to head back to the stables.

---------------------------------------

Chapter 1 - Waverly’s birthday

#Wynonna Earp #Bring Wynonna Home #waverly earp #nicole haught #wayhaught #wayhaught au #fanfiction #fanfic

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royalsunshinehotel · 3 years ago

Text

will catavoy (neal x annie)

It wasn't intentional. Well, like it was but it wasn’t.

Neal and Annie had been talking about adding to their family for a while now, and since they’d gotten settled in their new apartment, why not today?

Why not now? Why just keep talking about getting a pet together when they actually could go down and do it.

Now maybe it was because any Animal Shelter in New York is fucking brutal and they wanted to get in and out as fast is possible, but it also could have been fate.

It was like he was waiting for them.

Anderson Cooper.

“Annie.” said Neal, raising a finger to point at the soft-looking grey cat hunched in the corner of his cage.

“I want to put my face on it.” He stated, likening the cage that “Toe” was in to his hour and fifteen minute stint in jail.

“...Me too.”

“I think we have to meet first, like don’t we go get a room?” Annie tried, as the blue eyed beauty stared into her soul.

“No, I think we know.” Neal states as the cat slowly inches its way forward.

“Do we?” Annie gave him a look at the corner of her eye as Neal put his finger through the grate.

“This is our son.” Declared Neal, looping an arm around Annie.

“What should we call him?” She asked, noting that Neal had clearly gotten attached. Maybe they should go before he gets to the lizard room.

“On three?” She asked, as he finally broke eye contact with the creature.

“Anderson…” Neal started, “Cooper!” Annie finished with an enthusiastic little bounce.

The cat, as if on cue, raised its hackles at the young couple and gave a large, dignified yowl. They took this as a sign, a celebratory yell, but Neal had never had a cat before, so who’s he to say?

“He likes it!” “He’s just a little boy!” They declared as the cat finally untucked it’s ears and realized maybe it was about to go home.

And after a terrifying subway ride, it was.

Their new cat-son saw fit to eat its way out of the cardboard carrier he was kept in, and stuck it’s head out with a sweet little “Meow?”

Anderson didn’t make a run for it, but Neal could have sworn he thought about it. Anderson merely shoved his little baby-sized head into Neal’s hand.

“Annie!'' whispered Neal as he proceeded to let Anderson forcefully demand scratches from his father.

“Annie, it's vibrating!” she just laughed. Neal had two younger siblings, this she knew, but the concept of a pur was beyond him.

“Annie, is it supposed to be doing that? Is that normal?” The redhead only took his hand, and kissed his cheek. This was good. This was their family.

It was perfect.

Until the next day at work, when people had to share their opinions. Most were surface level like “Oh he’s so cute, I hope you can bring him in one day!” or “When can we expect an office baby!”

One person, in particular, was louder than the rest. In this particular case, he was being quiet.

“What the fuck?” asked Will, as he tossed Neal his phone back.

Neal hadn’t been intending to share his happy news of adoption with his boss, because why would Will care?

“And his name?” snapped Wil;. Will isn’t snapping for no reason, but he did it so often it hardly mattered to any of his staff.

“Anderson Cooper.” Will’s eyes were round in shock. As far as he knew, no one but himself or Mac regularly watched other news networks. But then he did remember that Annie did like Saturday Night Live, the one show that routinely ignored ACN.

“You named him after a rival news anchor!” This shouldn’t have hurt Will as much as it did.

‘But look at him!” yelled Annie, “His white fur and blue eyes!! He’s so sexy like Anderson Cooper!!’ Points were made, but no points that mattered to Will at that point.

“You’re fired.” Three mouths were open as WIll opened his laptop and attempted to look busy.

“You’re not fired. Will-” Mac tried, positioning herself between the kids.

“This seems a bit dramatic.” said Neal, putting his hands on his hips.

“Not a word! Which one of you named that damn cat after my enemy Anderson Cooper?”

“He sends us Christmas cards!” exclaimed Mac, barely staving off a headache.

“Rename the cat!” yelled Will!

“No, his name was toe before.’

“Toe,” stated Wil.

“Toe?” asked Mackenzie.

“Yes, toe, like what's on your feet,” snapped Annie, patience wearing thin.

“The people who gave him up named him toe,” enlightened Neal, earning the ire of the three in the room

“Come on Will, look at Anderson’s little face!’

“Get him out of my sight, or get a cat and name it after me!”

“Okay…” Annie’s eyebrows were raised, looking to Neal for some kind of answer. There was none, they had known him well enough to stop expecting logical behavior.

“Leave the photo of my enemy!” Will blinked as Annie put down the framed photo of their new cat in the dead center of Will’s desk. Why? She wasn’t quite sure.

Six months old, three legs and one eye, not a detailed thought in it’s head. Will Catavoy. Now Will was a good cat, he’d been on his own since he was a kitten.

Enter: them.

A tall one and a smaller red one. Will Catavoy didn’t like them that much, but they seemed fine. He decided to chew on the taller one’s shoe laces, and found himself unceremoniously picked up and petted by the short red one.

He wiggled, he fought, and they only laughed! How dare they laugh at the great Will Catavoy!

“This one’s perfect!’

“Hi Will!”

And the next thing Will Catavoy knew, he was on a loud, loud tube that he hated, gnawing on a hand that belonged to the tall one.

He’s a wild thing! He can’t be tamed!

But they go up so many stairs, and unceremoniously let Will go, pitting him face to face against the most beautiful cat he’d ever seen.

Soft grey fur and bright blue eyes.

If the humans had intended for them to live together, Will Catavoy would make it work. He’d be a good boy, even if he was from the dumpster.

The tall one tried to reach down for them, and Will Catavoy was given no choice, but to bite the hand as hard as he could, before running through an open door and under a large squishy rectangle.

Will Macavoy, the human, wasn't sure what to expect when he came into work the next morning. The dream team, or “nannie” were waiting in his office. Stupid goddamn kids.

“The hell are you traitors doing here? Didn’t I fire you?” Will waved his arms, pushing his way through his door, past this welcome committee.

“Mac does the firing,” sniped Annie, “but we got you a gift.” Neal gave his usual snaggle-toothed smile, and gestured towards a gold frame sitting on Will’s desk.

Inside was a cat . . . most likely a cat. One of the kids had gotten a photo of a furry brown monster, mid-yowl, hackles raised. It seemed as if this cat was less of a cat, and more of a clumpy concept of an animal.

“Will, this is Will Catavoy.” The kids weren’t gonna see him cry. He said name a cat after him and they did.

“He’s dumb and mean,” said Annie. Neal simply held up his hand, holding up a bandaged hand.

“I love him, you’re unfired.”

#neal x annie #nannie #the newsroom #neal sampat #neelamani sampat #dev patel #dev patel imagine

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lockefanfic · 4 years ago

Text

Business Trip: Pt 29 - Devil

“Do you want to-“

“Fuck no,” she snaps, “fuck, please don’t stop. Don’t even think about stopping. I want this. I want you. I want you to fuck my ass.”

You reach up with your right hand, past her hips and her right breast, to her chin, turning it slightly until you are able to kiss her. You spend several long moments there, your lips and tongues playing with each other.

“Now keep going,” she says as she breaks the kiss, “fill me. Fill my ass. Fill me, and fuck me.”

You aren’t one to refuse such an order, and so you press forward - all the while, your eyes are glued to hers as she looks over her shoulder at you, your hand still grasping her by the chin, those eyes glazed with pleasure and lust and just a hint of pain and discomfort. You have never seen her like this - so much in need. You’d seen her face when she is filled with your cock for the first time, seen it during sex, when she is moaning and sighing and gasping, seen it twisted in pleasure when she cums - but never like this. Never twisted in a heady mix of pain and pleasure and pure, unfiltered lust.

It takes minutes or hours or days later, you weren’t sure - but soon you are fully inside her, buried to the hilt inside Minatozaki Sana’s ass.

It is at that moment that you both hear the bathroom door open, and two women walk inside.

Sana’s eyes go wide with surprise.

---

The older you got, the more you wanted to just be at home. You would've given anything to be at home. Or anywhere, really, other than where you currently were.

And it wasn't because you hated the place - Seoul had a newly flourishing craft beer scene, as it turned out, and this particular bar was one of the more popular ones.

And it certainly wasn't because you hated the people. Most of your company, after all, comprised mainly of beautiful young women, most of whom you'd had more than a couple intimate experiences with. Even the few guys that were there were dudes you got along with - in your limited interactions with them, anyway. There was worse company to be had.

No, it was mostly because you wanted, needed some time alone, away from everyone else. Tomorrow was going to be a pretty big day, and you figured you should be at home, resting, preparing yourself for what was to come… or maybe playing some Modern Warfare. Either or.

Tomorrow was the chosen date for the SM operation - the day that Nayeon had decided she would infiltrate SM's headquarters office, using the entrance she had procured from her interrogation of Jay, in an attempt to find the evidence she needed to incriminate SM.

You all should have been at home. You wanted to be at home.

And by "home,” you really meant your hotel room - you were, after all, in Korea, thousands of kilometers from your actual home. You'd spent way too much time in hotel rooms over the past year, and truth be told you'd almost forgotten what "home" really meant. That apartment back in your home city, sitting empty for so long now, seemed like a distant memory. To go back there now would be like going to a foreign place. "Home" was whatever hotel room you were currently staying in. Your possessions were limited to what you could pack in that duffel bag and luggage carrier that had become your constant companions.

You wanted to be back in your hotel room, but you found yourself here in downtown Seoul, mostly against your wishes. Sana had insisted that everyone go out one last time before the big day tomorrow, mostly in an effort to get everyone to relax and cool off. And so when the clock hit 5 she dragged everyone, some of you physically, out of the office and into this bar.

You swirl your half-empty glass of pale ale in your hand as you watch Dahyun and Jeongyeon play darts across the room. It wasn't an ordinary cork dartboard - like many things in the technologically advanced South Korean capital, it had been enhanced with the latest technology to look more like an abstract science-fiction version of the traditional bar game.

Dahyun is hopeless at the game as she was with drink orders, it turns out, and two of the three darts she tosses towards the circular target miss altogether. She cringes in embarrassment as the two wayward darts strike the plastic facing of the machine instead. Jeongyeon chides her playfully for her misses before she takes her turn, and true to form, she makes two high point hits, the third just barely missing her target. The girl had a knack for physical games as well as digital ones, it seemed.

As she collects the darts from the board she turns and catches your eyes. You raise your glass slightly in toast to her ability, and she blushes lightly, brushing away her newly short hair with a shy smile before stepping behind Dahyun as the shorter girl takes her turn.

"You should go out with her already," comes a voice to your left, "you clearly have feelings for each other."

You turn to find Sana has taken the seat next to you, placing her glass of beer on the table as she does so. Alcohol has given her cheeks a soft pink blush to go with her newly dyed pink hair. She looked stunning, as always, and it wasn't hard to notice that she had already captured the full attention of every other male - and some females - in the building.

"Jeongyeon and I are just friends," you state - it was becoming a bit of a routine, at this point, explaining your relationship with the IT specialist to everyone around you. Was it that obvious, the way Jeongyeon felt about you?

"Sure, you think you're just friends. But what does she think?"

You take a moment to ponder Sana's question. Jeongyeon had made her feelings for you clear, and you knew that all it would take was a simple conversation, a simple act of admitting you felt the same way, and bam - you'd have a new girlfriend.

And it wasn't like you didn't have feelings for Jeongyeon, either - she was smart, and beautiful (sometimes breathtakingly so, when she wanted to be), and a genuinely good person, fiercely loyal and protective to her friends and those she held dear. But beyond all that, and perhaps most importantly, being around her made you feel comfortable and cared for in a way that none of the other girls did. She made you feel special.

In another time, in different circumstances, you would have already been with her. But it just didn't feel right at the moment, not now, and not so soon after your breakup with Momo.

"Now's not the right time," you finally answer, swirling your beer around in its glass for the umpteenth time, "we have too much going on to think about starting a relationship."

Sana doesn't seem to believe you, and she lets out a smirk and a "mmmhmmm" as she takes a sip of her own drink.

"What about you?" you ask, eager to change the subject away from Jeongyeon, "what happened to you jumping on me the second I was single, the way you said you would when we were in Hawaii?"

Sana takes a moment to compose her answer, a sly smile appearing on her lips the way it always did when she was formulating some plan in her head. She always seemed to be planning and plotting, always seemed to be thinking the game a few moves ahead of the rest of you. You had experienced first hand what her plotting and scheming could bring, and while your suspicion of her had eased somewhat in recent weeks, you never really could shake the thought that Minatozaki Sana had a little bit of a snake in her.

"I still plan to," she admits, "but I'm going to take my time for the same reason you and Jeongyeon aren't already together. It's too soon. I'm not a monster."

She takes a sip of her beer as she gives you another one of those sly smiles - venom laced with honey.

You smirk at the Japanese girl. She leans forward on the table, bringing her arms together, ostensibly to cup her glass shyly with both hands - but it also had the added side effect of emphasizing the low cut of the sparkly top she wore and the tantalizing cleavage it produced. She wasn't the most endowed amongst your little group, but she certainly knew how to use what she had. You didn't doubt for a moment that everything she did and said was for a purpose.

You knew how this night would end. You’d spent enough time around this group of girls to know where it was leading. You knew what was about to happen, and while the angel on your shoulder kept trying to convince you to call it an early night, the pink haired, Sana-shaped devil on your opposite shoulder was whispering sweet nothings in your ear, and telling you it was okay to indulge in the pleasure that was surely coming.

"I remember you said something in Hawaii... what was it?" she begins, tapping her lip with a finger playfully, "Oh, that's right. You told me there was somewhere else you could put it. Too bad we never got around to it."

"That's too bad," you answer, happy to play her game.

"Mmhmm, too bad. I suppose we could have, but with Mina and Choa leaving, I didn't think it was the right time. I'm not a monster," she repeats.

"Oh yeah? Then what are you, Sana?"

"I'm an angel," she says with the confident tone of a woman who believed it, "Most of the time. Other times, I'm a devil."

"And what are you tonight?"

Sana smiles, one of those slick, sly, devilish smiles of hers - the smile of a hunter that has come upon an animal helpless in her trap. She looks up at you, gives you a playful, cute shrug, and quickly downs the rest of her glass.

Slamming the empty vessel down on the table, she rises and saunters towards the bathrooms, slowly, every little step highlighted with an exaggerated sway of those perfect hips, knowing you - and indeed every other male in the room - was watching.

When she reaches the small hallway that leads to the bathrooms, and just before she disappears into it, she turns halfway to where you are still sitting before biting her lip and giving you a smile that was all devil, and very little angel.

—-

Every step of the way from your table to the bathrooms, you knew the eyes of every single male - and perhaps some females - were on you. Each pair of eyes glaring with jealousy, envy, perhaps a little lust, as you follow the gorgeous young Japanese girl into the women’s bathroom.

What they would have given to be in your position now - standing in one of the stalls, with that same girl on her knees in front of you, her wavy, pink hair bobbing up and down as she took your shaft in and out of her mouth, her tongue pressed hard against its underside, lathering it with slick saliva as it pumped in and out between her lips.

Sana had wasted no time - she rarely did. A few moments of hurried, frenzied kisses, tongues duelling with impatient knowledge that it was all just an appetizer for what was to come. Her fingers worked with practiced ease at your belt, and within moments she had drawn your pants and boxers down to your knees, the newfound freedom of your shaft short lived as it found itself imprisoned by another, significantly more pleasant prison - Sana’s mouth.

You let your fingers graze through her pink hair, a color that you’d thought was daring and outandish on any other girl but was perfect for her. It only amplified the dichotomy that was Minatozaki Sana - that duality of angel and devil that was the core of her.

She lets your cock pop out from between her lips, those perfect pink lips wrapped tightly around your hard flesh as she lets it exit the warmth of her wet mouth. She looks up at you as she presses the sensitive head against her tongue, letting you see first hand the face of an angel engaged in an act that was not at all angelic.

She rises from her knees, wiping the excess saliva from her lips with the back of her hand.

“Fuck me now,” she says, almost a hiss, a sexy but almost angry look in her eyes. She turns around, facing the walls of the bathroom stall, and quickly undoes the belt and buttons of her small, tiny pair of black shorts she is wearing beneath the already extremely short hem of her sparkly blue dress.

You press yourself against her, both of your hands reaching under the hem of her skirt for the waistband of her shorts and pulling them down with a roughness that surprises you, revealing the pale skin of her perfectly shaped ass, round and full. You give her right butt cheek a firm slap, one that elicits a yelp from the surprised Japanese girl.

She turns halfway around to you and bites her lip.

Your right hand snakes around and dives towards her crotch, and you are unsurprised to quickly feel the slick wetness between her thighs. She wanted this, needed it, just like you knew she would.

You take your shaft in your right hand, still slick and glistening with her saliva. She bends slightly at the waist, her hands pressed against the green wall of the stall - but the rest of her upper body is quickly pressed against it when your shaft parts her wet lips and you slip inside her wet, hot body.

Being inside Minatozaki Sana was otherworldly, as it always was, but here, in the women’s bathroom of some random bar in Seoul, on the eve of the most important operation of your career and with all the stress of past and future relationships clouding your mind, she felt downright heavenly. She was a release from all the stress, a valve for all the frustration and unease boiling in your mind.

Sana lets out a sharp gasp as you fill her for the first time, the same way she did every time. You never tired of hearing that gasp. It was a gasp of pleasure, of relief, of being filled and completed - a puzzle finished with a missing piece. She squeezes her walls around you, her body thankful for the sensation, if the intense tightness and slick wetness were any indication.

When you withdraw your glistening shaft for the first time you relish in the feel of her walls gripping you, not wanting to release you - but just as quickly they welcome you back inside as you penetrate her again. Soon you are pumping in and out of her at a slow, steady pace, her soft gasps turning quickly into long, drawn out moans as she is fucked against the wall.

You spend long moments with your gaze downward, watching as your shaft drills in and out between those round cheeks of hers. You need more, need more of her body, and so you reach up with your left hand to her chest, finding the top of her short dress and pulling downward.

Her breasts bounce free from their tight prison, and Sana gasps in surprise at being newly exposed - not that she minded in the slightest, so lost was she in the pleasure fling her mind and welcoming the potential new source of it. You reach up and squeeze her soft, round mounds with both hands, enjoying the feel of her warm flesh in your fingers and the tight, hard nipples poking your palms.

“Oh, fuck!” Sana hisses, your hands on her breasts bringing her torso upright, until you are both fucking almost vertically.

You increase your tempo, satisfied now that Sana was ready for more, and before long you are truly fucking her, drilling in and out of the tight hot warmth of her body with quick, deep strokes. With each stroke you don’t pull out more than halfway - you concentrate instead on pumping hard and fast, getting as deep as you could inside her given your standing position.

Soon Sana is cumming, and you are only partially surprised at how quickly she is coming to her first orgasm given the circumstances and the audacity of sex in a bar bathroom. Her mouth opens in a frozen, wordless “O”, her body tightening and pulsing around you, her small frame quivering and shaking as she momentarily loses control of herself.

It takes every effort not to join her in bliss, and you knew she certainly wouldn’t have minded if you did so - but it was her that brought up what you had spoken about in Hawaii, and you weren’t about to disappoint her.

You release her naked breasts from your hands, and she slumps forward against the wall of the bathroom stall, breathing heavily, still recovering from her orgasm. You slip out of her, your rock hard shaft drenched with her juices - and almost quivering with anticipation. The low bathroom light glistens on your cock, and you are satisfied that it is wet enough for what is to come next.

Sana’s head is still hanging between her arms - but when you bring your palms to the cheeks of her ass and spread them slightly, her head rises and turns to look at you.

You had seen Sana deep in the throes of lust and passion before, but you’d never seen her like this - so filled with devilish lust and need at what was about to come. She locks eyes with you, bites her lip softly, and gives you the slightest of nods.

Her cheeks spread apart with your palms, you point the head of your cock at the opening of her ass and begin to press forward.

Sana gasps as your head presses against her tight opening, her body refusing to let you in at first - but you press forward with your hips, slowly parting her entrance. Sana squirms and quivers as her opening slowly parts, and soon you are finally inside her.

Sana’s hands tighten into fists against the smooth surface of the bathroom stall, and a grimace of pain overtakes her partially turned head as you penetrate her ass for the first time. She lets a long hiss escape her lips, and you kiss the back of her head in an attempt to comfort her, bringing your left hand to match hers on the wall, covering her small hand with your own.

Soon you are halfway inside her ass, and you go no further, letting her get used to the new penetration. When you stop moving Sana lets out a long breath that she didn’t know she was holding.

“Fuck,” she spits, “fuck you’re so big inside me.”

“Do you want to-“

“Fuck no,” she snaps, “fuck, please don’t stop. Don’t even think about stopping. I want this. I want you. I want you to fuck my ass.”

“Now keep going,” she says as she breaks the kiss, “fill me. Fill my ass. Fill me, and fuck me.”

It takes minutes or hours or days later, you weren’t sure - but soon you are fully inside her, buried to the hilt inside Minatozaki Sana’s ass.

It is at that moment that you both hear the bathroom door open, and two women walk inside.

Sana’s eyes go wide with surprise.

“I think we’re ready,” says one of the voices - Jihyo’s.

“I think so too,” agrees another - Nayeon.

“We’re ready,” Jihyo says, “the real question is whether you’re ready.”

“Of course I am,” Nayeon answers with all the confidence in the world, “I always am.”

You wonder what your ex-girlfriend would have said if she’d known that you were just a few feet away, fully buried inside the ass of one of his colleagues.

Jihyo and Nayeon continue their conversation - mostly mundane details about tomorrow’s operation. As they speak, you slowly draw your shaft outside of Sana’s tightly grasping ass for the first time, and once it is halfway out, you slowly push back inside her.

Sana is a quivering and squirming mess, and soon you are slowly pumping in and out of her body, your pace relaxed as you enjoy the tight, hot flesh of Sana’s body wrapped around your cock.

Sana’s tightness is overwhelming, to say the least - her pussy was tight, but her ass on another level altogether. Not as wet, of course, but almost overwhelmingly tight and hot, grasping you tightly with each entrance and exit like a glove. You weren’t sure how much experience she had had with anal sex, but soon she was taking you in and out of her ass smoothly, the pain and discomfort of your initial penetration quickly lessening and giving way to the novel, new sensation of pleasure from having her ass filled.

Sana lets a short, sharp gasp escape her lips when you fill her to the hilt - one she clearly regrets, given the surprised and embarrassed look on her face. You reach up with your right hand to cover her mouth, and soon you are fucking her ass with your hand clasped over her lips as she tries her best to stifle her moans. Her eyes are glazed over now with pleasure, still locked to yours even as you pump in and out of her asshole.

After awhile her gasps lessen and then end completely as she becomes used to the hard length pumping in and out of her butt. She reaches up with her right hand to cover yours, and she pulls it down her face, until it is at her throat. You didn’t know she was into choking, and she had never shown much interest in it before - but you’d never had her ass before either. You feel her warm neck pulsing beneath your palm. She squeezes the outside of your hand slightly, causing you to clamp a little bit around her slim neck.

The slightly reduced airflow at her throat causes her ass to clench even tighter around you - and the added tightness brings succulent pleasure to your mind that makes you think you are going insane.

The novelty of it - of fucking Sana’s ass, your hand around her throat - and the danger - being in the bathroom of a busy bar, with your colleagues outside and two of them actually in the same bathroom, seemingly oblivious to the lewd act taking place a few paces away from them - it was all overwhelming.

Outside the bathroom stall, mere feet away, Nayeon and Jihyo are continuing their conversation. Thankfully, the stall you are occupying is a little ways away from the mirror and sinks where you presume they are having their conversation, meaning there was little chance of them noticing what was happening unless they were standing directly outside of the stall.

“...and we’ll be in the van, keeping an eye on everything,” Jihyo says, “Me, their tech specialist, one of the girls from their Tokyo office.. What was her name? The one with the pink hair. Oh, and... him.”

Nayeon lets out a scoff.

“How did he take it, anyway?” Jihyo asks, “I mean, how did he react to your... interrogation techniques?”

“I don’t give a shit what he thinks. I know it turned him on enough to fuck that slut that runs their office in town while they were watching.”

“And you don’t care that he’s got a little harem of girls that he fucks whenever he wants?”

There is a short silence. You imagine Nayeon is considering her answer.

“No,” she says finally. Maybe you were imagining it, but she sounded a little less sure, a little less confident of herself just then.

“Hmm. I could’ve sworn maybe you still had feelings for him.”

“A long time ago. When I was young and stupid.”

“And those feelings won’t ever come back?”

You tense and ready yourself to hear the answer, but all you hear is the sound of the door opening, and the sound of their heels on the tiled floor as they finally leave the bathroom.

The whole time they were speaking, you were continuing to pump in and out of Sana’s ass. It surprised you you lasted this long. And you were more than willing to let yourself fall over the edge.

Your thrusts quicken in pace as you near the edge.

“Cum inside me,” Sana gasps, free to speak now that Nayeon and Jihyo had left, “Choke me!”

Sana’s hand, the one stop your hand at her throat, tightens as though willing you to increase your grip on her windpipe. You are still afraid of hurting her - you already felt guilty for causing her pain and discomfort, however temporary, when you first entered her ass. But her hand on top of yours, clasped around her throat, dismissed any worry you may have had about taking things too far. Your orgasm beckons, and the hand around Sana’s pale throat tightens involuntarily with each thrust in her hot, tight hole.

“Do it... own me. I’m yours. Choke me while you fuck my ass... while you use me! Fill me... Fill my ass with your cum!”

With a few final, short, hard thrusts into Sana’s ass, you bury yourself as deep inside her as you can before finally letting go. Thick, hot cum spurts from your shaft into Sana’s willing depths, her hot, tight ass squeezing and pulsing around your cock as if milking every last drop from you.

As you cum your hand around her throat involuntarily tightens, and the moan that escapes Sana’s throat turns into a gasp - the dark part of you takes obscene pleasure in that fact.

Both of your bodies quiver and shake as the intense pleasure of your orgasm overwhelms your senses. It seems to last forever - longer than any other orgasm you’d had lately. Nothing else exists for those long seconds, aside from Sana’s shaking body in your arms and the hot mess you’ve made inside her.

Your cock pulses a few final times as your orgasm slowly subsides and releases the last spurts of cum into Sana’s body and you regretfully come down from your high. After a few more seconds of treasuring the feel of the hot, creamy mess you’ve left inside her, you slowly draw your half-soft cock out of her body. Within seconds, white, pearly semen begins to leak out of her and onto the reddened, sore cheeks of her ass.

You collapse against the opposite wall of the bathroom stall, trying in vain to process what had just happened. Your eyes remain glued to Sana’s still-quivering form as she tries and mostly fails to collect herself. Slowly she turns so that she too is leaning with her back against the opposite wall, her naked breasts and crotch still exposed, her black shorts still around her knees.

Her inner thighs glisten, your juices and hers flowing down her naked skin.

“Fuck,” she gasps. A cute smile that you find oddly out of place given her current state of undress appears on her lips, and you smile right back.

In an action that would have been intensely adorable had she not been half naked, mere minutes from the dirtiest sex she had ever had, Sana blows away a stray strand of pink hair that has fallen into her face before smiling cutely at you.

The devil satiated for now, she lets a little bit of the angel return.

—-

“HQ to Blue 1, come in.”

“This is Blue 1, loud and clear,” Nayeon responds.

It is noon the next day, hours before the scheduled start of Nayeon’s operation. You are standing in the underground parking lot of JYP as Nayeon tests the connection and clarity of the miniature communication earpiece she had hidden in her ear. From the open rear door of the van, where she is overseeing all the technology involved in the operation, Jeongyeon gives you a thumbs up.

“Can you adjust the camera on her jacket? The picture isn’t quite centered,” she adds as she slides back into the rear of the van on her wheeled chair.

You reach for the small pin, which was in truth a miniature wireless camera, on the short blazer Nayeon is wearing, adjusting the angle as Jeongyeon requested. Nayeon fidgets and squirms, clearly uncomfortable with your sudden proximity.

“Will you sit still for a second?” you ask, sounding a little more annoyed than you wanted to.

“Will you hurry up? It’s a goddamn pin, it’s not that hard to straighten,” she replies with a similarly annoyed tone.

You huff under your breath at how difficult she was being - she had been this way the entire morning. Having done what you could, you turn back to the van.

“Jeongyeon? What about now?”

A couple of moments pass as she reviews the video feed.

“Yeah, it’s still a little crooked. Let me see what I can do on my end,” she yells from the van.

You stand there awkwardly with Nayeon, both of you unsure what to do next while Jeongyeon worked on the video feed. Nayeon fidgets with her blazer and earpiece, and you pull out your phone and pretend to look through your emails.

“So… why did you choose Blue as your callsign, anyway?” you ask Nayeon, not taking your eyes away from your phone. You wanted to break the awkward silence somehow.

“I… It’s my favorite color. Thanks for remembering.”

You smirk at Nayeon’s comment.

“It was years ago, Nayeon. People forget things.”

“It’s a pretty simple thing to remember. Pretty much everything I gave you was blue.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. Including that blue hoodie I gave you for our second anniversary. The one you wore for like a year straight, the one you loved so much? But who cares, you probably threw it away a long time ago,” Nayeon finishes. You look up from your phone to see that she has turned away from you, looking blankly at some of the other parked cars in the lot.

You go back to wondering about just why she was so upset today. The two of you had settled on being coldly indifferent towards each other at work and ignoring each others’ presence altogether outside of it, but today something had changed - from the moment she had come into the office this morning she had seemed angry and upset at you.

“What exactly is your problem today, Nayeon?” you demand, wanting to know just why you were being treated this way.

Nayeon crosses her arms, still facing away from you.

“It doesn’t matter,” she says after a short silence as she casts her eyes downward, “forget about it.”

“Nayeon-”

You are interrupted by the sound of a woman jogging into the parking lot from the nearby elevator. It is Sana, her hair a flurry of wavy pink strands as she pulls back the hood atop her head.

“I’m so sorry I’m late! I slept in…” she says, catching her breath. She fans herself with one hand and with the other she unzips the blue hoodie she is wearing…

Your blue hoodie. The one you gave her what seemed like a lifetime ago, when you spent your first night together in Tokyo. The same one that was given to you as an anniversary present, so many years ago...

You turn to Nayeon to see that she has already noticed what the Japanese girl is wearing. She tried, on the surface, to keep composed, but you had seen that look before - it was the same look she wore when you told her about the job offer from JYP, the same one that would mean the end of your relationship. It was a look of someone whose heart had just been shattered, but whose pride was keeping her from outwardly showing it.

“I… Sana, I think Jeongyeon needs some help in the van, can you help her out?”

Sana is puzzled at your request, but not being any wiser, she nods an affirmative to the both of you and moves to join Jeongyeon.

You turn to Nayeon, who is almost shaking with fear and hate and heartbreak.

“Nayeon, I-”

“No, don’t even start,” she hisses, holding up a hand as though physically stopping you from going any further, “Don’t.”

You notice she is quivering with equal parts hate and anger and hurt, her hands balled into fists as she struggles to contain the emotions overwhelming her.

“I’m such a fucking idiot,” she says under her breath, “for still having feelings for you. For hoping you still had feelings for me. And for taking this job when Jihyo asked, and going halfway across the world for the chance that maybe, just maybe, you and I could give it another shot.”

You want to say something, want to tell her it was all a big unfortunate mistake, a big misunderstanding, and that Sana wearing the blue hoodie meant nothing.

“But here you are,” Nayeon continues, her voice and tone wavering, “and you’ve done nothing but parade the train of sluts that you’re sleeping with in front of me - hell, you even fucked one while I was in the same goddamn bathroom, because that’s how much of an asshole you are. And you even gave her the hoodie I gave you, just to rub it in my face. That’s how much you wanted to show me I was just some girl you’d fucked and left behind in your hometown. Just another girl. Just another hole. Just another slut.”

You are shocked speechless by Nayeon’s confession, and you are unable to defend yourself from her accusations. All you can do is stand there, dumbfounded, as the woman you once loved so much struggles to compose herself.

“But really, I should be thanking you. Because I loved you. I thought for a minute that maybe I still loved you.”

Nayeon pauses, and in that moment a single tear falls from her eye, down a face that is shattered by emotion.

“So thank you, really - for convincing me that you don't deserve my love.”

Nayeon turns and leaves the parking lot back in the direction of the elevators, and just as it was so many years ago, she leaves with a broken heart.

---

#kpop fanfiction #kpop fanfic #kpop smut #pov smut #male reader #twice sana #minatozaki sana

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dawnrider · 4 years ago

Text

Dunno if I'm making this a thing or if it's just the mood I'm in today.

Either way, here it is!

Another tree, another field, some more cows, a couple horses... more trees! Hitomi sighed again. This had to be the most boring drive she'd ever done. There were no buildings, aside from a few farm houses here and there, and all the other drivers on the road were clearly not from around there, simply passing through. “Now where is that turn?” she mumbled aloud, squinting at the road signs, trying to find the right county road. Finding it wasn't easy, but as soon as she turned there was a sign that directed her farther west to reach the town she was looking for. “Thirty more miles? This place really is in the middle of nowhere.” A faint sound of discomfort from the kennel next to her made her look over. “I know Jasper. We're almost there. Then you can get out.” The feline whined, turning around again and laying down. He meowed pathetically. Poor thing, that sedative really helped, but it's starting to wear off. Hitomi tried not to speed too much despite her eagerness to get to her new house. A ticket was the last thing she needed in a new place.

When she finally pulled up in front of the small house that was designated as hers, the first thing she did was pull Jasper out. She fumbled with the keys to unlock the front door, struggling with the lock a minute. Jasper yowled a little more loudly until she opened the door to his carrier. In spite of his desire to get out, the cat sat and stared out of the carrier for a long time, sniffing and peeking out of the door. Hitomi shook her head, leaving her pet to get used to the space. She went into the kitchen, fighting her way past boxes, to set out a water dish for Jasper, knowing he would be thirsty after the long trip and the effects of the sedative. “Here Jasper, come get a drink.” Unsurprisingly, she didn't hear him budge. With a sigh, Hitomi looked around the space. There was a lot to do before she could relax. Before unpacking... she needed food.

The grocery store was tiny. Hitomi wondered how it fed a few hundred people, but there wasn't anyone else in it. With the majority of the community making their living by farming, they probably mostly fed themselves, she realized. The older woman behind the counter kept eying her suspiciously. Hitomi had been eyed like that before, but it was when she was fifteen and in a convenience store where stuff got stolen all the time. She'd never stolen anything in her life, but that didn't mean the shopkeeper didn't suspect her. This was a more confused suspicion. Her first day in town and she hadn't been able to introduce herself to anyone yet. It was natural for the woman to be a little wary.

Walking up and down the aisles, she found the essentials she needed. Milk, eggs, cereal, bread. The produce didn't look the best, at least, the things not grown in that area looked a little iffy. She got what she could from the frozen aisle and then decided she was going to have to start a garden. She looked everywhere for cat food and couldn't find anything. She frowned. How could they not have cat food at the store? “Something you need help finding?” Hitomi fought the urge to jump, turning slowly to find the woman standing just behind her. Quiet old bat! She stared a moment before nodding.

“Uh, cat food.”

“Ah. Well you won't be finding that here, darlin'. You'll have to go over to the feed store. He carries all we need for our pets.” The woman's face was a little less threatening now that she was smiling. Hitomi tentatively smiled back. “You're new here.”

Hitomi's smile faltered a moment. Was it really necessary to state the obvious? “Yes. My name is Hitomi. Hitomi Kanzaki. I'm the new fifth grade teacher.” Sticking out her hand, Hitomi was surprised by the strength of the woman's hold.

“Oh! Pleasure to meet you! We've been wondering when you would get here. I'm Gladys Larson. How's the house?” Her enthusiasm was infectious and Hitomi's smile returned. The house was fine, a little old-fashioned when it came to the decorating, but she'd fix that with time. “Well I'm glad you like it. What was it you were looking for again?”

“Cat food? And I think I want to start a vegetable garden out back so...”

“Now don't you worry dear, I'll just take you right on over. Van's not used to strangers coming in and he needs someone familiar to introduce them.” Hitomi stared at the woman a moment before following her up to the counter. She paid for her things and Gladys had her put them in the big refrigerator so they wouldn't spoil while they were gone. “He's a sweet boy, a little rough around the edges though,” Gladys told her in a conspiratorial whisper as they crossed the main street and walked a few store fronts down. Hitomi glanced back at the grocery, surprised that the old woman had no problem leaving it unattended. “Here we are,” she laughed, opening a door into one of the larger stores on the street. A bell tinkled as they entered. “Van, Honey! I've brought in the new teacher. She needs cat food,” she called. Hitomi heard some shuffling and a head poked out from behind the cash register. Her eyes widened and she took a slight step back.

He was gorgeous. Hearing Gladys call him a sweet boy who was a bit rough, Hitomi had anticipated a teenager who was afraid of people and possibly had an acne problem. This man was nothing like that at all. He was tall, as she saw when he stood up, with dark shaggy hair, a strong chin and intensely brown eyes. She was startled when he frowned in her direction. “Gladys, you know where the cat stuff's at.” And that was it. He didn't try to introduce himself or ask her name. The grocer didn't seem fazed at all, leading Hitomi back toward the food. Apparently this was also the hardware store, the opposite side filled with shovels, mulch, hammers, wheelbarrows and planters.

“Don't mind him dear. It will take him a while to get used to you.”

“I can hear you...” the store owner grumbled loudly, sitting back down behind the counter.

Gladys grinned and shook her head. “Yes I know Honey. Best set of ears in town.” Hitomi bit her lip, glancing back at the counter. She found the food she needed, but she wasn't sure what to do about her gardening idea. Maybe it would be best to come back another time... like never. “That all you need dear? What about your garden?”

“I-I'll come back later once I'm more settled in. I really should get home and feed Jasper. He'll be mad. I'm sure he's freaked out in the new house by himself,” she explained.

“Oh! Poor dear. Well you just run along to my store and grab your things. There's the town social tonight, you should come to meet everyone! Seven o'clock at the hall. It's just down the street from here. Can't miss it,” she pointed down the road the way Hitomi had come in from. She nodded, thanking Gladys for her help.

Stepping up to the counter she set the bag of food down and waited. The man behind the counter seemed to be ignoring her, listening to some soft music from a radio on the floor. “Um...”

“Just take it. It's a welcome gift.” Hitomi bit her lip. He still wasn't looking up at her and she was a little offended. There was no need to be rude to her!

“Thank you. It's... it's Van right?”

He snorted impolitely. “Yea.” Waiting a moment to see if he would say anything more, she sighed when nothing else came. Taking the food and turning away from the counter, Hitomi scowled, leaving the store and marching over to the grocery store to get her things and go home. Once the two heard the sound of her car pulling away, Gladys approached the counter. “What?”

Gladys sighed, leaning on the countertop. “That's no way to treat a young lady. She was simply trying to be nice.”

“I don't need nice,” he huffed in response.

“Hitomi is very pretty. And she can't be any older than twenty-five. You're just about the only person her age.” She shifted, drawing Van's attention. “I saw the way she looked at you the moment she saw you. She thinks you're good looking, and she'd be right.”

“Knock it off Gladys,” he growled, but he couldn't hide his faint blush.

“You planning on staying single your whole life? Has to be awfully lonely...”

“You need something else?” he interrupted. The old grocer smiled slightly, taking the hint. She said her goodbyes and wandered back over to her own store. Van sagged, sighing heavily. She'd sounded young, so Gladys telling him she wasn't more than twenty-five hadn't come as a surprise. She had a nice voice, a bit unsure, but that was likely from being new in a new place. “Hitomi, huh?” He turned the radio up a little and relaxed. There wasn't going to be much of anyone else in for the rest of the afternoon. He took out a book, his fingertip smoothing across the page as he read.

#Dawnrider Fanfiction #Fuck it Friday #Escaflowne #Modern AU #Posting whatever I want

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hunnyuwu · 4 years ago

Text

Royal Flour || NCT Jeno

Premise: Y/N is the child of a local baker in a small village within the kingdom's vast circle. While everyone in town is in love with Y/N, the poor child seems to never take notice, committing all of their time to her time to perfecting father's meticulous craft. What happens when the kingdom’s prince first lays his eyes on her?

Pairing: fem! reader x prince! Jeno

WC: 3.5k

Warning: this will be extremely cliche and cringe hehe

__________________________

Y/N hummed to the soft tune that danced into her father's bakery through the open windows. The local string instrument genius was out again like usual, and Y/N was so grateful for the boy who constantly practices out in the courtyard by her house. It gave her so much pleasure to listen to the beautiful tune as she rolled out her millionth dough in her lifetime. Even if it is repetitious, Y/N never saw baking as a chore, the love her father had for it really did transfer straight to her.

"Ah, good morning, Y/N!" Y/N looked up from her pin roller, a gentle smile climbing to her lips.

"Hey, Luna! The usual?"

The girl younger than Y/N by a few years nodded frantically, excited for the steaming, fluffy bread. No one's bread could compete with her father's bakery.

"How has your father been, Y/N?" Luna hummed, looking around the nearly empty shop. It was only the crack of dawn, so it made sense.

"He's recovering, I believe he will be back soon!" Y/N chirped, packaging up five loaves and a few pastries into a large canvas carrier. While Luna used to only get one loaf per two days, the girl now was a daily customer, heaving a whopping five loaves away every day. As a special thanks, Y/N always slipped in extras for Luna, the cute girl had a special place in Y/N's heart.

"That's great to hear. Tell him to get well soon for me, okay!" Luna gave Y/N a sweet look, gratefully accepting the large bag from Y/N.

"Are you sure you will be able to carry those all by yourself, Luna? I can ask a friend to help you. I'd come myself, but I can't leave my father's shop unattended."

Luna waved Y/N's concern off, "Stop worrying, Y/N. I'm capable of this much. I'm off!"

Luna set off to the door, but a question flooded Y/N's mind, "Luna!"

Luna's curly hair spun around, letting the petite girl look back to Y/N.

"I'm just kind of curious. I know all those loaves aren't for your family. Do you give them to someone else?" Y/N was always curious about Luna, she was a complete mystery to her.

Luna winked, "I do give them to someone else. Anyways, I'm late so I really gotta go, see you soon, Y/N!" She gave one last wave before leaving through the large wooden door.

~ ~ ~

Y/N stood over a small stone marking. Nothing within her mind. She set down some flowers, remembering an important person in her life.

"Ah, I see that you're here too." Y/N turned around, not expecting this voice.

"Father? You're not supposed to be out of the infirmary!" The girl chastised, quickly running over to the man who limped her way.

"Ah, you're no fun, Y/N. Besides, those ladies are always so stuck up and nosy. I needed to escape even for a little bit. You have to admit, this is a good reason." Y/N softened, today was her mother's official 20th year passed away. The two always made a point of visiting her mother at least once a year on this day.

Y/N supported her father to her mother's grave, his dear wife's grave. Y/N always felt so bad, her mother passed away while she was in labor with her. The doctors and nurses simply couldn't do anything for her. She only hung on long enough to make sure that her baby was alive and sat before she tragically drew her last breath. A tear flooded into Y/N's eye, it was her fault that such a lovely woman passed away.

"Come on, Y/N. I know exactly what you're thinking right now. The last thing your mother would want you to do is believe that it was all your fault, that you were a mistake. It was a risk that your mother was willing to take, you have no idea how much she loved and cared for you when you were in her belly. Want to know something that she told me, right after she was told that she could either save herself or her baby?" Y/N was silent, tears slowly streaming down her face. She solemnly stared at the tiny stone, the only marking remembering her beautiful mother.

"Yes."

"She told me that you were her greatest accomplishment in life. You were the masterpiece in her life, the only regret your mother had was not being able to see you grow up into the fine woman you have become. You bet your persistent mom is surely watching you from above, smiling and guiding you, just in another form."

Y/N, not able to form a word, simply wrapped her arms around her father. She didn't deserve such amazing parents, even if one wasn't there for her life. She knew her mother was always looking over her.

"Let's get out of here, hm? Mom must be happy that we visited her, but she would be even happier if the two of us stayed safe and happy, right?"

Y/N smiled up at her father's sweet look, "Of course, father. I'll take you back to the infirmary."

Y/N's father grumbled sassily, saying something about those rotten nurses, which Y/N's quickly laughed at.

"They're there to help you, father. Not make your life miserable."

"Says the one who doesn't have to deal with those nagging ladies all day."

(Hmm, why are my eyes sweating?)

~~~

"Breakfast really is the best meal of the day." A male sighed, eating his usual. One hard-boiled egg, a glass of orange juice, and two slices of bread with strawberry jam. He gave a satisfied look to the two ladies in the corner of the room.

"You know, the bread has been amazing lately. Was there a change in the royal baker?" The Prince asked, the two ladies shifted uncomfortably, looking at one another for help. The prince shot a look at the two, weirded out by their odd behavior.

"Yoona, I would also like to know about the baker." The King said, voicing out his son's thoughts.

"U-Uh, well, I don't know the baker personally, may I go figure out for you, your majesty?" Yoona curtseyed to the King quickly rushing out of the room, leaving behind the other maid.

Yoona busted into the kitchen, panic written all over her form.

"WE HAVE A PROBLEM." Yoona screamed, bringing the whole cooking staff to a halt, alarmed by Yoona's exclamation.

"What's wrong, Yoona?" A cute looking girl walked over to the older girl, waiting for her response.

"Who's that baker you always buy from?"

Luna's eyebrows shot up, not expecting this, "From a father, now his daughter, that sell bread in the middle of my village. Her bread is the best, right? I bet the royals love it!" Luna gave Yoona a thumbs up, clearly excited. Yoona, on the other hand was a lot less impressed.

"Yeah, they love it. A little too much I dare say. They want to know who the royal baker is!" Yoona exclaimed once again, leaving everyone a little more nervous than before.

"Huh, yeah we don't have one of those." Luna said, rubbing her chin with her fingers. Yoona desperately wanted to slap her forehead at the girl's innocence.

"Yeah, no duh. What do we do?" Yoona hissed. Another cook came forward, being the head of the staff.

"Well, we have two options. We either tell the truth that we have just been buying from a village baker for a little while, or we fake it till we make it."

"So, it's either that we piss them off now, or we piss them off later..."

Yoona, Luna, and the head cook all looked at one another, making a clear decision. Luna sighed, "Huhh, fine. I'll come clean..."

~~~

It was now later in the day and Luna was nervously twiddling her fingers behind her back. She looked down at her maid's uniform, waiting for her demise.

"Luna, I don't remember you being a baker?" The Queen remarked, hearing that Luna came to announce the arrival of the royal baker.

Luna hummed, ready to make the big reveal, "Well, your Majesties, there is actually not currently a royal baker." Silence effectively ensued. The King and Queen that were both sitting on their thrones were utterly confused.

"And how could that be, Luna? Who supplies that bakery items then?" The King said gently. Luna sighed.

"I've been buying from a small baker from my home village. It's the Heights District your majesties."

"Why didn't you just hire that baker, Luna? It's much easier than buying from this baker every day?"

The king and queen were taking this a lot better than Luna expected. She didn't want to even think about trying to persuade Y/N from leaving her father's bakery for the royal's kitchen. That task is virtually impossible, and that was Luna's specialty.

"Ah, well the bakers consist of only a father, who is currently in the hospital with a leg injury, and a daughter who has taken over. So-"

"How lovely! We can pay a lot more for her services here I bet. Miss Luna, please convince this amazing baker to come work for us!" The queen gleamed, Luna deadpanned inwardly. The queen was always... a bit of a ditz.

"She will be a bit hard to convince, though, you're majesties."

"Hmm, then bring my son. He is a very good persuader as you know. Now, run along. Hopefully I have good news by tomorrow." The king gave her a look, basically saying that this decision was final. Luna bit her bottom lip, but nodded nonetheless, waltzing out of the room.

She ran down the hallways, out to the expansive pastures behind the royal's castle.

"Your Highness!" Luna yelled, flailing her arms around like a mad man.

The prince, who was on horseback with his companion, quickly trotted over to the small girl, slightly frightening her.

"Is something wrong, Luna?" The prince questioned the girl who seemed like a little ant compared to him on horseback.

"Your parents ordered for me to take to you to my village to hire a baker."

The princes eyebrows raised, why was this his job to complete with a maid?

"It's a hopeless task for me. Your parents said to bring you along to maybe make the baker a part of the royal staff."

The prince sighed, the baker did bake some hella good bread. While he had a lot of questions, he shoved them down for now, trotting back over to his partner from before.

"Princess Mina, I have to depart early today. Sorry for the sudden interruption."

"But Prince-"

"Sorry." He said louder, stopping the princess who yaps like a chihuahua before she could even start. How could his parents even make him attempt to love this... desperate creature.

He quickly departed with Luna as soon as he could.

~~~

"Would you like to take the carriage your-"

"Let's walk, Luna. And besides, how many times do I have to tell you to address me by my name when we are in private?" The prince questioned with a playful smirk as the two finally set out on foot.

"But-"

"Luna." The prince growled.

"Fine... Jeno..."

The crowned prince, Jeno, gave her a fluffy smile, ruffling his hand through her hair. The two were close from a young age, but they also had to hide their close friendship from a young age as well. Once upon a time, Jeno had a large crush on the girl, but she viciously rejected it, saying that she only saw him as an older brother. While he thought he could win her over, he quickly gave in to her wishes as she was quite the stubborn girl.

"So, tell me about this baker, Luna."

Luna smirked, knowing how Jeno would react when he met the girl.

"Mmm, I'm not going to tell you." She said, causing Jeno to give her a deadly glare.

"You know who you're talking to, right?"

Luna shrugged, giving the boy an innocent look, "I thought you said we were friends when we were in private?"

Jeno quietly huffed, looking away, "Fair enough."

The two talked for their decently long journey, about this or that, about their childhood, anything.

"Man, you walk a long journey every day... Why don't you just live in the headquarters?" Jeno asked as they entered Luna's village.

"Ever heard of having a family?" She said, sarcasm dripping from her tone. Jeno rolled his eyes, "Hmm, okay then."

Luna saw Y/N's bakery sign up ahead, it's go time.

"Alright, we are here, Prince."

"I thought I told you-"

Luna ignored him, swinging the bakery's door open, the smell of bread smacking the prince in the face.

"Hello, Y/N! Are you here?" Luna called out as Jeno stepped into the small, but cozy shop behind the girl. He looked around, kind of confused why Luna called out a girl's name. He thought that the baker was supposed to be an older man, according to Luna at least.

"Ah, hello, Luna! You're never here around this time!" A beautiful voice called out, a youthful girl came out of nowhere, surprising Jeno.

Wow...

She's absolutely gorgeous...

Jeno's jaw dropped as he saw the girl fiddle around quickly with some equipment, taking pastries and bread out of a stone oven. Luna smirked, she knew this would happen. Y/N wasn't the village sweetheart for nothing.

Y/N finally turned around, swipping her hands over her floury apron. Her eyes widened when she saw the male standing next to Luna.

"You never told me that you had a boyfriend!" Y/N said joyfully, going on about how Luna was such a mystery. Jeno was so taken aback by her sheer beauty that he couldn't even say anything at the moment.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Y/N, the daughter of the baker who owns this place. He's currently unable to work, so I've been handling the place." Y/N offered her hand for a handshake, completely oblivious as to who Jeno was.

Luna paled as Jeno simply looked down at the baker's outstretched hand.

"A-Ah! No, Y/N!" Luna yanked the confused girl's hand away, giving a nervous glance toward Jeno.

"Well, we have come to explain something to you."

Y/N tilted her head, but complied.

"I just pulled out a batch of pastries, so why don't you two sit down for a little?"

Y/N brought the two to a small wooden table among the few that they had there. There really wasn't enough space...

Jeno gave Luna a glare immediately after Y/N left.

"You didn't plan on telling me that the baker was a girl my age?" He hissed, keeping his eyes on Y/N to make sure that she wasn't close.

Luna smirked, sipping on the water that Y/N provided to the both of them, "What's the big deal? I thought you were courting Princess Mina right now?" Luna smiled, knowing she was getting on the boys nerves. He was about to retort when some pastries were set in front of the two.

The both looked up to see Y/N standing, staring at the two, probably waiting from them to start.

"Aren't you going to sit with us, Y/N?" Luna said, her features scrunching up.

"No, you two are my honorary customers, so I couldn't possibly sit with you."

Jeno's eyes widened, Luna nor Jeno brought money with them. He heard Y/N chuckle.

"You two aren't paying today, it's on me."

Jeno's heart melted, everything about her...

"Ahem." Luna interjected between Jeno and Y/N's little staring contest.

"So, first of all, bring a darn seat to sit in, Y/N." Luna said with full authority. Y/N sighed, giving in.

"I've noticed that you have been wondering what I do, right Y/N?"

Y/N nodded, full of enthusiasm.

"I work for the royal palace."

Y/N's eyes widened, "Wow, that's so cool, Luna!"

"But, I've been kind of feeding your bread and pastries to the royal family... without telling them it was yours.”

Y/N nodded, a frown forming on her lips, "Did they think it was good?" Luna gasped, thinking that Y/N was going to be furious after hearing the news. But she took it in the most ideal way possible.

Jeno was surprised by her lack of enthusiasm after hearing the news, it's not every day that someone in their kingdom had the honor of having their items or goods used by the royals. There were lines ready to get the royal's approval to gain attraction to their businesses.

Luna nodded, "Y-Yeah, so much in fact that the cooking staff had a panic attack because you are sorta technically the royal baker at this moment..."

Y/N's eyes widened, "You guys don't have a royal baker? How unfortunate... I'd be willing to continue to send my products to their highnesses." Y/N then smiled, directing her smile to Jeno.

Jeno blushed, he'd much rather she become his future wife instead...

"Hmm, the thing is that the king and queen personally requested that you become the royal baker, though..." Luna said, tentatively. Y/N was silent for a moment, Jeno nervously awaited her answer.

"It's an honor, but I'm going to have to politely decline.

~~~

Jeno sighed as he sat down for breakfast the very next morning. He saw that very same loaf of bread from the pretty baker in Luna's village.

Y/N.

Everything about her made Jeno's mind go crazy. She was polite, hard-working, kind, slightly quirky, and had a sweet personality. He so desperately wanted to get to know her, but that would be difficult as she was too difficult to sway when it came down to the decision. He wanted her here, but he also understood why she wanted to stay at her bakery.

Jeno sighed once again, chomping down on the bread freshly made this morning, oh how much he would rather see her face than the product from her hands.

"Son, is something bothering you?"

Jeno looked up to his father giving him a stern look, he straightened up from his slumped position by his food. He gave his father a look, "I'm fine, your highness."

"You look unwell, dear." His mother cooed, concerned for his well being. He was being so difficult just at the thought of the girl.

"You have an engagement with Princess Yeeun today, Son. You better freshen up so that she doesn't see you in your miserable state."

Jeno huffed, while he was fine with Yeeun, he really didn't see her as someone he would spend the rest of his life with. He hated the tradition of engagements and decided who would be best to continue the royal lineage. There were so many girls that wanted to marry him, but just did not take a liking to any of them.

Later in the day, after his 'date' with Yeeun, Jeno walked out into the rose garden, looking around at the blooming flowers. Y/N reminded him of these flowers, maybe if he ever saw her again he could escort her through the gardens one day.

"Prince."

Jeno looked up from his place in the garden, watching a smirking Luna walking his direction.

"What is it, Luna?" He said as she neared him.

"Thinking about a certain someone?" She said, poking some fun at him. He choked, not quite understanding what she could be on about.

"Luna, the only people I think about are my parents and my horse."

Luna rolled her eyes, looking down at the flower that Jeno was cupping in his hand. A gentle smile rose to her thin lips, "First of all, a horse is not a human. Secondly, I saw the way you oogled at Y/N, Jeno. You can't fool me."

"And so what, I'm never going to have her, so why even think about it?"

Luna sighed as she saw Jeno's face gradually go sour. A thought popped up in her mind.

"Why don't you invite her to the King's birthday party?"

Jeno shot his head up, eyes wide. He looked down at his petite friend.

"A-Ah well, I'm going to have to deal with all of my potential suitors, though..."

"So what? I know you could give her a dance. Besides, I'll take her for the rest of the night. You can mingle with all you're girls you want, but her presence will show you how dumb you are."

"How dumb I am?" He barked, causing Luna to chuckle, "Yeah, how dumb you are for not trying to get her. I know your parents are strict, but why not try to court her? At least get to know her. Your dumb face showed me that you fell in love with her immediately after she opened her mouth."

Jeno blushed, why could Luna always read him like a damn book. He thought he was so sly about it.

"I don't know, Luna."

"Well, I'll invite her then."

Jeno gave her a look, "You little snot..."

"All in your best interest, Prince. Besides, every single guy in town wants to court her, and she's coming to an age where her father is starting to ask her about marriage. I'd stomp out your competition before someone does actually whisk her feet off the ground. Just a fruit for thought, though. See you later, Jeno."

Luna turned around, waving to him lazily before departing. Jeno looked down, Luna always had these crazy ideas in her head, but maybe this time it would actually work out? Or it could cause a war between the neighboring kingdoms...

Just a fruit for thought, huh?

_____________________________________

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3

Hunnyuwu

^Jeno is a prince and no one can tell me otherwise:)

#lee jeno #nct imagines #nct x y/n #nct dream #nct jeno #jeno #jeno imagines #nct 127 #neowritingsnet #jaemin #na jaemin #nct x reader #jeno x y/n #nct jaemin

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pixieungerstories · 4 years ago

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Captive - 9

Hi Readers - I hate to be like this, but if you love this story, please go here to subscribe. I’m not intentionally neglecting the free content, it’s just getting overlooked right now. My next book deadline in Nov15 (2020). Normally, it’s just me writing for me and you get the benefit from that. This time Podium Audiobooks has me under contract for second book in the Mistaken Universe.

Also - if you have the time - the occasional gentle reminder is appreciated. Today’s post is brought to you by @dizzy-poncho who sent me some love and made my brain realized I hadn’t posted in a while.

The sound of someone pounding on the door was less than an ideal way to be awoken. As was the kitten, who had up to that point had been curled up behind her knees, screeching and bolting. Elly glanced at her watch, she had managed maybe four hours of sleep. The person on the other side of the door pounded again. Groaning, Ellly got to her feet, stomped over to the shop door and wrenched it open.

“What?!”

The church ladies were clearly taken aback by her tone. They stared at her in stunned horror.

“The sign says we’re closed for the day.” Elly announced.

“I just need-” Posy started to say, but Elly interrupted.

“You need to come back tomorrow.”

Posy narrowed her eyes, “I could just as easily order my yarn off the internet instead, you know!”

“I’m sorry you feel that way,” Elly replied sadly. “Good day then.” She then closed the door on the women’s shocked faces. She leaned against the door for a minute and groaned before rallying the strength to head upstairs. On her way she nearly tripped over the reappeared kitten.

“Jesus, cat! Learn some self preservation!” Elly scolded as she scooped up the tiny thing. The kitten clamored up her arm to her shoulder and settled in for the trek upstairs. Elly tried to remember where she had stored Mitten’s cat stuff. In all likelihood she probably gave it away when she figured her cat had been eaten...Well she’d need to take the kitten for vaccinations anyways. She could pick up whatever she needed then. First thing on the list, a bell collar.

Well, that could be second. The first thing she needed was a name. Elly wondered for a moment if George would want any say in that. The thought could wait. First she needed a nap, or possibly a whole lot of coffee. Likely both.

Ben was just staggering out of the spare room when Elly got back to her apartment. “Shit, boss, I am late getting started this morning.”

Elly sighed, “We are closed today. How are you feeling?”

Ben shrugged, then rubbed his bleary eyes, “Slightly hung over, possible still a little drunk, and baffled that you have a dragon living in your basement.” He looked at her face and frowned, “Did you sleep last night?”

Elly shook her head again, “Not really. I napped.”

Ben winced, “Was that my fault?”

Elly shook her head again, “I was up too late and started getting creeped out by the sounds of the house settling.” Ben really did look awful. “Right!” she announced, making him wince again. “Big glass of water, a couple of aspirin and back to bed.”

Bean groaned, “I would roll my eyes at you except that they feel like they might fall out of my head if I tried.”

Elly snickered under her breath and went to the kitchen for a glass.

“So tell me about George.”

She froze. This was awkward. “I think you should ask him about him. Carefully. I don’t want to offend the dragon in my basement and neither do you.” She filled the glass with water and handed it to him. As Ben drank the water she pulled the aspirin out of the spice drawer.

“Does he breath fire?” he asked, lightly, trying to make a joke.

Elly pursed her lips as she considered that. “More like belches fire, but he can adjust his body temperature to heat the building.”

“You are fucking kidding me!” His eyes went wide as Elly shook her head. “Holy shit.” It was said reverentially, whispered almost like a prayer. Ben took two steps to the left and sat heavily in one of the kitchen chairs.

Elly gave him a sympathetic look. “I am honestly unsure if this conversation would be better once you are sober. It could turn out to be worse.” She hesitated for a moment before adding, “Are you planning on quitting?”

“Why would I quit?” Ben asked with a frown.

Elly frowned right back at him. “Because there is a dragon in the basement. And if you tell anyone, they will just think you’re delusional.”

Ben considered this. “You won’t. Think I’m insane, I mean.”

“I’m not really the best judge of sane, Ben.” She sounded sad when she said it.

There was a long moment of tension before the kitten stropped up against Ben’s leg, causing him to curse and stand up fast enough to knock over his chair. It hit the ground with a clatter and the kitten bolted.

“Was that Muffin?” he mumbled, looking sheepish as he picked up the chair.

Elly frowned, “You mean Mittens? No. George brought it home last night.”

“Like a present? That’s sweet.” After a moment, Ben added “And a little weird. Where did George get a kitten?”

“He said someone killed its mom and littermates. He was vague on the details and I didn’t push. He would have told me if he wanted me to know.”

Ben shivered, “Yeah. I was picking up my spice delivery at the post office last week and overheard the Debbie from the pound saying it was less killing cats and more a plaque of cat mutilations.”

Elly went very still. When Ben finally looked up and met her eyes, she whispered, “Are we talking disemboweling here?”

Ben blinked and stared at her in horror before nodding. “How did you know that?”

Elly spun on her heels and fussed at the sink, giving it a wipe before putting the kettle on the hob. “George was unusually circumspect about what had happened. I couldn’t figure out why, he isn’t usually shy.”

Ben snorted, “I can see that about him.” He watched her face, it was easy to see the wheels turning, but he couldn’t figure out what she was thinking. “If someone is hunting cats, it might be safer to take … um. . . her? Or him? Whatever, take the kitten to a vet a couple of towns over. If you are keeping it, I mean.”

Elly gave him a puzzled look, “Of course I’m keeping it.”

Ben fought a smirk, “You sure? Have you named it yet?”

Elly considered this. “Nyx, goddess of night.”

Ben snicked, “Really? What if its a boy?”

Elly rolled her eyes, “Ben, I’m not going to enforce gender roles on a kitten.”

Ben just shook his head. “Fine, but when we go to the vet, you get to drive.”

----

The vet proclaimed Nyx to seem perfectly healthy and old enough for vaccination and FIV testing. They booked her in for a spay in two weeks. Next stop was the pet store.

Ben picked out an adjustable purple collar and neoprene cat harness. Elly gave him a look. “What? You can harness train cats it you get them young enough. I follow Suki Cat on instagram!”

Elly blinked, “Huh. I never would have picked you for a cat person.”

He smirked, “Stupid cat videos is what the internet is for.”

“Really? Because I suspect most people would say porn,” Elly teased, then was surprised when he blushed. She managed to fight the urge to comment on that, and while she was wrestling with her morals, Ben left to go look at cat carriers. Nyx meowed and tightened her tiny claws into Elly’s shoulder where she was sitting.

“I’m sorry!” she blurted out. “That was rude.”

Ben just waved her away. “More unexpected. I haven’t seen that side of you. You are very, um, professional.” He didn’t make it sound like a compliment. When he realized she was frowning slightly, Ben flashed her a smile. “You are a great boss, Elly.”

Elly coughed, “I’m not actually your boss, you know.”

Ben blushed again. That was new. “Any preference on cat food?”

Realizing he was trying to change the subject, Elly turned to face with wall of food. “Wet food for cats. I’ve never had one do well on kibble.”

“Did, um, your other cats sit on your shoulder like that?”

“Nope, this is a first, but she seems to like it up there.”

They watched each other awkwardly for a moment. Elly broke first. “Ben? Are you OK?”

Ben quickly turned his head to the right and scoped out the litter boxes. “Ina wasn’t that fun to work with,” he admitted. “Most of the time you are. Weird, but fun. I’m starting to understand where the weird comes from. And now I know that too. How do you go through your day knowing something like that?”

Elly sighed. “Ben - Look, tell me about yeast.”

“What?”

Elly rubbed her eyes, making Nyx meow and dig her little claws into Elly’s sweater. “You told me that yeast for bread used to come from beer, then the beer yeast changed and there was a shortage, right?”

Ben frowned, “Yeah, brewers switched from top fermenting to bottom fermenting and that process didn’t make the byproduct that bakers use. But what does that have to do with George?”

“How many people do you think know that?”

“Elly! It doesn’t matter! People knowing or not knowing about yeast doesn’t actually matter!”

Elly just raised an eyebrow, “How does knowing about George matter? Yeast is way more practical on a day to day basis.” Ben stared at her like she was insane. Elly kept talking, “Most people, including me, would consider baking bread or spinning wool or knitting a weird and slightly esoteric hobby. George is just one more weird bit of trivia that you now know.”

#Monster #dragon boyfriend #the captive #exophilia #Novel #monster boyfriend

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magnus-the-maqnificent · 4 years ago

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Lost Book of the White Countdown Event - Parenthood

Lost and Found

(Read on Ao3)

"Oh!" said the warlock when she caught sight of Magnus. "Is that your baby?"

The night sky stretched over the Shadow Market of New York like a large canvas, dotted with a sparse covering of stars like specks of white paint. Magnus was supposed to spend this night in the comfort of his home, looking after his son while his boyfriend hunted down demons in the darker corners of the city. Magnus had been making futile attempts to lull Max to sleep, but then he'd received a call from a warlock acquaintance of his, saying that she needed his assistance immediately and that a few mundanes had been turned into toads.

So Magnus had brought out his best strap-on baby carrier and put Max in it, and walked over to the Shadow Market while Max pointed to random objects like streetlights and cars and gurgled the whole time. Magnus had simply nodded along to his meaningless blabber, occasionally dropping a comment like 'that's right, blueberry' and 'you're so smart, blueberry'.

Now, he nodded at the warlock and said, "Yes, Misa, this is my child. Say hello, Max."

He took Max's hand and waved it at her, though he seemed disinterested in conversing with the warlock. He was intently staring at the pair of antennae that stuck out from the top of Misa's head.

"Hello Max," Misa said, giving him a cheerful smile. Her antennae waved about, probing the air, and Max giggled at the sight of them. Misa looked at Magnus. "I'm sorry for bringing you out here at this time."

"It’s alright. How about you show me the problem?" Magnus asked. He wanted to finish this as quickly as possible.

"Of course, come in."

To summarize the problem, a bunch of teenage mundanes somehow found the Shadow Market, and requested Misa to make a potion that would enhance their beauty. Clearly they hadn't known much about magic or its use, and just wanted to attract more attention to themselves at school, and thought that magic was their best solution.

"But something went wrong with the potion. One of the boys was poking around the tent and knocked an entire bottle of newt's eyes into the potion. Before I could mitigate the damage, however, the potion went awry and vaporized, and they all turned into toads. Luckily I came out fine, and called you as soon as possible," Misa explained.

Magnus extracted some more details from her, such as the nature of the potion she had been preparing and the precise amount of newt's eyes spilled into it. While they talked, Max squirmed around in the baby carrier, occasionally mumbling something unintelligible. Around them, on the ground, the toads were merrily hopping around.

"I don't think we can do anything," Magnus said after a while of conversing. "You'll just have to wait for them to turn back. That will hopefully teach them not to meddle with magic."

Misa sighed. "Very well, then. I'll-"

She broke off with a gasp. The baby carrier felt much lighter all of a sudden, and Magnus jumped when something swooped past his face.

"Did he just turn into a bat?" Misa asked, wondering.

"He does that sometimes," Magnus said nonchalantly, though there was a twinge of panic in his heart. "It's nothing to worry about."

They watched as Max, now a bat, flew around the roof of the tent for a few moments. Then, swift as a bird, he changed course and flew right through the open flap of the tent.

"Max, no!" Magnus yelled, running out of the tent. But Max was much faster. Magnus looked in every direction, but he couldn't see Max anywhere.

Magnus's breathing became labored and his heart picked up speed as he realised with a sinking feeling that he lost Max in a bustling, large, crowded market. How was he supposed to find him?

Luckily, Misa agreed to help him search and they split up, agreeing on a rendezvous spot and to call the other if they found Max. Magnus hustled through the crowds, asking around if anyone had seen a blue warlock baby or a lone bat flying around.

Max!

Panic was starting to set in, making Magnus's hands shake as he held up his phone, showing Max's photo to passersby and asking if they had seen him anywhere. No one knew where he was.

Max, where are you?!

"I think I saw a bat near Willow the werewolf's stall earlier," said one at last. Magnus thanked him profusely before running off to the stall, praying that his son was safe.

Max, come back to bapa, please!

The demon could hardly believe his eyes.

It was a child, a warlock child, sitting on the grimy floor of an alleyway and playing with a few stray pixies. He was giggling as the pixies swarmed around him, playfully tugging at his hair while blue magic spilled from his hands like water. He was so young, and so full of life.

A smile spread across the demon's mouth as it shuffled on the wall, a sharp razor-like tongue flicking out and lashing at the air. It could already feel the taste of the boy in its mouth.

The boy looked up and caught sight of it, his giggles fading as he met the demon's eyes. He looked at it with a sort of wonder, as if he had never seen a demon before. The pixies gasped and flitted away as fast as they could. At least they knew to be scared.

The demon waited a few moments, staring at the boy. His hands sparked with magic, but clearly he was too young to know how to properly use it.

Good.

Bending back its hind legs, it poised, and then lunged at the boy.

"Max!" Magnus yelled, looking around for a trace of his baby. He was close to the stall where Max had been sighted, but the owner hadn't seen him, and neither had any of the neighboring stall owners.

He was beginning to get some looks, but Magnus could care less.

"Max!" Magnus yelled again, his throat feeling hoarse and tight and his heart beating frantically in his chest. Max had to be somewhere close by. He couldn't lose his baby just like that. He had to find him.

Magnus was about to yell once more when he heard a loud scream emanating from somewhere behind two stalls. The voice was unmistakable.

"Max!" Magnus pushed through the tiny gap between the smalls, which opened out into a wider alley between two brick buildings. He froze when he found Max at last.

There was something clutching onto him, something lumpy and black. The figure rose, and Magnus had just begun muttering a spell to fire at it when it turned to look at him.

"Magnus," said Alec, holding a crying Max in his arms, in the light of his own magic Magnus could see a fresh stain of ichor on Alec’s gear. "What happened?! I was patrolling nearby, and some pixies dragged me here just in time. If I had been a moment late-"

Alec didn't need to finish his statement. If I had been a moment late, the demon would've gotten him. And it would all be my fault.

Magnus shook off his half-muttered spell, and stared at Alec for a long time. The only sound was of Max crying.

In retrospect, the image of Alec, fresh from a demon hunt and holding a baby in his arms was very sexy, but in that moment all Magnus could feel was immense relief. He slumped back against the alley wall, but Alec was there first, supporting him with one hand behind his back.

Then the shame hit him. He had almost gotten his son killed. If only he had been more careful-

"Magnus," Alec said in a low voice. By now, Max's cries had been reduced to sniffles, and he was wiping his tears against Alec’s gear. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Magnus said, his voice shaking a little. He reached up a hand to brush his hair out of his hand, and was surprised when his wobbly fingers met a layer of sweat on his forehead. He had been thoroughly shook by the whole experience, and hadn't even realized it. "I'm fine."

Alec was silent a moment, then said, "Come on, let's go home."

Alec was silent the whole time Magnus recounted the events of that night, sitting beside him on the couch with Max held in his arms.

"I'm a terrible father," Magnus muttered after he was done, hanging his head. "I couldn't even handle him for a night."

"Don't say that," Alec said softly. "You did nothing wrong - Max ran away on his own. What matters is that we found him in time."

"But if we hadn't found him-" Magnus couldn't even think of the possibility.

"But we did," Alec reiterated. "We did, and he's safe now, and that's all that matters. And you're an amazing father, Magnus. Don't ever say that you aren't. We're still learning, and we make mistakes, but that doesn't mean we're being terrible parents."

"How can you be so sure?" Magnus asked, though a part of him had calmed down at Alec's words.

Alec smiled. "I know you, Magnus. I know you're never terrible at anything - well, except maybe for the charing."

"I told you never to bring that up!" Magnus protested, but Alec ignored him.

"Also, Max loves you. Don't you, Max?"

Max looked up at Alec. He was playing with a slinky, though it now resembled a jingly mass of wire, and stared incomprehensibly at Alec. Magnus smiled and took Max from him, holding him up at eye level.

"Don't you ever run away like that again, okay?" Magnus warned in a light tone. Max only blinked at him in reply.

"You silly baby." Magnus said, and kissed Max on the cheek. Max stared at him with wide eyes after he pulled away, and then leaned in, brushing his mouth against Magnus’s cheek in an imitation of a kiss.

"Did he just-" Alec broke off, and he and Magnus stared at Max in surprise, though he was oblivious to their attention.

Alec's eyes softened, and he pressed an experimental kiss against Max's cheek. Like with Magnus, Max leaned towards Alec and bumped his mouth against Alec's cheek.

"Oh, my baby," Alec said, taking Max in his arms and kissing him all over his face. "My sweet baby."

Max giggled at the onslaught of affection, and Magnus's heart cracked open in that moment, spilling happiness and love into his veins. He moved in, wrapping his arms around both of them and kissed them on their heads.

"I love you," he said, holding them close, his love and his son. "I love you both so, so much."

"I love you too," Alec whispered, turning his head up and placing a kiss against Magnus’s jaw. Magnus smiled, and held on to this moment, promising to himself to be the best possible father to his blueberry.

#lbotwcountdown #lbotwcountdownevent #magnus bane #alec lightwood #max lightwood bane #my fics

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amydancepants-peralta · 5 years ago

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baby, I’ve got you on my mind

“Thank you for that update, McCla- I’m mean, McCarthur.”

Clearing her throat, Amy ducks her head down to focus on the paperwork in front of her, quietly praying that nobody has noticed her mistake. She knew the chances were slim, given that it was her third slip-up since her briefing had begun fifteen minutes ago, but it was becoming increasingly obvious that the concept of returning to work after three months of Pure Family Time was going to be way harder than she’d anticipated.

There had been a part of her that was so. eager. to return to work today, taking extra care to iron her uniform into perfectly symmetrical pleats and polishing her badge so that it shone with just enough pride. Rumours had been circulating around about somebody trying to make adjustments to her precision based filing system (and she wasn’t mad, she just wanted to talk to whomever they were), and as the weeks wore on and Jake returned to work, it became apparent that her FOMOW was no longer something that Amy could easily hide.

She has loved every single second of being a Mommy, right down to the sleepless nights and the cold mornings with her son sleeping snuggled warm against her, but there was no way that Amy could deny how much she missed the order of the NYPD. She had craved the regular flow of paperwork (some that even needed to be notarised); the meetings and seminars and conference calls and oh, how there were so many binders waiting to be filled.

In the past few weeks it had become habit once Jake returned home each evening, to spend the first half hour (at a minimum) telling her about his day - filling her in on any cases that had opened while she’s been away. She lapped up all the information eagerly, throwing out ideas as they came to her, and the sheer thought of being able to play a part in regulating justice to their city made her giddy with excitement. So Amy had been excited to return to work, if only to scratch the itch that her FOMOW had left her with.

As it turned out, she had a much larger case of something brewing underneath her skin - something that was increasing dramatically with every passing second.

Amy had FOMOM: Fear Of Missing Out on Mac.

It had, for example, been exactly one hour and thirty seven minutes since she’d walked out of her and Jake’s apartment, blowing goodbye kisses to her son as he rested comfortably in his father’s arms. One hour and thirty six minutes since she’d reconsidered the whole notion of returning to work, her fingers hovering over Holt’s number on her cell phone as she made her way down the stairs, and one hour and thirty four minutes since she’d convinced herself that she could totally do this.

(Also, it has been sixteen minutes since she’s realised just how many officers on her team had names that began with the letter M. And how her mind no longer seemed to be able to say any other name that began with the same combination of consonants and vowels without automatically reverting to her son’s.)

She hadn’t even passed the two hour mark yet, and already Amy felt like she’d been away from her family for eight years.

Her phone lights up from its resting place along the edge of the podium, and she glances at it quickly, trying her best to tamper down the racing heartbeat that accompanies the notification that her husband has sent her a photo.

This was it. This was the text Jake was going to send to her, that announced excitedly that their prodigy of a son had managed to figure out how to walk, fifteen minutes after she’d stepped out the apartment this morning. Or that he’d pronounced his first word - a clear and proud call for Daddy - and that Jake hadn’t managed to get video of it but it was so amazing, babe, I wish you could have been there to see it!

Her hands grip the wooden edges of the platform her Return To Work speech occupied, eyes glued to the background picture of Mac sleeping on an also sleeping Jake’s chest, and from the tables before her one of the officers clears their throat politely. The sound cuts through the spiral Amy was beginning to gravitate towards, pulling her attention back to her team, and with an apologetic smile she wraps up the rest of the briefing quickly. There were still four and half pages left of her speech, but it’s nothing that she can’t compose in an email when her mind is a little less preoccupied, and in all honesty the only order of business she can focus on right now is Priority One: Unlocking her phone.

There have been many, many advancements in the name of modern technology; and 2 hours, 53 minutes and 47 seconds into Amy’s first shift she has twice already cursed the fact that nobody has created the option for a person to be able to reach into their phone and touch the subject of an image. Never before has she had such a craving to squeeze her son’s chubby cheeks, to feel the unbelievably soft skin that she knows he has.

Her husband, in yet another display of sweetness, has been giving her regular updates on his and Mac’s day at home together - and two minutes ago he’d sent through a photo of their son, reclined in his baby seat, with apple sauce spread out allll over his cheeks. It was equal parts adorable and painful for Amy, for her to not be able to a) grab a cloth and wipe away the mess as her son grins up at her, and b) smother his tiny face with a million tiny kisses.

She missed him. Missed him more than she’d thought possible. Her arms felt empty without their son in them, and it’s nearly impossible for her to imagine what life was like before their family had become a party of three.

In absolutely no surprise to anybody other than himself, Jake has turned out to be an excellent father. He’s been by her side through the whole thing - even the middle of the night feeds, taking to burping their son like a pro - and the way Mac’s face lights up whenever his eyes land on Jake (and vice versa, it’s honestly just the sweetest thing to see) tells Amy all that she needs to know. Their son is going to adore Jake, and there’s not a snowball’s chance in hell that her husband is EVER going to walk away from his family.

Distractedly, Amy shuffles the paperwork around on her desk, offering a tight smile to one of her colleagues as they pass. Get it together, Santiago. You are a badass police sergeant for one of the strongest teams in the entire NYPD. You can get through one shift without seeing your son. Her phone vibrates with an incoming heart emoji filled text from her husband, and she takes his support as fuel for her cause, standing up from her desk and taking purposeful strides towards the filing cabinets. You’re a badass police sergeant with a highly effective, strongly sought after filing system, and you can do this.

Her eyebrows knit in disgust as she opens the first drawer, taking in the messy array of folders that occupied the once orderly space, and she supposes she should be thankful in some way that there was someone in the office who thought that this hot mess worked better than her system (and therefore provided a worthy distraction for her entirely preoccupied mind), but in all honesty she’s just completely horrified.

Already composing a polite but firm memorandum in her mind, Amy begins pulling the files out of their incorrect positions, glancing at her watch as she gets to work.

Only five hours, two minutes and twenty seconds to go.

It’s 4 hours and 28 minutes into Amy’s workday when she hears the elevator doors open and a tiny gasp escape Officer Alvarado’s mouth, and with a quick lift of her head she notices why. Jake has suddenly appeared on her floor, with their son safe and sound inside the carrier strapped to his chest. His smile lights up the room - like it always does, even at home - and even though he’s clearly trying to make his way towards Amy, it seems that the sudden appearance of Mac Peralta in the precinct has garnered every single officer’s attention.

Amy’s not one to pull rank (honestly, who is she kidding?) but her footsteps are quick against the linoleum floor, increasing in intensity the closer she gets to her husband, and Jake’s already in the process of unclipping a strap as she nears. “I figured you’d probably be in need of a pick-me-up right about now,” he mumbles, his voice soft enough to only land in Amy’s ears.

Nodding eagerly, Amy shoots her husband a grateful look before smiling in Mac’s direction, stretching her hands out as he lifts his own in recognition.

“There’s my little guy!” She cries out, sliding one hand along her son’s back as his chonky little arms and legs begin to wave around in excitement. He coos as she lifts him out of the carrier with Jake’s help, and the sound buries deep in her heart as the feeling of utter completion begins to wash over her now that Mac is leaning against her chest.

Shifting her shoulder slightly, Amy tilts her grip slightly in an effort to show off to the crowd her greatest achievement to date. “Squad, meet our son - Mac.”

There’s a crowd of tiny waves, all of which are greeted with a tiny saliva-covered fist moving back and forth from Mac’s mouth; and after a few more minutes of leg squishing and attempts to reach out for various badges, Amy’s squad disperses - suddenly aware that absolutely none of them were currently doing their work, and that there was no way they could hide such a fact from their boss.

Jake’s palm rests against Amy’s shoulder as she leads them towards the third floor break room, a quiet eating space that has yet to be tainted by the questionable eating habits of either Scully or Hitchcock. “You have had many brilliant ideas in all the years we’ve been together, babe, but I think this one might just be your best yet.” Amy announces to Jake as she settles into a vacant chair, grinning over at her husband as he chooses the seat opposite.

He smiles, that gentle nod of his head that he does when he’s secretly proud of his actions kicking in, and Amy stretches her left leg out to brush against his. His beam grows brighter as he leans forward, brushing his fingers gently along the tiny curls that have begun to form on their son’s head before replying, “Safe to say, I’ve gotten pretty good and picking up on the my wife is having a meltdown style of texting.”

Scoffing, Amy cranes her head back slightly to take in her son’s adorable face as she responds. “I’d like to think I’ve handled today pretty well.” It’s a lie, and they both know it.

Letting out a soft laugh, Jake shakes his head slightly. “Tell that to the fifty-odd messages I’ve received from you today.”

She feels a soft blush wash over her cheeks, but Amy doesn’t care in the slightest. They both know that Jake fared no better when it had been his turn to return to work, and they’ve come to the total and utter acceptance that Mac Peralta just so happens to be the most adorable and addictive baby that ever graced the earth. Facts are facts, and there was no point hiding it.

“Okay, so maybe I’ve - ” Pausing mid-sentence, Amy takes a closer look at her son, fingers swirling around his soft hair carefully.

“Ames?”

“His hair has grown.”

Nodding, Jake scoots his chair closer, and the corresponding scrape sounds oddly loud as it bounces off the surrounding walls. “Yeah, he’s definitely going to end up with my curls. It’s both a blessing and a curse, but he’ll figure that out eventually.”

Amy shakes her head quickly. “No, I mean it’s grown. Since this morning.”

“Babe, it’s been five hours.”

“It has, though! See this curl? It’s WAY more pronounced than it was earlier today. It wraps around my finger twice now!”

His eyes are dubious, but if there is anything that Jake has learned by now it is not to doubt his wife, and so he responds simply with a nod. It’s not convincing in any way, shape, or form, but Amy is way too distracted to bother with a rebuttal.

“I knew this was going to happen! He’s growing so quickly, babe.” Her eyes have turned wide as saucers, and she can feel her eyebrows raising to nearly the point of her hairline, but none of that matters in the slightest. “We’re going to miss out on so. much! Why did we not take this into consideration?” Her lips press against the top of Mac’s head as she holds him closer, jiggling one knee on reflex as he wriggles slightly in her arms. Slowly, Amy begins to feel her chest tighten up as all of the niggling doubts of her returning to work rush to the surface.

“Ames”. Jake’s hands rest gently on top of her own, squeezing slightly as she raises her head to meet his. “We’re not going to miss out on anything. You have put together the most thorough, well-spaced out babysitting schedule that has meant that one of our friends or family is always going to be around when we’re not. With any luck, it’ll never be longer than eight or nine hours before we’re all home together again, and either one of us is always only a video call away.”

Nodding, Amy drops her head back down to leave another kiss on Mac’s forehead, and she takes in a deep breath of that incredible new baby smell while she’s there. Already, she can feel herself being to reset.

“There are going to be a thousand moments, some big and some small, and yeah, maybe we might miss a couple here and there, but the most important thing is that Mac is already so, so loved. He knows that, and we know that, and honestly that’s all that matters.”

Amy’s pounding heart slowly lessens its assault against her chest, and as Jake’s hands tighten their grip over hers she begins to nod. If someone had told her eight years ago that the immature cop that sat across from her would end up being the source of some of the sweetest things she’s ever heard in her life, she would have laughed in their faces. But here he was, holding his rightful title of Greatest Husband and Father Ever, and honestly she wouldn’t have it any other way. She smiles, leaning in slightly to bridge the gap between them with a chaste (read: work appropriate) kiss. “I love you so much, babe.”

He mirrors her nod with his own, throwing in a wink. “It’s easy to do, Ames. I am very loveable.”

She knows it to be true, but still Amy rolls her eyes. “Whatever, Peralta. You’re just lucky that we make pretty cute babies.”

“Liquid fire, Ames. I said it on Day One, and there’s no way I’m backing down.”

Letting out a contented sigh, Amy pulls Mac in for one last tight squeeze, taking in another hit of his perfect baby scent before standing. “Alright. I’ve got to get back to work now, otherwise it’s just never going to happen.” Leaving one last parting kiss on Mac’s forehead, she passes her son to Jake, still unable to tear her eyes away from him for too long. “Thank you so much for bringing him in today, this is exactly what I needed.” Her son grumbles out a protest in the sudden change of plans, and it’s all she can do to not pull him immediately back into her arms.

Jake smiles, reaching out to fiddle with Mac’s flailing right arm as he leans towards Amy for another sneaky kiss. “I figure once he’s big enough to fit into that NYPD onesie the squad gave us, we’ll just set him up with his own desk in the corner.”

“There you go, with another brilliant idea!”

Gripping Mac’s hand in his fingers, Jake calls out “Goodbye, Mommy!”, and oh, how Amy’s heart begins to ache. She feels it squeeze tighter as her two favourite men walk towards the elevator, and it gives one last protesting ache as the elevator doors slide shut. Her feet feel heavy as they turn away from the exit, and she flicks her wrist upwards to check the time again.

2 hours, 57 minute and 38 seconds to go.

There’s a vague memory of paperwork, interrogations, and a quick debrief as Amy’s shoes hit the pavement on the sidewalk outside the precinct, and her mind is still partially thinking of a case that landed on her desk late this afternoon when she notices what has easily turned into one of her favourite sights to see: her husband and son, waiting patiently outside for her return.

Her hands may be a little grabby as they reach for her baby boy, but Jake only chuckles as he passes Mac over, running his hand up and down her back in greeting as she smothers her son’s face in kisses. She mirrors the kisses with another one on Jake’s cheek as he reaches for her purse, gripping it with one hand as he takes her free hand with his other, and Amy’s smile is undeniably bright as they make their way down the familiar path home.

Tomorrow, she will interview a suspect and put all of her efforts into finally cracking the drug ring that had begun to fester on the streets of Brooklyn. Tomorrow, she will play her part in the takedown of a organised crime kingpin that has held reign for far too long.

But for now, Amy’s going home to spend time with her family - this little family of three that might be smaller than others, but that her and Jake have created on their very own, and nobody can tear away from them no matter how hard they try. Sometimes, she will be a badass sergeant that can take down New York’s worst with a swing of her fist. And sometimes, she’s simply a mother at home with her family, singing along to nursery rhymes and wiping spit-up from her blouse.

She misses her family when they’re not together, and she misses her work when she’s not in uniform - and even though there’s still a tiny portion of lingering doubt that maybe she won’t be able to handle both, with Jake’s fingers gripped tightly against her own on their walk home a sense of calm washes over her.

Both are equally important, and both are 100% worth it, and if one means missing out on something from the other, there is always going to be one Most Important detail to consider - that she and Jake were working hard to create a safe and loving world for their son.

And that was worth fighting for, even if it came with a little FOMO.

#a little something that came from nowhere last night #juuuust scraping in for April 28 #aka our National Holiday #the FOMOW is real #b99 fanfic #jake x amy fic #peraltiago fic #hope you guys find this sweet #title from Powderfinger ... Aussie represent!#my writing

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sineala · 4 years ago

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Captain America Corps

[This is a repost from my Patreon.] An extra review for everyone this month! I wasn't actually planning to write a review of Captain America Corps, but, then, I wasn't planning to love it as much as I did, either. Surprise! This has been the Book Club selection on the 616 Steve/Tony Discord server for the entirety of September, and it took me all month to get around to reading it, and when I finished reading it on Marvel Unlimited I immediately ran to the internet and ordered myself a copy of the trade paperback, because I needed one of my very own to cuddle. This review contains spoilers for the entirety of the series, so leave now if you don't want to know them. (It also contains a few pictures of elements that you may wish to avoid if you are sensitive to body horror in fiction.)

Captain America Corps is a five-issue miniseries written by Roger Stern, whom you may remember from such classics as his Avengers run featuring the Under Siege arc and his short but extremely memorable Cap run with John Byrne. The art here is by Phillipe Briones, who I don't think I've seen in any other book, but it's nice enough, I suppose. Anyway, it was published in 2011 and is also set then (well, sort of) -- so Bucky is still Captain America (though not for much longer) and Steve is Commander Rogers. (It is still available in trade paperback but it is technically out of print, so you should act now if you want a paper copy.) The best way I can describe my feelings about this book is thus: you know how David Michelinie's 1979 Avengers novel I read and reviewed a few months ago, The Man Who Stole Tomorrow, had an amazing premise -- Kang the Conqueror freezes Steve again and takes him to the future and the Avengers have to go time-traveling to get him back -- but it completely flubbed the actual execution of said premise? Well, Captain America Corps is a lot like that, but it absolutely, perfectly nails it. The premise isn't exactly the same, but it is definitely Peak Comics in the best zany madcap way, and the more you know about canon, the more your familiarity will be rewarded. Captain America is being kidnapped. But not just one Captain America -- Captains America across the multiverse are being stolen, and history is changing around their disappearances. A cosmic entity by the name of Tath Ki has made it his business to right these wrongs, and so to do this he kidnaps some more Captains America of his own. He ends up with a team of five: the Captain America of 1941 (Steve Rogers), USAgent (John Walker, from a small but unspecified number of years prior to 2011), the Captain America of 2011 (Bucky Barnes), American Dream (Shannon Carter, from the MC2 universe), and Commander A (Kiyoshi Morales, from several centuries in the future). So you can see already that this is going to be fun. All the Caps, in my opinion, are very well-characterized -- Steve is painfully earnest and a little inexperienced; Bucky is cynical, jaded, and he kind of can't believe that 40s Steve is looking up to him, which is really sweet; and John Walker is, of course, a complete asshole. I wanted to punch him in his stupid face multiple times, so clearly his characterization is perfect. I can't speak to Shannon's characterization because I've never read MC2, and Kiyoshi is new as of this book, but he is also excellent. So, obviously, because this is a Captain America book, there is a terrible dystopian future for them to fight -- and to show them what's at stake, Tath Ki drops them right in the middle of Dystopian Times Square, and they all get rounded up and imprisoned, whereupon they promptly stage a prison break for the various superheroes (Sam Wilson, Luke Cage, Peter Parker...) that they meet, before Tath Ki brings them back to his home base talk about it, now that he's convinced them that this is a future they have to stop.

(The law enforcement of the dystopian future includes several Americops and the Ameridroid. Remember those guys from the Cap comics? I sure do! Whee!) Tath Ki explains the situation here on this Earth, because obviously there has been some divergence. And the divergence point is this: the Avengers never found Captain America in the ice in Avengers #4. Two new women -- Broad-Stripe and Bright Star (why, yes, those are deeply unsubtle code names) -- ended up on the team instead, but, well... the Avengers just didn't work without Steve, and right when they ought to have founded the Kooky Quartet in Avengers #16, they disbanded instead. All because they'd never met Captain America. Thor went back to Asgard. Hank ended up in a psych ward. Tony died during heart surgery. (Don't worry, I'm coming back to this point later. So is the comic.) So the Caps split up to go see what they can find out about the remaining Avengers. Jan is hanging out with Sue Storm but has been warned about Kiyoshi and Shannon by the villain, and she kicks them out. Steve and Bucky break Hank out of the psych ward. And Tath Ki takes John Walker to Tony's tomb... to find that Tony's brain is missing from his body. Uh-oh. That's never a good sign.

And, oh, yes, Broad-Stripe and Bright Star are the villains of this series. And, what's more, Broad-Stripe is actually Superia, whom you will remember from the infamously terrible Cap arc The Superia Stratagem. It was really bad. It was really, really bad. But reading this has now retroactively made reading that worth it. Anyway, they're the ones who have been kidnapping all the Caps, and the Cap Corps here teams up with the local resistance force (yes, of course there's a resistance) to fight their way to the villains' headquarters. And do you know who else is at the villains' headquarters? It's Tony! I mean, it's Tony's brain. In a jar. Alive. And conscious. (And his eyeballs. I don't know why or how he still has his eyes. I'm trying not to think about that.)

The fact that Tony is now a brain in a jar is what the #book-club channel has been shrieking about with horrified glee for an entire month. If you like sad Tonys, there is no sadder Tony than this. You cannot make a sadder Tony than this. He is a brain in a jar. It's like everything about his favorite transhumanism, gone wrong. He's been there for years. He has never known Steve Rogers, and doesn't that just break your heart? He's suicidal. He begs the villain to finally kill him. He begs Hank to kill him, whether or not the good guys win. His life -- or undeath, or whatever it is -- is so awful that death is, for him, the happy ending. (We already know, canonically, that Tonys who never meet Steve are the saddest Tonys. Fantastic Four: Dark Reign #2, the issue that famously gave us Earth-3490, also gave us a look at Earth-1735, in which Steve is found very late in the superheroing game and Tony has clearly spent all the time in which they should have been Avengers together instead drinking his life away.) Sad Brain Jar Tony fills the good guys who find him -- Hank, Bucky, and Kiyoshi -- in on the villains' backstory and plans, which is basically that Superia has been stealing all the Captains America and has joined up with AIM and gotten herself a Cosmic Cube to shove them all into, and I'm sure we all guessed that that was happening because what even is a good Cap plot without a Cosmic Cube? Anyway, 1940s Steve doesn't meet Tony personally, as far as I can tell, but he does get to hear about him being alive over the comms, at least -- although it wouldn't mean much to him then, because at this point he doesn't know Tony. So all the Caps and Tath Ki and the villains end up falling into the Cosmic Cube along with the rest of the Caps that Superia stole, who are already in there. Steve merges with one of his other self, which breaks the Cube, and the alternate dystopian reality basically... vanishes from existence as everyone goes home. And Sad Brain Jar Tony is finally at peace. *sniff* Due to the mysteries of time-travel, Bucky and the two Caps after him -- Shannon and Kiyoshi -- remember what happened, but the two from before -- 1941 Steve and John Walker -- don't seem to. Except when Bucky meets up with his Steve, the Commander Rogers of 2011, it's clear that Bucky's return triggered something and Steve is starting to remember everything. Then Bucky decides to go turn himself in and face justice for the Winter Soldier's crimes. We get a brief look at Kiyoshi's time, where he's helping christen a new aircraft carrier named after Steve. And that's it. So obviously this is a completely wild plot in the way that comics are the best at, and what I really want most in life now is fic where 2011 Commander Rogers -- who we know is not the best at having feelings where Tony is concerned, because his current reaction to Tony is to scream at him about his feelings, in the snow, surrounded by all of their friends -- has to deal with the fact that he remembers being in a world where Tony is a sad brain in a jar and it all happened because he wasn't there to save him. Heroic Age-era (early Avengers v4) is one of my favorite flavors of Steve/Tony angst, as they work out how to have a friendship again (and are so bad at it that it involves a lot of very public screaming fights), and this just piles the angst right on top. (Yeah, guess what's on my WIP list now.) Objectively, it's not a perfect comic -- it's kind of a mess, but it's a mess in that glorious comics way that comics are so good at. I suspect if you're not here for the Steve/Tony you won't like it as much, but if you are... well, please enjoy pondering Sad Brain Jar Tony in his dystopian, Steve-less future.

#posts i actually wrote

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