#so i have a word doc about the group of ocs

[moeblob]

she's filled to the brim with love...

[averagewriter-inthedark]

It’s Been A Long, Long Time 🥀 | Fallout AU P.1

Set after the events of S1 of Fallout

Masterlists | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Characters & Pairings: Cooper Howard/The Ghoul x super soldier!reader (romantic), reader x male!oc (past romance), reader x Chester Phillips (past romance), Lucy Maclean (platonic)

Content warnings: Fallout x Marvel AU, profanity, angst, mentions of death, violence, age gap (reader is physically in her 40s, Cooper in his 50s, but they are both hundreds of years old), cannon divergence, suggestive themes, strangers/enemies-to-friends-to-lovers | female!reader (she/her) | wc about 6k

Premise: When Lucy and Cooper stumbled upon the remnants of an abandoned underground facility in what used to be the Nation's capital, they are quick to explore in hopes of finding supplies and information on Vault-Tec. However, the two are in for the shock of their lives when they accidentally awaken a woman housed in a cryogenic chamber, whose historical significance can be traced back to the Second World War. Not to mention she possesses a valuable substance scientists have been eager to replicate for centuries. And after traveling for months, Cooper finds himself battling emotions he kept dormant for centuries, when they form a bond only the two former soldiers could understand. 

Note: Alright so idk how this happened but it was exactly it was the result of me hyperfixating on an idea for almost two weeks until I broke and had to get it out on paper (docs 💀) Enjoy!

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“What was it like?” Lucy’s voice breaks through the peaceful silence of the night. The moon was full and high in the sky. After a long day of traveling the group had finally made camp, exhausted from the day which involved a typical shootout with raiders and scavenging for information on Vault-Tec. Lucy’s voice was full of curiosity, her face illuminated by the fire as she ogled at the woman seated across from her. Elbows perched on her knees while leaning her chin on clasped hands. Only offering a raise of her brow to convey she heard Lucy’s question when the girl began to question if she did or not.

“You mean the war? Or life in general?” Came the reply, her transatlantic accent thick. The woman not taking her eyes off the fire to meet the girl’s eager stare. If any other lost soul in the Wasteland overheard the conversation they’d be quick to believe she was talking about the Great War. 

Only….it was far from it. 

“Everything,” Lucy failed at hiding her desperation, earning a warning glare from Cooper, whose ears perked up the second Lucy asked the question. The cowboy leaned against his own log off to the side of the woman. Legs crossed and hat slightly pulled down to the brim of his eyes. 

This time the woman looked at Lucy. Except she didn’t so much as move her body, only shifting her eye to glance from the side. “I thought you both read my file. And watched the tapes I recorded.”

“We did,” Lucy admitted, offering a nervous smile, “But reading about history is vastly different than when you hear it first hand from someone who lived through it. When I taught the kids in my vault they always preferred watching the holotapes rather than the books that’d been preserved. And so much from the 20th century had been lost….” her words fall short at the crossed look she received from Cooper. A warning. 

Heat rising to her cheeks, Lucy reiterated and in doing so began to ramble, “I-I mean I only ask if you’re comfortable with talking about it. Sorry I should’ve been more considerate--I know it’s a sensitive topic with-- I-I mean you just woke up not even two weeks ago to find 345 years have passed--,” Cooper was about five seconds from shutting the girl up with a tranq, looking at her like she’d grown two heads. “--and America is not how you left it. Oh God I’m being really insensitive--I am so sorry,” Lucy’s mouth snaps as the woman cuts her off with a tired sigh. 

It’s not like the woman was upset with Lucy’s question. Aware the former vault dueller had previously been a history teacher and enjoyed learning about the pre-war era, as well as the 300+ years America once was. Curiosity was natural. But one had to accept the reality that the truth was not sunshine and rainbows.

As she contemplated the next words to say, her mind traced back ten days ago. Where she awoke to a new world…or what her companions called, a wasteland.

“Well what do we have ‘ere,” Cooper’s southern drawl rang out against the walls of the elevator as he lifted the gate up to see where it had taken him and Lucy. There he was met with what appeared to be a large room connected to a hallway that seemed to go on and on. ‘Strange,’ he thought, hand hovering over his pistol. Ready for any oncoming attack.

When he and Lucy stumbled upon the rusted elevator shaft on the surface on what used to be an old military installation--not far from Vault 108, initially they believed it to be a secret vault. One Vault-Tec kept hidden and out of the public eye for God knows what. Unethical experiments. Research. Possibly to house government officials, considering it was located in good ole Washington D.C. 

Well what was left of it. 

Yeah, even America’s great capital wasn’t safe from the nukes. Leveled to bits just like the rest of the country. Kinda comical when one thinks about it. Why were they there exactly? Well, the trail to Lucy’s father and the many secrets of Vault-Tec led the two on a wild goose chase. For months until they reached the east coast where they hoped to find some answers.

However, whatever this place was, was far from the typical vaults they were used to. In fact it wasn’t a vault at all.

Stepping out of the elevator shaft, the space was pitch black making it hard to see all the facility had to offer. Not to mention if any threats were lying in wait. Cooper found the switch on his right and quickly flipped it up. Light flickering as it filled up the space and down the corridor. 

Cooper moved further in while Lucy trailed behind, eyes wide with wonder as she took in her surroundings, “woah.”

“Woah indeed…” he agreed, nudging his hat up to get a better look, “What the hell?” The bunker was definitely pre-war, but seriously dated to the point the man wouldn’t put it past it to be 20th century. Hardly ransacked---which probably was the biggest surprise. It made him wonder just how long it had been abandoned without discovery. 

Filing cabinets lined the walls, old desktop computers. Chalk boards and typewriters. Not a trace of robots. Hell there was even a Coca-Cola vending machine. Now that was a relic. Coca-cola disappeared back in 2044 when Nuka-Cola was introduced. If Cooper thought hard enough, he could still taste the original soft drink on his tongue. A sweet sweet lick of nostalgia.

Unsure where to begin, Cooper decided to start on his right by approaching the giant mural of a six-winged eagle surrounded by 50 stars. Obviously to represent the states of America. Painted below in bold red letters, S.H.I.E.L.D. 

“Shield,” he tested the word, a sense of familiarity surfacing as his brain picked at it. “Where have I heard that?” Lucy came to his side, eyes locked on the mural. Also trying to figure out what it meant. 

“Could it be some type of pre-war agency?” she wondered aloud, casting a glance at Cooper. “Like the CIA or FBI? Or a subunit of Vault-Tec” She received a hum. 

“Seems likely,” moving away, Cooper accessed the cabinet closest to him. Dust flinging in the air when the drawer was pulled, revealing a heap of carefully organized files. Grabbing the first one Cooper found the meaning behind the name, which took the air out of him. Now he understood why it sounded so familiar. It was something his once marine self had been briefed on when in basic training. 

“What is it?” Lucy questioned his dumbstruck expression. 

Shaking his head, “This ain’t the work of Vault-Tec, sweetheart,” Cooper motioned at the mural, “That ther’ anagram, it stands for the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement Logistics Division.” Passing over the file to her Cooper grabbed another. “Now I know you said yer’ some history buff, but this…..you gotta be involved in some deep shit to know about this.”

Lucy read over the document, brows furrowed, “Wait, I know about this. We learned about SHIELD in the vaults, not much but the important parts--that it was a counter-terrorism intelligence organization and a successor of the Strategic Scientific Reserve from World War Two….” her eyes widened, processing what she just said. They were in a SHIELD facility?

They continued to walk the facility, rummaging through files of former persons of interests and government officials. Lucy took interest with the photographs she found. Getting a peak of life in America during the 20th and early 21st century. Meanwhile Cooper searched for useful supplies. Hoping there’d be a knife or displaced gun. 

“This is so cool,” Lucy held a sepia photo of President John F. Kennedy shaking hands with Shield co-founder Agent Peggy Carter. Beneath it was one of the Berlin Wall coming down. “I can’t believe how well these held up.” Her eyes caught a black & white picture dated in 1947 of Hollywood actresses Natalie Wood and Rita Hayworth posing with a beautiful woman who looked like she belonged with them. All smiling at the camera, but unlike the actresses the mystery woman’s smile was closed and didn’t reach her eyes. Lucy didn’t recognize her, but made a mental note to see if she could find any other information on her. Assuming she must’ve been important for the photo to end up at the SHIELD base. 

Entering a room near the end of the vast hallway, an eerie feeling came over the two. So suddenly it made Lucy’s stomach take a turn, “that’s weird.” Cooper didn’t respond but internally he felt the same. Something about the room was unpleasant. But they couldn’t put a finger on it.

Unlike the other rooms, the two had to become tech whizzes to decipher the lockbox. A rather difficult task as the technology was ancient. In their research they discovered SHIELD founded in the 1950s. Then Cooper had to think back to his history lessons in basic to remember the organization disbanded in 2014. Almost ten years before Cooper was born. 

“What happened,” Lucy questioned. 

“Rats in the system,” Cooper put it short, but upon her confused face he explained further. “They were infiltrated, early on too, by the terrorist organization they were fighting against.” 

The girl frowned, not expecting that reason and wondered just how long it had been going on. For an agency of their nature to be infiltrated by the enemy, leading to their downfall.  “That’s unfortunate,” her statement earned a sound of agreement from the cowboy. 

More cabinets. More files. More questions they wanted answers to. 

And answers they’ll…somewhat get. In the form of a 345 year old cryogenic woman…..who was SHIELD’s lost super soldier. 

Okay so it was an accident. They didn’t mean to unfreeze the woman after they stumbled upon her pod hidden beneath the floors of where the lead scientists desk laid. And no wonder it took an arm and a leg to get into the room. It was the office of the man SHIELD recruited from HYDRA. 

And he harbored a major secret. 

“Well what should we do in the meantime?” Lucy felt uneasy, staring at the pod which was in the process of defrosting. Frightened at what waited for them. If she had been asleep for as long as the person inside and woke up to a world blown to bits, Lucy’d have a meltdown. The thought alone combined with the icy temperature filling the room caused chills to rise on her arms. 

“Don’t know. Maybe try and find out who the hell this is,” Cooper suggested, moving away from the pod to see what he could find. Staring with the scientists' desk, thinking it’d be the key.

Leaning over to peer into the window, noticing the ice had slowly started to melt, Lucy’s eyes widened. “Holy moly! She’s the woman from the photo!” 

“What photo?” Cooper glanced up, eyes narrowed with suspicion. 

Lucy made a motion with her hand, “I saw a photo in the other room of a woman standing with Natalie Wood and Rita Hayworth, but I couldn’t recognize her.” She pointed to the pod, face riddled with shock. “It’s her! She’s the mystery woman in the photo.” Suddenly Lucy realized something, “That was dated 1947…..” 

Cooper caught on to what she was saying. Moving hastily to pull out files from the drawers and handing her a stack, “Well let’s try to find more about our frozen popsicle.” They got work, Lucy perching herself on the desk while Cooper remained crouching on the floor. Reading for what felt like hours of decades worth of information the scientist had on SHIELD and HYDRA. Playing the waiting game while the woman defrosted from her pod. 

“How long will it take?” Lucy plopped another file on the floor after finishing it, moving to the next. 

“Not sure,” Cooper licked his lip to turn a page, reading about the assassination of a political figure SHIELD investigated. “Could be minutes. Could be hours. Once that thing warms up, who knows how long before she wakes.”

“What a surprise she’s in for.” Cooper grumbled in agreement, making Lucy frown, deep in thought. “How do you think she’ll react?” Now usually Cooper would’ve told her enough with the questions, but he was plagued with the same thought.

How would she react? They didn’t know anything about the woman except she’d been asleep for at least 300+ years. Truthfully Cooper was expecting her to lash out. It would be the most reasonable reaction to the horrifying truth. Either that or breakdown in a heap of tears. Honestly, maybe she’ll do both.

“I don’t know, vaultie. What would you do?” That made her fall silent which he was hoping for. The two return their focus back to the files. Losing hope by the second of finding the mysterious woman. There had to be something on her in the stack. After all, she was in a cryo pod hidden in the floor. Of a mad scientist. 

About five minutes later Lucy’s amplified gasp nearly had Cooper jump, turning to find her shell-shocked at whatever lay within the file she was holding. “What is it, 33?”

“Cooper this--this doesn’t make sense,” Lucy’s eyes read furiously over the papers, astonishment in her face. Refusing to believe what the file was telling her. But the picture was clear as day. Matching the face in the pod. 

Cooper looked at her wearily, “What is it, vaultie?” 

She looked like she’d seen a ghost. “The woman in the pod,” she held the file out, still in disbelief. Lucy’s mind raced with a million questions, fearful of the answers as she pushed the papers to him, “This is her.” 

Snatching the file, Cooper gave the girl an odd once over before drawing his gaze down on the file. There he saw what she was referring to. Eyes landing first on the sepia photograph stapled on the front. It was the first time Cooper was seeing the woman since he hadn’t seen the picture Lucy mentioned earlier and was already occupied with the desk to look in the pods window. 

She was beautiful. Ethereal. A timeless beauty like many women of the 1900s with a face people would kill for. In the photo she was posing with her right shoulder out, dressed in a crisp Army uniform, Captain ranks--which Cooper recognized and gave an impressed whistle under his breath--reflecting the light of the camera flash. Hair curled typical for the time, classy makeup. The man would be lying if he said he wouldn’t do a double take in the streets if he saw her walking down. 

Then Cooper got to reading, hairless brows raising to his scarred skull and he swore his heart stopped. “Ain’t no fuckin’ way.” 

There it was clear as day. 

S.H.I.E.L.D. File #0002

Project Rebirth -- Subject xxxx-xxxx

Name: Dr. Y/n M/n Andrews (neé L/n)   DOB: XX X 1908    SSN: xxx-xx-xxxx

Birthplace: Manhattan, New York, USA    Document Citizenship: United States

Education: Doctorate of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 

Title: Advisor, Agent (formerly), soldier (formerly) Alias: Eagle

Rank: First Officer (WAAC); Captain (U.S Army)

Clearance: Level 10

Family: Captain Timothy Nile Andrews (husband--m.1933/deceased--d.1944)

Beatrice E. Andrews (daughter--b.1935), Henry T. Andrews (son--b.1939), Charlene L. Phillips (daughter--b.1949)

Howard A. Stark (Cousin)

Language(s): English, Spanish, German, Italian, Russian

Affiliation(s): MIT, Stark Industries, Strategic Scientific Reserve, United States Army, WAAC 107th Infantry Regiment, Howling Commandos, Steve Rogers--Captain America

Wars/Battles: Second World War

Cooper whistled, reading over the first page one more time before moving onto the next. A beauty and brains with a fighting heart. She was a soldier, a pretty damn good one at that with all her career accomplishments with the Army and World War Two. A genius by the looks of her contributions to physics prior to the war. 

Presidential Medal of Honor. Key to the City of Manhattan. Honorary Advisor of MIT’s Department of Physics. Contributor on many research articles and projects, including the Project Rebirth Cooper saw on the first page. His brows furrowed at the part where it said Y/n was also a Co-founder of SHIELD.

Now if that was true, then why was the woman trapped in a cryo pod? From the file alone Cooper could tell she was an important figure in American history. What had she done to earn her a one way ticket to frozen land?

Cooper’s hand stilled in the air after turning to the final page of Y/n’s file, the header in bold: Advancements to physiology following fusion of the Super Soldier Serum. “What the fuck?”

Description: After a successful transformation of implementing the Super Soldier Serum created by Dr. Erskine into the subject’s biological makeup, Dr. L/n-Andrews physiological improvements have exceeded expectations--in accordance with the results seen from Subject #0001, Steve Rogers. Dr. L/n-Andrews psychological responses lack abnormalities, cognition skills are excellent. IQ remains in the 160-179 range. Subjects’ blood tests show changes in DNA--more tests shall be conducted for further analysis. 

Attributes/Skills--before serum: Strategy, marksmanship, logistics, leadership, tradecraft, hand-to-hand combat

Attributes/Skills--after serum: Superhuman strength, enhanced agility, accelerated healing, slowed aging, enhanced immune system. 

Security threat level: high (dated 08/15/1951)

Cooper read over the file a second time. Not just to render his disbelief but also commit it to memory. He’d seen a lot of shit in his elongated life, but never did he expect he’d be dealing with a real life runaway supersoldier. 

More like a superhero.

“Cooper, what does this mean?” Lucy’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. The man glanced to find her chewing on her fingernails, anxiety all over her face.

“It means we’ve just woken up a superhuman from World War II, vaultie. Plain as day.” He kept his own concerns hidden, not willing to worry Lucy further. They’ll deal with the potential threat once she wakes up. 

Until then, they wait. 

During their search to find more on Dr. Y/n L/n-Andrews, they hit the jackpot when Cooper stumbled on a dusty box full of video tapes. Not holotapes that have been the standard since 2063. Video. Thankfully there was an old 20th century TV equipped with a VHS system. Talk about old school. 

Popping one in, labeled CA & EG Ad ‘42, Cooper claimed the seat in front of the desk while Lucy stayed in her spot. After a few seconds to allow the dinosaur television to turn on, black and white static filled the screen. Then a moment later the image became clear showing two figures they now had names to faces. Y/n L/n-Andrews & Steve Rogers. 

“Hello, America I’m Steve Rogers,” the blonde man waved, decked in his Captain America suit. Cooper made a face, not really impressed with the man attempting to be America’s sweetheart. 

Well to be fair he definitely fit the image. 

“And I’m Y/n Andrews,” the beautiful woman beamed, pearly white teeth flashing the camera. She had a strong transatlantic accent, popular of their time and heard amongst those in entertainment and high class society. A dialect teetering on the edge of half-British and half-American. Where basically the letter ‘r’ was nonexistent and vowels were elongated to make words sound more posh. Her outfit was similar to Steve’s in the sense it was obviously a tactical suit, but where his resembled the American flag, Y/n’s had the image of an eagle. “You may recognize us from the occasional radio infomercial or have seen our faces in your local recruiting office.” 

Steve pointed to the camera, “And we’re here to tell you that America needs all the help across the pond. Whether it be donating to the Red Cross or enlisting in the Army to become a proud soldier--.” 

“Don’t forget the Army Nurses Corps, Steve,” Y/n gently cut him off, still smiling and Cooper wondered if she was in pain. Relating to all the times he had to do those damn Vault-Tec ads. “They’re looking for determined, bright, exceptional ladies ready to provide our boys on the frontlines with the best care.”

“That’s right, Y/n,” Steve agreed, grinning at her briefly. The advertisement was the typical propaganda one sees during a war. Hiding the horrors, trying to get people to sign their life away to fight in something they didn’t ask for. Cooper heard it all. 

And as a former soldier and spokesperson, the bounty hunter picked up on how uncomfortable Y/n was, despite trying to hide it. Acting most definitely not her forte. The smile not reaching her eyes as well as her posture being tense. At times Cooper caught her looking past the camera where her face shifted before replacing it with the fake expression. Her demeanor screamed she wanted to be rescued. Like she’d rather get her hands dirty than being a showgirl for the American people.

Lucy scanned through the box of tapes, reading over the labels until deciding on the one marked, Debrief--Phillips, Andrews, Stark, & Carter, ‘45. What caught her attention was the first name, Phillips, it was the same last name of Y/n’s third child listed on the file. Then there was Stark, the name of her cousin. “The Second World War ended what year?” 

“Nineteen-forty-five.”

“Hmmm,” Lucy pressed play on the tv once the tape was in, moving back to her seat, but not before checking the pod. The ice had completely froze but Y/n had yet to wake up. The clock was ticking and Lucy grew nervous. Placing her attention back on the screen, “This has all the names of the people that founded SHIELD.” Cooper’s interest perked, the man straightening in the chair. Ready to put faces to names. 

“Why are you video taping this, Stark?” Peeking through the static, a feminine British voice was heard off screen sounding distressed and emotional. The camera focused on a table, where the two spotted Y/n seated while an older man in an army uniform stood beside her. Y/n appeared exhausted while the man nursed a drink. Then another woman in uniform, the one they believed had been speaking off screen, emerged and poured herself a glass of whatever the group was drinking. 

“So we have this on record,” a man’s voice, Howard Stark, entered. And based on the way the picture went wobbly, he must’ve been behind the video recorder. Adjusting the device so it remained focused on the table. Once satisfied he took his place beside the older man. Based on his ranks Cooper deemed him to be a Colonel. “Lighten up, Carter.”

“Do not tell her to lighten up,” Y/n’s tone was hard, lifting her gaze from the table to glare at her cousin before returning it. “Steve was your friend, Howard, have some respect.”

Lucy’s hand raised to her chest, right where she felt her heart sink. Overcome with a wave of sadness for the group who’d been deeply affected by what had transpired before recording the tape. Cooper understood the implication. Steve was gone.

Another detail the cowboy pieced together was the fact the older man, the Colonel, had to have been the Phillips the tape label referred to. Now that Cater was revealed to be the woman and Howard was indeed Y/n’s cousin. Meaning the Colonel was the father of Y/n’s youngest daughter. 

‘Now that’s a surprise,’ Cooper thought to himself, and based on the stunned look of his companion, Lucy thought so too. He had to have at least 20 years on Y/n.

“You don’t need to remind me,” Howard gruffed, reaching for the bottle and slamming it down roughly once his drink was poured. “But we’ve got important matters at stake right now. And we’d be letting him down--after what he sacrificed--if we waste our time wallowing instead of getting to work.”

“What important matters could you possibly be referring to?” 

“You know what,” this time the Colonel spoke, his deep voice radiating off the screen. His words caused Y/n to stiffen, slowly looking up to find him staring at her with a serious expression. “And if we don’t act fast now the feds are going to be on our doorstep quicker than a hot turkey on Thanksgiving day.”

Agent Carter's face turned dark, standing close to Y/n to lay a protective hand on her shoulder, “I think this conversation can wait, Chester. The war just ended, Y/n is still grieving her loss and--.” 

“I’m well aware and while I share her grief, I’ve got Senators calling with demands of what ought to happen now that America's super soldier is gone! We need a plan to keep them distracted.” The rest of the video mostly consisted of the group arguing with neither Lucy or Cooper able to grasp what exactly the soldiers were trying to exactly hide from the government. But based on the body language of everyone, the cowboy leading theory pointed at the doctor, and the serum coursing in her veins.

During their watch of Y/n giving a solo advertisement to recruit women to the Women’s Army Corps from 1942, they hadn’t realized how much time had passed. And although not an actress in her own light, Cooper felt himself drawn to the woman on the screen. She was enticing. The type of woman people both admired and envied. 

And with a sunken heart, Cooper related to her now more than ever. 

On their sixth tape, and evidently their last one, the duo were rather unnerved by the title. Sharing a look as Lucy took the initiative to place it in the system. 

House Committee Hearing ‘50

Lucy bit at her nails again, the skin red and irritated as she took her seat. A sickening feeling in her stomach. The anxiety was becoming unbearable, but they still had no clue when Y/n would wake up. Really they needed to form a plan, but they were too immersed in learning the woman’s history. 

“For the record today’s date is Monday the tenth of April, nineteen fifty and it is the first day of the congressional hearings on the matters of Strategic Scientific Reserve’s suspected authorization of the Super Soldier Serum on Dr. Y/n Andrews.”

Well things just got interesting. Cooper and Lucy now certain this hearing was what Chester referred to in the debrief tape. Congress had finally summoned them in regards to Y/n’s nature. 

The screen showed a man in a suit and rounded glasses seated in front of a microphone with a stack of papers. A marker reading Senator Bures placed directly in front of the mic. Other suited men sat around him with the American flag draped on the wall behind the chamber. Then the image flickered to a table. Y/n sat in between Chester and a man with a briefcase, who Cooper instantly registered as a lawyer. A gallery of people and photographers filled the space, Peggy and Howard in the front row. 

“Please state your name for the record.” The soldiers obliged and were then instructed to swear under oath. Cooper leaned forward, finger on his lips as he watched Y/n place her hand on the bible and repeat the words spoken to her. Deeply interesting on what the hearing would entail. One thing was clear: the government was threatened by Y/n. 

After some introduction questions, mostly directed to Chester and the beginning states of Project Rebirth, the attention turned to Y/n. “Dr. Andrews,” Senator Johnson spoke into his mic. “What was your initial involvement in Project Rebirth.”

Y/n leaned towards her own mic, hands clasped on the table. “I was a collaborator on the project alongside Dr. Erskine. As Colonel Phillips stated, he recruited my cousin and I in 1942 and I worked closely with Dr. Erskine because of my work on radiation physics.” Cooper and Lucy shared another glance. Y/n specialized in radiation physics? 

“How exactly does radiation physics play into the serum, Doctor?”

“We were working with particles, Senator. Particles with high speed energy and electromagnetic waves,” her tone was calm, neutral. Not given any indication she was under pressure and reporting like the scientist she was. “Dr. Erskine’s serum was, at its core, radioactive. It completely changed the biological makeup of the recipient. In our case, Captain Rogers. My role was to observe and record the effects of the serum on the human body. Specifically the level of radiation.” 

They asked a few more questions about Y/n’s work. Including her reports on the serum and its effect on Steve Rogers. Then it got to the whole reason they were having the hearing; did Y/n inject herself with the serum?

Now Lucy and Cooper obviously knew the truth. She was a supersoldier and fought on the frontlines. The file didn’t lie. The question was if the government knew as well. And by the looks of it, they didn’t. 

“Doctor, we have reason to believe you and members of the SSR conducted an unauthorized demonstration in which you, Dr. Andrews, underwent the transformation of injecting the super soldier into your bloodstream on the 22nd of August 1943.” Murmurs in the background suggested the audience were hearing it for the first time. Minus of course Howard and Peggy, who visibly stiffened behind Y/n.

Y/I head tilted up in defiance, “Your evidence?” Her voice was strong, confident. Cooper felt himself captivated by the way she commanded the room. 

“Doctor,” Senator Franz, removed his glasses. “It was reported all remaining vials of the super soldier serum were destroyed following Mr. Rogers demonstration.”

“That is correct.”

“A witness, who wishes to remain anonymous, has come forward saying that on the 22nd of August 1943, you, your late husband Captain Timothy Andrews, Colonel Phililps, Captain Rogers, Agent Carter, and Mr. Stark were seen in a restricted area for approximately three hours. They say you were carrying a briefcase and upon leaving the restricted area, your physicality had changed. Care to explain?” 

Y/n, again, was neutral, “To put it simply, Senator, we were having a meeting discussing Captain Rogers and I’s unit, the Howling Commandos. In the briefcase were maps and strategy plans to analyze. Nothing more, so I do not understand why this witness has assumed we even possessed a vial of the serum when all were destroyed in 1942.” 

The men didn’t look convinced, “That’s what we want to know. And it is not only this witness, Doctor, several soldiers who were on the frontlines claim you displayed unusual strength at times.”

“Well forgive me for saying this,” she was now smiling, but it wasn’t genuine at all, “but men refuse to believe women are capable of certain areas, strength for example, that are expected of them. It’s already enough for my intellect to be questioned,” Straightening her posture, Y/n went on to say, “Gentlemen, I was not only a doctor for the SSR, I was also a soldier. Therefore I trained like one--which my late husband and Captain Rogers were kind enough to assist me with. What that witness saw was my progress.” Cooper couldn’t help the amazed laugh that slipped out.

“Is she…” Lucy pointed to the screen, also astonished, “gaslighting the government?”

“She damn sure is,” Cooper laughed again. The balls this woman had rivaled some of the producers and agents he’d worked with in Hollywood. 

As the tape rolled on more back and forth happened between Y/n and the senators. They’d attempt to invalidate her story, she’d rebuff with the perfect response. Dismissing their claims and providing evidence of her own to counter it. Chester and the lawyer were asked questions as well, backing up Y/n which strengthened their side. 

It was a heated debate. One that lasted nearly an hour and had started to run its course. Congress was starting to lose the upper hand. And the defense was becoming exhausted. 

“Before we adjourn this hearing there is one last thing I have to say,” the room was eerily silent, the senators voice carrying throughout the space. Cooper saw the frustration in his face. Wondering where the hell he and his fellow chamber members got it all wrong. “We may not have all the evidence to convict you and the rest of SHIELD’s founders of anything today, but make no mistake,” His glare was stern, threatening. “We will be watching. And if we find the slightest confirmation, Doctor, that you are carrying the super soldier serum, you will be locked in a military prison for the rest of your life and subjected to experimentation.”

Y/n remained quiet, the threat lingering in the room as her gaze never wavered from the man. Movement from the side indicated Chester likely placing a hand on the woman, offering a comforting hand. “Understood,” the tone in her voice was impartial. “You may have your suspicions and conduct your investigations, but the truth of what took place in August of 1942 was laid before you today. America had their super soldier and he sacrificed himself to put an end to Hydra once and for all. My role was nothing more than a doctor devoted to research, and a soldier committed to ending the war. I assure you, Senators,” her eyes were full of fire, chin high with confidence. Refusing to let the men hold power over the situation. It was a chilling sight, sending a shiver down Cooper’s spine, “The super soldier serum died with Captain Rogers.”

Closing remarks were given and they were dismissed shortly after. By the time the static rolled, signaling the end of the tape, Cooper and Lucy were at a loss for words. Both in disbelief, and turning to each other with matching horrified expressions. Asking themselves the same question.

Did the government find out it was all a lie? Is that why she was in the pod--to be a science experiment for the rest of her life?

The theory made sense. A terrifying one that had a pit of disgust forming in the duo, but not surprising at the same time considering the government proved time and time again they were cruel. 

Well people in power in general. Take Vault-Tec for example. Who accumulated so much power they blew up America.

Lucy went to remove the tape, throwing it back in the pile before turning back to Cooper to figure out their options now they were dealing with not only a super soldier, but possibly a former government fugitive who underwent God knows what in her captivity. 

But before she even got a word out, Lucy became frighteningly still, eyes bulging from their sockets. The color drained in her face as she looked past Cooper’s shoulder, a choked sound leaving her mouth while it went slack. And before Cooper could ask the reason for her sudden behavior, a new voice entered the picture, causing the already chill atmosphere to become icy. 

“Who the hell are you people?”

[i-will-write]

WIP title game!

rules:

1. make a new post with the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous.

2. let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it!

3. tag as many people as you have WIPs

Alright, here we go! Behold all of my WIPs (I just realized how many I've got and I am now panicking about it, fuck):

Eldritch Coruscant Guard

HHB De-Aging

5 times the Avengers didn't get it and one time they did

Trojan!Polites AU + Astyanax

Untitled doc Klaus TUA

Book of the Apocalypse

Avengers polycule?

Baby!Five & Dad!Klaus

Test Run

Spirits on earth

Turning down from the 2nd main street

Bingo n.7+20

The Vanishing Boy

Loki on Midgard rule Asgard

Allies and Plans 2

TUA - when we were babies still

Zuko get visions

Obsession

"We should take a group photo!"

I have no idea where I was going with this :)

I have no idea where I was going with this either! :))

Vampire!Tessy x Loki

ChaosAvatar!Zuko

Loki Soulbond AU

Grace is a good mom

The many shames of one Loki Odinson and the pride of one Loki

For a total of 26 WIPs (I promise I still work on all of them because they are my babies and I love them very very much, I'm just a disaster with consistency T.T).

Tag list: @ literally anyone who wants to play! Have fun!

@nondelphic @wordspinning @bloodred2023 @sassthathoopy-was-taken @16woodsequ @lostinthe--stars @psalmieee @firelord-aub @maybe-some-words @goth-automaton @copperd-coins @hjbender @icy-writes @primroseprime2019 @edgessunflower @godofgrapes @harrietwritesstuff @nocompromise-noregrets @so-many-ocs @thescreamsoftheinnocent @maylilithreign @novemberhope @the-sparkling-diamond-satine @loveofmyknife @fangirlsleep

[mik0is0bored]

Cigarettes and the Holidays

↳JJK oc short fic

Masterlist

Playlist🎧

Fyi: very long! (It took me 7 hours to write, and it's also 8 pages long on Google docs)

Note: Really all it is is that in my English class we had to write smth holiday related and why not right abt mine (Hanako) and a friends(Satsuki) jjk ocs? With angst of course!

Note: it initially starts at the shibuya incident, and it takes awhile to lean into the holidays like early December to the epilogue which is the day of christmas

Description: Hanako and Satsuki thought they'd be best friends forever. They're childhood friends, nothing can separate them. But the night of October 31st, 2018 in Shibuya, their life goes to shit.

Tags: not a lot of swearing (there is only one or two curse words cus this is an assignment for english), LOTS of gore in the flashback after Hanako finds Satsuki, bittersweetness, HEAVY ANGST

November 1st, 2018, 01:54 am

Hanako quietly leaned against the wall, the water droplets hitting her face. She had only moments ago gotten out of a battle alive, only having to cut off her leg to survive.

Hanako wished she hadn't gotten into that fight with Satsuki, then she wouldn't have to forever live with the fact she had insulted her best friend, only for hours later to see her friend leaning her back against the wall, bleeding from several spots on her body.

October 31st, 2018, 20:37 pm

“He said stick together, Hanako!”

“Do you want to have less casualties, and the possibility of us both living, or more casualties? Because if we’re grouped up, we could both die.”

“You’re so pessimistic!”

“I’m being realistic, Satsuki! Because you and I both know there’s a chance of us both dying if we stay together!”

“That is pessimism!”

“You don’t know anything about missions or anything! You're going to be helpless on this mission! Your curse technique is useless!”

Silence fell over the two teenage girls. It was quiet for quite a while before Satsuki spoke, her voice solemn, not its usual teasing yet powerful timbre. “Look, we’re both stressed about this mission and our goal. But although, your idea… about splitting up, I’m not so sure. You know what I’m tryna say?”

Hanako exhaled, knowing Satsuki was right, but she didn't want to admit it. The dark-haired teenager exhaled an exasperated sigh before speaking.

“Mhmm… yeah, I suppose,” Hanako began, hesitating between her sentences before speaking once more, “But if we split up, there's a chance we might save more peopleー” While in the middle of her statement, Satsuki spoke up once more.

“I know you’re stressed, I can practically hear it in your voice,” Satsuki began, running her fingers through her lilac hair before finishing her statement. “But I have a compromise.”

Hanako was about to retaliate before she heard the word “compromise”, her interest was piqued as she raised an eyebrow, hoping Satsuki would continue. Satsuki saw Hanako’s incredulous expression and continued.

“Keep an eye on the time, at 21:20, meet back here, yeah?” Hanako let herself listen to her friend’s words before nodding slowly. “Yeah, meet you back here at 21:20.”

The two girls nodded and gave each other a thumbs up before going their separate waysー but little did the both of them know, it was the last time they would both see each other okay.

November 1st, 2018, 02:37 am

Hanako exhaled, slowly sliding against the wall, trying to drag herself to the infirmary base set up at the start of the attacks. She wasn’t one to usually show her expressions, but right now, how could she not feel emotional?

She had got into a fight with her friend, watched her die in her arms, and had to cut off her leg to survive. Hanako thought that even the strongest of people couldn't hide their emotions after such damage mentally, physically, and emotionally.

She eventually got herself dragged to the makeshift hospital that was set up, and she saw Shoko walk over to her and grab her shoulders.

“Are you okay? Where’s Satsuki?” she heard the older woman say, but Hanako was too emotionally wrecked to respond verbally. The only thing she could do was shake her head, trying to imply what had happened to her best friend.

Shoko noticed this and nodded, helping the 16-year-old girl to one of the cots placed in the city center, before taking out medical supplies to stop the bleeding from where Hanako had cut her leg off.

Hanako felt herself drifting in and out of consciousness, before ultimately falling asleep, her mind replaying everything that had happened in the last few hours.

October 31st, 2018, 23:28 pm

Hanako couldn't find any clocks that she could read, so she began sprinting around the area to find one that wasn't shattered.

She eventually found a readable clock, it had read 23:28 pm. Two hours and eight minutes past when Hanako promised to meet back up with Satsuki.

She began sprinting back to where the two had promised to meet up, only to find that Satsuki wasn’t there.

If that didn’t increase her anxiety levels, what did?

Hanako was now running in any direction, seconds passing like years. Her mind was swarming with thoughts and questions. “Should they have stayed together?” “Did she also lose track of time as well?” “Is she hurt?”

Hanako felt like hours had passed before she eventually came to a stop, seeing Satsuki’s scythe, knowing that Satsuki was somewhere nearby. Her muscles were aching, her body screaming for rest, but she ignored the warning signs and continued to run to find Satsuki.

And then she found her.

Laying against the rubble, Satsuki appeared to have none of her limbs remaining; both arms and legs missing, and a small hole in her side that seemed to go through her entirely. Her face was bloodied and bruised, her hazel eyes closed.

Hanako stood that 10ーor soー feet away from her, feeling like the world around her was crashing down. The dark-haired girl felt her legs beginning to move, starting to walk, then turning into a jog, a run, until she was once again full-on sprinting to her lilac-haired friend.

The closer Hanako got, the more injuries she could see. There was a gash on Satsuki’s forehead, and if it wasn’t noticeable before, Satsuki lay in a pool of her blood.

Hanako raced over to her and slid her knees on the pavement, not caring if she scaped her knees, that her knees were beginning to bleed. This wasn’t about her. Hanako began carefully yet firmly shaking Satsukiーor what remained of herー speaking in an unusual desperate tone.

“Hey. Hey… HEY!” Hanako began speaking, her voice increasing in desperation and volume. “Hey, wake up, open your eyes… come on, open your eyes, Satsuki…” Hanako would continue to shake Satsuki before her hazel eyes opened halfway.

“Hanako, hey,” Satsuki whispered, her voice was faint, and her eyes looked slightly glazed over, causing Hanako’s heart to ache.

Hanako swallowed before responding “Hey, idiot, you took quite the beating.” Hanako forced a fake smile, cringing at her voice and how forced her voice sounded.

Satsuki exhaled quietly, barely shaking her head before speaking “Yeah, totally not, I'm completely uninjured,”

A fond smile graced Hanako’s face before noticing tears falling from Satsuki’s eyes. She was crying. If Hanako could remember, she hadn’t ever seen Satsuki cry, but then again, she wasn’t focused on the past.

Hanako wasn’t usually the vulnerable one out of the two teens, but to hell with it. She felt her hand move some of Satsuki’s blood-dried lilac hair out of her face, knowing exactly who her friend had encountered, who had injured her friend like this but decided against bringing him up.

Hanako closed her eyes before opening them, to see Satsuki’s dull hazel eyes. Hanako opened her mouth to speak, but Satsuki spoke up first, tears streaming down her face.

“I don’t… I dont want to dieー”

Hanako felt her heart squeeze in her chest, knowing how Satsuki had off and on been afraid of dying and hearing the desperation in her friend’s voice didn't help.

Hanako placed her hands in her lap before speaking, “I’m sorry, if there was anything I could do, I would do it, but you’ve lost so much blood.”

Silence fell between the two girls before Satsuki took in a deep breath, looking up at Hanako before speaking, “There’s something in my right pocket, can you get it?” Hanako nodded, carefully reaching into her pocket, grabbing the object in her pocket, before pulling her hand out of the pocket.

What she had found inside Satsuki’s pocket was a cigarette, and Hanako exhaled quietly before looking over Satsuki’s face, an expression saying “Really?”

Satsuki laughed faintly before speaking, her voice slowly fading the more time passed, “In December, I want you to use this.”Hanako didn’t understand why Satsuki wanted her to use cigarettes. Was she losing her memory? Did she forget that Hanako explicitly said she thought cigarettes were gross?

Satsuki smiled, almost as if she wasn’t bleeding to death right now, before speaking “I know you hate it, but only this once, please?”

Hanako exhaled, but this might as well be Satsuki’s dying wish, so she should just roll with it, and follow through. She nodded before speaking, trying to avoid her voice cracking, “Yeah, yeah. I will, I promise.”

“Good,” Satsuki replied, closing her eyes, her breathing slowing down rapidly. Hanako knew that any moment her friend was going to pass on, her heart racing with sadness. Hanako cleared her throat and spoke, her voice wavering slightly.

“I just want you to know that I’m sorry. I don’tー I don’t think your technique is stupid, I dont think any of the things I said. I’m sorry.”

Satsuki opened her hazel eyes, mouthing the words “It’s okay,” and Hanako nodded, her deep blue eyes looking over Satsuki’s face. Hanako didn’t know how much time had passed with the both of them sitting in silence, trying to savor their last moments together.

Hanako closed her eyes for a moment or so before opening them again, turning her gaze to look over to Satsuki, her chest no longer rising and falling. Hanako felt for Satsuki’s pulse on her neck, with no luck.

Hanako inhaled a few deep breaths, taking a few seconds for the situation to set in. After a few minutes, Hanako felt tears rapidly falling from her eyes. She held the cigarette Satsuki had wanted her to have in her hand, being careful not to smash it in her fist.

After a few minutes of sobbing, Hanako collected herself, wiping her eyes and putting the cigarette in her pocket.

November 1st, 2018, 05:19 am

Hanako woke up, looking at her surroundings, feeling a pounding in her head, a headache. She took in a deep breath, noticing she wasn’t lying in the cot she had passed out in…

how long ago had it been?

Hanako continued to look around, finally realizing she was in the infirmary back at school. She looked down at herself, seeing she was wearing a hospital gown. She slowly sat up,ーshe tried to anywayー trying to get a glimpse of outside the window.

All of a sudden, Hanako bit back a scream of pain, feeling a sharp pain in her leg. She moved her hand to her leg, only to feel the blankets against her hand. She looked down, noticing her leg up to her upper thigh, had been fully severed, cut off.

She pulled the covers off, to notice stitches where her leg had been amputated. Slowly, she began to gain her memories of what had happened last night, remembering how she had cut off her leg, how she had lost Satsuki…

Hanako looked over at the side table beside the bed, finding the call button, and shakily pressing the button. Moments later, Shoko stepped into the room. Shoko, noticing Hanako’s face turn from slightly tranquil to worried, spoke.

“Don’t worry Hanako, we retrieved Satsuki’s body, your uniform is being repaired and cleaned, and the cigarette is back in your dorm room.”

Hanako nodded quietly, letting herself relax ever so slightly.

A couple of hours passed, and Hanako asked if she could go outside to look around, and a little bit later, a wheelchair was placed in her room.

Hanako carefully lowered herself into the wheelchair from the bed, wheeling her way outside onto the campus trails. She wheeled past the training grounds, the pond that she and Satsuki would occasionally shove each other into.

Hanako found herself wheeling over to the cemetery, where all students and staff who died on missions were laid to rest.

Hanako looked for Satsuki’s grave, and after a few moments, she found her best friend’s grave under the lilac tree. This caused a faint smile creeping onto Hanako’s face, knowing that Satsuki’s hair had been a lilac purple.

Hanako then noticed it was raining down ash, most likely from the fires the attack from last night had caused. Hanako found this kind of comical, but it made her heart ache at the same time, the lilac tree and the ash reminding her of her best friend.

December 19th, 2018, 15:16 pm

Hanako had her hands stuffed in her pockets, wearing her winter uniform of courseーbecause what person was going to wear a skirt in the middle of winter? ー wearing an ushanka over her messy dark brown hair.

Snowflakes were falling to earth, hitting her with nostalgia, sitting by Satsuki’s grave and watching the ash fall from the sky, almost symbolizing everything somehow. Hanako walked down the path, no longer using a wheelchair.

Yes, after much convincing by Shoko, Hanako allowed herself to request a prosthetic leg. Luckily, her prosthetic leg helped improve her skills on missions and training. Hanako felt slightly more whole again after she got the prosthetic.

Hanako walked past the tree over by the training grounds. Reminiscing a memory the two friends had shared around the holidays in their first year of high school.

December 6th, 2017

The two friends decided to meet up over by the training grounds, Hanako waiting by the tree for Satsuki, standing out in the downfall of snowflakes. About what seemed like hours later (it was more like 10 minutes), Satsuki ran over to Hanako, smiling and waving.

Hanako got a closer look at Satsuki’s hat, an ushanka. Hanako raised an eyebrow at the hat before speaking. “Satsuki, no offense, but what the hell is that?” Satsuki laughed loudly, her hazel eyes reflecting the sun that was bouncing off of the powdery-looking ground.

“It’s an ushanka, translated to ‘ear flap hat!” Satsuki said, her voice bright, causing Hanako to exhale and shake her head, a small smile finding its way onto her face, speaking quietly.

“Let me guess, to keep your ears warm?”

“Yep!”

Hanako laughed quietly, before feeling something cold hit her back, turning around to see Satsuki holding a few snowballs in her arms, exhaling quietly before speaking. “You couldn’t resist, could you?”

Satsuki rolled her eyes before shaking her head, a smile on her face. “Nope,”

December 19th, 2018, 15:20 pm

Hanako smiled quietly to herself, the memory coming to an end, as the winter winds eased any worries she previously had. Now, Hanako was the one wearing Satsuki’s ushanka, noticing that it truly did keep her ears warm.

Hanako let her mind wander, memories she could remember leading up to this moment, walking around the campus in the middle of December, and then she remembered something.

The cigarette that Satsuki had given Hanako just before she died.

Hanako pulled the cigarette from her winter uniform pants pocket, inspecting it carefully, every indent, dirt stain. It truly was the only thing she had left of her friend (although her friend had told Hanako that she could go through her things, Hanako didn’t feel like she was ready to do that yet.)

As Hanako was inspecting the cigarette carefully, she noticed something she hadn’t noticed before, something written in small handwriting, causing Hanako to move the small object closer to her face, reading it carefully and slowly. It read;

“I thought you said cigarettes were disgusting?”

Hanako laughed quietly, feeling her eyes beginning to water, speaking quietly to herself, her voice sounding annoyed, but she wasn’t annoyed in the slightest. “Satsuki, you’re an idiot,”

And as cheesy as what Hanako did next was, she looked up to the sky, shaking her head, mock exasperation in her voice, “You always gotta have the last words, don’t you?” Hanako reached into her pocket to pull out a lighter, as she walked over to the cemetery, and sat beside Satsuki’s grave, and under the lilac tree, listening to the winter silence.

[EPILOGUE] December 25th, 2018

Despite it being Hanako’s first Christmas without a leg, it was also her first Christmas without Satsuki, causing her depression to increase slightly, but regardless of wanting to stay in bed all day and rot, she forced herself out of bed, deciding to not change into her uniform, wearing her new boyfriend’s sweatshirt (which looked slightly oversized on her), and plaid pajama pants.

She brushed her hair and teeth and washed her face just for the heck of it. She exhaled quietly, looking herself over in the mirror. She had bags under her eyes. Her depression wasn't crippling, but some days it got worse, and she didn’t want to get out of bed, but she always forced herself to find a reason.

Hanako eventually gained the courage to go through Satsuki’s thingsー she only went through a small portion of the things in her dormー but found a necklace that Satsuki always wore, the necklace being the shape of a scythe, that looked almost exactly like the one Satsuki always had carried around on missions, and now Hanako wore it, no matter what, she swore to never take it off.

Hanako put on a pair of socks and slipped on her black slides, before placing a hair tie on her wrist, taking a few steps over to her doorknob, closing her eyes for a few seconds before opening the door and stepping out, going out of her dorm into the common room, to meet up with her boyfriend, and the rest of their friends.

Her boyfriend is Yuuta btw🤭🤭

Sorry the urge to write crippling angst got to me😔

Not gonna lie I'm kinda anxious cus dude my English teacher is going to think I'm depressed as hell

↳ well i am (undiagnosed) depressed but not crippling depression yk

My auto correct while righting these bullet points is trying to make me sound grammatically correct and that is NOT how I type...

Anyways I hope besides the crippling depression and angst you liked this♡♡

©mik0is0bored, 2024. Do not translate or copy.

[raya-hunter01]

Fade Into You Part. 2

Prequel Lights, Camera, Action!

Jey Uso x Black Female OC! (Shantell)

Roman x Black Female OC! Tangela

Solo x Black Female OC! Sofia

Jimmy x Trin

Rating: 18+

Warning: Smut; oral, sex, fluff, masturbation

FADE INTO YOU

Summary: This is the Prequel for Lights, Camera, Action! How does an outburst on your first day lead to a lifelong friendship with the Tribal Chief Roman Reigns and the stands the test of time. How does that friendship introduce you to a special group of people that will become your family.  

When did the lines get blurred between friendship and wanting a relationship with one of your best friends Mr. Main Event Jey Uso. Follow the friendships, and relationships of how they all came to be the one big happy family we all know and love in Lights, Camera, Action.

Times Square August 2018

Manhattan, New York

“This place is amazing.” I said taking in the experience and people as Joe was showing me downtown Manhattan. “Come on, you gotta try a hot dog, they be busin’,” Joe said continuing to walk as I stopped in my tracks mesmerized by a movie trailer playing on the big screen.

“Hey, why did you stop? Joe asked coming over to see what had caught my eye.

“That’s amazing, I said pointing up at the larger-than-life screen in awe as Joe smiled at me. “You know your movie trailers are gon’ be playin’ up there someday,” he said as I laughed. “Oh, stop teasing me Joe,” I said waving him off as we continued our walk.

“I’m serious Shantell, you gon’ do amazing things and I can’t wait to cheer you on,” Joe said kissing my hand as I blushed.

“Well speak it into the atmosphere bestie,” I said smiling at him as we continued our search for a hotdog vendor.

“So, did Jey tell you about the new Candy development? Joe asked as I frowned at him. “No, what’s going on now? I asked as he sighed almost as if he was trying to find the right words to say.

“She had her lawyer contact Jey today, she all of a sudden wants a reconciliation. Mind you his brother just saw the other man at the house the other day,” he said as I growled in frustration.

“ I swear the more people tell me about this chick the more I want to punch her in the fuckin’ throat,” I said honestly as Joe laughed.  Wincing in pain I rubbed my side. “What was that?” Joe asked instantly moving my hand, rubbing my side where my hand had been.

“It’s nothing, I just had a sharp pain that caught me off guard. It’s gone now,” I said as he seemed to not be buying my answer.

“You sure, I mean cause doc can check you out at the building,” Joe said checking me over.

“I’m good stop worrying,” I reassured him as we finally found a vendor and got a few hotdogs. We spent a good portion of the afternoon just exploring the city.

-------

Smackdown

Madison Square Garden

Shantell’s POV

“So, you actually behind a camera tonight? Jimmy asked as Tevin was helping me set up my camera. “Yes, I’m over your segment, we are going to run it on the after-show,” I said as Jimmy smiled. "I see they tryin’ to make these big moves to use you. That’s what’s up," Jimmy said as I smiled.

“Is it too heavy?” Tevin asked coming behind me trying to help me as I was trying to get used to the camera. “Nah, I think I’ll be good as long as I ain’t got to hold it long,” I said honestly as Tevin laughed putting his hands on my hips trying to keep me steady.

“Aye, no funny business, I got my eyes on you,” Jimmy said eying Tevin suspiciously as Tevin scoffed. I couldn't help but look at Jimmy horrified.

“I can assure you I’m a professional, Mr. Uso,” Tevin said as I gave Jimmy a look to shut up.

“Thanks, Tevin I want to put it down now since we’ve got a few minutes and we’re still waiting on Jey,” I said as he grabbed the camera off my shoulder.

I could hear the shuffle of feet in a steady jog. “Aye, I’m here ya’ll I had a meeting with Paul,” Jey said coming over as I smiled at him. Ok, I’ll admit it, I’m crushin’ bad.

“No problem, you didn’t have to rush,” I assured him as I took a deep breath dreading putting the camera on my shoulder, my side was already killing me.

“Ok, I need ya’ll by the fence,” I said walking over as they joined me. “Where do you want us,” Jey asked as I looked around at the lighting. “Jey on my left Jimmy pivot into Jey so I can do this in a tight shot,” I said as Jimmy and Jey looked confused.

 “What the hell is a tight shot?” Jimmy said as I hit him on the shoulder jokingly. “Just trust me, I got ya’ll,” I said as they were trying to put their heads together bouncing ideas off of each other.

Jey’s POV

I have no clue what my brother is saying in this fuckin promo, I’m too focused on this motherfucka Tevin here finding every reason to touch Shantell.

I feel my fist tighten as I see him place his hands on her hips as she leaned up on her tiptoes.

Slowly growlin’ I opened my mouth slightly to show off my new grill.

“Tell’em all what we bout to do Jey,” Jimmy said as I I rubbed my hands together. “We back like we never left and we comin’! We comin’ for what’s ours, you looking at the soon-to-be Smackdown tag team champions! Wellllcoome!!! To the Uso Penatenturary!!  I shouted as Jimmy and me mean mugged the camera. I almost didn't see Shantell’s hand counting us down but we had it right before she yelled cut.

“Hell yea, ya’ll did great,” Shantell said as Tevin took the camera off her shoulder.

“Thanks, Shan,” I said giving her a hug shooting Tevin a look as he looked nervous. Yea, I know what you tryin to do and it ain’t gon’ work. Hands off this one bruh.

“Are you comin’ out wit us tonight?” Jimmy asked Shantell as she shook her head no. “Nah, I’m tired. I’m going to call home, check on my grandmother, and turn it in,” Shantell said.

“Well, I’ll owe you a drink in the next town,” I said as she smiled at me before her phone went off.

“Sorry ya’ll Paul is calling me,” she said walking off privately to take her call. “Aye, when you gon’ tell Shantell you feelin’ her?” Jimmy said as I frowned at him.

 “I ain’t feelin’ her..I mean she’s cool, but she my Uce, that’s it. I told you I ain’t into dating nobody. I got too much shit goin’ on to bring anybody into this shit,” I said as Jimmy rolled his eyes.

“Well ok, that’s yo ass when she’s on somebody else’s arm. Then she really gon’ be just yo damn Uce,” Jimmy said walking away leaving me in my thoughts.

I mean did I really like Shantell?…… Nah, it can't be... We're just friends.

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

Time Square

Manhattan, New York

Jimmy’s POV

Jey and I hit a few bars tonight and got pretty damn lit. “Aye, where we at?” Jey asked as I laughed. “Shit, I don’t know see this why I wanted Trin to come wit us,” I said laughing pulling out my phone trying to focus.

“Aye, man this some bullshit,” Jey said as I tried to focus my eyes but my vision was blurry as fuck and I accidently pressed the live button on my Instagram. “Shit, how you turn this off,” I said trying to find the end live button as Jey grabbed my phone.

“Give me the fuckin phone, we fuckin lost in Time Square," Jey snickered as I laughed myself. “Oh my god it’s the Usos!” we heard someone say as I turned, seeing the guy coming closer to us as Jey laughed. “It’s the fuckin’ Usos! I exclaimed in an excited voice having a little fun with the fan.

“We lost in Time Square, now look at this motherfucka,” Jey said turning the phone on the fan as we continued to laugh. Then I saw Jey’s eyes get wide, a sudden realization dawned on him. I started to see more people making their way towards us and it hit me as well.

 “Oh, shit we in a bad predicament, oh fuck we gotta go,” Jey said somewhat sober now. “We gon hit another bar?” I asked as Jey rolled his eyes “Hell nawl, we gotta go,” Jey said passing me my phone.

Trying to think of a way to end my live I began talking with a bit more sense. “Aye, uh, right now we gon’ head out,” I said as the fan interrupted me. “Can I get a photo really quick?” he asked as I looked at him unsure of what to say.

“Shit, turn it off Jon,” Jey said finally finding the button ending my live. “Man, you always getting me in shit,” Jey said as I rolled my eyes as we took a quick picture with the fan before continuing our way back to the hotel.

“I didn’t put no drink to yo mouth and make you drink it,” I said as he shook his head. “You might as well come on bro, get the bitch off yo mind, take a load off,” Jey mocked as I tried to shift the blame.

“See why you gotta bring up old shit?” I said as Jey ran his hands over his face. Well at least one of us was sobering up…

-----

Embassy Suites

Shantell’s POV

Sitting on the balcony I finally felt relaxed, and I was finally feeling better. I was slowly dozing as my phone startled me, looking down I saw I got a notification on Instagram saying Jimmy had been live. “What the hell he goin’ live for at two in the morning?” I muttered clicking on his live.

“Oh my god,” I whispered watching the live in horror until it abruptly ended. “What the hell were they thinking?" I said to myself trying to calm down as heard commotion down below that seemed to be close by. I knew…Well I hoped it was them making it back safely.

“Son of a bitch,” I muttered going back into my room, slipping on some sweats along with my shoes, quickly grabbed my key. I opened my door and almost collided with Trin. "I can’t reach Jimmy nor Jey, have you heard from them?” she asked frantically as I dragged her hand, steering her towards the elevator.

“I think they are close by," I said as Trin wiped her tears. “I just don’t know what to do about Jimmy and this drinking. Now he got Jey out here acting stupid too,” she cried as I rubbed her back.

“Hey, he’s ok…and ya’ll are going to figure it out. Jey’s gon’ figure his shit out too, you gotta believe that,” I said trying to not freak out on this elevator that was moving so slow.

Jey’s POV

“Damn I ain’t got my key,” I muttered searching through my pockets as Jimmy was leaning up against the wall outside the hotel.

“Aye, can I stay wit you tonight? Trin gon’ kill me, I said I was only gon’ have two drinks. I can’t walk in the room like this, “Jimmy said somewhat sobering up.

“Glad you starting to sober up, but didn’t you hear me say I can’t find my fuckin’ key!” I screamed as Jimmy laughed.

“Excuse me, could you both keep it down people are trying to sleep around here. If you can’t keep it down we will have to call the proper authorities,” an older gentleman bellhop said as Jimmy rolled his eyes stepping to the guy.

“How about you mind yo fuckin business,” he said as I saw Shantell and Trin come out of the hotel. I would rather be anywhere than here looking at their faces right now.

“Ah hell,” I whispered as Trin walked up to Jimmy. “I’m sorry for my husband’s outburst, he’s just had a lot going on. I’m going to take him to bed now, “Trin said as Jimmy’s face softened.

“Hey baby!” he started as her cold stare made him zip his lips as she took him by the hand guiding him inside.  “I can’t believe you out here acting a fuckin fool, shit doesn’t make no sense. I’m getting real sick of the shit,” I heard her say as Jimmy hung his head.

Yeah, he was gon’ have a long day tomorrow groveling. My eyes met Shantell’s as she sighed looking around at everything but me. “Now what you gotta say?” I asked in a harsh tone as I saw Shantell look at me shaking her head in disbelief. “What are you talking about?” Shantell asked looking intently at me.

“Look I see how you lookin’ at me. What you ready to scold me, and judge me like everybody else? Just nagging like my damn wife do,” I accused, as Shantell looked at me in disappointment and sadness.

I knew I was wrong as fuck; and reckless with how I was speaking with her. This is why I hate drinking; I say shit I can’t take back and lines get crossed.

I knew Shantell was bout to let me have it as I watched the emotions play out across her face and I deserved it.

“First of all who the hell you think you talkin’ to? I ain’t yo wife and I damn sure ain’t your woman and even if i was you wouldn't talk to me that way.  All I was going to say is that you don’t need to be putting yourself in situations like that.  Anything could have happened Jey. I could hear ya’ll on my balcony and I just came down to make sure ya’ll were good,” Shantell said as I sighed in defeat and understanding because I couldn’t find the right words to say.

“I really thought after everything that happened last week, you would know that I would never do that to you, or anybody for that matter,” she whispered as I groaned in frustration knowing I had hurt her feelings with my accusations.  

“Shantell I’m sorry,” I started as she cut me off bluntly.” I’m sorry to," she said pausing, rubbing her temples. The silence spoke louder than any words as we both were trying to process the conversation.

 “You know what Jey?  I’m not sorry because as your friend I’m supposed to tell you when you fuckin’ up. You know why…Because that’s what real friends do. So I’m telling you to your face don’t fuck up everything you worked so hard for, do better,” she said as I nodded.  

“Look you right, I gotta do better.  I didn't mean to come at you like that, I’m drunk and I ain’t thinkin’ clearly,” I said as she bit her lip.

“It’s okay, I’m just glad you both got back safe and ya’ll weren’t behind the wheel of a car. I’ll just holla at you later, good night, Josh,” she said walking back inside the hotel.

“Uh! You dumb fuck,” I whispered to myself as I saw her getting on the elevator, my heart dropping to my stomach as I saw her wiping tears from her eyes as the doors on the elevator closed.

"Excuse me, sir, I don’t mean to get in your business but women like that are the ones you don’t take for granted. That’s a real one right there, you betta go make it right young man before you lose her,” the bellhop said as I sighed.

“I will OG, but I want to say I’m sorry bout being loud and everything, just had a lot going on,” I said as he smiled.

“No harm, just take care of yourself,” he said as I shook his hand and began my journey up to Shantell’s room.

Now how the hell was I gon’ make this up to her?

-----

Shantell’s POV

 Shantell save yourself you’re going to get hurt,” I said to myself getting ready for bed as I heard a knock on my door. I knew who it was, and I wasn’t in the mood.

“Go away Jey,” I whispered softly against the door as I heard him mutter something under his breath I couldn’t make out. “What did you say?” I asked hearing him take a deep breath.

“I just wanted to tell you I’m sorry again. I know you were just worried and lookin’ out for me,” he said as I contemplated opening the door.

“Jey, it’s ok just go sleep it off. We’ll talk tomorrow when you’re more sober,” I said as I heard him turn the doorknob. “Shan, can I come in? I just don’t want to end the night like this,” Jey said as I sighed slowly giving in unlocking the door, and letting him in.

 “I’m sorry Shantell, It’ll never happen again,” he whispered taking me in his arms catching me off guard. “It’s ok,” I whispered enjoying being in his arms minus the strong stench of alcohol radiating off of him.

“Do you want some water?” I asked as he pulled away, going straight to my bed kicking off his shoes before laying down. “Nope, I just wanna lay wit you and talk. I don’t want to be alone tonight," he said as his gaze held mine.

"Why do you want to be here?" I whispered softly as Jey smiled at me."I sleep better when I’m wit you,” he said as I rolled my eyes but deep down it made my heart flutter.

“How you got that lil attitude with me a little while ago I should make yo ass go to your own room,” I said as he looked at me with a pout.

“Come on, I said I was sorry Shantell; it won’t happen again;” he said beckoning me with his finger licking his lips. Fuck he’s sexy and the problem is he knows it.

 “I know yo ass better not throw up on me,” I said scrunching up my face is disgust at the thought. “Nah, I can hold my shit, I don’t throw up,” Jey said as he sat up and took off his shirt.

Whoa! What you doin’ Magic Mike?” I asked blushing looking at his beautiful chest and tattoos. “I’m getting ready for bed, you comin’ over here, or do I need to come get you,” Jey said without missing a beat now unbuckling his pants.  His cockiness sending a shiver down my spine.

“Well Mr. I can hold my shit, you need take a shower first if you plan on layin’ in my bed because you stank," I said as he raised an eyebrow at me.

“Oh it’s like dat?" he asked smirking at me, getting outta of bed.

“Yeah, it is, and brush your teeth there’s an extra toothbrush in the bathroom,” I said as he licked his lips.

“You tryin’ to get me all clean, you must tryin’ to take advantage of me,” Jey whispered invading my space as tried to calm my nerves. “Jey go take a shower,” I whispered as I felt his hands wrap around my waist.

“You know what I realized when we were on that trip? Jey asked as I looked at him intently. “What did you realize?” I asked as he pulled me closer.

It was almost like he was having an internal war with himself. “Nothin’ I’ll tell you when the time is right,’ Jey whispered his lips almost grazing my mine as I involuntarily moaned, turning my head before our lips met as his soft lips met my cheek.

“Jey we can’t,” I whispered pulling away as he nodded in agreement. “I know, and I’m sorry I even put you in this type of situation,” Jey said running his fingers through his hair before retreating to the bathroom to shower.

I released the breath I was holding looking at the bathroom door in relief. Yeah, that's definitely the alcohol talking. I knew tonight was going to be a long night for me, but I welcomed it because he was here and he safe.

-------

Monday Night Raw

United Arena, Chicago, IL

Jey’s POV

“Jey it’s fine, stop apologizing, I’m not mad,” Shantell said trying to set up the show monitors as I watched her.

“I just want to make sure I treated you with the upmost respect. I know how I can get when I drink,” I said honestly as she stopped working to look at me.

“What’s the last thing the remember from last night,” she asked as I thought long and hard. “The last thing I remember is you letting me into your room and the rest is a straight blur,” I said trying to rack my brain trying to figure out what happened.

I saw Shantell lower her head and I felt bad instantly and I didn’t even know what I did wrong.

“Did anything happen?” I asked almost scared of the answer as she smiled softly at me. “No, you were a perfect gentleman, so rest easy,” she said rubbing my shoulder.

Shantell’s POV

He didn’t remember that he almost kissed me, I guess that was a good thing even though it stung a little. “I’m glad I behaved; I normally get horny as fuck when I drink,” Jey said as I blushed, playfully hitting his shoulder. “I can’t believe you just said that,” I said laughing as he smiled at me brightly as his phone rang.

“Damn she won’t stop calling. Her lawyer recommended marriage counseling before we make a decision, but I want this divorce,” Jey said looking at me in search of advice and understanding. It’s crazy how in sync we are, it’s almost scary.

“Hey, maybe ya’ll can work it out. Just keep your guard up,” I said rubbing my side. Ok, this pain is getting on my nerves. “Ow, that hurt,” I winced rubbing my side as Jey rubbed my shoulder.

“You alright?” Jey asked as I phone rang again. “Yea, I’m good. You take your call, I got to finish helping the crew get set up for tonight,” I said giving him a quick hug before walking away.

“Candy why you keep calling back to back? I know how to return a call when I ain’t busy. You know I’m at work,” I heard Jey say as I shook my head.  I pray he can walk away from that chaos.

Jey’s POV

“Jey we both agreed to counseling, please just come to a session,” Candy begged as I tried to keep my cool as my lawyer suggested.

“I will let you know when I’m off so we can maybe do a session, but my answer is still the same Candy. I want a divorce,” I said honestly as I saw Shantell helping with the set.

“I just want to make this work, I think we can get back on track,” Candy said as I tried to focus on her what she was saying but Shantell didn’t look right to me. Something was wrong.

“Aye, I’ll call you back later or my lawyer will hit you up,” I said hanging up before she could respond.  The closer I got to Shantell the more I knew I was right. “Hey, you a’ight,” Shantell?” I asked as I seen her eyes began to roll back in her head.  “Aye! Somebody help,” I yelled catching her in my arms, placing her gently on the floor.

“Hey, wake up Shantell,” I encouraged truly scared as Stu kneeled beside me. “Somebody call 911 and go get doc!”  Stu yelled checking Shantell’s pulse. “She’s breathing, thank god,” he whispered as I stroked her hair gently.

“Come on Shantell wake up now, you scaring me,” I whispered as I heard her moan in pain slowly coming to, grabbing her stomach.

Shantell’s POV

This pain has gotten worse, and I can’t hide it anymore. “You ok Shantell, you scared us baby,” Jey said as I tried to get up.

Did he just call me baby? Get it together Shantell, you just scared the shit outta the man.  “I’m ok, just help me get up,” I whispered grabbing my side.

“No, you ain’t ok, now don’t move,” Jey said as the pain became more intense. I tried to control my tears, but the pain was too much.

“It hurts so bad Josh,” I finally cried as he held me in his arms. “Hang on, help is coming. Shan” he said trying to remain strong, but I could tell he was scared.

“What the hell happened?” Joe said running up as I balled up in a ball in Jey’s lap trying any way I could to try to ease the pain. “She passed out and scared the fuck outta me. Now she’s complaining of pain,” Jey said holding me close as Joe pulled out his phone.

“Don’t you dare!” I screamed as Joe shook his head in defiance. I knew who he was about to call.

 “No! I’m calling your mama, and your ass is going to the hospital, “Joe said leaving no room for argument. “Shantell, how long have you been hurting?” Mike asked as I looked at him afraid.

“Come on Shantell tell me sweetie,” he encouraged as another pain hit.

“It’s been off and on for about two weeks I guess,” I groaned as Joe frowned at me. “What the hell you mean two weeks!? Really Shan two weeks,” Joes scolded as I groaned in pain.

“Aye! Uce, she hurtin’, and I know you worried but doin' this ain’t helpin’,” Jey said stopping Joe’s rant.

“I’m gon' step over here and call your mom, I'll be back in a second,” Joe said walking away as I tried to hold it together.

“Joe’s mad at me,” I cried as Jey shushed me. “His ass will be ok, he’s just worried about you. We all worried about you," Jey said holding me tight now he said as the EMTs finally arrived.

Joe’s POV

“Hey, Joey how are you?” Tanya said as I smiled in spite of the situation. “Hey ma,  I’m good. I hate to call you like you but Shantell is sick and before you freak out she seems fine, just havin’ some pain. The EMTs are trying to get her ready to transport her to the hospital,” I said trying to calm her down before she got upset.

“What hospital are they taking her to, I’m about to book a flight to Chicago,” Tanya said as I saw the EMT’s now putting Shantell on a stretcher as Jey came over to me.  “What hospital?” I asked as Jey seemed to be focused on Shantell.

“They takin’ her to Mercy General,” he said as I relayed the message to Tanya. “Joe take care of my baby, I’m on my way,” Tanya said as l released the breath I was holding

“I got her ma, I’ll see you when you get here,” I said falling in line with Jey walking with EMT’s to the ambulance.

“We can allow one rider to come on board.  Does she have anyone to ride with her?” the EMT said as Jey, and I looked at each other. “I’m goin’ wit her," Jey said patting me on the shoulder before I could even get my words together. The ambulance doors slammed shut as Jey climbed in and sat beside shantell, grasping her hand to reassure her he was there.

The sirens blaring made me scared to even think about what was going on in the inside of that ambulance but I hoped Shantell would be ok.

---------

Mercy General Hospital, Chicago, IL

Shantell’s POV

“It’s a good thing you came in Shantell. The problem isn’t appendicitis, it’s your ovaries. Now your right ovary is in horrible condition, and you have adhesions all over your pelvic wall,” the doctor said showing the results.

 “How does this work? I mean what happens to the ovary?” I asked as the doctor. touched my knee in support. “It’s badly damaged, we need to remove it,” he said as felt the tears coming.

“How can you do that, I mean how will I be able to have children?” I asked wiping my tears. “I’m going to be honest with you. It’s going to be very hard for you to have children due to the damage, but I feel we will know more after we get in there,” he said as I nodded not wanting to hear anymore.

I’m damaged, and I probably will never be a mom. “I know it’s a lot, but I promise I will take of you Shantell. We need to move fast;” he said as the nurse came in to administer the medication to get me comfortable before they take me to the OR.

I saw Jey a few steps behind coming to take a seat beside my bed as I tried and miserably failed to keep my tears at bay.

"Are you ok beautiful?" Jey asked as I shook my head yes, wiping the few tears that had escaped.

“You sure you, ok?” Jey asked again, holding my hand as I’m trying to hold it together.

“Well, I’m trying, it’s not every day you’re at work, collapse, and they tell you they need to do emergency surgery to take out one of your ovaries,” I say as Jey leans over wiping my tears away.

“You gon’ be ok,” he reassures me with a smile. His wife is a lucky woman, I hope they work it out their issues. I just appreciate how much of a great friend he’s been to me. He even rode in the ambulance with me here.

“I’m going to be damaged; the doctor says having kids is going to be hard for me,” I say trying to keep my tears at bay.

“You ain’t gon’ be damaged, you everything Shan. A man would be lucky to have you, I mean you could adopt. You can do the thing where you let somebody carry the baby for you,” he says fumbling a little over his words. 

“Well, I’m glad your positive about this,” I say throwing him a small smile. “A few of my family members are adopted, and we love them just the same, they blood, “he whispers kissing my hand.

 “You’re so nice to me,” I say feeling the drugs taking effect, trying to force my eyes to stay open.  “You stuck wit me too, yo' ass is in the family now. He says staring at me smiling lightly.  “Just sleep, everybody will be here when you wake up baby,” Jey says as I finally let sleep take over.

-------

Mercy General Hospital, Chicago, IL

Tanya’s POV

“You really know how to do it up big don’t you. Your last show being an intern for these folks, and you fall yo ass out, on the job,” I said trying to lighten the mood as Shantell shifted in bed trying to get comfortable.

“Oh, you really funny,” Shantell whispered as Joe tried to feed her some Jello. “Joe, I ain’t had no food in almost twelve hours. I’m hungry ya’ll, this ain’t cool,” she whined as Joe snickered. She slowly chewed the jello he placed in her mouth frowning as Joe shook his head at her antics.

 “I sent Jey at you some soup from a deli I saw down the street, so just be patient,” Joe said leaning over, gently kissing Shantell on the forehead as she sighed.

Oh, my goodness, they would be such a cute couple, but Shantell keeps stressing to me they are just friends. I could totally see him being my son-in-law.

“I’m back with the soup ya’ll,” Jey said coming in as Shantell smiled brightly. Now wait a damn minute now….Is she smiling about the food or is she smiling because he’s back?

I didn’t have to wait long for my answer as Joe moved, and Jey took his spot.

“I got you some chicken noodle soup,” Jey said taking the lid of the soup as I looked at my daughter in awe. “Thank you,” Shantell whispered as he began to feed her. The way they interact wit each other ain't fooling me one damn bit.

 Oh, yeah miss thing we gon talk about this one when we get home. It seems I have missed a whole new development.

My baby was in love with Joe’s cousin Jey, and if my mind ain’t playin’ tricks on me he looks just as smitten with her.

What the hell is going on?

Taglist: @reci24 @southerngirl41 @vebner37 @jeyusos-girl

@melaninsugababy @romanreignkisser @bebesobrielo

@arination99 @2-muchsauce @bakugoumarianawrites

@empressdede @alyyaanna @christinabae @anonandwannakeepitthatway @venusesworld

[shadowjax]

The Dragon’s Blade

That Beach Episode A03

Natasha Romanoff x reader/oc Oneshot

Warnings: little angst, fluff, hurt/comfort

A/N: This has to be one of my longest fics haha.

*Shares are appreciated* 5k Words

“Pack your things, guys, I just got out of a meeting with Fury and persuaded him into giving us the day off.” Tony paraded into the lounge, Morgan following right behind, dressed like they were ready to go to a tropical island. With the clap of his hands, a video of the beach played on the TV.

“Hey.” Morgan shot Tony an annoyed look and crossed her arms.

“Ok. Ok. This little rascal did all the work with her puppy eyes.” 

“Tony it’s almost noon, any place remotely tropical is hours away. Even by jet.” Bruce was seated on the couch, now annoyed his show had been turned off. He and Vison were in the middle of watching an old sitcom that Wanda had recommended.

“Which is why we’re staying overnight at a condo I just so happen to have bought years ago.” 

“Love the idea but who will take care of the city while we are gone,” Steve commented, who was in the middle of a card game with Vision, Sam, and Bucky. 

“None other than our junior counterparts, of course. C’mon, guys get packing, the jet leaves in two hours.” After scooping his child onto his shoulders, Tony exited the room, their laughter echoing throughout the hallway. Recently the tower had become a bit more crowded with all the newest recruits like Kate, Cassie, and Kamala. 

“Ohhhhh, I love building sandcastles. Now that I think about it, you’ve never been to the beach have you.” Wanda stood beside you while the two of you cleaned up from making the group breakfast. 

“No, I haven’t, it’s on my list of places to take Nat though so this works out. I hope it's too crowded with tourists but knowing Tony we’ll be on our own private sector...” 

After temporarily scarring the newest recruits during your first encounter, you realized it was time to find a solution to heal the scars across your face. The main problem was that while the serum in your veins could heal new wounds, it couldn’t fix the scars from injuries you had before it was injected. Over the past several months, you have undergone a series of procedures with Dr. Lee to improve the appearance of the scars on your face. Although certain scars may still be visible, the once vivid pink marks have now blended more effectively with your natural skin tone. This has significantly reduced their prominence, resulting in a much less noticeable appearance overall. 

“I’m glad to see the scars are healing, the doc sure knows what she’s doing. Speaking of beaches, in my opinion, they are a great place to propose to someone. Say a particular redhead.” Wanda’s eyebrows danced momentarily, causing you almost to drop a plate. “I know you’ve been thinking about it, I can see the pictures playing in your head. You practically project them!” 

“Wanda I know you mean the best, but please. It’s only a thought.” When you were younger, there were numerous things you never imagined yourself doing. Reflecting on those times now, an uncomfortable pit seems to form in your stomach when you think back on the past.

“A thought you have entertained for 3 months and many hours throughout the day.” You glanced at the ring Vision had given Wanda when he proposed. It was well crafted and clearly, Vison spent a lot of time working on the perfect design for her. A while back, you had a conversation with him about how he chose the design and gem for the ring, knowing he was the only one capable of keeping such a secret. 

Dr. Lee placed an arm around both you and Wanda’s shoulders, gently stepping in to join the conversation. “Believe me when I tell you, kid, there is nothing better than knowing you share a special bond with the one you love the most. Knowing only the two of you share this bond, to spend the rest of your lives as equals. Heck, I never thought I’d survive being a war nurse but here I am. Ring and all, with a beautiful woman I call wife.” 

“I think both of you need a new murder show to binge rather than prodding into my life.” Your comment led to a smack on the back of your head from Lee. “Well, when the world isn’t inanimate danger, what does a married woman in her late thirties do with her time, especially when she has a stable, well-paying job?" The conversation quickly ended, knowing neither of them had a good comeback, leaving you last in the dining room though packing wasn’t a tedious task for you.

~~~~

“You’re already packed, for the both of us?” You walked into Nat’s room to find a small suitcase packed, a part of you wondered if she already had this packed because she was planning something as well. “I can’t tell if you already had a getaway planned, not that I am against it.”

“Well someone had to place the thought in Morgan’s head and I knew Fury would cave. Who can say no to her.” She was dressed in mid-thigh denim shorts paired with a white and light blue striped shirt, which had a turn-down collar and was tucked in at the front. The top was left slightly unbuttoned, revealing a hint of a black two-piece bathing suit underneath. 

“My eyes are up here,” she teased with a playful smile. “You’re staring again—everything okay?” She took a seat on her bed, facing you as she gathered her hair and secured it into a half-ponytail.

“Nothing to worry about, I’m just admiring you.” You gently placed your hand in hers to guide her into a spin, then wrapped your arms around her from behind. Resting your head on her shoulder, you took in the pleasant scent of strawberries that surrounded her. 

“Are you sure, you’re behaving clingy?” She placed her hands over yours and squeezed them. 

“Do you think Clint and his family will be joining us?” Ever since the battle and his family returned, he immediately retired which was understandable. Never wanting to be away from them again. He and his family will make an appearance for any holiday events the team hosts together. When Kate first moved in to the Tower, Clint was there to help her adjust and train.

“No, he’s busy with the new livestock on the farm. Last I called he was talking about getting a couple of horses.” She squeezed your hands, “As much as I don’t want to move, we should get on the jet so we can get good seating.”

~~~

On the jet, you tried to catch up on some reading but ended up thinking about what Wanda and Lee said earlier. You could feel Wanda’s stare burning through your soul, knowing full well you were mentally projecting images aloud to her.

“I just realized something, you’ve never been to the beach right?” Nat leaned her head on your shoulder while pointing to the ocean below. 

“Oi heads up kid.” Maria threw something that hit you in the head. Upon further investigation, it was a pair of blue shorts with sharks wearing sunglasses. 

“They’re meant for the ocean so you won’t ruin your clothes,” Nat said in between her laughter. 

“Ooo I almost forgot.” Maria tossed a matching 2 piece outfit on Nat’s lap. Wanda and Dr.Lee tried to hide their laughter while Nat threatened the three. 

The jet landed near a giant condo located just a few miles away from the local tourist spot. It didn’t take long for people to start setting up and diving into the water. Thankfully, you had packed an extra black tank top, although you still felt somewhat exposed with so much of your skin exposed to the blazing sun. You hadn’t realized how pale you were until now. You weren't the biggest fan of sand, it made walking uncomfortable. It made your skin dry and got everywhere. Bits of water sprayed in the air after the waves crashed against the shore, the water was a clear blue. 

You and Nat set up your area close to where the girls had settled, while the guys were already making a splash in the water. Some of them were sporting some matching flamingo floaties around their waists, reflecting one Pepper had Morgan wear when she went into the swimming. You applied a layer of sunscreen, the liquid was cold to the touch. 

“Hey, once you’re done, be a dear and put some sunscreen on my back.” Nat removed her regular clothes, revealing a simple black two-piece swimsuit she was wearing underneath. 

You tried not to stare too much, unable to handle your teammate's teasing about how “head over heels you were”. One of the guys had called you a “simp” before and still to this day you have no idea what it meant, whenever you asked they’d simply laugh in your face. Even the women laughed at your naivete. In all honestly she was beautiful no matter what time of the day, your heart felt like it would leap out of its chest. 

“You’re gonna burn up easily with such pale skin. Let me help you with that.” Bruce transformed into the Hulk moments ago, his hand was big enough to wrap around your entire body and tossed you straight into the ocean. To say your friendship with him was strained would be an understatement. Ever since you and Nat started dating he had become distant, not that you two were ever close to begin with. Neither of you have common interests and with your pitiful social skills, neither of you talk.

“What-”

Your protest was cut short as you fell face-first into the water. Fortunately, he hadn’t thrown you too far into the deep end, and just as you found your footing, a massive wave crashed over you, sweeping you back toward the shore. You could hear the others laugh while you were recovering from the wave knocking you down. Before you were able to regroup with the others on the shore Morgan dragged you into whatever game she was playing with the others and as much as you wanted to kick Bruce’s ass, but were too distracted by whatever game you were being dragged into.

When the sun began to set, Morgan finally set you free. Thor had set up a small bonfire for everyone to gather around. He assisted Pepper in cooking hotdogs and hamburgers over the fire accompanied with some mead that Thor had brought. Maria and Dr.Lee passed around this coconut drink for those who couldn’t handle mead. You sat next to Nat who moved her seat a bit further away from the rest of the group. 

“You’ve fought off some of Earth’s greatest enemies, yet are tiered out by a child.” She failed to hide her laughter. She stopped laughing when she turned to look at your condition. You were covered in sand, your hair was very disheveled, and there were dark lines underneath your eyes. 

“Would you mind if we headed back to the house?” 

Before sitting down you had begun to feel nauseous and the moment you sat down you felt a wave of exhaustion hit you. Maybe it was the spiked coconut drink mixed with the hours of sun, the stress of a proposal, or the sand when you were ready to go to bed. You held onto Nat for balance as the two of you left the beach. Some of your teammates are throwing a mischievous smile your way. You concluded that you hated sand. It makes your skin and hair dry, as well as rubbing in the wrong places under your beach attire. Thankfully Nat helped you out of your outfit while you waited for the bath water to warm. You noticed a difference between the skin that was hidden under your clothes. Once the bath salts dissolved the room began to smell like lilac. Your body melted the moment you were submerged in the water. 

Nat sat on the side of the bath and started to wash your hair. You started to fall asleep while her fingers scrubbed the shampoo in your hair, causing you to lean more towards the side. 

“I may need to get checked by the doctor eventually. I shouldn’t be this wiped out.” The serum in your body usually does a good job of keeping you healthy at all times. 

“I think you just need a good night's sleep.” You started to doze off and the last thing you remember you were being dried off and being tucked into bed. You pleaded with her to return the gesture and help her relax before bed and she reassured you she would be alright. Once you were under the sheets you immediately fell asleep. Nat eventually joined you in bed, wrapping her arms tightly around you.

~~~

You awoke to a gentle light illuminating the room, turning your head to see the clock read 6 am. Vacation or not you knew people would be waking up soon. Luckily Nat was a heavy sleeper so slipping out of bed was easy. You tried to make breakfast, t r i e d. Your mind was a bit preoccupied with the lingering thoughts of marriage. Two nearly burned eggs, untoasted bread, and a few burn marks later you heard footsteps approaching. A bush of embarrassment began to trace your face.

“Soooooo, how’s my favorite birdie doing…making the future wife breakfast in bed I see.” Tony walked right past the mess and started to brew coffee.

“Not you too.” You searched the cabarets for utensils and a tray to carry everything on. 

“Aaaa you’re having a wedding!” Morgan gasped and quickly ran over to you. 

“Calm down sweetie, let the grownups wake up first.” Pepper followed suit and started searching the cabinets for plates as well. 

You knelt to Morgan’s height, “I haven’t asked your aunt Nat anything yet so please keep this to yourself. You wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise now.” Pepper handed her daughter some plates and utensils to help set the table. 

“I’m glad to see my baby bird leave the nest.” Tony turned you around to meet his level, even though he was the taller one. 

“Since when was I ever in the nest?” You could feel your mind becoming more distracted by bird facts instead of the more important topic on hand. “I think I understand what you are trying to say.”

“First a social life, then a girlfriend, now a possible fiancé. It feels like yesterday we rescued you from HYDRA.” Pepper smacked him upside the head with a towel for the last comment.

“I’m sorry, possible.” You gesture with air quotes. Another worry to add to the pile. 

“Hey hey, I see those gears turning. I’ll just take my coffee and go work on something.” Tony made a quick exit, leaving you with Pepper and Morgan. 

“It’s alright to feel nervous, it’s a big step forward. I’m sure she’ll say yes. Also, you don’t need any grand gestures, it’s best to be honest and speak from the heart.” It wasn’t like you were planning on anything big anyway. 

“You make Aunty Natty very happy, I know she’ll say yes.” 

“I appreciate it guys. Now if you don’t mind. I need to go patch up my hands and…” you looked at the pathetic attempt at food you made, “get this upstairs.” 

Feeling nervous means behind all that doubt, a strong part of you wants it. Right? 

—

You quietly entered the shared room and found Nat stretching in bed. “Morning. I’m sorry the breakfast is not up to standards. I didn’t know how to use the toaster so I used the burner then my hands…” You set the tray aside on the bedside table and revealed your injured hands to her. A few blisters were beginning to form. 

“And no one was in the kitchen to witness this?” The two of you made your way to the bathroom, Nat placed some clear gel on your blisters and warped a bandage over them. You sat on the countertop while she patched you up.

“Tony, Pepper, and Morgan walked in after the whole thing. She offered to help but I didn’t want to embarrass myself any further.” You were staring a bit too long, her tangled hair and loose pajamas caused your heart to race. Ever since the battle with Thanos, she’s been more relaxed now that there’s been a new team of heroes to take care of the world as well.

She appears much happier and healthier now. The stress from those five years had affected her both mentally and physically. Her hair is now fuller and more noticeable than ever, and she has chosen to keep it just below her shoulders. Maintaining proper sleep and a balanced diet was challenging at first, but over time, she came to understand their importance. 

“You’re staring again.” You tried to turn your blushing face away but before you could she stopped you by placing a hand over your cheek. She gently rubbed over the scars by your mouth, your head nestling on her. “What’s been on your mind, I’ve noticed you have been spacing out more than usual.” 

“The change in scenery has got me thinking. When I was still with HYDRA, I never thought I’d see the sun. Let alone find people who want me around for more than my skills. I thought I’d be alone until the day I die, like…” Your sobs cut off before you mentioned your sister's name, and guilt washed over. “I’m sorry. Does the guilt ever… go away?” Looking in the mirror became easier but every once in a while, you’d feel an overwhelming sense of guilt. Especially since you’ve let your hair grow out, you were sort of glad the scars would never completely fade. 

“Take a deep breath with me.” The two of you closed your eyes and began the breathing technique Dr.Lee walked through with you. Your right hand fell onto hers which was still placed over your cheek and the other traced the marble countertop underneath you. Nat leaned in, her head resting on your chest and her shampoo filling your scent. Her hair was soft beneath your chin. She wrapped her free arm around your waist, pulling you in tightly while you calmed down. “You’ve escaped. You are no longer in that place.” she quietly repeated. 

“Thanks.” was all you could say, your head resting on top of hers. After you both calmed down, you suggested finding a place for breakfast, admitting that she deserved better than your sad attempt at cooking earlier.

~~~~

You both spent the rest of the day exploring the local town and enjoying some more satisfying food. She was dressed in an adorable strawberry-red summer dress, featuring a pleated neckline that fell gracefully just above mid-thigh. Today, she had let her hair fall naturally, adding to the effortless charm of her outfit. You opted for a more understated look, wearing a simple navy button-up shirt adorned with sailboats, tucked neatly into a pair of black shorts.

You felt anxious about being in a public space, but thankfully, Nat was there to keep you steady.  keep you grounded. As you ventured out, a few derogatory comments were hurled in Nat’s direction. You tried to brush them off and act like they didn’t affect you, even though inside you were seething. You wanted nothing more than to retaliate, to drive your sword into the spine of the man who had practically called you ugly. The insecurity gnawed at you, making you question if you were truly good enough for Nat. The idea of marrying her now feels like a cruel joke, something that could never actually come to pass. The emptiness in your stomach returned with a vengeance, an unsettling reminder of your self-doubt. Thankfully the situation took a turn for the better once Steve and Bucky approached you guys. You weren't able to ignore this lingering, snide remark about how Nat was with one of your friends instead of you, coming off as if they had gotten things wrong. Despite their departure, the sting of their words remained, casting a shadow over your day.

The two pulled you off to the side for a moment. “So Wanda and the doc filled us in on everything.” They both trapped you between them, an arm wrapped around each shoulder. “So for the wedding, can we be the flower guys?” 

“Bucky, that isn’t why we pulled them aside.” 

“Listen, Stevie, Tony didn’t include us, neither did Wanda nor Maria.” 

“Ok is that all you guys wanted to talk about? Because I don’t know if that’s up to me.” 

“No that’s not the reason, Buck. We just wanted to say we’re proud of you. I know we had a rough start but you have impressed me these last few years. On a related note, there’s this jewelry store down the block where you both can make custom rings together. Wanda mentioned you were having trouble picking one out.” The two left, off to do who knows what.

There was still an emptiness in your gut, when Nat placed a hand on your shoulder you ignored that feeling and focused all attention on her. The two of you continued to walk the streets hand in hand. A few hours of shopping later you gained enough courage to ask Nat to check out the jewelry store the guys recommended. The shop was run by a nice elderly couple who were more than happy to help you create a set of rings. You both explored a range of metals and finishes before making your choices, opting to engrave the date of your first date inside both rings. Nat decided on a delicate, thin circular band in rose gold with a polished finish, which beautifully highlighted its elegant simplicity. In contrast, you selected a slightly thicker tungsten band with a satin finish, giving it a more understated yet durable appeal. 

Nat chatted away with the couple while you sat silently, which wasn’t uncommon. You were horrible at making small talk, as much as you like to think you have improved over the past few years. The normal topic about how the two of you met came up and from then on Nat told them an abridged version. She left out the part about the two of you working as “superheroes” and the fact that your job has nearly killed both of you. Instead of listening to the conversation, you found yourself watching Nat. Speaking so openly and freely about something she felt so deeply about, she was mesmerizing. 

“And that’s how we ended up here, it’s sort of a spur-in-the-moment vacation. Although I am glad we were able to take a break, sometimes planning can be so time-consuming especially when our schedules keep us very busy.” 

“You two seem like such a lovely pair, I’m so happy to have shared this moment with you two. Alright, the polish has been set, try them on.” 

Both of you were given the other's rings, you slid the newly crafted rose gold band around Nat’s finger. Markings of old blisters, cuts, and burns scattered all over her hands from her years of battle. Her nails and the skin around her finally healed after the stress she was under during the 5-year blip. Her breath paused for a moment when you slid the band on her finger as if she was holding back a wave of emotion. 

After setting the ring you placed a gentle kiss on her hand, your thumb running over the smooth ring. You weren’t sure how either of you kept your composure, she repeated your actions after placing your ring on. The moment was broken the moment another customer walked in, the bell knocking you out of your trance and back to reality. That worrying pit surfacing again. 

“Natasha, won’t you be a dear and help an old woman out with this order?” The elderly woman led Nat to the back. 

“I can see the gears turning.” The older man leaned on the counter, standing just a few feet away from your face. “The more you overthink, the more you are prolonging the question. I will not charge you anything if you pop the question tonight.” 

“I…” His request felt so sudden, was it really that obvious? If so then there is no way Nat has no idea what is going on in your mind. If so then why hasn’t she brought it up?

“She’s waiting for you, just open up to her and be honest. You’ll feel much better in the end.” His words lingered in your mind far longer than you wished.

~~~

Sometime while the sun was setting on the ocean the two of you were walking along the shoreline. The two of you hadn’t spoken since leaving the jewelry shop an hour ago. While some might find it unusual that you could spend an entire date with so little conversation, it spoke volumes about the deep connection you shared. It was a testament to the comfort and understanding between you, where words weren’t always necessary to feel close. One you had never experienced with another except for…

“So are you finally going to tell me what’s been on your mind the past few weeks? This isn’t your normal silence.” Both of you stopped walking and you turned to face Nat. There was no way you’d be able to hide from her any longer. You had grown tired of patience and dodging the question wasn’t helping you. 

“I-” You were cut off by her phone ringing. 

“Who is bothering me right now…” She took her phone from her pocket and glanced at the screen. Before she was able to decline or answer you snatched the phone from her hand. Not bothering to look at who was calling, and declined the call, she didn’t even look fazed by the action. Her eyes widened in surprise while suppressing the urge to laugh at the annoyed look on your face.

“There has been something else on my mind.” you took both her hands in yours, squeezing them. “It’s something Wanda and the doc have been pestering me about.” Your eyes fell to the ground, a wave sinking the two of you into the sand. All of a sudden you became irritated just standing still, your hands began to shake and your legs began to twitch. Nat opened her mouth to say something but let you continue. You found yourself using your thumbs to trace the back of her hands. “Umm. Marriage. So is that something- Would you like that- Umm.” What are you saying?! You quickly dropped your hands and took a step back from her, nervously tugging at the hair at the nape of your neck. “Marry me? Ahh, wait umm. Would you..” before you could dig a bigger hole for yourself Nat threw her arms around you, almost tackling you to the ground. 

Once she gained her footing she pulled you in for a kiss, your hands resting on her waist while hers rested on your face. “I was wondering when you were going to ask me.” She cut you off before you could ask. “I’m a spy, there’s nothing you can hide from me. Plus Wanda isn’t the best at keeping secrets, she isn’t the quietest whisperer. And of course, I’ll marry you, detka.” Your foreheads resting on top of one another.

The tears in your eyes finally began to fall, in happiness of course. For each one that fell she kissed it away. 

“I never thought I’d get here. After all the accomplishments and hardships. All of the sacrifices we made to get here.” You balled your right hand into a fist and made a circle gesture around your heart. “There is no one I’d rather walk forward with.” You took your hand and placed it over your beating heart. 

“Do we really need to return to the condo tonight, I’d rather just stay here with you.”

“Speaking of the others, you know Steve and Bucky want to be flower pals right.” the two of you started to laugh at the thought of the guys throwing flowers down the aisle. 

“As much as I want to see that, I think I’d prefer we do something small and leave the reception for all of our friends.” She kissed you again and you weren't complaining. “Don’t think you need to make yourself uncomfortable with a big ceremony just because I want one. Besides, I’m sure there is a place to get married right here if you want” She whispered that last part in your ear.

“Oh, thank the gods! I was so focused on the ring and asking you that I completely forgot there was a ceremony. And for the wedding, I’ll make sure to present you with a more traditional ring.”

“Hmmm. I don’t need a flashy ring, this one is so unique.” Your face was definitely flushed from all the kisses she showered on you.

“Yes, but I have the past three months researching, hand mining, and polishing many jewels, as well as burning my hands trying to bend metal. Plus I know you’d love nothing more than to flaunt a shiny new wedding ring to all the other women and men in the tower. Speaking of flaunting…” You craned your head to the side and shouted, “You guys can come out!” to the group who hid poorly behind a lifeguard stand. 

Nat knelt down to scoop an energized Morgan into her arms, “I’m so excited for you, Aunty Natty can I see the ring?” The two of you showed the team the rings you two crafted just a few hours ago. 

“Quite the craftsmanship, I’m impressed,” Thor commented. “The boy is finally becoming a man, or in your case… Bruce help me out here.” 

“I’m happy for you guys. Really. I know things have been a bit awkward but the two of you make a great pair.” It was nice to see Bruce not act so cold towards you. 

“You're going to look so gorgeous, I can give you the address of the store I went to!” 

“So did you ask her about it?” Bucky didn’t finish his sentence because Steve pulled him away. 

“A shame I missed out on all the fun.” Tony held his phone to Nat, Clint and his family were on the other line. 

The crowd began to overwhelm you, causing your mind to drift. Thankfully, Nat noticed and announced that the two of you were calling it a night. The sense of emptiness you once felt was now filled with love, not only from Nat but from your entire team as well. You found yourself awake long after Nat had fallen asleep, nestled comfortably against your chest. As you lay there, listening to the gentle crash of the waves on the shore and breathing in the calming scent of strawberries, a deep sense of happiness washed over you. 

Taglist: @rosea-reginae

[anachronism-ahitzine]

Anachronism Applications open now til the 18th!

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[rosesnink]

Red Threads of Fate (That Bind Us Together), Arc I- Black Thorne, White Rose (Pt. 1)

Author's Notes

Je suis back!! After months of not touching this series due to rl craziness, I'm back with COP stuff babey!! This arc will be an interesting one, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. That being said, read the warnings and bon appetit!

English isn't my first language, so please forgive any typos/grammar mistakes

Some parts of the fic will look like they're highlighted. This is an editing errors due to my Word doc crashing many times, losing excerpts because my computer crashed. I know it's annoying, but please try to ignore it and enjoy the read

If you want to be tagged in my COP writing, let me know!

If you want to read more of my ILITW, TRR & D&D stuff, check out my masterlist!!

Summary: Nerea has been in Drakovia for a while, yet she feels very lonely. Meeting a certain Thorne will be eventful... to say the least

Word Count: 2.9k

Category: Romance, coming of age

Pairing: Vasili Thorne x F!OC, Sebastyan Thorne x F!OC (eventually) Marguerite Thorne x F!OC (Nerea Rose) (eventually), mentions of F!Trystan Thorne x F!MC (Neera Rose)

Rating: T

TW: There is a suggestive scene at the end, as well as mentions of discriminations against Romani people, reader's discretion is advised

Book: Crimes of Passion

Two months, six days, a hundred and two minutes and seven hundred minutes.

That’s how long Nerea Rose had been in Drakovia, and not one friend she had made. Sure, there were groups and people she had things in common, but she didn’t seem to have her crowd.

If one didn’t count Juliana Georgescu, but everybody got along fine with the countess. What a life she must lead, Nerea thought. Nevertheless, it seemed that power and wealth had a price, for her mothers had found her a suitor. The Crown Princess, no less. Absorbed in her own thoughts, she bumped into someone, dumping coffee and books all over the place. A small curse in Drakovian was spit, and Nerea did her best to apologize in an accentuated Drakovian “My apologies, I did not see you at all! Please, let me help you—,” She froze in place when she caught sight of the brown skin, dark eyes and glasses “Y-Your Royal Highness! Do forgive me—,”

A thread of apologies began between them both “It’s alright,” he answered in perfect English “I was quite absorbed myself. I did not hurt you, did I?”

“I could ask you that myself! Good heavens, your jacket is ruined! Here, let me…” He put his hand on hers and smiled reassuringly.

“I wanted to get rid of it eventually. I should’ve seen you—,”

As she collected her last book, when she saw the face of the poor man she trampled, recognition and shame came upon her “Oh my, I’m so sorry, Prince Vasili, I should’ve known—,”

He chuckled “Do not fret, I should’ve seen where I was going as well. I suppose we were both distracted.”

She shook her head “No, I should’ve seen where I was going, and now my latte is all over your surely expensive coat!”

He helped her up “Nothing a good rub won’t fix. Please, allow me to walk you to class and buy you a new latte. My treat.” He smiled, and my, what a beautiful smile that was.

“I can’t ask you that—,”

“I’m offering. Besides, I’m afraid my espresso is all over your beautiful dress too. My lady mother would be mortified if I maimed such a beauty. You are…? A beauty like yourself must have a name.” He extended his hand.

“Nerea. Nerea Rose.”

His grip was firm, yet gentle and warm, welcoming even. His eyes swept her before they too widened in recognition “Ah, I’ve heard about you! The American genius who has been travelling throughout Europe’s best universities. Your thesis on the advantages and abuses of AI was formidable. Truly a work of art. My siblings got tired of my gushing about your nuances and the way you expressed it. Not even professionals ten years ahead of you could’ve explained it as well and as richly as you.”

She blushed deeply and bit her lip “I’m glad someone appreciated it. I’m afraid my father didn’t understand much ‘technological mumbo jumbo’ and my sister couldn’t even finish it because the language was too complex.”

He smiled “Shame. It’s a true work of art. Do tell me, what brings you to Drakovia?”

“Well, since I’ve dipped my toes in technology and martial arts, I was thinking of getting a masters on Classical Languages: Latin, Greek, Ancient Egyptian, the works.”

Vasili looked at her, delighted “I am a humanist myself. Not many scientific minds appreciate the arts and humanities. Science may give us answers and make us advance as humanity, but it is art that nurtures the soul.”

Nerea smiled fondly “That’s what my mother used to say.”

Vasili frowned “’Used’?”

Nerea fidgeted with her fingers “She disappeared. Police assumed since she was a Romani—despite her ID clearly stating she was Andalusian—she just escaped with a lover, which she would never do.”

Vasili made a face “To hear the injustice in America is one thing, but that is too far.”

“Not to mention blatantly racist. But it was long before I could even have a conscience, so there isn’t much to do save do her proud, wherever she is.”

“You already have.”

She looked at Vasili, touched by his words, but before she could say something, the professor called “Ah, Miss Rose! Do come in, we have been waiting for you.”

“Your Highness—,”

“Please, just Vasili.”

“Very well, ‘just’ Vasili. I’ll see you around.”

During the small recess, as she walked around the campus, enjoying the small sandwich she made and the unusual sunny weather in the cold Drakkos, she spotted a little boy with gorgeous green eyes towards her. She smiled at him “Hello, sweetie! Are you lost?”

She noticed he held a bonbon, and made a gesture to give it to her. She chuckled “That’s sweet, darling, but I can’t. It’s yours.”

The boy insisted, his eyes making that face that made her melt. She sighed, defeated “All right, all right. I’ll take it. May I give you a thank you huggie?”

Wordlessly, he hugged her and she smiled, and a minute later, he took off to his bewildered mother. She gave her a smile. Just because this wasn’t the first time that a child smiled at her or even went as far to go to her didn’t mean it was strange. A good strange, but strange nevertheless.

“Nerea!” Juliana called.

She turned around and strid to the countess, who seemed to hold court with a few of her classmates. Many of them observed her curiously “What was all of that about?”

Nerea shrugged “I don’t know. It’s not the first time, but it’s still… odd.”

While Vasili did not have many friends, the ones he did were genuine and quite interesting. It was nice, hanging out with people who were as smart or nearly smart as her, not feeling for once like she once set the room quiet with a scientific joke.

As she observed her new group, her eyes stopped on Juliana, and as she talked and interacted, something in her body woke. For a moment, she lost her breath and one voice in her head told her that something terrible would happen to her. Then, it was gone.

When she opened her eyes, Vasili had steadied her and looked at her concerned “Are you alright, Nerea?”

“I… It’s nothing. Silly stuff of mine.”

“It didn’t seem like nothing.” He insisted.

“I just… I got a gut feeling that said that something terrible would happen to Juli. Stupid, right?” She chuckled, brushing it off.

They all looked at one another, obviously creeped out. She excused herself, going to the bathroom. After taking a few deep breaths, she washed her face, and that’s when she observed that Juliana had followed her.

She turned around, and observed that the countess observed her closely “How often do you get these gut feelings, Nerea?”

“Not very often. Only when a tragedy is bound to strike.”

Instead of looking at her like a madwoman, she leaned close, intrigued “Such as?”

“Before my mother disappeared or my Uncle Jimmy died, I got the same gut feeling. I suppose I also know when someone’s trouble.”

She nodded “And you got a feeling that I may be in trouble?”

She shrugged, “I suppose. I know it sounds ominous, but it’s yet to fail me.”

She placed a hand on her shoulder “I will keep it in mind. Thank you, Nerea. You’re a good girl.” 

As they came back, they had begun a debate about what prompted the child’s behavior. “…That was amazing! Children are a great judge of character. Has it always happened?”

“Since I turned sixteen, yes. I suppose I’ve always had a wide maternal side and connected well with children. Many stared at me when I’m out, for some reason.”

Vasili added to her surprise “That is a scientific proof that you are beautiful. I’m afraid I’m not children’s favorite prince.” He shrugged, “Trystan and Bas are.”

One of their friends clapped the prince’s shoulder, remarking that he was the group’s favorite by default. Nerea shyly said “Just because children don’t tend to look at you doesn’t mean that you aren’t handsome. It’s… what, one fact among many? I’ve seen gorgeous people who were awful to children.”

Vasili looked at her with interest before smiling “You have a point. You’ll fit well amongst us, Nerea.”

Christmas finally came around the corner, and Nerea had packed everything when she decided to look outside the window… to find it all covered in snow, even some cars! She turned on the news as the weather guy kept talking about how it’d be snowing like this throughout most of the winter, making it impossible to get out of the country. Her phone ringed, and of course, her flight had cancelled due to said weather. Sighing, she sat down and put her head in her palms, letting out a grunt of frustration.

Just then, Vasili called her. He rarely called, preferring text over call. She picked up, intrigued “Hello?”

“Nerea! I suppose you’re on the plane back to New York?”

“Nope. My flight got cancelled due to the weather, and I have nothing but yoghurt and ramen on the fridge. Why do you ask?”

He cleared his throat “Well, I was on the way home when the snow trapped my car, and your house is just above it. Perhaps I could… crash in there? Until they clear out the road, that is.”

She flushed. For months now, she had developed a complicated crush with Vasili, and the idea made her flustered “O-Of course! I’ll open the door for you. It’s—,”

“Portal 26, second floor, door 3B. I remember, Nerea.”

She smiled “Good. See you then. Hope you like cheap ramen.”

She hung up, looking at herself in the mirror, fixing her hair and spraying the special ‘Amor Amor’ perfume by Cacharel and putting on some lip oil before going to the kitchen, pretending to be preparing dinner.

The door closed behind her, and a snow-covered Vasili stepped into her view, his glasses foggy and covered in specks of snow, as well as his coat and boots. She beamed for a minute before giving him her usual friendly smile “Please, take off your shoes and coat! The heater is right there,” she pointed “and the guest room is next by mine. It’s not a palace, but it’s comfy. Can you tell me if there’s warm bedsheets there?”

Vasili obeyed the host, leaving the damp shoes by the door and hanging the coat and craned his head to the small but cozy guest room. He called out “All clear! Thank you, Nerea. I didn’t know who else to call.”

“You’re my friend. I’m happy to help. Please, sit.”

It was then when she took off her eyes from his face and noticed the large bag. She raised her eyebrows “What is that?”

“Ah, well, Marguerite had asked for Thai takeout, but I suppose that is no longer an option…”

She smiled “I love Thai. Here, let me plate it.”

“May I help?”

“Sure! Cutlery is in there.”

They both plated the Thai food and went to her desk, which was a gateway to the kitchen, and chatted animatedly about what they had been looking forward these holidays. Soon, they exchanged holiday-themed childhood stories “…Poor Nina. Swallowing snow sounds unhygienic.”

Nerea laughed “Curiosity killed the cat indeed. Despite my warnings, she didn’t listen, and we had to hospitalize her. Ever since, she listened to me more often. Well, as often as an eleven-year-old could.

They chuckled “Your sister sounds like quite the character. You must miss her.”

A pang of sadness washed over her “Very much. I’m bummed I can’t see her now. It’s… my first Christmas outside the US.”

Compassion could be read all over Vasili’s face “I can’t imagine how hard that must be. Is there any way I may be able to make it amenable while I’m here?”

She shrugged “It’ll be weird, to not cook an entire feast for the family. We always spent time with my father, sister and the Ginovesis. I’d make my special dish of huevos rotos, followed by migas and my stellar homemade turrón. I do have the ingredients here, but not an audience.”

Vasili gave her an amused look “What am I, Nerea, chopped liver? I’d be happy to be your audience.”

She shook her head “I can’t ask you that.”

“You’re not. I’m offering.”

She smiled widely “All right. But you’re helping, mister! Number one rule of the Rose Christmas; you want to eat; you have to earn it!”

He teasingly made a military salute “Aye aye, Captain!”

For two hours, they cooked, an intimate synchrony between them that neither could explain as the food was made, a certain unaddressed intimacy between stolen glances, the occasional hand brush, and how each looked at the other’s body. Especially the lips.

At last, the food was made, and they dug in, and Vasili seemed to hold back a moan of delight when he tried the huevos rotos. “Mm. The richness of the egg, the meat and the softness of the egg yolk is simply divine, and the spices really give it a kick. You truly are a talent at everything you do.”

She blushed “Thank you. I was nervous that it wouldn’t be to your tastes…”

He chuckled “I may be a royal, but I am capable of appreciating the simple things in life. And this is too delicious to ignore because the ‘commoners’ eat it as well.”

Nerea smirked “It has been a while since we’ve considered royalty some sort of demigods.”

“Thankfully so.”

They clinked their glasses, Riojan wine sparkling red “To family.”

“And those close to your heart.”

Smiling wide, they drank and kept talking and exchanging tales “You’re telling me that Patryk dared Kaspar to put on the prime minister’s underwear and streak across the building in it? No offence, but gross.”

“Not as gross as mudpies. That poor guy.”

“Hey! In my defense, he cheated on me!”

Vasili looked at her intensely “A crime indeed. Such a shame that beauties like yourself don’t get appreciated. If you were mine—,” His eyes shoot wide, and he cleared his throat “Apologies. It seems like the wine made me overstep.”

Nerea must’ve been affected by the wine, for she surprised herself when she blurted out “If I were yours, what would you do?”

He took her hands in his, an intense look on his face making her gasp “I’d worship you day and night. I’d give you the world. Every other woman would cease to exist.”

“Vasili, that is—,”

The strong wind slamming open the window interrupted the moment. Bolting up, the both rushed towards the window, where both forced it closed and panted, the effort being visible, as well as the tension of the moment.

“Whew! I need another glass after that.”

“I’ve had enough alcohol. I could use the turrón, though.”

She let out a breath “Coming right up.”

The morning after, Nerea had overslept due to the many glasses she ended up drinking. She remembers Vasili taking her to her bed, taking off her make-up and pulling the covers so she wouldn’t be cold.

She woke up and, remembering she had a guest, quickly brushed her hair with her fingers and checked her breath. Smelled like wine, of course. Taking a mentos from her drawer, she looked for something cute yet discreet. Ignoring her headache, she lifted her head and tried to have a pleasant smile on her face.

Coming out of her bedroom, the sight before her gave her heart flutters: Vasili had his shirt half-open, his hair was messy, and he was making breakfast. It smelled delicious. He seemed to notice her presence and smiled widely “Nerea! Please, do sit. I’ve made the liberty to make, ah… what do you call it? Pankays?”

Nerea chuckled “Pancakes, and it smells divine.”

He gave her a wry smile “I’ve decided to give it a Drakovian twist. It’s not as good as yours, but I believe it is how it’s done.”

He gave her the plate, and their hands brushed again. He cleared his throat “Look, about last night, I didn’t want to overstep, but… I like you, Nerea. Very much. You draw my eye like no other, and of course, you don’t have to return my feelings, but—,”

“I do return them,” she interrupted.

His gaze lifted, what it seemed like hope “Truly?”

Armoring herself with valor, she struts towards him and gave him a small peck. For a moment, he was surprised, and next thing she knew, he was kissing her passionately, a throaty moan escaping him. Next, her hands were on his hair and shirt, completely forgetting about breakfast. She chuckled “I probably reek of alcohol.”

“I rather like the taste of cherries and wine. A very sophisticated mix,”

He lifted her up with surprising strength, and she chuckled as he kissed her neck, gently dropping her to her bed. He looked at her like he was a hungry man and she was his last meal on earth. Taking off his shirt, he climbed towards her and whispered “Do you want this?”

She nodded frantically “Yes,” her voice was hoarse with desire.

He smiled devilishly “It is a good thing we haven’t eaten yet. What am I about to do is not fit for a full stomach.”

Their lips locked again, and as the sun came up, only them and their rampant tension seemed to exist for a few hours.

As in that day, Nerea didn’t feel so alone in Drakovia.

[kisames-corner]

Kisame Week 2024 Rules & FAQS 🦈

What is Kisame Week? Kisame week is a week that we dedicate to our favorite shark man! Whether you'd like to make art to celebrate or write fics about him, anything goes! Just as long as what you post is your own work, the world is your oyster. If you have permission from the artist to repost for this specific event, that's okay too!

How do I participate? Check out this guide for how to participate.

Do we accept submissions which use AI? We here at Kisame's Corner do not tolerate AI art/fic of any kind. Basically, if you use an AI bot to create your art and/or your fic this is not elidable to be submitted. Using AI for ideas is okay, however your creations must be your own. Reposts are okay so long as you have the explicit permission of the original poster. Since it is nearly impossible to get explicit permission from the original artists whose art is fed into AI bots, and original fic writers who've had their stories scraped, we have decided that all AI work is prohibited. We repeat, all creations must be your own or you must have explicit permission to post them.

Is there a limit to how many prompts I can do? Nope! You can do all or just one, two in one day, whichever! If you want to combine prompts be our guest! The only rule is that if you combine prompts, they have to be for the same day. We want to make sure the specified content gets the spotlight.

How many prompts will there be? 21 in total! We will be hosting three for every day of the week with a bonus "any au' day!

What does "Any AU" mean? "Any AU" refers to any alternate universe you can think of! Modern AU, College AU, Mob AU, etc. Since we ask everyone for prompt submissions, you can guess the amount of AUs are suggested, so we usually just group any and all AUs in this category. If you need inspiration for this category, check this list for the ideas that people submitted.

Can I only submit works with Alternate Universe on the bonus day? Nope! You can create alternate universes in the other prompts as well. The bonus day is more like a free-for-all type day. Just with a fun list added to it :)

How should I interpret the prompts? Any way you'd like! The prompts are to spark inspiration, so go wild! Just make sure that Kisame is at the center of them!

Are prompts going to be ship based? They are not going to be ship based. It's more along the lines of an idea like a word or a phrase or a scenario, and you create content based on that. If you want to write a non-romantic Kisame-centric piece, that is totally welcome!

What pairings are welcome? All ships including Kisame are welcome! As long as the characters in question are of age, everything is accepted as a ship. This includes non ships, × Reader, × OC ships, and childhood aus as well. If you want to keep it platonic, that's okay too! Just remember that if someone doesn't share the same idea as you, it's okay to take a breath and move on.

Is there a word limit for fics? Not at all!! Write as little or as much as you'd like for any of the prompts!

How dark can the content be? As long as everything is tagged correctly and the rating is appropriate, as dark as you want. We don't want to put very much limitation as to how much freedom creators can have. Whatever you feel comfortable making is fine for us:)

Can I submit art and fic? Of course you can! You can do the same prompt with art and fic, you can do one prompt with art and the other with fic, or you can do either or and switch off. There are no limitations for how much you'd like to contribute.

I didn't see my submission in the Voting doc, and I submitted on time. What happened? Since we do get so many submissions (a whole 101 this time!), we like to combine all the Alternate Universe suggestions in one huge ongoing list! Every time Someone suggests an AU, it gets added to the list that you can use to generate some ideas!

I saw something about a Discord Link but I can't find it. Where can I find it? Right here!

Are you accepting late entries? Yes we are up until the 31st of August! Feel free to post your stuff by then :)

Have additional questions? Don't hesitate to ask!

[thatcheeseycandle]

Woah whats this about a big series your working on? I saw ur reblog of that oc ask post and now left curious. Could I hear a bit about it from you?

//Future me here, who just finished writing all that out, warning for a LONG LONG paragraph of everything. As in it's like 6k+ words (I DIDNT USE A WORD COUNTER SO YEAH THATS PRACTICALLY A GUESS-)

Of course! To explain, there are two series-es

One being, An Universal Animatronic Revolution (AUAR), aka where Mixie is from alongside Axel.

The second one being, Lifetales (LT, THE NAME IS BEING WORKED ON SHHHSHSHSHSH), which is where Platinum and the rest of the Triple HHH Court come from.

Now to note, these two are actually apart of the same multiverse. AUAR and LT are basically groups for my OCs, not like "Oh this one is fantasy and this one goes to cyberpunk" no it's more like how they'd work in these two worlds.

LifeTales takes place in a historical-fiction type world where it's it own world, while also bringing in IRL concepts (ex: religions, irl nationalities, etc). But it's mainly explored in the present timeline considering the time before it wasn't, yknow, it didnt have all that yet

Basically the world first started as it's own. Instead of the current continents, it has five continents based on the five "Entities" being the Triple H Court. Note that I am not referring to the current generation of the same court, but rather a different court.

Now it's important to mention that the multiverse of LifeTales only consists of 6 universes.

The first one, being the main universe, aka where Selene and Golian originated before they died and reincarnated as Platinum and Gold, where the five continents are

The rest, well, they take place in other eras in time. Take the universe where Ruby, but otherwise known as Cathmore before he reincarnated into Ruby, had lived in. It was basically the 1930s.

Now I havent expanded on the 4 other universes yet. But it'll most likely not exist in the future considering they're just placeholders for how I'll world build the places the entities lived in before they were entities.

But as for AUAR? Basically it's a multiverse, it's main genre being Science-fiction. A big one, that's publically explored. The universe Mixie comes from, she's basically from the real world, the current timeline of the universe in the story being between 2010-2013. While the universe she stumbles into, Retro Way's timeline is 2019-2022

Retro Way is also the center of this multiverse, being a universe of it's own with the mix of people from all sorts of universes yes but while also being a sort of HQ for all experienced multiversal travellers (Except Doctor Strange, sorry MCU fans the MCU in this multiverse is still known as media)

Now to note, in Mixie's universe, Multiversal Travel isn't much known. In a way where she and the people she's with havent exactly been to the places where the "portals" and all the multiversal travel stuff is at.

And another thing to note, Retro Way still has it's residents aka theres still people from there. And yes nationalities still exist, if your born in Retro Way and had parents with Dutch origins, your nationality would be Dutch.

Now as much as I'd love to like SPILL all the story of AUAR and LifeTales, I wouldn't want to spill it too soon considering, well this:

AUAR is one generation of 10 generations (technically 11 adding in the prequel for it, Everyday Engineering aka EE), specifically theres 12 seasons in AUAR, adding two new seasons each generation. And within each season theres 12 episodes, which to my calculations since the last time I updated the planout doc of that, was enough to supply 2-6 plots.

Now I already have an idea of 3/10 generations but I havent like, written all chapters/episodes down aka I havent translated every single daydream into a chapter yet.

On the otherhand

LifeTales has three "eras" or generations in a way. The first one being, well, the backstories. Mainly the backstories of Platinum and Gold, and other characters that'll appear in Era 3

The second Era is basically, the current timeline. How their life is going, what they're doing, the current timeline of that era, etc. (While also having a similar plot-planout to AUAR, aka their life isn't too casual, they still have their adventures and bits of character growth)

The third era, well, it's basically the current timeline but it actually moves on from the current plot. It expands on new plots and has more character growth than last Era, also expanding more into other characters' backstories than the first Era.

But alas, until these two stories/series are done, I cannot confirm it has solid conclusions YET

I'll of course post randoms bit from random parts of these two stories on my tumblr, and on my other socials whenever I can

[cleo-c-art]

✨ for stonearm turen?

Thank you for the ask!

How did you come up with the OC’s name?

Stonearm has a lot of names! Gnomes are very prone to give each other nicknames, so it’s not uncommon for one to be called something different by most people they are close to.

Originally, her birth parents nicknamed her Soolin, which was Gnomish for “Sun under the surface," since they live in the Underdark. The DM came up with that name instead of me, as she remembers nothing from before her birth parents died, but she was lucky enough to talk to her late father and learn some about her past. She does not know her official first name at birth, but she’s okay with that.

When her adopted parents found her, they gave her the first name Davhace. I picked that because I thought it sounded cool and I knew it wouldn’t be super relevant. Their family name was Turen for similar reasons. Her parents nicknamed her Cranta, which is Gnomish for complete, and her siblings nicknamed her Aithwen, Gnomish for sword. Davhace was the last of the three kids to be adopted, so she “completed” their family unit. As for her sibling's nickname for her, she was found with a sword and they were young so they weren’t very creative 😂 For a while her sister carried some resentment against Davhace related to the sword, so she called her Stonearm which was upsetting for her, both to lose the original nickname and because it reminded her of the rift in their relationship. Luckily that has been resolved though!

Other people outside of the family started calling her Stonearm because she was slowly turning to stone on her left side. It was only at her first knuckle when her parents found her, but as it grew it became more obvious. She hated the nickname because it was focusing her identity on something that was painful, took feeling and mobility from her, and was slowly growing without any explanation or foreseeable cure. It was very important to her that her family *never* called her this; that’s also part of why it was so rough for her sister to call her Stonearm. Eventually she got more desensitized to the name and accepted it, introducing herself as that to new people. Even though she’s okay with the name overall it brings up bad memories hearing it from her family still.

Her most recent nicknames are still from before the campaign started. Before she was arrested, her best friend called her Gravel. Anyone one else calling her that would have really upset her, but they got along well and were able to really test each other’s boundaries before crossing a line. She started dating someone from the same group, who called her Mea Petra, "my rock." The DM also surprised me with that nickname when she saw her ex for the first time.

All the nicknames were chosen to represent the aspects of her relationships and to embrace the Gnomish lore. They can be super literal, so I keep most of them in Gnomish. There is a whole section of her Google doc dedicated to Gnomish words and to organizing the nicknames people have for her and she has for others.

[callsignspark]

Mar[r]y Me | part 3.5

pairing: Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x Mariella “M&M” Vertucci (fem!OC)

summary: A love story told through friendship, laughter, and food.

series warnings: 18+ minors DNI, discussion of insecurities, difficult and extremely unsupportive family relationships, discussions of food and alcohol use, eventual smut, warnings to be added as needed

word count: 2.4k

previous part | series masterlist | main masterlist

note: it’s Bradley’s birthday! to celebrate this is a one shot/continuation of part three! originally this was supposed to be part of part three, but it got cut during editing. however, I really love this and I could let it just sit in a doc. so, I spruced her up some, added some more detail and viola!

part 3.5 - panera bread

The walk through the parking garage goes by too fast for Bradley’s liking. Too soon he’s having to drop Mary’s hand to open the passenger door, making sure she’s settled before closing it and getting in himself. “Alright, next stop Panera.”

“Hopefully, it’s not too busy…” She trails off when his hand brushes her neck, checking behind him as he’s backing up and not even noticing his effect.

He hums, braking so an elderly couple can cross. “It’s a little after seven, so I don’t think it’ll be bad - we should have beat the dinner rush. Clear that way?”

“After this white SUV, you’re good.”

The drive is comfortable, the radio occasionally interrupted by quiet conversation. They run into traffic on the highway, an accident taking four lanes down to one, and when they arrive at the restaurant, Bradley realizes Mary has fallen asleep in his front seat. He goes through the motions of parking and turning the car off, hoping she’ll have woken up from all the noise by the time he gets to her side. She doesn’t.

“Mary?” He gently shakes her shoulder, but she doesn’t budge.

He sighs, feeling bad about waking her up. She hasn’t gotten much sleep the past few days, but he knows she needs to eat more than she needs to sleep right now. From the second the decision was made to go to the hospital, Mary had been on the phone coordinating behind the scenes. Making arrangements for Dani’s parents to fly in from Philadelphia and picking them up when their flight got in at midnight. She had kept the Daggers updated with the latest; news coming into a specially created group chat as soon as she knew it. She watched Annie taking care of the four-year-old as if she were her own child. She had done all of that, and more, so that Danielle and Reuben could fully focus on the arrival of their newest family member without worry.

“Mary? Mary, c’mon, you gotta wake up so we can eat.” He unbuckles her seatbelt, smoothing some hair off her forehead. The touch wakes her up. Bleary eyes meet his, her nose scrunching up in distaste at being awake, and a small whine escapes her throat as the parking lot lights glare in her face. Bradley instantly feels himself soften.

“Okay, honey, you stay here, and I’ll get the food. What do you want?”

He gives her brain a minute to come back online, appreciating how cute she looks as her pretty brown eyes blink at him in confusion. “Uhh… Greek salad with chicken, extra olives, and no tomatoes, please.”

“Greek salad with chicken, extra olives, and no tomatoes. Anything else?”

“No, thank you.” Her eyes are already getting heavy, and she lets out a little yawn.

“Okay, buckle back up, and you hang out here. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” He hands the seatbelt to her, making sure he hears the click before shutting and locking the car.

His phone is up to his ear and ringing as he walks up to the ordering kiosk, thankful he parked in a space where he’ll be able to keep eyes on the car the entire time he’s inside.

“Rooster, is everything okay?”

“Yeah, we’re fine. What else does she like from Panera? She asked for a salad, but that doesn’t seem like enough if she hasn’t eaten since yesterday.”

“Why aren’t you asking her?”

“She fell asleep on the way here, and I felt bad enough waking her up to ask what she wanted, so she’s sleeping in the car with the doors locked.”

There’s a moment of silence so long that Bradley checks to make sure he didn’t get disconnected. “Payback?”

“She likes the mac and cheese, that wild rice chicken soup, and the turkey avocado sandwich. But what’s most important is that whatever you get doesn’t have tomato on it.”

“Is she allergic?” He pauses his tapping on the menu pad, glancing outside to check on Mary.

“No, she just doesn’t like raw tomato on sandwiches and salads. It’s a texture thing.” There’s murmuring on the line. “Yeah, like Dani said. She likes the iced papaya green tea, so get her one of those. And a cinnamon crunch bagel for breakfast tomorrow since she didn’t get to go grocery shopping like she usually does. And just Venmo me for whatever you get her; we owe her big time.”

“Nah, I got it this time.”

“Oh, Rooster!” Dani’s voice comes through clearer. “Remind her that she needs to get gas in the Jeep before work tomorrow; she’s running low.”

“I’ll just fill it up for her after we get home.” He mutters, trying to decide whether to get two or three lemon drop cookies.

“Damn, you are down bad, aren’t you? Just remember what we talked about earlier, dude.”

“Reuben, trust me, the last thing I want to do is hurt her.” He fumbles to grab his wallet, trying to hold his phone and their cups at the same time. “Alright, man, I gotta go. I’ll text you when I get her home.”

He pays and almost runs over an older man as he moves to fill their cups. “I’m sorry about that, sir. Wasn’t watching where I was going.”

“That’s alright; you were just keeping an eye on your girlfriend. I get it.”

“Oh, I- uh-”

“Your eyes have been glued to her since you walked away from your car - which is a beauty, by the way.” He claps Bradley on the shoulder. “Girl is even prettier; don’t mess that up, son.”

“Yes, sir.” His face hasn’t been this hot since Mav came home from work early and caught him making out with his first girlfriend in the living room.

Bradley finishes grabbing the food in a daze, thinking about what it would be like if the woman sleeping in his car really was his.

Mary shifts when he gets in the car, peeking an eye open to make sure it’s him before she snuggles back under the blanket he keeps in his backseat. His heart soars at how comfortable she is in his space. He wants to make a joke to hear her laugh, wants to tell her how beautiful she is so he can watch her cheeks turn pink, wants to press his lips to hers so he can find out what she tastes like.

He settles for taking a photo and sending it to Reuben, his fellow pilot responding with a crowd of laughing emojis followed by rows of kissy faces.

The drive to Mary’s house goes smoothly, and he feels less bad about waking her up this time. Her key is in her front pocket, and he can’t even think about trying to get it out.

Her hair has fallen from where he pushed it back earlier, and he can’t resist brushing it away again, letting his fingers run through her soft hair. “Mary, wake up; we’re home.”

She groans, pulling the blanket over her face. “No.”

Her petulance makes him laugh; he’s never seen her grumpy. Even at work, when she’s frustrated at schedule delays, she is mildly displeased, at worst.

“C’mon, honey. You gotta eat.” Her hair disappears, and he pulls out his trump card. “I got you mac and cheese.”

An eye appears as the blanket lowers, squinting at him in suspicion. “I didn’t ask for mac and cheese.”

“No, but you haven’t eaten since yesterday. You need more than just salad, even if you did get chicken on it.” He tugs on the edge of the blanket. “Come on, I’m hungry too; let’s go eat.”

Once inside, they move well together. Bradley pulls out food while Mary grabs utensils. She stops at the living room entrance, her mouth dropping open at the food spread across her coffee table. “What is all of this? There’s only two of us!”

“Well, there’s your salad and mac and cheese. I got a sandwich and chips. Plus, our cookies and drinks. And Reuben mentioned you didn’t get a chance to go grocery shopping, so I got you a bagel and sandwich for work tomorrow.”

“Bradley, that is so incredibly sweet of you, but this is too much. How much do I owe you?”

“Nothing, it was my treat.” He pats the couch next to him, “Sit. I wanna watch Parks and Rec.”

“Dinner was your treat. But the other food was not part of our agreement. So how much?”

“Mary, seriously, nothing. Come sit with me and eat.”

She huffs and plops down next to him, her thigh brushing his as she leans into him. “I will pay you back somehow.”

He wraps his arm around her shoulder, rubbing her arm as he teases her. “Would it kill you to just let me do something nice for you and say thank you?”

“Thank you, Bradley.”

“You’re welcome.” He unwillingly pulls away, handing her the bowl of mac and cheese, waiting until she has a full mouth to continue. “Also, I’m filling your Jeep up before I leave. And you will not fight me on it. You can pay me back for it later.”

“Yes, sir.” She mocks him, not catching his gulp as she laughs at Pawnee’s latest antics.

Four episodes later, with full bellies and the extra food stored in the fridge, Mary’s head drops onto Bradley’s arm. He peeks down at her, smiling at how her mouth forms a little circle, eyelashes fluttering against her cheeks.

“Mary.” She hums at him, trying to burrow deeper into his side. “I promise this’ll be the last time I wake you up today. But we can’t stay here, sweetheart; you should go sleep in your bed.”

“Don’t wanna move, I need to shower, and that requires too much energy.”

He pauses, forcing himself not to let the visual of her showering take its full form. “Well, I can’t help you with that one. But how about you relax while I get gas, and when I get back, you get in the shower and go to bed?”

“God, I hate when you think logically. Let me grab the keys.” She sighs, dragging herself up and into the kitchen. “Here, this one is obviously the Jeep, and this is the house key, just in case I’ve fallen asleep by the time you get back.”

He laughs, admiring her where she’s lounging on the couch, wiggling her fingers at him as he locks the door behind him. Her car is an overload for his senses; the interior smells like her perfume, subtle and flowery with a hint of orange. He has to push the seat all the way back so he can fit behind the wheel.

He thinks about her the entire time he’s pumping gas. How caring she is, how smart, how beautiful. He’s been working up the courage to ask her out, and it seems like everyone has given him a kick to just do it already. He wants to ask her, to take her out properly - dinner and a movie or something equally cliché for a first date. But every time he suggests coffee or lunch with just the two of them, hinting at it being more than friends, she turns it into a group affair.

Danielle and Reuben had been encouraging, telling him that he would have to be a bit patient, that Mary may not realize what she was doing. But he wasn’t convinced she wasn’t letting him down easily. Trying to brush him off because he wasn’t getting the hint.

On top of that, it felt like a bad time to ask her. With Christmas only a couple weeks away, parties and last-minute shopping and holiday travel is beginning to dominate everyone’s schedule. He didn’t want their first date to get lost in the hustle and bustle of the season.

I’ll ask her after the new year. He sets the goal as he re-enters her house.

He calls out for her, seeing the couch empty and the blankets back in their proper spots. Moving further into the house once he hears music playing. “Mary?”

He can hear water running as he moves toward the music. The shower. She's in the shower. He’s stuck in place. He’s trying to keep his imagination from running wild, but it’s hard when he can hear Mary humming along to his favorite Jim Croce song while she washes her hair.

He moves down the hall, awkwardly standing outside her open bedroom door. He croaks her name; she doesn’t hear him. He hesitantly shuffles into her room and parks himself in front of the cracked ensuite door as the water turns off.

Clearing his throat, “Mary?” His voice breaks like a teenager. He smacks himself.

The music lowers, “Bradley? You’re back?”

“Uhh- I- uhh- yeah. Filled the Jeep up and pulled it into the garage for you. I’m gonna take your house key with me so I can lock the front door and give it back to you tomorrow if that works?”

His eyes bounce between the floor and the door, waiting for her answer.

“That’s fine! Thank you so much for everything today, Bradley! I really appreciate you. Let me know what I owe you for the gas!”

“Will do. I’m gonna head out unless you need something else?”

“No, I’m all set. You did a good job taking care of me.” The door opens, and she’s standing there in a baby blue robe, hair wrapped in a towel. Her face is fresh, if tired, and she looks more relaxed than he’s seen her in a week.

“Feel better?”

She hums, leaning against the doorframe. “It’s amazing how showers can make everything better. Seriously, Bradley, thank you for everything you did. It’s going to make tomorrow so much easier.”

“Any time. You just let me know when you need something, Mary.” She smiles up at him, the dimple in her chin pops out, and he feels butterflies erupt. “I’m gonna head out, still taking your key, though. You finish getting ready for bed. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She leans into the kiss he presses on her forehead, eyes closed for a moment after he pulls away. “Night, Bradley.”

“G’night, honey.”

She stays leaning against the doorframe as she listens to him pull his shoes on and lock the door behind him. She can faintly hear the door of the Bronco closing after he gets in, completely unaware that his thoughts match hers.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck. 

if you would like to be added (or removed) from the tag list just send me an ask!

tagging: @gretagerwigsmuse | @bobfloyds | @bussyslayer333 | @hangmanbrainrot | @mothdruid | @notroosterbradshaw | @princessphilly | @rhettabbotts | @roleycoleyreccenter | @roosterbruiser | @seresinsweetie | @thesewordsareallihavetogive | @waklman | @withahappyrefrain | @a-court-of-roscoe-and-baby | @ohtobeleah | @katieshook02 | @hellojameshowyadoin | @aristotles-butthole | @atarmychick007 | @whatislovevavy | @kmc1989

fic tag | credit for dividers here

[braveblackbutterfly]

ohhhhh my goodness i love supernaturally human and now i would like to know more about viviana but also. question bc i will take what representation i can get, are the werewolf pack desi?

Ahhhhhhhh!!! Rarka!! I'm so happy you like my book and my ocs!!

I know I already answered your question via dm, but for everyone else: yes, the Azad pack are desi. I'm going to talk about them in the other ask because I don't want this post to be super duper long talking about Viviana and the Azad family.

Viviana is one of my absolute favorite ocs from Supernaturally Human! As a matter of fact, she was the very first character I created for this story after Wendi and Trevor.

Mind you, I first came up with this story in my freshmen year in college. I was nineteen and still thought I was straight. And yet I created a lesbian vampire stripper character named Viviana.

Note: I realized I probably should have done more research when I first came up with Viviana, Trevor and Cameron's characters since they were born/lived through pivotal moments in black american history, especially the civil rights movement. So some of the canon in my story might not be historically accurate. But I'm going to work my way around it as I try to do some last minute research as I'm making this post.

Viviana's past:

Viviana was born as Joana Hill on July 21, 1929 in New York City. Her parents secretly dated each other behind closed doors.  Her father who was white wanted to marry her mother who was black, but interracial relationships were very much frowned upon and illegally to marry someone of a different race. So he left when her mother was pregnant with her, and later marry the white woman who would become Trevor's mother.

Joana's mother later married a black man and had two more daughters. Joana loved being a big sister to her sisters. But she struggled with self-esteem.  Everyone in her family was dark skinned with dark brown eyes and thick, kinky black hair while she had sandy brown thin hair and green eyes.  Joana's family pitied her which she hated. She caught hell for being biracial and later for liking girls romantically.

When Joana was 20, she met Trevor who learned he had a half sister two years prior from his father during a drunken talk. This caused tension between both of their families.

One night, Joana's mother kicked her out of the house for catching her making out with another girl in her room. Distraught, she goes to Trevor's house. But soon after his mother kicked him out for letting his half sister in her house, calling her a racial slur. So they both moved in with Cameron, a recent friend of theirs.

The three of them began participating in local civil rights protests for the next five years before everything changed.

Joana and Trevor were protesting peacefully in a park late evening with a local group when a band of racist assholes shows up, verbally harassing them, targeting the two siblings. When the men begin attacking, the other protesters scattered, leaving Joana and Trevor defenselessly.

Just as Joana and Trevor thought the worse was going to happen, three vampires showed up and killed the men. The three vampires then surrounded a terrified Joana, begging them to leave her alone, but they steadily moved in closer. The leader held up a dark stained stake and drove it straight inside Joana’s chest. 

When Joana wakes up, she's in a room with Cameron who had been missing for a week or so. She discovers he's been turned into a vampire. And so has she. Trevor still lays unconscious on another bed as they both wait for him to wake up. Once Cameron explains everything to Joana, she goes from grieving her old life to excited to embrace this new life, for she has already been forbidden from seeing her family anyway. And for the first time, she feels strong. When Trevor wakes up, she and Cameron explains everything to him.

(I thought I had a word doc with this info, but later on Joana, Trevor and Cameron escapes from the three vampires who turned them. I think they killed them some how, but I can't remember how)

For the first decade as vampires, Joana, Trevor and Cameron loses their humanities, hunting/killing humans at night.

One night in 1964 (the 9th year as a vampire), Viviana hunts down a man after he leaves a restaurant and heads to his car.  She compels him and drags him into the alley and drains him dry.  When she looks up, she sees one of her younger sisters, Angela who’s now 30, looking at her in horror.  Viviana quickly realized she has just killed her brother-in-law.  She is left with no other choice but to compel Angela to forget seeing her and that she discovered her husband’s body in the alley, assuming a vicious animal broke loose and attacked him.        

When Joana returns to the home she shares with Trevor and Cameron, she determines then and there that the three of them need to regain their humanities. She refuses to kill another innocent human again. After a lot of convincing, the two guys agrees and the three of them tries to find alternative ways to feed their blood lust. The first couple of decades, they try to feed (not kill) on "bad" humans. But as time goes on, they find different ways to get blood. Joana gets her blood supply from the blood bags Cameron steals at the Red Cross.

Joana is the first one to regain her humanity. Wanting to put her past behind her, she changes her name to Viviana and gets a job at a burlesque club.

*

Flash forward to the timeline in the book:

Viviana works as a stripper at a strip club called Charlie's Naughty Angels. Her stage name is Ms. Vixen and is the most popular stripper at the club.

The day (or rather night) after they first meet, Trevor takes Wendi to meet his sister at the club...not telling her his sister's profession or where she works at until they get there. Wendi is not a fan of strip clubs to say the least. But when "Ms. Vixen" comes out and gives a Jessica Rabbit type of performance, Wendi questions her own morals and other things.

Later Wendi and Viviana officially meets in her dressing room, making the witch slightly flabbergasted by her. After Wendi and Trevor tells her what happened the previous night, Viviana is ready to kick Ken and his minions' asses. But a tense moment happens between Viviana and Trevor when he discovers she has turned her girlfriend into a vampire. Trevor storms out the dressing room and Wendi talks to Viviana alone who answers her questions about why she became a vampire stripper and what made her so confident.

When Wendi goes to leave the dressing room, Viviana calls after her. A puzzled Wendi turns around and is quickly kissed by Viviana before the vampire returns to her room.

Although Viviana playfully flirts with Wendi every now and then in the book, she's the biggest supporter of Wendi and Trevor getting together.

But Viviana's own love life becomes complicated. Her newly turned vampire girlfriend Ashley breaks up with her and leaves her house, believing she's having an affair with Wendi since she's spending so much time with the witch and her coven. Viviana is very pissed about this and Trevor convinces Wendi and her cousin Kesia to come with him and Cameron to calm her down/cheer her up. Wendi is the one who eventually gets to Viviana and she's back to her lively self again.

Later that night, she meets Wendi's sister Jasmine at the group's training session at the baseball park. The two are immediately smitten by each other. Despite the instant chemistry, Viviana doesn't make a move because 1) she just got dumped by Ashley 2) Jasmine just ended her engagement with her cheating ass fiance Sean and 3) she doesn't know if Jasmine even likes women romantically. So she waits for Jasmine to make the first move. Finally Jasmine comes out as bi at the full moon party after a life and death moment between her, Viviana and Ashley. And she and Viviana finally kissed.

In the epilogue, Viviana and Jasmine reveals they plan to build a burlesque club, inclusive to all queer performers.

[lees-chaotic-brain]

HIIII

🏁-Looking back at the first thing you've written/posted, how have you improved since then?

🌓- Show us a snippet of a before and an after between drafts! What did you change and why?

HI HI. HOW ARE YOU ML??

writerblr ask game!!!

1. um so the first thing i ever wrote/posted was my gojo x oc fic otherworldly. (don't look for it it's deleted for the time being). honestly i think at that point i was really bad at managing word flow, my dialogue was really cringe, and i was bad at describing emotion. that being said, i think all of that has gotten so much better in the last fourteen odd months!

2 so for this i'll actually use my current wip, because i've done SO much revising and it's a really good example.

this also got kinda long so the rest is beneath the cut. enjoy this little peek into my writing process for these fics!!

when i first start writing a song fic i look up the lyrics online, listen to the song, and select somewhere around three and five groups of lyrics i like. then i copy and paste them into the doc, and outline what the portion based on each set of lyrics is about.

as you can see in these screenshots i have the major sections of the fic outlined with the last two lines of each portion being the lyrics. i didn't include the last section because i didn't want to spoil anything.

from here i pick the section that speaks to me the most and start writing. i'll show you a few examples below.

so clearly some of them only have a couple of sentences added, but i continued developing my ideas. normally this is where the process for these fics ends. i just write the sections, tie them together a little, edit and post. but this is different.

i think the most important change here is i decided i wanted to do it in a 5 + 1 format so you can see that i labelled the sections with numbers and a heading.

but then yesterday i decided that i didn't like how i had set it up and completely redid the set up. i don't want to spoil it since some of the parts are in their final draft, but this is pretty much the final version of the first paragraph

that way i can shift into the 5 + 1 smoother, but honestly it might not even be a 5 + 1 anymore i still need to work out the formatting. also i don't know if i'm actually going to include the lyrics in this one which is going to be a big change.

anyways sorry for the yap sesh! hope you enjoyed this look into my brain lol.

[anachronism-ahitzine]

Anachronism- A Hat in Time Zine applications opening Nov.11th!

Hey guys! Applications are opening from November 11th to 18th! We encourage you to read the general guidelines and for writing and art pieces before applying. Guidelines will be reposted on the actual application post as well. Feel feel to message mods ( @subterra-rose @majormeilani ) or send an ask to this blog if there is any confusion.

General:

This zine is all ages! As a result, please refrain from creating any content that wouldn’t be present in the game. There’s no theme planned, but if you want to find a way to incorporate the title into your piece, props to you!

All communication will be done through Discord due to the nature of this project. Mods will message you within a few days once applications have closed with the link to join.

Please submit the finished piece with the account(s) you want to be credited under and an icon to represent you.

We want all characters to be represented! When applying, please submit a few characters you are interested in in the format of first choice, second choice, etc. Mods will contact you in the event that there are too many people requesting the same character. Cut characters are fine as choices as well! Group pieces are exempt from this.

OCs are fine to include in your piece, but please keep the AHIT characters as the main focus of the piece.

Totally optional, but feel free to submit a small blurb about your piece (2-4 sentences)! This will be attached to the piece at the bottom with your icon.

There will be three check-ins, including the submission date. The estimated timeline for them will be a few days during the weeks of Dec. 17th, Jan. 8th, and Jan. 21st. The zine completion date with all pieces submitted, edited, and published is the first week of February. Final dates will be posted in the discord once everyone has applied and we know the general number of people participating. Mods will give ample notice if this publishing deadline moves. Due to this, if you miss two check-ins without notifying mods, you will not be able to participate and will be dropped.

Artists (illustrations/comics):

Pieces should meet the minimum dimensions of 2500px/8.5in by 3300px/11in (letter size paper!) Ideally, send as a .png or .tiff

Pieces must be finished and fully coloured with the exception of comics after the first page. Comics must have the first page coloured but can have subsequent pages be monochrome. This means that unless the piece requires large amounts of white space, the background should not be left blank.

Please keep in mind that pieces that do not fit the dimensions will have to be rescaled and mods cannot ensure image quality will be the same.

Please sign somewhere on the piece! I want the art to be credited correctly. If you don’t, I’ll add a small watermark with the account you want to be credited.

Writers:

Each piece of allotted a space of 5 pages or 2500 words. If you feel as though what you want to write would go over this amount, contact one of the mods and we can discuss it.

All forms of writing are allowed. However, if the piece needs to be formatted a certain way, please send it as a PDF so I can ensure the format is correct. Otherwise, please send as a .doc, .docx, or .rtf

[neonmetro]

HIIII school is kicking my ass so I can't send as many asks as I want to also because I still haven't gotten a replacement phone and I just don't know how to put it into words without fangirling but LKHSBFJSJGBKV

That being said this might be more fangirling sorry 😔

Ilya and Ulysses have been clouding my mind like A LOT, also Virgil, like Virgil has been there for awhile but now that I'm having like 4 tests every week they are DEFINITELY there now. So uh *holds cup* If you have anything about the Divine comedy trio or Ilya I would like to know about that

ALSO BTW I AM ALWAYS DOWN FOR ULY CONTENT THATS A GIVEN LOOK AT MY ANON NAME wink wink*Gets booed off stage*

I would LOVEEEEE content and info about Azazel and Moloch also because I love them smm OFC IF NOT TO MUCH SPOILERS FOR PROJECT MARTYR. heh....heh heh heh....Azazel and Moloch being happy 4k ultra footage

I know I'm asking about so many of your OCs but I CANT HELP IT THEY ARE TAKING TURNS CROWDING MY MIND ATP *sighs really loudly*

I just love your blorbos so much *sheds a tear*

PROPER FANART IS ON THE WAY !!!! I HAVE MANY IDEAS

Also so off topic from Novaturient but I really just love your art and I love seeing it, keep doing what you are doing !!!! can you tell I'm trying to not turn this into a fangirling ask, ik Ulyanon does that a lot HFKSKFFFHJJFK

By any chance do you like the reverb ensemble. . .those are my bbys and I love them SM KSDJGSGNFDJTKT the Ruina brainrot has also been kicking my ass as of late

Pls have a great rest of your day / night Neon !!!!

-Ulysses loving anon

HII ULYANON!!! IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO SEE YOUUU!!!! handshake on school kicking our asses... (me w/ the several worksheets/docs i need to finish lmao...)

i haven't really been thinking of new lore but i can elaborate more on the divine comedy trio

dante is fun fact. banned from the recreational district. for having absolutely desecrated the capital of the district by killing every aristocrat and hanging their corpses as decorations on christmas. vergil still remains on the position that dante shouldn't be banned because she no longer has the memories to do so but the recreational corpheads Heavily Disagree.

vergil's last name is maro ^_^

originally dante and vergil met when dante found vergil in the woods and nursed them back to health, she was originally training to be a nurse an decided to become a wandering healer for the war (and was eventually killed by ulysses the first time)

dante's power is "the self embodiment of human perfection"

HOWEVER!!!!!! ILYA DOES HAVE SOME NEW INFO !!!

they've got an obsession with magical girls and their ultimate goal is to make the best/strongest magical girl in the century and they're willing to do it through fucked up means (stressing them out/overworking them) because they're only trying to make them better. they were a former magical girl during the illium war but their chronic illnesses just made them unable to really get back into it so they just project onto others. they usually fixate on one person/group for awhile before dropping them because they aren't meeting their expectations :melting_face:

during the war, all the bogatyrs were specifically contracted magical girls (i mean all magical girls have contracts but i mean like. they were actually tied to a company instead of freelance mercenaries)

+ back then it was a whole political thing, where smaller companies (like arthur's roundtable, charlemagne's paladins, and the achaeans (before they plotted to destroy the founding)) would hunt as many vagabonds as they can to prove that their magical girls are the best so the founding should give em more support

uly has so much content you have no fucking idea. it went from bad. to worse.

his relationships are so ... complex and definitely toxic. (diomedes: onesided romantically but mutual platonically. dio likes uly a lot more than uly likes dio. circe: um. its definitely the worst out of all of these bc circe doesn't even like uly and has tortured him. and he tortures her back. kalypto: also very onesided but started out as mutual, penelope: ULY'S ENTIRE REASON FOR LIVING)

(i think i need to dedicate another post about uly he just has way too much, (oooo you should definitely ask me about uly on his own oooooo))

MOLOCH AND AZAZEL [BURSTS OUT CRYING] its been awhile since i've actually developed their relationship so here's just the intro to their dynamic...... they will get better... prommy... and then worse but let's not worry about that

RAGHGGHGGJ THANK YOU ULYANON!!! THAT MEANS SO MUCH TO ME [BURSTS INTO TEARS ONCE MORE] this is why i make art.... thank you....

i fucking love the reverb ensemble you have no idea. its so dire being an argalia fan bc no one is normal about his mental illness and freakiness (tbh my fav members are elena, pluto, and greta... but they're all great. their gay orchestra swag.) GOOD LUCK ON BEATING RUINA... I BELIEVE IN YOU

HONESTLY SHOUT OUT TO ULYANON FOR MAKING WRITE AN ENTIRE ESSAY W/ ONE ASK ALONE /LH HAVE A GREAT NIGHT/DAY TOO!!!!!!!!!!