#so they just clutch onto james like a lucky charm

[enbysiriusblack]

wolfstar dates includes james potter. he's their moral support/third wheel/wing man

[floralembarrassment]

What did you Expect? (1/1) (jegulus | wolfstar)

"You know your cousin's kid is a little brat," Regulus chided, waggling a finger at Sirius.

"Oh so now she's my cousin?" Sirius retorted, drawing out the 'my' and feigning a pearl clutch.

"Well technically she's always been your cousin," Regulus volleyed back matter-of-factly.

"She's your cousin too Reg, and in fact we only talk to her because of you," Sirius huffed.

"All I'm saying is he is a little shit." Regulus folded his arms as he spoke with a tone of finality.

"Darling, I don't know how to tell you this but umm what did you expect? First of all he's a Malfoy... second of all you know who his parents are, and honestly a kid named Draco has to be a bully otherwise he would get bullied." James placed a gentle hand on Regulus' shoulder as came to stand behind him.

Regulus fell into James' chest, and leaning his head back on James' shoulder he sighed: "well maybe he needs to be bullied," and a small glint appeared in his eyes.

"Reg, no. Come on Harry would be so upset."

Regulus quickly spun around to look at James. He pointed a finger at him, "oh fine but if it wasn't for him I would be bullying that twerp."

"Agreed" Sirius and James said in unison.

"What did he do?" Remus asked.

Sirius' mouth fell open in brief betrayal. "Moony come on. You can't seriously be trying to play devil's advocate. It's Lucius Malloy's boy! He's bound to be a dick," Sirius waved his arms dramatically as he spoke, but no one missed the upturn of his lips as he purposefully messed up the last name.

"I just want to know the story," Remus said waving Sirius off, who only rolled his eyes in response.

"You just want the gossip," Regulus corrected.

"Sue me," Remus said shrugging his shoulders.

"He bought his way onto the quidditch team and then called his daddy when Harry beat him anyway before breaking his arm..." James explained.

"HE BROKE HIS ARM?" Remus jumped up from his seat. He looked between the three others incredulously.

"Technically his house elf set a bludger after him," Regulus corrected.

"Here we go again, you and the elves..." Sirius threw his arms in the air and dropped them quickly by his side.

Regulus continued as if Sirius didn't exist: "If I thought he was smart enough to charm it himself, I would be pushing it harder, but that kid is as dumb as his hair is blonde. Harry is fine though, Madame Pomfrey is excellent as always." Regulus glossed over the insult and quickly a warm feeling fell over the group at the reminder of Madame Pomfrey's caring abilities.

After a moment Remus spoke. Breaking the silence: "It's a good thing he's got a crush on the Weasley girl,"

The others looked at him a bit quizzically.

"What? If he's anything like his fathers, we'll all be lucky if doesn't end up in love with the boy," And Remus burst into laughter. While Sirius' barks soon followed, James and Regulus shared worried looks.

[spxllcxstxr]

Bumps and Bruises • M.M

(GIF is not mine)

Request: Hi! Sorry, May I ask for a Marlene McKinnon x fem!/gn! reader fic, Soulmate AU where they feel each other's pain. — anon

Summary: Two Quidditch rivals finding out they’re something...more (Soulmate AU)

Warnings: Mentions of food/eating, injury description, brief mention of blood

Word Count: ~2k

A.N: NonGryffindor!Reader, this is my first time doing a Soulmate AU so I hope this is ok! It’s hard to find a balance between Soulmate AU and normal AU, but I’m sure I’ll get better with it in practice! The ending is kinda iffy imo, but it’s not terrible. Hope you enjoy!

****

The first thing you feel when you wake up on Friday morning is a flare up of painful throbbing blossoming across the outer part of your right thigh.

You groan, prying your eyes open and pull back your blanket.

The pale light filtering through your curtains is enough to see the grotesque purpling of swollen skin. You poke and prod at your thigh, occasionally hissing out in agony.

The bruise is both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.

Its circular shape is something you see all the time. As a Beater on your Quidditch team, Bludger bruises were commonplace. The issue is, and this is where the mark becomes unfamiliar to you, when you went to sleep last night, there was no evidence of any such mark.

This was peculiar because you never had a history of sleep Quidditch, and you’re sure that if you got up in the middle of the night in a trance, at least one of your dorm mates would’ve told you.

And this certainly wasn’t some accidental hitting your bed frame sort of injury. This was ten inches in diameter, black and blue like a ball of pure iron slammed into you. As a self proclaimed Quidditch expert, you’re fully aware of what caused this.

But this conclusion brings up more questions than answers. Sure, you had practice after classes yesterday, but you would remember being hit full force—and you don’t.

But you have no time to sit and ponder over this mystery, you have to make it down for breakfast and then endure hours of classes. If only you could skip ahead to tomorrow’s match against Gryffindor.

You limp your way through the dorm, unable to put the usual amount of weight on your right leg. The room is empty, save for Bedelia, who, as usual, is still snoring underneath her blanket. On your way out, you make sure to wake her up by slamming the door shut as hard as you can.

Hobbling down to the Great Hall with a bag of heavy books slung over your shoulder is no easy feat even when it’s something that constantly happens.

The Great Hall is buzzing, though most of the noise is coming from the Gryffindor table.

The ceiling reflects the morning, bright blue and not a cloud in sight.

By the looks of it, the Gryffindor Quidditch team just got back from their morning practice, still panting and sweaty. For the entire week leading up to a match, James Potter, their captain, makes them practice and go through relentless drills in preparation. When they’re not on the pitch, he’s quizzing them on maneuvers. You’re lucky that your captain and fellow Beater, Morgana Sharpe, gives you the day before a match off, mostly to rest and review. If Potter was your captain he would’ve ended up in St. Mungo’s by now.

Your eyes wander over to Marlene McKinnon, her blonde hair up in a bun, face red and splotchy from practice, bare arms showing off muscle. Her chest heaves under her scarlet top.

“Practicing getting your arses handed to you?” You joke, leaning against their table.

Marlene scoffs. “Oh, you wish.”

Her deep brown eyes find yours, a troublesome twinkle shining through.

“Focus, Marlene, can’t have you fraternizing with the enemy!” James laughs out between mouthfuls of eggs.

“More like flirting with the enemy.” Sirius snorts, leaning closer to Remus, who chuckles into his glass.

“Oi! Piss off, Black!” Marlene snaps, the red on her face spreading.

Dorcas squeezes in next to her, dittany in hand. “How’s the leg, Marls?”

“Aw.” You pout. “Did McKinnon get a boo boo during practice?”

She scowls at you. “Don’t you have a potion to blow up?”

You clench your jaw and ball your hand into a fist. She’s got a point.

“Alright, enough trash talk, you two, leave it for the pitch.” James rolls his eyes.

Instantly, a weight lifts from your shoulders.

“I gotta go eat, anyway.” You smile warmly at your sort of friends. “So I’ll see you guys in class.” You wave before turning to your own table.

You join the rest of your team the table, squeezing through the tight huddle. Parchment is scattered all over the surface, some with crude drawings of maneuvers, some with written stats.

“Right, now that we’re all here,” Sharpe grunts our in her thick Irish accent, shooting you a disgruntled look. “We have a change of plans.”

“Change of plans?” Webb, one of your Chasers, asks. He looks up from his diagram, eyebrows raised.

“Greene’s soulmate took a tumble and landed him in the hospital wing. Can’t play tomorrow’s match.” She scowls, drawing clenched tightly on her hand.

“Again?” Your team groans.

Rupert Greene spends more time in the hospital wing due to his soulmate’s clumsiness than from playing a dangerous magical sport. That’s the way it’s been for the four years you’ve known him, and you have a hunch that it’ll never change.

“So we’re gonna have to put in Knight? Against Gryffindor?” Webb cries out, eyes wide. “No offense, but he isn’t ready to take on those pricks!”

Sharpe runs a hand through her dark brown hair. “Well, I guess we all just need to pray to Merlin some Gryffindor gets knocked off their broom.” She sighs.

The news of Knight replacing Greene for the match against Gryffindor puts you in a sour mood, making the bruise on your thigh throb more painfully.

You march through the corridors, face contorted in a permanent frown, barely paying attention to your lessons. You do, however, manage to keep your potion from exploding, which Slughorn is thrilled about. Match notes and plays take over your free time, pushing all your homework to Sunday, quickly deciding that this match is far too important. Marlene sticks her tongue out at you whenever she gets the chance as she hobbles through the corridors or looks away from Flitwick in your shared Charms class.

Sharpe drags you and the rest of the team up to bed at nine, lecturing you all about a good night’s rest. You roll your eyes, but you do only spend half an hour studying moves before heading to bed.

You wake up jittery.

You’re always nervous the morning of normal Quidditch matches, but this isn’t a normal Quidditch match. Gryffindor has gone undefeated for the entire season so far, and you just need to beat them. You crave to watch the smug look fall from James’ face and the cocky attitude that Sirius is infamous for crumble. You want to win. At the same time, though, you’re hesitant to see the frown on Marlene’s face. Those perfect lips deserve to shaped in a perfect smile.

Your bruise isn’t as irritated as yesterday. It’s still black and blue, but you really need to dig your thumb into it for it to hurt.

You stretch, listening to your joints pop before strutting down to the Great Hall to join the rest of your team.

Taking a deep breath before making your way through the threshold, you try your best to calm down and radiate confidence. You crack your knuckles and make your way to your table.

Marlene throws you a playful glare across the room, which you teasingly reciprocate.

Breakfast is a quiet affair for your group. Feet tap impatiently against the stone, nervous habits running wild.

The weather is perfect for Quidditch. There’s a slight breeze and a couple fluffy white clouds drifting through the blue sky, providing the occasional blotch of shade. It reassures you and calms you down on your walk down.

Sharpe gives her usual pep talk in the locker rooms. It’s all about blood, guts, and glory, and how we better not mess this up for her or else “she’ll haunt us from the great beyond.” Knight is white as a sheet, trembling underneath his robes.

The crowd roars out from the stands just above, your cue to make your grand entrance. Brooms are taken off their positions in the wall and in a single filed line, you all follow Sharpe out onto the pitch.

“And here it is, everybody,” Remus’ voice calls out over the chaos. “Captain Sharpe, (Y/Ln), Webb, Byrne, Spade, Opal, and their reserve, Knight!”

Your house cheers louder at your introduction, your eardrums pounding. You smile and nod at the crowd, excitement bubbling up inside of you.

“While the two captains are taking positions and shaking hands,” You hear as you mount your broom, Potter and Sharpe facing each other. “I have been paid quite a significant amount to say that according to James Potter, Lily Evans looks absolutely gorgeous today—“

“That has nothing to do with the match, Lupin!” McGonagall cries.

“Godric, Minnie. I’m just doing some adverts, it’s all good. No need to—“

A large thwack echos throughout the pitch, but you’re too wrapped up in Hooch blowing the whistle.

Quickly, you soar up in the air, Beater’s bat in one hand, chasing after your teammates to defend them.

You barely hear Remus over the whistling of the wind and your own grunts.

You watch Marlene laugh after she bats a Bludger away from James, the bat giving off a wicked crack. You’re momentarily mesmerized by her figure. How her tongue peeks out in concentration and her ponytail bounces wildly in the wind.

A moment passes and your arm erupts in pain, and to add onto that, you’re hurtling towards the grass.

You clutch your arm and brace for impact, breath being forcibly ripped from your lungs. Tears well in your eyes from both the pain and the air lashing against your body. Your Quidditch robes flap wildly behind you.

The landing, however, isn’t that bad. You end up in the grass, your bad arm protected. You assume Dumbledore is the one to thank.

You let out strangled pants, sky spinning around you, a piercing whistle sharp against your ears. Your arm screams in agony.

“(Y/Ln)!” Sharpe calls out, broom clutched in one hand. “You alright?” Her face shines with sweat.

“Bloody hell, she’s got quite the swing.” You groan, face contorting in anguish.

In the corner of your rotating vision, you watch red and gold blurs crowding around someone else.

Madam Hooch and the rest of your teammates are talking, but you can’t understand a word they’re saying.

Tendrils of black fog enter your vision and suddenly you’re out cold.

You recognize the hospital wing bed immediately. It’s firm, but not unbearable, the white cotton sheets rubbing against any exposed skin.

“So (Y/Ln) and McKinnon, eh?”

It’s garbled and you’re unable to place the voice, but it’s understandable.

“What’s this ‘bout me and McKinnon?” You manage to slur out, eyes blinking open, the figures above you blurry.

The world gradually clears itself up, your teammates surrounding your bed. Your left arm is wrapped tightly to your chest with a white cotton sling. The pain is dull, but it’s the most noticeable feeling present.

“Ah, well...” Webb scratches the back of his neck, averting his eyes.

“They’re talking about how I finally felt my own strength.”

Slowly, you turn your head to see Marlene sitting up on her bed, carefully watching over you. Her friends surround her, knowing smirks gracing their faces.

Her blonde hair is a bit of a tangled mess from the wind, but her smile is blinding in the light.

“You mean...” Your eyes widen in shock.

Marlene nods her head. “Soulmates.”

You bite your lip in response.

“I mean, it was pretty obvious, wasn’t it?” Sirius asks, looking between his friends for approval. “They literally wake up covered in bruises after like every Quidditch match!”

“Shut up, Pads!” Remus hisses, smacking him on the leg. “They’re having a moment.”

Sirius rolls his eyes and holds his hands up in mock surrender.

Your eyes drift to your thigh where the mysterious bruise was.

“I’m guessing you got hit by a Bludger during practice?” You ask.

“And you’re the one that gave me that broken bloody nose during detention!” Marlene exclaims.

You nod shyly, remembering when Knight accidentally threw the Quaffle at your face during a late night practice.

“Are we really that bloody stupid?” You laugh.

“You want a real answer or...?” James starts, repositioning his glasses.

Marlene shoves James off her bed, and he yelps before ungracefully tumbling to the floor with a crash.

“Guess this is our cue to leave the two stupid lovebirds alone.” Lily giggles before patting her friend on the back and leaving, the Marauders and your own team trailing close behind her.

Because the bones in your arm are practically shattered, you’re confined to the hospital wing for at least another day, but with Marlene at your bedside, it’s been made bearable. You talk about all those mysterious injuries you’ve acquired over the many years and learn the extent of your idiocy.

With various bumps and bruises to match, at the end of the day, the two of you are much more than Quidditch rivals.

[natromanxoff]

20 - Rockin' in Rio

Greetings one and all A quick return from the Bondi Bard. Last weekend there was a surprise party for Gerry and Sylvia in San Francisco, and judging from the email I got from Ratty a good time was had by all, and a few of our old mob were there. I would loved to have been there but I was committed to go to the wedding of a good buddy of mine. James and his new wife Suze got married on the original Manly ferry, which has been converted into an amazing houseboat and is moored at Balmain. The ceremony was at 7pm, just as the sun was setting to the left of us, and the Harbour Bridge to the right, very picturesque. An Aussie band called Leonardo's Bride sang their top five hit to the couple (of course I can't remember the name of it) and the girl singer has an incredible voice, and is also gorgeous and a very charming lady, who is shacked up with a DJ mate of mine. Lucky bastard. The booze was good, the food even better and a fun night was had. I can hear that question again, "Whats this got to do with Queen?" Well I shall tell you. James worked as an engineer at Metropolis Studios in London, along with the lovely Heidi, where the Queenies did a lot of recording, he also did some work with the band, but did a lot on BM's first solo outing. The next link is even weaker. I spent a good part of the evening chatting with Rob Hirst, who is the drummer with Midnight Oil, and is also a fabbo chappie. And being a typical drummer, while the Oils are not working he is recording his own solo album, as a singer/guitarist.......sound familiar. We had a couple of drinks and swapped a few stories, and as his wife was with us we managed to keep them all clean.

Staying on the subject of drummers I had an email, via Jacky, from a drummer who didn't seem that amused by the joke I told in my last ramblings, they might hit things but they are really quite sensitive deep down. So I suppose I should say I'm sorry, well I'm not. But here's another little jest to piss him off some more. Q: Whats the most asked question to a person with an IQ of 2? A: What sticks do you use?

Onto Sonia's request for some info on our trips to Brazil. What can I say about Rio except that it is a fun city and we all had a great time there, maybe that's why we went back a second time. On the first venture there I was still looking after the kit, and on one night myself and a few of the crew hit the town and got very drunk on the local drink, I think it was made from sugar, which I can pronounce but I've no idea how to spell it. (Help me out Sonia) We were in a bar getting louder and louder when a Welsh Rugby team came in, and they were big boys, and they are also on the tipsy side.

I'm 6ft, Jim Devenney makes me look small and Bob Bickleman made him look small, and the rugby players are of equal size, so we now have a contest on our hands as to which team can sing the loudest and dirtiest rugby songs. To start with the Welsh were winning because they had a couple of good looking women with them, and even though it was loud it was also in good fun. Devenney then comes up with the great statement that rugby is a girls game, the Welsh reply that at least they don't need padding when they play, unlike Gridiron, to which our team say, "OK, lets have a game on the beach tomorrow morning." This to me sounds like a really daft idea as I hate Gridiron, Rugby and Soccer, so one of the lighting guys and myself decided to leave, which means the Queen crew won by default cause neither team turned up on the beach to play, and as the two of us were leaving the bar we took their gorgeous ladies with us. Sorry Wales.

Our second visit to Brazil, when I was traveling with the band, was for the first Rock in Rio which was a two week festival with a host of big names on, each playing two nights. We did the opening night with three Brazilian acts, then Whitesnake who had Cozy as drummer, then Iron Maiden and then us. The second show was at the end and our opening acts were the B52's and the Go Go's. After the show I ended up in my room with a couple of Go Go girls, and boy were they party hounds. Apart from the bands I've mentioned there were other big names like Rod Stewart, AC/DC, Yes, George Benson and more. It was fun because we got to see old friends of the road, but it was also a nightmare cause we were almost prisoners of the hotel, due to the fact there were far to many fans outside the hotel, so we hung around the pool most of the time. The press were paying guests with poolside views so they could use the room and snap rockstars by the pool, which, of course, put an end to that.

The only thing left to do between shows was to get out of Rio and Roger and I heard of a great place called Buzios (Hope I spelt that correctly) which I suppose is about 100 miles away. Deaky and Wally decided to come as well, and being wimps they took a limo, unlike us drum type people, we don't eat quiche, we're gonna drive. The locals were all driving around in beach buggies, they look like fun, thats us, lets go. A buggy is basically a VW beetle with a different body, and our gleaming white buggy turns out to be the biggest pile of crap ever allowed on a road.

I take the wheel and we're not too far into our journey when 1st gear goes on the missing list, I don't care, I'm a good driver, I can start in 2nd. The gearstick decides to loosen on us, so trying to get it in gear was like stirring soup, who cares, onwards and by now our buggy decides to dump the clutch, so when it came to pulling away I just pushed the stick, and whatever gear it went in was the one we drove in. At least we can see the funny side of it all. What else can God give us to make this mission harder, how about torrential rain, which is great fun to drive in when you don't have a roof on the car. Needless to say the buggy rapidly filled up with water. Five minutes of this downpour and we get our next treat, the wipers pack up, so RT has to stand up and lean over the top and wipe the windshield so I can see where I'm going. By this time we look like a couple of soaking wet tramps, but we are killing ourselves laughing as we watch the red mud flow down the hillsides into the river we are trying to drive through. As we go round a bend we both screamed out "OH F***" at the same time. A huge truck was heading in the opposite direction to us, and as it passed at high speed a tidal wave of red water engulfed us and our crappy little car. I have to be honest here, that did wipe out a bit of the humour. We got to our destination, found the hotel and as the drowned rats walked in, the wimps were sitting in the bar, very dry with very cold beers. Next time, I'm with you Deaky. You would think the first thing I would want was a shower, nope, top of the list was a nice quiet chat with the company that rented us our friendly little buggy, and after a couple of well placed words they didn't charge us. Once there we had a good time. Oh, I nearly forgot, we did a couple of great shows as well.

Loads of the usual stuff

Crystal

[mrslilyrogers]

Betrayal Part 7

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Summary: (AU) Set in New York. You and Bucky have been married for 5 years. He’s the love of your life and you are his. At least, you thought you were until he started slipping away from you, coming home late and smelling of another woman’s perfume? You are in denial. Are you just losing your mind or are you really losing him?

Author’s notes: I’m so so sorry this took so long! I redid the whole thing. We’re going to back up a bit in this chapter and visit the past. Please check the warnings before reading. Also, my requests are open. Send ideas if you’re feeling particularly angsty! Or even fluff, I’d like to try my hand at it. As always, let me know what you think of this chapter! For tags, please send in ask! 

Warnings: Cheating, Angst, Abuse, Swearing

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4  Part 5 Part 6

2 years ago.

Bucky tapped his fingers on the table as he checked his watch again. 8:15. Forty-five minutes late. Again. He let out a huge sigh, barely able to hold himself from scratching his eyes out. The curly-haired waitress went back to him with an apologetic look on her face, “I’m sorry, sir. My manager told me I really need to take your order now. There’s already a line waiting outside…” she let her sentence trail sheepishly. Bucky tried to ignore the heat creeping up his cheeks and gave her an unconvincing smile instead, reciting his order. When she left with visible relief on her face, he picked up his phone and called his wife again. He had tried to call and text her earlier but she hadn’t picked up.

“Hello?” Y/N answered, sounding frazzled and irritated as she cleaned up after her rude customer. He just had the audacity to leave a mess after complaining and whining about the wifi three times. She could barely keep her eyes from rolling. 

“Hey, babe. Where are you? I’ve been waiting for you at the restaurant,” Bucky’s defeated voice on the other line replied. 

“Oh shit!” She shrieked, attracting the heads of the other customers as she glanced at the clock on the wall. She had lost track of time. Bucky had been waiting for her for almost an hour. On their anniversary. Oh crap, crap, crap. 

“Oh my god, baby. I’m so sorry! I’m understaffed and I lost track of time! Could you please wait for me? I’m so sorry!” She quickly took off her apron and changed into the dress she had brought with her that morning for their date. Bucky had been planning this. He arranged for Lizzie’s babysitter and everything, practically bouncing off with excitement for this night. He wanted to try out this new restaurant and between raising Lizzie and making sure Winter Bakery was still making a profit, they haven’t seen much of each other lately. She just couldn’t find the time whereas Bucky’s stable position in Shield gave him more authority to delegate. And he literally had been trained for this for years. All those late-nighters at the university and all the grunt work he and Steve went through have finally paid up. They were at the top of their game, one of the youngest to acquire their positions. They were heroes in the investment banking world. Life was easy for him now, cherry on top of the cake. He only wished Y/N could be there with him. But she was still on shaky ground with her business and he fully understood that. 

“Of course! I already picked our appetizers though. They were trying their best to kick me out gently if I didn’t order anything,” 

“Oh, my poor Bucky. You should’ve flashed them your smile, charmed your way. They would’ve made you stay,” she replied, fixing her ponytail, not having the time to retouch her makeup anymore. This’ll just have to do. 

“Really, now. It was a waitress, you know.” He teased back. 

A beat before Y/N replied in mock seriousness. “In that case, don’t you dare. I’ll be there in 15!” 

“Wouldn’t dream of it. See you, babe. I love you--,” 

But before he could even finish his sentence, the line had dropped on the other end.  

_______________________________________________________________________

1 year ago.

“Daddy, look, apples!” Lizzie pointed from her seat in the grocery cart. Her legs swinging as she giggled at the heap of apples on their side. “Yeah, baby, you’re right.” Bucky replied absentmindedly, not even bothering to look as he stared confusedly at the bunch of green vegetables in front of him. The list Y/N gave him said scallions, but how the hell was he supposed to know which was which? Scallions, spring onions, green onions, they were all the same right? He suddenly regretted volunteering to do their grocery shopping alone, having no clue what half of the list Y/N prepared even meant. It was the weekend, they were all supposed to go together and then have a quick visit to the toy store after, for one more of Lizzie’s birthday gifts. She had just turned 3 a week ago and he couldn’t help but promise to let her pick out another doll. When Y/N had given him a pointed look while Lizzie clung on and gushed to him, he couldn’t help but to just give her a tiny shrug. He grew up with nothing, he was gonna give his little girl everything. But that morning when he thought the three of them finally had time to spend together, Y/N couldn’t make it again. She was having problems with her manager and had to go into work unexpectedly. Now, she wasn’t even answering his calls when he had to ask her about the most complicated grocery list he’s ever seen in his whole life. 

“Daddy, when are we getting my doll?” Lizzie asked again, looking up at him as she clutched her favorite white wolf stuffed toy. 

“After this, sweetheart.” He answered, preoccupied and calling Y/N again. This time when she didn’t answer, he gave up, grabbed the one nearest to him and hoped for the best. 

When he’s gotten halfway through the list and let Lizzie point at the snacks she wanted for school, he let his mind wander, when the hell had they become like this? He barely saw his wife anymore. Her problems with her bakery cafe, always dragging her away from them. He wished she could find competent people who would stay but if it weren’t her manager, it was her baker and so on. And if she was finally free, he’d be the one who was busy. It was hard and annoying but coupled that with taking care of an over-enthusiastic three-year-old, it was also exhausting.

He missed Y/N and he wished he could spend time with her. He completely understood that she was always needed at work. He had been through that in their early 20s, but they didn’t have a kid then to compete for their time and understanding it was different from actually living it. Their marriage had become stagnant. The banality of their everyday life, a stark contrast to how they used to be when they were just a couple of kids off college who rented a too-small apartment with his little sister, Becca. Time has flown and he’s finally achieved the life he’s always wanted; a big duplex apartment, a steady high-income job and a family he had always yearned for but never really knew he needed. All of the things he promised himself when he was younger and had nothing, he had now and more, yet there was still something missing. He missed the thrill of his life, chasing his dreams had always kept him motivated, distracted. Now that he had it all, he was at his wits’ end. Maybe it was because they were also growing apart, he could feel it. Y/N had always been able to make him happy and whole; he had always been able to rely on her emotionally. She was the better part of him and now that she was becoming distant, he hung onto her like a lifeline but his insistence on going on vacations as a family wherever his wife and daughter wanted went unheard, all his attempts at romancing cancelled. 

Even as he lined up now for the cashier, he whipped out his phone to text her. His hands had been busy typing when a brooding, dark-haired man stood behind him dressed in all black. His arms were muscled despite his age and the sagging skin on his right arm holding a tattoo of an odd skull with tentacles extending out of it was barely covered by his shirtsleeve. 

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t little Bucky,” a familiar husky voice mocked from behind him. 

Bucky immediately felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, the voice sending a deep chill down his spine, making him go rigid as he slowly turned around, the blood draining from him when he went face to face with the man who had made his life a living hell, the man who not only broken him physically but in spirit as well. Repeatedly. 

“You some errand boy now? I didn’t raise you to be like that, you know,” He continued to mock, tipping his chin to the cart with Lizzie still on it. 

“Do you know him, daddy?” She asked, holding her little wolf tighter as she watched the stranger warily. 

“Hey there, sweetie. Your daddy didn’t tell you about me? That’s weird. I raised him and your aunt Rebecca a long time ago. My name is Rumlow,” he flashed her a chilling smile, stepping closer to offer his hand. That’s when the fog in Bucky’s brain cleared. He moved with a lightning fast reflex, stepping in between them as he got in Rumlow’s face, fisting his collar harshly in one hand, 

“Don’t you dare go near her,” his dark and low voice had threatened, dripping venom. His eyes had dilated, almost turning black as he shoved him hard. Rumlow’s grating laugh echoed around them, bringing back all those awful memories he had buried deep inside his head. 

“I’ve taught you well, boy. Can’t say I’m not proud,” He clapped and actually smiled at him smugly. At this point, Lizzie had started crying making Bucky even more furious. 

“I don’t ever want to see your face again. And if you go near my daughter again, I’ll make you fucking regret it. Do you understand?” His threats went on deaf ears as Rumlow broke out into a full-fledged grin. 

“I’d love to see you try, James. You’ve grown soft,” He accused, eyeing Lizzie and the grocery he had still lined up, several heads already looking at them. 

“Lucky for you. I have a new son here,” He continued, tilting his head to the boy standing by his mostly empty cart-- save for the beer and the liquor. Bucky flicked his attention to the boy and he felt his world spin as he saw himself in him with his eyes haunted, wary and afraid. He couldn’t have been older than eight. Rumlow smirked at the look on Bucky’s face, already detecting the turmoil brewing inside him. He had succeeded. He always knew Bucky was weak, his emotions his downfall. The fear and guilt clearly written in Bucky’s eyes made Rumlow gloat as he talked to the boy, 

“What did I say, Bert, huh? You’ll only have food if you go get it yourself. Why are you still standing there?” 

The boy looked around the big grocery store, mentally taking note of the stalls and where they were currently at, memorizing it in case he got lost but still, he didn’t move. Bucky looked at Rumlow and he saw the same look he’d always had directed at him before, his taunting eyes daring the boy to go or face the consequences. 

“But I’m scared,” the boy replied, his voice small and frightened. Rumlow moved to him, bending his knees to get to his eye level. “Well then, you just won’t have to eat,” he told him in a hushed voice, pouting and mocking. 

Bucky didn’t have to hear it to know the exact words, buried memories rushing back to the surface. He heard it countless times directed at him. The boy ran to the nearest stall, his heart pounding and hoping Rumlow would still be at that same spot when he came running back. Bucky knew the feeling, it was like he was living it all over again. As much as he wanted to help, he was rooted to the spot, even Lizzie’s crying couldn’t move him. Rumlow stood back up and faced him. “You were always my favorite,” he told him proudly as he pushed his own cart away from them, no doubt to give Bert an even harder chance of finding him. 

Just before he got too far, he swiftly turned around, feigning innocence as he said, “Oh and by the way, say hi to Rebecca for me,”  His lips twisted up into a sneering smirk as he left, whistling without a care in the world. And just like that Bucky was moving, grabbing Lizzie and getting out of that store as fast as he could, hoping Rumlow would stay out of his life forever. 

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

“I’m never letting you do the groceries again!” Y/N screeched, a horrified look on her face as she stared at their fridge. After the incident with Rumlow, Bucky had brought Lizzie to the toy store, allowing her to buy all the stuffed toys and dolls she wanted instead of just the previously promised one doll. They had gone to lunch after, he kept Lizzie distracted as much as possible to forget the man she had just met. When she brought him up again, he told her it was just a friend he didn’t like very much and that she shouldn’t bring it up to her mom because it was nothing, he promised he never had to see that man again. Lizzie seemed satisfied with his answer and went back to her usual chirpy self. On their way home, they passed by another grocery store. He had mindlessly strolled the aisles and grabbed whatever he thought they needed, his head at a different place, much as it still is now.

“Bucky, we don’t need four cartons of milk, why would you even get this?” Y/N asked incredulously, shaking her head as she chuckled. 

Bucky had been staring off into space, not hearing what his wife had been saying. “Uhm, hello Bucky, you still with me?” she teased, waving a hand in front of his face. 

“Oh sorry, what was that?” He asked, glancing up at her from his perch by the kitchen counter. The coffee he had brewed, now cold in his hands. 

“Hey, you okay?” she asked, looking at him with concern in her eyes. 

“Yeah, just didn’t sleep well,” he waved dismissively. Y/N felt a pang of guilt. He’d been bugging her to spend more time together, planning outings and dates that she never seemed to find time for. 

“Well, I finally have the day free. Why don’t we go out, watch a movie or have a picnic? It’ll be fun,” she suggested, draping a hand over his shoulder while her chin rested on the other, her elbow propped up on the countertop to keep an eye level with him. 

“I can’t, I’m sorry, babe. I promised to meet up with Thor,” he moved away from her touch, standing up. Y/N looked at him confusedly, “Okay, how about after?”

“Gotta go over some accounts with Sam, sorry love. I’ll be back before dinner,” He gave her a quick kiss to the cheek before heading out. Y/N stared after him, brows knitted, before shrugging. She’ll just get her errands around the house done then. 

After pounding the punching bag in Thor’s gym incessantly, Bucky found himself aimlessly walking around the streets, he just needed to clear his head. The little boy’s face was still etched in his mind as he opened the door to a bar. A little too early, he knew but he couldn’t shake off the nagging thought plaguing his mind. 

How could he have let that monster roam free while he had lived his life without even a glance back? 

_______________________________________________________________________

Years ago.

Bucky held Becca’s hand as they ascended the rickety steps of their new home. They had just lost their parents and were now moving into an unfamiliar house. The case worker had told them they were lucky not to be separated and that they shouldn’t worry; they were getting a good foster father who would take care of them from now on. 

“I had interviewed him myself, you see,” She told the children, beaming with pride. 

“I couldn’t have found a better one for you guys, why, this area is still very close to where you grew up in. You could still visit your old haunts,” She ruffled Becca’s hair, trying to lighten the mood while the little girl just moved farther away, hiding behind her big brother. The worn-out door which at once might have been painted pristine white but now had chippings hanging off of it suddenly opened with a creak, a man with a charming and easy nature stepped out with a warm smile on his face that didn’t quite reach his eyes. 

“You guys are here! Welcome, welcome, please come in!” He gestured humbly to his house. Becca squeezed Bucky’s hand tighter which he squeezed back in return, reassuring her. There was something about this man that wasn’t quite right. He seemed relaxed and easy-going, a smile continuously plastered on his face but there was a lethality to him that the children couldn’t seem to shake off, almost as if it was buried deep inside waiting to be unleashed. The case worker hung on his every word, giggling as they talked. She slapped his arm with the horrible looking tattoo that gave Becca a fright. The children barely moved from the sofa they were seated at after the introductions. 

“It’s usually like this. Don’t worry. They start to open up after a while,” the case worker sympathized with Brock, the man who introduced himself as their new foster father; he would treat them as his own, he had promised. 

“It’s alright. I understand. After my wife, I’ve been all alone and this, this is a blessing to me,” He told her as he turned to the children. Her hand strayed to his arm again and lingered there. 

“Oh, Brock, you are a good man. They’re great children, they won’t give you trouble.” She replied, patting his arm for reassurance. It didn’t miss Bucky how she hung off his every word. 

“But I should get going, I will check up on you in a week. Children, be good. You have my number if you need anything,” She stood up, smoothing the wrinkles on her blazer.

“Wait, you’re leaving us already?” Bucky couldn’t help the whine that escaped his voice. He didn’t miss the darkness that spilled over Brock’s face for a split second before he carefully put his smile back on again. 

“I’ll be back in a week, Bucky. Don’t you worry,” the case worker smiled before she walked out the door leaving him and Becca to a stranger. 

When she was out of sight, Brock had suddenly changed his demeanor. The smile on his face had turned into a scowl when he faced them. “Alright, listen up both of you,”  he boomed, his voice cruel. “Grab your things and get on to your rooms. I don’t want to hear any noise. No running around, and if I see you making a mess. You bet your little asses, you’ll pay for it,” He stood up and left them to their bags. 

“But Mr. Brock, I’m thirsty,” Becca piped up, looking up at him timidly. The man’s grating laugh rumbled as he threw his head back, shaking it.  

“That’s Rumlow to both of you, you hear me?  Don’t make that mistake again. Now, come here,” He said, beckoning both the children to come over. Once they reached the kitchen, he pointed to the high cupboard. “You see that?” He asked Becca, dropping low to get to her eye level. When she just nodded her head, he continued, “That’s where the glasses and the plates are. If you want something in this house, you go get it yourself. I’m not your nanny,” He held Becca’s face in his hand roughly. His fingers wrapped around her cheeks tight as he held her by the chin. Bucky felt his fists clench at his sides, pushing Rumlow as far as he could with his eleven year old might.  

“Stop that!” He screamed. Their parents never hurt them. How dare this man think he could do this to his little sister? 

“Oh you wanna be the man of the house?” Rumlow jeered, shoving Bucky back making him fall to the floor. Becca’s sniffles grew louder as she tried to stop her crying, her shoulders shaking from her effort. As Bucky lay sprawled, Rumlow scooted down menacingly to him, 

“You dare push me when you were just whining like a little bitch a while ago, you wanna man up? Alright, I’ll allow it,” he taunted, pondering it for a moment before his sinister smile came back on. “Let’s see how long you’ll last protecting your little sister.” He gripped his face by the chin, fingers squeezing exceedingly tight on his cheeks before he pushed him off and he hit the floor. 

“I won’t be some parent to you that you could twist around your little fingers, no. I’ll make you into the best man you could be. I will teach you about order. And order only comes through pain,” He drilled into him like a soldier as he stretched his legs back up, his measured steps going to the fridge to fish out a beer. He took a long gulp before he continued, 

“And the sooner you learned that, the better,” 

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

Bucky sat alone at one of the benches by the field at his school, choosing solitude over the roar of the cafeteria after a particularly bad morning at home. Their foster father had woken up drunk and had haphazardly thrown things at them when Bucky accidentally burnt the eggs he had been cooking for his and Becca’s packed lunch for school. He picked on the peanut butter sandwich he prepared, not having the appetite to eat when he heard jeering voices from a group of boys and sounds of flesh being hit again and again with accompanying grunts of pain. He felt his feet move on instinct when he found them by the bleachers, a scrawny boy at the center of a group huddling over him, they were laughing as he tried to fight them off, not once being able to land a punch. The blood pumped in Bucky’s veins, a constant beating in his ears, as he grabbed the biggest of the bullies by the collar and harshly yanked him off the tiny, blonde boy now sprawled on the floor with his skinny arms covering his face. When one of the other kids tried to punch him, he deftly moved out of the way and delivered a swift blow to his stomach, making sure to spare his face so as not to get in trouble. That was how Rumlow did it, might as well use the same trick right? 

“What? Who wants to go next?” He threatened, loving the adrenaline coursing through his veins, the power he had with defending someone so helpless. The lanky blonde boy stood up beside him, blood dripping from his mouth as he held both his fists up, “I can do this all day,” he said, catching his breath but his stance clearly indicated he could barely stand up straight. Bucky just looked at him weirdly, not knowing whether to find him stupid or brave. The bullies stood against them, unsure. Bucky was the same age as them, only slightly bigger. Him and the blonde boy were still clearly outnumbered but Bucky’s eyes held a lethal strength in them, his body coiled with unleashed brutality, ready to fight. The bullies scrambled out of there as fast as they could, their feet tripping over them. 

“Yeah next time, pick on someone your own size!” he hollered before looking back at the blonde boy who looked younger than them but held himself with such maturity that it didn’t seem possible. He decided right then and there he was going to make him his new friend. Rumlow had always taught him about his belief of the natural order of the world, that strength and might always won the day and that order could only be achieved through pain. If you could inflict it on others, you were stronger, better. Weaker men were useless, had to be beaten up and put in their place. “That’s just the way of the world,” he had said. But Bucky was old and smart enough to see right through his facade. He was a bully, feeding off of people who couldn’t fight back. Bucky was going to be different, he wouldn’t bow down to his will. He just needed to protect his sister, spare her from the taint of Rumlow’s anger and prove that he wouldn't become the man Rumlow has been conditioning him to be. 

“You alright?” Bucky asked the boy standing beside him who was touching the bruise forming on his forehead.

“Yeah, thanks for helping me,” he replied sheepishly, ashamed he couldn’t fight for himself.

“Next time, just don’t provoke them, they aren’t worth it.” 

“But they were wrong. Bullies, I’d always stand up to them,” the blonde brushed his hair back from his forehead, determination steeling his voice. Bucky smiled, maybe he could learn a thing or two from this boy too. 

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“Steve, what’s yours?”

“Bucky. Steve, you’re a little punk. You know that?” he said teasingly, laughing. 

Steve grinned back, “Jerk,” 

_______________________________________________________________________

Present

The light filtered into the room as the curtains were drawn back harshly causing Bucky to groan on his bed, flitting a pillow to cover his eyes. 

“Buck, come on. Get up,” Steve’s firm voice spoke through the fog in his mind. 

“Get out, Steve, I’m sleeping.” he replied, turning his back to the hand shaking his shoulder.

“How long are you going to do this? It’s been two weeks. Have you even talked to your family yet?” Steve’s judgmental voice rang out, hard and unforgiving. 

“She doesn’t even wanna see me,” he huffed, anger at himself boiling in his veins. He hasn’t seen his daughter in two weeks. Y/N’s short, cold replies to his messages were just updates on how Lizzie was doing, anything regarding Y/N, he had no idea about. He didn’t even know what sort of excuses she made up for Lizzie, how his “work trip” kept getting extended. When the hell could they keep that charade up? He was lucky enough she was letting him talk to his daughter on the phone for a few minutes every once in a while. He sat up on the bed, rubbing sleep from his eyes as he reached for the bottle of whiskey at the bedside table. These days he could only fall asleep when he’s had one too many to drink and even then, he’d still wake up with a headache that could only be dulled by alcohol. He barely even made it to work everyday. Sam had been good enough to cover for him, staying on neutral ground with everything that’s happening to his marriage although his eyes said otherwise, disappointment etched in them. All the while Steve had ignored him the entire time since the hospital. No amount of apologies moved him from his stance except today, when he suddenly barged into the hotel room Bucky has been renting like he owned the place. 

“Jesus, Bucky, stop that!” He swiped the bottle Bucky held between his lips, splashing amber liquid on his shirt and bed. 

“Damn it, Steve! Look what you did!  Give that back,” Bucky held his arm out, his reflexes slow as he tried to grab it from his friend. 

“Jesus Christ. You smell terrible. How much have you had to drink last night?” Steve fanned the air around him trying to rid the stench of alcohol and sweat.

“How the hell did you even get in here?” Bucky’s pissed off voice grumbled but one look at Steve’s intense stare with his brows furrowed and his jaw clenched, standing straight as a drill sergeant, arms crossed at his chest with his muscles bulging out of his fitted gray Under Armour shirt; he knew. The punk had intimidated his way in. No doubt leaving a poor breathless, flustered receptionist in his wake. 

“You could get that receptionist fired, you know?” He tried appealing to his best friend’s better nature.

“You wouldn’t tell. Plus, it isn’t as if she didn’t get a hefty tip. Go take a shower, Buck, you stink.” Steve didn’t budge, staring him down with a disgusted look on his face. Bucky just scoffed, 

“And then what? I don’t know if you’ve noticed, Y/N kicked me out, man. Just go home, you’re wasting your time.” 

Steve’s hardened face softened as he looked at his friend. His eyes were puffy, his skin pale as he scratched his wildly unkempt beard, his greasy hair sticking out on one side. What the hell had happened to Bucky? How had it gone so bad for his friend in a matter of days? He suddenly moved out of instinct, collecting clothes strewn everywhere and packed them into the suitcase at the corner of the room. 

“Steve, what the hell are you doing?” Bucky exhaled loudly. It was too early for this. Where the hell was his drink? 

“Get your ass moving, Bucky. You’re staying at my place,”

[halothenthehorns]

All in the Family

Chapter 46: The Marauder's Map

Warmth! The sensation after such harsh conditions was quite literally the best experience they'd had through all these trying times. Eyes still watering and adjusting to these new surroundings, none of them felt the need to stay so close and huddled together anymore as the rest of this place came into focus.

It was still too eerily quiet, save the wind howling outside which helped some. The place was so heavenly though, for once they didn't care about the outside world.

"Padfoot, I think we actually may have died during that last one," Remus stated as he spun slowly on the spot.

Sirius inhaled deeply, mouth already watering a bit, and feared answering for getting spittle on every surface. Not in Honeydukes of all places.

Shivers already slowing in such a homey environment, James quickly ruffled his hair back to normal. He swallowed, but not for their surroundings. As mad as he was at her, those last few moments had left him legitimately concerned about Evans, and spotting her now he realized he'd been right.

She was still crouched down on the floor in the far corner, her dark red hair plastered to her face but not quite hiding her red tinted eyes and sniffling noises that had nothing to do with being next to a barrel of All Icing For All Occasions, Flavors Include Strawberry, Dragon Breath, Chocolate and More! Frank and Alice had landed behind the register a bit away from her, so he still managed to get there first.

"All right Evans?" He couldn't help but ask, even as his innards clenched and he still felt like snapping at her for all she'd thrown at Sirius lately. It was the angriest he'd ever been at her, and still he couldn't think to do anything else but offer her a box he'd swiped on his way over. "Bean?"

Anyone hearing their last words could not be the most pleasant of things, let alone what she must have been suffering through. Maybe that was why she looked at him and said with the calmest, most indifferent expression ever, "no thanks."

Ignoring his outstretched hand still, she got herself shakily to her feet and murmured something about checking for the book upstairs, all the while James couldn't help but notice such an alteration in her personality. Somehow seeing her so subdued was even worse than her usual anger at him. He bit down on his lip and looked around with intent, there had to be something he could do.

The upstairs flat very quickly showed there was no book in sight, though that had been the least of her worries. Alice and Frank truly were very good friends, one look exchanged between them before she'd gone up these stairs had explained she hadn't wanted to be followed, she'd just wanted a moment alone.

Around her was a one bedroom, tightly packed but clearly very loved and lived in space. A small kitchenette sat in the far corner looking out into the alley way, a comfortable bed was all made up, and a door cracked open showed a closet charmed to hold the rest of their belongings. The only door closed she quickly rectified to find a bathroom.

The smell of the candies still managed to waft up here, but that wasn't why she took an uneasy breath. All her reservations were screaming at her for the invasion of privacy she was considering, but her hair was still dripping slightly on the floor, and she needed some way to chase away this cold that was still settled around her. The last time she'd had the privilege of a shower had been in the Gryffindor dormitory ages ago...

This was finally a decision she made for herself, no outside voices telling her what she should and shouldn't do, and she needed this for herself. Decided, she quickly set to work.

The tap was easy enough, and she set the spray as hot as it would go while she pursued the linen available. There weren't enough spares, so she gently took a rather threadbare butter yellow towel, and duplicated it eight times before putting the original back and leaving the rest on the sinks edge, shucked her wet clothes into the basin and finally managed to relax.

After she was done, a quick charm left her attire still grungy with use, but warm and dry once more as she made her way back downstairs, amazed to find no one had started the next part yet. Her answer came in the form of the Marauders, as usual.

If she hadn't known better, despite Harry's loss in the last chapter, Gryffindor would have just won another game. Potter and Pettigrew were juggling various sweets between them, while occasionally still managing to swipe a parcel into their mouth and continue their exuberant game. The elder Black was busy stacking various boxes of every candy available onto his younger brothers head, and it didn't even look like it was under duress. She couldn't imagine how he'd talked him into it, but he was smiling as much as the others. The only thing missing was the cheering crowd and the butterbeer for their usual antics. She found herself smiling and relaxing even more than the steaming hot water had provided.

"I've found it!" A voice cheered, from below her feet? Lily looked around and finally spotted a door behind the register she hadn't noticed before, and Lupin came charging out holding nothing apparently but he had a pleased enough smile on his face. He looked surprised to see her back and quickly went over to Potter and Pettigrew, sidling up like he was going to join the game.

The others seemed so busy they either didn't notice, or didn't care. She cleared her throat and polity informed, "err, I've found a shower up top, I'm sure they wouldn't mind, I mean I've tried to keep it as put together as I found it. So long as we all do-"

The older Black, Sirius she forced herself to distinguish, looked around at her, and before she was even done was sprinting towards the stairs.

"Oi!" His little brother spluttered, but too late, there was already a door slamming shut upstairs and the sound of running water again.

Potter fell to the floor laughing at the display, a pile of sweets quickly covering him. The others were all snickering as well, but Pettigrew came over and waved his wand to begin unpiling the makeshift, edible hat. The younger- err, Regulus finally took the base off his head, a whole box of licorice wands, and cracked it open to begin unwrapping one, offering Pettigrew another in thanks. "Black, red, green, brown, purple, blue, or the one that's all mixed together?"

"The rainbow one," he asked. He took a huge bite of the mixture, and his skin quickly took on the same tie-dye effect. Regulus snickered as he took a bite of the green one, his skin taking on a sickly hue but clearly enjoying the flavor anyways.

"Oi, Evans," Potter had suddenly popped up right beside her again, somehow unburying himself from his pile of sweets, but unsurprisingly still clutching some. "I found a chocolate ganache flavored pack of All-In-Rolls. Padfoot already ate the turkey one, and I may or may not have nibbled on the hash one. Had to pry this away from Remus and Peter nearly killing themselves for it, so I hope you enjoy such a sacrifice." He flashed her a winning smile and offered it to her with a slight bow even.

She couldn't help it, she snorted out a laugh. Through all of this madness and mayhem, something was finally normal again. She quickly regained herself back though, ignoring the bright twinkle in his eye, and told him sternly, "I'll not have it, and you shouldn't either! You can not tell me you've brought enough money to repay this shop all the madness you've already caused."

"Evans, you wound me!" He flashed her that smile again, clearly pleased as ever at the proceedings. "I've been keeping this business afloat for as long as we've been here, of course I'd never run them out without proper compensation now." He pulled a money bag, which she swore he hadn't had in their Potions class when all this started, and jangled it purposefully.

She let out a resigned sigh, but finally took the dinner bred flavored in her favorite dessert.

James smiled to himself as she turned away, towards Alice and Frank already levitating a few feet off the ground as they enjoyed their sherbet balls. Bless Moony for having the quick hands to pass him the gold without anyone noticing. He was patting his past self on the back for keeping a stash of galleons in the basement below right under the secret trap for just such occasions, it was quite lucky he had still managed to get in, even if he was sure had he traveled all the way back to the school that one would have been blocked.

There were alternately seven of them all enjoying themselves as one excused themselves to the bathroom, Remus going last because he just hadn't been able to bear putting down his salt water taffy until he'd finished it. The water was still as warm as ever, thank Merlin for magic.

In all the hubbub, Frank finally found the book behind a stack of Shock-O-Choc. They were all in such a relaxed and comfortable mood, everyone having savored a few chocolates first, that at first he almost glossed right over the chapter title.

"What map?" Alice asked in confusion, looking from the book to the suddenly shifty Marauders.

"No idea," Potter said with a completely straight face.

"Yeah, beyond us," his best friend nodded along.

"We're not the only Marauders on Earth," Lupin casually studied his fingers, picking fudge out from under his nails.

"Why would you assume otherwise?" Peter asked back innocently. He kept his hand in his pocket where said item currently was. They'd only finished it over Christmas break of this year, no way were they willing to show it to anyone else in this school! Not to mention, it wasn't really working anyways, the place would be more deserted than it ever had in its life. Even during holidays you could find some teachers who lived there about the school, now there wasn't even that.

The three exchanged a look of exasperation, but really they couldn't force another answer out of them, considering none believed this, so Frank just got started hoping for more answers from the book.

Regulus just kept eyeing Sirius, though he wasn't sure what for. He wasn't expecting some special treatment and an explanation, but he'd been well aware for ages his brother and friends got up to something around school. Even without Snape going on about it to anyone who would listen it was obvious enough, there just wasn't enough care from the general student populace to find out. Now here was an honest clue to it all, but what did a map help? By second year most students didn't need such a thing.

A kid voluntarily staying in the hospital wing for the weekend was quite the depressing way to get things started. It was nice his friends all came to visit him, Frank actually got a chuckle out of the fact that he didn't share his recent Grim sighting because he could accurately predict his friends reactions. There was irony abound in there.

Sirius didn't seem to find it as funny, blanching in unease and taking a step closer to Prongs at the reminder Harry had nearly died both times he'd caught sight of him. Was he really some omen? Twelve people had all died around him for some reason... "Oi Padfoot!" Remus cut in loudly. "Come here and play Exploding Bonbons with me."

"You two are so lame," Peter rolled his eyes as Sirius at once darted over. "Only couples do that sort of shite."

"Just because you caught Bertha Jorkins and Florence Jr. playing that last month doesn't change the fact that they've been doing this since third year," James rolled his eyes at him. "Now come here, I want a witness to see how many Pepper Imps I can fit in my mouth at once." Peter frowned in confusion at him why he hadn't instead made some joke towards Evans about trying the same, but willingly followed him over to the shelf where he could grab arm fulls of the little candies.

Alice was filling her pockets with plenty of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, while Frank was popping Crystallized Pineapple into his mouth every few sentences. Evans was now ignoring everything as much as she could as she dug into some No-Melt Ice-Cream Every Flavor, but she seemed to have a hard time swallowing it. He sighed and wished more than anything he could skip ahead, but the blasted book only let a few lines appear at a time. No one should have to listen to their final moments being lived through by their child. There wasn't any comfort they could give her for this.

Sirius nearly choked on his next bonbon when Ron threw a crocodile heart in Malfoy's face, spraying Dynamite Coconut all over Remus and neither of them caring as they knew they'd do just the same.

"I won that one," Moony smirked, wiping the crumbs free from his scruff, he needed a shave soon.

"Blast," he grumbled as he snatched up the next one blindly, and then scowled when it came up black.

Remus did so next, coming up with a red one. The two held each others gaze as they popped them in, but Sirius lost again this time because the little concoction exploded in his mouth faster, forcing him to quickly and visibly swallow. "How do you win at this every time?" He demanded as the prick still sat there smirking with his jaw firmly held around the candy even as Sirius blindly began choosing another. Luckily he came up with a white one this time, while the book turned to Professor Lupin's class.

"I've always been better at handling my sweets," he muttered for Sirius alone, nearly causing him to drop his candy. He grumbled and eyed the staircase, but didn't think the two of them could skip off without their friends noticing and coming along this time. Blast Wormtail putting the idea in his head, he'd been fighting back the urge to snog Remus for a whole minute now, the candies would have made such an experience even better.

They were interrupted anyways by the two joining them, smoke still pouring out of Prongs' nose and a very satisfied look on his face. "New record!" He crowed, collapsing on the ground beside Sirius and offering him a Jelly Slug.

"You really must make quite the good teacher Moony," Peter snickered. "All those kids complaining to you, and you taking it in stride like that."

"Least I managed to take your advice and keep my cool," he sighed, knowing full well he wouldn't be having any words with Snape. If he wasn't already avoiding him before, he would be now, even though the question of that mysterious potion was still on all their minds, Harry didn't seem to be picking up any more clues about it.

Lupin did call Harry back, and that following conversation was wrenching for them all. More talk of Azkaban and those dementors wasn't helping anyone's mood in here despite the warmth surrounding this room. No amount of Chocolate Flavored Pumpkin Pasties was going to make hearing of this better, but it was quite interesting to hear he promised Harry dementor lessons soon! The four exchanged almost excited looks for that promise, finally someone who was going out of there way to help Harry.

"Thanks, err, Remus."

Moony nearly startled to his feet, the only one who didn't seem surprised by Evans coming over was Prongs. He seemed determined to be unfazed by this, shifting through some Treacle Fudge with an absent expression.

"Oh, ah, you're welcome," he quickly smiled at her, meeting her expression openly. "I'd ah, do it for any student of course, but, well, I don't need to tell you I'd do anything for James' kid."

"Right," she said quietly, turning back away now that she'd said her peace, unable to shake the dark thought her friend had certainly never bothered to do the same. She held the two beside each other in her head, trying to age them up nineteen years, it was almost unfathomable. Her best friend had turned into some bitter tyrant of the school and here Potter's friend was, going out of his way to help Harry.

Of course this didn't explain Black on the loose, and Lupin just so happening to be at the school the same year. There was just no way that could be a coincidence, but would another of Potter's friends really be out to kill Harry?

Alice distracted her by offering her a Sugar Quill, gazing around at Honeydukes with a new eye and asking, "you know, I've just thought. Why would this place have any significance to Harry? He's not getting in here, and I wouldn't think his friends bringing him more sweets from this place would be so big a deal."

"Who cares," Frank managed around a mouth full of toffee. How he'd been getting the words from the book out with any semblance of intelligence was the real mystery today.

Regulus stopped sorting his beans into different colors and looked up with interest as the twins pulled Harry aside right before a Hogsmeade visit, instantly guessing what all this was about. He'd heard rumors from some of the older students the school had dozens of secret passages, and he'd certainly put money down those twins knew some of them. Then his eyes widened further as he turned to look at his brother, the four of them looking as if they were holding their breath in anticipation, all sweets forgotten and expressions locked in on Frank. A map of those secrets of the school would come in handy, and the Marauders were certainly more than capable of making such a thing; and then it somehow got even more fantastical!

The four of them had to scramble desperately to hide their sudden euphoria of Prongs kid of all people just stumbling across this! Instead they were forced to fix confused expressions in place, trying to make themselves look as intrigued and curious as anyone else should. It was like staring down Dumbledore!

"Wow, ah, what a marvel that thing is!" James began earnestly.

"My, my, we must be geniuses to figure this out, by our seventh year surely!" Sirius quickly agreed.

"If it's even ours," Peter quickly tacked in.

"Oh yes of course, how silly of us, or anyone to think we alone could engineer such a thing and-"

"Sign it with your bloody stupid nicknames you keep calling each other," Frank interrupted with an eye roll.

"You lot are the worst liars, really pathetic considering how often you try practicing at it," Alice snickered.

"Can't we see it," Regulus asked with such an excited little squeal to his voice, Sirius swore he was that ten year old again asking to see his big brothers wand.

Then James made the mistake of looking at Evans, five years of habit unbroken, and found her looking nothing but curious for this.

The two caved. Remus knew they'd lost. Peter pulled it out.

Sirius snatched it away, cleared his throat with far more importance than anyone really thought was necessary, and stated clearly, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Little ink lines began spreading about at once, and the other four crowded forward eagerly.

"Well I don't know what you were expecting," Remus couldn't help but say defensively into the silence. "You knew as well as us there's no one in the castle for it to be properly working right now!"

"Mrs. Norris is still there," Regulus noticed, prodding a corner that housed Filch's office.

"Huh, none of the other animals are," Alice said curiously.

"Or that basilisk," Frank shivered.

"We had to put a special charm in to track that cat," James shrugged, "doesn't work on all animals."

"And we don't have the Chamber on here, we never found it," Sirius sighed.

"I'm not particularly fond of the idea of adding it in," Remus agreed.

"How did you manage such a thing?" Evans asked, a wide-eyed student in class again. She held her hand out curiously, Sirius reluctantly let it go.

"Some modifications to the Homenum Revelio spell, had to transfigure a textbook on revealing charms," James quickly said with bursting pride. He was more than happy to brag about this to her now that it was out in the open, but Peter was still frowning at the four suspiciously.

"It's not exactly something we made overnight, took us ages to get it all-"

"Isn't Hogwarts unplottable though!" Frank interrupted. "How did you actually manage this?"

"Drew the whole thing myself," James crossed his arms with a smirk. "The magic didn't stop us from animating our own map, we just couldn't con one up from the school. Padfoot and Moony managed all the fancy wand-work, then Wormtail went around and marked all the details."

"I can't imagine this thing when the school's, well, normal," Alice giggled as she scanned every corridor. Even having lived there the past six years, she hadn't found half the places marked on this thing. "How can you make out anything with so many people about?"

"Practice," all four said at once.

"I want to know how the twins got a hold of it," Regulus took his turn holding it, Evans offering it without a second thought. He held it up to the light, then flipped it all around to get every angle, before finally folding it up again. "I can't imagine you lot letting this out of your sight much, let alone how it fell into the Weasley's possession."

"They said they swiped it from Filch," Peter recalled. "It wouldn't be too far fetched for him to confiscate it from us and for them to figure out how to get it working from there." Then he shifted uncomfortably and again tried to caution, "of course, the more people who know about it, the more likely-"

"You think Harry's going to get into Hogsmeade with this!" James suddenly shouted above everyone, snatching it away and quickly tracing his finger to the corridor Harry would be in.

Regulus gave Peter a sympathetic smile and whispered, "don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

"Thanks," Peter sighed back while Frank scrambled back to the book curiously. "I just hope those three will keep their mouths shut."

"It's hard to imagine Evans doing it," Regulus agreed. "She might lord this over you lot, threaten to turn it into a teacher once the novelty wears off."

"That might put Prongs off her once and for all," Peter couldn't help an ironic laugh.

James' prediction came true of course, and Harry was soon on his way to this very building. The other four of course went traipsing down the stairs as if to meet him, all of them crowding around the basement now looking for the secret hatch.

The Marauders stayed on the stairs with smirks in place, their eyes knowing just where to fall.

Frank tried to keep reading and get a clue, but despite Harry coming up and then above into the shop, he still couldn't spot it. Alice cast a few spells to reveal any such thing but nothing happened, while Lily was walking purposefully on the floor, clearly listening for something. Regulus was watching, and finally managed to follow Sirius' eyes, right to a square spot on the floor that had slightly less dust then everywhere else.

Alice yelped in excitement when he pulled it up, jumping down the hole with abandon.

"Bit of a squeeze down here, hard to imagine you four all scampering around in here," she called back.

"We manage," Sirius snorted.

It took a while for them to finally stop badgering questions, but the Marauders couldn't find it in them to be very upset at these four learning one of their secrets. Well, two, but plenty of students knew of the secret passages existences. They still had one secret that was just for them after all, and still no one had thought to ask them about their nicknames.

Harry was now able to explore Honeydukes, and eerily running right into his friends. They'd all had their fill of candy already and were more than happy to hear of Harry getting to explore even more of the village. James expected the chapter to be winding down soon so went wandering back upstairs to make sure and drop enough money in their till, Remus going with him to see if he couldn't stuff a few more sweets into his pockets for the continuing trip, who knew when they'd get food again. Regulus thought up a few more questions and managed a decent conversation with Peter and Sirius for a time, while Lily and Alice were discussing the merits of that kind of magic. Their thoughts of those boys being layabouts felt laughable now, how much research must have gone into that map?

Frank was as surprised as anyone when the kids reached the Three Broomsticks, got comfortable, and then choked on the words as teachers appeared.

"Blast it all, Harry can't have one decent thing!" Sirius scowled.

There was a thunk from upstairs, and they didn't have long to wonder what had been dropped in surprise as a cascade of Tooth-Splintering Strongmints came tumbling downstairs, James and Remus close behind.

"This is madness," Potter protested, skittering on the last few steps and nearly sliding into the entrance that had been left open.

"He didn't even bring the Invisibility Cloak," Remus sighed.

Hermione did some quick thinking and hid the kids from sight, but the relaxed tone couldn't quite come back.

"Has anyone tracked how long Hagrid's been in this place before?" Peter sighed. "I feel like Harry's going to miss curfew before he can slip past him."

"Have a bit more faith in the lad," Sirius tried to laugh off. "He's on the smaller side," sending a superior smirk at James, who in turn flipped him off. "He'll sneak out in no time."

Frank hoped they were right, he didn't particularly want to be the one to read about Harry's adventure getting ruined so thoroughly when he wasn't really doing anything that wrong. He'd expected the conversation wasn't much to listen to, but was quickly proven wrong when once again Black and the dementors were the topic. In all the excitement of this news he'd almost forgotten about Black's future misdeeds.

Judging from the mingled horror and resignation on his face, he might have as well. He shrunk back into the shadows with ease, nearly vanishing from sight and murmuring something for his friends ears alone.

"It's alright Pads," Remus caught him up in a reassuring embrace before he could slink too far away.

"Yeah, we still don't believe a word of it, no matter who says what," James stated in no uncertain terms.

"Even McGonagall of all people," Peter laughed awkwardly as their head of house even managed to share light on the tail. The four managed a pleasant smile for a moment as she reminisced about James and Sirius being as close as brothers, it was a wonder she didn't mention the other two, even a little offensive considering she now worked with one of them! Sirius' teeth sunk uncomfortably into his lower lip as he wondered at that, if he'd really done something to make her not associate Remus with him anymore.

Things weren't going that badly for a moment, James even perking up with interest at Sirius being his best man at his wedding to Evans. He glanced over and saw her scoffing, as usual, but even now he couldn't help but grin at the idea. She would look lovely in white. He turned away much quicker than usual though with an uneasy sigh, he wasn't sure how to look past her attitude towards his best friend. He'd named Sirius Harry's godfather for crying out loud, the news unsurprising to him. Shouldn't that be enough for anyone to know what kind of person Sirius was?

He missed Lily watching him out of the corner of her eye, her own mind a tumultuous mess of wondering at her future. A marriage to Potter of all people sounded ridiculous of course, but what would it have been like? His best friend had been there, had hers? Her sister? For just a moment, she could imagine it. Tired of feeling so alone, and the one person still trying to fight for her attention, she'd cave and possibly say something civil to him-

She'd missed some of it in her musings, Black being a Secret Keeper or something and the Marauders vehement protests something must have gone wrong with Dumbledore's spell before their mate had done anything against Potter. She wanted to scoff and laugh at their naivety in such a reckless friend, but stopped cold before she could even start, forcing herself to remember this time she once would have said the same about Sev- still would! Right?

Frank was growing increasingly uncomfortable the longer he had to keep going. Hagrid's shame at not stopping Black but instead accepting a gift from him like that bike was only making things worse. When he'd dismissed the Marauders as naive for thinking their friend couldn't do what the rest of the world said he'd done, they all must have been some level of crazy. It just kept getting worse, Black managed to kill Peter in that explosion?! It didn't seem real.

That arrogant pureblood stepping off and taking out a dozen muggles to prove himself had been perfectly in line with the character he knew, but taking out one of his own friends with it? After having just stabbed another in the back? It was hard to imagine any human with half the loyalty he'd witnessed in the past few days conceiving of such a thing.

Regulus had started to back away from his brother at the gore in this story, feeling like he was interrupting something private between the four even as he was forced to listen to the grisly tale. He stopped though when he realized what he wasn't seeing. The four just seemed frozen in place, expressions stuck on shock and nothing else. Regulus drew his wand and flexed his fingers, scenarios running through his mind of six of them turning on his brother. He didn't care what mother said, what anyone said, Sirius hadn't done anything yet to deserve this fate. Regulus still wasn't convinced this was the whole story, he wouldn't trust anything second hand now if details were already admitted to being covered up.

James unfroze first, stuffing his hands casually into his pockets, eyes flashing with fire about the room as he snarled what a horrible story that had been. Remus crossed his arms and put a calculating expression onto his pasty face, whispering to no one all the inconsistencies that could be had from this. Then Peter moved, Regulus raised his wand with a curse on his lips, but the guy merely launched himself into his friend, half shrieking, "glory Pads, to think what was going through your head finally wasn't your insanity! It's alright, whatever the hell that was, I know you'd never really!"

"I, wouldn't," he managed in half a sob, fingers trying to shake right out of socket as he patted him on the back, before crushing him in a life threatening hug. "Course I wouldn't," he repeated with a conviction no one would have believed moments ago. "I'd never."

Frank and Alice exchanged another of their unspoken looks. After such tenderness, watching their friendship in action, he found himself trying to guess what story in this future was missing a few holes, while watching those in front of him band around each other. Frank read the last few lines, Harry's shock at hearing all this as fresh as theirs, and begged of the new chapter to give some relief.

[hansensgirl]

ice cream man | b. barnes

“she like to twirly swirly, in my vanilla coupe. she like the sugar cone seats i just took off the roof.”

summary | the new ice cream man has a sweet tooth for you

warnings | non/dubcon sex, dark!bucky, creepy!bucky, smut, sex, oral (f receiving), vaginal sex, breeding kink, daddy kink, age gap (reader is legal), slapping, anal fingering, man handling, choking, unprotected sex, humiliation kink, older man taking advantage of younger woman, manipulation, degrading, breeding kink, DARK!FIC, 18+

a/n | don’t read if you don’t like dark!fics and dub/con sex, it’s that simple! xx

you thought this was how you were going to die. you’re going to die from the fucking heat. it’s not the most fashionable way to go out, or the fastest. it was the third week of july, and you didn’t expect it to be this hot. the concrete was hot to the touch and the air was thick and humid. the occasional cool breeze was almost a blessing that only lasted a few seconds. you spent the long, hot days taking your dog to the local park. other days were to hot to even leave the house, and when the local grocery store ran out of your favourite ice cream you were practically heartbroken.

today was one of those days where all the playing and heat tired you out, so you spent the day binge watching a bunch of movies that all seemed to have similar plots. it was boring really. your dog, puddles, hopped up onto your lap and started licking your face, making you giggle at the funny feeling. you tried to get her to stop, and soon your attempts succeeded. she jumped off your lap and ran off, most likely searching for her squeaky donut toy you bought her for her birthday. you went back to watching the movie that was playing, but you absentmindedly payed attention at all soon.

you let out a yawn and stretched, then went back to thinking about what you’d do for the rest of the summer. your thoughts were disrupted when a all to familiar tune was heard playing in the distance. the ice cream truck. finally whoever drove one came around. you stood up and ran to the window, seeing that it was mr. rogers’ truck. you heard he retired since he got married to some lady. you wondered you took over, maybe a friend or family member. apparently, ever since your mom was little, she remembered when mr. rogers’ dad drove a similar truck through the neighbourhood, it was a family business. it was too hot for you to not buy something. you ran upstairs and opened the drawer, where a ten dollar bill laid there before your eyes. you grabbed it, didn’t bother closing the drawer and ran downstairs and shut the door behind you.

the truck wasn’t that far, so you waited until it drove a little closer. from where you were, you could see the man driving it, the new ice cream man. he was a brunette, long brown hair tied in a bun and he wore the pink t shirt mr. rogers always used to wear. his arms were huge, and you couldn’t lie and say he wasn’t good looking. with a face like that he should be a model. he looked right at you and drove towards you. he stopped the truck and you walked up to the small window. he walked to the window and wore a big smile on his face, showcasing his pearly whites. you smiled at him awkwardly, and he returned the gesture. “hello doll, i believe you’re the infamous y/n, right?” he asked, as you fiddled with the bill. “infamous?” you questioned, your brows furrowing with confusion at his words. “steve- i mean mr. rogers, told me about this sweet girl that lives on this street, so that has to be you right?” he spoke with a sweet tone, almost as if you were a toddler. you smiled sheepishly at his words, growing small under his gaze. “y-yeah i guess” you nodded.

“well, what can i get ya?” he asked. “can i have a crybaby?” you didn’t bother looking up at him. “of course” he left for a second and came back, the treat in his hand. “one crybaby for to pretty doll” his tone was sweet once again. you took it from him and handed him the bill but then he tutted. “keep it, steve told me how he gave you free ice cream, i’d like to keep that tradition” he smiled. he was just like mr. rogers, only more handsome and creepy. sure steve have you free ice cream, only because you sometimes brought him lunch. you took it from him and dug into the delicacy. you thanked him and started to walk back to your house. “no problem, have a good day” he walked back to the front of the truck and started the engine, driving off. you weren’t sure whether or whether not you’d like him to come back soon.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

bucky drove off with a grin on his face, thanking the heavens that steve told him about you. you were exactly how he imagined you, young and beautiful, almost like a little doll. he loved the way that you didn’t dare to look him in the eyes, not even caring for the reason and to why. there was little boy waiting with a fistful of money clutched in his hand. bucky parked and walked to the small window, and the boy walked up to him. “umm, can i have a chocolate ice cream?” he asked sweetly. “sure, that’ll be five dollars” bucky told him, grabbing the cone and moving to the machine. “uhm, i only have three dollars, is that okay?” bucky looked back down at the kid but couldn’t find a part of him to give the ice cream for only three dollars. “no can do kiddo” he put the cone back. “but, you gave that girl ice cream for free” the little boy pouted.

yeah, but that’s only for her. bucky didn’t say anything and when back to the front seat, starting the engine and driving away, knowing the little boy probably ran back to his mom to tell her about the mean ice cream man. he chuckled lowly to himself, and decided to go back home to catch some shut eye. it was his business now, nobody was going to tell him what to do and what not to do. he took a right and headed down the road, meeting the speed limit. then, he remembered you. he smiled at the thought of you.

he was excited for tomorrow, knowing that it was going to be even hotter than today, you’d have to buy ice cream to cool down. it was only the beginning of summer break, and he could already see what kind of plans he had in store for the both of you.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

the following morning you woke up too early. it wasn’t like you caught a blink, the heat was too much. you laid in bed for a few minutes staring up at the wall, before your stomach decided it was time to head downstairs. you left your room descended down the stairs, just to see puddles sleeping on the couch. you smiled at the drool of her mouth and decided to leave her sleeping. you went in the kitchen and searched the cupboards for something that didn’t need any cooking. your eyes laid on the box of lucky charmes you bought as a treat for yourself. “this’ll do i guess” you mumbled before grabbed the box and grabbing a handful of the cereal.

you went on with your day, brushing your teeth, taking a nice cold shower, put on a simple sundress that you wouldn’t overheat in. you managed to take puddles for a walk before it got too hot. you knew the ice cream truck had to come today, especially since it was going to be hotter than yesterday. as if it was planned, you heard the tune playing. you got up from the couch that you were laying on and walked to the door, but black clouded your vision for a few seconds. you blinked it away and mentally cursed yourself for getting up so fast. you shut the door behind you and stood on the sidewalk, just like yesterday.

you spotted the pink truck and it wasn’t that far. there were at least ten kids lined up at the window. who could blame them? they probably had been playing outside that day and you only left the house for a few seconds but you felt like you were dying of heat. you waited patiently for the truck, wiping sweat off of your forehead. maybe this time you’ll get a vanilla cone.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

bucky knew today was going to be hot, he knew it. but he was surprised at the amount of ice cream he sold so far. he figured after he gave you ice cream, he’d finish for the day. but he didn’t expect so many kids would buy ice cream. he didn’t say anything to them, only handed them the treats and took the money without a word. sometimes he didn’t even spare a glance at them. when the last kid payed, he thanked god. he headed back to the front and drive to where you were, happy to see you waiting for him.

he waved at you, but you didn’t even bother returning the gesture, just looking at the menu beside the window. his gaze trailed down your body, noticing that you were wearing a dress, one that made you look amazing. “hi doll, how are you?” he asked trying to grab your attention he so desperately wanted. it was a wild contrast from how he treated the other customers. “good” you mumbled out. you wiped your forehead again when you felt sweat building up. “what can i get you today?” he smiled sweetly, staring at you and occasionally stealing glances on your gorgeous swells. “can i have a vanilla ice cream?” you asked, finally looking up at him. “of course” he smiled and grabbed the cone. you caught a glimpse of his stitched on name tag, trying to figure out his name. “my name is james, but my friends and family call me bucky” he said as he made your treat, almost as if he read your mind.

“bucky” you repeated, the name rolling off your tongue making him love the nickname more. you watched as he slowly perfected the swirl. “i like the way you say my name doll” he expressed; his voice lowering a few octaves as he said doll. he handed you your cone, not driving off immediately. you dragged your tongue up the cone, enjoying the sweetness. he bit his lip at the site. you felt ice cream on your face, then realized how debauched you probably looked with ice cream dripping down your chin.

bucky handed you a napkin to wipe up the ice cream, nodding his head. you quickly wiped the ice cream off and tried your best to not look like you were sucking dick. you turned to walk back into the comfort of your house, feeling buckys eyes burning holes through you.

bucky smiled to himself as he watched the way your hips swung side to side. tomorrow he’ll put his plan into action.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

you woke up late, and with a startle. puddles jumped onto your stomach and then started licking your face no tomorrow. you pulled her off of you and went to go feed. you ate a few handfuls of cereal and took your time to get ready. you brushed your teeth and took a long, icey shower. today wasn’t as hot at least, and you were grateful. you plopped yourself on your couch and noticed that netflix added some new movies. you chose atomic blonde and laid back, holding puddles in your arms.

the end credits rolled and your eye lids felt heavy. you had just finished your fourth movie of the day and you lazily scrolled for the fifth. the unexpected ring of the doorbell made you jump, your heart beating faster. you slowly made your way to the door, hesitant to answer it. nobody really knew where you lived, other than your parents and friends, but they were all spending their summers in some fancy resorts. you slowly opened the door to see bucky. of course he knew where you lived.

he wore a big smile as usual, showcasing his pearly whites. you meekly smiled back, before he started speaking. “you didn’t buy any ice cream today” he frowned, as if you disappointed him. “yeah, wasn’t too hot today” you mumbled, opening the door a little more. “i brought you this” he handed you a cherry slushie, the bright red a contrast to his all black outfit. you took a sip of it and relished in the sweet taste, knowing your dentist wouldn’t like to hear about the amount of sweets you’ve been eating. “thank you” you smiled, taking a few more sips. “uhm, do you mind if i use your washroom? i’ll be so fast you won’t notice me” he asked.

you knew you’d feel bad if you said no, especially since he came here to give you a slushie. you nodded and allowed him in your humble abode. he stood in the middle of your home and looked around, familiarizing himself with the place. “there’s only one bathroom, just go upstairs and in the door next to my bedroom” you explained to him and he quietly thanked you before descending up the stairs.

you couldn’t stop sipping on the slushie, it tasted different but you liked it oddly. you even drank the melted crushed ice and flavouring at the bottom and wanted more. the sugar woke you up and you no longer wanted to go to bed so soon. you felt slightly weak in the knees for some reason, so you sat on the couch. want and need soon started coursing through your veins, and when you closed your legs together, you felt pleasure shoot up your spine.

wetness started pouring out of you practically, your panties drenching slowly. your core started to throb and you rubbed your thighs together to alleviate the yearn for pleasure. you moaned softly and so desperately wanted to shove your hands down your panties and rub at your clit furiously. but you couldn’t, bucky was upstairs and it’d be embarrassing to have him come back downstairs to see you masturbating. soon that was the least of your worries, the need in your pussy was more important at this point for you. your desire started to grow so much your muscles and mind started to hurt.

“surely it should start taking affect on you by now” you heard buckys voice coming down the stairs. he soon came into your sight and you noticed he took off his jacket, left in a white t-shirt that seemed a size or two too small for him. “w-what?” you finally comprehended his words, confused as to what he was implying at. “it was expensive really, but i got my hands on it. it’s a chemical, safe to digest, but it just enhances your desires” he explained, but his words sounded like static as you started to grind again the pillow under you. you moaned wantonly and heard him chuckle bitterly at you. “can’t control yourself, can you?” he teased, grabbing the plastic cup that the slushie was just in and throwing it in the garbage.

you felt your juices leak down your thighs as you reached your climax, a moan leaving your mouth that didn’t seem to stop. he somehow made his way towards you and ripped the pillow away from under you. “why- why won’t it stop?” you asked as he knelt down in front of you. “like i said doll, it enhances your desires” he smiled up at you as he trailed his fingers up your thigh. his other hand spread you legs farther apart, but you tried to close them shut. he tutted at you as he spread them even wider and his fingers reached the crotch of your socked panties. “you’re fucking dripping” he bit his lip at the sight and pushed two fingers against your swollen, throbbing clit. you bucked your hips against them but he pulled his fingers away. “please” you whined out to him, jutting your lip out as all you could think of was getting fucked. “beg for it” he spat at you, moving his hands to the straps of your dress. he tugged at them hard until they ripped, then he it pulled it off your body along with your bra.

your nipples hardened immediately and thought you were about to throw a whole tantrum to get him to touch you. “p-please daddy, please fuck me i’ll do anything please” you begged, your voice now hoarse. you didn’t even realize what you had called him until you heard him groan lowly. he pulled down you panties and sniffed them, making you get even wetter. he stuffed them in your pocket and before you could register anything, you felt his tongue lapping away at your pussy. he drank everything you had and then some. you swallowed thickly as you watched his tongue swirl around your swollen clit. moans continuously left your mouth as he sucked harshly on your clit.

you tangled your fingers in his brown locks and tugged at them, making him growl ferally. you tugged harshly at his hair again when you felt him push two fingers in your entrance. he pumped them in and out of you feverishly as he sucked on your clit. you felt him curl his fingers up against your g-spot, making the knot in your stomach come undone. you gushed around his mouth and fingers as you tried to catch your breath. he pulled his face away from your pussy and sucked on the two fingers that were just in you. your juices made his beard glisten and you felt your face heat up in embarrassment.

he pulled them out and stood up, grabbing you by your hair and forcing you to look up at him. “what do you say doll?” he asked as he lightly stroked your cheek. you didn’t know what to say really, he could be asking for a thank you or anything else, and the throbbing in your pussy made it hard to think. you opened your mouth to say something, but nothing came out. he pulled his hand away and before you knew it, his hand struck your face. you whimpered loudly at the stinging and prickling the slap left behind on your skin. “try again doll” growled, stroking the other cheek. “t-thank you” you said lowly, embarrassment eating you up.

“thank you daddy” you whimper, not knowing if he’d slap you again. he hummed in approval and moved the hand that was on your cheek to your neck, wrapping his fingers around your throat and applied pressure. you immediately wrapped your hand around his wrist, trying to pull his hand away but your efforts did nothing. black started clouding your vision and you tried pushing him away. he pulled his hand away and slapped you again. “what was that for?” you asked him, clearly enraged at the fact that he just choked and slapped you for no reason.

“don’t fucking talk to me like that, or i’ll leave you here to get off using that pillow and your fingers, but that won’t do anything to help” he threatened. you didn’t know whether it was empty or not, but you didn’t know how to stop the continuous arousal that grew. he pushed you forward so your face was pressed against the couch and he shifted your body so that your ass was up in the air. your wet pussy was fully exposed to him and you felt yourself getting even wetter, not knowing that was possible.

you heard the buckle of his belt come and he lifted your head up, wrapping it around your neck and tightening it, squeezing your throat slightly. he pulled his boxers down and his cock sprung up and hit his stomach. bucky pulled his shirt over his head and grabbed your hands, using his shirt to restrain you. “now you can’t fight back” he mumbled under his breath, giving a few strokes to his cock. “look at you, all needy for some random man to fuck you, what a fucking slut” he growled, grabbing the belt and pulling it as he rubbed his cock up and down your folds. you whimpered at his degrading words, feeling shame that you really did want him to fuck you.

but through all the shame and embarrassment, you still felt needy. you just wanted it to be over already, so you didn’t have to deal with it any more. buckys hand came down and struck your ass, admiring the way it shook back at him. he did the same thing to the other cheek, continuing even though you begged him to stop. each spank was harsher and more painful than the one before. you knew you’d have trouble sitting when this would all be over. with no warning bucky thrusted into you harshly, stretching you painfully. he pulled back and thrusted into you again, moving his hips at a pace you couldn’t handle.

the hand around the belt pulled harder and his other hand slammed down against your ass. you didn’t bother holding back any moans, practically screaming at the top of your lungs at this point. he made sure to get deep and ruthless, his cock almost poking at your cervix at this point. you felt the familiar knot tighten up fast, threatening to come undone with just a few thrusts more. your walls clenched around his cock, making his pace speed up. “fucking cum just like the whore you are” he spat at you, making you whine an gush all around his cock. his thrusts didn’t falter, instead they became more faster.

you were overstimulated, babbling nonsense from being so fucked out. you felt another orgasm building up, and again, and again. you were drooling at this point, trying to get him to stop. his thrusts grew sloppy and irregular, and your walls contracted in around him. you were milking him for all he was worth. you were close, but his thrusts weren’t enough for you to cum. bucky shoved two fingers in your mouth, telling you to suck. you did as he told and he abruptly pulled them out. you didn’t know what he was doing, and even though your mind was hazy with lust, you were still scared.

with no warning or preparation, he shoved the two fingers that were just in your mouth, into your ass. “fuck!” you yelled, voice even more hoarse as you squirted around his cock. he fingered your ass hard, making you yell and contract in both pain and pleasure. “gonna fill this tight pussy up, just a little fucktoy only good for me to fill up again and again” he growled, cock poking harshly at your cervix.

“n-no, stop!” you tried to get him to stop, remembering that you weren’t on birth control and he wasn’t using a condom. a harsh thrust came from him and he groaned loudly, his cum painting your walls in white ropes. your eyes went wide when he gave a few more thrusts to prolonge his orgasm. “i’m not on any birth control” you rasped out, making him chuckle softly. “i know, i don’t care” you knew he was probably smiling creepily at you.

“gonna fill you with my cum ‘till you’re swollen” he pulled his fingers out of your abused asshole and pulled his cock out of your pussy. a few drops of his cum leaked out of your sensitive pussy, but he was quick to push it back in with his fingers. you thrashed your legs on the couch, doing nothing. he brushed hair out of your face and ran his thumb against your lip. he smiled at you before speaking. “don’t worry, i’ll fuck all your holes” he snickered at you, just when you wished he would just leave.

“i don’t plan on leaving anytime soon darling.”

a/n | first dark!fic! i do plan on writing many more soon, i’d also like to note this was inspired by every dark!bucky/dark!verse fic i’ve read! xoxo, sab <33

TAGLIST — @spicylangdon @lollypop-lam @buckysthot @ninamcu @parker-barnes-af @jbstans @anxiousamandapanda @annavega333 @good-old-fashioned-queens @jianawoods @marvel-mania27 @xoxabs88xox @sillyqt @sharonfuckingcarter @hv-chw3

[mysterioh]

hey! this is for the drabble prompt request. Mafia!Bucky, enemies to lovers, “is that the best you can do?” so excited to see what you can come up with!

Lex! thank you for this awesome prompt. I hope you like it! I’m kinda iffy about this one tbh 😣

Mafia!Bucky + Is that the best you can do?

The tinkle of glass on glass as the bartender mixes a cocktail is lost under the sluggish yet bright notes of the saxophone that jump up and down the smoky cavern. Your dress hangs off your shoulders, hugging your curves as you stare at the swirling liquor in the bartender’s hand. 

Another roar of cheers erupts from the poker table, making your head turn to see who had won this time. 

Of course, it was Tony. 

A childish smile decorates his face, mouth open, gums showing. He sends a flying kiss your way. His lucky charm was what he called you. 

Returning the gesture with a soft, shy smile, you turn around towards the bar. You could care less if he won or lost. As long as he wasn’t angry, nothing he does matters to you. 

The bartender pours the margarita out in a glass then sticks a slice of lemon on the salted rim. He slides it towards you. You lift the glass and bring it to your lips for a sip. A hit of salt in the beginning slowly blends into a perfect balance of the four tastes on your tongue. 

The door to your left opens wide, your head turns again to see a man enter. His presence stills the room but doesn't stop whispers from running through the bar. 

“What the hell is he doing here?” 

“He’s here to get his ass kicked that’s what.” 

Your eyes remain on him as he makes his way to your husband’s table. 

He had tousled brown hair which was thick and lustrous. Mesmerizing deep ocean blue eyes. His face was strong and defined. His brows sloped downward in a serious expression as if determined in a goal. His lips ripe for the kissing. 

James Barnes was a gorgeous man. Enough to make anyone stop in their tracks to admire or at least acknowledge him. 

As a married woman, you shouldn’t have been ogling him, but you were. Unabashedly, but secretly with a nonchalant side-eye. 

“What the hell are you doing  here, Barnes?” Tony grumbles from his chair. 

Bucky smirks. “What’s it look like? I’m here to play a game.” 

Tony huffs through his nose. He stands quickly making his chair slide roughly against the tile. “Get the hell outta here before I—”

“Woah, woah,” Bucky chuckles with an easy smile and hands up in defense. “I’m just here for a game and nothing else.” 

Tony examines him for some time with a speculating eye. A brow raises upward and he tilts his head. “Just a game?” he asks. “And why is that? Got nothing to do in Brooklyn?” 

“I was in the neighborhood,” he informs. “Felt like having some fun and what’s more fun than a game of poker with the best?” 

You bite your lip, trying to stop a smile from rising on your lips. He’s bluffing and you had to be dense to fall for it. 

“The best huh?” Tony grins. 

Your shoulders slump. Of course Tony would be the one to fall for it. 

“Fine, I’ll let you play,” he nods. “I’ve been on a winning streak all night and I’d love to finish it with kicking your ass.” 

Bucky slides the chair back and takes a seat. “We’ll see what happens.” 

“Y/N,” Tony calls you from your spot at the bar. “C’mere, sweetheart. I want you to see me win.” 

You give him a sheepish smile. “I can see fine from right here.” 

He gives you a stern nod, warning you to not test him. Bucky’s eyes wander from Tony over to you, taking note of the tension between the couple. 

You stand up, taking your drink with you and saunter over to the table. Tony pulls you into his lap and gives you a quick kiss that makes the lingering taste in your mouth turn bitter.

Bucky clears his throat. “Let’s get started.” 

They clear the table for a fresh game. The first few rounds were conservative betting, the players testing each other’s strengths and weaknesses, everyone waiting for the other to make a mistake. 

Tony’s arms are wrapped around you securely, periodically whispering sweet nothings into your ear. Your eyes remained on Tony’s cards and his men, only once or twice flitting over to look at Bucky. 

His gaze meets yours when he lights up a cigarette to add to the hazy cloud, spiraling in the stagnant air. You fold one leg over the other, dangling your high heel, showing more leg than may have been appropriate; yet your face stays aloof; disinterested. 

Your hand brushes along your collarbone and over the diamond necklace dazzling under the dim lights. 

Bucky smirks before dropping his eyes back to the cards in his hand. 

“Something funny, Barnes?” Tony questions. 

He shakes his head with a chuckle. “No, just happy.” 

Tony furrows his brows in confusion but lets it pass. 

The game carried on at its own pace, growing tenser with each turn. Your head rested against the curve of Tony’s neck. He smiles and presses his lips onto the side of your head. You're numb to his caress as your thoughts drift to another time. 

“Is that the best you can do?” Bucky eggs on, ducking as you send a punch his way. 

It’s the same thing every day. He finds you somehow, somewhere and then you chase him down the streets like a madman. It’s a game of cat and mouse you two have been playing for years initiated by the enmity between your families. 

“You’re too soft," he teases when you lunge at him. 

Growing irritated by his commentary, you lift your leg and kick him hard in the gut. He falls back from the impact and hits the brick wall of the alleyway. 

He slides down to the ground, eyes closed and unresponsive. 

Is he dead?

There’s no way he’s dead. You didn’t hit him that hard. But he did slam into a brick wall. You slowly approach him and crouch down in between his legs to examine him closely. 

You’re hesitant to touch him. 

“Boo!” he scares, jumping towards you. You jump back in surprise. Bucky laughs heartily, clutching at his stomach. “Got ya!” 

“Why I oughta,” you grumble and swing at him. 

Bucky catches your fist in the palm of his hand with a sly grin on his face. He pulls you into him and lands a kiss on your lips. 

You pull back quickly with your nostrils flaring and a blushing mess. You raise your hand to slap him, but he catches it midair and holds your hand like he did your wrist. 

He gives you a toothy smile which you know is fake. He's only doing it to piss you off.

You yank your hands out of his violently and leave. 

“Aren’t you getting married to Tony Stark?” he shouts behind you while standing up. A thin layer of jealousy laced his words. You stop in your tracks. “You’re gonna be set for life. Heard he’s got more bank than the entire city.” 

“Money isn’t everything.” 

“Right, of course, it’s love,” he scoffs while dusting off his pants. 

“Not every marriage is out of love,” you snap at him. 

Bucky blinks in confusion. “You’re being forced into this?”

Another circuit in your brain pops. “What else would you expect?” you yell, “Don’t you know who I am? Who my father is? My life was given away before I was even born!" And now I’m here proclaiming my woes to the man I hate! What the hell is my life?” you question yourself, before turning down the alley and walking away. 

“Hey slow down,” he catches hold of your arm. 

“Let go of me.” You pull out of his grasp. 

“Woah, don’t get hostile,” he stands back with his hands in front of him. “I was just—”

“I don’t need your sympathy,” you interject. You turn back on your heel. 

“You’re not like them,” he calls, “You try so hard to be but you’re different.” 

“What the hell are you going on about? More importantly, why do you care?” 

“Because we’re not that different from each other,” he answered with confidence. “Me and you.” 

You grit your teeth and ball your fists. “Don’t compare me to you,” you pointed at him. “I’m the daughter of the kingpin. You’re just the bastard child of a whore.” 

“But we’re both trapped,” he replies firmly. “We both want a way out and we can’t find one. Doesn’t that make us the same?” 

You’ve never seen him like this before. His form is relaxed, unwilling to pick a fight. His voice strains as if he’s struggling to get the words out. His eyes hold something far greater than what he shows. 

You pull out the switchblade you kept in your jacket pocket and extend it. Without giving him a chance, you slam him against the wall and bring it to his neck. 

“I’ll cut your throat. That’ll shut you up!”

Bucky looks down at you with his back pressed against the wall, chin lifted. The cool metal pressed gently against the soft skin of his neck as his eyes dug into the depths of your soul. 

You stand firm in your stance and bold in your appearance, but your eyes are soft. They’ve always been for him. 

“You’re beautiful,” he whispers. 

Your eyes grow wide at his words and retreat quickly. The switchblade slips out of your hand and falls onto the cold ground. He takes you by the wrist and pulls you into him, wrapping an arm around your waist. 

A dangerous spark ignites when your eyes meet his. Your hot breath mingles with his as his lips hover over yours. The gap between was small enough to imagine everything, but not enough to satiate your deepest desire. 

He hates you. You remind yourself. 

“Kiss me,” he asks with words, but his eyes do all the work. They plead for something he knows he can never have. “Kiss me until I'm sick of it.” 

"The bet remains at ten thousand," the dealer says, "Your bid, Stark." 

He smirks, breaking character for a second. You look at the cards in his hand. He's a lucky man tonight. An Ace of Spades, two of Spades and three sevens. 

He looks at you with a wicked grin and you return it smaller in length. 

Stop showing off moron. 

"I'll match," he nods, jostling you in his arms to make you giggle softly. 

Rhodey rolls his eyes and you can't tell if it's because of you or his cards. “Too rich for me, I fold,” Rhodey placed down his cards. 

"I fold as well," Happy sighs, tossing his cards. 

With four out, only two remain. 

"I raise another two thousand," Bucky pronounced, throwing the chips into the pot. 

Tony was back to smirking and to take it a step further he started to goad him. "Must be a pretty good hand, Barnes. Of course, if things keep up at this rate, I doubt you'll be able to keep up," he states. Bucky remains stoic, watching his cards as he takes another long drag of his cigarette. Tony frowns at his unresponsive behavior. "I'll match," he grumbles, "and just to see you sweat, I'll raise it by five thousand." 

He pressed your back, motioning you to take his chips and place them in the pot. As you reach for the center of the table, your eyes meet Bucky's and instantly falls to his lips. They curve upward and there's nothing you wouldn't do to have them against yours again. 

If you weren't a damn coward that is. 

You sit back in Tony's lap, warning Bucky with fearful eyes. You desperately wanted him to win. 

Bucky merely nodded and matched the raise. "Call." 

Tony burst out laughing and barked. "Read 'em and weep, Barnes! Three Sevens, Ace of Spades and two of Spades." 

You bite your lip, hoping he'd have something better. 

Bucky sighs disappointed, but without a care. 

"Guess you got me," he shrugs, "Pair of Kings. All Hearts and Diamonds." 

Tony bursts into boisterous laughter as his counterparts griped and groaned. You pouted at Bucky.  

Why didn't you just fold? I warned you. 

Bucky smiles with a sweet chuckle. He swears you look prettier when you're angry. He doesn't care much about the loss. He wasn't really here for the game anyway. 

Tony stands and brings you up with him. With his new earnings in hand, he pulls on your hand, walking towards the door. 

"C'mon, sweetheart, let me buy something real nice for you," he grinned. 

You turn back to look at the poker table, inhabited only by Bucky as the others have left to mourn. 

Your lips curved down in a disappointed frown. He gives you a wink paired with a smile before mouthing a "s'okay, baby." 

His silent words were enough to make you smile. 

Bucky may have lost the game that night, but he knows he's won something far greater. He knows later in the night when Tony leaves you for another woman, he'll have you in his arms. Listening to the beat of your heart as he relishes in your caress. 

And only fools will lose a treasure like that. 

A/N: there's a part in here that is based off one of my favorite movies. If you catch it, you're a sick dude.

[vigilantesanonymous]

and the thing is, i’m not scared anymore (part 1)

In which you are a healer being held against your will by the First Order. There are legends swirling around the galaxy of a great Sith healer, one that can bring a man back to life, all without Jedi power. But to you, you’re just a girl stuck on a planet with nowhere to go, left to rot there for the rest of your life. That is, until a cocky and utterly charming Resistance pilot crashes in to save you. (So kinda like Tangled but make it Star Wars. Only kinda though.)

word count: 1869

***

This would be no easy mission, but Leia had full faith in her favorite fighter pilot. A girl, a healer, stuck on a planet in the unknown regions. That kind of power didn’t belong in the hands of the First Order, and Leia had reason to believe that this girl could be extremely beneficial to the Resistance. She explained this as she gave the final details to Poe about the mission. And the tiny detail that C-3PO was the only droid unit that had the coordinates, so he would have to come.

“So where are they keeping her exactly?” Poe asks as he stands across from Leia.

“We have reason to believe that she’s being stored on Volik.”

“The planet that was supposed to be a resort for all the Empire higher ups? Wasn’t that abandoned a while ago?”

“Exactly. It makes it the perfect place to keep her. No one residing there to discover her, but the First Order has extensive knowledge of the ins and outs of the planet. We think she’s being kept here, somewhere in this valley. Are you up to the challenge?” Leia asks him, a glimmer in her dark eyes.

“You know it General. I won’t let you down.”

And with that, Poe takes the Falcon and heads towards the unknown region, Chewy and his trusty droids along for the ride.

*

“Best seven out of ten?” I ask the mouse droid at my feet. PS-C4L beeps at me and swirls around my feet before heading in the opposite direction. “Okay! Then you come up with something better to do!”

The room they keep me in is modest, and not all that uncomfortable. But it’s the same room I’ve been locked in my entire life. Same grungy walls, same earthy smell from the dirt outside that I’m forbidden to touch. Books are stacked in neat piles near my bed- they cover all kinds of topics, from healing methods of different cultures to maps of the solar systems I’ve only ever dreamed of going to. A modest kitchenette (since I earned the privilege of being able to cook for myself at age 15), and two barred windows. My only glimpses into the outside world- a few vines have managed to crawl up the wall to poke in my window, that’s about it for living life forms aside from me in this room. From what I’ve gathered from Stormtroopers gossip, I’m stored in an old security outpost for what was supposed to be a resort for the richest of the rich in the Empire. Hence why I don’t have any of the bells and whistles that resort goers are supposed to have here in my quarters.

Somehow the little mouse droid squeaked his way in here, and the Stormtroopers who keep watch over me have just been too lazy to catch it, so I’ve made it my friend. Well, the closest thing I guess I can get to a friend. I’ve tried to talk to the Stormtroopers who keep guard over me, but mostly they just ignore me. They insist that they are unauthorized to talk to “the asset” (me), and that I have to call them by their serial coded names. I know their real names- James and Zara- but they get really angry if I call them by their real names, especially if there are other people around. The last ones whose names I learned were restationed, so I just keep to myself.

Unsure of where PS-C4L went, I resign to sitting up by the window and watching the outside world. One of my favorite things to do is watch as the ships go by. The last time I was on a ship was when I was a toddler, so it fascinates me to think about flying, and what it feels like. Today is a relatively quiet and humid day, so no ships are zipping along the horizon. Just a few troopers are down in the space I like to think of as a courtyard, just milling around. That is, until one of the taps the shoulder of the other, desperately pointing at the sky. A ship is coming in, but one I don’t recognize. “That’s no First Order ship,” I whisper to myself. Suddenly the Stormtroopers start scrambling to get their weapons and start shooting. I perk up, watching as the ship easily takes out a group of them on the ground.

“Whatever you do, keep the asset safe!” One of the troopers yells to my guards at the door as they run by. I can hear the thunking of their boots as they descend rapidly down the stairs to the courtyard.

Suddenly all I can hear is the pounding of my heartbeat. Are they- could they be coming for me? I sink below the window, breathing heavily. I could be saved! Or captured and sold off somewhere else. I’ve never been outside my little outpost, never even allowed to go outside for a short walk around the courtyard. What if I was taken somewhere worse, like made a slave for one of the Hutts? I shivered just at the thought of it. Scrambling up, I scoured the room for any kind of weapon I could use if I needed to defend myself and my eyes fell to - a frying pan. “Well, it’s the best thing I’ve got,” I say to PS-C4L, who has reappeared in all of the commotion. 

“I think we’re close!” I hear someone call from down the hall. “Goddamn, these things are everywhere!” Blaster shots echo off the walls in the hallway, followed with the sounds of clattering armor and grunting troopers that have fallen. 

“Stop right there!” One of the guards calls, holding up his blaster, but he’s instantly shot and crumples to the ground. After the din of the fighting, the usual quiet and background noise of the jungle is deafening in the eerie silence.

“That the last of them, 3PO?” 

I hear the mechanical creak of a biped droid coming closer. “That is correct, Commander Dameron. The only other life forces I can sense around us besides you and Chewbacca is the girl inside. We should hurry, they will send in reinforcements, I’m sure!” 

A tall man with dark hair and dark eyes peers at me from the slats in my door. “Hold on Sweetheart,” he calls to me. He stands back, and I hear the lock for the door explode, and the door shoots open. 

I hold the frying pan in front of me defensively. “You’re not a Stormtrooper,” I say, just barely a whisper. “Who are you?” I glance between the two of them, unsure of what to do. “Whoa, is that a Wookie?!”

It whines at me cockily, making the man roll his eyes. “Oh, give it a rest Chewy, she’s scared out of her mind.” He slides the blaster back into its holder, motioning for the Wookie to do the same. 

“You still haven’t told me who you are,” I spit out, trying to muster any confidence. 

“We are members of the Resistance, here to rescue you!” The gold droid cries happily. “General Princess Leia will be quite delighted to see you! That is, if we get out of here alive of course.”

“3PO,” the dark haired man sighs wearily. This droid must annoy him a lot. The more I look him over, the more flushed I can feel myself getting. He’s tall, with dark sparkling eyes and messy, fluffy dark curly hair. He’s obviously not used to the humid climate of the planet, since his cotton civilian shirt is clinging to him where he’s sweating. “I’m Commander Poe Dameron, leader of the Black Squadron and on the side of the Resistance. But you can just call me Poe.” He holds out his hand to me, and slowly I lower my frying pan and take it. “The Wookie is Chewbacca, and the droid is C-3PO.” His hand is damp with sweat, but I feel like a current has run through me at his touch. I murmur my name to him shyly, making him smile. “Well, now that we’ve all been formally introduced, let’s get ya outta here.”

“Leave?” I squeak. 

“Yeah,” he nods, “Let’s leave. Y’know, before the First Order comes and blows us all to stardust.”

“Yeah,” I nod in agreement. “It’s just- I’ve never been outside this room before and I’m just really nervous, you know? Like what is it like out there, what if there’s something scary, or something that’s gonna try to eat me like the stories with the dark lore creatures and-” I sputter at a million miles a minute, but Poe cuts me off with the confused gaze he’s giving me. 

“They’ve never let you out of here before?” I feel like time slows around us, and it’s just me staring into his dark eyes. They soften a little, the cocky spark replaced with something more genuine. 

The moment is shattered by the chips of another droid coming from the band on Poe’s arm. “Alright, that was BB-8; we’ve got movement. We’ve gotta get out of here, they’re less than ten minutes away.”

“Oh dear!” 3PO wails. “I’ll be sold off as a servant droid if I’m lucky!” 

Poe pulls me along with him out into the hallway, breaking into a run with the others trailing behind us. We make it out to the courtyard before more Stormtroopers appear. “Great,” Poe says sarcastically. “More of these.” 

“Leave the asset here! Do not damage the asset! Repeat, do not damage the asset!” One of the command leaders barks to the others. I yelp as shots from blasters fly by me. 

“You know how to use one of these?” Poe yells to me over the din. I realize that he’s trying to shove a blaster in my hands, but I don’t know what to do. 

“No!” I cry back, terrified. 

“Well, there’s a first time for everything!” he says cheerily, pushing it into my hands. “Now shoot!” 

I scramble along behind Poe, trying to get one of my many frenzied shots to actually hit something instead of zinging past the troopers following us. Only a mere few yards from the ship that they used, and then- I hear Poe grunt and clutch at his side in pain. Luckily the shot had grazed his torso and didn’t get anything important, but it still grazed him pretty good. Blood started to bloom onto his shirt from his side. I look from him to the blaster in my hand, and shoot the first Stormtrooper I see in the head before tugging Poe up and into the ship. The door pulls up just in time, the sound of blaster shots pinging on the outside of the ship. 

“You can’t fly like this,” I say to him. He’s sat down on the floor, me kneeling next to him and trying to assess the wound as well as I can with him covering it. He’s bleeding badly, but Poe shakes his head. “I’m the pilot, I have to.”

“There’s no other pilot?!”

Chewbacca roars as he runs down the hall towards the pilot's cockpit. “Oh fine,” Poe winces. “Get us out of here, Chewy!”

[chameleonwritess]

Dreaming of You

Fandom: RWBY

Pairing: Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi

Qrow never thought he would get a happy ending.

Maybe he was correct.

Word count: 1830

Read it on AO3

Qrow wakes up to the smell of pancakes drifting through his nostrils. It’s not the worst thing he could wake up to, so he lets his mouth twist into a small smile and rolls over in the double bed, his arm flopping over the now vacant spot beside him.

“Qrow?” a soft voice calls from the door, “breakfast is nearly ready.”

“Mm five more minutes, Cloves,” Qrow says, cracking open an eye only to be flooded with an intense burst of light. He immediately snaps it shut again and shoves his face into the pillow next to him. It still smells of his husband and he inhales the scent deeply, like a desperate man. It’s kind of pathetic, he thinks, but he can’t bring himself to care all too much.

“I don’t think so, old bird, you’ve got work today. Plus, I need you home early because team RWBY are coming for dinner and you’ve left coffee mugs all over the lounge,” Clover complains.

Qrow rolls his eyes, which is quite a feat, considering they’re still closed. Still, he’s pretty sure Clover gets the message because the next thing he knows, the bed dips down next to him and two large, familiar hands are massaging his back.

“Come on, you big grump. I even made you coffee,” Clover sighs. Qrow cracks his eye open again, this time greeted with a far more pleasant view than the too-bright morning sun. Clover is smiling down at him, his hair still messy and un-styled and an apron that reads ‘Kiss the Cook’ tied around his waist.

“Coffee?” Qrow croaks. Clover smirks and nods which is what has Qrow finally releasing his early morning grudge. He rolls back onto his back and sits up, finally opening both eyes to fully observe his husband in all his crack-of-dawn cheerfulness. “Okay, I’m up.”

“Knew that would get you,” Clover smirks, brushing his hand through the small hairs dangling in Qrow’s face.

“Lucky guess,” the older huntsman disagrees, dragging a laugh out of the other. Clover’s face settles into a soft smile as the two take a moment to gaze at each other. Qrow knows it’s ridiculously sappy, but Clover’s always been a romantic, and who’s Qrow to deny a man his desires, especially when he’s so nice to look at, anyway?

“Well, come on, then,” Qrow finally breaks the silence, “there’s coffee waiting to be drank.”

Clover gets to his feet and offers a hand out a hand to Qrow. He accepts it and doesn’t release it even once he’s on his feet. He’ll probably never express it out loud, but Clover’s hands make him feel safe- like there’s finally someone there to protect him after he’s spent his whole life trying to protect everyone else around him. Qrow would never let his hands go if the choice was his.

The two find their way to their small kitchen where Clover has laid out two plates of pancakes accompanied by a black coffee and an overly sugary caffeinated drink piled up with cream on top. Qrow grimaces at the two cups.

“How you drink it like that is beyond me,” he complains. Clover shrugs and releases Qrow’s hand so he can take a seat. Qrow follows suit.

“It gives me the caffeine I need for the day, what more do I need?” Clover queries.

“A good taste?” Qrow points out, picking up his own highly-sugared coffee and trying hard not to get the cream on his nose. From the snort his actions elicit from Clover, Qrow figures he wasn’t too successful.

Qrow sends Clover a small glare before digging in to his pancakes. Clover tactfully avoids his gaze and continues sipping his vile black coffee. Looking at them, Qrow supposes anyone would believe he was the one who adored black coffee, especially considering his previous drinking habits, but the taste is far too bland. Sugared drinks give him both the caffeine he needs and the morning sweetness he possibly requires even more.

“So, what’s on your agenda today?” Clover asks.

“I’ve been assigned to Winter’s teams keeping Grimm away from the construction site. As if I needed the Ice Queen bossing me around all day,” Qrow complains with a roll of his eyes. Clover huffs a laugh.

“When are you two ever going to let go of your preschool grudge?” he shakes his head. Qrow shrugs, taking another sip of sweet coffee.

“If I have any say in it, never,” he admits, “have they not got you on the construction today?”

Clover shakes his head, “I’m away from Beacon today- I’m doing diplomatic trips to Atlas. We need more supplies from them. They still refuse to cooperate with the rebuilding of Beacon until we rebuild Atlas.”

“People are stupid,” Qrow decides. Clover shrugs his shoulders with a smile.

“Not all of them,” he says, “your nieces are doing a pretty good job in the field.”

“I always knew they would,” Qrow smiles, “those girls have taught me a lot.”

“Here, here. Sometimes adults forgot that valuable lessons can be learnt from the youth,” Clover agrees. Qrow smirks and stands up, collecting their empty plates and cups and taking them over to the sink.

“Occasionally, I even learn things from you,” he teases. Clover sidles up behind him and pouts.

“I’m not that much younger than you,” he complains, jabbing his fingers into Qrow’s sides and causing the older man to jump. Qrow turns around from the sink and raises a challenging eyebrow at his husband.

“Back in my day, I treated my elders with a bit more respect,” Qrow mocks. Clover’s eyes flash darker and he smirks devilishly. Qrow feels his heart stutter in his chest and curses himself for being so easy.

“Oh, shut up, you,” Clover growls. Qrow, for once, complies very easily as Clover attaches his lips to his, placing his hands firmly on the sink behind Qrow’s back so that he can push the shorter man against the basin.

A soft groan rises to the top of Qrow’s throat as Clover tugs gently at his lower lip, sliding one hand from the sink to the small of his back and up to the base of head. Qrow smiles into the kiss as he tugs at Clover’s apron. He’s been deliberately ignoring its instructions, aware of how frustrated it would make Clover- he only wears the ‘Kiss the Cook’ apron when he means it.

“You’re such a tease,” Clover gasps against Qrow’s mouth. Qrow fastens their lips together again, fiercely, before replying.

“That so? What're you gonna do about it?”

“Right now?” Clover sighs, pressing soft kisses to Qrow’s jaw, “nothing.”

Before Qrow can register what’s happening, Clover pulls away completely.

“We’re both going to be late for work if we stay here all day,” he continues.

“I’m not opposed,” Qrow shrugs. Clover shoots him a withering look.

“Go get dressed for work. I’ll see you tonight,” he instructs.

“Now who’s the tease,” Qrow mumbles under his breath as he heads out of the kitchen to heed Clover’s instructions- he really does need to head to work, as much as he’d rather not.

“I heard that!’ Clover shouts after him. Qrow chuckles and gets ready as swiftly as possible, grabbing Harbinger from the corner of the room before he leaves.

“Make sure you’re not late home, okay?” Clover reminds Qrow as he meets him by the front door, already buttoning up his sleeveless jacket.

“Blame Winter if I am,” Qrow says. Clover sighs at him and cups his face to kiss him again, swiftly.

“See you tonight. Have a good day. I love you!” Clover smiles when they part. Qrow shakes his head fondly at the other man’s usual goodbye.

“Yeah, yeah, I love you too. Don’t get eaten by Grimm whilst I’m gone,” he replies, opening the door. Clover gives him one last salute before Qrow steps outside. His foot falls onto the floor and instead of the solid path he should feel underneath him, he feels… snow.

Qrow turns around and their house is gone, replaced by endless stretches of snow. His breathing rate has increased exponentially and when he looks back down at the snow, he sees droplets of red. There’s a whirring sound from the sky and he can hear a distant maniacal laugh that is disturbingly familiar.

It’s Tyrian’s laugh.

Harbinger is still in his hand but it’s coated in blood. He knows whose blood. Qrow doesn’t want to turn around when he hears footsteps and a thud behind him, followed by a pained groan.

He can’t just ignore him, though. He never would be able to.

Qrow lets Harbinger fall into the snow and then he is running- running towards Clover Ebi’s dying body. The blood contrasts so harshly with the pristine snow, staining it dark crimson. There’s so much of it- too much of it.

“Someone had to take the fall,” Clover says and Qrow knows he’s right but not him, not like this, never like this.

“James will take the fall. I’ll make sure of it,” is what he actually says. Clover’s looking at him with the same fond eyes he always has. In this timeline, Qrow never gets to ask what it means, only hope. It’s a futile hope now, anyway.

Clover struggles to smile and takes in a breath.

“Good luck,” he says softly, and they’re the last words Qrow will ever hear him say, and it’s the last breath Qrow will ever see him take, and it’s the last jolt of life Qrow will ever feel go through his body.

Clover Ebi’s eyes go dull right in front of Qrow’s own. Qrow doesn’t care about the Atlas ship approaching them. He screams and wails and cries over a friend he’d only just gotten to know, over the one piece of good luck that’s ever waltzed into his life, over a confidant and a crush and someone he thought he had finally met his match in.

He is broken again.

Qrow’s eyes snap open and the first thing he notices is the feeling of cold metal underneath his head. He’s still locked up in Atlas. He should probably do something about that- he promised Clover he would- but he still feels too numb.

The second thing Qrow notices is the feeling of cold metal underneath his fingers. A metal badge with a four-leaf clover engraved on it is digging into his hand so hard that it hurts. He clutches it tighter- it’s the only thing he has to remember Clover by.

Qrow thinks he might wear it. Maybe it can be his lucky charm now that his old one is gone. Dead.

It still feels a bit too soon, though. A bit too sore.

There’s no sound in the cell. Or anywhere. Qrow closes his eyes again. He’s still so tired.

Maybe, if he’s lucky for once, another dream will come his way. Maybe, if he’s as unlucky as usual, one will, anyway.

[flowerspecial]

I.M falls in love with another artist

Being brand new into this industry, you didn't really know what to expect. You had never expected for your career to blow up like this. Your mother had pushed you to send a video of you singing to a local record company. And here you were. One of the hottest new artists of the year. You had to relocate to America, so you felt somewhat lonely. Uprooting your life is never easy, and adding the enormous gamble of whether you will actually make it or not. Your heart had been on edge for a while now.

Your manager had booked you into what seemed like hundreds of interviews and talk shows. Your promotion was huge. Your manager had put a lot of money and time into making you a known name in every household. Every interviewer had told you that you were a breath of fresh air coming into this industry. Your voice was deep and strong, it resonated through any arena that you performed in. It's almost as if your voice was that bridge between musical theatre, and jazz. You had this Aretha Franklin vibe going on, and it was greatly received by the public.

Normally at the end of an interview, you are requested to sing a song for the audience. It's a great way for people to get that little taste of who you are as a performer. Your most recent interview was with none other James Corden. James Corden was your favourite talk show host, so you wanted to make this interview better than the others. As the interview proceeded, James began to ask you rather basic questions, such as, how did you get discovered, what's it like living in America etc. But James being James, he’s always going to throw in a cheeky question here and there. That’s just in his nature.

“So, is there anyone on the scene?” James asked you, smirking.

“I’m afraid not.” You replied, shrugging your shoulders slightly to the camera. “I’m not that lucky in love I’m afraid.”

“But you write songs about heartbreak, so surely there must be something there?” He said quizzically.

“I mean I’ve watched my friends experience heartbreak. And I’ve seen enough heartbreaks on tv to know the essence of one. You don’t have to have direct experience with the thing you are writing about it. It's all about embellishment.” You’ve rehearsed this answer so many times, it reels off like an automated response. James did have a fair point. You do tend to write songs that are more melancholic, but that's just because those types of songs show off your vocals the best. Also, you’ve always had quite the sad, dramatic heart. So you found writing lyrics that are more on the sad side much easier than writing about sunshine and rainbows.

“Is there anyone in the industry that you would like to collaborate with?” James asked.

“I mean it's still early days for me. So honestly if anyone reached out, I’d probably say yes. But I would love to work with a K-pop group. They are all dominating right now so it would be cool to see their process to creating music.”

“So BTS?” James said, which elicited a deafening roar of applause and cheers from the audience.

“BTS are a definite. But also groups like NCT or Monsta X. I love Monsta X, so that collab would be a dream come true.” You spoke like a true fan girl, clutching your chest when you mentioned Monsta X. You had been following the group since they debuted, and so if there was any chance in the world that you could do a collaboration with them, you were down.

At the end of the interview, you began to prepare yourself for your performance. When you are on stage, you tend to stand off to the side. This is because you love having dancers be the focal point. You have always said that dancing accentuates the points that the singer tries to get across with the lyrics. You also preferred your lighting to be quite dark. The darkness matched with the soulfulness of your voice, which helped transport the audience into this almost eerie but nonetheless beautiful place that you tried to emulate.

The following day, you woke up to a frenzy of notifications buzzing on your phone. The light dazzled you slightly, but you saw that all of your friends were telling you to get onto twitter pronto. On twitter you saw that your name was trending, but it wasn't just your name. It was your name and Monsta X that was trending. Confused, you click on the hashtag and began scrolling through to see what everyone is going on about.

Your eyes practically doubled in size when you saw that you had been mentioned on Monsta X’s official Twitter page. You dropped the phone in astonishment. Your heart was beginning to race as you could possibly think what they had said. Maybe it was to say thank you for mentioning them? Or maybe it was to say that they hated you and wanted nothing to do with you? Okay, so you realise that maybe you were beginning to run away with yourself. So you picked up the phone to read the message:

We love you too! We would love to work with you sometime! Message us - Changkyun

Was this real? You thought to yourself. Was this actually real life? Did the real Changkyun from Monsta X genuinely just tell you that he is down to work with you? You honestly didn't know how to process this information. So you just sat upright on your bed staring blankly at your phone. What was the protocol here? Should you actually message them? Or were they just being nice for the sake of their image? You was conflicted about your next move but thankfully that decision was taken out of your hands as a notification had popped up that you had a message.

We are working in the same studios that you work in. If you are free at all today, maybe you could come down and we could talk about the collaboration? - Changkyun

You smiled at yourself and thought it was cute that Changkyun was the one who messaged you and mentioned you on twitter. But maybe that was just because he was one of the strongest in English. You didn't want to make a mountain out of a molehill.

After reading the message you sprang off your bed and began to rush around your house. You needed to have a shower, brush your teeth, have breakfast, get dressed, the list was endless. And you know that phenomena that when you are in a rush, everything goes wrong and things keep slowing you down? Well, that was indeed happening to you. It took you ages to finally get out of the house, but thankfully the studios were only a short drive away.

Walking into the studios, you felt nervous in a way. People always say that you should never meet your idols. What happens if they are actually all horrible people? Or maybe this is just one big joke to humiliate you. You pushed the door of your studio slightly, and you sighed in relief as you saw Changkyun sat in there.

“Hey, it's nice to meet you.” You bowed slightly trying to show your respect. But you felt a tad awkward, so you also put your hand out for him to shake. He laughed at your cute little introduction but took your hand anyway.

“Likewise. Your performance last night was amazing. I was stunned.” Changkyun said smoothly. You cursed yourself inwardly as you began to feel a bit hot under his gaze.

Trying to look anywhere, except at Changkyun, you looked across the room. But something didn't seem quite right. “Wait, where is everyone else?” You hadn't noticed it when you first walked in, but now you had realised that Changkyun was alone.

“Oh, the others have something right now but they are coming later!” He sensed your body shift slightly. “Is that okay? If not we can just wait for them to come! I just thought that you and I could get started now. Besides, the other boys don’t really speak English that well so it would be me doing all the talking anyway.”

“Yeah it's fine with me! It just seems strange with only one of you being here. I’m used to seeing all of you together.” You giggled slightly at the end. You took a seat on a chair near the recording deck and patted the seat next to you for Changkyun to sit in. “Now, is there anything you definitely do or definitely don’t want out of this collab?”

“I would like to do something that shows off your voice. You have the best voice I have ever heard. It's so soothing yet powerful. It's like nothing I’ve ever heard before.” As Changkyun confessed, his eyes captured yours and he held them hostage. You was flattered by his sweet words. Due to your rather sudden success, you had grown accustomed to compliments. Many of which you could tell were not said sincerely. But you felt touched by Changkyun’s comments. You could tell that he was speaking from his heart.

“Thank you so much, I’m flattered. I’ve been a huge fan of yours since you debuted. I am honestly shocked that I even get to be in the same room as you!” You replied, prying your eyes away from his. What you didn't notice, as you had looked away, was the faintest of smiles that danced on Changkyun’s lips. He studied the features of your face as if he was about to take an exam in them. He could stare at you all day, and one day he intended on doing just that. But for now, he remembered why you two were here in the first place.

“So I’m thinking, to go with your aesthetic. We could a slow song but with a good beat in the background. That way me and Joohoney could rap. We could even get the other boys to harmonise with you!” His eagerness to appease you was charming.

“I like it. But I don’t actually mind doing something a bit more uptempo. My manager did say it would be good to have at least one song that is different from the rest. That way I can test the waters, you know?”

The afternoon continued as you bounced ideas between each other. In the end you had settled on a fast-ish paced song. Something that really hits hard. We are talking Shoot Out times a thousand. Lyrics was something you always found quite easy to come up with. And working with Changkyun made it even easier, if that was even possible. You seemed to constantly be thinking on the same wavelength. You threw lyrics out left right and centre and Changkyun just had this undeniable talent for making them all connect. As you worked, you sat very close to each other, your shoulders touching. Changkyun would forever be leaning into your personal space to read what you have written. Not that you minded of course.

Changkyun suggested that you should go into the booth and have a mess around with some of the vocals that you might like to feature. That way he could really get a feel for who you are as an artist. Messing around, he told you to go full on Christina Aguilera. And you did just that. The songs that you produce don’t necessarily require that type of singing. You need to be strong in your voice, but you don’t really need to do a lot of runs or belting out. So it's nice to actually see if your voice is capable. Changkyun was truly mesmerised by your talent. He'd only suggested singing like that as a joke, and yet here you were making a joke out of him. You shocked him every way possible, and he loved it. You took your headphones off for a second, just to get a drink.

“We are definitely using that in the song!” He exclaimed, using his hands to show his undeniable excitement.

“Are you sure? I don’t think it sounds that good.”

“You are joking right?” Changkyun stands up and places a hand on each shoulder. “You know I’m just saying this because you are stood in front of me. I truly think you are the best singer I have ever heard! You make everything seem effortless and I could listen to you for hours. You need to show the world that you can sing like that!”

“I guess I could do it once. Just to try it.” Before you or him registered what he was doing. Changkyun embraced you in tight arms and lifted you off the group slightly. He thought you were the most endearing person he had ever met.

“Well excuse me, looks like we are interrupting something.” A voice said. You jumped away from Changkyun in embarrassment. You looked over at who was speaking, and you saw the rest of Monsta X stood before, smirking at you both.

“Oh no, nothing is happening here. We are just working” You quickly spluttered out. You rubbed your arms in comfort and looked at the floor awkwardly.

“Clearly,” Minhyuk began. “Hey Chan, why don’t you hug me like that when we are working?” He asked suggestively.

“Please shut up.” Changkyun mumbled to his older member, clearly mortified with what he was insinuating.

“Okay, okay. Well are you at least going to show us what you have been working on. It seems like Channie here wants you all to yourself.” Minhyuk said.

“I thought you had meetings earlier? That’s why you couldn't get here.” You asked confused.

“Nope. Chan told us this time.” You tried to look at Changkyun but he was looking at the floor with bright red cheeks. “Clearly he didn't want us to ruin the moment.”

Looking at Changkyun, you decided not to press on it further. The boy looked like he would feel this humiliation for days. So instead, you went to the desk and pressed play to show the rest of the boys what you two had been working on. The boys left cheeky comments here and there about Changkyun’s obsession with you. The boys were eager to tell you that he had watched every video and interview that you had ever been on. And they were sure on telling you that when you mentioned on TV that you were a fan, he all but fainted on the spot.

When it was time to leave, the boys filled out of the room quickly, leaving you and Changkyun alone once again.

“I’m really sorry about what they said earlier. It's true, I am a huge fan of yours, when you said you’re a fan of us, I may have screamed a little. So I understand if you think that I am coming on too strong. Or was sneaky for wanting to spend some time with you on my own…” Changkyun rambled on. The best way of shutting him up that you could think of was to place a tender kiss on his cheek. It worked wonders.

“You know, I think it works perfectly that I’m a fan of you and you're a fan of me. It shows we both have excellent taste in music.” You winked at him, causing him to giggle slightly. “But it also means that you will have my best intentions at heart. It means that you will care for me and nurture me when I need it. It means that I think you and I should go on a date sometime.”  Changkyun struggled to contain his elation at your comment. He grabbed both of your hands and kissed the back of each. He pulled you in close to his chest, and said softly.

“Well, what about now?”

[teenremus]

dog days i

sirius black x reader

word count: 2760

warning: too cliché probably

a/n: my time-jump thing isnt working im highkey confused because its still on my other fics but not,,, this one? im so confused tumblr give me my lines back i have to use a screenshot

part two

[...]

The Whomping Willow had always been your spot, a place where you could go, unbothered, even by the swinging branches themselves. To the amazement of other students, the tree didn't make an effort to throw you out of range when getting too close, you were even allowed to lean up against it.

When others came into the picture, attempting the same as you, they didn't have quite your luck. They were slapped around and pushed away, falling on their arses each time and you just watched from your place underneath it. It was said that you'd bewitched the Willow, forcing it to let you lie there almost every day, but the reality was you hadn't done a single thing. You weren't sure why it let you get so close while you worked on your homework, but it did.

You had figured it out accidentally, running around the grounds away from Lily as you held her newest love letter from James Potter. She was ready to throw it away without giving it a second thought, but you knew just how pure his intentions were, and believed he was right for her.

You were too busy laughing and looking behind you to notice where you were going, and paid no attention to Lily's screams telling you to stop, she'd been doing exactly so for the past two minutes but only jokingly. They were getting louder and less playful, and you didn't realize where you were until you tripped over the root of a tree.

Laughter had died out and you pushed yourself onto your hands and knees, you had dropped the letter below you. You turned your head looked up to see the Whomping Willow giving you what you could only describe as a menacing glare, or that's what you had interpreted it's details as, as fear took over your body and you froze.

It was quiet, as you waited for it to make a move to remove you from it's bark. It's branches waved back and forth in the air as the wind shoved past, pushing your hair out of your face. You took small and slow movements as you stood, holding the letter again. You didn't break the contact your eyes held with the branches.

Lily still stood a safe distance away, one hand reaching beneath her robes and gripping her wand for precaution. She took one step towards the tree, and after her second step the air became stiff. The branches had their own control and stopped swaying peacefully, and stood straight mimicking the hairs on the back of your neck.

She hesitated, but stepped again. One branch swung down and pushed her aside, not too harshly but enough to knock her down with a groan.

"Lily!" You called, watching as the wood retracted to it's usual place. You ran forward without care if the Willow was going to hit you or not.

At her side, you asked if she was okay. However, it was as if the world had gone entirely mute and she had forgotten about you as she just stared into the hole of the Willow tree.

You followed her gaze, shaking your head and extending your hand as you stood to pull her up with you. "Let's not worry about it, Lily, we got lucky."

Lily shoved her wand back in her pocket. "Strange..."

After that incident you had taken it upon yourself to study the Whomping Willow, and much to your surprise you seemed to be the only one that could get so close. It had become your own little tradition to seek out the tree when you wanted to be alone, and never came a time where you weren't welcomed.

You sat on a particularly large root now, legs crossed out in front of you with your charms book resting on top, you used it's hard cover as a surface for the paper you scribbled on.

Boisterous laughter broke your train of thought and disrupted your writing, the letter you were writing became smudged by the sudden flinch in your hand mid stroke. You looked up and saw two boys, one Ravenclaw and a Hufflepuff jumping around and pushing each other as they arrived to the grass area.

"Oi! You looking to get slapped around? How'd you get up there?"

You glanced up with hooded eyes as you lifted your parchment and shoved it between two pages of your textbook. It was time to go, you had been compromised, and Potions would be starting soon.

It was your belief that you could only get so close because of intent, that's what the Whomping Willow saw in each student. It was magical after all, and you were sure that it wasn't only here to threaten student's lives, but protect them as well. It hadn't been your intent to hurt the tree when you ran towards it unknowingly, you didn't come to mock or prove your strength as a challenge with it, it was a mistake. The Willow must've seen that, or else you wouldn't be there.

"You think it broke?"

"A tree can't just break, you git."

A clock began to methodically chime and your eyes were drawn to the castle of a school. Lunch was over now and passing period was just beginning.

The boys began to turn around and walk, just as a branch extended and pushed the Ravenclaw down before retracting. It left a hint of a smile on your face as you collected your books thrown to the side and followed their trail to the school, listening to the Ravenclaw's complaints.

When reaching the school the two had turned down their own hall and you continued towards the dungeons, regretting not dropping off your charms book in your dorm before the class had started. It was feeling heavy and you were already late, you could tell as an owl squawked at you from the side of the hall and a sneer from an old painting.

Slipping through the wooden doors, the class turned and stared for a short time before realizing it was only you. Slughorn met your eyes but continued to teach his lesson at the front, prepping the class for their potions. You scanned the room quickly for an empty seat, to which you only found one at the front of the room next to Sirius Black.

He had been moved there from almost the second that first term started, too much noise was made in the back with his mates, Peter and James, and now they were all scattered throughout the room permanently. James was also in the first row, just on the complete opposite side, and Peter sat in the back.

You really had nothing against Sirius, but you didn't know what to expect when you slid into the stool next to him. He looked at you silently, eyes dropping down to your robes almost immediately. Making assumptions, you were sure. Not only because of your y/h colors, but from the small dirt stains from the tree and ground you had been up against a few minutes prior.

Slughorn's speech ended and you caught on to what he was saying, enough to know what precautions to take. You knew what to do with the help of your textbook, flipping to the right page slowly but surely as the other students grabbed their ingredients. Sirius stayed and scrubbed his cauldron without a word.

There was a tall figure shadowing you slightly, and you turned to see the disappointing expression on your Professor's face.

"This isn't the first time you've been late to my class, miss y/l/n," He chastised, "This calls for another detention."

"I know, Professor. See you on Friday," You gave him a thin-lipped smile. It annoyed him, his only response was a sigh and a shake of his head as he walked off.

Sirius raised an eyebrow as he set his scrub brush down on the table, "You know, if you stopped being so late, I reckon you could get out of these detentions."

You looked at him in slight disbelief, you really had expected him to ignore it, and now here he was giving you advice just to poke fun? "Pardon me?"

"Where do you run off to anyway?" He leaned forward, resting his head in the palm of his hand. "Shrieking Shack? Black Lake?"

What you had mistaken for arrogance was him trying to be funny, you realized, and it worked as you smiled and shook your head. "I would reckon so if I had gone mad. You realize none of this is your business, yeah?"

"I want it to be."

You rolled your eyes and stood up from your stool, off to grab the ingredients. "Only in your dreams, Black."

He continued to stare down the back of your head as you tucked glass jars in the space between your arms and your chest, clutching them. Until his head was pushed forward, he was so unprepared he almost hit the rim of the cauldron. He turned behind him to see Peter and James giggling as they rushed to their seats, and just as he rose from his seat with a determined and mischievous glare he was shot down.

"Mr. Black!"

The school hours had ended not long ago, and instead of books and quills in your possession, now all that you had was a letter stuffed in it's envelope. As you looked down at it, weaving it between your fingers, you realized just how bad your hands were shaking with nerves.

Your quest was to the Owlrey, the time it took to get there was tiring, especially with the steep path once you got to the rocky hill the tower was on. Trips were taken before and at first you had believed they would get easier, but they never did, the path only became memorized.

On your way you stepped past a pile of well-past brown leaves absentmindedly as you flipped over the letter and looked at it's dedication. The y/l/n's.

Behind you, you heard the crunch of fallen leaves and a few sticks tucked under the pile and you froze where you stood, looking behind you but you could see nothing past the curve on the spiral trail. Holding your breath, you could hear the sounds of heavy footsteps getting closer.

You slinked behind a boulder on the side of the hill, keeping your back pressed up against it as you waited for the student to pass. It was more than likely they didn't know you were here, either, and just on their way to deliver a letter of some sort. You remained curious, nevertheless.

Their steps became clearer and you waited, becoming more nervous than you knew you needed to be. A building anticipation as you began to pray to dear Merlin it wasn't Malfoy or Snape, but then you figured Malfoy was far too stuck up to get his hands dirty with a mere owl. He'd have one of his followers do the work for him, which was much less threatening.

A figure passed and for a second you swore it was Snape, first recognizing the long, jet black hair. But this student's was more free rather than slicked back and looking like it was glued to his head. Their hands were stuck in their pockets and they kept their eyes up, looking at the sky. You were able to catch their features, as well as the Gryffindor house colors on his tie.

An overdramatic, but playful sigh left your lips and your arms fell to your sides, "Are you serious?"

You surprised him, you could tell as he turned around and had his eyebrows pulled together in confusion for a short second, just before it turned into one of pride as a cheeky smirk took over, hoping you wouldn't notice that you caught him off guard. You knew you did.

"'Fraid so, darling. You waiting up for me?" Sirius cocked an eyebrow and walked down to where you were, still up against a rock. The steepness of the hill only made him taller than he already was, towering over you.

"More of catching my stalker," You corrected.

"You're hiding behind a boulder."

"You're following me up a mountain."

His mouth fell open as he failed to come up with a rebuttal to defend his actions, and it was your turn to smirk as you bumped your shoulder with his and continued on the trail. He was quick to turn around and follow your actions once again, slowing down when he reached your side.

Sirius kept his eyes on you, and then they fell to the letter in your hands that you kept on the opposite side of you, almost as if you were hiding it from him.

"Don't see why you're suddenly so curious to know of my whereabouts outside of class," You told him, enough courage filling your chest to ask such a question outright.

He cocked his head, "We've developed a rapport, wouldn't you say? Enough for me to feel free to irritate you as much as I please."

Scoffing, you shook your head and looked down at the yellowing grass. It was pushed down from all the times students, like yourself, had walked on it. At one point in time you had questioned why Hogwarts hadn't replaced it with stones, and then you realized the steepness of the hill was enough of a trek, rocks would just act as marbles.

"And I'm interested in you."

"Interested?" You echoed, you hadn't spoken much with Sirius, and told yourself there was no way he could catch feelings this soon. That day marked the first time you had spoken to him in class as well as out of it.

"Of course, it's not a everyday you meet someone as mysterious and secretive as you, love."

You exhaled relief. He was just curious. The two of you finally met the Owlrey structure, stepping on to the smooth concrete with scattered feathers all around, some still falling from the birds in the sky.

"I wouldn't say I'm mysterious, but I do like my privacy," You playfully glared at him as you walked backwards through the open doorway just to face him.

It was much darker inside even with the open spaces for the owls to get in and out, there was no definite life source other than the sun which was currently covered by dull clouds. Unlike outside, feathers here were grouped together and piled high, but swept out of the way for some space to walk. Owls sat in their respective spaces and watched the two look up and marvel at the building.

You searched for your own, Jives. He had a particular brown spot covering his left wing and a white line that swirled on his stomach. It was hard to miss.

Silence took over the two of you, only listening to the flutter and hoots of the owls around you. Sirius watched as you looked up and brought two fingers to your lips, a loud whistle echoing off the concrete.

Jives peeked his head out of where he was perched in one of the compartments, swooping down and landing on one of the sills at eye level. His head tilted as he watched you step over a pile of feathers and approached him, you stroked his feathers as you whispered the address to him.

Sirius waited patiently, body up against a pillar next to an owl that he shared a glance with, and then a shrug. When he looked at you again, your owl had taken off and you rested your head in your arms as you watched him go.

"Pen pal?" He questioned as he sauntered up beside you, mimicking your stance as he looked up at the sky. The birds circled and perched themselves on the roof of the Owlrey, their feathers floating down slowly but surely just out of your reach.

"Parents," You corrected him.

He hummed. For a second he didn't say anything. "What's it about?"

You whipped your head to him with raised eyebrows, "You saying it's not normal to write your parents?"

"Not for me." You rolled your eyes, turning around and beginning to leave the building. He followed you out the doors, stepping over the feathers. "Why so secretive? Planning to take over the school? You a death eater? Madly in love with Inverse Pinocchio?"

You couldn't stop the laughter that bubbles in your throat as you shook your head. "All of the above."

He laughed as well, catching up beside you. "I don't suppose you'll be letting up any time soon."

"You're getting better at this."

[jinterlude]

An Easy Façade

↳Story Header © @softjeon (do not steal this header!)

‣ Pairing: Min Yoongi x Reader (female OC)

‣ Genre(s): CEO!AU, SMUT, Angst, Fluff, & Slight-Humor

‣ Warning(s): good old fashion, jealousy fueled sex

‣ Word Count: 4.9K

‣ Summary: It’s always easy to have a façade; however, it’s even easier for someone else to break it down. You and Yoongi have an interesting relationship with each other. The two of you never remotely hinted at any interests towards one another, but how’s it possible that one night changes that? For someone that never finds you attractive, Yoongi couldn’t help but feel jealous when a certain rival captures your eyes. What made him so special to earn your smiles and warm gazes? Yoongi never believed in sharing, and you are no exception.

A soothing sound of the saxophone fills the room. Streaks of sun peek through the curtains as the sound of fast typing invades the sweet jazz melody.

Sitting in a modernly decorated office, a stoic man eyes his computer screen. His eyes scanning for any errors in the report while his secretary currently lays in his bed. A soft scoff escapes his lips as he remembers his previous encounters with the young woman, AKA, you. Boy, your relationship with each other has always been nonexistent. If anything, you two are strictly boss and secretary. That is it. You are tasked with fetching his files, making phone calls, scheduling any important meetings, and everything in between. You always turn down his drunk advances, fully aware that you know that he strictly wants a one-night stand. No relationships. No strings attach. Nothing. Just one and done is Min Yoongi’s number one motto in life. Yet—he finds himself wondering how on Earth did he manage to get you into his bed—naked. Your gala dress lies on the floor, along with the rest of your lingerie—courtesy of him, of course. The billions of dollar jewelry, he bought days prior, rests on the marble counter in his bathroom.

Suddenly—a faint smell of sweet wine invades his nostril as his mind drifts to a couple of days ago—where his feelings for you began to change.

Patiently waiting for the elevator as you clutch your boss’s important files against your chest. You tap your foot as you eye your expensive wristwatch, counting down the seconds until the slow as fuck elevator arrives at your floor.

Your heart races as the big hand almost touches the six, which means that it was almost time for his incredibly important meeting.

         “Oh…I’m so fucked…” You curse underneath your breath.

Having enough of playing the waiting game, you hurriedly take off your heels and push the door leading to the stairs. You take a deep breath before hauling ass up four flights of stairs—desperate to make it to the meeting on time.

You run up the stairs; the pads of your feet connect to the cold stone of each step. Your hand wraps around the railing, hoping that it will give you the leverage that you need.

And just like that… you manage to make it to the main conference room.

You quickly slip your heels back on, smooth out your pencil skirt, and brush any hairs that are out of place. Min Yoongi loves perfection to the point of obsession. Seriously, you always find yourself questioning why your CEO has a thing for perfection—but of course—you bury your curiosity, not wanting to anger the pale man.

Once you deem your appearance meeting worthy, you inhale then exhale nice and slow before wrapping your hand over the door handle. You slowly press the handle down and enter inside the room.

The sound of the door opening enters Yoongi’s ears as his eyes lock onto the door. His eyes have become slits as you come waltzing in as if you are not late to this important meeting. To say that he is incredibly annoyed would be an understatement. This is your third time arriving late to a meeting, and that is two times too many.

Yoongi takes a mental note to have a little chat with you after the meeting before gesturing the head of finances to continue with her presentation.

You feel an icy-cold shiver rush through your entire body as you awkwardly walk over to Yoongi’s side. You hang your head low as you place the files in front him. Then, you step back and fold your hands in front of your, waiting for the meeting to be over.

Chatter after chatter. Business proposal after business proposal. That is all you hear. Your brain has become embedded with statistics and events; however, you pay little to no attention to them as your mind focuses on the fact that your boss has informed you that the two of you are going to talk once the meeting finishes.

         “Great. I’m fired…” You think to yourself as a tiny frown forms on your face.

A soft yet sad sigh escapes your lips as you silently pray to yourself that you remember your close friend’s number. Maybe she can hook you up with a new job at her fiancé’s company. Kim Seokjin has a reputable company, so you aren’t too worry.

         “Miss?” You hear Yoongi call.

Your attention instantly snaps onto him and quickly muster your business smile.

         “Yes, Mr. Min?” You reply as you see him stand up from his chair and walk towards the door.

Using his middle and index fingers, he gestures you to follow him, which you do.

         “Why were you late, again? As you know, as my secretary, it is crucial that you arrive to the conference room minutes…hell! Even hours before I do. I should never arrive to the room before you.” He pauses, taking a second to compose himself. “Maybe you’re not cut out to work for me…” He mumbles, walking into his office.

Your eyes widen at his words. This is it…you are going to be laid off. Your fingers tremble slightly as your heart pounds against your chest. A tiny nervous sweat trickles down the side of your face.

Contrary to your earlier thoughts, you don’t want to lose your job. You can’t explain it, but you have grown attached to this job your boss…you can’t just leave it him behind.

Just as you open your mouth to basically beg to say, Yoongi beats you to it.

         “However, seeing how I’m actually feeling lazy and don’t want to deal with the interview process yet again, I’ll keep you and as for your punishment, you will accompany to this year’s gala.” He tells you; his unreadable gaze piercing your naïve one.

A wave of relieve washes over you as you no longer feel dread. He didn’t fire you. There is a God.

         “Thank you, Mr. Min.” You smile politely at him, “May I ask what is the dress code for this event?” You ask.

With a raise brow, Yoongi explains the event and the dress code. He surprises you by adding that he is going to send his personal stylist to fetch your attire for the evening and recommends a salon for you to get your hair all prim and proper. Oh, can’t forget the makeup as well.

         “Now, Miss L/N…please do not arrive fashionably late. I hate taking pictures by myself.” He warns before sending you away.

You nod your head and reassure him that you won’t let him down again. You smile at him one last time before exiting his office.

Little do you know, Yoongi eyes your retreating body; his heart suddenly feeling weird.

He purses his lips as he swiftly brushes the odd sensation away before attending to his work.

And in just a blink of an eye, it is D-Day. The most important event of the year. The winter Gala. This is the event where every CEO comes together in one luxurious ballroom to schmooze and gather intel on rival companies. Basically, pretend to like one another only to backstab him or her in the future. Fun, huh?

Currently standing next to Yoongi, you continue to smile sweetly at other CEOs and their dates while your boss chats away with them.

With your throat feeling a tad dry, you quickly excuse yourself to grab a glass of champagne.

Yoongi looks at you, again with that unreadable expression, before excusing himself as well.

The look of confusion enters your eyes as you stare at your boss.

         “You didn’t have to leave your colleagues.” You tell him as the two of you find a waiter with a tray full of glasses of champagne.

Yoongi grabs two glasses and hands you one of them.

         “I know, but I couldn’t have my date defenseless against these drunk yet powerful men.” He explains casually, masking his true reason for staying by your side.

You smiled; a soft giggle escapes your lips. You then place your lips over the rim before tilting the champagne flute slightly. The bubbly drink lands on your taste buds before exiting through your throat.

         “Careful Mr. Min, or else people might think you care for me.” You tease as your eyes scan the room. Your gaze becomes still briefly when you see someone that you know Yoongi absolutely loathes.

You quickly glance back at your boss; a sigh of relief exits your mouth. Good. Yoongi hasn’t notice his rival, Lee Jihoon. What is he doing here? According to the gossip, Jihoon isn’t supposed to arrive until the two of you left. Fuck.

You lean slightly towards Yoongi, whispering his ear that you are going to use the ladies’ room. Yoongi nods, telling you to be careful as he unwraps his arm from your waist.

You smile warmly one last time before excusing yourself from his company. You then make a bee line for his rival, hoping that your charms will get him to leave before Yoongi notices. The last thing you need is to bail your boss out of jail for starting a fight.

         “Ah, Miss L/N!” Jihoon hugs you politely, “I believe this is my lucky night since I have the chance to witness your beautiful face.” He flirts shamelessly as his eyes trails your body. His lips slightly ajar as he sees the James Bond style of dress accentuating your curves. Your mid-thigh slightly peeking through the slit. Seeing you like this is too much for Jihoon. It is no secret that he desires you, but you know better. He only wants to sleep with you as revenge towards Yoongi for snatching away a deal that was meant for Jihoon.

Moments of silence has passed and his predator like gaze has yet to cease. You have grown uncomfortable to the point that distracting Jihoon is no longer worth it.

As you are about to excuse yourself, a cold voice enters your ears. Your body suddenly tenses as you register the voice. Shit—Yoongi is right behind you.

You slowly turn to face him and as you are about to say something, Yoongi’s hand locks around your wrist, and he roughly pulls you away from and out of the ballroom.

The cold air slams against your body as goosebumps begun to appear on your bare skin. Yoongi releases his hold on you, only to demand the valet to bring his car.

You feel uneasy as you never seen him this angry. Correction, never seen him this angry with you. If anything, he only expresses endless frustration and annoyances.

Second later, his car appears. The valet worker rushes to Yoongi, sensing his anger and hands over the keys. The poor boy fears for his life. Powerful CEOs are terrifying.

         “Get in.” He coldly orders you.

Not wanting to piss him off any more than you already have, you swiftly enter the passenger side and shut the door behind you, careful to not snag your dress in the door. You buckle your seat belt as Yoongi speeds out of the venue; the tires screeching echoes throughout the area.

The car ride is dead silent. Not even music can be heard inside the vehicle. Just awkward silence and—sexual tension?

Yoongi’s knuckles are white as he continues to grip the steering wheel.

After what it seems like an eternity, the two of you finally arrive at his place.

Yoongi parks in his garage and saying nothing else, he exits his car. He walks towards the garage entry door and slips off his shoes. He then slams the door behind him.

Your body flinches at the loud impact. You honestly feel helpless and unsure as you never have experience this side of him. Not even when a business deal went terribly wrong, he remained unnerved. The one time he expresses this type of anger is when he finds out that Jihoon somehow one-ups him in terms of deals and other business endeavors.

Then—it hits you. Jihoon. He is the source of Yoongi’s sudden fury. In your eyes, you only conversed with his rival as a distraction, but to Yoongi—Jihoon plans to steal you away from him.

Gathering enough courage to go after your boss, you exit the vehicle and walk right up to the door. You slip off your heels and just as you are about to enter through the entry, the door flung open.

You feel something wrap around your wrist, and you are abruptly pulled inside.

Your body is press against the wall as you feel something, or someone hold you in place.

Your chest heaves up and down slowly as the butterflies in your stomach went into a frenzy. Your mouth is slightly agape as you feel an unknown force take your hair out of the tight bun. The strands of your hair cascades down the sides of your face.

         “Mr. Min?” You whisper; your voice sounding incredibly meek as a field mouse.

A brush of silence only greets you as his gaze continues to penetrate yours. What does he plan to do?

Before you can flood your mind with more questions, his hand cups your chin; your head forcibly tilts up.

         “What are you doing to me?” He asks, unsure if he means it seriously or sarcastically.

A blank expression graces your face as you become unsure what to say next let alone do next.

         “I…don’t know w-what you mean, sir.” You stumble over your sentence. Not because you are shy around him, but it’s because you are afraid of what is going to happen next. You have heard countless of stories from your friends about what happens when one sleeps with the boss. You become his and only his. It’s not like you aren’t attracted to the man. You just don’t want to progress your relationship like this. Innocent thinking on your part.

Yoongi remains still as he studies your emotion and overall body language. Unlike his close friends, he never lied about his attraction towards you. He just didn’t want to pursue anything because he didn’t want to put you through the emotional roller coaster that his father put his mother on. He didn’t want to do this game of push-pull when you deserve his uttermost attention. However, with his position as CEO, Yoongi knows that he couldn’t give that to you. Unless—you become his wife.

Not wasting another second, Yoongi captures your lips. If this is going to be the only night he’s allowed to have with you, then he’s going to savor each second.

Contrast to his cold exterior, his interior displays nothing but warmth. He just shows it in his own special way.

The kiss immediately back takes you. You start to feel confused; however, like Yoongi, if this is going to be the only night that the two of you share intimately, might as well enjoy it.

You wrap your arms around his neck and pull him closer to you. Your tongue lightly brushes against his bottom lip, hinting that you want in.

Yoongi sighs as he opens his mouth enough for your tongue to dart in. He wraps his arms around your waist as he lifts you slightly.

The two of you remain like that. Stuck against the wall as he begins to grind against your center. Thank God for the slit in your tight dress or else it would’ve been hard to hook your leg around him.

You feel this pool of pleasure settle in your core. You aren’t a virgin, but this sensation and overwhelming of emotion is foreign to you. The more he grinds against you, the more the desire increases. The desire for him to simply fuck you against the wall. The desire for him to pleasure you and you to pleasure him. You want him.

A teasing smirk appears on your face as a devious idea plants in your mind. You pull away one of your hands from his neck, but your lips stay connected.

While his tongue continues to massage yours, earning him a few moans from you, your fingers trail down his torso. The pads of your fingers meeting the silky-smooth fabric of his dress shirt until it lands on his leather belt.

Feeling something tug against his waist, Yoongi finally pulls away as his eyes trail down and sees something that only fuel raging hormones.

He raises his brow, feigning confusion, “Now, what you are doing, Miss?”

You eye him innocently, “Oh, nothing… I just wanted to undo your belt since I know it’s probably uncomfortable.”

Yoongi chuckles softly as he steps away from you. His hands reach towards his belt and quickly undoes it. He pulls the belt through the loops, loosening up his dress pants and freeing his hardened member from being pressed against the zipper. Though—it is still pressing against it. That is how arouse he is with her.

He tosses the belt to the side; a loud clank echoes throughout his condo.

         “Now, what Y/N?” He questions, catching you off guard since he never refers to you by your first name. Always your last name.

Strangely, hearing your first name roll off his tongue arouse you even more. Your mind begun imagining him moaning your name as he thrusts into you mercilessly. His grunts and swear words coming out like water as your body meets his thrusts. Your hands marking up his back as you end up scratching him, wanting to show the world that he is yours.

Without a second thought, you whisper a phrase. A phrase that Yoongi only imagines you saying softly whenever he pleasures himself.

         “Take me…”

His arms wrap around your waist and then tells you to jump. You do as you’re told and jump, not giving a shit if your dress rips on the other side. Yoongi is a rich man. He can always buy a replacement.

With his hands place underneath your ass, Yoongi carries you to his bedroom; his foot kicking the door shut once your bodies are inside.

He walks up the bed and lowers the two of you down; your backside hitting the soft sheets.

He captures your lips as his hands fumble with the zipper of your dress.

Giggling into the passionate kiss, you take pity on the man and assist him with your zipper. You sit up, pausing the little make out session, and reach behind you. Your middle finger and thumb touch the tiny metal as you slowly pull it down, revealing your strapless, dark-red bra.

Yoongi’s brows perk up as his harden member begs to be free. Seeing your body become expose like this is truly a dream come true.

You lay flat on your back, going painstakingly slow when shimmying off the dress. You want to make him crazy with desire as he has done with you.

Your chest rose slightly as a thought enters your mind. You are gradually close to doing what you fantasize about. Having sex with your boss.

A low—almost animalistic—growls sends your heart into a racing frenzy. Then, you feel his cold hands on your hips as Yoongi kisses the base of your neck.

His calloused fingers messes with the waistband of your panties as his teeth and tongue mark your neck.

         “God…” He mutters as his fingers hook themselves around the waistband and starts to pull them down.

The cool air hits your center as your wet core is in plain sight for him.

Just seeing how wet you are, is enough for Yoongi to tear off his clothes and take you at once—and he does.

He practically tears off his dress shirt, not giving a shit if it cost him $1000, and discards it to the side. He unbuttons and unzips his dress pants and pulls them down, along with his boxers.

His erection is now in plain view. Your jaw almost drops to the floor as your eyes widen. Damn… your fantasies didn’t do him justice.

Yoongi reaches for a condom, taking the latex out of its wrapper before covering his harden length.

His index and middle fingers touch your center, wanting to make sure that you are still nice and wet for him.

Once he deems that you are, Yoongi place his knees on the edge of the bed. His eyes trail over your body, then goes back to your chest. Your gorgeous breasts are still covered by your bra.

         “Your bra. Remove it.” He demands, gesturing you to sit up.

You shoot up and undo the hooks. The straps slide off your shoulders as you pull your arms out of them. You fling piece of lingerie to the side, not caring where it lands.

You smile sweetly yet alluringly at him as you gesture towards your completely naked body.

         “Better?” You ask, maintaining your alluring smile.

Instead of replying verbally, Yoongi grabs your face and kisses you roughly yet passionately. With his free hand, he hooks your leg around him and inserts his cock.

You are amazed with the fact that entered you without looking. He must have tons of sex then, not that you care since this is going to be a one-time encounter—right?

You let out a tiny gasp as you tilt your head back, breaking the kiss. Yup, he definitely knows that he’s doing as he instantly found your g-spot.

You grip onto the sheets as your moans gradually increase in volume. You shut your eyes as you feel your neck become assaulted with nibbles and sucks. You feel his lips move downward and latch onto your nipple while his free hand massaged the other breast. God, the combination of his harsh thrusting and his biting is just sending you into overdrive.

A spew of curse escapes the both of your lips as the pleasure starts to grow. This pool of pleasure settles in the pit of your tummy. You are incredibly familiar with that feeling, and you didn’t want this to send.

You place your hands on his semi-sweaty torso and push him up, ceasing his amazing thrusting.

Yoongi eyes you with pure confusion, wondering if you suddenly regret this.

Just as he opens his mouth to ask, you push him down. Curiosity fills his entire body as he watches you swing your leg over his waist. He then sees you raise yourself slightly as you align yourself with his dick.

A soft moan escapes his lips as you lower yourself slowly, engulfing him with this warm sensation. You anchor your hands against his chest as you begin to move your hips.

You slowly raise and lower yourself. Normally, you are this pillow princess when it comes to sex, letting the man do all the work, but with Min Yoongi, you experience this urge to prolong the pleasure. You find a suitable rhythm quickly as you ride him. His fingers dig into your soft flesh as you increase your motions.

You cock your head back, arching your back as the pleasure floods both of your bodies.

         “Fuck…” Yoongi grunts as he watches your boobs bounce in front of him. Damn… he’s getting a show while you’re fucking him. How much luckier can he get?

         “You’re gonna make me release, Y/N…” He manages to say through his constant moans.

You lower yourself down, pressing your addicting lips to his ears.

         “Oh? Then, I should probably stop…” You whisper teasingly; your hot breath fans his ear, sending a quick shiver down his spine.

Yoongi growls and then flips the two of you over. His hands pin yours above your head.

         “Not a good idea to tease me, Miss L/N…” He warns deeply; his deep voice turning you on even more—if that’s even remotely possible right now.

He pulls himself out of you, then without any warning, he practically slams his cock into you. Your boobs jiggle upon impact.

His thrusts have become rough and fast. He shows no mercy as he hits your g-spot each time.

At one point, you feel like you are going to pass out with how much you are moaning. It didn’t help that his thumb and index finger rub your clit, adding more to the pleasure that you are feeling.

Sounds of skin-on-skin contact and moans continue to fill the air. Your bodies continue to sweat as you guys show no sign of stopping.

Whenever the pleasure has grown to be unbearable, Yoongi would switch positions and/or take a break. He didn’t care that it was almost 3 in the fucking morning, and you are more than likely in desperate need to release. He needs this. He needs you.

         “Y-Yoongi… please let me c-cum…” Your moans interrupt you every other word.

Yoongi smirked, “I don’t know, Miss L/N… you made me incredibly jealous tonight…I think that deserves a prolong release, don’t you think?”

You whimper as the desire has grown to the point that you are close to coming undone with just one kiss.

         “I’m sorry for making you jealous. T-that wasn’t m-my intention.” You tell him, secretly finding it a tad weird that he’s telling you his feelings while he’s fucking you into oblivion essentially.

His pace slows down, almost in a teasing way, “Well… I don’t like people touching what’s mind. Whether it be business deals or even people…. What’s mine is mine.” Yoongi says; the possessiveness in his tone sent chills throughout your body.

You nod as your brain couldn’t form any words let alone a full sentence. Something about his declaration made you feel weird. When did you agree to be his?

         “You’re mine, Y/N…” His thrusting increases once more, “Remember that…” He tells you as he messes with your clit and continues with his quick and rough pace.

And before you know it—the two of you come undone together.

He releases into the rubber as you release all over him. With one final pump, he pulls himself out of you, suddenly missing the warmth. He rests his sweaty forehead on your sweaty shoulder before gathering enough strength to take off the used condom and throw it away.

You stare absentmindedly at the ceiling as you try your hardest to steady your breathing. You then feel a shift in the bed as your bare-naked body becomes covered with his blanket.

You turn on your side and meet his gaze, taking note of the hint of love in them. Love? That’s odd, but you’re too tired to address that. Maybe in the morning you will.

         “So…” You start, not sure whether to say something or just grab your stuff and leave.

         “Let’s sleep.” He mumbles; his eyes sewn shut as the fatigue washes over his body. He then pulls you closer to him; your head resting on his chest.

You smile softly, shaking your head at him. Yup, you two are definitely going to talk about tonight.

You allow the sleepiness to take control and in a matter of seconds, you enter a dreamless sleep… not knowing what tomorrow will bring to you two.

And that feeling of uncertainty still lingers. Yoongi’s almost positive that you seen the hint of love in his eyes. How’s he going to explain himself?

“Oh, by the way sorry for having sex with you because I was extremely jealous?”

Yeah not gonna happen…

A loud sigh exits his mouth as he angrily runs his hand through his hair. Why did he have to develop feelings for you? Why…?

Then, a light tap on his door pulls Yoongi away from his thoughts.

He swivels his chair around just as you enter inside his office.

         “Good morning, Y/N. Did you sleep okay?” He asks, noticing that you are wearing his clothes.

Your line of vision remains on the floor as you mess with the hem of his black t-shirt.

         “I hope you don’t mind that I took some of your clothes. Um… I guess I’ll just call a cab and go home.” You say, unknowingly alarming your boss.

Yoongi stands up from his office chair and walks over to you.

         “Actually, I want you stay a little bit longer. I believe we need to have a chat about what happen last night.” He says, hiding his true motive of wanting you to stay. In truth, he isn’t ready for you to leave. Not yet.

You lift your head; your gaze meeting his finally. You tilt your head slightly, wondering if this is the right time to discuss the loving look in his eye, but you’re dying to know. Does Min Yoongi actually love you?

         “I think we do too.” You agree, nodding slowly.

Yoongi then gestures to the door, “Shall we? I think I have some food here that we can turn into brunch.”

You chuckle softly as you follow him out.

         “Can I ask you something before we cook?” You ask, stopping in the middle of the hallway.

Yoongi stops in his tracks, letting out a long sigh.

         “What is it?” He replies with a question, even though it’s kind of pointless since he knows what the next question is going to be.

         “Do you love me?”

Yup. His gut feeling is right. Now, how’s he going to tackle this without scaring you?

         “…I…”

A/N: For some strange reason, I thought I had written this in 2018 but since I cross post to my AO3, I learned that I had written this back in 2017. TWO YEARS! Holy crap! But, I am amazed with how well this turned out in comparison to the smuts I had written in 2016 So go me!

Don’t forget to leave a like/reblog/comment/send in an ask on your thoughts! I love hearing them! :)

- Kim

[lilacmoon83]

Finding You Always

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Chapter 164: Catalyst

Snow and David gave her anxious and fearful stares, as she uttered those four little words, for nothing good ever came from the phrase, we need to talk.

"It's about Emma...isn't it?" Snow asked fearfully. Regina cast her gaze downward, before looking back up at them.

"Regina…" David said, as they saw the tears in her eyes.

"No…" he uttered.

"I'm sorry…" she cried.

"NO!" David refuted, as he clenched the counter top and his knuckles turned white.

"She can't be…" Snow pleaded, as tears were swimming in her eyes. Tears fell from David's eyes as well, as Regina came out from behind the bar.

"Nana? It can't be true," Bobby said. Tears slipped down Regina's cheeks, as she fell to her knees and hugged him.

"I'm sorry...Emma's dead," she said. At those words, Snow's knees buckled and she let out an anguished cry that chilled Regina to her bones. She had heard that same agonizing cry from her only twice before. One was the night of the first curse when she had invaded their castle and heard such echoing through the halls. It was the moment that she had sent Charming away with Emma to place her in the wardrobe. The next time was the moment Snow crushed David's heart in Atlantis and he fell dead to the ground. And now...it was because she had lost Emma again, perhaps forever this time.

David managed to catch Snow, before she collapsed to the floor and they collapsed together, sobbing in each other's arms.

"How...how did this happen?" David choked.

"David…" Regina protested.

"How? How did I fail my daughter? I need...I need to know," he cried.

"You didn't fail her...you never have," Regina sniffed.

"Did we block it out...is that why we don't remember?" he asked, as Snow sobbed uncontrollably against his chest.

"I...I don't know why. It could be the chalice...we don't know where it is or what's happening with it. Weaver is trying to find it," Regina responded.

"Clayton…he did this," David growled.

"And Gothel...she's the mastermind behind all of this," Regina added.

"Then she's here...somewhere too," Snow sniffed.

"Victoria has her under her thumb right now, but I don't know how much longer that will be true. That witch is manipulating her and she can't even see it," Regina replied.

"We need to see what happened that night," David insisted. Regina sighed.

"It's only going to bring you pain," she warned.

"We know...but we have to see," Snow said. Regina glanced at Bobby and then took out a small vial from behind the bar, which had a tiny drop of potion remaining in it.

"Take this home and put it in some water. Then you both need to drink it...it should wake you up the rest of the way," Regina said, as she handed the vial to Snow.

"Then once you know...Weaver is counting on you both being ready to fight," she added. David looked at her and his jaw was set in determination.

"Tell him we'll be ready...they're not going to know what hit them when we get done," he said.

"They killed our daughter...there's no mercy or forgiveness for that," Snow added harshly. The looks in their eyes worried Regina a bit, as she had only seen them like this a couple times. Each time they had faced some sort of separation or curse, Snow and David had a feral air about them when it came to finding each other or protecting one another. But this was a step further than that and she knew this is what Weaver wanted. He knew the news of Emma's death would get them ready to fight in a way they never had before. She didn't like it either. She didn't want them to do things that would darken their heart, but this was a loss of a child they were dealing with and she knew that there was no way that it couldn't have this effect on them. She just knew that she would have to be there to pull them back from the edge when the time came and only hoped their other children could keep them grounded.

"We'll make them pay...we'll make them hurt for this," Regina promised.

"Even if we do...and even if we somehow break this curse, how are we ever going to get home? We're in the past...we can't just drive across country to Storybrooke now," David lamented.

"I'm not sure...but if anyone is going to fix this, it will be you two. I know that you both need to grieve and that your first instinct is going to be getting revenge. I know that feeling...I know revenge and it won't help ease the pain," Regina warned.

"The only thing that will is defeating them for the right reasons and protecting the rest of our family," she advised. Snow's eyes glistened with tears.

"Emma…" she uttered, as she broke down again, this time, clenching her fists on David's shirt.

"There is still a small chance that Belle and Robin will figure out what happened," Regina offered.

"That's right...they weren't there. They're still in Storybrooke, our Storybrooke," David realized, as he ran a soothing hand along Snow's back.

"How will they ever figure out we're in the past though? How do we do this without Emma?" Snow cried, as he held her and Bobby close.

"I don't know, my darling...but I know that we'll figure it out. Emma's still with us...in here," he promised, as he pointed to her heart, even as he choked up again and tears fell. He could still hear her laughing or chiding him when he got overprotective. He remembered opening his eyes for the first time in ten years and seeing his baby Princess there, scared and alone, pleading for him to wake up. Had Emma died alone? Or had he at least been able to hold her...he needed to know. He needed to see, even though he knew it was going to break him.

"Gods...I'm a mess and we still have to tell Summer," she cried.

"Does Weaver have any idea where the chalice is?" David asked.

"He thought Clayton might have it, but he hasn't been able to discern where he might be keeping it. Since it doesn't have magic here, there is nothing stopping him from touching it, so it's really hard to say where they stashed it," Regina replied.

"We should go get Summer now. I'll check in with...Weaver later," David said, as he led his family out to his truck. Regina stayed behind, looking really defeated. She didn't know how Robin or Belle were ever going to figure out where they were. But there was one person she could call for reinforcements. The problem was getting her to listen at all and then getting her to remember was a whole other problem. But she knew she had to try and pressed call on the name Kelly West in her phone.

~*~

Storybrooke - 2023

The portal opened in the middle of Main Street and these days, that really wasn't anything newsworthy in their town. Portals were easy now and Tiny had a thriving crop of beans that were monitored, but not withheld from people in town wanting to travel to other realms. The four of them quickly made their way to the pawn shop and were lucky that Belle was there.

"Anna...is that you?" Belle asked, as Gideon sat beside her, playing a game on his tablet.

"Oh my God...Emma, what happened?" she exclaimed.

"Something very bad...her heart was poisoned. We'll explain everything, but we need to get her outside the town line and quickly," Elsa said. Belle nodded and grabbed her phone.

"Leroy...I need you to bring your van to the shop immediately. It's an emergency," she said, as she hung up quickly and then dialed Robin.

"Robin...it's Belle. I need you to meet me at the town line. Something's happened," she said, as she hung up the phone.

Robin and Roland got out of the car, as they reached the town line and they were surprised to see their friends from Arendelle there. And Emma, looking paler than they had ever seen.

"Emma...my Gods, what happened?" he asked, just as Aphrodite and James appeared too.

"Emma…" they uttered.

"I need to...get somewhere without magic," she said, as Aphrodite released a pulse of magic, allowing them all the pass through the barrier and outside the town. Emma felt instant relief and her color began to return.

"What the hell happened?" James asked.

"There's been another curse...and my heart was poisoned," she explained.

"Okay...start from the beginning," Aphrodite replied.

~*~

Snow and David arrived home with the kids, having picked Summer up from practice. The mood was obviously incredibly subdued from this morning's and Summer had dried tear tracks on her face. Her sister was dead and she had never seen her parents more devastated than now. It scared her to the core. She had thought that things could only get better from this point now that they remembered. But she was wrong.

After seeing them both off to bed, Snow and David collapsed onto the sofa together, clinging to each other for dear life.

"How do we do this?" Snow sniffed.

"I...I don't know. She can't be gone, Snow...she can't be," he cried, as if saying it might make it true.

"Oh Charming…" Snow cried, as they held each other and began crying again.

"We have to do this…" he said reluctantly. She nodded.

"I know," she added, as she poured the drop from the vial in a glass of water and then took a drink, before handing it to him. He drank too and they held each other's hands for dear life, as the memories that were being blocked were unlocked like a movie in their heads.

~*~

The Enchanted Forest 3

Storybrooke year 2023

Lucy blew out the candles on the huge birthday cake, made especially by her Aunt Sabine and Uncle Naveen. Everyone cheered for her and clapped, as she beamed with joy.

"Okay...time for presents!" Jacinda said excitedly, as Lucy prepared to open the mountain of gifts before her. But just as Lucy was getting ready to open her first gift, while her parents were cutting the cake, Snow and David both felt the hairs on the back of their necks stand on end.

"Charming…" she uttered, as they felt the warning being communicated to them from the chalice, as it glowed.

"Yeah...I feel it and I see it," he muttered, as they noticed the hooded figures closing in around the courtyard from all sides. He clutched her hand, as they stepped up to intercept the invaders. Regina and Emma flanked them on one side and Rumple on the other. The figure in the center dropped their hood and revealed herself to be a woman with blonde hair, matted and tangled with dreadlocks.

"Who are you?" David demanded to know.

"I have many names. Some have called me mother Earth. Some call me chaos...as I'm sure your little cup is telling you I am. But I prefer Mother Gothel," she stated.

"You're the woman Aphrodite warned us about…" Snow said.

"Yes...it was your predecessors that locked me away for almost three millennium, but I am free now and here for my retribution," she responded.

"You were defeated once...and we'll do so again," David insisted.

"Oh, you'll try...but I think you'll simply be too busy trying to save those you love to stop me," Gothel retorted, as there was a rumbling beneath the ground, as nature heeded her call and vines emerged and began to wrap around everything in their path. Henry grabbed Lucy out of the way and huddled with Jacinda, as Gothel's followers unleashed their magic upon them.

Emma immediately countered her powers, while her siblings tried to protect everyone else. Vines wrapped around Tiana and Naveen, until Leo hacked through them with his sword, releasing them. He then shocked them with his lightning until the vines died. Ella gasped, as she saw some vines heading for them, but suddenly, they were in a protective bubble and they breathed in relief, for Summer had saved them. A couple of the witches surrounded her, intending to gang up on her, but there was a rumbling beneath them, as the ground opened up and collapsed beneath them, thanks to Bobby's powers.

"You've ruined enough lives...I won't let you hurt us anymore," Alice refuted, as she prepared to unleash her magic on Gothel.

"Is that so? You know...I am your mother, Alice. We could rule together once I restore order to all the realms," she offered.

"I would never join you! You are no mother...Emma has been more a mother to me than you ever have!" Alice countered. Gothel smirked.

"Really? Then perhaps I should probably thank her for trying to take my place," the witch hissed, as she set her sights on the Savior.

"Like hell you will, bitch," Snow growled, as she and David unleashed the chalice's magic and it collided with Gothel's. The witch only smirked and battled them, for they were doing exactly as she wanted them to. As she battled them, her vines multiplied and slowly captured every member of their family, except Emma, who continued to battle her with them.

"Surrender the chalice...or I will crush the bones of everyone you love to dust!" she warned. They looked horrified.

"Even if we wanted to...we can't. It can only be used by us," David refuted.

"That's true, for the most part...unless you will it to me. Do it...or I kill everyone you love, starting with the little ones," she growled, as the vines wrapped around Lucy and Bobby's necks.

"NO!" Snow cried, as they didn't hesitate and joined hands to do as she asked. The Chalice glowed brightly and Gothel's eyes filled greedily with power, as she reached for it. With it being freed from Snow and Charming's will, the spell on Drizella and Clayton was broken, as their stone forms had life again.

"Hey tree huger…" Emma called, as she blasted Gothel away from the chalice. Snow was quick to grasp it again, as they willed it back under their control and freed their family members with blasts of white magic, only to be immobilized with a blast of dark magic and the source was revealed to be none other than Dr. Facilier.

"Facilier…" Naveen growled.

"Let them go...if you ever cared about me, then let them go," Regina pleaded.

"There was a time you would have done anything to see them suffer," he countered.

"And everything has changed since then," Regina responded.

"Yes, you cast your curse or should I say...his curse, which ruined our chance at a future together," Facilier said, glaring at Rumple.

"What's done is done...it can't be changed," Regina refuted.

"Oh but it can...they can change it. They have the power with the chalice. Use it...turn back time!" Facilier demanded.

"You're insane...time travel isn't possible! We've been down this road," David refuted.

"Wrong...it is if you will it. But you two idiots vastly under-utilize that chalice. Its power is unlimited!" he ranted.

"We're not tampering with time travel...the consequences of that could be devastating," Snow admonished.

"Then I'll make you do it," Facilier said, as he snapped his fingers and employed his well practiced technique in hypnosis. Before Snow and Charming could look away, their eyes became fixated on the charmed medallion in his hand.

"You will do everything I tell you...and obey only my commands, Your Majesties," he leered, as he pulled them under his spell.

"No way Dr. Voodoo…" Emma growled, as she blasted him away and hurried up to her parents.

"Mom...Dad...snap out of it!" she cried, as Leo rushed over. With a tiny jolt, he touched them and awoke them from the trance.

"What the hell…" David uttered.

"He hypnotized you both...don't look at his medallion!" Emma called to everyone.

"Enough games...it's time for the end," Gothel stated.

"Like hell it is…" Emma growled.

"I will get what I want now…" Gothel said, as she surprised everyone and her hand went into Emma's chest.

"Emma!" Snow and David cried. But Emma looked smugly at the witch.

"Haven't you heard? My heart can't be ripped...none of ours can," Emma said, gesturing to her siblings.

"We're the products of the truest love and it's the most powerful magic of all," she continued. But Gothel smirked back.

"Oh I know...I'm not trying to rip your heart. I only mean to poison it," she said, as she released a pulse of her toxic magical poison, causing a sickly green glow emanating from Emma's chest. She collapsed to her knees and her parents rushed to her.

"Emma…" David cried.

"What have you done?" Snow shouted.

"I told you...I've poisoned her heart. Now her only chance at survival is going to a place without magic," Gothel stated.

"EMMA!" Killian cried, as he fell to his knees beside her and then glared murderously at Gothel.

"Why?! Haven't you caused enough pain and suffering?" he spat.

"No...not even close. This world...all the worlds are going to burn, Captain. And they shall make it happen for me," Gothel replied.

"What makes you think we'd ever help you," David spat, as he cradled their dying daughter with tears streaming down his face.

"Because the only way to save her...is the Dark Curse. And I know you both will do anything to save one of your precious brats," Gothel hissed.

"Haven't you been paying attention, you lunatic? They already cast the Dark Curse. They have no heart to use, nor do I," Regina growled. Gothel smirked.

"Very true...but once one has cast the Dark Curse, it makes its mark on that person's DNA, so to speak. So...all that is needed for another one is their blood," Gothel explained, as the Chalice glowed before them and a cauldron with all the other ingredients for the Dark Curse appeared before them. Tears slipped down Snow's cheeks, as she realized that another curse was the only way to save their daughter.

"Why does this keep happening?" she murmured and her sorrow made the rage inside David boil over, as he lunged at Dr. Facilier.

"I won't let you...I won't let you do this! I won't let you monsters separate us again!" he raged, as he punched the doctor and he used his magic to thrust David several feet back. Snow rushed to him and helped him up, as they fell into each other's arms, clinging fiercely to one another.

"We have to save Emma...even if it means losing each other," she cried. He nodded, knowing she was right and his half heart was already aching.

"Mom...Dad...don't do this," Emma pleaded, as they knelt beside her.

"We have to, baby...we can't lose you," Snow cried, as she kissed her forehead.

"But we'll be cursed…" she reminded.

"We will...but I'll find you and Mom. I'll find all of you," David promised, as their other crying children huddled around them.

"He will babies...Daddy always finds us," Snow promised, as she sobbed and the twins hugged her for dear life.

"Dad...what's gonna happen to me and Summer? Will we be with you and Mom?" Bobby asked. Horror filled David's features, as he realized that their older children could be on their own, but Bobby and Summer were still kids.

"Dad...that's why you can't do this. You can't let them be alone out there," Emma pleaded.

"A bubble...maybe if Summer can use a bubble, it can keep them with at least one of you," Regina suggested.

"You've wasted enough time...cast the curse! Or your daughter dies!" Gothel demanded. Snow pulled away from her children and David helped her up, as they approached the cauldron, glaring at the smug faces of Clayton and Drizella across from it.

"You lose Charmings...true love is about to die again," Clayton said smugly.

"True love never dies, you bastard and we'll prove that again, just as we always do," Snow spat in return, as she sliced her hand with her dagger and then David's. They let their mixed blood drop into the cauldron and it activated the curse. Purple smoke billowed from it and began to rise into the air. The look on Gothel's face was one of pure victory.

"Yes...finally, my revenge is at hand!" she cackled, as the Charming family huddled together, all crying around Emma.

"This is a white elephant...take it. It will keep you and Alice together," Rumple said, handing it to Killian.

"Shouldn't we give this to young Bobby?" Killian questioned.

"Summer's bubbles can do the same thing this does," Rumple answered, as the former pirate spied Ella and Henry clinging to their daughter and each other in desperation. His heart sank and as much as he wanted to be with Alice, he knew Lucy needed her mother more. Alice knew it too and nodded sadly to him.

"I love you starfish...and I've been a part of this family long enough to know that...I will find you," he promised.

"Not if I find you first, papa...I love you too," she cried, as they hugged and he kissed her hair, before hurrying over to Ella and handing her the white elephant.

"Lucy is much younger...she needs her mother. Take it," he pleaded, as she looked at him with grateful eyes.

"Thank you," Henry cried. Killian nodded and clapped his shoulder, before hurrying back to Alice and Emma's side.

"It'll be all right, Emma...the pain will be gone soon," he promised, as he kissed her hand, as the curse reached full boil and it began to take the people, forming a literal bubble around them.

"It's here!" Killian cried.

"Summer...you have to put yourself and Bobby in a bubble!" Regina cried, as the winds of the Dark Curse whipped around them.

"What about you?! What about Mom and Dad?!" she cried.

"We'll be fine...but your parent's true love is the only hope for any of us! It could be up to you and Bobby to find them and bring them back together!" Regina cried, as she saw her parents, clinging to each other for dear life. Tears streamed down her cheeks. It was happening again...they were all going to be separated. Her older brothers and sisters huddled around her parents, while Bobby clung to her mother's legs, with her father's strong hand on his back. And Emma was moments from death, unless they were taken to a place without magic. She tried to make a bubble, but her magic faltered, for her emotions interfered and it was much harder since the curse was sucking all the magic out of the air.

"I...I can't…" she cried.

"You have to, baby...I know it's not fair," Regina said. Summer nodded and hugged her.

"I love you, Nana...I'll find you," she promised. Regina smiled.

"I know you will," she replied, as she prodded her toward her parents.

"Daddy…" she said tearfully, as he put his arm around her. She watched her parents look at each other and there had only been one other time she had seen them look so utterly broken. When Dr. Jekyll almost separated them when she was little.

"Charming…" Snow choked through a sob.

"I'll find you…" he promised tearfully.

"No...you won't…" Clayton interjected, as he stood there smugly with the others that were responsible for all this.

"See...we're not going to some inclusive town like your beloved Storybrooke. We're going to the real Land Without Magic; a very large city where there will be no hope of any of you reuniting," Clayton informed.

"You're lying!" Leo roared.

"No…I'm not, boy. There's no hope this time. No magic, which means no chalice and no true love," he retorted smugly. The looks of desperation and hopelessness in her parent's eyes frightened Summer to her very core. She clenched her eyes shut tightly and her bubble wavered, as she tried with all her might to summon her powers. She reached out and grabbed Bobby's hand, managing to encase him fully in the bubble and then herself partially in one. She clutched her father's shirt for dear life, while Bobby held onto Snow.

"We'll make you pay...I swear it," Emma said weakly. Gothel smirked.

"Oh...except you won't be there to do anything at all, dear Savior. You see, the Queen was right about one thing. Your parent's true love cannot truly be defeated. They may be separated and kept apart for a while, but despite what this idiot Collector thinks, they'll find each other somehow. In fact...I'm counting on it," Gothel revealed.

"What?" Snow uttered. She smirked.

"That's right...remember New York, dear Snow? Do you really think it was just the Olympian crystal was the only thing bringing magic to a land without? No...you and your Charming can do the same with the chalice and it's exactly what I need," Gothel revealed.

"Why?" David demanded to know. But she just kept smirking.

"That's my business, handsome. Just do what you do best...and find your darling Snow for me when we get there. Then I can begin the true retribution," she hissed. And they screamed, as Emma was pulled away from them and encased in a bubble, not unlike the one Cora had once used to keep herself and Killian from being taken by the first curse, for he recognized it instantly.

"No...Emma!" he cried, as he placed his hands on the barrier, but couldn't get through.

"It's okay…" Emma choked out weakly, as tears slipped down her cheeks.

"I love you…" she uttered.

"I love you…" he responded, as she looked at her parents, who looked absolutely devastated.

"This is going to kill them when they remember...please look after them once you get your memories back," she requested. He nodded, even as he cried.

"I promise," he replied, as he put his hand on the barrier and then disappeared with the curse.

"EMMA!" Snow cried and her cry was agonizing.

"I love you guys...you're the best parents a kid could ever have," she said tearfully.

"EMMA!" David screamed, as he tried to use the chalice to nullify the barrier, but Gothel's magic was too powerful.

"It's okay Daddy...I'll be okay…" she promised, as her family, faces full of grief and anguish disappeared, along with the rest of her family and friends, until she was alone. The barrier disappeared at that point and anger at the witch that had done this to them swelled in her. But then she remembered something...Elsa. Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff would be arriving later. If only she could survive long enough...maybe leaving her behind could prove to be an incredible error on Gothel's part. She crawled on her hands and knees into Tiana's castle. If she was going to survive long enough to get help, then she had to find a place to rest and take care of herself.

"You think you've won, Gothel...but you underestimated a Charming and that was your first mistake," she rasped.

"I'll find my family...and we'll defeat you," she promised.

~*~

Snow and David's eyes snapped open and they stared at each other in disbelief. The last thing they saw was their daughter, laying on the ground and dying before them. Snow's face crumpled in anguish and she fell against him, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Emma…" she cried in agony, as he cried with her.

"I'm so sorry, my darling...I failed. I failed us all," he sobbed with her. But she shook her head.

"No...you have never failed us, my love. None of this is your fault. It's that witch...she did this. She did all of this. That Doctor and the Collector helped, along with that little bitch, Drizella Tremaine," Snow said fiercely.

"They're going to pay...I swear to you, Snow. They're going to pay for what they've done to our family," David promised, just as fiercely.

"Revenge has never been our way," she said uncertainly.

"It's not revenge we're after...it's justice. Justice for our daughter...justice for separating this family. Justice for all the evil they have wrought. We will not become them...we will seek justice through the light," he promised.

"What do we do first?" she asked.

"We find the chalice...I think if anything can fix any of this, it's where we should start," he replied, as there was a knock at the door and she answered it.

"Regina…Gold," Snow said, as she let them in.

"We have a huge problem," she replied.

"What's happened now?" David asked.

"It's Lucy…" Weaver said gravely...

[beholdme]

All the Many Shades of Gerry - Chapter 12

Chapters: 12/19

Fandom: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Gerard Keay/Jonathan “Jon” Sims | The Archivist, Martin Blackwood/Gerard Keay, Martin Blackwood/Jonathan “Jon” Sims | The Archivist, Gerard Keay/Jonathan “Jon” Sims | The Archivist

Characters: Martin Blackwood, Jonathan “Jon” Sims | The Archivist, Gerard Keay, Tim Stoker (The Magnus Archives), Sasha James, Gertrude Robinson, Elias Bouchard

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Library AU, Librarian Jon, Artist Gerry, Trans Male Character, Trans Martin Blackwood, Canon Asexual Character, Asexual Jonathan “Jon” Sims | The Archivist, Ace Subtype - Sex Positive, Polyamory, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Romantic Fluff, Falling In Love, Boys in Skirts, Kissing, Demisexual Gerard Keay, Minor Character Death, Past Character Death, Canon-Typical Child Neglect, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Flirting, Minor Jonathan “Jon” Sims | The Archivist/Tim Stoker, Adventures in Hair Dying, Happy Ending, Banter, Gerry has a lot of sass, Gerard Keay is Morticia Adams, Jon is a very grumpy Librarian, Martin adores them anyway.

Summary: In which Gerry is a kaleidoscope and Jon and Martin can’t help falling in love with him.

He happens to love them back.

Find it on Ao3

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]

Things settle back around them after Gerry's wild revelations and Jon's accident. Jon heals (mostly because they force him to rest) and in that time the pair of them heal into a far more solid relationship.

Gerry decides to keep his blue hair, for the time being, letting it fade through all the different shades of navy and Indigo and sky and then dying it dark and moody again. Martin, to Gerry's eternal delight, keeps his pink hair, as committed to the upkeep as he is with anything he cares about.

As January moves towards February, Tim, Jon, and Gerry plan a surprise birthday party for Martin at the bar. It's on a Monday, so Gerry's boss lets him book the place out, and Jon drags him over there on the grounds that Gerry has to work an extra shift and he wants to see them anyway.

As people yell and party poppers explode, Martin turns exactly the same shade of pleased pink as his hair. Jon and Gerry each kiss him, and he quietly confesses that this is the first birthday party that he has ever had in his life.

Gerry and Tim, filled to the brim with extra, hired a phone-box-shaped photo booth (blue, obviously) and put Polaroid cameras on all the tables for the guests to get photos with. Many of their friends insist on taking two or three snaps with Martin and then leaving him birthday messages on the back, all filled with poetry and book quotes and confession of their love for him.

Gerry's Polaroid card has a drawing of Gerry and Martin standing together, Gerry pointing at Martin, and a speech bubble with the words 'that's mine, though'. Always equal opportunity, he does a similar one for Jon and slips it into his back pocket. Jon blushes when he sees it, but allows himself one pleased soft smile, as he watches Gerry and Martin move together rather chaotically on the dance floor.

Georgie and Melanie are dancing nearby and, during the next song Melanie and Gerry swing away together. Georgie and Martin come together with a shocked laugh and an affectionate glare at their errant partners.

Basira is coaxed onto the dance floor by Sasha. Daisy, finding herself partnerless, guilt trips Jon into dancing with her.

Tim insists on the karaoke, probably to torment Jon, and sings several songs, very badly, often charming others up onto the stage with him. Including, memorably, Gerry and Sasha, neither of whom can sing any better than he can.

They do look very striking all together though, up on the stage with the lights twisting around them fetchingly. Tim and Gerry are both wearing slightly more dressed-up versions of their typical ensembles, and Sasha looks dashing in her best pantsuit and waistcoat in between them. At the end of the song, she pecks each boy once on the lips and then disappears into the crowd before they can force her to sing again. Gerry and Tim also kiss each other, for good measure, before jumping down and surrendering the microphone to someone else.

Daisy and Basira sing a frantic pop song together, fairly well, although it's quite a shock to see their normally serious doctor friends drunk and singing karaoke.

Jon is convinced to sing one song, only because he loves Martin, and there's a lot of heckling afterward at the fact that he was just so damn good at it, and why does he always insist on hiding his best talents away? Somewhere nearby, Gerry comments that Jon's best talent is getting unreasonably hot boys to fall in love with him, which makes Martin blush yet again.

Martin doesn't give Jon a hard time, but rather wraps his arms around Jon and kisses him, very intensely, in front of everyone they know, who cheer uproariously, thoroughly drunk.

"Thank you." He whispers to Jon conspiratorially, as they stand close together in the crowd.

"For the song?" He asks back, swaying them gently, completely out of time with the music.

"For existing. For loving me."

"Anyone could love you, Martin. I'm just lucky that you love me back."

*

After the party wraps up, Tim stumbles out with Sasha, yelling behind him that he better not see Martin at work tomorrow.

Martin perches on a bar stool, looking very fetching in the warm bar lights, watching his lovers try to clean up while soundly drunk. Gerry trips into Jon and they descend into giggles.

Only a little tipsy and knowing very well that he'll have to help if he ever wants to get home, Martin picks up the already full trash bags and takes them out the back, hoping the fresh air will also sober him up the rest of the way.

After an evening of pounding music and shouting laughter, Martin feels the silence of the back alley almost deafeningly.

That's the only way, he thinks later, that he could possibly have heard the tiny mewl that catches his attention. Tracking it behind the dumpster, he pulls it away from the wall to find a teeny tiny little gray fluff ball.

"Hey, little guy." Martin coos and the kitten lurches towards him, obviously hungry and tired. Martin scoops it up and clutches it to his chest, where it shivers. He thinks that maybe this is what people talk about when they say 'love at first sight'.

He looks up at the full moon fondly, a rare sight in London in winter, and whispers to the little feline, "I think I shall call you Luna."

Martin carries her inside, hoping his partners will be as enamored as he is.

*

The next day, the moment his boyfriends sober up and can hold a conversation, Martin begs them to keep her.

"I don't know," Jon grumbles, eyeing it critically. "Kittens that age are a lot of work, it looks like she needs to be bottle-fed still."

When Martin's face falls, Gerry bashes him in the shoulder and looks at him like he's an idiot. Which he is, even Jon can agree.

"I think three adult men can raise one kitten," Gerry says cheerfully, despite his hangover. "We can take turns. I'll do the night shift." He offers easily, and Martin melts at the willingness to participate.

"Well then," Jon grouses, before relenting and bestowing a small scratch to Luna's chin. "I suppose she might enjoy visiting the library occasionally."

Martin beams at them, more pleased than ever to have two partners in crime.

As Jon predicted, it's certainly an adjustment, and raising a kitten is worlds away from having Saturn- a shockingly independent creature on his clingiest day.

Nevertheless, Luna manages to grow up just fine, sometimes in the bar, the bookstore, or even the library. She even spends time at the studio, where Saturn pretends to tolerate her, but actually melts into a big pile of mothering instinct and Gerry often finds them curled up together, sound asleep.

The three of them adapt to fatherhood (as Gerry insists on calling it) a bit tumultuously, but they settle in eventually, and Martin considers that his kitten, and his boyfriends, are easily the best things in the world.

[buckybarnesappreciationsociety]

Lazy Days and You

Summary: Love carries no expiration date. All you know is, with a little luck and fairy dust, you’ll feel Cupid’s arrow!  Redemption and love...two vital ingredients for joy!

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Original Character of Color Marisol Kincaid

OFC: Steve, Nat, Sam, Wanda, Tony and Anthony Grant Barnes (eventually)

Warning: Redemption and happiness (misspelled on purpose)

Word Count: 882

A/N: My entry in @supersoldierslover Taw’s 3k Writing Challenge! Congratulations my friend.  You’re a sweetheart. Enjoy!

An Avenger has little to no time for a relationship. Clint and Laura’s marriage is exception to the rule. With each mission, moments of uncertainty looms overhead. What if they were mortally wounded or killed? No one deserved to constantly be on edge.

Happiness eluded James Buchanan Barnes like the plague. So, he resorted to playing the field. Pretty soon, he amassed quite the reputation. Bucky Barnes, lady killer.

Marisol wasn’t an Avenger. Her position at Stark Industries lacked adventure and danger. As supervisor over the Records Room, Marisol ensured staff uploaded pertinent HYDRA data, via computer into F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s data bank for storage. Also, Marisol personally transferred delicate notes onto a USB, where they were sealed and placed in Tony’s private safe…..off site.

Tony found a reason to throw one of his over-the-top parties. Standing at the bar with Steve, Bucky scanned the crowd for this elusive woman whose peaked his curiosity.

Greeting her friends, Marisol strolled to the bar. “Jack straight please.”

Turning on the charm, Bucky attempted to reel her in. “Jack straight? Pretty ballsy drink for a dame.”

Rolling her eyes, Marisol shot him down. “II know all about your womanizing reputation and I will not be another notch in your bedpost. Have a good evening.”

Sam witnessed the exchange and couldn’t wait to tease Bucky. “Damn man. She turned you down like a hotel bed.”

“I love challenges.” Bucky gulped his drink, joining Steve, Sam, Tony, and Thor.

Sam chuckled, “Hey Tin Can, your 40s bullshit won’t work on her. The hottie in the black dress shot him down,” motioning towards a group of ladies having an animated conversation.

Tony snorted, “Who Marisol? You’d stand a better chance talking to the nice lady in HR. You know, Ms. Channing; medium height, support hose, always smells like Ben-Gay?”

Steve, Sam and Thor laughed so hard, tears rolled down their faces. Bucky didn’t find it amusing. This goddess turned James Buchanan Barnes away??

Snapping back, Bucky mused “I’ve always loved a challenge. Game on doll.”

First, he abstained from frivolous flirting and sex. Anytime women attempted to latch onto him, Bucky refused to acknowledge their presence.

Next, Bucky knew in order to make a full 360, he’d make the ultimate sacrifice; torching his expansive library of black books.

Punching the up button, James Buchanan Barnes exhaled and stepped into the elevator. Bucky scrolled through his phone’s playlist, stopping at the mournful tune, ‘Taps.’ Mumbling to himself, “It’s now or never Barnes.”

Upon arrival on the roof, he started a fire in the pit. One by one, Bucky tossed his books into the crackling fire. A lone tear dropped from his eyelash. The time to settle down arrived! He wanted much more than an occasional booty call.

Days, weeks, and months passed. Bucky delivered flowers to Marisol’s office, asked her out for coffee…….nothing.

Tony played matchmaker, inviting Marisol to movie night. Steve and Bucky were last to arrive. They’d completed a rigorous training session.

Engaged in deep conversation about who won, Bucky didn’t see Marisol sitting on the loveseat.

Steve nudged his arm, “Buck, look who’s here.”

Sam taunted the speechless former assassin. “What’s wrong tin can? Cat got your tongue?”

Marisol waved at Bucky, tucking a lock of hair behind her left ear.

Tony, Nat and Wanda took advantage of the moment, snapping a picture of Bucky’s dumbfounded expression.

Steve extended his hand, “Hello I’m Steve Rogers.” “Marisol Kincaid, nice to meet you.”

Tony couldn’t let this priceless moment go without busting Bucky’s chops. “Marisol, Oil Can’s usually not tongue tied. Well, say something?

“H-hello. M’Bucky.” Everyone laughed at his nervous behavior.

“We’ve met remember? Tony’s last party? By the way, I love roses. How did you know?

Bucky responded, “Didn’t know. Lucky guess?”

“Wanna sit with me?” Marisol patted the seat next to her.

Nodding ‘yes’, Bucky flopped down in the seat; a goofy grin plastered on his face.

“Can we start the movie already?” Nat blurted out.

Tonight’s choice selected by Marisol………”The Jaws Collection”

Placing a bowl of popcorn in her lap, Wanda loved Marisol’s movie choices.

Sipping on a beer, Sam set the rules. “Okay kiddies. Light’s out and Barnes, NO NECKING!”

“Shut up Birdboy. You’re just mad. Turn around and watch the movie.

A chorus of ‘shhhhh’ echoed around the room.

Scooting close to Bucky’s side, Marisol whispered, “Would you join me for pizza and ice cream tomorrow?”

Clearly startled, Bucky stammered, “Y-yeah, um I’d like that a lot.”

“I’ll meet you in the common room around 2 p.m. Okay?’

“Okay.” She and Bucky turned towards the movie screen, munching on popcorn and beer.

Sleep eludes him most nights. Bucky would toss and turn from horrific nightmares. After movie night, he slept like a baby.

A bundle of nerves, Steve and Sam tried to calm Bucky down. Unsure of his outfit, Steve recommended a shirt, jeans and boots.

“M’hands are sweatin’ something awful. Maybe I shouldn’t go.” Bucky’s hesitance pissed Sam off.

Sam, rolling his eyes, scolded him, “Look you ancient asshole, you’ve done nothing but talked about this woman for months. Get your clothes on and have fun.”

Bucky shook his head up and down. Steve pushed him towards the shower. He and Sam left the room.

Dressed and ready to go, Bucky inhaled, exhaled, stepping in the elevator.

A vision of loveliness, Marisol sported ripped knee stonewashed skinny jeans, multi-colored sweater that really made her eyes pop, Ugg boots and a leather jacket.

Bucky offered his arm. “Shall we m’lady?”

Giggling, Marisol beamed, “Why yes, kind sir. We shall!”

Bucky and Marisol walked to her favorite pizza parlor, “Dominique’s.” It was quiet and intimate. They ordered pizza and colas. She listened attentively to stories about pre-serum Steves’ wild adventure. No mention of his time in HYDRA’s clutches. In turn, Marisol explained how her family was killed by HYDRA. They were mistaken for another family.

She couldn’t stop the flow of salty liquid rolling down her cheeks. “I’m sorry Bucky. It’s still raw after two years.”

Using his calloused thumb, Bucky wiped the tears from her face. “S’okay doll. I understand.”

Marisol and Bucky enjoyed lazy days, picnics in the backyard of the compound and long walks through Central Park . Although she lived off site, Nick Fury insisted she and her staff move in due to threats from HYDRA.

Bucky was over the moon elated. His best girl one floor down.

Most days though, the lovebirds could be found tangled together, making out like hormonal teenagers.

Tony and Sam didn’t waste the opportunity to annoy Bucky. “Hey Birdman. Look at Veronica and Jughead sucking face.”

Sam added, “Damn would y’all go to your room?”

Grabbing his hand, Marisol pulled Bucky towards his room. “Bye bye haters.”

Nat and Wanda returned from their month long recon mission, Marisol greeted the ladies with a hug.

“Yay, you’re back!!! Go shower and we’ll have girl time,” in her sing-song voice.

Wanda and Nat left the room to shower and prepare for mani/pedis, wine and rom coms.

“I’ll see you later Bucky,” placing a chaste kiss on his pouting lips.

Of course he didn’t mind. Bucky’s love for Marisol grew more and more.

Having been together for almost two years,  Bucky wanted Marisol to become his wife. So, operation “Let’s Get Married” was birthed.

Under the ruse of a 1940s Anthony Stark party, Nat and Wanda coaxed Marisol into an excursion of epic proportion…shopping in New York using Tony Stark’s unlimited credit card..

At the compound, caterers and decorators scurried in the ballroom. A disco ball hung from the ceiling; casting a kaleidoscope of shapes on the wall. Silver and black balloons swayed at the entrance of the room.

The melodic sound of Glenn Miller waft from the speakers. Topping off the affair, Pepper hired them a waiter. On the menu: Duck a l’orange, Sauteed Broccoli, Savory Sage Cornbread Stuffing, Sweet Potatoes with Spiced Butter Pecan Topping. Dessert…LATER!

Nat found the perfect dress, shoes and clutch purse for Marisol.

“Now, skedaddle.  Wanda and I gotta get dressed. Meet us in the ballroom?” Nat smirked.

“See you downstairs.”

Wanda texted Bucky:

W: Marisol’s on the way

Buckaroo: Everything’s all set.

W: Good luck

Buckaroo: I’m really nervous

W: Nat says you’ll be fine

James Buchanan Barnes stood frozen. He was transformed back to the 40s. A tear rolled down his cheek. Marisol was a vision of loveliness.

“My don’t you look handsome Bucky.” Marisol blushed.

Bucky’s voice cracked, “Doll, I can’t begin to say how gorgeous you are. Wow. I’m a lucky man.”

Escorting her to the table, Bucky pulled out Marisol’s chair. “Thank you. Always a gentleman.”

Their elegant meal and champagne were presented. The happy couple dined, laughed, and made small talk savoring every moment.

Bucky raised his glass for a toast. “To the love of my life. You’re more than I could’ve ever hoped for. I’mma better man ‘cause of you.”

Reaching inside his pocket, Bucky took to one knee. “Marisol Kincaid, I’ll love you till the end of time and beyond. No one will ever compare to you. Would you be my wife?”

Unable to hold back tears, she whispered ‘yes.’

Bucky led his fiance’ to the dance floor swaying to Glenn Miller’s “Moonlight Serenade”.  

Showing off some impressive dance moves, the newly engaged couple danced the night away.

Three months later, Bucky and Marisol married in an intimate ceremony. Bruce officiated, Tony and Sam escorted Marisol down the aisle.

Two years after marrying, a chubby cheek baby boy, Anthony Grant Barnes was born.  Weighing 8 lbs. 6 ozs., curly brown hair and bright blue gray eyes.

Of course everyone fawned over him. Bucky couldn’t be prouder. He had a wife, son, and free will.

Snuggled in his daddy’s safe arms, 4 year old Grant peered out the floor length window.

“Daddy, guess what? I love you this much,” stretching his little arms as far as he could.

Bucky’s heart swelled with pride. “Hey tiger, guess what? I love you to the moon and beyond.”

Leaning against the door jamb, Mrs. Barnes admired her two favorite guys.

Spying his mommy, Grant wiggled out his daddy’s arms, running to Marisol. “Hello sweetheart. Are you watching the raindrops?”

“Uh huh. Daddy hold me up to the window. S’lotta rain.”

She walked over, standing next to her husband. “Just think. Next year, we’ll have two kids.”

“Wh-wh-what? I-you-we’re gonna have a baby?”

“Yes, my sweet, I’m 2 months pregnant. Are you excited?”

“You’ve given me so much. I’m the luckiest sap in the face of the earth. Didn’t think happiness would come my way. Now, there’s no way I could live without my family.”

“Yay, I’m gonna have a brudder or sister!!!” Grant jumped around the room.

Bucky placed a kiss on Marisol’s flat tummy. “Hey little one, this is your daddy. Grant and I are excited about meeting ya. Please don’t make mommy sick. See’ya in 7 months peanut!”

Fin