#something something someone lets howard free
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pandagirl45 · 6 months ago
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Bucky: *standing with tony in front of a grave*
Tony: I can't believe even dead he killed the grass
Tony pursed his lips as he kicked the ground them. There was a thing about disrespecting the graves but thus one was open. His Nana would have his head, thrust that shiny blue eyed painted charm into his hands and pray to etna.
Something about that sounded more horrifying. A giant volcanic... nevermind. He is getting off topic... he glowered at the grave wondering how even dead Howard manage to wreck the grass.
Feeling Bucky hover in comforting waves of warmth, Tony sighed pulling out a wrapped paper, "I swear he got me in a paranoid, bruising grip." He opened the paper and sprinkled salt around the grave.
"I mean evil people tend to do that. Alexander got my mind gripped."
"Horrifying." Tony let out softly, crouching he flicked the dead leaves, "you think he is in hell or just wondering around the earth?"
"Best case scenario, hell, but the worse case," Bucky placed a gemstone in a small indented plaque, "he is staying stuck right here."
Tony stared at the grave site before locking hands with Bucky, fingers intertwining, "happy birthday you..." Tony blew out a thing of air, hands releasing the clenching, "I hate you, still." He went with the simplest, less volatility way he can say it, "See ya next year."
Bucky looked over his shoulders keeping Tony in front. He watched as the yawning maw of Howard yelled at them both. A transculecent shimmer pounded silently. Coal eyes burned red as they grew in distance.
The unheard words being, "ANTHONY"
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hotvintagepoll · 8 months ago
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Propaganda
Hedy Lamarr (Samson and Delilah, Ziegfeld Girl)—Look. I'm sure someone has already submitted Hedy Lamarr because she was spectacularly beautiful, and a very strong lady too: she fled both an abusive marriage AND nazi persecution at a very young age and rebuilt a life for herself pursuing her love for acting all on her own!! Her career as an actress was stellar; while she began acting outside of Hollywood (her very first movie, Ecstasy, won a prize at the Venice Film Festival), she conquered American hearts very quickly with her first movie in the US, Algiers, and then just kept getting better and better. If all this isn't enough, she was also an inventor: her invention of the frequency-hopping spread spectrum radio transmission technique forms the base of bluetooth and has a lot of applications in all kinds of communication technologies. I think that deserves a prize, don't you?
Marilyn Monroe (How to Marry a Millionaire, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Some Like It Hot)— Ngl I thought you all were lying about sexual attraction until I saw Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
This is round 6 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.
[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]
Hedy Lamarr:
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The only person you can find both on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and in the Inventor's Hall of Fame--her radio-frequency-hopping technology forms the basis for cordless phones, wi-fi, and a dozen other aspects of modern life. She was also passionate in her efforts to aid the Allies in WWII (unsurprising for a Jewish-Austrian Emigree to America), and her name served as the backbone for one of the best running jokes in what is possibly Mel Brooks' best movie. Look, Louis B. Mayer apparently believed he could plausibly promote her as "The world's most beautiful woman". Is an entire website full of people going to be less audacious than one Louis B. Mayer? I didn't think so!
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Described as "Hedy has the most incredible personal sophistication. She knows the peculiarly European art of being womanly; she knows what men want in a beautiful woman, what attracts them, and she forces herself to be these things. She has magnetism with warmth, something that neither Dietrich nor Garbo has managed to achieve" by Howard Sharpe, she managed to escape her controlling husband (and Nazi Germany) by a) Disguising as her maid and fleeing to Paris or b) Convincing the husband to let her wear all of her jewelry to a dinner, only to disappear afterwards. Also she was particularly clever and helped develop Frequency-Hopping Spread Spectrum (I can't really explain it but anyway...)
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Her depiction of Delilah and Samson and Delilah just lives rent free in my head. The woman was gorgeous.
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One of the most beautiful women ever in film, spoken by many critics and fans. Beautiful shapely figure, deeper seductive voice, and often played femme fatale roles. She was also brilliant and an inventor. Mainly self-taught, she invested her spare time, including on set between takes, in designing and drafting inventions, which included an improved traffic stoplight and a tablet that would dissolve in water to create a flavored carbonated drink, and much more.
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Gorgeous and brilliant pioneer of modern technology and the middle part.
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Marilyn Monroe:
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She's amazing!!! A classic bombshell, as well as a strong women who overcame so many obstacles. She also advocated for others, like Ella Fitzgerald.
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That fucking saxophone that cuts in whenever she appears on screen in Some Like it Hot
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I mean, it's Marilyn Monroe. She's adorable. She's gorgeous. She funny. She's the total package
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She's the original American sex symbol, an iconic beautiful woman with eyes you could get lost in, legs for days, gorgeous hair, and a cute tummy. Her voice! Just listen to her voice!!!!!
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She is considered one of THE sex symbols of the 1960s and one of the greatest actresses of all time! She HAS to be on this list!
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no vintage movie woman is more iconically hot
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People are most familiar with pictures of her in the white dress or the Happy Birthday Mr President one, but imo she is at her most beautiful and looks most comfortable when she is photographed by women like Eve Arnold
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It’s Marilyn Monroe. If Aphrodite was an actual person, she’d be Marilyn. Do I really need to say more?
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What can I say that hasn't been said? Marilyn's legacy is so much bigger than she was in life. She's a defining symbol of 50s and 60s Hollywood sex and it's obvious why. She was absolutely stunning and the camera loved her.
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acapelladitty · 8 months ago
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sweeter than honey
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Pairing: Cooper Howard/Fem!Reader
Summary: "You'd let me," Cooper pauses to allow the truth of the question to hold in the air, "rip my teeth into you and take a bite of you for myself? No knife. No healing. Just teeth." Groaning at the very thought as you consider the other wicked things those teeth are capable of, your thighs widen in open invitation. "Yes."
(warnings for: oral sex, cannibalism, biting, blood, sub space painkink, cum marking, masochism, teasing)
Fic Masterlist
Link to AO3
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Slick with sweat, your breath comes in shallow pants as every inhale breathes fresh life into your burning lungs while you drift in the pleasurable haze of your post-orgasm comedown. The sloppy mess which steadily drips free of your cunt to the leather duster below is quick to stain the fabric as Cooper's electric eyes gaze up at you from the flat position between your thighs where he'd long since dropped his body.
"Nothing like it, darlin'. Sweet as honey and enough to make a man want more."
His mouth and chin glistening with your release and his own spit, for someone whose own mess streaked the dusted ground where his groin has rubbed itself into a frenzy, Cooper didn't seem quite finished with you as he licks a lazy stripe across your slit - the simple move making your legs jerk as his tongue grazes your engorged and overly sensitive clit.
Brain fuzzy, you can only squeak out a casual acknowledgement as you lazily egg him on with a dopey grin.
"Take more if you want."
Cooper scoffed.
"Last time, your foot kicked seven shades of hell outta my jaw cause it was too much for you, sweetie. I ain't falling for that shit again."
"Not like that." You smirk, recalling the fantastic yowl which fled him as your overstimulated body acted of its own accord and cold-clocked his wicked mouth. "I mean take what you want."
"You know what I want." Low voice rumbling from his throat like an approaching storm, Cooper presses his lips to your thigh in a chapped kiss before continuing. "But some things just ain't likely, are they?"
"I'd let you do it."
"You would, huh?"
"I mean, if you wanted-"
"You'd let me," Cooper pauses to allow the truth of the question to hold in the air, "rip my teeth into you and take a bite of you for myself? No knife. No healing. Just teeth."
Groaning at the very thought as you consider the other wicked things those teeth are capable of, your thighs widen in open invitation.
"Yes."
Something savage, almost animalistic twists at his features as he takes the encouragement for what it is, his face rubbing against your thigh as he nestles himself against the flesh. His lips ghost across the skin of your inner thigh with reverence; licking the skin there with a textured tongue as he steals a taste of what's soon to be his.
"You sure, darlin?" It's an ask, more like a plea, as he tries to hold back the excitement in his tone - his blazing eyes flashing up at you for one final acknowledgement, a final chance to back out and forget the offer.
"Do it, Coop. Take what no one else ever will."
Teeth blunt and not designed for a clean tear, it hurts like fuck when he sinks them deep into the flesh of your thigh; the heat of the pain burning like hellfire and forcing your spine to go ramrod straight as you beat your fists against the floor and writhe in place against it.
"Fuck! Fuck- ow! Fucking hell, Coop!" You whine out, the words only able to break free of your gritted teeth as the white-hot pain levels out into a terrible ache which makes your limbs tremble and tears slip free of your eyes.
Despite it all, there's a heat in the actions - a thrill of pain and pleasure rolling across your spine as you glance down through watery eyes to see him swallowing down the small part of you he had ripped free.
Part of him now.
It was enough to make you light-headed. Well, that and the blood loss, as the fresh wound bleeds freely and droplets trickle across the skin of your legs as they follow the curve of your thighs to drip to the duster.
His mouth licking at the wound, almost like a cat as he catches the blood he can - his hands slips up to cup at your cunt and his fingers are quick to spread your lips as he sinks past the mess he left to circle his calloused digits around your clit.
Mewling out something incomprehensible, nausea and arousal making the pressure in your skull difficult to ignore, you can't muster up the energy to push him away as each gentle touch feels like fresh lightning scoring across your overheated flesh.
"Every part as good as the last, sweetheart." Cooper speaks eventually, flashing bloodied teeth at you as he covers the wound on your thigh with his free palm, the pressure making you squeal in discomfort. "A man won't be able to forget an experience like that."
"Remember it well, handsome, cause that hurt like fuck and I ain't doing it again."
The threat of an approaching orgasm quickly making your heels curl against the ground, you gasp out your response before his actions have you reduced to a babbling, sobbing mess - so lost in that hazy space where pain melts with pleasure that you doubt you'd even notice him sneaking his way in for a second bite.
Slipping higher until the sensation of his breath on your cunt makes your brain short-circuit, Cooper is as enthusiastic as ever as he growls playfully at your words.
"Noted, sweetheart."
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leviathanleva · 9 months ago
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Father
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Pairing: Cooper Howard/The Ghoul x Fem Reader
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Request:
This is kind of a weird req and I want to write something for it eventually but-
Fem! Reader who was frozen but eventually escapes and falls for the Ghoul and they fuck a couple times and for some reason she has symptoms of pregnancy and they're like what the fuck but it just turns out that she was pregnant before she was frozen and the Ghoul's reactions and whatever. Angst or fluff I don't really mind :)
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[3.2k words]
[MDNI, Angst, Smut, Fluff]
[ I don't usually do requests, but I wanted to help out a friend who believed they wouldn't be able to do justice to this prompt. It's sloppy, not perfect, but time is limited and I have other projects that need my attention so I hope this suffices. ]
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Freedom.
Freedom was sweet.
Freedom was bitter.
Since the moment you’d awoken in that Gods-forsaken cryo pod in that wasting away vault you’d known there was no other path except the path of freedom. Stepping over mummified corpses, fellow vault dwellers you presumed, you’d lead wobbly legs and a pounding heart to the entrance of the vault. It felt like yesterday you’d first set foot in there. In reality, you had no idea how many years had passed, but from the looks of the rusting walls and thick blanket of dust, it had been a while.
You took what you could, stuffing a stray children’s backpack you’d found along your scavenging mission, anything and everything that would be necessary for a journey into a land you used to call home. A small pocket knife was the best you could get and it wasn’t the perfect self-defense tool, but with no other choice there wasn’t much you could do but stuff it in the pocket of your suit and hope for a miracle if you ran into trouble.
And trouble you found.
Since your first step into the bone-dry, scalding hot, merciless wasteland, you’d found trouble in the shape of a deranged group of people hammering at the vault door with makeshift weapons. You might have been able to fight off one of them, you doubted given how dizzy and out-of-touch with reality you were, but there was a slim chance. Three of them though, all large burly men with enough scars to put a military general to shame? No, that was impossible. You ended up a writhing mess on the ground, face pushed into the cracked soil and screaming and kicking as you were being taunted and tied up like a good catch after a successful hunt. Trafficking, cannibalism, organ harvesting, death. A slew of words so vile they made your stomach churn and your eyes bulge out of your skull because who in their right mind said such things to an outnumbered, weak woman who pleaded in a broken voice and had tears staining her cheeks?
Then he appeared, your guardian angel.
A man so grotesque on the outside, so vicious and bitter and terrifying, and yet he was the one who shot your captors down. He was the one who cut your wrists and ankles free and helped you sit up as you heaved and choked and sobbed. He was the one who checked you over despite the visible revulsion on his gaunt face at the sight of your vault suit. He’d dragged you to your feet, forced some sense into you, given you a stern reality check of the world he came from and never really shooed you away when you’d started following him around like a lost pup.
You loved him since that day.
And maybe it wasn’t the good kind of love because he’d used you as a distraction for his enemies more than once and never shared his water with you even if you were on the brink of passing out from dehydration. But he also let you sit close to the fire at night, told you stories of his bounty hunts, taught you how to handle a gun and always kept you in his sights lest someone thought you were up for grabs. He was a cruel man, but he was also a kind man.
You never overstepped. Always following his every order, whether it was to hide, to strip bleeding men of their valuables, or to get him another drink when his feet were kicked high and he couldn’t be bothered to do so himself. Always pliant, always willing, no questions asked because you wanted to live despite the hellhole reality you were thrust in. Maybe that’s why he grew fond of you over time, you didn’t rebel against him and took what he gave you with a whisper of gratitude. A good dog, that’s how he saw you. He slowly softened for you, split your rations evenly when you sat down to eat, thrust the canteen in your hands when he noticed your lips were dry, and smushed his hat over your head when the sun was too awful and you were too delicate to withstand it.
Cooper Howard, that was his name, a man made ghoul by the sheer toxicity of the surface, a man who gave you enough scraps to keep your love for him flourishing but never progressed things beyond a one-sided infatuation.
That is until he was left struggling on the floor of an old abandoned farmhouse, a feral ghoul looming above him and pinning him in place and snapping its jaws at him as foul-smelling, viscous drool dribbled down its chin. His hunting knife was gripped tightly, but between keeping himself from being bitten to shreds and holding one of the ghoul’s hands at bay before it could sink into his side and tear at his gut, he was stuck.
When the shot rang out and the ghoul slumped against him lifelessly, he saw you. Holding his gun as you shook violently, about ready to piss yourself because you’d never killed anything remotely resembling a human in your life, eyes wide and lips trembling and knees buckling. Smoke leisurely rose from the tip of the barrel and as he pushed the corpse off himself you sunk to your arse and burst into a fit of haggard breaths and disturbed whines.
You didn’t resist when he picked you up with alien tenderness, didn’t protest when he stuffed you in an old rickety couch and crushed you beneath his weight with a handful of sweet praises. You didn’t pull away in disgust when his tongue pushed past your lips in search of your own, twirling, dancing, letting words spill without ever being spoken. He wasn’t gentle, since the moment you heard his belt unbuckling he was all pawing hands and chopped curses, fiddling with your clothes until his need became too much to bear and he simply ripped them off. He threw a weak promise to get you new ones, but you couldn't care less at that moment. High-pitched mewls and desperate grunts bounced off the walls as he took you on that couch, rutting into you like a man possessed and gripping onto you so firmly as if you’d come to your senses any moment now and run away from him.
A radstorm raged outside, clashing against the boarded-up windows as the pitter-patter of acid rain poured against the tin roof. You never even noticed, too drunk on the sloppy sounds coming from the slick mess of your conjoined bodies, on the verge of a climax so raw it would surely knock you out. Blunt fingernails sank in your supple thighs, scarred hips slammed into yours as he fucked you dumb into the couch. His mouth never left yours, whether it was to keep himself quiet in case too many loving words escaped or because he craved your taste like a rabid dog did blood, you didn’t know. When your ankles locked around his waist he snarled, whatever self-control he’d managed to scrape by completely dissipating as he drove himself deeper. The tip of his cock snapped against the barrier of your squishy cervix so deliciously and you screamed his name in desperation and he couldn’t fucking take it anymore. He released one of your hips to slide a hand between your bodies and drag his rough thumb over your swollen clit. Your back arched, eyes rolled back and mouth agape as you bombarded him with barely coherent sentences that he didn’t deserve. He clutched at your hair when you clamped down on him, milking him for everything he had while he rocked out his release with face stuffed in the crook of your neck.
Something in him changed after that night.
It might have been the unfathomably long time without a caring touch or him finally succumbing to the little voices in his head telling him what he held for you wasn’t simply fondness. He took you every chance he got. In a guest house, against the wall of a bar after one too many drinks, bent over on a chewed-up fence after scavenging another farmhouse. He was relentless and you loved that about him. You loved everything about him. Always needy and ready and he couldn’t ask for more because this was the closest he could get to expressing himself when it came to you.
Life was good.
Everything was perfect.
Until it wasn’t.
You wince as the needle prickles your skin before retracting back in the Pip-boy. The green screen whirls, loading up and analyzing your blood sample for a full body scan. You give the damn thing a few smacks when it freezes and stutters.
Now really wasn’t the time for technical difficulties.
“You okay?”
Apparently, no matter how hard you had tried to hide your bubbling panic, it was still evident enough for Cooper to notice. He’s looking at you with a hint of suspicion, attention averted from the steaming can of cram he’d been stuffing in his mouth.
“I’m good, no worries.” you muster up a weary smile and instinctively tuck the Pip-boy closer to your stomach.
When the Vault Boy pops up on the screen with all the information available regarding your condition, you tense up. Your fingers hesitate to turn the cog to the main body scan as doubts and confusion and raw, untamable fear chew at your sensitive stomach and tug you slowly towards the gates of insanity.
“Don’t look okay to me.” Cooper straightens from his slouched-over position over the measly fire and sets aside his food before clasping a hand over one of his thighs. “Was wrong? Was I too rough again?” there’s a teasing scowl brightening his usually stoic expression, he scoffs and shakes his head. “I told you t’ smack my shoulder when I get too loose, woman. You never listen.”
You want to cry and laugh, but you do neither.
“That’s not it, Cooper.”
“Then speak for fuck’s sake!” he grumbles and gestures to you with slight agitation.
You pay him no mind, having delved too deep in the premises of your mind on what you were supposed to do if you read that single life-changing word on the scan. With a huff and a mental pat on your back, you turned the cog and opened the main body scan.
“Pregnant.”
It made sense. It explained the morning sickness that you hid, being forced out of your sleep while Cooper snored lightly next to you, and carefully pulling away before rushing to a safe spot where you could empty your stomach without being seen. You never told him, just jammed RadAway after RadAway, hoping it was poisoning or maybe some sort of flu. When the cravings came, you started second-guessing. You never gave into them, throwing caps left and right for a slice of some nearly impossible-to-get delicacy was unthinkable, you had to survive and there was no room for luxury.
You failed to spot the rugged ghoul as he left his seat and crept closer, spurred by your awkward demeanor, until he was kneeling right next to you and silently sharing the sight of the green graph.
“What in the hell…”
You recoiled at his words, at his realization, and tried to cover the Pip-boy with your hand and hide the thunderous revelation of your condition.
He was having none of it.
He smacked your hand away and gripped your forearm so tight you shuddered, bringing it closer to his eyes as his face contorted.
“What the fuck does this mean?” he spits and looks at you with something vile in those whiskey-colored eyes you loved so much.
“I don’t – ” you swallow thickly, crumbling under his gaze and snuffing out the need to rip away from him and run. You meet his stare for a split second before turning away. “ – I haven’t…Not with anyone except you.”
Lightning strikes into his core and he pulls away like bitten by a snake.
“The hell you mean you haven’t fucked anyone ‘cept me?” he stands, intimidating and cold, berating you with just his visage and nothing more. “How the fuck did you get pregnant then?”
“I’ve been with you since the day I left the vault, you know this.” you reach out for him, desperate for some sort of comfort, desperate for him to calm down because you couldn’t mentally take on both him and the news. “Cooper, please.”
He shoots you down with a snarl and a spine-chilling glare.
“Don’t fucken’ touch me.”
He’s pacing, trotting around like a cornered animal, the spurs on his boots clinking, a sickening cacophony that roots you in place and keeps your mouth shut. You don’t know what to say, you’re not a liar, yet you wish this was some twisted joke and you could laugh it off and confirm it wasn’t real.
A hand is rubbing vigorously at his chin as he tries to think, but there’s nothing in his head except that one single word that means so much and makes absolutely no sense.
He knew you weren’t lying, he’d always kept you within arm’s length, there was no way for you to even sneak past him without being noticed.
It still hurt though, the image of you leaving because he was a rotten man who’d struck gold by finding you. He was no good for you, never would be, and it tore him to shreds because he knew all of this and still he kept you by his side and cocked his gun at anyone who tried to step too close.
Why wouldn’t you bed another man when he looked like a walking corpse and acted even worse? Why wouldn’t you ditch him to be with a nice bartender or a good-mannered farmboy who would treat you like a lady should be treated?
Why wouldn’t you cheat him out of the only happiness he had?
“Is not fucking possible, Sweetheart.” he finally speaks, faltering at your audible sobs. The idea of you slipping past his fingers to sleep with someone else is pushed to the side by the absolutely pathetic sight of you curled up on the floor and crying.
Ghouls were sterile, all of them, 100%, there was no way for him to knock you up even if he wanted to. But the Pip-boy said otherwise and now he was left questioning the very foundation of his existence.
“I know that.” you sputter through choppy hiccups. “But you’re the only man I’ve been with...It doesn’t make fucking sense.” you clutch at your sides, waterfalls streaming down your cheeks and pooling under your chin, eyes distant and jittery. “What if it’s deformed because of the radiation? Or if it’s not even alive? Or – What am I supposed to do…”
His body moves despite his protests.
He kneels in front of you, encasing you between his thighs, his fingers twitching and rising as he drowns in the long-forgotten feeling of being presented with such news. His hands are shaking and he rests them over your shoulders and pretends he can’t feel his pulse rampaging in his throat.
“What do you wanna do?”
It’s such a simple question, but coming from him under such a premise makes your head spin and your heart stop.
“I – ” you press your forehead against the center of his collarbones, arms protectively curling over your belly because despite not showing there was someone in there. Someone precious. “ – I don’t know…I’d like to – I don’t know.”
You stop and start, cutting off words that you weren’t ready to tell him yet and he wasn’t ready to hear either. But life didn’t care if you were ready or not, things happened, consent or not, and now you were both stuck in a mess you’d unwittingly made all by yourselves. There was always the easy route – find a settlement, get to the doc, have it removed, done deal, easy peasy.
But did you really want that?
It wasn’t just your kid, it was his too and him not saying a word, not even mentioning discarding it made things so much harder.
No, he gave you a choice, he put everything in your hands and he was holding you while you fought a silent battle that would dictate the entirety of your future.
“I think – ”
“ – I ain’t goin’ fucken’ nowhere.” he slices through your hesitation like butter, body rigid and jaw clenched because for once he was trying to be a man and not a monster.
Maybe even a father.
You shatter in his arms like glass and he presses one of his palms against the back of your head while the other circles your waist and brings you closer.
“You’d stay?” you ask with such horror and disbelief that it clutches at his chest and he struggles to breathe. You’re no coward, despite how heavy the air feels, you look up at him and you’re so vulnerable and angelic that he forgets every setback that would come his way. “If I kept it…you’d stay?”
He can’t answer, the words refuse to form, but he holds your gaze with calm stability, a good masquerade to hide a mind that was racing and a heart that was pounding so heavily he felt his entire body pulsing. Instead, he leaned in and pressed his chapped lips against your forehead in a voiceless promise.
You suck in a breath like it’s your first and cling to the collar of his coat, disappearing in his form, hiding from the world that was so cruel yet gifted you with something so precious.
The Pip-boy is still lit and waiting, the scan bright and piercing. You skim over it absentmindedly, a simple curious flick, then look again and squint your eyes at the tiny text printed under your pregnancy announcement.
“Four months.”
You’d only been out of cryo for three…
He followed your wide-eyed stare, he was no fool, he could do basic math.
You’d been pregnant before meeting him, before leaving the vault, before the bombs.
You want to puke. You want to rip your skin off and bury yourself alive because for the love of God it couldn’t be just perfect, there had to be some sick underlying thing to ruin everything. It wasn’t his, he was right, ghouls couldn’t have children.
It wasn’t his child.
You look disgusted and utterly pained because the realization makes you mourn at the idea of carrying his baby. You wanted to, you’d give anything for it to be his and not some random bloke you couldn’t even remember the face of. You wanted it to be his…
You search his face for anger or disappointment or anything that would prepare you for what was to come. Why would he stay if the damn thing wasn’t even his? He had his own problems, his mission. You were just an obstacle that had nearly made him believe he was going to be a father and maybe it was his second chance at doing it right.
There was nothing though.
He simply blinked at you, lips parted as he formed a sentence that had you pledge yourself to him for as long as you stood and breathed.
“That don’t change a damn thing.”
Masterlist
Tag list: @bountydroid @v3lv3tf0x @silverose365
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just-aake · 2 months ago
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Everlasting Devotion - Part VIII
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Pairing: princess!Natasha Romanoff x fem!reader
Summary: Sequel of Boundless Devotion Series. MedievalAU. With her coronation over, Natasha is now the queen of the Romanov Kingdom. However, the position comes with challenges from both old and new enemies as Natasha tries to maintain the peace while also navigating her relationship with you.
Masterlist Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10
Warnings: light angst
Words: 4074
At a table in your library, your fingers glide across the worn page of Howard Stark’s journal. The entries detail his ambitious attempts to harness sorcery, each word penned with sharp, precise strokes.
There’s something striking in his handwriting—a tangible trace of the man himself, a stranger who might’ve been part of your life if circumstances had been different.
As you read, you can’t help but wonder about the person behind these words.
Would he have welcomed you into his world, inviting you to collaborate on these projects instead of leaving you alone in the shadow of constant disappointments and harsh judgments?
With a quiet sigh, you pull yourself from the wistful thoughts and back to the task, refocusing on the journal’s contents.
His latest endeavor—a complex project to encapsulate raw energy within a synthetic stone—was left unfinished, his last entry noting how close he’d come but ultimately failing to contain it.
Your gaze drifts to the attacker’s glove lying nearby, the once-bright stone in its center now faded to a dull sheen. 
Curiosity gets the better of you, and with delicate care, you pry the stone free, lifting it toward the sunlight streaming through the library window.
Sunlight filters through its transparent surface, revealing imperfections–tiny cracks spidering through its structure. 
As you study it intently, a sudden flash of memory grips you: a similar stone, glowing brightly in someone’s hand, its light intensifying as muffled words reach your ears.
Before you can grasp the context of the fragmented scene, a dull ache pierces your mind, forcing your eyes shut against the sharp sensation.
When you open them again, blinking slowly, silence fills the room. The vivid memory fades, slipping further from your grasp.
The familiar unease that follows these unpredictable flashes settles over you. Once again, the thought crosses your mind: perhaps it’s time to let Wanda explore your thoughts.
Maybe she could decipher the meaning behind these visions—or confirm if you were just going insane.
“Quite the collection you’ve got here,” a voice cuts through the quiet.
Startled, you almost drop the stone, quickly pocketing it as you spin around. 
Tony stands at the door, a smirk plastered on his face. 
“Haven’t you heard of knocking?” you snap, shooting him a sharp glare.
Tony glances back at the door, feigning disbelief. 
“I did knock,” he insists, grinning. “You didn’t hear me? Practically rattled the hinges.”
You suppress a sigh as he strolls through the room, inspecting the shelves like a restless child. At one point, he pulls a book down, flips through a few pages, then shudders dramatically as he snaps it shut. 
“Please tell me you’ve got something more exciting in here than this.” 
He waves the book at you with exaggerated disappointment.
Snatching it from his hands, you glare at him. “Don’t you have work to do?”
Tony gives a dismissive wave, meandering toward another shelf.  
“We’re waiting on supplies,” he explains. “Besides, Vision’s distracted playing nice with your little sorcerer outside.”
“Playing nice?” you ask, raising a brow in surprise.
Tony gives a lazy nod.
“He’s always been interested in that sort of thing—his family had some traces of magic or something in their line. Not great at the whole socializing bit, though, so this behavior is slightly surprising.”
Tony claps his hands and strides past you.
“It’s good, though. He’s always been the more reserved one of his brothers. You know, that’s why I brought him with me in the first place, to give him more exposure to the—hello—what do we have here?”
You follow his gaze, spotting the journal still open on the table in the corner of your eyes, but Tony’s attention is focused on the armored glove. 
Discreetly, you close Howard’s journal and slide it behind a stack of other books while Tony is engrossed in examining the glove with keen interest. 
He suddenly picks it up, slipping it onto his hand with confidence.
“Careful, it’s damaged,” you warn, stepping forward. “We don’t know how it works.”
Tony smirks, waving off your concern as he fumbles with the glove’s mechanism. 
“Relax, it’s just a tool for defense. Completely harmless.”
Just as he finishes, a quiet click sounds from the glove, and suddenly, a shard bursts from its mechanism, ricocheting off the wall. 
You duck instinctively while Tony stumbles back, clearly unprepared for the recoil.
“Well, that wasn’t supposed to happen,” he mutters, brushing himself off.
You shoot him a glare, yanking the glove from his hand. “And how would you know?”
He gives you a smug grin. “Because I designed it.” 
The words catch you off guard, your brows knitting in suspicion as you bring the glove closer to your body. 
“You…designed this?”
He dusts off his sleeve with nonchalance, oblivious to your growing unease. 
“Not this one exactly, but the specs are similar.”
The unease that’s been lingering since Natasha’s news flares up again. With a deep breath, you tap the glove’s surface, your gaze turning serious. 
“This is from the Stark Kingdom though.”
Tony leans casually against a shelf, his relaxed stance at odds with the sudden sharpness in his gaze. 
“And how would you know that?” he counters.
You choose your words carefully, unwilling to reveal too much. 
“I have a source. A reliable one.” 
Tony raises his eyebrows, intrigued, but you press on before he can respond. 
“That would mean that you’re…” you hesitate, searching his face, as you struggle to face the possibility. 
“You’re from Stark, right?” you finish with instead.
Tony scrutinizes you for a moment, then wags his finger as he heads for the door. 
“Nope, that’s not what you wanted to ask,” he says, sidestepping your question.
You stiffen, caught off guard by his intuition. 
“What’s that supposed to mean?” you call, hurrying after him.
“It means you’re not being honest about what you want to know,” he replies over his shoulder, the words hitting a nerve. 
You hear him continue, muttering in contemplation. 
“This does explain why you’ve been so weird lately whenever I’m near.”
But before you can fire back, he’s already halfway down the hall toward the manor entrance.
You catch up to him just as he exits the manor. 
Vision and Wanda stand at the entrance, deep in conversation, pausing as they notice the two of you approaching.
“Vision, I’m heading into town,” Tony announces breezily. 
He moves to follow. “I’ll prepare the—” 
“No need,” Tony interrupts smoothly, already reaching for the nearby carriage door. “I’ll just take this.”
Before he can open it fully, a flicker of red energy snaps the door shut. 
Wanda steps forward with her arms crossed, her gaze unmistakably unimpressed.
“That’s not yours to take,” she says, her voice edged with warning.
Just as Tony groans in frustration, you arrive at her side, nodding to Wanda.  
“It’s fine, Wanda. I’m going with him.” You fix Tony with a glare. “We still need to finish our conversation.” 
Wanda’s brow arches, her gaze shifting between you and Tony. 
“Alright, I can call for Pietro,” she says, moving to get the other twin. 
“You two don't need to come along,” you reply quickly.
Wanda’s concern deepens on her face at your unusual response, so you add with a reassuring smile, “Really, it’s okay.”
“Any day now, ladies,” Tony quips with an exaggerated sigh, tapping his foot impatiently.
You shoot him a glare. “Has anyone ever told you you’re obnoxious?”
Tony grins, unbothered as ever, shrugging. 
“You know, that does sound familiar,” he replies before stepping into the carriage.
Before you can follow, Wanda catches your arm, her expression a mix of worry and confusion.
“Is everything okay?” she asks softly, her tone laced with concern.
Her words make you pause, forcing you to confront the real reason behind your hesitation to let them overhear this conversation as well as let her into your mind.
It’s not just fear of what she might see—it’s the secret you’ve been keeping from her and her brother.
The truth about who you really are. The truth about your connection to the family responsible for their parents’ tragic deaths.
You’re not ready for them to know. You don’t know how you’d face them if they ever found out.
So, with a small, reassuring smile, you nod. 
“Trust me, Wanda, I’ve got this.”
Then, leaning closer, you soften the moment with a teasing grin.
“Besides, it looks like you’re enjoying your time with Vision.”
Wanda rolls her eyes, though a faint blush colors her cheeks. She quickly regains her composure and removes her scarlet cloak, holding it out to you. 
“Here, wear this. It’ll help keep unwanted attention off you in town,” she says, knowing well from Pietro’s stories how people have been reacting to you.
You accept it gratefully, wrapping it around your shoulders before climbing into the carriage. You settle across from Tony, crossing your arms as the carriage lurches forward. 
Tony doesn’t even glance up, instead examining his hand with what seems like exaggerated nonchalance.
Patience thinning, you let out an annoyed huff. 
“Well?”
Tony finally looks up, feigning surprise. 
“I’m sorry, did you say something? I wasn’t listening.”
Grinding your teeth, you shoot him a glare. 
However, he just raises a brow, daring you to push further. 
Taking a steadying breath, you decide it’s time to cut to the chase, dropping any pretense of subtlety.
“Are you Tony Stark?” 
For a moment, he stares at you, blank and unreadable. Then, he bursts into an exaggerated laugh, leaning back in his seat with a loud, mocking cackle. 
The sudden reaction catches you completely off guard.
“You think I’m Tony Stark? The King of the Stark Kingdom?” he asks between bouts of laughter, his tone dripping with amusement. “Why? Because we share a name? Or because I happen to design a few gadgets from that region?”
You falter, your certainty beginning to waver under his ridicule. “I—it’s just—” 
“Well, you’re right,” he cuts in abruptly, his tone now nonchalant, so casual it almost doesn’t register. He spreads his arms in mock grandeur and a slight bow. 
“I am the one and only…Tony Stark.”
You blink at him, stunned into silence as the words sink in. The ease with which he admits it is almost more shocking than the revelation itself. 
“Just like that?” you finally manage to say, your voice barely above a whisper. “You’d just…admit it?”
Tony grins, throwing his feet up onto the seat beside you and reclining with a maddening air of satisfaction. 
“Why not? You’re sharp enough to figure it out. Besides, it won’t be a secret for much longer.”
You should be feeling shock, panic—something other than the rising annoyance simmering in your chest. Before you can stop yourself, you shove his leg off the seat, forcing him to sit properly.
“For a royal, you have no manners,” you snap.
Tony laughs, completely unfazed. 
“Now you’re really starting to sound like someone I know,” he quips, his tone amused.
Your irritation deepens. The casual way he’s treating this entire situation grates on your nerves, especially with everything you’ve already had to deal with and now with the addition of this. 
“Why are you here?” you demand.
“Why should I tell you?” he counters smoothly. 
Crossing your arms, you glare at him. “Because you lied to me.”
“Wrong,” he corrects, wagging a finger at you. “I never lied. I just didn’t tell you everything. Big difference. Lying’s more of a Romanov specialty than mine.” 
You bristle at his comment, immediately becoming defensive. 
“You can’t say that—you don’t even know them.” 
Tony’s playful demeanor fades slightly, his expression turning serious as his gaze locks with yours. 
“I know what happened the last time my family trusted a Romanov.” 
A heavy silence descends between you, the weight of his words filling the small carriage. You don’t miss the flicker of pain in his eyes as he turns to stare out the window, crossing his arms in what almost seems like a protective gesture.
“Everyone knows you can’t trust a Romanov or anyone from their kingdom,” he mutters, more to himself than to you.
Your hands curl into fists as you glance down, frustration bubbling inside you. 
“That’s hardly a fair judgment,” you whisper. “Not without giving people a chance.”
Tony glances at you, his expression unreadable. Then, leaning forward slightly, he meets your gaze with a challenge in his eyes. 
“Then prove me wrong.”
Your head snaps up, his words catching you off guard. “What?”
He sits back, arms crossed again, and shrugs. 
“I’m not supposed to be here yet. If you can keep my identity a secret until the time is right, I’ll reconsider what I said.” 
You fall silent, his proposition hanging in the air between you. The thought of keeping another secret from Natasha bothers you, but the idea of Tony meeting her with his current distrust of her family is even worse. 
Maybe, just maybe, you could change his mind before that moment arrives.
The rest of the ride passes in tense silence. You’re so lost in thought that you don’t notice your surroundings until the carriage stops. 
Following Tony out, you snap back to reality as you take in the shadowy streets, far from the safer areas of town. 
Grabbing his sleeve, you tug him to a stop. 
Tony releases an indignant sound of surprise as he’s pulled back before turning to you with a disapproving frown.
“Hey, easy, now that you know who I am, there’s no excuse for this kind of disrespect.”
Ignoring his reprimand, you lower your voice, hissing at him in disbelief. 
“What are we doing here? This area is dangerous.”
Tony lets out an exaggerated sigh, clearly unbothered by your concern. 
“Trying to stay low-key in a foreign kingdom. Naturally, I’d go somewhere less…guarded,” he says, his tone dripping with sarcasm. Then he smirks, adding, “You can always wait in the carriage if you’re too scared without your little followers around to protect you.”
Glowering, you push him ahead and lower your hood to obscure your face. You follow as he strides confidently into the alley. He stops at a run-down tavern, the dimly lit entrance as unwelcoming as the rest of the area. 
You hesitate, glancing warily at the door.
“Relax,” Tony says, throwing a grin over his shoulder. “Head low, stay close, and try not to look terrified. These people can smell fear.”
You roll your eyes, releasing a sigh under your breath as you move to step inside. Just before you cross the threshold, the sound of barking draws your attention. 
Glancing back, you spot two scruffy dogs, their muddy coats giving them a ragged appearance. They’re barking and leaping at a bird perched just out of their reach, the falcon screeching indignantly. 
A strange sense of familiarity strikes you, but you shake it off. It’s a ridiculous thought. 
Coincidence, nothing more. 
Steeling yourself, you pull your hood tighter and slip into the tavern to follow Tony.
The atmosphere hits you immediately—a cacophony of rowdy chatter, clinking glasses, and the sharp, pungent tang of alcohol mixed with smoke. 
The dim lighting casts shadows across the rough wooden beams, and the patrons barely glance your way as you weave through the tables, trailing Tony’s confident stride. 
For a moment, you think you might make it through unnoticed.
That hope evaporates as a man steps into your path. His leering grin reveals yellowed teeth, and his eyes sweep over you with an unsettling feeling. 
“What’s a pretty thing like you doing in a place like this?” he asks, his voice slurred and mocking.
You stand your ground, narrowing your eyes at him, refusing to dignify his question with a response.
Stepping to the side, you attempt to move past him, but he reacts quickly, his face twisting with anger as he reaches out to grab your arm.
Before his hand can get close, Tony’s grip suddenly clamps down on the man’s wrist, stopping him mid-motion. 
“Easy there,” Tony says, his tone light but laced with warning. “We’re all here to relax, right? So why don’t you…take a deep breath and do just that.”
The man glares at Tony, weighing his options, but the steady, unflinching look Tony gives him is enough to make him pull back. The man stumbles off, muttering something about it not being worth the trouble. 
Tony claps his hands in satisfaction and then turns to you with an exaggerated raise of his eyebrows. 
“You really know how to attract trouble. No wonder you always need someone around to save the day.” 
You glare at him, your voice clipped.
 “I can handle myself just fine.” 
Tony hums mockingly as if considering your words, then shrugs. “If you say so.” 
He turns and saunters toward a booth tucked into the corner of the tavern, his pace purposefully slower as if to ensure that you stay close. 
The gesture irritates you further, but you follow anyway.
At the booth, a man sits nervously, his eyes darting around the room with visible discomfort.
Tony slides into the seat across from him, greeting him with the same condescension he’d just directed at you.
“Don’t look so scared, Happy. They can smell fear, you know.”
“I’m not scared,” the man retorts defensively, though his shifting gaze betrays him. “I just don’t like places like this.” 
His eyes flick to you, observing you with curiosity. “Who’s she?”
You open your mouth to respond, but Tony waves a dismissive hand in front of your face. 
“Not relevant right now,” he answers for you, earning him a sharp glare from you.
“Also, she knows who I am,” Tony adds with a smirk, “so you can talk freely.” 
Happy shrugs, seemingly accustomed to Tony’s antics. 
Tony leans forward, his tone shifting to one of eager anticipation.
"Well, did you bring it?"
Happy nods, pulling out a cloth-wrapped object from beside him and sliding it across the table. You watch as Tony unwraps it, revealing a glove strikingly similar to the one from your manor—but this one is sleeker, more refined in its design.
“Impressive, right?” Tony asks, shooting you a knowing look as if reading your thoughts. “Unlike yours, mine actually works a lot better.”
You roll your eyes but pause when you notice something.
“It’s missing the stone,” you point out.
Tony’s smirk falters, replaced by a puzzled expression.
“What stone?”
You hesitate, weighing your options, but ultimately decide he’s the best person to ask, considering he’s the son of the one who created the project.
Pulling the dull, cracked stone from your pocket, you hold it out.
“This was attached to the other glove,” you explain. “It glowed yellow with some sort of power before it was damaged.”
Tony takes the stone, his usual flippant demeanor fading as he studies it with uncharacteristic seriousness.
After a moment, Happy breaks the silence, pointing at the stone.
“That looks like something you worked on a few years ago,” he says. “Remember how many times it blew up in your lab?”
Tony glares at him, unamused at the reminder.
“We agreed never to speak of that.”
Turning back to you, Tony gives you a curious look.
“Where did you say you got this glove?”
“We were attacked,” you reply. “It was left behind when they escaped.”
Tony hums thoughtfully, then closes his hand around the stone.
“I’ll hold onto this for you,” he declares.
“Hey, that’s not yours!” you protest, reaching for it.
Tony easily keeps it out of reach. “It’s not yours, either.”
You scoff, incredulous at his childish behavior. For a moment, you wonder how someone like this could possibly share your blood.
Before the standoff can escalate, a hesitant cough breaks the tension.
“The lady did have it first, sir,” Happy interjects, earning a sharp, offended look from Tony.
With backup on your side, you cross your arms and level Tony with a pointed glare, holding your hand out expectantly.
Tony contemplates for a moment, eyes flickering between your hand and the stone in his before releasing an exaggerated sigh, dropping the stone into your hand and then slumping dramatically in his seat.
“Anything else, traitor?” he asks, shooting a glare at Happy.
Unbothered by his words, Happy nods and continues.
“Chancellor Potts wants to know when you’re planning to return. She’s…not thrilled about your sudden departure.”
Tony places a hand over his chest with mock sincerity.
“Aw, does she miss me?”
“It’s not that, sir,” Happy says flatly. 
You cross your arms in disapproval, raising an eyebrow at Tony.
“Wait—you abandoned your kingdom to come here?”
“Abandoned is a strong word,” Tony retorts, wagging a finger at you. “With Pepper running things, my kingdom’s in good hands.”
He turns back to Happy.
“And no, I don’t have a timeline. It all depends on how long this takes.” 
Happy rubs his temples, clearly exasperated.
“Well, I had to tell Jarvis to speed up his pace anyway, but it won’t matter if you’re still looking for—” 
Tony cuts him off with a raised hand, then tosses a small pouch of coins in your direction.
“Do you think you can handle a trip to the bar without starting any trouble? I’m parched.”
You narrow your eyes, catching the not-so-subtle attempt to get rid of you. Still, with no further explanation forthcoming, you roll your eyes and head to the bar.
The barkeep nods as you approach. “What’ll it be?”
Leaning against the counter, you smile politely. 
“Whatever you’d make for someone who’s testing your patience.” 
The barkeep chuckles knowingly and sets to work. 
As you wait, a commotion from the other side of the room draws your attention—cheers, laughter, and groans of disappointment. Peering past the crowd, you see coins being exchanged as two figures face off in a card game. 
The burly man at the table glares at his opponent, his eyes narrowing. 
“You should back out now before I bleed you dry, little lady.”
The masked figure across from him leans forward, her voice light and teasing. 
“Aww, is the big man scared?”
Laughter erupts at her taunt, but you frown instead, the voice sounding suspiciously familiar. You push through the crowd to get a better look. 
The dim light in the tavern doesn’t help much, but as you approach, your eyes narrow. 
The masked figure’s darkened hair gives you pause—it’s black, not blonde like expected. Still, the way she moves, the self-assured tilt of her head, sends alarm bells of recognition in your mind.
The burly man, clearly agitated, gestures toward a dagger at the masked woman’s side. 
“How about you throw that fancy knife into the pot and whatever your friend’s got strapped to her back?”
Your eyes shift to the figure standing protectively behind her, another masked woman. Her nervous fidgeting is unmistakable, as is the distinct bow strapped to her back—Clint’s signature design, one you’d recognize anywhere with how often Kate brings it with her everywhere.
Crossing your arms, you let out a long, exasperated sigh. 
“Oh my god,” you mutter under your breath, already knowing whose idea this was.
The masked woman at the table leans forward, her voice dripping with confidence as she responds, “Don’t get ahead of yourself. You’re playing against me, remember?” 
There’s no mistaking her now. Yelena’s tone is as bold and unshakable as ever, mirroring her sister’s in every way.
She reaches for the dagger at her side, drawing it out to twirl it in the light. The hilt and blade gleam, the intricate craftsmanship unmistakable—it looks like the one you’d given Natasha not long ago.
You straighten when you realize it is the one you had gifted Natasha.
As Yelena seems to consider the man’s challenge, her smirk widening with the thrill of the wager, you feel your patience snap at the thought of risking something you designed personally for Natasha. 
You move to step forward, intent on stopping her from making a reckless decision, but before you can take a step, a firm grip wraps around your arm, pulling you back into the crowd.
Irritation flares instantly. Tony’s earlier remarks about you needing protection flash through your mind, fueling your annoyance.
Without hesitation, you jab your elbow into the person’s side, twisting out of their grip. 
Their hold loosens, and as their face tilts into view, your irritation shifts to surprise.
Bright green eyes meet yours, sharp and unmistakable even in the dim light.
“Natasha?” you whisper in a hiss, barely keeping your voice low. 
~~~~~~~ ⧗ ~~~~~~~
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10
a/n: I’m so sorry for the long delay between the chapters for this series. This one is definitely trickier to write cause there is a lot more components to organize, but I’m starting to get back into it. Again, thank you for reading and for your patience!
Also, I’m going to attempt to be more interactive with you all since you take the time to leave such nice comments on my works, so whenever I have some spare time, you may see me popping around in the replies and responding.
If you asked to be tagged and I missed it, please let me know again.
Taglist : @midastouch013, @2silverchain, @dvrkhcld, @observeowl, @x-drowned-x, @fireandblood-3, @natsxwife, @leequifey, @blacklightsposts, @srt-sah, @scar-letwidow, @likefirenrain, @autorasexy, @natsbiggestfan1, @lex13cm, @iheartjohansson, @tofu9162, @unexpected-character, @natashasilverfox, @acciowriting, @qtreesfanstuff, @mrsrushman, @inarayofmoonlight, @viosblog112, @inarayofmoonlight, @maximoff-jp, @natashasilverfox
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pedropascallme · 3 months ago
Text
☆Kinktober 2024☆
Day 5: Restraints
Pairing: Cooper Howard/The Ghoul x f!Reader
Warnings: SMUT (18+ MINORS DNI!!!!) use of rope as a restraint, bondage, p in v sex, oral (f receiving), fingering, so much dirty talk Cooper is so quiet until his dick is out, praise, a heavy dose of degradation/teasing, if I missed anything please let me know!
You’d noticed the rope during your first encounter with Cooper; the crude lasso he seemed so proud of, draped over his shoulder like some kind of prize.
And when you started traveling with him, each other’s sole source of companionship on the long road to nowhere, you learned plenty about him, but nothing about that damn rope.
“What’s the lasso for?” You’d pressed once, looking for something to keep your mind occupied.
“Helpful t’have a good reach,” he'd scoffed, shutting you down.
You’d never brought it up again.
It still remained, unused, a constant presence at his side; an aide that seemed more for show than anything. You had begun to wonder whether it was just part of the costume—maybe he didn’t even know how to use it.
You took the initiative during a rare moment of tranquility. Your curiosity peaked as the sun dipped behind the sand, your body relaxing against the floor of the rundown building that would make do for a night.
“How come I never see you use the rope?” You spoke over the dim flame, between yourself and the Ghoul, where it burnt out on the hardwood floor.
“Ain’t needed’t,” he tilted his hat over his face, a gesture that signaled his disinterest in the conversation you were offering.
“Haven’t needed it, or haven’t wanted to use it?” Your lips twisted into a mischievous smile, “Or don’t know how.”
That got his attention.
“You got somethin’ y’wanna say, girl?” He leaned back, face reemerging from under the brim of his hat.
“I’m just riffing,” you shrugged, “But for someone that dresses like a cowboy, you sure don't ever seem to reach for the most cowboy-ish thing at your disposal.” You grinned, watching the scowl on his face harden, “Just seems like maybe it’s all for show.”
“Stand up.” Cooper’s voice projected a shallow echo around the structure you’d shacked up in. It was loud enough to startle you into obeying. “Now turn ‘round.”
You did as he said, shifting on your feet warily.
You’d mocked him before, little things about his aesthetic and his personality, but only as much as he mocked you. Now it seemed you’d struck a nerve.
“Walk.” Cooper instructed when you’d turned your back on him.
Again, you complied, taking slow steps across the room. Under the sound of the floorboards creaking beneath your feet, you could hear Cooper rustling around.
You made it halfway to the opposite wall when you felt the air move around you, a sharp tug catching you around the abdomen.
You let out a short yelp before falling to the floor with a thud. Cursing, you began to battle the rope wrapped around your waist and arms.
Cooper appeared above you, grinning at you where you lay in a heap on the floor.
“Y’still think I dunno what I’m doin’?” He asked, kneeling beside you. You frowned up at him.
“Not funny.” You tried to wriggle free from your confines.
“S’pretty funny, darlin’.” He knelt beside you, bringing his hand up to tug gently at the rope. He let out a low whistle, “Gotcha good.”
You had to admit—to yourself, at least—that he had, in fact, put on a convincing display. You couldn’t move your arms from where they sat, bound to your sides, and it hadn’t taken him long to snag you.
Even if it was only from a short distance, he’d done it pretty effortlessly. It was on brand for him.
And more attractive than you’d care to confess.
In the Wastes, certainly, you’d be putting up more of a fight; and if it were anybody but him, you’d have tried to bite off a finger or two by now. But in this empty cabin, with Cooper perched next to you, admiring his handywork, the surge of adrenaline that crashed over you was nowhere near related to a survival instinct—this was pure longing.
“Cooper—” You started to speak, almost whining at the ideas that had begun to spring up in your mind, but he interrupted.
“Yeah, stop squirmin’, sweetheart,” he gathered the length of rope that remained, draping it over his hand. “Y’want me to untie ya or not?”
“Mph.” You grunted out a vague answer. You were certain that if you offered any verbal reply it would give away your desire for him. You were just as certain that your desire would be met with rejection.
“Turn over—knot’s on your back.” His hands moved to your waist, flipping you onto your stomach, and despite yourself, you let out a whimper in response to the way he touched you.
So much for hiding your desires.
It gave Cooper pause; he studied you, hands leaving your body. Your cheek was pressed against the floor, and he bent forward enough to meet your gaze.
“I could jus’ keep ya like this,” it was rhetorical, he didn’t want an answer from you yet. “Bet you’d finally fuckin’ listen ‘f’I did.”
You bit your bottom lip, hoping he couldn’t see the way you shifted to rub your thighs together.
“Real easy t’do whatever I want with ya like this,” he continued, straightening back up onto his knees. He let his hand fall to the knot in the rope where it sat on your back. “Tell me somethin’, sweetheart,” he yanked at the rope, and you moaned at the sharp feeling, “Y’ask me for a demonstration jus’ so I could get ya like this?”
“Th��it wasn’t the original intention…no…” You switched now to biting the inside of your cheek.
“But now…?” He prompted you to continue.
“Cooper, please…” You didn’t know what you were asking for.
“But now y’like it, huh?” He finished the thought for you, “Like th’idea o’bein’ helpless for me.” He reached for your face, fingers hooking under your chin and forcing you to crane your neck to look at him. “S’at it? Y’want me t’keep ya at my disposal?” His free hand trailed down your thigh.
“Yes,” you gasped at the contact. His hands were exploring you in ways you’d only imagined in late-night fantasies, ones you always tried to push from your mind.
“Good answer,” he rasped, letting your head drop as he removed his grasp. He focused his attention on your lower half.
Cooper cupped your sex over your pants, pressing his palm into you just enough for you to feel the warmth of his skin engulf you through the fabric. You whined, grinding your hips superficially against him.
“Coulda jus’ asked, darlin’,” he sighed, watching you try to fuck yourself on his hand. “Always willin’ t’give a pretty lady what she needs.”
“Need you,” you moaned, voice muted by the wood of the floor.
“Yeah?” He goaded you, “How ya need me? Need me to treat ya how I think y’deserve it?” He pressed the tips of his fingers against your clothed cunt, and you squealed. “Cause I think y’deserve it pretty fuckin’ rough, way you been actin’.”
“Yes—yeah, Cooper. I’ll take it.” You began to move your hips against him more fervently, and he laughed.
“Well, ‘course you’ll take it, sweetheart,” he moved his hand up from your cunt, tracing over the curve of your ass before squeezing hard, “Y’don’t have a fuckin’ choice, now, do ya?”
That made you moan, a sound from deep within that expressed your lust.
You couldn’t believe he was speaking to you like this, couldn’t believe he was touching you like this—couldn’t believe that all it had taken was questioning his skills as a genuine cowboy.
Cooper straddled your legs, wrapping his arms around you so that his hands could reach your front and undo the fasten of your pants. He yanked them down, practically tearing them off your body, moving himself off of you to slip the fabric from around your ankles.
He gripped your calves, forcing your legs open, and you couldn’t deny the feeling of validation when he let out a groan at the sight of you.
“Christ, you’re soaked,” he settled onto the floor, hoisting you to your knees so that he could situate his face directly in front of your cunt. “S’this cause’a me, or are y’always jus’ this fuckin’ easy?” He spread your folds with his fingers, watching your slick coat him.
“You,” you breathed, moving your hips back against him, trying to encourage him to do more. “It’s all you, Cooper, it’s—fuck!”
You didn’t have time to finish your heartfelt praise; Cooper buried his face against you, thumbs hooked beneath your hip bones to keep you from moving. He lapped at you, tongue pushing against your hole and forcing his way into you.
You arched your back, trying to stretch your bound arms further down your body to grab onto something—some part of him—to ground you while he gave you what you wanted. You found his hand, still nestled between your hip and thigh, and squeezed at it. He growled, moving his hand to give you the space you needed to hold onto him.
He came up for air, admiring his work. You were dripping with the glassy combination of your slick and his spit.
He ran his fingers over your slit, rubbing gently at your clit and watching you twitch in satisfaction at his movements.
Without warning, his hand slipped back down to your hole, two of his fingers pressing into you and settling deep.
You let out a strangled sound, grinding your hips back against the intrusion and letting moans of his name fall from your lips. He scissored his fingers, twisting them slightly before finding your g-spot and letting the digits curl into it.
“Ain’t that a pretty sight,” Cooper himself was hypnotized, obsessed with your desperate movements against his leisurely pace. “Go on, baby, lemme see ya fuck yourself on my hand. Y’gonna cum, sweetheart? Gonna wet my fuckin’ fingers, y'helpless li’l thing?”
He brought his other hand to your clit, and the tips of his fingers brushed over the bud with every shaky movement you made against the fingers he had buried inside you. The pressure in your stomach began to build rapidly.
He curled his fingers again, his other hand pressing hard against your clit, and you came with a scream. Your lungs were on fire, and you felt lightheaded—either from arousal or the way the rope had begun to cut off your circulation, you didn’t know, nor did you really care.
“Goddamn,” Cooper watched your thighs tremble, your body all but collapsing onto itself as he slowly pulled his fingers from you. When he removed them, you clenched around nothing. “Knew you’d be pretty when y'came.”
“Thought—you thought about it a lot?” You teased between moments spent trying to catch your breath.
Cooper rolled you onto your back, using his knee to spread your legs again. “You in any position to be tauntin’ me ‘bout my fantasies, darlin’?”
“Maybe not…” You conceded, “Doesn’t mean I can’t try.”
“Tellin’ me y’never thought about it before now?” He was sizing you up, seeing how far you were willing to go, if this escapade would continue. “Never thought ‘bout wrapping that perfect mouth ‘round me? Lettin’ me pump you full o’RadAway after I pump you full o’my load?”
“Cooper,” your head fell back against the floor as you moaned, and you again started trying to grind against nothing.
“Takin’ that as a yes,” Cooper smiled down at you, watching you move your hips to no avail. “What’ll it be then, sweetheart? Feel like usin’ that mouth?” He pushed his thumb against your lips, and you eagerly accepted it, sucking. “Course, not really your decision…” He mused, “Given your…current state. Jus’ have t’make the choice for ya.”
You mumbled something around him that he didn’t bother asking you to clarify. Cooper removed his thumb from your mouth, using it to press against your swollen clit, and you whimpered.
“’Nd right now, I’m partial t’seein’ jus’ how deep this cunt can swallow me.” He played with you, seeing how loud he could get you to whine by applying varying amounts of pressure to your clit, smiling deviously as he did. “Whattya think, sweetheart? Y’want it?”
“Yes,” you were writhing against his hand, bucking your hips forward whenever he lessened the pressure, trying to chase the feeling of his thumb pressed rough against you. “Yes—you have no idea—”
“Got a li’l bit ‘f’an idea…”
He smirked, moving to situate himself properly between your legs on the floor. You strained your neck, trying to catch a glimpse of him when he tugged his cock free from his pants, but he didn’t spend time showing off.
He rutted against your folds, the underside of his cock dragging slowly over you. He pulled back to give himself the space to press his tip to your hole, hissing slightly.
“Keep’ose eyes here,” he had noticed your inability to keep your head up, leaning forward to grab you by the hair. He tilted your face, aiming your line of sight directly at the space his cock was taking up. “Watch.”
He pushed into you with no hesitation; one long, deep stroke, filling you completely and knocking the wind from you.
You screamed, subconsciously trying to move your arms to grab at him, pull him closer, tear him apart in the most beautiful way you could think of—until you were reminded of the restraints around your body.
The realization, the knowledge that he had total control over the scenario, made you all the more vulnerable to the stretch of him inside you; you ground your hips up into him, welcoming the feeling he was so kindly gifting you.
“There ya go,” Cooper’s jaw was clenched, sunken eyes hooded by his knit brow as his eyes scanned you. “Keep still, now. Don' want me tyin' ya tighter,” he smiled through the satisfaction, the tight, warm grip you had on his cock, "Hell, y'might want that."
He leaned into you, bringing his chest to yours and slowing his pace so that he could savor the way you felt around him.
“You look good like this,” he spoke into the crook of your neck. His tone was drenched in sex and predation, but also that of something more compassionate. “Nowhere t’go, right where y’belong.” You tilted your head back, letting out a shaky breath, and he took the opportunity to slam himself into you, analyzing the way you responded. “Maybe I'll keep ya untied nex’time, 'f'ya promise to listen."
And then he kissed you, tongue parting your lips and swallowing the noises you made for him.
You wanted to grip his face. You wanted to reach up and let your hands explore his jaw and the nape of his neck. You wanted to pull him deeper, to give him all of you.
But the power dynamic tasted delicious. The urgency he pressed into you with his mouth and hips made you feel special, heady, even; you moaned against his lips when he rammed into you again.
A thin strand of spit connected you to him after he’d parted, opting now to grab the rope around your midriff and use it as leverage to fuck into you relentlessly.
“Oh, fuck—” You tried to arch your back, but the position disallowed your body from moving too much. It left you at his mercy—hands quite literally tied. “Fuck, Cooper, I’m—please.”
“You what?” He tugged at the rope, and you whimpered, “You gonna cum f'me? S’at what y’wanna tell me? Gonna gimme another one? Show me how much you love bein’ bound up?”
You nodded, a pitiful gesture, face contorting into a salacious wince.
“Yeah, show me.” It was all he said, bringing his fingers to your clit again and massaging tight circles over it.
Your muscles strained against the feeling, tightening somewhere in your stomach before loosening completely to free the shockwave of pleasure that had been building. You cried out for him, thrashing between the floor and his body.
“Shit, that’s good,” Cooper muttered to himself, watching you come undone. “Would ask where y’want me, but we already concluded you ain’t really in th’position t’be givin’ orders.” He pulled out, moving inelegantly to straddle your chest. “Think I’ll paint ya nice.”
“Yeah—please,” two orgasms deep and foggy with desire, you honestly didn’t care what he did now as long as you got to see him cum for you. “Want it—want it on my face, Cooper, give it to me.”
“Oh, y’like that, huh?” He grabbed you by the jaw, his other hand wrapped tight around his cock and stroking it slowly. “Close yer fuckin’ mouth, sweetheart.”
You obliged with a whimper.
“Y’really do listen so much better when I got y’tied down,” Cooper spoke mostly to himself, rallying to the end of his pleasure, “Should’a jus’ tied those legs open ‘n’your hands back soon as I met ya.”
“Fuck, I would’ve let you,” you blurted, and it was the truth—you had stuck with him all this time because he was cunning, quick on the draw; you’d started following him initially because he was so fascinating, so mysteriously beautiful.
“Ain’t I tell ya to shut your fuckin’ mouth?” Cooper drawled, mouth falling slack. His hand toyed with his cockhead, concentrating his energy into his release. “Fuck—look at ya. Christ, y’want it, sweetheart? Y’want me t’decorate that pretty face?” He’d let his head fall back, speaking to the ceiling, “Here it is—shit, here y’go, darlin’.”
His cum splashed your face, and you relished the feeling of the heavy drops that landed sticky on your skin. You poked your tongue out, licking up what had landed close enough to your mouth for you to reach.
“Jesus…” Cooper was still perched above you, letting his weight sag slightly, his knees weakening beneath him at the newfound loss of adrenaline.
“How do I look?” You stared up at him. The haze began to clear from your mind, leaving you desperate to see how he’d act now that he'd gotten off.
“Prettiest goddamn paintin’ I ever seen.” He moved himself off of you, lying on his side next to you on the hard floor.
You felt a surge of relief. He left no space between your bodies, and still heaped you with his own brand of crude praise.
“Does that mean you’ll untie me?” You tried your hand at playing coy, hoping to finally get feeling back in your fingers so that you could drag them over his skin the way he’d gotten to touch you.
“Now,” he swiped his hand over your cheek, collecting his own spend on his finger, “Why would I do that?”
“Said you’d untie me next time."
“Yeah—next time,” he tilted his body towards you, giving you a sly smile that showed off his front teeth, “Never said I was done with ya yet this time.”  
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thyme-in-a-bubble · 11 months ago
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the dead ringer
buttercup, chapter three
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a/n: yeah, this did happen to me in real life, although it happened on a bus so i couldn't immediately get away... ANYWAYS! enjoy this hurt/comfort heavy chapter!
summary: “I think I know something that might help a bit.”
warnings: matt murdock x baker!reader, neighbours to lovers, rape recovery, ptsd, crying, panic attacks, matt using his superpowers for the sake of hurt/comfort, boxing
word count: 2057
∼ gentle reminder that feedback, but especially reblogs are the way you support writers on here ∽
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Drizzling the flour into the wide bowl, like a dusty snowfall, you watched the number on the scale carefully as you neared the desired number. Though just before you hit it, Walter’s head suddenly poked in through the doorway leading behind the counter and interrupted you and Howard’s all-too-important discussion on what the day’s music choice should be. 
“Hey, Y/n? There’s someone here to see you.”
Laying down the scoop still holding a bit of flour, you dragged your palms down the brown apron tied around your frame and exited the kitchen. A bright smile spread across your face and crinkled up your gaze as you spotted who was standing on the other side of the counter. 
“Matt, hey–, oh my god,” you then suddenly noticed the bruising that blossomed out from under his tinted glasses and stretched up over the patched-up scrape that split his left brow, “what happened? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, just wasn’t paying attention last night, tripped and fell, that’s all,” he waved a hand, “I just wanted to stop by on my way to work, get a round of coffees to-go for everyone and perhaps some breakfast for myself, just whatever you think I’d like.”
“You’ll let me pick?” your eyebrows rose slightly. 
But Matt simply smiled and said, “I trust your judgment,” his grip shifted gently on the cane standing tall before his chest. 
As you moved to make the coffees, “alright,” you drew out a pondering breath, “are you in the mood for something sweet or savoury?”
Thinking about it a second, he uttered, “savoury.”
“Do you like sandwiches?” you popped the lids on the to-go cups. When he nodded, you placed the coffees in a little cardboard tray, “okay, I think you’ll like this one,” grabbed a brown paper bag and moved further down the counter, “it’s made with focaccia and has pesto in it as well as some tomatoes and cheese and stuff.” 
“That sounds amazing.”
“I also–, you know what? I’ll be right back,” you then abruptly turned and momentarily disappeared into the kitchen, grabbing a few of the pillowy buns still on the cooling rack into a bag. As you returned, you also snuck a hand into the display case and stuffed a few other goodies into the sack, “just for the others, if they want,” you placed the bundle onto the counter beside the coffees, “I just pulled them out of the oven a bit ago and they’re still warm.”
“What is it?” Matt tilted his chin. 
“Uh, some raisin buns, but I also threw two croissants in there in case they didn’t like raisins...” 
A soft smile warmed his bruised features as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, “what do I owe you?”
“Oh no,” your hands waved lightly before you, “it’s on the house.”
“Y/n, come on,” he cocked his head. 
“Fine,” you light-heartedly sighed, “if you really wanna sing for your supper, then I’ll cash it in at a later date. I don’t know, maybe if I get arrested someday or something you could help me out.”
“You don’t have to bribe me with free baked goods for that.”
“No, but it sure doesn’t hurt, does it?” you chuckled. 
“No,” he joined in as he reached for the bags, “I guess it doesn’t.”
“You want some help carrying it?” you asked, hope seeping through your tone, “I could take my break and walk with you the rest of the way.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, we just got through the morning rush, they’ll be fine without me for–, I don’t know, 15 minutes or however long it’ll take to walk to your office and back.”
“Alright, thanks,” he smiled, one paper bag hooked in the fingers that also clutched the cane.  
“I’m just gonna go grab my jacket, one second,” you said before ducking into the back to do so, letting your uncles know as you slipped out of your comfortable work clogs and into your sneakers. 
You ended up dividing the load, with you carrying the coffees and the last bag in one arm, though a few protests left you at first, begging him to let you carry all of it, they melted away as his free hand enveloped yours. 
When you reached his office, your arms wrapped around his frame as you hugged him long enough for your heartbeats to sync up, and just as you pulled away, his wide palms still warm on your back, you leaned in and planted a brief peck on his scruffy cheek. 
One of his hands swept up to meet the side of your face as your lips retracted. You pulled back so slowly that you weren’t sure you were moving at all, being drawn in by his warmth like a moth to a flame. 
His nose gently grazed against yours as he let himself linger, but just as your eyes fluttered shut in expectance that he’d kiss you, his warmth withdrew and he slowly breathed, “have a good day.” 
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In a matter of seconds, you had gone from giggling, glancing down at some silly joke on your phone as you walked home, to panic instantly kicking in as a passerby’s voice pierced your soul and made your blood run cold.
Glancing around, you saw a stranger standing off to the side and yapping into his phone. It wasn’t him, it wasn’t Michael, but it sounded exactly like him, so much so that the tone sent your body right back to that very night as if no time had passed at all.
Willing your body to move, forcing it to conquer the short rest of the way home, once your front door shut behind you and your quiet apartment consumed you, painful sobs began to burst out of your trembling frame. Hyperventilating, you crashed into the nearby wall of the entryway directly across from the door, incapable of getting deeper into your home. 
Soon, a quiet and surprising knock found your door. 
“Y/n?” the worried tone of your neighbour sounded from the other side. 
Your shaky voice came out no louder than a whisper, “M-Matt?” 
There might not have been any other instances you could recall where accidentally forgetting to lock your door turned out for the better, because when Matt then tried the handle, it gently complied. 
Shutting it behind him, he rushed to you, “hey, hey,” he uttered softly, a hand soothingly finding your arm, “what’s going on?”
Attempting an answer, “I–, I–,” only incoherent sobs managed to seep from you. 
“Okay, alright,” he sucked in a controlled breath, one of his hands sliding up to the strap of your backpack, “how about we start by getting all the way inside, huh?” gently gliding it off you and resting the bag on the floor. 
You let yourself lean into him fully as he supported you on the short journey towards the couch. Wobbly taking a seat, his touch left you as he settled beside you.
Spine curving, you buried your puffy face in your trembling hands, letting the whole world drift away as small lakes were birthed within your palms from your pain. 
When the sobs eventually began to subsite, growing further and farther apart, your frame slowly unfurled. Instinctively flicking your hands before your form, you tried to physically shake even a fraction of the excruciating sensation off of you, but without success. 
Matt hadn’t moved an inch, simply stayed there right beside you. 
When your quiet voice eventually filled space, it came out broken and overflowing with emotion, “I thought it was him… it wasn’t, b-but it sounded exactly like him… I’ve done double takes every time I saw a stranger with the same haircut or felt nauseous every time I encountered the same name, but this really did sound like him. Same voice, same accent, same everything… but it wasn’t him… it wasn’t… it just sent me right back, you know?”
Hesitantly, you grasped his hand in yours, expecting the contact to only make it worse, to somehow taint and ruin his wonderful and soothing touch, but it didn’t, he didn’t. It was Matt. 
Trying to regain control of your breathing, you shakily sucked in deep breaths, feeling your gulps of air slowly become calmer and migrate from the very top of your chest, down to expand your sore stomach. Eyes only half open and utterly exhausted, you noticed that your head was now leaning against Matt’s shoulder. 
Glancing hazily down at yourself, you muttered, “fuck… I still have my shoes and jacket on…”
Reaching down, he offered, “here,” before sliding your coat off, resting it on the back of the couch, and leaning down to pull your shoes off. 
Curling your legs up onto the couch, the shift in your position offered you more relief than you’d expected. As you attempted to get as comfortable as you possibly could in the state you were in, you snatched up Matt’s hand once more. 
Offering your palm a soothing squeeze, he asked quietly, “what do you need, huh? What can I do?”
“I–…” you thought, your brain just as drained as your body was, “I don’t know… maybe–… maybe just be here a bit?”
Exhaling lowly, he flashed you a faint smile, “of course.”
Glancing down at his fingers, sweeping across your own, you said, “hey, Matt? Could you maybe–, uh… could you give me a hug?”
Not hesitating, his strong arms engulfed your quivering frame and a fresh wave of sobs swiftly bubbled out of you as he held you tight, though your cries didn’t push him away, he stayed steadfast, embracing you close till the eruption ultimately simmered down, leaving you nearly asleep against his tear-stained shoulder. 
As he gently lowered you down to lay on the couch, you tightened your grip on his shirt as he began to pull back, ushering him to sink down as well, allowing you to curl into his safe embrace and let slumber drift you away. 
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When you finally stirred, the sun was nowhere to be seen. 
“Hey,” you blinked up at Matt still in the exact same spot as before. 
“Hey,” you replied groggily, “what time is it?” swiftly fishing your phone out of your pant pocket before Matt could conjure an answer, “oh, fuck… it’s nearly midnight… did you sleep as well?”
“Not really,” he shrugged, “maybe for a little bit, but no.”
“Oh…” you breathed, averting your gaze. 
“How are you feeling?” his thumb swiped your waist where his broad palm was planted. 
“…I don’t know…” you exhaled, “…exhausted… sad… angry… really fucking angry… so angry that it kinda scares me…” 
After a beat of silence, with only your woeful breaths filling the space, Matt then uttered, “I think I know something that might help a bit.”
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Your gaze drifted from the faded paint on the walls to the worn punching bags as you and Matt sat on the edge of the central ring and his fingers worked at wrapping up your hands. 
“Do you come here a lot?” you asked, your vision gliding back to him. 
“From time to time,” he tilted his head slightly, “reminds me of my dad,” tucking the last end of the strip under the weave, securing it into place, he closed your hand into a fist and exhaled, “alright, you’re ready,” he adjusted your grip, briefly offering your wrist a squeeze as he said, “just remember to keep your wrist strong and your thumb right here,” he slid your finger down below your knuckles. 
You hadn’t gone into it with much hope, in fact, it was only out of your desperation just feel better that you even humoured the experiment. In the beginning, it did feel as silly as you��d imagined, nearly stopped completely, but at some point in the mess of it all, your punches grew more ferocious, they grew more brutal, and suddenly something inside of you snapped and unravelled. It wasn’t some magic pill, but the physical act did loosen something within you and gave away to a fresh release of sobs, though not the painful and unbearable kind you’d had to endure earlier. It was the kind that felt like relief. Even if it wasn’t permanent, in that very moment, you didn’t feel like you were drowning anymore. 
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© 2024 thyme-in-a-bubble 
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finniestoncrane · 6 months ago
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2.5k Event Request - Cooper Howard x Fem!Reader word count: 800 a/n: hi hello i am insane for tickling, it's such a sweet, soft, giggly activity and it also involves a bit of teasing and mischief, so it has cooper's name all over it!! cw: tickling, soft affection, soothing/comforting, fluff, rope bondage, teasing 🔞minors dni🔞 • masterlist • kofi link • tag: finnie2.5k (to follow or to block)
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"What's the matter, darlin'? Aside from the plethora of obvious factors that've got that pretty face lookin' so forlorn."
Cooper saddled up beside you on the worn and filthy mattress, his hands clasped in his lap as he tried to think of the next steps. Comforting people didn't come as easy to him these days, not for some time, but for you he was willing to try. Even if it meant making a few mistakes.
Breaking his fingers apart, he slammed one hand down hard against your shoulder, a gesture that was supposed to shake you out of your slump, but instead brought a small radiating pain over your skin.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"Sorry, sweetheart. Just tryin' to cheer you up a little."
"And you thought that was the way to do it?"
"A little physical comfort is usually the thing to cure what ails ya."
He smirked, winking one of his deep set eyes as you rolled yours.
"Yeah, well I'm not really in the mood for that kind of comfort. Are you capable of laying your hands on someone without the intent of hurting them?"
While you wouldn't have minded some of Cooper's usual method of physical affection, you needed something more gentle. Something a bit less wild than what he offered most of the time. Even though the knot in your stomach began to coil as he lifted your shirt off, exposing your torso to the chill of the room.
"Oh, suddenly you don't like it when I'm rough and you get a little bruised?"
"Not that I don't like it. But it would be nice to see a different side to you. Something a bit… softer?"
"Is that so, little lady?"
He tipped his hat up, offering you a clearer view of his face as he stood up. Echoes the chivalrous cowboy he once was were still present, but he was the same mischievous fiend you'd fallen for in the Wasteland. This was only emphasised as he held out a length of rope between his hands, raising an eyebrow at you as he waited for you to accept his unspoken offer.
"This is your idea of softer?"
"Trust me."
You did trust him, so you brought your wrists together out in front of you and let Cooper tie them together, watching carefully as he stood back to admire the knot Then, with his palms placed gently on your shoulders this time, he eased you backwards until you were laying down, his fingers hooked under the rope to guide your arms upwards, resting over your head.
Resting beside you, Cooper began to stroke your neck, his fingers dancing delicately over your skin as you began to squirm, pleasantly surprised by how gentle he was being and how nice it felt to have him caress you so lovingly.
"There it is, that beautiful smile. Couldn't have slept right if I'd known you weren't wearing it."
Your grin widened in response, opening into a gasp as he began kissing your throat, following your sternum down until his face was between your breasts. And with his hands now tickling your arms, fingers moving up and down slowly, he pursed his lips and blew soft, warm air across your nipples. As he watched them harden in response to the tingle of arousal, Cooper reached down to the side of the bed, fumbling around in the cabinet. When he found what he was looking for, he held it out triumphantly.
"Knew I saw it earlier. Might seem like some mangy old feather duster, but you ain't seen what I can do with one of them yet."
Cooper's laugh echoed yours, deeper and darker than your light giggle as he kissed over your stomach. His free hand lifted the duster, feathered ends still surprisingly soft, and he ran it up your thigh, groaning as you twitched when it passed over a particularly sensitive area.
Each time your hands lifted off the mattress, he gently pushed them back down, tutting slightly before kissing you again, your cheek, your arm, your hip. And when the hand was free, when he was sure you were keeping yourself in check, he tucked his fingers below the waistband of your underwear, tugging them down and tossing them to the floor. Then, with his palm pressed between your thighs, he spread your legs open, biting his lip as he watched your folds part, your cunt wet and waiting.
Your back arched off the mattress as he ran the duster up your inner thigh, his own body reacting to your wanton display of desire, the sound of your laughter as he let the soft, tickling tendrils of his tool flit over your delicate, soothed skin. He wanted you, but he could wait. Seeing you smile was enough to tide him over for now.
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ghoulfuckersincorporated · 7 months ago
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Sugar Daddy!Cooper Howard really seemed to resonate with y'all (I can't imagine why...), and I definitely heard your requests for a fic! I have a little fun something planned (and I also plan to incorporate quite a few sugar daddy habits into "Duplicity" Cooper), but until then I thought some more headcanons might be fun.
Cooper Howard loves to spend money spoiling you with things like clothes, jewelry, flowers, and dates, but he's also equally happy to spend money on practical things if it takes something off your plate and makes you happy. The first time you invite him over to your place, he brings you flowers and a bottle of something fun. The second time he comes over, he brings bags of staples to fill your pantry and refrigerator (including food for any pets, right brands and flavors and everything), saying he noticed both were a little empty when he was last over. He tells you that next time you can just go with him to pick out what you want (while definitely not just outright fantasizing about an opportunity to be all domestic with you).
He's also quick to sort out your annoying little everyday problems for you. Need something repaired, replaced, or installed? He's already called around and found someone for you, and either he or someone he trusts will be there to pay them and keep you company while the associated people are in your home.
This man will absolutely take over paying your bills if you let him. He understands that it would put you in a vulnerable position, that it would require a lot of trust, and he wants to respect your independence. That said, he thinks the money you earn should go to things you want to spend it on. Even if you play coy about it, every month he gives you more than adequate money for expenses, and you can do with it what you want. Still insists everything be in your name for your protection.
In terms of dates, he really likes to take you to new places and to experience new things. Big fan of taking you on vacation, but due to his limited free time, the two of you are often restricted to places you can get to and back from in a weekend. Still, there are a lot of nice places in that distance, and he always tries to choose things, resorts and hotels and such, that he thinks you'd like.
One of his favorite things to give you, overall, is almost entirely for him (and he will admit this if asked): perfume. It riles him up when you smell extra nice, so he's always on the lookout for new perfumes to make you try. Every time he gifts you one, you remind him that you can only wear so many scents in one lifetime. His response is that he doesn't expect you to keep them all; you can give them away if you don't like how they smell on you (save for one that he really likes; he keeps that one and asks you to wear it around the house for him sometimes). You give away several, but eventually maintain a small collection of nice fragrances, whose bottles you display on a little shelf in your bathroom. You have no idea how much some of them cost (you don't ask) until a friend of yours comes over, sees them, and basically demands to know how you got your hands on thousands of dollars worth of perfume.
He's also not shy about spending money on your interests and hobbies. In fact, he encourages you to get more into them, happily financing and supporting your pursuits. When you offhandedly mention wishing you had more free time to do whatever it is, he says you should just quit your job. He's serious. Once he proposes, you begin to really consider his offer.
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brandyllyn · 7 months ago
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Silk from their soul (21)
The Ghoul / Cooper Howard x f!reader [no use of y/n]
Rated: T Words: 2k Summary: Walking after midnight
Series Masterlist My Masterlist
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The three men are Travis, Javier, and Bossman. You knew that wasn’t his actual name but so far no one had called him anything different. He was the one that the Cowboyhad seemed to know. The youngest, Travis, was guarding you and you made a point of being overly solicitous. Giving him wide smiles and thanking him when he helped you tend to business.
The Cowboy hated it.
Every time you batted your eyelashes at the boy, or touched him on the arm, you could see a vein start to throb on the Cowboy’s forehead. It gave you the tiniest bit of satisfaction to see it. 
They were letting him walk free, for the moment, but you caught the glances Javier and Bossman kept throwing him. It had been a split second decision, saving his life. Or maybe you had just been saving yours. Could you both have survived a shootout? Maybe. But you weren’t ready to risk that just yet.
You wait til Travis is next to you and purposefully trip, grabbing for his arm as you fall in slow motion. The boy is there immediately and you let your fingers rub across the inside of his wrist as you part your lips and gasp up at him.
“Oh my, thank you so much.”
The Cowboy snorts. You ignore it.
Travis is staring at you like he’s never seen a woman before. Good, you can work with that.
“I’m so sorry, my feet are really hurting. Is there any way we could stop for a bit? Let me rest?” You twist as you ask the question, turning his hand so the back of it brushes across your breast.
Was that a growl?
“Yeah, yeah we can do that,” Travis tells you with a blank gaze. You should probably feel bad about what you’re doing but it wasn’t your fault the kid had a weak mind. He yells at the other two that you’re taking a break and after some brief bickering between the men you lower yourself next to a rusted out car and primly fold your feet under you.
“If don’t suppose you gentleman brought any food?” you ask, purposefully hiding the slightly hopeful lilt to your voice. 
“Beans,” Javier grunts, pulling a dented can from his pack. “Ain’t nothing fancy.”
“Oh!” You brighten and sit up straighter, purposefully pushing your breasts towards him. “He has my pack with my spices in it - I’m sure I could make us all something lovely.”
“What kind of spices?” Bossman asks skeptically and you hide your grin.
There were two ways to a man’s heart…
They have to cut your wrists free so you can cook and you make a point of laying a thankful hand on Javier’s arm as he does so. He blinks at you a moment before turning away and you hum a tune as you start a small fire and hang a pot over it.
“Never cooked a damn thing for me,” the Cowboy grunts from nearby.
“Maybe I don’t like you as much,” you tell him brightly, winking at Bossman. He seems startled but grins at you in return.
Yeah, someone is definitely growling. You have a pretty good idea who.
You keep them all engaged in idle chatter as you add a variety of things to the beans, including some meat from the Cowboy’s pack. His lips twitch as you do so and you try not to think too hard about what it might be.
What they don’t know won’t hurt them.
When you finish you have a passable recreation of a comfort dish from long before the great war and you offer heaping spoonfuls to the men.
“Strong men like you need a good portion,” you tell Javier, adding an extra scoop.
“I’d hate to see you go hungry,” you tell Bossman, letting your lips part and trying to look concerned.
“Bullshit.”
The word is barely audible and you give the Cowboy a quick glare before turning your attention to Travis. “Is there anything else I can do?”
You were, in short, the perfect hostess. Part and parcel of being the perfect wife. The perfect partner. The perfect everything.
The pheromones you’re giving off in droves probably help too. 
It takes a little concentration to do it, to turn on the charm that makes people’s jaws go slack and eyes cross. You have to focus on being soft, giving, keep your emotions in check. 
The Cowboy is not helping.
“You gonna serve me up a bit of that slop?”
Your smile becomes strained and you blink at him for a moment before replying. “Sure! Got a bowl?”
He holds out a beaten up cup and you give him about half what you’d given everyone else. His forehead moves, raising a non-existent eyebrow, and your lips press together as you dare him to say something.
“Thank you kindly.”
You don’t hit him with the spoon. That would give the game away.
Instead you take your meal and settle down between Bossman and Javier, close enough your knees touch theirs. The Cowboy watches you thoughtfully and you do your best to ignore him.
“I didn’t realize how hard it would be to be out here on my own,” you say after a few minutes pass. “Everything is so dangerous.”
Travis nods at you, eyes wide, while Bossman scoffs. “Takes someone hard as nails to survive out here.”
The Cowboy snorts and you quickly cough to cover it up. “I just thought I’d see the world a little bit, you know? But I think… I mean, I’m really grateful you all found me.”
“We’re here to help,” Javier says with about half as much sarcasm as you might have expected.
“Ain’t we just,” the Cowboy chimes in and you meet his eyes. 
Shut the fuck up, you try to tell him with your mind.
What the fuck are you doing? He seems to beam back.
With an overly dramatic yawn you stretch your arms out, taking a deep inhale and purposefully not noticing how the assembled company stare at your chest. “I suppose we should continue on? I’m so tired…”
The men exchange a glance while the Cowboy continues to give you an incredulous look. Bossman is who speaks up.
“Reckon we can spend the night here as good as any, sun’s about to set soon anyway.”
“Oh really?” You reach over and put a hand on his knee, concentrating all your energy on him. “That would be lovely.”
He looks a bit starstruck and you pull your pack close to you, futzing with it a moment before laying down and using it as a pillow. You keep up your internal monologue - soft, gentle, caring - while you fake falling asleep.
After a few moments you hear the Cowboy cough, and then the sound of his inhaler.
“You got enough of that shit, ghoul?”
“I won’t be eating any of you fellas in the night if that’s what you’re asking.”
A silence and then, “Well, I’d feel safer if you were tied up.”
“I bet you would.”
There’s a slight scuffle of feet, not a fight, just two people trying to move quickly, and you peek out to see two of them tying the Cowboy to an old phone pole.
“Ain’t nothing personal,” Bossman tells him and the Cowboy shrugs.
“I’ll try not to take it that way.”
You pretend to sleep on, not a single restraint on you.
It takes four hours before you’re ready to implement phase two of your plan. It’s well past dark and the snores next to you are loud enough to wake the dead. If you’re right, Travis is on watch.
He doesn’t have a chance.
You stretch with your back to him, rubbing at your eyes and feigning sleepiness. When you spot him you give a ‘surprised’ smile and move his direction with your pack. Setting it nearby you use it as a rest as you sit down.
“Got the short straw, huh?”
Travis nods, eyes focused on the fire and not the mile of thigh you may or may not be showing him. He seems like a good kid - awful line of work but a good kid. From the corner of your eye you note the Cowboy is watching you both, although he’s mercifully silent.
“Your back must be killing you,” you tell him softly. When he doesn’t reply you reach over and gently massage the back of his neck. “Oh wow, you’re so tense.”
“Gotta stay awake,” he finally mumbles and you tsk softly, moving behind him.
“Let me help with this, I’ll feel safer knowing you’re not in any pain.”
It doesn’t take a moment to find the artery you’re looking for, and Travis is in such a daze he doesn’t notice you’ve cut off the blood flow to his brain until it’s too late to fight back. You lay him down with careful hands, being sure not to let anything make noise as you do. You finish him with a shot of tranq.
“Nice work.”
Your eyes fly to the Cowboy and he’s giving you an approving smile. A quick check shows that the other two are still sleeping and you stand with your bag, debating what you might want to take.
“Take the kid’s gun,” he says quietly, “you’ll need it.”
Dammit he’s right.
You take the rifle and what ammunition you can find and turn to go before you hesitate. You glance back at the Cowboy and he quickly shakes his head.
“Don’t waste time on me, darlin’. Get yourself out of Dodge.”
With a nod you leave Cooper there, setting off into the darkness. You hadn’t killed the kid, although you probably should have, and the tranq was barely a few drops. Just what was left after Cooper had tranqed you. But it should buy you a half hour, maybe more.
It buys you a mile, give or take.
Sounds carries in the desert so when the men start shouting you can hear it echoing. A glance back at the fire shows shadows occasionally blocking it and you quicken your pace. As long as Cooper doesn’t give up your direction you should be fine til morning.
Were you terrible for leaving him behind?
You pause, staring off at the dark shape of the mountains. You didn’t owe him a damn thing, absolutely not. But also… you weren’t the kind of person to just leave people like that either.
Aren’t you? a tiny voice in your head mocks.
Visions of faces just like yours, racks of people waiting to be sold to the highest bidder. They were still there, at the facility. If you made it away Galen would just sell the next girl on the list. And the next. You were pretty sure he’d been alive since the bombs fell - who knew how long he could keep this all going.
Did you owe it to the women just like you to stop it?
Could you live with yourself if you didn’t?
With a heavy sigh you find a nearby rock and pull your feet up, waiting for the search party. It takes them a while, probably another two hours while you grow even firmer in your resolve. It’s Javier who eventually ‘sneaks’ up on you. Whacking you across the back of your head so hard you slam face first into the rock below.
Twice in two days, probably not good for you.
You come up with a curse, spitting out blood and tonguing at a tooth that feels loose. Hands immediately pull you to your feet, tying your wrists together behind your back and shoving you back towards the fire.
“Bitch,” he grunts and you try to get your wits back around you. What would you do if you were still running? How would you act?
“Please let me go,” you plead softly. “I’ll do anything.”
You stumble next to Javier as he drags you back towards the fire, hitting the dirt more than once with nothing to break your fall. He jerks you to your feet each time, muttering things to himself until you’re moving again.
“You telling me you didn’t see a damn thing?”
“I was sleeping, same as you,” Cooper’s voice drawls as you re-enter the firelight. He glances up at you and his jaw hardens. You know you must look a mess, you can taste blood and you’ve fallen face first to the ground more than once.
“There you are,” Bossman grunts, coming to stand in front of you. “Bet you thought you had us.”
Travis is nursing a black eye which you feel a little bad about. But you don’t say anything as they untie Cooper - who rubs at his wrists and gives them an assessing look - and then use those same ropes to truss you up. As they move away he takes a step closer, barely speaking above a whisper.
“How far d’you get?”
“Too far… not far enough.”
He grunts. “Lost the element of surprise now.”
“It’s fine,” you sigh, “I don’t need it.”
He turns to you with a fully quizzical look before someone’s voice calls out and he goes to sit nearer to the fire. But he watches you the rest of the night, eyes burning with unasked questions.
☢ ☢ ☢
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infiniteeight8 · 9 months ago
Note
Something with age difference and meeting again when the other is older or it could be magical.
(An additional Ask was sent to clarify that this is IronStrange.)
This is going to be very exposition-y. I got the idea and really liked it and there isn’t space to write it properly in a prompt response, but I like it enough that I don’t want to come up with a different response, either. 
Looking up timelines for this got frustrating fast, so please just take any timeline weirdness as part of the AU. 😀
-
Tony has never told anyone—not Pepper, not Rhodey, not anyone—but he’s pretty sure he met the love of his life when he was 18.
It was a weird, liminal period of his life. His parents had just died, he’d graduated college but hadn’t been inducted into the company yet, and he was in that limbo between teenager and adult. Obadiah, for better or for worse, had been too tied up in stabilizing the company after Howard’s death to worry about Tony.
Tony had been very much at sea, and he probably would have gone unrecoverably off the rails if it hadn’t been for Stephen.
Stephen should have been the first of those unrecoverable decisions, really. He was twice Tony’s age, male, and apparently free of any responsibilities or ties of any kind. To any normal person, Stephen was a panoply of red flags.
To Tony, he’d been a safe harbor. Someone who would never turn him away and never judge him. Stephen was the one person Tony could say anything to without fear. Which wasn’t to say Stephen was a simpering yes-man. God, no. He could be acerbic as hell, and he didn’t hesitate to tell Tony when he was being an idiot. He also never left, no matter how much of an idiot Tony had been.
The end, when it came, hadn’t had anything to do with Tony. There are people looking for me, Stephen had said, and if they find me here, there will be terrible consequences. I can’t let that happen. My life would be… meaningless.
Tony had argued, of course. Had sworn up and down that he could protect Stephen. But he wasn’t twenty-one yet and didn’t have the resources or the clout he had now, especially not to protect a male lover back then. He doesn’t blame Stephen for not believing him. They had two years before Stephen was forced to vanish. Tony had always assumed he was running from the mob, or something like it. 
Now, the words Keeper of the Time Stone ring in his ears as Tony stares at Stephen Strange. He’s younger than Tony, the gray at his temples less pronounced than it was before, his crow’s feet almost absent. It’s only a few years, but it’s a few years in the wrong direction; Stephen should have been almost twenty years older than Tony.
Somehow, Tony manages to shake his hand. “The Time Stone, huh?” he says. “I guess time travel must be just another Tuesday for you.”
Stephen chuckles. “Not at all. Time travel can have terrible consequences; it’s always a last resort.”
Terrible consequences. 
A giddy feeling wells up inside Tony. He met the love of his life at 18, but the love of his life hasn’t met him yet. 
The relationship never ended, it just hadn’t started yet.
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foxes-that-run · 2 months ago
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Cinema
Cinema is playful, the primary metaphor of Cinema is about a performance, seeing something is an act and wanting them, but also feeling insecure that the person doesn't feel the same. When Howard Stern asked about Cinema Harry said is about himself. He specifically didn't confirm the wide speculation that because he dated someone in film it was about them, which the question led to. I also think that metaphor would be a bit on the nose for Harry, who has also appeared in many films:
I think most of the time when I write songs, they kind of start out as my own. It’s less about taking it to someone and more about capturing what I’m going through at the time. Turning life into art is about being true to those moments.
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He also said to Zane Lowe:
Cinema's about like, I think I just want to make something that felt really fun, honestly. And I mean, I have the kind of note of writing it. It was very, I was like on a treadmill. And it's very just like me kind of going, do, do, do, do, do. Do-ba-da-ba-da-ba-da-ba-do-boo, you know? And it felt like a very fun one for me, because I used to tend to do so much writing in the studio, and it was very much like, I did this bit here, and had like the melody, and then I went home and added a little bit, and then kind of left it, and then added a little bit more, and kind of left it, and then went into the studio and kind of put it together.
Harry told us it took a long time over many sessions.
When was it written / who worked on it
That is not known when it was written, but the production notes have a hint. This is a rabbit hole of why I think (aspects of) Cinema is from the Fine Line sessions, feel free to scroll down as it's long. I do note that Harry said "like two songs" and Kid Harpoon said Little Freak and Boyfriends were first written for Fine Line. But maybe this was a draft, not 'a song' or maybe changed a lot. Kid Harpoon said:
it's funny when when you produce a song and you do it, someone gives you a song and says produce this, you kind of have to like brainstorm, how do I want this to sound? So, for example, Harry wrote that song, cinema, and kind of brought it into the studio, and we were like, okay, let's figure this out. How do we write? How do we produce this? And we, kind of, like, it would sound cool if it was like this, and kind of got some references together and kind of went for it
That sounds a rough version. Yet, it was it was co-written and produced by Sammy Witte, who worked on Cherry and Fine Line. It's the only song without a Kid Harpoon writing credit (although he said 'how do we write?').
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Sammy Witte
Sammy also worked on Little Freak which was completed for HH. In 2021 when HH was being written Sammy was working with Luke Hemmings and Sza, he may have taken time out to write a song for HH but it is odd when Little Freak was also taken out of the vault. It seems more likely to me that a version of Cinema was written for Fine Line, but developed with Kid Harpoons production for Harry's House and changed so much they did not consider it a hold over.
Pino Palladino
Pino Palladino plays bass on Watermelon Sugar, Little Freak, Daydreaming and Cinema... see a theme? Pino said:
There’s a studio in Los Angeles called Henson Studios, which was originally Charlie Chaplin’s lot. It’s quite a historical place. I was rehearsing there with John Mayer for a tour around 2017. I met Harry Styles in that studio. John introduced me to him. While we were rehearsing, Harry would sometimes come and have a listen. He’s a big fan of John’s. Shortly after, I got a call inviting me to play on a couple of songs for Fine Line, the first of which was “Watermelon Sugar.” Harry and his producer played it for me in the studio and the bass line was only partly constructed.
Kid Harpoon also said that they brought Pino in to "work on another song" and tried him on Watermelon Sugar, which made the song. So Pino, Harry and Kid Harpoon all worked on 'other songs' together, when John Mayer was also there in Henson Studios in 2017.
John Mayer
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Harry and John met in Japan in 2013 with Katy Perry - in a scene similar to what Taylor Swift described when talking about New Romantics. John plays guitar on Cinema and Daydreaming, but not on any of Fine Line. As in Pino's story above he was in the studio when they worked on Watermelon Sugar and unnamed FL vault tracks. It should be noted that John works at Henderson a lot, he has now bought it. He and Pino were there in 2021 also, I just think the missing Fine Line songs coupled with them appearing on Little Freak and Harry evading saying it is about OW is interesting.
Lyric Analysis
You got, you got the cinema
This line reminds me of a 2010 song by the same name - Cinema by Benny Benassi ft Gary Go. Harry wrote Endlessly with Gary, I expect Harry would know it this song. The hook of that song is "You are my cinema, I could watch you forever" means the muse is as fascinating as a movie. Later in Harry's Cinema he sings that he likes it when they dance for him, to me, 'You got the Cinema' means 'You've got me seated, I will watch you all night'.
It's you And I'm not gettin' over it Darling, is it cool If I'm stubborn when it comes to this? I guess we're in time If you're getting yourself wet for me I guess you're all mine When you're sleeping in this bed with me
Harry and his double entendres, the first lines could be:
wanting something specific, noting the explicit end to the song, or
Harry will not let a person or connection go
"Is it cool If I'm stubborn when it comes to this?" is similar to Taylor Swift's "Is it cool that I said all that?" Is it chill that you're in my head?" in Delicate.
Time is also something Harry refers to often, here as something running out, in earlier work Harry asked for more time, here he is within it.
The last lines are so light and sensual, to me it sounds like Harry is not convinced this person is all his, he sounds surprised and unsure they are in his bed. It makes me think of an affair, or maybe it is as in the chorus that he doesn't quite trust it.
I just think you're cool I dig your cinema Do you think I'm cool, too? Or am I too into you? Tell me what you want and you got it, love I want all of you, gimme all you got That's cinema That's cinema, uh-huh
The Chorus changes pace and tone from the verse, where the verses are uncertain and Harry's internal thoughts the Chorus and outro have a faster pace and more confidence, though Harry directly asks if this person thinks he is as cool as he thinks they are.
Here Harry will do anything for this person, he wants all of them and to give them his all unconditionally.
But the verse ends with 'that's cinema' - does he mean that's an act? Or is it too good to be true? A life like a film.
It's you Don't know why, but it feels so right to me Something in the way you move I like it when you dance for me (I just think it's—) You all the time (Time, time) In doses at night (Night, night) No roof on the drive Dust off the high And go to sleep (Go to sleep, go to sleep)
The second verse again implies that Harry can't get past this person, they feel right and he doesn't know why.
The way you move/like it when you dance line have an image of Harry watching, like a show or Cinema. This brings us back to the cinema metaphor. This line reminds me of the scene in the unreleased Ophelia which also has watching, awareness of an unreal setting and watching someone dance. Also a song from the time of Little Freak:
"I'm sittin' here starin' at you / Tokyo, Tokyo (Ha-ha) / Fantasising like people do / I miss you so, miss you so / Too far for me to lie to you / You're what I need, what I need (Ha-ha) / Affected by the way that you move / So lie to me, lie to me (Ha-ha)"
The line of ' you all the time' / 'doses at night' is a contradiction, although Harry thinks of them all the time he only sees them as night. The dose line reminds me of Medicine. And night also reminds me of 'cursing the daylight' from Daylight. Like in Daylight, Harry comes down from the night with this person and goes to sleep, he is calm and resting.
[Outro] You got, you got I bring the pop, you pop You got, you got the cinema I bring the pop to the cinema, you pop You got, you got the cinema I bring the pop to the cinema x You pop when we get intimate (Baby, you're cinema)
The outro is chaotic, it sounds exciting and fun as he is describing, Harry finally with this person. I like in the outtro how clear the chemistry is that Harry is describing, a feeling of mutual excitement and satisfaction. I love the use of the word intimate and how he sings it too. In Chicago a fan held up a sign with a poppers bottle and Harry gave it a thumbs up which is widely taken as confirmation for this section. I agree... and I'll add many have only looked to confirm one thing about poppers …moving on. Also I love his face when he reads signs.
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hotvintagepoll · 10 months ago
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FINAL POLL OF ROUND 1
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Propaganda
Hedy Lamarr (Samson and Delilah, Ziegfeld Girl)—Look. I'm sure someone has already submitted Hedy Lamarr because she was spectacularly beautiful, and a very strong lady too: she fled both an abusive marriage AND nazi persecution at a very young age and rebuilt a life for herself pursuing her love for acting all on her own!! Her career as an actress was stellar; while she began acting outside of Hollywood (her very first movie, Ecstasy, won a prize at the Venice Film Festival), she conquered American hearts very quickly with her first movie in the US, Algiers, and then just kept getting better and better. If all this isn't enough, she was also an inventor: her invention of the frequency-hopping spread spectrum radio transmission technique forms the base of bluetooth and has a lot of applications in all kinds of communication technologies. I think that deserves a prize, don't you?
Sonja Henie (Thin Ice, Happy Landing)—no idea if she counts, she's a famous skater more than anything else, but count her for the lols and i'll send you some thin mints
This is round 1 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.
[additional propaganda submitted under the cut]
Hedy Lamarr:
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The only person you can find both on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and in the Inventor's Hall of Fame--her radio-frequency-hopping technology forms the basis for cordless phones, wi-fi, and a dozen other aspects of modern life. She was also passionate in her efforts to aid the Allies in WWII (unsurprising for a Jewish-Austrian Emigree to America), and her name served as the backbone for one of the best running jokes in what is possibly Mel Brooks' best movie. Look, Louis B. Mayer apparently believed he could plausibly promote her as "The world's most beautiful woman". Is an entire website full of people going to be less audacious than one Louis B. Mayer? I didn't think so!
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Described as "Hedy has the most incredible personal sophistication. She knows the peculiarly European art of being womanly; she knows what men want in a beautiful woman, what attracts them, and she forces herself to be these things. She has magnetism with warmth, something that neither Dietrich nor Garbo has managed to achieve" by Howard Sharpe, she managed to escape her controlling husband (and Nazi Germany) by a) Disguising as her maid and fleeing to Paris or b) Convincing the husband to let her wear all of her jewelry to a dinner, only to disappear afterwards. Also she was particularly clever and helped develop Frequency-Hopping Spread Spectrum (I can't really explain it but anyway...)
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One of the most beautiful women ever in film, spoken by many critics and fans. Beautiful shapely figure, deeper seductive voice, and often played femme fatale roles. She was also brilliant and an inventor. Mainly self-taught, she invested her spare time, including on set between takes, in designing and drafting inventions, which included an improved traffic stoplight and a tablet that would dissolve in water to create a flavored carbonated drink, and much more.
Her depiction of Delilah and Samson and Delilah just lives rent free in my head. The woman was gorgeous.
Gorgeous and brilliant pioneer of modern technology and the middle part.
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acapelladitty · 8 months ago
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make ourselves like clay (from someone else's dream)
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Pairing: Cooper Howard/Lucy Maclean
Summary: Lucy discovers an old movie poster in a decrepit bar and happens to notice something 'interesting' about the main actor (AKA Lucy discovers Cooper's past as a film star). (2.9k words)
Fic Masterlist
Link to AO3
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As far as negotiations went, Cooper had been more than reasonable, given the circumstances, as he attempted to exchange some caps for the chem he needed. Hell, he was even offering a fair enough price as his stash ran low and the constant irritation of having to source new shit pressed at his attentions like a tick burrowing under his skin.
"It's a good deal, boys, and I ain't some fucking housewife who's gonna forget the value of a thing just because some handsome fellas like yourselves are talking to her."
"Listen, mutant-"
"Oh, I listen much better when we're all being respectful now." Cooper interrupted, his voice airy in a very dangerous way. "My associate and I are being nothing but gracious in these here talks."
Having quickly learned it was better to shut up when Cooper was leading a deal, Lucy instead focused on the second dealer as he pulled his attention from the ghoul to focus on her instead.
Since entering, his attention hadn't ever strayed too far from her; flitting beyween her face and her chest as he stared her out. It was repulsive and, given her recent troubles, the focus made her skin itch with discomfort as ghostly memories of harsh hands washed over her.
"Hey!" The dealer spoke to her, voice low and conversational but still loud enough for the other parties to hear him clearly enough. Reaching across the table, he flashed a smile in Lucy's direction as he reached for her arm with a grime-ridden hand. "Just so you know, whatever the mutant here is paying you for a fuck, I'll pay double, and you can enjoy the feeling of a real man agai-"
A sharp scream cut the dealers words off in his throat as a flash of movement saw Cooper introducing the heft of his knife into the back of his approaching hand, pinning the offending limb to the rickety wooden table as only an inch of the blade stood free of his patchy skin.
Chaos reigned for only a few precious seconds as the lead dealer pulled his own weapon free of his pocket - the small, rusted pistol not a patch on the enhanced gun which Cooper was pointing back at his head, accuracy unmistakable as his fingers held still and didn't falter in the slightest.
His hand mauled and bleeding profusely as scarlet dripped freely to the floor, the offending dealer appeared to almost be in shock as his screams died to quick-fire profanities and sharp gasps.
"You fuck! Danny, he fucking stabbed me! Look- look at this shit! My fucking hand, man. Ain't no stimpacks here to fix this, Dan!"
Hand never leaving the hilt of his knife, Cooper tutted out his disapproval as he twisted the blade slightly to draw a fresh cry from his pinned prey.
"The way I see it," Cooper spoke calmly over the screams as his attention never strayed from the leader he were standing off with, "you can tell your man to apologise to the lady or I'll twist this knife until his hand is so mangled even the mutts won't want it. Then I'll cut what's left of his fingers off and shove them down his fucking throat."
Dan, the leader, took the open threat in stride as he held up his palms in a vaguely placating way, a smile not covering the panic in his eyes.
"Okay folks, let's not let things get out of hand. If you let him go, I'll agree to the terms and give you what you want."
Satisfied with that, Cooper pulled the knife free with a raised browbone as he passed it off to Lucy - allowing her to hold the bloodstained blade while his other hand extended out to receive his much needed chem.
"See that, vaultie." Clicking his tongue against his teeth as the vials were gently placed into his palm, Cooper tilted his head enough to the side to catch Lucy's eye. "That's how we deal with dumb fucking manners up here."
More desensitised to the violence than she would like to admit, Lucy rolled her eyes at him as a secret pleasure blossomed in her gut that he had been so quick to defend her. Since their run-in with the human traffickers, his attitude hadn't shifted much - staying as dry and unforgiving as ever - but she had noticed a slight improvement in his rougher edges when it came to any physical touch between them as his hands were noticably more gentle.
And by more gentle, she meant that if he needed her to move he would pull her sharply rather than his previous choice which felt more akin to trying to rip her arm out of its socket. But, improvement was improvement and she respected that by playing her part in moments like this.
He never spoke about the incident, never asked any follow up questions, but the violence he had enacted towards the other half of the traffickers as they descended on their small camp had frightened her as much as it pleased that hateful voice inside her that wanted them to suffer.
She got her wish, that much was clear, and whatever guilt she would have felt was swept away as they later stumbled on the corpses of the 'product' they weren't able to shift. Rotting corpses, some with their hair still intact, all piled nude in a makeshift grave a short walk away from their camp.
Cooper hadn't commented, aside from a slight downturn of his lips, and Lucy was too busy retching off to the side to notice anything else.
That's how we deal with dumb fucking manners up here.
Because of course it was.
x-x-x-x-x
Deal concluded, exploring what remained of the little abandoned town was the last port of call before Cooper demanded that they both moved forward with their goals. The dealers, having slunk off on their merry way, didn't seem to pay them any more mind and Lucy was thankful for it as she entered the swing doors of a building, immediately seeing a bar-like setup.
"Hello?"
Allowing the word to float across the room and recieve no answer, Lucy quickly stepped inside and started looking around. Dust covered almost everything, spreading a thick mat of filth across the various bits of broken furniture, and her mouth settled into a line as she headed straight for the bar. Looking below the shelves, broken bottles littered the wood, the alcohol and liquids within having long since gone rotted or evaporated away so she ignored them for now.
Glancing at the floor, a shattered poster lay, half-tucked beneath a snapped floorboard and her fingers snatched it up out of sheer curiosity. Blowing a plume of dust free, she cleaned what remained with the sharp point of her elbow.
It was a movie poster, framed and practically preserved. The top half almost spotless - the lower half was torn away, the shattered glass having allowed it to weather with time and take any information about the image with it. Looking at the upper part in more detail, it showed a man sitting atop a bale of hay and Lucy peered closely at it.
A tan cowboy hat sat across his head, tilting up towards the sun in the background as a pistol hung lazily between the actors fingers. The words "High Noon Rodeo" were the only pieces of writing visible and they blazed across the top of the poster in a curled red font. A cowboy film. One that she hadn't heard of or seen before, not that the limited showings of old movies that her vault showed as entertainment gave her any kind of general understanding, but she knew well enough to know it was a cowboy film.
Eyes falling to the main actor again, Lucy hummed quietly as she brought the poster closer to her face. He was handsome, that was for sure. Dark hair spilled from a proud forehead, and while his expression was very serious and foreboding, there was an intenseness to his gaze that enthralled her. The clothing was fitted and muted, the colours matching the dusky background well, but her attention kept slipping back to the man's face - a tickle of something familiar knocking at her thoughts.
"Whatcha got there, vaultie?"
Startling with a yelp, Lucy whirled in place to find that Cooper had snuck up on her; his impressive size apparently not that difficult to conceal as he slithered around like a cobra, ready to strike.
"Movie poster." She answered with a smile, excited to share her findings. "Look." She held the poster up between them, careful to splay her fingers to avoid the worst of the shattered glass.
Cooper may have been good as hiding his feelings, but he wasn't completely immune to the odd slip, and surprise widened his eyes and slackened his mouth before his brain caught up with him and he settled his features into a familiar scowl.
"And?" He asked, tone short and irritated. "What good is that shit to us? Came to find you in a bar and I was hoping you were gonna show me a bottle of something I could throw down my throat. Fucking useless bit of tat you have there."
Crestfallen at the sudden aggression in his attitude, Lucy thrust the picture closer towards him as she silently entreated him to look again.
"He's handsome."
A hot discomfort trailed across Cooper's skin as Lucy unwittingly appraised him, a familiar feeling of the world being a giant practical joke on him settling across his shoulders while he rocked on his heels.
"Like I give a fuck about that, but sure, in a way. They don't make 'em like that anymore."
"Have you seen this before? I know you've been around since the bombs went off and you know more about this stuff than I do." Excited, Lucy couldn't hold back her enthusiasm as her wide eyes and batting eyelashes did everything they could to entice him into spilling some knowledge of which she was utterly ignorant. "C'mon, please?"
With an annoyed growl, Cooper met her gaze with his own, holding her eye to show her just how serious he was as he exhaled slowly, as though speaking to someone with mush for brains.
"Put that shit down."
Stupidly brave as ever, Lucy held his eye but Cooper was quick to realise his mistake in allowing her to do so as her brow furrowed for a moment before dropping to the poster and then back to him.
A horrible feeling of realisation trickling down his spine, Cooper visibly flinched as a pitched cry slipped free of Lucy's lips and her hands raised the framed poster so it sat by his face.
"Oh my goodness!" Blinking rapidly as her body seemed to vibrate with her discovery, Lucy grinned. "Holy moly! It's you! This is you! Cooper! The eyes are the same."
An intrusive thought pushed its way into Cooper's considerations as his minds eye conjured up images of just knocking her flat out with the butt of his pistol and leaving her to awaken. When out, he could hide the poster and do his best to convince her that the radiation was finally getting to her head. But, knowing Lucy Maclean, that dipshit brain of hers wouldn't let it go, even under trauma.
"Quite the insightful little vaultie." He countered with an unpleasant smile. "Where's all these brains been hiding at?"
"What was it like?" Still positively thrumming with joy, Lucy couldn't sense the danger in the air as she continued on. "I've seen pictures of the old days, before the war, and it all looked so pretty and bright. You were a movie star! Wow! And so handsome."
Babbling, Cooper waited for her to finish before catching her chin between his thumb and forefinger. The touch steadied her, stalling her words as those big eyes rounded on him.
"It was a miserable fucking experience." He offered, voice so low and intimate that Lucy visibly held her breath to make sure she didn't miss a word. "Nothing but shit and lies. Traitors ready to stab you in the back at the first chance, their knives always out and ready to take another shot as you got back up to your knees. Nothing but a flock of circle jerkers ready to fuck you over at the first get."
The delight in her expression dimming with every passing word, Lucy's eyes grew - if possible - even rounder as she held her ground and let him speak.
"You think this life is bad, sweetheart? You still got so much to learn and I aint a teacher."
His mind lost to the echoes of a previous life, one filled with pain and betrayal - the moments of joy soured by what was to come as he lost everything from his career to his family - it wasn't until Lucy whimpered that he realised just how tightly he was gripping her chin.
Releasing her without apology, Cooper took the poster from her hands and dropped it to the floor; taking great satisfaction in the sound of smashing glass as the last few shards splintered off and skittered across the floor like insects. He turned from her then, a heat in his chest making him angry with himself as he feared he had said too much, and he started to storm off, ready to leave this shithole of a town behind.
"I'm sorry." Her apology were soft, the words carrying despite how small her voice sounded, and he turned to face her once more.
Standing amongst the debris, Cooper felt his irritation spike once more as he took in the sight of her. Even just holding her ground there, her clothing stained and as grimy as his own, she shone like a beacon - her goddamn naive innocence making her stand out from the shit and decay that had rotted and engulfed everything else it touched.
He had been cruel to her. That innocence, amusing at it was upon first meeting, made her a prime candidate for being torn to shreds by the new world she had entered. So necessity had dictated that he be cruel, using her for his own gain as he antagonised her with a sick curiosity; a wicked desire to see just how far the vaultie could be pushed before she either broke under the pressure or adapted to survive.
She was a lost cause until she snapped his finger off with her teeth. There he saw it. That little spark of steel that would see her do what she needed to survive. If she hadn't inadvertently fucked his entire supply of drugs, then he might even have been tempted to keep her for longer until something more pressing came along.
But no, he had sold her and he didn't regret it.
Not even when he lay in his stupor and watched as she dropped the vials of chem by his side, keeping as true to her golden rule as he did to his own.
Lucy Maclean.
A vaultie who wasn't afraid to rip a man's tongue out with her teeth or split his throat when necessity asked for it.
And here she was, apologising for asking him a few questions, the guilt on her face making the small voice within him that still criticised his more monstrous actions feel like shit for grabbing her so roughly.
The Ghoul would treat a woman like that, Cooper Howard, not so much.
"Sorry for what? Asking some questions?" He tilted his head at her, regarding her once more before continuing to leave. "Save apologies for the things that matter, sweetie." He shouted over his shoulder.
Allowing him a slight headstart as her mind whirled with what the hell had just happened, Lucy pushed down the guilt she felt at how badly he had reacted to being reminded of his former life. She hadn't thought about it. About how painful it must be to have something nice and then end up...well, end up like him.
Dropping to one knee, she carefully pulled the poster free of the now-fully shattered frame. Her finger were dexterous as they ripped the paper, a ragged line tearing across the poster until all that remained was the image of the cowboy.
Cooper.
Lucy folded the paper carefully and slipped it within her pocket, a wicked sense of naughtiness making her smile as she kept her little secret away from her grumpy companion.
Maybe one day she'd ask him more about it.
Especially since, despite the mutations and the attitude that was utterly grim, she could still see the lingering handsomeness in his face. The missing nose was easily looked past and his face, as pitted and marked as the rugged landscape which held true on every nearby horizon, still held much of the same shape.
And the eyes.
She'd asked him for sex once, hasn't asked since, and one of the leading factors in that choice had been his eyes - the intensity of them having left her a shuddering mess on more than once occasion as she found herself pinned by his glance alone.
Staring at the exit which Cooper had recently vacated through, Lucy attempted to shove the thoughts from her mind as she made a quick start to scarper after him - not trusting the ghoul to wait for her for too long.
Links to the rest of the series:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
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physalian · 5 months ago
Text
List of “I need to calm the fuck down” music
(please reblog your own)
Most Trance Music if this list is intimidating- Usually not something you dance to, doesn’t have a lot of percussion and erratic noise. It’s supposed to entrance you.
This list spans the following genres: Pop, folk, grunge, cinematic, and rock.
Maybe I’ll make a Spotify playlist or something with all of them, idk. These are not in alphabetical order but I tried to keep multiple artist entries grouped.
I had the whole thing color-coded but Tumblr didn't like that so here's it in boring text (I still have the colored one if anyone wants it)
WITH LYRICS
Good for Me - Above & Beyond
On a Good Day - Above & Beyond
Blue Sky Action - Above & Beyond
The Hollywood Bowl Show - Above & Beyond
I Love You Always Forever - Donna Lewis
I Will Follow You Into the Dark - Death Cab for Cutie
Through the Eyes of a Child - AURORA
Retrograde - Pearl Jam
Run Boy Run - Woodkid
The Night We Met - Lord Huron
Would That I - Hozier
After All These Years- Journey
Let it All Go - Birdy
Holocene - Bon Iver
Home I/II - Dotan
Outro - M83
Flares - The Script
O - Coldplay
Fly On - Coldplay
Strawberry Swing - Coldplay
Midnight - Coldplay
Lovers in Japan (Acoustic) - Coldplay
Clocks - Coldplay
Every Teardrop is a Waterfall - Coldplay
Up & Up - Coldplay
Fix You - Coldplay
Oceans - Seafret
Dice - Finley Quaye
Medicine - Daughter
Wash Away - Joe Purdy
Upside Down - Jack Johnson
Heartbeats - Jose Gonzales
Teardrop - Massive Attack
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For - U2
Where the Streets Have No Name - U2
Beyond the Sea - Bobby Darin
Life is a Highway - Rascal Flatts
Something I Need - OneRepublic
Dead in the Water - Ellie Goulding
Mr. Brightside - The Killers
Morning Elvis - Florence + The Machine
End of Love - Florence + The Machine
What the Water Gave Me - Florence + The Machine
Sky Full of Song - Florence + The Machine
Free - Florence + The Machine
Choreomania - Florence + The Machine
Walls - Kings of Leon
While My Guitar Gently Weeps - Tom Petty/Prince
Silver Spring - Fleetwood Mac
Big Love - Fleetwood Mac
Landslide - Fleetwood Mac
Everywhere - Fleetwood Mac
Don’t Look Back in Anger - Oasis
The Albatross - Taylor Swift
The Archer - Taylor Swift
You’re On Your Own Kid - Taylor Swift
Clean - Taylor Swift
On My Way - Phil Collins
Hoppipolla - Sigur Ros
I Shall Not Walk Alone - The Blind Boys of Alabama
Send Me On My Way - Rusted Root
Manic - Cloves
Dorian - Agnes Obel
Down to Earth - Peter Gabriel
Shine On You Crazy Diamond I-IV - Pink Floyd
On the Turning Away - Pink Floyd
High Hopes - Pink Floyd
Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd
Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd
Take it Back - Pink Floyd
November Rain - Guns n’ Roses
Breathe Me - Sia
They’ll Soon Discover - The Shins
Just a Kid - Wilco
Evenstar - Howard Shore
Just Like Heaven - The Cure
Angela - The Lumineers
Scotland - The Lumineers
Nobody Knows - The Lumineers
Sleep on the Floor - The Lumineers
The Ink from Books - Sleeping at Last
Lightning Crashes - Live
Disarm - The Smashing Pumpkins
Glitter in the Air - P!nk
Silhouette - Aquilo
Water Under the Bridge - Adele
Golden Hour Album - Kygo
Stole the Show - Kygo
Wake Me Up - Avicii
Heaven - Avicii
Hope There’s Someone - Avicii
Fade Into You - Mazzy Star
WITHOUT LYRICS
Flow State (Continuous Mix) - Above & Beyond
Memory Gospel - Moby
Immanuel - Tony Anderson
Define Dancing - Thomas Newman
Haiku/Nemo Egg - Thomas Newman
American Beauty - Thomas Newman
Chasing Ice - J. Ralph
One Day - Hans Zimmer
Thunderbird/The Decision - Hans Zimmer
1917 - Thomas Newman
The Mighty Rio Grande - This Will Destroy You
The Minecraft OST - C418
The World of Goo OST - Kyle Gabler
Tessa - Imagine Dragons
Forbidden Friendship - John Powell
Experience - Ludovico Einaudi
The Aviators - Helen Jane Long
Once There Was A Hush Puppy - Benh Zeitlin
On the Nature of Daylight - Max Richter
The Beginning - Factor 8
End of An Era - Zach Hemsey
I Walk With Ghosts - Scott Buckley
The Chasing Coral OST - Dan Romer
The Luca OST - Dan Romer
Arrival to Earth - Steve Jablonsky
Tower of Joy - Ramin Djawadi
Light of the Seven - Ramin Djawadi
Into a Nighttime Sky - Jeremy Zuckerman
Greatest Change - Jeremy Zuckerman
Your Hand in Mine/Home - Explosions in the Sky
Ori, Lost in the Storm - Gareth Coker
Arrival of the Birds - Cinematic Orchestra
Fireflies - Mychael & Jeff Danna
Across the Stars - John Williams
The Soul OST - Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
The Queen’s Gambit OST - Carlos Rafael Rivera
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violetmuses · 5 months ago
Text
72 Hours - A. Aretas 💥 ❤️‍🩹
Title: 72 Hours - A. Aretas 💥❤️‍🩹
Fandom: “Bad Boys” Universe  
Character: Armando Aretas 
Pairing: Armando Aretas + Female Reader 
Main Storyline: Mike catches Armando “sneaking” back home one night. 
====
2024
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Returning to the Lowrey household, Armando Aretas walks through his own mindset, but this guy still moves enough for the next morning. 
Armando shouldered his cell phone while entering this home and chatting with someone. 
You exchanged numbers at the club and safely took public vehicles back. 
“Are you back home yet? I'm settled.” You questioned Aretas just to be sure. Miami pulled wild shit all the time.
“Yeah, gotta keep my voice down, though. Mike's asleep.” Armando tried whispering, but his accented English only rasped toward you. 
“No, I'm not.” One familiar greeting encourages Armando to pause. 
Detective Mike Lowrey, Armando's biological father, turned on the foyer lights and crossed both arms, smirking. 
“Oh, shit. Hold up. Sorry, but I need to go. I'll just call you another time ” Armando offered one of his last chances. 
“Uh, damn. Well okay. Thanks for tonight. Bye, Armando.” Your sweet tone quietly breaks his heart when you end the call. 
“Gimme your phone.” Mike gestured his hand once Armando silenced. 
Because Lowrey pushed through Armando's earlier wrath, devices irked him. 
Armando hands over his cell phone and sits in the living room, waiting. 
Bingo! Mike scored the jackpot. 
Pictures, videos, phone calls, and text messages all lined up his son's night. 
“Fun.” Armando wouldn't make eye contact with Mike. 
“Who called you?” Mike questioned his son about the phone number log. “Is it the same girl in your pictures?”
“Yeah. We hung up with each other when you caught me.” Armando said. 
Scrolling again, Mike noticed everything. Aretas mostly took pictures after dancing with you. 
"Tan hermosa.” Armando flirted in Spanish during one of these videos and angled the camera while standing behind you. Strobe lights flickered. 
“Look. Do whatever you want, but don't be stupid. Good night.” Mike returned Armando's phone and headed back upstairs, finally trying to sleep. 
Once the coast stood clear again, Aretas opened another text message thread for you. 
Armando: He's gone. 🩶 
You: Who? 👀 
Armando: My father.  ❤️‍🩹
You: Bad moment? 🥺
Armando: It's complicated. 😬
You: Ouch. 😥
Armando: Already miss you. 😞
You: Aww. Miss you, too. 💋 
Armando: Good night, mami. 😘 
You: Good night.🥰
_______
“Don't smile too much this morning. I just told my partner about your phone.” The next day, Mike ratted Armando out to Marcus! 
Snitch! Aretas thought. 
“Marcus will be here soon.” Mike continued. “Go ahead and finish your breakfast.” 
If it wasn't for Mike's wife Christine, Armando would've left the house.
______
“Armando! You might not kill people anymore, but don't act buck-wild like your father!” Marcus pulled with chaos, upset. “Read books or something.”
“Marcus, now you're overreacting.” Mike wanted to ease the situation. 
“No, the hell I'm not!” Marcus kept going. “This motherfucker pulled his trigger for a video and put you in the hospital!”
“Marcus!” Even Christine defended Armando by this point. 
“Stay paranoid, Mike!” Burnett just told Lowrey the truth. “We cleared Captain Howard's name, but you still died in front of me because of Armando.” 
“Stop it.” Mike stepped in. 
“No, listen to me. Armando saving Callie doesn't free him, either. One bad night could put your son back in prison, Mike. Watch his ass. I'm outta here.” 
Marcus walked away, leaving the house. 
“Maybe I should plan to leave if you don't even trust me.” Aretas grumbled from the kitchen table. 
“I trust you, man.” Mike then offered his true words. 
“Not enough to defend me.” Armando shook his head. “You just let him talk shit.” 
Pissed off, grabbed car keys to the Porsche and rolled out, calling you. 
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