#there was never a chance of the santa beard not winning

[andy-clutterbuck]

OK big question do you like rick with a beard or with no beard /ans of you do how long/short do you like it?

I won't cop out and say it's all good to me (even if it's true). It's 1000% the S9 Santa beard for me.

It's plush and full, still rugged but it has shape; it's not so overgrown that his jaw isn't defined. GRAY 🗣 HAIRS 🗣 ARE 🗣 LIFE. I love old men, you'll never catch me picking a beard without some gray unless I have utterly no other choice.

[fuckyeah-jessicabiel]

GQ Magazine - July 2007

The Summer of Jessica Biel

To celebrate Biel’s being in a movie actually worth seeing, we sent Adam Stein to play carnival games with her.

When I told various friends I’d be interviewing Jessica Biel, I got the responses you’d expect—jealousy, mild rage, a plea to give her a phone number because she’s the one person that a friend’s wife would give him a free pass to sleep with. The uncanny thing is, when I asked these guys what they thought of her as an actress, most of them drew a blank. They hadn’t seen a single motion picture of hers. Okay, one or two had girlfriends who’d brought them to see The Illusionist, but otherwise, nada. As my friend Taj put it: “I’m obsessed with a girl I’ve never seen move.“

Well, that’s about to change. Later this month, men across America will see Jessica being very good in a very funny movie, and the nature of their love for her will…deepen. She’ll still be inhumanly beautiful, sure, but now they’ll have to contend with genuine talent, too, and that one-two punch can be disorienting. You know what else can? The fact that despite her recent tabloid exposure, she’s actually sweet, funny, earnest, occasionally a little crude, and—if my time playing carnival games with her can be used as evidence—uniquely driven to conquer whatever stands between Jessica Biel and what she wants.

I am waiting for her at the Santa Monica Pier, sitting on a stool next to one of those games where you shoot water from a gun into a clown’s mouth. I haven’t shaved for a week, because I read somewhere that Jessica Biel likes guys with beards. I’m inspecting mine in the reflective back of my iPod when a nice-looking young woman materializes in my view. “Excuse me,“ she says. “Are you Adam?“ “Jessica?“ I ask, ridiculously. Of course it’s her, in wraparound sunglasses, an open gray sweater over a white blouse, and faded jeans. She wears checkered Vans, like Jeff Spicoli. On the pier, no one recognizes her, which I suppose makes sense: There’s little resemblance between the pinup girl and the sneaker-wearing civilian out on a Monday afternoon. She doesn’t stick out as we walk the wooden planks of the amusement park; she blends in. She is, you might say, a very chill girl.

“Can we get a photo next to a star?“ she asks, stopping in front of a booth hawking photographs with huge cardboard cutouts of celebrities. It’s an impressive, eclectic array: Bill Clinton, Mini Me, Michael Jordan, Hilary Duff, Enrique Iglesias(!), Jean-Claude Van Damme, DiCaprio in Titanic. “They’re all kind of old,“ she says. I don’t know if she means the cutouts or the celebrities themselves (because to me, Mini Me will never age). She’s only 25 years old, so it could go either way. I ask her who she’d most want to pose with. She scrutinizes the assembly and makes her call: “I’d probably pick Van Damme, ‘cause he looks the coolest.“ She takes the Muscles from Brussels over Leo—a victory of might over sensitivity. Nice.

Then she decides it’s time for the games to begin. She passes up the Riptide Ring Toss (“That one is impossible,“ she says) and focuses her attention on the Pier Plank Plunge. The PPP is basically a rope ladder suspended horizontally over an inflatable mattress. The trick is to climb, perfectly balanced, to a taunting red button placed approximately ten feet away. Press the button, win the prize—an enormous Sonic the Hedgehog. I ask her if she’s ever Pier Plank Plunged before. “Yes,“ she says, assessing the structure, looking for its weaknesses. “But I’ve never been able to achieve it.“ She begins barraging the bored-looking carny with questions. “Do you have any tips?“ (It’s all about balance.) “Have you done it before?“ (Nope.) “Has anyone ever won?“ (Yeah.) “Has anyone won today?“ (Not yet.) She turns to me, and I have to say she seems genuinely excited. “This is our chance,“ she says. “It’s our chance to win.“ I’m beginning to get the distinct impression that winning is important to Jessica Biel. “Ladies first“ being the imperative, I take the initial go-round. It’s harder than it looks. My arms shake. Everything shakes. I can feel her hopefulness—Do it, get there—but I fall off within seconds. The shame is truly surprising. I wanted to do it for Jessica and failed. She throws me a “good try“ before stepping up herself.

Jessica was a gymnast when she was younger, and the training appears to be paying off as she mounts the unstable rope ladder. (It also occurs to me that the view I currently have is one the paparazzi would kill for.) She deploys a disciplined crawl, gets tantalizingly close to the red button, reaches for it—and loses her balance, flips over, and lands flat on the cushion, laughing. “Holy shit,“ she yells. “It’s so hard. That’s so frustrating.“ The carny asks if we’d like to try again. She pauses for a moment, looking at the button, and then, with obvious reservations, demurs. “You were really, really close,“ I tell her. “I know,“ she says, still staring at it, reluctant to move, apparently, without conquering the damn thing. “That’s how it gets you.“

Next up is something called the Hi-Striker, a game in which you swing a mallet to test your strength. I take three feeble swings, each one less successful than the last. A huge Hispanic man laughs every time I bring the mallet down on the metal block, and when I exit the cage and hand it off to the female attendant, she takes one exhibition swing and makes my emasculation complete. Up goes the projectile. Ping goes the bell.

J.B. watches, rapt. “Look at her awesome stance,“ she whispers, absorbing the details, memorizing the motion. Some actors “find“ their characters via a process of internalization—investigating emotions, plumbing psychology, creating an “inner life.“ This is known as the inside-out approach. Other actors work outside-in—developing a walk, a gesture, a physicality. Look at, say, Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby. Look at Jessica Biel in the Hi-Striker cage.

Mimicking the attendant’s, her first swing easily skunks my best effort. And she improves with each attempt. She’s getting into character. As she exits the cage, there’s a look of satisfaction on her face. She returns the mallet to the attendant, who looks at me and says: “She did better than you.“ As we leave, I ask her: “Is it more technique than strength?“ She shakes her head. “Brute strength,“ she says. “You just throw it up and slam it as hard as you can.“ On our way off the pier, we pass Zoltar, the animatronic fortune-teller who turned that kid into Tom Hanks in Big. Zoltar senses us and speaks: “Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for; it is a thing to be achieved.“ Zoltar makes Jessica smile. She digs his philosophy.

Jessica Biel’s destiny, at least of late, has led her to a prominent place in the trashy supermarket gossip rags. First it was snapshots of social excursions with second-banana studs (Chris Evans, Ryan Reynolds). Then, upping the ante, there was a beach fling with a sports icon (Derek Jeter). And then, in February, she grabbed the tabloid brass ring for reportedly nabbing the world’s most eligible bachelor, Justin Timberlake. Unsurprisingly, it’s not something she’ll discuss.

One thing she is happy talking about, though, is the unladylike girth of her knuckles. We’re getting dinner at an unassuming Italian trattoria across the street from the pier when she flashes those meaty joints and describes her nascent production company. “It was almost called Fat Knuckle Films. Because I have fat knuckles. See?“ she asks. “They don’t really look that way until you start putting rings on them, and then it stops right there.“

I have to say, Jessica Biel’s chunky midfingers are endearing, human, attainable—a word she uses a number of times in our conversation, as if to remind the world that she’s just a regular girl from Boulder, Colorado, who happens to have been called, by Esquire magazine in 2005, the Sexiest Woman Alive.

“At first I felt really embarrassed about it,“ she says. “You know, it’s a weird thing to talk about. Like, ‘Hey, guys. Guess what?’ You don’t just go telling everybody that.“ She shifts her weight forward and goes on: “But after I got over that, I just started to embrace it. I started thinking, If I ever do have kids, and if they have kids, I can tell them: ‘You know what? Your grandma in 2000-and-whatever was the Sexiest Woman Alive. How about that, kids?’ That’s what I started to think about. I’ll always have that picture to say, ‘That’s what Granny used to look like.’ “

Before coming out here to get my ass handed to me at the Hi-Striker, I immersed myself in Jessica Biel’s Collected Works. She got her start in the mid-’90s on 7th Heaven, the WB dramedy that made a splash with the moral-values set, before leaving around 2002 for bigger (and badder) things. It’s been a grim scene ever since: Summer Catch (2001), which starred Freddie Prinze Jr. and stands at number forty-nine on Rotten Tomatoes’ 100 Worst- Reviewed Films of All Time. The Rules of Attraction (2002), notable only for Fred Savage shooting heroin between his toes and saying things like “I can feel my dick.“ (Remarkably, Biel comes across as fresh and charming, despite the astonishing pointlessness and nihilism of the flick.) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003), which was Biel’s first top billing and is her biggest box-office performer to date, with a take of about $80 million. J.B. screams her head off throughout the movie and is entirely believable in distress, but you can’t help thinking as you watch her, There’s got to be better material than this. Sadly, no. There was an atrocity called Cellular, in 2004, and Blade: Trinity that same year (in which Biel kicks much undead ass as a midriff-baring vampire hunter). But the nadir has to be London, in ’06, a delusional piece of trash that starts off with a sex scene, Biel on top, saying, “Are you coming? Are you coming?“ before she proceeds to another not-quite-dignified act and then dips out of the frame to, presumably, swallow. Like I said, a grim scene.

And then, just in the nick of time, salvation arrived. A script called The Illusionist, to star Edward Norton and Paul Giamatti. There was a problem, though. The filmmakers didn’t want to give Biel an audition. They weren’t convinced the vampire-hunting Hollywood creation could rearrange herself into the role of a refined fin de siècle Hungarian duchess.

But Jessica Biel has a hard time taking no for an answer. And when another actress “dropped out“ of the film, her tenacity paid off. They finally brought her in. She arrived wearing a full period costume. She made them take her seriously, she says, and three days later, an offer arrived.

The Illusionist wasn’t what you’d call a “hit,“ but it got good reviews, made decent money, and changed the industry’s perception of her. Doors that were closed began to open. They just weren’t opening fast enough for her taste.

She sets down her after-dinner tea and says, “I want choices. I want options. I want to lay out all the directions I could go and have the ability to choose. I’m slowly starting to have that now.“ It’s the “slowly“ that kills her.

One film that will almost surely expedite the process is I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, which will be released this month. It stars Adam Sandler and Kevin James as two Brooklyn firefighters who pretend to be a gay couple in order to receive domestic-partner benefits. J.B. plays the female lead, their hoodwinked attorney who falls for Sandler by the end of the picture.

Chuck and Larry is Jessica’s first real shot at popular, mainstream film success. Unlike her previous big-budget endeavors, it doesn’t rely on CGI or fetishistic weaponry to make its points. It is also—apologies to Freddie Prinze Jr. —her first comedy.

“It was a little bit intimidating,“ she says. “I really admire Adam and Kevin, but then, I didn’t try to equal them or one-up them, and the character I created didn’t have to be that. She’s the straight woman, but very fun and very cool and just—attainable. That’s the kind of part that I’d like to play more. I mean, a vampire hunter? Is that really attainable? I’d just like to play something a little more quirky, interesting, outrageous. And uninhibited.“

“You’re not worried that she can do comedy,“ the movie’s director, Dennis Dugan, tells me. “You can tell she can do comedy. So we just met her and cast her. I really think she can have one of those diverse, Oscar-winning careers. As far as I’m concerned, there’s no horizon to her talent.“

The sun has gone down, and we’re standing on the sidewalk in front of the Italian joint, across from the pier. I’m holding a small stuffed Spider-Man doll that Jessica won as a prize back at the amusement park and which she’s given to me to give to my son. I ask what she’s doing tonight, and she says she’s playing chaperone to a girlfriend on a first date. “Basically, I’m her wingman tonight,“ she says. “I’ll probably slip away if it’s rolling along well.“

She graciously agrees to a photograph with me, which I would include except for two reasons: (1) I don’t want to make Justin Timberlake jealous, and (2) you never quite understand how unattractive you are until you see yourself in a picture with Jessica Biel.

I watch her as she walks toward the pier. I know it’s where her car is parked, but I have this image of her heading straight back to the Pier Plank Plunge. The carny won’t know who she is, nobody on the pier will recognize her, and she’ll just hand over her fiver and go at it. That red button, almost within her reach. Attainable.

[charmsandtealeaves]

One More Sleep

Summary: A little Sirius and Remus raising Harry Christmas fluff. Three year old Harry is very eager to catch Santa Claus delivering him presents for the first time.

Words: 1K

Read it on AO3 or below the cut.

Sirius had tasked Remus with sneakily placing presents under their christmas tree and making their lounge room look like a jolly fat man had been to visit. Which left himself with the job of putting his eager godson to bed, and staying in said bed. Usually this task was a breeze as young Harry was always eager to please, however Sirius was quickly realising that he may have bitten off more than he could chew. After weeks of promising  and slowly convincing Harry that unlike at his aunt Petunia’s house where Santa never left gifts for him, at Padfoot’s he was 100% going to be able to open presents on Christmas morning it seemed the young lad had finally chosen to believe him. Which had prompted him in true mini marauder to want to catch Santa in the act of leaving presents under the tree. 

“Santa won’t come see you if you aren’t tucked up in your bed pal. That’s the rules,” said Sirius as he leaned down to give his godson a kiss on the forehead. 

Which was a custom he’d taken to do every night, knowing that Harry had received very little signs of affection during the few years he had lived under the Dursley’s roof. Which he had done for the year prior to Sirius winning custody in the muggle courts. When Sirius and Remus had first brought Harry home, he had been the quietest and most placid toddler either of them had ever met, especially considering their previous experiences had involved the Weasley boys. But finally after ten months living under their roof, Harry had started to push boundaries in true three year old fashion. 

“But Padfoot! You promised Santa would come no matter what!” Harry whined, wiggling so his blankets untucked from the sides of his bed. 

“He will buddy. So long as you’re in your bed.” Sirius shoved the sheets and covers back into place, only for Harry to wiggle his way out again.

“Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy”

“Well you might get covered in soot when he comes down the chimney,” he supplied. 

“When we go in the fireplace Uncle Moony just waves his wand. You can do it too!” Harry pleaded. 

“Santa might get a fright seeing you out of bed. We wouldn’t want to frighten him now would we?”

“We can hide!” 

Harry pulled his dad’s invisibility cloak out from under his covers. He’d taken to sleeping with it at night since Sirius had managed to get it back from an affronted Albus Dumbledore. Merlin’s pants, this kid had an answer for everything! Why had he had to inherit his fathers knack for mischief and his mother’s big brain?  

“I tell you what… Uncle Moony is like the mastermind when it comes to rules. So I’ll go ask him. But you stay here while I go ask okay?” 

This statement seemed to finally placate Harry, who fidgeted but stayed in his bed. Sirius made sure to lock his bedroom door with a silent charm for good measure as he took off down the corridor to find Remus. Absorbed in his task as ‘Santa’ Remus didn’t notice when Sirius frantically entered the room, constantly checking over his shoulder for a small boy who was getting very good with controlling his magic. 

“Moony we have a problem,” Sirius stage whispered. 

“Did he wet the bed again? His quidditch sheets are in his cupboard. I washed them earlier in the week.” 

“No… he wants to sneak out here and watch Santa leave his presents. I’m running out of answers to give him about why he can’t.”

“So let him.”

“What?!”

“Just come out here and sit with him under the cloak chances are he’ll probably fall asleep and we can just carry him back to bed. I can charm my hair and beard. It’s not a biggie Pads. Stop worrying,” Remus teased. 

Sirius raced back to the bedroom to find Harry standing on his bed, bouncing from foot to foot in anticipation. “What’d Moony say? What’d he say?!”

“Moony says so long as we stay really quiet and hide under the cloak we should be okay.”

Harry squealed with glee and jumped up and down on his bed excitedly clutching his invisibility cloak. Sirius picked him up off the bed and carried him in his arms through to the lounge room, where Remus was nowhere to be seen and the presents that had already been stacked under the tree had been covered with a disillusionment charm. He snuggled down into the big armchair Remus liked to read in and cuddled Harry in the crook of his arm. Harry draped the cloak over them, though it mostly just covered Sirius’ torso and head, his legs and feet sticking out the bottom. Harry’s body was entirely covered and that’s what counted. 

“Is Uncle Moony coming?” asked Harry.

“He’s in bed, sweet thing.”

“Is he feeling poorly again?” he asked worriedly, bottom lip wobbling. 

“Just a little bit. He’ll be okay tomorrow. Promise.”

Harry snuggled into Sirius and they watched the fireplace expectantly. Remus had let Harry help him earlier in the evening, set out a plate of chocolate biscuits for Santa and carrots for his reindeer, alongside a glass of milk on the mantelpiece. They waited a few minutes longer and the fireplace glowed green indicating someone was about to step out from the floo network. Sirius had to hand it to him, Remus was a genius, despite knowing it was him beneath the white hair, beard and ruby red overcoat Sirius hardly recognised him. Harry was purely delighted, clamping his hands over his mouth to try stop himself from making noise and kicking his legs excitedly in Sirius’ lap. 

They watched as Remus inspected their plat of offerings, dunking a biscuit in milk and tucking the carrots into his coat pocket, green tendril ends sticking out. Then he moved to the tree where he revealed the presents, Sirius assumed his wand was tucked up under his oversized sleeves somewhere. He turned to the invisible Harry and gave him a small wink and a tip of his hat before climbing back into the fireplace and disappearing again in a roar of green flame. 

“Did you see! Padfoot! Padfoot!” 

“I did. Now come on you off to bed. We can open presents in the morning with Uncle Moony when he wakes up.”

“Okay!” Harry cried and raced off towards his bedroom. 

[hardcasey]

Snow Warning

Pairing: Codywan (nothing explicit but it is hinted at/implied)

Summary: The 212th get to spend a day in the snow after a deep freeze temporarily disables all their equipment.

Word Count: 2.2k

Ratings/Warnings: T (for swearing)

Includes some mild anti-Jedi sentiment, some light criticism of Obi-wan, a fuck-ton of Ki-Adi-Mundi hate (I promise it makes sense in context 😂)

A/N: This is my gift to @glimmerglanger for the SW Secret Santa Event put on by @starwarsfandomfests. I hope you enjoy.

I've never written for Codywan before and was a little nervous since the power dynamics between them (and all Jedi/clone relationships) can get a little iffy/icky fast. My main goal was to try and tell a large portion of it from Cody's perspective because I don't like when he gets sorta sidelined and made into a prop for Obi-wan's story, though it does dig into a bit of Obi-wan's pov because, after all it's about the mutual pining babey 🤌. Overall this was a fun challenge for me and I hope everyone enjoys! Happy holidays.

The sound of comms pinging rippled throughout the 212th’s barracks as the emergency message went out. One by one the troopers pulled up the message to read it:

ATTENTION. DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER, ALL GAR PERSONNEL ARE ORDERED TO STAY IN THEIR BARRACKS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.

The room was filled with a low murmur as the troopers started to discuss amongst themselves. Since when did the Republic care enough about the safety of the clones to keep them from going out in dangerous weather conditions? The memory of marching through the deserts of Geonosis in full gear and with minimal water and other supplies was still fresh in a lot of the mens’ minds. Still, they were happy to comply with the order for now. Any chance to avoid the biting winds and stinging cold of Mygeeto was a win in their book.

Not fifteen minutes later, Cody and Obi-wan came to fill them in on the real situation. Apparently the Republic, in all their wisdom, had failed to properly winterize a good portion of the equipment brought to the planet, meaning many of the landing pads, starships, and AT-TE’s were covered in ice and inoperable. All of the usable gear was being diverted to the 21st Nova Corps and there was really nothing that could be done except wait for the temperature to rise enough for the ice to melt.

“The 21st is still working then? Do they need reinforcements?” Boil asked once the explanation was finished. The 212th had come to Mygeeto to provide support for the 21st Nova Corps, scouting and securing strategic locations a ways away from the bulk of the fighting. Staying indoors while their brothers fought for their lives felt wrong.

Cody shook his head. “As of now they don’t need any assistance. The deep freeze may have messed with their gear but it also seems to be messing with a lot of the Seppies’ systems too.” Though he doubted even if all their gear was frozen solid the 21st would be off the hook. Their siege of Mygeeto was critical to the war effort and their Commander, Bacara, was a well known hard ass.

“Well, what are we supposed to do until then, Commander?” Wooley piped up from somewhere in the back.

“Officially… we are to stay in the barracks until further notice.” Obi-wan said, rubbing his beard.

“I’m sensing a ‘but’ in there, General,” Waxer replied with a barely concealed smirk.

“But…” Obi-wan paused for dramatic effect, making Cody roll his eyes, “I think that it’s a silly order and that if we want to go out and enjoy the snow day then dammit we will.” Why did he and his men have to miss out just because Ki-Adi-Mundi was a perpetual stick in the mud, allergic to any possibility of fun.

Obi-wan chuckled as the room was filled with a chorus of ‘oooohs’ followed by cheers. Cody looked on from the sidelines as Obi-wan started to explain to the boys exactly what a snow day entailed.

Despite fighting by the Jedi’s side for years now, he still wasn’t sure how to feel about the man. Kenobi was a fine General and a good man. He seemed to care for the men under his command a great deal. He was friendly and personable and knew them all by name. He often went out of his way to limit casualties whenever possible and wasn’t scared to throw his weight around to get them better benefits and gear. It was more than could be said about most Jedi. He highly doubted General Mundi did all that much for his men. But at the same time, there was a haughtiness, an arrogance to the man that often rubbed Cody the wrong way. Obi-wan liked to be the center of attention, the hero, the savior, an impulse that had led to some disagreements in the past. But at the same time Obi-wan allowed him to disagree, encouraged him to voice his opinions even if that meant harsh criticism.

The man was a walking, talking contradiction and Cody hated that he still hadn’t been able to fully figure him out yet. He was normally good at that, it's what made him a such a good Commander. All of this left him feeling off kilter around Obi-wan at times. More and more frequently there were moments between the two of them that turned into something… charged. Charged with what you ask? Cody couldn’t answer if he tried. He doubted Obi-wan could either. It just felt like they’d stare at each other for a moment, both waiting for some sort of pin to drop. But Cody had been too busy to really examine that for too long so he did what he did with all the rest of his complicated emotions: shoved them down into the deepest reaches of his mind where they’d never see the light of day again. He had a war to win.

If nothing else, the one thing that Cody could say about his General is that he wasn’t Skywalker. Poor Rex. As the men donned their winter gear and followed Obi-wan outside, Cody resolved to call his little brother. If anyone deserved a kriffing snow day it was him.

~~~

After a quick huddle where Cody and Obi-wan reminded the men that they could be called back for duty at any moment, everyone broke off into groups. One group, led by Oddball, who Cody trusted not to stray too far, decided to go head down the hill to go check out the frozen lake nearby. Another group, made up of Crys, Longshot, and Threepwood, picked out a spot a little ways away to start creating a fortress out of snow.

Waxer, Boil, Wooley, and Gearshift stayed near where Cody and Obi-wan stood supervising and immediately started playing around in the snow. Waxer and Boil quickly devolved into throwing snow into each other’s faces and trying to shove some down the back of the other’s shirt, their laughter echoing across the still and quiet landscape.

Obi-wan turned to the two troopers not occupied. “Have you two ever made snow angels?”

“I’ve never seen snow before coming to Mygeeto, so no, sir,” Gearshift replied. It didn’t snow on Kamino, it just rained and rained and rained.

“Same for me,” Wooley added. “Aren’t Angels those aliens from Iego? General Skywalker told me a story about them a while ago.”

“Of course he did.” Obi-wan said with a sigh. Really, If Anakin was trying to hide the little fling he had going on with Padmé, you’d at least think he’d stop telling the story of how he fell in love with her.

“Nevertheless, snow angels are just called that because they resemble the Angels. You make them like this,” Obi-wan said before flopping onto his back and waving his arms and legs back and forth in the snow. Wooley and Gearshift followed his lead, making snow angels of their own.

“Wait, how do I get up without ruining it? I can’t do a 15 foot vertical leap, unlike some people.” Gearshift asked once he was done.

“Allow me.” Obi-wan held out his hands and used the Force to float Gearshift up into a standing position away from his snow angel.

“Ooh, do me next!” Wooley shouted from his place still on the ground. Obi-wan acquiesced with a laugh, a cloud of his breath visible as he did so.

The two troopers ran to join Waxer and Boil and showed them how to make snow angels as well, before the four of them ran off to check out what their brothers trying to make a fort were up to. Cody could barely make out the words ‘snowball fight’ over the sound of the wind.

Obi-wan turned to say something to Cody, only to find his Commander tucked deeply into his heavy coat, shoulders pulled up to his ears and chin drawn close to his chest. As he looked closer, he thought he could even see his teeth chattering slightly.

He cocked an eyebrow, “Don’t like the cold, Commander?”

“Not one kriffing bit, sir,” Cody answered, his voice muffled as he tugged his scarf tighter so it covered his mouth and nose, “You?” Only his brown eyes were visible as they flickered towards him. Obi-wan liked this better than Cody’s usual helmet. His eyes were so expressive for such a buttoned up man.

“One snow angel is about all I can tolerate. Five minutes and I’m over it,” Obi-wan replied, a gust of wind making him step closer to Cody, their arms now touching.

“But weren’t you the one who suggested coming out here?” Cody accused with a laugh.

“I thought the boys could use a little fun in between missions,” Obi-wan said with a shrug. “It beats making them run drills in the gym all day like fucking Mundi suggested. “

“Fucking Mundi,” Cody echoed. Personal experience and stories Obi-wan had shared told him everything he needed to know about the man. He wasn’t a fan, to put it lightly. “To be fair to him though, that does sound more like it was Bacara’s idea.”

Obi-wan chuckled, “You make a fair point.”

Their eyes met again and Cody felt that charge in the air again, as if there was a current just below the surface of his skin. It lasted for a beat before his eyes broke away. They watched the other troopers in a comfortable silence, the two of their arms still pressed together.

The sound of voices behind them made them turn around, finding Oddball and the rest of his group returning from the frozen lake.

“What is everyone up to?” Oddball asked once he reached the pair.

“It seems that your brothers created some forts and are currently amassing quite the stockpile of snowballs over there,” Obi-wan replied.

“You know what that means, boys?” Cody shouted.

“Snowball fight!!!”

Their group dashed over to the forts, splitting off into two teams, one led by Obi-wan and the other by Cody. Snowballs started flying through the air as the battle commenced, and it seemed like both teams were pretty evenly matched.

Obi-wan hurled a snowball in Cody’s direction and he just barely managed to dodge out of the way as it whizzed by his right shoulder. Behind it was the power of something else, the remnants of a shockwave caused by a Force push.

“Hey, using the Force is cheating, General!” Cody chided as he grabbed another snowball.

“What one calls cheating another would call strategic manuverin-” Obi-wan started to quip, though he was interrupted by a snowball straight to the face, Cody taking advantage of the opening as soon as he saw it.

Obi-wan started to laugh as he shook the snow off and Cody giddily joined in, only to be interrupted by his own snowball to the face. Everyone looked to find the source of the snowball and found a shiny with his arm still outstretched. He gave everyone a sheepish grin as they all turned his way.

“Nice throw, trooper,” Cody praised him after wiping the snow away.

The snowball fight raged on until there were only two left, Waxer on one side and Boil on the other.

“So this is how it ends, brother against brother” Boil said melodramatically.

“It doesn’t have to be like this brother. We don’t have to fight,” Waxer said, clutching his arm to his side and coughing as if he’d been wounded.

Boil threw down his snowball and rushed to where Waxer had collapsed against a snowdrift. As soon as Boil had him in his arms, Waxer pretended to die, dramatically throwing his arm across his forehead before coughing a few more times and then falling still.

“Nooooo,” Boil yelled towards the grey sky. Everyone else burst into a fit of giggles at the pair's antics, no doubt the result of watching too many cheesy holofilms.

~~~

The snowball fight had left everyone tired so they all filed back into the barracks. They stripped their now wet clothes off and took showers to warm up before pulling a mess of pillows and blankets into the common room to settle down for a holo.

“Who wants cocoa,” Wooley informed everyone as he came into the room, a tray of steaming mugs balanced precariously in his hands. He handed out the mugs to everyone as the holo started.

“Do either of you want-” he started to ask Obi-wan and Cody, only to find the two of them tucked underneath a heavy blanket, fast asleep with their heads resting against one another.

Wooley smiled as he turned back to the movie. “That’s the cutest shit I’ve ever seen,” he mumbled to Crys.

“I know,” the other clone responded with a nod. It was an open secret amongst the men that their Commander and General had a thing for each other. It was a frequent topic of discussion in locker rooms or in their bunks before lights out. Right now the biggest debate was over if either of them were even aware of their feelings yet. The consensus was no, though they weren’t sure how much longer that would last.

[demonwifey]

Mommy’s Kissing Who?🎄🎅🏻

Hey guys! Hope you all had a safe and amazing holiday! So this idea literally came to me right after listening to “I Saw Mommy Kissing Beetlejuice” and knew I had to post it for you guys to see. While you’re reading this just keep in mind I didn’t make the reader’s daughter Skye even though she was the one signing it. I’m bad at names so you’ll see the daughter go by she and her for the entire thing. Think about if you had a daughter and what you would name her. Hope you guys enjoy!💚💜🖤  

Beetlejuice x black+fem!reader

Warnings: cursing, hints of sexual themes

Word count: 3,688

“I can’t believe I’m gonna ask this but, Beej, just please try to be on your best behavior.” You practically begged, clasping your hands together near your chest for added effect. 

The demon man let out a hearty laugh before snapping his suspenders against his chest. His costume was like a mix between his normal suit and an actual Santa costume: red and white striped, his regular boots, and a Santa hat to top it off. You thought his overgrown green beard would’ve been a giveaway to your child at least. 

“Come on, babes. Give me a little credit! I’m gonna be the best damn Santa these twerps have ever seen.” He reassured you. His confidence should’ve made you feel at ease but it didn’t. No that it mattered, it was too late to turn back now. You both looked up as the Scout Leader announced his arrival from outside the small room you two were in, basically queuing him to come out. 

“It’s Showtime, babes.” He said to you and gave a flirtatious wink before walking out to the young girls yelling in excitement. 

You watched as they all scurried to huddle around him. You watched your daughter closely, thankfully she didn’t recognize Beej and the other girls didn’t notice anything off. Maybe he was right, you should’ve given him more credit. You straightened your dress and fixed your hair out before making your way over the other parents as they all watched with joy. 

“HO HO HO! Merry Christmas, you little shits!” You heard him yell loudly across the room. 

You stopped in your tracks and your eyes widened almost comically at the sentence you just heard. You prayed to any other worldly being out there that it was only your imagination. When you looked up at the other parents, you could see it wasn’t. Their faces matched yours and they quickly turned their eyes towards you. Yeah, this was going to be one long night. 

****

You didn’t know how you could’ve ended up in a worse position. You were in charge of one thing for the Girl Scout’s Christmas party: get someone to play Santa Claus and have him hand out the girls merit badges. All the other parent’s handled things like food, decorations, etc. It’s not like it was a hard task for you to do. Hell, you found and booked a guy at the beginning of the month. Everything was fine on your end, until two days ago. Your Santa Claus called saying he was sick with the flu. You’d already had a few mishaps with Girl Scout events in the past, so this was your chance to show the other parents that you weren’t a total screw up. Yet here you were on your laptop, scrambling through different websites to try and find a new person to play Santa. 

“Hey Mommy, which shoes should I wear for the party tomorrow?” You heard your daughter’s perky voice ask from behind you. As a reflex, you quickly slammed your laptop screen down and looked at her with wide eyes. She stood behind the couch with each hand holding one shoe from a different pair. 

“Hmm, I think I like the black ones better. They’ll match your badge belt.” You faked a casual tone. 

She looked at the shoe you chose, like she was thinking for a moment, before nodding in excited agreement and running back to her room. You strained a smile as you watched her go before letting out a frustrated sigh and once you heard her door close. You were doing this, not just for the other girls, but for her as well. Your daughter always got so excited when someone mentioned Santa. How shitty would you feel if you had to watch her face turn to disappointment when they were all told Santa wasn’t coming? The mental image alone made your heart sink to the floor. You leaned forward to drop your head into your hands and let out another sigh; this one being much louder. 

“Hey, keep making noises like that and I’m gonna get turned on, babes.” You heard a familiar voice coming from the side of you. 

You didn’t even need to move your head to know it was Beetlejuice. You loved the demon to death but right now, you were in no mood to joke around. You could tell he sensed that when you didn’t respond. You didn’t see, but he awkwardly scratched the back of his head before sitting next to you. He placed an equally awkward hand on your back and started rubbing circles on it. 

“Uh, you’re not gonna start crying are you? I’ve always been bad with that sort of thing. I mean, I had to watch The Notebook with Adam and Barbara one time and I had no idea what to do. They just started sobbing and saying “If you’re a bird, I’m a bird” to each other and it was the stupidest thing I’d seen-” And you stopped him before he could finish. 

“No, Beej, I’m not gonna start crying. But, God, do I want to.” You said while sitting up, his hand still rubbing circles on your back. “It’s like I had one job and it went straight to shit in one day. I’ve looked everywhere for someone to play Santa last minute but they’re all booked! And I don’t have any family members or friends that are free either. Ugh, as if they’d actually do it.” 

The room fell silent for a moment. There was no point in even opening up your laptop again. Not to say you gave up...but you basically gave up. 

“What about the kid’s sperm donor? Maybe the Christmas spirit has him feeling less like a piece of shit.” Beetlejuice spoke; half joking, half serious. You scoffed but then let out an actual laugh. He moved his hand to around your shoulder before and you laid his chest. Your fingers started absentmindedly playing with his tie.  

“If you’re referring to her father, he hasn’t been around since she was one. I doubt anything would make him less of a piece of shit.” You responded. You hated the guy for running out on you and your daughter but you’d never have him around Beetlejuice. You already knew Beej would have murder in his eyes as soon as he’d walk through the door. You moved your neck upward to give him a quick kiss on the cheek, showing that you appreciated his attempt to make you feel better.

“Well, at least this'll be an excuse to ruin Santa for her. Just walk in and say “SANTA ISN’T COMING BECAUSE SANTA ISN’T REAL!”. Rip the band aid off. It’ll be great.” He joked, looking down at you with a sinister grin on his face. There was no doubt in your mind that he wasn’t joking. 

You let out a defeated giggle before flipping his tie up to hit him in the face. You were about to give him another kiss before you heard your daughter’s voice again. 

“Beetlejuice!” She screamed before running around the couch to jump between you two. You both laughed at her sudden presence before Beetlejuice placed a hand on her head. 

“What’s up, anklebiter? Have too many sugar packets before bed?” He joked and her own laughter wasn’t far behind. She quickly climbed on top of his lap and pulled out two of her favorite scrunchies from her pocket. 

“No, silly! I need your opinion. Which scrunchie would look better for my hair tomorrow?” She asked, much like asked you about the shoes before. 

Beetlejuice was always so good around your daughter. Most guys you knew ran for the hills when they found out you had a kid, but somehow, this rude and crude demon didn’t. Maybe it was all the time he’d spent with Lydia but he fell into the ‘cool dad/uncle’ role very quickly. Not that you were begging to have that figure in her life, it was still nice to watch them interact so naturally. You laughed as Beetlejuice plucked the different color scrunchies out of her hand and examined them closely. 

“Nope, neither one will do.” He twisted his face at them before tossing them both to the side. Your daughter only blinked in confusion as she watched Beetlejuice reach into one of his jacket pockets. 

“This one is way more suitable!” Suddenly he pulled out a black and white striped scrunchie with a glitter covered green and black tulle bow at the center. You’d been with Beetlejuice for a while so thankfully the both of you were used to his magic. Your daughter squealed in excitement and grabbed the scrunchie out of his hand.  

“Beej, you can’t keep giving her presents before Christmas.” You laughed, still watching her as she gawked at her new accessory. The demon man ignored you, knowing he was only winning her heart more and more each day. “Alright, now what do we say?” You asked, giving her a knowing look.

“Thank you, so much BJ! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” The child didn’t hold back her enthusiasm as she jumped to give him a tight hug. Beetlejuice let out his usual scratchy laugh while giving her a few pats on the back. 

You watched their interaction before squinting, an idea popping into your head. 

“There’s no way...” You thought to yourself, but the image stuck in your head. Once you saw it, you couldn’t unsee it. From his perfect chubby body to his earthy laugh, you could tell he was the perfect fit for your idea.

“Alright, mini me, time for bed.” You shook yourself away from your thoughts and placed a hand on her head. She turned to face you with a large pout on her face. You stopped her before she could even protest. “Teeth and pajamas, now. I’ll be in to help with your hair in a minute.” You said softly but sternly. 

The girl turned to Beej for help but he only shrugged, already knowing not to protest against you. She dropped her shoulders in defeat before saying thank you one last time and giving him her own cheek kiss. She soon shuffled away to get ready for bed, still giggling about the scrunchie.

“Ya’know, doll. I like it when you get tough. It really does something to me.” The demon man wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. You rolled your eyes before making your way over to him. You swung one leg over his lap and straddled him, using your hands to hold and squish his cheeks together. Beetlejuice didn’t waste time using one hand to hold your thigh and the other to grab your ass. 

“Beej....” You started, staring into his golden eyes with a look that was nothing less than seductive. It didn’t take long for Beetlejuice to be wrapped around your finger. His hands started rubbing slowly in their respective spots as you moved down to pace soft kisses on his neck. “....how would you like to do me a BIG favor?” You asked.

****

Being the amazing boyfriend that he was, Beetlejuice said yes to your favor of him being the replacement Santa, at the cost of you being a wreck the entire event. Did you ever stop sweating? No. You were so used to Beej’s crass behavior at home that you didn’t think about how bad it would be to have him around other people. He started telling you all the ‘fun’ party tricks he had planned for the night. As soon as he mentioned giving the girls candy bags full of dead bugs, you realized the mistake you might’ve made. 

There were more lows than highs throughout the night. Beetlejuice would make crude jokes every chance he got. Most of these jokes went over the girls heads, but their parents didn't find them very amusing. Even in your panicked state, you would have to divert Beetlejuice back to his original task. God, don’t even mention when you got close to him. It’s like he’d lose track of what was even happening to openly flirt and make lewd comments about you, in front of everyone. You lost count of how many times you had to say “haha Santa I don’t think Mrs. Claus would like that” before pinching him and making him get back on track. When it was time for food, he ate the scouts’ precious trope hamster. He played it up as a gimmick but you knew the gruesome reality of it all. The glares and stares from the adults in the room burned deep holes into your back. If you had the option to let the ground swallow you whole, you would’ve taken it.

When it finally came time to pass out the Scouts’ merit badges, that surprisingly went with minimal ease. Again, he was making odd jokes but it wasn’t the worst thing to happen all night. When he got down to your daughter, he was a lot more kind with his words than he was with the other girls. You thought he would’ve blown his cover to her as he went on a 10 minute long speech about how great and deserving she was. He was eventually stopped by the scout leader who cleared her throat to get her attention. You weren’t sure if it was the anxiety you’d been feeling all night, the sweet gesture from Beej, or the look of joy on your daughter’s face, but you were just about on the verge of tears. Despite the craziness of the night and the emotions that were flooding your brain, seeing the two of them laugh together made it all worth it.

****

After a long night out, you were finally back to your apartment. You shuffled through the door with her fast asleep on your shoulder. As soon as you got her in the car, she was out like a light. Now all you had to do was get her into pajamas and put her to bed. As you tucked her in, you could already hear Beej calling in his invisible state. 

“Babydoll~ Told ya’ I was gonna be the best Santa ever. Come on, say my name. Say it so you can sit on Santa’s lap and tell him what you want for Christmas~” His scratchy voice echoed from behind you. 

It took everything in you not to roll your eyes. Thankfully your daughter was fast asleep so she wouldn’t hear anymore of Beej’s lewd humor for the night. You stroked her hair for a second before getting up to walk out of her room, making sure to leave a slight crack in the door. You weren’t free from Beej’s voice as you put some things away and tidied up your living room. He was practically begging for you to say his name. Sure, you were being petty but he put you through hell tonight. A little payback never hurt anyone. Especially when you knew it helped fuel a little feral anger him. Angry Beej was your favorite Beej. 

After about 30 minutes, you could feel the air in the room growing a little warm. You smiled to yourself, finally feeling as though you’d tortured him enough. You whispered his name slowly and sensual as you possibly could. As soon as you finished with the last syllable, you didn’t have time to swat away the thick green smoke surrounding your face before you felt his arms wrap around your waist. His nose was practically touching yours and you noticed the mischievous grin on his face.  It didn’t surprise you that he still had on the Santa costume and soon you felt him pepper quick kisses on your neck. 

“So tell me little girl, have you been naughty or nice this year?” He asked in between kisses. You let out a light giggle as the hairs on his beard tickles your neck. 

“Aren’t you supposed to know that already, Santa?” You asked with added sarcasm on the name. He ignored you as he started nipping at your neck. “Anyway,” You stopped him by grabbing his cheeks with your hands. The way his face looked squished between your hands was too adorable for you to handle. 

“Even though you were giving me anxiety all night, I still wanna say thank you for doing me this favor. It really means a lot.” With your words, you used one thumb to gently rub against his cheek. He didn’t even try to hide the goofy smile that filled his face. The only thing missing from his costume was the Santa hat so you could see the baby pink color that started to creep up strands of his hair.  

“Aw, don’t sweat it, doll. You know I’d do anything for you and the kid.” He said so nonchalantly. It wasn’t until you gave him a fond smile that he realized what he said. It was rare for Beetlejuice to be anything less than crass. Whenever he showed moments of sincerity, it made your heart feel warm. His hair only got pinker as you looked at him with hearts in your eyes. 

“I still want to show my appreciation. Seriously, what can I do to say thanks?” You asked, already knowing the type of answer he’d give. You watched as he acted like he was thinking for a moment. Just as his lip twisted back until an evil smirk, you felt one of his cold hands make his way down to your ass and give a gentle squeeze. 

“Wellllll, how about a kiss under the mistletoe, babes?” He leaned in closer to your face. 

You assumed he would’ve made one appear over you because you didn’t have one hanging anywhere in your apartment. A small puff of green smoke appeared in front of you but when you looked above, there wasn’t mistletoe to be found. Beej still had the arrogant smirk on his face as he watched you look around in confusion. After a second, it finally hit you. You made the mistake of looking down to see said mistletoe resting on the belt above his crotch. When you looked back at him, he wiggled his eyebrows. The annoyed sigh you let out could’ve been heard throughout the whole building. God, this guy was such a dumbass. 

“Well? You gonna thank me or what?” The demon man asked, giving your ass a harder squeeze. You ignored his question and reached down. He seemed to get excited, but you disregarded his expectations that when you plucked the mistletoe off of his belt and held it above your heads. 

“Don’t get too cocky, dweeb.” You saw that he was about to protest but you pushed your lips against his before he could. 

Kissing Beetlejuice was nothing new but somehow this was a little different. You just remembered how sweet he was to your daughter and the interactions they’ve had. You thought about how you loved seeing them together. You thought about how much you loved the three of you being together like a family, like the family you’ve secretly wanted for so long. You put all of those thoughts into the kiss. All the love you had for Beetlejuice, you put into your kiss. 

He was a little flustered at first, but eventually got in sync with you. He could tell you were putting your all into the kiss and was determined to do the same. You dropped the mistletoe to the floor and wrapped your arms around the man’s neck, pulling your bodies closer together. Beej let out a small grunt as you let your tongue slip it’s way into his mouth. You knew exactly what you were getting yourself into with that. Not long after did Beetlejuice shove his own freakishly large tongue until your mouth, and later down your throat. You tried your hardest not to let out a loud moan once you felt the wetness fill up your mouth, but you knew that’s exactly what Beej wanted to hear. 

Even though you wanted to go longer, it would’ve been easier to finish what you started in the bedroom. Your daughter never caught you and Beej in the act, thank God, but there have been times where it was a close call. You hesitantly pulled away from the demon man, and it took a second for his tongue to leave from your throat. You gasped for air as your hands rested on his chest. You could see the ready-to-go feral look on his face as he rested his forehead on yours. 

“Was that a good enough thank you?” You asked, letting out a slight laugh. Beetlejuice let out a heartier laugh as his golden eyes glowed bright like stars. 

“I think I could use a little more convincing.” His scratchy voice echoed through your ears as he leaned down to wrap his arms around your thighs. You didn’t have a second to think as he lifted your body off of the ground and threw you over his shoulder with ease; one hand rested on your thigh and the other held a tight grip on your ass. You tried not to laugh too loudly as he carried your to your bedroom, ending the night in hours and hours of lovemaking. 

With being so wrapped up in each other, you didn’t see your daughter peeking from around the hallway corner. Even though you thought she was fast asleep, Beetlejuice’s presence had woken her up while she tucked you in. She snuck out to watch in both joy and disgust as you two basically made out in the living room. She was glad to see you happy but it was still gross to see her parental figures kissing at all. With Beetlejuice still being in his Santa costume, she was able to put two and two together. She didn’t necessarily stop believing in Santa but she was glad Beetlejuice played the part for her. 

The young girl scurried her way back into her room and gently closed the door so you two wouldn’t hear. Boy, was she gonna have a story to tell her fellow Girl Scouts.

Thank you guys so much for reading! See you guys in the New Year!💚💜🖤 🎉

[taeminyourmind]

Snowmen & Hot Chocolate (2013) x Taemin (F)

A Christmas Love Story is a set of 8 short love-filled stories  that follows you and Taemin’s relationship through the years during  Christmastime. Each story represents a new year with the series beginning in 2013 and ending in 2020.

Genre: Fluff

Summary: Months after losing your father, you keep your promise and attend your town’s annual Christmas Winter Wonderland where you’re paired with an excited Taemin for the snowman making competition.

Pairing: Taemin x Reader

Word Count: 2k+

A Christmas Love Story Masterlist: Snowmen & Hot Chocolate | Secret Santa | A Sleigh Ride Confession | You, Me & Ice Skates | Mistletoe Kisses | A Christmas Proposal | A Christmas Wedding | Baby’s First Christmas

2013

Freshly fallen snow coats the ground, blanketing every surface with white. The frigid wind blows some snow from the rooftops, sending them to the ground as if they are descending from the sky. You gaze up at them and watch as they gracefully fall to the ground to join the others.

The bright white string lights placed around the park reflect off the snow and give the illusion of diamonds shimmering. You walk towards the brightly lit banner that welcomes everyone to the town’s festivities. Snow softly crunches with each step, building your excitement for the event you’ve been looking forward to all year, though this year will be different.

Fond memories of coming to the annual festival with your father flood your mind, making you slightly smile. Your glove-covered fingers wrap around the ends of the multi-colored knitted scarf around your neck, the last thing your father made before his passing. He always told you, while knitting it with his thin framed glass on the end of his nose, that it was something to keep you warm and remember him by. He made you promise that rather than crying about his absence, to enjoy life and the things you got to do together. To be here without your father for the first time is bittersweet.

It’s impossible to not become a little sad during the holidays, especially when you lose a loved one. But the feeling of joy crashes into you when you step beyond the banner - carolers dressed in red and green attire hold their songbooks and melodiously belt out Christmas songs in the brightly lit gazebo, children’s laughter can be heard from every corner of the park as they race to a small hill with sleds and tubes in their hands, the aroma of baked goods and hot chocolate warms the body as the wind spreads its scents, and the gorgeous sight of bright white lights snaking up trees and festive tents work together to make this place a Winter Wonderland.

“___?” A man with a clipboard asks. You jump a little at his sudden presence and quickly nod. “You’ll be partnered with,” he pauses to look at the clipboard. “Taemin for the snowman making competition.”

You look behind the man to see a young man warmly dressed, huffing into the air to see the steam from his mouth. The sound of the man clearing his throat grabs his attention; his cheeks, already a pinkish hue from the temperature, deepens in color.

“Right,” the man says and hands you a basket. “These are the materials. Just find a spot and wait for the whistle.”

Just as quickly as he arrived, the man quickly vanishes and to the next pair. You and Taemin share a friendly smile, standing still in silence. Taemin lightly kicks the snow in multiple places before he turns to you.

“I already scouted this place out,” he says and tilts his head to an area across from you. “And the best snow to build in is over there.”

“Isn’t that cheating?”

“I like to call it scouting out the competition,” he smiles and reaches out to grab your hand. “Let’s go before someone steals it.”

Before you can say anything, your body is jolted forward as Taemin leads you to the area he’s secretly picked. His hand tightens around yours and pulls you closer as he tells you to not get lost among the crowd. When you reach the spot, a whistle sounds and joyful cheer and chatter begins amongst those in the competition.

“How should we do this?” Taemin asks, letting go of your hand and facing you.

“I’m good at doing the bottom.”

Taemin smiles and nods. “That’s great! I’m good at the middle and head.”

“Let’s get started!”

Immediately, you and Taemin drop to the ground and gather snow to make the snowman. You work busily and quickly to pack snow together for the bottom with Taemin glancing over every now and then to align the shape of the middle and top with the bottom. Around you, people chat away and laugh while some take a bold step to playfully throw snow at each other. Every now and then you feel the urge to make small conversation with Taemin but swallow it back, too shy to talk. Instead, you heavily concentrate on helping the young man place the middle and top of the snowman on top of the bottom.

“I think it looks good,” Taemin says with a smile as you both step back to examine the construction. “Now it just needs decorations.”

The snow makes a soft crunch sound when you and Taemin kneel beside the basket the man with the clipboard had given you. You and Taemin reach in at the same time, your hands brushing against one another before you both pull away quickly. He gives you a soft smile as his cheeks, once again, grow deeper in color before shyly looking away. The longer you gaze at him, the warmer you feel your cheeks become as you can’t find it in you to turn away from him.

“You go first,” you softly say and motion to the basket.

Taemin takes a moment and looks at you with gentle eyes that have a sparkle in them from the bright lights. A small smile spreads across his face as he doesn’t protest and reaches in to grab a snowflake patterned scarf. You reach in next and hold up a crooked carrot.

“Aha!” Taemin exclaims with a wide smile. “You got a crooked carrot!”

Your eyebrows furrow as you look from the carrot to him. “What’s so special about it?”

“My grandmother always told me that if you find a crooked carrot, it means that you will find true love.”

You look back to the carrot and examine it while Taemin watches on with wide eyes of excitement. A soft smile appears on your face as you turn back towards him.

“My father hated making snowmen with the perfect carrot nose. He said it doesn’t give them character.”

You cautiously stand to your feet and hold your hand out to Taemin, who takes it and pulls himself to his feet with your help. Together, you decorate the snowman and give him as much personality as you can with the materials gives. After Taemin wraps the scarf on the head, you step back and proudly look over your creation - a pirate snowman equipped with an eyepatch, a hook-like arm, scarf around the head, small sticks as a beard, and angry eyebrows.

“I think ours is the best,” Taemin leans over and whispers. His voice pulls your body towards him as you lean in closer while shivers go down your back.

“I think so too,” you smile and watch the judges begin to make their rounds.

Some time passes as the judges look around and intently examine each snowman. You and Taemin plop to the ground beside each other and find yourselves making an army of smaller snowmen. You’re concentrating on forming a perfect ball when a blast of cold smacks against your face. Your body freezes at the frigid temperature when you slowly turn to Taemin who can’t hide his laugh as he goes back to making his snowmen. A mischievous smile slowly spreads on your face as you crumple the ball you were forming in your hands and reach in front of him and press the snow against his face. You laugh at his small squeal and wailing limbs.

“You think it’s funny?” He asks while placing more snow in his hands. Unable to speak, you nod while uncontrollably laughing.

Taemin’s laughter joins yours as you playfully throw snow on each other, your bodies tense whenever the snow touches your skin. The sound of someone clearing their throat halts you and Taemin’s mini-competition as you look and see the man with the clipboard hovering over the two of you. Immediately, Taemin helps you to your feet and helps each other brush off the remnants of the snow.

“If you two weren’t lollygagging, you would’ve heard us announce you as the winners.”

The man’s statement takes a while to set in before you and Taemin erupt with joy, tightly hugging each other while doing little hops. The warmth of his body makes you tighten your hold on him as he whispers “I told you we would win” in your ear.

“As the winners, enjoy two free hot chocolates free of charge,” the man said, handing you and Taemin each a free voucher. “Merry Christmas.”

“Wait,” Taemin calls out to the man before he has a chance to walk away. “Could you take a picture of us and our snowman?”

The man, who sported a hard exterior, smiles at Taemin and takes his phone. You and Taemin stand on each side of the snowman and smile for the picture and make a funny face at the request of the man. Before Taemin has time to review the photos, you lock your arm with his and pull him towards the hot chocolate stand.

“Someone’s in a hurry for hot chocolate,” he smiles and finds his footing to walk beside you.

“Yup,” you nod with a proud expression. “Lola makes the best hot chocolate and I want to get there before all of the candy canes are gone.”

“Candy canes?”

“You don’t know about the trick, do you?” You ask and watch Taemin shake his head. “Well then, you’re in for a pleasant surprise.”

“So,” you say as you sit next to Taemin on a bench, watching as he takes a sip from his red holiday cup. “How’s it taste?”

He pauses for a second, his eyes looking upwards as if he’s in deep concentration, and playfully smacks his lips. You playfully nudge him with your shoulder and take a sip from your cup.

“It’s good,” he smiles. “I never thought about putting a candy cane in hot chocolate.”

“Yeah, my father and I used to do it all the time. It’s become a tradition of ours, just like coming here every year and entering the snowman competition.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, I noticed that you talk about your father in the past tense, has he…?”

You slowly nod and give Taemin a soft smile. “Earlier this year. He made me promise to keep our traditions alive and remember our time together rather than spend all my days crying.”

You and Taemin sit in silence for a moment and watch the crowd begin to grow smaller and smaller. Your fingers clutch your warm cup tighter and allow its steam to warm your nose.

“My grandmother died a couple of years ago,” Taemin softly said, breaking the silence. “She was my best friend and I still find myself talking like her and doing the things we did together, like coming here.”

“We’ve both been through some tough times, huh?”

Taemin gives you a soft nod before finishing his drink. Without looking at him, you hand him a napkin and stand to your feet. For a moment, you and Taemin look at each other with warm eyes and a gentle smile.

“I’m afraid I have to go,” you say while looking towards the ground. “Can you send me the pictures we took whenever you get the chance?”

“Of course,” Taemin smiles.

You give him one last smile before turning and walking away, holding your coat tighter against your body as the night grows later. Taemin finds himself watching as you walk away until a thought pops into his mind.

“___?” He yells, causing you to stop and turn towards him. His heart skips a beat when the snow softly falls around you and the bright lights give you an ethereal glow. He finds himself lost in your warm eyes. “How will I send you the pictures?”

You smile at him and point towards the napkin in his hand before turning and walking away. When you disappear from his sight, Taemin curiously opens the napkin to see your handwriting saying: “000-111-2222. To my snowman and hot chocolate partner, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.” Unable to control his happiness, he smiles at the napkin and looks back to where he last saw you. For the first time in a while, you and he can feel the joy of the season, all because of a snowman competition and hot chocolate.

[meganshinsou-tm]

Crimson|Ink. (m)

↳ chapter twenty-one: dream in a dream

❧ genre:  tattoo-shop/hitmen au | tattoo artist/hitman kirishima

❧ fic warning: major character(s) death; happy ending

❧ chapter warnings:  n/a

❧ chapter song: Dream in A Dream by Ten

♬crimson|ink playlist | ♧ character profiles

[multi-chap masterlist] [previous chapter - next chapter]

Cheesy Christmas music and buzzed laughter rang out through the shop. Sero, Deku, Hitoshi and Denki were all occupied with a game of cards. So far Sero was really racking up on wins and crumpled up bills while Denki whined into Hitoshi’s shoulder, a very dramatic pout on his face because out of them all he was the one losing the most. 

Hitoshi chuckled and ruffled his blonde hair before kissing the top of his head. That made the pout melt away and Denki looked up at him with a blinding smile. The two were unaware of Deku and Sero rolling their eyes and sticking their tongues out in disgust at the display of affection before both taking sips of their beers and averting their attention back to their cards. 

“Get through this last game, win or lose, and you can have your present. Deal?” Hitoshi spoke quietly against Denki’s temple. 

An excited gasp left his lips and he nodded eagerly.

“Deal!”

So far the night was going really fucking great for everyone! 

Not like these Christmas parties weren’t always a blast but with the addition of you and Hitoshi being there this year just made it that much more wonderful. There was way too much food, games were played, karaoke even happened and there were also gifts passed around from everyone. 

The whole night Kirishima was happy to see how much you smiled and enjoyed the party. Knowing that you never celebrated the holiday like this before with anyone let alone a family; he was thrilled being able to change that for you. All of the guys were! 

They went so far as making Deku dress up as Santa at one point. When he strolled in after disappearing during presents in the full getup, even the fake beard and a hat, you lit up brighter than any of the lights hanging on the shops tree. Shouto made sure to get pictures of you sitting on Santa Deku’s lap and of course everyone else had to get one as well. Soon that whole fiasco ended up being about how many people Deku could even fit on his lap.

To your shock he was able to hold everyone without even breaking a sweat.

After that, things started to settle down and everyone fell into quiet talking among each other before Shouto, Bakugou and Kirishima went outside to smoke. Leaving you with the others until you felt like going back for another plate of dessert and sneaking off to eat it in silence. When you shut the door to one of the studio’s behind you, Shouto and Bakugou came back inside through the back, having a hushed heated argument with each other.

Bakugou had returned from a hit the night before, more banged up than usual. It wasn’t like he couldn’t handle it of course, but still Shouto didn’t like when anyone came back hurt - especially Bakugou.

The two paused in the dim hallway and Bakugou snorted at how pissed Shouto was becoming.

“That face of yours looks pretty cute when you’re mad IcyHot,” Bakugou tried teasing but it only seemed to make Shouto glare even harder. “Tch, chill the fuck out okay? I’m perfectly fine, you know it takes a hell of a lot more to put me out of commission. Besides, we’ve got our own little healer now and she fixed me up. Get your panties out of a wad!”

Shouto growled quietly and the next thing Bakugou knew he was being shoved against the wall. Grey and blue eyes burned into him and mismatched brows furrowed. Literal steam escaped from between Shouto’s lips when he exhaled and the warm air fanned across Bakugou’s cheek making him smirk. Shouto had him practically pinned, invading every inch of his space and not giving him even the slightest chance of moving.

“You shouldn’t rely on her so fucking much Katsuki,” he hissed through his teeth.

Oh he was mad and Bakugou was thrilled.

“She can heal minor wounds, some stitches and relieve a little bit of pain but she can’t bring your cocky ass back from the grave! She’s a healer not a necromancer! Get your shit together Kats or else!”

A feral grin grew on Bakugou’s face and he tilted his head to the side while leaning in closer. His wild red eyes staying locked on Shouto’s and refusing to break contact.

“Or else what pretty boy? Huh - you gonna punish me?”

“Right now is not the time to be a brat and fucking push me, I’m being serious.”

Yeah, Shouto was definitely pissed off. 

He cursed here and there but very rarely did it ever hold the grit and sheer animosity that it did right now. Bakugou only heard this tone from Shouto when one of three things was happening. One, he was occupied with his ‘job’. Two, someone was threatening his loved ones. Or three, when he was on the precipice of losing his control with Bakugou. 

Bakugou liked to believe it was the latter and that only fueled his want to push that one last button. And so he did.

In a blur Shouto suddenly found himself being the one against the wall. A small ‘oof’ filled the air from the force Bakugou used in pinning him. Warm palms were pressing his wrists against the surface and cinnamon scented breath danced across his lips.

“Brat huh? Last time I checked I was the oldest here so you need to respect your elders - boy.” Bakugou whispered before capturing Shouto’s lips with his own.

Shouto growled into the kiss, his fingers clenching into fists. His blood was boiling; whether because Bakugou was playing dirty at trying to change the subject by pissing him off further or that he was just extremely horny, he didn’t really know. 

A rough bite to Bakugou’s bottom lip managed to break the bruising kiss and Shouto panted.

“Maybe if you stopped acting so fucking reckless out there then I would.”

Bakugou rolled his eyes and went back to kissing Shouto, easing his grip on him and allowing Shouto to push him back. They broke long enough to scan the hallway they were in before escaping into Shouto’s studio and locking the door behind them. 

Quickly, Shouto went back to kissing Bakugou, wanting more of the taste of eggnog and nicotine on his lips. His hands found narrow hips before picking Bakugou up with ease and carrying him to the tattoo chair. He dropped him without any gentleness, earning a chuckle from the blonde.

“I take back what I said earlier about you being cute when you’re mad,” Bakugou grinned with a rough tug of Shouto’s shirt, “You’re fucking hot.”

Shouto shook his head and placed himself between Bakugou’s knees. His fingers gripped his chin roughly and Bakugou growled when his face was forced to look up at Shouto.

“Sucking up to me now isn’t going to make things better for you. I said we aren’t done talking and I mean it. When we’re done here, we’re having a serious talk at my place.” 

Bakugou went to spew out his usual profanities but Shouto’s hand firmly wrapping around his throat while the other rubbed teasingly at his inner thigh cut that off quick.

“And depending on how good you can be for me right now will decide how long that talk lasts. So it’s your choice - be a good boy and I can fuck you longer later or keep being a fucking brat and I bitch at you for hours before I finally fuck you and more than likely not you let cum.”

The obvious gulp and twitch of Bakugou’s eye was all the surrender Shouto was going to get and he would take it. With that, the two went back to devouring each other’s mouths, hands grasping and pulling at each other desperately like starved men. And they were starved, for each other. 

For years now Shouto and Bakugou had been hooking up on and off and it had been just a couple of weeks since the last time they touched like this. It wasn’t because they didn’t want to, there were missions and also the twenty-four hour security on you that occupied most of their waking hours. Neither of them would ever complain about that of course, your safety was priority over their need to get their dicks wet. 

Why neither of them ever fought for more than just being fuck buddies was beyond them. They both very obviously cared for and maybe even loved the other but neither Bakugou nor Shouto said anything to possibly change that. In between this weird relationship Shouto never sought out the touch of anyone else, he didn’t care for it. Bakugou fooled around here and there but never went as far as small sexual favors with anyone other than Shouto.

But more and more lately, especially since you and Kirishima finally became an item and Hitoshi and Denki started to pretty much date, they both wondered to themselves if maybe they should give this a shot at being something more.

It wasn’t odd for them to cuddle and spend the night with each other. Shouto called Bakugou by cheesy pet names and Bakugou maybe blushed and secretly loved it. When they were going through one of their flings you would think the two were boyfriends but they weren’t. And the only reason there was no label between them was simply because neither of them asked. They were both aware of their feelings. In fact, it all came out one night after fucking each other’s brains out and snuggling but it was simply left at that. 

No one but Sero knew about any of this and that was only because he walked in on them once.

“Hey,” Bakugou managed to say between their heated kisses.

Shouto pulled back enough to look at Bakugou in the dim light and lightly brushed his knuckles along his cheek.

“Something wrong, did I hurt you?”

“Jesus fuck, no Shouto, I’m fine. I just … it’s stupid but … maybe later at your place we can revist that one conversation, you know - uh.”

Bakugou hated how he couldn’t find the words he was searching for. Hated how nervous he was all of a sudden. And he hated how Shouto was always the only one who could literally make him speechless and dumbfounded.

“I know and yes, I’d love to revisit that talk. I’ve been wanting to for a while now.”

A sigh left Bakugou and he nodded before putting back on a cocky grin and pulling Shouto in for another kiss. It was all Shouto needed to know that Bakugou was done talking and wanted to get back to the task at hand. After giving a playful bite and lick to Bakugou’s lip that earned a soft moan, Shouto went about palming over the bulge that was straining in the blonde’s jeans while he sucked a pretty bruise onto his collarbone.

“F-Fucker,” Bakugou breathed out, arching his back and pressing his chest to Shouto’s. “Jumping my ass for coming back looking all busted up only to bruise me even more huh?”

Shouto kissed at the mark he made and squeezed Bakugou’s erection hard enough to make him moan louder and squirm on the chair. He couldn’t help but grind his own crotch against Bakugou’s, pressing his forehead against his shoulder and biting off a groan while Bakugou let out another moan.

“Shh, be quiet Kat, do you want the others to know just how much of a little slut you are?”

The threat did nothing to help Bakugou from losing his fucking mind and his hips bucked up to feel more friction between the two of them because at this point he didn’t care and he was prepared to let the entire god damn world know how gone he was for Shouto if it meant more. But before he could respond there was a strangled choke that didn’t come from either of them. 

Shouto and Bakugou both froze and held their breath, looking at the other before turning their heads in the direction the sound came from. When two sets of eyes landed on you pounding your chest with a piece of half eaten cheesecake on a small plate, you let out a weak nervous laugh.

“I uh - was just trying to hog the last piece for myself. Didn’t think I’d get dessert and a show.”

Never in the entire time of knowing him had you seen Bakugou so red all over. A crazed look washed over his face and you knew he was getting ready to blow, no pun intended. Shouto on the other hand was trying not to make the situation worse by laughing and rested a hand on Bakugou’s shoulder to try and calm him but any hope of that was ruined with your next choice of words.

“Mind if I stay and watch?”

There was no warning to Bakugou lunging off the tattoo chair, not giving a single fuck that he was sporting a very obvious boner. You and Shouto both laughed and you ran like hell from the studio, just barely closing the door in Bakugou’s face and holding the doorknob to keep it from turning. On the other side you could hear Shouto doing his best to calm his secret lover while Bakugou made numerous empty threats to obliterate you. 

You were in a fit a giggles when Kirishima rounded the corner and sighed before walking your way.

“There you are little one, I’ve been looking for you. What the hell is he going off about now?”

Turning around to face Kirishima, you shook your head with a smile and leaned against the door with your arms crossed. “Nothing, just giving Katsuki a very hard time as usual.”

Kirishima shrugged and moved to stand before you. He leaned in closer and kissed your lips sweetly before unfolding your arms and taking your hands in his.

“Well if you aren’t busy, I need you to come with me now. There’s something I need to show you.”

Without another word, you happily went along with Kirishima to his studio. Once inside he shut the door and locked it. Being the mountain of a man that he was, it only took three long strides for him to be before you again, picking you up by the hips with ease. You squealed at the sudden lift and found yourself being placed on his tattoo chair. After sharing a quick kiss and rubbing your noses together, Kirishima stepped away and went towards the cabinets. You watched closely while he opened one and pulled out a medium sized box that was wrapped in red paper with a gold bow.

“Ei, we said not until in the morning! I don’t have any of your presents here,” you whined and pouted from your spot on the chair.

Kirishima chuckled and gave an apologetic smile, making his way back over to you and holding the box between your bodies. 

“I know, I know. I’m sorry little one … I just couldn’t wait for this one. You see, I wanted to give it to you in the exact spot where we met for the first time.”

You offered up a smile to Kirishima and lifted a hand to stroke his cheek.

“Aww, you mean when you were a total asshole to me? Man, those were the days!”

“You’re still as much of a pain in my ass as you were then you know that?” Kirishima teased and nipped at your cheek.

You snapped your teeth back at him when he pulled away and took your hand from his face in exchange for holding it. Together you looked at how small your palm was inside of his and how much space was left between your fingers even when they laced together. It always made your heart flutter when you saw just how much Kirishima’s hand covered yours. 

“Would you believe me if I told you I fell in love with you the moment I laid eyes on you, standing there next to me while I tattooed that stupid hand on Denki?”

You giggled and looked up at Kirishima, tilting your head and chewing on your lip.

“Hmm, at the time I wouldn’t believe it but knowing what I do now - one hundred percent. Answer me this though and be honest,” you smirked and tried to sit up as tall as you could to be face level. “Were you jealous that Denki got my number first?”

Kirishima grinned and kissed you with a sense of possession that made your skin feel like it was on fire. Sharp teeth bit at your bottom lip before he broke away and brought you back from the short lived sinful desires and you smiled on each others lips.

“Fucking livid.”

The briefly forgotten box was then being offered to you along with one of Kirishima’s famous sharp toothed smiles that made you melt. You decided that trying to deny the gift would be pointless right now and took a deep breath in and out before letting go of his hand and took the box from him.

“Go ahead little one, open it.”

Not needing to be told twice, your hands started to eagerly unwrap the box. Kirishima chuckled and made sure to take the paper and bow once you discarded them and watched nervously when you started to remove the lid from the box. Your smile slowly started to fall and curiosity took over when you began digging into it. 

Inside was what looked like a very worn and well used small tattoo machine. The paint on it was dull in some spots, the metallic sheen of it not as bright and vibrant as what a newer one would be. There were a few knicks and scratches on it but it still looked to be in great condition. It was obviously very loved and taken care of. 

Sitting beneath it was another worn object, a sketchbook. On the front of it in bold Japanese letters was a name and it made you gasp quietly before taking your bottom lip between your teeth to chew on nervously. 

Yagi Toshinori.

You swallowed the lump in your throat before looking up at Kirishima. He was smiling fondly at you before looking down at the contents of the box.

“They both belonged to him before they were passed on to me when I joined the shop,” Kirishima took the machine out of the box and weighed it in his hand with a grin. “I remember when this thing felt like it weighed fifty pounds and now it feels like a feather.”

The corner of your mouth turned up and you snorted quietly.

“You mean you haven’t always been freakishly large?”

“Compared to Yagi? Nah. I was a dwarf next to him back in the day but damn did I always want to be like him! Out of him and Enji, Yagi was the one that took me and Bakugou under his wing but Bakugou was stronger than I was, always has been, so he didn’t really cling to Yagi as much as I did when we first got here,” a small easy smile dressed Kirishima’s face and he chuckled.

“He also just didn’t have the patience for tattooing. So that meant me and Yagi grew real close, he became my mentor for tattooing and just - in life. I never had a father figure and when he showed up and showed all this interest and pride in me, I just wanted to make him proud. He was my hero.”

You looked down at the machine and the sketchbook in the box, suddenly feeling guilt consume you. The weight of it suddenly felt like a thousand pounds in your lap and you squirmed slightly. You knew how much Yagi meant to everyone, to Kirishima. And no matter how many times they reminded you that what happened wasn’t your fault, it still could never stop those nagging thoughts. The thoughts of what if … what if you tried to stay behind, to help.

Maybe you could’ve changed the outcome of his fate. 

“E-Ei … I … I don’t think I should take this. Despite what you say, I already feel like I’ve taken enough of him from you … I can’t take this one last thing -”

Kirishima cut you off quickly by placing the small machine in your hands. You tried to pull them away, to shift it back into his but he was too strong, too big. They fucking caged your own around the machine and he was right. 

It did feel heavy, it felt like the weight of the entire fucking world was literally in your hands.

“You didn’t take anything from me, from us. I know it’s going to take some time for you to believe that but baby, I promise it’s true. If Yagi could see you now, see the potential, the skills you have that keep growing, he would literally yank these from my own hands and place them into yours, just like I’m doing now.” 

Not once did you take your eyes off of your hands being held by Kirishima’s, not even to try and hide the tears that pricked in the corners of your eyes. But they were disposed of anyway when Kirishima leaned forward to kiss them away before bringing your conjoined hands up to his lips and kissed them.

“Yagi would want you to have them. I want you to have them,” he smiled and pressed his forehead to yours, “So please little one, take them, they’re yours now.”

You nodded slowly, bringing yours and his hands holding the machine close to your chest.

“Okay, I will. Thank you Eijirou - thank you so much, for everything.”

At the same time you both smiled at each other, Kirishima freed your hands in order to let you place the tattoo machine gently back into the box before closing and setting it to the side on the chair. When you looked at him again, he cupped your cheeks and pulled you in close for a long and sweet kiss. You melted into him like you always did, hands bracing his stomach and eyes fluttering shut while your heart fluttered in your chest. 

Without a doubt, this Christmas was the most amazing one you’ve had in years. 

When the sweet kisses finally broke, Kirishima pulled away and smirked.

“You wanna do it?”

A knowing smile grew on your lips and with excited eyes you nodded. 

Not even fifteen minutes later Yagi’s tattoo machine was wrapped and put together with a fresh needle. Two ink cups full of red color sat on the rolling tray along with the rest of the setup for a tattoo. Kirishima sat proudly on the tattoo chair now, watching as you pulled a pair of black latex gloves from the box. You put together the setup all on your own with only his words of guidance to help here and there. When you turned around to face him you smiled wide and snapped the bottom of one glove.

“Alright - strip!”

Kirishima smirked at the jog in memory he had from those words and briefly thought back to the day when he told you the exact same thing. It felt like it was years ago now but it still made both of you chuckle. He then sat back on his palms and tilted his head up at you, a sly look in his red eyes and a pointed tooth puncturing his bottom lip.

“You wanna smash now, while everyone is here? I’m not complaining or anything, but we aren’t exactly quiet, don’t wanna make everyone jealous little one.”

“Eijirou!”

At that Kirishima teased a flash of his stomach by pulling up the hem of his shirt, giving you a playful wink. “That’s right baby, say my name!”

Rolling your eyes, you grabbed for an empty ink cup and tossed it at the red-head. 

“I hope you get a fucking infection from this!”

A hearty laugh erupted from Kirishima and he finally did as instructed. While he shrugged off his shirt, you quickly printed up the small stencils needed and made your way over to him. Both of you smiled and a comfortable silence settled as you applied the stencil onto the skin of his left pectoral, as close as possible to being over his heart. Your gloved hand smoothed over the paper before slowly peeling it off to reveal the outline of the small tattoo.

“You sure you want it here? It’s right smack dab in the middle of your oni.”

Kirishima smiled, hands moving to rest on your hips and pulled you closer between his legs so he could kiss your cheek.

“It's right where it should be.”

You let out a relieved breath and giggled when he started to pepper your face with more kisses. Kirishima hadn’t even received the tattoo yet but he was so full of pride. 

“Okay you overgrown pup, you ready?”

“Let’s get it!”

You pulled away enough to take Yagi’s machine in your hand. Kirishima helped you get the hang of how to hold it correctly and placed his hands back on your hips, letting you take over from there. 

You had watched him and the others enough to know how to make the machine buzz to life, practiced on fake pieces of flesh before with their own machines. But when this machine powered up and vibrated in your hand you couldn’t help the surprised sound that fell out of your mouth. It made Kirishima chuckle and kiss your forehead.

“I know little one. Just take a breath and go slow, I know you’ve got this.”

Nodding, you did as he said and took a deep breath, dipped the end of the needle into the dark red ink and brought it up to the purple outline of the stencil. On the exhale out, the needle touched already tattooed skin and Kirishima let out a content breath. His thumbs rubbed gently on your hips and he angled his head enough to watch you work, even if it was uncomfortable as fuck. 

“There you go, I told you, you got it,” he praised softly, making you smile and blush.

It didn’t take long for the ink to work into his skin and for the script to take its shape. The tattoo was small so it wasn’t taking you long at all to do and it was simple, perfect for your first time tattooing real human skin. And no matter how small and simple it was, Kirishima couldn’t help but overflow with happiness, with pride and love. It made him grin so big to see you tattooing him and without barely any help needed from him and in no time you were done, cutting off the buzzing noise and setting the machine down on the tray.

“That’s my girl.”

You smiled from ear to ear while applying green soap to a paper towel and wiping it across the small tattoo. When it was fully cleaned, you took off the latex gloves and placed a palm over the fresh tattoo. Heat radiated from it and you could feel the rise of it like braille. Kirishima placed his hand over it and you looked at him.

A warm glow bathed the lower half of his face, making his eyes shimmer when you activated your quirk and healed the tattoo. Kirishima hummed and squeezed your hand gently before you both removed them and looked at the permanent red ink that graced his skin.

Kirishima felt a warmth blossom all throughout his body when he looked upon the Japanese symbols for ‘'little one’ that marked his body. 

“How’d I do for my first one?” You asked, placing your finger onto the tattoo to trace it softly.

Your body was pulled closer to Kirishima and he took your chin between his fingers to tilt your face up. A chaste sweet kiss was placed on your lips and you giggled.

“Fucking perfect,” he cooed against your cheek before pulling away to look you over. “Now it’s my turn. You know the drill little one, strip.”

With a cheeky smile, you placed a kiss to the tip of Kirishima’s nose and pushed at his chest in order to gain distance between the two of you. His red eyes watched closely as you took a few steps back, hands gripping the edge of the chair and torso leaning forward like a predator eyeing its prey. 

All night Kirishima would steal glances, known and also unknown to you. He couldn’t get enough of you in the red velvet dress you wore. The sleeves and neckline were lace, giving subtle peeks of the pieces of skin he loved to smother in kisses and bites. It was tight in the right places and the hem stopped mid-thigh. 

Your hands ran along the spanse of your stomach and to your hips, sliding down to map out the shape of them until your finger-tips gripped at the hem and started to slowly pull the dress up. Kirishima bit at his bottom lip and went to move further but you stopped him with a teasing ‘uh-uh’. 

His red eyes had gone from lustful to pissed so fast it made you laugh. 

“Patience puppy. Since you gave me a gift early, I guess I can go ahead and give you one of yours that I was planning for later.” 

More impatience grew in Kirishima’s eyes and you smirked and continued to pull the dress up your body, over your head and fully off before dropping it on the floor. Kirishima remained where he sat, taking in the red lingerie that remained on your body. The soft lacey edges of it and how it stood out against the bold black ink of your tattoos. His fingers gripped the chair tighter, making the leather squeak and he looked like he was ready to crawl out of his skin.

“Do you like it Ei?”

The balls of his feet touched the floor. 

“Yes.”

“Do you want to touch me Ei?”

He slowly stood from the chair. Hands staying put on it.

“Please.”

You smiled and walked closer to stand before Kirishima. He towered over you and you felt like you were staring up at a beast. Not wanting to deny him or yourself any longer, you raised a hand and brushed the back of your knuckles down his cheek.

“You’re such a good boy Eijirou. Go ahead then, you can have me.”

Not needing to be told twice, Kirishima immediately had his hands on you. Your feet left the floor so fast and your legs wrapped around a broad waist. Before you could even process that, you were being placed on the tattoo chair with a desperate massive redhead between your legs, capturing your mouth with his. 

Just as you were about to pound on Kirishima’s chest to let him know you needed air, he pulled away and started to kiss down your throat to the tattoo on your sternum. You gasped, a hand running through his spiked red hair and tugged when sharp teeth grazed down the black octopus. Giant hands caged your ribs and you whined looking down at how much skin they covered. 

It wasn’t exactly a secret to either of you that the sheer size of Kirishima made you melt.

Kirishima smiled against your skin, tugging at the front of the bra with his teeth then shifting your torso enough to give him your right side. You smiled down at him, petting at his hair when Kirishima pushed the band up to expose the very first tattoo that started it all. 

“I’ve been waiting to put my mark on you again little one,” he spoke and kissed the small tattoo.

“Well then, stop drooling on me and get to it!”

Kirishima chuckled and stood straight, stole one last kiss and turned to the tray next to him. While he replaced the needle on the machine and got himself ready, you occupied yourself by running your hands all over his chest and stomach. Placing kisses and nips to his collarbones and pecs. Making sure to be careful, Kirishima would play along and kiss and bite back in-between placing the stencil on the same area of your skin that his tattoo was on. 

You gasped and forced down a shiver from the coldness of it, making Kirishima chuckle. You only stopped your playing long enough for him to pull the stencil off and approve of its positioning. He smiled and picked up the machine that he hadn’t used in years, the weight of it feeling familiar and like home. Looking at the stencil and back to your face, Kirishima felt a rush of adrenaline course through him from the thought of being able to brand you once again.

And this time it would mean so much more and would bond the two of you together forever.

“Alright baby, I need you to stay still for me now, okay? You can do that right, be a good girl for me?”

You smirked and let your fingers hang along the waist of Kirshima’s jeans, thumbs brushing along his cut line. It would be a distraction but he told himself mentally that he could do this!

“Yes daddy.”

Shit. He hoped he could do this.

Shaking his head, Kirishima pet your cheek with his gloved free hand and made the machine in his opposite buzz two times. “That’s my little one.”

You smiled at the praise and soon the silence was filled once again with the buzzing of the tattoo machine. The smile on your face didn’t leave when the needle touched down on your skin but it did become a little pained. Kirishima glanced at you and smirked, appreciating how strong you were trying to be through the sting of the tattoo. And thankfully for you, the process didn’t last as long as his did and before you knew it Kirishima was placing the machine back onto the tray and wiping the small piece clean.

For a moment, Kirishima stood there and stared at the permanent ink. His focus broke when you placed your palm over the tattoo and grabbed one of his hands with your opposite one to rest it over yours on your chest. 

That familiar golden glow that Kirishima loved appeared under your palm and his red eyes watched in amazement. He always loved the sight of your quirk in use, it was so beautiful to him. After a few times of seeing it work, he realized that if he looked at your eyes, they seemed to faintly glimmer a golden hue as well. 

Kirishima could feel thrumming and warmth under your hand while the tattoo healed. You both took a deep breath and pulled both hands away and looked down. 

In red ink, his name was now on your skin forever.

After removing his gloves, Kirishima tossed them onto and rolled the tray away from his side. You grinned up at him when his hands came up and held your face. Kirishima didn’t need to pull you in, you were already leaning into him and seeking out his kiss. Your hands moved to hang from his wrists and you hummed happily when he pulled away.

“Now its permanent little one, you belong to me.”

You bit at his cheek and hooked your fingers around the waist of his jeans, tugging him close between your legs with a small grunt.

“And you Eijirou, belong to me.”

“Toshi, please! I was good! Please can I have it!” 

Hitoshi grinned smugly, dangling a small box above Denki’s head where they both sat cuddled on the couch. 

“Ah but I like when you beg. Maybe I’ll keep it a little longer.”

Denki smirked and playfully punched Hitoshi's chest, “Or give it to me now and we can sneak out of here sooner and go to your place where I’ll beg even prettier for you.”

Now that Hitoshi couldn’t deny. 

The box dropped into Denki’s lap and Hitoshi leaned over to kiss his cheek. Denki squealed happily and wasted no time in ripping the wrapping paper off. He pulled a small switchblade from his coat pocket in order to cut the taped sides and Hitoshi snorted. 

“You’re fucking adorable with those things.”

Denki skillfully twirled the blade in his fingers before closing and putting it away with a chipper ‘thanks’. His focus went back to opening the box to find a small framed piece of artwork inside of it. 

It looked like a tarot card, two characters in suits that were kissing with cloths covering their faces. There were flowers on either side of them and simple stars floated above their heads. At the base of the card there were bold letters.

‘The Lovers’.

Denki examined the piece for a few more moments, letting its meaning saturate him. 

Him and Hitoshi truly were polar opposites - light and dark, the sun and the moon. 

That's why they worked so well together and balanced each other out. Denki could go on and on explaining it, he does all the time to Hitoshi because he’s just so smitten and god damn in love with him but when it came down to it - they just work. 

Hitoshi made this, just for him, it took him time to make and it was priceless. Denki knew Hitoshi wasn’t as direct or forward as he was but he knew that with this piece, it wasHitoshi’s own way of acknowledging what they were. Partners. A couple.

Lovers.

Denki didn’t even realize he had shed a tear or two until he felt a cool knuckle wiping the corner of his eye. 

“Is it that terrible?” Hitoshi teased.

Denki shook his head and laughed, wiping the tear from his opposite eye before he tossed himself into Hitoshi’s chest and hugged him. Despite the frame being between them and making the hug somewhat uncomfortable, Hitoshi smiled and wrapped his arms around the smaller male.

“It’s amazing Toshi, really. I - I love it so much!”

Hitoshi hummed and kissed the top of Denki’s head, his hand rubbing his back firmly. 

Golden eyes looked up at him with that unconditional adoration that they always held and Hitoshi couldn’t deny how they always made his heart flip. And if you were to tell him that this erratic, very chaotic electric blonde would somehow become the very bane of his existence in every amazing way possible without any fucking warning a few weeks ago, he would’ve laughed. It wasn’t like Hitoshi to fall in love, to fall at all for anyone in such a short amount of time but - Denki Kaminari wasn’t just anyone. 

“... I uh, I love you so much.”

The moment the words came out of his mouth Hitoshi felt relieved and terrified at the same time. But that terror was quickly washed away when Denki took his face in his hands and kissed him with a massive smile. Hitoshi melted, removed the frame from between them to sit to the side and pulled him closer into his lap to kiss him back.

Sero and Deku, both still in the same room as the two lovebirds making out, groaned in disgust together as they got up from their seats and went to get more beers. Sero shook his head and patted his friend on the back while they walked away.

After a few more minutes, the need to pee became more obvious to Hitoshi from Denki being in his lap. He placed his hands on his thighs and squeezed them gently, teeth softly biting at his bottom lip before pulling away with a grin.

“Alright cutie, let me up for a sec, I gotta piss.”

Denki pouted and whined but rolled off of Hitoshi and back onto the couch. Hitoshi smirked and playfully tickled his side as he stood up, earning a soft kick to his ass from Denki. 

After coming out of the bathroom, Hitoshi decided to go to the kitchen first before returning to Denki to get himself something else to eat. As he was searching through the food, his phone chimed in his pocket and he pulled it out to check it with a roll shoved between his teeth. The text message he received made him still and quirk a brow.

➥Kage: Was in town and decided to stop by the shop to give you something real quick. Come outside. 

It stumped Hitoshi as to why or how Kage even knew he was at the shop. Why he was even in town when he knew Kage to live a couple hours away. Before Hitoshi could text back questioning him, another message came in.

➥Kage: NOW!

“What the fuck,” Hitoshi groaned. He walked from the kitchen and back to the front, catching Denki’s attention, “Hey I’m gonna step outside real quick, my buddy Kage is here with something, it’ll only be a sec.”

Denki nodded and smiled. “Alright handsome, also I just realized that I didn’t respond a while ago.”

Hitoshi tilted his head, confusion on his face.

“I love you too Toshi.”

A smile grew on Hitoshi’s face and he rubbed the back of his neck, giving Denki a shrug and waving his hand with a casual ‘yeah, yeah,’ and made his way down the hall. On the walk out Hitoshi ran into Bakugou and Shouto coming out of a room, both looking like a hot mess. He didn’t bother asking any questions, wanting to live through the night and just grinned at them both and walked out the back door. 

Sure enough once he was out in the cold, Hitoshi spotted Kage leaning against a van that in all honestly was a little creepy looking. Shaking his head, Hitoshi pulled the hood of his jacket closer around his neck and crossed his arms and walked over to Kage.

“Hey man, uh, what exactly are you doing way the hell out here?”

Kage smirked, “Sorry to crash your party Shinsou but I got orders.”

Hitoshi narrowed his eyes, “What are you -”

With a glimmer of Kage’s silver eyes, Hitoshi suddenly froze.

“Go inside, tell the girl that you found a cat and she needs to come see it then bring her out here to me.”

Acting on its own, Hitoshi’s body turned and he began to walk back inside the shop. Things seemed normal to him, he felt normal. Except his mind felt fuzzy and there was a sense of disassociation floating in his head. His mouth moved and words came out but they felt so foreign to him.

Then you walked out of one of the studios with Kirishima, talking among yourselves, and his focus sharpened quickly on you.

“There you are kitten,” Hitoshi spoke out automatically.

You turned in his direction and smiled before turning back to Kirishima.

“Hey, I’ll meet you up front,” you said to the red-head with a kiss to his cheek.

He nodded and kissed you back, letting go of your hand and turning to walk away from you. Once he was gone and you were before Hitoshi, he pet the top of your head, earning a giggle.

“What’s up Toshi?”

“There’s this, well kitten, that I found outside and I figured you’d wanna see it, maybe sneak it back home in your coat or something.”

Immediately your eyes widened with interest and a giant smile grew on your face. Hitoshi couldn’t help but grin back and feel his heart skip a beat. He always loved your smiles.

“Come on, lets go,” he stage whispered and took your hand in his. 

Happily you went along with him, wrapping yourself around his arm and bracing for the cold. Right when the two of you stepped outside of the door, Denki happened to walk down the hall and caught the sound of you giggling together. Piquing his interests, he decided to quietly follow behind with a smile of his own. 

Abruptly though those giggles stopped and he swore he could’ve heard a yell, then it was cut off.

He didn’t know why but Denki knew something wasn’t right. 

He felt cold all over suddenly and picked up his walking pace towards the door. Once he got closer, Denki could make out the sound of multiple voices. Voices he didn’t recognize. And it wasn’t until he could clearly make out a muffled scream and Hitoshi’s strained ‘let her go,’ that he bolted out of the door and felt his heart drop. 

The noise around him suddenly went out and all Denki could hear was ringing. Fear and shock started to grow from the tips of his toes and up to his head. 

Through the falling snow Denki watched as you and Hitoshi were both dragged into the back of a white van. Kicking and fighting against your captors. For some reason Denki could only manage moving one foot at a time.

They felt like fucking lead. 

When your tearfilled eyes landed on his along with a set of ice blue ones, Denki finally found his voice.

“(Y-Y/N)! Toshi! - wait,” he screamed out, finally moving his feet faster after the van that started to pull out of the area, “Give them back you fucking - g-give them back!”

[sugarbeandude]

Dear Santa... er, sugarbeandudes, I've been a good Kiki and I'd like to request either headcanons about how it would go, or a ficlet, about Bandit proposing marriage to Jäger, or about Ash & Mira's first Christmas together, whichever idea you like better!

Okay okay! you’re not on the naughty list! so here’s your gift!

Make a wish

Bandit/Jäger Rated T

2k + words :) enjoy!

okay so i also cryied w this :’)

Bandit was seating over his beautiful Harley motorcycle, scrolling endlessly through his phone as he waited for Jäger to join him. “Mari I’m leaving without you!” Bandit chanted without taking his look off the screen of his phone.

“I’m almost done!” Jäger screamed as he walked outside their home as he pushed down on himself one of Bandit’s various hoodies and closed the door with his foot.

“What took you so long Katze?” Bandit asked putting his phone away in the pocket of his jacket, passed a helmet over to his lover who just sat behind him, and turned on the motorcycle.

“All my hoodies were dirty, so I borrowed one from your drawer, you don’t mind Ja?” Jäger encircled Bandit’s waist as he always did, curling up towards his back seeking a little warmth, the night was indeed chilly. “So where are we going anyway?”

“Oh, that’s secret, Mari.’’ Bandit pulled away the steel leg that kept the bike still and started moving away from their home. “I’d suggest you get comfy because it might take a while.”

And so Jäger did, he accommodated his arms in a way it would not squeeze out Bandit and would also not tire him out. He wondered where Bandit would take him to this time. The last time his lover took him in a midnight ride they ended up at the beach, fucking in the middle of nowhere, that was a great adventure, so Jäger imagined that will likely happen again tonight, not that he was complaining, though, he loved when he ran away with Bandit.

 “Are you cold, Katze?” Marius shook his head. Bandit had finally stopped on the side of the road. “We’re here, you can let go.” Bandit announced and Jäger did, not before squeezing Bandit’s torso lovingly.

“So, where are we exactly?” Jäger asked as he took off and left his helmet on one of the sides of the handle of the bike.

“In the middle of nowhere, as you like to say.” Bandit grabbed Jäger’s hand and led him.

“Oh, this will surely be fun, you brought lube, right?” Jäger joked, trying to guess Bandit’s intentions for the night.

“Maybe so.” Bandit answered, not giving any clues. Bandit swiped off a branch that was blocking his way and let Jäger pass first, revealing a beautiful cliff that ended up in the ocean.

“Mein Gott…” Jäger stood still, appreciating the beautiful landscape in front of him. “This is such a nice place to get fucked in.”

“Damn Mari, do you want me to fuck you that much?” Bandit said as he joined Jäger, also appreciating the view.

“Ha, how did you even find this place?” Jäger asked as he sat down near the end of the cliff but not near enough to actually have a chance to fall.

“Had to take a piss, so I pissed nearby, then I heard the waves, and then I found this place, and thought you like to see the stars here.” Bandit spoke as he sat beside his partner, pulling him closer with an arm.

“Are you saying that last part with a double meaning, Dom?” Yeah, Jäger believes Bandit only thinks about sex.

“Oh my god, Marius, you’re pretty horny today, aren’t you?’’

“What? no… I’m just trying to guess what are your intentions…” Jäger pressed his body towards Bandit, seeking affection.

“ Can’t I have a lovely night out with my Jagerchen?” 

“Well, it’s indeed lovely.” Bandit took off his jacket and placed it behind both to lean over it without getting bothered by the grass. He grabbed his phone and reproduced his “romantic” playlist.

“Can you explain to me for the hundredth time which constellation is which?” Bandit stared at the lights that were perched in the sky. He wondered, how can people assimilate objects from simple dots in the sky? they must’ve been high, Bandit thought.

“Haha, Why? I’ve told you a thousand times already and you can’t even memorize a single one of them.” Bandit hid his fingers between the jungle Jäger’s hair was, causing Jäger to unconsciously snuggle against his hand, seeking that soothing feeling.

“I don’t know, do you have something better to talk about?”

“Not really…” Jäger hummed as he spotted every constellation in the sky, jumping his look from one to another. “Actually, I have something I would like to discuss, Dominic.” Jäger made an effort to make himself sound serious, but he just sounded squeaky as always.

“Oh really?”

“Yeah, you know, I’m going to copy Chandar’s measures for you in the workshop…”

“What? what do you mean? what does that weird brit have to do?” Rules?

“Well, he banned James from the workshop to work efficiently…” Jäger started.

“And? Wait… are you saying you’re banning me too? Why? I don’t even cause trouble like that idiot!” Bandit raised his tone of voice, gaining Jäger’s blissful giggles.

“Isn’t it obvious Dom?! You’re always distracting me! I can’t… you don’t let me work properly!” Jäger exclaimed, extending his arms into the sky.

“I can’t help being hot Marius! Maybe you should work on controlling your eyes!” Bandit chuckled with him, Jäger’s complaints were true after all, he would come around the workshop now and then to bother or provoke his lover.

“No! I have decided, from now on, you’re banned from the workshop, I’ll let everybody that goes in to not let you in! Oh, Monika is going to love the news, you know right, Domi? She’s always a little mad I let you in the workshop…” The engineer declared as he rested his head on his boyfriend’s chest gazing his look over the horizon.

“You can’t do this to me, Mari, you’ll give in eventually, I know you well.” Bandit rested his hand over his beloved head, he felt so at peace.

“Let’s bet.” Jäger proposed, gripping a hand on Bandit’s side.

“Oh count me in for sure. I know you won’t resist letting in my handsome ass.” Bandit just knew the man too damn well, unlike Mute, Jäger could be easily lured and bent by Bandit it would just be a matter of time until Jäger would let him in the workshop again. “What’s in the bet anyway?”

 “Well, if I lose and let you in before the end of the year I’ll, I’ll um…”

“You’ll teach me how to fly.”

“What? No way Dominic! I can’t trust you’re not going to do something stupid!” Jäger remembered last Christmas, he had taken Bandit for a quick flight on his personal plane, the fucker covered his eyes for a second mid-flight, nothing happened really, but that was enough to make Jäger snap furious, making him stop the ride right away and sworn he will never take Bandit to another flight ever in his life.

“Aw, come on, well, take me in another ride, I’ll wear handcuffs, I swear.”

“I’ll think about it, what you did last time wasn’t funny at all Dominic, but that doesn’t mean a yes. But, if I win, you’ll… hmmm what could be good…” Jäger hummed, gazing his look over his lover’s face, who was looking at the sky.

 “I don’t know, you’ll do the dishes for the next year? I don’t know Dom, what can you offer me?”

“Hmm how about, I let you ride my bike, or well, I’ll teach you.” Bandit never lets anyone unless it’s Jäge or his twin brother Cedric to touch his bike, he is the only one ho rides the bike, yeah, he’s a little possessive about his beautiful Harley.

“What? are you sure Domi? you make a big deal if someone that’s not me gets close to it.’’

“Well, that’s why I shall let you my bike, now that I think of, that rule is a little stupid, since you care better about stuff than me.” Another song .

“You’re right, well, prepare yourself to teach me because I won’t be losing this bet.”

“Mari I still don’t get how in the hell do you not know how to ride a bike! You know how to fix them, but you don’t know how to ride them?” Bandit questioned the man resting over his chest.

“I told you, my younger self was scared of them, I always thought I would crash and die horribly.

 “Oh, but you didn’t think that about planes?”

“Planes are totally different Dom! don’t compare, there are no other planes in the sky to crash into so no, I’m not afraid at all.”

 “You were not afraid like, to run out of gas or, the engine to stop working?” Bandit insisted.

“At first, but that’s why there’s a protocol to check on planes before taking off.” 

Both kept quiet, gazing at the stars, Jäger would point out occasionally which part is which from the milky way, and Bandit would just hum and nod, passing the information in and out from his ears. Both held themself tightly to not let the cold in their bodies. Marius felt a box poking his side, it was inside Bandit’s pocket, he supposed it was a pack of cigarettes, he thought Bandit had quit smoking six months ago, well maybe not.

“Are you hungry Dom?”

“Are you?”

“No, I’m asking because I feel like cooking something, would you like me to cook you something tonight?”

“Hmm, nah, how about we go to that burger place you like a lot?”

“That sounds splendid, I would love to, but I’m not hungry yet.”

“Me neither, maybe later.” Oh, Bandit’s favorite song , why? because Jäger always appears in his mind whenever he hears it.

Time still passed by, Jäger started to get sleepy eventually, since Bandit is his official body pillow, he would likely turn sleepy if he rests himself over the man. Bandit noticed Jäger’s sleepiness right away and started rubbing his chin against Jäger’s forehead to scratch him with his beard, knowing damn well Jäger hated it.

“Stop it dom, don’t ruin the night.”  Jäger begged as he tried to pull away from Bandit, but his grip was tight.

“Look Mari! a shooting star!” Bandit ceased bothering the pilot and pointed at the sky, a big white line painted through the obscure night.

“Wow, that’s pretty big…” Jäger stared at the sky, following with his eyes the line traced in the sky.

“Did you wish for something?” Bandit spoke when the shooting star disappeared from the sky.

“Not really, I have everything I could’ve ever wanted, you.” Bandit couldn’t help but blush, Jäger was too pure for him.

“Well I did wish for something, I-” Bandit let go of the pilot to stand up, then extended both his hands to help Jäger stand up, once he grabbed his hands, he pulled him strongly, making him jump to stand up.

“No! don’t say your wish out loud! otherwise it won’t come true!” Jäger stared into his honey-colored eyes as they held hands under the moonlight.

“But Mari, in order for this wish to come true, I have to say it out.”  Bandit grabbed both of Jäger’s hands and kissed them, tingling them with his beard. 

“What do you-?” Bandit let go of his hand and pulled the box in his pocket that was previously poking his side as he knelt on the ground.

“Will you marry this idiot?” Bandit looked up, opening the box in half revealing a simple but beautiful ring. Jäger covered his mouth, muffling a gasp, his eyes started watering thoroughly as he energetically nodded up and down.

“Of course! yes!  I want to marry you so badly Dominic…” Jäger threw himself over Bandit into a hug, hugging him so tightly Bandit started wheezing. Jäger couldn’t stop crying from happiness, he was just so happy to be together forever with the man he is truly in love with.

“Marius, please, I want to be with you for the rest of my life... '' Bandit also hugged him tightly, he felt his shoulder soaking wet from Jäger’s tears. “ I can’t imagine the rest of my life without you by my side.” That made Jäger cry even more, Bandit isn’t cheesy or cursi, and him expressing his feelings with words is rare, he’d often express himself physically.

“Oh come on…” Jäger separated their bodies to hold Bandit’s jaw with both his hands, observing and scanning every inch of his face, then crashed their lips together lovingly, caressing Bandit’s short hair. “I want the same as you…”

“Lovely…” Bandit whispered, grabbing Jäger’s right hand to slide the gold ring into his ring finger, then proceeded to kiss it. Jäger observed his ring for a couple of seconds before pulling Bandit into another hug. “Kay’ hubby, are you hungry yet?”

Jäger nodded before letting go of his fiancé, he then wiped off the humidity of his eyes. “A burger would be nice.”

“Well, let’s get going, Katze.” Bandit said as he grabbed, dusted off his jacket, and wore it, walking down towards the trees they came from. “Please.” Bandit gestured as he lifted a branch that blocked the way, letting Jäger pass safely.

“Thank you, Dominic, this night was lovely.” Jäger spoke as he sat behind Bandit and wore his helmet.

“You’re lovelier.” Bandit assured, turning on the bike and driving off to that burger stand jäger loved.

I also posted this in AO3! I would really appreciate it if you gave it some love! https://archiveofourown.org/works/28008717

[kurtty-drabbles]

Postwoman au

N/A: Here we go. I´m tempted in making this a continuation of my Krampus au or my drabble, yet, I want to do something new here. Also, Santa here is professional but a freak in the sheet (THERE´S A NICHE WHERE SANTA FUCKS) also, would be racist if Santa attends to all holidays?

@dannybagpipesarecalling @djinmer4 @bamfoftheundead @muninandhugin

There´s an old saying, perhaps not as old as people made out to be, where it goes more or less like this- interpretations may vary and change a word or two- "love conquers all" and is the pure expression of the truth ever since Jean Grey and Scott Summers´s marriage change the course of history forever. Mutants are no longer seen as a threat and there´s no more social prejudice against mutants.

Is this heaven? Far from it. Mutants and Humans are the same sides of the coin- there´re mutants cable of doing more damage than a human can dream and of course, there´re humans that can respond to such violence with the same requiem - and Kitty Pryde is the one living this new reality among all the mutants of the second generation.

I saw the worse.

I saw the good.

And now I´m drifting meaninglessly.

Her body sludge down on the chair. Letting her foot touch the downy floor while the clock ticks and tack a loud sound- her eyes travel towards all the points in the waiting room. From the receptionist doing her work to the big closed door- and Kitty Pryde can see her reflection on the only mirror present. She was never one to put fashion above all, not even in such a situation. Wearing just a white shirt, short jeans and a yellow jacket wide open.

Then her land on the few magazines on display. Different magazines. Same story. Jean and Scott´s wedding was a fantastic story, but, sadly it has one unhappy ending. A man bursting into the church to confess his love for Jean Grey- Jubilee and Kitty was sure Logan would be the one to cause such scene- it was Prof X declaring his undying love for Jean Grey. It is still a nice gossip.

“When a father lusts over his son´s girlfriend” Kitty reads one of the main topics of the magazine. Repugnance is clear in her face and body language.

Another magazine has images of Prof X after his confession and even promised an exclusive interview with the man to explain himself. Kitty rolls her eyes at that- she reminisces when Bobby asks her to come to the wedding as his plus one. His boyfriend and he break up before the big day and Bobby didn´t want to go alone. And they only talk about Prof X and his revelation. The man was in love with a woman he raises since she was a kid- her cellphone rings softly. And has a message from her friends.

Good luck with your interview.

The receptionist has red hair. Too similar to her ex- Kitty meets Rachel Grey by accident. She was from a group called Excalibur. The relationship lasts a few months until Rachel and her group leave. Looking back. it was for the best-She recalls vividly an alternative version of herself who was looking at the relationship with confusion. And looking back again, Kitty can see why- and the woman is now looking at her. Was she always a red hair or is her succubus power kicking in? "Santa called...you can enter now, Miss Pryde" and the sultry smile is a tad similar to her ex. A tad bit only.

"Thanks" Kitty shurgs off and goes without looking back. If the succubus receptionist looks at Kitty going or not is her problem now.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Kitty is Jewish. She has fond memories of her Hannukahs - uncle Tim bring a new dog he rescued from families who think dogs are toys or aunt Moira and her many good whiskeys- and yet, in all her past Hannukahs there was never a period where her family thought about Santa. Not for a single second. So, of course, Kitty is looking at the real Santa right now.

The popular version of Santa is a fat man with red clothes and a big beard- Yana jokes how Santa could be communist too-and yet, the reality is far from different. Tumblr has a word for this type of Santa, but, Kitty refuses to use it. So, Kitty can summarize by saying: yep, he´s handsome.

"Ah, you must be Miss Pryde, da" his accent is a mixture of Russian and English. Somewhat similar to Yana´s accent. Kitty nods. "Excellent, I´m sorry for the waiting. We´re dealing with a problem...all taken care" and gesture to Kitty sit as the other one will be here to interview her in a minute. "Galaticus usually don´t indicate anyone to this job"

"But he puts adds on the newspaper asking for Heralds" Kitty counters back and Santa didn´t deny that.

"He does that. He even accepts Deadpool as his Herald...don´t ask me why." he shakes his head at this information. "now, tell me about you, Miss Pryde...Galaticus only told us you´re good fitting for the job"

"A job as vague as possible" she arches an eyebrow. "And I´m unemployed at the moment." she pauses and adds. "I´m Jewish"

"If you think this will be a problem or that we only work with Christians families. You´re wrong. I work on any holiday that celebrates the family and love. Any family can receive me if they so wish, I have visited some Hannukahs in my past, I was denied in some Christian families and so and on. Krampus, my friend, is not a racist or believes in ''the old ways'' in fact, he hates the old ways more than you think" Santa states calmly and speaks something in a new language to something or someone way behind Kitty.

"There´s the devil!" Satan states all joyful causing Kitty to turn her head and see the so-called Krampus. A handsome indigo man. Golden eyes. and a tail throwing a winning smile at her. "Krampus, this is Kitty. Kitty this is Krampus. You´ll be his secretary...if he agrees" and the man kissed her hand-a bit old fashioned. Kitty didn´t hide her confusion- and both are now alone to conduct the interview.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

"Galaticus indicate you" his tone is joyful. Does he want Kitty to forget this is an interview? "Do you know what a Krampus is?" and Kitty closes her eyes hard and starts to mull the word for a moment.

I know I heard this name somewhere.

"Ok, I got it. You have no idea what am I" hos tone is amused and Kitty opens her eyes to see Kurt smiling like a cat. "Do you know what this job is?" and now she´s losing her patience.

"No, of course not, Galaticus comes into my room and says" Kitty pauses to mimic his voice. "Go to Santa. They have a job for you. And then he vanished. I had no idea what this job is about and no one is telling me anything. I don´t even celebrate Christmas" Kitty finishes her rants. Krampus is still too amused.

"My bad then, for starts, I deal with naughty mortals, so to speak" Kitty is listening. "Your job, if you accept, is to help me organize things. I´m terrible with names and numbers. And Santa´s elves can help me so far...of course, you´ll be compensated by your work. Here the initial idea for your salary" and Kitty is more than surprised. Is not a big number nor a smaller. It is acceptable for now. "and we´ll offer you some magic compensations to do some of the jobs. I mean, I´ll need someone to deliver messages to others deities and I know you don´t have teleportation" Krampus conclude waiting for her reply.

Kitty mulls over for 2 minutes. "Will I have to work all day and night?"

"Of course not. We all have lives. And the weekends are yours to do what you want!"

"If I give you my name..." and now Krampus chuckles.

"I´m not a regular fae. I can give you my name if it makes you feel at peace" and Kitty is surprised by this revelation. "my name is Kurt Wagner"

"I´m not sure if I´ll want to do this for a long period" Kitty begins and Kurt states that she needs to fill 6 months of work after that she´s free. "So, I´m willing to give a chance"

And with a snap of his fingers a pink fae- she calls herself pixie- shows up having in hands a contract in her hands ready for Kitty and Kurt to sign. Kitty read the contract - some laws are protecting her. As well as a law of discretion. Kitty can´t tell anyone what happens in Krampus´s working hour-and Kitty signal the contract.

"Welcome aboard, Katzchen. Hope you can survive the experience"

"Wait, what?"

[what-is-your-plan-today]

Stark Spangled Banner Ch 54: The Time Heist

Intro: It’s time...for the Time Heist. The team split and head to their various places and points in time to retreive the stones, Katie, Steve heading with Tony, Banner and Lang to New York 2012. But of course, it doesn’t all go to plan and one member of the Avengers pays the ultimate sacrifice...

Warnings: “Language!” 

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

Stark Spangled Banner Masterlist

**Ok so we all know what’s coming in this one...little bit longer than normal but there’s a lot to cram in. Hope you all enjoy**

"I've missed this suit," Tony smiled, patting Steve on the shoulder. “It’s the very reason I call you Spangles.” “Which is exactly why I have never worn it post New York” The Soldier rolled his eyes, turning to look at Thor who walked into the large room outside the armoury with Rocket.

"You're wearing that to Asgard?" Tony looked him up and down, taking in the grey hoody and red sweater.

“Yes, what’s wrong with it?” Thor asked.

“You look like Santa Clause with a crystal meth addiction.” Tony replied and Thor frowned, as Rocket began to laugh. 

As the three of them began to bicker about Thor’s appearance, Steve looked up  to see Katie emerging from the locker room, dressed in the first cat-suit he could remember seeing her in. His pants instantly felt a little tighter round the crotch. That suit clung in all the right places, especially now her figure was slightly different to what it had been eleven years ago. Mind you, she still looked extremely passable as a 2012 version of herself and Steve found himself wondering how on Earth he had managed to actually fight any aliens back then when she looked as hot as she did. 

She caught his gaze, flashed him a smile which he returned and she took one of the GPS bands off Tony as he handed them out to the assembled team. One by one, as the bands were activated, the red and white Quantum Tunnel suits formed around each of the avengers. Steve picked up his shield, and nodded around to his team.

“Let’s go.” Together they strode through the hangar, Steve leading them towards the large, glass platform with the early morning sun cascading through the large glass hangar doors from where it was just starting to peak over the trees. As they walked Katie looked over her shoulder at Natasha, winking and the red head grinned back at her, biting her lip excitedly. Katie knew she’d been waiting for this for five years, an opportunity to undo everything. They all had.

As everyone took their place around the glass platform, Banner behind the control panel, Steve looked around and cleared his throat.

“Five years ago, we lost. All of us. We lost friends... we lost family... we lost a part of ourselves.” he looked around at his team “Today, we have a chance to take it all back. You know your teams, you know your missions. Get the stones, get them back. One round trip each. No mistakes. No do-overs.” He took a breath and Katie smiled to herself as he continued “Most of us are going somewhere we know. But it doesn't mean we should know what to expect. Be careful. Look out for each other.” Another breath “This is the fight of our lives. And we're gonna win.”

At that point Tony gave Steve a look, his eyebrow raising slightly, a soft smile playing on his face. Steve met his face, with a determined expression of his own. “Whatever it takes.”

He nodded at Tony before he looked around at the team. “Good luck.”

“He’s pretty good at that.” Rocket said, his arms folded.

“Right?” Scott jerked his thumb towards Steve and Katie smiled.

“All right. You heard the man. Stroke those keys, jolly green.” Tony called to Banner.  

“Tractors engaged” Banner nodded before joining them on the platform.

Katie took up her position between Natasha and Steve, making sure her GPS was set to the right time and date.  

“You ok?” Steve asked softly

“As Ok as I can be given I’m about to time travel back to an alien invasion.” She muttered back and Steve chuckled.

“When we get back you and me are cracking open that bottle of Kauffman vintage that I know you hid from Thor in your room.” Katie turned to her left to look at Natasha.

Natasha gave a grin, “Deal. Hey Rogers!” Steve turned to look at her.

“See you in a minute!” Nat wriggled her shoulders and eyebrows excitement and he huffed out a laugh at her enthusiasm. This was the most animated he had seen her about anything in the past 5 years.

The machine began to whir slightly, glowing, and the mechanism above their heads shifted. Their helmets all formed round their heads. A second later they were hurtling back through time.

Katie felt a little bit dizzy as her feet landed on the ground in the middle of a side street in New York, a block or so away from the tower. The sounds of cries, screams, gunfire filled her ears as the red and white suit vanished from around her.

“All right, we all have our assignments.” Steve looked at everyone “Two Stones uptown, one Stone, down. Stay low. Keep an eye on the clock.”

At that point he whirled round as 2012 Hulk passed, smashing everything in his way. Bruce put his hand on his face, embarrassed, as Steve turned to look at him.

“Maybe smash a few things along the way” the Captain suggested.

"I think it's gratuitous, but whatever." Bruce muttered, tearing his shirt off. He walked over to a car and lightly punched it, making a small dent, all the while making growling noise which Katie doubted would even scare a kitten. Then he picked up a motorbike and threw it at a wall, wincing as it smashed before he continued his journey down town.

The rest of them parted to their own assignments, Tony and Lang taking off, Katie and Steve making their way to the entrance of Stark Tower.

“First rule of not being seen?” Katie stopped at the door and looked at him, he raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t hide by any chance?”

Katie snorted “You got it.” “Yeah well I kinda figured it might be the same as the whole going on the run mantra.”

“Got to hustle, guys. Things look like they're just about wrapped up here.” Tony’s voice said in their ears.  

“Got it. We’re approaching the elevator now.” Steve repled, following Katie as she strode confidently across the Tower Lobby.

She was right, no one paid them the least bit of attention as they stepped into the lift, everyone was too busy running around in a blind panic. Katie smirked to herself as the door shut. Pressing her palm to the pad at the side, she selected the button for the sixty-fifth floor which housed Tony’s office- where they were going to hide until it was their time to make a move.

“Uh, Mr. Rogers. I almost forgot that that suit did nothing for your ass.”

Katie sorted and Steve rolled his eyes.  

“No one asked you to look, Tony.” He said exasperatedly.

“It’s ridiculous” Tony continued.

“I think you look great, Cap. As far as I'm concerned, that's America's ass.” Scott replied, and that was when Katie gave in and began to laugh as the elevator stopped and they stepped out.

“I like your ass.” she grinned up at him and it was his turn to laugh.

“It’s all yours baby.” 

***** Up on the Party Floor, Tony was smirking to himself at having managed to successfully wind Steve up again on a job. Well, would it really be an Avengers Mission if he didn’t?

He and Lang ducked out of the way as the elevators opened and the SHIELD-slash-Hydra team lead by Rumlow and Sitwell entered the floor.

“Who are these guys?” Lang asked.  

“They are SHIELD, well, actually Hydra. But, we didn't know that yet.” Tony explained

“Seriously, you didn't? I mean...they look like bad guys.” Lang continued.

“You're small, but you're talking loud.” Tony said, an edge to his voice. He was getting kind of tired of people pointing out the various flaws in judgement or errors to their methods when they went back over past missions.

“On my way down to coordinate search and rescue.” 2012 Rogers spoke. Tony had to smirk. Steve always denied he had changed that much, but he really was as far a cry from that pompous, stick-up-your-ass jerk as he could get.  

Tony watched Loki transform into Steve for a second in imitation and the Billionaire had to snort. As far as imitations go it was pretty flawless. Then, as Loki was gagged and lead way by Thor he spotted that his 2012 self was tapping at the security pad on a briefcase which contained the Tesseract.

“All right, you're up, little buddy.” he spoke to Lang “That’s our stone.“

“Alright.” Lang nodded, speaking from Tony’s shoulder. “Flick me.”

There were so many things wrong with that instruction, but Tony didn’t have time to unpack them right there. Instead he did as he was told, flicking the ant sized Lang straight towards the box where he scrambled up Tony’s arm, to his beard and then down his top.

Tony remembered with amusement the next bit. This was when Hulk had tried to take the elevator. Grinning he watched as his 2012 self-informed Banner that the maximum occupancy had been reached, and 2012 Thor told him to take the stairs. In a fit of temper Hulk punched at the elevator door once it was shut, before grumbling to himself as he headed to the other side of the floor to get to the stairs. With a smirk Tony backed up, threw himself out of the window, his suit reforming round him. 

*****

Katie and Steve found their floor completely deserted. As such, they’d been stood, hovering by the elevator waiting for the signal which came over their radios not long after they had heard Lang tell Tony to ‘flick him’- yeah, Katie and Steve both thought there was a lot wrong with that instruction.

“All right, Cap, Kiddo. I got our scepter in the elevator just passing the 90th floor.”

“On it.” Steve said, hitting the call button for the elevator.

“You remember what happened last time we were in an elevator full of Hydra dickheads?” Katie looked up at Steve as she grinned.

He snorted, and was just about to answer back to assure her he didn’t intend on flinging them out of the side of this one from almost twenty storeys up, but he didn’t get chance. The elevator doors stopped and then opened. Katie and Steve both glanced at the STRIKE-slash-Hydra agents, Sitwell and Rumlow both doing a double take as they saw them. Steve gestured for Katie to go in first, and she did, turning to the button pad.  She randomly selected a floor below them before she moved to the middle of the lift.

“Captain. I thought you were coordinating search and rescue?” Sitwell looked at Steve.

“Change of plans.” He said simply as he turned to face the elevator door as it closed.

“Hey, Cap, Nova.” Rumlow spoke, glancing over his shoulder.

“Hey Brock.” Katie smiled. It fell silent for a while, the situation feeling familiar to the two Avengers, as they noticed that the agents were sharing nervous glances. Steve looked around, before he spoke again.

“I just got a call from the Secretary. Agent Stark and I are gonna be running point on the scepter.”

“Sir? I don't understand.” Sitwell frowned, turning to face him.

“We got word there may be an attempt to steal it.” Katie supplied, holding his gaze.

“Sorry, guys, but. I can't give you the scepter.” Rumlow shook his head and Katie saw he was reaching for his gun.

“Yeah, I'm gonna have to call the Director.” Sitwell began.

“That's okay. Trust me” Steve insisted as Katie reached out and wrapped her hand around Rumlow’s wrist, fully anticipating there was going to be a struggle, but thanks to Steve’s quick thinking, it never came.

He leaned forward, his mouth close to Sitwell’s ear. “Heil Hydra.”  he whispered, loud enough for them all to hear. Sitwell looked up at him, Steve simply gave him a knowing nod and Rumlow glanced at Katie. She released his wrist smiling at him.

“You kept that quiet Stark.” Rumlow looked at her.

“Isn’t that supposed to be the point?” she raised an eyebrow at him.

“Touche.”

The elevator door stopped and Katie nodded to Steve.

“If you’ll excuse us.” he gestured to the case which held the Sceptre. Rumlow handed it to him and Sitwell moved to allow them to step out. They began walking away from the door, exchanging a smug glance as they went. Once they heard the doors Katie turned to Steve grinning.

“Heil Hydra?” she laughed “You clever bastard!”

“I have my moments.” he shrugged. “What floor are we on.”

“Twentieth.” she said. “Oooh, if we head down the stairs to the fourteenth it has a glass walkway that connects the left to the right side of the building, so we should be able to use that to get a decent view of what’s going on in the lobby.”

She led Steve over to a heavy door which housed the Stairs and they both winced as they could hear Hulk yelling.

“SO MANY STAIRS!” his words echoed and Katie glanced down to see he was a few floors below them. Nodding to Steve they began their descent.

***** In the Lobby, Tony was watching with amusement, the slight difference of opinion his 2012 self and 2012 Thor were having with Alexander Pierce. Back then there had been a minutes or so argument until Pierce had snatched the Tesseract from Tony. Thor had then been incandescent with rage. Eventually, Fury had diffused the situation by getting Pierce to back down and allow Thor to take the Tesseract back to Asgard. But that wasn’t for a good few hours, which was why they needed to steal the cube before Pierce took it from the building.

 “Loki will be answering to Odin himself.” Thor shook his head when he was instructed to turn his brother over.

“He's gonna answer to us. Odin can have what's left.” Pierce said “And I'm gonna need that case, that's been SHIELD property for over seventy years.”

“Hand over the case, Stark” a SHIELD or Hydra agent instructed.2012 Tony shook his head and began to protest.  

“All right, move it, Stuart Little.” Tony said from his place in the lobby, he was dressed in a SHIELD Tactical Kit, one he had stolen of some guy he’d had to knock out. “Things are getting dicey up here. Let's go.”

“You promise me you won't die?” Lang shot back.“

“You're only giving me a mild cardiac dysrhythmia.” 

“That doesn't sound mild”.

“Do it, Lang!”

“Get your hands off!” 2012 Tony was yelling.

“Window's closing. Pull my pin!” Tony insisted.

“Here goes!” Seconds later 2012 Tony dropped the case, clutching at his chest.

“Stark? Stark!”  Thor bellowed as 2012 Tony fell to the floor. 

 “Look, he's convulsing.” Pierce said “Give him air! Medic!”

“MEDIC!” Tony said, some amusement as he watched his past self, writhing on the floor “This guy needs some help, some help please!”

In the rush and melee that followed, the case suddenly slid across the floor to Tony who grabbed it hastily with a smile.

“Good job.” he said into his comms “Meet me in the alley. I'm gonna grab a quick slice”

Only he never made it, as right at that point Hulk smashed through the door from the staircase into the lobby, sending Tony flying to the ground. The case burst open and the Tesseract slid towards Loki.

“NO MORE STAIRS!!!!” Everyone began to run from Hulk's rampage and Loki bent down to grab the Tesseract, using it to teleport away, his brother and guards completely oblivious as they were too busy dealing with 2012 Tony’s collapse. Thor held his hammer and tapped it with his palm, sending a bolt of electricity though to 2012 Tony’s chest, bringing him back round instantly. And then all hell broke loose as they realised the case and Loki were gone. 

“That wasn't supposed to happen, was it?” Scott asked, as he stood on Tony’s chest. Tony sighed and looked around as the 2012 Thor and Tony began frantically talking into their coms.

“Oh we blew it.” Tony groaned. 

****

“Tony, what's going on?” Steve demanded as he followed Katie round the corner towards the walkway. “Tell me you found that cube.” 

At that point he bumped straight into his wife who was stood stock still in front of him staring right at his 2012 counterpart.

 “Oh, you gotta be shitting me.” he groaned.

“Cap,” a familiar voice from behind 2012 Steve spoke and Katie’s mouth dropped open as her 2012 self sprinted onto the walkway, skidding to a halt behind the Steve from her time. “What the fuck?”

2012 Steve’s eyes flitted from 2012 Katie to 2023 Katie and back again.

“This is clearly some kind of spell.”  2012 Steve spoke, and 2012 Katie nodded in agreement as he continued this time talking into his comms. “We have eyes on Loki. 14th floor.”

“I’m not Loki.” Steve put the case containing the Sceptre down taking a step forward so he was level with his Katie. “And I don't wanna hurt you.”

In a flash, 2012 Steve engaged. Steve raised his shield, the clang loud as the Vibranium discs clashed against one another. Katie ducked past the duelling captains to stand in front of her younger self.

“Why are you doing this Loki?” 2012 Katie looked at her, taking up a fighting stance “You could have just fucked off-”

“I’m not Loki.” Katie shook her head “And neither is Steve.” “So who are you then?”

“That is a really, really long story.” she muttered “And also a crazy one so…”

“You’ve seen what’s going on out there?” the 2012 her scoffed “I doubt there’s anything that could surprise me anymore.”

“Alright,.so I’m you, from 2023.” Katie shrugged as she looked around. “Tony invented a time machine so we could come back and get something we need.” 2012 Katie raised her eyebrow before she laughed. “Whatever” and with that she launched forward.

Steve saw his wife starting to engage with her 2012 self, and his moment of distraction cost him. His younger self kneed him in the chest, knocking him down harshly.

2012 Steve looked down at him, smirking. “I can do this all day.”

“Yeah, I know.” Steve sighed, shaking his head as he waved him away whilst he stood up again “I know”

Had he really been that lame?

With another flick of his arm, Steve threw his shield toward 2012 as he did the same, the clang loud as the Virbanium discs ricocheted off one another. Without their shields the men began to fight, furiously. At one point Steve was flipped off his feet by his younger self and jumped up, repeating the favour. As the blows were traded and kicks landed, one of them, he had no idea who, managed to send the case containing the sceptre through the glass side of the walkway, causing it to shatter.

Katie heard the smashing behind her but she didn’t look round, she was too busy going toe to toe with her past self. She was just about getting the upper hand too as eleven years on she knew a lot more moves thanks to Natasha and Steve’s training. As her younger self leaned in with a pretty savage right hook Katie stopped it with both hands and then used her 2012 self’s arm as leverage to push up from the floor. Swinging both legs round in a scissor action she managed to lock her knees round 2012’s neck using the momentum and strength in her legs to bring 2012 her crashing over backwards to the ground, hard. Before 2012 could get up Katie flicked one of Natasha’s widow bites at her and winced as she watched her younger self convulsing on the floor.

She didn’t have much time to contemplate it however, as the sound of a loud yell made her look up just in time to see 2012 Steve flipping both Steve’s off the walk way, smashing through several glass landings and down a few of the smaller flights of stairs which connected a some of the other floors together until they eventually landed on the lobby.

Wincing Steve managed to push himself up, taking a deep breath he swayed slightly and looked up as 2012 Steve was brandishing his compass at him, his mouth open and brow furrowed. Of course, he won’t have even gotten the compass back yet, and he wouldn’t do until the following year when he went through his stuff for the Smithsonian exhibit.

“Where did you get this?” 2012 asked,  his voice low. “And why does it have a picture of you…or me, and Miss Stark in it?”

Steve didn’t answer instead he ducked trying to retrieve the sceptre, and he might have been successful if he was up against a normal opponent, but 2012 Steve was quick and he placed his foot on the sceptre, throwing Steve off balance slightly. In a flash he was behind him, putting the older Soldier into a choke hold. Steve threw all his power backwards, throwing the pair of them to the ground where they began to writhe along the floor, both trying to get the upper hand, Steve trying to manoeuvre them to the sceptre. Unfortunately for Steve, 2012 was just as clever and as he reached out with his right hand the younger man jerked him backwards, his legs round his waist, arms tight round his throat.

Steve knew he had to distract him, so in desperation he spluttered out something he knew would have made his 2012 self stop dead in his tracks “Bucky…is…alive…” He felt the grip around his neck release, and he fell forward coughing.

“What?” asked 2012 Steve, but he never got his answer as Steve sucker punched him right in the face with his right hand, before he grabbed the sceptre, pointing the tip of it at his chest. 2012 Steve froze in mid-air before collapsing forwards.

Steve let his head fall back in relief. Jesus that had been brutal. His face, ribs, neck, back all hurt like hell. At that point the door to the stairs burst open and he looked up to see his Katie running over the floor to him.

“You ok?” she asked, offering him her hand. She pulled him to his feet and gently cupped his face with her hands, her thumb stroking the bruise that was forming on his left cheek.

“Yeah, you?”

“Had to knock myself out with a widow bite” She grinned, before looking down at the Unconscious Steve and frowning. “What did you use?”

He held up the sceptre, before he reached down and grabbed his compass. Sticking it back in his pocket he took another deep breath before he noticed Katie was looking down at him, or rather his 2012 self.

“Lang’s right,” she mused. “that is America's ass.”

Steve rolled his eyes, collecting his shield as a smile tugged at his lips, “Let’s get out of here.”

****

“Are there any other options with the Tesseract?” Steve said gently, his voice pleading, pleading to hear that there was another way.  The news they had lost it had been devastating, and as Katie watched her soldier who was glancing down at his feet, she could see he was trying to think but as he raised his head to look at her she could see the utter disappointment on his face. She swallowed, feeling it too. They’d come so far, and looked to be set to fall at the final hurdle.  

“No, no, no. There's no other options. There's no do-overs.” Scott said loudly “We're not going anywhere else. We have one particle left. Each That's it, alright? We use that– Bye, bye. You're not going home.”

“Yeah, well if we don't try, then no one else is going home, either.” Steve’s voice rose a little.  

“Wait,” Katie looked up and idea suddenly popping into her head. “We need more Pym Particles, right?” “Yeah, that’s what I said.” Scott began but Steve silenced him, recognising the look on his wife’s face. She was running through an idea.

“Let’s just go back and get some.” she breathed, astounded the idea hadn’t come to any of them beforehand.

“What?” Scott frowned.

“There has to be some point in time and space that we can get more.” she shrugged, “Let’s just go steal some and try again for the Tesseract.” “I can go one better than that.” Tony scrambled out of the trashed car he’d been sat in. “There's a way to retake the Tesseract and acquire new particles at the same time.” he looked at Steve “Little stroll down memory lane. Military installation, Garden State.”

Katie and Steve looked at one another, instantly understanding before they looked at Tony.

“When were they both there?” Steve asked.

“They were there at a–“ Tony paused “I've a vaguely exact idea.”

“How vague?”  Katie pressed.

“What are you talking about? Where are we going?” Scott frowned.  

“I know for a fact they were there–“  Tony began again but was cut off.

“Who's they? What are we doing?” Scott’s voice was gathering pitch as he got more and more frustrated.

“And I know how I know.” Tony looked at Katie and she suddenly understood

“Dad.” she said, swallowing.  

Tony nodded.

“Guys, what's up? What is it?” Scott demanded to know.  

“Well, it looks like we're improvising” Steve spoke, as the Stark siblings were still looking at one another.

“Right. What are we improvising?” Scott asked as Steve turned to him, handing him the Scepter.

“Scott, get this back to the compound”.

“What's in New Jersey?” Scott tried again.

Katie and Steve began to program their watches to the date and location Tony was telling them- 4th April 1970.

“Are you sure?” Scott pressed again, before he stepped forward “Cap. Captain. Steve, sorry, America. Rogers. Look, if you do this, and this doesn't work, you're not coming back.”

Steve swallowed as Tony glared at him. “Thanks for the pep talk, piss ant”

Lang was right, if they were wrong, he’d never see his kids again. They’d never see their kids again. No, he couldn’t let Katie come, not knowing that. Their kids needed at least one of them…

“Katie.”

“Oh no!” she folded her arms “You are not benching me.” Steve shook his head. “It’s too big a risk.” “So is going just the two of you! Your face is so well known, even more so back then and there, at the first SHIELD base?” she sighed “Don’t forget, half the people in that place are already Hydra. If you’re recognized…” she trailed off “Baby, this needs three heads. Just in case…”

“Do you trust me?” Tony spoke, looking at his brother-in-law.

Steve looked at him, with a deep sigh he nodded. “I do.”

“Then it’s your call.” Tony glanced back at him, then to Katie. Steve was torn, he really was.

“Whatever it takes Steve.” Katie reminded him. She wasn’t scared in the slightest, she had utter faith in Tony.

Steve took a deep breath and against every bit of better judgment he had in his body he gave her a short nod “Here we go.”

*****

Katie and Steve knew exactly where the secret SHIELD base was, having already been in it way back before they took down the Triskelion.

Using some stolen clothes and ID Badges from the locker rooms, they managed to get into the base reasonably easy. Steve was dressed in an old military uniform, Tony in just a plain suit and Katie in a skirt and blouse, with her hair pulled up into a high seventies style pony tail. They didn’t get challenged, although there was one woman that was definitely giving them a very attentive look over in the lift. Katie was glad when it was their floor, and Steve allowed her to step out first. As they passed a chair outside a room, she noticed some files someone had left behind. Quickly, she scooped them up in an attempt to make her look like any other normal office worker that was mooching around the area.

Eventually, thanks to Steve’s photographic memory being able to recall a floor map that was on the wall outside the elevator after one simple glance at it, they found Dr Pym’s laboratory and continued down the corridor until they reached an office that wasn’t occupied. Katie distracted everyone in the corridor by dropping the files she was carrying all over the place whilst Steve slipped inside, unnoticed. He looked down at the phone on the desk and gave a little groan. This hand set was something completely alien to him, but he scanned the various buttons and saw one labelled operator.

“Not that different.” he mused softly to himself. He picked the phone up and hit the button, asking to be put through to Dr Pym and a few minutes later he was connected.

“Hello. Dr. Pym?”

“That would be the number that you called. Yes” 

“This is Captain…Stevens from shipping” he winced slightly at his unoriginal name. “We have a package for you.”

“Bring it up”.

“Well, that's the thing, sir. We can't.”

“I'm confused. I thought that was your job.”

“Well, it's just– Sir, the box is glowing and, to be honest, some of our mail guys aren't feeling that great.” He paused, waiting.

“They didn't open it, did they?”

“Yeah, they did.” Steve smiled as the man took the bait.  “You better get down here.”

He placed the phone down and glanced out of the door through the small pane of glass. As someone handed Katie the last file they’d helped her tidy up, she thanked them and looked at Steve. He gave her the thumbs up and she smirked, before turning her head to see a frantic looking man in a white coat shoot out of the lab a few doors down and run off towards the elevators.

“Excuse me!! Out of the way!”

Once he was gone Katie headed to the lab. She hastily looked around, searching as she passed various filing cabinets, ant farms, a few desks piled high with research. She stood, hands on her hips as she glanced to her right and her face cracked into a grin.

“Bingo.” she walked towards the large, class cabinet that bore the radioactive warning symbol on the front. Opening the door she hesitated, and selected five of the tubes. One each for her, Steve and Tony, and then two spare just in case. She tucked them into the pockets of the skirt she was wearing and headed into the corridor, Steve joining her as she went.

“Got em.” She said, as the two of them strode towards the lift, quickly and quietly. 

And they were so close, so close…

“Shit.” Katie mumbled, stopping. Steve, who had been checking over his shoulder looked round and saw the elevator lady talking to a number of military security guards.

“And you've never seen these two men, or this woman before? “

“No, I've got an eye for this. They looked fishy.” the woman said, turning to walk towards them.

They both began to turn around when Steve spotted an office to his left.

“In here.” He opened the door and gently guiding Katie in before he stepped in after her. He flattened himself against a book shelf, watching through the frosted glass for the figures to pass.

Meanwhile, something on the desk had caught Katie’s attention. A photo. A photo she knew.

A photo of someone she knew inside out.

“Steve,” she whispered. He glanced up to see her staring at something on the desk. It took him a few seconds but when he realized what it was he too frowned. It was a photo of him, the one from his SHIELD file. It depicted him before the serum in a white T-Shirt, dog hags hanging out of his collar. Katie had a copy of that very same photo in her office because she loved it too.

The pair of them looked at one another, before they turned and read the name that was etched into the glass on the office door. And even backwards it was easy to see what it said.

Margaret Carter. Director

He’d steered them into Peggy’s office.

“Katie, honey, I swear, I didn’t-“ he began but they were both cut off by the sound of voices behind them causing them to spin back round and watch through the spaces in the blinds which covered the large window into the other side of the office.

Steve stepped forward whilst behind him Katie hung back, not quite sure how to deal with this. She’d been with Steve now for ten years, married for almost eight and she knew he loved her, she truly did but still she couldn’t help that feeling of trepidation which flood her system as she watched her husband smile as his first love stalked around the other side of the office. This was, what, Nineteen Seventy? Some twenty-five years after he had been lost in the ice. 

Katie found herself wondering if the woman ever truly did let go of Steve, or if she merely spent however long in a marriage pining for a man she could never, or would never have.

Peggy was shouting at another agent for something, shaking her head in frustration and generally thundering around in a manner Steve could recall very well and he couldn’t help a fond smile which spread across his face. It was a far cry from the old, frail lady he had imprinted on his mind.

“She looks so, well, good.” he muttered gently. “You know, not ill.”

It might have sounded stupid but that was the only way he could explain it. It was nice to see her so happy, healthy and doing what she did bed. When Katie didn’t reply he turned to see her watching him, her arms folded across her chest as if she was hugging herself.

“Yeah,” she whispered, giving him a small smile, “she does.”

Steve threw one last glance over his shoulder to see Peggy leaving the room. He walked towards his wife, dropped an arm round her and kissed her forehead, curling her into him. Her body language was still stiff as her hands slid round his waist.

“You know I love you.” he whispered softly, nuzzling into her hair. “There’s never been anyone who’s come close.”

“Yeah.” Katie relaxed slightly into his hold. 

“Good.” he smiled, tilting her face up so she was looking at him. He dropped a soft kiss to her lips, and she smiled at him. “Now let’s go find your brother.”

***** Getting the Tesseract had been easy. What hadn’t been easy was bumping into his dad. Tony had fumbled over his words, walked into chairs, basically lost any of the Stark suaveness he prided himself on having and had introduced himself as Howard. Howard fucking Potts. Howard Stark, however, didn’t seem to notice anything out of the ordinary, and Tony had managed to walk right out of the lab with the Tesseract in his suitcase because being with Howard Stark was keeping him from even being looked at. 

All in all, it was the perfect cover.

“So, flowers and sauerkraut. You got a big date tonight?” Tony asked.

“My wife's expecting.” Howard replied and Tony’s mouth fell open. Of course she was, with him. “And, uh, too much time in the office.”

“Congratulations” Tony smiled at him

“Thanks. Hold this, will you?” Howard asked, passing over the flowers and sauerkraut.  

“Yeah, sure.” Tony took them off him “How far along is she?”

“I don't know– Uh– “ his dad held his hands out indicating the size of his mother’s bump “She's at the point where she can't stand the sound of my chewing. I guess I'll be eating dinner in the pantry again.

“I have a little girl” Tony stuttered “Well…I kinda have two actually.” “Kind of?” “Yeah, the eldest, well she’s actually my sister. Our parents died when she was very young and I ended up with Custody of her so.”

“Oh I’m sorry.” “I’m not.” Tony shook his head and as Howard raised an eyebrow he started to explain “I mean I am sorry our parents died but not that I ended up looking after kiddo, you know, wouldn’t have had it any other way. She’s an incredible person, smart, funny, beautiful. Married to a soldier now, couple of kids of her own.”

The other man smiled “You know, a girl would be nice. Less of a chance she'd turn out exactly like me.”

“What'd be so awful about that?” Tony asked.

“Let's just say that the greater good has rarely outweighed my own self-interests.”

Tony nodded for a moment, before the elevator stopped and the walked out of the bunker. “So, where are you at with names?”

“Well, if it's a boy, my wife likes Almanzo” Howard looked at him. What the fuck mom? 

Tony shook his head as they crossed to the middle of the road in between the various military vehicles and troops that were running down it. “Huh, Might wanna let that stew a while. You got time.”   

“Let me ask you a question.” Howard turned to him as they reached the middle “When your kid was born, were you nervous?

“Wildly. Yeah.” Tony smiled, and he had been. He’d been a wreck in the delivery suite, Pepper at one point ordering him out until he calmed down.

“Did you feel qualified? Like you had any idea how to successfully operate that thing?”

Tony shook his head. “Well, I’d already looked after my sister but this was different, you know, she was mine to look after from birth and, well, I literally pieced it together as I went along, I thought about what my Dad did, and– “

At that point, over his Dad’s shoulder he spotted Steve and Katie stood in the distance and Steve gave him the thumbs up.

“My old man, he never met a problem he couldn't solve with a belt.” Howard shook his head.

Tony looked back to him from where he had been watching Steve and Katie glancing around cautiously before he spoke to the man again.

“You know, I thought my dad was tough on me. And now, looking back, I just remember the good stuff, you know. He did drop the odd pearl.” Tony smiled.  

“Yeah? Like what?”

"No amount of money ever bought a second of time."

“Smart guy.” Howard nodded.  

“He did his best.”

“Let me tell you.” Howard smiled gently “That kid's not even here yet, and there's nothing I wouldn't do for ‘em”

Tony felt his eyes beginning to well, he simply nodded as Howard walked past him towards his car.

In the distance Katie squinted and jerked her head questioningly at Tony, trying to figure out why he was holding a bunch of flowers. He raised his briefcase pointing to it, the expression on his face telling her to calm down. She heard Steve let out a breath and a smile crossed her face. The plan had worked. They had the tesseract. She was about to jerk her thumb over her shoulder to instruct her brother to leave whatever it was he was doing, until she saw the face of the man he had been speaking to. 

“Oh my god.” she whispered “That’s, that’s my dad.”

Steve had realized the same thing the minute the guy had turned around to shake Tony’s hand. Besides him, Katie took a step forward and he made to gently grab her arm.

“Katie, you can’t.”

“Don’t tell me what I can and can’t do Steve.” she snapped, a little harshly “You just took your trip down memory lane, now I’m gonna take mine.”

She jerked her hand from his grasp and headed over to where her brother was handing over the flowers and a tin of sauerkraut, of all things, to the man, before they embraced.

“Everything's gonna be all right.” She could hear Tony as she approached. “Thank you–“

“Thank you?” Howard frowned.

“He means for everything, you've done for this country.” Katie finished, swallowing slightly as she reached her brothers side. Tony glanced down at her, shocked for a moment before he hastily re-arranged his face.

“Howard, this is my sister the one I was telling you about. Virginia, meet Howard Stark.” Virginia? 

Katie smiled and shook her dad’s hand “It’s so good to see you, I mean meet you, you know, after hearing all about your work.” she hastily recovered.

“Your brother tells me you’re married to a soldier. He based here?” “Used to be.” 

Her dad paused and his head tilted to one side. “You know, you look a lot like my wife, only with different coloured hair, she’s blonde.” “Yeah I know.” Katie replied, before she spluttered “From photos.”

“You’re a lucky girl.” Howards smiled, “Maria’s stunning. Now I really have to go…nice to meet you both.” he shook their hands again and then turned and headed away.

As they watched him go, Tony slung his arm around his sister’s shoulder, “the guy by the car?”

“Yeah?”

“Edwin Jarvis.” Tony replied simply, and she grinned.

With a final look at their father they turned and made their way back towards Steve.

“We good?” he asked.

“Yeah, let’s get out of here.” Tony mumbled hastily.

They made their way round the corner to a deserted part of the base before they each tapped their wrist bands to activate the suits and, with a fresh container of particles each they were ready. Keying in the correct time and date, they were sucked once more into the Quantum Realm and as they sped through the void Katie looked to her right to notice they had been joined by other members of their team. With a grin on her face she emerged onto the platform, her suit disappearing.

“Did we get them all?” Bruce asked. Scott held up the sceptre, Tony waved his briefcase and Rocket was holding a vial containing the Aether.

Rhodey who was holding up an orb in his hand positively beamed. "You mean to tell me this actually worked?" 

Katie looked around eagerly, but paused when she got to the space that Natasha had occupied beforehand.

She wasn’t there. 

Biting back the panic that was rising in her throat she looked to Clint. He was soaking from head to foot and, as she watched, he took a step forward and dropped to his knees.

“Clint, where's Nat?” Banner asked as the rest of the group caught up with the  fact they were a person short. 

Clint’s head remained bowed. He swallowed thickly and when he finally did look up his eyes met Katie’s first, then Steve’s. He didn’t speak, he didn’t need to, his broken expression told them everything.  

Steve looked down, taking a deep breath as his heart plummeted through his chest. Besides him, Katie shook her head frantically.

"No, no, no. She's not gone. She’s just delayed right?” she swallowed, “Clint, tell me Natasha is going to be here!” 

There was a loud thud as Bruce knelt down, his large fist pounding the platform angrily as Katie looked helplessly from Clint to Steve. Steve’s eyes were full of tears as he reached out to her.

“Sweetheart.” his voice cracked and she shook her head again, turning back to Clint.

"Clint?" this time her question was a plea. A plea for him to tell her that her best friend was fine, and that there was just a temporary glitch, one which they could fix.

Clint looked up at her, his own tears now falling as he shook his head.

“She’s gone Nova.” his head dropped and his shoulders began to shake.

Katie’s jaw began to quiver and, as she turned to Steve, her face crumpled. Steve pulled her to him, one hand firmly on her back, the other tangling in her hair as he held her, gently rocking her side to side as she began to cry. He looked up at Tony who locked eyes with him, wiping his face with his hands and it was then that Steve’s vision became blurred by his own tears. He buried his face in his wife’s hair, allowing her sorrow to hide his own as they both cried for their fallen best friend.

Tags

@the-omni-princess  @momobaby227 @geekofmanythings16 @angelofhell-666 @thewackywriter @marvelfansworld  @cobalt-gear  @asgardlover75 @jennmurawski13​  @jtargaryen18​ @saiyanprincessswanie​  @navispalace​ @patzammit​  @joannaliceevans-fanficblog​  @icanfeelastormbrewing​ @djeniiscorner​  @ayamenimthiriel​  @coldmuffinbanditshoe​  @disneylovingal​ @madzmilllz​

[jewels2876]

About Last Night - Part One

A/N: I’ve been sitting on this square for @star-spangled-bingo for far too long! If you’re a fan of the show ‘Psych’ this will hopefully bring back some fond memories! If you’re not a fan, or never seen the show, you should give it a chance! I have mirrored some scenes directly with some changes as they are plot points I will come back to

Pairing: Bucky Barnes, Sam Wilson, Fury, Thor, 

Square Filled: Psych AU

Word Count: 513

Warnings: swearing! I mean, Fury...

Santa Barbara seemed like an idyllic beachside town nestled in California. It was hard to believe sometime how much crime really happened here.

Today was a little different as Bucky woke up with a groan. His eyes were still heavy with sleep as he surveyed the surroundings. Suddenly he jerked awake realizing he was in the Psych office still. “Sam?”

Sam slowly opened his eyes, upset that Bucky was waking him up from a lovely dream, with a faceless woman that was kissing him back senseless. “Bucky I swear…” Sam mumbled under his breath as he started to wake. Then he stared at the shoe under his head and screamed. “Bucky! What is going on?!”

As Sam and Bucky were individually trying to remember the events of the previous night, two intertwined bodies stirred on the couch. “Sam? Bucky? What am I doin’ here?” Fury tried to pull out of the giant arms snaked around his chest. “Jesus, who the fuck is this?”

Thor’s head rose with a grin. “You weren’t complaining earlier, Director.”

Fury groaned and stumbled off the couch, away from Thor’s grasp. “What the fuck happened last night?”

Sam and Bucky both looked at each other as Fury and Thor bickered. “Bucky, why are you wearing pants that aren’t yours?” Bucky looked down and noticed his normal dark wash jeans had been replaced with a pair of light green sweatpants. Ugh! He thought to himself.

“Guys! We can’t stand around here all day yelling at each other. Quick, Thor, what do you remember about last night?” Bucky tried to use his perfect memory recall, but everything was jumbled into a mess in his head. He winced as a slight headache presented. 

Thor frowned as he tried to recall what had drawn him back to Earth; did Jane call me, he wondered. “I don’t even know why I’m here,” he muttered.

Fury threw his hands up. “Great! All of us motherfuckers have no clue what happened last night? And where is my gun? My favorite gun?” He felt around his pants, then his coat hanging off the end of the couch.

Bucky stifled a laugh as he pointed at the fishtank. “Uh, Fury…”

“Goddamnit! How the fuck did my favorite gun get in there? Better question, why the fuck did it end up in there?” Fury fished the gun out and gasped. “It’s missing two bullets, I can tell by the weight.” He checked the cartridge and nodded when his suspicion was confirmed.

“Plaid!” Thor yelled startling Sam, Bucky, and Fury. “I remember plaid. Red and blue maybe?”

“With a beard?” Sam asked excitedly.

“Yes!”

“And a winning smile and nice ass?” Sam continued. Now it was everyone else’s turn to be startled at Sam. “What? I remember that guy! We were at a bar… he bought us drinks I think?” Sam thought back on the bearded stranger with a nice ass and grinned to himself. 

Bucky slapped him on the back with a smirk. “When you’re done with your wet dream Sam, could you maybe remember if he drugged us?”

>>>>>>>

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[camillemontespan]

the interview he walked out of [drake walker]

@moonlightgem7​ @jovialyouthmusic​ @sirbeepsalot​ @fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore​ @burnsoslow​ @pug-bitch​ @ibldw-main​ @emichelle​ @dcbbw​ @katedrakeohd​ @mskaneko​ @gardeningourmet​ @notoriouscs​ @pedudley​ @of-course-i-went-to-hartfeld​

         ***********************************************************************

These are the things I know about Drake Walker. He is half American. He met his wife, Camille Montespan, at court - she was a commoner taking part in the infamous suitor competition to win the King's hand in marriage. Little awkward, I must say. Drake was awarded the title of the Duke of Valtoria. He now shares two children with Camille, his daughters Lily and Luna. In the space of seven years, he has come a long way from the commoner at court.

Having read through my colleague's interviews with him, he seems friendly and has settled into his role as Duke quite well. A surprise considering he is not of noble blood and was known as the King's best friend, riding along on his tailcoats.

Duke Magazine used to be very selective in who they interviewed. I used to meet Dukes who have inherited their title through generations and Dukes who attended prestigious boarding schools. Now, I meet a commoner who can trace half his family back to Texas and who openly admits that he hates dinner table etiquette.

We meet in a hotel suite. He looks, like everyone says, not like a typical Duke. Instead of wearing expensive designer clothes, he is dressed in a dark blue Henley shirt, brown leather jacket and dark jeans with boots. He looks like an urban dad on the school run. 'Suits have never been my scene,' he tells me, almost bashful.

Drake is perfectly nice. He shakes my hand, says its good to meet me and asks if I want a coffee. So far, polite. Good first impression. He's been taught well.

I ask him how he finds being a Duke, having been in the job for seven years now. He now sports a beard, as opposed to his clean shaven face when he first came to public attention, and he has laughter lines around his eyes. He was twenty-eight when he became the Duke of Valtoria and newly married. He smiles and settles back, relaxed.

'I'm actually really enjoying it,' he says. 'I've found my feet, after what seemed like an age. Mind Over Matter is doing well, it's making a difference. I'm making a difference. Everything is great.'

Ha. I repeat that quote back at him jokingly and he turns red. 'Ah, yeah,' he says. 'The famous quote.. Well, it's true though.'

What has he learned in the seven years of being the Duke of Valtoria?

'God, I've learned a lot,' he muses. 'Just to try not to repeat my counterparts mistakes. Be the difference. And also that I am a really overprotective dad - I didn't realise how anal I could be about parenting.'

He doesn't talk like typical nobles. It's.. disconcerting.

I wonder if he has anything else in the pipeline aside from Mind Over Matter. He shakes his head. 'Not yet. Right now, the charity is my baby. I want to focus on it completely, make it the best it can be.'

Mind Over Matter has somehow managed to prove its critics wrong. I'll admit I was one of those naysayers who viewed the campaign as a glorified Boys Weekend, casting doubt over the campaign before it even began. I tell him this and he bristles.

'I don't get how people could be negative about something that is so positive,' he tells me. 'Men get emotional too. If women are feeling under pressure they may go out with friends or to a spa, and people call it self care. So why can't Mind Over Matter be viewed in the same light?'

I have to argue that Cordonia is traditional in the sense that home life is important. Husbands being away from home for days on end so that they can hike up mountains and kayak seems neglectful to their wives. Family values are the most important thing in Cordonian society.

Drake eyes me. 'I can tell you now that my wife does not feel in any way neglected. She encourages it actually. And we raise our family in the best way we can.'

Even with his justification, he is still a Duke with responsibilities who chooses to go away for long weekends to take part in Mind Over Matter. This is completely different compared to previous nobles I've met who attend palace balls and polo matches.

'I want to be a present Duke,' he explains, clearly tired of having to explain himself. 'The campaign gives me a chance to meet all types of men from all over Cordonia. I'm not just meeting Valtorians, I'm meeting everyone, and that, in my opinion, is a big deal. I want to be there for everyone, not just a select few.'

Drake clears his throat. 'Let's move on.'

We do. Does he ever feel like he has won the lottery whenever he thinks about his life?

'Very much so,' he answers. 'I often get imposter syndrome you know? Like I don't deserve any of this. I've got Camille, I've got my daughters.. I thank my lucky stars everyday.'

Drake has had to prove that he is worthy of the title of Duke more than most of his counterparts. He has dealt with a slew of negative press asking if he is up to the job.

'It was a learning curve,' he admits. 'I didn't know what to expect when me and Camille were installed at Valtoria and suddenly were given titles. We both felt like frauds which is why we've worked so hard to make a difference in Cordonia.'

They have certainly shaken things up. They are the first noble couple to pioneer their own campaigns. They talk about mental health. They advocate for women's equality. Their modern outlook is at odds with the traditional nature of Cordonia. Many have criticised them, saying that they should stick to what they're best at, which is supporting their duchy. I will admit I was one of them. It's not like Drake and Camille are qualified doctors or therapists. What can they possibly change that a professional can't?

Drake's eyes widen at this question. 'I think that's so narrow minded,' he says. 'I'm sorry, I don't mean to be disrespectful, but it is. Everyone struggles. Just because I'm not a doctor doesn't mean I can't help or offer support. I use my platform for good. I don't want to show off wealth or my title. When I lived at court, I would see so many nobles who were arrogant and looked down on those who weren't born with the same privileges as they have. I'm different, Camille is different. We want to get to know the public and hear about their issues. Why even have this role if we can't help?'

I am about to speak but he bulldozes through.

'We're changing things from the inside out,' Drake explains. 'We were the first nobles to reintroduce the concept of Open Houses, which is when our duchy can visit our house and talk to us personally about any issues they need help with. We don't shy away from the public, we actively encourage them to speak to us. We work hard to shape Cordonia into a more modern and equal place. I want the future to be different for my little girls. I want them to be happy, to have opportunity and to feel they can do anything they set their mind to. I want them to feel safe.'

Safety. Drake obtained a restraining order against the paparazzi when daily stalking became too much for the family. It means photographers aren't allowed within 12 feet of them and if photos are published of their children, pixels are placed on top of their faces, obscuring the image.

I understand that Drake is the ultimate family man so a restraining order was not a surprise. But what I can't get my head around is why do Drake and Camille, who constantly say their privacy is important, take part in magazine interviews like this one?

'Because we have things we want to promote,' he answers dryly. 'I don't do these interviews because I'm desperate for attention.'

I've hit a nerve. I press on, suggesting that they can't have it both ways. Many journalists were incredulous when Drake and Camille drew red lines around their private and public image.

'Look, we chose to protect our family,' Drake says. 'I think if any man was in my position, he would do the exact same thing. Camille and I may have accepted our roles but we genuinely want our kids to have as normal a childhood as possible. So if that means no paparazzi, perfect.'

Despite the restraining order doing its job now, there are many pictures out there that were released before it came into action. Pictures such as holiday photos of the couple, particularly Camille in a bikini. Everyone knows what she looks like scantily clad and it lead to men's magazines calling her Cordonia's Sexiest Duchess. How does it feel to be married to Cordonia's most admired woman?

Drake's jaw becomes set when I ask this. 'I feel lucky to be married to her because of who she is. She's amazing. But she's not an object or a trophy, that's completely demeaning.'

And yet, column inches are dedicated to how to achieve her bikini body. People can't get enough. How does Camille feel about that, I wonder?

'Can we not talk about my wife's body, please?' he asks. 'Not appropriate.'

The images are out there though. Everyone has an opinion. Drake and Camille are more like celebrities than nobles, which I think is why everyone is so interested in them. When bikini pictures become part of the news cycle, Cordonia goes crazy. Plus he can't deny that she is a stunning woman. She has the whole package.

'Camille is more than just her looks,' Drake says. 'She is fiercely intelligent, kind and the best person for the role of Duchess of Valtoria. If you have to mention her, talk about her work for women's equality in the workplace. Or that she visits children's hospitals at Christmas time with Santa. Talk about those things but don't talk about those magazines that print pictures of her body, just don't. She's worth so much more than that.'

I steer the conversation away and ask about the two of them as parents. Drake has admitted he is over protective. Is Camille the same?

'Yes but less so,' he tells me. 'I think it's just in my nature to always want to protect my family. I protected Camille when she first came to court. Camille tries to calm me down but even she has her moments when she worries if Lily is eating enough vegetables or Luna is sleeping well. But that's normal. Every parent doubts their abilities, you just gotta believe that you're doing a good job and raising them right.'

I wonder if that is due to Drake losing his father as a teenager and Camille losing her parents to drugs. Perhaps they are trying to over compensate for their broken backgrounds. But Drake abruptly stands up, shaking his head.

'No, I'm not continuing this anymore,' he tells me. 'I'm done.'

I apologise and say we won't discuss Camille again but Drake is adamant that he won't sit back down. 'You brought up my wife's parents. By all means, ask about my dead father and my abandonment issues but don't even try to discuss my wife's parents without her present.'

I try to explain. Her background is so vague, her PR team have tried their best to keep the details private but we all know her parents struggled with drug addiction. Camille will politely answer one or two questions and then steer the conversation away, which I always feel is a cop out. Unlike her husband, she does not go into too much detail about her struggles.

Drake bolts up from his seat. I stand up to try to placate him but the Duke of Valtoria won't be calmed. 'This is over,' he tells me firmly. 'I'm fucking done. It is not my place to answer questions about my wife or her parents. That is HER story.'

I try to stop him from leaving but he is quick to pull on his jacket and mutter swear words under his breath.

I ask him to sit down so we can start over but he turns to me, his eyes filled with fury. 'Camille is the strongest woman I know,' he hisses. 'She has been through hell and she's come through the other side brighter and stronger than ever. She makes a difference and she loves Cordonia. She genuinely cares. Make THAT your fucking headline.'

He storms out of the room. He's walked out of this interview, creating a headline that is now out of his control.

                             **********************************************

Drake slammed the front door and stormed through the hallway. He felt sheer rage.

Camille rushed out of the living room and stopped him from entering. 'Baby, what's happened?' she asked. 'The girls are in the living room, be calm.'

Drake sighed and gestured for her to follow him into his study. He crumpled down onto his chair and placed his head in his hands.

'I lost it,' he muttered. 'I walked out of the interview. I know that's so unprofessional and will look really, really bad but jesus, Camille, the stuff he was asking!'

Camille knelt down in front of him and placed her hands on his knees. 'Drake, look at me,' she murmured.

Drake looked at her reluctantly.

'Whatever he asked, whatever is printed, will not be the end of the world,' Camille told him, her voice steady. 'Negative press just comes with the territory. We can rise above it.'

Drake clenched her hands tightly. 'He mentioned your parents,' he choked. 'He asked about your bikini photos. He spoke about you like you weren't worth anything. I felt so angry on your behalf, Camille. So angry. The thing is, he wasn't doing it to get a rise out of me, he was doing it because he wanted a particular angle for his damn article.'

Camille closed her eyes. 'People are going to ask about my parents, Drake,' she said. 'It's expected.'

'He suggested we over compensate on our parenting because of our backgrounds,' Drake spat. 'Complete dick.'

Camille placed her hand on his cheek, her brown eyes boring into his. 'It's okay,' she whispered.

'I'll order them to pull the article!' Drake burst out. 'I'll make sure they don't print it. All it will do is get other journalists asking you shit about your parents and I don't want you to endure that humiliation. I'll threaten, I'll sue, I'll do anything to keep this article from reaching newsstands -'

Camille pressed her finger on his lips, silencing him. 'Baby, breathe,' she said quietly. 'Breathe.'

Drake looked down at the floor and exhaled. 'I just want to protect you.'

'And you do,' Camille told him. 'You always protect me. But Drake, you can't sue every newspaper that dares to ask difficult questions. It's part of the job.'

'Yeah but you shouldn't have to be subjected to it!' Drake shouted. 'It's not fair!'

'It's what we signed up for,' Camille whispered. 'Media poking their noses into our business and lives. We knew this would happen.'

Drake's hands were tight on hers. 'I don't want them to decide your story,' he whispered, his voice cracking. 'I don't want them to define you.'

Camille kissed him softly. 'They won't. I'm Camille Walker.'

Drake smiled weakly. 'Camille Montespan to the press.'

Camille shook her head. 'Formality. I'm Camille Walker, Drake. I'm your wife and the mother of your children. I'm already defined.'

Drake let out a shakey breath and pulled her into him, wrapping his arms around her. 'I love you,' he murmured.

'I love you too,' she replied. Drawing back, she sat back on her heels and gave him a serious look, her chin raised. 'I'm not upset. Let them print it. They can print all the shit they want but that doesn't make any of it true. You know who I am, I know who you are. That's all that matters.'

                           **********************************************

A few weeks later, the article was published. It was a short article due to the fact that Drake walked out mid interview. Drake didn't read it, instead choosing to look the other way when he saw the magazine on news stands.

Until he was forced to look at the magazine cover which Camille had framed and put up on a wall of her study.

'Why have you framed this?' he asked, mortified. 'It's embarrassing.'

Camille wrapped her arms around him and looked up at the picture. 'I don't see it as embarrassing,' she explained softly. 'I see it as my husband standing up for his wife and family.'

Drake blushed and squeezed her hand. 'I can't believe you framed it.'

Camille chuckled. 'Well, you do look pretty hot. It's nice seeing your younger self.'

'Do you not like my beard?!' Drake asked, pretending to be offended.

Camille giggled and kissed him gently. 'You age like fine wine, Drake Walker.'

Drake smiled and looked at the magazine cover properly, this time without shame.

[mikkomacko]

Sweet As Honey 2

Harry doesn't get uncomfortable anymore. After being kicked out of his home and forced to sleep on the couch of the man that introduced Harry to boxing, he's pretty good at keeping a level head in sensitive situations.

But he couldn't stand to stay in his house while y/n slept in. He's usually the first one awake, checking on Arlo and starting to make breakfast. Weekends are his time at home, no gym day, no morning runs, no fight reviewing.

However, the ball of nerves that ate at his stomach this morning, creeping up his spine and into his brain, reminded him of everything his mom had done.

He kept thinking back on the first months of living with Nick. He had been too depressed to keep up with school, too depressed to go to the gym, to depressed to find a job and too depressed to box.

It felt like his heart had been ripped from his chest and left in his empty bedroom back at his mom's house. Nick had been a God send, letting Harry sort through his feelings, not asking anything of him except that he eat and help out around the house a bit.

For months, Harry had been twisted up with anxiety. What was he going to do? He had no money, no job, no school, no family. How was he going to make a life for himself? The unknowns had made him physically sick, throwing up and triggering panic attacks.

The day finally came where he could no longer do nothing. He had gotten up, dug around in a bag for workout clothes and decided to go for a run. He ran for miles, mind going blank and the endorphins from running taking over. It was the best he had felt in months.

He ended up running to the gym Nick worked at, sweaty and breathless, requesting a sparring partner. Nick got him in the practice ring, got him boxing again. Finally, he was well enough for Nick to give him a trainer. Liam spent day after day in the gym with Harry, pushing him fight after fight until Harry was one of the most popular boxers in the city.

He started winning fights, starting drawing in crowds, starting making money. He got an apartment, took care of himself and kept boxing three times a week. He met y/n, asked her to get a drink, and planned on taking her home just for the night. Instead he found the woman of his dreams, fell in love, got married and had his wonderful son.

Everything he had today, he got from the one run he went on.

So when he woke up this morning, on the verge of a panic attack, he gently woke y/n. He apologized for leaving but said he needed some air, happily accepted her kiss of assurance, morning breath and all.

And he went for a run. He ran until the panic in his chest had been set free and his legs were cramping and his brain felt clear. He ran until all he could think about was y/n and Arlo and how happy they make him. Then he ran home.

~

Anne knows if Harry were to walk into the house right now, he'd see her snooping. He'd probably be peeved at her, ridicule her for suddenly having an interest in his life but she doesn't care. After the few photos she saw last night, the ones in which Harry looked unbelievably happy, she couldn't help herself. She wanted to see what she missed.

So she tip-toed to the living room, not wanting to disturb y/n or Gemma, and began examining the dozens of pictures of her son's little family. With guilt sitting heavily in her chest, Anne notices that in most of the photos, Harry's still the loving, sweet boy she raised.

There's a photo of a younger Harry, face still a bit chubby and curls at his shoulders with Mickey Mouse ears holding the wild locks down. Y/n is with him, her own set of Minnie Mouse ears on. They're standing in front of Cinderella's Castle, fireworks exploding behind them as they share a kiss.

A photo of them on Halloween, both dressed in Kangaroo costumes with boxing gloves on, Y/n's stomach swollen with their baby. Y/n is holding up her fists, ready to fight Harry who's got his arms crossed over his chest, grinning down fondly at his wife.

Another silly photo of Harry and y/n. They're still young in this photo, not as young as the Disney one but Harry's still got a bit of baby chub on his face and y/n still has the cute child-like look in her eyes. They're sat in front of a fire place, Christmas stockings hanging behind them. Harry's dressed as Santa Claus, minus the fake beard and y/n is perched in his lap in a Mrs. Claus dress. Y/n is grinning at the camera but Harry's smile is pointed towards her.

Anne reaches the last picture of the shelf she's looking at, tears welling in her eyes at the photo. Harry's sitting on the edge of a pool, long hair up in a bun on top of his head but most of his unruly curls have slipped out. The photo's taken by someone who's in the pool, far enough to capture Harry's legs in the water but close enough to show the water droplets on his torso.

Perched in his lap sits Arlo, a gummy smile lighting up his face and making his green eyes brighter. Harry's got a similar smile on his face, dimples bigger than his sons but in the exact same spot. And his eyes are reflecting the same blazing green.

Anne can't believe she got rid of one Harry and came crawling back to find two. Overcome with shame, she's heading back towards the bedroom when commotion in the kitchen stops her. Anne freezes, listening to the wife of her son break her heart even more.

~

"I know we're late, Harry's on his way." Is the first thing y/n says when she answers her mother's phone call.

"Don't worry dear, I was just checking to make sure everything was fine after last night." Her mom responds, offering a light laugh to calm a slightly frazzled y/n.

Y/n freezes, dropping the spoon she was washing into the soapy dish water. "Harry told you about last night?"

"Yes m'a'm," She says proudly. "called me pretty late last night, asked if he could chat with me about something bothering him. Of course I said yes, I love that boy with all my heart."

Y/n looks down at her phone that's resting on the counter, a bit confused that Harry called her mother. Harry's never been one to voice his complaints or even rant to anyone that's not Liam, Nick or herself. He often plays his cards close to his chest so y/n can't imagine how alone he must have felt to call her mom.

"Oh," y/n replies. "I should've known when he didn't say anything before bed, at least not relating to his mom. He got it all out talking to you."

"Don't sound do disappointed," Marie jokes. "he told me he didn't want to further burden you last night after filling in for him at dinner and setting up the guest rooms for those people."

Y/n chuckles at her mom's tone, scrubbing the scrambled eggs off the pan in the sink. "Don't say it like that, you haven't even met them yet."

"I don't need to meet them." Marie scoffs. "They abandoned my son because he was hurt, he had just lost his father. The only thing he knew to do was fight, whether in the ring or against the man that was hurting his mother. The only thing he's guilty of is having the biggest heart. You of all people should know that."

"I do know that." Y/n defends, offended that her mother would even imply that y/n isn't on Harry's side in this situation. "I know what happened, I know how much it's hurt him. I see him wake up anxious and sad because he's had another nightmare that he didn't get to see his mom again. But I can't just let him throw away the first chance he's gotten in eight years to fix his family. As his wife, it's my job to take care of him and I don't want to be waking up when I'm eighty to find him in another panic attack."

Marie is silent on the other side for a moment. "You're right," She huffs. "when did you get so smart, huh?"

"After all these years, I've gotten used to fixing him up. This is just another cut that needs more than a bandaid."

"In that case, I'll make sure to give him an extra big hug when he gets here."

~

"We're home!" Harry calls out playfully, shutting the front door behind him. Arlo coos against Harry's chest, lifting his head a bit as he realizes he's back home.

"We're in here!" Y/n calls from the living room.

"Mumma," Arlo whimpers, pressing his chubby hands into Harry's chest to push himself away from Harry and closer to y/n.

"Don't worry bub," Harry murmurs, adjusting the baby bag that was slipping off his shoulder. "I'm taking ya to mumma."

The resistance against his chest ceases, Arlo peering up at Harry with curious green eyes. Harry brushes his thumb over his baby's soft cheek, adoration flooding through him and putting a giddy smile on his lips.

His smile falters when he enters the living room to find his mom and sister sat beside y/n on the couch, surrounded by photo albums and all of them sporting smiles.

Harry hates the sight. He hates that they can just sit there, looking at photos of him growing up without them and still be smiling. He hates that his mother doesn't even look guilty or regretful.

"There's ma baby!" Y/n cheers, jumping up from the couch. She rushes towards them, arms outstretched for Arlo.

Stomach swimming with nausea, Harry kisses Arlo's forehead softly and hands him over to y/n. He ignores her concerned eyes as she shifts Arlo to one arm, cupping his jaw with the other one. He grabs her wrist, squeezing it gently and letting the tears build in his eyes.

"M'gonna go unpack his bag, yeah?"

Harry doesn't wait for an answer. He turns on his heel, marching up the steps and ignoring the sound of his mom dolt over Arlo.

~

Harry's sat on the hospital bed, y/n's back against his chest and their newborn baby cradled in her arms.

Arlo's still pink in the face from crying but he's sleeping now, snuggled into a blue blanket and beanie the doctors wrapped him in.

Harry can hear the quiet shuffles of loved ones entering the room, eager to meet the first born of the Styles family. He hears the gasp of y/n's mom and sister in law, followed by a tearful, "Oh, he's beautiful." But Harry can't take his eyes away from his son.

With his arms under y/n's, as if he's the one cradling the baby, Harry brings his family closer to his chest.

He doesn't know how to describe the amount of love that's taken over his body. His heart is full, so full it feels squished in his body. It feels like it could bust right out of his chest and still need room. He thinks the world's not even big enough to contain how much love he has for Arlo.

"You want to hold him?"

Harry's head snaps up at y/n's words, an offended crease in his brow and glare in his eyes.

He deflates as Arlo is passed to y/n's mom, falling back into the hospital bed with a huff. His arms feel light without the weight of his baby in them and he doesn't like it. He wants him back, he doesn't want anyone to hold Arlo because Arlo is his to hold.

"Hi dad,"

Harry pulls his protective glare away from y/n's parents to look down at her. She's still pressed into his chest, head tilted up to peer up at him.

"Hi mumma." He grins, taking in her puffy eyes and beaming smile. He smoothes his hands over her messy hair, not caring that it's matted with sweat from the delivery of Arlo.

She looks exhausted, positively recked, but she's so beautiful. She's still glowing. Harry's not sure if it's from the remaining sweat or if being a mother just looks that good on her. Either way, he's not complaining.

"What are you pouting for?" She whispers, wrapping her hands around his wrists. Harry nuzzles his nose into her cheek, pecking a kiss into her flush skin.

"Want my son back." Harry murmurs, a whine present in his tone.

Y/n giggles, tilting her head more to look at him. She cups his jaw with one hand, kissing the corner of his lips. "Let them hold him for a moment. We get him for the rest of our lives."

Harry hums, accepting her words but not being particularly happy with them. He knows that Arlo is his forever but that's not enough, Harry wants him back. He wants to hold him for the rest of his life.

"Can't believe my mum went through this, she knows this feeling and she st-"

"Stop it Harry." Y/n interrupts, catching on to the rising anger in his voice and the way he tensed up. "I know it hurts but she made an awful mistake and she doesn't deserve your anger or tears. You're too good for her."

Harry nods, watching with teary eyes as his new family gathers around Arlo. They're all looking at him with so much love and adoration, Harry doesn't understand how someone could ever give their child up.

"S'just shitty." Harry whispers, his lanky fingers wrapping around the wrist of her hand that's caressing his face.

She gives him a sympathetic smile, leaning into him as he sponges kisses over the bridge of her nose and grins when he hears y/n's grandmother claim Arlo is the cutest baby in the world.

"Ya hear that?" Y/n breathes. "The cutest baby in the world, must take after his daddy."

"No way," Harry sucks a kiss to her bottom lip. "it's all you."

~

Harry had a smirked a bit when he first heard Arlo fussing, a bit proud that his son didn't want to be held by Anne. It made Harry feel like he has someone else on his side.

He unpacked Arlo's bag, straightening up the nursery and listening to y/n assure Anne and Gemma that the baby is just tired.

Harry was tucking bunny into Arlo's crib when y/n entered with the sniffling baby. As glad as Harry was that Arlo was refusing his families affection, it broke his heart to hear his bub crying.

Arms outstretched, ready to take Arlo and dry up all the tears, Harry was shocked when he ceased crying the second y/n placed Arlo in Harry's hold.

"Ok I know you're his favorite, but this is ridiculous." Y/n scoffs, hands finding a home on her hips.

Harry chuckles, snuggling Arlo into his chest. Arlo tucks his nose into Harry's neck, arms squished between his little torso and Harry's large one.

"Oh come on pet," Harry shushes, still proudly grinning. "As soon as he gets hungry he'll be whining for ya."

She huffs but accepts his answer. Grinning softly, Harry leans down to lay Arlo in the crib. He freezes when Arlo let's out a loud wail of protest, chubby hands locking around Harry's bicep as much as possible.

"What's the matter bub?" Harry coos, bringing Arlo back up to his chest. Arlo presses even closer this time, scrunching Harry's tee-shirt up in his hands.

Confused, Harry tries to lay Arlo down once more. Arlo cries and clings to Harry again, this time adding a cry of "dadda!"

Harry gives y/n a bewildered look, hoping she knows why Arlo's being extremely dependent on Harry. Usually he goes down easily, only getting fussy if he's teething or doesn't feel well. But he's never cried at Harry like that before.

With the softest gleam in her eyes, y/n coos at the two boys.

"I think someone's noticed that daddy's not very happy today." She explains, slinking forward to wrap her arms around Harry's waist.

As soon as her cheek comes in contact with Harry's chest, Arlo is grumbling and gently pushing his mom away by the shoulder.

"Hey!" Harry scolds, trying to keep his laugh at bay. "Be nice to mumma!"

Arlo, still pouting, stops fighting and falls back against his father's chest. Harry brings his arm around y/n's shoulders and presses his lips to her forehead.

"Movie night tonight?"

Y/n's lips breaks into a smile, beaming up at Harry. Saturday nights are always movie nights but with Anne and Gemma showing up, y/n was afraid Harry would want to hide out in the bedroom.

"Absolutely."

~

Anne felt out of place.

Granted, she's in a new house in an unfamiliar city with an unfamiliar family. But that shouldn't be the case and she's knows that.

She should be able to recognize the man that's sprawled out across the couch, miniature version of himself napping on his chest. She should know the giggle that leaves his mouth when y/n trips over the coffee table while trying to hang a sheet up.

Most importantly, she should know the loose waves of his hair, the slope of his nose, the cut of his jaw. She should know the ink on his arms that are a lot bigger that she remembers. She should know her son.

But the Harry sitting across from her isn't her son. He's not the small, curly headed boy she kicked out. He's a man, a father, a husband. He's lost the chub of his cheeks, the soft curve of his nose, the fluffy hair.

It breaks Anne's heart to look over and recognize the snoozing baby more than she recognizes Harry.

"Do you have a particular movie you want to watch, love?"

Harry shrugs, rhythmically soothing his big hand up and down Arlo's back. Waiting for an answer, y/n continues hanging up the final sheet for their fort, something y/n said is always included in every movie night.

"What'sa the one with the pants?" Harry murmurs, reaching a hand up to help his wife hop down from the back of the couch.

"The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants?" Y/n and Gemma answer in unison. They both giggle, flashing each other smiles.

"Ya, let's watch that one."

Y/n nods, settling into the couch next to Harry and pulling the movie up on Netflix. The house falls silent, all of them focused on the movie. From the outside, it probably looks like they're one big happy family, enjoying a movie night.

But every time one of the girls mentions a family issue, Anne can feel Harry's eyes burning holes into the side of her head. Like usual, she ignores it.

~

Rolling his sore shoulders, Harry tip toes away from the nursery, careful to not disturb Arlo. He follows the patter of the running shower water, entering the steamy master bathroom.

Harry smirks, being able to make out the silhouette of his wife as she rinses out her hair. He sets the baby monitor on the bathroom counter, immediately stripping off all of his clothes.

"Finally got him down?"

Harry hums, stepping into the hot water and letting it ease his aching muscles. Y/n steps back so he can fully stand under the water, reaching up and draping her arms around Harry's shoulders.

Harry purrs when she soothingly massages her fingers across his back and neck. Taking ahold of her waist, Harry pulls her into him and connects their lips.

"You're an angel," Harry breathes into her mouth. She giggles, continuing to massage his back. He sponges kisses down her neck and across her shoulders, occasionally groaning into her skin when y/n hits a particularly sore spot.

"How are you feeling H?"

Her words are barely audible over the sound of the shower. If she hadn't whispered them directly into his ear Harry probably wouldn't have heard her.

"M'feeling good," Harry says gruffly, head lulling to the side so y/n has more room to massage his neck. She squeezes her hand, pinching hard enough to have Harry groaning as his toes tingle.

"Good enough to fuck you."

A breathy laugh washes over Harry's shoulder. Simpering, he squeezes her hip and then follows the path of water down her leg.

He cups his palm over her cunt, middle finger slipping between her lips so just the tip of his finger teases her walls.

Y/n sighs, falling into his chest. Her fingers remained locked around his shoulder and the back of his neck, clinging to his wet skin.

"Harry,"

He cups the back of her head with his free hand, kissing her forehead. Her thighs open for him, allowing him to sink his finger all the way into her.

"Can I?" He husks, lips catching the water droplets on hers. "Can I fuck you? Please?"

She tightens around his digit, her own gripping his skin tighter. He grunts, using his knee to nudge her leg up and onto the edge.

"We're gonna run out of water if you don't get a move on." Y/n laughs, cutting herself off with a kiss to his lips.

Harry grins, pressing his palm down onto her clit. She huffs out a sigh of bliss, sucking another kiss into his mouth.

"I'll fuck you when you tell me I can."

Y/n whines, squeezing the back of his neck for firmly. "You can fuck me Harry. I want you to fuck me."

Harry slips his finger out, rubbing her juices around to make sure she's ready. "Want you up around my waist baby."

She quick to jump up, mostly with the help of Harry, and slip her legs around his waist. He catches her, supporting her with a hand on her lower back. With the other, he guides himself between her legs.

Harry presses her against the wall, squeezing the base of his cock as he slowly sinks into y/n's wet cunt.

"Harry,"

Locking his knees, Harry pulls back and then drives forward again. She presses into the tender flesh of his back, the pain sparking something in his hips that has him rutting into her harder.

He squeezes her hips, busying his mouth with hers in hopes to encourage her to keep kneading his back.

She does, her fingers working magic on his pain kink as his cock works magic on the spongy spot inside her. Y/n is the first to come, moaning into Harry's mouth and squeezing him between her thighs.

Harry follows, legs jittery and hips tired but he doesn't care. She makes him feel so fucking good, all the time.

"Christ," Harry grunts. "I love you, love you so much. Love me?"

"I'll always love you."

~

"Harry!"

Nick's waving him over. He's off to the side of the ring, enthusiastically flailing his arm about to get Harry's attention.

But not even his spastic behavior can hold Harry's attention because as soon as he sees her, he's completely stuck.

She's beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. Of course standing next to Nick, anything is beautiful but Harry knows even if she were hanging in the Met, she'd be too beautiful for everything around her.

She smiles at him, shyly and with a nervous tiit in her lip. Her gaze is unnaturally locked on his eyes or the empty ring as if she's purposely not looking at Harry's bare torso.

"Excellent fight!" Nick exclaims, clapping Harry on the shoulder. Harry smirks somewhat bashfully, removing himself from Nick to greet her.

"Harry," He holds out his taped hand. "what's your name?"

Her hand is cold in his, fingers soft on his callouses. She sends tingles up his arm and down his spine, chilling him but still pulling him in. He can't take his eyes off of her.

"Y/n."

"Nice to meet ya darling." Harry grins, giving her a quick once over just to fluster her. His grin grows cocky when he sees her cheeks turn pink.

"M'heading to the bar, want to come?" Nick interrupts.

"Depends," Harry says, nonchalant. "Are you coming, y/n?"

"Absolutely."

"Then I'd love to."

Harry's fucked after that. He can't stay away from her, he can't keep his eyes off of her. He can't stop glaring at all the bar rats that were trying to hit on her. He can't stop sharing drinks with her just because he likes the way she licks her lips after taking a sip of his beer.

And he really can't stop himself from taking her home in his car, his hand up her skirt to play with her clit while his lips suck kisses across her jaw.

Harry gets two orgasms out of her in the car, licking his hand clean as he takes her up to his apartment. They didn't make far into his apartment before she's jumping his bones, legs locked around his waist.

He's got her pressed against the door, shoes and jeans tossed somewhere in the living room with her top and bra.

"Wanna. . .can I. . . may I fuck you?"

She giggles into his mouth, hands holding his jaw tightly and thighs squeezing his lean hips.

"God, yes please!" Y/n laughs, capturing Harry's lips again.

Harry's beaming, holding her tightly with one arm while he digs around in the junk draw of the cabinet for a condom.

He finds it, tearing it open with the assistance of y/n. Once he's got it rolled on and her skirt up around her hips, he's thrusting into her.

She's tight, so tight that Harry's having trouble breathing but in the most delicious way possible. His thumb finds her clit, furiously circling it while he fucks up into her.

They come together, Harry's balls snug against her ass while she pulses around him. He's buried in her neck, sponging kisses across all the sweaty skin he can reach. She smells good and she's so warm in his arms, Harry can't stop the next words that leave his mouth.

"Want you stay with me. Will you stay?"

"I'll always stay Harry."

~

She's wrapped around him, head resting over his heart and arm around his waist. He can feel her uneasiness, her hesitation to say whatever it is she's been wanting to say.

Harry's sure it's something that he doesn't want to hear but needs to so he squeezes her shoulder, brushing her damp hair away from her face.

"What is it darling?"

Y/n shuffles, turning her body so she can look up at him. Her eyes are puffy with sleep and she's got dark circles underneath but she's still so beautiful. Harry cups her cheek, wondering how in the hell he got her.

"You've got to talk to them eventually." Y/n says softly, her hand covering his to comfort him.

Harry nods despite the twist of uneasiness that's rushed through his stomach. She reaches up, soothing her thumb over the crease that's found its usual spot between his eyebrows.

"I'm not going to rush you babe," She tickles over the bridge of his nose. "but I know you'll feel better when you tell them how you feel."

Harry smiles, eyes fluttering shut as she continues to brush her fingers over his nose and lips.

"Love you." He murmurs, kissing the tips of her fingers. "I promise I'll fix this, I'll take care of our family."

"I know you will H."

[mustangshelby04]

Boston Boy - Chapter 8

A/N Just a little bit of fluff to start your week off with.

Kate’s mother had decided to make a big breakfast for everyone that Sunday morning.  She’d already set the table and was flipping blueberry pancakes on the griddle.  There were sausage links, bacon, ham slices, scrambled eggs, fried eggs, and a bowl of grits sitting on the table.  Jan and Bill were already seated in their usual spots preparing the pancakes that were already on their plates.  When Helena served pancakes, she never put them on a plate on the table, she served them individually so they would be fresh for everyone.

“Wow.  This looks great, mom.” Kate said, kissing her mother’s cheek. “What’s the occasion?”

“It’s Sunday and we have company.” Helena said, handing Chris a plate with three small pancakes. 

“Thank you.” Chris said. “It smells amazing.” Helena handed Kate her plate with only two pancakes on it. “Oh, thanks.”

“You’re only eating two?” Bill asked. “I only ever eat two.”

“What’s on the agenda today for you guys?” Helena asked Kate and Chris.

“Uh, today is the last day of Howl O Scream.  I was thinking we could go to that.”

“Chris, do you like history?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Chris said between bites.

“You would like Williamsburg.”

“I plan to take him Saturday to Agecroft.” Kate said.

“Kat’s been telling me all about it.” Chris said. “I’m looking forward to it.”

“She loves that place.” Helena said. “You’ll enjoy it.  Will you be showing him Colonial Williamsburg, Katie?”

“Uh, probably not.  I want to get to the park early enough to ride the rides and then enjoy the haunted houses.” 

“It’s too bad you won’t be here for the Grand Illumination and Christmastown.” Helena said to Chris.

“Kat told me about Christmastown.” Chris said. “I plan to come back for that.  My family is probably going to come down, too, when we go to Disneyworld.”

“Oh, please don’t bring that place up in front of Katie.” Bill said.

“It’s ok, papa.” Kate said. “Chris’ mother invited me to go with them.  She gave me the dates before we left and made me promise I would go.  I’m going to talk to my boss tomorrow and see about getting that week off.”

Helena was staring at her daughter in shock. “Don’t worry, Mrs. Allen…. Uh, Helena.” Chris said. “I know Kat’s said that you would have to pay for it, but you don’t need to worry about this trip.  We’ve got it covered.  My family gets a bunch of suites at one of the resorts in a big package deal.”

“That’s…. very generous of you.” Helena said.

Chris smiled at Kat. “She won my family over pretty fast.  It amazed me, too, that my mom asked her to go.”

“So, you two are pretty serious, then?”

“Yes, ma’am.  I asked her barely two days after we met to give us a chance.”

Helena sat down at the table with her pancakes and looked between them for a moment. “My parents fell for each other pretty quickly and they enjoyed a lifetime together.”

“How did they meet?”

“Daddy was getting a haircut and mom walked by the building.  He saw her and had to ask her on a date.  He said, ‘excuse me, gentleman, that’s the woman I’m going to marry.’  He ran out of the barbershop with the cape still tied around his neck and asked her on a date.  They were married not even a year later.”

“They were together from 1939 until 1993 when grandpa died of a broken heart.” Kate said. “My granny had Alzheimer’s and the day she forgot who he was, it killed him.  He had a massive heart attack and died.”

“He couldn’t stand the thought of seeing her in a nursing home and not knowing who he was.  He chose not to get better.”

“That’s so beautiful.” Chris said. “God, that’s the kind of love that I’ve been searching for.”

“Katie says that all the time, too.  She’s been holding out for a man like her grandpa.  I think it’s the best decision she’s ever made, but I don’t know if she’ll ever find someone as wonderful as my daddy.”

“I don’t know.” Kate said. “I think it’s possible.” She secretly squeezed Chris’ hand under the table and he smiled at her.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Chris sat in the passenger’s seat as Kate drove them the hour and fifteen minutes to Busch Gardens.  The weather was beautiful and the temperature was warm enough that they didn’t need jackets yet.  He looked over and studied her face, memorizing the laugh lines that were permanently etching themselves next to her eyes.  Her mouth was full and naturally a deep pink that complemented the porcelain of her skin.  Her eyelashes were long and swept up to just under her eyebrows.  She’d put on waterproof mascara before they’d left and the blackness of it brought out the sparkling blues and greens of her eyes.

“You ok?” Kate asked suddenly.  She’d noticed him watching her.

“Yeah.  Just…. I’m thanking all the dumbasses that let you go because I am so happy to have you now.”

She smiled over at him as a deep blush set into her cheeks. “Chris….”

“Kat, you’re amazing.  Your family is amazing…. With the slight exception of your sister.  I don’t know what her deal is.”

“Right now, she’s jealous that she’s not the center of attention and she’s taking it out on everyone to try and win some of it back.  It’s her way.  She’ll get over it.”

“I hope so.  I want to get to know them.  I want to spend time with them because they mean so much to you.”

Before she could respond, her cell phone started ringing. “Speaking of family…. It’s my cousin, Todd.” He nodded for her to take it.  She hit the accept and the Bluetooth in her car picked it up. “Hey Todd.”

“Hey, Kitty Kat!  What are you up to today?”

“Uh, I’m actually headed to Howl O Scream with my…. Boyfriend…. Right now.”

“When did you get a boyfriend?”

“Long story.  What’s up?”

“Amy and I got a babysitter and wanted to see if you want to go to Howl O Scream.  She’s been dying to go and today’s the last day.”

“Well, we’re about thirty minutes away right now.  We can meet you there.”

“Cool!  We don’t have passes, so would you mind meeting us outside the park?”

“Are you just asking me if I want to go so you can use my free parking?”

“No.  I wanted to see how your trip to Boston went and use your free parking.”

Kate laughed. “Ok, fine.  I’ll meet you at Yankee Candle in Williamsburg.”

“Great.  Looking forward to meeting the new man.”

“Oh, I’m looking forward to it too.  See you in about an hour.” Kate hung up and grinned at Chris. “I am so sorry for what is about to happen.”

“What’s about to happen?” Chris asked.

“My love of Marvel…. It comes from Todd.  He is a huge Marvel fan.  He has a storage unit full of Marvel comics and his favorite character is…. Well…. Captain America.”

“Oh.  Ok.”

“I’m not saying he’s going to go bonkers…. But I am telling you to prepare yourself just in case.”

Chris chuckled. “Ok.  I’ll prepare myself.  So, we’re making a pit stop at Yankee Candle?”

“Yeah.  It’s one of their flagship stores and it’s huge.  It’s not just candles, either.  Though they do have every single candle you can think of there.”

“I might have to buy a few.  Ma loves Yankee Candle.”

“I do too.”

“I noticed.  You have quite a few of them scattered around your apartment.”

“They discontinued the one that I really loved, so I stocked up on it while they still had some in stock.”

“Which one was that?”

“The Napa Valley Sunset one.  It was part of their vineyard collection.  It smells amazing.  When I need to de-stress, I light one, grab a bottle of wine and whatever book I’m reading, and I curl up on the couch.  Or my bed.”

“That sounds heavenly.”

“It is.  It really is.  Or rather…. It used to be.”

“Why ‘used to be’?” 

“Because I discovered curling up on the couch with you and that is so much better.”

Chris’ lips spread into an ear splitting grin. “I think that’s the first cheesy romantic thing you’ve said to me.”

“Is it?”

“Yeah!”

“I guess you got to me with all of your cheesy romance.”

“Mission accomplished.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek.

Kate laughed and took his hand as she continued their drive to Williamsburg.  She pulled into the Yankee Candle parking lot twenty minutes later and found a spot in the back where Todd was sure to see her car and park next to it.  Hand in hand, they strolled into the store and Chris’ eyes widened. 

“Wow.  Ok, this place is cool.” He said.

She pointed up to the ceiling that was painted to look like the sky. “The ceiling changes from day to night every few minutes.  But that’s not the best part of this place.” Kate pulled him towards the back left corner and through an archway that led into a winter wonderland. “It’s Christmas all year in here.” They walked up onto the bridge in the middle of the room and looked around.  Above them, the ceiling was black with little lights twinkling on it like stars.  There was a loud noise like a large fan being started up and suddenly it was snowing.

“Ok, that’s really cool.” He spotted Santa’s workshop where a large, white-bearded man was sitting at a desk in a Hawaiian shirt and red shorts.  There were a couple of kids in front of him and he was writing things down in a book. “There’s a Santa?”

“He’s on vacation from the North Pole.  Later this month they’ll have a big Christmas parade with the Grand Illumination and Santa will show up in full gear here.  Though he’s not nearly as awesome as the Santa at Christmastown.”

They walked down the other side of the bridge and began to browse through the hundreds of different ornaments offered there.  Chris found a Boston terrier ornament and held it up. “It’s a Gally!”

Kate laughed. “I actually have that ornament.  I couldn’t resist it.”

He grinned. “They have every kind of ornament you could ever imagine here.”

“Pretty close.  Personally, I like Hobby Lobby’s selection.  I love finding ornaments there.”

“Yeah, ma spends a lot of time at craft stores.  She loves Hobby Lobby, too.” “It’s pretty much the Mecca of awesome.  I like to scrapbook, and their scrapbooking section is the best.”

“I noticed all your scrapbooks in one of your bookshelves.”

“There’s more up in the attic.” She laughed at the small collection of ornaments in his hand. “Here,” She walked over to the entrance of the Christmas store and grabbed a basket. “Put them in here.”

“Thanks.  Did you see the Christmas villages over there?  There’s a Nightmare Before Christmas one!”

“Yeah.  That’s my favorite.  If I ever start doing Christmas villages, that’s the one I’m getting.”

“I might have to start doing Christmas villages if I can have that one.”

“Well, my trunk has plenty of room if you want to buy it.”

Chris eyed the village for a long moment, contemplating. “Not right now.  I’d have to find a way to get it back to my house in LA.”

“Why not Boston?”

“The apartment doesn’t have anywhere big enough to put it all.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and they continued to the next section of the store.  

They were sniffing candles when Todd and Amy found them. “Kitty Kat!” Todd said, picking her up by the waist.

“Toad!” She laughed.  He set her down and turned to Chris.  Kate was sure she was going to have to pick his jaw up off the floor.  Amy was behind him staring wide eyed. “Guys, this is Chris.  Chris, this is my cousin Todd and his wife Amy.”

“Oh shit.” Todd said.  He took Chris’ outstretched hand. “It’s nice to meet you, man.  I’m such a huge fan.  Huge.  You’re amazing as Captain America.  The best there’s ever been.  How the hell do you know my cousin?”

“We met in Boston last week.” Chris said. “I knocked her down into dog shit.”

“It was very romantic.” Kate quipped.

“Kat, you do realize who this is, right?” Todd asked her.

“Yeah.  He’s my Boston boy that wooed me with food and chivalry.” She looked over at Amy. “Hey, you’re catching flies.”

Amy quickly shut her mouth and shook Chris’ hand. “It’s nice to meet you guys.” Chris said since Amy still couldn’t speak.

“So, are we taking my car or yours?” Kate asked, smiling brightly.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Once Todd got over being star-struck, he and Chris kept up an easy flow of conversation.  Amy and Kate ended up walking behind their men and chatting.  They rode the rides and every roller coaster there and enjoyed a couple of the shows during the day.  

Chris got a few glances and stares as people seemed to recognize him, but no one swarmed him.  He kept a low profile while enjoying the park with his girlfriend and members of her family.  He did end up signing a few autographs for fans brave enough to approach him.  When they asked what he was doing there, he simply answered that he was having fun.

They enjoyed some of the food and drinks that the park had to offer.  A few of the stands were offering Jell-O shots in large syringes.  Chris had managed to collect about seven of these by himself in different colors.  Kate had only indulged in four of them.  When night began to fall and they opened the haunted houses, they’d gotten Quick Queue passes for them to avoid the long lines.  Chris kept Kate close to him, both of them laughing when one or both of them got startled.  Whenever a scarer tried to scare Kate and it didn’t work, she would wave and them and say hi.  This caused Chris to let out his loud, boisterous laugh every time it happened.  They didn’t leave the park until it was after closing time.

On their way out, Chris had a surprise waiting for Kate at the package pickup.  It was a large statue of a black clad fairy with a pearl white dragon wrapped around her as she lovingly pet its head resting on her shoulder.  Kate had been admiring it at one of the shops.  Todd had been the one to mention to Chris that the statue was something his cousin had wanted for a few years but had never justified buying for herself.  When she’d gone to the bathroom, he had quickly purchased it and had it sent to the front of the park for pick up when they left.

“Are you serious, right now?” Kate asked.

“Yeah.  This is the one you’ve been wanting, right?” Chris asked, carrying the statue back to the car.

“How did you even know?”

“Well, you were staring at it for a long time and I could tell you liked it.  Then Todd told me you had been wanting it for a while.” She shot a glare at her cousin walking ahead of them with Amy. “I’m sorry.  I thought you would like the surprise.”

“I do.  I do like it.  I love it, actually, because I have been eyeballing it for a few years now.  But you can’t just buy me things just because I like them.  You’re spending way too much money on me already.”

“Who says?”

“I says!  Chris, just because I say I like something or I want something, doesn’t mean you have to rush in and buy it.  I’m not asking you to.”

Chris stopped and she turned to him. “I know you’re not asking me to.  You’re not that kind of person.  I understand that.” He set the statue down and gripped her upper arms. “Look, I like making you happy.  The smile on your face makes my world light up and I would do anything to be the one to put that smile there.  I’m sorry if me buying you presents is making you uncomfortable.  That’s not my intention.”

He looked like a slightly wounded puppy dog. “Oh, Chris.” She sighed. “I know you’re not trying to make me feel all out of sorts.  I should probably just stop complaining.  I just…. I’m not used to someone that seems to want to give me the world.”

“Maybe not the world.  But definitely the things in it that make you happy.”

“I can’t give you those things back, though.  I can’t just buy you things at the drop of a hat.”

“Baby, it’s ok.  I can buy me things if I want them.  You don’t need to.  The only thing I need you to give me is you.  And maybe some scrapbooks.  I wouldn’t hate some scrapbooks from you.”

She leaned into him and reached up to kiss him. “You’re ridiculous.” He grinned and picked up the statue and they continued on their walk to the car. “And I do love my statue.  Her name is Silvren Uir, by the way.”

“That’s pretty.  Where did you come up with that?”

She blushed and shook her head. “It means ‘glittering eternity’ in Sindarian Elvish.” He gave her a confused look. “Lord of the Rings.”

He laughed. “You’re such a nerd.”

She stuck her tongue out at him and he grinned like a big kid.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Kate and Chris laid in her bed later that night, both of them naked and sweaty.  The room was quiet except for their breathing and the snoring coming from Gally sleeping on the back of the couch.  The bed was positioned right under the window and soft moonlight streamed through the curtains.  Chris admired every curve of her body and the soft tendrils of blonde hair spread around her head.

“You really are stunning.” He said quietly.  She chuckled. “I mean it.”

“I won’t be so stunning in the morning.” Kate said, glancing at the clock.  She was going to have to get up in six hours to go to work.  Starbucks was definitely in her near future. “What will you do tomorrow?”

“Probably sleep in.  Maybe snoop around your room.  Find those handcuffs you mentioned.”

“You’ll probably find more than that.”

“Fun.” He pulled her closer against him. “I might rent a car and explore some.”

“Do you want to just take mine?”

“Won’t you have it at work?”

“Not if you take me to work and pick me up when I’m done.”

“Are you sure you’d want to do that?”

“Yeah.  If I suddenly need a vehicle, I’ll just use the company car.”

“Only if you’re sure.”

“I’m sure.  Besides, you can come have lunch with me if you want.”

“Your boss wouldn’t mind?”

“Tasha won’t mind.  It’s usually just me and her in the office.” “Ok.” Chris let out a yawn that threatened to split his face in half.  His eyes were half closed and he could barely keep them open that much anymore. “I’m beat.”

“I’ll see you in the morning.” Kate kissed him before cuddling against him and falling asleep.

Tag List

@joannaliceevans-fanficblog @jamielea81 @southerngracela @kelbabyblue @introvertedmouse @tfandtws @sullyosully @deidrahouseofpain @lovinevans @ajosieface

[agirlinjapan]

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars (Week 24)

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars By Noriko Ogiwara A Translation

Miss the last piece? Read it here!

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Nine more days left of school! I repeat, nine more days left of school! How great is that? I’m looking forward to summer vacation. I’ll be doing a lot of little travel between family obligations, some trips with friends, and a little working holiday I’m planning for myself. Mostly though, I’m planning to take some much needed downtime for myself the attention this translation deserves!

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars By Noriko Ogiwara Chapter 3: Winter Solstice Part 3 (2 of 2)

At four o’clock, the auditorium opened and students started gathering inside.  

When Izumiko looked around at the people arriving, she saw that plenty of students were wearing normal clothing, but many others had come dressed in costumes as well. From what she could see through her mask, there were even some students dressed in full out cosplay. As a result, the student government members did not stick out very much at all. It looked like many of the foreign students had gotten a taste for traditional Japanese clothing during the festival, because an unusual amount of them had even arrived in kimonos.

The whole event hadn’t turned out very much like a Christmas party, but Hoshino had said from the start that he hadn’t been aiming for a religious feel. They had even gone out of their way not to use any ornaments on the Christmas tree that would be construed as Christian symbols. With that said, they had used plenty of tinsel, ribbon, glass balls, and blinking strings of lights, and the auditorium was admittedly decorated in red and green.

As plenty of teachers were also in attendance, there were far more adults scattered around the room than Izumiko had thought there would be. Unsurprisingly, none of the teachers were dressed in costumes, but they were wearing cone shaped party hats happily enough. There were other teachers standing around the tables at the edge of the room where sandwiches, cookies, and drinks had been set up.

…This really does feel like a party…

At the start of the event before everyone had arrived, Izumiko had felt like she had been looking in at the big room and its decorations from some outside place, but now she couldn’t help but feel drawn in by the festivities. The white-haired Santa Claus was, of course, a huge hit, and Izumiko, in her matching reindeer costume, walked around with him. Santa had candy in his bag and he handed it out to the people around them as they went, making him even more popular.

Practically all the people who came to see Santa also wanted to shake Izumiko’s hand once they saw her in her costume, not that they knew who she was. For some time, she, the reindeer, became a one stop handshake station.

Eventually, volunteers stepped up onto the stage to sing a song or perform a short skit, and most of the crowd was drawn in that direction. Only then did Izumiko realize just how tired she had become. The festivities hadn’t livened her mood as much as she had thought they would.

What’s wrong? I’m here at this great party, aren’t I? Is this because the barrier’s not up today?...

A strange, uncanny feeling that she hadn’t felt in a while returned. There were shikigami mixed in with the students in the hall. That was most likely why she was feeling so off.

Now that I think about it, I have been acting pretty carefree about everything lately…  

Not far away, Manatsu, who was dressed in a wolf costume not unlike Izumiko’s reindeer, had taken off his wolf head and was playfully putting it on different students. Izumiko had no intentions of doing the same thing.

After the chairman had made his opening speech on the stage, he had disappeared into the crowd of students and now was out of sight. It was the same with the parents who had run the bazaar during the festival. She could not spot even one of them through the wide mouth of the reindeer.

“Let’s take a break, Miss Reindeer,” Claus said unexpectedly.

When she turned her head in his direction, she saw that the Santa bag he was holding was more or less empty.

“Let’s go into the side room and have some juice and sandwiches. They say you can’t work on an empty stomach, and besides, we’re guests at this party, too.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Izumiko was relieved to know that they were in agreement. Her throat was painfully dry. Seeing as she couldn’t use her hands very well in the costume’s gloves, Claus picked up some food for her, and the two of them slowly made their way to the side of the auditorium.

No one would be able to see them in the side room. When they got to there, Izumiko took off the reindeer head. Only then did she realize how difficult it had been to breath inside of it. That was part of the reason she hadn’t been able to relax so far during the party.

Claus, having taken off his own white beard, looked over at her.

“Oh! Your color’s not good,” he said, sounding a little surprised. “Are you feeling sick, Izumiko?”

“No. I’m just not used to the costume. That’s all. I’ll be fine after our break,” she answered quickly. She pulled off the costume’s gloves and undid the fastener at her back so that she could pull the fuzzy fabric down around her waist. This immediately made her feel much better. She accepted a cup of orange juice gratefully.

Claus placed a red and white napkin on his costumed lap and enthusiastically began eating a sandwich. He seemed to have had enough of the party for the time being while working as Santa, and did not mind at all that they were eating outside of the main hall.

Izumiko considered how Claus was helping her out by coming out here so that she didn’t eat alone. It was something a good-natured Santa would do.

She took the seat next to Claus and decided that she would ask him somewhat of a personal question. She had never had a chance to talk with him one on one before.

“Hey, does it bother you at all when Takayanagi chants Bible verses? Isn’t that upsetting to you as a Christian?”

Claus blinked his dark blue eyes and stopped eating for a moment to think about this. Then he opened his mouth and said, “Hmm…. It doesn’t bother me. There’s power in the words of the Bible and that’s what’s important. I see it as something Takayanagi and I can agree on. There are people who grew up in the same culture as me, but there are even more who grew up in cultures different from mine. It is possible to become friends with anyone.”

“You can forgive people for using your magic even though they don’t believe in Christianity?” Izumiko asked.

His response was unexpected.

“Honestly, there are more things I cannot forgive fellow Christians of. Germany has a past full of it. The Catholics and Protestants have come together in hate many times and have killed many people.”

“That is true…”

“Theology isn’t tolerant at all. I think there are definitely people who hear one thing and immediately say it’s wrong. Before I say something is wrong though, I want to learn more about it,” Claus said, smiling at Izumiko. “You’re the same, aren’t you, Izumiko? If you weren’t, you wouldn’t have come here. I’d like to be a priest, but I don’t know if I’ll really be able to do that.”

His unconcerned way of speaking was strange to Izumiko. She let out a quiet laugh.

“I can tell that you have a big heart, Claus. That’s why you were able to take on the job of American Santa so well.”      

“I don’t think I really could have refused. Even though the feel and the look of Christmas is different from country to country, I think it brings people from all over the world together. Today is the shortest day of the year, and with the shadows coming down on us, it’s a reason for people to come together and celebrate.”

“This is a winter solstice party?”

“Germany’s at a higher latitude than Japan, so the days are much shorter in the winter there,” Claus said thoughtfully. “It has a feeling of being wrapped in darkness. During this season, we light candles on a specific day to invite the light back in. Supernatural forces can wander around in the shadows, so we do this to chase those forces away and light a figurative flame in our souls. Christmas decorations sparkle in the lights that are lit, which is why we put them up.”

***

Talking about Christmas lightened Izumiko’s mood. Between that and the sandwich and cookies she ate, Izumiko felt like she could keep wearing the reindeer costume until the end of the party.

I just have to bear with it a little longer. I need to stay hidden today…

When she slid back into the upper half of the costume and went back into the auditorium, Hoshino was up on stage with the microphone, inviting people to join him for a game. Okouchi was spinning a bingo cage with intensity. Seeing as there were prizes to win, most of the party goers’ attention had moved to that area of the room.

“Do you want to play bingo? We’re guests here too, after all.”

“Yeah. You’re right…” Izumiko agreed, but her costume’s gloves blocked the numbers on her playing card. She made herself busy looking around the room instead.

She watched patiently from her place at the edge of the crowd. As she looked, she spotted Takayanagi’s tall hat appear as he stood up in the middle of a group of his followers. There were a number of girls in the group, but there also seemed to be a good amount of boys as well. The group didn’t seem to be up to any trouble though, so that was fine.

As Izumiko looked around the crowd further, she saw that Mayura and Honoka had already found the chairman as they had promised they would. It was about time for Mayura to change into her princess costume, but maybe unwilling to cut the conversation short, she was still in her handkerchief and apron.

The chairman smiled through the whole conversation. He was middle aged and sturdily built although not very large. He did not act all important despite his job title. From his soft outer appearance, he didn’t look like the sort of person who would scheme either, but Izumiko knew better than that.

Mayura, Honoka, and the chairman may have been deep in conversation about something, but of course, Izumiko wasn’t close enough to hear what was being said, so she turned the reindeer head to look somewhere else. Miyuki wasn’t part of the discussion with the chairman…

After a bit of searching, she found Miyuki in his ascetic monk outfit. He was with Angelica, a little removed from the rest of the crowd.

Angelica’s costume was just as outlandish as Izumiko had thought it would be. Her skirt was umbrella wide and looked something like what might be worn on stage at a ballet except that it was part of a party dress covered in lace and ribbon that a little girl would wear. Her hair was up in pigtails decorated with more ribbons. While students were whispering “magical girl?” back and forth to each other about the costume, that was definitely not what she was wearing.

Up until now, Izumiko had never seen Miyuki have a one on one conversation with Angelica. Here they were though, wrapped up in their own discussion to a point where no other student tried to break in. Just then, Angelica’s face broke into a bright smile and she happily beckoned someone over. A foreign man in began to approach the two. It was probably Pierre, Angelica’s father.    

What am I doing here?... Izumiko thought suddenly.

Out of nowhere, it felt like it was even harder to breath in the mask than it had been before.

I’m hiding in people’s shadows, disguising myself like this, and just staring out at a party through a peephole. There’s no reason for me to be here…

She recalled what Takayanagi had said. He had wanted to understand why she was going this far to hide from the public eye. If she wanted a reason why the goddess shouldn’t become the World Heritage Candidate, she had one. Izumiko desperately wanted to live a normal life and for that very reason, she needed to ask the others for their support in making that happen. However, she hadn’t realized that as she had been bumbling along.

Watching Miyuki’s lively back and forth with people like Angelica and Pierre made Izumiko think that what he had said about being fine with the news about Kaori had only been words. But she was also pretty sure that had been obvious from the start.

Of course he’d care. It’s his mom…

Sooner or later Miyuki would travel overseas now that he knew where she was. Izumiko was already sure of that much as well. Whether it would be because of who he was or what he was capable of, it was something he would have to do. It wasn’t just his mother who had gone abroad. His father, Yukimasa, was the sort of person who wandered as well.

Miyuki will have a future that’ll take him far away. I’m different… I’ll be hidden by other people my whole life and so there’s no place for me to go. Even if I could hide myself away and put off what’ll eventually happen, there’s no place that Miyuki and I could go together…  

Becoming aware of the darkness in the costume’s mask, she began to feel like she was the only one wrapped in shadows. That seemed fitting for her. When it came down to it, she was really the one who was carrying around all the darkness with her.    

Without me even realizing it, everyone’s bound me to their own plans... It’s just like what Takayanagi was trying to say. He was right about everything. About Miyuki, too.

Her panic was rising, but at least she knew it was creeping up on her. She wanted to scream for no reason. Just as she realized exactly what was going on, all the lights in the auditorium; strings of Christmas lights, everything, went out.

Keep reading!

[sweetfatale]

timeline events and shenanigans

This is more for my reference (since I got a few dates wrong sorry) but here’s a sort of timeline of relevant events and details in the No More Heroes/Sudaverse that Bad Girl may reference. I’ll be adding to it as time goes on and my girlfriend and I find more details and info. Note that I’ve played NMH1 and 2, but for everything else I’m baby and watched videos or read about them so I might be missing stuff. I’m also always up to discuss this or plot with these in mind! (ask and IMs are always open)

No More Heroes 1

Takes place in 2007.

Santa Destroy is an anarchy in southern California with its own currency (LB$), military (L.B. Army), and flag.

The UAA is founded by Sylvia Christel, started as a con job.

K-Entertainment is an assassination agency with an advertising agency as its front, where only high ranking assassins can get high paying assassination gigs. 

In Badman Strikes Back, Badman gets Greco to reveal to him that he kidnapped and tortured Bad Girl to near death with an electric chair sometime before the events of NMH1, attempting to mold her into a powerful killer, which Badman had a similar experience with, without “messing up her pretty face.” She came out of it traumatized (obviously), but with a need to kill and hurt others with her newfound power. According to him, it was her idea to join the UAA.

Sylvia and Bad Girl are implied to have a sexual relationship (at the very least) with official art where they are hugging, near kissing and lounging around in their underwear together. If not that, they’ve at least met before.

Bad Girl has a “secret base” in the Santa Destroy baseball stadium’s basement, complete with a chiller7 brand mini-fridge, an old TV, sitting area and a liquor cabinet. There’s also a conveyor belt that leads cloned men (likely criminals) strapped in leather from a cloning machine for her batting practice, and a pit of bodies right underneath it.

Makes sense she has her base there, her father having been on their baseball team way back when.

Travis had to pay 500,000 LB$ to fight her as part of the stipulation fee, but she picked the stadium. Members of the Santa Destroy Warriors baseball team (or clones who are dressed in their uniforms) fight him on the upper level, before he is allowed to enter the basement.

She fights Travis, who ultimately forfeits their fight. Travis wins by default, Bad Girl bleeding out and dying due to being impaled by his beam katana.

Bad Girl has had her manager, Greco, record all her fights and assassinations and send them to her father, seeking his approval. Badman watches the videos and is aware she’s involved in the assassination world, but never attempts to contact or find her.

Later in TSA, it’s revealed that Greco recorded her death and sent it to her father (apparently at her request) which sparks his want of revenge.

No More Heroes 2

Takes place in 2010, 3 years after NMH1.

The UAA evolves into a legit agency, taking over K-Entertainment basically, and the assassin ranks go public.

Assassins are all regarded as celebrities and their deaths are entertainment. They even have branding deals and sponsorships, and their contracts are now similar to modeling and acting agencies’.

Akashic Points are explained as portals/intradimensional gates/supernatural gateways leading to “isolated regions”, such as a Prison Island, Graveyard (a forest/graveyard area that’s basically a horror film setting), Housing Complex (a city in eternal sunset/twilight), and the Forest of Bewilderment.

Travis Strikes Again/TSA

Takes place in 2017.

With TSA’s Japan being so damaged in some areas, it’s implied the k7 ending where World War 3 happens is a reality. It would have happened in 2013.

Confirmed that assassinations and assassin battles were streamed via pay per view and dark web red rooms even after the UAA is dismantled in NMH2.

Aliens, superheroes, demons, psychic vampires, and Dracula are all confirmed to be real.

Superheroes apparently have their own rankings and are able to find crime to fight via an app(?), the Villain Autosearch System.

Found by Dan Smith (part of the Smith syndicate in killer7) after selling him out, Badman is given a chance to avenge his daughter with Travis’ location and a Death Ball to start him out with, after which he’ll likely be killed.

Badman finds Travis in a trailer in the Texan wilderness, intent on carrying out his 10 year long revenge plot (thanks dad). He’s come to kill Travis and to resurrect his daughter with the Death Drive MK-II video game console, which is said to grant any wish if you beat all its games. While fighting, they’re both sucked into the console and forced to start playing.

The US government has repurposed cloning technology to create a sort of 3D printer with the Death Drive MK-II and a “mother” machine (Death Drive AAA) to create copies of soldiers, weapons and anything else. Dr Juvenile planted bugs in its programming, preventing it from working. Her lover, Klark, warns Travis of clearing the games on the Death Drive MK-II, since it will reset the mother machine and clear it of bugs. 

As said by Klark, “The controllers for the DDMKII are loaded with a horrible gimmick. They read the player’s personal data at the DNA level, and create clones with increased abilities and power, for the purpose of creating powerful clone soldiers. These clone soldiers are installed with a special AI, turning them into murderous weapons. If the hardware could be sold all over the world, then data can also be gathered from around the globe.” So far, Travis, Shinobu, Badman and Bad Girl have all played the Death Drive and have contributed their DNA unknowingly. 

Travis and Badman clear all the games and the Death Drive AAA is reawakened and ready to be used. While Travis has the chance to destroy the mother machine at CIA headquarters when he travels there with an experimental Death Ball, he instead takes a detour and is able to talk to Jacket (Hotline Miami) and his mask personas, as well as Beard. Nothing really comes of this besides a connection with Jacket, and the Death Drive AAA is still operational post TSA and ready to create murderous clones. 

After beating the six games, the Death Balls are all gathered and summon a tiger god. Travis (being the protag) gets to make the wish, and wishes for Bad Girl to be resurrected. One of the Death Balls are found out to be a fake during the wish and she comes back as a dog.

Badman is determined to bring her back as a human, though admits he likes having her alive at least and her being a dog reminds him of when she was a baby. In the Bubblegum Fatale DLC the real Death Ball is found, fulfilling the wish and turning Bad Girl into a human. 

Bad Girl fights all the Death Drive game bosses (besides Juvenile), being able to talk to some one on one. Silver Face, a pro football star who killed all his girlfriends and went on the lamb, is unfortunately who she talks to the most and tries to relate to her before being killed. Ultimately, she rejects his attempts at “bonding.”

Between games, Travis, Shinobu, Badman and Bad Girl all hang around the campsite and trailer. Bad Girl drinks Travis’ beer and sits in his chair and calls him a fuckface. 

Misc (other games in the same universe that are canon in NMH)

Shadows of the Damned, Lollipop Chainsaw, killer7, Killer is Dead, Let it Die, The Silver Case, Flower, Sun and Rain, etc. happen around the same timeline. Hotline Miami is also in the same universe, but it’s unclear on the exact timeline.

San Romero (Lollipop Chainsaw) is upstate of Santa Destroy.

In Killer is Dead, the moon is inhabited (with royalty even), and in TSA mars is starting to be inhabited by clones. With two pretty major celestial bodies being inhabited (so far), space travel and exploration is possible as well as colonization. Also there are aliens already, so. 

“In killer7’s alternate take on the 21st century, all the nations of the world have signed a peace treaty disarming all nuclear weapons, banning international flight and perhaps worst of all, shutting down the internet. While much of the world is at peace, a violent terrorist group appears between the fracturing relationship between the United States and Japan, pulling the strings of some of Japan’s world leaders.” It’s reasonable to deduce that Santa Destroy became an anarchy as a result of the treaty and the encroaching WWIII.