#they're on vacation visiting an old friend and the rest of his family
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annabelle-creart · 6 months ago
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Life of Rescue Bots shenanigans part 7, again in the actual time...
Sissi: Oh! I want to present to you the rest of the Bunrses
Twitch: Finally! I'm still upset with you for not present them before, haha.
Dot: come on, Twitch, the island is still a secret, you now she can't send too much
Charlie: maybe it's not Colombia but we still have beaches
Will: whatever except rain or snow is good for me
Dot: don't worry, Charlie, I'm glad I finally meet your home after, what? 16 years we know each other?
Sissi: there are! Heatwave! Boulder! Graham! Where's the rest?
Boulder: I think they're in the bunker
Sissi: well, who's with me..? Hashtag?
Hashtag: uh, sorry, yesterday I couldn't see the stream
Twitch: the Griff-boy's direct? You know you could see it later, you know?
Hashtag: sorry! But he was teaching how to trick death in The Sims!
Alex: ok, who's that kid with you are so obssesed with?
Hashtag: Griff-boy is a streamer, he plays videogames and gives hints and fun facts to pass them all
Heatwave: why Cody is on your screen?
Hashtag: who? Wait. DO YOU KNOW GRIFF-BOY IN REAL LIFE?? REALY?!?!?!
Trash: AND HIS NAME IS CODY?!?!?!
Cody: who was calling for me?
Trash: ...
Hashtag: AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
Sissi: eh, Heatwave?
Heatwave: better don't get into the problem, climb my shoulder
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notfics · 1 year ago
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This image came across my computer. It's Riaño, Spain. A friend of mine who is obsessed with WinterBaron sparked the rest of this idea when we started talking about it.
The idea:
Zemo and Bucky are on a mission in a crowded place. It's not a huge city like Paris or Milan, it's just big enough to always be crowded but never crowded enough to disappear in the sea of bodies. Bucky is getting more agitated than usual and Zemo keeps calling him out on it and Bucky just keeps snapping that he's fine and Zemo should mind his own business. Well something in the mission goes sideways, Bucky gets hurt, probably gets overwhelmed by being seen and unable to hide with so many people around, and he comes close to hurting some civilians on accident while he's still reeling from whatever hit him. This causes him to go into a panic and Zemo has to calm him down before he can get him into a car and starts driving them away (extra points if Zemo hotwires the car because then Bucky can call him out on it and Zemo can say something like "Hotwiring a car isn't the worst thing either of us has done").
Bucky doesn't know where Zemo is taking them but the further they get out of town the more he can relax. The mission is a bust at this point and they need to regroup and gather more intel anyway. That's when Zemo takes him to Riaño. Bucky just assumes that it's a regular old safehouse, probably one from Zemo's old days or something. They spend a few days letting Bucky unwind and contacting various people for leads and waiting for people to get back to them with where they need to go next. In the meantime Zemo is showing Bucky around to help him get back to a more normal emotional state.
Eventually, Bucky starts picking up on things. Like how the house they're staying in isn't a rental. It's furnished like a family lives there, stays there even. Some of the doors are locked and he's felt the urge to pick his way into them, but Zemo always seems to be awake. He's paranoid that the other man is watching him and he doesn't know why. One day it comes out that it's not a safehouse. It's a vacation home that Zemo shared with his wife and kids. They would go there once a year because they loved the view of the mountains and lake. There's a caretaker that keeps the place in good condition when no one is around. Zemo hasn't been back since before his family died. He's always awake because he can't sleep in a home that he feels is too empty.
So, this fic gets to see Bucky being the soft one to Zemo. Comforting him. Offering to stay up and drink with him. Visiting places that Zemo finds too painful to go to alone, but that he wants to see again just to remember his kids and the way they played. And the two slowly start to get closer until one night Bucky offers to sleep in Zemo's bed if that'll help him get some sleep.
I'll let someone else fill in those blanks. Maybe Zemo can still be commanding by having it be the one thing that clears his head the most, giving orders so it feels a little more impersonal. Since he would feel guilty about sleeping with Bucky in a place he shared with his family. But he really wants it, and his wife would have wanted him to move on. She wouldn't want him to be haunted by ghosts until it drains him.
They get their next mission orders soon after. And Zemo and Bucky have to figure out how to work together now that they've crossed that line, but with Zemo liking to lead and Bucky not minding falling back into that subordinate role every now and then, it works out.
Details can be tweaked, since I'm not entirely familiar with this duo's dynamics. I just liked the idea of Zemo whisking Bucky away to a place that Bucky thinks is just a safe house but has a deeper meaning to Zemo.
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practically-an-x-man · 6 months ago
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your OCs have been given an all expenses paid vacation for them and 3 other people! who do they bring and where do they go?
Ooooh, interesting! Thank you!
Rae: Warren of course, her best friend Anna (Ah-na, an OC, not Anna Marie), and Raven. They're going to Iceland to enjoy hot springs and the Aurora Borealis!
Robin: She'll try to coordinate something with her siblings - with four of them already taken care of, they can all chip in to cover the others so they can all go - and would go to Ireland both to see some touristy things and reconnect with their extended family there.
Madison: She and her three adopted sisters are off to go visit as many national parks as they can! It was a key part of Madison's childhood and it would mean a lot to her to pass that on.
Ophelia: She's taking Peter, her dad, and Norman (though they're likely to split into pairs and do their own thing for most of the trip) and they're headed to London, Paris, or Rome - somewhere with a lot of history and knowledge to explore.
Gia: Oh, she's hard-pressed to go anywhere. She's probably sending that trip to her family or friends and choosing to stay home herself, it would be so much anxiety that she wouldn't enjoy a moment of it.
Jasper: Double-date! Him and Kyle, and then one of his derby friends and their partner. I'm not sure where they'd go... maybe a trip to New York, and they could catch a production of Rocky Horror on Broadway.
Kestrel: This one's tough since they've already travelled to most of the globe for their ventures with the Knights... but I could see them taking Warren, Kendra, and Seth, and going somewhere really adventurous, like Costa Rica for spelunking or something.
Quinn: Honestly, a little time to relax would be a really good thing for her. Maybe a cruise - swimming/floating is good for her joints, her choice of activities without having to go very far, full opportunity just to lounge if she's not up for something bigger, and... let's be real, it's a lot of entitled rich people she can steal from in an enclosed space. She'll take Billy of course, and will invite Javier and Camille to come along and fill those extra 2 slots.
Katherine: Somewhere with a lot of history and culture to appreciate... probably Cairo. And since vacationing with Ahk is basically impossible, given his whole situation, she's bringing Emily and Jace and ignoring that third slot. Best friends vacation!
Eris: He's been all over the globe and back again, there's no where he hasn't seen. They're passing the invite over to Rick under strict instructions that he needs to rest and enjoy himself... but is somehow still surprised when Rick invites him along anyway (along with Harley and Ivy so they can double-date).
Nikoletta: She's never really travelled anywhere before (Corto Maltese was legitimately the only time she's been outside the continental US), and isn't really sure where she'd go. If anything, she's either inviting Harley and letting her pick (since she's sure to pick something fun), or will do the old spin-the-globe trick to pick somewhere. Who she invites entirely depends on who wants to go - Abner's her first choice, but he could go either way on travel, Cleo depends on where they decide to go, and Harley's down for anything.
Jimmy: He's lived in NYC his whole life (and afterlife), and doesn't really intend to leave. But that works out - Lars, Lucky, and Phoebe aren't from NYC and never really explored the city much, so he'll use the money to plan out a whole touristy vacation for them and show them all the sights.
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wolfsp1der · 1 year ago
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footnotes ! very subject to change as i work out kae's canon
kaeden klein, born in seattle, wa, to wilbur and nadia klein.
amab, genderfluid, any pronouns.
the night they got bit, it was a blood moon and their family made a night of it, scheduling a camping trip out in the mountains to witness it without light pollution. kae climbs a tree to get a better look when something tackles her on the way back down, awake just long enough to feel a burning pain in her calf before her head hits the ground. when she wakes, their family tent is in shreds and red where it should be orange and gray. she is fifteen.
they go to live with their aunt ardis on her farm, a solitary woman who lives almost entirely off the grid in rural idaho. she has a disturbing array of guns, but awkwardly offers to teach kae how to use them after a month of stiff cohabitation. with absolutely fuck all to do in the mountains and a curfew every day at sundown, kae pretends not to eagerly accept.
it's here that a couple months later he makes quick friends with harriet olson, daughter to the ceo of nationwide renowned olson labs, neil olson, vacationing away in their massive hunting lodge for the summer. neil is an old friend of ardis, though their conversations are often tense and hushed. harriet has a mean and exciting rebellious streak kae is happy to get caught up in, making their own fun in the borderline village nearby kae usually only visits for school and groceries. harriet will do almost anything for attention ; her dad's, specifically, even though he seems content to give it in spurts and spend the rest of his time cooped up in his home office [ read : basement, like a creep ]. strangely enough, as kae grows closer to ardis and the things she teaches them, only then are they allowed closer to neil and his household. he's a weird ass weapons collector too, among other things.
the olsens are visiting for their second summer by the time kae first sleeps over. due to their night - time condition, they've put it off, but it's a new moon, now. up late playing truth or dare, harriet dares kae to sneak down into the basement [ neil gets all pissy when harry goes down there ; a strict no kids allowed policy, douche dad scientists only ] and bring back one thing with them to show for it.
you've heard the rest before ; radioactive spider bite, spider powers, etc. kae's super - hearing is the only thing that alerts her to the secret cellar beneath the cellar. little cages and terrariums of insects and rodents, bats and antique items, medieval weaponry. it's weird as hell, but so is neil, so, goddamn if she won't bring back a souvenir of this for harry like she asked. she'll lose her shit. except, the souvenir bites. or, accidentally dropping a sword on top of one of the terrariums does. they're heavier than they look. the bite and it's venom trigger kae's first moon - less shift. when they come to, it's to a trashed basement in a cage.
neil and ardis are supernatural hunters, though ardis has no clue of neil's experimental side hobby. kae is his latest subject for the rest of the fall while the locals gather and then disband a search party after finding nothing, not even a body. even harriet doesn't where they went, only when, and that their summer vacation will soon be a winter one, though her dad's escalating hours in the basement turn vague unease into pointed paranoia.
it's harry that breaks them out, too close to a full moon to know any better. when kae comes to this time, neil olsen is dead and harry is motionless, covered in blood, ardis' silver bullet in their collarbone.
ardis wisks kae back home with a quiet fear he is beginning to understand. as the sun rises, they finish packing the pickup and set out for a impromptu road trip, the town full of hunters none the wiser that one of their own has just saved one of their enemies. ardis begins to tell them the truth of her brother and his background as a hunter himself, a generational line of work, and how he tried to get out of it once he realized he had a kid on the way. how despite his best efforts, he would never escape, and that because of him, neither would his wife and kid.
kae's default verse will take place within spider - society, or after the above events once he's settled back in seattle, swinging from skyscrapers and tearing through forests in search of monsters lying in wait, human or inhuman. he knows the chances are slim, he's not an idiot, but he hunts the same wolf that turned him, dead or alive, for answers or for revenge ; whichever comes first.
details on how kae winds up a part of spider - society to come.
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masterdisastre · 2 years ago
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I don't mind other questions!
His parents are not exactly young when Xavier is born, I think that they're around 40. Way past the lifespan of a Sky Arcobaleno, and that was the reason why the Pacifier forced a pregnancy on Xanxus: it wanted to skip him and take his child.
He meets Hanabi when he is seven months old, I think. Relationships between Varia and Vongola had gotten better from time to time, mostly after the huge battle against the Incognito Family and Tsuna's admittance that he would already be dead if it wasn't for the Varia.
However, the Varia go to visit the Vongola and their newborn, and this is the first time Xavier and Hanabi meet. They even take a nap together. Growing up, they'll meet every so often, even for their summer vacations because it quickly becomes clear that they're friends. Even though Tsuna still has to sit down for a bit when he remembers the time he went to pick Hanabi up and saw Bester bathing both children.
He doesn't become stronger because he doesn't need to. Tsuna's government brought peace to the Vongola, there's no need for huge, epic fights. As an adult, he'll become a skilled swordsman and he will have full control of his Flames, Wrath Flames included, but nothing more.
When stress calls, Xavier answers LMAO he's prone to panic and anxiety, but thankfully he lives with some faithful friends who can calm him down and force him to get some rest when he's overworking himself.
He can try to lie, and his parents may decide to believe him, but no, he will never be able to just walk in front of Xanxus and lie to his face. Let's just say that his dads and mom were the first to know that he was in love: they just had to look at his face.
Immanuel is also a religious name that means "God is with us" but Squalo simply chose it because he's a huge fan of the philosopher Immanuel Kant. No religion involved, both he and Xanxus grew up going to church every Sunday but they don't follow any religion anymore, especially one that promises that they will burn in hell for eternity just because they are who they are.
I desperately want to know more about people's khr OCs! Specifically yours @lilacdon20 and also yours @masterdisastre !!!!
But really anyone is very welcomed to reblog this with ramblings of their OCs!
Yes You! The person reading this! I want to know about your OCs specifically!!!!
Also you are all welcomed to tag other people who's khr OCs you like as well!! ANYONE IS WELOCME! /pos
Questions, if needed because flustered or confused, are under the Read more!
First up! General questions!
What is their name? Their pronouns? Ago? Gender identity? Sexuality? (if any of that matters lmao)
Are they somehow related to another khr character? In what way?
What does your oc look like? Do you have any art of them? Picrew also welcomed! Ai art... Not preferred >:/
What are their relationships to other khr characters? Pairings you like with your oc? Adopted siblings and parents maybe?
Actually what's the family situation of your oc? Do they have siblings that's a background character perhaps? (example: sometimes I give Kusakabe Tetsuya a brother)
Does your oc have a mental illness? Neurodivergencies? Other disabilities? At what age did they get these disabilities if they weren't born with them?
If they had a super power what would it be?
Free Space! [Anything else you want to talk about?]
Khr specific questions:
What's their flames? And how many flames do they have? One? More? None?
How do they use their flames? If they have one.
If they don't have a flame, how do they fight? Do they fight at all?
If they can't fight for any reason, what's their preferred method of self defense?
Free space! [insert any khr specific question you want!]
And last but not least and mostly for fun!!! Khr character questions:
How much does Tsuna want to protect your oc upon first meeting them? After knowing them a minute, is Tsuna now scared of them or worried about them?
Does Reborn think they're pathetic or does he have a slight respect for them? If he suddenly appeared out of a wall-hole, how would your oc react?
Would Hibari Kyoya be able to stand being in a room with them for five minutes? How long do they last in a fight against him?
Would your oc go off rambling about crytids with Gokudera? If yes, which is their fave cryptid?
Would Skull try to flirt with them? Would he score a date? Pity date or genuine interest?
How loud does your oc cheer when Yamamoto hits a home run? What if the ball hit them?
Would your oc be able to last an hour watching over Lambo, I-pin and Fuuta? What if they all had sugar beforehand?
What food would Sawada Nana cook for your oc? What's their favourite food? Drink?
Free space! [insert any other character questions you want!]
There is no pressure for anyone to answer of course. I just want to get to know more OCs and their creators. I'm talkative lately so I'll try to keep up with the reblogs as best I can :3
Multiple reblogs for multiple OCs are also very very welcomed!
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wlwmarvelenthusiast · 4 years ago
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Babysitting Duty
Summary: while Scott and Clint are away on a mission, you and Wanda are stuck with babysitting duty
Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Reader
Warnings: some harsh language
Word Count: 5,117
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"Your asses had better not leave the yard, got it?"
"Please don't swear at the kids."
"They're being little shits!" You insisted.
Wanda glared at you from where she was sat on the couch, cradling two-year-old Nathaniel, who had fallen asleep in her arms a few minutes ago. You scowled back at her as you moved to the other seat, closer to the open window, so that you could see and hear Lila and Cassie running around in the backyard. Lila ducked into the shed for a moment, re-emerging with a soccer ball. She kicked it toward Cassie.
Clint and Scott had taken up an offer to go on a mission with Natasha across the country. You didn't pry as to why she needed them specifically. Laura was in Los Angeles visiting some family, meanwhile Maggie and Jim were taking a vacation in the tropics. That had left Scott and Clint in need of a babysitter, and you'd been volunteered for the job. Now, you and Wanda were stuck at Clint's farmhouse for a few days until Laura got back. You were only in charge of Cassie, Lila, and Nathaniel, with Cooper having gone to stay with a friend while his parents were out of town.
"Why don't you go put him down?" You suggested to Wanda, the scowl on your face replaced by a soft smile.
Wanda shook her head. She didn't even bother to stand, instead simply laying him down on the couch they were sitting on. He whined a little as he left her arms, but after she'd stroked his head a couple times, he settled as soundly as he had been. She stood and crossed the room, sitting down next to you. Your arm moved around her waist and she leaned against you, legs curling up to her chest. You kissed the side of her head as you glanced out the window quickly to check up on the girls.
"What do you think about what Tony said?" She asked quietly.
You turned to stare at her. Her light green eyes flickered up to meet your gaze. It put a smile on her face. Her hand reached for yours, taking it and intertwining your fingers. You played with her hand.
"One day."
After getting the babysitting gig, you hadn't exactly been ecstatic. You were an Avenger, not a babysitter. Anytime Clint and Scott weren't around to hear, you'd repeat those words to whoever was close enough to listen. Most of them got that. They thought the same. It's why everyone had tried so hard to avoid the two men for those few days. When you'd gotten stuck with it, Natasha had even gone so far as to laugh at you.
You were good at avoiding. You'd practiced it all your anti-social life. So, it wasn't your fault that you'd be assigned babysitter. It was Wanda's. Clint had managed to corner her one day. Their relationship was a strange one. He'd cared for Pietro, and Pietro had cared enough for Clint to give up his life for him. Now, the surviving Maximoff and the archer had some sort of bond. That bond had made it impossible for her to say no to babysitting the toddler that was named after her brother.
Stuck with two kids anyway, you figured you might as well take care of Cassie at this point. Once you'd been nominated babysitter, though, Tony had taken it upon yourself to never leave you alone. It seemed, for those few days after you'd agreed to take care of the kids, Tony was around every single corner. You wouldn't have been surprised to learn he had been using the security cameras to keep track of you, because no matter how hard you tried to hide from him, he was there.
He was teasing you relentlessly about your having to babysit. Unlike the rest of them, Tony wasn't teasing you because you, an Avenger, were stuck with a 16-year-old high schooler's job. He was teasing you because you were stuck at a nice little home in the country with three kids and your girlfriend. He insisted, every time he saw you, that this was going to be good practice for your future. Wanda had blushed furiously the first time he'd said it. You'd shooed him away.
As much as you hated dealing with the billionaire and his stupid smirk when he'd approach you to tease you about practicing for your own kids, you would deal with it. Wanda would always turn away with a tomato-red blush burning on her cheeks, and so you would always find a way to give her an escape to stick around and take Tony's taunting yourself. Mostly you just ignored him, but he was persistent if nothing else.
Tony had driven you absolutely mad with his stupid suggestive tone and heckling comments. That was undeniable. Sometimes, you even wanted to take him down to the ring just for a reason to drive your fist into his gut. But after a long day of work and having to hear him go on and on, you'd climb into your bed, or sometimes Wanda's, fall asleep for the night, and dream up the pictures that he'd painted into your head.
There were two or three kids. One of them was always a boy. You were just getting home from somewhere, and Wanda was in the backyard of your house, watching the children play. The boy would be with one of the other kids, but when you approached Wanda and slid an arm around her waist, he'd run up to you. You'd ruffle a hand in his hair, and he'd giggle, light green eyes casting up to look at you. He had Wanda's eyes. You'd reach down and pick him up, kissing his cheek as he continued to laugh.
"Hi, Momma," he'd say.
"Hello, Pietro," you would reply every time. "Were you good for your mom today?"
Then he would nod and squirm a little, desperate to get back to his brothers or sisters. You'd set him down on his feet and he'd dash back to the others. You would lean into Wanda, then, kissing her softly. She would kiss you back, just as gently and lovingly as she did in your waking life. No words would be exchanged as you guided her to the bench swing, pulling her close and smiling as you both turned to watch your children laugh and play together.
It was just a dream, and it was entirely Tony's fault, you were sure. He'd put the idea of a family into your head and now you couldn't get it out. You'd always known you wanted kids and, even though you might not have known her all too long, you knew it was Wanda you wanted them with. She was your everything and you wouldn't want anything without her. Your future didn't exist without Wanda Maximoff.
"I've seen those dreams you've been having."
That honestly didn't surprise you too much. She'd seen your dreams on occasion. You'd learned that when you'd woken up absolutely drenched in sweat one night after a particularly inappropriate dream involving a particular witch. She'd watched your eyes open and immediately straddled your waist, promising to make your dream come true. You hadn't gone back to sleep that night, and it was clear as day that she had seen every single detail of that dream.
She was a mind reader. It wasn't hard for her to see just what was going on in your head; conscious or not. So, as you slept, she was able to see those images of you and she with your cozy little house and little Pietro smiling up at the both of you. It didn't surprise you, but it did make you a little nervous to know she'd seen them. You didn't want to seem like you were rushing into things at a pace that she wasn't ready for. You would wait forever for her.
You'd talked about it with her before. It was nothing too serious. It had been a simple conversation, the two of you discussing where you thought you might be five or ten years down the road. When you'd talked about it, the two of you hadn't been dating yet. You'd just been friends, both wanting to be more. It had been a quiet night, and you'd wanted to take her mind off Pietro, who had died only four months earlier.
Wanda pictured her future as a quieter life. She wanted a nice home on a quaint little street where she wanted a family, someone to love and maybe a couple of kids down the road. She'd told you she wasn't sure yet, if she wanted to continue being an Avenger. She hadn't always been fond of the sort of action you guys saw, but she knew she had the power to help people. Her heart was good. She couldn't just ignore that fact.
Your vision had been a little different. You were absolutely sure that you wanted to continue being an Avenger. You were a hero through and through. You couldn't imagine a life where you weren't doing what you did now: keeping people safe. You wanted to stay in New York, but maybe moving out into the suburbs in the outskirts of the city. You, too, wanted to start a family someday. Avenging could be a day job, you'd assured.
Then you'd gotten together. You'd admitted your feelings, you'd gone on some dates, and quickly, you'd fallen deeply in love with her. That dream of a future was still one you had: An Avenger by day and a wife and mother by night. At some point, though, that woman you saw yourself having that family with had become Wanda. Suddenly, you couldn't see it any other way. For a long time, you'd kept that from her. Now, though, she knew, and you were glad she did.
"What do you think of it? The dream," you asked carefully.
Wanda didn't answer right away. Her eyes had cast out the window to watch Cassie and Lila run through the yard, passing the ball between each other before Cassie turned and kicked it into the net. They both cheered loudly, raising their arms in the air, smiling widely, and high fiving. Their excitement made Wanda smile too. Her gaze turned back away from the yard and back to you, searching your face carefully. You let her study every detail of your eyes.
"I think it's beautiful."
Any life with her would have been beautiful. Anything with her was beautiful. You were absolutely sure Wanda Maximoff was the most beautiful thing in the world and there was nothing that could have changed your mind. The Avengers teased you sometimes. Natasha had teased one day, that you looked at your girlfriend as if she were the most exquisite piece in an art museum. You'd only assured her that no piece of art ever held a candle to the Sokovian.
"Would you..." You trailed off and took a breath, trying to figure out just what you were asking. "Would you consider it one day?"
Wanda didn't hesitate a millisecond. "I don't have to consider it. One day, Sweetheart."
That warmed you to your very soul. You put your hands on your cheeks and turned her face toward yours. You pressed your lips together, the feeling never failing to make your eyes flutter shut. You savoured the so familiar taste of her against your lips as you let your hands slide; one moved to the back of her neck to hold her close, and the other came to rest on her thigh. It wasn't a long kiss. It didn't need to be. It only took a few seconds to convey to her something words never could.
"How many?" She asked.
You laughed. "Two or three? What do you think, Baby?"
"Three," she hummed softly.
You couldn't believe that Tony was fucking right. Here you were with the woman you loved so dearly, babysitting your coworkers’ kids, and imagining having ones of your own someday. You had to admit, you did like it. They were a bit of a handful, that much was for sure, but you loved it. You loved watching their smiles, watching them play and laugh, and joining them in their fun and games. You loved seeing how Wanda would sit with them, cradle Nathaniel close, and read the girls bedtime stories. The thought of having this with her made your heart swell.
"Alright, where would we live?" You asked with a soft laugh.
"We'll stay near New York," she assured. "My big strong Avenger."
You laughed when she teasingly squeezed one of your biceps. You flexed a little, pressing the muscles against her hand. At this, the touches to your arm weren't so teasing. Her fingers traced the lines of the defined muscles that lay beneath your skin. You breathed out a quiet laugh, grabbing her hand and gently kissing against her knuckles. Her hand hesitated at your mouth as she ran the pad of her thumb across your bottom lip.
"Port Washington?" You offered. "Maybe a little way outside the city or in northern Jersey? I know you want to raise a family in a small town and New York City isn't exactly that."
She pressed her lips against your neck for a moment. "I love you."
You breathed out. "I love you, too."
She pulled away, moving to touch your knee instead. You put a hand over top of hers, turning to check on Cassie and Lila again. They'd taken to sitting in the grass, leaning against a tree trunk, and talking quietly. You weren't sure what about, but you were just glad that they seemed to still be having a good time. You slid Wanda's hand off your knee so that you could stand up.
"I'm just going to grab a snack for the girls," you kissed her cheek. "When I'm back, you can let me know if you've got any more ideas for this life of ours, huh?"
Wanda nodded.
You moved into the kitchen, opening up the pantry and putting together a couple of PB and Js, cutting them in half and setting them on the counter. You then mixed a few glasses of lemonade, put everything on a tray, and headed briefly back to the living room to hand one glass to Wanda, before heading out the back door. You whistled merrily, catching the girls' attention. They both smiled at your approach, and you settled into the grass beside them.
"For you."
They thanked you repeatedly, taking a plate and a glass each. You took your own glass, sitting back and sipping it as the cool breeze blew through your hair. You crossed your legs, watching their girls bite into their sandwiches. You tried to think back to what you'd been talking about at their age. You'd been in grade school and had often been in the schoolyard with your friends talking about boys. Well... they'd talk about boys and you would hesitate and make something up because you didn't know who the hell you liked.
"So, what are we talking about today, girls?"
"Lila was just telling me about a boy named Sam."
"Cassie!"
"What?" Cassie defended. "She's not gonna tell!"
You nodded. "Cassie is right, kid. I'm the best secret keeper probably ever."
Lila seemed to ponder this for a moment. It was a blatant lie, though. Every secret that was told to you was also told to Wanda, but it didn't go past there. You couldn't keep things from her. It was like she could pull anything from you with just a simple gaze from those light eyes. Even if you didn't tell her, she was a mind reader. Either she'd hear it from your lips, or she'd hear it running through your brain at one point or another.
Lila seemed to be contemplating this. "Okay. Well, there's this boy in my class. His name is Sam. I really like him."
"Oh, yeah?" You asked, sipping your lemonade. "So why don't you tell him that?"
"No! I can't tell him."
"Why not?" You scoffed. "What's the worst that could happen, Li? He either likes you back or he doesn't."
You'd always had trouble with your own advice. If you admitted your feelings to someone and they told you they didn't feel that same way, you felt awkward for months after that. But you were an adult. Lila was eleven. Even if kids these days were growing up way faster than you did, you knew that things were a lot more complex when you were a little more grown up. In a year or two, then she'd start realizing that.
"What about you, Cas? Any boys in your class you've got an eye on?" You winked.
Cassie didn't seem to find this very amusing though. Suddenly, it seemed, her sandwich wasn't very appetizing, and the lemonade had lost its sweetness. Her gaze moved to somewhere no one could meet it, locking to the ground as her fingers began playing absentmindedly with the grass. You tilted your head to the side curiously. You glanced over at Lila, but she didn't seem to know the reason for this either.
"Lila, could you give us a minute?" You asked the older of the girls. "Why don't you go see what Wanda is up to?"
Lila nodded and scampered off. She ran to the house and in the back door, and you watched in the window as she appeared beside Wanda. You saw her explaining something to the Sokovian, likely just trying to express that her friend was upset. You turned your focus to Cassie, who was busying herself by pulling a few blades of grass out of the ground. You didn't try to stop her, the fidgeting obviously calming her anxiety.
"What if..." She took a deep breath as she trailed off. "What if I think I like like a girl?"
Cassie Lang was ten years old. That's around the same age you started wondering what the other girls saw in boys. You hadn't realized as young as she did that you'd liked girls, but you knew something about you was different. At that age, you'd thought maybe something was wrong with you. It had taken you a few years to realize you weren't broken, just different. It had taken you even longer to realize that was okay.
You knew Cassie probably felt more comfortable asking one of her babysitters this question than anyone else. She trusted her parents and her stepdad, and she loved them, that much was clear. With them, though, she watched a man love a woman. With you, she watched you love Wanda the same way Scott loved Hope. She watched you do something she was feeling in herself. It made everything seem a little more normal and a little more okay. You knew that much from experience.
"Cas, look at me, Sweetheart," you said gently. Cassie looked up at you. "You can like whoever you want to like, and you can be whoever you want to be."
"But at school, all the girls like boys and I don't. Why don't I? I just want to be the same."
"Because not everyone is the same, and that's okay. You don't think there's anything wrong with me, do you?"
"No."
"No. And I love a girl. Isn't that okay?"
"Yeah."
Maybe it was a bit of a guilt trip, but it got Cassie to look up. You watched as her eyes travelled from you, to Wanda, and back. There was no longer any trace of nerves or anxiety on the young girl. It had instead been replaced by curiosity. It seemed your little pep talk had actually worked. She seemed more at ease after assurance that she didn't need to be normal. You knew that wasn't it for those nerves, you even got them yourself once in a while, but you were glad to have put her at ease for a while.
"Kiddo, are you going to talk to your mom or dad about this?"
As honoured as you were that you'd felt to be a safe person to come out to, you weren't really the person that she should be going to for support. Her mother and father would give her that. You didn't know Maggie well, but you knew Scott. He would be unconditionally supportive and wouldn't hesitate to reassure her if she ever felt like this again and if there were someone who didn't, he'd make sure to immediately remove that person from their life.
"I think I'm gonna talk to my dad when he gets home. Can you talk to him for me?"
"I can give him a little heads up, but you're going to have to be the one to actually talk to him."
She took a deep breath but nodded. "Okay."
You smiled proudly.
You sat with Cassie for a little while longer in that spot. Following your conversation, she seemed to be feeling better. She was eating and drinking again as she told you a little about this girl she was sweet on. You didn't comment too much, smiling and nodding along as she told you stories about the schoolyard. Soon enough you were once again trading places with Lila. The two girls resumed their gossiping in the grass, and you moved back to sit with your girlfriend once more.
When you sat down next to Wanda, glancing at a still sleeping Nathaniel as you moved, you immediately turned to the window. The two preteens had already regained that same calm expression they had been sporting earlier. Satisfied that they were both alright, now, you turned back to Wanda. She was watching you carefully, eyes flickering down to peek at the smile on your lips. You beckoned her to come back against you like she had been before you left.
"You and Cassie seemed to have quite the heart-to-heart," she hummed quietly as she leaned back against your side and your arm snaked around her.
"She confessed she might have a crush on a girl."
Wanda raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? Well, I see why you were a safe person to confess that to."
You chuckled and kissed the side of her head. "Yeah, I do, too. I gave her a little bit of reassurance before telling her she should really talk to Scott or Maggie."
Wanda nodded in agreement. She reached out to the table to grab the glass of lemonade you'd made for her, sipping it quietly. The cool glass pressed against your arm when she lowered it, sending a shiver throughout your body. She seemed to notice this, as she laughed, moving the cold cup up to your cheek. The condensation that coated it transferred onto your skin and you frowned, pushing her hand away. She laughed a little harder.
"So, what did you come up with?" You asked her. "I seem to remember asking you to come up with some more details."
"You did. So, I wondered what Pietro's siblings' names might be?"
You froze. That was from your dream. You knew she'd been seeing it, but you still got a little curious when she brought up the more minor details. You turned to look at her, curiosity burning in your chest. Pietro was her brother, not yours. You wondered briefly if she even wanted to name any children she might have in the future after the brother she'd lost.
"Pietro," you repeated softly. "Is that okay?"
"Fuck, Honey."
Wanda rarely swore, so when she did, you knew she was feeling something strong. You were assured it was a good feeling, though, when she grabbed you and pulled you toward herself roughly. Your lips connected and you felt the intensity in her kiss. You didn't dare be the one to pull away from this, letting her show you how she was feeling through the intimate touch. When she finally did, her hands were immediately in yours.
"Thank you. He meant the world to me and you mean so, so much to me, too and... thank you, Honey."
"You don't have to thank me, Baby. He deserves it," you assured, a hand on her cheek. "But did you have other ideas too?"
She nodded. "I did. We'll obviously discuss more when the occasion arises, right?"
"Right," you agreed with a laugh. "So?"
"I like the name Tommy. It's cute, don't you think?"
"I do think so," you hummed.
You don't know what it was, but something had you so drawn to her in this moment. You wanted to pull her close and never let her go. Granted, you wanted that most of the time. Right now, though, the thought of releasing her from where you had her flush against your side, her head resting so softly on your shoulder, made your heart feel a little weaker. As if she could feed that absolute need radiating off of you, she kissed your shoulder and put her hand into yours, squeezing tight.
"Any girls' names you like?"
Wanda stopped to ponder. "Violet."
"That's cute too," you smiled at the thought of your family. "You're pretty good at this, my dear," you paused for a moment. "So, Pietro, Tommy, and Violet Maximoff?"
She hesitated at hearing that. Her head moved off your shoulder, and you immediately missed the lack of pressure. You had to suppress a quiet whine as you glanced over at the curious eyes that were peering at you. You cocked your head to the side, in the movement, willing her to tell you what was going on inside her head. You felt as though her eyes could see into your very soul with the way she was watching you.
"Maximoff," she finally said.
"Yeah. I like it," you told her. "And doesn't my name sound so good with your last?"
You didn't even have to say the name aloud. Just hearing it in her own mind had a shiver running through her body- something you felt it against your own. She didn't have to say aloud, either, that she loved the idea. You knew she did. You both did. It was something that made you entirely hers. You were entirely hers. You belonged to Wanda Maximoff and her last name attached to your first would prove that to anyone.
"One day," Wanda said, repeating the words you'd spoken earlier. "One day you'll be my Mrs. Maximoff."
It was your turn to hesitate at those words. You were both talking about this as if it were inevitable. As far as you were concerned, it was. You couldn't even picture a life that didn't have Wanda in it. You didn't want to. You wanted to be her wife and live in a small house in the suburbs and raise children with her. You wanted all of it so bad you could hardly fathom it. You turned to her, making sure to catch her eyes.
"Did we just get engaged?" You teased.
You hadn't, but you had. All engagement was, was a promise to be each other's and to get married. There was no time limit on that. In the last little while, you'd promised that to each other. You had both promised each other this entire life that you could see laid out before you. Neither of you had been discussing it as if it were a possibility, but more as an inevitability. That sure sounded like a promise to you.
"I don't know," Wanda admitted. "We agreed we'd get married one day."
"Yeah," you agreed. "We definitely did."
Then you decided to make it less of a question as to what had or had not happened. You slid away from her and stood up off the couch. You took a knee on the floor, bringing her hand into yours. Your heart was thumping so loud in your chest that you had to wonder whether or not she could hear it from where she sat. Judging by the way her eyes widened, though, you thought that maybe her own heartbeat was drowning it out.
You didn't think this was how you'd do this. Sure, you'd many times thought about how you'd one day propose to Wanda. In none of those scenarios was she sitting on the couch in Clint's living room whilst Nathaniel slept ten feet away with Lila and Cassie's giggles floating in through the window. They were usually a lot more romantic than this. You couldn't find it in yourself to care. This was the moment. You could feel it.
"So let me clear up the confusion," you offered, eyes not leaving hers. "Wanda Maximoff, I cannot picture my life without this little suburban house and these sweet little kids and you, my love. I will walk to the ends of the Earth and back for you. I'd give you my heart and my soul in an instant if you wanted me to. Will you marry me?"
Wanda didn't seem to be able to find her voice. Her expression was one of shock. Her jaw had dropped a little, and her eyes were wide, watering a little. You wanted more than anything to reach out and wipe those tears away and to kiss her cheeks, even if they weren't tears of sorrow. But your knee was glued to the floor until she gave you an answer. She seemed to collect herself, then. Her hands wiped at her eyes, her lips curled into a smile, and then, finally, she nodded.
"Yes. Of course, yes."
She pulled you back onto the couch. It might have been a little far, with your knees on either side of her waist. The two girls could have walked in at any moment. But you were so completely happy that there was absolutely nothing that would have stopped you from resting your arms on her shoulders, linking your hands behind her neck, and kissing her like you needed her more than you needed oxygen in your lungs. You supposed you might have. She finally pushed you away.
"I love you."
"I love you, too, beautiful fiancée of mine," you teased. "I guess Tony was right then, huh? The babysitting gig was good for us."
She laughed and then buried herself in your embrace. You held her there, not a single care in the world, knowing she was yours and you were hers. One day you would have a life a little like this one. You and she together with a family of your own and so much love around you.
It was all thanks to the stupid, stupid babysitting gig.
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dimdiamond · 2 years ago
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@saraaborhan
It may sound weird but in The adventures of Tintin the characters do have character development but it's subtle and goes through all the books. Tintin specifically has a very fascinating character development through all his adventures and I think it's interesting to look at it. Take into consideration I have watched the series, the movies and read 3 of the books (The crab with the golden claws, Mission to the moon and Tintin and the Picaros) which belong to the early, middle and last phase of Tintin's adventures so I'm sorry if something seems off or have missed something.
In the first books, until Haddock appears, Tintin travels alone with Milou. The other only stable character appearance are the Thom(p)sons whose role isn't always cooperating with the protagonist. Tintin goes for one adventure to the other, saying yes to new challenges and invitations. Even when he appears to be in vacation and content to have some peace this doesn't stay long and he just accepts one random archaeologist's invitation to accompany him to his research in an ancient Egyptian tomb. It's not only that adventure happens to follow Tintin but Tintin himself chases it. He doesn't seem to regard much of his safety and health and what's important is to live one thrill after the other. We barely see him in his flat or doing something domestic or you know "boring".
After Haddock's appearance this doesn't seem to change. Tintin still chases one adventure after the other, his curiosity leading him towards dangers. But as Haddock takes his estate back and tries to have a simple life in his home Tintin is affected by that subtly. Although some of the adventures are to help his new friends, Haddock and Calculus, Tintin goes again for an adventure of his own and when we think that we're back to his old says Haddock appears and since then they're not separated again. Together they go back to Marlinspike (at this point Tintin already visits them frequently) and Calculus invites them to where he is. A new adventure awaits but this time Haddock asks if they should go and Tintin responds yes but not in a confident way. Could be because he's suspicious if it's indeed Calculus inviting them? Could be because he's reluctant to leave when they just returned? Anyway I find this reaction really interesting and different from his previous ones.
And this is the point where the moon case happens aka the one where Tintin and Haddock are in a new adventure for Calculus and not for themselves. Tintin seems to be excited to go to the moon but it's also the first time he shows genuine fear for himself and his friends. He's even shocked with himself, he didn't even realize that it was fear until the last second. It's like it's the first time he fully realizes the danger he's in. And when Haddock puts himself and the rest in danger, Tintin of course doesn't abandon him but also shouts at him. In this case he has already showed a range of emotions that until now he didn't or at least not in that degree. Maybe it's because at this point he has fully realized that now he has people in his life to care for him and he in return. He has a family. He isn't just a nobody.
Since then we see Tintin living and choosing a more domestic lifestyle. His next adventure finds him in his vacation with Haddock but it's to save Chang, his old friend, not a mystery or criminal chase. Tintin shows the ultimate devotion to his friendships, risking his life for Chang but also determined to live or die together with Haddock. Again he shows all these intense emotions. Since the moon he doesn't hold himself back as he used to and lets himself be a person besides the hero upfront.
After Tibet and in the next stories it's even more clear the fact that Tintin does not chase adventures, they find him in his new home and in his trip back home. He no longer has the need to chase thrills and there's a stability in his life. His emotions are shown more clear than ever and he even jokes and laughs with Haddock's misfortune. There's no reason to hold himself back or be afraid he will lose his friends and he's just himself or to word it better his new self, he has let people not only enter his life but also change him.
When we finally reach the Picaros case all the character development is more evident than ever. Tintin has his "boring", domestic life and he's content with it. He even hugs the cat of Marlinspike, he is an irreplaceable resident of the mansion and member of this family. And even though it's clear that there's a scheme, his first thought isn't to go straight to danger and he doesn't even consider to do anything. And this time Haddock is ready to go but Tintin declares he won't go and Haddock accuses him of being a coward that won't let his comfortable home. This already is a huge difference from the beginning of their friendship even more huge from the period Tintin was by himself. Tintin then and Tintin now are not the same person or at least don't have the same priorities and wants. Of course later he finds Haddock and Calculus because they are his family and when the adventure reaches its end Haddock and Tintin express their relief to return finally home.
Although it's just not that detailed I think we can see that Tintin's character development is clear throughout all his adventures and, because it took time and Tintin himself isn't the most expressive character, subtle too. Tintin changes from a symbol to a person and his journey was long but worth it.
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sohemotional · 2 years ago
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Do you have any headcanons for what some of the Glee characters (Britt, San, Finn, Rachel, and others if you want) like to do in the summer?
Brittany and Santana mostly like the same things in the summer and they do this stuff together. I believe Brittana fell in love during one of their summers they spent together (maybe when they were fourteen or something) and their happiest moments together were during the summer.
They spend almost all of their time at the pool (both of them have a pool at their houses but the Lopez house has a bigger/fancier one because they're bougie like that) and the Pierces have a smaller pool in their backyard, along with an old swing set and an abandoned treehouse. The Pierces have all these backyard barbecues and they always invite Santana to them. Santana actually likes them because she likes the Pierces. Brittana also both like going on vacations. The Lopezes go on fancier vacations like to beach resorts and Brittany would always go with them. Brittana are both very much into beach vacations and fancy hotels. Santana's family has an almost annual trip to visit their family in Puerto Rico and Britt usually accompanies them.
The Pierces go on more simple trips like road trips to visit their extended family in the south or camping trips. Santana secretly does enjoy the simplicity of the Pierces, mostly because Britt is with her because Santana wouldn't usually like road trips or camping at all (she actually hates camping - everything about it). Britt loves outdoorsey stuff like camping, fishing and hiking. The rest of the summer is spent with Brittana being lazy and binge watching TV shows, sunbathing in the backyard, staying up really late together and talking (or doing more than that) all night, going to the drive in together, or they just hang out in the park in Brittany's neighbourhood. Brittany would like going to those local food festivals/cultural festivals (Finn likes them even more) and Santana isn't so into them but she'd go with Britt. Britt would like having her fortune read and tasting all of the different foods. Brittany also loves carnivals/funfairs. Brittany would love sitting around a camp fire roasting marshmallows or having s’mores.
Rachel is that girl who plans to get ahead and is all ambitious whenever she has vacation time. She never stops working. She probably joins all these acting/singing workshops and she's willing to do extra work for school during the summer or take a writing class maybe. She gets bored of just doing nothing. Her dads took her on special trips to New York to see Broadway shows and all the touristy sites during the summer. Sometimes they'd take her on more exotic trips to Europe and stuff. They also take her to concerts and she met some famous singers a few times.
As for Finn, he likes being extremely lazy in the summer. If any teacher assigns him any work, he just ignores it or forgets it completely. He doesn't really do much at all except sleep in late, watch TV, play video games for hours, browse the internet and then repeat the cycle. He probably went to overnight camp as a boy a few times. He believes in not doing any work at all during the summer. Carole and Finn can't afford to go on any fancy trips but she sometimes would take him to visit places around Lima, like the zoo or the aquarium. Finn would sometimes go with his friends or Rachel to the local drive in or the movies. He does go to the cinema a lot when he has free time during the summer or he just hangs out at one of his friend's houses or rides his bike around. Finn isn't really fussy about what he does.
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lsvdw-blog · 3 years ago
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Serena Harlow: The Future
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Family: Lachlan has since moved to Boston, along with his wife, and children. He works at Massachusetts General Hospital and is the Head of Anesthesiology. Serena's parents have since retired and moved to Boston to be closer to their children and grandchildren.
They all get together to have a family dinner, Alan and Naveen included, at least twice a month.
Friends: Serena and the old Edenbrook roomies still hangout and see each other often, as they all either stayed on at Edenbrook or close by, in the New England area. Her old undergrad and med school friends visit Boston often to have mini reunions and Serena makes sure to visit them when she has the time or is in their area.
Career: Serena is still the Head of the Diagnostics Team, but is less hands-on these days; Tobias runs the day-to-day responsibilities. Serena has taken this slight step back in order to put more time into being a mentor for the interns, residents, and younger doctors, being a visiting professor at Harvard Medical School, writing her 2nd book, continuing to be a motivational speaker (more remote now), and her and Ethan are on the board of multiple charities. They also both volunteer with the WHO and Doctors Without Borders and have done multiple trips abroad with them, together.
Eventually, Ethan steps down as Chief of Medicine, choosing to focus on giving back to the community on a more personal and hands-on level; Serena takes over for him.
Relationship & Family: Serena & Ethan got engaged around a year after Serena moved in (the 2 year mark of their relationship being official) and were married a year later (photos shown above). She hyphenated her name after getting married, becoming Dr. Serena Harlow-Ramsey, but goes by Dr. Harlow at work to avoid confusion. She also responds to Dr. H or Dr. HR by her close friends.
Approximately three years after getting married, Serena gave birth to their son (shown top right). Three years later, she gave birth to their daughter (shown bottom left). Their children have Ethan wrapped around their fingers and the Chief of Medicine enjoys being a father immensely.
Jenner is still as playful as he was back in the day, loving and teasing his new family members day in and day out.
Ethan & Serena are still just as in-love as they were when they first started dating, often getting mistaken for being newlyweds when they're out and about. They travel less now, unless it's a family vacation, and enjoy more local and domestic things, such as going to the Farmer's Market or going fruit-picking as a family.
Ethan & Serena recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary and are forever grateful for the family and life they've built together. They spend the rest of their lives together in wedded bliss, spoiling their grandchildren, and retire world-renowned in the medical field. They helped change and shape medicine to be the more patient-centric and compassionate community they always envisioned.
A huge thank you to @takemyopenheart for the lovely edits of Serena & Ethan's kids!! 🥰🥰
Thank you so much to @openheartfanfics for hosting this Meet My MC event!! It's amazing 😊
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btssk · 3 years ago
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Ms. Dokkaebi - Part One
Series Summary: You are the nanny for J-Hope’s older sister Jung Ji Wo. And while you’re great with her kids, best friends with J-Hope, and considered apart of his family, you seem very rude and stand-offish when it comes to the rest of BTS. There’s a tense relationship between you and the other members but when shit hits the fan, they'll realize just how wrong they were about you. But will it be in time.?
Notes: I’m new ARMY who doesn’t know everything there is to know about BTS as individuals so I may not accurately depict them in my writings, but as a FanFic writer who’s found her new muse, i’m just jumping right into it! This was originally going to be a one shot but then I started having too many ideas and points to touch on so I’m turning it into a series. And heads up, i write longgg posts regardless. I’ll probably comb through this a few times after I post to tweak some things. Also, this is obviously written in english but imagine that they're speaking Korean. This is my first BTS fanfic,
Hope you enjoy!
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Pairing: (Platonic) J-Hope x Reader
Summary: You've come to visit your very own personal ray of sunshine Jung Hoseok while on vacation. Despite his unbridled joy at your arrival, the other members of BTS struggle to understand how such terrifying opposites could be attracted to each other.
Warning: swearing, violence
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"Here, place these on the table, Canola flowers are her favorite." Hoseok wipes the remnants of soil off his hands and smiles proudly at his personal efforts. "Their train should be arriving shortly, if you still plan to meet them at the station sir." "Right, i'll leave first then. Thank you ladies." The maids bow as he gives his final nod of approval before rushing to the waiting car. "Step on it Dae-Hyun, we can't be late." "Of course sir." "Dae-Hyun," "Yes sir?" "How do I look?" The driver smiled at the multimillionaire international superstar, sweating and squirming in the backseat. "She's going to be thrilled to see you sir."
"Does that mean I don't look good?"
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"We're here! Everyone come welcome our special guests!" Two little kids fly into the house faster than Hoseok could finish announcing their arrival. Next came their frantic mother scrambling to collect them and scold the poor manners they were presenting.
Jin gets up from sitting in the living room with both arms open wide, inviting the kids to jump into them. "It's okay Ji Wo, i've missed my little feathers." "We're not little feathers!" "Of course you are! See, I can do this!" He starts spinning around as fast as he can. Hoseok stands besides his sister smiling at his niece and nephew flying in circles. "Too fast!" "No more Ahjussi!" Jin stops spinning, "Ah-Ahjussi? Ahjussi?! Who are you calling Ahjussi? You think i'm so old that I deserve to hear such things?! Ya! You think you'll be young forever?" Jin begins tickling and shaking the two until they're begging him to stop. "You'll be my age soon and let’s see how you like being called Ahjussi! I'm not even that old!"
Jin's signature 'eldest-rant' calls the rest of the members into the living room. "I don't know Jin, i'm starting to see some grey hairs." Jungkook joins in on Yoongi's joke, "Oh, there on the sides right?" "Mm, yeah." "Stob it!"
By the time you entered the room, everyone had already shared their hello's with Ji Wo. Her kids were outside running around with Taehyung, Jungkook, and Jimin. Jin was still fuming over being called Ahjussi despite Namjoon's best efforts to calm him down, while Yoongi stood by doing his best to turn Jin into a talking tomato.
Busy helping his sister move the luggage to the guest house, Hoseok left your welcome party in the hands of dumb and dumber, plus one. The three kept at their bickering until Namjoon finally noticed you. You dropped two large duffel bags at your feet and wore all black, head to toe. No makeup, hair in a half-assed updo, and shoes still on after entering the home? You weren’t here to impress and currently, were not impressed either.
Namjoon straightened up his appearance before nudging Jin and Yoongi to follow suit. Yoongi hid his smile and offered a very sweet and shy apology. And while Jin was obviously embarrassed to have been caught acting so childish in front of a stranger, this fact presented a dilemma. Why was there a strange woman in his living room? An American woman, with a very unpleasant look of irritation and disapproval on her face? 'Does she not see how handsome I am?' Remembering that he was in his own home and the eldest person present, he chose an informal tone. "Ya. Who are you. How’d you get in here?" No response. The only change being your eyes now solely locked onto Jin. A slight relief to Namjoon and Yoongi. "Did you hear me? Who are you, what do you want?"
"...."
"What you don't speak Korean?"
Silence.
"Aishh," Jin put his hands on his hips, "So, You American came to Korea just to step into a Korean household and not only refuse to address your senior, to state your business, or atone for these things, but can't even speak Korean to begin with? Unbelievable." After another chance to explain yourself, yet remaining silent, Jin rolls his eyes and grabs his phone. "Fine. I'm calling security." Now you looked pleased, almost amused. Did you understand what he had said? Clearly not since you were smiling, but, did you? The three members wait with you in the deafening silence.
A couple minutes and guards storm into the room scanning for the intruder. Jin immediately starts yelling and pointing for them to take you away. Yet you don't move an inch as the guards surround you. Instead, you smile sweetly in return for their low bows. The member's are stunned as the head of security addresses you and you only. "Our apologizes for this mishap Ms. Y/n, it won't happen again." You nod, accepting his notion, and Jin couldn’t take it anymore, "What! what is this?! Who is she that she can enter my home uninvited with more authority than me?!" The guard's explanation is interrupted by Hoseok's return. "Oh good, you've met y/n!" He smiles at his friends indifferent towards the scene he interrupted. "Y/n hand me your bag i'll carry it," he gives you his other arm to escort you outside, "Ji Wo and the kids are already unpacked. I'll help you with your stuff. I made sure your room had those pillows and comforter set you really liked from last time-oh! And I have a surprise for you! I went and picked them myself, your favorite! Then we can talk about what you want for dinner tonight..." The three ‘men’, who were correctly feeling as less than such, watched you step into the guest house as if you owned that too.
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"Explain."
"Oh good, I needed a second opinion! I like the yellow shirt but it's a bit much for dinner at home right? Then there's the blue but it doesn't compliment my eyes very well. Maybe the white one then? You can't go wrong-"
Jin slaps the shirts out of Hoseok's hands.
"No! Explain the woman who just walked into my home with zero etiquette, highjacked my home, security team, and is now downstairs with her bare feet on my coffee table!"
"So you're thinking the blue one."
"Hobi!"
"Jin can you keep it down, i'm trying to take my pre-dinner evening nap," Yoongi throws himself on the bed, "But to his point; Who is she?"
Hoseok picks up the blue shirt and pulls it on. "Uh, well that's a loaded question. I know that she can be very, well, i'm sure you've noticed,"
"Yes, continue."
"But, I guess, she's my best friend." Every remaining member bursts through the door, silently threatening him to say it again. Even Yoongi twisted his head, "The hell did this bitch say." Jin takes the lead scolding Hoseok's blasphemous comment, with the others suddenly becoming faithful followers of their beloved Ahjussi. Once finished fiddling with his shirt, Hoseok addressed the room full of crybabies. "Maybe 'best friend' wasn't the most appropriate label, but she IS someone very special to me. So please, all of you go get dressed and be ready to eat dinner in an hour. I need this to be perfect. It's important, please." He hurries out of the room to find you, leaving his very much so established and unquestionably best friends unsatisfied with his explanation.
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"Tell me to hurry up...look nice...feet on my table!...she's the mean one...I don't even like spicy food...Will you come help me already you see me struggling!" Namjoon was certain his hands were going to fuse with his face if he listened to this for another second. He gladly stood up to help Jin with his tie, "If it'll end your ranting about y/n-"
"Stupid name"
"You met her once for five minutes; you don't even know her." "Ah, five minutes was ten minutes too long." "That still doesn't make any sense," Namjoon grumbles for the billionth time since meeting his friend, "There, done."
"And why are we wearing ties anyways? We're at home! Ji Wo's family! I'm expected to look Grammy's ready for that…that Dokkaebi!?" Yoongi sits up from Jin's bed laughing, "That what?" "When did you get there?" "Did you just call y/n a Dokkaebi? I haven't heard name calling like that since primary school." Jin charges at Yoongi shaking his finger, "You know it! You were there, both of you! You saw her smiling at us; like a blind person winking. Just, empty." A chill runs up Jin's spine that Namjoon and Yoongi have to admit they also felt. "Hear me, that goblin will only cause us problems." "You're overreacting-"
"Her.bare.feet! On.my.coffee table!"
"Look she's special to Hobi, that means she can't actually be that bad right? And again, we only met her for five minutes-" "That was ten minutes-" "DO NOT say it again it makes NO sense! We didn't make a very good first impression either, so let's consider dinner a fresh start." Namjoon and Yoongi guide a still disgruntled Jin down to dinner. They can hear the kitchen is already crowded with conversation, children laughing, and food on the stove. Namjoon takes a deep breath, "Fresh start boys. Be nice." They round the corner to see your eyes already baring deep into their souls. Jin leans into his friend’s tiger grips on him and whispers, "See, see! Some of her goblin tricks already. Evil little mi-chin nyeon-" "You sure you want to finish that sentence." Your comment draws Hoseok’s attention to his friends, "Hey guys! Come have a beer, we're almost done cooking." The trembling mice men find a safe distance from you on the other side of the island and Hoseok hands them each a drink. But Jin’s eyes never leave yours, except to make sure that the knife in your hand is still chopping vegetables and not plunging into his chest. "So, you can speak Korean." "Of course, what kind of American would I be to come all the way to Korea, enter a Korean household, and not be able to address my senior. The honor is mine, Ahjussi." You throw in a lopsided bow at the end but Jin is far from impressed. Namjoon grabs another beer, "Here we go..." Before he has the chance, Jin's attention is on his legs. "Do the funny walk!" "Yeah, the funny walk!" "Oh, I think i'm too old, now that i'm 'Ahjussi Jin'." The twins plead with him until they're disappearing down the hallway, holding on for dear life as he flails his legs as much as possible. You finish cutting the vegetables and hand them to Ji Wo at the stove. Before you have a chance, Hoseok takes the dishes from your hands, "I can clean these too y/n, you go grab a drink and hang out while Ji Wo and I finish up. Your seat is right there next to mine!" If he could walk for you he would, even if he didn't have legs himself. Annoying and embarrassing at times, like now, but at the end of the day you loved that about him; so unashamedly sweet to you like no one else would dare to be.
You go slip into your Hoseok-assigned seat at the table next to Yoongi and count how long it’ll take him to grow a pair and say what's on his mind.
"So y/n,"
27 seconds,
"how do you know Hobi?" "I work for Ji Wo." "Oh, like a secretary?" 'The fuck?,' "Or not. Then, some security guard? No! Not that i'm saying you’re manly or anything, you're very attractive-not that i'm attracted to you-NOT that there's a reason I shouldn't be!" Yoongi chokes on his words long enough for you to respond. "I'm her nanny." You see the first unpetrified emotion cross Yoongi's face since meeting, "Really? You…like, kids?" "Of course. They're adorable." He'd have an easier time believing you if you didn't look like you were recounting the hells of war. Lost on how to continue the conversation, Yoongi tries a new approach.
He moves a tray of assorted fruit towards you, "Here. Do you like fruit? We bought all of this fresh from the local market." "I already had some." "Oh. Okay, good.. Um, I love the tangerines. I bought a whole bundle...where'd they go?” Yoongi notices that his dozen of tiny orange babies are the only fruits missing from the tray. Once again your eyes were waiting for his to catch up. "Did you-" Without breaking eye contact, possibly without breathing since Yoongi’s doubting you even have a heart right now, you peel the last tangerine. You do it slow enough that if you listened closely, you could hear it crying for 'papa Yoongi' to save it. "My...you ate...all of them." The poor boy looked like he went bankrupt with a wife and kids to feed back home. Ironic maybe? He tried his best to swallow his emotions, "That's okay. You're our guest; I'm happy to share anything with-" You pop Yoongi's last little baby into your mouth and he snaps, "That's it. Who hurt you. I demand to know." A slightly sweaty Jin joins the stand-off over his friend’s shoulder with the same scowl on his face, "See...Dokkaebi." Yoongi swears his loyalty with a single word. "Dokkaebi.."
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"Y/n i'm going to the restroom, can you-" "Got it." "Thanks!" Ji Wo runs around the corner leaving you in charge of the children. All, of the children.
Most are taking their seats, Hoseok is practically in your lap talking your ear off, and Jin is trying to shake off the two urchins still stuck to his legs. "Please!? Where is your mother it's been hours, days even!" The twins laugh at his joke and Namjoon again tries to convince Jin that he doesn't make any sense.
"No, more more!"
"Yeah more!"
"More!"
"More! MORE!"
Hoseok eventually nudges you, "Come on y/n, enough fun, the foods going to get cold." 'We never do what I want.' You snap your fingers and point to the chairs across from you. The two tumble over each other trying to see who could be the fastest. So competitive. You were proud. "Whoa, could you train Yeontan to be that obedient?" "You calling my kids dogs." There's a slight breeze behind you that could only be from Hoseok's frantic motions for Taehyung to stop talking. "I, no...nevermind."
Ji Wo comes back and sits next to her son, "Okay, let's eat!" Everyone starts to fill their plates and converse amongst themselves. Hoseok is making your plate while you're busy making the kids'. Sitting on the other side of the twins is Jungkook. He gives himself a pep-talk until he's confident that he's about to do the right thing. Yet, across from him, Yoongi and Namjoon shoot him every desperate facial expression that they know. Whatever Jungkook is about to do, they're sure it's a bad idea. 'What are they mouthing? "Dok...Dokkaebi?" What? That doesn't make any sense.' He gives them a curt 'I got this' smile so the two give up.
'Poor bastard.'
'It's always the innocent.'
Jungkook grabs the bowl in front of him and holds it out towards you. "Y/n, I made this dish specially for you. It takes a few hours to prep and another two for cooking, but Hoseok spoke so fondly of you I knew it was worth the time." You feel the pride radiating from Hoseok when he places his hand over yours. The whole thing's silly, but you let your little sunshine have his moment. "The sauce is my grandmother's secret recipe and I made the noodles from scratch. It's always a crowd favorite when I make it. I'd love it if you had some! Let me put some on your plate." "No thanks." Jungkook stops mid-reach across the table and his doe-eyed smile falters. "I, uh, promise you'll love it. It's the best dish on the table! Please, just try it-" "You trying to kill me (?) I said no" "But-" "And I won't say it again."
A pained silence falls over the group, but nothing compares to the hurt on Jungkook's face. Defeated and humiliated, he slides back down into his chair too embarrassed to lift his head. Then, "I want some!" the little girl next to him slaps a smile back on his face. "Of course sweetie, here!" This time Hoseok and Ji Wo are the ones quick to speak up in a panic. "No hun, you can't." "Jungkook don't-"
*CLINK!*
Your eyes snap to the spoon still spilling pasta on the plate. The sound rings out and fades away without a single interference. Jungkook's frozen in fear, everyone is, as they should be. You can feel Hoseok desperately squeezing your hand, silently begging you not to cut off his friends'. Ji Wo's face is pleading the same case. You listen to Jungkook's heart beat out of his chest for a few more seconds, watch his life flash before his eyes to truly remember this moment by. Removing your hand from Hoseok's, then placing it over his, is reassurance that he and Ji Wo can stop shaking. As for everyone else, they're nothing more than deer caught in headlights. "There's shrimp in that. She, and I, are both allergic to shellfish. If you feed her that, she'll die in minutes, and then you would die in seconds. Am.I.clear." There was another silence while Jungkook struggled to keep his soul from leaving his body. He couldn't believe what he had almost done and begged forgiveness from Ji Wo, "I-I'm so sorry! I had no idea, honest I wouldn't have-" "It's okay Kook, I know that you didn't know. It was an accident," her eyes drift towards you, "right y/n."
She's weary. She can tell that you haven't calmed down, not enough at least. You take your job very seriously; you love her kids as if they were your own. And if you ever did have kids of your own, then god save us all. You really were like a second parent to the twins. The kids once asked if the two of you were going to get married some day. You and Ji Wo were both laughing your asses off until you realized that Eun had fallen out of her chair. Her face was turning purple and her throat had nearly swollen shut. She laid motionless on the floor with her eyes digging into y/n's, begging for help. But no one saw what happened and didn't know what to do. Y/n took a gamble since it was their first time having lobster and gave her her epi-pen. As relieved as Ji Wo was to hear her daughter start breathing again, it would be a few weeks for her, and you, to completely move past what happened. That was the first and only time Ji Wo had seen you so unnerved; truly afraid. And right now she saw that same memory flash over your eyes in a blinding loop. She tries again, "Y/n, it was an accident…It's okay now."
"Y/n," Hoseok's gripping your fist with both of his hands, "She didn't eat any, she's okay. Jungkook knows now, they all do. Right." Every head at the table shook furiously, but you saw none of it. Your eyes locked onto Jungkook and debated which fingers to break first.
Then you felt Hoseok's grip on you change. It loosened, and his fingers gently ran over the back of your hand, something that always forced you to relax. "Angel," One of your biggest weaknesses, "please, for me." was hearing him beg. 'And that dang pet name.' You let out all of your pent-up energy into one labored sigh, finally releasing the dinner guests as hostages. Yoongi jumps from his chair as you abruptly stand. "What did you learn Jungkook." "She's-you both!-are allergic to shellfish," poor thing had been on the brink of crying this entire time, "I swear that I will never forget it-" "No. You don't question me. Ever again."
While you're turned to grab a clean plate for Eun, "Chin-hae don't stand on your chair-!" you hear the sweetest voice back you up. "Yeah! You don't ask y/n questions!" He's all but using his sister's head as a prop while sticking his sticky finger in Jungkook's face, “giving him the business” about not asking anymore questions or trying to kill his sister again. You motion for him to sit down once you're back and shoot a wink. 'That's my boy.'
——————————————————————
"Again, Ji Wo, I am so sorry for earlier at dinner. I still feel absolutely awful about it."
"It's okay Jungkook, honestly. Y/n always carries an epi-pen for both of them. Even if Eun had eaten some, she would've been okay."
"So then, that whole "she'll die in minutes, you'll die in seconds" thing was y/n just messing with me, right?"
"Of course, no chance she'd let Eun get even close to dying."
Jungkook relaxes just enough sipping his coffee to choke on it when Ji Wo continued, “But she might still kill you, that wasn't a joke." Jimin smacks his friend's back until he settles.
After dinner, you took the twins to the guest house to get ready for bed. Everyone else stayed behind and congregated towards the living room to properly catch up with Ji Wo. Before getting married, the boys saw her around all the time. Since then, they only see her on the rarest occasions. It sucks, but that's the way it has to be.
"Anyways, thank you all for letting us stay here. I know it's not everyday you guys get the chance to go on vacation."
All of you were staying at BTS's vacation home out on Daecheong Island. Technically it was Jin's vacation home, but since he always said yes when the member's wanted to use it, no one bothered listening to his empty protests anymore.
The island is located in northern South Korea; just west of Seoul. The home was well secluded, on the coastline with plenty of space and privacy, about an hour or so from the nearest town. It was a favorite place for the boys to get away since they had true privacy while there, but could still feel like they were at home. And rarely if ever would they draw attention while in town. The locals knew who they were but lived their own lives on the island and didn't care to bother them.
Namjoon pats Ji Wo's back, "Don't worry about it. We're happy to have you." "Yeah. No filming, practices, recording schedules," Jin stretches back in his chair, "no responsibilities what so ever. Plus now, you and the little ones are here? Talk about a good time." He turns towards Ji Wo though, momentarily becoming serious, "And no one knows where we are. Promise." The rest of the group offers reassurance to Ji Wo.
Hoseok leans in close to his sister, "You didn't tell anyone where you were going right? Didn't have any issues?" She shakes her head no. Anyone else would think that the boys were worried about people finding out where they were. But Ji Wo knew the truth. They wanted to make sure no one knew where she was. Especially her children.
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Flashback
You remembered the first and only time that you had met Ji Wo's ex-husband. It was the twins' third birthday party and the first of many without their father. Ji Wo pulled out all the stops to try and make it as special as possible. There ended up being just enough commotion for him to sneak in through the side gate.
You'd heard plenty about how he lost custody of the twins due to his alcoholism, and how more than once it led him to put his hands on the them. Not to mention the few screws he had loose in the head. He'd never do anything less than swear he loved his children more than anything and just wanted to be a family. But after putting Ji Wo and the twins in the hospital, twice, he didn't stand a chance in court. At the final hearing he reeked of alcohol and rambled on about making Ji Wo pay for stealing his children from him. He was detained for disorderly conduct and Ji Wo won sole custody.
There wasn't a word from him after that so no one expected him to show up that day.
You didn't know what he looked like, but the new stench of alcohol in the air and screams from Chin-hae was more than enough information. "Oh come on son, I brought you a present...I think?" The drunk stumbled around trying to feel for the nonexistent gift. Every child ran to their parents as you ushered them all inside the house. Ji Wo didn't have security then, and this was the moment to change that.
Chin-hae and Eun clung to Ji Wo's legs, remembering enough of their father to be afraid. "Seo-Jun. What are you doing here." He acted genuinely offended by her comment, "Is it not my children's birthdays? Their father should be here." He staggered closer and Ji Wo struggled not to shake more than she already was. "N-No. You, should leave. The restraining order-" "TO HELL WITH THAT PIECE OF PAPER!" His outburst even made you jump. You needed to hurry and make sure everyone was safe inside before going to help Ji Wo. Only a few more people and then you would be free to kick his pasty ass.
"Seo-Jun please, you're drunk; you're scaring the kids." "Oh, well then," his posture straightens and eyes go dark, "i'm suddenly feeling very sober. No need to be scared now. Come on kids, give your dear old dad a big hug." Only a sour breath away from them and both kids were soaked in their tears. They cried "Mom no! Don't make us!" "We'll be good! PLEASE!!" "MOM!?" Ji Wo clung onto them as hard as she could without hurting them. She took two steps back for every one Seo-Jun made. "Come on guys, you're not being very nice. You can't still be mad about last time right? I said sorry. And hey! I have some new friends for you to meet." Three men entered the backyard with eyes glued to the kids. "Seo-Jun please! Don't do this!?" "Ji Wo. Honey, you know I won't ask again," he holds out his arms, "Hand them over." When the men start advancing Ji Wo drops down to her knees to shield her children as best she could. But she was crying just as hard as they were, just as terrified.
One man had his hand on Eun's flailing leg for less than a second before being drop kicked by you running at full speed. He didn't get up until the ambulance arrived. Without hesitating you go after the next one, throwing hit after hit until he falls and doesn't get up. The third pulls out a knife and you see red. Knives, real knives like these, sent you into an unstoppable rage. You had plenty of reasons to hate them, and even more to hate Seo-Jun. The man took a few swipes at you before taking a misstep and gives you the opening you need. A single move and you get ahold of the knife, toss it, and start breaking as many of his bones as possible. This wasn't just about stopping a kidnapping anymore, it was making sure they suffered as much as time allowed you.
This would be the first time Ji Wo and the kids see you fight; see you turn into a monster, "Y/n?" and Hoseok. The look on your face must have terrified him because he stumbles back before being able to focus on the situation. Hoseok runs to help Ji Wo, taking Chin-hae so the four can make a faster break for the house.
Seeing his plan go to shit, Seo-Jun makes a last ditch effort to grab at least one of the kids. He takes after Ji Wo and Eun but luckily he's a lot slower than you are. You drop the near lifeless body you'd been breaking and sprint after him. He sees you coming and his desperation overtakes logic. Seo-Jun reaches into his jacket, "You're not taking them away again bitch! Let's see how you like it!!"
*CLICK*
"Y/N!!"
*BANG!*
A silent cry forces its way out. You're hands radiating fire from the new hole in the side of it. Your panicked reflex led to sloppy technique in redirecting the barrel of the gun from Eun. you can't let it slow you down. A left hook and solid kick to the side of his knee and Seo-Jun crumbles. Working through the pain, you knock the gun out of his hand and jump on top of him, hitting him with everything you've got; every punch you know with all the strength you have left. You couldn't feel anything from your right hand up to your elbow, 'guess I'll just have to keep going until it comes back.'
-
You don't know how long it's been, could be minutes maybe only seconds, but Seo-Jun had stopped moving. You know that you should probably quit now, but hearing Eun scream for you a moment ago was far too close to home. You knew that sound; you're brother made that sound. And the more you remembered it, the more it seemed this high you were on would never end. You didn't want it to. You hated Seo-Jun for everything he's done and for everything he reminded you of. The life you fought through Hell to escape from. If he lived through this, you swore you'd finish him off for good one day.
Your ears were still ringing from the gunshot but a voice fought it's way through. "y/n...Y/N! You have to stop! It's okay now! You need to calm down! Please!" If Hoseok would be honest with himself, he was too afraid of you to do more than scream from a safe distance, let alone try and touch you. The way you weren't letting up on Seo-Jun's body even for a moment. He looked over at the man you had been beating up when he arrived. His body was crumpled and folded over like a distorted carcass. It was inhumane; indigestible. He knew parts of your past but seeing it manifest in front of him? he didn't imagine being this afraid of you. Would you ever hurt him? How thin was this line you toed? Did he know you at all- "AHH-!"
*BANG!*
Hoseok doesn't move when blood splatters across his face. He can't even will his tears the courage to fall. He had been too lost in thought to realize the second man you attacked had gotten up. How he had only been step or two away from him, gripping his partners knife. He didn't notice how swiftly you turned and shot him with Seo-Jun's gun. Square between the eyes without blinking your own. You killed a man without hesitation, totally relaxed with zero remorse.
The only thing strong enough to pull you out of your rampage was someone you loved being in harms way. No amount of rage could trump the urge to protect them, and only once they were safe would you feel yourself come back to earth. You stood up, back in reality, but Hoseok was still lost in the clouds. Only a few moments ago he was debating the origins of your soul, now he knew you were his guardian angel. If not for you he would be a pile of sliced meat right now, or Ji Wo, or even the twins. They could have been taken like Seo-Jun wanted or worse, also like Seo-Jun wanted. Ji Wo was helpless to stop it and he arrived too late regardless. You knew all of this already, that's why you fought for them. With all of your heart you protected Hoseok's family; his whole world, and now him too. He'd never be able to repay you.
"D.I.P.D.! Drop the gun! Hands up both of you!"
"Backyard is secure."
"Roger that. Civilians are all accounted for and inside of the home is secure."
"We've got four bodies; call for another ambulance." "Yes sir."
"Check for pulses and take those two into custody already!" "Sir!"
The next month was nothing but back to back court hearings, being shuffled to and from your holding cell, and meeting with lawyers before and afterwards. Everyone who was at the birthday party had to testify in court, then they were free to go. But almost every one stayed throughout the entire trial. Your motives weren't lost on them; they knew what a monster Seo-Jun was and it was obvious what he was there to do. Each testimony painted you as the selfless hero who saved the day. Mounted against Seo-Jun was a multitude of eye witness testimonies, means and motive, forensic evidence, the crime scene report, and the irrefutable security camera footage. Seo-Jun's remaining accomplices got 18 months by accepting a plea deal while Seo-Jun himself received 3 years, eligible for early release after 2 on good behavior.
Normally with the amount of evidence against Seo-Jun, this case would have been open and shut in a matter of days. But in private you were being psychologically evaluated and cross examined by both teams and the judge personally, to determine your own fate. Your personal file, although sealed from the public and PI Investigations, had to be taken into consideration. In the end you were cleared of all charges and free to go. If anyone asked, the delay in your release was due to some "administrative issue with the paperwork or whatever" and so you spent that time just sitting in your cell counting sheep.
During your release, "We know who Seo-Jun is y/n. Be careful," the judge leans in close as you walk past her and whispers, "stay close to those kids." That decided your fate, whatever that may come to be. This wasn't over; Seo-Jun would be back, so not a day would go by that you weren't by their sides.
You were prepared for the worst when you saw the Jung's again. You thought they'd call you a monster and tell you to stay away. But tears poured from your eyes when Chin-hae and Eun crashed into your legs and refused to let you leave them again. Ji Wo's hug surprised you most, you two had never hugged before. She immediately hired you as the kids' personal bodyguard but if anyone asked you were their nanny. (A secondary role you fell into). She moved you into one of the spare bedrooms of her new undisclosed address and location home, just down the hall from the kids' rooms. She told you to do what you want with the room; paint it, rearrange it, knock out a wall, you name it. Then gave you a personal black card to use how you like. You told her it was all too much, trying to remain humble and modest, but it just made her cry. She couldn’t comprehend how else she could repay you for what you did for her and the kids, not that she felt this even amounted to enough.
Next you hand picked her new security detail. Each candidate had to fight you in hand-to-hand combat as the final test, and whoever didn't go down in 30 seconds made the cut. One of them managed to land a hit and became head of security, also your fill in whenever you weren't around.
Hoseok hadn't come around the first few days after your release. 'Why would he, he saw what I can really do. What i'm really like.' Ji Wo would tell you not to worry or think too much, that he probably just needed a bit more time to process some things.
You woke up on morning and were instantly suspicious, "What?" Ji Wo just kept smiling ang giggling to herself on the couch, "Oh, nothing. Just a funny book." "You're not reading a book-" "Oh the door! I wonder who that could be." You turn to the guard stationed in the main hallway, "She hasn't been drinking has she?" "No ma'am."
Ji Wo prances back into the room, "It's for you!" then off into the kitchen. "Ji Wo I know you're pretending; you haven't cleaned a single dish in 6 years." "Just go to the door?!" You shuffle down the hall, "I hope your mystery guest doesn't mind me looking like hell!"
"They don't,"
you stop.
"They think you always look pretty great actually."
"Hoseok..."
He stood at the door holding your favorite flowers and dressed to the nines, "What is this, what are you doing?" He stepped through the threshold, "Can I come in? I don't want to end up like the last guy who didn't ask you." His joke was stupid and inappropriate but he laughed like a goofball all the same. You tried to smile but couldn't stop the frown from forming. You look down at your feet suddenly feeling ashamed and embarrassed in front of Hoseok. He closes the door and puts down the flowers. He holds your hands in his, "What's wrong?" "Nothing I," 'I was afraid you hated me,' "I just missed you. You haven't been around since..." The words were stuck in your throat and you were at a loss at how to get them out. "I thought..." He understood, "Hey no, no. I'll admit I did need some time to process what happened but, I could never..." 'I'm not afraid of you,' He cupped your face and lifted it to make sure you heard this next part, "I owe you my life y/n. You saved all of us, and that's not something that a bad person would do. I could never be afraid of you; I love you." You wiped a stray tear and playfully punched Hoseok in the shoulder, "Hobi don't," "What? I don't mean like that!" You both laughed. It was a relief to feel like things were back to normal between the two of you.
"You know what I mean." "Yeah I do. I love you too Hoseok. Now seriously, what is all of this; what's with the get up?" "Oh, well I was worried that you might be feeling a little down so I wanted to treat you to a day out! Starting with breakfast at that fancy restaurant you like." "The one with the giant fish tank? And we get to pick out which fish we want to eat?!" "Yes now hurry up and go get dressed, our reservation's in 45 minutes." Your sprint towards your room looked the exact same as the twins. Passing the kitchen you hear Ji Wo, "He's feeding you isn't he." "YUP! My favorite!" “Bring me back some-" "Absolutely not!"
20 minutes later and you're speeding back down the stairs dressed and ready to go. "There's no need to pull me out the door like this! We have a reservation; we won't have to wait to eat-"
"But all the good fish could already be gone! I want one so fat and juicy it has rolls!"
"Fish don't have rolls-y/n you're drooling on my sleeve-Ew it's on my hand! Let go already!"
You shove his body into the car and jump in after him, "Let's go Dae-Hyun! Get us there in 10 minutes and i'll get you whatever you want to eat." "Deal."
"Don't you mean i'll get him-?"
"Not now Hoseok I have to focus. Momma's going fishing."
Hoseok rolls his eyes at your theatrical evil grin, "For someone with a shellfish allergy you're too excited to eat fish."
"What can I say, I go wherever the spirits lead me."
"You're not spiritual."
"I am when they lead me to fish."
End of Flashback
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"Good night honey. Sweet dreams." You had already finished tucking Chin-hae into bed and now it was his sisters turn. "Sweet dreams y/n. You'll be here when I wake up right?" "Always." You kiss her forehead and turn off the lights when you leave. You went down the hall to your room to change into something more comfortable before heading back out to the main house. Security had already been stationed around the guest house, so you felt okay leaving the twins here alone for a while. On your way out, you passed by the kid's room once more, 'Eun must have been really tired. How has her snoring never woken up Chin-hae before.’
You smile thinking about those rascals on your walk back to the main house.
Jung Chin-hae and Jung Eun.
Your favorite people in the whole world. A fact that hurt Hoseok's feelings even though he felt the same way. He never knew if because of his lifestyle, he would ever actually find true love, get married, and have children of his own. So his niece and nephew were the closest that he was going to get, and he loved them with all of his heart.
Ji Wo chose Chin-hae's name because it means 'depth of the ocean.' Going to the beach and being on the water was something that she craved constantly while she was pregnant with them. It was her escape and sense of peace while she faced struggles in her personal life. She had recurring dreams about sailing off with her children, away from their problems, and starting new lives as mermaids living happily in the sea. When they were born Chin-hae came out first, technically making him older, and it's how he acted. He was a textbook caring and protective big brother to his sister. His emotions could sometimes get the better of him (as demonstrated at dinner) but he had the biggest heart and was so thoughtful. Especially when it came to Eun.
Eun's name was chosen without a second thought. As soon as she opened her eyes, she looked up at Ji Wo with shining silver eyes. As beautiful as they were, there was concern. The doctors did some tests and found out that Eun was colorblind. They explained, in laymen's terms, that the parts of the eye that perceived color hadn't developed and therefor lacked pigment. That's why her eyes looked silver, and how Ji Wo chose her name.
When the two got older, Ji Wo tried explaining that Eun was colorblind, but Chin-hae didn't understand and thought that she meant Eun was completely blind. This misunderstanding created many memories that you'll never forget. You laugh to yourself thinking about one of your favorites. Chin-hae was constantly by his sister's side since learning that she was 'blind'. He was always holding her hand, trying to do everything for her, even tried brushing her teeth every now and then. One time you had called them to dinner but heard the two yelling at each other in the other room.
"Careful Eun! You have hold my hand, there's a step, you'll fall!"
"No I won't! I do it myself!"
"You can't! You're blind!"
"Nu uh! I see you!"
"No! You not see anything!"
Eun gasped, "I not see you?"
"No!"
She immediately started bawling her eyes out, "No oppa, I not see you!"
Chin-hae did his best to comfort her and grabbed her hand, "Hush Eun, it's okay. You always just hold me, like this."
He walked her over to the table and sat like nothing had happened but you couldn't wait to relay it all to Ji Wo. It was the sweetest thing watching him make her plate and then try to feed her. Ji Wo had to explain things a few more times before they finally understood what she meant. Even so, he still describes every color that he sees to her whenever she asks. You often daydream that that's how things could have been with you and your brother.
You let the bitter-sweet memory fade away when you enter the living room and take a seat next to Hoseok. ‘Of course he was saving me a seat next to him.’ He nuzzles himself into your side and carries on talking about the upcoming festival on the island. No one listens to a word he says because how could they? Did he just willingly throw himself into the lions den? What were you going to do they thought,
‘is she going to gouge out his eyes?’
‘Stab him for invading her space?’
‘Pull out his hair?’
‘Use his bones to make her bread-? Oh wait no that’s Shrek.’
Your only reaction though is to put your arm around him and listen to his rambling about this festival. You never bored of your ray of sunshine. You could always count on him to lift you up or calm you down. Of everyone you knew, no one was able to explain how the two of you could be so close. With seemingly nothing in common, you were total opposites and not in a cute Christmas romcom type of way. But maybe that was why you loved him so much.
The expectation is that the people who’d like you would look just as scary, be just as off putting, just as much a monster as you knew you really were. Yet it was someone like Hoseok to welcome you into his life. He saw the sliver of a good heart that you still had and spoke life into it.
“You’ll never leave us again.”
“We owe you our lives.”
“You’re not a bad person.”
“I love you y/n.”
Even though you weren’t into holding hands, snuggling on the couch, or going to whatever festival Hoseok was talking about, you’d do it for him. For all of them. So you let him snuggle into your side while you run your fingers through his hair like he liked, and Hoseok plays with your free hand. “-that sound good to you y/n?”
‘God knows what he’s talking about’
“Yeah sounds good Hobi.”
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rolandtowen · 3 years ago
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Prince Zuko was a harsh, entitled boy.
Firelord Zuko is a ruler who makes amends. - a study in the various side characters that Zuko came across in his banishment, and how he repays his past actions.
Read Chapter One on ao3 or under the cut! TW for referenced non-con and colonialism
[I believe @flamehotman and @flameomcfirey wanted to be tagged?]
Chapter One: Song
We will get there when we get there, don't you worry Feel bad about the things we do along the way But not really that bad We inhaled the frozen air Lord, send me a mechanic if I'm not beyond repair
- The Mountain Goats
It happened on a Tuesday afternoon.
Zuko was meeting with the agricultural council, a collection of both scholars and farmers, to discuss best practices for renewing the Fire Nations agricultural trade. For so many decades, the Fire Nation out-sourced its agriculture to land in the colonies and imported much of its food. But with the land being given back, the Fire Nation was either going to have to begin growing its own food again, or import their food at a fair price. The economic committee decided on Monday that reviving the Fire Nation farms would be far more cost effective - and of course, would create more jobs in the Fire Nation. With the war over, the number of soldiers that the military required had dropped dramatically, and there were many citizens without work. Zuko had instated severance benefits for unemployed soldiers - the ones not found guilty of war crimes of course, mostly the young recruits - but it couldn't last forever.
It was maddening. Every time Zuko unraveled one problem, he undoubtedly found or created another one. He was trying, really trying, to keep his people safe. But he also had a duty to the rest of the world. The nations that his lineage colonized, pillaged, and destroyed. He resists the urge to write to Aang, to ask him how he does it, how he balances all of the nations in every action he takes. But Aang is busy, all of his friends are, spread thin to the four corners of the world.
Uncle visits him occasionally, when the letters from staff concerned about Zuko's health pile up on his desk. One too many servants have found him, asleep at his desk, face down in treaty papers. But Uncle has his hands full. He already splits his time enough between the Jasmine Dragon and Ember Island, looking after Azula.
Azula.
She was improving, and that's really all Zuko can ask for. He sees her a couple of times a month, pours her a cup of tea, and they sit on the balcony of their vacation-house-turned-mental-retreat. Most of the time, they don't talk. Zuko won't push her; he remembers his silence in his first few months of being banished, how Uncle had to coax him to say anything at meals. Sometimes the only words he uttered in a day were in prayer before meditation. Zuko had thought to himself, speaking out got me into this mess: I'll never speak again.
He's not sure what words were exchanged between Azula and Ozai before he left her and went to burn down the Earth Kingdom, but he can guess it wasn't good. Few of his father's words were.
So they sit and drink their tea. Sometimes, on a good day, Zuko will fix up Azula's hair for her, and she'll reveal some bits of information that he files away for future examination. Something like, I saw Mom before you came with Master Katara. Or she'll double check her reality, asking, you let Ty Lee and Mai out of jail, right? and Zuko will say yes, her friends are safe, they should be visiting any day now.
As painful as seeing her may be, spending time with Azula is far preferable to sitting through an agricultural council meeting.
He looks down at the paper in front of him, a comprehensive budget list for all of the supplies needed to revitalize the Fire Nation's agricultural sphere. Dozens of machines that he's sure Sokka had a hand in inventing, hundreds of varieties of seeds that Omashu is generously selling to them, and -
Thousands of ostrich-horses.
"Councilor Yichen, can you elaborate on the number of animals in this budget? Certainly with the machines we'll provide, farmers will not need so many working livestock."
Councilor Yichen stands, giving a little bow in Zuko's direction. "Of course, Lord Zuko. While the machines will certainly boost productivity, we only have enough for one per farming village at this point. Each family needs at least one working animal, if not to plow the fields, then to transport goods. We decided on ostrich-horses on a recommendation from farmers in the Earth Kingdom colonies, who found them to be invaluable. An ostrich-horse is, in many ways, more valuable than a machine."
Zuko's stomach settles uncomfortably, but he isn't entirely sure why. "Thank you, Councilor. I understand now."
Yichen gives another little bow before he sits, and the rest of the meeting goes as planned, with the exception of a strange seed of unknown guilt now growing in Zuko's stomach.
"Uncle, do you remember when you made tea out of that poisonous plant?"
Uncle laughs, hands faltering as he pours Zuko a cup of jasmine tea. "I remember, Nephew. How could I ever forget?"
"Do you remember the girl who helped you?"
Uncle takes a sip of the warm tea. "Song. Her mother made the best roast duck." He looks at Zuko out of the corner of his eyes. "Why do you ask?"
Zuko looks out over the gardens. He's able to see the whole palace grounds from where they're seated on the second-floor balcony, watching the sun rise. As far as the eye can see, Zuko is upheld as a flawless ruler, his word taken as law. He's sick of it.
"I stole her ostrich-horse," he murmurs into his tea, taking a sip to calm his nerves. "I just remembered, in that agricultural meeting a few days ago. I - I never knew how essential those were to farmers, I just thought I was taking their ride." He turns to fully face his Uncle. "But I think I took a lot more than that."
Uncle meets his eyes with understanding. "And now you want to give it back."
"I know there's no way for me to fully apologize for how I acted in exile, but it feels like I have to try." The cup quivers a bit in his hands, and so his hands drop to his lap. "I'll need someone to watching over the Nation while I'm gone."
Uncle places one of his warm hands over Zuko's shaking ones. "I'm sure I can deal with your advisors for a few days." He squeezes his hand just slightly around Zuko's. "I'm proud to see that even in a few short months, your wisdom as a ruler is growing. Go, make your amends. The Nation will be here when you return." Uncle calls for Zuko's secretary and tells her to clear as much of the Firelord's schedule as she can for the next week. Their voices fade into the background as Zuko stares into his tea, wracking his brain to try and figure out how to track down just one girl in the entire Earth Kingdom. Sending scouts or soldiers from town to town is a recipe for disaster, and the Earth Kingdom villages have been traumatized enough. He supposes he could always call in a ride on his favorite air bison but - this feels like something he should do on his own.
If Song hates him, it might be hard for her to show it in front of the Avatar.
So he'll go alone. No friends, no royal guard. He'll come into Song's town the same way he came last time - defenseless. She can hate him if she wants, he'll give her that.
And he'll try to give back what he took from her.
He packs light, pulling an old tunic and boots from the back of his wardrobe. Though they've been thoroughly cleaned by the palace staff, the scent of campfires and smoke linger upon them. He grabs a cloak - the Earth Kingdom will be starting to chill at this time of year - and he slips out of the palace, using the servant's entrance to get onto the streets unseen.
Autumn comes quietly in the Earth Kingdom. The trees slowly lose their color, giving the last of their strength into vibrant leaves. Soldiers previously conscripted to fight in the war have either returned to their families or have gone to tend to the scorched earth where the Phoenix King made landfall. They clear the debris of fallen airships, making room for the earth to slowly restore herself.
Song envies those soldiers.
Their lives have changed with the ending of the war, but Song's life continues on, its mundane routine continuing over and over again. She cares for a small garden, crafts herbal remedies for her neighbors, and tries to make her mother comfortable. She curses the Spirits for their cruel sense of humor - her mother survives the greatest war ever seen, lives through the attempted invasion of her homeland, only to be struck down by frailty months after the end of it all. Hasn't she suffered enough? Song has whispered those words to the woods on her way to the well time and time again. Now, her body is just - stopping.
Her mother is dying and there's nothing she can do.
Song knows all living things have their time. And she's seen too many living beings go before their rightful time. But she never imagined her mother's time would be in a time of peace. Wasn't ending the war supposed to stop all this pain? Apparently not. She tries not to become bitter, knows that that's the last thing her mother would want for her, but - it hurts. And there's not a damn thing she can do about it.
The leaves from dying trees crackle under her feet.
She arrives at the well, alone. Her hometown is just barely beginning to wake up, rising from its slumber as mothers bring in dry clothes from the clotheslines and fathers begin to toil in the fields. Children run freely from street to street, with a joy that was forbidden during the Fire Nation's occupation. They're kicking at a ball, passing it from one pair of bare feet to another, and Song smiles at them. Someday, maybe.
She sets her water jug on the stone wall of the well and begins to lower the bucket before hearing the ball make impact and a man's voice grunt, "oof!". She spins rapidly around to see a young man, rear planted firmly in the dirt, one hand rubbing at his forehead while the other wipes at a watering eye. The group of children stand, frozen, and she gives them a look, and unspoken command to stay and apologize to the man they just hit with their ball.
"Here, take my hand," Song holds out her right hand, and the man takes it. When the young man meets her eyes, she almost drops him back in the dirt. He has those amber eyes, and she can just see under his loose hair - a burn scar. "Lee?!"
He stands, brushing dust from his cloak, and she catches the hints of red fabric that lie beneath. She recoils. He sighs. "Um, about that." Song sees his hands tremble against his cloak. "My name's not Lee - and I'm from the Fire Nation."
Song reacts as if she'd been slapped. She trips backwards, away from Not Lee, landing hard against the stone of the well. Her leg is aching, feels like its on fire all over again, looking into those amber eyes.
"How could you? I let you into my home." She braces her hands against the well, her leg threatening to give out at any moment. "Now it all makes sense, that you stole from me. That's all you ashmakers are good for." She spits, and it lands on his scarred cheek. "You take land that isn't yours, take women that aren't yours, you take lives!" Her leg finally collapses, and she sinks to the ground with her back against the well. Not Lee makes a move, and she throws her hands up. "Don't you touch me," she grits out, clutching at her leg. He stills, and she wraps her arms around herself, bringing her knees to her chest. "I pitied you, you know? I thought your mother must've been - I looked at your eyes and thought you were a victim like me, like my mother." Her whole body is trembling, but she doesn't care. "But I bet you know who your father is, I bet you're proud to have his eyes."
Not Lee mirrors her, curling in on himself, not even bothering to wipe his face clean. "I do know who my father is, but I'm not proud of him." He looks up to meet her eyes, and Song is struck by how young he looks. When she'd last seen him, he'd looked gaunt, malnourished, with sharp cheekbones. Now, his face had filled out and he looks - young? The scar makes him look older as well, but when you look on the opposite side of his face - all she can see is a kid, couldn't be older than a teenager.
And he was crying.
Stubborn as he is, Not Lee is resolutely ignoring the tears slowly falling from his eyes, but nevertheless - they fell. Song didn't expect that reaction. Tears are not what she expected from a Fire National. Anger, rage, violence - those are the things she's tasted at the hands of firebenders, but this? This is new.
"I'm sorry," Not Lee whispers, looking at his feet. "I came to apologize, I wanted to repay you for your kindness and return what I took. But I think I've overstayed my welcome." He scrubs at his face roughly with the heel of one hand. "But I am, truly sorry. I acted selfishly the last time I was in your home, and I took advantage of your compassion. And I understand that my nation has done even worse. I'm trying to make it better." He pulls his hair back with a band. "I know you have no reason to trust me, but I would like to purchase you a new ostrich-horse. And anything else you or your mother may require."
Without warning, Not Lee shifts from his seat position to a bowing one, kneeling with his head pressed to the dry earth. Song stares at him for a small eternity, before realizing that he's waiting, unmoving, for her response. For her judgement.
She lets out a small breath. "Okay," his eyes flick up to hers and her stomach twists. The way he bows is so precise - it must have been drilled into him hundreds of times before. Another thing she wouldn't have expected from a firebender. "Come to dinner."
He stands after she does and gives another slight bow. As they begin the walk back to Song's home, he offers to carry her water jug, and Song feels more weight than one lifted from her.
"What did you say your name was again, young man?" Mei pokes at Zuko's shoulder as she hobbles to the table.
"Mom, I'm sorry about her, she's getting older," Song sets a bowl of fragrant roast duck in front of him and Zuko feels his mouth begin to water.
"No, it's okay, I don't think I've actually properly introduced myself." He takes a quick sip of tea - bracing himself for whatever will happen next - and calmly sets the mug back down. "My name is Zuko," he begins slowly. "AndI'mkindoftheFirelord."
There's the sound of Song dropping a bowl in the kitchen, and Mei leans in a bit closer to Zuko.
"Sorry, dear, could you say that again? My ears aren't what they used to be."
Zuko opens his mouth to respond, but Song slowly enters the room, her eyes narrowed in on Zuko. "You said - you're the firelord?" He nods at her, waiting for her to swing a knife at him, kick him out of their home, call some earthbenders to rough him up -
Before his panic can start to set in, Song runs out the front door, slamming it behind her.
Zuko looks helplessly at Mei.
"Give her a moment." Mei brings her pair of chopsticks to her mouth. "Hmm, she still doesn't make it as well as I used to."
"What about you? Do you hate me?"
Mei sighs, putting her bowl down. "I'm too old for hate, dear. My time in this world is almost over. I can't spend it hating world rulers." She takes a sip of her tea. "But Song? She -" Mei sighs again. "She's been hurt deeply by the Fire Nation, in more ways than one. And it isn't just you. But for a long time, the monarchy has been the embodiment of everything terrible that's ever happened to her. And now you're here, standing in front of her."
Zuko nods. "I understand. And I am sorry, to you as well. I don't think I fully understood the reach of the war. I was always taught that the army acted with honor, that women and children were untouchable." He looks down at his folded hands. "I can see that was false."
"Unfortunately, you are correct." She reaches between them to refill Zuko's cup, then Song's, and hands them both to him. "Go to her. A bit of tea should help bring you some good favor."
The screen door opens and closes, and Zuko finds himself out on the porch. Song sits on the edge, absently massaging her leg, peering into the darkness of the forest.
"Can I join you?"
She shrugs, and he takes that as a yes. Handing over her tea, Zuko sits besides her and tries to find what she sees in the darkness.
For a few minutes, the only sounds are those of them drinking and crickets chirping. Then Song speaks.
"His name was Bao."
Treasured. Precious. Rare.
"That's a lovely name."
"What happened to him?" Song turns abruptly to look at him with shining eyes. "Did he...?"
Zuko shakes his head emphatically. "My Uncle and I traded him to a florist for safe passage to Ba Sing Se. The florist seemed like a good man."
"You went to Ba Sing Se?"
Zuko runs one hand down the back of his neck. "I might have conquered it, actually?"
Sing snorts. "That part I've heard about. You've lived an interesting life, Zuko."
"If by 'interesting' you mean messy, then yes." He sighs. "You had no reason to trust me. Why did you let me back into your home?"
Song laughs, tinged with bitterness. "My mother says I'm too trusting, too gullible." She swirls the dregs of her tea around the bottom of her cup. "But I think there's strength in being kind. And I really did want to forgive you. But you have to be ready."
"And do you think I am?"
She smiles softly at him. "For me, yes. But my guess is I'm not the only person you hurt in exile." She gulps down her remaining tea. "They may not be as forgiving as I am."
"I'm preparing myself for that possibility."
"Does it scare you?"
Zuko ponders it. "I think it does. The idea that I've hurt someone innocent so badly that they may never be able to move past it... that keeps me up at night."
Songs turns towards him, tucking her knees up to her chest. "We can't control how other people see us in this life. How they react to our actions is up to them - all that we can control is our response. You have to be ready to accept that someone may not be ready to forgive you, and you can't let that eat you up." She stares at him intently. "You have to confident that your own actions are enough. That they're good."
It's Zuko's turn to laugh sourly. "Easier said than done," his hand wanders to his scar. "Sometimes I'm still not sure if what I'm doing is right."
"You don't have to do it alone, you know," Song gives him an understanding look. "You need other people around you, Zuko, to remind you what's good."
He huffs, looking down at his hands, folded in his lap. "Do you want to be one of those people?"
"I think you have more than enough goodness surrounding you already. You just have to be confident enough to ask." She sighs, looking back out into the darkness. "Besides, I have to stay here with my mother. She doesn't have long."
"Are you sure there's nothing I can do? I could send my healers -"
She shakes her head, cutting him off midsentence. "It's her time." She begins to rub at her scars again. "I just didn't know how much it would hurt. We finally have some peace, and suddenly it's her time."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be, not for this. It's due to you that she'll be able to die during peacetime." Her hands come to her eyes, wiping tears away before they can spill down her cheeks. "Her biggest fear was that she'd die and leave me alone to fend for myself during the war. You released her from that fear. Of course I forgive you, Zuko. My mother's no longer scared of dying because of you."
The two of them are silent for a long time, watching fireflies flicker off and on in the trees, listening to the crickets sing.
"I'm going to find Bao for you."
Song looks up in surprise. "You don't have to-"
"I want to, I'm sure he's still out there somewhere." Zuko rises from his seat. "If you ever need anything, anything, you write directly to me. I'll tell my staff that you're a priority."
"Are you leaving?" Song stands as well. "You could stay, if you want."
Zuko shakes his head silently. "I have to get back, and travelling by night is best for a Firelord who doesn't want his identity revealed," he smiles, his scarred skin relaxing into it. With that, he pulls his hair out of its topknot, grabs his pack and swords, and starts to disappear into the night.
"Firelord Zuko?" He stops and turns back at the sound of Song's voice. She makes the sign of the flame and bows. "Thank you, for everything." He bows back, lower than protocol dictates, but he doesn't care.
Three weeks pass, and the air has turned bitterly cold.
Song again makes her daily trip to the village well, with snow crunching under her feet instead of dead leaves. The soldiers have returned from their work in restoring fields for the season, and so the village feels alive when she steps into it. Despite the chill, children still run in the street, under the watchful eye of their mothers and fathers. Song feels a twinge of longing, but she tries to focus on the happiness she feels for the children instead. Song sets her water jug on the side of the well, breathing hot air into her palms to warm her hands after touching the freezing stone.
"Excuse me, miss, are you Song?" A voice comes from behind her, and she turns to see two men dressed in red tunics.
"I am," she replies, tucking her hands into the pockets of her hanbok. "And you are?"
They bow to her. "We come on behalf of Firelord Zuko, to deliver a gift." A third man rounds the corner with an ostrich-horse on a tether. "We found him at a desert settlement, he's been well taken care of, but if there's anything you need -"
They're cut off as Song runs to throw her arms around the neck of the ostrich-horse. "Bao!" She strokes his beak, looking into his eyes. "Do you remember me?"
Bao cocks his head to the side, pupils widening as he chirps softly, and then he lets out a loud whinny, pushing his head into Song's chest. He purrs, closing his eyes and relaxes against her.
"Sweet Bao, it's really me, you're really home," Song can feel her eyes dampening, but holds it together as one of the men hands her a bit of parchment.
"A note from the Firelord. He wanted us to remind you that you can write to him anytime you need anything."
Song nods. "And tell him I said 'thank-you' again." Bao whinnies loudly again, and she adds on, "Bao says 'thank-you' too."
"Of course, miss." With a synchronized bow, the men depart, and Song unrolls the parchment.
Song,
I've followed your advice and surrounded myself with good people. It helps.
Give my best to your mother - my Uncle still talks about her roast duck sometimes. I've established a fund specially for women and child victims of the war, inspired by some of what you and Mei shared with me. Write me if you feel like you or anyone in your village wants to apply for it.
And, thank you for trusting and forgiving me. I'll try to keep earning it.
May the Spirits continually bless you,
Zuko
She tucks the parchment into her pocket, fills her jug, and finds herself back in Bao's familiar saddle after more than a year. "Come on, Bao," she says as she takes the lead into her hands, guiding them back to the empty farmhouse.
"Let's go home."
[if you read through this whole thing, go drink some water! I'll know if u don't :) ]
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sybil-writes · 5 years ago
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Happy Storyteller Saturday! How would you crew spend an ideal vacation?
I'm going to take this to mean the Semliki Four, that is Nia, Sylvan, Sentenza, Karro on the good whaling ship Semliki. Well as a friends-couple vacation (Sylvan/Nia and Sen/Karro), they do make a fair amount of sense. Sylvan and Sentenza are close friends and as are Karro and Nia-- though Sen and Nia sometimes don't get along. The main mental block I'm having is I think the idea of taking a "vacation" would be foreign to all of them -- they work to survive and then rest when they're not on voyage for whaling, and sure that would be technically a vacation; but I feel like all four of them consider it just as "taking care of house and self."
On that note, though, I think an ideal vacation dor them would have them on the move. The Semliki is a brig, so too big for the four of them to plausibly sail without the rest of the crew, but a sailboat with two private cabins would suit the four of them admirably. 
Then they'd take to the seas to visit friends, family, places that hold old ghosts. First place they'd go would be to visit Nia's father, who has a quiet home not far from where they live. Then they'd travel south, the same route that Sentenza and Karro came up. Karro would want to visit Luis, his former captain (and an ex-crush). He'd be very happy to see that Luis has successfully settled down with his wife and children. 
Sentenza would want to show Karro the ruins of his family's hacienda. Sylvan might come along for that, with Nia not knowing the full significance but knowing she need not ask questions. 
Sylvan, I think, is happy on the move despite herself. There'd be ample things to find and learn on such a journey, and Sen is always happy to help her with experiments. 
On decks, in the evening, Sentenza plays fiddle; Nia plays cello with him. It's the only way they really get along; most of the time they're just tacitly tolerating each other. Nia is learning the instrument slowly from him. 
All things considered I think they'd have a lovely time. Thanks for the ask 💖
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angelkurenai · 7 years ago
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Papa Winchester - Jeffrey Dean Morgan x Reader - Part 2
Title: Papa Winchester
Pairing: Jeffrey Dean Morgan x Reader
Word Count: 3,074
Warnings: None really
Prompt: YN and Jeffrey met on season 1 of SPn where she played his daughter(the middle Winchester sister) and have been together ever since,they'r married with kids by now, and the fans (specially the cast who’s her family) always makes fun of that during interviews and pannels,but it’s always cute because Jeffrey likes to surprise them ,specially when the fans are involved,and they all love and are very supportive of their relationship
Read Part 1 here!
A/N: I’m doing lots of writing today since I have time and more posting will be done tomorrow! Also, this was not betad so apologies!
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“They never let you catch a break, do they?” your driver and bodyguard asked with a chuckle as you surfed on the net, on your way to visiting your husband on set.
“It's Jensen and Jared, Mike, of course they never do.” you chuckled, shaking your head “I mean, they might probably deny it but, I know it's their favorite hobby!”
“I don't think they are really denying it anymore.” he laughed, shaking his own head and you shrugged.
You glanced back at your daughter sleeping in her seat, it was already very early and you wanted to surprise her by visiting her dad on his work “Those sly bastards, I am sure they learned how to make memes just for us!”
“Jared for me wouldn't be a surprise but Jensen? Are you sure about that?”
You laughed “Oh you really don't know them that well, besides I think they sort of confirmed it during a Con. I am not sure, haven't joined them in some time but I like to keep up, so I know that for sure. Here-” you opened your gallery, just at the moment he stopped on a red light “See this?”
“Dad's on a hunting trip. And he hasn't been home in a few days.” he read and added “Well, classic line. It's what started it all, Jensen's favorite.”
“Yeah, just see the rest.” you said with a giggle as you showed him the full photo. Under a picture of Jensen's from the pilot were the rest of the words.
“A few days? Are you sure it's a hunting trip?”
“No, he's- he's making out with our sister in his trailer?” he ended up reading it as a question before laughing and shaking his head “Yes, alright Jensen is so the one to make this!”
“I mean we weren't a thing back then but of course, leave it to Jensen to make it look like that while making a fun situation out of it!” you shook your head “Oh look, speaking of the devil-” you opened as a notification on instagrampoped up.
“Not really posting lots of things like this here but Jared did a great job with this and I was in tears when I saw it, so here ya go! Unseen photo of their wedding!” you read as you took a look at the photo it came with and you really facepalmed“Oh sweet lord, why do I hang out with these idiots?!”
“What?” he didn't sneak a look because he had to focus on the road “What did they do this time? What photo of your wedding did they upload?”
“Apparently... their favorite one.” you said before reading “'Dear beloved, we have gathered here today to celebrate the join of (Y/n) Lucille (Y/l/n) and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.' I- I don't even know how the heck they did this.” you shook your head as you took a look at the photo of your husband with his bad in a rather beautiful... veil and what was supposed to work as a wedding dress for it.
“Well, they took things quite literal.” he said with a smirk as you laughed.
“You tell me.” you mumbled “I could comment on this but for real I am only speechless.” you laughed “At least the fans have gotten used to this by now so they are really only laughing at these and not taking it too seriously.”
“Oh but the entire fandom ships you and Jeffrey anyway.” he shrugged and you nodded your head.
“That I am really happy about.” you sighed softly “It's nice to know the people you care about and appreciate can really see the truth and not judge you.” you finished and a small pause followed between the two of you, and it was soon broken by a giggle leaving your lips when you saw Jared too uploaded something of his own.
“Papa Winchester trying to explain to his wife, Mary, that he's going to be a father and a grandfather at the same time once the baby comes. Only the SPN fandom gets it now, but everybody else is...” said the description along with a photo of you during a con, making a face and saying “Min-blown!”
You saw he had also added something else of his own in the description saying “Crazy times ahead, will love to see you explain this @(Y/i/n). #yesthefandomisnutsandweloveit #stillshipit”
You had not seen it before but you noticed there was another one right before this “When you try to figure out if she is more your half-sister or niece” it had as a small description under the picture of a very confused Jared, looking with a funny face at your daughter who was only grinning at him in a baby-like way. You remember when your friend had taken this photo, and your daughter was barely four months old. And now he was making a meme with her, of course. But you couldn't really be mad cause it was both adorable and funny.
You laughed, typing a quick reply to that one “Padalecki, are you using your sibling as that? Shame on you, brother, I am going to tell dad!” you left and continued to browse on youtube about any new videos.
“Oh if anything, sometimes they seem to join Jared and Jensen on this as well.” you mumbled before a smile formed on your lips “Oh look, they have also uploaded the season 12 bloopers.”
“Haven't you seen them?” he asked in a mumble.
“Plenty of times, experienced them myself too. But this one is a compilation, not just the bloopers uh 'Jeffrey and (Y/n), a love story as told by Jared and Jensen' oh wow!” you snorted, shaking your head “They certainly know what they're doing, let's see.”
“Yeah we ship them and are not guilty at all to admit it!” Jared said, swinging in his chair as Jensen chuckled.
“We- we specifically learned how to make memes to tease them, yes that we are guilty about, but at the end of the day I am going to be the captain of this ship and I won't let it sink!”
“You- you know what 'ship' comes from, right?” Jared asked with a smirk as Jensen scoffed.
“Pffft of course I do!” he rolled his yes “It's, you know, a ship with- with those two people on it- I mean now Jef would have to be the captain if it was just him and (Y/n) but I refused to let them go alone on their honeymoon, there is nothing that would stop me from doing this as well!”
“Did he really?!” Mike asked with a laugh and you giggled.
“Sorta. He too was on vacation at the time and we just bumped on each other, and he was all like 'Look here, dad, I was never for threats- no wait, I always was, who am I kidding? Anyway, if you hump my little sister I am going to tell mom!'and I swear he was so serious that he scared me!” you laughed.
“Well- well, Jared is always the one making fun of them the most!” Jensen tried to defend himself during a con.
“Excuse me?” the younger man scoffed in disbelief “Who was the one making pregnancy jokes during dinners?”
Jensen snorted, raising his hand “And I am very proud of that!”
“Yeah, I bet (Y/n)'s parents were very proud of you too!” Jared rolled his eyes as the audience laughed “Oh yeah who would have thought her father would not find it hilarious that Jensen called Jef the daddy... of not just the baby!”
“That-” Jensen laughed as well, shaking his head “That was a slip up!”
“Dude you almost gave the poor man a heart attack!”
“But Jeffrey is the daddy!” Jensen once more tried, and failed, to defend himself for the sake of the fans that all laughed at what he said.
The clip changed and again, surprise surprise, it was Jensen and Jared.
“It- It was an amazing day, full of tears at least for Jensen and (Y/n)'s father, her- her real one by the way cause with all these jokes we-” Jared laughed “We can't tell them apart.”
“Come the man could finally understand me! My baby sister was getting married to my dad, it was a big issue for me- and the entire fandom!” Jensen exclaimed and you laughed at his words.
“Yeah I guess it was a big issue watching her walk towards her future husband and past father.” Jared shrugged as he fought a smile but in the end lost.
“Past? Oh please, not as long as we are around to remind people of that!”
The clip changed to another con.
“I'll tell you, I- I never thought there would come a day that I would give advice to my father on how to ask my sister out on a date!” Jensen said with a simply surprised face but you just scoffed with a smile, knowing he had seen it coming from the first minute and he was just really enjoying teasing you even if you weren't there.
“This is what we all call Supernatural!” Jared exclaimed “And he was quite nervous too, wasn't he?”
“Oh you have no idea! I would really go into detail about this but for fear of him suddenly appearing at my doorstep with Lucille, the one he didn't marry by the way, I am just going to say one thing.” Jensen said with a chuckle “It was one hell of an experience seeing John Winchester act so nervous in front of a girl, especially his little daughter, when asking her out!”
“...Wait, don't you have that on a video?” Jared asked after a small pause of his own as the crowd cheered at Jensen's words, and slowly a mischievous smirk formed on Jensen's face.
“Oh dear Chuck help us if he does.” you muttered before the clip changed once more and this time you recognized it a blooper.
“Man, dad loved this thing!” Jensen all bloody came on set from, supposedly, a hunt with Jared following closely behind.
“Hey, oh s' up with Lucille?” you asked with a smirk, unable to contain yourself “Thought my husband had her!”
“Who?” Jared snickered “Oh yes, dad yeah sometimes it's hard to remember your sister is also your step mom!” they both burst into laughter with you joining and only then Robert yelled cut.
“Wh-what? We are just giving the fans some new info, didn't you know?” Jensen asked as you and Jared were holdingyour stomach's from the laughter.
“Alright guys, reset!” Robert shouted as you and the boys fooled around for a few minutes.
“Lucille” you scoffed, picking up the bat and staring at it “What kind of name is that? Wonder who he named you after.”
“Sister or wife?” Jared mumbled, a grin slowly spreading on both your faces.
“Or both!” Jensen exclaimed and you all snorted before laughing.
“Wow this thing is heavy, how can you swing it so easily?” you asked Jensen who chuckled.
“Oh it's a family thing, I took after dad! Why don't you ask your husband too!”
“Hey- hey guys, at least dad knows how to hold a woman firm and tight you know, so that's something.” you said
“And now it's time to break the internet, come on let's hear (Y/n) Lucille Morgan give us more details!”
“We are so weird that this makes absolute sense!” Jared wiped away tears from his face as he laughed uncontrollably.
“Alright!” Robert's voice was heard again “Let's try this again guys!”
The screen turned black for just a split second before Jensen appeared again, walking inside the bunker with Jared following suit.
“Man, dad loved this thing!” he said, trying to give it a small swing.
“Helps real lot with the zombies.” you mumbled as you flipped through a magazine with, guess what, the Walking dead on it and a small groan was heard from Robert. The scene was already ruined.
“Zombies? Huh I thought it was for all your potential boyfriends.” Jensen snickered.
“Yeah so did I. But I mean all he has to say is 'Hi I am her father and yes her future husband, did I tell you I kill monsters on my free time?' and he would be gone!” Jared agreed with a grin.
“Heard that Supernatural writers? Now you won't have to kill off all my potential partners, dad will do it for free and enjoy it!” you said as you all erupted into laughter.
“Alright, cut!” Robert shouted before the screen became black for a moment.
“Killing off all of her boyfriends, and being a strict dad, that' the secret to keeping them close y' all!” Jeffrey appeared for a moment in front of the camera as you all laughed in the background.
The screen turned black again and once more it all started the same as the first two times.
“Man, dad loved this thing!” Jensen said and Jared followed.
“Yes, I did.” Jeffrey appeared into the screen “But how about you give it to me before you hurt yourself, son.” he took Lucille from him as Jensen and Jared share an over-dramatic look and then stared at him with again overly dramatic shocked faces.
“Don't act like that boys, it's like you've seen a ghost!” he chuckled, swinging the bat over his shoulder “If you'll excuse us now, your dad and sister have a romantic date tonight.” he said with a grin, throwing an arm over your shoulders.
“Come on sweetheart!” he kissed your forehead “Wanna go hunt some zombies?”
“Cut!” and the screen turned black again for a split second.
“Oh and since the last time we talked, I killed Hitler.” Jensen said with a proud smile.
“Uh thank you?” Kim said with a perplexed look on her face.
“You're welcome!” Jensen's grin go bigger.
“Oh and let's not forget we celebrated dad's anniversary with our sister, so there's that!” Jared said with a grin and Kim nodded, not for a second breaking character.
“Oh wow that must have been...”
“Weird as hell, but that's how the Winchesters do it. What can we say.” you shrugged, you too in character.
“And hey, she announced we are going to be uncles again!” Jensen piped in with an excited smile.
“Or wait- did she say uncles? I thought- I thought it was more like half brothers again?” Jared mumbled, leaning closer to Jensen.”
“No, no I think dad brought it up. (Y/n) surely said about uncles, or wait- was it our dead mom that brough it up?” Jenen mumbled back not-so-subtly.
“I mean she isn't just going to be a grandmother only, but- but what is the baby again to he other than that?” Jared muttered in return as they kept it going.
“You certainly never get bored with these two, right?” Kim asked and you nodded your head.
“Not a single day.”
“Cut!”
“Life is certainly never boring with those two around.” you breathed out with a smile, closing the video before it could end.
~*~
“I always knew you were gonna replace me with one of your favorite props, baseball bat, glove, your leather jacket, camera, something. I just never thought we'd have the same name.” you said with a giggle as you approached you husband while holding your daughter's hand.
“Oh honey you know I would never put anything before you!” he broke into a wide grin and you chuckled as your daughter let go of your hand and ran to him with wide arms.
“Daddy!” she exclaimed as he knelt down and effortlessly picker her up and spoon her around.
“How is my princess doing?” he smiled, kissing her cheek.
“Good, dad! Mommy and I went for ice cream and pizza first and then we decided to visit you!” she rambled, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“Who's replacing whom now?” he asked with a smirk as he extended and arm to wrap around your shoulders.
“Pardon me?!” you pretended to be offended “Out of the two of us who is carrying a child in them an has to eat for two every three hours or so?!”
“Fine, you won this round.” he chuckled, pecking your lips.
“Dad, why were you talking to mommy when she was not here by her middle name?” your daughter asked with a tilt of her head and you and Jeffrey chuckled.
“Oh I wasn't exactly talking to mommy, sweetheart. I was practicing my lines, and they required me to talk to my bat, see.” he let you pull away as you picked up said object.
“This is Lucille.” you said as you inspected it with a smile.
“You named her after mommy?” your daughter asked once more with raised eyebrow and adorably peculiar eyes and Jeffrey chuckled, kissing her cheek.
“That's exactly what I did, princess.” he said with pride and you raised an eyebrow at him “You know I love your momma more than my life, it would be only fair if I did, right? Lucille is as badass and cool as your momma is fighting monsters with uncle Jared and Jensen.”
“Mommy is awesome!” she exclaimed, grinning at you and you giggled, leaning to kiss her forehead.
“Only seems so since I have the most awesome daughter in the world!” you booped her nose as she giggled “But I think we can all attribute it to how fantastic her father is, think he deserves some credit. Doesn't he, princess?” you asked with a smirked and she giggled, nodding his head as she looked up at her.
“Yes, yes daddy deserves the credit!”
“And another kiss too?” he suggested with a seemingly innocent smile but you just laughed.
“From Lucille? Oh but what is the bat for, honey?” you chuckled as he tried to seem angry at you.
“From Mrs Morgan.” he corrected and you laughed, leaning in to kiss him once more.
“Ew!” your daughter made a sound, hiding her face behind her hands and both you and Jeffrey laughed.
“She spends too much time with Jared and Jensen, doesn't she?” you asked and he shrugged innocently.
“Oh don't try that on me, mister. You might be Papa Winchester but we both know who runs this family!” you hit him playfully on the shoulder.
“And we both know it is the two of us!” Jensen said with a grin as they approached you.
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klaineccfanficlibrary · 4 years ago
Note
On very rare occasions, both Lynne and I work on replying to an ask without the other knowing. The good news is that there are a lot more Summer!Klaine recs!
HERE is a post I did a year ago that features summer romance. Listed below are a few more fics that I really enjoyed. Some are old, some are new, and I hope some are new to you!  - HKVoyage
Here I Am, Honey by luckie_dee
When Blaine Anderson visits Kellerman’s Mountain Home with his family in the summer of 1963, he isn’t expecting anything more than days in the sun and games of croquet, but when he and his cousin Rachel meet the staff dance instructors, his plans get thrown for a loop. Blaine’s family vacation might just end up being the time of his life. A Klaine Dirty Dancing AU. Title from Solomon Burke’s “Cry to Me.”
~~~~~
Light Up The Sky by Mrscriss2012
Kurt and Blaine meet on the Fourth of July.
~~~~~
Between the Moon and New York City by jackabelle73
Kurt arrives in a small coastal town in North Carolina to join his dad and Carole for a few days of their vacation, but under duress. He can’t imagine that this sleepy southern town has anything to offer him…till a very attractive local goes jogging by on the beach.
~~~~~
Camp Cardigan by tonks42
AU Klaine. During the summer between his junior and senior years, Kurt returns to camp as a Junior Counselor. His plans for having his best summer ever change when Kurt becomes a friend and mentor to a hurting new guy, Blaine.
~~~~~
Summer Fling Don't Mean a Thing by @kuhlaine​ (WIP - updates regularly)
Kurt Hummel has learned to prepare himself for anything when it comes to summers at the lake. He knows how to prepare for sunburn, bug bites, and bear sightings, but what he's not prepared for is his childhood enemy, Blaine Anderson, asking him to pose as his boyfriend.
~~~~~
Summer Love by @lilyvandersteen​
Kurt and Blaine have both scored a summer job. Yay! Only... It's at the same store. Hmm, they had better pretend not to know each other. They're both musical theatre majors, they can totally pull this off, right?
~~~~~
Don’t Do It by @xbeautifulunseenx​
Kurt, who works for a letter-writing service, spends a summer writing emails to Blaine, who thinks Kurt is the guy he’s been dating for the past month. Kurt only has one rule: don’t fall in love. Of course, Kurt Hummel was born to push boundaries.
~~~~~
Dog Days by trickydeepforest
Written for the Klaine Prompt Reverse Bang.
Kurt gets a summer job dogsitting Mrs. Anderson's prized Lowchens, and then one of her sons shows up for a surprise visit home.
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Those Summer Nights by thelilacfield
Kurt Hummel and Rachel Berry are the power couple of Hollywood, madly in love and smiling for the cameras. But in private, their marriage is one of convenience and friendship. Until Rachel decides to hire a young and gorgeous pool boy and Kurt starts to wonder if he wants this for the rest of his life.
~~~~~
A Rose for You by @lilyvandersteen​
Rachel and Kurt go to theatre camp together. Kurt ends up working backstage, but still manages to catch the eye of an admirer...
Any klaine meeting in the summer?
There are 153 hits in our summer tag, here are some to get ya started. ~Lynne
Ride by @nellie12
Blaine is pretty popular in his city of Long Beach, CA. Summer is here and he’s ready to spend it with friends- BMX bike riding in the skate park and surfing when the waves are perfect. Flirting with girls is a definite. But when a new kid from Ohio shows up, Blaine finds himself wanting to share all these things with him, too. But Kurt’s just his friend, right?
~~~~~
Boys of Summer by @whenidance​
AU where Kurt and Blaine are childhood friends because each summer, their families stay in neighboring lake cabins. The summer the boys are sixteen, the Andersons don’t show, but the next year when Kurt and Blaine see each other, they’ve grown up quite a bit. They quickly discover they might be a little bit in love with one another. Good thing they have a long summer ahead of them and plenty of firsts to figure out together.
~~~~~
Mad Naked Summer by @alilactree
The summer of sexual experimentation
Sequel: Dazzling and Tremendous
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Camp Arborwood by PickingViolets
Kurt is seriously lacking when it comes to extracurriculars for his college applications. Camp counselor is going to look great. Now, if he can just survive the summer. A fun-loving, curly-haired co-worker will make the summer more than survivable though. It might just be downright amazing!
~~~~~
Along For The Rides by notarelationship (justpracticing)
AU. Blaine and Kurt get their summer romance on. Mostly fluff, awkward flirting, a side of misunderstanding and some hanky panky.
~~~~~
A Week at the Lake by Nine of Hearts
Blaine and some of the Warblers go up to the beach for a week. Kurt happens to be life guarding then and he catches Blaine’s eye.
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beyondforks · 7 years ago
Text
Playing Catch Up! Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry
Playing Catch Up has really been helping me through my ever growing TBR list. I'd like to welcome all other blogs to participate too! If you do, be sure to post your links in the comments section. I'd love to see your Playing Catch Up Reviews, and I'm sure others would too!! *wink*
Want to know more about Playing Catch Up? I'll tell you all about it here!
Nowhere But Here (Thunder Road #1) by Katie McGarry Genre: Young Adult (Contemporary Romance) Date Published: May 26, 2015 Publisher: Harlequin Teen
An unforgettable new series from acclaimed author Katie McGarry about taking risks, opening your heart and ending up in a place you never imagined possible. Seventeen-year-old Emily likes her life the way it is: doting parents, good friends, good school in a safe neighborhood. Sure, she's curious about her biological father—the one who chose life in a motorcycle club, the Reign of Terror, over being a parent—but that doesn't mean she wants to be a part of his world. But when a reluctant visit turns to an extended summer vacation among relatives she never knew she had, one thing becomes clear: nothing is what it seems. Not the club, not her secret-keeping father and not Oz, a guy with suck-me-in blue eyes who can help her understand them both. Oz wants one thing: to join the Reign of Terror. They're the good guys. They protect people. They're…family. And while Emily—the gorgeous and sheltered daughter of the club's most respected member—is in town, he's gonna prove it to her. So when her father asks him to keep her safe from a rival club with a score to settle, Oz knows it's his shot at his dream. What he doesn't count on is that Emily just might turn that dream upside down. No one wants them to be together. But sometimes the right person is the one you least expect, and the road you fear the most is the one that leads you home. 
Nowhere But Here is the first book in the Thunder Road series. There is a web of lies, deceit, and pain among pretty much every single character in this book. When Emily and Oz meet, they find a little bit of a silver lining as they get to know each other, but there are so many secrets among them. You can just feel the emotional pain and betrayal at times.
Emily's father and grandmother along with other members of the Reign of Terror, a motorcycle club, are the only family Oz has, so he takes his commitments to them very seriously. That includes hiding things from Emily. The information should have come from her family years ago. She desperately needed to know some of this stuff, and Oz was put in this position where he felt forced to keep things from her, but even he didn't know everything. 
The story was very well told and it was easy to keep all the facts straight as you got them. I loved Oz and Emily. I feel like they are just what the other needed. They fluctuate between fighting and welcoming their feelings for each other along the way. They are both steamy and cute. I'll be reading the next book soon!
Emily With my knees pulled to my chest, I sit on a wooden bench that rests below a darkened window of the house. I’ve been awake for over twenty-four hours and my brain has disconnected from my emotions. I feel stretched and numb. Cold and hot. Wired and exhausted. I sort of welcome it. I’m officially too tired for fear. Oz was right earlier. I definitely was sucked into a storm and I’m desperately trying to grab on to anything solid to prevent myself from plummeting into the vortex of the tornado. There’s a moan in the wooden window frame a few feet down and out pops a jean-clad leg. Oz slides out of the house with more elegance than I had. I ended up on my butt. He lands on both feet. Even with all that muscle, he’s graceful like a cat. Goody for him. His eyes dart around and he does a double take when he spots me on the bench. He scans the yard and thick surrounding woods, then he strides over as if climbing out a bathroom window is normal. “And they say people from Kentucky are backwards. We have a front door and one in the kitchen, or do you think you’re too good for either one?” “Would they have let me out?” “Onto the porch.” “Sure they would have—with an armed guard.” “Not armed guard—escort,” he corrects as he stands in front of me. “And if you had made a break for it, I would have had to tackle you and then we’d be in all sorts of trouble. Could you imagine me putting my hands on your body?” He winks. Winks. Heat rushes up my neck and my earlobes burn. “I…” Clear my throat so I can at least pretend that comment didn’t slip under my skin. “I have no idea what you’re suggesting.” “Yeah, you do. Since you arrived at the funeral home, I’ve been looking at you and you’ve been looking at me. Too bad you didn’t go out the front door. Would have been fun, don’t you think? Me tackling you. Us rolling around. Tell me, Emily, are you the type of girl that doesn’t mind a good time?” His strong body over mine. My hands messing through his hair. His hands touching my face. My nerve endings tingle. The right side of his mouth tips up as if he can read my thoughts and his eyes wash over me like a lingering waterfall. That’s when it hits me, he’s playing a game with me. “You’re full of yourself.” Oz assesses me. The same way my parents used to for weeks after they found me in that hole at eight. “You suck at running away. I found you in less than ten seconds.” “Are you going to continue to rub it in that I failed?” “I was going to, but that question stole my thunder.” Oz eases beside me and I curl into a ball toward the corner. Even with that move, the heat from his thighs wiggles past my jean shorts and caresses my skin. I rub my hand along my cold arms. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I crave to crawl up next to him and live in that heat for the rest of my life. He sprawls the massive wingspan of his arms along the back of the bench then extends his long legs, kicking one booted foot on top of the other. His fingers “accidently” swipe across my bare shoulder and it causes a tickle in my bloodstream. Oz commands awareness like no one I have ever met before. There’s no denying his presence. No denying that his body is close to perfect. No denying that since I laid eyes on him I’ve wondered what he looks like with his shirt off. Completely impervious to how his nearness affects me, he stares straight ahead and watches the sunrise. “Ever seen one of these before?” I shake my head no. I’ve been up before dawn, but I’ve never sat and admired how the stars are chased away by the sun rising on the horizon. “Me neither,” he says. “Mind if I watch it with you?” “If I say no, will you leave?” “No.” At least he’s honest. “But I’m trying to at least make you feel like you have a choice.” “But I don’t.” “But you don’t,” he repeats. “Just a few more hours, Emily, and you can go back to your life and I can go back to mine. We can both pretend we never met.” That’s all I want. Isn’t it?
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KATIE MCGARRY was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, and reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan. To learn more about Katie McGarry and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Twitter.
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