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[itsadamcole]

heaven knows

fem!reader x finn balor

(requested by anonymous) “Reader and Finn have been best friends ever since they were at NXT.  Reader have a crush on Finn but never express their feelings because she feels Finn only thinks of her as a friend.  Until finally the reader dating Dolph and Finn began to realize his feelings. Reader first moved to RAW and started dating Dolph, 3 months later Finn also got a shake up to RAW.  Dolph had to move to Smack Down and the reader and Dolph relationship ended because of that.”

word count: 4.1k+

warnings: smutty (that’s about it for warnings ig)

— thank you to anonymous for this request. i had a lot of fun writing it ... this imagine is based on the song “Lost in You” by Westlife —

masterlist || request an imagine here

~ 18+ content below - read at your own risk ~

*** 3 months ago ***

“Finny!” you shout, running up to your best friend. Finn Balor turns around and looks at you.

He smiles and says, “Hey. What’s up? How’d the meeting go?”

You basically shout, “I’m moving to the Raw roster!”

Finn’s smile drops a bit but you don’t notice it. “Raw?” he asks. “I thought ya like it here on NXT.”

You look up at Finn and say, “Ya know that I’ve wanted to go to Raw for a while.”

“I know,” he says. “Ya haven’t been on NXT for that long and I thought ya liked it here.”

You say, “I can talk to Regal and to Vince to get ya moved to Raw with me.”

Finn shakes his head and says, “I’m staying here for a while. I had my time on Raw and they never used me right.”

You pout and say, “I’ll still come visit when I’m home. I’ll be home all the time, I promise.”

He smiles at you and says, “I’m proud of ya for being moved to Raw. Ya will be the best damn announcer that the red brand has ever seen.”

“And I better be the first person ya call after ya win the NXT title,” you say.”

You smile at your best friend and he says, “Of course. Ya will be the first person I call after I win the title.”

“I better be,” you say. “Maybe I’ll come back to NXT eventually but I’ll make sure to watch every week.”

You smile and hug Finn.

When you were told that you were being promoted to Raw, it was a bittersweet moment. You love NXT and you love the roster. Not to mention you don’t want to leave Finn, your best friend and crush since day one in NXT. You’re both from Ireland and have always stuck together. It’s how you became such close friends.

Now you’re leaving and you hate that you are.

***

*** present day - november 2019 ***

You sit in your dressing room, brushing out your long brunette hair. You hum quietly to yourself as you brush your hair.

There’s a soft knock on your door so you get up to answer it. You open the door, revealing your boyfriend Dolph Ziggler. “Hey,” you say, smiling. “I was just about to come see you.”

You have Dolph have been together since you moved to Raw three weeks ago. He asked you out the day you arrived and have been together since.

He kisses your cheek before walking into your dressing room. Dolph says, “The shake up is today and I was just told that I’m moving to the Smackdown roster.”

You look at Dolph and say, “I thought ya told them that ya wanted to stay on Raw.”

“I did tell them but they’re moving Bobby and I to Smackdown,” he says as you approach him. He looks down at you. “We’re going to be on different brands, Y/N.”

You hug him and say, “We’ll make it work, Dolph. We have to.”

He runs his fingers through your hair and say, “I would love to make it work, Y/N. I would love to, but you know what it’s like when couples work on different brands. It rarely ever works out.”

You look up at Dolph and ask, “What are ya saying, Dolph?”

Dolph says, “You know how much I like you and how much I like being with you, but we can’t be together if we’re on different brands. It never works out in the long run.”

“So you’re saying we should break up?” you ask.

He nods in response. “Maybe one day we can reconnect but right now, we can’t be together,” Dolph says.

For some reason, you’re not disappointed by this news. You like Dolph but you’ve always thought that there was someone better for you out there.

Someone like Finn Balor.

You miss Finn. You haven’t spoken in a month because of your schedules. He's been busy defending his title on NXT and you've been busy with being an announcer. You've tried to find time to talk to Finn but either he's busy or you're busy.

Dolph says, "I'll, uh, see you around, Y/N."

"Ya too, Dolph," you say. Dolph leaves your dressing room and you sigh. You go grab your phone and try calling Finn.

Finn doesn't answer, leaving you upset.

There's another knock on your door and you answer it. Triple H stands at your door. "Hi," you say, surprised. "Can I help ya with something?"

Triple H says, "Just coming by to drop off the card for tonight. Pierce is sick."

That's when it hits you. Triple H usually runs things surrounding the NXT brand. You ask, "Is NXT involved in something tonight?"

"Possibly," he says. "If I can get Vince's approval. This is the card with the matches on with that NXT is involved in."

You nod and take the card, reading over it.

Adam Cole versus Drew McIntyre. Lana and Dana Brooke versus Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler. Seth Rollins versus a mystery opponent is slated to be the main event tonight. "Who's Seth's opponent?" you ask.

Triple H says, "I don't know. He's issuing an open challenge tonight. That's all I know."

You nod and say, "Well, thank you for the card." He gives you a kind smile before walking off. You close the door and sigh.

NXT is getting involved and you can't help but wonder if one Irishman is going to be making an appearance.

To distract yourself, you get into the attire that was left in here for you. A lacey black dress that sparkles. Your shoulders and arms are the only parts of your body that can be seen under the dress because the lace is sheer. The dress falls to just above your knees.

A third person knocks on your door as you're about to do your makeup. You answer it, revealing your best friend, Becky Lynch. She smiles and says, "Look at ya. Looking all snazzy. I like the dress."

You smile and let her in. "Thank you," you say. "But I have no control over my wardrobe. The dress is kinda cute though."

Becky kind of laughs and sits down. You do your makeup as Becky says, "I heard Dolph's moving to Smackdown."

"Yeah, he is," you say. "He came in here and said that relationships don't really last when the couple is on two different rosters. Well, he said that it usually doesn't work out, so he ended it." You shrug.

Your best friend squints her eyes at you and says, "Ya don't seem that upset about it."

You do your eyeshadow and say, "I liked Dolph, but I always thought that there could be someone out there that's better for me."

As you speak, your mind wanders to Finn. You wonder how he's doing. You hope that maybe you'll catch a glimpse of him tonight. Maybe he'll be Seth's mystery opponent. You don't know.

Becky says, "Someone like Finn Balor? Because he's calling ya."

Quickly, you grab your phone that you threw on the couch and you answer the phone. "Finn?" you say as soon as you answer it."

"Hey," he says. "There's my favorite announcer. How ya doing?"

You smile and say, "Fine. I'm doing okay. How are ya doing?"

Finn says, "I've been better. I saw ya called and I wanted to see if something was wrong."

Becky points at you and mouths, "I knew it." You wave her off and say into the phone, "Nothing's wrong. I was just thinking about ya earlier so I thought I'd ring ya to see if ya were busy."

He says, "I'm a little busy but I have a second to talk."

"I was just getting ready for Raw but I can stop for a second," you say.

Finn laughs softly and says, "So, tell me about Dolph. Everything okay there? Ya seemed happy the last time we talked."

You say, "I, um, we kinda broke up. He's being moved to Smackdown because of the shakeup tonight."

He's quiet before he says, "Oh, that's terrible. I'm sorry."

You shrug and say, "It's fine. I know there's someone better for me out there." You glance at the time. "I have to go now but can I call ya later?"

"Yeah," he says. "Call me after Raw is over and we'll actually talk for more than a few minutes."

You smile and say, "Okay. I'll talk to ya later then."

You both say your goodbyes and you hang up the phone.

Becky says, "Tell me how long ya have had a thing for Finn Balor. I don't blame ya, by the way. That man is very attractive. Maybe not as attractive as Seth but still attractive."

You laugh and say, "I've had a thing for him since our NXT days. Basically since day one." You rub the back of your neck. "I'm sure he doesn't feel the same way about me though so I never said anything to him about it."

She laughs and says, "Tell him. You're single now and ya said that there was someone better than Dolph Ziggler out there for ya. What if that person is Finn?"

"He's not on this brand either," you say. "He's NXT champion so he wouldn't have time for me anyway."

Becky says, "Well, that's not true. When Seth was Universal Champion, he still had time for me."

You blink at her and say, "You and Seth were champions at the same time, Becky. You traveled together for press and everything."

She thinks for a second and says, "Yeah. That's very true. Okay, anyway. I have a match tonight against Asuka so Imma go get ready for that. I'll see ya out there."

You nod and finish getting ready for the show tonight.

***

There are five matches on the card tonight, plus the main event. The first match was Dana Brooke and Lana versus Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax. Shayna and Nia won.

The next match was Becky versus Asuka for the title. Asuka retained, which left Becky mad.

The third match was a six-man tag match, with three teams of two. Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston are a team against the teams of my now ex-boyfriend Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode and two members of the Undisputed Era, Kyle O'Reilly and Roderick Strong. It's basically a mini Survivor Series match, minus the eliminations. The stipulation is if the Undisputed Era loses, they stay on NXT. If they win, they get moved up to Raw.

The Undisputed Era wins the match and all four of them are now members of the Raw roster.

The fourth match is Keith Lee versus Braun Strowman. Keith wins.

The fifth match is Drew McIntyre versus Adam Cole. Randy Orton interferes and costs Drew the match.

It's main event time. Seth's music hits and you say into your microphone, "Making his way down to the ring, he is the Monday Night Messiah, Seth Rollins."

Seth gets into the ring. He doesn't have his disciple, Murphy, with him as he's handed a microphone. "So, as you can see, my disciple Murphy isn't here with me tonight. That's because he's a traitor and left me. So, I'm issuing an open challenge for anyone to come out here and prove to me that they have what it takes to be my disciple. Come on, anyone. From Raw or Smackdown, or even NXT. Come on out."

Everyone looks at the stage to wait and see who comes out. Everyone in the arena waits.

And that's when Finn Balor's music hits. Your jaw almost drops, happy and excited to see Finn with his title. The crowd jumps up and cheers. You smile in the timekeeper's area as Finn makes his way down to the ring. He's handed a mic on the way down.

Seth has a smile on his lips as he looks at that title around Finn's waist, who's dressed and ready for a match in his white ring gear and a matching white leather jacket. This is the gear he wore in his last main roster match at Summerslam in 2019 before he went back to NXT in October. The NXT title is now over his shoulder as he steps into the ring.

Finn is looking at Seth. His music fades and he says, "Hi, Seth. So, I heard ya are looking for a match tonight. How's this? Ya and I in the ring right now. If ya win, then ya get my title and I'll be your new whatever ya call it. If I win, I keep my title and ya never can challenge for this title, or any title that I hold, whether it's the WWE Championship or the United States Champion. I think ya get the point."

You look over at Seth and he says, "You're on Balor. Let's get a referee out here and get this started."

The crowd cheers and you're handed a card with something to read on it. You nod and as the guys get ready in the ring. You look up and say, "This match has just been made official by WWE officials. The following match is scheduled for one fall and is for the NXT Championship. Introducing first the challenger, weighing in at 217 pounds, from Davenport, Iowa. He is the Monday Night Messiah, Seth Rollins."

You listen as the crowd boos Seth. You forgot how much the WWE Universe loves Finn Balor.

Once the crowd dies down, you talk into the microphone again. "Weighing in at 190 pounds, from Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland, he is NXT Champion. Finn Balor," you say, smiling as the name Finn Balor leaves your lips. The crowd cheers. Finn looks at you and points at you, making your face heat up.

The ref takes the belt and holds it above his head. Someone runs over and grabs it, bringing the belt back to the little area. You look at the gold belt. It looks so pretty with Finn's side plates on it.

The bell rings and the match is underway. Your eyes are on Finn the whole time.

It takes 20 minutes but Finn hits the Coup de Grace and pins Seth, retaining his title. You take the belt and run to the ring, not being able to hold in your excitement. You bring your microphone with you because you have one more thing left to say.

Once you're in the ring, you almost tackle Finn with a hug. He hugs you back and you hand him his title.

"And still NXT Champion, Finn Balor," you say as Finn's music blares in the arena.

He looks down at you and takes your microphone. You stare up at him as he says, "I, uh, I need to say something really quick."

The crowd dies down and you stare up at your best friend. He looks at his title and he says, "This title isn't mine anymore. This title isn't mine anymore because as of this moment, I am on the Raw roster. As a full-time Raw superstar, I cannot hold the NXT title." He puts the title down on the ground before looking at you. "But as a full-time Raw superstar, I can spend all the time in the world with ya. Travel with ya, talk to ya whenever I want. And most importantly, take ya on a date or two whenever we want."

Your eyes widen as you stare up at Finn, realizing that he has feelings for you too.

"If ya would like, of course," Finn finishes with. The crowd collectively gasps as they wait for your answers.

Finn's arm is still around your waist and you're still standing close to him. So, you give your answer in the one way you've been wanting to. You put your hands on Finn's face and pull his face down to yours. Your lips crash to his and immediately begin moving against them.

He smiles into the kiss and drops the microphone, wrapping both your arms around his neck as his arms wrap around your waist.

The crowd cheers loudly as you kiss Finn in the ring.

***

Eventually, you and Finn make your way back to your hotel room. He tells you about what he had to do to get to Raw.

Since NXT was part of the shakeup this year, there was a chance that he could get sent to Raw. It was small because he held the NXT title. So after some negotiations with William Regal, Triple H, and Vince McMahon, he would voluntarily relinquish his title after a match tonight. So that's what he did. He voluntarily relinquished his title and is now apart of the Raw roster.

He also told Vince that he wants a run or two at the WWE Championship, which is held by Drew McIntyre. Vince agreed because he knows the fans love Finn versus Drew. Add a title in there and it makes for a few good championship matches.

Once back at the hotel room, Finn says, "I need to shower really quick then we can watch movies or something for a bit."

You nod and watch as Finn disappears into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. The water starts and you sigh.

It would be really bad if you just walked into the bathroom and told him everything that you've been feeling, especially tonight.

When Finn walked out in the white gear, a little ache formed in your core and you tried what you could to stop it.

Your feet are carrying you to the bathroom before you can do anything. You shed the dress and your shoes before walking into the bathroom.

The shower in the bathroom is a glass stand up shower. Most of the glass is distorted but the top maybe 16 inches aren't so you can see from Finn's chest up. His eyes are closed as he rinses his hair.

Quickly, you take off the bra and panties you're wearing before you open the door to the shower. Finn looks down at you and asks, "Y/N, what are ya doing?"

"Saving water," you say. "Kinda."

He smiles down at you as you close the glass door. You stare up at him and he asks, "Now what are ya really doing?"

You say, "Seeing ya in the white gear tonight made me feel things, Finn. I know I shouldn't just get in the shower with ya, but-" You're interrupted by Finn's lips coming down to yours. You gasp, surprised by the kiss.

His lips move against yours before he pulls back and says, "Ya are telling me ya want me to, what?"

You stare up at him and say, "Whatever ya want, Finn. I just need ya to do something to me."

Finn smirks a bit and his hands come down to your waist. He guides you so your back is against the wall. You stare up at Finn and he says, "Is this what ya really want? I want to make sure it's what ya want one hundred percent."

Your hands rest on his chest and you nod. "It's what I want, Finn," you say. "I've wanted this for a while."

He smiles and kisses you. The kiss is rougher than the kiss in the ring and his hands start to roam. Soft sighs leave your lips. As the two of you share the kiss, Finn moves and presses you against the cold wall of the shower. Your hands are on Finn's cheeks, slipping your tongue into his mouth. Finn smirks against your lips.

The kiss continues for a second before Finn leans down and picks you up by your thighs. You wrap your legs around his waist as Finn pulls back from your lips and he starts to kiss your neck.

A soft moan escapes your lips as your hands slide into Finn's short wet hair. You smile and say, "This has gotten longer since we last saw each other."

Finn smirks and looks up at you, detaching his lips from your neck. He says, "I'm guessing ya like it."

You giggle and nod, saying, "It gives me something to hold onto." He laughs and kisses you again.

He reaches to the side and turns the water off. Carefully and slowly, Finn leaves the shower with you wrapped around him. He's careful not to slip on the tile floor of the bathroom as he leaves the room.

Finn walks out to one of the beds, laying you on your back. The kiss breaks as he looks down at you, eyes wandering all over your body.

"I've imagined how ya looked for weeks and this exceeded all of my expectations," he says, smiling down at you.

You giggle and stare up at him, saying, "I could say the exact same thing." You glance down at his semi-erect member that's poking at your thigh.

He starts to kiss your jaw and he says, "You're so beautiful. I can't believe that maybe you'll be mine after this."

Sighing, you say, "I've been yours this entire time, Finn."

Finn smirks against your neck. You slide your hands down his sides and use one of your hands to stroke Finn's member. He gasps a bit against the skin against your neck. You feel him begin to harden as you stroke him.

"Keep going like that and I won't last as long as ya probably want me to," he gasps.

You leave kisses to his head and say, "We have all night, Finn. And all day tomorrow."

He looks up at you and says, "Good, because I won't be able to stop once I've started."

You reach up, pecking his lips before you say, "Then start."

Finn smirks a bit before he kisses you harder than he ever has before. You sigh softly against his lips as he runs his tip through your already soaked folds. "Finn," you mumble against his lips. "Please. Tease me another time. I need ya right now."

Slowly, Finn begins to push himself into you. You gasp into the passionate kiss.

You're not a virgin but you're not really that experienced in bed. Finn knows this so he's making sure he's careful with you. On the other hand, you know how experienced Finn is in bed. He's never had to tell you. You used to travel with him when you worked for the NXT brand and stayed in the hotel room next to him sometimes. He's not really that quiet, and neither is whoever he's with.

He moves slowly and shallowly at first, making sure that he's not hurting you. The little bit of pain that you feel slowly melts away to pleasure, and you're a little bit of a moaning mess underneath Finn's body. You drag your fingers down Finn's back as he moves.

Every few minutes, Finn picks up speed and thrusts deeper into you. You wrap your legs around Finn's waist again. Your back arches off the bed ooccationally and chase Finn's hips. He slips deeper into you, making you moan and gasp under Finn.

A wave of confidence overtakes you a couple minutes later. You roll so you're straddling Finn's waist with him still inside you.

Finn stares up at you as you begin to move your hips, riding him. Finn intertwines his fingers with yours and helps hold you up. You throw your head back as you bounce up and down on Finn's now rock hard member. Moans escape your lips and Finn grunts and growns beneath you.

Your walls begin to clench around Finn and you moan, "Finn, baby. I'm about to come."

"Come, princess," he gasps, thrusting up into you as you move your hips.

Your eyes are squeezed shut and you release around Finn as he quickly pulls out of you and comes all over your stomach. You collapse onto Finn, your sweaty chests sticking together as you come down off your high.

Finn wraps his arms around your shoulders and you sigh, your ear pressed against his chest. His heart is beating quickly. You feel him leave kisses on your forehead. You smile and look up at him, resting your chin on his chest. Finn smiles down at you.

"So what do ya say?" he asks. "Will ya officially be mine?"

You giggle and nod, leaning up and pecking his lips. "Yes."

[sailingintothenight]

“WANNABE.” T.H. Imagine.

And what if after years of chasing each other like a cat and mouse, you and Tom started to wonder if you wanna be something else in each other's life?

A/N: I am posting a one shot after weeks of writer's block. I hope you like it. It's 9:30 pm in Peru and it's still April 28, so it's still my birthday! Give it a try. Pleaseeeeee! And yes, I borrowed a scene from Mean Girls (Because I loveeee that movie)

“Hello God, it's me again, (y/n). What's up? I know we haven't talked much lately, but, hey, listen, I have a favor to ask you- I have behaved well, I haven’t gotten drunk at any crazy party of any Hollywood star and I haven't accepted drugs, ever: I'm afraid my grandmother will appear in my room as a ghost and pull my blankets in the middle of the night, plus, I haven't make out with any Stone-cold Hollywood hottie, and trust me, I've had more than one chance. Anyway, about the favor–”

"Yes, but (y/n)'s grandfather invited us to his birthday party..."

Tom's voice startles you and cuts off your internal dialogue, turning you back to the reality.

It’s 6 am. The sun shines in the clear sky, and you are on a flight back to England in a luxury privet jet that is about to arrive at the airport, while Haz, Harry, Tom and you are sitting in comfortable velvety seats, with the view of morning sky on your left side. 

The exciting memory of your last recording still seemed to run through your veins, too exciting to let you sleep. Because that was the end, the goodbye after incredible months. All your efforts from the past months were hidden behind that last performance that looked like a fantasy, except for the kiss, ugh, you had to erase it from your mind. But now, you're going back home, ready to take a break away from the set-up bridge and blue and green backgrounds, away from the makeup artists who gave your face the final touches of the magic of Hollywood, far from the suit of a superhero who had just won her last battle and who got the cute boy, Peter Parker.

But not far away from Tom Holland.

Because evil takes a human form in Tom Holland, your lifelong neighbor.

How do you even begin to explain Tom Ho– Stop, people say that if you pronounce his name 3 times a curse falls on you.

But fans say Tom Holland is flawless, you heard his curly hair is insured for 10,000 dollars, his favorite movie is “Spider-man Homecoming”, duh, and very soon, “far from home”. One time he met Robert Downey Jr. in his own village and he started hyperventilating, and once he threw a fan's phone on the floor and she said it was awesome.

"Please don't tell me you're going to his birthday party." You complain, because you can't help it.

"Would that bother you that much, darling?" Tom smiles, tilting his head back so that his tender smile fits perfectly with his tender face. “Then of course I will go. Also, your grandfather still has the hope his granddaughter would get a man like me.”

"Ew. Why would my dear grandfather want me to be with someone who enjoys keeping a frog in his mouth?" You ask, earning yourself an Oscar for best actress with the innocence you exude and the seriousness you manage to put on your face, even when Tom's eyes narrow from the attack you just launched, while, enjoying the show, his friend and his younger brother laughs, shaking heads with a familiar expression on their faces because of the familiar discussion between you and him that happens, every two or three days. "Seriously, Tom, give the poor Henry a break."

"Henry?" Tom asks with real confusion, his accent thick, while the other male voices ask it in a collective whisper too.

"I named your frog Henry, hope it doesn't bother you." And you laugh, victorious to feel how Tom exhales the air through his nose.

“Seriously, (y/n), when will you confess that you are in love with me? You don't have to be so shy, darling.” Tom laughs too, using his finger to tap your nose, because he knows perfectly well that you don't like that, just as you don't like being called darling anymore. “Ray is a wise man, you should listen to your grandfather."

"Yes, if you like skinny ones."

"I'm not skinny. I have the perfect body.” Tom defends himself.

"For now, but in a couple of years you will named your big belly as your dad does after drinking with mine." You laugh like a little girl because you love Dom, because he's warm and funny, because he loves his wife and children, and because of how funny he is when he and your dad have had too much alcohol, like the time they started a cartwheel contest in the middle of the street. "Who's there? It's Dom Junior.”

"Shut up! My dad is still sexy!” A heavy silence falls over the small place as everyone looks at Tom with furrowed brows and true confusion, but that's when he realizes the choice of words he used to refer to his dad. "That's not what I meant!"

You raise your hands in a sign of peace, your gaze avoiding his as you stop yourself from laughing and mocking him.

"That's so wrong, Tom." Harry says, with a certain bittersweet taste on the tip of his tongue. "Now because of you I won't be able to see dad's belly the same way."

Harry and Haz chuckle at Dom's expense.

But when the jet landed smoothly on the headlight-lit runway in the early hours of the morning, the heavy hours from the past months feels now as if they weighed the same as a feather, pain and exhausting sleepless nights disappeared in the blink of an eye, and now, there is no oceans that could make you feel far away, because in the end, you always came back home.

"Besides..." You say to finish that conversation, your backpack on your shoulder before making the victory path towards the stairs to get off the plane. "I would like a boyfriend who can grow a mustache, not like the failed attempt on your face. Thank you very much."

"Hey!" Tom frowns as you pass him by, and his voice rises even higher than it already is. "My doctor says it's just a hormone problem."

"Damn, bro..." Harry laughs as he puts an arm around Tom's shoulder, giving him a brotherly hug before walking out to the car waiting outside. “(Y/n) will be hard to catch, you know? But try it, maybe you will make it in this century."

Harry laughs, and then, walks out of the plane.

"What does that mean?" Tom asks Harrison, who is still waiting by his side.

"I think he meant that you are in love with (y/n), but you haven't noticed it yet."

Harrison chuckles, but after patting Tom on the back, he rushes to place a hand on his best friend's shoulder to stop him.

“Hey, mate… you, uh…” Tom's eyes soften, almost to the point where his brown eyes resembled the gaze of a little 5-year-old boy, sad, and lost. “You haven't told anyone why we came back, right?”

“Of course not.” Harrison says, and his gaze smiles just like his lips. “Don’t worry about anything, okay? We are home, you are home. You can take the time you need to rest.”

Tom nods, unsure, but tries to be strong as they both get off the plane. 

The gray autumn clouds hang with invisible strings in the sky as Tom Holland, actor, handsome, wealthy, and the loneliest person in the world, releases a deep breath that is lost among the sounds of the world, because his world is no longer sparkling or velvety thanks to the cameras or a red carpet, and while his new movie is a box office hit that never in his best dreams he would have imagined, something wasn't right for him.

That’s why he is back home.

The car ride is silent as some sleep, except you and Tom, because your eyes seem to recognize the streets you grew up in, because your hearts recognize your home. But for Tom, he recalls tilting his body to the left and a camera captured his best actor pose a week ago, but since then, his body has felt null, as if floating in the air and no longer responding to his orders. He was crystal clear, but a few people seemed to see clearly through him. Tom tries to convince himself that the tickling in his hands is his body's response to tiredness and not his anxiety, because he suffers it too, but he feels that something is eating his soul.

"Are you okay, Tom?"

Among a sea of ​​people, Tom Holland has always pretended to be an interesting person, but now, he takes a deep breath and looks at you, nervous, lost in the middle of that huge world, but you, looking back at him gives him peace, because he doesn’t feel alone anymore. 

What did you think? That someone is interested in knowing if you are really okay? Of course they care, right?

“Of course, darling.” Tom smiles, as if in a snap of fingers, everything is fine.

But there, he catches a movement of yours.

You tilt your head to the side, like his beloved Tessa when she is curious about something, but he doesn't say it out loud because you would take it the wrong way, but the movement in slow motion worthy of a Hollywood scene and the serenity of your gaze makes Tom hold his breath, that breath that previously didn't fit his chest with so many problems that he carried inside.

But suddenly he can breathe again, finally.

“Okay.”

The minutes pass until the car stops on a street that you two recognize perfectly. When everyone is out, the car leaves, but because your favorite boys are about to leave, too, you hug everyone as the promise to celebrate Harrison's birthday next week hangs in the air. You love them so much, because they are beautiful people who helped you to save yourself from the storms of doubts and fears, each of them in their own charming way, and for that, you were grateful.

"My friend Danielle is coming so I would like you to meet her, Haz." You chuckle adorably before leaving, noting that Harrison's smile is as real as his desire to meet her.

"I'm looking forward to it, darling."

"Wait, why he can call you darling?" Tom says, and for a second, you see a sparkle in the brightness of his eyes, but as the door of his house opens and his beloved Tessa runs to receive him, the confusion disperses like the morning haze.

"There she is the only darling you will ever get, Thomas."

And the moment you turn around, because the door of your house opens too, you lose sight of Tom's honest smile and the question that he hides behind his sweet eyes. Was he in love with you all this time without realizing it? And what if he wanna be your boyfriend? 

Oh, right. The favor that you were going to ask God for? To get you a boyfriend, a cute one, a hot one... maybe like Tom. Weird, isn't it?

Tag list: @galaxies-of-the-heart​

[signsofsam]

Fic: The Night We Met, 1/?

Prompt request by the lovely @buddiextarlos​.

It wasn’t Eddie’s intention to rescue a prince.

It wasn’t his intention to rescue anyone. He was only trying to find some food for himself and his son in this barren, desolate, hilly wasteland somewhere outside the kingdom of Angeles. 

He was only trying to survive long enough to get to the city.

But he heard the shout of pain from the other side of the craggy rock face while picking some conspicuous looking mushrooms, and  he couldn’t not see what was happening on the other side.

SOME NOTES:

The prompt was: Buck as a Prince/Eddie as a Knight or Eddie as an outlaw/trying to rescue Buck, and I’ve sort of...run away with it. There will be at least one more, and probably two more chapters. And I really hope you enjoy, @buddiextarlos​. 

AO3 Link

Title is from Lord Huron’s The Night We Met.

Some other, random notes: 

1. My world building could use some work

2. So could my country naming

3. So could my fight scene writing

4. Please forgive me for all the above

5. Can I classify this as a meet-cute? I think so.

--//--//--

It wasn’t Eddie’s intention to rescue a prince.

It wasn’t his intention to rescue anyone. He was only trying to find some food for himself and his son in this barren, desolate, hilly wasteland somewhere outside the kingdom of Angeles. 

He was only trying to survive long enough to get to the city.

But he heard the shout of pain from the other side of the craggy rock face while picking some conspicuous looking mushrooms, and  he couldn’t not see what was happening on the other side. The soldier in him was analyzing his position, the fact that his only means of defense was the battered blade that had seen him through the war, telling himself that this was a bad idea, but there was another shout and the soldier in him thinks to Chris, how disappointed his son would be if he just left someone to be tortured, and so he peeks over the rocks.

Four men surround a fifth, cloaked in all black, and Eddie-he knows those uniforms. He’s seen them before, and he’s seen the fear in men’s eyes as they talked about them-the Hunters of Lord Kendall. The man they’re surrounding is on his knees, hands bound behind his back, and he looks haggard, blood trailing down his head from a cut on his forehead. “You can hurt me all you want,” the man snaps as he’s backhanded again, “but I’ll never tell you or your master where Maddie is.”

Maddie. 

The name is familiar enough, though Eddie couldn’t tell you where he’d heard it. Perhaps passerbys on the long, lone road that connected Angeles to the rest of the continent? Perhaps in Elpaso, before it descended into the war that cost him his son’s mother and left him with new wounds and dead friends?

Curious.

There’s another gasp of pain, and one of the hunters moves away from the group, retrieving what looked like a giant mallet with spiky protrusions from the horse and cart in the distance. Eddie frowns, eyes following the hammered end of the tool, and he can feel his muscles coiling, his hand going to the hilt of his sword, preparing himself for...what, exactly? He’s not sure.

It turns out he’s preparing to fling himself at the weaponed hunter as soon as he sees the mallet come down on the captured man’s leg, moving before the man lets out an ungodly, unholy cry of pain Eddie never wants to hear again. His sword is out before the Hunter can turn, and in one swift motion, the Hunter’s head is rolling away from his body, and Eddie is panting, blood rushing as he turns to face the other three.

They are Hunters, they are known, experienced fighters, but he is Edmundo Diaz. He survived the war of Elpaso, and he saved his entire unit of twelve from a battalion of over a hundred while doing it. 

Three well trained men are nothing.

Soon, he is standing alone, breathing heavy, and he can feel the sweat dripping down his back, the pulse of pain from the slice on his arm one of them managed to land before he, too, died, and the frenzy of the fight slowly leaves him, and the world slowly returns, and he’s surrounded by the wastes and the dead and a man who’s whimpering in pain. He sheathes his sword, dropping to his knees beside the man, and it only takes one look at the man’s face--more specifically the reddish birthmark above and below the man’s right eyebrow--to know exactly who he rescued.

Crown Prince Evan Buckley Nash, heir to the Angeles throne.

Fuck.

So, it wasn’t Eddie’s intention to rescue a prince or bring any sort of attention to himself, but, here he is, the sun setting on the only road through the wastes, staring at the Crown Prince of Angeles wondering what the ever-loving fuck he’s supposed to do now. 

And the first words that come out of his mouth to said Crown Prince? “Holy hell.”

Wonderful.

The man laughs through his cries, bright blue eyes flying open. “So you...you recognize me,” he gets out, wincing as he tries to move. “I think...I think he hurt my leg.”

“Yeah, I’d say he did some damage,” Eddie answers (because he’s brilliant with words. Just brilliant, you absolute dolt), reaching out carefully to touch the bleeding mess of the prince’s lower leg. “I don’t think you’ll be able to walk on this. I’ve a camp set up not far from here; do you think you could make it there?” The horses the men had are long gone, and Eddie’s not looking forward to trying to get the prince back to his tent.

How’s he going to explain this to Christopher?

“I’m-” the prince winces as Eddie attempts to free his hands, watches him with careful eyes as he searches the Hunters’ bodies until he finds a dagger, finally managing to saw through the ropes. “I’m not sure. I can’t really-can you help me sit?”

Eddie nods, handing over the dagger when the prince eyes it, and he’s as gentle as he can be as he helps the man sit, only moving once he’s sure the prince is balancing on his hand, returning to look at the lower leg. He’s wearing nice leather boots, and it looks like the material stood up pretty well to the hit, Eddie can see where some of it is scrapped and broken through, blood staining the torn edges. “I think for now we’re best to bind it, boot and all; I’ll look at it once we get to my tent.”

“You’ve trained in medicine?” the crown prince is watching him, a searching expression on his face. “I don’t even  know who you are.”

“My name is Eddie, your highness, and as I’m the person that stopped them from permanently maiming you, perhaps you could trust me a bit?” He pushes his dark hair off his face--his hair’s grown longer than he’s used to while he’s been traveling--and winces at his tone. “I’m...I’m sorry. I don’t mean to speak harshly to you, sir.”

“Buck.”

Eddie frowns. “Your highness-”

“Buck, Eddie. We’re in each other’s trust here, hmm? The people I trust call me Buck.”

“If you insist, sir-Buck.” He binds the boot as tight as he dares, using the cloak of one of the dead men, ignoring Buck’s whimpers of pain. “We should move before it gets dark. Bandits roam this road at night.” He knows this from personal experience, but the prince didn’t need to know that specific detail. “Are you ready to stand up?”

By how green he seems to get, Eddie’s guessing that he wants to say no, but the prince takes a deep breath and nods. Eddie’s as gentle as he can be, but he can hear every bitten back cry of pain as he gets the prince (Buck) standing, his arm around Eddie’s shoulders, Eddie his pillar of support as he waits until Buck steadies. The sun’s a little too low for comfort when they finally start stumbling their way back to Eddie’s camp.

“You never answered the question before,” Buck says, and Eddie frowns, glancing at him before returning his eyes to the road, looking for the bend where there’s a crack in the wastes, a cliff carved out there just large enough and defensible enough for Eddie to feel comfortable leaving his child. “You’ve trained in medicine?”

“Before, in Elpaso. Before the war there.” He keeps his answer short, hoping his new companion doesn’t press.

“My sister is one of Angeles’ medical corps; she’s the head of the court’s medical wing.”

“That’s the Maddie the Hunters were after?”

Buck nods. “Maddie was betrothed to Lord Kendall; I found out he was hurting her, and our parents didn’t care, and so I went to rescue her with my men. She fell in love with the head of my guard, Sir Howard, and she’s happy, now. Apparently Doug can’t have that. But better he takes me than find my sister. If he took her back to Pennsyl, she’d be back under our parents and Doug’s thumbs, and she wouldn’t survive.” He winces as he trips on a root, but Eddie keeps him upright, though it makes his muscles tremble. His arm is pulsing with pain, and he’ll need to sanitize it soon or risk an infection.

Eddie frowns at the mention of the mountainous, forested kingdom of Pennsyl. It’s to the east, on the opposite coast of their land, not at all close to Angeles. “Your parents aren’t in Angeles?”

“King Robert adopted me awhile ago. I-my parents didn’t want me, so I stowed away on a ship bound for the port, and I saved the children of his partner, Queen Athena, during a tsunami. It’s not a common situation, I’m sure.” He’s wincing every few steps now, looking around the dusky darkness. “Is it...is it much farther? I- I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to stand.”

Just as he says it, Eddie sees the bed he was looking for, the sharp drop off. “No, your highness. Just up-”

He should have seen what was to follow.

He should have seen the horses grazing in the distance.

He should have known.

But he doesn’t see any of it, he doesn’t suspect a thing, and so he walks right up to the group of soldiers waiting at his tent, one of them holding his struggling son. 

He doesn’t remember quite what happens, his sole focus on his son, watching his father with wide, scared eyes, and there are shouts. He’s pretty sure Buck yells “CHIM!” but he can’t-it’s a blur of fighting, to get to his son, to not drop Buck, until it’s not, and pain explodes from the back of his head and darkness overtakes him.

[mandalorianheadcanonsandsuch]

Aay’han (bittersweet)

Songs that inspired this work: Trouble by Carter Winter, Drop by Dallas Smith, and Dress Up by Robert Counts (all country, by the way, and all on Spotify)

The Mandalorian x fem!reader

..............

At this point in time, you were fed up. Fed up with your life, the way everything seemed to go on without too much trouble, too much action, it was just a normal life. Your parents had a good relationship with you, however, once you were grown, they decided to retire and travel, leaving you to take care of the house, leaving you with your own job, and just a quiet life on this planet where a few people came to on their way in or out of the Inner Rim. Your house stood on the boundary line of the town, but was a little ways into the woods. As you sat on a rock, contemplating if you should go to a different planet and start a new life, you heard the sounds of somebody walking through the forest. 

“Hello?” you questioned out into the void.

It took a few minutes but you finally saw him. You were shocked, to say the least. A Mandalorian? Here? Well this was new. You heard the legends, but you didn’t know how true they actually were.

He tried to walk past you, but you stopped him. “Excuse me, but what are you doing here?” 

He turned to look at you. Oh shit....there goes my attitude again, you thought as his helmet turned to you. 

“None of your business, now get out of my way” he said as he sidestepped around you.

“Not until you tell me what the hell you’re doing here, and not in the port or the city, this is my land,” you exclaimed as you went to follow him. 

“I. Don’t. Care.” He spit out. “Go. Away.”

So you decided to let him go, as much as it pained you, because you were a naturally curious person. However, you followed him. You were quiet, and never more than 3 yards close to him. You knew these woods and this city.

As time wore on and he got closer to the city, you kept following him. At times, he would pause and look around, and you swore he saw you. Knowing the legendary skills that he more than likely possessed, he probably thought it was some sort of a joke and he knew that you were going to follow him as soon as you let him go.

Why am I still following him? You thought to yourself. While you were following, your mind kept wandering to the fact that you used to write about action, adventure, and leaving this planet behind for a life on the run. You wanted the excitement and the spontaneity. Then you started thinking of a plan. Maybe you could join him, work together somehow. You knew quite a few languages and could translate, as well as being a quick learner for other languages.

He went into a cantina and you followed. As he sat down, you slid into the seat across from him. 

“Why did you follow me here? Don’t deny it, either. I knew you were following me. What the hell do you want?” He asked you. 

Well, he’s certainly cut and dry, right to the point, you thought.

“I want to help. I want out of this planet and my life. It’s boring. I need adventure.” You decided being brutally honest was the best tactic with this...man? Mandalorian, anyway.

“Why would I need your help?” Ouch. 

“I don’t know, I know a few languages fluently and I’m a quick learner on ones I don’t know, but I’m a decent shot with a blaster as well”, you start out.

“Mm...no thanks.” The Mandalorian cut you off.

“Fine, good luck then, with that,” as you waved your hand to his cloak where you saw a tiny green hand poking out. You could imagine his eyes widening, he thought he was sneakier than that. You stood and prepared to go back home.

“Look, fine, I could use another pair of eyes so I don’t have to take care of him as often. How good are you with kids?” He relented as soon as you took a step away from the table.

“One of the best. Not only did I finish raising my siblings when my parents retired and went traveling, I babysit for my friends and family all the time” you said as you sat back down, sliding into the booth.

“Hmm...alright. Go pack your things. I’ll meet you there in a bit, there’s still some things I need to take care of” he said, as he dismissed you with a wave of his hand.

You rolled your eyes, you didn’t like people just dismissing you, let alone some guy who thought he was too good for you. “Fine, meet me there.” you said, as you turned and left.

.......

You had been with the Mandalorian for a few months now, and all you two did, it seemed, was run from planet to planet because of the Kid. Sure, he was cute, and pretty much an actual toddler despite its’ age, but you were wondering what the hell this guy was thinking when he rescued him from the guys he brought him to in the first place.

It was a lonely little ship for a while, especially the first couple of months. He didn’t seem to want to even talk to you, and he barely spoke to the Kid. The kid was also your only form of entertainment and conversation, and you two had struck up a bond. The Mandalorian was actually jealous of your bond with the kid, but he would never admit it out loud. 

Finally, one day, you got fed up with him not talking. You had asked him a simple question. “How are you?”

He just grunted and didn’t answer.

“Excuse me?! I have been on this tiny metal hunk of a ship for months on end and you won’t even talk to me, even just basic small talk and pleasantries? For fucks’ sake, I’m going down to my room with the kid!” you raised your voice for the first time ever. 

He turned to you so quick that your mouth shut and you found yourself pinned up against the wall.

Oh fuck, I really did a number this time, good going Y/N...wait a second, this would be hot if I didn’t think he was going to kill me...

“Look, Y/N, I didn’t hire you on to make small talk. I hired you so you could do some language work whenever we land. The kid is my first priority. The ship is the second, and maybe then you’re a priority. If you continue this I’m taking you back to that godforsaken planet that you call home” he spit out, while holding you against the wall.

“Okay, okay, shit, I’m sorry, I guess we won’t talk then” you said.

“Good” he replied, as he let you down the wall.

You left the cockpit and you took the kid down with you, preparing to give the kid it’s dinner and put it, and yourself, to bed.

He came to you later that night, knocking on your door as you were reading the news and writing in your journal. 

“Can I come in?” he asks.

“Sure,” you sigh as you roll your eyes.

“Y/N...I’m sorry” he whispered, you could barely make the words out.

“What was that?” you teased as you stood up.

“I...I’...I’m sorry” he said again, barely above a whisper. “I mean, some of what I said is true, but...it’s hard to work with someone else when you’ve been on your own for so long”. he sighed.

“It’s fine, let’s just forget about it.” you said.  

And you all did. For a time, he worked on talking to you and you would talk to him. He was your person who listened to you, for once, without saying anything. He listened to your hopes, your dreams, your opinions, and sometimes would give you anecdotes of his own. 

He watched you take care of the Kid, and keep yourself occupied, until he would need you outside of the ship or wherever you all stayed at for that amount of time (sometimes it was days, other times it was weeks, you only knew the dates because you wrote in your journal as much as you could). The Mandalorian was by your side all the time, teaching you little things about defending yourself, the Mandalorian culture and Mando’a, how to survive off of little, among other things. But he was notorious for getting into trouble, which only led to the fact that you were getting into trouble too. But you left your comfortable life behind, to travel with Mando and to take care of the Kid, whom you were growing fond of, even if you couldn’t admit it out loud to the Mandalorian. You were growing fond of him, too, but you wouldn’t dare admit that out loud, only to your journal, and even then, you wrote it in a language you knew he couldn’t read...at first. But then eventually you put it back to basic. 

He hadn’t told you his name, not yet, anyway. But that time would come.

......

That time came sooner than you thought. Once, when you were thinking about how he was different from any man you had ever met- or been with- he came up next to you on the rock that you were sitting on, beside the ship. You were looking out at the sunset.

“You know, I used to sit on a rock just like this, looking out at the sunset, and wishing I had an adventure, or that I was a Princess, or something interesting instead of just being the caretaker” you said, as you gazed at the horizon, the multiple shades of purple, pink, red, orange, and yellow shining back at you.

“Really?” His voice made you stop short.

Usually he didn’t say much, listened more than he talked. But today was the first time he had answered your opening statement.

“Yeah, I mean, in the end, I was going to settle down and get married to someone, but I don’t know if I want that anymore,” you said.

“Why?” he asked, turning to face you.

“Haven’t found the right man, I guess. Or maybe I’m not destined to be a wife and a mother,” you said as you picked lint off of your clothes.

“I’ve seen you with that little womp rat. You are much more suited to the life of a parent and a spouse than I am,” he said.

You stood there, open-mouthed. “What? Really? I mean....I....no....” you trailed off, too shocked to get out what you wanted to say.

Only with you, Mando, only with you... you thought to yourself.

“Y/N....look, maybe I should take you back. A life with me...it’s not the place for you or the Kid. I would give you the Kid, too, but there’s too many people out there who want him dead.” the Mandalorian told you.

“So what? What if that’s not what I want? Maybe I’m fine with this life, maybe my priorities changed! Is that such a bad thing? I’m in it for the long haul, Mando, and you damn well know that. Or at least you should. Most women would’ve left at the first sign of danger, at the first sight of not seeing their best friend and their favorite little one again, but....oh shit.” You cut yourself off, mouth open at your admission.

“Best friend?” he asks you, head tilted to the side.

That damn helmet. I can’t see jack shit to know how he’s feeling...

“Yes, best friend. Maybe it’s not a “traditional” best friend, but all the same, I still do care about you!” you exclaim out. “And also, maybe you should realize that I’m not leaving, and you can’t tell me any different.”

“Fine. But I did try to warn you, just remember that,” and with that he stalks off to the ship, you picking up the Kid and following behind him.

..................

The next few months were much of the same. He tried to get you to leave, you said you wouldn’t, and each time it there was more and more time between the fights. Oh, sure, you fought about other things, but they were never the worst. The worst were the ones when he thought you’d leave.

Slowly, over time, seeing him interact with the Kid, and you, you slowly fell in love with him. Whether that was guiding the two of you through a backwater, remote planet market, or shoving you behind him into the ship as you had to leave, again, because they found the Kid, or even just sitting their piloting the ship. 

You kept writing in your journals. About how maybe, one day, you could become a family- although, that was out of the question as he’d never take off his helmet and abandon the Way. It may be unconventional, but you thought there was potential for some sort of relationship. Although you’d never tell him that, he was slowly opening up to you and you didn’t want to rush that.

You weren’t prepared for the day he told you his name. Mando was sitting next to you, on your bed, watching the Kid play with a toy you had fashioned out of some scraps of material, some yarn, and a few buttons you had found around the ship. He was content to play with it, and the two of you were talking lowly to yourselves. You had shared more about your childhood and how you could never have imagined being here, at this point in your life, before you met him. 

He told you little things before and during this time, about how he was grateful for being taken in by the Mandalorians, how he liked the language- of course, you, as a language person, definitely had him teach you what he could remember (which was a lot), and it was thrown throughout your daily conversations.

Mando wouldn’t tell you this, but he was slowly falling for you too. It started when you wanted to learn Mando’a, and then about him, and how no matter how mad you were at him, you would always eventually either apologize or forgive him, depending on the situation. He found it funny how you could flit from one thing to the next, changing your mood (depending on what you doing), how independent and opininated you were, but how you were also traditional in a sense- you didn’t mind any chore but the dishes, and you always made sure to leave some food wherever he was, going to play with the Kid so he could eat. You also were great with the Kid, and had patience in abundance (most days), which was something that he did not have.

“So, what’s your name, beroya?” your nickname for him came out, and you knew you were pushing the limits, but you had to ask.

He paused for a second.

“You don’t have to answer that, I’m sorry, that was probably too personal a question. Never mind,” you hurriedly spoke, trying to relieve some of the pressure.

Great going, way to think before you speak, don’t you remember what your mom, grandmother, and teachers taught you?

“Dyn Jarren,” he said.

Oh shit....well, that sounded amazing coming off his lips.

You try it out...”Dyn Jarren,”

He loved his name coming from your lips.

“Y/N....what’s your full name, then? I don’t think I know it,” he said.

Turnabout’s fair play, he thought to himself.

You blushed. “Y/F/N Y/M/N Y/L/N.”

He tried it out. And you loved every second of it. You couldn’t imagine being anymore turned on than you were right now, but, as it was to be discovered, you definitely could be.

..............

Eventually, one day, he had come in from a bounty, tired and moody. You knew it hadn’t been an easy one, so you made dinner, leaving some for him, and taking the Kid with you down below to finish up dinner and head to bed.

Once you had put the Kid to bed, after reassuring it that his “dad” was fine and that no, it wasn’t his fault, and that everything would be fine, you went into your room only to find Dyn there.

It had taken you both awhile to think of each other as your given names, because you had either called him beroya or Mando, and he had called you Y/N, Princess, or, more recently, cyar’ika.

He stood up from your bed when you walked in, and pushed you back against the door, leaning on you. 

“Whoa, Dyn, what’s up? What happened today? And don’t tell me nothing, you know that’s bullshit.” you said, leading him over to the bed.

“That stupid bounty happened. Made some comments about how I’m a disgrace to my people because I betrayed the Guild, told me I was hut’uun, the whole nine parsecs” he snapped.

“Oh, Dyn...” you sighed. “Come here.”

And so he did. You slowly changed into something more comfortable, and you sat on your bed, with him holding you.

Dyn didn’t know what it was going to be like to finally hold you, when you were at your most vulnerable with only your pajamas on. He knew you were softer than he was, not only in structure but in personality as well, although you did have a fiery side that he liked to coax out at times. Maybe later, he mused.

He had taken off the hard beskar of his armor but left his helmet on, and you knew, at this point, that this was the Way. However, as much as he was softer without the armor, you knew that he still was all sharp edges and taut muscles from years of not only training, but being a bounty hunter.

As his arms snaked around your waist, you drew little shapes and designs on his chest. He would never tell you, but not only did it turn him on, but it made him feel safe, comfortable, and content. 

“You do know you’re not any of those things, right?” you asked Dyn, looking up at his helmet, your hands tracing the patterns and the lines in it. “It doesn’t matter what some bounty thinks. It’s what the people who matter to you think.” 

“I don’t want to talk about it anymore, but thanks,” his deep voice caught and you hugged tighter. The two of you laid there for about twenty minutes, sometimes thinking and sometimes not thinking at all.

“Y/N....” Dyn starts, clearly nervous.

“Yes?” you turn around to face him.

“I.....I want to kiss you, but I can’t, unless....I don’t even know what we could do to achieve that” Dyn finished.

You thought you might die. He actually wanted to kiss you. Gods, this was the best day ever.

Eventually, you spied an idea. You had a scarf from your travels with your family, that you sometimes wore when you went out of the ship. 

“Do you think I could cover my eyes? Would that work?” You said, holding up the scarf.

“Maybe...?” he said.

“Well, let’s give it a shot. Tie it for me?” you asked, walking over to him.

He did as you asked and then you heard his helmet come off and set on a table that you had put in your room.

You heard him walk over to you. In the process of him taking his helmet off, he also took of his gloves, and you were shocked to feel the skin of his hands on your cheeks. 

“Dyn...” you started.

“Shhhh....” he shushed you.

Next thing you know, you feel his lips on yours. Soft, and just the right size. He wasn’t too fast, or too slow, and he definitely, somehow, knew what he was doing. Although surprising to you, you went with it.

The two of you couldn’t get enough of each other, and the kissing quickly turned into an intense make out session. Your tongues dancing, your hands roaming, it was quickly getting of hand.

“Beroya, whoa, hey, let’s take it slow for a second,” you said after you broke away. “I just don’t want you to do anything you don’t want to do.”

He chuckled. “Oh, I won’t...”

And with that, the rest of your night was planned out.

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

Sorry!!! I don’t feel comfortable with my writing abilities yet to make this a little steamier haha. Hope you enjoyed!

[queenbirbs]

the way home | Ch. 3 | Edward x MC

Pairing: Edward Mortemer x MC

Word count: 3,417

Warnings: language, violence, mention of blood

Read from the beginning or continue on Read on AO3 

Tag list: @writinghereandthere ------

Whatever Robert says or does against Rhodes seems to work.

For the next week, as they hop from island to island, he gives Elena a wide berth. It doesn’t stop the death glares he gives her on the regular, but she’ll take those over him dropping a sack over her head and kidnapping her, as her nightmares depict. 

He can’t ruin today, though. The next outpost is St. Sylvain -- finally, a place where Elena has contacts of her own. Well, Charlie’s, she considers, which brings that familiar rush of heartache. She misses her best friend; misses her snarky, carefree attitude; misses her crude jokes and compassionate heart. Though Robert tries with his sarcastic tongue, he can never measure up to Charlie’s quick wit. 

As soon as the ship docks, Elena is off, flapping a hand at Robert’s reminder to only ask for information from those she trusts. Down the gangplank and across the port, she makes her way into the open-air market and searches along the rows of brightly-colored stalls. As if no time has passed, Bronte leans out from her own stall and waves at her as she approaches. 

“Ah, the fiercest pirate in all the seven seas!” she crows, her wrinkles creasing as she grins. “You’re Charlotte’s friend, aren’t ya? She’s been looking all over for ya.” 

“She has?” Elena asks, tightly clenching the leather strap across her chest.  

“O’course. She was here…” she trails off, tapping a finger against her stall as if counting up the days in her head. “...oh, sometime before the big storm. Was makin’ her rounds of the place, askin’ if ye’d been around.” 

“Did she say where she was headed?”

“Afraid not.” Settling her weight across the table, she opens her mouth, then pauses to squint at something along the market. Elena glances over her shoulder, but spots nothing of interest among the crowded stalls. “But here -- let me give ye something.” 

Bronte bends down and heaves up a basket of what looks like knitting supplies, clicking her tongue as she digs through it. Sweeping her hair to one shoulder, Elena keeps watch of the market until the older woman hums a noise of victory. She pulls out a makeshift cross, bound with red thread. “‘Tis made from the twigs of a Rowan tree. Keep it on yer person. It’ll offer ye protection from evil spirits on yer journey.” 

Given her recent history, Elena’s made a point to avoid picking up any old object. But she doesn’t want to seem rude, and who is she to argue against something that will bring protection? Taking the charm, she tucks it into the pocket of her coat.

“Thank you -- for the protection, and for speaking with me.” 

Bronte smiles at her once more. “If I see young Charlotte, I’ll be sure to send her yer way.”

------

The rest of the day is a wash. 

Her stop by the St. Sylvain Inn to speak with Mary takes the better part of an hour. Most of that time, however, is taken up by helping Mary toss out an unruly guest. What little chance at conversation they manage to have, Elena finds that her knowledge about Charlie’s whereabouts is limited. 

“She asked if I’d seen you, actually.” Mary’s face brightens at the memory, before she bites at her lip and frowns. “But this was months back. Certainly well before the hurricane.”

At the blacksmith’s, Elena wanders around the shop as the man there speaks with a customer. They hem and haw over the fine details of a new gate, going back and forth about prices. She bides her time by looking at a row of gleaming blades. One of the daggers catches her eye for the level of details carved along the hilt; it reminds her of the pistol Charlie gave her, all those years ago. The customer eventually leaves, having refused such a high cost for ‘such subpar craftsmanship.’

“What can I do for ye, ma’am?” the blacksmith calls out to her, wiping away the sweat on his face. “Interested in anything?”

Elena leaves the wares and crosses the room to be heard above the roar of the forge. “No, sorry. I was wondering if Tripp was working today?”

The blacksmith turns back to his project, tapping at a piece of glowing metal with his hammer. “He don’t work here no more.”

“Oh. Do you know where he works now, then?”

“No.”

“Do you know where he lives?”

“No.”

“Do you know where I can--”

He slams the hammer down and a burst of hot sparks flares up into her face. The sword is in her hand and at his throat before she realizes it -- and before the man has the attempt to lift the hammer in defense. 

“Listen, alright.” He licks his lips and eyes the sword’s gleaming edge. “He left about three months ago. Said that he was going to try and head back home.” 

“Where’s that?” she snaps, though she eases the sword back a few inches to give him the illusion of space. 

“I don’t-- maybe, maybe St. Fisher, or England. I dunno, I never asked. All I know is that he went off, and I haven’t seen ‘im since.” 

Elena flicks her sword away and slides it back into its scabbard, suppressing her smirk at the man’s audible breath of relief. Brushing past another woman on her way out, she starts her trek back to the market to try any other of Charlie’s contacts. She’s nearly reached the main drag when there’s a voice from behind her. 

“Is yer name Elena Montgomery?” 

Elena spins around to face the stranger. It’s the woman from the shop, her auburn hair matted to her neck from the heat -- and, presumably, from chasing Elena down. Her accent is similar to Kendrick’s, her voice low and rich. 

“It is. And you are…?”

“Oh, sorry -- I’m Fran.” She shifts the satchel she carries from one shoulder to the other, trying to catch her breath. “I’m sorry, too, for chasing after you like that. I saw you at the inn, talking with Mary. Are you looking for Edward Mortemer?” 

“I am.”  

“I just met a lad who talked about doing business with him.” 

“When?”

“Two hours ago or so, I think. I was out near the market and we struck up a--”

“No, when did he see Edward?” Elena clarifies.

“Oh.” Fran’s nose scrunches up as she tries to recall. “I think he mentioned it was o’er the summer? I’m not for certain. I can take you to him -- if he’s still at his stall.”

It’s too good to be true. After weeks of searching, a lead like this doesn’t just fall into her lap. She would be a fool to go with some random woman, despite how cute she is. But she can’t turn her back on an opportunity like this. 

“Yes, please,” she all but begs. 

Fran guides her through the streets, clearly a local in her knowledge on how to avoid the congested areas. She isn’t much for talking, which Elena appreciates, as she’s too caught up in her own thoughts. Even if this man saw Edward over the summer, does that mean it was here, or somewhere across the globe? If it was over in Portugal or the Philippines, then what the hell is she supposed to do? What if she returned too late? What if Edward, Charlie, and the crew were one of the twelve ships lost in the storm? Elena fiddles with the necklace, worrying the chain in between her fingers. She knows the risk of using the whistle again -- but she will, if it means saving their lives from such a fate. 

“That’s a pretty charm you have there,” Fran says, breaking the silence between them. “A bit odd-looking, but pretty.”

“Thanks.” Feigning a smile, Elena tries to subtly tuck it back into her shirt.

They reach the market soon enough. Along with Bronte’s, most of the stalls are boarded up or packed away. Out in the harbor, strong winds batter at the ships’ flags and rigging. Thick clouds roll along above the island, warning them of the approaching storm. Across the horizon, lightning dances atop the white-capped waves. Fran continues down to a covered section of the wharf, shadowed by a large building for ship repairs.

“Tommy! You still here?” she calls out as they round the next corner. 

Tucked back along the building are a few more stalls. Their choice in location isn’t lost on Elena. This is where other sorts of deals take place. If it weren’t obvious from the grizzled men that leer at them, the crates of pistols, bolts of fine lace, and casks of wine are enough of a statement on their own. 

“Aye, I’m here.” 

Dread rings its alarm bell loud and clear inside her skull when Rhodes steps out from the group of men. From the corner of her vision, Elena sees several more men approach her from behind. “Very good,” Rhodes croons at Fran, dropping a few coins into her waiting palm.

“I also snagged us this. Figured we could rough it up a bit and pass it off as the Bonnie Prince’s.” From her satchel, she pulls out the dagger Elena eyed at the shop. “And that charm she’s wearin’, that could go for a fair bit o’ coin.” 

The roof groans under the sudden onslaught of rain. Shoddy patch jobs let some of the water through, soaking the dry earth under their feet. Taking the blade from Fran, Rhodes tosses it between his hands, eyeing Elena all the while. That crooked smirk of his widens.

“Fran speaks the truth, ya know. I spoke with your captain not long before the storm. He told me a lovely tale about how he’s sailed the world looking for his love. It brought tears to my eyes, it really did.” 

“Touching,” Elena all but spits back at him. She lifts her chin to keep her eyes on his. Her hand hovers above her sword’s hilt.

“Too many heartless bastards out there, he said, trying to pull one over on ‘im.”

Her eyebrows shoot up towards her hairline. “And you’re going to be different?” 

“O’course. He’s been chasing after lies for far too long. The lad wants proof.” Rhodes strikes; he throws an arm across her chest and slams her back into the wall. Her face smacks against the rough stone; she tastes blood on her tongue. “So, I’m going to slice off one of those pretty fingers of yers, and if he don’t respond to that, I’ll keep sending him more until he--”

Elena spits in his face. He reaches to wipe it away and she ducks under his hold, using the muddy ground to slide from his next punch. Knocking his arm away, she slams her fist against his kidneys. Rhodes collapses to one knee and growls out a long string of curses.

“Send him one of yours instead,” she snarls.

Swiping the dagger from his hand, she twirls it and grips it tight before seizing his other hand. The blade slices clean through three of his fingers. His howl of pain disappears under a loud clap of thunder.

“You fucking--”

His insult never lands. With a quick snap of her knee, she knocks his head into the wall. He collapses in a heap, mottled with blood and muck. Elena bends down and wipes the blade on a clean patch of his shirt. 

When she stands up, she finds Fran gone and the other men watching her from a few yards back. Sliding her new dagger into the sheath at her breast, she throws the men a mock salute and heads out into the storm. 

------

She’s woken by the smell of blood. 

Her hand goes up to attend to her nosebleed before she realizes the scent is a memory from her nightmare, the last dredges of it lingering in the confines of her quarters. Not wanting her bunkmates to wake to the sound of her crying, Elena climbs out and heads for the deck. With the skeleton crew this late at night, she has no trouble sneaking past them to reach her corner of solitude at the stern.   

If she closes her eyes, she can pretend she’s aboard the Revenge. The salty ocean breeze and the rhythmic swaying of the ship could fool her so easily. When she opens her eyes, though, there is no Henry badgering her about trying his latest creation; no Charlie sauntering up with a bottle of rum; and no Edward drawing invisible lines between the stars to teach her the constellations. 

The same stars she’s looking up at now, knowing that somewhere out there across the sea, he might be gazing at them, too. 

The small pinpricks of light start to grow fuzzy. Elena folds her arms against the railing and buries her head in them, trying to muffle her crying. The idea of spending another month chasing after Edward is frustrating to no end. If this was her own time, she could just hunt him down on social media or track him down with a PI. Maybe it would be better if she planted her ass down on an island and waited for him, at this rate.    

“Are you bawling because you killed him?”

Elena jolts up in surprise. Her ribs smack against the railing. Rubbing a hand over them to soothe the ache, she turns and glowers at Robert. 

“I don’t remember inviting you to my pity party.”

“You didn’t. I crashed it.” Moving to stand beside her, he spends a long minute overlooking the dark ocean in front of them. Once she’s finished with trying to hide her tears, he asks again. “So, did you?”

“No.”

“A shame.” 

Captain Delaney was the only one to ask about Rhodes when he didn’t return. When no one else responded, Robert mentioned that he decided to take a position on another ship. The lie -- and the fact that no one cared all that much for the man anyway -- seemed to work. Delaney promoted another sailor to Rhodes’s position, and that was that.  

“I should’ve listened to you,” Elena laments, not-so-subtly wiping her tear-stained sleeve against her face. “This woman approached me and said she had information about Edward. I was baited -- hook, line, and sinker.” 

His hands clench tight around the railing. “Love can make you do stupid things.”

“Are you speaking from experience?”

“Aye, actually, I am.” 

“Bullshit,” she says. “You’ve never once mentioned someone important. You only wanted to come back for the freedom, the adventure -- you said so yourself. And I understand that, I really do. The adventure is why I stayed in the first place. I could’ve snuck into Edward’s cabin or seduced him for the compass like that,” she snaps her fingers for emphasis, ignoring Robert’s snort of disbelief. “But once I had the chance… I stayed. It became about more than the thrill of it.”

“Why is it that you younguns think love is only for the thirty-and-under crowd?” 

“‘Younguns’?” Elena repeats with a grimace. 

“I was trying out some of yer Texas slang.”

“Nobody says that.” When he opens his mouth to protest, she holds up a hand. “Okay, nobody who didn’t fight in the fucking Alamo. But -- seriously, I want to know. Is there someone…?” she trails off, encouraging him to open up. 

Robert lets out a long, ragged sigh before digging into his coat. The compass in his hand is set into a simple wooden box, much less ornate than the previous one. Cradling the compass close to shield it from the wind, he digs a fingernail into a hidden switch and a small compartment slides open from the bottom. A twist of raven-colored hair falls into his palm, tied with a tiny length of twine. He traces his thumb across the coarse texture, his breathing unsteady. 

“His name is Julien. We met in Panama City while searching for Sir Francis Drake’s treasure that he stole from the Nuestra Señora de la Concepción. Though we never did find the gold, we ended up running a ship together and stealing some of our own.” Without glancing down, Robert slips the lock of hair back into the compartment and snaps it closed. It’s telling how reflexive it is, as if he repeats the move a hundred times a day. “We didn’t want to deal with the Spanish anymore than we had to, so we sailed to St. Lucia. ‘Twas run by France at the time, and our contact out there bragged about running a smuggling route right under their noses. But when we arrived, we found him in a gibbet. He’d been there a good while. Julien only knew ‘twas him from the ugly, purple trousers he wore.”

Having seen the skeletons hanging along some of the ports, Elena is thankful she missed seeing the late stages of decomposition. “Not long after, we were captured by the French. We managed to escape, but were forced to separate in order to get our crew out. Being French himself, Julien had a better chance at disguising himself as a local. The last I saw of him was when he went back in to retrieve Charlie. And then,” he pauses to clear his throat, “she came out and he didn’t, and we had to escape the island or risk getting caught all over again. And his attempts would’ve been for nothing.”

Elena wants nothing more than to wrap her friend in a hug. Knowing that he’s not big on physical touch, though, she gives what comfort she can by placing her hand alongside his on the railing. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“O’course you didn’t, because I never told you. Even in the future, there are places where our relationship would be met with the business end of a pistol.” Robert shrugs at the idea, but she can see in the set of his jaw how angry it makes him. “But even after I gained your trust and you told me about your past relationships, I felt like I still needed to keep him a secret. Old habits die hard, I suppose.”

“Tell me about him,” she requests.

With a quiet chuckle, Robert shakes his head. 

“There isn’t enough time in the day to describe him, and I’m not one to wax poetic. But he is… kinder than me, certainly. A better shot than me, too. He’s the one who taught Charlie everything she knows. The chain I gave you, that’s for him.” He puts a hand up when Elena immediately reaches up to return it. “No, no -- that whistle is much too important. The chain isn’t the… I’ve already gotten a new one. I was hoping -- I have my grandfather’s ring that I would like him to wear. If he agrees, o’course.”

She suppresses the smile that wants to form at seeing Robert flustered. 

“You’re referring to him in the… do you know if he’s alive? Where he is?”

“The last confirmed sighting of him was three years ago in Curaçao, a small island off the coast of Venezuela.”

Her brows knit together as she studies him. “Then why are you here, in the north?”

His shoulders sag with the weight of his sigh, though she can see the beginnings of a smirk on his lips. 

“Because I made you a promise, remember? Last year, when we tried our hand at stealing the sceptre from the Crown Room. The only reason I’m not locked up in some Scottish ‘House of Special Purpose’ is because you came back for me. And I told you that I would stay by yer side until we found Edward.”

“I mean, if I had left you there, you would’ve just ratted me out as an accomplice.”

That gets a proper laugh from him. “True enough, but I’ll wager the thought never crossed yer mind, did it, kid?” Her small shrug is enough of a confirmation for him. “Julien’s somewhere out there, waiting for me,” he assures. “The man has the patience of a saint. So, I’ll be sticking with you ‘til then. Make sure you get home safe and all that.”

Annoyed at the night’s second round of tears trying to make their appearance, Elena keeps her eyes on the whitecaps in the distance. 

“Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.” In a rare show of friendship, Robert knocks his elbow against hers and jostles her from the railing. “Seriously, don’t. I do have a reputation to uphold.”

------

References:

The “House of Special Purpose” is another name for the Ipatiev House, where Emperor Nicholas II, his family, and members of their household were executed in 1918. To my knowledge, there is no Scottish version -- mostly because MI5 operates out of the Thames House in London.

[penmansparadise]

Steve Harrington Imagine Request - I Love You so Much Most

* I DON’T OWN ANY GIFS POSTED* *CREDIT TO GIF OWNERS*

I’m sorry that it took so long, but here is the Steve Harrington angst imagine requested by @saturnssub​ .  I hope that this lives up to what you were hoping for!  Let me know what you all think and enjoy!! Xx.

Warnings: Angst and Mild Language

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Reader

_______________________________________________________________________

You and Steve met in middle school. Years ago, when you first moved to Hawkins, he was your only friend. He was the cool guy that every girl fawned over, but he had a secret soft side no one knew about. You used to eat lunch at a corner table by yourself. One day, Steve trotted over and plopped down in front of you. Everyone watched in shock as he sat and ate lunch with the loser new girl. You were confused and didn’t know if he was playing some sick joke. But, when he gave you a friendly smile, you knew he was genuine. From that day forward, you two were inseparable.

Your friendship grew stronger and stronger throughout the years. In high school, when Nancy broke Steve’s heart, you were the only person there for him. He went to your house that night in complete anguish. You held him and told him everything would get better. He stayed over that night and slept soundly next to you. Steve comforted you when Robert Miller, the best wrestler within a 200-mile radius, broke up with you at the Christmas formal. After the dance, he took you to get ice cream and scream into the night. Wrapped tightly in a blanket, the two of you watched the sun rise over the quarry. You and Steve were each other’s rock.

Before you knew it, Steve asked you to be his girlfriend. He dressed in his nicest button-down shirt and took you for a picnic. He hung lights on the tree you sat under and had candles on the blanket. Rose petals littered the ground around you. He was so nervous, but, with sweaty hands, he finally asked. You, not skipping a beat, said, “Yes.” After making things official, your relationship only grew stronger. You were the couple everyone wished they could be. The two of you were goofy but cute. You had inside jokes that would make you laugh until your sides hurt, and Steve kept the romance alive by constantly surprising you with flowers and handmade gifts. The two of you were head-over-heels in love with each other.

You had been dating for a little over a year when Steve began to get distant. It started when things at the Hawkins Lab began to happen, and the Byer’s kid got sick. He stopped calling your house on weekends and started to cut your dates short. He would run off immediately after dropping you off and even stopped sneaking into your room late at night. When you were with him, he seemed like he wasn’t present. He was always hidden away in his own little world, and the door was locked. You tried to enter, but he never let you. You tried not to worry or think irrationally, but you couldn’t help it. Your anxiety reached an all-time high when you saw him sneaking out of the Wheeler’s house one night.

Your house was exactly three houses to the left and across the street from the Wheeler’s. It was after midnight, and you couldn’t bring yourself to sleep. Instead, you opted to sit in your window and waiting for the sun to rise or Steve to show. Propped up in your window, you saw him. At first, you thought your eyes had deceived you. It was late, it could’ve just been a friend of Mike’s. It wasn’t until he walked under the street lamp that you realized it was Steve. His fluffy hair bounced as he jogged toward his car. Your chest tightened as your mind thought the worst.

“It’s been a whole year and four months since Steve and Nancy broke up. And Nancy is with Jonathan now! Steve wouldn’t do something like that to hurt me, would he?”

Weeks passed by, and you noticed Steve spending more and more time at the Wheeler’s residence. You began to lose sleep, forcing yourself to stay up and watch for him. Every night for two weeks, Steve was consistent. 12:30 AM would come, and so would Steve. He spent three hours inside before jogging back to his car and driving home. At the start of the third week, you had enough. You knew you shouldn’t have done what you did, but you did it anyway. It was Saturday morning, and, to your surprise, Steve’s car came to a stop in the Wheeler’s driveway. You weren’t used to him being there on the weekends. From your window, you saw him and some kid with curly hair walk out of the house. They held large silver buckets and wore yellow dishwashing gloves.

“What the hell is he doing now?” You asked your empty room.

Steve and the kid started walking away. Your eyes moved to your sneakers sitting in the corner of your room. The boys were a good distance away, and, without any more thinking, you laced your shoes up and ran after them.

You stayed a few paces behind them as to not be seen. When they turned onto a dirt path that led to the old railroad tracks, you slowed. Standing stationary, you watched as they started dropping cubes of raw meat along the path. Your face scrunched up in bewilderment.

“What are you doing, Steve?” You whispered before trailing after them again.

When you walked into the old junkyard, you quickly found a rusty car to hide behind. Through the dirty window, you watched another two kids show up. Steve corralled the children before they started boarding up an abandoned bus. You leaned forward in an attempt to hear what they were saying.

“If this doesn’t work, we’re in deep shit, Dustin. I hope you know that.”

“It’s going to work, Lucas! I mean, we practically dropped two whole cows along the way. What could go wrong?”

“A lot could go wrong, but whatever.”

“Hey,” Steve’s voice echoed, “less talking and more boarding. We lose daylight in 45 minutes.”

The sound of wood hitting metal resonated around you. You peeped through the window again to see the group of kids standing next to Steve. He clapped his hands before turning to face them.

“Okay, we’ll hide in here and wait for Dart. Remember, I’ll do all the work. I’m not having any of you shit heads dying on my watch.”

You placed your hand over your mouth to muffle the string of giggles that escaped you. One of the kids waved him off.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Harrington. Just get in the bus and wait.”

You watched the group of kids and Steve disappear into the bus before sitting on the cool grass. The sun went down, and the fog began to hover just above the ground. Every now and then, you would prop up to check the bus, but there was still no motion. It had been hours, and you were still sitting behind a rusty old car.

“What the fuck am I doing?” You asked yourself. “Steve is my boyfriend. I shouldn’t have to sneak around and follow him.”

You aimlessly picked at the wet grass next to you.

“I’m just going to walk right up to that bus and speak my mind. I’m going to ask what the hell he’s doing here and why he’s been at Nancy’s.”

You gave yourself a nod of encouragement. Right as you were going to stand up, a loud monstrous roar filled the air. You had never heard anything like it before. It sounded like something out a horror film. Your eyes scanned the junkyard, but you couldn’t see anything. The heavy fog blanketed the ground, and the moonlight gave little to no light. You sat still trying to see if you could find where the noise came from. The sound of crunching leaves made your heart race in your chest. When you turned to face where the sound came from, you froze. A few feet from where you sat, stood a fleshy looking beast. It had the body of a large dog, but its head was like nothing you had ever seen before. It had no eyes and was shaped like a flower about to bloom. It didn’t have a mouth. Instead, its whole head opened to reveal a billion tiny teeth. Your breath caught in your throat, nearly suffocating you with fear. You silently placed your hands on the rusty car for support. Every part of your body was shaking with terror. You let out an unsteady breath and tried your best not to whimper.

“Oh, my God. What the hell is that thing?”

The guttural growls and clicks from the monster reverberated in your ears and into the quiet night. It had disappeared into the fog, making you spiral into a panic. Your breathing was quickening by the second, and you were doing all you could to calm yourself down. That’s when you heard a high-pitched whistle. You didn’t want to move, but when you heard Steve’s voice, you couldn’t help it.

“Come on, buddy,” he began, “human tastes better than cat, I promise.”

You forced your wobbly legs to stand. They were weak with fear, and you were unsure if they could even hold you up. Your eyes surveyed the area, hoping to spot the monster, but they landed on Steve instead. You could tell he was scared, but he planted his feet in the dirt anyway. He was wielding a baseball bat covered in nails. His bravery made your heart swell a little. The sound of another loud monstrous screech pulled you back to reality. The fleshy beast came into view. It stood a few steps in front of Steve. Your heart thumped in your chest as you watched Steve and the monster square up. Steve’s feet twisted in the dirt to get better traction as he prepped his bat to swing. The monster let out a series of low growls in response. You were frozen in place when one of the kids shouts filled the air.

“Steve, watch out,” he yelled, “3 o’clock!”

That’s when you heard the familiar growling, but that time it was much closer. Your blood pulsed in your ears as you slowly turned to face the sound. Creeping over the crushed-up cars and tires was one of the monsters. Its large claws tore into everything it touched.

“Oh my God,” you began fumbling to turn yourself back around, “Steve!”

A loud fright-filled scream came from you as you barreled over the car and toward Steve. Just as you were about to reach Steve, you could see the other monster lunge toward you. You shut your eyes and let out another scream when you felt Steve’s arms wrap around you. Steve pulled you into his chest just as the monster jumped past you. You could feel tears welling in your eyes as you began to hyperventilate. There were monsters all around you at that point. Their growls played like a symphony in the night. Steve grabbed you by your shoulders to gain your attention.

“What are you doing here, Y/N!? It’s not safe!”

You tried your best to compose yourself, but you couldn’t. Your breathing was shallow, and it was making you dizzy.

“I’m so sorry, Steve. I followed you here. You’ve just been so distant lately and I saw you at Nancy’s. I just…I thought you were cheating on me. I’m sorry.”

Steve let out a frustrated huff and squeezed your shoulders.

“You followed me here? Why didn’t you just talk to me!? I would never cheat on you, Y/N. I wasn’t even over there for Nancy. I was over there for Mike and his friends.”

Your cheeks were wet, but you didn’t know if it was from tears or sweat. You shook your head in disbelief.

“I tried to talk to you, Steve. You ignored me. I didn’t know what to think. And now, with this, I really don’t know what to think.”

You stared at Steve, but his gaze was fixed behind you. When you went to turn around and look, he stopped you.

“No,” he said, “We need to run.”

You shook your head in confusion.

“What?”

Steve’s hands released your shoulders and grabbed your wrist tightly.

“Run!”

You took in a sharp breath before being dragged behind Steve. An array of sounds filled your ears as you willed your legs to move faster. Growls, crunching leaves, your heavy breathing, and fast-beating heart all melted into one. The kids were screaming from the bus. They sounded like they were a million miles away.

“Steve, hurry! Run faster!”

You felt Steve’s grip tighten around your wrist. There was going to be a deep bruise left behind. Your feet trampled the ground as Steve pulled you behind him. You could see the bus and the kids waving you on. Fear was painted on each of their childish faces. When you looked behind you, a pack of monsters was chasing you. They were so close. You could smell their musk as the wind whipped around you. The beastly sounds coming from them sounded closer with each step you took. From up close, you could see their bony bodies with clarity. They looked deformed as they ran after you and Steve.

Your heart was beating as fast as you were running. You could feel the breath of the monsters on your back. The bus seemed miles away, and you could feel your legs growing heavy.

“Steve,” you shouted out of breath, “I’m not going to make it!”

Steve held onto your writs even tighter than before and pulled you along.

“Yes, you are, Y/N. Just run, I’ve got you.”

You could see the bus and the kids clearly. There was a little red-haired girl who looked almost as scared as you felt. The two boys next to her stared desperately at Steve. The stairs were black and were covered in dirt. They did a great job boarding up the old piece of metal. The voices of the kids rang out as Steve let go of your wrist and jumped into the bus. He reached out for you. Your hand was so close to his. Your fingertips glided over his, and you could feel the nervous sweat that coated them. But he wasn’t fast enough.

A loud screech sounded just before one of the monster’s mouths attached to your side. You let out a scream as your body slammed against the ground. Sharp teeth tore into your clothes and flesh ripping everything to shreds. You watched as the fleshy beast opened your body and feasted. Your blood painted its face and pooled around you. It was warm against the cold grass. You could hear Steve yelling, but it was muffled. He sounded lightyears away, and it felt like you were having an out of body experience. You tried to scream out for Steve, but your blood was choking you. Your body grew colder with each bite from the monster. You were sure it was never going to end when the beast screeched and ran off. He left your body lying on the ground, mangled and broken.

You didn’t know what made it stop, but, suddenly, the monster was gone. The pain was still present as you felt your blood pouring out of your torso. You let out a wet cough and felt some blood dribble down your chin. Tears and sweat leaked down your cheeks. Your vision was going fuzzy, but you could still make out Steve’s figure. He dropped to his knees beside you and looked on in horror. You could tell that he was terrified, but he kept his brave face on for the kids.

His hands moved frantically over your body, trying to stop the blood that was gushing out of your body. Tears flowed from his eyes, and sobs shook his entire body.

“Dustin, g-go get a t-towel or something. We have to s-stop the bleeding.”

Dustin’s voice rang out and echoed in your head.

“Steve, buddy, I don’t think that’s going to help.”

“Just g-go, man! We h-have to save her!”

Through clouded vision, you could see the kid named Dustin scramble off toward the bus. Steve took your hand in his and brought it to his mouth. You could feel his dry lips on the top of your hand. His tears dripped onto your clammy skin mixing with your blood and sweat. You could feel him shaking next to you and could hear his trembling breaths. He gave your hand another kiss and brushed your wet hair from your face.

“Don’t w-worry, baby. Everything is just f-fine. Dustin is getting s-something to stop your b-bleeding.” He let out a hiccup and a whimper. “Y-you’re going to be okay, honey. I promise.”

You coughed more blood up before forcing yourself to speak.

“I’m not going to make it, Steve.”

Steve let out a soft cry that made your heart clench in your chest. You so badly wanted to wrap your arms around him and hold him close. You desperately needed to feel his embrace one last time, but you knew it would never happen. He squeezed your hand tightly.

“Don’t s-say that, Y/N. You’re okay, we’re g-going to g-get you to a h-hospital. Just hold on, b-baby. Please, just hold on.”

You could feel yourself growing weak. Your breathing was becoming labored, and your eyes were trying to shut. You grasped onto Steve’s hand as hard as you could muster.

“It’s okay, Steve.”

You tried your best to focus on Steve’s distressed face. His eyes were red, and his face was puffy. His bottom lip was quivering as you began to speak again.

“I have to let go, baby.”

Steve cried out in anguish as he placed his forehead on yours. A stream of whimpers escaped his trembling body. You nuzzled him one last time, feeling his soft hair on your face. You drank in the scent of his cologne and closed your eyes.

“I love you so much, Steve.”

Steve’s body shook from his crying.

“I love you s-so much m-more.”

You smiled feebly and said, “I love you so much most,” before everything went black.

[afictionaladventure16]

My Surrogate Father (Robert Downey Jr. x Teen!Fem!Reader)

Part 4 of 11

Masterlist

Previously on My Surrogate Father... 

“Hello, officers,” Your mother plastered a smile on her face as she chewed her gum, your mother was an amazing actress but she never pursued it as a career.

“Hi, we got a call from a neighbor that they heard screaming?” One of the officers said as he tried his best to glance into the house.

She chuckled, “I am so sorry, officers but me and my daughter were watching a scary movie, I guess we had the volume up too high.” The officers smiled and gave your mother a nod, “I am truly sorry you guys had to come all this way for nothing.”

“It’s fine, ma’am, you have a good night,” one of the officers called out as they walked away. Your mother watched as they got in the car and drove off, she closed the door and sighed. Walking up the stairs and into your room where she had placed tape over your mouth. You’ve never seen your mother this way, she was abusive in an emotional way throughout your life but never has she ever been abusive in a physical way.

She removed the tape. Tears fell down your cheek, you watched your mother rummage some more through your room, she sighed in frustration as she cleared out the last drawer. “Dammit!” She yelled as she threw the drawer onto the ground, causing you to jump.

“I told you, I didn’t have them,” you said quietly, your mother didn’t say anything. She walked out of your room, slamming the door behind her. You looked over at your phone, grabbing it, you noticed you had a missed call along with a couple of messages from Robert, Chris, and Sebastian.

You looked over Roberts messages:

Hey, hon, call me back, yeah?

Just want to check up on you, call me back when you can.

I love you, kid.

You then looked at Chris’s:

Hey, kid! How are you? Just wanted to check up! I’ll be in Los Angeles soon, I was thinking of having a movie night?

You smiled to yourself, ever since that one time having a movie night with Chris he’s been suggesting another. This time a Disney marathon. You then moved on to Sebastian’s text messages:

Hey there, y/n/n, just wanted to make sure you were doing okay. Facetime me when you can, I worry about you. <3

You sighed to yourself and placed the phone back on your nightstand. You wanted to reach out but you were so afraid of the outcome. Where would you go? But right now you didn’t want to think about that, right now you just wanted to sleep.

~~

“y/n,” you groaned and covered yourself some more with the blankets, Robert chuckled, “y/n, wake up, hon.”

“Go away,” you mumbled.

“I’ve got a surprise for you, come on, get up!” Robert shook you slightly.

You sighed, “fiiine!” You sat up and rubbed your eyes.

“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty! Now get ready and meet me in the living room once you get rid of this look,” he gestured towards your bed head and tired looking eyes. Robert then left the room.

Robert walked into the living room, “she’s awake,” he explained to Chris and Sebastian, “thank you, again, she’s such a neat kid.”

Chris smiled, “what’s her story?”

Robert sighed, “her father died a year ago, she lives with her mother and older brother now.”

“Must be hard on her,” Seb said quietly.

“Especially since she didn’t even know her mother until she was five,” Robert shook his head, “she doesn’t speak as highly of her mother as she does with her father… I don’t know, something about her mother just seems off.”

“Robert?” You called out, you were still getting used to the house.

“In here!” Robert called out.

You walked into the living room, noticing the two men sitting down on the couch. “Holy crap,” you mumbled as you realized who the two men were. “Holy fuck.”

“Language,” Robert smirked, “She said a bad word, Chris.”

Chris rolled his eyes as he stood up, “hey, y/n, Robert has told us so much about you!”

You looked over at Robert who was sporting a grin, “is this real?” you asked him causing Sebastian to laugh.

“Yes, they’re real, y/n.”

Chris walked over to you, he thought your reaction was cute, he pulled you into an embrace which you quickly returned. “It’s so nice to meet you!” you exclaimed, you looked over at Sebastian, “and you too!” You walked over to him and he instantly pulled you into an embrace.

“I swear to God if I wake up right now and I realize this is all a dream, I’m gonna be upset,” you stated causing the men to laugh. You then sat down on the couch next to Sebastian, “wait, so why are you guys here?” you asked.

“Because I asked them to come to meet you,” Robert smiled, “after talking to you yesterday about how your dad got you into comics and well, obviously you’re a huge Bucky and Captain America fan, I just had too. I tried to get Mark to come but he’s on vacation with his family.”

Robert barely met you and he has shown so much kindness towards you, he’s treated you as his own from the start and it made you feel loved. Yet, part of you was afraid that this was only because of the role you guys were playing but would he go out of his way to have his friends come to visit you if it were just for the role?

“Thank you, Robert,” you said with a smile.

Robert smiled back and then clapped his hands together, “Alright, so I’m thinking movie night? Susan took the kids to see her mother for the day, she’s been meaning to do that all week,” he mumbled the last part.

“Any suggestions?” Chris asked as he looked over at you.

“Star Wars?”

“Big commitment! I love it!” Sebastian said, “we should order some pizza.”

You sat on the floor, your eyes glued to the t.v.

“Look, there’s my dad!” Seb said as Luke Skywalker came onto the screen.

You all laughed at Seb’s comment, Robert’s phone suddenly began to ring, he excused himself. Chris paused the movie, “So, y/n,” Chris began to say, “excited for the big role?”

You sat on the empty couch space that Robert had left, “yeah, it’s pretty exciting.”

“I bet your mom is pretty excited!” Seb said with a smile.

You plastered a smile and gave him a nod, but you know your mother could care less about the role. All she cared about was the money that came with it. Chris could sense something was off, he knew a fake smile when he saw one, “what’s up?” he asked nudging your shoulder slightly.

You looked at him, a bit confused, “what do you mean?”

“Something’s wrong,” Chris said quietly.

Seb let out a small sigh, “I know we just met but you can tell us anything, y/n.”

You sighed, “my mom doesn’t pay that much attention to me, she tends to favor my brother…” Chris nods in an understanding way, “and since my dad has passed, she’s been paying less attention towards me, I mean, it’s not like I want the attention but I don’t know, it’d be nice to know that my mom actually cares.”

“She cares,” Chris said calmly, “she probably just doesn’t know how to explain her feelings.” you doubted that, especially with the way she treated your brother. You highly doubted that.

“But she said that her mother pays more attention to her brother, Chris,” Seb said to Chris. Chris then realized that he was wrong. “You have us, y/n. Things may be crappy now with your mom but soon you’ll be out of there,” Seb gave you a reassuring smile.

“Yeah and if you ever need someone to talk to, you can always call us or even Downey. I know Downey cares for you as his own already,” Chris chuckled.

“Did I hear my name?” Robert asked as he walked back into the room, “sorry, Susan was just calling to let me know that she was on the way back with the kids.”

“Should we continue the movie?” Chris asked

Robert looked at you and raised his eyebrows, “you stole my spot.”

“Finders keepers!” You said as you placed your head on the armrest and rested your legs on Chris’s lap.

Robert scoffed, “alright, then, remember you said that.” He then sat down on the couch with Seb, “by all means, Evans, resume the movie.”

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[zodiacal-dust-and-curls]

It’s Late (Ch 3)

A/N: Last chapter, my loves. You made it. This is all still fictional. Should line up with the Jazz and Crazy tours. Enjoy!

Warnings: swearing?, children, it’s cute (you’ve reached the fluff), good luck

Word Count: 2k

Ch 1 - Ch 2

Roger seemed to cling to you and Roxie in the coming months.

The band was recording their next album and the rhythm section seemed to spend a lot of time together to get the timing down. You spent even more time with Veronica than usual to help keep Robert occupied while she settled in with the newest addition to the family. This meant lots of dinners at the Deacon residence with you, Roger, Roxie, Robert, Veronica, John, and little Michael.

One day, after the recording was finished, Roger finally revealed why he’s been around so often.

“Y/N, I know that you probably don’t trust rockstars anymore,” a huge understatement really, “but I was hoping that just the two of us could grab dinner one day? Before the tour starts?” Roger Taylor had really just asked you on a date. Like a proper date. In front of your best friend’s house, no less.

“Roger . . .” You had to admire the guts it took to even ask. He knew your history, the whole band did. John refused to let Brian hide a damned thing from any of them. “Roger, I just . . . I know that you know what happened. But I can’t let you get close to us like that if you don’t intend to stay.” The tour would be starting in a few weeks. Just enough time for him to get close and then leave you alone. You could see it all playing out in your head already.

“Just dinner, Y/N. I promise to be on my best behavior for all of the tour. I’ll stay by John the whole time if you want a report back from a trusted source.”

“You can take me to dinner, Taylor. Have your fun on the tour. We’ll see what happens when you get back.” The smile that he gave you could melt even the iciest heart.

The dinner was sweet and rather uneventful. It felt more like two friends catching up than anything even slightly romantic. You had a good time and Roger seemed to enjoy himself as well. He left you that night with just a kiss on the cheek and the promise to see you again soon.

That had been about a month ago. He had seen you during that time, but never without someone present. Sometimes John, sometimes Freddie, but usually Roxie. It was okay. You’d told him to have his fun and promised him a proper chance after the tour. If he was going to woo you, he’d have to do it properly.

One thing you hadn’t expected from him while on tour was nightly phone calls. The situation felt so familiar, but seemed to sit differently in your soul. You were always pleasantly surprised when the phone rang and you picked up to find Roger on the other end of the line.

Roxie didn’t know about your little date, nor were you going to get her hopes up about anything. But she seemed to work Roger into her routine very easily. She fought sleep every night to hear his voice for just a few moments. You worried that if it didn’t work out, her heart would be broken beyond repair and she’d learn the same lesson you did at a much earlier age.

Towards the end of the tour, you were surprised to pick up your ringing phone to a very drunk Roger. He seemed to have an awful lot on his mind, but you had a fussy three and eleven twelfths year-old that was not going to go to bed without saying her usual good night to Uncle Rog.

“Rox, my lovely, my favorite girl.” You heard him through the handset. He was trying very hard to sound sober for your little one. “I hope you’re being good for your mumma and I hope you sleep well tonight.”

“I am Uncle Rog. I miss you though. Mumma isn’t fun like you.” Way to turn on your own mom, Roxanna Celeste. “When will you be back?”

You caught a giggle come from Roger. “I promise I’ll be home very soon, Rox. Just two more weeks.” You’d never seen Roxie look so disappointed in her Uncle Rog. “Can you be good for your mumma and go to bed, lovely?”

“No.” A drunken Roger and a pouty toddler. This was a match made in hell. You were sure.

“The faster you go to bed, the faster the morning will come, the faster the days will go, and the sooner I’ll be back to see you.” Okay, maybe drunk Roger had more toddler sense than you were ready for.

Roxie seemed to consider this for a moment. Her little eyebrows furrowing and her lips pursing out, as if to blow a very angry kiss. “Fine. Good night, Uncle Rog.” She handed the phone to you and waited for you to escort her to bed.

You put her down quickly and came back to the phone. “Rog?”

“Y/N! My favorite adult. How are you doing, love?”  It sounded like Roger had taken another shot before you came back.

“I’m fine. What are you up to? You sound a little . . . sloshed.” You wanted to say something else, but nothing really seemed to fit.

“I am. I’ve been thinking about you for the whole damn tour.” Well, that wasn’t exactly news. Why would he call if you weren’t on his mind? “You and Rox, actually. I know . . . I know what happened before. Brian is a dick. He should have told you the truth, that he wasn’t ready.” He paused for a breath.

“But, I am. I’ve had all my fun. I think I want to give domesticity a real try, especially with you.” Wait, what. “I waited so long. John threatened to kill me if I did anything before I was sure and you were so busy with Rox and I could never do anything to hurt her. I’d die before I hurt her.” You were beginning to get an idea of how many drinks he had.

“Y/N, you and Rox are the most important people to me. I’ve tried to take things achingly slow and I can’t anymore. I want to do things properly the minute I get home. What do you say?”

“Roger, are you telling me that my mothering skills attracted you to me?” The disbelief was evident in your voice.

“Partly.”

“Are you joking?”

“No.”

“Taylor, if you’re having a laugh, I will kill you before John does.”

“Y/N. I’ve never met a woman that makes me feel the way you do. You’re brilliant, you’re gorgeous, and you make me feel things I never thought I would want. I just think we should try this. What do you say?” You were in shock. Roger Taylor, the drummer from Queen, seemed to be attracted to you and had confessed it was amplified because of your motherhood.

“I think you better start planning how you’re going to court me. I’ll see you in two weeks, Rog. Good night.”

“Good night, my love. I’ll see you soon.”

Roger called you every night for the rest of the tour, Roxie kept her usual routine without much complaint, and you seemed to end your days with a countdown. The day Roger said, “I’ll see you tomorrow,” caught you by surprise.

Roxie was ready to bolt down to the airport to pick up the boys at 5 am. What you did to deserve this punishment, you weren’t quite sure.

“Roxie, lovely, come lay down with mumma. She’s tired.” This child. Roger might be wrapped around all her fingers, but you weren’t. At least not at 5 am.

“But mumma, Uncle Roger comes home today. I want to see him.” You were going to kill whoever taught her about calendars. Oh wait, that was you. Nevermind.

“He still has to land, lovely. Come here. We’ll wait together.” What Roxie didn’t know is that Roger was coming straight over, it was an early birthday surprise for her.

Roxie begrudgingly climbed into your bed. Thankfully, you knew how to get her to sleep. You pushed all the curls away from her face and started tracing light lines down her nose and eyebrows. This trick had worked from birth for her. It seemed to put her into a light trance until she finally fell asleep.

A few hours later, Roger knocked on your front door. He came alone, but not empty handed. A rather large, wrapped box sat behind him on your little porch.

“Um, Rog?” There could be no good explanation for this. You were sure.

“Yeah?” You didn’t like the smile he gave you. It was too innocent.

“What are you trying to bring into my house?” You pointed at the box. You couldn’t let him get out of this.

“It’s a present for my favorite girl. Where is she, by the way?” He had started to bring the box in just as you heard little feet run down the hallway.

“Uncle Rog! Uncle Rog! You’re back!!!” Roxie launched herself into his arms.

“I am back, Rox!” He pressed her tightly to him. “I brought you a present, too. I know tomorrow’s your birthday.”

“It is!!! I’m going to be four.” She wiggled to get down. “Mumma said she’s throwing me a party this weekend.”

Roger looked at you and mouthed “Party?” You nodded. Some of her friends from daycare, John and Veronica, and your family were going to attend. You were going to give Roger time to acclimate before you dragged him into anything.

“Will you be there?” Roxie did not seem so keen on giving him time to readjust to being home.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world, lovely.” He gave her a winning smile.

“Can I open my present now, though?” So she hadn’t forgotten about the giant box in the room.

“I’m fine with it, but you have to ask your mum.” He turned his gaze on you. They both did. If you didn’t know better, you’d swear that Roxie was Roger’s.

“I suppose.” You smiled back, still wary of the box but happy to see such joy in your little one’s eyes.

“Roger, I hope you’re joking.” The box happened to contain the one thing you had managed to keep out of the house for four full years, a miniature drum kit. It was designed to grow with her to a certain point, but you were sure it’d never grow on you. Just like her excited shrieking wasn’t growing on you at the moment.

“I wish I was, love.” He at least had the decency to look slightly worried before he pulled you to him and pressed a kiss to your cheek. “But this is nothing compared to the one for her at my place.”

You just groaned as you dropped your head to his shoulder. When had you started raising mini-Roger?

Roxie’s birthday passed without a hitch. John was surprised to see Roger, given the threats you’d learned of, but was pleasant nonetheless.

Over the next few months, Roger seriously courted you. He took his time in planning things out and made sure to include Roxie, when appropriate. He never rushed you and truly seemed to enjoy all your time together.

The next tour they went on was very short. Queen had booked a short trip through The British Isles to promote their new single and give everyone a rest.

“What do you say, love? Do you trust me on this one?” Roger looked so hopeful.

He’d been the best partner you could ask for while the boys were home recording. He’d been wonderful during the last tour despite having no promises to keep to you. John had even mentioned in passing that there was only one night he was worried about his bandmate, and that seemed to coincide with the night of his confession.

“Of course, I do.” You couldn’t help but smile at him. He was so considerate to ask. “Go do your tour, love. Your favorite girls will be here when you get back.”

The tour was the perfect length to test this new relationship. Roger called every night like he had the tour before. He always helped you put Roxie to bed before wishing you a good night was well. No tabloids came out with scandalous reports. He returned to you in one piece, absolutely ecstatic to see you. All was finally well in your world.

Tag List: @rogers-wristbands @bitemerog 

A/n: You made it! Let me know what you thought. Stay lovely 🖤

[aurumacadicus]

WinterIron Dating Sim13

You chose (3)! It’s Tony’s easy stance and open face that makes you think you can tell him. You’re so tired of lying, of skewing information and omitting truth and wondering when you’ll have to move again to keep your secret safe. You get the feeling that Tony won’t hold it against you.

“I’m Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes,” you say after swallowing thickly. “I’m on the run from Hydra, SHIELD, a dozen other agencies, and Captain America. I just want to be left alone.”

The corner of Tony’s mouth quirks up in a wry smile. “You wanted to be left alone and you still asked me out?”

“Well, I--” you begin, then stop in embarrassment.

Tony raises his eyebrows. “Yes? ‘Well’ what?”

You try not to fidget and end up shuffling your feet instead. “...Well,” you begin awkwardly. “I didn’t realize you were actually Tony Stark until I saw… that.” You point at the gauntlet still wrapped around his hand.

Tony stares at you for a long time, eyebrows still raised, mouth dropped open a little. You find it supremely unfair that he’s so attractive like that. Your date is ruined, you’re going to have to flee before SHIELD arrives, and now Tony thinks you’re an idiot.

“...Were you really calling me ‘Robert’ in your head?” Tony asks after a moment.

You seriously consider walking out into traffic, then figure you deserve this for leading Tony into a restaurant filled with Hydra agents instead of leading him elsewhere. “No. I just thought it was a coincidence that you were a Tony who looked like Tony Stark.”

Tony says nothing for several minutes, and you worry that he’s finally going into shock. Then he starts to laugh, a loud, booming laugh that rolls up from his belly and through his chest.

You stare at him, flabbergasted but also somehow charmed. Tony looks beautiful like this. You want to kiss the crinkles at the corners of his eyes.

“You--” Tony chokes out. “You thought I was--”

“Yes,” you sigh.

“BAHAHA YOU IDIOT OH MY GOD.”

“Well I know who you are now,” you grumble as Tony begins to laugh again. “And quite frankly you were nicer to me then.”

Tony stops laughing long enough to tell you, “You deserve this,” before he starts up again.

You roll your eyes, smiling reluctantly, and check your gun before putting it back in its holster. “Yeah, probably. I did lead you into a restaurant full of Hydra agents.”

“Not the best date I’ve ever had,” Tony muses, then tilts his head thoughtfully. “It’s not the worst, either, though.”

You grimace. “I don’t want to hear about your worst date, if that’s the case.”

“Good because I don’t want to relive it,” Tony retorts, then chuckles a little and reaches out to fix your jacket idly.

You feel ridiculously charmed by this--ridiculously charmed by him. “Let me make it up to you,” you offer before you can stop yourself.

Tony tilts his head, surprised. “Make it up to me?”

You figure that you’re in for a penny, so you might as well be in for a pound. “Let me take you out on another date. I promise if I even see a hint of a Hydra agent, I’ll tell you and we can go somewhere else.”

Tony seems to consider this for a moment before shrugging. “What the hell. I’ve made worse decisions. At least you’re good-looking.” He smiles to take the sting out of it, show it’s a joke.

His nose scrunches a little when he smiles. That’s entirely too cute. (Your attraction level has gone up!)

What do you to next? (1) Ask him what kind of date he’d like to go on next time. (2) Suggest he call SHIELD before any of the Hydra agents grow some balls and try to escape. (3) Lean in and kiss his nose before you can think too much about it.

[babyleclerc]

Something’s Gotta Give

Pairings: Chris Evans x Reader

Style: One-Shot

Warnings: Angst, language, smut!!!!! (NSFW, 18+!)

Word Count: 3K

Summary: You’ve been filming Infinity War over the past 8+ months and for whatever reason, you cannot stand the sight of Christopher Robert Evans. But on a cold winter’s night, stuck in a cabin for “mandatory bonding”, you and Chris work out your issues...physically. Includes cameos of our favorite super-dorks Seb, Tom, Scar & Mackie!

A/N: OK, so Chris is a bit of an ass here. But there’s always been this small little part of me that thinks he has a dark side... he can’t be fluffy and loving all the time, right? ;) I also haven’t written smut in like YEARS so please don’t come @ me just enjoy, OK? Also, dedicated to the love of my life @dolangram because she inspires me daily to be a better writer and also just a better person. ILY forever <3 Enjoy! (Gif not mine)

You couldn’t stand him. Literally, every single thing he did put you on edge. Every time he breathed. Every time he spoke. Every time he laughed so fucking hard he clutched his chest and threw his beautiful blonde head back, unable to breathe. And now, here you were. Stuck with him for a full 24 hours in a snowed-in cabin. What. The. Hell.

“Oh this is going to be such fun.” You hear Tom say from the corner of the room, rubbing his hands together after setting his bags down on the floor. 

“Whose idea was it to do this again?” You mumbled, more to yourself than to anyone in particular.

“Cheer up, doll, it’s the last time we’ll all be together like this for a while. It’s supposed to be fun.” Your best friend grinned at you, slinging his bulky arm across your shoulders and ruffling your hair.

“Seb!” You grunt at the weight of him, shoving him off you. “Knock it off.”

“I think this one’s incapable of having fun.” Scarlett’s voice rang through the lodge, smirking at you. 

You rolled your eyes at her. “I’m perfectly fine. It’s someone else you have to worry about.” 

“What’re you whining about now? Lodge not nice enough for ya?” You heard Chris say, a smirk on his face as he plopped down on the couch. It was late already, and the exhaustion of the long drive to the cabin mixed with a few too many beers in Seb’s car made you clench your jaw, glaring at him.

“The lodge is fine.” You say through gritted teeth, “You, on the other hand-“

“Alright, Alright. Knock it off, you two. We heard enough of the bickering on set for months and months, give it a rest.” Mackie chimes in, joining Chris on the couch. Behind Mackie’s back, Chris sticks his tongue out at you and you return the gesture by flashing him your middle finger. He laughs softly, shaking his head.

“This problem would have been solved months ago if you two had just taken my advice.” Seb commented, shoving a handful of pretzels in his mouth as he, too, plopped onto the couch across from Mackie and Chris.

“We’re not sleeping together.” You and Chris say at the same time in a bored, unamused tone. 

Seb shrugged in response. “I’m just sayin’.”

“Oh look, finally you two agree on something.” Scarlett commented, settling in on the floor in front of Chris. She leaned back against the sofa, cracking open a beer as she did so.

“It’s a miracle!” Mackie half-shouted, also cracking open what must have been his sixth beer of the night. “Let’s play a game.” Or was it number seven? 

The collective unit (Tom, you, Seb, Chris & Scarlett) groaned. 

“Not this again.” You say, gently shoving Seb on the couch so you can sit next to him. Leaning against the arm of the couch, you sprawl your legs out over his lap. He shifts slightly, but comfortably accepts you and lets his arm rest across your shins once you’re settled. You smile at the warm gesture.

“Yeah, remember what happened last time we played a game?” Seb said, lazily playing with a loose string on one of your wool socks. 

“Dude, no one needs to remember that.” Chris responded, running a hand through his blonde hair. 

And you weren’t sure if it was the alcohol running through your veins, inhibiting you from making a sound decision, or if it was out of pure spite for the man comfortably relaxing across from you that you loathed so much, but you wanted to disagree with him so badly, that your mouth spoke before your brain caught up.

“I’m in, Mack.”

“Yes!” Mackie shouted, giving an air pump as the rest of the group groaned again. Chris shot you a glare and you just grinned, feeling on top of the world.

It wasn’t until after four exhausting rounds of “Never have I ever” and “charades” did Mackie finally feel at peace, and had dozed off on the couch. Tom and Scarlett had already retired for the night, which left you alone with two other snoozing boys - Chris and Seb. 

You glanced up at the clock - three a.m. - and gently wriggled out from under Seb, who was snoring softly against your hip.

“Jesus, you’re heavy.” You mumble, pulling yourself out from under him quickly, trying not to wake him. You surveyed the room; Mackie passed out with a beer in his hand; Chris’ arms folded across his chest, head resting on the back of the sofa; and Seb sprawled out on his stomach, arm hanging off the side. You smiled to yourself; even though one-third of the trio on the couch was a shitbag, the other two made your heart happy. Safe. Calm. You had finally found people who you would be friends with forever - Tom and Scar included - and that was irreplaceable. 

Not feeling tired, you grab a blanket off the floor and slipped on your UGGS, opening the door slowly so as for minimal creaks, and shut it softly behind you. The cold air licked all around your face and fingers, and you shivered as it engulfed you, wrapping the blanket tighter around your shoulders. It was beautiful outside, snow blanketed every crevice of the property you were staying at, and the mountain could be seen just in the distance. You walked to the side of the porch, which had a closed hot tub, and stepped up onto it, sitting down and leaning against a wooden beam, admiring the view. 

You weren’t sure how long you’d been there, and you might have stayed for much longer if a voice hadn’t made you jump.

“Oh! Sorry, I didn’t think anyone was out here.”

Chris. 

You peered back at him, resisting the urge to roll your eyes at his mere existence. He had a grey, fitted under armor sweatshirt on and black sweats, his hair ruffled from falling asleep on the couch. Dare you say it, he looked almost cute; with his hair no longer perfect and his voice all gritty and deep from just waking up.

“It’s fine.” You say, turning your head back to the view, clutching your blanket tighter to your frame. 

“Well, er, mind if I join ya?” You shrug in response, and Chris chuckled. “I’ll take that as a yes.” Before you could say anything, Chris climbed on top of the hot tub, sitting a few feet away from you, legs crossed, staring out at the snow. Neither of you spoke for several minutes, not wanting to break the unspoken peace that rested comfortably between you.

“It’s just so peaceful out here, you know? It’s like I could hear a mouse tip toeing through the snow.”

“That would be impossible.” Chris retorted, and you threw him a look. “But I get where you’re comin’ from.” He said quickly, not wanting to irritate you. 

“Why do you always have to undermine me?” You ask - although there’s no malice in your voice, just general curiosity. 

“Why do you always have to be a pain in the ass?” He asked back, locking eyes with you.

You paused, allowing your eyes to truly meet his for the first time in weeks. They were a beautiful blue; even in your hateful tirade you couldn’t deny that. Against his grey sweatshirt and the white of the snow, they seemed so much warmer than usual. Your hand twitched slightly in your lap, which you ignored. 

“It’s just my nature.” You respond quietly, not breaking his gaze. 

“Just tell me what you find so repulsive about me.” He says in a low voice, blinking slowly. Is it just you or was he getting closer? You swear you could smell his cologne even though he was still at least a good foot away from you. 

“Where do I start?” You joke, though Chris only smiles at you. A beautiful sight now that his face is adorned with that Infinity War beard that he loved to sport so much. You secretly preferred him with a beard, but he never needed to know that. 

You take his silence as permission to continue, “Well, let’s see, you’re arrogant, loud, rude, selfish, and cocky.” You tick on your fingers, exaggerating slightly.

“All of those words could be easily spun into something positive, you know.” He responds, leaning slightly towards you. “See what I hear is: confident, charismatic, and self-focused.”

“Oh look at that, cocky again.” You snort, rolling your eyes. Whatever trance you felt before between his beard and ice cold eyes snapped, and you felt your body relax again. Finally, back to normal. You broke eye contact with him and let your head rest on the post, looking out onto the snow. 

To your surprise, Chris just laughs again. “If you keep rolling your eyes at me like that, they’re gonna get stuck there.” 

You resisted the urge to roll them again, “It’d be a much better view than your face.” You didn’t really mean it, but the words slipped out before you could stop them. “Shit, that was meaner than I intended. I’m sorry.” You say quickly, glancing over at him. Chris’ demeanor has changed; his body is no longer relaxed, playful. He’s much more charged, and has a dark look in his eye. 

“You know, you never asked me what I find so repulsive about you.” He began, and your heart picked up its pace, a blush creeping up your neck as you waited for what felt like an eternity. “You’re a fucking bitch, Y/N.” He finally spat.

Your blood grew cold, and it had nothing to do with the temperature outside. Everything went still. It was as if time had stopped. You blinked a few times, processing the malice that dripped through his words. He had meant it. Chris never said anything he didn’t mean. Ever. 

“And you’re a fucking dick, Chris.” You responded, so softly that Chris almost had to strain to hear it. You stood, climbing down onto the porch and hurriedly making your way towards the door. 

“Shit.” Chris mumbled, scrambling to his feet, “Y/N, wait, I’m -“

“Don’t bother saying it, Chris.” You said loudly, spinning on your heels to face him. He was closer than you had anticipated - much closer - and you found your face inches from his. You sucked in a breath, scooting back to get away from him but your butt hit the side of the house. There was no where for you to go unless you could magically walk through walls like Vision.

Chris sighed, running his hand across his face before resting it against the wall of the cabin, just to the left of your head. You tried to make yourself as small as possible to distance yourself from him but it was to no avail. He was much bigger and stronger than you, and though you would have been able to maneuver yourself away if you wanted to, there was a part of you that wanted to see how this would play out. 

“I don’t think you’re a bitch.” He finally said, his face  hovering just above yours. 

“You literally just -“ 

“You’re infuriating. Insufferable. Loud. Obnoxious. A know-it-all-“

“Wow, Chris, I’m so flattered.” You interrupt him, placing your hand on his bicep to shove him off you. He instead brings his hand to your waist, shoving you gently against the wall, pinning you there. Though the blanket is still in between the both of you, you can feel the heat from Chris’ large hand burning through it, piercing your skin. 

“I wasn’t finished.” He growled, his eyes locking with yours once again- searching for something, anything that would give him a clue as to what was going on in that beautiful head of yours. “You’re also gorgeous. And smart. And kind, and incredibly thoughtful, with a sense of snarky humor that is obnoxiously charming.”

Your head was spinning, “Wait, what?” You asked breathlessly, taken aback. Every scent of his was consuming you - soap, a hint of alcohol from the many beers consumed just hours ago, mint, and vanilla. He smelled... warm, almost. Comforting. Like fresh sheets. 

“You heard me.” He said, and he leaned in closer, his lips just inches from yours, his mouth parted slightly. You glanced from his eyes to his lips, something buzzing in you that was different than the annoyance you felt before - was it... attraction?

“Chris, I..” You trailed off, unable to find your words as you found yourself swimming in his deep blues. 

“Just be quiet for five seconds in your life.” He commanded softly. 

“That’s impossible, I-“ 

“Oh, for Christ’s sake.” Chris interrupted you by planting his mouth firmly on yours, closing the distance between you two. Your brain stopped for a moment - what the hell was happening? 

Your body felt differently, however, and without thinking, you found yourself kissing him back, your arm snaking its way behind his neck, gripping onto him for dear life. He pressed his body into yours, leaning against the cabin, ignoring the freezing cold and focusing on you as all the negative energy from the past eight months oozed out of both of you. All the name calling, eye rolling, and insults finally exploding as you allowed him to kiss you like his life depended on it- causing your blood to buzz and abdomen to grow warm. 

He slipped his left hand beneath the blanket you still had around your shoulders, moving it to the side to grip your hip tightly. You moaned softly against his mouth, deepening the kiss and allowing your lips to part slightly to make room for his tongue. He tasted surprisingly sweet; his smell mixing with the cold outdoors and sending a shiver down your spine.

Chris felt it and broke the kiss, “Are you cold?” He asked huskily, catching his breath.

You blushed slightly, “I don’t think it has anything to do with the temperature.” You whisper, causing him to grin. He doesn’t say anything as he gently tugs your head to the right with his hand, granting him access to your neck. He begins sucking and kissing, leaving light hickeys as he works his way from your jaw to your collarbone, his erection growing with every moan coming from your lips. 

His hands were making quick work of your breasts, squeezing and tugging at them with both hands as his tongue drew circles on your shoulders. His beard tickled your skin, causing you to arch your back in response, resisting the urge to buck your pelvis against his and cause friction. As if reading your mind, Chris’s right hand traveled from your breast down to your pajama bottoms, which were held up so neatly with a bow. He pauses, fingers on the string, ready to pull - silently asking for permission.

“Just do it already.” You groan, actually bucking your hips this time. Chris wasted no time at all pulling the string and loosening your bottoms. Careful not to let them fall all the way, he slides his hand in between the fabric of your pajama pants and your panties, moaning as his fingers slid along your entrance.

“Fuck, you’re so wet.” He growled in your ear, pressing against your clit gently. You whimpered in response, pushing against his hand - needing him more than you thought possible. After a few long, torturous few seconds, Chris shoved your panties down, causing you to gasp first at the cold air, and then again when his middle finger brushed against your clit softly.

“Chris, fuck.” You moan, allowing your head to fall onto his shoulder, eyes closed tight. His left arm supported you, and you could feel his muscles tightening just slightly underneath your weight.

Shit that was hot. 

You tugged at the elastic of his sweats, attempting to shove them down. If you were going to have Chris Evans, then you would have the whole experience - cold weather be damned. Chris pulled his lips away from the soft flesh above your breast, where he was nipping and placing gentle kisses. 

“I don’t have a condom.” He breathed, two fingers now rubbing against your clit slowly, causing it to throb inside you. You squirmed again, leaning into him.

“Don’t care,” You mumble, “I’m on the pill.”

That was all the green light he needed. Chris pulled down his boxers and sweats, just enough so his cock was free from its confines. His mouth found your breast again, shoving your tank and bra down and out of his way, exposing your breast to the elements. A small shiver again; but this time from  the way his teeth were tugging at your nipple; cold from the weather but hardening from his warm mouth.

You let out another soft moan as Chris swiped his thumb one last time against your clit, before aligning himself and entering you completely with his girth, sliding in smoothly. You gasped at the feeling, your body adjusting to his length as his right arm hooked below your left leg, lifting it up for better access into you. 

Your hands clutched at his sweatshirt, forming into fists as Chris repeatedly slammed into you with his hips, wasting no time at all in developing a fast rhythm as you moaned into his shoulder. He rolled his tongue in circles on your shoulder, his hand cupping your breast, causing you to lift your hips into him, trying to get him deeper inside you. He groaned your name, losing himself in the feeling of being in you. 

“Fuck... Chris...” you moan, feeling the familiar tightness in your stomach as you inched closer to that wonderful feeling of ecstasy Chris was making you crave so bad. 

“Come on, babe,” he encouraged, his voice just barely above a whisper, gripping your leg tighter as he thrust into you harder. “Let go.”

His words, combined with your nipple pinched between his two fingers, were enough to send you toppling over the edge as you felt your orgasm rip through your body; a tingling sensation felt all the way through your toes. You buried your face into his neck in an attempt to muffle your screams, bringing Chris to his climax as he thrust once more, cursing as he finally released himself into you blissfully. 

Panting, you both stayed there for a minute, your head in his neck, him buried deep inside you, riding out the remaining highs you were both feeling. Once your breathing had steadied, Chris slowly pulled himself out of you, pulling up his sweats and helping you hoist your pajama bottoms and panties. He rested his hands on your waist once you were situated, admiring your flush cheeks and bruises across your neck and breast. He pulled the blanket back over you, enveloping you in both it’s warmth and his, aware of the goosebumps on your arms. 

Grinning, he finally broke the silence. “I guess Sebastian was right, huh?”

Fin.

Tag List: @markusstraya, @punkin-pie-mofo, @hazohazahazbro, @irishprincess9, @jedionironthrone, @aclutteredheadspace, @proud-of-being-me, @disneymarina, @dolangram, @nightcrawler0213. 

Please let me know if you’d like to be added or removed!

[blorbosexterminator]

I AM BACK!!! FOR 1 FINAL TIME & TO KISS GOODBYE TO THIS BEAUTIFUL FIC 😘

Also, I realized that, whatever happens in any story, its all decided by the writers & in this case, ITS YOU. So, I have a song especially dedicated to you :

🎶Who's been messing up everything?

It's been Nada all along 😈

Who's been pulling every evil string?

It's been Nada all along 😈

She's insidious (ha-ha!)

So perfidious

That you haven't even noticed

And the pity is (the pity is)

Pity, pity, pity, pity

It's too late to fix anything

Now that everything has gone wrong

Thanks to Nada (ha!)

Naughty Nada

It's been Nada all along!

(gasps) And she killed Alberto, Federico, Gandia and Tatiana, too! 🎶

(Agatha All Along by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez feat. Kathryn Hahn)

(FINALLY!!! You have no idea how long Ive been waiting to put this song. From ep 13 I wanted to do this)

Onto the Finale, Get ready to be reviewed :

Okay, so I dont wanna focus on the angsty part cause I've cried too much

My dog : Yep, you finished an entire tissue box

Me :

Me :

But Sergio and Martin are getting Brotp Rights and I am here for that

Raquel advising Andres to forgive Martin?! BEAUTIFUL

Silene, who has been trying to hide from Raquel for the past days, came as well. 

She sat by his side and just put her arms around him, laying her head on his shoulder. He’s occasionally still amazed by her emotional honesty, how effortless it is for her to love and show it.

Okay, honestly? Silene is 80% redeemed in this telenova

Paula was drinking orange juice from a box, which doesn’t taste as nice as the one her mum makes, but she drank it anyway when Sergio sat by her side. She wasn’t exactly thinking it when she blurbed it out. 

“I told you.”

“Hm?” he turned to her.

“That night, I told you it was Silene, and you didn’t listen to me.”

“Huh, yeah. Yeah, you did,” he said, “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you, can you forgive me?” she looked down and he had his hand reached. He stared at her, which always creeps her out, but not so much this time, until she shook it. He smiled at her, a little sadly.

“Aren’t you going to punish her?”

“I don’t know yet. Maybe.”

“Maybe? She kidnapped my grandma!”

Sergio chuckled, nothing was funny. “Yes, but she only did it because she was scared for me. And she’s family.”

 

That made no sense to Paula but she said nothing. 

“If you made a mistake, and you made it only because you believed something that turned out to not be true, wouldn’t you like Mama to forgive you? Wouldn’t you like me to tell you ‘ It’s okay, you won’t get grounded this time’ ?”

“Not if I stole someone’s grandma,” she murmured, she doesn’t even know why she would ever believe untrue things.

😍😍😍 Paula 😍😍😍 my girl saying nothing but facts 👏👏👏👏👏👏

Paula comforting Martin? So sweet, such a sweet girl, caeing about her both tios ❤❤❤

Also, that convo between them was so funny 🤣🤣🤣

“It seems every time he’s away from you, something terrible happens to him,” 

This is what exactly happened in canon and no, I will accept otherwise

“Maybe. It’s not far-fetched to believe this entire family is cursed.”

🤣🤣🤣🤣 Aint that the truth?! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Don’t be stupid,” he said, his voice hurt with every word. “Put it back on.”

Martín’s eyes brightened, “What?”

“I can’t repeat myself, Martín. Have some decency, I’m tired—” Marin caught the words from his mouth, pressing his lips to his. The cuts hurt, but he couldn’t help but kiss him back. He never could

TRUE LOVE RIGHT HERE!!! So cute, so beautiful, so sweet, so lovely. Ah! My sweet baby heart, be calm

Agatha and Alicia?! Ran off in sunset together with money and kids?!?! :

Daniel and Monica gonna get married?! :

"I just don't get it. I already have one."

No you don't, Sergio thinks, but he says nothing.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 #awkward 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

You can't have two dads!" she added, to which Martín snapped his head back from the chit-chattering he was engaged in with a ' hey!'

Andrés laughed, his arms around Martín’s waist. “Since when do you want to have kids?”

“I don’t but that’s not the point. You’re homophobic, Paula.”

“We didn’t have that talk with her yet, Martín.”

“What talk? She just attended our wedding! Should she see us—”

Sergio put his hands around her ears immediately as Raquel clasped her hand around his mouth.

Martin : My homophobic detecter senses are tingling

Martin, sweetie, no 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣. Please dont traumatise the kid further, save that exhibitism for Tatiana

Sergio just shook his head, but he couldn’t help but smile at them. He had been so preoccupied with the danger Martín proposed, he had missed to notice that he had never seen his brother as truly happy as he was him.

Well, Sergio's 100% redeemed in this telenova. Also, thank the Lord this asshole finally used his brains he known for.

“She’s with her uncles,” Raquel said, smugly, as she leaned back. “They took her to America, just sent us pictures, do you want to see?” 

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I love a petty Raquel. Also I hc that Silene is grounded to her room with a black eye and a good beating 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣. Sergio tried to intervene but 1 glare made him back off

Tatiana laid bleeding out in Martín’s basement, alone.

Poetic justice, bruh, wonderful 👏👏👏

Also, please tell me they banged right in front of her or at the very least grossly made out 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 cause I know they are petty like that.

Andres & Martin on their honeymoon😍😍😍 with Paula 🤣🤣🤣 to Disneyland?!

Beautiful, my sweet Paula got everything she needed 😚

Actually, everyone has a win win case

But, how do they manage to bang, tho? Okay, I hc that Martin payed a lovely staff member named Ariadna to take care of her for the night while they go at it.

So, here ends my review and THANK YOU FOR THE HAPPY ENDING

This is embarrassingly late, forgive me. Things have a been a little all over the place. But YES, one last time (It's still the last. The fact that it was the last like two weeks ago is not to be focused on.)

First, thank you so much, Kal. For this time and all the ones before it, this has meant so much.

I love the song. I'm so glad you finally got to use it since it just made my life better since seeing it dedicated to me. It's hilarious and I love it.

Onto the finale, one last time.

You're right to! Enough angst, they got their happy ending and we should celebrate that.

(And greetings to your lovely dog! He has been an essential part of this journey and he should know it!!)

Oh yeah, the Raquel and Andrés part was my absolute favourite so I'm very happy you found it beautiful!

YES. So proud of her.

Paula got all the rights!

Paula and Martín are a pair I didn't expect to enjoy so much, so it was a super pleasant surprise.

Yes! It's canon. (Spoiler: Martín put a curse on Andrés and that's why he died in the mint.)

Ahhh so happy you enjoyed their reconciliation. They deserve it.

Yes!! All my three couples get their happy endings. (Serquel too who got free babysitting for like 3 weeks or so)

Oh god yes, the kid has been through enough Martín.

Ahhhh, I got Sergio redeemed! I feel like my work is done in this fandom. Everything is good now.

Oh yes and she deserves to be pitty. Silene is definitely grounded. Sergio couldn't even open his mouth.

YES. Well, they would have. But something tells me Tatiana wouldn't mind it as much.

Everyone gets their happy ending!!! Actually, I meant to elaborate more, but time sorta of ran out. I was going to give Monica and Denver an on-screen wedding as well. Julia is Daniel's best woman and Agustin is the one who walks Monica down the aisle.

Thank you so much for the review!!

[ddaddsprompts]

Hey I'm so AMAZED with your prompts, YOU ARE AWESOME!! they are so well done and you're really creative in your writing and I LOVE that :3 But enough fangirling I was hoping you would consider making a prompt that has the [Dad]'s kids reacting to their dad and his husband, Dadsona, having a new baby(perhaps thru mpreg means?) maybe a boy for the families overrun with girls and a girl for the ones with boys. Maybe even include Amanda too? I know this is a lot but I hope you at least like it :3

Could you do an imagine where the cool-de-sac kids handle with their Dads having a new baby with Dadsona? I found river real cute and this just came to me :3 plus can you imagine Ernest or Daisy as older siblings super cute!!

Thank you so much!! This was a lot of fun to write (despite the pain in my fingers), so I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did. Dadsona here is trans and thus capable of getting pregnant.

🥃 You aren’t as close to Valas you’d like to be, but there were still issues father and daughter needed towork out between them and you can understand that. Robert’s got better, a lot better, since your talk under thetree in your backyard, thank god, because you don’t know how the ‘old’ Robertwould have reacted to seeing the positive pregnancy test you presented him with.There were tears, sloppy, wet kisses and laughter. The fact Val came to visitthe following weekend was a lucky coincidence, but you’d take it. You aren’tfar along enough to show already, but the way Robert hovers around you,constantly keeping you in his sight, asking you a thousand questions just tomake sure you really are fine, would have tipped anyone off. “I don’t deserve another child,” Roberthad said, “I haven’t even made things upwith Val yet. I don’t want her to be angry at our kid for getting the fathershe never had.” He needn’t have worried. Val seems to immediately sense somethingwas off. You’re worried about her brows getting stuck in that position if shecontinued frowning. You don’t want to breach the topic before Robert is readyto tell her, but Val beats you to it. She stands up right after dinner andcrosses her arms in front of her chest. The resemblance to Robert isremarkable. “Okay, you two, spill it.” “I’m pregnant,” you say. “About threeweeks in.” Val stands, frozen, for a few moments. You can see Robert go tense,his knuckles white. Then Val surges forward to hug you two and buries her facein her father’s shoulder, saying “I’m so happy for you two” over and over again.There are tears, sloppy, wet kisses and laughter. He needn’t have worried.

 🍸 Chris’ immediate response to hearing the news isto look at you and ask “How? Men can’t get pregnant.” You’re surprised, asuntil now, you thought Joseph’s kids knew, but Joseph whispers into your earthat it wasn’t his right to tell them and you understand. After half an hour ofexplaining you’re trans and what exactly that means, Chris seems satisfied withyour explanation. Christie and Christian, not so much. “Is it going to be agirl? I want a sister. I already have three brothers.” Christian elbowed histwin in the side. “Nuh-uh. I want a brother.” Christie glared daggers at him.You stifle a laugh behind your hand and see Joseph do the same. Crish, in hiscrib, blew a spit bubble, making clear he doesn’t particularly care either way,because he’s a toddler and doesn’t understand any of what you say yet. “Wedon’t have any way of influencing the gender of the child and it’s too earlyfor the doctors to find out,” Joseph interrupts before the argument can evolveinto a proper fight. “But you can try praying for a brother or sister, maybe Hecan be convinced by your arguments.” The twins, still glaring at each other,nod. Suddenly, there is a hand on your belly, and you look down to find Chrislook at it in concentration. “What are you doing, champ?” Chris’ mouth twitchesin what you now recognise as a smirk. “Praying it’s not twins again.” You andJoseph break into giggles as the twins whine.

☕ Mat and you planned on telling Carmensita overdinner, but neither of you counted on her perceptivity. “Y/N, why aren’t youdrinking your usual coffee?” She asks you as she plops down on the couch nextto you. You look at your fruit drink and then back at her. “I can’t havecaffeine, sweetheart.” The response was automatic, reflexive, and your brainscatches up only as Carmensita’s eyes go wide and her skin a few shades paler. “Areyou sick? Oh god, that’s why you went to the doctor’s recently, isn’t it? You’resick.” With horror you realise there are tears in her eyes. The next momentCarmensita is crying and hugging you with all her might. “Please don’t die likeMommy,” she sobs. The words break your heart. At the first commotion Pablo raninto the back and now, Mat comes hurrying over. He pries Carmensita off you andlifts her into his arms, rubbing circles on her back. “Baby girl, what’s wrong?”Carmensita sobs again. “Y/N told me he can’t have coffee anymore and I know hewent to the doctor’s a few days ago! He’s sick! I don’t want to lose him too!”Mat’s eyes widen in shock. He gently puts Carmensita down on the couch againand kneels in front of her, cupping her face in his hands. “Baby girl, Y/N isn’tsick, I promise. He can’t drink coffee at the moment because he can’t havecaffeine. Baby girl, Y/N is pregnant. You’re going to get a baby brother orsister soon.” Carmensita looks from her father to you. “Pregnant…?” You nod ather and smile. “Yes, dear.” She hugs you tightly again, but this time she’slaughing from joy.

🌹 The decision who of you would carry the childhadn’t been easy, but eventually, you decided it would be you, and you twoasked Robert whether he would donate sperm. After the initial meltdown, he saidyes. A month later, you received the news: You were pregnant. Now it’s time totell Lucien. He’d known you were thinking about having a child and had gone tothe doctor, but not that it worked at the first try. Damien is a nervous wreckas you two prepare dinner for when Lucien returns from school. “He already toldyou he’s happy about our decision and looking forward to a younger sibling. Whyare you so worried now, dear?” He runs a hand through his hair and gives asomewhat helpless shrug. It makes you pull him closer, sneaking an arm aroundhis waist. “Truthfully, I don’t know. Maybe that he has changed his mind.”“I haven’t,” Lucien says, kicking the door shut behind him. “If it’s about yourwish for a child.” He drops his bag and leans against the wall. You canpractically guess the direction of his thoughts as you follow his eyes go fromDamien’s face to yours and then down to the hand Damien has on your stomach.Lucien’s eyes light up and you think, he figured it out. “Did it work?” Lucienasks. Warmth spreads out inside of you at his tone, the pure joy you can hearin his voice. “Yes, dear,” Damien replies and you add, “I’m pregnant.” Lucienwhoops and runs over to tackle-hug you both; the impact sends you three into acuddle pile on the floor. “I’m going to be a big brother!” You laugh and coverDamien’s hand with your own.

🎣 “Dad… what are you doing?” You lift your headand peer over the book you’ve been reading while Brian got to work building a nurseryfrom scratch. Daisy is standing in the doorframe, watching with a confused lookas her father hammered nails into a wooden plank. He was vibrating withexcitement, like you and Craig used to on four cups of coffee spiked withenergy drinks. The fact that the news made him so happy still fills you withjoy. “Building a-“ Brian trails off and shoots you a look. You gesture him tocarry on; there was no reason why she shouldn’t know. Brian puts aside thehammer and walks over to his daughter, sweeping her up into a hug that left herfeet dangling above the floor. “—nursery for your baby brother or sister! Y/Nis pregnant! I’m going to be a father again and you’re going to be a bigsister! Isn’t that great, Daisy?!” Daisy doesn’t reply. You feel a pang ofworry in your chest at her expression. She doesn’t look happy at all. Brianlowers his daughter to the floor again and kneels down to look at her face. “Daisy,dear? Aren’t you happy?” Daisy starts fidgeting and wrings her hands. “I am,but…” She averts her eyes. “What if I won’t be a good big sister? I can’t teachthem anything besides school stuff…” Standing up, you cross the distance andtoo kneel in front of her. “You’ll be a great big sister. Besides, Amanda isthere, too, and together you’ll be the bestest sisters in the world.” Daisypulls a face. “It’s best, Y/N.” Youwink and pull her into your arms.

👟 “No.” “But—“ “No, absolutely not.” “But, bro—“ “Craig,I won’t let you name my child Meadow or Forrest.” Craig gives you his patentedpuppy eyes, complete with a pout, and you feel your resolve crumble. “How aboutRain? Or Willow? Flint? Sterling?” You groan and throw up your hands. “How areyou even coming up with all these names? Do you have, like, a list?” Craig’ssheepish look is all the answer you need. You turn around and walk into theliving room, throwing yourself down on the couch and turning on whateverreality-TV show is currently on air. Craig trails after you and you scoot overto make space. After a few minutes of silence you lift your head and look downat River, who is playing with Arnold on a blanket. “Hey, River?” She looks upat you. “You’re going to be a big sister. How does that make you feel?” River wavesArnold around. “Sisa!” You turn to Craig. “One down, two to go. Your job.”Craig laughs. “That’s unfair, bro. You got the easy part.” You nudge him withhis foot. “I’ll remind you of what you said once I’m moody and have swollenfeet.”About halfway through the second episode the front door is opened and in stormHazel and Briar. Craig slips out from behind you and starts preparing lunch,while you play with River, trying to get her to say “Relax”. At least, youplanned on playing with her, but suddenly the twins come running back andtackle you, making you fall on your back with an ‘oof’. “Is it going to be agirl or a boy?” “How long until they are born?” “Did you already pick a name?” “Howabout Birch?” You groan again and cover your face with your arm. You canpractically feel Craig’s smug look on you.

📖 Ernest’s reaction to your pregnancy had been asexpected: He cursed, he threw tantrums, he seemed to hate you even more thanbefore. Hugo had warned you it might happen; what neither of you expected washow much he changed as your belly grew, how he seemed to come around to theprospect of a baby in the household. More than once, after coming home fromwork, you found him standing in the room you had converted into the nursery androcking the crib back and forth. You never mentioned anything and left beforehe noticed you. Now, the day has finally come and Ernest seemed even morenervous than either you or Hugo. He keeps throwing nervous glances at you,every gasp or hiss leaving your mouth making him look even more worried. “Don’tworry, Ernest,” you tell him with a weak smile. “It’s not my first rodeo.” Hescoffs, clearly embarrassed at being found out, but nods and turns to face theroad again. The delivery goes without any problems and after a few hoursshouting at the top of your lungs and squeezing Hugo’s hand, your beautifuldaughter is lying on your chest, fast asleep. Hugo is sitting next to you,still crying, holding your daughter’s tiny hand in his much larger ones. Thedoor opens and Ernest tentatively steps into the room. His eyes go wide when hesees his half-sister, but he doesn’t move. You wave him over and carefully pickup your child, offering it to him. You’ve never seen him handle something withso much care and reverence before. “What’s her name?” He asks; you act like youdidn’t hear his voice crack. “Mary Shelley Vega-[Y/N].”

[kellykadesperate]

What are your most underrated robron/and/or robert aaron moments that you feel need more appreciation? And any scenes that the fandom loves that you're not crazy over 😋

HOLLLAAA NONNIE,

BLESSS YOU

okay so i’ll just list some moments i feel like the fandom need to shout about a lot more in no particular order because i’m a mess.

so we have:

1) the HUGE HEART EYES on aaron’s face after robert tells him that he’ll book some city break for them (yk during the first ever domestic ‘let’s eat breakfast together’ scene) ~ basically it’s the softest thing in the absolutely world and i don’t think i have ever seen aaron look more settled and secure and just CONTENT with the life he is leading. it’s literally the day after the end of the most horrific trial in the world and things are still messed up in his head obviously, he’s got a TONNE of demons who are demanding his attention but he’s telling them to piss off because he woke up next to robert sugden, he’s eating breakfast with him and robert doesn’t need to be ANYWHERE ELSE and he’s just finished telling him that they should go on a city break and ??? aaron literally looks like he’s been hit with cupid’s arrow and robert doesn’t even see it but we do and it’s EVERYTHING !!!

2) ROBERT ROASTING THE WHITES, okay so you know the scene in vic’s cottage where lawrence confronts robert about being an absolute arse who isn’t worthy of breathing or something dramatic like that? yeah that scene is literally THE BEST. it’s after robert has crucified aaron, burnt every bridge left with him and with andy too and he has ZERO FUCKS to give. so lawrence comes in and he’s literally like, come at me bro, let me go off at you as well just for the fun of it. “she’s old but she’s not that old” is probably the trashiest best thing to ever leave rob’s mouth because it’s just the sort of sarky, mouth wide open and trying not to laugh, line which KILLS ME.

3) THE QUARRY SCENE, now this is almost ancient in my eyes and i think a lot of others too but we need to talk about how highly charged the whole damn thing was. it was the first time i think the audience got a real human side of robert and could SEE how much he was juggling and trying to deal with. back then he was the definition of the phrase about spinning too many plates at the same time or whatever and the way it cultivated into those scenes was brilliantly done. it was INTENSE and wild and i think was the first time robert literally had to go SHIT i really care about aaron more than i am letting on. for him, up until that point, he needed aaron to be quiet, keep his mouth shut and sort of get over everything. he didn’t even want to try and think about how the hell this was affecting the younger man. and then he’s seeing him standing on the edge of a damn quarry and looking out, he’s sitting in a car with his suicidal brother and for a SECOND he looks away and aaron is gone. i cannot tell you how many times i have replayed the way robert says AARON ???? because he is suddenly short of breath and is2g it reminds me of the breath robert takes in before he gives it to aaron when they’re in the drowning car. it’s from his DAMN GUT and he’s ridiculously scared and WORRIED about aaron dingle ??? and yeah we need to talk about it more pls, thank you.

4) “YOU CAN BUY ME A PINT IF YOU LIKE TO SAY THANKS FOR SMOOTHING THINGS OVER” *aaron literally just keeps his poker face on and you literally see the smirk fall from rob’s face* “ALRIGHT I’LL BUY YOU A PINT” ~ like ???? can you believe the cocky smarmy confident little trash boy risks looking like a mug just to coax out a little more time with aaron?? it’s wild. aaron doesn’t even need to say anything and it throws robert completely because, wtf is wrong with this boy? can’t he take a little bit of banter? and then literally two seconds later he’s like uhh No clearly not so drop that smile because your powers don’t work on him like they usually do so - OFFER TO BUY HIM A PINT, SEE HOW HE LIKES THAT. it’s just your typical trash bag being shaken to the core because his charms don’t work on certain mechanics apparently and he literally changes tack just for AARON.

5) ROSS: “YOU WANNA HAVE A GO, TRY TO BE A MAN ABOUT IT”    AARON: “ALRIGHT, INSTEAD OF WHAT?” *literally leans in a smirks* “BECAUSE YOUR BROTHER WASN’T COMPLAINING LAST NIGHT”  ~ i mean … Honestly. i don’t trust anyone who doesn’t agree that 2014!aaron was one of the highlights of this whole damn century. he came back with literally zero fucks, so much more at home with who he was and what he wanted and let’s face it he knew he was sexy af and could bang the only other gay bloke in the village and be a bit of dick about it the next day. it was just GOLD. and i loved the way aaron felt so comfortable saying this line like ?? yeah it was funny and sarky but it was also such progression ?? as if aaron would have ever talked about having a one night stand with a bloke like that before 2014. i just fuels my belief that france CHANGED my baby and he had some Great experiences out there being young free and sexily single.

6) THE WAY ROBERT’S FACE FALLS AS SOON AS AARON LEAVES HIM WITH CAIN DURING THE WHOLE KIDNAP SHENANIGAN. it’s literally iconic and no one talks about it as much as they should because once again we see robert change from this cocky little shit telling cain that he’s “full of it” and ignoring aaron’s warnings and then he’s literally tensing his jaw and dropping his head and looking so UNSETTLED as soon as aaron’s gone. like ??? aaron gave him protection, gave him the means to mouth off and be a twat and then he’s gone and he doesn’t need to be strong and put up a front or anything and his face just DROPS. he’s not smarmy anymore, he’s trying to find a way out of it all and not get himself hurt because aaron’s not there anymore and he doesn’t need to act brave around the man he GENUINELY ADORES AND WANTS TO PLEASE AND SHOW HOW STRONG HE IS TO. it’s so small and ryan plays it SO well and yeah, let’s talk about that too please.

7) ROBERT’S LITTLE “he’s just a kid, alright, it’s - it’s alright" TO AARON AS AARON IS LOSING IT WITH LACHLAN AT THE SCRAPYARD DURING SSW. like it’s not even that big of a deal but i just melt at the way robert is able to centre aaron, pull him back, place a hand on his chest and turn this mad angry man into something soft who’s just petrified of losing him. like it’s ??? SO SOFT and you can tell that rob is literally just trying to find a way to settle him and it’s a little bit of rambling and unrefined but yeah it works and that just sums up the effect he has on aaron.

8) AARON’S COMFORTING LITTLE BACK RUB HE GIVES ROBERT WHEN THEY MOVE INTO THE MILL AND ROBERT IS STARING AT THE PICTURE OF THEM ON THEIR WEDDING DAY. it’s just the softest thing in the world and it’s so aaron. not overly affectionate or handsy or cute but just a little “yeah baby we did it, that’s us” and it’s the best thing in the world and everyone needs to talk about it.

9) AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST … THE FACE ROBERT PULLS WHEN ADAM TELLS HIM THAT AARON HAS BEEN TAKEN IN FOR SURGERY. he’s absolutely exhausted, soaking wet, damn freezing and all he seems to care about is where aaron is, why he’s in surgery and how he’s doing and it’s just !!! they literally pan out and you can see everyone moving around robert and he’s just standing there looking So Lost. he’s got the whole i can’t breathe thing going on and it’s literally heartbreaking, we’ve seen the look recently (when aaron left for dublin) but the first time in that hospital blew my mind and it was SUPERB.

BLESS YOUR SOUL FOR LETTING ME REMINISCE.

🎀🌸

[brohood-assassins-imagines]

The London Lioness

@misfitmachina : There's a really cute soulmate au where your soulmate's name appears on your wrist. There's no defined time, it could happen right after you're born, as a child, as a teen or adult, whenever! I personally really like that au and thought I'd share! :)

A/N: Took me a bit to write, but here it is! Thank you for sharing it with me <3 Sorry for the long wait, I had a huge writer's block and ended up writing like 2400 words in one single night as soon as it went away. I almost wrote this one for Arno, but I had this idea with Jacob and thought of giving some love to our British boy. I tried giving it a “Syndicate” vibe ( @robintheassassin said it worked SOOO). Enjoy the reading!

Sinopse: You are the current champion of the London underground fight clubs. Used to defend your title with fierceness and ability, the people started calling you The London Lioness - since the lion is the symbol of the city. One day, an uprising fighter decides to challenge you for a brawl and, as the duty commands, you are bound to defend your position.

Word Count: 2.616

Warnings: Canon Typical Violence

Your name: submit What is this? // <![CDATA[ function replaceAll(find, replace, str) { return str.replace(new RegExp(find, 'g'), replace); } function myHandler() { var input = document.getElementById("inputTxt").value; document.body.innerHTML = replaceAll('Y/N', document.getElementById("inputTxt").value, document.body.innerHTML); } // ]]>

Your last name: submit What is this? // <![CDATA[ function replaceAll(find, replace, str) { return str.replace(new RegExp(find, 'g'), replace); } function myHandler2() { var input = document.getElementById("inputTxt2").value; document.body.innerHTML = replaceAll('Y/L/N', document.getElementById("inputTxt2").value, document.body.innerHTML); } // ]]>

The crowd cheered, loud and excited outside as sat down on the old wooden bench, starting the well-known task of wrapping the battered piece of gauze around your hand, the fabric unraveling as you covered your wrist the way practice had taught you; between the thumb and the index finger, hand well stretched to avoid jeopardize the movement of your fist.

After all this time, you still loved the feeling of anxiety and excitement before a big fight. You didn't start in this world yesterday, so it was no surprise when Robert approached you with the news of a fistfight competition — one that you cannot miss!, he had said. Think about the glory, the prizes! Everything you could ever want, Y/N!

You smiled, now wrapping the gauze around your thumb and moving the bundle of fabric between your other fingers as you heard the grunting and the well-known sound of fists flying by.

"Come one, come all!" you heard Robert's distinguishable cheery voice over the yelling and cheering. "Ladies and gentl'men! Place your bets, don't be shy! Who are you with tonight?!" you heard the tapping of a cane on wood — probably the betting board — as Topping spoke again "Will our uprising challenger be able to beat our beloved London Lioness this evening?! Come closer, come closer!"

You smiled at the nickname, finishing wrapping your hand and moving to the next with unhurried practice. The London Lioness is what they started calling you, thanks to Robert after you fought your way through a whole bunch of brutes and came out unscathed — earning you the silliest nickname and the title of London's best fist fighter. When starting to wrap your left wrist in preparation for the fight, you allowed yourself to brush your fingertips over the name written on your skin and smiled. One day, perhaps?

Shaking your head and huffing in humor, you resumed your activity quietly until Thomas — your newest pupil —, a 16-year-old street boy with sharp blue eyes and quick footwork entered the booth you were in, "Y/N? Ya almost ready?"

"U-hum…" you hummed unhurriedly, lifting your head so your gaze could meet his "are they waiting for me?"

Thomas nodded eagerly, a mocking smirk playing on his thin lips, his dimples showing on his freckled cheeks even more "Aye, they are. The guy's an all mouth no trouser if ya don' mind my sayin'."

You chuckled at your pupil's words, shooting him a mocking stern stare as you wrapped now your knuckles "Did you happen to catch his name, Tommy?"

"Oi, I've told ya to quit callin' me Tommy" he mumbled, frowning slightly as his cheeks turned pink from underneath the grime "and I didn'. They call him "Crow", though. Guy's big;  ain't gonna last that much. Looks like a right tit too."

You smiled, shaking your head slightly. A slow one, as it seems. Sighing, you nodded approvingly at Thomas as he gave you his best toothy grin "You know the strategy, don't you?" you asked with a quirk of your brow and the boy tilted his head slightly — a thing he always does when thinking — before speaking.

"Don' get hit. Wear the guy down ‘til he's slow and strike, right?"

You nodded again, getting up and making your way towards the boy. You'd always ask him questions, to make sure he was learning well what you taught; taking liberties and even teaching him how to read and making sure the change isn’t wrong, "good job, lad" you ruffled his shaggy brown hair "If I win, I'm taking you to the Old Joey's tonight" 

Thomas' smile widened, no doubt already thinking at the promise of a warm meal and some drinking later in the evening. You hated to admit it, but you took a liking to the kid; almost as if he were a younger brother you were looking over. "'re you really?" he asked almost childishly, eyes glinting in excitement.

"Of course I am, Tommy. Have I ever lied to you?", you pinched his cheek and smiled gently at him. "Now, shall we?"

"Ah, there she is!" Robert chimed, pointing at you with his cane "my golden girl, my little troublemaker!"

"Whatever it is you say, Topping" you rolled your eyes up halfheartedly, turning around to take a peek at the audience. "Full house tonight, I take?"

"Indeed, m'lady!" Robert agreed, taking your side quickly. "Now, tonight's challenger won't be easy, no! Far from it!"

"Spare your tongue, my friend" you waved his words away with little concern, "Tommy has told me everything I need to know. Besides, you really think I wouldn't be able to handle whatever it is that you throw at me?"

Your friend gave you a lighthearted laugh, rubbing your shoulder with one hand as you both shared a knowing smile. "Yes, yes, m'lady… I'm merely warning you of what is to come…" he paused for a moment, seemingly considering if he should talk and before you could open your mouth, he ushered you onwards, "Now, let's give the people what they want, hmm?"

Your smile widened, growing wicked as you listened to the yelling and cheering outside, as well as people calling you by your nickname — again, the silliest nickname ever.

"Lioness! Lioness!"

Robert half-dragged-half-pushed you forwards into the fighting ring, driving the people gathered around the place mad, money flowing from hand to hand as they made bets and cheered upon you. Your eyes darted to the other side of the ring, where a shirtless man talked to a few people wearing green coats — you recognized them as the Rooks, the uprising gang that now opposed the feared Blighters. So, that's where the bird nickname came from and you idly wondered, as you examined your adversary, if he played an important part in the gang as well.

The man had broad shoulders and thick arms — you should totally avoid getting hit by those —, his already sweaty shaggy dark brown hair hastily pushed back to prevent it from falling over his eyes. He also had a tattoo on his chest — a bird, from what you could tell — and another one on his left arm, too small for you to make out from the distance. He had a nice constitution, maybe a bit smaller than what you've expected. Overall, the man seemed like a regular opponent, but you weren't known for underestimating anyone — a mistake most of your challengers insisted on taking upon, more than usually ending with them on the floor with a swollen and bruised face and while you received the glory for yet another fight.

Oh, well. They didn't call you London Lioness over nothing.

And Tommy was right. He did look like a right tit with that cocky smile.

"Good people of London!" Robert boomed in his usual alluring voice. "Welcome, welcome all of you!" he made a small bow before continuing, pointing towards your challenger with his cane before motioning towards you. "Tonight a brave gentl'man, our newcomer Crow, has stepped into the lion's den, challenging our beloved champion, our fierce and favorite fighter; our London Lioness, Miss Y/L/N!"

The people exploded into cheers, some whistling, others simply yelling your nickname as they yelled in excitement when you lifted your arms and rounded the ring a bit. Oh, you loved this. You simply loved how excited they were at the simple mention of your name, how eager they were to see you taking yet another challenger down. Looking over your shoulder you saw the man move nervously, turning around and exchanging a few words with one of his friends before focusing on you again.

"Now, now!" Robert chimed in, raising both hands as to quiet the heart of the audience of The Strand. "Will our mysterious uprising fighter be able to take down our formidable champion tonight?" your friend raised his hands once more, cane swirling in the air as he moved around, making room for you and the man to approach the center. "A clear fight, my friends, a clear fight! Are you familiar with the rules?" You nodded at Robert, eyes analyzing the man as you took your fighting stance — almost by nature now. 

Hell, he was handsome. 

"Jacob?" Topping called, voice loud enough for just you and your adversary to hear. The man — now known as Jacob — blinked a few times before looking at Topping then back at you and you noticed he had eyes of the most beautiful hazel tone you had ever seen — big and open, like a book begging to be read.

"I— Yes." He stuttered, cheeks already reddened by exertion taking an ever darker tone. Could he…? No.

Now was not the time to make assumptions.

You loosened your shoulders, rolling them a few times before raising your hands into a defensive stance as he did the same. Robert nodded in satisfaction, stepping away as he put the ornamented cane into the air once more and the gong rang; the crowd going crazy as you started circling your challenger; forcing the man to go the other way in order to avoid you.

"Don't let him catch his breath!" a man yelled at your left, spurring you onwards.

As expected, Jacob took the first chance he saw to attack — the moment your eyes drifted towards the man who had called upon you — and your only reaction was to raise both of your arms to block his punch. Usually, you avoided blocking with your arms, half because they'd be sore as hell the next day and half because it was harder to land powerful blows with bruised arms. You groaned, backing away.

The bastard was quick. And strong.

Jacob gave you a shit-eating-grin, stepping towards you once more and prepared to hit you with his left fist; you waited, stepping to the side as soon as his hand came up, punching him in the stomach before spinning on your feet and kicking the back of his knee, your elbow hitting his back as soon as the man faltered. Jacob groaned in pain, getting on his feet with not much difficulty and dropping into fighting stance once more as he turned to face you. The crowd yelled in delight, praising you in their own noisy way.

"They weren't lying" he commented under his breath, a small hint of laughter in his voice; feet dancing around the dusty floor as he approached you with caution. "You're a tough one"

You smiled, both in surprise and smugness. "They don't give you the title of champion if you are all talk and no action."

He huffed, coming closer to you in a defensive stance, ready to block your blow and, most likely counter it. You pulled your right hand, pretending to prepare one punch towards his stomach, changing the trajectory at the last moment and hurling your fist towards his face; but Jacob was quicker and blocked you using his forearms to push your hand away from his face, throwing his head back and headbutting your face.

"Bloody hell!" you hissed in pain, feeling your nose with your fingertips to check if he had broken it — but it seemed okay, despite the blood. The audience gasped, slightly surprised at seeing you being bested by a newcomer at this point. It was rare for you to be countered, even more so to get hit. You wiped your nose clean, the blood staining the gauze wrapped around your fist as you watched the man frown at you; eyes trained on your left wrist.

You didn't expect him to be this quick, nor this smart. He clearly knew what he was doing and it worried you as he came closer. Jacob took a false step towards you, likely trying to strike your right cheek, and you evaded his fist; taking the chance to box his ears as his guard went down. The man lost his balance, become disoriented for a second and you kicked his feet from below him, taking him down and sighing in relief as you were given time to catch your breath.

"Kick him in the balls!" A particularly loud woman in front of you yelled and you wondered of she even knew the rules for fistfighting.

You backed away, hoping from one foot to the other as you watched Jacob get up with another pained groan, raising his fists once more. After that blow, he shouldn't even be willing to keep going. You were clearly quicker, even if he were stronger — which was the case — it'd be unlikely to win by now. He approached, brows furrowed in frustration as you gave him yet another toothy grin.

"Having fun?" you asked, a little out of breath as you started dancing again.

Jacob scowled at you, puffing a laugh as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Oh, I'm just getting started, love."

You stepped closer, taking advantage of his attention on your words and jabbed him in the ribs twice before pulling away quickly, hoping on your feet as your slow and labored breathing started to come out in quick puffs at the exertion of the fight. Jacob wheezed, turning around to look at you in disbelief. "Come now, little bird. Are you afraid?" you teased, raising your fists to the sides of your face as Jacob fulminated you with his eyes.

"Finish him off!" you heard Thomas yell from your right, catching his blue eyes at your peripheral vision. He cupped his hands around his mouth and called "Come on, Y/N! Take him down!

Jacob's steps faltered once again and he dropped his fists to the side, head snapping towards Thomas as he heard your first name, a look of utter disbelief on his face, "What the bloody—" and you punched him square into the face, your blow hitting him so hard that Jacob toppled back before falling to the ground with a low thud.

The people went crazy, hands being thrown in the air at yet another successful defense of your title. You put your arms up, nodding at people complimenting you and others who swore at their loss for betting against you. Looking back, you saw the two Rooks — a man and a woman — enter the ring and hurrying towards the fallen comrade as he groaned lowly, and you hated to admit it; but you paid attention to them, even as Thomas clumsily made his way towards you, clambering onto the wooden structure of the arena with difficulty.

"Are you alright, sir?" the man asked, offering him a clean rag to press against his busted face. "Quite a beating you took, eh?"

"I've told you, Mr. Frye," the woman said nonchalantly as the man sat down. "Challenging Miss Y/L/N like this? A taste for death, it is"

Frye.

Frye.

Jacob Frye.

You gasped in shock as the realization came upon you, gaining an odd stare from Thomas as he approached.

"Y/N?" he called in a confused voice.

"Jacob Frye!" you parroted to him, looking down at Tommy with wide eyes, pushing the wrappings off your wrist in a haste to check the two words you knew so well as you made your way towards the fallen man with quick strides, your pupil at your heels; not knowing fully what to do.

Bloody hell, you had just beaten your soulmate down.

"By God," you started, not knowing if you should kneel or offer him your hand "I'm so sor—"

"Don' be, luv" Jacob cut in, pressing the bloodstained rag to his nose, waving you off with his free hand. "I was wonderin' how I was gonna run after you like this, but I'm glad you took pity on your poor challenger after absolute'y destroyin' me."

[classicrewind]

Tomorrow Never Knows

Thanks to the help of a 6 hour flight home and in-flight cocktails, I present chapter three!! @scarletrossetti this one’s for u!

Chapter Three

“Wake up, sleepy head. I made coffee.” Jimmy slowly opened one eye to see Robert’s face mere inches away from his. He groaned at the sight, rubbing his eyes.

“You’re a beautiful sleeper JimJam, real peaceful.” Robert teased him, tugging lightly on a strand of Jimmy’s hair. Jimmy batted Robert’s hand away before sitting up.

“Oh fuck off.” Jimmy stood up slowly from the couch in Robert’s sitting room, wincing from the pounding going on in his head. He was not a morning person. He could hear Bonzo talking loudly in the kitchen to someone, and he cursed him at that moment. Could you be any fucking louder?

He stretched his arms and followed Robert into the kitchen. “Who’s got breakfast going?” He called aloud as he walked over to the cupboard, pulling down a mug.

“Well, good morning to you too, Pagey.” Peter called back to him, seated at the breakfast bar. “Did Jonesy say when he was getting here? I don’t exactly have all day.”

Robert shook his head, taking a sip of his coffee. “No idea. Probably soon, though.”

Pouring himself a cup, Jimmy turned to Peter. “What is this ‘meeting of the minds’ you’re talking about?”

“I’d like to get the conversation going on getting you guys back together, properly. I wanna see what you guys have come up with in this ‘hiatus’ and see if we can’t pull together for another album. People were talking at the charity concert last night, and they wanna see you guys together again. And I agree. You sounded great and I think it’s time to see if you’re ready to make music again.”

Taking a sip, Jimmy pondered the thought. He had wanted the band back together for awhile now. He never really felt like himself unless he was playing with them. However, he hadn’t really come up with anything that would be suitable to bring to the table for this next album. He’d been slacking, and it was so unlike himself. Nevertheless, he was ready to get back in the studio, and back on the road.

He was torn from his thoughts by a light rapping on the front door, followed by John Paul’s head popping in through the crack.

“Sorry I’m late, the girls were giving me trouble this morning.” John Paul stepped through the door, with a newspaper in his hand.  Offering it to Robert, he made his way into the kitchen. “Oh, and this was on the front porch.”

Robert looked puzzled. “Huh, I don’t get the paper. Must be the neighbor’s.” He set it down on the kitchen counter before turning to the stove to get breakfast going.

Peter got up from his seat, pulling the paper toward him. “It’s got a note on it.” He then proceeded in reading the note aloud. “‘Hope I did you all justice. Wonderful job last night.’ It’s from someone named Anna?”

Cracking an egg into the frying pan, Robert turned back from the stove. “Oh, Anna! From last night! Such a sweet girl. She’s Jimmy’s friend. Or, maybe, a little more?” He shot Jimmy a wink before nudging him with his elbow.

Jimmy scowled, taking a sip of his coffee. Peter wasn’t listening, as he was busy reading the article Anna enclosed. He headed to the sitting room, looking for his pack of cigarettes.  Locating them, he stepped out the front door into the morning.

It was looking to be another sunny afternoon, not too hot, not too cool. Jimmy fished out a lighter from his pocket, placing a cigarette in his mouth. Hearing the door open behind him, he turned to see Bonzo step out. “Can I bum one? I seem to have lost mine last night. At least I think I lost them, maybe I smoked ‘em all. Can’t really remember.”

Jimmy said nothing. He lit his cigarette before silently handing the pack over, along with his lighter. Bonzo swiftly lit a cigarette, taking a short drag before turning to Jimmy. “So. Anna. Seem’s cute. I like her.”

Once again, Jimmy said nothing, simply shrugging his shoulders. He took a long drag off his cigarette, wishing Bonzo would silence his chatter. But he barreled on. “Yeah, first time I’ve seen you hang around a respectable girl in quite some time, Pagey. How’d you find that one?”

He knew that Bonzo wouldn’t put it to rest until he responded. Blowing out a stream of smoke, he turned to him. “Train ride. One of those ‘right place, right time’ kind of things. I don’t know. I really don’t know.”

“Kind of young, Jim. Heh, what is she, like twenty years old? You’re practically an old man! I know, I shouldn’t talk, I mean, we all are. But damn, it feels like just yesterday it was 1973.” Bonzo clapped Jimmy on the shoulder, taking another drag.

Jimmy turned to Bonzo once more. “I don’t know how old she is, probably twenty something. And who fucking cares, man? There’s nothing even going on between us. And I’m not old.” He let out a small chuckle punching Bonzo on the arm.

Flicking his cigarette into the lawn, he headed back inside.

“Jim, you should read this. It’s quite good. Spectacular, really. Probably our best review yet. Anna did a lovely job.” Robert said, shoving the paper into his hands. Looking down, he began to read. ‘Charity concert hits a record high with Led Zeppelin’

Jimmy grabbed a seat, reading on.  ‘Last night’s concert was a large success, raising record-breaking funds that will go toward assisting in AIDS research. But the real success of the night was the performance by Led Zeppelin. First time back on stage in over two years, they picked up right where they left off, not missing a beat. Plant was on top of his game, reaching new vocal heights not previously heard since ’79. John Paul Jones was electrifying on his solo in ‘No Quarter’ sending the audience into a trance, paying some sort of homage to early impressionist-era composers. John Bonham brought the audience to its feet with fantastic groove and time, blasting away in ‘Rock And Roll’. But it was lead guitarist Jimmy Page who stole the show.  With breathtaking skill and precision, he finessed his way through ‘Stairway to Heaven’ and ‘Heartbreaker.’ His technical efficiency reached an all-time high last night as he shredded his way through the set. It was truly an honor to witness this soul shattering performance, and anyone who was in the audience last night could feel that there was a special ‘something’ in the air. Zeppelin hit their mark from the first chord, and it only went up from there.’

Jimmy felt a smile spread across his face.  They never received good reviews. Critics hated them. But he couldn’t stop himself, this review was glowing. He stood up, dropping the article onto the counter. “It’s good. Nice to read positive reviews every now and then.”

“Oh, Jim. Don’t be so modest. She wrote a wonderful review! And we never get good reviews. I was starting to think we were just seriously misunderstood. But maybe not. Anna gets us!” Robert said, snatching up the article, holding it tight against his chest. “I’m keeping this.”

Jimmy shook his head at the sight before turning to Peter. “So are we going to start this ‘meeting’ or what? I’ve got plans today.”

Peter nodded before turning to John Paul. “So, we’re thinking it’s time to start the next project. Next album. Tour maybe?”

Before John Paul could respond, Robert interjected with plates of food in his hands. “Alright, but first, who’s hungry?”

The sun was directly above head when Jimmy stepped out of the cab to the steps of University. He didn’t know what he was thinking coming here. He didn’t even know if she’d be here, but as soon as he read the article, he knew he wanted to see her. And this was the first place he thought to look.

Once on the campus, he wandered until he hit an admissions office. Entering, he approached a woman at reception. “Excuse me, could you locate me to the nearest faculty and staff directory? I can’t seem to remember the location of an office.” Jimmy ran a hand through his tangled curls.

The young woman gave him a knowing look, most likely trying to place where she had seen him before. After a moment, she turned to a filling cabinet next to her before pulling out a catalog. “This has a complete listing of all the current faculty and staff for this academic year, along with office locations and hours. Hope this helps.”

Taking the catalog from her hands, he sat down scouring the index, trying to find her name. Anna. Anna what? Shit, what’s her last name? It was written on the article. Fuck. He flipped to the English and Literature department and decided to go through alphabetically for anyone with the first name Anna.

He was unsuccessful until he reached a Professor Paul Andrews. Under his name was an Anna Whitmoore, Teacher’s Assistant. Building 6, Floor 3. Room 313. Standing up, he returned the catalog to the reception desk before heading out to the center of campus.

Jimmy wandered the expansive courtyard until he reached a tall tower of a building. Most definitely offices. Sure enough, it was the sixth building. Stepping inside, he reached the elevator, making his way up to the third floor. He lit a cigarette as he made his way down the corridor. It was empty, completely void of people.

He scanned the doorways as he made his way down the hall, stopping in front of office 313. Looking up at the plaques on the door, it read: P. Andrews, followed by A. Whitmoore.

He took a drag as he knocked lightly on the door. There was a brief moment of waiting before it was opened by an older man, who looked to be in his late forties.

“Can I help you?” He asked, opening the door all the way. He looked irritated before his face broke into a smirk. “Wait a sec, I know you. You’re Jimmy Page. Holy shit.”

Blowing out a stream of smoke, Jimmy nodded. He wasn’t expecting this. Jesus, I hope she’s in there. I don’t want the fucking fan club here. “Heh, yeah. That’s me. I hate to bother you, I’m just looking for someone.”

The man cut him off, gesturing inside. “Come in. Have a seat. What can I help you with?”

Jimmy hesitantly stepped into the office, hoping Anna was inside. Peering around, he saw a second desk, but it was empty. Fuck. “Uh, yeah. I’m looking for a Anna Whitmoore.”

Paul looked bewildered. “Anna? Whitmoore?”

“Am I not in the right place?” Jimmy made his way back to the door. “I don’t want to waste your time. It’s just that the directory led me here.”

Paul stopped him. “No, I mean, yeah, you’re in the right place. You’re looking for a young woman with long auburn hair, amber eyes? Beautiful?”

Rubbing the back of his neck nervously, Jimmy let out a chuckle. “Yeah, that’s the one. Is she in today?”

“Uh, yeah. She’s in a lecture of mine right now. I was a little preoccupied so I sent her in my place. She should be back within a half hour or so. What do you want with her, if you don’t mind me asking?” Paul asked, beginning to gather his things from his desk.

Jimmy sat down on the sofa across from the door. “She wrote a wonderful piece for the band last night and I wanted to thank her.”

“A phone call wouldn’t do?” Paul inquired as he placed a stack of papers into his briefcase.

Growing annoyed, Jimmy stared through him. “Afraid not.”

Paul made his way to the door. “Listen, I’ve got to run. If you see her, let Anna know I’ve left work for her on the desk. Feel free to hang around until she gets back. Shouldn’t be too long. Honor to meet you, Jimmy.”

Jimmy said nothing as Paul shut the door behind him. He stretched his legs on the couch as he made himself comfortable in the wait for Anna to return. She’s going to freak out. He laid his head back on the arm rest as he closed his eyes. He had gotten barely any sleep last night. People didn’t end up leaving Robert’s until after three in the morning.

After Anna had left, the party just didn’t seem to have the same effect as it had before. He remembered drowning himself in whiskey before passing out on Robert’s couch, too drunk to head home. Needless to say, he was exhausted.

Just ten minutes. Maybe twenty. He turned on his side and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

-

Lecture was awful. The students were sick of her teaching them. And quite frankly, she was too, not completely sure why Paul hadn’t been to lecture in two weeks. They all continued to ask her when he was returning and she was running out of excuses to give.

I need a cigarette. She pressed a sticky note inside her textbook, saving her place for next week’s lecture. She took her time erasing the blackboard as her mind drifted to last night.  As much she hated to admit it, it was one of the best nights she’d had in a long time.

Paul never took her out anymore. And when he did go out, the invitation was never extended to her. But lately, she hadn’t felt like going out anyways. He always got home before her, and by the time she got home from work, he was already deep into his. She could never reach him there. Each day always started and ended the same way, and she didn’t know how long she could keep it all up. It was like being a ghost in her own home.

Anna gathered her books from the podium as she made her way out of the classroom. The campus was basically empty. It was her favorite thing about teaching class on Saturdays, there were hardly any other classes taking place.

She quickly made her way to the office tower. Punching the button for the third floor, she waited as the elevator doors came to a close.

She made her way down the empty corridor, until she reached her office. The light was on, usually indicating Paul was working inside.

Anna slowly opened the door to see not Paul, but Jimmy, deeply asleep on the couch. She gasped, almost dropping her books onto the floor. She quietly shut the door behind her and flicked off the lights. Setting her books down onto her desk she looked over at him.

He looked exhausted. Probably got zero sleep last night. Poor thing. She made the decision to let him rest while she got to work on the stack of papers Paul had left for her to grade.

She worked in silence, glancing over at Jimmy every so often. He truly was a peaceful sleeper. His face was soft, unlike the usual hard exterior he put out to the world. For the first time since she’d met him, he looked open. Vulnerable.

It was nice to see him like this, he wasn’t holding onto any residual bitterness or darkness. He had the faintest trace of a smile on his lips, and Anna couldn’t help but wonder what he was dreaming of. Probably being surrounded by whiskey, guitars, and women.

Letting out a soft laugh, she reached into her desk drawer, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. Paul hated when she smoked, so she gave it up for him. But Paul isn’t here. Fuck it.

She lit her cigarette and returned to the grading in front of her. She had a large chunk of it to do before she could head home. But lately, she found herself not wanting to return home. It’s not like I have anyone to come home to. Paul’s never there, and when he is, he acts like I’m not.

Anna was pulled from her thoughts to Jimmy rustling on the couch. Anna got up from her desk and quietly walked over to the couch, crouching down to him. She placed a hand lightly on his shoulder. “Hey, sleepy. It’s just me. Anna.”

Jimmy stopped moving, and slowly opened his eyes. His cool, green ones met her warm ones, and he began to slowly smile. “Anna. Good morning.” He looked down at his watch. “Afternoon, actually. How long have I been out?”

She chuckled, standing up, taking a drag off her cigarette. “Not sure, actually. You were sleeping when I came in an hour ago. You looked so tired I didn’t have the heart to wake you. Quite a surprise for me to see you when I walked in. The light was on, so I assumed Paul was in here.”

Jimmy slowly sat up, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah, about that. I came to see you, to thank you for the article. It was wonderful, really. The band loved it, Robert especially. I think he’s gonna frame it.”

Anna blushed. “Oh, it was nothing, really. But I’m glad you all liked it. I know I’ve already said this, but you guys were really spectacular. It was easy to write, it was all just mere observations. Like the way Robert never sings the same line the same way. Or the way John Paul seamlessly weaves his way through the bass line changes. Or the way Bonzo changes between meter with the upmost efficiency. Or the way your fingers fly across the frets with ease, the way your face lights up when you know you’ve hit a solid groove. It’s magical to behold.”

Anna blew out a stream of smoke as Jimmy started to smile. “Thank you.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, how exactly did you get in?” Anna offered her pack of cigarettes to Jimmy.

Placing one in his mouth, he replied. “Uh, Paul was in here. He let me in. He seemed concerned that I was looking for you. Dunno what that’s all about.”

Anna shook her head, laughing. “I bet that was a treat for him. Opening the door to see Jimmy Page standing there.”

Jimmy laughed, blowing smoke into the air. “Are you hungry? Would you like to grab lunch or something? Get out of this office?”

Anna slowly shook her head. “Can’t. Got a lot of grading to do. Paul left a hefty pile of work for me here. I hate to disappoint you, but I’ll be here for awhile. Maybe some other time?”

Jimmy looked unfazed. “No worries. I’ll wait. I’ve got time.”

“You can’t be serious. I’m sure you have some plans today. Besides, this could take me awhile.”

“Like I said, I’ve got time.” Jimmy stood up and headed to the bookshelf behind Anna’s desk. He scanned over the spine of each one looking for one to pique his interest.

Anna turned around to face him. “I suggest trying Kafka or D.H. Lawrence.”

“Which one?” Jimmy asked, scouring the shelf.

Anna slowly stood up and reached over his shoulder for her favorite Kafka book. His hand reached it at the same time as hers. Their fingers lightly brushed as she slowly pulled the book from the shelf.

He looked down at her as she looked up into his eyes. She smiled up at him, and breathlessly replied, “This one. It’s my favorite. I think you’ll enjoy it.”

He gave her a small smirk as he took the book from her hands, returning to the sofa. Anna watched him crack the spine and begin to read. He immediately furrowed his brows in concentration as is eyes scanned over the words. Beautiful.

Anna returned to her work, hoping to finish as soon as possible.

It was over two hours before Anna finished her paperwork. Jimmy was still reading, in the exact same position as he was when he started.

“What do you think?” Anna blurted aloud.

After a moment, Jimmy looked up from the pages, clearly interrupted. “Sorry. What did you say?”

“What do you think of the book?”

He closed it, leaving a finger inside the book as a placeholder. “I can see why it’s one of your favorites.”

“What makes you say that?” Anna asked him, puzzled.

“The way he writes, his careful attention to details. It’s thought-provoking and so surreal that it seems almost impossible to distinguish reality from fantasy.”

She beamed at him. “Couldn’t have said it better myself.” Standing up, she began to pack up her things. “I’ve finished. You still up to getting lunch?”

Jimmy nodded, standing up from the couch.

They headed to the coffee shop right around the corner from campus. Sipping his cup of coffee, Jimmy turned his gaze to Anna. “Tell me about you. I feel as if I hardly know anything about you. And yet I’ve seen you practically every day for the past few weeks.”

Anna gave him a small smile. “That’s because you don’t know anything about me. What do you want to know?”

“Anything.”

“Alright, well, I was born in Cheshire and grew up there until my mother passed away, and my father packed me up and moved us into the suburbs just outside of London. He immediately remarried and I didn’t get on with my stepmother. So I moved into the city and attended college here. Um, I’m a huge bookworm, and have been since I was very little, so I guess that’s what got me into a Literature major. I’m a writer but I’ve never shown anyone my work because it’s probably rubbish. I know, I’m probably the most boring person you’ve ever met, so I’m sorry for that.”

Jimmy smiled, resting his hands on top of hers. “You’re fascinating to me. I can’t figure you out, and I pride myself on being able to read people. But you, are a complete mystery. Every time I get close to drawing conclusions, another facet of you comes into view.”

She blushed. “You make me out to be more interesting than I actually am. Wait around long enough, you’ll have me figured out in no time.”

She looked longingly down at her coffee cup before changing the subject. “How’d the party go last night after I Ieft? I imagine it went on through all hours of the night. Which would probably explain why you were sleeping in my office.”

Jimmy laughed. “Hah, yeah. It became quite boring after you left, I must admit. I wished you could’ve stayed a little longer. I had a wonderful time.”

“Me too, but the Times would beg to differ. As soon as I left you, I hailed a cab back to work to write the article and didn’t get back home until after two in the morning. Paul wasn’t very happy with me when I got back and had to turn around and head to Uni six hours later. But it was well worth it.”

Jimmy gave her a puzzled look. “So, you and Paul, live together?”

Anna fidgeted with her coffee cup before looking at Jimmy. “Oh, uh, yeah. Paul was my professor when I was studying for my undergraduate, and as stupid as it sounds, we immediately fell in love. Well, at least I did. I soon after became his T.A. when I returned for graduate work and things became serious. I eventually moved in with him and we’ve been seeing each other ever since.” Anna gave him a false smile.

“I see. Isn’t that, against school policy or something?”

“Yeah. Which is why I don’t tell anyone. But I don’t know, it’s different with you. Even though we hardly know each other, I feel this need to tell you things. I don’t know. Call it word vomit.” Anna nervously tucked a strand of auburn hair behind her ear.

Jimmy just nodded. He stared at her for a moment, his eyes piercing hers. “Does he make you happy?”

Anna felt a punch to her stomach. She just stared into Jimmy’s eyes. Does he make me happy? Does he? Did he make me happy? Yes.

She swallowed before opening her mouth to speak. “Yes.” Bullshit. And he knows it.

Jimmy continued stare at her, studying her eyes before placing his hand on top of hers. “Good.”

Anna felt suffocated. She pulled her hand away and checked her watch. 5 o’clock. “I should be heading back, Paul’s probably waiting for me.” Lie. He’s probably not even home.

He nodded in understanding before standing up. “Taking the train?”

She nodded with a smile. “Of course.”

“Let’s go.” Jimmy held his arm out, and she took it as they made their way out of the coffee shop.

This time Jimmy chose to sit next to Anna rather than across from her. She beamed up at him with her warm amber eyes as he sat down.

He said nothing as he pulled out Anna’s copy of The Metamorphosis. He held it out so they both could read at once.

“How far have you gotten?” She asked him as he flipped to where he left off.

“The end of part two. Gregor just got hit with the apple.”

“Part three is my favorite, oh, it’s so good!” Anna exclaimed a little too loudly.

Jimmy chuckled and held the book out so Anna could read alongside him. They read silently, occasionally talking about the work every so often.

Fifteen minutes in, Anna slowly rested her head on Jimmy’s shoulder as she continued to read with him. “Gregor makes me mad sometimes, like I want to shake him and yell, ‘wake up!’” She said quietly as Jimmy turned page.

He let out a soft laugh. “Me too. Poor, poor Gregor.”

Anna could hear Jimmy’s heartbeat as he laughed. She focused on the sound as she continued to read. The steady, even thumping of his heart soothed her. She found herself closing her eyes as she listened for the sound of his breathing. This is heaven.

She hadn’t gone to sleep since Thursday evening. The exhaustion was sneaking up on her, and present situation wasn’t helping one bit. She continued to listen to Jimmy’s breathing and allowed it to carry her to sleep.

Anna was woken to Jimmy speaking softly to her. “Hey, this is me. I’ll see you soon, Anna. I had a lovely day today.”

Sleepily, she smiled up at him as he made his way out of his seat. “Me too. Have a good night.”

Anna made it home around the same time as she did practically every other night of the week. Paul was in the study, as usual.

Walking in she handed him the stack of papers before kissing him hello. “Finished grading them, the rest are back at the office, filed away.”

“Great, thanks. Hope lecture wasn’t too bad.”

“It was fine. I assigned their test for Thursday, so I’d appreciate it if you were there in class on Tuesday and Wednesday. I understand you’re busy, but this is your class. I have no problem stepping in for you, but it shouldn’t always fall on me to lecture.”

Paul said nothing as he turned his attention to the stack of papers. Lost fucking cause. She let out a sigh and made her way upstairs.

She ran hot water for a bath and subsequently stripped before stepping into the tub.

She didn’t mean to come across as demanding to Paul, but she felt as if he never really listened to her. Or acknowledged the fact that she was there. It was a constant struggle for her to make her presence known these days.

She took her time in the bath, running her loofah over every square inch of her body. Paul used to love taking baths with her. He’d take his time letting his hands roam softly over her curves.  They’d spend an hour in the tub just enjoying the company of one another.

The last time that happened was a year ago. The only space they seemed to share nowadays was the bed. The last time they’d even had sex was over a month ago.

It frustrated her. Perplexed her. She loved him, and yet she couldn’t seem to understand what had changed. Maybe there’s someone else.

Running soapy water over her chest, she shook her head. Not likely. He loves you, even if he has a funny way of showing it. She let out a sad laugh. Or not showing it.

Draining the water in the tub, Anna stood up, grabbing a towel from the cupboard. She dried herself off before slipping into the silk robe hanging in the closet. Damn it. He’s going to fuck me tonight whether he likes it or not.

Anna emerged from the bathroom and made her way downstairs to the study.

Paul was exactly where she left him an hour ago. He was poring over a set of books, probably preparing notes for lecture.

She silently entered the room and made her way behind him. She wrapped her arms around him, kissing the side of his face lightly. “I’m sorry about earlier. I was tired.”

“Why don’t you head to bed then? I’ll be up later.” Paul said, not looking up.

She continued to pepper his cheek with kisses. “I’m not tired anymore. I’ve just had a bath. All squeaky clean.”

Anna turned Paul’s chair toward her. He looked up at her as she pulled the tie on her robe, letting it fall open.

“Anna, I can’t do this right now. I’ve got a lot of work to do.”

“It’s Saturday. You can wait until tomorrow to finish your work. Be with me. Please.” Anna proceeded to straddle him, loosening his tie. “I miss you.”

Paul let out a sigh, grabbing her hands. “Anna, I’m serious.”

She began to grow impatient. “I am too. I need you.” Before he could protest, she kissed him. It’s like pulling teeth. It shouldn’t be this hard.

She pulled him tightly to her as she straddled him. He gave in to her pull and kissed her back. He roughly pulled her robe off of her shoulders, tossing it to the floor. “Yes.” Anna whispered roughly into his ear.

He planted sloppy kisses along her collarbone as he roughly groped her breasts. She let out a small whimper as he sucked on her neck, leaving small marks. Paul picked her up and carried her upstairs to the bedroom.

Once upstairs, he tossed her onto the bed as he began to unbuckle his belt. Anna scrambled over to him to help unfasten his pants.

Paul pushed her away as he stepped out of his pants. “Turn around. On all fours.” Paul ordered her as he pulled his boxers down.

Oh God, yes. Finally. Fuck me like the bad girl I’ve been. Anna turned her back to him and awaited his presence.

After a moment, she felt Paul’s hands roughly on her hips, he situated himself at her entrance before deeply plunging himself into her.

She let out a large gasp as he filled her up. “Oh. Paul. Please.”

Paul established a pace rather quickly as he began to drill into her. Anna soon was whimpering at the intensity of his thrusts. “Paul. Slower, please.”

He didn’t listen. He continued to thrust brutally into her as he gripped her hips tighter, closing the space between them completely.

Anna continued to cry out as Paul roughly fucked her. She wished he would stop. “Paul, slow down. There’s no rush.”

Ignoring her yet again, he wrapped his arm around her waist and continued to drill into her.

Anna gasped, trying to hold out as long as possible. He’s gonna finish any minute now. Just a little longer.

Sure enough, she felt Paul slow down as his thrusts grew sloppy and uneven. He let out a guttural moan as he came.

He slowly pulled out and Anna turned to face him, her amber eyes intense. He planted a sloppy kiss on her lips before climbing into bed, not saying a single word.

Anna sat still on the bed, moments away from breaking down. Well Anna, you got what you wanted. She stood up and strode to her dresser, fishing out the pack of cigarettes in the top drawer.

Glancing over at Paul in bed, he was already asleep. Typical. Bloody fucking typical. She grabbed her lighter and stepped out onto the balcony.

Closing the balcony doors behind her, she turned to face the night sky. It was a starless night, and the wind was whistling through the trees.

It was cool, but Anna didn’t feel the cold. She lit a cigarette as she stared out ahead. Inhaling as deep as she could, she closed her eyes, thinking of how wonderful her day had been before this moment.

She blew out a puff of smoke as her eyes welled with tears. She stood naked and unwavering on the balcony as she felt her world slowly begin to crumble around her.

What the fuck am I doing?

Chapter One

Chapter Two

[thank-your-lucky-stars]

Things I Liked and Disliked about Emmerdale

This is a little thing I’m going to start doing from now on; the last few episodes were pretty jam-packed with stuff I loved so I thought this would be a good way to sort of recap and organise my thoughts!! Thursday eps were a bit full on for me to go into, so I’ll start with last nights. Hopefully I’ll be able to keep it up!!

20/01/2017

Things I liked/loved - Robron-related:

The fact that the first time we see Robert, he’s playing with his engagement ring - the ring he took off in the previous ep, but obviously couldn’t bare to be without for too long! He admitted he was a drama queen, but I loved that before he went to the station to support Aaron he just *had* to put that ring back on his finger - for himself and for Aaron.

Robert's inability to just sit and wait for news/progress on Aaron (which I wrote a little about here) - he had to take action!

Robert and Bob!!! And Bob being Bob, he was honest but also sensitive, saying that he’d given Aaron a good character reference <3

Robert going easy on Finn (at first) - I’d feared he’d go in all guns blazing but I liked that he was friendly with him (even if Finn ended up being a dick - but more on that later)

ROBERT GETTING ANGRY AT FINN. YESS, DEFEND YOUR FIANCE!! And I liked that Bob stepped in the defuse the situation. <3 BOB.

PETE. YES PETE.

ROBERT AND PETE. I NEVER REALLY KNEW HOW MUCH I NEEDED THIS UNTIL IT HAPPENED

HOw tall and strong Robert and Pete looked standing there??? They seemed to tower over Finn and Bob, it was beautiful. PLZ can they be friends!!!!! I will pay someone, honestly. I ship that brotp so damn hard!

Pete not being afraid to say that if he’d have been there, he’d have done what Aaron did too

DS WISE. JASON. MR EMOJI IN DISTRESS. BEING HIS SUAVE AND CARING AND GENTLE SELF.

Every Chason scene tbh. Please can he get a job abroad for a while and that’s where Chas goes while Lucy is on maternity leave. And then they can come back 6 months later or something and get married and live happily ever after!!!!

DS Wise willing to be a bit dodgy in order to help Aaron? What an absolute hero <3333

BOB AND ROBERT AT THE BAR. Like I know Bob totally put his foot in it but it was still a cute little scene, I love Robob together.

Aaron coming home was such a lovely surprise!! I wasn’t sure we’d see him.

Chas grounding Aaron hahahaaaa

Robert being his usual romantic self and saying all the right things. Before Aaron could say anything, Robert made sure he reassured him and let Aaron knew where he stood; that nothing else mattered and that he loves Aaron, just Aaron and only Aaron.

Aaron trying so hard to push Robert away but Robert just having none of it

Robert telling Aaron that he *will* marry him, one day.

Aaron seeming to thaw a little by the end of the scene <3 he can never stay angry at Robert for too long!

Things I liked/loved - non-Robron related:

Jai “I am nobodies delivery boy!” lmaooo, I kinda love #grumpy Jai

Nicola and Jai are hilarious, I love how she basically totally owns him every time he opens his mouth

Nicola giving Laurel her old job back with flexible hours <3 I love how Nicola can be so sour and hard but then with the people she loves she can be such a softie!

Seeing Laurel happy and positive, even if it’ll no doubt be short lived :(

Gabby trying her hardest to keep the family together by making out everything is okay when it’s not, it makes me sad but I like how kind they’ve made her lately, when it wasn’t so long ago she was a total brat. I love seeing her devotion to Ashley.

Things I disliked:

Seeing Aaron in his cell like that....alone and scared and hurting himself. It really breaks my heart seeing him like that :(

Chas being so mean to Paddy at the station. I get she was upset/angry/frustrated but DAMN girl. I know Paddy can be annoying AF but that was well harsh.

CREEPY!PIERCE

CREEPY!FINN

Finn just being a total utter dick??????? Like I get he’s in creepy stalkerish mode and everything is KASIM KASIM KASIM but selling out Aaron like that thinking he’ll get bonus points with Kas, who happens to think he’s creepy AF just like everyone else, is just not okay???

Finn being totally unwilling to help Aaron/Robert. Like he’s happy to linger outside Kasim’s house but he won’t defend Aaron. NICE.

The fact that Finn was the one who grassed Aaron up to the police?? WTF????? 

tHE FACT THAT FINN WAS BASICALLY TAUNTING ROBERT????? “let’s hope he doesn’t meet someone else in prison” or whatever the hell he said, what the hell???? That is pretty OOC for Finn in my opinion, like even if he had major beef with Aaron I don’t see why he had to be so nasty to Robert??

Ashley’s carer Will is a mega babe but would he really pop out and leave a young teenage girl alone with Ashley, who had been violent towards him just a short while before? And also, surely Will would speak to Laurel himself directly instead of letting Gabby do it??

Pierce just being so damn creepy???????

PADDY eavesdropping

PADDY AND HIS BIG GOB. Like why would you go blabbing about what DS Wise said in the middle of a goddamn pub, to fucKING PIERCE of all people????? All because he was mardy DS Wise was potentially standing in the way of him getting his leg over. I really loved Paddy in Thursdays episodes, I thought the Parlon scenes were pure gold, but now I’m back to being angry with him again! (I’ll get over it, but Paddy is on my shitlist at the moment!!) (although he’s waaaaaaay behind Pierce and Finn)

Creepy!Finn hanging around outside Kasim’s house in the dark like holy shitttt. RUN Kasim. RUN. (but only after you’ve dropped the charges against Aaron)

Pierce being creepy and mean to DS Wise and sabotaging the plan to help Aaron, all because he doesn’t want Paddy being single because he’s scared he’ll sniff around Rhona again?! WHY IS EVERYONE SO CREEPY???!!!!