#whatever the outcome for them I need a pal to hold my hand and tell me it's gonna be okay

[martianbugsbunny]

Idk if I'm strong enough for either canon Kalluzeb or Kalluzeb getting destroyed

[whumpzone]

Tomas and Rowe - Part 9

hope you guys enjoy as always! I think it’ll be immediately obvious which part I mean, but I definitely only wrote one scene because it gave me such a pleasing mental image. And I’m definitely gonna have to draw something for it when I have the time :>

Masterpost

taglist: @sola-whumping @just-another-whumper @oceanthesarcasamfox @looptheloup @briars7 @black-polarf @zipadeedooda-drabbles @just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi @rosesareviolentlyread @thingsthatgo-whump-inthenight @jazz-0307 @kestrelsparverius @whumpsy-daisies @whumpersworld @memoriesneverforget @sky-or-something-idfk @ghostcomit @cupcakes-and-pain @frankieswhump @ihaventwritteninsolong @mybrokenlittletoy @kiretto-laorentze (ask if you want to be tagged/removed! <3)

CW: pet whumpee, violence, descriptions of gore, hospitals

-

It had been several days since the explosive night with Adam. Rowe remembered it all vividly, and for reasons he could not understand he kept returning to the middle of the night, when Master Tomas fell asleep next to him.

Perhaps it was because he had never seen his Master asleep before. It was quite a rarity, as far as Rowe understood, for any Pet to see their owner so vulnerable. Was it another test? Or a display of trust? Master had fallen asleep while holding Rowe, and it felt too odd to be cradled by someone unconscious, so he had gently, gently, laid him on the floor. To even be touching his Master in such a way was unbelievably disobedient, and it made his extremities tingle with nerves. He was terrified that Master would wake up, dazed and disoriented, and beat Rowe for it, but the fear felt strangely- buried? Hazy? It was there, but it didn’t make him lock up like it sometimes did. He still managed to pick himself off the floor and fetch a cushion for Master’s head.

Rowe couldn’t sleep- he had known he wouldn’t sleep ever since Master had threatened to punish him, but he definitely couldn’t risk having a nightmare and waking his owner. Rowe didn’t quite understand what a hangover was, but he knew that it made people want to beat their useless Pets with more severity than usual.

It had taken him several agonising hours before he decided to clean up the mess of bottles. What if Master needs them? He said he would cut me, didn’t he?

But then he would remember that Master Tomas had decided not to punish him, for reasons Rowe didn’t understand. He figured he had better be a good Pet and clean up, and if Master wanted to hurt him in the morning there were plenty of other sharp objects around.

Master hadn’t stirred until around 11am, and when he did Rowe quickly folded onto his knees, calm and obedient, by his Master’s side but not too close, ready to greet him.

. . .

Tomas hardly remembered the night with Adam, and he was okay with that. What he did remember was peeling himself off the living room floor the next morning, stiff all over with a pounding head and a stomach like a choppy sea. He bit back a groan as he turned his neck to look around.

And then he’d seen Rowe, kneeling quietly, his eyes hovering somewhere near Tomas’s face. With his bruised nose, grazed wrists, burnt and battered limbs. Tomas’s hangover suddenly didn’t feel so bad. He gave Rowe a weak smile and Rowe bowed his head to the floor for a few seconds.

‘’Good morning, Master.’’

‘’Morning, pal. Did you give me this cushion?’’

‘’Y-yes, Master,’’ Rowe said, going stiff, like he expected to be berated for it.

‘’Thank you. That was good of you.’’

In the days after, Tomas noticed that Rowe was acting distant, but that hardly surprised him. He had given Rowe quite a scare. If being quiet, meek and staying out of Tomas’s way was Rowe’s way of feeling a bit more secure, then Tomas decided he had to step back and let him.

One morning Tomas was boiling the kettle, snapping his fingers to whatever tune was on the radio.

‘’Master?’’

Tomas turned quickly and- looked down. Rowe was knelt at his feet, having appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

‘’Oh! Everything okay, Rowe?’’

‘’Did you need me for something, Master?’’

Tomas frowned. What did he…

‘’Oh! Because I was snapping my fingers, yes?’’

‘’Yes, M-Master…’’

Tomas felt quite proud of himself for figuring that out. He put one hand on the kitchen counter, fingers splayed, and crouched to rub Rowe’s shoulder.

‘’I was doing it because I liked the song on the radio,’’ Tomas told him gently. ‘’With me, snapping fingers doesn’t mean you have to come, okay?’’

‘’Okay, Master. I understand.’’

‘’Good! That actually reminds me. I have a new rule for you.’’

Rowe’s eyes widened momentarily and before Tomas could decide if it was excitement or apprehension, Rowe caught his misstep and went back to his conditioned blankness. Getting Rowe up off his knees, Tomas continued making tea, making sure to keep everything very casual.

‘’From now on, you aren’t to touch the knives, or any sharp objects, without my express permission and supervision, okay? I know it wasn’t your fault, but that little cut you gave me showed you probably aren’t ready to handle knives yet, and that’s alright. I can do the chopping from now on.’’

‘’Yes, Master,’’ said Rowe quietly. Every time Tomas brought that incident up Rowe looked like he wanted to hide himself away. Tomas gave him a pat on the back of his head and- although he flinched at first- that seemed to help. Turning back to the tea, his face fell as he opened the fridge.

‘’That’s the last of the milk, then,’’ he said, pouring it into the mugs. ‘’I… I really have to go shopping.’’

He’d put it off for as long as he could, but the kitchen was starting to look pretty sad. Rowe gazed up at him with eyes full of worry. Don’t leave me alone. Tomas could have burst with pity, but he steeled himself. This was a chore he couldn’t avoid. The pair drank their tea in silence; Tomas at the table, Rowe dusting the bookshelves in the living room. The radio continued to play.

. . .

Master Tomas left, promising he wouldn’t be long, but it all sounded muffled to Rowe. Everything had gone fuzzy after Master had told him don’t worry, you won’t be alone. I’ll ask if Kasia wouldn’t mind popping over. It all felt like a cruel joke.

Rowe wanted to tell him so badly, to beg and beg and beg that he was telling the truth, but the endless possible outcomes overwhelmed him into silence.

Master wouldn’t care- it was keeping him scared, and submissive, after all.

Master wouldn’t believe him, and ask Kasia instead.

Master wouldn’t believe him, and throw him out.

Master would be horrified that Rowe let another man handle his property without his knowledge, and decide that he didn’t need a deceiving Pet like him.

Master would be pleased, and ask Kasia to help him correct his miserable Pet more.

Master would smack him so hard he hit the floor, and grip his face with all his strength and ask him just who he thought he was, crying about a few beatings, and then he would reconsider whether Rowe really deserved food, and a bed, and he definitely wouldn’t let him speak, in fact, he’d get one of those awful muzzles where the bit cuts into your mouth and he’d strap it onto Rowe’s face until he learnt his place as Master’s property-

And maybe Rowe could handle the hellish meetings with Kasia if it meant he stayed good, and afraid, and in Master’s favour. So when he heard the unmistakable heavy footsteps of Kasia coming up the stairs towards his room, he let himself go limp and pliable. Even when Kasia pushed open the door with a face like thunder. Even when he kept something hidden behind his back as he walked towards Rowe.

-

‘’Oh- oh, god, it hurts! Please, please!’’ Rowe cried, his face shiny with sweat. His hair was sticking to his forehead, and Kasia grabbed a fistful of it to pull Rowe’s face towards his. He stared hard into the whites of Rowe’s eyes.

‘’Bad Pets get muzzled, you know,’’ he warned, and Rowe forced himself to be guttural, to only moan and gasp in pain. He was allowed that, at least. His hands twitched above him, tightly bound to one of the end bedposts. His chest trembled with sobs. But he didn’t speak, and Kasia grunted, returning to his work.

Rowe’s legs were a mess. His skin was barely visible under the blood that rolled down in drops and soaked into the cream carpet. The hammer came down with a swish and a sickening thud. More blood was flecked onto Kasia’s shirt with every circle he battered into Rowe’s flesh.

Each time Kasia bludgeoned him, Rowe would spasm in pain, the thrashing of his legs doing nothing but making the injuries worse. He was scared to look down- his legs, his pretty legs that he needed to kneel on and attend his Master with, they were ruined. What- what was the point of this? This wouldn’t make him better. Rowe’s head slumped back against his shoulder blades, pulling his bruised neck taut. He’s just doing this for fun, isn’t he.

All thoughts were pushed from his head with the next awful, wet crunch of the hammer. Thud thud THUD, faster and faster, and this wasn’t methodical, this wasn’t like his training, this was like when Rowe had smashed his old master’s favourite bowl and he was beaten until old master had spent all of his rage and hatred and made Rowe scream.

Sure enough, Rowe was screaming now, and he was good at just screaming, he knew when begging would get him somewhere and when it wouldn’t. He was beyond proving his obedience. Kasia just wanted a living doll to torment. Rowe risked a glance at his legs- and then his screams were broken up with heavy, wet cries.

When the pain finally let him rest, finally pulled him into a thick sleep, Rowe was so, so grateful. As the gory scene blurred before him, all he could think about was the feeling of the bedframe against his back. I’m with my old master. He’s letting me sleep at the foot of his bed. I must have been good. I’m so happy…

. . .

Tomas clenched his teeth as he hurried up the street to his door.

[Work called, I had to run. Left him in his room, he seemed fine.]

[What???]

Fuck’s sake, why now, why now? He had needed Kasia to keep an eye on him, he needed him! The house was silent as he pushed open the door and set the bags down heavily, running up the stairs.

Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw when he opened Rowe’s bedroom door. Tomas gasped, inhaling sharply, and then he couldn’t breathe. Rowe was lying on the floor, passed out, his wrists tucked together under his chin and his shirt thrown carelessly in a corner. Oh fuck. Everything below the knees was a mess of gore, there was blood everywhere, holy fucking shit, and a god damn hammer lying nearby. His calves were so battered Tomas could hardly look.

‘’Oh god, oh god, oh god! Rowe, Rowe, oh Rowe, my Rowe, oh god, oh fuck, oh fuck fuck fuck!’’ Tomas panicked. Rowe didn’t stir and Tomas thought he might pass out as well. ‘’What the fuck did you do?’’ he cried, ‘’Rowe, wake up, what the fuck did you do?’’

Tomas’s knees buckled and he collapsed in the doorway, fumbling for his phone with trembling fingers. After a few seconds he managed to steady himself enough to dial 999.

‘’Ambulance service, is that patient breathing?’’

‘’Ah,’’ Tomas choked out. He was barely breathing himself. He forced himself to crawl over to Rowe and check his pulse.

‘’Hello?’’ drawled the operator.

‘’Yes, yes, he’s breathing, fuck-‘’

‘’Describe exactly what’s happened for me.’’

‘’I just got home, and I, he, oh my god!’’ Tomas started to cry desperately. ‘’I just got home and he’s upstairs and there’s blood everywhere-‘’ his voice cracked ‘’-and his legs are all smashed up wi-with a hammer and please, you have to help, you have to send someone!’’

‘’Stay calm for me sir, who is it that’s had this injury? How old are they?’’

‘’It’s- my Pet, I don’t know his age.’’

‘’A Pet?’’ the operator asked, in the same collected, monotone voice. ‘’Sir, we can’t waste ambulances on Pets, you’ll have to bring them in yourself if you want medical help, okay?’’

‘’What- but wait, it’s bad-‘’

Click. They’d hung up.

‘’Fuck!’’ he breathed, his phone almost slipping from his hand. ‘’Fuck, Rowe, Rowe, wake up! Wake up!’’

He didn’t mean to hurt him, but he needed Rowe to respond, and before he knew it he had smacked him across the cheek. It only made Tomas cry harder, but sure enough, Rowe stirred.

‘’Rowe,’’ Tomas gasped. ‘’Rowe, Rowe, oh my god, what the fuck did you do?’’

He didn’t answer, but he did moan in pain. Tomas lifted Rowe’s face up, but his eyes were rolling back into his skull. He had lost so much blood.

‘’I’ve got to get you to the hospital.’’

Rowe’s mouth opened a tiny amount, and Tomas bent close.

‘’C…c-collar…’’

‘’I… fuck, yes, Pets have to wear a collar outside, okay, okay, I’ll get one. It’s gonna be okay, Rowe.’’

Luckily, Tomas had never got around to throwing out the collar he’d bought for the animal he’d been expecting. It was made for a dog, and slipped around Rowe’s tiny neck just fine.

‘’Can you breathe?’’

Rowe twitched his head in a nod, but his eyes had fluttered closed once more. Tomas stumbled into the bathroom and took two towels. As he lifted Rowe’s left leg to slip one underneath, he screamed in agony. Tomas cringed, trying to stop crying.

‘’Please, please Master,’’ Rowe whimpered, and Tomas just wished he was dreaming. This was too horrifying, he must be dreaming, surely.

‘’I’m sorry, I’m sorry,’’ he sobbed, pressing a hand now wet with Rowe’s blood into his hair, doing his best to stroke him with his trembling fingers. ‘’They’ll stop the pain soon, I promise.’’

As soon as he’d slipped Rowe’s legs into the towels, Tomas wiped his eyes on his sleeve, hauled his broken Pet into his arms and carried him downstairs.

‘’I don’t- have a car,’’ Tomas explained as he gripped Rowe with one arm to lock the door behind him, ‘’but you’re so small, I think you’ll just about fit. I’m sorry, this is so fucking stupid, I’m sorry. But I’ll get us there quickly. Quicker than a taxi.’’

Rowe didn’t struggle as Tomas lowered him into the basket attached to the front of his bicycle. His wrapped legs dangled freely, and his arms wrapped around his waist like a hug. Tomas slung himself into the saddle and pushed off down the hill.

-

‘’Do you- treat Pets, here?’’ Tomas asked the receptionist timidly. Looking around, he didn’t see any other Pets. The receptionist barely even glanced up, even though Rowe was gently dripping blood onto the linoleum floor.

‘’Try the other reception. Down the hall, you’ll see the sign. We have a separate ward for Pets.’’

The second receptionist was far more friendly, scarily so.

‘’Hello there, sir, what’s the issue?’’

‘’My Pet- his legs are definitely broken, and he’s lost a lot of blood. He’s unresponsive.’’

‘’Okay,’’ she said as she typed something into her computer. ‘’And what’s your name, please, sir?’’

‘’Tomas Grzegorzewski.’’

A few more questions and then Rowe was lowered into a worn wheelchair and taken away. Tomas watched him leave with a heavy weight in his stomach.

He couldn’t sit still, he still had Rowe’s blood on his sleeves and if he had to just sit and think about what had happened he knew he was going to have a breakdown right there. So instead he marched outside, charmed a cigarette off one of the smokers outside, and called Kasia.

‘’You all good, mate?’’ Kasia said coolly.

‘’I am not fucking-! I am not all good,’’ Tomas hissed, remembering to keep his voice down.

‘’Did something happen? Look, I’m sorry I had to leave.’’

‘’He fucking- oh my god, I might throw up if I even describe it. He took a hammer to his own fucking legs.’’

‘’Oh, shit,’’ Kasia said. Nothing ever seemed to phase him. Tomas supposed it was his line of work. ‘’Why’d he do that?’’

‘’Kas, I asked you over for a reason! I don’t know, he goes off the rails every time he’s left alone,’’ Tomas snapped, trying and failing to keep his voice level.

‘’I’m sorry, okay? Don’t have a go at me, mate. Work called, I was doing you a favour and you know I have a busy schedule.’’

Tomas sighed. Kasia was right. ‘’Okay, okay. I’m sorry. I just… I got really scared when I came home. I’m sorry, I know it’s not your problem.’’

‘’Yeah, well, I know you’re upset, but I couldn’t have known he was gonna pull some crazy shit like that.’’

‘’Yeah. I’m at the hospital right now,’’ Tomas said, dragging on his cig. ‘’I’m gonna go back in, it’s fucking freezing. See you later?’’

‘’Yeah, let me know if he’s alright.’’

Back in the waiting room, Tomas put his head in his hands, raking his fingers through his curls. He couldn’t stop seeing Rowe’s legs. The way he’d just been lying there, letting himself bleed out. And where had he even found that hammer? He must have really wanted it. And Tomas hadn’t been there to stop him.

A woman called his name uncertainly, and Tomas stood up. He suddenly felt desperately tired. She gave him a delicate smile and he followed her into the belly of the hospital.

[wiypt-writes]

Riding On

Ch 16- A Whole Fucking Hand Of Aces Part 2

Summary Recap: Mary is reeling over the news about her biological father and when he requests a visit, she’s not for playing ball. However, eventually curiosity gets the better of her and she tells Frank she wants to see him. Fliss and Bill attend as supervision as Frank can’t bring himself to go, and Fliss plays her ace card. But does it have the required outcome?

Warnings Recap: Bad Language words.

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Fliss Gallagher and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Riding On Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Chapter 16 Part 1

Staring at the mirror was now one of Alex’s favourite activities, and Frank had to chuckle as the baby was led on his stomach on the floor of their bedroom, his head raised as he glanced at his reflection on the mirrored wardrobe door. He moved his arm a little and became excited when the baby glancing back at him did the same.

“If only you were gonna stay so easy to entertain.” Frank muttered, scooping him up in his arms. Alex let out a loud shriek, one that he seemed to be emitting a lot after having suddenly found his voice at now sixteen weeks old. Frank stood in front of the mirror, holding him with one strong forearm over his chest so the baby could continue to see himself in the mirror. “Hey look buddy…shall we wave?” Frank grabbed one of Alex’s arms with his spare hand and waved it slightly, Alex letting out another loud shriek, his little noises getting more and more excited. Frank laughed and pressed a kiss to his head, looking up as Fliss walked into the room. Alex’s eyes immediately flickered to his momma and he gave another huge grin.

Fliss beamed and cross the room towards them, giving Alex’s cheek a soft peck before she leaned up to press her lips to Frank’s.

“Mary’s ready.” She said and Frank took a deep breath.

“She ok?”

“Yeah” Fliss nodded.

“I know I really should be the one doing this.” Frank sighed “But I just can’t sit round a table with him Liss, I’ll end up punching him in his fucking nose and…” “Hey, we’re a team remember?” Fliss looked at him “I get it Frank, you don’t need to explain.”

Frank nodded and took another deep breath “I’m gonna take Alex for a walk on the harbour and then we’ll be at Greg’s when you’re done.”

“Sure, we’ll come straight over.”  Fliss nodded

“And you’ll call if there’s any trouble?”

“There won’t be. It’s gonna be fine. We got Steve with us so…”

“I know but…” “You still worry, yeah I get it.” Fliss smiled.

At that point they heard the door open and Steve’s voice shouted down the hall, announcing his arrival. The three of them made their way downstairs and Steve grinned, making grabby hands at Alex. Frank passed him over and Steve took his nephew, immediately starting to talk to him in an over exaggerated baby voice.

“Nice to see you too.” Fliss teasingly snarked and Steve stuck his tongue out at her, before he shrugged.

“I aint seen him in two weeks” he responded, unapologetically as Alex made a grab for his beard.

“You aint seen me either.” “Whatever, I grew up seeing you every day for like 20 years …”

Fliss rolled her eyes as she walked into the family room. Mary was sat on the sofa a book in her lap but she wasn’t reading, she was staring at a spot on the floor.

“Stack, you ok?” Frank asked and she looked up at him and smiled.

“Yeah. I’m good.” “You know, you don’t have to go if you don’t want.” Frank crouched down in front of her. “This isn’t court ordered…” “No, I want to.” Mary nodded “I want to ask him questions to his face, I told you.” “Ok.” Frank nodded, brushing her hair of her face “But you promise me, if at any time you start getting upset, the moment you feel uncomfortable you tell Fliss and Steve and they’ll get you out of there.”

Mary nodded “I promise.”

Frank opened his arms and she melted into them, hugging him tight, pressing her face into his neck. This was killing him. She’d been so brave about the whole thing at first. They’d put off telling her as long as they could, but after voicing their suspicions to Greg who said it was certainly an angle he could raise and use to throw doubts on Polland’s motives, they couldn’t actually do anything at that point in time. So they’d decided to wait, as long as they could, but then, the order from the Child Welfare Department had come through, keen to do the interview before Christmas and they’d had to tell her.

They’d explained, promised her that nothing was going to change with her living arrangements, and she’d took everything in calmly and then shrugged and said that she would simply refuse to see him, end of discussion then hopped down from the sofa to go and see Monty. Frank had been about to explain that it might not be that simple but Fliss had stopped him with a look.

Then, in advance of the CWD interview, Greg had a call from Polland’s attorney who had requested a visit with Mary as a ‘goodwill gesture’ from Frank and Fliss without getting the authorities involved. And much to Frank’s disgust, Greg was recommending that they allow it with the caveat that it was supervised. “It will put you in an even more favourable position, Frank. Play the long game…” At those words Frank had hurled his phone across the lounge causing it to fly straight into the wall in a fit of rage and temper Fliss had never seen from him before. At the noise Alex had immediately started to cry and Frank had felt like shit. He looked round with teary eyes to see Fliss gently rocking their son, not a shred of anger or upset on her face as she walked towards him, Alex balanced in one arm as he cried into her shoulder, the other arm gently rubbing up Frank’s as he apologised over and over again.

Mary had reacted as angrily as Frank. Screaming, shouting, barricading herself in her bedroom by dragging her desk in front of the door. Fliss had sat outside her bedroom door calmly talking to her, before she’d called for reinforcements just has Frank had done a few years ago and Steve had arrived. When she had emerged the three adults had assured her that no one was going to make her do anything she didn’t want, but this time they did explain that it might be a court order at some point in the future. They didn’t get back to Greg straight away, which proved to be a smart move as a day or so later Mary announced over dinner that she would see him, as she had some questions and she wanted to ask him face to face. So, given that Frank openly admitted he wasn’t sure he could be in the same room as Polland without breaking his face, Greg had offered to supervise in their place until Fliss had shaken her head and told them that would put Mary on edge. In the end it was agreed she would do it, but at Frank’s request given the suspected link to John’s family, Steve was going to accompany her.  So here they were, a week to go until Christmas, with the impending Welfare Department Interviews set for the following Monday. And Frank was trying not to lose himself again.

“Jesus Pal…” Steve mumbled causing Frank to turn to him as Alex had his little fist wrapped in the hairs of his beard “He’s got some grip on him…” Steve looked at Fliss then Frank.

Mary laughed “He likes to pull my hair…and Fred’s tail, only Fred runs away now.” “Thor doesn’t, dumb mutt…” Frank rolled his eyes, as Fliss gently distracted Alex’s hands by offering him her finger.

“That’s why Frank’s trimmed his beard” Fliss smiled

“It was that or wait till be pulled it clean off my face.” Frank shrugged, rubbing his hand over the shorts stubble as he stood up, Mary doing the same.

“Ok, we ready?” Fliss looked at Mary who nodded. She turned to Steve “You ok to drop us at Greg’s after or do you want me to drive?”

“I can drop you.” Steve nodded and he moved to hand Alex over to Frank when Mary, who had just walked past them to the door, turned and ran back to Frank, throwing her arms round him.

“I love you Frank.” She said softly and Frank felt his chest tighten. He bent down to pick her up and hugged her tight, squeezing his eyes shut to prevent the tears from falling.

“Love you too Stack.” He said softly, kissing the side of her head. Gently he set her down, his large hand cupping her cheek before she headed to the door.

“She’ll be ok Frank.” Steve looked at him as he passed Alex over. Frank gave him a nod, not trusting his voice and Steve clapped a hand on his shoulder. He glanced at Fliss who jerked her head to the door and taking the hint he yelled after Mary to wait up and wandered after her. Without a word she closed the distance between her and Frank, standing on her toes to give Frank a soft kiss. He pressed his head to hers, Alex safely held against his shoulder and gave her a smile. “It’s gonna be fine.” She whispered.

“Yeah. I’ll see you in coupla hours.” He nodded, kissing her again before she left.

**** The journey to the burger bar passed fairly quickly, Steve and Fliss carrying the conversation mostly as Mary was silent, looking out of the window. When they arrived, Steve hopped out of the Audi and opened the back door for Mary.

“Ma’am” he bowed slightly to her and she looked at him.

“Poppa Bill’s right. You’re a divvy.” She said

Fliss burst out laughing as Mary walked a little ahead “Hearing that word in an American accent is almost as good as when Frank says wanker“

Steve sniggered as they caught up to Mary at the main door. Mary paused and looked inside through the glass, and then she glanced at Fliss.

“How will I even know who he is?” It was a simple question, but one that made Fliss instantly realise just how shit this situation was for Mary. Her own biological father, she was about to meet him for the first time and she had no idea what he even looked like. Mind you, Fliss had no idea what hers looked like either. She’d never asked and her mum had never offered the information up. Not that she cared in the slightest.

“Frank told me what he looked like.” Fliss assured Mary, her hand falling to the back of the girl’s head. “It’s ok.” “Stack, you don’t have to do this.” Steve looked down at her. “We can turn round and go straight home. This is your choice ok?” “No, I want to.” She insisted. Steve nodded, pulled the door open and they stepped inside. Fliss scanned around the room and then spotted a man matching the description Frank had given her, sat at a table by one of the large windows. His eyes looked around the room and he minute he spotted them he stood up.

“That him?” Steve asked. Fliss nodded

“I think so”

“Well, he looks like an ass hole so...”

“Steve…” Fliss said, “Don’t.”

“Ok, ok…” her brother nodded. “I’m gonna grab some grub and I’ll be at the table behind if you need me, ok?”

Fliss nodded and her hand gently dropped to Mary’s shoulder and Mary looked up at her. “I think that’s him.” Fliss said, inclining her head in Polland’s direction. Mary looked at him, staying stock still for a moment before she took a little step forward, Fliss following right behind her.

“Bradley Polland?” Fliss asked and he nodded, running a hand through his gelled, light ginger hair. “I’m Felicity.”

“HI.” He nodded, offering her his hand which Fliss shook curtly before she gently lay her hand on Mary’s head as Polland looked down at her smiling. “Hi Mary. It’s nice to meet you.” It’s nice to meet you… the words sounded utterly ridiculous to Fliss, coming from a father to his daughter, but then again, what else had she expected seeing as he’d never been in the same room as her before.

Mary blinked at him, but didn’t say anything. Instead she turned to Fliss “Lissy, can we get something to eat?”

“Sure baby.” Fliss nodded, and then she looked at Polland and gave him a stiff smile “We’ll grab something and then be right over ok?”

“Sure.” He swallowed “I’ll just…” he gestured back at the table before he walked away.

“He doesn’t look like I imagined.” Mary said as they headed to the counter.

“No?” Fliss asked.

“You sure he’s my dad?”

“DNA says so.” 

“Huh.” Mary replied “I thought he would have been more handsome, or at least not look like he got dressed in the dark.”

Fliss let out a bark of a laugh as she glanced back at Polland, taking in his grey jeans and hideous bright, striped polo shirt. His blondey-red hair was messed up and his stubble was also ungroomed. “Well, he does look a little dishevelled so to speak. Good job you got the Adler genes kiddo.”

“And he’s ginger.”

“Oi!” Fliss nudged her “Nothing wrong with us red-heads. Ask Fred!”

“Yeah but you’re pretty…and Fred’s cute.” Mary reasoned, and Fliss chuckled, ruffling her hair.

They ordered their food, and Fliss carried the tray back to the table, Mary hopping up onto the seat opposite Polland as Fliss passed her the burger and fries she’d asked for, along with the soda. Fliss carefully made a deal of adding sugar to her coffee whilst Polland asked Mary a few little questions making small talk- how are you, tell me about yourself, that type of thing, until it grew a little stilted, so Fliss took it on herself to attempt to facilitate a little.

“Mary why don’t you tell Bradley about Monty?” she asked.

“Who’s Monty, your cousin?” Polland seized the opportunity and Mary looked at him as if he was a dumbass.

“No, my cousins are called Charlie and Joel. They’re Uncle Steeby’s twins. He’s Fliss’ brother. Frank and Fliss’ baby, he’s my brother. His name is Alex.” She stated “Monty is my pony.”

Polland blinked at her forthright answer before he nodded “A pony? So you ride?”

She nodded “I show jump. I’ve done a few competitions now.” “Did you win any?”

“Not yet.” Mary said “But I’ve had a few rosettes and stuff. Frank and Liss always tell me that it doesn’t matter if I win or not, I should just enjoy it.” “Good advice.” He nodded “So do you have any other pets?” “We have a dog, Thor. He’s big and he bites people if he gets mad” Mary said, and Fliss looked away, trying not to laugh at the utter nonsense about the dog that had never bitten anyone in his life, “And I have Fred. He’s ginger like you, but it looks good on him. And he only has one eye.”

Ok so now Fliss really was laughing silently, and she looked up and saw that from the table behind theirs, Steve’s shoulders were shaking as he hid his face behind the paper he was pretending to read.

“You have a one eyed cat?” Polland raised his eyebrows. “Sounds cool”

“He is.” Mary nodded “But he’s dead smart. Smarter than most people. Including you.”

“Mary…” Fliss looked at her “Don’t be nasty.”

“I’m not. I’m just saying.” She shrugged “Frank says Fred is smarter than anyone. Except when he lies on the stairs.”

Fliss smiled and looked at Polland who glanced at her. Fliss nodded towards Mary, instructing him to keep the conversation going, and when he spoke again he said something which was in fairness pretty innocuous, and was probably meant as a compliment but it didn’t quite work out that way.

“You look like your mom.”  He smiled and Fliss took a deep breath as Mary stiffened and she knew instantly that he’d lit the fuse wire.

“Yeah, I know. Frank told me.” Mary pushed the fry she was holding around in the ketchup dip before she gave a sigh and tossed it down onto the burger wrapper and looked at him. “Why did you never want to see me before today?”

“It’s complicated Mary.” Polland said, almost patronisingly and Fliss winced a little. Mary hated being patronised. “But I’m here now.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.” Mary looked at him. “Frank always answers me when I ask him things because he knows I’m not stupid. Why didn’t you want to see me before?” she repeated her previous question, folding her arms.

“Mary, it wasn’t that I didn’t want to, but I didn’t know where you were.” Polland reasoned and Fliss rolled her eyes, looking away. “Frank took you when you were-“ “The court case.” Mary cut him off “When you all tried to take me away from Frank last time, why didn’t you come and see me then?”

Fliss took a sip of her coffee, her eyes still on Mary. “You could have followed Frank home.” Mary continued, her breathing becoming deep and Fliss knew they were in for an explosion. But she didn’t try and stop it. This was Mary’s moment. For over 9 years she’d had no contact with this man, the only father she had known was Frank, and she had every reason to be angry, and every right to express that anger.

“You’re right, I could have.” He nodded, “But the case was going on and-“ “That didn’t stop Evelyn.” Mary looked at him. “She saw me during the case. I went to stay with her. Frank told me the court said I had to because she asked. Why didn’t you ask?”

Polland sighed, dropping his gaze to the table. “I guess…well, I was a little nervous, you know. I’d never seen you before, I…” He was floundering for excuses, excuses and reasons that weren’t coming to him because he simply didn’t have them and Fliss remained silent as he looked at her, almost pleading for help. She arched an eyebrow and looked away. She wasn’t giving him anything, not now.

“You didn’t want to, did you?” Mary shook her head, her voice cracking slightly and Fliss turned to her, watching her carefully. She didn’t want her to be upset, but she also didn’t want to remove her from the situation before she’d said her piece. She glanced up at Steve who was now watching them, all pretence of reading the paper gone. He shot her a look to check they were ok and she nodded to Mary as the little girl continued. “You didn’t want me when I was a baby and you didn’t want me 2 years ago so why now?”

Steve looked back at Fliss, shaking his head, telling her to let it continue so she did.

Polland let out a soft sigh and he shook his head “I was wrong, I know that but…Mary, I’m your dad.” He shrugged “And I’m sorry. I really am, and, well, I wanted to see you now, is that so bad?”

“You’re not my dad.” Mary shot back, wiping at her eyes “Frank is my dad. And you’re trying to stop him and Lissy from adopting me.” “Mary, I…”

“If you cared about me at all you’d leave me alone and never contact me again.” Mary looked at him. “Because of you and Evelyn, I spent a week away from Frank and I hated it. But I forgave Evelyn because she realised she was wrong. And she told me that and she said she was sorry, but you…you just want to do that to me again?”

“No, Mary, that’s not what I want at all.” Polland shook his head “I don’t want to take you away, I just want to see you and-“

“Well I don’t want to see you.” Mary glared at him. “Not now. Not ever. And I’ll tell that lady from the Child services that when she asks. And because Frank tells me to be honest I’ll tell her that I hate you. Because I do!” her voice rose to a yell as she stood up suddenly, sending her chair crashing to the ground. Fliss reached up and gently laying a hand on her back.

“Mary…” she soothed, but Mary shrugged her off, her eyes blazing, her face was red and the tears were trickling down her face. Fliss glanced at Steve who was already out of his chair and striding over to them, before she looked back at Polland who was looking a little abashed, as he swallowed nervously, scratching at his neck.

“Come on Stack.” Steve spoke calmly as she turned to him, burying her face into his shirt, just above his hip and he picked her up gently. He shot Polland a filthy look and the man visibly recoiled, and Fliss had to bite back the smirk on her face. Steve was positively petrifying when he looked like that. She stood up and turned towards where Mary was sobbing gently into the crook of his neck.

“You ok?” She asked gently, rubbing at Mary’s back and she sniffed, looking at Fliss

“I wanna go home.” “Ok.” Fliss nodded and she turned to Steve “Can you take her to the car, I need a word with…” she jerked her head at Polland and Steve looked back at him, shooting him another vile glare before he looked back at Fliss.

“Sure, meet you out there.”

She nodded “I won’t be long.”

As Steve walked away, Mary on his hip Fliss sat back on her chair, before she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She glanced down, swiped at the button on the front before she placed the phone down on the table and glanced at Polland.

“That went well.” She deadpanned.

“What do you want me to say?”

“There’s nothing you can say, not now. The damage is done.” Fliss looked at him “You have no idea how upset she was when we broke the news to her that you were contesting our application. It’s all she’s wanted for months since we made the decision, for us to be her official parents and you’re now taking all that away from her.”

“She’s my daughter…” “She’s been your daughter for 9 years, and you’ve been nowhere to be seen. Well, until the court case that is. And then after that you crawled right back underneath whatever rock you emerged from, not that we’re complaining.” Fliss shrugged. “In fact, we wish you’d stayed there.”

“When those papers came through…” Polland cleared his throat, “It just felt so final, like, if I let her go, I’d never see her again, and it just made me feel…” “It sparked some deep, hidden paternal instinct.” Fliss said, sarcastically as she remembered the words Gregg had spoken a few weeks earlier. She took a deep breath, before she bit her lip and decided to go straight in for the kill. “Well, I really hope whatever the Stazikers are paying you is worth the hell you’re putting her through.”

Polland’s face slipped “Who?”

“Cut the shit Polland.” Fliss sighed, “I know what you're up to just how much are they paying you?”

“I really have no idea who-“

All it took was Fliss’ best stern look and he caved, sighed heavily.

“Fine, let’s just say if you could find me 15 grand, then it would better their offer.” “I beg your pardon?” Fliss whispered, not quite sure she’d heard him right.”

“15 grand and I’ll be out of your hair. I’ll drop my objections, sign over all my rights, and you’ll never hear from me again.”

“You sick son-of-a…” Fliss practically snarled at him, the blood pounding in her ears from her anger. “You’re toying with a child’s feelings and life over 15 fucking grand?”

“I need the cash. I’m in debt.” Polland sighed, shrugging.

Fliss let out a sarcastic laugh “Jesus Christ…” she shook her head. “So, let me ask you this…they fund your court case, block the adoption and turn our lives upside down, leave Mary heartbroken again, they pay you your money and then what?

“I won’t get custody, I know that. I don’t want it…”

“No but you will likely get visitations. Are you then going to step up and abide by whatever ruling or access you get?”

“I don’t know, I hadn’t thought that far.”

“You haven’t thought at all…” Fliss shook her head “For the record, I think you have to be one of, if not, the most despicable people I have ever had the misfortune to meet, and that’s no easy title to earn, believe me.  I can tell you this right now, you’re getting fuck all out of us. So you tell that shit head family from me, that they want a fight, they can have one.”

“Fine, guess I’ll see you in court.”

“I guess you will.” Fliss stood up, before she leaned forward, her palms flat on the table “And I hope you’re not expecting a clean fight either.” “What?” Polland blinked. “What do you mean, a clean fight?”

“We know all about Evelyn, how your little arrangement went down last time. How she had a word in a few peoples ears about getting your company the deal for the University accounts in exchanged for you nominating her as Mary’s guardian in court…”

Polland swallowed “That…that was…look, it was a thank you, not a bribe.” “Evelyn told me everything.” She said “She told me what the deal was. That you did your part, you said what she coached you to say, and she would convince her buddy’s in the University Procurement department to take your company’s bid by offering them a little payment each.”

“That, no…that deal my company did came after court…”

“I’m sure it did, I mean Evelyn wanted to make sure you fulfilled your side of the bargain before she parted with her cash.”

“You can’t prove it.”

“No?” Fliss raised an eyebrow “Thing is, Evelyn and Frank are on good terms now. And she’s behind him here 100% and she already said she’d do whatever it takes to help us push this adoption through. Including coming clean.” She leaned back in her chair, folding her arms “You know, I’m not so sure that the Education Authorities would look favourably on it, or your company for that matter. Not after they were already done for Corruption and Bribery back in 2005 on another deal. What was it the report said?” she fake pondered for a moment “Oh, yes. Back handers to the down selection committee and evading the nature of true competition. The CEO lost his job, did he not?”

Polland looked at her, and his eyes narrowed “So what are you saying here? That I back off or you’ll start making noises?”

Fliss shrugged.

Polland looked at her for a moment, shaking his head “That’s blackmail”

“And you telling me that 15k will beat whatever dirty offer you’ve already isn’t?”

Polland swallowed and looked down at the table, and in that moment Fliss knew she’d made her point. But just to drive it home even more, she issued him one last veiled threat that she hoped would do the trick.

“You think on what I’ve said. And I hope you come to the right decision, if not, then like you say, we’ll see you in court and find out what the authorities think about it all.”

And with that she shrugged on her jacket, grabbed her phone, stuffed it into her purse and left.

Once outside she walked straight past the Audi, where Steve and Mary were talking and climbed into the black range rover parked behind.

“You get it?” she turned to her dad and he raised an eyebrow, before he tapped a button on his phone.

“Fine, let’s just say if you could find me 15 grand, then it would better their offer.” “I beg your pardon?”

“15 grand and I’ll be out of your hair. I’ll drop my objections, sign over all my rights, and you’ll never hear from me again.”

“You sick son-of-a…you’re toying with a child’s feelings and life over 15 fucking grand?”

“I need the cash. I’m in debt.”

Fliss smirked a little at the fact the plan had worked. It had been a simple one. She was always going to hang back to speak to him in private, Steve leaving with Mary being the signal for her Dad to call, at which point she’d answer, leave the phone on the table, and the App which Steve had found would record the whole damned thing.

“Got it all.” Bill said, looking at her “Jesus Titch, I wanted to come right over there and knock his teeth out.”

Fliss ran her hands over her face. “I tell you what though, I didn’t think he’d be as easy to crack as he was…and as for then trying to bribe us too…what a dumbass!”

Bill snorted “You do know this might not be admissible in court, right?”

“I don’t think it’s gonna come to that.” Fliss looked out of the windscreen of the car before she turned back to her father “His face when I told him about Evelyn, he shit himself dad. As soon as Greg files this recording for admission, his attorney will get a copy so he’ll know we have proof of what he’s done. He’ll back down, he won’t want to lose his job or get exposed for being nothing but a fucking con-artist.” 

Bill smirked “You know, when you suggested this to me the other day I didn’t think it was gonna work but…seems like you got him by the balls Titch!”

“What was it you always told me about fighting fire with fire?” She grinned and Bill snorted. “That adding more fire makes the situation hotter and sometimes what you need is...”

“A cool bucket of water.” Bill finished for her as Fliss chuckled.

“Yup, and like Frank said when we came up with the idea.” she glanced out of the window at Steve’s car which was now pulling out of the parking space, Mary chatting to him from the passenger seat. “Sometimes beating someone at their own game is much more satisfying than simply punching them in the face.”

***** Chapter 17

[what-is-your-plan-today]

Riding On

Ch 16- A Whole Fucking Hand Of Aces

Part 2

Summary Recap: Mary is reeling over the news about her biological father and when he requests a visit, she’s not for playing ball. However, eventually curiosity gets the better of her and she tells Frank she wants to see him. Fliss and Bill attend as supervision as Frank can’t bring himself to go, and Fliss plays her ace card. But does it have the required outcome?

Warnings Recap: Bad Language words.

More huge thanks to @icanfeelastormbrewing​, @sweater-daddiesdumbdork​ for their little input into this and to @southerngracela​ for beta reading! Catch up with Part 1

 Staring at the mirror was now one of Alex’s favourite activities, and Frank had to chuckle as the baby was led on his stomach on the floor of their bedroom, his head raised as he glanced at his reflection on the mirrored wardrobe door. He moved his arm a little and became excited when the baby glancing back at him did the same.

“If only you were gonna stay so easy to entertain.” Frank muttered, scooping him up in his arms. Alex let out a loud shriek, one that he seemed to be emitting a lot after having suddenly found his voice at now 16 weeks old. Frank stood in front of the mirror, holding him with one strong forearm over his chest so the baby could continue to see himself in the mirror. “Hey look buddy…shall we wave?” Frank grabbed one of Alex’s arms with his spare hand and waved it slightly, Alex letting out another loud shriek, his little noises getting more and more excited. Frank laughed and pressed a kiss to his head, looking up as Fliss walked into the room. Alex’s eyes immediately flickered to his momma and he gave another huge grin.

Fliss beamed and cross the room towards them, giving Alex’s cheek a soft peck before she leaned up to press her lips to Frank’s.

“Mary’s ready.” She said and Frank took a deep breath.

“She ok?”

“Yeah” Fliss nodded.

“I know I really should be the one doing this.” Frank sighed “But I just can’t sit round a table with him Liss, I’ll end up punching him in his fucking nose and…” “Hey, we’re a team remember?” Fliss looked at him “I get it Frank, you don’t need to explain.”

Frank nodded and took another deep breath “I’m gonna take Alex for a walk on the harbour and then we’ll be at Greg’s when you’re done.”

“Sure, we’ll come straight over.”  Fliss nodded

“And you’ll call if there’s any trouble?”

“There won’t be. It’s gonna be fine. We got Steve with us so…”

“I know but…” “You still worry, yeah I get it.” Fliss smiled.

At that point they heard the door open and Steve’s voice shouted down the hall, announcing his arrival. The three of them made their way downstairs and Steve grinned, making grabby hands at Alex. Frank passed him over and Steve took his nephew, immediately starting to talk to him in an over exaggerated baby voice.

“Nice to see you too.” Fliss teasingly snarked and Steve stuck his tongue out at her, before he shrugged.

“I aint seen him in two weeks” he responded, unapologetically as Alex made a grab for his beard.

“You aint seen me either.” “Whatever, I grew up seeing you every day for like 20 years …”

Fliss rolled her eyes as she walked into the family room. Mary was sat on the sofa a book in her lap but she wasn’t reading, she was staring at a spot on the floor.

“Stack, you ok?” Frank asked and she looked up at him and smiled.

“Yeah. I’m good.” “You know, you don’t have to go if you don’t want.” Frank crouched down in front of her. “This isn’t court ordered…” “No, I want to.” Mary nodded “I want to ask him questions to his face, I told you.” “Ok.” Frank nodded, brushing her hair of her face “But you promise me, if at any time you start getting upset, the moment you feel uncomfortable you tell Fliss and Steve and they’ll get you out of there.”

Mary nodded “I promise.”

Frank opened his arms and she melted into them, hugging him tight, pressing her face into his neck. This was killing him. She’d been so brave about the whole thing at first. They’d put off telling her as long as they could, but after voicing their suspicions to Greg who said it was certainly an angle he could raise and use to throw doubts on Polland’s motives, they couldn’t actually do anything at that point in time. So they’d decided to wait, as long as they could, but then, the order from the Child Welfare Department had come through, keen to do the interview before Christmas and they’d had to tell her.

They’d explained, promised her that nothing was going to change with her living arrangements, and she’d took everything in calmly and then shrugged and said that she would simply refuse to see him, end of discussion then hopped down from the sofa to go and see Monty. Frank had been about to explain that it might not be that simple but Fliss had stopped him with a look.

Then, in advance of the CWD interview, Greg had a call from Polland’s attorney who had requested a visit with Mary as a ‘goodwill gesture’ from Frank and Fliss without getting the authorities involved. And much to Frank’s disgust, Greg was recommending that they allow it with the caveat that it was supervised. “It will put you in an even more favourable position, Frank. Play the long game…” At those words Frank had hurled his phone across the lounge causing it to fly straight into the wall in a fit of rage and temper Fliss had never seen from him before. At the noise Alex had immediately started to cry and Frank had felt like shit. He looked round with teary eyes to see Fliss gently rocking their son, not a shred of anger or upset on her face as she walked towards him, Alex balanced in one arm as he cried into her shoulder, the other arm gently rubbing up Frank’s as he apologised over and over again.

Mary had reacted as angrily as Frank. Screaming, shouting, barricading herself in her bedroom by dragging her desk in front of the door. Fliss had sat outside her bedroom door calmly talking to her, before she’d called for reinforcements just has Frank had done a few years ago and Steve had arrived. When she had emerged the three adults had assured her that no one was going to make her do anything she didn’t want, but this time they did explain that it might be a court order at some point in the future. They didn’t get back to Greg straight away, which proved to be a smart move as a day or so later Mary announced over dinner that she would see him, as she had some questions and she wanted to ask him face to face. So, given that Frank openly admitted he wasn’t sure he could be in the same room as Polland without breaking his face, Greg had offered to supervise in their place until Fliss had shaken her head and told them that would put Mary on edge. In the end it was agreed she would do it, but at Frank’s request given the suspected link to John’s family, Steve was going to accompany her.  So here they were, a week to go until Christmas, with the impending Welfare Department Interviews set for the following Monday. And Frank was trying not to lose himself again.

“Jesus Pal…” Steve mumbled causing Frank to turn to him as Alex had his little fist wrapped in the hairs of his beard “He’s got some grip on him…” Steve looked at Fliss then Frank.

Mary laughed “He likes to pull my hair…and Fred’s tail, only Fred runs away now.” “Thor doesn’t, dumb mutt…” Frank rolled his eyes, as Fliss gently distracted Alex’s hands by offering him her finger.

“That’s why Frank’s trimmed his beard” Fliss smiled

“It was that or wait till be pulled it clean off my face.” Frank shrugged as he stood up, Mary doing the same.

“Ok, we ready?” Fliss looked at Mary who nodded. She turned to Steve “You ok to drop us at Greg’s after or do you want me to drive?”

“I can drop you.” Steve nodded and he moved to hand Alex over to Frank when Mary, who had just walked past them to the door, turned and ran back to Frank, throwing her arms round him.

“I love you Frank.” She said softly and Frank felt his chest tighten. He bent down to pick her up and hugged her tight, squeezing his eyes shut to prevent the tears from falling.

“Love you too Stack.” He said softly, kissing the side of her head. Gently he set her down, his large hand cupping her cheek before she headed to the door.

“She’ll be ok Frank.” Steve looked at him as he passed Alex over. Frank gave him a nod, not trusting his voice and Steve clapped a hand on his shoulder. He glanced at Fliss who jerked her head to the door and taking the hint he yelled after Mary to wait up and wandered after her. Without a word she closed the distance between her and Frank, standing on her toes to give Frank a soft kiss. He pressed his head to hers, Alex safely held against his shoulder and gave her a smile. “Love you.” She whispered.

“You too. See you in coupla hours.” He nodded, kissing her again before she left.

**** The journey to the burger bar passed fairly quickly, Steve and Fliss carrying the conversation mostly as Mary was silent, looking out of the window. When they arrived, Steve hopped out of the Audi and opened the back door for Mary.

“Ma’am” he bowed slightly to her and she looked at him.

“Poppa Bill’s right. You’re a divvy.” She said

Fliss burst out laughing as Mary walked a little ahead “Hearing that word in an American accent is almost as good as when Frank says wanker“

Steve sniggered as they caught up to Mary at the main door. Mary paused and looked inside through the glass, and then she glanced at Fliss.

“How will I even know who he is?” It was a simple question, but one that made Fliss instantly realise just how shit this situation was for Mary. Her own biological father, she was about to meet him for the first time and she had no idea what he even looked like. Mind you, Fliss had no idea what hers looked like either. She’d never asked and her mum had never offered the information up. Not that she cared in the slightest.

“Frank told me what he looked like.” Fliss assured Mary, her hand falling to the back of the girl’s head. “It’s ok.” “Stack, you don’t have to do this.” Steve looked down at her. “We can turn round and go straight home. This is your choice ok?” “No, I want to.” She insisted. Steve nodded, pulled the door open and they stepped inside. Fliss scanned around the room and then spotted a man matching the description Frank had given her, sat at a table by one of the large windows. His eyes looked around the room and he minute he spotted them he stood up.

“That him?” Steve asked. Fliss nodded

“I think so”

“Well, he looks like an ass hole so...”

“Steve…” Fliss said, “Don’t.”

“Ok, ok…” her brother nodded. “I’m gonna grab some grub and I’ll be at the table behind if you need me, ok?”

Fliss nodded and her hand gently dropped to Mary’s shoulder and Mary looked up at her. “I think that’s him.” Fliss said, inclining her head in Polland’s direction. Mary looked at him, staying stock still for a moment before she took a little step forward, Fliss following right behind her.

“Bradley Polland?” Fliss asked and he nodded, running a hand through his gelled, light ginger hair. “I’m Felicity.”

“HI.” He nodded, offering her his hand which Fliss shook curtly before she gently lay her hand on Mary’s head as Polland looked down at her smiling. “Hi Mary. It’s nice to meet you.” It’s nice to meet you… the words sounded utterly ridiculous to Fliss, coming from a father to his daughter, but then again, what else had she expected seeing as he’d never been in the same room as her before.

Mary blinked at him, but didn’t say anything. Instead she turned to Fliss “Lissy, can we get something to eat?”

“Sure baby.” Fliss nodded, and then she looked at Polland and gave him a stiff smile “We’ll grab something and then be right over ok?”

“Yeah, yeah...” He swallowed “I’ll just…” he gestured back at the table before he walked away.

“He doesn’t look like I Imagined.” Mary said as they headed to the counter.

“No?” Fliss asked.

“You sure he’s my dad?”

“DNA says so.” Fliss said

“Huh.” Mary replied “I thought he would have been more handsome, or at least not look like he got dressed in the dark.”

Fliss let out a bark of a laugh as she glanced back at Polland, taking in his grey jeans and hideous bright, striped polo shirt. His blondey-red hair was messed up and his stubble was also ungroomed. “Well, he does look a little dishevelled so to speak. Good job you got the Adler genes kiddo.”

“And he’s ginger.”

“Oi!” Fliss nudged her “Nothing wrong with us red-heads. Ask Fred!”

“Yeah but you’re pretty…and Fred’s cute.” Mary reasoned, and Fliss chuckled, ruffling her hair.

They ordered their food, and Fliss carried the tray back to the table, Mary hopping up onto the seat opposite Polland as Fliss passed her the burger and fries she’d asked for, along with the soda. Fliss carefully made a deal of adding sugar to her coffee whilst Polland asked Mary a few little questions making small talk- how are you, tell me about yourself, that type of thing, until it grew a little stilted, so Fliss took it on herself to attempt to facilitate a little.

“Mary why don’t you tell Bradley about Monty?” she asked.

“Who’s Monty, your cousin?” Polland seized the opportunity and Mary looked at him as if he was a dumbass.

“No, my cousins are called Charlie and Joel. They’re Uncle Steeby’s twins. He’s Fliss’ brother. Frank and Fliss’ baby, he’s my brother. His name is Alex.” She stated “Monty is my pony.”

Polland blinked at her forthright answer before he nodded “A pony? So you ride?”

She nodded “I show jump. I’ve done a few competitions now.” “Did you win any?”

“Not yet.” Mary said “But I’ve had a few rosettes and stuff. Frank and Liss always tell me that it doesn’t matter if I win or not, I should just enjoy it.” “Good advice.” He nodded “So do you have any other pets?” “We have a dog, Thor. He’s big and he bites people if he gets mad” Mary said, and Fliss looked away, trying not to laugh at the utter nonsense about the dog that had never bitten anyone in his life, “And I have Fred. He’s ginger like you, but it looks good on him. And he only has one eye.”

Ok so now Fliss really was laughing silently, and she looked up and saw that from the table behind theirs, Steve’s shoulders were shaking as he hid his face behind the paper he was pretending to read.

“You have a one eyed cat?” Polland raised his eyebrows. “Sounds cool”

“He is.” Mary nodded “But he’s dead smart. Smarter than most people. Including you.”

“Mary…” Fliss looked at her “Don’t be nasty.”

“I’m not. I’m just saying.” She shrugged “Frank says Fred is smarter than anyone. Except when he lies on the stairs.”

Fliss smiled and looked at Polland who glanced at her. Fliss nodded towards Mary, instructing him to keep the conversation going, and when he spoke again he said something which was in fairness pretty innocuous, and was probably meant as a compliment but it didn’t quite work out that way.

“You look like your mom.”  He smiled and Fliss took a deep breath as Mary stiffened and she knew instantly that he’d lit the fuse wire.

“Yeah, I know. Frank told me.” Mary pushed the fry she was holding around in the ketchup dip before she gave a sigh and tossed it down onto the burger wrapper and looked at him. “Why did you never want to see me before today?”

“It’s complicated Mary.” Polland said, almost patronisingly and Fliss winced a little. Mary hated being patronised. “But I’m here now.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.” Mary looked at him. “Frank always answers me when I ask him things because he knows I’m not stupid. Why didn’t you want to see me before?” she repeated her previous question, folding her arms.

“Mary, it wasn’t that I didn’t want to, but I didn’t know where you were.” Polland reasoned and Fliss rolled her eyes, looking away. “Frank took you when you were-“ “The court case.” Mary cut him off “When you all tried to take me away from Frank last time, why didn’t you come and see me then?”

Fliss took a sip of her coffee, her eyes still on Mary. “You could have followed Frank home.” Mary continued, her breathing becoming deep and Fliss knew they were in for an explosion. But she didn’t try and stop it. This was Mary’s moment. For over 9 years she’d had no contact with this man, the only father she had known was Frank, and she had every reason to be angry, and every right to express that anger.

“You’re right, I could have.” He nodded, “But the case was going on and-“ “That didn’t stop Evelyn.” Mary looked at him. “She saw me during the case. I went to stay with her. Frank told me the court said I had to because she asked. Why didn’t you ask?”

Polland sighed, dropping his gaze to the table. “I guess…well, I was a little nervous, you know. I’d never seen you before, I…” He was floundering for excuses, excuses and reasons that weren’t coming to him because he simply didn’t have them and Fliss remained silent as he looked at her, almost pleading for help. She arched an eyebrow and looked away. She wasn’t giving him anything, not now.

“You didn’t want to, did you?” Mary shook her head, her voice cracking slightly and Fliss turned to her, watching her carefully. She didn’t want her to be upset, but she also didn’t want to remove her from the situation before she’d said her piece. She glanced up at Steve who was now watching them, all pretence of reading the paper gone. He shot her a look to check they were ok and she nodded to Mary as the little girl continued. “You didn’t want me when I was a baby and you didn’t want me 2 years ago so why now?”

Steve looked back at Fliss, shaking his head, telling her to let it continue so she did.

Polland let out a soft sigh and he shook his head “I was wrong, I know that but…Mary, I’m your dad.” He shrugged “And I’m sorry. I really am, and, well, I wanted to see you now, is that so bad?”

“You’re not my dad.” Mary shot back, wiping at her eyes “Frank is my dad. And you’re trying to stop him and Lissy from adopting me.” “Mary, I…”

“If you cared about me at all you’d leave me alone and never contact me again.” Mary looked at him. “Because of you and Evelyn, I spent a week away from Frank and I hated it. But I forgave Evelyn because she realised she was wrong. And she told me that and she said she was sorry, but you…you just want to do that to me again?”

“No, Mary, that’s not what I want at all.” Polland shook his head “I don’t want to take you away, I just want to see you and-”

“Well I don’t want to see you.” Mary glared at him. “Not now. Not ever. And I’ll tell that lady from the Child services that when she asks. And because Frank tells me to be honest I’ll tell her that I hate you. Because I do!” her voice rose to a yell as she stood up suddenly, sending her chair crashing to the ground. Fliss reached up and gently laying a hand on her back.

“Mary…” she soothed, but Mary shrugged her off, her eyes blazing, her face was red and the tears were trickling down her face. Fliss glanced at Steve who was already out of his chair and striding over to them, before she looked back at Polland who was looking a little abashed, as he swallowed nervously, scratching at his neck.

“Come on Stack.” Steve spoke calmly as she turned to him, burying her face into his shirt, just above his hip and he picked her up gently. He shot Polland a filthy look and the man visibly recoiled, and Fliss had to bite back the smirk on her face. Steve was positively petrifying when he looked like that. She stood up and turned towards where Mary was sobbing gently into the crook of his neck.

“You ok?” She asked gently, rubbing at Mary’s back and she sniffed, looking at Fliss

“I wanna go home.” “Ok.” Fliss nodded and she turned to Steve “Can you take her to the car, I need a word with…” she jerked her head at Polland and Steve looked back at him, shooting him another vile glare before he looked back at Fliss.

“We’ll be in the car.”

She nodded “I won’t be long.”

As Steve walked away, Mary on his hip Fliss sat back on her chair, before she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She glanced down, swiped at the button on the front before she placed the phone down on the table and glanced at Polland.

“That went well.” She deadpanned.

“What do you want me to say?”

“There’s nothing you can say, not now. The damage is done.” Fliss looked at him “You have no idea how upset she was when we broke the news to her that you were contesting our application. It’s all she’s wanted for months since we made the decision, for us to be her official parents and you’re now taking all that away from her.”

“She’s my daughter…” “She’s been your daughter for 9 years, and you’ve been nowhere to be seen. Well, until the court case that is. And then after that you crawled right back underneath whatever rock you emerged from, not that we’re complaining.” Fliss shrugged. “In fact, we wish you’d stayed there.”

“When those papers came through…” Polland cleared his throat, “It just felt so final, like, if I let her go, I’d never see her again, and it just made me feel…” “It sparked some deep, hidden paternal instinct.” Fliss said, sarcastically as she remembered the words Gregg had spoken a few weeks earlier. She took a deep breath, before she bit her lip and decided to go straight in for the kill. “Well, I really hope whatever the Stazikers are paying you is worth the hell you’re putting her through.”

Polland’s face slipped “Who?”

“Cut the shit Polland.” Fliss sighed, “I know what you're up to, just how much are they paying you?”

“I really have no idea who-“

All it took was Fliss’ best stern look and he caved, sighed heavily.

“Fine, let’s just say if you could find me 15 grand, then it would better their offer.” “I beg your pardon?” Fliss whispered, not quite sure she’d heard him right.”

“15 grand and I’ll be out of your hair. I’ll drop my objections, sign over all my rights, and you’ll never hear from me again.”

“You sick son-of-a…” Fliss practically snarled at him, the blood pounding in her ears from her anger. “You’re toying with a child’s feelings and life over 15 fucking grand?”

“I need the cash. I’m in debt.” Polland sighed, shrugging.

Fliss let out a sarcastic laugh “Jesus Christ…” she shook her head. “So, let me ask you this…they fund your court case, block the adoption and turn our lives upside down, leave Mary heartbroken again, they pay you your money and then what?

“I won’t get custody, I know that. I don’t want it…”

“No but you will likely get visitations. Are you then going to step up and abide by whatever ruling or access you get?”

“I don’t know, I hadn’t thought that far.”

“You haven’t thought at all…” Fliss shook her head “For the record, I think you have to be one of, if not, the most despicable people I have ever had the misfortune to meet, and that’s no easy title to earn, believe me.  I can tell you this right now, you’re getting fuck all out of us. So you tell that shit head family from me, that they want a fight, they can have one.”

“Fine, guess I’ll see you in court.”

“I guess you will.” Fliss stood up and leaned forward, her palms flat on the table “And I hope you’re not expecting a clean fight either.” “What?” Polland blinked. “What do you mean, a clean fight?”

“We know all about Evelyn, how your little arrangement went down last time. How she had a word in a few peoples ears about getting your company the deal for the University accounts in exchanged for you nominating her as Mary’s guardian in court…”

Polland swallowed “That…that was…look, it was a thank you, not a bribe.” “Evelyn told me everything.” She said “She told me what the deal was. That you did your part, you said what she coached you to say, and she would convince her buddy’s in the University Procurement department to take your company’s bid by offering them a little payment each.”

“That, no…that deal my company did came after the case…”

“I’m sure it did, I mean Evelyn wanted to make sure you fulfilled your side of the bargain before she parted with her cash.”

“You can’t prove it.”

“No?” Fliss raised an eyebrow “Thing is, Evelyn and Frank are on good terms now. And she’s behind him here 100% and she already said she’d do whatever it takes to help us push this adoption through. Including coming clean.” She leaned back in her chair, folding her arms “You know, I’m not so sure that the Education Authorities would look favourably on it, or your company for that matter. Not after they were already done for Corruption and Bribery back in 2005 on another deal. What was it the report said?” she fake pondered for a moment “Oh, yes. Back handers to the down selection committee and evading the nature of true competition. The CEO lost his job, did he not?”

Polland looked at her, and his eyes narrowed “So what are you saying here? That I back off or you’ll start making noises?”

Fliss straightend up and shrugged.

Polland looked at her for a moment, shaking his head “That’s blackmail”

“And you telling me that 15k will beat whatever dirty offer you’ve already isn’t?”

Polland swallowed and looked down at the table, and in that moment Fliss knew she’d made her point. But just to drive it home even more, she issued him one last veiled threat that she hoped would do the trick.

“You think on what I’ve said. And I hope you come to the right decision, if not, then like you say, we’ll see you in court and find out what the authorities think about it all.”

And with that she shrugged on her jacket, grabbed her phone, stuffed it into her purse and left. Once outside she walked straight past the Audi, where Steve and Mary were talking and climbed into the black range rover parked behind.

“You get it?” she turned to her dad and he raised an eyebrow, before he tapped a button on his phone.

“Fine, let’s just say if you could find me 15 grand, then it would better their offer.” “I beg your pardon?”

“15 grand and I’ll be out of your hair. I’ll drop my objections, sign over all my rights, and you’ll never hear from me again.”

“You sick son-of-a…you’re toying with a child’s feelings and life over 15 fucking grand?”

“I need the cash. I’m in debt.”

Fliss smirked a little at the fact their plan had worked. It had been a simple one. She was always going to hang back to speak to him in private, Steve leaving with Mary being the signal for her Dad to call, at which point she’d answer, leave the phone on the table, and the App which Steve had found would record the whole damned thing.

“Got it all.” Bill said, looking at her “Jesus Titch, I wanted to come right over there and knock his teeth out.”

Fliss ran her hands over her face. “I tell you what though, I didn’t think he’d be as easy to crack as he was…and as for then trying to bribe us too…what a dumbass!”

Bill snorted “You do know this might not be admissible in court, right?”

“I don’t think it’s gonna come to that.” Fliss looked out of the windscreen of the car before she turned back to her father “His face when I told him about Evelyn, he shit himself dad. As soon as Greg files this recording for admission, his attorney will get a copy so he’ll know we have proof of what he’s done. He’ll back down, he won’t want to lose his job or get exposed for being nothing but a fucking con-artist.” She

Bill smirked “You know, when you suggested this to me the other day I didn’t think it was gonna work but…seems like you got him by the balls Titch!”

“Fight fire with fire dad.” Fliss grinned “And like Frank said when we came up with the idea, sometimes beating someone at their own game is much more satisfying than simply punching them in the face.”

[apheamoon]

thor x reader - where the reader can lift up the hammer (i can’t spell it) from that scene in age of ultron and thor is like omg my girlfriend is worthy🥺

I love writing Thor so this was so fun to write and the concept is so cute too omg🥺

-

Worthy - Thor x Reader

Warnings: Drinking, based on the AOU movie and lots of fluff towards the end

Word Count: 1,825

“Whatever, man!” Clint laughed over at Thor, waving the drumsticks he had found lying around over towards the Mjolnir, “It’s a trick!”

There were only a few of you left once Tony’s party had finally come to a halt. You, Thor and Steve were sharing a couch, with Thor in the middle and you and the Captain on either ends of it. Steve was chatting to you quietly about the mission they had been on earlier on in the week, whilst Thor was laughing over towards Clint. Sitting next to Clint was Maria, though she looked awkward and almost unsure of the archers cocky attitude. Bruce and Natasha were talking between themselves, to the right of Clint; the widow was sure to keep an eye on her friend though, she knew what he got like once a few drinks were down him. Tony and Rhodes where there too, with Tony sipping on a drink quietly, a smirk on his face as he looked to Thor, and with Rhodey raising an eyebrow over to Clint.

“Well, please, be my guest.” Thor chuckled, gesturing his hand over towards the Mjolnir.

The room went quiet, and you turned to Thor and gave him a confused look. As you looked at him, Thor’s eyes caught yours for a moment and you saw the competitive gleam in them that you were used to. Shaking your head, you went back to your drink, but peered at Clint over the rim of it, silently awaiting his response.

“Really?” The archer challenged, placing the drumsticks onto the coffee table in front of him and smirking over towards Thor.

“Yeah!” The Asgardian replied, his tone relaxed. He knew deep down that he was the only person that was truly worthy of wielding the Mjolnir, but it was funny to see the others try and have a go.

“This is going to be interesting.” you muttered under your breath, leaning forwards and placing your cup on the table. You heard Tony smirk from the other side of the room, and you let out a soft sigh, leaning backwards against the couch and folding your arms across your chest.

“Clint, you’ve had a tough week,” Tony announced as the Hawkeye stood up and made his way over towards the hammer, “We won’t hold it against you if you can’t get it up.”

Laughing at the sarcasm that laced the billionaires voice, you tilted your head to the side and awaited the outcome of what was about to happen.

“You know I’ve seen this before, right?” Clint told the room, before turning to the hammer and placing his hand on it.

Thor smiled eagerly over at him, and nodded his head quickly. Clint then pulled the Mjolnir, and felt his body strain as the metal weapon stayed firmly where it was on the table. Confusion washed over his face for a moment, before he laughed quietly, almost embarrassed.

“Still don’t know how you do it!” He exclaimed towards the God, the tone remaining in his laugh.

“Better luck next time, Clint.” You laughed, shaking you head over at him when he looked to you with the same look of embarrassment on his face.

“I think what y/n is trying to say is, can you smell the silent judgement?” Tony added in quickly.

He was sitting up now, his hands clasped firmly together as he desperately tried to hide a laugh. Clint nodded his head to the side and pointed over towards Stark, the embarrassment melting off of his face and slowly turning into smug smile.

“Please, Stark, by all means!” He challenged, and Tony promptly stood up, his whiskey still in his hand.

The room corrupted into an array of sarcastic ‘uh-oh’s and ‘okay’s as Tony placed his drink next to Nat and smartly walked on over towards the hammer.

“Well, I’m never one to shrink away from an honest challenge.” He announced, patting Clint on the chest and fixing his tie, “It’s physics.”

A wash of concern must have come across your face, as Thor nudged you gently and gave you a soft smile.

“Relax, my love,” He muttered, taking your hand in his own and nodding over towards Tony, “It’s all just fun and games.”

You looked back at him and gave him the same smile, squeezing his hand in your own, “I know, I know.”

Tony looked towards you and Thor and nodded his head slightly. Slotting his hand through the handle of the Mjolnir, he grasped the metal bar and began to tug on it lightly.

“If I don’t mind interrupting the love birds,” Tony stated, looking Thor and raising an eyebrow, “But if I lift this, I then rule Asgard?”

Thor looked amused. Leaning back, a grin came across his face and he gave your hand another light squeeze, “Yes, of course.”

“Then I will be reinstituting Prima Nocta.”

Tony then pulled on the Mjolnir, letting out a small puff of air and a frustrated sigh. Clasping the hammer with both hands, he proceeded to try again, but the weapon hardly budged. He stopped abruptly and shook his head.

“I’ll be right back.” He announced, before walking in the direction of his lab.

The rest of the crew laughed quietly, watching Tony leave the hammer on the table. You turned to Thor and raised an eyebrow.

“Odds on him coming back with his suit?” You asked your boyfriend innocently, as you heard the billionaire faintly mutter something under his breath.

“I think they’re very high.” Thor replied, grinning down to you.

His manor and way was still pretty much relaxed, but you put that down to both drink and the fact that wielding the Mjolnir was impossible. Though, you had never tried before, you had heard stories from Thor about the different kings of Asgard and their adventures with Mjolnir. Most of the stories Thor told you were about his father, Odin, though, and how, at times, he could be quite a brutal leader when he wanted to be.

As guessed correctly by both you and Thor, Tony waltzed back into the room with a blaster on his left hand. Trying again to lift the hammer, he grunted in frustration and shifted his body weight to the right. Sighing, he glanced over to Rhodey and before long the duo were both using their blasters to try and lift the hammer from the table. But did it budge? No.

Next up was Bruce, and in a way you took pity on him. He attempted to bring Hulk out when trying to lift the hammer...well, that’s what it looked like at least. In reality it only made him embarrass himself. But the crew were judgement free (mostly) and they just laughed it off.

Then, Steve. Rolling his sleeves up, he nodded his head to the side and looked towards the hammer with an unsure look on his face. Nat grinned from the other side of the room, unsure on what was actually going to happen.

“Come on, Cap.” Tony called out, encouragement in his voice as the super soldier gripped onto the hammer.

Closing his eyes, Steve pulled on the hammer for a moment and a soft, scratching noise was heard. You felt Thor stiffen beside you, and you glanced over to look at him. He had a look of discomfort in his eyes, this making you laugh to yourself and rub your hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him in some type of way.

Steve was still persisting on with trying to lift the hammer up, but soon he gave in and gave everyone a small smile. Thor immediately relaxed beside you, and gave out a hearty laugh.

“Nothing!” He chuckled, raising his glass into the air quickly and taking a sip of his drink.

Bruce gestured his hands over to Natasha once Steve had sat down, “And, Widow?”

She laughed, before shaking her head and quickly taking a sip from her drink, immediately dismissing the situation.

“That’s not a question I need answered.” She replied simply, leaning backwards in her chair and looking over towards you.

It was then that you felt everyone’s eyes on you, and you immediately cringed at the idea of trying to lift the Mjolnir and failing in front of some of Earth’s “mightiest heroes”.

“Oh, I don’t know...” you said quickly, your voice trailing off and you gave the hammer a suspicious look. Turning to Thor, you saw him nod over at you eagerly.

“Go on y/n! Like I said earlier, it’s only a bit of fun!” He told you, gently. He placed his palm on your back and softly tapped it as if to tell you to get up.

You cleared your throat and raised your eyebrows, before standing up and walking over to the Mjolnir. Grasping it with your hand, gently, you looked around to the others and scoffed out a laugh.

“Oh what the hell-“ You laughed, before tugging on the hammer and shaking your head, “It’s not like anything will actually happen.”

But something did happen. You didn’t feel a strain in your arm when you tugged the hammer up. Instead, you found that it felt light in your hands. Your face pulled a confused look when you realised that everyone was looking at you, their mouths gawping open at the sight of what had just happened.

“What?” You asked them all, your voice wavering slightly. Looking down to your hands, you realised what the crew were gawping at and you jumped in surprise.

The hammer. Thor’s hammer. It was in your grasp. You were wielding it with ease - no straining, no huffing and no puffing. It was that simple.

“Oh my-!“ Dropping the hammer abruptly, you turned to Thor and blinked over at him hastily.

“Odin’s beard!” Thor exclaimed, placing his drink to the side and quickly standing up, his hands clapping together and his face lighting up with a look of joy, “She’s worthy!”

He laughed, looking over towards the others. They were all still gobsmacked, but some of them cracked smiles. Steve, for example, was hiding a grin behind the sleeve of his shirt, but you could see the glimmer of excitement in his eyes.

“She’s worthy!” Thor echoed, running over to you and swooping you up into his arms. You let out a shocked gasp, but then laughed at the excitement coming from the God, “Oh y/n! This is amazing! You’re worthy! We’re worthy! This is extraordinary-!”

“Thor!” You cut him off, laughing and trying to steady yourself by placing your palms onto his shoulders.

Smiling down at him, you leaned forwards and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. Thor grinned back at you, holding you close to him with contentment. In the background, you could hear Tony scoff quietly, and you both snapped your head over to look at him.

The billionaire shrugged over at you both and simply stated, “What? I think it’s rigged.”

[themilky-way]

a red kiss {steve rogers}

gif credit: hasan-minhaj

pairing: 1940s! steve rogers x female! reader, 1940s! bucky x reader (platonic)

summary: steve starts to notice a shift in his feelings. when he comes back from the war, he must confront them. set in the 1940s. 

warnings: okay listen this was supposed to be cute and fluffy BUT it turned into a lil bit of spice near the end. IT’S NOT A LOT, IT’S JUST AN ATOM OF SPICE but be warned ;)

author’s note: this is long i’m sorry but i couldn’t stop iykyk lmao.  i’m a slut for 40s! steve and bucky they’re so adorable. also this SUCKS AKNSJS

-------

the realization hit him like a blow to the chest. it was painful, relieving, scary, and every possible emotion mixed altogether. it was something new to him, something so close yet a million miles away for him to actually grasp. to steve rogers, the first soldier in the world to actually survive a high dose of a strength serum, the idea of having a silly crush was laughable. and much more foolish when the person behind his infatuation was his best friend. 

he played it off the first time it happened when he spotted you walking straight out from your apartment building, all dolled up and a purse hanging from the crook of your elbow. you hadn’t seen him, and you weren’t going to since you weren’t even meeting up with him at all, but the streets were small and it was normal to come face to face with someone you knew in brooklyn. he was about to say something to you, a casual “hey, what a coincidence!” but he couldn’t find his courage. his mind began running faster than his new enhanced speed, and then at once, it stopped working. his eyes took over your form and the way you were dressed that morning. the outfit you wore was one he’d never seen before, but it suited you wonderfully. but then he looked at your face. steve caught glimpses of your smile, the way your eyes shimmered with joy at the conversation you stopped to have, how your nose scrunched up when you laughed. then, he actually heard it. it came out as a small wheeze at first, but then shifted to a hearty laugh, and he smiled. how could he not? it was intoxicating, the mere image of you like this. yes, he’s laughed with you before, but it felt nothing like this. it didn’t feel like it did back then, as you, steve, and bucky all cracked jokes and all of you erupted in giggles. today, it was something more than just friendship. 

steve noticed it happen more often ever since that day. everything you said and did somehow managed to become permanently ingrained into his mind, and it drove him crazy. when he was at the campsites reviewing lines of entry for his troops to drive through, he became distracted on the thought of your voice. his mouth would be speaking, directing commands to his men, but the other half of his brain was busy imagining something with you that wasn’t even real. steve, honey, you made it home. you came back to me. he pictured himself being with you and that confused him, yet that never kept him from doing it again. at other times, when the three of you would be having dinner at his house like you did every friday, he’d let himself imagine what it’d be like if you stayed after bucky left. you’d help him dry the dishes as he washed them, help organize the dining table again, chat a while in the living room, and finally, when the night sky was laid out with stars, you two would dance. his right hand would go to the small of your back and simultaneously your left would lay on on his shoulder, your free hands clasping together next. 

but all of this, it wasn’t real. it didn’t mean anything at all, and it was a fantasy; a fairytale created by his brain. or was it his heart? 

steve’s questions were finally answered during a military gala one night. brooklyn’s governor opted to celebrate the soldiers that had come back safely from a mission and set out to decorate the local ballroom in brightly colored lights and streams. the event was all the city could talk about; the girls were ecstatic about buying a new dress and shoes for their returning soldiers, while the boys were trying to see if they could befriend some fighters for reputation purposes. it kept everyone hopeful about the outcome of the war, and that with all its casualties and sorrow, was still being fought for a better future. 

steve was nervous, practically sweating through every layer of his suit, when he met up with bucky that evening. it wasn’t because he didn’t want the attention nor because he was afraid of the spotlight he might receive, but for his own personal dilemma. how would he act once he saw you? would you catch on to the sudden quiver in his voice? would you tease him? more and more inquiries piled up on his plate, so much that he didn’t even notice when he started to crack his knuckles. 

 the pair were walking together while conversing about whatever topics flowed into their minds, occasionally bumping into glamoured-up girls heading in their same direction. steve was talking, ranting about some random thing, but as the group of women came to a stop with them at a light, he paused the conversation. bucky caught on, considering steve was a real chatterbox, and he let a tiny smile creep onto his lips. he looked at steve’s cautious gaze directed at the girls, and then flicked his own eyes to look at them himself. 

“aw, stevey, don’t tell me you’re scared! c’mon, you’re captain america, they’re practically falling at your feet,” bucky teased. he lightly slapped steve’s shoulder for encouragement, and then proceeded to go behind him and place both hands atop his shoulders. steve knew what came after this part. it was boy culture; to push your friend in the direction of the girl they yearned after. except steve didn’t want them, any of them. he wanted you, and he needed bucky to stop before he embarrassed someone else. 

“bucky, stop, please. not now,” steve pleaded, but bucky didn’t listen. he began pushing steve in the direction of the group, which in turn earned flirty giggles from each woman. all the while, bucky offered assurring affirmations: you can do this buddy, just be yourself. they’ll love you! just remember what i taught you. 

“bucky, stop doing this, i don’t like it,” steve repeated. it seemed none of his pleas made their way to his friend’s ears, or if they did, they’d come right back out. it wasn’t until he was about ten feet away from them that he’d had enough. “I said stop!” steve proclaimed, turning around abruptly and grabbing bucky’s wrists and flicking them down. the look in his eyes was angry, straight to the point so the other soldier could see he wasn’t joking. “i don’t want them.”

bucky stepped back and apologized, holding his hands up in surrender while steve softened his stare. the pair then adjusted to continue their route and took note that the girls had left, all flustered and unsettled because of steve’s rejection. at this, bucky let out a huff of annoyance, but steve ignored him and started walking again. 

the two friends went on like this for a while, about ten minutes or so at most. they walked in silence with their hands stuffed in the pockets of their pants and didn’t look anywhere but the streets ahead. steve’s head was down, though, and bucky was running somethin-a phrase his partner had said over in his mind. the silence was unnerving, leaving bucky to turn the wheels in his head harder with each passing second. but, at last, after he’d run into a dead end with possibilities of who steve could be interested in, he turned to him.

“so who do you want, then?”

“what?” steve pondered back. he looked back at bucky with confusion, with no complete understanding of what he was talking about and then turned to look at the street name above him. 

“you said you didn’t want those girls. back there, I mean. you implied you already had someone you wanted.”  steve laughed at this, suddenly feeling a rush of heat flow to his cheeks. it was silly, feeling all giddy and excited whenever steve thought of you. but he couldn’t help it, not feel anything for you. turning to look at bucky, he saw that he was already smiling. how could he be mad at his friend? he didn’t know. “c’mon, stevey, you can tell me. i’m your best pal, aren’t i?”

both of them came up in front of the large, double doors of the dance hall. steve went up and grabbed the small handle on one of the doors and pulled it open, with bucky on his trail before stopping to observe the scene before them. the chandeliers that hung all around the ceiling were huge, the crystal shiny and reflecting rainbow hues on the marbled floor. the tables were arranged close together near the back of the room, with a grand portion of it for dancing only. the bar, mostly where the soldiers resided at, was to their right, and a loud orchestra band playing classics to their left. everywhere the boys’ looked, they were met with salutes and appreciative nods. some people even bowed before them in acknowledgement. 

“promise me you won’t say anything? if I tell you?” steve asked, raising his voice slightly due to the loud gossip and music. bucky looked at him somewhat bewildered, but then nodded his head when he remembered their prior talk. he was about to reply when a loud, familiar voice erupted. 

“oh, my wonderful boys’! i’ve missed you, dearly!” you exclaimed. you strided right up in front of them and placed one of your palms on each of their cheeks’. you looked at them, one at a time, before they both pulled you into a tight hug. they held you for a while, before they pulled away from you to speak. 

“doll, you look absolutely stunning,” bucky gallantly expressed, leaning in to press a kiss to your cheek. upon seeing this, steve felt his chest tighten and his hands, which were rested at his sides now, clenched into fists. he felt jealous at an innocent gesture from his friend, and he knew it was wrong to feel this way but he couldn’t stop it. hell, you weren’t even his. right now, to steve, the moment in which bucky pressed his lips to the soft, tender skin of your cheek seemed like hours long. you flicked your eyes to steve then, and smiled, and he found himself unclenching his fists and grinning back. you did things to him, so many unimaginable things that he’d have an entire volume of books ready to publish if he sat down and wrote them down. 

“aren’t you gonna kiss me too, honey?” you inquired. the question was so innocent, so modest and friendly, that it even caught bucky off guard. his eyes widened and glanced quickly from your face to steve’s. somewhere, in the furthest depths of bucky’s brain, two pieces of a puzzle clicked together. he made the connection instantly, and he couldn’t help the look of pure joy that made its way onto his features. pulling away from you to allow his friend to step in, bucky observed in silence while steve nervously placed a peck to your other cheek. 

afterwards, you politely excused yourself to get their table ready, seeing as you were one of the head coordinators for the event. as you walked away in the direction of the guests, with your gown swaying from above your heels, steve watched in awe. and, ironically, bucky examined him. the smile that played at his lips since the very beginning of the night was now more radiant than ever, and he knew he couldn’t help but inquire further. 

“it’s her, isn’t it?” his question was rhetorical, in a way, but he was proud to ask it. “the one you want.”

steve, now promptly looking at him, could only manage his own playful grin. of course he wanted you. you meant the world to him. 

“she doesn’t feel the same way, buck.”

“the hell you mean she doesn’t? she asked you to kiss her, for god’s sake!” bucky exclaimed loudly, his eyes practically bulging out of their sockets at this point. how could steve not see the hints you gave him? “if you don’t go for it, i will.”

it was a joke. a clear and obvious joke that was made to ease the uncertainty of his friend. but steve’s mind began racing at hundreds of miles per hour, sweat clamming up the palms of his hands, his shirt, everywhere. he felt uneasy at such a lighthearted phrase that had no truth behind it, and he knew he shouldn’t be so worried as he was right then. 

“steve, i’m joking. she’s your girl, y’know that, right? yours,’ bucky assured him. it worked, shockingly, but steve was able to feel his muscles relax once more, earning a small chuckle from bucky. “she’s not my girl.”

“not yet.”

the rest of the night went by in a haze. you were seated with the boys-with you obviously in the middle-and talked about endless things with them. you chatted lively, with your eyes twinkling with some sort of magic that enticed both soldiers, and took your time listening to some of their own stories. bucky took you out dancing-who sent a cautious glance towards steve for permission first- when the orchestra played your favorite song. you ate dinner with them, getting up from your own seat every once in a while to go speak with another lovely lady about rather personal matters. 

when this happened for the third time that night, steve noticed that you drifted off for a longer period of time than per usual, but didn’t pay too much attention to it. that is, until the same wonderful woman you had spoken to previously came up to him and handed him a note. it was a tiny, white piece of paper that was folded in half-a firm, delicate red kiss planted on the front of it. like any normal person who was about to reject another, steve began to rapidly spill out apologies to the woman indicating he wasn’t interested, which caused her to laugh. he turned to bucky, who had the same adorning look of confusion all over his face. 

“no, you must of misunderstood my intentions, captain. this isn’t from me, it’s from your friend-the one that was sitting here.” the woman informed. her eyes looked from steve’s down the your empty chair in the middle and lifted a finger to it. and just as quick as she had straunted up to them, she was gone. she’d been a messenger for some sort of scheme-but what was it?

steve opened the letter while bucky shifted down to your seat to look at it together. his fingers trembled slightly while lifting the sheet up, nervous as to what you could’ve possibly written that wasn’t as forward as the note itself. 

meet me on the terrace in two minutes. the stairs behind you will take you there.

it’s safe to say steve lost his mind, and quite frankly so did bucky. he animatedly hugged his friend, ruffled his hair, slapped his back-everything you could think of. “atta’ boy, stevey! go get your girl!”

steve didn’t even ponder anything beyond this. he hurriedly stood up from his seat and rushed to the back door leading to the stairs, not caring about the people he might have shoved in the process. his heart was thudding against his chest, too loud for him to even hear bucky and his friends whistling and cheering behind him. 

the stairs seemed infinite-his speed not even able to match the number of steps there appeared to be-but he got there. to the top of the terrace. to you. 

you stood near the bordering edge of the building, your back to him and arms crossed over your chest. you seemed to be looking at the sky laid out in front of you, stars and constellations decorating every inch of it. steve walked slowly towards you, perhaps afraid of startling you, and eventually reached where you were. he stood beside you, taking you in for a split second before you turned your vision to greet him.

“glad you could make it,” you smiled. 

it lit his face up, the view in front of him-you. steve was a courageous man, one who spoke his mind to get to the end of the line, to protect those he cared about. but when it came to you, well, that was different. 

“god, you have me wrapped around your finger and you don’t even know it, don’t you?” steve huffed with a light shake of his head. he lowered it down, afraid to even look at you. this was it; the closest confession he would ever allow himself to make. he was afraid of the rejection; afraid of the awkward conversations in front of bucky if you didn’t match his sentiments. how would he find another woman like you?

a little finger found its way under his chin. it lifted his head up an inch so he could look up, and when he did, the whole world stopped. a flirty grin was displayed on your lips and the soldier found himself wanting nothing more than to kiss it away. 

“i believe it’s quite the opposite, captain,” you retorted. you were testing the waters; seeing if he could finally notice how easy it was for you to turn to putty with a single glance from him. 

and then you did an unthinkable thing. your teeth pulled a corner of your bottom lip up, holding it in place before letting it slide back down gently as it slipped from their grip. it was hard not to do what steve did in the following moment. he was watching the entire thing, an urge to devour you whole lurking somewhere in his mind, and then briefly looked back up at your eyes. the same spark, desire, that had always been there for him covered your gaze, granting him permission to do everything he was thinking about. he glanced back down at your lips again and didn’t hesitate in taking you in.

his lips pressed together to yours, his hands finding your waist and gripping slightly while your own arms snaked around his neck. you pulled each other closer, only what your dress and his uniform allowed you to, and you wished for time to stop running. his lips felt like fire against your own, an addicting heat that seemed to burned with the intensity of a thousand suns. he tasted of whiskey, the flavor that his tongue dripped off clogging up your senses and releasing a little more than just a thrill through you.

but then the fire, the burning, the passion altogether was gone. your lips separated themselves from his and you let out a small whimper at the loss, causing steve to laugh quietly. you brought one of your hands to cradle his cheek, a thumb caressing his bottom lip delicately. you saw it curl upwards, simultaneously feeling his grip on your hips tighten. you leaned in to place one more peck-maybe two, or three- and looked up at him after. 

“i can’t believe i just kissed captain america,” you grinned. 

“i can’t believe i’m holding the most beautiful girl in the world.”

[rebelsarestrongashell]

A Complicated Profession - Part 2

A/N: How amazing was episode 3?!? Not my best writing but really wanted to get this update out, still getting use to reader inserts! Also, this is way longer than I thought it would be! Hope you enjoy!

Binders still on, the Mandalorian quickly shoves you into the cockpit of his large, beaten down ship.

“Who hired you?” You ask with little patience

“If you’re asking who put the bounty on your head, I don’t know, take a seat,” Mando replied sharply, pointing to the chair behind the pilot's seat and not even bothering to look at you.

“Well, who gave you the puck?”

The Mandalorian ignored you as he messed with the controls and lifted the ship into the air.

“Greef Carga. I’m in the guild; he gives me the pucks.” He finally responded.

“And what were you told I was wanted for?”

“Smuggling.”

You couldn’t contain the laughter that erupted from you, finally causing Mando to turn his head towards you.

“Smuggling,” You repeated through the laughter, “That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. Please tell me you saw straight through that when I saw I lived on a farm.”

“Yes. It doesn’t change that you’re the highest bounty I’ve seen in some time.”

“How much?”

“That’s nothing you need to worry about,” Mando had run out of patience with you, “Now keep quiet before I make you.”

He turned his complete attention to the controls has the ship left the planet’s atmosphere. You set your thoughts to the events that had just occurred. Somebody is lying to get to you, and whether it’s a careful friend or foe wasn’t clear yet. Cases could be made for each. Silence had taken over the cockpit when the hologram of an older man appeared on the dash.

“Mando! Have you obtained the quarry yet?”

“Yes, not without some trouble from other hunters, though.”

“That’s what I was afraid of. Another bounty has been placed on her, and it’s twice as high. They want proof of death.”

Your heart plummeted, the wind completely knocked out of you. The Mandalorian’s head was again turned towards you, just over his shoulder. You did your best to keep a neutral expression, but who exactly was after you was starting to click into place and you couldn’t push the fear away for much longer.

“I’m bringing her in alive like I was hired to do.”

“Good. The client has offered to bump up your reward if you bring her straight to them alive. Safe passage, Mando.”

With the ship now on autopilot, the Mandalorian spun his seat towards. He didn’t speak, just stared, seeming to study you and wait for something but you weren’t sure what.

“Are you expecting a thank you?” You asked firmly, wanting to break the growing tension.

“Who wants you dead?”

“I don’t know.” You lied.

“For some reason, I don’t believe that,” He leaned in closer, “I also don’t believe you’ve been a quiet farmer all your life.”

“Well, I’m not concerned about what you believe.”

In a flash, he has his blaster drawn and aimed towards you “I could use a vacation, and the reward for your proof of death would be more than enough.”

“Oh stop with the dramatics, you’re not going to shoot me or you would have done so already,” You leaned in even closer to the Mandalorian, so you were only a foot away from his helmet, “Besides, you don’t seem like the kind of man who is fond of vacations.”

There was a pregnant pause as he seemed to calculated his next move before slowly placing his blaster back into his holster and turning his attention back to the controls, quickly sending the ship into hyperspace.

“Whatever it is you actually did, you’re lucky those you set the original bounty seem determined to keep you alive.”

“I don’t think it’s that simple. It’s never simple.”

In your few experiences with bounty hunters, they never seemed to ask questions like this one does. Most wouldn’t give a second thought about who would want you dead. Even more confusing, most would jump at the chance for a high bounty. You should be dead by now, but here you are, still among the living. Maybe it was just a Mandalorian thing. This was your first time meeting one.

Neither one of you speaks for the rest of the journey, but he does occasionally look over his shoulder at you, making sure you didn’t magically disappear, you guess. He exits hyperspace, and you’re not sure what city, let alone what planet you’re descending on. The sky is clear, but yet a gray fog seems to cling to the air. As the ground comes closer, you can make out a handful of figures appearing to be awaiting your arrival.

“Those the clients?”

“Yes.”

The ship is now close enough that you can make out their faces, and the overwhelming feeling of panic takes over. These were no friends. You haven’t seen him since the day the Death Star was destroyed, and the Empire fell when he helped you escape and parted ways. His face tells you everything you need to know. He knows the truth, and there is no way you are walking out of this alive.

The ship lands, and you are desperate. “You can’t hand me over to these people please, please listen to me!”

Without a word, he effortlessly lifts you out of your seat, and the door of the cockpit opens. You try to plant your feet, but it is no use. You spin so you’re face to face with him, “Look, I’m sorry I called you a shitty bounty hunter and have been overall very aggravating, but these people will kill me, and I know bounty hunters never care, but there is something bigger at play here!”

The Mandalorian pauses, seeming to take in your words before body stiffens, “You’re right, I don’t care.”

You squeeze your eyes shut, preparing for what is lying ahead. You take in a few deep breathes, thinking about your peaceful farm, the clear skies, and wind blowing through the crops. You think about the handful of happy memories you had before the war. You guess this is what it is like to have your life flash before your eyes. You try your best to hold back the tears you feel forming, but one escapes anyway. You knew the dangers of the game when you agreed to play, and now you are meeting them face to face. Lifting your chin, you open your eyes to see the Mandalorian still staring down at you but with a tilted head of confusion.

“Let’s get this over with, show you I’m right.”

You turn to leave the cockpit when something catches your eye in the corner, “Can I at least have my staff and blaster back?”

“No.”

The ramp descends, and you feel him right behind you, grabbing your arm and leading the way because apparently, you can’t handle walking on your own. You roll your eyes and take a quick peek at him behind your shoulder; his body is still tense. He’s on edge, and you can tell he trusts this situation as much as you do. You feel slightly less annoyed that he is holding on to you.

You used to be the best of the best, that is why they sent you, but that was years ago. However, as you make your way down the ramp, you start calculating the possible outcomes, and you can feel the old training beginning to kick in. You counted eight of them with your old pal, Ragnar, in the middle. All but Ragnar had their weapons drawn, clearly ready to take you in peacefully.

“You’re going to want to get out of here as soon as possible after you hand me off.” You whisper to Mando.

“Yeah, tell me about it.”

You couldn’t help but smirk at the sarcasm.

The two of you came to a halt a few feet in front of the group. Ragnar bore holes into you, waiting for you to blink first, but you didn’t, you refused.

A sudden smile appear on his weathered face, “Well there you are,” He held out his arms like he was about to embrace you, “I’m so glad we found you before those who wanted to harm you, I couldn’t even imagine.”

The Mando pulled you back, just out of Ragnar’s reach. Acknowledging Mando’s presence for the first time, he gave him a quick look of confusion before clearing his throat, “Ah yes,” He nodded towards one of his men, “You want payment before handing her over.”

A large man stepped forward with a steel case, setting it down in front of Ragnar.

“It’s not as much as the bounty put out for the others for proof of death, but it is higher than what you were promised. We appreciate your integrity.”

Mando’s grip on you tightened just enough for you to notice, and you heard a faint click from your binders. You kept your eyes locked on Ragnar, steel demeanor unchanged. A few tensioned filled seconds passed until Mando slowly started pushing you forwards to Ragnar.

An unkind shove officially transferred you to your enemies. Without another word, Mando turned and made his way up the ramp of his ship, picking up his payment on the way.

One of Ragnar’s men grabbed hold of your arm. His grip had a roughness to it that Mando’s did not. No one in the group moved, but all blasters were aimed at you, seeming to wait until the Mandalorian was good and gone before they killed you. But instead of the ship lifting off, Mando reappeared moments later with your staff in hand.

In the blink of an eye, he tossed your staff to you and while everyone was caught off guard, you spun and struck your captor across the head before swiping Ragnar off his feet. Your unlocked binders fell off with ease, and the sounds of firing blasters rung out around you.

Mando had already taken out two men by the time you grabbed Ragnar’s blaster, taking out the two men that were charging and firing at you.

“Get back on the ship!” Mando yelled at you.

Before you did, you looked back down at Ragnar, his eyes now filled with rage.

“They are coming for you,” He spat, “You will burn for your treachery.”

“Give it your best shot.” You spat right back before firing the blaster right at his chest.

“Let’s go!” Mando yelled as more of Ragnar’s men were charging at you from the city.

You sprinted up the ramp as he fired upon the incoming attackers. Suddenly Mando yelled in pain. You turned and saw him clutching his arm, struck by the incoming fire. You sprint towards, firing back at the men getting closer, giving him cover to get on the ship.

Arm now profusely bleeding, Mando closes the ramp and stumbles into the cockpit.

“Let me help.” You said, right on his tail.

“No. Sit.” He grunts, clearly in a tremendous amount of pain.

The ship roars to life, and you fall back into your seat as Mando roughly lifts the ship into the air. He ascends as quick as he cans before anyone can follow you. Within moments he had made the jump into hyperspace. For a moment there is peace in the silence, the calm beeps of the ship soothe you but still feel like you haven’t exhaled. Unsure of what to say and still trying to comprehend what just happened, you aimlessly stare at the back of Mando’s helmet.

“If I’m going to continue to risk my life for you, you’re going to have to tell me why.” the Mandalorian’s smooth voice behind the helmet brought you out of your trance.

Clearing your throat to respond, you notice the blood on his left arm, “Your arm needs looked at, do you have a medkit somewhere?”

“I can take care of it myself.”

“But you don’t have to.”

He turned towards you, and you could feel the frustration emanating from him.

“I need answers.”

“Sometimes it easier for me to talk when my hands are busy. Less thinking goes into it.”

Mando, once again, tilts his head and studies you, trying to figure you all out.

“Just outside of the cockpit, on the wall.” He sighs.

You give him a small smile and make your way to the hallway. The medkit is precisely where he said it would be, and he is already on the bench waiting for you.

You take a seat next to him and starting cleaning off his wound, ignoring his winces of pain, his helmet staring down at you the entire time.

“So…”

You let out a deep exhale. You don’t recall telling the full story to anyone before, but this bounty hunter that you’ve been on the run from for months, just risked everything to save your life. He deserves to know.

“That man, his name is Ragnar Syyn," You began, "He was an imperial officer." You paused to see if you make out any sort of reaction behind the helmet but there was none. He was listening, not judging so you continued. "For the past few years, since the fall of the Empire, I’ve been hiding away on my little farm in the outer rim. Hoping to find some sort of peace and to live out the rest of my days.”

“Hiding because you were part of the Empire?”

“I was a spy. I was a rebel who was able to infiltrate the Empire successfully, and it appears the remnants just found out, and they’re not going to like the information I have.”

Tag List: @sargesbestgirl​ @zoogrl05​ @poisonivy123​ @maryan028​ @thefandomzoneisdangerous​ @loveharrington​ @reblogin-manic

[turnaboutimagines]

Ahh hallo! I’m sure you’re very busy with requests and thank you for posting so often!! This is just an idea but maybe a scenario where reader gets upset over an especially emotional case Edgeworth is prosecuting? Like they have an outburst in court and get held in contempt or something and Edgeworth comes to to pay their bail and comfort them after or something!

Oho hallo there!  I stuck to the general premise, but instead of it being a case he prosecutes… it’s Turnabout Goodbyes!  I really just wanted to write for it, pal.   ^^Dialogue from Miles in the court portion is directly from the game!

“The murderer… The criminal in the DL-6 Incident… It was me! Your Honor! I confess my guilt! I am guilty for DL-6, the statute of limitations of which ends today!“

Your blood runs cold as you watch him confess based on memories from a self-admitted recurring nightmare.  He presses on with determination, yet even from where you’re seated in the gallery you can see how painful this is for him—how heavy of a burden this has been for him to carry all these years.  You feel like you’re trapped in one right then.  There’s just no way… no way he could’ve killed his own father.

The people around you are muttering around you, already accepting his guilt at face value.  Everyone in the gallery is turning against him once again, despite of the ‘Not Guilty’ verdict that had just been handed down.  The court is quickly spiraling into chaos.

“The culprit… is me!”

You refuse to believe it.  You look to Phoenix, expecting an objection from him at this point.  Expecting anything.  However, he just stands there, taking this development in the trial as best as he can, you don’t miss the look of determination in his eyes.

It’s not enough for you, though.

“O-OBJECTION!”  You see red as you slam your hands down on the wooden bannister (you’d always wanted to do that).  The gallery erupts as everyone’s eyes are on you, but you don’t register any of it in your seething as you go on autopilot. “Miles has to be innocent!  There’s no way he’s remembering this correctly, he was just a child when this happened!  That shouldn’t be admissible in court…!”

The judge slams down his gavel as he makes direct eye contact with you.  “Order!  Order!  Outbursts will not be tol—”

“This should not be tolerated!  I don’t care if it happened yesterday, this is just—just… it’s objectionable!”

“That’s quite enough!  If you have any further outbursts I will have to hold you—”

“Do it!  Hold me in contempt of court!  The fact that you’re actually hearing a confession based on nightmares tells me all I need to know about the quality of this court and your ability as a judge!  Because no self-respecting judge would allow this to continue.”

“Why, I never!  Guard!  Please escort the observer out of the courtroom!  They are to be held in contempt of court and must leave.”

You don’t wait for the guard to approach you, you walk down of your own volition and allow them to escort you out without further issue.  You’ve said your piece.

“With that outburst over…  I must say, this is certainly unexpected—”

You hear nothing else as the bailiff opens the doors and nods his head for you to follow.  You catch one last glimpse of Miles, gripping his arm tightly in pain as he keeps his gaze focused ahead—away from you.

The doors shut and so does your knowledge of what goes on behind them.

You’re stuck in one of the far back holding cells, which means that you don’t have a good view of who comes and goes further up the hall and in all the other holding cells that aren’t immediately adjacent to yours.  You’d tried to find a good angle, hoping to perhaps see your friend as he’s brought back in

Where you’d remained lost in your thoughts for the remainder of the night, unable to sleep a wink.

As much as you didn’t regret defending Miles, you have to admit that you do regret not knowing the outcome of what happened yet.  Nobody came to visit you yesterday, so you can only assume that the trial continued until after visiting hours were over…  

Phoenix had yet to lose a case and you truly believe that Miles is innocent, but still you can’t help but worry yourself into being sick.  Miles is very… important to you.  Even if you haven’t always seen eye to eye, you’d managed to lodge yourself like a thorn in his side as a friend for the past year (even if he may not use that term, you know he views you as such).  And you’d developed some additional feelings for him, too, but you kept that to yourself.

You can’t stop thinking about how guilty he looked throughout his confession and you hoped that he was free of that now...

The sound of a guard approaching your cell snaps you from your stupor and you’re quick to hop up, expecting them to be bringing you your bland breakfast.  Instead, the man who stops in front of your cell isn’t holding anything, save for his keys.  He seems to read the confusion on your face as he gives you a reassuring smile.

“Your bail’s been posted,” he tells you as he unlocks the door.

“…I-It has?”

Given the extent of your outburst, your bail wasn’t exactly cheap.  You don’t even want to think about the fine you’re going to be slapped with come your hearing.  So, the fact that someone paid it... there’s only one person who comes to mind as he slides it open.

“Yup!  You’re free to go, the poster’s waiting up front to take you home, too.”

Your heart picks up a bit at that and you leave the cell with no further hesitation, hoping that your gut instinct is right.  Even if you’re a bit nervous to face him after creating such a scene.  And sure enough, after passing through the security checkpoint and entering the lobby... Miles Edgeworth is standing there, arms crossed and looking utterly lost in his thoughts.

However, when he sees you his expression relaxes and... he smiles?  It’s incredibly subtle, but it’s genuine and it’s undeniably there.  The sight of it is enough to make any words you wanted to say die in your throat.  It takes you a few moments to find them again.

“Th-Thank you, Miles.  I’ll be sure to repay you when I can.”  You place a hand on his shoulder and offer him a nervous smile of your own, hoping that he wouldn’t be too harsh on you.  “But how are you doing?  I...I’m just glad to see you walking free, I was really worried after... you know.”

He spares a mildly confused glance at your hand before looking back to you, brow furrowing with confusion.

“Yes, I am... fine, I simply have a great deal to think over, having just been released, myself.”  His expression falters for a moment into something stormy and troubled, there and gone in the blink of an eye.  “But there’s no need for repayment.  And I fully intend to pay all of your fines as well.”

Didn’t he already do the same for Maya?  That feels like a lot of money to spend purely on helping with contempt of court charges.

“...But why would you...?”

He grimaces at your question and you’re confused for a few moments until he clears his throat and places one hand on your shoulder, emulating your gesture and body language.

“Whooooooooooooop!  Th-Thank you!”

There’s some snickering from the officers who were not so subtly observing your reunion and Miles is quick to hang his head in embarrassment as his hand falls back to his sides, all while blushing the color of his signature suit.  All you can do is stare at him, feeling like that came entirely out of left field.

“That... that still makes me feel incredibly foolish.  Perhaps I just need to practice it more...?” he mutters more to himself than to you.

You have to bite down on your bottom lip to prevent yourself from laughing along with them, but only because he's too cute.  This isn’t a side you’d seen of him before... and you have a feeling that whatever happened in that courtroom is responsible for it.  You’re going to have to get all the details from Phoenix later...  

“What was that all about?”

“Ngh...  I’m... practicing saying ‘thank you’ properly.  I... appreciate that you believed in me to such an extent, even when I did not believe in myself.  I owe a great deal to you and the others... it’s really the least I can do.”

It’s so... genuine.  Any of your lingering anxieties shatter in that moment and a broad grin of your own breaks across your face as you take a step closer, grabbing his hand and gently tugging on it to lead him out the door.  “What about driving me home?”

Somehow, his cheeks seem to grow even more red at the contact, but you’re rewarded with another small smile as he gladly follows your lead.  “Right, yes, that too, of course.”

Really, he just wants to get out of the detention center as soon as possible after his little display of gratitude and you can’t exactly blame him.  You don’t let go of his hand until you’ve reached his red sports car, his fingers linger for a moment—brushing against yours as you pull away.  He doesn’t look at you or comment on it, but you get the distinct impression that... he enjoyed the contact?

The thought is enough to make you blush as you wordlessly get into the passenger seat and buckle your seatbelt... only to be thrown for yet another loop when he puts on some upbeat Korean trot music on.  The silence between you is surprisingly comfortable as you listen to the music on the drive back to your place.

You’re realizing that he’s full of surprises... and you can’t help but love him more and more with each one.

[gustafsnightangel]

A Softer Side Part 4

The line stayed quiet, minutes felt like hours.

“Buyer approaching.” Davis confirmed as the sleek limousine pulled up.

“Buyer and seller exiting the vehicles.” Jerry stated and fell silent as the two parties conversed.

“Thank you for your exemplary merchandise selection year after year Mr. Raven.”

“Always a pleasure Mr. Chang, I know she’s not your first, but you’ll be hers.” He chuckled.

Oh the things Karl wanted to do to this man before arresting him, the rage bubbled up and almost swallowed him whole.

“This one is for my son.” The Asian buyer said with a smirk. Karl could fucking hear it in his tone.

“The eldest or youngest?” Arthur asked hauling the teen out of the back seat, getting her to her feet, the beauty stumbling as Arthur dragged her to Chang.

“The elder of the two. His tastes run on the wild side and he’s a little bored.”

Strand’s blood boiled, he knew what wild side and a little board meant for this girl, tied up and tortured for the rest of her existence, whether that was minutes or hours, weeks or years was only determined if she could live through each second.

The handover went smoothly, the teen secured into the buyers limousine, and both parties went their separate ways.

“Team B closing in.”

“Team A following Donovan.” Jerry said as their car tailed Arthur on a service road. One of his team had placed a tracker on his vehicle as the exchange was in progress. “We’re clear team B move in and tighten the net, secure the girl and arrest those assholes.”

“Copy and with pleasure.” Davis said gruffly.

“Strand?”

“I’m here.” He said calmly.

“Just tell me when you want me to flip these locks on her cuffs.”

“Not yet. Wait until he’s on the freeway, too soon and he’ll think it’s a setup. I’m hoping he just thinks some water got into the cuffs when he doused her.”

“Just tell me when.”

“Will do.” He clicked the mic of his com off and kissed her temple. “Sweet girl are you ready to get out of here?” He flicked the flashlight on dimly and set it upward to light the room. Her face tilted back to look at him, those soulful eyes making his chest tighten and ache. “When we remove your cuffs I want you to go hide by the toilet ok? In that little nook where he can’t touch you. Can you do that for me sweet girl?” Her head nodded as a finger brushed over his jaw, his lips. “We can’t.” He said gently. “I’m no good for you.” Regardless of his words she kissed him sweetly, a parting gift perhaps, a message that she understood, he couldn’t tell, she was clouding more than his senses.

“We’re about thirty minutes from you.” Jerry said.

Pulling his phone up he rested it against her cuffs and looked at her. “You ready?” Her nod at him, her trust in him, her kiss, he was so torn. “Flip the locks Jerry.”

“Copy.”

Strand watched as the numbers streamed by and fall into place like a futuristic slot machine.

“Fuck!” He spat when the screen flashed DENIED in big red letters. “Jerry?”

“Working on it.” The kid breathed and the numbers whirled again to give the same outcome.

“Jerry what the fuck!?” He ground out between his teeth and calmed as her hand stroked his scruff. How could she be so calm he wondered? Resigned herself to the prospect of never being free, he thought.

“I’m working on it, the signal might be too weak to engage the locks.” Hint ground out between his teeth.

“Up you get sweet girl, on your feet, slight change of plan ok?” He would not panic or lose his shit. Helping her to her feet he watched as her body shook at the exertion. “Can you walk over if I help?” She nodded and he was astounded at her inner strength. He helped her shuffle over to the filthy toilet, the chains clinking on the concrete, they were just long enough. “Can you fit between the toilet and the wall, I know it’s cold and uncomfortable but I want something between you and h...” She held onto him, stretched up on her toes and kissed him again. Something primal stirred in him and before he could stop himself his hand had cupped the back of her neck and he deepened it. It was only her manacles digging painfully into his chest as her fingers scrunched in his shirt that brought him back to the present. “Sweet girl.” He breathing ragged and rested his forehead against hers briefly before she pulled away and settled where he’d asked her.

“He’s about a mile out Karl.” Jerry said, working furiously to boost the signal to his phone.

“Hold the phone to the lock ok? I need both hands now.” Once she had the phone wedged between her wrists he tucked the coat around her to try and keep the chill out of her bones.

“He’s pulled up Strand.”

“Copy.” Draping the coat over her he readied himself for a fight, hand to hand it would be, this fucker deserved nothing less.

“Buyer secured, teen transported to hospital, full guard.” Davis reported and left it at that.

“Copy.” Some good news at least, Karl thought.

“In the house, up to the second level.”

“Don’t flip the locks yet.” Strand whispered. “It’ll spook him, let him come down here thinking he’s going to get what he wants.” His snarl was guttural. “Once I engage, flip the locks. If it goes south she needs to be free, you guys need to be in position to get her out. At all costs you get her out, am I clear?”

“Perfectly.” Jerry said.

Karl waited, the quiet movements relayed in his ear about the man above, no, the monster above. He thought he’d seen his share of monsters in the military only to find the home grown ones much worse.

“En route to basement, team A standing by.”

“Copy.”

His weapons were stashed with the pack, he had none on his person. He glanced at the shrouded form in the corner before switching his flashlight off and readying for battle. The slow slide of concrete against concrete made the hairs on his neck to bristle.

“Oh my sweet Lenore.” Arthur purred. “Such fun we’re going to have tonight my dear.” The glee in Donovan’s voice curdled Strand’s stomach.

Strand waited in the shadows, tucked in the nook out of sight. Arthur would see the chains to where Jane Doe was, would see the shrouded figure when he eventually dropped down into the room. Karl would strike first and hard, although he wanted to drag this out to beat the ever loving shit out of this guy, he also needed to get her to safety, to get them both out of this hell hole.

Arthur climbed down and turned, Karl saw the brief knit in his brow as he realized she wasn’t sitting in her usual spot huddled against the wall. His head only made it as far as a half turn as he followed the chain before Strand sent him flying into the wall face first, the sound of bone meeting concrete oddly satisfying.

“Now Jerry.” He growled and trusted the team to do what they’d been ordered to do while he took this guy apart. “Hello Arthur.” He said flatly as he hauled the now semi conscious man to his feet by his collar. “Not so tough now it’s not an infant, or 16 year old teen scared out of her mind are you?”

“Who the fuck are you?” He choked groggily.

“I’m surprised you don’t remember me. You slipped past me once before in Dallas, almost had you, would have had you if it wasn’t for a shitty team who didn’t care about runaways and kidnapped babies. But this team, well you got real unlucky there pal because this team is ready to flay you alive.” His tone was low and lethal.

“Her locks are free, she’s free Strand.” Jerry said gently, hoping his boss wouldn’t kill this guy with his bare hands before the end of the evening.

“How many Arthur? How many girls have you stolen and sold over the years, I know you keep count.” He grinned, knowing full well Jerry had those numbers but he wanted it from the horses mouth.

“Are you arresting me?” Arthur asked slyly.

“Not yet, maybe not ever if I don’t get the answers I like.” Karl’s tone was flat.

“You can’t threaten me.” He seethed.

“The fuck I can’t. News flash Arthur, I’m not the police, I’m not with an agency bound by restrictions and rules, and I can’t be bought. I can do whatever the fuck I please right now.” To emphasize the point he punched him squarely in the abdominals. Arthur doubled over and retched as he tried to suck air into his lungs.

“What made you like this Arthur, or should I call you Allen Raven?”

“Lawyer.” He gasped, the shock at the mention of his real name giving him away.

“I haven’t arrested you so you don’t need one of those just yet.” Strand was on a roll now, doing this for Jane Doe’s benefit more than his own. And that was bullshit, twenty years he’d hunted this fucker, time for him to pay up.

“Was it your wife dying in childbirth? You know you blaming her for the child’s death was pretty insensitive.”

“Shut the fuck up.” He growled.

“Is that why you stole this girl, groomed her to be your replacement wife for a punching bag? Someone to take your anger out on? Someone you could rape and torture because of your own failings?” Arthur stayed silent, probably a good thing considering Karl was fighting the urge to choke him with his bare hands. “Did you play happy families Allen.”

“Don’t fucking call me that.” Mmmm Karl thought, struck a nerve, time to keep the pressure on.

“Did you bring the babies down here with her for a time and force her to nurse, to care for a child that you stole for the simple purpose to sell to pedophiles and rapists. You’re fucking disgusting.” He spat.

“Did you set her free yet?” He grinned, the giggle as the sound of a weapon being racked as the bullet was chambered echoed around the room. “You know she’ll turn on you, my little Lenore.”

“She’s free, and she’ll make her own choice. And her name is not Lenore. She’s free to choose her own name.” Please don’t make me fight you sweet girl, he pleaded silently.

That smirk was wiped off Allen’s face as the barrel of the Glock pressed against his temple.

“Looks like she’s made her decision.” And he breathed a silent sigh of relief. She whimpered as her hand shook, pressing it harder against his temple, the flinch from Allen satisfying in its own right. “Sweet girl he’ll suffer more in prison, I guarantee it. Especially where I’ll send him.” Her eyes darted from one man to the other, the monster that raised her, the man that freed her. “It’s not in you sweet girl, it’s not who you are.” He could see her struggle with the rage and years of torment urging her to end his life, her hand far from steady as the other came to its aid.

“Do it Lenore.” Allen spat and grinned at Strand. Karl pulled him off the wall and slammed him back into it hard, the impact causing the older man to cough and wheeze as he tried to breathe.

“No, you don’t get to talk to her anymore Allen, especially to beg her to take your life and give you the easy way out.” He seethed. Using his forearm against Raven’s throat he looked at her, the terror lining her face. “Sweet girl look at me.” He murmured tenderly, waiting until her gaze fell on his. “If this is what you really want I’ll step back and you can take the shot, I’ll even help you, but just know, he’ll suffer more where I’m sending him.” His free hand covered hers over the pistol, her breath shuddering out as she lowered the gun.

“You always were weak Lenore.” Allen gasped. Strand didn’t stop her tiny fists beat into his head, any place she could reach, her weak limbs making her punches no more than a stinging tap.

“The only weak one here is you Raven. Preying on infants, children.” He growled, pulling her close, her strength snapped she collapsed against him, sliding to the floor weeping. “You get everything Jerry?”

“We did boss.”

“Good, come and get this piece of shit out of my face before I wipe it off the face if the earth.” He didn’t relinquish his hold until he saw Davis at the top of the opening. A burly forearm reached in, grabbed Allen roughly and hauled him up, half dragging, half climbing the ladder. “Book and transport him. Tell Meekland he goes to Hades 6, no exceptions.”

“You got it boss.” Davis cuffed the still wheezing Allen Raven and escorted him away.

Now for the next problem he thought, his own energy waning, how to get her out of here without freaking out. She was curled at his feet, fingers desperately clinging to his pant leg, quiet sobs racking her frail body. “You’re ok sweet girl.” He murmured, his fingers gently brushing her head in an attempt to soothe. “So brave, so strong.” He crouched down, much as he’d done when he first laid eyes on her and waited for her to respond. “It’s all done sweet girl, we can leave at any time, no rush, when you’re ready.” Sitting on the floor she leaned into him and just held on, the need to let the confrontation level out on her system.

A million thoughts ran through Strands head, the syndicate finding her at the forefront.. “Jerry?”

“I’m here.” He said gruffly, Karl could hear his fingers typing furiously.

“I’m texting you something. Do as it says, no questions, I’ll explain later.”

“Will do.” He said moments after Karl heard his text tone ping over coms. She needed a safe place to recover, to heal, and he’d see she got exactly that. Then and only then would he hunt the others down like the dogs they were.

“You’re ok sweet girl.” He soothed as she inched into his lap, the need for something to ground her. “So proud of you.” He said gently, glad she’d not give him the easy way out. “Hades 6 is perfect for him to live out the rest of his what will be a miserable existence.” He murmured, his voice calming her, the tense fingers relaxing against his chest. “An off planet prison full of the worst this world has to offer. Thrown together to eat or be eaten. Child rapists and pedophiles don’t receive warm welcomes there. He will suffer the same torment and hell as you did. It won’t be a quick death for him.”

“Strand?”

“What is it Jerry?” He asked as she looked up at him.

“I have a car ready for you, I’m driving.” He stated, not giving his boss an inch of wiggle room and Karl couldn’t help the smile.

“I’ll be out when I’m out.”

“Copy.”

“You hear that sweet girl? Our ride is here.” Soft eyes looked up at him, the uncertainty in them killed him. “I know you have no reason to trust me, no reason to believe anything I say, but...” Her fingers brushed over his lips silencing him. “I wish you’d talk to me.” He whispered against them, knowing she would when she was ready. “Jerry, clear the house for the next little while.” He said quietly. “I don’t want anyone seeing her.”

“Roger that boss.”

“Can you stand for me sweet girl?” He asked softly. With his help she got to her feet, her body barely strong enough to hold itself up. Strand stood and collected the pack after stowing the few bottles of water that were left. Holding out his coat for her he helped her into it, the weight of the thick wool almost bringing her to her knees. He buttoned it up, covering as much of her naked form as possible. “Very stylish.” He chuckled and saw the hint of a smile tug her lips, it was something. “When Jerry has cleared the house we’ll go up ok?” His fingers stroked her cheek in an effort to comfort, this would be difficult for her. She clung to him, the real fear he would leave her down here. “I’m not leaving you sweet girl.” He kissed her brow and held her close. “I’m not leaving without you.”

“House is clear boss.”

“Copy. Coming out.” He pried her arms from around him and dipped down to her level. “Look at me sweet girl.” He said gently, those sea green pools looked back and he drowned. “Trust me, please, I know it’s a lot to ask of you, but please.” Her slight nod as tears streaked her cheeks broke him. “I’m going to have a peek out first and then I’ll help you up ok?” She nodded again and he stepped away.

Collecting his weapons and shouldering the pack he climbed up the makeshift ladder and peered out.

“He boss.” Jerry smiled.

“Jerry. Take these and get in the car, I’ll be out with the girl in a moment. Don’t look at her, talk to her, touch her. She doesn’t exist at the moment ok?”

“Copy that.” He nodded and took the pack and weapons from Strand.

Dropping back to the floor he found her huddled in the corner, much how he’d found her that first night. Crouching down he waited until her eyes found his. “Ready to go sweet girl?” He held out his hand, she had to come to him. Karl watched in amazement as she shoved the fear down and took a chance, took the hand that was offered, trusting a man she barely knew. “There’s my brave girl.” He led her to the ladder and helped her climb up supporting her weight as much as possible. It was a tight squeeze through the opening, the concrete scraping his spine as he lifted her out and onto the basement floor. She froze as he pulled himself the rest of the way out, on her knees in the fetal position, motionless, barely breathing. He wasn’t equipped for this, fire fight, sure, beating someone bloody absolutely, a fragile mind and emotional state, not so much.

Sitting on the floor next to her he stroked a finger down her arm and the keening whimper gutted him. “You’re safe sweet girl, it’s just you and me in here, in the whole house. He’s not here, remember?” It took him nearly twenty minutes to coax her into his lap again, her rigid body relaxing once his arms had secured her to him, clingy it would be, he thought wryly. Fuck he hated clingy, but in this instance he’d make an exception. “Curl into me sweet girl, I’m going to carry you out ok?” He murmured gently. Pulling the collar up to shield her face from view and her eyes from the blinding work light he knew would be upstairs, he stood and shifted her to get a firm grip. “Close your eyes for me l.” He said as he started toward the stairs, she didn’t need to see or be reminded of anything up here in the house. Once on the main level he wasted no time moving to the front door, his long legs eating up the linoleum eager to be free of this shithole.

Jerry waited by the SUV and Karl shook his head when he went to say something. The kid, to his credit, caught on, snapped his mouth shut, turned and climbed in the drivers seat. Strand climbed in, a somewhat difficult task with a body in his arms. Once the door was shut he tapped Jerry’s chair twice to say he was good to go, his partner wasting no time hightailing it out of there. They drove in silence, the tremble in her body had eased and when he glanced down an hour or so into the journey he found her watching him.

“You ok sweet girl?” He asked softly and her subtle nod had him breathing a little easier. She shifted and peeked out at the city whizzing by, her hand shaking as it reached to touch the glass of the window. Resting her head under his chin he felt her drifting, emotionally exhaustion had finally come to claim her.

“Thank you.” Karl said as Jerry turned onto Mia’s property. “She’s asleep.” He added as Hunts eyes met his in the rear view mirror.

“No problem and I get it boss. With Allen in custody all those assholes online are going to be looking for his business partners, associates, anyone connected. Anyone and anything they can get their hands on to keep the girls coming in.”

“At the moment only Allen and I know what she looks like, I need to keep her identity under wraps. Do you know if he has photos of her?” Strand asked as he stroked gentle fingers against her head.

“I can check. They’re still processing the house so I’ll have a mountain of data to wade through when I get back, but I highly doubt it. She was a tool, someone beneath him.”

“Can you work from Mia’s?” He asked.

“All I need is an internet connection. I packed figuring I’d need to be here for a bit, I have all the electronics from the house.” He shrugged and Karl smiled.

“We’ll knock that green off you yet rookie.” He muttered.

“Mia said there’s a rec room I can setup in with a bedroom off the hall.” Jerry murmured as he turned onto Mia’s property.

“Do that, settle in, I don’t want anyone knowing where we are.”

“Am I going to lose my job if I don’t report in?” He asked seriously.

“If you do they’ll be firing me too. Meekland’s a bitch, but she knows I’ll protect the girl and use whoever I have at my disposal to do so. It’s more my ass on the line than yours.” Which was the truth, although Strand had to wonder if those at the office were more involved that he’d originally thought.

“Well it’s worth it, I’d rather get fired for doing something right than turning a blind eye to this clusterfuck.”

“You’ve got my vote kid.” He saw the welcome party on the front porch. “Slow down and stop before you get to the flamingo on the right.” He said seriously, pointing at the garish pink plastic flamingo nailed to a fence post. Jerry slowed to a stop where he was directed and waited with a chuckle at the flaming pink lawn ornament.

“Now what?” He said slightly nervous as he laid eyes on the tiny woman crouched behind a sniper rifle on the porch.

“We wait.” He shifted slowly into view, taking up the middle section of the back seat so Mia had a clear look at him, and a clear shot if she decided to take it.

“This has me a little on edge boss.” Hunt said and Strand snorted.

“This is nothing, Mia will have you on edge permanently.” His phone lit up and he answered the call.

“Who’s with you?” She growled.

“Jerry and the girl, that’s it. Anyone following us in is fair game.”

“Afghanistan.” She added abruptly.

“Victor Charlie Echo 93757293 Archangel.”

“You’ll do Strand, come on in I’ll get the water on for coffee, you look like shit.” Her demeanor changed so abruptly Karl chuckled as he hung up.

“She hasn’t fucking changed a bit.” He grinned.

“You speaking in code?” Jerry smirked as he pulled around the back of the house to keep the car out of sight.

“Something like that. We were special ops, only we know those codes. If they were to come from your lips, she would have shot you dead.” He chuckled at Jerry’s audible gulp. “Take the gear into the house, meet Mia, get set up, this may take a bit.”

“It has to be terrifying for her.” Hunt said softly, Karl could see the kids heart breaking for the woman in his arms.

“Give Mia the rundown, you’ve been on coms through all of this I know you heard it all.” Was all Karl said as he sat there with Jane Doe.

“Will do.”

Strand sat in the car and held her close while Jerry stowed the gear inside and brought Mia up to speed. She didn’t stir, the sheer exhaustion and paralyzing fear had pulled her under hard which in some ways was a blessing. He only opened the car door when Mia came out and waited on the back porch for him. Bundling her into his arms he carried her lifeless body into the house and felt the tenseness drain from his system at being somewhere even he felt safe, the place was a fortress.

“Good to see you Strand.”

“I wish it were under better circumstances.” He sat in a large recliner and felt slightly embarrassed at being so dirty in her sacred place.

“She’s under deep.” Mia said gently, her gaze scanning the frail body wrapped in a huge woolen coat.

“Yeah.” His sigh was weary.

“Hang here with her I’ll make a tea and some soup, you’re almost asleep on your feet too.” Mia smiled at him, damn it was good to see a friendly face.

“Long few days.” He felt his eyes droop, the wave of exhaustion beckon him under and he dropped into sleep like a stone. Feeling her shift he instinctively held her close before she settled again, the movement only pulling him back to the surface enough to know they were safe and he could sink into sleep once more.

It was the itch between his blades that woke him, the intense feeling he was being watched. He slowly reached for his Glock, the movement of shifting in his sleep with a woman in his lap masking the draw of his weapon. Without a sound he pointed it at those pair of eyes and held steady on the trigger at the familiar chuckle. Cracking an eye open he saw Mia sitting not far from him.

“Easy slick, if I wanted you dead you would be.”

“Fuck you.” He huffed, the grin in his tone cracking her smile wide.

“She’s been eyeballing me for the last half hour.” Mia said nodding to the girl in his lap as he looked down to see her intensely focused on Mia. “I reckon she thinks you smell and need a shower, and could do with a burger.

“She’d be right.” He yawned.

“Do you have a name little lady?” Mia asked and the girl just shook her head. “Well Jane Doe it is. How about you and me get you soaking in a nice hot bath and let this guy go shower, because he’s really on the nose.”

Jane looked up at Strand, permission, she was asking his permission to do normal everyday functions and this tore at him.

“Up to you sweet girl. I need a shower and food, and I think you’ll like Mia’s bath tub.” Her fingers gripped his shirt. “I’m not leaving, you’re safe with Mia, and Jerry’s in the rec room crunching source code and financials no doubt. This place is a fortress, no one gets in or out without Mia knowing.” Jane looked at Mia and smiled a slight smile when Mia winked at her.

“Can you walk with me or do you need help?” Mia asked and stood, holding out her hand.

Strand saw the terror cloud her eyes, felt her fingers tighten on his shirt at her outstretched hand. “You’re safe sweet girl.” She’d been so brave, so strong, and he hated seeing that fear reflected in her entire body, but they both needed to get clean and eat. She nodded, that plea in her gaze haunting him. “I’m not leaving you.”

“He keeps his word Jane.” Mia said gently. “I’m alive because of this dude, he kept me safe.” She glanced at Mia and then back to Karl, the tentative move off his lap to stand on shaky legs making Strand want to beat the shit out of Allen all over again. Karl wanted to kiss Mia repeatedly as Jane hesitantly stepped toward her, positive progress.

He watched her go, the occasional look back over her shoulder confirming he’d made the right decision to stay put for the moment. “That’s my girl.” He sighed, damn he was bone weary tired as he scrubbed a hand over his face. He could hear Mia’s voice, the in jest digs she took at him to try and cheer the girl up, take her mind off everything.

“He’ll still be there Jane.” He heard her say and not a second later she peeked around the corner at where he was sitting. He’d wait until she was in the bath before taking a quick shower, they didn’t need her having a meltdown due to separation anxiety because he was in the other room.

“Do you want some help washing or you got it?” Mia asked, the fact she appeared a moment later was progress Jane was happy cleaning herself and soaking a few years worth of filth off. “Go shower while you can.” Mia said standing in the doorway. “I hope you kicked the shit out of the guy that did that to her and he no longer draws breath.”

“Hades 6.” Strand growled. “After beating the shit out of him, to a point.”

“Even better, I know a few guys there I can put in a good word for him.” Karl smirked, god he loved Mia like a brother.

“You did the right thing with her Karl, don’t second guess yourself. She’ll be safe here.”

“She’ll never be safe Mia.” He sighed and got to his feet. “I’m going to shower. Come get me it she freaks out. Don’t tip water over her head.” He cautioned and retold what he’d witnessed.

“Fucker.” She seethed as she went in to sit with Jane Doe and settle her in.

“Yeah.” He trudged off to his usual room when he was here, the large California king begging him to come sleep in it’s silky cotton sheets for a month.

He stripped, making a mental note to burn the suit he’d been in for nearly three days and turned on the shower. It was a groan of bliss as he stepped under the heat, the massage heads pounding the dirt and sweat from him. He scrubbed himself four times over before he felt clean again and wrapped a bath sheet around his slim hips. Dressed in sweats and a white shirt he padded out to the living room in bare feet.

He smiled and softly chuckled at the sight, a far cry to what he was expecting on his return. Mia was cutting Jane’s hair, the unruly mop looking more sleek and stylish than the filth coated dreadlocks they were before.

“We’re getting our glam on.” Mia said cheerfully. “Your burger has ten more minutes, it’s not nearly dead enough for you Karl.” He watched Jane carefully, her eyes taking everything in, glancing at him, then Mia, then all the doors and windows.

“As long as the burger doesn’t moo when I stab it with my fork I’m good.” He smiled and saw the smile tug Jane’s lips, progress.

“There we go.” Mia said fluffing Jane’s cropped hair and tidying up. Her fingers came up and touched it gingerly and he saw her eyes fill with tears.

“Oh Jane I’m sorry, I should have, I...” Mia was mortified that Jane didn’t like it. “I should have asked you.”

“I think it’s beautiful.” Karl said softly, coming closer so she could reach for him if she wanted to. “It suits you.” Those sea green eyes locked onto his and he felt his chest tighten, god damn it he wanted her. He almost crumbled when her bottom lip trembled, so much change and upheaval in the past twenty four, he was worried she’d implode. “Do you like it?” The tears fell as her head nodded. Bowed before him he had the realization and kicked himself for not seeing it sooner. “Look at me sweet girl.” He waited for those eyes to find his. “That’s all that matters, your hair, your choice, you don’t need my permission to do anything.” That habit would be hard for her to break. He watched as Mia smiled and turned to tend their burgers and fought the urge to kiss her. As her silent tears fell he caved and cupped the back of her neck, pulling her to him to rest against his chest.

“It’s not a Jane Doe haircut though.” He said honestly as his fingers itched to touch the ends of it, feel it fall through his fingers now it was clean. “We need to find you a name sweet girl.” He kissed her brow and lingered, her scent mixed with the jasmine shampoo stirring his arousal. “Something strong and sweet, brave and beautiful.” She lifted her head up to look at him and if Mia hadn’t turned just then he would have claimed that pretty mouth. “What do you think Mia?” He had to divert his train of thought somehow, this was a dangerous line he was skating.

“That sums up Jane pretty good I think.” Mia’s eyes narrowed studying him as she placed a burger in front of Karl and soup in front of Jane. “Soup first Jane, your stomach isn’t going to like half a cow straight away.” She chuckled.

Karl studied her as she turned to face the bowl of chicken noodle soup on the counter, crusty bread beside it. Her hand shook, the ingrained response to wait for permission to eat.

“Sweet girl it is up to you when or if you want to eat.” He murmured. “Your choice remember?” He kissed the top of her head and took his seat. Focusing on Mia he saw her watching him, eyes darting from him to Mia as if looking for a clue as to whether it was a trap or not, was she going to be punished. He started to eat once Mia had taken her seat, the soup and burger looking like it would never fit in her slim frame but he knew she packed it away and burned through it just as quickly.

He watched as Jane’s fingers inched toward the spoon, eyes ever watchful, Mia and Karl ignored it, she had to do this for herself. It was torture seeing her struggle with the basic need to eat warring with the punishment inflicted if she did it without permission, but he let her do it, her terms, her choice. When her eyes flicked to his he winked at her and gave her a slight smile of encouragement, a silent permission. They had to start somewhere. She picked up the spoon and her hand trembled as she took her first mouthful, the silverware clattering in the bowl as her fingers lost the grip.

“Jane.” Mai whispered. “Like this.” She grinned and winked, picking the bowl up and drinking it like an oversized teacup. She made some outrageous sound and slurped which had that slight smile try to blossom on her face. Jane looked at Karl and all he did was smile, maybe that would be enough encouragement without giving permission. Taking a hold of the bowl like Mia had she hesitantly brought it to her mouth and slurped.

“Champion slurper of soup right there.” Mia said and chuckled.

She got half way through the bowl before she stopped, her belly probably overloaded with food, from famine to feast overnight.

“Had enough for now?” Mia asked as she started to clear their dishes and jerked her hand away when Jane protected the remnants of her food.

“It’s fine Mia, leave it there for now.” Karl said gently and gave Mia a knowing look, a nod was all it took for her understanding.

“Well there’s a whole pot just for Jane when ever she wants it in the fridge.” She brought her medical kit to the table and looked at Jane. “Can I look at your wrists and ankles, put some stuff on that will help heal it all up?” Her eyes darted to Strand.

“While you ladies take care of that I’m going to check in with Jerry.” He saw the alarmed look on Jane’s face, the terror filled eyes go wide. “He’s hanging out right through that doorway sweet girl, I won’t be far ok? And besides, Mia can kick some pretty mean ass as well, you’re safe with her too.” He hated putting that look in her eyes, but he had work to do and she needed stability not to be clinging to him every second of every day.

“Let’s get you cleaned up ok?” Mia said as Strand walked to the other room. “Don’t cry Jane, he’s still in the house, just like when you had a bath and he had a shower. You’re both here safe, just in different rooms.” She said swabbing and cleaning Jane’s wrist. “Once we have you cleaned up and I give you a couple of shots of antibiotics you can go into that room too, whichever room you like in this house. You’re free Jane, no monsters live here.” Only the ones in your head, but Mia didn’t voice that particular thought.

******

“Hey boss.” Jerry sighed stretching his neck from side to side content with the loud snap it gave him. “How’s she doing?”

“She’s getting there, showered and fed, it’s slow going.” Karl sighed out.

“You look beat to hell.”

“I feel it.”

“All I can say is I hope that if and when we find my sister, if I’m not the one to find her, I hope you are. Most would have tossed her to authorities or into the system.”

“I can’t do that to her.” He shook his head. “I have no clue how to handle this, but I’ve searched for that girl for nearly twenty years, I just can’t.”

“I don’t think there’s a rule book. You’re winging it sure, but you care, that’s the difference.”

“So where are we at with everything? Get me up to speed so I can go pass the fuck out for 24.” Karl said wearily.

“No chatter on the websites as to the arrest or apprehension of the buyer, that’s good news. Bad news is we’re on a time constraint because in exactly 25 days the second teen should be auctioned off and then a few days after that the third.”

“We’ll want to roll on the makeshift orphanage, before then.” Karl said quietly.

“Figured, so I’ve been pulling all data from them, thank you Davis, to setup dummy girls to bid on. We can work with the teen and bag ourselves another buyer.” He tapped a few keys and brought up the sites he was working through. “I’ve found everything but the homeless or milk money transac...” He stopped and nodded his head toward the door where Jane stood.

“Come on in sweet girl.” He said gently and saw her eyes flick to Jerry. “Remember the guy I was talking to?” He pointed to his ear and she nodded. “This is that guy.” Jerry waved and said a soft hi before turning and getting back to work.

Strand watched as her eyes fell on the screen and her head tilted to the side as of trying to recall something or figure something out. She took a few shuffled steps into the room before stopping and looking at Jerry then Karl.

“He won’t hurt you sweet girl.” She came closer and watched the screen. “What is it Jane?” He asked and tapped Jerry’s arm to stop and give her a minute.

“This is familiar to her.” Hunt breathed, his eyes darting from screen to girl as if it would help him understand. Jerry took a few steps back as she moved forward, now looking at the algorithms he was running for his snooping. Her hand reached out for the keyboard and shook, this was all too real for her, he thought.

With one keystroke she stopped the run and started typing.

“Stop!” Jerry snapped before he could think of the situation or who he was dealing with, the thought of protecting his data searches his only concern, literal days of work. She cowered, retreating back quickly and tripped over the chair in an attempt to put space between her and Jerry, pushing her already overtaxed legs to get further away. “Sorry, shit sorry, it’s just. Fuck never mind.” He took a breath. “I’m sorry I shouted.”

“Damn it Jerry.” Strand snarled.

“I’m sorry, that’s been running for days now and I...” Stopping mid sentence he looked at the algorithm and then back at Jane, her eyes still wide with fear, fear Hunt had put there. “How?” He breathed in disbelief. “Jane’s got some skills.” Karl heard him say as he crouched down to her level.

“You’re ok sweet girl, you were just trying to help.” He smiled. “Sounds like you did.” He held out his hand and she hesitantly took it. “You’re safe Jane.”

“Jane you are a genius.” Jerry beamed at her. “I’ve been able to access one level of data but not the other, his source code....” Jerry looked at Jane and Karl swears his jaw hit the floor. “Noooo, your source code. She... ok I’ma need a hot minute.” Hint stuttered.

“I think we can add smart to that list.” Strand said quietly and coaxed her into his arms. “Breathe sweet girl your safe. Jerry gets a little excited like a happy puppy.”

“Did you just refer to me as a happy puppy?” Jerry grinned.

“See happy puppy.” He watched as she looked up at him and then at Jerry.

“You wrote this?” Jerry asked gently, her slight nod all the answer he was getting as she curled into Strand. “It’s elegant code, beautiful. Where mine is a sledge hammer and just barges it’s way in, yours finesses the tiny cracks and blows it wide open while not being detected or seen.”

“What else you got Jerry, I need sleep.” Karl yawned.

“I have all the photos from the house on here and hard copy, I haven’t had a chance to look through them yet. He has a another record of everything, the undoctored version.”

“He keeping two sets of books.” Karl muttered to himself.

“More than. I’m guessing in that trunk is an air-gapped laptop that has everything in it about the entire syndicate.” Hunt pointed to the two large boxes on the floor full of electronic equipment he’d yet to sort through.

“Look there first thing. You need sleep tonight too.”

“He’s off planet.” Jerry said carefully. “Meekland pulled some strings.”

“Good.”

“Hey, Jane? Can I use your algorithm for a few more searches?” He asked gently, her slight nod lighting up the rookie’a face. “Later I’d love for you to show me more.” She looked at Karl and then back at Jerry and nodded before pointing at his financials. “There something I’m missing?” He asked and her nod made Strands belly tighten. Jerry vacated his chair and offered it to Jane.

“Show us what we’re missing sweet girl.” She hesitantly left his arms and shuffled to the chair, her gaze flicking between the two men, so skittish. Her movements were slow at first until she got a feel for it again. “Like riding a bike.” Karl murmured.

Jerry watched in amazement as she stripped away layers of security he’d been slugging away at for days in mere minutes, not surprising since she wrote the code. After setting up an algorithm to chip away at a particular layer she pushed back and stood up gingerly, wincing slightly, she was in physical pain.

“Elegant perfection.” Jerry breathed. “I’d kiss you but it’s not appropriate.” He chuckled and that slight smile tugged her mouth.

“Leave it for tonight Hunt, go have some food and get some rest.” Karl ordered. “It wasn’t a request.” He growled as Jerry sat back down.

“A few more searches to run overnight and then I’m out.”

“Do you want to hang here Jane?” He asked hoping she’d stay, but knowing she wouldn’t. Shaking her head she moved toward the door. “If she screams tonight let me handle it.” He said in a low tone.

“Copy. Her nightmares are going to be brutal.”

“I can only imaging. Good work the past few days, I know it’s been rough as fuck.”

“It’s worth it. We’re shutting them down, keeping her safe, kicking some bad guy ass.”

“Works for me. Get some rack time.”

Jerry peered past him before speaking again. “She’s his cypher Karl, more than getting past his security. Whether knowingly or unknowingly, she knows his secrets and just because of that she’s way more of a target.”

“Find the device, the laptop.”

“If she’s up for looking through the photos of the house we might be able to locate it, it might be in that box I just don’t know.”

“Process the box first thing, get Mia to help out. I don’t want to shove too much of this in her face unless she willingly wants to be involved. If she shuts down we’re fucked.”

“Will do.”

******

As he came into the kitchen he saw her standing by the window, legs shaking from the strain of holding herself up. “Would you like to go outside and look at it?” He asked pointing to the moon. She looked at him and nodded, there was a brief glimmer of happiness in her eyes. He opened the French doors and stepped out, senses on high alert until he’d scanned the area, not that anything would be able to sneak up on Mia’s house.

It had been a long time since he’d stopped and looked up at the moon, the serene beauty of it. He was brought out of his reverie by her tiny hand taking a hold of his. It wasn’t the death grip from earlier which settled him. Time, he thought, time here would see her recover.

He was so mesmerized by the vision of her looking up at the moon, the soft glow highlighting her beauty, he only just stopped himself before his lips found hers. Those eyes of perfect sea green snapped to his and her hand touched the scruff at his jaw. “I want to sweet girl, but we can’t.” He breathed and pulled back. “I’m no good for you and you deserve better.” He was drawn to her, something deep in his soul came alive when he was near her.

She rested her forehead against his chest, a quiet understanding that screamed at him. “Watch the stars.” He whispered. “Make wishes if you see one streak through the sky.” He said stepping back slightly to look up and to put some distance between her and his semi hard cock, she made him feel things his cold black heart wasn’t ready to feel.

They stood watching the night sky whirl overhead, stars falling casting pretty trails, wishes made. “You still need to search for a name sweet girl.” He said gently as she turned to look at him shaking her head. “Do you like Jane?” And smiled a chuckle as she screwed up her face and shook her head again. “I’ll take that as a no.” She pointed at him. “Me? Me what?” His brow knit in confusion until it dawned on him. “No sweet girl. I can’t chose for you.”

He thought about her mother, the name she’d been given by parents that adored her for the few days they had her, too soon for that bombshell, and that part of her life had been over before it had begun. She needed to choose it for herself, help her reclaim her life, her identity, to figure out who she was after Allan Raven.

Bringing up a list of names on his phone he handed it to her to look at. “Scroll through there and see if you like one.” He shrugged, not really certain if he was going about it the right way. She shook her head and pushed his phone back at him. “Sweet girl, I can’t. You deserve to chose who you want to be, what name you want to be known by.” Her head bowed and she stared at the phone screen, hands slightly shaking as she took it from him. “This is your freedom, the freedom to choose.” He kissed the top of her head and stared up at the moon, willing his own emotions to settle. Mia had chosen her own name and he remembered how liberating it was for her, he hoped for the same thing for his Jane Doe. Hearing the phone screen click off she handed it back to him and looked up at the moon before shuffling back inside as if he didn’t exist. He sighed out and dropped his head. “Fuck.” He growled and followed her in when he was sure he had himself under control.

******

“I think that’s the first time she’s seen the moon in a while.” Mia said as he closed and locked the French doors.

“A few years at least, and that’s no exaggeration.” He searched the room for her and came up empty. “She go to bed?” Was she angry at him for not giving her a name, he wondered?

“I don’t know.” Mia shrugged. “She’s free to do her own thing here Strand.” He gave her a flat look. “She’s on overload. You remember how I was after you pulled my ass out of Syria. Let her be tonight, she might settle on her own, she might not, but you need to give her the space to find out. You can’t fix her.”

“I know I can’t.” He ground out, though he wished he could.

“What’s eating you, spit it out.” She challenged, Mia had never backed down from his harshness.

“She wants me to name her.” He sighed. “Like a fucking pet, Mia.” He spat. “It kills me when she looks at me for permission, like I own her.” He was more frustrated with the situation and circumstances than the terrified girl currently under his care.

“Strand she doesn’t know any better. It’s a conditional response, just as Raven raised her. She’s had nothing, no one but him.” She sighed and looked at him. “In a way you’ve replaced him as her master, that’s how she sees it. It’s going to take more than a few days for her to unlearn everything that asshole put her through.”

“I know, it just...” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “She’s under my care Mia, fell under my care the second I laid eyes on her. I want to fix it for her, make it right, protect her from the rest of it that’s coming, because it’s fucking coming, this is far from done, but I can’t. She needs to do things for herself to reclaim her life, but she’s so fucking fragile, mentally fragile.”

“It’s going to take time, and a lot of it. And she’s far from fragile. All we can do is point her in the right direction, she’s an adult Karl, we can’t be her parents and we can’t expect her to be normal overnight, especially when she has no idea what normal is.”

“Speaking of, should I tell her she has parents? Should I tell her the name they gave her? How do we know what’s right for her?” He was snarling at her now, the asshole in him wanting to lash out.

“We don’t.” Mia looked at him and remained calm knowing he needed to release some of the the fury he’d been riding on the past few days. “We’re winging it same as her.”

“She’s never going to be free of Allen Raven, Mia, this will follow her and I can’t stop it.” Deep down he knew the syndicate would hunt her down until she was under their control or dead, both options were unacceptable and it terrified him that he wouldn’t be able to protect her.

“You’re right, but you’re giving her the best shot at a better life than she was in. Look at what you pulled her from.” She pointed to the room where their case was spread out for all to see as she crossed to him and he felt her eyes bore into his. “You’re right, she’s never going to be completely free, but she’s in a better place now than a few days ago.”

@hausofobsession @ill-skillsgard @grandpa-sweaters @authentic90skidd @tuckersgirl @fairlyfallacy @flowers-in-your-hayr @raewritesfiction @stinkerbelle007 @kamie-b @mrsaugustwalker @skrsgardspam @loliwrites @trippedmetaldetector @lihikainanea @fay-walden

[stilldani24]

Seize the Day - Newsie!Bucky x Journalist!Reader - Chapter Five

Summary: The Newsie Strike of 1899 made the world stand still for two weeks. For one kid and his bum-legged best friend, it meant The World was watching and they needed to make a difference. Based on Disney’s Newsies.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: Fluff, violence, disabled character

Words: 2985

A/N: I was gone for two months then supplied two chapters in one week?? You’re welcome. But I’m definitely moving in two weeks so this is in preparation of moving to a new place. 

PROLOGUE//CHAPTER ONE//CHAPTER TWO//CHAPTER THREE//CHAPTER FOUR//MASTERLIST

The next few days following the riot were…oddly quiet. Newsie Square was seemingly abandoned, aside from the occasional clean-up crew sent from the city. Pierce hadn’t sent out any additional papers or newsies to sell them for two whole days, since news about the Newsie Riot was blacklisted from every newspaper in the city. Except for one.

You marched happily up to Thor’s restaurant, where you knew the boys would be. Upon walking into the dining room, you were caught off-guard at the sight. You had assumed that the boys were going to be celebrating, perhaps even a tad bit excited, but no. Obviously still beaten up and recovering from the blatant assault on these poor kids, they were slumped in their chairs, laying on the ground, or strewn across a table. It was almost pitiful.

“Good morning, gentlemen,” you spoke in a chipper voice to get their attention as you made your presence known. “Would you look at these glum mugs. These couldn’t be the same boys who made the front page of the New York Sun.”

As you said that, you proudly opened the paper you were holding out so they could clearly see the front page. They all hurried from their chairs, gathering around you to take a look at the picture. Excited chatter went around the room as they passed the paper to one another.

“You got us in the pape?” Sam asked, in disbelief but also in amazement.

“You got yourselves in the pape,” you clarified, motioning to the caucus of newsies. “Mine’s the only one that ran, though. Pulitzer declared a blackout on strike news so even I’m shut down now. I heard they arrested Steve, though. I was with Bucky until the riot died down but I haven’t seen him since. Did they get him too?”

“Nah, Zemo and Rumlow are runnin’ a story. They been sayin’ that he took it on the lam first sight of the cops,” Clint spoke up, making you look to him and raise your eyebrows.

“Bucky don’t run from no fight,” Peter spoke up, going up to Clint and shoving on his chest. Peter had been a newsie only a week but looked up to Bucky as if he was Jesus Christ himself.

“Take it down, shortstop. I’m just reportin’ the news,” Clint replied before walking off back to his table, plopping down in his seat and taking a sip of his water.

“Fellas, c’mon,” Scott spoke up, clapping Clint on the shoulder. “Le’s just drink in the moment, huh? We’re famous! And when ya famous, the world is your erster.”

“Your what?” Sam asked, trying to get his head around what this thick-accented kid was trying to say.

“Your erster.”

“What the hell are you trying to say?”

“Your erster. The fancy clam with the pearl inside!” Scott gave up now, exasperated as he too went to sit down. The room then erupted into the boys correcting him, making Scott flip them all off.

“Guys, whatever!” you told them. “You guys are famous. You’re making history with this front-page story. You’re, like…the kings of New York.”

Their mood seemed to all perk up when you said that, and Sam clapped you on the shoulder. “You’re the King of New York. C’mon. I have a feeling I know where Bucky is.”

You looked to the boy, nodding to him as he took your hand, leading you from the restaurant and down towards the theatre as fast as you two could. Finding him was of upmost priority, since the strike couldn’t go on without him. He was the voice of reason and inspiration for them all, and without him, the strike was at a standstill.

 Dear Bucky

Greetings from the Refuge. How are you? I'm okay. Guess I wasn't much help yesterday. Snyder soaked me real good with my crutch. Oh yeah, Buck, this is Steve, by the way. These here guards, they is rude. They say jump, boy, you jump or you're screwed! But the food ain't so bad, least so far cause so far, they ain't brung us no food. Ha ha. I miss the rooftop, sleeping right out in the open in your penthouse in the sky. There's a cool breeze blowin, even in July. Anyway, so guess what. There's this secret escape plan I got. Tie a sheet to bed, toss the end out the window, climb down then take off like a shot! Maybe though, not tonight. I ain't slept, and my leg still ain't right. Hey but, Pulitzer, he's goin' down! And then Buck, I was thinking we might just go, like you was sayin. Where it's clean and green and pretty. With no buildings in your way and you're riding Palominos every day. I'll be fine, good as new but there's one thing I need you to do. On the rooftop you said that a family looks out for each other so you tell all the fellas from me, to protect one another. The end.

Your friend best friend brother,

Steve

Bucky had been furious when he received that letter. From what he gathered from it, the Refuge was far worse than what he had experienced. He may also have been imagining it as way worse, since now he had to think of seeing it through Steve’s eyes. That kid had no survival instinct, and though he was tough and could put up a fight when in the right situation, he often needed Bucky to help him through. Now he wasn’t getting anything to eat or proper care for his leg. Bucky had no where else to go. He went right to Natasha’s theatre, needing an outlet for his rage. Often, it went onto a canvas with paint.

Natasha entered the room as he finished the newest backdrop, smiling at the work. Like always, it was beautiful. She smiled as she approached the young boy, holding a wad of cash in her hands.

“Here’s what I owe you for the first backdrop, plus this one,” she told him, placing the bundle in his hands and closing his hand over it, her hand on top of his. “And a little something extra just account’a because I’m gonna miss you so. Just answer me something, Bucky. Tell me you’re goin’ somewhere and not runnin’ away.”

Bucky scoffed as he tucked the money into the front of his painting smock, walking to fix a detail in the painting. He had often refused taking money for his work, since he simply loved painting, but he knew Natasha would have taken him to the floor if he refused it any longer. “Does it matter, Miss Natasha?”

She sighed at his response, placing her folded hands in front of her as she turned to him. “When you go somewhere and it turns out not to be the right place, you can always go somewhere else. But if you’re running away, no where is ever the right place.”

Bucky looked up when he heard running on the catwalk from above the backstage area they were in, seeing Sam and letting out a heavy sigh. He had wanted to distance himself from the newsies, for at least a little while, since he definitely wasn’t happy with the outcome of the riot. Natasha left as Sam ran down to the floor below, approaching Bucky.

“How’s about letting a pal know if you’re dead or not?” he asked sternly, paper in hand as he stopped in front of the boy. “We’ve been lookin’ everywhere for ya.”

“You ever think I didn’t wanna be found?” Bucky asked then as he grabbed a couple of paint cans, moving them aside. Sam just ignored him, showing him the paper.

“Look at this, Buck! We made front-page news, above the fold!” he exclaimed excitedly, opening the paper as to demonstrate that they were, indeed, above the fold of the newspaper.

“Good for you,” Bucky replied blandly, not caring a single bit about the fact that they made the paper. It was taken at a time before the police beat them senseless and Steve had been taken away to the Refuge.

“Everyone wants to meet the famous Bucky Barnes,” Sam countered, walking to the other side of Bucky now since the kid had moved to continue to paint. “Pietro Maximoff even sent a kid over to tell us that at the next event, we can count on Brooklyn being there. Yeah, we may have been stomped into the ground, but that was just round one. With press like this, our fight is far from over.”

“Every newsie who could walk was out there this morning sellin’ papes like the strike never happened,” Bucky had stopped painting now, turning to Sam to finally face him fully. “Save your breath, it’s hopeless.”

Sam then sighed, turning to the catwalk to see you standing there, just watching. He beckoned you down, to which you nodded and began walking down the steps.

“I was out there with them,” Sam told Bucky. “If I don’t sell papes, I don’t eat. But I saw this look in Stark’s face. He was scared, he was actually worried. So I walked away, and so did a lot of other kids.”

Bucky just sighed, looking up finally to see you. “Jesus, what’s a guy gotta do to get away from you people?”

He undoubtedly felt embarrassed about crying in front of you. No, not just in front of you, but into your shoulder. He was supposed to be tough as nails, no emotions getting past him, but he had been blubbering like a baby and clinging onto you like his life depended on it.

“There’s no escapin’ us, pal. We’re inevitable,” Sam told him, and you walked towards the kid and the giant canvas to get a look at it.

“Well, you look like hell,” you commented, raising an eyebrow at the scenery he had painted. “Is that Santa Fe? You’re painting something you ain’t even seen before?”

“Oh, you want me to paint something I’ve seen before?” he asked snarkily, grabbing the canvas and spinning it around. On the back of the wooden canvas was a cartoon. Beneath a giant foot in a shiny loafer, which was labelled “Pierce”, a bunch of newsies were being squashed underneath it. “Newsie Square, thanks to my big mouth. All of us beaten, some of us arrested.”

“Lighten up, no one died,” Sam told him with a frustrated look, crossing his arms.

“Oh!” Bucky exclaimed, almost amused but definitely pissed. “Is that what you’re aimin’ for? Lang brought me a letter from Steve, from the Refuge. I tried to go see him, y’know? Climbed up the fire escape. They busted him up so bad, he couldn’t even come to the window! Now what if he don’t make it, huh? You willin’ to shoulder that? For what, five pennies a pape?”

“It’s not about pennies, Buck!” Sam finally snapped at him, having enough of all the “woe is me” talk coming from the kid. “You said it yourself, we wouldn’t have to scavenge in the streets if we were given a fair deal, alright? We need to fight for that. This is a fight we have to win!”

“If I wanted a sermon, I would show up for church,” Bucky sneered in his face, stepping back now and motioning back to the staircase so the both of you would get the hint.

“Now, tell me how quitting does Steve any good,” you spoke up now, leaning towards the two boys. Bucky shot a look at you, daring for you to go further, but the look you were giving him was much stronger than any death glare he could give you. His lack of answer made you smirk. “Exactly. They may have won the battle. But you know why a snake starts to rattle?”

“No, why?” Bucky asked.

“Because he’s scared.”

“Oh, yeah, sure, like I’ll believe that.”

“Go look it up, it’s a fact,” you groaned, throwing a paintbrush at the kid. “Why else would he send dozens of goons? An entire army, plus the cops? Because he’s scared.”

Bucky was silent for a few moments. “Okay, you might be right.”

“Thank you, God,” you groaned in relief, placing a hand on your head. “He knows we’re winning. Okay, here’s the plan. I can see about getting a meeting with Pierce and telling him our negotiations, okay? I have the ties, trust me. Bucky, I want you to be there specifically. You’re the front man so he’d only want to hear from you. I’ll send for you once I get it, okay?”

Bucky nodded to you, looking up at his canvas for a second. He hoped with all his heart that Santa Fe looked something like that, at least just a little. But then he looked to you. You were here in New York. You were what he had his sights on now, not Santa Fe. He would follow you to the end of the world. “Okay,” he confirmed. His eyebrows then raised as you spit in your palm, holding your hand out. Oh, yeah. He would follow you to the moon if you asked.

You sent for him a day later, a letter to the theatre since that where he undoubtedly would be. You invited him to the World building, unknowingly at the same time as when the mayor would be stopping by with Snyder to discuss the Refuge. Since the strike and rally, which was to be held at Natasha’s theatre the following day, would be held and organized by an “escaped convict”, Pierce was looking to shut it down since that was within the law to do so. You walked into the room mid-conversation, looking to Pierce as he glared at you. All he did was hold up a paper, the copy of the New York Sun with your article displayed on the front, and it made you sit down in your seat. If there was one man in the world to make you comply, it was Alexander Pierce.

“If that’s the case,” the mayor continued. “Then we can take him back into the Refuge. Quietly.”

Pierce slammed his hands on the desk, frustrated. “What good does quiet do me? I want a public example made of him!”

Before he could continue, Wanda ran into the room. “Mr. Pierce, the boy, Bucky Barnes, is here. Just outside. He has a letter summoning him here for a meeting with you.”

Your eyes widened as you stood up from your chair, wanting to run from the room to tell Bucky that now was really not the greatest of times, especially since Snyder was in the room and ready to take him at any second. Pierce laughed, telling Wanda to let him in, before forcing you back into your seat with one simple word. “Sit.”

You quickly obliged, sitting back in your seat as he swivelled it around so you wouldn’t be seen upon Bucky entering. Pierce had to have known you set up this meeting, but you didn’t know what he was going to do now that he had a man capable of throwing him back in jail in the room.

“Mr. Bucky Barnes,” Wanda announced as she entered the room, a tinge of nervousness on her face as Bucky walked in behind her. Since the two were similar in age and grew up in Brooklyn, she had been silently and secretly rooting for the newsies to win this whole fiasco.

“Now, which Bucky Barnes is this?” Pierce questioned as Bucky took a look around the room. “The union organizer or the petty thief and escaped convict?”

“Which one gives us more in common, huh?” Bucky quipped quickly in response, making you stifle a laugh from where you were hidden by the huge-backed chair. Seriously, Pierce had the strangest taste in office decoration. Everything had to be the most expensive thing he could get his grubby hands on.

“Impudence is in bad taste when crawling for mercy,” Pierce replied, unamused.

“Crawlin’?” Bucky chuckled. “No, no, it ain’t like that. See, I was just stoppin’ by with an invite. It seems a, uh, a few hundred of your workers are rallyin’ to discuss some, uh, recent disagreements. Now, I thought it only fair to invite you to state your case direct to the fellas. Huh? So, what do ya say, Alex? Want us to save ya a spot on the bill?”

“You are as about as disrespectful and cowardly as I was told about,” Pierce smirked in response. “When I was your age, boy, I was fighting in a war. It taught me a lot of valuable lessons, this one most importantly. You don’t win a war on the battlefield. It’s the headline that crowns the victor.”

“Well,” Bucky smirked as he stepped closer to Pierce. “I will keep that in mind when New York wakes up to front page photos of our rally.”

“Rally ‘til the cows come home,” Pierce replied with a devilish smirk. “Not a paper in town will publish a word. And if it’s not in the papers, it never happened.”

“You may run this city,” Bucky snapped at him. “But there are some of us that cannot be bullied. Even some reporters.”

“Ah, such as that young woman who made you yesterday’s news,” Pierce replied as he walked to your chair, simply standing by it. “Talented girl. And beautiful as well, don’t you think? I’d sure hope you’d agree, since she takes after her father.”

He then tugged your chair around so it swiveled to face Bucky, but he had done it so hard that you had nearly fallen from your chair. You looked up at Bucky, taking in a deep breath as he saw the look on your face. He looked from you, to Pierce, then back to you.

“I’d like you to meet my daughter. Y/N Pierce.”

TAGLIST: @buckysmischief​ @captainscanadian​ @thingsthatkeepmeawakeeveryday​ @this-kitten-is-smitten​ @wtfisachoncexx​ @jllngls02​ @abrilkatz123​ @writeturnlove​ @buckysgirls-stuff​ @tomhollandenthusiast​ @sebastian-i-stan​ @farfromjustordinary​ @imma-new-soul​ @lumar014​

TAGLISTS ARE OPEN!!

[perhapsitmaybedragons]

I am actually still doing ok on the writing front this year. I desperately wanted to write this Detective Conan one shot and I got it done. It is the longest one shot I have ever written (I’ve seen longer, but this is long for me).

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22690015

Shinichi/Ran pairing with Heiji running around being pals with Shinichi cause I love Heiji.

A Study In Scavenger Hunting

Twenty year old Shinichi Kudo could not for the life of him begin to understand what was going on. Usually mysteries were met with enthusiasm, especially since he’d regained his normal body three years ago. But when it came to his girlfriend, mysteries were rarely welcome. She’d come over for their usual date night then after he took a phone call he came back and found she’d vanished.

Well. Not vanished. She sent him a text, so he knew she was safe. And they’d talked on the phone since then, so he knew no one had taken her against her will (not that it would have been easy for most people to make Ran do something she didn’t want to do. Her karate skills had only gotten more fine tuned over the years.) But he hadn’t seen her in going on four weeks now. When she went by her parents’ place both insisted they hadn’t seen her, though he noted that Eri looked guilty. Shinichi had been a big help in getting her and Kogoro to see the light and get back together. She’d taken some pity on Shinichi and insisted that he didn’t need to worry. That Ran was just “working some things out”.

“Working things out,” he muttered to himself as he got dressed for work. He’d started going to college first, but the cops kept calling for assistance and before he knew it he had a job offer as a detective, though officially his title was ‘consultant’. He and Heiji had both been hired, and due to Shinichi agreeing to an ill advised bet, he wound up agreeing that the pair would work two years together in Tokyo and two years together in Osaka. He was still kicking himself over that one, but how was he to know that for once the battle Heiji wanted to face off in would be kendo instead of a battle of wits.

But they were on year one, so at least for now Shinichi was on his home field. Which also meant he had time to try to get out of it. Or to at least figure out different living arrangements. He and Heiji were close now, practically brothers, really (though Shinichi refused to admit this). But the pair weren’t suited to living together. They got along pretty well, but competitions between the two could be fierce and they were known to stay up most of the night trying to one up each other. Sometimes Ran and Kazuha joined them, but the girls almost always fell asleep before the guys were done.

“Ya still on about that, Kudo?” Heiji came out of the bathroom wearing only a tank top and boxers, a toothbrush in one hand that he gestured with wildly. “Just call her and ask,” he used the toothbrush to mime a phone call “'Ran! I love ya, why don'tcha tell me what’s going on?'”

Shinichi threw a pillow at him. “You’re going to be late if you don’t get more clothes on.”

“I can get dressed at the station,” he shrugged, “So long as I put some pants on, who cares? Besides, you’re tryin’ to distract from the point. And the point is to just come out and ask her.”

“Like you just came out and told Kazuha how you felt about her?”

“That was different,” Heiji sulked. “You took all the good spots. It took me ages to figure out a good enough place to tell her. And I did tell her…ya know. Eventually.”

“So Ran will tell me when she’s ready,” Shinichi shrugged. “I just have to wait.” He looked mature in the moment, but Heiji could see right through him. They both knew Shinichi was getting impatient and that he desperately wanted Ran to come clean about what was going on.

“What, you think she’s gonna dump ya?” Heiji put the toothpaste on his toothbrush. With a full mouth, he added “and wisha boat da ass her ta,” he brushed quietly for a moment and then ran into the bathroom to spit. “marry ya,” he finished.

“Idiot, who said anything about that?”

“Saw the ring box in your underwear drawer.”

“What were you doing in there?” Shinichi hissed.

“Looking for a clue,” Heiji said with a shrug.

“A clue for what, how to invade my privacy in as many ways as possible?!”

“A clue for why you were acting so funny a few weeks before Ran was. Honestly, I thought maybe you knocked her up or something. But then, she never spends the night here so I’m not sure you two have gotten there.”

“Maybe if you weren’t always here,” Shinichi said pointedly.

“Surprised it’s taken you this long to pop the question. You’ve been in love with her since what, grade school?” Shinichi didn’t answer him, so Heiji continued on. “She waited for you the whole time you were Conan and she didn’t freak on ya when she found out the truth after you changed back. So it’s weird she’s freaking out now, right? That’s why I wondered if you knocked her up, since nothing should have shaken her after the Black Organization got taken down.”

“Or it might make her more nervous,” Shinichi was mostly talking to himself so he moved from the bedroom to the living room. Heiji followed him. “Think about it, when we finally took them down…that was a rough day. We were lucky we all got out alive. Takagi-san got a broken arm and Mitsuhiko, Ayumi and Genta probably really need counseling but weren’t physically injured …but Ran found out the truth the same day we all almost died.”

The outcome had been the best they could possibly hope for, but Shinichi still felt guilty about the whole ordeal. The Black Organization had found him out and tracked him down ..to the elementary school. He and the Detective Boys had all been grabbed from the side of the road on the way home from school, he and Ai identities both having been discovered by the organization. The actual kids had been grabbed as a way to get he and Ai to comply no matter what. A gun to Ayumi’s head got a faster response from Ai than someone threatening her.

It had lead to a final showdown between the police and the organization, with Heiji leading the cops. In just a little over twenty four hours Conan Edogawa went from being a little kid to disappearing into Shinichi Kudo. And with how everything had gone down, the list of people who knew both sides were one and the same expanded from a handful to include Tagaki, Sato, Shiratori, Inspector Megure, the Detective Boys, Kogoro, Kazuha …and Ran.

“Maybe she would say no if I asked her,” Shinichi sank onto his couch and put his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands, looking miserable. “Maybe it’s just too much danger. Ran wants kids,” they’d never discussed it, but Shinichi knew Ran had always seen herself as a mother some day. “she wouldn’t want her husband, the father of her kids to be in danger all the time.”

“She knew the risks,” Heiji didn’t seem to see the big deal. Shinichi didn’t bother to pretend to be surprised. Heiji was a great detective, but he was also a 'miss the forest for the trees’ type when it came to emotions. “She agreed to date you, and that whole mess was years ago now. I bet nothing’s …hmm.” Heiji had been making his way to the front door, probably about to head out (Shinichi momentarily wondered when the guy had put pants on, but he wasn’t about to ask). But now Heiji was holding up an envelope that seemed to have been slid under the door. “Hmm. What’s this?”

“Hand it over,” Shinichi commanded. He could see his name on the envelope, and he knew that handwriting.

“What if I want to see what’s in it?”

Shinichi vaulted over the couch and snatched the letter before ripping it open.

Dear Shinichi,

I want to talk to you and get some things straight, but you’ll have to find me first. Not long ago you made a journey for a second time. Go there and await your next clue, which will be delivered by an irregular crew.

~Ran

Shinichi poked Heiji in the stomach. “All right, whats she up to?”

“You think I know?” he asked innocently.

“I get up earlier than you do,” Shinichi snorted, “ I already went this way multiple times and that letter wasn’t there. You pretended it came, but you actually dropped it from underneath your shirt before you pretended to pick it up. Which means whatever she’s doing, you’re in on it.”

“Oh, Kudo,” Heiji tsked at him, “The lady wants to play a game. You’re just gonna have ta play along with her.”

“And what about work?”

“I told them yesterday that you and I would both be out today,” Heiji gave him a thumbs up sign. “You’re all set. I’m just your guide to make sure you don’t go too far off the path.”

“So you already have the answers?”

“Actually, no,” Heiji admitted. “I helped her a little bit, but she came up with most of it and didn’t give me any clue for where we’re actually going. I’ll be seeing the clues at the same time as you. But I’m not allowed to tell ya anything.”

“Helpful,” Shinichi grumbled, taking his jacket off. If he was going to run around today he wasn’t going to do it in a full suit. The mystery aspect was intriguing and he was quite happy Ran had arranged this for him, but it was a little harder to be enthusiastic when the first clue was this obvious.

“So, where are we off to first?”

“Teitan Elementary school. She’s poking fun at my having to go there twice, and the 'irregular crew’ is the Detective Boys. Ran made a Sherlock reference,” his smile got brighter. “She’s calling them the Baker Street Irregulars. Guess she must have listened to me talk about Holmes so much some of it sunk in even if she didn’t want it to.”

They ran quickly to the elementary school and found the Detective Boys waiting for them at the playground. Ayumi and Mitsuhiko were on swings while Genta stood leaning against the swings’ frame. “Shinichi-kun!” Ayumi launched herself out of her seat and took off running into his arms. The boys followed suit. While they were saddened that “Conan” wouldn’t be by to play with them ever again, they had taken in stride that he and Shinichi were one and the same. Shinichi was now asked to babysit them from time-to-time and he took them to soccer games whenever he could. They didn’t know it yet, but he was currently working out a murder mystery party for them for Ayumi’s next birthday.

Shinichi gave each one a hug before putting them down. Part of him still expected to see Ai with them, but of course she had also returned to her adult body. But she still insisted on all of them calling her Ai, and had told the Detective Boys she really was Ai when they had asked for her true name. Ayumi grabbed his hand and yanked him down to her level, forcing him from his thoughts.

“Hi, Heiji-san!” she called over Shinichi’s shoulder before getting to business. “Your clue is ..umm… let’s see…Mitsuhiko?”

“Your own Auguste Dupin-” he started but Ayumi cut him off.

“Right! Your own Auguste Dupin is within the building, though no apes are in sight. Find her and ask for your next guiding light!”

“Dupin?” Shinichi titled his head to the side as he thought. His first though was to his father. Dupin, after all, was Sherlock’s predecessor. But that isn’t the first character he would pick for his dad, and somehow he knew Ran wouldn’t either. “Auguste Dupin was Edgar Allan Poe’s creation,” he muttered to himself, “similar to Sherlock, but came before him,” he tried to get into Ran’s mindset and let go of his own.

Who would set the framework to Ran’s mind? A builder? No, he was being too literal. Ran was smarter than that. Someone who laid the foundations for someone else, who made someone better. “A teacher?”

The kids nodded and smiled in response. “And we got one more for you!” Genta crooked his finger at Shinichi, indicating he should come closer. “What’s sticky and spotted all over?”

“I uh ….is that a joke one? Is this actually from Ran?” He felt like he’d heard a stupid joke like this sometime ago, but he couldn’t remember the answer.

“You,” Genta answered before Shinichi could process. He’d pulled a bottle of soy sauce out from under his shirt and managed to shake some of its contents on Shinichi’s formerly white shirt.

“Hey, what’s the deal?” He resisted the urge to call him a brat. The Detective Boys were all smiling up at him with the most over the top innocent looks he couldn’t take seriously. Somehow, this factored into Ran’s plans though he couldn’t figure out how. “Well, now I need to go home and change.

“You can’t!” Ayumi cried. “She said it’s important you get to the end as soon as possible. No stopping unless it’s a bathroom break.”

“All right, all right,” Shinichi agreed, trying to make sure Ayumi wouldn’t start crying. “Is Kobayashi-sensei inside?”

Ayumi nodded and wiped at her crocodile tears, forcing back the urge to smirk. She squeezed Shinichi’s hand and lead him into the school, with Mitsuhiko and Genta following closely behind. Heiji kept further back at a more leisurely pace. It was a weekend, so the school should have been closed, but apparently Ran had been calling in all sorts of favors. The group made a bee line for the classroom the Detective Boys and Conan had all once shared. Sumiko Kobayashi was at the front of the class, sitting on one of the desks chatting animatedly with Shiratori.

“Oh, Kudo-san. You’re making good time on this,” Shiratori said in approval. “Heiji-san,” Heiji gave a two fingered salute in greeting.

“Your clue is on the board. Please have a seat,” Miss Kobayashi said. Shinichi awkwardly sat in one of the desks, trying to figure out how to get his adult sized legs comfortably into the seat. “I didn’t mean there,” she said, laughing. “You can sit on a desk the way I was, just pick anything up if you knock it down.”

It was obvious that Miss Kobayashi was the one who had written the note on the board, though Shinichi figured Ran had still provided the clue.

Always a princess, my previous protector. Holding place in a different kind of court.

“Ooh, a princess,” Ayumi cooed.

“But what’s it mean?” Genta asked.

“You kids don’t already know?” Shinichi stared them down. He figured they’d probably crack if he gave them a stern enough look, but all three shrugged.

“She didn’t tell us the answers or what happens at the end,” Mitsuhiko admitted.

“Ok,” Shinichi decided not to press it. The group were usually bad liars, but if they were especially enticed by something they could all manipulate. “Well, we’ll see you guys later.”

“Where are we headed to now, Kudo?”

“The mall, to see one of my least favorite people.”

The mall was crowded, of course, but Sonoko was easily spotted in the middle, her arms crossed and looking annoyed. “Took you long enough, Detective Geek,” she said by way of greeting. Shinichi figured he was probably still making good time but without knowing the end game it was impossible to know for sure.

As he’d explained on the way to Heiji, Sonoko had been the one to defend Ran from bullies before Shinichi came into her life. And given her rich family, princess was only a slight exaggeration.

“So, what’s the next clue?”

“You’re not getting it.”

“What?!” Shinichi’s eyebrow twitched.

“You’re not getting it looking like that,” she pointed at the stain on his shirt.

“The kids did this to me, you think I left the house like this?” he felt a headache coming on. Sonoko had that effect on him sometimes. He didn’t hate her, but it wasn’t like he’d ever choose to spend time with her.

“At any rate, we’re getting you a new set of clothes and then I will give you the hint.”

“Don’t I just need a new shirt?”

But instead of answering him, Sonoko took off forcing Shinichi and Heiji to follow after her through the crowds until they came to an expensive boutique. Sonoko was being handed a package from one of the workers when the guys caught up to her. She thanked the worker and then shoved the clothes into Shinichi’s arms. “Go change. This one’s on me because I love Ran and you will not be seeing her dressed like that. Not today, anyway.”

Shinichi found a dressing room and swapped out his clothes. He emerged shortly wearing a nice, deep blue tuxedo.

“There. Cleaned up about as well as we can expect you to,” Sonoko said approvingly, grabbing his earlier clothes from him and throwing them in the garbage.

“Hey, I still need those!”

“No you don’t,” she insisted, “and you’re going to be late. You want your clue or not?”

He was about to protest, but noticed Heiji fishing the clothes out of the trash behind her. “Fine. Clue, please.”

“Well, for a great detective like myself, this clue would be too easy, but we’ll see how long it takes you to crack,” Sonoko gave a haughty laugh and Shinichi cringed. She was not on the list of people who knew about his time as Conan, and he didn’t want her to be. But he really wanted to let her know that all of her great solves had been him. Especially right now. “Anyway, the clue is:

Back to where you would have begun from,

Back into your den of friendly wolves

Not surprised to see you come,

That pair will give you the goods”

“Why do some of these rhyme?” Heiji wondered aloud. “And wolves/goods? Bad writing,”

Shinichi ignored him and focused on the words. “After all that trouble of you getting us an off day, and now we have to go to the precinct anyway.”

“Why’s that?” Sonoko asked, genuinely interested. “Ran said it was important that none of us know the answers.”

“Because of 'okami’, a not so nice slang term for police,” Shinichi explained. “usually spelled to mean 'one who is above’, but otherwise..”

“Wolves,” Sonoko and Heiji answered in unison.

“Ok, but who’s the pair?”

“The only pair of cops we know that’s dating each other and who knows about Conan,” Shinichi explained, waving for Heiji to follow him.

“What about Conan? He went back to America, dummy!’ Sonoko called after him. Neither Shinichi nor Heiji answered her.

What is Ran trying to lead me to? Shinichi wondered as he jogged along, a little annoyed by Heiji keeping pace next to him. They both raced into the police station, looking around for Takagi and Sato. The pair waved them over.

“Ah, you made it to us already. Great job!” Takagi said encouragingly.

“Though we wouldn’t expect any less of our little Conan-kun,” Sato ruffled Shinichi’s hair affectionately. Sometimes she slipped and called him Conan, but oftentimes it was fairly obvious that it was her intention. This was one of those times.

“Thanks, but could I get the next clue, please? I don’t know what time Ran is hoping to see me by. And she …I haven’t seen her in a few weeks.” He would not have admitted this to most people, but Takagi and Sato reminded him of himself and Ran so much that it made it easier for him to tell them his girl troubles. And they told him theirs in return. They were currently trying to get everything together to save up enough money that they could get married and Takagi could be a stay-at-home dad when they were ready to have children.

“Ok, then,” Sato suddenly stood at attention, “But while your clue was to lead you to us, we don’t have your next clue.”

“Who does, then?!”

“That would be me,” Inspector Megure patted him on the shoulder. He’d somehow snuck up behind him, causing Shinichi to jump. “You all right, there? You’re not usually so jumpy.”

“Sorry. Just too focused on this thing, I guess.”

“I understand,” Megure patted his shoulder before removing his hand. “Your clue is:

I craft something better,

but still stand above,

you can’t out reason me

but I give you my love

Even Holmes needs a home

And that’s all she wrote. Do you need me to write it for you?”

“No need, Inspector. I’ve got it.”

“She really needs to decide if she wants them to rhyme or not. These are all over the place,” Heiji complained.

“You don’t have to come with me,” Shinichi pointed out. “You could stay here and get some work done. I’m pretty sure you’re behind on your paper work.”

Heiji shushed him and gave a nervous glance at Inspector Megure. “He’s joking, he’s joking!”

“Hmm. Maybe I should just check on–” Megure started, but Heiji cut him off.

“Kudo, why don’t you explain what this clue meant? I bet everyone would love to hear, right? Right?” He elbowed Takagi, who nodded enthusiastically. Apparently he was pretty caught up in the whole thing, because he looked excited.

“She’s telling me to go to my parents’ old house and that my father will be there. Because, at least for now…he’s the Mycroft to my Holmes.”

“I didn’t know she knew this much about Sherlock Holmes,” Heiji pondered, “Thought she kept telling you to shut up about him.”

“I guess…I guess she wanted to make this special for me,” Shinichi admitted, considering something. If she was mad, if she was going to say no when he got ready to propose, why would she go through all of this? He didn’t know what was waiting at the end, other than Ran, but he would run like hell and through hell to get to her.

“Well, that’s my exit.”

“What do you mean? Are you actually going to stay and work?”

“Shuddup about that,” Heiji hissed at him. “Ran just said to stay with you until you got the clue to go see your folks. She said once you were there it should be all on you. I got somewhere I gotta be. See you later, Kudo.” he punched him in the arm and took off. Shinichi acknowledged his departure and waved his goodbyes to his fellow officers before making his way back to his old house.

His parents had offered it to him originally, and he planned to take them up on it …someday. For now he had wanted to try making it on his own. Heiji moving in hadn’t been a part of that plan, but it was probably for the best. The lights weren’t on inside, so it appeared that no one was home.

He knocked, but no one answered so he pushed the door open. “Hello?”

He was met with silence. He walked in, suddenly wary. Things going wrong seemed to be the rule of his life rather than the exception and part of him felt like he was going to walk into yet another murder mystery. But instead, all that happened was his mother pouncing on him from the darkness.

“I missed you!”

There was the sound of an irritated snort, and Shinichi blinked hard as someone flicked on a light. He had started to adjust to the darkness and the sudden change had his eyesight go all screwy for a moment. It wasn’t just his parents.

Eri and Kogoro were also standing there. And Kogoro looked irritated. He often glared at Shinichi before the teenager had become Conan. Now that he was back to normal the glares had gotten more intense, especially as Kogoro now knew it had been a mentally teenage boy seeing his daughter naked during bath times.

“Hello,” he greeted them awkwardly.

His dad squeezed his shoulder.

“Kogoro, say something nice,” Eri urged him.

“I will only say this once,” Kogoro’s arms were crossed so tightly Shinichi wondered if it was possible for it to cut off circulation. “For now, you make my daughter happy and that is the only reason I will allow this. If you ever make her unhappy…you will be dealing with her.”

“With her?” Shinichi raised an eyebrow inquisitively.

“You know damn well that girl can take care of herself. If you ever do anything to hurt her, I won’t have to come after you. I’ll just help her hide the body.”

“Understood, sir,” Shinichi agreed awkwardly. He coughed and then straightened up. “But I would never hurt her. …I wouldn’t try to, I mean. I love Ran a lot. Actually, I want to…I’d like to…”

“Don’t say it. I know what you’re going to say and I don’t want to hear it. It’s between you and her.” Kogoro wasn’t making eye contact and now he looked embarrassed. “I will accept whatever Ran says on it. And that’s as good as you’ll get from me.”

Eri patted him approvingly on the arm. “I have to say I agree with my husband. It’s for Ran to decide.”

“Dad, I believe you have the clue?”

“I do indeed. I offered to make it harder for her, but she wouldn’t let me,” Yusaku looked offended at the idea. “So here we are:

sakura”

“…that’s the whole thing?” Yukiko asked, looking irritated. “You probably forgot some of it, dear.”

“No, that’s it. Shinichi knows what it means.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“Because he already left,” Eri pointed out. “Look, he didn’t even close the door after himself.”

“I can’t believe I’ve agreed to help with this,” Kogoro muttered.

“What, you don’t approve of him?” Eri looked amused. “I agree, marrying a detective is always trouble.”

Kogoro muttered something under his breath, but Eri ignored him. “Should we get going, then? His next stop is to her, right?”

“I don’t know,” Yukiko admitted, “She didn’t tell me the clues or the route. Just a general idea of what’s going to happen.”

��It’s the last clue,” Yusako said confidently. “And I think we all know what’s going to happen,” He pulled his wife close to him. “And I think it’s about time.”

His first thought was that Ran would be inside the old preschool, but he found her outside sitting on a bench apparently waiting for him.

“Sakura. For the sakura classroom where we first met,” he said appreciatively. “Solving the clues required knowing Holmes, Dupin and about our lives together so far.” he sat down beside her on the bench. She wore a red dress, and was staring intently at the paper scraps on her lap. Shinichi looked closer and realized they were like the paper badges she had made them in preschool. Wordlessly, she handed them over to him.

The first one had her name on one side. On the other side, what was written was:

Time to play a dirty trick,

Turn about is fair game

Hope I’m not being too slick

So ask about my name

“Your name?” He asked aloud, looking at the other badge. His name was on one side. The other side read

My answer is yes.

“Answer?” he pondered it over, going through the events of today. Starting with the fact that Heiji had brought up the ring box in Shinichi’s underwear drawer. “You mean….Ran?” She finally looked up at him, a gentle smile on her face. “You knew I was going to ask?”

She nodded. “I wasn’t trying to snoop. Sonoko told me I should leave some stuff at your place so I could finally spend a night with you…something about it being easier, I don’t know,” She blushed bright red, “But when I opened your drawer to put some clothes in I found the box and I knew what it was without looking,” she pulled her purse out from under her the bench and fished the ring box out. “I put an empty box back because I figured you wouldn’t look at the ring until you were ready. And I wanted to surprise you with something you’d like. I’m sorry, I know the clues weren’t very elaborate and-” she was cut off by him pressing his lips to hers. He tried to pour all the emotions he could into that kiss. How much he loved her, cared about her …wanted her. How much he appreciated that she would do so much for him. He pulled away only after he felt satisfied he had conveyed exactly how he felt through that kiss.

“You did so much for me, Ran. Thank you,” he grabbed the ring box out of her lap and opened it before sliding the ring on her finger. Diamonds and rubies blended together, since red was both of their favorite color. “But why did you not want to see me the last few weeks?”

“It took a while to put everything together, and when I decided to have a clue to lead to your dad I had to wait for them to come back to Japan from the states. They agreed to it right away, but had some things to wrap up before they could come. Originally Ai and Professor Agasa were going to help, too, but they said they wanted to help with something else.”

“Something else?”

“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “We’re supposed to go to an address they gave me after we’re done here.”

Somehow I think I know what they’re up to, Shinichi thought crossly. Right now he wanted Ran to himself, but he knew what was coming next. He pushed himself up and pulled her up with him.

“But why did you have the kids spill soy sauce on me?”

“So sauce? I didn’t ask them to spill anything on you.”

So that was Sonoko’s idea alone, huh? Figures, he thought.

“Where do you think we’re going?” She asked, handing him the address Ai had given her.

“I don’t know about the where, but I bet I know what will happen when we get there.”

“What’s that?”

“An engagement party!” Ayumi, Masumi and Sonoko shouted in unison as Ran and Shinichi walked through the door. The address had been to a hotel, where a helpful front desk person had ushered them into a large ballroom where all their friends and family were waiting.

“Let me see that ring!” Kazuha said excitedly, pulling Ran’s hand towards her. “ooh, nice!”

“Kudo,” Heiji grabbed him by the collar. “That’s not fair, now I’ve gotta do better for when I ask her,” he kept his voice low so Kazuha wouldn’t hear.

“Have you considered not one-upping me?” Shinichi asked gruffly, but Heiji ignored him.

“Let’s see…can’t ask too soon or it looks like I’m stealing your thunder. Ugh, I don’t wanna spend this much money.”

Shinichi rolled his eyes and left his friend to his muttering. He linked his arm back in with Ran’s. “Did everyone know I was going to propose?”

“Yes,” All three Detective Boys chorused at him.

“It was really easy to figure it out,” Mitsuhiko started. “First, you started to get all quiet and contemplative around her.”

“Then, one day, you stopped looking the same. You looked determined!” Ayumi added. “And then-”

“And then the three of us saw you in the jewelry store,” Genta explained.

Well, that explained it. Those three had seen him, gotten over excited and blabbed at some point. “Do you three want to be in the wedding?” Ran asked them. They all nodded their agreement.

“And what about me?” Ai poked Shinichi in the back and both he and Ran turned to face her.

“Well, I don’t think you’d want to be a flower girl, but you could be a bridesmaid if you wanted!” Ran grabbed Ai’s hands and squeezed.

“You’re too pure and you’re too good for him,” Ai chuckled.

“Gee, thanks.”

“But maybe I’ll take you up on that. At the least, I would like an invitation.”

“Did you guys invite everyone we know here?” Shinichi looked around the party and made mental notes of each person he saw. Some were from old cases he’d solved, some were his high school friends, there were loads of cops running around and of course the Detective Boys were weaving in and out of the crowd. “I half expect to see Kaito Kid pop out of somewhere.”

“Oh, he was here earlier,” Professor Agasa explained, apparently summoned out of thin air.

“What?!”

“He left a gift on the table,” he gestured in that direction.

“Wait…Professor,” Shinichi cottoned on quickly. “What’s your brother’s name again?”

“Brother? I don’t have a brother.”

“So why are there two of you here?”

Agasa took off running, and Shinichi decided not to run after him. The real Professor Agasa was engrossed in a conversation with Shinichi’s mother. And the fake …well, if Kaito Kid was kind enough to bring him an engagement present, he supposed he could let him go this time. Especially since he had more important matters to attend to right now.

“Was that-”

“Yep.”

“Do you need to-”

Shinichi put a hand on each of Ran’s arms and squeezed gently, making sure she was looking him in the eyes. “I’m not running off and leaving you ever again. There’ll be another time to catch Kaito Kid. Right now…right now I just want to be with you.”

[keelywolfe]

FIC: The Elephant in the Room ch.4 (baon)

Summary: Jeff has started working at the Embassy. He’s got a new job, a new car, and a new place to live. Now if only the rest of his life could fall into order, that’d be great. Any time now…any time at all…

Tags: Spicyhoney, Kustard, Established Relationships, Prejudice Against Monsters, Angst,  Hurt/Comfort, Mentions of Past Suicidal Thoughts,  Mental Health Issues, Friendship

Notes:  Jeff is headed home after his chat with Red, and there is so much that he doesn’t understand. But he’s starting to see why no one goes looking for Red, (whose other name is chaos). 

Part of the ‘by any other name’ series.

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By the time Jeff left the Embassy, most of the rush hour traffic had rushed on home, so it was a fairly easy drive to New New Home. Even the traffic lights seemed to be on his side, winking to green before he even tapped the brake. Everything was going his way, so it was a damn shame that his inner turmoil was really starting to rev up in speed.

Somehow now that his professional and personal life were getting it together, his love life was the thing falling apart and it didn’t make any damn sense. It wasn’t anything he could put a finger on, even. After a year of trying to figure out his place in, well, everywhere, it felt like things were on a good track. Not that he’d enjoyed getting stabbed to get there, but hell with it, if the gift horse was a little rough with the delivery, Jeff wasn’t going to argue with the outcome.

And now, he and Antwan were seeing each other more than ever, though that might be because of proximity more than anything. Antwan came over nearly every day after work, much to Blue’s rapturous delight. He’d stay for dinner and they’d all chat about their day, what was happening at the Embassy, new policies they were working on, hell, even taking a side track into what movies they wanted to see. It was like…like a family dinner, only one Jeff enjoyed, not like when he was a kid where they all sat silently at the large, mahogany table that his parents got years ago as a wedding gift, trying to eat as quickly as possible so he could escape. In the evening, they all might watch some television, Antwan working on his laptop if there was a big case coming up, or sometimes, he’d put his arms around Jeff and simply hold him, big and warm and right there. On those nights, Jeff sometimes secretly closed his eyes, the better to feel him with, my dear. Netflix would always be there, he needed to get his snuggle fix when he could. Antwan would either stay the night, since Jeff finally had a bed that could fit two fully grown humans and not barely most of one, or they’d drive over to sleep at Antwan’s place. Where they slept seemed to depend mostly on whether they were having sex or not, and maybe they’d started this with dinner and blowjobs, but Antwan wasn’t fussing about not getting laid every night. On the nights they stayed in Jeff’s bed, they curled up together and slept, the blankets pulled up around them in a comfy, secret world that Jeff wanted to stay in as long as he could.

Or, well, at least for the night. Because waking up in Antwan’s arms, with the smell of coffee wafting up the stairs? Yeah, Jeff was good with that. The first few days or so after he’d gotten out of the hospital, Jeff had been really worried; Antwan hadn’t seemed himself, but considering how fucked up that whole situation had been from the gate to the front door, maybe he should be happy Antwan had only seemed as odd as he had. Whatever his problem was, he seemed to have gotten past it and the last few weeks seemed like a little patch of heaven So, what the hell just happened in his office?

Jeff always figured Antwan and Red were friends of some sort; every Wednesday the two of them went out to the bar together, but that was definitely not a friendly bar-mate vibe he got today.

Not with Red sitting behind his desk, dressed like he might be called in to play the lead in West Side story at any moment and Antwan glaring at him like he was on the rival gang’s side.

It’d hurt a little when Antwan sort of dismissed him out the door, but that was easy enough to let go. The way he’d refused to take his eyes off Red made Jeff think a little of Edge, the way he looked around them now when they were all out in public.

Gone were the easy days of leaving Chinese restaurants without a care; now when they went down sidewalks, Edge tended to act like he was in threat assessment mode, and that was exactly how Antwan looked at Red. Stretch might be confident enough to ignore it, snatching up Edge’s hand to hold or pestering him with puns, but Jeff wasn’t quite so certain. Especially since Red wasn’t some random Human with a knife; he was a guy who showed up Thanksgiving dinner and movie nights, who Antwan shared drinks with almost week..

Better to let the two of them deal with their problems on their own. He hoped.

Jeff pulled into the driveway next to Blue’s Volkswagen, and he’d barely turned off the car when his phone buzzed with a text alert. The number came up as unknown, but even if his phone didn’t recognize the sender, Jeff did. hey, handy andy. think you can meet with me tomorrow, talk a little bit more about your pal steve Interesting. As anxiety-inducing as Red was, Jeff got a little thrill to think he might be able to actually help. Remembering that day last year on the bus, Stretch’s fear as that guy screamed at him. Thinking of Edge’s wary gaze while they were in Ebott. If he could help keep any Monster from feeling the same, even one, Jeff was all for it. He walked up the sidewalk to the door, past the flowerbeds on either side. Blue’s decorations were for a more subtle autumn, a little like he imagined someone’s grandma might have. Not exactly the same as the Halloween displays Stretch put up, weird to think those two were brothers. Jeff sure didn’t mind walking into a house that smelled like apple pie and cinnamon rather than his old place that always smelled a little like wet feet.

With the open floor plan, Jeff could see the dining room from the doorway and Blue was already laying out plates and silverware. “There you are,” Blue scolded before he even took off his shoes. “I was just about to text you.” It made Jeff have to hold back a smile. Having someone worrying about him wasn’t exactly something he was familiar with, not for a long time. He thought maybe he wouldn’t mind getting used to it. Blue was setting the table for three because Antwan almost always came over for dinner. Sometimes straight from work even if he wasn’t quite finished, and he’d have to leave the table to answer his phone, which made Blue tut and shake his head. He kept it to disapproving glances for Antwan, but Jeff’s gotten a couple of earfuls from Blue about how Antwan and Edge both worked too long and too hard, and needed to spend more time with family. Not that Antwan had any family close by, but Jeff figured the sentiment was nice. “Sorry, I should’ve called,” Jeff said contritely. Blue flapped a hand at him, already moving on. One thing about Blue that he’d learned quickly was that he didn’t hold a grudge. “No need to apologize! Dinner’s almost ready.” Which was certain to be delicious, based on every other meal he’d had since moving in.

If asked, Jeff wouldn’t be able to tell which of the skeleton family was a better cook. Partly because he valued his life; there an odd sort of tension between Blue and Edge that Jeff couldn’t help noticing, and adding another rivalry would probably be bad for the world. But also because frankly, their food was equally delicious. It was only different. Blue made homier meals that made Jeff think of small ma and pa diners, while Edge made an eclectic variety that wouldn’t be out of place at some hipster hole in the wall. Nobody was asking for his opinion yet and Jeff wasn’t about to offer. He wanted to keep enjoying the spoils of their labors, thanks, even if he would have to start getting up for morning runs. A knock at the door made them look up and the door opened before either of them could answer it. To Jeff’s surprise, it wasn’t Antwan but Stretch, offering them a lopsided grin and a wave. “Papy!” Blue moved in a blur that matched his namesake and Stretch was already kneeling down, pulling his brother into a tight embrace. “hey, bro,” Stretch gave him a clacking kiss on top of his skull, and Jeff had to look away, faint tears prickling. He’d always gotten the feeling that Stretch and Blue butted heads a lot, with a laundry list of issues between them. None of that seemed to affect how much they cared about each other and big hugs were the norm. Less so was Stretch standing with his brother balanced on one arm, waddling over to rope Jeff into a three-way hug. “heya, andy, how’s tricks?” “I haven’t come up with any new ones since I saw you this morning,” Jeff said, with an attempt at dryness. He didn’t really succeed, not with Blue snuggling in on one side and Stretch on the other, but eh, he wasn’t about to manage Edge’s Sahara-levels anyway. The kitchen timer going off put a quick end to it and Blue squirmed down, dashing off to the kitchen. “Not that I’m not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?” Jeff asked curiously. Stretch had come over a couple times for dinner after Jeff moved in, but usually on Wednesday when Edge was gone for the evening. “not sure,” Stretch admitted. “red sent me a text, told me i should come down and watch the show, and i haven’t done anything phenomenally stupid lately, so i figured i was due.” “Listening to Red is phenomenally stupid?” Stretch shrugged, “it’s bad for life expectancy, for sure.” “Papy, don’t you dare use that in the house,” Blue said the moment the kitchen door opened. The bony hand that was stealthy creeping towards Stretch’s hoodie pocket froze and slid guiltily away, “sorry, bro. habit.” “I don’t see how Edge allows you to vape in the house, anyway, I—“ Blue visibly caught himself and cleared his throat, “but of course, it’s his house. Are you staying for dinner?” “wouldn’t have come over at dinnertime if i wasn’t,” Stretch said easily. He straddled one of the dining room chairs, ignoring his brother’s fussing about sitting properly, honestly, Papy! Jeff only watched, bemused. He wasn’t sure what show Red wanted Stretch to watch, but this one never failed to amuse. Any time Blue said anything remotely like a slight against Edge, Stretch’s version of a punishment was being a passive-aggressive annoyance. It made him wonder if Blue actually knew exactly what Stretch was doing and simply accepted it as his due. An unspoken language shared between brothers. His phone buzzing again made Jeff frown and he looked down. It was an unknown number again. can you meet me in the cafeteria at noon? He didn’t think that would be a problem and texted back a quick affirmative. Another brisk knock at the door and it was a wonder that he hadn’t known immediately that it wasn’t Antwan the first time. Stretch’s knock was lazily rhythmic and Antwan’s a firm rap that announced his presence better than a fanfare. Not that Jeff minded; he kinda liked the forewarning, the better to appreciate Antwan when he came in. He usually came in his business suit, and yeah, that was pretty mouthwatering in a Risky Business sort of way. Better to Jeff’s way of thinking was days like today, when he stopped to change into casual clothes before coming over. Jeans and a soft pullover, and Jeff wanted to cling to him the same way that denim did. He wanted to snuggled into that pullover, breathe in his cologne and the familiar scent of his laundry detergent. He settled for a smile, widening as Antwan immediately strode over to give him a kiss. Um, okay, more like a kiss, with more enthusiasm and a hell of a lot more tongue than he usually gave for a simple hello. Not that Jeff was about to turn it down, he clung like Antwan was a life raft and he was drowning, heedless of their audience. Blue only cleared his throat and Stretch finally called, “the food is getting cold, romeo!” That wasn’t enough to stop him and Jeff knew it was rude, but he wasn’t much inclined to pull away either. Not from Antwan’s mouth, not from Antwan at all, he could stay here all night and to hell with dinner. His phone buzzing did what all the impatient huffs behind them didn’t. Antwan finally pulled away with a last, soft kiss, whispering to Jeff, “Is that important?” “It’s probably just Red again,” he whispered back. And, okay, maybe he’d said it deliberately, a test of sorts, but he couldn’t tell if Antwan’s expression was passing or failing from the way he scowled irritably. “What the hell does he want?” “Security stuff,” Jeff shrugged. Some of Stretch’s pettiness might be rubbing off on him because he left it at that, glancing at the text. scratch that, why don’t we go out to lunch. less chance of being overheard Sure, Jeff texted back. He gave Antwan’s sulky mouth a last peck and went into the dining room. The table was laden with a large casserole dish with rich gravy still bubbling, a basket filled with fluffy biscuits and a variety of vegetable side dishes. Stretch was already filling his plate, moaning his delight at the biscuits while Blue sat squirming with obvious happiness. In Jeff’s experience, all the skeletons liked to feed people, the ones who cooked most of all, and Jeff was more than happy to do his part for them. Conversation was put on hold in exchange for eating and for long moments there was only forks scraping plates and hums of appreciation. It wasn’t until they were on seconds that Blue spoke up to ask, “So, Jeff, what was it you needed to see Red about today that was so important?” “Um,” Jeff kept his gaze on his plate, because if he looked at Stretch, there was no doubt his friend would guess immediately. He couldn’t be sure that Stretch wouldn’t appreciate him meddling, he could be really moody about anyone being overprotective. If he was going to tell him, Jeff preferred it to be the only two of them rather than having Blue and Antwan laser-gazing him down. His phone buzzing saved him from answering. He started to reach for it and hesitated; he didn’t really want to be quite as passive aggressive as Stretch. “Oh, go ahead,” Blue sighed. “Antwan lives on his phone whether or not we’re at the table, anyway.” Normally, that would get a smart remark, maybe a little pointed sarcasm that making sure people weren’t stuck in jail was more important than dessert, but Antwan only watched mutely as Jeff checked the message. italian? mexican? I like Thai better, Jeff sent back and set his phone aside. “well?” Stretch asked, lazily amused. “what did red want this time?” “What makes you think it was Red?” Jeff hedged. “oh, no, don’t even try, you do not want to play this game with me, i’m way better than you are,” Stretch leaned back in his chair, grinning. “Try what?” Jeff said, purely innocent. “what did the little gremlin waaaaant,” Stretch sang out. “what did he want, what did he want, what did he want—“ “Papy, Jeff doesn’t need to tell us his personal business,” Blue said primly. As if his starry eye lights weren’t blown wide with curiosity, the traitor. “maybe jeff doesn’t, but andy is dying to say. c’mon, spill.” “He wanted to know if I liked Mexican or Italian,” Jeff admitted. “pfft, whatever,” Stretch sniffed, a pretty remarkable feat without a nose, “a true friend would know you’re not keen on either. too much from the tomato branch of the nightshade family.” “I can’t really say I like eating from any other branch related to nightshade, either.”

“You love mashed potatoes,” Blue pointed out. “give eggplant a try,” Stretch added, “edge makes a great—“ “Why is Red inviting you out for lunch,” Antwan burst out. That irritation from earlier seemed like a minor glitch in the Matrix compared to now. Visibly flustered, nothing of the cool, competent lawyer showing. “Security reasons.” Jeff said again. He didn’t want to make Antwan mad, but, damn if something about this wasn’t a little thrilling. Dangerously so, Jeff wasn’t great at playing with fire, he might be getting burned if he kept it up. But for now, Antwan was glaring at him and Jeff only looked back serenely. He could go to lunch with anyone he wanted, thank you, even so-called gremlins. “lunch. in-ter-esting,” Stretch drawled. He slanted a sly glance at Antwan. “didn’t red invite you? you guys should be a package deal, right?” Okay, that made Jeff wince, a little too pointed. But Antwan stepped up to the plate and swung, saying, “Is that how it’s supposed to be? Because you haven’t attended many of the lunches Edge and I have.” Stretch’s grin sharpened; looked like Antwan hit a home run. “touché. you’re probably right, anyway. i mean, you never come hang out when me and andy grab some nosh.” “Yeah, because I trust you,” Antwan said shortly. “Do you trust me?” Quietly. Because this was funny, but. Yeah. Jeff really needed to know. Something hot twisting in his chest slowly unraveled as Antwan gave him a stricken look. “Of course I do, it’s—“ A knock at the door interrupted him and Jeff needed to fight the urge to shout, ‘go away!’. This was an answer he damn well needed and he didn’t care anymore that Blue and Stretch were watching avidly. Before he could stumble over into rude, the door opened and Edge stepped in. His gaze lit on Stretch and without preamble he announced. “We’re leaving.” A chorus of protests rose, loudly from Blue and Stretch, weakly from Jeff, and not a single word from Antwan, who was looking down at his plate, his fingers pressed so hard against the table that the nail beds were blanched. Edge was unmoved, only crossed his arms over his chest. “Now, please.” “excuse me? i just got here!” Stretch grumbled. Blue looked like he’d bitten into a lemon, surely plenty of words locked behind his teeth that Jeff would hear later about Edge being too controlling, while in another minute he’d complain that Edge let Papy get away with too much. “And you’re just going,” Edge said evenly. “Neither of us are going to be party to whatever my brother is doing.” “but-” whatever Edge silently communicated made Stretch trail off. He sighed out, “yeah, okay, i’m out. sorry, guys.” “For what?” Jeff asked, bewildered. This whole thing was confusing, but he wasn’t really sorry to lose half the audience. Stretch only shrugged. “beats me, but i bet we’ll figure it out soon.” Stretch snagged his coat and slid it on. Then he stood still, smiling crookedly while Edge fussed over him, making sure he had the hood up against the evening chill. A last wave and he was out the door, Edge at his heels and the last glance Edge gave Antwan was so incongruous on his angular face at first Jeff didn’t recognize it for what it was. Helpless apology and whether it was for Stretch, Red, or a combination of the two was anyone’s guess. “Honestly, what’s gotten into everyone!” Blue huffed out as he started gathering up plates. “Going to lunch with Red is perfectly fine, he and I go out sometimes! He’s a bit uncouth, certainly, but-“ The chime of a text sounded, but for once, it wasn’t Jeff’s. Blue broke off with surprise, hopping down to his feet and going to where his phone was set on an end table. “Maybe Papy forgot something—hm. That’s odd.” “What’s odd?” Blue frowned at the little screen. “Antwan, Red is asking me to tell you that his offer is still open?” Everything simultaneously made more and less sense. Obviously, Antwan and Red were having it out about something, and whatever offer Red had made didn’t seem to be for anything as simple as lunch.

Antwan stood abruptly with a rattle of plates and silverware. “Excuse me for a moment,” Antwan said stiffly, and he walked straight out the front door, shutting it firmly behind him. “Goodness,” Blue said. His round face was drawn up with worry. “Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.” “I’m sure it’s fine,” Jeff said slowly. He really wasn’t. “Let’s clear off the table.” By the time they were done and the leftovers neatly labeled and put away, Antwan still hadn’t come back in. Jeff wasn’t sure which way on the path to head, wait for him or not? But the tight knot of worry in his chest was giving him a lead. “I’m going to check on him.” “Yes, all right. Jeff?” Blue gave him a gentle smile. “I’m sure everything is all right.” He really wished he had Blue’s certainty. Antwan hadn’t gone far. It wasn’t quite dark yet, the sun at the crest of the horizon, but it was chilly. Antwan wasn’t wearing a coat, but he didn’t seem to notice the cold. He was sitting on the porch, smoking, the cigarette burned down almost to the butt. He flicked a glance Jeff’s way as he stepped out, but only took another wordless drag. Not inviting but not asking him to leave, so Jeff would choose his own adventure.

He stepped out, shutting the door behind him. “Stretch just quit so you’re taking it up?” Jeff teased, uncertainly. “He’s not quitting,” Antwan scoffed. “He didn’t quit the ten other times he tried. And I’m not taking it up. Quit a few years ago, but sometimes the need hits.” He took a last puff and then pinched it out. “Come here?” With one hand, he guided Jeff down to the lower step to sit between his feet, then draped his arms over Jeff’s shoulders, pulling him in before he could even start shivering. Antwan was big enough to practically wear like a blanket and Jeff snuggled in, basking in his warmth. Right here, he could be happy right here for just about forever. Except he didn’t think Antwan was quite as content, and Jeff hated to rock the boat. He’d been avoiding it from the beginning, clinging to the temporary.

But if Antwan wasn’t happy, maybe it was time to risk falling overboard. He had a home here now, friends, family. Jeff wouldn’t be alone. But, god, it was going to hurt to lose him. "What's wrong?" Jeff asked, softly. He felt Antwan inhale, long and deep, exhaled and Jeff could smell cigarettes and spicy, familiar cologne. "Edge told me once he almost lost out on everything by being an asshole,” Antwan whispered it to him, raw and low. "Please, don't let me make the mistake that he missed. Please stay with me." That…wasn’t like anything Jeff was braced to hear, and the pain in Antwan’s voice echoed in his own chest. He tried to pull away, to twist around and look at Antwan, but he refused to let go, holding tight until Jeff subsided. He could only sit on the cold step, Antwan warm behind him as Jeff blurted out, bewildered, “But I wasn't going anywhere.” “No?” Antwan settled his chin on Jeff’s shoulder, digging in a little, and he could feel as much as hear him speaking. “Baby, I don’t want you to stay because you’re afraid you don’t have anywhere else to go, either.” Jeff swallowed hard, okay, yeah, he could see how someone could think that; he was kind of needy, always wanting more, but, “I’m not. I’m really not, I swear.” “Shh,” Antwan’s arms tightened, lips brushing Jeff’s cheek. “It’s okay. Do you remember talking to me in the hospital, the day after your surgery. You might not, you were a little out of it.” “Maybe?” Antwan had been there a lot right after his surgery and Jeff’s memories of it were blurred through painkillers. Antwan nodded a little. “Do you remember telling me you love me?”

Oh. Jeff closed his eyes, squeezed them shut hard, “Antwan-“ “You don’t, do you. And you haven’t said it again, but that’s okay, because we both know I haven’t either.” Antwan sighed heavily, and his arms were strong and firm around Jeff, not letting him escape. Not pushing him away. “What kind of lover have I been that you were afraid to tell me?” “I wasn’t afraid of you!” Jeff blurted, because he couldn’t bear this, hadn’t even known Antwan was hurting and it was his fault. “But you were of how I’d react,” Antwan insisted. “Which means I’ve done a shitty job of letting you know how much I love you.” Hot tears were blurring Jeff’s vision. This…this was…“You don’t have to—“ “I do have to,” Antwan rubbed their cheeks together, stubble faintly scraping. “I do, because it’s true and I should have told you a long time ago, and now I’m losing you.” “You’re not.” A broad thumb stroked gently down the side of Jeff’s face, wiping away tears that were starting to escape from beneath his lashes. “But you don’t believe me when I say I love you and I don’t blame you. What do I have to do to make you believe?" The wet streaks on Jeff’s face were cooling in the chilly wind and he finally opened his eyes, ready to see what was in front of him. Tidy flowerbeds, the sidewalk, the road, other cookie cutter homes with their own flowers, filled with people he knew. All of New New Home, right there. Everything he’d ever wanted in life was coming to him, like maybe he hadn’t helped a Monster on the bus a year ago, he’d helped a genie and wishes he hadn’t dared make were still coming true. Friends, family, a job. And love, if he was brave enough to reach for it. Five years ago, Jeff might not have, two years, one year. But Andy had come to life in him since then and he was more than ready to grab hold. “I guess you should stay with me and keep saying it as much as you can,” Jeff said, and if his voice trembled, who here would care? “You’re bound to convince me eventually." He felt as Antwan suddenly laughed, the rich, warm chuckle that Jeff loved so much filling the air and taking the tension with it. He squeezed Jeff playfully hard, making him wheeze. “I think I can make an argument for that. You know, at the hospital, I asked you to move in with me.” “Oh.” Jeff swallowed hard with new dismay, he wanted that, he did, but he’d just moved in with Blue and— Antwan saved him, again, fingers combing through Jeff’s windblown hair. “I’d love to have you, but this is okay, too. Maybe take a little while and get used to the whole love thing?” Gentle, uncertain teasing. “Blue is a nice guy and I think having you here has been good for him. He and the other diplomats have a big trip coming up in a few months, maybe when he leaves, we can revisit the idea?” “I’d like that.” Jeff took a deep breath, let it out, because it was his turn, drugged confessions notwithstanding, and he could do this. “I love you.” “I love you, too.” Terrifyingly thrilling to hear it echoed back again and maybe Antwan knew that, adding, “Get used to hearing me say it.” “It might take a while,” Jeff admitted. “That’s fine.” Warm lips brushed Jeff’s temple. “I don’t have anything else I want to do more.”

Okay, enough was enough. Jeff needed a kiss to seal this deal and he needed it now. He squirmed free of Antwan’s grabby hold, fumbling his way to his knees and kissing him before he even caught his balance. Let Antwan keep him from falling off the step, pulling him in close, cupping his face in large, warm hands. His mouth was hot, his lips cold, and Jeff slipped both arms around Antwan and held on tight. He was still lost in that heady kiss when his phone buzzed again. Jeff ignored it. He had everything he needed for now right here.

Lunch could wait.

-finis-

[flamboyant-king]

This was written during spring break.  I had a dumb idea a while back involving some bluenettes, that little moment I shipped Roy and Seliph, and trying to bring back the personalities I had for Marth and Ike during the smash days.

Enjoy whatever this is.

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Seliph: Kravice, would you like to go to town with me? It would be nice to go shopping.

Lucina: Me as well! My fashion is kind of lacking and it would be nice to have company.

Kravice: Sorry guys, but it’s Spring break back home, and I’ve got a couch to sleep on. But you guys can go together.

Lucina: That sounds like a good idea. [turning to Selly] Are you good with clothes?

Oboro: Did someone say-- clothes? [sticks out leggy]

Oboro: What day’s today?

Lucina: Uhh, Tuesday.

Oboro: Not anymore! Now, it’s Blues-day. And us blue-heads’ gonna go shopping!

Marth (dragging Ike): Did someone say--Shopping? [sticks out leggy]

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Seliph: It feels like everyone is staring at us...

Ike: What do you expect? Blue hair isn’t that common and to see a whole group of them invading their town is a sight to behold.

Marth: Or, they’re gawking at how beautiful we are!

Oboro: I think you mean: Blue-tiful!

Ike: What a terrible joke.

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Oboro: It’s so nice to have a gal pal to go shopping with. I can dress you up in all the prettiest dresses Lord Takumi wouldn’t dare put on.

Lucina: Ah...I...look forward to it

Oboro: Oh my gosh, how closeminded of me. I just assumed you were into these things!

Lucina: It’s not that! I’m willing to put on anything. I just need to figure out what looks good on me and I need your help.

Lucina: But, I can’t seem to find the right dresses...considering...[gestures at her chest]

Oboro: Luckily for you, I know just what to do! While we’re here, we’ll see what interests you, and when we get back I’ll customize it to fit you perfectly.

Lucina: That sounds i-teal.

Oboro: Hm?

Lucina: ...n--nevermind...

———————————————————————-

[encounter]

Eliwood: Sigurd.

Sigurd: Eliwood.

Eliwood: You love your son, don’t you?

Roy: Dad, come on.

Sigurd: Of course I do, with every fiber of my body.

Eliwood: If so, then do you have THIS [pulls out wallet with roy’s baby pictures]

Roy: oh gods

Sigurd: WHY OF COURSE! [pulls out wallet with no pictures]

Sigurd: GUH!

Sigurd: oh right, i never got to fill it out...

Eliwood: It’s never too late.

[roy slips away]

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Marth: Let’s go straight to our room, who knows who has their eyes on my haul.

Roy: Marth!

Roy: Did...did you get taller?

Marth: Oh no, I’m just wearing the heels I just bought.

Roy: Sooooo you’re shorter than me.

Marth: How thick of a cloth over your eyes, Roy. 

Marth: [taking off his heels] Ike! Compare us.

[Roy and Marth standing back to back]

Ike: Marth’s taller by a solid two inches.

Roy: AAAGH WILL I EVER GROW!

Marth: Roy, once you finish puberty, thats just how it is. 

Roy: I’m gonna be this height forever!?!

Ike: Now hold on, Marth, you can’t forget second puberty.

Roy: Second puberty?

Ike: You haven’t heard? Once your initial puberty finishes, Second puberty starts.

Marth: What are you talking about...

Ike: Once I hit second puberty I shot up six inches.

Marth: Ike, that’s not...

Ike: But second puberty works in different ways. When Marth hit second puberty, he got six times prettier

Marth: [under his breath] you win this time....

Roy: Wow! Second puberty sounds awesome! I have to tell the 5′5 and below club the good news! [runs away]

Roy, in the distance: We’re gonna get taller!

Marth: Ike, why did you lie to Roy?

Ike: Seemed like fun.

Marth: Do you really think I’m prettier?

Ike: If I lied about second puberty, I sure as hell lied about that.

[Marth kicks Ike in the face]

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Sigurd: Seliph, my boy, there you are!

Seliph: Father! It’s great to see you.

Sigurd: I see you bought new accessories. It’s perfect for the photoshoot!

Seliph: Yes, i just went shopping with friends and— photoshoot?

Anna, holding the tactician’s tablet: Yoohoo~

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Seliph: This seems very unnecessary...

Sigurd: I missed most of your childhood, and I need to make up for lost time!

Eliwood: Just be glad we skipped the diaper phase.

Anna: Although, those fetish photos would rake in lots of dough.

Sigurd&Seliph: COMMANDER ANNA.

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

Seliph: That was an ordeal.

[bumps]

Roy: Ah, geez, I’m sorry!

Seliph: No, no, pardon me, I shouldn’t have been covering my vision!

Roy: Hey, you’re Seliph, right?

Seliph: That’s me! And you’re Roy.

Roy: Yeah! Our dads have been talking a lot and I’ve only heard good things. It’s nice to finally meet you.

Seliph: You too. [extends hand]

Roy: !

Seliph: What’s wrong?

Roy: Nothing! It’s just...I have this thing where...everything I touch...spontaneously combusts. 

Seliph: Hehe, that’s silly. [grab]

Roy: Wait!

Roy: Huh?

Seliph: My clothes are flame resistant so even what you say is true, I’ll be fine!

Roy: Wh...that’s very convenient. Is there a reason your clothes are like that?

Seliph: …Just in case...

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

Roy: It’s true though, watch this. [sets flower vase on fire]

Seliph: Oh wow!

Seliph: Has it always been like this?

Roy: No, it all started when I hit puberty. But maybe when I hit second puberty it will stop.

Seliph: Second puberty?

Roy: Oh. You haven’t heard?

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

[Cuts to WHAC]

Takumi: HAHA!

Jeorge: Let me guess: second puberty?

Takumi: How’d you know?

Niles: Gordin did the exact same thing when he came here.

Takumi: Why are we all only learning this now?

Leon:  Because we didn’t want you shorties knowing you’ll shoot past us in height. 

Jeorge: Second puberty isn’t just all height, you know. I just grew two inches.

Takumi: But you still got taller, right?

Niles: He’s not talking about height, silly boy.

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

Next bluesday

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

Seliph: Hi, Roy! Oh! Marth. Ike.

Ike: Yo again.

Roy: What’s up?

Seliph: I went shopping earlier and I got you something.

Roy: Gloves?

Seliph: Flame resistant gloves! So it stops all the combustion thing at the source.

Roy: Wow, thanks Seliph! I wonder why I didn’t think of that.

Marth: [under his breath] Because you believe in second puberty.

Roy: You didn’t have to do that.

Seliph: Well, it’s Bluesday, and I happened upon them at the store.

Roy: Bluesday?

Seliph: It’s when all the blue haired folk go shopping together.

Roy: Is that so, I should gather all the redheads to hang out on Rednesday.

Seliph: 😊 Hehe~

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

Ike: What a terrible joke.

Roy: I know! It’s embarrassing! 

Marth: Infatuation makes even the strongest warriors a clumsy, bumbling mess.

Roy: What does infatuation have to do with this???

Marth: It’s obvious you--

Ike: Don’t worry about what Marth says. Your hormones are just going crazy because of second puberty.

Marth: Not everything is second puberty...

Roy: Oh no, does that mean I’m gonna have nocturnal emissions again.

Marth: ROY, WE ARE EATING.

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

Oboro: Gotta get your numbers. Might be a little cold.

Lucina: Is it going to be skin tight?

Oboro: I’m gonna add a few inches for breathing room of course.

Lucina: Room for growth too?

Oboro: I mean if you’re planning on gaining weight I’ll add more.

Lucina: Not that, I’m just thinking...maybe when I hit second puberty, I’ll be a bit bigger here.

Oboro:  Second-- what now?

———————————————————-

Marth: Ike! You’re a bastard!

Ike: Actually, my parents were happily married.

Marth: I’m saying you’re the first definition!

Ike: What did I do?

Marth: You’ve tainted my descendant’s mind with your lies of second puberty!

Ike: Hm, that spread fast.

Marth: What even is your intention, because you’ve fooled every youth in this place.

Ike: I...didn’t predict this outcome. I just wanted to give Roy false hope ‘cause he’d keep complaining.

Marth: Have you considered in few years time he’ll find out the truth and complain twice as hard?

Ike: I’ll probably be dead by then so it’s not my problem.

Marth: I will make sure you are alive for every brutal moment of Roy’s whining. You must face the consequences that have been bred by your selfishness. If you so much as step on death’s lawn, let alone his doorstep, I will have Wrys shove his healing staff so far up your conniving arse tha-

Ike: I’ll talk to Roy.

—————————————-

I have no idea where I was going with this. But I remember there was gonna be a town meeting where alfonse tries to debunk the second puberty myth, gordin was spreading lies that niles, leon, and jeorge has small weiners, and eliwood tries to console roy about nocturnal emissions hjfdfkas

And that’s why I never went through with it. I hope you enjoyed that pssh.

[ourloveisforthelovely]

Rocking the Boat 16

Supernatural 

Chapter 15 link 

Words: 2,467

Pairings: Gabriel x Reader/Dean x Cas 

______

Dean watched your storm down the hallway with a shrug. He sat down and took a sip of the beer that he had brought with him from the kitchen. 

“Gotta love those hormones.” 

He muttered. Dean let himself think back when your mother was pregnant with you and shivered. That was not a fun time in his nor anyone else that lived in the bunker's lives.

“Haha, no one loves those.”

Dean added with a chuckle as Gabriel walked in. It took all Dean had not to laugh at the slightly nervous expression on Gabriel’s face. Heaven’s most deadly weapon was scared to death of his pregnant girlfriend! This was the most amusing thing that Dean had seen in some time! 

“Did you talk to her?”

Gabriel asked. The last thing that he really wanted to do was to tell you that he was going to be out of town for a bit. Since you had found out about your condition you had been a basket of hormones that Gabriel couldn’t even help. He rolled his eyes at the thought himself. Gabriel wouldn’t admit it (possibly out of fear of you stabbing him) but he wasn’t looking forward to this whole baby thing. This wasn’t supposed to happen to him. Lucifer was the one that ran off and fucked that whole angels aren’t supposed to have children concept up. Now Chuck wanted to make Gabriel’s life hell too! 

The thought of Chuck made Gabriel’s blood boil! Just because Chuck was bat shit crazy didn’t mean that everyone else wanted to go down crazy train drive with him! 

Dean leaned back on the couch with a shrug. 

“Yeah, she kind of screamed at me. Told me to tell you to find yourself a better attorney. Sorry dude. She’s pissed. I tried.” 

Gabriel groaned as Dean took another sip of his beer. Dean didn’t seem the least bit upset about being screamed at either. He acted like nothing new had happened. 

  “Jeez thanks. I better go talk to her.”

Dean smiled as Gabriel walked out of the room muttering to himself. 

“Good luck to you! Good thing that you are an archangel. She can’t kill you that easily. If she does stab you, it's been nice knowing you pal!”

Meanwhile, 

You sat in your room typing away on your laptop. Ever since losing your shit on your father, you decided that it was time to chat with Jody. If someone could calm you down it was her! She knew everything to say at the worst of times. 

`The conversation was interrupted when Gabriel walked in. For a moment, you didn’t bother looking up. It was probably best that you didn’t say anything for a few moments. Gabriel was lucky that you hadn’t thrown the bedside lamp at him! You continued to message Jody until Gabriel snapped his fingers and turned the device off. You looked up with a frown. 

“What?”

Gabriel didn’t bat an eye at the venom oozing out of your mouth. He acted like it was just another day and that nothing big was happening. 

“I want to talk to you.”

You snorted. 

“About what? I figured that you would send my dad in. Oh wait, that went down in flames. Maybe Jack is the person to try. I won’t yell at him after all.” 

Gabriel waited a moment to speak. If you weren’t in a delicate state he probably would have said something totally snarky right back to you. 

“Y/n...look, I understand that you are mad because I’m leaving for a bit...I will be back. I wouldn’t leave if I didn’t have to...Cas...” 

Your frown intensified if possible. Your rational said that you weren’t mad because Gabriel was leaving. You were mad because he didn’t have the balls to tell you himself! Your irrational pregnancy hormone side said another thing. You were mad at him for leaving! You wanted him there with you. After all, he put you in this mess (with your help of course). He should want to be there with you too! 

Thankfully, you decided to go with the rational side….

“I am mad about that but I am more angry about the fact that you couldn’t tell me yourself.” 

Gabriel sighed. 

“Well, I didn’t want to have something thrown at me. Sorry sugar, but you are mean right now.” 

“I wonder why.”

You muttered coldly. Gabriel sighed again. You know that he was losing his patience with you which was odd. It normally took a lot for Gabriel to get mad at you. If he got mad, he typically took it out on someone else and blamed them for the problem. 

“Y/n, look, I am not thrilled about any of this either! I didn’t ask for Chuck to do this to us! Cas needs me too. I can’t let Cas just go out there all alone looking for someone that can make sense of this totally back shit weird situation.” 

Gabriel immediately regretted his choice of words when your face went from annoyed to depressed. 

“It's good to know how you feel about us having a baby.” 

Gabriel internally began to panic. He realized that he told you everything that he wanted to keep to himself! 

“Sugar, I….”

You held a hand up. 

“Just get away from me.” 

Gabriel didn’t move for a moment. His golden eyes were locked on you with an expression of total remorse. Normally, this would have gotten him off of the hook. This time, however, it wasn’t going to happen.

“Maybe I could get Lucifer or Michael to go with Cas. Raphael needs to stay here where we can keep an eye on him and he can keep an eye on you.” 

You stood up and went toward your bathroom. 

“Yes, let’s send Michael and his cozy socks to help Cas! That will make such wonderful sense! Just go, Gabriel. I don’t want to deal with you right now. If you don’t want to have this kid, don’t bother coming back. I don’t need you to do this. Stupid me, thought that you actually cared about me and the kid.” 

Gabriel began to tremble. This was his worst nightmare! 

“Y/n, I….”

“GET LOST!”

You snapped. Gabriel turned and walked from the room without another word. 

When he stepped out, he almost ran right into Sam and Dean. Gabriel frowned looking at the two with a displeased expression. 

“I guess you two heard all of that.” 

Sam nodded. 

“I’ll talk to her. It will be okay.”

Gabriel laughed bitterly. 

“Yeah, right.”

The following few months passed without much excitement. You still weren’t talking that much to Gabriel. He was still away and couldn’t give you any form of an idea when he would be back for good. As much as you wanted to play the tough gal and act like you didn’t care...you couldn't. 

When Gabriel would call to check on you it seemed to be the same conversation. He would always ask how you were feeling and if you needed anything. You would say a simple fine and no. If you needed anything there were plenty of people in the bunker that could do something for you. You knew that Sam and Dean were keeping Gabriel informed about all of the other things.  

Thankfully after month 6, the morning sickness began to fade away. This made you even happier and put you in a better mood. Raphael had been keeping a close watch on your condition and in turn, you were keeping an eye on him to make sure that he wasn’t up to any funny business. 

One morning you stood in the kitchen while Lucifer sat trying to bore you to death with a story about how great he was. Someone was always in whatever room you were in. You had a feeling that this was Gabriel’s doing. He probably set this up to drive you nuts. 

“Y/n, if you keep eating like that the kid is never going to want to leave.” 

Lucifer commented. You help up your middle finger earning a chuckle from the archangel. 

“I do enjoy your sense of humor. I am also thankful that we aren’t having a kid together. Whatever you said to Gabriel scared him to death.” 

You put down the knife that you were holding and turned to face Lucifer. That was one of the last things that you wanted to hear! 

“He chose to leave. I had nothing to do with it. Now, why don’t you shut your trap and help me wash dishes or something.” 

Lucifer shrugged and picked up a dishtowel. After a  few moments of silence, he looked over at you. Lucifer normally didn’t feel sorry for people. In fact, he claimed that he didn’t know how to but here you were causing him feelings! 

You didn’t ask for Gabriel to leave. It didn’t Lucifer being a supernatural being to know that! He read your mind several times and knew exactly what happened between Gabriel and yourself. 

“Hey, Y/n, I’m sorry...that was kind of a jerky thing to say. I know that you didn’t ask for my idiot brother to leave.” 

You looked up from the pan that you were trying to shove in a shelf but couldn’t reach. 

“Lucifer, I know you very well now. I didn’t take it personally.” 

Lucifer grinned.

“I am glad to see that you are starting to be your old self. I was making you cry about everything. For what it's worth, my brother is an idiot.” 

“That’s rude.” 

You froze hearing that voice! Both Lucifer and yourself turned to see Gabriel in the doorway with Dean and Cas behind him. Lucifer immediately laughed. This was the best possible outcome of the whole situation to him. 

“Hey the idiot decided to come home! I am glad to see that you remembered where this place was. I was about to send out a possy. We thought you may have gotten lost again.” 

Lucifer was clearly pleased with his comment. Gabriel glared at his brother for a moment before focusing his attention on you. You weren’t smiling or looking the least bit happy to see him. In fact, you looked like you didn’t give a good god damn about anything. Gabriel sighed. This wasn’t you. You were always happy when he was in a room. In the beginning, when the two of you were apart for however long, you were in his arms the moment that you were together again. 

Gabriel knew that you were really mad at him! He really fucked up! Gabriel never meant to stay away as long as he had but things happened. Things that he and Cas never expected. Now he missed most of your pregnancy. With each and every day that passed, Gabriel knew that coming home would be harder. 

You, meanwhile, tried to keep your eyes from drifting to your boyfriend. Gabriel was looking at you with those poor pathetic “please love me” eyes that broke your heart. Today, however, he wasn’t getting away so easily. 

Your brooding was interrupted by a sharp pain shooting through your body. With a whimper, you gripped the edge of the counter. 

“Honey?”

He said nervously. You held a hand up waving him off while waiting for the sharp pain to edge off. After a moment, you were able to stand back up. Lucifer was glancing over his shoulder at you. 

“You good?”

He asked. You nodded. 

“I’m fine.” 

Lucifer shrugged and went to leave the kitchen. He stopped once he was behind Gabriel and shoved him to you.  

Gabriel glared back at his brother and muttered “asshole” before turning his attention back to you. 

“Hi sweetheart.” 

It didn’t matter how mad at Gabriel you may have been; you still missed him. You had missed him more than words could possibly say! 

“Hey.” 

You stood quietly for a moment before wrapping your arms around his shoulders. Gabriel was afraid that you were going to smack him or something for a moment. He relaxed when your face nuzzled against his neck 

“Damn, I have missed you.” 

Gabriel said softly before tilting your face to his. He kissed you softly for a moment before deepening the kiss. 

You were the first to pull away. Gabriel's arms were still locked around you almost as if he was going to lose you forever. 

“I’ve missed you too.” 

You replied. This time you meant it! You had missed him! It was time to put away your tough girl act. 

“How are you feeling?” 

Gabriel asked tentatively. You sighed miserably. 

“I’m fine, I guess.” 

Gabriel shook his head. 

“Tell me the truth.” 

You were silent for a moment before speaking. 

“I feel horrible. I am so sick of being pregnant. My back hurts, my feet hurt, I have parts of me that I didn’t know existed hurt. LUCIFER, stop fucking breathing down the back of my neck, you pervert!” 

Lucifer frowned from his place at the table. 

“I am over here, thank you. If it's any consolation, we are all sick of you being pregnant too.” 

Gabriel looked at his brother with a clearly displeased expression. 

“Lucifer, leave.” 

Lucifer stood with a shrug and walked out of the room without further comment. Gabriel turned his attention back to you. Your face had resumed that expression on pain from a moment or two before. 

“Sugar, should we be worried?”

You wrapped your hands around Gabriel’s upper arms and waited for the pain to pass. 

“I think that I’m fine.” 

Gabriel didn’t look too trusting in your response. 

“Yeah, I’m not buying that.” 

You winced as another pain washed over you. 

“I think you picked a hell of a day to come back home because I think these may be contractions. Oh my god, dad was right. Sex is bad.” 

Gabriel couldn’t help but laugh about that one. 

“I didn’t hear you complaining when we were doing it.” 

You winced. 

“You are going to be lucky if I ever let you touch me again.” 

Gabriel quickly picked you up and carried you back to the bedroom. 

“We have plenty of time to talk about that later. I better go find Raphael. I am really glad that my dad designated him as the healer. This is freaking me out.” 

You smiled sheepishly. 

“You should see things from where I am sitting. You aren’t pushing something the size of a small turkey out of you.” 

Gabriel winced. 

“I’ll just go get my brother.” 

________

@brokencasbutt67-writer

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[mitchmarnier]

semi charmed life | chapter nine | 4.8k | teen|

“You guys have kept in contact this whole time?” Bill asked, brow disappearing underneath hair line as he looked like his old friends in amazement. “And you guys are.. what? Room mates?”

Eddie avoided looking at Richie as he answered. “Yeah, uh… room mates. Something like that.”

[or: the adult!losers reunion, done 2000s sit-com style, just like we all deserve.]

PREVIOUSLY ON SEMI CHARMED LIFE: “I’ve always wanted you.” Ben said openly. “and I will always want you.” Beverly cupped the side of his face and brought their lips together.” “Wait, Ben Hanscom?” Eddie squawked, shaking his head as Richie nodded. “That’s not going to end well.” |  CUTEST COUPLE. Richie traced his hands over the words, smiling softly as he took in the appearance of himself and Beverly Marsh at fifteen. | “It’s like… sometimes…” Mike exhaled hard. “Sometimes I feel like he’d rather me be in Derry, a place I’ve always hated, with him than out here doing what I love. He’s just… waiting for me to come back. I don’t think he thinks this is real. Permanent. He’s waiting for me to come back.” |  “So tell me, good pal,” the man smiled, giving him a golden toothed grin. “You wanna pack or deliver?” |  “You almost destroyed me,” Richie snapped, eyes blazing. “I couldn’t go to school, I couldn’t even graduate. I almost had to stay in this absolute hell hole, just so you wouldn’t have to admit failure. So fuck you, Stanley.”

“Look who’s cute!” Richie called happily, coming into the dark light cafe with little Frankie perched on his shoulders. He had promised Beverly that he would come see her at work on her first day, before he dropped Frankie off at home and went in for his own shift. After Beverly had seen her outfit, she’d wished that Richie would’ve forgotten all about that promise. He was here, though, with a toddler on his shoulders and a shit eating grin on his face.

Beverly flushed. Her black shirt buttoned all the way up to her mid-neck, and her pants were yanked up nearly to her breasts. With a belt. It sort of hurt to breathe. She wanted nothing more than to take it all off and walk away, but she knew that she couldn’t afford to do that. Without Tom in her life, Beverly had spent the last month milling around in Eddie and Richie’s apartment, jobless and mooching off of their kindness. It wasn’t a life that she could live forever- nor one she wanted to- but it certainly didn’t seem to help anything with Eddie’s sudden awkwardness around her. After a few days, Beverly had managed to pluck up the courage to ask about it and Richie had dismissed her. Claimed that Eddie had had some sort of weird experience at work, and that it wasn’t anything she had done. Beverly wasn’t entirely sure she believed that, but she was willing to give Richie the benefit of believing him. No doubt he knew what was going on in Eddie’s mind space better than she did.

“The only cute person is here is that little princess on your shoulders,” Beverly said happily. In the month since she’d moved in with Eddie and Richie, she’d really grown to adore their little daughters. She thought they were possibly the best child to ever grace the present of this planet- and made her reconsider her lifelong declaration to never have children. Then she remembered that time that Frankie had taken her baby sister right out of the stroller without her noticing, and resolved to sit with simply baby sitting Richie’s little girls with Ben.

And Ben… things between them were great. She knew the rest of her friends were skeptic about their current relationship- Mike had made it obvious with his expressions, and Eddie had straight out told her as much, but she felt that things were going amazingly. She knew, of course, that she ever wanted to make things any more serious that she needed to get into contact with Tom, at least serve him up with divorce papers, but she couldn’t be bothered to think about that just now. Things were going smoothly in her life right now, outside of the tension between herself and Eddie, and Beverly didn’t think now would be a good time to do any boat rocking.

“Hey!” Richie snapped his fingers under Beverly’s nose and waggled his eyebrows at her. “Stop thinking about Ben when a handsome man is already here visiting you.” Richie shot her that toothy grin that instantly brought her back to looking at braces and beyond freckled cheeks, and her stomach leapt the way it always had.

She shook her head and looked away. “You’re alright. Shouldn’t you be getting that little girl home for bed now?”

Richie made a mocking offended noise. “You invite us down here to see you and you’re immediately rushing us out the door. Here I thought you loved us.”

“Well, I love Frankie.” Beverly said with a smirk. “You still fall under the ex boyfriend category, you’re on probation for love.”

Richie gasped, pressing a hand that wasn’t necessary to hold Frankie up to his chest. “How long until I can be accepted back to love status?”

Beverly hummed, trying not to break into a smile. “How long ago did Bill and I break up? Sixteen years ago? Seventeen? I’m starting to considering letting him back into love status.”

Richie made a wounded noise and shook his head dramatically. “I let you into my home, let you eat my food, and this is how you repay me? I’m hurt, Beverly. I will just take my daughter and my company elsewhe-” The ringing in Richie’s pocket yanked them both away from the conversation. Richie rolled his eyes. He was one of very few people Beverly knew that actually had a cell phone- claiming that he needed it for work related situations- and he seemed to despise the thing. “Hello?” He answered, then quickly frowned. “Billy, what… What? Yeah, I do but I have to work- okay, okay, okay. I have Frankie with me so we can… Oh?” Richie’s face crumbled up and he gave Beverly an odd expression. “Then you need to give me a chance to drop her off a home. Then I’ll come get you, don’t go anywhere.”

Richie snapped the phone shut and tucked into his pocket, giving Beverly a long look before sighing. “I’ve got to go. I need to get Franks home, and cover my shift apparently.”

“That was Bill?” Beverly asked, rubbing at her bare arm a little awkward. She didn’t like the troubled look in Richie’s eyes. He could barely look at her, a sign she remembered well from the youth. It meant that Richie’s thoughts were moving faster than his brain could keep up with it, and it always spelled disaster. It meant Richie punching Patrick Hockstetter in the face for homophobic comments or pulling the fire alarm to keep Henry Bowers at bay during an in-school attack. Bad outcomes from good intentions. “Is he out drunk and needs a ride?”

“No.” Richie replied with a small shake of the head that might have been an unconscious twitch. “He’s… I don’t know. I need to go get him, or… whatever. I have to go…”

Beverly nodded firmly. “Yeah, yeah. Go!”

Richie seemed to bounce in place for a moment, before turning and moving quickly through the empty diner. The bell dinged as he left and Beverly exhaled hard, a sense of doom settling in her stomach. She wasn’t sure what the night held, but she knew that it was only quarter to eleven and it was just starting.

→  →  →

Mike tapped his hands against the steering wheel of his rental car as he pulled past the Derry town sign. It had been an incredibly long week, and even though Pearsons had started to pull up on his treatment. Kay had been a godsend but after just the general roughness of his first exhibit, all Mike wanted was the comfort of his boyfriend. It was been a slightly spur of the moment plan, encouraged mostly by Kay after seeing how drained Mike had been all week, and they’d come up with the idea to simply surprise Alexander with his presence than go through the whole process of trying to turn into a plan.

Mike turned down the radio as he started down the back road that lead him to his childhood home. He felt a little bit of sadness in his gut at the FOR SALE sign he knew he was going to see as pulled up in front of it. By the time he’d left for New York it hadn’t gone up yet, and he’d yet to see it. His father wasn’t going to be there, they’d been filtered out the animals for the last few weeks and he knew most of the things he’d always known about Derry would be gone. As soon as Mike could figure out a solution to his spacious problems, Alexander would be packing up and coming to New York and this old place would just be a part of Mike’s past.

It wasn't, however, the sight of the FOR SALE sign that sent Mike’s heart lurching up into his throat as he pulled up towards his driveway. It was the unfamiliar car that was parked beside Alexander’s outside their house. HIS house. Mike placed the car into park and took a second to steady his breathing.

→  →  →

Stan pulled his sweater tighter around himself as he made his way through the dark streets. The nights were getting progressively warmer as summer came in, but he found that he might have wanted to wear his windbreaker this night. The weather outside hadn’t exactly been the first thing on his mind as he left his apartment at nearly eleven, barely stopping to give an explanation to Patty as he rushed out into the night.

He hadn’t personally heard from Bill Denbrough in almost eleven years. They’d been friendly enough at the reunion, classic adult behaviour he supposed, but Bill had made it pretty clear to everybody whose side he was on once everything went down between Stan and Richie. Stan supposed that everybody had leaned more towards Richie’s side of things, but Bill and Eddie had been the two who openly expressed it the most. Everybody else had the slight decency to pretend not to pick a side- and it was easy enough with them all leaving Derry- but Stan and Bill’s friendship had never bounced back. So, yes, Bill Denbrough calling him in the dead of night for help was out of character and worrisome.

He sped up his steps once he saw Bill standing at the end of the street, pacing in front of the street sign. Stan walked quickly up to him, placing a hand on Bill’s elbow. Bill let out a loud shout, and quickly yanked himself away. He stumbled and Stan had to move quickly to grab hold of his arms and steady his old friend on his feet. “Are you okay?” Stan asked, taking in Bill’s disheveled appearance and wide eyes.

“I…” Bill cleared his throat and looked around, nose twitching. Even in the darkness of the night, Stan recognized that look as Bill getting caught on a word. It was strange, when they’d all met up in Derry Bill had barely stuttered at all. Whatever this was must have been really getting to him. Stan rubbed gently at Bill’s shaking arms and watch as the other boy worked through his own tongue. “I-I’m in t-t-tr-trouble, Stan.”

Stan was seconds away from some sort comment that would be the equivalent of duh, when a car came roaring up to the curb. Richie Tozier leaned towards the passenger seat window, scowling slightly at the sight of Stan standing there as well. He shook his head, closed his eyes and jerked his hand towards the back seat. Bill jumped to action, quickly launching himself into the backseat. Stan let out a half-aborted protest before getting into the passenger seat beside Richie.

Richie gave him an awkward closed-mouthed smile that Stan nervously returned before spinning around in the backseat to glare at Bill. “Care to fucking tell me what was so important that I had to call into work to come get your ass at the side of the road? And why bird boy is here with you?”

Stan wanted to be offended, but he supposed of all the things Richie could’ve called him, that was pretty tame. Bill seemed to be openly trembling in the back seat, eyes jerking around nervously. Stan sighed “He called me at home, said he was in trouble-”

“Didn’t fucking ask you.” Richie snapped, not even bothered to look at him. Richie drummed his fingers against the steering wheel while maintaining direct eye contact with Bill. Stan watched how Bill squirmed under Richie’s gaze, and couldn’t help but think that Richie had never looked more like a father than he did in that moment.  Stan had to bit his lip to keep from trying to give Richie a satisfying answer to his well asked question.

“I…” Bill flushed deeply, Stan could see that even in the dark car. Maybe part of Stanley Uris had never forgotten about to read his old friends. Bill scratched at the back of his neck, clearing trying to avoid meeting Richie’s gaze. “I’ve g-g-gotten involved with some guh-guh-guys…”

Stan felt his heart plummet into the pit of his stomach. He felt that maybe some part of him had been afraid of that this whole time. He hadn’t been able to deny the nerves he’d been feeling. He looked away from Bill and towards Richie. Richie was practically burning holes into Bill’s head, silently urging him to continue.

Bill cleared his throat once again, one of his oldest tricks to helping with his stutter that he’d always found didn’t really help at all but he’d always resort to when nothing else was working either. “I-I-I-I k-k-knew it was a b-b-b-bad i-idea but I-I-I nuh-n-needed money. For the b-b-b-b-b-b-baby.” Bill was staring stubbornly at his hands now. Richie was shaking his head slowly, eyes closed and Stan. Well. Stanley felt like he was moments away from opening this car door and throwing up into the street.

“I-I-I-I didn’t fuh-fuh-feel right about i-i-i-it!” Bill declared. “I-I-I was truh-try-trying to get o-o-o-out! They d-d-d-didn’t luh-luh-like that.”

“No, I imagine they fucking didn’t!” Richie let out a frustrated grunt, and smacked his hand a little bit harder against the steering wheel. “God damnit Denbrough. When did you get so stupid?”

“We always did stupid shit!” Bill argued, suddenly stutter-free. Suddenly sounding angry. “The three of us! Getting into trouble, barely getting away with it. Come on, you can’t deny it was always epic.”

Richie and Stan both shot Bill looks of contempt so eerily similar that Bill sunk back in his seat. Stan was truly considering breaking his silence that came from fear of Richie’s anger and giving Bill a piece of his mind when the night was suddenly cut through with the ringing sound of gunshots. Stan let out a startled gasp and Richie’s eyes blew wide behind the lenses of his glasses.

“Is that for you, Denbrough?” Richie screamed as another shot went off.

“RICHIE! FUCKING DRIVE!”

→  →  →

Beverly wiped down the counter for what was easily the tenth time that night. It wasn’t dirty, she hadn’t served a customer beside the man she was pretty sure was homeless drinking a cup of iced water in the last two hours. The last people Beverly had interacted with had beyond single word sentences had been Richie and Frankie, and she was trying to push off the lingering feeling of anxiety Richie’s phone call had left her with.

“Hey, sorry, I know it’s late but I-” A terrifying familiar voice called, following in the singing of the bell above the door. Beverly turned slowly, the dread settling in her gut. Tom Rogan the same as he always did, he might have even been wearing the same shirt he’d had on when she’d left him for her Derry reunion.

He looked as self shocked to see her as she was him. “Beverly, you’re… back in New York.”

She cursed herself for never considering that she’d run into her husband in New York. She’d chalked up to it being a large city, and if she stayed away from the places she knew that he frequented, then it wouldn’t happen. Part of her had known that she’d see Tom again one day, but she chosen to believe that it would be more on her own terms. Not nearly this unexpected.

“Uh, yes.” Beverly replied awkwardly, wiping her hands on the blue cloth. She placed it back into the sanitation bucket and took a step around the counter to her husband. There was no avoiding the situation, so she might as well face it head on. “I got back about a month ago. I’ve been staying with some friends. They’ve got cute kids.”

Tom gave her a confused look. “Bev, you hate kids.”

“I don’t hate kids.” Beverly argued immediately, thinking about Frankie’s cute little pigtails and Marty’s tiny little hands. Tom gave her a disapproving look, and she had to admit that she’d turned Tom down on kids many times during their marriage. “Well. I don’t hate their kids.”

“And you’re working here?” Tom looked around the diner with a slight turn up of his lips. It was fair, she knew. This wasn’t any high end type of diner, hence the only late night customers she’s getting being people she believed to simply have no where else to go. But maybe Beverly was one of those people who didn’t have anywhere else to go.

“Well, I couldn’t just keep crashing at my friends house without giving any sort of help.” Beverly said with a shrug. She almost wished a customer would come into the store now, ask for something complicated that she probably didn’t even know how to make and Tom wouldn’t have a chance to keep talking to her.

“You never had to stay with your friends,” Tom said, sadly and quietly. He looked down at his feet and Beverly felt a quick pang of sadness for him. Maybe she’d been feeling unhappy in their marriage, but it wasn’t as though she’d ever told him that. She’d simply sat on her feelings, ones that she’d barely even known that she felt, and then she’d taken off at the first chance and never looked back. Never tried to talk to him, didn’t tell him where she was going, what she was planning. “You could have come home.”

Beverly bristled. Home. Was the fancy apartment in the West Side that belonged to her and Tom in their marriage home? No. It didn’t feel like home, had stopped feeling like home long before she’d left. Was home Eddie and Richie’s townhouse? No. Maybe at first she had hoped it do be, but she knew that that was a family of four, she was just living there. She didn’t have a true home living with Eddie and Richie.

Beverly sighed and shook her head. “I haven’t found my home yet,” she told her husband honestly. “I’m still working on that.”

Tom walked up to stand beside Beverly by the counter, resting his elbows onto it. He sighed. “Beverly, I don’t understand what happened. One second you seemed perfectly happy, then next you walking out on me. On us. On everything.”

Beverly tried to give him a sympathetic smile. “I wasn’t happy, Tom. It took me a long time to realize it but I couldn’t… I couldn’t help it after that. I had to get away.”

“Why couldn’t you have talked to me, Bev?” Tom asked quietly. He was fidgeting with the tips of his fingers the same way he had before he’d proposed. “We could have talked about it, I could have tried to be better.”

“It’s not like that,” Beverly said slowly. “I had to question myself and my wants, what I needed. I had to go to my reunion, and I wasn’t ready to talk to you about any of my thoughts yet, I’m still not really ready to. While I’ve been staying with Richie-”

“Wait, Richie?” Tom’s voice cut through her, sounding more angry than sad now. “As in your high school boyfriend that you lost your virginity to? That’s who you’re staying with?”

“Yes.” Beverly said with a frustrated sigh. “Did you miss the part where I said I was also staying with his spouse and kids? It’s not what you’re thinking.”

“Oh.” Tom laughed humorlessly. “I’m just supposed to believe that you took off from our marriage, moved in with your ex boyfriend and you haven’t done anything with them?”

“I haven’t done anything with Richie since junior year!” Beverly said sharply. “I’m not going to stand here and argue with you about this bullshit.”

“So you’re telling me that in the two months since we’ve been separated you haven’t hooked up with anybody?” Tom asked her dryly.

Beverly bit her lip, thoughts of Ben’s cramped apartment and his cool sheets against her back burning in her mind. She could practically smell his skin where she’d pressed her face into his neck. Tom was raising his eyebrow at her challenging and she knew that now was that this was the make or break moment of her relationship.

“I haven’t done anything with anyone since we’ve been separated.”

→  →  →

Mike walked calmly into his kitchen and poured a glass of cold water from the tap. Alexander came in behind him, wrapped up in the house coat that Mike had given him for his birthday last year. The man who had been in their bed was also by his side, still shirtless and covered in marks. Mike’s stomach was churning but he forced himself to look at Alexander.

“Okay,” Alexander cleared his throat awkwardly, looking around their once shared kitchen. “I know this looks really bad, Mike. I do. And it is, but it’s been hard for me. You left, and I had to stay behind for god knows how long! I could have handled this better, I know-”

“I’ll say.” Mike responded, not sharply, not angrily. His voice was calm and cut off. He was already shutting it out. Disconnecting himself from it completely. He pressed his knuckles into the counter behind him and leaned against it. “I’m not sure you could have handled it worse, frankly.”

“Everything was so up in the air!” Alexander cried, tears settling in his eyes. Mike had to fight not to roll his own, feeling it was nothing more than act now. Alexander didn’t feel bad, he didn’t regret anything. Mike could see it all over the place, and looking back at the way his boyfriend had been acting the last few weeks he couldn’t believe he hadn’t seen it coming. “Mike, I didn’t know what was going to happen for us-”

“You think I did?” Mike snapped before pinching at the brim of his nose. “But at least I tried! I was looking for a better place for us, I wanted to make it work! I was trying, I wasn’t sleeping with somebody else and pretending that would help! In what world does being afraid of what’s going to happen in our relationship mean that you should cheat on me?”

“Mike, I’m so sorry.” Alexander said, wiping at his running nose. Tears were falling down on his cheeks and Mike simply couldn’t bring it in himself to care about the obvious distress Alexander was feeling in that moment. If he let that guard down, let Alexander’s feelings means something, that Mike would break.

“I’m going back to New York.” Mike said, placing the now empty cup back on the counter. “But you need to be out of this house by morning.”

“What?” Alexander gasped. “Mike! Where am I supposed to live?”

“I was trying to find a place for us both to live,” Mike snapped a little spitefully, but still right. Knowing he was right, because Alexander swallowed loudly and looked away from him. “That’s not my problem anymore, but you’re not staying in my family’s house. I’ll be calling the realtor tomorrow to make sure the house is emptied.”

Alexander was still making half-aborted arguments and pleas while Mike turned and left his home in Derry forever.

→  →  →

Richie turned his car angrily into a back alley and parked. He and Stan both slammed back into their seats, breathing heavily. Stan began rubbing his hands over his face as Richie yanked the car door open and rushed out of it. Stan and Bill looked at each other quickly before both fumbling out after him.

“Richie…” Stanley asked softly as Richie whipped around, glaring at them both.

“Bill, what the fuck are you going to do?” Richie cried, running his hands through his hair. He started shaking his head and he gaped at his friends. “Somebody just fucking shot at my car! You could have gotten us killed!”

Bill let out an obviously nervous laugh, starting to ring his hands. “Dude, come on. We u-u-u-used to do st-st-stupid shit all the t-t-t-time.”

Richie walked forward quickly and shoved Bill up against the brick wall behind them. “We’re not fucking teenagers anymore! We’re not just throwing our own lives away!” Richie backed away from Bill, hands shaking. “What? What? You’re just going to go to my house and look my toddler in the eyes and tell her that her dad isn’t going to be coming again? Or would you leave that for Eddie? After you explain to him that he’s now raising two kids on his own because you got yourself in over your head with some fucking druglords?”

Stan wrapped an arm around his stomach and pressed his hand over his mouth. He’d never heard Richie angry like this. Not even after everything that happened between himself and Richie all those years ago, had Richie yelled at him like that.

Richie’s eyes caught Stan’s and he almost gave out a growl. “And what about Stan, William? You just going to go up to Patty and let her know that instead of planning a wedding, she’ll be planning a funeral?”

Stan had to fight back a dry heave as he turned back to Bill. Bill was pressed up against the brick wall just as had been when Richie slammed him up, even though Richie’s hands were no longer holding him there. Richie shook his head. “Grow the fuck up, Bill, and get your fucking shit together.”

Richie turned and started walking back to his car. He stopped with his hand resting on the drivers seat door and looked up. “Uris! Are you coming?”

Stan looked back at Bill one last time before climbing into the car after Richie.

→  →  →

Beverly walked slowly to Richie’s car when he finally showed up to picked her up. He was silent and sullen when she opened the passenger seat and sat down. He didn’t start the car, didn’t look at her. “Richie?” She said tentatively.

Richie hummed.

“Tom showed up at my work tonight,” She said quietly.

Richie jerked to look at her, eyes wild. She noticed then that his hands were shaking. “How did he know worked there? Is bastard stalking you? Beverly, I swear to God-”

“No, no,” Beverly started quickly shaking her head. “He seemed just as surprised to see me as I was him but we talked. He thought you and I were hooking up.” Richie let out a startled laugh and Beverly smiled. “I told him I hadn’t been with anybody since I left him but I…”

“Lied?” Richie suggested, raising his brow. There was still something off about him, something that was leaving Beverly confused and on-edge. She wanted to reach out, maybe take hold of him. Make him feel better about whatever was wrong.

“Yeah…” Beverly sighed out. “I lied. I don’t even know why I did, I don’t want to go back to him, I like being with Ben… I’m just so confused, Richie! I don’t know what’s the best thing to do.”

Richie gave her a half smile. “The best thing you could do is be with whoever makes you happy, Bev.”

And Beverly had no idea what took over her in that moment. Her stomach clenched up and she stared at Richie for a moment. She felt as though every possible human emotion that was able to felt was deep in her gut and she didn’t even notice she was moving forward until she was kissing him.

→  →  →

Eddie rolled over as the bedroom door shut. It was quiet, but Eddie never failed to wake up when Richie came home. He’d tried to stay up for Richie tonight, knowing that he was going to help Bill rather than work, but he’d fallen asleep. His husband was quiet as he came in, not looking towards the bed, and his heart rushed a little bit.

“Baby?” Eddie called towards him, putting his hand up towards his mouth and nibbling at his cucital. “Are you okay?”

Richie turned to him and Eddie could see that Richie was pale even in their unlight bedroom. Eddie scrolled closer to the edge of the bed and held his arms out. “Baby, what happened?”

Richie let out a shaky breath and Eddie knew he was about to start cry. Richie dropped down onto the mattress beside him, and Eddie wrapped Richie up in his arms. “Eds… fuck. Fuck. So much shit happened tonight, fuck.” Richie mumbled into Eddie’s collarbone. “I know we don’t keep secrets, I know. I promise I will tell you fucking everything in the morning. But there was a point tonight when I thought… fuck… I thought I wouldn’t be making home at all. So, can we just… cuddle? Sleep? Please?”

Eddie’s heart got shut in his throat and he imagined for a short moment walking up and Richie having not come home. Not getting to see Richie again, and he knew nothing could be worse than that.

“Yeah, Rich. We’ll go to sleep.”

Richie hummed as Eddie laid them down, feeling how Richie was trembling. “I love you, Eddie.”

“I love you, too. No matter what.”

[foxglove-and-fern]

Commissions Are Open!

Alternative title: My whole body hurts and my entire income is dependent on physical labor— uh oh.

Hey pals. I am having a hard time keeping up with my job because it’s labor intensive and has inflamed pre-existing pain I have long been dealing with. As such, I am looking for other work and losing money in the process. To try and make up anything for these lost hours, I am opening commissions and readings!

☆ Tarot Readings

Readings will be based on a question, as that is the format I am most comfortable with. It can be however vague or specific as you please. I will include a photo of the layout, photos of each card pulled, and detailed analysis of each card, its placement, and finally an analysis of the spread in its totality. All of this can be sent as a PDF, Word doc, email, google doc, whatever works best for you. 

$4 Three Card Layout

Three card layouts can either be a past/present/future or present circumstance/obstacle/outcome. For an additional dollar we can make a custom three card spread.

$7 Custom Layout (5-7 cards)

Custom layouts will be designed with your specific wants and needs in mind. They are 

☆ Custom Sigils

All sigils are hand drawn on paper and will be scanned and sent as high quality PDFs. If you would like me to mail you a physical copy, pricing will increase slightly so as to account for things like stamps and nicer paper. If you would like to see examples of my work I would be happy to post or share my work. Currently I only have photos, rather than scans, so know that whatever I share is of a lower quality than what you’re purchasing. 

$3 Simple

$5 Complex

Complex sigils will include a simplified variation that can be used as you please.

☆ Custom Spells

Tell me the purpose and format and I will design a spell to meet your needs! They will be formatted as recipe cards of sorts, including the materials and how to cast it. That said, if you would like it to be a spell jar, a sachet, something that is exclusively verbal, something that can be incorporated into cooking, sewing, etc, whatever. I’m flexible and looking to accommodate your wants. Additionally! Please, please, please let me know of any accommodations you need related to disability, allergies, etc. If you purchase a spell and are incapable of performing it for medical reason, let me know and I will make whatever adjustments are needed (to no additional cost). Finally, if you have any deities, spirits, etc. you would like involved, please let me know so I can involve them and their attributes.

$2 digital copy

The spell will be typed out in a clear, organized manner and sent in a similar manner as the tarot readings

$3 digital copy, but cuter

Rather than being typed out in a word document, I will hand write it (legibly) and decorate it so that it’s more visually pleasing. Will be scanned and sent as a high quality PDF.

$6 I’ll send it to you!

Instead of sending you a fancy PDF, I’ll mail it to you! Then you can hold it you your actual hands.

I accept both paypal (paypal.me/mrprekop) and venmo (@Ray-Prekop). Please ignore my deadname in my paypal; I’m not sure how to change it! Also, if you’re filled with pity for someone like me and wanna drop me 50¢ or something, I will draw you a very cute thank you note. 

Thank you all so much for reading through this silly, long post. I’m so grateful to be a part of this wonderful online community and I hope that, through this, I get to meet and speak with even more of you. Blessed be and I hope to hear from you soon. DM me if you are interested!