#will return to dressing him up barbie style later | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

devildom-moss · 2 years ago

Note

I was sitting in a car with my friend today and i showed her a picture of Barbatos amd called him Barbie. She reacted by asking if he wore a pink dress or something along the lines of that (its already starting to slip from my mind) and i remembered your requests are open,

So.

May i request Barbie meeting Barbie and Barbie making Barbie dress up as Barbie?

Thanks.

Not me suppressing a laugh at that username. That's great. I got you, and I hope you like this. Thank you for the request! And please don't think too hard about how I threw Barbie into the Devildom.

Barbatos Meeting Barbie

(SFW) (hints of Barbatos x gn!MC) (mild Solomon slander)

Word Count: +1,700

“My Lord,” Barbatos interrupted Diavolo’s attempt to work, “we seem to have an issue at hand.”

Diavolo couldn’t even be bothered to mask his delight at the distraction. “An issue?”

“Potentially. It’s easier to show you. Please come with me to the foyer to greet our unwelcomed guest.”

Diavolo followed close on Barbatos’s heels with growing anticipation. A guest might be nice – even if they weren’t invited. Anything short of an assassination attempt would be a welcomed reprieve.

When they returned to the foyer, Barbie was standing with her arms crossed in the middle of the room. Barbatos had preemptively stuck her feet – in her six-inch, bright pink heels – to the floor with magic. With all her bright clothing, Barbatos figured it was better to assume she was some sort of threat – perhaps poisonous. Barbie’s annoyance was growing.

“That’s a lot of pink, ma’am,” Diavolo remarked. He assessed her from afar. She didn’t seem to pose any magical threat to him. Something about her style reminded him vaguely of Asmo – a bold, feminine energy, and maybe something else that he couldn’t place.

“Can one of you help me? My name is Barbie.”

“Oh, that’s a lot like your name,” Diavolo whispered to Barbatos with a grin.

“As I tried to explain before I was rudely trapped,” she continued, “Solomon sent me here to give his friend, also named Barbie, a makeover.”

Diavolo couldn’t contain his laughter. She must be under the impression that Barbatos was also named “Barbie.” His shoulders shook. Annoyed, Barbatos flicked the back of Diavolo’s calf with his tail, which only amused Diavolo further. However, the glare from Barbatos’s eyes that undermined the gentle smile on his face terrified Diavolo. He stilled himself and responded to a very confused Barbie. “Pardon me. I didn’t expect that to be your reason for coming.”

“I tried to tell that one earlier.” She motioned towards Barbatos.

“My apologies,” he spoke more towards Diavolo than he did to the woman he trapped, “but when the name ‘Solomon’ left her lips, I stopped listening.”

“Understood,” Diavolo and Barbie responded at the same time, shocking everyone in the room.

Barbatos, determined to expedite the end of this interaction, pulled out his D.D.D. and called the source of his annoyance. Every ring deepened his anger.

Three depths later, Solomon picked up. “Hey, Barbatos. Did my friend arrive at the castle yet?”

“So, you did send her?” Barbatos sighed.

“Of course. Didn’t she say as much?”

“Why?”

“To give you a makeover.” Barbatos waited for Solomon’s explanation to continue, but it didn’t. Solomon was playing dumb, and Barbatos knew that.

“Can I decline?”

“You could, but she can’t leave until she completes her task. It was part of my deal.”

“You are pestilence, and it’s spreading.” Barbatos held a low growl back in his throat.

“If you’re angry, blame MC for bringing it up. They were watching the new Barbie movie trailer with me, and they told me they thought you would probably look pretty in a Barbie princess outfit. I was just trying to make their dream come true.”

Damn it. Barbatos softened at the mere mention of MC’s name. He sighed. “Fine.”

Barbatos immediately hung up and released the seal on Barbie. She stumbled slightly before steadying herself and fixing her skirt.

“Very well. It seems a certain silver-haired pest has forced a makeover upon me for the sake of MC.”

Diavolo mouthed “oh” and tried to stifle his smile. Barbie deduced that the demon who initially greeted her at the door was the person she was tasked with styling. With any luck, their unfortunate first impressions wouldn’t make her task too awkward. Of course he was suspicious; Solomon hadn’t mentioned her arrival – and this “Barbie” didn’t seem too fond of Solomon, either. She couldn’t really be mad at him for that. If she could just charm him out of his bad mood, things might go well.

“Should we get started, Barbie?” She asked him, tightly gripping her make-up chest by the handle. “I just need a free room with a closet and a mirror.”

Still too annoyed to bother correcting her about his name, Barbatos turned on his heels. “Follow me.”

Barbie rushed to catch up to him. He led her to the first available bedroom in silence. As they walked away, Little D. no. 2 walked down the stairs, still staring at the stranger Mr. Barbatos was escorting through the castle. He rushed to Diavolo, who was grinning and chuckling to himself.

“Who’s the blonde?” Little D. no. 2 asked.

“Barbie,” Diavolo replied with a shrug. He really should get back to his paperwork – after he finds his polaroid camera. He needed to get pictures once his butler was all dolled up.

“Will this do?” Barbatos asked, holding the door open for Barbie. She looked around and nodded with a smile. Barbatos closed the door behind him. “Good, let’s get this over with.”

“You’re not the only one who’s annoyed,” Barbie rolled her eyes and set her make-up chest on the vanity table. “I didn’t expect to be taken from my world today, but if it’s a favor for that idiot sorcerer, it’s not like I have much of a choice. Can’t we at least try to enjoy this and have fun?”

Their mutual annoyance with Solomon amused Barbatos. It made him like Barbie – at least a bit. Sure, this wasn’t how he wanted to spend the day, but if it was something MC wanted to see, he could at least try to enjoy himself.

“We can try.” Barbatos gave her his first genuine smile, and she could tell.

Barbie clapped her hands twice and rushed to the closet, eager to get started in earnest. She hadn’t styled a demon in a long time. It was exciting. With one more glance at Barbatos to assess what she was working with, Barbie began to pull a variety of clothes out from the closet – clothes that Barbatos was certain were not there before. She must possess some sort of magic – magic that Asmo would love to learn.

A short royal blue A-line dress with a Peter Pan collar, a slightly longer pastel pink dress, and a bright neon pink pantsuit were laid out on the bed.

“The hot pink one hurts my eyes,” Barbatos complained.

“Alright.” Barbie tossed the pantsuit back in the closet. Barbatos figured it must work a bit like one of his portals. “Okay, try these two on.”

Barbie gave Barbatos privacy while he changed into the royal blue dress. When he finished, she looked at him. He was pretty, but he looked uncomfortable as he smoothed down the sides of his dress. Barbie left the room while he changed into the pink dress.

“What about this one?” She asked him with a bright smile when she saw him. He looked just as lovely, but he was visibly more comfortable.

“It’s fine. What do you think?”

“You’re as pretty as a petal, Barbie. We just need to pull the outfit together.”

Barbie pulled out a matching pink bat collar and tied it around Barbatos’s neck. She took his gold chain collar pin from his demon outfit and pinned it to the pink collar. Additionally, Barbie handed him matching pink cuffs and Barbatos’s usual gloves along with white stockings and gothic pink Mary Jane platforms with gold heart rings and leather bat wings to change into. When Barbatos was fully changed, Barbie was pleased with herself.

“I haven’t seen a demon look this cute in my life,” she admitted.

“If you meet one named Asmodeus, don’t tell him that.” Barbatos informed her.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” she laughed and patted the chair in front of the vanity. “Sit down. I’m going to do your hair and make-up.”

Barbatos sat down for her and obeyed her instructions politely as she worked. It had been a long time since he was last dolled up like this. Part of him was worried he would hate this. He didn’t.

They complained chatted about Solomon. Barbie had nearly finished when Barbatos summoned the courage to ask, “do you think MC will actually like how I look?”

“I’m sure this person you like is very sweet, and I don’t mean this in a mean way, but who cares what they think? I’m supposed to dress you up like me – and I think we found an outfit that suits you. The most important thing is that you like how you look. No one else’s opinion matters if you feel confident. But for the record, from one Barbie to another, you look very pretty. Want to see for yourself?” Barbie pushed Barbatos towards the full-length mirror, playfully twirling him as she did. Barbatos smoothed down his skirt and stared at his reflection.

“Oh. I do look rather cute.” He laughed to himself. “I haven’t worn this much pink in centuries, but I don’t mind it.”

“Then my work here is done.” Barbie smiled and brushed her hands together. While Barbatos was examining himself in the mirror, Barbie headed for the door.

“Wait,” Barbatos stopped her, “can’t we send you off with anything? Some quality tea perhaps? Have you tried Demonus before?”

“Oh, no. That’s not necessary. I quite enjoyed the experience,” she held up her finger to signify the qualifier: “well, once you released my feet from the floor, at least.”

“My apologies for that. I suppose it wasn’t a warm welcome.” Barbie held the door open for Barbatos as she left the room. From there, he led the way back to the entrance.

“So, are you going to meet with that special person of yours after this?” Barbie asked.

“I think I just might. Thank you for all of this.”

“No problem. Just, please tell Solomon to give me more of a warning before he does something like this again.”

“I can try, but Solomon isn’t keen on listening to others. Well, I suppose this is goodbye Barbie.”

“Bye Barbie.”

“Actually, I tend to go by Barbatos here.”

“Then bye, Barbatos.” Barbie waved as she left.

Now, all he had to do was find MC. He was filled with an unusual giddiness. I hope they’ll think I’m cute, too.

#requests #stabbylikesnukes #ask #barbatos #obey me #obey me barbatos #this was a fun one

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punchdrunkdoc · 1 year ago

Text

Part 3, Chapter 2

Summary: After the events of S3, Matt Murdock is trying to once again balance life as a lawyer and a vigilante. But he’s been scarred by loss and betrayal - will a mysterious new neighbour help him heal? Or will her secrets drag him back into the darkness?

Notes: This is a slow burn romance with an original female character, told in 3 (maybe 4??) parts. There is mystery, intrigue, action/violence and angst - all the good stuff!

Also available on AO3 and Wattpad

Masterlist

Reference pics

————–

PART 3

Chapter 2

Catching Ranieri’s eye was easy. So easy that Calina's low opinion of him sank even further.

A flash of her back in her very low cut dress was all it took to hook him on the end of her line. She wound him in further with a sultry smile and a lick of her lips, and landed her catch by crossing one long leg over the other as she perched on a stool at the makeshift bar.

Mere seconds later, he was shoving his mostly-empty champagne glass on the table next to him and heading straight for her.

As he crossed the packed ballroom, Calina could see why the tabloids favoured him, with his chiseled jaw and his artfully dishevelled hair (that he probably spent an hour moulding into place).

He was objectively handsome...but to her, he resembled nothing more than a wet, flopping, floundering fish.

Easily baited and caught.

Pathetic.

God, men like him were such comically superficial creatures. It wouldn’t matter to him if she was a noble-prize winning genius, or a simpleton with barely two brain cells to rub together, he would have crossed that room regardless.

All because of the way she looked.

No, not even that. He probably wouldn’t care much about the real Calina - the woman who barely wore make-up and did little more than pull a brush through her hair in the morning.

No, he wanted the living Barbie doll that she’d styled herself as tonight, with the extensions in her hair, and the fake eyelashes, and the contoured face. He wanted a trophy. A beautiful, sexy prize that he could parade around the room to prove he was the most virile alpha at this party.

“Buonasera bellissima,” he drawled, as he finally reached her. He rested one arm on the bar behind and crowded close, his powerful cologne saturating the air between them.

Calina's smile felt more like a grimace as she returned the greeting. But he didn’t seem to notice. His own smile just got wider when she answered him in Italian, and he launched off a series of questions about where she was from.

His smile dipped slightly as ‘Eliise’ revealed her Croatian heritage, but it wasn’t enough for him to lose interest completely - especially when Calina followed up her admission by running one manicured hand down his lapel.

The touch overrode his innate xenophobia, and Calina congratulated herself on her choice of cover-story. It was clear that Ranieri was interested in her tonight, but he wouldn’t be calling her tomorrow.

She was too beneath him - hot enough to want to fuck, but not the kind of girl he could bring home to his Grandfather.

Calina’s disgust with him grew, and it took all her skills and training to hide her contempt, especially as the conversation droned on. Although calling it a conversation was overselling it. A conversation implied a back-and-forth exchange of information.

This was more like a TED Talk.

It turned out Ranieri’s enquiry about where she was from was the extent of his curiosity about her. He asked her nothing more about herself, and just launched into a spiel about himself - his background, his business ventures, his recent vacation to the Maldives, the case of wine he’d just bought from Tuscany.

It was all him, him, him.

The quintessential narcissist.

Calina played along, fluttering her fake eyelashes, laughing where expected and generally hanging on to every word as if it was the most interesting thing she’d ever heard.

All the while, internally, she was rolling her eyes with distain, and thanking the God she didn’t believe in that she’d found Matt.

Over the years, she’d encountered a lot of men like Ranieri. So many that she’d started to believe those men were typical of the male species.

But then she’d met Matt.

Matt who cared what she thought. Matt, who was genuinely interested in her life and her passions and her goals. Who asked her questions and sought her opinion and saw her as a person, and not just a beautiful face and a good figure.

She still didn’t know if there were more Matts than Ranieris in the world. It didn’t matter. She was just thankful that she’d found her Matt.

And the stark contrast with the man in front of her just made her miss him all the more. But she pushed those feelings - and all thoughts of Matt - aside to concentrate on the task at hand.

Although it didn’t really require much concentration. If catching Ranieri’s attention had been easy, keeping him engaged in ‘conversation’ was simple…and persuading him to give her a private tour of his home was child’s play.

After one drink at the bar and barely a half an hour of talking, Ranieri was leading her by the hand through the milling crowd of guests and up the stairs to the ‘off limits’ area of the party.

But that’s when the difficult part of the mission began: avoiding Ranieri’s touch.

As they crossed the threshold of his bedroom, Calina felt his hand trail down her bare back and over her ass. She forced herself not to shy away from him as he squeezed her flesh, the 'caress' bordering on painful. But nor did she lean into it. She just deflected any further touches by crossing the room to admire the art work on the wall. “Is that a real Boticelli?” she asked in Italian.

“Of course its real,” he replied, sounding affronted by her question. “My family have been patrons to the arts for centuries.”

And now you’re a patron to a mind-controlling sociopath, Calina inwardly sneered.

Ranieri came up beside her as she studied the priceless painting. He ran a hand down her arm, his fingers grazing the outer slope of her breast as he did so. “You may not be built like a Boticelli woman, but you’re just as stunning.”

Calina couldn’t decide if that was a thinly-veiled complaint about her lack of curves, or just a terrible compliment. Either way, she pasted on a smile. “Thank you,” she simpered.

Ranieri’s hand continued its path back up her arm and over her shoulder. Then he stepped closer to whisper in her ear - spelling out in graphic detail all the ways he wanted to fuck her. Calina tuned him out, but was snapped back to the moment when he bent down to press his lips to the base of her neck. That kiss was a little too close to the spot behind her ear that Matt loved to lavish attention on.

Calina flinched away on instinct.

“You want to play the shy virgin?” Ranieri murmured, holding her in place with an arm around her waist. “I can get on board with that.”

Calina turned in his arms and placed a hand on his abdomen. The touch was low, simulating a lover’s caress - but it was a precaution, in case she had to push him away suddenly.

‘Whatever it takes’ had been her constant mantra over the past month. But there was a big, fat caveat to that statement. ‘Whatever’ did not include having sex with this man. It didn’t even include kissing him. She could barely stand the touch of his hands on her skin.

Matt had kissed that skin. He had touched it and stroked it and claimed every inch of it for himself - whether he knew it or not.

She belonged to him.

And this man didn’t get to sully that.

She kept a smiled in place as she held him at arms length. “I’m not playing shy. I just thought we’d have time for another drink first. Why rush a night we’ll both never forget?”

There was a spark of irritation in his eyes, a fleeting glimpse of the real man - the one who wanted the world at his feet, and the women in it to know their place - before he pasted on his own smile. “Sure, bellissima. If you want a drink, I can get you a drink.”

He sauntered over to the tray of liquor bottles and glasses in the corner of the room and started pouring out two measures. Calina silently extracted the pre-filled syringe from her bag and approached him from behind.

“On the rocks, or-” Before he could finish his question, Calina popped the small needle into the vein in his neck and pressed down hard on the plunger.

“What the fuck!” he cried out.

Calina shoved her hand over his mouth and pushed him towards the bed in the centre of the room. The back of his knees connected with the mattress and he toppled onto the soft bedding…and was out like a light.

Calina checked his pulse - which beat strong and steady - and exhaled sharply in relief. According to Melina there was a risk of arrhythmia in 1% of people injected with this drug. But otherwise it was a safe concoction, designed to incapacitate a victim for around six hours, but leave them with memories of the missing time. The latter element was the crucial factor to prevent any suspicions from arising.

With that in mind, Calina fished out the small ear piece from her purse and fitted it in Ranieri’s ear. Then she texted Anya who was waiting in a nearby van.

Ready for transmission.

Within moments, the faint, tinny sound of Anya’s voice emerged from the device. The other Widow would spend the next hour audibly filling in the gaps for Ranieri’s subconscious, like a hypnotist planting suggestions. He would awake in the morning feeling refreshed after a wild and steamy night with ‘Eliise’ - minus the very real memory of being injected in the neck and manhandled across his room.

To complete the illusion, Calina stripped the unconscious man naked and stepped out of her underwear, leaving the scrap of fabric dangling from the bedpost like a souvenir.

Then she got to work.

———

6 days later…

“We’ve been looking everywhere for you. What are you doing out here?”

Calina sighed at the sound of Anya’s voice behind her. She’d thought she’d have a bit more time up here alone.

It wasn’t easy finding somewhere quiet in a house full of women, especially since she was now sharing her bedroom with Katya. They’d freed another two Widows while they were in Europe, and bed space was becoming tight in the mansion. Every room was now doubled up, and Calina felt like she was constantly tripping over people in the common areas. The lack of privacy was starting to drive her crazy.

Adding that to her conflicted feelings about what happened in Italy, her insomnia, and the fact that she missed Matt with an intensity she didn’t think was possible...it all meant that she really wasn’t much fun to be around these days.

So she’d escaped to the roof. It wasn’t quite the same as her rooftop retreat in New York, but the night sky overhead was pretty spectacular. Without the light pollution of Hell’s Kitchen, the stars were so much clearer and brighter.

But she’d give it all up in a heartbeat to be back in that polluted, concrete jungle with Matt.

“Just taking in the scenery,” Calina lied, not in the mood to explain her current emotional state.

Anya took a seat next to her, and glanced around at the view, as if trying to see the appeal. The lights of the nearby harbour twinkled in the distance and the moonlight shone off the still water in front of the house. It was nature at its most tranquil and serene.

But Anya was never much of a nature lover. She shook her head and glanced down at her tablet. “I’ve got something for you.”

Calina sat up straight. “From Ranieri’s laptop?”

The rest of the mission in Italy had gone off without a hitch. She’d cloned Ranieri’s phone, copied the hard drive of his computer and planted a tracking virus that Anya created, then slipped out of the party unnoticed with the stolen data.

Data that she hoped would justify having Ranieri’s slimy hands on her. “Please tell me you found a lead on Volkov,” she asked.

“I’m close to something,” Anya said. “Just checking a few things first. But that wasn’t what I wanted to show you.”

“What is it?”

“Melina got in touch about that serum from Daredevil that you wanted analysed. She sent through the list of components.”

“Oh,” Calina replied, struggling to hide her disappointment.

Anya tapped the screen a few times then passed Calina the device. “Here you go,” she said, getting to her feet again.

“You don’t need this?” Calina asked, holding up the tablet.

“No, that’s yours. Happy Birthday.”

“It’s not my birthday.”

“You sure?”

Calina laughed at the familiar joke. As far as she knew ‘Calina Balashova’ was her real name, but she had no idea where in Russia - or the former Soviet Union - she’d been born, or even when exactly.

The other Widows like her - the ones who’s identities had been scrubbed by the Red Room when they were stolen as infants - had decided to make a joke of it, rather than dwell on the cruelty of their situation.

Which meant every day was a potential birthday.

Calina scrolled through the list of compounds on the screen. While it wasn’t the lead she was hoping for, she was still grateful for something to do to keep her mind distracted. And if she could help Matt with his fear pheromone mystery, maybe that would go some way towards alleviating her guilt.

She’d managed to avoid kissing Ranieri last week, but she’d still allowed him to touch her, and place his lips on her skin, and whisper in her ear all the lurid, obscene things he wanted to do to her body-

Ugh!

Calina shuddered at the memory and tried to concentrate on Melina’s email. And half way down the list, she saw a chemical that gave her pause: Arsonium bromide.

It sounded familiar.

Where had she come across that term before?

She typed the name into Google and did a quick search on its properties and applications. She soon found an article describing the process of using Arsonium bromide and potassium carbonate to synthesise Navenone A - which she knew from her previous research was a type of fear pheromone secreted by sea slugs.

Was that how she knew about Arsonium bromide?

It nagged at her the rest of the night. As she grabbed a late snack from the kitchen, as she cleaned her face and changed into her pyjamas, and as she lay awake listening to Katya’s deep, slow breaths from the other side of the bed, her brain grappled with the problem.

Then it came to her.

She bolted upright in shock.

Katya woke instantly, going from deep sleep to a heightened state of alertness like a flick had been switched. “What is it? Are we under attack?”

Calina ignored her. “Holy shit,” she muttered, working through the implications of what she’d just remembered.

“Are you okay?” Katya asked. “Did you have another nightmare?”

“What? No. I’m fine, I’m just…I can’t believe it.”

“Can’t believe what?”

Calina shook her head in disbelief. “It’s connected, Katya. It’s all connected.”

———

The tapping noise was getting louder.

Or, more accurately, he was getting closer to its source.

Matt had first noticed the sound while on the roof of the green and red-brick building on 10th avenue. It was a simple, 5-storey apartment complex above a laundromat…and it also happened to be the exact geographical centre of Hell’s Kitchen. For that reason, it had become a regular stopping point for him while he was out on patrol. It acted like a base, a place where he could centre himself after rushing all over the city. He could pause for a few moments, slow his racing heart and regroup, then listen to what the night was telling him.

Tonight, crouched on the parapet of that roof, he'd tuned out the white noise of the city - the roar of engines, and the buzz of electricity and the chattering hum of thousands of voices and television sets and radios - and he'd scanned the soundwave for people in need, and for criminals up to no good.

But what he'd found instead was a faint, rhythmic tapping sound coming from the riverside.

It wasn’t the frantic rattle of someone trapped and looking for help; and whilst the pattern sounded like possible morse code, it didn’t have the structure of an SOS call. But it piqued his interest anyway.

And given that the city was otherwise quiet, he'd indulged his curiosity and followed the sound. He'd traversed the concrete canopy of the city, leaping between buildings and racing across rooftops, as he'd chased down the mysterious beacon.

Until he found himself approaching the car lot on Pier 90.

As he did so, the tapping got clearer, more distinct. It was the unmistakeable hollow, ringing sound of a steel pipe being struck in sequence.

Taaaap…tap.tap. Taaaap…tap.tap.

Dash…dot.dot. Dash…dot.dot.

Definitely Morse code. He just had no idea what it meant…or who the message was intended for.

But he knew where it was coming from: high up overhead.

Matt glanced up as he honed in on the source of the sound - the large industrial crane floating just off the pier. Halfway along the jib, Matt could make out the shape of a person sitting between the steel railings, their legs dangling in the air 100 feet above the river.

Matt’s stomach lurched at the thought of them jumping into the icy cold, fast moving water below.

Dash…dot.dot. Dash…dot.dot.

Maybe the morse code was a cry for help, or a final message…either way, he needed to get up to them - fast. He started quickly scaling the steel structure, trying to keep noise to a minimum in case he spooked them.

Dash…dot.dot. Dash…dot.dot.

The sound was so loud to him now, it reverberated in his chest. He could feel the vibrations of the metal through his gloved hands, and it seemed to travel through his bones. He crept along the jib, on the opposite side from the seated morse coder. A third of the way along, he paused and took a deep breath of the air, trying to gauge more about them, but the wind was blowing the wrong way.

He inched closer, then froze as the mystery person called out to him, “Took you long enough.”

The voice was full of humour and affection - and so intimately familiar to him.

Calina.

Matt scrambled over and along the jib then squeezed into the metal cage beside her. He grasped the hand that was resting on the steel railing. After a brief moment of hesitation, she adjusted the grip and laced her fingers through his. He brought their clasped hands up to his mouth and pressed a kiss against the back of hers. “Wh-what are you doing here? What’s going on? And why are you here?”

He couldn’t hide the slight whine in his voice at the last question. But he wanted to know why was she was up in this crane, wedged into this small, uncomfortable space. Why couldn’t she be on the ground or an open rooftop, or the living room of his apartment, where he could crush her against him and hold her properly?

Where he could kiss her properly.

She laughed, the sound low and husky and tempting, and it just added to his frustration.

But at the same time…it made him happy.

The last time he’d heard from her - during that brief phone call over a week ago - she’d sounded so upset. He’d been tormented ever since, wondering what had happened to her and if she was still suffering.

It was such a relief to discover that she wasn’t.

“I’m waiting for my ride,” she answered cryptically.

Matt pretended to look around at the vast sky above and the churning water far below. “Who’s your ride? Iron Man?”

She laughed again, and he leaned into the sound. Part of him just wanted to sit here with her and bask in her presence. To hold her hand and listen to her breathe and swim in her scent. But he had far too many questions. He wanted to know everything - what she’d been up to, and where she’d been, and what had happened a week ago.

And when this would all be over and she could come home.

But he started with the most pressing issue. “How long can you stay?”

She sighed. “Not long. I wasn’t kidding about waiting for a ride. They’ll be here soon - the Widows, not the Avengers.”

“Why didn’t you come find me?”

“There wasn’t time. I hitched a ride to New York with some of my sisters - they’re chasing a lead over in Jersey, and they’re picking me up when they’re done.” She bumped her shoulder against his. “But I knew you’d be out here somewhere. I just had to lead you to me.” She tapped her wrist against the metal beam in front of her in the now-familiar code.

Dash…dot.dot. Dash…dot.dot.

“D.D. For Daredevil,” she translated. “I would have gone for ‘M.M.’, but I didn’t want to blow your cover.”

He smiled. “I appreciate it.”

He moved his hand up to inspect her wrist, trying to figure out what she was banging against the metal frame. It felt like a bulky watch strap loaded with slim cartridges. “Your Widow’s bites?"

“Yeah.”

He ran his hand up her arm - as far as he could in the cramped space - and felt the thick neoprene of her suit. “So you’re a Widow tonight.”

“I’m a Widow every night, Matt. It’s who I am.”

The teasing tone in her voice disappeared, and was replaced with hints of bitterness and resignation. He rephrased his question. “I just meant, you’re out on mission tonight.”

She shrugged. “I’m backup, in case they run into trouble.”

“The lead they’re chasing - is it to do with Volkov?”

“Hopefully. We’re following up on some intel we got hold of last week.”

“Last week…when you called me?”

———

Matt’s voice was soft, gentle…and so full of concern that it made Calina’s heart ache. She bit her lip and nodded.

“I’ve been so worried about you. Are you okay? Can you tell me what happened?” he asked.

Her teeth pressed painfully into her lip as she warred with her conscience. She wanted to tell him about Italy, and the mission with Ranieri. She didn’t want to keep secrets from him…but she wasn’t sure how the truth would make him feel.

He already had to put up with so much by being with her. Not least this separation between them, and the uncertainty of never knowing how or when they could be together again. She didn’t want to add to it by admitting that she’d had another man’s hands on her.

And she didn’t want to keep reminding him of who she used to be. Who she still had to be, while she hunted for Volkov. She didn’t want that part of her life to infect what they had together.

She was so scared that he would wake up one day and decide she wasn’t worth it.

“Hey.” She felt his thumb brush her lip as he tried to free it from the vice of her teeth. “You don’t have to, if you don’t want to. Just tell me you’re okay now.”

She took the 'out' he offered, glad that she didn’t have to actively lie to him. Again. “I’m as good as can be,” she replied truthfully. “I just want this to be over. I- I miss you.” She stuttered over the words, still so new to this. Still so unsure of this wonderful, delicate thing between them.

Matt showed no such hesitation. “I miss you too, sweetheart.”

Sweetheart.

God, she’d never get enough of hearing that - even as the affection in his voice tore at her.

She’d been spiralling with shame and guilt over the past week, and she thought seeing Matt in person would help alleviate some of those feelings. That a brief moment of being with him again would remind her of why she’d gone through with that mission in the first place - it was all so that she could find her way back to him.

But it wasn’t working.

Looking into his beautiful brown eyes, so open and full of love, the guilt just amplified within her.

She needed to get out of here. She couldn’t bear to be around him while feeling this way. She glanced at her phone. Luckily, there’d been another text from Katya in the few minutes since Matt had arrived:

On our way.

She suppressed her sigh of relief and updated Matt. “I have to go soon. But I have something for you.”

“Is it the co-ordinates to your new base with a key to the front door?”

She handed him the USB stick she’d stashed in her belt. “No, but it’s a pretty good consolation prize.”

He took the device. “What’s is it?”

“The component list of the fear pheromone. And a few other things related to the case.” She’d been so excited to share her breakthrough with him - it was the reason she’d begged to come along on this trip - but now she couldn’t seem to muster any enthusiasm to talk about chemicals and nefarious plots.

Matt didn’t seem to mind the lack of explanation. He just tightened his hold on her hand and leaned against her as much as the metal pole between them would allow while they waited for Katya and the other Widows.

Minutes later, the roar of an engine cut through the noise of the wind howling around them. Calina glanced down and spotted the speedboat racing in their direction.

“I take it that’s your ride,” Matt said.

She nodded, and let go of Matt’s hand. She used the beam above her head to pull herself to her feet and manoeuvre onto the outside of the jib. She clipped herself to the metal frame with the carabiner on her belt and checked the position of the boat below - it was now idling directly beneath her, just as planned.

The lights on the boat flashed as if to hurry her up, but Calina paused to look at Matt. He’d joined her on the outside of the railing, with nothing securing him in place but the grip of his gloved hand. He looked so strong and invincible up here, the lights of his beloved city framing him in silhouette as he balanced with ease on the swaying platform, 100 feet in the air.

A daredevil to the core.

God, she loved him so much.

“I guess this is it,” she said, her voice wavering. As much as she needed to get away from him, she hated the thought of yet another goodbye.

To make it as quick as possible, she leaned forward and kissed him on the chin, the highest point she could reach given the awkward angle. “See you soon,” she promised.

Then she jumped.

———

Matt watched Calina fall through the air, the cable connecting her to the crane whirring loudly as it unspooled from her belt. Seconds later she was barely more than a speck below him as she jerked to a stop. She disconnected from the lifeline and landed safely in the boat deck.

Matt exhaled sharply in relief. His friends had complained for years about having to watch him execute dangerous, gravity-defying stunts - and he finally knew what that felt like.

It was horrible.

But that new-found empathy didn’t stop him from following Calina down the 100-foot drop. Without a second thought, he grabbed hold of the cable still connecting to the crane, jumped off the metal ledge and started to slide down.

He used his boots and gloves to try to control his descent, but they only helped so much - the wind still whistled past him as he hurtled through the air at speed. Within moments he was on the deck, landing in a crouch on one knee to absorb some of the impact. He felt the jolt through his worn joints, and knew he would feel it tomorrow.

But it was a small price to pay. He stood up, spun a startled-looking Calina towards him and took her in his arms. “You call that a goodbye?”

Then he tipped her back and kissed her.

It was a deep kiss. A desperate kiss.

He’d felt a…distance…between them up on that crane and it had scared him. So he poured everything into the kiss. He fuelled it with weeks of loneliness and torment, and laced it with every drop of love and passion that he felt for her.

He held her firmly against him with one hand at the back of her head, and his other clamped her around the waist, as if to stop her from disappearing. But she didn’t seem to want to go anywhere. Relief flooded Matt’s system as Calina returned the embrace just as fiercely, her arms wrapping tightly around his neck and one leg coming up to hook around his thigh.

They kissed and kissed, oblivious to the icy wind on their cheeks and the rocking of the boat underfoot as it sped across the water...and the hooting and cheering from the other Widows onboard.

Although, eventually, that last noise seemed to penetrate Calina’s senses. She broke the kiss and ducked her head, and he could feel the heat radiate from her blushing cheeks. He stroked his hand over her braided hair and leaned down to press a kiss to the crown of her head.

She looked up at him and shook her head. “What were you thinking?” She didn’t sound angry at his reckless abseil through the air - just a bit exasperated.

He shrugged. “It was your fault for leaving me hanging like that. So to speak.”

She squeezed him around the waist. “You’re crazy.”

He shrugged again. “Must be.”

The lights of the city were a blur as the speedboat travelled further down the river. Whoever was captaining this little ship didn’t seem inclined to slow down and drop him off on the shore. And he couldn’t blame them - he’d gatecrashed their choreographed escape, after all.

So he reluctantly broke away from Calina and grabbed his billy club out of its holster. He stroked a finger down Calina’s cheek and with a final, “Bye, sweetheart,” he launched one end of the baton up into the air. It caught on the low bridge they were passing under and he swung up behind it, off the boat and onto the walkway above.

“Show off!” he heard Calina call, her teasing voice echoing off the underpass.

He laughed in response as he jogged to the other side of the bridge. He watched the boat travel further away from him, a sole figure on the deck waving as it disappeared into the night.

It reminded him of the beginning of all this. Of watching Calina from afar as she stood on their rooftop all those months ago.

Back then, she’d been an intriguing mystery. A beautiful distraction from the darkness in his life. And while part of him had known there was something life-altering about their connection, he could never have imagined how vital she’d become to him. How much he’d grow to love and need her.

She was still intriguing. Even more beautiful and, in some ways, just as mysterious.

But now she was his.

And he was hers.

————–

What's all connected? What lead are the Widows following up in Jersey?

Find out in Chapter 3

Tag list: @hollandorks @stilldreaming666 @yanna-banana @chezagnes @tearoseart-blog @acharliecoxedfan @freckledbabyyy

If you’d like to be added - let me know!

#daredevil #daredevil fic #tabula rasa #daredevil fanfic #daredevil fanfiction #matt murdock #daredevil x original female character #marvel's daredevil #matt murdock fanfic #matt murdock x oc

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memoriesofmidnight · 1 year ago

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there's a house across the street. people have come and gone.

i knew a girl once. she had long hair, a favourite dress, and nine barbies. she didn't have a ken, and i remember her saying she didn't want one because then all her dolls couldn't share clothes. she'd feel bad for ken, sitting there in one shirt and pants and shoes.

she used to be clumsy. she came home every evening with scraped knees and torn leggings, and hair pulled out of ponytails with the rubber band nowhere to be found.

she used to dance, putting on music on her mother's old ipod and hopping around the room. there were videos of her dancing like that, grinning widely and laughing loud. nobody ever told her it wasn't okay to be weird. because it wasn't.

she did ballet for some months. she made friends in class, knew other pretty girls with their tutus and perfect plies. she dropped the class later. maybe she didn't like the teacher, or the lost time, or the pressure. maybe she just wasn't a fan of the colour pink.

she wasn't a big fan of wasted space, either. ...i wonder what she'd think of me now.

we lost touch, over the years. she moved away when i was a teen, but she still comes here sometimes on holidays. we catch up, and she tells me about the girls she thinks are pretty and the way her best friend's eyes light up when she watches a show she likes.

she's still got long hair, but now it's long enough to reach her back. if she cut off an inch, nobody would even notice, that's how long it is. she asks me to style it sometimes, and all i do is braid it out of habit. it looks pretty, but the other day when i looked at a picture of her i had to pause a second before i recognised who it was.

if she never visited again, i think i could forget her.

i don't think i'd ever forgive myself if i did. forget her, that is.

i know a boy. he only moved here recently, taking the house the girl left behind. he says he used to read but he stopped. he says he has a lot of friends, but i've never seen them at his door. i think he's full of shit.

one day, i let the girl and the boy meet. the boy accidentally ran off with her. at least, i think it was by mistake. i'm sure they never meant to leave me here.

this boy, he has short hair and wears pink shirts sometimes. his favourite colour is green, like the grass in his garden. he wears jeans and trims his hair every few months, when it starts to skate at his shoulders.

sometimes, i think i know him, whom i have known for a much shorter time, more than the girl. i think she'd be mad at me for that.

sometimes, the boy is angry. i don't know at what. i think he's angry at me. i get angry at him, too, so it's fine. i wish he would leave like the girl did, but lets the girl come back. i wish he stays forever and bars the girl from ever returning.

if i could, i'd forget him. i think he would want me to forget him, too. but i can't. he lives in the house i see every day, and i know he's there.

it's fine. i don't think i could ever forget him. if i did, i don't think the girl would forgive me for that, either. she's always been too kind for her own good.

sometimes i think she's known him for longer than i have. maybe they were friends, pen-pals. maybe they were cosmically connected because they lived in the same house across the street.

#books & libraries #words #writers #literature #trans #transgender #queer #sam writes stuff #<- i don't use that name anymore but this is for tagging purposes #gender #queerness #genderqueer

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castielgurl · 3 years ago

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Football is a game, Love is like a battlefield

Romanogers Week

Prompt: Enemy to lovers

Natasha Romanoff is a football player of Russian descent. Red-haired with a dreadlock style, she likes to wear piercing on her nose and hates makeup. She likes to change the color of her hair, sometimes braided or even short hair exactly like a man. She is very fierce and does not care about negative comments on her Instagram page. As a famous female soccer star, she is often the victim of attacks by male soccer fans. They said she shouldn't play football, it's better to stay in the kitchen. Just because she’s a women’s soccer player. Natasha is often involved in anti-social media bullying campaigns.

Natasha is now at the peak of her career. She has joined the big London -born club Chelsea Woman`s FC with the highest transfer value in the market. Has won the Women's English Premier League. Won the European Cup with her country Russia. She is a midfielder who is the team captain for her club and country. Natasha has just been awarded European Player of the Year. Natasha is a person known for her assertive leader character and violent style of play. However, Natasha's life changed forever when she met her future husband.

Steve Rogers had a bad boy image. Even so, he became a young girl’s craze pretending to know about football. Because he is a tall, lean body, six-pack, white skin, blonde hair. Every time he played football, the girls would scream like they were hysteria. Steve has of course been dating a bunch of beautiful women from models to a famous actresses.

Like Natasha, Steve is also a world-famous football player. He represents Chelsea FC, has won the Premier League title three times. Won the Champions League with Chelsea with him as the top scorer. Steve also represented his country USA at the World Cup. He is the captain of his club and country team. Steve is a striker who is known for his fast running style and energy as strong as a bodybuilder. Steve has won World Player of the Year twice.

Because they play at the same club. The two finally met on the training ground. The training fields for male and female players are only separated by a fence. Since the two of them have opposite characters of course disaster is about to happen.

It all started just because of a ball. Steve was challenged by his teammates for a crossbar challenge he kicked too hard accidentally falling into the women’s training field area. The ball, unfortunately, hit right on Natasha's head. Natasha's face flushed with anger. She then shouted and ask who kicked the ball earlier. Natasha took the ball, she knew the ball did not belong to the women’s team. Natasha went across the fence to the men's field area and kicked the ball hard against the body of one of the male players. He was not in pain but the player turned around.

“Who is the dumbass who kicked the ball? You better talk now! ” Natasha's voice was fierce.

"Eh, why are you shouting. Are you on your period? ” The blonde man laughed cynically.

Natasha was very angry, not that she didn't know who the player was. Steve Rogers aka football Hollywood star. But Natasha didn't care who he was.

“Are you too stupid? Don't know how to play football? Why do you kick the ball and hit people`s heads? You want my feet to reach your face? ” Natasha insisted on fighting even though she is too tiny and Steve was six feet tall.

Steve laughed when he heard this little woman scold him. He was not immediately intimidated by Natasha's threats. She was like a puppy that barked loudly but was too cute. This woman with dreadlock hair reminds him of rapper Snoop Dog.

“This is a football field, what do you expect? of course, the ball flying everywhere why are you so angry? If the ball hits your face that's a good sign. At least it can fix your face” Said Steve as his friends laughed as well.

Natasha's face grew red. Then she tries to elbow Steve's. Steve wants to fight back but his friends stop him. They said he only looked like a coward if he hit a woman. Steve assured his teammates he would not use the physical.

"You are too rude. Do you think you're good-looking? I know guys like you, playboys, and sleep with a lot of women. But the fact is you are nothing. No one loves you. They are just riding on your success. ” Natasha stared sharply into Steve's eyes. That's when Steve slightly faded his ego. Because the green woman's eyes were so beautiful Steve admitted it. But he returned with his ego.

"I am not afraid of you. Your body is small. I can carry you and keep you in my pocket ”said Steve with a cynical smile.

"You start first. Why don't you just apologize? ” Natasha doesn't understand.

"If you are still not satisfied. What do you say we play a game? Whoever wins will have the right to ask the losers to do what they want. ” Steve wanted to challenge her.

"What game?" Natasha asked

“We play matches with five players per team like 5-A Side. We play on the East End outdoor field boys versus girls. What do you want to say? ” Steve is sure Natasha did not back down from a challenge.

“Well, we will meet tomorrow at 5 after training. But you have to do what I want. Don't begging when you lose later ”Natasha did not hesitate to agree. She wanted to teach this man a lesson.

"Fine, I will see you tomorrow Snoop Dog," Steve said while laughing at Natasha's reaction.

Natasha’s teammate asks her if she seriously wants to fight with the men’s team. Natasha is sure they can win.

"Nat, are you sure about fighting with male players. They are not ordinary players. They have just won the European League they are World-class players. Steve is a highly-skilled player. ” Her friend Yelena tries to change Nat's mind.

"Hey, don't be afraid, we are also the best team in Europe. Male and female players are the same. What matters is the strategy to win. We are equal with them. After all, Rogers needs to be taught a lesson. If his team loses he and his team must wear a drag queen costume. Imagine how funny that is. ”Natasha was convinced

"I think Steve is hot. How can you talk to him, if it happens to me I will be speechless ”said Yelena who is a Rogers fan

“Hey, don't you see that asshole? You didn't hear him call me Snoop Dog. ”Natasha cannot believe Yelena.

Yelena continued to laugh out loud. She admits it's very funny. Yet Steve spoke the right thing. Natasha is not good at dress up. Many times Yelena wants to do a makeover with Natasha. But she rejected it because she thought the way she dressed was not important because the performance is what matters.

“Really? You laughing. Well, his face is not bad. But on the condition that he cannot speak up. On his forehead he should be written Jerk, then people will stay away from him ”Natasha really hated Steve's sloppy mouth.

"Nat, you have to be careful because too much hate can lead to love" Yelena teased

"Hey you don't see us anymore we are the worst enemies from the past life"

The next day.

Natasha has selected five players including herself Maria, Wanda, Yelena, and Hope to represent her team. While Steve chooses Bucky, Sam, Scott, and Clint on his side.

"You call me Snoop Dog, I also have a bad name for you" Natasha and Steve meet in the middle of the field before the match starts

"What is it?" Steve stood with his hands on his hips

“Barbie Kent. If your team loses you have to wear a women’s dress to the training session. You will definitely lose ”Natasha said confidently

“Woww you are playing dirty now huh?. If your team loses you and your friends have to wash my car in a bikini ”Steve said with a smirk.

Natasha should teach this man a lesson.

Natasha’s team took the lead with a goal from Wanda. Steve initially wanted his friend’s not to play rough because they were girls. But after the goal, Steve told his teammates to use their full strength. After that, a lot of fouls ensued. Steve's team managed to score two goals from Steve`s. The match was not the most interesting but various incidents of fights between Steve and Natasha quarreling over various issues. Everyone was so depressed to see them both throwing hurtful words at each other. The sexual tension between them is very obvious. Before the end of the match, Natasha successfully scored an equalizer. She jumped for joy in front of Steve. Yet drama ensued when Natasha’s team asked the referee to consider a penalty when Bucky tackled Maria inside the box but was objected to by Steve. Eventually, they quarreled and everyone else was only able to see them quarrel. All the players have given up and just want to end the match. The result of the match ended in a draw. No one loses no one wins.

“Why don't you two go in the room and just make love? Seriously that's the solution to your problem, ”Scott told them

Their reactions were both disbelieving and showing disgusted faces thinking they were both going to have sex. Natasha definitely wants to vomit. Eventually, they returned to their respective homes feeling dissatisfied.

Then every day Natasha bumps into Steve. Because they practice in the same building. Somehow every day will definitely come across. Natasha wanted to avoid seeing Steve's arrogant face. They will meet before entering the training ground, in the club cafe, in the gym, in the parking lot, in the elevator. Wherever they will surely meet. Every time Steve would tease Natasha he deliberately wanted to make her mad. Call her Snoopy, and ask when she will release a new rap song and so on. Of course, Natasha hates Steve’s jokes. Natasha will also ask where he is partying with the barbies.

Steve's day was not complete if he didn't see the redhead's face every day. Natasha's face flushed when she was angry, her husky voice when she grunts, he loved hearing Natasha fight back when Steve teased her. She was a bit funny when angry, she was a little fierce but she looks cute when her face was red, she will bite her lips when she felt disgusted with the words Steve threw, it was a sexy lip for Steve. Also, her tiny size when trying to standing on her toes. Steve has met many pretty women, yet Natasha catches his eye. Natasha is not the same as other women. Honestly, Natasha is very beautiful but if she changes her appearance, surely many men will chase after her. Steve imagines she wearing a red dress with curly hair for sure he will be mesmerized. She is just as passionate about football as he is. Most of the girls he met were not interested in football. Steve searches all the information about Natasha on the internet and stalks her Instagram. His teammates knew Steve had lost his mind over the red-haired woman.

But the question is does Natasha want to accept him? And how does he get started? The woman must have hated him so much.

Then the football season is about to end, all the players will take a summer vacation. After that, they will join the national training camp in preparation for the World Cup. The Chelsea club hosted a Gala Night to award the club’s best players for the season. This season the club combines an awards ceremony for the men’s team and the women’s team.

When Natasha Romanoff’s name was announced as the Women`s Player of the 2021 season she took on the stage. Steve and all his teammates were speechless as she wore a sexy red gown. Her hair was styled in a curled and she ditched her piercing. She's the most beautiful woman Steve has ever seen. Steve starts to feel jealous because all the men are focused on her. Steve doesn't like other men looking at his women.

After Steve received the best player award for the third year he wanted to take his boots in the club boot`s storage room. But something unexpected happened Natasha was also there. Natasha thought Steve was going to make a nonsensical joke because of the dress she was wearing tonight. Natasha hates wearing it she was forced by Yelena. Yet Steve didn't say anything to her surprise.

“Why don`t you say something, like a bad joke? Yelena picks this dress ”Natasha expected a response from Steve.

“Why should I do that? Do you want me to fight with you until we are both old? ” Steve continued to pick up his boots on the top rack.

Natasha came to stand behind Steve. “What is wrong with you today? This is not you. ”Natasha knew something was wrong

“Do you know who I am? Do you really know me? ” Steve turned and stared into Natasha's eyes. Inside he wanted to drag the woman into his arms. Because she looks so pretty tonight. But he keeps his composure.

The question startled Natasha.

"I just don't understand why you like to fight with me. There are many more female players out there that you can choose to fight. ” Natasha still doesn't understand what Steve's intentions are.

“You really want to know the truth. Well, I'll tell you now. Because I love to see your angry face, I love to see your red face, your lips, your staring eyes, your sexy voice, your feet when trying to stand on your toes, your style before kicking the ball. You are really cute. I like you Natasha ”Steve approached Natasha closer

Natasha doesn't believe in Steve Rogers' words. Maybe he drank too much alcohol.

"Actually I love you, Natasha Romanoff. All I do is to get your attention. ” Steve said as he stared into Natasha's eyes.

Then Steve grabbed Natasha's chin and kissed her lips. Natasha froze and couldn't resist the man's kiss. Then she realized and pushed him away and ran out of the room.

When she returned home Natasha could not sleep. Her heart was pounding after being kissed by Steve Rogers. What the hell? Steve Rogers expressed his feelings to her. Natasha turned to the right and to the left trying to forget the man but in her heart, it was like in turmoil. She thought Steve hated her and she hated him too. Yet she turned out to be wrong and unable to resist his charmed. Kissed by Steve like she was struck by lightning.

The next day Natasha and Steve meet again on the training ground. Natasha looked at Steve from a distance and waited if the man wanted to taunt her or laugh at her. But he was so different he just kept quiet and even stole Natasha's gaze when he thought Natasha wasn't looking at him. And when Steve and Natasha meet in the hallway Steve stares at Natasha's face. Like Natasha is the only person who is on his mind every day. Steve and Natasha just stood nearby and stared at each other. Their teammates bump them who were staring into each other’s eyes. Wondering what really happened between the two of them.

A few weeks later Natasha and Steve flew to Qatar to compete in the World Cup. For the first time, the men’s team and the women’s team will compete at the same time. Natasha and Steve both focused on the biggest tournament of their careers. Natasha, who represented Russia, excelled in the competition. And her team managed to win the World Cup for the first time. But of course, attention is given to men's football. Steve Rogers stole the show by winning the golden boots award and Player of the tournament. Even though the USA only made it to the semi-finals, it was still an incredible achievement. Natasha watched the semi-finals matched in the stadium with the fans. Steve spotted the red-haired woman easily despite a hundred thousand people in the stadium. Natasha let her hair down and donned a USA jersey while cheering for his team.

Natasha then turned around to show the jersey she was wearing with Rogers' name on the back. Steve smiled when he saw that and she giving him a flying kiss.

After the match, Natasha and Steve met in the tunnel. Their teammates force them to acknowledge each other’s feelings.

"I also really like you, Steve Rogers. So are we going to date now? ”Natasha asked Steve.

"There are only two things in my mind that are football and you. You drive me crazy. Let`s date then ”Steve said while opening his both arms.

Natasha who is only five feet three tall looks cute jumping to hug Steve Rogers who is six feet tall.

"Even though I didn't win this match, but I won your heart," Steve said as he swings around Natasha on the air. Then they kissed in the tunnel of the football stadium. The kiss happened so passionately that they didn’t notice the photographer was taking a picture of them. The breaking news when the two big stars of world football are couple overshadow the story of the England team winning the World Cup.

A few years later Steve Rogers and Natasha were about to get married and it became the wedding of the year as the union of the two best football stars in the world had sparked a phenomenon. All the tabloid newspapers have already started figuring out how their child will be born later because he or she is will definitely a great football player because of the DNA of both their parents.

#romanogers #steve rogers #natasha romanoff #romanogersweek #captain america #black widow #stevenat

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funkwhistle · 4 years ago

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Barbie Bell

Pairing: Micah Bell x GN!reader

Notes: Micah needs a new shirt and struggles to find a new one - my contribution to Barbie Bell :)

(photo is mine - don’t reupload without credit :)) & this is my last Micah photo I’ve been too lazy to upload them atm XD

Micah had been expecting a parcel for weeks now, from the tailor in Blackwater. His old red shirt, the well-loved one he wore all the time, had finally worn too thin, showing everything under it and was irreversibly stained with blood. Even Miss Grimshaw, under Micah's pleading looks, had tried to scrub it clean, but after wearing it for months he'd decided to order a new one.

Micah being Micah, he obviously couldn't do anything by halves; no he wanted the exact shirt again, so you and him went hunting around the local tailors trying to find a replacement. But wherever you went he'd find something wrong with an alternative.

“Can't you see, these buttons aren't good enough-”

“No, no, this is not the right red,”

“It's too long and my old one had a nicer collar,”

You'd even taken the train over to Strawberry to check the general store there, in a last ditch attempt to find it. But whichever tailor you had asked, they all said they didn't have an exact copy of it, yet Micah was adamant he'd find one. While you knew if you told him where he'd be able to find it, he'd run over there, unfortunately the large bounty on his head stopped him from returning from the Blackwater tailors alive.

So, he'd opted for ordering it, as you often did with your clothes; you hated nothing more than sitting in a tailor, you'd rather have to stitch it to fit you instead. A few weeks ago, the both of you sat by the campfire, measuring him correctly and writing a letter to the Blackwater tailor, signed as a certain Mr Kilgore. When you first went to run one of the tape measures the girls used for sewing across the back of his shoulder, he had tensed up, saying he could guess well enough until Susan yelled across camp that he was an idiot, and suddenly, he didn't mind it, intimidated by the older woman.

You'd never seen Micah so excited, once the letter had been posted he was positively beaming, buzzing about the prospect of his new shirt. The pair of you had said it needed to be red, and attached an old photo of him wearing the shirt for reference, reassuring him that the tailor just needed to see the style of the shirt, it wouldn't matter if it faded. Once you'd exited the post office, Micah looped his hand in yours, something he never did, walking back through Saint Denis with an unusual skip in his step; even going as far as to buy the both of your food in the salon.

And here it was, he'd been avidly visiting the post office for weeks since the tailor replied he'd do his best, becoming a nuisance to the station clerk. It was wrapped carefully in brown paper, and you had to stop him from ripping it open in the station itself, he was far too excited. Micah was fidgeting the entire ride back to camp, knowing he would want to try it on right away, so you kept it on your lap, swatting his hands away as you rode.

“Right, go open it then,” you said when you got to camp, passing him the parcel carefully. His face lit up, and he snatched the parcel from you, disappearing into the house to get changed.

Micah took a while to change, you anticipated he'd be out quickly, happy with the new shirt, but he didn't; and after nearly twenty minutes you knocked tentatively on the room he was changing in.

“You alright in there?” you asked, creaking open the door a little to look at him. He was stood on the opposite side of the room, no shirt on, looking down at the opened package on the floor in front of him as he read a note. Hesitantly, you entered the room, shutting the door behind you and walking over to him. As you approached, he looked up at you, looking deflated and upset about something, and you didn't have the chance to look at the contents of the package before he'd pulled you to him and buried his head in the crook of your neck.

Wrapping your arms comfortingly around him, you hushed him, feeling the side of your neck getting damp from his silent tears of disappointment. Wondering what was so bad, you looked over his shoulder, shuffling, so you could see the ripped parcel on the floor. Spilling out of it was a hot pink shirt, nothing like the red he'd tried to describe. While he was upset, you couldn't contain your laughter, knowing his childish excitement about what it would look like.

“'m being stupid ain't I?” he said, moving out of your embrace and wiping the tears from his eyes when he saw you looking at him. You shook your head briefly in reassurance.

“What did the note say?” you asked, reaching to try to grab it from his hands.

“They didn't do the red no more, so he sent the next best. 'm sorry darlin, it's not like me-” he rambled, showing you the note. Clear as day, the tailor had written his apologies, and had given Micah a small discount on the price, and yet Micah — the feared outlaw — was stood here, tears trickling from the corners of his eyes in disappointment.

“How about ya try it? Can't be that bad, right?” you said, pulling it from the wrapping and holding it up to him. Smiling weakly, he took in from you, pulling it on while you watched.

You felt awful for him, this was all he'd spoken about for weeks now, and, like a child, had been devastated when it had not lived up to his expectations. And of course, you were sympathetic, but also you'd tried to warn him not to get his hopes up, that nothing is ever perfect, and yet he chose to ignore you still. His hands were almost at the final button, having to take breaks to wipe his eyes or blow his nose.

Once it was on, you stood back and admired hm for a moment. You knew he wouldn't like it, but you thought the pink suited him well, bringing out the life in his cheeks and making his hair seem that little blonder.

“Well?” you asked, indicating for him to spin.

“It ain't what I wanted-” he started, spinning willingly for you.

“-but?” you probed further, approaching him and straightening the shirt for him.

“I ain't mad at it,” he shrugged, pressing a light kiss on your forehead. “You reckon the gang'll laugh?” It was your turn to shrug, smiling a little at his concerned look.

“If they do, then they do, nothing you can do 'bout it,” you said, moving closer to him. “But I-” you pressed a kiss on his collarbone, “-think you look-” a kiss placed on his jaw, “goddamed handsome Mr Bell,” a kiss on his lips, which he deepened immediately, grinning madly into the kiss.

“You really think so?” he sounded doubtful as he leant his forehead on yours as your hands ran themselves through the clean fabric.

“I know so Micah,” you said, “Now shut up and kiss me again,”

Micah was only too happy to oblige, grabbing you by your waist and bruising your lips onto his, making you squeal slightly in shock, not that you were complaining.

He wore the shirt around camp nearly as much as his old red one, and sure, at first, there had been teasing, asking if he was in fancy dress, but eventually the gang got used to it. In fact, you caught Lenny wearing pink socks a few weeks later, and Hosea began to favour pinker neck ties. And Micah, confiding this in complete secrecy to you, had said he had considered ordering another one, he loved the colour so much. Nothing had made you happier than the first time you saw him wear the shirt on a job, even if it did come back stained again, just the fact that he'd put in the effort because he knew you liked the shirt was enough.

A/N: Well I shocked myself for getting this done I was not expecting to - let me know if the spelling is off bc guess who proof read vv fast.

@mallr4ts @mister-dude

#micah bell #micah bell x reader #micah bell/reader #micah bell x you #barbiebell #micah bell x GN! reader #red dead redemption imagine #red dead redemption 2 #red dead #rdr #rdr2 #red dead redemption #shady belle #micah in pink?#and this was written fast oops sorry for mistakes #also it's kinds breif in places i sorta forgot to write

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that-shamrock-vibe · 4 years ago

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Movie Review: Wonder Woman 1984 (Spoilers)

Spoiler Warning: I haven’t been able to see this movie when it came out here in the U.K, so had to wait until a couple of days after Christmas to both watch and review it. If you haven’t seen this movie by the last week of the year and want to avoid spoilers go and watch it before reading on.

General Reaction:

I have finally seen Wonder Woman 1984, the first new superhero movie I have seen in 2020 outside of The New Mutants and my god it has been a trial to be able to watch this.

Being from the U.K, which was surprisingly a factor with one minor part of this movie, we over here usually get the big blockbusters particularly of the comic-book variety before or on the same day as the U.S. However, thanks to this fakakta pandemic and the new world order that movie studios and theatres find themselves in during 2020, I have been reduced to watching a blockbuster movie for the first time initially on my laptop rather than on the big screen as movies like this should be brought out first as.

I am fully aware that this is a global pandemic and that watching movies in the cinema pales in significance to what needs to be done to combat and eventually defeat this crisis, but being from an area where all cinemas are closed I’m out on a limb basically.

I won’t turn this part of the review into a COVID rant because frankly I am sick of talking about it but I do feel COVID will be a factor with the performance of these upcoming movies.

That being said, the second real world rant factor I have for this is WW1984 I feel has suffered due to constant schedule shifting and I feel a fairly uneven advertising campaign.

I went into this movie not thinking I was going to see the villains the way they are in the trailers or the comics and honestly it does seem that Cheetah and Max Lord, who are both credited Wonder Woman villains, have their roles reversed and the one who you think is going to be the biggest threat pretty much becomes a henchman and the one mainstream fans may not know a lot about is surprisingly the big threat but you’re also meant to feel sympathetic for both of them to a degree.

It seems a complete 180 spin from the first Wonder Woman movie which was a very grounded and gritty WW1 story to now be in the zany 80s...which as a decade has aspects of being zany yes but the way in which this movie plays out genuinely made me think of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man movies...but the best of them rather than Emo Peter.

There are so many plot points in this movie that more or less spawn from the main McGuffin of the movie which is the Dream Stone allowing people to make wishes but grants them with a sacrifice. The movie has several sub-plots that are the repercussions of the wishes that everyone makes and individually all of these sub-plots are very interesting...it’s when you then try to tie them all together for the big climactic battle that is when you get a bit of a mess,

Also, there is hardly any action in this movie and as both a Wonder Woman movie and a superhero movie in general, I am longing for some action sequences this year and the fact there are almost no good v evil fights would be disappointing, if not for the fact I understand where Patty Jenkins and the writers are trying to accomplish with this movie in comparison to the first movie.

I am not a massive Wonder Woman fan, I know the basics of Diana, the two Wonder Girls, Cheetah and Max Lord enough to understand what is going on. But the one thing that has always drawn me to her is that she is a hero with two distinct sides.

Firstly there’s the warrior that most mainstream fans would be aware of which is more played up in the first movie, but then there’s also the diplomat and the ambassador who attempts to always get across her message of peace which is more played up here.

If I think about it from that perspective, I can forgive the lack of action.

That being said, there is still a jumble of plot points that once you do untangle them all lead to the same conclusion, but there are too many ideas in 2h30 to make the movie coherent.

That’s the main negatives out of the way, the positives somewhat outweigh the negatives, let it be known I did enjoy this movie and there are some brilliant moments and sequences, but a lot of scenes aren’t developed enough or some aspects seem to be kept on the backburner maybe for a sequel.

Characters:

Diana:

We have to start with Wonder Woman herself, but as I mentioned before I am calling her Diana rather than Wonder Woman in my subheading because there wasn’t a lot of Wonder Woman action in this movie. If you’ve seen the trailers you’ve seen pretty much everything.

Going back to that first action piece when we are reintroduced to Wonder Woman at the shopping mall, I do understand why she’s doing what she’s doing by acting as a vigilante rather than a public superhero and not using violence does keep in step with where we first met her in Batman v. Superman during present day where she claims not to be about fighting or saving mankind anymore and to be honest here she does keep with that. She’s given up her Godkiller sword and shield but still makes full use of her lasso of truth along with her bracelets of submission and Aunt Antiope’s Tiara in a defensive manner but never to outwardly cause harm.

But yes, this entire sequence could easily substitute Wonder Woman with Spider-Man and her lasso and tiara with his web-shooters and feel like the good parts of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man movies. It’s just borderline corny and somewhat cartoonish particularly when she’s saving the two young girls by either dropping them on a rocking horse or spinning them into giant teddy bears.

Also there’s that Cairo highway chase scene which sees Steve and Diana chasing after Max Lord who has just achieved his goal of claiming an army. I both like and dislike this scene. I like the scene for showing the starting effects of Diana’s power loss which is later explained to be the cause of Barbara’s wish to be like her which means she is syphoning Diana’s power.

On the flip-side, I really don’t like the overall action in this scene. Firstly, she seemingly has her armour on underneath her clothes because as she’s getting out the car she has her clothes on one minute and her armour in the next shot with no spinning involved.

Secondly, she gets out the car and starts running almost instantly while the car is still moving...I get she’s a demigoddess and therefore normal laws of motion may not apply to her but there’s no dodgy transition or stumbling or anything, she just starts running...Baywatch style to a remix of her theme which is brilliant but because of her losing her powers she is somewhat weakened and therefore you see her bleed. The whole scene just seems rather sloppy.

Regardless of the somewhat lacklustre action of the movie, Wonder Woman 1984 excels in presenting a different form of battling with words rather than weapons. Diana’s message of hope and love at the end of the movie may be a complete switch around from how she was all for being the god-killer in the first movie where Ares was involved, but it’s definitely a good message and, particularly in these times, a needed message.

Sometimes love and hope is enough, Diana does try and see the best in everyone and cannot understand or comprehend evil unless there is no other option. Ares was the God of War and as such a personification of hate and therefore evil. Max was simply corrupted and misguided and Diana could see that, just as Barbara was.

All of this is sold in Gal Gadot’s performance. You can tell from the start Diana is doing what she’s doing because she feels it is what’s right, but particularly when Steve comes back and the ultimatum is either saving the world or keeping him she is definitely torn at one point. Steve is the only thing she has ever wished for herself other than becoming a warrior and protector so why shouldn’t she be rewarded for her decades of servitude?

Also, much like every movie she appears in, Gal Gadot looks stunning throughout this movie. Not just in her Wonder Woman and Golden Armor but also in her Diana persona, she wears what appears to be a boiler suit at one point in this movie and still looks like it could be modelled on a runway. I know Gal is/was a model but she is never defined by that. When she’s acting she’s an actress first and a model second and the clothes never wear her.

My favourite look of hers which I now have in Funko form is her gala dress because not only does it honour her Amazon roots but it just looks stunning.

Her Wonder Woman armour here is made somewhat more cheesecaky than her other versions and it does make Diana look somewhat like Wonder Woman barbie but because of the vibrant 80s setting this movie is in and particularly with who else shows up in the movie offering a great parallel to it, it actually won me over. If this is how Wonder Woman looks as a diplomat I’ll allow it.

I really do enjoy the parallels between the DCEU’s Diana Prince and Bruce Wayne in terms of the detective/vigilante combination. Because there was little fighting here, Diana was allowed to be the detective more, travelling to different places tracking down Max Lord and figuring out that the Dream Stone is the cause of Steve returning from the dead.

However, while they may be pushing Diana and Bruce together in the present day, Diana’s true love is Steve Trevor and the two do have a fantastic blend of a working and romantic partnership on par, for me, with Ant-Man and the Wasp from the comics.

Outside of Steve though, Diana definitely has no love-loss for other men until the end of this movie. She sees right through Max Lord’s childish bravado at the start of the movie, she’s quick to repel any letchy guy throughout this movie, and it isn’t until Steve effectively gives her permission to move on at the end that she does...albeit seemingly with the man whose body Steve took over which seems a little backwards to me but I’ll allow it.

Wonder Woman also gets some fancy new upgrades in this movie. Not only do we have more functions of the Lasso of Truth with showing memories and broadcasting a voice, but also Diana gets her invisible jet through the means of a new power being able to make things invisible which she says is inherited from her father (Zeus) who used the power to hide Themyscira from the world.

The jet is a great precursor to what comes later because while flying in the jet, Diana talks about her longing to be able to fly which we all know as fans that she can do in pretty much every other incarnation yet all we’ve seen her do in the DCEU is leap long distances.

So the payoff when she actually flies after letting go of Steve finally was fantastic, honestly a fist-pumped the air and startled my dog because I got that excited. I do love how she still uses her lasso to propel herself and swing from lightning because it’s kind of like training wheels but seeing her fly at the very end unaided was everything.

I can’t decide how I feel about the ending, I do love how Diana saved the day in terms of using words over weapons, but it’s the fact she is pretty much looking directly at the camera while giving this big hope and love speech implying that she is talking to us as an audience as well as the world within the movie. It just seems very much a #BeKind movement which, again, is an important message particularly in today’s climate. But why does this need to be in a superhero movie?

Gal Gadot continues to be rather funny in the role as well. As with the first movie though, her humour is never really in jokes or in her actions but rather in serious dry whit. This kind of humour is right up my street. From her rejection of Max’s offer to buy her a TV to teaching Steve about the advancements in the 1980s from his time it was all rather well handled.

Diana simply continues to be a very warm and welcoming hero and Gal Gadot radiates these traits effortlessly. You feel bad whenever she feels bad, you want to cry whenever she cries, you get angry whenever she gets angry and you smile whenever she smiles. Gal Gadot continues to be as perfect in the role of Wonder Woman as Johnny Depp is for Jack Sparrow and Rosario Dawson is Ahsoka Tano.

Max Lord:

Okay so this is where things get complex because, to the best of my knowledge, this version of Max Lord is not the same as the one from the comics or any other media I’ve seen...I genuinely actually think they say Lord isn’t even his actual surname in this movie.

Alright, so this is where I’m slightly conflicted on this character. Maxwell Lord from the comics and Smallville where I first became aware of the character is a meta with the ability to control minds.

Becoming the Dream Stone doesn’t really give him the same power as effectively it makes him a genie but the power of the dream stone being equivalent to that of the Monkey’s Paw which grants wishes with consequences I guess is of similar elk.

Also, it’s not stated but shown that Max has some sort of degenerative condition before obtaining the stone but using the power of the stone seemingly sped up the condition because by the third act of the movie he looked like a shell of a man.

Obviously he knew of this which is why he wanted to utilize the stone’s power to a mass audience in order to grant their wishes and in return syphon their health and wealth but this is why I say that neither he nor Barbara were true villains because they were corrupted by the power the stone gave them.

I have a very weird stance of sympathetic villains, Cheetah is supposed to be a sympathetic villain to a degree but I’ve never really seen Max as such. In Smallville he is pretty much a henchman or underling whereas in Supergirl he was somewhat an anti-hero towards the end but mainly a villain.

I get the movie’s message of “Nothing good comes from hate” is in reference to the stone which was made by a trickster god and as such is inherently corrupt which makes its users also corrupt but not evil. But considering I originally didn’t think Max would be the main antagonist of the movie, when it was revealed he was I wanted to see some evil for evil’s sake behaviour rather than power corrupts twice over.

Also, in relation to his wishing power, the scene in which he tries to go through numerous clients to regain his health does play off a lot like Lucifer luring out people’s greatest desires.

Speaking of the wishes, two aspects of this I want to highlight. Firstly, when he reaches out to the world and grants everyone’s wishes, that one wish the diner lady utters about wanting the Irish to go back to where they come from...as someone of Irish heritage this is that wish I mentioned being from the U.K. was a surprising factor in for me...despite my Irish heritage being of Republic blood rather than Northern.

Secondly, I have now seen this movie twice and I do not know the reason for the weird satellite light that Max was in during the climax. I mean everything was basically going to hell and Max receiving the energy of the wishes and granting the wishes was basically giving him this protective funnel which Wonder Woman couldn’t penetrate, but was the light from the satellites and why did he need the satellites other to broadcast himself which he’s clearly already doing so what’s going on? I may not be making much sense but I genuinely don’t know what was going on at that point.

Pedro Pascal was still very good in this role, he comes across a lot better in the actual movie than he does in the trailers because the shots we see of him in the trailers I genuinely thought he was wearing a hairpiece, and he still might be but it looks more natural throughout the movie.

I know Pascal to be a rather funny individual in interviews and behind the scenes of other projects, but I’ve never seen him actually be funny in character...again I’m not sure how I feel about a comedic villain, but between this role and his role as Agent Whisky in Kingsman: The Golden Circle, he has the makings of a great villain actor.

There were times when Pascal played the character like Steve Carrell voice’s Gru in Despicable Me which again plays into the comedic villain angle but overall I felt his motives were clear and the way in which he went about achieving his goals was bold, ballsy and well executed.

I get why they added a son for Max in this movie and I am glad they stuck with the fact Pedro Pascal is Latino despite I don’t believe the character originally is but it added some diversity to the movie along with Gal Gadot’s Israeli accent. But yeah the point of the son was to personify what Max sacrificed in exchange for his wish because all he wants deep down is to be a success in his son’s eyes and feels this is how to go about it, but when it’s the choice between his son’s safety over the completion of his dynastic plan, similarly to Diana choosing to give up what she wants (Steve) for the greater good, he chooses his son.

Also I will say this. When Alastair tells Max that he already loves him because he’s his dad and strokes his face...Had I actually seen this movie when it came out in the U.K. it would have been two days before the finalé of The Mandalorian Season 2. But because I saw that finalé first and the very emotional scene between Din and Grogu...to see that pretty much replicated here felt slightly lacklustre.

Max doesn’t die at the end, no one dies in this entire movie (technically) so there is room for him to return unless they do another time jump. I’m not sure why he would return unless he goes full villain for villainy sake rather than corruption but I am actually happy he survived.

Having said that, one of Wonder Woman’s most famous moments from the comics is snapping the neck of Maxwell Lord. This could have easily been the climax of the movie but I feel thanks to Man of Steel giving this plot point to Superman when he snapped Zod’s neck, despite chronologically this coming first it would lose it’s momentum,

Cheetah:

I will admit I was not as disappointed with Barbara as I thought I would be going into this movie.

Having said that, I’m going to start with the negatives before talking about the positives of the character.

Firstly, both Barbara and later Cheetah are redheads, Kristen Wiig is naturally not but for the role of the character she could have easily worn a wig or died her hair for the role because not only is Barbara being portrayed as the ditzy blonde at the start of the movie a little redundant at this point, when she became Cheetah it did not look right with her as a blonde.

Now let’s talk about the actual Cheetah look. We’ve seen that one shot of her in the DC Fandome trailer but it was so dark and so quick that there was practically nothing to analyse, seeing her appear in the final 30 minutes of this movie...which is how long she actually appears as Cheetah...it’s both a lot to take in but also a lot to be disappointed in.

So Barbara’s turning point to villainy I feel isn’t when she beats up that man who attempted to assault her, but instead when she fears Diana and Steve are talking about killing Max to save the world because he absorbed the stone and the stone needs to be destroyed to save the world from carnage.

At this point she appears at the White House just as Diana has Max captive, dressed in this admittedly trendy Cheetah-print attire, incapacitates or possibly kills the White House security team and gives both Wonder Woman and Steve a whooping.

Firstly, the very fact there was no mention of the fact Barbara could tell Diana Prince and Wonder Woman were the same person just shows how daft the secret identities of some of these DC Heroes is.

But secondly, when Max retreats, Barbara hitches a ride with him and gets another wish for saving his life. Rather than wishing to be like Diana this time, she wishes to become an Apex Predator and is therefore granted the anger and vengeance of all the people Max grants wishes to via satellite.

This combination somehow turns her into a Cheetah as when we next see her she is Cheetah...a very badly CG’d undeveloped version of Cheetah but this is our Cheetah.

My version of Cheetah is from Injustice 2 and I know a bit of her backstory in the comics enough to know she was an archaeologist who was cursed to become the Cheetah and how in the DC Rebirth Wonder Woman, Barbara and Diana were friends but then when she became Cheetah, she felt betrayed by Diana and became her enemy that way.

That’s kind of similar here but it’s not a Cheetah curse that made her Cheetah, it’s a wish and a very literal interpretation of the wish “I want to become an Apex predator”...what’s an apex predator? A cheetah, get it?

Also as Cheetah, she just looks like Barbara styled her hair different and bought a Cheetah onesie. I wish she had gone full cheetah with the face, instead we get some very weird make-up which seems to wash off when they land in the water and some weird contouring or something to give Kristen Wiig a different nose...they could have continued the Cheetah fur on the face, given her cat-eyes, bigger fangs, something!

Again, Barbara’s villainy stems from power corruption, Barbara’s first wish was wanting to be like Diana and because of this got her powers so went a little bit power mad when she discovered she had super strength and speed.

Interestingly though, despite being electrocuted, Barbara does survive and when all the wishes are renounced she reverts back to a human...or does she?

Keep in mind that we never see Barbara take back her wish, in fact she is quite adamant in not doing that which leads Diana to making the hard call. The fact is it was by Max’s hand that Barbara finally became Cheetah so when he took back the wish of becoming the Dream Stone, that wish was rescinded…but Barbara’s original wish of becoming like Diana and thus gaining the powers of an Amazon demigoddess actually might still be in tact.

It’s implied that she is still pissed at Diana even after reverting back to human, so I do see her returning more than I do Max Lord but in her return I hope there’s a Cheetah redemption.

Steve Trevor:

I am really starting to be won around by Chris Pine as an actor. Originally in my list of “Hollywood Chris’” he was at the bottom because he isn’t Marvel, but now I think I actually would put him ahead of Pratt. Not only do I love him in this role here but also Rise of the Guardians which I’ve re-watched over the holidays.

So when it was announced that Pine would return as Steve Trevor in a movie set decades after the first movie which he died in, I like a lot of fans were curious as to how they were going to accomplish this. I mean we’re dealing with the DC variation of Greek Mythology and so I thought maybe Hades could be a factor, but then when the MacGuffin known officially I think as a Dream Stone became a factor with the trailers, the idea of him being resurrected as a wish by Diana was speculated which was kind of true but there was a catch in that he only came back to Diana but taking over another man’s body.

The movie I think beautifully brings Diana’s childhood lesson taught to her by Aunt Antiope about cheating full circle with the wish she makes to see Steve again. In her defence, Diana did not know what she was doing or that she was actually wishing on a wishing stone, but when she realises the impact that this seemingly innocent wish is having on the world, ultimately she has to wake up to the fact that this is a cheat because Steve is dead but Diana has brought him back in another man’s body...without his consent. Again, NOT DIANA’S FAULT, but she is pseudo-responsible and so can’t win because she cheated. This is a plot point I wish they had developed further or highlighted more because, having seen it twice now in the past 24 hours, that is probably my favourite message of the movie. Cheaters never prosper, not even Wonder Woman or Cheetah.

Steve being introduced to the 1980s was a great chance to reverse the fish out of water story Diana had in the first movie but while hers was one of both wonder and humour, Steve’s was mostly wonder and it was so endearing to see.

I loved how we didn’t take too long on Steve exploring the 80s, I liked how organically it was woven into the ongoing story. We did get that great small touring scene of Diana showing Steve the art and the breakdancing, but that he discovered pop tarts and his wonder in wanting to fly that jet rather than simply get on a plane to travel to Cairo, it was all very well done and that’s mostly on Chris Pine.

I did find the body-snatching a little bit creepy at first and at the very end. We didn’t meet the guy that Steve inhabited (for want of a better word) so I don’t feel strongly positively or negatively about him because we don’t know him, but when we meet him at the end when we somehow flashforward from July to Christmas, I did feel weird that not only did it seem that he and Diana were interested in each other but also the fact it wasn’t even mentioned that he couldn’t remember the time that Steve was in his body.

As I said before when talking about Diana, the blend of the romantic/working relationship between Diana and Steve is (sorry) #relationshipgoals for superhero couplings. I am aware that Steve Trevor isn’t a superhero but neither is Lois Lane but both civilian halves of these superhero couples are very potent in the comics and I have never understood this particular relationship until now.

Steve is as strong a part of the duo as Wonder Woman is because while he doesn’t have her Amazon physiology, he has that core inner strength that he had in the last movie which is why he sacrificed himself originally...now yes he pretty much did the exact same thing here but this was after he was pretty much carrying Diana through that D.C. street and seeing all the chaos that these wishes were causing...genuine anarchy....that Steve knew the only way Diana could regain her strength and save the world was for her to let go of him.

It was the most emotional scene of the movie for me and the only scene to almost make me cry. after crying at the Mandalorian finalé I am not crying at another show or film for a while but still, because not only could you tell both of them didn’t want this to happen but also as Diana pulls herself away from Steve not looking at her as the camera pans away from him you just hear his voice saying “I will always love you Diana, no matter where I am”. There’s never been a more potent portrayal of a superhero couple in my opinion in the movies. Tony and Pepper came close in Avengers: Endgame but this tops it for me.

Do I see Steve returning again? Yes, because I feel when you’re dealing with a property about gods and magic there is always potentiality for anything. I mean this movie is the definition of potentiality for anything because I think if it does succeed then they get away with a lot that other properties wouldn’t, but anyway yes I want Chris Pine to return to this role because I love him in it.

Amazons:

This is another scenario where the advertising lets the audience make up what is in store for us with announcements because announcing that Robin Wright is returning as Antiope after dying at the start of the last movie does raise suspicion.

The obvious solutions were resurrection, vision or flashback and for the majority of Amazon scenes save for one it was all flashbacks which I’m not going to grumble at because I enjoyed that opening scene.

I like how Themyscira basically has their own version of Ninja Warrior and that this scene was most likely set chronologically after Antiope agreed to train her. Which begs the question why her mother was so okay with it considering even as an adult Hippolyta has issues with Diana becoming a warrior but her contribution was so short I let that slide.

I’ve already mentioned how Antiope’s lesson of cheater’s never prosper was utilized so well in this movie but, similarly to Chris Pine, I just love any reason to bring back Robin Wright.

Aside from Hippolyta and Antiope though there was a third minor Amazon focused on in a couple of scenes in this movie, that is the ancient Amazon warrior Asteria.

Asteria was mentioned a couple of times, firstly by Hippolyta in reference to her statue as someone to strive to become and then by Diana to Steve when discussing the origins of her Golden Armor. During this discussion we see a flashback of Asteria in a crouched position being whaled on by Neanderthals protecting the Amazons as they retreated to Themyscira. We only see her eyes and at this point in the movie I thought Asteria was a throwaway character and so Connie Nielson was doing double-time as Hippolyta and Asteria.

However, this proves to be untrue as in the only post-credits scene we get we see Asteria walking down seemingly the same street we left Diana on in Washington, though they never clarify where it is. Furthermore we originally only see the back of her and she is dressed a lot like Diana with the same hair and clothing style. She even effortlessly stops a pillar or lamppost from crashing down.

But it isn’t Diana, at least not the one Gal Gadot is portraying...as it is revealed to be Asteria portrayed by Lynda Carter in a fabulous short, sweet and somewhat cheeky sequence where she states “I’ve been doing this for a long time” with a cheeky wink directly to the camera. I mean she basically echoes lines Diana says in the movie, but the fact it’s OG Wonder Woman and knowing we’re also getting Michael Keaton returning as Batman in the upcoming Flashpoint movie, it’s all just brilliant.

Obviously for fans of the Supergirl series, Lynda Carter had a recurring role on that as Earth-38′s President of the United States who was an alien and I have also seen her in Sky High, but looking at her here she just looks flawless.

Does this mean we’re going to see Asteria in Wonder Woman 3? I can’t wait to find out.

DCEU:

Speaking of the larger DCEU, this movie does absolutely nothing to connect itself to any other DC movie or property. We’re in 1984...Bruce Wayne is 12 so at this point has lost his parents, the original Black Canary is potentially crime-fighting, it’s the year Lex Luthor is born, Clark Kent is living in Smallville, Amanda Waller would just be starting out in the career that would see her become director of ARGUS. There are so many possibilities particularly as we haven’t had a movie set in the 80s within the DCEU before.

This is where DC continues to flounder where Marvel succeeds. They do not grab the opportunities for a cinematic universe expansion and instead keep everything contained. I don’t even think the events of Wonder Woman were mentioned outside of Steve’s death.

Particularly as we now have to wait until August for The Suicide Squad as the next DC movie (outside of the Snyder Cut), it would have been nice either if there would have been a tease to lead into that or even if something in this movie links to the Snyder Cut of Justice League.

Overall I rate this movie a 7/10, it’s a very enjoyable movie if you manage to follow all the threads the plot weaves into this movie, because they’re not seamless.

I’ve actually paid attention to the box office, reviews and CinemaScore for these movies since Birds of Prey and I have to say for being a focussed Wonder Woman movie it is underperforming from the first one with a B+ here as opposed to an A there, but considering Diana’s first outing was in Batman v Superman with a B score, I think the fact both Justice League and this have a B+ bodes well as it averages out with middle of the pack superhero movies, and that’s a good way to describe this movie.

It’s not better than the original, and there are many tangles within it, but it’s not a terrible movie. Again I’ve seen it twice in the last 24 hours and neither time got old for me.

So that’s my review of Wonder Woman 1984, what did you guys think? Post your comments and check out more DC Movie Reviews as well as other Movie Reviews and posts.

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revisionaryhistory · 4 years ago

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Three Days ~ 43

~*~Emma~*~

I remembered Will from a couple of parties and Kirk and Boone's wedding. Nice guy. Apparently, he and some of his friends thought I was the extra in a three-way with Eli and Angie. Eli didn't see a reason he should correct them. Angie invited Alissa out on one of our girls’ nights and she became one of the group. It had probably been six months since I’d last seen her. I liked her and we got along well. The friendship had never progressed past those nights. I can't remember if I met her before or after Jimmy and I broke up. Either way, I moved, and we only ever saw each other on nights out. Now I find she's married to one of Sebastian's best friends. We have at least three friends in common and our friends' group overlaps. Very cool, but very weird. Almost like we were supposed to meet.

Wednesday I got the photoshoot "before" picture about fifteen minutes before my kids arrived. Looked like Sebastian in the morning. Hair a little messy, a crease on his face from his pillow, and his eyes not quite awake. His beard had grown in more and I ran my fingers over it in the picture, knowing it would be gone in the after. I didn’t dislike either version. I was just used to the way I’d met him.

My aide took the kids to lunch and I went in search of my after. The first thing I noticed was his beard was trimmed super close, where it was long stubble, but it was still there. I guess they'd changed their mind. His hair was styled not that different than he did except every hair was in place and I was betting it was fixed where it wouldn't move. Makeup perfected his skin tone and somehow made his eyes even bluer. Maybe it was the dark blue robe he was wearing. It had been hours since he'd sent, but I still sent a text telling him how handsome he looked.

I grabbed my lunch out of my mini-fridge and headed down to Mallory's room. I'd made some pasta salad loaded with veggies while talking with Sebastian last night and was looking forward to eating. Our secretary was walking toward me with a bouquet of cookies. They were shaped and iced like crayons, rulers, apples, notepads, and glue. Outside of teacher appreciation week that usually signaled a parent had gotten pissed at a grade or consequence and sided with their kid. At least, until they got both sides of the story. Cookies were good apologies and could be shared with the other grade level teachers who were sure to know every word you said and the tone of voice you used.

"Who got yelled at this time, Jamie?"

She lifted an eyebrow, "You."

"No one’s yelled at me." That meant they were from Sebastian.

"Then your new boyfriend sent cookies instead of flowers."

I laughed, "Good possibility." I took them from her. "Take one for you and Kim."

"I was hoping you'd say that. They smell delicious."

I walked into Mallory's room with my healthy pasta salad and not at all healthy cookies. "I brought dessert." Our lunch group made appreciative noises.

Cindy laughed, "Who's parent did you piss off?"

I shook my head, "No one."

Mallory snatched the card while my hands were full, "I believe these are from the new man." I went ahead and sat down, trusting the card would be G-rated. Mallory read, "Halfway into the last full week. Hope this helps you all make it through. Sebastian." She looked to me, "Sebastian? That's a mouthful."

"Yes, he is."

Before we dug into the cookies, I had everyone take one and gather together. I'd send the picture as a thank you. They'd heard about him Monday after the tournament and I talked more about him today. I wasn't ready to share him yet. I was a little surprised word hadn't traveled from the tournament, but I guess there wasn't enough overlap. Outside of my team, where I worked wasn’t common knowledge. This was an advantage of not working and living in the same school district. If there was gossip it was more than likely identifying me as the setter on that team than a teacher. The moment his last name entered my school it would be a topic of conversation in all three buildings. I don't know exactly what that would mean. I'd been here four years and it was common knowledge where I went over winter break. Ed may eclipse Sebastian, but not when you throw Marvel in the mix. We have superhero day during our anti-drug week. I see the Marvel costumes and t-shirts. There'd be a lot of talk. Once the kids were gone, I’d feel more comfortable sharing who this new man is. The kids could make this a zoo.

Mallory, Cindy, and I were the last left. Cindy asked, "Will we ever meet this Sebastian? See a picture."

"I’m sure." I smiled, "We haven't known each two weeks yet. It's good and I'm protecting the new relationship like you do a new kitten. It needs to grow a little more."

Mallory agreed, "You know the Barbie Bitches at the high school are going to want all the details."

I did know that. "I’m not ready to share."

Cindy took our trash to the cafeteria while Mal and I cleaned up the tables. We sat down to finish our drinks, stretching out our break as long as possible. Her kids coming into the room was my cue to head back to my room as mine would be a few minutes behind them. It wasn’t quite time yet.

My text alert went off with a picture of Sebastian. I reached for my phone, but not so quick that Mallory didn’t see. Her eyes went wide and I held up a finger, “Give me one minute and I'll show you.” He was wearing a dark blue suit, with an unbuttoned white shirt, and an untied bow tie. He looked amazing and about two seconds away from sex. I put my hand over the screen and pushed it toward Mal, "Can I trust you to tell no one. I'm not ready for this to be here."

Mal put her hand over mine, "You know I'm not telling anyone. If that's who I think it is, the kids finding out will make Field Day crazy. Too much unstructured time to gossip and ask you questions." She started lifting her hand, "Let me see."

I moved my hand from the phone to my mouth.

Mallory looked at the picture a long time before she said, "Yep, that’s a Sebastian. Damn, Emma, you met him," she tapped my screen, "in the grocery?"

I nodded.

"Now I really wish I would have come to volleyball. Although, I probably would have just stared."

"No, you wouldn't. A few minutes and you would see he's like anyone else. Nothing special."

She grinned, "Except to you." Her kids started coming into the room.

I stood, "Except to me."

As I headed to the door she called out, "We're sitting in the back at faculty meeting."

Sebastian had sent another picture by the time recess rolled around. He was in black jeans and a t-shirt a least one size too small.

Emma ~ Might have to cut you out of that shirt. This is not a complaint.

Sebastian ~ It was stretchy.

Emma ~ How is it going?

Sebastian ~ Good. I'm sitting in a chair having my hair changed.

Emma ~ What are they doing to it?

Sebastian ~ Making it look like it did when I got here. Apparently, people sleep in very expensive watches. I' II be done soon. No tommorow.

Emma ~ What will you do with the unexpected free time?

Sebastian ~ Clean my apartment.

Emma ~ I was going to say you don't have to, but you do. Ha Ha, the first time at least.

Sebastian ~ Exactly. I’m pretty neat. Bathroom is a wreck.

Emma ~ Bathrooms always need cleaning. I have to run. Argument on the monkey bars.

Sebastian ~ Talk to you later.

It would be Thursday night before we talked. Real-life set in. I had a volleyball game Wednesday night and Sebastian went out for drinks with the photographer once the shoot was over. I got home and was exhausted. We lost. I don't like to lose.

Thursday during the day there were no texts. My guess is he got home late and drunk. Overslept. Busy at gym. Returns home to sleep off the night before. I was driving home when a call from Sebastian came in.

"Buna ziua, Sebasti-an.” <Good afternoon>

“Ce mai faci?” <How are you?>

Thankfully he kept it simple. “Bine, tu?” <Good and you?>

Sebastian switched to English. “I broke my phone. I pulled it out to text some woman, got elbowed by a guy on the sidewalk, and threw my phone on the ground. Screen shattered and I held it in my hand watching it slowly die. It just glitched and sputtered away in front of me."

"My poor, baby. Are you mourning the loss?"

"Nope, an hour in an Apple store and I have a shiny new iPhone. They were able to transfer my data over. Good as new. That's why you hadn’t heard from me."

I smiled, "I thought you were sleeping one-off."

"I barely drank. Too much to do today. Sheets changed, bathroom clean, kitchen has some food, and the family room is clean. When are you going to be here?"

"I got permission to leave a little early. I’ll definitely make the three o’clock train, but I’ll try and do the two. If that's ok with you?"

“I'm not going anywhere after the gym. I'll be here waiting."

"I'm excited. Seeing you. You with my friends and your friends. It’s going to be fun."

"It is."

Just to be sure. "Most excited about you."

"I like hearing that."

I set my alarm a little early to give myself time to finish packing. I’m not normally an over-packer, but I couldn't decide on a dress for dinner. Or anything else. Insane. At least today wasn't a theme day I need to wear a costume for. I wore a pair of black capris and a bright pink top with rolled sleeves and a long zipper up the front. Up for school, a little less so for Sebastian.

First text of the day.

Sebastian ~ Are you here yet?

I had nothing but fun things planned for the day. Yesterday I'd had them vote for their favorite books and we read those at the top of every hour. We played math games, a science and social studies game show, and our top music and movement videos. I ate my lunch getting the STEM Lab cart and prepped everything for my assistant. The kids had been wonderful all day and I didn't feel the least bit guilty when I fled the building when she took them outside for recess.

I waited until I was safely on the train to text Sebastian.

Emma ~ On my way

Sebastian ~ Early!

Emma ~ I’ll beat the worst of the traffic

Sebastian ~ Exactly what I was thinking.

Sebastian ~ I should shower.

I put in my ear pods, clicking shuffle on my "Current Faves" playlist. This one changed all the time. Some never left the list. Recently there'd be an influx of happy love songs and sexy mood music. I think I even dozed off a couple of times. The closer I got the more butterflies were in my stomach. I was excited to see him, but a little nervous. I was going to his place. It would be different than surrounded by my stuff. I’m nervous about stupid stuff like where do I put my toothbrush, is it ok to look through the books in his extra room, what I do with my dirty clothes, and what if I get thirsty in the middle of the night? It's making me think back and wondering if I'd made him welcome... comfortable.

I took a cab from the train station, looking out the window at the city I used to call home. I wasn't familiar with where he lived so I watched the numbers on the buildings. His building from the outside looked like an old converted warehouse. The brick was red with a gray stone line between every floor. Looked about seven floors. He'd texted me the entry code and I hopped on the elevator to the fifth.

Sebastian opened his door so fast it was like he was standing beside it and I almost fell over. He was barefoot in ripped jeans and a Rutgers t-shirt. He held the door open with a hand high on the door. Add in the finger styled hair, bright blue eyes, and a smile that said he was happy to see me and he was the sexiest thing I'd ever laid eyes on. It was the barefoot part that got me. "I'm here."

#Sebastian Stan #sebastian stan fanfiction

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dat2ndaccount97 · 5 years ago

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Doll Inventory Part 17: My Backpack of Fixer upper Dolls

These are the Last of My Barbies, and they’re all the dolls I need to Clean up, Rebody, Reroot, etc. After this, either tomorrow or possibly tonight, is my box of Frozen dolls.

- 1st row Left side is my original 2013 Barbie in a Mermaid Tale 2 Merliah Doll. She’s Seen Better days. She’s actually on a different body, though her left leg came from her original body (it’s a long story). Also She currently has no face paint as I wiped it all off after a botched repaint attempt.

- 1st row Right side is One of the First barbies I ever Thrifted. IDK who she is, but I think I cut her hair at some point.

- 2nd row left side is a Fashionistas Ken doll I got back in 2018. I thought his face looked too plain and a little feminine, so I decided to draw some eyeliner and eye shadow on him to see how it would look. For whatever reason I only had a pen in time and didn’t wipe it off in time. He’s on the List of Dolls I need to destain.

- 2nd row Right side is an 80s ken doll, possibly Western Ken from 1980. He’s not really a fixer upper, I just happened to keep my ken dolls in the same backpack as my fixer upper dolls for a while, and since ie’s super wobbly and loose I just keep him in there.

-3rd row Left side is 2009 Birthday Barbie. I got her at a thrift shop, while missing her shoes and tiara she still had her original dress, currently being worn by another doll. She had her hair in a big elsa braid, which I eventually un did and later on cut. I cut it too short so I wanna eventually re root her.

- 3rd row Right side is a 2009 Barbie Fashionistas, possibly Glam but i’m not sure. Her hair was already cut and missing plugs when I got her. I decided I wanted to try to give her a short on one side long on the other side with bangs type of hair cut but it didn’t come out well. I also wanna re root her.

- 4th row Left Side my 2nd ever barbie I bought, or rather he head. She was a Ballerina Barbie with molded on clothes, had a cloth tutu, and a tiara, The Later 2 I still have. Her Leg eventually broke off at the peg one day for whatever reason. And when I did some house cleaning on all my barbie stuff in 2017 (another long story), I decided to ditch her body. I did cut her hair short and tried to give her bangs (I tried to give bangs to a lot of my dolls back in the day to mixed results), and honestly looking at it now It looks decent. I just need to style it a little

- 4th row Right side is my 4th Ever Barbie I ever got, a Barbie Fashionistas Swappin’ Styles Glam. I still have her body, it’s just being used by someone else in my main doll box who I felt needed it more. Long story short back in 2014 I decided I wanted this doll to be a brunette with short hair. I was initially (and stupidly) using a fine point sharpie Pen but got annoyed with how long it was taking and stupidly grabbed a regular sharpie. Her hair did look alright, but it horrible stained her face, except around her eyes, lips, and behind her ears. It’s been slowly going away over the years due to attempting to wash it off every once in a while. Her hair is starting to return to it’s natural color, and now she looks like she just has a bad sun burn. A definite improvement, so maybe she’ll be looking normal again sooner than later

- 5th row Left Side is a California Fun Midge who came with my junker Barbie Ferrari. She didn’t have a neck Knob and her legs were all spotty, and her body eventually broke so I got rid of it. I plan to rebody her at some point.

- 5th row rRght side was another thrift barbie I got right when I started doll thrifting. She had a body with a lever on the back that raised her arms, which I eventually got rid of. I was kinda indifferent on her face, and I recall her being a bit of a glue head so I eventually cut her hair. On the reroot list

- 6th row Left side is an 80s Barbie who’s hair I ended up cutting too short and eventually decided to reroot. When I finish the current yarn hair reroot she’s next in line for a reroot.

- 6th row Right side is another Doll who’s hair I cur, not too short, but rather a botched Bangs Job if I remember right. She’s currently in the process of a yarn hair reroot, but it’s taking forever (She has SO MANY Holes!)

#Doll Inventory #Doll inventory Part 17 #My Fixer upepr dolls #barbie #My Backpack of Fixer upper dolls #barbie in a mermaid tale 2 merliah doll #barbie merliah doll #my first doll #Barbie Fashionistas #Barbie fashionistas classic #Barbie Fashionistas Swappin' Styles #barbie Fashionistas swappin' styles Glam #2009 Happy Birthday Barbie #Western Ken #California Fun Midge #80s barbie #Dolls I need to reroot #dolls I need to rebody #dolls I need to clean up

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jeonsduck · 5 years ago

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Smoke and Mirrors pt 5

a/n: Y/N meets the guys

warnings: uhhh, fever symptoms, things get a lil steamy at the end

After the day you’d had, you fell asleep long before your usual bedtime, and well into the next morning. It was Sunday, so it’s not like anything mattered. Noodles was tucked under your arm and San had his arm thrown over your waist. You didn’t remember going to bed, but you probably passed out from emotional distress sometime last night between crying and kissing the man in your bed. You zoned out tracing the stylistic tattoo wrapped over San’s shoulder. It looked familiar, but you couldn’t quite place why. It was blurry in your eyesight and San shifted, humming in your ear.

“Y/N? Are you awake?”

You hummed an affirmative noise, which bothered Noodles, him meowing and hopping off the bed.

“How are you feeling today? You wanna tell me about what happened?” San asked, propping his head up on his palm.

He looked down at your, shadowy and muted in the cloudy light coming in from your window. His hand cupped around your waist, his thumb rubbing small slow circles into your skin.

“Jacob is dead.” you said plainly.

San’s eyebrows knit, leaning closer.

“The guy you went to dinner with earlier?” San asked for clarification.

“Yeah, we weren’t super close or anything, but we were friends at work, ya know? Kinda the only person in the whole office that wasn’t a total dick to me.” you explained, watching the ceiling fan go in circles.

“Your friend? You weren’t dating?” he asked.

You chuckled shaking your head.

“Nah, just friends. I think Jacob might have a had abit of a crush on me, but there wasn’t anything going on.” you confirmed.

San swallowed audibly, and sat up abruptly. He ran his hands through his hair like he was stressed out. You furrowed your eyebrows and sat up with him. It was your friend that died, so why was he so torn up. Suddenly, he pulled you into his arms, wrapping you up completely in a hug.

“Y/N, I’m so sorry…” he started, and you patted him on the back awkwardly.

“It's not your fault San. But thank you anyway. Thank you for taking care of me yesterday too.” you said, pulling back.

San smiled awkwardly, it not quite reaching his eyes.

“Of course, anything for you.” he says.

“Is it weird to ask you to leave? I want to be alone for a little while.” you asked and San nodded vigorously.

“Whatever you need. Call me if you need anything, I’ll always answer.” San said, and pecked you on the forehead before slipping out of bed.

You heard him say goodbye to Noodles and the front door shut and lock before you flopped back down on your bed. You spent a few more hours vegging out in bed before you finally dragged yourself out of bed. You cleaned the apartment in a daze and then put on some mindless TV with Noodles on your lap.

You took a shower and went to bed on time. You thought about taking time off from work, but who knows when Jacob’s funeral was going to be and it would dredge up the same emotions all over again. So you packed up all your sadness and angst and packed it away to deal with when the day came.

The next day you got dressed, fed Noodles, and San drove you to work. The bodyguards weren’t in the car, and you didn’t comment on it. The air in the car was stale and neither of you made the effort to make conversation. You had a bit of a sore throat and your back hurt. You were dozing off in the passenger seat and didn't even realize until San was shaking you awake at the office.

“Y/N, maybe you should take the day off…” he tried but you shook your head.

“I’ll be fine.” you brushed him off climbing out of the car.

For most of the day you were fine. You weren’t particularly sad or anything, just tired. You could look at some numbers, you didn’t need to waste your vacation time on this. Or so you thought.

The numbers on the ledgers kept swimming in front of your face and nothing was making sense. You tried to take your notes to the best of your ability, but nothing was making sense. You laid your head down against the table, closing your eyes and breathing hard. Colors flashed behind your eyelids and you felt light-headed. What the hell was going on?

You decided to take a quick breather with your head lying against the cool material of the desk, but it warmed up quickly, and somehow you got the idea in your head to lie on floor. When you stood up, you automatically became faint, your knees buckling and bringing you to the floor. You yelped and knocked down a few binders on the way down.

The noise of the heavy binders hitting the floor alerted Keran, and she came to check on you.

“Y/N? Are you okay?” she asked, helped you back into your chair. You caught sight of her tattoo again.

“You and San have similar tattoos.” you mumbled.

“Here, put your head between your knees, I’ll get San. And a glass of water.” she said, making sure you were stable before leaving.

San came rushing into the room a moment later, kneeling in front of you and taking your face in his hands. He brushed your hair from your face, trying to catch your eyes.

“Y/N? Can you hear me?”

You hummed an affirmative, nodding your head almost made you tip over.

“Here, boss.” Keran returned, handing San a paper cup of water for you. He held the drink up to your lips and you drank it quickly.

“Did you eat yesterday?” he asked and you nodded gently.

“Does your head hurt? What’s wrong?” San asked.

He sounded calm but was actually freaking out.

“My back hurts, and my throat is kind of sore. It’s hot.” you mumbled.

San realized that you were sweating profusely, but you still had your coat on. He quickly stripped it from you, pressing the back of his hand to your forehead. Then he cupped your neck with both hands, feeling your temperature.

“You’re burning up baby…” he said worried.

You were too out of it to react to him calling you baby, squinting at him as your eyesight blurred suddenly.

“Why’d you take my coat, s’cold now.” you muttered, swaying in your seat.

“Probably a bad fever, you should take them to the hospital.” Keran said, and it sounded like she was speaking underwater.

“Tell the guys to get the car.” San ordered, and scooped you up in his arms bridal style.

The change in position made you dizzy and you squeezed your eyes closed to fight off the nausea.

“You’re strong…” you commented out loud.

San chuckled, carrying you out to the parking lot. He buckled you into the back seat and called his doctor while the guards drove you to the hospital.

The next 72 hours passed in a general haze of colors, sounds, and smells. You recalled San feeding you some kind of soup, stumbling into the wall on your way to the bathroom, and lots and lots of Powerade.

“This is what you get for sitting out in the rain for 20 minutes like a goose.” San reprimanded, but you just sneezed on him in retaliation.

“That was on fucking purpose wasn’t it? Don’t pretend to be fever crazy now, you’re disgusting.” he whined, but you just rolled over and hid under the covers.

On the third day, you were more sane, and Jacob’s funeral was happening in the morning. You were still too sick to attend the service, and you would have felt out of place with Jacob’s family and close friends there anyway. San was nice enough to help you get dressed and drive you out so you could at least leave some flowers on his grave and say your goodbyes. He even brought a bouquet himself to put on Jacob’s grave. Purple hyacinths. After that you’d come back home exhausted from just that short trip outside and passed out.

When you were finally feeling well enough to go back to work on the fourth day, San hit you with some interesting news.

“I think you should meet the guys.” he says.

You look at him eyes wide in shock.

“Who? You mean your friends?” you asked.

“Yeah, is that weird?” he laughed it off, but rather awkwardly.

“I mean, a little. Why does it sound like I’m meeting your parents or something?” you chuckled to diffuse the tension but San just looked nervous.

“I mean, I know we can’t really do anything officially until you’re done with your investigation, but I thought maybe… maybe we had something going on between us but if I read that wrong-”, you cut him off before he could ramble any longer.

“No, you read it right. But yeah, we need to keep it professional until I finish this case.” you say.

“So, we can say it’s about the investigation if anyone asks. I just really want you to meet them without you being all nervous and jumpy. I have a lunch meeting with them on Friday if you want to tag along.” ho offers.

That sounds… nice. It’s probably a good idea to meet them in a setting that doesn’t absolutely terrify you. So you agree. If you were to pinpoint the exact moment your relationship with Choi San changed, this would be the moment. From then on, your relationship with San was purely unprofessional.

It was also another fatal mistake. You never should have met San’s other friends, letting the eight of them lull you into a false sense of security.

Friday came and you were nervous. Despite San’s assurances that they were really nice guys and that they’d love you, your mental images of his friends were still very dark, serious and scary. And just like when you first met San, they proved you completely wrong.

For one, Kim Hongjoong didn’t look like a hardened mafia boss. He looked like the type of person you would see backstage at a fashion show, running the event. He was dressed eclectically, and you noticed some similarities to San’s style. The faux fur coat gave him a large silhouette considering he was a short man. His fingers were all covered in large rings, his top was silk, and your were sure his pants were so tight, if he had a quarter in his pocket you’d be able to tell if it was heads or tails.

“You can blame San’s fashion literacy on me. He’s like a Barbie doll, he’ll wear whatever I throw at him.” Hongjoong said with a bright smile. Ah, so that explained it.

Park Seonghwa was a bit more striking, wearing all black and looking ab it like an angry storm cloud.

“It’s nice to meet you Y/N.” he said, shaking your hand.

“Don’t be so intimidated, Seonghwa’s a real softy, he just looks like that because he’s an Aries.” San whispered, and San whacked him on the shoulder.

“Shut up Sannie.” Seonghwa scolded and you looked at San with mirth in your eyes.

“Sannie?”

“He’s just being stupid. Here, talk to Mingi.” he said, pushing you towards the giant as he got into a spat with Seonghwa.

You looked at Mingi awkward without San’s hand resting comfortably at the small of your back.

“Hi, I’m Song Mingi, it’s nice to meet you.” he said, breaking into a bright smile.

You automatically relaxed. Despite the fact that Mingi was dressed like he’d just stepped out of the Matrix, he was a huge softie. His business partner Yunho appeared, and they kind of looked like complete opposites, with Yunho dressed in a fluffy sweater and Mingi decked out in leather.

San came back after you met Yunho, steering you to meet Yeosang. San had said he was kind of shy, which you could tell by the way he kept hiding behind his drink. He definitely didn’t look like the owner of multiple charities and jewelry companies. He looked like a fairy that wanted very much to be at home right now.

Then it was Jongho. He was dressed like a stereotypical athlete, joggers and a hoodie, even in such a nice restaurant. You were sure they had a dress code, but maybe if you coached three Olympic martial arts teams, you got a free pass to wear slides instead of real shoes. Honestly, Jongho was the most intimidating, but that was mainly because you’d seen him pick up a table and threaten Yunho not ten minutes prior to meeting him. He laughed when you stuttered out your introduction.

“Oh, I promise, I’m not the one you should be afraid of.” he says with a wink, sliding way before San can hit him.

“What was that about?” you ask but San just chuckles.

“He’s just joking. Come on I saved the best for last.” he says, leading you around the table.

The last one you meet is Wooyoung, San’s best friend. He smiles lopsidely when you approach, sweeping down into a bow and kissing the back of your palm.

“So you’re San’s latest obsession….. I can tell why he’s infatuated with you.” Wooyoung joked and San rolled his eyes.

“Quit playing around dude.”

Wooyoung laugh, his face breaking out into a full smile. He hugs San, and when his shirt rides up you catch a glimpse of an intricate black tattoo on his side. Maybe he and San have matching tattoos?

Lunch goes smoothly, with the boys teasing each other about inside jokes San explains into your ear. That being said, you’re not left out of the conversation at all. San has apparently been telling his friends a lot about you, and they have a lot of questions. You try to answer them all to the best of your ability but you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed. San must do or say something that tips them off, because they start toning it down.

Hongjoong is the only one to ask about the investigation, jokingly asking if you think they’re really triad members. You laugh along, saying that Jongho seems a little sketchy. It must be the right answer, because it earns you a round of laughter from the table.

After the meal while San is fetching your coats, Yeosang approaches you. You’re suprised, considering how quiet he is.

“Be careful with San. He can be pretty…. One-track minded when it comes to relationships.” Yeosang says.

“What do you mean?” you ask.

Yeosang shrugs, seeing San approaching you.

“He gets attached easily and quickly. Go slowly with him, or before you know it you’ll be moving way too fast.” he says, and walks away before San steps up behind you.

“Oh, Yeosang said something to you. Was he nice?” San asked, helping you into your coat.

“Uh, I guess?”

San smiled and booped your nose with his finger.

“Let’s get you home, hmm?”

Get you home turns into coming u for a coffee, which turns into watching Netflix which turns into making out on your couch, which turns into making out in your bed, which turns into tearing each other’s clothes off and pressing hot kisses into each other’s mouths, and sucking dark red marks on San’s neck as his fingers leave bruises on your hips. You gasp against San’s mouth and he groans in the prettiest way when you grind your knee up against the bulge in his slacks.

“Slow down, you don’t want to start something you can’t finish babe.” San hums.

The other night when you asked San to distract you, you’d stopped at heavy petting keeping it above the belt and PG-13. Tonight, there were no such boundaries and San seemed intent on making one thing very clear: you belonged to him.

#ateez #ateez san #san #choi san #san x reader #choi san x reader #ateez x reader #san scenarios #san imagines #san fanfic #ateez fanfic

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papipopsicle · 5 years ago

Text

BULLETPROOF HEART

Pairing: Billy Hargrove X Reader

Genre: angst and some fluff here and there

Summary: In which Billy's only saving grace in Hawkins is his witty neighbour with cotton candy hair. Y/N was sweet, with a soft touch and caring eyes- too bad she's got a boyfriend, and he's a real dick. AU where Billy has a different backstory than in S3.

Request: Could u do a Billy Hargrove x fem!reader where she is in an abusive relationship but he doesn't know bc she's always covering her bruises and cuts with makeup and clothes, until she arrives at his house all f*cked up? You choose the ending, thanks boo! @ghost-broccoli

Song: Sweet Creature by Harry Styles

Warnings: nothing so far

Words: 1.6K

a/n: fluffy beginnings means angst is to come...

feedback is always appreciated

Billy Hargrove had no idea what love meant. His mother had died in a driving accident eleven months ago. Maybe before that the four letter word held some kind of meaning- he'd never admit it, even back then, but she was his entire world.

But his father found no trouble in moving on, less than a month after the traumatic loss and Neil had a new girlfriend. It took three weeks for him to cheat on Susan Mayfield, and a further week for her to convince him to move their entire life to a dingy little town the other side of America. They were as bad as each other, they deserved to strangle one another with their venomous deceit and end up with nothing but hatred in their hearts.

Billy Hargrove didn't know what love truly meant anymore, but if it was an all consuming feeling of irrevocable passion and a want for someone to be truly happy, then he had found it seven months ago on his first day in Hawkins. Yet he did nothing about it, because she seemed happy in her own little world, but Billy would soon find out it wasn't only his father's appearance that could be deceiving.

"So you're the family moving into Mister Clarke's house?" Y/N called out with a small smile hanging from her lips, skipping down the steps of her porch and crossing the road to greet a boy with ringlet hair and olive skin. He seemed to be unloading a cardboard box from the boot of his navy Camaro, keys carefully balanced between his teeth.

"What?" The boy grunted in a muffled voice as he turned around, bored with the conversation already. Not even an hour into arriving in Indiana and he couldn't take another second of this shithole. His eyes were met with a cloud fogging up his vision, or rather, curls upon curls of long cotton candy pink hair bouncing towards him. Y/N grinned while he shimmied the box to take the metal object out of his mouth, "Yeah, I guess I am."

She wore a short white dress with little blue and pink flowers dotted all over it, knee-high grey socks and black combat boots- it seemed utterly bizarre, but without even knowing her, Billy thought it suited her vibrant personality. Cute.

Y/N slung a small pink bag over her shoulder and stuck her hand out, bright smile making the corners of her eyes crinkle ever so slightly. It was refreshing, rather than having puckered lips in his face and tits pushed so far up you couldn't even see a girl's collar bones, that she smiled with ease and had the most beautifully kind eyes his had met in the past four months.

"I'm Y/N Y/L/N, I live just across the road with my mum and little sister. So, are you going to be coming to Hawkins High? I'm a senior- you know, you might be the first new face I've literally ever seen. Well, apart from a newborn, of course." The girl retracted her hand after a few moments, realising both of his were preoccupied and she instead opted to brush some hair away from her face, which fell right back not even a second later.

"Looks like it." Billy smirked a little, letting a genuine smile fall to his features after a moment. He watched her feet bounce up and down a little and her bubblegum hair moved on que, "Billy."

"Well, Billy," Y/N tried to mimic his golden coast tinged accent, eyes racing over the neglected house behind him before returning to his well built figure, "I'm only a few seconds away if you ever need anything, apart from tonight."

"And where're you disappearing off to tonight then, bubblegum?" The Californian boy couldn't help but mirror her happy tone, finding her positivity overwhelming and infectious in the best kind of way. If it were anyone else, Billy would've started to get annoyed at their preppy attitude, but he simply wanted to protect her from anything bad the world could send Y/N's way. Boy, did that thought haunt him to look back on.

"I'm going on a date." She squealed, failing to hide her pure unadulterated excitement, "A first date, actually. He should be here any minute."

Y/N checked her watch and saw that Declan Harper was twelve minutes late to pick her up. Her lips pursed and she chewed at her bottom lip in thought, disappointment hidden behind her shiny eyes, and her mind raced to find any possible excuse. The girl hated being kept waiting- she always put in a conscious effort to be on time when meeting up with someone and when they didn't do the same it felt like she wasn't their priority. But she was certain Declan wasn't like that.

His eyes rolled playfully, catching sight of Y/N's pink glossed lips for two rather long seconds, "Have a great night, bubbles."

Billy sent the curly haired girl a wink, and turned to bring the box into the house he was meant to call a home from now on. Y/N wandered back over the road after telling him to have a great night settling in, sitting on the steps to her porch and glancing down at her watch again to see that more time had ticked by.

"Hey," The girl's head popped up again as Billy reappeared, crossing the road halfway with the first serious look she'd seen him wear, "come find me if he doesn't treat you like a princess, I'm only a few seconds away."

He mirrored her speech, sending a warm fuzzy feeling straight to her head. She ignored that the same feeling hadn't appeared when the basketball player asked her on a dinner date four days ago, and then again when she noticed his car approaching her house.

The night went by, Declan showed up with a small bouquet of yellow and orange flowers in one hand and an apology in the other. Y/N had a great night, pushing aside the twenty minutes of waiting when he made her giggle and blush at his compliments. She kissed him on the cheek goodbye, but just as she was about to open her front door he twisted her around and locked their lips with a passionate grip on her waist.

She let out a yelp, stumbling backwards in surprise only to find his hands steadying her against his toned body, deepening the kiss before finally setting her free. Y/N chuckled awkwardly, stuttering out a goodbye through burning cheeks and bruised lips.

The girl watched through her windows waving Declan off, moving to her mother's room to let her know she had a good time and was home safe before ten. Y/N began to feel flustered and hot, unable to breathe as she removed her make up. She swapped her girly dress for grey tracksuit bottoms and a bright pink sweatshirt reading 'Barbie' in white text.

My first kiss, Y/N though to herself. It wasn't what she was told as a child and imagined for the past ten years. There weren't any sparks or fireworks and there definitely wasn't a giddy spinning surge of happiness in her head. But that was probably just fairytales and fiction, it was nice enough and Declan seemed sweet.

Y/N tied her hair into a ponytail taming her lions mane, chugged down a glass of ice cold water and went to sit on the porch steps where she had been waiting at hours earlier. Her dad always used to yell it wasn't safe to sit there late at night, but nothing ever happened in Hawkins, other than Mister Clarke forgetting to check his post until midnight.

"So," a deep yet soothing voice called from what seemed like the indigo night sky.

"God?" Y/N whispered in disbelief, looking around to see a shadowy figure appear across the chewed up road.

"Girls have been known to call me that." Billy chuckled, his person dimly lit by the nearby street lamp. His new neighbour looked all too sweet sat on the bottom step of her porch, chin sat against her fleece covered knees, eyes almost glittering in the amber light.

"Shush, you cheeseball." She patted the empty step beside her "Come sit for a bit?"

For over an hour, Y/N Y/L/N and Billy Hargrove chatted about all kinds of nonsense. She told him about the date and her kiss, unable to hide her reservations from Billy that she hid so well from herself. But he didn't say anything, he let her pretend to be happy because, at least her smile was still beaming with hope.

Looking back on it, now with her fragile frame pressed up against his on the exact same steps. He never realised how tiny she was until now, small whimpers and hiccups jolting their body's with his hand pressed against the bloodied forehead he had kissed goodbye too many times.

If only he knew sooner it wasn't hope in her eyes, but the want for something so pure and honest that she never knew what love truly felt like. Declan warped her mind into believing this was love, that love hurt more than healed, and Billy blamed himself for all the torture this flawless soul had to go through.

part two?

Taglist:

@ilkaeliseb @florenceivy @annas-unicorun @astro-sweetheart @4everchrista @delicatelyherdreams @mautand @me-a-hopeless-romantic @buckysjuicyplums @fengarifood @lucyrocks86

Wanna be tagged?? Just send in an ask x

#fanfic #fanfiction #stranger things #stranger things fanfiction #billy hargrove #stranger things fanfic #stranger things imagine #billy hargrove fluff #billy hargrove imagine #billy hargrove fanfic #billy hargrove angst #billy x reader #billy imagine #billy angst #billy fluff #billy hargrove fanfiction #billy hargrove imagines #billy hargrove x reader

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lovelyhuntrcss · 5 years ago

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Ro Intro

〔BARBIE FERREIRA, TWENTY, CIS FEMALE,〕╰ ROSÀLIA “RO” CARVALHO just came over half - blood hill . you know , the CHILD OF APHRODITE / HUNTER OF ARTEMIS who was claimed FOUR years ago ? i've heard chiron say that she is INTELLIGENT & RESOURCEFUL , but if you ask the aphrodite kids , they'd say they're SARCASTIC & CLOSED OFF. i'd say they remind me of finding ones self, leather jackets, silver combat books, self love, disappointed looks from parents, a confident smile , especially since they're FOR THE NEW CABINS .

basics .

name : Rosàlia Carvalho.

nicknames : Ro

birth date : April 14, 2000.

gender : female .

pronouns : she/her .

ethnicity : Brazilian

nationality : American

hometown : New York, New York

demigod abilities : .Eternal Youth, Archery expertise, enhanced physical prowess, zoolingualism

cabin number & godly parent : Cabin 8, since she is a hunter of Artemis, but her godly parent is Aphrodite.

how did their godly parent meet their mortal parent?

Raúl Carvalho was a Brazilian fashion designer from New York. He was in France, the city of Love, for an internship with some top of the line designer. There was a model there named Amorette, who was beautiful, and Raúl found himself enraptured. 9 months later, outside his New York City Apartment, was a baby girl, no note, nothing.

Family Life: (tw: mention of fat shaming)

- Ro is Raúl’s only child and his model, so because of this, he didn’t want her to be “poisoned” by child/teenage nonsense. She was home schooled her entire life, and rarely went out, besides things her dad dragged her too.

- he often made comments about her weight, telling her she needed to be thinner and tried to often make her go on diets so she could “look better”.

- She doesn’t like her dad, and hasn’t spoken to him since joining the hunters.

- She left her father after a monster attack during a small photo shoot. Apparently, the photographer was a saytr and brought her to camp.

- When anyone brings up her father, she gets angry and ignores the subject. Most people who know her know not to bring him up.

muse appearance .

faceclaim : Barbie Ferreira .

height : 5’6”

hair colour : dark brown .

eye colour : black.

dominant hand : she is ambidextrous.

distinguishing features : She has a tattoo of a dragon on her upper arm.

dress style : She dresses in a comfortable grunge fashion. Lots of flannels, jeans, and either converse of boots. She spent too much of her life all dressed up, that now she likes to tone it down.

Camp related

go - to weapon : Her Bow and Arrow.

ambrosia : like a good cup of coffee, her favorite drink in the world.

favourite camp location : the arena or the woods. She spends a lot of time at the arena but feels peaceful in the woods.

their opinion of their godly parent : Okay so she doesn’t really like Aphrodite. She doesn’t really know her mom, like she has never met her, and her dad rarely talked about her. She definetely doesn’t like the expectations that got placed on her because Aphrodite was her mother. Now she sees Artemis as kind of that big sister/ motherly role, and she really respects Artemis, and values her opinion.

age they were claimed : She was claimed when she was 16, a couple months after she arrived at camp. how they were claimed : it wasn’t anything fancy really. She had been at camp for a couple months, chilling in the Hermes cabin when it happened. If she was being honest she wished it hadn’t.

stance on the new cabins : she is for the new cabins.

reason for their stance : She doesn’t believe that anyone should ever be made to feel like they don’t belong.

their opinion on lyssa pentelute : A lot of curse words is the first thing that comes to mind. She doesn’t like her what so ever, and wishes she would just leave everyone alone.

quests : She has gone on 2, a quick and easy one about 10 months after arriving at camp, pre becoming a hunter, and one after.

personality .

positive traits : Intelligent, Cunning, Resourceful, Bold, Courageous, Funny

negative traits : Closed off, Untrusting, Argumentative, Aggressive, Sarcastic, Snarky

- Ro tries to use humor to cover her nerves and insecurities. She is loud and proud, but find that humor is better than facing the things she still does not love about herself.

- she is very closed off with people she doesn’t know, and is very skeptical of people’s intentions. She seems to be a completely different person once she is around her friends.

- most of her life people have expected her to be something she wasn’t. She tried so hard to be what they wanted but fell short each time. Now she doesn’t try to anymore. If you don’t like her, she could care less. She likes her and that’s all that matters to her.

mbti : isfp-t The Adventurer

alignment : chaotic good

hogwarts house : gryffindor

kinsey scale : X. She has no interest in any form of relationship, sexual or romantic, and she is good with that. .

archetype : persona: The Joker, self: The Hero.

what candle scent are they : watermelon lemonade

goals & desires : Ro desires to be the best hunter she can be. She also desires for her dad to accept her for who she is, and to love her even though she isn’t what he wanted.

fears : she fears being rejected from the hunters, she fears going back to what her life once. She is scared of loosing herself. .

hobbies : she enjoys practicing with her bow and arrow. She likes to read. She likes to hang out with the other hunters. When she is really bored she likes to go to the woods and just explore, getting lost is half the fun.

habits : Some of Ro’s habits are nail biting, she wears a black rubber ring that she messes with when nervous or bored, like a stress ball. She has a bad habit of talking with her mouth full.

Wanted connections

- someone who came to her for romance advice, before she joined the hunters. She gave them really horrible advice, and this person is still pissed at her for how it ended.

- old friends. People that she met at camp when she first arrived, and each time she returns she always makes sure to catch up with.

- annoyances. She gets annoyed very easily, and is likely to get pissed. These people know how to push her buttons.

- unwanted attention. Someone that just won’t leave her alone, who keeps trying to talk to her.

- Quest buddies - people who either went on her first or second quest with her.

- nightly strollers. Whenever she is at camp, she likes to walk the edge of the woods before going to bed. She always seems to be joined by this person, they don’t always talk, but she doesn’t mind their company.

- ride or die. Her best friends. She would literally die for these people. They don’t have to be hunters.

#ambrosia:intro #ambrosia:task001 #tw: fat shaming #sorry this took so long to post!!

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alitheamateur · 5 years ago

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A Taste of Home-Chapter 5

Warnings: Language.

(I do not own any of the images used in this piece)

You stood back from him, dancing anxiously and shamefully on your feet, mulling over the pitiful train wreck he must think you are. He was chatting on his phone, you were too preoccupied to care about to whom, or what the call consisted of.

“Ok, so. I’ve got a car on the way since I was totally counting on you to be my ride back to ma’s house. But, in the meantime, gimme your phone.” He opened his hand, and gave you eager brows of demand.

You obeyed his obviously impatient ask, and handed over the nearly dead device, watching him swipe a thumb over the screen. He held yours in one massive hand, and his in the other, nodding back and forth between the two.

“Thank you very much.” He matter-of-factly thanked you, still never looking up but handing back your cellular.

His screen was hidden, and he was tapping rigorously at it, and suddenly you heard the robotic beeps of an outgoing Facetime call. Chris turned his hat backwards, maybe to take away its casting shadow over his face, and his eyes turned dark when the beeps stopped.

“What in the fu-“ You knew that voice on the other end. This would be so pleasantly bad….

“No, no. I talk, you get to shut that ugly fucking mouth.” Chris sarcastically closed his eyes and held up a wagging finger to the person on the receiving end of his call. “Now, I don’t know your name, nor do I give a shit. So, we’ll just call you the very appropriately given name in Millie’s contacts as shithead. Okay, shithead?”

You were horrified, and mortified, and hot, and confused like no drug could ever make you.

The man you once called your spouse made no peeps, undoubtably nearly drunk with confusion and questioning his current grip on reality.

“See, that bullshit, ya’ know, with Amelia’s car, that just doesn’t work for me. So, I thought I’d ask, no demand, as politely as my saint of a mother taught me how, that you reverse whatever little stunt you orchestrated. She was MY ride home this afternoon, and I don’t take too kindly to being left stranded in the middle of Boston. NOR, do I take kindly to any piece of worthless shit like yourself treating someone I care about as such.”

“Woah, woah. Let’s just wait a minute here. What in the hell do you have to do with Amelia?”

Chris’ teeth crunched together like gravel under an 18-wheeler, and like a mood ring, you could see his face illuminate the same red of his boiling internal anger.

“Chris, it’s fine, okay? Let’s just let it go.” You sought out his arm to fiddle with the phone, hoping you could disconnect the interaction with the ‘end’ button.

“Wait, is she… is she there? Amelia?”

“Yes, she’s here, you imbecile. We were having a perfectly nice afternoon, and your smug little fuckin’ face had to crash it all the way from Texas. Millie never mentioned she and I were old friends, huh? Well, how’s that for a surprise, you smug shit.”

“Now, I see what this is all about. Mill had to run to her rich friend and beg for a little money, did she? If only her precious little blog hadn’t tanked, maybe she’d be standing on her own two feet. Do yourself a favor, Mr. Evans. Leave her right where you found her, and keep moving. A man like you doesn’t need a girl like Millie, we both know that.” Your ex drawing at straws attempted very foolishly to buddy up with Chris, playing the ‘we’re men, and we think alike all the time’ card. You certainly agreed with him though. Chris didn’t belong anywhere near you, and for the life of you, none of his kindness made any sense.

Your chin dropped like a beaten, timid dog whose owner mistreated him when no one was looking. Chris cleared his throat, and raised your eyes to his. He spoke at Ben, looking directly into your tear-rimmed eyes.

“This woman is so beyond your fuckin’ league, you rotting piece of trash. She’s talented, witty, fun as hell, and lightyears too beautiful for any to disregard.” He turned a cheek towards the phone, and you heard Ben audibly gulp. “And if…. This is your last warning, you fucker. If you don’t turn that tow truck around and have her car back here in one piece within the hour, you’ll answer to me. I’m not usually one of those assholes to play the celebrity bit. But ohhhhhhh, Benny Boy. We both know that I can absolutely ruin you within minutes.” He hung up as a punctuation to the very real threat, Ben’s hands tangled in his hair.

Hearing the loyal, threatening, protective way he had so thoughtlessly jumped to your defense without hesitation erupted your pupils with need to thank him. But not in the way that a friend would thank another friend. Or, the way that would be appropriate for the middle of the street in broad daylight. Never. Not even your once husband who had made a fucking career out of coming to an individual’s defense, had ever swept in to preserve your honor as such. You couldn’t capture his tongue, or jump his bones out of appreciation, but you needed to touch him. You needed to convey with action what words just couldn’t justify. So, you settled for a smothering, waist clenching bear hug. Connecting your cheek to his stone chest, you squeezed him. Squeezed him and smelled him, but hopefully he didn’t catch on to the sniff you gave his t-shirt.

“Thank you. You meathead asshole, you.”

His chuckle rumbled into your ear as he reciprocated your embrace, rubbing calm hands up and down your back. “Take note, Mills. I expect you speak up for yourself like that the next time that worthless shitbag pulls something like this. I know you’ve got quite the mouth on you, Calvert. Tell that fucker where to shove it. You hear me?”

Your chin perched just below his perfect peck as you looked upward to him smiling down at you. He ‘booped’ your nose curtly, then playfully knuckled a noogie atop your already matted hair.

“Ay, Ay, Captain…” Your cheeks puffed with the withholding of a hearty laugh.

“You’ve had that one on cue, haven’t you…” Chris rolled his eyes with knowing sarcasm.

A dark sedan with impossibly black windows suddenly wheeled next to a parking meter just down the way from the pair of you, and his phone buzzed in unison.

“That’s our car, you asshole.” He lovingly shoved you away. “Get in before I make you walk home in those shoes.”

“How very un-captain of you, Evans. I’ll be speaking with your agents about such lack of chivalry.” You playfully punched his arm, and smiled when his feet bumbled beneath him.

“There’s that smile, Calvert. I’m telling you….”

…

Your business meeting with Chris’ connection had came and went without a hitch, and now, only 3 days later, you were stepping off your flight towards baggage claim at LAX.

The shoot would be held somewhere in the Malibu hills, and you’d been informed your styling would be for both male, and female models. It was a collection announcing a breakthrough designer from London, so once you learned his identity, you delved into the world wide web for exploration.

A car was waiting just as expected to pack yourself and your suitcase to a suite at some swanky beach spot near the water where you’d be sleeping the next 3 days. There would be the shoot this afternoon, the edits tomorrow, and the editor of the magazine had simply gifted your third day as a gesture to her friendship with Chris. You were certainly not in Kansas, or Boston anymore, and this was truly your first taste of real success in the world of fashion. All thanks to the mysterious kindness of your generous friend.

When you unloaded your wheeled suitcase from the trunk of the car service at the gates of your hotel, you could’ve drooled with envy. It was bright, and airy, and tastefully large, and you were now more so eager to investigate the extravagance of your suite.

Checking in, a bellboy carefully took the bags from your hand, ushering you into the elevator destined for the 25th floor where another member of staff waited beside your room door with a fizzling mimosa. Tipping the both of them, you latched the door behind you and turned into the window-front view of your home-away-from-home. It was perfectly decorated with whites, and sandy creams, and flowing drapes. The king mattress crisp with plush sheets, and a balcony fit for royalty called your name.

Upon your quizzical assessing around the room, you became pleasingly distracted but a healthy bouquet of creamy alabaster orchids on your counter next to a folded piece of cardstock.

Hope your flight wasn’t unbearable.

Enjoy yourself. You’ll be amazing, I know it.

There may be another surprise later in your day….

Oh, and check your phone when you arrive.

Chris

Following his vague direction, you pulled your phone from the pocket of your purse, clicking the button to reveal a text from the very man in question. It was a playlist titled ‘Malibu Barbie’ with a message attached:

C: Wear sunscreen when you go to the beach. Blast this playlist marvelously put together by mwah, and always, always drink before 10 a.m. Only in Malibu, baby.

Scrolling over the array of music, you smiled at the presence of songs such as ‘Hot Child in the City, Malibu by Miley, of course, Soak up the Sun, and a welcomed repetition of Ellie Goulding, your favorite. But, how would he know? You banked it as another of the slightly creepy, but always flattering ways of one Chris Evans.

After finishing the perfectly portioned morning cocktail, topping a wicker hat obviously appropriate for the beachy climate, you checked your watch and called for the return of your car. You’d gotten to appreciate the balcony view for a brief moment of downtime, but planned to wind down with a good read later tonight and hopefully catch the sunset.

The studio where you were scheduled to shoot was quaint, and very minimally adorned with props so the focus would only be on the undoubtably beautiful designs you were to highlight. The same woman, Tess, who you had met with days ago welcomed you as you climbed the stairs to the dressing area.

“There’s our girl. How was your flight, Amelia? You look rather rested.” She kissed each of your cheeks.

“I think it’s only the glow of adrenaline you see, but thank you anyway!” You surveyed the room of cameras, and makeup chairs, and light bars. “Again, thank you so much for the opportunity!”

“No need, love. Your work speaks for itself. Now, let’s get up to the dressing room and meet your models, shall we?”

Tess tucked her arm into yours, making you feel strangely… in place, in this world of fashion and editorials, as you had longed to.

She pulled you into a brightly lit room, unpainted brick walls lined with racks, upon racks of lavish fabrics. There were shoes in every color, belts of any length, and hats for every occasion.

“Now, you’ll be working with a male, and female model today, as the designer is trying his hand at menswear this season. So, wait here, mosey around a bit, and I’ll bring them in.”

You walked the hangers, brushing a hand over the variety of velvets, and suedes, and leathers, and tulle. You let yourself have a bit of a giddy fit knowing Tess had briefly left you to yourself, impulsively squealing and bouncing reservedly from one foot to the next.

“I won’t tell anyone about that little dance for a price…”

Surely. No, surely not.

Propped in the door, all casual and handsome like nobody’s business with his hands smashed into the pocket of his acceptably tight jeans, one sneaker crossed over the other. His eyes seemed a bit puffy with the early hour, and his dirty yellow shaded hair climbing in all directions.

“You followin’ me, Evans?” You narrowed your eyes in skepticism, dropping your purse on the floor by a chair before slowly drawing nearer to him.

“If I say yes, would you be flattered of afraid?”

He pulled your hand to swipe you into a hug, uncharacteristically kissing your hand.

“A friendly helping of both, of course.” You meekly let yourself blush. “Seriously though. What’s going on?”

“Well,” he found his way to sit on the sofa beneath the window. “I thought you might be all nervous, and clumsy, and well… predictably Millie about today, so I figured I could be your model. It will be good for Tess and the magazine, plus, I thought having a friendly face around would make you feel a little more at ease. I had a couple days so I thought, “why the hell not, Chris’”.

It made sense in its own way, but you still couldn’t fathom what made him fly all the way out here with his schedule the way it is. He only had a week or so left in Boston before he leaves for filming, why did he mess with the hassle of a two-day trip across the country?

“And I mean, come on? You know I’m a damn good muse, Mil.” Chris winked.

“I’m just concerned how any of these clothes are gonna cover you, beefcake. You’ll rip through every shirt I put on you.” You retorted, winding up and down, back and forth around the racks.

“I could always just do the whole thing in the nude. Wear a pair of the guys shoes, or something.” He cocked his head nonchalantly in that smug, but mind-blowingly sexy way.

The shoot went almost entirely without a hiccup, and the only little snag you did hit was your female model getting a little too handsy with Chris all afternoon. You weren’t at all going for anything risqué, or romantic in any manner of the word, and although every piece of fabric you put on her looked annoyingly flawless, it took way too long to get her to settle her hormones.

The designers every creation was constructed like the perfect masterpiece, making your job for the day a cinch, and you hoped when he flew in tomorrow to approve the final photos that you’d done him justice with your styling.

“I think that might be a wrap, guys and girls.” Tess clapped, tucking her water bottle in the crook of her armpit to free her hands.

The room followed suit, and clapped and hooted, murmurs of ‘thank you’s’ and other flattering filled your ears.

“Tess, wait. Hold up a second, everybody. I have one little suggestion, if I may.” Chris weaved through the crowd towards his editor friend.

“Let’s hear it then.”

He looked to you, shit eating grin already capturing his face.

“Amelia, our amazing stylist, is too peculiarly beautiful to not get in front of that camera for at least one shot. Am I right?”

Every member of the crew immediately followed Chris’s eyes as his smile fell in your direction.

“Oh no, no, no. I’m definitely a behind the camera girl, Chris. Kourtney did an amazing job, we got more than enough shots for today.” You protested, trying to inconspicuously locate the nearest exit.

“I think he may be right about this one, Amelia. As much it pains me to give this fool any credit at all.” Tess marched towards you. “Let’s head into the dressing you. I think I may have a suggestion as to what you should try on…”

You staggered an uneasy line re-entering the bustling set of photographers, styled at the very capable hand of the publication’s editor-in-chief. You couldn’t break apart the spellbinding crush your eyes suddenly had on your bare feet as the chatters about the room decreased to murmurs.

“You are a vison, gorgeous! Mr. Evans knew what he was talking about, clearly!”

The photographer boasted as Tess escorted you in front of the bleached plainness of white backdrop. His praises were able to miraculously capture your attention, and your pupils to his, finding an observing Chris standing at his side.

His blue-flamed stares were categorically forceful, and accidentally intrusive. His face read blank on one hand, but you could almost see the penetrating waves oozing from him if you tilted your head just right, and squinted hard enough. He was deep in thought with either captivated admiration, or robust disgust at you in your state of very foreign glamour compared to how he’d seen you as of recent. Your throat contracted in a gag analyzing his batting eyes, and arching brows.

You kept your theatrics and posing to an appropriate minimal, careful not to take away from the calm beauty of your ensemble, and you were able to somehow, with bold effort, let yourself do your job acceptably despite your most handsome audience member.

“Fuck.”

Chris covered the laughing lines of his mouth as Paul turned the camera toward him, seeking a second opinion on one of your shots.

“It’s stunning, Mil. I swear to you. You look absolutely phenomenal.”

Paul motioned you over, in clear agreement with Chris, to reveal the already selected shot for the spread. The captured view of your marvelously bold, sharp-turned jaw elicited a baffling gasp from you.

“I think that’s really a wrap, folks. A beautiful one, might I add.” Tess announced.

Chris swooped in to crush you into embracing arms, gifting a prolonged kiss to the crown of your unusually tamed head. He seemed almost more contented than you were with todays turn of events, and never had anyone ever made you feel so, so accomplished.

“As fucking gorgeous as you look right now, how about you go get changed, yeah? I’m taking you to dinner tonight. Seems we’ve got some celebrating to do, superstar.” His muffled, wet whispers demanded the attention of every hair on your body as goosebumps began spreading like wildfire. A kiss behind the curve of your ear to the typically untouched spot made you want to sing out like the tabernacle choir.

TAGS: @eap1935 @miidailyinspiration @mollybegger-blog

#Chris Evans #chrisevans #chris evans x ofc #chris evans fanfiction #fanfiction #fanfic

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tilltheendwilliwrite · 6 years ago

Text

Of Blood and Roses

Chapter Twenty-Six

Master List | Loki Laufeyson Master List

Previous Chapter

Pairing: Loki x Lauren | Word Count: 7070 Warnings: language, mentions of spousal abuse

Lauren rested her head on her arms as she leaned against the edge of the pool in the bathroom. The twins had left her to soak after her morning exercise with Sif.

She’d fallen asleep on Loki last night in the garden, unbelievably tired after their magical dance, and woken up in their bed with her husband already up and dressed in much more formal clothing than usual. As he was standing in for Thor today, he’d thought it appropriate, and though he longed to linger over breakfast with her, duty called.

It was the first time in a week they hadn’t eaten together. Though Lauren understood, she still sighed after he left, leaving her in the capable hands of the twins. As she’d slept in thanks to the previous night's exertions, she missed her morning yoga but took the time to teach Anitra and Anneke a few beginner moves to warm and stretch the body first thing in the morning.

They’d giggled and groaned their way through it, lamented the skirts which continued to get in the way and made Lauren bite back many a snicker at the way they teased one another. Already she adored them, and though they were a few years younger, she knew she could count them as friends and confidants should she need them.

After, though flushed and a touch sweaty, the twins helped her find her way to Sif in the same training hall she’d used the previous day, but Sif was in a less than conciliatory mood. It was clear Thor leaving her behind to go off to Vanaheim without her left her disconcerted, and though Lauren wanted to tell her why Thor had insisted on going alone, she didn’t want to give up the surprise. Instead, she’d asked Sif to push her harder than Hogun had done, and after falling off the poles more times than she wanted to count, she’d asked for a reprieve and ended up sparing with the woman instead.

Lauren’s bruises had bruises, but a few of the things Nat and Bucky taught her had come in handy. No, she couldn’t climb a person and wrap her thighs around their neck like Natasha could, but one particular leg swipe had succeeded in putting Sif on her ass. Unfortunately, it hadn’t helped Sif’s mood and only affirmed for her that Lauren had been holding back.

Everything ached from her toes to her fingertips to the top of her head. But where before Lauren had walked away feeling down on herself for her lack of success, Sif’s encouragement, and then Fandral’s when the scoundrel had arrived unannounced, had her feeling hopeful. No, she wasn’t going to be able to take on Thor and win, but one day, maybe, she would at the very least give him a run for his money.

She had time. That’s what they kept telling her. She had time. Years. Centuries. Her lifetime had extended exponentially. She would get stronger, faster, smarter. Such was the way of Asgard.

Lauren still had a hard time believing it, but neither Sif or Fandral came off as false. Their encouragement was genuine, and while Natasha had never been discouraging, Lauren’s mindset during the training was still that of the abused, insecure woman who’d run away from her problems.

Now, though she had moments of doubt, Lauren knew she wasn’t all the horrible things her sister had claimed her to be. She was strong. Smart. Independent. Her kindness and compassion didn’t make her weak. Here, on Asgard, they appeared to be things people applauded as strengths.

It made her feel… strangely proud for once, and as she’d said to Loki last night, Asgard felt like home.

When the twins returned a few moments later, Lauren smiled at them. “Do y’all know what Loki’d be up to about now?”

“The court is open for petitioners today. It begins a few hours before the midday meal and continues through to well into the afternoon.”

“So long? No wonder he whined about it a little.” When they came to the edge of the pool, towel in hand, Lauren ascended without really noticing. They’d added something fragrant with mint to the bath which had done wonders on her sore muscles. It had also reduced the large black and purple welt on her hip to the yellow-green of a nearly healed bruise. “Y’all really have the best stuff here,” she giggled and lifted her arms when they wrapped her in a towel.

“Are you hungry, Lauren?” Anneke asked, already working to dry the water from her hair even as Anitra led her to sit on the bench in the center of the room.

“Not really and everythin’ hurts a lot less after that bath.” She hesitated a minute before looking at Anneke reflected in the mirror. “I’d… kinda like to see what Loki’s up to, but he didn’t ask me if I wanted to watch, and I’m not sure I’m invited-”

“Of course you’re invited!” the elder twin gasped.

Anitra nodded her agreement. “If he didn’t offer, it was likely because it can be tedious, boring, and downright stuffy. Mother made us all sit through at least one round of petitions so that we would be aware of the duty placed upon the people we would eventually serve.”

“Well, it’s unlikely I’ll ever have to do that.” Lauren shrugged, missing the exchange which took place between the twins.

“If you are going to visit the court, we’ll need to rethink your outfit. ‘Ne, the black and gold brocade?” Anneke asked.

“Oh! Yes! We were just saying how wonderful you’d look in that!” Anitra darted out the door.

“Y’all don’t have to go to all that trouble. I just want to sneak in and watch from the back, not parade down the golden mile.”

Anneke frowned at Lauren’s reflection. “Lady Lauren, if you think for one moment your husband won’t know your there or the people won’t notice your presence, you’re wrong.”

“Oh… then, maybe I shouldn’t bother. I don’t want to interrupt.”

“Nonsense!” Anneke crouched to retrieve the bottle of oil from her basket beneath the bench. “You’re going.”

A smile pulled at Lauren’s lips. “Yes, ma’am. Though it seems a bit silly to get all dolled up for this when I’m just gonna have to come back and change into ridin’ clothes at lunch.”

Anitra scoffed as she returned to the room. “We live for this! If you wanted to change six times a day, we would never complain.”

“Y’all are turnin’ me into a Barbie,” Lauren giggled.

The twins paused and blinked before frowning at Lauren. “What’s a Barbie?”

***

Dressed, made up, and thoroughly pampered, Lauren ran her hands down the front of the court outfit the twins had chosen in a little a bit of awe. After explaining what a Barbie was as best she could without pictures, it became clear the twins had grown up with something similar. They’d called it a Borghildr, and she’d been a battle maiden who they could dress in different styles of armour or costume depending on a person’s mood.

When Lauren asked if they’d had other such toys, the girls had gushed about the variety of models based on the gods and goddesses of Asgard. Frigga and Odin, Thor, Loki, Ran, Freya, and the others, though they were more for decoration and collectables than playing with, which was how Lauren had discovered that she would one day grace the shelves of some child’s bedroom.

Stunned and not a little disconcerted, she’d shyly asked the twins to keep an eye out for when it happened. Lauren would kind of like to see it, even if it made her a bit nauseous at being lauded in such a way.

Anneke and Anitra assured her it wouldn’t happen until her place on Yggdrasil was announced, so it would be a while yet.

Lauren decided it would be prudent to ignore the information as thinking about it would only make her crazy. Instead, she took a last look at herself in the mirror. The black dress moved like chiffon, light and airy around her. It’s v-neckline hinted at her cleavage while allowing her torque to gleam brightly against her skin. Sheer sleeves complimented the gold embroidery in the medallion on her back and the hem which skimmed the ground. In all honesty, Lauren had thought herself finished when the twins had turned with the floor length black coat. It was brocade, thickly worked with gold designs of curlicues and filigrees, flowers and leaves. It reminded her of the blue one Loki had created for her their first day here, apparently a standard of Asgardian wear.

While black wasn’t a colour Lauren typically wore, finding the harshness often washed her out, mixed with the thick strands of gold and the work the twins had done to her face, she thought the ensemble made her look strong and confident, or maybe she was just beginning to feel that way herself.

With her hair beautifully braided down her back and Frigga’s thin tiara on her brow, Lauren made her way out into the sitting room only to slow to a stop and frown at the four cases waiting on a table. “What are these?”

The twins giggled excitedly and skipped over to lift the lids on the first two. “The goldsmith Clareon sent these two. He heard from Ingrid, who made this,” Anneke lifted the lid on the third to reveal the costume Lauren admired from their walk during the festival, “how much you’d appreciated his work, but you hadn’t made it to his store, so he sent a sample for you to look over. Anything you want, he’s asked you to keep as a gift for your wedding.”

“Oh! Oh, I couldn’t!” But the glint of the gold jewelry was like a siren’s call, drawing her toward the beautiful sheen within the case. “And what’s this doin’ here?” she asked, placing her hand on the costume.

“The prince bought that for you. Ingrid said something about the prince and the king conspiring behind your back.”

“Those two little shits,” Lauren murmured, but couldn’t help stroking her fingers over the fabric.

Anitra gave a sharp gasping giggle of surprise and covered her mouth. “Well, I think that’s the first time I’ve ever heard someone refer to the king and his brother in such a manner.”

“I can almost guarantee their mother said it at least once.” Lauren arched a brow, then glanced at the final case. “So what’s in that one?”

“It’s from Duncan, the glass smith.”

Lauren’s heart jumped, and her hand shook as she reached for the latch on the final case. Lined in deep blue velvet, a pair of glass orbs waited. One was a soft pink with drips of peach, while the other appeared the yellow and orange of a pretty flower. Gently, she plucked out the yellow one. As soon as she touched it, the colours came alive and swirled in soft clouds and curls. Lauren held it in her palm and watched it for a moment before returning it to the case. When she lifted out the pink, the colours shifted and moved like a sunrise, rolling one over the other.

A tear tracked her cheek. “Gran is gonna love these so much.”

“No, no! No, crying!” Anneke fanned her face. “You’ll make me cry.”

“Okay.” Lauren sniffed and placed the orb back in its case. “I’m fine.” She looked up at the ceiling and fanned her face too. “Really. Totally fine.”

Anitra cleared her throat and motioned toward the first two cases. “Clareon is renowned for his work. I think that your notice and admiration, then Loki buying Ingrid’s design prompted him into putting this together. He doesn’t do that.”

“Ever,” Anneke agreed.

“He’s a dwarf from Nidavellir,” Anneke explained. “They made your crown. There truly is nothing that can compare to Dwarven created jewelry.”

Lauren moved closer and felt her heart skip a second time at taking in the beauty before her. “Oh, my stars.” Rings, bracelets, and earrings shimmered upon their black velvet lining. Multifaceted jewels caught the light and shot fire from their hearts. Each was a master of such craftsmanship they took Lauren’s breath away.

But one pair of earrings, in particular, caught her notice. Emeralds so dark a green they were nearly black crowned gold curls surrounding diamond triangles and leaves above a dangling golden disc with a thumbnail-sized diamond teardrop.

“Oh, my lady!” Anneke gasped. “Those are stunning!”

“But I shouldn’t. They've gotta be so expensive.”

Anitra shook her head. “They are, but he wouldn’t have sent them if he didn’t want you to choose them.” She lifted the earrings from their bed and held them up. “They’ll be perfect with your dress.”

“You’re sure this is alright?”

“Lady Lauren, you could take the entire case, and no one would think twice. Though Clareon may send your husband a bill if you do.”

She blushed and shook her head. “Oh, I couldn’t. They’re beautiful, but I’d feel so guilty doin’ somethin’ like that.” Instead, Lauren took the earrings Anitra held and put them on. “How do I look?”

“Perfect,” the twins said at the same time.

“After I peek in on Loki, I’d love to write Mr. Clareon a note thankin’ him for his generosity.”

The twins stared at her in shock. “Really?”

“Well, yes. Why? Is that weird?”

“No! Not at all.” Anitra and Anneke exchanged a look. “We’ll show you to your study after you visit the court.”

“I have a study?” Lauren blinked at them both.

“And a parlour.”

“And a keeping room.”

Lauren could only stare. “I’m sorry. A what?”

“A keeping room.” Anneke waved her hands. “We’ll show you after you visit the court. We haven’t done so yet because the court will assume you’re ready to receive guests.”

“I’m not? Is there somethin’ wrong with me?” She wasn’t sure whether or not to be upset by that assumption.

Anneke’s eyes widened. “No! That wasn’t at all what I meant!”

Before her sister could stick her foot further in her mouth, Anitra stepped in. “We weren’t sure you’d want to receive guests and visitors when you were still so new to Asgard. The prince has spoken of getting you a tutor to help you learn our ways, and we thought you’d like to have a few lessons first before, well, the horde descends. But after last night and how you handled Nesper and his milksops, you’ll likely be fine.”

“And, we’ll be with you should you have questions,” Anneke assured her.

Lauren nodded slowly, understanding their concern. “I still don’t get the difference between a parlour and a keepin' room.”

“Well, your study will be your private space where you can receive messages and answer queries. The parlour is a place you can go to mingle in a less formal capacity with the ladies and gentlemen of the court, but the keeping room is a place you can meet those who wish to speak with you privately.”

“Ah. I see,” Lauren said, following the twins as they headed for the door.

“Still, even during a private audience, you’ll have your assistant with you.”

“I have an assistant?” How weird was that? Lauren hadn’t even met them yet.

Anitra nodded. “You will, once you choose one.”

Lauren shook her head. “I’ve been a personal assistant for four years. Never imagined I’d have one.”

“Depending what the Norns reveal about your place on Yggdrasil, you may need one,” Anneke said.

As the twins weren’t yet privy to what Loki suspected, and Lauren wasn’t about to spit it out in the middle of the hall where anyone could overhear, she let it go and let the girls lead the way to the court. But when they headed toward the same enormous doors Loki and Lauren had used previously, Lauren stopped.

She blushed and played with her rings. “Um, is there a way y’all could take me ‘round the side? I just… I don’t want to interrupt if he’s busy.”

They giggled but nodded, and led her down a side hall, through a regular sized door, and back into the vast throne room where quite a few people milled about, but not nearly as many as when she’d last been there.

Quietly, the three of them made their way forward to stand near a pillar and watch.

***

Loki despised these tediously boring proceedings. Ninety percent of the time, they were people complaining about things that didn’t need Thor’s, or in this case his, input. They were simply too inept to make the decisions on their own and wanted someone they could cast blame upon if whatever answer they were given didn’t work out as they hoped.

Still, it was part of ruling Asgard and if Thor wanted him to assume the duty, for the moment, he would. That didn’t mean he’d enjoy it, and after the morning he’d been having, he wasn’t in the mood to put up with much.

“If you continue to scowl in such a way, no one will want to approach the throne,” Volstagg said, joining Loki on his march through the throne room.

“It has been a shit morning,” Loki growled. “I left my wife warm and soft in our bed to find a stack of letters growing on my desk. Half of those appear to be written in response to my return to Asgard, all claiming I am unworthy of a second chance at happiness, but none are address with the sender's names, the cowards. It seems I’ve upset more people than previously assumed.”

“Fuck them.” The large man grunted and waved a dismissive hand. “Your Ástvinur is all the proof you need to discredit the naysayers. Throw those out and ignore them.”

He’d planned on just that, but it didn’t mean it annoyed him any less. Yet, it was the second half of the letters he was angry about. “It is the others which disconcert me. Questions as to why sons and daughters sent to Asgard for training in seiðr are being sent home with destroyed hopes and dreams.”

“What?” Volstagg frowned.

“I have yet to understand it myself. Those who are tested should be kept and trained to whatever strength their seiðr allows. Instead, they are being turned away. I don’t understand it, but I will.” Already he’d sent a raven to Svengil, Ellie’s helper, to see if the boy had suffered the same treatment. “I’ve requested three of the children return for subsequent testing. Ones I will conduct myself. Until then, I will keep this information secret.”

“Hm. It appears our Teacher is taking liberties she has not been afforded.”

“Agreed,” Loki murmured. “But until I can prove it, I cannot say anything.”

“You will figure it out.”

In a surprising turn of events, Volstagg’s faith helped offset some of his bad mood, right up until Loki arrived at the foot of the throne. He stared up at it in all its golden splendour and something rolled in his stomach. The idea of it, of sitting in that seat had once been all he could think of, but now…

He turned away and waved a hand, sending magic streaming outward. Between one heartbeat and the next, a desk and ornate chair appeared at the foot of the stairs.

“Loki?” Sif asked, appearing from the shadows as the hall began to fill. “What are you doing?”

“Standing in for Thor. Or rather, sitting.” He moved past the two warriors, nodding to Fandral when he too appeared and sat behind the desk. “Lauren is returned to our chambers?”

“I delivered her there myself. She did well this morning, but I worked her over hard. What is all this?” Sif asked, frowning as she arrived at his side.

“I have no desire to sit up there. Not anymore.” Loki waved to Ulrik, who oversaw these proceedings, to tell the man to begin.

He scurried forward, clearly surprised by Loki’s chosen position, but kept his opinion to himself as he delivered a stack of documents. “Prince Loki. When you’re ready.”

Loki stared at him in exasperation. “Do I look as if I am not ready, Ulrick?”

And thus began the most incredibly boring hour of his life since returning to Asgard. Not even the meeting of Thor’s council had been this tedious, full of droning dullards and their petty non-issues. Land disputes between inferior lords, requests for extensions on taxes when Loki had only to look at the waiting man in all his finery to know without a doubt he lied about not having the finances.

Of course, a few people grumbled about the fact he was seeing them rather than Thor, but when the first of the complaints puffed himself up and muttered about returning another day, Sif on his right and the warriors two on his left made it abundantly clear Thor had personally asked Loki to take on this task. Then, because he was feeling petty, Loki informed the man if he chose to withdraw his place in today’s petitioners, he would not be added back to the list for six months.

Gerard turned a lovely shade of puce but finally got to the point. Luckily for him, the petition placed before Loki was one he found merit in and granted the man permission to renovate what had once been the old barracks on the outskirts of Asgard to be repurposed into a theatre space for the Arts. It appeared to surprise the man, but then people had forgotten he was the God of Revelry long before he was the God of Mischief.

It sent a murmur of approval through the watching court, and Loki dismissed the man with a wave and a request to see the plans for the new building once Gerard had them in place. The idea of having Loki as a patron evidently sat better with the man than that of having him rule on the request in the first place, for Gerard bowed deeply and spouted off in a flurry of flowery prose the likes of which made Loki roll his eyes and look beseechingly up at Sif.

She had only to arch her brow and step threateningly toward Gerard to send the man scurrying away with a babble of thanks and praise for Loki’s wisdom.

Loki’s wisdom was the only thing keeping him from playing tricks to keep from being so damned bored. But, as he was Thor’s stand-in, he assumed that would be a bad idea.

Then, the soft scent tickled his nose. Quiet steps across polished floors filled his ears. The drag of skirts whispered on the air, and he turned unerringly toward Lauren. She stood hidden to one side, her hand resting upon a stone pillar while the twins appeared her ever-present shadow. They’d dressed her for court and though he hadn’t expected her to come, hadn’t thought she’d want to, seeing her as she was made his heart kick and his loins tighten.

They’d painted her eyes with gold and lined them with kohl, attaching lashes of stunning length. The green of her irises were so vibrant, he could see the emerald of them at a distance. He adored the way the twins had painted even her eyebrow, so the gold appeared a mask, giving his wife an ethereal quality, while for once, her circlet, Frigga’s favourite piece, rested on her hair and around her brow without being hidden. Anyone who looked at her could not fail to know exactly who she was dressed in black and gold like a queen.

“My prince?” Ulrik disrupted his thoughts.

“Continue, Ulrik,” Loki murmured, pulling his gaze away. She appeared content to stand aside and watch so he would let her… for now.

“Mektild, wife of Absalon, and daughter of Skuld.”

The woman came forward looking battered and bruised and had Loki straightening in his seat. A child, no more than three, clung to her skirts while another, perhaps a year, remained cradled in her arms.

He came to his feet when she stumbled and nearly fell. “What is this?” She should be under the care of a physician, not struggling up the golden mile with two small children. “Fandral, help her. Volstagg, the children.” More magic wicked from his fingers as he created a bench seat for the woman near his chair.

Fandral took her carefully by the arm, the look of gratitude on the woman’s face barely masking the fear. But when Volstagg crouched to encourage the small boy away from his mother’s feet, he refused to go. “Tis alright, boy. You’re a strong lad. We’ll get you a treat and leave your mother to talk with the prince, yes?”

He shook his head of blond curls with such violence Loki winced. Then, Lauren came through the hushed crowd and walked gracefully across the room. All eyes to turn her way. She set her hand on Volstagg’s shoulder and held out the other for the boy.

“C’mon, buddy. Your mama needs to talk to Prince Loki.”

She smiled, and the boy reached for her hand as awe filled his face — all of three years old and already under Lauren’s spell. It would have made Loki laugh if the moment hadn’t been so fraught with seriousness.

A second toss of magic had a wider divan appearing back and to the right of his desk. Lauren cast him a thankful smile and led the boy toward it, her voice quiet as she spoke to him with Volstagg following a moment later, Mektild’s babe in his arms.

Fandral gently settled the woman on the bench and hovered at her side, as disturbed as the rest of them by her appearance.

“Speak, Mektild. You have my attention,” Loki said as he lowered to the bench at her side.

“Forgive my appearance,” she whispered, clearly distraught to be in such a state, “but I feared to wait any longer.”

“Who has done this to you? Why are you here instead of with a doctor?” Loki asked, aware of the court pressing closer.

“My husband. Absalon.”

A gasp rippled through the court. Loki waved them to silence. “You have the right to divorce him, Mektild. You did not need to come here for that.”

She shook her head. “He said he would kill my babies if I tried. He is an evil man, Prince Loki. I knew if I left, he would hunt me down. He would do what he threatened. So I waited until the time was right and begged Lord Ulrik to allow me this moment. Without the throne’s support, Absalon will kill us.”

“And your father?” Surely this was a matter for her family to address.

“Dead these past five years.”

More murmurs and mutterings filled the room.

Loki continued to ignore them. “Where is he?”

“Kjell pass. We have a home in the mountains there.”

He stared at her in stunned amazement. “You came from Kjell with two children? Walked?”

She shook her head. “I stole a horse. I will pay whatever penance you deem-”

Loki cut her off with a wave of her hand. “Is the horse injured or in anyway mistreated?”

“No, my prince. Perhaps a little exhausted and underfed, I pushed her very hard to get here, but otherwise, she is healthy.”

“Then we will return the mare to her owner and explain things. I doubt they will find fault in your actions.” He looked to Fandral whose face was hard as stone. “Take five men. Bring me this Absalon.”

Fandral bowed deeply. “It will be my absolute pleasure, Prince Loki.”

Loki waved a page boy over. “Fetch Selvina. She is to see Mektild settled in a guest suite and a doctor brought to see to her injuries. She’ll require a maid to assist with the children until she is well. Have the barns check her horse and see to its care.” When he returned his attention to Mektild, there were tears in her eyes and more pouring down her face.

“Thank you, Prince Loki. Thank you.”

He nodded and patted her hand. “The law is clear. Your abuse is grounds for divorce and compensation in one form or another from your spouse. That he threatened your life and that of your children is an escalation of intent. By this time tomorrow, Mektild, you will be divorced and what lands were his will now be yours.”

“What if she lies?”

Loki slowly looked up and over at Sal. “You doubt her sincerity, Lord Sal?”

He shrugged. “There are two sides to every story.”

“And there are always people who will take the word of a man over that of a woman.”

Loki flinched. Never had he heard Lauren speak so coldly. He looked up to find her standing before the boy, her hand on his head as he clutched her skirt. “Lauren love. As I am the God of them, it is effortless for me to know if Mektild is lying. I assure you, she is not.”

“But that doesn’t seem to matter to you, Lord Sal, does it?” She prowled forward, grace and power radiating in every line of her body. “Y’all can look at her and think, what? That somehow she deserved it? That she was askin’ for it? Or maybe she’s a shrew, and this was the one time when Absalon lost his temper?” She stalked right up to Sal and glared at him, waves of anger radiating from her along with righteous indignation. “There will always be men who think a woman is lyin’ about a man raisin’ his hand to her, but there will always be women who will stand in front of her and tell you to keep your pea-brained opinions to yourself. Whatever the reason, there will never be a good enough to raise a hand to anyone you’re supposed to love and cherish. There is no excuse for abusin’ your spouse or significant other, and that goes for both men and women.”

“Well said!” Ulrik clapped approvingly, and soon others followed.

Sal’s fist slowly closed, the only sign he was angry. “It appears, princess, we keep getting off on the wrong foot.”

Lauren’s chin jacked even higher. “Perhaps your feet are just wrong, Lord Sal.”

He stepped back and bowed to her before walking away.

“I believe in givin’ people the benefit of the doubt, Lord Sal. Perhaps you should try to see the positive side of life before jumpin’ to the worst conclusion.”

He paused and looked back over his shoulder. “You are young yet, princess. One day that blush of naivete will fade. Then perhaps we can be friends.”

“Compassion isn’t naivete. It’s just compassion. And I truly hope my ability to look for the best in people never fades. I have no desire to become cynical in my maturity. It isn’t in my nature.”

Sal gave a sad smile and tilted his head before continuing into the crowd.

It was clear Lauren was upset. He could feel it, certainly, but it was the whisper of violet magic around her hands and the way her gown rippled in the unseen wind that had Loki rising swiftly to his feet to calm her.

“Lauren, my sweet. Be at ease.”

“Why must people be so hateful?” she whispered, looking up at him with such sadness in her eyes it made his heart hurt.

He cupped her cheek and rubbed his thumb over her soft skin. “Life makes people that way. Not everyone has someone as wonderful as you to keep them on track.” Loki kissed her gently on her glossy pink lips.

“I’m feelin’ really outta sorts, Loki,” she whispered.

“That’s alright, love. You did beautifully, and you look amazing. Why don’t you take some time in mother’s garden?” She’d said it made her feel at peace last night. Hopefully it would do the same today. “I can send you if you like? There are a good thirty minutes till lunch. You can sit with the Voktere for a while.”

She nodded slowly, her eyes drifting up to the half helm of horns he wore. “The twins can come and get me.”

“I will come get you and escort you to the barns. I can call a short recess to do that much.”

“Alright.” She gave a soft sigh, then smiled wickedly. “Leave the horns on, peaches.”

“Naughty,” he purred before flicking his wrist to create her exit. “Go. Find your balance, darling.”

Before she could go anywhere, she had to detach the boy from her skirts. He hadn't left her shadow for a moment when she'd stared down Sal. Lauren crouched and cupped his cherub cheeks. “Okay, Leif. You can go back to your mama now.”

“Bye bye,” he chirped, before pressing up on his toes to kiss her cheek.

Though the word came from only a few mouths the sense of awwwe filled the room. People smiled on Lauren and her gentleness, her ease with children. Nothing please Asgardians more than children, and to see Lauren so at ease with them after losing Frigga had a sense of relief lifting from the people.

Leif skipped over to his mother, Volstagg having already handed back her infant, and took her hand. “That lady's nice, mommy.”

“She certainly is,” Mektild murmured, dropping into a curtsey for Lauren and mouthing, “Thank you.”

“He's a sweet boy.” Lauren glanced at the twins.

Her maids nodded their understanding; clearly this had changed whatever plans Lauren had initially had, before stepping through the portal. It closed with a snap, and Loki turned to Ulrik while Selvina bustled forward to take charge of Mektild.

With a flick of his wrist, Loki removed the extra seating while returning to his desk. “Continue, Ulrik.”

“Yes, my prince.”

If Volstagg and Sif both smiled approvingly, Loki chose to ignore it.

***

Lauren let her fingers dangle in the water, watching the Voktere's scales gleam like that of colourful fish. They jostled one another, each looking for a stroke of her fingers, but she was lost to thoughts and didn't really notice.

Maybe the twins were right. Maybe she wasn't ready to mingle with people. It seemed like everytime she tried, she ended up speaking out on someone else's nonsense.

People were going to think her rude, or too brash. Her opinion was going to send them scurrying for the hills, but what Sal had said was just so… wrong! Mektild's face had grown so pale when he‘d spoken such words. Lauren just wanted to slap him in his too smug mouth.

The calm she'd found sitting in the garden was evaporating thanks to newfound anger, and she closed her eyes to breathe it away. One man's opinion shouldn't matter, but it often did. And if that one man was powerful in Thor's court, it could make all the difference.

Mektild deserved better than to be called a liar by someone who'd likely never had a nasty word spat at him in his life.

Little chirps of distress had her looking down at the Voktere poking their heads above the water. “It's okay. I'm fine.” But some of the flowers around her were taking on a decidedly wilted look.

Loki had said her magic appeared tied to her emotions. Being this angry and not paying attention seemed to be affecting them as well. Pushing thoughts of Sal aside, Lauren focused on the sun on her face, the creatures playing with her fingers, and the feel of the grass beneath her bare feet. It appeared she was going to have an issue keeping her shoes on when there was such nice grass to tickle her toes.

Lauren reached out and skimmed her fingers over the petals of the drooping blooms, perking them all back up with a twist of her magic.

Earth Mother magic. The idea of it both pleased and frightened her. It all seemed a tremendous responsibility, but no one seemed overly inclined to push her into it before she was ready which was good. She needed time to wrap her head around all these changes.

A rustle in the bushes caught her attention. It was only a small rustle, but there were so few animals in Asgard, any movement in the underbrush was cause for curiosity. It came a little closer, and a little closer again.

Then the Voktere were gone. One minute they were bumping her fingers, the next, vanished. Concern grew in Lauren's heart. Animals only reacted that way to a predator.

Her gaze locked on the underbrush, she reached slowly for the dagger strapped to her thigh and pulled it free. Loki's name rested on the tip of her tongue, but when the wedge-shaped black head poked out from between the green leaves, Lauren relaxed.

“Seriously, peaches? Are you tryin’ to give me a heart attack?” Lauren shoved the dagger back into its sheath. “You're really pullin’ the same stunt as with Sif?” She shook her head, but when he pulled back into the foliage, Lauren sighed. “Well, c'mon then. I'd like to know what you look like.”

A forked tongue flicked out, then the black snout followed. He slithered from within the leaves to curl in the grass at her feet.

Lauren shook her head in amazement a second time. “Ain't you just somethin’ to see. Such black scales. You're like a little piece of night layin’ in the grass.”

He rose up out of his coil, and she inhaled in awe. “Oh, peaches! Your belly scales are so pretty!” Each one shone iridescent in its stunning jewel tone.

She lowered her hand, and the snake slithered into her palm before curling around her arm. It was only a few feet long which surprised her. For some reason, she expected Loki in snake form to be far bigger. Kind of like when he went wolf, but then, hadn't he played in the woods with her as a regular sized wolf? Still, his body was warm, his scales soft, and damn if he wasn't the prettiest snake she'd ever seen.

“This is real cute, peaches, and you've made me feel better.” Lauren gently rubbed his chin and stroked a finger over his head. If a snake could preen, this one did, his forked tongue flicking against her and making Lauren giggle.

“Lauren.”

She blinked at Loki standing a few feet away. His eyes were wide with fear. “Wait… if you're there, then who's this?” Lauren asked, frowning down at the snake rubbing his head on her fingers.

“Lauren darling, I don't want to alarm you, but could you please put him down?”

Loki took another step forward only for the snake wrapped around her arm to turn and hiss at Loki so hard Lauren could see the large fangs snap down when he opened his mouth.

“Oh, my stars… Loki…” What the hell had she gotten herself into now?

A dagger appeared in his hand as he held up the other and hissed back. The two exchanged a series of snake appropriate noises, hissing and carrying on as Lauren sat very still. She wasn’t afraid she’d be bitten, after all, if the snake wanted to bite her, it could have done so already. It was just watching Loki and the snake talk to each other was fascinating.

“Well… that’s… interesting.”

She blinked at Loki. “What?”

“He says you are his, he came for you, and now he’s not going anywhere.”

Lauren looked down at the snake who proceeded to slither up her arm and wrap around her neck where he lay in a loop like a living copy of her torque. “Oh! I… um…” What in the world was she supposed to say about that? “Ha, okay?”

Loki chuckled and sat down beside her after vanishing his dagger. He reached out and ran his fingers over the snake’s scales causing her warm necklace to ripple slightly. “I was saying to Thor you would collect your own familiars in time, but I didn’t expect them to arrive so soon.”

She blinked a few times. “Familiars?”

“Earth Mother’s always have animal familiars. Ones of different talents. Some offer protection. Some comfort. Some are helpful with magic. What comes, comes. The animals are yours and will be with you for life.”

“Really?”

Loki laughed and nodded. “Of course! They come to you in the Norns time, and through quirks of your gifts their lives extend to match yours.”

“Then why were you so worried about him?” Lauren reached up and touched the snake around her throat.

“Darling,” Loki smirked and shook his head. “His kind are called the Midnight Jewel of Death for a reason. They are extremely deadly. One is almost guaranteed to die from such a viper's bite.”

“Oh!” she gasped and lightly patted the scaled body. “No biting.”

“We have come to an agreement. He is only to bite someone if they attack you or harm you. And he isn’t to eat your kitten.” A twist of his wrist had a black satchel appearing in his hand. On its face were the snakes of his symbol, entwined in gold. “And I think it best he rides in here, rather than around your throat. The fact you have a snake familiar should probably remain private for the time being.”

“I suppose. Though I think we’ll have to tell the twins.”

Loki held out his hand, and the snake unwrapped from her throat.

“So, what’s his name?” she asked.

“You should already know. You named him.”

The wicked grin breaking on his mouth had Lauren arching a brow. “I did?”

He encouraged the snake into the pouch. “Peaches.”

“Excuse me?”

“He said you called him Peaches when he first appeared. That’s now his name.”

Lauren snorted a giggle. “I have a super poisonous snake named Peaches as a familiar?”

“And you carry him in a satchel on your hip.” Loki drew her to her feet and looped the strap across her body.

“This fairy tale keeps gettin’ stranger.” She reached up and caressed the long curve of Loki's golden horn. “Good thing I’ve always liked a strange tale.”

“Very good indeed,” Loki chuckled and kissed her firmly on the mouth.

Next Chapter

#of blood and roses #loki laufeyson #loki and lauren #god of mischief #god of mischief fanfiction #loki laufeyson fanfiction #asgard au #avengers au #southern belle

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