#yes there is a reunion (in case you scroll to the end of fics to check like I do lol)

[echoes-of-realities]

still there’s a wound and i’m moving slow (though it don’t show, though it don’t show)

* * *

[ao3]

Title: still there’s a wound and i’m moving slow (though it don’t show, though it don’t show)

Rating: General

Word Count: 12,935

Summary: Her face is wet when the others find her. 

“What happened?” Camila asks, eyes darting from the puddle of blood that was once Michael, to the puddle of blood that was once Adriel, to the puddle of blood that was Ava before Beatrice pushed her through the Arc. 

“She did it,” Beatrice says, soft and bitter, “Adriel is dead.”

Camila’s eyes dart from the blood to the tears on Beatrice’s face. “And Ava?”

Beatrice closes her eyes. Swallows the grief. Chokes on the sob. Tries to remember how to breathe. Tries to remember how to live.

“Gone. She’s gone.”

Or: Beatrice, in the aftermath.

[romanoffsbish]

Fifteen (2)

Natasha Romanoff x Fem!Reader

Wanda Maximoff x Fem!Reader(Bestie)

Wanda Maximoff x Vision (Exes)

Wanda Maximoff x Carol Danvers(Wives)

Monica Rambeau x Fem!Reader(Divorced)

Misery x Fem!Reader

Sad Beautiful Tragic (MW x Taylor Swift Series)

AU—High School Reunion 🤪

Previous Half

This is a continuation, because the fic managed to reach 10k and I hadn’t even finished, so I split it up. 😳

SMUT !! 18+ !! Minors DNI

Strap use, Oral(R! Receiving/Giving(strap)), Marking.

—————————————————————

When all you wanted was to be wanted.

Wish you could go back and tell yourself what you know now. Back then I swore I was gonna marry her someday, but I realized some bigger dreams of mine. Abigail gave everything she had to a boy who changed his mind, and we both cried.

'Cause when you're fifteen and somebody tells you they love you, you're gonna believe them.

—————————————————————

———

•~~~~~~~~~~~~•~~~~~~~~~~~~•

The summer of 2015, you remember it just as it was, a bittersweet cumulation, where fluffy dreams were crushed by brutal reality. Natasha got accepted to Stanford University, and would be leaving New York—leaving you—come early August.

Instead of letting the pain of the inevitable consume you, you chose instead to just make the time with her memorable.

—

"Sooo... My mom finally agreed to us having an unsupervised sleepover." You shout to your girlfriend mid cannon ball.

Your contorted figures burst through the chilled water, causing shivers to run across the entirety of your bodies, following along the same path of the bubbles encasing you. You popped out a second after her, and found yourself instantly pinned to the stairs by her body while you gasped for air.

"Seriously?!" She shrieks, with a set of shocked eyes, and a devious smirk underway.

"Yeah, she said something about trusting us completely, and something else about how at least the worst case scenario didn't end with me being pregnant so she could cope if need be."

"So, next weekend then?"

"Yes... Next weekend..." You conclude, with a gentle kiss to her nose and a newfound excitement settling in your heart.

"Race you to the deep end, and if I win, then I get to buy lunch." You challenged, and the redhead scoffs at your offer, before separating from you to grip at the wall.

"Not a chance you'll win..." She lowly chuckles before you both set off. 

You did win, however since you won by means of distraction she'd simply disqualified your success, and ordered the both of you a pizza to enjoy by the poolside with your group of friends that had been initially forgotten.

—

"Detka, are you sure?" Natasha shakily asks, as she stares down at your partially undressed form.

Natasha Romanoff—before you, had been known around the school to get around. Truth be told though, she was simply the product of sexist smear campaigns, started by stupid kids who'd been pissed that they'd never even made it to first base with her. She was far from traditional, but the idea of sleeping with just anyone didn't sit well with her.

For her, it needed to be spent with someone she could trust her heart with, and she'd always known that person would be you. Every thump of her heart intensified whenever you were around, as if it was somehow reliant upon you to beat. The weekend before she was scheduled to leave, her parents had taken off for a much needed getaway before sending her off, and Yelena left for Kate's the moment their car had driven off.

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life Natasha..." You whispered with a cheeky grin, pulling her face to yours by her cheeks, and you both giggled into the kiss as she fell on top of you.

A weekend well spent, full of tenderness, lots of giggling, and most importantly—love.

—

The weekend blended into a week, since you'd now spent every waking moment together. Melina promised your mom that she'd take good care of you, and so she allowed the occurrence. Currently, Natasha was mindlessly scrolling through Vine's while you were sat on her bedroom floor sketching.

"Detka, whatcha working on?" She mutters, as she drops her phone, while rolling to her side, and propping herself up on her bent elbow

"That's for me to know, and you to find out." You tease, tilting your sketch pad up, while sticking your tongue out at the beauty.

"Not fair..." She grumbled, falling back against her bed in a huff, and in turn ignoring you in a failed attempt to get you to change your mind.

"Such a whiney baby, how will you survive college all the way in California?" You jest, failing to see the way her face drops at the mention, but unfortunately not how your heart breaks at the subtle reminder.

An unsettling silence fills the room as the both of you ponder what's to come within a weeks time, and you refocus your energy into your work.

"Done." You mutter, as you tap your pencil to your lips, and pull your sketchpad to your chest with a goofy smile consuming your face.

You propped yourself up on your knees, shuffling towards the bed before hovering above your lover.

"If you're done pouting, I'll gladly show you." You playfully remark, then place a kiss to her pouting lips, followed by a shriek once she swiftly traps you and your sketchbook against her bed.

"Wasn't pouting..." She grumbles, then quickly straddles your lap to take the book from you.

Her hardened features instantly soften as she runs her eyes across the intricate sketch. Cartoon figures resembling the both of you fill the page, with a multitude of scenes depicted. All from your first date, to your first kiss, with thought bubbles that somehow express your immense feelings in simple phrases. Signed beautifully by yours truly, with a phrase that breaks her heart: Forever Yours, Y/N/N

She moves the sketch out of her eye-line to look down at your nervous face. Delicately, she places the book to the side before falling against you, and burying herself in you.

"Did you like it?" Your nervous voice tickles at her ear, and she places a gentle kiss to your collarbone.

"I-I love it..." She stutters out over her sobs, and you just run your hands through her hair, massaging her scalp, and feeling as she relaxes into you. 

"I'm glad, it's yours, I'll get it framed."

Her arms tighten around your waist, and her head burrows further into your neck, as your hands continue their ministrations. The light sound of her sobs were eventually replaced by snores, and your heart simultaneously burst and cracked.

"Please, no matter where we end up, promise you'll come back for me..." You whisper against her temple, before falling asleep yourself.

—

No matter how much you pleaded with time to be kind, and to just slow down, it wouldn't. The whirlwind that was your greatest love story was nearing a place of divide.

August 5th, 2015–The day you'd lost the love of your life to Sunny California, she drove off to build her future, leaving behind the wreckage that was your heart after you'd officially given her every last piece of you. Most people love Wednesday's since it signifies the nearing end of a work week, but you only view them painfully.

Natasha truly loved you with her whole heart, and you loved her just the same, which was why you never asked her to stay, because deep down you knew she would've if you had. All she'd ever wanted was for the words to leave your mouth, for you to give her a reason to stay, but they never did. She drove off across state lines, very much aware that her heart would be left behind in New York, right in the palm of your hands.

—

That same night you fell asleep at her house, in her now empty room, with her smell that still lingered. Her family truly loved you, so they didn't even think to ask you to leave. Before passing out though, a crying Wanda had crawled into the bed next to you.

"He's not worth it darling... He lacked the necessary vi—perspective to see what was in front of him."

"Y/N/N..." She groaned.

"He's—potentially—graduating college in 2019 because he just doesn't have that 2020 .."

"You're the worst..."

"Okay, I'll stop... I'm sorry darling, but truly you dodged a bullet, nobody wants a dad named Vision. Especially not one that is a pretentious twat. It's going to be okay, I promise. Because I got you Wands, until the end of time. So, let's just get some sleep..."

Vision had promised her he'd love her forever, you had even started to believe him, but he decided that the 'bangable college girls' were more alluring than his girlfriend who'd still be in high school for another two years. The supposed transformation you'd witnessed was all just an elaborate ruse, and you were so grateful Wanda had never given herself to him in the same way you did with Natasha. You don't regret a single part of your relationship with Natasha, the only resentment you held was for the fateful end.

"I got you too dorogoy..." She sleepily mumbles, and you smile as you feel her shuffle even closer, and in the moment you know that no matter what, you'd have Wanda, and that would always be enough.

•~~~~~~~~~~~~•~~~~~~~~~~~~•

—————————————————————

And when you're fifteen, don't forget to look before you fall.

I've found time can heal most anything, and you just might find who you're supposed to be, I didn't know who I was supposed to be at fifteen.

—————————————————————

"Y/N, are you almost ready to go? Piet's literally pacing the living room and it's honestly making me sick." Wanda shouts up to you from your living room, and you just continue to glare at your reflection.

It's been five years since you'd seen most of these people, so you're not entirely sure why you're so nervous or why you're so hard pressed on impressing them. No matter how much you partake in self loathing, deep down you really are proud of yourself.

You've made a name for yourself, and are successful enough to live lavishly, but you remain humble in your two bedroom home. You spend your free time walking your elderly neighbors dogs for them, to which they reward you with enriching conversations and bowls of lukewarm porridge. Mr. Mittens—asshole that he is, is truly the light of your life. He's a great help when it comes to keeping the kittens you foster in line, and you treat him well with gourmet cans of various fish.

Losing Monica—your wife, had been rather difficult. It wasn't because the marriage was working, no, it was because she'd been one of your best friends first, and then she betrayed you in the worst way by cheating with your assistant. Humiliating you in front of your employees, and ripping the last bit of trust you had in love away from you. Being single for the last two years had given you time to find yourself though, and you became comfortable with being alone.

"Wands, I don't think I'm gonna make it." You shout back, groaning as soon as you heard the hurried footsteps ascending your staircase.

"Don't be stupid!" She exasperatedly states as she throws your bedroom doors open, and flops back onto your bed.

"I'm not facing the entirety of our graduating class without you. What if Vision comes with his brother Tony? I'd honestly die..."

"Wanda, you're literally married to a gorgeous woman, you have a brilliant set of two year olds, and you run a well known business that you built from the ground up. Last I heard, Vis is still as single as ever, because even his trust fund couldn't make the asshole desirable."

"That we built you mean, you're my partner in crime, stop selling yourself short."

Her sudden gasp nearly topples you over as you were on your tippy toes trying to reach a pair of flats.

"Oh my gosh! What if Natasha comes with Yelena?! Y/N/N! This could be your chance."

You'd honestly considered the possibility, even allowed yourself a moment of foolish hope; then swiftly refused to get your hopes up that she'd be there, let alone that she'd be single and still want you.

"Wands, let's not start believing in fairytale's."

"That's the difference between us Y/N/N, I never really stopped, and good thing because believing in them led me to Carol."

"Yeah, your story is rather magical." You lightly chuckle, while painfully searching through your closet for something worthy of the reunion.

"I know... Now, let's find you something worth Natasha's time." Wanda claps her hands, then shoves you away from your closet to take over.

"I'm sure she has better things to do than show up to her little sisters five year high school reunion, who even celebrates five years?"

"Kate Belova does, even more reason to believe Natasha will be there..."

"I still can't believe Yelena and Kate really just switched last names when they got married." You giggle, and Wanda sends a mom glare your way for deflecting, and you shiver at the sight.

"She's probably out on a date with her partner, or helping her kids with their school work."

"You've just imagined a full life for her then?"

"Of course, all I ever wanted was for her to be happy Wands, and I would never dream misery for her in an attempt to ease my own."

"Oh Y/N/N... I'll wish it for you then, that girl absolutely destroyed you, and it's only fair she be as miserable..."

"Yes, but only in the best way possible. She loved me so well that I couldn't fathom anyone else doing it better. There's no resentment for the redhead in my heart Wands, so please let yours go."

"Fine... Promise me this though, if she's there don't just let her slip away if you have a chance. I just want you to be happy dorogoy, it's been far too long since you last smiled genuinely."

"Promise." You exaggeratedly sigh, then link your pinky with hers before shoving her out so you can change into her decided upon fit.

"You act like I've never seen you naked before... Whatever though, I'll respect your boundaries, but you only got ten minutes!" She shouts through the door, you simply roll your eyes and change into the selected upon suit.

——

Natasha stood by the punch bowl, with a couple flasks of vodka in hand to slip in. Groaning outwardly as she wonders why exactly she'd agreed to come here in the first place. She knew it was because of the rare chance that she'd get to see you walk through those doors, but as the minutes passed on her anxiety continues to peak.

"Sestra, Kate's not watching, do it now." Yelena whispered as she had her back to her sister, slightly shielding her, and Nat immediately dumped the contents into the punch.

"Just like your Senior year prom." Yelena chuckles, as she helps her sister clean up any spillage.

Natasha smiles as she remembers the prom fondly, having had the luxury of bringing you along; even if you were just a sophomore, they thankfully allowed plus one tickets for underclassmen.

•~~~~~~~~~~~~•~~~~~~~~~~~~•

"Natasha did you get her a corsage?" Melina asks, as she helps straighten out the suit her daughter had selected.

"I-I, mom, you know I'm not traditional."

"Nonsense! What color is her dress?"

"Green." Natasha states with a smile, remembering the way you had told her that her eyes had inspired the dress.

"Okay, pick between these." She mutters, laying out orange, white, and purple."

"Mom, what the—."

"They contrast well with green, do not doubt me Natasha..."

Natasha simply nodded, and decided the white would reflect well with the deep, forest green dress you'd selected. Plus, her suit was white, so it would be another way to tie you two together.

As the time ticked on, she'd become increasingly worried you wouldn't make it down her stairs, then suddenly Yelena came running down with her clarinet in hand. Before Natasha could even question it, Yelena began to play the 'Here comes the bride' tune as you began to make your way down. She expertly side stepped to avoid the slap from her sister, but she definitely winced at the glares sent her way.

Melina had glared her way as well, planning a future admonishment, but she was entirely too focused on getting photos of you.

"Detka, you look, jeez, you look—."

"Jesus, Natasha, we all know you're gay but come on, you're already running late." Yelena grumbles, and this time her mother successfully delivers the slap to her head.

"Sidet!" She commands, and points to the couch, and the shit stirrer walks away.

You lightly giggle at the dysfunction, then lock your eyes with Natasha's, and give her your full attention.

"You look beyond beautiful detka..." She dreamily breathes out, then she raises the corsage up, and you lift your hand for her.

"Thank you darling, you look rather dapper yourself..." You relay, and your heart clenches at the sight of her widened smile.

Melina cleared her throat, then instructed the both of you to face her for a photoshoot. Natasha wrapped her arms around you from behind, and the two of you took about three good photos before becoming goofballs.

The dance was honestly full of idiots, who were either twerking all over one another, or eating each other's faces. Natasha refused to partake, instead she used her years of dance experience, and her iPod touch to make it far more memorable.

There was an outside patio for anyone who'd felt like they just needed to cool down; after utilizing the photo booth, and drinking some spiked punch, she pulled your unsuspecting form outside. She placed her suit jacket over your shoulders to protect you from the New York chill, then found an unoccupied corner. 

"Natty, what are you doing?"

"Well, I plan to dance the night away with the love of my life, sound good?"

"Yeah, but why are we outside?"

Smirking your way, she settles a hand on your waist, then presses play on the selected song: She Keeps me Warm — Mary Lambert.

"Too stuffy inside, I just want you..." She whispers, sliding her hand to your lower back, then placing her other hand on your upper back, and gently sways you.

You don't question it, rather enjoying the intimacy that the twinkling lights, and the lack of sweaty bodies surrounding you afforded you.

"I'll name both of your eyes, forever and please don't go..." You quietly sing along, and the double meaning isn't lost on your girlfriend as she pulls you closer.

Natasha's selected playlist is a medley of love songs from across the ages, and she loves the way that you also appreciate the classics alongside the new age. She spins you out, and lets go of your hand, then smirks at you as the next lyrics sung out.

"Take my hand..."

With a playful roll of your eyes you do as she says, then lay your head against her shoulder as she continues to sing to you in her melodic voice.

"Take my whole life too. For I can't help falling in love with you."

She pulls back slightly, lifting your face to meet her gaze, as she sings directly to you.

"Like a river flows, surely to the sea. Darling, so it goes, Some things are meant to be..."

Then she pulls you in for a tender kiss, slowly moving her lips against yours, as she just cherishes the the way you feel against her.

"I can't help falling in love with you..." She mumbles against your lips, then buries her face into the crook of your neck for the remainder of your time outside.

When time to announce the prom royalty rolls around, she scoffs, then drags you off to her car instead. You watch her in amusement as she takes prom night, and makes it uniquely her own. Natasha finishes the night with you at a diner, sharing a Neapolitan shake, and a plate of fries with you. She smiles in pure adoration as she watches you dip your fry into the shake, and thinks about how much she doesn't want this to end.

The night does end though, and it was perfect. Natasha traced her fingers soothingly down your face, as your breaths finally evened out. Delicately, she'd kissed your lips, giggling to herself as you tried to reciprocate in your sleep. Exhaustion attempted to consume her as she cuddled into you, but she fought it as best she could. For a fleeting moment she was able to just admire all of your features. She sighed once she fully settled into sleeping bag; sleeping on the living room floor was a small price to pay if it meant she could do it with you in her arms.

•~~~~~~~~~~~~•~~~~~~~~~~~~•

"Let's just hope the girl shows this time..." She humorlessly laughs, as a silent tear falls, and she discreetly wipes it away.

"Oh, she will. Wanda Maximoff RSVP'd for the both of them, and that girl doesn't commit to things lightly, she'll have her here.." Yelena reassures her, with a firm squeeze to her shoulder before leaving her once more.

Natasha pours herself a glass of vodka infused punch, then she downs it within a second before pouring out another and heading off to a corner for brooding.

—————————————————————

Your very first day

Take a deep breath, girl

Take a deep breath as you walk through the doors...

—————————————————————

The car ride isn't long, but it feels like hours as you sit in the passenger seat and wonder what you'll find behind those doors.

"It's not fair, I was here first, why does Y/N/N get the front seat..." Pietro whines, 'accidentally' kicking at the back of your seat.

"Because Piet, I'm Wanda's favorite." You snark, then move the seat back even farther, as you suddenly needed ample amounts of room to fit your ego.

"Because, our dear little Y/N here needs to stay in pristine condition in case Natasha is there, and the backseat would just wrinkle her suit." Wanda relays, taking a really sharp right, and chuckling at your collective grumbles.

"You'd think having kids would've made you a better driver." You shriek, while Pietro feigns illness in the backseat.

"You didn't die though." She quips, as she finally pulls into your destination, then turns to both of you with a devious smirk as she parks.

"Let's go!!!" She shouts eagerly with a clap to her hands, and you both reluctantly follow her.

Pietro runs ahead as soon as he catches sight of his old track buddies—Sam and Bucky, and they both wave back to you and Wanda with kind smiles before heading inside.

"Hey, I need you to breath sweets, I can't see your chest rising and falling..."

You inhale deeply, then release a long, exaggerated breath, Wanda rolls her eyes as she steps ahead and turns to face you.

"Listen to me Y/N, you deserve happiness, if she's here, and available you just need to shoot your shot. If she isn't, then maybe have a conversation to gather some closure, then be open to moving on to someone new. Stop psyching yourself out, you deserve the world, and if I had been into the brooding type maybe you and I could've given it to you."

"Gross... You did give me the world though Wands, you gave me a found family of people that love me unconditionally..."

"Stop, don't make me cry, I only brought a backup lipgloss."

....

"Just breathe, and then follow me in..."

Wanda the walks through the doors, and you stare at them closing, before taking in a shaky breath. The doors open once more, and as you force yourself to walk in the sound of your name being called sends a pang to your heart, and regret instantly washes over you.

"Y/N/N, it's been too long, I miss you..."

"Mon... How are you?" You manage to get out, swallowing thickly as you do your best to remain composed as her arms wrapped around you.

"I'm doing well, I see you changed your number, I hope that wasn't my fault..."

Of course it was...

"Where's Rogers?"

"Steve is getting us a sampler plate, but I just saw Wanda enter so I knew you wouldn't be too far behind. So I had to come see you..."

"Monica, what are your intentions here? Honestly, I'm too exhausted to play one of your back and forth games..."

"This isn't some game Y/N, I just miss my best friend, and I know I screwed up, but I'm not going to pass up the only chance I have at getting you back in my life."

"This isn't the place for this conversation, but since you started it, I'll finish it. You're right, I did change my number because of you. You broke me, had you just asked for a divorce I would've understood, I know I wasn't the wife that you deserved. But God, Mon, I was the best friend, and I know you know that. You wanted something from me that you knew deep down I couldn't give, and instead of bowing out you chose to hurt me in the cruelest way possible. To take the little faith I had left in love and crush it was beyond forgiving. I love you Mon, I always will, but I just can't trust you, and that is where we end. Go, be happy, and please don't try to contact me again." You say in a hushed tone, doing your best to not embarrass either of you in front of a room of your peers.

The obvious tension, and Monica's not so quiet sobs stifle your attempt for privacy. So, with shaky hands, and unshed tears hanging in your lashes you walked away from the crying woman, and approached the refreshments.  The ladle was shaking as you tried to pour the punch into your glass, but a soft hand hovered over yours in an attempt to steady it.

"Wands, I'm okay, go have fun..." You shakily whisper, as a tear betrays you and falls on her hovering hand.

"Long time no see, pretty eyes... I thought I had told you, lying isn't very ladylike..."

She caught the ladle before it could splash the punch all over the place, and then she gently gripped your arm to drag you somewhere more private. Natasha took you down a hallway, pushing you into a vacant closet, and then once behind the door she pulled you into her strong arms.

"Let it all out detka, I'm right here..."

Your legs almost instantly gave out, so your hands gripped tightly to her shirt. Natasha immediately lowered the both of you to the floor, leaning against a wall, as she just held you close. You buried your face against her in a desperate attempt to ground yourself.

"I'm not going anywhere sweetheart, I got you." She coos, as she lightly rocks you, and rubs comforting circles into your back.

After a few minutes your sobs had dwindled into the sparsest of tears, and sporadic hiccups, then almost instantly the embarrassment flushes through your body at the predicament you find yourself in.

"God, I'm so sorry Natasha... This is just pathetic, you should go back to the party..." You bitterly chuckle, attempting to pull out of her lap, but she pulls you right back in.

"Hey, nothing about you is pathetic... I meant it, I'm not leaving you, I'm only here for you." She whispers, while cupping at your cheeks and it's then that you see her equally glassy eyes filling you with immediate guilt.

"Oh, please don't cry..." You mutter, as you then rotate to kneel in front of her, and gently wipe away at the falling tears.

Natasha gently smiles at you, before kissing your palms, then while feeling rather bold you surged forward and connected your lips with hers. Her arms immediately wrapped around your waist as you moved to straddle her so that she could pull you that much closer.

"God, I missed these lips so much..."

She whispers against your parted lips.

"... and these pretty eyes, that just sparkle..."

She continues, while wiping the residual tears,

"... oh and this face, it's such a beautiful one..." and her fingers tenderly traced your cheeks.

"Most importantly though, I missed the entirety of you, my heart ached without you. There's not much I regret in my life Y/N/N, but leaving you is definitely at the top of my list."

"Hey, no... You had to go, I couldn't be the reason you gave up your dreams Natty."

"Well, let me tell you, I've gotten that little folded paper with my name on it—twice, and I've never felt more alive than I do right here and now." She humorlessly laughs out, as her hands find a new resting place on your hips.

"You're the only part of my dream worth pursuing, the missing piece..." She mutters with so much conviction that you have no choice but to believe her.

"When I saw you got married, my heart had split in two, I nearly flunked out my final year of my undergrad because I was so distraught. I'd always expected it, because of course someone would come through and scoop you up. Somehow, I pulled it together though, and graduated. Then I decided to further my education and go for my masters, but literally right after I started I found out Monica just moved on. I was honestly confused, because who would willingly give up forever with you, I knew I was an idiot when I drove away. Judging by the conversation I just witnessed though, I'm guessing it wasn't amicable."

"Well, when you left I was very distraught myself, I did my best to move on, but it never really worked out. Monica was my close friend first, so the switch in intimacy after high school wasn't too hard, but in the end it couldn't work. She wasn't you, and over time I just couldn't fake it anymore. Instead of just ending things though, she chose to completely destroy me. Cheating on me with my assistant, and doing so in my own office. There's no way it wasn't deliberate, it's like she wanted to punish me for not being able to love her how she wanted, well I guess deserved is the better word for it. She truly deserved better, but in the end so did I. Honestly, I'd sworn love off, having accepted that I'd only ever get the one great one. You were truly my greatest love story Natasha..."

"Were?" She asks, with her bottom lip caught between her teeth to contain the trembling.

"I'm a bit of a basket case Nat, are you sure you really want to pursue this?"

"Y/N, I just told you how much I need you, please don't make me beg..."

"Seeing you beg sounds kinda hot though..." You lustily whispered, while intentionally adjusting yourself in her lap, and smirking as she tightly gripped your hips to still you.

"Oh, detka, you're playing a dangerous game..."

"Good thing I live for danger then..."

Natasha quite literally tackled you onto the hardwood floors, hand behind your head to offer only the slightest protection. Your grunt of pain was muffled as her lips smashed to yours, tongue swiping across your bottom lip in search of permission that you'd immediately granted. A moan flew from your throat as her hands felt you up over your clothes, and her tongue glided across your own.

Instantly the taste of the punch and vodka transcends across your tastebuds, and you freeze. Your inhibitions are low, but eventually you manage to pull away from her lips once her hand begins to unbutton your undershirt.

"Natty, stop, you've been drinking..."

"Oh, sweet girl, always so considerate... Yelena and I might've spiked the punch, so I had maybe a shot, and I'm Russian so really it was just spicy water... I'll obviously stop if you want, but just know that you're not taking advantage of me..."

"Really?"

"Yes moya lyubov', I would honestly wait forever for you..."

With the tendernesses in her eyes, and the clarity on her sobriety, you pull her back in, slightly rolling your hips into hers and gasping at the unexpected bulge.

"Oh, yeah... I was really optimistic.." She chuckles against your lips, then reluctantly she pulls back to work on removing your pesky suit.

Her mouth falls open at the sight of your glistening core, and even though she wants to cherish every inch of you right now, she's aware that there's an invisible time limit in place. So, she pulls her pants down, then watches as your eyes darken once the strap springs out of her boxers, and she drops to straddle you once more.

"You're already dripping, you think you can handle me sweetheart?" She rasps into your ear, and you nod vigorously.

"Words detka..."

"Yes.. I'm so ready... Please fill me up..."

Natasha runs her fingers through your folds, collecting your arousal and spreading it over the strap, then bringing the excess up to her lips she sucks her fingers in to get a taste. She moans around her fingers, then moves to line her toy up with your entrance.

"Fuck..." She lowly gasps at how easily she slides in, and her lips meet yours for a sweet kiss, and her hips moved against yours at a painfully slow pace, reaching deep within you, but never with enough friction to really get you anywhere but desperate.

Once she had you squirming, and felt you whining into her mouth, she just couldn't hold back anymore. Tightly gripping at your hips to steady herself, she moved into a far more brutal pace, and began to trail her lips down until she had your nipple in her mouth. Your legs wrapped around her, pushing her even deeper into you, and simultaneously causing it to rub against Natasha's clit. The new angle caused the coil in Natasha’s abdomen to tighten as her own high quickly approached.

Natasha’s grunts, your muffled moans, and the sloshing sounds coming from your dripping cunt were truly a beautiful medley. Making up for lost time had honestly never felt so good, and neither of you truly wanted it to end.

Natasha could tell you were close though, as your choppy moans were now filling the tiny space around the both of you. Your ability to contain them any longer obviously lost in your dizzy state. She detached her lips from your breasts, smirking widely as she peered down at the marks she'd just left behind.

She suddenly pulled out, and aggressively slammed back into you at a different angle, hitting the furthest depths of you and causing you to scream out in pleasure. Quickly, she had slammed her lips to yours to stifle your moans, in an ill-fated attempt to keep passerby's from hearing in. Natasha could only hope no one had been near, but at the same she couldn’t bring herself to actually care when she had finally had you beneath her again.

Slowing her pace allowed you to really enjoy the fullness of your orgasm, and the feel of your hands kneading at her breasts had sent her tumbling into her own. Her hips stuttered against yours, and her face fell to the crook of your neck as she moved to regulate her breathing.

As she pulled out, all that she could think about was tasting you, so she quickly found her way to your dripping folds.

“Shhh, I’m just going to clean you up detka, I know you’re sensitive my sweet girl…” She coo’d against your folds, and you attempted to shimmy away, but her firm grip on your thighs held you in place.

Once she’d collected the totality of your arousal, she placed a kiss to your clit, then giggled as your body jolted. Then she worked to redress you, pulling your bottoms back on for you, but before she could do the same with your top you’d reached out to stop her. Her brows furrowed, but quickly settled as she saw you settle upon your knees, and watched as your doe eyes dropped to her strap.

Natasha watched in a lust inspired daze as you worked your mouth over her strap, faltering ever so slightly, before taking it in its entirety, as you effortlessly cleaned off your arousal. Your tears were slowly falling down your cheeks; no longer heartbreakingly so, but instead purely drawn out by pleasure, and something about the sight had Natasha’s core clenching around nothing.

Natasha groaned as your head began to bob with vigor, the sight alone had her ready to burst; your unrelenting movements successfully pushed her over the edge of bliss once more. She held firmly against the wall to keep herself upright, while working to catch her breath, which proved rather difficult as she watched as your puffed up lips released her strap with a pop, and a trail of spit mixed with spirts of your arousal followed you.

Her heart burst as she watched you pulling up her ruined boxers, and then her slacks, placing a sweet kiss to her abdomen before tenderly tucking her strap back into her boxers, then securing her pants in place. You shakily stood up, then found your naked body pressed against the door, as she pulled you in for a vulnerable kiss, that somehow conveyed anything that had remained unsaid.

"You know, this is nowhere close to how I'd envisioned this reunion, but I like to think it's perfectly us." Natasha endearingly relays, as she places soft kisses across your face.

"Funnily enough, I'd expected you to have moved onto something better, so this was a more than welcomed surprise for me."

"Oh, my angel, I've only ever wanted you, since that day I saw you and Lena playing in the backyard and then I joined in for your game of tag. I obviously didn’t know what it meant then, but when I saw you Junior year it had clicked."

"You mean when my mom dropped me off for the first time after meeting your parents?"

"Yeah, you were just so gentle, and incredibly kind. Lena scraped her knee, and I remember you'd comforted her almost instantly. Here you were, a complete stranger, and you were still just so loving. Then, Melina and I watched in awe as she actually let you hold her, because normally all Yelena wanted was for mama to tend to her. You've always been the sweetest thing, making everyone around you feel safe, and I've found over time that my heart just never beats properly when you're away."

“I love you Natasha…” You whimper out, as you try not to cry again for the umpteenth time, but fail miserably.

“Thanks… You’re pretty cool, I guess…” She teases, and you’re grateful to her for lightening the mood.

—

Natasha and you snuck off to find a bathroom in a fit of hushed giggles as to not draw attention to the closet you were clearly exiting. Once reaching the singular stalled bathroom you both got to fixing your appearances. You splashed water on your face, allowing it to cool your heated skin, before wiping off the remnants of her smeared lipstick, then fixing your destroyed hair to the best of your ability, and straightening out your suit.

Natasha watched you fixing yourself up, then as soon as you seemed content with yourself she'd pulled you into her for another sweet kiss, transferring her deep red lip onto yours.

"Natty, I just got your lipstick off..."

"I know, leave it..."

"Marking your territory already? Haven't even properly asked me out yet..."

"Oh yes, sorry, must've slipped my mind as I was just a bit busy confessing my everlasting feelings for you, then proceeding to make love to you right there on the janitors floors."

Your lips curled at the way she described your previous entanglement of bodies so tenderly, and you cheekily replied:

"All is forgiven... So go ahead, ask..."

"Y/N, will you go out with—."

"Yes!!!" You squeal, effectively cutting her off, as you smash your lips to hers.

"Oh, this is awkward, I was offering you up to Vision, heard he's still single." She winces, as you slap her arm and go to leave before she grabs your hand.

"I'm just messing around, no way I'd ever give you up again. Now, let's get back to the party before anyone notices.”

"Natty, I guarantee you they've noticed." You laugh out while exiting the restroom without her.

Once you slipped back into the event, you'd looked all over for Wanda, then your jaw clenched as you saw Vision infiltrating her space. Natasha walked in right after you, and followed your gaze to find why you'd suddenly become tense.

"Detka..."

Before she could even finish you were stomping over to save your best friend.

"Wanda, what could that woman possibly have, that I can't give you?"

"Oh buddy, a flea could offer so much more than you ever could!" You growled, while shoving his hand off her shoulder, and yanking Wanda behind you for safety.

"Oh, if it isn't little lezzy, I see you corrupted poor Wanda, but I guess you just weren't enough for her, or anyone for that matter. I heard Monica cheated on you, and I mean we all know Natasha drove across the country to get away from —."

He was cut off by a fist to the face, you felt a pain in your hand, and it's then that you realize it is you that punched him. Vision went to deck you, but before he could even rear back Natasha punched him properly, and he was out like a light.

"Go Romanoff!!!!" Tony shouts, clearly drunker than anyone else in the room, as he cheers on his brother’s downfall.

"Y/N..."

"I'm fine.."

"No, detka, you're not. We need to ice your hand."

Natasha went off to collect you some ice, and you turned to Wanda with a sad smile.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Of course I am, my best friend swooped in like a knight in shining armor and saved me. However, she had her own knight right behind her that requires explanation."

"She came back for me, apparently we're both miserable without the other." You smiled, and Wanda matched your smile before observing your hand with a frown.

"You know what he said isn't true right? Platonically speaking, you’re everything to me."

"Yeah, I know Wands..." You sigh, then wince as her fingers go over your bruised knuckles.

“Plus, we’d be too powerful as a couple.” You state, and the both of you giggle at the thought.

Natasha came running over in a panic with a bucket of ice, and ace bandages that you’d wondered where she found them, then the women worked together to help you.

—

While the women tended to Y/N's  hand, Yelena watched from a hidden corner, with freshly buttered popcorn in her lap, and a mischievous smile.

"Sweetheart, where'd you get popcorn?"

"Jesus, Kate Belova, you can't sneak up on me like that..."

"My sincerest apologies Yelena Bishop." She condescends, before moving to ask her about her current suspicions.

"So, was this the plan all along? Matchmaking, and then shit stirring?"

"Da."

"Makes sense then why you asked to be in charge of the invites, and why only a select few were actually sent."

"My beautiful wife, you should know better than to trust me, so really, this is your fault."

"Is not!"

"Your name was on the invitations."

"Now Y/N's going to be mad at me."

"Y/N is a puppy dog who just got the love of her life back, she won't even think to be mad."

Kate sighs, but then Yelena continues.

"Now, Natasha, she will be furious, but don't worry dorogoy, I'll protect you." Yelena says, then laughs boisterously, and the hide out is quickly exposed.

"Yeah, well the couch is calling your name, so enjoy your sleep, I'm sure Fanny will keep you warm."

——

As you enter your house you toss your keys into the dish, then used your good hand to pet Mr. Mittens, and he tilted his head in bewilderment as he took in your bandaged hand.

"You spend too much time with Wanda..."

He audibly huffs, then his gaze swiftly looks passed you, and then you hear the scuffling of wheels, and the door lightly closing.

"Your place is cute." She comments, as she wraps her arms around you from behind, and settles her head on your shoulder then extends one hand out to your calico.

Mr. Mittens sniffs her hand cautiously, then nudges his head under her hand, and you nearly choke at the sight.

"It could be ours if you'd like, I don't want to push you, but I also don't want to just start over with you either..." You lowly mumble, confidence having faded almost instantly.

"Plus, Mr. Mittens loves you, and that's rare."

"Well, let's see..." She ponders the invitation, while rotating you in her arms.

"I literally gave my life in California up just on a whim in the hopes of finding you, then just today: I've knocked someone out for you, confessed my feelings, and I even stripped you down in a janitors closet. Nothing about what I've done indicates plans to start over."

…

"So, if you'll have me, then I'm yours."

"Welcome home then darling..." You beam, and smile as Natasha lifts you by your thighs and carries you to the couch, then she falls back with you on top of her.

"Hey Alexa, play my greatest hit playlist." You shout, and a gentle tune starts to play, as you cuddle into the love of your life.

Natasha watches intently as you fall asleep almost instantly, observing the slightest of differences in your appearance since she'd last held you seven years ago. Your face had slimmed ever so slightly, you stopped dyeing the ends of your hair, and you've definitely gained a few beauty marks while living under the sun. Somehow you'd managed to get even more beautiful, and she believes that should be a crime.

Regardless of the changes though, she's just grateful to have you back in her arms, where you’ve always belonged. 

"I came back for you detka, just like you'd asked..." She whispers, then pulls a blanket over you from atop the couch, and falls into a blissful sleep.

—————

7,738 Words

Taglist:

@beenicejoy @d14n4ol

I chose not to write their first time together because they were minors in that portion of the storyline so really I felt the allusion to it was just more kosher.

So, in an attempt not to rob anyone, I gave you their ��brief” closeted 🥁 reunion 😂

The elongated smutty portion is truly what made this so late 😳

Also, not that this specific age gap would offend anyone, but Y/N and Natasha are more like 1.5 years apart since she's a December baby and got to start school before turning five.

It took longer than a couple hours because I got distracted and also ya girl had to get ready for work lol (Graveyard shifter)

The distraction — I got these cute hangers of sorts on Etsy and they arrived when I was writing.

[luke-patterson-owns-my-soul]

Kiss Me

Charlie Gillespie x Reader

Title: Kiss Me

Words: 1593

Summary: Charlie’s back from Hawaii and providing social media with all the content.

Requested: No. I had to write this after that video of Charlie singing in the bath tub…

TW: Implications of sexual intercourse, mostly the reader getting frustrated by Charlie being Charlie.

Author’s notes: I just wanted to write a bit of domesticity between Charlie and the reader, and thanks to all the content we got from him the other day, this kinda just fell into place. I hope you like it. - also, a little shout out to @dream-a-little-bigger-x​ because she’s been giving us some AMAZING fic content, and she isn’t feeling to great today. I hope this helps a little, Nele.

Three weeks without being able to see Charlie in the flesh had been hard. Yeah, he’d posted photos and videos while he’d been away in Hawaii with his castmates and Kenny, but it wasn’t the same. Neither were the intimate FaceTime calls the two of you shared pretty much daily. Nothing beat being able to wrap your arms around him, to feel the warmth of his skin against yours, to smell the scent that was intrinsically him. Yeah, you’d missed him like crazy.

Checking your watch, again, before checking the arrivals board you leaned up against the wall behind you waiting for his flight to disembark the plane and make their way through to the arrivals lounge. You scrolled through your Instagram feed, checking out what people had been tagging your boyfriend in, amazed by the talent of his fans. More than anything, you wanted to share them, but as no one knew about you, you couldn’t. It was a good thing you ran a semi-popular fan account that you could do it all from, and your story was full of amazing artwork and song covers. As far as your followers knew, you were just another fangirl.

You were so engrossed in the pictures on the screen in front of you, you didn’t hear Charlie approaching you, didn’t know he was right in front of you until grabbed you by the waist, making you squeal in shock and almost drop your phone.

“Oh my God, Charlie. You scared me.” You laughed, flinging your arms around his neck, breathing him in. 

“I would say I’m sorry, but my mom taught me that lying makes my nose grow and my tongue fall out. And I don’t think you’d want that.” He teased after placing a quick kiss on your lips.

“Well, no. But it would be quieter around the apartment.” Your response made him pull away and pout. “What? Am I lying?”

“I thought you loved me.” If he hadn’t been grinning like the loveable idiot he was, you would have believed his offended tone of voice was real.

“Oh, you know I adore you. Shall we go home?” as you slide your phone into your pocket, you take hold of his hand and lead him out to the parking lot where his car is parked. “Do you want to drive, or shall I?”

“You, please.” You know he’s not the most confident of flyers, so you understand his need to chill for a while before he’s at full Gillespie – a term you coined not long after the two of you met and he was his usual ‘constant overdrive’ self. He was always moving, doing something with his hands, or exploring. Charlie Gillespie didn’t do bored or sitting still very well.

Once you’re back at the apartment you share Charlie sets about unpacking his case, dumping his clothes in the washer straight away. It always strikes you how domestic he is. You’re not the best at remembering to do stuff, but he always manages to catch what you miss.

“Have you got to go to work?” he asks you as he leans up against the counter while you prepare some food for the two of you. You work at a TV studio, but the show you work on is on a break so your hours are more flexible than they would be normally.

“No, I’m all yours for a couple of days.” Your words make him grin before he wraps his arms around your waist and pulls you in for a kiss.

Your kiss had led to more of an intimate reunion which led you both to your bedroom for most of the day. By the time you emerged, it was almost dark outside and the food you’d been preparing needed to be tossed in the trash. You couldn’t complain though because you’d been able to show Charlie just how much you’d missed him.

___________________________

After the insanity that was Charlie’s delivery from and subsequent live with Madison’s dad, you now had a billboard poster partially unfolded in your bedroom. Naturally, because he was often a child in an adult’s body, Charlie had been like a kid at Christmas when he’d been allowed to open the box. Off camera, he’d been able to slide the parcel that had been included with your name on – Mr. Reyes had so kindly included a hoodie for you which you were now wearing while you stared at the space around you in horror.

“Charlie, babe. Did you have to open it in here? You heard what he said, it took up their entire back yard. Our bedroom is like a shoebox.”

“Yeah, I kinda got carried away. Sorry.” Leaning over, so he wouldn’t rip the poster, he planted a kiss on your lips.

“Well, don’t expect me to help you fold it back up.” With a grin, you turned on your heel and flounced out of the room to post screenshots from the live to your fan account. Only Charlie knew about it and had followed you early on. Eventually, after hearing him swearing and falling over, you went in and helped him fold the damn thing up. It took a ridiculous amount of time, but it was soon back in the box ready to be transported to Canada in Charlie’s car when the both of you went back for Christmas.

Exhausted, you flopped onto the couch and decided to order in some food rather than cook. But first, you took a sweaty selfie and sent it to Madison.

I love your dad, but please don’t let him send us anymore billboard posters. It took two hours to get it back in the damn box.

Her reply was instant.

Dad never expected him to unfold the thing. Love to you both. She wasn’t wrong. Only the man you adored would have ever done that, and live on the internet too. Shaking your head, you ordered pizza.

“Babe, I need a favor.” Charlie spoke as he tidied up the pizza boxes and soda cans from your dinner, making you groan. You were still exhausted, and now a little bloated. All you wanted to do was to slouch and watch a movie, curled up in Charlie’s arms.

“What?”

“Help me set up my phone in the bathroom.” That got your attention.

“Er… why?”

He scratched at the back of his head, a sheepish look on his beautiful face that was covered in the stubble you adored.

“I want to do a couple of videos.”

“And you have to do it now? Haven’t you done enough today?” you close your eyes as you lean your head on the back of the couch. You sense Charlie standing behind you, and when you open your eyes again, he’s looking down at you, the puppy dog eyes in force. Even upside down, he knows what they do to you. “I hate you, did you know that?” you tell him affectionately. With a grin, he bends over and captures your lips in a searing kiss.

“I promise, I’ll make it up to you.” With a chuckle, he runs his jaw along yours, knowing the roughness of his stubble is a huge turn on for you.

“Yes, yes you will.” You pull away and stand up. The sooner you get this done, the sooner the two of you can snuggle, and the sooner you can claim your owed favor.

Grabbing the car keys from the sideboard, you head down to the car to get the phone holder. You figure the suction cup works on the car’s windscreen, so should work on the glass screen. When you get back into the apartment, Charlie’s changed clothes and has his guitar in his hand.

“Remind me why you can’t do this from the couch?” you ask, walking into the bathroom. It’s tiny and you know Charlie’s going to regret his decision, but when he mumbles about acoustics you keep your mouth shut. Trying to change his mind when it’s made up is nigh on impossible.

You manage to secure the phone holder to the shower screen you’d cleaned that morning, pull it across the tub, and leave the small space.

“All ready for you, maestro.” You call out as you enter the lounge. Charlie stands up, kisses you and disappears into the bathroom. You fully plan on putting the TV on, choosing a random Hallmark Christmas movie to watch, and wait for him to finish, but when you hear his clear voice singing what he knows is one of your favorite Ed Sheeran songs, you can help but go and stand at the end of the tub and watch him morph from Charlie your doofus boyfriend to Charlie the star.

You watch him, with a smile on your face, as he records a video for his Instagram reel, messing it up a couple of times and having to restart a few times, making you laugh.

“If you can’t be quiet, you’re gonna have to leave.” He scolds you without any anger in his voice.

“I’ll behave. For now.” You wink at him as he starts to record again. Once he’s done, he says he wants to do one more, slightly longer for his Tiktok account.

“Last try, because my leg’s falling asleep.” He speaks into the camera once it’s recording.

I’m in love now

Kiss me like you wanna be loved

Wanna be loved, wanna be loved,

Wanna be loved, yeah

As he sings, he looks up, catching your eye and smiling. In that moment, you fall in love with him all over again.

.

.

.

.

.

Taglist: - if you want to be added, please send me an ask, just in case I happen to miss any comments

@dream-a-little-bigger-x​​ @calamitykaty​​ @crybabyddl​​ @xplrreylo​​ @morganayennefertyrell​​ @lovesanimals​​ @sunsetcurvenotsunsetswerve​​ @echocharm17618​​ @kinda-really-lost​ @n0wornever​ @all-in-fangirl​ @5sosmukefan​

[fandomstuff67]

15x20 Thoughts

I’m going to be talking about 15x20 and what I thought about it so if you don’t want to read a long text post then keep on scrolling.

Okay, first things first, I liked it. I didn’t love it, but I liked it. I think it was fitting and I think it worked. Dean always wanted to go out on a hunt, that’s how he wanted to die, he knew he wasn’t going to live to a ripe old age and he was okay with that (I’m not saying we have to be okay with that, I’ll touch upon that in a moment, but Dean was happy with the way he went and I think we should remember that).

I’m glad Sam got a family and the Winchester name is being carried on. I loved that he named his son Dean and I’m going to assume that he was with Eileen because there’s no reason to assume he wasn’t. I just think they couldn’t get Shoshannah back so they used that awkward long shot instead. 

Before I dive into what I think could have been better and what I’ll forever remain mad about, I want to say that we’re allowed to dislike the episode, we’re allowed to feel mad about it and let down but please, please, do not attack the actors. They don’t get the final say in the end and they gave incredible, award winning, performances. So please refrain from directing hate to them and asking them how they could let this happen. And most importantly, on Sunday when Misha and Jared have their panels, please be respectful, they’re going to be emotional and they’re going to be nervous because they’re seeing our reactions, even if they don’t respond, so they know what we’ve thought, and so far all I’ve seen is hate and not one post about it being good. 

We’re also allowed to like the episode, and for those that 100% loved it, remember their feelings are valid, please don’t come at each other’s throats.

Ironically, with that being said, I’m going to talk about what I didn’t like. 

So, first off. Dean’s death shattered me. I don’t think I’ve ever cried that hard, I physically couldn’t breathe. Dean is my favorite character and watching him die like that absolutely wrecked me. 

I’m so torn about this scene, because on one hand, that’s how Dean wanted to go, but on the other hand, that was a shitty way for him to go. Killed by a fucking nail? In a barn? Just no. He deserved so much better. SO.MUCH.BETTER. This is Dean fucking Winchester, he defeated God’s, and devils, and angels, and demons, but this is how he goes? I’m not buying it. And his speech to Sam, while it was beautiful and I loved it and Dean was being so brave and vulnerable and proud of his baby brother, it was a little... off. The head touch was a bit too wincestie for me. That head touch shouldn’t have been there, if they were going to do a head touch like that, it should have been with CAS. 

Speaking of Cas. He should have been in that episode. There is NO EXCUSE. Covid is not a valid reason for his absence. They brought back our Bobby but not Cas? Castiel who has been such an important part of this show for so many years? Cas who confessed his love to Dean and who subsequently died right afterwards? And now, apparently he’s out of the empty and helping Jack with heaven, but we don’t get to SEE him? That is wrong on so many levels. I needed a DeanCas reunion, I needed it so badly. 

I firmly believe that Cas was supposed to be there (we’ll know eventually when the pre-Covid script is released and we learn what the changes were, and if that’s not the case then really, what the fuck? Like actually I’ll be even more mad). I also believe that Ellen, Jo, and Ash were supposed to be there too, in the roadhouse and there was going to be a reunion, John and Mary too, but because of Covid they couldn’t. 

I think it would have been very fitting if CAS was the one who welcomed Dean into heaven (stay tuned I will be writing this fix it fic). I needed Dean to acknowledge his feelings, I needed there to be more of Dean grieving. Don’t get me wrong, the montage in the beginning was amazing and I loved it, but they shouldn’t have been that happy. We know how devastated Dean has been in the past when Cas died, I find it very hard to believe he moved on so quickly, it just seemed so out of character. I needed them to talk more about Cas, about what he said, and what Dean thought about it. But they couldn’t even give us that. They literally buried their gays and dusted off their hands to a job well done and I cannot accept that. I have to ask the point of the love confession if it wasn’t going to be reciprocated? If it wasn’t going to matter in the end? I’m so unbelievably disappointed that they gave us that and nothing else, they didn’t even talk about it, or mention it. Did Sam ever even know what really happened? Cas deserved better. He deserved to be told he was loved, which he never heard, and no matter how many fix it fics we write, that will forever remain true and I hate it. 

Cas. Should. Have. Been. Back. I will forever stand by that. 

Sam’s ending worked. I liked it a lot and I wouldn’t change it. He deserved his happy ending, he deserved to be a father, and I’m so glad he got that.

However, this show is about family and how it doesn’t end in blood, and yet in the end it was all about blood. I’m genuinely so disappointed about that. That was like a slap to the face and I can’t believe that they decided that instead of ending the show by proving, once again, that family don’t end in blood, they decided to go back on everything the show has been about, everything that has been the core of this crazy little show that could for so long. 

They could have done so much better, and they should have done so much better. We deserved better.

So, after all of that, my final thoughts are as follows: 

I liked it. I really did. Were there things that should have been changed? Yes. HELL YES, but I can’t be entirely disappointed about the ending we got because it did fit, and it was beautiful.

The only thing that really would’ve made it better was having Cas there. All they had to do was give us Cas and I’d be happy with the ending. I’d be happy with Dean dying on an old nail in a barn, if we got Cas in heaven with Dean. But we didn’t, so I’ll never be truly happy with the ending, I’ll never be satisfied. But I will take what we got because in the end, this is the show that has brought so many people together, this is the show that’s taught us all valuable lessons, and this is the show that we all love so much it hurts. 

And remember... nothing ever really ends, does it? 

There are doors that were left open for a movie, even if they’re just set slightly ajar, the Winchester brothers, and their fallen angel, can return to us in the future and maybe everything they fucked up will be fixed. But for now... we must carry on.  

[raisinghellonstarbug]

So starks-heart (Stephanie) asked and she shall receive...

(Two) word prompt:

Reunion Comfort

Author’s note: Oh wow, so it has been a LOOONGG time since I posted any written content let alone Sastiel content and it feels good to be here again, writing a prompt fluff piece.

I don’t know about anybody else, but Sastiel makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside, so although it’s been a while, please bare with me because this is all going to be improvised and not exactly heavily edited. I guess that’s the point though lol XD

What’s great about these two words is that I’m pretty sure they were provided to me conveniently, given that there was a new SPN episode which aired last night (middle of the night my time). I haven’t seen the latest episode yet and I deliberately made sure I didn’t so that this story was not affected nor was going to influence any of my writing choices. This is different and won’t be like what happened. I know that there wasn’t much Sastiel moments as some of us had hoped, so I figured this could be a nice alternative. I hope it’s not too OOC in but I did my best in making it a realistic moment between the softest ship.

I know it’s a bit long, but I ended up just going with what felt natural with this short fic, so please let me know what you think!

-

Fanfic title: It’s Good to Be Here Again, With You

Fandom: Supernatural (duh)

Characters: Sam Winchester, Castiel, Eileen Leahy, Dean Winchester (mentioned)

Ship: Sam x Castiel (Sastiel, Samstiel, Sassy whatever you wanna call them)

Rating: T

Word count: 2241

Tags: Sastiel, Samstiel, Sam x Castiel, Sassy, Sastiel fanfiction, Sam Winchester, Castiel, Eileen Leahy, Dean Winchester, Supernatural, SPN fanfiction, The Softest Ship, OTP: Nothing is worth losing you, Sastiel prompt, Sastiel fluff.

The atmosphere in the bunker had been strange. Dean was going through this funk, a funk that Sam figured Dean had to go through. He thought it best to not interfere. If Sam interfered, he would only cause a stupid, pointless argument between them that wasn’t necessary or worth having during the especially difficult, underlining predicament they were currently faced with.

Chuck was in charge again, persisting with his manipulation and deliberately finding ways to toy with the boys as much as he possibly could or wanted to. Sam was conflicted, trying to hold the fort for himself and Dean, hoping that if he’s patient, Dean will be back to his normal, goofy, happy-go-lucky self. He had to give it time, but he also was struggling to understand one thing in this whole situation.

Why had Dean let Castiel go?

It was frustrating Sam to his very core that Dean was choosing to bottle in everything he was feeling again, but Sam didn’t have the energy to bother trying to talk to Dean about it, especially as he knew that his brother probably wouldn’t give him a proper answer to what happened and why Castiel left so abruptly. However, it did upset Sam that Cas didn’t even say goodbye.

It had been 2 weeks since he left, and Sam was hoping that Cas would come to his senses and return. Sam knew that Dean was partly to blame, but he imagined that Cas probably needed some time away to think and to give Dean some space too.

Sam had sent Cas numerous texts asking if he was OK, tried to ring him a couple of times but would frantically hang up like a teenager trying to call their crush would, and of course he even prayed to him. But he had no answer thus far.

“Goddamn it Cas, when are you going to come back? Don’t you realise how much I need you here right now?”, Sam fleetingly thought to himself, but also hoping that maybe Cas could hear it.

Sam sighed, sitting by himself in the kitchen area, sipping on an herbal tea, his eggs and avocado barely touched. He was trying to live like any other normal day, but he didn’t feel like eating knowing that Dean was in such a rut and Cas wasn’t around.

He had to concentrate on the positive though, the positive being that Eileen was alive and well, staying with him and Dean, looking after them whilst trying to provide some comfort to Sam’s disorderly emotions.

In that moment, Eileen walked in, temporarily distracting Sam from his wavering thoughts. She was only half awake, but she looked peaceful from her slumber. Sam smiled, getting up from his seat to greet her and offers her a hot drink.

She nodded and Sam went to the stove and grabbed the kettle, switched on the tap from the sink and filled the kettle with fresh water. As he put the kettle back on the stove, he lit the stove and grabbed a cup from the cupboard.

He turned back round to face Eileen, softly asking “Did you sleep well?”

Eileen smiled and responded, “Yes. It’s still a bit strange to be awake from sleeping though…”

“Mmmm, I get it. I know what that’s like.”

There was an awkward pause. Sam and Eileen stood there wondering what to say or do next.

Eileen then asked, “So… are we staying here today, or have you found a new case?”

Sam pondered, twitching slightly and clearing his throat. He looked down at the floor, scratching his head.

“Well, I was scrolling through articles on my laptop… but er, nothing at the moment I guess…”

Eileen nodded meekly, feeling Sam’s discomfort.

She then gently asked, “Can I be forward with you, Sam?”

Sam shrugged and nodded, willing to hear what Eileen had to say.

“How are you holding up in all of this?”

Sam thought for a moment on how to answer such a simple question. He didn’t really know how he was holding up. It wasn’t easy, that’s for sure, but he wasn’t going to suddenly break down and focus too much on the negative. He had to keep going, that’s all he knew.

“Um, OK, I guess? I’m just trying to get through all of this.”

Eileen wondered if anything she said at this point could be helpful.

“I can understand that. I mean, I was dead last week. I have you to be gracious I’m here, that I’m alive. I cannot be thankful enough, really.”

Sam smiled, pleased that at least he could concentrate on that, how he too was grateful that she was alive.

“You’re welcome. I mean, it was nothing…”

“Nothing? Are you kidding? You brought me back to life!”

Sam chuckled, appreciating her gratitude. He wasn’t often very good at accepting that he did actually do right by people, often only recognising the mistakes and the bad actions he had previously made.

His mind went wondering back to what Dean was doing and whether he really was OK. Before Dean left to work on a solo case of his own, he insisted to Sam that he needed some space and he was going to meet with an old friend of his that could do with some help. Sam offered to go with him, but Dean didn’t want him to. Sam had to leave it alone, regardless of whether he agreed with it or not.

He couldn’t help but think that if Cas was here, the situation might have been easier to handle. Everything was always easier when Cas was around. He missed Cas being there to comfort him when he often awoke from his nightmares.

His nightmares had become frequent, which made things even more difficult. He still couldn’t quite understand what these dreams meant, but he realised that they must mean something. That was one of the main reasons why he needed Cas especially at this point, feeling like he was the only person he could talk to about his gunshot scar that had lingered on his shoulder ever since he shot Chuck. Sam feared that his dreams must have had something to do with his blackened scar, due to the fact that his dreams started occurring more so ever since that day occurred.

He was getting more and more desperate to see Cas, to tell him the whole truth.

“Do you miss your angel friend?” Eileen suddenly asked.

Sam was surprised by this and stiffened up in his shoulders.

Sam nervously chuckled, “Is it really that obvious?”

He couldn’t help but blush that Eileen brought him up. He wasn’t going to talk about Castiel unless it was necessary. I mean he figured that she wasn’t going to mention him at all, which is why it came to him as such a surprise that she did.

“I liked Cas. He seems like a good egg.”

Sam grinned, “He really is… and he probably would be able to get us out of this mess if he were here.”

“He’ll come around. They always do…” Eileen winked at Sam and Sam went bright red again. Did Eileen know?

“I’ve had my fair share of exes, and it seems like you two just need to work it out.”

Sam could no longer look Eileen in the eye, his voice going quiet.

“I don’t know what it is about Cas, but lately… I, I don’t know. It feels like there’s something between us, but I can’t figure out what…”

Eileen then gasps suddenly, putting her hands to her cheeks as a jerk reaction. She was blushing hard, almost stifling a snicker back.

Sam then frowned at Eileen, confused.

It then hit him. He heard that noise, that flutter that he had heard so many times before. He begun to feel a sudden familiar presence behind him.

He slowly turned around and there he was. Just the being he was begging to see.

“Sam…”

Castiel’s voice was like music to Sam’s ears. The way he said his name always sent chills down his spine.

It was him. He really was here.

Sam was in shock for a moment, but then he suddenly found himself smiling wider than he had done in weeks and his face glowed up completely.

No questions asked, no words spoken, he grabbed Cas tightly into a big hug. The hug was desperate, needy. All of Sam’s emotions were put into this much needed clasp between them. It had only been two weeks, but to Sam it felt like years. Without a goodbye it was difficult for Sam to accept that he had been gone. He held him for as long as he deemed appropriate, but secretly not wanting to ever let him go. He was the only person that was still in his life, his close friend, perhaps who was now more than a friend, who truly made him feel safe aside from his brother. But even then, he didn’t always feel safe with Dean like he did with Cas.

Cas was slightly startled by Sam’s touch at first, but like every embrace he ever received from Sam, he seemed to warm to it pretty quickly. He reciprocated and held so tightly, also not wanting this feeling to leave him, but had to let go eventually as there was still a lady present in the room. Eileen cleared her throat to get their attention.

Sam let go of the embrace, but as Sam turned around, Cas still held on to Sam’s shoulders, rubbing it softly and putting their full attention to Eileen who was still standing their casually, but with a huge smirk across her face. Sam bit his lip, knowing full well what she probably was thinking. She raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms.

“So, Cas… nice to see you again.”

Cas smiled politely and nodded, “Hi Eileen, nice to see you too. I’m glad you’re back, you know from…”

“The dead? Yeah, it’s all fine.”

Cas awkwardly stumbled, restless and unsure whether his people skills were being used correctly. Sam looked at Cas and nervously chuckled and patted Cas on the back, ensuring that he didn’t feel too embarrassed and that Eileen was totally understanding.

“I have to admit, you two… I totally see it.”

Cas then frowned, perplexed by what Eileen meant by those words. He looked at Sam, turning his head sideways.

“Sam… what did Eileen mean by that?”

Eileen snorted, rolling her eyes. She turned on her heel to leave, but before so, she said one last cheeky comment that she couldn’t resist.

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do…” Eileen winked and left Cas and Sam to fend for themselves.

Sam was going to interject, but she had already gone.

“Damn it, Eileen. NOW you’ve left me in an awkward position…”

Sam fumbled with his jeans and looked down at the floor, trying to not stare into those mesmerising blue eyes that always got him hooked. He didn’t know what to say. Cas looked like he was urgent to say something, but Sam had some idea of what that might be.

“Sam” “Cas” - they said their names in unison.

They both chuckled and Sam offered to go first.

“Look Cas, I… I don’t know if you heard any of what I had said to Eileen or through prayer or-or-“

Cas put his hand on Sam’s right shoulder, squeezing it softly.

“Before I sort this gunshot wound out on your shoulder, I need to say something…”

Cas had a soft, a smitten smile across his face and it was Sam’s turn to be confused.

“Oh Sam… I can’t ignore how we’ve meant to each other in recent years. I’m sorry you got in the middle of Dean and me. It seems you often end up being so… and I would rather that didn’t happen anymore, because how I feel about you is different to how I feel about Dean…”

Sam’s eyes widened; his brows furrowed. “What the hell did Cas mean by that?”

“…Different?” was all Sam could manage to bring himself to say.

“Well, I watch you sleep Sam. You know that. We’ve shared a bed. I know that’s intimate; I have learnt how humans work. I don’t share that intimacy with Dean.”

Sam swallowed a lump in his throat. How was he supposed to handle this?

“I… I think what is happening between us is not something I’ve shared with anyone before. I’m not sure how to handle it sometimes, but I’m doing my best for your sake.”

Sam really had no idea what to say to any of this, he felt like he should have had plenty to say. But all he felt was gobsmacked that all of these gentle, kind and endearing words that were coming out of Cas’ mouth were making Sam want to jump for endless joy. He wanted to sing, he wanted to scream with eternal happiness. Thankfully, he managed to smile, a bright shining smile.

“Oh Cas… you’re beautiful…”

Sam pulled Cas into another snug embrace, Sam’s hands restless, ingulfing in the feel of Cas around him. Sam squeezed his eyes shut, and he could hear Cas hum, his eyes also shut tight.

Sam momentarily without giving it a moment’s thought, kissed Cas’ forehead and then brought Cas’ head to his chest, cradling him softly.

They stayed like that for a while.

It was the best reunion that Sam had ever experienced.

[delicatefury]

So, about the Currently Unamed Avatar fic

Time travel! Because that seems to be my comfort zone with these. It just, foresight and butterfly effects and regrets over things that don’t happen are fun!

But unlike TDPL (my Star Wars fic), this is not really a fix-it because, well, I felt like most of the characters had pretty satisfying endings (in The Last Airbender. The comics and LoK on the other hand...). I mean, some things might be fixed, but some things also go wrong,

Also unlike TDPL: the time span of travel is a lot shorter (8 months as opposed to 20+ years); there’s a lot fewer travelers (I’ll just say the total is less than the 5~ish of TDPL); and a lot less of the plot is spent on making sure other people don’t realize they’re time travelers (a good part of the first several chapters would actually be spent convincing certain people that they are).

Our unfortunate traveler is everyone’s favorite awkward turtleduck, Zuko. I’ve played around with using Aang, but that’s not the story I want to tell right now. Aang’s adventure would have been almost entirely focused on attempting to kidnap Zuko every time they meet (The Waterbending Scroll would end with a “I got him!” And a bewildered Iroh and Pirate Captain watching as the Avatar takes off with the pirates’ boat and the too-shocked-to-react-completely-thrown-off-his-game-what-in-Agni’s-name-is-happening?-this-isn’t-how-this-works Prince of the Fire Nation) and trying to convince him that he’s actually a good person and pretty awesome in his own right and “No Sokka! It has to be Zuko! No one else can be my firebending teacher!”

Zuko, on the other hand... Depositing Book III Zuko into Book I Zuko’s place, on his ship (I’m just going to use the fandom name “The Wani”. Hell, if you search “Wani Avatar”, the first result is “Zuko’s Ship”) with the Uncle he hasn’t seen since before the Day of the Black Sun and a crew he’s certain died during the Seige of the North, well...

It’s mental time travel, so no one can tell by sight that Zuko’s different (because while that’s fun, really fun, everyone freaks out because Gaang Zuko is still Zuko but visibly extremely different from banished Zuko fun, it’s still not the story I want to tell). So Awkward Turtleduck Zuko who can’t look his uncle in the eye, needs to talk to Aang, and is also trying to keep his crew alive while hiding that he’s effectively plotting treason, is our main character. It’s a pretty bad place to be, but even he can admit that it would be objectively worse if he’d ended up immediately post-fall of Ba Sing Se.

Zuko’s start time is barely before the Ember Island Players. So yes to being friends with the entire Gaang. But also no Uncle Iroh reunion, no idea the Gaang knows Jet, limited knowledge of what the Gaang got up to when he wasn’t around, no clue that Uncle Iroh’s grand plan has always been to put Zuko on the throne, and no clue about Azula’s breakdown.

The insertion point is Winter Solstice Part II: Avatar Roku. Specifically right at the end, when Roku shows up to get rid of Zhao. For additional reasons, Zuko gets very little time to orient himself before Katara steals from pirates.

And I swear I’ve got things a lot more clear and coherent than this word-vomit post. But too much would be spoilers and I wanna warn about it in case anyone wants to only see things as they happen in story/in order. I’ll be using a generic spoilers tag until I get a title worked out.

Oh yeah, there will be horror elements, but they won’t show up until Book II.

Also! Feel free to send me asks. I already have a lot of material for this.

[loversandantiheroes]

Jigsaw - a Whouffaldi fic - Epilogue

Author’s Note: Here we are at last.  It’s taken two years to get to the end of this story, but we’re here.  Thank you guys so much for sticking with this story, and with me, for this long.  This is my early Christmas present to you all.  One last hurrah.

Summary: Because some pieces can’t be kept apart forever.  Post- Hell Bent reunion fic.  Epilogue.

Rating: PG-13ish

Warnings: Brief and vague shower funtimes

Word Count: 1844

AO3 Link: here

Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

The shower takes awhile, to the surprise of neither of them.  It’s been a long time and Time Lord biology is deeply resilient.  The Doctor almost manages a concussion in the course of trying to do something rather ill-advised in conjunction with wet tiles.  In the end the only thing bruised is his ego, which she does her best to soothe while she tries to stop laughing.  This just makes him try the thing even more doggedly, this time with more success, and her laughter turns to breathless gasps.

Time wanders, but only slightly.  They extract themselves piece by piece, trailing fingertips and kisses, rearranging to fit.  He helps her into clean, fresh clothes; she does up the buttons on his conveniently TARDIS-laundered shirt.  By the time they make it out of the console room and into the diner they’re a pace apart, a distance not so much respectful as gravitational, a slow orbit.

Me leans over the counter, nursing an espresso and chatting with a young and rather extraordinarily punkish black woman.

“Good to see you, old man,” Me says with a dry sort of fondness.

The Doctor pauses, mouth pursed.  “And you, Ashildr.”

For once, she doesn’t correct him.  “Was starting to think the two of you got lost in there.”  She smirks at Clara, utterly insufferable and completely right as always, damn her.

“We had a lot of catching up to do,” Clara says.

The punkish woman at the counter snorts laughter behind half of a sandwich.

The Doctor’s eyebrows are scowling magnificently, but his eyes are crinkled.  “Hattie, this is Clara.  Clara, Hattie.”

“Y’know you could’ve just said you’d gotten a booty call,” Hattie says, still chuckling.  “Hung a sock on the door or something.  I was starting to think you’d gotten eaten by a rabid grease monster until this one filled me in.”  Hattie gestures at Me, who is trying valiantly to control her smirk before it takes over the entirety of her face and half of the greater London area besides.

“Oh you are terrible,” Clara gripes.

“And quite frequently right, though that’s never much helped your judgement of me before, has it?”

The Doctor turns to Clara, still scowling.  “‘Booty call?’” he mouths.

“Later.”

“Ok.”

“So is this you, then?” Me asks.

Clara’s heart does a small backflip.  “Yeah.  For awhile I think.”  She glances around, running a hand over the formica countertop.  “But you never know, might need a weekend away from time to time.  Someone should hold down the fort, I think.  Look after her while I’m away?”

Me’s smile is so broad it almost breaks Clara’s heart.  “Absolutely.”

Hattie looks slowly between the three immortals.  “I think maybe this is where I get off, then.  No offense, Doctor, but I’d hate third-wheeling it.  That’s no fun for anybody.  Probably about time I went home.”

“I can drop you off, if you’d like,” Ashildr offers.

The other woman pauses, considers, then grins.  “Yeah, alright.”

“You’re sure?” the Doctor asks, trying and failing to not sound disappointed.

Hattie nods.  “Keep him outta trouble, yeah?” she says to Clara.

“Really not likely, but I’ll do my best.”

Hattie laughs at that one.  “You really do know him.”

There are hugs.  Promises to take care.  To keep in touch.  A few tears, most of them Clara’s.

Me puts a kind hand on the Doctor’s shoulder.  “It’s not all bad, travelling with immortals.  At least if you get the right ones.”

“I suppose I’ll find out,” he says.

“She needs you.  That’s never really changed, but it’s different now.”

“There’s a difference between life-everlasting and life after death,” he muses, eyes downcast.

“You know that better than most.  Who better to teach her how to be a Time Lord?”

At a loss for a response, the Doctor holds out his arms stiffly.  “C’mon.  Quick before I change my mind.”

The embrace is fierce and quick, the Doctor’s voice rumbling out haltingly.  “I’m glad I saved you.”

“So am I, old man.”

Clara waits in the doorway, hand outstretched; the Doctor clasps it with reverent familiarity.  The Universe trembles the slightest bit, then settles back into its endless orbits.

***

Not everything ends.

***

First stop.  

Clara insists, but the Doctor hardly needs persuading.  Outside the TARDIS doors, a baby cries.  For a wonder, Clara realizes she can understand it.  Frequencies resolve into thought-forms that rearrange into words.

What has happened Mother, why does Father cry?

The Doctor makes for the door, but Clara lays a hand on his chest.  Me first.

They’ve landed back in the nursery.  The baby is all scrunched face and flailing fists in her crib.  The Doctor scoops her up immediately, cradling her against his ribs, and begins whispering reassurances.

The baby quiets.  More stifled sobs beyond the door to the hallway.  Then, a beat later: “Doctor?”

Rigsy bursts through the door and stops so abruptly his wife almost bowls him over as she runs up behind. ��His eyes are tear-stained and wide as milk saucers, his jaw agape.  There are paint stains on his fingers and his jeans, and the fumes of the aerosol cans still clings to him.

Clara beams.  “Hey Rigsy.  Long time no see.”

And then he’s whooping, laughing and crying, scooping her up and twirling her around.  “I thought you were dead!”

“Nah,” she says, giggling madly.  “Takes more than a bird to put me down for good.”

They stay awhile.  Not long.  Long enough for hugs and tears and tea that goes cold and forgotten while Clara talks and the Doctor shifts about with the baby like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

“I’m sorry,” Rigsy says, at last.

Clara shakes her head vehemently.  “You’ve got nothing to apologize for.  Wasn’t your fault to begin with, and it all worked out in the end.”

“Your TARDIS,” he starts, staring up at the Doctor.  “I-.”

“I know.”  The Doctor smiles sadly.  “Clara’s memorial.  It was…” he fumbles for the word, then sighs, “it was beautiful.  Thank you.”

Rigsy shifts uncomfortably.  “I think I wanted you to be cross.”

The Doctor tuts.  “Well I can still get there if you like, but I might startle the baby.”

“D’you want to maybe stay for dinner?” Rigsy asks, eyes darting between his wife and Clara.  “I mean it’s the least we can do.”

Clara smiles.  “That would be lovely.  But we’ve got a stop to make first.  Important...time business…thing.”

Rigsy’s face falls a little, sensing the brush-off.  “Right, no, I understand.”

“So, back in half an hour?” Clara offers, standing up.

Rigsy brightens.  “Yes!  Yeah!  That’s, we’ll be here.”

Smirking, the Doctor passes the baby off to her father.  “She needs changing.  Also she told me to tell you she really hates the strained peas, so if those could be stopped it would cut down on incidents at the dining table.”

As the TARDIS departs, Rigsy again falls to tears, but this time, at least, they are of relief.

***

Not love.

***

He shouldn’t be here.  He knows.  If he’s caught, by his superiors, this could mean court martial.  If he’s caught by the Cloister Wraiths, he’ll be filed.  Curiosity got the better of him.  He remembers Skull Moon too clearly to not be curious.  That a human could elicit that sort of response from the Doctor of War was astonishing; that any of them had seen that feral glittering in his eyes and lived was nearly unbelievable.  The Matrix was his best chance to understand why.

The recent data influx is massive.  Reams of information.  The Doctor and Clara Oswald…

The sound of a landing TARDIS makes him wheel, hand falling instinctively to his weapon...only…

Has the fool left the handbrake on?

A brown-haired head pops out of the doors of the blue police box as soon as it solidifies.  She catches his eye and smiles as if she’d expected him.  “Thought it might be you,” she says.  “Gastron, right?  The Doctor told me about you.”

He opens his mouth, but for a moment he can’t talk; his hearts are in his throat.  Then, in a hoarse whisper: “Ma’am it’s not safe for you to be here.”

“We’re not staying long.”  The Doctor eases out of the TARDIS behind her, tight-lipped and grim.  He gives Gastron a nod.

“Sir, you need to leave, quickly.  If you’re caught -”

“We won’t be,” he says simply.

The soldier looks helplessly between the two of them.  “Can I...can I ask you something, sir?”

The Doctor raises his eyebrows.

“Why’d you do it?   And why’d you come back?”

Clara points at the console behind him.  “Part of your answer’s in there.  But you knew that, that’s why you’re down here, isn’t it?”

“The rest is in here.”  The Doctor pulls a bronze disc from his pocket.  There is a deep groove in the center of the console, and he slots the confession dial into it.  “I think between the two you’ll find the answer you’re after.”

4.5 billion years worth of information; the data transfer is immense.  “No bells, no whistles, no alarms,” the Doctor points out after several minutes as Gastron scrolls through endless pages, face growing ever more fascinated and ever more troubled.

“I’ve disabled them,” Gastron says.  “You’re still President, sir.”

The Doctor scoffs.  “Oh that’s no excuse.”  His eyes narrow, dusty grey in the shadows, and a chill wanders up Gastron’s spine.  “You trust my orders?”

“Yes sir.”  No hesitation.

“Then in that case, allow me to give one last order.”

The console beeps.  There’s a whirr and a click and the confession dial ejects itself.  The Doctor catches it deftly and tips it at Gastron.  “Read it.  All of it.  And then take it with you.”

Gastron blinks.  “Sir?”

“The story that’s in there is one that needs telling,” Clara says gently.  “It shouldn’t stay down here in the dark.”

“Tell it,” the Doctor says.  “That’s your order; tell the story.”

There’s no short of confusion on the soldier’s face, but he nods, stiffly saluting.  The Doctor takes it with a grimace, and salutes back.

And then...the universe shifts.  The Doctor turns to Clara Oswald and Gastron can see everything in the periphery fall away.  Orbits and rotations stutter and slow, and for a moment that is the barest thousandth of the beat of a hummingbird’s wings, everything stops.  Their eyes are locked; their hands clasped.  They are as much a fixed point as Trap Street.  Maybe even more so.  They are The Fixed Point.  The origin; lynch-pin that locks them all together.  All others spin endlessly off of them like a spider’s web.

And then it’s over, and the universe resolves itself into motion again.  Clara offers a small wave in parting and Gastron is left trying to remember how to breathe in the face of something so profound.  Words glow and shift on the console, a story waiting to be read.  Gastron feeds a blank data cartridge into the console and begins the download as the TARDIS de-materializes behind him.

He has his orders.

***

Not always.

[imgilmoregirl]

AO3 Link

Notes: This chapter looked really huge so I slipt it in two, and this fic will end with six instead of five.

Chapter Four

Zelena seemed to have permanently moved to the vineyard. Along the next couple of weeks, Gideon saw her every single day, wandering around like she owned the place, always smiling widely – but looking at him with annoyance when his father was not around. He couldn’t understand how Adam could possibly love someone like her, but he suspected, by how uncomfortable he always seemed when that woman was near that it might not be the case.

Gideon also discovered Baden wasn’t much of a reader. He had looked for books in his bedroom, but only found some copies of those children series he had already read a thousand times. The boy ended up to find some distraction on his father’s study, where there were some cool titles that could help him pass the time while he waited for Bailey’s next e-mail.

They had been writing for each other daily, but rare were the occasions his father was not around the house – and mainly around the study – for him to be able to turn on his computer and read his brother’s latest message. But Gideon always managed to answer him, even if with a little bit of delay.

It was on a Thursday, that the perfect opportunity to put their plan to action appeared. Zelena was sat at the backyard, being served by Helga, who apparently couldn’t stand her more than Gideon did, when Adam’s car appeared, being parked in the front of the house before he got out, leaving his laptop bag on the couch as he made his way to his fiancée.

“Hello, my pretty,” she said, when she saw him, pulling her sunglasses up and receiving the kiss Adam pressed to her lips. “I love when you’re in these suits.”

She petted his suit jacket with a wicked grin on her lips, making Helga grimace and leave the yard, going back to the kitchen. Gideon left his book aside, walking to where they were, pulling an innocent smile on his lips.

“Hey, papa, I thought we could go on a ride,” he proposed.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Bae,” Adam started. “I actually need to work on something, but you could take Zelena with you. We are going to spend the weekend at the Storybook Resort, so we’ll meet her parents before the wedding and I think this would be the perfect opportunity for you two to get to know each other a little better.”

He smiled at them and made his way to the study, but Gideon could only face Zelena with a smirk playing on his lips. She never left the main house when she was there and he assumed she didn’t like animals or even vegetation. And her high heels wouldn’t help much climbing up a horse, so it might yes be fun, after all.

“Come on, Zel,” he said, cheerfully. “You can get the white horse if you want to.”

“Ah, I don’t,” she shook her head. “And let’s not play this game. I know you doesn’t like me and I don’t like you too. There is no need and spending more time with each other than we need.”

“Well,” Gideon started. “If we are being this sincere with each other, then I’d like to say you better not get your hopes up, because you’re not marrying my dad.”

“Bailey, Bailey,” Zelena laughed. “Let’s see about that. Just don’t lock yourself crying inside your room when I’m ruling this place.”

He rolled his eyes at her and went back to the house, where waited impatiently for his father to finish his work so he could enter the study and write Bailey a message.

Belle had always kept a computer with a huge screen in her library and Bae had been as careful as he could when sneaking inside there to use it. That night he sat by the desk, grabbed some paper and a pen and copied the address and phone Gideon had sent, grinning to himself at the prospect of having their parents at the same place and at the same time. Of course, he didn’t yet know who to convince his mother to go to a resort in America when she was so busy with her newest book being published.

Bailey need to start to think about something, otherwise they would never get a reservation in time. He opened the resort’s website and took a look at it, finding the place to be rather nice, it had large bedrooms, a huge pool, a restaurant and a bar. The boy was just scrolling over the end of the page when the library’s door was opened and he jumped in place, closing his eyes momentarily, fearing the reaction of whoever caught him.

“Are you planning a trip, boy?” Moe French asked.

“Grandpa… I…” Bae took a deep breath and turned around to face him. “Yes.”

A deep laugh came from him.

“Don’t you think you’re getting way too adventurous, Gideon?”

That’s it, he thought. He needed help and he wasn’t pretty sure he wasn’t going to be able to convince his mother take a weekend away by his own and without any reason for it. Maybe grandpa Moe could do something about it.

“I’m not Gideon,” he confessed.

“Bailey?”

The boy nodded. He thought maybe Moe would yell at him, ask where the real Gideon was and what the hell he was doing in their house, pretending to be his brother, but all he did, was to pull Bae into a tight hug.

“Oh, my dear, I never thought I would ever get to know you, since my daughter made that stupid deal with her ex-husband.”

“Very stupid,” Bae agreed.

He let himself be hugged by his grandfather for a while more until he departed from him and pointed at the computer’s screen, where the resort’s website was still opened, showing the pools.

“What does this trip have to do with you being here?”

“Gideon will be there,” he explained. “We thought it would be a nice occasion to have a family reunion.”

Moe arched an eyebrow at him.

“A family reunion, huh? I think I can help with it.”

Bailey almost squealed with happiness. Gideon had said their grandfather wasn’t their father’s greatest fan, but whatever was making him agree with this was more than enough for now.

Grandpa Moe proved himself to be really helpful and only a couple of days later, they had everything ready to take a flighty and go to the resort. Bae had emailed Gideon about that and his brother seemed very excited in his message, which also got him anxious, because a lot could happen during that weekend. But Bailey needed to confess he was a little bit worried too, afraid his mom would stop being all nice and kind with him once she learned he wasn't Gideon, because after all she had chosen to stay with one of them and not with the other.

It caused him to cry at the night prior of their trip and he took a long time to drag himself off the bed and get dressed, because he was really uncertain and felt like needing a reassurance of what he was doing was right, so he slowly, hesitantly, walked to his mother's bedroom, to find her finishing packing some last minute things. When Belle glance up at him, a huge smile appeared on her petal lips.

"There you are," she said in a very lovely tone of voice. "I was wondering if I would have to leave you behind and you would lose all the fun grandpa is promising with this trip."

Bailey's expression didn't chance, it was still blank and he still clutched at the stuffed bunny he had stolen from his brother's bedroom. He swallowed hard, taking a step into her direction and blinking his tears away.

"Mommy," the boy started, "there is something I need to tell you."

Closing her bag, Belle, walked towards him, kneeling in front of Bailey and cupping his cheek as she pulled his hair away from his brow. For a moment Bae wondered if she would've liked his previous style, more alike the one his father used to wear.

"Gid, you know you share anything with me."

He took a deep breath, hold onto that amazing motherly expression she had and decided it was time for the truth.

"I'm afraid I'm not Gideon."

The mother blinked, stupefied and pulled her hands away from him, just as Bailey had been expecting her to do, which made his heart race painfully.

"What?"

"I'm not Gideon," he repeated in a lower voice. "I'm Bailey."

Belle gasped, moving to seat on the chaise near them as if she couldn't trust her legs to keep her stead the way she was before. Her fingers reached to trace his face gently and tears started to shine in her eyes.

"My Bailey," she whispered. "But if you're Bae, so where is Gideon?"

"The vineyard, with our father, Adam Gold," Bailey explained. "That's why we are going to the resort. He is there. Both of them are."

"Oh my God," Belle breathed.

She looked so shocked, about to break down in tears that Bae thought she might not be prepared for any of this. Maybe they did the wrong thing. Maybe he should have stayed home. But Bailey couldn't regret coming all the way to London just to meet his mother, even if not for long.

"Mom, I'm sorry," he sniffled. "I met Gideon at the summer camp, we become friend, we found out the truth and... I wanted to meet you, just as Gideon wanted to meet papa."

"Oh, babe," Belle murmured, pulling him into a tight hug, allowing the tears to finally fall down her eyes.

"I love you," Bae said, "I didn't want to upset you by swapping places with Gideon, but now that I know you, I love you so much that I don't want to let go. I have always wondered why you left me."

Pulling away from him, Belle cupped his cheeks. Her hands were shaking and her lower lip trembled very slightly, a whole torrent of emotions crossing her face in a split second. She felt everything and anything at that moment as she looked deep into the brown eyes of the boy she left behind all those years ago, when he was no more than a wailing infant.

"I didn't want to," she confessed, "but your father and I agreed it was for the best."

"It wasn't," Bailey whined. "Mom, you and dad need to learn how to make better deals, because this one is horrible."

"Agreed. We are idiots and I'm sorry that I left you, Bae, but that doesn't mean I don't love you. I've spent years thinking about you, hoping you would be happy and healthy."

"I am," Bae confirmed. "But I wished you were there for me."

He threw his arms around her again, sobbing as his mother clutched him, whispering sweet words to his ear, assuring him she had always loved him and always would. It was only later that Bae remembered they were supposed to be heading to the airport and pulled away from her.

"Mom, are we still going to the resort?"

"Yeah," Belle answered, wiping the corners of her eyes. "I need to get Gideon back and have a little talk with your father. Guess once you two met and we met the two of you, there is no going back. We need a new arrengement."

Bailey's heart got filled with hope and he smiled widely at her.

"So, you are not giving me up again?"

"Of course, not," she assured him. "I want to have my two boys with me and I will fight for it. I should have never stopped fighting for you."

Pressing a long kiss to her cheek Bae nodded. They had done the right thing after all and now that their mother was willing to spend some time with both of them, they just got to make this meeting with their father remarkable so, maybe they wouldn't need to be switching countries all the time.

"Should we go meet Gideon and papa, then?"

"Yes, babe," Belle agreed. "There we go."

[wickedwitch1997]

Katara, of the Fire Nation- Chapter 2

Here’s Chapter 1, in case you missed it. 

Zuko stands awkwardly in front of the water bender.

“Um,” he starts, “My name is Zuko.”

“Katara,” the girl responds.

The two children stand together awkwardly.

“I like your… hair,” Zuko says, trying to be polite.

“Thank you,” Katara says, looking Zuko up and down, trying to find something to compliment him on, “I like your… palace.”

“Yeah?” he says, a sparkle comes to his eye, “It has one hundred rooms! I’ll show you.”

“Ok!” Katara says, the boy takes her hand and leads her out of the room.

Zuko shows Katara around the palace, pointing out important paintings of his ancestors and labelling all the rooms.

“Did you want to see the gardens?” Zuko asks.

“What’s a gardens?” Katara asks, her eyes round with wonder.

“Come on!” he beams, squeezing her hand and encouraging her to run with him.

Zuko takes Katara outside, and Katara’s little mouth hangs open in shock. There is so much colour in the gardens; she marvels at the flowers and trees.

“Don’t you have gardens where you’re from?” Zuko asks, Katara shakes her head, “Here!” the young prince leads Katara to a fire lily patch and picks a red flower, “It’s called a fire lily!”

Zuko hands the flower to Katara. Katara’s eyes widen as she touches the petal softly.

“It’s beautiful,” she breathes.

A strange noise catches her attention and Katara looks over to a large tree in the middle of the garden.

“What was that?” she asks.

“I’ll show you,” Zuko says, taking Katara’s hand again and leading her to the tree. Katara is surprised to find a pond in front of the tree. Swimming on the pond is a strange creature.

“It’s a turtleduck,” Zuko explains. He sits down at the edge of the water and pats the grass next to him.

Katara sits down and watches as the turtleducks swim around the pond, diving under the water every so often.

“ZUKO!” the Fire Lord shouts, storming into the gardens, “Get away from her!”

Katara and Zuko bolt to their feet, when Katara sees the look on the Fire Lord’s face, she drops back down to her knees and bows with her forehead on the grass.

“She is our prisoner,” Lord Ozai says, grabbing his son by his arm and pulling Zuko closer to him, “She is not some play thing to be your friend, do you understand me?”

“Yes…yes father,” Zuko stammers.

“Guard,” Ozai snaps, “Take the prisoner back to her room.”

Katara flinches as a guard grabs her and pulls her away, Katara steals one last look at Zuko as she is escorted back to her room.

Katara is thrown inside her room and she hears the door being locked by the guard. Katara sniffles and wipes tears from her eyes.

Iroh doesn’t come back to her room, Katara is left alone, she’s never been alone before, she always had someone with her, especially within the small tribe, and, even on the ship there was always someone close by, but now, she is truly alone.

Katara looks around, she goes to her bed and tries to go to sleep, but it’s too quiet and she is too scared.

At midnight, Katara’s door is unlocked and it slowly opens, creaking softly.

Katara dives under her covers as her little heart begins to race.

“Psst,” comes a voice, “Katara?”

Katara sits up and peaks out to see Zuko standing in her room with a small fire lit in his palm.

“Hi!” he beams, closing the door behind him as he sees Katara.

“What are you doing here?” Katara asks, getting out from under the covers.

“Shh,” Zuko whispers with a smile, “I wanted to see you again.”

“But your dad,” Katara whispers, watching the Fire Prince light a candle before extinguishing the flame in his hands, “I’m a prisoner.”

“I don’t think you are,” Zuko says, walking over to Katara and sitting on her bed, “Prisoners don’t get rooms, and they’re big and mean. Besides, uncle wouldn’t have left me with you if you were a prisoner.”

Katara stares at the boy as he smiles at her, he has his uncle’s kind smile.

“Tell me more about where you’re from,” Zuko says, “What kind of place has no gardens?”

“It’s too cold for gardens,” Katara explains, “It’s always snow.”

“Woah,” Zuko says, his eyes wide.

“And we don’t have turtle ducks,” Katara says, “We have penguins.”

“I’ve read about them!” Zuko says, proudly.

“My mum used to take me penguin sledding,” Katara continues, “We’d ride them down the snow slopes.”

Katara goes silent as she thinks of her mother and her family, Katara doesn’t remember what happened to her mother, she can’t remember what happened to her village.

“I’m sorry you were taken from your mother,” Zuko says, speaking softly, “My mum’s gone too.”

Katara looks to Zuko as he stares at the floor, kicking his legs over the edge of the bed.

Katara and Zuko spend the night together, talking about their homes and their families, eventually falling asleep in each other’s arms.

Iroh finds Zuko and Katara in the early morning, they’re sleeping next to each other; their legs are tangled together, and their hands hold onto each other.

“Zuko,” Iroh whispers, waking the young prince, Zuko groans as his eye’s slowly open.

“Uncle?” Zuko says, groggily rubbing his eye and detangling from the water bender.

“Come on.” Iroh picks Zuko up out of bed and carries him back to his own room without being seen.

“She smells nice,” Zuko says, stifling a yawn as he sits up in his own bed, “Can she be my friend?”

Iroh’s heart breaks for the young prince, he doesn’t know it yet, but he is falling for the water girl.

“Go back to sleep,” Iroh says, tucking Zuko in.

Iroh leaves his nephew and goes back to Katara’s room.

“Where’s Zuko?” the little water bender asks as soon as Iroh steps into the room.

“He’s back in his own bed,” Iroh explains.

“Is his dad going to be mad?” Katara asks, her face pales at the thought.

“No,” Iroh says with a smile, “It will be our secret.”

That day Iroh introduces Katara to her first set of water bending scrolls, scrolls he dug up from the archives of stolen treasures.

Iroh volunteered to train Katara, knowing his teachings would be kinder than that of anyone else, he helps Katara read the scrolls, fixing her punctuation on the words she doesn’t know.

Iroh then fills the bathtub with water and lets Katara stand in the shallow water. Unfortunately Iroh isn’t a water bender, but he reads through the scrolls and tries to help Katara as best he can.

Katara is a quick learner, by the end of the day, she is drenched in water, but she knows how to create small waves in the tub, the water follows the push and pull of her chi. She also knows how to pull water out of the tub and levitate for a few moments.

Katara and Iroh eat their dinner together in Katara’s room, he leaves as the sun sets and feels sorry for the girl, she doesn’t even have a window to watch the sun set.

But she does have Zuko, who again, sneaks into her room once everyone is asleep.

“Look what I can do,” Katara says, getting out of bed when Zuko creeps in.

Katara shows Zuko her new tricks. Zuko is mesmerised by the water, just as he is mesmerised by the one who bends it.

The days roll by, Katara learns with Iroh during the day, working hard and taking breaks to eat and play with Iroh.

Then at night, Zuko sneaks into her room and they show each other their ‘tricks’ before tiring out and ending curled up together, only to be separated by Iroh, who collects Zuko in the mornings; just like clockwork.

Except as the days go by, Iroh can see Katara slowly start to slip, she’s sick of being locked up all day, Zuko’s visits at night help, but Katara needs to see the sun, she needs to be outside in fresh air. Being a water bender, Iroh assumes it would probably help for her to be outside, under the moon once in a while.

Iroh fears for the girl’s sanity, so he confronts his brother, the Fire Lord.  

@squishysuho @pepewntz @the-weird-fob-fangirl @thegaang6

The Painted Lady fic: 1.It’s the Painted Lady 2.The Blue Spirit 3.The Painted Spirit 4.The Blue Lady 5. The Water Bender 6. The Fire Lord’s Heart pt 1 7. The Fire Lord’s Heart pt 2 8. The Painted Lady and the Blue Spirit 9. The Fire Lady 10.The Blood Bender 11. The Family Reunion 12. The Water Bender’s Baby 13. The Avatar 14. The Lie 15. The Ice Heart 16. The Uncle 17. The Water Bender’s Heart pt 1 18. The Water Bender’s Heart pt 2 19. The Son of Aang