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purrincess-chat · 2 years ago

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Fashion Faux Paw CH3

It’s Monday! Which means it’s time for the next chapter of my BB story ^^ Next chapter will be up Wednesday and include the first art piece for this story by @bootsssss See you all then!

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Chapter 3

“Evening, m’lady. Miss me?”

Ladybug rolled her eyes at Chat Noir’s flirtatious lilt. He leaned in mere centimeters from her face with an impish grin, green eyes sparkling with their usual mischief. Pushing his nose away with a smirk, Ladybug cocked a hip.

“Kind of hard to miss you when you never leave me alone.” She slid open her bug phone, swiping through dozens of texts, selfies, and memes.

“I can’t help it. You’re always on my mind.” He leaned against his staff with a sigh. “I want it to feel like we’re always together, even when we’re apart.”

“I think I could stand to miss you more,” she said.

“Me-owch! Don’t you think about me at all when we’re not together?” he asked.

Ladybug flicked his bell with a smile. “I do miss that dorky grin of yours sometimes. The bad puns I could do without, though.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Though, I’ve been seeing a lot of you on the internet lately. You started helping that baker girl with her blog.”

“Yeah, but don’t worry, buginette. It’s strictly purrfessional This cat only has eyes for you.” He kissed her hand. “But who knows? Maybe if her blog takes off, you’ll be seeing my face on every billboard in town. Wouldn’t that be a dream?”

“More like a nightmare.” She teased. “But I’m sure your little fangirls would love it.”

“Don’t be jealous just because I have more fans than you,” Chat Noir said. “It’s only natural. Everyone knows cats rule the internet.”

“Speaking of the internet, you wanna tell me why #LadyNoir was trending the other day?” Ladybug quirked a brow.

“Oh, uh… I don’t know what that was about. LadyNoir? What’s that? A musical group? Anyway, I’ve never heard that term in my life!” Chat Noir backed away with a sheepish wince. “I think I hear distressed citizens in need of our help! We should probably get on with our patrol. Crime isn’t going to stop itself, ya know.”

Ladybug shook her head as he vaulted off. What was she going to do with that mischievous cat?

***

The following evening, Marinette hummed while putting the finishing touches on her latest design. Activity on her blog was still on the rise, so she was doing her best to keep up with demand. After all, Chat Noir was kind enough to help get her name out there. She didn’t want to waste the opportunity to show off her work to her new audience and risk losing everything.

“Knock, knock!” Alya called, sticking her head through the skylight.

Marinette rolled away from her sewing machine, tilting her head to the side. Her bff crawled down, followed by Chat Noir.

“We just got done filming a new video for my blog, and we thought we’d pop over,” Alya said.

“Alya gave me a lot of advice on how to sweep Ladybug off her feet, so I gave her a ride here.” Chat Noir fastened his baton back to his belt.

“Yeah, no offense, but I think I’ll walk next time. Traveling by staff is terrifying, and the wind is not nice to my hair.” Alya ran her fingers through her windblown curls. “I don’t know how you do it.”

“I have a really good conditioner.” He shrugged. “And my hair is magic. I’m like a Disney Princess.”

“Don’t you mean Disney Prince?” Marinette asked.

“Uh, does Prince Charming have magic hair?” Chat Noir crossed his arms over his chest. “Didn’t think so.”

“Anyway, what do you have for Rapunzel to model tonight?” Alya asked.

“Actually, I’m running out of stuff he can wear over his suit,” Marinette said. “Everything I have left will just look clunky.”

“So, design some more stuff I can wear over it,” he said.

“Well…” Marinette pursed her lips, flicking her gaze to her most recent post pulled up on the computer monitor. “The point of getting you to model for me was to bring more attention to my blog. Now, it’s so popular, and I really want to show off more of my work.”

“Hmm.” Alya surveyed the shirt in Marinette’s sewing machine, drumming her fingers. “What if he wasn’t wearing the suit?”

“Alya, the suit’s made of magic. He can’t take it off,” Marinette said.

“Marinette’s right. It’s like a second skin. The zipper’s just for show.” Chat Noir tugged on it as proof.

“So, just change back to a civilian, and-”

“Are you crazy? He can’t detransform! We’ll find out his identity.” Marinette shook her head.

“Uh, yeah, that’s kind of an important secret for me to keep.” Chat Noir agreed.

“I’m not saying he has to reveal his identity!” Alya rolled her eyes. “What if you made him a black mask to wear along with the outfits? That way he can detransform to model the clothes properly while still keeping his secret identity.”

“That-” Marinette opened her mouth to protest but paused.

Pacing the length of her room, she chewed her nails. It was an option. If anything happened, he could always just transform again in an instant… What was she thinking? She couldn’t ask him to detransform! No, absolutely not. Out of the question! No way! No-

“That could work,” Chat Noir said.

“No!” Marinette blurted.

“Come on, M. There’s zero risk, and he’ll be able to model everything the way it’s supposed to be,” Alya said. “People are really into all of your Chat Noir posts. You can’t stop now. Trust me, girl, the internet is so fickle. If you stop posting pictures with him, your hit count is going to take a nosedive.”

Marinette rubbed her temple with a sigh. If Chat Noir was willing to do it, then she supposed there was no reason not to. Making a mask would only take a few minutes, and she did have quite a bit of black fabric…

Alya clapped when Marinette flopped back in her rolling chair and set to work. Although her stomach twisted in knots at the thought of Chat Noir detransforming in her room, she kept working, reminding herself that everything would be fine. It wasn’t like she was going to learn who he was, though she would have to keep Alya from peeking.

When the mask was complete, Chat Noir disappeared behind the folding screen, and green light briefly lit the room. Marinette chewed her nails while he changed, nearly calling the whole thing off twice. What kind of partner would she be if she discovered his identity on accident? Would she have to tell him she knew? How would she explain how she found out without revealing her own identity? Would it be right to keep her identity at that point? Why did she let Alya talk her into this? What was taking him so long?

“O M G!”

Marinette jumped at Alya’s exclamation when Chat Noir reappeared from behind the curtain. He flashed her a perfect smile, his usual cat-like sclera replaced with two normal green eyes. She’d never thought about what his eyes looked like under the suit. His hair was shorter too — he wasn’t kidding about the Disney Princess thing. That jawline looked familiar. She could have sworn she’d seen-

Ugh! What was she doing? She never should have agreed to let him detransform! She was going to be up all night studying the photos trying to figure out his identity. No! No, she wasn’t. She’d resist. She had to for the sake of Paris. If she found out who he was, then she’d have no choice but to tell him who she was. News would inevitably get out and make its way back to Hawkmoth, and they’d all be doomed. She could do this. Absolutely no thinking about who the boy in front of her could possibly be.

“So,” he drawled. “What do you think?”

Marinette blinked, cheeks flushing. How long had she been staring at him?

“Uh, it’s great!” She bit her lip, forcing her eyes to stare directly at the center of his nose instead of tracing every line of his face. He was Chat Noir, her goofy little cat boy, and nothing else. Although, with just the mask on he was more boy than cat, which was probably adding to her curiosity. “Actually… hang on.”

Marinette returned to her sewing machine, crafting a set of cat ears that she fastened into his hair. Pursing her lips, she stepped back to assess her work. Black mask plus ears equaled Chat Noir. Not some mysterious civilian boy she may or may not know. Chat Noir. Just Chat Noir.

“Aww, that’s cute,” Alya giggled.

“Aren’t I always?” Chat Noir winked.

“Down, boy. Remember what we talked about? Ladybug isn’t into the Casanova types.” Alya gave him a warning look.

“Oh, right. Sorry!”

Marinette rolled her eyes. “Okay, we’ve already spent enough time getting ready, so let’s get this shoot over with and let Chat Noir transform back.”

“I’m not in any rush. Your clothes are way comfier than my suit. The fabric you used is super soft.” He ran his hands down the shirt. “Besides, you can’t rush perfection. I want the photos for your blog to be top clawlity just like your designs.”

“How sweet of you,” Marinette said through clenched teeth. As much as she appreciated his dedication to helping her blog, she needed him to hurry up.

Too nervous to do it herself, Marinette let Alya take the photos, opting to hold the light instead. She kept her eyes glued to the mask, but to her relief, it didn’t budge. Chat Noir took the perfect photos, and after what felt like forever, he finally retreated behind the screen to change again.

Marinette breathed out, relaxing her shoulders until a black blob flashed in her periphery and helped himself to the cheese danishes. Oh no! She’d forgotten about Plagg. What was he doing? He should be staying hidden!

“Whoa, no way! You must be Chat Noir’s kwami!” Alya pushed past Marinette to crouch beside the plate on the desk. She turned over her shoulder and added, “Kwamis are what give Ladybug and Chat Noir their superpowers.”

Of course, Alya knew what kwamis were, but Marinette wasn’t supposed to. Plagg crossed his arms over his chest as if waiting to see her reaction. Ugh, he could be just as annoying as his master.

“Wow!” Marinette gasped. “He’s like a little kitten. So cute.” And so not supposed to be out in the open.

Plagg shot her a smug grin. “It’s true. Chat Noir gets his handsome physique and swagger from me.” He flexed a tiny arm. “It’s a shame we kwamis don’t show up on camera. If everyone got to bask in my glory, your blog would have way more hits.”

“Don’t hold your breath on that one, buddy,” Chat Noir called from behind the screen.

“Aww, I think he’s adorable.” Alya scratched under his chin. “You can eat all the cheese danishes you want.”

“Don’t tell him that, or he will,” Chat Noir sighed. “Then the world will have a cheese shortage.”

“I think there’s a me shortage. Do you know how many cheeses there are in the world right now? It’s a crime I only have one mouth.” He crossed his arms over his chest with a huff.

Marinette and Alya giggled as he stuffed his face. He shoved the last bite down his gullet as Chat Noir called him back into the ring.

“Sorry about Plagg.” Chat Noir rolled his eyes as he stepped out from behind the screen.

“Are you kidding? I got to see and talk to a kwami up close!” Alya bounced with glee. “Do you think he’d let me interview him if I bring him cheese?”

“Absolutely not!” Marinette chided. At Chat Noir and Alya’s curious expressions, Marinette curled her shoulders. “Uh, well, I mean, wouldn’t it be dangerous to put out information on his kwami like that? What if Hawkmoth saw it and got some kind of advantage?”

“I’m not gonna post about it. I just have some questions.” Alya assured her.

“Trust me, he’ll do anything for cheese,” Chat Noir said.

She never should have let him detransform. If anyone was going to weasel their way into finding out Chat Noir’s true identity, it was Alya. Marinette would have to listen to her conspiracy theories on it for weeks. Was it too late to fire him?

“I can’t wait to see how the photos turn out, Marinette.”

She blinked, wiping the nails she’d been chewing on her jeans. “Oh, y-yeah. Thanks so much for agreeing to help. I never would have gotten this far without you.”

“Nah, that’s not true. I just helped you get there faster, but you would have drawn in a crowd eventually with how talented you are,” he said.

Marinette smiled and stretched up to kiss both of his cheeks. “Thanks, Chat Noir.”

“Need a ride home?” He turned to Alya and offered her a hand.

She shook her head. “Nu-uh. Not again. I’m gonna stay here and help Marinette go through the photos, then I’ll use my legs to get home.”

“Suit yourself.” Chat Noir opened the window and sat on the ledge. “I can’t wait to see what you design for me to wear next, Marinette. See you tomorrow!” He gave a two finger wave and leaned back out the window, vaulting off through the rooftops.

“Show off,” Marinette muttered, biting back a smirk. She closed the window and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Ya know,” Alya said. “He looks kind of familiar, don’t you think?”

Marinette turned to find Alya clicking through the photos on her computer.

“No!” Marinette crossed the room in three long strides, swiveling her friend’s chair to face her. “And neither do you. We can’t speculate about his identity! That’s not why we’re here, and it would be a total invasion of his privacy.”

Alya threw her head back with a groan.

“Promise me you won’t snoop.” Marinette held out her pinky.

Alya pursed her lips, nevertheless, twining their fingers together. “Fine. I won’t speculate or pry. I have my own theories anyway.”

“Alya-”

“Alright, fine! I’ll shelf the topic for now.” When Marinette continued to glare, she crossed her arms over her chest with a sigh. “Okay, I won’t snoop period. Happy?”

“Yes.” Marinette nodded.

Her best friend drummed her fingers. “But seriously though, doesn’t he look really famili-”

“Alya!”

#miraculous ladybug #marichat #marinette dupain-cheng #chat noir #mlbigbang2022 #my writing

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muddyorbsblr · 2 years ago

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a heart like yours part 3: the Romanoff inquisition

Masterlist

Summary: After Steve's unsuccessful attempts to wake you, Natasha asks him a question that puts his priorities into perspective.

Pairing: Steve x Reader; Loki x Reader

Warnings: Couchie, angst…a lot of angst, and bring your tissues because this is the chapter i teared up while writing

"Y/N, sweetie…" Natasha sighed as she watched the scene playing out before her. Steve telling you he loved you and using that annoying nickname that nobody in the team but him could stand, kissing you countless times with teary eyes, and still nothing. "Come on, babes." She felt a small hand take hers and she looked down at Morgan who looked like she was about to cry again.

"Is she gonna wake up now, Auntie Nat?"

After Steve pressing another unsuccessful kiss to your lips, she shook her head at the little girl. "No, sweetie. No happily ever after. At least not tonight."

"I told them she needs a prince to kiss her. Auntie Y/N is a princess. She needs Prince Loki."

How was it that of all the people in the room aside from herself and Wanda, it was Stark's kid that caught on to what actually needed to happen? "Does she now, tiny genius?"

"Yes!" she whispered in excitement. "Princesses are always saved by the princes with a kiss of true love. She's a princess. He's a prince."

"But Thor is also a prince, baby Morgan," she cooed at the child. "Do you think he could save Princess Y/N from the curse?" Morgan shook her head. "And why is that?"

"Because, Auntie Nat…" the child began. "It's not just any prince that will save the princess. You need one more thing. A thing that Prince Loki has that Uncle Thor doesn't." She gave the kid a look that encouraged her to keep going. "Love."

"So you think that Loki there loves your Auntie Y/N?"

Morgan nodded enthusiastically. "I know he does. It's something that he has that Uncle Steve doesn't have, too. He looks at her like when Prince Charming first saw Cinderella at the ball and they danced until midnight. Or like when Eugene looks at Rapunzel with all of the floating lights. Uncle Steve likes her. Prince Loki loves her."

Natasha chuckled, more to herself than at the kid's words. "You watch too many movies, baby."

"But I'm right," she pouted at the Russian spy. "He loves Auntie Y/N. He's the one who breaks her curse."

"Okay honey, it's time for bed," Natasha heard Pepper's voice break through their conversation, watching as the strawberry blonde picked up her and Tony's daughter. "You can come visit Auntie Y/N tomorrow and see if she's any better, okay?" The child nodded, the tears shining in her eyes again. "Say goodnight to her now, baby."

Morgan turned her little body around in Pepper's arms and waved in the direction of your bed. "Goodnight, Auntie Y/N. I love you."

Natasha watched as the mother and daughter walked away from the room in amusement. The brain on that kid could give Tony a run for his money one day.

"I don't get it," Steve grumbled, looking and sounding every bit frustrated. "Why isn't she awake yet? I've definitely kissed her enough times."

A chill ran down her spine as she caught sight of Loki, a murderous glare in his eyes. "Because, you miserable, sniveling, pathetic excuse for a man, you do not love her." He was seething, the words that escaped him leaving a slight chill in the air as his frost giant powers began to show through. "You took her as your lover and you couldn't even accomplish the basest task, loving her. And now she's lost to us all."

He stalked toward the soldier and pushed him into the wall with one arm. "Laufeyson! Stand down!"

"Do you realize what you've done? If you cannot wake her, then she is lost to us. She will never wake and she will die. And we will remain here with the helpless task of watching her fade away. She's gone. Y/N is gone and there is no one to blame but yourself."

"Brother," Thor's voice broke through as he placed a hand on Loki's shoulder. "You must back away. There is nothing we can do for Lady Y/N like this. We can search for other ways to break the curse. We will find a way to bring her back to us."

He allowed the blonde god to pull him away and guide him out of the room, all the while his eyes empty as he murmured, "Y/N's gone, Brother. I will never see her again. She's gone."

Natasha looked over to Steve again, who was straightening his jacket and righting his stance. "Show's over, everyone. Get some sleep. We'll try to figure out what we can do for Y/N in the morning. We're no use to her if our minds aren't sharp."

She watched as everyone left the room one by one, Wanda taking some time to cast a quick spell on you by placing her hand on your head.

"What dream did you give her?" she whispered to the Sokovian.

"I gave her Loki's," Wanda answered. "She just doesn't know it's his."

She nodded and let Wanda exit the room before turning back to Steve. "I need to talk to you." She nodded towards your bed. "But not here. If she's aware of what's happening around her, I don't want her to hear this while she's asleep. She deserves better."

He nodded at his friend and they went into the kitchen. Natasha got some beers from the fridge and handed him a bottle, letting him drink some before blurting out, "You don't love her."

"Are you really gonna listen to Laufeyson's crazy talk, Nat? Of course I love her! I wouldn't be with her if I didn't love her, so I really don't understand why--"

"You don't love her enough," she cut him off, her tone unchanging. "Loki said that the curse would be broken by the one who loves her with his whole heart. The one whose love is pure and true. Sure you might love her, but it's not enough. It's like how maybe Tony or I love her. You'll be sad if she dies, but you wouldn't feel like your life ended."

"Nat, I feel like someone just beat me up and left me for dead. I have to watch someone I love die because some curse says that I don't love her enough to wake her."

"You just said it, Steve." He looked at Natasha with a confused and incredulous look. "She's someone you love. Not the woman you love. Please Steve, for Y/N, be honest with me. If you had a chance to be with Peggy again--"

"Nat, don't you dare bring her into this, this has nothing to do with--"

"If you had a chance to be with Peggy again," she insisted, daring him with a look to cut her off again. "And you had to leave Y/N to do it, would you take it?" He looked at her with incredulity, as if she was supposed to know the answer, but truly she didn't. Two days ago, before they took off for this mission, maybe she would have been positive that he wouldn't just leave you for his past.

But then this curse happened, and despite his words and his "Come home to me, Couchie" and his attempts to wake you with his kiss, you were still toeing the fine line between life and death. With each second ticking by taunting everyone that your time was running out.

"No, Steve," she answered his silent question of 'Do you really not know the answer to this?' "I really don't. All I know is you say you love her, and yet she's not awake."

"Maybe she doesn't love me, did that ever cross your mind, Romanoff?" He didn't look pained at the question he just aired; actually he looked annoyed. "Maybe the kiss didn't work because maybe my heart was in it but hers--"

"Breaking this curse has nothing to do with her heart, Rogers. Just the heart of the man trying to wake her. Pure and true. You can't do that if you're not even being honest with yourself, Steve." She softened her tone, trying to remind him that despite the tense situation, she was his friend first and foremost, and he could be honest with her, around her. "Just be honest, Steve. Would you take it?"

"If I knew that Y/N would be alright? That she'd be safe and taken care of? Then yes," he sighed. "I love Y/N, I really do, but--"

"Peggy's your great love," Nat cut him off. "Your first love. In your eyes, no one ever compared to her and no one ever will. Your world ended when she died, Steve. You were denied a chance to build a life with her, and I think that's always haunted you. Anyone could understand that of course you would take that chance. Anyone given the chance for a do-over would gladly take it."

Tears welled in Steve's eyes as he weighed the implications of his love for you, or to be more accurate, his lack of it. "So what happens now? To Y/N?" He sounded devastated, as if he was overcome with guilt, but to her he didn't sound like he couldn't bear to even imagine what a world without you would be like. He would grieve you, just like everyone would.

But in time he would move on. And he would eventually find someone who he could live out the rest of his days with, all the while ultimately waiting for either the opportunity or the inevitability that he would be with Peggy again.

Natasha weighed their options carefully. Was there a workaround or a loophole that they could exploit and break the curse that way? There were other forms of love that were whole-hearted and pure and true, but the Sin Healer's curse made it clear that you wouldn't be woken with that type of love.

"Now we grieve," she answered him. "We say goodbye, while her soul is still with us. You should say your piece while everyone's asleep. Have your final moments with her in privacy. You might not love her the way she needed, but we should at least let her know that she's not leaving this world unloved."

Fat tears were rolling down Steve's cheeks now as he tried to wrap his head around what had to happen next. "I'm so sorry, Nat."

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to, Steve." With a nod, he stood up and made his way back to you. "And for the love of all things good in this fucking world, don't call her Couchie! I don't want that name to be one of the last things she hears."

"It's a cute--"

"No it's not, Steve!" she hollered as he walked away. When he was out of earshot, she went toward the apartments again. There was one last thing she thought to try. And perhaps this would be what woke you all along.

She had to go see a god about a kiss.

Steve walked into your room, feeling his legs giving out as he pulled up a chair next to you and took your hand.

"Y/N," he whispered. "I love you. I'm sorry that it's not enough, that I couldn't wake you. You know, before we started seeing each other I honestly thought that I couldn't love anyone again. And then I saw you in the kitchen one morning, dancing around making breakfast for everyone, and the only thing I knew at that moment was that I wanted to pull you in and kiss you silly."

He allowed for a few tears to escape him before taking a breath and kept going. "The time I had with you…I could've been better. I could've been less jealous. Showed you that I loved you more than I did. I was so caught up with showing everybody else that you were mine that I guess I forgot to show you how grateful I was that you were. That you gave me the chance to love you."

He pressed several kisses to your hand and braced himself for his next words. His final words to you. "Thank you. Thank you for letting me love you. For showing me that I was still capable of loving again. For being a ray of sunshine in this dark, depressing world we live in, and allowing me to bask in your light. For being a part of this family. For being a part of my life. I love you, Y/N." He stood up and pressed a kiss to your forehead. "You can rest now, sweetheart."

He walked away from your room, trying his best to keep himself together with every step he took. But when he walked into his apartment and saw all the little things there that reminded him of you, the sweater of his that you always wore because you insisted that it was more comfortable than anything you owned, the hair clip you'd wear when you were doing your laundry, the sunflower yellow toothbrush you kept in his bathroom, that was when he allowed himself to sink to his knees, crying his heart out.

You were gone. And up until this moment he refused to admit it, but Laufeyson was right. He had no one else but himself to blame.

A/N: How's everybody doing? Still good?

Taglist:

Everything: @lokisgoodgirl @lokischambermaid @imalovernotahater @redbluekjw @lucylaufeyson3 @thomase1 @springdandelixn @fictive-sl0th @mochie85 @laliceee @xorpsbane @gigglingtigger @silverfire475 @cabingrlandrandomcrap @vickie5446 @salempoe @lokixryss @sinsandguilt @lokidbadguy @alexakeyloveloki @glitterylokislut @arch-venus25 @freefrommars @littlemortals @cakesandtom @girl-of-multi-fandoms@mischief2sarawr @thedistractedagglomeration @five-miles-over @goblingirlsarah @peaches1958 @lilibet261 @iobsessoverfictionalmen

a heart like yours: @huntress-artemiss @hotleaf-juice @clockblobber @sititran @taro-gabi @wolfsmom1 @rmoonstoner @ladymischief11

#loki x reader #steve rogers x reader #loki fanfiction #loki fanfic #loki x female reader #marvel fanfiction #marvel fanfic #mcu fanfiction #loki laufeyson fanfic

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continentalblue · 3 years ago

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Varian with an s/o who is Rapunzel younger sibling? have a good day !

Blue's note: feel free to request Tangled headcanons through my askbox! They can be character or ship hc, I don't really care. I won't do adult/nonadult ships, nsfw, or ships between family.

_______

Have a good day as well, anon! Not sure if this gif fit but I was the only one I could find with the both of them that kinda fit the plot. Just a heads up, there's some miscarriage mention after the gif: if that makes you uncomfy, please scroll away. This got kinda long so I put it under a "keep reading" thing

⚗️ When Rapunzel was taken from your parents four years before you were born, your parents swore that the next child they had would never leave their sight, lest they be taken as well.

⚗️They began trying for another child almost immediately after she was taken, but suffered many losses. They were about to give up when you came along.

⚗️Though you could never replace their firstborn, you were loved by your parents.

⚗️ But, for the love of the suns, could they be stifling.

⚗️ They expected you to take on the crown if Rapunzel were not reunited with them.

⚗️ Your mother tried, of course. She had known in her youth the dangers of being forced to conform. But she couldn't do much against your father.

⚗️ Two guards tailed after you at all times. The only privacy you had was when bathing, though a guard would stand outside of the bathroom.

⚗️ Due to this, you didn't have many friends.

⚗️ One day, you decided to escape the castle. Even for a few moments, you wanted to escape the crushing burdens and surveillance.

⚗️ You came across a boy wearing goggles one day outside. He was putting cool neon-colored chemicals into a beaker and making them explode.

⚗️ "Excuse me." You cleared your throat, hiding your excitement at finally talking to another person freely. "Is that magic?"

⚗️ He didn't look up when he said. "Nah, there's a difference." He went into a long-winded rant on the differences between the two.

⚗️ You felt yourself growing nervous. "I'm sorry for offending you, then. My apologies."

⚗️ He still didn't look up. "Nah, it's okay. Most people--"

⚗️ He finally looked up at you and startled.

⚗️ "Your Royal Highness!"

⚗️ "Please don't tell anyone," you begged. "I couldn't take it anymore. I just need a break from that, even if it's just for a little."

⚗️ "If you want to stay, Your Highness, you can."

⚗️ "Please just call me by my name." You gave your name. "What's yours?"

⚗️ "Varian." He looked at you like you were the stars in the sky. "I need an assistant. Want to help me?"

⚗️ You gave him one of your true smiles, not the ones that you have to foreign dignitaries or your father, but one of you. "I'd love that."

⚗️ As time went by, you and Varian grew closer. Rapunzel came back, Varian became and stopped being evil, Cass turned evil, and other assorted things happened.

⚗️ One day, Varian was playing the piano. He stopped playing and sighed longingly when you walked by. Rapunzel sat next to him.

⚗️ "You should just tell them how you feel," she said, continuing where he left off. "I can see you like them a lot."

⚗️ "How do you know they won't reject me?"

⚗️ "Because I'm telling you right now that I like you." You cleared your throat, clasping your hands together. Your palms were sweaty and your heart was in your throat.

⚗️ Rapunzel gave a megawatt smile and gently pushed Varian up.

⚗️ He looked at you with adoration in his eyes and held your hands in his. Slow as honey, he leaned in. You decided to speed things up by firmly interlocking your lips together. He cupped your face gently.

⚗️ You had been born into a life of privilege and wealth, you realized. But to have his love set upon you was the most privileged thing of all.

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watchmegetobsessed · 4 years ago

Text

Never Have I Ever - Harry Styles (part 8)

a/n: oh my! we have finally reached the end of this story and I never thought it would turn out to be this long but im happy it did! thank you for reading and loving it, and now, enjoy the last part!

pairing: Harry x actress!reader

word count: 4k

warning: just pure fluff

SERIES MASTERPOST

masterlist

“Girl, even if you don’t win, you’ll surely take the title of the hottest woman on the red carpet tonight.”

Florence’s words make you chuckle, but you try not to move your lips too much as the makeup artist finishes up the last touches on them, using a nude shade.

“Stop, my head is big enough already,” you tell her, giving her a look through the mirror. She is standing a few feet behind you, already wearing her beautiful, golden Versace gown that hugs her perfectly. Her hair is up in a neat bun so her back can be on full display and the diamonds in her ears can also shine brightly. She looks amazing while she is the opposite of what you’ll look like tonight.

Rhonda, the makeup artist has an amazing notion about your look when you showed her the gown you’d be wearing tonight and since the dress is not the sparkly kind, like Florence’s, she went a little heavier with the glitter on your eyes, using mostly whitish-silver colors, creating rosy cheeks and topping it with nude, glossy lips. Your hair is in loose curls with a bunch of extension, creating the illusion that you might as well be Rapunzel herself tonight. But you are the most excited about the gown that’s already waiting for you to be finally put on.

“What time is it?” you ask Florence as you don’t have your phone on you, but she has hers in her hands already.

“We still have half an hour before we have to leave. Dude, I can’t believe you are an Oscar nominee and might turn into a winner tonight!” she sighs, eyes shining bright with excitement. She hasn’t come off of this high for days, so over the Moon that you get to walk the red carpet tonight as a nominee.

“Don’t jinx it, Flo,” you warn her.

There’s a knock on the door of the hotel suit you’ve occupied for the glamming and Florence is quick to rush to it answering, but you both know who it is. As she throws the door open Harry comes to your sight, looking as handsome as ever, wearing his custom made Gucci suit with a pink dress shirt underneath that matches your gown perfectly.

“Florence, you look wonderful!” his british accent fills the room, making you smile. Rhonda sets your makeup with some spray and you’re finally done. Standing up you move your legs around a bit as they went a little numb from all the sitting.

“Thank you! Pink suits you well, Harry,” your friend compliments your man and you watch them smiling.

When Harry’s eyes set on you, the light up, his smile widening from ear to ear. He looks spotless, freshly shaved, his hair recently cut and combed into place for a change. Not that you don’t like it when it’s all tousled and messy, especially when it’s because of your fingers.

“Angel, wow!” he breathes out as he walks up to you, taking your hands in his. You know he wants to kiss you, but doesn’t want to risk messing your lips up, so he is left with admiring you with only his eyes.

“Just wait until you see her in the dress!” Florence chimes in making you chuckle. You kept your dress a secret, wanting to surprise him with the first look. You gave out only the most necessary details for Lambert so the two of you could match.

“You’d be great like this too,” he teases, taking a look at your fluffy robe.

“I’m not going to the Oscars in a robe,” you tell him with a narrow-eyed look.

“I know, I’m just saying that you’d still be stunning,” he mumbles with a boyish smirk.

“Y/N? Time to choose a necklace!” Your stylist, Rupert appears from the room where your gown is hanging. He has a few jewelry boxes in his hands and he sets them all to the coffee table, opening up you are met with four breathtakingly beautiful diamond necklaces, each of them different yet so magical looking, you can’t decide which one you like the most.

“Harry, which one do you like the most?” you ask, kneeling down next to the table, mesmerized by the jewelries in front of you. Harry leans down and inspects them one by one before poking on the last one in the row. It has three rows of diamonds, not too big, the stones in the last row are shaped like water droplets, it’s such an elegant looking piece, it surely caught your eyes as well and you think it would be perfect with the dress.

“This one,” he tells you and you nod, shutting the other boxes, satisfied with the choice.

“Alright, time to get you into the gown, girl,” Rupert winks, gesturing at you to follow him into the room.

“I’ll be right back,” you tell Harry, risking a quick peck on his lips before you disappear in your temporary dressing room.

You fell in love with the gown on the first fitting when Rupert pulled it out, still in the finishing phase. It still has pins in it, but it already took your breath away. It has a massive A-line skirt and a tight upper part that hugs your body perfectly, a row of buttons running down the middle of it. The sleeves are puffy, but then end in a tight run from a little above your wrists, the same set of buttons appearing like on your chest. It’s giving out some Victorian style vibes in a more sophisticated and simpler way, but it’s by far your favorite dress you’ve ever worn to any event.

It surely needs the extra pair of hands from Rupert to put it on, but once you are secured in it, you feel like a princess straight out of a fairytale and surely, your prince is standing on the other side of the double doors.

“Alright! Everyone get ready for the big reveal!” Rupert announces, sneaking out the room so he can open the door for you. He waits a few moments as you hear everyone shuffle around outside, probably lining up to see you walk out in your finished state. “Okay, three! Two! One! Welcome our Oscar nominee!” he cheers, a round of applause is heard before you even appear, but it’s quickly replaced with gasps when Rupert pulls the doors open and they get the first glimpse of you in your gown.

“Holy fuck!” Florence gasps, mouth hanging open as she keeps raking your form up and down. Your eyes find Harry’s gaze and you see him in a state you haven’t often found him in the past almost two years you’ve been dating. He is completely speechless, eyes glued to you in awe as if he just saw an angel in real life.

“Y/N, I—wow,” he breathes out, still at a loss of words.

“You like it?” you ask with a shy smile.

“I fucking love it, baby. You look… You really are an angel,” he tells you, making you chuckle at his words.

“Would you please help me put on the necklace?” you ask him and he nods eagerly, carefully taking the jewelry out of its box and walking behind you, he brings it around your neck, his fingers delicately working on the clasp. Once it’s all set, you step to the floor to ceiling mirror, taking in the final look.

“There won’t be a straight woman left on Earth once you step on the red carpet,” Florence bluntly comments, making everyone in the room laugh.

“Let’s take some photos, I need to immortalize this masterpiece,” Rupert gestures around, already grabbing his camera.

The next ten minutes you take hundreds of photos, alone, with Florence and then with Harry. He still seems a little stunned by your look, feeling shy when he circles his arm around your waist, but it’s cute that you can still have such an effect on him after being together for almost two years.

Florence snaps some with your phone as well, your favorite is when he held your waist and leant you back, making you arch backwards as your noses touched since he couldn’t kiss you. You already know it’ll end up as your lockscreen, replacing the selfie the two of you took on your latest trip to Hawaii.

When it’s time to leave you grab your little purse with your phone and other necessities and the three of you pile up in a minivan, since your dress needs all the space so it doesn’t get wrinkled before you step out to the red carpet.

As you sit in the car and watch the buildings pass by, your nerves start to rise in you. When the nominations came out a month ago it seemed so far, you couldn’t imagine yourself actually attending the Academy Awards, but now here you are, on your way to find out if you’ve been good enough to be the best.

Your role in Sinful Heaven has brought a lot to your life aside from the nomination. The three months of filming was one of the hardest times in your life you’ve ever worked through and at some points, you didn’t even think you’d get through it. Working so closely with Levi took a toll on you while you were trying to prove in such a heavy and serious role. It was a mess especially at the beginning when you and Harry were still in this weird phase, but that eventually turned right when he literally punched Levi in the face and ten minutes later asked you to be his girlfriend. It’s a badass way to start a relationship and you wouldn’t trade it for anything, especially because it put Levi into place or at least scared him enough to get off your back for the rest of the filming.

When Harry left following that visit, you couldn’t see each other until filming wrapped and you flew straight to him and travelled with him for the next two weeks, hopping from one city to the other, watching him perform every other night and spending all your time with him.

When the movie premiered eight months later, you didn’t appear with Harry by your side, Maya was your date for the evening, but by that time everyone knew you and Harry are an official couple. Neither of you felt like hiding it or caring about what others would think and you were able to focus on each other and rely on the strong foundation you’ve built for your relationship.

He was there with you when the nominations came out and probably screamed louder when your name appeared in the list. With tearing eyes and choked out sobs you jumped into his arms as he mumbled into your ear.

“I’m so proud of you, Angel. So, so proud!”

And now you are on your way to the show, only hours away from finding out if your dreams will come true tonight. Harry squeezes your hand and you turn to face him, his soft eyes meeting yours.

“Nervous?” he asks with a small smile.

“Very,” you admit with an airy chuckle.

“Whatever happens tonight, I’m very proud of you. Don’t forget that.”

“Thank you,” you whisper, giving his hand a squeeze back.

Since it’s the first time you and Harry appear on the red carpet as a couple, once you set your feet out of the car, everyone goes nuts. He helps you out and even fixes your dress so it falls just perfectly around your frame before he offers his arm. You link your through it, taking a deep breath as the two of you start walking down the carpet, posing for the photographers.

You feel powerful and strong, like it’s the peak of your career, but you also feel that it wouldn’t be the same without Harry by your side even though he is making sure to let you shine tonight. At one point he even steps back for a moment so photographers can snap you alone and you think it’s such a caring move from him.

You feel a little dizzy from all the flashlights by the time you walk into the theater, Harry holding your hand tightly as he leads you to your seats.

You’ve been to plenty award shows and it’s not even your first Academy Awards appearance either, but for obvious reasons, it’s the most important. Sitting in your plush chair, you can barely stop yourself from continuously fidgeting as one category follows the other and it’s still not yours.

Then following a jaw-dropping performance from Dua Lipa, Chris Evans walks out with a golden statue and an envelope in his hands and your heart skips a beat, but not because of the man himself, but because you know he is the presenter of the Best Actress category.

Your hold on Harry’s hand on your lap tightens and you glue your eyes to the big screens behind Chris as he smiles around.

“Good evening. It’s a pleasure to be here and to present the award for Best Actress. The theater tonight is filled with exceptional talents, but let’s see the nominees,” he speaks into the microphone and then he starts listing the names.

Emma Stone, Anne Hathaway, Margot Robbie and Rooney Mara are called and a camera fixates on each of them when Chris says their names, all smiling brightly and waving around before your name is called at the end. Taking a deep breath you plaster your most wonderful smile across your face, waving around like the other nominees did before the big screen splits, showing the five of you simultaneously.

“We’ve seen some spectacular performances from these ladies and now let’s see who proved herself to be the best this year.”

Chris flips the envelope open and pulls the little paper out that has the winner’s name written on it and for a moment you’re convinced you’ll pass out. You’ve never felt this anxious before and you’re gripping Harry’s hand so tightly you’re surprised he hasn’t pulled it back, but he is patiently putting up with your nerves, his eyes glued to the man on the stage as well.

“And the Academy Award for Best Actress goes to…” Chris starts with a charming smile, holding a short pause before he finally says the name. “Y/N Y/L/N for her role as Marie Davidson in Sinful Heaven!”

Your mouth hangs open, ears ringing as you process that your name was called. Everyone around you jumps up, including Harry, who is screaming just like when the nominations came out, while you are completely blank. It takes you a couple of moments to realize that you in fact just won your first Oscar and everyone is waiting for you to go and get your little statue.

“Baby! Baby you won!” Harry cheers as he helps you up from your seat and you throw yourself into his arms as reality sets in. “I fucking love you, Angel. Go and get your Oscar!” he laughs, pride all over his face as he urges you to walk up to the stage.

“Walk me up, please!” you stammer, not trusting yourself with walking in this fragile state. He offers his hand without a second thought, walking you to the stage where Chris is politely waiting for you to help you up on the stairs.

“Thank you,” you breathe out once you’re finally up on the stage, every set of eyes on you as Chris hands you the little statue.

“Congratulations,” he smiles as the two of you exchange two kisses on the cheeks before he steps aside and lets you give a speech.

You thought about writing a few words beforehand, but you figured if you end up being the winner you’d forget the whole thing, so there would be no use and that’s the case. Your mind is still blank as you look down at the award in your hands, the crowd still cheering on you, giving you a few extra moments to figure out what to say.

“I uhh—I don’t even know what to say, this feels like a dream,” you admit talking into the microphone, the clapping dying down so that everyone can hear your words. “I want to thank to everyone who worked on Sinful Heaven, because I wouldn’t be here without them. To my wonderful director and amazing costars, it’s been such a wonderful journey with you all. Thank you to my friends and family who were there with me from the very start, believing in me when I was losing faith in myself, thank you for never giving up on me. To my parents who I assume are now crying in front of the TV,” you add chuckling softly, imagining your mom and dad in tears as they listen to your words. “This is a wonderful sign to me that I am where I need to be and that I’m on the right path, so thank you for giving me even more motivation to keep me going on my way.”

Your eyes roam around all the guests until they fall on one proud man staring at you in his Gucci suit and pink dress shirt, his green eyes looking glossy as he listens to your words.

“And last but not least, thank you to one special person, because I’m convinced I wouldn’t be here tonight without him. I have one thing to tell you.” Forgetting about everyone in the theater you hold up the Oscar in your hand as you finish your speech: “Never have I ever loved someone like I love you.”

The crowd starts cheering again as you step away from the microphone and Chris is quick to jog up to you and help you down the stairs, Harry rushing back to take your hand once Chris lets go of it.

You catch him wipe a tear off his cheek as the two of you walk back to your seats hand in hand. Once you are settled, you take a deep breath and turn to Harry who is already looking at you, the same proud smile you saw from the stage still on his handsome face.

“I have never,” he tells you as his answer to the last line of your speech and you chuckle as your free hand finds the back of his neck, pulling him close. The lipstick on your lips long forgotten as you finally kiss him for the first time tonight.

“I have never either,” you whisper against his lips before kissing him again and again.

***

Smiling around you wait for the audience to quiet down as you make yourself comfortable in the familiar armchair. It’s such a nostalgic feeling to sit here again.

“Y/N, it’s so nice to have you here again,” Ellen greets you once the clapping has stopped.

“Thank you for inviting me.”

“Of course. A lot has happened since the last time you were here, you won an Oscar just a few weeks ago, congratulations!”

The cheering starts again as a picture of you appears on the screen behind you, wearing your iconic pink gown, holding your Oscar in your hands.

“Thank you,” you shyly smile, still not entirely in peace with the fact that you are now an Oscar winning actress.

“Such a major thing, congrats.”

“Thank you, it is a huge thing, yes.”

“Do you already have a spot for the award? Does it have a designated place?”

“Well, for now it is in my study along with some more mementos, but I’m planning to have a little stand made in the living room,” you share your plans.

“Surely, I would want to show it off if I had an Oscar,” Ellen chuckles. “You have such a busy time behind you, have you been up to something new lately?”

“We finished filming the third season of The Umbrella Academy, so now I’m having a little break before I jump into anything new.”

“Sounds nice, you deserve all the relaxing. Anything planned while you’re on a break? A new book to read, or maybe a concert to go to?” she asks and you already know where this is heading.

“You know you can just ask if I’m planning to attend a Harry Styles concert,” you bluntly tell her, making the audience and Ellen laugh.

“Well, I was just asking around about your plans, but I’m happy you plan to visit Harry’s concert! It’s also good to know that the situation has changed since the last time you were here, you definitely have been to one of his concerts since then.”

“I have been, yes,” you admit smirking.

“And I assume the two of you are now very close, am I right?” she asks and suddenly a paparazzi photo of the two of you appears where you’re walking down the street hand in hand just a couple of weeks ago.

“You could say that,” you nod, biting into your bottom lip.

“Amazing, because he is going to join us now. Everyone, please welcome Harry Styles!” Ellen announces and turning around you spot Harry walking out from backstage, the audience screaming for him. He shyly waves around walking up to the center, greeting Ellen with a kiss on the cheek before he turns to you, pecking your lips shortly as he sits down next to you.

“Harry, so good to see you again,” Ellen smiles at him.

“Good t’ see you as well,” he nods.

“So, the last time you two were sitting here, you—it was the first time you ever met, right?”

“Right,” you nod with Harry.

“And now you are…” she gestures at the two of you, not finishing the sentence, but everyone knows what she meant by that.

“And now we are… not strangers anymore,” Harry says chuckling, making everyone in the studio laugh.

“Certainly,” Ellen nods. “Alright, I thought that we could play another game, just to bring back some nice memories,” she explains, reaching behind her armchair, grabbing the familiar board from her, flipping it in your hands with a nostalgic smile.

“Can we keep it PG rated though?” Harry asks, examining his board before looking up at Ellen.

“No,” she simply answers, reaching for her cards as the audience starts laughing. “Okay, you know how to play it, no need for explanation. Here is the first one: Never have I ever used my fame to get in somewhere.”

Ellen is quick to show the I HAVE side of her board and you slowly do the same while Harry thinks to himself.

“Oh come on, you surely have,” you elbow him playfully as he smirks in your way, holding up the same side as you and Ellen.

“We all have, it’s not a shame,” Ellen shrugs. “Next one. Never have I ever forgotten the name of someone right after they introduced themselves.”

Ellen holds up the I HAVE side and you do the same again while this time Harry flips it over to I HAVE NEVER confidently.

“Really?” Ellen asks him, surprised at his answer.

“I’m good with names,” he simply shrugs.

“That’s a good trait. Alright, let’s move on. Never have I ever punched someone in the face.”

It’s a sneaky and very shady statement. Just a few days after the incident with Levi, word got out that he was punched, a few blurry pictures floating around the internet of his bruise, then fans figured out it had to happen around the time Harry visited set and people were quick to put the picture together and assume that Harry was the one who hit Levi, but it was never confirmed.

Glancing at your boyfriend you are fighting your smile back, holding up the I HAVE NEVER side as he is looking back at you slyly, continuously flipping his board before it finally lands on I HAVE, the audience immediately rumbling at the partial confirmation and seemingly Ellen is also amazed by Harry’s honesty.

“Alright, interesting. Love that for you, Harry,” he comments making everyone laugh as you reach over and give Harry’s hand a squeeze. “Last one,” Ellen announces, reading the last statement from her cards. “Never have I ever fallen in love with someone I played never have I ever with.”

Ellen quickly shows her I HAVE NEVER side as you suck your lips into your mouth, glancing at Harry again. You share a look before you both slowly raise your boards, both reading the same sign on them: I HAVE.

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widow-maximov · 3 years ago

Text

You just need to feel it

Pairing: Natasha x Fem Reader

Warning: Language, fluff, angst

Summary: Being hidden away from the Avengers definitely brings curiosity when you are accidently discovered by one of them.

Word count: 5.6k

⸻⸻⋙☸⋘⸻⸻

Being one of the most rich people in the world daughter, definitely has its own benefits along with flaws, one of them being that when people heard your surname they instantly think you are the most spoiled kid on earth, when in reality you practically don't even know your parents.

People think you overexaggerate, like how can you not know your parents? But it's the truth, at a young age you have been practically given up to Tony Stark, he is intelligent and has his weakness when it comes to sponsoring his businesses to which your parents agreed to with one condition.

That Tony takes you as they never had time in the world to babysit you, so Tony became the father figure you always lacked. He taught you many things along with his passion of building, with each lesson you become better which is why you are currently working for Tony.

You practically have the same knowledge as him so when he is busy or needs another person's perspective he asks you to help and you do it with gratefulness.

When your parents noticed that you are starting to become a potential, they asked Tony to keep you discreet but would regularly check up on you, not that they would even try to interact with you but you didn't really care.

You were fine with Tony being the only father figure, soon when Pepper came into Tony's life, she was like the mother you always dreamed off, she always supported you and loved spending time with you when Tony was busy with his meetings.

Since you were stuck in the same place at all the times, you wanted to explore but you were forbidden from doing so, you knew no one could find out about you or Tony could get into big trouble with your parents.

You heard of the Avengers and their work, but you and Tony were behind the inventions so they could succeed against enemies three times their size.

It would've been one of those days where Tony would disappear from the team and spend some of his time with you, catching up or helping you with studying.

You was sat at your desk, the room was connected to the lab where you and Tony would come up with creations, the lab had a window that was tinted so only the person inside could see outside of it which was useful, as you could watch people walk past and no one would know you are even there.

The room of course was filled with things that could never bore you but it did bore you. You couldn't leave anywhere because if there was a picture leaked, your parents would be furious, so you were basically locked like Rapunzel but you couldn't escape.

"How are you, kid?" Tony asked as he walked inside the room, taking a double look in the hall to make sure no one saw him.

You nodded as you looked at him "Like any person who is locked inside a room their whole life"

He laughed a little as he made his way towards you "I'm sure it is very entertaining"

"Yeah, I'm so entertained as you can see" You pointed towards your books.

He sat on the desk as he leaned over to see what you were studying "Biology? What's so fascinating about that?"

You rolled your eyes, you would think someone like Tony would be somewhat interested in facts about science "It's interesting, like the human body has 12 systems. Don't tell me this isn't impressive?"

He smiled at you "You need another hobby, kiddo"

You playfully rolled your eyes "And you need to let me explore this building"

His smile fell a little, he knew that this is inhumane to keep you in a room locked and no one could find out about you "Under different circumstances, that would be possible"

You stood up from the chair as you kept your gaze on him "I know, it's okay though, as long as you keep hanging around I'm sure I will be fine"

He nodded slightly with a sad smile "If it only was up to me, you would be able to just walk freely"

"I don't understand, why don't they just let you adopt me, they barely even talk to me, you have been more of a parent to me than they ever were"

He looked at you, he always cared about you, even if you weren't his daughter by blood, he always considered you as one along with Pepper "I wonder that as well.."

The silence started to settle but he cleared his throat, throwing one of his famous smiles and pulling you into him with his hand over your shoulder as he walked towards the lab "I started to come up with this prototype and then I noticed something and I wanted to ask you about it"

⸻⸻⋙☸⋘⸻⸻

The time with him went by so quickly, he didn't even notice that he was gone for so long, he gave you a hug which was something that was so foreign to you until he took you, you still wasn't used to it especially since you barely received them but you grew fond of them.

The team started to get suspicious of Tony's disappearances, at first they thought he was sneaking off to see Pepper but that went out of the window when she walked into the Avengers tower and asked about him, indicating that she had no clue where he was.

They wanted to find out what he has been doing all that time, they checked every room they could possibly think off, but it came back short. They even asked Friday but that programmed thing always gave the same answer 'It's confidential' which only just fuelled the team.

Correction; Most of the team, by most that was Sam, Bucky, Thor and Natasha and the rest didn't really care until the four never came up with any explanation to why Tony had to disappear.

Steve only took interest when Sam really insisted and came up with some theory that Tony has a second woman on the side with a whole family, obviously there was no evidence to support that.

"I still think Wanda should look into his head" Thor came back with some sort of drink in his hand as he reclaimed his seat.

There was a slight laugh "There is no way I'm doing that, I respect that man too much, you guys are on your own"

All of them looked towards Wanda who heard Thor and they just sighed knowing that she won't do it, no matter how much they would beg.

"Natasha is a spy, can't she like follow Tony one day and just see where he always wonders off to?" Wanda asked as she sat down next to Steve who was scribbling something down on his notepad.

Sam and Bucky looked at each other with a slight smirk as they both looked at Natasha, who already knew that there would be no way out of this "Natashaaaaa..." Sam dragged her name out in an attempt to get to her " The witch is right, just follow him, you are like a super sneaky spy."

Natasha rolled her eyes as Thor spoke up again after taking a sip of his drink "That could save us a lot of time"

Natasha looked at Wanda who had a small smirk across her lips "You welcome" The witch mouthed which caused a glare to be thrown her way from the Russian.

She eventually agreed, especially when they would follow her everywhere, annoying her until she would crack. The famous black widow for once didn't threaten her team mates since she was as curious as them.

⸻⸻⋙☸⋘⸻⸻

She has been following Tony all day, sneaking around, hanging from the ceiling and just watching his every move, she was close to giving up but that's when she noticed a door appear from the wall, from the outside it looked like any wall but that's where you would be with Tony all the time.

Tony looked around and walked inside and then the door disappeared. Natasha, feeling of satisfaction washed over her, had a smirk across her lips, finally that's where he has been hiding all this time.

She expected, some embarrassing place where Tony stored away his secrets that she could tease him about, so when he walked out again couple minutes after, she took the opportunity and snuck inside the room.

She was slightly disappointed when she just found a lab but her eyes caught a movement from the opened door, across from where she was, she quietly made her way there as she looked around. It was just a bedroom with a lot of fun stuff.

She observed you as you was sat on your bed with a book in hand so she decided to speak up "Now who can you be, gorgeous?"

Natasha never failed to notice how attractive you were, the way your hair would be pushed behind the both of your ears, in her eyes you looked young but old enough.

You jumped up from the unfamiliar voice, eyes fixated at the redhead in front, you knew this was bad, she shouldn't be here and now that she has seen you, this will only be a big problem.

Just like you jinxed Tony walked in and his eyes widen at the sight of the redhead "Romanoff what the hell are you doing here?"

She eagerly span on her hill as she faced him with a smirk "So that's where you have been hiding out"

"How did you even get in?" He narrowed his eyes as he looked at you, you looked clueless as well.

"The door closes too slow, I just walked in. But who is that?" Natasha simply explained but her attention changed towards you with a smile.

He stood in front of her as he covered you "That's not your business, you shouldn't even be here-"

Natasha walked around, making her way towards you as she extended her hand towards you "I'm Natasha but you can call me Nat, sweetheart"

Her attempt at flirting with you only irritated Tony "Romanoff, I swear if you don't take a step back from her, you'll regret it" He tried to stick to his threat but Natasha knew him too well.

You looked at Tony "Dad, does that mean am I in trouble?"

Natasha's eyes widen as she repeated what you said "Dad?!"

Tony rolled his eyes and looked at you with a small smile "Of course not" His eyes darted back to Natasha "But she will be"

You would be lying if you didn't think that some of the Avengers were pretty good looking, you never was in a relationship for obvious reasons but there would be times you would imagine yourself in one, not that you knew much about them but the films and books seem to give you some sort of an idea.

Natasha mumbled as her eyes narrowed "Maybe Sam was right about you having a secret family"

"Secret family? Have you guys been creating some sort of theories about me? What the hell are you guys doing?" He sounded more than irritated.

"Does Pepper know about you having a secret daughter?" She asked with her arms crossed.

Natasha might have been viewed at scary and unlovable for not more than her body but that doesn't mean she didn't have her own view on some subjects, she just never voiced them.

"She knows-" He paused as he huffed from irritation "I don't have to explain myself to you"

You watched as your eyes darted from one to another as they spoke so you decided to interrupt them "I'm trying to read..."

Natasha's gaze fell on you, she had a small smirk playing across her lips "You know that bed looks more than comfortable-"

"Out!" Tony shouted over Natasha as he pointed towards the exit, she finally given in and with a smirk she walked out and Tony followed but not before he sent you an apologetic look.

They both made it to a private room, out of hearing from anyone. Tony leaned on the door as Natasha stood not far from him, he sighed with a defeated look "Can you keep this to yourself? I will pay you or something"

The redhead with a hint of genuine emotion "You don't have to pay me, I will keep this to myself you don't have to worry but"

He dread that 'but', he knew there was a catch, Natasha continued "Who is that?"

He pushed himself off the door and sat on the table as he looked at Natasha "It's not my place to say, but her parents decided to give her to me and here she is, no one can know so just make up a lie or something"

He seems upset in a way and just like that walked out of the room and went back to you, Natasha's eyes followed him as she felt a little guilty for invading his privacy.

⸻⸻⋙☸⋘⸻⸻

Everyone from the team apart from Tony were waiting for Natasha to return with some hopeful news. She wasn't expecting literally everyone to be tuned in.

She was taken back as she made it into the living room, they were waiting with excitement written all over their faces "So?" one of them spoke up.

The redhead crossed her arms as she raised her eyebrows perfectly "You guys just sat here and waited for me to come back?"

They shrugged and just said 'yes' which just made Natasha shake her head at their nosiness "Well I found nothing, he was busy with his meetings all day." She paused as they all groaned "Maybe there literally is nothing"

Wanda tilted her head at Natasha, she knew she had an advantage over the team, especially if they tried to lie, so when Natasha excused herself the witch took the opportunity to follow her.

"Wait up, Natasha" Wanda spoke from behind her as she caught up to her.

She turned to face Wanda as she raised her brows at her "What's up?"

Wanda looked around and with a swift motion, pushed them both into a room that wasn't familiar, from the sudden move it caused Natasha to slightly gasp from shock as this wasn't what she expected.

"What the hell Wanda!"

Wanda looked with an innocent smile "Sorry, I just wanted to be out of range of everyone"

"Why?" Natasha simply asked, not sure to why Wanda suddenly wants to talk.

"What did you find out?" The witch didn't beat around the bush, she came out with it straight away.

"I'm not sure what you are referring to?" The Russian tried to play dumb.

Wanda rolled her eyes "You might be able to fool them but remember I can still read your mind"

Natasha sighed as she crossed her arms and leaned on a little table that was behind her "Not much, there is hidden room where he keeps some girl who claims to be his daughter, the thing is that is definitely not his daughter. You can't say anything, he asked me not to and I'm only telling you because I don't want you to go inside my head"

Wanda liked the fact that she was somewhat feared by the Widow, she powerful but she would never try to hurt her team mates; scrap that, her family so she just nodded.

"We have a new addition!" Wanda clapped her in excitement "If you need help or anything, I'm here"

Natasha smiled at the witch and nodded and thanked the witch, they both went back to what they were doing; Natasha coming up with a way to find out more about you and Wanda went back to pity the boys.

⸻⸻⋙☸⋘⸻⸻

It was one of those days for the team, where there would be no missions as Stark had a lot of business stuff to take care off with his company. He needed someone to keep an eye out for you, he would've asked Pepper but she was busy for that day so the only person that popped in his head was Natasha.

He walked into the area where everyone had their own get together to just relax after a chaotic week, he spotted the redhead sipping on beer "Looks like everyone is getting comfortable today"

They looked at Tony who was in a suit rather than something more comfortable "Shame you can't spend it with us" Steve spoke first, he was the only one who wasn't exactly drunk but he wasn't sober either.

Tony shook his head as he smiled "Well, nothing I can do unfortunately. Which reminds me, Romanoff I have a mission for you actually"

The team groaned at his words, Natasha was really liked as she would be able to drink so much and not get drunk, she would barely even reach the drunk state, so having her attend a mission made the team a little moody.

She nodded as she finished off her beer and stood up to follow Tony, she remembered not having any missions, she always double checks so she is never behind anything.

"What mission?" Those were the only words that left the Russian.

Tony sighed, knowing that this is the only way out "I need you to keep an eye out on that room"

The redhead crossed her arms as she listened to him "What do you want me do?"

He handed her a card "I want you to be causation, in case something happens and I'm not here. Do not go in there and disturb her, she has some stuff to do"

Natasha nodded as she looked down at the card "This is to open the door?"

He nodded and smiled at Natasha as he reached for her shoulder and squeezed it "Good luck"

Natasha watched Tony disappear and sighed, she never was the one to break rules but she really wanted to hang out with you, there was something about you that pulled her in and there wasn't a waking second that she wouldn't want to spend with you.

⸻⸻⋙☸⋘⸻⸻

The Russian did as she was told, she kept an eye out for the room and observed it in a distance to make sure that everything was okay, it was quite boring, but she had her phone to occupy her time, she received some messages from Steve and Sam, showing her what she was 'missing'.

She was going to reply until she heard footsteps, she peaked and saw you with a hood up, waiting for the elevator to come, she smirked as she leaned on the door frame "Where do you think you're going, gorgeous?"

You didn't jump this time, you looked over at her and rolled your eyes as you whispered "Are you stalking me or something?"

The Russian crossed her arms, she knew what to do "Wouldn't you like to know!"

You raised your brows at her shouting, it would attract attention of people close by, meaning you would be spotted, so you marched your way towards her as you walked inside where she was camping out to hide.

"Can't you be quiet?" The way you spoke to her as if you knew her would straight away be a death wish for you but somehow you wasn't scared of her.

She looked out to see if anyone was coming and closed the door behind, trapping you inside with her "I could've been if you were nicer"

You sighed defeatedly as you looked down "Right, I'm sorry.." by the time you were done speaking, you looked up at her as she was analysing you.

"Where were you going to go?" She asked with no hesitation in her tone, she was a little different to the people you met, she wanted to find out why you did what you did rather than punish you straight away.

"I wanted to just leave that room, I never have the chance to do that and I thought today was my chance but" You paused as you eyed her "Clearly not"

The redhead felt hot as you eyed her but she hid it well "Okay, come with me"

You raised your brows at her but smiled as you put your hood up and you followed her like a puppy, you didn't know the place and if the worlds most deadly assassin was going to take you around, you knew it would be best to stick with her.

The two of you made it to the roof top, you never went anywhere your whole life, always stuck in that room or met your parents in some plain white meeting room to discuss what would be best for you.

As you stood near the door, you looked around to see the city and how beautiful it was, it was the first time you saw anything that pretty, usually you would only stare at one view from your room and that eventually got boring.

The Russian chuckled at you and made her way towards the edge of the building, placing herself on the floor, you did join her but sat a little further away from the edge.

You looked down and saw multiple cars go by but from far they looked like toys, the way you observed everything melted Natasha's heart, she never witnessed anyone being so happy whilst looking down a huge tall building.

Natasha shook her head a little with a small smile which caught your attention "What you smiling at?"

She looked at you with the same smile "I never seen someone be so happy whilst looking down to potential death" She teased a little.

You looked away from her and bluntly responded "If you were locked inside a room for your whole life, things like this would amuse you as well"

There was a pause in between, the Russian tried to come up with something to say without wanting to invade your privacy "How did you not go insane?"

You laid down on your back as you stared at the stars above "Hope"

You replied with one word which only interested Natasha even more "Hope for what?"

"For this.." You pointed up at the sky and she understood. You hoped one day you'll be able to just walk around.

She took a deep breath as she laid next to you and looked at your side profile "Why are you not allowed to leave that room?"

You looked at her, meeting her eyes trying to embed into your memory the way her eyes looked at you "Because that's my life"

"Surely Tony wouldn't be this cruel to not let you leave his side" She spoke trying to crack you a little bit more.

You chuckled "No, Tony is the best father figure you could ask for. It's just that my parents have a tight hold over him and if I mess that up, they will literally lock in inside a prison or something"

Natasha's eyes never left your face, it was like she was in some trance "So Tony isn't your biological dad?" The redhead asked, she knew that he wasn't but she wanted to know more from you.

You shook your head from side to side "I wish, he has been more of a parent to me than my own ever were"

"You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to" Natasha stated softly, making sure you didn't think she was forcing you.

You gave her a smile "I know, but you seem like you want to know unlike everyone else"

She frown at your answer "What do you mean? People don't listen to you?"

You shook your head "Nope, no one cares either"

"I do" It was the most quietest 'I do' you ever heard.

"You are the only one"

She was quiet as she was processing your words, so you continued "My parent's never actually cared about me, but I don't really care, what I care is that they locked me and don't allow me to do whatever I want"

"You talk about your parents as if they are really powerful, who are they?" She asked curiously, not to be nosy but to know more about you.

You looked away, scared about the judgement from her "My name is Y/n Y/l/n"

She looked at you with disbelief "So you're the spoiled kid of the Y/l/n family?" She asked with a surprised tone.

You knew this would happen, the news never shut up about you and your weird disappearance so you nodded and she sat up from the disbelief "That's bullshit, you don't seem to be spoiled"

You raised your eyebrows at her "Am I not? Have you not seen my room?"

She rolled her eyes "Well do you expect to be locked in a room with just a bed and couple books? I think that's a reasonable room for someone who has been forced to stay in it"

You sat up as you listen to her defend you as if she knew you, so you simply smiled "Thank you"

She looked at you as her emotions were quick to cool down "For what?"

"For taking me here and listening to me, I never had friends before, to be fair I never met anyone near my age" You nervously played with your fingers as you admitted it to her.

She smiled as she stood up and extended her hand towards you so she can help you stand up "Well we aren't done.. that's if you still want to hang with me"

You took her hand as she pulled you up "Please, anything to not spend another minute in that room"

She smiled as the both of you slowly started to walk towards the exit of the roof "If you want, there is a small get together with the Avengers, we can tag along with them"

You looked at her side profile this time, if you didn't have to reply to her, you would most likely be speechless by her beauty "Do you think they will know who I am?"

She waved her hand dismissively "Don't worry, I will put them back in their place if they say anything rude"

⸻⸻⋙☸⋘⸻⸻

And that's how it started, you both attended the get together, you met wonderful people and for the first time in your life you tried alcohol. The team was more than happy to have you in their circle and shortly they learnt who you were, it wasn't possible to hide anything from them plus you were on the news practically all the time but they never judged you but more opposite, they loved you.

Thor even called you Lady Y/n and you really liked it, they treated you like any other person and you could've been more grateful for that, Natasha walked you to your room and stayed until you fell asleep, she stayed to ensure that you would actually fall asleep but also to watch as you slowly relaxed every muscle in your body.

From that moment, she only started to fall for you even more, the more you opened up the more she was in awe at how brave you had become but it was the moment when you stood up to your parents in front of her that she realised she really likes you.

It was one of those days where she sneaked inside your room and you loved it, the two of you would spend time watching movies that she loved and movies that you loved, or watch movies the both of you hated and just made comments on it.

You gotten comfortable around Natasha and she respected you like you respected her, you wasn't sure whether what you felt was friendly or romantic, your heart would always skip a beat when her arm would brush against yours or when she laughed so hard at something you said and she gripped your arm or hand it just made you miss her touch after.

"I don't understand why they even go towards that stupid sound, I would turn around and just walk off" You commented as you were irritated at the scene on the TV.

The Russian chuckled slightly "That's because you are a wuss, of course you would run away"

You rolled your eyes at her as you looked over "Please, as if you wouldn't. Just because you are THE Black Widow, it doesn't make you less of a human"

She looked over at you curiously "So you're saying everyone would be scared?"

You nodded confidently "Oh for sure, if someone just barged inside here, you would jump for sure"

And that's what happened, someone DID barge in but it was someone you didn't expect, the way you gripped onto Natasha's body as if she would somehow make it disappear and the way Natasha held onto you as if she could make that disappear was more adorable.

"Y/n Y/l/n! What do you think you're doing!" The voice spoke that was familiar yet at the time not really.

You felt a blush across your cheeks as you realised you were still holding into Natasha, you let her go and looked at her, she had a slight blush as well but she quickly looked away from you to mask the blush.

You stood up from your bed and walked over to where the voice was, it was your mother, she stood there with her arms crossed and that's when Natasha came out from behind you, she crossed her arms as she narrowed her eyes at the woman.

Your mother held the phone out as it displayed your newly social media "I don't see what's wrong Mother"

She huffed "You are unimageable disrespectful!"

Natasha raised her eyebrows at her, she understood what you meant now but you continued "No, I'm being respectful, it's you who barged into this room throwing a fit over a picture"

"You are doing this on purpose, you are trying to ruin our imagine! You must delete that now, this is unacceptable" She looked at the phone and at the picture, it was you with the team, the next picture was with Natasha as she leaned on your shoulder and made a cute little kissy pose.

You shook your head "No" it was all you said which caught Natasha off guard but she felt proud, so there was a smug smile across her lips as she observed the woman in front of her.

"Unbelievable" She paused as the redhead finally caught her eye so she pointed towards her "You are the one who corrupted my daughter"

Natasha's smile was gone as those words left her mouth so she decided to speak up "If she was your daughter you would treat her better"

You looked over at Natasha, the way her gaze was on your mother so firmly, make your stomach do flips "She never corrupted me, she was always here for me" She looked down at you with a smile that met her eyes, you looked at your mother "Unlike you or Father"

Her mouth dropped opened at your words, she never expected you to ever talk to her like that, so you continued "I'm old enough to decide for myself, so I'm no longer your daughter but Tony's, he adopted me and I will happily call him my dad and Pepper my mom, they deserve those names so if you don't like it, leave the same way you came in"

She was boiling inside as Natasha chuckled at her expression, she huffed and walked out not saying anything back, you let out a breath that you didn't even know you was holding and turned to face Natasha, a squeak came out of your mouth as you jumped into Natasha's arms.

She held you so tightly but you quickly pulled away realising what you did, you were still in her arms but just facing her "Oh god! This is bad, she will take revenge"

Natasha's voice always seemed to calm you "Hey, hey. She won't do that, Tony won't let that happen and frankly I won't either"

You always seem to be oblivious to Natasha's feelings towards you, she wasn't very open with them which is what caused your obliviousness. The both of you were scared of rejection but something with the way Natasha comforted you and held you tight against her, making you look down at her lips.

She caught on and with every courage that was left in her body, she leaned closer, before her lips reached yours you looked into her eyes "Thank you Talia"

She smiled as she kissed you, she finally did what she always wanted to do, she felt as if there was fireworks going off, the way butterflies would grow just at the touch of your lips, she loved it and she was intoxicated.

You were the first to pull away, resting your forehead against hers "I like it when you call me that"

A grin broke out on your face "Talia, Talia, Talia-"

She kissed you again, this time with hunger as she backed you into a wall, you tangled your hands into her hair as you matched her pace in the kiss.

Even if it wasn't long since you knew each other, the want and the need was stronger than self control for Natasha, especially when you did things like this.

"You really don't want to walk tomorrow" The way her voice was low and her eyes would fill with lust just at you teasing.

"I'm not sure I understand what that means"

Natasha smirked as her lips made their way towards your ear "You don't have to.."

"You just need to feel it" her lips latched onto your skin within seconds, causing a moan to escape your lips.

#natahsa romanoff #natasha x reader #natasha romanoff x reader #natasha fluff #reader #marvel #the avengers #natasha romanov

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farfromharry · 4 years ago

Text

My Rapunzel | Professor!Dad!Tom fic

Summary: being a college professor means tom’s working from home in these difficult times, spending a lot more time with his angel of a daughter and his beautiful girlfriend, who by the way is definitely his favourite princess.

Word count - 6k

━━━━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━━━━

Harrison paused right before he turned the handle on the door, turning to the girl with a sheepish, shy smile.

“Just a heads up, my best friend is probably teaching a class in here,” He warned. He’d told the girl before about how he lived with 3 of his friends, and one of them was a uni professor. So of course he’d be teaching from home in the current situation. “And, his daughter may also be running around somewhere.”

He noted the slightly surprised look that crossed her face. He’d tried to hold off bringing her to the apartment for as long as he could, specifically because he didn't know how she was with kids and he didn’t want to burden her with having to entertain Scarlett while they were meant to be hanging out.

Harrison absolutely adored Scarlett, he had from the day he met her and he never hesitated to help Tom out when he needed his help. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t be a handful at times, especially more recently when Tom hadn’t been able to give her his undivided attention.

He unlocked the door while making quiet conversation with the girl behind him, pushing on the wood and guiding her into the apartment.

Harrison knelt down on the hardwood floor in preparation for the incoming attack, hearing those tiny, sock covered feet padding towards him.

“Harrison!” she squealed, practically launching herself into his arms. He was happy to scoop her up, holding her against his chest with a smile. Her tiny arms wrapped around his neck, giving him a small hug as best she could.

The man noted the eerily quiet flat, worried that the girl had accidentally been left alone by her, at times, slightly irresponsible father.

Of course Harrison thought his best mate was an amazing dad, especially after he just had it dropped on him that he was a single father, but there were occasions where Tom did some pretty questionable and embarrassing things, the stories basically banned from being told within a 10 foot radius of the male.

“Where’s your dad, huh?” He gently pinched her cheek, making her giggle adorably and bury her face in his chest. He heard the quiet mumble, even if it was muffled by the material of his shirt.

“Working.”

Harrison rolled his eyes. “Is Uncle Harry home?”

She shook her head, looking over his shoulder at the pretty girl standing there awkwardly. Scarlett waved her little hand, flashing her a smile.

“Uncle Tuwaine?” He asked. She shook her head once again, finally receiving her wave back from the pretty woman. Harrison thought for a minute, deciding that he’d have to interrupt whatever Tom was doing to discuss this.

“You just take a seat, I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he promised the girl. He carried Scarlett into her dad’s bedroom, a swift knock on the door making Tom’s head shoot up. Thankfully, it didn’t look like Harrison was interrupting a class or anything, meaning that Tom had no way to deny him time to talk.

“Can we talk?” he asked, motioning to the toddler in his arms. Tom nodded, pressing a few keys before halting his movements at his computer as he gave his best friend his full attention.

“Go ahead.”

“I was kind of counting on you not to be teaching today,” he stated. “So, I brought a girl over and now-”

Tom interrupted. “Now you don’t want to watch Scarlett.”

Harrison felt bad. It’s not like it was her fault, Tom was simply just a workaholic who never knew when to stop and that oftentimes meant he had to get his friends or his family to babysit. There were many times where Harrison had wanted to physically hit some sense into Tom so he’d spend more time with his daughter.

Ever since he began working at home it’s gotten even worse for the poor girl. She can see Tom, but she can’t see Tom and sometimes all the girl wants is a cuddle from her dad. There’s been a lot more temper tantrums due to her not being able to get any love from her dad when she wants it.

“Look I’m sorry, but I’ve been watching her everyday this week,” he complained. Scarlett didn’t know where to look, watching them both as they conversed.

Tom didn’t know what to do. He knew he’d only get distracted if he let her stay with him, but he didn’t want to put any more responsibility on Harrison, cause it wasn’t like Lettie was his kid.

Safe to say he was torn.

“Y/N should be here soon, can’t you just watch her until then?” he begged. Tom knew it probably wasn’t Harrison that was the problem, it was his lady friend. His best friend would look after the tiny angel in a heartbeat. She clearly came over to get some private time with the man and he could tell she wasn’t exactly thrilled when she learned she’d have to babysit for a few hours.

“Fine, fine, but don’t expect us to be playing dolls with her or anything.”

Tom grinned widely, placing a sloppy kiss on his daughter’s cheek, playfully hitting Harrison’s arm. The girl giggled, tucking her head in her uncle's neck.

“You’re a lifesaver man,” he said. “I have a class soon but if i’m done early then I’ll take her off your hands.”

The younger male nodded, looking at the child in his arms with a small smile, the same as the one Tom had while watching his little creation simply exist; he was utterly in love with her.

“Are you ready to go and spend time with your uncle Haz, Lettie?”

She cheered, nodding her head rapidly. Tom looked at his best friend with a ‘see’ kind of look and the blonde simply rolled his eyes.

“Let’s go.”

»»——⍟——««

“Okay so, you just need to write that out. I’ll give you around twenty minutes and then we’ll move on. Is that okay?” He received a few nods from some of his different students, flashing them a smile as he checked the clock so he knew when to tell them to stop typing.

“Do any of you mind if I just nip out to grab a drink?” He once again received a few nods from more or less the same people as last time. He smiled, excusing himself and heading out of his bedroom to the kitchen.

On his way he walked past the living room, scoffing at the sight in front of him. Scarlett was falling asleep on the chair while the tv played some disney film she’d seen a hundred times, one that Tom knew she didn’t really like all too much.

But there on the couch was Harrison and the girl engaged in what looked like an intense liplock. Tom had a right to be angry, but he didn’t know if now was the time to say anything. The blonde was more or less already annoyed with his friend and he didn’t need to give him any more reason why he should be.

He cleared his throat, announcing his presence to the three in the room. His bub just looked up at him through her long lashes, rubbing her eyes tiredly. While Harrison and the mystery girl just stared at him.

“Really? While Scarlett’s in the room too.” Harrison didn’t try and defend himself, but the look on the girl sitting next to him’s face, told him everything he needed to know. The sleepy girl in the armchair didn’t even know what was going on, having just seen the angry look on her dad’s face and the sheepish one on her uncles.

“Come on, angel.” He carefully picked her up, her head tucking into his neck while he held her on his hip. She shifted in his arms, whining tiredly at all the sudden movement.

“Daddy.” Tom kissed her cheek, his feet taking him to the kitchen to get what he originally came for. He opened the fridge with his free hand, grabbing a water bottle for himself and placing it on the counter, before grabbing the juice he’d put in there earlier for Scarlett.

“Bub?” he asked. She slowly lifted her head, looking up at her dad with her large brown eyes, the same ones that resembled his. “Can you hold your juice for me?”

She held the sippy cup in both of her tiny hands, letting her dad carry her back to his room. He sighed when he closed the door, realising he’d have to have her with him during the rest of his class. He sat back down and it turned a few heads, the teens furrowing their eyebrows at the sudden sight of a young child in their professor’s camera view.

He placed the water bottle and juice on his desk, adjusting Scarlett on his knee so she was more comfortable.

“Is it okay if my daughter sits in for a bit everyone?” There was a chorus of agreement, some students cooing over the little girl sitting on their professors knee. Scarlett grew shy, tucking her head into her dad’s chest so they all couldn’t see her blushing face.

Tom smiled, hand coming up to hold her head to his chest. He mindlessly played with her curls while he explained how to get started or gave a bit of influence on what to put to some of them that were struggling.

Scarlett was beginning to get fidgety, her hands clutching at her dad’s shirt. Tom knew these were all signs of when she got sleepy, wanting to take a nap.

“You tired bub?” She nodded her head, tiredly rubbing her eyes with her fists. Tom kissed her head, grabbing a loose hairband from off his desk to tie her curls back.

Some of the girls in the class swooned when Tom started to brush the girls hair back with his fingers, tying it into a loose ponytail at the back of her head.

“Take a nap, s’okay.” She nodded, asking her dad to grab her teddy bear for her, the one she always seemed unable to fall asleep without. It was sitting on the end of Tom’s bed, the man easily reaching over the desk to grab it for her.

She happily clutched it to her chest, snuggling further into her dad’s warm chest. He placed a quick kiss on her hair as he watched her eyes flutter shut, a small smile lingering on his lips.

“Ten more minutes everyone.” His hand was still resting against Scarlett’s head, his thumb rubbing the area of her temple gently. People had begun finishing, starting to ask Tom the most random questions about Lettie and more specifically why they’d never met her before. “She’ll have to join us more often then.” He placed a quick kiss on her head before announcing he was going to end the lesson early, let his students go do whatever they wanted for the rest of their afternoon.

“Have fun, goodbye all.” With a wave and a few clicks of his mouse, the call had ended. Tom sighed, watching as people began handing in the essays they’d just been working on, the ones that Tom needed to grade and give improvements on before Friday, today was only Tuesday.

Tom’s phone suddenly pinged with a text notification, making him startle for a second, the man reaching over to grab it to see your contact name lighting up his screen.

Chinese for dinner? Can pick it up later on my way back x

Yes please, you’re a delight love x

He smiled as he set his phone back down, planning on finishing marking the rest of his class’ work before he finished for the day. Now you and Tom didn’t actually live together, yet, but you often stayed over to help with anything, including the toddler you adored.

Scarlett was still pleasantly sleeping in her dad’s lap, for how much longer he didn’t know, but her breathing was steady and even, as she dreamed about whatever three year old’s dreamt about.

She eventually shifted a little while later, letting out an adorable tired sound from the back of her throat as she stretched with a sleepy yawn.

“Hi dove, did you sleep okay?” He brushed some stray hair out of her face, letting her take a minute to wake herself up. She eventually nodded her head, letting out a little sassy huff as she looked up at her dad.

“I don’t like uncle Haz’s friend,” she complained, jutting out her bottom lip into the cutest little sad face. He had to refrain from giggling at her, hiding his smile by faking a pout, but his eyes held so much amusement. “Why not?”

“I wanted to watch Tangled a-and she made us watch chicken little,” she ranted.

She was clearly getting worked up over this, more than she needed to anyway, tears welling up in her eyes at the thought of the movie that had given her nightmares before. Tom fully knew how much she hated that film, he was the one who’d had to hold her when she cried, and he was slightly frustrated that Harrison hadn’t said anything against watching it.

He sighed, wrapping his arms around her small frame, giving her a big squeeze. “I’m sorry, bub, she does sound like a meanie.”

That made her giggle, making Tom’s heart flutter.

He glanced between the ungraded work on his computer screen and the small girl in his arms, deciding that making her happy was more important than marking someone’s work early, he had days before it had to be done anyway.

Scarlett clung to him like a koala when Tom abruptly stood up from his desk chair, “Where are we going?” She asked.

“You’re going to sit here,” He said, emphasising his words by placing her down on his bed. “While daddy gets changed, and then we can watch Tangled together.”

She squealed excitedly, finding it hard to sit still as Tom grabbed some clothes and headed to his bathroom to change.

A few minutes later he was done, heading back into his room to find his angel bouncing in anticipation as she very incorrectly sang the words to her favourite Tangled song.

“Woah, is that Rapunzel singing?” he teased, poking one of her chubby cheeks as she giggled.

Tom set the movie up with a very impatient three year old beside him, constantly rushing him telling him to hurry up.

He seated himself against the pillows after he’d pressed play and let her get comfortable against his chest, making sure she had her Pascal teddy in her arms ready to watch; something she had to do every single time they watched the movie.

Scarlett had sang to every single song that had played so far, even coaxing Tom into singing a few with her when she decided he must be flynn.

Near her favourite scene, which was obviously the boat scene, Tom’s bedroom door was opened and Harry waltzed in with a greeting.

He stood there for a few minutes just watching the movie with them, the same movie he’d seen a countless amount of times and he probably wouldn’t admit it but he did actually love it.

He found it a little strange that they were watching it in Tom’s room, when normally they’d have it at a high volume in the living room for everyone to hear, even the neighbours.

“Why are you in here?” he asked, pointing to the smaller tv than what was in the living room. Tom sighed, trying to whisper so he wouldn’t bother the angel watching the film, because there’s no doubt she would have some kind of sassy remark to shut him up.

“Harrison was with a girl, she terrorised the munchkin with chicken little.”

Harry found that sentence quite amusing, and to be fair to him the girl was scared of a cartoon chicken, letting out a loud laugh that had Scarlett aggressively shushing him. He apologised sheepishly, biting his lip to contain his smile at the bossy child.

“Well if my favourite girl isn’t going to love me, I guess I’ll go then,” he pouted, making grabby hands at her to try and get a hug.

She looked between the film and her uncle Harry like it was the hardest decision in the world, solved by Tom simply pressing pause.

“Thank you, daddy.”

She ran across the bed until she was standing in front of Harry, throwing herself into his arms so he had to catch her. He chuckled, holding her tightly and pressing a kiss to her cheek.

“How are you, munchkin?”

She buried her head in his neck. “ ‘m good.”

With a teasing growl Harry pried the girl off of him and dropped her on the bed, listening to the way she giggled loudly, her cheeks hurting from how wide she was grinning at her uncle. Harry would of course argue her favourite uncle, but Sam, Paddy, Tuwaine and Harrison would all have something to say to that.

“Will you watch Rapunzel with us?” she asked. Harry could never say no to those big doe eyes, nodding his head with a small sigh.

“Only if I get to sing Flynn’s parts,” he bargained. Tom scoffed, turning his head towards his younger brother with evil eyes.

“Deal,” Scarlett whispered.

“But I thought I was Flynn?” Tom pouted, pulling his bub into his lap with puppy dog eyes to try and guilt trip her. She rolled her eyes, catching Tom slightly off guard for a second. She giggled at him, poking his cheek like he always did to her.

“He’s not really daddy, don’t be selfish.” Harry snorted, covering it up with a cough when Tom sent a glare in his direction.

“Yeah, don’t be selfish Tom.”

»»——⍟——««

“I’m here and I have food,” you announced, carrying the bag in your left hand while you carried your phone and keys in the other. Harrison was the first one in the kitchen. You thought he was taking the bag from you so you didn’t have to struggle carrying it, but it turns out it was only to start rummaging through the food.

He laid out the different containers on the counter, grabbing his and popping them open like he was a starving man.

“Hello to you too.” He flashed you a smile, eating something from inside one of the boxes before he pressed a friendly kiss to your cheek as his greeting. He scattered away back to his room almost as quickly as he came out of it, taking his food with him with a quick thank you.

A grin grew on your lips as you watched your boyfriend enter the kitchen, unlike Harrison, heading straight to greet you, his lips puckered already.

“Missed you.” He pecked your lips softly, your lips lingering for a little bit longer than they normally would and that pretty much told him all he needed to know.

He pulled back from the kiss, lifting his hand to rest on your cheek, slowly stroking just under your eye where he could clearly see how tired you looked. They fluttered shut with a sigh, allowing yourself to embrace the feeling of Tom’s gentle touch. “You okay?”

You hummed unconvincingly, a frown growing on Tom’s face. His hand slipped into your hair, gently pushing your head forward until your cheek was resting against the soft material of his turtleneck.

“D’you want to talk about it?” He asked, swaying the both of you as you embraced each other. He felt you shake your head, tightening your hold around his torso. The two of you paid no mind to the food for a few minutes as you hugged, deciding that it wasn’t going anywhere.

Only did you pull away when you heard two lots of footsteps heading in your direction. Light ones that were much quicker in their steps, obviously Scarletts, and then heavier ones that were much calmer and slower, probably Harrys. Tom was reluctant to let go of you, kissing your forehead when you were no longer in his arms.

He busied himself with getting everyone’s food dished out onto the correct plates, taking much more time with Scarlett’s than he did anyone else's.

He had to make sure it was on her designated kiddie plate that she always used. The one that was divided into different sections for her different bits of food.

“D’you want some help?” You asked, noting the way Tom was more or less doing everything himself. He shook his head, motioning to the doorway with a grin. You followed his gaze and locked eyes with the three year old who looked completely ecstatic to see you.

“Y/N!” she squealed, wrapping her arms around your legs. You grinned, bending down to her height to wrap your arms around her tiny frame. Her presence was enough to lift your mood, a smile growing on your face as she hugged you back. Tom watched with heart eyes, absolutely adoring the way his daughter loved you so much and vice versa. You stood up back to your full height and lifted her onto your hip, letting her see over the counter that was now decorated with countless items of food for the household.

“I missed you today, love.”

“Really?” she asked.

“Of course,” you kissed her cheek. “You always brighten my day, bubba.”

She hid her head in your neck with blushing cheeks, making your heart flutter with the utmost amount of love. You kept Tom company for a few minutes, just holding Scarlett close to you while she watched you both talk.

She may be only three but she knew her daddy was truly in love, it was obvious with the way he looked at you, even to her.

“Almost done?” you asked him, noting the way he was just finding drinks in the fridge. He nodded his head, flashing you both a quick smile that told you you could go get yourself comfy.

“Why don’t we go pick a movie, Lettie?” She perked up and rapidly nodded her head and you already knew what was going to come out of her mouth before she said it, but Tom interrupted before she could even form the words.

“No, we’ve already watched Tangled today.” You giggled as her bottom lip jutted out, her sad eyes shifting to glare at her dad who playfully glared right back. She eventually gave in under his stare, not wanting to get herself into accidental actual trouble.

“Fine.”

“What about Frozen?” you asked, knowing it was also in her top five disney films, even though she would claim most of them were her favourite while you were watching them. She was almost just as excited about your suggestion as she seemed to be about her own, mainly because you had no issue joining her in singing the songs, because God knows Tom could be a lot more stubborn when it came to Frozen songs than he was with Tangled; He wasn’t particular a big fan of this one.

“You two go ahead, I’ll be in in just a minute,” he said. You nodded, helping her carry her drink while you carried yours in your other hand. Once they were both safely placed on the side where you wouldn’t spill them, you began making aeroplane sounds to get her laughing again, finally sitting her down on the floor next to the spot you were planning to sit in. Her adorable toddler laugh never failed to make you feel all warm and giddy inside.

Tom came in no more than five minutes later, bringing yours and Lettie’s food out first so you could get started on eating while the intro of the movie played. He had to make another trip to the kitchen in order to get his, coming back with his plate and phone in hand.

He could’ve cried when he saw the way you and Lettie were laughing and singing along to one of the first songs. You were making her giggle uncontrollably with the way you were doing the different voices, and Tom wasn’t sure he’d ever seen you with a bigger smile.

After the day he’d suspected you had, he was sure you would be more and glad that you had such a lovely distraction.

He pulled up his phone and started recording the two of you, wanting to keep this moment forever so he could always look back and rewatch it. The song finally ended and so did his recording, luckily neither of you noticing he’d recorded that. He was certain you’d be embarrassed if you knew.

He cheered for your performance, taking a seat at the other side of Lettie on the floor.

“That was quite a show,” he teased, shooting you a wink too.

With flushed cheeks you took a bite of your food, trying to busy yourself with anything so you didn’t have to look at your very amused boyfriend. “Shut up.”

»»——⍟——««

After spending the evening watching countless Disney films, all used to cheer you up and take your mind off of whatever day you had, Tom noticed that both you and Scarlett were beginning to drift off together on the couch.

You had moved from the floor to the couch quite earlier on in your second movie, Hercules to be exact, as you deemed it much more comfortable than the hardwood you were sitting on.

She was now curled up into your side, her head managing to dig itself deeper and deeper into your chest as Mulan played in the background. She wasn’t paying attention to the film anymore, letting her eyes flutter closed as she planned on taking a much needed nap in your arms.

However, by the looks of it you were also planning on taking a nap, your head resting on top of the small girls with heavy eyes. Tom awed inside, taking a quick picture of the two of you, sneakily changing it to his lockscreen.

“I think we need to get you two to bed, huh?” He heard you hum, watching as his much smaller bub began making grabby hands at her dad. He smiled, easily scooping her up like she weighed as much as a feather. He placed a kiss on your forehead, telling you not to fall asleep while he got settled Lettie in bed.

The girl was more or less completely limp as he carried her from the living room to her room, carefully setting her in her bed. He made sure she had the teddies she always slept with, tucking her in tightly to keep her nice and warm.

“Can you read me a story?” she asked, voice so quiet and soft that there was no way he could say no, he was just hoping you’d be able to hold out and stay awake.

“Course, which one?”

He spent the next ten minutes reading through a story he’d probably read to her hundreds of times, but somehow she managed to love it even more each time. His voice was low to try and keep the sleepy energy in the room, not wanting her to get too excited, although she would giggle every time he switched his accent to do another character's voice.

“Daddy?” she whispered, drawing his attention away from the next chapter of the book. He hummed quietly, leaning down and placing a kiss on her head to let her know he was listening.

“Are you in love with Y/N?”

He felt himself grow nervous, a stressed chuckle slipping past his lips before he could stop it. He wasn’t sure what to say, he’d yet to actually tell you he loves you, even though he knew it right from your first date. Admittedly, part of him was scared that if he got that vulnerable with you that you would;t love him back and it’d break his heart, even though the more sensible part of him knew you would never do that to him. He just couldn’t find the right time or his guts to tell you.

“What do you know about love, hm?”

“I know that Flynn loves Rapunzel, and you look at Y/N like she’s your Rapunzel.” Tom’s heart melted. He always heard from his friends and family how whipped he looked for you all the time, even when he didn’t realise he’d been looking at you with heart eyes. Hearing this from his own daughter told him basically all he needed to know: He loved you, and he was going to tell you.

“Goodnight baby.” He pressed a kiss to Scarlett’s head, avoiding her question and switching off her light. He closed the door, leaving it slightly open like he did every night just in case she needed him for anything. Tom headed back to the living room, watching the way you were half asleep, your eyes trained on whatever random show had begun playing on the tv.

“Hey, you ready for bed?”

You hummed tiredly. “Don’t want to get up,” you whined.

He chuckled, adoring how cute you got when you were sleepy, often rambling about things that didn’t even make sense. He made his way over to you, shifting your position so he could slip his hands under you and pick you up. You squealed quietly when you were more or less hoisted into the air, a breathy laugh coming from Tom.

You were gently laid on his bed in the blink of an eye, granted your tired eyes were blinking very slowly. Tom left you for a moment, going who knows where to do who knows what.

“Need to take my makeup off,” you moaned to no one but yourself. Tom seemed to have already thought of that, actually he’d already thought of everything as it seemed. Not only was he carrying your makeup remover but some of his clothes for you to change into after your decision not to earlier on.

“Come here, pretty girl.”

The first swipe of the cotton wool against your cheek had you flinching, your sleepy body not expecting the jolt of cold on your skin. Tom chuckled, pressing a kiss to your lips as his form of an apology.

You could feel yourself blushing as he handled your face with such care, soft strokes to your right cheek to remove all the makeup, occasionally meeting your eyes with a small admiring glint in them. The simple act felt so intimate to you and it made your heart grow so much fonder for the curly haired brunette.

“All done.”

You smiled, starting to help him in undressing you to change into his much baggier and comfier clothes. Another wave of exhaustion hit you spontaneously, making you want to just crawl in bed and stay there forever, but here you were just making it more difficult for your boyfriend to slip the shirt over your head.

“No, don’t fall asleep on me yet, angel.” He cooed at you quietly, stroking your cheekbone with his thumb until your eyes fluttered open again. He held up the shirt in his hands.

“We’ll just put this on, yeah? We can forget about the joggers.”

You agreed, assisting him by raising your arms. You were rewarded with a few kisses after he managed to slip the plain shirt on your upper half, bringing a happy grin to your lips as he pulled away from the last kiss. You were over the moon to be slipping under the covers of your boyfriend’s bed, burying your head in his pillow while being engulfed by his calming scent.

He watched you with a smile as you got comfortable, practically purring like a kitten as you finally got comfortable. He slipped the tight, dark turtleneck off from over his head, followed by his dress pants that he put on to feel fancier, despite the fact his class wouldn’t be able to see them.

“Hurry up,” you whined, craving the feel of your boyfriend’s warmth against you. He thankfully didn’t make you wait too much longer, slipping in beside you with a content sigh.

The two of you laid in silence for a while, and although Tom didn’t know whether you’d fallen asleep already or not, he spoke up and asked the question on his mind anyway.

“What happened today?”

You groaned, burying your face deeper into Tom’s chest, trying to avoid the topic altogether. He gave you all the time you needed though, stroking his fingers through your hair while you thought about where to start.

“Everything just went wrong, got yelled at by my boss too,” you explained simply. “Couldn’t wait to come home to you and Lettie.”

He frowned, planting a kiss on your head. He mumbled a quiet apology, apologising of course for the fact you had a bad day.

“I hope we were able to cheer you up.”

You tucked your head into his neck, a dreamy smile making the corner of your lips twitch.

“Of course you did, my two favourite people.”

He thought about your last three words over and over again in his head. Now was the time, it was the perfect time.

“Y/N?” He didn’t get a response this time from you, but he also knew if he didn’t speak up now then he’d probably back out again. “I-I love you, so much.”

From the angle he was laying at he was unable to see the expression that had overtaken your face. Tom, always assuming the worst, guessed that you had heard him but he’d just ruined everything and there was no way he could take that back now.

You could feel his rapid heartbeat in his chest underneath your head, your hand coming up to gently rub the skin with your thumb, hoping to soothe him a little. You placed a kiss beside your thumb onto his chest, lifting your head so you could look him in the eye. “Calm down you goof, I love you too.”

»»——⍟——««

Tom didn’t know what time it was when he heard the noise near his ear. Assuming that it was just a noise he buried his face deeper into the back of your neck, tightening his arm around your body. He heard it again, this time he recognised the voice as belonging to his angel bub. She placed her tiny hands on his arm, trying to roll him over on the bed.

“What’s wrong, dove?”

“Nightmare,” she whispered. Tom frowned, rolling onto his back to scoop her up and let her cuddle into his chest. His other arm was still tucked underneath your head, the male hoping that he hasn’t woken you.

He pressed a kiss to the girl’s head, rubbing his hand across the back of her hair to try and soothe her. He could feel her tiny frame shaking from whatever rattled her in her dream and it broke his heart.

“Lettie,” he whispered. She sniffled quietly, looking up at her dad. As selfish as it sounds, Tom was still extremely sleepy so he didn’t really know what was happening right now, which meant he wasn’t exactly able to talk his bub back to sleep like he normally would. He also didn’t want to accidentally wake you up because you were equally as tired, if not more than him.

“I told Y/N I love her.” She gasped, bolting up to look at her dad to see if he was telling the truth. He grinned, nodding his head. Little did they know that you were currently listening to everything the pair was saying, and your heart was already melting at the reaction coming from Scarlett.

You didn’t know why Tom was telling her this, or why Scarlett seemed so excited about it, but you were curious to know where he was going with this.

“What happened, daddy?” she asked, her big doe eyes watching him closely.

“Let’s just say, she’s definitely my Rapunzel.”

━━━━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━━━━

tom holland taglist → @seutarose @lmaotshollandd @photoshopart15 @hopelessly-harry @call-me-baby-gir1 @icyhollands @sinisterspidey @siriuslyslyslytherin @musicalkeys-blog @itstaskeen @tpwk-grande @zspideyy @spideyssunshine @givebuckyhisplumsnow @lowkey-holland @hollandcrush @wizkiddx @sannie-san-shine @sonnydoesrandomshit @hopeless-romantic-baby @thehumanistsdiary @dummiesshort @itsbieberxholland @lillucyandthejets @piscesparker @bvttercupbby @mymilliefrommarketing @spideyspeaches @kujokura @l0velyevans @jess-holland23 @felicityparkers @quxxnxfhxll @captainamirica @tomsirishgirlx @lou-la-lou @slutforsr @tayyx @bora-world @annathesillyfriend @lovableparker @whoeveniskendall @hollandswife @sunwardsss @dhtomholland @messedupmyfuckinglife @bi-lmg @londonspidey @katexrichardson @mrsholland96 @tomhollandismyhusband1996 @just-lost-inbetween-worlds @magicalxdaydream

#tom holland #tom holland fluff #tom holland imagine #tom holland imagines #tom holland oneshot #professor!tom #prof!tom #dad!tom

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kaz11283 · 4 years ago

Note

hellooooo! congratulations on 100 followers!!

i was wondering, if you could write one-shot with “Hey guys, it’s me! The biggest disappointment you know”, loki × reader? thank you!

Hey Guys, It's Me! The Biggest Disappointment You Know.

Characters: Loki, Thor, Tony, Pepper, avengers

(Tony, Pepper x Daughter! Reader, Loki x Reader, Thor X Platonic! Reader, Avengers x Platonic! Reader)

Warnings: None, humor

Summary: you've been dating Loki behinf everyones backs for a few months now, your dad and mom find out about it and they are not very happy with the decision that you've made

ANNOUNCEMENT: I have been enjoying doing these one-shots SO much! They have really been helping me branch out and giving me more stuff on my master and I am absolutely enjoying the feed back so much! Thank you to all of my new followers amd my old ones alike! Please keep the requests coming! Most of the time these are only taking a day or two to put out. FEED BACK IS GOLDEN, REQUESTS ARE OPEN. If you don't see something you want or you want to send a diffrent one in its more than welcome too! 💚💚💚💚

Loki Masterlist

~~~~~~

"Loki, stop." You laughed as he kissed your neck. The theater room was empty, the two of you had put a movie on to watch while the others were away on a mission. He had been left behind because the rest of the team still didnt trust him in the field. Of course if your dad had known that the two of you were a thinh he would have let him tag along.

"Why must I stop? No one is here for now, lets enjoy what little time we have together." He said kissing your neck causing you to giggle more.

"I cant wait till we can actually be open about this. I just wish they understood." You sighed playing woth the ends of his hair.

"One day my dove maybe your father will accept me. Until then I'm happy either way." He smiled down at you.

"I'm getting to the point where dad ca-"

"Where your dad can- WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?" Tony had walked into the theater room. You and Loki sprung apart, Loki to the end of the couch, you had fallen to the floor.

"When did you get home?" You asked standing up.

"I asked first. What. The. Hell. Is. Going. On? Y/n." You could see his face turning red.

"Kissing, we were just kissing." You stumbled over your explanation.

"Ah brother, you have decided to court the young Lady Starkling." Thor smiled walking into the room.

"Oh my god." You mumbled placing your face in your hand. "Oh all nine realms." Loki made the same gesture as you rubbing between his eyes.

"NO! NO, NO ONE IS COURTING ANYONE!" Tony yelled turning back to thor

"You, room, now." He pointed to his ans your mothers side of the tower. "You, your just lucky I haven't decided to kill you." He said pointing at Loki.

"See ya later" you waved at Loki before following your dad down the hall.

"No she wont!" Tonys annoyed voice came after.

"Brother this is good, she is a beautiful woman for you. She will not tolerate you mischief, possibly even put you in your place." Thor saod happily slapping Lokis back.

"I am sure brother whatever we had will end tonight if Tony has anything to say about it." He saod getting up to walk to his room. Steve stood there with Bucky watchjng what had happened.

"But if you know y/n she wont listen and shes still gonna be with you if Tony like it or not." Steve shrugged.

"But if you hurt her." Bucky shrugged looking at Loki. "You know the rest."

"This is absolutely embaressin y/n, why? Why him of all people? Hes no good!" Your dad yelled stepping out of his suit.

"Your gonna give your self a heart attack screaming and getting yourself worked up the way you are." You said crossing your arms.

"Hes killed people, hes tried to take over New York, for god sakes he brainwashed Clint! Theres no telling what the psychopath will try to do next! Your not seeing him any more."

"Dad! He was brainwashed, he was tortured. You've never been told that you wasnt good enough, thrown to the side, lived in the shadow of your brother! What do you plan on doing to keep us away from each other? You won't let either of us go on missions. You don't trust him enough and your to afraid that I'll get hurt."

"You'll just stay locked up here with Pep."

"Great so I'm the modern day freaking Rapunzel. Thats not gonna happen."

"Tony," your mom came and put her hand on his arm automatically calming him. "I remember a certain someone that my parents didn't trust or want me to be around." She said calmly. "And you remember what I did? I went with my heart. And out of it I have a beautiful daughter, who tends to take more after her father, and another one on the way."

"Don't lie, I gave your parents a crazy amont of money for you." Your dad said rolling his eyes.

"Tony!" Your mother said smacking his arm.

"Your not dating him y/n, end of discussion. I am very disappointed in you about this, not because its him but because you kept it from us. Go to your room." Tony sighed.

"Its not your decision on who I date, besides do you blame me for keeping it secret? Look how your treating not only him but also me." You turned to walk back to your room on the other side of the tower.

The next morning you was in your gray sweat pants with a gray tank top on and a emerald green zip up hoodie, you smiled to yourself as you realized you had on his color. You shoved your hands in your pockets as you walked into the kitchen where everone was eatting breakfast including Loki.

"Hey guys, its just me, the biggest disappointment you know." You saos walking over to take a seat beside Loki.

"Is this smart?" He asked leaning over to whisper.

You turned your head toward him and placed your hand on his face. "Everyone knows, I don't give a rats ass about what dad thinks, I want to be open and be happy." You leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips. He pulled back with a suprised look on his face.

"Oh Jesus Christ y/n, intold you la-" your dad started as he walked in the door

"And I told you I wasnt going to listen." You looked over at him as you took a bit of your eggs.

"Like father like daughter." Your mom laughed shaking her head.

"Young Lady Starkling! You are wearing my brothers colors! The courting continues then!" Thor laughed as he slapped you both on the shoulders, both of you groaned and put your face in your hands.

After Thor had fully embaressed both of you it took no time for the rest of the team to join in, your father still wasnt happy about it but he could get over it. This made you happy; he, Loki of Asguard, made you completely and utterly happy.

~~~~~

ANNOUNCEMENT 2: I'm not gonna lie. I had this almost finished yesterday and for some reason the app gitched and erased what I had not saved (lesson learned) so I was honestly so irritated that I just left it to finish today. I am very happy with how this turned out. I am extreamly happy with all the feed back i am getting. Thank you guys so much! My tags are open as always! 💚💚💚💚

Tag list:

@kgirardin

@sophlubbwriting

@supbeeches

#loki avengers #loki laufeyson #loki odinson #loki #loki and thor #loki daily #loki fanfic #loki fanfiction #loki x reader #loki fluff #loki x y/n #loki x you #lokilaufeyson #loki one shot #loki masterlist #loki request

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redgillan · 5 years ago

Text

Under Pastel Skies - 9

Sugar daddy!Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: Modern!AU Bucky doesn’t need anyone, especially not a sugar baby. He isn’t that desperate… but she smiles so sweetly and she’s endearingly awkward, and he’s so lonely. She’s an artist, a painter, the type of person who always puts others before herself. Throwing caution to the wind Bucky offers her a place to live, a place where she can finally paint whatever her heart desires. He doesn’t need much in return; a friend, a muse.

Word Count: 6,257

Warnings: mention of accident, mention of blood

A/N: I’m sorry this took longer than usual but it’s pretty long so yay! I hope you’ll like this chapter. We’re slowly getting there :’) Thank you for the feedback, I truly appreciate all of you! Also 1 marvel quote and several Bob Ross quotes that I obv don’t own.

Wannabe sugar daddies don’t interact, idc if you have money, eat it and leave me be.

Good luck on your interview xx

Bucky had just hit ‘send’ when Sam cleared his throat noisily, drawing Bucky’s attention away from his phone. His friends were frowning crossly at him, their glasses raised in a silent toast. He set his phone face-down on the table and picked up his glass.

“Sorry, you were saying?”

Sam shot Steve a ‘see?’ look and Steve replied with a shrug and a little smile. They looked like two sassy grandmothers judging their only grandson. Bucky checked his phone again, and out of his peripheral vision, he could see his grandmothers share another look.

“What?” he barked, annoyed.

“Nothin,” they both answered at the same time before they took a synchronized sip of orange juice.

Smacking his lips together, Sam opened the menu and began to skim through the choices. A waiter suddenly came out of nowhere to take their order. Bucky ordered a cranberry rosemary scone, smoked bacon, an eggplant sandwich, and a plate of lemon-ricotta pancakes.

“Excuse-me,” Sam called out to the waiter. “Could you make his pancakes in the shape of an angel?” he asked, ignoring Bucky who was openly glaring at him.

The waiter, albeit a little surprised, kept a smile on his face. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Bucky told him, handing him the menu. “Thank you.”

Without another look to his friends, he grabbed his phone and checked his messages for the third time in less than two minutes. Steve snatched his phone up and sat back in his seat, waving the phone at Bucky.

“Enough! Live in the moment.” He pocketed the phone and gave Bucky a pointed stare. “You’ll get it back later.”

“What the hell? You’re not my father, give it back!” Bucky snapped, extending his hand, the palm facing up. Steve shook his head. “Give it back, you fucking meatball.”

He got up and tried to reach inside Steve’s pocket for his phone but Steve kept shifting in his seat. They wrestled like that for a minute while Sam watched them, eating a breadstick and looking mildly entertained.

“Okay, fine,” Bucky panted, pushing himself away from Steve. “You leave me no choice, Rogers.” He cleared his throat like an actor about to jump on stage. “Give me back my phone, Steve!” he said, raising his voice. “Do you enjoy stealing from disabled people?”

He nearly shouted the last two words, and to Steve’s horror, the buzz of conversation around them had died. He could feel people staring at him. Cursing softly under his breath, he reached into his pocket and dropped the phone into Bucky’s awaiting hand.

“It’s okay, we’re friends,” Steve said to the people sitting behind him. They looked at him with a disapproving glare. “Jesus, Bucky, you’re making me look like an asshole.”

An amused expression crossed Bucky’s face as he sat back in his seat. “Don’t touch my stuff.”

It was quiet while he checked his messages. Slowly, those around them returned to their own conversations. Sam pointed his half-eaten breadstick at Steve.

“Do you think the waiter will spit in your omelette?” he said the last word with an exaggerated French accent. Steve glared at him.

Their waiter arrived a moment later carrying a large tray with their brunch. Steve poked at his omelet with a suspicious frown, then looked over at Bucky who was still on his phone. Sam stole a slice of bacon from Bucky’s plate and gave it to Steve.

“I hear you’ve got a date tonight,” Sam said, making conversation.

“Yeah,” Steve chuckled, embarrassed. “It’s not a big deal. I’m just looking for something casual. I’m leaving in two days.”

“Where’re you going this time?”

“South Africa,” Steve replied, stealing another slice of bacon. “What about you? What’s that big emergency?”

Sam glanced at Bucky who was grinning like an idiot at his phone. “Not now. Let’s eat first.” He took the plate of bacon, took what he wanted then handed it to Steve. “Want another?”

Steve kept looking over at Bucky while they finished his bacon but Bucky didn’t seem to acknowledge their presence. He was in his own little bubble.

“It’s like we don’t even exist,” Steve remarked out loud.

“I know, it’s amazing. Look!” Sam straightened up in his seat and cleared his throat. “Bucky Barnes is the biggest idiot on the planet, and he can eat my farts.” Bucky was hunched over his phone, his thumb typing away. “See?”

“Impressive.”

“That’s the angel effect,” Sam said.

With a happy little sigh, Bucky pocketed his phone and turned his attention to his friends. He frowned at the amused look they shared.

“What are you guys talking about?”

“Steve’s first date in two years.” Sam turned to Steve. “You must be nervous.”

“Strangely, no.” Steve broke off a small piece of omelet with his fork. “I actually know him. He’s an old friend from college.”

“Nice,” Sam said.

“He’s a fashion photographer now.”

“Wait, what?” Bucky’s brows pinched in confusion as he stared at Steve.

Undeterred, Steve continued. “We’ve been facetiming a lot lately.” He shot Bucky a glance. “Why do you think I go to bed at 8?”

“But I thought-”

“You thought I had a date with your girl,” Steve said with a warm smile. “Listen, man, I like her. She’s cute, funny, talented. She’s a real sweetheart. But I like her because she brought back that light in your eyes. You look happy. That’s all I ever wanted for you. You had to go through so much crap, Buck. You deserve this.”

Bucky looked down at his pancakes, feeling tears pool in his eyes. He blinked them back and sniffed quietly. “So you were never going to ask her out.”

“I was until you called her ‘angel’,” Steve replied with a shrug. “You kept saying you were okay with this but, I mean, I’m not that dense.”

“Why do you keep going out with her then?” Bucky grumbled.

“Jeez, Mother Gothel, I didn’t know Rapunzel wasn’t allowed to leave the tower,” Steve exclaimed. “We were bored. You’re in your office all day. It was fun to mess with you though. You’re a grumpy Gus when you’re jealous.”

“I wasn’t jealous, okay. I was annoyed. There’s a difference.”

“Uh-huh.”

Bucky looked over at Sam who had been strangely quiet throughout this whole exchange. He loved teasing Bucky, and he always had something to say about Bucky’s love life. Sam wasn’t looking at Bucky, he just pushed his food around with his fork, his lips pinched shut. He met Bucky’s eyes, then lowered his head again.

Bucky had a feeling something bad was about to happen.

“What’s the big emergency?” he asked quietly, afraid of the answer.

Sam set his fork down beside his plate and leaned back against his chair with a sigh. He trained his gaze on the front door, seemingly deep in thought.

“I’m moving to D.C.” He paused to let the information sink in. “They’re transferring me to the D.C. office. I’m their new chief financial officer.”

“Congrats, man!” Steve exclaimed. “You deserve it.”

“Yeah,” Sam replied with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “That’s what I’ve always wanted.”

“So why the long face?”

“I’m a little anxious to leave New York. What will Barnes do without me? Without his mentor? Without someone to look up to?”

Bucky rolled his eyes. “I think I’ll be all right.” He hesitated before he asked, “Did you tell her?”

“Tell who?” Steve inquired, polishing off the last of his omelet.

Bucky felt the wave of long-held sadness his Sam’s eyes. “I’ll tell her tonight.”

“Can someone tell me what’s going on?”

Sam and Bucky shared a look. They weren’t sure how Steve would react.

The word sugar daddy held a pejorative connotation. Every single one of those relationships featured a powerful, rich man and a poor, vulnerable man or woman. There was a clear power imbalance here that never appealed to Bucky, and he was pretty sure it never appealed to Sam either.

Whether it was a no-strings-attached service or an emotional service, it was still a hole in your resume. One that would be hard to explain to your future employers. He was afraid people would call you names, treat you differently or harass you if they knew.

He often wondered if he had unintentionally ruined your life.

Deep down he knew Steve would never call you a whore or treat you differently but he was still trying to protect your reputation. He believed that Sam had Natasha’s best interest at heart too.

Sam told Steve everything. He remembered the day he had met Natasha, their instant chemistry, the subtle flirting, the arrangement, their first night out, their first kiss, their first time together, their new arrangement. Steve listened attentively. When Sam told him that you were Natasha’s best friend, Bucky interrupted him and told his own story.

“Wow,” Steve deadpanned, leaning forward to take one of Sam’s poached egg and avocado toast. Sam slapped his hand away. “Is that a thing now? Sugar daddies, I mean?”

“Is that all you have to say?”

“Yeah.” Steve sipped his mimosa with a bored look on his face. “You’re both not ready for the real conversation, so I’m just making small talk.”

Sam and Bucky exchanged confused looks. “What real conversation?”

“Sam, you just got an amazing promotion, you’re going to be the Prince of D.C. and you’re sitting here like someone kicked your puppy,” Steve replied, then turned to Bucky. “And you, well... I’ve been living with you for the past two weeks and you’ve gone all Alpha male on me, Buck. Cut the shit. You’re both in love with your sugar babies. Companions, or whatever the fuck you want to call them.”

Sam and Bucky sat in silence with their heads hung low. Steve opened his arms wide like a lawyer in a bad TV show saying ‘I rest my case’. When he spoke again, his voice was soft.

“Look, as maybe the world's leading authority on waiting too long, don't,” he said. “What’s the worst that could happen, um?”

It made Bucky think. Best-case scenario, you loved him too and life was a breeze for the next fifty years. Bad-case scenario, you didn’t share his feelings. Worst-case scenario, you shared his feelings but couldn’t make the transition from sugar baby to girlfriend.

Yeah, worst-case scenario sucked...

He came home around three in the afternoon, and smiled when he saw your shoes and coat. Knowing you were home always put him in a good mood, but his heart was heavy. He felt conflicted. He didn’t know if it was better to tell you how he felt now or to just keep living in this little bubble with you until it’d inevitably burst.

And to make things worse, Sam was going to end his contract with Natasha tonight. He made Bucky promise not to tell you about it. Bucky felt sorry for Natasha, he wondered if she had feelings for Sam. He wondered if she had a backup plan.

He found you in your studio, sitting on the floor, huddled against the wall, with one knee drawn up to your chest and your arms loosely wrapped around your leg. You were staring at the painting you’d just made, the still wet paint glistened under the artificial lights.

This painting was different from your usual landscapes and occasional portraits. There were various shades of blue and grey intertwined, and five big splotches of dark red paint layered on top of the canvas.

Bucky knew just by looking at you that something was wrong. You looked defeated, sad, upset. He reasoned that your interview didn’t go as planned. Quietly, he stepped into the room and sat down on the floor next to you, his left shoulder brushing your own.

“I just got home,” he said.

“Where’s Steve?”

“He said he had some errands to run. He’ll be back later.”

You nodded, still staring straight ahead. “Okay. I bet you can’t wait to have some time to yourself. I asked Natasha if I could stay with her, but she’s going out with Sam tonight. I’ll stay in my room, I won’t bother you.”

Bucky felt his heart drop, his breath caught in his throat. He had made the woman he loved feel unwelcome. God, he wanted to kick his own ass.

“I’m so sorry,” he said, tilting his head to look at you but you were stubborn and refused to meet his eye. “I thought you were going out with Steve and I- I didn’t want you to feel like you had to stay with me.”

“I’m not interested in Steve. I told you that.”

“I know.” He moved so that he could see your face. “I’m sorry for the way I treated you, and for the way I treated Steve. It won’t happen again. I promise. Can you forgive me?”

“Of course, Bucky,” you huffed.

He saw your chin quiver slightly and your eyes glaze over with unshed tears. You looked utterly broken. He reached up and wiped a stray tear from your cheek.

“Sorry, I had a difficult day,” you said.

His palm cupped the side of your face, his thumb stroking a caress across your cheek. You met his eyes for the first time and he smiled softly at you.

“My angel.”

His words made you cry even harder, silent tears streaming down your cheeks. With his hand still cupping the side of your face, he leaned closer and pressed his lips against your other cheek. You closed your eyes and basked in his affection.

He could feel the warmth of your tears, could taste the salt on his lips as they streamed down your cheek to his mouth. Slowly, he pulled back and looked at you, a smile forming on his lips when he saw a fleck of dried blue paint above your eyebrows.

“Painter Smurf,” he teased, wiping it off. You let out a huff of air that sounded like a laugh. “I’m here for you, angel, whatever you need.” He pulled you against his side and you rested your head on his chest.

“My interview didn’t go very well,” you said after a long moment of silence. “She said that I’m really talented, that my technique is perfect. But my work is too figurative. It’s not what she’s looking for.” You paused to wipe your nose on your sleeve. “It’s just- It wasn’t my first meeting. They all tell me the same thing: I’m not good enough.”

“That’s not true,” Bucky said, kissing your hair. “Your work is unique. It’s raw and beautiful. If they can’t see that then they’re morons.”

“She told me that if I had been a white man in the nineteenth century, people would still talk about me today.” You sighed. “I don’t know, Bucky. Maybe I should work on something more abstract.”

Bucky tilted his head to one side as he looked at your painting. “Is that why you painted this?”

“Mhhh,” you hummed. “She told me to play with the textures, the forms, the lines, the colours. Suggest rather than show. Let the painting tell its own story.”

“Yeah, I think you did it.”

“You think it’s good?”

“I don’t think those adjectives apply here. Not with modern art. It’s in the eye of the beholder,” he said, running his fingers along your shoulder. “Abstract art isn’t supposed to be beautiful, it’s supposed to make you feel something, right?”

“How does it make you feel?”

“Unsettled, sad.”

You straightened up and sat shoulder to shoulder. “My brother died in a hit-and-run.” You let the information sink in for a minute. “I was with Okoye, we got a call from our mom but by the time we got to the hospital, he was already dead.”

Your voice was surprisingly calm and controlled. Bucky wanted to reach out to you but he was unable to move. He listened attentively, his heart squeezing painfully in his chest.

“He was wearing some kind of compression shirt, grey-blue with two white stripes, and it was covered in blood. When I close my eyes and think of that day, all I remember is that shirt and the blood.” You tilted your head and gave him a little smile. “That’s what I painted.”

Bucky didn’t know what to say. He just sat there, opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water. He couldn’t think of anything to say.

“Sorry,” you let out a small laugh. “I had a shitty meeting and then I came home and basically relived one of the worst days of my life to put it on a canvas. Now it’s staring at me and all I want is to shred it to pieces.”

Bucky noticed that your hand was close to one of your palette knives. Your fingers brushed against the handle, debating whether you should pick it up and slash the canvas. He laid his hand on top of yours.

“It won’t help,” he said. “Trust me. I can put the painting somewhere else if you want. You won’t have to look at it again. I promise.”

“Yes, please.”

“C’mon, beautiful, let’s go downstairs. I know someone who can help you.” He got to his feet and extended his hand to you. You frowned up at him, a silent question in your eyes. “His name is Bob and he paints happy little trees.”

A bright, wide smile spread until it lit up your whole face, and Bucky’s heart melted at the sight. He grinned at you and pulled you to your feet.

“I love Bob Ross,” you said, and Bucky gave your hand a little squeeze.

In the living room, you sat down on the sofa, crossing your legs under you and grabbed a blanket while Bucky connected his YouTube account to the TV. He sat down beside you, propping his feet up on the coffee table and adjusting the blanket in his lap.

“Hi, welcome back. Certainly glad you could join me today.” The show started and you melted against Bucky’s chest, pulling the blanket up to your neck. “Thought today we could do a fantastic little painting-”

You were pressed against his bad side, but Bucky didn’t mind. As the show progressed, you slid further into his lap until your head rested on the armrest of the sofa, close to Bucky’s right hand.

“People know when you’re happy. They can look at your paintings and tell how you were happy. They reflect your moods. Paintings are a reflection of your innermost feelings.”

He gave your head a little massage while you both watched Bob Ross create a stunning lake view painting.

“Cuz in your world, you can create any kind of illusion that you want. I spent half my life in the military, and I had to live in somebody else’s world all the time. Painting offered me freedom, I’d come home after all day of playing soldier and I could paint the kind of world that I wanted. It was clean, it was sparkling, shiny, beautiful-”

You shifted a little, and Bucky wondered if those words resonated with what you had been through. Being adopted, losing a brother, taking care of your sick mother when your siblings left, graduating, making ends meet... Those experiences had shaped you into the woman you would be for the rest of your life. A kind and strong woman who never really got to live or enjoy life.

He understood how important painting was to you. He was an artist too. He wasn’t a painter, but writing offered him a kind of freedom he had lost a long time ago.

“We should paint along,” you said, tilting your head up to look at him. “Then I’ll sell yours. I bet people would pay a lot of money to own an original Grant Thomas painting.”

Bucky chuckled. He knew you were teasing him, the slight curl of your lips said as much. “I’ll sign it James Barnes. It’ll be worthless.”

“It’s not worthless to me,” you said.

“Would you hang it in your room?”

“Absolutely.”

“Then, okay, I’ll paint along with you.”

When the episode ended, you decided to eat dinner first and paint later. You were sitting at the kitchen island, eating a bowl of leftover pasta from the night before, when Steve came home.

“Hey guys,” he greeted, throwing a plastic bag on the kitchen island before he made his way to his bedroom.

“I’m so fucking late. I still need to take a shower and get dressed.” Steve came out of his room, shirtless, and working his belt buckle open. “Hey, Buck, can I borrow some clothes?”

“I swear to fuckin’ God, Rogers, if you undress in the middle of the kitchen I’ll make you eat your jeans.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

He rushed to the bathroom and closed the door behind him. A minute later, Bucky heard the shower running.

Later, you went upstairs to gather canvases, paint brushes and paint while Bucky helped Steve pick out an outfit.

Steve was too excited about his date to remind Bucky that he was an idiot, and Bucky was happy that for once they didn’t talk about his feelings for you. He teased Steve and watched as Steve squirmed, the tip of his ears bright red. Just like old times.

Then they met you downstairs where you had two easels set up in front of the television. Steve stood in front of you, visibly nervous and agitated, while you looked at him from head to toe.

“How do I look?”

“Like you’re wearing clothes two sizes too small for you, which makes you look even bigger than you normally are so... pretty good.”

“Yeah?”

You chuckled. “You look great, Steve.”

Steve responded with a relieved sigh and a little bashful smile. Bucky liked that look on Steve, it reminded him of their childhood when Steve awkwardly flirted his way through Brooklyn.

Bucky jerked back to the present when Steve turned to him for confirmation. He gave him a firm nod and a thumbs-up, then walked him to the kitchen. They talked about Steve’s plans for the night while Steve gathered up his things.

Bucky was walking back to the living room when Steve called out his name and threw something to him. Bucky caught it in mid-air, then looked down at his hand. A shiny looking condom wrapper was nestled in the palm of his hand. He scowled at Steve.

“Just in case,” Steve said with a shit-eating grin.

“You’re a dead man.”

Steve’s laughter echoed down the corridor as he left the apartment.

Blowing out a breath, Bucky pocketed the foil packet and joined you in the living room. You were sitting at your easel, blobs of paint arranged in a semicircle on a palette. There was another easel next to yours, with a palette resting on a stool to make things easier for him.

You selected the lake view episode you had watched earlier, thinking that it would make things easier. Bucky was in awe of you, you made painting look so effortless and beautiful. You added your own trees and clouds, shifting things around to create your own world.

Bucky followed Bob Ross’ instructions closely but, in his opinion, it looked like someone had made it with their feet. You laughed at his comment and told him that you would still hang it in your room. It boosted his ego a bit.

When you both finished your painting, Bucky looked up at the clock. It was close to midnight which made him do a double take.

“Time for me to hit the hay,” he said, yawning. “This is as good as it’s gonna get.”

“Mhh,” you mused, turning the TV off.

“You okay?”

You shrugged. “Yeah, I- uh, I was kind of hoping we’d do this all night,” you said, playing with a mostly dried paintbrush. You looked at him from under your lashes. “But it’s fine. I understand, you’re tired. I think I’ll wait for Steve.”

Bucky looked at you with a pained expression. He could tell something was bothering you. He placed his index finger under your chin and tilted your head up. “Angel, I don’t think Steve is coming home tonight.” You pinched your lips together and nodded. “Talk to me. I want to help.”

“I don’t want to be alone tonight.”

Your words hit him like a punch in the chest, leaving him momentarily breathless. He pulled you close and pressed a long kiss to your forehead. You clung to him for dear life, your warmth and familiar scent made his heart ache.

“It’s okay,” he mumbled against your skin, then pulled back a little so he could look you in the eye. “Let’s change into something more comfortable, um? Then we’ll catch some shut-eye. I have an idea, the first person to fall asleep has to make breakfast tomorrow.”

“You sure?”

“You’re right. I’m exhausted, I’ll fall asleep first,” he said, shaking his head. “New rule, last person to fall asleep has to make breakfast.”

You snorted. “No, I meant... are we going to sleep in the same bed?”

“I promise I’ll stay on my side. But if it makes you uncomfortable, there’s a bunk bed in Steve’s room.”

“No, it’s fine. I want to wash my face first. I’ll see you in a minute.”

Bucky tried to play it cool but his heart was pounding. He kept seeing flashes of his dreams in his mind: skin against skin, steady puffs of air brushing against his skin, the smell of sweat and something uniquely you surrounding him.

He was absolutely terrified.

He went upstairs, took a quick shower, brushed his teeth and changed into his pyjamas. His night-time regimen took longer than he had anticipated so he wasn’t surprised when he found you sitting cross-legged on his bed, scrolling through your phone, looking so calm and peaceful.

You were wearing your pyjama bottoms and a fluffy sweatshirt stained with blue paint and tomato soup. He felt his stomach flip when you raised your head and smiled at him. A chill ran through his spine, and made the hairs on his arm stand on end. He’d never seen you look more beautiful.

“Hey,” you said, placing your phone on the nightstand. “Which side of the bed do you sleep on?”

“The side you’re sitting on.” You rolled to the other side of the bed and slid under the covers making him laugh. “You didn’t have to move.”

“It’s fine. I prefer this side.” You looked around the room. “I like your room. It’s very you.”

“Ah?”

“Yeah, neat, organized, lots of books, a cosy armchair, stormy blue comforter. It looks intimidating but it’s actually really soft. Like you.”

He suppressed a laugh. “Thanks.”

Bucky climbed into bed beside you, turned off the light and drew the blanket over him trying to get warm. He lay on his back looking up at the ceiling. He was so stiff and nervous, he forced himself to breathe normally. You turned onto your side and slid one of your hands under your pillow.

“Do you usually read before you go to sleep?” you whispered, afraid to disturb the silence.

“Yes,” he whispered back. “Do you?”

“Sometimes.” There was a moment’s silence before you spoke again. “I’ve started reading your book.”

“Oh, Christ,” he let out a small laugh and turned his head to look at you, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. “I hope I didn’t traumatize you.”

“You have a very dark sense of humour,” you said. “But I already knew that.”

“I’ve always had a dark sense of humor, but trust me, when I lost my arm I wasn’t in the mood for jokes. Therapy helped a lot. Besides, laughing is good for your health, right? My books are very personal, I don’t censor myself.”

“I know. I wasn’t expecting it to be so honest.” You shifted a little and looked away from him. “I don’t know if I’ll finish it, I feel like I’m intruding.”

“I understand.” He shifted slightly so he was lying on his left side, facing you. “I wrote it like a diary. Talking isn’t my strong suit. I don’t know, I think I’m trying too hard and I just end up being rude or not making sense. When I write, I take my time, I find the right words. It’s easier when I don’t have to look anyone in the eye.”

He knew his book was a little rough. He focused on his depression, his rehabilitation, relearning basically everything. He talked about rediscovering his body, intimately. He talked about his friends, his family, strangers, therapy, dating.

“Can I ask you a very personal question?”

“Of course.”

“Have you ever been in love?”

He swallowed hard, his throat raw and tight. “Yes.” In fact, he was in love right now. “Once. I don’t trust easily.”

“I know I read what happened between you and your girlfriend.”

She had been his first girlfriend since the accident. She was kind, patient, a little over excited but he found it cute. In a way, she reminded him of himself before the accident. She wasn’t afraid to touch him, and God, he needed to be touched.

Sam had witnessed little things that irked him but Bucky had ignored him, refusing to see the warning signs. He wanted to be happy again. But then he couldn’t bury his head in the sand anymore.

She treated him like a child in front of their friends, and her friends praised her for taking such good care of a man like him. A man who, in their mind, was high maintenance. She cut his meat for him even though he was perfectly capable of doing it himself. She helped him dress, tied his shoes, zipped up his coat, etc... He felt infantilized, humiliated.

He didn’t think she was a bad person though. It was just her personality.

“How’s Natasha?” he asked suddenly.

A puff of air caressed his face as you snorted out a laugh. “Why do you ask? You don’t like her.”

“I like her a lot,” he argued. “She seems wary of me, which I understand, but she’s great.”

“Yeah, she is.” You considered his words. “She’s doing well. She went on work date with Sam.”

Despite his promise to Sam, he couldn’t bear the thought of keeping things from you. “I have to tell you something about Sam and Nat.” You waited for him to continue. “Sam got promoted, he’s moving to D.C. He broke things off with Natasha tonight. I mean, their arrangement.”

“I know,” you said. “She texted me while you were in the bathroom. I’m going to spend the night at her place tomorrow. It’s been a while since we had a girls’ night, and we both really need it.”

“Good.” He cupped the side of your face, let his thumb brush your jaw. “I’m going out with the boys tomorrow. Steve’s leaving soon.” He pulled his hand back. “We should try to get some sleep.”

“No, please,” you said, shifting closer to him. “Not yet.”

“Angel, we can’t stay awake all night.”

“I don’t want to be alone in the dark.”

“I’m right here with you,” he spoke gently.

“But once you fall asleep I’ll be alone.”

Bucky raised his head and kissed your forehead, his lips lingering on your skin. When he pulled back, he rested his hand on your forearm and let his warmth seep into your skin. His thumb caressed the inside of your wrist, stroked over your racing pulse point.

“I’ll wait until you fall asleep,” he said.

“Thank you, Bucky.” You smiled and let your index finger run down the length of his nose. “Does it hurt when you sleep on your left side?”

“Not really,” he replied. “Most of the time it’s just weird. It feels like my phantom limb hangs down through the bed. Like my arm is invisible and just goes through the bed.”

“What do you miss the most?”

He let out a long exhale. “Not much. Hugs. Proper hugs... I guess. Holding someone close and wrapping myself around them. Squeezing someone against my chest, making them feel protected. I used to be a great hugger. Now I give bro hugs.”

“I love bro hugs.”

His chuckled dissolved into a grin, and you both stayed quiet for a moment. He knew you weren’t asleep, he could hear you thinking. “What’s on your mind, beautiful?”

“I was wondering,” you started, then trailed off. “One day we’ll have to end this arrangement. Do you think it’ll end well, or is it going to be messy?”

It took him a minute to respond.

“Y’know, one of the things I learned in therapy was to stop worrying about things I can’t control,” he said. “That’s in the future, for future-you and future-me. I don’t know how it’ll end but I can promise you one thing: I’ll always be there for you. Arrangement or not.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” you breathed out. “Right-now-me is a lucky bitch.”

You both laughed softly, then fell into a contemplative silence. There was something so peaceful about lying in bed with you, his hand loosely wrapped around your wrist, sharing warmth. He didn’t want to fall asleep.

For the next hour you talked about your families, your childhood, your friends, your likes and your dislikes. You told him about being an adopted child and living with other adopted kids. He could tell you were holding back when you talked about your siblings.

The only one you gushed about was Okoye. You were evasive when you talked about Scott and Wanda, though you did tell him that you had agreed to meet Wanda.

“What’s your favorite comfort food?”

“Breakfast for dinner.” Your voice was soft and small, he knew you were falling asleep. “When I was a kid, we had breakfast for dinner every Sunday night. We’d grab a bowl of our favourite cereal and eat together in front of the TV. I miss those days.” Your face was half buried in your pillow. “What’s yours?”

“Easy, pancakes.”

You smiled, your eyes were closed. “I like pancakes too.”

He watched you fall asleep and made a mental note to make some pancakes for breakfast. Your breathing evened out, and he waited a few more minutes to make sure you were asleep before he rolled onto his back and closed his eyes.

Bucky woke up to the sound of rain striking against the window. He opened his eyes and noted that the room seemed brighter than usual. A quick glance at the bedside clock told him that it was already a little past eight.

He stretched, sighing contentedly, and rubbed the sleep from his eyes with his closed fist. He tilted his head to look at you, still sleeping next to him. You lay on your stomach with your face turned away from him and your arms hugging your pillow. He adjusted the covers around your shoulders and stealthy slipped out of bed.

He went to the window and fixed the shades to make sure they didn’t let any light in. Then he made his way downstairs where he found Steve cracking eggs into a bowl. He was still wearing Bucky’s clothes, but his hair was a mess. Still he looked positively glowing.

“Mornin’,” Steve greeted with a wide smile.

“Hey, man.” Bucky took a seat at the kitchen island. “When did you get back?”

“About ten minutes ago. Long enough to notice that your angel hasn’t slept in her room last night. Wanna talk about it?”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Bucky said with a shrug. “She didn’t want to be alone.”

“So you slept with her.”

“We slept in the same bed. Nuance.”

“I’m gonna nuance your face with my fist if you don’t talk to her soon,” Steve exclaimed. “She’s not going to stay single forever, Buck. Things are gonna change, one way or another.”

“I know.”

Steve set the bowl aside and held the edge of the counter behind him. He sighed, exasperated. “If I were you, I’d talk to her before something happens and takes your choices away from you.”

Bucky pinched his lips together, hard, and looked down at the counter. A muscle in his jaw jumped. “I- I don’t know how to talk to her,” he said, feeling tears gather in his eyes. He met Steve’s eyes. “I physically can’t talk to her. It hurts. It’s stuck here-” he aggressively grabbed his stomach “-all the time. And it hurts, Steve, you have no idea how painful it is.”

“That’s love,” Steve replied, smiling at him like he, too, knew how it felt.

“Well, it fucking sucks.”

Bucky wiped the back of his hand against his runny nose. Steve stood there in silence.

“This book I’m writing,” Bucky said, breaking the silence. “It’s about her. Just her.” He paused. “I can’t back down now, my publicist’s too invested in our story. I know it’s an eccentric way of telling someone you fell in love with them but... writing’s easier than talking.”

Steve nodded, his eyes glued to the floor. “It’s like a long love letter.”

“Something like that.” Bucky climbed off the stool and rounded the kitchen island. “Now, I’m going to make breakfast. I promised her pancakes.”

Steve smiled and watched him move around the kitchen. “I hope it works out for you, Bucky. I really do.”

Part 10

#bucky barnes #bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #marvel #marvel fanfiction #marvel imagines #bucky barnes imagines #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes imagine #marvel imagine #redgillan #redgillanwrites

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qyllenhaal · 4 years ago

Text

God’s Face in the Fire || Part 2

Dark!Lee Bodecker x Dark!Reader

Summary: A wife who would do anything to give her husband the world, even if it means getting herself involved with his trouble.

Word Count: 10.3k

Chapter warnings: dark themes!!! contains mentions of murder, non-graphic death scenes, smut (loss of virginity in a flashback scene), manipulation, brief mention of sexual assaults, misogyny, uncomfortable situations. Please heed the warnings!!! 18+ only

A/N: It's been forever since I posted. The last two weeks have left me discombobulated that it was hard to find time to sit down to write and edit this, but I'm glad I got to it! The next part is going to be the last part but I have plans to do one-shots for this universe. I'm going to be posting a Senator!Chris fic tomorrow so stay tuned for that.

Enjoy!

"You remember when I took you out for milkshakes and you spilled yours all over me? You were wearing that exact same color," Lee said pointing at the dress she was pressing.

"All those years ago, and you still remember that?" Y/n wanted to drown in this tender moment she's having with her husband. Hearing him laugh, his stomach shifting, and his eyes wrinkling.

"How could I? Watching you get all flustered and cute really got me goin’. It's when I knew I was gonna marry ya."

The days have been incredibly warm and beautiful since Y/n had done what she did. It was cruel irony that she was enjoying another day while someone’s body was rotting. The softer moments of life were few and far between these days, but right now she’s offered her a wonderful distraction.

She had taken on more tasks than usual to distract herself from the intrusive thoughts she had. She even accepted a last minute invite to help put on an event at the local rental hall with some of the other mothers in town. It gave her an excuse to look nice and show herself off to anyone who had some doubts about Lee. Things were looking good for him, but there was always something to do to further rehabilitate his image. She always looked her best as the sheriff's wife. Keeping up the appearances exhausted her since they have become more frequent for her. However if she wanted the people to fawn over her lovely family, she had to show up. An arts and crafts event for the kids is also a good chance to get their daughter out of the house.

Teenage Y/n did not see herself becoming a housewife so young. It was unsavory to think about being a homemaker for one of the boys’ at school. She surmised that she would’ve stuck by her original plan if she had not been so lonely. All of Y/n's friends left within a year of graduating high school. She didn't have that many friends to begin with, but she thought that at least one would always be there for her. Rose went to college, and Barbara found a man to marry and moved to upstate New York. Only one stayed for some time, Judith, but she eventually left after having a shotgun wedding. It was selfish of her to think that someone would stay just because she got rejected from the only college she had applied to. Other people had lives and Y/n was just not at the center of them.

The absence of her friends made her pregnancy more lonely. Her baby shower consisted of her family, Lee’s sister, and his co-workers and their wives. None of the women seemed to be fond of Y/n. It always plagued her mind to know if they thought she was too young and stupid or if it was just something else

She found solace in some of the other mother's in town. When she began showing up around to volunteer at bake sales and food drives she expected them to look at her face and then down at her belly and reject her. She is younger than them and feared they'd find her naïve. She had kept to herself for so long that she thought they'd write her off as the sheriff's meek wife.

Y/n didn't get a chance to mingle with anyone prior to her marriage and Lee made it harder by insisting in little ways that she stay in the house. No one was at fault that Lee wanted to keep her to himself. It was possible he did it out of insecurity, but Y/n now speculates that it was because he didn’t want to hear or even see what he may have been doing.

One of the ladies who Y/n only knew by her dark hair and distinct, pointy nose joked that Lee had, "finally let Rapunzel out of the castle." When the other mothers joined into laughter, she felt small. It was only a harmless joke that was steeped in the truth. It took her persistence to no longer wanting to feel alone while being pregnant to get the women to warm up to her, and the did.

"I remember spilling the milkshake, but I was too embarrassed to remember anything else about that night," she admitted.

Lee remembers that night very well. He wishes that she didn't end the night so quickly because she ruined a pair of trousers that could easily be replaced. He had only bought them to impress her, but it didn't take much to get her to swoon over him. No other man was giving her the time of day.

"We should go out to that diner Friday night. Now that we have someone to watch the little one, we don't have to stop by your parents to drop her off anymore. I can just scoop you up and we can have a night together," Lee pressed himself into Y/n's backside. She giggled when his hands lightly danced against her ticklish sides.

Lee had also been aware of the slim moments of intimacy with his wife. He was serious about this race but he truly underestimated how much time and effort he'd have to put into this. But people really did love the old mayor. The only slight Lee had against him was his old age and how some believed that if he kept going then he might run into some health problems. The rumors about him becoming more and more forgetful were minute compared to the dark gossip swirling about Lee though. Some of the people in town would probably vote for a paper bag before Lee.

His biggest fear is that he loses the election and drives his wife away. He could lose the race, but if his wife somehow slipped away, taking their baby with her, he’d drink himself into a stupor. Lee tried his very best to hide his insecurities from her. When he worried, she worried too and it made it much harder for him to plan his way out of whatever hole he is in when he has a hysterical wife to deal with. That's why he'd rather not tell her anything.

Lee also wasn't the young man in his prime anymore, he believed that his good looks were fading, and he has gained a considerable amount of weight. The fear of Y/n just up and leaving him for someone younger than him and riding off to the city always plagued him. The birth of their daughter should've assuaged him, but his self-doubt always lingered like a cloud that made him stick to his vices.

"I've really missed ya honey...missed this body of yours."

Y/n flinched when his hands ran down the front of her body, over her stomach and then circling up back to her breast. Her body has changed considerably since giving birth and the hormonal imbalance left her feeling tired, sad, and alone. Her mother told her that all she had to do was look at her child and she'd feel better, but every time she looked at her little girl all she did was worry. Was she a good mom? Why was her daughter crying so much without much working? Was Lee staying at work for long hours to avoid the crying and her? Did he still find her attractive?

They’re both too busy thinking Lee's mayoral bid to realize they felt the exact same way as each other. If there was any other time that proved they were an extension of each other, it was now, but they were too blind to see it.

"Lee y-you're going to be late for work," her voice was weakened by his lips now nipping at her neck.

"Don't give a damn," he whispered against her skin, inhaling her familiar scent, "just wanna feel my wife."

Today, Y/n felt herself slipping back into her normal self and normal life. She melted into Lee, hoping that maybe they could have a moment to themselves, but they were interrupted by the phone ringing downstairs. Every early morning and late night phone call had her on edge. They never seemed to be about anything important but it hasn't failed yet to make her stomach churn.

Lee groaned and pulled away from her. She watched him disappear to go answer the phone.

It has been nearly two days and the only thing on her mind is what happened after she left that brothel. The anxiety made her feel sick. Hours later after it happened, around 2 a.m., she woke up and darted to the toilet. Lee kept asking her if she was pregnant as he held her hair back while her face was in the toilet. She dismissed his claims, knowing full and well that she was just sickened by her actions.

Lee had not mentioned a death or anything related to that brothel, so had he even been found? Was his death even reported? The girls who worked for him were probably too worried about their own arrest than the death of their abusive boss.

She wiped the look of worry off of her face when she heard his heavy footsteps coming back up the stairs.

"Who was it?"

"Your brother," his tone held disgust, "invited us to dinner on Sunday. He asked to speak to you but I told him you were still sleep."

"Lee!"

"I don't want to hear it," his voice boomed, much more dominant and rough than hers, "I ain't having dinner with him and I don't want to hear your mouth about it."

Y/n stayed silent and watched him grab the police hat resting on the dresser. She hated for him to leave on such a sour note, but she wouldn't dare say anything in fear she might make things worse.

He started towards the door of their bedroom before turning back to his wife, "Sandy supposed to stop by Saturday. I don't know why, so don't ask, but she claims she's comin'. Who knows if she'll stick to her word."

It’s like Lee did that on purpose, as some sort of sick payback for her brother calling. Y/n was not fond of Sandy and did not like to be around her for more than ten minutes. Sandy was a nice girl, a bit unsavory at times, but her husband Carl was a stain on her life. There was something about him that reminded her of the men her mother had warned her about when she was a young teenager; a man with a slick tongue and a creepy air around him. However, she found Carl much more sinister than that. The look in Carl's eyes when he looked at her and flashed her that unsettling smile was imprinted into her brain. They did not come around much, but when they did it was always a traumatic experience for Y/n.

Lee left the room before Y/n could respond. He knows how Y/n feels, but he can’t bring himself to care right now. She’s not going to protest against it because she knows better than that. He focused on the sound of soft babbling from his daughter as he walked into her room.

"Hey you," she looked up at him with her big eyes and her widening smile that made his heart swell, "you gonna be good for your mama? You've been on a mean streak lately and I'd hate to make good on my threat and put you in baby jail."

His daughter reached up and tried to grab at his face. Lee was clean-shaven now, but for the first few months of his daughter's life he had enough hair on his face for her to grab a hold of. It was funny to see how she still tried to grab at his non-existent hair, pinching his skin in the process.

"Miss the beard little lady? You're just like your mama," he kissed her forehead and felt a deep sense of guilt that he had to leave her to go to work. But everything he did was for her and if he believes that the long hours are going to pay off. All of his work is going to pay off when he wins that race.

The dress her daughter wore was blush to complement her mother's golden one. She looked around at every single building and person they passed as if it was her first time seeing it again. Her sense of wonder always made Y/n adore her even more. Y/n wondered what was going on in the little mind of her and what sense she made of the world.

She was never fussy when they were out, which was good for Y/n, but also good for the rehabilitation of Lee's image. He has such a good daughter and pretty wife, he must be doing something right. Every single person who stopped to say hi or coo at how cute her baby was, Y/n wondered if they have ever said something negative about Lee. Y/n never received weird stares or grimaces that would make her paranoid, but she still felt on edge. She always wanted to be on her best behavior, especially when Lee was not with her.

Y/n was forced to be her normal self; cheerful even though her mind was reeling over two nights ago, her sister-in-law, and what the conversation between Lee and her brother this morning may have sounded like. When one of the toddlers thrusted their drawing her face she feigned an excited smile. She hoped the mother's didn't notice her lackluster attitude.

"Y/n , can I speak with you?"

It was Sally's voice that called to her. She looked at the blonde woman with a bit of panic on her face. She thought that she was going to get chewed out by her, especially since she pulled her far away from the other children, and her daughter who was being held by one of the recently graduated girls.

"Is everything alright Sally?"

"I should be asking you that. Why am I hear things about Mrs. Blackwater sayin' she seen your Lee dumpin' bodies in the river behind her house?" At that moment Y/n could not hear her despite her lips still moving. Her blood ran cold at that last name being mentioned. It's been years, close to a decade, since she thought about that old woman, but the mere mention of her name brought Y/n back to a place she didn't want to be.

"I-I...I don't know what she's talking about-"

"My husband and I made a sizable donation to your husband's campaign, and it would be a shame to see him lose," the sugary voice and fake smile on Sally's face made Y/n's stomach ache. She didn't like how some of these women could be so fake because it always made her question if they really liked her or not. But Sally didn't care what Y/n would respond with, all she cared about was her and her husband's reputation, "you're not that much younger than me so you remember them days when that old bitch would be on her porch spewin’ whatever nonsense she could think if at any girl who walked on her sidewalk. No one likes Mrs. Blackwater, but don't think for a second they won't consider what she has to say about that husband of yours. I've heard too many whispers about him and I don't like it. I'll pull my endorsements if you don't fix this shit."

Was murdering one person not enough to save her husband from losing this race? The brothel owner was one person, someone who would not be missed by many people, but could she do something about Mrs. Blackwater?

'That's not right, that's not right.'

No matter how much she tried to shake that evil idea off, it kept creeping into her mind. Murder was the unlikely tool she had in her arsenal all along. It was morally wrong to kill someone, but her victim and the potential one had not been nice people. Mrs. Blackwater's stain on this Earth paled in comparison to Reed's, but that woman made her blood run much colder than the brothel owner.

It was so ironic that Mr. Blackwater was a beloved man in town because no one could stand his wife. They knew not to cross her path and that pies and home cooked meals would not abate her disdain for people. A man who was so kind and friendly was married to the most antisocial person Y/n has ever come across. But he never wasted a moment to sing her her praises. Y/n remembers one of her sons and he was mean just like his mother; a school yard bully that would beat up on anyone he saw as weak and alone. Y/n was lucky that he knew she had an older brother to protect because the Blackwater’s youngest boy never tried anything with her. However, she was not lucky enough to escape the wrath of Mrs. Blackwater. The irony was that she probably would've been better off being a victim of her son. That woman was nasty and wasn't afraid to show it.

"Don't you two get tired of dressing like whores?"

They had to pass the Blackwater house to get to Rose's house. Her house used to be at the end of the street before it got burned down, leaving the Blackwater house the last one on the street. It was nice, and had a big, big porch that Mrs. Blackwater always sat on for most of the day. She didn't stop at calling them just "whores'' and "wenches" either. Y/n never could understand why they always took the brunt of that woman's anger. Rose went home in tears every time she walked by that house. Maybe Y/n's anger is displaced, but she blames Mrs. Blackwater for why Rose was so eager to leave. There wasn't much here, but Rose always promised she'd stay. But ever since they encountered Mrs. Blackwater's misery, Rose had changed.

She could imagine that same venomous voice saying awful things about her husband, "Lee Bodecker put that body in the water. I saw it with my own two eyes!"

The thought of her husband killing someone shouldn't sound so crazy, especially after being able to do it herself. But her Lee can't be a cold-hearted man who slept with whores, murdered people, and ruined people lives. He was so sweet to her, he wasn't always was, but his touch was so soft against her skin, how could he hurt anyone?

Y/n had just turned 19 when she met Lee. He was a deputy, closer to being the sheriff than either of them knew at the time. Their age difference scared her somewhat; she only gave him a chance so she could distract herself from reminding herself that she should be finishing up the last year of being a college freshman. She had the grades and thought her test scores were satisfactory but she got rejected from Indiana University. Her father told her that there is always next year, but her mother told her she should just figure out a new plan.

It was the uncertainty and loneliness that made her get closer to Lee. He was close to his late 20s, unmarried, and he didn't exactly make his loneliness unknown.

He left a sour taste in her mouth in their very first encounter; pulling her over as an excuse to get her number. She gripped the steering wheel to stop them from shaking so much. She only had her license for a few weeks and made sure to be careful in fear of this exact situation happening. His slick talk didn't make her feel that much better either. She was too shaken up to even look at him in the eye or take in any of his features. She just remembered seeing his badge the words DEPUTY SHERIFF etched into it.

Lee let her off, saying she had a "pretty face" and that he hoped to see her around. She didn't think much about their interaction the days after he pulled her over, but she began to see him more than before. Y/n couldn't remember a time she had seen him prior to that one night and found it odd that his face kept reappearing. (He later told her that it was fate, but it was not. Lee purposefully put himself in her orbit. It was not hard to learn what her routine was and when she went out.)

She was weary about his advances, unsure how to react to them because the most experience she's had was with two boys, only one of whom she kissed. Their first date was not by choice either, he just decided to stick by her side while she was at the local dinner by herself.

And he has always stuck by since then, always hovering around her until she realized he was not going to go away and it’d be futile to ignore him. Lee never gave her the chance to make the decision for herself, but his girl was so sweet and she just needed a few cushy words for her to understand that this was where she belonged.

"Do your parents know you're out here meeting me?" It had only been a matter of time before she learned to be very obedient to him; always accepting his plans, even if it meant sneaking out of the house in the midnight hour. The smirk he wore on his face every time he watched her walk up to him left her feeling enchanted.

"Don't talk too loud. If my brother hears you he'll kill you and have my head."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her front to him. Lee groaned at the feel of her breast against his chest. She was so nervous to do anything with him that she only let him kiss her. It was fine for a while, but he had grown tired of waiting. Tired of being teased by her in those soft, pink dresses that would ride up whenever she had to bend over even just a little bit. He couldn't believe how naive she was to believe he was always dropping things like a pencil or his wallet on accident; he just wanted to see her bend over for him just for a chance to peak at what pretty panties she wore that day.

Getting her to come out with him at night was surprising, but the idea of riding in his patrol car was so alluring. The sparkle in her eyes gave him an overwhelming sense of machismo; enough for him to realize he just needs to take what she wants.

The full moon hung in the clear sky and they had a vast, open field in front of them. He took her just to the edge of the county that was secluded and was his favorite spot to go for some quiet (or getting his dick sucked). The moonlight and a few street lights that were actually working were the only light they had.

"You look so pretty today baby," his hand rested on her thigh the whole entire drive but only now did he actually move it to stroke her skin, "you always look so pretty for me. I'm the luckiest man in town."

Y/n giggled and her face felt like it was burning up. No one had taken the time to compliment her sweetly, and that was obvious to Lee. He cradled her face in the palm of his hand and watched her turn into putty. His hand inches closer to her heat causing her to jump like his hand was made of actual fire.

"Relax baby...just relax for me," Lee planted his face in her neck and nipped at it. His lips tickled the skin on her neck and she did her best to suppress her giggles but they spilled from her lips. Lee smirked against her skin, "there she is. There's my girl."

She let a laugh slip through, but she suppressed the moan that was stuck in her throat. It was so odd to feel him on her neck but it was an unfamiliar feeling that she liked. His hand never left her thigh, in fact he had sneakily moved it closer to her sex. She felt ashamed about the growing wetness that she could feel sticking to her.

Lee grabbed her hand and placed it right over the bulge straining in his pants. She let out a heavy sigh when she realized what it was. "That's how hard you make me. You making me so fucking hard girl," he growled in her ears. This was something only the senior girls from her high school could dream about when they talked about hooking up with their boyfriends. None of them were even half the man Lee was, and here he was: hard and ready just for her.

"L-Lee," her voice broke into bits, her body overheating from Lee taking control, "wait, can we slow down?"

"You taste so sweet baby," he continued kissing her, ignoring her until she was pulling away from his grasp. "What's wrong girl?" The furrowing of his brow made her worry that she pissed him off. Lee was all she had, he convinced her to put away her dream of going to college and stay here for him, if she ran him off then she'd have nothing else.

"I'm just nervous. I’ve never done this before Lee," she hoped her honesty went a long way and would make him take her home instead. But all it did was make him readjust himself in his seat and pull away from her rather coldly.

Lee was irritated with her, she got him all hard, but he did his best to temper his anger. She's lucky that he was on the job all day and didn't have a chance to drink yet or else she'd see the side of him that he purposely hid from her.

"Don't be nervous baby. You know I love you right?" She nodded her head with her wide eyes holding a sad look in them, "good girl. Let me show you something."

Lee patted his lap and Y/n looked at him with apprehension.

"C'mon now," he patted his lap once again, this time with a bit of impatience in his voice.

Y/n awkwardly shifted over the center console of his patrol car and found herself in his lap. His strong arms wrapped around her waist and he rested his chin on her shoulder. She tried to ignore how his bulge poked at her slit through her cotton panties.

"You ever been in a car this nice before?"

"Uh-uh," she shook her head, somewhat distracted by the beautiful interior and his cock poking at her. The only car she's ever drove was the shitty one that was passed down to her. Lee's patrol car doesn't look like it's more than five years old.

Seeing her look in wonder at the dash made him even harder. He began to rut against her, trying to feel as much friction as he could, but it wasn't enough to satiate a man who has been waiting a few months for this.

He sat back and started fumbling with his pants. Y/n heard the sound of the metal on his belt and unzipping of his pants but she froze on top of him instead of moving. She grabbed the steering wheel and held onto it as tight as she did the night he first laid eyes on her. Her alarm rose when Lee lifted her up a little to push her panties to the side.

"Lee what are you doing-"

"Shhh baby don't worry, I got you."

The sensation of his head poking at her slit and her sliding down him was unspeakable. She was uncomfortable with his splitting size, but he didn't move her at all, trying to give her some time to adjust but it was just so hard for him to restrain himself. She was so tight and warm, and definitely untouched by any man. "Fuck," he mumbled warmly in her ear. She felt him wrap his arm tighter around her, almost as if he was afraid she was going to somehow run away from him. Even if she wanted to, she wouldn't know her way back home and she'd be stuck out here. She was safe with Lee even though she found herself feeling more confusion than pleasure.

Those girls from her high school days had to been lying to her, sex didn’t feel all that magical; his patrol car was not a romantic place to lose her virginity. Lee rocked her on his cock slowly as she tried to find the same pleasure that he was experiencing. His heavy breath was on her ear as she stared straight up into the night sky.

"You feel so good. You feel so fucking good baby."

His pleasure is what made her want to stay on top of him like this. She cared for him so much and she just wanted Lee to be proud of her. The "good girl" that continuously spilled from his lips sounded like a hymn she wanted to memorize.

Y/n let Lee have his way with her body. He groped her breast through her dress and then let his hands graze her sides. She wondered what he was doing when his hand slipped into her panties, but the warmth that shot through her made her mind go blank. Lee rubbed at her sensitive bud and she constricted around him. Instead of whimpering, she was now fully moaning; the way it felt so good had put her discomfort into the back of her mind.

"Oh fuck -- move your hips girl. You feel so good."

He rubbed her harder as a reward for swirling her hips against him. She began to bounce on top of him and he no longer had to do the hard work, just lean back and feel her engulfing him in her warmth.

"Lee," she whimpered, unsure of herself, but then she called his name again, "Lee," as if to let him know that he was the one giving her pleasure.

Lee knew he wasn't going to last, not when she was as tight and wet as she was. He can't remember the last time he took someone's virginity, nor when he was this hard. It was clear to him that she had no idea what she was doing by the way she bounced on him without a rhythm. Sometimes she'd stall herself before moving fast again. It didn't irk him, he found it endearing that she was so inexperienced. He was going to have to show her a lot of things and get her to fuck him to his liking.

Y/n gasped when Lee pulled out of her and jerked himself until white liquid was splashing on the back of her panties. She'd have to wash them before her mother saw the stain.

"You did so good baby, taking my cock like a big girl," he placed a sloppy kiss on her cheek, still trying to catch his breath while she shifted on top of him. He put himself away and nudged her towards the empty passenger seat. She was silent the entire time he drove her home. A sense of pride filled her because she had made Lee feel good. The sex itself was too weird to describe as being good, but she liked how she felt inside when he told her she felt good and that she made him cum. That's all she wanted to do was please Lee.

Saturday morning proved to be another beautiful day. It seems as if Summer didn't want to leave just yet even though October was near. There wouldn't be many more opportunities for Lee to make his impressions and sway the last few voters not on his side.

The event had been boring at most, but Sally's words really shook her up. No one in town would deny that Mrs. Blackwater has always been a bitter women, but they also wouldn't necessarily turn the other cheek if she starts going around saying that Lee Bodecker is a murder. Y/n's new problem made her forget about the decaying brothel owner. She doesn't care how mean the whole town thought the old woman was, she wanted her gone.

"You slept in. Did I tire you out last night?" Lee had the same smug smirk on his face that has been imprinted on her brains since their early years together.

Y/n nodded even though it wasn't completely truthful. She slept so hard because she's mentally spent and it was finally catching up with her body. Lee had been too distracted to notice how distant she was last night and how she is still distant now. In his eyes, as long as she was eager to lay under him then everything was fine.

Most mornings started like this: Y/n waking up next to her still tired husband and waiting to hear her daughter crying for her. He trudged out of bed and she heard him beat a path down the hall to the bathroom. There was still no sound of her daughter needing her, giving her some time alone. It was nearly silent except for the faint sound of the shower going. She breathed deeply and found herself feeling serene. Just five minutes without the memory of Sally threatening to pull her and her husband's support taunting her.

"Y/n! Do you not hear her crying?" Lee held a stern look on face, he must have been standing there for a few minutes. His towel was wrapped around his waist, stomach hanging over the soft white cotton, "what's wrong with you girl?"

She shook her head, "nothing Lee. I'm just still a lil' tired."

His face softened at her explanation but he nodded his head towards the door so she could take care of their daughter. Y/n hurried not to upset him for the rest of the day.

Their baby was just fussy and hungry. Her little eyes weren’t that red so she hadn’t been crying for long. “You hungry?” Her daughter somewhat understood what her mother was saying because her eyes went wide. The nightgowns Lee had bought Y/n made it much easier for her to pull herself out of them to feed their girl. She could see her daughter calming down, eyes closing once again. Y/n thought about keeping her daughter with her but she needed to rest in her crib. She placed her down gently as not to disturb and wake her again. At least one person in this family deserves peace.

"Back to sleep?" Lee's voice startled her, but the hand on her hip soothed her. Y/n nodded, never taking her eyes away from her girl. "Precious isn't she? So sweet when she's not fussin' about."

"She only fusses because she's teething, and she misses her father."

"Honey, you know why I'm at work longer than usual. It's for her. It's for you. It's for us. Do you know how much better her life, your life, is going to be better after I win that race?"

"But what if you don't win?"

Y/n rarely questions Lee, not even over small things, so he was confused as to why she was questioning him now. Did his wife not believe in him? She worried a lot, but when he first ran for sheriff, she was not this doubtful.

"What are you trying to say?"

"Lee, I didn't say that. It's just that people been talkin' and -"

"And you believe them? So my own wife doesn't think I'm going to win because a few people can’t got some things wrong?”

Y/n flinched as his voice got louder. The brashness of his voice woke their girl up from her attempt to fall into a deep sleep. Instead of waking up and silently looking around, the first thing that came from her was a cry. It served as a way for Y/n to escape Lee's wrath. She pulled her crying daughter into her arms and held her close to her chest. One glance at Lee's face and she knew he was going to deal with her later. But for now he just sighed and walked out of the nursery.

"Aww don't cry honey. It was just your daddy, okay? He's not mad at you sweetheart. Don't cry...don't cry," Y/n's voice cracked and tears slipped down her face. Her pleas were more for herself than they were her daughter.

Lee's hesitance to address the obvious problems he faces in regards to the election made Y/n feel uneasy. All she wanted was for her husband to just outright say he never did those things, but he never did. And if Y/n has resulted to murder, then she knows deep down that he did some of those things that people allege. There were just things that were too loud to drown out. The business when it came to solving a string of murders that happened a few years ago and people talking about him didn't affect him when he was going for re-election. There was no one else that had a strong enough presence to go against him and the folks in town figured that Lee gets enough done as far as crime goes, even though he could do more.

Y/n should be tired of trying to clean up his mess when he was so short with her. However it is not entirely his fault; he does not know. Maybe one day he'll learn and be grateful for what she has done for him.

Lee just couldn't stop reminding her that Sandy and Carl were coming over. It's almost as if he knew it got under Y/n's skin and used it against her after she hurt his feelings this morning. He's a sensitive one, even though he hides it well from most people, but her moment of vulnerability wasn't meant to hurt him. Though if their conversation had progressed any further, she might have spilled what she did to the brothel owner. She may want to believe Lee would be proud of her, but she cannot be so sure. It's sickening to assume that someone would be proud of a murder. She quickly began to feel dirty after a few minutes with her own thoughts ever since Lee snapped at her.

"Can you clean up? We're going to be having guests soon."

There were just a few baby toys on the floor but it was best not to make things worse with Lee (even though those toys were going to end up in the same place anyway).

Lee stepped outside as Y/n put their daughter in her high chair. Ever since her birth Lee was mindful not to smoke in the house; it was one of the house rules Y/n proposed that he was surprisingly very accepting of. She had taken away most of the things that he used to destress: alcohol, cigarettes, and candies.

She heard the motor of a car and Lee's muffled voice. She knew it was them, but hoped they were just making a short trip over. It's not like Lee likes Carl, and he's constantly complaining about his trouble making sister. Y/n hates that Sandy uses their daughter as an excuse to come over. She wouldn't mind if Sandy came alone, but she hated Carl around her little girl and she's sure Lee feels the same way.

Y/n's mother had gotten their daughter such a stupid gift when she was born. A baby that's not even half a year old yet didn't need a toy that had a million little pieces they could easily choke on, but of course it was her favorite thing to place with. Lee never cleaned up the mess, it was always Y/n who was doing it. She tried her best to pick everything up before they stepped inside but she heard the front door open. She tensed up, but she only heard the heavy footsteps of one person, and god did she hope it was Lee.

"What you doin' down there?"

Her eyes trailed up and Carl was gazing down at her. Words got caught in her throat and she clutched her hand around one of the toy pieces, the edges of it painfully digging into her palm.

"Did I scare you?"

The smirk on her face made her want to shriek. She noted that he didn't call her "darlin'" like he used to. She can only guess what Lee did to him when he "took him out back" after calling her that for a few years.

"Where's my niece?"

Y/n shot up, not caring about the toys still on the floor. She'll be damned if Carl is alone with her daughter for even a second.

Sandy came in with Lee following behind her. He gave Y/n a look of understanding, he too hoped this was going to be a short visit. The sound of Sandy fawning over her niece overtook the room. Their daughter giggled and babbled at her aunt as if she could understand her.

"Y/n go make us some ice tea."

Usually Lee doesn't command her to do things, unless he was stressed or horny. She knew her was the former by the look on his face. He was aggravated and this visit wasn't going to make him feel any better. As Y/n left the room, Sandy sat down on their couch with their daughter in her arms. Carl sat next to them, making the alarm in Lee rise.

"I got you something honey," she pulled out a little doll from her purse. It looked tattered and Lee wondered where she got it from.

"You know she already has enough dollies," Lee joked. It didn't matter to his girl, it was a new toy, "got anything for your brother?"

Sandy eyes him before pulling out a small bag of candy. She tossed it to him and he caught it, "I knew you'd ask for somethin'"

He opened it and instantly popped a sweet cherry candy into his mouth.

"Y/n's not letting me drink since the girl is so young. This is the only thing I got, even though she's on my ass about that too," Lee knew that Sandy wasn't too interested in the ins-and-outs of his everyday life but he gets tired of complaining to his deputies.

"Yea, I bet," she kept a snide comment about her sister-in-law to herself. The box of cigarettes she had calling her name we're going to have to wait. "How's that mayor race going?"

"It's going."

"Heard that whore house owner croaked," Carl's voice carried to the kitchen and Y/n paused, "found in unusual circumstances...chairs pushed up against the door...poisoned. Reckon one of those girls got tired of him holdin' them down-"

"No smoking in the house," Lee interrupted when he noticed Carl reaching for the pack of cigarettes in his shirt pocket. Carl laughed as if he wanted to challenge Lee, but his hand went back to resting on the back of the couch.

"Wouldn't want this little darlin' smellin' like a bar."

Anytime Carl spoke at or about her daughter, Y/n wanted to vomit. Carl is not nice. She wonders how twisted Sandy might be to marry someone who is awful to women and has no filter.

There was a cloud of fear over her head when Carl was around. She wishes Lee was more apprehensive but Sandy's his little sister, and he cares for her no matter how much those two causes. Things would be different if Y/n had told Lee about that time Carl pressed himself against and put his hand up the skirt of her dress. His threat would forever bounce off her skull and it only got louder when he was near. "Shut you're fucking mouth or else your husbands gonna see his slut wife bending over for another man." She was five months pregnant and had no way to defend herself. He only groped her, but she always wondered if he would've gone further if Sandy hadn't come in looking for the cooking tongs Lee told her to fetch. Sandy knew something had happened, but she said nothing. Y/n's disdain for her only grew from that day on.

Lee redirected the conversation from what Carl had started to something a bit more asinine. He didn't want to talk about something work-related because he didn't need to be stressed out any further. Reed’s death wasn't another blow to his reputation like Lee thought it would. It was going to be another unsolved murder from the way it was looking though. The people assumed one of the girls did it. The place had been emptied out; it surely looked different from when Lee was last in there. Lee was lucky that Reed was extremely disliked, unlike that preacher Roy who died some years ago. More people said "he had it coming" instead of "why isn't the sheriff doing anything?"

He laughed about it though. When he was alone in the car after leaving the crime scene, he laughed. There was no more worrying about the rumor that Sheriff Lee Bodecker beat one of his girls. When Lee did go to that place, he was never forceful. Lee could be mean towards women at times, but he was never violent.

If Lee was called in on a Sunday morning, then it was very important. He woke Y/n up at 5 am and kissed her out of her confused state to say goodbye. She only slept for another hour after laying her head down back on the pillow.

This morning felt so different.

The morning she woke up knowing her task was to deal with Reed, she was distracted and jumpy. But she had grown so accustomed to her guilt that it's become a comfortable feeling. Mrs. Blackwater was a more personal score to settle. That woman was throwing dirt on Lee's name, but the turmoil she caused her teenage friend would never leave her mind. Y/n had learned how cruel someone could be without physically hurting you. The boys on school grounds were annoying brats, but that woman had a truly awful mouth.

The Petersons’ daughter was over right after church. She had a wide smile on her face, happy that Mrs. Bodecker was giving her another opportunity to make some money.

"She's been a fairly good mood lately," Y/n handed her daughter off to the shorter teenage girl, "she slept through the night for once, but she's still gonna need a nap. Once she starts fussin' put her in her crib. I should be back before Lee."

Y/n wished her well and the Petersons girl wished Y/n a good time running her errands. It was comical to think of this as an errand, even though today she was going to treat it like one.

She was in Lee's nice car again meaning she was going to have to temporarily get rid of it. Y/n put much more effort into this, her haphazard plan to take out Reed could've gone horribly wrong. She spent her time snooping around town when she was out with one of her mom friends. The plan had been simple: park the car at the crowded grocery just two blocks away from the Blackwater house. The house sat at the end of the street, a bit separated from the other row of houses because of the larger amount of land they owned. It wouldn't be a problem to walk to the house seeing as others in this neighborhood do the same thing.

When her mother had made that dress for her to wear to the Spring Formal, Y/n cried, saying she was going to look like a nurse instead of "the prettiest girl in town" like Jim, the guy who asked her to the dance said. A teenage grievance had somehow come in handy almost a decade later. It was under a long coat that was a bit abnormal for this warm day.

Y/n felt sickly confident. That only thing she worried about was Lee cruising through and seeing his car in the parking lot. But the grocery store offered a great cover. The sun was covered by a thick cloud as she walked away from the grocery store and to the old Blackwater house.

That porch still looked the same. It was old and rickety, squeaking as she stepped on it, she's surprised it didn't give it away some years ago. The rocking chair Mrs. Blackwater sat on while terrorizing people was no longer there. At least her days of scaring off the newer generation of kids were over.

Y/n knocked on the door and waited. She had to knock again, and by the third time she wondered if the old lady did the job for her!

"Who is it?" The voice was much more frail, but it was that voice.

"I'm here to help!" The upturn of her voice at the end made her statement sound more like a question.

The locks on the door began to click and Mrs. Blackwater peered at her.

"You're not the one they always send."

"Oh, she's sick today! I'm just filling in for her today!" After two weeks of watching, Y/n learned what days Mrs. Blackwater's nurse came and went. She came everyday but she was absent on Sundays. It's somewhat astounding that Mrs. Blackwater didn't ask about Y/n turning up on a Sunday.

"Ahh whatever," she dismissed, unlocking the screen door, and wheeling backwards in the wheelchair that she had been relegated to a few years ago.

Y/n didn't know what to expect when she stepped inside, but it wasn't too far off from how her parent's house looked; black and white photos littering the walls and stacks of paper that probably could've been thrown away a decade ago. What is different from her parent's home is that this place is an utter mess. The nurse that usually comes to take care of her could at least tidy it up a bit. With how much she hated everything, Y/n would've assumed she hated mess too, but her home says otherwise. This lady was an absolute hoarder.

"Don't bother me," Mrs. Blackwater sniped at her. She wheeled herself next to the couch and glued her eyes to the black and white television screen.

Y/n doesn't know how many hours Mrs. Blackwater spent sitting there and watching The Andy Griffin Show. She didn't laugh when something funny happened, she just sat there still, sometimes grumbling to herself in reaction to what was happening on screen.

The least Y/n could do was tidy up a bit. It would be a kind gesture to leave her to die in a presentable place.

Mrs. Blackwater is not going to die a violent death. She was awful, but she did not deserve the brutality like someone who has done physical harm did. (If she was just a little bit braver, she would've hacked him to death, but the sight of blood makes her ill). Mrs. Blackwater was up in age, nearing her 90s, and it would be time for her to go soon anyway. Y/n dusted around the TV, one of the last things this old woman may see. All the photos of people on the walls were staring at her as she moved about cleaning the dust from the frames. So many people, many dead but most probably alive. Mrs. Blackwater had children and probably grandchildren but no one came to visit her. Her tongue was sharp, but how could no one come and visit their aging mother?

"Stop moving so damn much. Sit down girl."

The venom was still in her voice. It would never go away, at least not until she dies. This woman didn't appreciate anything and enjoyed being miserable. Y/n listened to her like that scared little teenager she used to be. She sat on the couch, a few feet away from Mrs. Blackwater who had not taken her eyes off the TV or moved at all. Y/n was spending time with a woman who was going to die at her hands today. If she's going to die then at least she's going to die doing what she loves; watching her shows and bitching out the closest person in reach.

She had only moved to grab the newspaper from the table on the other side of her. It was Friday's addition, Y/n could tell from the photo on the cover. She couldn't help but eye the old woman as she read the paper. It has been probably three hours and she hasn't even asked for anything to eat.

"People droppin' like flies in this shit hole."

Y/n's ears perked up, but she didn't say anything, she just let the lady talk.

"Leroy should know better not to do that shit here...especially with that corrupt sheriff around...would've had an easier time gettin' away with it in the city. Everyone in the city already does all that illegal shit so it probably wouldn’t have mattered anyway. Now he’s dead."

Y/n had heard that name before. She remembers vividly Lee chewing someone out on the phone and saying their name with contempt. Leroy, Leroy, Leroy. The name "Bobo" also came up in the conversation a few times. Y/n wanted to be mad at Mrs. Blackwater for referring to her husband as "corrupt" but something nagged at her to keep the conversation going for her sake.

"W-what do you mean?" Her voice cracked but it was ignored by the old woman.

"You must not be from here. Everyone knows that if you get caught up with that fat bastard sheriff you must be doin’ some awful shit. The only reason why he keeps gettin' re-elected is because everyone is scared of him. It doesn't matter how many babies that man has, he's a killer...dragging that man's body and fucking up carnations..."

No one had ever talked to Mrs. Bodecker about her husband like this. Town gossipers had the decency to wait until she left the room to say something about him. But she's not Mrs. Bodecker right now. It does not matter anyway because the old lady doesn't know what she's talking about. She hasn't spent the hours with Lee, with him being sweet and so soft with his daughter. Y/n firmly believes that if Lee did indeed kill someone then it was for a good reason. She knows her husband involves himself in dirty things, but it had to be for a good reason. Lee did not show brutality for no reason; he didn't get his rocks off on hurting innocent people.

"People can change. I'm sure he's a different man now."

"Why!? Because he got a bitch and a bastard? You are too naïve...at least the other girl they send has some more sense in her head. No man is going to want to marry a dumb girl."

An awkward silence surrounded them but it was mostly felt by Y/n. She found herself frozen with a ball of rage and anxiety in her stomach. But she had no time to dwell for much longer though.

"I'm thirsty...go make me something."

Y/n noticed Mrs. Blackwater flinching when she grabbed the remote to turn the volume higher. She either had arthritis or just pain in her hands.

"Okay...do you need to take any pills at this time?"

"My husbands gone and my children don't visit me. You think I care about taking my pills?"

Maybe Mrs. Blackwater would be kind to her if she knew Y/n was going to take her out of her misery. Breaking open the capsules and dumping it in the tea she made for her is going to do the job. She might succumb to a heart attack, or pass peacefully. The only person Y/n felt bad for was the poor nurse who was going to find her dead tomorrow morning.

Lee was able to leave his shift earlier than expected. Sundays are very quiet, the only thing he got up to was paperwork at the station. He could go home early to his wife, play with the girl while Y/n makes dinner, and get a nice ride from his wife while their daughter sleeps. Y/n said something about needing him to pick up some chicken stock from the grocery store.

People filled in and out of the grocery store as the sun began to set. A few people spoke to him, never for too long knowing that he's not fond of small talk. But more people being friendly with him was a good sign. Even without his sweet wife next to him, no one shied away from saying hello to the man running for Mayor.

Two boxes of chicken stock should be enough even though his wife sent him for three. The brand she likes isn’t exactly cheap. Lee promptly made his way to the cashier who greeted him with a smile.

"Good evening sheriff!" her voice was sweet and she batted her eyes a few times. Lee offered her a smile, but a small laugh escaped. This girl couldn't be younger than 20 but she fawned over him like a young school girl. Her behavior reminded him of Y/n when she was that age. "Darlene said she saw your car in the parking lot but didn't get a chance to catch Mrs. Bodecker herself."

Lee stopped caring about the items (a few snuck in there for him) being rung up. His brows furrowed and the girl realized that she had said something maybe she shouldn't have.

"My wife was here?"

"That's what Darlene said. Her shift ended right as I was coming in so I wasn't there when it happened...do you still want the chicken stock?"

"Yea yea just ring it up."

Lee's mind was too preoccupied with the weird behavior his wife has been exhibiting for the last several weeks. She often hovered over him when he was on the phone like she was interested in what he was talking about. All the swearing and terms she didn't understand kept her from asking what his loud, and often abrasive, phone conversations were about. But now she was listening a little too hard for his liking.

The only time Y/n was supposed to drive their car is if Lee told her she could or if there was an emergency. A trip to the grocery store did not fall under either of those categories. But it was particularly weird to him that she would go to the store when she told him to go himself. If she had forgotten something, she would have not hesitated to call the station. Something was up with her.

Everything felt normal as he stepped into the house. The smell of what she was cooking hit his nose and the familiar noises of his daughter babbling louder than the Y/n moving around the kitchen. If he had no questions for his wife, then he'd feel all warm inside walking into his home in this current state.

Y/n was talking to their daughter as if she was holding a real conversation with her. Their daughter started squealing when she saw Lee appear in the doorway. He put his index finger to his lips to tell her to quiet herself, but she was only louder.

"I couldn't believe it either! They said the hairdresser purposefully dyed Marie's hair darker," she spoke, thinking her daughter was just squealing because she was talking to her and not because her husband was creeping up behind her.

Hands snaked around her waist and she nearly jumped. "Oh yea? Is that what the town is gossipin' about today?" Lee's familiar voice soothed her and she turned around in his arms. She deftly kissed him and looked up at him.

"Wanna know what else I heard?" He whispered to her. Y/n nodded, a smile spreading on her face as she rested her forehead against his, "heard the sheriff's wife been out and about and driving his nice car."

Y/n's smile fell from her face, but it only made Lee smile wider.

"You wanna tell me what you were doing out?"

"I needed something from the store."

"So my task to pick up the chicken stock after work was for nothing?"

"No...I went to my parents house...didn't want to go empty-handed. You know how my mother gets."

What a sweet little liar.

But she still had the smell of an old house lingering around her so maybe it wasn’t completely a lie. Still, he knew something was up with her.

“How was work?” She quickly tried to change the subject. Lee was not really in the mood to interrogate her, it was Sunday after all. He sat down in the chair next to his daughter's high chair. She started reaching for his hat but he was too far away, so Lee rested his head on the tray and let her have her fun. Y/n was probably going to be mad at him for putting his head where she eats and getting all of his “outside germs” all over it, but he didn’t care.

“I’m tired,” he confessed, a heavy sigh escaping him, “I’m really fucking tired.”

Y/n wishes she could lift more of her husband’s burdens. Killing people who were talking about him did not get rid of the core problem. Sometimes she wishes he never decided to run for mayor. Life was so much more comfortable when he would run unopposed for county sheriff. Instead her husband had a bigger dream. From the very beginning she felt like it was a long shot that this would be successful, but they had gotten so far in changing how most of the people viewed Lee. And even though they felt a way about him, they still respected the sheriff.

“It’s going to be over soon. I promise.”

He truly wanted to believe her, but the sinking feeling that the past was going to catch up with him was not going away.

#lee bodecker #lee bodecker x reader #lee bodecker x you #lee bodecker x y/n #lee bodecker smut #the devil all the time #dark fic #lee bodecker fic #sebastian stan fic

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junko-and-riri-domain · 4 years ago

Text

❦ boys & girls try to pretend | p.sh

❦ genre: park sunghoon x reader, fluff, semi-angsty?

❦ warnings: none (if there are any warnings I missed in relation to this post please let me know!)

“Boys and girls try to pretend

They’re not catching feelings

When they’re catching feelings”

❦ note: this was inspired by “boys & girls” by James TW, some lyrics were changed to fit the narrative of the story

As 7-year-old you looked at 7-year-old Park Sunghoon skating in the ice rink, there was a sort of air about him that had you curious about the boy. As most 7-years-old, the two of you were just gaining a recent awareness of what it meant to live life. Park Sunghoon knew the minute he stepped onto the ice that ice skating was his everything. He loved the thrill of it, the cold air, but most of all the freedom it provided. Over some hot chocolate, once he finally left the rink, the two of you got to talking which led to your parents exchanging numbers. Sunghoon wasn’t a talkative boy most of the time but his parents noted how he made an effort to talk to you.

You later found out that the two of you attended the same primary school but were in different classes. You found out one lunch at recess when you noticed some guys in the 3rd grade crowding over someone. Curiosity got the better of you and you wanted to see what was happening only to find out that the boy you drank hot chocolate with a few days prior was getting bullied. You stood up for Sunghoon, telling the bullies to “fudge off!” despite the slight fear you felt, the bullies left the two of you alone. The two of you spent the remaining few minutes of lunch together, bonding over a penguin plushie your aunt bought you as a gift.

It didn’t take long before the two of you became friends, a concept you’ve heard of but neither of you truly experienced until each other. The next year of school, the two of you were in the same class. Not only were you in the same class, but you hung out with each other outside of school, mostly at the ice skating rink where the two of you truly noticed each other. Some days you joined him in skating but for the most part, you preferred to watch, a habit that would continue in later years to come.

When you turned double digits, things started changing. You’d be entering middle school soon with more classes and newer people. One Saturday, Sunghoon was at your house and the two of you were having a Disney movie marathon. The scene of the Sleeping Beauty kissing scene appeared on the screen,

“Mama said that people only kiss when they love each other,” you found yourself saying as you glanced over to Sunghoon. You knew love in the form of warm breakfast and being tucked into a blanket but not yet in form of the scene where Flynn Ryder and Rapunzel were surrounded by lanterns on a canoe. Sunghoon looked at you,

“Do you love me?” he asked. He wanted to know your answer for some odd reason despite not knowing the weight of the question. With you, the feeling you gave him was something similar to the one he felt while on the ice but somehow different? You nodded,

“Mama said to love everyone.” Neither of you knew exactly what happened at that moment when Sunghoon made his way to you, your lips brushing for a second, no more, no less. Your first kiss was etched into the history of the world, one of billions of events that occurred that day in that very moment. The kiss wasn’t mentioned nor talked about after that day but the two of you were gaining an awareness of what it meant to be boys and girls.

“You’d talk about a certain boy

And he’d give you his advice

While you’d tell him what to say to all of the girls he ‘liked’”

At 13-years-old, things started changing between the two of you. You were given the talk about puberty with a new awareness of the “birds and bees.” Your group of friends increased, often teasing you and Sunghoon but neither of you paid any mind to it. Feelings of conflict often filled you when you noticing the differences in Sunghoon. The way he was taller, his hair styled differently, and the difference in the atmosphere when he got close to you. The things he did for you were done so in silence but were still actions that you noticed like how he’d give you your favorite bag of chips during lunch or how he waited by your locker to walk home with you. Despite realizing that you had a semi crush on Sunghoon, you were started to have feelings for a boy in your English class, one named Jaeyun. With no other person to ask, you’d talk about it with Sunghoon, often failing to notice the way his jaw clenched slightly or how his gaze grew colder. As a rebuttal, he talked about a girl in his English class and you’d give him pointers on how to talk to her despite the slight sinking feeling in your chest. You and Sunghoon had English class together but you didn’t know which girl he liked and you found yourself not wanting to know.

“As he watched you get close to him

He knew it was serious

Something inside lit up a fire

Can’t help if something’s changed”

You and Sunghoon as a pair started including Jaeyun somewhere down the line. Sunghoon found something else he wanted to do apart from ice skating which no one ever thought possible. He first asked you about it, preferring your opinion over any one else’s and while you were scared of losing your best friend you knew that this was something that’d make him happy. So, you told him to go for his dreams of becoming an idol. On the days that you and Sunghoon weren’t together, Jaeyun was there for you which lead to the two of you getting closer. One night, a rare event happened. Sunghoon’s practice ended early and the two of you headed to the ice skating rink. You decided to skate with him today, wanting to have his presence near you rather than watching from afar.

“You and Jaeyun,” you heard him say in a low voice as you skated. Your hands were linked, an action that was something you were used to with how long you’ve known each other that you didn’t think much of it.

“What about Jae?”

“Are you two… together?” Unsure as to what he was truly trying to ask,

“We went to the festival together yesterday.” The festival was one Sunghoon was supposed to attend with you but couldn’t.

“Just the two of you?”

“Well yeah, since you weren’t there,” you answered. Sunghoon said nothing and you accepted his silence. He was so deep into his thoughts that he ended up tripping over his skates and falling. Because the two of you were holding hands, you were accidentally brought down with him. As the feeling of falling came over you, you waited for the impact of ice on your body but it never felt. Sunghoon let out a slight hiss of pain as you opened your eyes and saw that you were on top of him, his arms wrapped around you to protect you from the ground. His eyes settled on you with an emotion you couldn’t decipher,

“You ok?” he asked. There was something about how the two of you were settled within this moment, the close proximity of your faces, the cold temperature of the ice that caused it to turn a few degrees higher due to the newfound body heat you were sharing, and the way his arms felt so natural around you. A shift in your relationship occurred in this moment and while you both knew it, neither made the effort to acknowledge it.

“We had so much to lose

But I kissed you anyway”

In the following weeks, you started drawing lines between you and Jaeyun. He didn’t exactly notice that you had a crush on him in the first place with how outgoing he was to everyone, but Sunghoon did notice. However, you drew lines with Sunghoon too as you saw how passionate he was with the dream of becoming an idol. Making an effort to state that you two were just friends despite how much you wanted to be more, Sunghoon allowed himself to stay behind the lines you drew out fear of ruining the foundations the two of you built your life upon. Weeks turned to months which turned to years and before either of you knew what was happening, Sunghoon’s dream of becoming an idol was within his reach. You cheered for him on i-land, and cheered for ENHYPEN when the members were announced. Due to Sunghoon’s newfound busy schedule and the responsibilities of life pressing on you, your video calls that sometimes lasted an entire day shifted to regular calls that decreased in time which turned to mere texts that became inconsistent. Constantly, you found reminders of each other whether it be when you saw a penguin plushy or were drinking a cup of hot chocolate. It didn’t take long before an entire year passed since you last talked to each other. Then, at 3 in the morning, Sunghoon showed up in front of your doorstep.

“Sunghoon?” you asked despite it clearly being him.

“Can I come in?” For the first time in both of your lives, the silence was something you didn’t know what to do or say. Until finally, you took his hand and brought him inside. Sunghoon was gaining popularity and you didn’t want a box of mangoes being delivered to your doorstep anytime soon. His height towered over yours as you got a good look at the boy you missed more than you cared to admit. As his eyes settled into yours, his hand pulling you closer his arms wrapped around you.

“I missed you, y/n,” he whispered. There was a gentleness only owned by Park Sunghoon when he lifted up your chin so that you were looking at him. Then, he tilted his head slightly.

“Boys and girls try to pretend

They’re not catching feelings

When they’re catching feelings”

Your eyes fluttered shut as you brought your hand up to his neck. The closeness of your bodies like the time in the ice skating rink where you fell on each other but here the process of falling for each other was truly starting to take effect. Kissing Park Sunghoon now, the two of you were boys and girls trying to pretend you didn’t have any feelings for each other. The only thing was that now you were no longer boys and girls like you used to be. And now, you were no longer pretending.

|❦ end of story, written by riri| |blog master list|

more fics: (the fics linked below are all fluff but the master list has angst)

|warm mornings (jungwon, written by junko)| |you, jake, and layla (jake, written by riri)| |storms & ghosts (jay, written by riri)|

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kingreywrites · 4 years ago

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Falling Into The Sun

Fandom: Tangled

Word Count: 8620

New Dream Appreciation Week Day Five: Forbidden Love

Summary: "Eugene is..." Rapunzel says, interrupting his spiralling. She meets his eyes uncertainly, trailing off, before taking a deep breath, her fingers still interlaced with his. "Eugene is my best friend. He... He saved my life." He doesn't miss the way the king sighs with relief.

(Rapunzel doesn't kiss Eugene after bringing him back to life. Eugene tries to navigate his feelings in secret, with more or less success.)

Note: i’m very sorry but no love is getting forbidden here asgfhds instead i went for the perfect dynamic for unestablished relationships which is idiots to lovers, and like... it doesn’t fit the theme, but i still like it, so i hope you will too!!

also everyone thank @der-sonne for the title i agonised two hours over it and ana just... gave me one

Read on ao3

@gleamful-lanterns @autumn-ravenclaw

"You were my new dream," Eugene whispers, too weak to even hold his head up without Rapunzel supporting him. He hopes she hears all he's trying to say - he hopes she hears the I feel like I belong with you, the I want to see you happy, the you gave me hope for the first time in years and I'll never be grateful enough.

He hopes she hears the I love you.

"And you were mine," she cries, and he can only smile then, because... She understood him. And if he wishes so badly he could stay with her, this reassurance is enough to make him close his eyes with a semblance of peace overtaking him.

She'll be okay. That's all he can hope for.

What he doesn't expect is to be able to open his eyes again. He's breathing, and the pain disappeared, and Rapunzel is here, tears in her wide eyes, as if she can't believe he's alive too. He cracks a joke, because that's the thing he's the best at when he doesn't know how to deal with his feelings (and he actually does have a thing for brunettes, though he has even more of a thing for Rapunzel herself) and then she's throwing herself at him. He can only hold her tight against himself, his own heart beating too loudly in his chest as she laughs tearfully, head resting on his shoulder.

Rapunzel raises herself up again, elation plain on her face, eyes full of overwhelming emotion. He's smiling like an idiot, because he's alive and she's too, and he hasn't dared hoping to go this far, but before he can say anything, she drags him towards her again, hugging him as if he's about to disappear.

No one has ever held him like that. Like he is the most precious thing in the room, like he is... like he is loved. Eugene melts into the hug, feeling happier than he has ever been.

------

Honestly, he doesn't think about the implications of everything they've been through, and about his own feelings until they come back to Corona, and Rapunzel's parents welcome her- welcome them with open arms. This is all so weird. A few hours ago, he was about to be hanged, and now he is invited into the castle as if he’s family, the king and the queen looking at him fondly.

Then again, a few days ago, the only thing he would have registered is how many things he could potentially steal from here; right now, his entire focus is on Rapunzel's hand in his, and how anxious she still appears. She doesn't seem willing to let go of him, and he's glad, because he doesn't want to let go of her.

He squeezes her hand, and her timid smile is enough to make his own worries settle for an instant.

It's the queen, who first forces him to think about… well, everything. They have been talking for a while now, Rapunzel explaining what she feels comfortable sharing, and asking questions of her own to the parents she didn't even know existed the day before. Eugene stays quiet, for his part. This is a time for Rapunzel, and her family, so he's here to offer her support, but he has nothing to add himself - until the queen turns towards him.

"So," she says, as serene as she can appear with tears still in her eyes. "I can't help wondering, what are you to each other?"

"Uh..." Eugene says intelligently, suddenly feeling like a fish out of water. What can he even say? What would Rapunzel feel comfortable with him saying? He doesn't want to put her on the spot, but he also doesn't want to lie to the queen- but would it be a lie if he himself doesn't know? What are they, what-

"Eugene is..." Rapunzel says, interrupting his spiralling. She meets his eyes uncertainly, trailing off, before taking a deep breath, her fingers still interlaced with his. "Eugene is my best friend. He... He saved my life." He doesn't miss the way the king sighs with relief.

"And you saved mine," he adds without thinking, because he doesn't want her to forget how brave she was too.

The subject changes again, because her parents see it's too soon to talk about what they're implying, but Eugene keeps wondering about her wording. He's her best friend. There's a warmth spreading in his chest at the thought, because she saw the worst of him, saw all his vulnerabilities, and still found something worthy of love in him - he doesn't know how to deal with that. Doesn't know how to deal with Rapunzel's affection, because he's just... not used to being cared for. Not like this. Not so intensely.

But there's also... something he doesn't want to name. He feels guilty for it immediately, this pinch in his heart telling him that his feelings are too big to be contained under the term friendship. He loves her, more than he has ever loved anyone, and it's only been three days - he can't imagine how much more his feelings will grow with time, but he knows already that... That they're bigger, somehow. More intense than he has ever felt anything. But Eugene squashes that feeling, because friendship is more than he ever hoped, more than he ever expected, and Rapunzel thinking of him this way is already overwhelming enough as it is.

She looks at him, and he smiles. They'll be okay. That's all he can hope for.

------

Two months later, and Eugene can officially announce that he's not dealing well.

That is sort of an exaggeration. His life is better than it has ever been -not that it was a high bar to clear-, he has a home and food on the daily, he can see and talk to Rapunzel everyday and… Well, not everything is perfect, but it's as close as it can be. He certainly didn't expect any of this when he agonised on the floor of the tower, so he'd say he's doing great.

There are only two things, really, that are currently not exactly ideal.

First, a lot of people in the castle don't like him. More than that (because he's pretty used to being disliked), they don't like that he's allowed to just… hang around all the precious artefacts they are sure he wants to steal, and they want him gone. He resisted his first impulse which was to tell them that if he really wanted to steal anything, they clearly wouldn't be able to stop him, and instead offered to take a job around the castle. He knows that being Rapunzel's best friend isn't going to be enough for them, that they don't even understand what she sees in him (on that one, he can definitely understand the confusion, because he's not always sure either), but he's simply annoyed at being constantly watched and doubted. He ends up with a job as a stable boy, and if that wasn't upsetting enough, Maximus is seemingly always there to mock him if he messes up.

He's a terrible, terrible horse. Eugene is ready to grumble that to anyone who will listen.

(He's also one of his best friends now. Yes, the horse. He's not sure how that happened either.)

Now, his second problem is a little more personal. A lot more, actually. Because his second problem is that any time Rapunzel smiles at him, he becomes an absolute mess who barely passes as a human being.

He's in love, okay. There's no denying it now. Not when he actually falls asleep with a grin on his lips when he imagines going on dates with her. God, who ever believed him when he pretended to be smooth as Flynn? He's the sappiest romantic he has ever met, and he seriously wonders how his feelings can be secret to anyone when he can physically feel his face heat up when Rapunzel says something a little too soft.

Last time, she picked a flower and put it in his hair, excited by how much it suited him and he… combusted, for lack of a better word. There had been enough heat in his cheeks to keep all of Corona warm for the entire winter.

Anyway. Life was a little weird, when your best friend was also the most wonderful person you had ever met, and someone who made your heart skip a beat simply by being themselves. To be fair, this isn't really a problem - he doesn't consider it as one, at least. He'd like it if he didn't risk ridiculising himself because he can't control how whipped he is, but nothing linked to Rapunzel could ever be a real problem.

She doesn't love him back that way. As much as his heart tends to ache at the realisation, Eugene can never dwell on this for too long because… Because Rapunzel is his best friend, and it's the best thing in his life. They laugh together, and explore together, and chat together for hours on end, and he can't feel too sad that there isn't more, when he's already getting so much. His relationship with Rapunzel is the best thing that has ever happened to him, and he's never going to pressure her into changing it, when they're both perfectly happy as it is.

"Blondie?" he calls, knocking at her door at the same time. His day of work has just ended, and hers should have too, but some duties can pop up unexpectedly, so he isn't certain she's here. "Can I come in?"

He hears a crash, and- "Eugene! Come in!"

When he opens the door, her head is popping up from a mess on the ground, strands of her hair sticking everywhere around her face. She pretends to pout when he laughs, but this only serves to amuse him further.

"I can come later if it's a bad time," he offers, even though he has nothing else to do for now, and would probably just wait like an idiot worrying about the correct amount of time Rapunzel needs. Thankfully, she shakes her head quickly, raising herself up in one quick movement. Her dress is covered in paint.

"No, no, stay there! I just need to change," she exclaims, before surveilling the fallen paravent lying at her feet. "Uh, turn around?"

She doesn't even have to finish her sentence that Eugene is obediently turning around to give her privacy. He's amused by the grunts and sounds of struggle he can hear behind him, and he's about to say something witty, when his eyes catch a glance of the mirr-

"ARGH!" he exclaims, slapping his hands over his eyes so quickly that it stings, "Imsosorryohmygod-"

"You okay?"

"I forgot there was a mirror here, I'm so sorry," he explains in one breath, already feeling his cheeks heat up under his palms.

"... I didn’t even get my dress off yet, just the bodice," Rapunzel answers, sounding amused. "The worst you could have seen are my shoulders."

Eugene sputters vaguely at that, because thank you, he's very aware of what he has seen. He doesn't add anything however, because he doesn't know how to explain that in these last few months, he has become someone who's ready to faint at the mere sight of shoulders. Well. Of Rapunzel's shoulders, very precisely. He doesn't want to explain that either.

He startles when he feels a touch on his arm, and when he finally lowers his hands, Rapunzel is here, in a loose dress, looking at him with an amusement he knows means she's gonna make fun of him. He can feel his cheeks still burning.

"You're very red Eugene," she singsongs, leading him to her bed so they can sit, the picture perfect of a concerned friend if it wasn't for the malicious glint in her eyes.

"Shut up," he groans, wondering if it would be more or less ridiculous for him to hide his face again. "I- I'm trying to protect your virtue," he announces haughtily.

"Ah," she smiles, leaning her head towards him, "we wouldn't want anyone to be exposed to be my scandalous shoulders, right?"

They meet each other's eyes, and maintain the joke for exactly one second, before bursting into laughter. Eugene's cheeks still hurt, but talking to Rapunzel always makes him feel lighter, like there isn't any trouble they can't face as long as they're together.

He asks her about her day, and Rapunzel launches herself in an animated reenactment of her history tutor nearly having a heart attack when he found Pascal on his desk. He's too busy watching her, and seeing how her face lights up, each of her freckles sitting against her skin like so many stars of her own constellation, to really think more about the shoulder incident.

(When he's alone in his room, ready to fall asleep, his mind reminds him of the stolen glimpse of skin he saw in her room. He doesn't know why he's embarrassed, still - he has seen more of her that one time her skirt got ripped during one of their walks in the forest - but the memory is enough to make his cheeks darken again. He hides his face under his pillow, and wonders again how anyone could have found him cool before.)

------

Sometimes, Eugene barely has the time to open his door that Rapunzel is throwing herself in his arms, entire body shaking with unshed tears. He always feels useless in these moments; like nothing he ever says could possibly do anything to make her feel better. He tries his best, of course, but he so wishes that she didn't have to go through any pain at all.

Today is one of those days.

He leads her to his bed gently, heart breaking at the fine tremors he can feel coursing through her. She doesn't even pretend to help, instead clinging to him for dear life until he figures out how to sit with her in his lap, so she doesn't have to let go. He remembers how insistent she had been for his bedroom to be close to hers, and he's always grateful for it - he wouldn't want her to have to cross the entire castle when she's in this state.

His hand hovers uncertainly above her head, before he gently strokes it away from her face, making her look up at him. Her eyes are red rimmed, and his heart twists at the sight. He never wants to see Rapunzel upset.

"What's wrong Blondie?" he asks softly.

She snorts, giving him a painfully fake smile. "Everything?" She hesitates, before sighing. "I mean, not everything of course. Things are… good, I just- I… I don't even know," she exclaims angrily, tears building in her eyes.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," he assures her, shifting his grip on her to stop her from slipping. "Sunshine," he whispers, caressing her cheek with his hand, and feeling her relax under his palm.

"... Sunshine?" she asks curiously, cracks still in her voice from her emotions.

Oh. Oh no. Eugene's cheeks immediately and valiantly take their now usual shade of red, as he realises what nickname slipped from his lips. He remembers exactly how it was born, too - remembers lying on the grass with Rapunzel during one of their picnics, and seeing her brown hair spread around her head, shining under the sunlight as she laughed. Sunshine had been the only word he could think of, the only word that could fit her because… Because Rapunzel shines, too. She brings light into his life, into everyone's lives, and she… She makes him happy, just by being her. She makes the entire world brighter by existing.

"I- You're simply… You know, bright. You make things bright, and happy," he stutters out, terribly aware of how loudly his heart was beating.

The good thing is, that seems to amuse her. The bad thing is, Eugene knows he isn't particularly discreet about his whole "loving Rapunzel more than his own life" thing, but he doesn't particularly want to confess via a sappy nickname he couldn't help but blurt out at a bad time.

"I don't see anything particularly bright or happy about myself right now," she chuckles, brushing away her own tears.

"No but- you don't have to… to be happy all the time, that's not what I mean. I- Well-" He takes a deep breath, and gives up on pretending he isn't a hug sap. He's too far gone anyway, and he doesn't want her to think she has to be a perfect ray of sunshine all the time. "You make me happy Rapunzel. Even when you're not having a good day, even if you're angry, or- or upset, it's all part of you, and your existence makes the entire universe brighter, okay? That's why… That's why I think sunshine suits you."

You're my light, he doesn't say. I love you, he doesn't say. He wonders if she hears it anyway - for once, there is a faint trace of red on her own cheeks.

"Thank you, Eugene," she tells him earnestly, a smile hesitant, but real now.

"Of course," he smiles back. After a beat, he dares to bring up the initial subject again. "Do you… Do you want to talk about it?"

Rapunzel opens her mouth, and closes it, looking frustrated. After a few seconds, she shakes her head, and goes back to hiding her face against his jacket, hugging him tighter than ever. But this time, she's not crying, and it's more than enough for him. She'll confide in him in her own time, but for now, he offers her as much comfort as she's willing to take.

------

Life goes on. Rapunzel and him get closer and closer each day, until he can't help but notice the suspicious stares going his way when his hand stays a little too long on her shoulder. Rapunzel is not oblivious to the animosity either, but she thinks people are giving him the stink eye because of his past crimes, not because he's very obviously in love with their beloved princess. He can't exactly tell her that, though, so he goes along easily with her plans to "redeem" him in the eyes of everyone. It's funny anyway, to see guards having to stand his presence with clenched teeth as Rapunzel makes him pet a kitten to show he has a kind heart.

Cassandra is the best at threatening his life without being spotted by Rapunzel, though. This woman has way too many knives for his personal well-being, and she's also clearly not scared to use them.

However, he's... he's happy. Eugene is happy, happier than he has ever been, and he may be somewhat of a mess when it comes to romance (how does one flirt without using Flynn Rider's lines?), but he... he's starting to think that maybe, maybe, his feelings aren't as unreciprocated as he first thought.

He's not sure sure, of course. And he doesn't want to assume, doesn't want to pressure Rapunzel into anything, doesn't want her to change only because he's reading too much into the hugs and the touches but-- there are things. A hand lingering too long on his skin, a smile a little too tender, eyes a little too loving... He doesn't want to project his own emotions on her, of course, but he can't help the hope building up within him.

Life is a little hectic for them right now. Rapunzel's coronation is coming up quickly, and she seems more and more stressed at the idea, even though she's trying to hide it. It's not the right time, Eugene knows it, but... But he keeps thinking about telling her what he feels. Maybe in a casual way, ready to move on if she's not interested in him like this - he's like, fifty percent sure he can roll with it, and a hundred percent sure he can pretend he is, until it's true.

And if she is interested- he can't really dare to seriously hope for it, but his heart flutters at the thought.

She needs to be coronated first, though. The king tightened security around her for the occasion, which made it even harder for Eugene to see her, what between his job in the stables and her packed schedule. The rare moments they get are spent talking about anything but the coronation - Rapunzel doesn't want to bring the subject on the table, saying that she hears too much about it during the day, and him being, well, himself, he only wants for her to feel better, so they don't talk about it.

He's not sure it's the best choice. He wishes he could comfort her, but since she absolutely refuses to address her feelings when they have time together, there's not much he can do.

Still, though, as worried as she seems, she's also the bravest person he knows. What's a little party to confirm her position as a princess, when she already went through so much?

It's a lot, apparently. Eugene gathers that when he makes his way to the throne room, not even ten minutes before the party begins because he still had work to do before, and he sees Rapunzel running towards him at full speed, looking completely panicked. She grabs his shirt, hesitating, before leading him to the nearest closet, and making them both go in it.

The doors close. The closet is spacious enough to hold them both, but it's still a tight fit. Eugene looks at Rapunzel, face only visible thanks to the slims rays of light coming from between the doors, looking resplendent in her coronation clothes and- and he sees how freaked out she is.

"Sunshine?"

"Ican'tdothis," she exhales, eyes wide as she grips her hair. "I can't do this, I can't, why did anyone think I could do this-"

"Wow, wow, hey," he says, hands on her shoulders, trying to center her. "Rapunzel, can you breathe for me?"

She takes a comically big inspiration, before exhaling loudly. "I did, and I don't feel better," she says immediately, dislodging his hands as she fidgets. "Oh my god Eugene I really can't do this."

"Of course you can! Rapunzel, you're- okay, I can see that you're scared, and it is scary, I know that, but I really think this is nothing you can't face!"

He hopes she can see his honesty even in the darkness. Eugene, while trying to find a more comfortable position, hits his head on a cabinet, and when he goes to touch the bump with his hand, knocks over a broom. This closet situation really isn't the best.

"I can't do this," she says again, breathing hard as he bends over to pick up the broom. "I can't- I've never done this before, I'm gonna mess up so bad, why do you even believe I can- why-"

"Sunshine, hey, I love you, and I'm sure they'll do too! You're amazing," he adds, straightening up, "I swear- what?"

Her eyes are wide. She stopped fidgeting, which is good, but the way she stares at him feels a little too raw and what- Eugene rewinds what he just said in his head, and time freezes.

Shit.

"What did you say?" she asks breathlessly.

"I- uh- I-I-I- I owe you! I owe you!" he exclaims shakily, every alarm blaring in his brain. Shit, shit, shit. "I owe you fooor- showing me this closet haha, such a cosy little closet, and they'll all owe you too once they see what an amazing person you are! Yeah!" he chuckles awkwardly, before doing a fingergun to really keep digging his own grave apparently.

Rapunzel doesn't smile. She doesn't even blink, which he knows, because he's not blinking either. His mind is entirely composed of insults, because the most fucking stupid idiot in this entire kingdom what the hell is wrong with-

"You didn't say that," Rapunzel says. It's not a question. "You said 'I love you'. You said you loved me."

Is Eugene breathing? He doesn't feel like he's breathing. He can't even answer her, the words are stuck in his throat, and the closet feels a lot hotter than it was seconds before.

"You never say 'I love you'," Rapunzel continues, an intensity he can't place in her expression. "Other people do, sometimes. My parents do. I say I love you to Pascal. And you can... people can say I love you to their best friends, I know, but you never say it. Not like this. Not to me."

His throat is dry. She's not going to let this go, it's clear, but he has never felt as terrified as he was now. He has no idea if her reaction is good or bad.

"Eugene," she whispers, her voice the only thing that he can hear. "This means something more for you, doesn't it?"

Her voice breaks at the end of the sentence, and with a start, he realises that tears are gathering in her eyes. He's going to make her cry. He can't- he never wants to make her cry. He's terrified, and he hates himself for dropping this now, in the worst situation possible, but he- she deserves his honesty, at least.

"Yes it does," he admits in one breath, feeling like he might drown any moment.

Fuck dying, this was the scariest moment of his life. After an hesitation, he takes her hands in his, and she lets him do it, and- and he remembers all these moments shared together, when he started wondering if she could love him back. There's a flicker of hope building in his chest, and even though he wanted to do this in another way, he clings to the idea that this might end well, that she could... She could love him like that too. That's how he finds the strength to continue.

"I really wish I had better timing," he laughs, "and a better setting too, but Rapunzel- I love you. I've loved you ever since that first day in the kingdom together, and my feelings only deepened since then."

Her eyes are shining in the dark of the closet. He hopes these are happy tears.

"I love being with you," he continues with a soft honesty. "I love everything you do, everything you are, so much that I feel like I can't possibly contain all of it. You're my best friend Rapunzel, and I just- that's why I love you, because you make me laugh, and I love making you laugh too, and you're- you're also pretty," he rambles, before realising he was, and getting back on track. "I want to be your partner in all things, Rapunzel."

There's a smile growing on her lips, and hope growing in his heart. She seems... she seems happy, and that has- it can't mean anything else, can it?

"I think about you all the time," he admits with a smile. "And... I want to be by your side, always. When I think about the future, I think about us here, forever together in the safety of the castle, going on dates and- and running to the wall each day, and... And being happy, with you. Making you happy."

"Here?" she asks faintly. Something feels different about her tone, but Eugene is so focused on trying to explain what he's feeling that he misses it.

"Well, not in this closet exactly, but I don't see how we're gonna top a castle like this one," he jokes, looking down at their linked hands to try and gather himself. "I- I really love you, Rapunzel," he says again, meeting her eyes to see if perhaps, she might return his feelings.

Her green eyes are full of tears. Eugene immediately sees that they're not good ones, and his heart sinks.

"I-" Rapunzel tries, looking overwhelmed and... devastated. She blinks quickly, and a tear falls on her cheek, but neither of them go to wipe it off. "I'm sorry Eugene, I- I can't," she breathes out, letting go of his hands.

They fall limply at his sides, while her own cover her heart. She hesitates, before opening the doors and running out.

The doors fall closed again. He's alone, in a dark closet, and he doesn't even think about calling after her.

It's funny, he thinks, because he has tried to prepare himself for a rejection for months, and he still hadn't been able to imagine the full scope of the pain he's feeling right now. His chest is tight, his heart heavy, and despite tightening his fists, his hands are trembling.

He blinks, and feels the cold shock of tears against his cheeks. Just like that, the dams are open, and he feels his mouth tighten and twist as he tries to keep himself quiet.

He should have known. He should- he shouldn't have- why did he say anything? Why, for once in his life, didn't he keep his mouth shut?

Slowly, Eugene sits down, uncomfortable in the tight space of the closet. He tries to brush his tears away once, twice, before accepting that he can't win that fight. He feels cold.

He stays crying in the closet for a long time.

------

The thing is, Flynn would have taken this rejection as a sign to gather as much stuff as he could, and go away forever. When Eugene finally gets out of the closet, startling a guard in the middle of his round and thus making sure the whole castle would know he had been crying in less than ten minutes, he considers the Flynn way out. He ruined everything anyway, what else could he do but leave?

However, the difference is, Eugene met Rapunzel. Eugene loves Rapunzel. And even if it's complicated between them right now, it's not something that will ever change - he might take time to get over his… romantic inclinations, but Rapunzel is still his best friend. He hopes, at least.

He doesn't want to lose her.

Flynn never had anything precious in his life. There wasn't a thing he hadn't been willing to sacrifice for his own survival, not a thing tying him down to anything. Flynn had been… no one. A lonely thief who would have died someday, forgotten by all, if not for Rapunzel. But Eugene changed. Eugene is- he's still Flynn, in some ways, because it's his past and he will have to live with it forever, but he… He wants to be better. He wants to be someone Rapunzel can count on, and he just… He needs to tell her that being in love with her doesn't mean that he isn't her friend, or that she can't count on him. He doesn't want her to feel like he's abandoning her - though if she wants him to go, he guesses he'll have to?

The thought is enough to make his heart sink even lower. He'll do what she wants, of course, but he's not sure he'll ever be okay if she wants him gone.

He's so stressed out when he arrives in front of her bedroom that he worries Stan and Pete are going to refuse him entry immediately; but they both seem somewhat relieved to see him, and tell him, without meaning to, about the way Rapunzel had to leave the party early because she wasn't feeling good. The guilt twists itself in his gut, but he says nothing, because he wants- he wants to make things right, and for that, he needs to talk to her.

He has the most terrifying conversation of his life once in her bedroom, pouring his heart out to her as she stays stubbornly silent, hidden behind her paravent. He tries to explain his feelings, and why he loves her, why he thinks she’s wonderful, but he’s scared he’s only making things worse by being honest. His eyes sting when he tells her that she’s his best friend, and that he doesn’t want to lose her, and only silence answers him. I destroyed everything, he thinks, feeling sick with worry - until he can’t take it anymore, and beg her to answer something, anything-

Her head falling is a surprise. The embarrassment of finding Pascal on the other side is enough to make him want to bury himself somewhere and never come back. Second declaration of love of his life, and he does it to a frog. The first one was in a closet, between cleaning supplies.

Eugene is starting to think he’s not good at this stuff.

In any case, Rapunzel obviously sneaked out. Pascal nods when he asks him if someone is with her, and it doesn’t take a lot to guess Cassandra is at her side. At least that means she’s safe, he reassures himself. She’s probably only trying to clear her mind of…

Of him. Of what he told her.

Oh, he’s so going to mope around in his room now. No more maturity and honesty, he’s gonna go borrow the saddest Flynn Rider story in the library, and cry in his pillow pretending it’s about Tony’s death in the third novel, and not… well, all of this. Eugene is great at this coping thing.

He takes the time to put Rapunzel’s mannequin under her duvet, so if anyone tries to look, she will seem asleep. He doesn’t know what anyone will do if they find out she went out, but she… She deserves to go wherever she wants, in his opinion. He’s not going to let her get in trouble with her dad. He also tells Pascal to go to bed, that he’ll make sure no one tries to enter, because the little guy deserves his rest too. He even tucks him in his little basket, and tells him to sleep well. (Don’t tell anyone, but he loves that little frog a lot. He also doesn’t want to share his future breakdown with anyone, but that’s another subject.)

He hopes he seems casual enough exiting her bedroom, and thankfully, Pete and Stan only nod when he informs them that Rapunzel is resting, and shouldn’t be bothered.

Since nothing can ever be going well for him, Eugene meets the king himself in the hallways. The option of the ground opening under his feet and swallowing him whole seems more and more tempting today.

“Your Majesty,” he grins awkwardly.

“Eugene.” His tone is ice cold. “Rapunzel was feeling… unwell, earlier. Do you know why that is?”

Funny how so many different words sounded exactly like I know you messed up and hurt my daughter and I am so very close to expelling you from my castle to Eugene’s ears. His gut reaction is to deny everything - Flynn is amazing at shifting the blame anyway, and it would be so easy to accuse someone else, to craft a lie on the spot and leave before someone notices and even more things go wrong… But he’s not Flynn. Eugene Fitzherbert has many flaws, but doing better than before implies that he has to keep choosing honesty, even when it’s difficult. Especially when it’s difficult.

Well. Not total honesty of course. It's a mix between respecting Rapunzel's privacy, and being somewhat of a trustworthy person.

"Sir, I… We had a talk, earlier, and it, uh, didn't go that well. I wanted to talk to her, to say sorry, but she's tired, so we should probably let her rest." There. Not completely honest, not completely dishonest. And hopefully, King Frederic is not going to check on her that way.

A few seconds go by, which feel like an eternity. Finally, the king nods. “Let me accompany you to your room,” he says serenely. Eugene suspects that he knows exactly what kind of effect he has on people. Thank god his bedroom is just under Rapunzel’s.

They’re on the stairs when Frederic finally decides that he let Eugene freak out enough. “Eugene, you know that you are an estimated guest in my castle, right?”

Ouch. Frederic immediately went for the combo “guest” and “my castle”. Eugene is in trouble, and he knows it.

“I… Thank you, your Majesty,” Eugene stutters out anyway. He could still fake an accident. Slips on the stairs to avoid this whole situation. That feels like a fair reaction.

“Good, good,” he smiles. “I know that these last months haven’t been easy on Rapunzel. She has… a huge responsibility, that she had to adapt to quickly, and I know that you have been important in helping her feel happier and more comfortable here. For that, I thank you, Eugene.”

“Of course,” he mutters, knowing the but is coming at the speed of a trainwreck.

“However, you have to understand that I can’t allow for more pressure to be added on her shoulders, not when she’s barely adapting to her life as a princess. Things like conflicts, or… or love, it will all come when she is ready, and it is obvious that she isn't yet.”

If there’s a word above mortified, Eugene is feeling it. Hearing the king basically telling him that he knows he’s in love with his daughter, and being rejected for the second time (maybe third? did the Pascal thing count?) in under three hours, it all makes him feel queasy. He opens his mouth, but no words seem able to come out of it. He’s not sure if he wants to agree, to defend himself, or to tell the king that he really shouldn’t be talking for Rapunzel anyway. His grave is already deep, he could keep digging - when his throat stops being so dry.

The king doesn’t leave him the time to gather himself. “I will keep her safe from these troubles until the time comes. From everything and everyone,” he announces, tone even as they both arrive in front of Eugene’s door.

Well. Frederic’s room, which he lends to Eugene, but could take back whenever he so desires. The threat is hanging in the air between them now, and Eugene remembers just how little he belongs here. He’s… He’s a barely reformed thief, who’s only allowed to stay because Rapunzel vouched for him. He knows that even if she hates him now, she won’t let him be thrown back in the street, but it’s a pretty lonely feeling to realise that her affection is the only thing holding him here.

“I hope you understand, Eugene,” King Frederic adds when he doesn’t answer.

“... Yeah, your Majesty. I think I got it,” he smiles tightly. For a second, he thinks he sees concern flash in Frederic’s eyes, but it’s gone as quickly as it came. He feels like ants are crawling under his skin when the king wishes him a good night, and the uneasiness doesn’t wash away when he goes sit listlessly on his bed.

He doesn’t even have the Flynn Rider book to keep him company. He looks at the rays of moonlight coming from the window, and hopes that at least, Rapunzel isn’t in trouble out there.

------

So… Is the return of the magical hair that got Rapunzel kidnapped as a baby trouble enough? Eugene nearly has a heart attack when he first sees it again, and Rapunzel has to help him sit down as he babbles questions upon questions. Then, he notices how awkward things are between them still, and how she can't meet his eyes, and how she doesn't want to tell him what happened, doesn't trust him anymore, and- well, he remembers. It puts a damper on the mood, for sure.

They barely have the time to talk after that. Rapunzel is busy with her coronation, and with trying to hide seventy feet of hair under a wig, and Eugene is... He doesn't want to bother her. And if she doesn't want to talk right now, if she doesn't- if she can't even look at him, he isn't that eager to clear things up either.

He doesn't care about the king’s warning even half as much as he knows how heartbroken he will be if Rapunzel decides that she doesn't want him in her life anymore.

They get attacked during the Coronation. Rapunzel is… She's beautiful, with her hair shining golden around her face as she defends her kingdom. They fight back to back at some point, and the banter that falls from their lips is familiar in a way that warms his heart - but when he looks at her swing from the ceiling to knock out one of the attackers, all he can think is wow, I love her.

That's kind of the problem, isn't it?

Can he get past his feelings? If that's what she asks of him so they can stay friends, will he be able to promise it? Will he be able to keep that promise?

He isn't sure. And it kills him that he isn't, but- but she's his best friend for all the same reasons that he loves her, she's just… She's amazing. She's not perfect, no one is, but everything that makes her who she is, is something that Eugene treasures. He- They met six months ago, and it felt like a lifetime, but Eugene is… He's happy, right now. Not right now right now, of course, the whole failed declaration obviously weighs on his mind, but these last months have been the happiest of his life, and he doesn't want to remember what it felt like to live without having Rapunzel in it.

He's terrified again, when he goes to talk to her that night, after her discussion with her father. He half hopes she will be gone again, so he can repeat with Pascal - the frog is a surprisingly good listener.

She's here, of course. Despite his nerves, he softens when he sees her sitting at her windowsill, closing what looks like a journal.

"Hi," he says gently, before brandishing his gift. "Somebody ordered a cupcake?"

"Aww Eugene," she smiles, and for a second, it feels like everything is fine again. He has cupcakes, and they're smiling, just like their first day in Corona, and nothing has changed, but everything did. Her hair doesn't help the déjà vu.

He takes a deep breath, and sits next to her, knowing that this was it.

"Listen Rapunzel, I- I'm sorry. I'm sorry I put you on the spot with my- my declaration, and I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, that was really not… Really not what I wanted."

"To be fair, I did force you to say that you meant it," she answers awkwardly, playing with her hair. "I'm sorry for that."

"No, no, don't be, it's… You definitely had the right to ask me for honesty. I shouldn't have tried to lie back then, I'm sorry for that too," he chuckles, feeling like his heart is going to beat its way out of his chest.

"So… So you were honest, in the closet. You- you love me," Rapunzel whispers, something unreadable in her expression.

"I do. I… I love you, Rapunzel," Eugene repeats, and sees how her eyes widen again. If he wasn't terrified that she would recoil if he tried to hold her hands, he would take them. "I said it already, but I've loved you for a long time, before I even understood it was love. But… But that doesn't change anything," he assures her. "I'm still your best friend too. If you want me to be, of course, but I still- All we lived through together, it's still the same, and I promise I won't bother you with my feelings ever again, I-"

"But you'll still have these feelings, right? You'll still love me," she says quietly. It's not a question.

Eugene closes his eyes quickly, before lowering his gaze to the uneaten cupcakes between them. "I will, yes. I can't- I'm sorry I can't promise you that I won't, but I'm… I'm not even sure how I couldn't love you. But I swear," he insists again, looking right at her, "I swear that it won't bother you. You're my best friend Rapunzel, and that's who I wanna be to you too, and I'll do everything so you can forget that I ever said anything, we can- we can go back to what we were before!"

It sounds like begging to his own ears. Rapunzel mutters something, drawing her knees to herself, and it takes everything in him to not cry again. He doesn't want her to accept his apology because she feels bad for him - the pity party will have to wait.

"I… I understand, if that's not what you want," he murmures. "I won't blame you if you decide you'd like me to- to leave the castle, or even Corona, that's-"

"What? No!" she exclaims, getting closer to him and taking his hand. It's clearly not the time, but all the alarms in his brain are blaring about the contact. "Eugene, I don't- I never want you to go, please don't leave, I-"

"I won't, I- I just wanted you to know that you could, uh, ask that. If you want."

"That's the very last thing I want." There's tears in Rapunzel's eyes now, and Eugene feels even worse. He keeps messing this up. "Eugene… How do you know you love me?"

"I… I simply do," he answers breathlessly, not prepared at all for this question. "I want to see you happy. I think- I think you're someone incredible, in all aspects, not just when you're doing something cool, but also when- when you trip, or have paint on your face, or… I- I think you're funny too," he babbles, waving his hands to make his point, "and I know it's kinda similar to friendship, but it's not, too. It's… When I see you smile, my stomach flutters, and I- I-"

There are days when Eugene wishes he was rich enough to hire someone who would shut him up when he starts saying something embarrassing, because god does he need that. He clamps his mouth shut after realising he's been rambling about his feelings, because how can she believe his assurance that this - his love for her - doesn't have to change anything, if he can't even control his tongue?

"Sorry," he says quickly, "I just… I know. But I swear, I can make you forget I even said these words, we can-"

"I don't want to." She scooches closer to him, her hand still on his, and all of his focus is on her. He doesn't know if he's breathing. "Forget. I don't want to forget. I don't want you to change yourself either, Eugene," she whispers, and his entire world hangs on her lips.

"Sunshine?"

"I… You're my best friend, too. I love talking to you, and laughing with you, and sharing everything with you," she smiles, full of emotions. "When I see you, I- my stomach flutters too, and I'm never as happy as when I'm with you."

"I don't understand," he exhales. "I thought- I made you cry?"

She squeezes his hands, an anxious grin on her lips. "I'm sorry for that. I'm sorry for… running, and leaving you alone and confused in that closet, I was just so- I'm so overwhelmed, lately. I feel restless, and I'm scared of messing up, of being the worst princess there ever was and, I don't know, leading the world to its destruction probably."

"Seems like a logical consequence to giving a bear hug to some foreign dignitary," Eugene jokes, and they both laugh. His heart feels a little lighter.

"I- When you first started talking, I was happy. I was so happy Eugene, you can't even imagine, because everything you were saying, I was feeling it too. But then…" she hesitates, brushing her hair back. "I got scared. When everything goes wrong, I know that you will always be by my side. I know that you're in my corner, no matter what, and I- I was scared, that it would change. That we would change, and nothing would be the same again. And after that, you were talking about the castle, and staying here, and I got scared again because I'm terrified of nothing changing too, I don’t… I'm- this makes no sense, I’m sorry, I know," she laughs nervously. "I can't make sense of my thoughts."

"It's okay, it's… I think I get it, in a way." He doesn't want to ask if she really feels what he thinks she feels. He doesn't want to hope, and doesn't… He thinks back on Frederic’s words, and wonders if the king was right, if he's just putting another source of pressure on her shoulders when she's not ready. "Listen, Sunshine, I- we can take things slowly. Nothing has to change between us, we can be-"

"No."

"... No?"

She bites her lips, and he has one second to wonder if he misreads this situation completely, and now she's angry at him, before she grabs his shirt, pulls him towards her, and crashes her lips against his desperately. His eyes widen with shock, hands hovering above her waist for a second, before his mind catches up and-

Oh.

Oh, he thinks, arms steadying her against him. Oh, she loves me too, he smiles against her, closing his eyes and opening his mouth for her tongue to slip between his lips. Oh, I'm an idiot, he realises, as his heart seemingly bursts during the kiss, and his mind goes over his memories, trying to assemble the pieces - she loves him, she loves him, how long has she loved him? His face hurts from smiling when they separate, his hand trailing along her arm to avoid letting go.

"I want things to change," Rapunzel says, her hand going to cup his burning cheeks. "I- Since that first day in Corona, and the lanterns, and everything, I wanted… I wanted to do this. But I was scared, scared of losing you, scared of- of being truly free, I guess," she chuckles. "But you know what? I'm not scared anymore."

Her eyes shine under the moonlight, full of tears and elation. Eugene is pretty sure he looks the same.

"I love you, Eugene." Rapunzel's fingers are soft on his face, and she brings him to her again, their noses brushing against each other.

"I love you, Rapunzel," he whispers again, and they kiss - it's slower, full of a shy tenderness he has never felt before. This is new, and it isn't at the same time; because the love has been here since they told each other they were their new dream, but the discovery is fresh, full of joy and wonder.

Eugene can't wait to see where this road takes them. All he knows is that they'll be at each other's side. For that, he knows they'll be okay. That's all he can hope for.

(Though Eugene wishes becoming Rapunzel's boyfriend would have helped him overcome his habit to blush for any and every little thing that she did, it appears that it only heightened the problem. Maybe because now, when he does it, Rapunzel is here to smile and kiss the red on his cheek, only serving to make him blush harder - she knows exactly what she's doing, he's sure of it. It's okay, though. Now he doesn't have to fantasise about holding her hands and going on dates with her, he can just… do it. It's definitely worth the occasional embarrassment.

Loving Rapunzel feels like coming home. It's as easy as breathing, and he's ready to do it until the end of time. Being loved back by her… It's indescriptible. No matter what obstacles might be in their way, he knows they'll have each other, and that's all he can ask for.)

#tangled #Eugene Fitzherbert #Rapunzel #Tangled the series #New Dream Appreciation Week

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secretpeachtea · 4 years ago

Text

Onigiri Miya Tidbits Ch 7

Title: the fox’s den

Genre: gen fic, reader insert

Word Count: 5.4k

Summary: Onigiri Miya is now hiring and you just happen to be the right person for the job. The business has been gaining popularity since its grand opening, and many customers travel from different cities just to have a bite of Miya Osamu’s delicious recipes. You did expect some craziness from working in food services, but what you didn’t expect was to be bombarded with frequent tomfoolery from a bunch of attractive volleyball players during your shifts.

disclaimer: manga spoilers

A/N: Hey y’all! There’s gonna be quite a lot of dialogue in this chapter, but I hope it’s not too boring. I was really excited to write this chapter since Inarizaki is my favorite team :D Hope you enjoy!

Previous///Next

There was always something entrancing about the second half of the year when the green and gray streets transform into a multicolored wonderland as a response to the incoming shift of seasons. You admire the different shades of red, orange, and yellow that litter the ground that you’re walking on as you make your way to work. The only things going through your mind right now are serenity, peace, and-

“‘SAMU, YOU BASTARD!”

At the sudden voice, you almost trip on your own feet in surprise. Once you’re sure you won’t fall flat on your face, you look up and see two familiar twins right outside the front door of Onigiri Miya, clear irritation written on their faces.

“How could you say that?! Do you know how ridiculous you sound right now?” Atsumu yells at his brother while clenching his hands by his sides.

Osamu’s eyebrows are furrowed in distress. “I’m pretty sure I’m the one with common sense here. I’ve done what I can to convince you, but you just won’t listen to me!”

You start to worry now as you continue to watch the two glare at each other from where you’re standing a few feet away. You know it’s best not to interfere, but there’s a part of you that wants to stop them before things get out of hand. It seems like you don’t even have to make a decision as Atsumu’s eyes meet yours. “Hey, sweetheart! Come over here and tell this tasteless scrub that he’s wrong!”

“Who you calling a tasteless scrub, you uneducated swine!” Osamu crosses his arms in disdain but softens his gaze when his eyes land on your approaching figure.

“Hold up. What are you guys even talking about?” You try your best to keep your voice as relaxed as possible but still proceed with caution in case one of them were to blow up again in anger.

What you didn’t expect, however, were the next few words that came out of the blonde’s mouth. “The best Disney princess is obviously Rapunzel, but ‘Samu doesn’t agree!”

“You just like her ‘cause she’s blonde! Clearly, Belle is the superior princess!” The other twin spits back.

You pause for a moment to process the situation. That’s...not exactly what you expected when you first saw them arguing outside of the shop (and quite loudly too). A deep sigh leaves your lips as the two childish men in front of you continue to banter.

“Oh yeah?!” Atsumu suddenly directs his attention on you and places his hands on your shoulders for emphasis. “Sweetheart, who do you think is the best Disney princess?”

Already feeling an incoming headache, you just say the first thing that pops into your mind in hopes of stopping this madness. “Oh, uh...I don’t know. I think Mulan is pretty badass.”

The twins go silent as they contemplate your response for a brief minute. It seems like you gave a satisfactory answer because they both make eye contact with each other and nod their heads. Their strange twin telepathy is something you’ll never understand.

No longer having the patience, you just brush off Atsumu’s hands and use your spare key to open up the front entrance of the shop. The two men just follow you inside and the blonde is the first one to break the silence in a much calmer tone than before. “Okay, fair. But, I really do think-!”

Atsumu halts his footsteps as you and Osamu just glance at him confused. The blonde gasps dramatically as he stares at the new additions to the shop’s walls. “HEY! Why do you have their autographs on your wall?!”

Not wanting a part 2 to the previous fiasco, you just head over to the back room to put your belongings away and get yourself ready for work. Securing the cap on your head, you walk out of the room and stroll to your spot on the register. It seems like Atsumu is a lot more fired up than usual because he’s still arguing with his brother.

It took everything in Osamu to keep his voice at a normal level while responding to Atsumu’s pettiness. “They came over to eat one day and I thought it would look good for the shop.”

“Don’t you know that we’re ultimate rivals?! You can’t be siding with the enemy!”

“They’re your rivals, ‘Tsumu. Everyone’s technically considered a customer to me.”

“Traitor!”

You swear you saw puffs of smoke pop from Osamu’s ears from his frustration. You were about to place a hand on his shoulder in hopes to keep your boss from throwing something at his brother, but a smooth voice interrupted the tension in the room.

“Calm down, Atsumu.”

You and Osamu jumped in surprise, while Atsumu let out a startled yelp at the unexpected guest. The three of you turned toward the front entrance to see who showed up an hour before opening. Although you only heard one voice, three tall figures in casual clothing stand at the doorway. They step inside the building and you vaguely remember seeing their faces in a picture Osamu once showed you from high school.

The person in the middle of the group brushes away a couple strands of his gray hair with black tips while his other hand sits on top of the handle of a small suitcase. The one on the left has a built body with dark skin sporting a kind smile. The one on the right has a lanky body and long fingers that reach up to his face to cover a yawn on his bored expression.

If you remember correctly, Osamu had told you about some of his former teammates and the ones standing in front of you were Kita Shinsuke, Ojiro Aran, and Suna Rintarou.

The twins brighten in recognition and make their way over to the newcomers. “Kita-san! Aran-san!”

“I’m here too, you know.” Suna comments.

All of the guys greet one another in the middle of the room with smiles on their faces. You’re not really sure what to do since you’re the odd one out.

You stand off to the side behind the counter awkwardly, but you are interested in their little group dynamic. The Inarizaki alumni all hold completely different demeanors and postures, but one thing that they all share is that all of them are incomprehensibly attractive in their own way. Why are all of the former and current volleyball players that you’ve met so far like this?

Lost in your thoughts, you didn’t realize that you’ve been staring at Kita in particular for a couple minutes. He must have felt your eyes on him because he momentarily looks away from his current conversation to make direct eye contact with you. You let out a small squeak after getting caught staring, but it doesn’t seem like Kita is bothered at all.

“Ah, sorry about that. I didn’t mean to ignore you.” Kita leaves his group to walk over to where you are and this catches the attention of the other four males as well.

“It’s no problem! I wanted to give you guys room to catch up.” You lift up your hands to wave off his apology and give Kita a bright smile as you speak. “It’s finally nice to meet the oh-so-praiseworthy rice provider for the shop, Kita-san.”

Your reply elicits a soft laugh from the man’s mouth. “Nice to finally meet you too, (Surname)-san.”

“You know my name?” You ask, surprised.

“Aside from looking at your name tag, yes. I’ve heard some things about you from the twins,” Kita answers.

Your cheeks turn a bit pink in embarrassment because you completely forgot that you were wearing your name tag for work. Your embarrassment doesn’t last for long, however, when you quickly realize what Kita had just implied about the twins. You shoot an intimidating look at the two culprits and neither of them meet your gaze. “They talk about me?”

“Only good things. No worries.” Kita tries his best to reassure you that there hasn’t been any slander against you, but you still feel a bit insecure.

Knowing that feeling this way is probably unnecessary, you just resort to a little bit of teasing. “I don’t worry so much about Osamu-san. It’s the other one that needs to be kept in check.”

“Hey!” Atsumu’s head quickly turns to your direction at your very obvious accusation.

Suna snickers while ignoring his friend’s outburst. “She’s a smart one.”

“Hey!”

Aran chuckles in amusement and Osamu just smiles at his brother’s distress. You try to fake exasperation by placing a hand on your cheek and Kita’s smile falters as he catches something from the corner of his eye. The charm bracelet that you received from Osamu is secured to your wrist with the small onigiri charm shining under the fluorescent lights.

“Oh, so you’re the one…”

You look back at Kita in confusion. “The one what?”

Kita hesitates for a moment before simply shaking his head in dismissal with a knowing grin on his lips. “Ah, it’s nothing.”

You’re bewildered by his mysterious response, but it doesn’t look like he wants to talk about it anymore, so you just brush it off for now.

As everyone else continues their own conversations, Kita thinks back to a conversation he had a couple months back.

“The rice should be coming in a couple days, Osamu.”

“Sounds good, Kita-san.”

“Is there anything else you need?”

“Actually...I have a quick question.”

“What is it?”

“What would you...um...give to someone who just graduated that’s not so generic or meaningless?”

“...Are you asking for your coworker?”

“Scary! Are you sure you don’t read minds or something, Kita-san?”

“I don’t believe I can. But, to answer your previous question, if you want to give a gift that holds more meaning, I would say buy or make something that’s personal to both of you. It could be from a fond memory you share or a common interest. However, based on the positive things I’ve heard about her, she would probably appreciate anything you give her.”

“Hm…”

Kita is pulled out of his thoughts when he hears Osamu’s voice nearby. “I’ll get you guys the usual, right?”

The rest of the guys all nod their head and Aran makes the motion to take out his wallet. However, before he can do so, Osamu lifts up a hand to stop him. “No worries, Aran-san! All of this is on me!”

Atsumu’s ears perk up. “You’re not gonna make me pay for my food this time, ‘Samu?”

Kita looks towards Osamu and slightly tilts his head in confusion. “You make your brother pay for his food?”

“Always.” Osamu answers without hesitation and with one of the most deadpan expressions you’ve ever witnessed on him.

“I see.” Kita simply nods his head in understanding. “It would be detrimental to your business if you gave things out for free too much.”

Atsumu grabs onto his former captain’s arms in exasperation. “Kita-san!”

A quiet giggle leaves your mouth at the scene in front of you. It seems like the twins are a bit more competitive and bicker more often when their former teammates are involved. Seeing this side of Osamu amuses you since you’re more used to his laidback nature.

Eventually the brief comical moment calms down and Osamu begins to prepare all of the food. Kita and Atsumu seemed to be in their own world, so you decide to try and speak with the other two people in the room that you have yet to be acquainted with.

Suna and Aran seem to have been thinking the same thing because they are already walking up to the counter in your direction. Suna raises his right hand in greeting, while Aran gives you a polite smile before speaking, “You must be (Surname)-san. Apologies for taking so long to greet you.”

“No worries.“ You wave off the apology. “You guys were also teammates with the twins in high school right? The only thing I really know are your names. What were your positions?”

“I was a wing spiker. I’ve actually known the twins since we were in elementary school,” Aran replies.

You clap your hands together in realization. “You guys are childhood friends then! I’m surprised you haven’t come up in my conversations with them more.”

“Those two were always running around all over the place just to compete against each other, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t remember half of the things they experienced in school.” Aran lets out a deep sigh, but you couldn't detect any real annoyance.

If the counter wasn’t in the way, you definitely would’ve patted the man on the shoulder. “Well if you’re as patient and calm as you are now with their antics for all those years, then you definitely deserve the appreciation, Ojiro-san.”

“You deserve it just as much since you see at least one of them almost every day now.” Aran sends you another kind smile and you can’t help but mirror it.

Not wanting to leave out Suna from the conversation, you turn your head towards the male who is just listening with his hands shoved into his pockets. “What about you, Suna-san? What was your position?”

“Middle blocker. Although, I did work as a part-time witness to the twins’ stupidity.” The stoic male smirks and looks at you in the eye. “Seems like you’ve taken up that job?”

You burst out laughing. “I can’t really deny that. We should be compensated for all this work.”

Suddenly, you feel a heavy weight on your shoulder that catches you off guard. When you look up, Osamu’s elbow is leaning on your shoulder and there are pieces of rice stuck to his fingertips. He has one of his eyebrows raised in suspicion. “Hey, why do I get the feeling that you guys are talking behind our backs?”

Suna looks directly at Osamu with his usual expression. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Feeling a bit playful, you also answer with the same deadpan tone. “Yeah, we’re just bonding over some relatable stuff.”

Suna takes one of his hands out of his pockets and raises it up next to you. Without hesitation, you give him a high five while holding back your smile. Aran just chuckles at the unexpected tag team between you and his former teammate.

Before your boss could make any more comments, his phone dings from where it’s sitting on the counter between his work station and the register. Osamu seems briefly conflicted since his hands are covered in rice but quickly comes to a decision. “Hey, (Name)-san. You mind holding up my phone for me? I think it’s a message about a shipment for some ingredients we needed to restock.”

“Yeah, sure!” You pick up the phone and a picture of Onigiri Miya with a large ‘Grand Opening’ sign in front of the entrance illuminates the lock screen. “Oh, you have facial recognition. I’m gonna have to borrow your face for a bit, Osamu-san.”

Osamu leans down as you place the phone in front of him for a couple seconds, but nothing happens. You try to angle the screen differently and wait a little longer, but it’s still not unlocking. Across the counter, Atsumu watches the two of you struggle through a few more attempts before losing his patience. “Just put the phone up to my face. It’ll probably work.”

A bit curious to see if the phone will actually unlock for the other twin, you move your arm to where Atsumu’s waiting. You keep the phone up for a few moments, but there’s still no response.

The blonde just stares at his brother’s phone in disbelief. “What the hell? Why isn’t it working??”

“Wow, even my phone can tell who the uglier brother is.” Yup. Osamu’s definitely feistier today.

“WE LITERALLY HAVE THE SAME FACE.”

The twins look like they’re about to start another round of unnecessary bickering. From the side, Kita sighs at the idea of having to intervene in yet another argument. He opens his mouth to stop the madness, but you beat him to it. You shove Osamu’s phone into his face again and surprisingly it unlocks. “Alright, guys. You can shut up now. I got it to work.”

Both Atsumu and Osamu shut their mouths immediately. They still looked a bit irked at one another, but no longer have the will to fight. Kita stares at you with shock. He’s never seen anyone other than himself dissipate the twins’ bickering so quickly and you haven’t even known them for as long as he has. Even Aran gives up at some point. Perhaps you are a much more important presence than he realized.

Clicking on the message notification, you lift up your arm just enough so that both you and Osamu can look at the screen comfortably. The message consisted of a picture of a shipment with a list of items. The list is barely legible due to the small font, so the two of you have to lean in closer to the screen.

“The text is so small. Can you read anything?” You ask as you bring the phone closer.

Osamu squints and wipes one of his hands on a clean towel before placing it over your own to steady the phone. “Barely. Why did he send such a terrible picture?”

The close proximity and subtle touches between you and your boss do not go unnoticed. As you’re discussing the contents of the picture, Suna and Aran share a knowing look with each other.

After a couple minutes of trying to decipher everything in the message, you and Osamu have successfully written down a complete list of all the shipment contents on a napkin. Osamu pockets his phone and the napkin before turning to look at you. “Okay, I think everything’s all good. Thanks, (Name)-san.”

“No problem!” You rub your eyes from the slight strain and move back to where you were standing before while Osamu finishes up making the last of the group’s food. Suna and Aran just watch you both go back to whatever you were doing before as if your cheeks weren’t millimeters away from each other a few seconds ago. The two males make eye contact once again, but just shrug their shoulders.

“Food’s ready! Grab your onigiris and drinks. We can sit at the table for a bit.” Osamu announces to his friends. Your boss turns to you briefly as he starts going around the counter. “Wanna join?”

“No, that’s alright. You guys use this time to catch up. I can take care of setting up the shop on my own, so take your time.” You give him a reassuring smile and he returns a grateful one back.

While the guys chatted about their lives, you set up the chairs and checked each of the sauce bottles to make sure none of them were empty. About fifteen minutes went by and you now had a broom propped up against your shoulder after sweeping. On your way back, you pass by the table where everyone is still talking with one another.

“I am funny! There just wasn’t anyone competent enough to get the joke!” It seems like Atsumu was yet again becoming a victim to the endless teasing of his former teammates because his face is slightly flushed and he’s fidgeting with pent up frustration. In hopes to ease his heated face, Atsumu roughly starts refilling his cup with ice water with a tight grip on the glass.

Suna shakes his head. “I thought it was funnier when you almost passed out from being overheated from the Jackasuke suit.”

“What?!” Atsumu abruptly stands up from his chair and in his haste, he doesn't realize that he had also raised his cup just as quickly causing the water to splash onto the nearest thing which just so happened to be you. “Oh shi-! (Name)-chan!”

The front of your shirt is entirely soaked and water drips down from your face and the tips of your hair. You mentally thank your boss for making the uniforms black. Lucky for you, your pants are completely dry because your apron took all of the damage. Aran, who is the next person closest to you, takes the broom from your possession and hands you a couple napkins to at least dry your face, but it’s definitely not enough to make a dent in your drenched clothes.

Atsumu frets over you with a look of immense guilt in his eyes. “I’m so sorry, (Name)-chan! I-I didn’t mean to do that!”

“It’s...it’s okay. Just try not to lose your cool so easily next time.” You can’t really say you’re happy about your current predicament, but it wouldn’t do anyone any good if you lash out in anger. The running A/C is much more apparent now that it’s much easier to feel the circulating cold air and you start to shiver a bit.

Osamu catches your attention from the corner of your eye when he stands up from his seat. “You good, (Name)-san? You should probably go put on a jacket or something.”

“I didn’t bring a jacket or any extra clothes with me today.” You sigh at your misfortune at how something like this happens on the one day you don’t have your hoodie with you.

Osamu’s frown deepens at the growing unfortunate circumstances. “Ah, damn. We usually have extra shirts in the back, but I left them at home to wash.”

You dread at the thought of either working with a wet shirt or having to walk all the way back to your apartment to change while suffering through the chilly breezes. However, the universe must be taking pity on you when you hear another voice join in.

“(Surname)-san, I have some spare clothes in my suitcase.” Kita pats the suitcase that he had brought into the shop with him.

You know that the best and most efficient way to get out of your misery is to accept his offer, but you’re still reluctant. “Oh no! It’s okay! I wouldn’t want to cause any trouble for you.”

“I don’t mind. It wouldn’t do you any good to go around with wet clothing. You might catch a cold, especially since the weather is becoming cooler.” Kita immediately brushes off any concerns you may have. He zips open his suitcase and grabs a simple navy sweater from his pile of folded clothes. There’s a slight pause when he holds out the shirt to you before continuing the conversation, “It would mostly cause Osamu to be very distressed.”

There isn’t much room for arguing, so you slowly take the soft sweater from the older male’s arms and nod your head in understanding. “Yeah, I guess he would have to work twice as much if I’m not able to help out.”

Kita blinks at your oblivious rationale. “...right.”

You hear a hint of something in his tone but don’t dwell on it for too long because another blast of cold air hits your body causing you to shiver again. Muttering a quick thanks, you rush to the bathroom to change. After peeling off your uniform shirt and bundling it up with your apron, you wipe off any water that remains on your skin before slipping on the borrowed sweater. It’s much larger and warmer than you thought it would be. After gathering the wet pile of clothes, you head out of the bathroom in your new attire.

The table that everyone was sitting at is now completely cleared of any food and some of the guys are sitting at the counter while Osamu is washing all of the used dishes. Atsumu’s head is laying on the counter and still has distraught laced into his expression. He immediately stands up to apologize again when he hears you come out of the bathroom, but his words get caught in his throat when he sees you.

Kita’s sweater is definitely too big for your frame. The sweater reaches your mid thigh, but you’ve opted to fashionably tuck the front of it into your pants. The sleeves go past your hands only exposing your fingers and the collar reveals a sliver of your collarbone. The overall fit of the sweater creates an image that can make anyone stop and stare.

Atsumu’s ears redden at the sight in front of him and Osamu is frozen in front of the sink. Even Suna and Aran have briefly halted their conversation to stare silently. The only one who is visibly unaffected is Kita.

Kita decides to walk over to where you are and hands you an empty plastic bag. “You can place your wet clothes into the bag so it doesn’t get anything else wet. You can return the shirt to Osamu and he can give it to me before I head back home.”

“Ah, thanks! I’ll wash it tonight and give it to Osamu tomorrow when I come in for work.” You smile at him gratefully and do as he suggested. During the process, your sleeves roll down uncomfortably and you have to constantly pull at it so that it doesn’t get in the way.

Kita notices the way you are fidgeting and gives you an inquisitive look. “Are the sleeves bothering you?”

“Oh, um...just a bit, but it’s not too bad.” You reply.

The male just pulls the plastic bag away from your hands and puts it off to the side for the time being before holding out his own hands in front of you. “Here, let me help.”

You accept his assistance and hold out one of your arms to him. Kita calmly folds the sleeves to a proper length while you just watch quietly. Once he’s finished with one arm, he gently lifts the other and proceeds to fold the sleeve as well.

The rest of the guys were just watching silently. The entire scene is almost like it’s from some kind of shoujo anime. Atsumu swears there is even a sparkling background with multiple flowers to match the sweet moment. There’s a strange feeling bubbling inside Osamu’s chest, but he chooses to look away and continue washing the dishes. You and Kita looked really good together.

“Thanks again, Kita-san!” Once Kita finishes up the last sleeve, you smile at him once again. “I guess I was lucky that you decided to visit so suddenly today or I might’ve been in trouble.”

“You’re welcome.” Kita returns the smile. “We were all busy on the twins’ birthday last week, so it’s a good thing we rescheduled to today.”

“What.” You blink once. It takes a few seconds for you to process what the man in front of you had just said, but once it clicks, a wave of shock passes through your body. “What?!”

You scramble over to where Osamu is avoiding your gaze and grab onto his arm. “Why didn’t you tell me your birthday was last week?!”

“Oh uh… it never came up?” A bead of sweat runs down the side of your boss’ face.

Still enraged, you swerve your head towards the blonde twin and point an accusing finger at him. “And you! I would’ve expected you to be all over having the attention!”

Atsumu shrugs his shoulder in an uncharacteristically nonchalant way causing you to drop your arm in confusion. “Meh, I’m not really all that big on birthdays. I thought my brother would’ve told you.”

When you look back at Osamu, his hand is rubbing at his neck sheepishly. “It was your day off and you looked like you weren’t feeling well the day before, so I thought it’d be best if you rested.”

You’re not sure if you should feel touched that he noticed that you weren’t feeling so great last week or upset that he didn’t think to tell you about such a special day. Your boss has also been pretty busy lately due to work, so there is a part of you that is understanding of the situation. There isn’t really anything you can do about it now since it’s already too late, so you just sigh in defeat.

Kita decides to intervene before you get even more upset. “No worries, (Surname)-san. There’s always a next year for birthdays. If you wanted to spend time with him, I’m sure just asking will suffice.”

“Indeed. Osamu would definitely not mind making time for you, (Surname)-san.” Aran adds.

Atsumu seems to be feeling a bit left out and chimes in, “Wait, but what about me? It was my birthday too.”

“It’s not like Osamu knows how to do anything but play volleyball and work. Might as well take him out somewhere nice.” Suna mentions while ignoring Atsumu’s outburst for the nth time today.

“Woah, guys!” Osamu’s face flushes a bit from the teasing. You laugh at the group's antics and feel your frustration melt away.

Suddenly, a phone alarm goes off and Kita pulls out his phone to shut it off. “Well, we should get going now. We wouldn’t want to be in the way of your business, Osamu. We’ll see you tonight with the rest of our former teammates.”

“Yeah, I’ll see you guys later.” Osamu replies with a wave of his hand.

“I have to get to practice too, so I’ll walk out with all of you.” Atsumu walks towards the exit with his hands folded behind his head. Aran and Suna get up from their seats to get ready to go as well. The two say their goodbyes to both you and Osamu before stepping outside to catch up with Atsumu.

Kita is the last one out, but before he closes the door he gives you one last glance. “It was nice to meet you, (Surname)-san.”

“You too, Kita-san!” Your lips curve upwards at being able to have met yet another kind person at work. Kita finally closes the door and now it’s just you and Osamu left in the shop. After having such an eventful morning, the peace and quiet is pretty refreshing.

Osamu looks at you from the corner of his eye thoughtfully. His gaze then shifts down to where his former captain’s sweater rests on your figure and he feels a twinge of irritation but keeps his expression neutral. “Are you sure you don’t want to go home and change? You live pretty close by too.”

You think for a moment but eventually shake your head. “Hm...no it’s fine. I wouldn’t want to miss work just to change into another shirt. I think my extra uniform needs to be washed anyway. Is there something wrong?”

“...no.”

“Jealous that I talked to your friends more than you?”

“N-no!”

A giggle escapes your lips when you hear your boss stutter. “You know you’re my favorite onigiri chef, right?”

“I’m the only onigiri chef you know.” Osamu points out and you giggle even louder. The male can’t even be upset because your laughs are quite contagious. Although, he does make a mental note to bring one of his own sweaters to keep at the shop from now on.

Leftovers

The Miya household is a simple two bed apartment with a decent view of the suburbs around the area. Both Miya twins are considered residents of the complex, but Atsumu usually stays in the dorm available for MSBY players. Today, both twins are in the apartment.

“‘Samu, I swear this shirt makes me look fat-...?” Atsumu barges into his brother’s room without knocking but cuts off his words when he sees his brother intensely staring at a pile of hoodies scattered on his bed. “What are you doing?”

“I’m trying to figure out which hoodie I wanna keep at the shop.” Osamu responds distractedly.

Atsumu stares at him incredulously. “What? Just pick whatever. It’s not like you don’t go to work every day. Why does it matter? ”

Osamu pauses for a moment. “...for emergencies.”

“Whatever, man. I’m heading out to go buy some new volleyball shoes with Shoyo-kun.” The blonde shrugs off his brother’s strange behavior and chooses to just walk away since he needed to leave soon. He momentarily looks out the window and notices some dark clouds filling up the sky. “And, I’m taking your umbrella!”

Osamu doesn’t hear what Atsumu says and barely registers the slam of the front door because he’s too deep in thought. What was your favorite color again?

A/N: Ouch. I realized that if you were to actually follow the haikyuu timeline, some of this wouldn’t actually make sense. BUT I don’t care :D Also, not me indulging on some Kita action cause I am whipped for this man (but not as much as Osamu hehe)

taglist: @kiyoo-omi @tris-does-stuff @livshotel

#onigiri miya #onigiri miya tidbits #secretpeachtea #inarizaki #atsumu #osamu #kita #aran #suna #haikyuu fanfiction

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holdmyowos · 4 years ago

Text

Little Bird (Hawks x Yandre Reader)

Includes: Non con, yandre reader

Quirk: Swallow (the type of bird): you have a pair of wings and two long tail feathers.

Your first day at the hero agency. You were looking forward to this. The number two and number five heroes working together? It would make news halfway across Japan. The crime rate would be next to none in the city you two resided in. Last week, you had interviewed to be a partner to Hawks, in the business sense, of course. His real name was Keigo Takami. He was a handsome guy, perhaps the hottest dude you had ever seen, and you were instantly infatuated. Luckily, he had taken a shine to you as well, though perhaps not in the way you liked. “Birds of a feather have to stick together, right?” He had joked. How many times had you heard that? All your life people had thrown bird jokes and insults your way. He had to have the same experience, but here he was, dishing it out. You rolled your eyes. On your way out of the interview, one of his secretaries remarked quietly to her friend, “Oh, great, another bird brain.” Hawks did not care, and just went up to her and struck up a conversation about some random thing. She was in your way. You would need to take care of her.

The first week went by, and as you expected, crime rates were near nothing, so you had nothing to do but greet fans and make public appearances with Hawks. Since he was so outgoing, next to him you seemed timid, shy, and kind. Slowly, you flirt with him a bit, until it becomes nearly obvious. He seemed perhaps uninterested in you, or more focused in his work. Either way, he never makes any comment that could lead that he likes you back, other than things that he says to all. One thing you had noticed, was that every time you called him sir, he would become flustered. “You have wings, but can’t use them? That’s odd. How did you even get to the fifth hero spot like that?” He asked. “Sir, I never really needed them, with my eyesight and hearing, not to mention my fast reflexes. Besides, what if I tried and fell?” You looked up to him for guidance. He cleared his throat, blushing. “Well, first of all, please don’t call me sir. Second of all,” he took a step away from you. “Don’t look at me like that. And third, I’ll show you how to use your wings,” he decided for you, letting your feathers from your wing stretch between his fingers. It felt odd, almost intimate. No one ever touched them. You stiffened up.

“Hawks, not like this! I’m not ready!” You wailed from the roof of the skyscraper. How had he dragged you up here, again? It was just after your hero agency had closed, at nine. It was dark out. “You’ll be fine! Just jump and spread your wings like a little birdie!” He made dumb flapping motions with his hands. You sighed, clinging to the pole as if it was a raft in the ocean. He came over and pried you off of the metal. “If it doesn’t work out, I’ll catch you. You know of my trademark speed, obviously.” He flashed you a smile with a winking eye. That guy was sure something. What, exactly, you did not know. Caught up in your thought, he took the chance to push you off the roof. Time seemed to stand still as you saw him practically push you to your death, the traitor. You gave him a murdorous look and gave out a very undignified screech as you plummeted to your certain doom. “Spread your wings!” Hawks reminded you, shouting. The ground was coming up at you too fast. You were going to be nothing but a splat on the ground. You curled into a ball, as if a cannonball on concrete. Surprisingly, there was no pain. You slowly lifted your wings’ feathers off your eyes to see what was going on. You were… flying? No, your wings were still curled up. Hawks’ strong arms were carrying you, his wings beating and flying in a way you were sure yours never could. Seeing that you were okay, he flew up higher than the building. “Are you ready to try again?” You nodded, and he dropped you. This time, you knew he would catch you. You took in a few deep breaths, caught in free fall, and let your wings unfurl. At least you were trying instead of chickening out. Sadly, you just kept tumbling, unable to angle your wings like a real bird. As you got closer to the ground, you started panicking, and spread your wings out as far as possible. It slowed your fall, but it was not enough. Hawks soared under you and caught you, not even taking a heavy breath as he simply continued flying, leaving you at the entrance of the building. “You almost had it! Next time, try using those tail feathers for balance. Or perhaps try off a takeoff from the ground a few times before doing that again? I don’t want to scare you again.” The next words out of his mouth sent shivers down your spine as he leaned in close, golden eyes staring at you, his lips ghosting over yours. “...unless you’re into that type of thing?” All too quickly, he had put your feet back down on the ground, and had flown away into the dark sky.

Everyone in the office seemed pretty upset the next day. Apparently, a villain had killed one of your secretaries. Sure, your popularity had dropped, since you could not even keep someone that worked in the same building as you safe, but things happen. Thankfully, everyone forgot about her and got over it.

Hawks invited you over to his house. It was so out of the blue, you had almost declined, but you could not say no to the chance to be with him. He did not name a specific occasion, nor did he say it was for a date. Now you stood next to your closet, trying to figure out what was appropriate to wear. You decided to wear your favorite outfit, hoping it would be okay.

When you got to his house, you realized how rich the man was. It was ginormous. Being the second most popular hero has its perks. You, on the other hand, had no clue how much you had since most of it went directly to savings. Perhaps you should check it out. You pressed the button on the large black iron gate, hoping it was a doorbell of sorts. The spiked on the top of the gate seemed intimidating, and there were many security cameras. The gates swung inwards quickly with a snap. You walked in, and Hawks greeted you with an open door. The inside of his house was quite odd. He looked up to what you were staring at. “This used to be an old firehouse, before I renovated it. As you can see, I took out the fire pole.” You saw what he meant. When you stood under it, you saw that the hole still went up through all five floors of his house, with each floor being about fifteen feet high. “How do you get up to the other floors?” You asked, feeling dumb as soon as the words were out of your mouth. He looked at you as if you might be stupid too. “I fly. And the only other person that I bring here sometimes; her name’s Mirko, can jump that high.” Wow. What type of quirk could make someone jump that high? Too bad that you could not fly like that. The two of you ‘hung out’ as Hawks would have put it, not really doing anything but staying on the bottom floor and talking. The next week, he had invited you again. You noticed that he had just put in an elevator. How rich could he be to put in an elevator in a week? When you asked him about it, he mumbled snippets of answers, like “Well I would have needed to get one eventually.” That day he let you explore his big house. He even had a pool on the roof. That seemed a bit structurally iffy, but it seemed to work. He even let you see his bedroom.

You had stalked Hawks for about a month now, and you were ready to go on with your plan. You knew you were insanely in love with him, but it could not be helped. You needed him, but you did not have the courage to tell him that you liked him. What if that ruined your friendship? No. Instead, you had come up with a better way to see him. You knew that it was weird, but you felt the need to do it.

Since you had already been there twice before, you easily avoided the numerous cameras and security measures, keeping your wings tucked in close. You climbed silently up his terrace, feeling like the Romeo to his Juliet, or the prince to his Rapunzel. Sadly, his room was on the fifth floor, and the trellis only reached the third floor. You would have to fly from here, and carefully.

You had secretly trained your wings since Hawks had helped you realize that perhaps they were for something better than just being pretty. You were only able to go short distances, built you could fly. Doing a straight line upwards would still be too hard. You started having doubts about how well your plan was going to work. You decided to fly in a diagonal pattern up to the floor, hoping that it would work. You beat your wings hard to get the momentum to propel yourself upwards. There was no wind to help you either.

You land silently on his balcony, wings spread wide to balance. You pick the lock easily, and you hope the hinge does not squeal. You shut the door slowly, and sigh in relief. The hard part was over. You turned to see Hawks. His feathers practically shone in the moonlight, his breaths light and quick. He never awoke once. When you realized what a heavy sleeper he was, you returned a few times.

One night, you took your normal position kneeling next to his bed, and realized something. To your delight, he was not wearing any clothes. Your hungry eyes roved over his naked body, studying the way his muscles moved as he breathed. Since he had never awoken before, touching him could not do anything, right? You gently placed your hand on his beautiful chest, and slowly trailed it down to his abs, your hand landing slightly on his v-line. Would you dare peek? Your curiosity got the better of you, and you looked down. Oh. He must be having a wet dream, because on the top of his length there was a wet pool of moisture. Surprisingly, the handsome guy never brought any pretty girls home, so you would have to help him out. You were more than happy to do just that, reaching down and squeezing him. From then on, almost every other night you ‘help him out’, sometimes even letting him inside of you.

Sadly, this took a toll on your body. During the day, you were tired, unable to concentrate well. If it pleased him, why would a little sleeplessness matter, you told yourself. Every day after you had slept with him your eyelids would fall in the middle of the workday, no matter what you were doing. Frequently, you found your assistant shaking you awake to deal with a villain. Your trips to his house were much less frequent.

“Hey, Y/N. We need to talk.” Hawks said. He laced his fingers together, as if gathering his thoughts, wondering what to say. “What’s disturbing you?” You said in your sweetest voice. He ruffled his hair. “It’s just that… you seem tired and unfocused lately. I can try and help. I’m here for you, you know.” You nodded. “Thanks, but it appears something is bothering you, not me. Out with it, Hawks.” He seemed hesitant. When was he ever hesitant? When you gave him a small smile, he cracked. “Well, I suppose it is a bit weird to talk about around another person, but for some reason, I feel better this month than I ever have. I’ve been having this dream that this angel of the night comes into my room and… well…” he struggled for words. “...sleeps in my bed. I’ve been having this dream for awhile. It’s was just so realistic. I didn’t even long for my ex anymore, they felt so real. Nothing like that could happen in real life, right? I mean, all my security and stuff, not to mention I sleep on the top floor. It used to happen almost every night, and after the dream was done, I would wake up feeling better than I ever had. But now, it’s gone, and the night is dreamless.” He flopped down onto his swivel chair.

Not wanting him to get suspicious, but happy he confided in you, you say, “Well, with all the security you have, I’m sure, there is no way that anyone could possibly get into your bedroom without you knowing, sir.” He nods and dismisses you. At least you knew that he enjoyed what you did. Once you had gotten well rested, you went back over to his house for another night of ‘fun’. As you get on top of him, he moans. “Songbird please.” You freeze, but realize that he is still asleep, his breath even. He never said that before. How cute. You continue to pleasure him, unaware of the black orb camera hidden in the corner that has been watching you every time you came into his room or left.

With an ending like that, I’m thinking of making a part two. Let me know in the comments!

Part 2: https://holdmyowos.tumblr.com/post/649615062271688704/escape-hawks-x-reader

#Hawks #bnha #bnha x reader #bnhaxreader #hawks bnha #hawks x reader

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