#you never deserved the mistreatment I gave you sweetheart

[tealmussel]

Now don't spoil me..

[sweater-daddiesdumbdork]

Attack Of The Winter Wolf: Reality Takes Over

Summary- 8.6k Alpha Steve x Little One Reader. Visiting the reformed Pierce Pack, now under a new Alpha’s leadership, Caine. The young Alpha has a few questions for Steve. You and Steve seem to have finally found them at peace, but it still reaffirms that now your home is with your mate. Unfortunately it all comes crashing down in a matter of moments. Divider made by @firefly-graphics​

Warnings- Dominating Sex, violence, swears. This is an 18+ Blog

A/N- A friend sent me a GIF that inspired the sexual scene in this fic. If any should want to see the GIF, send me a DM as I wont be posting it on my page due to the content of it. Thank you so much for continuing reading The Packs journey in this next stage. Thoughts and Questions are always welcome. Happy Howling. 🐺💙

Chapter One / Masterlist

Steve had to admit that Caine had really changed it all around in the months he has taken over. His pack was more relaxed and open, no longer living with the fear of a crazy Alpha. Steve watched his Little One pausing every now and then to greet a former pack mate while he simply stayed nearby watching You interact with your old pack mates. Even though he knew You still carried connections with them, it wasn't the same because now you were his. You constantly danced back to him, your body seeing his reassuring touch, either taking his hand once more to weave your fingers with his or slipping under his shirt to press your palm to his back. It was all about the connection, You and the Little Wolf always establishing that bond. Steve felt a calmness wash over him at your desire to remain close. Every time a soft praising rumble would rise from him making you pleased. 

Soon Caine and Kat found the two of you “Welcome back, thinking about staying here Y/N?” The woman teased as she loped her arm through yours on the opposite of Steve. You scoffed with a shake of your head. 

“And give up all the work I did with him? Hell no.” You joked, patting Steve's chest and smirking up at him. He growled in a mock warning and nipped at your nose before letting You go with a nudge, which you split off with Kat, going to catch up. Steve and Caine watched the women for a moment till Caine broke the silence. 

“This is a side I have never seen of Y/N, it's good.” Caine observed in which Steve turned his attention from You leaving him and cleared his throat. 

“Well I'm sure she has the same observations as all of you. Not living in fear will work wonders. The whole pack looks pretty good. While we were walking around, everyone is so content here. Have nothing but to say how good an Alpha you are.”  

Caine gave almost a youthful excited look at the comment before clearing his throat to gain his composure in the other Alphas presence. 

<I like this kid.> The Wolf yipped in Steve’s mind and Steve had to agree, knowing just how dedicated Caine was to his pack, even when he was nothing more than a captive. 

I do too, and Y/N trusts him. 

“Well thank you Steve, that means a lot. We deserve to just be a pack, a real and proper one. That was actually kinda why I sent Y/N a text inviting you two over. You see Ross has been sending members here, trying to talk to me about the Accords.” 

Steve rumbled slightly at the mention of Ross. He hadn't seen the council member since you ran him off last fall. And that was just fine by Steve, he already made it known that he wanted nothing to do with the Accords nor would be signing them to give up part of his control of his pack to the council. 

“And what do you think about them Caine? I’m sure they left a copy for you to read over.” he questioned, and Caine gave a slight wrinkle of his forehead considering how to answer the question. 

“Well, part of me wants to, as all of this to take care of seems almost overwhelming at times. I want nothing but the best for my Pack, but giving up the rights to finalize choices, letting the Council be able to override my decisions? Seems dangerous to give it up. They claim it's to further protect our safety, especially if an Alpha loses his sanity. Ross claims that is what happened to Pierce, was corrupted by Hydra and that nothing could be properly done, as Pierce had every right to do what he wanted being the Alpha.”

“Yeah fucking bullshit. Pierce never should have been an Alpha. I don’t know how he managed it.” Steve growled out angrily at Caine’s words. “And that supposed Council had everything they needed to step in, they just didn’t. They were waiting to see where Pierce could lead them, at the innocent wolves expense.” Steve shook his head, the Wolf now pacing in agitation for his human counterpart. Caine nodded in agreement. 

“What I thought as well when the Senator was trying to feed me this. I told him I would think about it. But I don't think that this is the best thing for us. We are still trying to recover and it's just hard to trust anyone right now. Giving up as Alpha, it just seems to go against our very nature.” 

“Go with what you feel in your gut Caine.” Steve said. “You know what is the best thing to do for your wolves, they trust you for a reason.” The new Alpha looked relieved at Steve, that he was actually doing the right thing after a lifetime of his family being mistreated.

Soldat jumped out of the van Clint managed to hot wire, switching vehicles every couple hundred miles in case they were being followed. The Alpha they had collected groaned as Soldat yanked on the chain, Pietro pushing her forward from behind. Soldat never even bothered to learn her name. 

Her name didn't matter, she was just the mission. 

The White Wolf licked his muzzle hungrily, eyeing the Alpha, feeling the challenge her Wolf’s presence brought. But she was subdued, after killing her mate, all fight in her left. It broke her. She followed behind Soldat obediently as Brock unlocked the door to the warehouse, dragging her in. 

“A female this time.” Brock gripped her face, twisting it so she had to look at him, his sneer growing wider as it roamed up and down her, Alanna rolling her eyes from behind him. 

“Not much of a looker if you ask me. How did she get to be Alpha?” 

Brock ripped his fingers away from her face, jerking her head back. “Not all Alpha’s are built on strength. But they are weaker, easier to control. Isn't that right Sweetheart. Put her in the back... there's a free cage back there for her. Oh and Soldat, enjoy yourself with her… she's a fine piece of tail.” 

Soldat didn't say anything, just grabbed the chain he was using to lead her and tug her away with him, the rest of the team dispersed to unload the van of their equipment and dispense of it.

Alanna cocked her head as she watched Soldat leave with their latest Alpha. “Why do you do that? Offer him those Alphas like he will actually take you up on it. If you want him to get laid, why not just order it?” 

Brock watched before he turned to Alanna. “He’s programmed to only fuck his mate, if he ever chooses one, then we know. Another way to control him.” 

“You really believe in that crock of shit? Soulmates?” Alanna snorted out and Brock snapped his teeth at her. 

“I see Rogers was quick to drop you without a regret and he went halfway around the world leaving his pack behind to save his new mate.” He challenged her and Alanna snarled at him, her rage flaring at the mention of her former partner. 

“Fuck you Brock.” 

“Later Sweetheart, I got more important shit to do.” His hand whipped out and snatched her by the back of her neck, twisting till Alanna yelled in pain. “Don't you forget who owns your ass now Bitch, you got the pretty scar to prove it.” He dropped her to scramble at his feet while he stepped away, leaving her wiping her face dry from the tears of pain he caused, composing herself. 

Brock whistled a cheery tune as he followed along after Soldat to see if he was going to take him up on his offer or not.  

When Soldat shoved the Alpha in, Brock came up next to him, pulling out his phone to snap a picture of her to file away for later. 

“Good work, I have another one for you to go for. Coordinates are already pinged to your device. This one should be easy for you, he is fairly new and you’ve met him before.” Soldat dug out his own device and pulled up the file, a picture of a younger man paired along with a black wolf, both man and beast shown. “Collect him and bring him here, kill off as many of the pack as you can.” 

Soldat frowned a bit looking at it, studying it when he felt a haze of a memory rise up. Several people mingling in a hotel room, people he didn't recognize and a voice coming from nearby. 

“If Natasha and Bucky hadn’t come… Thank You, to all of you.” The Black Wolf he was looking at right now laying on a bed looking like he had just been through a fight, panting heavily.

“It was the least we could do, I’m sorry we didn’t know earlier.” The same voice he had heard calling to him days before when retrieving the Alpha. The White Wolf shook his head aggravated and Brock's voice sharpened suddenly. 

“Soldat! ANSWER ME.” 

“Yes Sir, we will head out right away.” 

It was much later when you returned with Kat. Caine and Steve were sharing beers with other wolves, talking about general stuff, Steve doing his best to answer questions, explaining how he made his pack an asset to the community, bringing in income to the sleepy town below there mountain. It all felt like back at home, that you quickly settled back in. You sidled up to Steve's side, which his hand rubbed at your side and he dropped a kiss to your temple. “Thought I was going to have to go look for you, Little One.” He chuckled and you grinned up at him, taking his beer from his hand and sipping from it. 

“Like you didn't know where I was the whole time.” You scoffed and Steve shrugged, it was true. With your bond, as long as you two were nearby, it wasn't hard for either of you to find the other. The wolves easily slipped back and forth along that shared bond, tangling together in greeting and breaking out in play as you lightly nipped at Steve’s chest when you turned into him, pressing against his chest as he tightened his arm around you. 

“Sure I did, doesn't mean I didn't want to go find you and drag you away all for myself.” His voice husked in your ear, a flattening of his palm against your lower back pressed your hips into his and you could feel exactly why. 

Your hand smoothed against his pecs as you turned around, leaning back against his chest and taking another sip of the beer before giving it back to him. Steve's arm slung around your waist loosely while he nipped gently against your mark, making you tilt your head for him with a satisfied sigh before focusing once more on the small group milling around. 

“Would you consider coming back Y/N?” someone asked, a woman named Tess that you knew vaguely from the short amount of time she was for sale. Steve growled lowly at the question and you chuckled while pushing your hair back to flash your neck. 

“Most certainly not. You all will always be family, but I’m bonded with Steve now. My home is with him and where we decide to go together. Right now as Alpha, we’re staying in the mountains.” You stated and you felt Steve shuffle behind you, speaking up as well. 

“As long as your Alpha is fine with us visiting, Y/N will come back whenever she wants to. I know you all are her family and wouldn't ever ask her to push that away.” You could feel your Little Wolf howling to her mate, the satisfied warmth of her happiness flooding through you and you couldn't feel more content then you were right now. 

Caine was nearby, nuzzling up to Kat in a sneaky way. The two of them teasing at the edge of the group when suddenly Caine seemed to realize that the attention was on them from the others in the group. 

“Of course, Y/N, this is your home whenever you want to come. As well as any of your pack.” He cleared his throat. Kat hid her face a bit, trying not to give them away. 

“Thanks Caine.” You are quick to answer, deciding then that it was time to pull you and Steve away for the night, which made you twist to face him. “What do you say Alpha, ready to call it a night? I got something I want to show you.” 

Steve arched a brow at you, seeing how you were biting your lip and giving him a playful look. He gave a wave of his hand as you ran your fingers along his stomach through his shirt, pulling away from him, making him choke back a growl at the loss of your touch. “Nice meeting you all, see you tomorrow.” he said before walking stiff legged away. The rest of the wolves chuckled among one another at him trying to not be obvious. 

You sprinted ahead while Steve was saying goodbye, well away from the group now and sliding into the darkness of twilight quickly taking over and making the shade under the trees almost dark as night now. You could hear Steve quickly catching up to you, which made you put on a burst of speed. You weren't going back to the little cabin you two were calling home for the night. You wanted to play, wide awake and ready for your Alpha. Darting into the woods, you picked up speed to put more distance between you two and cupped your hands together around your mouth to give a soft howl, enticing him to come find you, hunt you down. The Little Wolf filled your mind, your eyes glimmering yellowed in the low light as you darted away from where you could hear Steve. 

<You keep crashing like this, he will find us in no time.> 

Well that is the point. 

The Little Wolf’s laughter filled your senses as you darted around a tree trunk, your hands pressing against the rough bark as you peered around, looking for any sign of movement. All your senses flared as you listened carefully for anything. Then to your left a snap made you jump, and the Little Wolf pounded her front paws, yipping. <Run! Run!> Turning the opposite way you raced off, panting as you picked up speed. 

When Steve first followed, he thought you would make straight for the cabin. But you had veered off, following your honeysuckle scent that he picked up and took the first step into the darkening woods. Inhaling deeply, it was filled with new scents. The sharpness of the pines, the fresh crushed needles where you passed through. The wolves who lived here mingled scent, and it was somewhat reminiscent of you when he first met you. But now… He drew it in deeper when he found yours, it was different, it was his. Warming in his lungs as he plucked it loose from everything else clashing his senses. It was the one that had that honeysuckle undertones, but now it was more intimate. It was a scent he was surrounded with when you pressed in against him, especially when you were just about to go into heat. A welcoming desired scent that left him aching hard and a smirk spread with a slight possessive growl rumbling through him now that he smelled it. Knowing that the sweetness would be dripping from you, his own honey pot. 

“Little One, you better run, because you certainly can’t hide.” he whispered as his footfalls were heavy at first. He could hear a giggle that you tried to muffle as you darted around trees and swiftly turned into trails that you found. The ferns growing under the forest swayed with your movements, some leafy fronds getting crushed in the process. Your howl echoed and bounced around, but Steve was hot on your trail, not being deterred. 

He saw you ahead, when you went around a particularly large trunk and Steve went to the right, quiet in his footfalls till he happened to finally managed to get around where you were trying to hide. You peered the opposite side, stretching a bit to look. Completely unaware of where Steve was. His fingers itched now to grab a hold of your waist, pull your ass back to grind against his hips, hear you shriek in surprise and fall back into his chest to look up at him with a grin. He knew how you would play this, trying to escape him with sweet kisses and wriggles to bolt again. As Steve attempted to sneak in closer, the pad of his foot happened to press against a twig and snapped it, making you twirl around on your toes wide eyed in surprise and Steve lunged forward to catch you, your back against the tree that was shielding you earlier and his arms caging on either side of your head. 

A surprise growl rolled through you when Steve pressed himself against you, catching you efficiently between him and the tree. Your hands fisted in his shirt and your eyes flashed yellow up at him. Flops of his hair fell forward on his forehead as his head dipped to yours, teasing lust filled kisses nipping on your lips, tugging at each other hungrily with groans. “Gotcha Little One.” Steve whispered, trailing his nose against yours, and his eyes closed while he inhaled against you. 

You dragged your teeth against your bottom lip while running your hands up his chest and fingers pressed through his beard to follow the sharp angle of his jaw. “You did Alpha, now what are you going to do about it?” 

Steve let your warm honeyed scent arouse him further, a sticky sweet honeypot of a mess his Little One was and he wanted to get his mouth on you, wrap himself around you till the whole world fell away. A cheeky grin crinkled the corners of his eyes, his grin turning wolfish in nature as he growled at you. “The Big Bad Wolf will eat you up.” 

Your head fell back as laughter burst out sharply, disrupting the quiet of the night. “Smooth Alpha.” 

He nipped on your mark, turning that laughter into a distressed needy moan as Steve's hands smoothed the back of your thighs to lift you up and wrap your legs around him. Pressing his erection against your core. “I ain’t nothing if I ain't smooth ‘Mega.” He stated before claiming your lips and pressing the length of his chest into yours, stealing your air from your lungs, and making you fist a hand at the back of his head, getting lost in him. 

Soldat scanned the small pack. Some of it felt familiar, but not enough for the Hydra Soldier to consider what it meant. This was just another hit on the list Brock had for his team to overtake. These wolves were lazy in the night time warmth. Lulled to think they were safe in their packs boundaries. The White Wolf flexed in Soldats mind, licking over his jaw in anticipation of hunting them down. Soldat tilted his head in the air, searching out what the scents could provide to him. 

The only thing out of place was the scent of two Alphas here. One was young, still new in leading the pack, the one he was after. His control would be iffy at best over the wolves unless their loyalty was already cemented to him. 

But the other stirred the White Wolf in Soldat. Making him flex anxiously a moment at the sensation. Another time, another place he knew this one. It lingered in his senses and he didn't like that. Making him clench his jaw as the White Wolf shook his fur in agitation, unsure of how he knew it. Brock's voice came over the comm in his ear, snapping out. “Is the team set Soldat?” 

Soldat moved from his crouch, retreating back to where the others waited. “You all know what to do. There are two Alphas this time, go for the younger one, get the other if you can.” he told his team. Silently as always they dispersed. None of them questioned the fact that there were two Alphas. They had their orders, nothing else needed to be considered. Clint going one way through the trees, and the twins another. Wanda started to simmer red where her powers took an unnatural form, solidifying to cause harm instead of heal. Soldat shoved knives in various places in his kevlar and fitted a mask to his face for protection. That other Alpha, it still left Soldat and his Wolf unsettled for reasons he couldn't place while he prepared himself. 

“Set and dispersed, starting extraction.” Soldat said into the comm, and not even thirty seconds later Pietro's snarls and howls started on the other side of the packs compound, Soldat came out of the trees, sniper rifle lifted aiming right for the sleeping group by the nearby bonfire.

Steve ground himself into you, his chest rumbling as his hands rubbed at your sides and cupped your breasts to squeeze and tease. Your head was tilted back against the tree, drawing in air best you could as your mate sucked on your neck, tracing his mark on you with his tongue, his dirty talk making you ache, and rolling your hips to create that friction. “Gonna fill you Little One. Stretch you open and leave you dripping my cum till you're pregnant with my pups.” 

God that made your heart race, knowing that he was going to knot you against that tree. His hands kept tugging and making you arch your back, wanting him to get rid of your clothes now and really lay claim to your body. It was a whirlwind of sensations prickling your skin in a heated way. 

But then you heard it, at first it barely registered when Steve sunk teeth into your collarbone. You almost ignored it, but the Little Wolf couldn't. She stirred through your hazed mind, making you focus again outside of your Alpha. Another howl, distressed. “Steve… wait.” You tugged at his hair to lift his head away, and he growled in warning at you that he didn't want to wait, but you pulled again. 

He lifted away from where he was tasting your skin, stilling his body and frowning slightly while panting. “What's wrong Little One?” 

“Listen Steve… something isn't right.” You loosened your hold now that you knew Steve was focusing on you and he tilted his head to listen. Inhaling deeply for any change in the air. He stepped back, letting you loosen your legs around his waist and slip to a stand. Cold chills laced up your spine, looking around as the night seemed to turn silent and dangerous. 

<We gotta go back to Caine and the others.> The Little One pressed against the Alpha, who was rigid next to her, searching himself for what she sensed. 

But did we actually hear anything? You looked around you, but Steve's hand shot out and caught your wrist in his hand to keep you from moving away from him. His eyes wide as he found what he was looking for. 

“Bucky… he’s here.” The Alpha rumbled out and that's when the yells rang out, the sharp rings of gunfire. 

“The others… we have to get back to the others Steve.” You tugged your wrist loose to sprint away and Steve lunged to catch you, but you were too quick, already streaking through the woods. 

“Y/N! Come back!” Steve yelled as he took off after you. Shedding clothes as you raced, the urge to listen to your Alpha made you falter, but not enough to make you stop. Soon you were falling to all fours, faster to make it back as the Little Wolf and you put on a burst of speed that had everything a blur around you. Soon at your side was a streak of silver as the Alpha attempted to keep up with you on unfamiliar ground. Your twists made him skid heavily into the trees and brush, but he was never far behind as he tried to over take you and before you could burst into the chaos just out of sight of the tree line, he snatched your ruff and jerked you off your feet. 

The Alpha twisted you underneath him, his jaws pinning you to the ground while you struggled, but he wouldn't loosen his hold until you stilled and your eyes rolled up to look at him, willing him to release you. He couldn't let you charge into the attack like this, and he loosened, nudging you to creep forward to see what laid beyond out of sight. Both of you stayed low to the ground slinking till breaking out from the forest to the underbrush to see what was going on. 

Bodies, your old pack littered the ground and your whine echoed so loudly in distress that the Alpha flattened his ears and pressed against you before slinking along the edge, trying to find the attackers. 

A heaviness filled Steve's chest because he knew exactly what he would find. His muscles coiled when he finally caught sight of Bucky, who was taking aim at Kat. She was unaware of him while trying to help the injured to their feet. 

You crouched next to him, quivering in shock and anticipation at seeing the missing members of the Pack. The Alpha growled out an order, demanding you help the others. As well as stay away from Bucky, the danger to great to risk letting you go near him. Bucky obviously wasn't in control right now. Once the Alpha was sure you understood, he nuzzled you quickly and split away, leaving you to wait till he had the soldier distracted. 

Soldat just happened to see the other Alpha coming at him before he could take his shot. Barely. He spun to block the large wolf from hitting him. Teeth sank into his meatal protected arm, the shield plates clinking together to hold up against the pressure of the bite and he heaved back, sending the wolf sprawling back. A smaller one bolted from their hiding spot, to reach the people he was just about to end. It didn't matter, one of the others would take care of them. Soldat turned his attention to the Alpha he had scented earlier, the one who didnt belong here. 

The Silver Wolf pushed back to his feet, his chest rising and falling with each inhale. Soldat knew he was scenting him, assuming it was for the animal to figure out what he was. Swinging the rifle over his shoulder to move it out of the way, he grasped for his belt to pull out a collar. The Wolf's ears flicked forward to what was in his hand and turned wary, stalking out of Soldat's reach. A low growl rippled through him, and the White Wolf ached to submit for just a moment, but it was easy to brush it away. 

<Attack him. He is not going to expect you to rush him.> 

Why did you stall? 

The White Wolf shook himself off, snarling out. <We have our orders.> Soldat heard the waver in him but started towards the Alpha. The Alpha matched his movements, picking up speed in his gait to collide back with him. <This ones got some balls.> Soldat heard the White Wolf remark.

All the more reason to get him collared and under control.

And just before they reached one another, the Alpha darted around him, making Soldat spin just to have the Alpha tackle him once more, teeth sinking into the kevlar of his suit. There was enough force to feel the bite, but nothing that could do damage. Fistfuls of fur was grabbed trying to wrestle him away and attempt to maneuver the collar around his neck. The Alpha managed to twist out of his hold in time and Soldat yanked a knife from a hidden spot, swinging it in an aim at the animal, trying to sink it into a vulnerable spot. Instead it grazed him, a spurt of red following the blades descent through its fur. A furious snarl demanding him to submit filled the air before man and wolf collided again. 

You were busy helping Kat try to get the others away, stalling for a moment when you saw Clint emerging from out of nowhere, his aim sighted on you and the others. He was just about to let loose when you saw Caine get dragged towards him, collared now. Seeing that they had that packs Alpha, he dropped his bow and followed along with Pietro and Wanda. Unsure of what to do, Steve had demanded you only be to help and stay out of the actual fighting before breaking from cover earlier. The Omega in you wanting to obey her Alpha, keep pushing others to go into hiding like Steve wanted. 

But these were your missing pack mates, and they were causing all the destruction. Everything in your senses screamed at you to go for them, as well as go back into hiding with Kat and the other survivors. Then the hot scent of blood hit you, your Alphas blood. All other thoughts left you as your nose lifted to find him. 

It was being hit in the worst way possible, stinging your senses with fear as you broke from Steve's earlier command. Long leaps ate up the ground as you sought him out. You found him trying to bite at Bucky's neck before being thrown to the ground in a way that vibrated the ground, a knee dropping to his ribs while Bucky collapsed full force on him, a flash of silver in his hand let you know. Steve was just about to be collared.  

The whole world just zeroes in on that moment, if you can't get there fast enough, you might lose Steve. He might be able to break free from Bucky's hold before the collar is attached. But you can't take that chance, and you make a grab for Bucky's wrist, closing fangs around the metal plates and wrenching back. Catching both of them by surprise, your back paws dig in for traction as you whip your head back and forth in a move meant to snap an animal's neck. It's enough to surprise Bucky and make him fall off the Alpha, the both of you tumbling away. It did earn you a well placed kick to your skull, which caused you to yelp while stunning you. 

The Alpha pushed himself up once Bucky rolled off him, unsure of what caused him to let go, but the Alpha wasn’t going to let him get the chance again. The yelp made the hair raise on his back, now seeing the reason Bucky released him. 

You disobeyed him, which resulted in your head getting kicked at and you crumpling to the ground in shock. The Alphas rage at your expense caused him to roar in fury, a whirlwind of fury attacking his best friend. 

The Alpha managed to back Soldat up, covering your smaller form with his body. The Alpha bristled, his muzzle rolling up to show fangs and ears pinned back flat against his skull, warning him back. Soldat stalled again with the sensation he was supposed to listen to this Alpha, shaking his head to clear the impulsion. 

“You got one of the Alpha’s, leave him.” Brock's voice screamed in Soldats ear, clearing it from the impulse. Soldat took off at a run, leaving the two of them behind. 

You push yourself back to a shaky stand, having the wind knocked out of you and the kick disoriented you when the steel toe boots connected to your skull. The Alpha watched Bucky race away with perked ears, the shiver rolling through him controlling his urge to follow him, but he turned away from his best friend back to you. Padding over, the Alpha was quick to check you over, his muzzle pressing against your side to make sure nothing was broken till he nudged at your shoulder, getting you to move. When you started towards the injured, he growled sharply, making you falter and lower a bit in submission, unsure of what he wanted. 

Coolly he pressed you the opposite way, towards the cabin you two were staying at for the time being. The Alpha didn't let up, keeping you heading away from the others and back to the safety of the cabin. 

Steve had never had to quell such scared anger in his life, far more than when you had gone off the road that winter. It was raging hot that he could have lost you to Bucky, so easily. After he told you to stay away from Bucky, in that state the White Wolf would have easily snapped your neck if he got a hold of you. Because that wasn't Bucky, their packmate, his brother. Something happened to him. 

You darted into the cabin and Steve was right behind you, the both of you racing up the stairs to the bedroom where you both shifted back almost on cue with one another. You grabbed at clothing, starting to tug them on. “We have to go back out there Steve, find them and the others.” 

Steve was doing the same, but he was quick to turn towards you, his eyes still glinting hints of burning yellow while he ground out. 

“You are staying here.” 

You straightened and lifted your chin a bit when you heard Steve's command. The Little Wolf lowered to the ground hearing her Alpha’s command, but you simply weren’t going to accept that without finding out why you couldn't go help your former packmates. “I’m sure as hell not staying here Steve.” You hiss a bit while heading for the door. Steve was quicker though, his hand circling around your upper arm and tightening enough to pull you to a stop and back into the room. “Let me go Steven!” You try pulling out of his hold, but his hold tightened until he backed you onto the bed. 

“I told you once Little One. Stay the fuck here.” His teeth snapped at his words and there was just anger in his features hiding his fear.. Fear that he could have lost you was clouding his mind with jagged memories of Pierce sticking you with that needle and he was that close to losing control and attacking Bucky then. Steve knew that if Bucky hurt you this time in any way, he wouldn't be able to control himself. No one would be safe. 

You protested though, going to push against him while your voice raised in your own anger at trying to be controlled, unable to help the others. “Steve you can't-” 

This time he roared out, the tendons in his neck rigid and his tone going deep and snarling at you in a way you had never seen before and you shrunk back suddenly from him. “As your Alpha I am, if you know what's good for you Y/N, stay in this cabin. That's an order.” 

You hissed at him in anger from between clenched teeth. “You are going to have to make me submit Steve.” 

If he had to, he would. Steve almost lost you once, so close… and that was all before you two even bonded. He was ready to lose himself back then and let the Alpha take over. It was an overwhelming sense of loss that sunk in his chest. Needing to push it away, he closed the gap between you two, pressing you back onto the bed in surprise while his lips claimed your own, searing them heatedly, and the shock made you growl against him, grasping his hair to hold on. 

Steve kept the pressure, ready to make you submit to him completely. Hands grasped at your thighs, still clothed but he didn't care at this second. Wrapping them around his waist as he kissed you senseless, he easily maneuvered you up the bed, growling harshly when you tightened your hold, pulling his hair at the roots when you grabbed onto his head.

It all happened so suddenly that you could only hang while he maneuvered you to where he wanted you, blinking up at him in shock for a second when he pulled away to pant above you. Locked gazes, you arched up to meet him again, pulling at his shirt to rip at it, his hands doing the exact same to you. Shreds of clothing got tossed away as you both withered against one another. You bit into Steve's shoulder when he rutted himself against you. “You will listen Y/N, You have no choice in this.” he snarled out against your neck. 

It was a heated spiral in your limbs, burning in your gut. Echoing in your mind was the Little Wolf snapping and yipping at the Alpha. You pushed against Steve to rub yourself into him, snarling against his ear. “Then do it!” It was animalistic the way he bit at your mark, making you gasp between pleasure and pain while dragging you closer till you felt him everywhere except where you needed him. Slick coated your thighs while his cock dragged against your thigh. “You want to make me listen so badly, here I am.” Another roll of your body and he pulled away to run his hands up your withering body, palms covering your breasts and marking the swells. 

Before you knew it, you were flipped to your belly, Steve snapping your hips up in the air, the curve in your back sharp as you clutched at the bedding to scream your frustrations into the mattress, you were furious at Steve for commanding you to stay, and the way your body betrayed you. You could break it, but you didn't want to defy him. You had spent a lifetime going against your instincts protecting yourself, now it was time to trust for once. Steve was different, it was because he loved you to keep you safe, not use you. 

He growled above you and you pressed back against him, feeling his hands wrap tightly around your hips and rock you back into position. “I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you.” 

You clenched at his words, lifting your head enough to speak without being muffled in the bedding. “Fine Steve, I'm not going anywhere.” You felt yourself finally give into him, not because you couldn't break that bond, but you didn't want to. It ached too much to defy him when it meant so much to him even though it infuriated you to do so. 

His hand circled to dip between your thighs, teasing between your folds as he bit your shoulder, holding you still with his other hand while thrusting his cock into your weeping entrance and spreading you open in a sharp sting that made you cry out sharply. His thrusts were quick  and dominating, leaving you withering in his hold while fingers strummed your clit and his chest crushed against your back. Grunting growls and slapping skin filled the room, words becoming meaningless between you two. 

It was such a primal moment, one complete with trust as neither of you could do anything but seek connection and pleasure from one another. You felt the rush of your orgasm wash over you, crying Steves name with tears in your eyes. 

Steve wasn't ready to slow down, feeling you break apart under him just made him go faster, his hand covered in your arousal flushed up your body to fondle your breast, pulling at your nipple and squeezing while he pulled you both up to your knees. It just solidified for him that he needed you, just like this all for him. You arched before him, one hand reaching behind you to grasp the back of his neck, and the other covering his hand clasped over your chest. He still rutted into you, biting your shoulder enough to keep you still while he pounded himself into you. 

For You, you had never felt him so entangled in you, holding you to him so that not only did you feel him physically, but mentally. Everything he felt, feared, and needed was just an overflow of information in your bond, and it took such complete control that rational thought was impossible. All you could respond to was the way he dragged out your moans and cries, his grunts into your skin as he slapped against your backside, and punched the air from your lungs when your next orgasm turned the edges of your vision black. 

“Steve, I can't…” You begged and he groaned against your mark, his tongue sweeping over the sting of the bite he left, sure you were scented with him. 

“You can Little One, I have you.” He assured you as his hard thrusts turned into heavy drags through your sensitive walls that were clenching and trying to hang onto him while he so easily pushed through you to bury to the hilt. 

You pushed back into him when he ground into you, the two of you falling back so you were sprawled against his chest, his arm latching over your chest to keep you in place while his feet planted against the bed. Able to leverage himself into filling you so complete, your nails dug into his forearm stretched across you and tears streamed down your face. Your body felt wrung out, not able to give him that last one he wanted. 

There was no denying in this moment no matter what way Steve took you, he was in control of you, and you were just able to hold on. 

You felt his knot swell, stretching inside of you while he filled you with himself, warm against your aching channel, your body milked him, claiming every burst Steve gave with a growl of your own till it all stopped. Underneath you he calmed, his arm still heavy across your chest, but he was still except for heavy dragging breaths against your neck and your own pants as your head tipped back into his shoulder, staring upwards. 

“I promise, I won't leave.” 

“Good Girl.” He muttered, still hints of dominating presence in his tone, but it wasn't fear now, but acceptance. Steve managed to roll you onto the bed and his hands rubbed at your side to lull you into closing your eyes to relax in the aftermath. When he pulled out, you whimpered into the pillows, clenching your fingers into the fabric. 

“Just rest… I will be back soon.” He nipped at your neck, with that he moved off the bed to grab at his clothing and get dressed while you curled up on the mattress. Your body was tired and is fogging your mind trying to pull you into sleep. The last thing you felt was the scrape of his beard against your cheek as he kissed your temple and left you, his boots heavy thuds down the stairs and the slam of the front door left you alone in the bedroom, slipping finally into a fitful sleep. 

The Little Wolf whined loudly after a while, leaving it echoing through your body, distressed that the Alpha was going out on his own, leaving you locked here and had been angry at your defiance. It also effectively woke you back up after a quick nap. 

He will be okay. You assured her as you stretched back to a stand and went down the stairs to look out the window, watching for Steve to come back. He must be following Bucky’s trail. What happened to them? 

<Hydra… Didn’t you see the collar around Bucky's neck? He's being controlled. If he's being controlled Steve isn't safe going after him alone.> The Little Wolf paced back and forth, anxious with wanting to obey her Alphas command and going to help her Mate in his hunt. 

Your fingers curled around the front doors handle a moment, the internal battle making your throat close and eyes well up as you turn away from the door. You would respect your Mates order, as much as it left you scared to do so. 

Steve jogged in the forest following Bucky’s scent, quickly picking up the other members of his team as they all met back up at some point. There were also many other scents where other Wolves had passed through, probably in their bid to get away from his missing packmates. Steve pulled out his phone, dialing Natasha as he came stumbling out to a dirt road, and that's where the trail ended. Fresh tire wheels showing where a heavy vehicle sped off. 

The ringing of the phone was soon cut with Natasha's voice. “Steve? What’s wrong, why are you calling so late?” 

“Nat are you near Y/N’s old pack?” He questioned as he leaned down to look at the tire marks, looking for anything distinct to go on, but he was quick to straighten back up. They were long gone, with Caine he suspected. Just like the other attacks Steve had heard about. For some reason they were taking the packs Alphas. 

“Not too far off, why? Where are You and Y/N?” Natasha asked then and Steve confirmed where they were. “I will be right there.” 

“Just come right in, Bucky and everyone just hit this area, took off with Caine.” 

“Are you guys okay?” Her first concern being for you and Steve. 

“Were fine, Y/N is back at the cabin we were staying at and I followed Bucky’s trail to where it ended. They must be holed up somewhere nearby.” 

After hanging up, Steve took one last look around the area, and then headed back towards the compound. It would be a bit until Natasha showed up, and he knew he would have to talk to you now that his temper had calmed somewhat. 

<It was the best choice Steve, we don’t know what Bucky would have done to her if he got a hold of her.> 

That wasn't Bucky… or Clint, Wanda, Pietro… Steve thought, and the Alpha growled softly in agreement. They did something to them, controlling them. 

<The collars, they are stronger than the one Pierce used on Bucky before. You know what this is like… you have seen it before.>

Steve’s chest tightened, knowing exactly what the Alpha was talking about. Back in his days working with Howling Commandos they ran into a similar instance before. A group of renegade wolves making their way across Europe destroying not just other shifters, but humans as well in the most vicious way. They managed to disband most of them. 

The one that got away, he was the only one to break the control Hydra had on him. Steve recalled. 

<And you know where he returned to… maybe it's time we follow up on that lead and see if he is still alive.> 

It was something to consider Steve thought to himself as he made his way back to the cabin, easing the door open to the quiet of the cabin. The Alpha quieted in his mind as Steve let his senses open, feeling for you. He was quick to hear you shifting in the bed upstairs, rolling to your side and not actually getting any rest. An outward exhale of relief you were still safe escaped Steve as he started up the stairs. 

You heard Steve come into the house and pushed to sit up when he appeared in the doorway, his eyes roving you up and down, making you feel a bit small after the earlier altercation. Your legs curled up under you at the edge of the mattress, your hands folding into your lap as your head tipped, a typical submissive pose for either your mate of Alpha. “Oh Little One…” Steve started as he came into the bedroom, moving to kneel before you on the floor, his hands sliding along your folded knees and easing up along your bare thighs. “I only did it because I had to.” 

Your eyes lifted and a frown fluttered across your face. 

“Had to? Steve I’m your mate and partner, you can't just keep me safe all the time.” 

A soft growl rose up as he pressed his mouth to your knee, his eyes lifting with a tint of yellow in them, the Alpha so close to the surface while discussing your safety. “Can’t I? As your mate and Alpha, it's taking everything in me now not to bring you back home.” Your hands reached to cup his face, scraping slightly through his beard and spreading against his cheeks. A swipe of your thumb under his tired looking eyes. 

“You know I wouldn’t go Steve.” You wrinkled your nose at him slightly and he shifted to nip the top of your thighs, you moved to unfold your legs and let them drape off the edge of the bed, your foot rubbing against Steve's ribs gently. “I can’t just leave them.” 

“Still doesn’t change how I have the drive to keep you safe.” Another inhale against your thigh, light bite as Steve tasted you with a press of his tongue. “All I could think of is how I almost lost you with Pierce. Bucky is not Pierce, he's strong, more efficient, and dangerous because he’s being controlled.” 

Your knees pressed against his sides and your hold tightened on his jawline to lift him from your lap so he would look at you. “And what about you Alpha? What do you think it does to me when you rush off into danger and I can't be there with you?” You felt Steve's fingers dig slightly into your hips while your words sunk in, the yellow tinge backing away as his Alpha retreated and the crystal blue sharpened. You knew it would pain Steve to think that he had caused you any distress. The Little Wolf whined, her ears flattening while seeing all this being processed. 

Steve could feel the Alpha try to keep calm, respect the bond by waiting to be invited before going to his mate. Steve could imagine what you would feel being told to stay while he went into a dangerous situation. 

He knew what it did to him, the bile of fear raising up in his throat once more, it wasn't something he was familiar with. Fear didn't live in Steve’s body, not till he had you, then suddenly he really did have something to fear, losing you for good. That all was sunk down deep into him from the first time, maybe he had a problem he never knew he had. That worried him to be so irrational, he couldn't let it control him, because it would just end up pushing you away. 

Taking a dragging breath, he pushed up from where he was kneeling on the floor and sat next to you on the bed, you twisted to face him and crawl onto his lap till you were straddled, your arms around his neck, knowing that you had just ripped off a bandaid of sorts. “I’m sorry Little One, I put your safety first in my mind and nothing else. It will end up happening again.” 

Your forehead tipped to lean against his, sighing softly as your fingers trailed down the back of his neck and back up. 

“Steve, I'm not just your mate, I'm your partner. Where you go, I go to. You can't always keep me out of the way of what you deem dangerous.”

The silence stretched between you two, unable to give each other what the other wanted entirely here.

[unnuevosoltransformalarealidad]

I Hate To See Your Heartbreak

Summary: The guy you were dating broke your heart, your best friend came to your rescue 

Pairing: Crowley x Reader

Prompt: Square — Heartbreak for @spnvillainsbingo // Square — Crowley for Tell Me A Story Bingo for @supernatural-jackles

Warnings: Rated PG — Loneliness, sadness, heartbreak, torture (mention)

Word Count: 1932

A/N: I mean no disrespect or offense to any religion nor people who profess religion. This was based purely on my life experience.

^

When you started this new job you promised yourself that you didn’t want to find love, you just wanted to find good friends among coworkers. It wasn’t in your plans to know someone at “love level”.

In the beginning, you weren’t ready to “open up” with anyone, the only one who knew you, was your coworker Romi because she was the one who helped you get the job position. But after some time, you started to be comfortable around everyone. The team members for the project you were working on were the closest.

One day, when your coworker Tom arrived and came to greet you, you felt something that never felt before around him. It was difficult to explain but it was like a connection. You were confused, what exactly was that? you thought. You opened your last conversation with Crowley, your best friend, and you mentioned it. “Don’t get your hopes too high, love” Crowley texted you knowing you were already picturing a long-time relationship. He knew you too well, and you loved him for that.

Crowley and you met under weird circumstances. You were in college about to take a test and you were 100% sure you were going to fail it because you didn’t have the time to study everything. You started to panic about it when the power went off in the entire building. You thanked the one who listened to your prayers but the power came back after a second and your panic state got worse, you needed to leave the room.

-That’s it — you said to your Romi

-What? — she said — are you leaving?

-No, I’m selling my soul for not failing this. It’s the only way — you admitted

-Don’t overreact! You’ll be fine

The power went off and on again and there was a little note in front of you “We’ll talk about that offer later. Good luck with your exam. The King Of Hell” You didn’t understand what was going on. A minute later, your professor entered the room and told everyone that the exam was still happening. You sat for that exam knowing you’ve failed it before even starting it. That same night, you met Crowley personally, he was quite a character you found yourself attracted to him. After that, you became really good friends. He was such a gentleman for being a demon. He never mistreated you, he was always checking on you, taking care of you, so when you told him about this man you met he went on protective mode.

When you got back home after your little encounter with Tom, you found Crowley in your kitchen cooking for you.

-Hello darling — Crowley greeted you

-If I knew you were going to come, I would've cleaned up the mess— you said leaving your things

-Don't worry about it, you are too busy — he said and you kissed him on the cheek

You went to shower, you changed into more comfy clothes, and cleaned up your mess a little while Crowley was in the kitchen.

-You are too sweet with me, you know? — you said when he gave you your dinner

You knew why he was doing all of this and you didn't blame him. He did it because he was worried about you, he wanted to protect you. He knew you were going to end up hurt and he wanted to prevent it.

-This is delicious — you mumbled with your mouth full avoiding the topic he wanted to know

-So, who is this guy you're head over heels for?

-First, I’m not head over heels for him, and second, his name is Tom

-Tell me about him — he encouraged you

-What do you want to know? I don’t know much about him, I haven’t talked much with him yet

-Do you feel attracted by him? — he questioned

-I don’t know. Everything is weird — you sounded frustrated

-Weird how?

-I don’t know how to picture it. It’s like, we like each other but we are afraid to face it — you tried to explain and Crowley nodded

-My advice for you is to let time do its work. Don’t rush anything, okay? — you nodded

-I understand your worry, but I’m not planning on getting married to him. But what happened was weird, just that. I’ve never felt that with anyone — you admitted.

The rest of the night went well, having a nice conversation with Crowley. You really missed having those quiet nights with him.

As the days went by, your relationship with Tom grew a lot and you became closer, almost to the point of dating. Crowley disapproved of your relationship with Tom, he was always saying that he didn’t deserve you. For a moment you thought he was doing it because he was interested in you, that he was jealous, but you could’ve been mistaken.

Your relationship with Tom progressed and you started to get confused with your feelings. It was the first time you were getting “serious” with someone, yes you’ve dated guys before but no one was like him, caring, supportive, understanding, and such a sweetheart. You were falling for him and it scared the hell out of you. 

Crowley kept giving you pieces of advice regarding what was best to do and not to do, he recommended places to go on dates, but there was one problem. You didn’t have conversational topics to talk about. You were seeing the man Mondays through Fridays and when you were on dates over the weekend, there was no topic to talk about. So, here you were getting confused with your feelings with someone whose relationship was getting cold because there was almost no conversation between each other.

One day you got home from work wasted and stressed out.

-Crowley, I need… — you weren’t able to finish the sentence that Crowley was already there

-What’s the matter darling? Why are you wasted? You did not have fun with your colleagues?

-No, it’s not that. I had fun, hence me being wasted. The problem is Tom

-What do..?

-That’s the problem — You interrupted him and he looked at you confused — He doesn’t do anything

-What do you mean? — He asked you handing you some water

-He says he likes me, that he wants to be with me, that he enjoys spending time with me, but he doesn’t want to have a relationship, and I don’t know how to feel — you said on the verge of tears

-Oh darling — Crowley said and hugged you — It’s okay. Don’t worry, give it some time, this is too recent to see if you’re ready to be together or not — you sighed and laid on his lap falling asleep instantly

You knew that Crowley was right, but still, it hurt you knowing that he wasn’t interested in you. Because it was that, you weren’t that interesting to be someone’s girlfriend. 

The following days, you tried to avoid Tom and kept your distance from him, you were hurt. Crowley noticed your behavior so he moved in with you, to make sure weren’t neglecting yourself. He knew you weren’t going to tell him how you felt so he needed to see it. You tried to be strong when he was around you, only crying in the shower, writing your feelings, keeping yourself distracted, but he was Crowley, the King of Hell, he was able to know how you were feeling even if you weren’t in the same room. 

-What is it? — He asked you?

-Nothing — you said sitting on the couch

-What’s getting you so frustrated?

-I don’t want to talk about it

-Is it Tom, right? — you huffed

Crowley sat next to you and pulled an arm around your shoulders

-Did he do something? Did he say something?

You remained silent

-Tell me, darling, I can’t see you like this

You look at Crowley with teary eyes. You’re about to talk but a sob scapes

-Oh honey — he said hugging you tightly

Once you were more calmed, you changed your position and looked at Crowley in the eyes

-He said that he wasn’t ready to start a relationship, that he felt that I was falling hard for him too fast and that he needed to get back to his religion because he needed to “change”

Crowley looked at you thinking what he should say to not make you feel worse

-Do you think he is right? — you looked at him surprised and ready to shout at him — That this was going too fast? — you laid back on the couch thinking

-Maybe, I don’t know, I’m not sure — you explained — The thing is that when I asked him about it, he didn’t say anything, he told me he was ok with this.

-He is religious?

-Yes, I don’t know which religion he professes, but yeah, he believes in God

-And he knows you are not into religion?

-Yes, I even told him why

-And he still wanted to be with you? — you nodded

-He explained to me that he was very religious when he was younger and then he decided to stop practicing because he wanted to “experience” life, but now he feels the need to come back

-And how do you feel about it?

-I mean, is his decision, and I’m not going to become a part of his religion to be with him. Besides, he said that I was a witch for believing in astrology and all that stuff

-I see. Why the tears then? — Crowley asked you

-Because I ca…

-He called you a witch? That’s it, I’m going to send one of my people to get him

-No love, please. Why the bother? It’s okay, I’m not going to text him anymore, I’m just going to say hi and goodbye when I’m at the office. I promise

A few weeks later, you received a text message from Tom asking you to meet him after work because he needed to talk to you.

After work, you met him in the little park that was near the office. He seemed to be scared, almost paranoid like if someone was spying on him. He explained to you he was sorry for the way the things between you two ended and that he shouldn’t have judged you because you didn’t say anything when he told you he was religious. He gave you one last kiss and left almost running, he seemed to be in a hurry. You were very confused, he never behaved in that way with you, like being scared to get caught, stuttering the words, afraid of saying the wrong thing. He looked like he was scared of you. That’s when it hit you, Crowley did something to him, and by the way he was looking behind his back, you knew there were some of his demons around. You left the park and went back home with Crowley, he ended up moving with you permanently.

When you arrived home, Crowley had the bath ready for you, dinner already cooking and a chocolate cake ready for when you finished your bath.

-I know what you did, love. I really appreciate it, but it wasn’t necessary the torture — you said hugging him

-I didn’t torture him, I just scare him a little

-A little? — you giggled — he looked like paranoid

-Well, that’s what he gets for hurting my girl — he kissed your forehead

Tag List (Is open, let me know if you want to be added)

@iguessweallcrazyithinktho | @thevelvetseries | @bitchy-witchy-post-mortem | @mrspeacem1nusone | @caplanbuckybarnes | 

[dysfunctionalonyx]

Until you’ve walked my walk and talked my talk and thought my thought, don’t act like you know me.

My whole entire life I’ve been either tossed to the side, handed off to a different somebody, or mistreated then soon abandoned like as if I was such a burden. I’ve never had so much trust put into someone as I recently did, and for me breaking down a solid piece of my wall I’ve built so sturdy and unbreakable just to be made out to look like I’m blind is just so hurtful. The last time I gave all my trust, out of anger was thrown back in my face and just made my feelings irrelevant.

I’ve never had a “home” to go to. That “safe haven” to run to when I want to turn off my mind and shut out the outside world. Everyone has a person, and that person is someone who no matter what doesn’t look at you as an embarrassment if you do something foolish, or looks at you like you’re crazy or moody or psycho, only like a human who has feelings and emotions, or has nothing but love for you and cares about if you’re in school or work the next day cuz you bring that person happiness. I’ve never had that, never knew what that felt like or what it even was or how it was described. Until 7 years ago, when I was at my lowest and had nothing but dodgeballs and broken hearts coming at my body. My high school sweetheart was a cheating low life who knocked me up my senior year and left me questioning everything. On and off games for 2 years or whatever. “My person” walked into my life when I least expected it….

As I was walking out of Walmart with a friend and his nephew my name was thrown out of a mouth that I recognized but also have not talked to in years. He was so sweet, considerate, understanding, loving, worried about if I was okay, perfect, so handsome…oh my gosh so dreamy and I just couldn’t get enough of him. At the same time didn’t wanna run him away so I kept distance. I fell in love with him. So hard and so fast. He WAS my future husband…..or so I thought. We’ve had ups and downs, hills and holes, but our love only grew stronger…at least I can say mine did.

Butterflies never left. I was always so excited to see him or hear from him. When his name popped up on my phone I swear I just couldn’t stop smiling ear to ear. This happened for years and years. He legit brought life to me. He made me feel like I had a purpose and place. Like I was someone, and not just anyone but his everything. Then a pandemic happened, his friends happened, our relationship got the aftermath and now I’m crying all day everyday with thoughts of why I’m not enough or what have I done who wrong to lose my person.

I wish he’d listen to me again. I wish I caught his attention like everyone in his phone. I wish he’d stop doing what he’s doing just to look at me or kiss me or just grab me and tell me how much he loves me. I haven’t had that happen in a while and I actually miss it. I miss him making me feel important and special. Since day one that’s all I’ve done for him and even now, even after he’s made me feel low af I make him feel loved witj engraved gifts or expensive ass want. And me? What do I get? My self esteem and confidence pounded all the way down to the ground and spit on and stepped all over. It’s not fair. It’s not okay. And I know I don’t deserve that but I can’t help to think I do….

[buriednurbckyrd]

The Breakup Box (3)

Not here, was her first thought.  It was too personal, too intimate to have the conversation when she slept.  But where?  What could be neutral ground but also private enough that no one else could overhear what needed to be said?  

“The water,” she blurted out.  “I mean...”  She paused and swallowed the lump in her throat.  “Yes.  We do need to talk, but can you meet me over by the water in a few minutes?”  Bucky's face remained impassive but Steve nodded.  

“Okay, five minutes.  We'll meet you there.”  He started to turn but Bucky held his arm out to stop him.

“So you can have a chance to bolt?  I don't think so, we'll go together.”

“Come on, Buck.”  Steve sighed.  

“No, that's fair.”  Y/N said quietly.  “I wasn't going to leave,” she shot Bucky a pleading look as if silently begging him to believe her.  “But I haven't exactly given either of you reason to trust me not to.”  She turned and took a zippered hoodie from her closet and slipped it on.  There was a chill around her and she expected it would linger until the air was cleared.  Knowing they would follow behind, she started walking.  

What would she even say?  Before she had seen them she thought she had known.  It was completely foreign experience for her.  There were never awkward silences between the three of them, she could tell them anything and everything.  Hadn't Bucky been willing to share the darkest parts of his past?  And Steve was always telling her stories of their childhood, good and bad.  She hesitated for a moment at the door, overwhelmed by the onslaught of emotions.  Fear licked up her spine and her entire body went numb with it.    

“Y/N?” Steve touched her shoulder gently and it jolted her back to reality. She shoved the door open and forced her legs to continue to move. Her chest tightened and she fought the urge to hyperventilate and kept her breaths deep and even.  She realized the only thing she wanted was one of their hugs which never failed to make her feel safe and secure.  Another icy shard bloomed in her belly at the thought.  She prayed after it was over that could still be an option.  

They followed her to the casual seating area by the large pond on the property.  The late afternoon sun gleamed over the water.  It was tranquil and quiet.  Y/N was too full of anxious energy to sit so she paced.  Steve nudged Bucky with his elbow.

“Be patient, okay?”  He said quietly.  “She's here, that's half the battle.  Let her go at her own pace.”  Bucky replied with an annoyed sound, but he made no move to prod Y/N along.  

“Could you, I don't know…just sit down or something?”  She finally said after a long silence.  “You're making me more nervous standing like that.”  Steve settled down on a bench and gestured at Bucky to join him.  She stopped in front of them and looked up.  “I don't even know where to begin.”  She told them, misery written all over her face.  

“Could start with an apology.”  Bucky muttered under his breath and grunted when Steve kicked his shin.  

“I really do apologize for how I acted,” she wrung her hands together.  “Neither of you did anything wrong and I should have just been honest.”  She pressed her fingers over her eyes, refusing to cry.  “I'm so, so sorry.  I've been dealing with a lot of shit but there's no excuse for treating either of you like I did.”  Steve leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.  

“What happened, Y/N?  I just want to understand.”  He looked over at the other man.  “We want to understand.”  

“Short story?  I got dumped.  And before that, I was totally humiliated.” Bucky crossed his arms.

“Gonna need the long story, sweetheart.”  The pet name, however briskly delivered gave her a small flame of hope.  

“I figured.”  She began to pace again.  “I was a fucking idiot.  I planned this whole getaway because I couldn't see what was right in front of me.  And that's embarrassing enough on its own, but it gets worse.  I told him, hey, you always plan our dates let me do this. Booked a fancy hotel room, probably the nicest place I've ever stayed in my whole life.  Tony helped me get a reservation at this amazing new sushi restaurant, which I thought would be such a great surprise since he had mentioned wanting to try it when it opened.  

And like a chump I didn't notice how antsy he was about it all.  Disappeared when I checked us in.  Practically sprinted to the room.”  She let out a bitter laugh.  “Tried to sweet talk me out of going to dinner.  Which I almost fell for, but I had a brand new dress and I wanted to wear it.  I wanted to go eat world class cuisine with my boyfriend and feel like a princess.”  She chewed on her thumbnail. “Everything went smooth a silk.  I felt pretty, the food was incredible, so far it was a perfect night.  Then on our way out he suddenly turns green.  Not because the food didn't agree with him, but because we run into a group of his friends.  And introduces me as a client.”  

“Excuse me?”  Steve sounds stunned.  

“Yup. Not his girlfriend of nearly ten months.  A client of the company he works for.”  

“Why?” Bucky demands.  

“Oh believe me, as soon as we were alone I asked.  Kind of wish I didn't.”  She gestured at her body.  “Because of this.  Because according to him, I don't look like a believable romantic partner for him.”  

“You're fucking joking.”  

“Hand to god, Buck.  I have more stamina than he could ever hope to achieve, not to mention the fact that I could literally hand him his own ass.  But because I don't look a certain way, don't meet some set of societal standards I wasn't good enough to be seen with him by people he knew.  Then all those nagging little red flags were suddenly clear as day.  He always took me to obscure little places.  Never any place popular or busy if we went out.  Most of the time he invited me to his place for dinner and I thought it was sweet and romantic that he wanted to cook for me. He made me into a fool.”

“Please tell me you don't believe that,”  Steve stood up and grabbed her hands.  “Y/N, you're one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen in my life, inside and out.  That guy is the one that should be ashamed.”  She smiled softly and drew her hands back.  

“Thanks. I know he's the one that's lacking.  He's the one that isn't good enough for me.  But it doesn't mean that it didn't sting.”  She blew out a long breath. “Him coming back to the hotel to drop of that box of my belongings was a pretty big slap in the face too.  Just let all the hotel staff know how stupid I was.”  

“Stop saying that,” Bucky finally spoke up.  “I can't stand it when you put yourself down.”  

“Sorry,” she scrubbed her hands over her face.  “I know it's a bad habit.”

“Y/N, why didn't you end it then and there?  Why did you let him break it off?”  Steve asked.

“Because I was a coward, don't argue with me right now Bucky, I was.  And even though he was wrong about almost everything he wasn't about the biggest issue.”  Her heart started to race, was she actually going to do this?  

“What issue?”  Bucky prompted.  She looked at the both of them, eyes sad.

“I didn't really want to be with him.  If I had, I never would have overlooked all the ways he mistreated me, disrespected me.  Every resentment and accusation just spilled out then, and there was absolutely nothing I could do or say because it was all true.”  She couldn't stop the tears any more, and it felt like weakness.  “Shit, I wasn't going to cry.  I'm not trying to get pity or anything.”

“Didn't think that for a second.”  Bucky said softly, his heart ached for his friend.  

“Everything is my fault,” she said bitterly.  “I did the only thing I promised I would never do, I lied.  To him, to myself.”  She choked on a sob.  “To both of you.”  Steve reached out for her.  “No, don't.”

“What are you talking about?  What did you lie about?”  His blue eyes were so full of concern.  She shook her head violently.  

“I can't tell you!”  She yelled.  “But I can't not tell you either!”

“Y/N, please whatever it is-”  

“I can't be around you anymore and keep it in, that's why I keep running away.  But if I tell you and lost you both I couldn't bear it!” She held her head in her hands and trembled.  Both men tried to get a hold of her but she dodged them.

“There's nothing you could say that would make us walk away from you.” Bucky said in a thick voice.  

“He's right, you're our girl, Y/N.”  Steve meant it to be comforting but it only upset her more.  

“Am I though?”  She wiped her eyes furiously.  “Because I love you.” She looked at them both, and her shoulders slumped.  “I'm in love with you, both of you.”  Steve and Bucky could only stare at her in shock.  “That's why I kept running, I can't keep all this,” she pressed her hands over her heart.  “Locked away anymore.  I was hoping maybe I could get it under control, but I can't.  Being around you both is so overwhelming.  I don't deserve your forgiveness because it was selfish.  It's selfish telling you, and I never wanted to put you in this position.”  

“Y/N...” Steve reached for her again.  

“I don't expect anything.”  Her voice was flat, as if all the wind had gone out of her sails.  “You have each other and all I want is you to be happy together.”  She gasped when Bucky's vibranium hand closed over her wrist, pulling her roughly towards him.  His other hand was warm and gentle when it cupped her cheek, and before she knew what was happening his lips were on hers.  When he pulled away her eyes were as big as saucers. “What?”  Steve swept in before she could finish her thought and kissed her too, holding her against his body.  

“Our girl.”  He murmured into her ear.  She found herself sandwiched between the two of them.  

“You always were.”  Bucky told her and she could the smile in his voice.

next

[sunflowerhoney]

I’m sorry this is so late...I had so many things going on and the ugly case of writer’s block but here it is...longer than just a drabble this time 💞 hope you had a wonderful birthday, darling 🌺

It’s a lovely morning when Gwendolyn wakes up next to her special woman. Birds are chirping and the sun shines through the sheer lace curtains. Mildred stirs suddenly and rolls over in Gwendolyn’s arms. The brunette rubs her eyes open and smiles tiredly at the blonde. She yawns before she can say anything.

“Happy birthday, darling,” Gwendolyn murmurs into her favorite lady’s ear. Her lips graze Mildred’s temple, cheek, chin, and finally pause on her mouth. They kiss hungrily. Mildred moans as Gwendolyn explores her mouth with soft swipes of her tongue and the younger woman’s breath hitches when the older of the two bites her lower lip softly. Mildred tangles her fingers in Gwendolyn’s locks and pulls her closer as they continue making out passionately.

“Thank you, sweetheart...” Mildred gasps out once they take a moment to catch their breaths. “It’s the best one I’ve ever had, and we’re not even eating yet!”

“Hm...that reminds me.” Gwendolyn sits up and pushes the covers off herself. She strokes Mildred’s hair and then rests her hand on her girlfriend’s cheek, stroking her thumb against it from side to side. “My love, I’m going to get breakfast made for us, but then I’m baking a cake...now what flavor would you like?”

Mildred squeezes her hand and looks down bashfully. “Oh, Gwen, you don’t have to-“

She gets out of bed. “I want to...but only if it’s okay with you, of course.”

“Why?” Mildred looks at her, puzzled.

“Sweetness, because I adore you. I cherish you with every fiber of my being. Everyone deserves to have cake on their birthday if they’re a decent human being, and you are far beyond that...you’re amazing and I take genuine pleasure in spoiling you.”

“Fair enough.” Mildred giggles. “I’m talking to a lady who makes me breakfast in bed almost every morning. Many of them contain chocolate chip banana blueberry pancakes or waffles with coffee the way I like it, milk, creamer, and whipped cream!” She beams up at Gwendolyn. “Um...yellow cake with chocolate frosting!”

The light feeling blossoms within Gwendolyn. “That sounds delicious! What did you want to do for the rest of the day?”

“Take a stroll along the beach, then a picnic for lunch...fine dining tonight complete with margaritas, and cake, of course!” Mildred responds cheerfully.

“Oh, what a wonderful plan!” Gwendolyn sighs happily as she takes Mildred in. “My goodness, I love waking up next to such beauty every morning, and such a kind hearted soul!”

“As do I, my darling.”

“Isn’t that my pet name for you?” Gwendolyn teases her.

Mildred swats at her playfully.

“I’ll resume my pampering.” Gwendolyn lifts Mildred’s hand and kisses her knuckles before leaving their room. She wants to surprise Mildred with a meal she’s never made, but Mildred sometimes orders it when they go out for breakfast.

“Egg omelette with cheese, bell peppers, and ham!” Mildred squeals when Gwendolyn carries the plates full of food and beverages into their room. “Thank you so much, honey!” The younger woman scoots herself up to a sitting position and waves it over.

“You’re very welcome, dear!” Gwendolyn sets it in her lap and takes a spot beside her. They share a hot, open-mouthed kiss before starting to eat their meal and sip their drinks.

While Gwendolyn makes Mildred her cake, the latter takes a shower and puts on a yellow casual dress for her special day. She wears makeup and twists her hair into a bun before putting on a white sunhat. She goes downstairs and stops at the doorway of the kitchen to hear Gwendolyn humming cheerfully while sliding her cake into the oven.

A lump forms in Mildred’s throat, for she’s never actually celebrated her birthday with anyone. Anna, her caseworker, gave her cake, but never fostered her. The others who had, just treated the day like nothing. After only one time of doing so, she had learned never to speak of it again. Blinking her tears back, she comes up to Gwendolyn and puts her arms around the blonde’s waist from behind.

Gwendolyn makes a noise of surprise. “Oh, darling, hello, I didn’t hear you arrive.” She turns in Mildred’s embrace and hugs her back.

“I’m sorry that I frightened you. My footsteps aren’t very loud.”

“You don’t need to apologize,” Gwendolyn assures her. She gives Mildred a fond peck on the lips and her blue eyes stare lovingly into Mildred’s brown eyes.

Mildred grins at her love and twirls her fingers around the blonde, messy tendrils that frame Gwendolyn’s beautiful face. “I know...it’s just a habit.”

Gwendolyn smiles at her sadly, remembering when Mildred had told her how mistreated she had been in her youth. “Mm-hm. You look beautiful today, but you always do, every time I lay my eyes on you.”

“Thank you, sweetheart. So do you!”

“Your compliment is much appreciated, but I’m going to take a shower, okay? I love you.”

“I love you too,” Mildred responds, beaming with joy.

After Gwendolyn curls her hair to perfection, she puts it in a half-up style and dresses in a sky blue button-up shirt and black trousers. She sets her matching beret on her head and applies eyeliner, eyeshadow, mascara, and bright red lipstick. “Well?” she asks, spinning around adorably.

Mildred chuckles. “Absolutely glamorous!”

“Thank you!”

As soon as Gwendolyn takes the cake out of the oven, she lets it cool. Mildred eyes it hungrily. They pack their lunches and then Gwendolyn shoos Mildred out. “How I decorate the cake should be a surprise until after dinner tonight!” she claims.

“I couldn’t agree with you more!”

Gwendolyn helps Mildred into her coat and then puts her own on. She holds her hand out for Mildred to take. “Shall we go, princess?”

Mildred grabs it. “Yes, my girl.”

On their stroll along the beach, they’re holding hands, talking, and laughing as the waves crash against the shore. They’re carrying their picnic baskets and gazing at each other with so much adoration. “Do you notice how the sun glitters on the sea?” Gwendolyn asks.

Mildred nods and she’s smiling so hard that her cheeks hurt. “It’s beautiful...but it hardly compares with how pretty you are.”

Gwendolyn’s eyes sparkle like sapphires as she grins. “My darling, you’re too sweet.”

The brunette shakes her head. “No, that would be you.” She kneels down and lays out a red and white checkered blanket. “This spot is lovely, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it sure is!” The blonde sits with her and they eat while watching the enchanted, greenish-blue ocean. It’s hardly warm enough to actually swim, but they do enjoy taking photos of it and each other.

When their lunch is finished, they put the containers away and lay on the blanket together, cuddling under the magnificent sky until it grows dark. They watch the sunset as the clear moon rises and then, they see stars. Gwendolyn shivers a bit and that’s when Mildred knows that their pleasant stay out here must end and they need to go somewhere inside. “You’re cold, honey,” she points out.

“Yes, it’s getting chilly,” Gwendolyn agrees. “Let’s get to that restaurant!”

“Okay!” Mildred says excitedly.

Gwendolyn drives them to a Mexican place and they order margaritas and cheese enchiladas with rice, refried beans, mild salsa, guacamole, chicken, and sour cream. It’s all so delicious and their heads are buzzing with the alcohol. It’s such an excellent sensation and Gwendolyn pays for the meal.

“Thank you for such a wonderful day,” Mildred tells her softly.

“You’re welcome, but it isn’t over yet,” Gwendolyn murmurs, winking at her. “Hey...isn’t every day splendid with me?” she teases.

“Of course it is!”

They both giggle in harmony.

At home, Gwendolyn has Mildred sit at the brown table in the dining room and then she dims the lights. She goes into the kitchen and lights ten candles that she’s plopped into the cake - three years for each one. She begins singing Happy Birthday as she enters the living room, holding the platter of cake. Mildred’s face glows with extreme happiness as Gwendolyn places it down in front of her.

“Happy birthday, dear Mildred, happy birthday to you!” she finishes crooning.

Mildred claps and cheers. She puts her hand to her chest. “Aw, thank you so much, Gwen! Chocolate frosting with my name in pink letters and a blue heart beside it and yellow flowers...my favorite design ever!”

Smiling, Gwendolyn takes a picture of a beaming Mildred with her cake. “The pleasure is mine, my sweetest darling girl. Now, make a wish!”

Mildred closes her eyes and inhales. A few moments later, she blows out her candles and Gwendolyn claps for her. They exchange a liplock and then remove the candles before the wax melts into the frosting. “Wouldn’t you like to know what my wish was?”

“Don’t tell me, or it won’t come true!” Gwendolyn warns her.

Mildred smirks. “Yeah, I better not.”

“Now...hold on one moment, before I forget...I have a gift for you!” Gwendolyn runs up the steps and grabs the present she’s about to give Mildred. She goes downstairs to find Mildred seated on the couch. She hands Mildred the neatly wrapped box and watches in anticipation as her girlfriend opens it.

The younger woman squeals, holding up her elegant diamond necklace. “Oh my! Gwen…thank you.”

“My pleasure. Can I help you put it on?”

Mildred nods, beaming. So Gwendolyn does, and ever so delicately, too. Mildred giggles as Gwendolyn’s fingernails lightly brush the back of her neck as she does the clasp. The pendant sits in the valley of Mildred’s cleavage and it looks amazing. She gazes at her reflection in the mirror. “Wow, it’s truly gorgeous!”

“I’m glad you love it, sweetheart.” Gwendolyn hugs her from behind and Mildred returns the gesture. “Would you like to dance?”

“Sure, but...there’s no music playing.”

“I’m about to change that!” Gwendolyn strides to the record player and begins a slow, romantic song. She starts swaying with Mildred, swirling her around their living room floor, and then dipping her as the brunette cracks up with pure, unbridled joy. Gwendolyn joins in and then, their lips touch. She brings Mildred back up and holds her gaze.

Their arms wrapped around each other, they kiss over and over again without abandon.

OH MY GOSH THIS IS LITERALLY THE CUTEST EVER!!!! Thank you so, so much you are so awesome and this is truly amazing!!! 🥺

Gwen making Mildred a birthday cake!!! That is too cute!! Mildred deserves a happy birthday with her love after everything, this was so so cute and well written and so them!!

Thank you so, so much again and thank you for the birthday wishes!! I’m so sorry I’m a bit late posting but I appreciate you a lot!! 💖 ☺️

[roi-des-voleurs]

The Cats Out of the Bag || Self Para

Summary: Remy takes on a job to steal a package for a crime boss, and ends up with some unexpected new friends

Word Count: 2085

Warnings: A little violence and some allusions to animal neglect/mistreatment

Takes place prior to the travel ban being instated. Not that it would have applied to Remy, but after this, he definitely would have chosen to stay at home for a while!

Though he treaded the mostly straight and narrow these days, Remy did still do thievery jobs from time to time, if the money and the job was right. He would never steal from someone who could not afford or did not deserve it. But when one crime boss contacted him and asked him to steal from another crime boss? Yeah, that would work. And if they went at each other later, would that be a real loss? Remy did not think so. Besides, if any of them rubbed him the wrong way, he could always drop an anonymous tip to the police.

"So dis package? What's in it?" he inquired after agreeing to the job. He was aware it would be something illegally acquired, but he was not keen on picking up weapons or something else which could be used to hurt innocent people later on.

"I'm not paying you to ask questions, thief. Just do your job," snapped the crime boss.

Clearly Remy should not have expected civility, or an explanation. But most people usually let him know what he was going to steal, just to make sure he got it right. That made him more leery of what he was going after, but he was willing to give a little leeway for now. Hopefully he could get a chance to peek at the contents of the package before having to deliver it, and thus could choose not to deliver it if it was something too questionable.

"Pardon, pardon." Remy held up his hands, showing he would remain silent for now. "Jus' askin'. Ok, I'll have it here at ten tomorrow night."

"And not a minute later. Otherwise you'll regret it."

Hmm, definitely not a flexible customer. And probably up to more than just pissing off his rival. But Remy said nothing; instead he bowed politely and backed out of the office. Now he was quite curious as to what he was going to steal, and definitely ready to give the police an anonymous tip if things went south.

~*~*~*~

The target building was a warehouse, naturally. And it was guarded, naturally. But then the crime boss would not have hired one of the best in the business if this was simple snatch and grab, so Remy had expected no less. Still, unless there were guards stationed on the roof, things might still be pretty simple. 

Leaping from the roof of the building next door, he landed noiselessly on the roof of the warehouse and headed for the nearest skylight.

Equally quietly, Remy worked to slip the glass out of the opening, smirking to himself when it came off easily. As he set it aside, however, a shadow suddenly fell over him. "Ah, maybe not quite so easily, den," he muttered, correctly assuming a guard had come up.

"Stand up--slowly--and raise your hands. Otherwise I'll be kickin' you down into that hole," came the gruff voice behind him. 

"Don't t'ink I can argue wit' dat, homme."

Remy did indeed start to stand slowly...before halting and whipping his leg around to knock the man behind him off his feet. Caught off guard, he toppled backwards, mercifully not making as much of a thud as he could have. He was not quite knocked out, though, so Remy gave him a whack to the head, putting him out of commission. 

"Still not much o' a challenge," Remy commented before slipping into the open skylight and lowering himself down with a cable. 

Once he dropped down to the floor, he unhooked the cable and started off towards the office, where his client had assured him the package would be. Glancing up, Remy saw there were cameras around, but he was good at blending into the shadows, and he fancied he could make it to the office without getting noticed.

He was not wrong. When he was almost to the office, Remy smirked at having done so unnoticed--until he glimpsed into the window of the security room and saw the guard watching the video feed was sound asleep. Though he was glad that would make things really easy, he had to confess to being a little disappointed that he would never know for sure how well he had avoided the cameras. Oh well. C'est la vie.

Creeping towards the office, Remy found it was, naturally, locked. He did know how to pick a lock, but since there clearly was no one watching, he went for the quicker option--touching the lock, giving it a small charge, and opening the door once it sizzled and gave a small pop.

Remy had not been sure what he would find inside, so he was glad when he saw that his prize was sitting right on the desk. Without hesitation, he picked it up, though he paused when he thought he heard the sound of rustling within it. Yet he did not really have time to wonder about it now, so Remy strapped the box to his back and slipped out of the office. 

Judging by the sound of voices coming from nearby, the sleeping guard had woken either of his own volition or by someone else's, which meant Remy needed to go--and fast. Hurrying back to his cable, he climbed back up, pulling it up along with him. When he climbed out of the skylight, he could see guards gathering below, and he rolled onto the roof just in time to avoid the first shot. The initial guard he had encountered was still knocked out, so Remy waved at his prone form before taking off, getting away onto the other building before the rest of the guards had a chance to muster the search. 

~*~*~*~

Once back at his apartment, Remy set the package down and observed it. As he had made his escape, he became more convinced there were noises coming from within it, so he knew he was going to have to take a look inside. Gazing at it now, he could see small air holes cut into the box, which meant there was a living thing inside. And despite not being a weapon, that seemed like something he would have second thoughts about delivering.

Slowly, he opened the top and peered down into the box--and saw three small cats peering up at him. One white, one grey and one orange.

"Mon Dieu...chats?" Remy breathed. 

The cats did not move at first, but the longer they looked at him, the more curious they became, and soon all three were attempting to climb out of the box.

"Aw, you wanna come out, mes amis?" Smiling, Remy proceeded to take them out one by one, smiling more as they did not hesitate to start crawling onto him. "Hey, you sure a rambunctious lot! What were you doin' in dere anyway?" Were they valuable? He could not imagine why else the crime boss had been after them. But he was certain of one thing. Remy was not going to give the cats up without a fight.

"Don' worry, garçons, I ain't gonna let anythin' bad happen t' you," he said, rubbing two of the cats behind the ears, "I'll jus' hafta have some words wit' a certain client, an' den we'll see if we can't find somebody t' take you in, hein?"

The cats he was rubbing purred, and the one who was not being rubbed promptly pushed his way in to try and get similiar treatment. Chuckling, Remy said, "Sacre, I only got deux hands! You'll hafta wait your turn, glouton!" His chiding did not dissuade the cat, who only started to rub his head against Remy's hand more in response. He chuckled again and started to rub him, making sure to give all of them a scratch in turn. They were such sweethearts. What did that connard want with them? Well, whatever had happened to put these poor little guys in his crosshairs, Remy was damn well going to get to the bottom of it. 

~*~*~*~

"So, care t' explain dis?" 

Remy was standing in front of the desk in the office of his "client," with the box sitting on said desk, open to allow the cats to peer out at the crime boss just as accusingly as Remy was doing.

"You weren't supposed to open it, asshole!" the man fumed, "I contracted you to retrieve it and bring it to me--no questions asked, and no looking at the merchandise!"

"Merchandise! Dese are livin' creatures!" Remy fumed. Ok, animals sold in pet stores were technically merchandise, but he was pretty damn sure no one who worked in a pet store would refer to them so callously. 

"They are merchandise. I make money off of them, and I don't appreciate when they are stolen from me. That fucker is lucky that I only had them stolen back, because I could have made things much more unpleasant for him. And I still might."

So that was it. Illegal animal sales were part of his crime racket. And obviously his rival's as well, if he had stolen the cats originally. And now Remy had delivered them back to a jerk who did not give a shit about the cats. He only cared how much money he could make off of them. That was not what he had been expecting when he had taken on this job.

"So you sell dem, den," Remy said, more a statement than a question.

"Uh, what did I just say, dipshit?" The crime boss frowned. "You keep asking questions and you're not gonna see any of the money we agreed on."

"Keep it."

"What?"

"Keep it," said Remy, more firmly this time, "I don' wanna get paid for havin' any part in somet'ing so cruel."

"Cruel? What, you worried about the poor widdle kitties? What the hell kinda thief are you?"

"De kind wit' a heart, homme. Lots o' dem, in fact." His cards were in his pocket, but if he charged any of them now, he might hurt the cats. "But tonight's your lucky night. You won' get t' see 'em, 'cause I'm gonna let you off easy."

The crime boss and his two thugs by the door all laughed.

"Oh, that's mighty generous of you, sir. So generous that I just might repay you in kind," the crime boss said, shaking his head.

Remy noticed the movement of the thugs, and he was quick enough to dodge the first. But the second landed a punch to his stomach, and when he doubled over in pain, the first landed a punch to his jaw. Remy fell backwards, but the thugs grabbed him and pulled him back to his feet as the crime boss approached them.

"Looks like you might get off easy too, because I'm going to let you live." Then, to the thugs he said, "Show him the way out."

They nodded and dragged Remy out of the office and out of the warehouse, dumping him unceremoniously on the pavement outside. He groaned at the fresh wave of pain from the fall, taking a while before managing to get back on his feet again. He glared at the now closed door of the warehouse, angry at the assault on him but feeling much worse about having been tossed out before he could retrieve the cats. There were a hell of a lot of mistakes he had made in his life, but this one at least he could correct. Smirking a bit despite his pain, Remy staggered off, muttering, "Maybe you...ain't gonna get off so easy after all, connard."

~*~*~*~

Later that evening, acting on an anonymous tip, the police raided the warehouse, arresting the crime boss and his thugs and confiscating hordes of stolen merchandise...except for a box containing three cats.

That was safely in Remy's arms as he watched the scene from a roof a short distance away. Hearing a meow, he looked down to see one of the cats trying to paw open the box. Chuckling, he lifted the flap and waved at them. 

"Don' worry, mes amis, you'll be outta dere soon." He had been planning to take them to a shelter, but the more time Remy spent with them, the more he began to change his mind. They were growing on him, and now he did not think he wanted to let them go. In fact, he knew he did not want to. Smiling down at the cats, he said, "Come on, garçons, let's go home."

[laceymorganwrites]

Soothe me

Word Count: 1,638

Pairing: Kidd x reader

Warnings: swearing, angst

A/N: SPOILERS FOR WANO AND WHAT HAPPENS TO KILLER!!!

Also fun fact: I wrote this in School today

Kidd didn´t have an easy life so far, hell it was far from it, really.

He was doomed from the very start of his existence, born into a cold, cruel world ruled by selfish equally cruel bastards.

His mother didn´t even want him in the first place, her pregnancy was an accident.

Of course that wasn´t her fault, she loved Kidd very much in her own way, she tried at least.

She tried to keep him alive and give him the best of the shitty situation he was born into.

Born into an unimportant, neglected island that barely survived with the little crops they had.

Clean water was scarce, the people were dirty and filthy, greedy and abusive.

And yet people still wondered how he ended up the way he did.

When he was a child, Kidd didn´t have time to view the world through the innocent eyes of a child, he learned the true face of the world from a young age on.

His mother had to do shameful things to keep him alive, to raise little money she would spend on meek food for her son.

Kidd thought badly of his mother when he was young, he felt rage whenever she let herself be beaten up by the bastards who took her and didn´t pay for it. Why didn´t she defend herself? He wouldn´t understand it until he was in the same situation years later.

No wonder her eyes became empty and distant over the years. If only he showed more sympathy for her back then, maybe things would have ended up more nicely this way.

But it was too late for that now, far too late, he didn´t even know if she was still alive.

A part of him hoped she was, he wanted to see her again, apologize. Yet another part wished she died only to be released from the world that didn´t deserve her.

Kidd promised to himself that he´d never go back to that cursed place and he made Killer promise the same thing to him too.

Killer.

The massacre soldier. His best friend. The reason Kidd was still alive. He didn´t know what He´d do without him.

Killer was the one who saved him from that dump of an island, he fed him and gave him all the rugs he could find only for Kidd to survive. He was the one who saved the redhead from his miserable life.

He was the only one who didn´t laugh at Kidd whenever he went on about becoming a pirate, sailing the world and cleansing it from evil.

Of course the fucker called life had different plans. Life didn´t want Kidd to succeed, so save people, to be kind and handsome. No. Life made Kidd into a vengeful asshole who was always angry and killed for fun.

Kidd wasn´t one to cry at every single mishap that happened to him. Hell he deserved every single one of it and would spend the rest of his life in tears if he would. But sometimes shit was just too much.

Killer was the only person who has ever seen his captain cry. And that was because he was the only person who could calm him down from his thoughts and panic attacks.

And again Kidd´s mind wandered to Killer.

He didn´t think he´d see his best friend that wrecked when he finally found him.

Kidd was never as angry as he was in that moment.

Did Kidd cry often? No. But did he cry his heart out now because he just couldn´t do anything to save Killer?

Fuck yes he did.

The yelling had stopped a while ago, so did the curses. You hated being unable to do anything, you didn´t want to disturb him but you wanted to comfort him. You wanted nothing more than to embrace him and tell him everything would be fine.

Though you knew better.

Right now Killer was in the care of Chopper and Law who desperately tried to cure the side effects of the SMILE´s.

Without Killer, Kidd was lost, completely wrecked. Yes, he had you, but he wanted his best friend back.

After minutes upon minutes of pondering whether you would go into his room or not, you stumbled to his door with wobbly knees.

You feared for him, you feared for the man who was a sweetheart and would kill anyone who said so.

Taking a deep breath you finally knocked on the door softly. Kidd was fine as long as he yelled his heart out, but as soon as he became quiet, now that was when you truly worried.

“Kidd?” you whispered. “Baby, it´s me… can I come in? Do you need anything? I can get you some food if you want to...” before you could continue to stammer out your concerns, the door opened and Kidd grabbed your arm, pulling you in suddenly.

You gasped at the sudden motion as you felt Kidd wrap his strong arms around you, embracing you tightly, never wanting to let go.

He sat back down on the bed, putting you in his lap and burying his head in the crook of your neck.

Soon you could feel his tears roll down your skin and feel him sobbing as his body shook. You felt his chest press against your back with every breath he took, you subconsciously leaned back, craving his touch.

Kidd hated feeling like this, like he let down his best friend, it was as if someone drove a knife through the cold and empty space in his chest where normal people had a heart.

He blamed himself for everything that happened, for being so stupid to think that the alliance would work. What else did he expect from dirty pirates, really it was his fault.

All of it.

It was his fault Killer ended up like this. He should´ve never suggested the alliance in the first place, he should´ve known that one of those bastards would betray him. Hell, it was a wonder that it didn´t happen earlier on. But why the fuck did Strawhat´s alliance work so well? What did Kidd do wrong? Didn´t he care about his crew?

He always thought he did, that was the sole reason why his apathet came to be.

Because he wanted to stick it to the captains that mistreated their crews.

In Kidd´s eyes they were the worst scum on earth. He wanted to do better, show them what that word really meant.

And yet he felt like he failed.

Failed at everything, from being a son, to a captain, to a boyfriend to being mere human. He couldn´t do anything right.

Of course you did your best to up his self esteem and kiss away his insecurities, but sometimes reassuring words didn´t help Kidd. He still had trust issues and he still felt as if the whole world hated and was out to get him, like everyone wanted the worst for him.

He wanted to believe you, he really did and he tried his best too. And yet… there were times when your words just didn´t reach him.

In those times all you could do was stay silent and shower him with affection.

And that was just what you were going to to do now.

You moved around in his lap to face him, gently caressing his head which he still pressed against your neck. Kidd held you tight in his arms, feeling a warmth spreading in his chest as your fingers played with strands of his hair.

“They´ll fix him” you softly whimpered in his ear, trying to soothe him.

“But what if they don´t?” Kidd grunted against your skin meekly, his throat was sore from all the yelling earlier.

“It´s Law and Chopper, they´ll figure something out, I´m sure of it” you said with more conviction.

For Kidd that was all wishful thinking however, yes he wanted to believe you, but he swore to himself that he´d never give into hopeful thoughts again. Not after being disappointed, betrayed and lied to as often as he had.

“It shouldn´t have been him, not Killer...” he mumbled, sniffling.

“I know baby, I know… but he´s gonna get better. You´ll get through this, like you always do. Killer´s strong, like you. And he´ll make it” your arms wandered from his head to his back which you cradled now, feeling his tense muscles relax under your touch.

“He´s the strongest person I know… screw Kaido, Killer would have his head before that fucker could blink…” he chuckled, pulling his head away to look at you with such a vulnerable, hurt expression, it made your heart ache.

You placed your hand on Kidd´s face and gently traced your thumbs over his cheeks. You smiled at him.

“See, there´s no need to worry, captain” you softly called.

You could see his eyes light up at the mention of his position.

“Yeah… I guess not. Besides… if they can´t fix him I´ll have their heads” he smirked, making you sigh contently.

“That´s my man” you smiled, hooking your arms behind his neck.

“C´mere...” he chuckled, gently moving you on your back and starting to kiss your neck.

“All better?” you laughed. Of course you knew better, he´d never be good, he´d always be scarred.

Still, it was good to see he was back to his old self.

Kidd just grunted in agreement and squeezed your hand.

“Babe?” he called you, cupping your face in his hands and softly caressing it.

“Yeah?” you whispered, staring intently into his eyes and getting lost in them. He was so handsome, how didn´t he see that?

“I love you” he said quietly, lingering above you after muttering those words.

“Love you more, you bastard” you grinned as you pulled him down to you and kissed him deeply.

[alwaysahiccupandastrid]

what are your thoughts on the skeleton twins

Hi! I finished watching it last night but desperately needed sleep after because I knew I had things to do this morning, and I also wanted to process it (sometimes I have to take some time to process movies, other times I just word vomit about them).

This is kind of long but I’ll add a read more later when I have the chance!

Anyway; The Skeleton Twins...I really enjoyed it! I went in knowing absolutely nothing except that Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig were in it and playing twins, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I think, given the two actors I mentioned, I was expecting pure comedy or something? But I was so blown away by the film and the performances they gave.

Obviously I love both Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig anyway but this movie really showed their serious acting chops. There were some funny moments too, of course, but they’re both really talented doing genres outside of comedy too, and it sometimes takes me aback when I see comedians do such a good job with non-comedic roles - then again, comedy is probably the hardest genre to pull off, and so it’s no wonder they’re both talented anyway. (I’m rambling, sorry!)

{below here I’m talking about themes related to mental health/suicide, and I can’t put a read more at the moment because I’m currently on my mobile - I will be putting a read more here when I get the chance later!}

I was so taken aback though because the film starts with Milo attempting to commit suicide and Maggie contemplating it, and I guess...it’s something I have struggled with, and so it really made my heart drop especially when I saw Milo in the bathtub and the water turn red. It doesn’t show him actually cutting but we all know what happened. Without going into too much detail, SH and mental illness is something I really struggle with, even though I’m slowly recovering these days - it never truly goes away though, you know it’s there even if you’ve gotten better and it’s something you learn to cope and deal with.

Honestly, I was sort of pleasantly surprised by how well the film portrayed mental illness and suicide with both the main characters. I felt at times I should have hated Maggie for cheating and lying to her husband but I also sort of empathized with her (not with the cheating, just the whole situation and being in a huge mess), and I think what made the film was the relationship between the two siblings because it’s so real and natural, especially if you consider the circumstances when they were younger. Their interactions as siblings was so believeable too, like sometimes you’ll watch movies with siblings and the siblings are all mushy or too at each other’s throats, and it’s unrealistic. They both feel so relatable and easy to connect to, though I suppose I am kind of more biased towards Bill’s character because he’s the reason I watched it (after seeing the clip of him dancing online - that was literally the only part I had seen before).

This is kind of dumb, but as I said, I thought they did a great job portraying depression and the aftermath of the suicide attempts? Like when Maggie was drowning herself and then panicked and tried to swim back up but couldn’t - I’ve heard stories of people who have survived jumping off of bridges or whatever, and they’ve said that after making that jump they instantly regretted it. I think that’s so accurate - it’s not glamourizing suicide either, like it would have been so easy to have her sink peacefully and be rescued without her wanting it and then realize what she’s doing but instead they showed the panic, the regret.

I think what especially caught my eye, however, was the fact that Milo was wearing bracelets on his wrists later in the film to hide his scars and like...? That is so relatable, that is something I do during the summer if it’s been one of those instances, I wear bracelets and wristbands and sometimes even tie a bandana around my wrist to hide it.

I don’t know if that’s just something I do/have done and I’m projecting, or if it’s because actual research/thought was put into it, but either way it was something that really stood out to me and made him more relatable?

I can’t remember the name of Milo’s ex teacher but he can get fucked for all I care. He took advantage and manipulated a teenage boy and I think that’s important to remember. It would be easy to just freak out because omg cute gay couple but to me I just saw it as a one-sided unhealthy relationship where one is manipulative and abusive to the other who feels like they need their love, and it’s kind of depressing - but then Milo basically says “fuck that” by the end, and it’s beautiful because it’s like he’s deciding “you know what, I deserve to be treated better” - and he does, he really does. Beforehand it felt (to me) like he allowed himself to be used and mistreated because he felt like that was the only way he could feel worthy, but then he grows and develops and I think that’s so important.

I think I should also briefly mention that the scene where Maggie tells Milo “maybe next time you should cut deeper” genuinely broke my heart for many reasons - because she’s so upset and her marriage is ruined and everything is a mess, so much so that she actually says that to him before immediately regretting it. And ofc I was so upset because that’s literally something your brain tells you when you’re depressed and suicidal/self harm, that maybe next time...yeah. You can see the flurry of emotions on his face as he processes what she said, like he’s in genuine disbelief that she - his own sister, his twin - said such a cruel and disgusting thing to him like that. It genuinely broke my heart to see, though I was glad they did eventually mend things between them.

Some other things I want to mention but don’t have the brain capacity to talk about properly because I’m exhausted and a dumbass:

The Marley and Me joke was so relatable omg, I read the more child friendly version when I was little but I had no idea the dog died and it broke my damn heart, so that little joke about Marley and Me was hilarious to me

Honestly I’m talking a lot about Bill Hader but I do truly adore Kristen Wiig too, like she’s probably one of the most diverse actresses who does all sorts of genres and projects - from voice acting to drama to SNL etc - and she’s incredible in this film.

Lance was a sweetheart and I feel sorry for him? Like he genuinely loved Maggie and was such a nice guy, and while some of the stuff he said wasn’t always helpful or correct, it came from a place of caring and that’s what matters. Also he was totally cool with his brother in law who he never met before coming and living in his house, and he even helped Milo get some work (even if said work WAS clearing brush away)

The scene where the twins go out and Bill Hader is dressed in drag is honestly a highlight of this movie

Actually the scene where he sees himself the first time in drag is also a highlight

The scene where the mother is making a long ass toast while everyone is waiting to drink their wine, and Maggie/Kristen Wiig just downs her glass before she’s finished is so relatable

Okay but there’s a scene where Milo goes to a gay bar looking for a lay and just...the night he goes, of course it’s fuckin “Dyke Night” (their words, not mine!) and then he comes home absolutely pissed and telling his sister and his brother in law that he just wanted “some c*ck”, omg I was laughing way too hard. Also let’s not forget that he said the two “lesbian ladies” he met were lovely and taught him to play darts, we love mlm and wlw solidarity!!

Well since we’ve already established I’m fucking trash for Bill Hader, let’s just include that moment where his character is shirtless (kinda) in bed

That scene where Maggie meets up with some woman she knew (in high school I think?) and that woman has a son, and the son is a little dick and the mom and the son are cussing at each other was a whole new level of hilarious I didn’t expect, like I was deadass expecting this chick to go on about how wonderful it is to be a mother even when he’s a dick to her, how it’s a great gift, but nope, she knows and even says he’s a fucking dick 😂

THE DENTIST OFFICE SCENE JESUS CHRIST I HAD TO PAUSE BECAUSE I WAS GENUINELY PISSING MYSELF WITH LAUGHTER?!

THAT DANCE SCENE AM I RIGHT, OMG, like he’s so cute and happy in that scene and then she joins in and it’s so dorky and fun??

I LOVE all the water imagery and shit, like maybe it’s just because I’m an absolute geek for swimming (it’s one of maybe three sports I don’t totally suck at??) and I love the cinematography underwater, whether it’s the skeleton key ring sinking or the scuba diving or Milo’s goldfish. So much wonderful cinematography and imagery!

This film has ultimately shown me that Wiig and Hader deserve Oscars and awards ASAP

Also this is just a general note to anyone reading, feel free to recommend movies to me anytime because I’m a cinephile and love getting to watch new films!

[old-read-all-about-kpop]

Anonymous:  Yo so idk how many request u have rn and I also don't wanna be like... annoying since I already requested two times but I just rlly can't get enough of ur writing so I'd like to request an Ateez reaction to ur bf/gf breaking up w/ u and ur all emotionally messed up and he (as ur bff (who maybe has a lil crushon u)) is kinda comforting u and eventually even confessing idk let ur creativity flow :) hope ur doing good, have a great day/night!!💝~💎

A/N: Yo so you’re not being annoying by requesting multiple times like what! How could you say such a thing? You’re my first anon (I would die for you) and I appreciate your very existence. I am beyond happy in knowing that you enjoy my writing, and I hope you continue to do so. So, without further ado, here is the reaction my love! 💓💓💓💓

Hongjoong

Your pained cries were the only sounds that disrupted the silence in the room. You clung onto Hongjoong like he was your lifeline, and you were close to dying. You felt like it, at least. The pain that has been inflicted on your heart just felt too overwhelming. 

Hongjoong, on the other hand, was trying his hardest not to succumb to his anger. For the umpteenth time, your douchebag of a boyfriend - well, ex-boyfriend now thank God - hurt you once again. But, this time, Hongjoong was uncertain if you’d ever come back from this agony. 

Your ex cheated on you. After everything you had put up with, the deception, the temper tantrums, the degrading, the possessiveness, the controlling egotistic remarks, he decided to cheat on you on your first anniversary! Unbelievable! Joong knew the guy was a tool but this just put the cherry on the top.

Joong tightened his hold on you, hoping that his embrace would keep you in one piece. He dreaded the moment he would let go and you would crumble like a fragile artifact. 

Joong kissed the crown of your head then, hearing you now settle down to heartbreaking sniffles. “I know it hurts, sweetheart.” He sighed heavily. “If only you were mine. I would treat you the way you deserved. Like a goddess.” He said this in a whisper as he rested his chin on the top of your head. He didn’t wish to confess like this while you were so emotional, but he still felt like it should be stated.

You raised your head up the slightest, gently kissing the underside of Hongjoong’s jaw. “I know, Joong. I know.”

Seonghwa

“After everything I’ve done for that prick and he has the audacity to break up with me? The one who helped him get a job? The one who has been giving him money so he can buy food during his lunch breaks? The one who slaves over a hot stove to cook him lunch when he is tired of buying food?” With each jab thrown at the jerk who stormed off after breaking the relationship off, you tore off pieces of the tissue you had in your hands.

You chuckled humorlessly. “You know what? Good riddance!” You began to tear at the innocent tissue angrily. “I never needed him. I never did!” Your speed-tearing faltered, your shoulders dropped. “He wasn’t any real good for me anyway,” you whispered. Your bottom lip quivered. You finally realized that you shouldn’t have dealt with the mistreatment he was giving you as long as you did. You began to realize how foolishly invested you were in that awful relationship. You should’ve known better.

Seonghwa took hold of your chin, leading your eyes to meet his. His gaze was solemn with sparks of anger and disgust that could easily be assumed to be aimed at your slimeball of an ex-boyfriend.

Seonghwa caressed your cheek delicately as if you were prone to breaking under his touch. You probably were by the amount of emotions you were feeling inside. He then wiped away a tear that, unbeknownst to you, slid down your cheek.

“You know you don’t have to put on this false charade of you being unaffected by that douchebag, right? I know you’re hurting inside, y/n. That’s okay. I know you had deep love for him, even though he didn’t deserve one bit of it. But, you’re human, you’re allowed to love and, unfortunately, to feel pain and devastation. So, go ahead, cry. I won’t judge you. Not even a little bit.”

Like a dam that had collapsed from the strength of the water, your eyes polled with tears before they fell like paratroopers. You dived into Seonghwa’s chest, letting out all the heartache that enveloped your body in broken sobs.

Seonghwa didn’t hesitate to pull you closer to him, rubbing your back as you cried. He brushed your hair away from your face and, despite the situation, gazed lovingly at your face and the beauty you humbly held. 

As he placed his cheek on the top of your head, rocking you back and forth, he sighed deeply. “When everything has settled down, I would love to dote on you and cherish you the way you deserve.” He chuckled. “I think we both know you earned it after that tragedy.”

You giggled, hiccuping immediately after, unknowingly pulling on your best friend's heartstrings. You tightened your hold on his waist before parting your lips to speak the words Seonghwa didn’t expect to hear in a million years. 

“I would love that, SeongSeong.”

Yunho

“Y/n, please, let me in,” Yunho softly said, knocking on your bedroom door. Upon receiving no response, he cursed to himself. He just had to put his foot in his mouth when you needed him.

You called him an hour ago, stating that it was an emergency and you needed him yesterday. Yunho, worried for your well-being, hurriedly packed his duffle bag with clothes and essentials and ordered a Lyft in a matter of five minutes. He didn’t wanna risk keeping you waiting.

Once he got to your place, you two sat down in the living room, where you let out a long-winded rant about your childish ex-boyfriend and how he completely embarrassed you during last night’s date. He assumed you were flirting with the waiter when, in actuality, you were engaging in some playful banter. But, being the stubborn mule that he was, he reprimanded you loudly in front of the other customers. It caused you to be kicked out of the restaurant. You were in shambles, utterly mortified over the spectacle.

And it only worsened from there when you gave him the silent treatment. He started calling you a brat and, eventually, once you got to your apartment, he called you a female dog. That was your last straw with anyone, no matter who they were.

You ended up kicking him out, losing your sense and going ballistic on him. It was satisfying seeing him taken aback by your sudden change in character but, once he was gone, you felt empty. Deflated. You didn’t understand what you did to deserve such mistreatment.

Yunho didn’t help the situation as he snarkily stated, “Well, I told you he was no good for you. But, with your head so far up his behind, I’m not surprised that you didn’t heed my warnings.”

Yeah, like that was what you needed in a time that you wished to be consoled. So, as you tried to keep the hurt and tears out of Yunho’s sight, you hurried for your bedroom. Yunho, quickly realizing his poor timing in wanting to say “I told you so,” raced to catch up with you. But, you were a second quicker as you almost had him kiss wood.

Twenty minutes have passed, leaving you to grow needier for some human contact, and Yunho to dwell in self-loathe. The silence was sometimes disrupted either by Yunho’s deep, sad sighs or your solemn sniffles. Your eyes were dry of any tears. You were back to feeling empty all over again.

“Y/n,” Yunho called, prompting you to look toward the door. “You know why I act like this? I know it isn’t right, nor is it excusable, but, the reason why I responded the way I did earlier was because...I love you. No, scratch that. I’m in love with you. Muffin, I have fallen for you. Your melodic laugh, your gentle tone of voice that could lull a puppy to sleep, your wise eyes, your down-to-earth mindset. I mean, there truly isn’t a thing that isn’t to fall in love with. 

Sweets, I’ve always wanted it to be me you’d end up with. But, until now, I’ve been hiding away my feelings like a dog does its tail when scared. I just didn’t wanna risk ruining our friendship. But now I say screw it. Because there is no way in Hell that we could break up. You are the puzzle piece that I need. We connect mentally and emotionally. What I’m trying to say is...is that...” He groaned, fishing for the right words. “What I am saying is that I want to be the man who-”

You pulled the door opened, immediately meeting the adorable brown eyes of the tall prince. You two stared at each other for a while. But, then, the corners of your mouth slowly lifted into a smile. Yunho slowly exhaled, having had held his breath.

You grabbed hold of Yunho’s hand, keeping eye contact the entire time. You lifted his large hand to your cheek, snuggling into the warmth it retained. Yunho could feel himself becoming putty.

“You’re the puzzle piece that I need too, Yunie.” You gazed up at him, showing him acceptance and love that he has been dying to see for the longest.

He felt like he had finally found the hidden oasis to your heart. 

“I swear to treat you like the queen you are, muffin.”

Yeosang

“So, I seriously can’t go to his house and egg it?”

You responded first with countless sniffles, trying very hard to reel in your emotions. You dabbed your eyes with a tissue as you spared your best friend a sideways look. “No, Sangie. You can’t egg his house. You could get arrested.”

“But he hurt you.”

“And you think the best way to get back at him is to egg his house? He could just clean that crap off.” You sat back into the couch cushions then, fiddling with the tissue. “No scars are gonna remain.” 

Tears quickly welled up in your eyes, causing you to turn away and stifle any whimpers that tried to escape your chapped lips. Yeosang watched you with pity, careful not to let you see it on his face. He knew the minute you do you’ll feel even more pathetic than you already did. You always hated getting doted on or receiving sympathy from others. It eventually led you to shut out your vulnerability, leaving it for the times you are by yourself, sobbing in the confinements of your solidarity.

Yeosang, mustering up as much confidence as he could, grabbed hold of your shoulder and forced you to turn around to face him. You kept your face down, refusing to let Yeosang see you in such a miserable state. But Yeosang didn’t care one bit. He was happy in knowing that you felt comfortable in allowing him see you with your emotions on display, with your heart on your sleeve. He wanted nothing more than to tend to you and your beaten heart.

With a tight grip on his nerve, Yeosang took hold of your face, cupping it in his hands tenderly as if you were a porcelain doll. He rubbed his thumbs across your cheeks, hoping that you could feel his love for you through his soft touches.

“Y/n,” he began before wetting his lips. He took a deep breath in, his nervousness bucking within him like a raging bull. “Darling, you’re so special to me. More than you can ever know. And, as cliche as it may sound, it physically hurts me when you date these boys who don’t respect you. They don’t see the halo that envelops your body. They’re blind to it. Because you are an absolute angel and deserve nothing less than the love and tenderness that you deserve in your life. Y/n, you deserve the world! And...I want to provide it to you. I know it’s probably in poor taste to confess my feelings to you at this sad point in your life but I just felt like I was-”

He was cut off by the feel of your plush lips against his. His eyes were the sizes of soccer balls as he tried to fathom the turn in events. But, the glorious feel of your lips molding into his had his eyes flutter shut. In no time did he recapture your cheeks in his hands. He pulled you in closer, relishing in the blissfulness of finally kissing you. Embracing you to the full extent that he wanted to. He was gonna show you that you were a queen that needed to be worshipped. He was going to cherish you.

San

Quiet sobs and heart-wrenching whimpers were the only sounds that disrupted the silence in your bedroom. You clutched onto San tightly, prompting him to pull you in closer as well. The pain in your heart was overpowering, weighing down on you like cement blocks. The only way to keep you from crumbling under the extreme weight was by holding onto San, who has been nothing but comforting and a great support system.

A couple of minutes passed before your cries ceased. Now, you were just laying on San, thinking of nothing as your face dried from the salty tears that stained your face. San, still being as quiet as a mouse, never stopped rubbing your back. Rising and falling along with his chest as he breathed caused you to fall under the impression that you were on a boat, bobbing along to the calm waves of the ocean. It was a lovely reminder that you were not alone in this awful moment in your life.

You rose up then, causing San to drop his arms from around you and fiddle with the hem of your (his) sweatshirt. He peered at you expectantly, his eyes soft like a puppy’s. You couldn’t help but admire him for a few heartbeats. His face was serene with the slightest hint of sadness. Sadness toward you, of course, his one and only.

He reached his hand out then, lightly touching your face as if not to startle you with the contact. You dipped your face deeper into the palm of his hand, happily welcoming his touch. San smiled then, a gentle one that had yet to be adorned by his dimples.

After a few moments of comfortable silence, San spoke, but quietly as to not harm the silence. “Listen, Y/n... You might not want to hear this right now but, I need to say this or else I will continue to have this restless ache in my heart that I know will kill me one day. 

“Princess, you are a gem. You are a precious part of my life that I cherish with every fiber in my body. I hate seeing you frown. Your cries inflict so much pain within me. Baby, you’re a flower. He was weed killer. He was diminishing your light and that was the most sinful thing he could have ever done to you. 

“Again, you might not want to hear this but, I love you. I’m in love with you, to be frank. I don’t want to ever see sadness take over your beautiful face. If I ever were to be the cause, I would fall to my knees and repent. And you know why? Because you matter to me. Without you," he sighed heavily, "I don’t think my days would be as bright as they are when you are with me.”

Tears poured over your waterline. But, this time, it wasn’t due to how melancholy you were feeling. No man has ever conveyed such poetic words like San just did. No one went out of their way to say such sweet words to you with as much sincerity and love as San did. His eyes, observing you carefully, were gleaming with hope for your answer and adoration that genuinely displayed his feelings for you.

Without saying a word, you let your actions do the talking. You leaned down and wrapped your arms around his neck. Instinctively, San engulfed you with his strong arms, pulling you so close that he could’ve fused your bodies together.

You then placed a soft kiss on his cheek, letting your lips linger on his smooth skin for a few seconds before snuggling into his safe embrace. This is where you belonged. At this moment, you flourished, and thus you wished you could freeze time. You were finally back to being a full-grown flower, no longer wilted, as you had San, your water, soil, and sunlight.

Mingi

Thirty minutes ago, you texted Mingi to come to you two’s favorite spot immediately. And the moment you texted “I need you,” Mingi’s confusion disappeared like smoke as he dashed for the closest hoodie and practically ran out of the dorm. 

Now, as you two softly swung back and forth in your chosen swing, you two were embraced by a pregnant silence. It calmed you more ways than one. It seemed to coddle you, providing you some peace that you dearly needed. The fight you and your ex had was explosive, and it didn’t help that you saw a naked broad exit the bathroom, asking in her child-like voice where the shampoo was. To think that you were gonna be the pushing force for him to change his player ways. All your friends  warned you and told you that you were putting your heart in the battlefield. Your poor, innocent heart.

Mingi glanced at you nervously, unnerved by your cold expression and hard gaze. Upon his arrival, you merely whispered a “hi” before having him sit with you in this annoying silence. Whispers turned to shouts as they demanded Mingi to say something, anything in order to snap you back into reality. He was afraid you were too deep in your thoughts. He knew you did that a lot when you were bothered by something. But, usually, when you felt hurt, you would confide in Mingi the minute you two saw each other. It was almost like an instinct more than it was a habit.

Mingi, finally gathering some courage, cleared his throat awkwardly. You didn’t even blink. That was when he knew you were in too deep at that moment.

Swiftly, Mingi made his way over to you, standing in front of you. But, you were still unfazed by him. He then seized your face, jerking your head up so you may be looking into his gentle gaze. You blinked then, your eyes widening the slightest at how close you two’s faces were. 

Mingi brushed a strand of hair away from your face, his eyes scanning your entire face. Whatever he was preparing to say flushed down his throat like a toilet. He gulped, unintentionally pushing the words further down his throat. He had to clear his throat a few times to prevent himself from choking.

His irises scurried over your face hurriedly, as if they were trying to indulge themselves in your quiet beauty without looking too greedy but also not too stingy.

“God, you’re so beautiful,” he mumbled, talking more to himself than you. “How could someone be dumb enough to mistreat you as if you were some ordinary rock? You’re a freaking diamond, for God’s sake! How does one not know the difference?" He scoffed. "Oh, I know, someone who doesn’t understand true value. But I do and your value goes above and beyond. Because you are worthy and I feel like a peasant as I dream of being with you. Appreciating you. Loving you.” He shook his head slowly, closing his eyes for a moment, and inhaling deeply. 

He opened his eyes. Immediately, they refocused on you like a Polaroid. He blanched then, realizing that his rambling was not in the privacy of his mind. 

You, on the other hand, had a rosy hue inhabit your face. Your hands were trembling. What your best friend accidentally conveyed to you was your emotional undoing. Your eyes became glassy as you maintained eye contact. 

Mingi nibbled his pillowy bottom lip, dreading your reaction to his confession. You just got out of a relationship and he decides now to confess to you? Freaking fantastic!

You inhaled a shaky breath, hesitating on what to say to the beautiful man before you. You slowly swiped your tongue over your lips, parting them the slightest. “Can you help me see my worth?”

Mingi froze, staring deep into your eyes. Your eyes were glossy with vulnerability, an emotion that caused Mingi’s heart to crack. Your eyes held longing but also timidness. The man had to resist the urge to pull you into his chest.

Instead, Mingi bent down and pressed his forehead against yours. Before he fully settled into the position, though, he quickly lifted his head and placed a chaste kiss on your forehead. He then put his forehead back on yours, sighing fondly. 

“I would be honored to show you, gorgeous.”

Wooyoung

You heard a knock at your door, prompting you to hurry to open it. The minute you whipped it open, revealing the silver-haired young man, you broke out in loud sobs. 

“Yah!” Shocked, Wooyoung slammed the door behind him unintentionally hard and yanked you into his chest. He didn’t mean to be so aggressive but, the last thing he expected from your abrupt text was to see you in such an emotional state. You were never a crier. You only ever cried if you were angry or stressed. Thus, Wooyoung’s stress levels were boiling over.

Wooyoung rocked you two back and forth as he tightly embraced you. Your sobs were now muffled but your body shook from each hard cry that escaped your throat. Feeling you shake so violently had Wooyoung’s grip on you tighten even more. You were never the one to have this big of a breakdown. He was getting more and more worried about your mental health as the minutes ticked by. You had a part-time job, lived on your own, had rigorous studies to accomplish at your university, and you had a buffoon of a boyfriend who was inconsiderate and unbelievably rude when things didn’t go his way.

“He broke up with me,” you said in a shaky voice. Your cries calmed down finally, but the condition of your heart was unknown.

Wooyoung abruptly pulled you away from him, his eyes wide like saucers. There was a fire in his stare. 

He took hold of your face tenderly as if you were a day-old puppy. His gaze was soft as he scanned your face, but a flame would flicker alive every now and then as he wiped the tears off your lovely cheeks. He felt the vein in his neck throb. He wanted to punch something. Well, preferably, someone, and that someone was your pocket-brained ex-boyfriend. 

Wooyoung was snapped out of his angry thoughts when he felt your hand pat his chest. His eyes refocused on you, resuming eye contact. 

“Breathe, WooWoo,” you said, a small smile adorning your face. 

Just that smile alone gave him a smidge of hope that you would be okay. You needed to be okay. The thought of you being shattered from this breakup and becoming unrepairable destroyed him inside. You were his treasure, and he needed you with him on his journey through life.

Without thinking, Wooyoung leaned in and pressed his plush lips against yours. He suppressed a groan as he could finally feel the softness of your lips. It was thrilling. Like he was eating a forbidden fruit. And then he almost melted onto the floor when he soon felt your lips follow in sync with his, molding perfectly like puzzle pieces that have been united.

Suddenly, you pulled away. Fear, shock, and confusion shown in your eyes as your face remained as calm and collected as possible. You both were breathing unevenly as you watched each other closely. The silence was deafening.

You were the first to break the silence after a while. “Woo... What was that?” you asked slowly, still in a haze.

Wooyoung licked his lips, trying to quickly get a hold of his thoughts. He felt drunk off the long-awaited kiss. “I-I d-don’t know... I-I wasn’t thinking.” He groaned in frustration, running his fingers through his hair. The layers of thick hair moved beautifully, like soft sand on a beach. 

Silence fell over the both of you like an itchy wool blanket. You both felt jittery, hyper-sensitive, and utterly uncomfortable.

Finally, Wooyoung blessed you both with a break from the silence. “You know what? I know why I did it. You wanna know why? I’ll tell you! Because I freaking love you that it should be considered illegal!” he exclaimed.

You blinked slowly, processing everything sluggishly as if you were a outdated laptop.

Wooyoung continued, pacing. “God, Treasure! You are too good for this cruel world. I just wanna stuff you in my pocket and protect you from all things evil! But I know that you can handle yourself with no problem, which makes me wanna love you even more! You just don’t understand how much my heart yearns for you, y/n. Your beauty, your humbleness, your intelligence, your cute beauty marks that seem to be scattered over your entire body, and your adorable nose crinkle when I bop your nose is just the thing I need to see to decompress. All of those things cause me to have nothing but undying love for you and I want nothing more than to express that to you and appreciate your existence!” He took a deep breath, pausing from creating a strip in your floorboards. He knew he just spilled everything he felt for you in an angry-sounding rant (the complete opposite of what he had in mind when he would be presented the opportunity to finally confess) but he felt like he was getting closer to combusting the more he kept his feelings under wraps. He felt like he was unraveling.

You soaked everything in like a submerged sponge. You felt as though Wooyoung had some type of crush on you over the years but you grew denial. As handsome as Wooyoung was there was no way that he would like you. You were decent compared to him.

An unknown force got the better of you, pushing you closer to Wooyoung until your lips met his. Wooyoung stiffened for a second before relaxing his body and moving his plush lips against yours, coating them with the love he retained toward you like a salve.

You two separated after a while, taking in deep breaths. You two gazed into each other's eyes the moment you opened them, taking in each other in a new light.

“Be mine, please, Treasure,” Wooyoung said, a strong plea in his hushed tone.

You smiled at the nickname, peering deep into his eyes, knowing good and darn well that no one could ever make you safe from mere eye contact like this man standing before you. You knew your answer before you even conveyed it.

“Give me time and I will.”

Jongho

“Are you sure I can’t break his legs off like an apple?”

You rolled your eyes in annoyance toward the repetitive question. But, despite the fact, you had a little smile on your face. “No, JongJong. You cannot break his legs off like an apple.”

Jongho huffed. “But why not?” he whined.

You fought back a laugh at his childish action. “Because then you would go to jail for assault and I don’t want that. Who would comfort me and remind me of my worth when you’re away?” You said the question quietly, blushing against your will.

Upon your inquiry, Jongho also blushed. He tore his eyes away from your lowered face and looked elsewhere, clearing his throat. He didn’t want to have an awkward ambiance between you two so he decided to speak. “Well, I guess that is a pretty good reason not to risk being locked up. But I’m not happy about letting that kid walk around unbruised.”

“Well, I guess you’ll have to deal with it then, huh?” You looked up at your best friend then; your glassy eyes sucker punched Jongho right in his heart.

Jongho licked his lips slowly, carefully contemplating on his next move. You watched him innocently, your mind forcefully made blank for your heart’s sake. You solely wanted to focus on this moment and this moment in life only.

Jongho reached his arm out slowly, hesitating briefly, before laying his hand on the top of your head and then sliding it down, stroking your hair. His actions were comforting to a tenfold. You smiled at the boy, grateful to have him by your side.

“You know I love you, right? More than anything in the world?” he asked, softly. Then he thought for a second before adding quickly, “Well, along with my family, of course.”

You chuckled, looking down momentarily before reconnecting your eyes with his. “Yes, I know.” Your voice was just as soft.

Jongho ran his tongue over his lips a couple of times, almost provoking you to ask him if he needed some chapstick. But, you knew he was only doing that because he was nervous. What you didn’t know was the cause of his nervousness.

He quickly flickered his eyes between your lips and your eyes before seeming to finally decide what he was gonna do. Thus, he leaned in close, causing your breaths to become quite shallow. Your chest felt constricted. The hairs on the back of your neck stood straight up. 

For a moment, Jongho stayed there, his lips barely brushing against yours. It was as if he was inhaling your scent, grasping your existence. Finally, he decided to do something better, by kissing your forehead instead. Your breathing stuttered slightly, causing Jongho to smirk. Your reaction gave him hope.

He leaned back, carefully analyzing your face. You provided him nothing as you kept your expression serene.

Moments ticked on like that as you two remained staring at each other. But it was unnerving as you two seemed to be gaining new perspectives of each other. It was a perspective that revolved around an uncharted territory that neither of you could predict the outcomes for entering it.

You finally woke your voice up and spoke. “Why...why did you kiss my forehead?”

Jongho took a deep breath before speaking. “Well, firstly, I don’t think a kiss on the lips would be appropriate due to the state that you’re in right now. And then, secondly, is because I still wanted to express the amount of love I have for your cute self. Also to promise you that I will forever care for you like the precious human being that you are.” He smiled shyly then after conveying such strong words.

You inhaled deeply, your eyes watering quicker than soil that’s been rained on. Jongho, concerned that he might have done something wrong, cupped your face gently as he looked deep in your eyes. 

“Crap! I’m sorry, y/n.” He threw back his head and groaned loudly. “The last thing I wanted to do was give you more feelings to deal with. Now, look at you. Jeez! What a great friend I am-”

You cut him off, sealing his words off with your lips pressed against his. Jongho yelped out of surprise but instantly melted into you. He let out a sigh as you two’s lips moved together like calm waves of an ocean, fully indulged in the beautiful sensation of your lips on his. No amount of dreams could compare to the real thing. 

Eventually, you two separated, your eyes gleaming with adoration and child-like hope for the next step in you two’s lives. Together.

No further words were said as you two embraced each other, content like no other.

A/N: Yay! I’m finally done with this! 🎉🎉 I would have been done with this one sooner but, for some strange reason, I couldn’t complete it on my phone and had to wait to get on my computer. Thanks Tumblr for making my life difficult for NO REASON! Anyway, at the end of the day, I am done and I am hopeful that you enjoyed it my dear 💓

[moonlitjiminn]

Neighbour Part 11 | Jimin, You

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13

If I know what love is, it is because of you. 

It was the next day, Ara waited for the pair to come to school, but neither of them showed up. She was beginning to think Jimin was going to run away from this problem. And all she wanted to do was talk to him. But she had decided to give him some time and space so that he could think everything over and process what had happened.

She couldn't help but feel her heart ache every time she thought back to what he'd said to her, however. He knew he was hurting when he'd learnt about Eunji's mistreatment. But did he need to lash out at her like that?

It just didn't seem right.

In the meantime, however, Ara made it her responsibility to educate and remind every child at the preschool that bullying and name calling is not okay just through her way of interacting with them, and after talking with Eunji's friend she found out who it was that made her feel that way. She made sure to speak to the child responsible and ask them why they said what they did, and she gave him a long talk about why what he did was wrong. She knew he was only a kid and that he didn't see the weight behind his words, but she needed him to learn so he wouldn't carry this on for any longer.

That night was the same as the one before, and the one before that. She would sit by her window and watch the lights turn off one by one at the house across the street. He hurt her, but she still needed to know he was okay. 

He still needed more time.

But she needed more. 

--

Jimin walked back into the room where he had tucked Eunji into bed, sitting down next to her. He bit his lip as he watched her beautiful form rise up and down as she quietly breathed, wondering why did she have to go through that? Sure it was just a few preschoolers spitting nonsense without thinking, but he couldn't help but think, if she had her mom would it be different? If he tried to make it work if he had begged and begged her to stay with him and raise Eunji together, would none of this have happened?

He lifted his hand and started to stroke her head, tears slowly falling, one by one, and he couldn't stop them. It was his fault. Not Eunji's. She didn't deserve to be feeling like she didn't have people who loved her; just being Jimin didn't do enough to make Seolhyun stay.

He paused when Eunji twitched then, scrunching her nose a little and snuggling closer to the pillow. That's when Jimin burst into a louder cry, and couldn't contain the noise he made, which caused Eunji's eyes to shoot open and gasp at her father.

"Dad!"

"Hey baby," he hiccuped, eyebrows furrowed as he reached forward and pulled his daughter into a hug. He thought back to when she was born, and Seolhyun gave her to him, when he promised himself he was going to give her four times the love she would have had otherwise with two parents.

"Daddy, what's wrong?" her voice was full of worry, and he wondered how such a small four year old could have that much maturity packed inside of her. This made him sob harder; why did she have to experience so many characters of a dysfunctional family at the age of just four? He wanted to give her the whole world, but he could only ever do so much.

"Daddy loves you. You know that, right?"

"Yes!" she giggled, taking her little fingers and starting to tickle his sides. "I'll never forget that."

He bit his lip. He could only smile at her with content. "You're so beautiful, love," he kissed her forehead, "my beautiful baby."

"You really think so?"

"Yes, honey, who do you take after, anyway?"

"You," she answered, kissing Jimin's cheek, "Of course, I look good then."

"Correct," Jimin nodded, pecking her nose, and then her cheek, making her laugh again.

"I love you too, daddy!"

"What is the one thing I've always taught you when it comes to other people?"

"Don't judge other people," she recited.

"Good girl, and you are?"

"Worthy of being loved and respected," she grinned up at him.

"That's right," he ruffled her hair, "I'm so proud of you."

She purred into his touch before yawning, "I'm tired."

"I can see that," he got up and kissed her forehead, "Alright, go to sleep love."

"Daddy, can I ask you something really quickly?"

"Of course."

"When am I going to school again?"

He bit his lip, "Uhm, y- I-" he heaved a deep sigh, "You want to go back to school tomorrow?"

"Yes! Yes yes yes, please!"

Nodding, he stroked her hair, "Okay, let's go back tomorrow, let's finally go back."

--

The next day Min Hee dropped off Eunji at school in the morning, and although Ara was disappointed Jimin wasn't the one walking through those doors, she was ecstatic Eunji was skipping through it.

"Hi sweetheart!" Ara chimed, kneeling down in front of her as she jumped on her.

"Ara! I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too, beautiful. I'm so glad you're back!"

"Me too! Me too!" she cheered when they parted and she waddled over to hang her bag on the hook.

Ara stood up as Min Hee approached her, "Hey."

"I'm sorry Jimin wasn't the on-"

"Don't apologise," she shook her head, "I get it, he's m-"

"It's not right for him to be mad at you, Ara, it wasn't your fa-"

"He's a dad," Ara said simply, cutting her off, "He's a dad who loves his daughter dearly, over anyone else. When he heard what happened, it's only natural for him to get mad, at anything, at anyone, even if that was me."

“Ara you don't hav-"

"It's okay, Min Hee, thank you so much for being so supportive of me, but I understand him. I can't blame him for what he feels."

Ara pursed her lips together, "It still hurt though, like so fucking much."

Min Hee didn't bother to argue with her further, and instead reached forward and gave Ara a big hug, "Nonetheless, thank you so much for everything you've done for them. For both Eunji and JImin. You're truly exactly who they both needed; thank you."

"I-It's okay. I didn't really do anything."

"Exactly," Min Hee tapped her back, "You were you, and that was all it took to bring all that happiness into their lives."

When they tore from each other, Ara smiled at her, "That's so sweet of you to say, thank you, Min Hee."

--

Before she knew it, it was night time again, and Ara was back at her windowsill, observing how long the lights would stay on at the Park Jimin household.

This time, however, the light to Eunji's room never turned on, and instead, just the living room light was left the whole time. She found that weird but tried not to overthink of it because she would land at so many dumb conclusions and she didn't have the time or heart for that.

Instead, she decided to take a book from her shelf and settled on her couch to read it. Lighting a scented candle and playing a record she tried to set the mood to calm her heart.

But half an hour into her reading session, the doorbell rang. The loud sound interrupted her serene atmosphere, making her drop her book on her face and almost knock the candle off the side table as she stood up.

Who would be at her house at this time of the night?

Without even bothering to check if her hair was presentable through her bewilderment, she shuffled over to the front door and opened it.

And it would have been a lie if she said she wasn't utterly shocked to see Jimin standing there.

Without a single word, she took a small step back and closed the door back again.

Before Ara had walked away from the entrance, however, she heard a small voice utter from the other side.

"I deserved that."

She wasn't ready yet.

[whatstheproblembaby]

Happy #StrikeStrikeStrikeDay!

Time for some girl power up in this business.

So, here’s how it goes:

Smalls likes to make up stories about the other people she sees on the street as she’s selling her papes.

A man in a nice suit? An architect, but he wishes he were in the circus. Those two ladies who head toward the church almost every day? Considering becoming nuns so the highwayman they robbed as they traveled to New York can’t find them.

Melodramatic? Yes. But does it keep the day from dragging on? Also yes.

If the other newsies ask, she’ll tell them one of the stories she made up, but never the one about the pretty girl she sees walking home from school with her brothers.

That girl’s story is hers and hers alone, though it isn’t actually very long.

One day, she stops as she passes me, Smalls thinks. She waves for her brothers to go ahead before walking over, smiling that bright smile. “I’ve been meaning to introduce myself,” she says. “I’m-”

And that’s as far as it ever gets, because Smalls can’t figure out what name would be beautiful enough to fit her.

Smalls has resigned herself to her fantasies by the time the girl’s brothers appear at the circulation gate, almost making her trip over Albert’s stick.

It turns out Les and Davey need jobs to help support their family after their father got in an accident, and Sarah (Sarah!) is also starting work at a factory to do her part.

Smalls can only hope that maybe one day Sarah will end up walking past Newsies Square with her brothers before she continues on to work.

Just as Smalls is processing this change, a second beautiful girl enters her orbit.

What in God’s name did Smalls do to deserve this?

Katherine is a lightning strike, and Smalls is ready to burn.

Once Katherine puts Jack in his place (eternally endearing her to Smalls, much as she loves that fearless cowboy), she makes a point of walking through Jacobi’s and introducing herself to each and every newsie there.

“Oh! Finally, another girl,” Katherine says as she approaches Smalls. “Thank God. You boys all seem wonderful so far - yes, even you, Jack - but you’re also a little exhausting.”

“You’re telling me,” Smalls replies, amazed she can make words when Katherine is looking her right in the eye. “You don’t have to go back to the lodging house with them. Just once, I’d like to pull my hair up in the morning without dodging the elbows of six boys all trying to shave their invisible beards at the same sink.”

There’s a good-natured uproar at her comment, but Smalls only notices Katherine’s delighted laughter.

“You poor thing,” she croons in between giggles. “Come here.”

Katherine hugs her, and Smalls forgets how to breathe.

“Good luck tomorrow,” Katherine says as she lets go and moves on the next newsie, taking Smalls’ breath away for an entirely different reason.

The next morning, Smalls squares her shoulders as she enters the circulation gate.

She’s determined to do her part as a hardworking newsie and make Pulitzer treat them the way they deserve.

She’s also determined to not make a fool out of herself in front of Katherine - maybe even impress her a little bit.

Besides, all Wiesel has to back him up is the Delanceys. They can take down the Delanceys if they all work together!

Smalls manages to kick Oscar right in the knee as he’s chasing Crutchie during the scuffle, and she feels invincible.

Hearing Katherine cheer for her from her position safely away from the fray doesn’t hurt, either.

And then the strikebreakers appear.

Smalls is terrified, but she isn’t going to back down from this fight. She can’t afford to pay an extra dime for the same amount of papers, and it isn’t right that Pulitzer and the other newspaper owners can make that change without consulting their employees!

She’s also not stupid, though. She knows she can’t take down a grown man by force alone.

So she darts in and out of confrontations, tripping the strikebreakers or whacking their knees and elbows with a board that got ripped off the delivery wagon.

It works pretty well, until it doesn’t.

Out of the corner of her eye, Smalls notices a cop running right at Katherine, who’s trying to pull an injured Jojo out of the way.

Smalls reacts without thinking, throwing herself in front of the cop just as he’s preparing to hit Katherine in the arm to get her to let go.

He can’t stop himself, nor does he want to. Smalls can see it in his eyes in the split second before she gets hit.

And then the world goes black.

Smalls wakes up in a small yet cozy apartment. Some of the other hurt newsies are curled up around her on a variety of makeshift beds, so she knows she must be somewhere safe, but that doesn’t stop the panic from rising as she sits up to inspect more.

“Shhh,” a kind, soft voice says from her right. “It’s okay.”

Smalls turns toward the voice and nearly falls over.

“I’m Sarah, David and Les’s sister,” she says, as if Smalls doesn’t know. “You’re in our apartment. David convinced Katherine and the other newsies who escaped to come here for help.”

“Escaped?” Smalls croaks, trying not to move her aching right cheek too much.

Sarah’s eyes are concerned as she says, “Warden Snyder arrived on the scene after you were hit. He got Crutchie before anyone could help him get away.”

Smalls’ stomach drops. The Refuge is no place for anyone to go, but especially not for someone as goodhearted as Crutchie.

“What about Jack?” she asks.

“We can’t find Jack,” Sarah replies. “He’s not at the Refuge - Race already confirmed that - but he’s also not at the lodging house or the rooftop.”

Before Smalls can even begin to figure out what to say at that, another voice interjects.

“You’re awake!” Katherine whisper-cries, flinging herself into the chair next to Sarah and taking her hand. “I was so worried about you. That policeman hit you hard enough that I saw stars.”

“But it gave you time to get Jojo out.”

“Yes, he’s here too, thankfully,” Katherine says.

“No thanks to you,” Sarah teases. “Once you saw that Smalls was unconscious, he says you practically threw him to the wolves.”

Katherine makes an indignant noise as Smalls stifles a laugh.

“I did not!” Katherine says. “Finch was right there to help him up and get him farther away. Smalls had no one, and Snyder was about to come back for seconds!”

“So you hurl Jojo at Finch before scooping up Smalls like a hero from a novel?” Sarah says through a giggle.

Smalls’ heart starts pounding at the thought.

Katherine was holding me?

“She sure was,” Sarah says, and Smalls flushes as she realizes she said that thought aloud. “David said she refused to put you down until everyone reached the outside of our apartment and Katherine realized she couldn’t get you up the stairs in her skirts.”

Katherine looks mortified, but she manages to joke, “Remind me to become a dress reformer before our next strike.”

Smalls cannot even begin to picture Katherine in bloomers if she wants to be able to speak coherently.

“Thank you,” she whispers instead. “No one does well at the Refuge, but there are stories about how the girls are treated there - it’s not like how they mistreat the boys.”

Katherine and Sarah don’t need her to elaborate.

“We are not going to abandon you,” Katherine declares, shifting to sit on the edge of Smalls’ bed and take her hand. “Not you, and not anyone involved in the strike. We have to stick together.”

“That’s right,” Sarah says. She puts her right hand on Smalls’ shoulder, and since her left is still in Katherine’s other hand, the girls form a loose triangle. “But those boys are all over each other in a way they don’t think to be with us. Let’s make sure we’ve especially got each other’s backs.”

“Deal,” Smalls says, and the other girls are gracious enough to not mention the tear streaking down her face.

After that, the world shifts ever so slightly for Smalls.

Well, there are big changes, too: there are plans for a city-wide newsie rally, and then when they’re all gathered at the theater, Jack stuns them all by turning scab.

But more importantly, Smalls develops deeper relationships with Katherine and Sarah.

At first, it’s little things.

Katherine and Smalls meeting eyes from opposite sides of Jacobi’s as Romeo practices yet another awful pick-up line.

Sarah deliberately walking by Smalls’ selling spot on her way to work every morning to share a smile and a quick hello.

Then bigger events.

Sarah inviting Smalls over for Shabbat when she learns that Smalls is also Jewish but unable to practice as faithfully at the lodging house.

Katherine joining Smalls every day at lunch time in the park between The Sun’s offices and the corner where Smalls sells her papes, rain or shine.

Finally, everything comes to a head as Jack leaves the stage after scabbing.

Davey’s chasing him, so Sarah and Katherine and Smalls are all following when Pulitzer appears from the fire door with a wad of bills.

Throwing the bills to Jack, he says, “Oh, and my daughter will be coming home with me now.”

Jack, Davey, Sarah, and Smalls all freeze, confused, but Katherine jerks back before turning beet red.

“Yes, Katherine is my daughter,” Pulitzer continues, clearly enjoying the havoc he’s causing. “I refused to let her sully herself by working for a living at one of my newspapers, but she defied me and got a nom de plume instead. An unfortunate lapse in judgment. Come along, sweetheart.”

Katherine looks around imploringly at the others before hurrying off after her father. Smalls moves to follow, but Sarah stops her.

“No, don’t give him another reason to come after us.”

Instead, Sarah, Smalls, and the boys go back to the Jacobs’ apartment. Jack and Davey head up to the roof, where Smalls has no doubt they will have a “discussion” (read: argument), so she and Sarah take the fire escape.

They have a half-hearted talk about the rally, but Smalls can tell they’re both just trying to avoid thinking about-

“Katherine!”

“Hello. Am I - am I still welcome here?” she asks, voice cracking.

“I can’t speak for Sarah, but you’re always welcome where I am,” Smalls says, scurrying down the steps to give Katherine a hug. “I thought about it as we walked back here, and I just don’t believe you had anything to do with your father’s position in the strike. You’ve been with us from the start, Katherine. You carried me away from the fight when I got knocked out. Who cares what name you were using? Your actions prove who you really are.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Sarah says, joining them on the pavement and wrapping her arms around each of their shoulders. “Hell, after meeting your father, I can understand why you would use another name. He’s the worst!”

Katherine laughed, though there were tears spilling down her cheeks.

“The absolute worst!” she agrees.

Smalls wants to lean in and kiss those tears away, then kiss Sarah for helping to break the tension, but then-

“You’re back!” Davey cries, spilling out of the front door with Jack on his heels. “And Jack’s not actually a scab!”

“Wow, banner day,” Smalls mutters, making Sarah giggle.

“Good, because I have an idea,” Katherine says. “Jack, that speech you gave before the strike? That wasn’t just about the newsies. Every child in this city suffers under terrible bosses and bad working conditions. If we got every kid in the city to join us on strike-”

“They would have to listen to us!” Jack finishes. “Plumber - can I still call you Plumber? - you’re a genius.”

“How do we get the word out, though?” Sarah asks. “It’s a wonderful idea, Katherine, but it will only work if people know about it.”

“My father’s declared a blackout on strike news, as we well know,” Katherine says. “But there’s got to be a press somewhere he doesn’t control.”

There’s silence for a moment until Jack snorts.

“Oh, no.”

“What?” Smalls asks.

“I know of a press Joe would never dream we’d use. Follow me, everyone.”

Hours later, Smalls is exhausted. After Jack and Katherine got them into the cellar at Pulitzer’s office, she ran from one side of the city to the other, alerting newsies about the new plan and sending them off to collect their papes.

Every muscle in her legs aches, but she’s never felt more exhilarated.

“We’re doing it!” Sarah cries. She, Smalls, and Katherine are all tucked in a corner of the cellar, hand in hand, taking a quick break before Katherine heads off to personally deliver their paper to the governor.

“This has to work,” Smalls says, looking from Sarah to Katherine. “I can feel it.”

“Keep your fingers crossed anyway?” Katherine asks, lifting her free hand to show the gesture.

It’s so unbearably cute that Smalls just can’t resist anymore.

“Anything for you.”

And with that, she leans in and kisses Katherine, keeping a good grip on Sarah’s hand as well.

“Knowing us, we’re going to need it,” Sarah says before taking Smalls’ place to smooch Katherine herself.

Katherine kind of looks like she’s going to fall over, but she’s got a grin that could replace the sun.

“Now get out of here, you’ve got an important man to see!” Smalls says, knowing her own smile is as wide as Katherine’s.

She waves her newly freed hand before turning to Sarah.

“As for you-”

“Get over here already!” Sarah interrupts, pulling Smalls in so they can finally kiss.

Smalls has never been happier to follow an order in her whole life.

Before she knows it, they’re gathered with the rest of the newsies outside Pulitzer’s office, waiting for Jack, Davey, Spot, and Katherine to come back out with the results.

When they do, the boys stay on the balcony with Pulitzer as Jack gives them the good news, but Katherine joins Sarah and Smalls in the throng.

Smalls is screaming, overjoyed at the results, and Sarah is bouncing up and down alongside her.

Katherine flings her arms around them both, and for a second the world is just the three of them in a warm embrace.

“So what happens now?” Smalls asks eventually.

“Well, right now, we’re going to go tell my parents the good news, and they will inevitably make you stay for dinner,” Sarah says, glowing.

“And then we do our best to stay forever,” Katherine finishes.

“Pick an easier fight, why don’t you, Katherine?” Sarah teases.

“After all this, don’t we deserve easy?” Smalls points out.

“We absolutely do.”

[sherrybaby14]

Who Am I? Part 15

Words: 4000 Warnings: None (plot chapter), but overall this is a NONCON/RAPE story. Please do not read if this offends.

RECAP:  You’re a scientist working for Bruce Banner in Stark tower, when Loki (who is being transported to a temporary prison in Stark Tower) points out that you’re an omega.  In this omegaverse when omega’s present at 16 they go to private homes until they come of age and can choose an alpha.  When you were 14 you created a pill that blocked your design but it did not work on the Asgardians.  Thor confirms Loki’s determination.  If anyone is caught harboring an omega it would be a serious crime.  Your age (never mentioned, but you’re over 18 and have a PhD) freaks Tony out that he’s going to get into trouble. He isolates you until he figures out what to do, since it’s technically on Bruce.              Steve Rogers is offended that you would hide the fact you’re an omega since they’re rare.  He goes to talk to you about it but you’ve been without your pills for a day and are starting to show.  You get upset and his alpha instincts kick in and he engages in non-con sex with you, after it’s done he feels awful but you’re super happy.  Then four hours later you freak out calling him a rapist, another round of non-con and then you’re happy again.  Figure out that his sperm moves along your detoxing from the pills. So you have to bang every four hours or you will revert back to hating him, not wanting to be an omega.  This proves too demanding so he brings in Bucky to help out.              Now you’re adjusting to the two alphas and are totally fine any happy as long as one of them bangs you every 8 hours or so (It’s been a few weeks, approximately 6).  Bruce was angry at Steve, but you promised him your were happy and he backed down. They left you for a mission, you almost killed yourself trying to run away, but they got you and another bout of non-con made you lovey doves again and they realized they needed to pamper you a little.  You had a fancy date with Steve and a fancy date with Bucky.  (Both inside Stark tower since nobody can know they have an unclaimed omega).  The side effects of the pills have made it impossible for them to claim you, but you can feel it wearing off. You’re concerned because you want them both but nobody knows if one omega can be claimed by two alphas (very little research done on omegas since they’re so rare).   In this omegaverse omegas are not mistreated, just their nature is docile/submissive and you wanted to fight your nature, weren’t scared of being abused or anything.  The big question here is are you normal on the pills or are you normal being sexed all the time by the alphas, essentially who are you? Which version of yourself is real?

~~~~ You felt like you were floating when you walked back into your apartment.  How could life be this good?  Bucky gave you a wink as the grin spread across his face large enough to match your own.  

“You look dazed sweetheart.” He brought your hand to his mouth and pressed his lips against your fingers.  

“Dazed is a good word.” You laughed. “The past two days have been unreal.”   “Our girl deserved all the attention on her.” He pulled you closer to him and you hugged your arms around his waist. “And it’s not over yet.  Yesterday was Steve, today was me, and tomorrow will be the three of us.”

You flushed with excitement, hoping that a day with both of them would turn into an evening with both of them.  

“Look at you, acting all shy.” His hand went under your chin and tilted your head up. “Is my omega having some dirty thoughts?”  

“It amazes me how you can do that, sense what I’m thinking.” You tilted your head and stared further into his baby blues.  

His eyes danced around your face, reading your features. You sensed a dip in his mood.

“What’s wrong?” You frowned.

“Wow.” The grin came spreading back. “Look who is starting to read her alpha.”  

“How was the pool?” Steve broke your attention and you turned towards your other partner as he walked down the stairs.  

“We missed you.”  Bucky dropped his arm, encouraging you to greet Steve.  

You had no problem following his request as the blond approached you.  You went up on your tiptoes to give him a kiss hello, but his arms went under your rear and he lifted you in the air, his lips crashing against yours in the process.  His mouth parted and you welcomed his tongue into your own, sending tingles down your entire body.  This was much better than the tiny peck you were expecting.  

“I take it you had a productive day?” Bucky asked.  

“Very.” Steve pulled away, and pressed his forehead to yours, not putting you down just yet.  

“Did you find out?”  Your heart skipped a beat.  “Is it possible? The double claim?”  

A huge grin spread across Steve’s face as he started to nod.  Your heart felt so full you thought it was going to burst.  

“How? What do we have to do?”  Bucky approached and put a hand on your back.  

“We have to wait.” Steve set you down on the ground.

“I feel more like an omega each day.” You brought your hands to your neck. “I’ll be able to receive the bites soon.”

“Not just for that.” Steve walked over to the kitchen and you and Bucky both followed. “There’s two theories. Bucky why don’t you tell her what you found out yesterday?”

“Yesterday?” You knew they were looking into it, but you assumed he would have shared any information with you.  

“I spoke with a professor of human behavior who emphasized her studies on omegas.” Bucky pulled out a stool.  “I really hope Steve got better information that I did.”

The dark haired man gave the blond haired man a look.  It was obvious Bucky’s information may upset you, but Steve didn’t seem worried.  

“Theoretically it is possible. But the two alphas would have to bite at the exact same nano-second.  If one got in first, even slightly it would take over, leaving the second in the dust.” He ran his hand down his chin. “The statistics were something more than one-in-a-million.”

“Oh.” You wished they kept that bit of information from you.  Your own research made it very clear that once a claim took hold you would only have eyes for the one.  Probably to the point that even being in the same room as the other would bother you.  Omegas were loyal, and claimed omegas even more so.  

You glanced at Bucky who looked heart broken.  You tried your best to force a smile.  

“Maybe we’re one-in-a-million.”  It already felt that way, with how good they treated you, but you knew those odds meant it was probably not worth the risk.  

If neither of them claimed you, what did that mean?  Both of them had already tried out of instinct alone.  When the pills wore off it would be impossible. And you wanted the claim too.  How many times during the last few weeks had you thrown your neck back? Practically begging for it.  Your thoughts paused, no practically about it.  You were begging for it.  Your heart started to sink.

“Cheer up, both of you.”  Steve smacked his hands together and leaned forward on the counter. “I had some better news.  I spoke with a physician, who specializes in omegas.  He’s the on-call for every omega house in the New York area.”

“Alright, you’ve increased the tension enough.” Bucky was losing patience. “Spill.”

“I was far from the first alpha to bring this up to him.  In fact, it’s government regulated one alpha per omega, it was part of the omega rights bill in the 70s, when things changed and the omega houses came into play.” Steve grinned from ear-to-ear.  “Some politicians want to change the law, especially the alpha ones, but it’s very controversial because they don’t want to force omegas into polyamorous relationships.

“But during an intense heat, an unclaimed omega’s needs take over, and the need for a mate is so intense that hypothetically speaking those odds drop from one in a million, to one in one.”  

“What?” Your jaw dropped, you never read anything like that in any of your research.  

“He swore me to secrecy.  The stronger the heat, the more open the omega will be to accepting bonds.  He guessed they can handle up to ten alphas, and be receptive to all of them.”  

“Grrr.”  Your heard snapped to Bucky, his eyes flashed with anger.  

“There won’t be a third.” Steve’s features hardened as he locked eyes with Bucky, who was clenching his fists.  

“No.” You put out both of your hands and gripped each of theirs. “Just us. Always.”  

Bucky seemed to soften.  Tears started to form in your eyes and the overwhelming happiness.  You were terrified of going into heat, knowing it was supposed to be painful at first.  Since you’d taken the pills from such a young age when your first one came on it was likely going to be so intense, the literature you read made you think you might risk a stroke unless you had an alpha right away.  

“Maybe it is fate.” You glanced between the two of them. “When my heat comes, it’s going to be rough.  But that will make it even easier for me to handle both of you.”  

A soft smile formed on Steve’s face as he rounded the counter and came over to you. His hand slid up your chin as he tilted your head back, his eyes locking with yours.  

“I had the same thought.” His gaze dropped to your lips and his head lowered.  

His kiss didn’t have the same urgency as before.  Now it was soft, as his plump lips worked against your own.  Your hair was swept to the side as Bucky began kissing your neck, his arms wrapping around your front.  You let out a moan, as both of your alphas pushed against you.  

The other night they took you at the same time out of necessity, but you wanted it again without the urgency, wanted to feel both of the rubbing your skin, touching you, pumping you at the same time.  You brought your arms up and ran your fingers through their hair, scratching lightly down the back of their heads.  

“Mmmmm.” Steve was the first to pull away.  

You looked up at him as you let out a whimper.  It only intensified as Bucky lifted his head from your neck. Confusion flooded your senses.  You didn’t biologically need either of them for at least another seven hours, but right now you NEEDED both of them.  

“Calm down Doll.”  Steve tucked a piece of hair behind your ear. “You have no idea how hard it is to put this on ice.”  

His choice of euphemism made you taken aback.  Bucky laughed and you turned towards him, giving him a playful slap on the arm.  

“We have a special treat for you tonight.”  Steve slipped his hand into yours and started pulling you towards the stairs.  

“Mmmm.” You licked your lips.  

“Not that kind of treat Doll.”  Bucky whispered in your ear.

You let out a whine.  Steve shook his head as he walked you towards Bucky’s room.  

“I said I wanted you to help redecorate.” The dark haired alpha spoke as the blond opened the door to the room.

When you walked inside it was still the same padded walls.  You glanced at Bucky with a confused look on your face while Steve led you to the closet.  When he opened it up you gasped.  

Women’s clothing hung on the racks.  Steve started spreading them and you realized they looked familiar.  They were all pieces of clothing you tried on yesterday.  

“Are they real?”  You were scared to touch them.

“One hundred percent.”  They were beautiful, designer.  Not that you cared about that, but the sentiment wasn’t lost on you.  “Tony’s AI wouldn’t be in our closet.”  

“But that’s not the surprise.”  Bucky leaned forward, putting his hands on your shoulders as he whispered in your ear.  

Steve pulled out a navy blue dress with black stripes on the sides.  It was one of your favorites from yesterday.  

“I think you should wear this tonight.” He raised his lip in a half smile.  

“Wear it where?”  You reached out and touched the fabric.

You had been living in their clothes, mainly oversized t-shirts for weeks.  Feeling the satin of the fabric, at item that was meant for a woman, made your fingers tingle.  You hadn’t realized how much you were craving at item of your own.  

“Tony’s penthouse.” Steve dropped the smirk.  “I don’t want you to get too excited.  There’s only going to be a few of us.”  

“What?”  

“Thor is in town.”  Bucky moved the bottom rack and there were multiple pairs of women’s shoes. You were grateful they weren’t all heels. “So we’re going to Tony’s for drinks.  It will be us, him, Natasha, Tony, Clint, and Bruce.”  

“Dr. Banner will be there?”   The last time you saw anyone who wasn’t one of your alpha’s was Bruce’s visit.  That didn’t go over swimmingly, but the thought of your former boss made you twinge.  You always got along and you did miss your discussions on genetics.  

“Not sure how I feel about that…maybe call him Bruce?” Steve raised an eyebrow.

“What? You want her to call you Mr. Rogers?” Bucky laughed.  

You knew it was meant to lighten the mood, but the tears returned to your eyes.  

“What’s wrong?”  Steve touched your shoulders.  

“You’re both so good to me…” You turned so you were sideways between them.  “Even after how horrible I was the other night.”

“Hey…” Steve pulled you in.

“Shhh.”  Bucky followed and rubbed your back again.  

“We’re far from perfect Doll.”  Steve kissed the top of your head.

“But maybe we’re perfect for each other,” Bucky added.  

“I don’t know anything about girly stuff, but I also ordered a ton of soaps, lotions, make-up, hairspray.”  Steve backed away. “Why don’t you go get ready? Pamper yourself.  We have to be up there in two hours.”  

“I don’t know anything about that stuff either.” You laughed as you wiped away the tear.  

“Well go explore Ms. Scientist.”  Bucky patted your ass. “If you don’t want to use any of it don’t, you certainly don’t need it.”  

You appreciated the compliment, but truthfully you sort of wanted to play around a little bit.  The idea of getting extra pretty for your alphas warmed your core, almost as much as their thoughtful gifts to you.

~~~ The heel made your leg tremble.  You played with the make-up enough that you barely had any on, but it did eventuate you eyes. Your hair was down, not really having enough time or knowledge on how to style it, but you were interested in trying again.  Maybe the next afternoon it was solo time instead of reading about omegas your would see what you could do with the different curling irons.  But the heels, they were too much.  

You went with your initial instincts and slid on the pair of black flats.  The dress was fancy enough you didn’t need heels.  Bucky’s door wasn’t locked and you held your breath as you opened it.  Your alphas were chatting at the bottom of the stairs, each of them in a dress shirt and tie.  Steve noticed you first and the look he gave you almost made your heart stop.  

Bucky’s gaze followed and his mouth hung open.  You turned away, trying to hide the smile as you walked down.  

“I didn’t think you could get more beautiful.”  Steve held out his hand for you as you reached the bottom. “But every time I see you I’m proven wrong.”  

“Something is missing.”  Bucky reached into his pocket when you landed on the final step.  

He brought out a little black box and flipped it open.  There was a silver necklace inside.  It was a flat heart pendant.  Simple, but stunning.  

“Do you like it?” He asked.  

You touched it and nodded.  It was perfect for you.  The chain was long enough you could wear it every day.  Depending on your outfit it would either look fancy or casual.  You couldn’t wait to get it on.  You lifted your hair, hoping he would drape it over your neck himself.  

“Wait.” He pushed your hand down. “Read the back.”  

You didn’t hesitate to flip over the charm.  There were four letters, but together they made you gasp.  You looked up at Bucky first.  

“Y/N.” He started to pull the necklace out. “I love you.”  

“Y/N.” Steve brushed your cheek, turning your attention to him. “I love you.”  

Your lip trembled as you started to speak, your voice caught in your throat.  

“This isn’t fair.”  You tried to blink away the tears as you shook your head.

Both alphas paused, clearly not expecting this response.  

“I put this stuff on my eyes and then you want to make me cry it all off.” You gave a small laugh. “Then you’re going to say that to me, but won’t let me drag you both up to the bed.”  

The concern melted away from both of them.  Bucky pulled the necklace out as Steve lifted you hair.  

“Pretend we didn’t say it.” Steve smiled. “I wanted to wait until tomorrow…”

“But I couldn’t wait that long.” Bucky put the necklace on you. “I’ve been dying to say it for awhile now.  I wouldn’t wait any more.”  

“I don’t want to wait any longer either.”  You looked at both of them.  “Let’s skip the party and stay here.  Please,  I want to hear those words all night, and say them back to both of you.”  

Steve eyed Bucky and you looked between them.  You sensed that the blond was about to crack.  You locked eyes with him.  

“Please.  Let’s stay here.  I’d rather it be just the three of us.”  You touched his cheek.  

“Sorry Doll.”  Bucky spun you around.  “You were too excited about going out tonight.  You deserve it.  We can wait a few hours.  Then it will be just the three of us all night.”  

You sighed in disappointment, but Bucky leaned down and pushed his lips against yours, giving you a light kiss.  You moved your hand behind his neck and tried to pull him in, but he just laughed as he broke the embrace.  

“I think our eager omega can hold herself off for a few hours.”  He bit his lip. “Besides, you haven’t said it back yet.  Keep us on our toes for a little bit.”   “I think we deserve that.” Steve added as he folded his hand into yours.  “They’re expecting us, all of us.”  

He walked towards the elevator and you went along, still feeling like you were floating.  It was unreal, how was this your life?  

“Now they all know about us, not everything of course.” Steve hit the button and the elevator opened. “But they know we’re all a couple, and we can’t claim you because of the pills.  There won’t be another alpha there. You can be yourself, but maybe…”

“Don’t mention the DNA requirements.”  Bucky finished. “They might not go over so well.”  

It made you sick to your stomach thinking what your alphas went through to see to your needs, the horrible things you had called them.  

“I’m not eager to bring those us either.”  You were so distracted by the necklace you didn’t realize your nerves were growing at meeting the rest of the boys’ team.  “Promise me something?”

You looked at both of them.  

“Don’t leave me alone tonight?” You were serious. “One of you will always be with me?”

It was a small group, but until you were claimed by both you didn’t want any solo experiences.  

“Never.” Steve brought your hand up and kissed it.  

You sighed in relief.  Then closed your eyes and shook your shoulders in an attempt to loosen up.  After all, this was supposed to be fun.  

~~~ Fun was the wrong adjective.  Whirlwind was more like it.  There were only five extra people in the room, but it felt like fifty.  From the moment you stepped out of the elevator everyone was so nice to you.  You didn’t think you’d spoken two words, but that didn’t stop the family vibes being sent your way.  

“And then he said ‘purple’.” Thor could barely get the punchline out without laughing.  

You cackled at the joke, sitting on the couch between Bucky and Steve.  Neither of which ever left your side.  

“Hey Rogers, your up to play bartender.” Tony shook his glass at Steve. “I bet you make a mean old fashioned.”  

“OoooooOoo,” the room erupted at Tony’s dig.

Steve smiled as he looked over your head at Bucky.  You followed the glance and saw your other alpha nudge his head.  Steve rose and took Tony’s glass.  Thor and Clint followed.  

“Having fun Doll?” Bucky whispered in your ear.  

Before you could respond the empty seat next to you was filled by Dr. Banner.  

“Oh here we go.” Natasha rolled her eyes.  “Whatever Bruce has to say don’t listen, he’s just threatened because he’s not the smartest person in the room.”  

You felt your cheeks grow warm at her remark, but before you could speak she popped up and joined the men at the bar, leaving you, Bucky, and Dr. Banner.  

“Ignore her.” Bruce moved back on the couch. “I know you’re the smartest person in the room Y/N.”

“You don’t have to say that.”  You leaned back into Bucky, not wanting to upset your alphas by being too close to another man.  

“It’s true.  I had my doubts, but um, I can admit when I’m wrong.”  Bruce wasn’t talking about who was smarter than who anymore.  “You seem very happy, and I am happy for you.”  

“Thank you.”  Bucky’s grip on your shoulder relaxed.  

You loved being able to read your alphas.  It was becoming more and more natural.  The way you leaned into him for assurance, the way he protected you, even though there was no threat.  Loved.  Love.  You couldn’t wait until you could say that word to him without fear, when it was the three of you alone.  

Bruce looked at you, like he was going to add more, but his mouth closed and he shook his head.

“I’ve got nothing.” He shrugged.  “I wish I did, but I still hope when things are settled you come back to the lab.”  

“Oh she will.” Bucky rubbed your shoulder. “If she wants to that is.”  

Your grin was so large you looked down.  Once the claim was in place you could go back to work.  You didn’t think you would do the eighty hours a week you were working before,  but you missed your microscope.  

“I’ve got an idea for a game.”  Thor stood between the two groups and tossed his hammer in the air.  “Who thinks they can lift Mjorn?”  

He caught the last flip and then set it on the ground.  

“I think the mighty Hulk should go first?”  The Demi-god was clearly up to something.  

You didn’t think Dr. Banner would go along, but then he popped up from the couch and went to the handle.  It didn’t even budge.  

“How about the little lady friend of our super soldiers? Y/N want to give it a go?”  You didn’t think he could be any more charming.  

You started to shake your head no, when Bucky pushed you upward.

“Come on Y/N..give it a try!”  Everyone started chiming in.  

Not wanting to be a downer you walked over and grabbed the hammer.  You tried to pull, but it made the idea of lifting a skyscraper look easy.  You let out a squeak and almost fell forward.  Both Bucky and Steve ran towards you.

“OoooOOoo.” The rest of the group started teasing.  

“Maybe the two soldiers should try together?”  Thor taunted.  

You held your arms open and backed away towards the bar.  

“What a sassy omega.” An arm wrapped around your waist. “Did I mention I like her?”

Natasha was right next to you, holding you close.  You didn’t feel the least bit threatened and nodded to the two of them. Almost certain they could lift the hammer together.  She kept moving backwards and you went with her, not wanting to get in the way if they failed.  

“Alright, lets try to hold it like a baseball bat.  Like I taught you.”  Buck looked at Steve.  

“You taught me?” He gave a playful shove. “More like you tried to teach me.”  

“Yeah yeah yeah, we get it.” Tony walked over. “Both of you were there when the sport was invented.  Don’t distract, we know you can’t lift it.”  

“So what’s it like?” Natasha asked you under her breath. “Being with the both of them?”  

You looked at her, not expecting the question or the diversion.  

“I don’t mean to pry, but they are so crazy about you.”  She dropped her arm and grabbed a bottle from the bar, pouring herself a drink.  “All I hear is Y/N, Y/N, Y/N.  They fight about you sometimes, but never over you.  I think it’s really romantic.”  

“I’m lucky.”  You watched as they continued to strategize, without actually trying. “Most alphas wouldn’t put up with me, especially after what I did…taking those pills.”  

“You’re a genius for knowing how to make them in the first place.”  Natasha swirled her drink. “And those two knuckleheads are softees, they need a strong woman like you.”  

Her compliment made your heart hurt.  After everything you had put them through, they were such nice guys.  The good guys.  Better than the average alpha and you still reacted in such a way that had made them do horrible things.

“I didn’t mean to upset you sweetie.”  Natasha spun away from the hammer scene.  

You thought it would be rude not to follow and turned away as well, propping your elbows on the bar.  

“Do you want a drink?”  She started to pour herself another.

You shook your head, not wanting to know if alcohol would affect your recovery.  They were all being so nice to you, Natasha especially.  Even though you weren’t talkative you felt the need to start some form of conversation, one that didn’t revolve around yourself.

“Why is Thor in town?  I thought he was from some alien plan…”. CRASH.

You spun around, thinking maybe your alphas had lifted his hammer, your heart ready to burst with pride.  Instead all you saw was dust in the air.  Natasha’s arm struck out across you stomach, moving you behind her.  

There wasn’t enough time to panic.  Not really.  Even in the haze both Steve and Bucky turned towards you.  Thor started to push them away to grab Mjorn, and Tony hit a button on his wrist.  The suit started to unfold.  But then you were gone.  

Were you in your head?  You shut your eyes and then forced them open again as you struggled to take in a breath.  It felt like you were traveling at a thousand miles per hour.  Your head spun as the world filled with navy blue, a tight belt squeezing your side.  

“Breath darling, you’re no good to me dead.”  The voice was familiar, but you could place it.  

You turned your head forward.  It wasn’t navy blue or a belt.  It was an arm gripping you and it was a deep forest green, trimmed in gold.  You didn’t listen to the voice and the lack of oxygen started to make your vision fuzzy.  

“Probably a better idea.” The arm increased the pressure around your midsection.

The forest green turned to black as consciousness left you.  Your final thought of your alphas.      

Tags: @buckyscrystalqueen @blondesouthsquad @purplemuse @taintedgenre @kellyn1604 @negan--is--god @idonthavehusbandsihavelovers @mac5323 @marauderice @thecynicalnerd @faegal04 @siren-kitten-his @a—smallgirlinabigworld @ayatimascd

A/N: Tags were not cooperating.  Sorry if I missed you!  

[lilacmoon83]

Dreaming Out Loud

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Chapter 102: Trouble Melts Like Lemon Drops

Snow looked at herself in the mirror, as she had allowed her mother to magically dress her, while Eli anxiously waited outside the room. As an infant, her mother and grandmother had made the decision to strip her of her immortality and most of the magic she might have acquired because of her blood. It was a difficult decision, but it was determined that letting her human side be dominant would actually keep her safer.

Eli's Kingdom had already been up in arms at her existence and the scandal that their crown Prince had fathered a child, not only out of royal wedlock, but one with a Goddess. The years where that would have made Snow revered had long since passed and the Gods were no longer respected by mortals as they once were.

A lot of that was due to all the wars and bloodshed they had been involved in centuries before Snow was even born. Humans and the Gods had a bloody history and it had only created a deep seeded animosity. A lot of mortal hatred was due directly to Zeus and many of his own actions and involvement with humans. He had done nothing to endear himself to humans, used them, killed them outright, and was often hypocritical by breaking his own laws that he expected humans to follow. Zeus was unforgiving and saw mortals as lesser beings, rather than beings created in the image of the Gods, as many of the other Gods did. He had falsely represented his siblings too. He had made mortals fear all of them, especially Hades.

Many cultures equated Hades with a devil-like figure in many mortal, religious practices. But Hades was not the demon he had been portrayed to be, though that image was something that had plagued him and contributed to the times when he was ruling tyrannically.

Naturally with these types of attitudes, Demeter had reluctantly advised that they let Snow's human side be dominant. Persephone had worried about that simply because it meant Snow would live a mortal lifespan, but Athena had ascertained that this would be addressed when the time was right, though she was vague on the hows and whys of that, as Athena often was. The wise Goddess never gave much away, but Persephone trusted her.

That being said, Snow retained a tiny bit of magic, enough to ensure she was unique among mortals. Her ability to speak to birds and affinity for wildlife was a gift left to her by her Godly origins and Snow had always considered it a wonderful gift, even if some people thought her to be odd because of it.

When she was born, her grandmother had declared that she would be the fairest in the lands and that had stuck with her. Even though many in her father's court had a great amount of disdain for her, it was never missed by them at how beautiful she was. The men had suggested to her father that at least he would be able to marry her off to some Prince and thus somehow by their thinking turn her into a suitable royal. Her father had quickly quashed those opinions though. He may have often been at the mercy of his court, but he was always clear that he would not marry his precious little girl off to some undeserving, pompous Prince that he knew would mistreat her. He had always insisted that Snow would be allowed to marry for love, something he had not been allowed, and had been steadfast in that. He didn't miss being King. In fact, being free, despite being a wanted man had been the best times in his life. He wished there wasn't King Arawn hunting him and his daughter, but he had been able to spend more time with her on the run than in his time as King when sometimes she had been under the same roof.

He had noticed the modification made to Snow's wanted posters. They now wanted his daughter alive, whereas before, they had stated that dead would be preferable. And he knew what that meant. Arawn had control of his Throne, which meant he could technically barter his daughter in an arranged marriage if he wanted to. That had been a disturbing fact to him, as well as Persephone and Hades, for they had noticed the shift as well. He could only surmise that Arawn saw the value of keeping Snow alive. Having the daughter of a Goddess to use as some kind of pawn was an attractive thing to the evil King and he was almost certain the idea had probably come from Claude Frollo. He had not missed the way Frollo had looked at his daughter when she had come to save him from execution. The religious zealot even had the nerve to blame his little girl's beauty as the reason for the perversion inside him. It made him want to rip Frollo's head off with his bare hands and knew that if the man touched his daughter again, there would be another murder and he'd be the culprit. At one time, he had scoffed that he would ever join or team up with Hades to do anything, but he knew the God of the Underworld would be right there, helping him to hold the man down while they ended him.

So when Snow met David, he was very happy for his little girl. To find true love and be with someone he could trust with her was ease for his weary heart and soul. David was a very good man, who loved and cherished his daughter with every fiber of his being. He knew David would die for his daughter in a heartbeat, though he hoped that was never necessary. Despite the Kingdoms being war torn and Arawn's latest grab for power with this black god, whatever that may be, this happy occasion was extremely welcome and the fact that Snow was happy was everything to him. He heard the door open and he turned to see Persephone there with a smile.

"Okay...you can come in now," she said. He smiled and went into the room to spend a few moments with his little girl on her wedding day.

~*~

"Well...what do you think?" Persephone asked.

"It's beautiful...mother. It's perfect," she gushed, as she was in awe of the beautiful gown. The dress was pure white, of course, and the satin material shimmered in the light. Her hair was up in an intricate twist and she wore a crown of snowdrops around her head.

"You are beautiful, my sweet daughter…" Persephone said, as tears filled her eyes.

"Mama...if you cry, then I'll start crying," Snow warned.

"Sorry sweetheart...it's just that I'm so happy that you've found true love and I promise you that we will stop this war so that someday, you and David will never have to be separated," she promised. Snow nodded, as they hugged.

"I know you will," she replied, as her mother opened the door.

"Okay...you can come in now," she told Eli and he walked in.

"Oh Snow…" he uttered, as he gently hugged her.

"You are certainly the most beautiful bride ever," he added, as he tearfully kissed her forehead.

"I love you Daddy," she said. He smiled.

"I love you too, sweet pea," he replied, as fished something out of his pocket and she gasped at the beautiful ring.

"This ring has been passed down in our family for generations. It's a star stone...very rare," he said, as he put it on her finger. Snow gazed at the beautiful sapphire, which had a star inside it with six rays.

"Daddy...it's gorgeous," Snow uttered.

"I was once going to give it to your mother...but that didn't work out. And I could never have given such a precious family heirloom to Ravenna," he said sadly.

"But I knew that it would be different for you and that you would find love. I knew I would give it to you someday and that day is here," he added, as they hugged again.

~*~

David was both a bundle of nerves and anticipation, as he prepared to marry the woman he loved. He was decidedly disappointed by the options in his wardrobe though and was feeling a bit uncertain.

"What was I thinking? I'm marry a Princess...even my nicest clothes are in no shape for this," he lamented.

"Honey...Snow will not care what you are wearing," Ruth admonished. He sighed.

"I know mother...I just want to at least look the part," he said.

"There is no one more worthy or deserving of Snow than you," Hades interjected, as he appeared in the doorway.

"Snow wants to marry you and will barely notice what you are wearing," he added, as he walked into the room.

"He's right, son," Robert agreed.

"However...if it would ease your mind, I think I can help with you attire," Hades offered. Sera smiled at them both and David nodded.

"I'd like that," David agreed, as Snow's stepfather snapped his fingers and supplied his soon to be son-in-law with new attire. He was now wearing a silvery gray tunic, adorned with a regal pattern, a gray cape and sash, with black leather pants and boots to complete the ensemble.

"Oh look at you...so handsome, though you were that before," Sera gushed, as she looked at her grown, adopted son. She swallowed thickly, as it made her think of James and how he looked exactly like David. She recalled holding him in her arms and finding the most joy she ever had in him. She had been ripped away from him and felt lost in an abyss of despair, even thinking that death might have been better than feeling that pain. But then she met Ruth and little David, which awoke the light inside her again. She missed James terribly every day, but helping her beloved wife raise their son together had truly been the thing that pulled her out of the depths of grief. It was her second chance, though she would forever mourn losing James. But David made her very happy and proud. And all three of them, herself, Ruth, and Robert were ecstatic at gaining a daughter-in-law like Snow.

"Thank you...this is perfect," David said graciously.

"Well, you're my son-in-law now, so I can't have you marrying our little girl looking like a ragamuffin," Hades quipped, though there was mirth behind his statement, before he turned serious and put a hand on David's shoulder.

"When I first found out Persephone was pregnant and she wasn't biologically mine, I was very angry and almost did some things that would have been terrible. But then I promised to stand by my wife, knowing that I had a lot of responsibility in our broken marriage," he said.

"And though I promised to support her, I swore that I would never love this child. Then I saw her and felt love again for the first time in a very long time," he continued.

"There is literally no one else in this realm or any other that I would trust with her, but I know that I can with you," he finished. David felt incredibly humbled.

"I love her...she's everything and I'll make her happy," he promised. Hades smiled.

"Well, you already do so you just have to keep that up," he quipped. David smiled, as they followed him out. He was very anxious to marry the woman he loved.

~*~

The Sorcerer's Apprentice carried out his mundane existence as he did every day. He lived in seclusion in his cabin near the mountains and maintained a hermitage lifestyle, all in the name of guarding his Master's magical legacy.

He was saddened when the powerful Sorcerer was sealed away in a tree by the Dark One, centuries ago, but he did not mind the quiet life. He had left Camelot at that point and guarded the powerful artifact against anyone that might attempt to take it for their own personal use.

In the wrong hands, the Sorcerer's power could be used to exact great devastation. And it was his life's mission to make sure that did not happen. He was a very old man now, but life would sustain him until the magic had another guardian or the Sorcerer returned. Until then, he would do his duty and had for centuries with nary a hiccup. But as he returned from a three day journey for supplies, he felt something ominous in the air that told him today would be different than the thousands of days before. And he felt his senses warn him of danger, as he heard a knock at his door. But he remained calm and unsuspecting, as he answered it and found a lone man there. He appeared to be aging and weathered, but he was no ordinary man and the Apprentice could sense that he was not what he appeared. There was a sophistication about him and a cruelty in his eyes.

"I've been traveling for many days...can you spare some water and something to eat?" the man questioned.

"Of course...please come in," the Apprentice responded.

"Thank you...you are very kind," the white haired man said graciously.

"Please...I will get you some water. Please help yourself to the biscuits I just made and warm yourself by the fire," the Apprentice offered, as he watched the man's eyes wander around his home.

"You live so far away from civilization...I didn't expect to find anyone up here. I surely thought I would be doomed," the man said.

"I prefer a hermitage sort of existence...it suits me," the Apprentice replied, as he offered the man a cup.

"Now...what brings you out this far?" he questioned.

"I am man of the cloth and left my cathedral on a sabbatical retreat to gain perspective and re-focus my life," the other man offered.

"I see...are you struggling with temptations?" the Apprentice asked.

"Very much so...I took a vow of celibacy and have struggled greatly with lust. There was a witch that was nearly my undoing, a filthy gypsy of all things. I left the cathedral to conquer my lust," he replied.

"Is that so? From the pleasures of the flesh or for power?" the Apprentice questioned, as their eyes met.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you have seen through my ruse," Frollo responded.

"A ruse based on truth, I can sense. You blame your perversion on the wiles of beautiful women, but you are the only one with ownership for the sickness inside you," the Apprentice responded.

"This does not have to involve violence. I require only one thing for my King and I will have it, regardless of what is in my way," Frollo stated.

"I will never give you my Master's hat. Your King is an evil soul and will only use my Master's great magic to spread his evil. I will never allow that to happen," the Apprentice stated.

"Then I guess we should get to it," Frollo responded, as he stood up and the Apprentice with him. The apprentice used his wand and unleashed his magic on Frollo, but his eyes widened in surprise, as Frollo came with his own weapon and wielded a type of sorcery unlike anything the Apprentice had ever seen in his very long life...

~*~

With the flick of her wrist, Persephone had fashioned the meadow into the perfect setting for her daughter's wedding. The meadow was already full of lush flowers and an abundance of snowdrops. She had cleared a path through the flora to make a proper aisle and Hades had created a white and golden archway. Apollo stood there, ready to officiate the ceremony, while Artemis and Demeter had arrived to witness too.

David stood at the altar, with his father standing next to him and his mothers there as well. Artemis and Demeter stood on Snow's side, opposite his mothers, while Persephone and Hades walked down the aisle arm in arm, to take their place across from his parents. Anything else that might have been happening around him was then unseen, as his attention was captured by Snow, floating toward him like the angel and Goddess she was, on her father's arm. When they reached the altar, Eli kissed her cheek and hugged her. Persephone and Hades hugged her as well, before she came to stand before David.

"I'm honored to be here today to officiate this union; a union which has been written in the stars," Apollo began.

"In this world, love can be fleeting and very difficult to find. I am very old and I have seen many false accounts of love and failed relationships, so to find a love so true as this one is very refreshing," he continued.

"We have all come together today to bond this already truest love in the sanctity of marriage," he said, as he made a motion with his hands and the sapling they had created on the first day they had met appeared floating between them.

"On the very first day you met, the first spark of true love was ignited. This very rare occurrence gave birth to your destined love and this became a symbol of that love," he stated.

"Now that we join you in eternal matrimony, this sapling must take root and like your love and devotion, it will now grow and flourish," Apollo decreed, as he used his magic to plant the sapling in the meadow and it took root, as it grew a bit, ensuring that it would eventually tower over them like a beacon of their love.

"Snow...you already wear two rings. One from your father's lineage and another from David's. The star gem is a very rare gem, much like you and this love between you," he stated.

"And the other ring follows true love and led you together. So I take a leaf from your sapling and fashion another ring for you to place on your beloved's finger," Apollo stated, as he plucked a leaf from the sapling and used magic to transform it into a wedding band that was imbued with the power of their true love from the sapling. He handed it to Snow and she slipped it onto David's finger.

"I think I can speak for all present when I say that we are in the presence of an incredible love, but we should hear those vows from the two of you," Apollo prompted, as David took a deep breath and prepared to confess his heart to her.

"When I was a little boy...I loved to gaze up at the stars. I was always so drawn to them and my mothers told me that it was because I sought true love in them," he began.

"I didn't know it, but I've been looking for you all my life and the stars were my map. Then I finally found you and suddenly knew that you were what I had been looking for all my life. And I'll keep looking for you and finding you. When we're together, I'll love you and cherish you. Then when we're apart, I'll miss you terribly, but take heart in knowing that you are safe from evil. And I'll never lose the faith that there will be a day when we never have to be apart again," he continued.

"But knowing that you're my wife will get me through those times. You're the love of my life. I knew from the moment I looked at you that I wanted to marry you, so I strive to be a man worthy of your love. What we have is true love, without a doubt and eternal. It goes beyond just this life and I know that whatever life we find ourselves in that I will always find you, just as you found me. And I know that no matter what we face, we shall do so together," he finished and she had to wipe a few tears away.

"When I was a little girl, my mother and my Nana said that I would find true love. I believed them and dreamed about what it would be like," she began.

"And then I was framed for murder and almost lost hope that finding love would be possible. I almost wondered if love was even real...and then you found me in that moment where I was ready to give up and awakened hope in me again. True love is magic and I knew that the moment my hand touched yours and we created this sapling," she continued tearfully.

"You were better than anything I could have dreamed. You're my Charming...and there is no other that deserves to be called that, because you embody what it means to be a Prince Charming. You're my hero and now I get to call you my husband, which brings me more joy than I ever thought possible," she added.

"You're the love of my life and I know that our love is eternal and true. I know you'll always find me and I will always find you. And I know we will get through anything, because we will do it together," she finished.

"There is no question that we are in the presence of the true, everlasting love that not men or Gods can tear asunder. Snow and David...by the cosmic powers in me, I bond you in an eternal union of the highest devotion, love, and commitment. I declare you husband and wife for all time," Apollo announced, as they joined hands.

"I think you know what to do now," he added coyly. They beamed at him and then each other, before coming together, their lips meeting in a passionate kiss. Their family cheered and clapped for them.

Shortly after, they saw Hades and Persephone off. They were leaving right away to follow Frollo into the eastern mountains and stop him from whatever plot he had conceived. They hugged their daughter and new son-in-law, as they prepared to leave.

"Please be careful," Snow pleaded.

"We will, Snowdrop," Persephone promised.

"We're just worried...because Frollo has proved to be really dangerous," David added.

"Yes, he has...but magic is still on our side and we won't let him succeed," Hades promised, as he joined hands with his wife and they disappeared in twin puffs of smoke.

"Well...the rest of us will leave you two to enjoy your wedding night," Sera gushed, as she ushered the rest of them to their cabin. David rolled his eyes at their antics and then swept his new bride into his arms. Snow yelped in surprise, but then put her arms around his neck, as he carried her into their cabin.

~*~

Hades and Persephone arrived the cabin where they knew Merlin's Apprentice lived and guarded the hat. Immediately, they knew something was very wrong, as the door was open and they went inside. They found the old man on the floor, still shaking and recognized this as likely the after effects of Frollo's weapon.

"Please tell me he doesn't have it!" Hades snapped, as light blue flames licked at the tips of his hair.

"Hades…" Persephone scolded and he attempted to compose himself.

"I'm...sorry, he had some sort of item that nullified my magic…" the Apprentice apologized.

"Yes...that was King Arawn's Royal Vizier and he has been mixing science with alchemy and sorcery. It's created some very dangerous things he is able to use against magic wielders," Persephone explained.

"I am sorry, Goddess...but I'm afraid he found and took the hat," he explained regrettably.

"How?! Even if he subdued you...it should have been hidden where no one could find it!" Hades cried, as his wife gave him another look, though she herself was close to panicking as well.

"He had a needle and injected me with some sort of serum. He said it was a scientific concoction he had made to force people to tell the truth. And to my horror...he was correct," the Apprentice revealed.

"Okay...Frollo is one customer I'd like to see in the Underworld. I know I gave up the whole torture thing, but he is very deserving of a session. I just can't decide between fingernail pulling or target practice with flaming arrows," Hades quipped.

"Hades…" Persephone scolded.

"You're right...both are wildly messy. I think I'll go with letting Cerberus play fetch with his body parts after he's torn him apart, of course," he replied.

"No," she said sternly and looked disappointed.

"Like you don't want to take a hammer to him for the way he looked at Snow," he retorted.

"Maybe...but he's still alive for now and we have to stop him. We'll deal with his afterlife later," she reasoned.

"He must be headed for bald mountain...the hat will show him the way. The entire realm will be doomed if he releases the Chernabog," the Apprentice said, as he used the black god's real name.

"Of course the entire realm will be doomed! That's why we locked it away and burned all the maps! I can't believe I missed one," Hades lamented.

"Unless you didn't," Persephone responded. He turned to her.

"What do you mean?" he questioned.

"You did destroy all the maps in the realm...except for the one in the Underworld," she reminded.

"But we're the only ones with access to that one. No other Gods except…" he started to say, but then paused and she nodded.

"Hermes...that little gutter worm," he hissed and then shook his head.

"But why? What does Hermes have to gain by releasing the black god?" he questioned.

"We know that Hermes will side with whoever is the most powerful. We know that Arawn would love nothing more than to possess that power, but what if he is only a pawn for someone even more powerful?" she questioned and his eyes widened in realization.

"Deimos…" he realized and they joined hands.

"Will you be all right?" she asked the Apprentice. He nodded.

"Go...stop Frollo from unleashing doom on us all," he pleaded. They nodded and disappeared again in twin puffs of smoke...

[jenowinkle]

l o v e d .

boyfriend au! haechan ❀

genre; angst × fluff

pairing; haechan × reader

word count; 2.7k

warning; mentions of bullying and a singular bad word

requested by anon; Haechan From Nct 127 imagine where you want to break up with him cuz he has been treating you very meanly and in the end you make up????? Please and thank you! I’m thirsty for some drama in my life with cute endings I’m so sorry I’m a mess! I love you 💕💕💕💕💕😂

to note;

haechan pov

this is haechan of 127, not dream; so he isn’t soft × fluffy oof

i’m just kidding, he still is,,, at some points

i hope this isn’t too cliché ><

author’s note; thank you for the request anon!!! ٩(^ᴗ^)۶ ah i’m so excited to write this and i hope this isn’t too disappointing,,, i love you vvvvv much (❁´‿`❁) i’m really sorry this took so long;;; (,,•́ . •̀,,) there may be grammer errors here and there so please excuse that ahh but enjoy~

let’s go:

12 a.m.  

“get out… please,”            

haechan let out a self-depreciating chuckle, quirking the left corner of his lip as your broken voice resonated in his mind. the look of distraught and profound sadness never left your face as haechan heed your orders, stepping out of your once-homely, shared apartment. he walked along the sidewalk that led to the nearby park, nibbling at his lower lip. what went wrong? that was the question that bothered him so much. all he could do now was to walk, walk down his path of regrets. silently, the tears flowed down his cheeks and dripped from his chin. he was too sad to cry out or wail, and eventually, he slumped down onto a bench while the magnitude of his loss swept over him. the loss of you, his beloved. was he at fault? no, it couldn’t have been. haechan buried his head into the palms of his warm hands, sobbing at maximum strength. unconsciously, his mind wondered to the forbidden realms of how he had first met you. it was not the appropriate time to think about such things but he just couldn’t help it.

❃

“hey, i’m haechan. i find you real cute, so just call me hyukkie~”

yes, that was the first thing he had said to you five years prior. what a smooth talker, huh. but haechan was known for that, his specialty people might call it even. he had always been the happy virus of the class, the beloved jokester, a natural flirt and dare he say, the most outgoing one in the school. he was popular, as in, very well known and loved by the school. his outrageous antics, be it on friends or teachers, never failed to humor the class; even the teachers would find it amusing enough to let him off the hook, sometimes, encouraging it to lighten up the mood.

the thing is, he had everyone begging for his attention — romantically, that is. each and every day, he had a constant supply of food and love notes to the point where you’d wonder if he was secretly an idol or something. however, unfortunately for him, the one he had eyes for, never blinked an eye at him. you were always an exception  — you never seemed to laugh at his jokes, much less even flinched at his pranks. whatever haechan threw at you, you somehow managed to avoid it. and of course, this gave haechan’s ego a big hammering down. he didn’t know what to do, always dumbfound by your unaffected emotions. at that moment, he was at his wits’ end. to be very honest, he didn’t know what made him so attracted to you. did you cast some magic spell on him? because my, were you bewitching, or so it seemed like that to him. he adored you so much but didn’t know a single thing about you. it was a hilarious situation, really. maybe it was your immunity to react to his comedic statements, maybe it was your quiet, stand-offish personality, or maybe it was your laugh.

it was the most unexpected thing. the moment the flirtatious words left haechan’s mouth, you were flabbergasted at his introduction but let out such a charming laugh, he became the one tongue-tied and then poof, a wild crush on you appeared. so, you were the typical new kid of the class, having been transferred from your last school at the middle of the year for the terrible classmates you had. what you had not known was how lady luck wanted to torment you a little longer before giving you the happiness you deserved. haechan became highly aware of his affections for you and showered you with lots of love and attention. oh, what had been thought a blessing, turned out to be your worst nightmare. for everything he gave, it was always backed up with death threats from his admirers. this drove you to the edge. the constant bullying that was waiting for you at the end of every day, the occasional egg being thrown at you and the rare moments of you actually getting along with someone, eventually being your best and only friend. — you tolerated all of that, but haechan never knew. and that was when you started to really distant yourself from him. he was the cause of the toxic relationships you had with your fellow schoolmates. he was the cause for all the pain that you had to suffer. he was the cause of everything, yet he knew nothing.

❃

it was finally senior year, the year everyone had been waiting for, the year all seniors would graduate, the year for prom. that was haechan’s chance, his last chance, to ask you out. he had been trying for the past two years, ever since you transferred. haechan came to know about his tyrant admirers from his best friend, mark. of course, he was vehement to say the least. upon seeing the two-faced girls in the corridor one day, he lashed out at their appalling behavior towards you, never stopping to take a breather from his scolding. you were there when that happened, and honestly, like everyone else, you had never seen him so infuriated before. it was a first, and you were astounded that it was because of you. fortunately for him, that was his redeeming ticket to something he had never directly caused. you truly appreciated his willingness to stand up for your sake, but well, haechan knew he was indirectly the cause for your mistreatment and he had to do you justice.

and that was the turning point of your relationship.

“be my sunflower?”

he asked you out to prom.

❃

“be my sun?”

haechan held a stunning bouquet of crimson red roses in his clammy, trembling hands, shyly looking up at you as he asked you to be his significant other a year after prom. unexpectedly, haechan received a soft, tender kiss on the lips as he felt a smooth hand lay on his cheek, your thumb grazing over his supple cheeks. overjoyed were you, as you gently took the bouquet with your free hand. your smile was so genuinely sweet, with just the right amount of shyness, haechan couldn’t help but feel his heart burst with a sudden surge of warmth and joy.

❅

1 a.m.

that was a memory he held so dear to his heart. one in many, that is.

you were his sun as much as he was to everyone else. you were his sunflower, so beautiful, warm, and positive; and ultimately, you were his source of happiness. he didn’t deserve you and he reminded himself of that every single day. it tormented him, it made him work harder to make up for whatever he thought he lacked, it made him love you unconditionally. but was that really enough? he was conflicted, fighting off as many tears as he could. pathetic, he despised himself. dragging himself off the bench, he lifted his right fist up and threw it to an unsuspecting tree. an unimaginable pain blossomed in his knuckles, as drops of blood started to ooze out from the rips in his skin. a sharp hiss escaped his lips as he clenched his jaw, regretting his impulsive and stupid move. that pain however, is incomparable to the one he felt in his heart.

❃

college students. two-year love birds. the couple of the campus. that was you and haechan, alright. everything was the same, yet so different in college. he was still the prankster gangster that he was, topped with more mischief, that is. definitely still a hit with everyone, but thankfully in the friendly sense. on the other hand, you became the campus sweetheart. oh my, boys fell for you left and right, even with the knowledge that you were long taken. you became famed for your endearing and kind personality, cute to the core, as haechan described. nevertheless, this soon became a problem, a problem that would escalate to heights unimaginably high. haechan became overcome with dread the moment he saw a random boy from your psychology class trot on to you, hands gripping onto a box of chocolates. he witnessed the entire moment, from where the boy had confessed, he presumed, to when he got rejected, as he noticed the droop of the boy’s head as he slowly turned around to walk away. conjointly, he looked to see your perplexed expression as you passed the chocolates to a friend that happened to pass by. initially, all was good as haechan was always notified by you whenever you received a confession of love.

howbeit, after a few months later, things had seemingly changed. you had grown distant, yet again, with different circumstances this time however. you went out with guys haechan never even knew existed. you spent less time together. there were lesser kisses and hugs; lesser “i love you”s. he placed more effort into the relationship, buying you weekly flowers, cooking for you when you came back to the dorm late — haechan became desperate. his self-esteem hit rock bottom. insecurity about his looks, envy about the amount of attention you gave to others instead of him, fear that he would lose you. he became possessive. it drove him insane.

❅

11 p.m.

“haechan, why have you been acting like this?”

those words floated out of your mouth so simply, like it meant nothing. why? it was lunatic, how you weren’t aware about how horribly you were treating him, how you didn’t understand his feelings, how you never asked about his day anymore, how you never ranted about your problems to him anymore, how you never told him you loved him anymore. haechan was so sick of it, he had to deal with the constant stress the professors put on him daily, them breathing up his neck and then deal with the constant reminder that you were probably out with friends, more specifically, male friends. so, his possessiveness caught up to him, causing him to come off as mean or more accurately, manipulative. wherever you went, he demanded for a report of everything you did. whoever you called, he accused you of cheating on him. whenever you laughed at something, he cursed at the source of your laughter. what he adored most had become something he dreaded most.

“you actually want to know why? finally? when did you start caring about me again, huh?”

rage. that was all haechan felt. the spur of anger stirred in his whole entire being. he spat on the ground separating the two of you.

“you’ve become someone i don’t recognize, haechan,”

a roar of laughter bubbled up to his lips. what a hypocrite, his lips curled into a snarl. haechan was seeing red, angered to the point of no return. his mouth opened, spewing out the toxins he had been storing in his body for months, via words. continuously without stop, he yelled at you, who started to cower in fear of the person haechan had become.

“you became a whore, (y/n)!”

that was the breaking point; for both haechan and you. he went too far. he knew he did. but he didn’t even try to stop the words from spilling out.

s m a c k .

skin against skin, palm against cheek. haechan felt the tingly burn on his cheek after your hand had connected with it, causing a loud smack to ripple apart the deafening silence that engulfed you two, moments prior. he looked up at you, holding his cheek, only to see pearl-like tears rolling down your cheeks from wide, luminous eyes. your eyes that once shined like the stars in the vast night sky, held so much pain and regret. haechan could see it so clearly but he refused to look away, he refused to back down, not after all the nights he had spent looking at the mirror, wondering why he was not good enough for your wandering eyes. his dark lashes started to brim heavy with tears, hands clenched into shaking fists, in a desperate battle of grief and hatred.

“let’s break up,”

❅

1:30 a.m.

what happened that night was not something haechan was proud of. after beating up the innocent tree, bloodied hands were his payment for his offence. his anger slowly dissipated, turning into complete sadness. he loved you. no, he loves you. after everything, he knows that you didn’t know what you were doing, you were just suddenly showered by affection from other people that you didn’t realize how you were treating haechan, he knew you didn’t mean to break up with him, and he knew you were still in love with him, as much as he was with you. he was willing to forgive you, he wanted to. he wanted to hold you in his arms, and breathe in your scent again. he wanted to whisper sweet nothings. he just wanted you back.

closing his eyes, haechan went back to the bench and plopped himself on it. the cool, night wind tickled his neck, almost as if to comfort him. the gentle swishing of the leaves seemed to whisper to him that everything would work out. it had to, haechan thought, as another gush of tears came swimming to his eyelids. one by one, they slipped past his closed gates, sliding down his cheeks in big, fat droplets. the warmth they brought along comforted him, until eventually becoming cold too, like the world was to him now, as they drop of his chin. it’s going to be a long night, he sighed.

❅

2:00 a.m.

“haechan, wake up! haechan, please… i-i still love you. please wake up, please be alright, oh my god, i’m so sorry. i don’t deserve you one bit,”

it can’t be.. it just can’t be. haechan knew he was asleep but that voice, it sounded so… real. he didn’t know if he could believe it, after all he had been delusional for a few months now. gathering all of his strength, he peeked through an eye as he felt the sudden drop of a tear on his hand, his palms receiving an intense amount of warmth, and a melancholy-sounding voice drifted up to his ears.

“h-hyukkie… i don’t even deserve to call you that anymore. i thought about what you said, and i realized how badly i’ve been treating you this past few months. i never meant that to happen, i was so caught up with everything that i,, no, that’s no excuse for my behavior. if you wake up, i hope you know that you were always the sun, and the only reason why i could be a sunflower was because of you. you gave me so much love that i could never repay you back, no matter how hard i try. never in my life have i received so much attention from a single person, i’m so lucky to have you but i never appreciated you enough. i was never good enough for you, i’m so sorry—“

haechan had heard enough, enough to understand that the feelings between both of you were mutual. you two still loved each other, and that was enough. you had grasped onto his blood-stained hands so tightly, he knew you were genuine. the look of utter distraught stirred his heart, he knew you were truly apologetic. the moment he removed his hand to touch your cheek, your head shot up at once, cutting off your ramble, taken aback by his actions but more importantly, the fact that he was alright. at once, haechan was engulfed by a humongous hug as he was squeezed by the love of his life. aghast was he, but responded by hugging you back, burying his head into the hollow of your neck, leaving fluttery little kisses all the way up. your giggles were music to haechan’s ears. god, he had missed you so much. after what seemed like eternity in each others’ comforting embrace, you two separated, smiling like the goofballs both of you were.

“so, we good here?”

haechan rolled his eyes at your a-bit-too-late-to-ask statement, chortling. gazing lovingly into your mystifying eyes, haechan let out a relief sigh, ecstatic to have you back.

“for everything that you’ve done, my favorite would always be you loving me,”

[imgilmoregirl]

AO3 Link

Notes: Well, everyone, again I'm sorry for the delay, but I'm making up for it with this hot chapter, I hope it is worth the waiting!

The Meaning of Love

"Another deal?" Rumplestiltskin repeated in awe, his face full of surprise before it became sceptical. "What kind of deal could you, offer me, dearie?"

Belle’s hand was still on his face, stroking slowly and he hadn’t pulled away yet, like she had expected him to, so she thought it was a great beginning. He seemed to be enjoying her touch, leaning into it as he smirked at her with mistrust as if he was expecting her to start to laugh at him at any second. She smiled at him, instead, softly and sweetly.

"A very interesting one, from which both of us will get something we want," Belle answered. "If you share my bed as if we were husband and wife today, then I shall become your mistress whenever you want me."

This time around, Rumplestiltskin stepped away from her. His face was an expression of sock, eyes bulging and throat bobbing, Belle thought that it was amusing. She watched as he recomposed himself, pulling on his best indifference mask as he narrowed his eyes at her.

"And what makes you think that I want you to be my mistress?"

"You're lonely and I do think you enjoyed yourself that first night," Belle said, wanting to scream how much she wanted him, herself. She was feeling miserable for having to ask him like this, but she really wanted this affection he could give her, she had never felt as close to someone else’s soul as she did when she laid with the Dark One. "Or maybe you don't and I'm a fool."

Rumple shook his head. He was staring at her in a way that made Belle’s heart swell with emotion. She had never truly expected to feel any of this, not even in her best dreams, when she read those beautiful romances and was carried to beautiful lands when she reached the unconsciousness. It was true, it was real and she really wanted him to feel the same way for her.

"I had the best intentions when we met, Belle. I wanted to help you, not to disgrace you."

Belle blinked. Gods, he was a fool.

She approached him again, touching his arms this time, stroking them slowly with her thumbs, tracing slow circles as she caught his glance. Rumple was afraid, she noticed, not afraid of doing it, but of what that could mean for them.

"Don't you see? I was already disgraced," the lady started. "Yes, I was still a virgin, but I was going to die if it wasn't for you and I would like you to know that I have never thought about our night like me being ravished in exchange for my life. I care dearly for you, Rumple, as I know you care for me."

"You're the mother of my child," he answered simply.

His hands fell to the sides of her belly, nestling his future heir between them, she looked down at the soft mound behind her nightgown, smiling for second. It was the living proof of their love, wasn’t it? Or at least it should be but judging by the way Rumple rubbed her so gently, Belle guessed that somehow it was. She looked up at him and when she did, their foreheads touched, their eyes coming to the same level and she felt the urge of speaking again.

"But that night I wasn't anyone’s mother yet, nor in the night before that," Belle whispered. "You showed me compassion, friendship and kindness when I most needed it, Rumple. I will never forget that."

One of his hands came up to her cheek and they were so close now that Belle had to hold herself not to lean forward and simply kiss him senseless as she wanted to.

"Darling Belle,” the imp breathed, “so mistreated and misunderstood that finds so many good things in an old monster…"

"Rumplestiltskin," she murmured back. "I'm falling for you."

Then she allowed her lips to touch his and it was so good that Belle considered she could be dreaming. They fitted as perfectly this way as did their lower bodies and the kiss was heated too and gave her that cold sensation in her womb which made Belle feel an enormous need of never letting go of him again.

"You are mad, woman," Rumple whispered against her lips, his hands travelling her body as he walked them back to the bed, falling into it with Belle straddling his legs.

"Maybe," she answered, breathless.

Although now Belle was more experienced than when she met Rumple, she found herself being a new kind of nervous. This time around, she wanted this more than she wanted to breath, it was a need, a desire that had built up inside her during those months of loneliness and those small stolen moments between her and the imp.

She could feel all of him, his body pressed against hers, his waistcoat hanging open as if just waiting for her to slid it off. Belle palmed his chest, loving the way it felt beneath her fingertips, warm and different. While her skin was soft, his had this unique texture that she really appreciated.

He kissed her jawline, then down her throat and Belle’s body started to react to his caresses in the most pleasing ways. She was feeling wetness gathering between her thighs as a tightening feeling came from her lower belly and shivers passed through her body. Belle wanted to respond better to his touches, to give the Dark One exactly what he wanted, but although she was a well-read woman, she didn’t have any experience in satisfying a man and had to admit that she was afraid of disappointing him, so what Belle really did was to start slowly.

Her hands caressed his scalp as she moaned lightly, grinding herself against him and taking a groan from Rumple. There was certainly a hard bulge in his breeches and Belle smiled at the proof of his lust for her. She was right, he wanted her as well, as much as he tried to deny.

"Rumplestiltskin..." Belle whimpered as he felt his hands on her thighs, pulling her closer, pressing her body tighter against his. "Do we have a deal?"

Looking up at her, the imp shook his head.

"No."

"No?"

Tilting his head, Rumple touched her hair, stroking slowly as showed a tiny smile for her. It was so human and so kind that she wondered why he pulled on so many masks while talking to people. Here, there was nothing of the flourishes, impish laughs or snarls and Belle decided that this was the best version of him she had yet seen.

"You won't be my mistress, Belle. You deserve better, always,” Rumplestiltskin said, fiercely. “Dearest, you are the lady of this castle, my lady, nothing else."

Worrying at her lip, Belle toyed with his hair, avoiding his eyes as she felt her cheeks start to flush.

"So, won't you make love to me?"

"Why do you want that, Belle?" The Dark One inquired, full of disbelief. "You should be disgusted, any other would be."

She didn’t understand why he could ever think that. Yes, he was different. Yes, she knew most people feared him, but for Belle, he was nothing of what people thought him to be. And if he was this monster the villagers said he was, then Chip and all the household would be afraid of him and not respect the imp as their beloved master.

"I've told you, I'm falling for you," Belle repeated, kissing his lips again. "Rumple, I think maybe I have been loving you from the first moment I saw you."

"You must be under a spell…" Rumplestiltskin breathed as she ventured herself and tried a soft suck on his throat, just like he had done on hers, making his body shudder.

"Why?"

"Because no one can love me."

These weren’t right. Not for anyone and certainly not for him. Belle had been the kind of person who thought everything was lost for her once, that she was never going to be loved, but he had shown a new world for her, he had picked up her pieces and brought light back to her life, so she wanted to do the same for him. She was being sincere, Belle was pretty sure that she loved him.

"I can," the lady insisted, telling herself to do the right thing as she grabbed the hem of her nightgown and pulled it over her head, leaving her naked to Rumplestitskin. "I'll show you that I can."

His mouth fell open at her bare form. She was still sat on his lap and felt the bulge beneath her twitch with need. His need for her. Taking this as a good sign, Belle leaned towards him again, brushing her lips against his and feeling as he lost control of himself, embracing her as they dived into a wet and messy kiss. He devoured her and Belle loved it.

Their mouths worked together in a perfect rhythm that made her heart race and suddenly Belle didn’t care anymore about being good at this or not, she just wanted to do it, she wanted to try, to begin, to offer Rumplestiltskin all the love she had and allow him to teach her the things she didn’t know how to do. The lady pushed his waistcoat down his shoulders and enlaced her arms around his neck as he lavished her shoulder and started to touch her breasts.

Belle had no idea how sensitive her nipples were now, but when Rumple touched them and mainly when he dropped his face down, sucking one inside of his mouth, she yelped, moaning louder than she had done before, feeling herself start to ache between her legs. She held onto his arms and rubbed herself against his thigh, trying to get some pressure, some relief, but if only made her get more frustrated.

Rumplestiltskin looked up at her, smirking as he kept working her breasts with his hands. He touched her lower lip with the tip of his nose and ran his hands up and down her torso, making Belle writhe with need.

“Patience, sweetheart,” he whispered, his voice husky with lust. “I can barely believe you want this… It must be an effect that carrying my child has on you.”

“No,” Belle guaranteed. “It has nothing to do with this. My body aches for you Rumple, my soul aches for your company only. I love being with you and now I want us to be one again.”

He breathed in her words and captured her lips in another kiss as Belle reached for the ends of his shirt, untucking it from his leather breeches and starting to pull in up before his hand stopped her.

“You don’t want to see me, dearest.”

“Oh, yes, I want to,” she assured him. “You are seeing me with no piece of clothing, so it is only fair if I get to see you too.”

“Yes, but you are a beautiful goddess and I’m an ugly monster.”

Shaking her head to him, Belle pulled the shirt all the way up, taking it off to reveal his skinny body. She already knew that he was no knight, but Rumple had the most beautiful green-gold chest she could have expected him too. He was strong and had enough muscles to show that. Belle loved it, she loved all of him and tried to show it by kissing his scaled skin just as he did hers.

“You have no idea of how handsome you are, Rumplestiltskin.”

“Mrs. Potts must have given you the wrong tea today,” he chuckled.

“You’re a fool.”

Reaching between her legs, the imp slid one of his slender fingers deep within her and Belle sighed happily. His thumb came up to touch further in a place that felt so sensitive that Belle thought her whole body would start burning with the intense of her pleasure.

“Oh, Rumple,’ she moaned. “Please.”

He inserted a second finger and Belle trembled. Rumple was cradling her to his chest with his free arm and kissing up and down her collarbone whist moving his fingers in an increasing motion that drove her mad. It was like she was losing control of her own body, her hips rocked against his hand automatically, seeking the release she knew that was to come.

The imp pressed his thumb harder against her nub of nerves, moving his fingers faster within her as he murmured sweet nothings to her ear. He could have told her the secrets of his magic in that moment and she wouldn’t remember, because Belle was too lost in the bliss he was bringing her to even register the words that came out of his mouth.

Parting her lips, Belle tried to tell him how good it was, but then Rumple bent to suck her nipple again and his thumb did a different movement and she broke with a loud cry. It was good. So much better than the first time, so freeing and wild, as if all the pleasure had been heightened somehow.

Panting for breath, she fell against Rumple, hugging him tight as she felt their child squirm within her, probably angry for being awakened this way, but the baby needed to forgive her, because right now, mama needed this and she still needed more. She needed Rumplestiltskin. All of him.

“Are you alright?” The imp inquired, petting her hair very gently.

“Yeah,” Belle murmured. “Thank you. It was incredible.”

“Was it what you wanted?” Rumple asked. “Are you satisfied now, dearie?”

Looking up at him, Belle grinned. She touched his lips with the pad of her thumb, enjoying how much his reptilian eyes had darkened with his desire.

“No,” she answered. “I still want you. That is what this is about, us being together.”

He waved his head at her, as if he disapproved her wishes, but moved them, switching positions so Belle was laying on the bed, her hair spread on the pillows, her legs open and Rumplestiltskin between them, holding himself up carefully to not press her stomach. She reached down for his breeches, but he was quickier than her and with a flourish of his hand and a gush of magic, they were gone, leaving him bare to her.

“Ah,” Belle exclaimed as she touched the hard length of his touch. “You’re so beautiful, Rumple.”

“No, dearest,” he whispered, taking her hand in his and closing it around his member, teaching Belle wordlessly how to pump him. “You are the beauty in here, I’m only a lonely beast taking advantage of you.”

Fool, Belle echoed in her mind as she stroked him. She watched as his eyes closed and he groaned deeply, trusting forward enjoying her unskilled touches as she tested the power her hand had on him.

“Gods, sweetheart, I need to be inside you.”

“Yes,” she answered, allowing him to adjust himself, aligning them.

His tip touched her folds and Belle’s breath quickened, the remembrance of the pain she felt in the first time coming up to her mind, however not only she knew that today it wouldn’t hurt but it also didn’t. When Rumplestiltskin slid inside of her, all Belle felt was pleasure.

Both of them gasped at the sensation of being joined again. It was an unexplainable joy, it wasn’t just a pack of overwhelming sensations, it was more, it was beautiful and pure.

“Ah, Belle, you feel so good,” the imp groaned in ecstasy.

She nodded, wanting to let him know that it was the same for her. Belle lifted her hips tentatively and her eyes rolled back. He filed her just the right way and now Belle felt complete, about to reach the heavens. Rumplestiltskin pulled all the way out and them thrusted back into her, starting a rhythmic friction between their bodies that felt twice as delightful as his fingers did.

Lifting her legs, Belle pulled him deeper, hearing as he gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath, thrusting a bit faster. She caught his hands on hers, enlacing their fingers together, causing the imp to look straight into her eyes, his mouth falling open as he panted for breath.

“Darling Belle,” Rumple breathed. “You have to come for me, I can’t hold for much longer.”

Bending down, he kissed her lips, sneaking a hand between their joined bodies and finding that small little place that would made her whole body shake with pleasure. Her back arched from the mattress, the power of his quick thrusts and his magical thumb rubbing her, taking her breath away. Belle felt herself clenching around him, dripping and aching, burning until she exploded.

A hard kick came from the right side of her belly, a very annoyed babe telling her that now it was enough, but Belle was too overwhelmed to pay attention to it at the moment. The sensations had become liquid. She felt hot and cosy, Rumple’s now erratic thrusts prolonging it. Belle held him as close as possible, attentively staring at him as he found his release too.

The imp threw his head back, a deep moan coming from him as he spilled his seed within her. Then there was silence and the sound of their raggedy breaths echoing in the large chambers as he softened and eventually slipped out, letting himself fall beside Belle, catching a curl of her hair between his fingertips.

“You will regret this in the morning,” Rumple murmured.

“No, I won’t. Stop being so silly,” she whispered back. “Wasn’t it prove enough that I love you?”

Rumplestiltskin gave her a sceptical look.

“Loving someone and sharing their bed isn’t quite the same thing, dearie. I can tell it myself, I always care to have no feelings for the ones I get laid.”

“Oh, no? But for me it is, I would never give myself to someone I didn’t love, not even in deal,” Belle snapped back, feeling tears starting to fill her eyes. “So yes, even in that first night I loved you.”

Turning around on the bed, she pulled the covers up, her body starting to cool as she cried in silence. There were two options left for her, Rumple could be as afraid of showing his feelings as he was of making love to her earlier or he could actually be the heartless Dark One people thought him to be and, if the answer for her questions was the second, then she could consider her heart broken.