#you’re embarrassing yourself and showing your true colours. if you get more offended by being called racist than when you see actual racism

[strawbeb]

hi this is a psa that if ur not south asian u have no authority to decide what is/is not racist to us. y’all will cherry pick aspects of our cultures that u find ‘aesthetic’ and mock our accents and customs and appearances and languages and food in the same breath. i know this isn’t exclusive to south asians but none of y’all take us seriously when we talk about this and i’m sick of it. and if u have to go around asking a bunch of us if something is offensive until u find someone who says ‘i’m south asian and this doesn’t offend me’ that doesn’t make it any better. that one person doesn’t speak for a population of over 1.9 billion.

[mrpenguinpants]

Diluc: Comfort HCs

Oh no worries anon! We’re getting through everything and I can just see the top. I’m not sure if people saw it - probably not - but my entire blog has devolved into “See this genshin character? Animal.” and I refuse to have another cat character so I’m making Diluc a hawk.  

Apparently (maybe) Diluc’s bird is a nightingale [voicelines]. But I don’t really see Diluc the kind of guy to serenade you at night in secret because your father doesn’t approve of your marriage.

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Today’s appreciation post goes to fulltimeventisimp. Tumblr throws a goddamn fit when I try to tag people (even though I literally have a tag list but that’s apparently not good enough) so I hope you see this^^ You’ve been so nice and caring to me I feel so soft 😭 and I hope you’re doing alright! I’m remembering to take breaks and rest  💕💕

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Semi Part 1: Relationship HCs [I would read this just for the last point]

Diluc Ver: Jealous HCs

[Masterlist]

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[taglist]  <- if you want to be added, please read this first.

@hanniejji​  @mikeysbike​ @unionwitch​ @musekala​ @twistedsunnshiii​ @stanzastic​ @akaasea​ @xoneaboveallx​ @adoring-ghost​ @asheseiler​ @childelover​ @dilucsz​

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Diluc: Comfort HCs

Diluc has always had either an aloof or professional persona based on who he needed to talk to. In both cases, no matter the subject or how Diluc talked, there would always be some sort of forced distance so no one would mistaken it as familiarity or friendliness. There were only a two cases where he felt comfortable and those were with close friends and his staff. The third case being Kaeya but Diluc prefers to not acknowledge him and stashes that folder away. Even with friend’s such as Jean or Elzer, he could never really relax and let his true feelings slip until you burst into his life. Literally. “An unexpected outcome of an experiment,” is what Albedo had told him but regardless, since you entered his life he’s let himself regress into his younger days and let himself take for once.

Maybe that was why you had gotten so used to Diluc’s touched starved self that, when it was suddenly gone, you were feeling uneasy. Lately Diluc seemed to be spending longer hours at his desk or working at the tavern. You knew that he was just busy and there wasn’t any underhanded reasoning behind it, Diluc wasn’t that kind of guy. But did he seriously have to spend every waking moment, day or night, talking to the same people? When was the last time you saw him for more than two minutes? Diluc isn’t a big fan of idle talking but would it seriously hurt just to catch up? You didn’t even get together to have your weekly chess matches too.

You didn’t consider yourself a very clingy person and you knew what a relationship with Diluc was going to be like so why were you getting so bothered? You decided to take the situation in your hands and go visit him at the tavern only to see him so busy at work. It both made you a bit huffy, you wanted to storm in there and drag the man away from his work so he could stop trying to speed run life - not like that would ever happen because the second hand embarrassment would make you dissolve into the ground and you could never show your face to Diluc if you actually did that - but also making you more upset. Here he was, working and running his business, and you couldn’t go at least a couple weeks without seeing him. You ended up turning around and going home to scream into your pillow and sleep the heavy feeling away.

Your inner turmoil seemed to seep out into the open that Kaeya felt the need to bring it up. As much as Diluc dislikes Kaeya around you, he really does care about you and he still does owe you for the troubles he gave you when you first started going out with Diluc. He catches you while you’re off running errands and manages to coax you into getting some lunch with him. You’ve been bottling up your feelings so much that when Kaeya shows some concern you let it all pour out. At this point you don’t care if it’s Kaeya of all people you’re confessing your feelings to, you just want to get it off your chest because the man you’re in love with doesn’t seem to notice you’re actually there and it’s making you feel insecure about yourself. Kaeya gives you a sympathetic smile and tells you not to worry about it, he’ll personally knock some sense into Diluc.

Diluc’s been hard at work on another possible Fatui plan and business with the winery that he can’t help but feel that he was missing something. Was he overlooking something? He had planned this for a while so everything should be perfect. It wasn’t until Kaeya himself had to walk in, press his hand on the tavern counter, and call him an idiot that he realizes that he had been so wrapped up in his work and personal duties that he completely neglected you. He quickly passes his duties to Charles with a quick apology, throws his coat on, gives Kaeya a very strained thank you, and he’s out the door to find you. He’s already lost so much so he’ll be damned if he looses you. Not right now. 

You gave him the key to your home after a few months of being together, in case his he needed to temporarily hide should his night activities get the best of him. He’s already at your door in seconds as he quickly unlocks and steps in. 

“Beloved?” he softly calls out to not accidently scare you but he receives no reply. It’s dark inside but he can see your shoes at the door so he knows you’re inside somewhere. He softly closes and locks the door as he hangs his coat up. Carefully running a hand down the fabric and beside your coat as he looks around your small home. He’s always felt it was warm even when you weren’t here. The “home” he has will always be the place he grew up in but after everything that’s happened, he feels a bit alienated in there so he always appreciated that you lent him a key.

He catches the sound of some shuffling and follows the sound to see you under your blankets. He breathes a quick sigh of relief that you weren’t in any danger as he carefully circles around your bed before gently placing a hand on your back. He’s never been good at words or communicating his feelings so he’s at a bit of a standstill. Despite his reputation of being a nobleman of high esteem, you’re his first serious relationship. As far as he’s concerned you’re going to be his only relationship for that matter.

“I...apologize for my recent behaviour. It was never my intention to hurt you. I ended up letting myself get too blinded to see you were in pain and that was my fault. You don’t have to forgive me now but won’t you let me see your face my love?” he asked in all his awkward pose, put him in front of massive event and he’ll perform with flying colours but put him in front of his partner and he stumbles over his worlds like a new born fawn. But it seems to bring a small laugh from you as you peek from under the covers. 

He smiles softly as he sees your ears flush pink. No matter how many times he calls you that you always get so shy, he adores it. But he can feel the guilt rise up in his chest, you’ve always been there to support and reassure him that he was doing everything right. That things were going to be okay when he re-took his father’s business and you would be with him every step of the way. So in the best and awkward way that Diluc can manage, he tells you this. By the time he’s done he can feel his own face start to pink but it’s made you feel better so it was worth it. 

“Feeling better?” he smiles softly as you nod up at him as he lays down beside you, opening his arms in comfort, “Good, come here.” 

You shuffle closer to him as he holds you. It’s been awhile since he’s held you like this and even without realizing it, he’s missed this. Just you and him together, basking in each other’s presence. No work that needed to be attended to. No Fatui trying to cause him any more trouble. It was a safe place and one he didn’t want to let go.  

“What if we got married?”

There’s a beat of silence. 

Then a thud. 

You end up scrambling and falling off your bed face first. It’s a bit silent as you give off a pain groaned and climb back up and he can see your face has exploded red. He can almost see steam coming off as you try and nurse your nose. He blinks a bit at you taken aback as you stutter and scream into your hands as your brain seems to process what he just asked. You lift your face from your hands to look at him, somehow go even redder, and scream louder into your hands. He’s not sure if this is something he should be offended or concerned about but the weight he had been feeling earlier starts to fade away as a new and familiar feeling bubbles up. For the first time in half a month, Diluc let’s out a laugh as he tries to console you as you manage out a yes.

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Gripping my writing hand why is no one stopping me? Diluc you’re literally acting like Childe rn. [if anyone is confused ahem Childe: Fiancé HCs (should be in my masterlist)]

Also, I continue to look away from the lore. Kaeya and Diluc are not on the best of terms but if they can have petty rich lady wine talk then Kaeya can walk in and call Diluc an idiot.

I was serious when I said that I researched hawk behaviours. I have learned the internet is horrible in telling me how hawks behave. But I did find this and I found this hilarious:

In the case of the red-tailed hawk, for example, the pair soar, screaming at each other; then the male dives at the female, who may roll in the air to present her claws to him in mock combat.

[malereader-inserts]

Love is a Fragile Dance

Fandom: Good Omens Pairing: Crowley x Male!Reader x Aziraphale Summary: The two were very respectful of your boundaries, but it seemed like everyone was dancing around each other Word Count: 1,836 Request: (1) So after just finishing GO, I would start armageddon for Ineffable Husbands X Reader where the reader has to get used to affection (Especially from Azira). Thank you! (2)If you want angsty here is some. I’m hella mad at this guy I like because he said why are u so guarded and closed off like seriously!!!! I have reasons and I don’t have to fucking tell him. You can put this in whatever fandom I just had to get this off my chest. Warning: Mentions of past relationship abuse, touch starved A/n: yes, I would also start the end of the word for Ineffable Husbands. Also, fuck that guy, I was gonna make Crowley the bad guy but I just couldn’t. asdfghjkl so frustrated my angst isn’t working out well.

You were a standoffish person in general.

And it didn’t help that you were a touch starved person, yearning and craving affection. You just didn’t know how to cope with it because sometimes in the back of your mind, even just the simplest of touchest repulsed you. You knew you weren’t touched repulsed because any sensation didn’t make you feel sick or like it was some burning sensation.

Everything is complicated when you are a closed-off person, you had a rough past and it’s hard to connect to people, coming to terms with people you like was even tougher as you think about the past, you’re terrified to let yourself out there and be free. 

Which is why you’ve been ignoring both Crowley and Aziraphale’s advances towards you.

You love them, your heart had decided, but your mind was feeding too much to your demons which sat on your shoulders whispering the dirty things. They’ve told you that they would love to pursue a relationship with you, but you always come apprehensive, were you ready to be loved again?

And you were apprehensive about the two being entities, and one of them being a demon. You’ve seen it first hand and heard it from Aziraphale, Crowley is somewhat “nice” for a demon, but nevertheless, he sometimes loses himself and slips up.

But, you realise, sometimes, humans are just worse than demons.

“Does it matter to you?” You asked bitterly as your friend, Gryffin, sat across you with a look, “You know exactly why-”

“No, I do not!” He exclaims as you scoffed - some friend he was, “All I want to know is why you just don’t put yourself out there anymore, one bad relationship-”

“It was more than bad, Gryffin,” You hissed as Aziraphale and Crowley enter the dessert shop, immediately turning when they hear your voice. Despite the place being busy and loud they could always trace your voice which was slowly turning upset, “You can’t just tell me to get over it.”

“Why not?” 

You’ve been friends with Gryffin for a few years now, but tonight he was truly showing you his true colours. You don’t know why you were even meeting him, you could tell it was going to go sour the moment he was about to mention your love life.

“You’re so guarded and closed off,” He scoffs, rolling his eyes as you cowered down and locking your jaw, both in anger and in fear.

This movement was not missed by Crowley, who was watching you whilst Aziraphale was quickly ordering, Crowley was feeling the negative vibes from you, he was a demon so he could feel the strongest negative emotions and currently, it was coming from you rather than the crying girl who had been broken up. 

“I barely know you anymore (Y/n),” He continues, shaking his head as he continues to sip on his milkshake whilst you timidly sink lower into your seat, “We want to be updated in your life, what’s good?”

“I-” You looked at him in disgust, yet Crowley could see from afar that you were masking the fear of slipping up around your friend.

Aziraphale returns with drinks and immediately turns to see what Crowley was staring at. He immediately picks up how you’re tense, shoulders stiff, yet cowering away. He sees that you’ve closed up your bubble and he looks his boyfriend in concern.

“I’m going to run that man out, I don’t care if (Y/n) says anything...” Crowley grits his teeth, “It’s unbelievable, Angel, the negativity is all from them.”

You looked at your friend who was still talking, “What’s up with your relationship status? I’ve noticed that you’ve been single for two years now.”

The two supernatural entities kept their ears peeled as they hear you take a sharp intake of air. Your hands tremble as you try to prepare yourself for the next vicious blow of judgement and you couldn’t even attempt to stop it.

“Get’s hit once by an ex-boyfriend and suddenly you’re screaming abuse,” He scoffs, shaking his head and that was the final snap for your actual friends as you froze in the spot, “Get over yourself (Y/n).”

“Hey, dick!” Crowley growled, making you snap your head at his direction, “That’s really shitty behaviour.”

You were surprised to see him there but Aziraphale couldn’t help but noticed how you flinched at the tone of Crowley. He carefully taps you, and motions for you to move out of the conflict. 

Aziraphale doesn’t want to touch you, he sees how you jumped when he touches you. He follows you out, giving Crowley a look, before keeping an eye on you. He noticed that you sit down by the curb, by the Bentley. Your arms wrapped around yourself in the cold harsh autumn weather, London was facing.

Aziraphale shrugs off his coat and gently puts it on you, you smile up at him with softness as he sits next to you. He smiles wider when he sees you tug on his coat closer to him. 

“Thanks, Azira,” You softly say as he nods, “You probably want to eat your crepes whilst we’re waiting for Crowley.”

Aziraphale blushed as you hummed, looking anywhere but him. Crowley comes out after five minutes and sits on the other side of you, he lets out a huff and turns to look at you and his boyfriend.

“Well,” His tone is softer, and his heart breaks when he sees you relax because you shouldn’t even be afraid around him, “He won’t be bothering you anymore, think you’re better off without him.”

“Yeah...” You breathed out, sending him a tired sad smile, “Thank you, Crowley.”

There was silence between the three of you, the two entities not wanting to push you. But, their presence was just enough for you.

“Sorry about that,” You mumbled at the two turns to face you but you were comfortable at least not making any direct eye contact to them, “I-”

“Hey,” Crowley soothes you before you worked yourself up, “You don’t need to tell us anything unless you’re ready. We’re patient.”

You nodded before smiling, “Of course, you waited for Aziraphale, didn’t you?” Crowley and Aziraphale blushed but smile at each other, “I just want to say thank you again, I’ve been trying but it’s hard.”

“And no one is forcing you to do it, my love,” Aziraphale says, you were safe in the nickname he’s decided for you, “We’ll be by your side until you’re ready.”

“Come on, love, we have to get home before you get yourself hypothermia,” Crowley teased as he stands up, lending you a hand with caring eyes. You looked at Aziraphale, who nods.

You were safe.

Aziraphale was quick to pick up how much you wanted affection, but you were so hesitant into asking. Whilst he hadn’t known much of your past, he could infer that it wasn’t the best so he tried to do it in small doses, sometimes you would barely notice, but by the reaction of your body - it seems to give good reviews.

There would be times he would drape a blanket on you, comfort and smells like him and Crowley, which you subconsciously coo. He smiles at you when you turn embarrassed but he noticed how grateful your eyes shine.

Aziraphale made it benefit you and him, he likes seeing how your eyes sparkle happiness.

Sometimes, he would offer his hand and you two would hold hands walking in St James Park when Crowley wasn’t around. Sometimes Aziraphale would open his arms to invite you for a hug, he offers but never forced. He initiates the affection but waits for you to be comfortable, and never feels offended when you decline.

You barely decline the offer as you thrive in his affection like when he holds on longer than usual in a hug, when he softly kisses your temple. Even a simple brush of the hand.

Crowley gets told by Aziraphale about your situation, and like you, he was in the same boat. Craving and wanting affection but afraid to ask. Yet, when he’s around you, he never fails to at least give you something. Like when it’s just you and him, he would have his arm thrown over your shoulder like he was your shield of protection. 

Like Aziraphale, he has a tendency to open his arms to offer your hugs, no words spoken as you dive into his embrace. Sometimes Crowley turns into your snake and sits upon your shoulders and wrapped around your neck, hissing at anyone that seems to come with negative energy towards you. 

Between the three of you, there was an unspoken agreement about dating.

You couldn’t hide that you loved them when Aziraphale can detect love radiating from you, you were all dancing around each other. In respect to you.

When you come bouncing into the bookshop with the brightest smile, the two entities cannot help but smile and melt at your sunny aura, in the winter of England.

It had been a few months since the incident, you’ve got back on your feet and you were radiating such love and happiness that Crowley cannot but help to almost vomit due to his demonic nature.

“What’s got you all happy?” Crowley asked, scrunching up his nose in disgust as you rolled your eyes.

“Don’t listen to him, boy, he’s just happy to see you happy,” Aziraphale waves his boyfriend off, whilst Crowley sticks his tongue out in all good fun nature. 

“Well, I’m ready,” You announced as the two paused to look at you, making sure they had heard you right, “I ready for us and to tell you everything about me, if you would have me?”

The two broke out grins as Crowley picks you up and spins you around, you laugh out loud that the two supernatural entities feel at ease. 

“Of course, we’ll have you!” Crowley shouted, putting you down and squeezing your cheeks before kissing your nose, “We’ll forever have you!”

“I’ll get the kettle running, it’ll be a long afternoon!” Aziraphale exclaims, “And some snacks.”

“I’ll get the blankets and pillows,” Crowley announced as the two rifles through the bookshop as you found yourself beaming at their antics.

“You two...” You hummed softly, shaking your head in amusement.

“Oh, my love?” Aziraphale says as you stare at the two of them who stand side by side. Aziraphale on the right whilst Crowley occupied the left.

“We’re proud of you,” They spoke in unison as you tilted your head and eyes soften at the words.

“Damn it guys, I shouldn’t start crying now, we haven’t even-” You chuckled, sniffing, “I love you guys.”

The two let out a glorious noise of happiness as they motioned you to the backroom. You found yourself wedged in between the angel and demon, comfortably safe. You relaxed as you held your mug of hot beverage. The two listen carefully, love is a fragile dance but in the end, it’s worth it.

[darylwillfightnatureforcarol]

The Ball Chapter 8

Description: Daryl goes looking for Carol. He finds her in a strange way. 

The Ball

Daryl had searched the party floor but had found no sign of Carol.

He talked briefly to Jerry, who knew the place better than him. The large man had advised him of some old dressing rooms backstage.

Daryl wasted no time in jumping up on stage and heading down the corridor he could clearly see now. It was dark, but not overly so.

He came to one door first, but from the sounds inside, he definitely did not want to open the door.

He reached the next room and could hear nothing from it. He gripped the handle and the door opened inward. He stepped in slowly. His eyes widened at the sight.

He had found Carol alright, but he had not been anticipating this.

She was only in her underwear, which he firmly forced himself not to study too intently. She was currently in the process of drawing on the mirror in front of her with bright red lipstick. There was already an array of flowers and hearts all over the surface of the mirror, along with some colourful curse words.

He cleared his throat and she looked around finally. She gave him a tiny smile. He was surprised by it considering how pissed she had been before.

“What are you doing?” he asked as he read over her lipstick art. The phrase ‘Fuck you’ was repeated several times.

“I’m leaving a present. I got a present so I’m leaving a present!” she replied as she looked over her work.

He couldn’t help smiling a little. She was acting so childlike that it was adorable. If he wasn’t so worried about her it would have amused him more.

“That present wouldn’t be the shit storm cocktail Tara gave you, would it?” he questioned as he watched her carefully.

She looked back at him with a frown.

“No!” she cried childishly, and she pouted a little.

Daryl frowned, not getting it.

She stared at him for a moment before she huffed. She stood from her seat, dropping the tube of lipstick on the table. She marched over to him and put her hands on his shoulders. He looked down at her curiously. He tried not to look down further than her eyes. She pushed him.

“Go look for yourself! Next door. The door is unlocked. I’ll wait here,” she ordered and for good measure she pushed him again, indicating with her head to the door.

He really didn’t want to leave her alone, but he was burning inside with curiosity now. She seemed okay enough in here. She’d already left his side to go back to her mirror. She had started writing out another ‘Fuck you’ and added a small heart underneath it.

“I’ll be right back,” he informed as he watched her. She waved her hand at him dismissively.

With a sigh of reluctance, he walked back out into the hallway. He shut the door behind him just in case. He approached the other door apprehensively. There was something off about all of this. When he opened the door, he understood.

He understood her strange manner and the words she had scrawled on the mirror.

“You fucking prick!” he roared as he looked in on the scene.

The two offenders turned to him in surprise.

“Daryl…” The King muttered awkwardly, stepping back from the unknown woman.

“You don’t even fucking know, do ya?” Daryl spat with a bitter laugh. “Save any of your bullshit excuses ‘cause your wife already fucking knows!”

Ezekiel’s eyes widened with alarm and the woman gasped. She had scrambled to cover herself.

“What do you mean?” Ezekiel asked sounding nervous.

“She’s right next door! Must’ve come in here first and saw your cheating ass!” Daryl informed him with an accusatory glare.

Ezekiel leaned back heavily against the opposite wall. He was staring at the ground.

“Is she alright?” the King muttered as he looked up again.

Daryl’s eyes narrowed hatefully.

“Like you fucking care! And you don’t got a right to know!” Daryl spat with disgust.

He took one last look at the scene before leaving the room. He slammed the door behind him.

He re-entered the other dressing room. He looked at her. She was still sitting at the dressing table, but she had her head tilted down now.

“You saw?” she asked quietly.

“Fucking bastard!” Daryl replied, still unable to believe what he had seen.

Carol sighed and lifted her head.

“It’s not surprising, I guess. I can’t expect him to be satisfied with me,” she said blankly, her gaze on herself in the mirror.

Daryl frowned. That bullshit again.

“Fuck that!”

She whirled around to look at him. She looked baffled.

“What?”

“Ezekiel’s a fucking idiot! You’re perfect, woman.”

“You really think so?” she replied in a small voice.

“Yeah, I do.”

She stood shakily from the chair again and stumbled over to him. She threw herself into his arms and he caught her quickly. She buried her face into his neck.

“Why won’t the world let me be happy, Daryl?” her voice came, muffled against his skin.

That was a good fucking question.

“I don’t know. I hate what this world has done to ya. If I could I’d take it all away.”

He felt her nod against him.

“I know you would. You’re always so good to me,” she softly murmured. He felt her nuzzling her head into him.

She pulled back from him soon and stared at him intently. He watched her eyes rove over him. He shifted under her scrutiny.

“Daryl, do you really think I’m pretty?” she said in her childlike voice.

“I think you’re beautiful,” he replied honestly.

Carol looked down at herself with a frown.

He unconsciously tracked her movement, his eyes roaming her delicate curves, before he quickly looked away.

Damn it, he needed to control himself!

“I don’t mind if you look,” her voice came again. He looked at her in surprise. She was biting her bottom lip and looking at him shyly. Her expression became determined after a beat.

She brought one hand up and ran it over her throat, sliding it down over her breasts before moving it further downwards ending at her hip. He watched the action entranced. He licked his lips.

“What are you doing?” he breathed with strain. She moved back in closer to him. She placed her hands on his chest and brought them up until she could wrap them around the back of his neck. He stared down at her transfixed.

“Tara told me something earlier and I thought it was bullshit. Now I’m thinking she was onto something,” she explained while flicking her gaze between his eyes and his lips.

“What did she tell you?” Daryl rasped. His heart was pounding in his chest. He wouldn’t be surprised if he died right then. Maybe he was already dead. This seemed too good to be true.

She gave him a coy smile. She leaned up onto her toes, bringing herself up to his height. She brought her lips to his ear. His eyes fell shut as he felt her breath brushing over him.

“That you’ve been looking at me. And not just in any way. You’ve been looking at my body,” she whispered, and he swallowed. As much as she was turning him on right now, he felt guilty about the truth of her words. She pulled back to meet his gaze again.

“I’m sorry. I swear I never did it on purpose,” he rambled, trying to let her know that he really didn’t mean to abuse her trust like that. She shushed him slowly, even brought her finger up to rest on his mouth. She smiled sweetly.

“It’s okay. I’m not mad.”

He relaxed at her words a little. He was glad she wasn’t pissed at him about it, but he still felt embarrassed as hell to be caught out. He knew his face had to be red as a tomato.

“I’m flattered.” She giggled a little, looking him up and down again. “I never thought I could be sexy. Now I’m feeling a bit more optimistic with the evidence right in front of me,” She finished with a smirk.

“Evidence?” he questioned, watching her intently. She chuckled a little and looked down pointedly.

Oh.

For fuck’s sake!

“Fuck, sorry!” he spat as he whirled around, facing the door. Stupid body.

He heard her giggle again. He jumped a little as her arms slipped around his middle from behind. She pressed her head into his back.

“It’s alright. I told you, I’m flattered.” She let him go and grabbed his hand, using her grip to turn him back around. He looked down at the ground, still feeling shitty about his unwanted reaction. She lifted his face with her hand. He looked at her through his bangs. She really didn’t look angry.

“Tara said you love me. It’s true, right?” she pressed.

He couldn’t speak right now so he just nodded nervously. She blew out a breath, looking relieved and grinned.

“I love you too,” she revealed finally. He blinked at her in shock. Tara had said as much, but he figured it was impossible.

“You mean it?”

“Yes. I love you!”

She leaned closer to him again and kissed him. It was a little clumsy and he figured that was the alcohol’s effect. She moaned into his mouth and he gasped as he felt her body press into him. He could feel her breasts pressing into his chest. He fought to keep his hands still. He kissed her back gently, gentler than she was being. As happy as he was, he couldn’t let this continue.

“Hey, you gotta stop,” he muttered between her kisses. She pulled back with a disappointed frown.

“You don’t want to?”

“Course I do, but you’re drunk right now, and you’re married.”

“Not for long.” She tore the ring off her finger and tossed it carelessly aside. He watched it hit the wall with satisfaction.

“Still not the right time for this.”

“But another time,” she pressed, scrutinizing him.

“Sure,” he agreed still amazed that she wanted him in the first place. Carol leaned back into him, resting her cheek against his chest.

“Can you take me home?” she murmured from her place on him. He rubbed his hand up and down her back. He hummed at her affirmatively.

“Don’t know where you live though.”

She pulled back and looked at him properly.

“No, I meant Alexandria.”

His stomach jolted at her words. He never thought she’d ever want to go back.

“Really?” he couldn’t help asking.

“Yes. I want to come home. I want to be with you.”

His heart felt ready to burst with every sweet thing she said to him.

“Alright but you still gotta show me where you’ve been staying, and you can’t go home like that,” he said pointedly towards her still half nude frame. She looked down and blushed. She gave him a sheepish grin.

“Oh yeah. Okay.”

She moved away from him over to the corner where she had shoved her dress and shoes. He tried his best not to stare at her ass as she went. She pulled her dress up over her hips and held it against her chest and came back over to him.

“Will you do me up?” she asked as she presented her back to him.

His shaky hands grabbed the zip and pulled it up slowly, being careful not to snag it on the fabric. He tried not to touch her as much as possible, but his fingers inevitably brushed her back along the way.

When they did, she gasped softly, prompting him to apologize. She shook her head at him and gave him a smile over her shoulder. He tapped her back when he was done, and she turned back around. He let her use his arm to balance as she put her shoes back on.

“Okay let’s go!”

[daenyara]

“Friendly Neighbourhood Stakeout”  [MARVEL/B99 CROSSOVER]

Words: 2.2k+

Pairing: Rosa Diaz x f!Cop!reader

Synopsis: you and Rosa ask Spider-Man to help you with an important case, but he decides to help you confess your feelings to her.

Warnings: drug case mentions; Gina being herself; crossover; very Gay™ fluff; Peter Parker playing Cupid.

A/N: This is for @hufflebucky and @sapphirestark  ‘ B99 Challenge. I had the prompt ‘Stakeout’. It’s my first time writing for the B99 fandom but I had to show some love to my fav tv show, especially to my wife Rosa. Thanks again Sara for being amazing and beta reading this <3 

The buzzing sound of chatter and phones ringing filled the Nine-Nine, along with the smell of black coffee and whatever disgusting snack Scully and Hitchcock were munching.

Frowning, Rosa raised her head.

“What the hell, Gina? You just texted me”

“Mh, yeah, Captain Holt wants you in his office”, informed her Gina, not bothering to look away from her phone.

“Couldn’t you just say it? We’re literally three feet apart,” questioned Rosa as she rolled her eyes.

“Sorry, didn’t feel like it. I’m taking a quiz to find out what kind of soup I am”

Rosa’s eyebrows couldn’t possibly get any higher. “But you hate soup”

“Everyone does. Doesn’t mean I don’t get to know the truth”, explained the other woman matter-of-factly.

Rosa slightly shook her head and decided that the conversation wasn’t getting any less lame. She entered the Captain’s office and closed the door behind her, noticing that she wasn’t alone. As Jake greeted her, you flashed her a bright smile, at which she answered with a subtle smirk (the closest thing to a smile that you could ever get out of Rosa Diaz).

“Detective Diaz. Here you are”, said Captain Holt with his usual lack of enthusiasm.

“Wanted to see me, Captain?”

Holt gestured her to take a seat. “Yes. We need to discuss the vigilante situation.” The man sighed while pronouncing the last two words.

“This is so cool!”, blurted out Jake before he could stop himself. He had a childish grin plastered on his face and his eyes were twinkling in excitement.

You elbowed him. “Jake, get a hold of yourself”

Holt, on the other hand, knew Jake way too well. to “Peralta, this is serious. There has been an increasing number of cases where some random whackadoodle took matters in his own hands and made himself justice.”

Jake scoffed, raising a finger to make a point.

“Uh, first of all, Captain- ya sexist. Women can be whackadoodles too, you know? Hashtag girl power.”

Rosa shook her head. “Jake”

“Too much? Sorry. Anyways, they’re not all bad! Alright, Daredevil and that Punisher guy are definitely scary. But what about Spider-Man? He’s super cool!”

Holt scoffed disdainfully. “Is Spider-Man the one with the red and blue tights?”

“It’s a super suit, and what’s wrong with red and blue? They’re like, prime colours!”, exclaimed Jake in disbelief.

“Don’t you mean ‘primary’?” You cocked an eyebrow, but Jake shrugged.

“Ugh, whatever. Rosa, tell the Captain that Spider-Man is a good guy. You’ve met him, right?”

“Yes. He’s a dumdum”, she deadpanned, but it was too late. The fact that she had met Spider-Man had already caught your attention.

Your eyes widened as you turned to face her. “Wait, you’ve met Spider-Man?! How? When?”

“I was arresting a perp, a few days ago, and he ran. He was getting away when…” Rosa pursed her lips, clearly displeased with what she had to confess.

“When…?” you pressed, the curiosity taking over you.

She huffed. “Spider-Man webbed him up. That perp would’ve gotten away if it wasn’t for the dumdum.” You were impressed. Having known Rosa for years, you knew how hard it was for her to admit she needed help.

“So, he helped you,” concluded Jake stressing the words, triumph all over his face.

“Yes, that’s what I’ve just said”, hissed Rosa through gritted teeth, and you briefly stroked her back to calm her down. She took a deep breath and added: “Also, he said that if we ever need his help he’s willing to collaborate with us”

Jake jumped on his feet, howling. “That’s perfect! We should do that, we have that huge drug case going on and we could use the help! Wait, how do we call Spider-Man? Should we project a giant web in the sky? Also, do you think Spider-Man likes Die Hard?”

At that point, he was pretty much ranting.

“That is enough out of you, Peralta. Calm down,” commanded the Captain in a stern tone. He seemed thoughtful for a moment, then he spoke again. “However, it is true that we could use some help. And maybe working together with him will show the other vigilantes that there’s no need to ignore the law.”

“Oh my God, are you saying what I think you’re saying?!”, shrieked Jake, and this time Rosa punched him in the shoulder to shut him up.

Captain Holt addressed you. “Y/L/N, you distrust these vigilantes as much as I do. What do you think?”

You bit down your lip, pensive. “Honestly, Captain? I’m with Jake on this one. Spider-Man isn’t like the others. I think he’s just trying to help whenever he can. It’s just a hunch, but I’ve got a good feeling about this.”

Holt pondered on your words. “Very well. Diaz, you’re the only one who met him. Do you think we should trust this - I cannot believe I’m saying this - superhero?”

“I don’t know,” she shrugged, before glancing at you. “He seems okay. I’m not good with trusting people… but I trust Y/N. If she thinks he can help, she’s probably right.” She was giving you a half smile and you felt your heart skip a beat.

“Alright, you convinced me,” nodded Holt. “Diaz, Y/L/N, arrange a meeting with him and discuss the details of the case with him. Peralta, you’re out.”

The whole precinct could hear Jake’s protest. “WHAT?!”

“You are way too emotionally invested in this Spider-Man guy. You’re crying, right now,” scoffed Holt, pointing at Jake’s disappointed grimace.

“Okay, fair enough”, grumbled Jake. “Rosa, ask him if he likes Die Hard!”

“I won’t.”

As you left the room you gave him a sympathetic smile, even though you were rejoicing inside. You could never get tired of working a case with Rosa, and you were happy for every change you got to spend more time with her.

*****

“This is amazing! So official”

You turned to see Spider-Man leafing through the case files. “Hey, don’t touch anything! I don’t need that sticky stuff all over my files.”

Despite your worries, it was pretty easy to find him. And it was even easier to convince him to help you - he had already accepted before you had even explained the case to him. It was safe to say that he was aggressively happy to help you with a big drug bust. So here you were, closed in a carefully selected New York apartment together with a renown superhero, waiting for Rosa’s signal to barge into the perps’ hideout.

“Copy that, sorry,” he apologized, scratching the back of his head. “Hey, where’s detective Diaz? I mean, I’m not complaining- she already threatened me twice and I’m terrified of her. But I thought you were working the case together.”

You nodded. “We are. She’s in the other building with the Task Force. Initially, she didn’t want me alone with you,” you admitted with a chuckle, “but I insisted I could handle it.”

He stayed silent for a moment. “Are you afraid of me?”

“I saw a video on YouTube of you literally lifting a car with your bare hands, but no. Oddly enough, I trust you,” you said with a chuckle. “I’m sure you’re a good kid”

“I’m not a kid!” he blurted out, and despite the mask, you could tell he was embarrassed. “I’m- I’m a man.”

You let out a heartfelt laugh and patted him on the back. “Sure you are, boss.”

He was about to retort when your phone rang. Your eyes lit up when you read the name on the screen.

“Hey. Everything okay?” immediately asked Rosa when you pick up.

“Yeah, we’re good. We got eyes on the back of the building and all the exits are covered. Relax, I’ve already told Captain Holt that we’re ready, your task force will do great.”

“I know. I just wanted to make sure you’re safe”

Her tone was casual, but nonetheless, you were surprised to hear something like that coming from her. “Since when does Rosa Diaz worry?” you teased, but when she didn’t answer you smiled. “I’m fine, I promise,” you reassured her softly. You could’ve sworn you heard her sighing.

“Okay. Keep the radio close and wait for the signal. Bye”

As soon as you ended the call you turned up the volume of your walkie-talkie. Spider-Man was staring at you in silence.

“Are you guys together?” he asked after a while, and you suddenly felt your face burning.

“W-who?”

“You and detective Diaz.”

You gave him an incredulous look. “Why would you say that?!”

“I don’t know! You seem close, I just assumed- Shit, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you or anything,” he rushed to add when he saw your mortified expression, but you shook your head.

“No, you didn’t, don’t stress about it. I’m sorry I got defensive,” you exhaled sharply, trying to find the right words. “Rosa and I are just colleagues. Well, friends.”

“But you like her, don’t you?”

You drew your brows together, gazing at him. “What, are you a telepath or something?”

“No, but you kinda just confirmed my theory,” he chuckled, making you roll your eyes.

“Whatever”

“She likes you,” he added with a shrug. You scoffed, at which he insisted. “She does! She’s super aggressive with everyone except you, and she gets super nervous around you.”

Now you were utterly curious. “How can you tell that?”

“Super-hearing,” he explained. “Her breath changes, her heartbeat accelerates… Of course, she could simply be angry at me.” You giggled at the small hint of doubt in his voice. “But I think it’s because she likes you and she’s not very good at emotions.”

You thought about what he had just said. “That was surprisingly insightful,” you praised with a smirk, grabbing a fresh Coke from the mini fridge and throwing it at him.

“Thanks,” he chuckled.

After a moment you spoke again. “You know, I’m an accomplished detective from the NYPD. And I’m pretty sure you’re a teenager. I have no idea why I’m discussing my dating life with you, it’s weird.”

This time he didn’t even bother correcting you about his age. He simply sipped his Coke, grinning. “We’re not discussing. I’m just pointing out the obvious. She’s scary and badass, you’re kind and badass… I think you'd make a super cool couple.”

You beamed at his statement, and at that moment an idea popped into your head.

“I’ll tell you what. If you help us make this bust without letting any of the perps get away, I’ll ask her out.”

He was just about to shake your hand when a loud voice came from the radio.

“NOW! GO, GO, GO!”

*****

Saying that the bust had been a success would’ve been an understatement. You had confiscated all the drugs and arrested everyone involved. When the task force had made its entrance some of the perps had tried to escape, but luckily you had Spider-Man on your side and catching them had been almost too easy.

“Good job, dummy,” smirked Rosa, giving him what she considered a friendly punch on the shoulder.

“Ouch… Thanks,” he chuckled nervously, and you snorted in amusement.

You looked at him. “I guess that’s it, then.”

He smiled in return and shook your hand. “Don’t forget, we’ve caught all the criminals,” he whispered in your ear. You blushed slightly but nodded. A deal was a deal.

“I know, I know… Take care of yourself, Spider-Man.”

“You too. Hey, if you guys need help some other time let me know!”

“Oh, wait,” you shouted as he was about to leave. “Do you like Die Hard?”

Spider-Man tilted his head in confusion. “What, the old movie? I’ve never seen it.”

And with that, he was gone.

“I’m telling Jake that Spider-Man loves Die Hard,” you announced, and Rosa snorted.

“Good plan.” She looked over at the men you had just arrested, who were still covered in synthetic webs, and smiled. “Guess he’s not so bad, after all.”

“Yeah, he’s pretty cool,” you agreed. You took a deep breath, nervously chewing your bottom lip. “Listen, Rosa, there’s something I need to ask y-”

Your sentence was cut off by Rosa’s lips gently pressed against yours, gliding over each other slowly and smoothly. You could taste her lipstick in your mouth, but you didn’t care. You grabbed her leather jacket, pulling her closer, as she dug her fingers into your hair.

When you interrupted the kiss to give her a questioning look, she grinned.

“You must’ve turned on the speaker, before. I heard your whole conversation.”

“Oh, God…”, you muttered to yourself as you covered your face in embarrassment. But after all, your mistake had led to something good. Still out of breath for the kiss, you looked at Rosa with affection as you laced your fingers together with hers. “Well then, can I buy you a beer, Detective Diaz?”

She left another quick peck on the corner of your mouth and winked. “Sounds dope, Detective Y/L/N.”

[obviouslyelementary]

Sweet as Poison

Warnings: none

------------------------

A Destined Encounter

"Albus, we have a guest"

From the paperwork, his eyes moved up, towards the possible guest they were receiving so late at night. As he did, his eyes met with the ones from earlier, the ones he had seen before during the Durmstrang presentation, and those eyes met his back, staring at him just as deeply as he stared back.

The two of them stayed silent, until Serena turned back towards Albus, finding his silence strange. He shook his head just a bit and stood up, sending the Durmstrang student a small smile.

"Hello. How can we help you?" he asked, walking around his desk and approaching both the boy and Serena.

"He says he wants to find a Gryffindor's friend of his" she explained, as Albus kept his eyes on the boy in front of him, and the boy did the same, the smile a little more clear now. "Just tell us the year and name and we can go call them for you"

"Actually I don't quite remember his name..." the boy said, looking back at Serena, for the first time looking away from Albus. "In reality I... I think I will take your advice. I probably should be going, after all, I don't want to go against the rules of the school by being out of bed too late"

"But you already came all the way here" she replied, annoyed, and sighed. "Fine, fine. You can come back tomorrow, maybe you will find him through the halls. Do you at least know his year? I could give you a schedule for the classes the years normally take"

"I believe he is in the fifth year" he said, and Serena hummed, beginning to write down the classes of the fifth years. Soon, she handed him the parchment and nodded.  

"Most fifth years in Hogwarts do these classes. Make sure to look for him tomorrow, and if you can't find him, return to us" she said, always politely, and the Durmstrang boy took the paper, nodding quickly.

"Excuse me, what is your name?" Albus asked suddenly, and the boy turned to him.

"Gellert Grindelwald"

"Pleasure. She is Serena Hochman and I am Albus Dumbledore, if you ever need anything" he said, because for some reason he didn't want the boy to go just yet. The boy smiled and gave him a little nod. "You can go now, I hope you find your friend"

"Actually…" Gellert said, looking back at the entrance door and furrowing his eyebrows "I lost myself from my group and never got to actually… go to the Slytherin chambers. I don’t know the way there and this school is awfully confusing"

"Albus, please" Serena said, already knowing what the boy would request, and Albus looked at her, amused. "I have so much stuff to do"

"Of course" he answered, smiling towards her. "As if I didn't. But sure, it will be better if I go. Specially to Slytherin dorms. I will be back as soon as possible"

"Don't worry about it. I will finish it up here, when you return go to the tower" she replied, before she looked at the Durmstrang boy and smiled. "Albus will take you there. Have a good night Gellert"

"You too miss Hochman" he answered, politely, and she chuckled.

"Serena is fine. See you later" she waved, and Albus smiled, nodding for Gellert to follow him out of the prefects room. Gellert followed, silently, and put the parchment inside his pocket as they walked to the hallway outside.

"Mister Grindelwald-" Albus began, amused, but the boy cut him off.

"Call me Gellert"

"Well then. Gellert" he started again, turning to face the boy once the door closed. He looked right back, silent. "You don't really have any Gryffindor friend, do you?"

Gellert's eyes widened just a slight bit before he snorted quietly and shrugged.

"Is it that obvious? No, I don't have any friends here at Hogwarts. Not yet, at least" he said, smirking a bit, and Albus nodded, intrigued.

"What year are you on Gellert? Fourth?"

"Fifth. But on Durmstrang we go up to the eighth year, unlike Hogwarts. I still have a long way to go."

"indeed you do" Albus nodded, and began walking, with the fifth year right behind him, eyeing everything with a wonderous look that Albus hadn't seen in a long time. "So tell me, what was the real reason for you to come to the Gryffindor's prefect room in the first place?"

"Well, I was looking for someone" he admitted, and Albus looked at him curiously. Gellert looked back, and shrugged, a small curve on his lips. "I saw them wearing red clothes and when I asked the girls in blue, they said red was Gryffindor and if I should go anywhere to find a Gryffindor person, would be in the prefects' room"

"They weren't wrong. However, you didn't ask for anyone" Albus continued his enquiries. "Which tells me that you either gave up, or you already found who you were looking for"

"It could be one or the other. Or I was lying since the beginning and wanted the access to the Gryffindor tower for another reason entirely" was the response the Durmstrang boy gave him, and Albus became even more curious, turning to look at him and only receiving a sly smirk in return. "Something wrong?"

"You Durmstrang boys hold your reputation" Albus said, chuckling to himself and stopping to wait for a flight of stairs. Gellert stopped next to him, staring ahead like he was. "You would all be good Slytherins. Cunning and mysterious"

"Who told you I was cunning?" Gellert asked, sounding playfully offended, and Albus chuckled. "In all honesty, most of Durmstrang boys are stupid, that’s the truth. It is no wonder why I am one of the best students in the whole school and am only in the fifth year. They have everything handed to them, so they don't have to think. They just have to do. And when one of us thinks, the teachers take us as brilliant"

"That doesn't sound very challenging" Albus said, walking forward as the stairs stopped, and Gellert followed, both of them looking at each other. Gellert shrugged, tapping the stone handle as they walked down.

"It isn't. Not in an intellectual level at least."

"I've heard you have constant battles. That teachers encourage students to use spells on others. That you train curses on each other"

"Well, yes" they stayed silent for a moment, and Albus wondered how it would be like, to constantly be in alert inside your own school. "But that is the thing. In Durmstrang we learn how to actually do magic. I've heard Hogwarts is the best theorical school of all continent, but also that you are not allowed to test your skills in anything other than puppets or trained personal. That is no way of training the true potential of a spell"

"Hogwarts doesn't like getting students hurt"

"Sometimes you have to do things you don't like for progress to be achieved"

Albus looked at Gellert, his heart skipping a beat for some reason. Gellert looked back at him, his different coloured eyes making it seem like he was the most balanced creature in the whole universe. It was quite breath-taking, how one of his eyes could be so warm and inviting, and the other so cold and distant.

And then suddenly, there was a hand over his arm and Albus stopped, frowning and looking forward to see he was about to step over the edge of the moving stair.

"Thank you" he breathed out, leaning backwards and staring at the hand still on his arm. Gellert slowly removed it, and chuckled, tilting his head.

"I know my eyes are fascinating but please, don't kill yourself over them"

Albus saw the small smile on the boy's mouth and felt his cheeks burning in embarrassment, making him look away immediately, searching for the stair's base so they could get out and follow the path to the dungeons.

After a moment of silence, as they began walking again, Albus let the embarrassment go, and looked back at Gellert, who once more seemed distracted with the walls and the paintings around the hall.

"What were you really doing in the prefects' room?" he asked, a little more serious now.

Gellert looked back at him, from the corner of his eyes, and then looked back at the walls.

"I was looking for someone"

"Which someone? A friend? A teacher? Someone you know?"

"Someone I've heard about. Dreamt about"

"You've dreamt about someone from Hogwarts?"

Gellert stopped and looked at him, blinking slowly and keeping his face expressionless. Albus stopped as well and looked back, waiting for an answer.

However, he did not receive one.

"Why did you stare at me so intensely during the presentation?"

Albus was extremely caught out of guard by that question, his heart racing once more and his skin prickling with shame, although he wasn't sure of what exactly.

He had just been… drawn to the boy, that wasn't something strange or wrong, his magic was just fascinating, and he was the last one in his group, so the attention would be focused on him anyway.

And for the why they locked eyes… that wasn't only his fault. It was the boy's too.

"I… don't know" he answered, sincerely, and looked away, towards the hallway they should follow to reach the dungeons. "We should walk faster, it is almost time for bed"

"Dumbledore?"

"Call me Albus"

"Albus…" Gellert approached, and Albus only knew that because he could hear his steps coming closer. "May I ask something of you?"

"… of course" he nodded, but remained his eyes facing the hallway. Gellert, however, walked around him and stood in front of him, eye to eye. Even if they were one year apart from each other, Gellert was the exact size to stare at him without looking up or down. The simple presence of this strange, unknown boy already made Albus' stomach turn. It was almost as if he represented constant danger. It was something Albus had never felt before in his entire life.

It was intoxicating, and strangely pleasant.

"I know they will assign us someone to show the castle, but just in case they don't or I don't adapt, could you show me around?"

Albus looked at him surprised, and all the twisting in his stomach seemed to stop.

"You want me to show you around? To be your companion during the time you're staying?"

"Well, yes"

"Oh Gellert" Albus chuckled, shaking his head and fixing his glasses, before crossing his arms. "Believe me, Gellert, you do not want to walk around with me"

"Why not? You are the Gryffindor prefect, one year older than me, and seems to know a lot about the school" he said, smiling towards Albus. "I think you would be the perfect companion. Besides, I doubt I would do so well with a Slytherin"

"Gellert, trust me. If you stick around me, you will get no friends. I am not… very sociable, I like staying in my room and in the library, and I have so many things to do that I wouldn't have time to show you anything at all" Albus insisted, shaking his head, but Gellert moved closer.

"Please? I don't want to make a lot of friends. Only a handful of actual good friends. And even if it is just you, I am pretty much like you. No friends, studying all the time… Honestly I just don't want to be around someone that will actively try to show me everything. I just want to study and relax"

"I… I will think about it" Albus said, but Gellert smiled as if he had said yes already. "try out with the companion they will give you. If you don't adapt, you can come look for me"

"Alright" he agreed, and then nodded to the hallway. "Lead the way please"

And Albus did, wondering what he had said that was good enough for a boy like Gellert to want to stick around him.

Honestly, he had no clue.

 ----------------

 Upon reaching the dungeons, Albus showed him the correct door and left him to return to the Gryffindor dorm room, while Gellert, stared at him walking away, an amused smile on his face. As soon as Albus disappeared into the shadows, Gellert smirked widely and laughed, rubbing his eyes and entering the dorm room.

Everyone was gathered around close to the fireplace, and no one noticed him entering or sitting down by the edge of the group. They were explaining something about the rules of the castle, but nothing Gellert was really interested in.

What he was interested in was in the fact that he had found the boy that resembled the person from his dreams, and he had easily convinced him of being his friend.

For Gellert it was obvious that he was lonely, and also that he was one of the best students in Hogwarts. Gellert knew how to read people like reading a children's book, and with this Albus Dumbledore was no different. From the way he had stared at him during the presentation, to his surprise at his arrival in the prefect's room, to the way he acted around Gellert, he already knew befriending him would be easy.

He was lonely, unhappy and intelligent. He had no friends and didn't really try to make any. He was the exact target Gellert was hoping to find, and better yet, he was so alike the person in his dreams that Gellert could swear it was him. But as he wasn't sure just yet, he would leave the information of whom he saw in his dreams to himself a little longer.

Now, he just had to convince Albus he wasn't adapting to the Slytherins and keep himself around him all the time, to find out more things about him and his family that could reveal who was the person in Gellert's dream and how he could get them to unite with him for the confection of his plan.

Perhaps he was a little obsessed, but he couldn't deny the connection he felt whenever their eyes locked into each other's. It was almost as if destiny lined up their lives for them to meet at that exact moment.

And Gellert Grindelwald was not one to play with destiny.

[saintsandmisfit]

summer job romance AU  - Yousef/Sana

Sana is doing a part-time job over the summer at a department store - in the children’s section  

She refuses to give in and quit just because people are dumb as fuck

The kids are damn cute though and seeing them dressed in tiny clothes with their toothless smiles makes her heart flip

But shit gets annoying one day when a middle-aged lady comes in with a little girl and she won’t let the girl pick out this black shirt that says ‘future girl boss’ - Sana is almost personally offended by this

She’s listened to about one entire minute of this lady trying to explain to the kid that little girls need to “wear pretty colours and shirts that say cute things on them!”

So she’s about to march over there and give this lady a piece of her mind or the edge of her platforms, who knows

But then this lanky dark-haired boy strolls up next to them and picks up another of the same shirt and starts waving it around saying “aliyah! see what i found! you’re going to look so boss in this shirt, look it even says it on the shirt”

A small girl in a sparkly pink hijab strolls up to him, looking unimpressed until she sees the shirt and her face lights up

“yousef, i need this shirt.” “i’m kind of scared to buy it for you now. what if you become some kind of gang leader?” “i’m eight” “you never know these days”

He ends up turning to the woman and child and saying “oh did you want this shirt too? i bet you’d look great in it.”

kid:“mama says i can only wear pink”, yousef:“well bosses definitely wear pink, but they wear black too. you look like you’d be a pretty cool boss.”, aliyah: “yeah! i’m already a boss of course and i wear ALL the colours”

There’s not fault to this logic obviously

The mother looks more uncomfortable by the second - Sana is cackling inside - and then the child turns to her and says “mama SEE”. They leave with the black shirt.

And Sana is just standing there, head tilted, smiling at the entire scene

Yousef looks up and catches her staring at them and smiles. he waves and she like eSCAPES from there.

For two entire days she thinks about the guy with dark eyes and the nice smile - that hair is also ridiculous (-ly attractive)

And then the guy shows up again while Sana is doing her rounds around the kids section - this time in the toy section

He has Aliyah with him again and she throws a ball that ends up hitting Sana in the leg

Yousef runs over to her, “oh fuck i’m so sorry, my niece and i were just playing!” and Sana says “it’s fine! you’ve got a wicked strong throw…” “aliyah!” “yes Aliyah, you’re super strong. tell me you’re playing basketball or something”

And she just kneels down and chats with Aliyah sharing her own basketball team stories

Yousef is watching them both with heart eyes, probably thinking about the day he’ll propose to her already

Sana gets up to leave and Yousef blurts out “will you be around for more sports expertise?” and she turns around and points to her name tag “i work here… so probably”, “yeah of course I knew that! the name tag.. Sana right. I’m Yousef” he says all embarrassed

He goes home that night and smiles his face off, saying Sana’s name out loud

And because he’s ridiculous, Yousef goes back to the store every single day for the next week

Everyday he’ll come up with excuses and leave with either a toy or a shirt - Aliyah is living for this new development for all the gifts she’s getting out of it

“Back again?” “Aliyah has a play coming up. She’s needs a leather jacket”

Another day: “I broke her scooter the other day” “uncle can’t control his legs”

Another day #2: “She spilled juice all over her new frock and her sad face is too much for me to handle”

Sana is not dumb and she definitely knows that all these reasons are a little too circumstantial but Yousef is charming and a dork - she has fun at work when he’s around. he makes her laugh so much and her cheeks always hurt after and her heart beats a little fast and it’s a lot but she likes it (him!) so much

He flirts with her the entire time she’s there saying things like “so, i think your folding technique isn’t quite right” and she’s like “what do you even know about it?” “i am the uncle of a small army okay”

Or he puts toys onto the highest shelf so she can’t reach them

“You spend too much with children” “What? How did you know?” “You’re just a tall one, thats why”

This goes on for like two months, they’ve exchanged socials and everything, and Sana is just like… when the fuck is he going to ask me out tbh - Jamilla is betting in 2 weeks, Eva & Noora: in a few days, Vilde: doesn’t trust boys, Chris: go catch that dick yourself girl!!!!!

It’s the end of the summer anyways and so she’s going to leave the job

She tell him at the end of her final shift and he’s shocked and sad but tells her he hopes school starts off well for her and all these pleasantries

And she’s like fuming inside and turns around to leave. but then strolls back up to him and just explodes with “i don’t get you! we’ve basically been hanging out for the entire summer and you’re here like almost every day to see me - don’t lie I KNOW that’s true, but that’s it?? this is how it ends?” and he’s too shocked to say anything so she just gives up and leaves  

She comes outside of the store to go home and she sees Yousef just standing outside, looking down, waiting

He sees her and gets nervous but comes over and says “Sana Bakkoush, I really really like you and you probably know that because I have no subtlety, but would you like to go get a kebab with me anyways (2 months late really)?

She wants to keep being angry (cause Sana can hold a grudge like no other) but she’s just helpless to his terrible lines and his nervous smile (like he really believes that she wont say yes. in what world???)

So she says yes and he does like a backflip because he starts to dance and she cover her face because now SHE’S embarassed

They go eat kebabs together. peeking at each other every few seconds and giggling. they talk about everything and nothing and it’s Magical

he walks her home before maghrib time and before he leaves, he presses a little packet into her hand. he hands it over while shuffling his feet, really hoping she likes it.

He gives her a warm hug and they hold on a little longer than normal, knowing they’ve got more than a summer now and so happy bc of this

Sana watches him leave, ruffling his own hair and throwing his arms up in the air and she runs inside feeling so giddy

She opens up the packet and finds two hijab pins, a pink rose and black rose, and she’s just so smitten with this guy

“You have good taste, why a rose though?” “How I feel about you, also you’re as beautiful and prickly as one, gurl”

(She’s going to wear them on their next date)

Also, Jamilla wins the bet.

[x-oc-blog-x]

Inside Avas’ OCs

I got a questionnaire from mibba.com for my OCs

Oliver Asman

Basic

1. What is your full birth name? Oliver Lee Asman

2. Any nicknames? Oli

3. When were you born/how old are you? June 5. I’m 19

4. If immortal or slow-ageing, what is your apparent age? I’m human soo.

5. Where were you born?

The United States

6. Who were your parents? Cassie and Daniel Asman

7. Do you have any siblings? Yeah. He is 5. His name is Joel.

8. Where do you live now? At jacks house in the US

9. Who do you live with? Jackson Canmore and his mom.

10. Are you right or left-handed?

Left

11. What words/phrases do you regularly use? I definitely say sorry a lot.

12. Name some habits or strange quirks you have? I chew on hoodie strings. And my shirt sometimes. I know it’s gross

Appearance

13. Height: 5’ 7”

14. Weight: 147 pounds

15. Skin Tone: I’m tan

16. Body Shape: normal? I don’t know.

17. Hair: blonde quiff

18. Eyes: blue

19. Face Shape:what does this even mean?

20. Everyday Dress Style:I like to wear black jeans and a t shirt

21. Formal Dress Style:slacks and dress shirt.

22. Any Jewelry? A few bracelets just to fidget with really.

23. Any Scars? Just a few. Ive got some on my thigh. I don’t want to talk about it.

24. Tattoos? No.

Growing Up

25. How would you describe your childhood in general? It was okay. It could have been better. I was kicked out though. There was that.

26. What is your earliest memory?

My mom and dad arguing over money. He hit her.

27. How much schooling have you had? I graduated

28. Did you enjoy school?

Yeah. I got to spend time with friends. And jack

29. Where did you learn most of your skills/abilities?

School

30. Any role models while growing up? Not really until middle school. I really liked the flash. Jack made me watch it.

31. What did you want to be when you grew up?

I actually wanted to be a dinosaur. Then I wanted to be a teacher

32. What was your favourite thing to do? Play with dinosaur toys with jack. And when I grew up a bit I liked to write.

33. Were you popular?

No

34. Who were your friends?

Jack, Misha, Collin, Rex, Alex, Loni

35. When and who was your first kiss?

My first kiss was a girl named Maddie in 6th grade

Past Influences

36. What do you consider the most important event of your life so far? Moving in with jack when I got kicked out. That really influenced our friendship and helped us get together. And that was life changing.

37. Who has had the most influence on you? Jack.

38. What do you consider is your greatest achievement? Healing from being kicked out and not trying to reach out to my toxic family.

39. What is your greatest regret? Missing so many opportunities because of insecurity.

40. What is the most evil thing you have ever done? I have no idea. I try not to do bad things.

41. Do you have a criminal record of any kind? No

42. When was the time you were the most frightened? When I was kicked out. I was so scared. My dad had me by the hair and was dragging and throwing me.

43. The most embarrassing moment of your life so far? I accidentally submitted one of my writings for an assignment instead of the actual assignment. My teacher was really confused.

44. If you could change one thing from your past, what would it be and why? As much as I loved living with Jack and his mom, I wish I wouldn’t have come out to them. Maybe they would still talk to me.

45. What is your best memory? My first kiss. Jack and I were in the park. And without me even telling him I liked him, we both just kinda kissed.

46. What is your worst memory? Other than being kicked out, Being beat up in the bookstore. I didn’t do anything to them, but because I was holding hands with jack, they put put me in the hospital.

Beliefs and Opinions

47. Are you more optimistic or pessimistic? I try to be an optimist.

48. What is your greatest fear?

Being alone

49. What are your religious views?

I believe in the Christian god. But I never go to church or anything.

50. Political views?

Not conservative.

51. Views on Sex?

Sex is a cool thing. Everyone is different with it, but it’s nice. I like it. I want to go more into detail but I really shouldn’t.

52. In your own opinion, what is the most evil thing someone could do?

Kick out their child for being lgbt+

53. Do you believe in Soul Mates/True love? I do.

54. What do you base success on?

Personal Achievements. I’m successful for finding a healthy relationship and getting out of a toxic situation. Other people are successful for getting past their bad pasts.

55. How honest are you about your thoughts and feelings with yourself?

I try to push my feelings away. I don’t like negative emotions.

56. How honest are you about your thoughts and feelings with others?

I usually tell jack how I feel if I’m depressed because he likes to help.

57. Do you have any biases or prejudices?

Yes.

58. Is there anything you would absolutely refuse to do under any circumstances?

I’m sure there is. But I don’t know what they would be

59. Why would you refuse?

N/a

60. Who or what, if anything, would you die for?

I’d die for jack and his family. I’d die for my friends. Id die for the kids like me who don’t have anyone to go to because they were abandoned for who they are.

61. What do you feel the most passionate about?

Jack.

62. What one act are you most proud of?

Healing from bad things.

63. What one act are you most ashamed of?

Coming out to my parents.

64. Are you a leader or follower?

Follower

Relationships

65. In general, how do you treat people you don’t know well? I try to be nice to everyone.

66. How do you treat people you do know?

With respect.

67. Who do you respect the most and why?

Jack. He is a nice human who has been through bad days. And he is still the best and nicest person I know.

68. Who are your friends?

Misha, collin, Jack, Loni, Alex, and Rex.

69. Who is your best friend?

Jack

70. Ever been in love?

Obviously.

71. Who do you consider family?

Jack, Misha, Collin, Ms. Canmore

72. How close are you to your family?

I don’t talk to them. At all.

73. Who do you turn to in desperate times and why?

Jack. He has always been there for me.

74. Who do you trust to protect you and why? No one should have to protect me. But in the times that I needed it, Jack. Sorry if I keep saying his name for everything. He is everything to me.

75. Who do you despise the most and why?

My dad. He took me by my hair and threw me from our house because of my sexuality.

76. Do you tend to argue or avoid conflict? Avoid. My anxiety doesn’t like to fight.

77. Do you care what others think of you?

Yes.

Sex and Intimacy

78. Do you consider yourself straight, gay, bi, trans or something else?

Pansexual.

79. Do you have a significant other?

Yes.

80. Describe them: kind, smart, sweet, supportive, loving, and everything someone could want.

81. What is the perfect romantic date?

Going to the park and having lunch.

82. Best sexual partner?

Jack is the best. But he is the only person I’ve had sex with.

83. Worst sexual partner?

No one. Jack is the only person I’ve had sex with.

84. Worst thing you’ve done to someone you love?

I don’t know.

Likes and Dislikes

85. What is/are your favourite hobbies/pastimes?

I like to watch tv. And write.

86. What is your most prized possession?

The bracelet jack gave me.

87. Favourite colour?

Green

88. Favourite food?

Pizza

89. Favourite movie? Spider-Man: far from home

90. Favourite TV show?

Glee

91. What, if anything, do you like to read?

I like poems. Rupi Karar especially

92. What style of music do you like?

I like all music. Except country.

93. What is your idea of good entertainment? Books, tv, plays, etc.

94. Do you smoke?

No. It’s gross

95. Drink?

I don’t unless someone offers at like a party or something.

96. Drugs?

Nah.

97. Typical Friday night?

Cuddles with jack.

98. What would be the perfect gift for you?

Roses.

99. Rain or Sun and why? Rain. I like to feel the rain.

100. Day or Night and why?

Day. I like the sunrises and the sense of everyone having something to do in the light.

101. What makes you laugh?

Puns. Jokes.

102. What shocks/offends you?

Anti-lgbt people. People who deny human rights to others.

103. How do you deal with stress? I usually break down and cry.

104. Are you spontaneous, or do you feel you always need a plan?

I prefer plans to ease my anxiety.

105. Any pet peeves?

Nah.

Occupation/Study

106. Do you have a job or are you studying? I stay at home. I don’t do much. I sometime write for commission money.

107. If so, what is it/what course?

Writing.

108. Do you like it?

Yeah.

109. If studying/not working, where does your money come from? It doesn’t really.

110. What is your boss/teacher(s)/agent/publisher ect like? I am my boss that’s pretty cool.

111. What are your co-workers/other students like? Nope.

112. Do you get along with them? Nope.

113. What is something you had to learn that you hated?

Semicolons

114. Do you tend to save or spend your money?

Save

Misc.

115. Describe the routine of a normal day for you:

Wake up. Cuddle. Sometimes work. Eat. Cuddle. Blah blah.

116. What is your greatest strength?

Being able to pick myself up when I’m down

117. Greatest weakness?

Being so emotional

118. If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?

I would want to look better. I think I could improve my face.

119. Introvert or Extrovert?

Introvert

120. Organised or messy?

Organized.

121. Three things you’re good at:

Writing, overthinking, and being a friend.

122. Three things you’re bad at:

Rationalizing, talking to strangers, and being alone

123. Do you like yourself?

Kinda

124. What is your life goal?

To be fully happy with who I am.

125. Where do you see yourself in five years?

Hopefully I’m married to jack. Maybe having a baby.

126. If you could choose, how would you want to die? With jack by my side. I don’t want to be alone.

127. Three things you would do with 24 hours left to live? Talk to my family and explain to them some things, tell Joel how important he is to the world, and to have some alone time with jack.

128. What is one thing you’d like to be remembered for after your death? Being a good person

129. Three words to describe your personality?

Awkward, caring, and nice.

130. Three words others use to describe your personality?

Awkward, horny, and fun😂

[andinewton]

Born To Be King - Avengers Redemption Series - Part Three - Chapter 34 - Epilogue 5 - An Avengers Halloween Extravaganza!

Characters: Loki, Sigyn;  pretty much everyone from the MCU appears at some point!

Pairings: Loki x Sigyn; Bucky x Amelia

Warnings: Smut, canon typical violence, swearing

Word Count: 60k + (complete with ongoing epilogues)

Summary:

He never wanted the throne…

Loki’s life seems to be charmed of late. His dead wife has been reborn and has married him once more, they have beautiful twin boys, and they are working and living with The Avengers. The only blot on his otherwise perfect landscape is the constant friction Odin seems to be able to cause with one simple request delivered by Thor. Odin wishes to meet the twins but will not cancel Loki’s banishment, allowing him to travel to Asgard with his wife and children. Loki finally caves but has a sense of foreboding about the trip which proves to be all too true…Join Loki, Sigyn and the team as they fight to find one another against all odds and protect their sons from those who would have them as their kings.

Master List

Chapter 34 - Epilogue 5

Summary:  It’s Halloween and The Avengers have gone all out!

A/N:  YESSSS HALLOWEEN!  MY FAVE!  Okay, so it’s my birthday too, which means I love it even more!  But I thoroughly enjoyed writing this!  It’s just a bit of fun and features a lot of our friends from the MCU!  Just enjoy it!  It ran to 26 pages!  Plenty of Halloween goodness to go around!

There had been planning for weeks.  The Avengers wanted to make the foyer of the tower a Halloween grotto, where kids could come and visit, meet with their favourite heroes, make some money for charity, and enjoy the frivolity without being too scared or at risk from nut jobs spiking their candy.  Strangely, it had been Tony’s idea.

‘As much as I approve of the idea of tricks and treats,’ ‘Trick or treat, Mischief.’  Sigyn corrected her husband, as they got ready for bed on the 30th of October. ‘That’s a little limiting, petal.’  He continued.  ‘But, as I was saying, as much as I approve of the notions, I do not quite understand the concept behind it.’ ‘You don’t need to.  And the history or mythos behind Halloween depends on who you talk to around the world, religious beliefs…’ ‘Then explain the idea behind dressing up and frightening children to me.’ She huffed out a breath.  She was sure he was being deliberately difficult.  ‘Some people believe that dressing up in scary costumes is to frighten away any dead who may be lurking on the night the veil between worlds is thinnest, others think it’s to honour the dead who have passed this year, but most,’ she turned shoved him hard enough that he sat on their bed, from where he was trying to sidle up behind her, ‘just dress up because it’s fun!’ ‘Disguise is always a fun pastime.’  His hands slid over her thighs as he tried to ignore the ridiculous Avengers lounge pants she had taken to wearing when the colder weather had set in. ‘And you’re just trying to deliberately rile me up, because I know you already know all this.’ ‘Wasn’t it simpler when the Midgardians used to sacrifice for the Álfablót?’  His hands tracked over her buttocks then under her t-shirt. ‘I don’t miss having to smile nicely and pretend to be grateful for all the dead lambs, no.’  She leant into him with her hands on his shoulders, forcing him to fall backwards onto the mattress with her on top of him. ‘You never were one for all the gore, other than on the battlefield.’  He grinned up at her. ‘On the battlefield it was a necessary evil.  Terrifying small creatures and making a mess out of sheer superstition was, quite frankly, a cruel waste.’ ‘I know how much you hate cruelty, sunbeam.’  He raised his hips teasingly and she knew exactly where this was going. ‘And waste.’  She smirked down at him, lowering her lips to his.

‘It’s safe?’ ‘One-hundred percent, I swear.’  Tony crossed his heart.  ‘You know I wouldn’t risk my grand-baby for anything.  It’s just lights.’ Amelia looked at the man who would be her father sceptically.  ‘I know this was what she wanted, but,’ she sighed, ‘you know what?  I’m overthinking.  You’re going to have an amazing time with her.’ ‘You sure you don’t want to come and trail after us?’  Tony encouraged her with a small grin.  ‘I hear you have your costume all planned.’ ‘I’m still just staying in the background.’  She reminded him.  ‘I’m running the photo printing with Bruce.’ ‘Chicken.’ ‘I just, I don’t like it.’  She shook her head a little too fast. ‘I know you don’t, Angel.’  Tony wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his side for a half hug.  ‘Which is why I’m not nagging you to come with us.  Bucky will be doing his hero bit, my suit will be faking me for photos, and I’m going to chase your beautiful baby around all night and make sure she doesn’t give herself diabetes.’ ‘You can’t give yourself diabetes in one night.’  She rolled her eyes. ‘Doesn’t mean that kids don’t give it a damn good try.’  He replied.  ‘Now, just one more thing.  Call that husband of yours and tell him to get up here.  I have a little mod to make on his arm.’ She leant back and eyed him suspiciously.  ‘What kind of a mod?’ ‘Just a temporary Halloweeny one.’  He waved his hand dismissively.  ‘Colour themed lighting.’ She sighed.  ‘We’re still going to be able to put it in night mode, right?  Because I can’t be having all the hassle we had before with it keeping me awake like a nightlight.’ ‘Night mode will still work, Angel, don’t worry.  I know how cranky you get when you don’t sleep.’ ‘Good.  I’ll call him.’  She stepped back out of Tony’s embrace and picked up her phone. ‘Then you can tell me about your secret costume.’  He leant on the desk beside her as she pressed her Stark Phone to her ear. She smiled knowingly at him.  ‘Can’t.  Secret.’ ‘I’ll ask Nat.’ ‘She won’t tell you shit.’ ‘No, but she might have told Clint.’ ‘He won’t tell you either; hey, Buck!’  She said as he answered. Tony gave her a considering look.  He wanted to know what she had planned, only knowing it was something special for Bucky.  He knew it had to be kid-friendly, so it wasn’t anything revealing, but he was damn curious.

The lobby of The Tower was filled with a variety of stalls and fun activities for kids of all ages.  Outside, various food stands were providing a variety of hot and cold foods and beverages, the sidewalk also decorated in a not too scary way leading the way in.  By the back wall, blocking the way to the elevators, several screens were set up with photographers, and most of the team were present, having photos on request for a donation to charity.  Bruce wasn’t comfortable out in the open with so many people, hence he had chosen to help Amelia behind the scenes.  Plus people wanted to see the Big Guy more than him, and that was a bad idea. The team had had a small debriefing then headed straight down to the lobby, where most everyone was already set up.  Georgie was with her mimmy and Uncle Bruce, waiting for her grandad to come and escort her around the event, wearing her special customised pink Iron Man suit, her helmet currently retracted as she spun a circle in her tutu.  Yes, tutu.  And wings.  And a wand.  She was officially Iron Ballerina.  She had her own light-up imitation arc reactor and gloves too, everything in varying shades of pink, just as she had asked her grandad for.  He had really pulled out all of the stops. ‘Uncle Bruce?’  She asked, as she stopped with her arms out, feeling dizzy. ‘Yes, munchkin?’  Bruce asked, as he tried to work out why this printer wasn’t connecting. ‘Do you think Mimmy looks pretty?’ Amelia stopped what she was doing and turned to listen to the conversation instead. ‘She does.’  Bruce flashed an embarrassed smile at Amelia who laughed silently.  ‘Why do you ask, sunshine?’ ‘I think she looks pretty, but I think she’d look even prettier if her costume was pink.’  Georgie continued as she stepped up to the printer and leant to look at the cables leading into the back. ‘It wouldn’t be very authentic if it was pink, lapushka.’  Amelia said, as her heels clicked across the floor to join them.  ‘What have you spotted?’ ‘Cable’s not in properly.  The pin might be bent.’  She said casually, knowing she wasn’t allowed to play with cables, but thought she knew what the problem was. Bruce raised his eyebrows and took a look.  ‘She’s right.’  He said, adjusting his glasses as he looked at the offending cable.  ‘I can fix that right up.’ ‘Clever girl.’  Amelia smiled at her daughter.  ‘You’ll be working in the lab with us in no time.’ ‘I don’t want to be in the lab.  I want to fly around in my Iron Ballerina suit, saving the world with Pappa and Grandad.’ ‘We’ll see when you’re older.’  Amelia offered her her hand, still not believing she was regularly arguing with her six year old daughter about her career choice. ‘Grandad says he’ll make me a real suit when I’m big enough.’  She said, as she hopscotched over the tiles with Amelia back to the computer she was going to be stationed at. ‘I’m sure he will.’  Amelia sighed.  ‘Anyway, he’ll be here soon.  Remember what I told you?’ ‘Don’t run off, stay with Grandad, don’t eat all my candy at once, and make sure I have some boring food too.’ ‘Not boring food; proper food, something more filling than candy.’  Amelia corrected her.  ‘They have corn on the cob outside, and hamburgers.  Maybe you can sneak some back here to Mimmy and Uncle Bruce too?’ ‘Mimmy can show off that costume and get her own.’  Tony’s voice from beside the partitions they were behind drew their attention and Georgie squealed. ‘Grandad!’  She jumped up and he picked her up.  He was wearing a suit, rather than his armour, wanting to be able to move more freely through the crowds with Georgie. ‘You all ready, baby?’ ‘Yes!’  She hit the side of her helmet and it descended into place. ‘Then what are we waiting for?  First off we’ll get the photo out of the way so it’s just F-U-N, fun!’ ‘And food!’ ‘And food.’  Tony repeated. ‘Enjoy yourselves, and remember what I said!’  Amelia said quickly, before Tony could turn to leave, but he wasn’t going yet.  He gave her a warm smile. ‘You’re going to knock his socks off, Angel.’ Amelia pressed her lips together at his compliment.  ‘Thanks, Dad.  I hope so.’ ‘If not, he needs wiping again, because he’s faulty.’  Tony winked at her, before turning and taking Georgie out into the lobby, which was gradually filling up with children and caregivers.

‘If anyone wants a photo just create a double.  I am not running back and forth when I could be running around making mischief with my boys.’  Loki complained. ‘I’ll replace you with a double.’  Sigyn muttered and he turned back to her. ‘Pardon, love?’ ‘I said you’re a grump.’  She glared at him where they stood in the elevator, knowing their original arrangement had been that they would take turns as they were required at the photo ops. ‘You know that most parents would not have their little ones photographed with the mon…’ ‘No!’  She snapped at him.  ‘You have proven yourself more times than I can count as a hero!  Enough with the excuses and self deprecation!’ Narvi laughed where he was holding Sigyn’s hand and affected a sing-song voice.  ‘Dadda’s in trouble.’ ‘Do not think I have forgiven you for your costume choice, young Prince.’  Loki gave him a teasing eyebrow. Narvi frowned heavily.  ‘Puny god.’  He growled and Sigyn laughed.  Narvi’s choice of Hulk didn’t make Loki as angry as he pretended to be, and luckily Narvi knew that. ‘My entire family turned against me!  Honestly!’  Loki threw his hands up dramatically. Vali laughed along with his brother this time, shifting his grip on his accessory.  ‘I look like you every day, Dadda.  It’s nice to look like Uncle Thor for a change.’ ‘If blond and brainless are your thing, you are more Asgardian than I thought.’ Sigyn jabbed him in the ribs with her fingers, making him flinch.  ‘You know Thor is not dumb, and do not lead our boys to believe so.’ ‘Fine.’  Loki sighed. ‘He’s strong too!’  Vali flexed his muscles dramatically. Loki shook his head and rolled his eyes, but Sigyn saw and leant into him, nuzzling at his arm.  ‘I still prefer my princes tall, dark and handsome.’ ‘You are the only exception.’  He leant down and kissed her hair. ‘Not the only one.  Ready, baby?’  She leant forward and looked at Vali who grinned. ‘I think I’ve teased Dadda enough.’  He agreed. ‘Good boy.’  Sigyn smiled at him and waved her hand.  The illusion of Vali’s Thor costume broke, revealing his real costume, the one he and Sigyn had kept a secret from Loki for weeks.  He now wore a perfect replica of Loki’s armour and helm, a sceptre in his right hand. He looked up at Loki with a smug smile on his face.  ‘Kneel before me!’ Loki couldn’t keep the grin off his face as he turned to Sigyn.  ‘And you call me mischievous.’  He said, before turning to Vali and dropping to his knees.  ‘I kneel before my benevolent god, and ask but one favour.’ ‘I might grant it.’  Vali giggled. ‘Please, allow me to keep my beautiful wife.  I know she draws the eye of the great God of Mischief and Lies, but she is the reason I wake.’ Vali looked up at Sigyn behind Loki and she shook her head, interested to see what Loki would do if Vali denied him.  ‘I cannot!’  Vali exclaimed.  ‘She is far too fair to be wasted on you, peasant!’ Sigyn and Narvi laughed as Loki raised his head and frowned at his eldest.  ‘Then you leave me no choice.’  He stood quickly and threw Vali over his shoulder, tickling the backs of his legs until he was laughing uncontrollably while flailing as much as he was able, hanging onto his helm lest it should fall of. ‘Dadda, stop!  Please, it tickles!  Stop!’  He squealed.  ‘You can have Mamma, just no more tickles!’ ‘Very well.’  Loki stopped and turned to Narvi.  ‘Any secrets from you?’ ‘No, I mean, Hulk smash!’  He replied and banged his giant Hulk hands together. ‘Can’t win them all.’  Loki shrugged, lowering Vali back to the ground as the elevator sounded their arrival in the lobby.  They made their way around the partitions to find things were beginning to pick up.  There was a number system in place for the photos which was already up to twelve, and Cap was currently crouched with a small girl dressed as Wanda, smiling for the camera. ‘We will make ourselves scarce.’  Loki leant into Sigyn and kissed her cheek but she grabbed his lapel. ‘Before you go gorging on sweet things, I want a family picture.’ ‘Petal…’  He groaned. ‘One photo.’  She looked up at him hopefully before lowering her voice.  ‘And then later I have a special Halloween costume for you to discover when we’re alone.’ He raised his eyebrows and she nodded once.  ‘You are sheer temptation, buttercup.’  He smirked at her before claiming her lips for a tender kiss. ‘I try.’  She replied.

‘Auntie Nattie!’  Georgie patted her on the back with her wand to get her attention. ‘Hey, Georgie Маленький!’  She turned and picked her up, hugging her close.  ‘Look at you!  This is a much cooler colour for the Iron Man suits.  Don’t you think so, Laura?’ Laura Barton turned and smiled, then did a double take as the little pink tutu’d Iron Man hit the side of her helmet to reveal Georgie Barnes, grinning maniacally, her grandfather just two steps behind.  ‘Don’t you look sweet, Georgie.  I guess Grandad helped with the design?’  She glanced at Tony. ‘Maybe a little.  Good to see you, Laura.’  Tony smiled at her.  ‘You brought your brood?’ ‘Just Nathaniel.  Cooper and Lila are far too cool for trick or treating these days.’  She said and Nat laughed. ‘They still want a few goodies bringing home though.’  Nat added. ‘You ought to remind them they’re never too old to run around in costume, just look at their dad.’  Tony replied. ‘You know, that might have worked.’ ‘I’m hungry, Grandad.’  Georgie said, as she twirled Nat’s hair around her fingers. ‘Burger time?’  He held his hands out to her and she leant to him. ‘And corn.  And fries.  And we take Mimmy and Bruce a burger.’ ‘I’m going to make your mimmy get her own burger.  Her costume is too good to hide away.’ ‘You’re not wrong.’  Nat smirked. ‘Amelia’s here?’  Laura glanced around as though to find her. ‘She’s hiding with Bruce with the photo printers.’  Tony cocked his head towards their little set up.  ‘But she looks beautiful.’ ‘Bucky’s not going to know what hit him.’  Nat wiggled her eyebrows at Laura. ‘Oh, now I need to see it.’ ‘I have a plan to get her out here.’  Tony said.  ‘FRIDAY, send Tinman a message…’

Bucky was next up on the list of requested photo ops, and that made him nervous.  He had only participated in group shots so far, and that was fine with him, but the thought of just himself was a little out of his comfort zone. ‘You’re up, Buck.’  Steve called, from where he had just said goodbye to his last customers. ‘You don’t want to sit in with me, do you?  You know, they might think they can only pick one person, or…’ ‘Buck,’ he interrupted, ‘they specifically wanted you.’  Steve wrapped his arm around his shoulders and turned him towards where a small boy and his mother were waiting.  A small boy with a prosthetic arm and a Bucky t-shirt. ‘Whoa.’  Bucky whispered as Steve encouraged him forward, handing him the form that went with the booking. ‘He’s here for you, Buck.’ Buck gave him a stunned look.  ‘Steve, I don’t know…’ ‘You get on great with Georgie and the twins, this is no different.  Go.’ Bucky took a deep breath and stepped forward, forcing a smile onto his face.  ‘Hey, you must be Corey?’ The boy just stared at him, his eyes wide and mouth slightly open.  ‘He’s a little shy.’  His mom said, resting her hand on her son’s back.  ‘And starstruck.’ Bucky laughed nervously and looked down at the boy again before crouching in front of him.  ‘You know what, Corey, I’m kinda shy too.’  Bucky admitted. The boy frowned.  ‘But you’re so big and brave.’  He mumbled, and it was only because of Bucky’s enhanced hearing that he heard him. ‘You can be big and brave and still be scared.’  Bucky assured him. ‘You don’t get scared.’  Corey’s face edged towards a smile.  ‘You’re an Avenger.’ ‘I really do.’  Bucky nodded emphatically.  ‘Just this last year my little girl fell out of a tree, broke her arm.  She was so hurt, and I was real scared because I’d never seen her in so much pain before.  And another time, my wife got hurt on a mission.  Terrified.’ Corey seemed to consider him for moment and decided to believe him.  ‘Your arm is cool.’  He said.  ‘I like the lights.’ ‘Me too.  Iron Man changed the colours for Halloween, watch.’  He clicked his fingers on his left hand and the pale purple lighting in the panels faded through to orange, then to green, and back again. ‘That’s awesome.’  Corey grinned.  ‘Mine is just coloured all the time.  It doesn’t do anything cool.’  He flexed his fingers, which moved clunkily.  ‘I got hit with a car.’  He said frankly. ‘I’m sorry to hear that.’  Bucky said sympathetically.  ‘But I do like the colours.’  He remarked on the red, white and blue scheme. ‘It’s like Captain America’s shield.’  Corey grinned. ‘Just like it.’  Bucky agreed.  ‘So, you want to take a picture?  Maybe we can pretend to arm wrestle?’ ‘Yes!’  Corey stepped away from his mom finally.  ‘And can it look like I’m winning?’ ‘Wouldn’t have it any other way.’  Bucky straightened and led him to the screened area for his photograph. While they were posing, Bucky letting Corey have a couple of extra shots, his phone vibrated in his pocket.  He said goodbye to Corey and his mom before taking it out and checking his messages.  It was from Tony.  Georgie wanted her Mimmy and Papen’ka to help her with her corn.  He checked the time, unless he was needed on the next shoot, he was good.

Amelia and Bruce were completely on top of the photos, printing them before placing them in the correctly labelled envelopes and passing them through to Jane, who was handing them out. ‘There are some really cute shots coming through.’  Bruce remarked as he reloaded one of the printers. ‘And a surprising number of shots with the mums giving the team heart eyes.’  Amelia grinned, knowing they had just printed one where the mom hadn’t even attempted to look at the camera and was gazing up at Thor from close range. ‘I think we’re much better off.  Sounds crazy out there.’  Bruce admitted. ‘Hear hear.’  She hit print again on the next run.  She had her back to the little entry gap, so she didn’t see Bucky come in.  And come in was an overstatement.  He stood in the entrance with his mouth open, not believing how she looked.  She was wearing an olive green forties military uniform, belted jacket and a skirt, seamed stockings ran down into heeled court shoes, her hair curled under, and when Bruce greeted him it drew her attention and she turned, smiling broadly, and he noticed her authentic makeup, the matt red lips, her hair in a victory roll. ‘Hey, handsome.’  She said as she came towards him.  ‘What brings you to the print shop?’ ‘You look beautiful, darlin’.’  He breathed as she reached him and she glanced down, pleased with herself, before smiling back up at him. ‘Thank you.’ ‘No, I mean it, you look…incredible.’  His voice told her just how delighted and surprised he was, which had been her aim. ‘It’s not too much?’  She glanced down at herself, but in reply, when she raised her head again, he cupped her cheeks in his hands and kissed her deeply.  She gave a small whimper before sinking into it, her hands slipping up his chest and gripping his leather coat.  The kiss slowed but they didn’t part far, Bucky resting his forehead against hers. ‘Not too much, sweetheart.  Just right.’  He assured her.  ‘Keep it on once Georgie is in bed?’ Amelia’s face split into a grin.  ‘Alright.’ ‘You wanna go grab something to eat?  I have a fifteen minute break, and Tony said Georgie wants us to help her with her corn.’ Amelia gave a small sigh.  ‘She needs to stop worrying about that wobbly tooth falling out when she eats corn!  Just because she thinks she’ll confuse the kernels for her tooth and swallow it.’  She shook her head. ‘Go see to your baby, Angel.’  Bruce said.  ‘I’ve got everything under control here.’ ‘You’re sure?’ ‘Positive.’  He smiled. ‘Thanks, Bruce.’  She said, as Bucky offered her his arm.  ‘Can I bring you anything?’ ‘A hotdog with mustard would be good.’ ‘Okay, see you in fifteen.’  Amelia smiled as Bucky led her back out of the partitions.  She paused as she took in the many people, the crowds, but Bucky pulled her closer and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. ‘I’m here, sweetheart.  It’s no different than when we wait in line at the movie theatre.’ ‘Yeah, but then people aren’t deliberately looking out for us.’  Amelia still didn’t like the fact that so many people not only knew who she was, but that they wanted to know what she and her family were up to.  Too long undercover had made her private, withdrawn almost, but marrying an Avenger and being Tony’s adopted daughter had raised her profile further.  She didn’t have to like though. ‘If they want a snap of us, darlin’, let them.  Just smile.  And the press are being kept at bay, so it’s just…’ ‘Don’t say it.’  She said as he encouraged her forward. He smiled to himself and leant in, murmuring in her ear.  ‘Fans.’ ‘You have fans, I have paps who want to see Tony Stark’s daughter and granddaughter at the park, analyse what I’m wearing and what I could possibly be doing when I’m in The Tower most of the time.’ ‘Who cares what they think, doll.’  He smiled as her thumb tucked in his waistband. ‘Yeah, okay.’  She sighed.  ‘It’s just irritating.’ ‘If you gave them the interview they’ve been begging for they might stop for a while.’ She dug him in the ribs with her nails.  ‘Shut up, soldier.’ ‘Yes, ma’am.’  He saluted her. ‘Amelia?’ They turned as they heard Steve and found his face a look of pleasant surprise.  ‘Hey, Steve.’ ‘Look at you!’  He said, hugging her one armed, as Bucky didn’t seem to want to let her go, as usual.  ‘You look fantastic!’ ‘I feel a little…exposed.’  She admitted. ‘Don’t, your costume is amazing.’  I looked at his best friend.  ‘You’re a lucky guy, Buck.’ ‘You say that at least once a week.’ ‘Still mean it too.’  Steve grinned at them.  ‘I’ve gotta go, my break is about up, but Georgie is out by the food stands with Tony, if that’s who you’re looking for.’ ‘Normally is.  He’s trouble when he gets with Georgie.’ ‘He’s trouble without her.’  Steve said, patting Amelia’s shoulder affectionately.  ‘Don’t hide away in the back all night, okay?  You look too good to be back there.’ ‘I didn’t dress up for everyone else.’  She glanced at Bucky, who hadn’t stopped smiling. ‘You two just make sure you keep the screaming down to a minimum later.’  Steve replied and walked off, leaving Bucky to laugh and Amelia to flap her mouth for a moment out of sheer embarrassment.

‘Bored, little sister?’  Thor sat down beside Sigyn and smiled at her.  He was having a wonderful time interacting with all the small children. ‘Not bored.  I just feel like I’m missing out on spending the night with the boys.  They love this holiday.’ ‘That is not really surprising, given who their father is.’  He reminded her.  ‘And you have not too long until your break.’ ‘I know, and I’m looking forward to it, but Loki will have already seen their faces light up with their favourite things.’ ‘There will be other nights.’  He assured her.  ‘And think of all the small girls whose faces have lit up upon meeting you.’ Her cheeks flushed faintly.  He wasn’t wrong.  ‘I guess so.  Will you go find them when you’re on break?  Get them to meet me?’ ‘Of course.’ ‘Thanks.’ ‘I will be back with your boys before you know it.’  He patted her knee and stood again, leaving her to it.

‘Auntie Darcy!’  Narvi spotted her through the crowd and she headed towards them with a grin, cutting her own wide path, thanks to her costume. ‘Hey, kiddos!’  She grinned, taking their hands as they reached her together.  ‘Don’t you guys look great!  Was your dad surprised?’  She asked them. ‘He was, and he kneeled!’  Vali said excitedly. ‘Darcy.’  Loki bowed his head in greeting.  ‘Why on Earth are you dressed as a cake?’ Darcy looked down at her large pink dress and all the accessories.  ‘I’m Glinda the Good, dumbass.’ ‘Glinda the good what?’ ‘Oh my gawd, I’m going to have to disown your entire family if you don’t correct that, and fast!’ ‘I know who you are.’  Vali tapped her with his sceptre.  ‘You should get Dadda to make you an illusion of a big bubble!’ ‘If he doesn’t know who I am, I don’t trust him to get it right.’  She patted his shoulder.  ‘You make him watch the movie tomorrow.’ ‘From a movie.’  Loki nodded, realising where they were referencing.  ‘A famous one, I assume?’ ‘One of the most famous.’  Darcy insisted.  ‘How has Sig never made you sit through it?’ He shrugged.  ‘I have a good number of movies still to watch.’ ‘You bump this one to the top, or I’ll drop a house on you.’  She waved her wand threateningly, Narvi and Vali laughed, but Loki gave her an insulted look. ‘A house?’ ‘Watch.  The.  Damn.  Movie.’  She tapped him in the chest for every word.  ‘Anyway, I have to go get more apples from the back for the bobbing.  Spoiler alert, the water over there is a really weird colour from all the face paints.’ ‘Thank goodness the boys played early.’  Loki shuddered at the thought of the filthy water. ‘Yeah, well, catch up with you later.  You boys got kisses for me?’  She asked, bending to them. Narvi leant in and kissed her cheek, but Vali reached into his goodie bag and pulled out a chocolate, offering her that. ‘Tricked you, mortal!’  He grinned, and Loki couldn’t help but laugh. ‘Just for that, I’m gonna take it.’  Darcy took the candy off him, but he didn’t mind.  ‘Have fun, boys.’  She said before trying to fit her dress through the crowds. ‘Brother!’  Thor called as Darcy punched him in the arm as she passed. ‘Thor.’  Loki nodded to him.  ‘How goes things at the photo booth?’ ‘Well, the children are quite taken with the idea of photographs commemorating their meeting with the team.’  He grinned before looking at his nephews.  ‘Look at you two!  You look very fierce, young Narvi, the perfect shade of green.  And you, Vali.  Just like your father, and just as much mischief runs through your veins, am I correct?’ ‘Mamma says even put together we aren’t as mischievous as Dadda.’  Vali replied, pushing his helm where it had slipped down slightly. ‘I cannot, nor would I attempt, to argue with your mother.  She is still perhaps one of the most fierce amongst us, when incensed.’ Narvi laughed.  ‘You’re scared of Mamma!’ ‘With good reason!’  Thor argued. ‘On more than one occasion, in both her incarnations, she has turned into a ball of rage at our antics.’  Loki added. ‘And we would not wish to incur her wrath again, could it be helped.’  Thor said, as he lifted Narvi into his arms.  ‘She would like you to return to the photo booth with me at the end of my break so that she may join you.’ ‘Well, I would hate to disappoint her.’  Loki smiled as Vali slipped his hand into his. ‘But first, I would like to see what these stalls have to offer.’  Thor said, looking around.  ‘What do you recommend, little Hulk?’ ‘Knock the bottles over!’  Narvi grinned.  ‘They have toy bows as prizes!’ ‘Knock bottles over it is.’  Thor led the way through the crowd, following Narvi’s pointed finger, with Loki and Vali following on behind. They joined the crowds waiting their turn, both boys chattering about their preferred prize, when the elderly lady in front of them turned back and smiled at them. ‘They know what they want.’  She looked between the four of them.  ‘Just look at you all in coordinating costumes.  That’s so cute.’ ‘They are boys of fine taste.’  Thor beamed. ‘You must be very proud.’  She looked between them, still smiling warmly. ‘We are.’  Thor continued as Loki straightened Narvi’s helmet again which had shifted where he was scratching just underneath it. ‘I think it’s wonderful to see a family out enjoying the festivities together.  It’s so important.’ ‘Indeed it is.’  Thor agreed as Loki’s attention finally moved from his son to his brother. ‘What is?’  He enquired. ‘Important to spend time as a family.’  Thor glanced at him. The lady looked between Narvi and Vali.  ‘And you boys, you’re behaving for your daddies?’ ‘For their whats?’  Loki replied, wide eyed. ‘You don’t have to hide.’  She gave them a wink.  ‘If it had been like this in my day things would have been very different for me, I can tell you.’ ‘We’re not…we’re related!’  Loki said rapidly, flustered by the elderly woman’s assumption. ‘Well, of course you are!  Marriage equality is a wonderful thing!’  She leant forward and patted his hand.  ‘You’re setting such a great example.’  And she turned away as she was next in line. Loki was speechless, he and Thor looked like a couple?  He was mortified, Thor was highly amused…and someone just behind him cleared their throat. The pair of them turned to see Natasha grinning at them, and she gave them a thumbs up, letting them know she had heard everything, and Loki sighed.  They wouldn’t hear the end of this for a while.

Tony wolf-whistled as soon as Amelia came into view, out onto the sidewalk where the food stands were based, and she sighed as flashbulbs began where the press were assembled on the far kerb, kept at bay by security and barriers. ‘I thought you said the press weren’t invited.’  She complained through her smile as Tony embraced her then kissed her cheek, knowing it was for the cameras’ sake. ‘They aren’t, but this is the best we can do to compromise on both sides.’  He grinned, shaking Bucky’s hand then pulling him into a brief man-hug, which neither of them was still used to but always did for the press.  They were supposed to be related, not still awkward after so long. ‘Where’s Georgie?’  Bucky asked, looking around and finally spotting her, sitting with Cassie Lang to one side and happily munching on her corn, no sign of nerves at eating the vegetable at all.  ‘Never mind.  She’s in good hands.’  Cassie had become a regular visitor with her father, loving spending time with the Avengers’ kids, and they adored her too. Cassie waved with a grin before wiping Georgie’s chin with the napkin in her hand, then returned to her own food. ‘She’s fine, what did you drag me out here for?’  Amelia gave Tony a small, fake frown, knowing deep down that Georgie hadn’t wanted them there, that it was all part of some plan he had, probably to get her out in the open so she could be seen in her costume. ‘Because I won’t have my Angel hiding indoors when she looks like that.’ ‘I’m not dressed up for them.’ ‘They love seeing you.’  Tony slung his arm around her shoulder and started leading her to the line for burgers while Bucky went to see Georgie. ‘And I hate that.’ ‘But, and I keep saying this,’ he stole a fry with a wink from a passing kid who was staring at him in awe, ‘the more they see you the less they will hunt you down when you don’t want them to.  Give them what they want.’ ‘What they want is a camera lens up my nose and to know what I do all day.’  She complained as he ushered them into a queue. ‘They know you work in the labs with me and Bruce.  They don’t need to know more than that.’ ‘But they want to!’  She reminded him. ‘You know the job isn’t the issue, and I get what is, but just relax.  It’s been years and still no one knows.  You’re good.  But even if they found out, you know you’re in the safest place, you know we take no risks with Georgie, plus, imagine,’ he slung his arm over her shoulder and pulled her tight into his side, ‘how pissed do you think what’s left of HYDRA would be to find out that the greatest spy to ever breach their ranks is a Stark?’ ‘They’d be pretty steamed.’  She admitted with a small smile.  ‘But they’d also want revenge.’ ‘They already consider you a target to get to the team.  We won’t do anything to publicise things, you know that, but if they found out, it’d be a kick in the teeth for them, not us, because we’re already prepared for their worst.  And if those over there, baying for a pic of how beautiful you are, daughter and wife of two of the Avengers,’ he leant back so she could see the press, giving them his full attention and waving while they called both their names, and she couldn’t help but laugh, ‘are the worst thing you have to deal with, is it really so bad?’ ‘I guess not.’  She smiled up at him.  ‘I hate that you can put spin on things to make it seem not so bad.’ ‘It’s not so bad, really.’ ‘Says the narcissistic showman.’ ‘You’re my baby, you’d be great in front of the cameras.’ ‘Only on paper.’  She argued. ‘You’re a tech whizz.  I say you’re more than just my baby on paper, and that being the case you should come over there with me and give them what they want.’ ‘Tony.’  She groaned, suspecting this had been his plan all along. ‘One little interview, answer a few questions, pose for a few close up shots, done in minutes.’ ‘Do I have to?’  She affected a whining tone, hoping it would help.  It didn’t. ‘Daddy says you do.  Buck?’  He turned to his son-in-law who looked over from where he was chatting with Cassie and Georgie. ‘What’s up?’ ‘Come take our place in line.  Two fully loaded burgers, we’ll be back in a minute or two.’ ‘Sure.’  Bucky gave Amelia a curious look as he approached but she simply pulled a face and shook her head. ‘And a hotdog for Bruce, please.’  She asked him as Tony led her away from the line and towards the street, which had been closed off to be used as space for more food stalls, making a street market style atmosphere. The press spotted them as they approached, shouting Tony’s name loudly, cameras firmly pointed at them both, and he leant towards her before they got in earshot. ‘Smile and answer their questions, but not with too much information, keep them guessing.’ ‘Guessing what?’  She glanced at him, feeling her face was in the most forced smile she had ever worn. ‘Whatever.  It’s their imagination.’  He grinned as they got close enough to the press for Amelia to realise that Happy Hogan was already there waiting for them. ‘You set this up.’  She shook her head, but kept the smile on her face.  ‘You were so sure I’d agree to this?’ ‘Figured I could talk you into it, because everything I said is true.’  He said, as he raised his hand in a wave. ‘You’re a sneaky arsehole.’  She laughed. ‘Yeah, but you love me anyway.  Happy, we’ll take a couple of questions.’ Hogan called out to the press, organising the not so impromptu interview, and Amelia couldn’t help but smile to herself.  It wasn’t so bad, not in the grand scheme of things.

‘Hey, Sigyn!’ She turned at the sound of her name being called, recognising the voice immediately.  It had grown up some in the years since they first met, but she’d know Peter Parker anywhere.  ‘Hey, Spidey.’  She replied, as he was in full costume, still preferring to stay anonymous than going public with his identity.  ‘How’s it going?’ ‘Good.’  He nodded as he reached her.  ‘You look a little lost.’ ‘Waiting on my miscreant husband and brother-in-law to return with my boys.’  She glanced over the crowd again, knowing Thor was almost ten minutes late back already. ‘Are the boys enjoying themselves?’ ‘Who knows?  I haven’t seen them since the beginning of the night.’  She frowned up at him. ‘Didn’t Loki stay for photos?’  Peter waved at a kid who was staring at him, amused by the fact he didn’t seem to want to approach. ‘No.  I’ve been creating duplicates of him all evening because he won’t stay in one spot long enough to be helpful.’ ‘Sounds like you’re mad at him.’ She sighed heavily.  ‘Not mad, not really.  I just know how much the boys love this holiday, and as great an idea as this was I’ve been stuck here all night while he’s off enjoying himself with Narvi and Vali.’ ‘I can probably give you something that will make you feel better.’  They both turned to see Nat coming towards them. ‘Candy apples?’  Sigyn asked hopefully. ‘Better.’  Nat stopped beside her and raised her Stark Phone.  ‘FRIDAY, play that footage for us.’ ‘Sure thing, Miss Romanov.’ A small screen flashed to life, showing Thor holding Narvi while Vali was almost hidden beside Loki in the line for one of the sideshow games, then an older woman turned and began speaking to them. ‘FRIDAY, add subtitles.’  Natasha said, and they appeared across the bottom, the volume drowned out in the busy room. Sigyn watched the exchange, a smile growing on her face as she realised what was going on, Loki’s flustered face at the accusation making her laugh out loud.  When it finished she turned to Nat, in a better mood than she had been all evening. ‘Oh God, Nat, please send me that.  And promise we aren’t ever going to let them live this down?’ ‘I have the footage all lined up to send to the rest of the team.’  She smirked.  ‘I figured after you’d been abandoned all night by your own boys, you’d appreciate this bit of revenge.’ ‘I do, but…’ she paused and glanced at Peter with a sly grin, ‘let’s keep this amongst ourselves until the end of the night.’ ‘The unofficial debriefing at the bar?’  Nat checked and Sigyn nodded. ‘I think it’s only fair that everyone should see this together, don’t you?’ ‘Completely.’  Nat agreed.  ‘You staying for the debriefing, Spider-Man?’ ‘I ought to get home.’  He smiled behind his mask.  ‘But I could probably be convinced to stay.’

By the end of the night Sigyn had got the chance to spend some time with her boys, she and Loki creating some simple but entertaining illusions by one of the food carts as they ate, much to the amusement of not only their own boys but many other of the children present.  Amelia returned to the photo printing with Bruce’s hotdog and some popcorn for him, which he appreciated, none the worse for her experience with the press.  Finally the evening wound down and they returned to The Avengers floors for a celebratory drink of a job well done. Seated around the couches, Narvi asleep on Sigyn, his shins on either side of her thighs, cuddled into her shoulder, while Vali was still fighting sleep for all he was worth, Georgie laid on the couch with her head on a pillow against Amelia’s leg. ‘So, kids, did we learn anything tonight?’  Tony asked as he handed out the last glasses of wine. ‘Green face paint gets everywhere?’  Loki suggested, certain he would still find some of the damn stuff despite having tried to clean it all off Narvi with sorcery. ‘It does, but no.’  Tony pointed at him. ‘This is a test then, not our actual opinions you want?’  Sigyn asked, shifting Narvi to a slightly more comfortable position. ‘Don’t start.’  Amelia waved a finger at him warningly. He turned his grin on her.  ‘That’s one thing we learnt.  You wanna answer that, Angel?’ ‘That the press aren’t half as scary as I thought they were, is that what you want to hear?’ ‘Five points to the woman in uniform!’  He snapped his fingers.  ‘Next, what else did we learn?’ ‘Loki is camera shy.’  Sigyn smirked and was rewarded by her husband poking her in the ribs, making her flinch away and giggle. ‘Oh, oh!’  Vali raised his hand.  ‘I have one, Uncle Tony.’ ‘What did you learn, kiddo?’  He smiled at the boy who had by now removed his helm and coat and was dressed simply in black pants and tunic, his boots on the floor beside his father’s feet. ‘Dadda is scared of Mamma.’  He said proudly, as a yawn snuck out of his mouth. ‘Everyone is scared of your mamma.’  Bucky said, toasting her with his glass. ‘With good reason.’  Loki raised her hand and kissed it.  ‘And that was hardly a lesson any of us needed to learn.’ ‘No, there was definitely another lesson.’  Tony sat on the arm of the couch beside Pepper, who had remained safely behind the scenes all evening. ‘Is it how big a success the evening was and how you deserve all the praise and adoration we can pour on you?’  Pepper gave him a sardonic look. ‘Yes, but something else.’ ‘That it’s a miracle Loki didn’t actually play any tricks?’  Bruce suggested. ‘Who is to say I did not?’  Loki smirked. ‘Behave, Mischief.’  Sigyn warned him. ‘I always behave, Petal.’ ‘Behave well.’  She specified. ‘Boring.’  He muttered. ‘That you need to pass the open bottle this way?’  Darcy waved her empty glass until she got her way. ‘You all suck at this game.’  Tony complained.  ‘Nat, you wanna enlighten the room?’ ‘Sure.’  She glanced at Sigyn who gave a marginal nod of confirmation.  ‘Tonight we learnt that, even if you’re related, sometimes there’s no hiding the homoerotic subtext.’  Most everyone else glanced around in confusion until Nat instructed FRIDAY to play the footage. ‘Oh good Gods.’  Loki groaned as the footage began to play, with subtitles no less, and he covered his face with his hand, his eyes slipping sideways to see his wife smirking at him.  ‘You already know what this is, don’t you?’ ‘I might have seen it already.’ ‘It is not funny.’  He said, as Thor began to laugh with the rest of their companions. ‘It is a little amusing, brother.’  He replied. ‘Asgardian power couple.’  Darcy coughed dramatically. ‘Excuse me!’  Loki said indignantly.  ‘Sig and I, we’re an Asgardian power couple, Thor and I…’ ‘Would make a cute couple.’  Clint said, Laura slapping his thigh. ‘Don’t make more trouble, Hawkeye.’ ‘What, they would!’  Clint argued. ‘And the fact they mistook you for a couple means that you’re close, and as brothers that’s a compliment.’  Sigyn argued. ‘It’s hardly the same!’ ‘Watch the video again!  This lady saw two very handsome men with equally handsome boys, who were probably playfully bickering, and she probably assumed you were cosplayers, as she obviously didn’t realise who you actually are.  And it’s very normal for couples to cosplay a common theme!’ ‘We weren’t cosplaying a common theme!’ ‘Hey, you didn’t want to be in the photo ops as an Avenger, so you can’t be mad about not being recognised!’  Darcy argued Sigyn’s side further.  ‘Can’t have it both ways.’ ‘But…’ ‘She’s got a point.’  Steve added, with an apologetic smile. ‘Is there any scenario where you all forget this happened and you don’t remind me constantly for the next year?’  Loki argued. ‘Nope.’  Tony grinned before taking a swig of his wine. ‘Next year I’ll participate in the photo ops.’  Loki grumbled as Vali settled in against his chest, yawning heavily. ‘That’s all we wanted this year.’  Sigyn reminded him. He narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously.  ‘Was this all a plot just to make your point?’ ‘No, tormenting you for abandoning me was my plot.  This works way better than anything I had planned.’  She grinned. ‘But this way the entire team are tormenting me.’ She nodded.  ‘Sounds fair to me.’ ‘Hardly.’  He grumbled.  ‘Can we stop replaying the video footage now?’ ‘Nope.’  Nat smirked and winked at Sigyn, who was grateful that on this mischief night, perhaps for the first time, Loki hadn’t had the last laugh.

BONUS LOKI GIF FOR MY BIRTHDAY!

[damn-agi]

THIS IS YOUR  LOVESTORY  WITH J-HOPE!!! <3 

You have a normal teenager life. You are a really good student, you are really beautiful and you have a boyfriend. Life in Seoul can be really fun for some people, but for you, it was a normal life with its up and downs.

You were getting ready to go to school, and you hear a voice calling you from the window. It was your boyfriend. ^^ His name is Hyun, he is really tall and handsome, and he is the most popular guy in your school. You didn’t want to let him wait, so you left your house. You see him with his car, and get in it. Hyun: Hey babe! Let’s hurry up because we can be late again. Y/N: Ok. .. In the car were you, your boyfriend, and his friends. They were like those guys that everyone has respect for, and they are really muscular, but not really smart. :D They were laughing and talking about some girls, as always, while your boyfriend … umm was kinda doing the same. You have became his girlfriend , more to own respect from the others, than for true love. But anyway, you always pretend to be happy with him, and you think that he pretends too. But what’s the point?!!.... You just arrived at school, and get off the car. While Hyun and his friends were walking forward you faster, you moved your head to the school’s door and you see that someone new had came. He was tall, with cute messy hair, and with a large jacket (because it was really cold), and he had his bag too. This meant that he was a new student. He seemed as a friendly person, and you would like to say “hi” to him, but you hear that voice again!! >.< Hyun: Y/N, hurry up!!! I’m waiting you, and I’m freezing so you better hurry. Y/N: I’m comin’, I’m coming. You started to walk but you kept your head behind to look at the new guy. Anyway, you really needed to hurry, so you just started to run then. You arrived at the inside of the school, and your boyfriend put his arm around your shoulder, because he wanted to look cool in front of the others. Hyun: Just try to smile!! We need to show them that we are the best couple! You: Seriously?!! I just don’t want to! And we’re not the best couple. How can we even be a couple, when you keep going out with other girls and just spent a few time with me! You took off his arm of your shoulder, and you were angry now. Hyun didn’t say anything, but just saw you with some serious eyes, and then left. Afff, he was so annoying. Anyway, you started moving faster because you didn’t want to become late for your class again. You entered your class and get at your seat. You take off your books, as always, but you see that next to you was staying a guy. Usually, that seat stays empty, so you got curious to see who was seating in there. Wow, you see that the new guy was seating in there!! Whaatt?!!! This meant he was at the same class with you. You were looking at him, and you see that he saw you too, and smiled to you. *embarrassed . Aff, you could feel that your cheeks became red, and you see that he was starting to laugh because of your red face. #.# Pheww, but this whole situation finally stopped when your teacher comes into the class. This was your Korean class, and you really liked the teacher of this class. The teacher: Good morning my cuties!! You seem really bright today, as always ^^, and to make your day even more bright, I want to introduce you guys a new student. Can you please come here, and introduce yourself? J  You see that the new guy left his seat, and went next to your teacher, with his face towards your class.  J-Hope: Hello everyone!! My name is Jung Hoseok, but you can call me J-Hope. Umm, before moving in here, I was living in Gwangju , which is my birthplace, and I came in here to make my dreams come true. I want to be an amazing rapper, and a great dancer too. I hope I have made the right choice for coming here in Seoul. I also hope to make new friends in here, and you guys should know that I’m really friendly and I can get along with everyone. Ahh, I don’t know what else to say! Oh, since I’m seeing these girls looking at me like *o*, I also have to say that I’m single! ^o^ So, I guess that’s it! Nice to meet you all. J Teacher: Thank you, Hoseok! You can take  your seat now. J And, now let’s move to our new lesson ……  Class finished, and you decided to go out for a bit. After your Korean class you always go to a bar next to your school. You went in there alone, like always, and took a seat. You ordered strawberry juice. While waiting for your drink, you see that, the new guy was staying right forward you. He was drinking coffee, and he was just staying at his phone. You really wanted him to just stay concentrate in there, so you could see at him without getting embarrassed. But, he raised his head and noticed you. He smiled to you and made a sign for you, that meant, that you could sit in his table if you wanted.  You would really like to know him better, so you decided to sit in there.  J-Hope: Hey! You: Hi!! J-Hope: Sooo, you already know my name, right? Can I know yours? You: Haha, yes! My name is Y/N.  And, nice to meet you. J J-Hope: Cute name!! ^^ Nice to meet you too. Well, I know this was like super fast, but I should go now. I’m so so sorry!!! And don’t think that I found you boring, but I just have to do smth in my house now. Would you like to go out with me this evening? You: It’s ok!! And thanks, but I already have a boyfr….. J-Hope: Hahaha, no no!! I meant, would you like to spent the evening with me? So, I can know you better too. You: ooooh, right!!! Omgg, this is really embarrassing! Sorry for understanding it in the wrong way! And I guess I will come. ;) J-Hope: :D Yaay!! Where can I take you? You: Oh, this is my address ( you tell him your address) . Thank you!! J-Hope: Np! Byee~ …..  

The evening came really fast, and your palms were sweating, and you were quiet nervous. Since you had butterflies in your stomach, you couldn’t even find the right outfit, and you end up being wear like a rainbow. Still you looked cute. But something was making you even more nervous!! Why are you feeling butterflies in your stomach, from a boy who you have been knowing just for an hour?!! That’s weird. Anyway …. You were prepared , and you suddenly see that someone has arrived and has started to chat with your mom. You got excited, so you decided to go downstairs. You saw your mom chating with a guy, and when he turned his face to your direction…. Oh noooo!!!! You see that he was your boyfriend! (Awkwarddd!!) You: Oh hey, Hyun!! ^^ What’re you doing here? Hyun: Heyy!! Umm, what I’m doing here?? Hehe, you’re my girlfriend, right? You: Of course I am! I just … asked. Hyun: I would like to spent the evening with you today! I also talked with your mom, and she agreed. ;)  You: Oh, ‘-.- cool!! Of course! J Can we leave since now, because I’m ready! :D Hyun: Uuh, of course! Come on! You kissed your mom, and then left your house with Hyun. Eeh, it wasn’t as you expected, but whatever … you and your boyfriend hadn’t passed the evening together since a long  time.  Hyun: You don’t look really happy babe! What’s wrong? You: Well, I didn’t ummm, eat anything after I came from school, and now my head is starting to hurt, and …. Hyun: Ok, ok!!! XD No need to explain all of that! You better stop before my headache start too! XD .. You got angry, and you didn’t say anything, except looking at Hyun with a serious look. You: Oh look, Hyun, the modern art is going to be shown today at the art gallery. Can we goo, pleaseeee!!! *o* Hyun: Umm, ok whatever! If you want to…

You and Hyun entered the art gallery, and wooow it was so full of people! But you got a bit worried, for J-Hope, because he would go to your house, and he will not find you in there. You don’t even have his phone number!! The last time you two met, you gave him just the address of your house. >.< He will feel sad. Hyun: What are you thinking Y/N? You should be happy, since we are in this place now! You: I am happy! I just … reminded something! .. Anyway, let’s go and see that masterpiece overthere! Hyun: :D Ok, let’s go! .. Woow, it was a painting of Maurice Utrillo, who you love really much!! *O* Hyun: Hmm, I think this one has been crazy! XD You: -.-, heyy, don’t offend him!! It’s not called crazy, it’s just called art!!! Duh! Hyun: I personally would like to go and see that other painting over there, because I’m not enjoying seeing this, because I personally don’t get it! ‘XD You: Uff, okay go! I hope you understand the other one. … Hyun went to another painting, while you were still staring at Maurice Utrillo’s art! <3  You really love his style! That painting has such a big meaning, inside of those dark colours. *o* While you were enjoying the painting, you hear someone whispering to your ear : Hey!! You turned your head, terrified, and oooh, you see J-Hope. You: Oh my god! You scared me! And hey! J-Hope: Haha, sorry! Didn’t mean to. Btw, do you always come to the art gallery when someone asks you out, or was it just with me? XD You blushed: Haha, noo!! And, I’m so sorry about tonight! It’s just, my boyfriend wanted to go out with me today! It was as a surprise for me too, because he doesn’t do those kind of things usually! J-Hope: It’s ok!!! I understand it! I personally went to your house, and your mom explained me everything! And I came here just by coincidence. I weren’t following you, I just love art in general! You: J I believe you! I’m happy that I saw you here. J-Hope: Me too! J Hyun: Umm, hello!! Did you drop anything? J-Hope: Oh hello! You must be Y/N’s boyfriend! Nice to meet you, I’m J-Hope! The new guy. J Hyun: Noone asked for your personal information, so you better leave now! J-Hope: Oh okay! Sorry, and Bye! You: Bye J-Hope! J .. J-hope left, and you hit at your boyfriend’s face! You: How can you be such an idiot?!! >.< He is a new guy from school, and he just needs some new friends. Hyun: Oh, and why you? Our school has a lot of people, why should he choose you!! You: Maybe because I’m the only normal in school, and because the others are all like you!! >.< (You started crying from anger.) Hyun: Oh,don’t you even dare to cry!! I’m leaving now, and you better hurry up tomorrow for school! You: Are you kidding? I’m not going to pass my life with a jerk like you! So bye bye!! Hyun: Whaattt??!!! Did you … just break .. up with me? You: Oh yes! That’s right! I broke up with you! Now go at your real girlfriends and cry to them!! Because you know what? I don’t care! I have never cared! I will never care! Goo nowww!!! Crryyy, if you want! >.< I’m leaving first! .. you didn’t wait for Hyun to say anything, and you just left the art gallery! You were crying from anger, but somehow you felt your soul relieved from that stupid person! You were running to catch the bus , which goes to your neighbourhood, but you hear a voice calling you. It was J-Hope. J-Hope: Y/N, waaiiit!!! You stopped running, and he came closer you. Since you were still crying, he gave you a warm hug, and you were doing the same. That hug happened for around 5 minutes. And then you two just stand back. J-Hope started wiping away your tears, and cleaning your face. You: Ah, thank you! You’re so sweet! J J-Hope: Np! ^^ Are you feeling better now? I saw everything. You: Oh, much more better! You may be surprised, but I didn’t really love him. So I feel much more happier now! And, sorry for what he said to you earlier! He is like that with everyone, not just with you. J-Hope: Oh yea, I noticed that! J No, I didn’t get angry! I understand him. “Another guy was talking to his girlfriend” You: Ohh, please!! But what, when I see him with a lot and a lot of other girls!! J-Hope: Haha, I don’t know what to say! You: J It’s ok! I want to thank you once again! ;) J-Hope: Would you like me to take you home? Maybe you need a rest. You: Pff, noo!! I told you, I feel much more better. J-Hope: Haha, ok! Would you like to go anywhere then? You: Umm, what if we just sit in there? I feel lazy to go somewhere else! Haha. J-Hope: Haha, of course! Let’s go! … You two went and sit on a bench. J-Hope sit first, and when you sit he grabbed your legs and put them on his thighs. J-Hope: Sorry if you find this awkward, I just like to do this to my friends. :) You: No, I find this really cute! ^^ I do this with my friend too. :) J-Hope: Cool.~ Sooo, do you wanna talk about anything? You: Umm, haha let me think! ;) Why did you move here in Seoul? J-Hope: Oh, right! Good question. Well, as I said at my class presentation today, I came in here to make my dreams came true. ^^ I have always loved Seoul, and I moved in here with my family. I also have a sister, who will have a much more brighter future in here. I want to be a successful rapper, and why not a kpop idol! :D You: Wow, that’s so cool!! I hope your dreams come true, and I know that’s going to happen because all the people who work hard in here, get what they want at the end. :) J-Hope: ooh, that makes me really happy!! ^`^ Thanks! …. You two stayed there for a long time, talking about different things, and you really enjoyed talking with J-Hope. He was such a “shiny” and smart person. :) You: Wow, the time passed really quick! I better go home now. :) J-Hope: Well, talking with smart people like you always takes a long time. Would you like me to take you home? You: Oh you’re sooo sweet! Okay, thanks! ^^ … you two left the bench, and started walking towards your neighbourhood. J-Hope was standing forward you and he was holding your hand. You finally arrived in front of your house. J-Hope: Well, here it is. Home sweet home. :) You: Yess, haha!! ^^ Thank you once again! For all the things. J-Hope: Anytime! ;) …. Before leaving, J-Hope grabbed your head and pulled it closer his, and you were actually expecting a kiss, but he just touched and moved his nose with yours. ^^ That made you giggle!! You: Is this another habit you have with friends? J-Hope: Haha, actually no! I just wanted to do this with you. :) You: Okay, haha!! I should go now, byeee~ J-Hope: Byeee~ ….You went to your home, and you saw that your mom had fallen asleep, so you took a blanket and covered her up. You also gave her a goodnight kiss, and then went up, to your room. Your heart was flying from happiness, and you were thinking about all the sweet moments you had with J-Hope today. ^`^  He was such a perfect guy, and when you remind that you were with a person like Hyun, you hate that part of your life. Breaking up with him was the right thing to do. And the coming of J-Hope in Seoul was such a really good thing too. ^^ You were feeling a bit tired, so you decided to go and sleep right away. Ehh, you had a feeling that you were going to dream about rainbows today! :D ….  

You woke up really happy, got ready, ate breakfast, and surprisingly you were earlier than other times. Maybe, because you hated Hyun pressure on you every morning! The idea that you got rid of Hyun, makes you so happy!! ^^ You left your house, and started to walk to school. Wow, it has passed a long time since you have walked to school, because Hyun always drove you to school. Anyway, you don’t want to think of him anymore. Now you think that J-Hope will become a really important person in your life. ^^ You were walking and walking dreaming about different things, and finally arrived at school. You were looking around to find J-Hope, but maybe he was just late. So you went to your class, and see that only some of your friends were in there. Wow, haha you were like so early today!! Your teacher came and you started class. But weirdly, J-Hope wasn’t coming. The first class finished and he wasn’t coming. You started to feel a bit scared, and nervous. So you decided to go out, and breathe some fresh air. You went nearly the school outdoor, when you listen at something. You move your head to see, and omgggg , it was J-Hope … and. and… Hyun!! Hyun was hitting to J-Hope and he was shouting like really hard. J-Hope was covered of blood, and he was looking really scared!! Oh noo!! T.T You take out your phone to call someone, but you listen at Hyun’s voice : Guys, take the bi**h to the place!! After that you felt some big hands covering your eyes, and they took you and put you in a car. You were shouting really loudly: HEEEELP!!! But the car moved really fast! You couldn’t see anything, you could just hear to Hyun’s friends voices! You: You idiots, where are you taking me?!!! Leave me alone!! Lee: Shut up!!! You will now see how bad is to break up from Hyun!!! And wow, fuck! Just for a guy like J- whatever his name is!!  You: His name is J-Hope, and if you think I broke up from Hyun just because of him, then you are wrong!! Now stop this fucking car, get me out of here, or I swear I … will throw you both to the river!! >.< Lee: Did you listen her John?!! XDDD She will throw us to the river!! You have closed eyes girl, so you better just shut up because you are making me angry!! .. You didn’t talk again during the ride, and you felt those two grabbing you and letting you somewhere!They finally took off the robe of your eyes, and you could see that you were in a small dirty place! You: Helpppp!!! Pleasee!!!~ Oh come on, what do you even want from me??? >.< ToT Lee: You’ll see!! … That’s all he said, and they both left. You were staying in a shineless, dirty place now all alone!! But you were feeling more nervous for J-Hope, than yourself! Imagining what Hyun was doing to J-Hope now, was making you to suffer! You covered your face with your hands, and started to cry. You could never imagine that Hyun would react like this!! Also you feel so so bad for J-Hope, because he shouldn’t be part of this situation at all! While you were thinking about these things, you hear the door opened, and you see Hyun. He came close you, and touched your face. Hyun: You …. I hate you right now!!! >.< You: Look Hyun, let’s just talk slowly okay! Hyun: Nooo, I don’t want to talk slowly with you!!.. he just hit at your face, and you could feel the hardness!! You: Hyun, stoppp!!! Stop being this, okay? I know you can be a flirt, and an idiot, and someone who doesn’t appreciate art, but .. you are not evil!! Listen to me, you are not like this!! Just be yourself please!! I’m begging you, please! T.T Hyun: It’s too late now, Y/N!! I’m sorry! You: Sorry, sorry for what?? (You were shaking him.) Sorry for whaaaat Hyun!!! Tell me, hurry up!! Hyun: Okay okay!! I hit at J-Hope really badly and let him alone somewhere near here! And … he is losing a lot of blood! You: OH nooo, fuckkk!! Please, hyun !! If you really love me, than just let me go!! Pleaseee! Hyun: I guess you’re right! I’ve been such a jerk, and I can’t believe that I have almost killed someone! This is not who I am! You: Waa, yea yeaa!! Now can you let me go, please? .. Hyun, let you go, of that old house, and you left that place! You walked a bit more, and you see him … omggg T.T!! You: J-Hooope, don’t worry I’m here now! J-Hope: Y/N? H.. e..y!! You: No,no don’t talk!! I will help you, I promise!! You finally found your phone, and called an ambulance. Omgg, J-Hope was losing a lot of blood, and this was all your fault!! You were feeling really bad! J-Hope: Y/N, can .. y..ou please come clo…ser? You: Of course! T.T You closed up your face to J-Hope’s and he kissed yo..u!! It was a slow nice kiss, and he was pouring hot tears from his eyes!! Omgg, he was crying, and you started to cry too!! You had that feeling of losing someone precious! But, suddenly the ambulance had arrived, and when they saw J-Hope, they got him to the car, you got into the car too and so you were moving to an hospital. You were praying during all the ride, because you really cared for J-Hope, and now just thinking of him made you cry. ToT The ambulance arrived at the hospital, and they took J-Hope with a barrel, and a doctor took him in one of the hospital’s rooms. You couldn’t go to the room, so you were just waiting inside the hospital. Looking at those nervous faces of other people who were waiting for their relatives, made you feel something weird in your stomach.   After half an hour, finally a nurse comes out of the room where J-Hope was staying, and she started to talk with you. Nurse: Don’t need to be worried girl! Your boyfriend will be recovered, but you did a really good job by calling the ambulance, because in cases like this, help should come really fast! You: Pheww, thank god!! Oh, actually i’m not .. his girlfriend! I can say i’m just a really good friend! Nurse: Well, you can say what you want, but when a person loses a lot of blood, he starts to talk about different things. And the doctor had noticed that he was repeating your name a lot. :)   You: Ooh, that makes me happy!  :) But can I please see him now? I really need to. Nurse: I know what you feel. You can go in there, but don’t make him many questions. Go now sweety! :* You: Oh, thank you so much!!! ~

You entered in the room that J-Hope was resting, and you see that he wasn’t sleeping. When he sees you, his whole face became happy, and he gave you a warm smile. J You went near the bed, and you were petting his head. You: Oh, J-Hope!! I was so scary! I thought I could lose you! T.T You should know that I really care about you, and in you I have found some missing parts of me. You are such an amazing person, and if someone should be in this bed right now, that should be me. I started all of that situation, and you shouldn’t be the one who would get hurt. ToT I’m so so so sorry, for ever… J-Hope: Shhh, come here! He moved a bit, and grabbed your head to kiss you. He was kissing you with the same warmth, and with one hand he was touching you hair, and with the other hand he was wiping away your tears. During all that kiss, you couldn’t stop crying. But they were love tears, and they were the tears who were telling you that he was the one, the one that would love you  all along. And your tears were right, you and J-Hope became the most strong and lovely couple of all the times. And the secret of all that, was just the true love. That love behind the tears. <3

So that’s your lovestory with J-Hoooope!! ^^ Sorry for making it a bit dramatic, but anyway I hope you guys like it. Oh, the lovestory with Jin will be the last one. But I can’t promise that I will write it soon. XD Love yaa, byeee!~  

[malereader-inserts]

Flower Boy

Fandom: Avengers Pairing: Tony Stark x Male!Reader Summary: “Well, I want to show you off,” Tony fumbles over his words, noticing how you knitted your eyebrows together - he doesn’t know if he has offended you or you were just confused, “The pretty flower boy who stole my heart.” Word Count: 1,515 Request: @namedbymint  “Reader is a florist and a regular to the Avengers because Tony usually has him design the tower for events. So this one week, Tony keeps ordering a bunch of flowers each day for the week and on the weekend, he invited the reader to come over to "redo the tower" but it's actually a confession!” A/n: Look! At! My! Dad!

Flower shops are primarily patronized by a quiet crowd, mostly pleasant, introverted gardeners; dewy, doe-eyed sweethearts in love; or sulking, trudging lovers in search of an apology. You like your job for these reasons - there isn’t an excess of noise, people are fairly straightforward, and the shop is always humid, even in the winter and fall, because everything would wilt otherwise.

Tony Stark had stumbled over your flower shop when he had doublecrossed Pepper and what other better way to apologies than flowers? You were surprised to see him come into your little shop, you weren’t famous for your arrangement so you wondered how you were graced with his presence.

Nevertheless, you managed to get him his flowers, he pleaded for them to be now because he was afraid of going back to his home to an angry CEO. Though, when he leaves, he looks over his shoulder to look over to you.

Pledging to himself that it was not the last time he would come by.

He kept true to his word, every time he would somehow upset Pepper or Rhodey, and even perhaps Happy. Your flowers did the job, it gave him an excuse to see you. 

He didn’t know what it was about you that intrigued him, perhaps it was the way you moved in your little shop and treated him like any other normal human being. He wasn’t Tony Stark aka Iron Man, no, in your little shop he was just Tony. Tony who tries to make everything better with flowers.

Soon, his flower adventures weren’t for apologies, Tony learns from his mistakes and makes less of them. So, he requested you to do the flower arrangement at his parties. His orders had to be two weeks in advance and delivered throughout the week before the party, but every time he sees your flower arrangement comes up to tower, his eyes widen at how pretty they were.

“How’s flower boy?” Rhodey asked as he and Tony sit in a restaurant with Pepper, “Are you going to invite him to the next party?”

Tony shrugs his shoulders, “He has a name. I think he’s busy.”

“You haven’t even planned the next party, Tony, how do you know if he’s going to busy?” Pepper asked, raising her eyebrow at her friend who was grumbling, “You haven’t even told us his name, and you’ve bee buy his flowers for more than a month now!”

“He’s busy for the rest of the year.”

“Are you trying to avoid your feelings?”

“Shut up, Platypus,” Tony spoke with defence as Rhodey and Pepper share a look, smiling at their smitten friend, “I’m not avoiding anything.”

“Hmh, well, so if I were to find this flower shop...” Pepper trailed off, giving Tony a look as Tony rolls his eyes, “Your birthday is coming up, it would be a shame if you didn’t throw a party...”

“You really want me to invite (Y/n) to a party? My birthday party?”

“Ah, so that’s his name!” Rhodey teased, bumping shoulders with his best friend, “You’ve kept that one quiet haven’t you?”

Tony flush red, “If I have a party and invite him, will you get off my case?”

Pepper and Rhodey give each other knowing looks before turning to look at Tony. He looked at his friends, terrified about what they have scheming for him.

“Hey,” Tony greeted you, the shop was empty as you looked up from your book.

“Morning, Tony!” You cheerily greeted back, he wonders how you have so much energy in the morning, “What can I do for you?”

“I am having a birthday party soon, I was just wondering if you could do the arrangements.”

Your smile was big, beaming and blinding his eyes. You were his favourite little secret. The happy flower boy that loves to draw different arrangements in your notebooks of yours, he’s seen your scrawls of your handwriting and labelling. He’s noticed you’ve only coloured the flower petals in your notes, and you use it often. 

He doesn’t know whether they were filled with your favourite arrangements or perhaps they were arrangements you could use for the later request, but he’s noticed how in the new latest pages were filled with his requests. Messages of “sorry” and other meanings. He’s been ordering a lot of flowers every day, some just to spite Rogers at the Avengers Compound, who says the compound is slowly building a beehive.

Sometimes, he orders flowers to send to Peter, he found it surprising that Peter enjoys getting flowers. That and Tony has been getting him flowers to give to MJ. Sometimes, he orders flowers for May, Happy, Rhodey and Pepper - a little message to say that he appreciates them. 

They always love the flowers, complimenting the vibrant colours and the vase that comes along with it. People who know flower messages, such as Bruce, Natasha, Clint, and Sam, always comment about it. Leaving Tony often feeling mildly embarrassed. 

Though, whenever Tony throws grand parties and your flowers were on show, a lot of people comment on them.

He notices how nimble your fingers were, long and slick. He wonders if it would fit perfectly in between his. 

“Earth to Tony?” You waved your hands in front of him, “You alright, man?”

“I’m-yeah- I’m great,” Tony forces a smile, ignoring the heat that was spreading around his cheeks as he stares at your beautiful eyes.

“Well, I was thinking, maybe, we spell out your name in roses. Red and Gold, from your Iron Man suit - just your name “Tony Stark.” And then we could do coneflowers, purple and yellow - Echinacea and Black-eyed Susans.”

“You’re going to need to explain that because I’m not that good with flowers,” Tony hums as your lips quirk into a smirk, almost knowing. 

You licked your lips, “Coneflowers, purple and yellow means strength. And, if I’m correct, I think you’re the strongest avenger. Or, at least to me, you are the strongest person I know.”

Tony was lost for words at your kind compliment, if he wasn’t blushing then he was most definitely is now. You blink, you ignore his embarrassment, deep down he could feel that you were doing it purposely. But, he couldn’t help how perfect your lips looked and how they open to continue to educate him in flowers.

“Roses, the standard meaning of love, honour, faith, and so on. Colours mean everything with flowers as they are the ones telling the messages. Red roses, as most people know, is the ultimate symbol of passionate affection. Yellow roses are considered the perfect way to toast friends, lift spirits and send a general wish for well-being. Long association with the sun and its life-giving warmth, yellow is the age-old colour for warm feelings of friendship and optimism.“

He smiles when he sees your eyes sparkle with passion.

He could watch you for days on end, he could listen to you for days on end just ranting and educating him in flowers. Their backgrounds, meaning behind them. He was fascinated with you, perhaps that’s why he adored you as a little secret because he was selfish and did not want to share you.

“That sounds great!” Tony beams, his shoulders relax, “I trust your judgement, (Y/n), any more ideas?”

“I’m just spitballing, I could call you if I got more ideas though, it’s your birthday so it has to be perfect.”

Tony almost forgets how to breathe.

“Well, I was wondering if you want to be my plus one,” Tony invited, his heart is so loud and he doesn’t know if he’s breathing, he was never good with feelings.

“Hm?” You questioned, looking up from your sketching with big eyes, “You’re asking me? Why?”

“Well, I want to show you off,” Tony fumbles over his words, noticing how you knitted your eyebrows together - he doesn’t know if he has offended you or you were just confused, “The pretty flower boy who stole my heart.”

You choked on your own spit, “Tony, I-”

“I mean, you don’t have to come, it’s just I think you’re really handsome and I think how your eyes light up when you talk about flowers.”

At this point, he was word vomiting.

“You’re an idiot.”

He likes how your eyes soften at the words.

“Of course I will be your plus one!” You nodded, almost too quickly that you almost gave yourself whiplash, “I guess I have to cancel my delivery flowers about my confession.”

“Huh?” Tony was baffled as you chuckle, he wants to see how the edges of your eyes crinkled more often, “You like me?”

“Tony, I’ve been flirting with you for the past week or so, thank you for noticing.”

Tony lick his lips, a small amused huff escapes his lips as he looks down at his fingers and then back up to you. He was so concerned about you not liking him back in the same way that he hadn’t noticed your advances. 

“I think I was too busy getting distracted by an attractive flower boy to notice.”

[fkjeon]

ignite the flames within me | i

○ pairing: yoongi | reader ○ genre: angst + fluff ○ words: 6,373 ○ warnings: none

⊱ a/n: HAPPY SUGA DAY! i had this in my drafts forever, and luckily it’s ben sitting at a few thousand words lmao. i really hope this is/was worth the wait. honestly, i had no plan with this, so it’s really not that story-line based. idk, i’m really trying to hone my writing skills, and i know i need to practice regularly. but nonetheless, pls enjoy this mess of work! and yes, part two shall be coming, idk when tho. any feedback is highly appreciated!

The ivory keys lay untouched, collecting dust overtime.

A passion left to waste; the zeal, once at its peak, now tucked away behind tired eyes and an aching heart. Min Yoongi had always loved the piano. The melodious notes that could be poured out from the slightest of movements, the sheer emotion that one would be able to express through the keys, the pace that one would set, whether it be light and cheery, or dark and dramatic.

There was so much to love about this immaculate instrument, yet his interest would slowly deplete, leaving the pallid clavier to rot through the scorching heat, and feisty winds. His love for music would not be ignited, yet he felt some sort of longing to, once again, be in tune and be able to show himself and his identity through every note played.

The wintry winds flew through the air, slapping him across the face with icy despair, as he walked through the quiet streets. The past few days had been extra bleak, matching the detachment that Yoongi had been feeling for the longest time. He really did not know what he wanted to do; walking around seemed like a good enough distraction at the time, but what he didn’t know was that he would be left with the roaming thoughts that he had tried so hard to control.

The sun had been hidden behind the murky clouds; his hands in his pockets, as he walked into the dimly lit coffee shop that he had taken a quick liking to over the past few weeks. The cashier would nod at his presence, giving him a questioning look that read, 'the usual?’, to which he acknowledged with the slight dip of his head. Yoongi had always liked his coffee quite strong; bitter, in fact.

Sitting at the far corner of the store, Yoongi was left alone with the rapid current of his thoughts that seemed to overwhelm him quite quickly.

‘Failure.’

‘Good-for-nothing musician.’

‘Wow, my three-year-old daughter could compose much better than this.’

He scoffed at himself, sifting through the large pile of insults that he had come to terms with a long time ago. He found himself smirking at the best ones.

‘Are you sure you can even play the piano? It seems as if you just bash the keys repeatedly.’

‘This is worse than when they called that damn shade of blue art!’

The waiter seemed to notice his distress, adding a little croissant on the side on his order.

“On the house,” the waiter assured him with a small smile. He returned the gesture, but the grin didn’t quite reach his eyes.

Yoongi had always hated sweet treats.

☇

It was no particular Thursday morning.

The sun shone through the sheer material of his curtains, reminding him of another day that he dreaded to see. There was a sort of sickly heat that hung in the air around him, making the fabric of his clothes stick uncomfortably to his skin. Beads of sweat had already begun to form and he grimaced at the sudden light that had found its way right onto his closed eyes.

Deeply sighing, he pulled himself up, throwing the white covers onto one side, and walked over to the window. Even with the heat, there was still a sliver of a breeze present, kissing his wet skin with the slightest of a touch. He stared through the glass, eyeing the zooming cars and the people who seemed to be chattering away.

Still feeling empty, he forced the window pane down, shutting out the heat that seemed to quickly overwhelm his room before retreating into the bathroom and getting ready. He wasn’t even sure why he was getting ready, as no occasion called for it. However, he didn’t want to feel as if he were that useless.

Pulling his cap closer to his eyes, Yoongi strolled along the concrete path, keeping his head low. It wasn’t as if someone was going to recognise him from his musician days. After all, it had been much too long since he last sat on the stool and played his heart out. He sauntered to the park, sitting at a bench that no one occupied. These days, Yoongi had nothing better to do than to mope around.

It was funny how fate could change someone’s life within seconds. Here Yoongi was, sitting on a park bench, hands in pockets and earphones in. He hadn’t noticed the girl who spotted him from across the path, immediately recognising his facial features from watching his performances, one too many times.

☇

You had just finished your morning class, which meant that you had the rest of the day to yourself. Not knowing what to do or where to take yourself, you decided on having a little walk within the small park that was located just outside your apartment block.

You had always loved the park; the playground that seemed as if it was always occupied, the couples that would wander through — holding hands and sweet smiles, those motivated individuals who always seemed to be able to go on a run, no matter what day it was.

Holding your still-cold bottle of ice tea, you walked through, examining the bright green leaves that flourished from the beating sun. You noticed the daisies and canopies that littered the ground bought a spark of colour from the already dried-up grass.

As you were walking along, you had passed the man that was seated on the bench, yet from the corner of your eye, you swore his presence deemed extremely familiar to you. Upon closer inspection, you had realised that it was your all-time favourite musician, one that hadn’t been active recently. Your heart dropped to the pit of your stomach as your legs froze. You failed to conjure up any thoughts, as your mind was numb with nervousness.

You were conflicted — should you approach him, or should you just walk away?

Min Yoongi had always been your favourite musician, ever since you heard a sliver of his beautiful composition that he had played at a festival. You could tell that he poured all of his emotions into each note, and that just made you adore him even more. You had strived to become like him; cool, composed, all the uneasiness melting away as you struck each chord, head swaying along to the beautiful rhythm that you had created.

You heart swelled as you saw his form, arms outstretched, as if embracing the fierce heat that surrounded the two of you, yet you were much too jittery to notice that your drink had already become much too warm for your personal liking.

You cursed under your breath and decided to just, ‘fuck it,’ taking long, yet hesitant, steps towards the man who you thought was sleeping at first. Your heart rate had picked up dramatically, the wave of confidence that you had just experienced, deteriorating much too quickly and you found your steps faltering the closer you had got. By the time you were a few inches away, you had begun to second-guess yourself — asking yourself too many questions that could not be answered within the span of a few seconds. The few seconds in which Yoongi had noticed the shadow over his head, and got up to face the current stranger that seemed to look much too confused.

You hadn’t noticed the boy staring up at you, until the false confidence that you wore as a mask decided to show up again. However, it all came crashing down as soon as you noticed Yoongi’s lingering eyes. Your cheeks blazed with the burning crimson and you could barely meet his gaze.

“Um… I— I ju—,”

The lack of words on your end made it even more embarrassing for yourself. Here you were, walking through the park that you passed almost daily, and somehow fate decided to place your absolute favourite musician here, right in front of your very eyes. Though, you weren’t able to get a single word out. They were there, you were sure of it, but the phrases that you choke out, were clogged within your throat — the lack of tenacity not helping.

“May I help you?”

And his voice was as smooth as you had imagined. Deep and velvety, the words ringing through your ears, repeating itself on a constant loop, as your mouth gaped open to stare at him. You felt as if his piercing eyes could see right through you, read your every thought and movement, yet you felt oddly comfortable. Opening your mouth a few times, you took a deep breath to compose yourself and challenged his stare with one of your own.

“Y— You’re Min Yoongi right? The famous pianist?”

You could see his face drop considerably, and you were taken aback by his sudden change of emotion. No longer was the shooting gaze, instead being replaced with the diversion of his eyes. The silence that grew between the two of you had become much too awkward, and you found yourself fidgeting with the hem of your shirt.

“I— Um… I just wanted to say how much I really love your compositions. You’re actually one of my favourite musicians—,”

“Don’t call me that.”

His tone had changed to one of bubbling anger, the pent-up frustration from years of harsh criticism had all unravelled itself unknowingly.

“I— I’m sorry, I didn—,”

“I’m not a damn musician. I know that, everyone knows that, so I don’t need someone like you telling me something that isn’t true. What? Is it because you want an autograph or something?”

The sudden temper, that had somehow been triggered from your apparently unwise choice of words, had you taking a step back. You had never meant to offend him, and the literal praise that you had sent his way, was meant to make him smile, meant to make him bashfully look away, meant to make him stare at you with glee. So why was he now yelling with such an outrage that you had to move away in order to get him to calm down?

You frowned, eyebrows furrowing from his constant rambles of how he 'wishes he never got into music’ and how much he 'hates the damn piano’. It saddened you immensely to see someone who was so in touch with their creative and musically active side, to throw it all away, all because the criticism got too much.

You would never fully understand Yoongi, an amateur like yourself could never garner the amount of attention he would get whenever he played one of his compositions. So you could only stare at him, guilt and pity brimming along the surface of your lungs, as he slumped onto the bench in defeat.

A part of you wanted to walk away, tear down his posters and throw away the records that you had collected over the years, but you knew that the regret would be too much for you to handle. Instead, you faced him and bowed, apologising for stirring up unnecessary emotions. He looked at you with tired eyes from a slouched position. You couldn’t read him, there was no sense of anger within his eyes, instead, a sheer nothingness had glazed over his eyes, giving off indifference. It seemed as if he was used to giving off this expression to countless people.

☇

The rest of the day turned out to be dreadful. After the awful encounter with Min Yoongi, you were welcomed home with the mess of your house that you had just left because of the frantic morning that you had. Amidst your worries, your luck had blessed with a broken fridge and a mountain of food that had to either be eaten or thrown away. You couldn’t be more frustrated.

You decided to call up one of your close friends to see whether or not he would have liked to join you on your lovely adventures. Dialling his number, you held the phone to your ear and prayed that he would pick up.

“Hello?”

“Oh my god, I was hoping you’d pick up.”

“What’s up? Why do you sound so worried?”

And that was how you ended up with Seokjin on your couch, practically devouring all of the leftover foods that you weren’t able to stomach. Seokjin had been one of your closest friends for the longest time; he was always there in your times of need, offering advice or just ‘blessing you with my presence’, as he liked to call it. The two of you were a funny pair — the complete opposites that somehow managed to fit perfectly like two puzzle pieces.

Seeing how you were moping around, rather than engaging in the random jokes and weird topics that Seokjin and yourself liked to engross yourselves in, he began to interrogate you until you caved.

“Come on Y/N, I know something’s wrong, don’t even try,”

“Nothing! I just had a bad day,”

“I’m not a boyfriend where you can just pretend that everything’s okay and then get mad when they brush it off,”

You laughed at his stupid comment, “Okay, okay. You got me there. I just— I bumped into Min Yoongi—”

“Wait, Min Yoongi? As in the guy in your bedroom and the one you talk about like every single minute of your life like he’s the love of your life or something?”

You sighed, reminiscing over past conversations that you had with Seokjin that featured Min Yoongi.

“Yes Seokjin, that guy. Anyway, I bumped into him, and I told him how great his compositions are and that he’s a great musician and, I don’t know, he was kind of standoff-ish? Like, I wouldn’t call it rude, more so like, confrontational? I don’t know, it was nothing,”

“So what you’re saying is that he basically brushed you off and acted all high and mighty? I swear, if I ever see this guy, I’m going to show hi—”

You flicked Seokjin’s forehead, glaring at him with your piercing stare, as if to warn him in case he did anything stupid.

“No! It was nothing, I only liked him for his music anyway,” but it seemed as if you were trying to convince yourself, rather than convince Seokjin.

The rest of the day was more relaxed; the two of you preoccupied with random games and aimless puns that had you clutching your stomach in laughter. Seokjin always knew how to brighten up a dull atmosphere, and today was no different. He allowed you to forget about the horrid experience you had had with your role model, and had distracted you enough to keep you from dwelling upon the events that had occurred previously.

It was laughable really — you meeting your idol, and it turns out that he’s a dick. A complete opposite to the way his slim fingers would play each note, his mouth parted from concentration, and if you looked close enough, you could see his eyebrows furrowing, as the composition became deeper, more emotional.

The fact that you had invested so much of your time on someone who could easily act as if you didn’t even exist, baffled you. It made you realise how different people could be, and that made you sad— no, disappointed. You weren’t disappointed in Yoongi, there was no way you could have seen his true colours from the endless performances that you had watched over and over again in the confines of your bedroom walls.

No.

You were disappointed in yourself for assuming that you knew him well enough. You were disappointed in yourself because you had romanticised his performances in such a way, that you allowed your eyes to be blinded by the notes that he played. You were disappointed because you had fabricated him to be someone who you thought, not who he actually was.

After Seokjin had left, the silence hit you like a breeze on a cold day. It was unexpected, and took you by surprise, but as you walked into your bedroom, you could feel the chills beginning to rise upon your exposed skin as you looked around, your gaze landing on the numerous posters that littered your beige walls.

You could only smile bitterly at the fond memories that you had made — lying upon your bed, as you streamed performances instead of working on that essay that was due in a week’s time. It was ambivalent; it felt as if you had just broken up with your boyfriend, but you weren’t too sure what you were currently feeling.

Was it regret? Sadness? Anger?

☇

Ever since Yoongi had encountered you, he couldn’t stop thinking about the word that you had used.

‘Musician.’

There was nothing appealing about that word. Min Yoongi was not a musician — not anymore. He could not fathom the word, why people would choose to call him that, despite retiring from the music scene entirely. It wasn’t as if people liked his music anyway. There was too much criticism, and despite putting up a strong front, in the end, it all got to him.

However, he couldn’t help, but feel a little guilty. Guilty because he was too hostile. You were just someone who approached him, a stranger, yet the way he shut you down, as if you were one of them, made him feel bad. It just hit him a little too strongly because it had been such a long time since someone had come up to Yoongi to tell him something positive, to support him, and to tell him that they actually liked and enjoyed the music that he had written himself.

He sighed deeply as he lay atop the ruffled bedsheets that he had no intention of making. Yoongi’s mind was running at full speed, drilling through thoughts that he had no plan of dwelling upon.

As he sat up, his eyes fell on the glazed wood of the grand piano, shining radiantly because of the sun. He would be lying to himself if he said that he hadn’t thought of, once again, performing upon a stage — whether it be five or five hundred people watching. It was a thought he rarely had, and whenever he did, Yoongi would shut it out as quickly as possible; the urges disappearing, as he continued on with his daily life.

The world had gone quiet, the only sounds audible were the occasional chirps of the birds that had nested upon the tree outside his window, and the zooms of car that would drive past. The apartment he stood in was suffocating, and Yoongi felt that if he didn’t get out, he would choke on the poison that were his thoughts.

So that’s what he did. Yoongi threw on his shoes, and decided to escape reality for a while.

At this time of the day, the bar was usually empty, except for the sporadic day drinker that would lurk within the darkness of the venue. Flinging the door open, he was surprised to find a number of people sitting in the booths at the back of the room. As soon as he walked inside, he was greeted with the wafting stench of alcohol, something that he still hadn’t gotten used to.

“Yoongi! It’s been a while since you’ve been here,” the man that stood behind the bar exclaimed. He had blond hair that lay messily atop his forehead and a smile that could brighten this dimly lit room. The man was busy pouring drinks to already-drunk customers rambling and slurring about something that had gone wrong in their life.

“Hey Hoseok. Just needed to get away for a bit,” Yoongi replied, strolling over to one of the free stools before taking a seat, “thinking a lot.”

Hoseok understood. After all, he had been close friends with Yoongi ever since he had begun his music career. Being a prime supporter helped Yoongi stay on track, but even then, it all became too much and he decided to cut ties.

“The usual?”

A nod was all that was needed to get Hoseok working. A concoction of various alcoholic beverages had been mixed and placed in a small shot glass for Yoongi to down, and he did, feeling the satisfactory burn as the liquor passed through his throat, only to sit heavy within his stomach. It had been a while since Yoongi had drank, so after a couple shots, he was already feeling light-headed, and his words had begun to slur, much like those who were sitting close to him.

“A— And she came up to me,” Yoongi pushed back his hair, only to have it fall over his eyes again, “and I b— basically… Basically, I told her something like, what was it again? Oh! It was like, ‘fuck off’ or something.” Hoseok just stood, listening intently as he filled up glasses to his customers’ request.

He could only console Yoongi through his actions, as he was rambling for far too long. The amount of secrets that he had spilled surprised Hoseok, as this was a side of Yoongi that no one had ever saw before. Hoseok pitied him, feeling empathetic for his friend who had dealt with so much for far too long. He thought that Yoongi would be happier now, especially since the comments had long gone away the moment he stepped away from the keys that seemed to haunt him.

However, that was not the case. Yoongi had never been more depressed — living his day-to-day life in absolute misery, hoping for something, or maybe even someone, to come and change that. Yet, Yoongi was notorious for pushing people away and letting them leave his side had never been easier until very recently. He was sad; angry at himself, but found excuses to put the blame on other people.

Whilst in the middle of a sentence, Yoongi halted, quietening down, before breaking into a fit of tears. His head lay upon the countertop, while he sobbed, letting the tears cascade and form into a puddle beneath him.

☇

It had been a few days since your encounter with Yoongi.

A part of you hoped that you would be able to bump into him, to see him once more, and apologise for offending him; for assuming something that you shouldn’t have. Yet, another part of you was glad that you may never have to see Yoongi again. You didn’t want to have to deal with the repercussions of meeting him again, of having to embarrass yourself once more, just to make sure that he didn’t think of you with such a negative stigma.

You let out a breath, closing your eyes for a mere second, before throwing your head back in frustration. You needed to apologise, the guilt slowly eating away at you, even though you knew that you had done nothing wrong. Quickly throwing on your sneakers, you made your way out, praying that fate would be able to lead you to him.

You roamed through the same park where you had first found him. As you passed by the bench, the feeling of defeat was beginning to crawl its way into your mind, but you pushed it aside and carried on, thinking long and hard about where you might be able to find him. Searching near and far, you were just about to give up when you saw a very familiar figure stumbling out of a bar up ahead.

Your mind was blank for a few seconds, but upon realisation, your legs began to pick up their pace and without thinking, you started to run towards him. There was something that had compelled you to stop him before he left; before he disappeared back into the darkness, never to be heard from again. The thought scared you, so you were not going to let him go again, not before you apologised, that is.

“Y— Yoongi?” His name had been caught up in your throat, and you made a pathetic attempt to speak to him, you voice coming out wavering and full of nervousness.

“You again?” he was slurring, and it made you uncomfortable, “What do you w— want?”

You took in a breath, but just as you were about to speak, you could see Yoongi on the verge of stumbling upon the car-ridden street — an accident waiting to happen. Instinctively, you caught him before he could fall, but the look of offense and disgust made you quickly retract your arms, clearing your throat, as you remembered the reason as to why you were here.

“I— Um… I just wanted to apologise for the other day, you know. Offending you and all. I didn’t mean it, I just wanted to thank you for your music and how it changed my life and everything—,” you were beginning to ramble, something you did a lot whenever you were feeling burdened. You had to consciously stop yourself, but as your eyes fell upon Yoongi, you couldn’t help the sense of hopelessness that had surrounded his figure.

You pitied Yoongi. For too long had he hidden between the shadows, hiding wads of regrets and anger towards himself. He had secluded himself, letting himself become unknown to the horrid world that he was living in. There was so much sadness, so much anguish hidden between the specks of chocolate within his eyes. You could see — could feel the aura of bleakness and hatred he had for himself, and you pitied him. You wished you could take some of it away.

“I’m sorry too.”

The words took you by surprise. You were not expecting any sort of response, let alone an apology. Looking up, you noticed that his eyes were glued to the concrete that lay beneath the both of you.

“I’m sorry for being a complete fuck-up. You just wanted to say thank you and there I was, shutting you down because I was scared. I was scared that the comments would come back. I just wanted to run away from it all, and I thought that by losing everyone who I cared for, and everyone who cared for me, it would fix everything. But I was wrong. I just— Fuck, I was so damn wrong.”

The tears, that Yoongi had tried so hard to keep in, fell immediately, marking the grey concrete below. He couldn’t look up; much too embarrassed to face the stranger that he had wronged. So he kept his eyes on the ground, and tried to blink away the tears, but to no avail.

You didn’t even notice that your eyes had started to well up. It was as if you could almost touch the sincerity that he was pouring out of the depths of his hidden heart. With hesitation, you reached out and placed your hand on his shoulder. He didn’t back away or flinch, instead, welcoming your arm, and the radiating comfort that you expelled.

After a few minutes, the crying stopped and Yoongi quickly wiped away the last of the droplets that seemed to be caught within his eyelashes. He smiled a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, and you could only stare at him with such a pain etched into your eyes. You were in such a pain because of the way he smiled, the way he was able to change his expression, as if he was so used to it.

Yoongi turned on his heel, albeit a little carelessly, and was about to walk away, when you spoke up.

“Thank you,” you murmured, “for everything.”

☇

The next couple of weeks had you brooding. You had replayed the second encounter with Yoongi, vividly remembering the exact words that he had relayed to you, and the evident heartbreak in his tone of voice. You hadn’t been able to focus properly, instead, your thoughts were overwhelmed with such disarray that you had found yourself to be completely distracted from all aspects of your life.

You weren’t too sure why it had affected you so much. Yoongi didn’t even know your name; you were a complete stranger to him, so why did you feel obligated to help him? You were a mere fan, but you had never felt more connected to him.

You knew you were going to regret your decision, but you were so determined that you didn’t even pay any attention to the part of you that was against your idea. So you made your way back to the park bench — to the first time you had ever met Min Yoongi.

The streets were quiet, a sharp contrast to the usually loud roads filled with zooming cars and loud chatter. Instead, the wind blew through you, sending chills down your spine, as you strolled to the exact location that you had avoided all of this time.

The sun was still high, hidden by a sheet of clouds that covered the hues of blue, instead painting it with strokes of grey, a murky comparison. As soon as the park was in your sight, a feeling of hope had enlightened your senses. You found yourself to be walking faster and faster, until the bench came into sight, and your entire body slouched in defeat. The sense of hope that had been running through your veins had halted; escaping your body entirely, as you approached the bench with such sadness.

Sitting upon the wooden planks, you placed your hands in your lap, fidgeting and playing with your fingers. As soon as you saw the empty bench, your heart dropped and you had just wanted to turn around and walk back home, but you had convinced yourself to stay, just in case Yoongi would walk by.

It was a sliver of a small chance, but you were willing to take it. You were willing to wait here every single day, just to be able to see Yoongi genuinely smile and now dwell upon the negativity that he had been placed right in the middle of.

After hearing his confessions, you had just wanted to ensure that Yoongi was feeling okay, and that he was able to pick himself back up, especially after looking so rough when he had come out of the bar. You were concerned, even though you were in no place to be. Still conflicted, you looked around, but there was no sight of him. Giving up, you stood and stretched your legs before making it back home. You were determined to see him once more.

☇

The next few days had you going back to the same bench, only to be met with the company of the dancing tree that stood grand behind you.

Yoongi had noticed you from his apartment window; the view clear of any obstacles. He felt guilty upon seeing your form sitting upon the bench, but Yoongi couldn’t bring himself to come down. There was something that kept him from facing you again. He wasn’t sure if it was because of the sudden spillage of emotion that he had shown to you, or if it was because he was just too embarrassed to see you. After all, he didn’t even know your name.

Drawing the curtains back, Yoongi sat upon the cushion; his head in his hands as he thought about what he could possibly do. He didn’t want to get too close, didn’t want to hurt your feelings, didn’t want you to continue whatever it was you were currently doing. Yoongi just wanted to be alone, to live his life in the shadows instead of having someone by his side.

It was better off that way.

And so, Yoongi would stare at your seated form, your fleeting eyes, and your still hands that would sit quietly upon your lap, wondering if keeping away and letting you forget about him was the best idea. Yet, he didn’t notice the fiery determination that had begun flickering within your eyes. There was no way you were going to give up, not after seeing Yoongi so helpless. Instead of the burning passion you had come so used to seeing, you were met with despair, forlorn and powerlessness.

You knew he knew.

You knew that he was able to see you, and that he could come down at any moment that he pleased. You knew that he was waiting for you to leave, but you weren’t going to give up. Not today, not any other day. Yoongi had another thing coming.

After sitting upon the wooden planks for what felt like centuries, you recalled the past encounter that you had had with Yoongi at the bar. That area of your city was somewhere that you weren’t necessarily familiar with, but had travelled to on specific occasions. The walk was moderate, allowing you enough time to familiarise yourself with the current surroundings that stood before you. It also gave you enough time to plan your course of action if you were indeed to “stumble upon” Yoongi once more.

Having walked for what seemed like kilometres, you finally reached the section of the city that you had found Yoongi in. Unconsciously, your steps had begun to quicken in pace and your heart was beating an unusual, frantic speed. You stopped right in front of the bar that Yoongi had collapsed out of; your breath jagged from the hurried momentum that you had undertaken. Calm, yet nervous, you composed yourself before walking inside, only to be hit with the strong odour of cigarettes and alcohol.

Ignoring the way your nostrils burned, you looked around — eyeing each individual that either stood near or sat upon a booth within the small room. You must’ve looked extremely lost because before you know it, you’re sitting upon one of the stools and having a relaxed conversation with the bartender, whom you had no idea knew Yoongi.

“You alright there, Miss? Looking a little bit lost, if I say so myself,”

You could only smile and nod politely, continuously looking around and clenching your fists in anticipation.

“My name’s Hoseok. I own this bar, and from the looks of it, you seem to be looking or waiting for someone. Got a name or anything? I know all the regulars that frequent this beauty!” Hoseok opened his arms wide, swirling, as if to bask in the building’s beauty. It made your heart swell because of his passion and genuine happiness that he seemed to experience.

You bit the bottom on your lip, wondering whether telling this stranger the name of a man you were so desperate to locate. At this point, you would appreciate any help given by any person, so you shrugged your shoulders, ‘why the hell not?’

“Y— Yeah actually. Yoongi, Min Yoongi? He’s just someone I know,”

Hoseok’s eyes seemed to widen at the mention of his name, and you quirked a brow, “You know him? I mean of course you do, he’s a pretty famous musician and all. Anyway, I’ve been looking for him for a few days now, and I saw him stumble out of this bar and—,” you took in a breath before continuing, “I was just wondering if you knew where he was or could give me an address or something that’ll help me find him. He just— he seems so lost, and I want to help him.”

Your sharp stare of pure persistence had Hoseok smiling. It had been such a long time since someone had asked about, or even cared to mention Yoongi. Yoongi had become a no-one; irrelevant and frequently choosing to shield himself within the shadows of society. All the attention that he had once garnered, dissipated within time, and soon, he was one of us. Someone that ordinary people could not care less about.

He didn’t mind, hell— he could not be happier about it. A chance to bury his fame, a chance to live as someone that walked through the streets without having comments being thrown at him. It was a new life, and he was ready to live it to the fullest.

However, the life that he had expected had hit him from another direction. Yoongi was not prepared for the countless obstacles that he had had to encounter, the brutal comments murmured behind whispered lips and preying eyes, the quick zip-up of his hoodie and endless fidgeting of the cap that sat upon his head far more than he would have liked. Breathless chuckles left his pursed lips often, and his eyes did not glint with happiness, instead, with indifference.

It had been a while since Yoongi was as shaken up as he was after meeting you. The effect that you had had upon him, even after the two, not-so, pleasant encounters. Yet, the pure aura that surrounded was like a breath a fresh air; something that Yoongi so desperately needed. It wasn’t sexual desires, no— all Yoongi wanted was someone to confide in, someone who could help him rekindle his passion and love for music — and for some reason, Yoongi had felt as if that someone was you.

After numerous shocking and quite embarrassing stories of Yoongi (that almost made you choke on your drink a few times), you had decided that it had become late enough to leave. Still, there was no sign of Yoongi, and you couldn’t help the speck of disappointment that had taken over your mind. Obviously, you were not someone of importance to him; you were a stranger. Yoongi certainly had no obligation to come and you were in no place to demand for his presence.

Thanking Hoseok, you pushed open the bar door to be greeted with the crisp wind that flew through the thin fabric of your shirt that you had, regretfully, thrown on. Rubbing your arms to try and produce some sort of heat, your eyes wandered to the beautifully painted sky; thick clouds that conquered the sky, oranges and pinks peeking through, as if it were sunlight penetrating the canopy of leaves in a forest.

You took a few steps, your attention directed upon the irregular shapes of the clouds and the various colours that you could point out, that you couldn’t see a figure walking towards you. Upon impact, you immediately apologised, only to be greeted with a hand on your shoulder.

“Your name?”

[une-pomm3]

Celestial: Chapter Three

Find it on Ao3 here! Find it on FFnet here!

AN: In which @jindaokol and I (okay, Heather does) make Marta and Sindre human. Here is a portion of the originally planned Chapter 3… the rest will hopefully follow shortly. 

—

“It is believed in these lands that the Sun and Moon bring prosperity and balance all aspects of Life, their Legacy. When burgeoning bud and breath find Light under the heavens, so Life will grow.”

Sindre turned as the last words echoed across the garden. Marta’s hand on his arm curled around his bicep with enough strength to start to hurt. Was it desperate? He could not tell, but when he glanced at her, her jaw was clenched, her grip white knuckled. He could feel her anxiousness and disappointment that the quiet morning had been disturbed, harsh words spoken by her family and overheard by ears she would likely wish had been deaf to it. Should he respond to the argument or act as it had not happened?

Marta thumbed his sleeve gently, “let us away,” she said before he could decide. He searched her face; her eyebrows were drawn and her lips pursed. She finally met his gaze and her expression immediately softened into a small smile. She said, “shall we go breakfast then?” A warm feeling in his chest stirred him to place his hand upon hers. Her grip on him loosened at his touch, thumb running along his sleeve once more. He wondered at the gesture, but did not comment.

Sindre nodded, “yes,” he said, a frown curling his lips down. He turned them to one of the adjoining gardens where his mother had suggested (schemed) to have them break fast without too many prying eyes or courtly gathering. He took his time rolling over the question he burned to have an answer to before he parted his lips to speak it, “I hate to ask,” he cautioned, “do Magnus and Lord Andersen quarrel like that often?” Though, once it was spoken, he wished he could have called back the question. It was far too forward; it wasn’t any of his business. Why on earth did he ask!? A small voice answered, barely a whisper in his thoughts, ‘Because you care… and you’re curious.’

“Not often,” Marta said slowly, and Sindre blew a small sigh of relief that she did not seem affronted by his rudeness. She led them to the gap in the hedges and he could see her search for words. She shook her head, “No, not often. Magnus rarely loses his temper.” She grimaced, the pleasant repartee they had been enjoying spiraling into awkward pauses. “I… that is, I am far more likely to show temper than he is. He’s not without one, but he is a gentle spirit. Perhaps it is only that he is bored. It did grate on him, at home, being without purpose. I imagine it is much the same for him here and he does not know where to find it.”

He made an affirmative noise. “Bored? To be honest, I don’t know if I empathize with him. I have never had the struggle to find something to do at court, it has always been decided for me.”  He shrugged, trying to sympathize. “I did rile against the fact that it was decided for me, however. I have found myself often at odds with my mother for something or another to do with my governance,” he caught Marta’s thoughtful expression. He didn’t quite know what to make of that, or if it was was even in regards to him.

Sindre’s heart went out to her, to Magnus - courtly life was beyond their ken. He quickened his step, for her sake, and when they rounded into another garden he still found his gaze drawn back to the terrace, wondering.

Marta latched on to the topic, a little more at ease now that the garden terrace was beyond their hearing. “Such as?” she asked, brows rising curiously.

Sindre pulled his eyes away and focused,“oh, uhm…” he stuttered. His boot caught on a loose stone and he missed his step, lurching forward suddenly. “Well, uh,” he managed to stay upright with Marta’s firm grasp helping him balance.

“Well, I suppose… my mother and I… well, I used to hate how pushy she got - gets - about things.” He stifled a small chuckle, “I did have a fiercely independent streak.” He fought to control the embarrassment of his clumsiness while Marta clearly tried to hide a small smile. She would be amused by his unpreparedness, he thought.

“Did?” she quirked a skeptical brow. “I find it hard to believe that streak simply vanished. Gentleman though you seem to be, I imagine there is more to the ‘Sindre the Taciturn’ than meets the eye.” She glanced him up and down imperiously, her nervousness was fading and her humor was returning. Somehow, he felt his heart lighten at that and he found himself smiling, ignoring the pink he felt rising in his cheeks.

They stepped into a gazebo, shapely curleques of polished wood, painted white and gilded in gold shone in the midst of the new shoots budding green about their shoes. White liveried servants moved efficiently to lay breakfast of sugared citrus fruit and delicate morsels in a colourful arrangement. He sniffed and found that he was hungrier than he had thought, and hoped there would more forthcoming. He politely held Marta’s chair, waving away the servants.

Sindre gestured wryly as he sat, “You think so? But what if I am so dour and a cold-eyed Prince, hmm?” he teased. There was warmth in his gaze, belying his words. He continued their previous conversation, “I suppose more than anything, I hated being forced into things. Whenever my Mother or the councillors or whomever would make an ultimatum I would usually be the first to question the decision, or outright refuse to be removed from the decision making process.”

“Do you often find yourself so at odds with your family, then?” she repeated his earlier question. “Is it an oddity to acquiesce to your family’s wishes?” Her question seemed innocent enough, but he wished he had studied her face rather than the plate so deliciously decorated. He wondered if she was trying to steer the conversation to her own ends, as so many of the ladies of the court seemed to do.

Sindre paused briefly to choose his words, politely pouring tea for them both. “Yes and no. I love my family, I enjoying doting on them, especially my little brother I suppose, but I prefer to make my own decisions. Especially when it comes to my life when so much else is decided for me. You must take back the little things like what jackets to wear, or in the buying of gifts, or polishing my own boots- ” he stopped abruptly. Sindre suddenly felt a strange sense of fear come over him that he was saying too much about his quiet, personal thoughts, that he was revealing too much about himself too quickly.

“What of your counselors, do you seek and abide by their counsel? I should think that their opinions on what is best for you would be fairly sound, considering the prosperity of the Kingdom. It seems rather childish to deny them, when the proof is in the pudding, as it were. Family is incredibly important, is it not?” Marta commented casually, and Sindre wondered if she had noted his reticence, or if she had truly heard him.

“Of course it is,” he was taken aback by her words, straightening his posture, the pleasure of a quiet breakfast lost to the conversation. He frowned. Was she trying to provoke his temper? What had happened to that feeling of ‘rightness’ from the night of the ball? True, he had been playing the socialite prince, even down to the gaiety, but when he had danced with Marta… his heart had soared. Surely, he shouldn’t feel this upset if she was the Sun - right?  He did not have time to recover his thoughts as Marta continued.

“Then shouldn’t one be willing to do anything to see it prosper?” She spoke with nonchalance, spearing a small pastry onto her fork and looking carefully down at her plate, refusing to look at him. She therefore did not see his mouth drop open before he reined his composure back in and steel himself for a verbal tussle.

“Is this you or your Lord Andersen speaking? If I recall, he was saying something similar earlier,” he shifted in his seat, eyes sparking with pointed anger at the thinly veiled accusation.

“Do you think me incapable of making my own decisions? Do not believe me to be as easily led as all that,” she stabbed at her meal with enough vigor that her fork scraped against the plate. She glared at Sindre across the table, her expression one of chilled politeness, offended. He did not want to acknowledge the hurt lying behind the cold stare.

“It seems that so far you have not. What am I to think when the Sun Spirit seems tamed by a vainglorious man vying for power - even if that man is her own father?” he did not try to hide his disdain, or rein his sharp tongue.

“How dare you!” Marta placed her fork down on the table with enough force to rattle the serving platters, “I do what I must! I do not give myself to selfish whims based in a naivete that does not reach beyond the walls of a stifled court. Who are you to say that I am weak willed when it is my will that brought us here? It is my passion!” her temper provoked. “Regardless of the insult you imply of my father,” her voice was ice.

“How am I to believe that that when all I can see are the strings you are tugged by?” Sindre placed his own cutlery down, making a point to be much more gentle about it, even though he felt like he was beginning to quake with frustration, his appetite now completely vanished.

“Do not think I can’t see yours! You claim you are free of them, but they haven’t girded you with iron, Prince,” she sneered, “they have bound in chains of lace finer than that which I wear and you’re too blind to see it!” she needled, intent on finding a target that might make the steel clad prince bleed. “You speak of claiming jackets and boots, and yet those things are still only fetters-”

“I see plenty!” he interrupted Marta. “I see a little girl who doesn’t think beyond the moment of a bloody engagement! I will one day have to keep this Kingdom prosperous and need a Sun Spirit, my Sun spirit, who will help me, who will be my equal! I will not have anything less! That is why I refuse to agree blindly. My Kingdom comes first, not tradition of absent gods nor the whims of a stifled court and meddlesome mother, and especially not by a romantic woman who does not even have the background to begin to understand the nuances of my life!” He seethed.

Her eyes flashed, “You spoilt little upstart! How dare you say that! You think I do not know what happens to my life should I agree to marry you? All I have ever known disappears! My brother! My home in the hills where I could be free! Free from petty politics on which rest the fate of all who live in this realm. Do not think me ignorant of that fact, Prince! She spat the name like an epithet.

“I have seen first hand the results of your government! Who collects the tax monies to see to your coffers? My folk. Who see the results of bandits or thieves when your soldiers are too late? Who deals with the families who aren’t prosperous because of that? My family. We are the ones to pick up the pieces and rebuild, or donate time and sweat and blood, while you sit here on a pretty chair looking at numbers on a page! Do not tell me I am ignorant of the realm; at least I live in it!” she was relentlessly ruthless in her reproach.

They stood nose to nose over the table, silverware clattering off the table. It seemed as if they might be about to share a kiss had their expressions had been more ardent.

Sindre didn’t know what to say. He looked away, as did Marta, both poised to depart in their tempers. Sindre hesitated and heard quietly the breath of laughter. He whirled round to absorb the taunt, to find her still turned, temper fled and tired shoulders slumped under the weight of expectation. It was as if he stared into a mirror. He bit back the insult on his tongue.

“Well, at least I know my Prince has a will of iron,” she said, somehow bitter, he thought. Was it an apology? No. It was an observation, but he felt it was significant to her in some way.

He shook his head, anger trickling away, “and I know my Lady has a spine of steel.” He adjusted his cuffs and fingered the silver buttons, trying to compose himself.

“Flatterer,” she tried weakly. She smoothed her skirts and Sindre watched the careful motions of a woman rebuilding her shattered composure, much like himself. Immediately he felt a twinge of guilt, or was it fear that she might pull away because of his coldness? He spoke quickly, hoping to bridge the growing chasm between them.

“Sometimes. You are far more than what I said. I know there is more to you than your family, you are… I wish I knew. For all the time we have spent together I wish I knew you. You are unafraid of me, no one dares speak to me thusly, even my family. Please, forgive my harsh words. I would see them replaced more by truth than the doubts of a troubled heart.”

“And I you. You hide in in the polish of expectation, I would see you smile for heart’s joy rather than pretense for sake of propriety,” she said, turning to face him. “I apologize, Sindre.” Her voice caressed his name as if not to break it, or the thread of trust was once again building between them. Her eyes were red-rimmed as if she held back tears.

Sindre paused and looked away once more unsure of what to say. The courtly circles and social norms failed him in that, and she knew it. He struggled for words and the rustle of her skirts was barely registered as she broached his personal space.

A gentle touch brought him to his senses, Marta’s amber eyes looking at him. He blinked, ‘No, looking into me…’ he thought. It was as if an endless sea of harvest fields was alight in her eyes. Golden summer heat burned behind her focus, beckoning with the promise of warmth, freedom… Her hand was warm on his cheek, and somehow he had never felt so vulnerable. He closed his eyes, and made a choice. “You are incredible,” he whispered.

Sindre let out the breath he was holding and Marta seemed to take strength from that. How odd. He continued, “I know you think I live separated from my people. I understand why when so much of the court is stifled and stagnant. Let me show the city, the beating heart of Caeleste. It’s…” Her hands moved to clasp his and he felt her earnestness, “…important to you,” Marta finished, and Sindre’s lips twitched.

“Yes, I’d like that dearly,” Marta said with the utmost sincerity. “Will you meet me at the gate at quarter to the hour?” she asked, “I daresay these skirts aren’t meant for riding.” With her temper abated, Sindre saw her own vulnerability exposed. The bravado was gone.

Sindre nodded, eager to move on from this egregious social misstep, for both their sakes. “I’ll meet you there.” He watched burgundy skirts whirl as Marta turned towards the castle, her trying not to show the tentatively hopeful smile.

He felt it mirrored on his  own lips. He thought that he might have shared too much, indeed.