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bucky-of-the-opera · 5 years

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Mother (Part 2)

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Reader

Summary: Steve tells his children a bedtime story about him and Y/N.

Warnings: language, fluff, kissing

Word Count: 2,820

A/N: I loved combining two of my favorite shows. And I love Dad!Steve

Part 1

It was just after 1am; you were lying in bed with Steve’s chest flush against your back and his arms wrapped around you. You were just about to slip into unconsciousness when you heard two consecutive thuds and the sound of tiny feet running down the hall. “They’re up again,” you said, your eyes still closed. Steve yawned. “Three, two, one—” Right on cue, the door flung open. Your son and daughter climbed onto your bed and leapt on top of you and Steve. “What are you monkeys doing up?” you said as they both crawled under your blankets. They giggled as you and Steve enveloped them in your arms. “We woke up. So we’re not tired anymore!” you daughter Charlotte said. “You’ve only been asleep for four hours. How can you not be tired?” Steve asked. “I dunno!” your son Bailey exclaimed. You sighed. “Well, you might not need sleep. But grown ups do. Let’s go,” you said, flinging the blanket off. “No!” they shouted in unison, tugging the blanket back over their heads. “I got this,” Steve told you. You chuckled and got back under the covers. “Do you guys wanna hear a story about me and Mommy?” A muffled “Yes” could be heard from under the blanket. Steve peeled the covers back so he could see your children’s faces. “One story, and then you both go back to your rooms. Okay?” They both nodded. You put your elbow on the pillow and rested your head on your hand, getting ready to listen to his story. Steve turned on the lamp on his nightstand. He smiled at his little family and cleared his throat. “This is the story of when your Aunt Nancy, Uncle Jonathan, Aunt Robin, Mom, and I spent our first Thanksgiving together. Usually during the holidays, we would all go home to visit our own families. But since your Aunt Nancy and Uncle Jonathan had just gotten married, and I had started dating Mom, we decided to have our own Thanksgiving dinner in New York.”

*** Nancy was in the kitchen stuffing the turkey when Steve walked in. “Nance, you’ve cooked a turkey before, right?” he asked. She stopped prepping to look up at him. “Not exactly. But I’ve cooked chicken before, and how different is it really?” “Oh god.” She waved him off. “It’ll be fine Steve. I have a cookbook and google.” He opened his mouth to speak right as someone had knocked on the front door. Steve walked over to see who it was and opened the door to reveal Robin. “Salutations, my hairy friend,” she said as she brushed past him. “I brought the potatoes, Nancy.” “Robin, these are prepared mashed potatoes. I asked you to bring actual potatoes,” Nancy said. “But these cook in like, five minutes. And you don’t even have to use the oven. I’m just trying to make your life easier,” she shrugged. Nancy sighed. “Fine, put them in the fridge please.” Robin turned to face Steve. “So, Harrington.” “So, Buckley.” “Are you bringing your girlfriend to our sacred family dinner?” Steve scratched his head. “Well, she’s not actually my girlfriend yet…” “How long have you been seeing this girl?” Robin folded her arms. “Three weeks.” “And did you invited her to our Thanksgiving Dinner?” “Yeah…” Nancy dropped the pan she was holding. “Excuse me? Did you seriously invite another one of your floozies to our dinner?” “Wait, Nance, this is different. She’s not some floozy.” “But you haven’t made it official yet?” Robin asked. “I’ve just been waiting for the right moment.” Robin sighed. “Are you at least getting laid?” “Robin!” “What? I’m just looking out for you.” “Please don’t ask anything like that when Y/N gets here.” “Steve!” Nancy shouted. “I can’t believe you invited a stranger over to our first family Thanksgiving!” “She’s not some stranger! She’s the girl who interviewed that dog, Pickles! And I really think I could marry this girl some day.” Nancy shook her head. “You always do this. You invite girl after girl over to our special family events, claiming you’ve found ‘the one’. And then you end up dumping them a week or two later, but by then, they’ve already become eternalized in all of our pictures.” “I know I’ve brought a few girls to a birthday every now and then—” “A few? Ha!” Nancy cut in. “Let me show you some pictures.” She got out her phone and scrolled through her albums until she found the one she was looking for. “Here we go!” She thrust the phone in front of Steve’s face. “My birthday last year, Robin’s birthday, Christmas, Fourth of July, National Ice Cream Day—” “Okay! Fine, maybe I do bring my fair share of dates to our parties and dinners and stuff. But Nancy, I really like this girl. She’s not like any of the others. There’s this feeling I get when I’m with her…I can’t describe it. I just know I’ve never felt like this about anyone else before.” Nancy groaned and shoved her phone back into her pocket. “Fine, Steve. But she’s taking the photo.” Nancy poked her head into the living room. “Jonathan! Can you start setting the table?” “The turkey takes like, three hours to cook. Can’t I do it later?” he asked. “But I want everything ready so all I have to worry about is the food.” “But—” “Dude,” Steve said, cutting Jonathan off. “Happy wife, happy life.” Jonathan nodded and started setting the table. You were supposed to arrive about two hours later, so Steve had to finish getting ready. He grabbed his clothes from his room and locked himself in the bathroom. Over an hour later, Steve still hadn’t returned, so Robin pounded on the door. “Jesus, Harrington! Did you fall in?” The door swung open, letting billows of steam escape. “Do you know how long it takes to make my hair look this good?” Steve walked straight to another mirror to apply a last minute touch up. Meanwhile, you had just got to the building. You climbed the stairs and knocked on the door. “Shit! She’s early!” Steve sprinted to the door, tripping on his untied shoelace. He brushed his clothes off and took a deep breath before pulling on the handle. His heart skipped a beat when he saw you standing there; you had put on one of your nicer outfits and wore your hair differently than you normally did. “Hi Steve,” you smiled at him. “Hi Y/N.” He pulled the door open more to let you walk into the apartment.Steve took your coat from you and hung it up. You handed him the pumpkin pie you had brought with you. “It’s my uncle’s recipe; literally the best pie I’ve ever eaten.” “Better than the pie at that bakery I took you to last week?” “Oh, so much better.” “Damn, well I can’t wait to try it. I’ll go put this in the kitchen.” When he left, Robin walked over to you. “Hey, we met briefly a few weeks ago. I’m Robin.” “Oh, right! You introduced me to Steve. I’m Y/N; it’s so nice to meet you properly.” “So,” she tilted her head, grinning. “How are things going with you two?” “Hey, Y/N!” Steve returned before you could answer, placing his arm around you. “Let me introduce you to Nancy and Jonathan. They’re both in the kitchen.” As he pulled you away, he turned his head back around to look at Robin and give her the ‘I’m watching you’ signal. She rolled her eyes and sat back down on the couch. Steve cleared his throat. “Y/N, this is Nancy and Jonathan. Nancy and Jonathan, this is Y/N.” “Steve’s told me so much about you guys, I’m so happy I finally get to meet his best friends.” Nancy looked you up and down before giving a small smile. “Steve seems to really like you, so hopefully you last longer than his past dates ever did.” Jonathan and Steve locked eyes before Jonathan butted in. “Hey, Y/N, have you ever heard of the cockamouse? I took some really cool pictures you should see.” He practically dragged you away, leaving Steve and Nancy alone in the kitchen. “I’m sorry,” Nancy said, before Steve could say anything. “I didn’t mean to say that. I’ll behave.” Steve nodded. “Thanks, Nance.” He helped her with some of the cooking until she forced him out of the kitchen. “You’re gonna burn something. Go back to your date.” Steve froze. “How long has she been alone with Jonathan?” “He’s probably shown her his entire Bigfoot collection by now.” “I’m gonna go save her,” he said, taking off towards Johnathan and Nancy’s room. Jonathan was showing you the pictures he took of what he claimed to be an actual UFO just as Steve burst into the room. “Hey, Nancy needs your help in the kitchen.” Jonathan set the pictures down and left the bedroom, leaving you and Steve alone. “So, are you a believer yet?” You chuckled. “I think I just agreed to a road trip to Roswell.” “Bring me back a T-shirt.” He walked over to you, grabbing hold of your hand. You looked down at your interlocked fingers and then up at Steve’s face. He smiled softly at you. “I hope this isn’t weird; me inviting you to Thanksgiving when you haven’t even met my friends before.” “It’s fine, Steve. I’m just excited that I get to spend more time with you.” You wrapped your free hand around the back of his head, your fingers lost in his hair. Your eyes flickered back and forth between his eyes and his tongue that kept darting out. Finally, you leaned forward, capturing his lips with yours. Steve pressed his hands against the small of your back to pull you against him. You clenched the front of his shirt as you slipped your tongue into his mouth, making him moan into yours. Just then, a shutter noise went off and you both pulled apart. Robin was standing in the doorway, aiming her phone at you two. “Dammit, Robin. Put the phone away,” Steve groaned. “I was just coming to tell you that dinner was ready. But from the looks of it, you two were already getting started on dessert.” She threw her hand up in the air. “Up top, Stevie.” “Are you serious? I’m not high-fiving that. Come on, Y/N.” Steve took your hand and started walking towards the door. “Wait, Steve, please!” He ignored her. Robin turned to you. “Y/N! Come on, you can’t leave me hanging.” Steve pulled you out of the bedroom before you could respond. You both joined Nancy and Jonathan at the table, followed by Robin, who’s hand was still stuck in the air. “Hey Nance, have I mentioned how much I like your new hairdo?” Robin asked with a pained look on her face. Nancy stared at her for a moment before serving the mashed potatoes. “I’m not high-fiving you for whatever it is you said to Steve and Y/N.” Robin groaned. “Hey, Jonny Boy, I saw those new pics you took of that totally real flying saucer. They were epic. You have a real talent.” “You really think so?” Jonathan asked. “Oh, I know so. Come on, gimme five.” He leaned over towards her just as Nancy pulled his hand away. “She’s just playing you, Jonathan.” He blushed. “Right, of course.” Steve turned his head to whisper to you. “I know you’re thinking it, and the answer is yes; they are weird. All the time.” You chuckled. “What’s wrong with weird?” “Absolutely nothing,” he said before he kissed your cheek. Nancy kept glancing at the two of you throughout dinner. To her, this date seemed different than the others. Maybe Steve was right for once; maybe you were ‘the one’. After dinner and dessert had been finished, Nancy grabbed her phone from the kitchen. “All right everyone, it’s time for pictures!” The table collectively groaned but huddled in front of the fire place anyway. You were unsure of whether you were invited in the group photo, so you lingered behind. “Do you want me to take the photo, Nancy?” you asked. Steve opened his mouth to speak, but Nancy cut him off. “Don’t be silly. You’re part of our group, so that means you have to be in the group photo.” She glared at the others. “Whether you want to or not.” She took your hand and led you to the fireplace. Steve stood behind you with his arms wrapped around your front and his chin resting on your head. Nancy set the timer on the phone’s camera and hurried back to join you all. “Everyone say ‘Thanksgiving’!” “Thanksgiving,” the group mumbled. After the picture was taken, Steve invited you to the rooftop. He helped you onto the fire escape and held your hand as you made your way to the top. The night was clear, so you could see all the stars in the sky. “Wow, this is beautiful, Steve.” “Not as beautiful as you.” He waggled his eyebrows. You groaned. “That was so cheesy.” “Good cheesy though, right?” You cupped his cheek. “Good cheesy.” Steve leaned into your touch and wrapped his arms around you. “Y/N, I know we only met three weeks ago. But it feels like I’ve known you for so much longer.” He paused to release a breath. “I’m crazy about you, and I wanted to ask you if you would be my girlfriend.” “Oh, god,” you said, placing your hand on your chest. “I thought you were about to say something absolutely insane, like you loved me or something.” He laughed. “Could you imagine if I did? What psycho tells someone they love them so soon after meeting them?” You giggled and pressed your forehead against his. “I’m crazy about you too, Steve. And I would love to be your girlfriend.” Steve picked you up, and you wrapped your legs around him as he spun you around. He kissed you slowly as he placed you back down. “Why don’t we go back inside? It’s too cold to stay out here,” Steve said. He followed you back into the living room. Nancy and Jonathan were lounging on the couch while Robin was lying upside down on the chair, her arm still raised above her head. She quickly got up when she saw the two of you return. “Well? Did you ask her? Did she say yes?” Steve nodded. Robin thrust her hand in Steve’s face. He sighed and gave her a high five. “Oh, sweet Jesus! Thank you!” She pulled Steve and you into a hug, squeezing you both tightly. “Thank you so much,” she sniffed, collapsing back into her chair and clutching her arm. “It’s getting pretty late; I should probably head home,” you said. “Oh, right. I’ll walk you out.” You said your goodbyes to everyone else, and Steve walked with you to the door. He grabbed your coat, helping you put it on. “You know…I don’t have any roommates.” You bit your lip, glancing up at him. “Yeah, I noticed that when I came over the other day. What’s that like? It must get pretty lonely at times.” Robin groaned loud enough for you to hear. “He’s so goddamn stupid. Have I completely wasted my time by taking him under my wing?” Steve blushed. “Shut up, Robin.” He stepped out into the hallway with you. “Sorry, um, what were you saying again?” “Well, I was trying to ask you if you wanted to come back to my place, but maybe I wasn’t as clear as I thought I was.” He ran his hand over his face. “No, Robin’s right. I’m just stupid.” “Hey, don’t call my boyfriend stupid.” Steve smiled, grabbing your hand. “It won’t happen again.” You started tugging him towards the stairwell. “Let’s go; I’ve got a new mattress that needs breaking in.” He chuckled. “Now that, I understood.” *** “And, as you both know, we still spend Thanksgiving together as a family.” “Steve,” you whispered. “They fell asleep.” He looked down at your children. “At what part?” “Somewhere around ‘cockamouse’.” He sighed. “Maybe one day they’ll appreciate my stories.” You reached across both children to place your hand on Steve’s arm. “Hey. I love your stories.” He took your hand, lifting it up to kiss the back of it. “I know. It’s why you married me, isn’t it?” “One of the reasons,” you grinned. “I can’t say some of the other reasons when there’s tiny ones present.” “I guess you’ll just have to tell me after Nancy comes to pick up the kids in the morning then.” You hummed in agreement as you started to nod off. Steve turned off the lamp and laid down under the covers. “Goodnight, love.” “G’night Stevie.”

#stranger things #steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #how i met your mother #steve harrington fic

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joaquinwhorres · 6 years

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Broken Wings (Billy Hargrove x Hopper!Reader)

The Broken Wings Series

Read Part 2 >

Summary: Being a Hopper means you always step up and never give up. (And never ever mention how corny that is as a motto.) You’ve held onto these words for the past 11 years and they’ve never led you astray. But when another dimension and a huge asshole come into play, it’s hard to live up to your Dad’s standards.

Pairing: Billy Hargrove x Hopper!Reader (Slow burn)

Word Count: 1,737

Author's Note: So, before I wrote "Idiot" this just kind of came pouring out. It's a prologue more than anything else, but if you guys want to read more (knowing it will be probably a 10+ part series and I'm feeling a Billy Hargrove x Reader fic for this one) let me know because we can all use some Dad!Hopper, and frankly I'm feeling a little Billy x Redemption. Also, excuse the melodramatic title.

Warnings: Broken families. Child’s death.

You never had the luxury of a normal life.

From the moment you were conceived, circumstances with your family had been...different. Your parents met at a party. It was your dad's last hoorah before he got shipped over to Vietnam. Your dad once mentioned--while very drunk--that your mom had considered it an act of patriotism, a service to her country to slip away with the attractive young enlisted man.

This red, white, and blue spirit wore off about a month later when your mother found, well, you.

Letters were exchanged. Decisions were made. And when your dad came back, the two of them reconnected. They got to know each other. He got to know you. And, a couple of years later they got married, papers were signed, and you were all officially Hoppers. It was a testament to how things, no matter how convoluted they may be, tended to work themselves out.

You were six when they announced you were going to be a big sister and seven when you learned what that really meant.

You remember standing in front of your dad's chair in the hospital waiting room as he took both of your hands and looked you in the eyes. "Do you know what it means to be a Hopper, Y/N?" he asked. You shook your head, and he gave you a soft smile, running his thumbs over the backs of your hands. "Being a Hopper means you always step up. Do you know what that means?"

"Kind of," you drew out the words.

"It means that when you notice someone needs help, you don't wait to be asked, you go help them. And you don't give them enough help. You go above and beyond. You do whatever you can to help. Until they're good."

"What if they don't want help?" you asked. Your father moved back in his seat a little and looked you up and down. And then, almost in slow motion, his lips curled up into a smile.

"Well, Y/N," he said, leaning even closer to you. "The other thing about Hoppers, is we don't give up. Even if we should." You smiled back at him as he shook your hands twice before releasing them. "I want you to know this because when the baby's born, you go on-duty," he poked your belly and you giggled. "As the big sister, you have to show the baby what it means to be a Hopper. Think you can do that?"

You nodded and he smiled, leaning forward to kiss your forehead. Shortly after, your new sister was born and you were officially on-duty.

You took to your new role as big sister like a fish to water. It was as if at seven you just knew that you were born to do this. You made your own breakfast–cereal, every day. You set and cleared the table for your parents. You put yourself to bed at night and let your parents know they could come and tuck you in. In the morning, you made your bed. When Sara cried, you tried distracting her with toys. As she got older, you played peek-a-boo with her and tried teaching her rhymes (despite the fact that your parents explained babies couldn't understand rhymes.) By the time she was four you were routinely sneaking out of your bed and into hers so you could read her extra bedtime stories.

And then, at eleven, came the second piece of news that changed your life.

While starting middle school should have been your biggest worry at the time, instead it became whose house were you going over after school. You had sleepover after sleepover, and when that became too wearing for your friends' families, it was babysitter after babysitter as your parents took Sara to her different hospital appointments. And then, instead of the three of them going to the hospital to visit the doctors, it became the three of you going to the hospital to visit Sara. And one day, instead of the hospital, it was the graveyard.

Life was different after Sara. Your father never pulled you aside and sat you down to explain what it meant now that you were off-duty. There was no explanation of how you could expect your life to change now that you were no longer a sister. You had a feeling that the rules no longer applied, but like a true Hopper, you refused to give them up.

Even though you probably should have.

While you wished your parents would usher you into life after Sara in the same way that they ushered you into life with Sara, you understood, even at twelve, why they couldn't.

Your father was falling apart. It was all he could do to ask you how your day at school was and share a small tidbit of his work happenings before he sat himself down in his chair with a bottle of beer or a glass of something dark and listened to his records for the rest of the night.

Your mother was never home. She disappeared for days at a time to be with her friends or relatives or somewhere else. You had suspected it was because she found it hard to look at you. You had the same blonde hair. The same blue eyes. It wasn't until you came home early–on time, really–from school one day that you heard why.

You could still see her in the kitchen, sitting on the floor with her back against the wall. The phone was stretched down to her, and she was crying into it, mascara leaving dark rings around her eyes. "Jim's always on me about how I'm not spending enough time with Y/N, but I'm the one who's dragging him to bed drunk. And Y/N always needs me to sign a permission slip or is asking me what's for dinner," she sniffled, wiping at her eyes and smudging her makeup further. "It's like they're suffocating me. And this house…this house is like a mausoleum. It's just full of dead people. I can't be here anymore." She shook her head, dissolving into tears. You had crept past her and locked yourself away from your room and decided it was time to step up.

You started making yourself breakfast, lunch, and basic dinners. At first, you had thought that you'd need to make a show out of it so your mother knew she didn't have to make dinner anymore. It didn't take too long to learn that your mother wouldn't make dinner unless asked.

It wasn't long after you started cooking for yourself and forging your mother's signature that she officially moved out.

One day you came home, and she was gone, leaving behind only a letter to your father. You had, out of curiosity read it. It was angry, bitter, heartbreaking, and unfair. You had been given a single line of thought.

Tell Y/N I'm sorry.

It had been a heartbreaking and surprising betrayal. For the first four years of your life it had been just you and your mother. Even though you hardly remembered that time, you'd assumed it would have meant something to her. But when Sara died, it was as if she took you with her.

After reading the letter, your father had taken down a half-drunk bottle of bourbon, gone into his room, closed the door, and put a Jim Croce album on. You had gone to his door and heard him crying over the sounds of "I Got a Name." You slid down the door the same way your mother slid down that kitchen wall and cried with him.

You were too sick to go to school the next day.

When the papers were signed, you were thirteen. It was a month after the divorce was finalized that your dad packed you up and moved you back to his hometown of Hawkins, Indiana. While at first you missed the big city feel and your friends from your old school, you met Jonathan Byers and the two of you became fast friends. Not the kind of friends where you went over each other's houses or hung out on the weekend or that you even talked about to your dad. No, you were the kind of friends who sat with each other at lunch so you didn't have to sit alone.

But then you left for high school, and Jonathan stayed behind, and you made new friends and made the shift into a normal life. Well, a normal life with an alcoholic and absentee father, but in Hawkins, as much as you could tell, detached parents was the norm. The days of you and your parents and Sara going out for walks in the park was a brief dream that you were lucky to be a part of. Going to school, getting involved in clubs, coming home to take care of your father, and sneaking out later at night to meet up with the boy you were currently seeing—that was truly what it meant to be a normal teenager. And you were ok with that. You were happy to be normal, and it seemed like for once, life had sort of settled into a predictable pattern.

And then junior year.

When Will Byers went missing, everything changed. And that's not just because Hawkins practically went on shut down because everybody was freaking out over a missing kid.

It was because your dad stopped drinking.

And you reconnected with Jonathan after stepping up to help him find his brother.

And, oh yeah, you also discovered that there was another dimension that monsters could crawl through to eat people.

Your world became a lot smaller that year. In a good way. It was almost as if all of the extraneous people who had been walking in and out of your life just disappeared and all that was left was who really mattered: Your dad. The Byers. Nancy Wheeler. El. The four goons. And, to some extent, Steve Harrington, who had saved your life.

You had never had the luxury of a normal life.

But you had the luxury of being a Hopper, and when your dad opened the door to your new home, your great-grandfather's cabin in the woods, and you saw El sitting in the dark, alone on the dusty old couch, you knew that was something she could use too.

And you were on-duty.

Tag List: @lemonchapstick @pity-mee @bands-and-shietz @morgandakotaq @madhatterweasley @loveforbrains

#billy hargrove x reader #billy hargrove imagine #billy hargrove x hopper!reader #billy hargrove fic #dad!hopper #billy hargrove x you #billy hargrove #billy hargrove series #stranger things imagine #stranger things 2 #stranger things #hopper!reader #billy hargrove fanfiction #broken wings

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robininthelabyrinth · 7 years

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Fic: The Swiftest Course (Ao3) (Chapter 3/8)

Fandom: Flash, DC’s Legends Pairing: Barry Allen/Leonard Snart/Mick Rory, Eddie Thawne/Iris West Summary:

Barry of Allen is on his way to the capital of Tortall for the final part of his knight training, hiding a secret that could threaten his career there. He’s determined to keep his head down and not get into trouble.

He isn’t expecting to meet Len, Corus’ Rogue, or his right-hand man, Mick. Or meet Princess Iris and his new friends, Cisco and Caitlin.

He certainly wasn’t expecting to be roped into adventure.

(It’s the Gods’ fault, really.)

A/N: For joyous-lee, who purchased one of my stories for the FandomTrumpsHate event. She requested a Tortall AU, with Barry as Alanna. Thank you so much for your patience, and I hope you enjoy it!

——————————————————————————————–

"So you put the bastard in his place?" Len asks.

"Yeah! It was great," Barry replies, trying to flip Len over his hip.

It's cute that he thinks that'll work.

Len swipes Barry's legs out from under him and pins him. "Congrats. That must've been satisfying."

"You have no idea," Barry says effusively even as he struggles to escape. "Seeing Tony Woodward slink away after kicking his ass three times in a row - brilliant. He avoids us now. Which is good, since the trip's coming up next week."

He gives up and taps out. Len rolls off of him with a smirk and offers him a hand up, which Barry accepts.

"One more for me," Len tells Mick, who's keeping score in a little red book.

"I don't know why you guys keep count," Barry complains. "I'm never going to beat you."

"Hope is important," Len says. "Also, I'm teaching you all about the noble art of rubbing someone's face in it."

Barry snickers.

"What trip?" Mick asks.

"We're going to the rainforest," Barry says, unable to keep a rueful smile off his face.

"Ah, yes, the rainforest," Len says gleefully. "Old Queen Tallesin's folly."

"It true that she was trying to fix things?" Mick asks. He doesn't always know Tortall legends, being as he is from the middle of nowhere.

"Yep," Barry says. "She was trying to create a new stable ecology for the region or something like that, I think she was saying, but at any rate, she meant to do it by abusing the Dominion Jewel which, uh, didn't work. Legend has it that the Jewel went nuts, created the rainforest and the new southern ridge of mountains, and then leapt by itself into the Mouth of the Salamander."

"Which hadn't even existed before then," Len puts in. "She gave us our first active volcano, like losing the Dominion Jewel wasn't enough."

"And you're going there?" Mick asks Barry. He's got a strange look on his face.

"Yeah, it's the annual trip. We were going to go to the desert, but there's murmurs of unrest, so we're going to the rainforest instead. They're using all the hostels in the desert to host real knights, you see, and mages, too."

"Unrest?"

"Someone swears they've found the remnants of the crystal sword."

"The one that got, uh, eaten when some mage tried a spell to pull it out of the Corus Gate some hundred years ago? That's absurd,” Len scoffs. “Why in the world would it be in the desert?"

"Well, you know, the crystal sword was originally found in the desert.”

“Yeah, but the Lioness' Lightning was found in Olau, according to the legend, and you don’t get much further from the desert than Olau.”

“Well, yeah. But someone said something and then people started fighting - you know how people are about legends."

"True," Len concedes. "Sounds like a fun trip. Have fun."

"We're going," Mick says.

"We're what?" Len yelps. He knows Mick's serious tone. "No, we're not."

"Yes, we are." Mick's voice is pleasant, level, and utterly final.

"I'm the Rogue - I can't just leave Corus at the drop of a hat -"

"Barry's not leaving till next week," Mick points out. "It'll be a good test for your lieutenants. A much needed one. Hartley, Mardon and Shawna all need some independence to see how they'll do."

"Well, I guess..."

"Wait, are you guys serious?" Barry asks, brightening. "That's fantastic!"

He leaps straight at Len, enveloping him in an utterly unexpected hug, making Len topple backwards with a yelp.

"I'm counting that one as one of Barry's," Mick says, smirking.

Len makes a rude gesture in his direction.

Barry does him one better, though, scrambling up from where he's pinning Len to leap at Mick.

"I'm the score-keeper," Mick yelps. "No fair attacking the score-keeper!"

"It's affection, you dumbasses, not attacks!"

"Help, Len! He's got his paws all over me!" Mick wails melodramatically even as he wraps his arms back around Barry for a great bear hug. "Assault! Assault! Summon the Lord Provost! Rogue, I petition you! Help!"

Len is laughing way too hard to say anything snarky.

"I'm the one being assaulted!" Barry laughs. "Mithros, but you're strong."

"You should see me with fire," Mick says, putting Barry back down. "Now get you back to the court adjacent; Len and I need to pack and figure out travel plans."

"Sad but true," Len says, shaking his head as if it can clear the grin on his face. "We'll meet you there. You lot are staying in Castle Perilous, right?"

"It's so badly named," Barry replies, nodding. "That's a way to make someone feel safe, isn't it? Castle Perilous."

"I heard," Mick says solemnly, "that it got that name because it was built on a swamp."

"It was?"

"Oh, yes," Mick says. "See, the first version sank into the swamp. But that didn't stop them - they built a second, stronger one. Which also sank into the swamp. The third one burned down. Fourth one also sank. But the fifth one stayed up!"

Barry gapes at him. "That's awful!"

Mick starts laughing.

"Is any of that true?!" Barry exclaims.

"Given that we heard it in a comedic minstrel performance last week," Len says, biting his lip, "I'm going to say that I doubt it."

"You guys are assholes," Barry tells them, still smiling. "I'll go tell the others; they'll be delighted to hear. See you - huh, I guess if the trip's next week and you're coming, I guess I'll see you there."

"Guess you will," Len says.

----

He waits until Barry's gone and down the street to turn to Mick. "Well?"

"What?"

"Why are we really going? You don't ask for pleasure trips, not like that."

Mick frowns. "You won't believe me."

That, in turn, makes Len frown. "Mick. You're my partner. Of course I believe you."

"I saw an image of a city hidden in the rainforest," Mick says. "In the fire."

"What fire? Mithros' fires, by his temple? One of the other gods?" Len hadn't known Mick even went to those. By and large, Mick is remarkably disdainful of the gods, even though by all accounts he'd grown up in the general religion. He doesn't even have Len's excuse of being born and raised a follower of Mother Flame, She and She Alone, a group that acknowledges the existence of the gods but maintains that they are mere children of the Mother and therefore to worship them is idolatrous. Not that they have anything against the gods – they’d certainly say hello if they met them in the street or something – but they wouldn’t worship them.

Though Len concedes he hasn't always been the best adherent. That restriction against pork - not to mention stealing...

There's a reason Len considers it worthwhile to swing by to greet the Trickster in his sacred spaces, even though he makes certain not to actually pray or anything. Friendly hello to an equal-born child of Mother Flame, albeit one that has the power to destroy Len in a heartbeat.

"No," Mick says, reluctant. "Just - that fire. Last week."

Len searches his memory for any religious fires, tinted with vervain for foresight, but come up empty. And then it hits him. "Wait," he says. "The gambling den arson? The one you ended up in a fit over?"

"Yeah," Mick says guiltily. "Still sorry about that."

"I'm telling you, it's fine," Len says, not for the first time. "I know you've got a case of the firebug fits; s'why I always make sure you got company when you go debt-collecting with torches and why I make sure you always got something to burn. But - you saw something?"

"I saw a city," Mick says. "In the rainforest. We need to be there, or else something bad'll happen."

"That ever happen before?"

"Twice," Mick says. He'd never mentioned that before. "Once before I came to Corus - it's why I came. I saw a new home here. S'why I walked all that way."

"And the second time? What'd you see then?"

"Faithful," Mick says, nodding at his rat, curled up happily in the little pen Len had built for him. "I knew just where to go to find him."

"Well," Len says after a long minute.

"They could be hallucinations," Mick adds hastily. "I know that that's a symptom of firebug fits sometimes, and I've got them before -"

"Only when you were very sick or depressed," Len points out. "Neither of which you are now. No, if you say you saw something, I guess you saw something. Guess we're going to the rainforest."

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

It’s official.

Barry of Allen is the only person in all of Tortall that does not like Thawne Eobard.

No matter how many times Eobard smiles – greasily, in Barry’s opinion – or how everyone swears up and down that he’s really nice, Barry does not like him.

This puzzles the living daylights out of all of his friends.

Being forced to ride in formation, stuck right next to Eobard’s horse, all the way down to the rainforest only made it worse.

Especially since Eobard spends the entire time talking with Iris about some sort of “hidden city” legend in the rainforest, talking about how exciting the concept is - how dangerous - how Good King Jonathan took on the Black City when he was far younger –

(Which he wasn’t, being very nearly a full knight and all, but everyone ignored it when Barry pointed it out. Also, is it just Barry, or is it weird to refer to Good King Jonathan in the singular? It’s always Good-King-Jonathan-and-Queen-Thayet. They ignore Barry about that, too.)

"Unfortunately," Eobard drawls in his nasal voice, far more jarring to Barry's ears than Len's more musical one. "It does seem that heroism of that sort is a thing of the past."

Barry sees Iris' eyes shining in excitement. "Maybe not," she says, sounding far too thoughtful.

"Maybe that's because individualistic heroism has been replaced with individuals committed to upholding institutional justice," Barry says, only slightly sourly.

"How's that?" Caitlin asks, blinking. She's been strangely dazed during much of the trip, as had Cisco; Barry guesses they're not used to traveling like this.

"Individual heroism as in the days of Good King Jonathan and Queen Thayet – and the Lioness, of course - was all well and good if your goal was making a name for yourself and yourself alone," Barry points out. "But permitting justice to be dispensed by individuals and effectively only permitting training for the higher end nobility and nomads, since no one else could afford to lose a child's help in the days prior to the institution of mandatory childhood education, essentially created a system in which entire communities were at the mercy of their local knight's biases and whims. Which is why Good King Jonathan and Queen Thayet worked so hard to develop the current system where any goodman’s child can enter their local training for knighthood, with their families subsidized for the loss of their labor if they’re not landowners. That’s why we call them the ‘Good’ King and Queen, after all."

Iris is nodding eagerly, since this is one of her pet peeves. "Not to mention the utter failure of that system to encourage investigation into issues of structural inequality," she says. "We had knights; now we have enforcers of the law which are themselves subject to the law they enforce."

Thawne Eobard looks annoyed, albeit subtly. "I suppose so," he says. "But there is still a lack of great deeds now, wouldn't you say?"

He aims that question at Iris, who falters.

"Not to mention," he adds smoothly, "you can't overlook the great deeds they did accomplish individually - Jonathan and the Banishment of the Black City, for instance, could not have happened with an army -"

"I personally think that Judge Samor in the 7th District counts as an individual hero," Barry chimes in, noticing with disgust how Iris, Caitlin and Cisco all turn to listen to Eobard adoringly whenever he speaks. He’s not that impressive. "She's been working for the rights of bastard children for fifty years. She fought her way up from nothing to become one of the most respected judges in all of Tortall, which is nearly as helpful in getting rid of the stigma that bastards are useless as her active efforts. And look at how she led the way in equalizing the inheritance laws!"

"I thought her recent ideas about funding unwed mothers were a bit much," Caitlin objects. "Doesn't that undercut the institution of marriage at all?"

"That depends on the benefit of the institution," Cisco points out. "If we really wanted to strengthen marriage above all else, we'd eliminate divorce and trap people in them, but we don't do that because it's not our highest value -"

"Feeding children is more important," Iris adds, nodding.

"I may just be contrary here, but it seems to me that it's not just -" Caitlin starts.

The debate kicks into high gear after that.

Barry's pretty sure he's the only one noticing Eobard's lips twisting in annoyance.

He still manages to bring up the stupid Black City legend three more times, despite Barry's best efforts to derail him.

There’s a lovely welcome feast by Julian Albert, the master of Castle Perilous, in which Albert talks at length about the local legends of gorillas in the rainforest, rumors of them having formed some sort of enclave, and the dangers of going in alone given their territoriality, but Barry goes to bed that evening still feeling unaccountably annoyed. He's not sure why he's so annoyed, he just knows that he is.

He takes a deep breath and lets it out.

"Okay," he mutters into his pillow. "Let's talk it out like Mom and Dad are always saying. Why does it bug me that he's talking about it all the time? So he likes legends; it's not a crime."

Still, doesn't Eobard realize how impulsive Iris can be? If he keeps goading her on like this, she'll do something -

Barry sits bolt upright in bed.

"Stupid," he hisses, and flashes into his clothing and down the stairs.

Even with the aid of the magic he'd sworn never to use, he barely makes it to the gate before Iris.

"Are you nuts?" he asks her.

Iris tosses the hood of her waterproof cloak back, scowling at him. "How'd you know I'd be here?" she asks.

"After Eobard practically dared you to go to into the rainforest looking for a hidden city by comparing you to Good King Jonathan and Queen Thayet? Seemed obvious," Barry says, then amends it to, "Mostly obvious. I just figured it out."

"He didn't dare me," Iris says, rolling her eyes. "But he's not wrong - there's a great deed here, just waiting to happen!"

"No one has ever found a hidden city in the rainforest, Iris. It’s not like the Black City, which was actually visible.”

“I know!” she says, beaming. “But I’ve figured it out.”

Barry pauses. “You’ve figured out…what?”

“It’s the gorillas! Everyone has been everywhere in the rainforest except where it’s marked out as gorilla territory, because they’re so violent against intruders. That must be where the hidden city is!”

Barry gapes at her. “So your idea is to go straight to the place with the violent territorial gorillas? Really?”

Iris crosses her arms. “You can come with me or not, Barry, but I’m going.”

Barry bits his lip. Iris seems dead-set on the idea, and he knows her well enough by now to know that nothing he says will change her mind. She’s going to go into that rainforest, with him or without him, and she won’t let him go back and get anyone from the Castle –

Huh. That’s an idea.

“Okay,” he says. “I’m coming. But can we make a detour?”

She scowls at him, suspecting a trick.

“No, no,” Barry says. “We’re definitely going into the rainforest. It’s just – we have to pass through the city proper before we get to the gates, right?”

“Yeah, so?”

“I promised I’d meet Len and Mick –” Tomorrow or the day after, technically, but they did tell him where they’d be staying. “– so we should swing by in case they get annoyed about me ditching them after they came all this way to hang out with us here.”

Iris frowns. “Fine,” she says. “But if you try to get them to stop me, I’ll never forgive you.”

Damnit.

They steal into the city proper and head down to the Monkey’s Paw, which is a disreputable-looking tavern in the poorer part of town, and which is surrounded by plenty of big, angry-looking people eying Barry and Iris’ expensive cloaks.

“Uh,” Barry says. “I’m here to see the Rogue?”

The thugs exchange glances, but finally one of them gets up and gestures for Barry and Iris to follow.

Len and Mick are seated in the middle of a positive sea of shining criminal faces, Len weaving one of his ridiculous-yet-true stories about heists he’s run with Mick interjecting additional details, some of which might even be true.

“Rogue,” the thug grunts. “Guests.”

Len looks up. “Barry,” he says warmly. “And you brought your friend, too. Do you have news for me?”

Barry blinks, not sure what Len means, but Iris steps up right away, saying, “News from the Castle, Rogue, and the special information you wanted.”

“You’re planning to job old Perilous?” one of the local thieves asks, sounding impressed.

Len shrugs. “I ain’t committing to nothing till I got all the intel I need,” he says archly. “Sorry, boys; gonna have to continue this story later. Need to talk to my, ah, friends from the Castle.”

There are murmurs of agreement and approval, and the crowd splits to let Len and Mick walk through to Barry and Iris, catching them easily by the arm and leading them to another room.

“Mick?” Len says.

Mick holds up a secret-sphere, activating it with a click. “It’ll muffle the sound, but not for long,” he warns.

“Being a Rogue spy in the Castle is a dream come true,” Iris says.

Barry sighs. “Was that necessary?” He does think it’s pretty cool, though, so he’s maybe not managing "put upon" as well as he could.

“This ain't Corus,” Len replies dryly. “Been a while since these people have seen - or had to respect- the Rogue. Enough of that, though. What’s up? You’re early.”

“Iris wants to go hunting for the hidden city in the rainforest,” Barry says. “Tonight. Alone.”

Len and Mick exchange a look. “City in the forest, huh?” Len says. “Okay, we’re in.”

“What?!” Barry yelps.

“Yes!” Iris cheers.

“Do you know where it is?” Len asks.

“I have my suspicions,” Iris says, and grins. “And a map.”

“You have a map?” Barry asks. She didn’t mention a map.

“Yep,” she says. “Got it from Julian Albert myself. He’s really into the whole gorilla thing.”

“So we’re really going,” Barry says.

“We’re really going,” Iris says.

“At least we’ve made a decision,” Len says dryly.

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

"It's official," Barry mutters. "I hate the jungle."

"Rainforest, Barry," Len replies, though he seems equally displeased by trudging through miles and miles of identical forest in the dark, their way lit only by the mage-light of their lanterns.

"What's the difference?"

"Rainforest has a thick canopy of trees, blocks the light," Mick grunts. "Jungle's thick on ground vegetation."

"I didn't know that," Iris observes. "Where'd you pick it up?"

"Mick knows everything," Len drawls, but he sounds pleased. Barry knows Len well enough to know that it's from Iris not having expressed surprise at Mick having brains as well as brawn. "He's - what's that word again? Starts with an o, means know-it-all?"

Iris blinks, baffled, and exchanges glances with Barry.

O word, o word, know-it-all, all-knowing...

"Wait," Barry says. "Omniscient?"

"That's the one," Len says cheerfully. "He's a bit slow to get to it sometimes, but ask him a question and he knows the answer."

"You have great faith in your friend," Iris says. The smile is evident in her voice. "To which I owe the life of my own friend, so I suppose I must believe you."

Len chuckles. "And how has Eddie been treating you?"

"He hasn't been 'treating' me anyhow; we're just friends -"

"Friends don't make out in Sweetheart Lane," Len shoots back with a smirk.

"Iris!" Barry exclaims, delighted.

"Gimme a break!" Iris shoots back, grinning shamelessly. “He's adorable!”

"Yes, adorable - and new to the city, too, which means you took him to Sweetheart Lane," Barry says, smirking. “For shame, Iris. Corrupting nice young men like that.”

"I remind you, Barry, that I am also your princess."

"Not in the rainforest you're not," Mick says. “Nobody to enforce your rules.”

"I'll tease you later," Barry tells Iris, earning a laugh. "All the time. Endlessly. You'll beg me to stop."

"I'll live," she replies. "Now, Len, tell us what you mean by Mick being omniscient. You mean he's terribly clever and people don't realize it, right?"

Mick snorts and Len laughs. "If I meant that," he says, "I would say it."

"Then what do you mean? You can't mean that he actually knows everything."

"Well, no. But he can answer any question he puts his mind to," Len explains, no trace of doubt in his voice. "It just takes time, that's all. I asked him a question once and he answered me near on two years later; he's lucky I even remembered what he was talking about."

"So he can answer anything, but slow? What if I asked about the meaning of life?" Iris teases.

"I could tell you," Mick says, and he sounds amused. "But sadly by the time I got the answer, you'd already be dead - and have your answer."

Iris laughs. "Well, that’s convenient. Wouldn't you say, Barry?"

"A little," Barry says, smiling. "Hardly the strangest thing I've ever heard of. Is it always slow?"

"Nah, sometimes it's quick as a wink," Len says. "Not often, though; I prefer the slow approach, myself."

"Of course you do." Barry rolls his eyes.

"Try him!"

"And if he doesn't answer, wait a few years?"

"Well, don't ask him anything too complex, then."

"But that's all the fun," Iris says, shaking her head.

"Oh, I've got one," Barry says. "Mick."

Mick raises his eyebrows.

"Where should I go to find what I'm looking for?"

Barry's quite pleased with his question; it's abstract enough for a good answer, but it sounds to him, at least, like an excellent request for directions to the hidden city, which they could then trace on the map that Iris has been consulting regularly but hasn't shown around. They can use that as a test.

Mick blinks. "Oh, that," he says dismissively. "That's easy."

"It is?" Barry replies, blinking a little.

"It's in the base of that big tree down that hill," Mick says. “It'll put you on the right path to what you’re looking for."

Len squints down the hill, enhancing his mage-light. "I don't think I see a tree, Mick," he says. "The hill cuts off in a cliff-face or something like -" He abruptly goes silent.

"Len?" Barry asks.

"That’s a tree," Len says.

Barry steps forward and looks. "Oh, wow," he says. The tree is gigantic, old and gnarled, with its branches twining up into the canopy, but its base is frankly massive. You could fit a house inside that trunk.

Barry steps forward again, eager to get a better look, and that's when the ground gives way beneath him and suddenly he's sliding down the hill.

"Barry!" he hears his friend shout as he bumps and rolls his way down the hill, instinctively throwing his arms up to protect his face and focusing on letting his body be limp and soft, falling the way you're supposed to fall.

Thank the Goddess for knight lessons, he supposes.

It's probably due to that that he makes it to the bottom of the hill without anything more than a few bruises and scrapes.

The bottom of the hill –

The tree is just as massive as Barry thought, but it's only up close that he sees the intricate carvings on it.

"Oh, wow," he breathes again, ignoring the sound of his friends edging down the hill in his direction.

He'd thought you could fit a house in here, and it looks like someone had had the same thought, decorating the place all over.

And more importantly, these aren't just carvings.

"It's a door!" Barry calls, and presses his palm against what looked like the door handle. "Guys, it's a -"

The wall creaks open, pulling back with an ancient groan and taking Barry, who'd been unwisely leaning forward, toppling inside.

The floor is some distance further down than he would've thought it'd be. It's definitely lower than the ground outside, at any rate.

"Barry!" he hears Len shouting.

"Ouch," Barry says, sitting. He turns on his mage-light – which had turned off in his tumble, since he was no longer holding the activation rune against his skin - and sees...

Treasure.

Not treasure as one would regularly think it, but gorgeous carvings of all sorts, pictures, sculptures. Violent figures everywhere, holding up their swords and shields and spears as if in defense.

Barry would have thought it a place of worship, but there's no altar, no religious imagery, no signs of dedication to any god. Just warriors, ready to fight.

Also, Barry is sitting on something that's poking him in the ass.

He fishes it out from under him, only to blink stupidly at it.

It’s a sword. He can’t quite make out the details of it – mage-light is dim, better for seeing distances than details - but it is definitely a sword. And a scabbard and sword belt, for that matter, which is good because if Barry fell straight on a sword he'd be a lot less curious and a lot more bloody.

Why is there a sword lying in the middle of this place?

"Hey, Barry," he hears Len drawl. "You feel you need more time in there, or you ready to come out?"

Barry looks up sheepishly. "I found a sword," he calls.

"A sword," Len says flatly. "How nice. I'm sure when I recover from the heart attack you gave me, I might even care."

"Oh, hush," Iris says, though Barry can tell from her voice that she's also relieved. "You know, Alanna the Lioness found her first sword on a quest like this."

"She found it amongst ruins," Len shoots back, unimpressed. “In Olau. Hardly the middle of a rainforest.”

"These look like ruins! Or, well, they're ancient-looking, anyway..."

Mick appears behind the bickering duo with a length of vine, likely from a nearby tree. He tosses it down to Barry, who shoves the sword under his arm and climbs out.

"Thanks, Mick," he says when he gets up to the ground again, "for as usual being the only practical one of the whole lot of us."

Mick grunts in amusement as both Len and Iris immediately protest that they were going to get rope, really, in just a moment.

"So you found a sword," Iris finally says when she realizes it's hopeless. "Like Lady Alanna's Lightning! Oh, this is even more like the Quest of the Black City than I'd hoped!"

"I can't believe we're on a quest," Len grumbles, but his eyes are shining. He might not admit it, but the Rogue of Corus is as much of a storytelling fiend as Iris is; no wonder he agreed to this trip so easily.

Barry shrugs and buckles the sword on. It feels right. "Well, I am going to be a knight," he points out. "So a sword obtained on a quest is definitely a step in the right direction. Thanks for the directions, Mick."

"I still don't believe it," Iris announces. "Pure coincidence, I say."

"You don't have to believe it," Len retorts.

"Which way, Iris?" Barry interrupts before they start arguing again.

Iris checks her map. "Oh, this way. Follow me. So, Barry, what are you naming it?"

“The sword?”

"You should name it ‘Pours’," Len says immediately.

"What?"

"You know - when it rains-forest, it pours."

"That was awful,” Iris declares.

Mick nods, but he's quietly snickering. Barry is only snickering quietly because he has his hand over his mouth. "What?" he says when Iris gives him a long-suffering look. "It's funny!"

"Don't encourage him. Draw the sword, Barry; let’s see what it looks like.”

Barry does so. It’s lightweight and easy to hold, with a different metal of some sort running up the middle. “I like it,” he says.

“I think you should call it Lightning,” Iris declares.

"Like Lady Alanna?"

"Exactly!"

"I don't know. Seems like a name with a lot of weight..."

"Call it whatever you like," Len says. "It's only a pointy stick in the end."

That, of course, sets Iris off on a rant on the importance of swords and sword-bonding in the history of heroes, Len needling her every time she shows signs of flagging.

Mick nudges Barry a little. Barry looks at him. "Name it whatever you like," Mick says. "Don't worry about the weight of history; it's not as heavy as you might think."

This, Barry thinks to himself, unable to keep from smiling, from a man who named his pet rat Faithful.

Well, he supposes Mick knows best, then.

"Lightning it is," Barry decides, sheathing it once more. He feels a bit better with a proper sword, since he had only been able to bring knives out with him on this trip - as trainee knights, they travelled armed, but put the swords away when visiting at a castle.

Mick nods in approval. Barry feels warm inside.

"So, another question," Barry says to Mick, grinning to show he was joking. "You think we'll find the hidden city?"

"Sooner than we'd like," Mick says, but he's not looking at Barry.

Barry turns his head to look, and -

"Is that a giant statue of a gorilla?" he asks, amazed.

"It is!" Iris exclaims. "But what can it mean?"

"It means," a deep voice - inhumanly deep - says from behind them, "that you are trespassing."

They all spin around.

From the darkness outside the circle of their magelight, an enormous figure, larger and broader than any man, steps forward.

It's a gorilla.

No, not just a gorilla. It's a gorilla, standing like a man, its yellow eyes bright with intelligence, and it’s wearing armor. Filigreed silver armor, of a make and style Barry has never seen before.

It bares its fangs.

"Welcome," it says, "to Gorilla City."

#coldflashwave #dccoldwave #leonard snart #barry allen #mick rory #iris west #my fic

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hamitome--imagines · 7 years

Text

Unwanted Conversations

* Anthony Ramos x Reader * Modern rpf * 146: I wasn’t planning on asking you, but I’ve come to realize that life is short. Will you marry me? * Requested by @doggirl212 * Request: with Anthony where he was looking at a wedding ring for his girlfriend, but he only saw the readers face for each one and he realizes he loves them.

A/N: done! I don’t really have much to add except I have horrible writer’s block and absolutely no motivation to do…anything. So, I’m apologizing for my slowness. But anyway, enjoy!

Word Count: 2,780

“She is so amazing!” You friend Anthony was currently raving about some girl he’d met after a showing of Hamilton. You worked stage crew on the show and the two of you had become fast friends. The past few days he’d been going on and on about this girl he met backstage after the show. You were growing bored of it by now.

“Uh-huh?” You mumbled, uninterested. You were scrolling through you phone and sipping a coffee from Javier’s makeshift coffee shop. You were both sitting on the couch in his dressing room.

“Are you even listening?” Anthony asked. You sighed, locked you phone, placed your coffee on the table by the couch, and looked up at him.

“Not really. But that’s only because I’ve heard this a thousand times by now. This girl is super pretty and funny and amazing. You’ve told me this countless times already.” You complained.

“You wouldn’t happen to be jealous would you Y/N?” He teased. You grabbed a throw pillow from behind you on the couch and hit him in the face with it.

“Dream on.” You grumbled. Suddenly, you got hit in the face with a pillow.

“Pay back’s a bitch.” Anthony laughed. That’s how Oak walked in to find the two of you have a pillow fight with throw pillows.

“Do I want to know?” He asked.

“Y/N, started it!” Anthony blamed you like a child. It was true, but insanely childish. So you smacked the back of his head with your pillow.

“Whatever. We still have an evening show to do so I gotta go.” You said as you dropped the pillow. “You two outta start getting ready.” You advised.

“Yes ma'am.” Anthony replied with a mock salute. Eventually the musical started and you did your jobs backstage. Whenever you had some time, you’d stand off stage and watch your friends perform with their heart and soul. You liked watching Anthony. He was brilliant at this. He could perfectly portray twenty-something John Laurens, as well as nine years old Philip. He was great.

As always, after the show, you told your friends how well they did. As usual, Anthony wrapped you in a hug and spun you around. He did that after the first night on Broadway. He was excited it had gone so well and you had been the closest person to him. It became a thing between the two of you. It was a thing you enjoyed and always looked forward to. Only because it was routine. That’s all. — “Well should I bring her or not?” Anthony was asking you a few months later. He was now officially dating the same girl from months ago. Now he was pondering if he should bring her to a cast and crew party at the end of the week.

“I don’t know. Do whatever you want.” You snapped. You were so tired of having these conversations. “Look, take your girlfriend if you want. I don’t care. I have stuff to do.” With that you stood up and left the room.

“Wait. Y/N!” Anthony called. “What the hell was that about?” He muttered.

It was the day of the party. It was a party at a bar, not much else. Still, it was a time for you to hang out, the cast and crew, as a family. You looked forward to these get togethers. That was until Anthony finally showed up with his girlfriend. And he came straight over to you.

“Hey Y/N, I wanted to finally introduce you to my girlfriend. I know I talk about her a lot.” He admitted with a shrug.

“Yeah. That is definitely something you do.” You awkwardly agreed. This was not a conversation you wanted to have.

“It’s nice to meet you. You know, Anthony talks about you a lot as well. You seem so nice, I’m glad I finally get to put a face to the name I hear so often.” His girlfriend chirped happily.

“Yeah. Likewise. Look, I told Groff I had something to tell him. I gotta go.” You quickly said. You were desperate to leave this encounter. You quickly found your way to Jonathan’s side. “Hey.” You mumbled.

He looked over at you in confusion. “You ok?” He asked.

“Anthony brought his girlfriend. I don’t really want to be the third wheel all night long.” You grumbled.

Jonathan wrapped an arm around your shoulders. “Then you can hang with me!” He said happily.“I solemnly swear not to hook up with a chick tonight.” He vowed making you double over laughing.

“Or any other night I bet.” You told him.

“Eh probably not. But you know that doesn’t change the fact that I won’t tonight.” He agreed. So you stayed with Groff all night. However, you got annoyed every time you caught a glimpse of Anthony and his girlfriend. Eventually it was too much to handle and you decided to leave.

“Hey, Groff. I’m gonna head out.” You told him.

“You sure?” He asked.

“Yeah I’m fine. Just kinda tired.” You told him. As you were walking out a hand grabbed your wrist.

“Wait.” It was Anthony. “Are you leaving?”

“Uh yeah.” You answered.

“We haven’t hung out much yet tonight. You kinda hung around Groff the whole time.” He said in almost a grumble.

“Yeah sorry. Look, I’m just tired and wanna leave. I’ll see you at work though.” You told him before stepping out of the building. — “Why am I here again?” You asked from the back seat of Daveed’s car.

“Because I need a chick’s opinion.” Anthony told you from the passenger seat. Anthony had been dating his girlfriend for almost a year at this point. You still hadn’t warmed up to her. You didn’t even like being near her. Though, you always acted cordially. So much so that Anthony thought you and her were good friends.

A few days ago, Anthony asked you and Daveed for some help. Some help picking out an engagement ring. You don’t really know why you agreed to help. Yet you sat in Daveed’s car, in front of a jewelry store. You climbed from the car with them. You suppressed a groan as you walked into the store.

The bright lights, the glass cases, the stiff awkward air of any jewelry store, the sparkle everywhere. You hated it. You trailed behind the two men as they approached the ring case. You stood behind them but eventually got bored and wandered off. You came to stand in front of the necklace case, scanning and looking for any sort of distraction.

Anthony and Daveed continued staring at the rings. “See anything?” Daveed asked.

Anthony hummed, a bit discouraged. “Not really.” He let out a small chuckle. “Though, Y/N would like that one.” He said as he pointed to a ring.

Daveed looked at it but then gave Anthony a strange look. “Yeah I guess. But we’re not exactly looking for her.”

“No, of course not. I’m just saying…” He trailed off. He wasn’t even sure what he was saying. And Daveed realized that.

“What exactly are you saying Anthony?” He asked with a smirk. He turned and leaned back against the glass case and shot his friend a teasing and knowing look.

“Look, we just hang out a lot it all. I know her taste. I saw something that she would like and pointed it out. That’s all.” Anthony defended himself.

“If you say so.” Daveed said. Anthony huffed and glared at him. But then turned to see where exactly you had gone. You were bent down looking in a case of necklaces. He walked over to you.

“Something sparkly catch your eye?” He asked. You jumped in surprise, not realizing he’d walked up.

“Uh no. Just wasting time. Need my opinion on something?” You asked hesitantly.

“Nah. I didn’t really see anything too good. At least nothing she’d like.” He said with a shrug.

“Hm. Bummer.” You said absent mindedly. You had gone back to gazing into the glass case in front of you.

“Seriously? You seeing something in there?” Anthony asked once more. You only shrugged. He crouched down next to you to look at the necklaces as well. “What one?” He asked, lightly nudging you.

You, with a small smile at his playfulness, relented and pointed to a necklace. “That one. It’s pretty is all.” Anthony just hummed a noise of acknowledgement. Daveed came up between you two.

“We done here?” He asked. You and Anthony stood up straight.

“Yeah I think so.” Anthony agreed. The three of you left the store.

“We going to a different shop?” You asked. After all, there were plenty around.

“Uh nah. I don’t really feel up to it.” Anthony said.

“We went to one store.” You said in disbelief. “One store! And you’re calling it quits?”

“Look, I just…I need to look around online and stuff. I need to figure out the right kind of ring.” He stuttered to explain.

“Ok…” You answered. You caught on to his reluctance but didn’t comment. He sat in silence the whole way back to your home. — The next day of work Anthony was quiet. Too quiet. You were sat side-by-side on the couch as usual but he wasn’t saying much. Merely staring off into space. You lightly kicked him. “You ok?” You asked

That seemed to shake him from his trance. “Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Nothing, it’s just your quiet. Your usually gushing about your lady friend by now.” You muttered. You didn’t want him to start up talking about her again but then at least he’d seem himself.

“You don’t like her do you?” Anthony asked.

“What?” You asked back. You thought he believed you were close friends.

“I thought you did for a bit.” He did admit. “But the way you talk about her shows different.”

You shrugged. You were caught. “I guess I just don’t like her being around.” You told him. “She’s all you talk about and the only person you ever see anymore. I kinda feel like I was tossed to the side.” You sighed. You didn’t want to have this conversation either. So you stood up. “Look, I think Lin needed my help with something. I gotta go.” A blatant lie but you needed out of there. So you left the room before Anthony could stop you.

You decided you could at least find Lin and talk with him until the show needed to start. At least that way you weren’t completely lying. Plus, if Anthony came to find you, you’d be where you said you’d be. So you knocked on Lin’s door and pushed it open a crack. “Yeah?” You heard Lin say, signaling the all-clear to enter.

“Hey.” You greeted with a smile. He was lounging on a couch playing some video game, but he paused it as you came in. You lowered yourself into a chair that was opposite the couch.

“What’s up?” He questioned. He sat up and swung his legs off the couch so he could face you.

“Oh nothing, you can keep playing.” You said and waved toward the tv. “I’m just hiding.”

Lin laid back on the couch how he had been before. He held the controller but didn’t start the game yet. “From who?” He asked with a laugh.

“Anthony.”

“Why? You guys get along great.” He said in confusion.

“We just had an awkward conversation. Plus, all he talks about now is his girlfriend that he’s soooo in love with.” You complained.

“I thought he dumped her.” Lin said, eyes trained on the TV as he started his game again.

“What? No way. He went ring shopping a few days ago.” You told him.

“Yeah and a few days ago he broke up with her.” Lin countered. “I dunno, maybe the prospect of buying a ring spooked him. But he’s definitely single now.” The two of you fell into silence as Lin played his game and you watched.

You stood off to the side of the stage later as crew does during the show. You never grew tired of it and honestly, it was nice to focus on Alexander Hamilton’s shit storm of a life. His was mapped out and decided already, even set to catchy songs. Yours was confusing and uncharted. The curtain fell and everyone went to rid themselves of costumes. For the first time, Anthony avoided you as he came off stage. He walked right by and didn’t even spare you glance. He seemed like he was deep in thought.

You continued with your jobs, which was hectic at the shows opening and ending. “Hey Y/N.” You glanced up as Daveed called your name. “Anthony said he wanted to talk to you. He should be in his dressing room.” You thanked Daveed and grumbled. You didn’t want to have another awkward conversation. You’d had too many lately. Still, you took a deep breath and went to Anthony’s room.

You waltzed right in, knowing Daveed wouldn’t send you over while Anthony was still changing. “You wanted to talk to me?” You asked.

“Yeah.” Anthony smiled but it was a nervous smile. Then he sighed. “You know, my role has never bothered me before. I can go on and play Laurens and Philip and it’s fine. But it kinda jarred me tonight.” You sat down next to him as he rambled. You had no clue where this was going. “I mean, both me die so young. And I have to be the one doing the dying every night.

"Philip was 19! He had so much of his life left. He never got to meet the girl of his dreams. Never got to have a family. Because his life was short. Laurens had a wife and kids but people questioned whether they were really in love or if was merely security. I can’t decided which would be worse honestly. Dying before you meet the one you love, or living your short life with someone you don’t.”

You put your hand over Anthony’s. He was rambling and it was worrying you. “Hey. You need to take a deep breath. What’s got you so worked up?” You asked and squeezed his hand in reassurance.

“Doing the show tonight I realized something. I also realized something a few days ago. Well, I wasn’t planning on asking you, but I’ve come to realize that life is short. Will you marry me?” He slid from his spot on the couch next to you and onto one knee. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. Inside was a ring that matched the necklace you had liked.

“Anthony-I-wait-what?” You stuttered. You were not expecting this. Anthony closed the box and came to sit next to you once more.

“At the store, looking at rings I realized something. I was looking for something my ex would’ve liked but everything I looked at, I was wondering if you’d like it. I could find rings you’d like or hate but couldn’t even focus on my ex. It was weird. And I realized that was because I liked you so much. I knew you perfectly because I liked you.”

“Anthony, we aren’t even dating.” You reasoned.

“And if you want to, we totally can. I mean, if you’d go out with me that is. But I felt like I could ask because we’ve been friends for a long time.” He slowly started leaning in closer. “We know each other. And I know you well enough to know that I am completely in love with you.” With that you surged forward and captured his lips with yours. He pulled you forward so you were straddling his lap and he kissed you soundly.

Of course you had hated his girlfriend. You were jealous. You hated that she was with him and not you but you couldn’t figure out why. It felt like she took something from you, and in a way she did. She took your best friend and the man you loved. You just didn’t realize you loved him yet. You had been friends with Anthony for so long that your attraction slowly grew without you realizing it. But a guys proposing and professing his love can make you realize a thing or two.

Anthony pulled back and rested his forehead against yours. You were both panting, breathless from the kiss. “So? Y/N, will you marry me?” He asked.

You smiled and pretended to be thinking it over. “Usually guys buy me dinner before they propose. But what the hell? Yes, Anthony. Absolutely yes.”

#hamilton #hamilton imagine #anthony ramos #anthony ramos x reader #anthony ramos imagine

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