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iwhishtomeetinournextlife · 3 years

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An anonymous love (Part 1)

Summary : Y/N sees Sirius Black running away after a particulary rough letter from his mother. She wants to cheer him up and decide to send him a letter, anymously, she knows how much he hates her house.

Warnings : Slytherin!Reader, female!reader, reader is worried about Sirius, not proof read

Word count : 1.8k

English is not my first language, sorry if there is any mistakes

You're here - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7

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Y/N loved receiving letters but even more sending them, she loved including all sorts of little gifts in hers; flowers, drawings, photographs, candies sometimes, she loved it even more now she was a witch, she started doing experiments with her magic. She learned how to make the drawings moves, charms the flowers so they would reopen as fresh as new, she even found a way for the letter to be read out loud if desire, in a way were it doesn’t fold and destroy itself the ways howlers do, so it could be listen to over and over again, her family especially loved that one.

She wanted to see now if could even include kisses, or even hugs, the feeling of arm wrapping around you to squeeze you tight was one of the best feeling to her and she wanted to be able to send it to anyone, so they could feel it whenever they wanted.

She was able to put the hugs and the kisses on little cards who had to be unfold, it took many mistake, accidents and retry but she was able to do it after some times. It wasn’t as reusable has she had hoped, only three uses who doesn’t last more than five seconds, but she was confident enough to know she will do better in the future.

She had send her last version to her parents a few days ago, one she was the proudest of, and was now waiting for their respond. Making sure everything was perfect was important as the first time she tried to do it the message felt like a dagger stabbing her chest. Thankfully she had no injuries, Mrs Pomfrey assured her there were nothing, the pain stayed a few hours though and she could have kissed the nurse for excusing her from the morning class that day, she would have not been able to work anyway.

Y/N was now waiting at the slytherin table next to the few friends she was able to make among her own house, quietly eating while listening to the crazy story of the friend on her right, laughing joyfully. She turned her head when she saw the owls starting to enter the room, eager to find if she will receives the respond of her parents, she watch as the other student opened their own mail, including the raven-haired boy at the gryffindor table, Sirius Black.

He had catch the eye of Y/N like many others, girls and boys, but she never dared to make a move, she was a slytherin and she knew how much he hated them. She had thought many times to send him an anonymous later but what for ? It would be a lost cost and she rather let the feeling die rather than being hurt. Well, at least she thought her feelings would disappear as time went by but she was incredibly wrong, it only got more intense.

Being in most of his classes was of no help, his cocky behavior, his stunning looks and charming smile. What bugged her the most was how brilliant he was, she never saw him study or even really paid good attention in class but was somehow able to earn good marks. She was a bit jealous of him for that if she was honest with herself, she wasn’t a bad student per say but did have to be focused and study to have good grades. They talked a few times before, mostly him helping her out with classes but he was nothing but nice and patient with her despote the green of her tie.

She fell for him even more when she saw him helping first years travelling the corridors and defending a third year against her bully, the punch was perfectly aimed for Merlin’s sake ! She loved every story he told her, all the pranks, the aventures, the quidditch match. The more she learned about him, the more difficult it was for her to keep her eye away from him.

“You’re drooling again”, Jacob snapped her out of her mind “ ‘m not !” swipping her lips just to be sure, making her friends laugh, she was red of embarassment, so out she hadn’t notice the owl giving her her parent’s letter. She gratefully took it before giving a bit of food to the owl who then flied away. Y/N got interrupt has she was opening the enveloppe.

“C’mon, you cant’ keep looking at him from afar for the rest of school ! Talk to him for once and save us the lover eyes !” said Olivia, “I can’t, you know he hates slytherins” her friend opened her mouth to protest before being cut. “Plus, he is way out of my league, he is like-" Y/N hesited a bit on her words, waving her hand around “- a sun giving life around him and I’m just somekind of, I don’t know, insect in the dirt”. Her friends around all gave a chorus of long sighs, they heard that a million times before, she rolled her eyes “My point is, I will never have the courage to ask him out”.

Before anyone could talk, a loud sound was heard comming from the gryffindor table, followed by the sound of turn up paper. When Y/N looked, she frowned, seeing Sirius almost running out of the room. “Wait mate !” James Potter, his best friend, tried to follow him but Remus Lupin stopped him. Y/N didn’t quite catch what they were saying, something about him needing to be alone.

And alone he stayed, she didn’t see him for the rest of the day, and she learned during the dinner that night it was because of the letter he received from home, it was quite known by most of the people who cared enough to be aware of the disastrous relationship of Sirius and his family, as it wasn’t unusual to see the boy upset because of his mother. Y/N’s blood boiled every time it would happened, how could someone treat their child that way ? Taking their time to write every horrid words just to cause pain ? Using something she loved so much to cause trouble instead as it should be : for the one you loved.

The scene earlier that day worked her up so much, she put her parent’s latter away without reading it, and it is only now in her bed she remembered even having it. She smiled at the curved letters, it was her mother’s handwritting, she very enthousiatly explain how her and her dad loved the hug, that coupled with the speaking spell “It was like you were right here with us !”, well not quite as she precised right after, but it felt nice to feel and hear their daughter after so many weeks apparts. She laughted when her father this time wrote she should find a way to commercial it, as she will become the richest witch of the wizard world. “Sure thing dad” she thought to herself. She carefully fold the paper before putting it in her “letter box”.

Then when she laid down, she couldn’t stop feeling sad for Sirius, he had such terrible parents but deserved so much more. She turned and turned and turned around in her bed, searching for a way to cheer him up and then she stopped, thinking of the letter of her parents and the success of the hug in the message, perhaps, she could send him something ..? She blushed at the idea, what could she says ? “Hey, your parents suck but your butty could send me in outter space”, sure, yeah, what a great idea Y/N.

She sighed, fine, maybe not that harsh but she could try to remind him how much is he loved here and how much of a great person he is. So she sat down in her bed, took a piece of parchment, her ink and her quill, careful to not wake up her roomates as she closed her curtains. She blow air through her mouth for a minute, gathering some courage, and then she start to write, hoping he would like it.

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The next day when she woke up, or more like when it was time to get ready since she didn’t close her eye all night, wanting the message to be perfect : the drawing, an illustration of a dog, a stag, a rat and the moon, remembering the nickname and the jokes the marauders gave and made to eachothers, she charmed it for the little animals to run around the paper, leaving paws or hooves print behind –which disappear after a few step of course-, the curves of the words, the ink, she had opt for her favorite dark purple, the flowers had she picked, some wind-flower and cyclamen, that she carefully stuck to the parchment.

And of course the final touch : a kiss on the forhead. She had thought of a hug but decided it was too much, it could be scary to suddenly feels arms around you. A smol kiss was more appropriate, a bit bold yeah, but more fleeting, less intimidating and still a tender gesture.

When she was happy with the result and check any error in her words she put the message in an envelopt, decorated with stars, showing the cannis constellation, because of Sirius name obviously. And then put it in her bag, careful so her friend would not see it.

Once she was ready and out of her room with her friends, she realised she had no idea on how to give it to him. Surely not by hand, she didn’t put her name anywhere for a reason, maybe slide it into his bag during class ? But she was to scared to be caught.

She didn’t have to worry about it to much, since Sirius wasn’t at the class she shared with him, his friends looked troubled and worried, calmer than usual. Y/N felt a weight setting in her stomach, was the letter that bad he didn’t want to show up today either ? When he wasn’t at lunch either, she decided to send him by owl.

She excused herself from her friend, saying she had to send a letter, it wasn’t unusual for her to do so, so they didn’t even flinch. Once at the owl aviary and once she gave it to an owl and walked away, trying not to think to much, she stop. What if the letter only made him more upset ? Of course nothing she wrote was mean, but what if he didn’t like at all the idea of some unknown person looking in his private life ? Feeling arrogant enough to think they could cheer him up when his friends, those whom he consider family, weren’t able to do it ? Y/N turned around to take the letter back but it was too late, the bird had fly away, and since he was at hogwarts, he will have it in a few minutes only.

She felt the weight in her stomach get heavier, she hoped so much it will not make things worse.

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Hoped you liked my first fic ! I don't know when the second part will be posted but I'll do my best for it to be soon.

Have a nice day ! Love you <3

#sirius black x reader #marauders x reader #An anonymous lover #Sirius Black #sirius x reader

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softkuna · 3 years

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Sukuna || Interview || Fic

Part 1

Content ║ Punk!Sukuna x reader. There is an oc version here.

Beauty wasn’t in the eye of the beholder, no, it is in the mind. Sukuna was enraptured. Addressed again, he shifted his posture, leaning into the arm of the couch as she did with her chair. The two were close in their cohort. An air of comfortable conversation lingered between them, much to his dismay. Her question wasn’t unusual. He’d been asked it in the beginning of his career and one where he had a planned answer.

Count ║ 2,626 K

Consider ║ Swearing. Female Pronouns (she/her).

Creator ║ This is the reader version. I took the name of the oc out. Hopefully the double post isn’t too weird? I did research on punk fashion, culture, and all which was really interesting. I knew some stuff about it before, but it’s really rich! I hope it’s not too information dense for you guys. Either way, Punk!Sukuna is now my comfort au and writing him is an absolute delight!! Also, Sorry for changing from ‘you’ to she/her ;v; it’s a lot easier for me to write/edit this way.

Sukuna had a lazy grin as he lounged back into a modern cream sofa. His arm stretched across the back of it, ankle crossed over his knee. Eyes staggered from the two cameras set up to the woman talking with some other chick. One held a small stack of papers, the other was grandly gesturing. He breathed out a short-stop breath, wishing they wouldn’t waste his time with bickering. Annoying as it was, it left a thick self-satisfactory lather over his ego.

“-didn’t you say the band?”

“Yeah, but this is better.”

“Sure… but what happens if-“

Quite frankly, he hated most press and avoided it, so to just have him in the hot seat was a double-edged blade. They didn’t get the whole band, but they did have The King himself. Whatever publicity he thrived off of were live shows, signings, fancams, tangible and real-time events. Interviews were a complete and utter waste of his time. He did a couple in the beginning, but found them pointless, callous even. They all asked the same shit. So, him coming alone was absolutely a note to pin to the fridge, even if it were a passive-aggressive post-it note.

His head turned to the two going back and forth. It wasn’t until the third minute ticked by that Sukuna felt the flashpoint of his blood plummet, “Yo! We doing this or what? You’re wasting my time here, Eros.”

The blogger whipped her head to the man with an indignant, “Excuse me?”

“Eros. Known for being reckless and unreliable? Like your scheduling.” He leaned forward, elbow on knee and chin in palm. The aura of shit-eatery exponentially growing, “You’re not excused, sorry, not sorry Princess.”

“I think you have the wrong God,” She quipped as she dusted off the front of her outfit. It was a smart look and an intentional one for an interview with a punk rocker. What would strike the best complement than a khaki academic outfit? It consisted of a white high collared button up, sleeves billowing before cinching at her wrists. The blouse was stuffed into high-waisted, cuffed khaki chinos, pleated at the center of each pant leg. Over top, a gray woolen sweater vest. Accessories included various silver rings, a black ribbon to tie under the folded collar, and small silver studs as earrings. Makeup remained that done-up natural with brow, liner, and mascara. Hair had been swept into something similar to a faux 1920’s bob, pulled loosely back. The overall silhouette made the perfect contrast.

Sukuna wanted to peg her as your average superficial fashion bitch, he really did. Even at the concert, she dressed smartly despite the pathetic look on she wore on face. It wasn’t until afterwards when he saw the burn in her eyes, that he craved for her to prove him wrong.

Black flats clacked as she approached her own seat, a matching armchair to the couch. She held a certain command once she walked in, instructing him on where to be, which camera to look at, and what the introduction would be. He listened, admiring how her small frame moved to and fro, fixing up last minute edits on a paper, chattering with who he assumed to be a videographer. It was a whole production. One that was hers. The set itself was practically out of a home décor magazine. It was a general space used across the publisher, but she was born to be there. Deserved to be there. Her calculated glee and deliberate positioning of each member made him feel as though he were looking through a mirror.

The interview process began.

She sat professionally, legs crossed and leaning on the arm of her chair closest to Sukuna. He was unmoving, that slit to his lip curling upwards as the cameras began. She introduced the blog, the channel, her social media handles. With a smile, she introduced herself, “With me in this special is lead singer of Two Face, the King of Curses – Sukuna.”

The camera panned to his lazy wave, “Yo.” He looked to her, she looked to him and for a moment she thought she saw a flicker of interest. Maybe the man was meant for cameras after all.

“After looking more into the punk scene, there’s a pretty interesting history behind it. Revolution, social discourse, poverty, violence, and unity. As someone in the scene, can you talk a little bit about what you know of the background?”

Sukuna drank in her voice, smooth and warm like the steady strum of a bass guitar. For a moment, he wondered if she sang. He quirked a brow, “Sounds like you didn’t research enough to summarize it yourself,” Eyes flickered to her features, watching as slight annoyance crinkled onto her nose then smoothed, “Let me learn you, Daisy. Starting back from rock in the 50’s, take that, strip it, build it with shit you find in the backyard…” His wrist rolled as his harmonious voice sang on, lacking even a single stutter as he summarized the movement top to bottom, inside and out, “…So, people would make their own records, sell them in plastic bags, they’d scan and reprint photos to make their own ‘zines. Shit was hard to distribute without tech…”

Much of his dissertation, she hadn’t even found on her own deep dive into the culture. Sure, the anarchist and nihilistic ideologies were well known to pretty much anyone who would listen, but the deep history and connection between communities was far beyond the surface scratched into.

“There’s a crowd of sub-genres now. Fuck ‘punk is dead’ what even is that bull shit?” Sukuna scoffed, jerking his chiseled chin to the side, “Only thing that’s dead here is – ironically – peoples drive to change.”

His interviewer sat in silence for a moment, mind spinning. He spoke in the way a well-educated University professor gave a dissertation to his peers, dripping in confidence from his storm of information. He was articulate despite the fowl language, even including a tie in to modern perception. Excitement curled into the recess of her mind. In a delightful turn of events, expectation and reality didn’t match up.

She leaned forward slightly folding her hands over the arm of the chair, “That was comprehensive. Thanks!” She chuckled, causing the man before her to freeze and thaw with a nod. She continued, “With all of this mention of D.I.Y. culture in punk, let’s talk about Vivienne Westwood.”

Sukuna kept his attention to her profile as she spoke to the camera, catching himself in the glow of her enthusiasm, “On Kings Road in England, she kickstarted the fashion movement into gear. Now, many would think that with a style such as this, it would’ve been hand-me-downs, pins, self-stitching, but contrary to this belief, many of the clothes in her store were expensive. Knock offs circulated, and seeing as much of it did have that hand-done finishing touch, many decided to take tailoring to their own hands…” Not that this was a competition, but she found herself trying to prove his ‘research’ comment wrong. Her ability to scour and exhaust her resources of fashion history is the furnace that kept her going and she would make it well known that she was not to be challenged.

The approaching lurch of a stalemate stuck to the walls of the vocalist’s stomach. Something he didn’t think he’d feel for a while. Small stuff over here may not’ve known all there was about the cultural history, but he could feel the crashing wave of fascination washing over him as she spoke. Sure, some of it he knew. Some of it he naturally garnered from stylistic preference and others he learned for marketing, however there was just a certain target she aimed for with such precision that he bled a newfound admiration.

“You’ve answered it already, yeah, I know. I saw the interview,” Her head tilted to the side, pleasant smile hinting at her trick, “but enlighten me for a second about how your natural style transitioned to what it is on stage. We’ll put up some of the photos taken from last night here,” her hand gestured to some empty space, “You basically turned chiaroscuro and made it a performance. It’s obvious in how each member contrasted with themselves and the stage.”

The chick didn’t even know who he was a week ago, yet somehow watched every interview since the start? An answer tumbled from the tongue readily, “Punk is like a renaissance of music. Like I said before, it tore down the foundations of what was before and built something new out of it.” The words were succinct, but as her pretty lashes bat, he was goaded into continuing, “Contrast is important. I like art. I like plays. Just ‘cause it’s punk doesn’t mean I can’t have it look aesthetic? Or is that a word only snobby fashion journalists can use now?”

“Hm. Change ‘journalist’ to ‘vocalist’ and you’re a word away from meeting the requirement,” It was a sour candy treat traded for his lemon warhead.

“Ouch. Miss Blog-Spot here has some sass,” His large frame leaned further into the armrest, cheek resting on that fist.

“Mister Eight-Track here is some a–“

The videographer clapped his hands, “We have sponsors, you know. We can at least censor him.”

It was Sukuna’s time to laugh a loud, hyena-like cackle. A large hand smacked his leather-clad knee. She scrunched her nose again, biting back her tongue from childishly jutting out at him.

As soon as the videographer clapped his hands again, she recollected herself, shuffled her papers, and continued on, “From what it looks like, you took a mixture of old and new high-trend brands and added a touch to them to keep with theme. Even now, you’re wearing a Real McCoy with cone spikes embedded. Is that custom made? McCoy isn’t cheap.”

Part of him hated her keen eye, but reveled in her raw talent all the same. “I’m not going to bull shit you and say I dumpster dive for my clothes. I like high quality things. What’s the point in making money if I can’t spend it? What’s a bigger ‘fuck you’ than having your version of a top-brand item being worth more than the original?” With a proud glint in his eye, he rolled the jacket off, sure to make a grand display of strong, bare arms as he did so. The muscle tank he wore was similar to the concert before, white with a pocket, neckline was stretched and worn. It hung over the dense muscle of his shoulders and chest. Sukuna could feel the trail of her eyes on him. His chest puffed from her approval. He threw the jacket over his knee, flipping the leather inside out to show where the studs had been placed, “See this? Did it myself.”

Manicured fingers touched the inside of the jacket, thumbing the connecting points that the studs were pressed in by and sealed. The work was immaculate. Sukuna leaned back, canines gleaming as he saw her mouth move in a silent ‘wow’. He picked the front of his tank top, snapping it up and allowing it to billow back to his body, “Embroidered this, too.”

He waited for her comment, her praise. Why? Like he needed some two-bit Vanderbilt bitch’s validation. He chalked it up to being praised by a master of the craft. He hadn’t been prepared for her to take the fabric between her fingers and rub it, concentrated brows cinched like a corset. Well-toned abs flinched in response to her delicacy, but she didn’t notice.

The embroidery was messy and chaotic, but it was obviously intentionally. The way the needlework was so clean, barely leaving a hole from the pull of the exceptionally soft fabric. It wasn’t floral like in the concert, but abstract stitching created crosses and streaks here and there, using the composition of the fabric as like it were a canvas. Experimentalist. It was like touching the work of Westwood herself.

God, she hated how perfect it was. It squeezed her heart to know that he was so effortlessly multi-talented. She rubbed the fabric between her fingers once more, attention being stolen by his baritone voice. She could practically hear the treble in it, “Ey Princess, you think it’s okay to just touch me?” His breath caught under the arrogant teasing of his words. Not from the words themselves. Couldn’t care less about that. What choked him up was whatever resplendent emotion flared from them when she peered up to him.

“Let me check the tag.”

“What?”

The blogger leaned back, cheekily snapping the shirt as she did so. “Your shirt, can I check the tag? I want to see what its made out of. Also, sorry.”

Sukuna blinked twice, mouth stupidly hanging open before he leaned forward, “I’ll allow it.”

He may have tinnitus, but he wasn’t deaf enough yet to miss the mocking ‘I’ll allow it,’ muttered under her breath. He wanted to laugh, but for the second time, the graze of chilled fingertips along his skin shut him up. Along the back of his neck, she fiddled to flip the collar and tug it. Her eyes squinted and a hum escaped her throat. Sometimes she wished she could read upside down. That’s when she sat on the back on the sofa and leaned closer, pulling the shirt to better read the small print. If Sukuna were a cat, he’d lean his head into her. The thought physically bothered him.

“I knew it. It’s American Pima. Thanks for letting me check.”

He missed the shiver her touch gave him as she sat back into her chair.

“While I have more questions for you, this video’s gotten pretty long already, so we’ll have to cut it a bit short here,” She gave a closing statement, motioning for her guest to do the same. With a thanks, the cameras were cut.

While the editor and videographer chatted together, She leaned heavily into the back of her chair, poised posture slipping into something more comfortable. Long lashes slid closed and a heavy drag of breath lifted her chest. Sukuna’s eyes trailed along her form, contemplating Eros once more.

She exhaled sharply, “I do appreciate you coming on stage. It’s disgusting how talented you are.” She laughed, cracking an eye open to meet his, “I prepped a lot of questions thinking you’d be short with me. It’s a shame I only got to ask a few.”

He was surprised himself. It was more than just her talent to make him talk - she may have been the first to see him as an opportunity rather than a commodity. ‘She would be the first and last reporter to see me as a meal’ was the thought he had going into this interview. He had every single intention to shut down her buffet, make it apparent that he was not to be dined on by a single soul. Yet, if his dish were ‘opportunity’, hers would be ‘intrigue’. He wanted to devour it, to know its palette and identify its spices. It was a compulsory urge to order, just to see why he craved it in the first place.

“Film the next few concerts. Backstage.”

Tags: @lovesakusa

#⛩.sukuna #⛩.fic #⛩.punk #🍺.jjk #jjk #jujutsu kaisen #jjk x reader #jujutsu kaisen x reader #sukuna #sukuna x reader #ryoumen sukuna x reader #jujutsu kaisen fic #jjk fic

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justreadingfics · 4 years

Text

It’s a Deal (Prologue)

Series Summary: You’re out of a relationship of 10 years and you’re just in desperate need to get laid, no strings attached, no romance, no complications. You dear friend Natasha feels like she’s going to regret this later, but she might have the perfect guy to fulfill your needs.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Words: 3.1k

Warnings (for the entire series): +18 only, smut, casual sex, Bucky is a whore, boytoy!Bucky and proud, acquaintances to fuck buddies to maybe lovers, fluff, eventual angst, mention to past relationship, break-up.

A/N: I was going to write something for Looking for a Heartbeat universe, but this idea came up and I was so excited. This is me trying my hand at romantic comedy. It’ll be very smutty but there’ll be angst eventually because it’s me. This version of Bucky is different from everything I’ve written before, but I think this is one of the beauties of this character. He’s so nuanced and layered, there’s always a new version of him to be explored. I hope you guys like it and stick with me. I’m planning 10 chapters, but the number may change. The link to the my masterlist is on my description. Feedback is highly appreciated. @lesqui you’re a Rockstar.

When Natasha bursts into his apartment - like she’s done many many times before- holding up a big cup of coffee, the first thing that hits her is the smell lingering in the air, making her whole face scrunch up. The whole apartment stinks of a fucking orgy and she doesn’t even get to act surprised or outraged. This is what it’s been like. Ever since Bucky started to get better, changing from the brooding shadow that had first arrived to regaining his self-confidence, he’s been spending it and his whole package of super soldier stamina like that. A new night a new girl. Or two… she realizes when she spots the pair of different underwear over his couch as she makes her way to his bedroom. Three? She shoots an eyebrow high at the sight of a third one hanging around the doorknob.

She would die before touching the damn thing and, because she’s also always up for a little show, she decides to use one of her signature moves to make herself into his bedroom. A powerful kick to the door is enough to have the effect she wanted : three different tones of high-pitched screams and a low groan fills the room.

Natasha doesn’t need to say anything. Just her steady, impassive demeanor while still in her Black Widow uniform from the last mission is enough to make the trio of naked bodies move. They shoot themselves out of the bed and scramble to pick up pieces of clothes from the floor.

“Ugh, sorry, sweethearts.” Bucky’s voice is groggy with sleep and muffled by the pillow, “Thanks for last night, though, it was amazing.” He raises his thumb up but remains lying on his stomach, his very naked behind exposed, completely unphased by Natasha’s presence.

The girls rush past her without even daring to glance at the Avenger. Well, except for the owner of the underwear on the doorknob, who gives her much more than a glance in the shape of a shameless once over and a lustful wink before grabbing the piece of lacey and fleeing, putting it on along with her dress on her way.

With an exaggerated yawn, Bucky catches Natasha’s attention again and she steps into his room as he rolls over and sits on the mattress. At least he has the decency to pull a sheet to cover his front before he stretches his arm to the air letting out a second yawn, “What is it this time?” This is definitely not the first time a scenario like that has taken place, to Natasha’s exasperation.

“Crowded around here, huh?” Walking over to him with a judging brow up, she hands him the coffee, which he promptly accepts, “Do you even know their names?”

“Sofia, Olivia, and Amanda,” he answers simply before taking a sip from the coffee, “The one checking you out was Amanda, she’s nice, I think you’d like her, and you’ve seen them before here, just not the three of them together.” He smirks, raising a feigned innocent gaze from his cup to her.

Natasha chooses to ignore the answer in favor of letting a huff out, “We - and by we I mean Fury - missed you at the debriefing.” She glances around, trying to find a place she could sit without accidently making contact with any kind of… fluids. Spotting the armchair nearby, she shoots a questioning look at Bucky.

He presses his lips in a guilty fine line and shrugs, “I think you’re safe standing up.”

“You’re gross, you know that right?” She grimaces, crossing her arms in front of her. “How the hell did this happen, anyway? We got here around one am from the mission.”

He shakes his head dismissively, “You know I have my ways and I needed to shake the stress off. Too much energy to spend.”

“I can see that,” She laughs, “I mean…Three?

“You were there. It was a hard mission.” The corner of Bucky’s eyes crinkle as he grins back at her.

“That it was,” she agrees, letting some air out in a puff, “And that’s why I’m here now. You weren’t picking your goddamn phone and Fury wants to debrief with you before he signs the reports.”

“Ugh,” Bucky rolls his eyes, blowing some steam out of his cup of coffee, “that guy... what a huge pain in the ass, right?”

Natasha catches the playful tone and shakes her head, holding back the smile, “You won’t make me bad talk him, you know that.”

She can’t keep the smile suppressed any longer when he lets his head fall back and laughs. Carefree and contagious. It took him a while to get there, but now? Laughters, giggles, and jokes are a part of who Bucky Barnes is. For that, she’s thankful.

“Alright, just give me a minute,” he concedes, bringing his coffee back to his lips.

Watching him, her face turns a bit more serious. “How long will you keep this up, huh?” she asks, bringing her hands to her hips.

With the back of his hand, he wipes a bit of coffee that slips from the corner of his mouth “What?” His forehead crinkles as his attention is focused on cleaning himself.

“This lifestyle of yours…” Natasha waves a hand around the room and over himself, “Don’t you ever want to… I don’t know… settle down for one woman or something like that?”

The confused expression that shifts Bucky’s face as he looks back at her is almost comical. “Why in the world would I do that?” He puts the cup of coffee on the nightstand, before standing up, wrapping the sheet around his waist. “This is so much fun, no strings attached… just good old exchange of fluids, enjoying one another’s bodies… and the next morning we’re off with our lives.” Ignoring the disapproval look on Natasha, he grins down at her, before passing by her to walk towards his closet.

“I know this might be a good deal for you, but what about the women you bring down here, is this fair with them?” Natasha insists.

“Ok, now listen,” Bucky turns back to her, pulling an underwear from the drawer, “All the girls I hook up with want the exact same thing I want, “ He leans down to put on the underwear under the sheet covering his lower half, before letting the white fabric pull down on the floor. “They’re here for the sex just as much as I am.” He turns back to the closet, fumbling with his clothes.

“Aren’t you going to take a shower?”

“Fury needs me asap.” He deadpans, before continuing while putting on his jeans, “Not once I took advantage of anyone, I guarantee you that. I´m not fooling them, they’re not fooling me. It’s a fair deal. Perfect to be honest, pleasant, I mean very pleasant to both sides…” He smirks before raising his gaze filled with mischief from where he’s buckling his belt to her, “You damn well know how good it- I can be…”

Her eyes roll at his smirk and she crosses her arms in front of her again. “That ship has sailed, Barnes.” It was just one time months ago and she knows she will never hear the end of it.

“Just saying…” Bucky shrugs, tying his hair back into a low bun, keeping the half smile on his lips, “Whenever you need to shake the stress off again, you can always count on me.” He winks.

“Yeah, right, go take a fucking shower and then we can talk.” Natasha grabs a pillow from his bed and throws at him. “Ok, I get it, I’m not an expert here and probably not the right person to be telling you this, but don’t you feel like you’re missing things? Or maybe that you’re hiding from something?” she suggests, walking past his bed to come closer to him.

“Nat, I swear… I’m not hiding from anything, there’s no hidden feelings or fears or anything like that… It’s just sex.” He states, sounding a bit more thoughtful with his friend’s worries , putting on a white t-shirt as she’s now just a few steps away from him. “People usually make a big deal about it, but that’s it. Sex is just sex. It’s fun and a fucking amazing experience to share with someone. And that’s it. Me and the women I spend time with are very sure about that. No worry.” As he finishes dressing himself up, he places both hands on Natasha’s shoulders.

She aims a deadly glare at where he touches her, “I honestly can’t decide if you’re a pig or a genius, but right now take your unwashed hands off of me.”

Bucky laughs, squeezing and shaking her shoulders halfheartedly, “I took a shower before I went to sleep, calm your damn titties.” He removes his hands anyway before placing a kiss on top of her head, gaining a hiss in exchange, “And a genius, of course.”

“All right,” Natasha says after glancing at her watch, “Nine. I still need a shower myself and at least a nap before Y/N drops by for lunch. You go see Fury now.” She commands, tapping his shoulder and already moving past him to the door.

“Oh, Y/n? From the tech department?” The peak of interest on his voice behind her doesn’t go unnoticed by Natasha, “It’s been a while since I last saw her, how’s she? Still with that boyfriend of hers? What’s his name again?”

“Eddie. And no, they’ve broken up actually,” she answers, already opening the door to leave his apartment, “But don’t even think about it,” She warns, already sensing the smirk on his lips without even looking back at him, “She would never take one of your deals.” Natasha shuts the door before he could say anything else.

~~~

“Fuckbucket! Bumhole, son of motherfucker arseclowns! Goddamit nutsack!” The line of curses being spat out of your mouth is followed by you grabbing the bottle of tabasco and dropping almost half of its content over the plate of linguine in front of you.

Natasha says nothing, chewing her own pasta slowly as she stares you down, wondering how that combination of words could be the one to come up to your head when you wanted to swear. The small bistro is crowded and a few heads turn in your direction following your little – and kinda cute, if she’s going to be honest- outburst.

“Sorry…” Glancing around you seem to notice the brief but unwanted attention as your voice shrinks and your shoulders drop. “I asked for it fucking spicy, though,” you add in a mumble, only stressing the new curse, bringing a fork of linguine inside your mouth. You sigh, seeming finally pleased with the level of spice in it.

“Ok…” Nat drags the word as her eyes drop at the glass of wine in front of you. The second one already, “Bad day, I assume?”

A guttural and frustrated groan slips out of you as you swallow your food and take a long sip from the wine, “I’m just… ugh, everything sucks these days.” You place back the glass on the table a little more forcefully than it should be expected, your eyes following the move of your hand.

“Something at work?” Nat asks, “Do I need to talk to Tony?” She tilts her head, a hint of exasperation on her words.

“No, no. Of course not.” You wave a dismissive hand, “That lunatic is the best boss I could ever have asked for.” A quick but honest smile forms in your lips.

“Alright…” Natasha accepts, “Eddie, then?” She tries again.

“No… sort of. I don’t know.” You sigh, now playing with the food in your plate as your jaw tightens.

“Talk…” Natasha orders, putting down her fork beside her plate and brushing her hands together, swallowing the food in her mouth. “Have you been seeing him at work? It’s been a while since I last saw him in the Tower.” She leans her head on her joined hands as she rests her elbows over the table, giving you her full attention.

“He’s been promoted to a leadership position at SHIELD’s tech department, that’s why you haven’t seen him.” You respond, still playing with your food, “I haven’t seen him either, not ever since we broke up, but I guess splitting up is doing wonders for him.” You bite your cheek.

“How long has it been already, three months?”

“Yeah.” You nod.

“You miss him.” Natasha affirms rather than asks, a sweet comprehensive tone on her words as she crosses her forearms over the table, leaning forward. You two haven’t had the time to properly talk about your breakup, given Nat’s mission schedules and your own job, which can be a pain in the ass when it comes to work-hours.

“Of course, I do,” you say, looking up to the ceiling and shaking your head before moving your gaze to her again, “It’s like… I never saw it coming. Almost ten years of relationship… when he said he needed to talk I thought he was going to propose.” You scoff, covering your face with both hands in pure disbelief in yourself, “But instead he said he wanted a new path for his life. What the hell does that mean?” You raise your voice along with your arms to each side of you.

“I hate to say this, dear.” Natasha grabs her glass of water and takes a sip before resuming, “But you know I’m not one to sugarcoat the truth and it probably means he’s fucking someone else…sorry.” She shrugs, knowing she could be sounding a little harsh, but she’s aware sometimes harshness is the right medicine.

“Well, at least someone is getting fucked,” you mutter under your breath, while rolling the pasta in your fork to shove it your mouth.

The slipped comment sets off Natasha curiosity instantly and she just eyes you for a second before urging, “Well, elaborate.”

“Ugh… Jesus.” You grunt before taking in a deep breath, “You know, I do miss him in my life, but God… what has been killing me right now is,” you lean forward, getting closer to Nat as she mimics you, “I’m so fucking horny.” You whisper as Natasha’s eyes grow round at your admission. You had never said anything like that to her before, you two are close friends but you’re always so reserved about your private life, “It’s been almost a year.”

“A year?” She whispers loudly, but lowers her voice as you quickly shush her, mortified someone would hear you two, “But…”

“Yeah, I know the break up was three months ago, but it doesn’t mean I was getting any before that,” you admit, frustration seeping into your voice.

“Oh, honey…” Natasha tilts her head, trying to convey empathy towards you rather than judgement.

“I know, right?” You smile sadly, leaning backwards in your chair, “How was I even surprised when things went south? I don’t even know what happened, to be honest. We just… stopped.” You shrug a shoulder, grabbing your fork to play with it absentmindedly, staring down at it, “And I was ok with it. At least I think I was,” You look back at Nat, who’s just listening to you attentively, “I guess I thought at least I had everything else. I don’t know...” You shake your head in a sign of disapproval of yourself, “But after we broke up?” Once again you lean over to whisper, “That’s all I think about. Almost everyone I see ends up in a fantasy of mine. Things I never even dreamed about wanting… I eat a fucking strawberry and suddenly I’m turned on.” Your desperation is visible in your big, round eyes and audible in your rapid speech.

“Why don’t you go out, meet someone, then?” Natasha tries to hold back her laugh out of respect for you.

“Ugh,” you wave her off, glancing to the side with a grimace, “Too much work. Besides, I don’t think I’m ready for anything else.” You shake your head, “I just want to fuck.” You add in a grunt, shaking your legs in a very bratty way.

“Oh, wow,” Nat leans back to her seat, “I never saw this coming.”

“Can I tell you something?” You say, after studying Nat. When she nods and leans closer to you again, you continue, keeping your voice low, “Eddie was the only one I ever been with.”

Natasha chokes on nothing and quickly grabs her cup of water, gulping in down to the last drop, “How the hell did this happen?” she yelps.

“Well, back in highschool I wasn’t really ready, and then in college I met Eddie.” You shrug, curling your lips down, “We’ve been together ever since. But after he broke up with me, that was one of the first things on my mind, the thought repeating itself like a parrot in my head. That I had never been with another man.”

“Hell, sis,” Nat exhales, “I’m starting to understand your situation now.”

“Ugh, Nat, seriously, I just need someone to fuck me senseless.” You tighten your teeth and make a grabbing gesture with your hands, “Just some primal, animalistic sex, I need someone, anyone who can take me properly. No strings attached…Nothing else, I’m tired of everything else.” You shut your eyes, shaking your head, before looking around you. Satisfied no one is staring or listening, you once again bends closer to Nat across the table, “Even thought about hiring a goddamn escort, but I just bought the condo with Eddie, and, until we figure this out, I’m broke as fuck.”

Nat’s jaw drops. She’s speechless, utterly speechless. As you look back at her, a bit of shame but also expectancy gleaming in your eyes, a thought pops into Natasha’s mind. The universe must be playing with her, and that’s what she finally says to you. “Holy shit, the universe must be putting on a fucking joke on me.”

“Why?” You squint at her, “What do you mean?”

Natasha doesn’t answer right away. She ponders the thought for a moment. It might not be a bad idea, actually. Shaking some steam off, having a different and lighter experience with someone else, a little bit of fun… that might be exactly what you’re needing, and who could be more perfect for that? At least he’s someone Natasha trusts. She sure hopes so. “Are you serious about all of that? You’re really just looking for sex and nothing else?” Natasha checks.

“Dead serious.” It’s your straight up answer.

“Ok,” She decides, nodding once, “I may regret this sooner than I think but I might have the perfect guy for you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~

#bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes series #bucky fluff #fluff #boytoy!bucky #future smut #it's a deal #justreadingfics #new bucky series

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ampmiscfiles · 3 years

Text

Let Us Love You: Chapter 8

Start at the beginning

Bucky watched with a thoughtful expression as Peter left. There was no denying the omega hadn't looked at him quite like he had before.

He looked......unsure.

He debated on letting the others know, but he didn't have to say anything.

"That was interesting." Natasha said, eyebrows raised.

"What was?" Steve asked, turning from where Karen had walked off.

"Bucky and Peter." she answered.

The three other alphas snapped to attention.

"What about them?" Thor pushed.

"We just made eye contact. She's making something out of nothing." Bucky said, rolling his eyes.

"There was something different in that look." Natasha said, crossing her arms.

"I don't see why this is such a big deal. We all know he was close to the version of me in his world. He damn near shuts down every time he sees me. You'd be better off ignoring what you saw. It wasn't me he was looking at." Bucky glared before stomping off.

"Was it really a big deal?" Steve asked, looking at Natasha carefully. "I mean, Buck's not wrong. Peter had a connection with his version, it really could just be that."

"Oh, it's definitely a little bit of that. I could see it. He misses him. Most likely it's the same with Sam. Still, he knew he wasn't looking at his Barnes. He was trying to seen him in ours though."

"Perhaps this is a good thing." Thor hummed. "If we can convince him to talk to our friend Barnes, then he could see ours is the same as his!"

"That might work in theory, big guy," Tony nodded. "But how do you propose to get close enough to Peter to suggest it? How would you suggest it?"

"It's not a bad idea. I think Peter wants to talk to him, but our other selves have left a serious impression on him." Natasha said, moving to follow where Bucky had gone. "Let's go. We need to do a little brainstorming."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Welcome to my awesome abode. I'd be glad to show you around. Maybe you'd like to see the inside of my bedroom?" Johnny winked, opening the door wide for Peter to enter.

"I've literally been here multiple times. I think I can get around just fine." Peter smirked. "Plus, I've seen your bedroom. It's a disaster."

"You've seen theother me'sroom. I can assure you thatmineis ready for company."

"I bet it is." Peter rolled his eyes. "Where is everyone?"

"In the kitchen. Come on, I'll win you over with my co-"

"You can't cook." Peter snorted.

"You don't know that!"

"What are we having?"

"It's.......um..."

"Exactly." Peter laughed, passing Johnny and heading towards the kitchen.

"Are you sure we're just friends? I feel like there's something between us."

"Yeah, a mutual respect for giving each other shit."

"You know, I think you're ignoring the fact I'm a different Johnny Storm here." Johnny pouted, crossing his arms.

"No. You're still the same idiot." Peter chuckled, flicking his forehead.

"I'll have you know, I'm a highly sought-after alpha. Everyone wants a piece of this." he gestured to his whole body.

"I bet. I had to fight the crowd of screaming fangirls just to get in here." Peter deadpanned.

The truth was, Johnny was every bit as good looking in this universe as he had been in Peter's. Still, just as he retained his looks here, he also retained his extreme level of self-confidence.

"I'll win you over yet, Parker."

"Uh hu. Sure. Just don't hold your breath."

Peter would never admit he had once had a major crush on his own Johnny.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Peter!" Reed smiled as he and Johnny entered the kitchen.

Sue smiled as she looked up from pulling a pan of lasagna out of the oven.

"Hello, Peter. Everything is almost done. Why don't you all go join Ben."

"Yes! I have so ma-"

"Reed." Sue warned. "He only just got here."

"It's ok, really." Peter smiled.

"I was used to this." he said, motioning between him and Reed.

"Let's talk then. I'm curious about your story. The multiverse isn't a common topic I get to discuss!"

"Well, I can't tell you you're gonna like most of what I have to say. Still, it's great to see you guys again." Peter smiled, genuinely happy to see the family of four back together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Heard we missed all the fun." Clint called, stepping off the elevator with his bags. "You guys couldn't have waited?"

"Sure. Next time we'll ask the killer robot army to hang on and let our other team mates get back from their impromptu vacation." Tony huffed.

"You all seem in a better mood than when we left. Something happen?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow at others.

The alphas were gathered in the common area talking eagerly amongst themselves.

"Yes." Thor smiled widely. "We have decided to properly court our omega. We shall return to the old ways."

"Who says romance is dead?" Tony grinned. "We're gonna woo the hell out of him!”

"This should be fun." Sam deadpanned.

“Oh ye of little faith. We're an extremely romantic bunch when let loose.” Tony scoffed.

“The guy couldn’t be more clear on his desire not to be your omega.”

“We’ve been talking to Karen and each other. Slow and steady wins the race and all that.”

“I think we made it back in perfect time then!” Clint grinned, opening his bag. “Brought some of Laura and the kids’ things. They missed you guys.”

Clint passed out the few items he had brought from his home. The scents of Laura and the three kids extended into the room. The calm of knowing their distant pack members were safe settled the atmosphere.

“We’ll get out to see them soon.” Natasha smiled, rubbing the small stuffed bunny she knew belonged to Nathaniel.

“We may even get to introduce them to Peter.” Steve said, a hopeful lit in his voice.

“Please don’t push that on him.” Bruce sighed. “It’s going to be enough on him dealing with you all, much less integrating into a full pack.”

“We are fully prepared to take it slow with our young omega.” Thor smiled.

The four other alphas nodded in agreement. There was no other option really. Sam was right in his statement that Peter seemed to want nothing to do with them, but Peter's conflict over Bucky had revived their hopes.

Maybe it wasn't such a lost cause after all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Your universe sucked.” Johnny scoffed from his seat next to Peter.

“I don’t always get along with Stark, but it’s deeply upsetting to hear about a version of him that was so violent.” Reed frowned, taking his own seat.

“I just can’t picture any of them being like that.” Sue agreed.

“Well, good thing ours arn’t like that. Not sure I could clobber them all at once.” Ben huffed.

Peter listened as the four voiced their opinions of the Avengers.To be honest, he was getting a little sick and tired of everyone telling him how wonderful they were.

They were wonderful in his world at once too!Everyone loved them and practically worshipped them!

Truth be told, there was no real understanding of the change. It wasn’t like anyone was opposing them. Who would? The Avengers risked their lives to help people, to keep them safe. Why would they evenneedto change?

Not that it mattered. They did change. They went from saving people tohurtingthem. They lorded their power over the people, and gleefully killed those who posed any real threat.

They were monsters!

Peter absently ran his hand along his thigh where he knew a long scar sat. A memorial to a particularly brutal up close fight with Black Widow. She had managed to stun him with her widow bites, slowing him down enough to prevent an unharmed escape. It could have been much worse, he knew, but he got lucky in where the bites had hit him.

She had been aiming for a fatal blow.

His movement had saved him from a slow death, but the blade had torn practically through to the bone in his thigh. If Bucky hadn’t shown up, she would have finished the job. As it was, he was out of commission for two weeks before the wound had healed, feeling had returned, and the leg moved without stiffness.

God, the blood she had spilt.

“Peter?”

Peter startled out of his thoughts to find the four looking at him.

“Sorry.” he mumbled. “I can get lost in thought sometimes.”

“Well, I’m more than willing to help you with that.” Johnny grinned, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Oh I know you can. You always could bore me right to sleep.” Peter snarked.

The others laughed and began passing around the food as Johnny pouted.

"So, you said there are no second genders where you're from?" Sue asked, curious as to how Peter was handling the change.

"No, we definitely didn't have alphas, betas, and omegas where I'm from. It was.....surprising to say the least." Peter winced.

"Well, you seem to be doing alright as a beta." Reed smiled.

"Beta?" Peter raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. Your scent is barely there. Beta scents are generally muted. Yours seems a little more so. Maybe it's because you weren't originally from here. Do you not know your second gender though, or did you think you hadn't gained one?" Sue frowned.

"I would have figured Matt and Karen would have explained things to you."

Peter looked around the table, unconsciously touching his wrist where one of the patches sat under his sleeve and web shooter.

"No," Peter hesitated. "They did, I.....I'm just still adjusting it all. I mean, I lived 26 years without all this, so it's easy to forget sometimes."

Ben, Sue, and Reed nodded, striking back up light conversation and more questions about himself and how he was getting along. Out the corner of his eye, Peter couldn't ignore the strange look Johnny kept giving him.

"So, what are you going by if you can't be a Parker?" Ben asked, drawing Peter's thoughts away from Johnny.

"Jones." Peter sighed.

"Any relation to Jessica Jones?" Reed asked.

"Yeah." Peter huffed. "Everyone thought they were so funny when they decided to make me Jessica's cousin."

"What's funny about that?" Sue frowned. "Did the two of you date back in your world?"

"Not hardly." Peter laughed.

"No, they just thought my initials were a nice joke.They left my first and middle name then changed my last."

"What's your name then?"

"My name is Peter Benjamin Par...err, Jones. Peter Benjamin Jones."

"I'm sure you'd make a delicious sandwich." Johnny snorted.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few hours had passed before Peter noticed the time. He had been enjoying himself while getting acquainted with this version of the Four. They were practically identical to his, making connecting with them extremely easy.

“Well, I guess I better get going. Karen’s a worrier.”

“Don’t let Matt fool you, Peter,” Sue smirked. “He’s a worrier too with people he cares about. I saw you two talking.”

“Matt was the first person I went to after I got here. I was good friends with him.” Peter smiled.

He was happy to have Matt and Karen, and to be gathering back all the people he lost, but Ben, May, Bucky and Sam were never far from his mind. The people he wanted most were the people he’d never get.

After promising to visit again, and give a demonstration of his strength levels compared to Ben's, Johnny led Peter out.

"So, Pete," Johnny started, unusually hesitant compared to his normal composure.

"The others didn't press, but I'm going to. You're an omega, aren't you?"

Peter blinked in surprise. He had yet to have to admit his second gender to anyone on his own yet. Everyone who knew, had either discovered from his scent, or been told by someone else.

"I could see the scent patch occasionally when your sleeve moved up and your, whatever those are on your wrists, shifted."

Peter swallowed hard, not missing the fact Johnny had moved into his space.

"I...uh.."

"It's ok, Pete." Johnny smirked, stepping back. "I'm not going to blab your secret. I am, however, going to knock you off your feet! You'll give in to me yet, Jones."

"I don't think you want to try, Storm." Peter replied, breathing a little easier as Johnny's alpha pheromones calmed.

"Why? Do you already have an alpha? I just don't see any mating marks."

Mating marks?

Peter frowned. He hadn't heard of any 'mating marks'. Was there more he had to learn? Maybe he should keep blowing Karen's lessons off.

"No. I don't have an alpha, and I'm not interested in one." Peter narrowed his eyes.

"Fair enough." Johnny smiled, holding up his hands in surrender. "But that doesn't mean I won't keep trying."

Peter sighed. While he wasn't about to let Johnny Storm in on his alpha problem, he couldn't forget how the Avengers had reacted to Wade when they realized the two were hanging out together.

Deadpool hadn't been in any real danger since he could easily regenerate, but Johnny couldn't.

If anything Karen had already told him had gotten through, it was that alphas could be possessive. He had already seen it in action, and the Avengers were anything but normal alphas.

Still, he wasn't going to let that stop him from hanging around people he actually trusted.

They would just have to deal.

If they couldn't, and tried to hurt his friends, he'd be ready.

As he made his way back toward Matt and Karen's, he didn't even notice how his thoughts on the Avengers had changed from "when", to "if".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You smell like Johnny Storm." Karen frowned when he walked through the door.

"Hello Karen. I see your fine after today's events. My dinner with the Four was great. If was nice to catch up. Thanks for asking."

"Don't sass me, Peter Jones." Karen glared, following him to his room, passing a smirking Matt along the way.

"What if you had run into your alphas? You're unmated and smelling of an alpha that's not one of them! Even worse that it's Johnny with his flirty reputation."

"I'm not avoiding friends just becausetheymight not like it, Karen!" Peter shouted, turning around with his own glare.

"They don't own me and never will. I don't want them! I don't trust them! It doesn't matter what everyone else thinks of them. I can't stand them!"

"Peter, please," Karen tried.

"No. This discussion is over Karen. I'm never going to be with the Avengers. It's not happening."

"You won't even give them a chance!" Karen shouted, her frustration rising. "You're so hell bent on seeing them as the same villains they were in your world that you refuse to see them as the heroes they are here! This isn't your old world, Peter! You can't keep hanging on to what happened there. You're here now!"

The two glared at each other, neither wanting to admit defeat.

"You don't know what you're talking about Karen. You have no idea what I've been through."

"I have a damn good idea, Peter! You've made no effort to hide your disdain for them. You have no problems admitting what those other Avengers did to you. I know it's left physical as well as mental scars, but did you ever stop and think that maybe getting to know these Avengers could help you heal?"

There was complete silence as Karen's words hung in the air.

"Getting to know them and seeing they're who you wish your Avengers had been could be good for you. You could finally relax a little and try to move on. You've been here for months now Peter, and yet you still hold everything from your past so close it's like it all happened yesterday."

Karen sighed, running her hand through her hair.

"We're all still here, Peter. Nothing has happened to any of us and they've had more than enough opportunity to hurt us if they wanted to. They've had plenty of chances to kill the others and make it look like a casualty of a fight and no one would question it, but they haven't. They haven't, and you need to realize and accept it."

Without another word, Karen turned and headed into her and Matt's bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anger rippling under his skin, Peter left the apartment and headed towards Luke's bar. Maybe he could find something there to keep himself busy.

Anything to get his mind off his....whatever that was, with Karen.

Shoving his way into the back door, the sounds from the front filtered in through his ears. The place was at peek hour.

"I swear, if one more asshole-Peter?"

Peter looked over as Luke stormed into the back, grabbing a bucket and mop.

"Rough night?" Peter asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, it's gonna be for the shit that just broke a beer bottle over a guy's head. They're both about to clean up their little mess, then get thrown out on their asses." Luke grumbled, kicking the door back open and shouting.

Peter decided to hang out in the back, letting Luke handle things before making his way up front.

"Get out here, Jones." Luke snapped, sticking his head back through the door. "Make yourself useful and come serve some drinks."

Grinning, Peter slid his way behind the bar and got to work.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was slowing down to the more, quieter patrons of the night. These were the people Peter liked the most. While the more boisterous crowd could be fun, they could also be annoying and demanding. Some even tried to get a little handsy, over the bar.

This crowd though, this was crowd was just looking for a little break from the world.

Peter heard someone sit at the bar while he was crouched, placing glasses back into their places. Rubbing his hands on his pants, he stood up to greet the customer and....froze.

Sam Wilson stared back, as equally surprised to see him.

The two just stared at each other, neither knowing how to react.

"Hey, Pete-" Luke stopped as he took in what was happening.

He wasn't quite sure what to do, and it didn't appear as if Peter or Sam knew either. Had it been any of the alphas, Luke would have easily jumped in, knowing how stressed Peter would be.

Sam wasn't an alpha though.

“Let me start by saying your secret is safe with me.” Sam said. “I’m pretty burnt out on alpha desperation at this point. I just want to have a drink and enjoy it.”

Peter stared at him a moment before moving forward.

“What would you like?”

“Whatever you recommend.”

Peter looked at him again. Guess Sam was willing to trust his judgement in drinks in any universe.

Sam nodded as Peter slid a glass across the counter top and took a swig.

“I hope we’re not gonna spend the entire time in here in this strange, tense silence.”

Peter sighed.

“This isn’t....this isn’t easy for me.”

“I’ve gotten that impression. I also heard you were close to your world’s Bucky and I.”

“Y...yeah.” Peter frowned. “By the end, they were my best friends.....they were all I had left.”

The two were silent again as Peter busied himself with meaningless tasks.

“I’m sorry this is happening to you.” Sam said suddenly. “I think I would have reacted the same way.”

Peter stood with his back to Sam, debating on his next move.

Finally, he turned.

“You’re a lot like him, well, when he wasn’t giving me shit anyway.” Peter chuckled.

“Oh, I can give you shit if that’s what you’re looking for spider boy.” Sam grinned.

Peter grinned back, strangely comfortable in this Sam’s presence.

Maybe all Sam’s were pretty much the same.

“Look. I know you’re probably willing to talk to me like thishere. I can see Cage keeping an eye on you, but I think, if we got along in your world, we could get along here.”

Peter hesitated, the since of unease returning.

“I’m not trying to hand you over to the wolves!” Sam said quickly. “I’m more so trying to offer up another friendship. One that gets me away from everyone at the tower and one that offers you.....” Sam hesitated, unsure if he should continue.

“Maybe something that offers you a bit of what you lost?”

Peter’s eyes widened in surprise. He wasn’t quite sure what to make of this Sam’s offer. As much as he missed his own, and as similar as the two seemed, could he really ever think of this Sam as a friend on par with his?

“I...um...”

“You don’t have to answer me now.” Sam assured. “Maybe just think about it. I realize I’m part of the enemy here, but I promise I’m not a bad guy.”

“Yeah.” Peter snorted. “You’re not trying to get into my pants.”

“You do realize there’s more to it than that, right?”

“I’m not really interested.” Peter replied. “You don’t know what it was like to see them hurt people. To see them kill you and Bucky.”

“I’d offer up the argument that these Avengers haven’t done that considering Bucky and I are clearly still alive, but I have the feeling you’ve heard that line enough.”

“That obvious?”

“From five words in.”

Peter let out a breath, running his hand through his hair. It was hard having someone who looked like his lost friend be so close, and yet so far.

"I'll share a secret with you, kid." Sam grinned, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

This caught Peter's attention as he leaned onto the bar.

"There are three betas in the tower. Me, Clint and Bruce-"

"I...I like Dr. Banner." Peter mumbled.

"What?" Sam asked, unsure he had heard right.

"I....I like Dr. Banner. He.......he had it hard in my world. Hulk is a force to be reckoned with. He can be easily enraged to the point that even the intelligence he does have can be quickly over written. When the Avengers...turned.....they held him hostage. Bruce was far to gentle in nature to side with them, so they held him captive, using Hulk against him. They'd do whatever they could to bring out Hulk, then set him loose on the city."

Sam sat in stunned silence. He could never imagine putting Bruce Banner through that kind of torment. Bruce struggled with balancing himself as both separate and part of Hulk.

"I wanted to free him. Tried several times, but it never worked. They kept him in an underground bunker beneath the tower. I only saw him once. I'm not even sure how I managed to make it that far. I've never forgotten how defeated, miserable and pained he looked inside that glass cage they kept him in."

"Glass doesn't sound like it would hold-"

"Oh, it was 'Hulk proof'." Peter hissed. "Before things went bad, Bruce and Tony created it to contain him if things got to bad and he needed somewhere safe to be until he returned back to himself."

"They used his own creation against him." Sam sighed, running his hand down his face. "Guess that explains why you didn't do anything to Bruce that day."

"I told Matt and Karen it was because he let me out. I'm telling you the truth because you live with them and need to know what they're capable of doing."

"If it makes you feel any better," Sam started. "We don't have a Hulk room or cage or anything."

Peter narrowed his eyes.

"Serious!" Sam defended. "Bruce comes and goes just like the rest of us. He pretty much stays at the tower though. We don't have many instances where the Hulk is needed, but Bruce's medical training comes in handy a lot. Even stepped up a notch when you showed up." Sam snickered.

"Are you.....enjoying me hurting them?" Peter asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Immensely. Clint and I, don't tell him I agree with him, think it's amazing."

Peter didn't stop the upturn of his lip at Sam's grin.

"Omega's don't typically kick their alpha's asses on the regular. I mean, I've heard of those mutant omegas at Xavier's going out and fighting, but I've never seen them do it in person. You, on the other hand, I have watched fling every alpha on the team around like rag dolls. It's humbling really."

Sam's laughter filled the small space between him and Peter.

"Well, I do have a history of fighting the hierarchy." Peter smiled.

"Tell you what," Sam said, holding out his hand. "Let's start fresh. No alternate identities. Just two guys meeting at a bar. I'm Sam Wilson."

Peter looked at the outstretched hand and up at Sam's face. His spider-sense remained, as it had the entire time, silent. Slowly, Peter took the outstretched hand.

"Peter Jones."

Sam raised and eyebrow.

"Doesn't surprise me." Peter rolled his eyes. "Of course you'd all know my real name."

"Why change it?"

"Because a version of me existed here at one time." Peter replied, looking away. "I can't be Peter Parker when he's dead."

"I guess not one that looks just like him." Sam nodded. "I'm guessing there's also family then?"

"Yeah." Peter replied, not willing to say more.

"Alright then, Peter Jones, it was nice to meet you. I better be getting back home though." Sam smiled, standing up and taking his jacket off the back of the chair.

"You'll cover that for me, right?"

Peter looked down where Sam nodded at the empty glass.

"No way Wilson."

"To think, I wanted to be nice to you." Sam said, pulling some bills out of his pocket.

"There's no such thing as free alcohol, man." Peter grinned.

"Then what's the point of being friends with the bartender?"

"The fabulous company?"

"I know that's what you get, I'm still trying to figure out what I'm getting." Sam smirked.

"I'll tell you what, this time." Peter's grinned turned wicked. "You'll get to keep a place you can go where the other Avengers can never bother you. I'll personally see to their exits if they ever show up."

Sam barked out a laugh as he straightened out his jacket.

"Well, if they ever show up, it won't be because of me. With that said, I appreciate your willingness to uphold the sanctity of my sacred drinking hole."

The two nodded at each other as Sam walked out the door, followed shortly after by the last of Luke's customers.

"You ok?" Luke asked as he restocked the bar while Peter swept.

"Surprisingly, yeah. Dealing with just Sam was way different than the others."

"Well, being a beta probably helps." Luke shrugged, not wanting to verbally address the other issues.

"Maybe." Peter nodded.

"You worried you'll have more 'customers'?" Luke asked after a moment. "I can't exactly say I can ban the Avengers..."

"No." Peter said, looking up at Luke. "I'm actually not."

Luke stopped and raised an eyebrow.

"You do realize-"

"I don't think he'll tell. Not them anyway. Maybe Barton and Dr. Banner, but not them."

"Well, I heard about Banner, but what about Barton. What's the feelings on him?"

Peter stopped sweeping, letting his thoughts gather themselves.

"He was just as ruthless as the others in my world. Tony made him explosive arrows. He caused so much damage with those. Lots of innocent people lost their homes and their lives. I don't trust him any more than the others."

Peter's face turned stony as he thought about the archer.

"He shot me in the back once. Went right through my right side."

"He did what?" Luke growled, walking from behind the bar and over to Peter.

"Yeah, right here." Peter said, lifting his shirt and tracing the scar on the side of his stomach, then moving to the part on his back.

Luke looked at the two scars, not missing a few others as well.

"Jesus, kid."

"I keep trying to tell you all. The Avengers can't be trusted this blindly! They could turn at any moment, and you could end up with the same scars as me......or worse."

Luke frowned as he watched Peter try to keep his breathing calm. He wasn't sure Peter having contact with Sam was a good idea anymore. It didn't matter what intentions the man had, being around him definitely opened Peter up to chances of having to see the other members of the team.

"I worry though, that I'm letting positive memories of Sam cloud my judgement here." Peter sighed. "I'm worried desperation for that connection is taking over."

"You can always keep to meeting here. You never have to meet him anywhere you don't want to." Luke shrugged. "I know you're tired of hearing it kid, so I'll save a lot of it."

Peter frowned, unsure of exactly what Luke was going to say.

"I don't have a problem with the Avengers, but I'm also not you. I don't have your past, so my opinion means nothing. Sam though, Sam's not an alpha. He's a beta with no romantic interest in you. I don't think it would be a big deal to consider the option of some form of friendship with him. Shit on the others if you don't want to."

Peter didn't know what to say. He was genuinely worried as to what accepting Sam's offer might lead to. The worst scenarios running through the forefront of his mind. Still, the possible benefits kept pushing their way in.

"I'll think about it.

#let us love you #luly #a/b/o dynamics #Peter Parker/Tony Stark #Peter Parker/Steve Rogers #Peter Parker/Thor #Peter Parker/Natasha Romanoff #Peter Parker/Bucky Barnes #Starker #spidershield #winterspider #spiderwidow

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artificialqueens · 3 years

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Ever in Your Favor, Chapter Four (Rosnali) - Athena2

Summary: The Games grow closer, and so do Denali and Rosé as they start their plan, finally going public at the interviews.

A/N: I know it's been a while, but I'm so happy to be back to this fic! Thank you all so much for the love and support, not just on this fic but in general, with everything going on lately. It really means a lot to me. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please leave some feedback if you'd like!

Read on AO3.

Rosé is early to dinner that night, because Denali’s words had gotten to her. She wasn’t just letting Denali down. She was letting herself down, both the younger version of herself who wanted to protect Jan and go home, and herself now, who still wants to go home. She has to help Denali, or it could kill them both. Just because she couldn’t save the tributes she mentored doesn’t mean she can’t save herself now. She can’t go into the Games blind, as much as she wanted to hide behind her sword and snarky comments, and it took Denali—someone Rosé had mentored and given advice to—to help her see it.

And it’s brought them to pretending they’re in love for Capitol favor. It’s a good idea, admittedly. So good Rosé wishes she’d thought of it. There’s nothing the audience loves more than drama, and this is the best you could get.

But alliances are hard, and an alliance with someone she knows is even riskier. Maybe this isn’t a good idea, because what if they work so well together that they’re the last tributes standing? If Denali is the only thing between Rosé and home, can she kill her? Can she kill a friend, someone she’d tried so hard to keep alive in her last Games? Can she--

“Rosé. You’re…early.”

“Don’t sound so surprised,” Rosé mumbles as Denali sits across from her.

“It’s a nice surprise,” Denali says, and Rosé takes it.

“So, about this plan…” Rosé is ready to suggest calling it off. But Denali tucks her hair behind her ears, and it makes her look so young, so hopeful, and Rosé can’t take her hope. Not when the world has taken so much already, leaving the energetic, fun-loving Denali in the dust. However risky the alliance is, they’re stronger together. Her close-combat skills perfectly balance Denali’s bow and speed. Together, they could really do this, and Rosé lets the strangeness of hope bloom in her chest.

“What is it?”

“Nothing,” Rosé says quickly. “I think we’ll be great.”

Denali beams as they browse their menus, food rushing up into the compartment next to them.

Rosé grabs the pickle off her plate. “Want this?”

“Sure.” Denali crunches happily. “Why’d you get it if you don’t like it?”

“Because I was pretty sure you liked them.”

Denali points at Rosé in approval. “See, you’re already doing relationship stuff. We got this.”

Rosé nods, but she wasn’t thinking about the fake relationship. She just wanted to see Denali happy.

---

Denali goes to meet their stylist with dread pooling in her stomach at what horrible outfits they’ll be forced into. Each district’s outfits represent their industries, which means District 1 glimmers in jewels and District 12, shafted as always, resembles a coal miner. It’s the same every year. Today, though, a new stylist sits among racks of clothes in the dressing room. She’s young, with soft skin that absolutely glows. She introduces herself as Symone, and somehow Denali hopes she might not look like an idiot this year.

“First year as a stylist?” Denali asks while Symone takes her measurements. She does her best not to flinch, reminding herself Symone’s hands aren’t an attacker’s hands.

“Yep,” Symone says. “About damn time. I’ve been trying for years, but sometimes people aren’t ready for real talent, you know?”

Denali laughs despite herself.

“I hope so,” Rosé says. “Because no offense, Symone, if you want me to wear another coal miner outfit, I’ll go out there naked.”

Denali’s cheeks are on fire, brain short-circuiting at the image of Rosé’s words.

Symone just laughs. “Well, as fun as that might be, I’d never put you in something that ugly. I’m breaking the rules a little this year.”

“What do you mean?” Denali asks.

“I think the outfits should be less about the district and more about you, since this year’s Games are about the victors. Let the Capitol see not just where you’re from, but who you are.”

Where she’s from is who Denali is--the coal dust coating everything in town; the hungry eyes of nearly everyone she passes; the harsh winters burrowing in raggedy blankets--but she gets what Symone is saying. Instead of being another faceless statistic from a district the Capitol owns, let them see Denali and everything she is.

“What did you have in mind?”

Symone almost drops her sketchbook in excitement. “Well, you both had animal nicknames in the Games, did you notice? The Lion and the Fox. I want to play with that, do some animal-inspired stuff to reference your history and present you as a union. One, instead of two.”

Denali meets Rosé’s eyes. It’s almost eerie how it worked out, how easy it’ll be to present themselves as a pair in Symone’s outfits. Like it was meant to be.

“Do you not like the idea?” Symone asks in worry, mistaking their silence.

“No, I love it! It’s brilliant, Symone,” Rosé says quickly. She’s such a big sister, Denali thinks fondly. She always praised Jan and Lagoona for their drawings no matter how hideous they were. Symone’s sketches, though, are some of the most beautiful things Denali’s seen, and she has no trouble nodding her approval.

“Great.” Symone beams. “I have samples for you to try on, to test colors and stuff.”

Rosé goes first, disappearing behind a wooden screen and returning in a ruffly pink dress, arms twisting all over to find the zipper among the ruffles.

“I got it,” Denali says. She pulls the zipper, not breathing as her hand runs up the curve of Rosé’s spine, letting her touch linger.

Symone shifts ruffles aside and takes more measurements, continuing as Rosé tries on dress after dress, with sequins and stripes and even more ruffles.

“Do a spin!” Denali says.

Rosé rolls her eyes, but she does, her red hair waving behind her as she twirls.

“Faster!”

Rosé laughs and keeps going until she stumbles, and Denali doesn’t even think before reaching out to catch her, running her hands up and down Rosé’s sides.

“Thanks.”

“No problem,” Denali stammers as Rosé retreats behind the screen.

“This should be illegal,” Rosé mutters, emerging in a hot-pink zebra dress with matching hat.

Denali can’t resist her laughter. “You look like Manila!”

“Shit, Denali, don’t tell me that. Let me pretend it’s not that bad.”

“Trust the process, darling!” Symone says grandly.

“Easy for you to say,” Rosé grumbles.

Denali laughs again.

“Just wait, Denali. It’s your turn, and I can’t wait to call you Manila.” Rosé’s smirk is too adorable for Denali to care about what’s coming.

Sure enough, Denali’s paraded behind the screen and given a bundle of clothes. There’s a neon nightmare, with green pants and a yellow shirt, plus a glittery orange jacket with puffy sleeves. Rosé laughs and teases her and frees her from a skin-tight red dress, and Denali gives in to it. The Games are days away, and who knows if she’ll have fun like this again. It’s nice to have her biggest worry be dresses, and she finds herself striking ridiculous poses to hear Rosé laugh and see her smile. It’s been years since they've laughed or smiled this much, and Denali’s going to treasure each one.

Symone ushers them into a group hug, and Denali can’t believe how good it feels, arms intertwined, warm bodies pressed together. She’s really missed hugs all this time on her own.

“You two are perfect,” Symone says. “With my outfits, you’ll be the talk of the Capitol.”

“As long as there’s no zebra print,” Rosé says, and Denali spends the day wishing she could hug her again.

---

The days go too fast.

Rosé hates this place, but now she’d give anything to stay at the Training Center, working out and eating with Denali, rather than go to the arena. She feels like a kid dreading being dragged back to school after summer vacation. She’s been talking to Denali more, bantering back and forth, and she’s starting to like it. But this, like summer, has to end.

They prowl around the training room every day, getting stronger, faster, better. When Denali hisses for Rosé to watch her, make the contestants see how in love they are, the command is useless. Because Rosé already can’t look away from her arms pulling the bowstring taut, how she nods to herself as she aims and lets the arrow fly, a bull’s-eye in each target. Her cheer and hug are genuine, and she revels in the surprised looks on the tributes’ faces.

They eat together every day, passing food back and forth for each other to try, working their way down the menu. Denali laughs until she cries after tricking Rosé into eating chicken in a sauce so spicy Rosé gulps down a gallon of water, and Rosé gets revenge by telling Denali to press a shower button that produces fruity bubbles, bursting into laughter when Denali shows up to breakfast smelling like a perfume store exploded on her.

And it continues, day after day, until other tributes watch them in envy, until Rosé doesn’t have to tell Denali to fake laugh at something she said, because she trusts Denali enough to say it, and Denali likes it enough to laugh.

---

The first sign of the end is their private sessions with the Gamemakers, where they show their skills and get a score. The score doesn’t mean much--people average in the sixes, and a lot purposely act mediocre to fly under the radar. The arena is a great equalizer, and Rosé’s seen tributes score a nine and die the first day. She won with a score of seven. Part of her wants to beat that score now. Plus, with her and Denali playing the romance angle, all eyes will be on them anyway. What’s the harm in Rosé showing off, getting a high score that reinforces how good she is?

There’s no point appearing weak on purpose, and Rosé enters the training room confidently. A dozen Gamemakers have a long table set up on the track, food spread from end to end, forks in hand.

“Sorry to interrupt lunch,” Rosé calls to them. “Think you could make me a take-out box?”

The group jumps, and Rosé snorts when one woman spills wine on herself.

“Go ahead,” a man says, his gaze on the basket of rolls.

Rosé sighs, and she takes the anger boiling in her and uses it like Denali said. She annihilates a training dummy with her sword, then grabs three knives and makes three bulls-eye’s on the wall target. She does the same with three spears, the little red circle not even visible around her accuracy.

The same man dismisses her, and Rosé leaves without another word, annoyed and clueless on what her score will be.

Denali paces the hall outside. She looks expectantly at Rosé, who shrugs.

“They’re having lunch,” Rosé says. “They barely paid attention. But you make them pay attention, okay? I believe in you. Good luck.”

Denali smiles and heads in. Rosé can’t hear anything, but Denali comes out much faster than she did, breathing sharply.

“I fucked up,” Denali says, pacing circles and wringing her hands. “Shit, I fucked up.”

“I’m sure it wasn’t that bad,” Rosé soothes. “What happened?”

Denali mumbles something that sounds like shot an arrow at the Gamemakers.

Rosé blinks. “Did you say you shot an arrow at the Gamemakers?”

Denali hums miserably.

“What happened?”

Denali huffs, coming to a stop. “They weren’t paying attention! Someone brought out a roast pig, and they were literally slicing it while I practiced. So I took an arrow and shot the apple out of the pig’s mouth.”

Rosé bursts into laughter. “That’s so badass!”

“No!” Denali shakes her head, and Rosé sees fear in her eyes. “Rosé, I’m sorry. They’re probably gonna punish you because of me and make things extra miserable for us in the arena.”

“Like they aren’t gonna do that already?” Rosé asks, and Denali cracks a smile. Rosé’s touched that she’s Denali’s first concern, but she won’t let her worry. “Look, it’s fine. They’re supposed to watch you, and they didn’t. That’s on them. I’m not worried, Denali. It’ll be okay.”

Denali nods.

“How did they react?” Rosé asks, because Denali needs more cheering up, more reassurance that she hasn’t done any harm.

“Well, one lady dropped her wine glass. One guy spit out his roll. Another actually screamed and tipped over in his chair.” Denali cackles, and Rosé joins her, laughing until their stomachs hurt. It really is okay.

And when they each receive scores of ten that night, Rosé believes it.

---

Denali’s gotten so used to training that she could pretend the Games weren’t coming. Until it's interview day, with the Games the next morning. The countdown is officially at hours instead of days, and her stomach churns like waves.

She grunts her way through the prep, a trio of people waxing her and fixing her nails, like preparing a doll for the Capitol children. At least it keeps her mind off things. Like how Rosé feels like a friend again, like when Denali and Jan and Lagoona would run up to her after school, babbling about a million things and begging for gossip on the older kids. Like how they both earned the highest tribute scores, labelling them as threats, and how Denali almost likes being seen as a threat. Like how tonight, they’re going to confirm their ‘relationship’ on live television. There’s no turning back, and she almost wishes Rosé was here instead of in her own prep room. At least Denali wouldn’t feel as alone. It’s strange how quickly she’s come to enjoy talking with Rosé again, when they’ve barely talked all their years as mentors, everything they share just too wide a bridge to cross. But they’ve crossed it now, and having Rosé again was worth the journey.

Symone runs in, a beautiful turquoise dress flowing behind her, and helps Denali into her outfit. It’s softer on her skin than the scratchy burlap she’d worn eleven years ago, and Denali hopefully peeks in the mirror.

She’s gorgeous.

The dress is long and white, made of tiny strands of fabric that reflect the light and twinkle in every color of the rainbow, like sun bouncing off gleaming snow. Like the fur of a white fox.

“Do you like it?” Symone asks.

“Holy shit,” Denali mutters, and it’s answer enough.

“I’m gonna get Rosé,” Symone says, but Denali hardly hears her. She can’t look away from how beautiful she looks, with her dress and pale blue eyeshadow and her hair in its familiar braid. She’s the Fox.

And Rosé is the Lion.

Denali gasps when she sees Rosé’s golden dress, the fabric shifting under the light and revealing soft tones of amber. The lion pin over her heart is a little too beat-up to shine, but it does anyway. She’s beautiful, beautiful in a way Denali can’t ignore anymore, beautiful in a way that Denali never wants to look away from again.

“You look amazing,” Rosé says, watching Denali with wondrous eyes.

“So do you.”

Symone hugs them, and they head to their chariot.

Denali hated this last time. Her fellow tribute was bigger than her, and they were stuffed into this thing, Denali crammed against the side trying not to fall out. And she was in a hideous coal miner outfit on top of it.

Tonight, she’s in control, and she's beautiful. The chariots pull through the City Circle one by one, past masses of people. It’s the biggest crowd Denali’s ever seen, a blur of color and cheers. The crowd is screaming when District 1 pulls out, and they don’t let up for District 12. People are already rooting for them, and it’s so bright, so loud. Almost too much. Rosé stiffens beside her and Denali knows she’s thinking the same thing. But they have to do this. Denali squeezes Rosé’s hand, the touch easing the ringing in her ears.

“Don’t let go of me,” Denali whispers.

Rosé doesn’t.

---

After the chariots, they’re lined up by the stage. District 12 is last of course, and Denali has to listen to 22 other tributes be charming and witty and lovely. Nina West, the Capitol interviewer, is unavoidable in a rainbow dress, and Denali winces against its brightness. She wishes a quiet good luck to Rosé before she takes the stage.

Rosé waltzes on stage with the spin Denali made her do in the dressing room and becomes a star in an instant, joking about how the Capitol just had to have her back, about how she still presses the wrong shower buttons and filled the room with bubbles last night, and everyone rolls with laughter. But when Nina’s face turns serious, Denali knows the tide has turned.

“Now, you volunteered for your sister last time.”

“Right,” Rosé says quietly, and Denali remembers her saying that she didn’t want anyone using Jan against her.

“I see you’re wearing her pin again.”

Rosé nods. “I gave it to her as a birthday gift when she was a kid. When I said goodbye, she gave it to me and made me promise to bring it home to her. To me, it’s...it’s a symbol of love and home.”

It’s quiet enough to hear a pin drop. People volunteering like Rosé is extremely rare. Denali remembers how people back home had whispered about her last time. Some people called her selfish, said she was the oldest daughter and shouldn’t have left her parents. Some said she was an idiot and should have sent her sister to the Games, a pig to the slaughter, and counted herself lucky that she was spared. But many people, Denali included, thought that Rosé was brave, almost certainly saving her sister’s life even at the risk of her own. A kind of brave, a kind of love, that you don’t see much anymore. Everyone in the Capitol held the same belief, and it was why they loved her so much, in awe of her devotion and kindness. Why they love her still, if the adoring gazes are any indication.

“And did you make the same promise this time?” Nina asks.

“I did.”

Nina nods solemnly. “It’s wonderful to hear about your family.” Her smile is genuine, and Denali wonders how someone so nice ended up doing this. “While we're on the subject, is there anyone special back home?”

Denali holds her breath. This is it, practically served on a platter. All Rosé has to do is take it.

And boy, does she.

She smiles mischievously, fixing her hair while the audience holds their breath, wondering if she’s taken or if they somehow have a chance with her.

“Well, Nina, I do have someone. Except she’s not home.”

Nina’s eyes light up. “Are you saying--”

Rosé nods. “Yes. The woman I love came here with me.”

People actually scream. Some gasp, some cheer, while Nina tries to hush them and ask Rosé more questions. Even Denali smiles in surprise and she knows the camera catches it. Rosé is every inch the lovestruck woman she needs to be, and Denali listens as she explains how they’d gotten together.

“Denali was like a little sister to me, you know? She was best friends with my sister Jan, and they were always following me around. Little terrors,” she jokes, and the audience laughs. “She was always so funny, so strong and brave. I saw that firsthand when I mentored her. She’s amazing, isn’t she? Everything she does with her bow--I’d poke my eye out.” Another laugh, more smiles. Rosé’s face softens as she continues. “We lived nearby after the Games, but I always kept my feelings secret. I was just too afraid to tell her. But after the Quell, I had to. We stayed awake all night on the train here, and I finally told her. We agreed to work together for the Games, and Denali...she gives me a lot of hope going into them.”

The crowd is on their feet, clamoring for more, but they’re past the time limit, and Rosé exits to applause that goes on for over a minute.

By the time Denali takes the stage, they’re absolutely rabid. Nina asks her basic questions first, stringing things along and making everyone wait. Denali has no idea what she answers, because she’s still reeling from Rosé’s interview, goosebumps on her arms at how much Rosé admires her. She sounded so genuine. Someone hopelessly in love and afraid to confess her feelings, finally doing so in the face of danger. It didn’t happen, there was no love confession on the train, but Denali almost feels like there was, because Rosé made it that real. But this is just a game; she can’t forget that, no matter how in love Rosé seemed. They’re just friends.

“Now, I have to ask what we’re all waiting for.” Nina’s cheerful voice cuts through her thoughts. “Tell us about you and Rosé!”

Denali puts on a smile. “Well, like she said, me and her sisters followed her around all the time. We probably were little terrors.” Nina smiles, and the crowd follows. “I always admired her. I watched her Games all day and night, because I just had to see her win,” Denali says, heart tingling at the memory of her joy when Rosé won. “And then I had her as a mentor, and she helped me so much, with whatever I needed. She never gave up on me, and that respect and awe I had for her turned to love over the years. I didn’t know she felt the same way.”

The words feel real, simple and close enough to the truth to be believable. Denali smiles and bats her eyelashes, a woman in love. Nothing is a lie except for the love part, and Denali could leave it at that, but a memory pops into her head. One to really seal the deal, a thought she hates an instant later, because Rosé is her friend, not just some pawn.

“When I was eleven, my father got hurt. He was fine, but he was out of work for a few weeks, and things were...hard. I was really upset. And Rosé—I don’t even know if she remembers this—she stuck a cookie in my bag every day on the way to school. Just to help me feel a little better. She never brought it up, never wanted attention or thanks for it. She just wanted to help.”

Denali swallows as the audience awws. The camera is surely panning to Rosé, but Denali can’t look at her. The memory hit harder than she expected. She never lets herself remember it, because she hates even acknowledging that she’d needed charity. But it was never like that with Rosé. She never made it seem like charity, never wanted power over Denali by helping her. Rosé just wanted to help. She’s the only person who ever helped Denali when she was a kid, and real tears prickle in her eyes.

“I never forgot that,” Denali continues. “It shows how kind and caring she is. That’s why I fell in love with her.”

Nina wipes her eyes. Everyone is yelling their names, clapping and blowing kisses, and Denali knows.

They’ve won this round.

Game, set, match.

---

Rosé can’t sleep.

It should come easy, after how well the interviews went, how beloved they’ve become overnight. Yet it’s 1am and sleep isn’t coming. She can’t spend another minute in this room, staring at the ceiling and suffocating under thousand-thread-count sheets. She heads to the common room on their floor, and she’s not the only one awake.

Denali’s on the couch, watching footage from her Games.

“Can’t sleep either?” Denali guesses, turning off the TV.

Rosé shakes her head. “Okay if I sit?”

Denali nods, and Rosé takes the end of the couch, afraid to breach the gap between them even if she wants to, wants to feel someone human near her before tomorrow. But they’re not on camera, and maybe Denali won’t want that.

“Does it get tiring?” Rosé asks suddenly.

“What?”

“Watching the Games over and over. Your workouts,” Rosé explains. She never talks about the Games--hell, until this year she’s never talked about anything big with Denali. But something is coming undone in Rosé tonight. Maybe the threat of tomorrow. Maybe how close she and Denali have become. Maybe how everything she said about Denali on stage is lingering in her heart. Maybe how Denali remembered Rosé’s childish attempts to help her with cookies all those years ago, how Rosé’s heart warms at the memory. Whatever the reason, the words are flying out past everything Rosé uses to keep them inside.

“Does it get tiring trying to ignore it all?” Denali doesn’t sound mean, just curious.

“Yes,” Rosé says bluntly. “I just...wouldn’t know what else to do.”

She learned early on that the only way to get out of bed and function was to put all the thoughts and feelings and horrors of the Games deep inside herself, seal them tight, and pretend they weren’t there. They come back sometimes. In nightmares. In certain smells that take her back to the arena, muscles instantly clenching. In the time she got a papercut and was frozen in place when Lagoona found her, because of the blood, the blood. But for the most part, she has a handle on things. Living like Denali--going on runs, watching the footage, talking about it constantly--would just be inviting it in, breaking the seal on the memories. And that’s undoubtedly worse than Rosé’s method of dealing.

“It gets tiring for me too sometimes,” Denali admits, playing with the couch cushion. “I guess I’m trying to fight it. Like if I keep running, memorize the Games, then I’ll beat it and it can’t hurt me.”

“Does it work?”

Denali just shrugs.

“Sometimes I think they want us to forget,” Rosé says. She’s never voiced it to anyone, but she’s safe with Denali.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean …” Rosé tugs on her shirt, exposing her left shoulder. “In my Games, that boy’s axe got me here. I felt it, Denali. My shoulder was torn open, the blood was everywhere. I woke up in the hospital without a mark on me.”

“My knee too,” Denali says quietly. “I saw the bone when it happened, and now there’s nothing. Like it never happened. It just gets stiff sometimes.”

“It’s like the Capitol wants us to fear the Games, but forget how bad they were. They erase the scars and give us nice houses and expect us to be grateful. Perfect little victors,” Rosé spits. There’s an anger there she usually ignores, the deep hurt of the Capitol parading her around as a victor but not actually caring about her.

“I think it’s another way to control us,” Denali says. “Who’s gonna speak out against them when they fixed us up and gave us a nice house with heat and indoor plumbing, y’know?”

Rosé nods. “I guess I just want—“

“You want a life they don’t own. A life that’s yours,” Denali guesses. A guess that flies out so easily because it’s something she wants herself, something no one else understands. When Rosé left for the Games, Denali was still young enough to have that wish. She had the freedom to not know what she wanted to be when she was older. No one dreams of becoming a Hunger Games victor.

But somehow they both did.

“Yeah.” Rosé sighs. It’s something she never really lets herself imagine—a normal life with her family, with easy sleep and no Capitol obligations—but something she longs for just the same. And Denali understands. Rosé wonders if it could’ve been like this all the time if she had the courage to talk to her.

“Are you scared?” Denali asks suddenly.

“Fuck, how could I not be?” Rosé mutters, her honesty continuing. “I mean, I’m scared to go back, sure, but…but I’m also scared that if I come out, I might not be me anymore. I don’t want the Games to make me something I don’t want to be.” She doesn’t know how to explain it, only that she doesn’t want to lose herself to the Games, to what she might have to do. She never wants to become so soaked with blood that she can’t recognize herself.

Denali nods. “You still want to be you at the end. Not just a piece of the Games.”

The words strike Rosé’s heart like she thought them herself. “Yes.”

“It scares me too.”

It shouldn’t do anything. It’s just a simple confirmation that they feel the same way, recognize something in each other. But it proves to Rosé that she’s not alone, that someone understands her, and after she and Denali say goodnight around two, she falls asleep easily.

---

The sun dawns bright the morning of the Games.

Denali moves in a daze, stomach knotting over a silent breakfast with Rosé.

She needs to focus. She needs to let go of last night, of how real Rosé’s love seemed, of how she let her guard down and talked with her, of how close they’ve gotten. This is a game, and it’s about to start. Time seems to malfunction, and one minute she’s picking at her food and the next Manila’s leading them to the launch room. This is it.

Denali’s heart pounds as they get ready. She’s in all black--boots, pants, shirt, and jacket--and Rosé is dressed the same. Her lion pin roars on her jacket, while Denali has her mother’s necklace. She hopes it protects her.

Manila dabs her tears with a bumblebee handkerchief, and Denali would roll her eyes, but she’s pretty sure it’s genuine.

“Remember,” Rosé says hoarsely, “we get our weapons and run.”

Denali nods as they step on the plates that take them to the arena. Denali closes her eyes as the platform shoots up, her head spinning as she tries to breathe. Everything stops, and the announcer’s voice declares the 75th Hunger Games have begun.

Denali opens her eyes.

#rpdr fanfiction #denali foxx #rosé #symone #rosnali #lesbian au #s13 #hunger games au #ever in your favor #athena2 #concrit welcome #submission

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twiceblackvelvet · 4 years

Text

Eclipse

Request; Could I request for LOONA kim lip with prompt "were you singing my song?", fluff? Thank you! ^^

A/N; i lost this request somewhere. tumblr hates me here. i took this on a little bit of a different route than the usual because well, it wouldn’t be me if i didn’t try to be different lol. anyway! enjoy anon. sorry for the wait.

Warm air traps you in place sitting idly, headphones placed in your ears, and a glass of water filled to the brim with ice placed beside your leg. The window slightly ajar to allow the very little breeze on offer to hit your skin, a small offering of mercy from the rays beaming down from above. Your shadow being illuminated by the deadly sun being your only companion other than the herds of people walking around the city below you. All of which likely suffering from the heatwave far worse.

It’s calm, peaceful, albeit for the beads of sweat threatening to pour down your forehead at any given moment. The soft melody playing from your phone up to your headphones is particularly catchy, though, you’re not sure if you’ve heard it or not before now. Whoever is singing has a delightful tone that makes the hairs on your arm stand to attention. It’s beautiful you think. You quickly tap the little heart on the screen to make sure you don’t lose it amongst the playlist.

Eclipse.

It somehow becomes the song for you in the weeks following. Every time you listen to it your ears take note to different parts of the song that you hadn’t picked up on previously. Be it the instrumental, the adlibs, or just the voice. Anyone else would have been driven to insanity after having listened to it as often as you have, and yet, you catch yourself more often than not using the repeat feature.

Part of you doesn’t wish to learn more about the person behind the angelic voice, after all, sometimes that can lead to disappointment if it turns out they’re a beautiful singer but an awful person. Yet, the girl displayed on the screen has you more than intrigued if truth be told. You soon learn that she isn’t a solo artist as you had assumed but rather part of a group with eleven other people. After consuming all of their music in one afternoon, it becomes clear to you that whilst all of their music is to your liking, her own song stands out the most to you.

It’s like the shuffle option on your phone just knows when to hit you with those atmospheric synths, sitting on a train headed towards work. It’s a quiet day, people simply seated and minding their own business which is a relief. Your headphones placed firmly inside your ears, the lack of noise surrounding you is a huge upgrade from the usual commotion you’ve grown used to dealing with. Your hand resting atop your lap gently taps along to the beat as you zone out briefly until the train comes to a halt.

Lack of people around is not a privilege you’re offered once you’re out of the station as the streets are lined with people scurrying along, likely doing the same as you. You instinctively turn the volume up to an almost deafening level before striding onward.

Draining. That’s the only way to describe your day. Everything that could go wrong, managed to, and everything that could go right evaded you like the plague. The walk home made even more excruciating by the fact that your headphones have decided to give up on you. Every step feels like it’s going to be your last if you aren’t in the comfort and safety of your own home soon.

Without even realizing it, you slowly begin to hum a tune as you walk, your brain’s way of offering you something to focus on other than the dark streets ahead. The lyrics soon begin to jumble out of your mouth too, not in the correct order, key or rhythm they’re supposed to, but you do your best to sound quietly decent. It’s relaxing and makes you feel a little bit more at ease.

Well, it would, if it weren’t for some very loud steps from behind you beginning to grow closer and closer to you. Your first instinct is to swing around extremely fast and hopefully knock whoever this strange person is flying far enough away from you to be able to at least get a head start on them. However, they’re a lot quicker than you imagined and instead their body collides with your own and the two of you end up laying in a heap in the middle of the sidewalk together.

You’ve seen this happen plenty of times on television or in films, yet what they don’t show you or explain is just how painful it is to hit the ground with force and have a whole other body on top of your own. A visit to the chiropractor will definitely be happening in the foreseeable.

“I’m so sorry, oh my god! Are you okay?” The words hit your ears like a sharp sting, either that or this collision has truly broken your spine. “Please say something.”

Your eyes readjust to look up at the owner of the body still uncomfortably pressed against your own. A hood is pulled up over their head but you can see some brown flowing hair poking out of the side of it. Dark eyes that are wide and alarmed, likely because you still haven’t said a word or that it’s only just become aware to them that they’re pressing down onto you.

“Sorry, again,” the stranger apologizes once more as she finally stands up and offers a hand for you to grab. “Come on, you can’t lay there and be silent, either speak or get up at least.” A chuckle follows her words and you’re convinced it’s the softest thing you’ve ever heard.

Latching onto her hand, you finally stand on your own two feet once more. Her grip almost crushes the bones in your own, but she relinquishes it as soon as she sees that you’re okay.

“Do you usually run into people at full force?” You ask, annoyed tone obvious and aiming right for her.

“N-no.” The stranger stutters. “I just got a little bit excited when I heard you singing, can you do it again?”

Great, you think, not only has she managed to damage your entire frame but now she’s after your sanity too having overheard your out of tune singing, if you can call it that.

“No? I wasn’t singing for you. It’s scary out here, there are random people who will run right into you after all.”

Almost in slow motion, or maybe it’s just the trance-like state she’s put you into, the woman removes the hood covering the majority of her head. Those brown locks of hair end up sliding down her back gracefully and her features become clearer without the darkness of the material blocking them. She looks, familiar. Though you’re certain the two of you have never met before.

“Please, just like a few seconds of it and then I’ll leave you alone, I promise.” Her begging right before you bizarrely makes your heart swell inside your chest. Never did you imagine that this was the encounter you’d be receiving when you first heard the impending footsteps behind you.

“Why?”

She clears her throat and looks around awkwardly as if there are people around to overhear your conversation. There isn’t.

“I think it was my song you were singing.” Though the words exit her mouth at a normal rate, time seems to slow down between you both the more she continues. That and you’re ready for the world to swallow you whole, spit you back out, and then swallow you again. Because, yes, that familiarity you felt stems from the fact that this is Kim Lip stood right before you. “It sounded really pretty, please.”

All of the air in your lungs couldn’t force the song out of your throat even if you wanted to accept her request. But you definitely don’t. Frankly, you’re embarrassed enough and you can’t imagine how she must be feeling about it all. It’s best for both of you if you simply walk away now and forget this ever happened. Which is what you attempt to do. However, her hand latches onto your coat and pulls you back into place in front of her.

“Come on, I’ll sing it with you.” She stares deep into your eyes. Genuine in her approach, you can’t help but give in to her request.

Despite having heard the song several times and just singing it merely seconds ago, hearing Kim Lip right before you softly let out the lyrics herself, you stumble over a few of the words which earn you a bright smile from her. Your own embarrassment being the only coherent thought in your mind other than just how perfect she sounds and that anyone would believe you’re listening to the version from your phone and not a real person before you.

She suddenly grasps your hand, presumably to be encouraging, however, your nerves get the better of you and suddenly you can feel it shaking against her own skin. She doesn’t let go, simply holds it a little tighter.

“You’re a good singer.” She stops mid-song to not just tell you but almost convince you. Her features show that she can sense you aren’t confident in this moment but she’s imploring you to try or at least one day believe it. “Thank you so much for singing with me.”

Her hand finally let’s go of your own and she places the hood back over her head, her face darkening in the process to where all you can properly see are her sparkling eyes that you’re sure look as if they’re on the verge of tears, though, you’re unsure why.

“Are you okay?” You decide to ask her.

She heaves a deep sigh and looks away from you briefly before answering.

“I’m fine, I’ve just never heard someone else sing my song yet.” The corners of her lips curve up into a brief smile before she continues. “Thank you, I should probably head back but please keep singing. I might see you around someday.”

Before you even attempt to thank her yourself, she’s darting off just as fast as she collided with you into the night. When you began your day, never did you imagine such a thing would happen, nor are you certain it actually has, however, a quick nip to your arm proves you are awake and not in a state of sleep to dream this whole thing up.

The Kim Lip heard you sing her song, and liked it?

It’s a small world after all.

#loona #kim lip #kpop #girl group scenarios #loona kim lip #kim jungeun #kpop scenarios #girl group imagines #kpop imagines #loona scenarios #loona imagines #kim lip x reader #fluff

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confidentweirdo · 4 years

Text

People Always Cry at Weddings

(a wolfstar drabble inspired by @johnfiliuslupin on Tiktok)

October 14, 1979

The air was a bit chilly now, so Remus had to put his collar up. Sirius was looking thoughtfully at his boots and kicking some fallen leaves. Neither of them said a word since they left James and Lily’s wedding a few minutes ago and it started getting really awkward.

‘So… a great ceremony, huh?’ Remus tried weakly, not exactly waiting for a response.

‘I guess’ Sirius shrugged and continued kicking a small stone on his way, not looking him in the eyes.

‘Do you remember, how shy James was around her all the time at school? It was hilarious, one moment he was boasting so loudly my ears hurt, and then the other she would walk down the corridor and he got all flustered and started stuttering…’

Sirius smiled a bit, and was finally looking at Remus.

‘Heeeeeeey, Evans… Lost, Evaaans?’ Padfoot mocked James’ love-struck voice and Remus could not help chuckling.

‘Oh god, remember his face when she jinxed that third-yeah Hufflepuff for swearing?’

‘And then again when she punched Snivellus in the face! I think that was the moment he started looking for a perfect ring.’

They laughed together and Remus could not ignore how Sirius absentmindedly moved closer to him. They walked in a comfortable silence now, their sleeves brushing slightly.

‘And James looked happier than ever today!’ Sirius added.

‘And Lily was so beautiful! They make a great team, they were truly meant to be, even if she hated his guts for years beforehand. But they both have evolved so much, they helped each other grow and become better people in the process. They deserve all the happiness in the world…’ Remus said, smiling at the night sky and street lights, really happy for his best friends. ‘I don’t think I know any other couple who would be so good for each other.’

‘Oh really? No one comes to mind?’ Sirius said quietly and somewhat bitterly.

Remus knew what was happening, but decided it was safer to play dumb.

‘Well, Dorcas and Marlene come pretty close to that’ he tried, even managing a soft smile.

‘Hmm, and what about us?’

Remus stopped in his tracks, confident the he misheard the question. Surely hinting and perhaps some flirting was one thing, but this…

‘What?’

‘I said “What about us?”’ Sirius repeated slowly with that unusually low and serious tone of voice that Remus only heard from him once or twice in their lifetime.

‘I… I mean… We will find someone too, eventually…’

Remus knew full well this was not what Sirius asked him about, but he had to win himself some time to stop panicking.

‘Drop the act, Remus. We can’t deny it any longer…’

‘Sirius, don’t…’

‘Let me say it, damn it! I know you’re afraid… of something. Maybe of trusting me, maybe of being close to someone, maybe of what will happen to us all. But that fear keeps you away from living, Remus. I was afraid too, all these years. But I’m not anymore.’

Sirius straightened his back and raised his chin, looking his friend dead in the eye. Remus tilted his head and for the first time ever noticed how much Sirius Black has grown as a person. He was wiser now, not just the impulsive playboy Hogwarts used to know. There was now depth in him, willing to build something, and not just destroy everything in his way. There was less rage and more acceptance, more tenderness and less showing off. Remus decided he was rather fascinated by this new version, same as he was by an old one.

‘If you can’t deal with it right now, I understand, and I’ll wait. But you should know I will always be here for you… not matter what.’ Sirius inhaled and exhaled deeply and then added quietly and way more intimately ‘I love you, Remus Lupin. Probably have for years and probably will forever.’

Remus was struck by how calm he seemed. He knew full well what nervous Sirius looked like, knew what he looked like when only trying to appear calm, and it was neither. He really accepted this fact in his heart and just needed Remus to know, not expecting anything in response.

‘I…’ Remus cleared his throat, and blinked a few times to clear away the tears in his eyes he never knew were there. ‘I love you too. So so much.’

Sirius’ face was so surprised Remus couldn’t hold back a laugh. Suddenly they both felt this surge of happiness, like this moment on a cold October night would last for eternity, and when it finally ends everything would be alright.

Sirius blinked a few times and gained control over his face expression. He cleared his throat too and tried to put on his best smug smile.

‘I mean… I knew you’d say that! Obviously, you feel this way too, I kn—’

Remus did not let him finish this silly bravado that was meant to cover up his sudden vulnerability. He used Sirius’ tie and pulled the other man so close their breaths mingled. Then, without missing a heartbeat, Remus kissed him like his life depended on it.

And it was everything he hoped for since their third year. Sirius’ hair was just as soft as he imagined, and his hand on Remus’ cheek was just as warm. What Remus never imagined though was the feeling of dizziness and utter happiness. Well, that, and how marvelous of a kisser Sirius Black was.

‘Told you the wedding will make them both soft!’

James Potter and Lily Evans stood right behind them, both grinning triumphally. Lily was still wearing her wedding dress, and James left his jacket and tie somewhere, but his hair was just as messy as ever. When Sirius and Remus turned to them, still keeping their hands on each other waists, the newlywed just giggled.

‘Hey, Pads!’ Lily said casually, while Sirius and Remus were both processing what just happened. ‘Catch!’

Giving him no time to think, Lily threw something right at his face, accompanied by James’ laughter. Sirius had no choice but to let Remus go and catch that ball of white and violet aimed at his sternum.

‘We’re happy for you, boys’ Lily added.

‘And kinda proud, even though in my opinion you’re late for at least five years.’

Lily nagged James in the ribs for the last comment and took his hand to apparate them home.

‘Ciao, tossers!’ was the last thing James said before disappearing with a loud crack.

Remus and Sirius exchanged glances, and then Black started laughing hysterically, not being able to restrain himself any more. Moony felt as if he was missing out on something.

‘What was that all about?’ Remus asked, bewildered. ‘Why did they follow us here in the first place?’

‘Remember Lily refused to throw her bouquet after the ceremony, because she said it was “reserved for someone special and she already knew who it belonged to”?’ Sirius wiped the tears of laughter, unwrapping the ball of crinoline in his hands.

‘Yeah?’

‘Well get fucking ready, Moons, ‘cos I’m the lucky bride!’

#wolfstar #drabble #Remus Lupin #Sirius Black #remus/sirius

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readingsbylibramc · 3 years

Text

birth chart reading for @cevanslovebots

hello! welcome to your reading. I’m gonna give you a quick overview of what I’m going to analyze about your natal chart. feel free to ask me anything if something isn’t clear, of course. you’ll find out your dominants’ influence on your persona, your physical appearance, impression on others and the way you approach the world; your ego, identity, the real you; your reactions, your desires, inner emotions; your way of expressing your feelings, your mind and ideas; your desires and approach to love; your energy tank, instincts and temperament; in-depth analysis of each house with their rulers and analysis of heavy aspects; love life + soulmates/karmic partners interpretation; your relationship with your friends; your family life; your approach to career and work in general + possible jobs suggestion; your style, fashion sense analysis; life purpose and past life description; basic transits’ analysis to describe your current mood and, last but not least, your secret skills, how to make the most out of your soul and manifest what you desire based on your birth chart.

🦋 chart shape, dominants

your chart is a splay shape, meaning that your planets are located randomly in different groups in your chart. people with this type of chart are usually very talented at different things. they can focus their attention on different matters, from family, to work, to love. everything is important for you, and you try to live your life to the fullest. you may be particularly talented at things that require action, it doesn’t matter whether it’s physical or mental. you may be very good at sports, dancing… or maybe you’re good at leading, you could easily be the boss on your work place. since you’re interested in so many things, you could easily be skilled at all of them to be honest. my advice would be to pick the hobby that is most important for you and care about it more than the others. that’s because people with this chart usually tend to do so many things that they may lack precision. it’s better to give all of yourself to what’s important for you.

your dominant planets are venus, saturn and pluto. you a very romantic person, you probably are quite creative or at least you have an eye for aesthetics. you can be quite moody, but you're also very mature and responsible, you work hard to achieve your goals as you want to be seen as perfect.

your dominant sign is libra. you're overall a peaceful person, you try to avoid conflicts if possible, even though sometimes you could have a sharp tongue. you're a romantic person, maybe too much. you hold unrealistic expectations of people, hence you often get disappointed when things don't turn out the way you thought. you're able to see both sides of an argument, and that's both good and bad. in fact, you're very objective, and most probably your opinions are right; yet, it may be annoying for people that are venting to you, as you could constantly point out their mistakes, even though you don't do it out of malice.

your dominant element is air. in your life, you adore seeking for knowledge of any kind. you may be interested in studying different subjects, from those you study at school like science, maths, literature etc. to more unconventional ones, such as astrology, psychology, criminology and so on. you enjoy interacting with people; even if you’re not that sociable, you’ll still be interested in their point of view and their ideals, as you see it as a way to expand your own mind. you’re also interested in vintage, and you may have a retro aesthetic or just like history in general.

🌎 ascendant in capricorn, 8° / 1st decan ruled by saturn

the most hard-working and approachable capricorn decan. you're an affectionate person, yet your heavy capricorn influence may make you feel restricted to share your vitality with others. others' first impression of you is that you look like some sort of authority, someone who needs to be respected. even when you're joking, you still have this seriousness to your aura that is hard to go unnoticed. you care about your manners, and just your overall impression in general. you may take extra care of your clothes, your hair etc. you don't want to look disorganized, in fact you probably own an agenda or even just write your appointments somewhere. you have a cautious approach to the world, you're very responsible, especially when people you love are involved. you may have a very serious expression to you that could actually make you seem intimidating. generally speaking, you still have a serious look on your face that looks quite intimidating, especially since saturn is also your dominant planet. you also look introverted, and you most probably are. you're very modest, and that's because you're secretly kind of insecure about your appearance. you always feel like you're not enough, and that you constantly have to improve yourself to be accepted. this gets better with time, though. physically, you're probably very attractive and don't realize it! especially with your libra midheaven. you may have an amazing bone structure with high cheekbones, a defined jawline and naturally straight, pleasant teeth. you may probably also have an amazing posture and walk, even though you may suffer from scoliosis or other bones diseases in your early years.

capricorn ascendant square libra moon: you may have troubles understanding others’ real feelings for you. you may feel as if everyone hates you, like everyone is talking behind your back when it’s the opposite. the moon being in libra doens’t help either, as this aspect enhances its trust issues even more. you’re particularly sensitive about others’ view and opinion of you, you may get deeply hurt when people criticize you. you could have the tendency to act differently than you usually do, in order to preserve your feelings. this is obviously a toxic behaviour, that fills you up with your own stress and doubles it. due to that, you may become very moody and nervous, ending up hurting others yourself. or maybe, it’s the other way around; your feelings are so overwhelming that you can’t hide them, and that could put you in embarrassing, unpleasant situations. you may show all of your emotions on your face, ready to be read. the way to cope with this placement is finding someone similiar to you; someone who’s trust-worthy, and very sensitive and empathetic too. someone who’d never judge you for you think or say, and that would always help you becoming the best version of yourself. someone that understands you, without having to explain all of your behaviours and habits.

🌞 sun in leo, 1° / 1st decan ruled by the sun

just like the sun, you shine brightly. you're confident, independent, brave and friendly. you're the only who can handle your life, no one can tell you who you are, what you want or what you need. sometimes you can get insecure, as you feel pressured to always be perfect. you try to be nice and kind to everyone, as you don't wanna be seen as someone unpleasant to be with. even though you may be into gossip and rumors, you try to avoid being involved with them at every cost. the thing with leo is, you're either loved or hated. no inbetween. some may admire your confidence, assertiveness and determination, others may be jealous of you. you have celebrity-like presence, you don't go overlooked. you're most probably the life of the party, and you enjoy living a life full of fun and amusement. you're also amazingly creative. with your heavy leo influence, you have the potential to do and achieve whatever you want, you're very resolute. even though you look very open to getting to know new people, you're secretly very picky about who you call your friends, or even when choosing a partner. you always try to be perfect, and hence you want someone that looks and tries just like you do.

🌙 moon in libra, 16° / 2nd decan ruled by venus and uranus

the most romantic and affectionate libra decan. in life, you strive for equality and fairness. for example, you don’t want to give less than someone else, you would feel guilty about it. at the same time, you don’t want to be the one that gives more either; you’re afraid that people could take advantage of you. therefore, balance is what you find the most pleasant. ironically, you struggle to keep the same balance in yourself, though. you may appear a bit emotionally cold, as you don’t feel comfortable showing your true self due to your secrecy. you come off as kind of analytical, but you’re actually very romantic. you wish the world was just filled with love and peace, and you that you didn’t have to worry about malice or anything of that type. you hate vulgarity, and you try to be as kind as possible with your words, even though you may be too straight-forward and fail at that. even if you’re an introvert, you may know a lot of people. yet, you have troubles actually creating close bonds with others. you basically have more acquaintances than friends. you’re a nice mediator, you know how to get along with others and make others get along.

🗣 mercury in leo, 28° / 3rd decan ruled by the sun and mars

you take a lot of pride in your intellect and ideas. leo is a fixed sign, hence you’re quite stubborn with your thoughts. you have a spectacular way of speaking, almost dramatic, that could make you come off as a know-it-all. when telling stories, you may exaggerate a bit, but at least you’re entertaining to listen. you could also gesticulate a lot while speaking, and maybe you like mimicking voices as well. you aim to express your feelings through creativity, it’s very important for you to write poetry, songs, drawings etc., it’s also a way to relieve stress and worries. your way of speaking is very attractive, it’s like a magnet. with this charisma of yours, it’s impossibile not to listen to you, you most likely have an extremely soothing and entertaining tone of voice. you would do amazing as a teacher or even as a (voice) actress, as you’re able to fully convey your emotions in your speech.

leo mercury conjunct leo mars: this placement makes you slightly more aggressive with your words. in fact, it makes you look more assertive and almost bossy. you could often attack people with words when you get angry, and you can get quite provocative too. while you are quick-minded and it's hard for you to be tricked, you have a very sharp tongue that could hurt others. other people may not understand your sense of humor for example, and they could get offended. you love debates and expressing your opinions, as you take a lot of pride in your thoughts. yet, may also take things very personally, you get defensive extremely easily, and that makes it hard to have a healthy discussion with you as you're very fiery. you could often get into arguments.

❤️ venus in gemini, 18° / 2nd decan ruled by mercury and venus

this is the flirtiest, most romantic gemini decan, but also the flakiest and most indecisive. your flirting style most probably includes jokes, teasing… stuff like that. even though you may seem flaky, as you like experiencing romance with different types of people, you’re actually quite picky. in fact, in order to fall for someone, you need to feel mentally attracted to them, not just physically. someone ignorant and stubborn that doesn’t care about learning something most definitely isn’t for you. you’re not the type to be super romantic and sweet with your partner or just people in general. you show your affection for example by sending them memes, making ironic jokes about them etc. also, when you’re into someone, you probably get very talkative! you start asking them simple questions about their life, even things like 'did you have lunch?’. also, you talk about them with all of your friends, and you find yourself thinking costantly about them. you’re very curious of nature, but you’re only interested in getting to know what catches your eye.

gemini venus square virgo jupiter: you come off as a very positive, happy-go-lucky person. you're extremely friendly, and this makes you be good at social relationships. you may have lots of friends, or at least you have the potential to make many if you opened up and talked to them. yet, while this energy gives you positive vibes, some people may take advantage of that, as you could easily be mistaken for naive. people can try to dominate you unconsciously (sometimes even on purpose) not only in relationships but even in friendships. aside from that, I don't think this placement causes you many problems. you may have the tendency to procrastinate and not work. you could be quite lazy and get easily distracted, as you're constantly with your head in the cloud. yet, thanks to your capricorn energy, you still manage to find some motivation to do your work.

gemini venus opposite sagittarius pluto: you find yourself having crushes on random people often, love at first sight is common for you. but when you seriously fall for someone, they’re your only thought. you start searching for info about them online, and you wanna become part of their life too. you love intensely, but not everyone may enjoy that. there are people that could feel overwhelmed by your love, others that would vibe with you and offer you the same kind of affection. ironically, you tend to attract detached, free-spirited people that most of the times don’t want anything serious. you’re prone to get jealous and possessive very easily, and this makes you suffer, as you may think there’s something wrong with you. maybe, it may even remind you of something that happened during your childhood, perhaps your parents were also very protective of you. love for you is a constant grow; your relationships will be hard, but there’ll always be something to learn to improve yourself and your confidence. little side-note, you may often date karmic partners, aka partners from your past lives, so you may often experience this 'I’ve already seen you before’-vibe in your new encounters and relationships, and you’ll always learn something from all your relationships.

☄️ mars in leo, 18° / 2nd decan ruled by the sun and jupiter

praise and success are what motivate you the most. your main goal in life is being praised for achieving your goals, you wouldn't feel motivated without compliments. therefore, you put energy in things that make you feel confident and noticed, as you enjoy being seen. for example, if you feel confident being well-dressed, you could spend hours in the closet to look how you want. you are very creative, you get an energy boost through creative outlets, and hence your hobbies (reading, writing, dancing, singing, drawing, etc.) recharge your battery. this placement also makes you very extra, especially with people you're close to. you may gesticulate a lot, you could as well enjoy mimicking others' voices. you're basically very dramatic, you seem like an actor when you react, but at least you're very fun and entertaining to watch and listen. this placement, it gives you a strong charisma that, and combined with your heavy libra dominance, it makes it impossible not to notice you. you could overreact from time to time, and you may also be particularly pessimistic, but above all you appear as someone very bold and strong-minded.

🏡 houses

your 1st house is in capricorn. neptune is also sitting in this house. with this planet here, you seem less intimidating than the typical capricorn rising. in fact, you may look more on the dreamy, reserved side, you’re very charismatic in your own way. with your first house in capricorn, you care a lot about your status and about your goals. you always give the best of yourself, and you want to be acknowledged and praised for your achievements. it helps boosting your self-esteem, even though you may have the tendency to think that the compliments you receive aren’t honest. capricorn is ruled by saturn, the planet of karma, therefore you most likely need to work hard to get what you desire. you don't receive anything for granted, you could even feel unlucky in a certain sense as you have quite a bit of undealt karma to you, but for sure your hard work (which you certainly don't lack) will pay off.

your 2nd house is in aquarius. your relationship with money isn’t stable at all. you may often go from periods where you earn a lot of money and possessions, to other times where you lose all of them all of a sudden. same thing goes for your self-esteem, it fluctuates a lot. you find beauty and aesthetic in material things; you most probably love clothes, art, music… anything that isn’t exactly a priority in life, but that allows you to express your personal taste, which is very refined. this placement makes you very creative, and hence you could make money out of your creativity. it would be a great way to find a job and become successful, but also to increase your security and confidence. you could even be a very innovative person, and with your capricorn rising you would make an excellent leader / boss. you could also make money through internet or with technology in general.

your 3rd house is in aries. when you communicate, you take a lot of pride in your opinions. you hate admitting that you’re wrong, especially since you’re a perfectionist. you could be quite impulsive, and you may speak with a naturally loud tone of voice. you’re extremely good at coming up with plans easily, even though you may have troubles sticking to them, as your fiery nature gets easily bored. you are a fast-thinker, even though that doesn't mean you always take the right choices. in fact, you can change your mind very often. you probably have a beautiful, thick voice, even though it's likely very naturaly loud. you also speak as fast as you think, making it hard sometimes to keep up with you in a speech. you could also switch from a topic to another casually. you don't really enjoy thinking about the past nor the future, you only care about the present and you live it they way you feel; hence, you're not really the type to care about learning from your mistakes. you always see the positive side of them, which can be both good and bad actually. that's because you're quite stubborn, it's hard to make you change your mind. you're very straight-forward, and that could lead you to conflicts as you don't understand the impact your words have on others.

your 4th house is in taurus. your childhood probably wasn’t turbulent, unless for those topics I talked about in the venus section. it was mostly quite peaceful, and you probably were able to express your creativity. maybe, your parents were a bit strict or over-protective, possibly materialistic too, but that's it, nothing traumatic. it could also be that you come from a wealthy family, maybe you have received an inheritance, and it could also be that you had a very nice house. since venus, the ruler of the 4th house, is squaring your jupiter, you might have moved to a different country when you were younger, you have a different culture / religion from your birth place. also, you might as well be able to speak one or more foreign languages. your parents may be from another country too, or perhaps you have a foreign name / surname. you could also have foreign ancestors.

your 5th house is in taurus. you are a very creative, artistic person. you’re able to relax by watching netflix, eating, writing, painting… anything that can be done at home. you’re not the type to hang out too often or party all night, you’re more of a homebody. you could also love sleeping in, just being able to stay in bed all day wearing comfy clothes is a vacation for you. the ruler of the 5th house is in the 6th house: you could have hobbies that revolve around psychology and any kind of healing in general. you probably love being productive, you’re probably a very diligent student. you could also find yourself being interested in diets, skincare, sports or working out, anything that makes you feel productive, you like taking care of yourself.

your 6th house is in gemini, with also your venus placed in this house. in your daily routine, especially at work, you have to communicate a lot. you come in contact with lots of people, or maybe you write stuff like blogs or books. generally, you have a very hectic schedule, as you have different hobbies and appointments that you can’t abandon. this placement indicates that you may be prone to overwork yourself, as you put a lot energy in your job. you could be quite superficial in a certain sense, and you’d risk to waste your potential with as you may take your job as a challenge, for example, you need to feel mentally stimulated to like it. in fact, your ideal career has to include something that allows you to express your personal taste, ideas and interests. in this way, it won’t feel too heavy to you, and you’ll find pleasure in working. side note, but this placement also indicates that you may often date co-workers. you may also be prone to hurt yourself easily and you could also suffer from issues with your periods or with your thorat or thyroid, but aside from that your health is probably quite good.

your 7th house is in cancer, with also your sun, saturn and mars sitting here in this house. in marriage, you’re looking for an affectionate and caring partner who’s willing to nurture you. you’re also the type to like younger people to nurture by yourself, especially with your mars here you want to be the one in charge, the leader, even when it comes to relationships. you’re looking for someone you feel at home with, someone that is worth calling 'family’. you need to feel emotionally secure with your future spouse, almost a soulmate-like relationship. in addition, I assume that you also want to feel financially secure, and you wouldn’t mind being spoiled with gifts and just affection in general. this placement makes you very patient with other people, you could be the type to give other possibilities to others for example. saturn in the 7th house may also manifest in a lack of romanticism in an individual, but I don’t think it’s totally your case. I assume that you are quite romantic, but exactly because of your romanticism, you tend to get very picky. you want your partner to meet your ideals of perfection, and hence you may often end up not dating anyone, or being let down by your own lovers. actually, you could even be afraid of love, especially because there could be a lot of karma around your relationships. you could have to experience lots of hardships throughout your love life, but they’ll help you become more mature. it’s also recommended to get married after your saturn return with this placement, hence after your 27/28 years. with the ruler of the 7th house being in the 9th house, I assume you will find your future spouse abroad, perhaps on a vacation or for work. this person could be foreign, or at least they’re able to speak more than one language, they probably have a different culture from yours. it could take a while for you two to meet, since saturn is always about waiting, but I feel like you're going to have a very affectionate and pleasant relationship with this person.

your 8th house is in leo, with also mercury and jupiter sitting there. you have the potential to become a very successful individual, with a great amount of charisma. yet, since the 8th house is related to pluto, the malefic planet of transformation, there are some hardships to this placement. in fact, you may have the tendency to look down on people that aren’t as open-minded as you are. I have the same placement, so I understand that it’s not easy at all, but you should learn to accept respectful people’s opinions. if you do that, you’ll finally be able to glow brightly. you’re very curious when it comes to taboo topics, you like learning about them. you’re probably into conspiracy theories, as well as matters like astrology, tarots, horror, tragedies, mystery... you can use them to transform yourself and grow up, so you could definitely use this birth chart reading to improve yourself. 8th house is also the house of karma, and yours is kind of strange. you may often feel like you’re right about something, e.g the sky is blue. you’re very proud of your observation, but then it turns out to be different. it’s like the universe is constantly teaching you new things. luckily, this is something that gets better with time. in addition, having jupiter here is great, as it kind of protects you from the 8th house’s malefic themes. all the negative things that could happen to you, are actually blessings that are here to help you. you just need to be a little bit more optimistic, the universe has your back.

your 9th house is in libra, with also your moon placed there. you may be the type that likes making new experiences regarding love, and you often date your crushes. yet, you feel too limited in a relationship. you don't enjoy committing to someone if that someone isn't perfect for you, you're only completely loyal to the one you consider your true love. you can't give up your freedom, your thirst for adventure and experiences for someone else. basically, your ideal partner would be a risk-taker, someone loyal but not too clingy, that is down to go on a road trip in every moment. someone impulsive, that could help you stepping out of your comfort-zone. you're probably into those youthful love stereotypes, e.g. high school dates. you want your relationships to be filled with excitement, you despise boring, traditional and cheesy things. you may also find yourself being attracted to unavailable people; that is, you could fall for people that are already taken, or maybe they're physically unavailable, e.g they live abroad or in another city in general. you're also attracted to foreigners, and people that have a wise, yet bubbly aura around them. with your moon here, it could be that your mind is constantly wandering somewhere else, allowing you to travel with your fantasy. you're also probably attracted to foreign things, like people, music, fashion, languages, movies etc. you love learning about anything, and you may also have a good memory. in fact, it’s common for you to be the one who explains things and possibly even leads a group, and this could unluckily make you seem as a know-it-all. you do take pride in your wisdom, indeed. your deep way of thinking is also where your desire for freedom comes from, as you wish to be able to expand yourself through travelling and new experiences. you may also be foreign, bilingual or perhaps it is someone from your family that has a different cultural background.

your 10th house is in scorpio. you may gain a reputation for being very intense and intimidating, probably a leader. you could possibly work abroad, speaking a different language. you may also have the chance to work in the school environment, and deal with people from any country or culture. you find pleasure and energy in work, it's your way to feel free and independent, even it you may work under a boss. it's also where you put most of all your energy, you're very goal-oriented and you strive to be the best at whatever you do. yet, you may actually start obssessing with your career, to the point that you could over-work yourself. you may also struggle to find the perfect job for you at first, as you may have many passions and you don't know which one to choose. you’re extremely motivated to achieve your goals, even though you may feel lost and confused due to your pluto in the 12th house. you’ll pursue a career that involves looking for the truth, hence you may be a detective, a scientist, a poet etc. you could also end up being very successful, you may earn lots of money thanks to your job.

your 11th house is in scorpio again. scorpio. you are extremely picky with your friends. you have a few trust issues, probably caused by your karmic issues again, that make you secretive around your friends. you may close yourself in your shell, or maybe you actually know a lot of people, yet you only consider a few of them your friends. most of the time, you may also befriend people that try to take advantage of you. or perhaps, since there’s a possibility that you understand that, you could be the one who leads the group and acts quite bossy. this is something that gets naturally better with time; actually, your friends will be of great help for you to grow up. you may have big dreams for your future, yet you may feel intimidated as they’re very intense, and hence hard to make come true. you need to pay your karmic debts in order to finally feel comfortable with others and have the motivation to achieve your long-term goals.

your 12th house is in sagittarius, with also your pluto sitting there. you're particularly interested in religion and higher beliefs, hence meditation would be effective for you. yet, you need to get enough sleep, or you could not be able to fully embrace the spirituality of this placement. you may also be able to have prophetic dreams, or at least they have a strong moral beyond them. possibly, you could make lots of nightmares, or perhaps your dreams are all dark and gloomy and blurry, it's hard for you to see things clearly.

❤️ love life, soulmates

in love you attract cancer, taurus, leo, scorpio, capricorn, aquarius and aries. your future spouse will most probably have aquarius, pisces and capricorn placements, hence they’ll be very hard-working, mature and witty, but also very intelligent and a bit moody. it may be love at first sight, and you may find them very attractive. you may also meet through dating apps or in general through social media, or maybe you're going to be introduced to this person by your friends. or perhaps, you're going to marry someone from your group of friends. your children will be heavy in taurus placements, hence they’ll be very creative and quite lazy too, they'll probably love eating and they will like playing around. yet, they could be a bit too stubborn.

👶🏻 family life

your mother was very caring and affectionate with you, even though she could’ve been a bit too protective and/or materialistic. she’s probably a taurus or a libra, possibly even a scorpio or gemini, or she has at least some placements in those signs. your father is a bit more laid-back than your mother, but he may get jealous easily, he could be quite moody and harsh sometimes. he’s probably a scorpio or any other water sign, perhaps sagittarius, libra or taurus too. if you have siblings, they’re probably aries or scorpio. you might fight a lot for control, especially during childhood. you’re also quite possessive of your things, but overall you also have a deep bond. even though you may argue quite a bit, you still have affection for each other.

📊 career

while doing your reading, I got a strong feeling that you're going to work abroad, or at least that you're going to do something related to foreign languages and / or cultures. you could possibly be good at speaking other languages, therefore you would make a perfect translator or interpreter. or maybe, you may even work as a flight attendant, you could have to travel for your job. possibly, I also see you being in a high position in your job, you may have your own business for instance. or maybe you could make a good healer, such as a nurse or a therapist. you would also make a great teacher, or maybe also a criminologist. your chart also has many wealth indicators, hence you'll probably be able to gain lots of money and success thanks to your job! last but not least, you also have many artistic indicators in your chart, therefore you could also work for example as an artist, a singer, a musician, a dancer, an actress, a model, etc.

👚 fashion sense, style analysis

I imagine you put a lot of effort into your outifts, yet you don’t show it. you want to look effortlessly good, you don’t want to give the impression that you tried. your style may be quite minimalistic and simple, with lots of jeans, sweatshirts, plain t-shirts… I see you being more into natural shades, like white, grey, beige etc. you’re also not very fond of using too many accessories, you’re stylish but still very simple. you have this natural charm to you, hence you still look good even though your outfits may not be too complex.

👁 past life, life purpose

in your past life, you were very career-oriented. you were probably extremely successful at work, it was your priority. you could have even been someone important for your career, who knows. yet, this lifetime you don't need to focus on work anymore, you're already a master at it. now, you need to solve your issues with your family and create a family of your own to fully accomplish your life purpose. there may be some ups and downs, but this is what your soul has to learn in this lifetime.

🤔 major transits analysis / may 30

last year was probably very rough for you. at least, you’re finally discovering the truth about who you are; you’re finally learning how to love yourself for who you are, without having to change. by the next year, you should be able to feel much more comfortable and confident. even though you may still face some hardships, don’t give up. you’ll come out of it as a stronger person. the moon is currently in the sign of capricorn, transiting your 1st house; you could be feeling particularly needy lately, you want attention and affection, but at the same time you could be prone to mood swings so be careful to that, as you may end up hurting people impulsively.

🧿 manifest what you want, secret skills

you’re very in contact with your spirituality, making you more sensitive to higher affirmations. you have the ability to visualize what you want. that’s the key to activate the loa: travel with your fantasy, and visualize what you desire. do you want a new car? imagine yourself doing road-trips on that car. a new phone? visualize yourself making calls with that phone. you can even literally create a story involving those topics and it will come true. you can also help yourself by writing and listening to your own affirmations, maybe covered up by some music. you just have to believe in your power!

and this is it! thank you again for booking a reading, hope it reasonated with you :)

- libramc xx

#astrology

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trollnobu · 4 years

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Kendo AU: Characterisation Notes

So I found some notes on how I wanted to characterise characters that weren't shown all that much in canon because they're, well, dead. We're barely given any info about them or their personalities, so this is just something to keep myself on track when I write them.

They're also all part of a friend circle of their own. I call them Posthumous Pals.

Sabito

▪18, first year university student, studying criminology

▪Hot-tempered, but doesn't hold grudges and forgives and forgets easily. His anger usually comes from a place of concern. Always nagging at Giyū and Makomo for being flighty, irresponsible or forgetful.

▪"Makomo, did you forget to pay your phone bills again" "Oi, Giyū, how many hours did you sleep last night? You look like shit" "Am I your alarm clock? Get up already!" "DON'T TELL ME YOU BOTH FORGOT THERE WAS A TEST TODAY OH MY GOD"

▪Actual Mum Friend. He's a little mad about it, but he cannot stop himself. Considering how often he has to remind them to eat or force them to study...his childhood friends really are useless without him.

▪TSUNDERE

▪Ultimately a nice guy, but his people skills could use work. He can get a bit standoffish and even scary. Still has a better rep than Giyū, though

▪Passionate but overzealous. He can be very overwhelming sometimes and unwittingly intimidates juniors. He used to tutor Tanjirō and his siblings as a side job and ended up scaring them...

▪Very hardworking and driven! He's the kind of guy who has a clear aim in life and probably a 10 year plan on how to get to where he wants to be. It makes him clash with Giyū and Makomo a bit, since they're either too unsure or carefree, but he's just worried for their future.

▪Unwilling straight man of his childhood friend group. Often the sole voice of reason and common sense.

▪Has feelings for Makomo for ages but stubbornly refuses to say anything to keep the status quo (Giyū's tired, send help)

Makomo

▪18, first year university student, studying arts

▪Between fiery, disciplined Sabito and melancholic, disgruntled Giyū, Makomo is the nice middle ground with a serene, gentle temperament.

▪She's probably too calm, if you ask Sabito. It comes with the downside of not taking anything seriously. Makomo has a tendency to brush off her friends' worries. Sometimes it helps temper Sabito and Giyū's anxiety; sometimes it infuriates them. A double-edged sword.

▪Has a hidden impish side. She likes to make fun of both Sabito and Giyū. Giyū gets disproportionately dramatic over it and accuses her of "emotionally profiting off of [his] distress."

▪Despite seeming the least obsessed with kendo compared to her friends, Makomo was actually the one to drag them into it...

▪Can come across as lazy because she doesn't have the same sense of purpose or drive as Sabito. She's also a bit spoiled and likes being pampered. Some might pin the blame on her godfather and mentor Urokodaki

▪Acts like the friendly, reliable onee-chan to her juniors and is the only senior Obanai actually likes but will shamelessly behave childishly in front of Giyū and Sabito. They don't like admitting that they also get childish in retaliation.

▪Of the three, Makomo is the best with people and their assigned PR manager though she can act distant without realising it. Has the kind of face where she always looks like she has something on her mind. People sometimes feel that she's a bit unapproachable because it's almost like they're interrupting something...

▪Gets bright-eyed and very chatty if someone brings up anything relating to arts, sculptures or dancing.

Kochō Kanae

▪18, first year university student, studying medical science

▪Poster child of the Genki Girl trope and child prodigy who makes you question your life's accomplishments

▪Kanae is one of those people who masters everything with little effort. She's not even the respectable hard worker type like Sabito or Shinobu; she just doesn't need to work too hard and still makes it anyway. Has never seriously struggled with anything.

▪Also filthy, disgustingly rich. She's a born heiress to a large pharmaceutical conglomerate and was spoiled by loving parents. Truly born with a silver spoon in her mouth.

▪Very cheerful and kind! She's the sort of person who likes to make children laugh, helps the elderly cross the street and makes sure no one feels left out. Probably visits orphanages and campaigns for environmental awareness or something.

▪Beautiful! Intelligent! Accomplished! Compassionate! How can someone be this perfect?

▪Unfortunately, she's also BIG CHAOTIC DUMB, has no financial sense, naive, incredibly unreliable, can be an obnoxious do-gooder and is notoriously lacking in common sensibilities. Absolutely cannot function in the real world without Shinobu. Even her boyfriend's very first impression of her was "rich idiot without a day job."

▪Everyone thinks "how on earth did Sanemi trick her into a relationship with him?" But no one thinks "how on earth did Kanae trick him into a relationship with her?"

▪Ironically, despite being rather dysfunctional individuals by their own, Kanae and Sanemi seem to have a fairly stable, calm relationship. It wasn't so in the beginning, though

▪More wise than you'd expect, but too bad you'd hardly see that side of her. She's too busy being a disaster.

Rengoku Kyōjurō

Not posthumous, in the sense that he doesn't die before the series but during it, but he's here anyway because he kicked it so quick smh rip ren

▪17, third year high school student, captain of his kendo club and also the star pupil of the Fire Branch

▪Gender-bent version of Kanae in that he's explosively cheerful and full of endless optimism and energy. Everyone fears them when they're together. The genki is too powerful...

▪Big Brother Energy™

▪He's your go-to guy if you have any troubles and need a listening ear, or a helping hand, or honest criticism, or just some advice. Anything you need, he is here!

▪Despite appearing well-adjusted, however, he's not as untouchable as he looks. Like everyone his age, he has some anxiety and fears over the future and impending adulthood. He has a hard time confiding in anyone, though, because he's so used to being the one relied on.

▪Big case of Mama's Boy Syndrome. He'll drop everything for her. Due to her weak health, he really worries about his mother.

▪Because the Fire Branch has close ties with the Water Branch, he sees the others fairly often. He's at his most chatty with Kanae, Shinobu and Sabito (though even Sabito gets worn out after a while) and is one of the few who genuinely likes Giyū, despite his social missteps and bumbling. Makomo and Obanai try to escape at first sight of him; they seldom succeed.

▪"He's like cough medicine. Good for you if you're feeling bad, but best taken in small doses."

▪Between him and Mitsuri, the Fire Branch easily has the most welcoming and encouraging atmosphere of all the dojos.

Kumeno Masachika

▪20, third year university student, studying psychology and sociology

▪Step aside, Kyōjurō, the real big brother is here.

▪He's old and experienced enough to actually have some of his shit together by now. Or maybe university has worn him out.

▪He has all of Makomo's unflappability, but without her flippancy. All of Sabito's responsibility, without his anxiety. Friendly as Kyōjurō without being overwhelming, realistic as Giyū without giving into pessimism and charismatic as Kanae without being unreachable. In short: the most down-to-earth, well-balanced, and least dysfunctional person within a 20 mile radius.

▪It makes him a bit of an odd sight in the Wind Branch, in between Sanemi's hair-trigger temper and Inosuke's obscene screaming. Legends say his calm is to overcompensate for the level of unbridled feral energy in the Wind Branch...

▪In truth, he's the scariest one amongst them if he does get angry. His juniors actually write apology notes to him if this happens, like young children who've just disappointed their favourite teacher.

▪Otherwise, he wins the award of Most Chill. He gets frequently deployed if they need someone to defuse tension. An important duty, when one considers that the Wind Branch is the most competitive, aggressive of the dojos.

▪Speaks a bit dryly, though it feels personable rather than snarky.

▪The dojo master of the Wind Branch is apparently trying to harangue him into being the next, though he's resisting because he wants to "go teach kids or something."

▪Maybe it's only fitting, since the rest of the Wind Branch already gave him plenty of experience at shepherding unruly children.

#kny fanfic #sabito #makomo #kochou kanae #rengoku kyoujurou #kumeno masachika #kny spoilers #i doubt anyone doesnt know rengoku dies but lets slap that tag on anyway for anime watchers #me at masachika: god i wish that were me #kanae really be that 'always another asian better than you' meme #sabito is just tsundere and mum friend. i've broken him down to his bare essentials #kny kendo au #kendo au #...i forgot which tag i was using rip #posthumous pals #thats a tag now

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straykidsupdate · 4 years

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Stray Kids Aim to Reach A Global Audience with Relatable Take on K-pop: 'Stray is Okay'

“Not all those who wander are lost,” is a quote from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring, but it may as well be a slogan for K-pop boy band Stray Kids.

The act has spent the last few years carving out a niche for themselves in the K-pop world, gathering and inspiring their fans, known collectively as Stay. With several producers in the team, Stray Kids have released a multitude of albums since then that feature songs that are both riotous and introspective, energetic and motivational. The eight-member act, which started out in 2018 as a nonet but saw one member depart last year, recently completed their Clé album trilogy, and debuted their first-ever all-English songs earlier this year amid a world tour that will see them hit up dozens of cities across Asia, North America, and Europe.

While in New York City for the first show of their 2020 District 9: Unlock World Tour, the members of Stray Kids sat down with Billboard backstage ahead of their concert at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden to discuss their career, the Clé album series, and their artistic vision.

How’s New York treating you guys?

Bang Chan: It’s like our third time in New York, but every time we find something new. Hyunjin and Seungmin went to Times Square and they took a lot of photos and stuff. Every time we come, it’s always great.

How do you feel about 2020 so far?

[Members gasp exaggeratedly.]

Felix: Excited. What else? Not only excited, but we look forward to 2020 because it is our first world tour. Bang Chan: True. Felix: We really want to show our much improved sides. We haven’t really shown much of what we’ve prepared so we’re really looking forward to showing that at the concert.

How do you feel you’ve grown since you performed in the U.S. last year?

Bang Chan: Well, I got a little taller. [Members laugh] I’m joking… Throughout the years, without even us knowing, we’ve improved skill wise and just getting used to the stage. Just the fact that we’re able to do a world tour with our own concert is an improvement itself, so I guess 2020 is another year for a lot of improvement so we’re getting ready for that.

What are you looking forward to the most on this tour?

Felix: Meeting our fans, it’s been such a long time since we met them. We do look forward to meeting them and seeing how cheerful they are. It’s very memorable. Bang Chan: It’s been around seven months since we last came to the U.S. Seven, eight months.

I.N: It’s really exciting because we’re going to a lot of different, new cities.

You just released “Double Knot” and “Levanter” in English. Why did you opt to release these two songs as your first English-language releases?

Bang Chan: I suppose it was an opportunity for us, because we’ve never released a full English track. But to have this opportunity to do that -- especially because there’s a lot of international Stays as well -- getting closer to them through these full English songs was really a great opportunity and chance for us.

Was there a reason you picked these songs in particular?

Bang Chan: Well, they are our most recent releases. But because, especially with “Double Knot,” sound wise it’s really strong and confident, and we wanted to share that with Stay. And “Levanter,” it’s kind of got a different vibe to “Double Knot” so it’s the perfect one-plus-one package.

Was it a different experience for Stray Kids as a team to approach creating songs in English? Some members speak English and there is an ample mount of English in your songs, but linguistic differences always affect things, so was it at all difficult?

Hyunjin: Because my rap was all in English and it had a lot of speed to it, it was a little bit challenging. After recording it and listening to it, it felt really refreshing. It sounded like something new even though it was challenging to get through the recording at first. But after doing that, and doing the whole song in English, it felt like we were taking a step closer to our global fans. Felix: Getting to perform in English [on Kelly & Ryan and Good Day New York] was pretty cool. Very new. Very, “Oh wow, I’m not singing in Korean. Now I’m doing it in English.” It seems pretty cool. It was interesting. Bang Chan: I wrote the lyrics for “Double Knot,” cause the Korean version these two boys [points to Changbin and Han, who are credited with Bang Chan as co-lyricists on that version] wrote such good lyrics and I wanted to keep the meaning. So I was really trying my best to save the meanings they originally had, and try to translate it as close as possible without ruining the rap flow or the melody and stuff. It was a bit hard at first but luckily the song came out well, the boys recorded it really well. I was kind of proud of that. Thanks everyone.

In many of your songs, you sing motivationally about being yourself, expressing yourself, and share the intent to go towards goals and dreams. Why are these themes that you revisit time and time again?

Changbin: We tend to write about songs with that type of theme because a lot of people in the world, just like us, have goals and dreams that they’re running towards. So by writing songs that can relate to these people, we hope to give them strength and support through that, as well as give that to ourselves too.

Are there any lyrics from your songs that you’re thinking about a lot lately?

Changbin: I didn’t write this part in “Miroh,” but I think about it a lot. “It’s not hard, in this rough jungle/ It was me who ran into it, I’m okay.” Han: In “Grow Up,” that hook part where we say “you’re doing fine,” that’s something that I think about a lot because it gives me a lot of strength. I.N: I didn’t write this, but in “My Side” there’s a lyric- Bang Chan: [translating}: “I hope these lyrics touch your ears.” I.N: I think about that a lot.

Based on that lyric... How do you feel about the fact that maybe the lyrics aren’t reaching your listeners ears, since many don’t understand Korean or, with the new songs, English without a translation?

Bang Chan: For me, it’s pretty funny. And they [the members] may not know this as well. But sometimes I listen to Indian music, sometimes I listen to Spanish music as well, usually from Spain. Honestly, I have no idea what they’re saying. But I dunno, just the vibe of the song and how the person actually sings it, I get a lot of different feelings as well. That kind of makes me want to find out what the lyrics actually mean, and what the singer really wants to say through the song. I do understand that there may be Stays that may just listen to our songs but not understand the lyrics, and I completely understand how that feels as well. So just want to put that out there. [Laughs] Han: People may not understand the message completely but, while there’s strength obviously in lyrics there is also strength in the melody and just the song in general as well. We do think about that as we perform and sing these songs because there are different ways you can gain strength through music, the lyrics are just one element.

In the Clé album series, you went kind of grittier, darker, sometimes industrial, and just generally more experimental than some of your prior releases. Where did you draw inspiration from?

Bang Chan: I think you’re probably talking about “Side Effects,” and also “Maze of Memories” which is really gritty as well. For “Maze of Memories,” it was pretty fast. We wrote it pretty fast. The lyrics go really deep. But we wanted to try a really raw -- If you listen to the song, the rhythm changes, the BPM changes, the vibes of the song changes, the instruments change as well. I dunno. We just felt like through this Clé series, especially Clé 1 where “Miroh” talks about just going for a new challenge with a lot of confidence. With that being said, we wanted to make a song like “Maze of Memories” really experimental.

You said it took a short period of time to write the song, but what does that mean exactly? How long is your songwriting process usually like that that was considered fast?

Han: It’s always different, every song. On average maybe 4-5 hours. Bang Chan: If everything flows smoothly. And we have to do the guide as well. With a guide, like six-plus hours.

You talked a bit about what you wanted for Clé 1, but now that you’ve finished the entire series, what do you want listeners to take away from the sonic era as a whole?

Changbin: We told a lot of stories through the Clé series. There were a lot of moments where we had a lot of confidence, and ones where there’s a lot of confusion, a lot of thoughts running through our head. A lot of people are going through that same thing as well, when they’re going through a lot of confusing thoughts in their heads. So we wanted to relate to other people going through that. I was kind of hoping that when people listen to this series, they can overcome those moments together [with us] by relating to each other.

Are these feelings that you’re feeling as well?

Changbin: Of course. I feel like everybody goes through that at some point.

You released a lot of music videos throughout the Clé series. How do you feel the visual elements help relay your lyrical messages, if at all?

Bang Chan: Last year, we had so many music videos. But if I had to pick some, for example “Side Effects” itself has a lot of... Seungmin: ...Easter eggs. Bang Chan: Yea, easter eggs. Especially for “Levanter,” it has a lot of easter eggs. Everything has its own meaning. I guess we know what it’s really about, and it is kind of difficult but it’s always fun to know what Stays think about it as well, because Stays do have a hard time trying to really solve what the music video is actually talking about. Even at a fansign event, they’ll be like, “So what does this video mean?” Like, “No, you gotta find out for yourself.” It’s kind of really fun to just know that Stays are trying to solve what the music videos are actually talking about. Changbin: It’s like, “You should guess.” Felix: It’s a challenge. Bang Chan: It’s like Inception. Cause there may be a meaning that we want to put into the music video as well, but for some people they could take it in a totally different way, but that could be their own answer if you know what I mean.

You shared your “Mixtape: Gone Days” at the end of last year, what did you want people to reflect on when listening to the song?

Bang Chan: It was a word play on “Gone Days,” as in days that have passed by and “kkondae(꼰대).” Seungmin: A little joke in Korean. Bang Chan: Yea, it’s a joke in Korean saying like, “old people.” But what I wanted to say was just, you know, the whole thing, really shortened, is, “The past is the past and, you know don’t really worry on the past too much and just focus on now. The future will come based on what you do now.” I think that’s what I wanted to say.

Was that a message you wanted to give your Stays at the end of 2019?

Bang Chan: I suppose so, because even if a lot of things have happened... Especially in 2019 there were quite a lot of things that happened. But in the end, they will be memories to us and we might learn a lot from them. Those days aren’t going to come back. Because we’ve learned so much from what has happened, we can focus on how to improve a better feature. I think that’s what I wanted to tell Stays.

We’re moving into 2020, and you mentioned that quite a lot happened in 2019, and changes often lead to stress and anxiety so how do you face any hardships that come your way? Any advice for fans?

Felix: I do feel that there will always be hardships, and it’s not always easy at first for everyone to overcome a situation. But, then again, once you have the help and support from someone, or even if you try yourself, eventually there will be a time when you can overcome that loop or that hope, that wall. I always think that there’s positivity, and there’s always a chance to break through. Always have a good ending. I don’t worry too much. I always think that it’s a challenge and I’ll be able to overcome it.

You have released a lot of “Mixtape” tracks, both on and off albums, so is there any difference between “Mixtape” songs versus non-“Mixtape” songs? Is there an obvious thing that I’m just missing?

Bang Chan: Uhhh…. It’s not obvious. I think the slight difference that it is, is that we can be a bit more experimental with mixtapes. More comfortable, freer. I think that’s it.

You don’t think your other music is experimental?

Bang Chan: Oh, no! Like “Side Effects” was crazy experimental. I think, augh. What is the difference?? It’s hard to explain. I guess it depends on how you package it, I think. Give me a moment...

You finished the Clé series, so what are you working on now?

Bang Chan: There’s a lot. Changbin: We are making a lot of new stuff, and we can’t go into too much detail but we will say that it’s going to be another chance for us to show people, Stays, a lot of different sides to us so you can expect a lot from that.

Your name is “Stray Kids,” and in English “stray” means extra, lost, wandering, things like that. So a few years into your career, touring the world, do you feel that you’re still “Stray” Kids?

Hyunjin: Because we’re “Stray” there are so many roads that we can take, there are many options. Because we’re kind of lost. Because of that, we can also create our own paths, making roads that have not been taken yet thing. Being “stray” isn’t a bad thing. Bang Chan: I want to continue off of Hyunjin. People may think that “stray” isn’t a very positive word, but through being Stray Kids we’d like to make that being stray is okay.

To end off on something kind of fun, what is each Stray Kids member’s song pick for a Stray Kids playlist?

I.N: I’m going to say two. “My Side” and “Victory Song.” Bang Chan: Oh no, they’ll take everything away. Ah… [Felix laughs evilly.] Lee Know: “Sunshine” and “19.” Seungmin: For me, I’m going to pick “You Can STAY.” Felix: I’m going to say “Levanter.” Han: “Levanter” and “Stop.” Bang Chan: I got it, I got it! “Miroh!” Felix: I left you that one. Changbin: “Gone Days.” Hyunjin: I like “Voices.”

This interview was conducted in both Korean and English, and edited for clarity.

#stray kids #200214 #ot8 #era: clé levanter #t: article #billboard

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ramblinganthropologist · 4 years

Text

N7 challenge 21 and 22 - Undercover and Red Sand

Summary: Alistair Shepard’s back at it at Krispy Kreme when a contact informs him about red sand on the Citadel. So... how easy is it to get into Chora’s Den when you’re wearing OTT Sweet? He’s about to find out...

---

Nothing like showing C-SEC up by blowing the lid off their latest red sand problem. If only it hadn't wound him up in interrogation.

“Alright, Commander... I can understand a Spectre shutting this down... but how?”

Alistair shrugged as he shifted his weight so the uneven chair didn't bother him. They had one main way of dealing with suspects, even the ones who had helped them out. Unlucky for them, he understood physics. After all, they drummed the basics into recruits during boot camp. Chairs could eat his ass – ironic, considering he was sitting.

“Well, I heard rumor of it, so I investigated and found out what was going on. The rest was easy with my squad.”

The C-SEC agent looked almost incredulous as they glanced at him from across the table. “And... how did you do that? We've been working to get someone in for months.”

“Oh... I went undercover.”

“Undercover?”

And here was the time to get creative. He couldn't give ALL his methods away. Besides, no way such a straight-laced C-SEC agent was going to believe this.

“Commander Shepard, it's been a long time since we've worked together. How are you doing?”

Alice was looking good. He still wasn't sure why they were meeting on the Citadel like this, however. Good thing he had brought her things along to return, otherwise he would've had to mail it the next time he was in port.

Ah, the life of a wandering Spectre. Never in one place long.

He sipped at his tea before he answered. It was good tea – strawberry. He liked strawberry, good to know she did too. It went with her outfit more than his, mind you – today's coord was OTT in pink and white. Not a bad look on her, definitely different than the mint-chocolate number in the bags by his side.

“As well as can be expected. I hope you haven't been bothered by anyone since I dealt with the Blue Suns.”

She smiled at him as she took a dainty nibble at a biscuit. “Not at all. Things have been quite peaceful, actually.”

That was great... but it didn't explain why he was sitting in a lovely little cafe, drinking tea with his sister's friend. There was something she was going to ask him, and he was pretty sure he wasn't going to like it much.

Maybe he should've just done it by text... it would've been easier to say no.

In the pause, Alice took another sip of her tea and daintily put the cup down without making a sound. Her eyes were on him, burning not with desperation, but determination. Something about that made his stomach shift, yet at the same time... well, curiosity didn't just get the cat. Sometimes it got hamster-handling Spectres.

“In the time since then, I've become aware of something on the Citadel. I come here every so often to shop. Omega unfortunately leans a little too Classic for my taste, though I do believe that it would be the perfect style for you-”

Nope. Taako was good out here, to quote the old 21st century classic.

“Anyway... during one of my trips, I happened to catch whispers of something when I stopped for a refreshment. I believe you know what red sand is, Commander Shepard?”

His eyebrow zoomed to his hairline. “How does red sand come up among lolitas?”

Alice put a hand to her mouth to hide her chuckle. “Why, it doesn't. When did I say I only associate among lolitas?”

Yeah... that was his mistake. Still, his mind was wheeling. If Alice had heard mention of red sand on the Citadel... just the thought of it made his stomach turn. It was the sort of thing she definitely shouldn't be around...

And he sure as hell shouldn't. After all, as a biotic that shit fucked him up six ways to Sunday.

“At any rate, I tried to contact the proper authorities about it. They laughed at me and dismissed it as ramblings of a little girl with an active imagination.” She sniffed. “Ignoring the fact my ID says I am almost 30, by the way.”

He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, they're a real crack squad.”

“Which is why I came to you. You know my information is real, and more importantly, you are a Spectre.” She took a sip of her tea. “You can get to places that C-SEC cannot.”

Both of these facts were true. Still, he didn't see why they needed to meet in person. For something like this, all he really needed was an email. More than that, Alice had the same tone she had used the first time she had asked him for a favor.

You know... when he wound up in the dress in the bag he was currently holding.

“Right, but... why do I get the feeling this is going to involve a petticoat again?”

When Alice smiled, there was nothing friendly about it. “I may have neglected to mention when I was in this establishment, I may have slipped to my acquaintance that a friend of mine was a gorgeous petite blonde with blue eyes and a taste in OTT sweet...”

Alistair's cheeks turned scarlet. “You set me up again?!”

“Well, you did it so well the last time...” her voice dropped. “Please, Commander. I know you know the danger of red sand. I heard about your accomplishment on Illium with the Justicar. C-SEC refused to believe me, and I know this was true. You need to investigate this for the good of every biotic in the Citadel.”

She had made a grab for his hand with this, her eyes shifting from crafty to pure pleading. Part of him wanted to believe this was an act... yet the gaze she was giving him was downright desperate. Alistair felt his resolve dropping away as he glanced down at the bags.

Good thing he had made sure these were properly cleaned and ironed...

“Where do I have to go?”

Alice smiled as she poured him more tea. “Have you ever heard of a bar called Chora's Den?”

“Yeah, I almost got shot there twice.” His voice was flat, his eyebrow even higher. “A lolita at Chora's Den is going to stick out.”

His contact chuckled as she reached for a biscuit. “That's the point, Commander. Now, you're going to need to be there by 22:00-”

Why did he get the feeling he was going to regret this...

---

“Commander, are you ready?”

Yes, he just needed to fix his petticoat.

Alistair had never expected to wear one ever again, and yet there he was. Apart from some new accessories borrowed from Alice to help with the change in fashion and season, it was the same damn dress, petticoat, and wig he had worn the last time.

The purse was different, though. Made hiding his gun and a few other tools easier should he need it.

“I'm ready, Alice, just had to make sure everything was sitting right.”

The line for Chora's Den was short that night as he approached with quick, even steps. The second time in rocking horse shoes was easier, not that he had practiced for the occasion or anything. He was just more confident this time as he made his way to the entrance. After all, this wasn't his first rodeo.

“Now, I told them my friend's name was Jane. You can fill occupation and hobbies in yourself, just remember that we met at Baby the Stars Shine Bright's store on the Citadel.”

He knew that brand – it was a classic. Not quite OTT due to the prestige of being one of the cores of lolita fashion, but it was famous. Hell, he'd watched Kamikaze Girls the first time he'd been preparing for a mission like this. A brand only lasted that long through staying power and appeal. It wasn't quite to his taste, but he could see how it had made it to the late 22nd century.

…

And now he was forming opinions on clothing brands. Shit. He was getting way too into this undercover work.

“Right... thanks for the ad-lib room.”

“Bo said you were an expert at it. Now, I'll let you know when I see them. This contact camera is amazing, did you really design it yourself?”

Alistair had to resist a chuckle as he waited in line, pretending like he was taking a call on his omni-tool. “Oh no, it was a customization of an existing design that didn't quite meet my needs. I could show you the fabric when I get back tomorrow.”

Alice was a smart woman – she caught on quick. “Impressive. Is this what working what a Spectre is like?”

Oh, she should see him when he had tech in his hands. That's when the magic happened. His contact cam was just a fruit of that effort from having to go undercover one too many times. After all, he could hardly rely on cameras where he went half the time. It was better to have one on hand that was constantly being saved to his hard drive on his computer back on the Normandy. There was also a backup version Alice would have, and a second version on his omni-tool. You could never have enough backups in case things went wrong.

Some might call him paranoid. They could kiss his ass, he had died once before – you could never be too careful.

“Excuse me, sweetheart, I think you're lost. The Tea Room is up a ways.”

There was a man leering at him. The outfit had definitely turned him off, so his only reaction to what he perceived a woman was scorn and minimizing. Alistair had seen this plenty of times before, and dealt with younger versions in his teens. Luckily, it didn't bother him.

So he shot them a blank, dignified look down the bridge of his nose as he walked past. “I do believe the line is back there. Chora's Den isn't fond of nobody line cutters last I checked.”

The man's friends laughed as he sputtered. Naturally, an assault to his identity would prompt a desire to beat the shit out of the one who had caused it. The question is, would he go after someone in a dress and petticoat?

Looks like the answer was yes – he was leaning forward.

“Why you little-”

With a swift movement, he had the man off balance and knocked on his ass. Then he kicked as a reminder to stay down. It wasn't hard enough to hurt anything seriously – just well aimed. It left his annoyance groaning on the floor.

He gave the friend group a blank look as he kept walking. “I would advise keeping your friend on a leash. I think he's in heat.”

Then he entered Chora's Den under the eye of a more than amused bouncer and with the chorus of a bunch of already drunk men. They were quickly drowned out by the music of the club and the energy that surrounded it.

It looked a little different since Fist had been running it. Cleaner maybe, though probably just as corrupt. There were still dancers of various council species, and those who enjoyed watching. These he gave a wide berth, making his way to the bar. This was the same person- he hadn't seen their body when they had cleared the place out. Smart woman.

“Nice going with the guy out front, honey.” She gave him an appreciative nod. “Saw it on the cams. What can I get you?”

He smiled, carefully. “Please tell me you have some form of sprite here. I don't exactly drink, but I'm here to meet someone.”

The bartender laughed as she reached under the bar. “Last time I heard that, Commander Shepard was still on his first life. It's why I carry the stuff. Here, I call this the Red Shepard. It's got a little grenadine in it for color.”

…

Apparently, there were drinks named after him in bars. Who knew? At least it seemed to be the designated driver special. He was happy to accept, though when he tried to pay she shook her head. Part of him was worried it was his borrowed credit chit, but then she smiled.

“You did us a favor, honey. The bouncer almost threw out his shoulder tossing him out. Drinks are on the house tonight.”

Well, that was good for him. He smiled and went off to find a place to sit so Alice could get a view of the floor. Though the music was loud, his ear piece had a noise blocking feature he was more than happy to turn on. When it came down to it, he just didn't like night clubs. Add in the dancers and he liked them even less.

If they were dudes... well... he probably would've been too embarrassed to stay long.

“See anybody yet, Alice?”

“No, but your performance outside the Den was impressive. Was that aikido?”

He smiled as he sipped at his drink. “I picked it up in basic because I was smaller than everyone else and got tired of getting my ass kicked.”

“A friend of mine learned judo for the same reason.”

Good to know someone else was kicking ass on the small side. Alistair raised his glass in tribute as he took a careful sip. He had needed the sugar anyway – he had started to feel a little shaky after walking in. Low blood sugar was fun like that.

As he waited for his blood sugar to raise as Alice looked around, he took the chance to glance around Chora's Den without moving his head. They had definitely cleaned the place since Fist had run the place. They probably had to – his squad had left more than a few bodies and bullet holes when they were breaking out to go rescue Tali. He could still remember where he had almost collided with a wall running after Bo to make sure everything was alright.

She had left quite the trail of destruction. It was kind of impressive. Good they had fixed it in the two years since he had been dead, though.

“Commander, the target is approaching you now. Play nice.”

Alistair picked up his head as he took another sip of his drink. There was indeed someone approaching his table. Surprisingly, they weren't wearing a coord. Instead, he would have said they were any normal resident of the Wards.

Which of course, meant nothing. Out of uniform he looked like any random twink with a minor obsession with hamsters.

“Jane, is it?”

Right, that was his code name. He gave his best cordial smile, much like he had seen Alice give, and nodded. The person in front of him smiled as well as they took the seat across from them, already carrying a drink in their hand.

Theirs was definitely alcoholic – it was making his damn eyes water.

“It's so good to finally meet you...” he trailed off. “Forgive me, Alice didn't give me your name.”

They answered a little too quickly – someone was eager. “It's Rax. I was a little worried you weren't going to show up. Chora's Den is kinda rough, I'm still surprised Alice comes here when she's on the Citadel.”

People were just full of surprises, weren't they?

Alistair took another sip of his drink as he gave Rax the once over. While he didn't see any tattoos for the major gangs, the lean muscle and scarred hands suggested they were into something. Part of him would have considered undercover C-SEC, but they were obvious from a mile away. Garrus had taught him to to tell them anyway. So this guy was probably either a low level merc striking out on their own, or they were from a third party gang trying to muscle in on the big three.

Poor sap. They'd be lucky if they survived the year.

“So... why don't you tell me about yourself? Alice played this close to the corset I'm afraid.”

They were already stammering as they swallowed half their drink in one impressive gulp that dribbled down their chin. Gross. At least Alistair was a master of keeping it off his face as he kept the camera trained on his target. C-SEC might need this data later after they wiped the egg off their faces.

“Oh uh... nothing special. I just do some work locally.” Another sip – someone was nervous. “How about you? Alice says you're not on the Citadel much?”

He shook his head carefully, taking another sip. “No, my work takes me off the station frequently. I work for a small organization doing research on how the various council species construct clothing.”

“Makes sense, what with how you dress and all.” They obviously then bit their tongue. “Sorry, just... don't see a lot of women like you on the Citadel.”

Alistair chuckled much like Alice would as he played with the straw of his drink. “Oh, I'm not that rare. We just keep to different places on the Wards.”

Why did he get the feeling Rax would love nothing more than to know where those areas were? While he wasn't exactly a member of the subculture, he could tell someone trying to scratch an itch when he saw it. The guy was kind of pathetic, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. A little more charismatic, and maybe he'd be concerned.

Then again, he was just pumping the guy for info.

“Oh... m-makes sense I guess. I mostly stay down here.”

The Spectre in disguise took another sip of his drink, careful to monitor the level. “What kind of work do you do? You look strong... C-SEC, maybe?”

The person in front of him snorted into their way too strong drink. “C-SEC is a fucking joke, Jane. They're just glorified pencil pushers sweeping the Citadel over.”

While this was true... maybe he could lean into this to get somewhere. Alistair nodded along as he played with his straw again. It was easy to see Rax was watching his every move. Maybe it was a good thing he had painted his nails for this...

It was the little touches that made the role worth it.

“Sounds like you get into some dangerous things, Rax.” He smiled, leaning in. “That's kind of exciting.”

Rax grinned, but there was nothing friendly about it as they lowered their voice. “Oh, you could say that. C-SEC doesn't even know I exist. Those idiots keep pinning my shit on other small time idiots. It's really clearing the market for me.”

Man, he must have been drunk to let go this easily. That, or he was puffing himself up. Alistair wasn't sure right then as he started putting the pieces together. With dealers, he could never tell. Usually they weren't too friendly with him... but that was when he was in armor.

So he lowered his voice again. “Market? Do you mean like... drugs?”

“Oh, I got something better than that, Jane.” Rax was so close that Alistair could smell their breath – gross. “You ever heard of red sand?”

“There, you have them! Pump them for information!”

Alice was getting excited, but the Spectre remained calm as he took a small sip of his drink. Every motion he made was deliberate, due in part to the fact he knew he was being watched. Rax's body language was screaming some rather lascivious things to say the least. Sadly, they weren't Alistair's type.

He liked his merc on the good guys's side.

“Red sand... that's that stuff that makes you biotic, right?”

Rax nodded as they drained their drink. “For a bit. I have a guy who supplies me from Ilium. C-SEC still thinks it's coming from Omega, the fucking morons!”

Yeah, they were... but now Alistair needed to find out where he was keeping it. Oh, he was going to regret this part... but it was what he needed to do. Luckily, he had a gun in his purse and a well-modified omni-tool to put up kinetic armor should he have the need.

So he smiled, finishing his drink. “Sounds thrilling. Skirting the law, working with that kind of material. You live an exciting life.”

“You don't know the half of it, Jane.” They looked at both empty drinks on the table. “Say... looks like both of us are out. I got something a little better at my place. It's not far if you want to come with... I can walk slow for you.”

Alistair smiled as he stood, straightening his skirt as he did. “Maybe you can tell me a little more about your exciting life while you're there. I've never tried... you know...”

He looked away, willing his face to blush. It was hard to do it on command, but it gave him a chance to look through his altered eyelashes. Rax was watching him, looking as though they had just won the world series.

Too bad they wasn't getting lucky tonight.

“Well, I think I could give you a taste.” They held out their arm. “Follow me, then. This place was getting a little too loud anyway.”

The pair were soon leaving Chora's Den, walking out of the club entirely. The bartender gave Alistair a concerned look, but when Rax wasn't looking he winked and patted his purse, briefly showing the outline. Then she shook her head, but smiled anyway.

It was short walk, like the merc had said. This part of the Wards was pretty run down, just like the Spectre remembered it. Luckily, they were heading for a small group of ramshackle warehouses. Honestly, it was just the place he expected someone to hide red sand.

Still... talk about keeping it right under C-SEC's nose. If Rax hadn't been so horny for a pretty face in a long skirt, they might've pulled it off longer.

“Here's my little piece of heaven.” Rax's smile turned to a smirk as they nudged Alistair closer to the door. “So uh... how about we get to know each other a little better? It's gonna be hard to do this in such a big skirt a-”

Alistair was all smiles as his eyes glowed bright blue and pinned his target against the wall. “Yes, I do believe it's going to be a little hard to do this if you keep trying to undress me with your mind. Now, about the red sand?”

Now it was going to get fun... he had plenty of sugar to work off from that Red Shepard. Might as well put it to use.

Poor Rax. All they had wanted to do was get laid. They had even been nice about it. Sadly, that's what happened when you tried to fuck a Spectre pumping you for info.

---

“So you went undercover in Chora's Den and wound up meeting with the middleman.”

Alistair nodded as he finished his compacted story. The C-SEC agent still looked incredulous, but he had filled in the needed pieces. Naturally, he had kept out the parts about him being in a dress, but they were more window dressing anyway.

“Yep. They showed me the warehouse, I restrained them when they made a move against me. Then you guys showed up.”

Turns out Rax had been sitting on a small mountain of red sand, enough to really fuck some people up. They were still working on locating their supplier, but Alistair had a feeling they had long since cut and run. After all, there hadn't been nearly enough to strike out as a solo dealer. More likely, they were just holding for someone more powerful.

But... that was one supply cut off he supposed.

“Well... you managed to clear up a red sand smuggling ring we had previously thought was connected to Omega. Not to mention a few assaults, a missing person, and a possible murder.” The C-SEC agent looked rather sheepish. “You uh... you do good work, Shepard.”

Alistair smiled as he rose. “Thank you. Can I get going, though? I need to get back to the Normandy. They kind of can't take off without me.”

“Oh uh... sure. If we hear anything else, we'll let you know...”

With that, Alistair took his leave of the station. As he did, he walked past the office of a few other officers. From the looks of things, they were clearing the cases he had managed to bust open for them with a few hours work.

Not a bad job for a Spectre.

“I don't get it... are you sure that's what she said?”

“Yeah, bartender at Chora's Den said a woman in a green, puffy dress with blonde hair was seen leaving with Rax. Nobody's seen her since.”

And then he was walking a little faster. After all, he had a ship to get back to, and a lot of questions he didn't want to answer. Besides, he had a dress he needed to iron and return once it was back to pristine condition.

He was definitely returning it this time. No more cross-dressing...

…

At least not in this dress. Green wasn't really his color, and Alice probably wanted it back. Maybe he should...

Fuck. Now this was a road he didn't want to go down.

#ramblinganthropologist's writing #n7month #Alistair Shepard #He's starting to form a hobby poor man

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softkuna · 3 years

Text

Sukuna || Interview || Fic - oc

Part 1

Content ║ Punk!Sukuna x oc. There is a reader version here.

Count ║ 2,626 K

Consider ║ Original Character. Swearing. Female Pronouns.

Creator ║ I swear this will go somewhere, I just enjoy the set up too much. So this is the version with the oc that I have. Her first name is Koyori. I have tagged this so that if you dislike ocs, you can read the other version. But! If you like ocs, hopefully you’ll like her ;v;. I did research on punk fashion, culture, and all which was really interesting. I knew some stuff about it before, but it’s really rich! I hope it’s not too information dense for you guys. Either way, Punk!Sukuna is now my comfort au and writing him is an absolute delight!!

“-didn’t you say the band?”

“Yeah, but this is better.”

“Sure… but what happens if-“

Koyori whipped her head to the man with an indignant, “Excuse me?”

Black flats clacked as she approached her own seat, a matching armchair to the couch. Koyori held a certain command once she walked in, instructing him on where to be, which camera to look at, and what the introduction would be. He listened, admiring how her small frame moved to and fro, fixing up last minute edits on a paper, chattering with who he assumed to be a videographer. It was a whole production. One that was hers. The set itself was practically out of a home décor magazine. It was a general space used across the publisher, but she was born to be there. Deserved to be there. Her calculated glee and deliberate positioning of each member made him feel as though he were looking through a mirror.

The interview process began.

Koyori sat professionally, legs crossed and leaning on the arm of her chair closest to Sukuna. He was unmoving, that slit to his lip curling upwards as the cameras began. She introduced the blog, the channel, her social media handles. With a smile, she introduced herself, “I’m Yama Koyori, and to join me in this special is lead singer of Two Face, the King of Curses – Sukuna.”

The camera panned to his lazy wave, “Yo.” He looked to her, she looked to him and for a moment she thought she saw a flicker of interest. Maybe the man was meant for cameras after all.

Much of his dissertation, Koyori hadn’t even found on her own deep dive into the culture. Sure, the anarchist and nihilistic ideologies were well known to pretty much anyone who would listen, but the deep history and connection between communities was far beyond the surface scratched into.

Koyori leaned forward slightly folding her hands over the arm of the chair, “That was comprehensive. Thanks!” She chuckled, causing the man before her to freeze and thaw with a nod. She continued, “With all of this mention of D.I.Y. culture in punk, let’s talk about Vivienne Westwood.”

Sukuna kept his attention to her profile as she spoke to the camera, catching himself in the glow of her enthusiasm, “On Kings Road in England, she kickstarted the fashion movement into gear. Now, many would think that with a style such as this, it would’ve been hand-me-downs, pins, self-stitching, but contrary to this belief, many of the clothes in her store were expensive. Knock offs circulated, and seeing as much of it did have that hand-done finishing touch, many decided to take tailoring to their own hands…” Not that this was a competition, but Koyori found herself trying to prove his ‘research’ comment wrong. Her ability to scour and exhaust her resources of fashion history is the furnace that kept her going and Koyori would make it well known that she was not to be challenged.

“You’ve answered it already, yeah, I know. I saw the interview,” Koyori’s head tilted to the side, pleasant smile hinting at her trick, “but enlighten me for a second about how your natural style transitioned to what it is on stage. We’ll put up some of the photos taken from last night here,” her hand gestured to some empty space, “You basically turned chiaroscuro and made it a performance. It’s obvious in how each member contrasted with themselves and the stage.”

The chick didn’t even know who he was a week ago, yet somehow watched every interview since the start? An answer tumbled from the tongue readily, “Punk is like a renaissance of music. Like I said before, it tore down the foundations of what was before and built something new out of it.” The words were succinct, but as Koyori’s pretty lashes bat, he was goaded into continuing, “Contrast is important. I like art. I like plays. Just ‘cause it’s punk doesn’t mean I can’t have it look aesthetic? Or is that a word only snobby fashion journalists can use now?”

“Hm. Change ‘journalist’ to ‘vocalist’ and you’re a word away from meeting the requirement,” It was a sour candy treat traded for his lemon warhead.

“Ouch. Miss Blog-Spot here has some sass,” His large frame leaned further into the armrest, cheek resting on that fist.

“Mister Eight-Track here is some a–“

The videographer clapped his hands, “We have sponsors, you know. We can at least censor him.”

It was Sukuna’s time to laugh a loud, hyena-like cackle. A large hand smacked his leather-clad knee. Koyori scrunched her nose again, biting back her tongue from childishly jutting out at him.

“Let me check the tag.”

“What?”

The blogger leaned back, cheekily snapping the shirt as she did so. “Your shirt, can I check the tag? I want to see what its made out of. Also sorry.”

Sukuna blinked twice, mouth stupidly hanging open before he leaned forward, “I’ll allow it.”

“I knew it. It’s American Pima. Thanks for letting me check.”

He missed the shiver her touch gave him as she sat back into her chair.

While the editor and videographer chatted together, Koyori leaned heavily into the back of her chair, poised posture slipping into something more comfortable. Long lashes slid closed and a heavy drag of breath lifted her chest. Sukuna’s eyes trailed along her form, contemplating Eros once more.

He was surprised himself. It was more than just her talent to make him talk - she may have been the first to see him as an opportunity rather than a commodity. ‘Yami Koyori would be the first and last reporter to see me as a meal’ was the thought he had going into this interview. He had every single intention to shut down her buffet, make it apparent that he was not to be dined on by a single soul. Yet, If his dish were ‘opportunity’, hers would be ‘intrigue’. He wanted to devour it, to know its palette and identify its spices. It was a compulsory urge to order, just to see why he craved it in the first place.

“Film the next few concerts. Backstage.”

tags: @lovesakusa

#🐇.oc #⛩.sukuna #⛩.fic #⛩.punk #🍺.jjk #jjk #jujutsu kaisen #sukuna #ryoumen sukuna #sukuna x oc #ryoumen sukuna x oc #jjk x oc #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jjk fic #jujutsu kaisen fic

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quickspinner · 4 years

Text

Finding Harmony - Ch 5 M Major

Luka had never cared about clothes much. Sure he had a style, but it wasn’t something he thought consciously about, it was just things he liked to wear. He was doing this modeling thing as a favor for Juleka, and to spend time with Marinette. The clothes, until today, had mostly been an afterthought.

He wasn’t prepared for the wave of emotion that hit him once he was standing there, in clothes that Marinette designed and made with him in mind.

This was why he loved her. This was what he’d seen that day, when she walked into his room wide-eyed and stammering. Something in his soul had recognized her, when he had given her a song and she had received it, not with blank confusion, plastic smiles, or guarded hostility, but with reverence and wonder and gratitude. Marinette took all the bits of himself that he gave, and cradled and treasured them, because she understood. Because she was the same. Because he was standing here wearing a song she wrote with color and cloth and the work of her hands and it was absolutely wrecking him.

Juleka was right, he was hopeless.

“Luka, is everything okay?” Marinette called, and he realized he’d been standing there too long.

He steadied his voice as best he could and called back, “Yeah, everything’s fine, I’m dressed. These clothes are amazing, Marinette.”

She got him. Marinette absolutely, one hundred percent got him, from the subdued base colors to the pops of brightness, to the way the snake motifs were simultaneously edgy and whimsical enough to be nonthreatening. The shirt fit closer than anything else he ever wore, but it was comfortable and not clingy. The jeans, subtly textured to mimic the lines of Viperion’s suit, felt like an inside joke between the two of them, made even funnier because she didn’t know that he knew she knew.

He took one more steadying breath and stepped out from behind the screen.

Marinette did an excited little wiggle. “Oh, you look so good, just like I imagined! Ooh, I love it when a project comes together. How does it feel, do I need to fix anything? Turn around.”

“It feels great, Marinette, really, it’s like they were made for me.” He winked at her as he turned slowly.

“Hang on, there’s a loose thread back here...there.” Marinette stepped back. “Perfect.” She looked up into his face. “Do you like it?”

“I love it.” Luka stepped close and gripped her shoulder. “I really do. You’re an artist, Marinette.” He grinned. “Sneaky, too. You didn’t have any of this detail done the last time I was here.” He turned slightly to indicate the patches of different textured fabric on the jeans.

Marinette giggled. “It’s true, I saved some things for last so you’d still be surprised.”

“I’m speechless, really.” He dropped his hand and stepped back, gesturing her towards the other screen. “But you better…” Marinette nodded and turned away as he turned to look in her full length mirror. He could see then just how well the clothes complimented his body. Luka wasn’t especially vain, but his face heated a little bit as he wondered exactly how much time she’d spent looking at him to get such results.

“How’s Juleka doing?” He heard Marinette whisper to Rose, who was standing at the corner of Juleka’s screen.

“She’s freaking out a little bit,” Rose whispered back. “I think I can calm her down, I just need a little more time.”

“Take as long as she needs,” Marinette told Rose, and then she turned to Luka. “Why don’t I go on down and meet Alya at the park?” Marinette suggested, putting a hand on his arm. “Come down when you’re ready, okay? No pressure, we’ve got plenty of time.”

“Thanks Marinette,” Luka smiled at her. “I’ll play for her a bit, that might help calm her down.”

“Perfect. Okay, we’ll see you in a few minutes. Meet us by the near fountain when you’re ready.” Marinette went down through the trapdoor.

Luka picked up his ever-present guitar and sat on Marinette’s chaise, playing a familiar, comforting melody just to remind Juleka that he was there with her.

After a few minutes his sister finally emerged from the screen, paler even than usual, but breathing steadily. Luka smiled as he looked Juleka over. He wasn’t sure how they’d done it but her hair was smoothed back into a low tail, the purple tips of her bangs tucked under the rest of her hair so the color didn’t show and clash with the blues and reds accenting the black clothes, and she wore combs on the sides of her head with a beaded version of Marinette’s snake motif. The flowy shirt had lace accents edging a wide collar that exposed Juleka’s collarbone, paired with sleek black pants that were textured similar to his own. Her outfit was both Juleka and Marinette, with a vibe that mixed Juleka’s edge with Marinette’s sweetness, and lent Juleka a bit of Marinette’s boldness as well. There was no hiding in this outfit, even with Juleka curling in on herself in nervousness. Luka got up and maneuvered her in front of the long mirror, so she could see herself.

“I like it,” was all he said, but Juleka glowed, her shoulders straightening as she looked herself over, and he swallowed against another rush of emotion to see her stand proud. “Well,” he said, smiling at her reflection, “Are we ready to do this?”

Juleka gave him a decisive nod, and led the way down the stairs.

Marinette had her back to them as they approached, and she was clearly arguing with Alya about something.

“No, Alya. I’m going to go with Luka and we’re going to have fun and there’s not going to be any pressure or awkwardness or drama, end of story. Anyway, I asked him weeks ago, I’m not going to bail on him now.”

“I still think you’re missing a chance, but if you’ve already asked him then I guess—oh, hey guys! Ready to rock the camera, you two?” Alya waved and Marinette turned quickly, blushing as Luka and Juleka approached.

“Great, you’re here,” Marinette said, putting on a smile that was only a little strained.

“Everything okay?” Luka asked her quietly as Alya turned away.

“Yeah, just a difference of opinion,” Marinette smiled thinly. “We’re having a lot of those lately, but we’re working on it. At least this time she took no for an answer, so that’s progress.” She smiled at Juleka. “Ready Juleka? How do you feel?”

“Okay,” Juleka said, fidgeting. Her shoulders were rolling forward again as her chin dropped toward her chest. Rose took her hand.

“Just like the plan, Juleka,” Marinette said gently, putting a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll start out here at the fountain, and then if we feel up to it, we’ll try a few other places through the park. We’ve got plenty of time so we can take a break any time you need to. We’re aiming for way more pictures than we actually need, so don’t feel pressured. Then just before sunset when we have the best light, we’ll change you both into the formal clothes.”

Juleka nodded her understanding.

“As for poses, I have some reference pictures to get us started, and then as you get comfortable, we can just roll from there.” She patted Juleka’s shoulder. “If you need a break, don’t be afraid to let us know, okay? ”

Juleka dipped her head in a way that normally would have hidden her face, ashamed of her weakness. “Okay,” she mumbled.

Luka lifted his hand to rest it on her shoulder but he was distracted as Alya put one fist on her hip, and proclaimed, “Man, I had no idea you were packing guns like that, Luka. Marinette, he needs a tattoo. He doesn’t look right without one. Maybe you could draw the snake on him with a sharpie or something.”

“Alya, he doesn’t need a tattoo, his arms are nice the way they are,” Marinette replied decisively, pushing Luka gently towards the bench by the fountain and scowling back at her friend.

“Ohhhh are they now,” Alya drawled, cocking a hip and shooting a smug look at Marinette, who spluttered.

“I’m just saying he’s fine the way he is!” she flailed, and then turned to Luka. “I mean, not that you would look bad with a tattoo if you wanted one, but you don’t need one.”

Luka snorted, seating himself on the bench. “I’d love one but I’m a total wuss around needles.”

Marinette paused her freakout and looked at him. “Really?”

“Absolute truth.”

“But your ears are pierced.”

Juleka snickered. “He passed out.”

“And she’s never going to let me forget it,” Luka sighed.

“Not in a million years,” Juleka grinned back at him.

“Big talk from someone who’s afraid of a few pictures,” Luka challenged, eyebrows raised. “Are you coming over here or what?”

A flush lit Juleka’s pale cheeks and he winced, afraid he’d pushed too far, but Marinette took her cheerfully by the hand and led her to the bench. She sat down between them for a moment, showing them the pictures she’d brought.

It was smart, giving them a place to start from, though Luka frequently had a hard time keeping a straight face as they tried to get into the poses. Marinette finally rolled her eyes at him and told him to go ahead and laugh so he could be serious when it was time for the pictures.

While he did manage to keep a straight face once they really got started, the awkward feeling didn’t leave him. Luka tried not to mind. He was really doing this for Juleka and Marinette, anyway, and he was willing to feel stupid for a while for their sakes. Marinette kept up a cheerful stream of praise and chatter and Rose was bubbling over with enthusiasm as always. Juleka began to relax and get into it, even giggling once or twice at Marinette’s silliness or blushing at Rose’s enthusiastic praise. Pride swelled in his chest as Juleka’s confidence grew; she really was gorgeous and it was gratifying to see her come to life, out of the protective shell she’d so carefully built around herself.

“Oh, are you guys doing a little photoshoot? How cute!”

The saccharine voice was unfamiliar and somehow thoroughly unpleasant, but Luka didn’t break pose until he heard Alya’s camera click. He felt Juleka draw closer to him, nearly hiding behind him, and he looked down at her and raised an eyebrow. She bit her lip and raised her hand as if to brush her bangs forward, but stopped.

Marinette planted herself squarely between her models and the newcomer. Newcomers, Luka realized. He didn’t recognize the girl with the long hair but Adrien had come up behind her. Great, he thought, glancing at Juleka again and then back at Marinette. Just what we needed.

“Hi guys,” said Adrien, looking more on edge than Luka had ever seen him. Or maybe it wasn’t the way he looked, maybe it was the way he sounded, a stressed out edge to his voice that was at odds with his relaxed stance. “Doing some more work for your website, Marinette? The designs look great, really unique.”

“They’re definitely not like anything I’ve ever seen,” the girl said, and though the words were innocent, somehow they sounded like an insult. Luka felt his shoulders tensing up.

“Isn’t it cool, Lila? Marinette’s always been plugged in to the rock ‘n roll aesthetic,” Alya said cheerfully. “You know, with all the work she’s done for Jagged Stone, and all. It’s a smart angle to start with for the website, but you know you need to show some range too, girl! Maybe next time, you can be her inspiration model, Adrien!”

“Adrien’s a professional model, Alya,” Marinette pointed out. “He’s under contract with Gabriel and they’re very strict about using his likeness. I could get sued if Adrien modelled for me without permission.”

Adrien looked stricken. “I didn’t even think about that last time, Marinette.”

“You’re okay! I mean, it’s okay! I didn’t think of it either until later. N-n-not that I didn’t appreciate the lelp, uh, help.” Marinette squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath, then squared her shoulders and opened her eyes to smile at Adrien. “I appreciate you helping out, and of course I’m always happy to have your advice, but I think it’d be best if you didn’t appear in any more of the photos.”

Luka’s eyes widened slightly. “Whoa,” Juleka muttered beside him. “That was a whole sentence.”

“Well, of course Gabriel can’t allow Adrien to be used like that,” Lila said brightly, just the slightest emphasis turning her statement into a condemnation. Easily deniable if anyone called her out on it, Luka thought, a sour taste in his mouth. What a manipulative piece of work. Her eyes on him made his skin crawl and suddenly he was the one who wanted to hide behind Juleka.

“I’m glad to see you’re giving modelling another try, Juleka,” Adrien grinned at them, and Juleka gave him a tentative smile around Luka’s shoulder. “Don’t be shy, you look fantastic, and this is one of my favorite locations to shoot.” He waved a hand at the photographer setting up near the carousel. “Just be confident, you’ll do great.”

Luka turned his body so that Juleka was fully visible, though he put his hand on her back for support. “She looks awesome, doesn’t she? I keep telling her how pretty she is, but I guess it doesn’t mean much coming from her brother.” Juleka scowled and socked him in the arm. “Ow, don’t bruise me before we’re done with the photos,” he teased.

“Of course Juleka’s nervous,” giggled Lila. “I mean, there’s so much more to modeling than just being pretty. I don’t have much experience yet, but M. Agreste picked me personally, so I just know I can’t let him down. But when you’re working with an up and coming designer, you never know what people are going to think! I mean, we all know Marinette’s wonderful, but once it’s out on the web it’s out there for everybody, isn’t it, and people can be so fickle and cruel. It definitely won’t do Juleka’s modelling dreams any good if it turns out the public hates the designs.”

“Well, Marinette did win my father’s design contest,” Adrien piped up, his smile as bland as ever, but with that same stressed out edge to his voice. “And I know they gave you a release to use the photos from the show for that. That should get people’s attention, and once people are looking I know they’ll be blown away.”

“Marinette’s work speaks for itself,” Luka agreed, his own easy tone covering just how much her insinuations annoyed him. “There will always be haters, you can’t please everybody, but these are definitely the best clothes I’ve ever worn.”

“Of course,” Lila said, eyeing him up and down with a slight sneer, as if she hadn’t been blatantly checking him out a few minutes ago. Luka heard Juleka growl quietly. “I’m so lucky, modelling Gabriel clothing, you just can’t help but feel confident.” Lila gave a little twirl to show off her dress. “It makes such a difference.” She latched on to Adrien’s arm. “And having such an amazing partner to work with is a huge help. And you have such an unusual look, Juleka, I’m sure you’ll stand out no matter what people think of the clothes. Just don’t think too much about what you’re wearing and you’ll do great!”

Juleka straightened up, her shoulders going back and her uncovered eyes flashing. “Don’t worry about me,” she said, so clearly that everyone looked at her in surprise. “I feel great in this.” She struck a pose, and Alya whipped the camera up, grinning like a maniac.

“Show her how it’s done, Jule,” Luka muttered approvingly, backing out of the shot.

“That’s great, Juleka. Tilt your chin up just a little more—there, perfect!” Adrien cheered. Lila gave her “partner” a black look, but if Adrien noticed, he ignored it. The others were staring wide-eyed at Juleka as she went through a series of poses, looking like the pro Luka knew she could be. He folded his arms and grinned, winking at her when she seemed to run out of steam and glanced at him as if to ask, how did I do?

Suddenly Alya gasped. “Marinette, I have the greatest idea,” she squealed, grabbing Marinette’s arm. “Why don’t you put on the jacket and go pose with Luka?”

Marinette scowled. “Alya, that was supposed to be a surprise!”

“Never mind that right now, put it on! It’ll be great, you’ll look like the sweet girl wearing her bad boy boyfriend’s jacket. Juleka, you don’t mind taking a quick break, do you? In fact, maybe you could do something with Marinette’s hair real quick. Luka, come back over here.”

Marinette sighed, but took a prettily wrapped package out of her bag, opened it carefully, and slipped on a denim jacket with the snake motif embroidered on the front panels. It was much too big for Marinette, and Alya was right, it did look like she was wearing her boyfriend’s jacket. He took a slow breath to banish the heat creeping up his neck, glad that he had an excellent poker face. Because he was mature and chill and he could totally pose like her boyfriend without blushing up a storm, no big deal. He glanced at Alya, who looked entirely too pleased with herself. Luka was aware from Juleka that Alya was the head of the get-Marinette-a-date posse. Whether all this achieved was pushing Marinette and Luka together, or whether they actually managed to make Adrien jealous enough to open his eyes, he supposed it was a win-win from her perspective.

Oh well, if Marinette wasn’t going to object, he wouldn’t either.

Juleka redid Marinette’s hair into a low ponytail and put the end over her shoulder, while Rose touched up her makeup with quick, efficient movements.

When Marinette turned towards Alya for her approval, Luka saw that the back of the jacket was intricately embroidered with more elaborate version of the snake and flowers design on his guitar. It was a stunning piece, a little bit retro and a little bit punk with just a touch of Marinette sweetness. It looked like a huge amount of work and he kind of loved it. Maybe if he ever did manage to sell a song, he could get Marinette to make him one.

“Wow, Marinette,” Adrien said admiringly, examining the detail on the jacket lapels. “That’s quality work. Really nice. And did you design the back yourself? It looks amazing.”

“Oh, Marinette, you do so much work,” Lila chimed in. “No wonder your hands are always so rough, you must work your fingers to the bone, poor thing! It’s great to follow your passion, but you shouldn’t wear yourself out! I can tell you haven’t had much sleep lately.”

Marinette growled, and Lila’s eyes widened innocently. Alya elbowed Marientte, who just sighed.

“Ready when you are, Marinette,” Luka said nonchalantly, putting a hand on her shoulder to guide her away. “Where do you want us, Alya?”

“The jacket is amazing, by the way,” he added under his breath as Alya directed them back toward the fountain. “And your friend is about as charming as you described. Don��t let her get to you, she can’t ruin this.”

“Don’t underestimate her,” Marinette muttered back.

“Don’t underestimate yourself either. You’ve been fantastic all day, Marinette. You’re confident, in charge, you have a plan for everything, the clothes are fantastic, and did you see Juleka just now?”

“She was amazing, wasn’t she?” Marinette giggled.

“Because of you. You set this whole thing up to be as relaxed as possible, you made sure she had the support she needed, you planned ahead and prepared. You set her up for success. I’m proud of her, but I’m always amazed by you.”

Luka smiled at her, and heard the camera click behind him, reminding him of the others.

“Okay, Luka, stand over here and then lean against the bench there, like you’re almost sitting on the arm, and then Marinette, you go stand close to him.

“You might want to move a little more to the right, Marinette, so you can still see his clothes,” Adrien interjected. “There, perfect,” he grinned as Marinette adjusted.

“Luka, put your far hand on her waist and Marinette, you turn your back to me and put your hand on his shoulder—or maybe his chest would be better,” Alya directed.

“Is that okay with you?” Luka asked Marinette, who was blushing rather fiercely.

“S-sure,” she stammered, and Luka frowned.

“You don’t sound okay with it. You can tell Alya no if—”

“No, it’s fine, I just didn’t expect to be in front of the camera today and I’m nervous.” He watched her face as he settled a hand on her waist, but she didn’t flinch or look like she wanted to move away. Marinette raised her hand and it hovered uncertainly in front of him. “What about you, is this—”

Luka took her hand held it over his heart, cradling it in such a way that her hand was mostly resting on his hand rather than on his chest, and Alya squealed. “Oh, keep holding her hand like that, that’s perfect. Marinette, keep your back to me but turn towards him just a little bit. Perfect. Now just look like you’re in love, you too.”

Well, at least that wasn’t hard. Not for him, anyway. Luka studied Marinette’s stiff face. “Is she always this enthusiastic?” he asked with a small smile. Marinette giggled and relaxed a little.

“Yes, always,” she told him. “Always, everyday, one hundred percent. That’s Alya.”

“Marinette!” Alya called. “Get up on your toes and kiss his cheek!”

“Alyaaaa,” Marinette grumbled, and then looked up shyly at Luka. “Is that okay?”

“It’s fine with me, but only if you want to, Marinette. The world won’t end if we don’t get that specific shot. Don’t do anything you’re not comfortable with.”

Instead of answering she did as Alya directed, rising up on her toes and barely brushing her lips to Luka’s cheek, pausing there for a moment to give Alya a chance to get the shot, before pulling back. Luka tried not to smile, but didn’t succeed very well.

Alya squealed when she checked the image and showed it to Juleka, who smirked at Luka, and to Adrien, who nodded approvingly. “Looking good.”

“They should back up a little more, closer to the fountain,” Lila suggested.

“Great idea,” Alya replied brightly. “Luka, why don’t you get your guitar? Marinette, sit on the edge of the fountain and cross your legs.”

“Wait, let’s make sure it’s not wet first,” Lila said, hurrying forward. “Maybe over here, Marinette, come this way.”

Luka didn’t clearly see what happened, he only saw Marinette pitch forward suddenly. He lunged forward at the same time as Adrien.

Both of them were too far away. Marientte crashed into the bowl of the fountain with a splash.

“Oh no, Marinette!” Lila cried, jumping back just in time to avoid the wave of water that slipped over the side of the fountain. “Oh, I should have remembered how clumsy you are, I should never have suggested getting that close! All those outcroppings at the bottom, of course you tripped!”

Luka stopped short of the bowl of the fountain and leaned over the edge, reaching for Marinette. Adrien hopped right over the edge and waded to her, catching her other arm. Together they hauled the gasping and stunned girl upright and got her seated on the edge.

“Are you all right? Did you hit your head?” Luka asked anxiously.

“I don’t think so, it was just c-cold,” Marinette stuttered. “It knocked the wind out of me.”

Adrien didn’t say anything, but the model’s lips were pressed in a thin line as he looked back at Lila. To Luka’s surprise, the girl openly smirked at him. She was too close for any of the girls to see it.

“Oh, Marinette, is your jacket ruined?” She crooned, pitting her hands to her face.

“No,” Martinette gritted. “I made sure it was washable.”

“Oh, that’s a relief,” Lila said insincerely as the other girls finally snapped out of their stupor and came running.

“Oh, Marinette,” Alya sighed. “Girl, what a time to pull a Marinette special. At least we got a few good shots.” She looked at Luka and groaned. “And now you’re wet too. Guess that means it’s time for the wardrobe change.”

Lila opened her mouth but Adrien cut her off. “Well, I’d say good luck, but I don’t think you need it. The weather’s great for a shoot, just enough clouds to keep the light soft. I hope you get some good shots. We’re due in makeup any minute now, so we better go.” Adrien took Lila’s upper arm and began propelling her away. “Stay confident, Juleka, you look fantastic. I can’t wait to see the pictures, Marinette.” He practically frogmarched Lila back to their waiting photographer across the square. Luka watched them go with a frown. Their whole vibe was just...weird.

“It’s almost golden hour anyway, so this is as good a time as any,” Alya shrugged. “You guys go, I’ll hang out here and wait for you.” She looked over toward the other photoshoot.

Marinette sighed, shoulders slumping. “Sure. But, why don’t we take the camera with us? I’ll go ahead and download a copy of the pictures so we have a backup. You know, in case you need more space or something.”

Alya raised an eyebrow. “You sure, girl? You’re more likely to drop it in the street by accident. And you’re dripping wet.”

“Rose can carry it!” Marinette declared, looking over to the other photo shoot with narrowed eyes. Alya rolled her eyes.

“You’re paranoid, girl. I don’t know how you’re blaming Lila when we all know you don’t need help to fall in a fountain, but whatever.” She handed over the camera.

Marinette turned towards the rest of the group and pasted on a smile so fake Luka felt physically pained by it. “Okay, my fabulous models, back to the bakery!” She started off without looking back to see if they were following.

Luka hesitated, and then sped his long stride a little bit to catch up with Marinette. She looked up with that fake smile and he winced. “Don’t,” he said, as he put his arm around her shoulders, ignoring how wet she was. He’d already been splashed getting her out, anyway, and she hadn’t freaked out, so presumably the water wouldn’t hurt his clothes. Marinette’s smile dimmed, became a lot smaller but a lot more genuine, and she leaned into him.

“Sorry,” she sighed.

“It’s okay. Just feel what you need to feel. You don’t have to fake it. So that was Lila, huh?”

“Yep,” Marinette grumbled.

“I think you were smart not to leave the camera.”

“Really?” Marinette looked up at him.

“Yeah. I mean, I don’t know the girl, but I don’t like the way she looks at you. And after everything that happened, better safe than sorry.” He bit his lip. “Did she push you in?” he asked very quietly.

“I don’t think so,” Marinette frowned. “It happened so fast. Will you think I’m paranoid if I say I think she planned it either way?”

“No,” Luka replied grimly. “The look on her face afterward was proof enough.”

“Thanks, Luka,” Marinette sighed. “You don’t know how much it means to me to hear that someone sees what I see.”

“I saw it. I heard it in every word she said.” Then, hoping to lighten the mood, he asked, “What’s golden hour, by the way?”

“The hour right before sunset has the best light,” she explained. “It’ll make everything look nice and soft for the formal clothes.”

“But it means we’re on a schedule,” Luka nodded. “Got it. All right then, your dress-up doll awaits.” Marinette snorted and smacked his arm, and he chuckled.

They all trumped up the steps to her loft, Marinette waving off Mrs. Chemg’s confused questions about why her daughter was soaking wet with a “tell you later!”

“You were amazing out there, Juleka,” Marinette, now wearing dry clothes, told her over the screen. “You really showed Lila.”

“I suppose,” Juleka’s subdued voice replied. “It was just...I didn’t like...I mean, she didn’t really say anything bad, but…” There was a long pause. “I just didn’t like it.”

“She was being kind of insensitive,” Rose agreed. “I’m sure she didn’t mean to, but..”

“She meant to,” Luka said flatly, emerging from behind his own screen, straightening the suit jacket. “If I tried to play what was in that girl’s heart this afternoon, it would sound like a horror movie soundtrack. She knows exactly what she’s saying.” He sighed as Marinette and Rose stared at him. “You know I would never tell you who to be friends with, Jule,” he said, addressing himself to the screen, “But if you’re going to keep hanging around with her...well, just be careful. She’s the kind who knows how to hit where it hurts. If she decides you’re not on her side anymore, it won’t be pretty.”

“You...really think she’s that bad?” asked Rose, glancing sideways at Marinette and then back to Luka.

“Probably not, as long as you’re on her good side.” Luka shrugged. “But she’s definitely not the kind of person I’d want to be friends with.” He spread his hands. “How do I look?”

“Gorgeous,” Marinette answered without thinking, and then blushed deeply as Luka grinned. “I mean, the suit looks perfect on you.”

“You’re spoiling me for regular clothes, you know that, right? Do I need to wear a tie?” He tried really hard not to whine that last bit, but it did come out sounding a little put-upon.

Marinette giggled. “No, I cut the collar to look good without one. We just need to do this--” Marinette unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt and fidgeted with the collar for a moment. “There. Okay, stand back, look relaxed, put your hands in your pockets.”

Luka did as she asked, and chuckled as she gave a little squeal-hop-wiggle. “It looks so good!”

“Of course it does,” he said warmly. “You do great work, Marinette. Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise.” He looked up as Juleka emerged from behind her screen in a closely fitted dress that flared out from her knees, going to the floor in the back and the middle of her shins in the front, and grinned. “Awesome, Juleka.”

“I took a chance with this one,” Marinette said critically, circling Juleka. “But I think it worked out. Girly, but edgy. Do you like it, Juleka?”

“I love it.” Juleka said it in a mumble, but there was a smile on her face as she rotated in front of the mirror. “Awesome.” The snake motif flowed down the lines of her body from her shoulder to the hem.

“Man, when did you grow up?” Luka asked admiringly, even though he knew she would hit him for it. She did, turning and punching him lightly in the arm.

“We’re only two years apart, weirdo.”

He reached out to ruffle her hair, but stopped himself just in time. The girls had tucked it up into some kind of complicated knot that they probably would have killed him for destroying.

“Let’s go,” Juleka huffed, turning away, but Luka could see she was pleased.

They made it down the stairs and to the park without incident. Marinette had been right, he realized, the park was filled with soft golden light. Marinette frowned. “Where’s--oh.”

Alya came jogging over from the other shoot, waving. “Hey all, you look great! Let’s do this!”

Marinette showed them another packet of poses and this time it didn’t take nearly as long for them to get relaxed into it. Marinette pulled Luka after they had a few good shots of him and let Juleka take center stage for the rest of the shoot.

“Look at her,” Luka said softly to Marinette. Thanks so much for doing this, Marinette. I can tell it’s really helping her confidence.”

Marinette squeezed his arm gently. “You’re such a softy of a big brother.”

Then it was sunset and they all went back to Marinette’s, the models changed back into their regular clothes, and everyone crammed around Marinette’s computer. “Now keep in mind none of these are edited,” Alya warned. “This is just a first look.”

“Tell me if there’s any you really hate and I won’t use them,” Marinette said as Alya loaded the images.

Pride swelled in Luka’s chest as they clicked through the pictures. Juleka was a bit stiff in the first few, but as she got more relaxed the pictures got better and better. The girls squealed and gushed, and he stood with a slow smile spreading over his face. Luka put his hand on Juleka’s shoulder and squeezed. “You look great, Jule,” he said quietly, when there was a pause in Rose’s excited gushing. “I told you you were made for this.” She didn’t say anything, but looking down, he could see the smile curling her lips. “This is...kind of a lot of pictures,” he remarked as the slideshow seemed to go on and on.

“Thank God for digital,” Alya said brightly, and then Luka couldn’t answer because he was staring at the picture of himself holding Marinette’s hand against his chest, looking down at her with an expression that could best be described as “quietly enamored” as she looked back up at him, the picture of sweetness and innocence. Objectively, it was a good picture, showing off the cut and details of his suit as well as the detailed embroidery on the back of the jacket. They also absolutely looked like a couple. In fact he’d seen engagement photos that looked just like this. He felt Juleka’s elbow dig into his ribs and his face heated at her quiet snicker.

Luka folded his arms and covered his mouth with one hand as Alya went through the rest of the pictures. Marinette standing on tiptoe to kiss his cheek almost killed him. It was obvious that he was trying not to grin and Marinette had a pretty blush on her face. He hadn’t even noticed at the time that she had lifted one foot off the ground but it made the whole pose even cuter.

He dared a glance at Marinette and found her peeking through her fingers at him. He bit his lip and tried not to laugh, she looked so cute, sparkling with both amusement and mortification. Both of them shook with repressed laughter as Rose squealed delightedly at each new picture.

“So we can do some editing tomorrow,” Alya said, closing the window. “There should be plenty to work with. I think that turned out pretty well. I gotta jet like now, guys, so I’ll see you tomorrow!” She packed up her things and was gone as the other girls waved.

“I think some of those will be really fantastic for your portfolio, Juleka,” Marinette added. “Thank you so much for coming today.”

Juleka turned and hugged Marinette, mumbling something in her ear that clearly wasn’t meant for anyone else to catch. Whatever it was made Marinette tear up and squeeze Juleka even harder. Then, to his mild surprise, Juleka turned away from Marinette and hugged him too. “You’re stupid and I hate you,” she muttered into his shoulder. “Thanks for being there with me today.”

“You’re a pest and you exhaust me,” he told her, kissing her forehead. “I wouldn’t have been anywhere else.”

“Can I pleeeeeeeease hug now?” Rose begged, and then jumped on both of them before anyone could answer her. Luka laughed and expanded his embrace to include her.

“All right, all right, you guys go,” he squeezed them both one more time. “I know you’re dying to gush, so don’t wait for me.”

They didn’t, and he chuckled as they clattered down the stairs, Rose’s squeals audible until they left the house entirely. “Juleka’s going to have hearing damage before Rose is done with her,” Luka observed.

Marinette sat down in her desk chair with a heavy sigh. “That was fun, but I’m tired.”

“I could hear it, today,” Luka said, sitting down on the chaise and picking up his guitar. Marinette looked up at him.

“Hear what?”

“M.”

She brightened and came to sit next to him. “Really?”

“Really. I told you earlier, you were amazing today.” He brushed her bangs back from her forehead and tilted her chin up so he could see her eyes clearly. “I was right. It’s beautiful. I can’t wait to hear more of it. But Juleka said something to me a few days ago and I think she was right too.” Marinette blinked at him and he let his hand fall, still smiling back at her as he continued. “You can get by on your own—“ He played G for her as he’d done before. “But it’s not what makes you happy. M sounds better as a chord.” He played a G major chord. “Now that you’re in tune, maybe the next step is figuring out which other notes need to be in it, and which ones just don’t mesh.”

Marinette sighed. “How can I do that if they’re all out of tune too?” She wrinkled her nose. “This metaphor might be too complicated for me.”

“You're doing fine,” he chuckled, squeezing her shoulder. “You know you can’t control anyone else, Marinette. People will be who they are.”

“But it’s not who they are,” Marinette pouted. “It’s who she wants them to be. That, what you saw out there earlier today, that wasn’t Alya. That wasn’t Adrien.”

Luka hummed thoughtfully. “Well, I can’t really speak to that, I don’t know Alya enough. But, you know, I don’t think people really change that much that fast. Maybe it’s just that, Alya is her best self when she’s with you, and her worst self when she’s around Lila. Selfish people have that effect sometimes. Selfishness feeds selfishness. And as for Adrien...” Luka shook his head, strumming a tune thoughtfully. “I don’t know, there’s something weird going on there. He seemed like he was trying to rein Lila in, but for some reason he was afraid to be too open about it.” He shook his head again. “Really weird. But...try to give him the benefit of the doubt. I think there’s something going on there that we’re not seeing.”

Marinette nodded slowly, and then smiled up at him. “Thanks Luka.”

“Always, Marinette.”

“So...are you part of my chord, then?”

He smiled down at the strings moving under his hands. “I’d like to be,” he said softly, and then quickly added, “Remember how you felt today. How it feels to be the real you. It’ll help you stay in tune from here.”

“Thanks for doing this, Luka,” Marinette said, as he stopped playing and reluctantly put the guitar back in its case. “It was great you were there for a bunch of reasons, but--I also think it wouldn’t have been as much fun without you. It was great having your support the last few weeks. I really needed it.”

“You know you don’t need any excuse for that, Marinette.” Luka stood up and lifted the strap over his head, settling the case on his back. “Really. I’ve loved spending time with you and I hope we can still hang out.”

“Me too,” she said, cheeks dusting with pink, standing up with him. “Um, and…” She turned away and pulled down the denim jacket she’d hung up to dry. “Alya kind of spoiled the surprise,” Marinette sighed, “And it’s still pretty damp, but, um,” she held out it out to him. “This is for you.”

“For...me?” Luka just stared at her for a moment. “Marinette, I can’t, that must have been so much work. It looked so good on you, you should keep it.” Luka folded his hands over hers and pushed the jacket gently back towards her.

Marinette pouted. “Luka, I made it for you. I just, I was thinking about you and the idea came to me and I couldn’t not make it for you. You have to take it, I even made it with extra room so you can still wear your hoodie under it. It goes with your guitar. It’ll never suit anybody else as well as it would you.”

“But—” He knew even as he protested that it was futile. He was an artist, too, and he knew exactly what she meant when she said she couldn’t not make it. Sometimes a melody was too perfect and you just couldn’t help but use it. Luka knew he had to take it even before she spoke again.

“Please? I wanted to. I’ll be crushed if you don’t keep it,” Marinette told him, and that was it. Luka sighed and took the jacket from her hands.

“I love it,” he told her, running his fingers along the embroidery. “I really do. It’s perfect. I...” He shook his head, at a loss for words.

Marinette stepped into him and hugged him, and he wrapped one arm tight around her. “Thanks for everything, Luka.”

“I didn’t do much. Certainly not compared to this, and painting my guitar, and taking me to the awards gala, and letting me wear the suit you made.”

“Yeah, you did,” Marinette muttered into his shoulder. “You just don’t know it. You don’t know what it’s meant for me, these past few weeks. Maybe I would have made it through without you, but probably not nearly as well."

“Marinette…”

“I’m glad you’re part of my chord, Luka.”

Luka knew it was a bad idea even as his hand curled behind her neck, tilting her face up, and he called himself six kinds of idiot in his head as he kissed her. But when her mouth came alive under his and they moved softly together, it didn’t feel like a bad idea at all. It felt like heaven, like the cure for homesickness, like the bridge of a love song.

Love. She loved someone else. He pulled away, already missing her, hating how much he loved the delicate little noise their lips made when they parted. “Thank you,” he said into the space between them, taking a shaky breath. He cleared his throat as he straightened, dropping his hand. “And...sorry. That one was on me. I know I said we shouldn’t, but...I don’t know how else to tell you how much this means to me, Marinette. I’ll treasure it, really.”

“As long as you wear it,” Marinette said a little breathlessly, smiling softly. “Don’t treasure it in the back of the closet.”

“I don’t know how I’ll be able to wear anything else,” Luka said honestly.

Marinette licked her lips nervously, eyes flicking away and back to his, hands tightening on his almost painfully. “Luka, I—“

“I should go,” he muttered, prying his hands away, not wanting to hear another apology. He saw her concerned face and smiled. “It’s—“ He didn’t want to lie to her. “I’ll be okay. I’m just a little overwhelmed and I really need to go now, okay?”

He turned and walked blindly until he was out of sight, and then slumped against a tree and closed his eyes, irrationally angry. How many times could two people kiss before they admitted they were more than friends? He wanted to kiss her and she wanted to kiss him and why, why couldn’t it just be that simple?

Because attraction isn’t love, Luka reminded himself, and just because his reactions were driven by his emotions didn’t mean it was the same for her. She didn’t have to be in love with him to be attracted to him, to enjoy kissing him, and if he was hurting right now it was his own fault for kissing her when he knew better. He wanted something so much deeper than that with her. She has every right to want someone else. She trusted me when I said I can handle it.

We’ll both be crushed if it turns out I can’t.

He shook his head and started for home, determined to find some kind of balance within himself. Luka saw a lot of meditation in his future.

#quickspins #finding harmony #lukanette #i am lukanette trash i admit it #luka couffaine #marinette dupain-cheng #miraculousladybug #miraculous ladybug #ml fics #backlog

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factoffictionwriter · 4 years

Text

Tiva Fic Amnesty #9

More distantly connected flirting scenes. I miss these idiots.

However, when he turned on the bedroom light and was greeted with a loud groan and the sound of a small body rolling over in bed, he quickly shifted gears.

“Ziva? Everything okay?” He approached the bed carefully, unable to see her inside the large ball of sheets and blankets.

She groaned again and sat up, her head appearing from the opposite end of the mass. Her hair, which had been neat and straight this morning, was sticking out in all directions and covering the majority of her face.

“You did this to me,” she accused him before tucking herself back into the cocoon.

He looked around confused, “I did what?”

“Impregnated me,” she practically yelled through the covers.

“Uhhh…” He searched desperately for a distraction, utterly afraid of the entire situation. He took a few steps backward, weighing his chances of sneaking out and getting a drink before coming back to deal with this.

When he didn’t say anything for a while, she sat up again. He noticed that she was naked as the sheets pooled around her waist.

She stared at him for a long time before whispering, “I had a headache.”

He nodded, “Did laying in bed naked help?”

She looked down, as if just remembering her lack of clothes, “Well, laying in bed did. I’m naked because I could not get comfortable. My clothes fit weird. I feel bloated.”

“Well, you won’t hear me complaining about nudity.”

She just looked at him again, gauging the distance between them as he stood, clearly uncomfortable, across the room.

She sighed, “I snapped at you. I am sorry.”

He shrugged, “Hormones.”

He saw annoyance flash in her eyes and she took a deep breath as if preparing to yell at him, but she stopped herself suddenly, closing her eyes and letting out her breath slowly.

He watched her calm herself down, remembering the hundred or so times he had watched her do the same thing during a case or after he made her mad during one of their friendly movie nights.

She finally opened her eyes and he saw no traces of anger or frustration there, “Not an excuse. If we are going to work together in having and raising a child, I cannot lose my temper so easily. Or else one of these days, when we are sleep deprived, I am going to kill you.”

He smiled, confident that she had conquered the mood swing, at least for the current moment, “We all knew it would happen one day. In the meantime, I come with peace offerings.”

He walked over to grab the discarded food, producing it dramatically for her to see. She recognized the logo immediately started to untangle herself from the covers.

“No,” he help up a hand and put the bag down on the floor, “Don’t bother. Dinner in bed with no clothes on is exactly what we can do to celebrate our appointment this morning.”

She looked around at the entirely white pile of fabric surrounding her, “And risk staining the sheets?”

He shrugged, “They can be washed. Or replaced. Let’s face it, we only have like 7 more months of being only semi-responsible adults. Better enjoy it while it lasts.”

She pursed her lips, eyeing him up and down, mulling over his proclamation for a long pause before giving in, “Are there chopsticks in the bag?”

He shook his head, “I didn’t see them put any in there, but I have some extras in the kitchen.” He turned to leave but stopped when she said his name.

“Huh?”

She gnawed on her lip for a second before speaking, “Can you bring me an apple juice?”

He chuckled, “Of course.”

He made his way out to the kitchen in the dark, relying on memory to get him there. He opened the fridge and grabbed one of the small bottle of apple juice that Ziva had purchased consistently for the past two week (She had read somewhere that the extra sugar could help curve the craving for alcohol. He wasn’t so sure it was working). He opened a drawer and fished out some chopsticks in the refrigerator light. He went to close the door and head back to the bedroom, but stopped when he remembered the picture that had been moved from his coat pocket to his pants pocket during his work day. He set the juice aside for a second, pulling out the photo and considering it again. He smiled at the small white mass in the shot. His kid. Their kid. He picked up a magnet and slid the photo underneath, leaving it to hang right at eye level on the opposite door where they could both look at it every time they walked past.

He jogged back to the bedroom, closing the door behind him and picking up the bag of food. He placed everything on the bed and distributed the paper boxes appropriately. She grabbed a box and a set of chopsticks before moving back to lean against the pillows by the head board. He gathered his materials as well and went to climb into the bed.

She cleared her throat, drawing his attention and making him stop.

“What?”

“Aren’t you going to take them off?”

“Take what off?”

“Your clothes. I do not want to be the only one naked here.”

He put the items down and undid his belt. He pulled off his pants before loosening his tie and throwing it in her direction.

She laughed as it landed on her face, reaching up and throwing it off the bed onto the ground.

“You want a strip tease?” he joked as he unbuttoned his shirt and spun around in a slow circle.

She threw a stack of napkins at him.

“Hey! I only accept hundreds, lady.”

---

“Spread your legs.”

“That’s normally my line.”

Ziva let out half laugh as she rested her hands on either side of his hips and kicked at his ankles to get him to widen his stance, “You know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I know. I like my version better.”

“Do you want me to help you with your shot or not?”

“I’m still not convinced you can. How long has it been since you held a gun, anyway?”

She craned her neck to rest her chin on his shoulder as she thought about it, “Over a year.”

“You sure you still have what it takes?”

She narrowed her eyes and stared at the side of his head, “Are you questioning my abilities, Tony?”

“Maybe.”

“Huh,” she took a step back and grabbed the other pair of noise canceling headphones from where she had hung them on the wall. She slid them over her head and wrestled the gun from his hands easily. She stepped in front of him, barely giving him enough time to pull his own headphones over his ears before she blew off 9 rounds in tight clusters of three.

She let her shoulders relax as she slid the headphones off and looked over her shoulder at him, “Want to make any more comments before we see how I did?”

He shook his head, “Let the rounds speak for themselves.”

“As you wish,” she mumbled as she pushed the retrieve button on the small table in front of them and waited as her paper target rushed closer to them.

The shots were in perfect formations of 3. One cluster in the center of the forehead. The second in the middle of the chest. And the last one right in the groin.

“Ahhhh, babe, did you have to go for the babymakers?”

She shrugged, “I was proving a point.”

“Well, point taken. Let’s load a new target and you can correct my stance all you want. Just don’t shoot my little DiNozzos.”

She laughed as she loaded another black silhouette on a white paper into the clips and pressed the second button, sending the target away from them and toward the end of the range, “I would not shoot your… little DiNozzos, Tony. They are much too useful to me.”

“Not lately,” he huffed as he picked the gun up from where she lad left it on the table.

She watched as he lifted it in front of him and slid his feet into her suggested stance.

“This better?” he asked, shooting her a half glance as he waited for further instructions.

She eventually nodded, “It is. Now bring your dominant arm all the way up so you are basically looking down it as you aim.”

“Like this?” He lifted his arms to a better position.

“Yes,” she stepped behind him, casually running a hand across the waistband of his pants as she slid past him in the admittedly small shooting stall.

He stood straighter for a moment, reacting to the familiar sensation of her hands sliding over his hips before he could stop himself. He quickly fell back into his stance.

She ignored his movement, “Fire at will.”

He nodded, using his shoulder to shift the headphones back over his ear before firing 3 rounds.

He lowered his arms and looked over his shoulder, “Look good?”

She was leaning back against the wall of their little stall, a strange look on her face, “Yes, you did.”

“I meant my shot.”

“That looked fine, too.”

---

It was more than an hour later that they found themselves back in the living room, her laying on the couch wearing nothing but one of his white dress shirts buttoned all the way up - okay most of the way up - and a pair of black panties and him making his way back from the kitchen, a full champagne glass in either hand. He set one down on the coffee table in front of her and made his way to sit on the piano bench. He had slid back into his dress pants after their bedroom activities, but had been forced to settle for a plain white t-shirt since someone had claimed his button up.

She leaned forward to retrieve her glass before stretching out sensually on the throw pillows behind her. She held up the sheet music she had been examining when he walked in.

“Strangers in the Night?”

He smiled as he gave a purposely indifferent shrug, “It’s just something I’ve been working on lately.”

“Hm. Nevermind that it is one of my all time favorite songs, right?”

“It is?” he scrunched his face in calculated confusion, “I did not know that.”

She laughed, “Of course you didn’t. You say you’ve been working on it. Is it ready for me to hear?”

“Oh, I don’t know… you know me, I’m pretty shy about my playing.”

She took a large swig of her drink, “Just like you are shy about your sex life?”

His eyebrows shot up at this, “I am not shy, but I am modest about my sex life. Our sex life.”

She nodded, “Like you are modest about your playing.”

“Now you’re catching on.”

She pushed herself off the couch and Tony’s eyes practically rolled to the back of his head as he watched the hem of his shirt move further and further up her thigh, stopping so teasingly close to her panties and providing a clear peek at them with every step she took closer to him.

She carefully set her glass down on top of the piano before reaching for the one in his hands and doing the same. Then she slid herself onto his lap, both her legs hanging off one side as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

He claimed her lips immediately, sitting straighter on the bench and sliding a flat palm up the outside of her bare thigh as their tongues slid across each other for what had to be the hundredth time that night. Fingers tangled into hair and hems of different garments were slid underneath as they explored each other’s bodies as if they hadn’t been memorizing them for over 2 years.

She was the one to pull away, taking a moment to catch her breath before sliding herself off his lap and pushing the paper she had been holding into his chest.

“Play it for me,” she commanded as she turned her back and hopped up onto the piano in front of him, crossing her tan legs and leaning back against her palms as she watched him expectantly.

“Yes ma’am,” he said as he unfolded the sheet music and set it on the stand over the keys.

He went to reach for the hat he had placed just above them earlier, but she beat him to it, twirling the article in her hands before reaching up to put it on her head, tilting the rim down and peering at him from under it.

“Not fair.”

“Play,” she commanded, leaning a little closer so she could look down at his still fingers, “Unless you want me to find another use for those.”

#tiva #tiva fanfic #fanfiction #amnesty #factoffiction #factoffictionwriter #factoffiction amnesty week #you might recognize the last one as a rework of a scene from canon #in season 13 i think?#when tony brings home that woman who later steals his identitiy #i liked the concept #but not the woman #so I made it Tiva #and it's much better than way

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fyeahwildfire · 5 years

Text

Sacrifice (Alternate Thanos x reader)

Warnings: Angst, Infinity War spoilers, smut

One year and six months later…

Sam had called you asking for assistance. They had located Vision’s whereabouts and needed your help in case anyone had gotten hurt. You contemplated on going as you knew Bucky and Nat were going to be there. You had spent most of your time with Clint and his family. They helped you deal with the breakup, but not so much with your miscarriage. To lose a child was tragic and horrible. You had lost all hope when the doctor told you would never be able to have a child.

Despite all the pain and suffering you were going through, you couldn’t be selfish. Not when you foresaw Thanos arriving to wipe out half of the universe. So that’s why you were in Wakanda preparing to fight the incoming army. You had nothing else to lose anyway.

You saw the Avengers jet land and out came Steve, Bucky, Nat, Bruce, Rhodey, Sam, Vision, and Wanda. You clear your throat and square your shoulders. You calm your senses as you slip effortlessly into an emotionless façade and stride over to the group with a dangerous and deadly confidence.

You ignore the startle gasps coming from Bucky and Natasha. You avoid the intensity of his gaze. You can’t bring yourself to look into his blue eyes or into Nat’s. So you focus on Steve and T’challa.

“Y/N!” Steve looks over to Sam, who explains he called you because they needed your help.

Seeing the tension amongst the group, T’challa stands by your side. “Y/n was waiting patiently outside the borders of Wakanda. I had Okoye bring her. She says she foresaw the battle coming ahead.”

“Is that true?” Steve hoped for good news.

“Yes. I saw 14 million, six hundred and five possibilities play out.” You cross your arms.

“And how many of those scenarios…”

You interrupted Steve knowing what he was going to say. “One.”

Your eyes sweep amongst the Avengers, each of them carry the look of fear, horror, and sadness. You ignore Bucky with everything you have. If it weren’t for him and his affair, maybe, just maybe your child would have been born.

“How can we be sure? There has to be more than one.” Bucky walks over standing beside Steve. He wants you to look at him. He wants to apologize. He wants another chance with you. He had been so blind and so in love with the idea of Natasha and the history they shared, he ruined a perfect relationship with you.

“There isn’t, Sergeant Barnes.” You reply tonelessly.

He opens his mouth to speak, but Steve looks at him and shakes his head to not start an argument. Especially now. You look off to the distant, like you could see something across the field.

“Y/N.” T’challa places his hand on your shoulder.

“There already here.” You grab your bow and follow T’challa.

“Evacuate the city. Engage all defenses and get this man a shield!” T’challa points to Steve.

You had seen Steve desperately face off against Thanos. You draw an arrow from your quiver and aim. You watch as the arrow cuts the side of his face. Both of yours and Steve’s attacks had allowed Wanda to tearfully destroy Vision’s mind stone.

However, you all found yourselves hopelessly outmatched by Thanos and his dominion. Steve had been taken out by Thanos, who used the Power Stone to send in a concussive strike to blow him away.

Being the only one left standing you desperately fight back to buy everyone some time. You use your customized arrows to hit every single enemy within your sight.

You notice Steve grabbing the infinite gauntlet, it not only had surprised you but Thanos as well. Steve was again defeated by Thanos who incapacitated him with a single punch.

You shot arrow after arrow at Thanos, not making a dent. He’s impressed that you’re the only one left standing. Compared to him you were much smaller, more delicate. Yet there you stood, unfazed as you kept shooting at him. He approached you with a smile on his face.

“Why do you continue to fight, little warrior?” Thanos ripped your bow from your hands and tossed it away.

You use your assassin skills to punch and kick him, but like Thor and Hulk, he was too strong to feel any of your attacks. He grabs your arm and leans forward looking into your eyes. “I’ve seen you before…in my dreams.”

“We are connected.” You confessed, you knew long ago that you’re visions were tied to Thanos, seeing as you only had visions about him. You had refrained from telling anyone seeing as it was your burden to carry.

You look into his eyes and saw hope, curiosity, and lust. You could feel tears prickling but you tried your best to stop them from falling. However, you couldn’t stop the traitorous tears from running down your cheeks.

Thanos has never believed in love. He only cared about bringing balance. Until, he met you. You stirred something within him. Something he had locked away long ago.

He released your arm and extended his hand towards your cheek. He wipes the tears away. You look into his eyes, they were soft, showing concern and sadness towards you. You had seen other versions of your fate, you were his savior…his light. The other version’s, you had seen you own demise.

Thanos breaks contact with you and pulls you behind him. Protecting you from Thor’s axe. Despite Thor’s attempt, Thanos still achieved his goal of killing off half the universe.

Thanos looked to you and extended his hand out to you, hoping you would escape with him. So you could begin your lives as partners. You a mere human, was now one of the most precious treasures, a gift from the universe. He wanted to take you away from Earth and the dangers that lied within it. He wanted to protect you. He wanted his dreams to come true.

But you, you don’t move. You stand there contemplating whether you should take his offer or not. But then, you think back to all the pain and suffering you had endured. Bucky cheating on you with Natasha and the loss of your unborn child. You truly had nothing left to lose, maybe Clint. But he had a family and Tony had Pepper. They could move on. You would be alone.

“Come with me, beloved.” His eyes hold sorrow as he inches closer to you. With the short amount of time, you had become much more to him. You were his heart. You could be his home.

In the end, you made your choice to leave with the Mad Titan. You took his hand and let him wrap his arms around you. You make the mistake in looking back. You see the disappointed looks coming from Thor and Steve.

“I’m sorry.” Is the last thing you say to either of them before Thanos retreats with you in his arms. You miss Bucky calling out for you and disintegrating before Steve’s eyes.

Three years later…

You were out collecting fruits and vegetables to take back to your beloved. It’s been three years since you left Earth with Thanos. Three years you did not regret your choice. However, you do feel immense grief for all those that lost their loved ones. Which is why you were out picking crops, an excuse to use the stones and reverse the actions of the Decimation.

You had a vision of Thanos death by the hands of Thor and you couldn’t allow that to happen. Thanos had become too important. He weaved his way into your life and gave you hope and love. Things that you thought you would never have again. So in order to protect him and give back to the universe, you had to undo his actions.

With all six of the stones wrapped around you, five on your collar bone and the mind stone on your forehead. You feel the power course through you. You’ve never felt anything like this before and it felt good. You snap your fingers and hear the loud boom go off, no doubt Thanos would hear.

You smile to yourself knowing this is what was best for everyone. Plus you threw in two surprises for Thor, he had lost a lot and you knew you could not endure all that he had. Which is why you gave Loki and Heimdall back. In hopes to keep him away. You pick up the crate filled with crops and make your way back to Thanos.

Upon entering your home, you set the crate down on the table and look around in search of your beloved. He steps through the doorway and sees you. He sighs with relief, until he notices the infinity stones on you.

“What have you done, beloved?”

“I’ve restore half the universe.” You take his big purple hand in yours. “This is the best choice for both of us. I can’t… see you die.”

“You’ve foreseen my death.” He caress your cheek with his finger.

“Yes. Which is why I made the decision to restore things as they once were. I can’t lose you. I-I love…”

“Yes.” He beams.

“I love you and I can’t lose you…” Suddenly his lips are on yours.

He picks you up and holds you firmly against his chest. You wrap your arms around him, while he walks over to your shared bed and places you gently on it. He towers over you.

“You have no idea what you do to me, beloved?”

“Actually I do have an idea,” you stare at his hard rock cock wanting to be free of his pants. You bite your lip seductively. This isn’t the first time you’ve had sex and it won’t be the last.

Thanos smiles at you, “Ever observant. Come take off those stones and let me…”

“Uh, about that I can’t.”

“Why is that?”

You try to pull off one of stones but it’s stuck, it’s like the stones don’t want to part from you. “See.”

“Allow me?” Thanos reaches over to pull off the power stone, but even he can’t pry them off of you. “Interesting?”

“How about we forget about the stones right now and we can go back to making passionate love.” You rip off your shirt and bra and throw them across the room.

“Needy aren’t we.”

You cup your breast and begin to play with them. You can see the lust in his eyes, “Well, are you gonna stand there and watch or are you gonna fuck me.”

Your hands slowly make their way down to unbuckle your pants. Thanos removes your pants and throws them into the corner. He kneels down and as he did so, in one swift motion, he tore your panties from you. He grabbed your thighs and spread them. You could already feel yourself getting wet.

He lunges forward and you cry out and flinch as his mouth roughly latches onto your pussy. His tongue was everywhere. In your folds and on your clit. Every sensitive spot he licked caused you to moan.

You grabbed the sheets as your thigh muscles start to tighten. You start to buck against his mouth. Thanos holds you down and continues to feast on your pussy. He starts to suck on your clit, your thighs tremble and your stomach tightens.

You arch your back and continue to moan louder and louder until you come. You scream his name as Thanos licks and slurps, not wanting to waste a single drop of your come.

Thanos climbs up and the bed sinks upon his massive weight. He’s going to have to repair it again after he’s done with you.

“I want you.” You try to regain your breath.

“Patience, beloved.” He slid his finger and filled you up easily. His finger was about the size of a normal man’s cock.

Your stomach muscles contract as he starts pumping in and out of you. You head falls back as you moan loudly. Thanos continues to pump, his finger makes a squelching sound. You grab your breast and play with them.

“Harder.”

Thanos pumps you harder and faster, it doesn’t take long for a second orgasm to hit. Thanos removes his finger from your pussy. He brings it to his mouth, he sucks and licks off the juices on them.

He kisses your breasts and your neck before he aligns his cock with your warm soaked pussy. He gently pushed his tip inside of you. He inches his head in further and you gasp as you could see a bulge growing in your stomach.

“Are you alright, beloved?”

“Fuck me, please.”

He pushed his head all the way in. You moan and cry out as you tighten your grip on the sheets. He pulled back and thrust forward. His pace was slow and steady at first, to allow you to adjust to him.

You look up to him and see the concern in his eyes, but you can also see he wants to fuck you senseless. “Beloved, this isn’t our first time. Do not hold back. Fuck me hard. Fuck me fast.”

“If that is what you wish…”

“Yes, please. Just fuck me already.”

Thanos pounds into you relentlessly. You scream as he continued to hit your g-spot. Again and again.

“Mine. All mine.” Thanos thrusted again into your pussy. He was claiming you. Marking you. No other man would try to take you away from him. No other man could compare to him. No other man could give you pleasure like he did. You belong with him and he belong with you.

#bucky x reader #bucky x natasha #thanos x reader #infinity war #thanos x reader smut

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