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stiltonbasket · 3 years

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Hi!! Could I perhaps request LQR baby-sitting A-Yu and A-Lan for the renouncement verse? Thanks, love you <333

(brief author’s note: please please reblog if you can, since that’s how we get prompts for future chapters!)

Lan Qiren’s nephews keep overworking themselves.

This wouldn’t be a bad thing if they hadn’t been doing it for the last several years, but it’s beginning to wear on them. Xichen’s eyes are always red and swollen from writing letters by candlelight, and Lan Qiren doesn’t remember the last time he saw Wangji without trade reports in his arms and spit-up milk on his robes, so he finally puts his foot down and decides to give all three of them a break in early autumn.

“Xichen, go take a soak in the hot springs,” he orders, sweeping into the hanshi and shoving everything on Lan Xichen’s desk up one of his sleeves. “Now.”

Lan Xichen is so exhausted that he tries to paint a line of calligraphy onto the expensive wood of his writing table. “Shufu?”

“You heard me,” Lan Qiren scolds. “Go on! I’ll finish the petition forms by tomorrow.”

Somewhat bewildered, Lan Xichen ambles out through the hanshi’s back door and splashes into the hot spring, leaving Lan Qiren to march down to the jingshi and confiscate all of Wangji’s trade contracts. He also confiscates baby A-Lan, who is lying in Lan Wangji’s lap and trying to eat his jade pendant.

“What are you doing?” Wangji asks, watching him tug the rest of his letters out of Wei Ying’s hands and stuff those up his sleeves, too. “Uncle?”

“You and Wei Ying need a rest,” he announces. “I am taking your work to the meishi, and I am also taking your children. Do not come to fetch them until sunset.”

And with that, he straps Wei Shuilan to his chest and takes Lan Yu by the hand, bundling them off to his own residence before their parents have time to do much more than blink at him in confusion.

“Huh,” Wei Wuxian says, after he leaves. “I think your uncle has a point, actually. Let’s go to bed, Lan Zhan.”

When Lan Qiren gets back to the meishi, he settles A-Lan down for a nap and gives Xiao-Yu a snack and some silver puzzle rings to improve his hand-eye coordination. “It almost reminds me of the old days,” he sighs, as Shuilan kicks her chubby little feet before falling asleep with her thumb in her mouth. “Even if Wangji never went down for naps without a fuss.”

Lan Qiren was nineteen when he became acting sect leader, and he was also nineteen when he received custody of Xichen: not coincidentally, because the clan hoped that taking charge of the sect would prevent him from raising his nephew and allow one of them to take over his care instead. But Lan Qiren was nothing if not stubborn, so Lan Huan went with him everywhere—to meetings, discussion conferences, and even the odd wedding now and then, and was generally such an amiable baby that he adjusted to his uncle’s fraught travelling schedule without a fuss. In fact, the first time Lan Huan met Jiang Yanli had been during a week-long cultivation event at Lotus Pier, yawning in a sling on Lan Qiren’s back while Jiang Yanli napped on Jiang Fengmian’s chest, and Jiang Fengmian had even mentioned the possibility of a betrothal between the two babies when they were older.

“My wife wants to contract an engagement between Xiao-Li and a son born to her sworn sister, but Jin-zongzhu and Jin-furen have not yet had a child,” Jiang-zongzhu had sighed, letting his daughter’s little fingers wrap around his. He looked heartbroken at the mere thought of parting from her, Lan Qiren remembers—which was probably why he named her yan li, to hate separation, because Jiang Yanli’s premature birth nearly stole her away from her parents the moment she entered the world.

“Lanling is closer to Gusu than Yunmeng,” Lan Qiren pointed out. Yunmeng Jiang would make an excellent alliance by marriage, and he was fairly certain at the time that Jiang Yanli would grow up to resemble her mild-mannered father rather than her hot-tempered mother. He was right, of course, since Jiang-guniang took after Jiang Fengmian in both looks and character, but contracting a betrothal with her for Xichen would have done both of them a disservice—because Xichen could never have loved her as she would have wanted to be loved, and he could never have given her children, either.

“Shugong?” a little voice says at Lan Qiren’s elbow, distracting him from the possibility of a world where Lan Huan married Jiang Yanli and crippled Lanling Jin’s influence after the Sunshot Campaign. “Xiao-Yu is done with the puzzle. I have another one?”

“Already?” Lan Qiren asks. This is yet another trait Xiaohui inherited from Wei Wuxian despite not being related to him, and Lan Qiren feels his heart swell with pride at his great-nephew’s intelligence. “Then you may play with the wooden blocks on that shelf, and see how high you can build your tower without letting it fall over.”

Xiao-Yu settles down on the hearthrug to stack up the fine-carved building blocks, and Lan Qiren goes through his nephew’s papers in peace for another hour before A-Lan wakes up from her nap and wails for her milk at the top of her lungs.

“Do not cry,” Lan Qiren soothes, securing the child in her swaddle before heating a bottle with a warming talisman. “Here is your supper, and your xiongzhang is there on the mat.”

He has to keep A-Lan in his arms after that, since his tiny great-niece is so used to being held that putting her down would break her little heart; and Lan Qiren would rather die than let go of her, because he dearly misses holding his nephews, and not so long ago he was certain he would never have the chance to hold a baby again.

And then, as if cuddling A-Lan to his chest wasn’t wonderful enough, Xiao-Yu pulls one of Wangji’s old picture books out of Lan Qiren’s storage trunk and runs over to sit in his lap, pushing the trade contracts aside and replacing them with the fable of the magic lotus lantern.

“Shugong, read to Xiao-Yu?” the little boy begs, snuggling into Lan Qiren’s overgown next to his cooing baby sister. “A-Die likes this story best.”

Of course he does, Lan Qiren thinks, as he flips the cover open and starts to read. The tale of the magic lotus lantern was written about a child whose mother was stolen away from him, taken back to the heavens by force when her godly brother discovered the magic lantern that illuminated her way to the mortal world—and for a while Wangji believed that his mother was like the immortal Sanshengmu, who loved a human man and had a child with him before returning to the realm she came from. Sanshengmu’s story ended with her being reunited with her husband and son, and the little Wangji never gave up hope that his own mother might come back in much the same way, even after he was old enough to stop believing in fairy stories.

“Why did they fight?” Xiao-Yu asks, leaning closer to see the picture of the goddess’s lover with his brush and scroll. “That’s against the rules!”

“Sometimes people who love one another fight because they cannot understand their feelings,” Lan Qiren tells him, tapping the point of his soft button nose. “So it was with Sanshengmu and Liu Yanchang-gongzi, and when he awoke, she revealed her true identity, and explained why she sent a rainstorm to plague him after she read his poem.

“Both apologized profusely. Days went by, and Liu Yanchang finally recovered. By then the goddess and the scholar had fallen deeply in love, and marriage naturally ensued. Encouraged by Goddess Sanshengmu, Liu Yanchang continued with his journey to the capital to take the imperial examination, and months later, the goddess gave birth to their son, whom she named Chenxiang.

“At the same time, the goddess’s celestial family had learned about her marriage to an earthly man. Her brother, known as Divine Erlang, found his unruly sister and demanded that she renounce her new family and return with him to their heavenly home, but Sanshengmu refused, and battled him with the power of her magical lotus lantern…”

“I want to paint a portrait of this,” Wei Wuxian whispers, when he and Lan Zhan creep into the meishi after sunset to find Lan Qiren fast asleep on the floor, with A-Lan snoozing on his chest and Xiao-Yu curled up in the crook of his arm. “They’re so sweet, Lan Zhan!”

“Mm,” Lan Zhan murmurs, his eyes softening as he looks at the open book on his uncle’s desk. Lan Qiren clearly just finished reading it before he fell asleep, because the book is open to the very last picture; a color painting of a goddess embracing a youth and an older man with a lotus-shaped lantern hanging at the crook of her elbow. “Bring a blanket and a pillow, Wei Ying. We should let them sleep.”

(Lan Qiren often finds himself toting his little great-nephew and niece around the Cloud Recesses after that, and Xiao-Yu’s favorite place to play in his parents’ absence is always the house where his shugong lives.)

#wangxian #mo dao zu shi #my fic #wangxian arranged marriage au #renouncement verse #lan qiren #lan xiaohui #wei shuilan

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butterflies-dragons · 4 years

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Loved your post on the similarities between Jon and Waymar Royce and Sansa's preference in men. I would like to add something else on the table. The Royces have Stark blood through the maternal line. Catelyn even suggested to name them as a possible heir to Robb. So Sansa really has a thing for the Stark look. This might be incestuous in nature. But isn't there a phrase that women tend to fall for men who remind them of their father? In Sansa's case it's more literal than usual lmao

Hello there!

Thank you very much ♡

You know, when I was writing my meta, I was suggested by @lostlittlesatellites, to write about the Royces with Stark blood, but I decided not to bring the subject up because we don’t really know who they are.

I know about what Catelyn said to Robb regarding the Stark relatives in the Vale:

“Young, and a king,” he said. “A king must have an heir. If I should die in my next battle, the kingdom must not die with me. By law Sansa is next in line of succession, so Winterfell and the north would pass to her.” His mouth tightened. “To her, and her lord husband. Tyrion Lannister. I cannot allow that. I will not allow that. That dwarf must never have the north.”

“No,” Catelyn agreed. “You must name another heir, until such time as Jeyne gives you a son.” She considered a moment. “Your father’s father had no siblings, but his father had a sister who married a younger son of Lord Raymar Royce, of the junior branch. They had three daughters, all of whom wed Vale lordlings. A Waynwood and a Corbray, for certain. The youngest … it might have been a Templeton, but …”

“Mother.” There was a sharpness in Robb’s tone. “You forget. My father had four sons.”

She had not forgotten; she had not wanted to look at it, yet there it was. “A Snow is not a Stark.”

“Jon’s more a Stark than some lordlings from the Vale who have never so much as set eyes on Winterfell.”

“Jon is a brother of the Night’s Watch, sworn to take no wife and hold no lands. Those who take the black serve for life.”

“So do the knights of the Kingsguard. That did not stop the Lannisters from stripping the white cloaks from Ser Barristan Selmy and Ser Boros Blount when they had no more use for them. If I send the Watch a hundred men in Jon’s place, I’ll wager they find some way to release him from his vows.”

He is set on this. Catelyn knew how stubborn her son could be. “A bastard cannot inherit.”

“Not unless he’s legitimized by a royal decree,” said Robb. “There is more precedent for that than for releasing a Sworn Brother from his oath.”

“Precedent,” she said bitterly. “Yes, Aegon the Fourth legitimized all his bastards on his deathbed. And how much pain, grief, war, and murder grew from that? I know you trust Jon. But can you trust his sons? Or their sons? The Blackfyre pretenders troubled the Targaryens for five generations, until Barristan the Bold slew the last of them on the Stepstones. If you make Jon legitimate, there is no way to turn him bastard again. Should he wed and breed, any sons you may have by Jeyne will never be safe.”

“Jon would never harm a son of mine.”

“No more than Theon Greyjoy would harm Bran or Rickon?”

Grey Wind leapt up atop King Tristifer’s crypt, his teeth bared. Robb’s own face was cold. “That is as cruel as it is unfair. Jon is no Theon.”

“So you pray. Have you considered your sisters? What of their rights? I agree that the north must not be permitted to pass to the Imp, but what of Arya? By law, she comes after Sansa … your own sister, trueborn …”

“… and dead. No one has seen or heard of Arya since they cut Father’s head off. Why do you lie to yourself? Arya’s gone, the same as Bran and Rickon, and they’ll kill Sansa too once the dwarf gets a child from her. Jon is the only brother that remains to me. Should I die without issue, I want him to succeed me as King in the North. I had hoped you would support my choice.”

“I cannot,” she said. “In all else, Robb. In everything. But not in this … this folly. Do not ask it.”

“I don’t have to. I’m the king.” Robb turned and walked off, Grey Wind bounding down from the tomb and loping after him.

—A Storm of Swords - Catelyn V

This passage is very interesting because Robb said: By law Sansa is next in line of succession, so Winterfell and the north would pass to her. But since Sansa was married to Tyrion Lannister, Robb had to name another heir.

This is a contrast with Jon. Stannis use the same argument to convince Jon to accept his offer to be Lord of Winterfell, he called Sansa “Lady Lannister”, but no matter what, Jon didn’t accept it.

“But, instead of Tyrion, Willas or even Robert, who pursue Sansa’s claim over her, there is a man that has been offered Winterfell and choose her over it. Among all the high lords interested in becoming the Lord of Winterfell by marrying Sansa Stark, the bastard Jon Snow refused to despoil his sister Sansa of her rights, even if her claim is the one thing he has wanted as much as he had ever wanted anything.”

“By right Winterfell should go to my sister Sansa.”

—A Dance with Dragons - Jon I

Jon said, “Winterfell belongs to my sister Sansa.”

—A Dance with Dragons - Jon IV

Robb and Catelyn were both pushing to prevent Sansa and Jon to get Winterfell, and ironically enough, I think that Sansa and Jon will be the Starks that will retake Winterfell.

Now, about who may be the Royces with Stark blood...

“Your father’s father had no siblings, but his father had a sister who married a younger son of Lord Raymar Royce, of the junior branch. They had three daughters, all of whom wed Vale lordlings. A Waynwood and a Corbray, for certain. The youngest … it might have been a Templeton, but …”

This means: Ned Stark’s father Rickard had no siblings, but Rickard’s father Edwyle, had a sister Jocelyn who married a younger son of Lord Raymar Royce, of the junior branch, Benedict Royce.

Jocelyn Stark and Benedict Royce had three daughters:

Daughter 1 married an Unknown Waynwood

Daughter 2 married an Unknown Corbray

Daughter 3 might have married an Unknown Templeton

See? we really don’t know who the Royces with Stark blood are. We don’t even know if they have the Stark features. We don’t even know if they are still alive…

Also take note that Jocelyn Stark married a Royce from the junior branch, called House Royce of the Gates of the Moon. While Waymar Royce was from House Royce of Runestone.

So I addressed the subject only with this line:

The resemblance between the Starks and the Royces [of Runestone] maybe has to be with both houses being descendants of the First Men.

Now back to House Royce of the Gates of the Moon.

At this point in the books, the known Royces of the cadet branch are: Nestor Royce and his children: Albar and Myranda. Imagine Myranda having a claim to Winterfell, Alayne will hate it…

Also imagine Lyn Corbray having a claim to Winterfell, Alayne will hate it even more…

About the Templetons, we don’t even know for sure if the third daughter of Jocelyn Stark and Benedict Royce married into House Templeton…

Now, about the Waynwoods, this is exactly why @lostlittlesatellites suggested me to write about the Royces with Stark blood, because at this point at the Books, Alayne is very linked with the Waynwoods. And even Harrold Hardyn’s mother was a Waynwood! Imagine Harry the Heir having not only a claim to the Vale but also to Winterfell! Alayne will like this scenario a bit more… This is unlikely, but it was funny to think about it…

Harry the Heir doesn’t have the Stark Look tho. But his Waynwood cousins do. So they could be the descendants of Jocelyn Stark and Benedict Royce. Let see:

In the first Alayne chapter of the Winds of Winter, Sansa meets the Waynwoods and Harry the Heir:

“Lady Myranda. Lady Alayne.” Anya Waynwood inclined her head to each of them in turn. “It is good of you to greet us. Allow me to present my grandson, Ser Roland Waynwood.” She nodded at the knight who had spoken. “And this is my youngest son, Ser Wallace Waynwood. And of course my ward, Ser Harrold Hardyng.”

(…)

Ser Roland was the oldest of the three, though no more than five-and-twenty. He was taller and more muscular than Ser Wallace, but both were long-faced and lantern-jawed, with stringy brown hair and pinched noses. Horsefaced and homely, Alayne thought.

—The Winds of Winter - Alayne I

Ser Roland Waynwood and Ser Wallace Waynwood have three features that match the Stark Look:

Both long-faced

Both horsefaced

Both have [stringy] brown hair

Sansa/Alyane doesn’t find the Waynwoods attractive tho, not like she fancied Ser Waymar Royce. Maybe this have to be with their other features: lantern-jawed and pinched noses.

The lack of attraction to the Waynwoods was another reason why I didn’t bring this subject up in my meta.

In contrast, the Waynwoods seems pretty attracted to Sansa/Alayne:

“Had we known such beauty awaited us at the Gates, we would have flown,” Ser Roland said. Though his words were addressed to Myranda Royce, he smiled at Alayne as he said them.

“To fly you would need wings,” Randa replied, “and there are some knights here who might have a thing to say concerning that.”

“I look forward to a spirited discussion.” Ser Roland swung down from his horse, turned to Alayne, and smiled. “I had heard that Lord Littlefinger’s daughter was fair of face and full of grace, but no one ever told me that she was a thief.”

“You wrong me, ser. I am no thief!”

Ser Roland placed his hand over his heart. “Then how do you explain this hole in my chest, from where you stole my heart?”

“He is only t-teasing you, my lady,” stammered Ser Wallace. “My n-n-nephew never had a h-h-heart.”

“The Waynwood wheel has a broken spoke, and we have my nuncle here.” Ser Roland gave Wallace a whap behind the ear. “Squires should be quiet when knights are speaking.”

Ser Wallace reddened. “I am no more a s-squire, my lady. My n-nephew knows full well that I was k-k-kni-k-k-kni –“

“Dubbed?” Alayne suggested gently.

“Dubbed,” said Wallace Waynwood, gratefully.

Robb would be his age, if he were still alive, she could not help but think, but Robb died a king, and this is just a boy.

—The Winds of Winter - Alayne I

And about that phrase you mentioned: “women tend to fall for men who remind them of their father,” it is true that the Asoiaf Books have plenty of incestuous undertones with the Targaryens, Cersei and Jaime, Asha and Theon, Crater and his daughters, etc. But in the case of the Starks, GRRM uses the pseudo-incest trope. After all, Jon and Arya, that are lookalikes, were intended to be in love in the so called “original outline”.

We also have the issue of the First love’s Resemblance: Sansa fell wildly in love with Ser Waymar, and Jon fell in love with a wildling girl kissed by fire.

Waymar Royce looked like a Stark. Waymar Royce was Jon’s lookalike. And Jon is Ned lookalike:

Riding through the rainy night, Ned saw Jon Snow’s face in front of him, so like a younger version of his own.

—A Game of Thrones - Eddard IX

More about it here.

And Jon’s first love was Ygritte, a redhead, with blue-grey eyes, and to make the Tully look even more evident, Ygritte called herself half a fish:

“Ygritte punched his arm. “You know nothing, Jon Snow. I’m half a fish, I’ll have you know.”

—A Storm of Swords - Jon V

Sansa’s first crush having the Stark Look and Jon’s first lover having the Tully look, reminds me of Catelyn being first betrothed with Brandon Stark but marrying Eddard Stark instead. Brandon, died like Waymar. Ned said Jon’s is a younger version of himself. Ned never imagined marrying Catelyn, he had a young infatuation with Ashara Dayne, but he never acted on his feelings for her, and she died. Ned also killed Ashara’s brother Arthur.

Sansa fell wildly in love with Waymar, but she won’t marry him, he died. She will probably fall in love with Jon in a more mature and calmly way. Jon Snow, after a non-con beginning, ended loving Ygritte, not a lady, that offered him a “comfort level of femininity”, but he won’t marry her, she died. Jon will probably fell in love with Sansa, freely and willingly.

Thanks for your message.

#anon ask #jonsa #alayne stone #harrold hardyng #harry the heir #roland waynwood #wallace waynwood

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indiemick · 3 years

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The Seduction of the Duke of Suffolk || Part 5, The Unexpected Proposal

This takes place somewhere between season 3 and 4 of the Tudors.

Read these first

Trigger Warning: age gap, sex, affair

Colette slipped from the dressing room and hurried herself across the castle. Charles implied that he loved her. She didn’t know what to do with that knowledge. When she was asked to comfort the Duke, she never intended to have any feelings or to have them reciprocated. She heard his voice in her head over and over again, love. The single word echoed over and over again.

Then the emotions became too much. Colette had to steady herself against the wall. Her chest heaved with panic and her corset felt like it was strangling her. She couldn’t breathe.

“Colette?” A man came running up to the distressed women. “What is the matter?” His thick accent was familiar, but she couldn’t place it in her state.

Then she saw his face. Between her panicked breath she muttered his name, “Francis?” He nodded. “What- are- you- doing- here?”

“Don’t worry about that, ma Cherie.” He offered her a hand to steady her. Francis’ eyes focused on Colette as she came down from her state. He rubbed her back and make a soothing noise that wet nurses often used to sooth babies. Tears coated her palms as Colette held her face. Francis remained at her side while she returned to her normal state.

Her brain gathered itself and she looked to Francis, “What are you doing here?”

The young Frenchman gave a sheepish smile. His rich chocolate eyes held her gaze. “I came for you…”

“Me?” She gasped. Francis was a friend from her youth while her father was an ambassador in France. Their relationship was pure. He spent hours helping her learn archery. He tried to teach her how to wield a sword. After a few close encounters with the wrong end of the blade, Colette admitted she was not destined to be proficient with a sword.

Francis exhaled as he gathered his thoughts. “My father wants me to marry.” Colette hung on for him to continue. “You were my first thought.”

“Me?” Colette was confused. There were plenty of Frenchwomen ready for marriage. Why were the men around her acting in such a way? Why did love and marriage invade her life all at once?

“Why not?” The French rolled off his tongue with a wide smile. “You’re beautiful, smart, and everything I could ever ask for in a woman.”

“We haven’t seen each other in years, Francis. I could’ve been married.” He laughed. “What is so funny?”

“Your father was in France recently, n’est-ce pas?” Colette nodded. “We spoke while he was there. He informed me that you were still unmarried. He sounded enthusiastic about the potential match.”

Colette groaned. “He didn’t mention it to me.”

“I asked him not to speak a word. I wanted to be the one to ask you. He agreed. I am fully aware, and so is he, that you would never stand for an arranged marriage.” He was right in that. Colette was a head-strong woman. Her father raised her to be that way.

“This is true.” She was deep in thought, her words disconnected from reality.

“I don’t expect an answer from you right now. Think about it, please.” He held her hands in his and offered a sweet smile.

“You will have to ask the King, even if I say yes. I am a lady of the court.” Francis chuckled. “What’s so funny?”

“Your king already gave me his blessing.”

“What?”

“Oui, I spoke with him earlier.” Colette wanted to run to Henry and ask him what he was thinking. She had an arrangement with him. She was to pick her match. “He said that I had to ask you.” Francis laughed, “it is clear that you have a reputation of your fierce independence.”

“And you want to marry me.”

“Of course. I don’t want some complacent wife that will do whatever I say.”

Colette scowled, “most men do.”

“Well, I am not most men.” He ran his thumb over the back of her palm. “Colette, my intentions are pure and true. You came to mind because I’ve always loved you. When you left France, I felt empty. I couldn’t imagine going into this part of my life without you.”

That word again, love. She started to hate that word.

“It is getting late. I should walk you back.” Francis drew her attention back. “I don’t want to upset your father by making your late return seem scandalous.”

She chuckled. If Francis only knew where she had been prior to finding her.

Charles was sitting in the chapel when Colette and her family arrived. Their eyes met and she quickly turned her attention to Francis who had kept a place for the trio of Gilles. Charles narrowed his gaze on the young man. An instant jolt of jealousy surged through him. Who was he? And why was he with Colette?

The service felt as if it went on forever. Colette stole a glance at Charles, who had a searing gaze focused on the back of Francis’ head. Colette didn’t know what to tell him about Francis. She didn’t exactly have a grasp on what she was going to do. Perhaps she needed to get an audience with the King. He was Charles’ best friend. He would know how to go about her situation. Aside from that, he was the only other person who knew about the affair. She didn’t have anyone else to turn to.

After service, Colette excused herself to seek out Henry before he became too busy with other matters to speak to her.

“Your majesty!” She hurried down the corridor, her dress billowing behind her. “Do you have a minute?”

He turned to face the woman. A smile stretched across his face and he gave her a nod. “What is it, Lady Gilles?”

“Francis De La Grange,” she paused, “he asked you for permission to marry me?”

Henry nodded. “I must approve all the marriages of the people in my court. Your father is an earl. Anyone you marry will stand to inherit that title and the lands belonging to it. De La Grange is standing to inherit his father’s titles as count. It is a likable match.”

“I wanted to pick my husband.”

“And you are free to reject it. I am not forcing you to marry Francis. I’m simply stating the facts. If you’d like, I can find someone who stands to inherit a larger fortune and higher title.”

Colette gave the King a sideways glance. “My nephew stands to inherit his father’s title once he passes.”

“I cannot marry Charles’ son.” Henry laughed at the irony, bed the father and marry the son. Colette, however, didn’t find the suggestion humorous.

“Lady Colette,” Henry paused, “what are your objections to Francis?” She shrugged. “Is he a man of honor?” She nodded. “Has he always been kind to you?” She nodded, again. “Then what are your objections?”

“I-I-I,” she stammered, “I don’t want to hurt Charles.”

The King took the young woman’s hands in his own, “Charles will deal with it. This was how it was meant to end. You cannot become an old spinster because of his affection. Your family would never allow it. I would be forced to make you marry.” She pulled her hands away. “And by then, Francis would most likely be married.”

The truth in his words hurt. She didn’t have much of a choice but to accept Francis’ proposal. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she dared not let them fall. She wasn’t about to make herself look like another foolish girl in court. She blinked them away and forced a smile upon her face. “In that case, I will accept Francis’ proposal. However, I want to be the one to tell Charles.”

“You are free to do so.”

“Thank you, your majesty.”

“No, thank you. You have been a wonderful influence on Charles’ overall mood. Even before when all you did was talk. I saw a glimmer of the young man I once knew.” Colette blushed at the King’s kind words. It was no wonder he was able to bed so many women. Even in his older years, he was a charming man.

“You are most welcome.”

Colette found Charles in the gardens with a few nobles. Their conversation seemed serious. However, it seemed to dissipate at her arrival. “Lady Gilles,” they all greeted her kindly. Charles seemed to avoid her gaze. He heard rumors about the young Frenchman and his purpose for being at the English Court. To deny he was jealous would be a lie.

“Good morning, my lords. The King wishes for an audience with the Duke.” They all stared at her. There were a few dukes in her presence. “Of Suffolk.”

“I wish the king sent beautiful women to retrieve me,” one stated.

“A much better alternative to the other servants.”

“There’s no better way to do as such,” Colette said cheekily.

“Beautiful and smart,” Charles snapped his head at the viscount who sounded a bit too flirty for his liking.

“Where did the King say he would be?” Charles asked.

Colette pursed her lips, “well, he didn’t say. Perhaps it is the last place you saw him.” Then she smiled with a nod, “good day, gentleman. I was amidst a stroll before I was sent this way. I believe I should continue it.”

“Good day, Lady Gilles.”

She gave the men a cordial nod as her gaze lingered on Charles. He glanced at her and broke away from the group of men, heading toward the castle.

Colette headed to their last rendezvous spot and slipped into the dimly lit dressing room. She anxiously paced as she waited for Charles. It felt like an eternity before the door opened. She held her breath until she saw him cross the threshold.

“Charles…” she moved quickly to take his hands, but he pulled them away. “What is wrong?”

“I heard your father talking about Francis De La Grange and his proposal.” Colette felt the color drain from her face. “If you’re here to tell me you’re going to accept, you have my blessing.”

Then her face turned sour. “I never required your blessing. I am your mistress, not your daughter.”

“Not anymore,” his bitterness masked his wounded heart. “Soon you’ll be Lady De La Grange. Tell me, will you be moving to France before or after the wedding?”

“We haven’t decided. I haven’t told Francis I am accepting his proposal, either.”

“Don’t let me keep you, then,” Charles stepped out of the way of the door. “Go and let your precious Francis know you want to be his wife.”

Her nostrils flared as anger took her over. A hand came across Charles face as her chest heaved, “why are you making me feel bad for doing what we knew all along would happen? This,” she motioned to the two of them, “was never going to be forever. You are married. Last time I checked; you couldn’t take another wife whilst still married to the other. Unless you plan on divorcing Catherine, you have no right to treat me as such.”

Charles pinched the bridge of his nose. He was angry and his cheek stung from her palm. He exhaled to gather himself. “I love you, Colette. The thought of another man having you pains me. I didn’t expect your betrothal to happen so quickly.”

“And you think I did?” She stepped forward with her fierceness written across her face. “Francis’ arrival and proposal were a surprise to me.”

“Do you love me?” Her brows gathered. “I said I love you and you continued to talk about the proposal.” Charles sounded hurt.

“I-I…” she sighed. “I do love you, Charles.” It was against her better judgement to admit her feelings. It left her vulnerable, but he needed to hear the words leave her lips.

Charles captured her lips by hungrily. The tension in his muscle released as he enveloped her body with his. A small moan came from her lips as his ventured to the tender bend of her neck. Kisses trailed toward her breast where he nipped gently at her flesh. “Charles,” she said with a breathy whisper, “please…” Her eyes pleaded with him as a delicate hand teased his arousal.

The Duke hoisted Colette off the floor, wrapping her legs around his waist. Charles swept the items off a small ledge and placed her down. With equal eagerness, Colette freed him from his trousers, and he gathered the skirt of her dress to slide between her legs with more ease.

The concerto of their passion played in that tiny dressing room. The tempo kept by their flesh as her moans sang the chorus. It’s crescendo came in a wave, crashing over their bodies in harmony.

Charles rested his forehead against hers, “I will miss this.”

“Is that all you’ll miss?”

His brow quirked at the tone in her voice. “I will miss every aspect of you that has invaded my entire being.”

#the tudors #fanfic #henry cavill #charles brandon #I'm planning on two more parts to this story...#I have a formula that I've been using for where and how I end each part.#the next two might be different #also idk who will read my tags #but i appreciate if you do!!!

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halloweentv · 4 years

Text

Celebrate Halloween time on Disney Plus. You can think of it as your own DIY “Disney’s Halloween Treat”

Halloweentown movie seties

Marnie discovers she is a witch and visits Halloween town while learning more about her powers

Hocus Pocus

The Sanderson sisters come back on Halloween night for revenge.

Mom’s got a date with a Vampire

Adam and his sister set up their mom on a date so they can sneak out. But they didn’t expect her date to be a vampire.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Jack akellington daocovers Christmas and tries to take over.

Frankenweenie (movie & Short)

Victor loses his dog Sparky but brings him back to life with some

Girl Vs. Monster

The daughter of two monster hunters must take on a monster of her own.

The Simpsons

Treehouse of Horror episodes. Every season has an episode early in the season that parodies horror and other pop culture. Classic Halloween specials...at least the first few seasons for sure.

Big Hero 6

s1e22 Obaki Yashiki

Hiro visits a haunted house and keeps seeing Tacashi around the city.

So Weird

S2e07 Boo

On Halloween Fi finds the town they’re in filled with strange trick or treaters.

Suite Life of Zack and Cody

S1e19 Ghost of 613

Zack and Cody find out there is a legendary haunted room in the hotel.

Gravity Falls

S1e7 Summerween

Gravity Falls loves Halloween so much they celebrate it in summer as well.

Phil of the Future

S1e15 Halloween

Debbie is revealed to be an evil cyborg

Even Stevens

S2e11 A very scary story

Louis realizes the kids at school are turning into zombies without eyes.

Lizzie Maguire

S1e24 Night of the Day of the Dead

Kate disrespects Miranda’s artifacts from the Day of the Dead.

Boy Meets World

S2e6 Who’s Afraid of Cory Wolf

Cory goes through some changes and he thinks he may be becoming a werewolf.

Lilo & Stitch

S1e5 Spooky

It’s Halloween and an experiment turns people’s worst fears into a reality.

————————————��———-

A list of 6(7) episodes that all connect at the same Halloween event it was marketed as “Monstober Spooktacular Weekend”

Jessie

*S4e18 The Ghostest with the Mostest

Stuart warns the kids about a ghost named Abigail.

Girl meets World

S2e18 Girl meets world of terror 2

Riley and Maya meet a ghost!

I Didn't Do It

S2e18 The Bite Club

A fortune teller predicts bad luck for Logan.

K.C. Undercover

S1e24 All Howls Eve

KC dresses as a spy for Halloween to impress a new boy.

Best Friends Whenever

S1e9 Cyd and Shelby's Haunted Escape

Cyd and Shelby teleport to New York and get stuck in an escape room with Riley and Lucas.

Austin & Ally

S4e15 Scary Spirits & Spooky Stories

A trip to New York inspires three spooky stories

-Also part of the crossover event but on Netflix as of Sept. 2020

Liv and Maddie

S3e5 Haunt-A-Rooney

Liv and Joey travel to New York for Halloween

————————————

I didn’t do it

S1e18 Next of Pumpkin

At the Holla!-ween fest, Garrett is stuck in a corn maze

Jessie

S2e1 The Whining

The kids go trick or treating while Jessie fights exhaustion

S3e1 Ghost Bummers

Jessie and the kids throw a Halloween party.

S323 The Runaway bride of Frankenstein

Jessie doesn’t know how to respond to Brooks’ proposal.

Best friends whenever

S2e6 Night of the were-diesel

Austin & Ally

S2e1 Costumes & courage

Jimmy Star asks Austin to perform at his annual Halloween costume party

S3e20 Horror stories and Halloween scares

Power outage leaves the friends locked in Sonic Boom over night.

Ultimate Spider-Man

S2e21 Blade

Spider-man fights alongside vampire hunter Blade to stop Dracula

S2e22 The Howling Commandos

Spider-man teams up with the howling commandoes to save his friends.

S3e10 Halloween night at the museum

Jessie and Spider-man team up to save Halloween.

S4e20 Strange Little Halloween

Trick-or-treaters begin turning into real monsters.

Phineas and Ferb

S1e9 One good scare ought to do it!

Isabella is inflicted with an extreme case of hiccups.

S1e 22 The Monster of Phineas- -Ferbstein!

The grandparents tell the boys about Ferb’s ancestor.

S3e14 That’s the spirit! /The curse of Candace

The kids encounter a strange boy who is convinced his house is haunted.

S4e18 Terrifying Tri-State Trilogy of Terror

In this Halloween episode, our characters, star in three terrifying tales.

S4e19 Drusselsteinoween/Face your Fear

When Doof inherits a castle, Vanessa moves her Halloween party.

S4e30 Night of the living pharmacists

Dr. Doof turns people of Danville into Doof-zombies

Wizards of Waverly Place

S3e2 Halloween

The wizards hire real ghost to keep the sub station the best haunted house.

Hannah Montana

S1e17 Torn between two Hannahs

Miley’s look alike cousin goes to the Hollywood Halloween party and tries to expose Hannah’s identity.

Kim Possible

S1e14 October 31st

When Kim lies about not wanting to go trick or treating with Ron there are some unexpected consequences.

That’s so Raven

S2e2 Don’t have a cow

Raven uses a spell book it make her costume better b it she ends up turning into a cow.

Proud Family

S2e2 A hero for Halloween

Penny eats some scary snax and gets super powers.

A.N.T. Farm

S1e14 Mutant Farm

S2e13 Mutant Farm 2

S3e12 Mutant Farm 3.0

Halloween themed episodes based on each seasons premiere.

Shake it Up

S2e5 Beam it up

Flynn thinks his neighbor is an alien

S3e25 Haunt it up

Flynn challenges Deuce and Ty to stay the night in a haunted house.

Kickin it

S1e12 Boo Gi Nights

On Halloween the Black Dragons are expected to wreak havoc.

S3e15 Temple of Doom

The gang host a Halloween party at the temple

Milo Murphy’s Law

S1e20 Milo Murphy's Halloween Scream-A-Torium!

Zack doesn’t think anything about Halloween can scare him anymore.

Star vs. the forces of Evil

S2e11 Hungry Larry

Star and Marco help Mr. Diaz create the scariest Haunted House on the block

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

The classic tale of Ichabod Crane and the headless horseman

Donald Duck

Trick or Treat

Donald plays a trick on his nephews but a witch helps them out.

Mickey Mouse

Lonesome Ghosts

Mickey, Donald, and Goofy run a ghost exterminating agency.

Goof Troop

S1e29 Hallow-Weenies

Pete and Goofy get captured by ghost so Max and PJ need to rescue them.

Duck Tales

S1e65 Ducky Horror Picture Show

A group of monsters rent Scrooge’s convention center for their meeting.

Mickey Mouse

S1e10 Ghoul Friend (2013)

S2e8 The Boiler Room (2014)

S2e19 Black or White (2015)

*The Scariest Story Ever: A Mickey Mouse Halloween Spooktacular (2017) (hopefully this will be added to Disney Plus soon)

Recess

S3e34 Terrifying tales of recess

Bitch tells the kids three scary Halloween stories

Recess: Taking the 5th grade

Spinelli believes she is too old for Halloween

Ravens Home

S1e11 The Baxtercism of Levi Grayson

Booker and Levi try to fool a ghost-hunting classmate.

S2e16 Switch-or-treat

Raven and Booker switch bodies on Halloween.

S3e10 Creepin’ it real

On Halloween, a spooky new neighbor moves in.

Sonny with a Chance

S2e18 A So Random Halloween special

Shaquille O’Neal hosts a Halloween special.

Good Luck Charlie

S2e12 Scary had a little lamb

Teddy and Ivy take Charlie trick or treating but an annoying kid ruins their night.

S3e16 Le Halloween

Teddy and Spencer celebrate their anniversary and Amy dresses as a kangaroo

S4e14 Fright Knight

Teddy and her friends decide to go Halloween caroling.

Stuck in the middle

S2e18 Stuck in a merry scary

Harley hopes to prank Rachel

Fish Hooks

S2e5 Halloween Haul

The gang go trick or treating outside the tanks.

Gargoyles

S2e7 Eye of the Beholder

The Gargoyles are able to go out on Halloween night. Meanwhile Fox becomes more of a wolf.

Twitches

Reunited twin girls discover they have powers.

Twitches too

When a new evil threat arrives, it’s up to the twitches to save Coventry.

Doug

S1e8 Doug’s Bloody buddy

On Halloween night rumors circulate that Skeeter is a vampire.

S3e6 Night of the living Dougs

Doug’s friends and family are too busy to help him make a Halloween costume

The Emperor’s New School

S1e20 The Yzma that stole Kuzcoween.

Yzma sets out to destroy the annual Kuzcoween holiday.

Honorable Mentions

Bizardvark

S1e12 Halloweenvark

S2e12 Halloweenvark: Part Boo

S3e7 Halloweenvark part 3: Mali-boo

Crash and Bernstein

S1e2 Scaredy Crash

S2e2 Health-o-ween

Mighty Med

S1e3 Frighty Med

S2e3 Liar, Liar

#halloween #disney #disney plus #hocus pocus #halloween episode #monstober #disneys halloween treat #streaming #halloween tv

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devilatmydoor · 4 years

Text

love is fatal I part 8

previous parts; part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 part 5 part 6 part 7

a/n- hi all! i hope your week has been going great. i hope you are all taking care of yourselves <3 as always let me know what you think in the tags or message me! if you want to be added to my taglist send me a ask or dm! shout out to @aliencal for helping me bounce ideas

word count; 5.7k+ whoops

warning; smut, ANGST, swearing, fluff, drinking

The tension in the room could cut a knife, her mom showing up out of nowhere wasn’t unusual for her. There was no doubt in her mind that her mother stole her ex-husband’s key to Veronica’s house. Her father had a set of keys in case of an emergency. She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm down “He’s my boyfriend. Is there a reason you’re here besides bothering me?” Veronica as she set her basket on the floor.

“I haven’t seen you since I dropped off Hershey, you didn’t mention him to me then.” She insinuated.

Calum looked at Veronica as her eyes almost rolled to the back to the back of her head in response, “We weren’t dating then mom, you could’ve called to warn me you were stopping by.”

“What fun would that be?”

“I’m gonna go change, I’ll be right back.” He said before kissing Veronica on her cheek before leaving the kitchen.

“This house is a mess, you really need to get better at keeping your house organized.” Her mom criticized.

“Really mom? You came all the way here to tell me this?” Veronica sighed.

“Really? You’re dating him after Jaiden?”” Her mom questioned as she tried to whisper the last part.

“Yes I’m dating him, quit putting him on a pedestal.” She angrily said as her body temperature instantly switched.

“You never should’ve broken up with Jaiden, you’re downgrading Veronica.” Her mom said. Did her mom really think so poorly of him after just meeting him?

“Okay, you need to leave. No one talks about Calum like that after just meeting him. You talked to him for all of 2 seconds.” Veronica demanded as she could feel her chest tighten.

“That’s all I need.” Her mom scolded as she crossed her arms.

“Get out of my house, now. Jaiden broke me, I had to pick myself out of the darkest place. Jaiden isn’t even half of the man Calum is.” She argued as she clenched her jaw.

“That’s not true.”

“I dated him so I know what kind of man he isn’t. Just leave before I call Dad.” She barked as her mom walked out of the kitchen towards the front door. Her mom slammed the door as she left her house adding icing to the cake.

She turned around to see Calum standing in the living room, “Ronnie are you okay? You really shouldn’t argue with your mom about me.”

She made the space between them nonexistent, “I’m fine, no one talks about you like that. Especially if they compare you to my ex.” She sighed before looking in his brown eyes, “I’m sorry you had to be here to witness all of that, she’s something else.”

“Do you mean what you say about me?” He asks shyly as his rough exterior crumbling down just as his gaze softened.

“Of course I did.” She smiled at him as she held his face in her hands.

“Thank you for being the sweetest girlfriend and sticking up for me.” He smiled as he held her waist.

“The way she talked about you was uncalled for. She needs to stay in her own lane, she disrespected you at my house when you were here! The last straw was comparing you to him” She kissed his nose and sighed, “I realized I never really told you anything else about him besides him living across the country.”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“I feel like you should at least know who my mother is comparing you to.” She said before she sighed, “Our relationship was a hot mess. It became toxic; we broke up once and had two separate breaks in the span of a year and a half. Everyone wanted us to get married but when he was promoted because the fire department wanted him in Boston, we quickly figured out that we both wanted different things. He wanted me to move with him and start a life together there and I had to stay here to finish getting my grandma’s house on the market after she passed” Her eyes met his as both hands rested on her hips.

“She passed away and left you with all of her assets right?” He asked as he quirked his eyebrow

“I’m the executive to her estate and her inheritance, hence how I can afford this place. When he decided that he couldn’t handle long distance without giving it a chance.” She breathed as her hand rested on the nape of his neck.

“I’m so sorry he broke your heart baby, you deserved so much better than that. Giving up on something is never the right decision.” He expressed as he kissed her forehead.

“I know but I’m happy he broke my heart.” She explained as she smiled at him. His facial expression gave away how confused he was, “If he didn’t break my heart, I would’ve never lived here nor would Grayson be working at your shop and I would've met you.”

“Fair enough.” He smiled before kissing her nose, “I probably should get dressed huh?” He blushed while he chuckled.

“Why didn’t you get dressed?” She asked as her fingers ran through his damp curls.

“I was worried about you, I wanted to make sure you were okay.” He said softly and she kissed his lips softly and he smiled against her lips.

“I’m okay, I promise.” She mused as he wrapped his arm around her waist and led her to her bedroom.

“That’s all I want, do you need me to stay a little bit longer before I go to work?” He asked as they walked into her bedroom.

“I’ll be okay. I need to clean for the party tomorrow and if you stay any longer cleaning is the last thing on my mind” She giggled and kissed his cheek, “Do you need me to make coffee for energy?”

“I’ll get an energy drink before work. I can’t believe we stayed up past 2 am last night just talking.” He smiled as he let go of her waist.

“You decided to ask me at 1 Am to give details about my family before you meet them. You know you don’t have to go to my sister’s birthday party right?” She asked as she sat down on the mattress.

“I know but I want to meet the rest of your family. You’ve told me so much about your niece and nephew I feel like I know them. Do you not want me to go?” He asked sheepishly.

“I want you to go but I don’t want to scare you off by showing you my family too soon.” She trailed off as she looked away from him nervous to what he’d say.

“Veronica, your mom didn’t scare me off, I’m right here.” He breathed as he grabbed her hand and kissed it.

“That’s true, you didn’t run for the hills.” She smiled softly as she looked in his eyes, she felt like she was going to melt the way he was looking at her.

“Of course not, I don’t mean to change the subject abruptly but we do need to talk about something.” He mentioned as he tucked her hair behind her ear.

Her chest tightened as her heart rate sped up as she thought of what he would want to talk about. “Yeah?”

“We need to talk about kinks, I think we should be open about it with each other and the things we like in the bedroom.”

“Oh okay, well you know I have a nipple kink.” She winked and he blushed, “Pain is a newer kink of mine that I haven’t explored yet if you are into that. Sensation play is another one.”

“I have a nipple kink too actually,” He said with a smirk, “We can explore pain kink together. Sensation play is new to me, but I’m open”

She smiled as she kissed his cheek, “Sensation play is when you use feathers, ice, silk scarves, and massage oils.”

“We can definitely do that. Talk to me if you like or love something, finishing is important to me. I’m not doing my job right if you don’t finish before me.” He smiled as he caressed her hand with his thumb.

“You can talk to me about something you want to try or are interested in. As long as you don’t belittle me by calling me princess and saying I’m a slut we should be okay.” She stated as she realized what she just told him.

“I wouldn’t dream of it. You told me when we first met not to call you princess and I’ve stood by that.” He cooed as he kissed her lips softly.

She smiled against his lips before pecking his lips again, “Thank you.”

“Of course, I’d better finish getting ready or I’m going to be late.” He breathed as he let go of her hand.

* * * * * * *

Bass shook the windows as the party raged on, Veronica walking around in a black bikini with a cropped white tank top. He couldn’t keep his eyes off of her if he tried, she strutted around the house swaying her hips every chance she got to see his reaction. Everyone was outside as she was working on refilling the strawberry lemonade, he stood behind her and gripped her hips, “I should take you to your room and finally show you what happens when you tease me.”” He breathed on her neck before kissing her sweet spot.

“Why don’t you baby?.” She moaned as he softly sucked on her sweet pot.

He left a mark on her skin before slowly licking it, “You’d like that wouldn't you?”

Her ass slowly grinding on his semi hard cock, he groaned in response while softly slapped her ass, “Your bedroom, now.” He growled and he stepped away from her giving her space to walk her room. He followed close behind her as she opened the door and he stepped inside as she took off her tank top. “Lay down for me baby.”

She followed and laid down on her bed as he took off clothes except for his boxers as he hovered over her his hands cupping her breasts as he slowly kissed her neck. Her moans drove him crazy as he ran his thumb over her nipples as they hardened immediately. He rubbed her nipples over her top as he left soft kisses on her chest. She whined underneath him as her hips bucked in response to his teasing, he held her hips down as he slowly took off her bikini top and kissed all over her breasts as his lips slowly ghosted over her hard nipples.

“C-Calum please.” She breathed as he winked at her and slowly took off her bottoms.

He slowly spread her legs as he left open mouth kisses on her inner thighs, slowly getting closer to her heat. He softly kissed her clit as she moaned loudly, “Please what?”

“Do something.” She breathed as he kissed her hips, all over her stomach before holding her hips as he slowly swirled his tongue over her nipple feeling the cool metal against his tongue. He held her hips down as he felt them buck against him.

He softly sucked on her nipple while his hand cupped her breast, her moans filling the room as he softly let go of her nipple with a pop. She bit her lip as he flicked his tongue over her other nipple as he felt her slick folds, “Fuck your soaking baby.” He breathed as he slowly circled her clit with his thumb.

“Oh god Calum please.” She whined as he softly kissed each nipple.

He slid his fingers into her heat as he slowly pumped his fingers inside of her as she moaned his name. His thumb circled her clit as he felt her orgasm approaching, he curled his fingers inside of her as she screamed his name as she came around his fingers. He rode out her high as his pace slowed. He slid his fingers out of her as he licked them clean before softly sucking her clit, “O-Oh my god, Calum!”

His tongue slipped inside of her entrance as his thumb softly circled figure 8’s on her clit. He felt her walls clenching as her orgasm followed, he rode out her orgasm as his tongue swirled inside her. He kissed her clit before licking his lips, “Fuck baby, I know you can cum one more time for me.” He winked as he swiftly took off his boxers as his hard cock sprung free hitting his stomach before he teased her wet folds with the tip of his cock using her arousal to lube him. He held her hips as he slowly thrusted into her, his cock filling her up inch by inch. He moaned as he felt her walls clench around his cock, he thrusts were deep and slow, “Fuck baby.”

He thrust deeper as she gasped, “Oh my god Calum, my g-spot!” She screamed as her fingertips dug into his back.

He thrusts became faster as he kept hitting the same spot as he felt her orgasm hit, he started thrusting harder as he rode her high as his followed. He kissed her feverishly as they moaned in each-others mouth as they came down from their highs. He slowly pulled out of her as she gasped, “Fucking hell baby.”

Her breath was heavy as her eyes closed, he laid down on the bed as he pulled her close as he softly caressed her cheek. She opened her eyes sleepily as she looked at him panting, “I’ve got you baby.”

“Wha-what's go-” She mumbled as he kissed her forehead.

“Shh shh, you’re okay. Focus on me,” He breathed as he kissed her cheek, “Are you dizzy baby?”

She nodded slowly, “I dunno what’s going on.”

“You’ve never experienced subspace baby, I’ve got you.” He comforted as he held her tight, “You did so good baby, so fucking good.”

She hummed in response as they laid together until she was no longer dizzy. He helped her get dressed as he threw his shorts on. He left to make sure Luke and Grayson could get people to leave. He ran a bath for her as he carried her into her bathroom.

* * * * * * *

Her hands gripped the steering wheel as she drove to the outdoor venue where the annual ‘Midsummer's’ festival was taking place. Each year it was different which drove her crazy, she felt his hand softly squeeze her thigh, “It’s gonna be okay pretty girl, I’ll be fine.”

“I don’t want you to think that I want you to meet and talk to every single person that’s attending. My mom always makes a big deal out of this festival.” She breathed as she licked her lips.

“I’ll be too busy staring at you in that pink dress.” He cooed as he smiled at her.

He was referring to the silk pink dress she bought for Midsummer the previous year but was unable to go due to preparing to sell her grandma’s house. “This ol thing?”

“Angel, you look like a Greek goddess.” He purred as he kissed her cheek causing her to blush.

“If I’m a Greek goddess then you're a Maori god” She giggled as they pulled into the parking lot.

“As long as you agree that you are a Greek goddess ” He chuckled as she parked her car, he took off his seat belt and grabbed his phone off the dock. Calum insisted he get the door for her and she waited for him.

He helped her out of the car and held her hand as they walked together, “If you want to go just tell me.”

“Okay, same goes to you” She joked as she locked the car, kissing his cheek.

He chuckled before letting go of her hand so he could wrap his arm around her pulling her close.

The mixture of voices and laughter with the music shifted her focus on finding her sister. Her eyes fixed on the man talking to her mom. Everything surrounding her faded as she took in who was standing less than 30 ft from her. She closed her eyes and reopened them just in case she was seeing things, but in this case she wasn’t. She heard his voice which set off the last conversation replaying in her head.

“You’re so unbelievable! Five days ago you practically begged me to move across the country for you and now you're walking away?” She argued

“What else is there to do Ronnie?” He asked as he put his shoes on.

“So that’s it then? You’re just giving up without even trying?” Veronica accused as she got off of the couch.

“You won’t move to Boston so why even try something that wasn't meant to be?” He pointed out as he threw his hands up in the air.

“I’ve told you so many times why I can’t.” She expressed.

“I’m tired of your excuses Ronnie. It’s over.” He stated as he grabbed his stuff and walked towards the door.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she tried to process what was going on. Almost two years of her life spent growing and loving him. Her first serious relationship since she finished college. She knew he was partially right. She didn’t know why it had to end the way it did. He left her house slamming the front door behind him.

She was brought back to the party when Calum stood in front of her holding her face in his hands, “Baby? Are you okay?”

“Calum, Jaiden is here.” She breathed as his eyes widened when she said his name.

“Jaiden as in your ex? Where is he?” He asked as he looked around.

“He’s talking to my mom.” She explained as he wrapped his arm tightly around her waist as he looked for her mom.

He softly growled and looked in her eyes, “Wow, that’s him?”

She nodded and wrapped her arm around his waist, “Mhm, why?”

“He looks like he eats the protein powder right out of the container.” He huffed before looking in her eyes.

“Calum!” She whispered as she shook her head playfully.

“What? He looks like a guy who douses himself in Axe instead of real cologne.” He whispered before walking with her in the opposite direction.

“Now you’re just trying to make me feel better.” She stated as she kissed his cheek.

“I’m just telling the truth, can’t believe you dated him.” He mused as they walked towards the appetizers. Tatum walked up to them and showed them where all of the vegan appetizers she made just for Calum. “Can’t believe your sister made all of this for me.”

“I can, that’s just who she is. My mom got the rest catered but my sister wanted to make sure you had something to eat.” She smiled as they grabbed plates.

When they were done getting food they found a spot to sit down underneath the lights and away from where her ex was.

“Do you want me to get us drinks babe?” He asked as he snacked on veggies.

“Sure baby, you know what I like.” She smiled as he kissed her forehead and stood up placing his plate in place of where he was sitting.

“I’ll be back in a flash.” He stated as he disappeared in the crowd.

He came back quicker than she anticipated and grabbed his plate so he could sit down, he handed her a Pina Colada as she finished eating what was on her plate. He set his drink down so he could finish his plate before drinking.

She took a sip of her drink and sighed, “How much were the drinks?”

“They were free! I feel like I’m at a wedding!” He gushed as he drank his beer.

“That’s amazing!” She smiled as she put her pate on her lap as she cradled his drink, taking sips occasionally.

Calum finished his food and they walked to the nearest trash to throw their plates away, Tatum came over as her eyes widened.

“Did you know Jaiden was coming?” She asked nervously as he was nearby.

“Hell no, mom must’ve known he was in town. I can’t believe her.” Tatum shook her head as she looked in her eyes.

“She did this on purpose, she thinks he’s the greatest boyfriend I’ve ever had.” She explains as Calum shook his head.

“As if! He’s one of the worst, if not the worst. She didn’t even tell me his parents were coming.” Tatum gushed as she motioned Penelope to come over, “I hope the vegan food I made was okay, it’s been a while since I've made any.”

“It was more than okay, thank you for making it.” Calum smiled as he finished his drink.

Penelope came running in her dress and smiled, “Uncle Cal!!”

Veronica giggled as Tatum tsked, “Penny! What did I tell you about calling him that?”

“It’s okay, I’ve been called worse.” Calum chuckled as Penelope giggled.

“Just tell me if it gets annoying.” Tatum giggled as her mom motioned for her to come over, “Gotta go, her highness is waiting.”

They all laughed as Tatum left, “We should go dance, barely anyone is dancing.” Penelope blurted

“Do you wanna dance with us baby?” She asked him as she gave him her puppy eyes.

“Of course, let’s tear up the dance floor!” Calum cheered as he walked with them towards the open area where maybe 8 people were dancing. The string of lights lit the dance floor as Juice by Lizzo blasted through the speakers as they started dancing ignoring the looks they were receiving. They attempted to dance and sing along at the same time as more people joined the dance floor. After dancing to multiple summer songs, Northern Wind by City and Colour started and Calum pulled her into his arms as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Hi pretty girl.”

“Hi baby.” She smiled as he leaned forward pressing her forehead against his as they danced slowly.

His arms held her tight as he looked in her eyes as her back arched as he dipped her as he kissed her lips softly causing her to giggle.

He brought her back to him as he wrapped one arm around her waist and grabbed her other hand before twirling her, “Calum!”

He chuckled before pulling her close as his hand rested on the small of her back holding her hand as she rested her hand on his chest, “I can’t believe you dipped and twirled me.”

He chuckled before kissing her lips softly, she slowly slipped her tongue in his mouth as she licked his bottom lip. He slowly opened his mouth as their tongues battled for dominance, she held his face in her hand as he held her hips firmly.

Her and Calum stood in place as they kissed passionately on the dance floor, she saw stars as her eyes were closed. Everyone surrounding them disappeared as the world stopped, the music playing softly as he held her close as he breathed on her lips before softly kissing them, “I can’t get enough of you.”

She felt her cheeks turn pink as she looked in his eyes, “You took the words out of my mouth.” She giggled as her eyes slowly roamed the room before looking at him as the music became more upbeat.

He kept her close as they walked away from the dance floor, she stood in front of Calum as he made sure Penelope was safe dancing on her own.

Her eyes widened as she saw Jaiden walking in their direction, her eyes meeting his as she gulped, “Cal- He’s coming over here.”

“He’s what?” He remarked as he turned around slowly.

“Jaiden is coming over here. We should go.” She breathed as she looked at Calum.

He turned all the way around and kissed her forehead softly, “That’s what he wants pretty girl, we’ll talk to him for a little bit. I promise.”

Jaiden was scarily close as her heart rate sped up as her eyes met his, Calum’s arm wrapped around her waist pulling her against him as she rested her hand on his chest.

“Ronnie!” Jaiden said in a casual tone as though their last conversation wasn’t them yelling at each other.

“Jaiden!” She faked a smile hoping he wouldn’t remember her fake smile, “How are you?”

“I’m good, how are you? Is this your boyfriend?” He asked with a smile as he furrowed his brow.

“I’m great, this is Calum, my boyfriend.” She explained as she looked at Calum with a smile and he winked at her.

“Nice to meet you Jaiden,” He stretched out his free hand to shake Jaidens, “I was under the impression you lived in Boston!”

Veronica held back her laughter as Jaiden cleared his throat, “I do live in Boston, I’m helping my parents move out of their house into a smaller place.”

“You’re parent’s are moving? I love that house.” She said sincerely.

“So do I but they don’t need a huge house anymore, they are having a going away party. You guys should come!” Jaiden mentioned as he crossed his arms.

“When is it?” Calum asked and Veronica playfully shook her head and giggled softly.

“The last week of July.” Jaiden speculated as his eyes narrowed at Calum.

Before Veronica could answer Calum cleared his throat, “I think that’s the weekend Ronnie and I are going to Palm Springs for a getaway, isn’t that right baby?”

She had no idea what he was talking about, she didn’t want Jaiden to know Calum was making an excuse for them not to go. She nodded and smiled at Calum, “That’s right. We just confirmed our reservation.” From her peripheral she could see Jaidens lips tighten, a clear sign of his jealousy. She hated how well she knew him.

Jaiden’s eyes narrowed as he slowly stepped away from them, “That should be fun, I’m gonna go get a drink! I’ll circle back later.” Jaiden implied as he walked away from them.

She looked at Calum’s whose smile was growing by the second, “Did Gray tell you about my grandma’s timeshare in Palm Springs?”

“I texted him when I went to get drinks and he told me you never took him.” He smirked before kissing her forehead.

“If you wanted to go you could’ve asked me, I’ve never been on a romantic getaway.” She beamed as she pressed her body against his.

“I just wanted to make him jealous. I’d love to go on one with you pretty girl. All I need are dates and I’m there.” He mused as he wrapped his arms around her.

(Cal Pov)

He leaned against the wall as he lit his cigarette looking at the crowd of people he was slowly getting acquainted with. Veronica left to go to the bathroom and he had been ignoring his craving for nicotine all night. His eyes widened as he saw Jaiden make his way towards Calum. He inhaled his cigarette in an attempt to cover his sigh.

“Ronnie's okay with you smoking?" Jaiden asked bluntly as he stood in front of him with his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah, I don't smoke that much around her since she's allergic." He expressed as he inhaled his cigarette before exhaling.

"She told you that?" Jaiden pressed as he tilted his head and raised his eyebrows.

He nods, "Doesn't take rocket science to figure out she is. she's always coughing when I smoke near her.”

"She hated when I smoked weed too, constantly complained about it. I found out later that she just hates the smell."

"What's your point?" He asked as he finished his cigarette.

"She lies constantly, I'm sure she told you nothing's happened between her and Grayson." Jaiden insinuated as he puffed his chest out.

"I think you've had too much to drink."

"I'd be saying this if I was sober, I don't know if she's gained weight since the last time I saw her or if the dress she's wearing doesnt fit her," Jaiden pointed out.

He felt his heart rate increase as he tried to remain calm, “Who the fuck do you think you are disrespecting my girlfriend? I'd quit while you're ahead."

"Your girlfriend is a slut, she can't keep her legs open to save her life. It's better you know now." Jaiden spat as he crossed his arms.

"You're a disgrace to firefighters and the general male population. It's better you know that now."

“I know for a fact that she’ll come crawling back when you decide to break up with her. I can’t blame you man, she’s not the prettiest girl in the crowd but damn does she know how to put it down. One time, she was taking my dick so well and I took a video without her knowledge and sent it to all of my bros so they could see how easily she gives it up-”

Red. That's all he could see in his eyes as his hand turned into a fist and aimed for his eye. His blood boiling as his heart rate skyrocketed while Jaiden fell to the floor from impact. His fists hitting both of his eyes as Jaiden attempted to get up, Calum straddled him and grabbed his throat, "Don’t you fucking dare talk about Veronica like that. You barely made her cum, she didn't experience subspace until she met me. Stay away from her," His grip tightened as he inched closer to his face to empathize, "Don't talk to her, look at her. Hell don't think of her or dream about her." He spit in his face before he his grip loosened before letting go of Jaidens neck and stood up. Sharp pains ran through his veins as he looked at his bruised knuckles. He turned to see Veronica before she grabbed his arm and led him inside "Calum are you okay?" She gasped as she led him into a room he didn't recognize as the white walls blurring his senses.

Words failed him as he looked at her defeated because his anger got the best of him at the worst place. Surrounded by her family members, friends all meeting him for the first time.

"Calum?"

He felt ice hitting his newly bruised knuckles as his eyes met hers. He could see the hurt in her eyes as he gulped, "Ronnie the things he was saying about you were way out of line and I lost it."

He looked down afraid of what she'd say next, she softly lifted his face holding on to his jaw gently. "I-I'm so sorry I ruined the night. I can take an uber home if you want me to-"

Before he could finish his apology her soft lips firm on his as she kissed him, his eyes closing as his heart rate was at a normal pace. "Calum I'm sorry I disappeared, after I went to the bathroom my nephew was having a breakdown because he didn't want to go home."

"Ronnie dont apologize for that. I’m not going to apologize for hitting him, he deserved it. The way he spoke about you was out of line."

"I'm not asking you to. What did he say?" She asked softly

"Can I tell you later?"

"Oh course, cmere." She smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him closer.

He deeply sighed as he rested his head on her shoulder, "At least I know your dad approves of me."

"He already approved of you, this just sealed the deal" She giggled as his breath slowly relaxed.

Penelope came into the kitchen to inform them Jaiden and his parents left and they decided to go back outside to say their goodbyes. Tatum and Penelope thanked him for coming and sticking up for Veronica. Tatum packaged the vegan food Calum didn't consume and put it in a bag for him to take home. Veronica was glued to him as they walked towards the parking lot.

"Just think Cal, if you didn’t come tonight it would've been so much worse." She mentioned as she leaned against her car.

"How could it possibly have been worse? I attacked him."

"If you didn’t come, I would've been stuck dealing with him all night." She beamed as she rested her hands on his chest.

"I still don't see how me coming was a good thing.."

"You coming was the best part of the night. You gushing over the bar that you didn't have to pay for, you constantly telling me how beautiful I looked. The way we danced and didn't care if we got weird looks" She gushed as she looked in his eyes and smiled "My personal favorite? You defending me like that."

“I wasn’t going to let him get away with what he said about my girl.” He mused as he held her hips before kissing her cheeks.

She smiled as her gaze was fixed on what was going on behind Cal, “My parents are coming over.”

He slowly turned around as he stood next to her as they got closer, “Calum!” Her mom cheered. He had no idea what was going on. This was the first time her mom looked at him with a smile, it almost scared him.

“Is everything okay?” Veronica asked nervously as she looked at him and then her parents.

“Yeah of course, we just wanted to come over here and talk to you.” Her dad started as he looked at Veronica’s mom, “We saw what happened, it’s obvious you truly care for her”

“She means so much to me and I couldn’t let that asshole talk like that and walk away.” He expressed as he looked at Veronica who was blushing.

“We both appreciate what you did for her, we overheard what he said. I have to apologize for my behavior the day we met, I shouldn’t have compared you to Jaiden. You are nothing like him, in the best ways.” Her mom apologized as she smiled.

He was in shock but he managed to get out, “Thank you, I appreciate it.”

They both said their goodbyes and Calum got in the passenger's side of the car as Veronica drove while his hand rested on her thigh. Music played softly in the background as she drove to his house.

t a g l i s t - @pxrxmoore @sublimehood @talkfastromance4 @ghostoflrh @calumscalm @mellifluoushood @calumthomcs @twilightmomentswithyou @boytoynamedcalum @ohhmuke @calswildflower @highscal @sanrioluke @softlrh @flowers-on-the-graves @currentlyupcalsass @clemmings @tirednotflirting @highfivecalum @wastelandcth @idivedeeperforyou @feliznavidaddycal @tpwkcal @icyicejuice @notinthesameguey @blackbutterfliescal

#love is fatal #calum hood x oc #calum hood #calum hood au #calum hood tattoo au

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racefortheironthrone · 4 years

Note

Would it be fair to say that Dunk’s path to becoming a hedge knight was somewhat atypical? Would hedge knights more commonly be formerly landed knights who lost their lands, or perhaps younger sons of minor nobles seeking their fortune? How big a problem, in Westeros and in our own world, was people falsely claiming to be knights, as Dunk did?

Dunk’s path to becoming a hedge knight is explicitly atypical:

"Ser Arlan never liked to speak about the battle. His squire died there, too. Roger of Pennytree was his name, Ser Arlan's sister's son." Even saying the name made Dunk feel vaguely guilty. I stole his place.

Only princes and great lords had the means to keep two squires. If Aegon the Unworthy had given his sword to his heir Daeron instead of his bastard Daemon, there might never have been a Blackfyre Rebellion, and Roger of Pennytree might be alive today. He would be a knight someplace, a truer knight than me. I would have ended on the gallows, or been sent off to the Night's Watch to walk the Wall until I died.

"Ser Arlan of Pennytree found me in Flea Bottom, chasing pigs. His old squire had been slain on the Redgrass Field, so he needed someone to tend his mount and clean his mail. He promised he would teach me sword and lance and how to ride a horse if I would come and serve him, so I did."

Roger of Pennytree is a good example of how hedge knights maintain what little status they have: neither Arlan nor his sister have lands, nor a noble House to employ them as household knights, but Arlan does have the right to pass on his title by making his nephew a knight when his time as a squire is up. It’s not much of an inheritance - Roger would still have to deal with the same problems of underemployment and employers who treat him as disposable that his uncle did - but it prevents downwards mobility.

As for hedge knights as a class, it’s something of a catchall. Younger sons and their descendants of several different ranks would be disproportionately represented, given Westeros’ trend towards primogeniture. However, I would guess that there’s a rather steep gradient of backgrounds, with the lowliest ranks like hedge knights and sworn swords being the most common, household knights being somewhat less common, then landed knights and minor houses being one step up from that, because the more tied into the feudal structure you are, the easy it is to get your (younger) kids employment in the service of your liege lord.

As for impersonation...well it was easy to pass yourself off as a nobleman, because all you need is the right set of clothes, the right accent, and the right mannerism. Passing yourself off as a working knight is a bit more difficult, because the necessary trappings are really expensive.

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ugly-crying-over-bucky-barnes · 5 years

Text

Meeting Charlie Tommy ShelbyxAlfie Solomons

Summary: Modern AU, Alfie nervously meets his boyfriend’s son for the very first time.

“Richie Morris says he doesn’t have a mum.”

The statement was quite out of the blue. Halfway through a quiet dinner, eight-year-old Charlie was fiddling with his carrots when he spoke.

Tommy lowered his fork and glanced up at his son across the table. “Yeah?” Only a moment ago they were talking about what story Charlie was reading in school that morning. “Did his mum pass away?”

It was a tricky subject but one that Tommy had to address. There were pictures of Grace all over the house and clearly, Charlie noticed his friends had mothers. When he asked after Grace, Tommy had to explain that she’d gone to heaven. That’s what Polly told him to do, said it might be easier on the boy.

Charlie once said he felt sad that he didn’t have a mother, but tended to keep those feelings to himself. Sometimes, Tommy would notice him lingering in the den where most of the pictures were kept. Charlie would pick up the frames and study the woman in the photograph, almost as if he were trying to remember more about her. It broke Tommy’s heart but he couldn’t bring her back.

“No.” Charlie continued to scoot his carrots around his nearly empty plate with his fork. “He said he’s got two dads.”

Tommy had a bit of a knee-jerk reaction. Instantly, he thought about Alfie, his boyfriend of nearly a year. The tough, brash, man who Tommy had met by chance. The two had bumped into each other at a cafe and Alfie was struck by how blue Tommy’s eyes were. Although the Brummie was guarded, Alfie charmed the socks off of him before their coffees were even ready.

But Tommy didn’t tell Charlie. In fact, he didn’t tell the boy he was even dating. There was no telling what his reaction would be to the news.

“Two dads?”

“Yeah, I didn’t know boys could marry each other.” Charlie shrugged but didn’t seem bothered by the idea.

“Mhm, they can. You can love whoever you want doesn’t matter what gender they are.” Tommy explained gently. There was a pause and he got uneasy. “Do you...do you agree?”

Charlie nodded. “Yeah, why not?” He looked up from his plate. “S’not wrong.”

A wave of relief washed over Tommy. Of course, he knew prejudice was usually inherited so he didn’t think there’d be much of an issue. “You’re right, it’s not. Not at all.”

~~~~~~~~

“I think I want you to meet Charlie.”

Alfie’s eyes widened in surprise. “Erm...you think?”

He and Tommy were tucked up in bed, sharing the weekend together because Charlie was visiting Ada and Karl. It was getting late and Alfie was half asleep before Tommy dropped the bombshell.

“I thought we were serious enough that…”

“Oh, no, love, ain’t like that.” Alfie shook his head. “I love you, you know that. S’just I...well I don’t have much experience with kids. Got me nephew but that little fucker was a terror. ‘Sides me sister-in-law didn’t much appreciate me being ‘round. Said I were a bad influence.”

“Well, I don’t,” Tommy said firmly and reached up to touch his cheek. “I love you.”

Alfie was such a sap for him and those blue eyes. “Alright, well, s’pose I ain’t that awful.”

“You treat Cyril like he’s your child.” Tommy pointed out.

“Dogs are easier than human kids.”

"I guess I can't argue that." He laughed softly. “I just wanted you to think about it.” And with that, he rested his cheek on Alfie’s chest.

A hint of a smile crossed Alfie’s lips and he gently ran his fingers through Tommy’s dark hair. He allowed himself to think about having more with Tommy. Having a home and a family together. Hell, he might even marry the man if things went well. It would just take time, and Alfie knew he needed to enjoy every second of it.

~~~~~~~~~

One afternoon, a few weeks later, an official meeting was set up. Alfie arrived at Tommy’s a little nervous, to say the least. Even though he’d been there many times before, it was different knowing Charlie would be there.

Tommy opened the door with a smile and gave Alfie a peck before letting him in. “Charlie? Alfie’s here.”

The father and son had a discussion the night before about the occasion. Tommy explained that although he would always have love for his late wife, sometimes people had a second chance at love after a loss. Charlie appeared to understand although he’d only really known Tommy as a single father. It was a good thing he had Richie Morris to use as an example because Charlie didn’t seem fazed that Tommy said he was dating another man instead of a woman. If anything was strange, it was that Tommy was dating. Nevertheless, Charlie said he would like to meet Tommy’s boyfriend.

Alfie took a deep breath and Tommy touched his arm reassuringly. Charlie came downstairs and shyly gravitated towards his father. “Hey, Charlie.” He smiled but was worried he sounded like someone who was trying too hard to be nice. “It’s nice to meet ya, mate, your dad’s told me a lot ‘bout you.”

The little boy rocked back and forth on his heels and peered up at his father. Tommy nodded encouragingly. “Hi.” He said in almost a whisper and ducked his head.

Alfie cleared his throat and perked up when he remembered what he’d brought. “Oh! Erm, your dad said he’s been reading you the Harry Potter series. So I brought ya something, maybe your dad and I could help you set it up.” He pulled out the Lego set of Hogwarts that he’d bought earlier under Tommy’s guidance through texts.

Charlie’s eyes lit up. It had been the set he’d been eyeing ever since his father began reading him the book.

“What do you say?” Tommy prompted gently.

“Thank you.” Charlie smiled.

Alfie began to relax a little. “Yeah, sure. Want to start to set it up? There somewhere with some space?”

“Here, let’s do it in the den.” Tommy offered and gave Alfie a heartening smile.

After clearing a bit of the floor, Charlie tore open the box and began sorting through all the little pieces. He handed Alfie the directions.

“Right, let’s see then, what’ve we got here?” The man pulled out his glasses so he could read the diagrams.

Charlie giggled. “You’ve got glasses like daddy.”

Alfie chuckled. “Yeah, I do. What’d you reckon we look old in ‘em, aye?” He teased.

“Yeah, my teacher wears glasses and she’s like a hundred!” The little boy grinned and tucked his knees up to his chest.

“Well, I ain’t a hundred yet, but I’m close.” Alfie laughed and shook his head. “Cheeky, just like your dad.”

Tommy smiled and sat back watching the two slowly open up to each other. Alfie began to read out the instructions, helping Charlie find each piece and placing it in the right spot. Eventually, he stepped out of the room for a moment to get all of them a drink and something to snack on while they were building.

When he returned, Charlie was chattering away about horses and his friends at school. Alfie was listening intently, asking little questions to show he was paying attention. It was everything Tommy could’ve hoped for. He leaned against the doorframe, watching the two interact cheerfully. It was as if he were gazing upon his future. A loving husband. A family.

Charlie glanced up and beamed. “Daddy, come help!”

“Alright, I’m coming.” Tommy went to sit back down on the rug with them and Charlie resumed talking about horses.

Alfie leaned over to kiss Tommy’s cheek. He could see it in his blue eyes. They were both thinking the same thing, this really was exactly what they were looking for. Stability and a loving home. They suddenly had a foundation to build off of and when they stole glances, they saw the future in each other’s’ eyes.

Masterlist

#peaky blinders #peaky blinder imagine #peaky fookin blinders #peaky blinders fanfiction #peaky blinder fanfic #alfie solomons #alfie solomons imagine #tommy shelby #tommy shelby imagine #tommy shelby one shot #one shot #tommy x alfie #tommy shelby x alfie solomons #charles shelby #charlie shelby #fluff

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v-thinks-on · 4 years

Text

Raffles and Bunny Get Caught

Part 4 of Jeeves and the Amateur Cracksman

First | Previous | Next

It was a bright and cheery morning; the bird was on the wing and the snail on the thorn, as Jeeves would say, not that I had risen with the bird or the snail on that particular m. It was rather getting on toward noon by the time I had shimmied upright and Jeeves shimmered in with the restoring oolong.

It took a few gulps of the stuff before I felt equal to any manner of conversation. By that time, Jeeves was busying himself with the raiment in preparation for a day about town.

“The blue?” I piped up when I was sufficiently braced. “Why not the yellow?”

“Yes, sir. I believe the blue brings out the color in your eyes,” came the reply.

And who was I to argue with the man. “Right-o! Carry on, Jeeves.”

“Very good, sir.”

We didn’t linger long in the companionable silence of our morning routine before I asked, “Anything of interest in the news, what?”

Jeeves stopped messing with my wardrobe and stepped solemnly over to the side of the bed, and he only does that if there’s something serious afoot.

“Out with it, Jeeves! Has someone died?”

“Possibly, sir.”

“What? Really? Who? Not my Aunt Agatha?” I added hopefully.

“No, sir. Mr. Raffles is missing, presumed dead.”

I pushed myself fully upright. “A.J. Raffles? The cricketer - and your cousin?”

“Yes, sir.” Jeeves seemed less than affected himself, but one never knows with the man.

I fell back upon the cushions. “A fellow like that, in the prime of his life, what? I suppose it just goes to show it can happen to anybody. Poor Bunny, he’s so devoted to Raffles, he’ll be devastated. But you said he’s missing, that they don’t know for sure? Isn’t he just the sort of chap to make a sort of miraculous return, just like how you said Sherlock Holmes made it out of Reichenbach after all? Gives a sort of impermeable impression, what, not so different from yourself.”

Jeeves raised an eyebrow a fraction of an inch at the comparison, but seemed to let it slide. “I would not be surprised, sir.”

“Well, out with it! What happened? How did he meet his Professor Moriarty?”

“If I may speak frankly, sir-”

“Of course, Jeeves,” I said with an airy wave.

“Sir, I fear Mr. Raffles may bear more of a resemblance to Professor Moriarty than to Mr. Holmes.”

“What do you mean?”

“According to the morning paper, Mr. Raffles was last seen diving off of a vessel - its name left unreported, but I expect it is the steamship Uhlan of the Norddeutscher Lloyd.”

I waved him along with a touch of impatience. “Forget the name of the vessel! What was Raffles doing diving from it? Some sort of daredevil act?”

“Hardly, sir. On their voyage, Mr. Raffles and Mr. Manders-”

“Bunny was there too?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Do go on, Jeeves.”

“Very good, sir. Accompanying Mr. Raffles and Mr. Manders was a priceless pearl; a gift from our beloved monarch to a Polynesian sovereign. According to the latest report, in the course of the voyage, the pearl went missing and was found in Mr. Raffles’s possession, hidden inside a bullet, you may be interested to know. Mr. Raffles dove into the sea to avoid capture and Mr. Manders, who assaulted an officer to aid in his escape, is currently imprisoned awaiting trial.”

“I say! There’s only one thing to do, Jeeves! if there was any time to rally round a pal, it’s now. What’s that gag you always say?”

“Sir, I’m afraid it will not be so simple.”

“What do you mean?”

“Sir, if I may speak freely-”

“Go on,” I said with a touch of impatience.

“I expect that Mr. Raffles and Mr. Manders are guilty as charged, if I may use the expression.”

“What do you mean? You think Bunny and Raffles, your own flesh and blood, stole that pearl?”

“Yes, sir. In fact, I would be most surprised if Mr. Raffles and Mr. Manders were not aboard that vessel with the express intent of purloining the pearl.”

“Where did you get a bally notion like that? I wouldn’t’ve thought it of you, Jeeves. Surely it’s all some misunderstanding. You don’t by any chance have an aunt like my Aunt Dahlia who’s always sending some hapless nephew on errands to steal various ill-fortuned antiques?”

“No, sir. I have suspected for some time that Mr. Raffles and Mr. Manders have been living off of ill-gotten gains.”

“Ill-gotten gains, Jeeves?”

“Theft, sir; burglary. Mr. Raffles has developed quite a taste for jewels.”

“Why, Jeeves, that’s bally rot! I say, you’ve lost your touch!”

“It may come as something of a surprise to you, sir,” Jeeves said dryly, “but Mr. Raffles has been under investigation by an inspector of the Scotland Yard for some time.”

“What for?”

“The theft of the Melrose diamonds most notably, sir. He is suspected of having perpetrated a series of high-society burglaries over the past several years.”

“And you suspected all this?”

“Yes, sir. Mr. Raffles and Mr. Manders have been living well beyond their means for some time.”

“But surely!” I protested.

“I can assure you, sir, that they have no inheritance, merely a small allowance generously set aside for their benefit. Mr. Raffles’s only legitimate occupation is cricket, which he plays as an amateur. Mr. Manders has published some small writings, but his earnings are hardly enough to account for their current lifestyle.”

“You really do know everything, Jeeves,” I said, caught between skepticism and marveling at his infinite fount of knowledge - whatever a “fount” is.

“Thank you, sir.”

I leaned back against the pillows and took another bracing gulp of oolong, swishing the warm liquid about in my mouth as I thought it all over. It seemed absurd, and yet, what reason would Jeeves have to lie, to slander his own cousins’ names? And I had never known the fellow to be wrong yet.

“Well, Jeeves, I’ve never known you to be wrong yet,” I admitted. “Does that mean Raffles and Bunny really were here as burglars when they came in through the window that night?”

“I am afraid so, sir.”

“And you knew all along?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then why didn’t you say something, dash it! I look like a real fool now, welcoming them in.”

“I considered the risks to be negligible, sir. I, of course, observed Mr. Raffles and Mr. Manders while they were here, but lacking a lady’s collection of jewels, you have few possessions that Mr. Raffles would consider worth abstracting.”

“If I don’t have anything worth abstracting, as you say, then what were they doing here?”

“Your comparison of Mr. Raffles’s behavior to a childish prank was not entirely inaccurate, sir. Our childhood was a competitive one, and I fear it is on my account that Mr. Raffles and Mr. Manders endeavored to burgle your residence.”

“To get one over on you, you mean?”

“Not precisely the expression I would have employed, but essentially yes, sir.”

“But they really were thieves?”

“Yes, sir.”

“It’s a rummy thing. None of my other pals are thieves, are they?”

“No, sir, not to my knowledge.”

“Raffles hardly ever hung around enough for me to get to know him, but I wouldn’t’ve thought it of a chap like Bunny. You wouldn’t think he’s any cleverer than I am, just looking at the fellow, would you?”

“No, sir. I expect their efforts were primarily to Mr. Raffles’s credit.”

“Bunny was just telling me how Raffles never lets him plan anything, but I didn’t think he meant anything as bally as all this.”

“Mr. Manders’s greatest strength is his appearance of innocence.”

“He sure had me fooled. Was it all just for the goods? A taste of the high life?”

“I could not say, sir.”

“Of course not, Jeeves.” I sighed. “Did you really try to nab things from each other when you were kids?”

“On occasion, sir.”

“Training to be thieves, what? Is that how you learned to break windows and conk out policemen?”

“Sir?” His eyebrow raised a good half an inch at the implicit accusation.

I hastily clarified, “Sorry, Jeeves, I didn’t mean it like that. I mean, if someone just met my Aunt Agatha, it wouldn’t be fair to assume I also howled at the moon and devoured orphans for breakfast, what? Even looking at my own cousins, Claude and Eustace, I don’t think anyone would invite me ‘round just knowing them. There’s nothing you can do about being related to a pair of cracksmen like Raffles and Bunny, what?”

The corner of Jeeves’s lips twitched upward. “No, sir.”

That settled, I took another pensive sip of the oolong and mulled it over a bit. “So that’s it, what? They’ve been hauled in? Well, Bunny, at least - you say Raffles is out at sea?”

“Yes, according to the most recent post, sir.”

“I say, after everything, I still feel bad for the chap, for Bunny I mean. He’s hardly the sort to do time in chokey, what? And it’d be a bit more than 30 days without the option.”

“If I may say so, sir, even Mr. Manders is somewhat more resilient than he may appear.”

“You think so?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Oh, well, I suppose that’s all right then, if he really did steal all those things.”

“Yes, sir. Will that be all, sir?”

“Is that all, Jeeves?” I asked.

“Yes, sir.”

“Right-o then!”

Jeeves eyed me a moment longer before rippling off to resume readying the raiment.

Part of The Mysterious Mr. Jeeves

#v writes #Jeeves and Wooster #Raffles #The Mysterious Mr. Jeeves #Jeeves and the Amateur Cracksman

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blueboxesandtrafficcones · 4 years

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The Nuptial Necessity - Chapter 31

A 12xRose Human AU

Despite an unglamorous job description, Rose loves the work she does with The Thistle Foundation, a charity founded by her best friend’s great-uncle. It doesn’t hurt that her boss, her friend’s father, is easy on the eyes. With a great job, wonderful friends and a loving family, life couldn’t be better – except for having someone to share it with.

All of that is threatened, though, when the great-uncle dies – and sets a strange condition for his nephew to inherit, jeopardizing the Foundation and Rose’s future, sparking a chain of events that might just get her everything she dreamed of and more.

Chapters will be posted on Saturdays and Tuesdays. Many thanks to my beta, @stupidsatsuma

Rated: Explicit, for smut

@doctorroseprompts

AO3 | Masterlist

—

Previously (for the smut-averse):

“I have something for you,” Malcolm murmured, kissing her ear.

“Huh?”

They were snuggled together under the blankets, her back to his front, their arms entangled and folded together beneath her breasts. Thoroughly sated, warm, comfortable, and happy, she was almost asleep when he spoke.

He rolled away from her, and by the time he came back she had turned to face him, pillowing her head on her arm as she watched him. His hands appeared, one clenched around something, and her breath caught. “What-”

“Rose,” he cut her off, not unkindly, “you… you are a breath of fresh air. You-”

Unable to help it she yawned, face scrunching with the size of it- it seemed to go on forever, and by the time it was over, he was biting his lip, watching her with a raised eyebrow.

“I don’t want to bore you.”

“Mhmm, you’re not,” she promised, snuggling closer, “but I’m exhausted. My husband had me up ridiculously early to watch the sunrise this morning, then he shagged my brains out.”

“Sounds like quite the catch.”

“He is.” She grinned up at him. “And I’m going to return the favor and blow his mind- well, something- as soon as I’ve gotten a kip.”

Malcolm hummed. “Well, I’ll let you get to it, but first- I’ll save the drawn-out romantic speech for when you’re more awake, but…” Holding out his clenched hand in front of him, he turned it over and opened it to reveal a ring, with a decent sapphire stone set in gold. It was beautiful, and delicate, and she loved it.

“Oh, babe,” Rose gasped softly. “That’s wonderful.”

“Do you really think so?” Surprisingly shy, he held it out to her. “If so, I want you to have it. If not, there’s plenty more in the family vault, but- I wanted you to have this one. I’ve wanted you to have it for… a while.”

“Are you sure?” She took in carefully, holding it up to her eye to examine it better. “It looks old. Not in a bad way, just in a valuable way.”

Her husband slid his hand over her waist, pulling her closer. “Yes. I didn’t give you an engagement ring, because… but now that our feelings have been resolved, that it’s all out in the open, I want you to have a pretty ring to show off.”

Rose looked down at the simple gold band she’d been wearing for the last week, and felt her heart melt. “I’m very happy with the ring I already have,” she told him softly, “because you gave it to me. I think this will be a perfect addition.” Then she handed it back.

“Wait, what?”

Rolling her eyes, she held out her left hand to him, grinning. “Go ahead, put it on me. ‘S only right.”

He did, carefully guiding it up her finger and over her knuckles, settling it at the base of her wedding band before bringing her hand to his lips and kissing both rings gently. “Perfect.”

“I agree.” Bringing her hand to her face, she admired how they looked together – like they belonged next to each other. “That wasn’t necessary, but… thank you.”

“You deserve the world,” he shrugged one shoulder. “A ring- a family heirloom at that- is nothing.”

Smiling, she leaned forward, kissing him sweetly. “Let’s get some sleep,” she sighed against his lips. “Then when we wake up, I’ll thank you properly.”

He kissed her back. “No thanks necessary.”

“Oh, I think it’s very necessary.”

Friday evening

“Do you think I look okay?” Rose fussed, critically examining her reflection in the mirror. Sarah Jane would shortly be arriving for dinner, and she wanted her first hosting event to go smoothly, looking and acting the part. She’d chosen a cocktail dress, one of the nicer ones she owned – it was a dark navy, with silver threaded accents, paired with sapphire studs Malcolm had gifted her with the night before the wedding. Those and her rings were the only jewelry she wore, and she fingered the neckline of the dress. “Is it missing something? Something that might make it better?”

Malcolm grunted, and she watched in the full-length mirror as he finished tying his laces and stood, coming up behind her. “Well,” he considered, setting his hands on her hips and rucking up the fabric slightly, enough to show the tops of her thigh-high stockings, “I do have one thought…”

“Oh, do you?” she rolled her eyes, grinning. “What’s that?”

“I think- and this is just my opinion, mind, what do I know about fashion- but, it seems to me it might look better on the floor.”

Rose burst into laughter, spinning out of his grip. “Later,” she promised, smoothing the fabric back down her thighs. “For now, behave. Our guest will be here any minute.” Even as she spoke, the sound of crunching gravel echoed up from below.

Her husband held his hands up in response, backing away with an incorrigible smirk. “Fine, but I’m going to hold you to that,” he warned, returning to the bed to pull on his sport coat. “But in all seriousness, you look incredible.”

“Thank you.” She offered him a smile in return, letting her eyes drag over him. “And may I say, you clean up well.”

“Yes, well, one must look one’s best for company,” he affected a terribly posh accent, making her giggle. “Now, would you do me the honor of allowing me to accompany you to dinner, my lady?”

Rose snorted, half-choking on her glass of wine. “I’m sorry, you what?” she gasped, head spinning to stare at her husband. “No. No way.”

“He did!” Sarah Jane laughed, looking smug. “And it was his idea! All we said was-”

“Bullshit,” Malcolm snapped back, eyes pleading with Rose. “Bull. Shit. I have no memory of this!”

“Because you were absolutely plastered!”

“And even if this ridiculous accusation were true- which it’s not- it would solely be because someone called me more boring than plain toast!”

“Sorry, what did we miss?” Jack asked, as he and Ianto slid back into their seats. “We had some Estate business to attend to.”

Watching Ianto discreetly wipe at his mouth with his napkin, Rose arched an eyebrow at her cousin-in-law. “Is that so?”

He merely gave her a bawdy wink in response, making his buttoned-up boyfriend’s ears go pink. “What happened?”

“Nothing.”

“Malcolm stole a police horse at uni,” Rose blurted, even as her husband denied it.

“Rose!”

Jack gasped dramatically, clutching at his chest. “Malcolm Tucker! I don’t believe it. D’you have any evidence?”

Rose laughed as Malcolm pouted, his lower lip protruding further when no one came to his defense. Though the conversation continued around her she just watched him, reaching out for his hand. He stared at it for a moment before his expression softened, and he took it, thumb rubbing over the bands of her rings, straightening the newer one as the stone had listed to the right. Their eyes met, and she smiled, growing lost in his gaze. It was so freeing, to be able to show her love with him, to not have to hide her adoring looks or make up excuses to see him or be with him. They could just be, and she hoped it never changed.

“So, Rose, is this your first trip to Scotland?”

Sarah Jane’s voice broke the spell, and Rose had to blink several times to bring the rest of the room back into focus. “Sorry? Oh, uh, yes, it is.”

“What do you think?”

“Oh, it’s lovely,” she smiled, leaning forward. “I mean, I’ve mostly been on the property other than the trip into town the other day when we met and the drive up from Inverness Airport, but… I think we will be making frequent trips back here. I’d love to see more.”

Malcolm cleared his throat, and she glanced over to find him wiping his mouth. “Actually…”

“What?”

His thumb moved over the back of her hand, the only giveaway that he was nervous about what he was going to say.

“Well, I was thinking about our conversation the other day, and… what would you say to leaving here early? I think Jack and I have pretty much wrapped up our business, and while it would be nice to just hang out here, what if instead we went on a driving tour?”

“A driving tour?” she repeated, heart leaping in her chest.

He nodded. “You, me, your twenty-three suitcases and Bessie on the open road. We’ll stay at B&Bs, and see everything you want to.”

Rose stared at him, nearly overwhelmed with joy at his suggestion. “That sounds wonderful,” she breathed, “but no- not everything. Let’s leave some for our next trip.”

“You like the idea?” He looked so earnest, eager to please and hopeful, her heart nearly gave out with love.

Throwing down her napkin, she stood and walked to him, settling across his lap and wrapping her arms around him. “I love the idea,” she whispered, kissing him. “Absolutely. Let’s do it.”

Like a switch had been flipped, the energy and conversation in the room changed as they started planning – Jack went running for his laptop while Sarah pulled a tablet out of her purse, and within minutes they were planning routes and must-sees, calling out suggestions of things Rose might be interested in.

Sitting back in his seat Malcolm watched Rose bounce between Sarah and Jack to hear their ideas, Ianto plugging everything into Google Maps and finding the optimal itinerary. She looked happy, her face flushed and eyes sparkling, like a general commanding her troops just as she did every year during the Gala. He’d always found that sexy, how she could be so confident and in charge when the moment called for it, despite her always fretting if she was the best person for the job.

Perhaps he was biased, but he felt she was the best person for any job, wholly capable of doing anything she set her mind to.

“Hey, Malc,” Jack called, breaking him from his reverie. “How far south do you want to go?”

Malcolm waited a beat to be sure Jack wasn’t being fresh, but when his cousin didn’t break into a smirk, he shrugged. “I was thinking of a large loop, staying just above Edinburgh and Glasgow. Going along the eastern coast, then as far down as Stirling, maybe, if she wanted to see the castle? Through the Trossachs then up to Glencoe, then out to Skye. Return to Inverness, meet someone there to take the car, and we fly home.”

Rose made a soft noise, and he grinned. “Yes, dear, we can stop by Loch Ness – even go to the museum, if you like. We’ll drive up along it from Skye.”

“Yes!” she gave a little fist pump, before blushing. “I mean, sure, that sounds fine I suppose.”

“Don’t worry, it’s a rite of passage,” Sarah said soothingly, patting her hand. ��I know I had to go when I first got here – of course, I was only coming for uni, fully intending to return to London at the time. Still, I was quite excited – and I swear I saw something.”

Malcolm scoffed, rolling his eyes despite his grin. “It was probably the sleep deprivation,” he retorted. “You were the one insisting we bring the baby. Poor wee Clara cried the whole night through.”

“The whole trip through,” his friend shuddered. “Six twenty-year-olds and an infant. Two hundred kilometers each way.” Then she smiled. “It was terrible fun. God, I miss being that age.”

“Clara and I did stuff like that,” Rose grinned, sinking into the nearest chair. “Friday afternoon after our last class- or sometimes before- we’d just hop on a train and go somewhere. Rent a room for a night or two, do some exploring, then head back for Monday classes. Sometimes it was just into London – funny how you can live there your whole life and have no interest in it, then move away for uni and just to want to go explore there.”

“We only travelled as a group a few times – no money – but it was always fun,” Malcolm said. “Especially when Missy would get her nose out of joint and insist on staying home with Clara, awful as that sounds.”

Sarah, Rose, and Jack snorted as one. “We’ve all met Missy,” Jack said reassuringly. “We understand.”

Ianto looked around, uncertain. “Er, I haven’t.”

“Count your blessings,” Rose said dryly, before looking down at her list. “Right, now be honest- is there time to see all of this in the remaining week we’re off?”

Malcolm just laughed. “You know, I bet if you ask really nicely, your boss will let you take more time.”

“Is that so?” she asked, giving him that grin that always made his pants tighten – the one where her tongue gets caught between her teeth, sparking eyes laughing at him, and he would give her the world if she asked.

He just smiled back, holding her gaze, until Sarah felt the need to groan.

“Oh for heaven’s sake, get a room you two!”

“So, honestly,” Malcolm asked when they were once again alone, curled up together in their bed, bodies sated for the moment. “Is this how you’d like to spend the rest of our honeymoon?”

“What, in bed?” Rose chuckled, rolling over to face him. “No, seriously. I think this… driving tour is a brilliant idea. Just you and me, playing tourist… I mean, I wouldn’t have said no to bikinis and fruity cocktails and white sand, but yeah, this is good too.” Snuggling closer, she rested her head on his chest. “I love the idea. I’m so excited. I’m sorry to be leaving here, but… we can always come back, right?”

“As often as you like.”

She sighed in contentment, leaning forward to press her lips over his heart. “Then, often enough – at least every year or two. It’s so beautiful, and peaceful. And you might make an equestrian of me yet.”

Malcolm bit his lip, chewing over his words before tentatively offering, “You know, we can travel wherever you want. Whenever you want. I mean, much of our work at the Foundation can be done from anywhere with an internet connection. Whether that’s the Scottish Highlands or the Maldives.”

“I will take that under advisement,” Rose nodded, walking her fingers along his sternum. “How about I make a list, and you make a list, and then we’ll compare them and go from there?”

He breathed out. “Sounds like a good idea.”

“Do I hear a ‘but’?”

He stayed silent, unsure if it was worth bringing up, before deciding to broach the subject from a non-direct angle. “Maybe we should expand that list not to just travel, but to… other things we may or may not want to experience together?”

“D’you mean like sex stuff?”

“No- I mean, sure, that’s fine, but that wasn’t what I had in mind.” Just say it, you coward.

She looked up at him, eyes searching his, and after a moment, she said, “If you mean babies, that is definitely happening. Unless you’ve changed your mind.”

“I haven’t! But, I don’t want to pressure you,” he hurried to say, grateful that she had been able to read him, hadn’t made him say it. “But, yes, that is something I would like. With you. If you want.”

Shifting under the blankets, Rose clambered on top of him, straddling his waist and leaning down, kissing him slowly, decadently, the kind of kiss that lingers long after the lips part. “Like I said, definitely happening. Though, like, in a year or two, if that’s okay. I want some time to just be an us first, you know? Deal?”

“Deal.”

They sealed it with a kiss.

#bbatcfic #ficandchips #Doctor Who #doctorroseprompts #Human!12xRose #Human!Twelfth Doctor #Rose Tyler #Human AU #AU #The Nuptial Necessity

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kayteewritessteve · 5 years

Text

If Only You Knew - 14/19

Description: You arrive home one day to find a wedding invite for two of your best friends from high school. You knew this day was going to come eventually, but even with that said, you weren’t prepared to return home. At least not after 7 years of avoiding Buckhannon, West Virginia. Or rather, avoiding him; your ex-best friend and the secret love of your life. But maybe it was finally time to face your past, to face him, and everything else that happened on that horrible night. Who would have knew that your prom would end up being a total disaster, and the very last night you’d spend in Buckhannon for the next 7 years? you certainly didn’t. That’s for sure.

Catch up HERE.

Word Count: 5,290 ish.

Pairing: Modern!Steve Rogers x Reader.

Rating: 18+

Warnings: Violence. Drinking. Bad and offensive jokes. Possible triggering thoughts, feelings and emotions. Moments of bullying and harsh name calling. Lots of curse words. And a very sloooow burn.

A/N: I sadly don’t own any of these characters. And no beta reader, so I do proudly own all the errors and this story, so there’s that.

July 2018 - Present.

Steve hopped out of his truck, having just found a spot in 88 restaurant’s parking lot. He closed his door, then started to walk towards the entrance, clicking the lock button on his key fob a few times, until he heard the familiar honk of his truck locking and alarming itself.

Reaching the front entrance of the restaurant he paused to checked his watch, assuring he was, in fact, on time. Or rather, slightly early as was his preference for most things. He wasn’t a fan of arriving to anything late. That just wasn’t his style.

Once he saw that he had a few minutes to spare, he took a deep breath and opened the door, walking up to the hostess standing behind a podium. She greeted him with a warm smile and a quick welcome before asking for his name. Having confirmed he was here for the Barnes reservation she showed him to a private back room in the restaurant. Clearly a room reserved for functions like this.

He noticed that he was the first one to arrive. Figures, he was usually the first one for most things. He took a seat at the end of the table and picked up his menu to give it a once over before everyone else arrived. Unsure of when that would be, as Bucky was never on time for anything.

But luckily for Steve, he didn’t end up being alone for long, as he began to hear a few familiar voices coming towards the room. Glancing up from his menu right as Nat and Bucky walked into the room. Followed closely by Maria, Clint, Laura, Winnifred, Rebecca, Barney, and little James Jr.

Growing up Winnie Barnes had been basically like a second mom to Steve, she had been good friends with his mother, Sarah. Along with both Maria Hill and Kelly Hill—Nat’s aunt and mother—and Maria Stark—Steve’s Godmother/adoptive mother. The girls had all grown up together, and been inseparable all their lives.

So when Steve’s mom had passed, then Bucky’s father left and then a few years later Nat’s parents died, Winnie and both Maria’s all stepped up to basically help each other through, and raise the group of kids together. Each woman having suffered some form of terrible loss, which only brought them all closer. Made them really cherish each other in different, deeper ways. But loss can really be the catalyst for change, it can show us how precious life truly is, and that you have to really cherish it and the ones you love. Because in the blink of an eye, it can all be taken away.

So then it goes without saying that the kids all grow up together, were inseparable just are their moms/aunts were. But then the group continued to grow over the years, going from 3 best friends to 8.

Starting with bringing Sam in when his father was transferred to town with the Military. Then Clint, who actually always lived here but was home schooled till grade 5. Then Hilde who moved to live with her grandparents during her parents messy divorce, but then decided to just stay. Then the Maximoff twins, when their mom inherited a home here from a great aunt who’d passed. And then lastly, Y/N.

But anywho, a few years back Rebecca and Barney Barton—Clint’s older brother—who had married young, announced that he’d had a job offer in New York that was too good to pass up. And that they’d be relocating for it. They’d come back to visit a few times a year. It had been really hard for Bucky to lose his only sister as such a prominent part of his life, but he knew New York would be good for her, and Barney. And he still had his close group of friends to keep him company.

But when they announced Rebecca was pregnant, Bucky and Clint were so excited, but also so upset that they wouldn’t really get to be a part of their niece or nephews life. However once James Jr. was born, Bucky and Clint would go to visit them often, Nat always tagging along for the visits. It wasn’t the best set up, but they made it work.

Barney hadn’t been able to take a ton of time off for the wedding, with being so busy at work, so they had only arrived into town that morning. They’d stay for a few days to partake in the wedding then fly home shortly after the wedding.

“Of course you’d be the first one here punk,” Bucky laughed as he escorted Nat to one of the seats in the middle of the table. Then took the seat beside her, between her and Steve, and clapping Steve on the back once he was settled, “been here long?”

“No, only a few minutes or so,” he said as he leaned forward to look passed Bucky at Nat, “you look beautiful as always, Nat.”

“Trying to steal my bride, punk?” Bucky scoffs jokingly at Steve.

“At least he said something about my outfit,” she glares pointedly at Bucky then looks passed him to smile sweetly at Steve. “So thank you Stevie, that’s very sweet of you to say. And you look very handsome, as well.”

Bucky gasps and feigns offence, “I tell you all the time how beautiful you look.”

Steve chuckles and shakes his head at his two best friends as Nat over exaggeratedly rolls her eyes, “except today, it would appear.”

“What!?” Bucky’s eyes widened comically, “I totally told you, that you looked stunning as we were leaving the house!” He pauses and narrows his eyes at her, “clearly you weren’t listening to me.” And then he gasps, dramatically, “were you ignoring me, Nat?”

She just glares at him for a moment, most likely trying to come up with a retort. But chooses instead to stay silent as she realizes that he had out played her this time. But only this time.

His smug smirk proves that he had also realized as much, “that’s what I thought.” Then he pecks her on the cheek in a form of truce before turning to Steve, but before Bucky can say a word the doors open again. And in walks Hilde, Thor, Sam, Wanda, Vis and Y/N, chatting animatedly with each other before greeting everyone as they each find their seats at the table.

Steve can’t help but give Y/N a once over—that’s a lie, he glanced over her figure more then once, but that’s neither here nor there—as she entered the room. Luckily for him she ended up in the seat directly across from his, with Wanda beside her. Followed by Vis, Thor, Hilde then Rebecca and finally Barney. James Jr was set up at the end of the table, with Clint sitting across from Barney. Then Laura, Winnie and finally Maria, who was beside Nat. And then Sam was left the seat at the end of the table, by Steve and Y/N.

But let’s be real, Steve barely paid any attention to anyone else at the table in this moment, his mind had gone basically blank. Or into limp mode, as Bucky called it. Seeing Y/N all done up and dressed up stole all his thoughts. She looked stunning. But then she always did. So that really wasn’t anything new.

She was wearing a simple, form fitting, blush pencil skirt and a flowy white, off the shoulder floral top, with nude strappy heels. It wasn’t anything too fancy, but it suited her well. He was so lost in his thoughts that he barely registered her talking, until he noticed the concerned expression on her face.

“Stevie, you okay?” She whispers.

He shakes his head, to clear his mind then quickly speaks up, “ah, yeah. Yeah. I’m good,” he smiles, then leans forward slightly to whisper, “you look stunning, by the way.”

“Aw shucks, this old thing?” She gestures to herself and laughs, the sound makes his heart flutter. “But thank you. You look very handsome as well,” then she winks at him.

“Thanks,” he says through a chuckle then waits for her to get all settled in, once she was he speaks up again. “So, how did the dress try on go?”

This peaks Sams interest, who had just sat down after going around the table to say his hellos, “yeah, did you girls finally say yes to the dress—” he pauses and scrunches up his nose as he adds, “—es.”

Y/N laughs again and shakes her head, “yeah we did, and it went really well, the bridesmaids dresses are lovely but Nat’s gown is fucking stunning. Just wait till you see it.”

“Yes!” Wanda agrees in a squeal, “it’s absolutely breathtaking, you guys. Fits her like a damn glove too.”

Steve and Sam nod but before either could respond the waitress appears and takes everyones drink orders, causing Steve to realize he still hasn’t figured out what he wants to eat. So he focuses on his menu for a few minutes, adding into the conversations around him here and there.

Luckily when the waitress returns with everyone’s drinks, the whole gang has decided on what they want and all place their orders. Promptly picking up their conversations once the waitress has left again.

“I can only imagine how beautiful it is,” he says then raises his voice a little louder on the next part, so as to direct his comment more to the woman sitting two seats over, “Nat has always had amazing taste.”

“Except in men, it would appear,” Y/N adds quickly with a shit eating grin, looking directly at Bucky. Who matches her expression and adds, “and best friends, clearly,” he scoffs.

“You two are ridiculous,” Sam laughs and shakes his head.

“Oh please,” Wanda scoffs and points at Sam, “pot calling kettle black.”

And then Sam has the audacity to look offended by her words, but then bursts out laughing and nods, “alright, you got me there.”

“And this is exactly why we keep you around, Steve,” Nat pipes up as she leans forward and winks at him, ignoring the others comments but shooting them all a pointed glare. Causing everyone to chuckle as Bucky shakes his head.

“We?” Bucky jokingly scuffs, “don’t lump me into that, I’d have gotten rid of him years ago.” He turns to pat Steve on the back, smirk in place on his lips, “if the guy wasn’t so damn loveable,” he coos.

“I second that,” Sam says with a toothy grin.

“I third that!” They all hear Clint yell from the other end of the table, causing them all to look towards him.

“Hey!” Bucky points at him and jokingly glares, “butt out! You chose not to sit with us, now own your choice.”

Clint just points to James Jr. and shrugs, “he’s nicer to me then you are, so easy choice.”

“Probably because he feels bad for you,” Bucky laughs then cooes at James Jr, “isn’t that right J-Man, you just being nice to him? You like Uncle Bucky more, don’t cha? Yes. Yes, you do!” The silly voice causes James to smile widely around the fingers currently crammed in his mouth. And then Bucky grins widely in triumph, “See Clint, he likes me more.”

“Only because you have the same IQ. Birds of a feather, and all that,” Clint deadpans as he waves his hand around dismissively. But then he bursts out laughing at Bucky’s—real, this time—glare.

“Friends off! For real this time!” Bucky says then turns, effectively ignoring Clint’s reply and whispers so he won’t hear, “who even invited that guy?”

“You did,” Nat supplies, dryly.

Bucky pretends to ponder her words for a second, “oh right. Why did I invite him again?”

Then a sing song voice comes from behind Bucky, causing him to startle slightly, “because you love me.”

Steve turns just in time to see Clint lunge and awkwardly hug Bucky from behind, “I don’t like when we fight, baby.”

Everyone laughs as Bucky attempts to extricate himself from the hug, but to no avail. Clint is like a damn hawk, once his sets his sights on you, or his hands around you, there is no escaping him. You just have to suck it up and wait for it to be over.

“You know he won’t let go until you take it back,” Y/N says from across the table.

“Two words. Hawk Eye,” Wanda adds with a laugh.

“He sees all, and once he has you locked in his sights there is no escaping him,” Sam adds with a playful cringe.

“Or did you forget why we gave him that nickname in elementary school?” Nat questions.

Bucky tries for a few more seconds then sighs deeply, clearly admitting defeat and pats Clint’s arm as he mumbles, “fine, fine. Friends back on.”

“Oh thank god,” Clint sighs out then finally releases Bucky and pulls up a chair to the corner of the table so he can join in on the conversations for a bit.

Bucky rubs his neck as if it hurts, “that was less of a hug and more of a headlock.”

“You won’t get any sympathy from us. You brought that on yourself,” Steve chuckles.

The food finally arrives and Clint ventures back down to his spot. The conversations continue on while everyone eats, and then just as everyone is finishing up and the wait staff are clearing the table, a waitress comes in with 4 bouquets of red roses. Then she hands them to Bucky who takes them and turns, giving the bigger one to Nat, “these are for you. Figured it’d be more fun to have something to hold for the rehearsal.”

Nat’s face lights up as she takes it then leans forward to kiss Bucky, “awe, that was so sweet of you.” Then she brings the flowers up to her nose so she can smell them, “thank you, handsome. I love them.”

He then hands one each to Y/N and Wanda, “same for you two.” Both women thank him and then he gives the last one across the table to Thor, so he can pass it to Hilde. Who glances up at Bucky after receiving them and lips a ‘thank you,’ before smelling them.

Then everyone collects up their belongings and heads back out to their respective vehicles.

But hust as Steve is about to unlock his truck a voice stops him. “Mind if I join you?” He glances towards the voice and sees Y/N standing there, holding her bouquet. “I came with Hilde and Thor, but with Vis and Wanda in the car, it’s pretty cramped,” she laughs.

Steve smiles, “of course, no excuse needed.” He unlocks the truck then opens the door for her, offering his hand to help her up. Once she is in he closes the door and walks around, climbing into the driver's seat. Neither one says anything for the first few minutes. But the silence isn’t awkward, exactly, though there is a tension in the air. Like they both want to say something, anything, but just can’t seem to figure out exactly what to say.

And then Y/N takes the plunge, letting out a sigh, “God, this brings back so many memories.”

He glances at her, and sees that she is looking at him with a fond smile on her face. “Us together in the car?” He asks as he turns back to look at the road.

“Yeah,” she says and he sees her nod in the corner of his eye. “I feel like anytime we had to go anywhere, I was always your copilot.”

He smiles at the memories that are now running through his mind as well, “that you were,” he affirms.

“But I was never the pilot, because you refused to ever let me drive us anywhere,” she scuffs, but the giant grin on her face proves she is joking around.

Steve chuckles, “yup. Because you were a horrible driver.”

“‘Were’?” She smirks, “not ‘are’?”

“I mean, you did run a blatantly obvious stop sign while you were, and I quote,” he glances at her again and makes air quotes, “‘reading and driving’.” He shakes his head, and turns back to the road, “but I haven’t received any calls about pedestrians almost being hit, so I’m guessing you’re a little better at driving now.”

She gapes at him for a second then bursts out laughing, “that was such a low blow, Steven. You’re lucky you’re cute, as I wouldn’t put up with your shit if you weren’t.”

“Then thank God I am,” he gives her a cheeky smile to which she returns. And then a silence falls over them again. He sees her, out of the corner of his eye, bring the roses up to her nose to sniff them. And it causes a dormant memory to scream for attention in his mind, and before he knows it, the memory is playing out in his head…

February 2011 - 7 years ago.

“Happy Valentines Day, Stevie.”

He turns from his locker to see Y/N standing there with her hands behind her back and a giant grin plastered on her beautiful face. Which, in turn, causes a massive smile to form on his. “Happy Valentines Day, Y/N,” he says as he attempts to peer behind her, wondering what she is hiding.

She laughs then reveals a teddy bear stuffy holding a red heart that says ‘I liked you before you were cool’. She shrugs and holds it out to him, “now see, you aren’t exactly cool yet, but one day, when you are, this bear will be sooo valid.”

Steve just looks between the bear and Y/N for a couple seconds then bursts out laughing as he takes the offered stuffy. “First off, mean. I am totally cool—“

She cuts him off to point out, “if you have to say that, then you aren’t.” She shakes her head and is clearly trying her best not to burst out laughing, “but continue.”

He narrows his eyes at her, “we’ll come back to that,” he promises. To which she just smirks and motions for him to keep going, so he does, “And secondly—but don’t let this go to your head too much. This is by far the greatest thing anyone has ever given me.” He wraps an arm around her shoulders and pulls her in for a hug, murmuring, “thank you, I love it,” into her hair then kissing the top of her head.

“You’re welcome. I’m glad you like it,” she murmurs back into his chest.

After a moment he reluctantly releases her from the hug and takes a step back, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. “I uh,” he pauses, he had gotten her something but he didn’t want her to know about it. Nor was he sure he’d tell her they were from him, even if she did currently have them, “don’t have anything to give you in return.” Which wasn’t a lie. Technically.

She waves him off, “s’okay, Stevie. You don’t have to get me anything, I just saw that bear and thought of you,” she shrugs.

“Because I’m cool,” he notes with a smirk.

She rolls her eyes, and pats his arm, sympathetically, “keep telling yourself that, big guy.”

Before he can respond someone calls her name and they both look to see Hilde, Wanda and Nat motioning for her to join them. They smile and wave at Steve, and he waves back.

“I have to go help hand out the roses,” she says and he looks back towards her, “But I’ll see you later, and Happy Valentines Day.” She pauses, then chuckles, “again.”

“Okay, have fun. And Happy Valentines Day, Y/N.” He pauses for effect, “again.”

They share a quick hug and then Y/N runs off. He doesn’t see much of her for the rest of the day, as she was busy handing out all the roses. Each year for Valentines Day some of the grade twelve grad students, all by volunteer, organize some sort of festivities for the romantic holiday.

This year they had chosen to do a rose sale, meaning that for the last two weeks students could purchase roses for whomever they so choose—either anonymously or not—and they’d be delivered to that student on Valentines Day. Being today.

So Steve had secretly approached Nat on the first day of sales and ordered 17 roses to be sent to Y/N. One for each month he had known her. It was cheesy as hell. Yeah, he knows. And not just because Nat had fake gagged when he told her. But because he was always a cheese ball when it came to Y/N, and honestly, he could care less. He was proud of his cheese ball status. Long live the cheese balls! …Or ...maybe not… fear had ripped through him the second Nat went to write his name on the card and he quickly stopped her, adamantly refusing to sign his name. And telling her to mark them from ‘anonymous’.

Which she was not too pleased about, as she had attempted to talk him into being honest with Y/N this year. Saying that maybe this would be the opening he needed to finally tell her how he felt, but in true Classic Steve form, he said, “now’s not really a good time.” Nat went to rebuke his decision but the school bell rang before she could, and he quickly said his goodbye and walked off. Taking up the literal ‘saved by the bell’ moment, and not wanting to open that can of worms with Nat, again.

So throughout the day, he’d caught small glimpses of her, here and there. Like when her and Hilde had come into his homeroom to hand out the roses to the different students. 13 of which ended up on his desk, some labelled with random girls names, and some anonymously sent. Y/N had made a, “okay, so maybe you’re a little cool,” joke when she gave them all the him. Causing them both to chuckle quietly before she finished handing out the roses and left to the next class.

Then he’d ran into her again in the hall, they’d only shared a few hurried words before she had to continue on. She’d mentioned something about an entire class being forgotten. So as she tore off down the hall she hollered a, “I hope your Valentine’s Day is going better then mine!” over her shoulder.

And his day may have been quieter than hers, that’s for sure, but it wasn’t going any better. He missed spending his free time with her, she hadn’t even met up with them for lunch. But then neither did Hilde, Wanda or Nat.

So it was just the boys all day. Which wasn’t a bad thing, he’d just gotten so used to her being a prominent fixture in his days, but today of all days, that was not the case. He was being a baby, he knows, but he just missed her. A lot.

Then about an hour before the school day was up, he ran into her again. She looked utterly exhausted and completely done with the day.

“Rough day, huh?” He asked as he fell into step with her in the hall.

“That’s an understatement,” she sighed and looked up at him, “I dunno how things got so messed up. Everything was in order when we did our final checks yesterday, but then we come in this morning and it was like someone had gone through and changed a bunch of stuff.” She shook her head, “but that’s silly, who would want to mess up Valentine’s Day for everyone else?” She asked but he knew she wasn’t looking for an answer, she was just thinking out loud. So he just shrugged in response.

There was a question burning in his mind, but he wasn’t sure how to broach the topic. So he opted to just ask, “so, did you get any roses today?”

She glanced up at him, and smiled, but he could tell it was forced. “No, but that’s okay,” she waved it off, “I figured I wouldn’t get any,” she shrugged, as if it was no big deal.

But it was a big deal, he had bought her roses, 17 to be exact, and she hadn’t received them. So someone did, in fact, fuck with their lists.

Now he was pissed but he held it down and pulled out his phone, making sure Y/N couldn’t see as he quickly fired off a text to Nat, then tucked his phone away. Where the hell had the roses he’d bought for her gone? “I’m sorry, Y/N. Maybe there was just a mix up?”

She shook her head, “no, we found all the mix ups. And everyone else in my class got theirs, so,” she shrugged one shoulder. “But seriously it’s okay. I didn’t expect to get any, as I’m not exactly popular in the guys department,” she tried to laugh it off, though it sounded bitter and sad. Which broke his heart, he was about to reply when his phone buzzed and he pulled it out to see a reply from Nat.

“Trust me, that’s a good thing. All the guys in this school are assholes,” he mumbled and rubbed the back of his neck. “But how about I take you out to dinner tonight, just the two of us?” He paused, then added, “ya know, as a thank you for all your hard work today.”

She sighed, “s’okay, Steve, you don’t have to do that. I’m sure you have better things to do on a Valentines Day evening then hang with your best friend.” But oh how wrong she was, that was actually exactly what he wanted the most. And she was the exact person he wanted that with. He went to protest but she continued on, “plus, Hilda, Wanda and I are having a single ladies night, so you won’t need to drive me home today, as Hilde is gonna take me. And she’s gonna drive me to school in the morning as well.” She looked up at him, “But I have to get to my last class, so I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Uh, okay. Yeah,” he nodded, even more bummed out now. “Yeah, I’ll ah, I’ll see you tomorrow. Have fun with the girls, and happy Valentine’s Day, Y/N,” he pulled her in for a hug that ended far too quickly.

“Thanks, Stevie, happy Valentine’s Day.” Then she walked off in the direction of her next class. He watched as she disappeared around a corner then instantly her was pissed again. He headed for the front doors, going to meet Nat in the student parking lot.

Once he got there he saw her standing by his jeep, papers in her hands. “What happened, Nat?”

She sighed, “I have no idea. The lists were all correct and then half way through the day, when I was going to deliver the roses to Y/N’s class with Stephanie, Y/N wasn’t on the list anymore. I have no idea what happened, all the roses were sold so I couldn’t even make up a new order for her as we didn’t have any roses left.” She glanced down at the papers, “I have searched through all the lists, everything, and I can’t find any mention of her roses anywhere. And the original list that I wrote the order on is just gone, replaced by a new list that doesn’t have Y/N on it. I don’t get it!” She huffed.

“So what do we do now?”

“Well, I can reimburse you, as now our cash box will be over by the amount of your order. Since it appears the 17 roses were sold a second time to other students.” She sighed, “I’m so sorry, Steve. I don’t know how this happened.”

Something about all this just wasn’t sitting right with him, “can I see the new list? The one missing Y/N’s name.”

She nodded and shuffled through the papers to find it then handed it to him. He glanced over it and it all clicked, instantly. “I should have known she’d be behind this,” he seethed.

“What? Who?” Nat asked as she reached to take the page back from him.

“Fucking Madi,” he growled as he pointed to the page, every order was written in the same handwriting, “that’s her handwriting.” He’d recognize it anywhere.

Nat stared at the page for a moment, before whispering, “how did I miss that! that fucking bitch.” She looked up at Steve, “how dare she! And how could I have not clued in that she’d be behind this!” She shook her head, “fuck, Steve, I’m so sorry.”

And he shook his head back, “not your fault, Nat. I don’t blame you at all, I blame her. What the fuck is wrong with her?” He scrubbed a hand down his face.

“Do we confront her about this?” Nat asked.

“No point now, she will just play innocent and say it was a mistake, or something. Like she just missed it when she transferred the list,” he sighed.

“Damnit,” Nat sighed as well, then whispered, “I really fucking dislike her.”

“Yeah. Join the club.”

They chatted a little longer, then Nat reimbursed him the money from the order and they both headed off to class.

This whole day had been basically shit, from start to finish. And he knew it wasn’t going to get any better, since he was well aware he wouldn’t get to see Y/N again for the rest of it.

So that evening he went to 4 different flower shops around town, the first 3 being entirely sold out of roses. Then he went to the 4th shop, and they had a couple left, so he bought them, and a vase. He removed all the cards from the ones he’d received at school and put them in the vase with the few he bought. Totalling 17 roses all together.

He then went to her house later that night, knowing she would be at Hilde’s for the night, and climbed up into her room. Which was tricky as hell with the vase. Once he finally got in, he put the roses on her desk and pulled out a water bottle, he added water to the vase then snuck back out and went home.

It wasn’t till the next evening that she finally got home and saw them, and he only knew that because she texted him a thank you.

The morning after that, when he picked her up for school, she gave him a huge hug and a playful swat on the arm, saying, “that was really sweet, but you didn’t have to do that for me, Steve!”

He just shrugged and replied, “you deserved it.”

Though she’d never actually learn the truth behind those words, or the story of the original 17 roses that went missing thanks to another girls petty jealousy.

Present - July 2018.

They arrived at the chapel, along with the whole gang, and everyone headed inside. They go over everything with the priest and then they did a few dry runs of the wedding walk. Nat wanting to make sure everyone knew how fast to walk and where to stand.

Once the rehearsals were all finished everyone said their goodbyes then piled back into their cars. Steve ended up offering to drive Y/N home and they chatted the whole way there. And once they got to her house they just sat there in his truck for an hour, catching up and laughing, before she yawned and he decided it was time for him to leave.

They shared a quick hug and then she headed inside. And as he drove away he got an idea, and vowed to go to the flower shop one of these days. As It had been far too long since he’d bought her flowers, and he had 7 years of missed Valentines Days to make up for.

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@hopefulmoonobject @caps-lockdown @itsstillnotwhatyouthink @tessvillegas @boxofteenageideas @wangdeasang @giggleberts @casuallydarktiger @theonelittleone @agentbadbitch @ratwrites @starrystellars @bandsandanimefreak @rockyroadthepastryarchy @lovvliies @cuffski @icesoccerer @alwaysright4 @lilsthethrills @imdiegohargreeves @zombiepotterfour @mu-mu-rs @ledandan1244 @straightforwardly @badassbeckettswan @denzmallows @xremember-me-notx @gwynethjodie @lollipopdomination @capstopavenger @jemimah-b99 @rcvenqers @justkending @marvel13princess

#au fanfiction #fanfiction #long post #long read #marvel au #marvel fanfiction #steve rogers #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers x y/n #steve rogers x you #modern!steve rogers x reader #modern!steve #modern!steve rogers #modern au #if only you knew #chapter 14 #no super powers here #steve rogers au

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pocket-luv101 · 5 years

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Summary: After Tsubaki taunts the sloth pair with killing Kuro, Mahiru can’t control his emotions. (KuroMahi, spoilers for chapter 85-86)

Mahiru couldn’t move. He couldn’t remember the last time shock had overwhelmed him so severely. Metal clashed behind him but they sounded far away from him. The only thing he could hear was his uncle’s slow, laboured breath. Tsubaki had stabbed his uncle and first aid didn’t slow the bleeding. He wanted to stay by his uncle’s side but Kuro needed him as well.

If they didn’t stop Tsubaki, many more people in the hospital would be hurt. No one was in any condition to fight. Even as Mahiru reminded himself that, he couldn’t bring himself to move. Toru was like a father to him. Kuro was his partner. Mahiru loved them both of them yet he was too paralyzed to help either. He didn’t know what to do. What could he do in this situation?

Kuro’s scream of pain made Mahiru turn around. His hand flew over his mouth and he stifled his small gasp. Tsubaki had stabbed Kuro through the chest. Mahiru jumped to his feet but he was still too shocked to move. His mind was racing and everything seemed to move slowly. “Stop, Tsubaki! You’re mad at Kuro but don’t hurt him! He had his reasons for what he did and he felt guilty.”

Tsubaki ignored Mahiru. He walked to where Kuro was pinned to the ground. Kuro clawed at the sword to free himself but there was so much blood that he couldn’t grip it properly. A scream was torn from his chest as he pulled out the sword. Tsubaki didn’t allow him to stand before he placed his feet on his chest. It became difficult to breathe and he could feel his consciousness wavering.

The tip of his sword caught the chain of his bell. Kuro face became pale as Tsubaki took his item. If anyone else had the bell, Kuro wouldn’t be so worried. The bond between a Servamp and their Eve strengthened the contract item so his bell couldn’t be destroyed easily. Tsubaki was the exception to that rule. He had the ability to cut through a contract and release the Servamp’s Jinn.

“Is this your item? It’s not interesting at all. I would destroy it now but there’s a proper order to these things. Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Wrath, Envy, Pride and finally Sloth.” His voice was flat but the eyes reflected his hatred. He dropped the bell and glanced towards the hospital. “Wrath and Envy are nearby. I should bring them here and turn the sky white.”

“Don’t hurt them.” Kuro knew he would never be able to live with himself if he failed his family a second time. His injuries hurt but he lifted his hand and gripped his bell. “Don’t do anything to Mahiru either. You hate me and they didn’t do anything to you.”

“You took someone important to me so it’s only fair that I hurt the ones you love.” Guilt hurt Kuro more than his wound. His past mistakes led to Mahiru’s uncle to being hurt. Tsubaki raised his sword to stab Kuro again. He struggled to stand and dodge the attack but his body felt too heavy to move. “There’s a lot of things I can do short of killing you too.”

“Kuro!” Mahiru screamed his name. Stress and adrenaline made his blood flow faster. He instinctively reached his hand towards Kuro even though his legs couldn’t move. His only thought was that he needed to save Kuro. A large feather flew from his fingers and stabbed Tsubaki’s right arm. The feather burst into flames and caused him stumble away from Kuro.

Both Kuro and Tsubaki turned to Mahiru and they were almost blinded. Fiery wings hovered over his back and created a shield in front of his uncle. He almost looked like a phoenix. Kuro knew that the white flames weren’t a power created by their contract. He became more confused when he realized that the flames were actually concentrated Jinn. “Mahiru?”

His voice didn’t seem to reach him. His wings flapped and created a powerful storm of feathers. The intense heat didn’t hurt Kuro and it felt comforting instead. Kuro lifted his hand and a feather landed in his hand. The feather became a small flame over his wound and healed them. On the other hand, the feathers that touched Tsubaki burned and he hissed in pain.

“You found yourself an interesting Eve, Sleepy Ash.” Tsubaki sheathed his sword and vanished in the storm. He couldn’t sense him anymore so Kuro knew that he had fled. He let out a breath of relief and relaxed. That was only for a brief moment though. Kuro realized that the storm hadn’t stopped but steady grew stronger.

He looked back to Mahiru who appeared to be in a daze. Even as Kuro screamed his name, he didn’t respond. He couldn’t know if Mahiru didn’t hear him or if he couldn’t control his power. He recalled the first time he used Jinn to summon his claws. It was scary and overwhelming.

“Mahiru!” Kuro stood and fought against the powerful wind to reach him. His foot slipped several times but he knew he couldn’t stop. Mahiru needed him. After he had saved him so many times, Kuro would do anything to help him as well. When he reached Mahiru, Kuro knelt in front of him and cupped his face. There were hot tears trailing down his cheeks.

“I don’t know what’s happening, Kuro! How do I stop this?” Mahiru was scared of his own power. He didn’t know what it was or how to control it.

“It’s okay, Mahiru. Slowly breath in and out and just focus on that.” He thought that it was best if he helped him become calm so he could control the power better. Mahiru nodded and closed his eyes. He took a shaky breath and focused on Kuro’s smooth voice. “Tsubaki’s gone. We’re not in danger anymore so you don’t need to be afraid.”

“Is my uncle okay? We need to take him to the hospital before he loses more blood. You’re injured too.” When he started to feel overwhelmed again, Kuro tenderly stroked his hair. He opened his eyes and met Kuro’s warm gaze. He made him feel safe and the tension left his body. The storm faded and the sky was once again calm.

The wings made of Jinn returned to his body and disappeared. His body felt lighter but he was also exhausted. Mahiru fell forward into Kuro’s chest. He worriedly ran his hand over his neck to find his pulse. Kuro held him closer until Shuhei approached them. He knew that Mahiru would be worried for his uncle the most so he said, “Toru needs medical attention right away. He had been stabbed. I’ll take Mahiru somewhere he can rest and heal.”

Kuro sat next to Mahiru’s hospital bed and watched over him while he slept. He heard the door open and instinctively stood to protect him. Toru stepped into the room and he relaxed slightly. He slumped into his chair again and ran his hand through his hair. “Should you be walking after Tsubaki stabbed you? I guess I should apologize for my brother.”

“I guess you would call him a bother.” Toru joked but he could only muster a small smile. “How is Mahiru? Iori told me what happened after I passed out.”

“He’s tired. Mahiru hasn’t woken up yet.” Kuro lightly ran his hand through his brown hair and Toru saw how his eyes became soft.

Kuro sat straighter and faced Toru. “I was hoping that we could have a break after the mess in C3’s headquarters. Hyde texted me and told me about World End and Hugh. This has been a week of unravelling secrets. Can’t deal. Is Tsurugi okay? I heard he went to protect Wrath despite his wounds. Mahiru would give him a lecture about proper rest once he hears that.”

“Jun said he last saw him fighting Mikuni. We don’t know what happened afterwards and we’re still investigating what could’ve happened. I’m sure you want to ask about Mahiru as well.” Toru took out a key that he stole from Iori. He pressed it against the wall and created a sealed cube so no one could overhear them. “I was planning to tell Mahiru alone but you’re going to be fighting as a team.”

Kuro nodded silently. Toru doubted he would tell C3 their family secret and endanger Mahiru. “My sister and I wanted to protect Mahiru. We did our best to keep C3 from discovering his abilities. He carries Jinn in his body like a vampire but he’s human.”

He looked down at his nephew and thought of his sister. “Hanamaru left C3 when she discovered that she was pregnant. Both of his parents were powerful magicians and he should’ve inherited that power. But Mahiru was exposed to Jinn before he was born since his mother worked at C3. The Jinn attached themselves to him as if he was a vessel.”

“If C3 knew a human could hold Jinn and control it…” Kuro trailed off and bit his lip. Even if C3 did discover the truth about Mahiru, Kuro would protect him.

A/N: We haven’t been given a lot of clues for what Mahiru could be or his secret power. My money had always been on him being a phoenix or something related to the sun. Mahiru had always been associated with the sun in official art from Tanaka (even before the fandom made it an inside joke). Added the Jinn concept so it would fit the Servamp world better.

#servamp #kuromahi #sloth pair #servamp kuro #mahiru shirota #toru shirota #fanfiction

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