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loudsuitlover · 4 years

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Indie and Harry

A/N: More Indie and Harry but angst.

She was sitting alone and the city lights were somehow bothering her. They were a reminder that she wasn’t alone, that her family- now maybe even broken- wasn’t the only family in the world and that there were other houses with other lights and other people that might never face even half as much as what she had faced so far. She wondered whether that was true but she pondered that maybe everyone would have to face something and that there was truly no measurement, no acceptable comparisons, because for someone who hadn’t lost, a misplacement could hurt just as much and there was no way of knowing if that was true.

Wheez made her way towards her on her furry paws and she sat down next to her and looked out to the city as well but Blue knew, even if she couldn’t talk, she knew she had found her in an attempt to lighten her mood. Wheez could always tell when someone needed her and Blue hadn’t known souls could be seen faster in dogs that in people until they had adopted Wheez, mostly for Anie; but she was now a part of the family.

She wouldn’t talk to the dog. She thought that was weird, but she would hold her gaze and she would comunicate with her somehow; for she swore she could feel it in her chest; and Wheez might understand or maybe not- but she was there and that was enough.

She didn’t even know how things had gotten so bad but it was the first time she was really scared that they might not make it. She hadn’t talked to Harry in a week and that was the longest he had been apart from their children ever so she was afraid that if he needed that much time without her then maybe he was really considering a divorce. The word made her tremble.

It was so silly too, that they had gotten this far for something so silly, specially because it had happened ten years ago and for the life of her she couldn’t see the big deal. Harry wasn’t a jealous guy, he had never been and she worshipped the ground he stood on anyway so he never really had reasons to be jealous and still... She guesses she had kept that stupid date from him for years for a reason after all, even if it was mindlessly.

He really wasn’t a jealous guy but that didn’t mean he was never jealous. He had been a little jealous a few times, but every time they had fucked and he had forgotten about it. There was just this one guy he was jealous of and he knew it was irrational, for he knew he had nothing to do and he knew Blue loved him way too much to jeopardize what they had; but it was just knowing it had been him.

It was probably silly. After all, it had happened ten years ago and she said it had just been dinner and nothing had happened and he believed her but she still had had ten years to mention it and she never did. And he had had to hear things about them every day in the hospital. Students who didn’t know they were married would talk in the O.R “Doctor Brook is so sleeping with doctor Anderson” or “I love it when doctor Brook operates with doctor Anderson, they’re so dreamy” or “stay with someone that looks at you the way doctor Brook looks at doctor Anderson” and every time he had wanted to tell them “doctor Anderson is my wife and we’ve been together since she was your age so pay attention and shut the fuck up” but every time he had stayed quiet and he had cleared his throat and mind his own business. Still, he wished he could take back what he said to her but some things can’t just be taken back once they’re out there.

“Mummy,” Blue turned her neck when she heard her son’s voice.

“¿Qué pasa, Hughie? ¿Estás bien?” (What is it, Hughie? Is everything alright?)

“Sí... ¿Por qué estás aquí fuera?” (Yes... Why are you out here?)

She shrugged and then she stood up from her chair and walked towards her son before making their way inside. Wheez followed them and lied down on her bed on the kitchen.

“Es un poco tarde, Hughie. Deberías estar en la cama. Mañana hay cole.” (It’s kinda late, Hughie. You should be in bed. You have school tomorrow.)

“Can we facetime Daddy? I miss him.”

She had a look at the time on the oven. It was 9 pm so she supposed they could give Harry a call if his son wanted to talk to him. She knew that’s what he’d want her to do anyway.

“We’ll text him, see if he’s awake.”

“Okay...”

She texted her angry husband and made sure he knew it was about Hughie and then patiently waited for him to reply.

“A lo mejor está dormido...” (Maybe he’s asleep...)

“¿Daddy se va a ir?” (Is Daddy leaving?)

Her hazel eyes looked up to her kid the second she heard his concern. It had almost been a sob and when she looked up at him she could see his green eyes filled with tears. Was that what had been keeping him up?

“¡No!” She shook her head. “Claro que no, peque.” (Of course not, little one.) “Daddy está en un congreso.” (Daddy’s on a work trip.)

“Entonces, ¿por qué estás triste?” (Then why are you sad?)

“Porque yo también le echo de menos.” (Because I miss him too.)

“Y, ¿por qué no hablas con él cuando le llamamos?” (And why do you not talk to him when we call him?)

It was in those moments when she damned herself and Harry for having raised such smart kids. He was only four years old for crying out loud, but he had still noticed that.

“Bueno es que cuando llamáis vosotros yo sé que Daddy quiere hablar con vosotros y veros. Yo hablo con él cuando os vais a dormir.” (Well, that’s just because when you call him, I know Daddy wants to talk to you and see you guys. I talk to him when you go to bed.)

“Daddy’s sad too. I can tell.”

But she didn’t have time to answer him because her phone started ringing. She set the phone against an empty mug on the kitchen counter so it was pointing at Hughie but she stood next to him so he didn’t add any more suspicion to his worried mind.

“Hi, love!” Harry greeted his son and her heart broke a little at the way it had sounded and she wanted to cry at the fear that he would never speak like that to her again.

“Daddy! Pease, come back.”

She loved her son’s pronunciation struggles and that was a fact. He couldn’t pronounce the l between consonants and he had some struggles with pronouns too, surprisingly worse in English than in Spanish, and he had been going to speech therapy for a year but he still struggled sometimes, especially on his PJs but she wasn’t yet worried about that. He was still four years old.

Harry gave his son a little smile before his green eyes set on her. She tried to give him a hopeful smile, one that meant that she wanted him to come back too, but she was afraid it hadn’t reached her eyes.

“Hey” He greeted her.

He hadn’t called her baby like he normally would but he hadn’t chosen to call her by her name either so he hadn’t named her at all. She didn’t know what that meant.

“Hey, I’m gonna give you two some privacy to talk. Voy a estar en el salón, peque.” (I’ll be in the living room, little one.)

Hughie nodded and she left and that time she didn’t eavesdrop for she wasn’t sure she was ready to face what her husband might tell their son. He had this thing- he didn’t like lying to his kids- so, always saving their inocence and the magic of childhood, he would still talk to them about the majority of things and he would explain everything to their little minds and they would nod and ask questions so she wasn’t ready to maybe hear that things were going to change.

It had happened a week prior. He had waited until they were alone- Hughie was at speech therapy, Dylan was at soccer practice and Coco had picked Anie and Wheez up on her way to the dogs’ park.

They were having a disagreement, but it wasn’t the first time they had disagreed on something after sixteen years together; and up until that moment, they hadn’t bursted like that. It was true that this disagreement was probably worse than the rest they had had because this was about one of their children and that was the most important thing for the two of them so it was hard to agree to disagree on something that required both their attentions.

“I think Anie liked the centre, just in case you care.” She said after some minutes of silence in the kitchen.

“I’m glad she did.” His jaw clenched. “I wish you would have told me you were taking her today too.”

“Why? Would you have come?”

His eyes held hers for long seconds. She was mad. No, she was furious. She couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t want to get help for his own daughter when they knew- they were doctors- that early therapy was the most important part of Autism treatment. She kept telling herself he was on denial but denying that their daughter had Autism wasn’t going to make it disappear. Plus, she really couldn’t understand. She thought- if left untreated Autism could be terrible- but he would ignore Danny every time and Danny said most times with early treatment, kids with mild Autism could have a pretty normal life, and he knew that because his own nephew had struggled with that and nowadays he was, if anything a little shy, he didn’t like to be touched but for the rest, he was just like any other kid his age.

And she remembered Alan. There was nothing wrong with Alan. She loved Alan and so did Dylan and she was pretty sure Alan loved them too in his own way but if she could do anything to help Anie so she could have normal relationships with people and no one could take advantage of her then she would do it because Anie was her daughter and she would do just about anything for her, even if that included having a fight with Harry.

“You know? I love our daughter just as much as you do.” He replied.

“You have a very weird way of showing it.”

“Why? Because I think you’re rushing into this?”

“Yes! Me and Ollie and every other person who’s seen Anie, Harry! You’re the only one who doesn’t want to see it! She’s two and she doesn’t speak a word! She doesn’t share anything with us, she doesn’t smile at us when she likes something, she doesn’t even pay attention when you call her by her name. She’s still in the first year development.”

“She is a baby, Blue! And she has hearing problems, we both know that! And she’s bilingual. Bilingual kids take longer to start talking and... You and I both know she has her own way of comunicating, I understand her and I feel a connection with her so maybe it’s you...”

Her breathing worked up and her jaw clenched as her whole face hardened, trying to hold back her tears. He would not make her cry in such a nasty way. He regretted his words the minute he said them but he had been on edge all day and she had a way of getting on his nerves and still he shouldn’t have said that. He knew that had been a fear of hers from Anie’s first months, she had said one too many times that her own baby didn’t like her; just because she seemed to like her Daddy much better so the fact that he was saying that made her want to cry.

“I’m sorry.” He said but she shook her head and still didn’t look him in the eyes.

“I don’t know if you think I want our daughter to be sick or that I want to treat her differently for no reason but the truth is I wish you’re right and if I’m wrong, I will be the happiest mum on Earth” her voice croaked and she rested a hand over her heart, as if that was going to stop it from breaking “because all I want is for my babies and you to be okay because I love you all more than anything. But if there’s something wrong with her, why do we have to wait for it to get worse? I mean what harm is there on her going to therapy even if she didn’t need it?”

“I just don’t want to give her a problem that she doesn’t have.”

“That’s the first thing that’s wrong about your conception of this whole thing. I don’t think Autism is a problem. It’s just another way of presentation of the human form and they need some help to fit on society but that’s that. Danny-” She stopped her sentence when she noticed the change in his body language and she got even madder. This could not be about Danny. “What? What is it with Danny? What the fuck is your problem?”

“I don’t want to talk about it with you.”

“With me? When did we stop talking about things, H?”

“It’s not constructive, that’s why it’s better not to say anything.”

“Well, shouldn’t you let me decide that? I want my husband to talk to me, whether what he’s gonna say is constructive or not.”

But he shook his head and that made her angrier.

“Are you fucking serious?”

“Stop swearing.”

“You’re a jerk.” She sighed and shook her head. “I don’t know what your problem with Danny is but if you care anything about Anie or me, you wouldn’t have a problem with him.”

Oh, no, she did not just say that.

“He’s always had my back and he’s always been there for me and-”

“That’s exactly the problem, Blue.” He bursted. “That he’s always there. And it’s precisely because I care about you that I have a problem with him.”

Because the thing about Danny was he had lost his fiancé too and the moment you had told Harry about that, he had seen it in your eyes, the relief, the finally someone was going to understand and he could never give you that. He couldn’t possibly compete with that and that scared him.

She shut her eyes and brought a hand to her temple as if all of a sudden she had gotten a terrible headache. Somehow she had.

“I can’t believe you’re jealous. You... You...”

“I’m not crazy, Blue. See? This is why I didn’t want to say anything.” He sighed but it was too late, it was out there, so then he could only elaborate on it. “He... He’s into you, babe and that’s okay, I mean I understand, I’m into you too.” He almost chuckled. “But everyone knows that. I mean people talk-”

“And since when do you care about what people say?”

“I don’t. I mean for the most part I don’t but...”

“But what? Do you think I would ever do that to you?”

“No. It’s not about you doing anything. I know you would never.” He shook his head. “I guess it’s about the possibility of you wanting to do it.”

“Well, I don’t.” She sighed. “And what do you want me to do about that? Do you want me to pretend I don’t like him or to put some distance even though we do work together-”

“No, nothing! That’s what I meant when I said it’s not constructive. There’s nothing you can do about it. It’s just what it is.”

“But it’s nothing.”

“Well, it’s...”It was not nothing, and if she had known by saying that she was invalidating his feelings she probably wouldn’t have said that. He was a lot more careful with his words than she was. Sometimes, that is; because some other times he would say things he regretted; but still he was always better with words than she was. “It’s listening to students gossip about how cute you two are together.”

“What student? The same one who calls you Harry?”

He stopped and his shoulders tensed before his green eyes investigate his wife’s. In that moment, he had forgotten all about how non-constructive that was going to be and even if he had known, when he wasn’t mad, that talking about it would bring no good; he couldn’t let it be then.

“Harry’s my name, Blue.”

“Oh, I know that. I also called you Harry when I was a student.”

She had poured herself a glass of water and she had a sip while she avoided his eyes so she missed the way she had hurt him. She had never really allowed herself to ponder about that thought because deep down she knew it was stupid but she had look at that student and she had seen herself sixteen years prior and she had had the fear that she wasn’t so young anymore and she didn’t look like it either and maybe Harry had noticed too.

“What are going on about?”

“Nothing.”

“Are you comparing that to us?”

And he said that with all the horror he could muster because he would never think Blue would ever feel that way. The thing was, yes, he had slept with a student but he was so much younger then and he had married that student so he didn’t think it was something anyone could hold over his head; much less her anyway. And he had never felt judged by that, not by her at least, until she said that.

Her eyes challenged him and she stood tall before him with her chest up and her shoulders tensed. He couldn’t possibly know that, for some things we just never know, but she would stand taller when she felt intimidated and there was no reason for her to feel intimidated then, if not by her own words and her own stupid fear of never being what he deserved.

“It’s just funny that you’re the one jealous when I had a student the other day telling me oh, you mean Harry when I asked her if she could please hand you a patient’s chart on her way out.”

“We work in a Uni hospital. I supervise students just like you do and my name’s Harry.” He stated the facts as if he was reading a list, “How does any of that make you jealous?” and then he wondered.

“It was the way she said it, Harry. Oh, you mean Harry.” She mocked. “As if she could ever know you better than I do. I mean she clearly didn’t know you were married to me.”

“Well, I don’t tell students about my personal life and let me remind you, you’re the one who didn’t want to take my last name in the hospital.”

“That has nothing to do with this. We’ve been over that and it’s-”

“About feminism and Spanish tradition, I know. I’m not the one troubled about students not knowing we’re married.”

“Yeah, that’s right. You don’t have a problem with that.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“You were right, this is not constructive.” She sighed.

“No, it’s not. It’s just... It’s not fair that you give me that shit when you’re the one..!” He took a deep breath. “I mean it annoyed you the tone a student used to talk about me, do you know what it feels like to be constantly reminded that your wife has such a special connection with her male coworker who happens to like her like a fool?”

“What special connection? What the hell are you talking about? It was just a dinner, years ago and nothing happened!”

“What?”

She swallowed. Time had stopped in her brain but she was suddenly very aware of the slow movement of the thin second hand from the clock her mother had placed on their kitchen wall. He didn’t mean that. Her hazel eyes shied away from his but his still searched for her and he waited and he wouldn’t let her scape. She sighed. This was not constructive.

“Blue.” He urged her.

“We had dinner” she admitted “when you asked me for a break, remember?”

There it was, the defensive tone again, the defensive argument, the fear and the guilt tightening her throat. He felt his heart breaking and he wasn’t quite sure why then but, in his mind, he had seen them having dinner together and she had been wearing that pink dress he liked and he had felt his heart on his belly.

“And you’re telling me this now. Ten years later.”

“I wasn’t planning on telling you ever if it wasn’t already clear.”

Why would she say those things? And why would she talk like that to him? She loved him, she didn’t want to hurt him. But in the midst of everything she was thinking, he thought she wasn’t planning on ever telling him because she knew it would hurt him and she knew it would hurt him because there was something that could. He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want to cry but he felt like she had just punched him on his chest.

“You were the one who broke up with me.” She continued, for once she started with the defensive manner she couldn’t take it off. .

“I didn’t break up with you. I just told you I needed some space.”

“You told me you needed to stay away from me.” Her voice croaked even if ten years had happened.

He had hurt her a lot back then and he had hurt her a lot when he had asked her for time even before they really got together all those years ago and that had been a reminder, and it had been a fear of her- that she wasn’t good enough, that she was hurting him, that he wasn’t happy with her. So thinking about it was painful and it would break her voice and make her cry every time.

“I told you I needed to stay away from you so I could think coldly because I had learnt from your fucking boss that you had been considering taking a job offer in fucking Boston and you hadn’t told me anything, Blue.”

“What for? So you could talk to them and ask them to hire me just like you did to doctor Laurie? One humilliation is already one too many, Harry!”

“I didn’t ask him to hire you!” He raised his voice then, just like she had done before, and he would later regret it but in that moment it was frustration that had gotten over him. “He asked me! I just told him what I thought! What did you want me to do? Lie to him? Tell him I thought you were terrible?”

“I wanted you to tell me! You were- You are the most important person when it comes to that to me! Do you have any idea how I felt when I found out the person I admired the most didn’t even think I could get a job without his help?”

“I was just looking out for you! I-” He stopped then.

He had said that too many times and every time he thought she had believed him but it would randomly come up again, years later, and they would start all over again. And he was done with that.

“Okay, we’re on a swirl.” He sighed. “We’re just throwing past, old things at each other’s faces and I don’t want to be a part of this.”

“Oh, you don’t want to be a part of this? Why don’t you leave then? Do you need another break from me?”

“Why? Do you feel like going to dinner with Danny again?”

She narrowed her eyes and her jaw clenched.

“No, but if you want to know, he’s coming with me to take Anie to the centre tomorrow again.”

“What do you mean again? He went with you today?”

“Yes, he did because he actually cares.”

“Fucking great, Blue. And you have the nerve to wonder what my problem with Danny is. He fucking looks like my baby’s dad. Because Anie’s my daughter, right? Or did you go on another fucking date with him that you also forgot to mention?”

“You did not just say that.”

“One has to wonder after all!”

“No! You have no right to give me that! I am the one who’s had to deal with women talking about you all the time! Don’t you remember? When we started dating and you had already slept with half the Neo floor?” She yelled. “I had to compete with-”

“You have some nerve talking to me about competion...”

“Oh, yeah? Against whom have you ever competed, huh? It has always been clear that I was crazy about you! Not just to you, but to everyone! It’s been so easy for you. You’ve always had me wrapped around your finger. You-”

“Easy? You’re not the one who’s had to live under the shadow of a dead boyfriend, Blue.”

She had been hugging her knees to her chest and replaying every word they had ever said in her mind when Hughie came to find her, phone in hand.

“Daddy quiere hablar contigo.” (Daddy wants to talk to you.) He had given her a little smile at that and he had said he would tuck himself in bed on his own because he wasn’t a baby.

“Hi.” She smiled at her husband’s exhausted expression.

“Hi.” He smiled back.

That was good.

“How are you?”

She shrugged and then she sighed.

“I’ve been better...”

“Yeah, me too...”

“The boys really miss you.” She let him know. “And Anie. And Wheez.”

He smiled. If he was being honest he had missed the dog quite a lot too, and his babies but that was rather obvious.

“And you?” He dared.

“Me too.”

He nodded.

“I miss you guys too... Are you, uh, ready to talk?”

She just nodded. She didn’t think they were going to be doing that on Facetime but if that was what he wanted then that was what she would do.

“Okay.” He swallowed. “What do you say about having lunch out tomorrow? You know, so we can talk properly.”

Her heart broke. She thought if he wanted to meet her outside the house it must be worse than she expected. He wouldn’t want to have her crying on her knees for him not to leave her and if they were out somewhere, he knew she would not do that.

“Sure.”

“Good. Uh...”

“I’ll ask Coco to stay with Anie and we can meet while the boys are still in school. Early lunch?”

“Sure. Sounds good.”

“Good.”

“See you tomorrow then.”

“See you.”

He hadn’t shaved. He had a week’s worth of stubble and he hadn’t particularly done it on purpose but he knew she liked it. She told him all the time, that she loved shaving him or watching him shaved, but that she loved running her fingertips along his stubble too and that she loved that he wasn’t a hairy man but still had some soft hair on his chest.

He gave her a little smile from the table as he watched her walking towards him and he stared at her baby blue coat and her black jeans and the way her hair brushed against her shoulders before falling down her back. Her hair was long again.

He stood up when she reached him, “Hi.” and he held her waist with one hand and pecked her lips swiftly and she felt her pulse accelerates.

“Hi.”

The waiter approached them and they both ordered water and giggled before reading over the menus and choosing what their bellies desired and then he gave her a smile and she didn’t know what he’d say.

“You have no idea how sorry I am.”

But out of all the things he could have said, she wasn’t expecting that. So her brows meet on her forehead and she let a sigh scaped her lips as the waiter placed the glasses and the bottle of water on the table.

“I’m sorry too.” She said when he left. “I’ve felt like shit all week, wanting to just go back in time and keep my mouth shut. I am so, so sorry I didn’t hear you out about this Danny thing. It just doesn’t make sense to me that you would ever be jealous of anyone, Har, because” she had started talking and she felt like she couldn’t stop, but he had let her and he was listening, with one hand over the table and the other resting on his thigh, and he was staring at her and he would remain silent for as long as she needed him to. “you are my person. I am constantly thinking about you like anything I do or anything I see it’s just like I have to tell Harry and I’m 37 years old” she raised her eyebrows as if saying that’s a lot to be thinking like that but he just scoffed and blinked “so the fact that you can be jealous about a special connection, you said? A special connection is this, is what I have with you, you’re my special connection and you can’t be afraid of anyone taking a place that you made for yourself.”

He smiled but his eyes had gotten teary. He found out he was a rather emotional man a couple of years after meeting her when he had cried after accidentally finding a photo album that she had made entirely about him and she had written little notes on every page like bold of him to look at me like that or the beauty and he had felt tears rolling down his cheeks as he stared at them.

She gave him a smile and her hand rested on top of his over the table and he squeezed her hand before she started whispering.

“And about Dylan, not our son... About Dylan Meyer... I didn’t know that was how you felt. I, uh, I thought... I mean throughout the years you have been with me through all of that and... Well, you were the one who encouraged me to get the courage to visit his grave for the first time and you’ve even been there with me and... I mean our son... We named our son after him and I swear I wouldn’t have said anything if you hadn’t-”

“Baby” He gently interrupted her “let me stop you there, please. I don’t feel like that. I just said it because I knew it would hurt you.” His voice croaked. “And I regret it so much because you didn’t deserve it and it was nasty and I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” She looked down at her plate.

“No, no, it’s not. Listen, baby, this has been very hard on us both but... You’re smarter than me, you’ve always been, and you’re stronger than me too and... After this week I’ve been thinking and I think you were right, maybe I just don’t want to see it because I don’t want to accept that my baby girl is not going to understand the world.” He shrugged. “I don’t want to think that she won’t be able to love somebody the way I love you.”

“Funny how I’ve been thinking the exact opposite.” She chuckled in an attemtp to lighten up the mood. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I’m just trying to justify why I don’t understand her like I do the boys but it’s just... You know how Dylan’s a mama’s boy and I know Hughie likes you better” she giggles at the way he smirks “and so does Ana but with her it’s just different. It’s not just that she likes you better, she’s just... I feel like I can’t reach her.”

“Well, still I think therapy can do her no harm. If anything we’d be creating a super human with uncharacteristically developed emotions processing skills.”

They both managed to laugh at that and after that bit of laughter had been shared, they stared into each other’s eyes and were suddenly aware of their hand hold over the table.

“I’m so lucky you’re their mother.” He stated. “This week’s been good reflection time for me to actually realize how incredible of a mum you are.”

Her smile trembled then but he didn’t remain silent that time.

“You’ve always understand them in a way that’s beyond my understanding and I’ve seen you protecting them fiercely like a lioness and I’m just so... Calmed. I feel serene because they have you. I mean I know you love me, I have no doubts of that, but I’m also pretty sure that you would use my body as a human shield to protect them if you had to and that weirdly brings me so much peace.”

She threw her head back and laughed at his words and he chuckled along, with a new fear that they might be true.

“It’s soothing to know that’s what you have been thinking about this week. I thought you were considering a divorce.”

His green eyes opened wide and he stared into hers. Was she serious? Oh, damn, she was. He raised his eyebrows.

“Okay, baby, listen carefully to me, you know how we vowed when we got married?”

“Yes.” She smirked.

“Well, after knowing that idea has been in your mind, I’m gonna need you to promise something else to me.”

She smirked and nodded.

“If I ever even mention a divorce, like if I ever say to you anything along the lines of going our separate ways, please promise me you would take me to Psych.”

And then she laughed again.

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prettyinlimegreenboots · 4 years

Note

“Hey, it may take me a couple of tries, but I don’t think there’s gonna be a problem.” for whoever you'd like :))

There’s some cursing and mentions of miscarriages in this section but there’s a happy ending. You might want to have some tissues handy.

His wife had been distracted the last few days. He watched her carefully and noticed the little differences. She was more withdrawn and quiet, not like her usually lively self.

“Kat?” He questioned from his place on the sofa, across from her, watching as she put the book down. “What’s wrong?”

With those words and before he knew it, she was in his arms sobbing. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her close, an awkward knocking of her knees with his chest. He ran a hand up and down her back as he quietly hummed, letting her get all the worry and frustrations she was feeling out. “Shhh . . . I got you. You’re safe.”

The next few minutes were filled with cries and soothing noises from him. He continued to run his hand up and down her back as her cries turned to quiet snubs. Before long, she went limp in his arms as sleep overtook her. Maneuvering them, he laid across the couch with her head laid on his chest, body stretched out. He pressed a few kisses to her forehead, listening to the quiet whisps escaping her mouth.

Grabbing the blanket from the top of the couch, he stretched it across them, making sure she was covered, before picking up his book from the table and opening it up. He didn’t plan on reading the afternoon away but if it’s what Kat needed, then he was only too happy to indulge her.

She awoke, startled at the quietness of the house and the warmth she felt. Her eyes fluttered, taking in the scene, as a hand rubbed her back. “Good afternoon sleepyhead.”

Sitting up, she pushed her hair off her face, turning to look at her husband grinning. “Did I fall asleep?”

“After the cry you had, it wasn’t a great surprise that you fell asleep.” Jack smiled, sadly. “That wasn’t a normal cry, Kat. That was a worried and frustrated cry. Why have you been holding that in?”

Sighing, she moved to the end of the couch, putting some distance between her and Jack. She pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them, leaning her head against her knee. “I don’t know.”

Reaching out a hand, he smiled watching her lace her fingers with his. “I felt awful that you were that heartbroken but hadn’t said anything. What’s on your mind, Kat?”

Biting her lip, she sighed. “I’ve been thinking . . . what if we’re never going to be parents, Jack? We’ve been married for almost three years and been trying to have a child for the last 18 months. What if it’s not in the cards for us?”

“Kat, there are other ways to become parents.” He started slowly, not wanting to upset her. “Hell, you want a baby, we could go try right now.”

She giggled, shaking her head at him, watching him wiggle his eyebrows. “It’s been 18 months. I don’t know how many more miscarriages I can go through.”

Pulling her to his chest, he hugged her close, kissing her head a couple of times. “I know this sucks right now but we will be parents, Kat. I will make it happen for you.”

Sighing, she wanted to believe him but at that moment, the feeling of his arms around her was the only thing she could believe. “Okay.”

“Okay.” He agreed. “How about we curl up and watch those Hallmark movies you like so much?”

Nodding, she let him pull her back on top of him, so that her head laid on his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heartbeat. “I love you Jack Kelly.”

“I love you too Katherine Kelly.” He pressed a kiss on her forehead, grabbing the remote and turning on the TV.

A Year Later

With a flourish flick of her wrist, the final signature was on the paper in front of them. Grinning, she looked between her husband and now, daughter, with a grin. “Is that the last of the signatures needed?”

The lawyer and judge grinned at the small family. “It’s official - Hazel Elizabeth May is now Hazel Elizabeth Kelly. Congratulations.”

Jack holding Hazel, pulled Kat close to him before giving her a kiss. “We’re parents!”

“We’re parents.” Kat echoed, reaching over and tickling the 2 year’s stomach. She was rewarded with a string of giggles.

With a couple handshakes, the family of three made their way out of the courthouse and out into the bright September sunshine. The smile on Kat’s face hadn’t diminished since she had gotten up that morning.

The past year was a rollercoaster of emotions. Many ups and downs for the two for them. Another miscarriage before the decision was made to pursue adoption. They were picked as an adoptee family rather quickly and fell in love with Hazel when she was 18 months old. Her story wasn’t one that was easy for Kat and Jack but vowed to love the little girl with all of their heart.

“What shall we do now?” Jack asked, looking between the little girl and his wife. “Get some lunch? Go home? What do you want to do, Kat?”

She shielded her eyes from the bright sunshine, as she looked at the two. Jack was born to be a dad and she fell more in love watching him hold Hazel so protectively. “Lunch . . . mama’s hungry.”

Jack laughed, letting his hand fall to her ever expanding stomach. As the court date was announced to finalize Hazel’s adoption, they had gotten news that they were pregnant. Jack and Kat held their breaths as they went to various doctor appointments, waiting for the shoe to drop. At their 15 week scan, they got the unexpected news that Kat was carrying twins, a very welcomed surprise for the couple.

“Let’s not make mama or your siblings angry, Hazel.” He took Kat’s hand, leading her to the SUV. He quickly buckled Hazel in her carseat before helping Kat into the car.

Getting himself into the car and buckled, he took a moment to enjoy the sounds that surrounded him. Kat’s quiet giggle and Hazel’s babble in the backseat. Feeling Kat lace her fingers with his, a squeeze pulled him back. “You okay?”

“Counting blessings.” He grinned, leaning over and kissing her. “I love you Katherine. Thank you for the wildest ride ever.”

She wiped some stray tears away before smiling softly. “I love you too Jack Kelly. Thank you for always being there for me and being the best daddy to Hazel and our unborn twins. Now can we eat?”

He laughed, nodding, before starting the car. They had made plans with their friends and family at a local restaurant to celebrate. They listened to Hazel babble in the backseat as they made their way across town.

Pulling into the parking lot, Jack got Hazel out of her carseat while Kat grabbed the diaper bag before walking into the restaurant. Thankfully they were in a private room because as soon as they made their presence known, a huge roar of congratulations was yelled.

Hazel buried her head in Jack’s chest, scared from the sudden noise as Jack and Kat both grinned at their family and friends. Hugs were given as they greeted everyone in the room.

Medda, Race, Spot, and Crutchie had all been godsends for the couple as they made their way through the difficult journey. The four were always checking up on Jack and Kat and dropping off food as a way to check in on them.

Lacing his fingers with Kat’s, Jack surveyed the room with a big grin. “Most of you have met her but this is our daughter, Hazel. Hazel, this is your crazy family.”

Turning her head slightly, she cautiously surveyed the room, giving the people that surrounded her a look. Popping her head up, she grinned brightly at everyone around the room before raising her hand in a brief wave, causing everyone to aww at her.

They soon settled down around the table, Hazel in a highchair between Jack and Kat, happily banging on the table.

“You need some help, old man?” Race watched, Jack trying to cut up french fries for Hazel to munch on.

“Hey, it may take me a couple of tries, but I don’t think there’s gonna be a problem.” Jack grinned, returning to his task as Kat chuckled at him.

Dumping a few cut up french fries on the tray, Jack leaned over and kissed Hazel’s head before looking around the table.

“Watch it boys, he’s going to get sappy soon.” Spot grinned, looked at his brother-in-law. “And we all know how Jack gets when he’s sappy.”

Pointing at Spot, Jack shook his head. “Shuddup.”

“Jackie’s a daddy now.” Crutchie piped up, giving Race and Spot a look. “This should be a celebration, not give Jackie a hard time. He’s learning, just like you goons did when you first got Madison and Micah. Now how about you be supportive big brothers and teach him the ropes.”

Jack could have kissed his younger brother for that speech. Crutchie was much more of a sap than he usually was but none of them could wipe the grins off their faces at how happy they were for Jack and Kat.

Medda looked at Jack and Kat before moving her eyes to Crutchie, Spot and Race along with her three precious grandchildren. She smiled at Kat’s family, her parents and brothers as she raised her glass in a toast. “To Jack, Kat, and Hazel - we are so excited for you to welcome Hazel into your lives. May you three have the happiest of all days and here’s to making incredible memories. To Jack, Kat, and Hazel.”

Everyone else raised their glasses in a toast, cheering for the newest member of their family.

Thank you @cutesiewoojin for sending this in!!!

#newsies #newsies fan fiction #writing #ask #drabble requests #newsies drabble #drabble prompt #jack kelly x katherine kelly #Jack Kelly #katherine Kelly #spot conlon #racetrack higgins

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nancywheelxr · 5 years

Note

Plz. Make twilight gay.

Okay, this is just not the kind of ask I can ignore, I have been waiting for someone to ask me this, you don’t understand, thank you, so due to (semi)popular demand here’s a start:

Bella does not have a life a plan.

But if she did, she’s sure it wouldn’t have included moving back to melancholic Forks with its grey skies, grey buildings, and grey weather. It would never. So hey, maybe being kind of a mess, turned out okay in the end– almost for the best.

And while she’s sort of underwhelmed by the town, numbed by the sheer small-town-ness of this place, it’s not all bad. To everything, there are small mercies.

Here, there’s her father and there’s Jacob, maybe. There are the woods in a jarring flash of vibrant green that catches her eyes no matter where she is, ever-present just at the edge of awareness. And anyway, it’s not like Bella had been leading some exciting life in Arizona.

Jessica and Angela and the guys will suit her just fine, she decides.

“Oh, check that out,” Jessica whispers loudly with a grin that seems severely tempted into turning into a smirk, and Bella follows her twinkling gaze to–

To quite possibly an alternate universe or maybe Heaven.

Because there’s no way people can be this beautiful, let alone teenagers. “Who are they?” She asks, not bothering to hide the awe in her voice.

“That’s the Cullens,” Jessica explains, barely keeping from bursting with the absolute need to tell Bella everything there is to know about the town gossips, “they’re Doctor Cullen’s adopted kids. The sad ginger,” she discretely nods in the direction of an admittedly constipated-looking boy, the kind that probably reads poetry and thinks that’s a halfway decent personality, Bella muses, and beautiful enough to be a muse to equally despondent poets, “is Edward, and the muscles beside him is Emmet.”

Muscles is an apt description for the boy and Bella can’t understand where this doctor found these kids. A model magazine perhaps?

“The tiny girl with the pained blonde are Alice and Jasper,” she continues, gesturing to a girl that must be a fairy pretending to be a girl, pretty and whimsical, she looks like a mischievous pixie with the strangest sense of fashion Bella’s ever seen and the uncanny ability to make it work, and wrapped at her side is a guy with such a troubled expression, it makes Bella kind of want to ask him if he wants her to go get the nurse or maybe read him some of his brother’s sad poetry. And then, Jessica continues, leaning in with an air of scandalous conspiracy, “they’re together together, you know?”

“Jessica!” Angela hisses, kicking the girl under the table, and adjusts her glasses, glancing nervously at the Pretty People table, “it’s not– they’re not really related, so it’s okay.”

“Uh, it’s still weird as shit,” Jessica shrugs, flipping her hair over her shoulder and nodding at the final Cullen, “and that’s Rosalie, she’s Jasper’s twin and kind of a bitch sometimes, so you know. Try not to get in her way.”

A strangled noise comes out of Bella’s throat and she doesn’t know how to tell Jessica that actually, she’d very much like to get in Rosalie’s way, because Bella had been trying to avoid looking at Rosalie up until now; she’d knew once she’d start, she wouldn’t know how to stop.

If Forks had been a pale, monochromatic world, Rosalie stands out as a beacon of color in the middle of all the grey. Her blond hair shines golden in the harsh artificial lights of the cafeteria and it’s pathetic, really, how much Bella wants to card her fingers through it, tuck a wayward strand behind Rosalie’s ear, and her lips are red in a way that makes Bella wonder if they would taste of lipstick and the uneaten apple in her plate.

All the Cullens are love at first sight material, but god, Bella didn’t know you could fall halfway in love with someone like this.

“Oh no,” Angela says, sounding panicked and despairing, “I don’t like the look on your face– that’s not the kind of look of someone who’ll stay away.”

“Don’t even bother,” Jessica huffs, bittersweet in her resignation, “they don’t deign to slum with us poor mortals.”

“Don’t be like this, Jess,” she chides half-heartedly.

Jessica makes a face before turning back to Bella with a giddy grin, “so, which one would you choose?”

Glancing down at the tabletop, Bella squirms. “Hm, I dunno,” she picks at a spot where someone had started chipping at the wood, “Rosalie’s really beautiful, I guess.”

“Oh,” says Jessica, and there’s the sound of someone’s sneaker hitting someone’s ankle, and she muffles a yelp in her coat sleeve, “oh. Okay. Cool. I suppose she’s pretty, yes, but I think Edward is just dreamy.”

Maybe Forks is not the best place not to be straight, is not Phoenix where you could get lost in a crowd, fade into the background, but– she thinks of Charlie’s awkward bumbling into an accepting speech and Angela’s pointed look at Jess across the table, and, well. It could definitely be worse.

And anyway, Jessica has a point, Edward is kinda dreamy, yeah, and Bella could see herself being drawn to his melancholy. Except–

Except Alice leans across the table to throw a fry at Emmet and it hits Rosalie instead, making her look up to glare and accidentally meet Bella’s eyes. In the second she takes to look away, her eyes are a warm hazel, the color of sunlight spilling into a honey jar, and Bella could swear her sharp glare had swayed, softened a touch when clashing with Bella’s own deer-in-the-headlights look.

That’s all that it takes, really, for Angela to be right.

#twilight #twilight renaissance #rosalie x bella #bella swan #rosalie hale #edward cullen #jessica stanley #angela #jasper hale #emmet cullen #look an ask #twilight tag #rosalie x bella tag

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in-tua-deep · 5 years

Note

I have seen some fics of Five going to high school (and often falling in love with a 13 y/o oc girl which icks me tf out bc that’s an old man, guys) to socialize which gave me the idea of Five befriending old people who are also physically old. For example, Hannah, the German lady in her 80s who poisoned nazis when she was a child. Then there’s Joan who spent his life fighting to achieve his goals despite having to deal with near-constant racism. Just. Five getting along with all these old ppl

you’re RIGHT and consider: Klaus decides it’s a good idea to take Five along to his weekly ladies over fifty stitch ‘n bitch and is surprised and delighted to find that Five actually genuinely gets along with all of them

there is, of course, Hannah who poisoned Nazis and her and five trade poisoning methods the way other people might trade coveted family recipes. Hannah declares Five to be a “nice young man” and the fact that she is in her 80s or 90s means that she is absolutely allowed to get away with it

Fiona is a 60something butch lesbian who proudly displays her mugshots along the walls of her house for everyone to gaze upon in awe when it’s her turn to host. Her wife, Mandy, always makes snickerdoodle cookies and fondly talks about the time her and “Fee” got arrested because Fee kicked a cop in the balls or something.

Doris was an army nurse during her youth and can curse well enough to make a sailor blush and has the bawdiest sense of humor to match. She spends most of her time knitting baby socks and hats to donate and volunteers at a community center where she sneaks food to any hungry teens who have all adopted her as their odd aunt.

Nada immigrated in her teens with her parents and has had to deal with Islamophobia her entire life. She wears a khimār that she knitted herself and laughs when Five genuinely offers to kill any assholes who harass her. Instead, she starts teaching him Arabic since her own grandchildren unfortunately do not speak it

Edith was trans before anybody even knew what that meant and she teaches Five patterns for interesting dresses and fancy sweaters since Five expresses some interest in diversifying his wardrobe (Five personally stands by the fact that skirts and dresses are the best because!! if you lift up front you have INSTANT POCKET/BAG which was very useful in the apocalypse!! of course now his family protest about him flashing underwear or whatever. Edith just introduces him to wearing leggings under and calls it a day)

Kathy killed her first husband and everyone knows it even if she was never convicted. She spends her days volunteering at centers for domestic violence and working with abused women and children. She tells Klaus and Five quite plainly that if Reginald were still alive she would kill him, and they laugh but they absolutely believe her. Five sincerely tells her he would kill her husband if he were still alive as well, and Kathy grins and winks and says she beat him to that one

and all the others. Sally who worked customer service her whole life and lived to tell the tale. Ruby who was widowed young and raised four kids by herself. Alice who is deaf and signs slowly because her parents thought she needed speech therapy to appear normal more than she needed an actual way to communicate. Becca was a teen during the civil rights movement and witnessed schools being desegregated, and is quick to remind everyone that it wasn’t as long ago as they think - she remembers the white kids jeering and the protests like it was yesterday. Susan’s husband died in the Vietnam war and she is very quiet when she finds out that he was in Klaus’s unit.

A rotating cast of women with vibrant and brilliant and unique lives who parade through. Some are fixtures, some come when they’re able which isn’t often, some only pop in on the rare occasion when the planets align.

“Go get the salsa dip, Five.” Kathy orders.

“Why do I always have to fetch everything.” Five complains, even as he stands up.

“Because you can teleport.” Kathy says with a shrug, “If I could teleport then it would be me going to get the salsa, wouldn’t it?”

Five goes and gets the damn salsa.

One time a new woman is very confused and asks about Klaus and Five’s presence at the Women’s 50 and over knitting club (“It’s the stitch ‘n bitch,” Klaus mutters under his breath and is ignored) and everyone just kind of shrugs.

“Women and nonbinary old person support and knitting group?” Edith suggests but everyone agrees that that’s a bit of a mouthful.

“But they’re too young?” The new woman asks again, helplessly.

“Actually Klaus fought with my husband in the Vietnam war.” Susan interjects cheerfully before Klaus can start his theatrics, passing the oatmeal raisin cookies to Hannah who is cackling delightedly, “And Five assassinated President Kennedy, I think.”

“Allegedly assassinated President Kennedy.” Five corrects with a flourish of his knitting needles as Kathy nods in approval.

“Oh.” The new woman says, faintly. “Oh, I think I need to sit down.”

“Don’t worry, dear.” Sally comforts, “It’s only that family which doesn’t make sense. You can probably count on the rest of the world to be at least a little bit sensible.”

“I find it offensive that no one here thinks I’m not too young to be here.” Becca interjects and that sets everyone off laughing and falling over themselves to assure her that she’s as pretty as a picture and fresh as a daisy

i’m having a lot of fun with this as you might be able to tell. Just. Five and Klaus joining in old people things because Five IS old and Klaus fought in the vietnam war so you bet your ass he is demanding the senior citizen discount at restaurants

i feel like Agnes should join the group after her romantic tour of bird sanctuaries with Hazel. Hazel himself is not sure how to feel about Klaus and Five being in the same knitting club as his girlfriend but Agnes is clearly having fun and she makes homemade doughnuts for meetings which means the club isn’t letting go of her voluntarily anyway

AND THEN YEAH i always loved the concept of Klaus meeting up with some of the guys from his old unit and all of them just being kind of like “ah klaus you fucker i never actually took you seriously about the time travel shit i just thought you were on some serious drugs” and immediately just adopt klaus back into the fold

and i mean five is also a soldier in a low of ways so i feel like he would also really fit in with their gallows humor and serious knowledge of weapons. Of course, both Klaus and Five also look young enough to be their grandchildren so they also highkey just straight up adopt them and are fully willing to loom ominously at anyone who bothers them

the hargreeves go to pride and Klaus is like “oh I’m meeting up with some friends as well :)” and the others assume they’re like. party friends he made or ex boyfriends or something and then this big gang of old war vets materialize from the crowd decked out in rainbows bc they do this every year - originally in honor of Klaus and Dave but now klaus is again so Time To Party B)

Five “volunteers” in a nursing home and all the staff think he’s adorable and precocious but actually he complains about technology and reminisces about the great depression and beats the occupants at checkers as he and his opponent trade stories about which joint and bones they can feel storms coming in

just AGE APPROPRIATE FRIENDS

#ask me #stelte23 #you - i like you #i agree that five should not be paired with any teen ever #where's that one gif of the vampire dude being like 'people are like what's what young thing doing with that thousands of years old vampire'#with his 80 yr old gf #far tua long #tua #the umbrella academy #five hargreeves #number five #klaus hargreeves #i had too much fun with this as you can probably tell #klaus is technically only 30 including his year away #but the club handwaves that away #he's the only one they made an exception for #can i admit that the 'ladies over 50 stitch and bitch' is actually a concept from a different drabble i wrote in class today #bc of something my prof said #so i guess that drabble is a prequel to this yelling bc that's pre five being persuaded to go

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bowandarrowgirl · 6 years

Text

You’re Not As Lonely As You Think You Are (I’m Trying to Tell You) - Chapter 8: Golden Girl (I’ll Keep You Forever)

Read on AO3

A/N: Sooooooooo, I thought about if they were all teenagers in real life, which actors would portray them. To be honest, I couldn't really come up with any for Drax, Rocket and Groot are both CGI anyways so they're good, Shuri and Little Peter are already considered 'teens'. So I came up with Megan Nicole as Gamora (yes, I know she has kind of a higher-pitched voice than Zoe does, but I still think she'd make a really cute Gamora), Madilyn Bailey as Nat, and imagine Nat Wolff WITH STRAWBERRY BLONDE HAIR, as Peter?! Idk, it was just an idea! XDD Anyways, enjoy! <3

They run. They leave Homecoming and run. They had managed to wake Drax from his unconscious state, but Gamora was still in a state of shock before they left, causing Peter to pull her to her feet and hold her upright as they ran.

Peter digs around in the pocket of his pants for the keys to the performing arts building. Once he finds them, he unlocks the front door, immediately guiding the group to the choir room.

After everyone is safely inside, Peter locks the doors and turns on the lights. Luckily, the only windows in the room are attached to the doors.

Nat and Shuri guide Gamora to one of the chairs, Peter's maroon, leather jacket loosely covering her bare shoulders. Her arms are still wrapped around her abdomen, trembling slightly.

"Gamora, what is going on?" Nat asks in a tone in what seems like she had asked for the hundredth time.

"It's my sister-she's insane." Instead of looking at the girl in crouched in front of her, her gaze is towards the dirty floor.

"Gamora, you told me Thanos-"

"She's adopted." She snaps, immediately regretting it and finally giving Nat an apologetic look. Her eyes rip away from Nat's and shift back to the floor. "I'm not the only one Thanos took from their homeworld."

Shuri crouches down besides Nat, resting an assuring hand on Gamora's bare knee. "Your sister-what does she plan to do?"

"I don't know exactly what she's up to, but I know she's after this orb. I was on a mission to find it before I crashed here. She thought I had it-" Gamora takes a deep breath before standing up and walking towards the piano. "If it's anything like I think it is, we might be in trouble."

"Then, we need to stop her." Peter chimes in, slowly approaching her.

"It's not just her we need to stop-she joined Ronan."

"Wait, who's Ronan?" Peter asks with a raised brow, the rest of the group watching their conversation intently.

"A Kree fanatic who works for Thanos."

The mention of the name sends chills down Peter's spine. Gamora has told him of the pain Thanos inflicted, not only on her, but millions of innocent people around the universe. She has told him what he's capable of and his one and only goal: to eradicate half the universe.

"Ronan may have killed my lover, Hovat, and my younger sister, Kamaria, but Thanos is by far the strongest being in the universe. I will accompany you on your quest to find this orb. Then, I will kill Ronan and avenge my family's deaths." Drax was very silent until that moment. He crosses the room to join Peter and Gamora near the piano.

"What exactly is this orb?" Peter asks, completely brushing off Drax's entire speech. "From what it sounds, it seems like some kind of weapon."

"I don't know what it is."

"If it's a weapon, we should use it against Ronan."

Gamora's head whips around to Drax. "You fool! You'll destroy us all!" Maybe snapping from a comment as small as that wasn't her best move, but it was too late.

"Or just you, MURDERESS!" Drax steps closer, pissing Gamora off even more so.

"I LET YOU LIVE ONCE, PRINCESS!" Gamora finds herself looking straight up at him, baring her teeth.

"I AM NOT A PRINCESS!" The tattooed boy stands up straighter, glaring at the smaller girl in front of him.

"WOAH, WOAH, WOAH! Nobody is killing ANYBODY in my CHOIR ROOM!" Peter puts himself between them as they continue to glare at one another.

"It ain't your choir room, dumbass." It's that stupid raccoon and giving tree whom always manages to find themselves in the same room as him.

Peter rolls his eyes and turns his head to said duo. "Can we help you? What are you even doing here?" The raccoon doesn't reply, giving Peter a vexing smirk instead. "Let me guess? Profit?"

"Oh, hell yeah!" Rocket crawls off Groot's shoulder and scales up the piano to gain the attention of the others. "I know someone who's very trustworthy and is willing to pay a whole lotta units for that orb."

"How much?" Peter asks in curiosity, oblivious to Gamora's annoyed eye roll.

"Four. Billion. Units." The emphasis on the three words captures Peter's attention as his eyes widen.

"Holy shit!"

"Yup! About a hundred thousand times the amount of Yondu's bounty on you. Groot and I were gonna go after it, but when we heard Greenie over here mumbling somethin' about the orb, we thought we could use a few extra humies."

"And what makes you think we'll help you?" It's the first time Gamora speaks up since Rocket started talking.

"Cause', I have a big gun that could disable your mods and kill you in an instant."

"I am Groot."

"Shut up, Groot."

"I. Am. Groot." The tree says with more force.

After a few moments, Rocket crosses his arms and rolls his eyes. "Fine. Groot says we'll split the profit between everyone who gives us a hand."

"If I gave you my hand, it would require me to sever it off, disabling the ability to be helpful with it still attached." Everyone's jaws drop at the amount of stupidity they had just heard.

"It's an expression, dipshit." Rocket explains with another eye roll.

"I will never understand Terran sayings."

"It's not exclusively from Terra. People say it all the time."

"We're getting off track!" Gamora interrupts, watching as Drax and Rocket exchange a look and shrug their shoulders in unison.

"Are you in or not?"

Gamora's brown eyes find Peter's. He looks at her with the same grave expression, subtly nodding at her. There's that look in his eyes. The same look he had when she came out of the dressing room at Forever 21 in the outfit he picked out for her. The same look he had when he noticed she was finally able to start reading paragraphs on her own. The same look he had when she finally joined in on the choir ritual. The same look he had when he finally had the guts to ask her to homecoming. The same damn look he had when he kissed her. That genuine, caring look in his hazel eyes that she trusts more than anything in the universe. There's nothing selfish in them either, meaning he has a ethical reason behind agreeing, and he would explain later. She knows him and she trusts him.

With that, she turns to Rocket and sighs. "Yes, but if you do not undertake your part, I will be sure to skin you alive, Rodent. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Greenie, I do."

"If you guys are really considering this, you better make sure this buyer is trustworthy. If something happens that this 'orb' is a weapon and it's in the wrong hands, who knows what could go wrong." Nat states, putting a hand on Gamora's shoulder. The green girl nods in unison with Peter.

"How do we get off this dumb planet without confronting the director?"

"Well, Big Guy! I have a plan-"

Although Nat is training to be a spy for S.H.I.E.L.D., she has very awful plans, which is why Gamora, Drax, Peter, Rocket, and Groot are fully equipped to leave Earth and are on their way to headquarters. The entire building is built underground as a bunker at the edge of the city. The only section visible is a small dome-shaped structure made entirely of one-way glass, and the secret hangar roof behind it. Two men in S.H.I.E.L.D uniforms, guard the steel double doors to the structure.

It was a long drive from their dorms to headquarters-approximately four hours to be exact. So, yeah. It was a long drive. Not to mention being in a small Volkswagen van with seven people, three of which were not as friendly as the others (well, the tree's okay). It's a miracle to get out when they arrive.

Nat's plan was simple: she and Gamora will gang up on the guards and knock them unconscious. Then, they would all sneak into the docking bay and board Peter's ship.

Therefore, they put the plan into effect. Within seconds upon reaching the small structure, Gamora and Nat sneak up behind the guards and kick them square in the back of their heads, watching as their bodies fall limp to the ground.

Peter flinches a little as their bodies hit the pavement. "Ooh, that's gotta hurt." He whispers as Nat grabs a key card from one of the guard's pockets and unlocks the door, following the group inside.

They all scuttle into a confined elevator, uncomfortably close to one another as they ride down to the docking bay. As they exit, they are spotted by two more S.H.I.E.L.D agents, who immediately get swept off their feet, due to Gamora's quick reflexes.

"What does your ship look like?" Shuri asks as they spread out, scanning each of the unique aircraft.

"It's the Milano-the blue and orange M-ship."

"The Milano?" Nat asks with a raised eyebrow. "Like the cookies?"

"No, Alyssa Milano, duh!" Nat pinches the bridge of her nose.

Gamora crosses her arms and glares at Peter. "So, who's this 'Marissa Milano'?" She asks skeptically. Of course, it wasn't out of jealousy. Gamora wasn't the type to be 'jealous'.

The boy gives her a small smirk, notching the hint of jealousy in her brown eyes. "Alyssa Milano." He corrects.

"Whatever."

"She's an actress. I had a huge crush on her when I was a kid."

"You're still a kid." She points out, glaring at him more intensely.

"No reason to be jealous."

"I'm not jealous."

"Okay."

"Can you makeout later, Lovebirds? We found your ship." Rocket announces, rolling his eyes.

"This is your ship?" Peter nods his head proudly. "No offense, but it looks like a piece of shit."

"Wow. Thanks Nat." Just then the alarms start blaring, meaning that somebody spotted them. "Hurry! Get on the ship!" Peter yells over the alarms as he lowers the ramp. Groot, Rocket, and Drax quickly obey, the original four staying behind for a moment longer.

"Go." Shuri says, gesturing to the ship with her head. "We will stay behind and cover you."

"Thank you." Gamora wraps her arms around their necks as Peter makes his way up the ramp, not completely entering the ship until Gamora follows him. The ramp closes behind them as Nat and Shuri start running for the exit.

They arrive at the temple on Morag, only to find out that Ronan's right hand beats them there. Luckily, it seems as if they haven't exited their ship yet.

Gamora whips her head around to the group. "Korath is here."

"Lemme guess? Ronan's henchman?" Rocket asks, crossing his arms.

"You could say that."

Peter eyes Gamora again as if they read each other's minds. "Okay." He says, staring her in the eyes a moment longer before focusing on the rest of the group. "Here's the plan: Gamora and I will break into the temple and steal the orb. Drax, you'll follow and cover us. Rocket. Groot. You two will stay here, protect the ship, and get ready to take off as soon as we get back. Got it?" Everyone nods. "Good. Let's go!"

It's eerily easy to obtain it, only requiring the use of a gravity mine. However, there's never any sign of Korath or his Sakaaran soldiers. That's what puts Gamora on edge. "Peter, something isn't right." She states, reaching for her Godslayer.

"Okay, well, let's go!" He begins to walk out of the temple bumping into a Sakaaran soldier. "Oh, shit."

"Drop it!" A deep voice booms as a man, who looks partially like an android, enters.

"He will do no such thing, Korath!" Gamora spits through her teeth, extracting her sword and charging towards the man with a loud war cry. Drax follows suit with his daggers. "DRAX! PETER! GET TO THE SHIP!" Drax jabs one of his daggers into one last soldier and obeys almost immediately. "PETER!"

"NO! I'M NOT LEAVING YOU!" Peter shoots another Sakaaran that had entered the temple.

"GO, PETER!"

Peter hesitates. "Shit." He mutters under his breath, shooting one last soldier before bolting to the ship. With one last cry, Gamora drives her sword into Korath's abdomen, immediately following Peter. The boy pulls out another gravity mine, throwing it at the Sakaaran soldiers running after them. Gamora ducks and rolls her eyes as Peter yells back an apology. As soon as they have boarded the ship, Rocket turns on the thrusters and flies them to safety.

After the coast is clear, Peter meets Gamora on the lower deck. She watches as he places a small box into a weird contraption built into the Milano.

"What is that?" Gamora asks in curiosity with pursed lips.

"It's called a cassette. It plays music, see?" Peter presses a button and turns a dial as music begins to fill the ship. A huge grin creeps onto his face once he notices the corners of the green girl's lips twitching up. It only grows when she begins to subconsciously bob her head to the beat.

"What?"

It doesn't take long before Peter realizes he's staring. "Nothing." He scratches the back of his neck. "Um...just-do you trust them?"

"The only one I trust in this ship, is you."

Peter glances up at the stairs leading to the cockpit before focusing back on Gamora. "How much you wanna bet they'll ditch us after we receive the payment?" He asks almost inaudibly.

"As long as they don't give us a reason to be suspicious, we shouldn't worry too much about it."

"So, we're partners then?" Peter closes the distance between them.

Gamora crosses her arms and stares up at him. "We had an agreement, but I would never be partners."

"Does that include me?"

The green girl leans in as if to kiss him. She pauses, lips only millimeters away from his. "Especially you, Peter Quill."

He feels her breath against his lips and opens his eyes to see that she had snuck away before they could kiss. A slight chuckle escapes from him as he turns around to see her walking up the stairs with an extra sway to her hips. "Oh, it's on."

Knowhere is practically a place for outlaws, or so Gamora says. It's a grungy place and highly polluted. The streets are packed with aliens of all species, most of them looking homeless, mean, and dirty. They pass a building with a colorfully lit-up sign as a bouncer throws a patron out.

"The buyer's in there?" Peter asks staring as the patron slowly gets up.

"He told me we have to wait for his representative or whatever." Rocket explains as they continue walking.

"This is no respectable establishment. What do you expect us to do while we wait?" Drax asks with a hint of a pout.

"The museum is inside of a bar." Rocket states, stopping in his tracks and turning towards the group.

"There's no way they're going to allow us to drink. We're underage."

The raccoon bats a paw at her. "Psh! They don't care as long as they get units." He starts walking back to the bar with Groot following closely behind.

Drax shrugs and follows suit, leaving Gamora and Peter alone. "I'm gonna fill up the Milano. You coming?"

A sigh escapes the Zen-Whoberian's mouth. "I would, but I still don't completely trust those three. I'll keep an eye on them and meet you inside." Peter nods and plants a quick kiss to her temple before walking back in the direction of the Milano.

It's barely half an hour when Peter returns to the bar, finding her out on the balcony as she cleans her sword. He walks out casually and stands next to her. "Man, you wouldn't believe what they charge for fuel out here. I might actually lose money on this job."

"Doesn't surprise me." Gamora says dryly. "They're making us wait." She sheathes her sword and turns towards Peter with a perturbed expression. "Why did we agree to this, Peter?"

"You wanna escape from Thanos. I wanna escape from Yondu. We're gonna want to leave the academy eventually." He takes a deep breath and sets his forearms on the top of the balcony railing, leaning against it. "I also thought maybe we could leave together." He mutters it under his breath, hoping Gamora would hear it as much as he didn't want her to. He stares out into the void and snaps out of his thoughts as a green hand is gently placed on top of his. Turning his head slowly, he realizes that Gamora is gazing at him with a soft smile upon her lips.

"I-" She was cut off by the sound of a rousing bar fight, involving Rocket, Groot and Drax.

"Oh no." Peter moans, walking past Gamora and entering the bar. She follows suit, noticing Drax being strangled by Groot.

The muscular teen rips himself free of Groot's vines as Rocket powers up his gun. Before he can go after Groot again, Gamora pulls him up by his arm. "STOP IT!"

However, it doesn't stop Rocket from aiming his weapon at Drax. Peter steps in with a defensive hand, blocking his view. "WOAH, WOAH, WOAH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"THIS VERMIN SPEAKS OF AFFAIRS HE KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT!" Drax yells trying to push out of Gamora's grasp to get to Rocket.

"THAT IS TRUE!"

"HE HAS NO RESPECT!"

"THAT IS ALSO TRUE!"

"HOLD ON! HOLD ON!" Peter steps closer to Rocket as he starts to aim his gun again.

"KEEP CALLING ME VERMIN, TOUGH GUY! YOU JUST WANNA LAUGH AT ME LIKE EVERYONE ELSE!"

"Rocket, you're drunk, alright? Nobody's laughing at you." The Terran does his best to calm the raccoon down, but the small creature continues.

"HE THINKS I'M SOME STUPID THING! HE DOES! WELL, I DIDN'T ASK TO GET MADE! I DIDN'T ASK TO BE TORN APART, AND PUT BACK TOGETHER, OVER AND OVER AND TURNED INTO SOME...some little monster-"

"Rocket, no one's callin' you a monster."

"HE CALLED ME VERMIN! SHE CALLED ME RODENT!" He screams, pointing to Drax and Gamora respectively. "Let's see if you can laugh after five or six good shots to your FRICKIN' FACE!" Rocket starts firing up his weapon again, causing Drax to try to go after him again.

"NO, NO, NO, NO! FOUR BILLION UNITS! ROCKET! Come on, man. Hey! Suck it up for one more lousy night and you're rich."

The raccoon hesitates for a moment, finally lowering his weapon with a sigh. "Fine." He says with a slight crack in his voice. "But I can't promise when all this is over I'm not gonna kill every last one of you jerks."

Peter rubs his temple until he hears the last part of the sentence and throws an accusing hand in his direction. "SEE! THAT'S EXACTLY WHY YOU THREE DON'T HAVE ANY FRIENDS!" He looks around at the other two, finally giving Gamora a sympathetic glance. "Five seconds after you meet somebody, you're already trying to kill them!"

"We have traveled halfway across the quadrant, and Ronan is no closer to being dead." Gamora pushes him away as he pulls out of her grasp.

"Drax!" Peter calls, watching as the musclebound teen walks away in anger.

"Let him go." Gamora says, placing a gentle hand on his arm, not taking her eyes off of the direction in which Drax was headed. "We don't need him."

"The beings they call Rocket and Groot," A pink Krylorian calls from a doorway near them. "I'm here to fetch you for my master!"

#starmora #starmoranet #Stamora #star lord x gamora #gamora x star lord #Starlord #peter quill x gamora #peter x gamora #gamora #Guardians of the Galaxy #gamora x peter quill #peter quill

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caroline18mars · 6 years

Text

Into the night - Chapter 127

She was introduced to so many people, she could hardly remember who was who, how could anyone know so many people? And know them all by name and what they did? He certainly could and he did it all so naturally, knowing a little story about every guest so effortlessly. “I hope you have someone who writes your christmas cards every year” she smiled as they walked to the bar together, his hand loosely drapped around the small of her waist where it had been all night. “You're going to be ok” she whispered as she sat down, “what? What did you say?” Jared kissed her temple looking out over his garden that was beautifully lit now and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. “Nothing..I guess I'm just surprised over the number of friends you have, and I can't help but wonder why you never told me, you were so lost when you and I met..I bet some of those bikini babes right there were more than happy to help you out back then, and even now they can't keep their eyes off you” she smirked, trying to pretend those girls didn't bother her, but they did, those girls were the vultures of the near future, when she was gone they were gonna be the ones that were gonna fill the empty spot in his bed.

Jared saw right through the joking smile, she was thinking about the worst case scenario again “they weren't there when I needed them, everybody in LA thinks they have friends, but the minute you need them, they're not there and you find yourself talking to a voicemail all the time because sadness or grief are terribly unsexy..so as far as those girls are concerned, they used to be convenient a long time ago..but then I got older and lost my heart for the very first time in my life” he realized he was getting lost in his memories about Charlotte again so he quickly snapped out of it because the last thing he wanted to do was talk about Charlotte, on his engagement night. “I don't think any of us ever gets over our first real love” Jordan sipped her drink “I know I never will”, Jared frowned “you never told me about him..” who was she talking about? She had told him that she only had one night stands but never a real relationship. “Oh yes I did, you even know him” she shook her head and rolled her eyes, was he for real? “my first real love is you, you idiot! You're the first guy I've been in a relationship with! And I know for a fact that I'll never get over you”. Jared's breath got stuck in his throat, there was no more tough cookie who rarely shared her emotions, this came from somewhere deep down “and I know for a fact that I'll never get over you either, not that I'll have to in the next 50 years or so, because you and I are gonna grow really old together” he breathed against her lips before he seized them in a passionate kiss that had them both out of breath and longing for more. “Mamaaaa..” Jordan felt Noah tug the skirt of her dress all of a sudden and reluctantly she let her lips disconnect from Jared's “what is it, pumpkin?” she pulled his little sticky hand away from her dress and slid off her chair to crouch down to his level. “Grandma asked if you can help me look for the candles on your birthday cake, she said they're in the kitchen” her nephew was getting a bit grumpy it seemed “I really want to have some cake, so can you please help me look for them?”, Jordan pushed his hair out of his eyes and smiled “you're a little cake-monster, you know that? Come on, I'll help you look for them” she got up a little too quick and it got her so dizzy she had to hold Jared's arm for a second before she grabbed Noah's hand and walked back inside with him in search for the candles.

Shannon came walking over to his brother “ok bro, this is it, you ready?” he flashed him a smile and handed him the little velvet box, to his surprise Jared's hands weren't trembling, he looked completely confident about his decision “absolutely!” he nodded, this was the moment he had been waiting for for so long and it was finally here,“Oh, she's back..good luck” Shannon hurried back into the crowd and signaled for the DJ to turn off the music. “Yes you can help me blow the candles, I promised you could didn't I?” Jordan only noticed the music was turned off when she stepped out on the terrace again to find all the guests staring at Jared who turned and held out his hand to her. “Honey, come here a second, there's just something I want to say to our guests before we really get this party started and finally have that cake before Noah spontaneously combusts in anticipation” he grinned. Jordan grabbed his hand and nervously smiled at him, she so didn't want a birthday speech while everyone was looking at her, “First of all, I want to thank you all for being here tonight” Jared seemed so at ease addressing all these people, but then what did she expect, he was used to the spotlights. “And I just want to take the opportunity to thank a very special person in my life, you've all had the honour of meeting my beautiful English rose tonight” he brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it “we met under some pretty sinister circumstances as you all know” his breath got stuck in his throat for a minute. “At a time when I thought I could never love again, Jordan came walking into my life, she listened to me for hours on end, she talked to me, she made me see sense again..” his voice got all raspy “over the last year she's been..my best friend, my lover, my muze, my confidant, she made all my wrongs right again”. Jordan stood there blushing furiously, what on earth was this about? “she stood by me in every step to recovery I had to take, even when she had some..troubles of her own to deal with” he continued while she nervously squeezed his hand, this was just a birthday party, nobody really needed to know all the details of their relationship or her health troubles, now did they?. “And because of that, we didn't exactly get to celebrate her birthday” he smiled and let go of her hand for a second to dig in his pocket “so I got her a little gift”, a gasp murmured through the crowd as he got down on one knee, took her hand and looked up at her. “Jordan McLeod, will you do me the honour of being my wife? Will you marry me?” he breathed, tears laced around his voice, Jordan felt like her mind blew a fuse, not able to register what he was asking or doing “what..but..I” was all she managed to say as her hand clasped over her mouth, this was not happening, this wasn't real, it couldn't be. Everyone around them seemed to hold their breath waiting for her answer, even Jared was swallowing hard by now as he pushed the black diamond ring over her finger “a rare black diamond for the most rare and most beautiful white diamond in my life..marry me?!” he looked up at her again, watery blue met watery hazel as their eyes locked. The world around her fell away and the tears rolled down her cheeks as she nodded at him, “is that a..yes?” Jared couldn't hold the tears back anymore either when she finally managed to get over her shock and said “Yes! Yes I will marry you..YES!”. Her answer was met by a loud round of applause while Jared got up and kissed her like nobody was watching “I love you, I love you so so much” he breathed in between kisses, “I love you too, I'm still in shock, I..” she giggled and cried at the same time, “Mamaaaa, what's going on?” she could feel Noah cling to her leg again, poor thing had no idea what was going on, it was as much a surprise for him as it was for her. Jared reluctantly let go of Jordan and picked up an insecure Noah “Now that your mama and I are getting married, I think there's something I need to ask you too, buddy” he smiled at the boy who stared back at him with big questioning eyes “ok, so..you know how you call your aunt Jordan mama now? And you call my mother Grandma and Shannon uncle, right?” he could see Shannon put his arm around their mother who was overthrown by emotions already “well, I'm kinda starting to feel a bit left out, so I wanted to ask you if I can be your papa from now on? I know you already have a daddy and I know I can never replace him but I would like to look after you for the rest of my life if that is ok with you? So I would like to ask you if I can adopt you once your mama and I are married so she can be your mama and I can be your papa, would you like that?”. Noah's head shot up and for a second he seemed to be wavering but then he leaned forward and locked his little arms around Jared's neck “Yes! You can be my papa now” as soon as he said it they were met once again by the crowd going mad as he kissed the boy's cheek and whispered “I love you Noah McLeod and I promise to take care of you and your mama and keep both of you safe for the rest of my life”.

”Dance with me” Jared whispered in her ear as the music started again and couples started to form on the improvised dancefloor under the stars, she willingly let him take her hand and guide her to the floor. “So my beautiful 'soon-to-be wife' I take it you like the ring” he smiled as he watched her put her hand against his chest, unable to take her eyes off the gorgeous black rock on her finger, knowing she had been caught in the act, she blushed “I just..I still don't know what to say..I love the ring..it's so special and so..” she looked for the right words to say, if only her brain wanted to function, “so exceptional and special as you?” he twirled her around and then pulled her close to his body again, swaying to the music. “How..when..why..?” she still couldn't seem to form a coherent sentence making Jared smile as they danced cheek to cheek “I've ordered the ring weeks ago, I was just waiting for the right moment to ask you! I was thinking about your birthday but with the courtcase and all..it just wouldn't have had the same effect if I had given it to you then..and I wanted to ask you surrounded by our friends and family” he whispered. “Oh really? Why? Because you were scared I would say no if you'd asked me in private” she smiled, “A little!” he grinned “you made my heart stop there for a few seconds when you didn't immediately give me an answer, I actually thought you were going to send me packing”. Jordan let her forehead rest against his chest “I keep thinking this isn't real, I keep expecting to wake up from this wonderful dream but I don't want to, I don't ever want to wake up”, he put his arm a little tighter around her waist “It's real, it's very real” he knew what she was referring to but he didn't want to think about it and more importantly he didn't want her to think about it. “We're gonna have to set a date and decide where we're gonna have the wedding..I was thinking about London” he knew the mention of her hometown would have her react instantly and it did “are you serious? London? But it's gonna be so expensive, flying everyone in and..”. Jared stopped her immediately, “so? I don't care what it costs, as long as you're happy, that's all that matters” he put her mind at ease, he meant it, no price was too high to see her walking down that isle in the city she loved so much on the most beautiful day of their lives. “We'll see, we don't have to decide straight away do we?” she lifted her head to steal a kiss from his lips “Thank you!” she breathed, making him frown a little “for what?” he whispered at the beauty wrapped safely in his arms, the more he looked at her, the more he knew that he had made the right decision. “For wanting to adopt Noah..” she kissed the spot of bare chest between the folds of his shirt, “he belongs with us, we fought too hard for him and it was the most logical thing to do, so don't thank me, he's as much my child now as he is yours, he's our first before we have a couple of our own” Jordan knew that he was dreaming out loud but she refused to burst his bubble, so she just nodded and let him twirl her around again. “Mrs. Leto..I like the sound of that” he grinned in her hair, “whooaaa wait a minute, I'm quite happy with my own name, thank you very much” she suddenly got a bit jittery, her mother hadn't taken her father's name and she really wasn't planning on taking Jared's name, “what? But..” Jared reacted a bit nervous. “It's not that I don't like your name, I just think it's a little old-fashioned to expect a woman to take the name of her husband, Kirsten took James' last name when they got married..ok wait..what I'm really trying to say is that I don't want to take your name and live out of your pocket like she did..I want to keep on working if I get the chance to get better..I might stretch to Jordan McLeod-Leto though, how does that sound?” she bargained with him, “I like it, but I think I like Jordan Leto-McLeod just a little bit better”.

Soon as the song ended, Noah came running up to them, rubbing his eyes “I want my Yoda-doll” he said all cranky, he was clearly getting a bit tired, reluctantly Jordan let go of Jared “Ok, let's go get him then, did you leave Yoda in your room?” and grabbed her nephew's hand taking him back inside the house. “Jared getting engaged..what a joke” one of the bikini babes rolled her eyes as they sat at the bottom of the stairs drinking, “Yeah, how ridiculous was that? I mean, it's not like he's gonna marry her, that chick's gonna be dead long before she'll say 'I do', he used to be such a fun guy and now he's only interested in dead or dying chicks, oh well, he'll be on the market again soon enough”. Jordan stopped in her tracks, those two bimbos here were set on bursting her rosy bubble and it was working, she squeezed Noah's hand a little tighter in hers and took a deep breath “I'm so sorry girls, to interrupt your interesting conversation, but this dead woman walking needs to get her nephew upstairs”. The two girls stared at her in a surprised shock and slowly moved so she could get through, straightening her back she started the walk up the stairs while the two girls downstairs burst out in a hilarious giggle making her cringe. “Why were those girls laughing with you?” Noah asked as they walked in the room and he fell on the bed all exhausted, “nothing, they were just being silly” she lied, but the truth was hurting her so much and she so needed to sit down, the dancing, the emotions, the stairs, she was starting to feel it. Noah crawled under her arm and leaned against the side of her body “If you and Jared are getting married, does that mean you don't need a new heart?” he yawned as he hugged his doll, “no..I do..I do still need a new heart..anyway, how about Jared adopting you, huh? That was amazing, wasn't it?” she quickly changed the subject to something positive. “Yes, I have a papa and a mama again, that is so cool” he nodded, “I actually wanted to ask you something really important too” she tickled the back of his neck “see, it's tradition that the bride is given away by her father but since I don't have a daddy anymore, I wanted to ask if you would give me away?”. Noah's head shot up “really? Yes! Yes I'll do that, yaayy” he said all excited that he was being asked something so important.

#jared leto #jared leto fanfic #jared leto fanfiction #fanfic #fanfiction #fic #30 secondstomars fanfic #30 seconds to mars #into the night #chapter 127 #jordan and jared #jordan #fanfic writing #caroline18mars

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vintagemichelle91 · 6 years

Text

A Hard Lesson in Discord: Chapter 2

Authors’ Note: Happy Saturday!! What will Ashtonja say to Rafael and Natalia’s proposal of adopting her? Read on and find out!! Thank you so much for the comments and likes and reblogs on last night’s first chapter! It is really meaningful, especially when you tell us your thoughts!! Keep them coming and @rauliskafan and I hope you enjoy this chapter!!

“Here she comes.”

Leaving the window, Natalia started to settle on the sofa when she saw Rafael pacing near the bar, still wearing the suit from his day at Hogan Place. He thought it best to start catching up on some of the many things he missed while out of the loop. The Chief said it was only a matter of time…

…but Natalia knew that the worried steps he took now had nothing to do with his job.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“I… guess I am just a little nervous,” he admitted. “I… I hope this doesn’t… you know. Offend her or anything.”

“Why would you think that, Atticus?”

“Because she was… I mean she still is someone else’s daughter.”

And Natalia knew he still felt responsible for his witness slipping away in more ways than one. Her hands found his shoulders, and she kissed his cheek.

“You… we will help her to remember that,” Natalia promised. “But she can have this, too.”

To that, he smiled and returned her kiss.

“I still need a quick drink,” Rafael said. Natalia ran her fingers down his back and called out for Ashtonja when she heard the door open.

“Ash?”

Natalia watched and waited until the girl appeared, dropping her bag.

“What’s up?” Ashtonja asked.

Smiling, Natalia waved her over when Ashtonja hesitated in the doorway.

“Is there… like a problem or something?” Ashtonja asked.

“Why would you say that?”

The sound of Rafael’s voice as he poured out a scotch seemed to startle the girl, and Natalia grabbed her hand.

“Ashtonja, don’t be---”

“If you both want to talk to me… must mean I’ve done something wrong.”

“No, no, no!” Natalia insisted, winding an arm around the girl’s shoulders as they sat.

“Not a thing,” Rafael reiterated, finishing his drink before he perched on the edge of the coffee table with his elbows on his thighs, his fingers folded together. “But we do want to talk. It’s important.”

“Wait… is this about the Fourth Harold?” Ashtonja asked, and Natalia saw Rafael’s green eyes grow wide.

“A Fourth Harold?” he echoed. A small smile played across Natalia’s lips. She pictured her husband imagining another hippo to go with Harold, Jr. and Harold III. No doubt Rafael thought that if this was truly on the table, Ashtonja would require something closer to the original recipe Harold… and as spacious as the townhouse was…

“Yeah,” Ashtonja continued, rolling her eyes. “V says I need a hippo, too.”

“Well do… do you want one?” Rafael asked, and Ashtonja released a little laugh.

“No offense to V or any of the hippos, but like it’s really not my style.”

Spying a wave of relief wash over Rafael’s face, Natalia playfully tapped her toes to his and drew Ashtonja a little nearer.

“No offense taken,” Natalia said. “Harolds aren’t for everyone.”

“Right?” Ashtonja agreed. “Like I’m sorry, but I don’t think Hazel really digs hers.”

“Well the fact that she keeps tossing it out of her crib is kind of a dead giveaway,” Rafael agreed, his tone dry. Natalia watched them share a smile, and she inhaled a small breath.

“Okay,” she started. “So the Fourth Harold is out.”

“Thank God for that,” Rafael muttered.

“But,” Natalia said, shooting him a sharp glance, “it is sweet that Violetta doesn’t want you to feel left out of anything.”

“Yeah,” Ashtonja said. “Nice.”

Looking to Rafael one more time, Natalia saw him completely recovered from the hippo shock, and she took hold of Ashtonja’s hand again.

“Plus, it kind of cuts to the heart of the matter,” she continued. Ashtonja appeared confused as their eyes and locked, and Natalia just tightened her grip.

“Ashtonja, I… I asked you something on Christmas Eve,” Natalia said. “Are you… you are happy here with us? Right?”

“Sure,” Ashtonja muttered, averting her eyes and pulling her hand from Natalia’s. Slumping over slightly, she stared at the floor, and Natalia exchanged another look with her husband. Had she… had they entirely misread the situation? Was it possible that Ashtonja, while happy to have a roof over her head, saw their home as little more than a stopover to wherever life would lead her next? Was she counting the days until it all came to a close?

“Well, we… we want you to be happy,” Natalia said. “And if there’s anything else that we could do to make you---”

“Ashtonja? Hey. Are you…?”

Rafael’s voice trailed off as they both looked at the girl trying and failing to blink back her tears. Instinctively, Natalia reached for her face. She shuddered some when Ashtonja flinched and looked to Rafael for guidance. At first, he shrugged his shoulders, but then he looked as if a lightbulb clicked to life. In that sudden glow, he reached for his pocket square, the silver-gray speckled with white leaves. He cleared his throat and held the spoils from his suit so close to Ashtonja. Even as she accepted the gift worlds’ away from a hippo, even as she tried to dry her eyes, she lost the battle and broke down into more tears than any of Rafael’s accessories could every capture.

“Oh, sweetheart,” Natalia said, folding the girl into her arms, and sighing softly when she did not resist. “We’re sorry. Was it something that we said?”

“Had to be the hippo,” Rafael said. “Sometimes they make me want to cry.” Natalia hissed, and he held up his hands, looking apologetic when Ashtonja suddenly clung to her neck.

“It’s not what you… I mean it is… it… it’s just…”

Her sobbing started anew, and Natalia rubbed her back, kissing the top of her head while she kept glancing at Rafael. He looked sick, like he’d rather hear any sound than the girl’s weeping, and Natalia nodded when Ashtonja’s head suddenly shot up.

“Ash?” Natalia whispered. “What is it?”

She sniffled a few times before blowing her nose with the pocket square.

“I… I’m sorry,” she blubbered.

“Honey, there’s nothing to be sorry for,” Natalia swore.

“And it… it was nice that V wanted me to have my own Harold.”

For a second Rafael hung his head, but just as quickly he straightened his shoulders and held Ashtonja’s other hand.

“It could be arranged,” he said. “Whatever that you want, Ashtonja.”

“I… what I want… doesn’t matter.”

“But it does!” Natalia said. “Anything---”

“It won’t happen,” she said. “I’m not like V. Or Hazel or Holly. Maggie’s baby is gonna have the good genes. I’m just like a guest.”

“We’ve never thought of you like that, Ash,” Natalia promised, cupping Ashtonja’s chin in her hands, needing to make this right.

“That’s… that’s nice,” Ashtonja said, blowing her nose again. Her eyes glazed over, and her features started to grow hard as she inched towards the other end of the sofa. “But… it doesn’t change anything. I’m not really part of the family.”

“Would you like to be?”

Rafael cut right to the point, and Ashtonja said nothing as he reached for her hands.

“Ashtonja, you already are part of this family,” he said. “And Natalia and I… we want to make it official.”

“Official?” Ashtonja choked out, her voice trembling.

“If… if you’ll have us,” Natalia told her. “We want to adopt you.”

The air in the room froze. Ashtonja gasped, the pocket square at her mouth hardly stifling the sound. Her eyes darted between Rafael and Natalia, and when she finally dropped the silver lined with leaves, her lip quivered.

“Ashtonja?” Rafael carefully asked, abandoning the coffee table to kneel before the sofa.

“Are you alright?” Natalia asked. “We weren’t trying to take you by surprise or anything. We just---”

She stopped speaking when the sound of Ashtonja’s sob filled the room. Would she fall apart on the spot? Was this the wrong---?

“It’s… it’s the only…”

The girl took a few seconds to catch her breath. Natalia draped an arm around her once more, and Rafael retrieved the pocket square to wipe the fallen tears from her cheeks.

“It’s… I mean… I want to be your daughter… like more than anything in the world.”

Natalia felt her own tears spill, and she pulled Ashtonja into a hug, whispering into her hair.

“Us, too,” Natalia murmured. “So what do you say?”

“It’s… it’s really just some paperwork,” Rafael said. “Nothing that---”

“No,” Ashtonja cut in. “It’s… it’s really everything.”

Natalia’s eyes brimmed with tears, and Rafael’s green eyes glistened as he held them both.

“To us, too,” he said. “We… Ashtonja, we love you. All of us. And we would never try to… we only…”

His speech stalled, and Natalia took up where he left off.

“The past had doesn’t have to disappear,” she said. “But we… we can’t picture a future if you’re not a part of it.”

A few more tears left her eyes, and Natalia mopped up what she could with the pocket square.

Finally, Ashtonja breathed deeply, her smile broad.

“How… how soon?” she asked.

“Very soon,” Rafael promised, scrubbing a hand over his face and shifting modes. “We have to call Trevor Langan.”

“Who’s that?” Ashtonja asked.

“The lawyer who helped Liv with Noah,” Rafael informed her. “The man needs to work his magic a second time around.”

“Really no need. This… this is…”

Ashtonja looked like she might cry again, but she stayed calm. Holding Natalia’s hand, she linked it to Rafael’s, her fingers surrounding their joined palms.

“This is so much magic all at once. Thank you.”

Natalia’s head fell to the girl’s shoulder, and Rafael pulled them both into his arms. They stayed like that for several seconds. Until…

“And, Ash?” he asked.

“If you really would like a hippo, we---”

“I’m good showing the twins… showing my sisters how to play with theirs. Especially Hazel.”

No more tears. The room erupted with laughter.

Which was magical.

Tagging: @skittle479 @rafi-esparza @fortheloveofallthingsraul @mrschiltoncat @delia26 @minidodds @yourtropegirl @dreila03

#rafael barba #raul esparza #law and order: svu #SVU fanfiction #natalia barba #rafael barba fan fiction #rafael barba x oc #Raúl Esparza #ashtonja abreu

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multapohja966 · 6 years

Note

All of them (as requested jdkdk) 👀

ahhah thank you!!

(put it under a read more)

1. describe your idea of a perfect datei haven’t really thought about this… i think it’s something involving coffee, but i think having some alone time with the person is important to me.and.. this might be a hilly billy thing but going to some nature place they/me connect to their youth is cool.

2. whats your “type”strong personality and oppinionated is propably the most important. but you have to have a will to think and to a certain extent see all of your oppinions as up for debate. people who do not care about what others think and express themselves how they want!! and i quess i like masculine girls and feminine boys.

3. do you want kids?hmmm… jeah i have sometimes thought of myself as a parent and liked the thought. but it’s such a huge responsobility that i don’t really know what the reality of it would be.

4. if you do, will you adopt or use some other form of child birth?hmmm well i already know that i won’t be the one giving birth. i see adoption as a really valid option, but jeah im not that far into considering kids.

5. describe the cutest date you’ve ever been oni’ve been on an official date like once and it was absolutely awful. but there’s this other time i hung out with this dude i liked and im like 90% sure he liked me too at the time but we were both socially incapable suckers. but jeah we rode our bikes on a summer evening and he showed me the place he goes to when he wants to be alone, which was this solid rock hill that had a view of the biggest swamp i had ever seen. was really dope

6. describe your experience having sex for the first time (were you nervous? or was it easy peasy?)you come to my virgin jack-off house….

7. are you a morning time gay or night time gay?night time. i’m so bad at funktionin during the day.

8. opinion on nap dates?haven’t really tried but from ecperience i have with friends i think it’s such a good way to create trust

9. opinion on brown eyes?very nice. especially those almost black ones and that hazel color stuff.

10. dog gay or cat gay?dog gay!!

11. would you ever date someone who owned rodents or reptiles?YES!!

12. whats a turn off you look for before you start officially dating someone?not really that experienced with commitment (i love being trans in a small village smh) but propably i just need to know they’re mature enough.

13. what is a misconception you had about lgb people before you realized you were one?hmmm idk i didn’t really have much exposion to them but i guess i kinda had this thought they were super different from the people around me? the typical thing bad representation brings.

14. what is a piece of advice you would give to your younger selfbeing something different isn’t bad. you don’t have to compensate being lgbt+ with aggressively being something “normal” for people to not leave you. be nice and appreachable and mature, but you won’t gain anything from trying to please the people who are more easy to digest/”park of the mass”. it won’t work and it’ll be hard to accept that people see fault in even small things, but when you be yourself and express yourself greatly enough with confdence, THEN people will be drawn to you.

15. (if attracted to more than one gender) do you have different “types” for different genders?jeah…. i really like men who are like sensitive and skinny and like i hate this but like: beta males (ajndfljns). but in women i adore the basic strong muscular and huge woman with a confident and relaxed nature. i haven’t really thought about a specific type when it comes to nb people. because “stylistic/creative” is a bit too broad

16. who is an ex you regret?hmmm i don’t really think i regret any.

17. night club gay or cafe gay?cafe gay. clubbing is okay sometimes with good company and enough alcohol in my system but if im sober-ish and with some people i hate it. (also i have mostly been to straight clubs and ffff i don’t fit there at all and it gets bad if i start to think about it)

18. who is one person you would “go straight” forbi..

19. video game gay, book gay, or movie gay?all.

20. favourite gay ship (canon or not)uuhhf.. hmmmmm.. bumblebee?

21. favourite gay youtubermiles jai

22. have you ever unknowingly asked out a straight person?prolly not. but it’s a grey line since i did some romantic shit as femme representing when i was in the trans closet.

23. have you ever been in love?yes. it was such a defining feeling for me

24. have you ever been heartbroken?yeah, but i’m kind of embarrassed by it

25. how do you determine if you want to be them or be with someonethis is something it think about a lot as a trans masc person, but i have always thought that despite my taste in men/masc people and my ideal look often being intertwining (those young artsy gopnik -aesthetic boys are the ideal look for me lol) the feelings of “i want to be like that” and “i want to date that” have always been clearly different for me.

26. favourite lgb musician/banddoes tyler the creator count? because he’s propably an artist i relate to and admire the most. ohhhhh lil peep is the same too. also kevin abstract, he means the world.

27. what is a piece of advice you have for young / baby gaysit’s hard to live in a society that doesn’t always give you the same possibilities because of your identity. but try to see it in a healthy light and compromice only on things that don’t hurt your identity and who you are. you’re allowed to be weird and controversial and it doesn’t matter what people think because it’s them who are shallow and small minded. but remember that things you have to do as a person who’s part of a society need to be taken care of for your own health! :D (and queer excellense heh)

28. are you out? if so how did you come outyes. well.. ACTUALLY i never came out about my sexuality??? i never saw it as necessary. i think my parents know tho, i don’t really think about it. huh.. how weird i didn’t even realise. i’m “out” to almost everyone tho cause im super open about it.

my gender was a more complicated issue. i first came out to my closest friends. then to some friends who weren’t really lgbt+ informed (and they were all so supportive!) then to my mom. then to everyone else in instagram. the last and most hard was my dad, who has always supported me in everything, but isn’t really informed about stuff like that and is the typical old school finnish man. he was supportive too! at the moment the only one who doesn’t know is my grandma.

29. what is the most uncomfortable / strange coming out experience you have coming out to my dad lmao. cause he didn’t know what i mean XDD i thought that in light of resent lgbt+ visibility he would have at least heard about nonbinary people but he just didn’t know so i had to explain and jeahh.

30. what is a piece of advice for people who may not be in a safe place to express their sexualityi have pretty safe surrounding so im not completely sure what i can say.. but from my experience i want to say that despite how it always seems and feels, people are empathetic. people truly are understanding. no person wants harm, we’re all just so confused and misinformed. people will understand and change their ways if you give them your honest self because they are just confused. the most beautiful and supportive words ive gotten in regards to my identity are from a cishet boy in a party, who previously had really toxic and mean perception of nb people, but after i came out to him and we talked about the whole thing. he gave me this whole speech about how i should always be myself and not let anyone give me shit. honestly i get a bit teary sometimes when i think about it. but jea, there’s this raw goodness in people that i often forget exists, but it is there.

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renegade--soul498 · 6 years

Text

RWBY V5-E11

Read at your own risk. Spoilers ahead.

In my opinion, E11 was an amazing episode even taking into account all of the grim events that happened there. It was a wreck of emotions, but apart from this, we need to point out some details to know what may happen next or what was missed in this episode. (I’m going to try to be unbiased for the most part, if you want my opinion I’ll use parenthesis for that.)

Let’s start with Yang’s keenness. People have theorized she’s the smartest of team RWBY - maybe even of the whole Beacon group - and with good reasons. Before engaging further into the conversation with professor Lionheart, she takes in the scenery, analyzing the surroundings and recognizing Raven in her bird form. Whatever plans Raven had by watching from afar, Yang interrupted them. (Yang has been my second favorite this volume and I can say that absolutely yes, she’s the smartest of the Beacon group. Not only her skills in battle have improved, but how to engage in it and strategy for it have totally leveled up in her.)

Another thing to point out is Nora’s true awe at Raven’s transformation, which I think speaks for itself. One would normally think Nora would make comical appearences for some scenes but in this episode in particular we are shown the true nature of the scene with Nora’s surprise at the change, seriousness in all senses. (I think that she wouldn’t only make comical scenes but we’ve known Nora’s character so far in every volume, so in that little part I think the business was truly starting.)

Characters’ expressions. During the whole conversation at first with Leonardo then with Raven, we can see characters change their expressions slightly. For example we have Oscar “doubting” in the background - probably “talking” with Ozpin, then we have Oscar back to a more ready and determined stance and Weiss’ feeling of pride at Ruby’s speech to Raven (if you felt anything else in her expression tell me, I’m all eyes to read you), another one is Raven’s losing her patience with Ruby because of the reminder of Summer. Next one is Cinder at that line “who are you again?”, her irony ticked Jaune off so bad that even his strength made the chains on the statue of the room move, the clash was harsh and that is another add to the seriousness talked about in the last point. (Seriously though, this was something I really appreciated because most of the time expressions in some shows are just given by voice and not the characters themselves. What Weiss did in particular was that feeling of... I dunno, I felt pride from her, pride that she was on that side of the battle, pride of what her leader was saying, pride that she felt such strength from her companions.)

Raven’s bonding. This might be more of a headcanon of sorts but I’ll still put it. (When Raven uses her semblance to open a path to Vernal, Cinder and the others, does that mean she bonded with Vernal or Cinder? What kind of bond is it? I think Raven kinda adopted Vernal during that long time at the camp and made that bond strong enough to add to Raven’s semblance.)

This next one I call “dubbing magic”. You can feel Qrow’s rage, surprise, betrayal in his voice when he talks to Raven as she is walking down the stairs and once again when they start their fight. Jaune’s pain when he faced Cinder, Weiss’ scream when she lost her aura, Oscar’s determination when he fought Lionheart. (I may go a little overboard with this but this is why I admire and respect so much the dub actors, those feelings aren’t easy to show just with a simple voice.)

Soundtrack. Can we just please listen to the background music the whole fight and just feel the adrenaline it gives you? Because I have and I truly respect the work they did with the OST for this episode. The changes, the lows, the increase in speed or volume; it all gives a vibe of a true battle coming around the corner, perfect for the scenes. (The change in Weiss vs Vernal was a foreshadowing in my opinion because the summoning got interrumpted; but before going further about that, let’s go to my next point.)

Weiss’ dependence on her new skill: summoning. Let’s please take this in a unbiased way. I have learnt to love Weiss this volume, even to the point to being my number one favorite, her fights, her development has truly shown through this past two volumes and I think she has gone through an amazing change after Beacon’s fall, no doubt. However, since she learned she could summon, she had relied on it for a big fight, unfocusing on learning about her opponent in this case Vernal, which left her open and in the end, damaged and hurt maybe even unable to fight for the rest of the battle at Haven. (I truly was upset with these events, Weiss knows better than that, she’s an amazing fighter but this was just low for her and being hurt like that is just outraging. Trying to summon against such a fast enemy like Vernal was a fail in strategy, that wasn’t like Weiss.)

About Jaune’s semblance. It may be still on the unknown but we may have seen it twice in the whole RWBY series. One in Forever Fall vs Cardin and two against Cinder. Why do I think this? Because perhaps it wasn’t Ruby who hurt Cinder, it might have been Jaune with his semblance. (Ruby’s silver eyes’ power got interrupted by Emerald halfway through so that makes sense, right? I dunno. I still believe in our blond pal to get through his issues and make the best of his skills in the end.)

About Weiss at the end. This may be a little more about rational thinking but let’s be honest, I’m scared sh*tless about Weiss dying. If she were to die, she would have been aimed more at the chest and not the side, just like what happened with Blake in Vol.3, she was hurt by Adam yet she didn’t die. Here’s hoping our amazing Heiress has the same luck. (Now there’s a scar on that liver... Yep, I was totally “rational”... *goes to a corner to cry* Was that spear Pyrrha’s? Seriously? Why add salt to the wound RT? Why?)

My thoughts on what’s going to happen in the next episode(s):

- Yang blaming Raven for Weiss’ state, whatever it may be.

- Blake finally arriving to Haven Academy.

- Yang and/or Blake vs Adam.

- The Branwen’s fight.

- Emerald wavering her position with Cinder.

- Some scene with Hazel and Oscar.

- Vernal fighting Cinder.

- Ruby’s power is used once again.

- We finally have a better look on Jaune’s semblance.

- If she lives, Weiss properly and finally summoning her Knight into a greater battle.

I hope you have enjoyed reading me being kinda rambling about RWBY Vol.5 because I’m enjoying way too much this series and after this episode I have been thinking on everything that had happened, hence why this mega post is here! Way to start 2018, eh? It’s three days late but Happy New Year FNDM!

#rwby volume 5 spoilers #rwby v5 spoilers #rwby vol5 spoilers #rwby volume five spoilers #spoilers #rwby spoilers

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jflashandclash · 7 years

Text

Attrition of Peace

Twenty-One: Alabaster

I Have a Tea Party with My Best Frenemies

Warning: Spoilers for Child of Magic by Haley Riordan. If you haven’t read it, you’re missing out.

As Axel told their story, Alabaster forced his hand to stop shaking. Each time he picked up the teacup, he had to concentrate not to spill. But he didn’t want to look weak around Axel or Jack, and he didn’t want Pax to see any emotion on his face.

He tried to pay full attention to everyone’s reactions as Axel spoke of returning to his father, Santiago Pax, running away again, kidnapping Rachel Elizabeth Dare, bargaining with Hephaestus for Leo Valdez’s location, trading for the reforging of Kronos’s scythe, about how Santiago Pax had caught his sons, murdered their friend, Joey Song, and how the daughter of Demter, Euna Song, had ripped Santiago and his men apart from the inside.

Jack supplied appropriate music for the tale, strumming into a crescendo when Euna faced off with Eris, before Phobetor lulled them all to sleep. In too brief a sentence, Axel ended with, “We ended up in New Rome, the Romans realized who we were, and tried to capture us. We ran.”

“Congratulations on killing your pops,” Jack cheered. He folded his middle finger and index finger down to make a rock on symbol before going back to his five string base.

Two of Axel’s friends, the tall boy with ebony skin and the Indian girl with curves worthy of a Renaissance painting, were ill at ease during the retelling. They exchanged a glance when Axel mentioned Rachel. Though, the girl was so exhausted, she had trouble not nodding off in his chair.

The Pax brothers must have suffered, crawling back to their father after the Slaughter of Mount Othrys, withering under his tyranny until Eris told Pax there was a way out, and a way to fight back. Seeing them alive gave Alabaster hope.

“Do you think Eris and the others are staging a strike against Mount Olympus?” Alabaster asked.

Axel shook his head. “Knowing Eris, it’s far pettier than that. I think she only wants Camp Half-Blood, though I’m not sure what her plan of attack is. She’s kidnapped Hemera and has the Olympians arguing amongst themselves.”

Alabaster frowned. He wondered if the Pax brothers could convince Eris and the other minor gods to aim at something bigger. If they joined forces, they would have access to a god-killing weapon and a net to capture deities. They could never do another all-out assault on Olympus, but that wasn’t the Sabotage and Magic Unit’s style.

Though, that could wait until morning. Everyone looked exhausted, and Alabaster was too numb to discuss battle plans.

Pax tugged at the ends of his sweater and Alabaster had an uncomfortable memory of giddy, twelve-year-old Ajax, brown and hazel eyes wide with awe, asking, “Can you really do magic?”

Alabaster shook off the memory. Pax had grown up a lot in the last year. His shoulders had broadened, foreshadowing that he’d have a build closer to Axel later in life. His cheeks still retained their round cuteness, but his jaw line had hardened. His smile still held that air of innocent mischief, like Pax hadn’t been traumatized on multiple occasions. Above all, one thing hadn’t changed: he was still short.

“Where’s our Potter been?” Pax asked.

If Alabaster hadn’t already used up the fire rune, he’d set Pax ablaze on the principle of the matter. Though, hearing the stupid nickname gave him nostalgia. The smile it brought dribbled away at the thought of the Battle of Manhattan.

“Hundreds died. The Olympians… spared me in exchange for Hecate’s compliance with the peace,” Alabaster explained.

“They blackmailed her,” Axel snarled, “At least we can rely on them to use their traditional methods.”

Alabaster felt some relief at Axel’s anger. Although Alabaster knew the nightmares he’d been having the last few months were ridiculous, he couldn’t help but wince at the thought of Axel becoming a Roman or sympathetic to their enemies.

“Blackmailed her?” Kally asked. Alabaster could barely see her poking around Pax’s shoulder. She’d finally stopped shaking from Jack’s approach.

Axel and Pax must not have given her their welcoming speech yet.

“He can give you the full riveting lecture tomorrow, so you have a slightly higher chance of staying awake during the Alternative History of Olympus. Or, as I like to call it, Watching Paint Dry Part II: Too Many Shades of Grey,” Pax said to her.

Although Alabaster knew he’d never met Kally before, she reminded him of something he couldn’t place. Before Alabaster could figure it out, Pax tugged Alabaster’s sweater again. “So you were adopted by a famous writer after the battle. That seems legit.”

Adopted..? Alabaster shook his head. “No. He can’t legally adopt me; he’s dead.” His mind spun. At the thought of explaining from the beginning, he looked away from Pax. “I assume you’re familiar with Gaea’s rise to power?”

Everyone nodded, except Merry. The girl’s tangled, shoulder length hair splayed on the armrest, where she was napping fitfully. Calex’s bow was still in his lap. He held it in one hand, the other touching Merry’s sleeve, like his fingertips were her anchor to this world. His grey eyes narrowed in suspicion at Alabaster. If he really was an Olympic sympathizer…

The other girl, Euna, watched absently as Nietzsche, Xbalanque, and Hanapu thundered into the room, rolled under the couch, and rumbled out of sight.

“Gaea sent Lamia to kill me, so Lamia could become the leader of Hecate’s children.” Although Alabaster wasn’t looking at Pax, he could feel the smaller boy sink more into the couch. “I killed her over and over, but she wouldn’t die. So I sought the help of an expert on death, Professor Howard Claymore.”

Axel nodded, though Alabaster caught a glint of his ears perking up in excitement. He still stood beside Kally protectively, but he looked away from Jack when Jack made an… uncomfortable tongue gesture at him.

“So, Clay swooped in all vampire hunter style and kicked ass?” Pax asked. His voice shook, though he tried to sound playful.

“No, he died, as I said,” Alabaster explained, “Mother used his life force for a spell to separate Lamia and me. Then she brought him back to life as a Mist form.”

“Mist form? Like the weasels?” Euna asked, pointing to where Nietzsche scrambled to crawl out from under the couch. Xbalanque and Hanapu tackled him back down.

Alabaster nodded. He guessed Claymore wouldn’t like that comparison, but it was a sufficient example. What was taking Claymore so long downstairs? The professor must have been stalling to give them more time alone. Alabaster just hoped Claymore remembered to snip off a section of the ear to be dried into a powder before he tucked it into Alabaster’s ingredients cabinet.

“Claymore and I were theorizing about how to bring the children of Hecate some peace, though someone else must have risen to power in my absence—”

“Lou Ellen,” Axel supplied. “She’s the head counselor of Hecate’s new cabin.”

Alabaster scowled. That name sounded familiar. His head ached thinking about it, and he had the nauseating feeling he was forgetting something important. And a cabin to Hecate? Next time he could contact his mother, he’d have to ask her, though, that was the other problem.

“Claymore and I were also researching how lucid dreaming can help with dream visions. I—”

Alabaster tensed. He didn’t want to talk about his nightmares. Demigods’ dreams were never just dreams, but normally Alabaster had more control over what he saw. Something had been infringing on his nighttime wanderings, and it wasn’t as pleasant as the times Morpheus decided to mess with him.

From the apprehension on everyone’s face, Alabaster could tell he wasn’t the only one having nightmares.

“We’ve all been having dream-prophecies,” Kally spoke up. When Alabaster glanced over at her, she blushed and shifted like she was going to lean back into the couch. After a pause, she exhaled and lifted her chin. “That’s what Phobetor has been doing to us. He’s been giving all the other demigods in Camp Half-Blood and New Rome reruns of monsters from their pasts, but the seven—six of us have been getting dream-prophecies. What have you been dreaming about?”

The Pax brothers went pale and still. Jack strummed out something tense and high-pitched.[1]

Alabaster cupped one hand around his teacup, wishing it was warmer. He gazed at the fire in the corner, keeping his voice as even as he could. “Children of Hecate get everything in threes. I see Ajax laughing with Hermes’ Cabin beside Matthias Severre Hanson and Chris Rodriguez, giving praise to the same gods that killed my siblings. In the second, Axel is with that Roman praetor, the one that stormed Mount Othrys with Jason Grace and destroyed our home. He’s discussing joining the legion with her and that he doesn’t mind scrubbing the streets of Camp Jupiter if that’s what it takes to join…”

Alabaster didn’t want to look at his two friends. They were more than friends. Axel had become an older brother and great strategizing partner during their time at Camp Othrys. And Ajax had started off as an obnoxious puppy that followed him around camp, but later…

The thought of these two spitting at the memory of their friends fallen in battle and all the ideals they fought for... Nausea twisted his stomach.

Alabaster glanced up from the fire. Although Axel’s jaw was clenched to keep his emotions neutral, his tufted ears drooped in shame. He kept eye contact with Alabaster with calculated steadiness.

Alabaster didn’t want to look at Pax. A sense of betrayal made him tremble.

“Those are your nightmares?” Kally asked, confused. She touched her lip. “You said that you had a third one?”

He nodded. If those two had already come true—then—

“It’s also about Axel and Ajax,” he said. Alabaster tried to stop shaking. If these things were really happening, he couldn’t ignore it. But, what was he supposed to think? He’d just gotten them back, only to find out they were either considering or had already joined their enemies.

“Let’s not talk about them,” Pax suggested, “Let’s talk about happier thoughts, like Mom’s evil plan and—”

Alabaster swallowed. “Axel is hunting down Ajax in my last nightmare. He’s killing him.”

“NO!” Pax shouted and jumped to his feet, nearly knocking Kally off the couch. “NO! He’s not. It’s the Leonis Caput—and he wouldn’t do it anyway—he—he’s my older brother and Axel would never—” Tears streamed down Pax’s cheeks.

Axel closed his eyes. His brow furrowed, and he sighed in pained realization.

All three of them were having the same nightmare. Even if they had betrayed their cause, Alabaster’s stomach still churned at the thought.

“Ajax—” Axel tried.

“NO!” Pax repeated. “I’m going to go storm up those stairs in protest!” he stated, stomped once, then paused to glance at Alabaster with red-rimmed eyes. “No runes are going to blow me up if I storm up those stairs, right? I need my protest to be uninterrupted.”

Alabaster waved him on numbly.

Pax pointed a finger at Axel. “And it isn’t you, and that’s not what I dreamed about anyway. I dreamed about a boar with a bowtie, thank you very much.” He huffed and scurried towards the stairs.

“Interrupted,” Jack said, snatching Pax and dragging him into his lap. Pax sniffled and squirmed, though he couldn’t have been putting up any real struggle, since Jack managed to hold onto him. “It’s okay, kid. Tartarus isn’t that bad. You’ll get to say hi to Luke and our other friends.”[2]

“Jack,” Alabaster and Axel snapped at the same time.

“What? I’m helping,” Jack protested, ruffling Pax’s hair.

“No, you’re not,” Alabaster said.

This was too much.

Alabaster glanced around the room. Kally had caught her balance on the couch and covered her mouth with one hand. Calex’s eyes had widened. Euna glared at the ground. Nietzsche, Xbalanque, and Hanapu poked their heads from under the couch to stare at them. Hanapu nipped at Xbalanque’s ear, as though to say, You know I wouldn’t try to stab you to death, right bro?

“How’d they find you?” Pax sniffled quietly into Jack’s shoulder.

“Shortly after meeting up with Claymore,” Alabaster answered, “I saw a new report that bubonic plague hit a mental health institution in New Mexico. Claymore made a few calls on my hunch and it turned out to be correct,” Alabaster said wearily. He left out the information about how much of a mess Jack was or how Claymore repeatedly suggested they rid the world of him.

Everyone was too exhausted and scared for this conversation to be productive.

“I think that’s enough for tonight.”

Alabaster jumped. He hadn’t heard Claymore come back up the stairs and reenter the living room. Since he’d become a Mist form, he was incredibly stealthy. He returned to his position beside the bookshelf, where he stored several enchanted guns should something go wrong.

“I take it these children are staying the night,” Claymore asked, “It looks like two have taken the liberty of deciding for themselves.” He nodded to where Merry was out cold on the couch and where Pax was pretending to sleep on Jack’s shoulder. Pax mustn’t have realized that Jack probably couldn’t carry him up the stairs anymore, though Alabaster bet Jack would kill both of them trying.

Alabaster nodded. “The girls can take the upstairs guest room. The boys can sleep in the attic.” He wondered how much sleep any of them were actually going to get, and how many of them would wake up screaming from nightmares.

Thanks for reading! I’m sorry I’m running so late. Things have been crazy over here ^^’‘

[1] http://i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/875/895/fae.gif

[2] So, I meant to address this in the next chapter, since I’m aware Luke says he’s going to be reborn when he dies, but I haven’t found a point where it naturally works into the conversation. So, the explanation behind this will probably come up later, assuming the author doesn’t disappear into a field of leprechauns.

#The Attrition of Peace #PJO #HOO #Percy Jackson and the Olympians #Heroes of Olympus #fanfiction #Traitors of Olympus #Alabaster #Axel #Ajax #Jack #Kally #Calex #Merry #Euna #TRIPLE W TEEEAMMMM!#Claymore #Does anyone else love Claymore as much as I do?

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indianqueen-blog1 · 7 years

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—— ❝ let’s start off easy. tell me the basics. ❞

[ name ] rashi jayaprabha sahuri singhania

rashi → bringer of wealth and fortune.

jayaprabha → light of victory.

sahuri → powerful and fiery.

[ date of birth ] fourteenth of december

[ place of birth ] shahjahanabad, delhi, india

[ age ] thirty

[ religion ] hindu

[ marital status ] single

[ occupation / title ] maharani of india / her royal majesty, queen rashi of india

[ gender identity ] female

[ allegiance ] india

[ spoken language(s) ] hindi, urdu, english, punjabi.

[ special skill(s) ]

kathak — just like the rest of her sisters, rashi has been trained in the indian dance form of kathak ever since she was a little girl. although she initially detested spending hours upon hours practicing with her instructor, it is something that she has grown to love.

political prowess — she had attended all the classes that her brother had, mostly due to his insistence and tendency to throw tantrums whenever she wasn’t in the room with it. she had always been more interested in the classes than her brother, which frustrated their tutors to no extent. her particular favourite was when she was taught about politics, both of her own country and of others. to this day, the queen insists on reading any and every book about politics that she can get her hands on.

talwarbaji — it’s basically like swordfighting, but with an indian talwar instead of a conventional sword.

—— ❝ what of your family ?? are they still alive ?? ❞

[ father ] mahraja arjun singhania ( b. 1584 - d. 1635, aged fifty. )

[ mother ] rajmata kamala devi singhania ( b. 1599, aged fifty.)

[ sibling(s) ]

mahraja varun singhania ( b. 1620 - d. 1636, aged sixteen. )

rajkumari tanvi singhania, ( b. 1625, aged twenty five.)

rajkumari indira singhani, ( b. 1627, aged twenty two )

rajkumari apsara singhania ( b. 1631, aged eighteen.)

[ children ] none.

—— ❝ now let’s paint a picture of you. ❞

[ height/weight ] 5′2 / 123 lbs

[ built ] slim

[ hair color ] brown

[ eye color ] also brown, but with flecks of hazel that look green depending on the light

[ accent ] due to years and years of speech training, it is hardly noticeable when she speaks in english. however, words with heavy ‘r’ and ‘th’ sounds are her only weakness and her natural rajasthani accent shines through whenever she attempts to say them.

[ voice ] her voice is naturally very soft, something that annoys her to no extent since people often tend to talk over her.

[ style of speech ]

when discussing official matters, she delibrately makes her voice louder and speaks in a forceful tone that ensures that everyone around knows that she’s in charge and the one who makes the decisions. it wasn’t always like this, but she had to adopt this way of speaking in order to make sure that she was listened to.

when around her sister or those she truly trusts, she speaks in her naturalistic, soft, and somewhat playful voice. she does this in order to differentiate between her role as a monarch and her role as a sister or a friend.

[ scars ] none.

[ abnormalities ] none.

[ clothing ]

usually, she’s dressed in the finest of silk sarees and adorned head to toe in various pieces of gold jewellery. she doesn’t particular mind wearing them, but doesn’t care for them much, either. there’s only a few select pieces that she keeps close to heart, one being the turquoise tikka her brother gave her on her fifteenth birthday.

on days where she’s free to do whatever she pleases, she ditches the heavyset silk sarees and lehengas in favour of the much lighter salwaar kameez. she also forgoes most of the jewelery, just keeping her earrings and nose chain.

—— ❝ tell us, what kind of person are you ?? ❞

[ star sign ] sagittarius

[ alignment ] true neutral

[ enneagram type ] the achiever

[ color personality ] #ff1493, deep pink.

Your dominant hues are red and magenta. You love doing your own thing and going on your own adventures, but there are close friends you know you just can't leave behind. You can influence others on days when you're patient, but most times you just want to go out, have fun, and do your own thing.

Your saturation level is high - you get into life and have a strong personality. Everyone you meet will either love you or hate you - either way, your goal is to get them to change the world with you. You are very hard working and don't have much patience for people without your initiative.

Your outlook on life is very bright. You are sunny and optimistic about life and others find it very encouraging, but remember to tone it down if you sense irritation.

[ what plant(s) best represent you ]

dandelion:

Scrappy and tough, you’re a pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps kind of person. You don’t give up easily and you often thrive in situations that others would find discouraging. You have an instinct to serve others and see yourself as most useful in times or places of crisis, but you may over rely on your toughness and forget how sensitive you really are.

Like you, dandelion holds steady, even in unfriendly environments. It provides gentle liver stimulation and digestive support, aiding your body’s natural detoxification processes.

Called “the little postman” in Persian because of the belief that dandelion brought good news, dandelion has unfortunately acquired a reputation as a pesky weed. Its liver and digestive benefits have been known for centuries, with reference in Arabic texts dating to the 10th century. Dandelion is a bitter herb, a characteristic that contributes to its digestion-supporting properties.* When roasted, dandelion root has a coffee-like flavor that once made it a popular coffee substitute!

echinacea:

A protector. With an amazing blend of optimism, nurturing and goodwill, you lend your strength and energy to those in need. Your seemingly infinite goodwill and boundless supportive energy make you the one people turn to when times are tough. Your greatest strength is, of course, also one of your weaknesses, especially if you neglect to take care of yourself. At times like these, it’s a good idea to take a step back and focus some of that protective energy on yourself.

A bold flower with a tough stalk and tenacious roots, echinacea is as strong as it is beautiful. This pretty, hardy plant brings that same quiet strength to the herbal world, earning it a reputation as a wonderful ally for the immune system. While you’re giving yourself some extra love and attention, echinacea can offer added support.

One of echinacea’s distinguishing characteristics is the presence of alkylamides, which are partly responsible for its capacity to stimulate the immune system. You’ll know that you’ve discovered truly high quality and echinacea when you feel a slight tingling on your tongue after tasting it. Native to the Americas, echinacea was introduced to European settlers by Native Americans, who had used it for centuries, and became popular with American doctors in the early 1900s.

slippery elm:

Let’s just say you’re a vocal person. Sure, that might mean you’re chatty. But it also means you’re the one humming in the hallway, singing in the shower, speaking your mind, standing up and shouting if need be to get yourself heard. You’ve got a voice and you know how to use it. Inclined to speak up for the voiceless, defend the defenseless or simply bring joy to the joyless, you may have a tendency to overuse your voice.

Smooth and silky, slippery elm is balm for the voice and friend to everyone who uses it. Long a champion for tired vocal chords and taxed throats, slippery elm’s slickness make it an ideal companion for those who a prone to use (and sometimes overuse) their voice.

Slippery elm or Ulmus rubra (Latin for “red elm,” so called for its lovely reddish bark) is a beautiful, native North American elm tree Introduced into Western herbal traditions by Native Americans. It’s the inner bark of this tree that is actually called “slippery elm” due to its, yes, slippery, smooth, and slimy-in-a-good-way properties.

[ theme/character song ] divenire by ludovico einaudi

—— ❝ do you have anything more you wish to say ?? ❞

everything i have to say is in this nice lil post here i type too much already ok bye

#crowns.task1 #this is too long i gtg #also im sorry if this sounds like an essay im 4000 words into my junior year dissertation i don't know how to turn it off #also there's a lot of india-specific vocabulary in here so if i need to clarify on something pls lmk !!!!

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no-crap-fm · 7 years

Text

A Secret Smile

She was doing it again. Those rosy lips were curled up. Eyes lowered and cheeks raised in contentment? Satisfaction? Smugness? He couldn’t tell. It was driving him mad.

She’d be mid-conversation and he’d catch her doing it. Her gaze would move and her mouth would change. He’d taken to calling it her secret smile, in his head. It signified something but he had no idea what. There they were, the gang, assembled at the local. Just trying to have a normal evening of drinking and chat. Then out of the blue, Finn would see the grin take over Rae’s face for no apparent reason. Once he thought it was because of the music playing. He caught her secret smile when the beginning chords of Slide Away started on the jukebox. But no, that wasn’t it. He’d already seen her do it when no music was playing. Another time he suspected the topic of discussion brought it on. Chloe had mentioned Damon Albarn and Rae’s eyes dropped to the top of the picnic table they occupied in the garden of The Swan and her still mouth quirked out of nowhere. He was relieved to determine that the thought of Blur’s front man was not responsible for inspiring Rae’s shift in expression. He knew Rae had done it when no one had said anything. Still the frustration continued. How did this happen? Finn Nelson was not one to get caught up in anyone’s thoughts, let alone some girl he hardly knew. What was so interesting about Rae anyway? Sure, she knew her music. Well, she was actually pretty fucking cool if he was honest with himself. Added to the fact that she never took shit from Chop, Archie or most fascinating of all, himself. Finn was hooked and utterly puzzled. Rae had quickly become a mate and he hadn’t even realized it. It was so strange. He was normally slow to warm to people but there was something about Rae. He tried to keep his distance. He tried to simply observe her. However he tried, she’d drawn him in. He kept finding himself getting lost watching her. No one seemed to think, or move, or just be, the way Rae did. After weeks of struggling, Finn surrendered. Rae was worthy of investigation and he was determined to figure her out. The trouble was that weeks had passed and Finn was no wiser. The meaning of Rae’s secret smile continued to evade him. He huffed out a breath. The sound was loud enough to halt the conversation at the table. Finn brought a hand up to bat at his fringe. He hadn’t meant to be so loud. Rae was looking at him. He had gotten accustomed to the feeling of her gaze upon him. “What’s got your knickers in a knot, eh, Finnley?” She asked and Finn blushed furiously, refusing to meet her eyes. Shrugging he tried to sound casual. “Nowt. Just bored is all.” He’d studied her so much he could practically hear her eyebrow slide up her forehead as she challenged him. “Well, if you’ve got something better to contribute to the conversation, we’re all ears, aren’t we?” The gang was silent. Finn was no good with words. Again, a loud breath escaped him. This time on purpose. He composed himself and met Rae with a level, but silent gaze. For extra good measure, he tilted his head and raised his own eyebrow, hoping to provoke her. “Oh, now, now Mr. Mardy!” She nearly shouted. He grinned. It worked. He simply shook his head and lifted his glass to sip his pint. She rose to the bait. Again. “What, Finnley? You think you’re not being mardy, dickhead?” She sat back and crossed her arms under her ample chest. Finn had caught himself getting distracted by her physical attributes recently. He quickly looked away from Rae’s chest. He caught the movements of his mates’ heads, watching the pair of them as though they were in a tennis match. Finn stopped looking at Rae. He knew it would drive her mad if he ignored her. He reached into his jacket pocket and removed his tobacco and rolling papers. Remaining quiet and rolling a cigarette seemed like the perfect tactic to make her positively explode. Smacking her palm down on the table, Finn caught the gang jumping at the sound in his peripheral vision. He bit his lip to the point of drawing blood to keep himself from laughing. Still he continued focusing on his rollie. He took a slow breath, his cool facade starting to crack. Lucky for Finn, Rae pressed on. “So, you’re too good to answer us? Is that it?” She shook her head and muttered, “Prick,” under her breath. Maybe he overstepped. Sometimes it felt like the only way Rae would engage with him was if he started an argument. He didn’t want it to be their only means of communication but he had gleaned so much information from her when she was in a lather. If he was being truthful, he loved seeing her so impassioned. Her cheeks would flush the loveliest shade of pink and her big, round hazel eyes would get even bigger. She’d look at him as if her eyes needed to widen to take all of him in. It also didn’t hurt that he was the one to inspire her passionate response. At the very least he knew she had moments of frustration to rival his own aggravation with her and her infuriating secret smile. He took a moment to consider his next move. Finn carefully closed his tobacco tin and papers, returning them to his jacket pocket. He placed his ciggie between his full lips and lit it. After a long, slow drag he tried a change in tactic. Leaning forward onto the table and resting his chin in his hand, he adopted a look of utter tedium. He sighed, “You know, Rae, you don’t have to argue everything. I would happily answer you, if you were a little nicer.” He blew out a thin plume of smoke from the corner of his mouth. Rae stared at him. Her mouth fell open. Finn was very pleased with himself. He’d actually bested Rae for once. He was used to being the one stunned into silence with her usual rants. Then something unexpected happened, Rae slowly pushed back her chair from their table. She stood up and Finn moved his gaze to her face. Finn saw a look on Rae’s face he had never seen there before. He didn’t need to wonder what it was. It was the same look Finn had when he lost a footie match; defeat. Rae looked as if she had lost. Without a word Rae picked up her backpack, put it over her shoulders, nodded her head and turned, leaving the pub. “What the fuck did you say that for, Finn?” Finn turned at Chop’s voice. Finn turned to his mate, stunned, his cigarette loosely hanging from his lips. Chop pointed his index finger at Finn. “You’d better go and apologize, you knob. Or Archie and I will see to you. You can count on it, mate.” Finn turned toward Archie, who was looking equally infuriated. Finn caught the nods of Chloe and Izzy. What had Finn done? Why did Rae just leave like that? She couldn’t just leave. Finn lifted his shoulders to his friends in confusion. Chop intervened.  “Finnley, I don’t care why you upset, Raemundo. All I know is you did. You gotta fix it. Now, you bell end!” Chop raised his hand and waved Finn toward the door through which Rae had left them just moments before. Standing, Finn spared a glance at his mates, all of whom shouted, “Go!” He stumbled out of the pub and set off in the direction of Rae’s house. He flicked his cigarette and stomped off. Finn knew the way after he’d stopped by to encourage Rae to stick a boot up Archie’s arse for standing her up all those weeks ago. He tried to hurry. He didn’t like to think that he might have actually hurt Rae’s feelings. He had no idea he could. Rae seemed indestructible to him. She was so bloody strong. An errant thought occurred to him. Maybe she wasn’t so tough. Maybe Rae was putting up a front. How could that be? Finn could spot a phony at twenty paces. Rae was anything but a fake. She was all herself. That was what he liked most about her. He paused his walk. The realization that he liked Rae struck him hard. Finn fancied Rae. He’d never really thought of it that way before. He must have been fancying her the entire time. He thought he liked arguing with her, getting her to bite back was all he thought their friendship amounted to. Well, arguing and music. Finn loved talking about music with Rae. She’d bang on about Pulp or Weezer and Finn would watch as her face changed, as her secret smile halted her speech. Finn groaned. There it was again, that smile. Finn was thinking about her smile. Rolling back his shoulders, Finn took on a new resolve. He would get to her house and settle all of this. Resuming his step, he rounded the corner to Rae’s. He stopped as he spotted the object of his pursuit, sitting on the step outside of her front door. Rae hadn’t noticed him as Finn approached. Her head was in her hands, her eyes downcast. Her body looked crumpled, as if she gave up going into her house and just collapsed outside. It sounded like she was counting to ten in a fast whisper. He made it all the way up her front walk before he kicked a rock that skidded close to her feet. She snapped her head up. Finn’s heart sank at the sight of her. Fresh tears spilled over well-worn tracks on her cheeks. His knees wobbled as he crouched down to her level. Rae tried to move her face away and wiped at her tears with the back of her long sleeved shirt. Trying to grab her hand, Finn said, “Are you OK, Rae?” Rae scoffed and sniffed. “Come by to continue having a go at me, have ya?” Finn wanted to catch her eye. She refused to look at him. Sitting back on his heels, Finn said, “Course not, Rae. I wasn’t having a go at you.” Rae looked at him now. Her eyes narrowed. “What the fuck do you call that back at the pub then?” Attempting levity, Finn laughed. “Rae, that were just us arguing. Like we always do.” His laugh was cut off by Rae. “Well, maybe I don’t want to argue like we always do!” She shouted. Finn was thrown. Biting his lip he twisted his hands together, unsure of how to proceed. Rae wasn’t letting up. “Nothing to say to that, Finn? I’m shocked.” He tried to come up with something. Giving over he sighed. “Rae, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset ya.” She laughed. “Oh really, Finnley? Well, ya did! I already know you barely tolerate me being part of the gang. But today was just too much.” Finn’s mouth dropped open in shock. What was she on about? Barely tolerated her? He’d just come to terms that he proper fancied the girl and here she was thinking he didn’t want her around. There had been days where Finn had wished Rae was the only one around, hang the gang. He shook his head. Finn had to think of how to make it right and fast. “Rae?” He whispered. “What?” She snapped. His face jerked at her tone. Swallowing, he soldiered on. “I’m glad you’re in the gang.” He raced on before she could interrupt him. “I argue with you because I like talking to you. And I don’t like talking to anybody.” Rae bit down on the snide laugh she had brewing. She blinked and watched Finn, remaining silent for once. Running his hand roughly through his hair, Finn went on. “I know I was a dick when we first met but I thought we’d gotten past it. I thought we were friends.” Rae’s face scrunched up. She was clearly still angry and most likely, a little hurt. Finn took a chance and reached out a hand to wipe away the tears on Rae’s cheeks. She flinched away as his hand made contact but she stilled immediately after. Finn smiled at her. “I’m so sorry I made you cry, Rae.” He whispered. A ragged breath passed her lips and Rae closed her eyes. “I can only handle so much from you, Finn.” Her voice was so low, Finn just barely heard her. He detected movement from Rae’s hands. It looked like she was digging her fingernails into her palms. Worried she’d hurt herself, Finn placed his hands over hers, coaxing them open. Once Rae’s hands relaxed, Finn held onto them. He gave them a gentle squeeze. Rae sighed. “What do ya mean, Rae?” He waited for her to answer. Moments stretched on and Finn grew impatient. Gently tugging her hands Finn asked, “Rae?” She was biting her lip. Finn watched her let out a loud breath as her head rolled back. “Well, how much abuse can a girl like me take from the fittest lad in Lincolnshire?” She directed her words skyward. Finn was even more befuddled. Still, a grin took residence on his face at her calling him fit. “Rae, what do you mean a girl like you? I haven’t been abusing you, have I?” Genuine concern crossed his features as he watched Rae lower her chin to her chest. “You’re always taking the piss.” She mumbled, hiding behind her hair, which fell forward as her head moved down. Finn smoothed her hair back and left his hand behind her ear, holding the side of her face. Leaning closer to her, he asked, “Now when have I ever taken the piss out of you? How could I, Rae?” She let loose a derisive laugh. “All too easily, Finn! Let’s take the piss out of the mad, fat girl who fancies me!” Rae’s hand flew up and covered her mouth. Her eyes widened more than Finn had ever seen before. She started muttering, “Oh no. Oh shit.” Rae tried to stand but Finn reached out and used both arms to hold her in place. He moved forward from his crouch to sitting on his knees in front of Rae. His heart felt like it would beat right out of his chest at her words. Now his eyes widened for a change and a grin like he’d never known stretched his lips. His eyes darted all over her face. Not wanting to upset her further Finn decided to share his epiphany with Rae. Finn gently pulled her hands from her face, Rae shook her head and kept her eyes shut. Getting as close as he dared, Finn confessed, “Rae, I fancy ya too.” Rae stilled and slowly opened her eyes. She focused on the ground, not Finn. Continuing, Finn said, “I’ve fancied you all this time. I just…I just didn’t know how to tell ya.” He bit his lip and watched Rae hopefully. “I guess that’s why I keep arguing with ya. I can’t seem to hold your attention otherwise.” Her eyes met his, unblinking. Finn shrugged. “I didn't know what else to do, Rae. It were so hard when you wouldn’t talk to me or look at me.” Rae’s lips separated. Finn waited, expectantly, for her to speak. Finally blinking Rae said, almost to herself, “But ya don’t really like me. Ya can be so rude sometimes. I thought you just wanted me to leave you alone.” Grabbing her hands, Finn chuckled. “Rae, that’s the last thing I want. I didn’t mean to be rude. I’m sorry you thought that. Now, well…” Finn’s words finally seemed to have stopped. He couldn’t remember the last time he spoke so much, especially to a girl. He never had to before. Nodding at him, Rae encouraged him to continue. “Well, what, Finn?” “Em, well…Rae?” He looked at her, lost. She smiled. “Yeah?” Seeing her smile eased his mind and the words spilled forth before he could consider them. “Would ya go out with me? On a proper date?” Rae nodded. Finn let the breath he was holding out. “Yeah?” He wanted to hear the word from Rae. “Yeah,” she confirmed. Finn was about to lean in to kiss her when her smile changed. Rae lowered her eyes and her secret smile appeared. It remained in place as she raised her eyes to Finn. His eyebrows lifted into his fringe. Could her secret smile have something to do with him? He took a quick moment to consider it, every time he noticed it, Rae had been close to him. “Rae? What are you thinking?” He was on pins and needles. Batting her eyes she shrugged, “Nothing in particular. I was just thinking about you.” Before she knew what happened Finn’s lips were on hers, locking her into their first kiss.

The End

Thanks so much for reading! - K.

#a secret smile #mmfd #my mad fat diary #rae earl #finn nelson #rinn

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winchesterprincessbride · 7 years

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Political Animals-Part 1

This is an A/B/O AU. You are the Omega artist daughter of Naomi Novak, a world-class heart surgeon who is running for Mayor of New York City. After a meeting where your mother’s advisors call you a “liability”, she tells you that if you don’t do as your told she will cut you off. You storm out and wind up in a bar a few blocks away.

The hottest Alpha you have EVER laid eyes on with a scent so mouthwatering you’re practically drooling sits down next to you and offers to buy you a drink. It’s just a drink, right? What do you have to lose? Only everything.

Characters: Omega! Reader, Beta! Naomi Novak, Alpha! Castiel Novak, Omega! Meg Novak, Claire Novak, Jimmy Novak, Alpha! Sam Winchester, Alpha! Dean Winchester, Alpha! John Winchester

A/N: So I read this post from @moansmisha and I started thinking about how I could put my own spin on it. When I messaged her, she said “Go to town, use whatever you want!”

When my mother told me two years ago she was considering running for office I just knew this would somehow come back to bite me in the ass. I thought maybe she would run for City Council or the Parks Department or something like that. But no. Not my mother. Not Harvard educated, top of her class, excels-at everything-she-does, overachiever Naomi Novak.

She’s running for Mayor. Of New York-freaking City. As if being one of the top heart surgeons in the world wasn’t enough? But nothing was ever enough for her. We were so different that when I was younger I was convinced I was adopted. My brother Cas is just like her: brilliant, driven, successful, but with enough of my Dad in him that he is also kind, compassionate and caring.

Cas is a physician like my Mom, a pediatrician. He is married to a wonderful Omega named Meg and has two beautiful kids, Claire and Jimmy. In my Mom’s eyes he is the perfect son. She gets along with Cas because he reminds her of her.

And then there is me. I am 100% my father. All the personality traits she apparently found attractive enough in him to marry him for she despises in me. I am an artist. I went to Art School, not even a “real college” according to her. I make my living selling my paintings at a few galleries around the city. I am slowly building a following. It makes my mother crazy that if it weren’t for the trust fund my father set up for me before he died, I would barely be making ends meet.

I told her two years ago that if she did this to leave me out of it. That I didn’t want to be dragged into any media circus. Cas was the perfect child. Use him for the photo ops and just pretend I didn’t exist. It would be better for everyone.

And then my mother’s secretary called and said Mom wanted me to come over Friday night for dinner. it wasn’t unusual for Abby to call for my Mom because she was busy so I didn’t think anything of it.

Friday night when I arrived (late of course) Cas and Meg were there, but so were two men I didn’t know. I immediately smelled something fishy and pulled Cas aside.

“Who are those guys?” I whispered to him.

“Some guys from Mom’s PR team. They did some kind of analysis or study or something and decided that mom comes across as too cold.”

“I could have told them that for free.” I muttered under my breath.

“Y/N.” Cas chided me. “Anyway. They want to humanize her, make her seem more like a family gal. That’s where we come in, I guess.”

“Great. Just great.” This night was sinking from bad to worse.

After dinner, we all retired to the library for coffee. I waited for the lecture to begin. The younger man spoke first. “Dr. Novak, our focus groups found that people thought you were an excellent surgeon, but didn’t really think of you as family oriented. Most saw you as focused on your career. We need to change that.”

I could tell my Mom wasn’t thrilled with his words, but she hid it well. “What do you suggest then?”

“More public appearances by your family. Have your children attend your speeches and debates. It will help.” He replied.

Now the older gentleman took over. “There is one more thing. Your daughter is an unmated Omega, is she not?”

“That’s none of your business!” I said angrily.

The younger one looked at me with distain. “During this campaign, everything is our business. You are going to be presented as a Beta like your mother. You'll need to take scent blockers and suppressants to hide your scent.”

“What? Why?” I snapped at him.

“Because an unmated Omega daughter is a liability we don’t need.” The older one said.

“I won’t do it! I’m not ashamed of what I am!” I stated furiously.

My mother spoke for the first time. “You will do what you are told or I will make sure you are cut off without a cent.”

“Cas!” I plead, staring at my brother.

“She controls the trust, Y/N. There’s nothing I can do, I’m sorry.” Cas frowns at our mother. “Is this really necessary, Mom?”

I jump up from the table. “I’m so done here.” I say angrily. I grab my coat from the closet and run down the hallway before anyone can stop me. I hop the nearest elevator and am on the street minutes later. It’s a nice night so I begin to walk. A few blocks later I come to a bar and decide to stop for a drink. I sit down at the bar and order a Long Island Ice Tea, and very quickly another.

Suddenly my head whips around as I smell the most delectable scent of Alpha I have every smelled in my entire life.. I look up, and UP, and this incredibly tall man is standing in front of me. He is gorgeous: long shaggy brown hair, hazel eyes, muscled body, amazing smile. I have the nagging feeling I have seen him somewhere before, but I chug my drink and it passes. I smile at him.

“Can I buy you a drink?” He asks, grinning at me.

Part 2

@skybinx-blog @percywinchester27 @a-sea-of-fandoms @dorky-and-i-know-it

@fangirl1802 @pinknerdpanda @atc74 @notnaturalanahi @jotink78 @moonlitskinwalker

@buckysmetallicstump @oriona75 @kittenofdoomage @dr-dean

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dreamin-of-somewhere-else · 7 years

Text

The Secret

Request: Can you write an imagine where the reader is sort of an adopted sister, but not actually related to the winchesters, and she is secretly a supernatural creature (my preference would be siren but it's totally up to you) and they only find out when she comes on a case and something happens that should have hurt her but it doesn't because she's supernatural. Thanks and I really like your writing! - Anonymous

Characters: Sam + Dean W. x sister!reader.

Words: 2400+

[Angst, A bit of blood (not too graphic), Anxiousness]

Tags: @daughters-and-winsisters @evyiione

A/N: So, I changed the creature to a kitsune, sorry! It’s just that I started writing this while taking a short break from my algebra homework, and I just thought I’d look up siren later once I had more time to write. But then when I did, it didn’t really correspond to what I’d already written. And also, as in the request, something happens to the reader that should have hurt her, which makes me think that it would be good if whatever creature she is, had some sort of, you know, super strength or healing powers or something like that — and sirens didn’t have anything like that, they just had telepathy, shapeshifting and some sort of venom that makes people fall in love with them. Again, sorry, and I hope it turned out okay even though I changed it <3

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You were currently feeling really bad.

Well, okay, you have been feeling bad for a long time. Years, even. Guilty, incredibly guilty, but very scared too. Terrified. You had been feeling anxious and stressed, and all this time you’ve had to hide it. Because what you were scared about was them finding out. And, well, meanwhile, you’ve felt terribly guilty about them not knowing. So, to sum it up, you’ve been in quite the dilemma for years. And you’ve felt so trapped.

It all started one night, 5 years ago, when your path crossed with the Winchesters for the first time. When your life took a turn for the better. You were only in your early teens by the time, strolling along the streets as usual, when two men spotted you. Two hunters, who had seen the most gruesome and horrible things, but despite this, still possessed hearts of gold. Both very observant, and now they saw you, and today when the results were clear for you, you were so extremely happy that they did. That night? Not so much. Let’s just say that after a hard childhood, you grew extremely guarded once two men, older than you since both were in their 20s, approached you. Not because you couldn’t defend yourself, in fact, you were more than capable of doing so with your abilities. As long as they were human, but you doubted that they weren’t. So, it was just that you couldn’t defend yourself, not here. You couldn’t blow your cover.

Human to you was something complex. Yes, they weren’t as strong as you, but that didn’t make them completely harmless. While pretending to be a defenseless girl while walking among them, you’ve come across a handful that weren’t harmless. In fact, humans could be evil. And you were the one who was supposed to be bad.

There were different kinds of humans to watch out for. There were the creeps and just simply vicious, as you’ve already mentioned. But there was also another kind; hunters. You’ve learned a few things or two about those. Hunters equaled misery in your book.

So, you preferred when no one approached you at all, but the encounter with Sam and Dean was inevitable. And now, in the end, you couldn’t be more thankful that it happened.

They asked you how you were. If they could do something for you. Everything was kind of blurry because of the disbelief you were experiencing, but somehow you ended up with them at the diner they were heading to, and you just kind of clicked. So, that’s the story of how you all met.

From there, things took off. You became friends, and they stayed in town a little while longer than they had planned just for you — It was a kindness you rarely experienced. Once upon learning that you really hadn’t any family around, they decided that you were coming with them.

Ever since, you’ve been following wherever they went, helping out with research and hunting. Of course it wasn’t an all too smooth ride, like once you realized they were hunters; that was hard to get used to, since hunters were the reason you were alone in the first place. You shoved the thought away though, Sam and Dean weren’t them. Meanwhile, the brothers just thought your reaction was because you found out about the supernatural. It was a good guess, but you already knew about the supernatural — you were the supernatural.

You also knew very well how they felt about hunting — how Sam wanted to quit and how it ruined them both, Dean too, even though he didn’t admit it. How they rather have a normal life. You however, were living a dream.

Except for how bad just felt, but other than that.

You had these two people who took you in like family, more than you ever could dream of. You would always be thankful, and you appreciated it more than you didn’t even think they understood. Because, you knew it could be over anytime.

You had a secret. Even if Sam and Dean believed so, you weren’t human. Even though you wished you were, even though you denied it. You weren’t, and could never be. No matter how much you tried, or how well you played your role as one.

You were scared of the day the truth would be revealed. Because it would. You knew that. Everyday you were paranoid, waiting for it to happen. Working hard to prevent it from happening just that day, to live the dream just a little longer. You just didn’t know it would be today.

It started out as a normal hunt, but it quickly went south. The demons were more in numbers than expected, and even though you managed to kill almost all of them, one was still standing. And that single demon had a gun, and that was everything it took.

You saw it before Sam and Dean. How he was on his way to fire, the way is hand twitched before he raised the gun, the determination settling in his eyes. Sam had just shoved Ruby’s knife in the second to last demon, and was still holding the body in his arms, about to let it fall to the floor.

Dean’s attention was elsewhere.

You were the only one that saw. The demon was about to shoot Dean.

Dean, the one person who had been the most protective of you in your whole life. Far more than any of your biological family.

You couldn’t let that happen.

Without thinking you, threw yourself in front of Dean, giving him a hard push to the side, accidentally using a bit more of your strength than intentional. A bit more than human.

And even though you didn’t think, it didn’t matter, because you would have made the same call if you would have had time to think.

A split second later, a deafening noise rung out, and both of Sam and Dean ducked in reflex, shielding their heads, eyes finding the smoking gun in the hand of the demon. You felt how the bullet pierced your chest, jolting you backwards. The following two shots were fired almost right after, within the blink of an eye, and those bullets buried themselves in your upper and mid stomach.

Pain shot through you. Some of it because of the bullets, getting shot. A bigger part of it was from the Winchesters’ eyes — filled with terror and dread. They thought you were dying, and that hurt. The last amount was since you now knew — the dream life was over.

The demon suddenly let out a scream, as its eyes flashed bright, its body jerking — Sam had gotten to it and stabbed it in the back.

Meanwhile, Dean had regained balance. ”(Y/N)!”

Sam’s gaze drew to you, his eyes round in fear as he watched the blood seep out of the holes in your shirt, and then your skin. How a deep red stain spread over the fabric of the shirt.

Someone wrapped the hands around your shoulder. ”Oh my— (Y/N)?”

It was Dean, who thought these were your last moments. Absentmindedly, you swatted away his hands. At the same time, Sam reached you. His hands were trembling over your wounds instead, as he wanted to help you, but didn’t even know where to start. You waved his hands away too.

”(Y/N), please…” Sam begged, his voice breaking, his eyes started filling with tears.

”Sam, I’m fine…” You had to stop his misery, even if it meant exposing yourself.

”(Y/N), y-you’re shot—” Dean began with an unsteady tone. Maybe he thought that you were in some sort of denial, trance or something. That you hadn’t understood that you had been shot, and would be dying.

Reality was that they were the ones who didn’t understand — if you had been human, you probably would’ve been dead already.

”Yes.” You drew a deep breath. ”But, I’m okay.”

Both of them stopped and stared at you, lost for speech.

”Bullets don’t hurt me.” Your voice was only a whisper, but it didn’t matter, the house was quiet now.

Sam lifted a pair of shaking hands and placed them on your cheeks. His hazel eyes nailed your own.

”What do you mean?” His voice was stern, demanding, and yet thick with worry, despair, confusion.

You lifted your shirt a bit so that one of the wounds was visible. It had already almost stopped bleeding.

”Wha— How?” Dean questioned, his green eyes searching for yours, but you stared at the floor, escaping both of him and Sam’s gazes.

”I’m… I’m not—” You struggled with your words.

”What?” Dean was scared for what was about to come.

”Human.” There — you said it. ”I’m not human.”

And now, when the secret was out, you felt different. Still hurting, but in another way. It wasn’t that muted, throbbing, always-there fear and guilt. Now it was piercing, and intense, but you also knew that it had an ending. Because from here, things surely would change. But at least something would happen, you weren’t walking in the same, angsty and anxious footsteps.

”W-what?” Sam echoed his brother’s previous question, but his tone was different, hurt, and it quite literally tore at your soul. You would never forget it.

”No.” Was Dean’s response. ”No way.” He shook his head.

”I’m sorry.” Your voice was choked. You didn’t even know how you began forming the words in your mouth. Right now you just wanted to crawl into a corner and pretend that this wasn’t happening.

”No, (Y/N). Tell me that this is some sort of sick joke. That this isn’t true. ” Dean paused and drew in a ragged breath. ”Because I — we — see you as a sister, so don’t you tell me that our freaking sister is one of them. Tell me that you’re kidding!”

He saw you as a sister.

You couldn’t bring yourself to answer.

”What are y-you?” Sam asked, his voice innocent and childish. He sounded a lot younger than he was, and you could tell by his voice that he was crying. You still couldn’t look at him.

You collected yourself, trying to assure that your voice would be somewhat steady. ”I’m a kitsune.”

There was a brief pause.

”But that means t-that…” Sam couldn’t finish his sentence. Feed on brains?

”You know how I go for walks…” You didn’t have to explain more for them to understand. Sam looked away and Dean’s expression filled with disgust. ”B-but it’s only a little, just enough for me to survive. A-and it’s dead people. Very dead people, from the morgue… I promise.”

”Shut up.” Dean’s voice rang out. ”…I trusted you.”

Tears escaped your eyes, overflowing at last.

”You’re our family — but you lied to us?”

”Dean, I—”

”No, all this time, you were one of them?”

You looked at Sam, but he didn’t meet your gaze.

”I’m supposed to kill people like you.”

And then Dean scoffed once he realized he had said people. The way he was raised, you shouldn’t even classify as people.

You were quiet for a moment, collecting your thoughts before you spoke up. ”A stab to the heart.”

”What?” Sam questioned, his voice full of disbelief.

”A stab to my heart. Knife or dagger. Works with the usual, doesn’t have to be silver.” Sam and Dean both looked at you, in such a mix of emotions that you almost felt dizzy. ”That’s what it takes to kill me.”

”No, wait—” Sam began, but once again, never finished his sentence. His head must be spinning.

”So, go ahead.” You than said, looking at Dean as you aimed your statement mostly towards him.

He was glaring at you, and you could almost see the inner conflict he was experiencing. When he looked at you, all warning bells were going off. Monster. Everything John taught him. Kill every monster.

But, he still saw you. The (Y/N) he had gotten to know, the one he apparently thought of as a sister. You were still you, and it wasn’t like you had changed your personality while hiding your true self. It was you he had been talking to. And you were still that person, no matter what species you were.

But then, he suddenly spun around. And then he left the room.

You stared at his retrieving back and all you wanted to do was crumble to the floor and sob until you didn’t know what. But you didn’t, instead it felt as you couldn’t move.

Was that the last time you saw him?

What if you never met him again. What if he came back to kill you?

You were brought back from your self-tormenting thoughts by Sam.

”Why—…?”

”You would have killed me from the begging. I wanted to survive.” You sighed remembering that night. ”And then, I didn’t want to ruin what we have. You mean the world to me.”

Your words were left hanging in the air, lingering around you and Sam. You mean the world to me.

Sam stared at you, looking like a sad puppy. He felt betrayed too, and unbelievably sad, but he wasn’t ready to lose you completely. You were like his little sister, and you’ve been through a lot together — it couldn’t end like this. He wouldn’t let it. Glistening trails of tears was evident on his cheeks. He looked miserable. Still, he looked past that and the fact that you had lied to him for years.

”I-I wish it wasn’t like this.”

”Me too.” You let out a choked little sob, but contained yourself before you got out of control.

Keep it together, (Y/N). You knew this would happen.

”I’ll talk to Dean for you.”

You nodded. Then you watched as Sam turned around to leave too. You felt numb, distant. It really was funny how you could feel that way while still feeling like you were dying inside.

Just before Sam disappeared out of your sight, he turned around to look at you one last time. You hadn’t moved, and you looked like you were barely holding it together, like you would fall apart any moment. Everything Sam had inside of him burned, he wanted to run up to you and wrap his arms around you. But he couldn’t bring himself to do so. Everything was different now.

But, he still cared for you. He could tell, he knew that already, that he never would stop doing that. Never.

”It’s not about what you are.” Sam’s hazel eyes rested on you. ”It’s about what you do.”

Then, he turned around and left. And you were all alone.

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mctvcker · 5 years

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