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youarejesting · 3 years

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Wash out.17

Banner: this banner is made by the lovely @purpleskies1999 Pairings: Dolphintrainer!Taehyung x SharkDiver!Jin, Mer!Jimin x Reader, Scientist!Namjoon x MerKing!Jungkook, Mer!Yoongi x Mer!Hoseok. Words: 2.2k Genre: Mystery, Romance, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, little bit of Action, Slice of life, Enemies2Lovers, Friends2lovers, Social media au, Fake Texts, Fake Subs.

Summary: Taehyung and his best friend Y/N are Dolphin trainers at Wash Out; Marine Wildlife and Theme Park. When the nerdy marine biologist and resident veterinarian Doctor Kim Namjoon goes missing; the two friends form a ragtag team with Taehyung’s rival Seokjin and a…. Fish?

Taehyung thought this was the most stupid and wreckless thing you had ever done and he was an idiot to be apart of this. But that’s what friends are for, right?

Jin was in position in his car one stop away from the amusement park, which meant the two of you had to sneak a five foot seven mermaid out through the crowds. Without exposing his tail and then getting him onto the bus and then into Seokjin’s car. This was like some weird video game but there were no save points or second chances.

It took a few trial runs without Jimin before you came up with your plan. You both had a total of 42 min to cross an entire park, your route had to include ramps as you would be using the lost and found wheelchair. The stakes were high if this went wrong, the two of you and Jimin were going to be in deep trouble.

After Taehyung’s first show with the dolphins he came to the warehouse for ‘lunch’ where the two of you used the sling to get Jimin out of the tank. You were lowering him into the wheelchair while Taehyung guided him into the seat.

Draping a blanket over his tail, you made sure it was fully covered completely around, not wanting anyone to catch sight of his fishy appendages. “How long till you dry out?” Taehyung asked bluntly pulling a shirt over Jimin’s head and a Hat with the amusement park name on the front.

“Uh, about ten minutes.” he said,

“Alright let’s go, tell us if you feel uncomfortable at all Jimin.” You nodded at Taehyung who began pushing the wheelchair.

You moved along the path, watching Jimin look around in a mix of alarm and excitement. He seemed to frown at the heat and brightness from the sun.

“I’m getting kind of dry,” Jimin muttered shifting in his seat, Taehyung opened a water bottle and poured it down Jimin’s shirt. You were heading down the ramp getting close to one of the rides, the water splashing Jimin slightly.

Turning the corner you stopped watching the leader of the management team walking towards the warehouse.

He had a phone to his ear talking to someone in a business tone. Spotting the three of you and recognizing Jimin. “Oh I forgot my paperwork in the office, I will just grab it quickly before heading to the warehouse. I will send you the report on the merman when I see him.”

He nodded his head towards your odd throuple, taking a step back and turning around. He had helped you; he had wanted you to escape.

Pushing forward you were stopped by a crowd of people, Jimin was getting uncomfortable again. The sun was his enemy.

Pushing through the crowd you finally got through and we’re racing for the exit. Jimin squirmed again, why did it have to be so hot today?

Taehyung detoured to the left to the touch pools, grabbing Jimin's face and shoulders, dumping it in the water. Pulling him back out he looked shocked but at ease as the water dripped down to his dry tail.

Looking up, Taehyung saw a horrified staff member. You pulled a starfish off of Jimin's face delicately with wet hands. Rubbing the back of his neck Taehyung laughed awkwardly, they probably thought he was harassing someone who was disabled. He dunked his head in the water as well so as to make it seem less awkward.

“See you don’t need to go on rides to have fun, come on more to see,” he said. Flicking his wet hair back and wheeling the merman away quickly before they called security.

You had purchased some more water bottles and dampened the blanket draped over Jimin's tail. The three of you moved out the entrance of the park and to the left towards the bus stops. Luckily the bus had just arrived helping Jimin on and relaxing. You were halfway there and in the cool of the bus out of the sun Jimin too relaxed, somewhat eyeing the world passing by.

Getting off at the next stop, Taehyung rolled Jimin towards Seokjin’s parked car. Taehyung saw him leaning against his car looking kind of handsome in the afternoon sun.

He hated to admit it but the two had grown close, somewhere along the way of helping Seokjin grieve Taehyung learnt things about him that opened his eyes.

Seokjin wasn’t a bad guy, he was confident and funny and a bit of a goofball but he was also a kind and caring guy. Taehyung thought maybe if they met on better terms they might have been friends.

“Finally,” Seokjin smiled at the three of them, making Taehyung smile back shyly. “Let’s get him home quickly,”

“Help me get him in the back,” Taehyung gestured to the back of the car. You ran around getting in the back, ready to help guide Jimin in when Taehyung and Seokjin lifted him into the vehicle.

Taehyung secured Jimin under the arms, letting Seokjin lift him from the waist, aiming the blanket wrapped tail in through the car door. Jimin was frowning, not exactly appreciating their lifting technique. Taehyung gave him an apologetic smile, “Sorry friend.”

Sliding in the front seat, Taehyung watched Seokjin pack the wheelchair into the boot of the car and take the driver's seat. “Do you mind if we get some drive thru on the way home?” Seokjin said, looking in the rear view mirror.

“We gotta get him home before he dries up, we can order in,” Taehyung laughed but inside he was concerned with the mermans health.

“Sure, we can order in.” Seokjin sighed, “Jimin, my name is Seokjin. It’s nice to meet you.”

Taehyung was lost in thought watching him drive, he was concentrating on the road and it made him look mature to be so serious. It seemed strange to be in the same car as Seokjin; a month ago he would have threatened to jump out on the freeway, rather than spend even ten minutes in his rival's car.

Pulling into the driveway Jimin winced getting back into the wheelchair and they placed him in Seokjin’s bathtub which was filled with seawater, it had taken a ten litre container and multiple trips to drive enough seawater to fill the tub. The two lifted Jimin, lowering him into the bathtub where he sat relieved to be in water once more.

“Do you need anything?” Seokjin tried to be polite to his guest. Jimin again didn’t reply again, instead his arm stretched out, small hand reaching for Seokjin.

Seokjin held his hand out to shake Jimins but was pulled forward where the two shared a kiss. Taehyung immediately pulled Seokjin back, feeling his blood boiling, “Can you understand me now, Seokjin.” Jimin smiled

The anger which had flared up inside Taehyung died off with the realization that Jimin didn’t speak english and Seokjin wouldn’t understand him without sharing a kiss. Coughing awkwardly, Taehyung looked at the three in the room. “Who is hungry?”

“What do we feed Jimin? We didn't think this through,” You said immediately looking alarmed.

“Does he eat sashimi?” Seokjin asked Jimin

“Maybe I can go into work and sneak out some fish?” Taehyung said

“No, we can’t go back there, we can’t return home, we can’t see our family. We have to hide here with Jimin until we can get him to his home.” You argued walking out the bathroom. Jimin leant over the bathtub side trying to see where you were going. Cute, he must really like her.

Returning with arms full of menus, you sat on the floor beside Jimin and began looking through them, “What does everything want?”

They got fried chicken, bulk tuna and salmon sashimi, Kimchi Jjigae, Jjajangmyeon and tuna mayo rice balls. The selection was quite wide and you brought everything into the bathroom sitting and eating on the floor.

Jimin ate the sashimi but seemed really interested in the other foods, Taehyung offered him a tuna mayo and rice ball. Taking one Jimin sniffed it before he took a bite contemplating the texture and flavour before popping the rest in his mouth.

“You should offer Jimin some fried chicken to try, as you are closer” Taehyung said with a sly smirk, you rolled your eyes taking a piece of chicken and holding it out to Jimin. He let you hold it while he leant over and took a small bite.

He chewed thinking about the crunch and the flavour before his smile grew he took another bite and another. “This is so tasty.”

“Would you like to try some more dishes?” You asked, smiling at Jimin ready to offer him more food. Taehyung and Seokjin shared a knowing glance but they didn’t say a word. “Okay this one just try a little cause it is a bit spicy which means your mouth will get really warm okay.”

Jimin had some soup and smiled, licking his plump lips a little confused, “My mouth is really warm and tingly.”

“That’s what we call spicy.” Seokjin said, “It is good but don’t have too much. It's your first time eating things that aren’t fish so it could make you sick of all these new foods, you can try some more another time.”

“Oh, I got this really hilarious picture today on our way out of the park,” You shouted brandishing your phone screen to all of them. “You should have seen Tae, he full on dunked Jimin head first in the touch pools and the staff were about to call security.”

That night the boys went for a shower Taehyung stepped out laughing, “Jimin told me this hilarious story about his friend falling off the back of a crab”

Seokjin smiled heading into the bathroom coming out with bright red ears, “I have never had someone sit there and watch me while I shower, but he did tell me about some kind of cool stuff about his home, he said the king wouldn’t hurt Namjoon.”

Taehyung watched you gather your things and walk to the bathroom, he ran up to the door pressing his ear against it, Seokjin beside him doing the same thing. The two stared at one another as they heard you speak.

“Don’t um turn around, I am going to shower?” You had stuttered, obviously nervous.

“I don’t understand, but I will do as you say” the two of you talking quietly.

Tags: @backinblack1967 @miriamxsworld @moccahobi @simplymemyself @a-gayish-unicorn

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blankdblank · 3 years

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Brother Dearest Pt 52

“Steve has a sister...” Peggy halfway murmured at the sight of the returned Commandos to the bar she alone sat in the curved booth with fingers twisting the shot glass holding a whiskey now watered down by the melted ice meant to cool it.

Jaques asked in his slide first into the booth the others joined in on the motion to support their friend in this monumental loss. “What?”

“Steve has a sister.” She repeated and jaws dropped to her rehash of all the Colonel had shared and the way he had hinted he would hurt Steve for the fate the girl suffered.

Gabe, “So she’s dead?”

Dum dum shook his head, “No, we know Steve! We spent all that time together and not one mention of a family!”

Peggy said on the cusp of tears with a crack in her voice, “Well we apparently didn’t know him very well!” Up she raised her glass and haltingly took a sip and lowered it with half the liquid remaining in the lipstick stained glass that tapped the table again to her swallow. “He never said if she was dead or alive.” She whispered with her mind circling on that woman traveling with the Colonel who said her name was classified.

Jim, “And what if she’s alive? Not like we can do anything for the girl.”

“I have to know.” Left simply to that the conversation hung like a wet blanket over the mock funeral on the base as none could attend the one they anticipated would be held to celebrate him upon his return as a hero to Brooklyn.

And small bits of progress were shared on and off in the aid of Stark in his enlisting her aid in clearing his name and saving the world between run ins of the old friends until the fated call, “I found her, she’s alive.”

“You got to be kidding me,” Dum Dum chuckled and asked, “Who is she then? Still a nurse or did she drop that after the war?”

“She’s a student, at Columbia University. She’s in Brooklyn. I’m going to meet her tomorrow after a stop by Steve’s grave.”

“Well then, do we at least get a name?”

“She changed it, her surname at least, she goes by Bunny Pear now.”

“Bunny Pear.” The name had his face go stoic recalling those towns and stops they crossed with those signs posted up creaking the gears in his head in puzzlement as to who this mystery sister and brother duo was and why the hell Steve acted like he knew nothing of them at all. “The only woman awarded the Medal of Honor Bunny Pear?”

“Yes, you’ve read about her then?”

“Steve lied about a lot more than just having a sister. Bunny Pear devastated every German force she and her brother came across, and while we toured a ruin of a city they’d left Steve and Bucky played the fool. Hundreds of soldiers we crossed had thousands of things to say about them.” He paused then said, “Ring us when you’ve talked to her with what you learn.”

“I will.” She replied and hung up the phone more fearful than she had been hours earlier upon uncovering an address to find said lost sister she had been brushed off by once before years prior as to why her friend was so curt in his parting tone that revealed a mingle of hurt and something else. Something she hoped to be a misunderstanding and not a betrayal of the man they all had such hopes for being a pure heart in the middle of a harsh war to guide them to safety and a better tomorrow.

From the library to the dinner table you were set to move for the meal the brothers got started on once Eddie had come home and Peggy joined you all after having asked a few blaring questions about Venom in his shoot outwards ready to eat any intruder upon the telling scent of blood foreign to the family. In a skip of a scoop Eddie remained at home to keep watch of you all tonight knowing Venom would want to be on patrol all night. Both Norma and Dawn smiled and greeted Peggy, with whom they chatted in the wait for food until the doorbell rang again and Eddie sprung to check on who it was.

“Oh, hello,” the clear voice echoed through the house and was followed by, “Edwin Jarvis, there is a Peggy Carter here I believe?”

Eddie replied, “Yup, James said you called. Just you?”

“Jarvis, we’re growing cold, it’s on the move!” Stark’s voice came from the car parked on the curb who waved to Eddie, “Hey Eddie! Been following your headlines, you’ve been building up some steam!”

To that you smirked and climbed to your feet to join Peggy to the door, “I take it this means you won’t be staying for supper.”

“Apparently not. The offer was very kind however.” She answered with a kind smile.

Right to the door you strolled to stop in the doorway where Stark waved to you, “There you are Bunny! Not dead yet I see.”

That had you smirk and look to Jarvis in the sweep of his eyes over you, “Oh my,” he said then flashed you a grin stating, “Edwin Jarvis,” his hand outstretched for a handshake you returned, “Pleasure to meet you. I have heard so very many things about you, Mrs Pear Howlett.”

“Pleasure to meet you, you must have the patience of a mountain to work with Stark.”

His head tilted to the side a moment and he flashed Peggy a grin, “Lately it has been much more accommodating to my skill set and the company much less likely to land me slapped by women I come across.” His eyes wandered over you in a lean into Eddie’s side to the clear shift of your belly that had you rest a hand on it. “Might, I be bold in offering congratulations?”

“You may, and thank you.” You replied then looked to Peggy.

“I will let you rest, however I did want to let you know, the Howling Commandos, who traveled with Steve and Bucky in the war, they will be in town tomorrow and wondered if you might be up to meeting them? They also wished to pay their respects to Bucky’s parents as well.”

Eddie, “Bucky’s just got his Mom and sisters, girls are about 11 now.”

Peggy, “Good, we were planning on joining in for church, if you would accept that.”

“Not my place to ban anyone from church. We do have a block party after they may find as a reprieve after a Catholic Mass. Can be quite daunting for some not familiar with the service.”

She nodded and to Stark’s next honk she rolled her eyes and Jarvis said, “We will see you tomorrow, Mrs Pear Howlett, Mr Pear.” Both names accentuated with nods before his turn to join Peggy on the way back to the car.

“Should be fun,” you said to Eddie who chuckled and turned to lift Teddy in his race towards his father with drawing in hand to show it off.

“Oh yes,” he said to your closing and locking the doors. To turn back to the guys with eyes shifting over Eddie answering his mental questions on what he had missed of the intruders above what the guys had given of a basic description. Though mainly to calm Venom that the threat was aimed for Peggy and not yourself or his children.

Norma however drew your focus in a move to guide you to the dining room table, “Your friend had to leave before supper?”

“Yes, she’ll be at Mass tomorrow with more friends of my brother Steve’s.”

James asked, “You okay with that? We can stay home.”

That had you chuckle, “Right, because she would never just bring them here.”

And he smirked back at you playfully answering, “You set the rules. You want them barred we won’t let them in.”

Dawn said, “I just can’t believe she would come here knowing she was being followed.”

“Well I suppose there is the off chance she didn’t know. Seemed afraid of the woman at least, had to be sneaky or something to scare her.”

Victor murmured in French to keep Norma from hearing, “Don’t have to be sneaky to get a shot off in my chest.”

James teased, “Fairly big target to miss a couple feet away, now his head, be hard to hit that in reaching distance.” Earning a smirking glance back at him.

Dawn said to Norma’s confused glance their way, “Suppose we’ll just have to make sure these friends of Steve’s won’t cross any lines.”

The purple floral wrap dress you chose that hung past your knees was smoothed over you to sit under the cardigan you used to keep warm on top of the jacket that was eased over your arms and back. Sure to have your hat in place down the front stoop you strolled to join the others in town for the joint trip to Mass between your relatives. With his arm around your back James kept you close in the sight of Stark’s car driving past. While on the sidewalk outside the church Peggy stood with her signature blue dress and bright red hat to match her lipstick outlining the easy grin she gave you in the move to lead the staring group of guys behind her inside. Into the pew a row back to the left of yours across the aisle they settled. Each of them luring stolen glimpses through the service until the town and Priest especially got a chance to interrogate the newcomers who seemed to keep their focus on the family that everyone hoped would just be left to their privacy to live out their lives.

Once Mass was over however and your family took turns in the chance for confession the Brocks were the first to swoop in to begin the questioning. Gina especially smiled in her step towards the group and asked, “Passing through town?”

James Montgomery took the brief murmured conversation Peggy and Dum Dum Dugan were having about the proper time for him to put his hat back on to answer, “Yes, we’ve come out to pay our respects to Steve Rogers’ and Bucky Barnes’ families.”

Her husband asked, “Really? You knew them well?”

Pinky Pinkerton said after glancing back to Gabe Jones, Jim Morita and Happy Sam Sawyer who were ushered prior to Mass to sit on the far end of the pew on their move to join the group again, “We served together, though Steve never mentioned he had a sister, or any family at all really. Said he was orphaned.”

Mama Brock said in an unamused scoff to the memory of how her adopted daughter was treated, “Selfish little boy wouldn’t know family if it slapped him in the face. Lucky we never got our hands on him after he kept leaving Bunny out on the steps.”

That turned Peggy’s head, “On the steps? He actually left her on the steps?”

“Even went so far as to argue with the Judge that gave him custody to send her away so he wouldn’t have to have legal custody of her right in front of the poor thing before he was sent packing. To actually want to send her off anywhere unknown on the verge of a war to who knows what end how cruel can you get to do that to such a sweet child?” Mamma Brock then huffed feeling herself ready to begin shouting mumbled in a try to keep calm, “I have to go check on my pies,” and joined the others on their way to fetch the food cooked for the block party and her daughters began to list slight after slight that had their hearts sinking for both of their friends.

Including a stop to view the album of Sarah Rogers’ funeral where the guys understood by the captured look on your face just who Bucky was haunted by. The younger sister he encouraged Steve to abandon.

Peggy asked after the album was closed and added to the shelf of funerals of families within the past decade, “I don’t see Steve’s album. There’s one for Bucky.”

Ambrose said, “The Catholic church does not give suicides funeral processions.” That dropped Peggy’s jaw, “Father Thomas only insisted upon giving any words at all over the grave for Bunny’s sake when he knew we knew she was alive and with Eddie.”

Jim Morita, “Where did everyone think she was?”

Gina, “She was assumed to have run off with Eddie, but we clarified she got into a good school in Canada then they got drafted. Until she got shot she was listed as a POW though by the Canadians, we still have the telegrams our cousins received. War offices learned she was with Eddie through the field promotion papers and picture of the planes and tanks she took out first time she got shot.”

Dum Dum Dugan, “Well, I guess in his own way Steve had to have left her something decent for how she’s managed since the war.”

Ambrose’s husband said, “Steve left everything to the church. Even Jaqi’s things, she didn’t have a red cent to her name or home to come back to except for ours. Father Thomas is the one who set up the inheritance to be transferred to us to watch for her.”

Howard from the back of the church had crept forward and asked a question that hurt the group even more than anything they’d heard before that he had to confirm you yourself had told him, “Steve really call her a monster?”

Ambrose, “When he called her anything at all. Barely spoke to her at all unless it was a shout on where her change for food was or eyes were on him from people he wanted respect from.”

Howard, “He pick on people often?”

Gina, “After how his dad treated him and Sarah all he wanted to do was fight, even after she married Jaqi’s dad.”

Howard asked in a look over the albums, “Which one’s her dad’s?”

Ambrose, “Father Thomas gave it to Jaqi, only keeps them a decade. The one for Steve’s dad as well he found tucked away from when Sarah died.”

Howard asked, “Her dad a good man?”

Gina and Ambrose chuckled and the latter’s husband answered, “The pinnacle of perfect father and husband. Never raised a hand to anyone or any creature. Used to call Sarah his Greatest Treasure and Jaqi his fair Queen of the Cosmos, drove Steve up the wall. Worked and saved for his studies and a fund for his girl to study after him at the best schools. Even paid for Steve’s tuition for art classes at the community college.”

Jaques Dernier asked, “How does Bucky fit into this? Why did he hate Bunny? What did he get out of it?”

Gina’s husband answered, “He got Steve’s focus all to himself. Didn’t have much of a home he wanted to go back to at night. Steve wanted an escape and gave Bucky the most devoted buddy he could ask for.” From there the group led the others out to the party where two identically dressed girls with painfully familiar eyes stopped in their way with wide smiles.

“You knew our brother?” Stories of their war hero brother were shared to be confirmed that the guys were stunned they had heard you shared researched bits learned just for them to keep their hero. The new stories the guys shared were adored especially by their mother who in your exit of the church gave you a grin and watched your approach.

She said to the guys in the walk closer in a moment of distraction for the girls, “She’s been so kind to my girls, for how my boy and her brother behaved. Don’t you be rude to her. We owe her that much.”

Howard asked in a step away lowly to meet you before you reached the others, “You haven’t broken the bad news to the girls?”

“I’m not in the business of destroying heroes for little girls. They deserve memories of a brother who loved them and died ensuring they were safe.”

Howard, “How can you stand it, that truth you can’t say?”

“Everyone in town knows who is old enough to. Their cruelty dies with them.”

Bernie and Benji when their friends had called them waved and made their ways to the seats saved for them to share some of the excitement while you stepped forward accepting handshakes and introductions of the group that each of your family nodded in their own naming. Mrs Barnes left soon after to join her own friends to shift the focus of the group back to you.

Marigold, Petal and Teddy however called for food while you focused on the newcomers that joined you at the closest table mainly away from the crowds to the start of the music. “So, you knew Steve and Bucky in uniform, must have left an impression to bring you all out here.”

Gabe said, “Well, they were pretty special, least till we heard about you and Eddie.”

Jim Morita, “You really turned Panzers to marbles?”

“Among other things.”

Howard, “And she’s being stingy on the weaponry. I’ve even been asked to see if I can duplicate it. Magnets however are surprisingly difficult to master.” His eyes looked you over and he said, “How you made it in one piece with magnets that strong I have no clue. Did you know they can cause heart failure when they pass a certain grade?”

“Human body is comprised of iron in the blood, along with other traces of metal throughout the rest of the body, sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, molybdenum, and cadmium. Part of how x-rays and sonograms work magnetic fields reacting to the body.”

“Not hard to bypass.” Happy Sam Sawyer chuckled out, “Don’t you remember, we heard the soldiers we came across all said they’re aliens.”

That had you smirk and thank the young Brock kids that brought your drinks over then darted off to play again. “Close enough,” you giggled and lifted your drink to take a sip then lowered your hand to the belly that shifted and drew James in a grin of his own to steal a stroke of your belly.

Jaques began the sea of congratulations and Dum Dum asked, “Did you plan on returning to school? You seem due soon.”

“Due closer to summer actually.” Parting his lips in confusion, “Triplets.”

Howard said, “When we’re done here Jarvis has our gifts for you in the trunk.”

“You didn’t have to bring gifts.”

Howard nodded, “Oh yes I did. Down right rude not to. Good thing I buy spares or Peggy’s sharing of the triplets would have left me in a lurch to have enough for all of you.”

“Fine, but it better not have gemstones or anything flashy or you’ll end up wearing it.”

Again he smirked and Dum Dum Dugan asked, “Any clue on what you’re having?”

“Girls,” James answered, “Hopefully just like their mom.”

Eddie said, “My sisters and cousins mostly have boys so when Dawn and I had Marigold they loved the new wave of girls, my sister Ambrose is having a girl too and can’t wait for hers.”

You smirked and said, “She’s really excited to go through this with me. Even debating coming out to Canada when we head back for the summer.”

James Falsworth asked, “Why stay in the city while you are carrying so many babies?”

“My courses.” You said, “I’m going to stick in it as far as I can through this semester. Might work it so I can leave a month early, just over four months, so possibly April to June depending on how impatient the girls are they’ll be showing up and the space and quiet will be better for me have them.”

Peggy, “How strenuous are your classes?”

“Not very, a majority of them are on the same campus and the Professors surely will be as accommodating as they keep trying to assure me they will be.”

Jim Morita asked, “What’s it like, being back here, after everything that happened?”

“I think the oddest thing was how everyone had just taken to the new last name. But I think Mama Brock had something to do with that, not to mention the papers.”

Eddie said, “They knew we needed a new name. I think remodeling Bunny’s home settled everything. Let everyone know she’s home in her own building she bought.”

“Technically-,” you tried to cut in only for Victor to cut you off.

“We bought it for you. Your name is on the lease now and when it’s legal it will be the only one on it.”

Peggy, “The whole house?”

James nodded, “Same with the comics and her bank account and just about anything we’re hoarding for the eventual turn over when we can.”

Howard said, “Might take a while to get there.” Though he smirked at the pointed gazes from the brothers around you mingled with Eddie’s unamused brow tick.

“Be a fairly terrifying time for the Starks of the world for me to have my own empire.”

Howard chuckled and fired back, “Oh no, then I might actually have some competition.”

Dum Dum Dugan asked, “What’d you do with the weapon and suits you built?”

“Well I certainly didn’t bring any weapons back from the war aside from a knife James found for me.”

Gabe, “So, what happens if someone shows up on your doorstep wanting those blueprints?”

“I may be pregnant but I can still throw someone around a room,” making the guys chuckle and Peggy smirk to herself.

From the party to the house again now with the guys the tour continued with each admiring the pictures you had posted from Steve and Bucky’s trips to shows in murals with ticket stubs and autographs.

Peggy’s focus in a glance to the other room however shifted from Eddie’s smile down at his son. Who was faking claws at the air and snarls that had Venom’s face pop out with a toothy proud grin in a lift of the boy he then lowered to kiss in the return of Venom to sink back again, to the trumpet that sat polished on display. That had you ask, “Do you play an instrument?”

Her eyes met yours and she nodded, “Piano, Mummy insisted. Made Michael keep up with his sax.”

Her grin dimmed and you said with a stroke of your hand on her arm, “Boys rarely stick to practice. Steve missed most of his, though about half came by his passing out or rehearsals that triggered his asthma.”

Pinky asked, “Steve really was this scrawny?”

You nodded, “And he hated every minute of it. Eddie and me used to get a chuckle I might have been bigger than he was in his uniforms. Pre-Captain mode that is.” You paused and asked, “He ever sketch anything? While he was over there?”

“Oh,” Happy Sam Sawyer patted his pockets until he brought out a small journal, “Just a few small sketches, the rest is some sort of scribbles we couldn’t make out.”

Opening the book to one of the notes you snapped it shut saying, “It’s a cipher. You need the source book to translate it. Some boys used to take their notes and read them like they were dirty novels even if they were on toast to taunt them for not having a wider circle.”

James Falsworth asked, “Do you know the source?”

“The Hobbit.”

Jaques, “The bedtime story?”

You nodded, “Funnily enough, I gave Steve the book they used to hide in.”

Jim, “Why not translate it?”

“Oh I can read it, and I don’t think Peggy would appreciate the content.”

Peggy paused a moment then asked, “It’s, about me?”

“Yes,” you said and lifted the book a tad, “And by the notes I am guessing he didn’t get as far as he’s writing about. You could very possibly be flexible but I doubt even then his day dream would be plausible.”

Pinky, “Wait, all you did was glance at the page. How could you read and translate it that fast.”

“Photographic memory, and I can read novels in minutes,” you glanced at Peggy saying, “I’ll read the rest later and if there’s anything less imaginative and respectful I’ll write it out for you.”

She shook her head and said, “I doubt there would be anything sentimental in there. Your brother was not overly expressive of his affection until the drive we took to get him on that plane and the radio transmission afterwards, even then, rather simplistic, trade of a promise then static.”

“Well if I do ever find him wandering around in the afterlife I’ll punch him for that. Downright a crime to not woo you properly.” You teased making her smirk your way.

Jarvis upon return from his third trip to the car gave Howard a nod that had him smile and smooth his hands together, “Gift time!”

“Anything with gems-,”

“And I’m wearing them, I remember.” He said with a smirk guiding you to the front room where you eyed the trio of crib kits that by the brand were expensive and had you in an open mouthed gawk at the smiling inventor, “I won’t accept no for an answer. Only the best for the daughters of our greatest asset for this country’s future.”

“Asset?” you asked.

“You know what I mean,” Howard said. “With your help ladies are set to give us old boys a run for our money.”

Victor, “Why’d you buy three cribs? Must have sparked some rumors with that purchase.”

Jarvis said, “Oh, for that I bear the name on that invoice. Sparing Mrs Stark that scrutiny.”

Howard said, “Though she has seen the catalogs and now is considering children with her husband number two.”

James muttered, “Ouch.”

Howard swatted his hand, “I was a means to irritate Daddy. No matter she’s picked a fine replacement more fit for the suit and tie brigade.” He patted his hand on the crib box closest to him, “Paperwork is nearly done as soon as he finalizes on his house she will pack her things and you will have tons of cover headlines to distract from your lovely little parade of geniuses.”

James, “Least you haven’t broken a sweat over it.”

Howard, “Oh we signed a prenup,” he looked between you both and said, “Which I’m certain you both won’t need.”

Victor, “Oh I’ll kill him before so much as a weekend away comes up to think things over.” Howard chuckled and pointed at him assuming it was a joke only making you smirk behind a stroke of your finger along the side of your nose. Though to a bold set of kicks your hand outstretched and landed on Eddie’s bicep and you let out a sharp breath.

“Ok, I need a minute,” you said in a turn that had him guide you to the nearest bathroom.

Howard looked your back over and James drew his gaze by saying, “They kick and her bladder is almost always trapped in the middle. This the one with the side that comes down or the solid wall model?” That had his grin return in James’ move closer to crouch and look over the diagram on the outside of the box that Victor joined him in inspecting, “Oh this one’s nice. Good solid sides won’t take off a finger if it drops like other models.”

Victor, “We can always make a set of steps if it’s too tall so Pipsqueak can reach inside.”

Jarvis, “Would it prove to be too tall we could purchase another set.”

James shook his head, “Nah, no need. She can adapt. Doubt she’d accept the second set.”

Victor, “Or even let you up the stoop with it.”

Howard, “What about Canada, you need a set there.”

James smirked, “We’ve already built a set for home, Jaqi helped with the finer touches but let us cover the basics off our experience for what would be the safest designs.”

Howard said, “Wow, you sound like you’ve been through the whole parenting schtick before.”

He didn’t need the answer in their telling continued silent stares at him till one of the guys smiled and said to you in your return, “Your hubby says it’s a safe model.”

“Even if it wasn’t the guys can easily make some changes in the install. Should be nice, I do like the round half circle top to the ends, could have some nice crochet covers from Gina. Maybe a nice quilt too for the bed the Brocks can fix up for us. One of the cousins do enjoy stuffing them.” You looked to Howard and said, “Thank you, Howard. Now, no more gifts.”

He scoffed at that and rolled his eyes only making Jarvis say, “I will do my best to remind him of that, Mrs Pear Howlett.”

“No jewelry,” you said to Howard as a flat rule that deepened his smirk in your knowing he would find a way to shower funds onto your family he’d now spread a sort of fondness onto even more so upon discovery of the link between you and his major successful project your brother turned out to be.

Dawn broke the circle by calling everyone in for tea that let you all relax in the living room until the group all had to leave with promises to come back again. Though in their absence relief came from not having the presence of questions on your lost brother and the fact that you now could have that much needed pear you had been forced to put off until the lunch that was readied upon the moment of freedom.

Straight on to bed comfort was found in solace lounged in James’ side reading off tidbits from the stack of history books Elliot had been dropping off weekly to guide you by century and culture to feed the growing appetite for reading that your pregnancy was enhancing. Mixed between those were journals from those of the Beserkers who had lived through those times including the few saved items from assumed lost libraries wars had threatened and been recorded to have destroyed. All of which could only aid in the growth of your mind, though every bit of it seemed to be familiar, a notion that pleased both him and Herc that old memories were being tapped of a time when you were present there as well to observe those moments throughout history even with your physical being in hiding.

“Odd,” you muttered in smoothing your hands over your chosen shirt to have been stolen from James’ side of the closet along with his flannels you’d adjusted the hem and waistband to a tie instead of the usual buttons he agreed upon so that you would be comfortable on nights you wanted to wear pants until yours could fit again.

“Odd?” James asked having lit the fire in your bedroom to the sound of the wind outside picking up to cover the street with the thin layer of snow forecast that would enforce the use of Victor’s car that was promised to you to prevent threat of slipping upon travel to Columbia and back again.

In a shake of your head you moved to the bed and folded back the covers, only luring him closer with head tilted slightly to the side. Softly in a sigh you replied mid lift of your leg to kneel on the bed to begin the crawl to the middle, or at least as close to it as possible while still remaining close to the edge in case of bathroom trips. “Power’s gonna go out.”

“Well with the wind like this, not far from imaginable.” His eyes looked over your face in his move closer when you sat down readying to arrange the pillows to perfect the spot for you. “Unless there’s more to it?”

“I can feel it. In the power lines. But the storm isn’t near as bad enough to shut it off. We’ve had worse storms than this.”

“How can you tell?”

“It’s,” you sighed again, “You remember that storm out in Palermo where the lightning kept circling over the ocean and it was so close it had your hair on end?”

He nodded, “So it’s like a static?”

“Something like that. Soft fizzle like soda bubbles travel through the wires. Just odd.”

“Well you won’t be cold, and breakfast will be easily fixed up even without lights.” He said in the motions to help tuck you into the comfy nest that he snuggled closer to your back with a shrug of the blankets higher over you both. “Don’t you worry.”

“Just hope it doesn’t get too cold for Whiskers.”

That had him smirk and settle his head behind yours on the pillow, “Furnace is powered on gas, won’t go out with the electric, same as the cabin. Whiskers will be perfectly warm and thanks to your metal layer inside the walls all our pipes are extra insulated. We won’t let our house go cold.” After a moment his hand covered yours and he hummed, “We all promised to keep him and the puppies warm and safe, we won’t go back on that.”

Mid yawn you started to say, “He has a schedule to keep,” which only had him chuckle to himself and close his eyes to the inch of your body back into his chest.

Pt 53

All –

@sherala007, @mariannetora, @jesgisborne, @knitastically, @catthefearless, @theincaprincess, ggbbhehe4455, @lilith15000,

Not nsfw(smut) - @otakumultimuse-hiddlewhore

X Marvel-Cast - @himoverflowers, @theincaprincess, @changlingkhat

Brother Dearest - @thorinanddwalinsdwarrowdam, @swoopswishsward

#James Howlett x Reader OC #Eddie Brock x OC #Victor Creed x Norma Jeane #Peggy Carter #Howling Commandos #Howard Stark #Jarvis #Questions Asked #Who really were Steve and Bucky?#Benji & Bernie Barnes

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moral-turpitudes · 4 years

Text

Unfinished Business: Part 1

Trigger Warnings: Angst, Swearing, Slight mentions of past Abuse, Drugs.

Characters: Thomas Shelby x Reader

+ random character/group I made up (Romboldi & The Black Hats)

Word Count: 3,084 omfg I really did the most but I just kinda ran with it.

Summary: Y/N’s current occupation requires her to encounter Thomas Shelby, a man she thought was in her past for good, but as fate would have it, she has to face him once again, because no one can forget a Shelby.

Requested by: @msbzowy

Summary of request: “...Thomas lost any contact with the reader and one time while on a business deal he meets her because they’re both involved in the business. They would be fighting a lot but eventually something happens between them and the old feelings come back? You can make it sweet or steamy. No specific deal in mind, just like the general idea! Thank you in advance!”

A/N: This was requested as a oneshot but I had so many great ideas for it based off this awesome request, so I figured I’d turn it into a 2 or 3 part fic possibly. Let me know if that’s something you’d want to read. :)

Part 1 | Part 2

Y/n walked down the wooden staircase after receiving a phone call, one hand gliding down the rail, and the other holding her suitcase. Her nerves consuming her as she ran down the hall and out the door of her house in New York. The spring air filling her lungs as she quickly walked to the edge of the street, attempting to hail a cab. As she waved her hand out, she smiled as she saw one stop and handed him some cash for his efforts. She wasn’t much for pointless conversation, especially now. She was on her way to one of the biggest meetings of her career, a career she had found herself in only 2 years prior. It was a job most people wouldn’t want, but it paid well, and since she fled Small Heath, she needed the income and the protection.

Small Heath was a series of bittersweet memories. Seeing her friends at the tailor shops, walking down the dark cobblestone streets, and becoming particularly close to a man named Thomas Shelby. After the war, he got heavily involved in the business, dealing with rival gangs, going after commissioners, committing arson, murder, dealing with bets at the tracks, and breaking hearts most of all. In the matter of heartbreaks, y/n was his first true victim.

As the cab rolled down the city streets, she glanced out the window, remembering all that she left behind.

Tensions in the blinders were running high at the time of her departure from the company, back when they had a business meeting with a rival group, the Black Hats from New York. The blinders wanted to transport weapons and ammo for a cheaper price because of recent financial troubles, but they weren’t having it and the Black Hats declined, but not without blowing up one of Tommy’s supply areas. This smuggling shit was risky business to say the least, as these were being smuggled along with drugs.....snow to be exact. The little blue bottles were like gold, taking away the pain of the day while giving you the energy to go on to the next, sucking you in like a rip-tide at sea until you were consumed by the need for more. She had been all too familiarized with it because Tommy struck a deal with a huge supply of it before she left. He didn’t use it often, but Arthur was a different story.

It came as a shock to her, as she had been dating Tommy for a year before everything came crashing down. She was confronted by him at a family meeting saying that she needed to leave, that she had no place there despite her skills. She was a great shot and was helpful on many occasions, but to have her there would pose a risk they weren’t willing to take after they bombed him. So, in true Tommy fashion, he gave her some money, bought her a boarding pass, and sent her on her way to New York to start a new life, his cold eyes staring as he watched her board the ship, emotionless.

This only fueled her need to get back at him, to show him what he had lost, while also proving to herself that she didn’t need him as much as he needed her. She could make a name for herself, even if that meant working for the enemy.

Pulling up to the brick building, she realized she was now in the belly of the beast, the Black Hats home-turf. She was never seen with the Shelby’s when they visited him in Small Heath, as she was always doing secretary work at Tommy’s place, or perched high on rooftops, aiming at the men below who had came to charlies yard for their meetings. She was always out of sight regarding those men, but now here she was, working for them. She came to them seeking any position, lying about where she came from, supplying them with her forged papers, and even hiding her accent. For as big as this gang was, they weren’t the brightest, as they accepted her in with little apprehension.

She earned a good living for herself though, quickly becoming their main contract killer. She would travel the country and take out the people on their hit list, and in return they’d provide her with housing and a guard that would check in every so often.

As she walked in through the heavy double doors, she nodded to one of the guards who let her through into the leader, Mr. Romboldi’s office. He smiled as she came in, fiddling with his golden ring around his finger.

“Ah there she is...little miss Quick Shot. Nice of you to join us.” He said using her nickname she’d earned among her peers. She could hit a target from various angles and distances without much help and came to like the name she made for herself. Y/n soon nodded and stood at attention like the others, ready for the days orders.

“We have some unfinished business in Small Heath, as I’m sure you’re all aware. It’s been a while since we’ve been overseas, and we’re going to send someone tomorrow to discuss our deal once more as they’ve had recent success in a certain business venture that I’m sure we’d appreciate here.” He said with a serious look in his eyes.

“What venture?” One of the men asked.

“Gin. Buying stocks in it, selling bottles, transporting cross-country, we Americans love our gin and Mr. Shelby has a new supply. He tried to low-ball us last time with the ammo, the guns, and the snow, but I’m going to send him an offer he can’t refuse this time.” He said smirking.

“What offer is that?” Y/n asked, putting on her fake accent.

“You.” He said looking at her. Y/n’s heart sank, as she looked at him and nodded. She never wanted to see him again after he booted her out like she meant nothing to him, even if it was to save-face for him and the company and for her safety.

“You’re going to get him to supply us the gin and get him to pay us full price for our efforts with this am I clear?” He asked.

“Yes sir.” y/n said.

“If you fail, we’ll be meeting again under very different circumstances.” He said, an evil smile playing at his lips.

She’s known him long enough to know that he meant he’d kill her or Tommy, and as much as she hated the man who broke her heart, she still loved him at the same time, and she couldn’t let him or his family die over a silly business deal.

As soon as she was dismissed, she grabbed her suitcase and headed off to the boating docks, buying a ticket and boarding the ship. She knew her boss didn’t care when she left, as long as she got there sometime that week. And besides, she was too anxious to wait around for tomorrow, knowing this was time sensitive.

After the grueling ride aboard the ship, she went into London after going through the necessary checks. She used her alias and made her best impression, and then went on to Small Heath as assigned. When she got out of the car, she smirked as her red heels hit the black soil covered streets. Walking by a shop, she saw a women’s tailor and decided to stop in, buying a well made pant suit. It fit well and was a nice gray color with pinstripe detailing. Looking around further, she decided on a gold pocket watch, and nice hat to match, and then went on her way after buying it all.

Walking down the street, she saw the Garrison, causing all the memories she had with Tommy and the rest of the blinders to start coming back. They were like brothers to her and despite her bitterness, she still loved them, as they were not particularly happy in seeing her go, as that was solely Tommy’s decision.

Y/n shook the thoughts from her head, and waited outside the shop, leaning her back against the coal-black wall. While lighting a cigarette and taking a drag from it, she looked off into the distance seeing a man in a peaked cap riding a dark horse, much different than the white one she saw two years ago. As he pulled up near Shelby Company Ltd. He stopped in his tracks as y/n took another drag of her cigarette, looking at her pocket watch.

“Nice horse Tommy. You’re right on time.” She said relishing in the fact that she could use her normal accent. Her sunglasses and new brimmed hat helped in disguising her face.

“Thank you miss....Who are you?” He asked his eyes burning a hole through her shaded lenses. She smirked and took them and the hat off, revealing her face.

“Y/n...” He said, his eyes growing wide. He immediately took her inside and to his office, shutting the door behind him.

“What on earth are ya fucking doing here?” He asked.

“That’s not a nice greeting for someone you haven’t seen in two years Tom. But given what happened I didn’t expect anything nice from you anyways. I’m here on business.” She said, walking past him to put her cigarette out. He watched as she walked towards him, her arms folded over her well-fitting suit, standing in front of him.

“What business is that?” He asked.

“Oh you know, just a little...mafia business back in New York. Nothing too big... except that you’ve pissed off my boss. And now I’m sent here to try to make a deal.” She said making herself at home in one of his leather armchairs. He raised an eyebrow and sat on the edge of his desk near her.

“What deal? Who are you working for y/n?” He asked.

“The Black Hats. Mr Romboldi to be exact...ring a bell yet? The son of a bitch who took me in after you booted me out without a goodbye? Yeah, him. He still remembers your little low-ball offer for the guns, the ammo, and-” She chuckled as she remembered the drugs. “-the fucking snow.” She said giving him daggers.

He looked down, y/n could see the gears turning in his head.

“I told you to leave and not go anywhere near them y/n. Why the hell are ya working for em aye?” He asked angrily.

“You and I both know I couldn’t just sit around twiddling my thumbs and making pies for someone I never loved all day. I wasn’t going to be some house wife to some old bastard while I could’ve been out shooting and working a meaningful job. I wasn’t going to let myself rot.” She said, her own voice raising.

“You didn’t have to choose this life though. You could’ve left this behind like I wanted you to.” He said lighting a cigarette.

Y/n chuckled. “I remember what you told me one time, when I first started getting involved in Peaky business. You said and I quote, ‘you can change what you do, but you can’t change what you want.’ And you know what Tommy? I wanted this life, I wanted you, I wanted to make a name for myself, I wanted the thrill of this job because I often feel nothing. But I’ve only gotten half of that.” She said getting up, pacing around the room as he watched.

“What did you not get y/n?” He asked too focused on the mafia issue at hand to realize she mentioned him.

“You, you fucking idiot! But you threw me out, no goodbyes, no letters, nothing.” She said, her eyes filling up with tears.

“Y/n...that was two years ago. I was trying to protect you.” He said noticing the tears running down her face.

“I had a job. I had a life here. I’m not expecting you to ever want me back but god damn it I’d like an apology. Hell, you didn’t protect me from shit.” She said, thinking about some of the things she had to do to get through to some people for her boss. She shuddered at the thought.

He looked hurt, seeing her like that, and despite it being two years since that day, he still loved her all the same, he was just terrible at showing it. He never thought he’d see her again, and in that moment he decided he wasn’t going to let her go again.

She wiped her eyes as she felt him walk up behind her, she tensed up, not knowing what would happen next. He put his hand on her shoulder lightly, and she turned around to face him, her eyes still bright and hopeful after all that had happened. He loved her, and after she left, he mentally beat himself up over it every day. He turned to snow for a while, along with his opium, but what he truly needed was y/n. Fearing she may be too angry to every take him back, he hesitated as he brushed the tears from her cheek and kissed her.

Instead of slapping him or walking out, she deepened the kiss, which surprised Tommy, as he pulled her as close has he could, not wanting to let her go. When they parted, lightly gasping for air, he smiled slightly and so did she.

“I-I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry y/n.” He said stepping back from her.

She looked at him as she processed what happened, she never expected to fall right back into his arms after all she went through, but here she was, being sucked in by his ocean blue eyes once again.

She straightened her blazer out and pushed a stray hair out of her face.

“Why did you kiss me Thomas?” Y/n asked taking another cigarette out of her pocket and lighting it.

Thomas thought for a moment, trying to pick his words less recklessly this time around.

“When I forced you out, I stayed up every night beating myself up. I’ll never get those nights back, but those nights made me realize something y/n.” He said.

“If you’re going to break my heart again just say it already.” She said tapping her heel impatiently.

“I love you...y/n.” He said looking at her, studying her as she moved anxiously. He loved the way she looked, the way she carried herself, the way she wasn’t afraid to call him out. But he was terrified for the first time in his life that the woman he loved wouldn't return those very words back to him.

She looked down, exhaling a cloud of smoke. “I came here not only because of an order Tom...but because deep down despite my hate for what you did, I knew why you did it. And even though two fucking years have passed, I still haven’t been able to get you out of my head. So, I guess what the fuck I’m trying to say is that I love you too, you bastard.” She said looking up at him a light smile playing at her lips.

He smiled and walked over to her and took her hand in his, kissing it lightly.

“I promise to never do something so foolish again y/n. I swear on me fucking life...so am I forgiven?” He asked.

She took his words into consideration and nodded, bringing his lips to hers. Breaking away, she walked around the room slowly, remembering all of their fun times in here after-hours.

“So, about Mr. Romboldi, y/n how serious is this?” He asked.

“Well, he said that you’ll have to pay them full price for their services. He wants your gin. He sent me to persuade you to pay him for distribution and sales in the states......and It’s not easy Tommy, smuggling things.... especially alcohol back to the states........I hate him and his men believe me, but they risk their lives getting that kind of stuff so I think you should consider paying a full price.” She said.

“And if I don’t?” He asked.

Y/n sighed. “I was also sent here because he knew you couldn’t refuse an offer if it came from a pretty woman. Now, he may have been right on that part, but he doesn’t know that I’ve been working under an alias for him, and he doesn’t know I know you. They think my name is Y/N Anderson, from Virginia. And so if you don’t take this offer, they’re going to find out, and then Mr. Romboldi and his men are gonna waltz in here and kill you, me, and everyone you care about because they’ve already been wronged once, and they don’t like being wronged a second time.” She said sternly, taking another drag from her cigarette.

He sighed and ran his hands over his head, his face growing angry.

“What is it Tommy?” Y/n asked, noticing his behavior.

“After all this time, I thought maybe I’d be done for a moment y/n. With this whole empire of a business. But I think that moment will never come...before I stupidly forced you away, I had everything. I had this going great, and at night I could sleep. But now, when I do sleep, I dream. And in my dream, someone wants my crown.” He said with a sad look to his eyes. Y/n came over to him and hugged him gently, feeling him relax at her touch.

“Well, I’m here now. And the only way you’re going to get a break and get to keep your crown is if you help me fucking take care of this Thomas.” She said.

He sighed and took a moment to think.

“Alright...in that case...you’re going to call him from a payphone tomorrow. You’re going to say I accept his offer now that we have the fucking funds to do so, and you’re going to tell him we can meet in a weeks time. We’ll meet in charlies yard again.” He said.

“So we have a deal then?” She asked grinning, still embracing him.

“We have a deal.” He said.

“So now that I’m here...where shall I stay?” She asked.

“Well, first I’m going to re-introduce you to the family which I’m sure they’ll love. Then, I’ll be taking you to my place.” He said.

“And why is that?” She asked a mischievous smile playing at her lips.

“Because we have some unfinished business.” He said, before pecking her lips and ushering y/n out the door and into the family meeting room.

#msbzowy #asks #peaky blinders #peaky blinders oneshots #peaky blinders imagines #peaky blinders fanfic #tommy shelby #thomas shelby #thomas shelby x reader #thomas shelby x y/n #katiesfics #damn i really went hard on this one oops #peakyrequests

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bittywitches · 4 years

Note

36 w/ e ?!

36. You throw a snowball at a friend but miss and hit them instead.

Blankets of snow covered everything the eye could see; roads, front lawns, rooftops. For the past few days it’d been snowing incredibly hard. Not hard enough for it to be a snowstorm, but definitely enough for a typical New Jersey winter. Everyone had been forced inside the last week or so, but the snowfall was finally slowing and the winds were calming down. Gentle showers of snow like this were always something you loved, because you were finally able to go out and enjoy how beautiful your home looked without fearing your face freezing off from the ice cold winds. It took a bit of convincing, but your aunt finally allowed you to take your cousin out for a brisk walk through the town. She trusted you, you were quite frequently taking her on trips to restaurants and arcades and bowling alleys when you were able to come back home from school, but your aunt was pretty afraid of her daughter getting sick. You assured her though, that she would be absolutely taken care of. You guys were around six or seven years apart, so you still considered her to be a bit of a child at times, but she liked to think of you as her cool older sister that she got to see every now and again.

Isabella trudged through the snow in her thick boots, having to hold her hands out every so often to steady her balance. The roads hadn’t been cleared yet, so heaps of snow were seen everywhere- atop bushes, car roofs, and mailboxes, making you think that they might fall over from the weight.

As you both shuffled down through the park, you laughed and talked about everything and anything. Eventually you ended up saying something that annoyed her (but still made her laugh), and she kicked the snow at her feet in your direction. You gasped, doing the same towards her, and it ended up evolving into a full on snowball fight. You ran from her as she bent down to make more snowballs, screaming when she tried to hit you again, but you successfully dodged them When she finally hit you square in your chest, your eyes darkened, hands planted on your hips with a devious smile.

“Oh, you’re in for it now.”

She laughed and screamed as she ran away from you, you catching up to her with snowballs in your arms. You threw one at her, but you narrowly missed her, the snow splatting onto a tree behind her. You chased after her, laughing as you did. You winded your arm up one more, aiming to hit the pom-pom on her hat, but as soon as you threw the snowball Isabella ducked, the ball soaring past her (a lot farther than you would’ve thought), and it splattered against the shoulder of a man a few metres away.

He was thoroughly startled, jerking his arm up at the impact, then looked in the direction the ball was coming from, effectively looking directly at you. There was another man with him, though you weren’t able to get a good look at him because you were so distracted by what you had done.

You gasped, dropping the remaining snowballs as your hands came up to cover your mouth. You could see your cousin crying and hacking in laughter in the corner of your vision, her doubled over body shaking with disbelief and you were almost urged to run over there and tackle her.

You started to run up to the man you’d hit, cupping your hands to shout at him: “I’m so sorry! That was meant for this brat!” You pointed at your cousin, but she was too busy dying to even notice or give a witty response.

The man dusted his shoulder off, but a lot of the snow stayed clung to the material of his plaid wool coat. As the snow fell it stuck to his tight black jeans, and you were pretty sure some had gotten into his boots.

You were kinda scared that this guy was gonna be a dick about this, say something about “watch where you’re fucking throwing” or whatever, but he turned to you with a slight malicious smile on his face.

“You should be sorry,” He said, bending down to grab some snow into his bare hands, standing up as he packed it together, your eyes widening in the process.

“Oh hell yea! I’ve been needing backup!” Isabella yelled, and the man shot her a big grin while he waved her over to him to hand her some ammo.

Your eyes then decided to acknowledge the man with him, who had started to laugh as he bent down to tug at the wounded’s arm. He said something to the other, and then a smile grew on both of their faces before the man standing turned to you.

You werent’ given the time to disect what it meant, though, because the man you’d hit and Isabella had started running after you. You screamed, running behind benches and trees to get away from their throws. You’d lost them for a few seconds, just enough time to make more and get both of them square in their backs.

“Hey!” The man yelled, rushing after you as Isabella stayed back to make more snowballs. You saw her get up, but her attention wasn’t on you; it was on the taller man back where they had originally stood. He wasn’t paying any attention to you guys, It looked like he was doing something on his phone, but when he was hit by one of Isabella’s snowball his head jerked in her direction, getting a look at her wicked grin. He laughed, stuffing his phone into his pocket before bending down to grab some snow in his hands and chase after her. When you saw the man you had hit in the corner of your vision, growing larger and larger, You squealed, the snow crunching below your feet as you ran from him.

By now you could see a whole bunch of the neighbourhood joining in; The kids who had been making snowmen over by the gates had rushed over when they saw Izzy motion for them. You saw a couple who had been chilling on one of the benches join in on the fun as well. Eventually it looked like the entire park had joined in on your snowball fight, everybody drifting to separate teams as they did. It was amazing, it was exhilarating. You were still running, and you turned to see how far away your pursuer was, but that instant your foot caught onto a piece of ice jutting out of the ground, the toe of your boot catching then spinning you around, launching you onto your back.

You landed on your back, thankfully your head didn’t hit the ground, but your body hurt. You looked up to see the wide and frightened eyes of your pursuer, trying to skid to a stop but the ice sliding him forward. He let out a yelp and you did too, his boot hitting your foot causing him to topple over you. He definitely would’ve taken the wind out of you if he’d actually fallen with his entire weight onto you, but he was able to catch himself, planting both of his arms on either side of you, coincidentally leaving his face hovering right above yours.

You both stared at each other for a long moment, Your eyes wide and his pupils almost jittering as he flickered between both of yours. Your arms had come up protectively in front of your chest, but now it felt weird when they were pressed up between your bodies. You were sure that this awkward second would last an eternity, but then…

His beanie slipped off of his head and fell straight on your face.

Your arm came up to gently push it off, the cotton rubbing against your skin, and when your eyes met with his again, you both burst out laughing.

“Soldier! Stop flirting with the enemy!” You both turned your heads around to see Isabella shouting in your direction, and the man gave a small chuckle as your face heated up. “Shut up, Izzy! Get lost!” You shooed her away, and she shrugged, turning to run after one of the adults.

You both looked back at each other, and simultaneously your head fell back, and his down, both your bodies shaking from your laughter. Eventually you sat up, and he got up off of you to pull you to his feet.

“Sorry.”

“It’s totally okay. We’re even now.” You both laughed a bit more.

“I’m Ethan,” He said, and you smiled as you brought your hand up to take the beanie off of your head.

“I’m Y/N. Do you live around here?”

“Used to. Me and my brother are just home to visit our mom. Lisa Dolan?”

Your eyes widened in delight. “Oh my god, I love Lisa! She lives right next to my mom’s old place. She used to babysit for our dogs when we were out of town!”

“Seriously?”

“Yea! We moved just a few blocks away. Don’t see her as much anymore. Love her, though.”

“Obviously, she’s the best.”

You laughed, but you were interrupted when a snowball flew out of nowhere and hit Ethan in the head.

He jerked his head to the side to see one of the neighbourhood kids cackling at him.

“Oh, I’m gonna get you!” He roared at the kid, and the child ran away laughing and screaming.

He was about to run off but you grabbed his arm with your gloved hand, and you held his hat out for him.

“You’re forgetting this.”

He looked at you for a second, then took it from your hands just for his cold, red fingertips to gently pull the beanie onto your snow-ridden head.

“You keep it. Looks better on you.” He gave you a wink, then ran off to get his revenge on some elementary schoolers.

#ethan dolan #ethan dolan fanfic #ethan dolan blurb #ethan dolan concept #ethan dolan imagine #ethan dolan x reader #ethan dolan fanfiction #dolan twins concept #dolan twins #dolan twins fanfic #dolan twins blurb #ask

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queerchoicesblog · 4 years

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Living The Dream

So, folks: as announced, here the first chapter of a new story for the wlw writing project I embarked on. This one is set in the Sixties, the golden age of travel, and our main character is a Pan Am stewardess, one of the era’s most stylish job. I had fun writing this and I can only hope you will have too reading this!

Hope you enjoy it: if you do, please consider spreading the word!

__________________________

I like this time of the day. The in-between hours separating one day from another, the slow yet inexorable metamorphosis of night into dawn. Life seems to flow differently during these hours as if our bodies, used to be heavenly asleep when night comes, were forced to adapt to a new rhythm: sometimes it works, sometimes it's simply a poor mimicry of ourselves. The craziest scene happen during night shifts, after all, and I'm sure it's no coincidence. I'm not always lucky to be present to myself in moments like these. Most of the times I'm too busy to pay attention to the wonders of these dreamlike hours. I blow out the smoke of my cigarette: for once, I can. Sitting at a table on the cafe terrace, I look down to the stream of passengers moving beneath me. They wander like in a haze trying to make out the right direction to go. They're tired, jet-lagged: a kid is crying his heart out in the arms of his mother, causing a businessman nearby to sneer and speed up his pace to avoid such nuisance. A man is anxious, out of the blue he starts running probably cursing the little delay that slowed him: will he catch his flight? A group of foreigners is checking and double checking a map, someone is sleeping on a bench and a little girl is looking out into the night sky hypnotised by the tail lights of a plane flying away.

I like airports, their peculiar poetry. It's quite lucky since you could say they're my home. I still struggle to fully convince myself that yes, my dream did come true. Some nights I fear I'd wake up one day and find out it was all just that, a wild feverish dream, not my reality. Luckily, that day never comes. Mom and Dad fry eggs and bacon in a diner not far from Kansas City; my brother and I will always remember how tired they looked when they crawled back home but also how big their smile was when they produced a box of fries or a couple of milkshakes just for us. We both helped during the summer, wearing aprons and serving tables. They let us keep the tips and we spent them all in ice-creams and movies. Now I'm sure no costumer leaves without being told - maybe more than once and with great pride - that their daughter is now a stewardess of the Pan American World Airways. I still remember the day I received the good news: Mom cried tears of joy and even Noah dropped his tough act and pulled me into a tight hug, whispering how happy he was for me. My sweet little brother. Now at my parents' diner a picture is hung at the wall side by side with a framed stellar review by a local newspaper: Noah and I hugging each other and smiling to the camera in our favorite booth by the window. I'm wearing my dashing Pan Am uniform, he's in a brand new US marine attire. He was drafted one week after John F. Kennedy was shot, the picture was taken on our last family reunion around Christmas. Noah wasn't happy to go to war, he was scared. "I wish I could join you to New York and find a job in advertising maybe" he frowned when my parents were sleeping and we sneaked away to the back porch as we used to do as kids. Noah was good at drawing, the creative type. God knows how I would have loved to have him around, to keep me grounded and remind me of the reassuring warmth of sibling affection. To keep him safe. I moved to New York right after I got the job; Noah was still in high school back then, I had to go alone. They all promised to visit as soon as they could when we parted at the airport. And that's when my new life started. I was on my own in the big city, breathing in the wind of change. I wonder if that's how every girl feels when they leave their boring provincial town behind and make it big. I moved into a small flat downtown: not much, but big enough to contain all my hopes and dreams. The training supervisors were particularly strict and took so very seriously their duty to asses whether we were stewardess material or a lost cause. First, a medical evaluation then a grumpy lady would weigh us and fix our girdles: I wondered if I would have been able to breathe normally on a plane and I was not the only one by the look on the other girls' faces. The interminable daily classes on how to strip our face clean of makeup and start from scratch still haunts me just like the day I was told my hair weren't okay, an in-between length that didn't impress the ladies in charge: I had to choose between wearing a chignon or a wig. No way I would have gone for the latter! Our appearance had to conform to a certain code and I soon learned there are so many requirements to meet to be eye candy. But it wasn't all about our exterior, even if we were often reminded that our aim was to look runaway ready. The Pan Am stewardesses must have that savour faire that makes them unique, legendary. So aside from the standard training (what to say on board, what to do in case of emergency, first aid classes) I had to learn how to pour wine with that special twist of the wrist and pop champagne open without it exploding as well as how to cook and elegantly garnish certain menu dishes in no space. And I assure you, the standard for scrambled eggs in first class were so different from everything I had learnt at my parents' diner, even if the time I spent there gave me a head start. Once I completed my training, my career finally began. I was assigned to Us bi-coastal routes for the time being but I felt different already. People looked at me differently, especially when I walked through the Pan Am terminal in white gloves and my uniform designed by Italian stylists. The gleam of admiration and wonder in their eyes set my heart on fire: aside from my parents and Noah, nobody had ever looked at me that way before, not even my best friend. I take a sip of coffee and smile thinking back at my beginnings. Despite the hard work, I was constantly in a dreamy state of mind. A Pan Am stewardess made it to the cover of LIFE that year, I still have a copy of it. The journalist enthusiastically claimed that girls like me were not only icons of beauty and grace but also the peak of the femininity to come. "See these ladies? They're not just stewardesses, they're a whole new breed of women". I must admit that to some extent we are: we're so different from our mothers and the Angels of the hearth of the lady magazines. We wear heels and fine makeup, we speak several languages and see the world. We're emancipated and sophisticated: we are women of the world. My face didn't make it to LIFE but little girls and teens stop me and ask me tips, how can they be as elegant, as put together, what they have to do to land this job. They want to live the same dream. A little girl of five once asked if she could take a picture with me. I had some time left so I squatted down and placed my bowler hat on her head making her flash the brightest smile to the camera her father was holding. Before parting she handed me my hat and looked me right in the eye, whispering in awe "I wanna be like you when I grow up". And then she wrapped her arms around my neck in a grateful hug. I told the cute scene to my mother over the phone: she sounded touched and joked that she didn't know her daughter ended up being a starlet of the silver screen. "Remember us when you're famous, love" Dad added from another room. I missed them, I still do at times. But I would never go back: for the first time in my life I found a place where I truly belong here in New York. I met friends that could understand my hunger for more, to discover the world. I love the parks and lights at night, the buzz of the city that never sleeps. Most importantly, I love my job, even when I'm so busy all I do is hopping on and off planes, going back home, sleeping eating my breakfast and doing it all over again. No matter how hard I need to push myself to meet the Pan Am standards, I've always felt liberated, free here. As if this was what was meant to be, where I was meant to be all along. The day a gorgeous neighbor knocked at my door with a plate of freshly baked cookies and a charming, flirtatious smile on her lips, I had no more doubt. Here is where I was meant to be.

#wlw writing #wlw writing project #original work #wlw miniseries #lgbtq #sixties

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sometimesiwriteangst · 4 years

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Soul Mates Are Forever - 1

Summary: Emile gets odd messages, and his boyfriend and brother get concerned quickly, for good reason,

Note: Deceit is called Desmond in this fic. Yes, for once he has a normal name in a human au of partially mine!

Chapter TW: Kidnapping, stalking, u!Virgil, u!Patton.

AO3 Link

Written with @scenecipriano!

Tag List: @samuel-the-gay @alik-gl

-Present Day-

Emile was getting fed up with the odd messages. Every time he blocked a number, they returned with a new number. They weren’t threatening, or anything that made him believe he should go to the police. Just sporadic “hi”, “why aren’t you replying”, “are you there?”

Probably a wrong number. Or some guy who was given a fake number. At first Emile had tried telling him this, but over the last couple of weeks he’d given up. If he just kept blocking and ignoring, surely they’d get the message?

He sighs as he turns his phone off, silencing the constant dinging that came from the unwanted messages. Emile glances in the full body mirror and runs his fingers through his pink fringe, a nervous tic he developed when he was a teenager.

“Emi! Your breakfast is getting cold, stop worrying and get down here!” His boyfriend calls from down in the kitchen.

“I’m coming, Roman!”

Emile looks into the mirror once more and gives his reflection a reassuring smile, ‘Everything was going to be okay.’

The smell of coffee and eggs fills Emile’s nose when he steps into the kitchen, he chuckles when he sees his boyfriend swaying to the melody of a Disney song that was playing from his phone’s speaker. Emile sneaks up behind the distracted redhead and places his arms around Roman’s waist, earning a squeak from the taller man.

“You’re the cutest you know that?”

“I do! I actually hold the world title of being the cutest man alive, now you need to sit and eat. You’re not going to work on an empty stomach.” Roman replies as he presses a chaste kiss to the corner of Emile’s mouth.

Emile chuckles as he sits down at the table, taking a sip of his coffee as he does. “What would I do without you, Ro?”

“Starve, considering you can’t cook.”

The young therapist in training rolls his eyes as he scoops a bite of eggs into his mouth.

“Wrong, Dee would feed me plenty.”

“Until the two of you get into an argument, then you’d have to rely on fast food.” Roman teases as he sits next to Emile with his own plate of food.

Emile sticks his tongue out and drinks more of his coffee before shoveling the rest of his eggs into his mouth. He quickly chews and wipes his mouth with a napkin before pressing a kiss to Roman’s cheek.

“Speaking of arguments, I’m going to have to take the bus this morning. Apparently calling him a ‘reckless’ driver was insulting.”

“Desmond Wickham a reckless driver? Please, going eighty through a residential is his default setting, it’s only reckless if he goes ninety!” Sarcasm drips from Roman’s mouth as he bites into a piece of buttered toast.

Emile snorts in amusement and shakes his head, “Of course, but I better go. I’ll text you before I go in.”

Roman quickly snatches his boyfriend by the waist, causing Emile to bend down slightly allowing Roman to press a gentle kiss to his forehead.

“Be careful, my precious rose, I love you.”

“I love you too, prince charming.”

Emile adores the way Roman still blushes at the nickname. They’d been dating since High School, with only a short break at college before Emile missed Roman too much and begged for a long distance relationship. And yet the man still got flustered over the nicknames Emile found for him.

In a way, it was ridiculous, and Emile’s brother would happily say that until the cows came home. But Emile knew Desmond liked Roman really, and more than anything it was sweet. It reminded him of when they first started dating, and everything was new and experimental.

It was hard not to adore the reminder of how Roman would blush every time they held hands, or squeak at every chaste kiss. They may have grown and become more mature about those things, but the small flusteredness over nicknames remained a soft spot.

“How did I get so lucky?” Emile asks.

Roman’s blush deepens as he buries his face against Emile’s side, causing the pink haired boy to laugh.

“You’re such a sap, Emi! Get out of here before I decide to keep you to myself for the day.”

Emile chuckles and presses a kiss to Roman’s fiery red hair before stepping out of his boyfriend’s relaxed hold.

“I’ll be home around eight-thirty, want me to pick up some pizza for dinner?”

Roman waves his hand and gently shoos Emile away.

“I don’t mind cooking, besides I want to be better than Des at it one day, so I need the practice now go my precious rose.”

Emile steals another kiss before rushing to put his shoes and coat on, “I love you, prince charming!”

A satisfied smile comes to his face when Roman lets out a flustered squeak, he leaves with a high pitched ‘I love you too’ following him. Emile hums softly to himself as he strolls towards the bus stop, he would try calling Desmond around lunchtime and make amends.

“I should really think about getting my license…”

Emile huffs as he pulls his phone from his pocket, he turns it back on and is met with constant dings from the same random number that was texting him this morning. One message sent a chill racing down his spine.

‘Pink is definitely your color ;).’

That was the last message that was sent, Emile jumps when the roar of the bus’s engine snaps him out of his shock. He puts his phone back into his pocket and takes a deep breath, ‘They’re not talking about me, it’s okay I’m just overreacting.’ Emile tells himself as he counts out the right amount of money for the bus fare.

He flashes the bus driver a small smile as he pays the fee, the driver tips his hat and closes the door as Emile moves to sit in the back.

‘It’s still going to be a good day, it's okay.’

A part of Emile no longer believed that thought.

He tries to ignore thoughts of the text as he plugs his earphones in. There was no need for him to worry about odd texts. He’d never had strangely personal texts like that before, why would they start now? It was probably aimed at someone else, like all the other texts.

You seriously still believe that? Come on, let’s stop kidding ourselves.

Emile ignores his inner voice, choosing to focus on the song that was playing, it was Stronger Than You from Steven Universe. He tenses when the song is cut off with a new text notification. Emile takes a breath and opens the text, his blood ran cold.

‘I can see you, that’s my favorite cardigan of yours that you’re wearing.’

Emile looks up and scans the patrons in front of him, no one looks out of the ordinary, everyone minding their own business other than a mother who was struggling to calm her infant down.

‘Who are you? Please leave me alone, my brother is a detective!’ He texts back. Emile watches anxiously as the three text bubbles appear and disappear multiple times. His mouth goes dry when the dreaded reply comes through with a chime.

‘I’m your saviour, my precious bunny.’

He forces himself to breathe upon seeing the message. That was creepy, yes, but it was fine, right? There was no way he could actually see him.

‘Is your phone background still that guy dressed as a cartoon character?’

Emile breathes deeply and looks at his phone background. Roman had taken him to a comic con, and had cosplayed as Prince Zuko from Avatar The Last Airbender. Zuko had never been Emile’s type, but when it was Roman? Hot. Burning hot, one might say.

He frantically texts back with ‘no, it’s the gay pride flag’. A lie, but that was fine, right? There was no way this stalker - that’s what it must be, right? - could know for sure.

He gets the next message within a moment.

‘Liar.’

His heart races as he breaks out in a cold sweat.

‘I’m not lying, it really is the gay pride flag!’

The reply was almost instant, Emile’s hands were shaking as he read over the text multiple times.

‘Funny, because to me it looks like a pretty red-head with blue eyes, with a shitty white foundation on and a crappy looking attempt at a burn scar. Prince Zuko right? From Avatar The Last Airbender? Gotta say I didn't think he was your type.’

Emile scans the bus again, everything once again seems normal, no one standing out, only the mother with the infant was finally relaxed with the sleeping child resting against her chest.

‘Leave me alone, if you text me again I’m going to my brother.’

Once the reply is sent Emile immediately blocks the number, cutting off all contact with his apparent stalker. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, he could handle this, he didn’t need his brother’s help right now. Surely with the threat of telling his detective brother, ‘You don’t really think Dee would believe you? He’s got better things to do than worry about you.’

Emile winces at his inner voice, ‘That’s not true…’

“Hey, Emile! This still your usual stop or were you planning to go somewhere else today?” The bus driver calls back to him, it wasn’t odd for him to know Emile considering the bus was the young therapist’s most used choice of transportation.

“Sorry, Greg! I was just lost in thought!”

Emile quickly stuffs his phone back into his coat pocket, he walks briskly down the bus aisle, giving Greg a small wave as he steps off. He takes a deep breath and puts on his serious face.

“Time to get this day over,” he mumbles as he makes his way into St. Joseph’s Behavioral Health centre.

Emile puts on a calm smile as he walks inside, the cool air from the air conditioning fanning his face. Emile was a therapist in training, or well that’s what his boss says. He’s a therapist, only the health centre wasn’t hiring new ones yet, so he landed the job of being the psychiatrist's assistant until a therapeutic job was open.

Emile couldn’t wait til that day came, he had so many ideas on how to help his future patients. Most of his ideas involved cartoons but others involved other methods like journal entries! He would let his patients tell their stories in a fictive kind of way, giving them a fun time with therapy and a more comfortable way to talk about their problems!

“Emile! Finally, thought you were going to be late, follow me.” A feminine voice beckons from across the lobby. Emile looks up and sees the familiar dark face of his boss, her brown eyes crinkling at the edges as she flashes him a smile, her ebony hair let down for once instead of being held back in a tight bun.

Emile nods and walks over to her, struggling to keep up with her long strides as she marches down the hall ahead of him.

“You seem in a chipper mood, Caroline, did Marcus finally pop the question?”

“Very funny, Picani, but no. I’m in a chipper mood because one of my patients agreed to let you sit in during their session! I’ll be asking your input on things they should be doing to handle their depression, I think you’ll get along with them you two act very similar.”

Emile blinks his green eyes in shock, he stares at her for a moment waiting for her to laugh and say ‘gotcha!’ But it never came and Emile couldn’t help the huge grin that stretched across his face.

“Really!?” Emile squeals.

Caroline chuckles as she stops in front of her office door, she turns to look at him and nods.

“Really, I finally get to see just how good you think you are, rookie.”

Emile stifles his excitement when Caroline opens the door, he takes a deep breath and lets it out through his nose. ‘I can do this!’

He closes the door behind him once they step in, Caroline’s office was the biggest in the health centre, with a mahogany desk and black leather chairs. Sitting in the chair on the left in front of Caroline’s desk was a man a year or two younger than Emile. He had sandy blonde hair and blue eyes, not as blue as Roman’s they were a paler shade, while Roman’s looked more like sapphires.

The man wore glasses with a black square frame, a light dusting of freckles over his tanned face. Now, Emile wasn’t one to judge anyone on their clothes considering his outfits choices consisted of baggy sweaters and cardigans, but this guy looked like one of those commercial fathers with a standard blue polo, khakis, and a cardigan or in this man’s case, a cat hoodie tied around his shoulders.

Emile flashes the man a polite smile and offers him his hand, “Hello! I’m Dr. Emile Picani, do you how do?” His smile widens when the man chuckles at the reference he made.

“Spongebob ref, nice! I'm peachy, Dr. Picani! My name’s Patton Holter, it’s nice to meet you!”

The two shake hands, Emile’s left wondering where he had heard that name before.

Within an hour Emile had learned just about all there is to know about Patton Holter. Patton was born on January 19th, 1985 and he has a twin brother, he was adopted by his two father’s when he was five, and he has been struggling with depression since he was sixteen. His methods of dealing with his depression were taking antidepressants along with talk therapy twice a week.

“You could try journaling, my boyfriend has depression and keeping a journal usually helps him, only he makes up characters and uses them as a way to vent,” Emile suggests.

He notices a change in Patton’s blue eyes, a type of recognition and malice at the mention of Roman.

“I’ll give that a try! My brother writes songs, he’s got anxiety problems and writing out depressing lyrics always seems to help him, but I’ll try story-telling. It might be fun!”

Pride swells up in Emile’s chest, ‘I’m actually helping someone!’

“Well, seeing as you liked Dr. Picani’s idea we’ll give it a try, Patton. I don’t have any blank journals right now, but I should have one by the time you come in this Friday, is that okay?” Caroline asks.

“Of course! I can’t wait for the two of you to read what I write!”

Another hour passes before Patton’s session is up, Emile stands when Caroline does, offering his hand to Patton giving him a polite smile. A cold chill races down the young therapist’s spine when he notices how cold Patton’s baby blue eyes looked. His smile was sharp and dangerous instead of the playful smile he had on earlier.

“See ya soon, Emile,” Patton says as he tightens his grip on Emile’s hand.

Before Emile could reply, Patton was out the door leaving him and Caroline alone in the office.

“Well, you’re better than I thought, Picani. Good job!”

“Thanks… Do I get to sit in on the next one or?”

“Fraid not, kid. You can help the nurses give out medicine and get everyone situated, then after that paperwork that needs to be signed. Think ya can handle that?”

“Of course!”

Emile and Caroline bid their farewells as he closes the door to her office. Emile stops mid-stride down the hallway and turns to look back. He could have sworn he saw a wisp of grey fabric going around the corner.

He shakes his head and chuckles softly to himself, ‘I’m just paranoid after those texts.’

He sets off to go find the nurses, which at this time of day would be in the old building. A few years ago the hospital had a donation big enough to make a new building, where they did most of the important procedures now. But the old building was still in use, and Emile hated it.

The only way to get to it was through the back entrance of the new building, follow the path (which was in an awful state), and then unlock the side entrance of the old building. And with his recent creepy texts, he really didn’t want to be out of sight. Just in case.

You’re being paranoid, it’s fine.

With a deep breath he heads out the door, down the path, trying not to catch his foot on the worst of it. He’d heard of nurses breaking things on the path, and whilst they could just be rumours, he didn’t care to turn into a rumour himself.

He rounds the bend, and pauses, hearing something behind him rustle. What if…? No, ridiculous. He turns to see a cluster of bushes and chides himself. Of course bushes would rustle. Most plants do, if there’s enough of them.

He turns back, humming softly to himself as he approaches the side door, only to freeze at the buzz of his phone. He tries to ignore it, but it buzzes again, and he hesitantly reaches for it.

“I swear I turned you off,” he mutters, but sure enough, it was on, and he had two texts.

‘Hey Bunny.’

‘Behind you.’

Emile turns quickly, looking around desperately and tensing up. Plants, plants, door, car…

“...Damn, they really got me there,” he mutters, “...I knew I was being-”

A cloth is shoved over his mouth as he gasps, and he internally curses himself for not staying aware as he realises someone is now behind him. Emile struggles weakly, trying to tear the hand holding the cloth away from him, with no luck.

“Just sleep now, bunny.”

I...no…

Emile is out before he can fight back any more.

Desmond sat in his car with his seat lounged completely back, this was how he normally spent his breaks. Just taking naps inside his car, well he had other ways he spent his breaks but Alvin wasn’t there today. Desmond cracks his left eye open when the radio strapped to his side comes to life.

‘I need any available officer to visit St. Joseph’s Health Centre. A nurse called in saying something about a patient escaping again.’

Desmond quickly snatches his radio and presses the PTT switch, “I’ll go, I’ve got nothing better to do.”

‘You could be in here doing your paperwork, Wickham.’ His boss cuts in.

“What I can’t hear you, you’re breaking up, captain!”

He shuts his radio off and fixes his seat, Desmond knew he was going to get hell for ignoring the captain later but oh well, it wasn’t like that was anything new. Besides, him taking this gives him the chance to apologize to Emile and let him know that he’ll be picking him up later.

Desmond sighs when his phone begins to ring, he accepts the call and puts on a fake cheer. “Captain! Ya know it’s dangerous to be on a cellphone while driving sir.”

“You’ve done it plenty of times, so I know you’re not worried about it. You can’t keep putting this paperwork off, Desmond.”

“Yeah, I know but the assistant I hired will handle it tomorrow. It’ll get done, now let me handle this issue, alright?”

The captain sighs.

“You and your brother got into another fight, didn’t you?”

“Maybe…”

“Alright, fine go make up with him but you bring your ass right back here afterwards, got it?”

Desmond rolls his eyes, “Yes sir,” he drawls as he hangs up on his boss.

Desmond presses his foot the gas, surging down the residential road, funny this was what led to his and Emile’s argument. ‘I really hope he’s okay…’ The last time they got a call about a patient getting loose Emile had gotten hurt. Getting smacked with a bedpan was not a fun experience for his little brother.

It wouldn’t have been fun for the patient either if Emile had let Desmond have ‘talk’ with them, but Emile said that it would look bad on his record if he assaulted a mentally ill patient. What? He’s got a temper sue him!

Desmond slows down when the health centre comes into view, he furrows his brows and narrows his blue and brown eyes.

“Odd… There aren’t any nurses out looking this time around.”

He pulls up to the curb and puts the car in park, before he even has a chance to step out, a nurse rushes over from inside the old building. Desmond blinks when her face went from fearful to utterly heartbroken.

Tears gather in the nurse's brown eyes, “I… I’m so sorry… I-I should have gone out when I saw someone behind him. I'm so sorry!”

“Hey calm down, alright? I’m sure we’ll find Mr. Stevenson, he never goes far.”

The nurse lets out a sob, Desmond twitches at the sound but forces himself to calm down.

“I-It wasn’t a patient! I-I told them… I-It was your brother, somebody took Emile and I couldn’t see their face, I am so s-sorry!”

All the air was knocked out of Desmond, ‘Somebody took Emile…’

Roman paces the living room, his phone clutched tightly in his hands waiting for Emile to send him a text message or to at least call him. He checks the time, fifteen past nine, Emile was supposed to have been home almost an hour ago.

Roman feels his stomach drop when there’s a knock at the door, he quickly walks over to it and swings it open.

Desmond stood on the stoop with his hand raised, ready to knock again. Bi-coloured eyes meet blue, they’re both silent for several minutes before Desmond speaks up.

“Emi’s missing.”

#Emile Picani #dr emile picani #virgil sanders #patton sanders #deceit sanders #roman sanders #princani #unsympathetic virgil #unsympathetic patton #tw kidnapping #tw stalking

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meghanpage · 4 years

Text

You’ll be my queen, and I’ll be your moat

Pairing: Juliantina

Words: 8112

Also on AO3

---

“¡Ayudame!”

A call for help broke the tense silence. Valentina and Lucho, who had been waiting just around the corner from where they had tracked Lupita’s phone signal, both startled. They lurched off the hood of Lucho’s car as a woman sprinted towards them as best she could in her heels.

Lucho reached out to her protectively. “Señora, what’s happening? Are you okay?”

The hat covering her hair initially threw Valentina off, but she knew exactly who the woman was. “Lupita!” She pulled her further towards the car, checking behind her for another, smaller figure. “What about Juliana?”

Instead, two men wielding guns rounded the corner. Lucho immediately threw himself in front of them, his arms spread to shield the women behind him. “Tranquila, por favor. They’re women.”

“Calm down?” The man in front leveled his handgun at Lucho’s chest. “I’m not calm.”

The wail of sirens became audible in the distance, and as the man’s attention wavered, his aim skewed off-center. His bullet hit Lucho in his shoulder, its force throwing him to the ground.

The man approached Lupita, his gun almost pressed against her sternum. But he hesitated, his eyes flicking from her to the oncoming police cars. Finally, he turned and ran, shouting “¡Vamanos!” to his companion.

As the narcos escaped back around the corner, police cars pulled up alongside Lucho’s car. Valentina dropped to her knees, pressing her hands against the blood bubbling up from Lucho’s shoulder. He groaned, and she nearly cried in relief. He was alive.

Sirens shrieked in the distance, and as the narcos around her froze, Juliana knew this was her only chance to escape. From her place on her knees, she elbowed Alacrán with as much force as she could muster. Alacrán doubled over in pain, and she sprung to her feet, moving forward before she was even fully upright.

Juliana sprinted down the street in the direction her mother took, dodging Jacobo’s outstretched arms without thought. She ignored the crack of a large gun from over her head, and the pops of handguns as the narcos and police traded fire. Her sole focus was the side street just ahead, where she could see the strobe of police lights. If she could just get to them…

She skidded to a halt as she rounded the corner and saw the scene waiting for her. Police cars and an ambulance clogged the street next to a fancy silver car. A man lay on the ground, several figures kneeling beside him, including her mother and, somehow, Valentina.

Before she could wrap her mind around the sight, she heard a shout of, “Freeze!” She turned to find a police officer with his gun pointed straight at her. She thrust her hands in the air, her knees locking in place.

Valentina and Lupita’s heads both jerked up at the commotion. When Lupita saw who it was, she let out a ragged gasp and threw herself towards Juliana, Valentina not far behind.

“¡Mi hija, mi hija, mi hija!” Lupita cried, flinging her arms around her and pressing her close.

With a sob, Juliana buried herself in Lupita’s arms, letting her rock them back and forth. “Má…”

She peeked over Lupita’s shoulder, meeting Valentina’s own teary eyes, and stretched out a hand towards her. Valentina immediately took it in her own, bending her head over it as she drew it to her heart.

Peppering kisses across Juliana’s forehead, Lupita took her face in her hands. “Juli, I don’t know what I would do if something had happened to you, mi amor.” She pressed Juliana’s forehead to hers before drawing her back to her chest. “You’re okay, you’re fine. Mi vida.”

Juliana could only cling to her in relief. All day she had lived with the fear that she would never see her mother again, and then she had watched as armed men chased her down to kill her. But now she was here, alive and unharmed.

“You’re hurt!” Lupita said, her thumb finding the corner of Juliana’s lip where the skin had split. She drew back to guide Juliana to the ambulance, but she just shook her head.

“No, má, I’m fine.”

Out of her mother’s embrace, her attention was consumed by Valentina. She still had Juliana’s knuckles pressed to her chest, and when their eyes met once more, fresh tears tracked down her cheeks. Valentina reached out for Juliana’s other hand, tucking it next to her heart as well and drawing Juliana with it. They rested their foreheads together for a moment, basking in each other’s presence, before Valentina threw her arms around Juliana in a crushing hug.

“Juls,” she murmured, turning her nose into Juliana’s hair. She dropped several kisses on her hair before holding her even tighter. “You’re safe now. I’ve got you.”

Juliana’s breath stuttered, and she clung to Valentina’s shirt, the dam of her own tears finally breaking. The press of Valentina’s arms, the scent of her perfume was making her head spin. Not even a minute ago she had been kneeling in the street with a gun aimed at her head, and now she was wrapped in the embrace of the girl she loved.

“I…” She swallowed, tried again. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

Valentina pulled back just enough to meet Juliana’s eyes. She took a moment to take in Juliana’s face, mascara smeared and lip bloody, but alive and whole. “Claro que sí, Juls. I had to be here when you were rescued, to see that you were safe. The worry was eating me up inside.”

With a sniff, Juliana twisted her lips to the side. She leaned her forehead against Valentina’s, her eyes drifting close, her breathing shaky, as her aching heart pulled her closer to the other girl.

Valentina pressed her nose to Juliana’s, rubbing it sweetly in a bunny kiss, before closing the last few centimeters between their mouths and taking Juliana’s lips in a kiss. Juliana melted into it, boneless in Valentina’s hold as she lost herself to the taste of Valentina’s mouth.

When they broke apart, Valentina didn’t let Juliana go far, drawing her back to her chest. Juliana didn’t protest, snuggling as close as she could get.

“I still can’t believe you’re here,” she murmured. “How did you know to come here?”

“I told the police where you were.” Juliana drew back slightly in surprise, and Valentina gave her a wobbly smile. “We figured out your location, and then we gave it to Montilla...”

“You were the one who called the police?” Lupita interrupted, eyes wide. Both girls started, having briefly forgotten she was even there.

Before Valentina could respond, Montilla walked up to them. “Ladies, we need to get you out of here. The area still has not been completely secured. Sígame.”

He escorted them to an empty police car. Holding the door open, he helped Lupita and Valentina climb in the back seat, but stopped Juliana as she tried to follow. “Señorita Valdes, you need to be checked out by the paramédicos before you go anywhere.”

“No, I’m fine,” Juliana tried to argue.

Lupita leaned over Valentina, reaching back for Juliana. “No, espera…”

“Tranquila, señora.” Montilla put a hand on the car door, subtly stopping her. “It’s a necessary medical measure to make sure she’s totally fine.”

Juliana crossed her arms, frustrated with Montilla’s interference. She didn’t want to be separated from Valentina or Lupita, didn’t want to spend any more time on this police-clogged side street. But she knew it would be easier to just listen to him for now instead of fighting with him. “Ya, fine, I’ll go.” She caught Lupita’s eye around Montilla’s arm. “Mamá, it’s okay. You two should get out of here.”

Lupita looked reluctant, but when Juliana gave her a nod, she leaned back into her seat. Montilla closed the car door, thumping the roof twice to signal the driver they were good to go. He escorted Juliana over to the ambulance where a paramedic was waiting, then disappeared back into the hubbub of police officers and strobing lights. The paramedic redirected Juliana to a police van parked nearby, her medical kit in hand. “Perdon, the ambulance needs to leave as soon as it can, we need to get the other patient to the hospital.”

“Someone else got hurt?” Juliana asked as she sat in the open van door.

The paramedic nodded distractly, already peering at her split lip. “A young man named Lucho. He was shot in the shoulder.”

Lucho had been there too? Juliana’s stomach plummeted. Valentina had been with Lucho again. But… Valentina had said they tracked her whereabouts. They drove all the way out here, putting themselves in danger, to wait until she was rescued. Why would Valentina do that if…? Juliana didn’t know what to think.

“Will he be all right?” Juliana asked, trying to keep her voice neutral.

“We hope so. The bullet missed any major organs, so it’s likely he’ll be fine.” Taking Juliana’s chin carefully in her hand, the paramedic brought an alcohol wipe to her split lip. “This will sting a bit.”

Juliana hissed as the wipe touched her wound, but kept herself still as the paramedic finished cleaning her lip and dabbed an antiseptic on it.

“It’s not bad enough for stitches, so as long as you put some ice on it and let it rest it should heal just fine,” she instructed. “Now I’m just going to do a very simple check for injuries.”

Juliana simply nodded, looking forward to the exam being over. The paramedic gently palpated along her torso and limbs, checking for any wounds, and asked her to bend and rotate her joints to ensure everything was working the way it should. Besides the split lip, the only other injuries she found were a pattern of overlapping bruises on Juliana’s arms, a faint rope burn on her wrists from her restraints, and mild dehydration. Handing over a water bottle with instructions to finish the entire thing, the paramedic gave her a clean bill of health.

As the paramedic walked away, another police officer approached her. “Señorita Valdes? Detective Montilla had to leave, so I’m going to escort you to the police station.”

With a sigh, she followed him to another police car, a little surprised when he opened the passenger door for her instead of the rear. Maybe not every police officer had their head all the way up their ass.

At the police station, Lupita and Valentina waited anxiously in Montilla’s office for his return. Lupita fidgeted with her phone, until it finally lit up with a text from Juliana.

Má, estoy bien. El paramédico dice que estoy sano. Un policía me está llevando a la estación.

With a sob of relief, she hurried over to Valentina. “Juliana just messaged me to say she’s okay. A paramedic says she’s healthy.”

“¿En serio?” Valentina instinctively reached out to her, drawing her into a hug. “Come here. That’s good.”

“You shouldn’t have gone to that place, muchacha,” Montilla scolded without preamble as he strode into the room. The women pulled apart as he crossed behind his desk, picking up a folder and brandishing it at Valentina. “You didn’t think about what you could be exposed to. You had already done enough giving us the address and warning us of the kidnapping.”

Lupita gazed at her with wide eyes at the confirmation, but Valentina ignored her. She didn’t need Montilla to berate her; she had already spent the long, tense minutes waiting in his office telling herself the exact same things. She had been reckless, and put Lucho in needless danger. It was her fault he got shot.

“I want to see Lucho,” she told Montilla.

He looked at her coldly. “That’s not possible at the moment. You’ll have to wait until he’s out of surgery.” Valentina flinched at his words, but he ignored her. “Besides, we still need your statement.”

“What’s wrong with you?” Lupita confronted him. “With everything that happened, she shouldn’t even be here. Can’t you see the state that this girl is in? When she feels better, she will come back and give her statement.”

Montilla looked between them, then let out a heavy sigh. “Bien. Call someone to come for you.”

The two women looked at each other for a moment, surprised that Lupita’s words had worked. Lupita took Valentina by the arm, guiding her quickly from the office. Once they were outside, she drew Valentina to a stop.

“I didn’t know before it was you that called the police.” When Valentina almost imperceptibly nodded in confirmation, Lupita raised her hand to cup the back of her head. “Gracias.”

Valentina could only give her another short nod, too dizzy with emotion to form an answer. She stepped away from Lupita quickly and made her way towards the lobby. As she went, she tried to make sense of her swirling feelings. She was relieved Juliana was safe, relieved down to her very bones. But at the same time, she felt worried and guilty about Lucho. If she had left well enough alone, he wouldn’t have been hurt. But his hacking had allowed them to give the police Juliana’s location. And once she knew where Juliana was, Valentina knew she would have driven herself mad if she had stayed home while Juliana was in danger.

She pulled out her phone, pushing aside the jumble in her brain for more immediate concerns. She sent a text to Alirio, asking for him to come pick her up. Lucho’s car had been left in the street; she would need to let someone know to get it...

“Val?” The sound of her name paused her pacing feet, and she turned to find Juliana framed in the doorway to the station.

Valentina’s breath hitched, and tears sprang to her eyes. “Juls.” She dashed over, gathering Juliana to her. “Juls…”

Of off the street and out of danger, the reality of Juliana’s safety washed over her. Just being able to touch her, to know that she was alive and whole in her arms, brought her immeasurable comfort. Juliana clutched onto her in turn, pressing her face into her collarbone.

“¿Estás bien?” Valentina asked, her hands tracing up and down Juliana’s spine. “The paramedic said you’re okay?”

Juliana nodded into her shoulder. “I’m all right. They didn’t… They didn’t hurt me.”

Valentina noticed the pause in her reassurance, pulling back to look at her more fully. She ran her fingers under Juliana’s puffy, mascara-stained eyes, over the split in her lip. She thought back to her own time as a hostage - the constant threats made against her. “Did they try?” she whispered before she could stop herself.

Juliana twisted her lips to the side, tears swimming in her eyes. Before she could say anything, they heard someone call Juliana’s name from the entrance.

“Juliana?” Panchito appeared in the doorway, hastening over to Juliana. She used the distraction to hurriedly wipe at her eyes with the heel of her palm. He wrapped her in a hug, giving her a relieved smile. “I’m so glad you’re safe. Your mamá called me to come get you guys. Where is she?”

“I think she’s still in the hall,” Valentina answered him, gesturing over her shoulder with her chin.

“Gracias,” he thanked her, and moved off in search of Lupita.

Valentina looked back at Juliana, a faint sadness in her eyes as she smoothed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “You want to be with your family now?”

“No. I mean…” Juliana flushed, her gaze skirting Valentina’s. “I don’t want to be apart from you yet.”

Warmth filled Valentina’s chest, and she took Juliana’s hand in her own. “Yo tampoco.”

Juliana gave her a small, wobbly smile, which she returned with as much comfort as she could muster.

At that moment, Panchito returned with Lupita in tow. When she saw Juliana, Lupita ran to her, throwing her arms around her. “Juli!”

Juliana smiled in her mother’s hold. “Má. Is everything okay here?”

“Sí. We can come back another time to make our statements. But right now we can go home.” Lupita put her arm around Juliana’s shoulders, making to guide her out of the police station.

But Juliana hesitated, looking towards Valentina. She had meant it when she said she didn’t want to be parted from Valentina. But she suddenly realized that if Valentina came with them, that would put her and Lupita in close contact. And considering what had happened the last time they had spoken - the entire reason she had left home - she wasn’t certain how they would react.

As if sensing her thoughts, Valentina said, “I’ve called Alirio to come get me. I can meet you another time…”

A lance went through Juliana’s heart at her words, and she knew that for any of her reservations, she couldn’t handle being away from Valentina right now. “No, por favor. I don’t…” She looked back at Lupita, distress painting her features.

Lupita cleared her throat. “I suppose she should come with us. She is the one that brought the police to you.”

Juliana sagged slightly in relief, leaning into Lupita’s side for a moment before reaching out to Valentina, taking her hand in her own.

Valentina couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face. It had been almost painful to suggest they part, and she was glad Juliana had turned her down. “Should I have Alirio drive us all, then?”

Panchito spoke up a little sheepishly. “I brought my car here, so I can take everyone back to the house.”

“Bien, I’ll tell Alirio not to come,” Valentina replied with a nod, pulling out her phone without letting go of Juliana’s hand.

They all exited the police station and climbed into Panchito’s old four-door car. There was a bit of shuffling as they tried to figure out where everyone was sitting, but they settled down with all three women in the back seat, with Juliana in the middle and Valentina and Lupita on either side.

The drive was slightly awkward, silence filling the car as they wound through the city streets. Seated between Valentina and Lupita, Juliana couldn’t help but be hyper-aware of their movements, monitoring them for any sign of discomfort or unease. Was Lupita angry that Valentina was there? Did Valentina regret coming? Every fidget or sigh could mean a confrontation, and Juliana felt wound tight with her vigilance.

She almost sighed with relief when they finally pulled up in front of the house, having to hold back from pushing her mother out of the car as she scrambled out after her. They trooped through the outer gate and Lupita made a beeline for the kitchen. “Come. Are you hungry? I’ll make you something. Do you want something to drink?”

“No má, I don’t want anything. Estoy bien,” Juliana called after her, but Lupita disappeared into the kitchen all the same.

Juliana and Valentina trailed behind, lingering so it was just the two of them. After a moment’s hesitation, Valentina danced her knuckles over the backs of Juliana’s fingers, offering her hand, and Juliana laced their fingers together without hesitation. Feeling emboldened by Juliana’s immediate acceptance of her touch, she pulled the other girl fully to a stop, spinning her to face her. With her free hand, she traced up Juliana’s other arm, dusting her fingers over Juliana’s shoulder before she wrapped them around the back of her neck. She couldn’t help but step closer, drawn in by Juliana’s gravity, before resting their foreheads together.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” she whispered, her eyes fluttering shut. She breathed in deeply; Juliana’s scent, though hidden behind grime and sweat, filled her with peace.

Juliana sighed, her breath washing over Valentina’s lips. She drew back slowly, guiding Valentina over to the bench in the yard. “I’m so sorry about what happened to Lucho.” She said as they sat, squeezing Valentina’s hand.

“Me too.” The guilt Valentina had pushed away bubbled back to the surface, and tears pricked at her eyes. “He helped me find your location.”

Lucho had helped Valentina find her? “How?”

“No sé. He tracked your mamá’s phone and we got there and -” Valentina cut herself off, looking at Juliana helplessly.

Juliana raised her eyebrows, surprised and impressed. “Claro, you said you told the police the location.”

“We gave it to them because… He got it and then he asked me if I wanted to go look for you, and I just wanted to be there so you’d see me when you came out from El Alacrán’s house.” God, she had been so reckless. Even if they thought the police would already be there, even if her heart had ached for Juliana… She couldn’t hold back a sob. “I never imagined what would happen…”

Juliana tucked Valentina’s hair behind her ear and cupped her face in her hands. It hurt her heart to see Valentina so upset like this. But what she had said lit a spark of hope within her. Valentina had wanted to be the first thing Juliana saw when she was rescued. She had been longing to see Juliana, just as Juliana had prayed for a chance to see her again.

But those emotions felt too big to fit in her throat, so instead she focused on what was more immediate. “The paramédico who checked me over said Lucho should be fine,” she reassured Valentina. “She said the bullet missed anything major.”

Relief peeked from behind the tears in Valentina’s eyes. “¿En serio?”

Juliana nodded, and Valentina pulled her close again, tucking her face into Juliana’s neck. Lucho was going to be fine. She hadn’t caused his death.

Letting out a long breath, Juliana cupped the back of her head, letting silence linger for a moment. She felt comforted by comforting Valentina; by focusing on the other girl’s problems, she could push the horrors of her recent experiences to the back of her mind.

“Do you want to figure out what hospital he was taken to? We can ask Sergio, maybe someone would have told him,” she suggested. “I can go with you if you want.”

Valentina pulled away from her, putting space between them. The mention of Sergio dumped ice water over her. She was reminded of the terrible revelation that had preceded this whole ordeal. The intimacy she had been sharing with Juliana, the comfort and assurances, should all be someone else’s. “Shouldn’t you go with Sergio?”

Juliana’s brown furrowed. “Why would I go with Sergio?”

“He’s probably very affected too, and you’re going out with him, no?” Valentina did her best to seem unperturbed, but the words seared her throat as she said them.

“No, Val. I’m not going out with him,” Juliana said, looking away, her chest growing tight with dread.

Valentina’s eyes grew distant. “So is it also a lie that you slept with him?”

Juliana felt the world slip out from under her. Valentina already knew. She pressed her lips together, trying to keep her heartbreak from spilling out. During her long hours held captive, she had thought herself in circles, trying to figure out the best way to explain the situation and wishing desperately for the chance to do so. Wishing that it had never happened in the first place.

But all of those planned speeches and imagined scenarios fled from her mind, and she floundered for what to say.

“Val,” she said, unable to keep the pleading tone from her voice. “Things weren’t planned that way, okay? I had just left home and I had nowhere to stay -”

“You left home?” Valentina couldn’t help but interrupt, surprised. At Juliana’s nod, she asked, “¿Por qué?”

Juliana tried to shrug. “Lupita and I were fighting. It was… pues… it was after she caught us.”

She didn’t need to finish the thought. After she caught us kissing. Valentina remembered how angry Lupita had been, and how shaken she herself had felt. “You left because she caught us together?”

“No, she -” Juliana ran a hand through her hair with a huff. “She didn’t get it. She kept trying to say there was something wrong with how I felt. But she’s wrong.”

There was a glint of steel in Juliana’s eyes, and Valentina couldn’t help but admire it. But she couldn’t understand how Juliana could sound so determined and still do what she had done. “Then what about Sergio?”

A grimace crossed Juliana’s face. “He was helping me out after I left and… We started drinking mezcal and…”

Valentina scoffed. In the back of her mind, she knew it wasn’t the time to be acting this way. But all of her heightened emotions, the fear and relief and guilt, had somehow twisted and morphed into this sting of betrayal and resentment. “Now you drink mezcal? Que chido.”

“Mira, Val, you have to understand something.” Juliana’s eyes were imploring now. She gripped her hands together to keep from reaching out to Valentina. “I was not okay. Things weren’t going well. I was confused, I didn’t know what was going on with me.” Her voice quieted as she continued, “We weren’t together.”

“Well, I suppose you have the right to do whatever you want,” Valentina said, barely able to get the words out. Juliana was right. Though they had briefly made up after Valentina’s own hostage situation, Juliana had soon succumbed once more to the pressures surrounding them and broke off their relationship. She hadn’t been Valentina’s to betray, but Valentina felt the bite anyway. She couldn’t help but feel like Juliana had given up everything they had, had run from her straight into the arms of a boy.

But there was something that had been gnawing at her ever since she found out, and she couldn’t help but ask, “¿Te gusto?”

“No,” Juliana replied immediately. “No, I didn’t like it. It doesn’t come close to what I experienced with you. Te lo juro.”

What I experienced with you. The way Juliana put it made it sound like so much more that sex. That was how Valentina felt as well; it had been an experience, something wonderful and life-changing. “Then why?” she couldn’t help but implore.

Juliana’s brow puckered, Valentina’s teary eyes piercing into her soul. “No sé…” She dug a fingernail into her palm, mentally berating herself for her inability to voice her feelings. Words had never been her strong suit, but she needed them now, needed to explain how she felt to Valentina. “Val, I need you to understand, it wasn’t you. I didn’t do it to hurt you, or because I didn’t care about you anymore. I still…” She swallowed the rest of the sentence, not daring to push things. “But everything felt like it was going wrong, and then Sergio offered the mezcal… I didn’t mean for it to happen.”

Valentina tried to understand, but Juliana’s explanations only served to rankle her further. “Juls, I don’t get it. You say you didn’t mean to, but then how did it happen? How am I supposed to believe it was nothing if you don’t explain?” Her voice had begun to rise, but she fought to keep it even. “I want to believe you, I do. I want to believe you weren’t… weren’t doing this to get back at me somehow. But I need you to give me a real explanation.”

Juliana hung her head, screwing up her mouth, trying to hold back tears. She deserved Valentina’s mistrust. But Valentina deserved the full truth. She fought to scale her inner walls, battling against her instincts of self-protection to bare herself for Valentina.

“I just wanted everything to stop. To stop hurting,” she murmured after a moment, unable to raise her head. “I was so tired of hurting.”

At her whispered words, Valentina felt herself softening slightly. She could relate - how often had she done the same thing, turned to alcohol or pills to numb her feelings? Then a concerning thought came into her head. “So what, did you black out? Did he take advantage of you?”

Juliana shook her head. “No. Not like that. I mean…” Maybe Sergio had used the alcohol to ply her with, to make her more open to his suggestion, but she was the one that had actually moved forward with it, wasn’t she? Still, she owed it to Valentina to explain how things had gone, so she pushed forward. “Earlier that day Lupita had been hounding me, trying to say I didn’t know what a normal relationship was. And then Sergio was saying these things…”

“¿Como qué?”

“Como…” Juliana hesitated, thinking of all the talk of manipulation, and how easily she had been affected by it. “I don’t want to say…”

“Dime,” Valentina pressed.

Deciding to cut to the point, Juliana admitted what had really bothered her. “He was saying that it was inevitable that you and Lucho would get back together. And after I had walked in on you…”

Valentina sat back, galled. “I knew you had gotten the wrong impression, but that was nothing.”

“It was?” Juliana couldn’t stop herself from questioning.

“Nada en absoluto. I didn’t even want to see him at first, but then I learned that Guille was in trouble -” She saw concern flit across Juliana’s face, but shook her head slightly to stop her from asking. “I’ll tell you later. But Lucho offered to help, and he was comforting me because I was upset. And then you saw us and you ran away, and you wouldn’t even stop when I called you, and I could tell you took it the wrong way…”

Valentina and Lucho weren’t back together. Juliana was relieved, at the same time she was ashamed for assuming the worst. “Perdóname, Val. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions. It’s just… You’ve been with Lucho for so long, and I’m just…” She trailed off, waving a disparaging hand at herself.

Valentina cocked her head. “No entiendo.”

“Val… I’m just… I’m not…” Juliana made a frustrated noise at the back of her throat. She picked at her fingers for a moment, studiously avoiding Valentina’s gaze, before dropping her shoulders with a heavy sigh. “I thought… I thought you had finally gotten tired of me. That you realized I was too much work and went back.”

As Juliana’s voice cracked, Valentina felt her heart do the same. The resentment evaporated, replaced with a bone-deep ache for the girl beside her. Too much work? How could she think that, when being with her was the easiest thing in the world? How could she ever tire of her, when she cherished every moment they spent together?

She leaned forward, taking Juliana’s hands in her own and drawing them to her heart. “Juls… mi amor…” The way Juliana looked up at her, incredulity in her watery eyes at the pet name, broke Valentina’s heart all over again. “I don’t know who’s filling your head with these crazy thoughts, but I could never feel that way. I love spending time with you, it’s all I ever want to do. You make me the happiest I’ve been in a long time.”

She moved closer to Juliana, who was staring at her as if trying to discern any speck of dishonesty. Valentina was determined not to provide her with any. “I missed you every day we were apart. I thought about you all the time.”

“Yo también,” Juliana confessed, and her face crumpled, tears beginning to spill from her eyes. “Lo siento mucho, Val. I shouldn’t have let you go. I shouldn’t have let everything get to me.”

“Come here,” murmured Valentina, pulling Juliana into her arms. Juliana immediately fell into her, her hands wrapping around her back. “I know how hard it can be. How horrible people can be. It’s okay.”

Juliana sniffed, turning her face into Valentina’s shoulder. “How can you forgive me so easily?”

Bringing her hand up to cup the back of Juliana’s head, Valentina rested her cheek on her hair. “Porque me encantas.”

With that Juliana began to cry, her quiet tears wetting the shoulder of Valentina’s top. Valentina simply stroked her hair as she held her closer.

When she had calmed again, Juliana drew back, wiping at her eyes with the backs of her hands. She looked to the side for a moment, too embarrassed to meet Valentina’s eyes, before sheepishly wiping at Valentina’s shoulder. “Sorry I got your shirt wet.”

Valentia laughed lightly. “No es nada.” She smoothed her fingers across Juliana’s cheeks, wiping away the tracks of her tears. “I’m sorry I made you cry. It’s - I shouldn’t have even brought it up, it was inappropriate…”

“No, Val, está bien. I’m glad we talked about it.” She gave Valentina the best smile she could manage at the moment, which Valentina gratefully returned.

Valentina picked up Juliana’s hand once more, idly playing with her fingers while they sat in silence for a moment. She felt badly for berating Juliana, especially so soon after she had been through a life-threatening event. She wanted to comfort Juliana, to bring her the same sense of security she had brought Valentina after her own hostage ordeal. Thinking back to the things Juliana had done for her after that time, she decided to start off with a similarly small but meaningful gesture.

“Do you want some water?” she asked, “Or something to eat?”

Now that her emotions had calmed, all Juliana felt was tired. But when she thought about it, she hadn’t had anything to eat in a long while, not since that bowl of soup she had only been able to half-finish. “That would probably be good.”

Valentina rose quickly, offering her hand to help Juliana up, which she took with a soft smile. They wandered slowly towards the house, where Lupita and Panchito were sitting at the small table just outside the kitchen. Spread out across the tabletop were a number of plates and pitchers.

“Oh, mija!” Lupita jumped up from her seat when she saw the girls approaching. “I got out some snacks for you, I didn’t know how hungry you would be.”

Juliana sat heavily in her chair, doing her best to give Lupita an appreciative smile. “It looks good, má.”

Smoothing her hand over Juliana’s hair, Lupita poured a glass of water for her, then began making a plate for her, piling up small crackers and bits of fruit. Juliana took a sip of the water, then rested her cheek in her hand as she picked at the plate Lupita put in front of her. She tried nibbling at a piece of melon, but despite logically knowing that she hadn’t eaten for hours on end and she needed food, she found that the moment the snack passed her lips she lost all appetite. She put down the melon and tried a bit of cracker, but it had the same effect.

As she put the cracker back down as well, Lupita looked over at her in concern. “What’s wrong, Juli? Do you not like any of it?”

“No, no, it’s just...” She sighed, poking at the food. “I guess I’m just… not very hungry.”

Valentina sighed as well. “After my… well, after, I didn’t have much appetite either. But the water you brought me helped.”

Juliana understood where she was going, and picked up her glass again, making herself take another drink of water. It made Valentina smile, and Juliana couldn’t help but give her a tiny smile in return. When Valentina looked away to get her own water, Juliana glanced over to see her mother watching them carefully. She shot Lupita a wary look, but she only smiled sadly. Before Juliana could decide whether to question her, Lupita’s phone buzzed, tearing her attention away.

After taking a second to read the message, she looked back up at Juliana. “It’s from Beltran,” she told her. “He wants to discuss something with you.”

“¿Qué? Why does he want to talk to me?” The thought of the man filled her with irritation. He had a terrible habit of interjecting himself where he didn’t belong.

“No sé, but it sounds like it’s important,” Lupita told her.

“Well tell him I don’t want to talk,” Juliana snapped, suddenly angry. She was already bone-weary; she couldn’t imagine dragging herself from the house to talk to a man she barely knew.

Lupita looked at her pleadingly. “Pero Juli, he tried to help you. He’s the one that set up the exchange, to get you out…”

“So what? I don’t want to talk to him!” Juliana snarled. She pushed away from the table, feeling like she needed to get away. Without another word, she stalked off towards her room.

Lupita jumped up to follow her, but Panchito took her wrist. When she looked down at him, he shook his head slightly, and she visibly deflated. As she sat back down, Panchito look over to Valentina. “Valentina, will you go check on her?”

“Claro,” Valentina said, clambering to her feet. She quickly followed after Juliana, but paused outside her closed door, listening for a moment. No sound came from the other side of the door, no cries or sounds of anger, but Valentina knew this must be the right room from the faint glow of what must have been a lamp from under the door. Tentatively, she reached out a hand and knocked lightly.

“Má, go away!” came Juliana’s muffled shout.

“It’s Valentina,” she called back softly.

There was a moment of silence, then the sound of movement before the door opened slowly. As she peeked around the edge, Juliana’s eyes were red, but it didn’t look like she had been crying.

“Can I come in?”

Juliana opened the door wordlessly, allowing Valentina to step inside and closing it after her. Valentina tried to catch her eyes, but she avoided her gaze, looking away and at the floor. After a moment, she let out a heavy sigh and crossed to sit on the foot of her bead. Valentina followed and sat next to her. Unsure of what else to do, she placed her hand next to Juliana’s on the covers, her pinky overlapping Juliana’s.

They sat like that for a moment, Juliana still refusing to look at Valentina, before she surged to her feet.

“I don’t get what my mamá sees in that guy,” she said, beginning to pace. “He needs to stop sticking his nose in where he’s not wanted.”

Valentina watched her pace, concerned about how quickly her mood had shifted from mostly calm to furious. She hated to see Juliana so worked up, especially after all she had just been through. “Amor, come sit down.” She reached a hand out towards Juliana, but she turned away, pacing further into the room.

Juliana curled and uncurled her hands into fists. She wanted to calm down, but her skin felt like it was crawling and she felt jumpy, overheated. She took a hold of her jacket, shrugging it from her shoulder, but stopped cold as the movement of the fabric released a familiar, sickly scent.

Gasoline.

She froze for a moment, before ripping the jacket off and throwing it across the room.

“Juls?” Valentina asked, startled. “¿Qué pasa?”

But Juliana didn’t answer, her breathing growing ragged and uneven. Once the jacket was gone she immediately started on the rest of her clothes, stripping them from her body and throwing them away from her. But she could still smell the fuel, the odor invading her nostrils.

“Get it off.” The words tumbled from her mouth unconsciously. The acrid scent clung to her, and she swiped at her skin, trying to wipe it away. “Por favor, don’t…”

“What, Juls? What is it?” Valentina rushed to her, completely lost and frightened by her actions. “Juls, you’re scaring me.”

Her hair. It must have gotten in her hair. Juliana clawed at her head, her fingers yanking, almost trying to pull her hair from her scalp in her frenzy.

“The gasoline,” she gasped. “The gasoline, por favor, they’re going to… oh god…” She let out a moan, sick with fear.

The bottom fell out of Valentina’s stomach when she realized something terrible must have happened to Juliana that she was reliving. “Juls, I’ve got you, hold on.”

She took Juliana’s shoulders and guided her into the adjoining bathroom, Juliana too far gone to fight against her. Reaching blindly into the shower to turn on the water, she pulled off the few clothes Juliana hadn’t managed to rid herself of and pushed her in, not waiting for it to warm up. She grabbed the bottle of shampoo and squirted some directly onto Juliana’s hair, rubbing it in as quickly as she could. Seemingly unaware of Valentina’s actions, Juliana scrubbed desperately at herself with her hands, her fingers digging into her skin and leaving angry red marks over her chest and stomach.

Valentina snatched up her hands, afraid she was going to hurt herself. “Espera, baby. I’ve got you.” She backed Juliana under the water, letting it stream over them. “Shhh, mi amor, you’re alright, you’re okay. Just breathe.”

Rocking them back and forth, she murmured soothing words to Juliana, doing her best to calm her down. She ran her sudsy hands over Juliana’s back and stomach, trying to clean her without letting go. Though she quaked beneath Valentina’s hands, Juliana’s breathing gradually slowed as she came back to herself. Finally, she blinked a few times, and when her eyes met Valentina’s they were clear and lucid.

“¿Mi amor?” Valentina questioned.

Juliana’s eyes filled with tears, and her lip wobbled. “Val…”

With that, she collapsed into Valentina, sobs escaping her chest. Valentina pressed her close, holding her as she cried, her heart breaking once more for the girl in her arms.

The water had begun to go cold by the time Juliana’s cries petered out. Without speaking, Valentina got towels for them, wrapping up Juliana and guiding her back into the bedroom. Once she sat her down on the bed, she went through Juliana’s dresser, getting underwear and t-shirts for them both.

Turning back to Juliana, Valentina took a moment to study her. She looked truly exhausted, her shoulders drooping and eyes half-closed. Valentina almost hadn’t noticed in the shower, but there was a mesh of overlapping bruises along her upper arms, and her wrists where they lay in her lap looked chafed and raw. Stepping forward, she took Juliana’s chin in her hand, tilting it up and running her thumb against her lip where it had split and begun to bruise as well.

She felt tears forming in her eyes as Juliana gazed up at her with her endless brown eyes, so she quickly moved on to help Juliana dress, blinking rapidly to clear her vision. Once Juliana was dressed and laying down, Valentina pulled on her own clothes and slid onto the bed beside her, pulling the blankets up over them both.

They lay there in the quiet for a moment, Valentina petting Juliana’s wet hair back from her face, before Juliana spoke up.

“I can’t get it out,” she whispered, almost too soft for Valentina to understand.

Valentina grasped her face, fearful of another backslide into memory. “No babe, we got it all I promise.”

With a small shake of her head, Juliana’s eyes began to well with tears again. “No,” she said, “the memories. I can’t get them out of my head.” Breaking eye contact with Valentina, she leveraged herself up on her elbows, turning her face away. “I don’t want to remember anymore, but I can’t stop thinking about it.”

Valentina pushed herself up onto her own elbow, reaching out for Juliana’s cheek and gently turning her to face her again. “Talk to me baby,” she murmured pleadingly.

Juliana shook her head again, but this time she didn’t look away. “I can’t. I don’t… I need the memories to go away, I need to stop thinking about it. That’s the only way I know how…”

Pain welled in Valentina’s chest. How many things had Juliana had to ignore, push to the back of her mind, to just keep putting one foot in front of the other? Outside of her mother and father, who were more often than not part of the problem, who had she had to talk to, to help her cope? Valentina was determined to be that person for Juliana.

“Maybe if you shared it a little bit it would help,” she suggested. Shared her story, shared her burdens.

Juliana looked at her with a furrowed brow. “Val, no, you’ve already been through enough…”

Shaking her head, Valentina cut her off. “Juls, baby, let me help you. Let me take care of you.” She put her hand around Juliana’s back, putting barely-there pressure between her shoulder blades to coax her closer. Juliana rolled towards her easily, allowing Valentina to wriggle her other arm under her body so she was holding her fully.

Juliana closed her eyes, leaning in to rest her forehead against Valentina’s collarbone. Her warm breath ebbed over Valentina’s skin, and she was silent for so long Valentina began to wonder if she had fallen asleep.

Finally, she began to speak in a low, soft voice. “It was… I’ve never been so scared, Val. I had just left the apartment Sergio rented, and I was feeling terrible, when these men came out of nowhere…”

Once she began, the story spilled out of her from beginning to end. Valentina listened in silence, her horror growing as Juliana recalled the visceral threats against her.

“Juls, lo siento mucho.” Valentina said once Juliana’s words ran out, unable to stop a tear from spilling down her cheek. “I’m so sorry that happened to you.”

Juliana reached out, wiping the tear away. “No Val, I… Don’t cry.”

Valentina pulled her closer, switching their positions and burying her face in Juliana’s neck. “I’m just so glad you got out of there. I’m so glad I got you back.”

Letting out a shuddering sigh, Juliana ran her fingers through Valentina’s hair, reveling in the tickle of her eyelashes against her neck. “Yo también,” she murmured to Valentina’s temple. She was. God, she was so thankful. Thankful to have survived the Sierra Cartel, thankful to not have ruined everything with Valentina. Beyond thankful for another chance with her.

Valentina placed a soft, open-mouthed kiss against Juliana’s pulse, then pulled back to meet her eyes with a soft look. “I’m here for you Juls, ¿vale? You don’t have to be okay all the time. Not around me.”

Tears prickled once more at the back of Juliana’s eyes, but she managed to give Valentina a crooked smile. “I might not be very good at not being okay, though. You’ll have to help me.”

Valentina returned Juliana’s smile; though it was small, it was dazzling. “Claro que sí, Juls. Whatever you need.”

To keep from crying, Juliana lurched forward to bury her face in Valentina’s hair, earning a giggle from the other girl. “Ven aquí,” she murmured, drawing Juliana with her as she wriggled down the bed until their heads were on the pillows. She turned over, pulling Juliana’s wrist across her middle so Juliana was molded to her back.

“Oh, I’m the big spoon?” Juliana questioned the nape of her neck, a smile turning up the corners of her lips.

Valentina nodded, wiggling closer and pulling Juliana tighter against her. “I thought it might help you not feel trapped.”

All Juliana could do was swallow, in awe of this girl’s thoughtfulness and caring. Pressing her forehead between Valentina’s shoulder blades, she whispered, “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Valentina drew the hand she was holding up to her mouth, pressing a kiss to Juliana’s knuckles. “I don’t ever want to find out.”

Pushing herself up on an elbow, Juliana leaned over Valentina’s shoulder. Valentina rolled back slightly, turning her head to look up at Juliana. As she did, Juliana pressed their lips together, giving Valentina a deep, breathless kiss.

“Te amo, Val,” she said, her voice husky. “I wanted you to know.”

Valentina rolled all the way onto her back, pulling Juliana down on top of her. She snaked a hand around the back of Juliana’s head, drawing her into another long, deep kiss. “Yo también te amo, Juls,” she gasped as they came up for air. “Siempre.”

With the hand on the back of her head, she guided Juliana down once more, pillowing her head on her chest. “I’ll stay with you until the morning,” she told her, holding her close. “You don’t have to be afraid tonight.”

Juliana wrapped her arm around Valentina’s waist, pressing a kiss over her heart. “Never when I’m with you.”

#amar a muerte #juliantina #juliana valdes #valentina carvajal #fanfiction #my work #i just realized i never posted this omg

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marvelousbirthdays · 5 years

Text

Happy Birthday, sarratorrens

April 13-Sam & Bucky after CW AU: "What did you say?" Platonic soulmates for @sarratorrens

Written by @iamartemisday

When it was all over, from the fighting to the politics to the alien invasions, they finally sat down and talked about it.

“You’re an asshole.” Sam had no interest in dancing around the issue. Good. Neither did Bucky.

“I’m not the one who wouldn’t move his seat.” Bucky eyed Sam’s shoulder, where those fateful words from that fateful car trip had been inked by the universe in silver writing.

Sam adjusted his shirt, even though the words were already covered. “I’m not the one who rips steering wheels out of cars.”

“I said I was sorry.”

“I loved that car.”

“You can buy another one.”

“Would you say that to a mother who lost a child?”

Bucky massaged his forehead. This was worse than trying to stop Steve from jumping out of planes without a parachute. “You know what? Fine. Have it your way.”

He stalked out of the room, not caring in the slightest if Sam watched him go. He definitely didn’t look back.

He didn’t want some dumb platonic soulmate anyway.

Two days later, his brand new box of Rice Krispies went missing.

It was Sam. He had no evidence, no witnesses, and no clear motive, but it was absolutely Sam.

When Steve didn’t believe him because Sam was such a stand-up guy who’d never steal, Bucky took matters into his own hands. He picked the lock to Sam’s apartment and walked in to find him at the kitchen table, the offending box of cereal right there in plain view as he enjoyed a crackling bowl.

“That’s mine,” Bucky said, making use of his ‘soldat’ voice as Natasha liked to call it.

Unlike a trainee or Peter Parker, Sam was entirely unmoved. “We’re soulmates. Soulmates share.”

“We’re also human beings. Human beings ask before they take things. Otherwise, their spines get broken.”

“Nobody’s stopping you from having somel.” Sam gestured with his head at the empty seat pulled out as if in wait of him. “Go ahead. I dare you.”

Bucky snatched up his cereal box and knocked the milk carton to the floor for good measure. White liquid spilled everywhere. It would take Sam all morning to clean it up.

For the moment, Bucky was satisfied.

He woke up from a nap with a photo stuck to his metal arm. Attached with a kitchen magnet. It was one of those New York skyline magnets they sold at souvenir shops in Times Square. Bucky hated those things.

The photo was of Sam’s hand flipping him off. How childish.

Bucky dropped his pants and Sam’s phone was soon graced with the image of his perfect ass. That’ll show him.

Sam’s redwings malfunctioned in a battle against a terrorist cell holding an investment bank hostage. Instead of attacking the bad guys, they staged a mutiny. While Sam batted them away, Bucky dispatched all seven terrorists with ruthless efficiency. Every single one of them was an amateur. They couldn’t even aim right. Why the Avengers had been called when a rookie with a donut in his hand could’ve handled it was beyond him.

The headlines the next day were awesome.

WHITE WOLF DEFEATS TERRORISTS. RESCUES TEAMMATE.

“You still haven’t thanked me for saving your ass,” Bucky grinned at Sam as he dropped another copy of the paper onto his lap (there were seven hundred more stashed away in his closet to wallpaper Sam’s bedroom with later).

Sam had the eyes of a hungry leopard. “What did you do to my babies?”

Bucky gasped. “Are you accusing me of sabotaging your equipment to embarrass you on a mission? I can’t believe you think so little of me.”

“I can’t believe suck my dick,” Sam snapped, crumpling up the paper and throwing it at Bucky’s head. To his credit, he made the shot.

“No can do. After that horrible offense, I don’t even want to be in the same room as you. Goodbye, dear platonic soulmate of mine.”

Bucky departed to a cacophony of bad language.

“Hey there! Any superheroes around? I need some new photos for my album.”

It was a curly haired young woman with glasses and a hat. Bucky had never seen her before, so he figured she was one of those new ‘consultants’ Steve was telling him about. They were getting two: a physicist and an administrative assistant. This girl didn’t look like either of those things, but as this was a private lounge no visitors should have access to, he wouldn’t call security just yet.

“Hi,” he said, waving her over. “I’m Bucky, I-”

“I know you!” She skipped over and shook his hand. That was the idea anyway. If she hadn’t grabbed the metal one he’d worry about his shoulder dislocating. “Bucky Barnes, Winter Soldier, White Wolf. So many names, dude. You need to consolidate. I’m Darcy Lewis, intern and assistant extraordinaire. You may have heard of me.”

“Vaguely,” Bucky took his arm back as quickly and politely as he could. “I knew you were coming, but-”

“Yeah, this is way more exciting than when I went to New Mexico to be Jane’s assistant.” She flopped down on the couch like this was her own apartment. “Not that New Mexico can’t be fun if you’re in a place like Albuquerque, but we were in a real dust bowl. Actually, a dust bowl would’ve been good. This was like a dust bowl within a dust bowl. I remember this one time I had to charge my phone, and-”

Thirty minutes later

“I say to the guy, ‘I don’t care about your grandmother’s bowel movements, just pay me five bucks so I can go. And then he gave me the money and I bought a new charger, and I could finally charge my phone.” Darcy took the first breath Bucky had seen her take. “And then there was the time I had to get Jane a new battery for her laptop.”

“You know what? I just remembered I have to be somewhere right now.” Bucky shot off the couch like it was on fire. “Somewhere important… but you know, that was a really great story you were telling. I have this buddy, Sam Wilson, and I bet he’d love to hear it.”

“You mean the Falcon?” Darcy’s eyes lit up. “He’s my favorite! No offense.”

“None taken.” He entered Sam’s number into her phone, along with his apartment number and other relevant information.

“I’ll just pop on over and say hi.” She raced out the door, only to poke her head back in seconds later. “Almost forgot. Say cheese!”

Bucky did not say cheese and he didn’t smile. Darcy took the picture anyway.

“Nice,” she said, tapping a few buttons. “Friend me on Facebook. I’ll tag you.”

When she was gone and beautiful silence was restored, Bucky fell on the couch in a dead faint.

‘Have a good time, Sammy,’ he thought evilly.

Bucky went back to his apartment and ate dinner while waiting for the obligatory threatening text message he was sure to receive at any moment. By noon the next day, it still hadn’t come.

A full twenty-four hours after Bucky unleashed the Chatty Cathy horror that was Darcy upon an unsuspecting Sam, his phone finally went off. Sam had sent him a photo. It was of him with Darcy in his lap, kissing his cheek. There was writing on her neck he hadn’t seen before. It looked like the singular ‘no’ on his bicep.

‘Thanks for finding her for me.’

Bucky crushed the phone.

‘Just great,’ he thought later on after failing to fix his ruined phone. ‘Now I need to buy a new one and Sam is one up on me. I can’t believe that guy. Here I was trying to make peace with him, and all he wants to do is be a two-year-old kicking sand in my face. Un-fucking-real. Of all the people I have to be destined for. I don’t even want to think about what my romantic soulmate will be like.’

He stepped outside and ran straight into a petite figure, stopping his train of thought. The woman, soft where he was solid, bounced off him like a ping pong ball. She was no bigger than Steve before the serum, and some long-buried protective instincts rose to the surface as he bent over her.

“Jesus, I am so sorry. Let me help you.”

“I’m fine,” she said, pushing the hair out of her eyes. “Should’ve looked where I was going. I always do that.”

She got up using his arm as leverage. Bucky would’ve helped properly, but her words were burning in his brain and on his back. He stared at her like an idiot, like he hadn’t been lectured by his father every day on what to do when this day came. Something about being a gentleman and inviting her to dinner which he had to pay for. Maybe that last part was different with the modern day’s more egalitarian attitude towards dating, but at the very least, he shouldn’t be staring so much. Or at all.

“Sorry,” she said nervously, hands stuffed in her pockets. “I’m Jane Foster, I think you know my friend, Darcy.”

Bucky nodded. “Uh huh…”

Jane bit her lip. “She told me I should come and talk to you. I’m not sure why... actually, did I just say your-”

“Soulmate words,” he said with her. “Yeah, I… I think you did.”

He took Jane’s hand and squeezed it. Not too tight, just enough to feel her warmth. She squeezed right back and suddenly, the day was a little brighter.

It became easy to avoid Sam. He just had to spend all his free time with Jane. Getting to know her, learning about her research, taking her on long walks through the park, kissing her in the moonlight, making her cry out his name in ecstasy under the sheets.

He barely thought of Sam for a whole month. If they worked together, they didn’t speak unless it was mission critical. Nobody knew about their secret bond as of yet. Steve chalked the animosity up to stress and never tried playing mediator. For Christmas, Tony gifted them a ‘get-along’ shirt, which was promptly stolen by Jane and used as a sweat rag while she performed maintenance on her weather machines.

It was, shockingly enough, she who breached the topic two days after he and Sam took down a suicide bomber and only got the bomb dismantled with four seconds to go.

“Look, it’s not that simple,” Bucky said, pressing an ice pack to his head. He wasn’t in pain anymore, but with the cold came numbness. He needed some of that right now. “I’ve been trained in a lot of things, but diffusing bombs is not one of them. We got it in the end.”

“Yeah, barely,” Jane said, turning a wrench way harder than she needed to. “If you’d been one second late, we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now. Because you’d be dead. You understand that, right?”

Bucky did realize it, and it really sucked. He never wanted to be one of those guys who complained about ‘nagging girlfriends’, especially when Jane had every reason to be mad at him. He just… really didn’t want to have this conversation.

“What do you want me to do?”

Jane dropped the wrench and took a seat on the table. She was so light, it barely squeaked under her weight.

“Darcy told me you and Sam were arguing the whole time,” she puts a hand on his face, making him meet her gaze. “That’s why you were having problems.”

“He’s an idiot.”

“He’s your partner. And your soulmate.”

“You’re my soulmate.”

“Look, I know romantic and platonic soulmates aren’t the same thing, but they’re not so different either.” Jane wrapped her arms around him, moving from the table to his lap. “Most people don’t even have one soulmate, let alone two. People like us… we’re basically born with an emotional support system already laid out for us, and that’s not something to run away from.”

Bucky furrowed his brow. “Us? You have a platonic mark, too?”

The non-sequitur bugged her. He could tell without her saying anything. She pulled back her hair to show him the words behind her ear. It was such a small space, no wonder he’d never noticed before.

“Man this place is hot as balls. How do you even stand it?” he read, a grin forming. “Darcy, huh?”

Jane giggled. “The first few weeks were the worst. We couldn’t agree on anything. She drove me so nuts I had to sleep on the roof by the firepit.”

That didn’t sound right. Bucky had seen them together a bunch of times (without Sam of course) and those girls couldn’t be closer if they were sisters.

She seemed to read his mind. “We needed time to get where we are now, and I think you can have the same thing with Sam if you try.”

“He won’t try,” Bucky said. “He’s hated me from the start. Not that I blame him. We didn’t meet under the best circumstances.”

“None of that was your fault, Bucky. Sam knows that.”

“Does he?”

“Yes.” Jane touched her forehead to his. “I know I can’t force you to talk to him, but at least think about it. Because deep down, I think you guys do care about each other, or this wouldn’t be hurting you so much.”

“It’s not,” he said, even though lying to her felt worse than a punch to the chest.

“Just promise me you’ll be civil with him. You know, so you don’t get blown up.”

“I promise,” Bucky mumbled. Then he buried his face in the crook of her neck where he could forget all his troubles.

Sam was in the lounge, which sucked because it should’ve been empty this time of day.

Bucky was only there because he had no bad guys to fight and Jane wouldn’t be back from her meeting for another half hour. With nothing else to do, he’d hoped to get a nap in and maybe watch some TV. Instead, he found the bane of his existence resting in a recliner (the one Bucky usually sat in of course) reading a book and pretending to be dead to the world.

Which he wasn’t. Bucky knew that because his hands tensed and his breathing sped up as Bucky made a spot for himself on the couch.

The TV was in the corner and the remote within reach. He should’ve turned it on, but he didn’t. He grabbed a magazine off the coffee table. Nobody knew why Tony kept them when nobody ever read them. When asked, he’d only say it was for aesthetic purposes. Whatever that meant.

“So…” he licked his lips. “Nice weather we’re having.”

“Yeah,” said Sam.

“Pretty warm for March. Must be that climate change thing I keep hearing about.”

“Right.”

Bucky rolled his shoulders. Sam scratched his nose. They continued their reading as Bucky found himself on the same sentence six times. Every few seconds, his eyes flicked to Sam, searching for the slightest shift in expression. He soon gave up on the illusion of reading and set the magazine down.

He was ready to just leave, but if he didn’t say his peace, Jane would never let him hear the end of it. Best to get it over with and then go back to their mutual denial of each other’s existence.

Bucky took a breath-

“I’m sorry, okay?”

-and released it. Hard. His chest hurt now. “What did you say?”

Sam groaned like repeating himself was worse than the labors of Hercules. “You heard me. I’m sorry. I’ve been acting like a jerk and being unfair, so I’m sorry. I promise not to do it again.”

Bucky appraised him, his pursed lips and tight posture, like he was reciting lines for a play. “Did Darcy put you up to this?”

“You bet she did.” Sam returned to his book. He appeared to be on the wrong page. “Jane put you up to it?”

“She wants us to make up and get along because that’s what soulmates do. Did you know she and Darcy are platonic?”

“Yeah, I saw the mark.”

Bucky sighed and rubbed his face. “They’re not going to let it go until we make up for real.”

“Eh, they’ll get bored.”

“No we won’t!” Darcy and Jane stuck their heads out from behind the kitchen counter. Jane’s cursed as she realized they were caught and forced Darcy down. “Uh… I mean, pay no attention to the women next to the fridge. Carry on as you were”

Sam rolled his eyes but couldn’t hold back a grin. Neither could Bucky.

“I guess we could try,” he said. “Make a fresh start or some shit.”

“We could also do nothing,” said Sam.

“You could also sleep on that couch for a month,” Darcy snapped. “You, too, Bucky.”

“That’s not up to you, Lewis.”

“Bucky,” Jane said in her rarely used but deadly ‘I’m pissed’ voice. “Couch.”

Sam and Bucky looked at each other. They both knew how this was going to end, no point in delaying it. Bucky curled his fingers, then relaxed them. He held his hand out to Sam. “Hi, I’m Bucky. I’m your platonic soulmate. Nice to meet you.”

Sam looked at his hand like it was covered in mud, then took it anyway. “Sam Wilson. Nice to meet you, too.”

They shook and, somewhere in the back of Bucky’s mind where he never ventured, he was actually kind of glad for the semi-truce. Maybe one day, they really could have a nice friendship the way fate intended. Darcy and Jane certainly thought so. They came out of hiding, Darcy already with her phone out.

“This is gonna be my new Facebook header.” She motioned at Sam. “Come on, Sammy, let’s do this.”

He stood reluctantly and let Bucky put an arm around him.

“Sammy, huh?”

“Shut the hell up.”

They smiled for the camera. The photo proudly adorned Darcy’s page for the next few months. And of course, they’d given each other bunny ears.

#sam and bucky #sam wilson #Bucky Barnes #soulmate au #platonic soulmates

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foolscapper · 6 years

Text

Exploding Head Syndrome: A MCU Post-IW Fanfic | Ch. 1

(READ IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER.)

It takes two years for them to right everything. Two long years — most of it spent in chaotic shades of tears, screaming, silent defeat, and a very unsuccessful five stages of grief for everyone involved. It's a world where billions of people have all had their candle wicks pinched in tandem between ugly purple fingers, their lights gone out in the pits of their mourning loved one's stomachs. There was not enough time in the day for funerals, not enough room or money for smoothed gravestones, and far too many people that will never, ever be identified as dead. Those people, the ones without families and friends, they simply never existed. Perhaps in the backgrounds of neighborhood photos they weren't meant to be a part of, but ultimately? They are vagabonds who just blew away in the wind.

And those who did have people left behind, who mourned and prayed for them?

They were just memories on walls.

Nobody from their team of heroes took their noses out of books or their eyes off screens, carving out new and old information on celestials, on resurrection, on righting the wrongs done by an arrogant bastard who decided to snap his fingers and purge the universe of any happiness; that same purple bastard had vanished without another word, and Thor had paced through the Avengers headquarters those first days with guilt etched into the lines of his weary face. His brown and blue set of eyes looked into Tony's, and his lips had pulled into something of a haunted grimace, and he said with no ounce of doubt, "This could have been over, had I aimed for the head."

The half of the Asgardians that Thanos had spared came to earth just a few months after; they filled in the broken pieces of a fractured glass Wakanda that had been devastated by the loss of their king. It was an intellectual gathering, more than anything, a concoction of mad sciences that would yield more together than apart. Steve Rogers kept in touch with them, eyes and ears waiting to be sated by something fruitful, about Thanos and his whereabouts.

They didn't need flip phones because they lived down the hallway from each other, and sometimes when Tony wasn't pouring through information with Bruce, he was letting the captain talk his ear off about world news that might matter if Tony would let it. With every passing day, the Sokovia Accords became a relic, something from the old world. The fight in Germany almost didn't feel real anymore. But it was, and it had been the catalyst in meeting a young man from Queens who loved Alt-J and Star Wars.

The scroll bar on the missing children's pages Tony's accrued is so tiny, he can barely see it on his screen. He sits there at the kitchen table while Morgan sits on his lap and slams blocks around like a tiny radioactive dinosaur. And he's tired and regretful as every face seems to blur and morph into Peter's (his goofy shirts, his awful Mets hat, the fifth Jansport backpack that month). Pepper makes Tony coffee, rubs his shoulders, makes breakfast for their daughter. He looks at both of them every day and reminds himself he doesn't deserve them.

Rhodey brings updates from Ross, as an exasperated courtesy more than anything.

Tony also cares very fucking little about that, too. Natasha is in full agreement.

Oh, and the raccoon stuck around, too. Two years, and Tony Stark made friends with a kleptomaniac trash panda who lost almost every person he's ever come to love, and the blue chick might as well be counted among the lost, because she hit the atmosphere running and never stopped (but if there's anyone Tony would bet on for killing Thanos through hate alone, Nebula might be able to accomplish it before supper). Rocket heads out from time to time to try and find clues in the deep reaches of space — "Where's Thanos? Have you seen where he ran off to? Where's that ugly son of a b—" And you know, it ends about as successfully as the last time the little garbage bear rolls back in. Truth be told, he likes Rocket a lot. Good eye for tech, familiar snark used to push people away, a raging hate-boner for a certain mass murderer...

Ah, yes. The bastard who sacrificed his daughter, go fucking figure. Tony looks at Morgan's freckled face as he changes the umpteenth diaper that day and can't fathom the concept of being her end. It's horror fiction, the pages ripped out of books conjured to be nothing more than a terrible daydream of a bored writer.

It's the same horror fiction where Peter clings to him sobbing for help, falling when his legs disintegrate underneath him.

Tony looks for that kid everywhere, despite knowing exactly where he is.

He waves the photograph in Pepper's face, inches from her, the sharp juts of his fingernails biting into the Polaroid like dog teeth — (retroware, a camera found in a dumpster, delicately and lovingly re-mantled into a working camera, pictures snapped in quiet labs on lazy Sundays where Tony pretends the kid shouldn't be there) — but Pepper just looks at him like he's a wild man, and maybe he is, with owlish imploring eyes and unkempt hair, but nobody is listening, they just talk about their day and nobody is looking at this kid in this photograph: the kid with the curvy brown hair and pinching, smiling eyes and thin lips, he's only a kid, he's missing, does nobody see that? But Pepper just puts her hands up at the sides of her head and shrugs like he's out of his mind, and she's talking about being behind schedule —

"Tony, honey, there's nothing there — I don't know what you want me to see." And she is getting progressively more furious at him, because there's nothing, but he can clearly see this teenaged boy's face looking back at him when he turns the image back to himself: he's in the lab, Tony took the picture (say cheese, and the kid said provolone, because he's a massive nerd, but Tony would have done it too, so what does that make him), and no, Peter's not in the lab, he's not anywhere. Not in the ground, not in an urn, not standing on his feet, not stuck to his hands.

"No. No no no, look at him, why - why are you not looking at him?" Tony asks, curled fingers pecking over the shirt on his chest, right where his blue heart used to be, and he's so fucking angry that Happy said it Pepper said it Steve said it Everyone says it, the same thing, different voices: "It's a black box, Tony. It's just a black box. The picture's not developed. Something got screwed up, sorry."

He looks at the photo again and wants to see a black box, wants this to just end, but he knows it can't. In the Polaroid, the kid is tied to a chair in sweltering heat in the middle east, under the shadow of cave walls, streaked with mud and blood and wet from torture, and Tony has it on good authority the human body was not made to live in the sea, not made to breathe the deep dark waters in a two-foot basin of murky water. But Pepper looks right through the photo every time and asks him if he's remembered to water the ugly office plant she put on his desk — he shoves it off and it smashes all over, dirt underfoot crunching with the same texture as Titan. The desk is covered in nothing but Polaroids of every waking fear he's had, but they all swear on their lives—

"They're all just black boxes."

He wakes up with a strangled sound of panic, the sheets ripped out from under Pepper's soft pale arms, and she darts awake alongside him with little choice in the matter. He isn't sure how to even begin to explain the nightmare, so he doesn't, which seems adequate enough for her at this point; she instead rakes kind fingernails over his scalp and he lets himself rest in his own sweat, until eventually it dries up with her ability to stay awake with him. But there's no sleeping now. Which is fine, because not an hour later Morgan's crying in a crib that Tony doesn't let leave their room. She's smart — not quite two yet, but she's got an eye for how to get what she wants. She slaps her hands on the bars like she's a chubby convict and says, "Juice!" like she hasn't already had enough juice in the day to turn into a berry.

"... I got her," he says with feigned exasperation, but more than anything, he just wants to hold onto the kid and remind himself she won't crumble into dust. He walks her through the hallways and stares out large windows, places where the memory of Peter Parker ghosts the halls in Tony's mind. He stands where Peter watched in boyish awe as the jets took off — where he'd lead him down a path towards reports and a new suit. Regrets dance like spots in his vision. Run along now, young buck.

He misses the others, too. He thinks about them often, wants to get them back from the jaws of death.

But everyone knows Peter is a special case, for him. A special mission set aside to complete.

There's an aunt across the city that somehow manages to get up and go to work every day. She's all that's left of a family she'd married into — the last Parker, putting unopened Christmas and birthday presents in a room that hasn't been touched in two fucking years. Tony doesn't know how she does it, after the Parkers and her husband's death; perhaps it's not always the abundance of loss that breaks someone; perhaps it's the abundance of loss that helps steel them for the next blow.

Either way, he gives her as many promises as he can muster, and she just nods like she can actually trust him.

"If it isn't the terrible terror," Rocket slurs from the end of the walkway, as he rounds the bend. Tony can't believe his eyes; he's sure there must be some youtube video out there of a raccoon holding a vodka bottle, but seeing it in person is another thing altogether. The short-statured creature adds, "Not the gremlin baby, I mean you."

"Robbet!" Morgan says, gleeful and unaware of just how alike her and Rocket's walking performances would be toe-to-toe.

Tony is less enthused.

"Did you — Did you fly back drunk?" And really, he's not one to talk after some of the stunts he pulled in his suits, but when he looks out the window there's a clearly tipped over spaceship on the front lawn of the headquarters, almost meeting the tarmac where the quinjet resides.

Rocket wags a paw at him like he's nuts. "Seemed like the thing to do. You Terran nimrods are great at it."

"You could've hit the building, you jackass," he hisses, "There are people sleeping here you could've killed."

"Wouldn't be the worst way to go out on this stupid planet."

"You're so lucky I'm holding a toddler, or I'd kick you in the head."

"Bring it, old man." But the longer the squabbling goes, the more Rocket seems to completely lose whatever steam he has. They end up sitting right against the big glass windows, and Tony lets Morgan rub her grubby hands all over the panels, because he's pretty sure the cleaners here prefer her messes over the ones Tony leaves in the labs (you know, the ones that almost start fires). The kid eases something inside him, and he's not one to recommend having a kid as therapy (because it definitely didn't solve his panic over being a shit dad), but it at least keeps him grounded. Gives him perspective. Focus.

"Robbet," she commands, fidgeting with Rocket's ear. The raccoon's gotten used to the attention, so much so that he just lets it be, and Tony watches expectantly for words he knows are gonna come sooner or later. This isn't the first time Rocket's stumbled in like this, though he'd hesitate to say it's common enough for an AA meeting.

"Nothin's out there, Stark," he says tiredly. "Thanos is in the wind after we pinned him in the rice terraces. Nebula's out there givin' her... I was gonna say blood, sweat, and tears, but I dunno how much of her is even left t'do that. But the universe is too damn big." He rubs his eyes tiredly in a way that is obscenely human. "We ain't ever gonna get the bastard, much less reverse the damage. I can't keep putting off..."

"Mourning?"

Rocket and Tony lock eyes for a moment, the billionaire's face unreadable.

Rocket looks away, and for once, he can't usher up a snarky, assholish retort.

"Mourning."

And Tony could understand that much. The world has already been grieving and crying it out, but the Avengers? They haven't allowed themselves to do it. Scott's got his kid, and he's all his kid has now — the cops had found her wandering a park alone, crying for Ant-Man to save them, and Tony's paid for therapy but fuck if that always helps. Clint refuses funerals for the two children he and his wife lost, not until Tony can look him in the eye with complete certainty and say 'there's nothing else we can do'. And Tony is not gonna lie about that shit, not even for a moment. Steve always chases for Bucky, and Tony expects as much (both in a fond way, and in a resentful way that makes him wanna strangle the bastard; what, we can't all be perfect at making up)... He also talks about Wanda and Vision and Sam often, and the room always descends into pained silence by the time they both realize how many people they've lost.

"Sorry I called you a gremlin," Rocket suddenly says, and Tony's confused for a moment before he glances over and finds Morgan sitting between Rocket's legs, cupping his furry face in her hands like she's trying to figure out why his beard is so much more out of control than her father's. Suffice to say, the drunk raccoon eventually passes out against the window, and Natasha makes her cameo in the shaded moonlight long enough to click her tongue and heft the creature up. Usually it'd be a more violent affair, but he's so out cold, he doesn't even so much as twitch.

"I'll get him in the recovery position, I guess," she says with a quirk of her brow.

One time he'd asked her in a moment of admittedly godawful anger how she managed to be a stone-faced robot in the wake of all of this; she had slammed him down onto a table and said it was the hardest thing someone can ever do.

"Could always throw him into a tree," is his reply, and she smirks — but tucks Rocket in, regardless.

They're all he's got now.

Two weeks later, Captain Marvel gives them the location of Thanos.

One week after, Thanos is dead and Bruce and Tony are staring at the melted, twisted remains of a gauntlet adorned with six stones.

It's a full month, when the snap is finally undone.

"W-what the flying fuck just happened?"

Probably not the most eloquent way Peter Jason Quill, Star-Lord and fearless leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy, could have reclaimed his life and body, but that's the way it happened. One moment his sinking despair had been blown away in the wind with the rest of his crumbled body; the next, he's gasping for air like a newborn baby with his hands on his chest — unable to breathe, unable to think, unable to do anything but feel helpless and lost. Then his name comes back to him, his age, where he's from, followed by the first of many memories: his mother and him, making cookies with The Rolling Stones blaring on an old radio in the background.

Then all of it follows like a stampede trampling over each other: the ravagers, Ego, celebrations full of booze and old 70's and 80's hits with his team; he groans pitifully and remembers too suddenly that his mother is dead, Yondu is dead, Gamora is dead — and then he cries like he's never cried before in his goddamn life. Like, full-bodied sobbing, harder than he's ever allowed himself in the last thirty years. His fingers curl in rough alien soil and every nerve in his body is alight with something he can't really explain, leaving him shivering. When all is said and done, it's cathartic, but his head is pounding and his eyes are red and wet and — and his legs don't want to work, exactly, so he drags himself into sitting and stares all around him with a helpless, sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Where are the others?

Drax crawls out from behind the rubble with a bit-back curse as if summoned by Peter's sheer will alone, and Strange floats down from god knows where. Both of them wipe their faces and breathe like they'd just run a marathon, one you'd sprint for — to try and escape the returning memories. The questions bubbling under the surface can wait (when, why, how, who, where; where the fuck is Thanos so I can kick his head in and ignore the aching guilt of the stupid shit I've done). Peter's lips curl into a relieved grin despite himself and he staggers to his feet, rushing to meet Drax before the lumbering warrior can collapse on his knees; he steadies the two of them, and between four colt-like legs, they make it work until they can move on their own.

"Drax, holy shit. I'm so happy to see you right now, I saw you and — where's Mantis? And... Stark and the kid?"

He's not gonna pretend the last two weren't cliff notes in his order of priorities, compared to Mantis. That's his sister, his family, and his heart is pounding at the thought of losing anyone else from his team... because Gamora's so fresh in his mind, an abrasion so new and raw and — don't think about it, Quill, don't think about it right now, not until you can make it to a ship and find somewhere to lick the wounds. It's so hard to breathe, so hard to keep his memories in check. Judging from the pinched expression Drax has, he can only imagine the miserable television show going on in that thick skull of his. He had family, he had a life, a home, and now it's all coming back in thunderous waves.

Drax perks. "I hear her. This way!"

And like clockwork, Mantis sobs more loudly from over the hill of debris, and Peter is already leaping over and down it, displacing rubble in his wake. It claws him up as he goes, but what's one more injury if it means getting to his team sooner? Add another wound to the dozens lanced in his heart, whatever, he can take it. What he can't take is finding someone he loves gone again because he wasn't good enough—

("I love you, more than anything.")

"Mantis! Shit, dammit — hang on, we're coming, hang on!" He skids to a stop at the bottom with Drax hot on his heels, and it's only there that he's relieved to find she's unhurt, curled up and sitting on her legs; her back is trembling, hands poised in front of her — no, no, hands pressed to the temples of a crumpled figure with shaggy brown hair and a terribly youthful face. He swallows hard at the sight, guilt coiling in his guts, because he had made this kid a footnote in his concerns all but fifteen seconds ago.The other Peter.

("Peter, huh? Samesies!" the spider kid laughs.)

The kid is on his back, and his eyes are open, face lax under Mantis' shivering fingertips. Quill automatically assumes the worst: that he didn't make it, because even if his skin has a healthy color, he doesn't look alive. Why didn't... he come back, too? What went wrong? Crouching down beside his friend, he examines the boy and his listless gaze that looks right through him, right through everything. A death stare. He's seen so many in his life — from ravagers and enemy alike — that he doesn't question it further than that.

"... Mantis, it's okay," he says softly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "He's gone. We gotta move."

"No, no, Peter," she weeps, freezing him with her desperation, "You're wrong. He's still here. I can feel him. But th-there's so much pain — something is wrong, and it hurts."

"She's right," Strange says with a surprisingly soft voice, "He's still breathing."

Quill watches with wide eyes the rise and fall of the kid's chest, and then the surprising drip of tears into the shells of Peter's ears.

"It hurts," Mantis says again, black hair curtaining her pained expression. "He's further and further away. I can't do anything. He is so afraid."

Peter Parker's eyes are open, half-lidded, without any sign of life behind them. But Quill feels like every word Mantis sobs is a memory he can't quite bring into focus... like — like a dream he'd forgotten in the time he'd been nothing but ash. Like a beacon, scrambling all of his senses and blinding him just before he had burst back to life from under the current of death. He remembers a snippet of what it was like on the other side, rolling over and over like he's stuck in a sea — a sea of souls. He remembers it was the kid's voice, calling out from oblivion as they were hoisted back into their bodies.

He remembers hearing his own voice... remembers saying, thinking, screaming: Hang on, kid, I got you!

— it hurts, it hurts, it hurts—

He puts his hand gently on Peter Parker's cheek.

It's warm. His body breathes in steady rhythm.

So why isn't there any life behind those eyes?

The lab is quiet, save for the rambling of an excited high-schooler bragging about their odds at the new decathlon competition. Tony doesn't really mind so much, though he's not about to tell that to the kid sitting there in his old thrift shop sweater; the same kid whose hair is curling out of control now, escaping the prison of hair gel he adds in the early morning. Peter's always so animated with his hands, most of all — always fidgeting, always moving, always so eager to sign and gesture faster than Peter's mouth can move. "And Ned's got a brand new video-game he's dying to try out, but I dunno if he can handle it; it's a horror game, you know? He's kind of a big softy — oh."

Tony glances at Peter with a scoff and a raised eyebrow, though his smirk fades a little at what has drawn the kid's already battered attention span from the conversation. Peter holds an old trophy in front of him that he had taken off the nearest shelf: a replica, actually, but still no less important. It's the arc reactor, etched with those intimate, familiar words that Pepper still whispers to him when they're alone and living in their own little world.

"Aaww, look at that," Peter says with a playful smile, pressing the trophy against his chest, where the reactor would've resided in Tony's. "... Proof that Tony Stark has a heart."

Peter's smile softens painfully, his eyes reflecting a long and sad goodbye before he crumbles away into nothing.

#tony stark #peter parker #mcu #infinity war #mantis (marvel)#drax the destroyer #peter quill #rocket racoon #irondad #spiderson #mcu fanfic #ehsfanfic #sorry guys i was gonna be lazy and not back this story up here #but i changed me mind

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hinasouda · 6 years

Note

saimota prompt: warmth

it started snowing as i was writing this :0 is this a sign??

saimota / fluff / 2.8k / no despair / snow day

[AO3 link]

Shuichi woke up, bleary-eyed, to his phone buzzing repeatedly. It rattled to the edge of the table and almost fell off.

When he unlocked it, he found a dozen messages in their class group chat. Photos streamed in of Kaito, Maki, and Tenko on their morning run, wrapped up in scarves and big coats. The entire field was white with snow. Looking out the window, Shuichi saw snowflakes still gently falling past.

Kaito’s final message was a blurry candid of Maki, glaring at the camera. It said: ‘come to the park if u want ur butt kicked!!’

Grinning and rubbing sleep out of his eyes, Shuichi got up to find his gloves and boots.

The park was layered with at least four inches of snow. Students were coming out of their dorms dressed up in wintery clothes, buzzing to enjoy the rare snow day that was given. As Shuichi arrived, he spotted Kaito and a few other classmates rolling huge snowballs along the ground.

“Hey!” Kaito waved him over. He was wearing a beanie hat and mismatched gloves.

He greeted Gonta, Tenko, and Tsumugi, who were offering the giant snowballs to a twirling Angie. She claimed that she was going to build some beautiful, Atua-inspired snow statues, and Shuichi agreed he was looking forward to it.

Even Ryoma and Himiko were out, though half as energetic, they seemed to be enjoying the atmosphere. Rantaro was taking pictures of everyone for his blog, and Kiibo was barely able to move in the layers of jackets, coats, and fluffy scarves he was wearing.

“Shuichi!” Kaito jogged up to him. “When was the last time we had a snow day, huh? Let’s make the most of it!”

He smiled at his friend’s enthusiasm. “What do you have planned?”

“I thought we could a snowball fight with everyone later. And Kirumi said she was gonna bring hot fudge brownies for after!”

The idea of a mass-snowball fight made Shuichi a little nervous, but Kaito was obviously excited for it.

“Well…we can help Angie with her sculptures for now.”

“Alright!” Kaito threw him a thumbs up, then leaned an inch closer. “Oh, and watch out for Kokichi. Don’t let him sneak up behind you with any snow.”

Despite the cold, Kaito radiated warmth as he leaned in. He paused for a moment, holding a breath, skipping a heartbeat. He had to get this crush under control.

“I’ll keep an eye out.”

When Kaito returned to the others, Shuichi immediately missed that warmth. He must’ve shown something on his face, as nearby Rantaro waved his hand with a sly look. Shuichi flushed, shook his head, and went to take a walk around the park.

Some time later, Angie had crafted two lifelike snow-people with such detail in their features, Shuichi thought the falling snow was going to disfigure them in minutes. Gonta was in the middle of building a snow-beetle, which was a smooth lump of snow covered in leaves.

The rest of the group had shown; Kaede had a coffee in each hand, following Kirumi with her tray of brownies; Miu was barely dressed for autumn, visibly shivering, but seemed to be enjoying herself anyway; and Kiyo had settled on a bench with a book, content to watch.

Shuichi watched as Tenko became Kokichi’s first victim. He was sure that Tenko would’ve heard Kokichi’s snickering, as he crept up behind her with a handful of snow. But she was too focused on her conversation with Himiko.

Her high pitched ‘eek!’ made Shuichi jump out of his skin. Kokichi stuffed the snow down the back of her jacket and ran, cackling all the way. Tenko’s expression was scary as she gave chase.

“If she catches him, Ouma may die,” Kaito said solemnly.

Shuichi laughed. “I hope he’s fast, for our sake.”

They kept running, chasing, dodging between Angie’s sculptures and unsuspecting classmates. They were both fast, but Kokichi was starting to pant, while Tenko hadn’t broken a sweat. Kokichi slowed to a stop and brought his hands up.

“Wow Tenko, I’m sorry, okay? I’ll let you hit me with a snowball for free. Come on, make it a good one, and we’ll call it even?”

She stared him down, then gathered a nasty-looking snowball. Himiko turned away, muttering, “I can’t watch.” Rantaro grimaced but pulled up his camera.

Once the snowball was launched, Kokichi did an acrobatic dive-roll. Strategically placed behind him was Ryoma, like the Archduke Ferdinand, the snowball clocked him on the head, knocking his hat clean off.

By now, everyone was watching. Tenko’s eyes went from blazing fury, to pure terror.

Ryoma picked up his hat and brushed it off. “So that’s the game we’re playing…”

“R-Ryoma! That was, uh, totally an accident. I mean, Kokichi–”

There was no mercy left in the ex-Tennis player. He was ruthlessly quick, and his swing was strong enough to knock most people out. The snowball shot like a cold bullet, missing Tenko’s head by mere centimeters.

“I’ll give you five seconds to run.”

Everyone scattered.

The simple, fun snowball fight Kaito planned became much more like a war. The park was a battlefield of barricades and trenches, with three teams plotting their moves.

Before Shuichi could really pick a side, he’d been pulled behind a snow barricade by Kaede, with Tenko, Himiko, Tsumugi, Rantaro, and Angie. He saw Kaito duck behind the opposite side. The next time he saw him, it’d likely be in battle.

With Tenko scouting, Angie and Kaede drew up the plan of attack. Himiko would stay and supply the ammunition from the safe zone, with Tsumugi laying cover fire from a distance. He and Rantaro were the frontline (or ‘meat shields’, as Tenko explained), for the other girls to try and knock down the enemy lines.

Of course, they also had to distract the neutral team. Wandering in the no man’s land, Ryoma and Maki carried their weapons, ready to aim at the first thing that moved. Gonta stayed outside as well, apparently immune to snowballs.

“So I’ll go and try to convince Maki to join us, while you and Tenko go with Rantaro and Shuichi, and push as far across as you can. Destroy as much of their walls and ammo as you can, got it?”

Kaede made a convincing leader, and Shuichi found himself getting fired up. If he saw Kaito out there, he wasn’t going to hold back. Everyone pitched in to make a final batch of snowballs before they set out.

“Wait - do you hear that?” Tenko hushed everyone and peeked over their barricade. “Someone’s coming.”

Before they could ask who, a quiet voice called out. “I come in peace! Take me to your leader!”

“Get lost, Kokichi!”

“Aww, man. I have juicy secrets from the other side of the field, but I guess I’ll take them to Ryoma instead…”

“Deserter! Why are you even here?” Tenko hissed at him.

“Those guys didn’t give me an exciting role, so I’m snitching! Isn’t that obvious?”

Rantaro and Shuichi shared a glance. This couldn’t end well. The team looked between each other, ultimately falling to Kaede. She shrugged.

“Might as well hear what he’s got to say?”

“Yaaay!” He hopped over their defenses and planted himself among the team. “You guys are gonna need a lot more snowballs. Miu’s installing an automated snowball flinger inside Kiibo, and Kirumi’s gonna bribe Gonta with sweets.”

“Great. Now what are they actually planning?” Rantaro asked coolly.

Kokichi pouted. “Alright, one of those two things is true. I wasn’t listening to anything else Kaito was saying, so I have no idea what they’re planning!”

It took a full minute for Himiko to convince Tenko not to bury him alive, let alone raise her voice. Meanwhile, the others came up with a back-up plan to intercept Kirumi, and discussed what kind of tactics Kaito would come up with.

“Shuichi, you know him best - what’s his game?”

“Well I can’t say for sure…” Shuichi was thankful that the cold disguised his pink cheeks, “I think he’d make the first move. I mean- he’ll rely on aggressive maneuvers to catch us by surprise. We should be careful, even here.”

As he finished explaining, a hefty snowball cracked into the barricade behind him. Tsumugi yelped and Kokichi took off running with a laugh.

“Th-they’re coming! Remember your stations, people!” Tenko narrowly dodged another snowball as she peeked over the wall.

A battlecry tore across the field. Shuichi grinned, adrenaline pumping for the first time in a while.

Kaito charged over the trench, scanning his eyes across the park. His team seemed to be following his plan for the most part, half splitting off to distract and recruit Gonta. The rest had begun their assault. He threw another snowball towards where the opposition were starting to react.

A head popped up near where the snowball impacted, a familiar hat searching for the source. He made a ‘come at me’ gesture at Shuichi, who stared blankly at him for a moment. Was that too far…?

Then Kibo and Miu’s flank chased the rest of Shuichi’s team out of their barricade, a series of shrieks and loud laughs turning the battlefield into chaos. Kaito lost track of Shuichi as he dodged a volley of attacks from both Maki and Angie. He was easily caught up in the spirit of competition, returning fire, and throwing some fighting talk.

As the two teams fought, snowballs were launched from every direction. The walls crumbled, Angie’s statues became fodder, and before long, it was every man for himself.

Gonta and Himiko retreated to build a safety igloo, defended viciously by Tenko. Korekiyo and Maki soon lost interest, and Kirumi was none too happy when Kaede came out with a bruise on her forehead. Ryoma remained undefeated.

Kaito was crouched behind a snow lump and cherishing the last of Kibo’s ammo stockpile. He was breathing hard, creating puffs of fog in the cold air. With all this running and messing around, he could barely feel the cold - if anything, the snow stopped him from overheating.

He heard a light laugh nearby. Footsteps crunching on the other side of his cover. Kaito grinned, scooped up a snowball, fully expecting Miu or Kokichi trying to get the drop on him.

“It won’t be that easy, y’know,” Kaito spun round, aiming his shot- “Shuichi?!”

The moment he hesitated, it was over. Shuichi was beaming with a pure happiness, throwing Kaito so off-guard, he earned a snowball to the face. He staggered, sputtering, throwing his snowball at Shuichi halfheartedly.

“I expected more from the Luminary of the Stars.”

“You-! What-, damn, Shuichi!” Kaito brushed snow out of his beard. “Is this how it ends? My sidekick turns against me?”

Shuichi tossed his snowball in the air and caught it. “Any last words?”

He was too giddy to respond. Shuichi’s shameless smile was so cute, long lashes resting on bright pink cheeks, sugary snow dusting his dark fringe. His eyes were alight with a surprise competitive streak.

“Wh-whaddaya say we team up? You and I can take out the rest, easy!”

Shuichi seemed to consider his request, rolling the snowball in his hands. Kaito put his hands up in surrender and took a couple hesitant steps towards him.

“Hey…Shuichi… We’d make a great pair, right?”

Kaito worried for a second when Shuichi’s gaze dropped, cheeks getting redder. He held his breath. When Shuichi looked back up, his eyes went wide.

“Behind you Kaito!”

In an instant, he turned around, finding Kokichi dual-wielding snowballs with a sinister grin. He ducked, throwing himself behind the snowbank. As he went, he grabbed Shuichi’s hand and pulled him with him. One of Kokichi’s shots flew over their heads.

Kaito squeezed Shuichi’s hand, their faces inches apart. “Knew you’d have my back! Now go and get that bastard.”

Shuichi nodded wordlessly, lingering in Kaito’s warmth for a moment longer. He squeezed Kaito’s hand back in a rush of affection. Then Kaito stood up, waving his arms at Kokichi and yelling. His hand felt cold without Shuichi’s.

“Hey! Over heeere!”

Taking the signal, Shuichi made a dash for the flank.

Everyone was frozen and exhausted by mid-afternoon. They went back to the college common room, ushered by Kirumi’s promise of hot chocolate and freshly baked cookies. Scarves, hats, gloves, and boots were abandoned at the doorstep. Kibo spent five minutes unwrapping, and everyone’s skin was dusted pink after coming in from the cold. After some chilled out music, chatter, and sweets, eventually the group started dropping back to their own rooms.

Due to the limited supply of blankets, Kaito had absolutely insisted that Shuichi share a space, curled on the couch beside him. There was still a decent distance between them, but Shuichi felt himself leaning into Kaito’s ever-present warmth. Over time, the distance slimmed, but Shuichi was sure he hadn’t moved at all.

The room became a much smaller group of friends by evening. Shuichi was dozing, barely keeping himself awake; Kaito, Kaede, and Kokichi were arguing over music taste; Rantaro and Maki finished off the snacks, sharing glances when someone said something dumb.

When he woke up, Shuichi had no idea how long he’d been sleeping. His head was leaning on Kaito’s shoulder, a spot that was so warm, soft, and comfortable, that he didn’t want to move. Only when he realised where he was did he sit up, face flushing.

Shuichi became acutely aware of his space, of Rantaro and Maki catching his eyes, and Kokichi snickering from behind a cushion. The conversation carried on as normal, but Kaito was pretending he hadn’t noticed. He had to be.

He yawned dramatically, planning his escape. “Well, I should probably head back. I’m getting kinda tired…”

“How can you still be tired?” Kokichi frowned at him. “You’ve been asleep for three hours now.”

“It was like two minutes,” Maki interjected, saving Shuichi from a heart attack.

“Ah…all the more reason to call it a night…”

He stood up and said goodnight to everyone, missing Kaito’s blanket and body heat with a shiver down his spine. Kaito was unusually quiet, only offering a smile and a nod as he left. Shuichi’s heart sank. It looked like he’d made things awkward between them now.

When Shuichi left the room, Rantaro threw a cushion at Kaito.

“Hey! What was that for?”

Rantaro rolled his eyes. “You spend all day giving him gooey eyes, he falls asleep on your shoulder, and you’re just gonna let him walk away like that?”

“You’re breaking my heart right now, Kaito,” Kokichi whined.

Kaito rubbed his temple, looking for Maki and Kaede for help. Maki shook her head and Kaede pointed at the door.

“Go on. Or I’ll never forgive you.”

He hesitated for a moment longer, then without looking back, he jumped up to follow Shuichi.

Footsteps filled the corridor but Shuichi didn’t dare turn around, until he heard his voice behind him.

“Shuichi.”

Kaito sounded a little more serious than his usual tone. Shuichi put on a sheepish smile.

“Hey. Sorry about earlier, that was pretty embarrassing…”

“It’s fine, man, I don’t mind,” Kaito gave him a thumbs up and a grin. “My shoulders’ always here for my sidekick.”

Shuichi didn’t meet his eyes. “Yeah… Thanks, Kaito. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Alright!” His enthusiasm fell into the quiet corridor, creating an uneasy pause between them, before Shuichi turned to leave.

“Damn it– wait, Shuichi! I should be the one to know that communication is the most important thing in a team. Especially between friends.”

A breath caught in Shuichi’s throat. He waited for Kaito to continue, too nervous to reply, the heat of swirling emotions in his chest becoming sickly.

“So we should talk. Cuz you’re my best friend, and I wanna make sure everything’s good between us.”

“Everything’s fine.” His voice was quiet enough that Kaito almost missed it.

Kaito stepped towards him, concern on his face. “You sure?”

“Yeah. Why would anything be wrong?”

They held each other’s gaze for what felt like a minute. Kaito searched Shuichi for any hint of truth, for any reason he was keeping himself at a distance. Shuichi returned it with stubborn refusal. Kaito sighed.

“If you say so, then I trust you. I’m here for you if you need me, alright?”

Shuichi nodded, tearing his eyes away from the taller man. As soon as he figured out whatever he was feeling, he could talk to Kaito. For now…

“I had a lot of fun today, with you, and everyone else.”

“Yeah!” Kaito beamed, “It got kinda crazy, but hanging out with everyone was the best thing I could ask for. I’m, uh, really glad you had a good time.”

“Me too. Let’s do more stuff like that,” Shuichi mustered a smile to match Kaito’s.

“I’ll let you get some sleep. Message me if you need anything. See ya tomorrow for training!”

They parted ways - Shuichi spending the rest of the night thinking too hard, and Kaito going back to his room without facing the others. It snowed again during the night, but neither of them noticed.

[thanks for reading!! please like/reblog if u wanna, send me more prompts, oh my gosh, it’s 5am already, sorry for any mistakes]

[check out my other saimota fic that is probably same universe]

#saimota #shuichi saihara #kaito momota #flufffffffff #ndrv3 #anonymous #i got so ridiculously carried away #im sorry

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linoholic · 6 years

Text

Ravenclaw!Sanha

Requested: n/a

Introduction

Character Profiles: MJ / JinJin / Eunwoo / Moonbin / Rocky / Sanha

AU’s Shopkeeper!MJ (coming soon) / Bartender!JinJin / Intern!Eunwoo (coming soon) / Clockmaker!Moonbin / AurorTrainee!Rocky (coming soon) / Ravenclaw!Sanha

The second of the magical Astro series

Our giant maknae Yoon Sanha

Now, unlike Moonbin, Sanha has known about magic his whole life

His mother was a pureblood who went to Hogwarts

His father was a muggle who lived ignorant of the magic world in South Korea

His parents met when his mother went back to South Korea to visit her family

Long story short, they started dating, got married, moved back to England, and had 4 children, the youngest of which was Sanha

To quote Seamus Finnigan:

“I'm half and half. Me dad's a muggle; Mam's a witch. Bit of a nasty shock for him when he found out.”

All his brothers attended Hogwarts, and finally, in 2011, it was Sanha’s turn

Sanha had been told stories of Hogwarts and all about the sorting by his magical side of the family

His brothers tried to convince him that you had to abseil down the tallest tower of the school to be sorted when he was younger

His mother quickly told him the truth

Sanha will never admit it but he was lowkey disappointed that all you had to do was sit on a rickety old stool and wear an even older leather hat

That wasn’t fun at all

Each of Sanha’s older brothers had gotten sorted in different houses

Hufflepuff, then Slytherin, then Gryffindor

And so there were bets, both among students, teachers and family on whether he would be sorted into Ravenclaw and complete the collection or not

And what do you know, he was the newest member of the house of the wise and witty!

Quite literally because he was the last one to be called, having the surname ‘Yoon’

It was during the feast he got to know 4th year Ravenclaw Lee Dongmin, who quickly took the adorable 11 year old under his wing

And it was through Dongmin that he became friends with Gryffindors Moonbin and JinJin, 3rd and 5th year respectively, Slytherin 2nd year Rocky and Hufflepuff 7th year MJ

They were a weird group of friends, spread throughout years and houses

But they quickly bonded over their shared Korean heritage and love of fun

Sanha started learning how to play the guitar, and introduced JinJin to muggle music, who then decided to learn how to play the drums

So up until the end of Sanha’s 3rd year at Hogwarts when JinJin graduated they would have jam sessions in the room of requirement, the other boys joining in more often than not

Rocky created dances to the music and rapped along; Eunwoo and Moonbin sang duets and harmonies together and MJ also sang and just generally hyped them all up the year that he was able to join in

(They often joked that they should move back to Korea and become one of those muggle idol groups)

However, the problem with being the youngest of the group was that one by one, his hyungs had to graduate and continue on with their lives outside of Hogwarts

This didn’t mean that they forgot about each other of course

Quite the opposite in fact

They became even closer now they didn’t have the restrictions of years and houses that school brought

Sanha and them got in contact a lot, especially during his last year when he was alone without them

Thankfully, one amazing muggleborn witch had started the use of mobile phones into the wizarding world so no more relying on owls to deliver letters

(Though that was still widely used)

So the boys all facetimed often

They also pranked the maknae often by sending howlers containing random (embarrassing) things

Rocky was the mastermind behind this

(Minhyuk dear your Slytherin is showing)

Now, of course the boys all had friends besides each other

Ones in their years and houses

Sharing a living space with people for seven years makes people become close

So Sanha was definitely not lonely in his seventh year

He was, however, bored

While stereotypes about houses aren’t really a thing anymore

His roommates embodied the studious Ravenclaw stereotype

Especially with the NEWTs coming up

Despite is mischievous nature he does want to actually graduate with good grades. The hat didn’t put him in Ravenclaw for the heck of it. But goodness does schoolwork get boring

And none of them were really willing to entertain Sanha when he got bored of studying with them

And this is when you come in to play

You see, you are a simple pureblood Slytherin student

You have a group of friends, you go to classes and do your work, you go to Hogsmeade and gorge on butterbeer and sweets

Just your average magic student

So why Sanha picked you to be his new best friend you have no idea

It was one normal Sunday afternoon a few weeks into September

And Sanha was getting restless

All his Ravenclaw friends were busy, catching up on the work they didn’t do because of Hogsmeade they day before

Sanha, being the smart boy he is, had finished it all and he was bored

So he was just walking around the castle halls, chatting to portraits every now and then

You just so happened to be walking back from the library with a couple of your friends when you suddenly bump into this tall figure

The books you are holding in your hands fall and slide across the smooth stone floor

(There are quite a few because you had lost in rock paper scissors and had to carry your friends books as well)

Your friends snicker at your clumsiness and you aim a few kicks at their backsides while pushing them forward, telling them you’ll catch up

Bending down to pick up the fallen items, you recognise the boy as Yoon Sanha, a Ravenclaw in your year

Slytherin and Ravenclaw shared a lot of classes in the past, and he is in a few of your NEWT classes

So, while you wouldn’t really call yourself friends, you are on good terms

More than friendly acquaintances but less than friends

“Hey Sanha, thanks for helping,” you say to him as he stands up with some of the books

“No problem (y/n). Do you want help with these?” he asks you

“That would be nice, thanks.”

“No problem” he finishes, smiling widely

(You briefly note that the braces he previously had were now missing)

You walk back to the Slytherin common room side by side

Conversation is easy between you two, and during the short walk from the library on the first floor to the dungeons fun and jokes are shared

As you reach the common room, you takes the books from Sanha, and with another thanks you say goodbye to each other

You expect nothing to come from this small interaction, and quickly push the memory to the back of your mind deciding to focus on your classes which suddenly stepped up in difficulty from the previous year

You also expect Sanha to have forgotten about it, thinking he was just being polite

But Sanha can’t stop thinking about you

No, he doesn’t have a crush on you or anything

(Just you wait though)

He thinks about how you had managed to entertain him so easily despite not really being friends and it having been only a short walk

So, the Wednesday after, motivated from his hyungs teasing that he must feel lonely without them,

(they don’t need to know that it’s kinda true)

he decides to take action

it is dinnertime and everybody is in the great hall eating

Sanha walks in and quickly searches for you at the Slytherin table

Your eating two of your friends

(The same ones that were with you before if he remembers correctly)

And with no shyness or embarrassment at all, he walks up to you sitting down next to and proclaims:

“You are now my new best friend (y/n)”

It isn’t unusual for people to sit at tables that aren’t their own anymore

What is unusual though is for someone to sit down next to you, name you their best friend and then start eating as if they said something one hears everyday

You turn to the boy, cheeks resembling that of a hamsters, raising your eyebrows in question

Swallowing the food in your mouth, you manage to splutter out a “what?”

You friends across from you start snickering (again) and so you kicks their shins under the table (again)

“Please?” Sanha says, pulling one of his infamous pouty faces

He is infamous for his aegyo around Hogwarts, and you now experience first hand why people both praise and curse it

Because nobody can say no to Sanha when he is being so cute

So you just shrug and agree, going back to your dinner

And that is how Sanha becomes your best friend

October passes by, and so does November with the new addition to your friend group

And it is like the Ravenclaw boy has always been there, instead of only a couple of months

Your Slytherin friends quickly come to like him, and so have no objections when he drags you off to cause mischief doing who knows what

You two manage to start an alliance with Peeves the Poltergeist, which was easy enough to do considering he already like the Astro boys

So thankfully, when Peeves pours colour changing ink over everybody in the great hall he avoids you two and you don’t have to worry about finding ink in places you didn’t know you had

It is a usual occurrence to find you two debating some silly subject with a random portrait playing referee and judge

He shows you his guitar and plays a song for you

You are quick to compliment both his talent for playing and his voice, which is the first time you see him get shy in front of you

(This is also when he first starts crushing on you but shhh he doesn’t realise that yet)

You also get to know his hyungs

Of course you already knew Rocky, he only one year ahead of you and also a Slytherin

And you knew of the others, but never had any interactions with any of them

One day you are just playing one of many games on his phone (which was cool because you had never had one, your parents preferring wizard things to muggle technology)

When a notification comes up from a group chat called ‘Weird Astro Hyungs’

Being the nosy person you are, you click on it and at first, you pretend to be Sanha, saying embarrassing things and generally just trying to cause as much mischief as possible

But when they catch on that it isn’t in fact Sanha who is saying ‘I want to grow a beard as magnificent as Dumbledore’s once was and donate it to charity’ you introduce yourself and start chatting to them

Until Sanha realises you are no longer playing ‘Prison Architect’ and chases you through the castle, before starting a wrestling match trying to get his phone back while confused Hufflepuffs wonder what the hell you were doing and how you managed to get into their common room

Pretty soon after that you buy yourself a phone and they add you into a group chat

Because you really don’t want to have to travel all the way up to the Ravenclaw tower from the Slytherin dungeon, and Sanha doesn’t want to be the one to move either, you’ll facetime each other

Because you’re both lazy teenagers that just can’t be bothered

Asides from the usual fun that you two have, you also become study buddies

You and you Slytherin friends join Sanha and his Ravenclaw mates to make one big study group

(You two secretly start shipping your friends together, even creating ship names for your OTP’s, and both celebrate when two of them become boyfriends)

Because, even though at Hogwarts all exams are in the summer, it is never to early to learn and revise the material

Soon enough December has come and snow has started to fall across Scotland

And Sanha is hyped up for the holidays

Not only because he is a Christian and celebrates Christmas

But because he gets to return home and see his family and the other boys again

And you are also excited to return home

Even though you and Sanha don’t live very near to each other, being magical it is easy enough to just floo or apparate to the others place

(You had both passed you apparition exam the week before leaving for the winter break)

And you are also excited to meet his older friends in person finally

Before you know it you are taking the thestral carriages to Hogsmeade and then boarding the Hogwarts express

Your big group of now merged friends find a compartment, and you all manage to squeeze in well enough

Your friend pulls his boyfriend onto his lap, a couple of people settle on the floor and a couple of people are prefects which have to go patrol which does make it a little easier

You take your friends lead and go to Sanha who is sat by the window, and sit down on his lap, leaning against the all and spreading your legs across the laps of the others on the bench

Sanha, still completely oblivious of his crush on you, cuddles into you to share some of your warmth

“We have both magic and heaters to keep us warm so why is it so damn cold?” -a grumpy Slytherin seventh year

The train ride to London is filled with games of truth or dare, shrieks of people placing cold feet and hands on each other, gossip, stories and all that good stuff

At one point a box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans is passed around

You swear you got a tarmac flavoured one

Sanha boasts about him only get various flavours of fruit

Until you force a suspiciously bright red one down his throat. And much like you hoped it was a spicy pepper

He shuts up then, pushing you off him to run and get something to calm down his burning mouth

When he returns you refuse to get out of his seats, so the roles are reversed and he takes a seat on you

(You quickly swap places again. You don’t plan on being squished to death by a six foot boy anytime soon)

When you arrive at King’s Cross, everybody parts ways, going to greet various family and friends on the platform

You and Sanha stick together, and when you see your parents talking to his, you share a look

“Us being friends must be fate or something” you joke, and Sanha laughs, agreeing with you

You greet your family and before you know it you are of home with promises from Sanha to keep in touch

Which he doesn’t take long to keep because as soon as you have apparated home you get a snapchat from Sanha of him in the car pouting at the rain outside, with hair slightly damp

You send one back, of you nice and dry and warm

To which you get more pouty Sanha

A few days go by with you two communicating through snapchat and the group chat

Until finally your parents allow to you to go out after greeting various family visiting for the holidays

You and Sanha quickly plan to meet up in Diagon Alley for some last minute Christmas shopping

As you arrive in front of your designated meeting place, you are ambushed by Sanha who pulls you into a hug

You hug him back, and soon enough you are dragging each other to various stores

He helps you pick out presents for the rest of the boys, who you would be meeting the next day, them having invited you to experience korean dinner and have a movie night with them, followed by a sleepover at the Astro house

(Apparently JinJin had talked with your parents and got them to agree, being the responsible leader he is)

Sanha then sends you off to the Leaky Cauldron to order you both your lunch while he picks up your present

Which no matter how much you tickle him for a clue on what it is, he stays quiet

You already have his present

After discussing with the others what you would all be getting him, you decide to buy him a new custom made guitar

It is currently carefully wrapped and stored in your closet, in a box so it’s shape doesn’t immediately give it away

Unfortunately, JinJin isn’t working the lunch shift so you can’t meet him early and chat while you wait for Sanha

But you didn’t have to worry because soon enough he is coming through the door, cheeks blushed from the cold outside and scarf flapping loosely behind him

He grins when he sees you ordered his favourite and you both quickly dig into your lunch

The rest of the afternoon is spent at his house, him teaching you how to play a variety of video games

Mario Kart turns into a favourite of yours after you manage to crush him after a couple of times playing

You go home when it gets late, and the night passes quickly

It is now the middle of the afternoon on the 21st December, and Sanha is standing in your living room ready to floo with you to the Astro house

You are carrying a bag of gifts in your hand, as is the boy next to you

Like most old wizarding houses, the fireplace you step out of is huge (as they needed to be for floo travel)

The room you arrived in looks to be the living room

It is cosy and inviting

In one corner you see a tv with various game consoles and next to it is a shelf filled with games, dvds and cds

All the furniture is a little mismatched, but it just adds to the whole aesthetic

What really brings life to the room though are the five boys standing in front of you

They quickly engulf you two youngsters into a group hug, which you welcome quickly

You know each of their faces well

Phones have cameras for a reason, and these boys love their selfies after all

But seeing them in person in different

The main reason being is that you can see how Sanha is taller than all of them, earning a good chuckle from you

(What is it with kpop groups having such tall maknaes? Pentagon, BTS, EXO, GOT7...)

You quickly become part of the family of boys

You and Sanha team up to tease his hyungs; even starting a rap battle between them where he has no chill (think the Sanha-JinJin one)

They introduce you to their favourite Korean foods and you understand why they all love kimchi so much when you try the kimchi fried rice

They also teach you some Korean words and phrases, some of which you already knew thanks to Sanha (who for some reason always says 진짜 instead of really, no matter what)

You recommend having a Mario Kart tournament, eager to show off your new found skill

And when the time comes for movies, what else but Despicable Me and Minions?

You snuggle down in between MJ and Sanha as the movies plays, and end up falling asleep halfway through Despicable Me 3 when Hollywood is being terrorised

Of course the boys have to do the cliche teasing of Sanha

And this is when Sanha finally realises his crush on you

Which makes the others laugh so much harder when his face turns blank with realisation and he just quietly says

“I like (y/n)”

JinJin even pretends to tear up, saying “They grow up so fast”

(Sanha quickly snaps out of it to counter with a “Faster than you talk at least”)

Many blackmail pictures are taken that night

And not only of you and Sanha

At breakfast you get a good laugh out of the video of Eunwoo talking and laughing in his sleep

You all decide to exchange presents that day, spending the actual Christmas day with your separate families

So still in your pajamas you all sit around the tree (that for some reason is bright fluorescent purple? You’re not sure you really want to know) and swap gifts

Opening the gift Sanha got you, you smile and pull him into a hug, thanking him for the thoughtful idea

(You don’t see the red tips of his ears but Rocky does and smirks at the younger boy)

And then he opens his gift from you

Pulling it out, he sees the guitar that you had decorated yourself

His name is written on the neck in both English and Hangul, and there are small chibi versions of the Astro boys, his parents and three brothers (which you had also talked to briefly) and of him

Best of all though was the fact that it was his favourite shade of pink

He is staring at the gift with wide eyes while you sit beside him, twiddling your fingers out of nervousness

“Do you like it?” you slowly question

Sanha’s shout of “Yes!!!!!!” startles you a little, but you relax and grin

He turns to you and leans in, intending to kiss your cheek

But oops, what do you know

Rocky, being the sneaky Slytherin he is, nudges you slighty causing you to turn

And oh well! Would you look at that!

Sanha just kissed you on the lips.

Not the cheek.

The lips.

And now both of you are redder than Rudolphs nose

“It’s like something out of a drama” you vaguely hear Moonbin mutter in the background but you are too busy staring at Sanha, who has since moved back and is mirroring your look of shock, to really hear it

“Ah! Sorry! I’m sorry! I meant to kiss your cheek I swear but you turned and then....sorry!!!”

Ok, now, our precious maknae may have only realised his crush on you the previous night

But you, reader, you have been crushing on Sanha a while

Since before he even became your best friend even

You hid it very well though, except to your friends

(Why else do you think they were always snickering?)

And when you became close to the boy in question, you simply pushed those feelings aside, content with friendship

It was still there of course, perhaps it had even intensified when you got to know him

And so while you were nervous that your crush had just kissed you!

Seeing Sanha all stuttering and blushing was too adorable and the situation was so cliche you burst out into giggles, which slowly turned into full blown laughs

You and Sanha met eyes which just caused him to join in and for ten minutes you went on

As soon as you started to quiet down you would just look at each other only to start up again

All the while five boys started on in amusement and confusion, wondering what the hell their dongsaengs were on

From then on, your relationship transitioned from not only best friends but to something more

Neither of you ever really said that you were together

It was just so organic and natural and easy

In fact, once you had gone back to school the only thing that clued you classmates in on the fact that you were together was the small pecks to your cheek Sanha constantly planted

Of course you both had the conversation about your crushes on each other and actually confessed instead of just assuming

You still made portaits referee debates and still pranked with Peeves, you just did it while holding hands

He also started giving you a lot more piggy backs

(Because that way you are technically hugging him without him having to actually ask for one)

When Hogsmeade days came about, you would spend the majority of the day with your friends, sneaking off to go on mini dates part way through

On these days you would wear your matching pink caps and just be the cutest couple Hogwarts has seen

Sanha starts to teach you to play the guitar

(Again, another excuse to get close to you)

But more often than not he ends up singing for you

Basically, the relationship is simple, pure, puppy love between two teenagers that is full of aegyo, fun and five older boys who constantly tease and stick their nose into your business

(Not that either or you can say anything considering you both do the same to them)

Requests are open xx

#kpop scenarios #kpop au #kpop imagines #astro hogwarts au #astro scenarios #astro au #astro imagines #astro sanha #yoon sanha #yoon sanha scenarios #sanha scenarios #sanha au #yoon sanha au #sanha x reader

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sweetcontradiction · 6 years

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Twelve O’Clock Midnight

Synopsis: Miranda rings in the New Year with love

“At what time are we heading to your mom and dad’s?”

“In two hours but that really means three.”

“Why so late?” Anderson asked, switching the channel on the tiny TV in his girlfriend’s Lindale home.

“Because…I want us to have our own New Year’s. We’re joinin’ them all later on.”

“But we can always celebrate when we leave…”

“Not sober, we won’t.”

Anderson raised his eyebrow, turning his head toward her pink kitchen as she stacked her plates by the sink. He had already told her not to drink too much tonight although he was scared she would ignore him. Of course, she had no idea what he was up to but in order for the special night to turn out as planned, the last thing Anderson needed was an intoxicated Miranda who was spewing abuse to relatives and who could barely stand up.

“What plans have you got for me, Miss Lambert?”

“Not the plans you’re thinking!” she rolled her eyes. “That too. But I thought we could maybe, I don’t know, watch a movie or go for a walk…”

“In this weather?” he mocked. “Come on, tell me what’s really wrong.”

“I miss the dogs…” she sighed. “It’s been too long.”

Anderson bit his lip, trying to keep a straight face. To be fair to her, she hadn’t seen her babies in over ten days, and whilst she had enjoyed every second of their Texasbama vacation, he knew all she wanted was to go home and ring in the New Year with slobbery kisses from her favorite people.

“Honey, if you want to go home we can pack right now —“

“I can’t do that to mom and dad. They’re so excited for this party…”

“A party we’re already going late to.” he noted.

“Not late. We just won’t be there when it starts.”

“Isn’t that the same thing, Ran?”

Letting out an inaudible chuckle, Miranda left her dirty dishes for later and took a seat next to her boyfriend. But when she didn’t approve of the small distance between them, she positioned herself on his lap before wrapping her arms around his neck.

“It’s been a really good year.” she admitted honestly, looking him straight in the eyes. “I mean I know I didn’t win my CMA and we spent a lot of time apart touring but I wouldn’t change any of that for the world. I love you.”

“Even your Grammy snub?”

“Okay, maybe that.” she laughed, hitting his shoulder mockingly. “But I’m serious. I love how happy you make me.”

“Right back at ya, darlin’.” Anderson winked, slowly moving his hand down to caress her hips. “This year would’ve sucked without you in it.”

“And all the years to come, I hope.”

“Of course.” he smiled, moving his lips over to Miranda’s; whose were already pouted out ready to accept a kiss. But as she moved her hands through his curls and shuffled in closer, they were disturbed when the phone in Miranda’s back pocket began to buzz.

Without thinking twice, Anderson took it out before smirking when he saw who it was. He immediately slid his finger across the screen and handed the FaceTime call to the blonde on his lap.

His heart swelled when her face light up, almost squirming on his lap as she was reunited with her dogs through a lens.

“Delty!!!” she squealed, her excited hands barely able to hold the iPhone. “I miss you!!! Mama’s coming home soon, I promise.”

As she made her way around each of the dogs, telling them goodnight and to be good for Harper, her heart jittered when a moody retriever approached.

“Waylon!” she smiled, waving her free hand at him. He didn’t look impressed — seeing his mom through a screen still didn’t mean any cuddles. But his tail perked up when he saw who Miranda was sitting on.

Barking incessantly, the large golden dog almost flew off the ground when he caught sight of Anderson’s face. Seemingly attacking Harper, he jumped up and down, desperate to catch another glimpse of his real favorite.

“Hey, buddy!” Anderson offered, not able to resist the smile that engulfed his face as the pup stuck his tongue out in joy. “You miss us?”

Acting as if he knew what his dad said, Waylon barked some more, leaving slobbers all over the phone screen in a bid to show some affection.

“He misses his best friend.” Miranda joked, leaning her head on her boyfriend’s shoulder.

“We’ll see you tomorrow!” Anderson bid farewell but watched Waylon’s smile fade when he realized they weren’t nearby. “We’ll bring you some more Christmas presents home!”

“I really am gonna go broke when we have human children, aren’t I?” Miranda laughed, rolling her eyes at Harper when she politely laughed along. “You’re worse than me.”

“What? I miss him — them, I mean.”

Widening her eyes, Miranda shot him a knowing look before she hung up, thanking the brunette for all she had done over the past 10 days.

“Back to reality tomorrow.” Anderson smiled once Miranda’s phone was back in her pocket.

“We still have time to spend together. I’ve missed our normalcy. On the farm, playing with the dogs, doing nothing, no parents.”

“No parents?” he chuckled. “You sound like you’re 15.”

“Hush.” she giggled. “You know what I mean…we’ll both be on tour soon, we’ll barely see each other for months. I’m scared: we’ll miss the farm, we’ll miss the dogs, we’ll miss each other…”

“But we have each other.” Anderson comforted, placing his index finger delicately under Miranda’s chin so that she was looking into his baby blues. “You’ll know you’re guaranteed to come back to the farm, to Waylon sleeping, to me. So don’t worry, okay? You’ve got us.”

Taking a deep breath to prevent the tears falling, Miranda nodded her head. She felt more at ease after her boyfriend’s kind words but it still worried her. She had made commitments before — ones sworn in marriage, and even they hadn’t worked out. What was stopping him deciding he no longer wanted her, that their relationship wasn’t worth the effort?

“I love you, okay? Now how about we start getting dressed for your parents’ party? They may actually notice we’re missing.”

“One more thing…” she offered, wrapping her tired arms around Anderson’s neck once again. “One last time for 2017?”

Anderson didn’t reply as he pinned her to her tiny couch, smirking as she crashed her lips into his and her legs found the bottom of his back; ready to end the year in her favorite way.

11:30PM

“There y’all are!” Bev chimed.

As she walked over to her little wooden bench positioned at the very back of her yard, she saw the couple everyone had been looking for. Her daughter’s head was curled into Anderson’s shoulder as she held his hand. In the three hours they had been at the party for, they had evidently had enough and snuck off for some time of their own.

“Are we really that boring?”

“Too many people for too many days.” Miranda sighed. “We want to go home. Home home.”

“And that is not aimed at you, Mrs Lambert.” Anderson added, not wanting to get on his in-laws bad side.

“Well, that’s just a pity…we’re about to bring out the sparklers but if you want to head back to Nashville, Miranda, well I guess then —“

Anderson and Bev laughed simultaneously when Miranda shot up. She was merely a shadow as she shot off to play with her favorite firework. Her boyfriend and mom simply smiled at her child-like enthusiasm.

By the time they reached her, she had one for each hand. She was twirling them around with her gloved hands. But even wrapped in a warm jacket, furry boots and a pink hat on her head, she looked freezing. Her chittering teeth were, however, irrelevant as she swirled the sparklers around to spell out her own name.

“Mike! Get one and play with me!”

Bev and Rick looked at one another, their smiles wide as they watched their daughter’s boyfriend grab two without saying a word. There was no judgment, no mocking. Even if she did act like a child sometimes, it was evidently something Anderson was never going to kill. She could be her without having to change for anyone, or pretend that something wasn’t exciting when her heart was skipping beats.

“Write Texasbama” she squealed. “I’ll do Texas, you do Bama and we’ll meet in the middle!”

Anderson did as instructed, starting at the opposite end to his girlfriend so they could merge in the middle like she hoped. But as Miranda insisted that Nonny take their picture with the finished product, she couldn’t help but laugh at her boyfriend’s illiteracy.

“Texasbomo?”

“I don’t have as much practice as you.” he blushed. Miranda didn’t seem disappointed in him, in fact she was immediately by his side kissing his cheek. “I never had New Year’s as big as this.”

“You never had sparklers?”

“Only if the ones I saw on TV counted.”

“My poor baby.” she sighed desperately. “Make the most of these ones! Mom, grab him another one! Make up for lost time.”

“Oh I will.” Anderson whispered to himself.

Once the actual firework display had begun and it was ten minutes until 2018, Miranda cuddled into Anderson’s side. Looking like a burrito wrapped up in every layer of clothing one could imagine, she still felt the need to unzip his and throw herself into his chest. Anderson didn’t resist, instead pulling her in closer and kissing the nearest bare skin he could find; her forehead.

“Babe, look at that one!!! It’s pink!!!”

“There’s another one!” he offered excitedly. “And a shooting star!”

Acting like five-year-olds under a clear, darkened sky it was obvious the pair were made for each other. They were standing over to the side, away from the rest of the partygoers as they watched the display in awe. Wholly comfortable and in their own world as they both stared in awe at the lights brightening up the darkness. Neither of them were faking interest for the other, neither was wishing they could be somewhere else, and neither wished they could be with anyone else.

“Why do you keep checking the time?” Miranda asked. “Mom and dad always do the countdown so we’ll know.”

Looking at his watch, Anderson looked on as it hit 11:57. In order to get it just right, he had to start now. Miranda gazed at him in confusion as he grabbed another sparkler but it immediately went out thanks to a gust of wind.

“Try again, babe!”

With his hands shaking, despite there being no doubt in his mind about what he was going to do, Anderson grabbed another. His stomach eased when this one didn’t immediately spark out. And so he carefully treaded over to his girlfriend, keeping his miniature silver light firmly at his side.

“Miranda, darlin’, you may be the only firework I’ll ever need: my very own spitfire set me alight two years ago and made my life oh so tremendously, wonderfully difficult, and exhilarating at the same time.”

Listening intently to every syllable escaping her boyfriend’s lips, Miranda kept her gaze on him as he lifted the silver stick in his hand and drew an ‘M’

“You’re spelling my name out in lights?”

“Just shut up and listen, woman!”

As he outlined what he wanted to communicate via fire, he continued.

“So, I feel like it’s time to do what I’ve wanted to do since the day we met. The commitment you want, the guarantee of coming home to someone — always, someone accepting you — all of you, it’s right here.”

Miranda looked at him, having no idea where he was going with this. She didn’t take her eyes off him as he quickly wrote out the rest of his message in cursive. And after finally dotting the question mark, Anderson looked straight into her tearful blue eyes.

“So, what do you say, baby?”

With her eyes already leaking, Miranda just looked at him. For the first time in a long time she didn’t have anything to say. She knew what she was supposed to, like all other girls do. But she wasn’t most girls.

“You want to morry me?” she choked.

Anderson immediately froze. Had his inability to write in sparkler form fucked up his chance at a future? Had he asked too soon: maybe she wasn’t ready for a husband again, to be a wife?

He too didn’t know what to say and so they stood opposite each other, in silence. Wiping her make-up-free eye with her glove, Miranda wandered over to the sparkler stand her mom had set up and retrieved another one.

Taking a deep breath and tucking the strand of blonde hair sticking to her face behind her ear, she began to write with her own.

‘Y E S’

Immediately blowing it out and stamping on it, Miranda bolted into Anderson’s arms. Her feet didn’t hit the floor as he swept her up; holding her body weight on him as he spun her around. When he was about to put her safely back on the patio, Miranda threw her legs around his waist, refusing to be put down. The pair still hadn’t spoken a word as they shared another kiss, crying with each other at the dream that had finally become a reality. They knew they would get there someday and it had been worth every moment of the pain, fear and love.

As Miranda sniffled, cuddling herself into his side when she finally reached earth again, Anderson took a small pink box out of his pocket. He opened it up, hearing Miranda’s breath hitch when she looked at the ring. It was everything she hoped it would be. Understated, platted in silver and sparkling with love.

Anderson wiped one final tear away from Miranda’s eye before taking her left hand in his. As he peeled her glove off and happily watched it fall, the sparkling diamond slipped securely on her fourth finger fit perfectly.

“Love you.” she blurted out, her mouth dry.

“I love you too, and us.”

But just as Miranda was about to reply, they heard that infamous countdown.

3...2...1...

Locking lips, Anderson didn’t want to pull away. Miranda’s cold hands were tucked behind his ears; his own firmly on her hips. She was wriggling in excitement but that only made his own thrill all the more special. For their third New Year’s together: this had topped them all.

When they eventually pulled away from one another, Anderson’s face now painted in Miranda’s lip balm, smiles engulfed their faces. His hands still remained on her legging-clad hips. He could feel the icy sting coming off of her but neither of them felt the cold.

“Happy New Year, Ran.”

“Happiest New Year, Mike.”

#thanks for the idea anon #hope i did it justice

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fatesinthenight · 7 years

Text

Dark's Happy Place

*I am in a happy mood so I will give you a short story of our dear Edgelord and his love. I thought of this as a fun idea so lets get this going :D *

"I can't believe you did this..." Dark is brooding.

"Come on you won't know til you try it!" You are jumping up and down with pure happiness.

"And I thought I was the one who enjoyed torturing people but today its all you." Dark is very done. "You are killing me."

"Don't be such a drama queen." You boop Dark's nose. "It's Disneyland!! How can you not love this!!"

There is a good crowd today. So many families were out and groups were taking pictures every second. The lines were long to some rides and the shops were filled. There were smiles everywhere in the park except for one brooding man.

"Did we really have to come here..." Dark sighs.

"Yes!! It has been forever since I have been here and who better to share it with than you." You cuddle into Dark's chest.

"You acting cute does not help." Dark still broods but holds you.

"What if I get to your ego and say you look so hot dressed casual?" You Step back to look at Dark.

He has on some dark navy jeans that are held up by a deep brown belt. He has some comfy black vans and his gray shirt hugs his body. His black leather jacket keeps him warm from the wind coming in that day. Dark even put on a black cap because he didn't want to deal with people recognizing him. Since he never dresses this way you were taking in very much.

"I know I do but it does sound better when you say it." Dark smirks. "Fine lets get this over with."

You take him around the shops first looking at all the cute toys and mickey hats. You really want to get one for Dark but you don't want to mess with him too much. The rides were more interesting. You would wait in line happily and you thought Dark doesn't mind being the patient guy he is but add in some loud people and children and he cant do it. Thankfully you snuggling up to his side relaxed him enough to get him to calm down. There was one thing you wanted to try but hadn't yet. You look at his hand holding onto his belt as he looks through his phone. You two have never held hands before like any other couple. Sure other things had happened but the simple one of holding hands was something that you didn't do. He never said he wouldn't like it but he hasn't even tried to do it and you felt to nervous to try it yourself. You slowly try to get it bit then the line moves and you don't in the end.

"I think you would like this one." You say as you sit in the ride. You took him to the Buzz Light shooting ride hoping this one will get him to have some fun.

"It involves shooting things. It may not be real targets but anything to take out my frustrations on. Also I'm going to win this." He gives you a determined smile.

You have so much fun getting the targets and you look at Dark who seems to get really into it. He is hitting everything perfectly and keeps moving the cart so you will miss. You shove him to mess his aim but sadly to no effect, he wins. "Where is my prize?" He looks at you as you both walk out of the ride.

"I never said anything about a prize." You look at him amused.

"You just suffered a humiliating defeat I deserve a prize." He stands in front of you waiting.

"You cheated." You pout.

"I didn't say it was a clean win but it is still a win. So?" He taps his foot.

You ponder at this and think of his favorite prize. You go up to him and give him a kiss. "There congratulations."

He looks disappointed. "Only that?" He tugs you to him. "You know I need more than that."

"We are in a theme part fill of happy families and children. I think they do not want to see some very intense making out." You laugh softly.

"Does it look like I care what other people think of me?" Dark looks at you seductively.

You blush red but try to relax yourself. " Come on sir but the breaks on the charm." You give him a second quick kiss. "Lets go on another ride."

The next one was the tea cups and you made Dark spin it and all he had o do was push it with his finger to get it to move. You are laughing so much and having fun and Dark watches you smiling lightly. Dark has to hold you up after the ride because your head is spinning to fast and losing your balance. He chuckles as you tell him he spin you to much but it was worth it. You go on some more rides and then get hungry and you beg Dark to get you a churro. He makes you get actual food saying it will spoil your lunch but gets you the churro after. Again you look at his hand wanting to hold it but your fingers are sticky after licking them from having some candy.

"Lets go here." Dark point to the Haunted Mansion.

"You really want to go here?" You look up at Dark surprised.

"Why not it looks nice." Dark looks at the small cemetery. "My kind of house."

You both get in line and wait a while. You think Dark is going to lose it when a child begins to cry because they are too scared to continue but he takes a deep breathe and wraps his arms from behind you. You get into the ride finally and take the elevator what reveals the growing paintings. When to lightning strikes and shows the hanging man at the top with a scream some of the people are scared and some children cry. Dark holds in his laugh and you look at him shaking your head. You continue walking and get to the part where you get to sit in the chair and go through the rest of the mansion. You snuggle up to him in your seat and rest your head on his shoulder. He leans in the seat and closes his eyes as if he is napping. It is dark enough for it so you fellow him and close your eyes as well. A jolt of the ride makes your eyes open.

"We are sorry but we are facing some difficulties with the controls. Please stay seated until the ride is fixed." The announcer saids calmly.

"Hu that's weird. Well this is a nice place to be stuck in." You look around to find you are in the graveyard. You look at Dark and he leans in and kisses you.

He holds your cheek softly but kisses you very intensely. His fingers are curling into your hair and your cheeks feel warm. You put your hand on his chest and slowly lean away. "Did you make the ride stop?"

"Maybe." He smiles. You see his shadow moving in a stream away through the ride. "Now give me my prize."

He doesn't let you say anything and leans back in wrapping his arms around you. He presses you into the chair and one of his hands is brushing your waist. You shiver at his touch and feel this is weird doing this in a ride but it is dark there so no one can see you. He gets more intense and makes you move your lips apart to French kiss you. You feel like you can't breathe but you also don't want to stop kissing. He leans away to let you take a breathe. While you remember how to breathe he hold you close. "That's better." He lets the ride continue and holds you the rest of the time.

When you lean the sun is already going down. "Is it time to go now?" Dark looks at you hoping the answer is yes.

"O no Grumpy. We are staying for the fireworks." You look determined.

"Grumpy? My attitude or the dwarf? Hey he had a good thing going until he got soft." Dark sighs. "Dam character development."

"Hey its a classic. And aren't you slightly better with me in your life now." You smile at him.

"True but I still haven't lost my touch." Dark makes a evil grin.

While you both wait for the fireworks you get on more rides. Dark makes you go on the Buzz one two more times, he wins both times. Then you take him to Splash Mountain and put your hands in the air at the drop. When you look at the picture from the drop you are smiling and you laugh seeing Dark without any reaction arms crossed yawning. You go on tea cups again but this time not so much spinning to be safe. Finally it is time for the fireworks and you two find a good spot.

The music starts and you watch them pop into the sky. Your eyes light up at the colors and you feel like a kid again. You look up and smile feeling a tear coming on. The last time you were here you were with your parents before they separated when things were still ok. You always wanted to go back but you didn't know who with because your parents did their own thing and our friends were busy. You look up at Dark and he is looking at you. He wipes a tear from your cheek and looks at you softly.

"I'm sorry I brought you here. I know this isn't your thing but I just wanted to share this with you because you I wanted to come here with someone I care about so.." You shuffle your feet.

"For you this is tolerable. I will do anything with you if it makes you happy. My darling comes first." He kisses your head. "Even if this place is to happy for my liking."

You cuddle up to him. "I love you Grumpy."

"I love you too." He hold you and lets you go so you can see the fireworks.

You are both leaving the park and Dark is carrying your souvenirs. You got that Mickey ears hat you wanted and took multiple photos of Dark when you put it on him. You come over to his place for the night, he said you owed him. You o to his room and take your pajamas you left there when you stay over and plop on the bed. Downstairs Dark checks that the house is in order and Willford busts out laughing because you made Dark keep the Mickey hat on. He shows that you send everyone the photos of him in it and his shell cracks. He stomps up the stairs and opens the door ready to say something but stops at the sight of you sleeping.

You passed out instantly on his bed and sniggle in the covers. He sighs and takes his clothes for the night and changes. He moves you over and holds you as you both fall asleep.

After that day Willford tells everyone they should all go to Disneyland so your off there again. All the egos are happy and running around. Again you look at Dark knowing he is not loving this but he said it couldn't be helped. You look around and then you feel something. You look down and see Dark is holding your hand.

You look up at him. "What? You were staring at my hand most of the time we were here before. Isn't this what you wanted?" Dark asks.

You smile at him. "Yes it is."

"Good. I cant have you getting lost on me while I look after these morons." Dark rolls his eyes at the other egos. "Besides isn't this what lovers do? Hold hands." He softly squeezes your hand. "It.. Its not that bad."

#Darkiplier #willford warfstache #markiplier #marks egos #fanfic #disney #holding hands #darkiplier x reader

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lefthandedbucky · 7 years

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Save Me A Seat

This is just something that popped into my head scrolling through videos on Facebook! Facebook videos are almost as much of a dark hole as tumblr o.o

SUMMARY: AU! Bucky is in the Navy and has been away on his last tour. You are on your college basketball team and your team has a little surprise for you.

Tony still owns Stark Enterprises but after he was captured he set forth working prosthesis for the war vets and soldiers and so forth. Bucky still has his metal arm. I KNOW the military usually honorable discharge amputees but because of tech he stays in. Steven is also in the Navy but is currently in the reserves. Natasha is younger in this fic and so is Clint. Bruce is Tony’s age and works in Stark Tower alongside him. Just a little something. I might write more parts. Depends on if you guys like this one.

Warnings: Mentions of anxiety thats about it.

Sweat pooled at the base of your back as you squatted in front of the announcer booth. Your left hand firmly on the red cushioned front, the reflective ad sign sticking to your forearm. You waited for the whistle before jogging over to Natasha trading her out from her guard position. Jumping in place you waited for the ref to call it. The ref gathered next to the home hoop, the black and white patterns on their shirts a starch contrast to the bright orange uniformed girls standing and sitting next to them. Looking down at your uniform you chuckled, your school thought the black made you all look intimidating, truthfully it just made it easier to not wash your uniform repeatedly after a game. Looking to your left you saw Steven and his girlfriend Wanda sitting nervously next to Tony and Pepper. They had been acting off all day, Wanda not shutting up about Steve’s new truck and how awesome the color matched his eyes.

It was a light blue, grayish color but it didn’t remind you of Steve’s eyes. It reminded you off Bucky’s. His eyes were the one thing that you would never forget, no matter how long he was not home. It could be months and dark and you would know it was him.

It had been two years. The longest he has ever been away, but they needed him. He was a seal. Someone who was indisputably one of the most import soldiers to the Navy. They had their claws in him for whatever amount of time they wanted. No matter how many missions they sent him on. No matter how many times he’s killed for them. No matter what he’s lost.

Huffing you looked to the refs, except they were already staring at you, a smirk on the head refs face. Confused you looked to your coach. He shrugged and pointed to the other teams point guard. She stood on the side line, bouncing the ball as if she was about to figure out who to toss it to. Reaching up and tightening your ponytail you jumped a couple times before rubbing your palms on the sides of your silk shorts.

The refs dispersed and the game continued as normal and you guys scored twice against the opposing team. They were a tough match but they also made stupid mistakes, some even traveled so openly that it even made the announcers ask the ref what in the world was going on. It felt as if they were dragging the game out on purpose, the amount of foul shots your team was getting was ridiculous. Trading places with another teammate you sat down in an empty seat on your teams’ line. The padded black and red chair sticking to your thighs as your shorts rode up.

“You know you’re not supposed to jump across the court you damn kangaroo.” Steven chuckled leaning forward on the bleachers, his red hat riding low on his head. His blue eyes sparkled brightly.

“shuddup” you whispered taking a drink from the green Gatorade bottle. “I get across faster if I hop. Buck taught me that trick.” You chuckled, reaching into your bag to search for your hand chalk. Huffing when you couldn’t find it you stood. Pulling your shorts down as you stood, they brushed against your knees again and you sighed. Stepping a few chairs over you dug around in Nat’s bag for hers. Holding it up in triumph you trotted back to your chair. Sitting with a thud you powdered your hands. “Have you heard from him?” You asked the air knowing Steve would know it was directed to him.

“No, he’s been radio silent for a few days.” Steve muttered, an odd twinge in voice. Turning you frowned at him but nodded and swallowed the lump that was forming in your throat. You hated when he went radio silent. You barely got to talk to him as it is let alone when they literally didn’t let him contact the outside world at all on missions. You knew it was important to keep him and his whole squad safe but it felt like he wasn’t going to ever contact you. It’s been weeks with only one call and it only lasted ten minutes.

“I miss him.” You muttered running a hand over your face forgetting the chalk was covering your hands. Groaning you coughed slightly and took another swig of water not even bothering to wipe it off.

“He will call sooner or later.” Tony smiled at you, his bright white teeth wide and shinning. “His new arm has been a god send I hear. We have more orders to fill than my crew can handle.” He chuckled nodding to Pepper next to him.

“Good thing I’m becoming a mechanical engineer my friend.” You laughed half-heartedly.

A loud buzzer sounded making your jolt upward, your upper half turning to your coach automatically and your friends to sit back on the bleachers leaving you to the game. Standing you walked over to the huddle, glancing at the scoreboard to see it was half time. Sighing you turned to grab your bag.

The entire time in the locker room you sat and stared at the floor as your coach talked. There wasn’t much to talk about seeing as you were winning. Mostly what he was probably talking about was side chatter probably aimed at you and tightening the plays, not being your usually all over the place team. Nat plopped down next to you, her red hair bouncing slightly with her movements.

“You okay Y/L/N?” She asked, placing a hand on your knee. “Is it just Barnes?”

Nodding you forced a smile at her and looked to your coach. He was talking on his cellphone which was not something totally out of the ordinary but during halftime not completely common. Frowning you looked back down at the floor, counting the blue specks in the linoleum. He clapped his hand after sliding his phone into his khakis front left pocket. “Let’s go warm up.”

Everyone groaned and forced their bodies up, grabbing your bag you marched out with the rest of your team, taking a swig of Gatorade as you placed your bag on the floor near an empty side chair. Looking to your friends you frowned. Steve wasn’t there. He never left his seat during a game. Being the old man he is he probably needed to go pee. Meeting Wanda’s gaze she shrugged and smiled at you. Walking out onto the court you got in line at the foul line waiting to shoot a ball. Music started playing and you noticed the stadium get unusually quiet. People started to file in and you glanced at the score board. You still had ten minutes, shaking your head you leaned to catch a stray ball, running to catch it Natasha held her hands up as if she wanted you to toss her the ball. Lightly passing it to her she laughed and shot the ball, waiting to rebound it you shot it before passing it back. A small game of back and forth becoming smooth as you become a robotic version of yourself, going through the well-known motions of warmups. The music grew silent and you halting as the announcer began speaking, twirling the ball you attempted spinning it on your finger, failing miserably and chuckling when Natasha snatched it from you.

“I would like for everyone to quiet down and listen please.” You coach said over the mic. Turning confused you looked at him. Your whole team now standing around you and you coach staring in your direction. “I’d like to say a few words before we finish out this game. As you all know the ticket sales and raffle money we gain from this game and the all-star game next week will be given to the wounded warrior project with Stark Enterprises. Some of you also might know that one of our player’s fiancés is over in Iraq currently serving a two-year tour protecting our freedoms and boarders. Some of you also might not know that this young lady is also this games team captain. Y/N? Will you come stand with me for a sec?” Your coach waved his hand at you beckoning for you to come forward, Nat lightly shoved your shocked form forward and you came to stop next to Coach Perry.

“Now, as you know Y/N. James has been unable to contact you for quite a while correct?” He asked tilting the microphone to you. You nodded unable to form a functioning sentence, he chuckled. “That’s a yes.” Glancing to Natasha she nodded encouraging you to stay calm. Knowing your anxiety was freaking out at this moment as an entire basketball stadium was staring directly at you. “Well, we have a surprise for you.” Your heart stopped completely as a familiar voice came out of the overhead PA. pointing at the massive jumbotron your coach put an arm around your shoulder and squeezed.

Looking up you slapped your hands over your mouth. Tears instantly springing to your eyes.

“Hey doll.” The entire crowd awed as Bucky’s dirt stained, scruffy, floppy haired face popped up and his voiced filled the stadium. “I bet your kicking those losers ass.” He chuckled shifting slightly, you could hear people talking in the background and he looked over the screen for a second before looking back into the camera. “I really wish I could be there for the fundraiser babe. I hear your raising money for dirty men like me. I don’t have much time but I just wanted to tell you I love you and I can’t wait to see you. That punk Steve better be watching over you like I asked him to. I love you Y/N. Be safe, Be Strong and save me a seat.” Bucky blew a kiss with his left hand, the metal shining brightly and he grinned his lips pulling just slightly over his teeth before the screens went black and you coach all but holding you up.

Turning to your coach you hugged him harshly and turned to Natasha, she was already walking toward you, a purple tulip in her hand. Handing it to you, she turned and another player close behind her as they too had a flower to give. Each one of your fellow teammates and the opposing team giving you a flower. A firm hand landed on your shoulder and you tensed.

Turning slightly, you smiled brightly at Steve. He held out his arms and took the flowers from you before he nodded across the court. Your head spun quickly to the other end of the court. There he was. In his blues, his hair now trimmed and short, his face shaven. Walking towards you, his tears started to fall rapidly. The closer you got to him the faster your legs moved. As you got to half court you were in an all-out sprint, colliding with Bucky as he met you. The crowd going insane.

“Hey doll. You save a seat for me?” he said threading his metal hand into your (Y/H/C) hair.

“Always.” You whimpered as you leaned up to kiss him.

Just a simple little thing. Let me know if you like it! also not my gif! the rights are the original creators. its my fave gif of all time though it makes me smile and want to marry him everytime i see it <3 also this hasnt been edited so im sorry ‘:D sorry! its 1am here lol and i needed to get it out! hope you like it!!

#au!bucky #bucky x reader #bucky barnes #bucky imagine #steve rogers #steve x wanda #natasha romanoff #military!Bucky #avengers #au #isnt bucky just fucking adorable #i love him

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