#not that i ever stop thinking of the shooting it haunts me day and night | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

demonpiratehuntress · 5 months

Text

the only one

Portgas D. Ace x F!Reader

summary - Ace was always a flirt in whatever bars you went to, but once he's in love with you that changes.

warnings - none

a/n: i forgot to add this part in "marry me" so i just decided to make it its own fic. it was haunting me

When you first met Ace, he was perhaps the biggest flirt you had ever come across in your life. Anywhere and anytime, if you were in a bar he would be chatting up almost every local woman he met. It never used to bother you when you were just friends, but once you developed a crush on him it became a bit of a problem.

Most nights you would end up going back to the ship alone, and even though he wouldn't do anything with them - as evident when he returned to the ship after you alone - it still ate away at you. Made you feel things you didn't want to feel, unpleasant emotions that had you crying and sobbing into your pillow late at night when no one could hear.

Or at least, when you thought no one could hear.

Ace's room was next to yours, and every night he was absolutely crushed to hear your sobs. He was never sure what caused them, but he knew you wouldn't tell him. So he set out to discover the cause himself, and did as such on another island trip.

Noticing the way your face fell when he left the table to go talk to some girls at the bar, it instantly hit him that you were hurting because of him. And that was his first sign that you liked him.

That's when everything changed.

Once Ace was sure you had a crush on him, he stopped trying to suppress his feelings for you. They came out in full bloom, and his behaviour in bars and pubs completely changed, noticeable to everyone who knew him.

When Ace decided to show he was deeply in love with you, you noticed.

Every bar you went to after that involved him sitting right next to you the whole time, drunkenly flirting with you and you alone. Telling you how pretty you are, how cute you looked when you were so red, and how sweet you always were to him. No matter how many pretty girls were in the bar that day, he was glued to you.

"Ace," you would giggle and push his head off your shoulder. "Those girls in the corner are eyeing you out, they're pretty."

The raven-haired commander pouted, not even shooting them a glance, "But (Name), no one is prettier than youuuuu." He smiled, dropping his head back onto your shoulder. His breath reeked of alcohol, so you just dismissed it as drunken rambling, your face bright red.

But then there were times when he didn't drink at all, and still ignored anyone other than you trying to get with him.

"Sorry, can't talk right now."

You watched him dismiss yet another pretty woman as he made his way back to the table, handing you another drink. He plopped down in his seat next to you, offering you his goofiest grin yet.

"Ace, you just-"

He shrugged, still grinning at you, "I didn't do anything."

"But that girl-"

"What girl?"

He was staring at you, awestruck by your beauty. His eyes were only ever on you these days, and nothing changed that. He didn't look at anyone else, never finding the need to, since he was so hopelessly in love with you. Even when you went to go get drinks for the group, Ace would watch you go and come back, his eyes stuck on your figure. He would stare with the most loving, adoring gleam in his eyes, feeling butterflies each time you returned his smile.

You were still oblivious, "Ace, I think you should talk to one of them. They seem to like you, and you need a girlfriend."

"Well I don't like them," he replied, suddenly leaning forward, "And I already know who I want as my girlfriend."

"Oh." Your face fell, but he was quick to make you smile again.

"(Name), you're so dumb."

"Am not!"

"Are too! I stare at you in every bar and all you think about is me talking to other girls!"

You blushed hard, stuttering and stammering out a nonsense reply, but you found it difficult to argue with that.

"Ace, you deserve better than me. And they're prettier."

"If I really thought that," he leaned in so close that your lips almost touched, "I wouldn't be sitting here with you, would I?" He grinned again. "You're the most beautiful woman in this bar, and every other bar, so I'm happy right where I am."

Then you started dating, and all Ace would do in bars was show you off. To both men and women that approached him, even if it had nothing to do with the conversation.

"Did you see my girlfriend?" He would ask them, drunkenly. "She's the HOTTEST-" Marco would usually have to drag him away before he spilled something more explicit.

Any time a woman would come up to him, Ace would hightail it out of there and do one of two things. One, he would hide behind you and grip you so tightly as he points you in the direction of the daring woman. Two, he would perch himself on your lap and kiss all over your face with his arms around your neck. Each one depends on how drunk he is.

"No thanks, I have a girlfriend."

"My girlfriend's right over there."

"My girlfriend is prettier than you."

"(Nameeeeeeeeeeee), come and tell them that you're my girlfriend!"

He's so in love that he doesn't even pay attention to anyone but you wherever you go. If you tell him to drink less than last time, he will. If you tell him to stay at the table, he will. He will sit you on his lap and lock you in his arms, not allowing you to move for the rest of the evening. He usually falls asleep against your neck, but you don't mind.

But, generally, when Ace is with you in a bar he will keep you glued to his side so everyone knows that he is taken. The brave ones who still approach will usually have to deal with you, and he loves to watch.

Once you're married, you best believe this man is going into every bar yelling to anyone who will listen that he's married, that he has a wife, or that his wife is the hottest person in the universe. He clings to you and makes sure people know you're married, even if they are just passing by and have no intention of talking to either of you.

"How times have changed," you teased him one day, sitting on his lap in yet another bar. "A while back you'd be flirting with every woman in this bar."

"That was before I knew you liked me!" He protested, blushing in embarrassment. "And anyway, that's what happens when you find the one."

"The one?" You blushed.

"Yessss," he smiled happily, pecking your lips. "You're the one. My one. The only one I will ever want and ever need." He peppered your face with kisses. "To me, you're the only woman in these bars."

"Good."

#one piece #op #portgas d ace x reader #portgas d ace x you #portgas d ace #ace x reader #ace x you #one piece ace #one piece portgas d ace

976 notes · View notes

ajortga · 7 days

Text

sweet pt.3

pairing: jenna ortega x fem reader

summary: jenna's plans don't go as expected with you, the cute coffee girl, you spend the day with her in the park instead.

word count: 3.8k+

a/n: idk what to think about this, but really wanted to get this out there. aggtm series mentioned!

read the previous parts here!: part 1 part 2 part 3

A day comes a little quicker than anticipated. You send her your address and she tells you she’ll come at 10:25.

Jenna spends the whole day after filming figuring out just what she’ll wear.

‘It’s not even a date’ she’s trying to assure herself. A moment of weakness for her caused her to ask you out for anything but what she’d call a date.

Jasmin’s voice is already echoing in her head.

‘You know, Y/N, Jenna dressed extra fancy for this occasion. Spent all night trying to impress you. So feel proud, she doesn’t dress this well even on expensive dinner nights.’

The thought makes her groan, she wishes that it was filming day tomorrow. All they have to do is be there and listen to the picture of the director for their next shoot.

She unhangs the top hidden in her closet and takes out a black off the shoulder long sleeve mini dress. Her eyes scan it for a moment, looking at the mirror while draping it over herself. Then she pairs it with a pair of gold hoops.

Sure it’s not simple, but she’d wear it to fancy dinners, so Jasmin wouldn’t tattle tale of her wearing something more extravagant because of you. She’ll just make up an excuse of some sort.

You told her to come at 10:25, you’re basically 10 minutes away from her.

Jenna fucking wakes up at 7:25. The sight that she saw in the mirror was the closest thing to hideous she’d ever seen. Every morning the brunette looks like a messed up raccoon when she looks in the mirror. Her eyes staring dully at her, half-lidded and hair all scattered.

The reflection stares back at her, a smile on her face.

“This is actually so stupid,” Jenna says to herself, immediately dropping the giddy smile on her face. “Ridiculous.”

She tosses her clothes to the side, into the basket that held her unwashed clothes. Her fluffy cow slippers fly off as she feels the cold tile under her come in contact with her skin.

She shivers.

The handle of the shower is turned to a warm setting. Leaned more to the hotter side, before she steps in and lets the warmth of the water tickle her bare skin. A sigh escapes from her lips, grabbing the best smelling shampoo her heart desires. It’s not even the day to wash her hair, but she does it anyway.

“Date, date, date” says the voice in Jenna’s head.

“Oh, so now you’re haunting my brain, Jasmin? Great.” She murmurs, shaking her head while letting her fingertips thread out her bubbly hair.

Jenna showers for 30 minutes, smelling as fragrant as possible. She hopes you like vanilla. Well, she doesn’t care if you like vanilla or not. She doesn’t even care about you. (Yeah no, that’s a lie)

Steam hisses out the shower when she steps out of the stall, body wrapped in a warm fluffy towel.

Her fingers brush through her hair as she blow dries and curls it, putting on her outfit she chose the day before, glimmering in the lifting sun.

Then she puts on skin care and makeup, closing her eyes as she rinses her face off with her grapefruit wash, her eyeliner perfectly sweeping next to the tip of her eyes.

She sprays her favorite perfume. Which also coincidentally seems to be her most expensive one.

At 9:30 you send her a small text.

y/n, the nice okay coffee shop girl: hi, goodmorning! i hope i didn’t wake u if u were sleeping. i’m still not sure if you’re still picking me up at 10:25, i was waiting for a text yesterday to confirm but i didn’t want to push, yk?

“Shoot,” she mutters, mentally smacking herself in the face, she forgot to text you to let you know that it was for sure she was going to come get you. She furiously smacks her thumbs against the keyboard.

jelly bean: omg hi! Sorry, lowkey was kinda distracted yesterday.

Jenna stops for a moment, realizing she was distracted planning out her whole day and making sure that you’re impressed with what she shows you, before looking back at her phone to type more.

jelly bean: with work i guess but yes! 10:25 is still on. I hope u don’t mind being tagged along with a few people, they usually pick me up. Sorry for not texting!

seen at 9:34

y/n, the nice okay coffee shop girl: oohhh yeah don’t worry about it! I just didn’t want to bother u or anything

jelly bean: Text me anytime, you don’t bother me

jelly bean: I might just take a while to respond, but I do eventually. See u soon!

liked by y/n, the nice okay coffee shop girl

Honks are heard from her driveway as Jenna uses her spare time wrapped in her headphones and the book she was currently invested in, As Good as Dead. She places her bookmark through the page she was on and closes it, before she listens closely.

Long-long-short-short

Yep, she knew that beeping pattern all too well to know that it was Jas. She grabs her keys, some gum, and her book before opening her front door.

“Hey girl! Oh shit, you look amazing!” Jasmin hollers, Mason screaming his head off in the passenger seat and Melissa poking her head out.

Jenna can feel her eyes rolling, a smile plastered on her face as she crawls into the back of the car, hugging Melissa.

She can hear the statement coming before Jasmin even says anything, “Oh, wait a minute. You’re all dressed up because of a certain someone, aren’t you?”

“No I’m not.”

Jasmin looks at her with a ‘really?’ look in her eyes from the rear-view mirror. “Hair styled and everything. Oh!” She gasps, turning her head slowly and teasing her.

“And your favorite perfume too.”

“Ay dios,” Melissa mumbles.

“Jasmin, I’m going to leave if you say anything when Y/N goes through these car doors.”

She gasps, offended, before giving up and letting Jenna off easy, “Okay, okay. No promises though.”

It’s silent for a moment, before Jasmin turns back from the wheel, “But I’m going to tell her if I catch you making out in the backseat of my car.”

“Jasmin!”

“Okay, okay, I’m going!” She yells, turning a right and following the navigation to your house.

When they pull up to your drive, where your lawn is perfectly mowed and littered with the most precious flowers, Jenna texts you.

jelly bean: i’m here

She looks over to your window, her attention drawing away from her phone. Your house was white, nice windows and cute gnomes and exterior looks. Jenna only looked away for a few seconds, to look back at her phone and see Jasmin was literally nudging her nose through your messages.

“What the fuck!” Jenna screams.

“Y//n, the nice okay coffee shop girl,” she replies out loud, a bit too loud. “Oh wow, you even have her in your pinned messages.”

Melissa leers over, looking at the two as they smack each other's hands.

She has to physically stop Jasmin and Jenna fighting playfully, “She’s coming out.”

They don’t hear her. Of course.

And before Jenna knows it, she’s shaking her phone out of the other girl’s hand. She hears a tap on the window and looks up.

“Hi,” you greet, glancing at the people behind her. You wore a pearl necklace, hoops dangling from your ears. Jenna noticed that she’d never seen you without your apron at the cafe. Now you’re here, wearing something that you usually wouldn’t wear. She shook her head, trying to get rid of the dreamy thoughts.

The phone that was grasped is immediately let go and Jenna looks at you with eyes wide. It takes a moment to be able to register what was going on.

“Can I slip in?”

Jenna pops out of her thoughts, immediately opening the car door for you and scooting into the middle seat, “Oops, yeah, my bad, sorry.”

Jasmin rolls her eyes, “Amauteur,” she whispers under her breath, watching you buckle in your seat belt. She notices the way you tilt your legs to the side of the window, like you can give Jenna leg room.

“Hope you don’t mind a few friends tagging along?” She says, looking at you as you stare at the window.

“Oh no, it’s all okay.” You glance at her for a moment, trying to avoid the way everyone is basically staring at you.

“I’m Melissa,” the brunette next to Jenna says to you.“Melissa Barrera,” she adds, a small roll of her r’s present. She has eyes like one of a deer, wavy hair, and looks sweet. The smile she gives off eases your nerves a little as you give a small one back.

“I’m Jas and this is Mason. Don’t get near him, he has a thing for throwing anything in his arms when someone scares him..” The curly short-hair driver says, like spilling a secret. It makes Jenna smile. You scoot just a teeny bit closer.

Mason gasps, smacking her arm as she drives to the set, “For your information, it’s called reflexes. Chad would definitely have survived, could’ve gotten away by accidentally hitting ghostface whack with a guitar.” They share a laugh.

Jenna digs in her bag for something, earbuds. Damn it, you didn’t expect her to listen to music. You didn’t want to just curl up in the window while the other three were talking. You were hoping to get to know her better.

“So, coffee girl,” Mason’s voice brings you back from your thoughts. He stays silent for a moment before whispering, “We’re trying to get to know your name!” As if he didn’t already know from the gazillion number of times Jenna told them. He’d just have to play stupid.

“Jenna named you cute coffee girl on her phone,” Jasmin teased, “No, I’m just kidding.”

You give an awkward laugh, feeling the way Jenna tenses against you. You don’t catch the dead glare she gives to her. You hope you’re not a bother to her, maybe she thinks of you too lowly to find you cute. You let it go, “It’s Y/N,” you softly say.

“That name is pretty,” Melissa says, Jenna agrees, getting the courage to nudge your shoulder like she usually does when the other 3 aren’t around. You nudge her back.

“Thanks,” you murmur, giving a thankful smile.

“What the shit do you mean there's no filming today?” Jasmin hollers, slamming the gate with her palms.

“Jas, I think you got the wrong date,” the tall brunette says next to you. Jenna skeptically looks at the girl, currently complaining, “I got my hair done and everything!”

The shorter girl taps on her phone, you stay close by, “Wow, I thought you were just a little shorter than me. But man, you really are short.”

She shoots you a look, her freckles apparent on her face. She flips you off. “How do you miss the day by 4 days?”

Mason jumps up and down, slamming his fists into his chest, “You know what that means… MOVIE MARATHON NUMBER TWENTY-”

“No.”

“Ok,” Mason mumbles, defeated.

It’s a little chilly, you try to get familiar with your surroundings. It’s a filming studio, you’ve seen it before when you drove to work. You try to think where you five could go to that was nearby.

“There's a garden nearby, if you guys are willing to go. We don’t have to go if you guys don’t want to. I’ve driven there before and it’s really nice, I just never had the time to actually go there.” You suggest.

Jenna looks up at you, scrunching her nose. You sniff, ruffling her hair as she speaks, “I thought you only knew about coffee.”

“Lucky for you I’m a lady too,” you reply, grabbing out plain crackers from your backpack. “You wanna feed the geese?”

She snatches the crackers and opens it, “Yes,” she says, already stuffing her mouth with the crackers. “This brand is fire.”

You chuckle, before snatching the bag back and putting it into your backpack, “Miss, I can assure you you will be given more crackers if you help me feed the wild animals,” your voice is sarcastic.

“But Jenna is a wild animal,” Jasmin states.

“Oh, right,” you say, nodding up and down like it was a realization. “Here you go, jelly bean.” You throw the cracker in Jenna’s mouth while she munches it happily.

“Duck duckity duck goose.” Mason sing-songs, dancing with his hands everywhere, “I want me a goose so I can juice a moose.”

Jasmin looks at him, weirded out, “Juice a moose?”

“Have you never heard of rhyming?”

“Mason is so silly like a Billy that wants a chili- Okay guys that’s enough.” Melissa interrupts, “I’d love to hear your rap battle but I want to come home with flowers so let’s GO.”

Mason and Jasmin cross their arms, rolling their eyes, “Aw man."

You five walk across the garden, the sweet smell filling the air. You look at Jenna, currently flipping through the starting pages of a book that looks oddly familiar.

"Is that a book from A Good Girl's Guide to Murder?"

The question makes her ears perk, immediately looking at you, "Yeah, actually it's the third book."

There is nothing more that makes her heart swell than to see your smile right here and now, "I love that series! I finished all of Holly Jackson's books in the span of 2 weeks."

"Really? I just remember reading the first one and really liking it. What did you think of it?"

Your eyes shine, "It was so good! Had me in a book frenzy. I like the third one the best, though I thought it was kind of slow at first. It definitely has the most action. You'll love it."

"I'm glad to hear that. Hey, maybe we should read the same books or watch the same movies and compare our tastes, music wise too!"

You look like a little girl on Christmas Eve, a silly smile on your face, "I'd love that!"

Jasmin, Melissa, and Mason whisper among each other, smirking at the two of you. "They're already flirting."

“So,” Jenna starts, walking with you across the meadow filled with flowers, it looks so pretty, just like you. She could say that, maybe you’ll find her strange and stare at her with a straight face, so she doesn’t. “Why did you decide to work at a coffee shop?”

You look down at her, playing with your necklace, “I don’t know. Honestly, I used to bake a lot when I was little. It was mostly because my brother was a fatass.” You say seriously, and Jenna turns to you, going, “Oh.”

It’s silent for a moment, before you start giggling, “No! I’m just kidding, sure my brother was hungry. But I started baking cause my grandma was always in the kitchen making random shit. It was just that I liked spending time with her. I guess it sort of rubbed off on me.” You look at her and she takes in your eyes. She didn’t know how to explain it. But Jenna would say something in them made you special.

You tear your gaze, looking at the blossoming display of flowers in front of you.

“Do you think you’d like doing it for the rest of your life?”

The display of different flowers growing makes the setting like spring. “Maybe, I don’t know. Maybe not the rest of my life. I mean,” You don’t know how to explain yourself. “Well, as much as I love baking and carrying on the piece I can only connect to my grandma, I guess I’m not always going to be happy baking.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Baking is something I like to do for a hobby. I like to do it because I want to do it whenever I feel a certain way. But it’s not really fun when I have to do it no matter what I’m feeling, if you can understand that.”

Jenna nods, “Yeah, I do.” She murmurs as you guys find a place to sit down. The other three walk around.

“So, what do you want to be?” she asks, now a little more intrigued.

“Something in film. I always wanted to do something like that. A director maybe, I guess I want to be in an atmosphere that’s based on what I see on set.” You pick at the daisies in front of you, tucking it in your ear and offering Jenna one, she takes it. “My parents never let me do anything with theater when I was in high school. I remember I wanted to do it for 3 years, when freshman year of high school started, I was going to apply. But my parents forced me to take something else when they looked over my decisions.”

The shorter girl looked at you, the way you twirled the flower in your hand. It seemed like the subject made you a little vulnerable, the lack of seeing your soulful gaze gave it away.

“I was pretty upset,” you sigh, scratching your head, “I mean, sure I understood that they just wanted me to have a career that could make me a living, something that I wouldn’t regret. But even then, I wish I could’ve just done it for fun, take the experience. At least if I couldn’t do it as a career, I wanted freshman year to be the time to explore. I just kind of gave up, knowing that what my parents wanted was only trying to protect me.”

Jenna could understand you. She too was rejected when she wanted to first act. She could remember slamming her tiny hands into her pillow as she sobbed angry tears when her mother told her no. Maybe she should’ve been more thankful that she was given the opportunity. You never were told yes.

You wrap your arms around your knees, she does the same and feels you put your head on your shoulder. “What are your favorite flowers, jelly bean?”

“Roses. Light pink ones. Sunflowers and daisies are nice too.” She says, also tucking the daisy against her ear. “What about you?”

“Tulips. Pink, blue, yellow. I think they’re just so pretty. I love hydrangeas too. The light blue ones if I’m choosing a color.”

Jenna tries to keep that in mind. You look away from her, putting a strand of hair behind your ear as you look at the never ending garden in front of you two. She pulls out her phone, snaps a photo of you looking into the distance, away from her. You don’t notice.

“Tulips suit your favorite flower,” she murmurs. “I heard people match their favorite flower.” She puts her phone down as you turn to her.

It takes you a moment to get what she’s saying. She thinks you’re pretty. It makes her smile when she sees you realize what she’s saying. The least you can do is give her a foolish grin, “Thanks. You suit your favorite flowers too.”

“Guys, geese!” Mason’s voice interrupts, all breathy and out of breath from running to you guys. “I want to feed them, come on!”

You and Jenna get swept off your feet as you run with her into the flower-filled meadow to the small pond filled with ducklings, geese, swans, and fish.

They quack, waddling up to you as you pull out your crackers. It doesn’t take long for at least 30 animals to come to you. Half of them aren’t even geese. Squirrels, jack rabbits, heck, even a stray cat.

You hand the crackers to Jenna, before bending down and petting the orange kitten. “Hello there,” you say in a baby voice, petting it as it meows and nudges its body to your legs. You giggle, sitting down and letting it rest on your lap. “You’re a small one, aren’t you?” The cat makes a small noise as you stroke its soft, orange fur.

Jenna hands the crackers to Mason and the other two. “I never seen a stray this cute before,” she squeaks, petting the small cat’s head gently.

The kitty purrs, licking your hand that’s scratching its side. It’s a boy. “What should we call this adorable creature?”

“What about Tiny?”

“Tiny it is. Tiny the tiny kitty.” You grab an apple slice and let Jenna feed him.

“Oh you’re so cute!” She exclaims, cradling Tiny. He seems pretty clean, you hold him. “I wonder what it’s doing out here.”

“I think it’s a sign for us to start a pet daycare.”

You giggle.

Mason, Melissa, and Jasmin run around, throwing crackers to ducks.

“SOMEONE FUCKING HELP ME!” Jasmin cries, accidentally hitting the cracker whack in the goose’s face, running around as it’s chasing her. “I’M BEING CHASED!” She screams, throwing her arms in the air as you and Jenna watch her, laughing and huddled up against a tree.

Mason and Melissa snort, shaking their heads and rolling their eyes. “This is what she gets for taking all the cute and chubby ducks.”

Jasmin shrieks, running into a patio for the park nearby and closing the gate.

30 minutes pass and everyone is calmed down, except Jasmin, who’s cautiously eyeing the goose who chased her. “If you can run faster than me, I’m going to apply to be a track runner bitch.”

You're napping on Jenna’s shoulder, Tiny cuddled up against you two. She snaps another picture of you, smiling widely.

The day after, you open your phone to be greeted with a new post from Jenna on instagram.

liked by melissabarreram and 6,810,532 others

jennaortega: Day in the park with my favorites. 3rd photo taken by melissa, te amo

melissabarram: Pretty girls 😍

y/n_l/n: we are oh fish ally giving tiny a new daycare cutie

↳ jennaortega: oh yes, we first need to sign a contract of marriage and work

aliyah.ortega: yes queen

jasminsavoy: i'm never going there again, i almost got brutally murdered by that goose.

masonthegooding: 🔥need to plan a picnic there

You smile to yourself, letting yourself lean on your side as you grin. You send her another text on Insta.

y/n, the nice okay coffee shop girl: i have to sign a contract of both marriage AND work? what if i have to choose just one?

jelly bean: 🤷‍♀️ i can only give you one contract if you tell me your schedules for your shifts. Do u know how many times I came in and am greeted with someone completely different?

y/n, the nice okay coffee shop girl: okay maam, you got it ! :p

sent 1 attachment

jelly bean: Thanks for ur service

jelly bean: let's make a playlist together

jelly bean: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/<3

reacted with 💗

#jenna ortega x fem!reader #jenna ortega x reader #jenna ortega x you #jenna ortega imagine #tara carpenter x you #tara carpenter x reader #vada cavell x reader #jenna marie ortega #jenna ortega x y/n #vada cavell x y/n

214 notes · View notes

ageofevermore · 11 months

Text

ITS BRIGHTER NOW

SUMMARY — until you met your girls, you once believed love would be burning red, but it turns out, it’s everything in between, and that couldn’t be more golden. i wanna be defined by the things that i love, not the things i hate, not the things that i’m afraid of, not the things that haunt me in the middle of the night, i just think that you are what you love

PROMPTS — “sorry, we didn’t mean to wake you” & “will you stay with me?”

WARNINGS — mentions of battle, injury, anxiety, overall just fluff and comfort for arguably the best avengers and their girlfriend

Like every relationship, yours has its ups and downs. Although most times, you’re met with nothing but outstanding partners who try their absolute hardest to maintain open communication and boundaries, they’re still human, and Avengers, and while some consider that a fairytale circumstance, not many stop to think about how challenging it can be at its worst moments. Not many people, or any at all who aren’t in the lifestyle or one similar, think about how they’re gone for days at a time, sometimes weeks or months if it’s an undercover mission, and how when they finally do get back, they’re never the same as how they left. But honestly, how could they be? They’ve done things no average citizen would ever be expected to do, seen things and handled situations that are dangerous and traumatizing, and just like anyone else, those things haunt them. Wanda is better about unpacking those skeletons in her closet then Natasha is, but the both of them take things personally, and if things go south, it’s never good.

Both of your girlfriends had been gone from the compound for days. They’d been called out to an active Hydra base in Russia, and three days later, things had gone south and they’d been in active combat since. You didn’t talk to them much, with battles and timezones and everything else that got in your way, but you had heard through the grapevine that Wanda was pretty banged up and Natasha had been left with no choice but to shoot to kill after a particularly gruesome fight. Hearing that never got any easier, especially when they were halfway across the world and had no idea when they’d return. It was missions like these that made you yearn for a simpler life. One where Wanda was an artist, Natasha probably took up something flexible like tattooing, and you did literally anything else to just have some peace and quiet and promised safety.

You had met Natasha first, after Maria recruited you to join Shield. She had been skeptical of you, as she was of everyone, but you broke down her walls as easily as you’d picked the lock to Clint’s farm the one time you were placed on a strike mission together. She had been hurt pretty badly, and his farm was the closest place to land. That had been an interesting day, no thanks to your girlfriend who was draped across your arm with a shallow bullet wound and a startled Laura who was screeching about blood on her new couch. Things with Clint were still chaotic as ever, but he eventually got over you busting his brand new lock, and the two of you joked about it now, although now you had a key so no locks had to be busted in the event of an unplanned visit happening again. When you met Wanda, she fell into your dynamic easily, and at first, neither you nor Natasha had realized that you’d kind of adopted her as a third girlfriend until a drunken night when she ended up in your bed and never left. Now, sleeping without them is hard, but you’re forced to manage as best as you can, seeing as you don't really have much of a choice.

It was going onto the sixth night without them home when you finally retired from the couch, and decided to head to bed, figuring that at two in the morning there was no chance of them coming back until the next morning at the earliest. It was hard enough when one of them was on an active mission with no return date, but when both of them were gone, it truly felt like your heart was missing from your chest and you were just going through the motions and holding your breath until they got back. Most people only had one person to worry about, but having two people to lose, with jobs in this line of work, you felt like you were always looking over your shoulder and expecting the worst. As often as they could, your girlfriends declined missions together, even though they felt comfortable on the battlefield together and it was a comfort to not be alone, but neither one of them wanted to risk not coming home to you. They didn’t have a choice this time, so reluctantly they packed up their duffles and headed for the quinjet, with a kiss on your head and a promise that they would fight to come home to you, that they would try to make it back. There were still two mugs of tea on the countertop in the mini kitchen, and although it was disgusting and the tea had gone bad, you couldn’t bring yourself to clean them up. If that was the last thing they ever touched with you, when they were just Wanda and Natasha and not Avengers, you wanted the picture of mismatched mugs burned into your eyelids for the rest of your life. They deserved to be remembered as real, genuine, soft and stubborn, sometimes infuriating but lovable and loved people, not just heroes who had a cause when things went south.

You tossed and turned for probably an hour, groaning in annoyance for how empty your bed felt without them. How had you gotten so attached? That was the one thing you’d tried your hardest not to do when you got into this, and yet here you are, in Natasha’s t-shirt and Wanda’s panties, unable to sleep because the bed feels too cold and the walls feel too big and the room feels too empty and your heart feels misplaced. You’d heard somebody say love is golden once, not burning red, and you’d never understood that until a moment like this a few years ago, when Natasha left for the first time and you were utterly alone in the tower. They were golden, they were light, they were pouring rain in the middle of the day with the sun shining and not a cloud in sight, and they are the best moments of your life that you wish you could frame in a moving picture, because no, a picture can’t say a million words when it’s them. You need every word in the dictionary and then some. You will never be able to elaborate on how much you love them without falling short, and feeling like there's still so much you could’ve said. Everything felt so gray without them. It had to be after three in the morning when you finally fell asleep, probably closer to four, but you didn’t think about how long you’d been waiting up for them, just flopped onto your back and sprawled out like a starfish, and let sleep take over so you could have a few hours without consciously missing them. Missing them was the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do.

You’re pulled from your sleep by hushed voices and a door closing, convinced that the hinges are louder at inappropriate times just to spite you. You try to ignore it at first, finally in a comfortable position and getting some rest after a long day of running trials with Cho, but the noises persist despite your displeasure. A sound between a groan and a whine is extracted from your chest when something bumps into the bed, and any thought of going back to sleep leaves your mind. Unlike your girlfriends who can sleep through a natural disaster and fall asleep again if god forbid it wakes them up, once your eyes open you’re awake for the day, and it seems like this is where your day starts.

Although with blurred vision from the very few hours of sleep in your eyes, you’re able make out Wanda hunched over the bed, grasping at her side that is noticeably bloody, while Natasha is digging through the drawers to your left probably attempting to find a loose fitting top for Wanda to change into. All exhaustion leaves your body at the sight of them, and you spring up, rubbing your eyes with a wince as they burn in disagreement with your current state of consciousness. Wanda’s head snaps up, on high alert, but she forces her shoulders to relax when she realizes that it’s just you and not a threat.

“Sorry, we didn’t want to wake you.” She apologizes weakly, through clenched teeth and apparent sleepiness. You wonder when the last time they got a decent amount of rest, when they weren’t looking over their shoulders in paranoia or tossing and turning in pain from an injury that couldn’t be properly treated, but you force yourself to not dwell on it too much. You can’t change the past, and neither can they, all that matters is how they recover, and how they need you to help them heal from everything they were exposed to while in Russia. You’re the clean up, another factor that nobody considers while talking about how romantic and protected you must feel having two superheroes as partners. If anything, you feel more exposed. Like all eyes are on you and a monster is always lurking in the room over.

“No, no that’s okay. I only went to sleep a few hours ago, anyway. Here.” You know that the shirt Natasha is probably looking for is the one currently on your body, and you offer it to Wanda with no hesitation, already making a b-line for her when she just barely has the strength to reach for it herself. You pull the bloodied top over her head gently, thankful that the blood it’s soaked with is dry, and her wound is covered in gauze, meaning they’d probably stopped by the medbay before they made their way in here. “A little banged up, aren’t you?” You comment, although it's rhetorical and you know she won’t tell you how it happened just yet. That usually comes a few days after the mission, when the trauma isn’t so fresh and they’re not still on edge that something else is coming for them. You help her out of her pants as well, thanking Natasha when she hands you a fresh pair of undergarments to pull up Wanda’s legs before you even have to ask.

“We’re still in one piece.” Natasha promises, coming up behind you and wrapping her arms around your waist. She’s tense all over, but she does her best to relax as she holds you, grounding herself in the moment and not the nightmares that have been going around in circles in her mind since getting on the quinjet to come home. “We missed you.” She kisses the skin beneath your ear, lingering for a few seconds before she untangles herself completely and gets ready for bed herself.

“That’s all that matters.” You reassure her, pecking Wanda’s lips gently, knowing she doesn’t have the energy or the strength to match any moment of passion right now. It’s not something that bothers you, maybe it used to, just the slightest bit, but it’s a routine you’re used to now. “I missed you too.”

“I told Steve we’re not taking any missions for a while. Especially not together.” Natasha hands you another one of her tops to slip into, and watches you throw Wanda’s bloodied one into the garbage beside your vanity. She won’t wear it again, not when it’s got so much history now, even if you could get the blood stain out. Again, it’s a routine you’ve found comfort in. The clothes they return home in almost always end up in the garbage, no time for working through PTSD that’s stitched into the fabric when you can just get something new to start fresh in.

“That’s good. I heard from Maria how tough this one was. I don’t know if I slept much the first few days.” You hate to worry them, or make them feel bad, but they hate when you’re not honest with them, and there’s nothing any of you can do about them being sent out on missions, so it’s not like you’re haroboring negative feelings toward them directly, which they understand, but your girlfriends do a great job of beating themselves up about certain things out of their control, this being one of them.

“Or at all. We still have cameras, you know.” Natasha muses, thoroughly amused when you turn a deep shade of crimson and kick Wanda’s discarded pants up toward her. Your other girlfriend, who has been noticeably quiet through the entire exchange, is curled up in bed, looking unbothered by the conversation but intent on finally getting some sleep in her own bed without the possibility of being blown to bits by the enemy.

“Spying on me, are you Romanoff?” You tease, shutting all the drawers Natasha left open and picking up all of her discarded clothes to throw them in the bin as well. She thanks you silently with her eyes that are practically bleeding with pain and adoration, but you don’t say anything. This is the least you can do for them right now.

“Gotta keep an eye on my girl.” Although it’s an easy statement, you know that it’s riddled with nothing but genuine anxiety. Both of your girlfriends are worrywarts when it comes to leaving you alone, for any amount of time but especially undetermined chunks like this mission, and although its heartwarming to be so cared for, it breaks your heart to know that they have valid reasons to be afraid. Another thing nobody even considers when they make comments toward your relationship. Wanda makes a huffing sound beside Natasha and both of your lips twitch in amusement, “On one of my girls, sorry, malysh.”

“You both should get some rest.” You comment, seeing that almost an hour has passed since they stumbled in. You won’t be able to fall asleep again, and even if you could, you’re apprehensive to crawl into bed with Wanda and accidentally hurt her more, so you have all intentions of wishing them a goodnight and going to finally clean up the mugs of tea that are resting on the counter.

“Where are you going?” Natasha wonders, watching you closely, like she’s scared that you’re going to fall apart right in front of her. You hate these moments, when they’re first getting back and they still feel like they’re stranded in a battlefield. It takes days to get back to some kind of normalcy without walking on eggshells, and by that time, they’re usually cleared to start training again and working their strength up for the next mission. One day, you just want to be done, but they’re not ready yet and that's okay.

“To clean up the tea mugs you left before you went. I didn’t have the heart to clean them up, in case…” You train off, but Natasha knows what you’re going to say and her face sinks even deeper.

“In case we didn’t come back.” She finishes your thought, hand rubbing Wanda’s back now that the woman is on her belly, seeking pressure against her wound that’s probably aching beneath the gauze. She shouldn’t be putting any pressure on it, but you’re not about to scold her right now. She needs to be comfortable, any torn stitches can easily be mended tomorrow morning when she’s well rested.

“Yeah.” You breathe out, releasing the tension that gathered in your shoulders at the simple thought of losing them. They’re okay this time, you can let go of all that pent up anxiety and dread for the time being. But it crosses your mind that there's always next time, and they might not get so lucky.

“Will you stay with me? Please?” Wanda asks, voice muffled by the pillow her face is pressed into, her arms beneath her head as she gives Natasha full access to her back, and the aching muscles that have probably been pulled a couple thousand times since leaving. Natasha works harder at releasing some of that tension, looking at you with broken eyes that you can’t say no too. Your worries are squandered when Wanda speaks again, lifting her head just enough to be able to see your face, peering into your eyes with a passion and seriousness that burns you inside. “You won’t hurt me, stop thinking that. I just want to hold my girl.”

“Ahem.” Natasha clears her throat, and Wanda lets the slightest smile pull her tired lips upward.

“One of my girls, sorry, detka.” She apologies before dropping her face back into the pillow, tightening her grip on it when Natasha hits a sore spot in her back. The redhead keeps at it, knowing how easily the Sokovian can pull her muscles when she’s lifting heavy things with just her tendrils.

“Are my thoughts that loud?” You ask meekly, abandoning your intention of straightening up the kitchen and instead coming closer to the end bed, still without pants and just Natasha’s shirt that hangs to your mid thigh.

Natasha stops rubbing Wanda’s back in order to grab at your thighs and pull you closer, rubbing the skin of your legs the same way she had been rubbing Wanda’s back. Though she’ll never admit it, you and Wanda have a sneaking suspicion her love language is physical touch, and that just maybe, physically feeling you both silences her anxieties over you just disappearing from her. Whatever her reason, neither of you protest, and admittedly crave her touch by the end of the night when you crawl into bed.

“Mhmm, I promise I’m okay. Doesn’t really hurt anymore, s’just sore.” She promised, sounding half asleep the longer she lays, adjusting her head so her neck is turned toward both you and Natasha, but her eyes are closed, a content smirk on her lips that only grows bigger when she hears you sigh your agreeance and then feels the bed dip with your weight as you climb into bed.

“Lay your ass down, or I’m gonna fall asleep sitting up.” Natasha scolds, playfully slapping your ass as you crawl over her and into the center of the bed, which is no longer warm from your body. You settle in between them, humming contently when Wanda loops an arm around your waist and then Natasha pulled you into her chest, your legs intertangling messily beneath the sheets.

“I missed this. I can’t sleep when you’re gone, everything feels so empty.” You admit, letting your eyes close even if you’re going to have a few hours of painful silence and stillness before you can even consider actually falling asleep.

Natasha presses her lips into your head and Wanda tightens her arm around your middle, neither saying anything, but not having to as their words and their presence says it all. Surprisingly, you fall asleep in minutes, and not a single one of you wakes up for the next ten hours, desperately needing the rest all together again.

#natasha romanoff #wanda maximoff #wandanat #natasha romanoff fluff #wanda maximoff fluff #wandanat fluff #natasha romanoff hurt/comfort #wanda maximoff hurt/comfort #wandanat hurt/comfort #natasha romanoff x reader #wanda maximoff x reader #wandanat x reader #natasha romanoff oneshot #wanda maximoff oneshot #wandanat oneshot

859 notes · View notes

underoossss · 8 months

Text

Driving Lessons — S.H

pairing: steve harrington x f!reader

warnings: none

masterlist

an: hi everyone! here’s a new fluffy fic for you. best friends to lovers goodness to brighten your weekend. I dedicate this to everyone who like me was terrified when they learned how to drive and those who don’t drive bc it’s scary af. steve is just so sweet and perfect and I think he’d be a wonderful teacher specially if he has a crush on you. I hope you enjoy! Pls let me know if you liked this!

The doorbell rings just as you finish getting ready. It’s a sunny summer morning and you decided to fight off the heat with a white dress with tiny pink roses printed on it, a denim vest and converse. You check the clock by your bed and as always Steve is right on time.

You’d woken up with a start this morning from a terrible nightmare you don’t want to think about. Steve had an angry wound on the side of his abdomen and was in no state to drive. He needed your help, but you don’t know how to drive, so you were helpless to do anything else but to press his own t-shirt against the wound. The same desperation haunted you all through breakfast and gave you the push you needed to face your fears. Driving. You’re going to learn, no matter how much panic it causes you.

That’s why Steve is here, you called him earlier and agreed to meet here at noon. And punctual as ever, he’s already waiting on the porch. You heart drums loudly inside your chest, excited to see your friend, your best friend, and object of all your affection. Though no one needs to know the last part.

You open the door, and the pitter patter of your heart gets out of control no matter how much you try to remind it that he’s your friend. Nothing more. Steve looks sun kissed by the summer sun and beautiful as always, with various freckles standing out across his face. Broad shoulders in a white t-shirt and light washed jeans that fit him just right, his old Cortez shoes and usual brown watch. You hate him, and you love him so much.

“Hi Stevie.” Your smile breaks free as you greet him with a hug.

“Hey you.” Steve’s smile is clear in his voice as his arms go around you. It’s a tight hug and soon enough, he’s lifting you off the ground and spinning you around.

You laugh as he sets you down on the ground. “Someone’s happy.”

“How can I not be? I’m spending the day with you.” Steve smiles brightly, “What’s this you have to ask me? Got me nervous all the way here.”

You shake your head; how can you not be crazy about him when he’s so damn sweet with you. You decide to tackle his question instead. “Why would you be nervous?”

“I wasn’t sure if we need to hide a dead body.” He shrugs.

“Not today.” You play along with a fake frown and smile when it makes Steve laugh. A moment later you turn shy under his gaze when it lingers on your face. “Okay I called you because I need you to teach me how to drive. Please.”

“How to drive?” Steve’s eyebrows shoot up towards his forehead as his brown eyes widen. “You got tired of me already sweetheart?”

You roll your eyes, ignoring the nickname, and hit his shoulder softly; Steve takes that same wrist and holds on to swing your hands between you. It endears you and makes you love him a little bit more, it’s only noon. “You hurt me.” He says all drama as always.

“No, Stevie.” You tilt your head towards your shoulder, choosing not to tell him about last night’s nightmare. “I just want to learn in case there’s an emergency or something.” When Steve’s eyes soften, you look away.

“Okay,” He says quietly, then tucks a rogue strand of hair behind your ear. “Do you want to start right now?” Steve asks you, completely unaware of the fact that you’ve stopped breathing.

“God, no. I’m scared.” You shake your head, trying to ignore the way your heart hurts at his soft gesture. “I was going to suggest ice cream first.”

Steve smiles and wraps an arm around your shoulder pulling you to his side as he leads both of you to his parked car in the driveway. “Alright, ice cream first. You look beautiful by the way.”

You lean your head on his shoulder and shake his head. “Is this you trying to get me to pay?”

Steve only laughs and rolls his eyes.

“First things first, seat belt.” Steve glances behind you with a nod of his head. The two of you are sitting in his car, but while he’s always in the drivers seat, he’s the passenger today.

You turn around and bring the seat belt across your torso before it clicks into place once fastened. “Okay.”

Steve scratches his chin and you watch for only a second before looking ahead, no distractions. “Now, adjust the mirrors; you should see everything with the rear view mirror and the front door’s handle with your other two. I’ll move this one for you.” He reaches out of the car and brings it forward a tiny bit until you nod.

“Alright that’s good.” You do the same with the one on your right before wiping your hands on your dress. You take a shaky breath and look back at Steve. “Now what?”

Steve’s grinning when you meet his eyes and shakes his head briefly. He nods towards the keys hanging from the ignition switch. “Now you turn on the car.”

Panic bubbles deep in your stomach but you nod anyway, pushing through the many anxious thoughts in your head. This is why you never made it past a single lesson during driver’s ed, your fear. What if you crash the car, hurt someone, hurt Steve? You’re grateful that your hand doesn’t shake when it turns the key, bringing the car to life.

“Hey,” Steve says, and you look over at him to find him smiling at you. “You’re doing great.”

“Thank you, Stevie.” You swallow down the rising panic inside your chest as you look at the steering wheel. At least Steve’s car isn’t mechanic. Steve points at the pedals by your feet which makes you focus again.

“Right one’s accelerator, and the left one’s the break.” Steve explains. “The car’s in park now so it won't move even if you hit the gas.” He looks up at you to make sure you’re okay to go on and you give him a half nod. “If you break and change the gear to Drive, then it’ll move.”

“What?” You ask him when he glances at you expectantly.

Steve motions to the gear stick behind the wheel with his head. It’s time, you guess and swallow hard, pressing down the break pedal and shifting the car to drive. You can feel your heart pounding in your ears, and your hands break a sweat. Trying to push through though, you take your foot off the breaks and accelerate slowly, but it only seems to make your panic worse. The car only moves about 8 feet before you stop and put it back on Park, shutting your eyes tightly. Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry.

Steve reaches over and shuts down the engine before turning towards you. “Hey, hey, what’s wrong?” He asks you softly, a hand on your shoulder. It rubs down your arm gently and grabs one of your hands from the steering wheel. “Talk to me, what happened?”

“I’m sorry I panicked.” You confess, keeping your eyes shut. “This is scary.”

“Okay.” You open your eyes to see Steve nod, gaze full of concern as it meets yours. “Want to tell me what scares you?”

Taking your seat belt off you turn towards him and rest your forehead on his shoulder. “Stevie, what if I crash your car and we both end up hurt.”

You feel Steve take a deep breath and his hand let go of yours in favour of running up and down your back. “That won’t happen.”

“You don’t know that.” You mumble with a shake of his head.

“I do.” Steve counters, pushing on your shoulder gently to look into your eyes. “We’re only going to turn right and drive to the dead end, nothing crazy. No cars will hit you, babe, you know it’s a quiet road.”

You look out the windshield towards the road in question. No one ever drives by, just the three homeowners who live in the dead end, but they’ve already left for the day. If that’s the only practice you’ll have today, you think you can manage to keep your fear in check.

“There we go.” Steve smiles triumphantly when you nod in determination. “Ready?”

“Yes.” You click your seat belt into place and turn on the car.

Just as Steve promised, you only go back and forth from your house to the dead end. He’s patient and gentle as he gives various instructions, when to break and when to accelerate. He guides you through the u-turn and how to back up when you mess up said u-turn. The initial paralyzing dread fades to manageable nerves as 45 minutes go by, and smile when Steve gives you a knowing look.

“Feeling more confident?” He asks as you park in your driveway once more.

“Yeah, a bit.” You let out a deep breath and nod. “I know I’m safe if I’m with you, Steve.”

“You are.” Steve mirrors your nod and clears his throat, then motions towards his door. “Come on, let’s switch. We’re renting a movie so you can relax.”

❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎

“Stevie, it’s so early.” You mumble, opening your front door at 6am on a Saturday. You look up at him, he looks just as sleepy as you but handsome as always. His hair is a mess of chocolate waves, and the light blue polo he wears with his jeans looks great on him. An outfit so basic shouldn’t look so good; it’s his shoulders you think, they make those damn polos look gorgeous on him.

“Well, you’re the one scared of driving.” Steve’s voice brings you back to the present. “If we go right now, the streets will be all yours. It’ll help with your nerves.”

“I’m sure, it’s the crack of dawn during summer after all.” You joke, sleepiness slowly leaving your body. A smile takes over your face at Steve’s sheepish expression and you can’t help but lean in for a hug. “Thank you, Stevie.”

“You know, people aren’t supposed to look so pretty at 6am.” Steve says, stepping back and meeting your eyes. You heart drops to your stomach for a moment at his words and you look down at your clothes. Black denim shorts, converse, and a sweatshirt.

“You really need some glasses, Steve.” You chuckle, bumping your shoulder into his as you walk towards his car.

“My eyesight is perfect, babe.” Steve gives you a wink that leaves you flustered and trying to understand what’s happening. “Come on.” He places the keys to his car on your hand and opens the passenger door.

Steve lounges back on his seat, pointing towards the direction he thinks you should go. He tells you when to break, what to do in an intersection and the roads you should avoid at a normal hour. Like he said, all of Hawkins is asleep and there’s not a single car on sight as you drive through the town. He was right, the nerves and awful dread you felt the first time you tried to drive his care are gone as you drive the empty streets; no one’s gonna hit you because no one’s here. The radio stays off though, you’re not a professional yet and the music only distracts you. There’s no way you’re crashing because you were singing to Blondie.

“You’re doing amazing.” Steve says, and you control your reaction to his praise. Knowing you’re doing a good job makes you feel giddy inside, so you glance at him quickly with a smile. “Pull into that parking lot right there. I think we can practice parking today.”

“Okay, good cause there are no cars for me to run into.” You joke, looking at Steve and laughing when he frowns. He doesn’t like you doubting yourself, right. “I’m kidding, Stevie.” You check your mirror, and turn the blinker on before you make a turn towards the parking lot. The concrete floor is deserted and fifty-something empty spaces stare back at you.

“Now what?”

“Okay,” Steve sits up straighter and rubs his chin, deep in thought. You can imagine the way his eyes light up when the idea finally comes to him. “Now you have to sort of turn away from the parking spot then turn back in.”

It sounds like gibberish for a moment before you go over his words and catch on to his explanation. Still, how can you pass up an opportunity to tease him?

“Real good explanation, Steve. Super clear.” You chuckle with an eye roll. “But I think I know what you mean.” Following his instructions, you drive the car towards the right before turning left and moving between the two white lines in front of you. At least that’s your intention, but what you end up doing is driving over one of the lines –taking two spaces.

“Come on don’t make that face, it’s your first try.” Steve shakes his head taps the dashboard. “Check the rear-view and backup. You got it.”

You do as Steve says and try to park on the spot next to you, turning a little more to the right so when you drive into the empty space, you’re perfectly parked in between both lines. “There! I did it!” You cheer, putting the car on park and turning to Steve. “Ha!”

He’s smiling too, celebrating this small win and high-fiving you. Steve’s fingers intertwine with yours and keep your hands in his hold, giving them a tight squeeze. There’s happiness and affection shining in his eyes –brown and beautiful and a little sleepy from how early it is– making your blood fizzy under your skin and your body feel like it’s glowing. There’s no one in this world like him, someone who is your cheerleader and makes you feel this happy and safe. And in love.

But the glint in his eye tells you he’s going to say something; you definitely missed something. “You didn’t check the right-side mirror babe; a car can come from your right, and you could’ve crashed into them.”

“Ugh!” You lean you head back on the headrest and look at the roof. Defeat washes over you, there’s so many rules to this driving gig; just when you think you’ve got it right, it’s actually the opposite. Your hands cover your face. “Fucking mirrors.”

Steve laughs next to you, a warm and beautiful sound that wipes away your frown as he shakes his head. His hand takes one yours again a moment later and gives it a squeeze. “It’s only a matter of time.”

Glancing to your right at him you feel your heart dance in your chest at his soft smile. His eyes dance around your face in a way you can’t really describe, and it flusters you beyond words. You smile at him though, ignoring the acrobatics your stomach is performing and the feelings rising to the surface once more. He’s your friend and he’s helping you, nothing more. Don’t make it something it’s not.

Steve is the one who breaks the moment first, eyes going back towards the dashboard. His hand lets go in favour of motioning towards the steering wheel. “Come on, let’s keep practising.”

“Can we go get coffee after?” You ask as you spot the sun beginning to rise in the distance.

“Anything for you babe, you just gotta learn how to park.” Steve settles back on his seat and you look out your window to bite back your smile. He’s got to stop talking to you so sweetly.”

❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎

“Can they please stop honking!” You mutter. The burning orange of the setting sun is shining through the trees and painting the dark asphalt in front of you as you drive by. It would be beautiful if not for the car that’s been tailgating you for five minutes now. To say you’re frustrated at the incessant sound of its honking would be an understatement, you’re sweating buckets, and you can hear your pulse in your ears. Your shoulders are tense and pulled tight towards your ears and there’s nothing you wish more than to arrive to Steve’s place. “Stevie.” You plead, gripping the steering wheel tightly.

“Ignore them, you’re doing great.” Comes Steve’s easy response, but he still checks the rear-view mirror and glares at the car behind you. “Of course, it’s some dude in a truck.” You hear him mutter as he shakes his head.

“I’m sweating, I told you I can’t drive on this road yet.” You complain, rolling your shoulders back to ease the tension. “But no, you had to insist.”

“Well, you had to eventually, babe.” Steve shrugs leaning towards the window and looking at you. Then after a sigh, he adds, “Nothing’s going to happen, relax alright.”

Another loud honk helps you do the opposite.

“Tell him to fuck off.” You groan, glancing at the truck behind you. Great now he’s flicking his headlights at you. “I’m literally driving at the speed limit.”

Steve shakes his head and motions to the road ahead, where the lane splits into two. “You’re fine, look, he can drive past you now.” Right on cue the truck accelerates and drives by, letting you breathe. Your shoulders sag, and when you spot a dinner in the distance you finally relax. There’s no way you’re driving the rest of the way.

“Okay, you’re switching places with me. I’ll try again tomorrow.” You announce after a sigh.

You turn the blinker on, and perfectly park on a free spot before shutting off the car and getting out. You look at the setting summer sun and breathe in to calm down, at least you made it halfway to Steve’s. Even the shirt you’re wearing feels stifling and your back is sweaty, so you take it off, which leaves you in a black tank top. “That made me age like 70 years.”

You look to your left and find Steve looking at you in that way you both hate and secretly love. He’s leaning against the car, arms crossed in front of him, and his eyes have gone soft. They linger on you, like he loves watching you, like you’re his favourite sight. But is it him or you projecting that? What does that mean, Steve, what is this look? You shake your head and look away; he always looks so handsome in the golden hour, you can’t catch a break. “I’m sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry for, stop apologizing.” He rolls his eyes, sounding exasperated but fond as he offers you a hug. You’re quick to step into his arms and relax against him, you stand no chance when it comes to Steve. He calls and you’ll always answer. Though you wish for nothing more than to bury your face in his neck and breathe him in, let yourself melt against him, you don’t. That it would be weird and you’re just friends. “You, okay?”

You nod against his shoulder and hug him tighter. “Yeah, I just wish I didn’t get so nervous.” It’s been like this a few days, you stopping and getting out of the car; it’s frustrating and a big blow to your confidence every time. “

“You know I don’t mind driving you, right?” Steve mumbles against your hair, his thumbs rubbing circles on your lower back. “If this is stressing you out too much we can stop, I’m happy to drive you anywhere.”

“I know that, Stevie.” You whisper as you close your eyes, deciding to tell him about your dream. “But I had a nightmare the other week, we were in the middle of nowhere, you were really hurt and I couldn’t drive you to the hospital. It was horrible but it made me realise if that happened, I wouldn’t be able to help and I don’t want that.”

“Babe.” Steve sighs, his hands pressing firmly up and down your back. “That won’t happen, it was just a bad dream.”

“I know, but in the off chance that it happens, I want to know that I can help you, Stevie.” You say, shutting your eyes tightly as the image of a hurt Steve comes back. There’s no way you’re losing him over something as simple as driving.

“Alright, we’ll see this through then.” Steve breathes out, holding you for a moment longer before he places a kiss to your temple and steps back. His beaming smile is back on his face, to ease your nerves, you’re sure; it works. “Let’s go, the ice cream’s going to melt. Good job today.”

❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎

“Are you sure?” You ask Steve on a Monday morning, one month of practice later you’re ready to take your driving test. Steve Harrington is offering you his car for the test.

“Of course, babe.” Steve shrugs and hands you his keys. “Let’s go get that license.”

You want to smile at him, thank him for how wonderful he’s been but there’s a sadness creeping into your heart and it casts a shadow over your joy. No more lessons after today. Steve is probably sick of you already. You, on the other hand, don’t want this to end, you want to spend more time with him. Hell, you want to spend all of your time with him. Steve notices your frown and steps closer to you, his hand reaches for yours.

“What’s wrong?” A gentle squeeze.

You let go of his hand and lie. “Nothing, I’m just nervous.” With a half-hearted chuckle you leave his side and walk towards his car. “We should get going.”

The drive towards Hawkins High is quiet, with you concentrating and ignoring your aching heart and Steve looking out his window. It’s still early and the town is quiet around you when you drive by. You’ve come so far since your first day and this is where it ends, with you coming closer to Steve after all those hours spent together –something you didn’t think could be possible. Now you’re trying to think of excuses to continue the driving lessons but come up empty handed. Maybe this was all a mistake, the worst mistake, for now your feelings are all over the place and the words I’m in love with you are on the tip of your tongue.

Your favourite song comes on the radio, and you don’t pay it any mind; you can see Steve look at you in surprise from the corner of your eye. Then, because he’s wonderful, the most wonderful and caring boy, he reaches for your hand and squeezes it tightly.

“Hey, I know you’re scared.” He says gently, “And I know me saying this doesn’t help but…”

Steve takes a deep breath, and you squeeze his hand again before he continues. “I’m not lying when I say you’re ready, so please relax this is your favourite song.”

With a quick glance at him, a grin breaks free and soon you’re laughing as Steve turns up the volume and sings loudly. “There’s a room where the light won’t find you! Holding hands while the walls come tumbling down!”

You laugh and smile and sing with him, letting nerves and aborted confessions slide off your back for now. “When they do, I’ll be right behind you!”

The two of you continue to drive like that, happy and carefree and clutching the other’s hand –like you’re unwilling to let go– until the song ends right as you arrive at the high school. Your smile is replaced by a frown and you glance at Steve as you spot the evaluator. He’s a middle-aged man wearing a plaid shirt and khaki pants, black rimmed glasses are perched on top of his nose, and a mustache sits over a deep frown. “He looks so grumpy.”

“Well, it’s 9am on a Saturday.” Steve says simply, “He probably hates you.”

Your eyes widen and you glare at your friend. “Steve!”

When he laughs you shove his shoulder and roll your eyes. Leave it to him to be a jerk when you’re already nervous. “Get out, the faster we’re done the better.”

“Okay, okay.” Steve turns on his seat to face you and his hands move to hold your face. Your next breath catches on your throat at his actions as you look into his lovely brown eyes. They’re full of faith in you, encouraging you with only one look. “Good luck.” He whispers as his thumb rubs at the apple of your cheek. Brown eyes drift down to your lips, and Steve’s face leans the tiniest bit closer to yours. Is he going to…?

Then just as fast as it happens, he’s stepping out of the car; you feel the ghost of his touch burns your skin. Not a moment later, the evaluator gets into the car.

“Seatbelt.” You mutter, watching Steve’s retreating figure head towards the bench by the entrance. Is there a tiny chance that Steve feels the same way about you?

“Let’s start.” The man next to you grumbles, snapping you back into action.

Your mind is half present on the test and half wondering about what just happened. Following your usual route through town, you come to a conclusion. Of two facts you’re absolutely sure. One: You’re hopelessly in love with Steve, and a moment ago you thought he would absolutely kiss you. The other, well the man sitting next to you hasn’t said a single word since the test started. His only instructions were Just drive. And so, you drive. Every time you try to ask something he shakes his head, so after a few turns around main street, you go back to the school.

You heave a sigh as you parallel park and shut down the engine. “Well?”

“Passed.” The evaluator hands you a slip of paper with your test without another word. You don’t care as you thank him quickly and run out of the car, towards Steve.

“Stevie!” You yell, meeting him halfway as he run towards you, and waving the piece of paper frantically. “I passed!”

“Babe! I told you so!” His arms are around you a moment later, holding you tightly and lifting you off the ground just like the day your quest for a driver’s license started. You hold onto him just as tightly, laughing against his shirt as he spins you around. “Told you, you could do it!”

When you’re back on the ground and look up at Steve, the same joy you’re feeling is shining back from his beautiful brown eyes. All the same emotions including love, in the very same way it sparkles whenever you’re looking at him. Your best friend who’s also so kind-hearted and amazing, and so devastatingly handsome, you never stood a chance against falling for him. This is who you love, who you want. The man who woke up at 6 in the morning to teach you how to drive, who chased off your fears and cheered on your wins with hugs and sweet milkshakes; the one who never once lost his temper, no matter how much you messed up. Steve who let you use his car.

“It's all thanks to you.” You whisper, hand going to his cheek and drifting upwards towards his hair. “Thank you, Stevie.”

“You know I would do anything for you.” Is all he says, his voice matching yours.

You nod, smiling a teary smile when your emotions overflow. “I love you so much, you have no idea. And I know it’s stupid but I don’t want to stop spending all that time with you just ‘cause I passed my test.”

“I think you don’t know this, but,” Steve smiles disarming you in a second as he leans closer to you. “I’m crazy about you, babe, I want to be with you all the time.”

“Really?” Your voice is breathless as you lean closer.

“Would I wake up at the crack of dawn just to see you, if I didn’t?” His lips are so close to yours you can feel your breath mingling. Then after a pause, he whispers softly, “I love you.”

Leaning up on your tiptoes you close the gap between you and kiss him. It’s a short press of lips before Steve’s hands hold your face to kiss you better, angling your faces in the perfect way to deepen the kiss. He takes your bottom lip between his, your hands run through his hair, and the brush of his lips is as soft and as urgent as you dreamed they would be. How many times have you imagined this exact moment and still be so unprepared thing. Kissing Steve is wonderful, it’s perfect, it feels like drinking stardust and glowing from within. You can tell how much both of you have wanted this from the overwhelming emotions threatening to consume you; the fact that it’s taken you so long makes you giggle against his mouth.

“What?” Steve asks against the corner of your lips, unwilling to pull away.

“Nothing,” You shake your head, stepping back and looking up at him. “I’m just so happy.”

His gaze goes impossibly softer as he looks at you, “Me too.”

A long moment later, you steal another kiss because you can, and take Steve’s hand. “Celebratory breakfast?” “You got it, beautiful.” Steve says, eyes unable to contain his affection towards you. He leads both of you back to his car, swinging your hands between your bodies. “You’re driving.”

reblogs are appreciated💖 motivate an unmotivated writer pls

#steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington x fem!reader #steve harrington fic #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington blurb #steve harrington x fem #steve harrington stranger things #stranger things fic #steve harrington fanfic

308 notes · View notes

mellaithwen · 1 year

Text

All these memories run my mind in slow motion buddie coda to 6x18 “Pay It Forward” inspired by @rosietherivendell 's agonising but amazing post :') After the bridge collapse, Eddie's reminded of the moments right after the shooting... [also on ao3]

tagged in seven sentence sunday by my darlings @homerforsure @littlespoonevan @fcntasmas @nymika-arts @rewritetheending @capseycartwright and @indigo2831 and I'll tag @princessfbi @buckactuallys @renecdote @hopeintheashes @thekristen999 @henswilsons @like-the-rest-of-la @lovebuck @ghosthunterbuck @shortsighted-owl @tripleaxeldiaz and @buttercupbuck <33

Buck says, I’ve got you, when he pulls him out from the camper van, and Eddie can’t shake the sense of déjà vu that haunts him alongside the burning ache of his broken ribs.

At the hospital, in the waiting room, and later still once they’ve all been kicked out and sent home by Athena, Eddie can’t stop thinking about it. Can’t ignore the feeling that he’s missing something; that he’s forgotten something.

Now that they’re home, Buck’s pottering away in the kitchen, and Eddie’s been ordered to stay on the couch for the foreseeable.

“Take it easy, I got this,” Buck had insisted when Eddie had made a noise of complaint at being coddled.

I’ve got you.

Christopher’s video game is set to a lower volume than usual, and ever since they’d picked him up from school, he’s been careful to sit with space between them to limit the chances of accidentally elbowing his father in pursuit of a high-score.

The cold pack Eddie’s holding against his abdomen is getting warm, and he can hear the tell-tale beeps of the timer being set on the oven. A pasta bake, if Eddie remembers correctly. Or. Was it something with broccoli?

Maybe both?

He yawns. The day’s harrowing events bear down on him, and showering away the dust and grime off of his body had taken more effort than he’d expected. He shifts, and a wave of exhaustion has him blinking slowly in its wake. He wonders what time it is, but his eyes remain closed.

“Food won’t be long,” Buck’s voice drifts from above—closer now, and Christopher responds with a hangry remark. One that, judging by the ensuing complaint of “Buuuck!” resulted in having his hair tousled for the cheek.

“Just for that you can come help me with the salad,” Buck tells Chris, and Eddie feels his son shift to his feet beside him.

“Dad’s sleeping,” he says in an exaggerated whisper but Eddie doesn’t catch a response if there is one. He feels the touch of careful fingers brushing against his own as the not-so-cold pack is gently pried from Eddie’s grasp, and without it to hold on to, the dream comes quick.

He’s on the ground—pinned by the detritus of the camper van—pinned by the threat of a sniper—pinned by the determined look of his best friend crawling across the asphalt to get to him. “Hang on, just hang on!”

Buck grabs a hold of his right arm—in one instance he apologizes in advance, in another, he screams from beneath the fire-truck as he scrambles forward, and in both Eddie yells at the pain as he’s dragged to safety. Pulled to his feet, and held by a steady grasp. Cradled and carried and lifted to safety. I’ve got you, I’ve got you, I’ve—I’ve—I’ve—

The images overlap, memories intertwined, and Eddie struggles to make sense of any of it until he sees the dried blood across the side of Buck’s face. Streaming from his nose, with small grazes by his eye. Red smears on the side of his neck, more still on his white shirt—no, his black turnout—Eddie’s mind switching between the two like some garish flip-book. Night and day, but one constant remains.

Buck.

The last thing Eddie sees clearly in the dream is the image of Buck’s face hovering above him—fear and desperation painfully visible through the violent red splatter on his cheeks. Like an awful piece of performance art, Eddie’s existence has been boiled down to an imitation of a Jackson Pollock painting on his best friend’s shirt.

Is that mine? He wonders with a new kind of horror as his eyes flutter open.

“Are you hurt?” He whispers, still caught in the dream as he slowly wakes to find Buck staring down at him, in the same way he had in the dream. Eddie reaches up to gently touch the small scratches and cuts dotted across Buck’s frowning face, only to elicit a small wince from the other man.

“You were dreaming,” Buck whispers, but he doesn’t pull away—if anything he leans into the touch, sighs at the feeling. “Dinner’s ready,” he adds softly, making no move to stand from where he’s crouched in front of the sofa. In front of Eddie.

Eddie doesn’t know how to tell him that the dreams were really memories—nightmarish ones, hidden, buried deep, and knocked loose by the image of Buck’s face—bloodied and shouting—as he pulled Eddie to safety again and again. He doesn’t know how to respond at all, so he lets his thumb drift across the beginnings of a bruise running into Buck’s hairline instead. Close, and intimate; quiet and soft.

“Were you dreaming about today?” Buck asks gently, his words laced with a painful kind of understanding. Eddie’s voice catches in his throat. Yes, and no, he thinks to say. Why didn’t you tell me? He wonders too.

Before he can say either, Christopher calls out to them from the dining table, washed up and ready to eat, and the moment has passed.

Eddie gives Buck a small smile instead, slipping into the familial domestic routine of dinner with his son and his best friend—his family.

“Help me up?” He asks with a slight groan as his ribs remind him of the endless ache that stretches closer to Eddie’s heart that he’d ever care to admit.

“Sure,” Buck says, standing tall, and reaching down, his hand outstretched to Eddie; a steady anchor, a port in the storm. Always.

“I’ve got you.”

[ also on ao3 ]

#911 spoilers #911fic #911 #911 fanfic #911 fic #buddie #buddie fic #evan buckley #eddie diaz #911 abc #911 fox #911 on fox #mellaithwen fanfic

359 notes · View notes

starogeorgina · 24 days

Text

𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧

Warnings: Swearing

Pairing: Aegon ii Targaryen × OC

1.12

You stare at Aegon as he sleeps, your eyes glued to his chest, terrified his breathing would stop at any moment. The hour was late, and your children were asleep with several knights posted outside the nursery they slept in, along with Rhaenyra’s younger sons. With everything that had happened recently, the castle had an eerie silence to it, making everyone more on edge, waiting for the next attack to happen and the next tragedy to strike. In the last few days, your heart feels like it's been ripped apart, leaving you empty and hollow, making it hard for you to think straight.

The flames of three candles flicker gently, casting a warm glow around the room and providing just enough light to see the sorrow etched on your uncle's face. He knew what you were feeling, as he had lost his second wife during childbirth along with their baby, and now he and Rhaenyra had lost a daughter.

“You may go, uncle,” you say quietly. “The hour is late, and the queen needs you by her side, so there's no point in you exhausting yourself and staying up all night.”

“It was Rhaenyra who told me to watch over you.”

Of course. Daemon was your babysitter until you could be trusted not to burn anything else down.

A few hours after you returned to Dragonstone, Daemon informed you, Alyssa, that your sweet daughter had been killed, and ever since you felt a mixture of emotions, grief being the strongest one. The question of whether you could have saved her if you stayed will haunt you forever. You clench your fists tightly, feeling the weight of both Alyssa and Harys loss pressing heavily on you. Both of them had been taken from you in a devastating manner, one that no parent should ever have to live through. Two rat catchers Daemon had hired to kill Aemond after he attacked Lucerys, double-crossed him, and killed your daughter as she slept.

It was unclear who paid blood and cheese to return to Dragonstone and commit such a horrendous act against a child, but you didn’t believe it was Aemond. Not when he still thought your children—at least your daughters—were his own.

The person you once were was long gone, and in the place of a princess who was once selfish and carefree was a scattered and broken woman. Your insides burn with an unyielding determination to avenge those you lost, yet you remain close to your family.

“Theo?”

Hearing Aegon’s hoarse voice pulls you away from your thoughts. Leaning forward, you take his unburnt hand and press a gentle kiss to the back of his unburnt hand multiple times. “You're awake.”

“I dread to think about what I’ve woken up to. I was dreaming of us.”

“Of us?” Your eyes shoot across the room to Daemon, who bows his head slightly before leaving the room. You doubted he would go far, but at least he was gracing you with some privacy.

“Do you remember when you demanded a foot rub from me and Aeron copied me? I dreamt I was back there, with you and the children.”

You remember the memory fondly. It wasn’t long after the bump of your third pregnancy started to show that your daughters played with their toys on the floor beside the chair you sat on in your bedroom. Aegon took pity on you when he saw how swollen your feet and ankles were and gently removed one of your shoes and began massaging your foot to try and relieve the pain. Aeron watched Aegon for a few moments, then pulled your other shoe off and started trying to copy his ‘uncle’. The both of you smiled at how sweet your son was.

“You had the babe.”

The feeling of his hand resting against your soft stomach brings you back to reality. You press your hand atop his as tears roll down your cheeks. The cheerfulness in his voice pains you. “I had the baby,” your voice cracks. “It was a boy; I named him Harys.”

“Is he asleep? I suppose the hour is late; I wish to see him when he wakes.” The drowsiness in his voice from the milk of the poppy becomes more evident the more Aegon speaks. “Theodora?”

The pain of delivering bad news was something you weren’t familiar with. Up until recently, nothing bad had really ever happened in your life aside from losing Tracy, and now, in the space of ten days, your father had died, Rhaenyra had her crown usurped, the both of you had given birth to dead babies, Alyssa was murdered, and both Lucerys and Aegon almost died. You look at your brother and can see the fear and uncertainty in his eyes as you mentally prepare to tell him everything.

“Theo,” he says, turning to you, sensing the gravity of the situation. His brows knit together in concern. “What is it? What happened?”

“Harys,” you begin, swallowing hard. “Harys didn't make it.”

—

After breaking fast with Aerion and Alina, you watch the two of them tearfully as the ladies-in-wait chosen by Rhaneyra prepare to help you get dressed. You were still in pain from Dallax crashing into the water and giving birth, but you refused the maester when he offered you something for the pain. You didn’t wish to cloud your judgment anymore.

“Which gown, princess?” The younger lady in waiting asks while holding up two dresses. One was crimson red with black detailing, and the other was black with a red undercoat.

“The black one.”

She nods and hands the other dress to the lady behind her. Her soft eyes flicker between you and your children. “Do you wish for them to be taken to the nursery while you are getting ready?”

“No, leave them be.” Although it was deemed improper, your son and daughter had both witnessed much worse than their mother getting changed in the same room as them. Alina would be too young to comprehend or remember anything that had happened, but it fills you with fear knowing Aeron would.

Neither your son nor your daughter look up from their toys while you get changed. The fabric of the dress was smooth against your freshly oiled skin. Since you arrived back in Dragonstone, all the gowns brought to you had the color black incorporated, a very obvious sign of showing what side you were backing.

The thought of being a family divided made your eyes well up with tears again, but they didn't fall this time. You need to be much stronger than usual; you need to hold it together; otherwise, grief would consume you.

“Mama?”

You look down at Alina. “Yes, sweetling?”

“Can we visit Uncle Aegon now?”

You chew on your bottom lip, unsure. Aegon was devastated when you told him your baby didn’t survive childbirth, but learning Alyssa died completely broke him. You stayed by his side and slept into the night until the milk of the poppy took effect and he fell into a deep slumber again.

Forcing a smile, you say, “Perhaps we shall see how he is feeling first.”

—

“Aegon,” you say quietly, not wanting to disturb your brother if he hasn’t fully woken up yet. “I have a young prince and princess here who wish to say hello. Do you feel up—”

“Yes,” he answers before you even finish the question.

Hearing Aegon’s voice, Alina brushes by your legs and runs to him excitedly, but she pauses, and when she reaches the bed, she notices the damp bandages covering one side of his body. Alina climbs up onto the bed and snuggles beside Aegon’s good side. Smiling, you pick up Aeron and walk over to the bed. He seems more frightened than his sister by Aegon’s appearance and buries his head into your neck.

You sit down across from the bed, still holding your son. Prince Daemon had been lurking nearby all morning, making sure you didn’t do anything rash, but knowing he and two knights were outside the room made you feel a little safer.

After some time, both children fall asleep, and you place Aeron beside his sister on the bed. In a hushed tone, Aegon begins speaking with you in your mother tongue. “Have you heard from our mother or Aemond?”

You stare at him for a moment, trying to determine if he’s being serious or if the milk of the poppy is messing with his mind. “What would Aemond say to me? I’m sorry, I almost killed you and started a war by attacking our nephew.”

“We started the war.”

"No, we didn’t,” you snap defensively. “We refused to usurp the rightful heir to the throne, that is all. We had nothing to do with Aemond attacking Lucerys.”

“No, we didn’t. But we are the reason Aemond snapped. Do you really think he wouldn’t have put two and two together when I left with Aeron?”

Your lip trembles. You had spent years flaunting the privilege of being a princess without facing consequences for any ill actions. You had even started to become a little brazen with your affair while pregnant with your twins. But you still didn’t believe Aemond knew the truth; if he had, he would have flown on Vhagar to Dragonstone and burned it to the ground, or at least died trying.

A lump forms in your throat. “What can we do about it now? We’ve all made our choices and need to live with them.”

“Does he know the babe is gone? That my daughter is gone?”

“No, I did think about letting our mother know, but I wouldn’t know what to say. We have no idea of what version she has heard. Your eyes tear up again. Despite everything, you never wanted to be at war with Aemond; he was still your brother. “I don’t know how to make this right, Aegon. I can’t bring Alyssa back; I don’t know how to make this pain go away.”

All the pent-up emotions burst out at once as you began to sob hysterically. The pain of losing two children was far too much for you to bear. When you regain composure, you almost chuckle, seeing that both your children are still sleeping.

Aegon carefully stretches his inburnt arm over and cups your face. “I think you should write to mother.”

“What about our sister? I don’t want her to think this is a slight against her if I do.”

The door to the room opens, and Prince Daemon, who had been eavesdropping, enters with a stern look on his face. “I shall speak with our Queen while you write to your mother. Word has just come from King's landing; it is believed you and Aegon are dead.”

—

You stand around the painted table, joined by the others in the black council, as they discuss war plans. Although your sister is advised to take her dragons into battle, Rhaenyra shows restraint and refuses to bring dragons into war, knowing that more innocent lives would be lost than enemies defeated. Plus, bringing the dragons into battle meant risking their riders' lives, and that’s not a mistake she would make again when it came to her family.

“Fucking green usurper cunts!”

Rhaenyra dismisses everyone from the room aside from yourself, Daemon, Rhaena, and Lord Coryls. Prince Jacaerys insisted on not leaving his brother's side unless absolutely necessary, and Princess Rhaenys and Lady Baela had gone to Rook’s rest on the dragon's back. The most recent news from the keep had the black council furious. “I fear this is a story fabricated by my grandsire. Twisting the truth to suit his own agenda is a skill he excels at.”

Apparently the stress of the death of King Viserys caused you to lose your baby, and you had gone mad with grief. The fearless King Aegon II of his name and Prince Aemond had gone flying on their dragons to attempt to bring you back home safely when you were attacked by the blacks. The dragons fought, and Aemond was the only survivor, and he claimed his brother died saving him.

“Is anyone foolish enough to believe this?” Lady Rhaena asks.

“No,” you answer plainly. “But nobody on the King's Council will question the story, not if they value their lives. Aegon told me our grandsire had lords who refused to bend the knee hanged in the courtyard, even those who were loyal allies to my father.”

Rhaenyra places her head on her chest as her eyes become teary. She seems genuinely shocked and upset by this news.

“Forgive me your grace, I assumed—” you're cut off when a knight enters the room, holding a scroll in his hand.

The knight bows his head at his queen. “My Queen,” he says, then turns to face you and nods his head. “Princess, a raven has arrived from the king's landing addressed to you.”

Your heart flutters with nervousness as you take it from him; you recognise the handwriting as your mother, and a little flicker of hope bubbles inside you. If anyone could help meditate, it was her; she would be furious with you and Aegon, but you prayed she would understand. Your hands shake as you open the letter and start to read it.

“Well?” Daemon says it impatiently. “Who is it from?”

“My mother,” you gasp, tears of rage forming in your eyes.

Rhaenyra holds onto her husband's arm, concern etched on her face as you ball your hand into a fist, scrunching the letter. Her gentle touch softens Daemon’s facial expression as they both realize something is wrong. Stomach acid burns in the back of your throat. How could she? How could she?

“Theodora, what’s wrong?”

Seconds before a piercing scream of anger erupts from your throat, Dallax roars loudly in the distance.

#house of the dragon #aegon ii targaryen/oc #aegon ii targaryen fanfiction #Aegon ii Targaryen x female oc #aegon ii targaryen x you #aegon ii targaryen #house of the dragon fanfiction #children of the dragon #Aegon ii Targaryen/you #aegon ii targaryen fanfic #aegon targaryen x fem oc #aegon targaryen x you #Aegon Targaryen #house of the dragon fanfic #aegon targaryen/oc #aegon targaryen x oc #aegon targaryen fanfic

58 notes · View notes

etherealvistas · 4 months

Text

Driving in Palestine now is more dangerous than ever.

Yesterday, I drove from Ramallah to Dura, a village near Hebron to attend the funeral of Ahed, my friend’s baby sister, who had just become a mother. She was shot by an Israeli sniper. A heartbreaking loss.

If I could use Israel’s apartheid roads designated for settlers, it would be an 80-90 minute drive, but it took me 4 hours.

Why?

First, we’re forced to take segregated Palestinian only roads which make it a 2.5 hour drive because of checkpoints.

But these days, it’s even worse as Israel has imposed an even more strict strangulation policy over the West Bank, which means even some of those segregated roads are blocked and there are 10 times as many checkpoints.

Taking this drive outside our village/cities of residence is extremely dangerous for three reasons:

Settler attacks: Israeli settlers are in rampage mode, and you don’t know when you could get hit by a rock or bullet from one of their raging mobs.

Soldiers at the end of a wrong turn: There are no signs for what “roads” are currently opened or closed for us, you have to guess or stop to ask locals every few miles. If you make a wrong turn and end up face to face with soldiers, they can shoot you, and claim you attacked them.

Arrests for social media posts: If you’re stopped at a checkpoint, soldiers these days are taking folks’ phones and checking their WhatsApp’s and telegram and instagram. If you have a message standing in solidarity with Gaza, or anything the Israeli soldiers see as offensive, they’ll beat you to a pulp, and could even arrest you. My friend Diala, a human rights lawyer, was just arrested at one of these checkpoints this evening. We don’t know why, but it likely relates to her work and messages they found on her phone about it.

On my end, driving back at night was a nightmare, mainly because I had a friend in the car and was worried about him.

As we drove back, these historically busy streets were ghostly empty because nobody is taking the risk of driving at night unless necessary.

Every turn I’d take, I’d slow down to a crawl to make sure there was no trigger happy soldier or angry settler ready to pounce.

I got lucky as, although we waited at a checkpoint for an hour, the soldiers got bored and literally opened the checkpoint for all the cars to pass without any security check — proof they’re using these checkpoints arbitrarily as collective punishment.

In Dura, I saw where Ahed was shot.

The soldiers had stormed her village as part of their intimidation tactics in the West Bank to keep people anxious. Ahed ran to her roof to warn her husband to come home. An Israeli sniper shot her in the head.

As I drove home, thinking of Ahed, her heart broken family, the families of my friends in Gaza, all the souls we’ve lost, and how easy my life could be taken for simply driving across my ancestral lands to help my friend in her grief.

It shouldn’t have to be said, but our lives are precious. They’re beautiful. They’re equally worthy of joy and basic dignity.

I’m committed to one day being able to drive across my people’s ancestral land a free man, surrounded by my liberated people.

If Israel’s death machine is haunting us around every corner, we might as well live fighting for a life worth dying for.

#palestine #israel is a terrorist state #free palestine #free palestine 🇵🇸#west bank #apartheid

101 notes · View notes

kiss-me-muchoo · 1 year

Text

𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐉𝐨𝐞𝐥 || 𝐉𝐨𝐞𝐥 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐱 𝐅𝐞𝐦!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 • 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐭, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐛𝐲𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐉𝐨𝐞𝐥. 𝐀𝐬 𝐄𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐉𝐨𝐞𝐥 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐦. 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐧𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐄𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐨 𝐢𝐭… 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 • 𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐒𝐓, 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬 𝐮𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫’𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐉𝐨𝐞𝐥 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐨 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐤𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬, 𝐄𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫, 𝐬𝐞𝐱 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐞. 𝐍𝐎 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃. 𝐀𝐍 • 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐌𝐀𝐉𝐎𝐑 𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 :𝟎

✰ 𝙄𝙉𝘿𝙀𝙓 (𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚) (𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙢.𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙤)

♪ ♫ 𝙋𝙀𝘿𝙍𝙊 𝙋𝙇𝘼𝙔𝙇𝙄𝙎𝙏 (𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩)

「 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐲: 𝐑𝐞𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐞, 𝐈 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐭 」 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩 5

(𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙚)

Dear Joel…

I don’t think you’ll ever read this. That’s why I’m doing it. But if you are, it’s because something happened to me. I just want to pretend you’ll know this. All those little things I never told you. Because if you die, I don’t know what I’m doing. And if for some reason I end up dead, and you live, I want you to know everything. I was born on a ranch in California. My parents wanted a home birth, and the stress of the city of Pasadena wasn’t ideal. So they decided to deliver me at my grandparent’s ranch in the East. So, yes, I was a California girl. I remember the beach and everyone laughing at my squealing when I touched the sand and the water. I was very little when the world stopped. My family and I lived on the ranch for three years, but supplies were over. The winters were arid, and rangers had tried to attack us. So we started our way to some QZ. We almost made it to the QZ of Colorado, but my mother had the flu, so they kicked us out. I was five at that time, and we discovered I had asthma. So without the inhalator, there were a couple of nights when my family sent me to sleep with a goodbye in case I didn’t make it till the following day. Then we tried on Memphis, but they didn’t have space. Until we ended up in Boston’s QZ. FEDRA allowed us because we had plenty of seeds to grow, including illegal stuff. They even allowed me to stay out of FEDRA school, it was a bribe. Also, my aunt was a firefly, yes, I bet she knew Marlene. You know? I saw you once in 2018. You were doing one of your deals with an agent. And I was taking a break from the clinic. I thought you were scary, but I liked how you never let anyone intimidate you. Then I saw you in the park, drinking something. I was about to get close, and I wanted to know you. But my aunt didn’t let me, she said you were dangerous. Do you remember that morning? When everyone was talking about the harvesting family dying. It’s okay, it will always hurt and haunt me, but I need to write it. They took me out some minutes after the shooting I caused. And while they were testing me, I bet they burned the house; you probably saw it. I know you burned my mother and my father while working, Joel. You have my mother’s locket. And I know you never told me because you wanted to protect me.

That’s one of the many reasons why I love you.

My aunt was an English high school teacher. So she educated me, and that’s why I love reading. It wasn’t just because I wanted to look attractive. My grandma was a surgeon’s assistant, and she taught me everything. So that’s why I was a nurse on the QZ. My favorite movie was Anastasia and The hunchback of Notre Dame; that’s why I begged to look for a biography of the Romanovs when you took me to the library. That night I knew you were made for me, Joel. Even if I thought you didn’t feel the same, that you felt pity for me, I knew I loved you. Because you saved me. You reformed me. Of all the patients and colleagues I used to have, no one offered help or condolence. But you, you took me from that filthy place and brought me to your home. Tired, mad, stressed, with all of that, you looked every day to get me medicines for the anemia, the inhalators, the vitamins.

And you wanted me to not fall in love with you? You’re my guardian angel, Joel; you’re my savior.

I love your expressionless face because I’m the only one who knows how you feel. When you start talking with that Texas drawl, it reminds me that you were a different person long before I met you. You have told me you feel like a bad person, but you are not that, Joel. And all the bad things you have done are being paid with your good intentions towards Ellie, as me. I wish we had met in different circumstances, where we could have had plenty of dates in the library, and I could have heard you singing on a lovely porch. Because we have the souls of artists. I can feel it. You, the singer, and me… the film director. I wanted to be a film director because I was too paranoid to be an actress. I could write a whole play about our tragic love story. Yeah, I’d like that. But you know my biggest wish is that family. The baby, the husband, and the ranch house. The truth is… I’m too fucked up for that. How many times have we talked about this?

Because right now, as I’m writing this, you are dying downstairs. I can’t help you because I’m too fucking scared. Everyone in my hands dies. I don’t wanna kill you, Joel. That girl outside this room holding your hand and you are my family. You and Ellie are my family. You two are my broken dream, and I must be grateful.

I love you, and don’t think I’ll ever love someone as much as I do with you. No matter what happens, if we live or die, you are my other half, Joel Miller. As the world caves in, I can only think of you most of the time. If you go, I still will. Because you’re always going to be in my heart. Forever

Yours, y/n.

____

“What the fuck are you doing? You should be down there stitching, Joel" Ellie said, startling you as she stomped inside the room. “I can’t…”

“What? You have a fucking pharmacy on your backpack, y/n…” you tremble slightly as you fold the letter and put it inside an envelope. “Ellie, I can’t….”

“Oh, you have to be fucking kidding me!. Girl, you have to go. He’s dying” she yells, exasperated, as you seal the envelope violently.

“I can’t do it, Ellie. I’m not killing him too!” you bet Joel could hear your rising voice even with the distance.

“What are you talking about?” the girl asks. You sigh, walking towards her.

“Everyone I have cared about before died. Just like you have experienced. In my case, I was a nurse, and I couldn’t keep anyone alive. So I won’t traumatize myself if he dies because of me…” Ellie sighed like she was comprehending your words.

“Before Marlene found me, I was gonna be a FEDRA official. And no one had died because of me. Until…” you look at her softly. The cold was bearable at the moment. Her voice wasn’t trembling. “You ever visited the mall in Boston?….”

“No…” you accept. She sighs again, looking at the improvised envelope you made.

“Don’t interrupt me while I’ll tell you this…” before you can’t say anything, she digs to tell you one of the most heartbreaking anecdotes you’ve ever heard.

…

“Did-, did you… you loved her?” Ellie stared vaguely at the floor. Her eyes were teary, but she remained firm, as usual. “I guess so….”

“Did he ever do something like that for you?” You nodded slowly. Joel has done beautiful things for you.

“He took me to the library one night. He said it was because I was being annoying for pleading for a book. But I know he did it for my birthday,” Ellie chuckled. As you started to look back at the memory…

“Darlin’…” you heard distantly as you started to wake up. As you clean the sweat on your forehead, you spot Joel caressing your leg, giving you an ecstatic look. “Joel… you’re home”

“Yeah, Tess is coming until the morning…” for some seconds, you assume he’s suggesting sex, but when he stands up, you know there’s something else. “Get changed…”

“What? Tomorrow is our free day. We should be resting…” he nods but throws some pants and a straps top at you. The summer was long and suffocating. And you didn’t understand why Joel demanded you to get some clothes.

“We’re going out….” you open your eyes widely. Stopping Joel from getting his belt and holster ready. “What? No, you know fungus grows faster in the summer. Joel…”

“Drama queen, be thankful I’m willing to take you out. We must get going if Tess is gonna be out the whole night.” he sounds calm, which is unusual. Joel was the synonym for being alert. Never relaxing, always thinking about perhaps, what if, etc.

“You’re scaring me, Joel. I dare to say I’m speaking with a different person” somehow he giggles briefly. Grabbing his backpack and getting some little brown carton box inside. “You trust me?”

“I guess so…” you say, tilting your head. He turns around and gives you a concerned look raising his eyebrow.

“You guess so, kid?” he asks, walking towards you with his raspy voice, making you shiver and feel small. Then he goes and teases you by brushing the edge of the oversized brown tee of him you were wearing. “Of course I trust you, Joel”

“Good. Let’s go then…” you roll your eyes, removing the shirt and putting on the clothes he threw you before. You’ve only been out of the QZ with Joel once. And Tess was there too, making it a little tricky for you since she didn’t have any problem telling you how slow you were going or how out of shape you were.

This time, however, Joel was being extra careful and comprehensive. After leaving the QZ, Joel checks on you every 5 minutes. He asks if you have your gun and how you are feeling.

“Break?” he asks after passing by some abandoned restaurant. You shake your head, offering him a shy smile. He thinks you were trying to be strong after the last time. Joel knew you were insecure because of Tess and her snarky comments at you. He couldn’t fight her, though, just send her disapproving looks.

“Okay, we’re close c’mon” you don’t know where you’re going yet. You had been walking for at least 25 minutes. No clickers yet. Everything was silent.

“And so… Why you had been so obsessed with this weird Russian revolution stuff?” he asks suddenly, entering a hallway. You are surprised he’s asking you questions to iníciate a conversation, but you’re happy to answer.

“I found a book in the clinic last week. It was an encyclopedia of the most famous revolutions in the world…” you say, remembering the big old book with green hardcover. “French, Mexican, and Russian revolutions are the most interesting.”

“I don’t remember anything from that. Sounds boring…” Joel admits guiding you towards a door.

“You can’t even read, I bet. Of course, you find it boring” he gives you a bad look, causing you to chuckle. He looks at you with adoration because he loves making you laugh even when he isn’t trying. “I’m kidding….”

He sighs, making you believe he’s mad. But right after that, he brushes your hair back, startling you. So when you look at his eyes, he’s giving a little smile.

“Get in, darlin’…” he says, pointing at a little window beside the door he walked you through. “I locked the door some days ago, but you can get through the window and open it for me…”

“So you were here before?” you ask, wondering if he came there with Tess. It stings your heart a little, but you brush it off.

“Correct. I secured it was clean, so I could bring you too…” his statement makes you blush. And after a playful exchange of smirks, you climb the trash container with the help of Joel. After opening the window, you check if it’s too high to jump, but it’s not.

Joel waits patiently, and seconds later, you are opening the door.

Joel steps inside and closes the door with the lock again. He knew the building was empty, the main entrance was covered with cement, and the windows were upholstered with thick wood pieces.

“Now, close your eyes,” you shrug, closing your arms hesitantly. “Oh, so you brought me here to get rid of me?”

“Shut up. Now close your eyes and fucking turn around” he regrets being cold, so when you obey him, he goes and kisses your forehead. Which melts your heart.

“You’ll like it…” you trust him, so you just nod. Joel starts guiding you in what you assume it’s a long corridor, then he makes you go up some little stairs and finally turn to the right.

“Open your eyes…” slowly, you do so. He could take his hands off your hips but keeps them there.

You gasp in surprise. There’s an extensive library in front of you, with bright colors and tons of books stocked on shelves alphabetically.

“Joel…” you start, but you can’t finish. There were a lot of ingrown plants scattered across shelves, and there was a lot of dust everywhere, but it was beautiful. Unfortunately, the whole place was frozen in time because the library didn’t have the resources to loot when the outbreak happened.

“This is beautiful,” you opt to say. Holding his right hand on your hip, trying to tell him how much you appreciate what he had done.

“I was growing tired of hearing you talk about these Russian people every day” he’s lying, but you don’t know. Actually, he loved hearing you spit random facts every day. It made him feel some sort of normality in his daily routine. Also that your birthday was in days, so he wanted to make something good for you. Mainly because it was your first year without your family.

“Sorry. I’ll hurry up, so we don’t stay very long….” you say, embarrassed. But as you start to walk away, Joel makes you stop.

“No. We can stay a couple hours. We’re not too far from the QZ.”

“Okay…” you reply shyly. Joel curses himself. He isn’t a soft guy. He knew it. But you were so perfect. Never afraid of showing how you felt or apologizing, always being open, willing to smile even when you were rooting inside.

He stays near the entrance with his gun in hand. But he only has eyes for you wandering across every hallway full of shelves. He looks over the window once, and when he sets his sights on you again, you already have a pile of books in your hands.

“Joel…” he goes to you, looking so little between the tall piles of books. “Can you reach me that book?”

He chuckles, grabbing the purple book and passing it to you. It’s a herbalist book with tons of remedies and suggestions.

“This is very helpful. I know it’s hard to find some seeds or else, but this is a need” you say, flipping through the pages. Joel loves how versatile you can be. You aren’t just looking for cheesy old novels or dead Soviet royal families.

“Yeah, I really like the tea you make,” he accepts, making you smile. Joel and Tess complained about having too many plants inside the apartment. Still, once you started using them for cooking, they never said anything else again. The pair of adults had to accept you were resourceful, you required medicines from them, but you gave them a lot of things that compensated for your needs.

“Thank you. I’m saving my favorite seeds, though….” you mumble, reading some pages.

“Why?” He asks to lean against a shelve.

“When I find a house. I’ll have my garden and plant tulips and beetroots so I can pick them with my baby every spring” it’s silly, but that’s your wish. Joel remains quiet for some time. Then, of course, he wouldn’t say anything. He’s not in love with you; he just appreciates you. It doesn’t mean it won’t hurt but…

“Okay… let me check what I have” you break the silence with a big smile. Then, walking to some big table with dust and broken glasses, you place the pile of books you collected.

Joel read; Hamlet, Valley of the Dolls, understanding surgery, A Garden of Herbs, and History of the Russian revolution.

“Surgical book?” Joel asks, arching a brow. You nod without looking at him.

“You don’t know when it’s gonna happen. I could save a life…” he knows you remembered your family. The way you stopped smiling makes him take your hand.

“Hey, if something happened to me, you would be the only one I would let treat me” you smile sadly at him. He pats your arm and brushes your hand with his fingers.

“Let’s hope that doesn’t happen,” he nods, smiling very little. Still, he leans carefully soon after watching your face, barely illuminated by the last sun rays that peek through the parched windows. And both of you end up kissing. You like to think that’s how having a high school sweetheart must've felt. Surrounded by books and plants, in your dystopian brain, it worked.

You want to scream, I love you. Because you do, you love the man that’s kissing you. You would do anything to protect him; if he ever needed your healing hands, you wouldn’t let him die.

“Is it just bad luck?, Or that life actually hates us?” you shrug at the girl before you. “Probably both….”

“Listen Ellie. No matter what happens, I’ll take you to the fireflies…” she sighs, looking at the floor before pinching the bridge of her nose.

“No. You will go down there and save Joel.” again, you shake your head. But Ellie is determined, so she takes your arms, caging you.

“Yes. You are a fucking nurse, you have a whole damn pharmacy in your backpack, and you have a surgery book. You have to save him. We need him…” she’s pleading. She doesn’t want to lose Joel, and she doesn’t want to make you lose him. “That man loves you, if it wasn’t for you he must’ve dumped me already. I know what I’m saying; that man saved your life. If you love him, you’ll go and do the same.”

You can feel the tears coming, but you remain still. Joel trusted your hands. He only considered you to treat him. He reminded you many times, even after taking you to the library. That if anything happened to him, you would save him. And Ellie is correct. You’ll do the same because you love him. You need him because you are so close to having that fucking ranch house, that man, and the garden of tulips and beetroots.

“Find some matches. And take Joel’s duct tape…” she can’t help but smile a little. Then she nods and starts running downstairs. But you stop her.

“Ellie…” she turns back, waiting for your words. “If he lives, give him the letter. Only if it’s necessary”

“How I will know it’s necessary?” she asks confused. “You’ll know…”

She nods, and in seconds, she’s out againZ. Taking some time, you take your breath and start praying. Not that you were very religious, but you needed to pray at that moment, hoping that someone would listen to you.

I can do this. I won’t kill him. I’m helping him. I’m going to save Joel.

You don’t look at him when you enter the cold room. He’s watching you while shaking and gasping for air. But you can’t do it; you’ll sob with your head on his chest.

Joel watches you taking some stuff out of your backpack before cross-sitting beside him. You open the white box, and you’re greeted with tons of little bottles of medicine and antibiotics. Needles, injections, band-aids, patches. But you shake when you take the little surgical instruments, and Joel stops you, taking your right arm.

“Joel. No…” you say in a low tone. But Joel doesn’t let you go. “Take her to the north. Go with Tommy…”

“Joel, shut up…” you’re ignoring him. Opening a bottle of alcohol, you sunk the needles in there. “Please, y/n. You have to go…”

“I’M NOT LEAVING YOU BEHIND!” Just in time, Ellie entered the picture. She heard you, but she didn’t say anything. She only handed you some matches. Joel remains quiet. He won’t hurt you anymore. In fact, he’s faithful about your nursing skills and wants to survive that day to complete the quest. He can already taste the feeling of living in that ranch home you desire. He’s determined to make you happy.

“They’re a little wet…” she said nervously. So then, under the tired look of Joel, you test the matches.

“It’ll work…” the man and the girl watch you breathing, trying to relax. It stopped snowing some hours ago, so the weather feels slightly warmer. But, when you open your eyes, Ellie takes one of Joel’s hands. He’s crying silently, with a blank expression. And you don’t know if it’s because of the pain or the bunch of emotions feeling in that old creaky room, or both.

“You’re gonna be fine, my love. You’re gonna be fine…” you whisper, leaning to kiss his forehead. He gives you a sad look before you start spreading a match across the instruments, hoping to sanitize them.

As you push his shirt up, the cold air hits Joel, and he starts shaking in discomfort. The blood was running nonstop, and it was hard for you to not freak out.

But somehow, you find some strength in Joel’s eyes, pleading with you. For help, for hope…

“Check if he doesn’t have a fever….” Ellie nods, touching Joel with the back of her hand. “I think he’s just cold…”

“Good, now… okay, here we go…” officially, you start to work. Joel grunts and moans in pain every time he has to touch his loose that’s drowning in a pool of blood.

Meanwhile, he wants to hold your hand, but you’re busy. He watches you work so concentrated. Asking Ellie every once in a while if he has a fever.

After what feels like an hour, you have stitched the wound. Joel is sweating and tired, and after injecting him with a shot of vitamins, he can breathe normally.

“It’s okay, Joel. You can rest now” he barely had some strength to move. Still, after you tell him it’s over, he lets you know he wants to feel you closer. So you lean again, touching foreheads and peppering his cheek with kisses. All he can do is snuggle to get closer to you. If he lives, he’s always going to thank you.

“I love you….” you whisper to him. Holding him softly and feeling him brushing your hand, and feeling his heart beating.

@aonungstsahik @buckysmainhxe @amethystwonders11 @kyuupidwrites @bookfrog242 @acornacreacure @enbywan @ipadkidsworld @my-obsession-spn @happycupcakeenthusiast @thesameoldboo @spideysimpossiblegirl @tubble-wubble @flightlexsbird @randomstory56b @memento-mora @royalty-cashinout @ayamenimthiriel @eddies-bat-tattoos @kassieesworld @damnzelsoul @floffytofu @rhyanna6012 @floralsightings @pedro-pascal-3nthusiast

#joel miller x reader #joel miller #pedro pascal x reader

280 notes · View notes

toomanystoriessolittletime · 1 year

Text

Healing

Summary: A quiet night in after escaping what should have been certain death in Kansas city turns into a nightmare when you wake up to find out your sister had been infected.

(future) Pairing: Joel Miller x fem. reader

Wordcount: 1.4k

Rating: M

Warnings: SPOILERS for Episode 5 of The last of us, angst, (little fluff though?), character death, implied suicide thoughts, blood, does have kind of a happy end though

A/N: This came to me after watching the latest episode of The last of us. I am not saying this could turn into a series. But you should know me by now lmao Thank you @psychedelic-ink for reading over this for me 💜

follow @toomanystoriessolittletime-fics to get notified for new updates

A part of Joel still could not believe they made it out of Kansas City unharmed and alive. All of them. His sole focus should have been on Ellie. Getting her out of there. Getting her to the fireflies. But he wanted to keep you safe too. You and your sister.

You were joining them on their way to find Tommy.

Even if they walked all day it would take weeks until they were even close to finding him.

He had been taken off guard that night you had found them, holding your gun pointed against Ellie before you asked him for help. And while his first instinct was to shoot you, he couldn’t deny that you were… beautiful.

He jumped out of reflex, his hand finding his gun when you walked back in.

When you had come to the abandoned motel and settled the girls down in the room next door you had told him that you had to use the bathroom, taking your backpack with you. You gave him a weak smile as you settled down across from him on the floor.

“Thank you,” you said quietly. He tilted his head.

“For getting us out of there. You didn’t have to,” you said, opening your backpack to look for something to eat. You smiled when you found some grapes that had surprisingly survived the journey. You got up and handed them to Joel who looked at you with a strange expression.

“You’re welcome,” he said, his finger brushing over yours as he took the grapes from you. You smiled softly, nodding once before you turned around to your makeshift bed.

Your smile widened when you heard the girls next door giggle. You hadn't heard your sister laugh in a long time.

You didn’t notice Joel watching you as you prepared your bed and got out of your boots before you laid down.

You sighed, closing your eyes before you turned to your side.

Joel had turned the light off, his silhouette only visible by the moonlight shining through the dirty windows.

“Do you ever wonder how your life would be if the outbreak hadn’t happened?” you asked after a while, not even sure if he was still awake.

“Not really,” he said after a while.

“I wonder about it all the time. I was barely sixteen when it happened. I wonder where I would work now. If I’d still be friends with the people I went to school with. I wonder if I would have experienced real love even once,” you whispered.

“You’ never been in love?”

“I’m... not sure,” you answered after a while. You heard him shift on the floor.

“You’d know if you had been, trust me.”

“What’s it like?” you asked. You heard him sigh.

“You can’t stop thinking about the person you love. Ever. Fucking sucks,” he groaned and you chuckled.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” you said softly, ignoring the way you hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Joel since the moment you had seen him for the first time.

“Sleep. We got a long way to go tomorrow,” he said.

“Good night,” you whispered, falling asleep within minutes, missing how Joel got up to cover you with his jacket to keep you warm.

It happened too fast.

You were abruptly woken up by Ellie’s scream before the door burst open and you watched with wide eyes as your baby sister attacked the other girl. Your gun was out and pointed towards the girls on the floor, Ellie fighting against your baby sister.

The screech that came out of your sister’s mouth would haunt you forever.

“Don’t,” you heard Joel say but you were blinking your eyes to try to make sense of what you were seeing. Ellie was screaming, trying to get your sister off of her. She was just trying to sink her teeth into Ellie and before you realised what you did, your finger had pulled the trigger, the gunshot abruptly bringing silence into the room.

You watched the blood pool beneath the body of your sister, unable to realise what you just did. You blinked your eyes a couple of times, the gun in your hand shaking as it still pointed towards where Ellie was now looking at you with tears running down her cheeks.

“Don’t,” your head snapped to the side, your eyes finding Joel’s, your gun still pointed to where you just had shot your baby sister.

Joel was looking at you, his hands in front of his body in a calming manner. As if he was approaching a wild animal.

You shook your head, your eyes wide.

“I… I …. I….” you stuttered, the gun shaking in your hands. You began to turn your head back to look at her when Joel snapped you out of it, snipping his fingers.

“Do not look at her, look at me,” he said. You shook your head, your lips trembling.

“What did I just do?” you asked yourself, your voice breaking.

Joel said your name and your eyes found his.

“Put down the gun,” he said, taking a careful step towards you but your fingers only grabbed the cold metal of the gun harder, your finger aching from how tight you were gripping it.

No matter where you looked, all you saw was how you shot your sister. The sister you had protected from a whole city for weeks.

The only family you had left on this god forsaken planet.

You wanted the pictures to stop. Your eyes wandered to the gun in your hand.

You could make it stop. You could make the pictures stop. You could make it all stop. You just had to….

Joel said your name again and you looked at him.

“Please don’t,” he said pleadingly, taking another step closer and this time you loosened your grip, tears filling your eyes.

“I killed her,” you whimpered.

You turned your head but before you could look at her again Joel was there, one of his hands pulling the gun out of yours, his other hand turning your head so you had to look at him.

“You saved us. You saved us all,” he said, and then his other hand was on the other side of your head, making you look at him and only him.

“I killed her,” you sobbed, whimpering before you broke down. Before you could hit the floor Joel had pulled you against him, holding you up as you broke down in his arms.

“I know,” he whispered against your ear.

“I’m here,” he mumbled and your fingers dug into the fabric of his shirt, crying against him.

“I’m here.”

You were kneeling at your sister's grave, your tears dried, but your heart broken. She had her whole life in front of her. You would never see her grow up. You would never see her smile again. You would never talk to her again.

Ellie knelt down next to you, putting her writing pad on top of the grave, the words I’m sorry written on it.

You looked at her briefly as she got back up.

“What direction is west?” she asked.

“There,” Joel said from behind you and you closed your eyes, breathing in deeply. You wondered if there would ever come a day where you wouldn’t hurt. Where you wouldn’t feel guilty anymore.

You got back up on your feet, slapping the dirt off your knees as you briefly looked at Joel.

He was looking after Ellie.

“Will it ever stop hurting?” you asked. His eyes found yours before he looked down at his watch.

“No,” he finally said and you nodded.

He looked after Ellie, a strange expression on his face.

You didn’t know who he lost, but you knew whoever it was must have been important to him.

“But it will get better, if you allow yourself to heal,” he said as he looked back up at you. He bent down, picking up his backpack and jacket, putting it on.

“How do you allow yourself to heal?” you asked.

“I don’t know but I think I’m ready to find out,” he said and you swore his lips barely twitched upwards into what could be considered a smile before he walked past you and followed Ellie.

You took one last look at your sister's grave, before you grabbed your backpack which now also contained hers. And then you turned around, taking step after step into a new future.

#my fic #Joel Miller #Joel Miller x fem. reader #Pedro Pascal #tlou #fanfiction #fanfic #fan fiction

236 notes · View notes

rosemaidenvixen · 8 months

Text

Tales of Arcadia Halloween Fic recs

Any TOA fans out there looking for something spooky to read around Halloween? Well then this is the the list for you! A compilation of my favorite horror and Halloween themed Tales of Arcadia fics. Some of these are safe for all ages, but some do lean hard into horror, so mind the tags and read with caution.

Arcane Blight @avirxy Do you like horror? Do you like Tales of Arcadia? If the answer is yes to both then stop what you're doing and read this. Takes place in an alternate universe where Jim is the new kid in Arcadia, and he quickly realizes that this innocent looking town has dark secrets lurking beneath the surface. To say any more would ruin a lot of the truly gut punching, jaw dropping twists and turns this story has.

The Changeling Masquerade @earth-ambassador-jim Takes place in the author's changeling Toby au. Shows how exactly changelings celebrate Halloween, but with a sinister twist.

Tear Me In Two (The Moonlight Will Anyway) @avirxy Two words. Werewolf Claire. In a monster hunter au Claire gets a nasty bite from a lycanthrope and the whole group struggles with the consequences. One of my all time favorite pieces of werewolf media for the absolutely phenomenal way it explores what it means to unleash the beast within.

Through the Veil @pinkytoothlesso11 This one's just getting started, but holy hell what a start! Jim doesn't given much credibility to Eli's ramblings of monsters and conspiracies in their town, until he witnesses someone he trusts performing a horrific ritual on Halloween night that brings everything he thought he knew into question. Now Jim and his friends are far from home and lost in a world hostile to human kind, and no guarantee that they'll make it home safe.

Something's wrong with Arcadia @earth-ambassador-jim When Jim and team Trollhunters aren't running around causing problems, what does the average Joe think of the strangeness going on in Arcadia? Bular and goblins and changelings shown from a mundane point of view in a way that's absolutely chilling.

31 Days in the Darklands @xdeusxmachinax Not technically a Halloween story, but takes place near and on Halloween with tons of horror and spooky imagery. I always give it a re-read each spooky season. In the wake of an unconventional treaty Strickler struggles to keep balance between Trollmarket, the Janus order, Arcadia, and the Darklands but the universe seems to sabotage him at each stage, and there's more than just pumpkin spice in the air this year in Arcadia.

Snippets, Snails, and Trollish Tales @whitherwanderyouspirit Some mostly Stricklake centered Halloween one shoots ranging from sweet to spooky to downright terrifying.

The Manor atop the Hill @avirxy A Haunted House story like you've never seen done before. When a desperate and frightened Jim follows his mother into the mysterious mansion on the outskirts of town he finds himself trapped in more ways than one. No one has lived in this house for as long as anyone can remember, but it is far from empty. Forced to rely on ghosts and a mysterious girl, Jim has to keep his wits about him if he wants to escape with his life, and his soul, intact.

cave bestiam @rosemaidenvixen Based on the online two sentance horror story "A girl heard her mom yell her name from downstairs, so she got up and started to head down. As she got to the stairs, her mom pulled her into her room and said, “I heard that, too.” But staring Barbara and Jim.

Fear of Fears @rosemaidenvixen An alternate take on my sunshine au. Jim decideds to sneak out on Halloween by passing his troll form off as a costume, a decision that will ripple outward into horrific consequences.

Tales of All Hallows Eve @rosemaidenvixen Collection of my Halloween themed one shots and drabbles.

Dig your eight graves @rosemaidenvixen Eight teens from Arcadia wander far from home and suffer a brutal attack from an evil that was much closer to home than they could ever imagine. Alone and traumatized, one of them makes a bargain in order to reclaim what was taken from them. They gain everything they ask for and more, but lose more than they ever thought possible.

A Bunch of Hocus Pocus @rosemaidenvixen A collection of 31 spooky and Halloween themed one shots for Tales of Arcadia and The Owl House, released one per day each day of October until Halloween.

#tales of arcadia #trollhunters #fic rec #halloween #toahalloween #fanfic masterlist #rmvspeaks

62 notes · View notes

euphoniumpets · 1 year

Text

NO MOURNERS, NO FUNERALS | CHAPTER FOUR

Prompt: ''Run, run, that's all we ever do from our past but it will come back haunting us.'' You paused, staring into the brown eyes that you once had fallen in love with. ''Do you think it'll stop before we even die?''

Please don’t plagiarize my work - I spend a lot of my time writing, copying and pasting destroys that.

Pairing: Kaz Brekker x heartrender! reader

Warnings: ptsd, trauma flashbacks, alcohol, violence, blood and gore.

Tag list: @athenasproverbs @natsgaygf @lyria-skyfall @crystallizedtime @xcharlottemikaelsonx @honeynicoole @motheroffae @queenofshinigamis @outlawqueen17 @wolfleah @natsgaygf @dumb-fawkin-bitch @outlawqueen17 @britishbassett

A/N: so glad that you guys are enjoying this series as much i am writing it! thank you all for the likes and reblogs. I will put some small glimpses of the reader's past but everything will be explained further in season two! all of these chapters are not proofread.

prologue - one - two - three - four - five - six - seven - eight - nine - ten

You remembered when the firepox began and how sick Jordie and Kaz was. You tried everything in your power to keep them healthy and alive, but you weren't a healer, you were just a heartrender. You were saving your money so that the three of you could survive, but it wasn't enough.

You remembered when Jordie coughed with a raspy voice that only got worse as the night went on. It was keeping all of you up, knowing that you needed to rest if you were to recover. Kaz was next to you, clinging his arms protectivly with no symptoms just yet, but you feared that he was going to be worse soon too.

It was only a week that Jordie had fallen ill and you heard how his heartbeat was faint, almost giving up but Jordie tried to fight his very last breath. To this day, you could hear how his heart stopped during the firepox. It was one of the few reasons why you stopped using your powers. Every time when you heard the heartbeats, it filled you with sickness, but as the time went on, the feeling disappeared, but the haunting memory of Jordie started to appear.

''I got a new lead,'' You heard Kaz reply as soon he walked inside of your shared room. You snapped your head to him, surprised that you didn't hear his footsteps. You were too deep in thought to remember Pekka Rollins and how he destroyed your life to realize Kaz had walked inside of the room.

''What is it?'' You asked. ''A man who goes by by the name of the Conductor,'' He answered and leaned against the door. You nodded and took of your coat. ''You were thinking of him, weren't you?'' Kaz asked and narrowed his eyes. You bit your lip, trying to hide a smile as you walked behind and changed your clothes. Kaz knew you too well.

''You know me,'' You spoke, turning your head to look at him before walking out of the chamber. ''It wasn't your fault,'' He replied. ''I know, yet, I couldn't to much at that time,'' You sighed before taking your coats.

''We're getting Jesper?'' You asked and he nodded, not letting the conversation further. You handed him the coat as you put on your own before walking out to the streets.

Thinking back earlier, it was the reason why you stopped using your powers. The memories of Jordie haunted you too much and you couldn't bear of using them. ''Jesper, new job,'' Kaz spoke as you spotted the Zemeni boy. ''Come along,''

''I mean it, We need a demo man,'' Jesper told the two of you. ''You're still on that?'' Kaz questioned and shook your head. ''Of course he is,'' You muttered. ''I just brought it up tonight,'' Jesper replied.

''Jesper, you ask for an explosives expert on every job,'' You remarked and arched an eyebrow. ''Because I don't want to be the one you point and say: explode something for us,'' Jesper commented. ''That's not Jesper talent, I shoot with style, and I look good, just play my strenght, boss,'' You shook your head and hid your smile.

''Alina Starkov will be kept at the Little Palace, entering the Little Palace requires us to be quiet, blowing something up, we've likely failed,'' Kaz informed. ''And it would be a result for death,'' You commented.

''Morbid,'' Jesper spoke. ''Then we should take Inej, she's a good investment, more quiet and she can't stay here, you know that,'' Jesper told you. ''Trust me, I know,'' You told him. Jesper grabbed Kaz's coat, only to realize his mistake when Kaz looked at him with a glare. Jesper pulled Y/N in front of him, sending Kaz a small smile before hitting Jesper on his arm.

''Whoa, hang on, aren't we on Pekka's turf now?'' Jesper questioned with wide eyes. ''I got Heleen now and ask for her buyout, she knows that we need Inej and sets a price that I can't pay,'' You told him as Jesper looked at you.

''That's evil, well, how do you know that?'' Jesper asked. ''It's what he would do,'' Kaz added as they looked at the building. ''Besides, Inej refuses to kill, would you trust her in a matter of life and death?'' You questioned.

''Yes,''

''Well, I've trusted her this far and I'm still alive, so, yeah,'' Jesper commented. ''Now, you want to tell me why we're scoping out a rival club?'' Jesper asked as while you and Kaz exchanged a look. ''We got a lead,'' You replied. ''To have a talk with an old buisness partner,'' Jaz filled in. ''The bouncers will know you on sight,''

''Make sure they don't see us,'' Kaz told Jesper. Jesper nodded as Y/N and Kaz backs against the wall as you heard a gunshot wearing off. ''You!'' One of Pekka's bouncers exclaim as Jesper turns around at the man and held his hands in the air, acting innocent.

''You heard that too?'' You heard Jesper question the man. You and Kaz let Jesper do the job while you followed him into the building. You let Kaz leading the way until they reached to the familiar door.

''Boris why would you..''

''It's been a while, Poppy,'' You spoke as they see Kaz and Y/N standing in the middle of the doorway. ''Hiya, darling,'' Poopy greeted them and grabbed the gun and pointing it toward Kaz. ''I see you're still upset,'' Kaz replied. ''About you stealing my shares of the Crow Club?''

''It wasn't stealing, it was just a raw deal, most deals in the Barrel are,'' You spoke with a smile. Poppy lowered the gun and placed it back to the vanity. ''What do you two want?'' Poppy asked.

''I need you to find someone, or at least learn how to find them, tonight,'' You told Poppy. ''Looking for a club act, aren't we?''

''That's why we have Jesper,'' You commented with a chuckle. ''We're looking for the conductor,'' You told Poppy. ''So you know him,'' Kaz replied when he noticed Poppy's expression. ''This is about a job, isn't it?'' Kaz rolled his eyes. ''One that sends you all the way east for a million Kruge? You'll never make enough to compete with Pekka, you know? He's a king, you're just the Bastard of the Barrel,''

''The prettiest one out of the two,'' You commented and you saw the corner out of your eye that Kaz gave you a look. ''Tante Heleen wrote you?'' Kaz questioned. ''Just this evening, you snoop, she was asking about the conductor as well,''

You and Kaz shared a concerned look. ''Probably about the same job, so, I warned him to steer clear of her,''

''You warned him? With a note?'' You asked as Poppy nodded. ''She wanted you to do that so she could have the messenger followed,'' Poppy informed. ''She wouldn't hurt him, would she?''

''She would if it meant hurting me, now if you have any loyalty to him, tell me where he is: right now,'' Kaz demanded as Poppy wrote down the directions on a note and handed it over to Kaz.

Jesper, Y/N, and Kaz walked with a fast pace. Knowing that Kaz had a limp, he was quite quick. ''Saints, he's fast,'' Jesper breathed out as they tried to keep it up. ''I know,'' You responded. ''Have you two done anything?'' Jesper questioned, making you look at him and roll your eyes.

''It's none of your buisness, Jesper,'' You replied. ''Jesper, guard the door, Y/N, you're with me,'' Kaz ordered. ''Got it boss,'' Jesper said and you followed after Kaz. They walked through the building and searched for the conductor. Kaz looked at Y/N, asking if she heard any heartbeats.

You scanned the hallway, hearing two heartbeats near. You nodded as you followed after the sound, Kaz following shortly after. ''Don't,'' Kaz spoke, a knife comes flying across the room and you shoved him away. ''He's our way to Alina Starkov,'' You replied and looked at Inej.

''Him?'' Inej asked with disbelief. ''Heleen knew it,'' You told her softly. ''She was using you to sabotage our mission,'' Kaz added and she shook her head. ''She and I made a deal,'' She revealed with guilt flashing her eyes.

''It isn't worth more than what we get him alive,'' Kaz told her. Inej turns away from the conductor and looked at Kaz. ''You choose him over my freedom,'' Inej spoke and looked at you.

''Inej, you assume It's one or another,'' You told her. You watched her pull away her knife from his throat, leaving a small cut. You watched as Kaz approached the conductor. ''Conductor, we have a job for you,''

The man stared at him with a frightened look. ''Get us to the Little Palace,'' Kaz told him. The man didn't spoke but nodded. ''Good, Inej, untie him, I will be waiting outside,'' Kaz replied and turned around to walk outside of the room.

You followed after Kaz. ''At least he's still alive,'' You told him from behind.

''Jesper,'' You spoke, watching the boy jump with surprise. ''Saints, Y/N,'' He replied. ''Inej will be out in a moment with our guest, then we go back to the Crow Club and get ready to leave,'' You informed him as you all watched Inej walk out. ''What are you going to do with Inej?'' You asked him as you all walked back to the club.

''Don't worry, I have a plan,'' Kaz told you and you just raised your eyebrow in response.

You waited for Kaz's return and you don't notice Kaz walk inside of the room, but you heard his heartbeat jump. You looked up from your book with an arched eyebrow when you caught him staring at you. ''How long did it take for you to notice when I stepped into the room?'' He asked and placed his hat down at the desk.

''Oh please, I noticed when you were close to the door,'' You responded with a small smile. ''Just wanted to see your reaction,'' You replied and chuckled. ''I paid Tante Heleen a visit,'' Kaz said and that made you look up from the floor with a frown. ''Why?''

''Kaz,'' You told him with a stren voice when he didn't answer your question. Kaz grabbed his coat and hung it up on the wall. ''I put up my shares of the crow club as collateral,''

''You what?'' You exclaimed and walked over to Kaz with a shocked expression. You didn't understand why, but you could understand why he did it. Hell, you would've do it too since you would do anything to protect your crows. ''Inej?'' You asked him softly.

Kaz didn't say anything and kept his gaze on the floor. ''I couldn't let her stay here and let's face it, she's the one who's pulling us together,'' Kaz admitted. Ever since you bought Inej, Kaz had always a rival against her. You didn't know why. Inej was such a sweet girl and you adored her, but Kaz on the other hand was a harsh critic.

You tried to assure Inej that nothing was personal, but Inej believed that Kaz hated her. Little did she know that Kaz tried to protect his crows. ''And here I thought that you didn't had a soft spot for her,'' You teased him after a long silence.

Kaz looked up from the floor, hiding a small smile out of the corner of his mouth. ''What can I say?'' He shrugged. ''You're the one who trained her after all,'' You smiled. Maybe Kaz and Inej could put their rivals behind and befriend each other.

Getting into a stuffed carriage on the way to Novokribirsk and then 3 hours on a boat, you felt exhausted. You sat near Kaz since there was no room between them. You knew that Kaz had a dislike for touch and the only thing that could keep him insane was you. ''I didn't hire you simply to get us across the Fold, you're with us because you smuggle Grisha out of the Little Palace, and that's the location of our target,'' Kaz told him.

''Sun summoner,'' inej corrected him. ''Alleged,'' You and Kaz spoke at the same time, sending Inej a look. ''They wouldn't keep a fraud in the most secure place in all of Ravka,''

''If it meant attention, they would,''

''You said you have a contact who can get us inside, a heartrender,'' Kaz told him as he nodded. ''Nina grew up there,'' He told you. ''Most Grisha grew up in the Little Palace,'' You told him, giving him a look. ''Very few would betray their general, and fewer still would help foreigners kidnap their most prized posession,'' Kaz continued.

''Nina is a radical, thinks Grisha should get to choose if they serve the Crown, she despise involuntary service more than she does Fjerdans,'' They pulled up to a building where you expected where Nina should be and you noticed the innkeeper counting Fjerda krydda. ''She knew to expect us,'' Arken says.

You looked around the room, seeing that she packed her stuff already and had gone away. You saw the corner out of your eye that Jesper picked up a piece of bread on the plate and began to chew it. You sent him an amusing look. ''She isn't late, she's gone,'' Kaz stated.

''Yes, but her things are all...'' Kaz trailed off and lifted the cover of her bag and you saw a wolf symbol beneath of it. ''What is it?'' You heard Jesper's muffled voice ask. ''Jesper, close your mouth while chewing,'' You told him.

''Yes, mum,'' Jesper spoke with a muffle voice as he kept chewing on the bread, sending you a look, making you roll your eyes. ''Drüskelle, they're ruthless Grisha hunters,'' Arken stated and you frowned as you watched him pick up the pin. ''Explains the Fjerda krydda the inkeeper was contain when he arrived,'' You muttered. ''It's likely he ratted her out,'' Inej walked over to the window.

''She's probably captive on a ship to Fjerda by now,''

''They had a clear line of attack,'' Kaz replied and looked at Inej. ''Take a look, make sure there aren't more surprises,'' Kaz told her as Inej jumped off the balcony. ''Well, that's that,'' You and Kaz looked at the Arken. ''We've lost our way into the Little Palace,'' Arken commented as you all walked out of the building. ''All clear,'' Inej spoke.

''This seems like a reasonable juncture to abandon this whole Sun Summoner plan,'' Arken said as Kaz turned around and you narrowed your eyes. ''Abandon?''

''We're in this now, and I know what a million Kruge means to me, what does it mean to you?'' Kaz questioned and looked at you and then at Inej and Jesper. ''Freedom,'' Inej answered first before Jesper followed after.

''Fun, like, at least few months,''

''Retirement,'' You spoke. ''Right, so we press on, get us across the Fold and I'll figure out the rest on the other side,'' Kaz replied and looked at the conductor. ''Fine,'' The conducor said with a defeating voice and held out a pad of paper. ''To cross, I'll need 2o pounds of alabaster coal, a peck of Mejdalon jurda, uh, not the kind from Kerch, it's too weak, and uh...'' You watch his eyes trails on Jesper.

''A goat,''

''A goat?'' You questioned. ''A goat,'' The conductor replied, not giving you anymore questions.

''Now, we meet in the dead of night, there's a wreckage of a skiff northeast, on the edge of the town, so, who get's what?''

''Inej, Y/N and I will get the goat, and jesper...'' Kaz trailed off as you looked at Jesper. ''Just the coal, no detours,'' You warned him as he smirked in response and grabbed the list off Kaz before all of you departed ways.

#kaz brekker x reader #kaz brekker x reader #shadow and bone a playlist #inej gafha #jesper fahey #six of crows #shadow and bone x reader

83 notes · View notes

yeehawbvby · 4 months

Note

Damn i really didn't think about ever spiraling back into my pokémon hyperfixation like this, at least not this deep, but your posts are birthing blorbos to haunt my every waking moment. So. *cocks gun* i need some uhhh milo headcanons for a uhh friend (the friend is me being down bad for him) (obviously joking pls there's only a watergun involved) (your pokemon stuff literally inspires me ty)

*takes out a mini-water gun and shoots it into ur mouth* I am here to quench your thirst (get it?? Because water. And thirst for Milo. and. . Sorruy)

Hello hi I finally did this omg I am so sorry it took literally MONTHS but here we are!!!!

I did my best, not very confident in my characterization of Milo by any means, and most of these are silly, but I hope I did him justice :’)

- I told you this in DMs already but I’ll put it out there for everyone else to enjoy: Milo voiceclaim BLAST‼️ (doing this on mobile so I can’t link from a time stamp atm but I think he starts talking around 30 seconds in?)

- Milo isn’t a gamer. But. If he ever got into a DnD campaign somehow (I feel like he’d prefer tabletop > video games if anything?) he would absolutely 100% be a druid

- Spent a while internally debating his race class. I think maybe he’d stick with human, tbh, or maybe a halfling

- If he wasn’t a farmer, I could see him still working closely with pokemon beyond just being a gym leader. Like maybe he’d have a gig at a pokemon center

- OR. Or!! maybe he’d work in a battle café as a pastry chef?

- Or maybe I’m projecting, because the thought of baker!Milo is so cute to me ckejvoskckd

- Clothes headcanons.. hmm…. Lots of sweaters? Those sweaters that have a Very Pointless zipper that goes down to the, like, mid-upper chest area before stopping?? Yeah?

- Omg wait this guy KNITS

- He totally gives out scarves and mittens and beanies that he made as a (platonic) love language

- If and when things are romantic then you’ll get sweaters and blankets too, alongside everything else

- I don’t think he’d eat meat! I don’t think he would be vegan necessarily, but I can’t see Milo being the type to eat the creatures he exists so closely with

- So maybe a vegetarian, or at least the type that eats meat sometimes but avoids it for the most part

- I wanna imagine that he meshes well with anyone he meets. Bro is a pure people person

- When it comes to romance, I think he’d be very surprisingly confident

- He’s a sweet cinnamon roll but he’s not shy by any means!!

- I think he’d be pretty up-front too. If he likes you, you’ll know. Hell, maybe he’d say it outright one day while you’re just hanging out, doing something super mundane

- Milo’s definitely a gentleman. Lets you walk inside the sidewalk rather than on the street side. Opens doors for you. Walks you to your door (maybe with a cheeky smooch?) after a date night

- He’s a ditto that’s gotten REAL good at acting btw. I mean look at that cute happy little face— You hear something?

#last bullet is purely for the giggles #SORRY AGAIN THIS TOOK SO LONG I might add some more when I’m less tired #I wanted to put more but I forgor like half of them #ok gootbye pls enjoy #crisask #artistvicky #milo #milo pokemon #pokemon milo #pkmn milo #Milo pkmn #gym leader milo #swsh Milo #Milo swsh #pokemon headcanons #pkmn swsh #pokemon swsh #swsh #pokemon sword and shield

8 notes · View notes

just-barrow · 7 months

Text

day 31 of @almost-a-class-act's War Is Helloween prompts!

SAS: Rogue Heroes - Johnny Cooper/Reg Seekings

Character A really wanted to get the most out of this supposedly haunted hotel by booking the most haunted room on Halloween night (bonus points if this is also the Doll Room).

"Wasn't an entire family murdered here in the thirties?"

"Yeah, they say their spirits still haunt the hallways."

"Great."

Johnny and Reg are making their way to the haunted hotel they are going to spend their Halloween night in. Reg had been a little hesitant beforehand—he still is—but let himself be dragged into it by his friend’s enthusiasm. No one else had wanted to come, and Reg wasn’t about to let people think he was a wuss.

Johnny may have neglected to mention that he has booked them the most haunted room of the hotel.

The hotel lobby is old-fashioned and richly decorated to make it look even more spooky. The receptionist who checks them in is in full zombie make-up, and Johnny grins excitedly at Reg as he takes the keys from her.

“Why did she call us brave?” Reg asks, eyes narrowing with suspicion as they make their way upstairs.

“No reason.”

“Johnny.”

He doesn’t have to answer; next to their door is a little plaque that says ‘Welcome to our most haunted room! Enter at your own risk…’

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

With a sweep of his arm and a ‘ta-da!’ Johnny throws open the door.

Reg takes a hesitant step inside and looks around at the, he has to admit, very normal hotel room. There are two beds, a bathroom, and a desk with a TV on it. It’s old-fashioned, just like the rest of the hotel, but he had expected a lot more from it.

He turns around and yelps.

“What is it?”

“Fucking doll.” It’s sitting next to the TV. Reg quickly turns it around to face the wall.

Johnny can’t help but chuckle and makes a mental note to turn it back when Reg isn’t looking.

They get settled in as evening falls. Reg casually suggests taking a tour of the rest of the–slightly less haunted–hotel, but Johnny is determined to stay in their room and experience the alleged hauntings himself. Reg concedes and tries to get comfortable, but his shoulders are hunched up around his ears. A cold wind blows past him every few minutes. He tells himself it’s just because it’s a drafty old building.

Meanwhile, Johnny is reading from the little pamphlet that came with the room, animatedly telling Reg all about how a father gruesomely hacked his whole family to death on this very floor; the cause of all the unexplainable occurrences at the hotel. He’s on his stomach on his bed, kicking his feet like a teenage girl reading a magazine.

Reg huffs a sigh, shooting the occasional glance at the doll. “Glad someone’s having fun.”

Suddenly, the TV turns on. The screen shows static.

Johnny perks up. “Did you do that?”

Reg’s eyes have gone wide. “Stop pissing about, that was you.”

“I swear it wasn’t!”

They both look at the doll. The remote control is lying next to her.

“Oh, fuck yes, here we go.” Johnny jumps from his bed and walks closer, the light of the screen illuminating his face.

Reg automatically follows suit, even though every fiber of his being is telling him to duck under the covers. The longer he is here, the more unnerved he feels. Something about this room is very off. He stands a little closer to Johnny than he usually would.

Johnny quickly glances at him and smiles, turning the TV off with the remote. “Don’t think the TV is going to do us any harm.”

“It’s not the TV I’m worried about,” Reg mutters uneasily, eyes locked on the creepy doll.

Then something giggles behind him.

Despite his ever growing fear, Reg whips around and stands protectively in front of Johnny, shielding him from whatever is in the room with them.

There is nothing there.

“I don’t know what it is you want but you can fuck right off,” he growls into the semi-darkness.

Johnny isn't scared at all, his stomach instead fluttering with a mixture of adrenaline and butterflies. He presses close to Reg's firm back. After a brief hesitation, he reaches down and takes his hand.

When Reg tenses up for a moment Johnny thinks he has made a huge mistake, but then their fingers tangle together and Reg gives his hand a light squeeze.

Biting his lower lip to keep from bursting into a relieved grin, Johnny noses behind Reg’s ear, his warm breath tickling his neck. Clearly shivering at the sensation, Reg turns around to face Johnny, hauntings now entirely forgotten. When Johnny tugs him closer and presses their foreheads together, a broken little sound escapes Reg’s throat. His free hand finds Johnny’s hip. He seems a little breathless and his eyes are pleading—it makes Johnny’s chest feel tight.

Deep inside he has known for a while that he isn't the only one who has been yearning for this.

It feels good to be right.

And as Reg finally gives in and softly kisses Johnny on the lips, Johnny smiles into it and congratulates himself on a plan well executed.

He silently thanks the hotel spirits.

A light on one of the nightstands starts to flicker as they tumble into bed together.

#war is helloween #my fic #sas rogue heroes #johnny cooper #reg seekings

7 notes · View notes

bethanyactually · 6 months

Note

Hi Bethany! It's your Secret Sleuth with a few questions for you!

What are your favorite songs and lyrics by Sara Bareilles and Barenaked Ladies?

What are your favorite "bright" colors?

What are your favorite Nace scenes and why?

What is your favorite ND season and why?

What is your favorite season?

Thanks in advance and happy holidays! :)

Hello, and Happy Thanksgiving to you if you're in the US! 1. Favorite Sara Bareilles (link to my tag) songs include Cassiopeia, Chasing the Sun, I Choose You, Eyes On You, Gonna Get Over You, Hercules, Orpheus, Satellite Call, Someone Who Loves Me, Love Is Christmas, and did I mention Orpheus?? Lyrics I love include, but are not limited to: from Orpheus: You were written in the stars that we are swimming in And it has no name, no guarantee It's just the promise of a day I know that some may never see But that’s enough, if the bottom drops out I hope my love was someone else's solid ground from I Choose You: We are not perfect We'll learn from our mistakes And as long as it takes I will prove my love to you I am not scared of the elements I am underprepared, but I am willing And even better I get to be the other half of you

from Love Is Christmas: Why so scared that you’ll mess it up? When perfection keeps you haunted All we need is your best my love, that’s all anyone ever wanted Love is how we do, let no judgment overrule it Love I look to you, and I sing

[the rest of my answers are below the cut]

Favorite Barenaked Ladies (link to my tag) song of all time is Odds Are (which @bess-turani-marvin used in a Drew Crew gifset once!):

youtube

I also love Break Your Heart, especially the live version on Rock Spectacle, but that's more for the music and showmanship--not really a song I'd apply to a ship I wanted to be happy. 😅 I also love the songs These Apples, Who Needs Sleep, The Humour of the Situation, Tonight Is The Night I Fell Asleep At The Wheel, Aluminum, Unfinished, For You, Upside Down, Bank Job, Wind It Up, Give It Back To You, Did I Say That Out Loud, New Disaster...I could go on but I'll stop there. 2. My favorite colors are sunflower yellow, orange like an orange, turquoise, tomato red, magenta, grass green.

3. I love every hug between Nancy and Ace; every time Nancy shoots Ace an amused sidelong glance; all of their scenes in 107; all of their scenes in 114, the scene in Owen's apartment in 118; the 'I know you'/'I know you too' scene in 209; everything about them in 218; all their scenes in 307; Ace telling Nancy in 312 that Temperance took advantage of her, she does everything she can to protect the town; their conversation at Ace's at the end of 402; the morgue conversation in 405; the 'I forgive you' scene in 413.

4. Favorite ND season has gotta be S2, I think, because it's such a coherent story from beginning to end, with what is possibly the best and most satisfying season finale I've ever seen.

5. My favorite season is fall!

You are so welcome, and thank YOU in advance! I'm excited to see what you do for the exchange!

#secretsleuthgiftexchange #nancy drew cw #sara bareilles #barenaked ladies

4 notes · View notes

kaminocasey · 2 years

Text

Bonsoir Chapter 6: Golden Hour

Bonsoir Masterlist

Summary: Have you ever wondered what transpired at the Battle of Sarrish and what Gregor was thinking while he found out who he really was in the "Missing In Action" episode? Me too. Keep reading to find out! Pairing: Gregor/OC!Cassia Nu Warnings: 18+ MINORS DNI; Depression, Violence, Angst WC: 3.1K A/N: I know this is two months late and I appreciate your patience. I also appreciate you all loving Cassia like I love her. <3

Gregor isn’t sure how this mission has gone so wrong. Sarrish was supposed to be easy. A quick in and out. Something the Foxtrot group had done hundreds of times before.

“FALL BACK!” Gregor shouts to his men. “FALL BACK!”

Gregor shoots at the Sarrishians that are starting to gain in numbers, looking around for his brothers but only sees Dyer as he’s retreating. Gregor tries shouting to him, but Dyer doesn’t hear him as he gets shot and drops. Gregor wants to shut his eyes, to block out the awful loss he’s suffered today. It’s only him left. There’s no one else.

Except Cassia. He has to keep going. For her.

Cassia’s smile fills Gregor’s mind as he starts running for a ship. It seems empty. Maybe he can escape and fly back to base and alert General Kenobi of what’s happened. Would he be considered a deserter? Surely not.

Gregor gets to the Sarrishian ship as fast as he can, glancing around him to make sure he’s not being followed. As soon as he shuts the door, he makes his way to the cockpit and puts his gun down, starting up the ship as quickly and discreetly as he can. Once he takes off, he starts flying back toward where base is set up. He’d have to tell General Kenobi about how badly the mission went, but maybe he’d be granted leave and he could see Cassia, if even only for a few days at most. It would be better than dying here on the battlefield.

All of a sudden there’s a cold metal pressed up against Gregor’s throat and he quickly realizes it’s a knife. Someone must have been onboard and he missed them.

Kriff, Gregor thinks as he struggles against the Sarrishian.

The Sarrishian says something in his native tongue but Gregor doesn’t understand Sarrishian. He tries to lurch the ship forward and up as he heads toward space. The Sarrishian falls back to the back of the cockpit, struggling against the wall. Gregor clicks his seatbelt into place and grabs his gun and shoots the Sarrishian.

As luck would have it, the ship starts getting shot at. Gregor rolls his eyes, cursing to himself. He starts flying toward the next planet, which he thinks is Abafar, if he remembers quickly.

All of sudden, when he reaches Abafar’s atmosphere, a huge explosion takes out the hull of the ship, causing the ship’s alarm to go wild.

“How the hell do they have the technology for that?” Gregor starts pushing buttons, and prepares for impact. “Good thing I can handle a rough landing I guess.”

When Gregor hits the ground, he’s proven wrong as his head gets slammed against the dash and everything goes black.

When Gregor wakes up, he isn’t sure where he’s at and why he is where he is.

Cassia wakes up with a start, finding her cheeks wet as she cups her own cheeks. It’s been eight months and she still can’t sleep well. Nightmares of Gregor being taken from her haunt her every single night.

She tried therapy for a while, but felt that she was getting nowhere. She tried the tricks that the therapist offered but nothing worked.

Cassia looks at the alert tooka next to her, staring at her with wide, concerned eyes.

“I’m okay, Wedge.” She pets his head and he makes himself comfy in her lap as she wipes her eyes and cheeks, breathing deeply, trying to calm herself.

There’s a rattle on the doorknob to her room and momentarily, Cassia’s heart clenches, hoping for him, even though she knows it’s Mara on the other side. She doesn’t think she’ll ever stop hoping for Gregor.

Mara walks in, sitting on the bed, next to her.

Since Mara lives there now, she doesn’t bother knocking. Mara moved in after a couple weeks of not knowing if Cassia was okay. She wouldn’t answer the phone, open the shop, or leave the apartment. The only thing she’d been able to do is take care of Wedge.

Things are relatively back to normal now. Except Mara doesn’t bring Dyer around, which Cassia feels terrible about. Mara shouldn’t have to hide any part of herself from Cassia. This is Mara’s first real relationship in so long.

“Do you want breakfast?” Mara asks.

Cassia shakes her head.

“Then, let’s go for a walk, hm?” Mara gives a sympathetic smile.

Cassia knows this trick. If she won’t eat, then she has to leave the apartment and get some sunlight.

“Okay.” Cassia sighs.

“I’ll put Wedge in his harness.” Mara squeezes her hand before picking up the Tooka and walking out of the room.

Cassia lies back down for a second before Mara’s voice fills the room from the doorway. “No laying back down.”

Cassia rolls her eyes, amused, and sits back up. She could do it today. Possibly. Getting out of bed, she throws on a sweater and pants. Looking in the mirror, she sees just how tired she looks. Puffy eyed, constantly. She’s aware she needs to get it together. But for now, puffy eyes and a sweater is all she can manage.

When Cassia finally emerges from her room, Mara greets her with a cup of caf, holding her hairbrush.

“You sit and drink, I brush.” Mara gives her a reassuring smile, guiding her to the couch.

The sun starts peeking through the living room curtains and Cassia watches the silhouette of the Coruscant skyline as Mara brushes her hair while she drinks her caf.

“You should invite Dyer to go with us.” Cassia murmurs, looking at Mara in the mirror in front of her.

Mara’s hands falter slightly and then continue brushing. “We broke up.”

“What?” Cassia pulls away to look back at Mara.

“It wasn’t working out.” Mara lies.

Cassia knows when Mara lies and Mara knows that Cassia knows. That’s when Cassia realizes it's because of her.

“Mara…”

“Cash, don’t worry. It was a friendly breakup. I can comm him anytime I want.” She squeezes Cassia’s shoulder. “Now, finish your caf so we can go.”

Cassia turns around and looks at Mara’s reflection in the mirror. She’d been so absorbed by her own grief, she didn’t even notice her best friend’s breakup.

“Mar… I’m so sorry.” She murmurs.

“Don’t be. Now, drink.” She kisses Cassia on the top of the head and starts braiding Cassia’s hair.

You have to be better, Cassia tells herself, you can’t shut down again.

The park that they go to isn’t the one that he took her to. It’s a different one. A closer one to the apartment. It’s surprisingly busy for an early morning and Cassia allows herself to take in the morning sun, realizing how good it feels on her skin. She didn’t realize how badly she needed this.

“Feels good, right?” Mara teases her.

“Yes.” Cassia rolls her eyes, smiling.

It was the first time in a long time that she actually smiled. She missed the feeling. Maybe things can start going back to a relative normal.

“Here. Eat this.” Mara pulls a sandwich out of her bag and hands it to Cassia.

The action may seem so small to someone else, but to her, it was everything. Mara was the only person she had left and she never stopped looking out for her, even when Cassia became difficult to be around.

“I love you.” Cassia rests her head on Mara’s shoulder.

“I love you too. No matter what.” Mara pats her leg.

Cassia sits up and starts eating the sandwich. It was delicious as always. Mara was the better cook of the two, for sure.

“Mm.” Cassia hums.

“I knew you were hungry.” Mara smirks.

“Glad you did, because I didn’t.” Cassia looks down at Wedge sitting patiently at their feet, watching all the people going by.

Mara was more than just her best friend or business partner. She was her sister. Her family.

Abafar, Outer Rim

“Gregor, take the garbage out, it’s getting smelly! Do you not smell that?” Gregor’s boss, Borkus shouts at him.

“Oh, sorry, Borkus. I was finishing up the last of the dishes.” Gregor apologizes, quickly going to grab the garbage pail underneath Borkus’ grill station.

“Be quick about it. Table three is almost done.” Borkus barks.

“Sure thing, boss.” Gregor nods, heading toward the back door of the diner.

He’d been working since early that morning for the breakfast rush and he was already exhausted. Borkus had been running him like a droid.

Hm. Not a bad idea, a service droid, he thinks to himself as he dumps the pail over the other garbage.

“UGH!” Gregor hears below him.

Gregor steps back, concerned, finding an angry looking Zilkan glaring up at him as he wipes the trash off of himself.

“Oh, uh, I’m sorry! I didn’t see you there.” Gregor apologizes, feeling terrible. “Look, I could get you some food, but uh, normally people come in the front door. But there's no problem.”

The Zilkan stares up at him, squinting tightly, trying to get a look at him. Gregor’s still confused.

“You do know that you’re eating garbage, right?” Gregor asks, gesturing toward the piled up trash behind the Zilkan.

The Zilkan tosses the stale bread aside and points up at him. “You’re a clone.”

“Excuse me?” Gregor asks. “Uh… I- I wouldn’t know about that. My- my name’s Gregor. Uh, wait. What’s a clone?”

The Zilkan climbs up on the dumpster to jump over onto Borkus’ trash pail to get a good look at Gregor. As soon as he meets him at eye level, he grabs Gregor’s face and pulls it toward him. It’s incredibly uncomfortable and very confusing. This man is acting like he knows Gregor. And what the hell is a clone?

The Zilkan exampines Gregor’s face, looking in each eye before pulling away.

“You are a clone.” The Zilkan laughs. “Are you working undercover?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Gregor insists.

“Listen to me, soldier.” The little guy continues. “Whatever your assignment is, it can’t be more important than mine.”

“It is his first real mission.” The WAC-47 droid speaks up, obviously irritating his counterpart. “He is just a map reader.”

Gregor looks between the two of them. Where the hell did these guys come from?

“Don’t listen to that ignoramus!” The Zilkan shouts. “You are a clone and a soldier in the Republic Army, and I order you to take me to your ship. We need to get back to Coruscant immediately.”

Now, it’s just getting too weird. This man must be off his rocker. What Army? What ship? And he still doesn’t know what the hell a clone is.

“Uh, look friend, I was just trying to help. I’m sorry if you took it the wrong way.” Gregor lowers the pail gently to let the Zilkan down.

“I do not think that soldier believes you are a colonel, uh, colonel.” The droid salutes at the Zilkan.

All of a sudden, Borkus’ loud angry voice fills the back area, “Gregor! Get back to work!”

“Uh, excuse me, I gotta go.” Gregor stands back, giving the two little guys an apologetic look. “I don’t wanna lose my job.”

Gregor walks back into the diner, closing the door behind him, still confused.

At the end of the shift, Borkus and Gregor lock up the diner. It was a long day and Gregor was still thinking about what the Zilkan had said to him.

“So, uh, Boss… you know, I was just wondering…” Gregor scratches the back of his head.

“No, you can’t have a raise, Gregor.” Borkus shakes his head, locking the door to the diner, before waving him off.

Gregor follows him toward their apartments. “Oh… no, no, no… I- I don’t want a raise, sir. I- I just wanted to know, what’s a clone? Someone told me I was a clone today. They insisted.”

“Ha. A clone?” Borkus laughs. “Clones fight battles across the galaxy. They are brave soldiers. Does that sound like you?”

Borkus really wasn’t a nice guy, but he had given Gregor a job and helped pay his rent. He’s not in a position to challenge the man.

“You’re a dishwasher, Gregor. Forget about clones or anything like that.” Borkus grabs Gregor by the shoulder. “You have good life here, a simple life. More than you had when Borkus found you.”

Borkus folds his arms as if he’s disappointed in Gregor.

“I- I know, sir. And I appreciate everything that you’ve done, believe me. But I- I thought maybe you could tell me… how… How did I get here? Where did you find me?”

Gregor has tried and tried and tried again to remember just exactly how he got here, but he can’t. He figured something must have happened to make his memory this bad, right? Did he hit his head or something?

“Enough questions.” Borkus turns away. “Go home. Sleep. Come back tomorrow. Do your job.”

Gregor hangs his head in slight shame. He didn’t mean to upset his boss. Honestly, he just needed answers. Anything.

“I don’t want to hear that word “clone” again, Understand?” Borkus asks before walking off toward his home.

It’s just become more obvious that Borkus isn’t telling Gregor something. What it is, he doesn’t know yet. But, he knows he’s going to try to find out.

When Gregor gets home, he goes straight to the fridge to take a swig of wine that Milane, the woman next door, had gifted him a week ago for being a good neighbor and getting her tooka off the roof. He had told her it wasn’t a big deal but she insisted on repaying him somehow and while he appreciated the gesture, he was pretty sure if he didn’t take the wine, she was going to offer something else, something he wasn’t interested in.

He grabs his book out of his bag and looks at it, running his fingers down the cover before opening it like he always does, finding a heart next to the name Cassia and a wilted flowery weed braid that was clearly a bracelet at some point. Who Cassia was, he has no idea but he liked the heart and the way she signed her name. It was swirly and feminine and somehow with the flowery bracelet, it all felt so… personal?

All of a sudden, there’s a man in the room… “Captain Rex, reporting for duty.”

No, not a man… It’s Gregor? Without hair? He looks around, confused. “What-”

Gregor realizes it’s a hologram and steps toward it, cautiously, running his hand through it, still alert and confused. “I… I don’t understand… that’s me?”

“No, that’s Captain Rex.” Gregor hears the Zilkan’s voice behind him. “He’s a clone of the Republic Army. Just like you, Gregor.”

“I can’t believe it.” Gregor looks back at the clone captain, full of even more questions.

A little bit later, after Gascon, the Zilkan, and his droid friends try to explain to Gregor what he is and where he’s from. He’s reeling, trying to keep up.

“Okay… Slow down, slow down.” Gregor tries to keep up. “So, you’re telling me that there are more of these clones?”

“Millions. A whole army’s worth.” The spunky little WAC-47 droid chimes in.

“Uh-huh…” Gregor scratches his chin. “And they all look exactly like me?”

“No, those clones are warriors, professional soldiers created by the Republic, trained to fight, and die, if necessary, in our war against the Separatists. They’re not dishwashers living in some vermin-infested hovel.” Gascon tells him, firmly, clearly trying to get him to remember who he is.

“Look, I’m lucky to live in this place. Mr. Borkus says my salary doesn’t even begin to cover the rent, so he pays the difference for me.” Gregor turns around, looking at the book, flipping open the cover page to look at Cassia’s name again.

He can’t help but start to wonder… were you a part of his former life? Were you someone he knew? If so… did you miss him terribly or think that he was dead?

“Don’t you get it, Gregor?” Gascon asks him, “You’re his slave… We need to figure out who you really are, how you got here… Are you sure you really don’t remember anything?”

“All I remember is waking up on a transport.” Gregor replies. “Somehow, we crashed on Abafar. And, well… Mr. Borkus says I have amnesia.”

“Hmm…” Gascon nods. “Every clone has an identifying code on their wrist. Your military records will be in the database. Scan him, R2.”

The blue and white astromech rolls toward Gregor, and he sits down and holds out his wrist so R2 can scan him easier. This was all still so overwhelming to Gregor. He wasn’t just some dishwasher… He was a soldier.

R2 projects an ID and Gascon moves over for a better look.

“Impressive. Gregor, your designation is CC-5576-39. You were a captain and part of an elite squad. A clone commando.” Gascon tells him. R2 beeps and the projection goes away. “Your file says you were reported missing in action during the Battle of Sarrish.”

Gascon lowers his head, placing his hand over his heart and the droids all beep with sadness. The Battle of Sarrish…

“Sarrish… Sarrish…” that sounds so familiar… “Wait… What was the Battle of Sarrish?”

“It was one of the Republic’s most devastating losses…” Gascon tells him.

“Sarrish…” Gregor mumbles again, starting to feel a picture piece itself together in the back of his mind. It still seems so groggy… yet so familiar.

His men. His brothers… all dropping… the Sarrishians out numbering them… Gregor running toward a ship… Flying the ship… and then crashing… It all starts to make itself known… after all this time.

“Yes… now I remember…” Gregor sighs. “So many soldiers were dying…”

“Do you remember how you escaped Sarrish?” Gascon murmurs.

Gregor tells him about trying to get away from the Sarrishians so that he could warn the General. He was so close and then they chased him to Abafar. He mentions all the bodies… the bodies of his brothers… how they were everywhere. And then he looks at the book in his hands again.

Slowly… a picture of a young woman with beautiful brown eyes appears in his memory. Cassia. He remembers her. He remembers her smile. He remembers her eyes. He remembers her laugh. He remembers Wedge. He remembers laying in bed with her. Tears immediately spring to Gregor’s eyes as he starts to remember again.

He needs to get back to Cassia as soon as possible.

TAGS: @grievouus @brynhildrmimi @madameminor @dumfanting @rain-on-kamino @misogirl828 @rexandechosandwich @corona-one @tecker @ladykatakuri @the-sith-in-the-sky-with-diamond @twistedstitcher27 @zoeykallus @maulslittlemeowmeow @littlemousedroid @arctrooper69 @rexxdjarin @loverofclones @idlenesses @captain-splock-you

#tcw gregor #captain gregor #gregor x oc!cassia nu #gregor x oc!cassia #tcw #the clone wars #clone wars gregor #clone captain gregor #bonsoir fic #bonsoir

41 notes · View notes