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thiswasinevitableid · 3 years

Note

for the meet uglies, sternclay 60 sfw? OwO

Here you go!

60 Sterncly SFW. we’re both on a reality show (like the queer bachelor) where we’re told to be friends but the first time we met, you were incredibly rude and judgmental and I don’t know if I can do this for the damn cameras

“So, Barclay, now that we’re a few days in, what’s your impression of the other contestants?”

“They, uh, they all seem like great guys. We come from a lot of different backgrounds, so that’s kind of interesting to be around but, uh, I live in a place that’s like a big, chosen family, so being in a house with a bunch of types of personalities is kinda, uh, homey.”

“There’s no one you think you’ll struggle with?”

“Uh. Well. I, uh, I don’t like Joseph too much. He came in and he’s so, like, phony from all the years in the FBI. It’s like he’s trying to be polite and charming but really he thinks we’re all idiots for being here. Which, like, buddy, last I checked you signed up for this the same as the rest of us.”

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“Joseph, any worries about the other contestants?”

“No. I mean, we’re competitors on a dating show, not enemies. I think we’re all trying to show Vincent the best versions of ourselves.”

“There’s no one you’ve had conflicts with?”

“........I, um, Barclay and I got into a small argument earlier about the house rules. But I’m sure if we both stick around long enough we’ll come to an understanding.”

----------------------------------------------------

“Gentlemen, this cannot continue.” Ned, the producer, sits on the couch across from them. Barclay glares at Joseph, but the other man keeps a cool demeanor. Great, he’s making Barclay look like the big, angry mountain even off camera.

“I thought reality shows needed conflict to thrive.” Joseph cocks an eyebrow.

“They do, but about big things, like love and rivalry. Not how to properly load a dishwasher.”

“I’m just trying to be efficient.”

“My way is perfectly fine.” Barclay snaps, “jesus, I worked in kitchens for years, I know how to get clean plates.”

“That doesn’t make it optimal.”

“Do you have to be right about everything?”

“Gentlemen, you recall we have a housekeeping staff, right?”

“It doesn’t matter” Barclay doesn’t take his eyes off Ned, “we’re supposed to all get along, not all try and prove we’re the smartest guy in the room.”

“See, this is your problem, you need everyone to like you, to see you like a big brother, but you’re missing the fact that at least three of them have decided your gentle giant persona is a threat and they’re trying to oust you.”

“It’s not a persona, it’s just how I am. We aren’t all government shams disguised as men.”

Joseph’s facade cracks for a moment, blue eyes trying to light Barclay on fire.

“Enough.” Ned shakes his head, “you may despise each other as much as you please behind the scenes. In front of the cameras, please try to act as if you’re not ten seconds away from coming to blows. Agreed?”

They trade a final, furious look.

“Agreed.”

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They’re a little over three weeks in; Vincent is still doing lots and lots of short, individual dates between the group outings, so the contestants have ample time to hang around the house and get on each others nerves.

Case in point: Joseph was right when he warned Barclay that others saw him as a threat. Chad, Alex, Nico, and Rich have all decided to go after him. Just this morning he’s been told he’s not man enough for Vincent (he shooed a wolf spider out of the kitchen with a broom instead of squishing it), too girly (he offered to make cupcakes if people wanted), and too big (who'd want to fuck a six foot tall puppy).

His mood is not helped by Joseph chatting away on the couch about his former job with the FBI. Barclay swears it’s all the asshole knows how to talk about. Maybe it’s time for Barclay to play a game of his own.

“Hey, Joseph.”

The other man turns, black hair perfectly slicked back like he thinks he’s some kind of movie star.

“I bet you ten bucks you can’t make it until eight tonight without talking about your job.”

The other contestants in the room snicker, several even giving Barclay a thumbs up.

Joseph adjusts his shirt sleeves, “You’re on.”

Ten hours later, Barclay is forced to get his wallet. The other man never mentioned the FBI once. In fact, he did Barclay an even bigger favor; he didn’t talk at all.

He finds the agent sitting on the back steps leading into the garden. Stays standing as he holds out the cash, “you win fair and square.”

Joseph looks at the money, then looks away, “I did it to show I could, not for the bet.”

“I mean, you didn’t have to go, uh, quite so hard on the silence thing.”

“I didn’t mean to. But, um, every time I was going to open my mouth, I realized it was somehow related to work. So I kept quiet.” He sighs, stretches out his legs. He’s in slacks, because of course he is, “I must have been so tedious to listen to, no wonder I was driving you up the wall.”

“Joseph-”

“I really am married to my career. I guess it’s not surprising my last chance for love is on a T.V show.”

“Hey, I get it.” Barclay sits down next to him, “when I was first working in commercial kitchens my hours were crazy; I barely saw my apartment, my friends, my boyfriend who pretty quickly became my ex. But it was what I needed to do to build the career I wanted for myself. To do what I loved.”

Only the crickets and the distant waves reply. Then, “You said you were a private chef now, right? Along with writing cookbooks?”

“Yeah. Kinda surprised you remembered.”

“Listening is a major skill in my profession. Besides, it’s polite to pay attention to what people tell you.”

“What’s your job now? You only ever talk about the FBI stuff?”

“Paranormal investigation. I never bring it up because people assume I’m out chasing Bigfoot with a shaky-cam or trying to communicate with haunted dolls.”

“So...what is it instead?”

“Helping people figure out they’re homes aren’t haunted or the monster on their property is just some owls. I like the challenge of solving the mystery, and I like helping people feel safe in they’re homes.”

Loud voices form inside; the caterers must have refilled the bar. He doesn’t really want to go in. It’s too nice out here.

“You wanna hear about the restaurant my coworkers swore was haunted?”

Joseph perks up, turning to face him, “Yes, please.”

-----------------------------------------------------

He’d been really looking forward to beach day. Six guys are already gone, and Vincent has taken his fleet of suitors to the sunny San Diego shores. Barclay is dismayed to find all but three of the other guys have waxed their chests. Joseph hasn’t, but his happy trail is nothing compared to fucking black forest on Barclays torso. Nico’s gotten half the guys to call Barclay “bigfoot.”It makes him feel like he’s back in high school P.E freshman year, and his body image is rapidly sliding into that of a shy fourteen year old.

“Barclay!” Joseph comes jogging out of the surf towards the towels they lay down side by side when they arrived, “you should come in, it’s really the perfect weather for swimming.” He drops onto his towel, black hair a bit mussed. The swim-shorts that he thought were blue with green spots turn out to have not dots, but tiny UFOs on them.

“I, uh, I’m good. I, uh, I burn easily and I don’t think anyone wants to rub sunscreen on my hairy back.”

“Hey, Bigfoot, what’s wrong? Scared of what’ll happen if the cameras get a load of your gut?”

Barclay growls, stares at his toes. Joseph tracks Nico as he finishes jogging by. Then he calmly picks up a frisbee, aims a throw, and knocks his snapback off his head. He’s sitting down before the other man can work out who threw it. Barclay chuckles, but doesn’t get up.

“Bigfoot’s my favorite cryptid.”

“Uh, thanks?”

“And who gives a shit if you have a stomach.”

“Easy for you to say, you’re cut.”

Joseph grabs his sunglasses, “because I like that for my body. I happen to like yours just as much. Um I, I mean, it seems like Vincent likes it.” He tips his head towards the Bachelor, who gives them both a long once-over.

“...Will you do my back?”

“Of course, big guy.” The nickname sounds so right on his tongue it makes Barclay want to set his head in his lap and ask him to pet it.

It’s late afternoon when Ned herds them all onto a boat which promptly steers towards some cliffs. Joseph stays close to Barclay, pleasant expression noticeably tightening the closer they get to the rocks.

“I’ve been dreading this. Cliff diving is not something I’d pick to do on my own.”

“Heights?”

He shakes his head, “Deep water. I know it’s not rational, and I even checked to be sure there hadn’t been large shark sightings in the area, but I can never shake the feeling there’s something waiting just out of sight, ready to surge up and eat me.”

They all climb up together, Vincent staying on the boat to watch them jump (this is technically a friendly competition to show off how brave they are). As they’re turns get closer, Barclay sees Joseph doing deep breathing exercises.

They hit the edge. The agent freezes.

“Shit. I don’t think I can do this.”

“C’mon, where’s my daring special agent?”

Joseph still doesn’t move.

“You, uh, you wanna jump together? Maybe the megaladon or whatever will eat me instead.”

“Megalodons are extinct; we’d know if they weren’t, same as we know Whale Sharks aren’t.”

“They you are.” Barclay murmurs, smiling.

Joseph manages a smile back, “On three?”

“Yep. One, two” he grabs Joseph’s hand “three”

The water rises to swallow them with terrifying speed, but nothing is waiting for them except one very startled fish. They surface together, Joseph laughing triumphantly, hair plaster to his head and sun shining in his ocean eyes.

If Vincent doesn’t pick him, he’s out of his mind.

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“Ohmylord, we have to play this.” Joseph cannot believe his luck; he figured the barcade group date would mean a lot of solo time, but here’s his favorite game in the whole wide world.

“Monster Hunt?” Barclay laughs as he lets himself be lovingly shoved down into the seat of a cut-out Jeep, “very on brand.”

“They had this at the bowling alley near my house. I’d play when my parents had league night but couldn't get a sitter. I never could beat the Mothman level without a player two.”

He doesn’t have that problem tonight, even with Barclay distractingly delighted and handsome in the seat beside him. After that, they make it their mission to find every two-player game in the thrum of flashing colors and tinny music. He finds they both like the Bowser Bourbon Smash, and somewhere around their fourth, heated game of air hockey they each polish of one too many of them to stay upright without the support of a game, a helpful show staff member, or each other.

When they get back to the house (their fellow contestants all in a similar state to themselves) they manage to make it to Joseph’s room before collapsing into a giggling heap on the bed.

“That, hic, that was fun. Games are, hic, fun.” Barclay blinks at him, “what’re you laughing, hic, at.”

“You, you got the hiccups. S’funny because you’re so big, like, like watching a, a pitbull with a, um, a” he makes a squeezing motion that his sober self would recognize as “squeaky toy.”

“M’not big” Barclay pouts, “I, hic, maybe everyone else is, hic, just small. Ever think of th--hic--at.”

“S’not a bad thing.” Joseph shifts so they’re facing each other, “like how big you are. Makes you sexy.”

Barclay blushes, “you’re, hic, one to, to talk. You’re hot, so, hic, so fucking out. Got, got those eyes. That, hic, that face” He touches Joseph’s cheek, “love your face.”

“Love yours too.” Joseph says, stroking his beard. Then they’re moving in inelegant tandem, grabbing at each others shoulders and faces as their mouths find each other. Barclay is so warm, whimpering when Joseph rolls him on top, nipping his lips and pawing at him like a puppy hoping for a treat. Joseph is going to hold him close and let him have it.

A clatter from below, one of the other men knocking something over in the kitchen, breaks the spell.

“Wait, wait” Joseph reluctantly slides his hands of Barclays ass, “we, drunk, we’re drunk, too drunk.”

Barclay blinks down at him, pouting a little even as he groans “fuck, you’re, you’re right. Wanna, gotta remember this. Don’t wanna” he yawns, “regret it.” The instant he flops onto his back Joseph climbs into his arms and falls asleep to the slow rhythm of his breathing.

-----------------------------------------------

After that night, they agree to be more careful; they’re here for Vincent, to see if one of them is his true love. That’s what the contract they signed says.

“More careful” turns out to mean watching their alcohol intake around each other and only touching platonically (including falling asleep on the couch together. They wake up to cameras recording their nap. Barclay isn’t sure what Joseph threatens Ned with, but the footage never sees the light of day).

But unless they’re on a solo date with Vincent, they’re by each others side. Barclay teaches Joseph dominoes and how to make biscuits. Joseph introduces him to terrible old horror movies that they watch on his laptop and compliments his cooking every chance he gets.

They must be doing something right, because they move to the next round week after week, Vincent clearly enamored with both of them. Barclay certainly understands the feeling. Just not for the person who he’s supposed to.

“Joseph? If, uh, if neither of us win, what are you gonna do after this.”

“Go back to work. Maybe pitch my book about U.S cryptids.” Joseph’s smile goes shy for a moment before recovering, “but I wouldn’t worry, big guy; I think you’re the front runner for sure.”

Barclay knows for a fact that Joseph is a fan favorite and the suitor most people think will win. Which is why, when Vincent selects his final four, he’s not surprised Joseph gets the first rose. Then everyone but Barclay is holding one and Vincent is touching his shoulder.

“Barclay, please don’t take this as a sign I’m not deeply fond of you. This wasn’t an easy choice but I, well, I feel like your heart may not be in this anymore.”

He takes Vincent’s hand and squeezes it, “It’s okay. It was wonderful just to get to know you. All of you.” He looks at the final four, at Joseph’s calm, polite expression. He meets blue eyes as he says, “I hope you find someone who makes you happy.”

With that he turns, all too aware of the cameras tracking his exit, his face, how he’ll have to do a final interview and not reveal that he’ll hate Vincent forever but not blame him in the slightest if he marries Joseph.

“Wait!”

Every eye, lensed or no, turns back to the gazebo. Joseph is at the edge of the steps, poised to run. When he sees Barclay stop, he turns to Vincent.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t accept this.” He hands the bachelor the rose, “I hope you understand.”

There’s no soundtrack on set, but strings swell in his ears all the same as Joseph descends the stairs and leaps into his arms, kissing him so hard he still has stars in his eyes when he opens them.

“It’s not a marriage proposal” Joseph whispers, kissing his cheek, “but I do have a question for you.” He pulls back, all cameras on them but his attention for Barclay alone, “would you like to be my boyfriend, big guy?”

Barclay rests their foreheads together, “Yeah, babe, I really, really would.”

#sternclay #agent stern/ barclay #meet ugly #bachelor au #taz amnesty

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ajbwasntwriting · 3 years

Note

Can I pls request a Bucky x single mom reader? Maybe the kid recognizes him and they bond and then the reader comes and Bucky asks for her number? It’s okay if you don’t wanna write this! No pressure!! Have a great day ❤️❤️

As a child who was raised by a single mother this one was both a challenge and a joy to write. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. This takes place like a week before TFATWS

Bucky Barnes x single mom! Reader

Tags: Fluffiest Fluff, mild ptsd and anxiety, Oranges.

Getting used to the modern world wasn’t that much of a struggle for Bucky, but the civilian modern world was a different situation. He still felt himself looking over his shoulder as he walked. He had locks on all of his windows and a sliding bolt on his front door. He had three phones, a burner he showed his therapist, a smartphone for keeping track of the news and talking to friends, and a third one that was exclusively for communicating with Wakanda. The last of which was a mixture of conversations with Ayo and memes from Shuri.

His therapist was pushing him to make friends and to try online dating. She later told him to ‘play tourist’ and explore what his locality had to offer. Something about it possibly introducing him to new people and at the very least ‘make you more interesting’.

So every week he went to a different place. He started with the Brooklyn Museum, having gone there for field trips as a kid. It was definitely more interesting now as an adult. The next place was the Brooklyn Flea, where he managed to get a record player and some records from when he was a teenager. He smiled fondly as the old tune played through his apartment, bringing back memories of flirting with pretty girls at the soda fountain and beating up bullies with Steve (Well, FOR steve at this time)

This is what lead him to be out in Brooklyn Park’s Harbour View Lawn on a Thursday Evening. They had this event called ‘Movies with a view’ that they did in the summer. The idea of being alone in a crowd of picnic-goers didn’t seem that appealing, but when he saw they were playing the original Dumbo, the same one he took his little sister Rebecca to see when he was 16 years old, he couldn’t pass up seeing the animated masterpiece on the big screen. Besides, if he got too uncomfortable no one would bat an eye to a man leaving an open-air venue.

He put some snacks, a drink, and a book(One of the ‘Lord of the rings’ series as he had been catching up)in his backpack and set out. He arrived early so he could sit on one of the benches. People from all walks of life arrived around him. Families both young and old, older couples searching for nostalgia, lovers looking longingly at each other, groups of friends looking to fill an evening, and so many children. The lawn had filled up so rapidly as people descended onto the grass, laying out their blankets and pulling out picnics they had prepared at home and purchased moments before from their favorite grocers. There was an undeniable excitement in the air as the sun was setting. Despite the fact it was the people watching that had him caught up, Bucky hadn’t noticed the small child walking up to him until she was less than a foot away from him, staring at him with big e/c eyes.

She wore a summer dress with a cardigan protecting her shoulders from the sun. Her hair was pushed back in a hairband. She was holding a yellow teddy bear that wore a silver t-shirt and a red cape and had gone limp from a combination of lost stuffing and age.

“Hi,” Bucky said, clearly uncomfortable. “Are you okay?” She walked up and sat next to him. He shifted away from her slightly, aware that this may look odd to any by-passers.

“I know who you are.” The little girl whispered to him.

“Do you?” Bucky asked, trying to remain calm. It was just a little kid, but she was freaking him out a little bit. For all he knew, this small child could be a member of some new black widow program. She smiled widely, revealing she was missing a front tooth.

“You’re Captain America’s best friend!” she half-whispered, half-squeaked in excitement. “Me and my brother saw you at the museum!”

Bucky couldn’t help the nervous laughter that came out of him. He felt himself relax at the kid’s excitement. “You saw me at the museum?” he faked intrigue. He knew there was a display on him in every Captain America museum.

Her hair bounced as she nodded. “There was a big picture on the glass and it said that you were dead, but my brother said you weren’t dead. And I thought he was being stupid, cause,” She looked around and then leaned in a little closer as if telling Bucky a secret “He can be really stupid. He didn’t even know how to tie his shoelaces until he was ten! But I’ve known how to tie my shoelaces since I was six!” She boasted.

“That’s amazing. since you were six? How old are you now?”

“I’m seven and three quarters.”

“Wow, you’re a big girl.” She nodded with a ‘yep’. “But you’re not big enough to be on your own, kiddo-”

“I’m not on my own, I’m with you.” She interrupted him. Following the trend of interruptions, a boy ran up to the two of them, holding a picnic blanket in his arms. He wore blue board shorts with a Captain America t-shirt and Iron man themed sneakers.

“Y/D/N what are you doing?! Mom is looking for you!” He yelled at the little girl. The two looked remarkably similar to each other.

“Look!” she ordered, pointing at Bucky. The boy looked at Bucky and his mouth dropped open, looking like a fish. Bucky wanted to laugh at how cartoonish it looked.

“You’re Captain America’s best friend.” He exclaimed though he couldn’t be heard that well over the chatter of people settling down and the movie being set up. “I knew that you weren’t dead, even before you were fighting Iron Man in Germany. That was so cool, Iron man was all pew pew and Spiderman was all thwish twish and you were in the middle all pow pow” The blanket had since fallen to the ground as the young boy got caught in his excitement and started recreating the movements with the sound effects, punching the air for Bucky’s punches, waving his arms around wildly for Wanda’s magic. Y/D/N looked on bored as he continued his display “and when the dust cleared you and Cap were gone, like dust in the wind.” He recounted epically, waving his fingers in a sideways motion.

“I told you he was stupid.” The little girl commented.

“You’re stupid!” he shot back. Before anything could escalate, Bucky gently put his arms between the children.

“Hey now, let’s not fight. If I have to call the Avengers they’re gonna be mad.” Bucky spoke. He really hoped this would work, and that they wouldn’t continue to fight in hopes of bringing the Avengers down to Harbour View Lawn. The movie started then, music playing out over the crowd rendering the crowd quiet.

“Mom is gonna be worried.” The boy stressed out loud

“What’s your name, son?” Bucky spoke to the boy

“Y/S/N.”

“Okay, Y/S/N. Here’s what we’re gonna do. Spread that blanket there.” Bucky motioned to the empty patch just a step in front of the bench he was sitting on. “and you two will stay here while I go tell the event people that you can’t find your mom.” The two kids spread out the blanket and sat on it. Bucky passed them his backpack and asked them to take care of it so they wouldn’t runoff. He found an event organizer and told them the situation, describing the kids. He returned shortly, the two kids not having moved as the movie played on a screen in front of the open water. He sat back down on the bench just behind the kids, paying more attention to them than the film.

“I’m hungry,” Y/D/N complained.

“That’s what you get for running off.” Y/S/N shot back at her.

“Do you like oranges?” Bucky spoke up behind them. Y/D/N nearly launched off the blanket as she yelped ‘yeah’ back at the man, twirling to look at him. He opened his bag and pulled out his orange, passing it to the little girl. Unprompted, the little girl asked her brother if he wanted half, which he happily accepted. “Sorry I don’t have another.”

“It’s okay, we share all the time,” Y/S/N explained, shoving an orange slice into his mouth.

You are a good ten minutes into the movie when a panicked woman is lead over to them by an event organizer. She runs to them, falling to her knees as she scoops them into a hug. “Oh, my babies.” She sobbed. “You scared me so much.”

“Mooom!” The boy groaned.

She rapidly thanked Bucky and the event organizer, who took their leave once they were reassured that the situation had been handled. “You are both in so much trouble!”

“Can we be in trouble after the movie?” The girl asked.

You were about to order them to get up and leave when Bucky spoke up. “I’ve been able to keep a good eye on them from up here, and there’s plenty of space.”

The joint chorus of ‘pleases’ from your two kids won you over. You sat down next to the man. You two could barely see each other in the dark, but he seemed nice. After all, he had reunited you with your kids.

“Thanks again for keeping an eye on them.” You whispered. “I hope they didn’t give your group too much trouble.”

“No,” he answered quietly “They’re good kids.”

“Not good enough,” you muttered. “They’re excitable, but that just means it’s never boring.” Bucky watched as Y/D/N turned around and pulled a full net of oranges out of your bag.

Watching the movie with company was definitely better. A comfortable silence fell among the four of you, only broken when you had offered him a couple of the bite-sized chocolate bars you had brought. The kids laughed at the movie, your little girl even cheering on the animated elephant. She threw her hands up in a cheer when he successfully took flight, making the two adults chuckle.

“Told you they were excitable.” You giggled.

“Me and my little sister were worse when he first saw Dumbo.” Bucky admitted. “We were on the edge of our seats the whole movie.”

“How else can you enjoy a movie!” you posed the rhetorical question.

Bucky had to admit he thought you were lovely. Just enough seriousness and playfulness rolled into one. So when the lights came on at the end of the movie and he saw how beautiful you were he felt his heart race a little. You were already cleaning up while your children told you how great the movie was. He gathered his stuff and went to slip out when Y/D/N called out to him.

“Where are you going?”

“The nice man probably has places to be-” you began to lightly chastise the girl when you finally saw who you had been sitting next to throughout the movie. “You’re…”

Bucky held his breath. It was one thing the kid’s thinking he was amazing; you were a grown adult. Someone that possibly knew of his history and most likely thought ill of him. He waited for you to say his old mantal, possibly with fear or anger. Instead, you smiled gently,

“James Barnes.” You spoke. A moment later you flustered slightly. “I’m sorry. I work at the Museum of the City in East Harlem. We just did a big-” you stopped yourself before you could ramble onwards. “I’m Y/N L/N.”

It was a breath of fresh air to have someone react to him in such a…human way. “Please, call me Bucky.” He smiled warmly as he fixed his bag on his shoulder. “Can I walk you out?”

After your section was cleaned up the four of you walked out, with the two kids walking ahead of you. Despite how late it was, they still had energy. You had been left to take care of your daughter’s stuffed toy while she chased your son around the park space. “What you said about your sister,” you started, trying to keep an eye on your two kids despite how eye-catching the man beside you was. “I’m guessing that was back in the forties?”

“Yeah. Me and my little sister Becca went to see it. Me and Steve took her to see Snow White and since then we’d see all the cartoon movies. Every time we’d run home and beg our parents for extra allowance and bunk off school so we could see it before the other kids.”

“Captain America and the Winter Soldier…loved Disney movies.” You chuckled. “It sounds like some click-bait title.”

“We didn’t even have to beg that much, looking back,” Bucky recalled, shaking his head. The memories of Steve having an asthma attack outside the theatre because they’d run so fast to get there in time. Becca would pull him in by his shirt while he was still wheezing so she wouldn’t miss the opening cartoons.

“According to the display, you two were quite the pair.” You replied. “They were probably just happy to have you off the street and not causing trouble.”

Speaking of trouble, your two kids came bounding towards you with an angry swan on their heels. “Mommy!” Your little girl shrieked. The swan had given up its chase but the two still charged, Y/D/N colliding right into you and Y/S/N going behind Bucky to use him as a shield.

“I think that’s enough wondering for today.” You passively suggested. Y/S/N agreed as Bucky put his arm around the young boy and keeping it there as you walked and talked. You came to the exit of the park. “I’m this way,” you said.

“I’m the other way,” Bucky admitted. The two kids said goodbye to Bucky, clearly sad to be parting. You thanked him again for what he had done and turned to go with your own goodbye. “Before you go,” Bucky stopped you. “Could I get your number?”

You were instantly shocked. Your mouth opened and closed limply for a moment. “Are you sure?”

Bucky was slightly taken aback at that question. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I have two kids?” You said, almost sounding like a question.

“He knows that, mom.” Your son groaned. He looked absolutely bored; your daughter had newfound excitement.

“And I’d like to get to know more about you,” Bucky spoke. You chuckled nervously, looking away for a moment as you felt your cheeks flush then looked back to the tall man.

“I’d like that too.” You confessed, stepping forward. “Gimme your phone and I’ll put it in.”

Without a second thought, he pulled out his smartphone and watched you put your phone number in. “All setup.” You passed the phone back with a smile.

To say the two of you were riding on cloud 9 for the rest of the night would be an understatement.

#mcu bucky #bucky barnes x reader #james bucky barnes #mcu bucky barnes #Bucky Barnes #mcu x reader #bucky barnes x fem reader #bucky barnes x female reader #bucky barnes x f reader #bucky fluff #mcu reader insert #reader insert #fem!reader #fem!reader x bucky barnes #bucky barnes x fem!reader #tfatws #tfatws fanfic #tfatws fanfiction #becca barnes

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pxrkjihxxn · 4 years

Text

under my skin - part 3

summary: "you know," you say, aware of how close your faces suddenly were, feeling your heart speed up again. "i can't keep patching you up forever. you're gonna have to learn to use your words properly soon."

"yeah, i know," he says softly, getting even closer to you than you thought was possible. your lips were mere centimeters apart as he smiled at you, a soft stretch of the lips you've only seen directed towards the likes of doyoung or yedam, but never at you. "thankfully, until i do, i have you to nurse me back to health, right?"

you know he's teasing, he always is, but you can't help but wonder if his question holds another meaning. "yeah, i guess you do."

tags: park jihoon x reader, gang!au, nurse!reader, brother!junkyu

warnings: mentions of violence, recreational drug and alcohol use, swearing, unedited

parts: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine

three

“so he was silent the entire time?”

if there’s one thing you appreciate about hamada asahi, it’s his no bullshit attitude. he’ll listen to what you have to say, take a moment to process it, and then, in no more words than necessary, tell you exactly what he thinks. and then not tell anyone unless directly asked about it. it’s refreshing - no matter how much you loved yedam, you couldn’t trust him not to rat you out to doyoung, who will definitely rat you out to hyunsuk who will tell both junkyu and jihoon and then proceed to tease you for what you and asahi are currently discussing until the day you die.

so, asahi it is. nobody else can know.

“completely silent, i didn’t think he could go five minutes without talking,” you exclaimed, taking a bite of the food in front of you. asahi and you had a tradition to meet on wednesdays during your lunch break, which was conveniently right after his painting class at the local community center. you were currently in your student cafeteria, both of you eating from your overflowing food tray, as asahi wasn’t a student at your university.

the cafeteria workers knew about the two of you, though - the smartest thing you’ve learned throughout years of having to take care of yourself is to get as friendly with the school staff. you knew each of the cafeteria ladies by name, what their kids did and which drama they were watching at the moment. it was that knowledge that always got you extra food you could sneak out for asahi. the fact that all the cafeteria ladies found the kid incredibly handsome always helped.

it was a nice tradition, one the both of you needed - with asahi being very quiet by nature, and you being overworked to the point of exhaustion on a daily basis, you enjoyed each other’s company very much. as much as the both of you loved your friends, this agreement of yours was mutually beneficial because you got to talk about things that are bothering you without your brother and his best friend’s yelling making it hard to listen to yourself think.

speaking of your brother’s best friend…

“he didn’t even look at me when we were driving to my place, nothing,” you explain further, shoving another spoonful of kimchi stew into your mouth. “and then, he waited in the car while i took a shower, was silent the entire way to the hospital and only told me to text junkyu when i’m inside. it was so fucking weird.”

“he can be nice when he wants to,” asahi shrugs, reaching forward to take the spoon out of your hand. he wipes it on the napkin next to the tray, dipping the cleaned spoon back into the stew and spreading it over his side of the rice.

“not to me, though! that’s what’s weird!” you exclaim, wincing when you realize how loud you were, turning around to apologize to the people around you. you bow a couple times before turning back to asahi, the two of you giggling to yourself. “but no, seriously, it was weird. the man has never been nice to me in his life and suddenly he’s driving me to work and respecting my personal space. what the fuck is that about?”

“god, your standards are low,” asahi jokes, chuckling to himself when you send a glare his way. “maybe he's finally decided not to be a dick to you anymore.”

“that would require him not being a dick at all, and that’s easier said than done,” you retort, picking the chopsticks off the table to wrap a piece of kimchi around bulgogi meat and place it in your mouth, a satisfying smile spreading across your lips as you chew.

asahi smiles as you place a piece of meat on his side of the rice bowl, spooning it up and eating it. “i don’t know,” he says as he chews his food. “he’s always had a soft spot for you, though, maybe he’s finally learned how to express it properly.”

you lean back in your chair you send him a deadpan look. “you can’t be serious, sahi.”

“it’s true,” asahi says calmly as he eats. “you really haven’t noticed?”

“what is there to notice?” you ask.

“well,” he starts, taking a spoonful of rice and dipping it in the stew. “all i’m gonna say there’s a reason any guy that has ever given you trouble hasn’t given you trouble more than once.”

you just sit there, arms crossed across your chest. “that makes zero fucking sense, asahi. why the fuck would he do that?”

“ask him,” he only replies, finishing off his food and wiping down the spoon to place it on your side of the tray. “wanna buy cake and watch anime at yours?”

you ponder the proposal for a couple second before you pile all of the leftover meat on the spoon and shove it in your mouth. “yeah, sure, let’s go,” you say through a mouthful of food as you gather your things, slinging your bag over your shoulder, asahi’s words still lingering in your mind.

“HONEY WE’RE HOME!” you yell as you enter your apartment, asahi following closely behind you. the two of you knock your shoes off and make your way to the living room. “junkyu? asahi and i bought cake and wanted to know if - oh, hi,” you stop in your tracks as you walk in and take in the sight in front of you - your brother, sleeping like a baby, curled around a stiff-looking park jihoon.

“help me,” jihoon pleads through a whisper. “he got a bit too baked and started clinging to me like a koala. i haven’t moved in at least half an hour and i can’t feel my arm,” he says quietly, pleading eyes begging for you to move junkyu off of him. when you stay put, arms crossed across your chest and an amused smile on your face, he whines quietly and you don’t wanna admit it, but he looks kinda cute. “come on, kim, help meeeeee.”

“fine, but i need to take pictures first. asahi, get the cake ready, i got this,” you say through a quiet chuckle, giving the box to an amused asahi, fishing your phone out of your pocket as you approach the two cuddling on the couch. you crouch down and get your phone as close to your brother’s face as humanly possible, snapping at least fifty pictures from ten different angles.

“okay, you’ve had your fun, now help me,” jihoon mutters through gritted teeth as you take a picture of his annoyed face, junkyu’s puffed cheeks in the bottom corner of the frame. you try to contain your laughter as you move closer to your brother and start massaging his scalp, knowing the action was going to start waking him up slowly, but not completely.

“hey, honey,” you murmur softly once junkyu starts squirming, knowing you have about ten seconds to communicate what you need him for before he either goes back to sleep or fully wakes up. “hi, let’s get you to your bed, okay?” you say as you run your fingers through his fringe. junkyu nods, eyes still closed as he unwraps himself from jihoon and moves to stand up. you grab him by his forearms and help him to his feet, stumbling as he drapes himself over you, dropping all of his weight on you. jihoon stands up immediately when he notices you stumble and grabs onto junkyu’s waist, moving some of the weight off you.

you flash him an awkward smile as you wrap junkyu’s arm around your shoulders, slowly starting to walk towards his room. the two of you waddle to his bedroom, jihoon trailing behind you with his hand on junkyu’s back. “hey, i got him, can you open the door?” you whisper to jihoon when you reach the door. he makes eye contact with you and you nod, stomach churning at the way he softly smiles at you before he lets junkyu go and moves to open the door.

jihoon walks in first, moving the blanket off junkyu’s bed. you carefully walk your brother to his bed, putting your hands on his shoulders. “i’m gonna need you to lie down for me, okay, baby?” you coo as you push junkyu to sit down on the bed, helping him lie down. he immediately curls up around his pillow when he does, whining when he realizes he doesn’t have a blanket.

“hey, hey, here it is, it’s okay,” you quickly shush him, covering him with the blanket and tucking him in. you chuckle at how childish he looks, and you can’t help but remember all the times he used to be the one to put you to bed when the two of you were younger - it feels nice, being able to do this for him, even though it’s because he smoked a bit too much weed.

“thank you.” you hear junkyu murmur as he snuggles under his blanket. you smile again, running his hands through his fringe so it doesn’t get into his eyes.

“of course, kyu,” you whisper, moving the hair up to peck his forehead. “you need anything?” you ask softly as he settles into a comfortable position. he shakes his head no, face scrunched up as he smushes it into his pillow, falling asleep in the blink of an eye.

you sit and watch him for a bit, running your fingers through his hair as his breathing slowly levels out, soft snores muffled by the blanket. for the first time since coming home, jihoon’s words run through your mind again - what was junkyu doing getting extremely high so early in the afternoon? he has never been the type to smoke during the day unless he knew he didn’t have anything to do, and from what you remembered, hyunsuk was talking about needing him that evening the last time you talked over the phone.

“hyunsuk hyung cancelled the evening meeting, it’s okay,” you hear jihoon say from behind you and you turn around to find him leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed, looking at you with that soft look again. you hate that it doesn't make you want to vomit the moment you see it.

“how did you-”

“you just seem worried. don’t be, i wouldn’t let him if i knew he needed to be fully capable,” he explains, not moving from his spot at the door frame. you brush your fingers through junkyu's hair again lightly as you look up at jihoon, careful not to wake your brother up again.

“it’s just… i know there’s things he wants to do with his life outside what you idiots do,” you start off quietly. you don’t really know why you’re telling jihoon this, opening up to him with things you haven’t really told anyone out of the blue. jihoon moves to sit down on the floor next to you and you look away from him immediately, focusing on junkyu’s sleeping face.

“he has such potential and i just hate to see him wasting his twenties away for me… i’m fine now. the hospital pays for my tuition and i’ll have enough time next semester to actually get a job but i just can’t get to him sometimes. i know he has this protective older brother complex which is ridiculous because he’s only a couple minutes older, but i just want him to start doing things for himself for once, you know? like, actual things. i hear him sing in the shower, jihoon, and he’s good. i know he has a notebook full of song lyrics hidden somewhere in his room that he doesn’t want to show me because he doesn’t want me to feel like he’s not pursuing it for me, but i can’t help it when i know he has dreams and aspirations and i just want him to put himself first, you know?” you explain, trying your hardest to be as silent as possible as you thread your fingers through your brother’s hair. you feel warm when jihoon enters your personal space, subtly moving closer to you. you sigh, drawing your knees close and resting your hands on them, dropping your chin on your palms. “i don’t even know why i’m telling you all this.”

“you want me to talk to him?” jihoon asks, letting out an amused chuckle when you turn to face him, confusion on your face. “he’s my best friend, y/n. if you’re worried about him, i should be worried about him. if you want me to talk to him about music or whatever he wants to do, i’ll do it.”

you maintain eye contact with him, looking for any signs of him teasing you, but all you can see in his eyes is sincerity. “you’d do that?”

he smiles, and it’s that confusing smile again, the one that makes you warm all over and you have no idea what it actually means. “don’t get your hopes up, kim, i’m only doing this with my best friend’s intentions in mind,” he teases, getting a bit closer to you with his face to smile cheekily at you.

you scrunch your nose at him, scoffing as you turn away from him. “whatever, park. that’s the last time i open up to you about anything.”

jihoon chuckles, nudging you with his shoulder. “oh, come on, y/n,” he whines quietly, smiling as he hooks his chin onto his shoulder, getting even closer to you. “you know i’m just fucking with you. if it helps, i don’t think you should feel bad about junkyu “giving his dreams up” for you. you’ve always been the more level-headed out of the two of you, i think we all expected you to figure your shit out first and junkyu to help you along as he figures his out. he’s had a couple years to fuck around, we just gotta help him to start doing what he actually wants to do. and we’ll be there for him until he does,” he explains softly, nudging you again so you’d look at him.

you turn your heads towards him again. “we?”

jihoon smirks, nodding. “yeah, we. as i said, he’s my boy. i’d do anything to help him out. and if helping him out also means helping you out, then so be it.”

for the first time since he sat down, you suddenly become aware of how close you two are. shoulders touching, faces mere centimeters from each other’s. you look down instinctively, breath hitching as he pulls his now-healed bottom lip through his teeth and when you look up, it’s obvious he’s staring at your mouth. breathless, you start to panic when jihoon slowly starts leaning in, your eyes closing on instinct. you sense him hesitate as he gets really close, lips almost brushing against yours, as if he’s waiting for you to make the final choice. and you want it, you really do, so much it actually scares the fuck out of you because you never thought you would ever voluntarily put yourself in this position, but not here. not how. not like this. not while you have no fucking clue what all of it actually means.

panic swirls in your chest and you pull away slowly, careful not to make too much noise as you clear your throat, opening your eyes. “i, uhm,” you start off, not wanting to be too loud as you move away. “asahi’s probably worried if junkyu’s okay. we should probably head back.”

jihoon presses his lips together, chuckling as he leans back on his hand. “yeah, asahi. maybe we should.”

you move to stand up, brushing off the nonexistent dust off your pants, trying to make this as painless as possible. “we’re probably gonna watch anime and have cake, you wanna join us?”

he locks eyes with you, holding his gaze on you for a couple excruciating seconds before he moves to stand up too, shaking his head. “i gotta get to hyunsuk hyung’s. you and asahi have fun.”

the have fun leaves a weird feeling in your chest and you don’t know what to do as he makes his way to the door. “jihoon,” you call out quietly and he stops at the door, turning around and leaning back against it. “thank you. really.”

he smiles, an empty type of smile you know isn’t really genuine, but you don’t want to push it, already knowing you fucked up. “anything for junkyu, right?” he says through a hollow chuckle, as if he’s waiting for you to tell him no, this isn't just about junkyu.

but you don’t, not sure what exactly to say other than, “yeah. anything for junkyu.” so you do, not able to look him in the eye as his lips drop slightly and he nods his head to himself, bidding you goodbye and walking out of the room. you hear him greet asahi in the living room, the two making awkward small talk before he leaves.

you turn to look at junkyu again, the sight of your brother sleeping peacefully making your chest hurt as you lean down to kiss him on the forehead again before tucking him in a bit more and leaving the room.

fuck.

***

a/n: i’m not sure if i’m rushing it but i hope you like this chapter! i’m still busy this week but i finish my last exam on monday and then i have a week off before classes start, which means updates won’t take as long! i have a lot of things planned for this fic and i hope you’re ready to embark on this journey with me. i apologize for the mistakes, i’ll beta it when i have the time! once again thank you for reading and all feedback is much appreciated! <3

taglist: @jjikyuu @m1ieu @lolibaaae @skittles2429 @remedyonrose @najxemins if you want to be added just let me know!

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slashingdisneypasta · 4 years

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Horror / Six: The Musical AU (X Reader) || Headcanons

Explanation: So all the songs are being sun by different readers with different Henry’s (The Horror Villains of course) instead of one Henry. I think its pretty straight forward apart from that! I hope to make a second part to this where the readers actually meet up and complain about their times with their respective horror villains. This is fun XD Had the idea a couple months back and I posted it and one blog commented saying Six is their favourite musical, so this is basically for me and them haha XD

Character Included: Michael Myers, Chucky / Charles Lee Ray (And Tiffany Valentine), Bubba Sawyer, Norman Bates, Mayor Buckman (And Harper Alexandre) and Jason Voorhees.

Warnings: Murder of the readers (By respective Horror Villains and a non-explicit difficult birth in Bubba’s), birth / pregnancy, toxic / abusive relationships, sexual harrassment / maybe rape (All You Wanna Do- Buckmans), language, suggested mother / son grossness (Norman and Norma of course).

I laugh in the face of those who would subdue my mad ideas.

‘No Way’ (Reader as Catherine of Aragon): Michael Myers as Henry

My name's Catherine of Aragon Was married 24 years I'm a paragon of royalty, my loyalty is to the Vatican So if you try to dump me You won't try that again

You were in a, of course, very unequal relationship with the shape of Haddonfield. He saw you one day, was completely taken by you, and decided to let you live. He would come by and use you however he liked, kill the people you loved when they got your attention over him, etc. Like any other Michael Myers x Reader.

And, years and years later (Because it’s not like Michael finds someone every day that he gives even a bit of a shit about like he does - did, - you) he comes upon a new person. Someone he, like he was you, is drawn to.

And he tries to drop you like a hot potato.

And this infuriates you. You are not about to let go! He has ruined your life! You have no friends, no family, no life, because of him! All you have, is (regrettably) him and you are going to be his for the rest of your life. That’s what he wanted, that’s what the bastard’s going to get.

(Many, many years with him has caused your courage against him to grow spectacularly. You can say nearly anything to him)

|- ‘You must agree that, baby, in all the time I been by your side

I've never lost control’

‘I've put up with your sh- like every single day’ -|

You give him one more chance- if he can tell you one thing that you have done to him to legitimately hurt him… then you’ll leave willingly.

…

But he has nothing. And he doesn’t care.

|- ‘You got me down on my knees

Please tell me what you think I've done wrong

Been humble, been loyal, I've tried to swallow my pride all along

If you can just explain a single thing

I've done to cause you pain, I'll go

No?’ -|

|- ‘You wanna replace me? Baby, there's

N-n-n-n-n-n-no way

You made me a wife, so I'll be queen 'til the end of my life’ -|

He ends up strangling you to death when you won’t shut up.

‘Don’t Lose Your Head’ (Reader as Anne Boleyn): Chucky / Charles Lee Ray as Henry (And Tiffany as Catherine of Aragon)

I'm that Boleyn girl and I'm up next See I broke England from the church Yeah, I'm that sexy Why did I lose my head? Well, my sleeves may be green but my lipstick's red

Chucky and his filthy ass catches sight of you. Young, French and vivacious and he’s got heart eyes on the spot. He wants you, but he also doesn’t really want to lose Tiffany.

So... yeah, you end up living with them both for a while and its very awkward and a very hostile situation.

|- ‘Here we go

(You sent him kisses)

I didn't know I would move in with his misses

(What?)

Get a life

(You're living with his wife?)

Like, what was I meant to do?’ -|

You don’t like it. No one likes this. Chucky! Make up your mind!

|- ‘Three in the bed and the little one said

If you wanna be wed, make up your mind

Her or me, chum

Don't wanna be some

Girl in a threesome

Are you blind?’ -|

Tiffany is of course Catherine, and the fandom (The people of Britain for the sake of this AU) loves her (As we all know), so when you come along and insult her because Chucky is now your man (Supposedly.) and of course you two aren’t getting along with each other in the first place because of him … you get a bad name.

|- ‘Ooh, why hasn't it hit her?

He doesn't want to bang you

Somebody hang you

(Wow Anne, way to make the country hate you)

Mate, what was I meant to do?’ -|

When eventually Chucky is able to grow the balls to boot Tiffany out (My heart hurts writing this, trust me), he pulls a ‘Once a cheater, always a cheater’ kind of shit and has no loyalty to you or respect for the sanctity of your relationship, and starts having one night stands here, there and everywhere. He tries vaguely to tell you you’re being silly and that’s not true- but he has lipstick on his shirt collars and perfume smell all over him.

Its not a nice living condition.

So you, still very much being the vivacious bitch that he ‘fell in love with’, go and flirt with some other guys. Just to make him a teensy bit jealous! I mean, its not like he’ll really care, right? You just wanna spark the fire again!

|- ‘Henry's out every night on the town

Just sleeping around, like what the hell?

If that's how it's gonna be

Maybe I'll flirt with a guy or three

Just to make him jell’ -|

But he finds out as planned… and is p i s s e d. He threatens that if you do that again, he’ll fucking kill you.

You, not going to let him talk to you like that, flirt with one more man. Just to be disobedient.

|- ‘Henry finds out and he goes mental

He screams and shouts

Like so judgemental

You damn that witch

Mate, just shut up

I wouldn't be such a b-

If you could get it up’ -|

And you find out that he very much meant it when he said he would kill you.

|- ‘And now he's going 'round like off with her head (No)

(No)

Yeah, I'm pretty sure he means it’ -|

‘Heart of Stone’ (Reader as Jane Seymour): Bubba Sawyer as Henry

Jane Seymour the only one he truly loved (Rude) When my son was newly born, I died But I'm not what I seem or am I? Stick around and you'll suddenly see more

You were an intended victim of the Sawyers, but like with Stretch, Bubba crushes on you instead. The difference here, is that you see the gentleness to him compared to his brothers, and how scared he is when one of them yells at him, and all the other little signs that he’s not as vicious or evil as his first impressions might convey. You have a big, brave heart, and you realise right there that its death and cannibalisation or understanding and caring for this man and you choose to love.

|- ‘You came my way, and I knew a storm could come too.’-|

|- ‘You've got a good heart

But I know it changes

A restless tide, untameable’ -|

So you take his hands in yours, all shaky and meaty as they are, and promise him that you will never leave him. You’ll protect him. You’ll take any mess he and his family can throw at you- you’ll always be with him. Your promise.

|- ‘But I took your hand, promised I'd withstand

Any blaze you blew my way

'Cause something inside, it solidified

And I knew I'd always stay’ -|

And he believes you, of course. Its so nice to be looked at so softly, especially by someone as pretty as you.

I- ‘You can build me up, you can tear me down

You can try but I'm unbreakable

You can do your best, but I'll stand the test

You'll find that I'm unshakeable

When the fire's burnt

When the wind has blown

When the water's dried, you'll still find stone

My heart of stone’ -|

And you prove yourself. You prove over and over again that no matter what he, or the twins, or Drayton, or even Grandpa throws at you- you’ll survive and you’ll stay, and you’ll never stop looking at him in that lovely soft way.

|- ‘You say we're perfect

A perfect family’ -|

You get pregnant of course because everyone in the Sawyers / Hewitts family has a breeding kink and you can’t tell me otherwise, and the birth is of course very difficult because Drayton isn’t about to pay for hospital bills. So you’re in their home, in all the mess and the dirt and with no sort of aesthetic, and…

|- ‘Soon I'll have to go

I'll never see him grow’ -|

You don’t make it. Your babies born fine and healthy, and you bring another strong Sawyer boy to the family, but you’re gone.

‘Get Down’ (Reader as Anne of Cleves): Norman Bates as Henry

Ich bin Anne of Cleves Ja! When he saw my portrait, he was like Ja! But I didn't look as good as good as I did in my pic Funny how we all discuss that but never Henry's little-

So, one day, Norman decides its time to properly settle down (Long after his mother… ah… ‘dies’) and get a partner, and because there isn’t really anyone around where he lives to date or, even, who wouldn’t get creeped out by him and his taxidermy, he turns to online dating.

He meets you there. You own and run your own hotel in the next state over, you don’t mind his taxidermy at all, and your profile picture looks… hauntingly familiar (If you look nothing like Vera Farmiga go by the original movie- she was but a skeleton there so she really could be anyone).

|- ‘Sittin' here all alone

On a throne

In a palace that I happen to own

I'm not fake 'cause I've got acres and acres

Paid for with my own riches’ -|

And you two get along great over messages! You online date for a good year before Norman proposes you elope and come to live with him! You think you’ve known him long enough, and you trust him!

So you fly right over, and he meets you at the airport, and…

He’s disappointed.

Like, ‘sorry, nah, you don’t look enough like mama so this isn’t gonna work’. In a more fidgety, quiet, subdued kind of way though. He’s so awkward with communication that he even suggests that you doctored your profile picture.

I- ‘You, you said that I tricked ya

'Cause I, I didn't look like my profile picture’ -|

And, understandably, you’re p i s s e d, and disgusted! But ya’ll already got married over the internet, so theirs no stopping that! This is your husband. You realise you’ve made a huge mistake and go right back to your home and your hotel to get divorce papers drawn up.

You’re the queen of your own fucking castle, who needs him?

|- ‘I'm the queen of the castle

Get down, you dirty rascal

'Cause I'm the queen of the castle’ -|

You are understandably, very very mad. And you say some things to Norman about he and his mother, that… may be true… but that he certainly doesn’t appreciate.

When you finally get the papers, and you’ve been separated long enough for it to be legal, you go back to the Bates Motel to get Norman to sign them and stay over a night. You’ve calmed down enough that you’re able to have a pleasant conversation with him, and you decide that you’re too tired to take the plane back home right away so you take up Normans offer to stay in one of vacant rooms (*Cough* So you basically have the run of the place. Or they do. *Cough).

Norman is also pretty calm about the whole thing as well, like you! But… Norma, is still seething.

You don’t wake up the next morning.

‘All You Wanna Do’ (Reader as Kathrine Howard): Mayor Buckman as Henry (And Harper as Thomas)

Prick up your ears, I'm the Catherine who lost her head (Beheaded) For my promiscuity outside of wed Lock up your husbands Lock up your sons K. Howard is here and the fun's begun

Right, so, you haven’t had good luck in love throughout your life, so you decide to give up on boys entirely.

|- ‘So I decided to have a break from boys

And you'll never guess who I met’ -|

… And meet a man, not much later. A man in power; A mayor. A man who’s been married before and has a beard (So you know; He’s a man. XD No little boy.). This is of course Buckman. He calls you love, and you get a job in Pleasant Valley that keeps you comfortably busy. You feel like, finally, you’re where you belong. You feel fulfilled- no committed relationships are necessary.

|- ‘Globally revered

Although you wouldn't know it from the look of that beard

Made me a lady in waiting

Hurled me and my family up in the world

Gave me duties in court and he swears it's true

That without me, he doesn't know what he'd do

He cares so much, he calls me love’ -|

But then Buckman tells you that he cares about you. You have a connection. He doesn’t feel just ‘friendly’ feelings towards you- he wants more. And, though you are a little disappointed that your solitude didn’t last, you decide that he’s decent enough (’He is rather kind to me, and he does makes me smile a fair bit’, you try to reason with yourself that this is a good idea) and so you start to go out. Its not long before you’re married.

|- ‘So we got married Woo…’

Woo…’ -|

But being married to him isn’t easy. Not at all. You’re not use to politics; There are so many rules now, and he’s always too busy to help. And the rest for Pleasant Valley are a bit… odd. And you just don’t fit in. And this is wear Harper (Thomas) comes in.

|- ‘With Henry, it isn't easy

His temper's short, and his mates are sleazy

Except for this one courtier

He's a really nice guy, just so sincere

The royal life isn't what I planned

But Thomas is there to lend a helping hand

So sweet, makes sure that I'm okay

And we hang out loads when the King's away’ -|

And he’s so lovely and caring towards you (Never more then when Buckman leaves for business in other towns), helping you through the transition from your old life to this one. He’s a good friend, to you. And that is most definitely all he is, on your side of it. A friend. You don’t feel attractions towards him at all apart from that, and he doesn’t try to make any moves. Its wonderful!

|- ‘This guy, finally

Is what I want, the friend I need

Just mates, no chemistry

I get him and he gets me’ -|

… Until one day when Buckman has been away for a month, he tells you he cares about you. You have a connection. He doesn’t feel just ‘friendly’ feelings towards you- he wants more.

|- ‘He says we have a connection

I thought this time was different

Why did I think he'd be different?

But it's never, ever different’ -|

Lets just say one things leads to another, despite you at first turning him away and saying no. He’s so insistent, and a little scary, and you’re lonely because your husbands’ has been away so long, and… something happens that you regret and feel gross about.

|- ‘Squeeze me, don't care if you don't please me

Bite my lip and pull my hair

As you tell me, I'm the fairest of the fair

Playtime's over.’ -|

You tell Buckman when he gets home, and you watch as every bit of warmth and love in his eye disappears, just like that.

Its not long after that that his jealousy and betrayed rage takes over… and… you die with a rope around your neck and your feet swaying above the ground.

|- ‘Playtime’s over’ -|

(Alternatively, Sheriff Hoyt as Henry and Thomas as Thomas)

‘I Don’t Need Your Love’ (Reader as Catherine Parr): Jason Voorhees as Henry (Your last love was Jason when he was alive)

Five down, I'm the final wife I saw him to the end of his life I'm the survivor Catherine Parr I bet you wanna know how I got this far I said I bet you wanna know how we got this far Do you wanna know how we got this far then?

So, you’re like the leader of the ‘Slashers Ex Squad’ because you, unlike the others, survived your time with Jason. This is because Jason did, truly, love you (To an extent- not enough to let you go and live your life without him or be free). None of the others really did. Not like he did.

|- ‘Became the one who survived’ -|

Your story:

You and Jason had an adorable little 11-year-old puppy love relationship when he was alive. You were his only friend, and he had it bad for you because of it. Pamela loved you, too.

When he died you were of course devastated, and years later when you were 30 (Making him also thirty- not that you know that. You still think he’s dead at this point) you’re taken by the need to go back to Camp Crystal Lake and pay your respects to your childhood love / friend. Its just one of those nostalgic days.

When you go, and you set flowers down by the lake, Jason catches sight of you. He thinks about killing you… but then your features start to make sense to him. He recognises you, and for the first time since his mother was killed, he feels his heartbeat speed up and swell with hope.

Jason of course kidnaps you then, and keeps you hostage for himself. He missed you. He doesn’t want to survive anymore time without you. You’re all he has left!

… After you realise that this is Jason Voorhees, you quickly learn that this Jason is, of course, not the boy that you cared, and care, so deeply about. He’s done horrible things, and he is never going to stop; And frankly, deep inside… he scares you.

But its not like you can leave him! He would never let you, he’s made that clear. You are all he has, and now, he is all that you have.

|- ‘I don't have a choice

If Henry says "it's you", then it's you

No matter how I feel

It's what I have to do’ -|

So you write a letter to the old Jason (And your old life), saying goodbye, in admittance to the fact that you’ll never be able to get away from this new Jason. This is you letting go of your freedom and any preconceptions that anything will every be the same- with Jason, or otherwise.

|- ‘It's true I'll never be over you 'Cause I have built a future in my mind with you And now the hope is gone There's nothing left for me to do’

'Cause I have built a future in my mind with you

And now the hope is gone

There's nothing left for me to do’ -|

You never stop hating him for how he’s changed (How he’s taken your Jason away, and wont even attempt to go back) and how he’s stolen away your freedom.

|- ‘I'd say "Henry, yeah it's true

I'll never belong to you

'Cause I am not your toy, to enjoy till there's something new

As if I'm gonna give up my boy, my work, my dreams

To care for you"

"Ha, darling, get a clue”

But I can't say that

Not to the king’ -|

You eventually die of natural causes at, like, 60.

126 notes · View notes

jcmorrigan · 3 years

Note

001 - Kingdom Hearts

Favorite character: On the villain side: VEXEN IS BEST ORGANIZATION XIII MEMBER. Shoulda stayed evil, though. I like it when he complains and screams about everything and hates everyone. He's one of my favorite villains, just, like...in general. So fun to write. Also attached to Demyx, but I actually liked him more in III than II because it reminded me of my rawr lolspeek weeb days when I f/o'd him without knowing what f/o'ing was and then transitioned this to shipping VexDem like heck. On the hero side: MY GIRL KAIRI! But honorable mentions go to Sora, Riku, Aqua, Ven, Terra, Xion, Roxas, Lea, Ienzo, any Disney character I loved beforehand (this is way too fuckin many to list), Merlin (OKAY I WILL SINGLE HIM OUT), Yen Sid (I'LL SINGLE HIM OUT TOO), you know what let's also single out the Mickey+Donald+Goofy power trio...just...any KH hero who isn't part of the Yozora stuff or the KHUX stuff. ...Except I also LOVE Strelitzia, and she is the only KHUX-exclusive kiddo I care about but I care about her MANY. (Oh, and there's a least fave I have who's a "hero" but that's a debatable label). I would go on about why I love all of them but...that's too many characters to elaborate on

Least Favorite character: See, I think the real answer is Yozora, but the thing is I just tend to forget about him or not care (unless I'm doing a weird AU where he's Noctis' bratty Nobody, don't ask). He kinda represents the Shark Jump and I don't like watching that scene where he literally petrifies Sora for not being strong enough. But again, I can just kinda forget about him if he's not fed to me through a social-media unit. The one I LOVE TO HATE is Master Eraqus. The man actually triggered me back in the day. He is purity culture. He is the overbearing parent who will not accept you unless you are perfect. He is by and large the reason VAT didn't communicate with each other properly. He was the one who taught Aqua to think in absolutes. He lied to Ventus for years and then insisted to kill him was the only option, and then, when Terra tried to defend his brother figure/friend without knowing WHY Eraqus was doing such a thing, Eraqus didn't offer an explanation and instead switched targets to Terra citing that the problem was Terra's lack of OBEDIENCE. Eraqus is just very "my way or the highway" and uses his moral high horse to justify doing things that utterly lack compassion in any regard, which is something that GETS to me on a deep level, and let me tell you, I hated him for so long until I realized he was actually a super fuckin fun guy to imagine as a Bigger Bad in AUs that either have the KH protags teaming up or have villain protags needing a "greater good lawful evil" figure. And I just have found too many good memes about him cheating at chess and killing children. I have to laugh. Making fun of him is fun. He's a ridiculous character. That said, this recent trend of "erase everything bad he ever did and paint him as the ultimate hero of the saga" makes me raise eyebrows for SEVERAL reasons

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): VexDem, SoRiku, Kairi x Jaune Arc (RWBY), Aqua x Rosalina (Super Mario Galaxy) x Bayonetta, IsaLea, Ventus x Papyrus (Undertale), that was six but they all needed to be mentioned

Character I find most attractive: Ienzo. HOO BABY he is adorable. I saw someone make a Valentine's Day gifset of KH and FF characters shortly after III dropped and seeing his smiling face paired with a romance quote made my heart FLUTTER

Character I would marry: Probably Ienzo, see above. He's also a very kind guy. Favorite redemption in the modern era.

Character I would be best friends with: I hope the Destiny Trio would adopt me into their friend circle the way they've tended to do with every other inter-world denizen they've come across. I would love to have them as my positivity squad. Or, y'know, two positivities and one "it's okay to screw up" guy. Just. I would love to hang out with them. I often worry that I'm unlikable to my faves, but even though I would usually prefer to hang with the villains, I can pretty much guarantee these three would be open-minded about me. (Do I kiiiiinda wanna be friends with Vexen though? Of course I do. He'd hate me but maaaayyyyybe he would see me as one of his pet idiots who makes him look smarter, and we could bond over our fragile egos?)

a random thought: You ever think about that one NPC lady in Traverse Town who refused to tell you where she was from because it was none of her business? You ever wonder where she WAS from? What her world was like? How she ended up being the survivor of the Ansem Apocalypse when it hit her? All I know is that when I read her lines out loud (I used to read KH speech balloons out loud all the time), I gave her a Southern accent for no discernible reason and I stand by it. That woman has a twang.

An unpopular opinion: I don't want KHUX to be canon because I feel it's smaller-scale and takes a lot of mystery out of the worldbuilding. I always assume that the KHverse just includes ALL worlds in fiction, and that includes their thousand-year histories, meaning the Age of Fairy Tales should've happened long long long LONG LONG LONG ago and not five generations. And whatever screwed up the world should've been more than just five people having a fight, and whatever saved it should've been more than just five people getting along, and Daybreak Town really suffers from having to stick to mobile-friendly graphics and therefore is the least aesthetically attractive KH town ever, and I don't like that Lauriam and Elrena used to be such selfless people. I do still love Strelitzia because she's shy and relatable and quirky (sitting on the roof) and she questions authority and if you go with shipping subtext she's probably bi (or pan?), but I don't like the "Lauriam's dead sister for his arc's drama" bit. I liked when Marluxia was angry because he wanted to run Organization XIII but it was in the hands of an idiot who wasn't him. And more than anything I just like imagining that the Age of Fairy Tales was something bigger, further in the past, and more mysterious than something designed for a mobile game. Scala ad Caelum, however, I like a lot better because there IS a lot of mystery there and also it's a very pretty town with an amazing design.

my canon OTP: I really only count the Disney couples as the "canon" ones, so this is a question of picking my favorite Disney couple that shows up onscreen. I hope I'm not forgetting an important one, but I think the title has to go to Aladdin/Jasmine, which is always perfect in everything. (This would be an ENTIRELY DIFFERENT STORY if KH had ever adapted Treasure Planet, and if it ever gets the mind to adapt Treasure Planet then even if I don't care about that game I will immediately declare that Amelia/Doppler takes the KH canon OTP crown. *taps watch* Get on it Squenix)

Non-canon OTP: SoRiku, which I counted as "basically canon" after DDD until III decided it wasn't sure. But I'm just a sucker for how DDD is the two of them all "HE'S GOT MY BACK AND I'VE GOT HIS AND I'D DO ANYTHING FOR HIM SO LONG AS HE'S HAPPY." It's just the best kind of Friends-to-Lovers, except when you take all canon into account it's Friends-to-Rivals-to-Enemies-to-Friends-to-Lovers and that's a very juicy dynamic. BUT ALSO: VexDem, which is a nostalgia ship SO STRONG I had to accept that it eclipsed my former Vexen ships by a mile and I wanted to go back to my roots. That one, I have a much longer essay about that I'll just have you refer to so I don't repeat myself for pages. To make a long story short, their scene in III was JUST DELICIOUS.

most badass character: OOF THEY'RE ALL BADASS but in the end it's between Sora and Aqua, because Sora gets the widest RANGE of abilities across the series that he masters while Aqua gets the most POWERFUL abilities due to her Mastery (Command Styles seem like they'd be the most OP things ever in-universe and I'm here for it because flashy battle moves make brain go brr).

pairing I am not a fan of: SOKAI, Xehaqus, RikuNami, Vanitas/anyone not evil

character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): OH BOY. KAIRI THE MOST. YOU ALL KNOW WHY: lack of screen time, Fridging for drama, forced romance to invite death flags (they really wanted to milk that death to get people talking didn't they?), giving Alyson Stoner ZERO direction to actually follow up on Hayden Panettiere's performance. But then I remember that they made Vexen redeem and lose his entire personality and I just...uuugghhhh. I can't believe he died twice in this series. And then Demyx is FUN but also I know he's flipped sides as well, which means he won't be fun much longer! Xehanort seems to switch motivations to whatever makes him the biggest threat (and several of Eraqus' old flaws seem to be mysteriously glued onto him), Sora isn't a motormouth anymore, Riku just doesn't get anyone who cares about him anymore because everyone's distracted by Sora and Kairi, IS ANYBODY GOING TO ADDRESS THE ACTUAL ISSUES THAT DROVE THE WAYFINDER TRIO APART, oh God Marluxia and Larxene you're good guys now what have they done to you

favourite friendship: I really like each of the trios. But you know what's even BETTER than the trios? If you put...all of the trios together...meaning Sora, Riku, Kairi, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Aqua, Terra, Ven, Roxas, Xion, Lea, Hayner, Pence, Olette...and then you added Isa back in there...and you gave them Ienzo...and you brought back Naminé...and you say that Subject X is Strelitzia and you have her turn back up so she can have justice done...AND YOU HAVE AN ULTRA KEYBLADE GROUP OF FRIENDS. As for Vexen, any purely platonic relationship I have for him is a crossover but trust me I have many crossover pals for he

character I want to adopt or be adopted by: See everyone I listed above in the friendship question. They can either mentor me or let me be their big sis/mom. But also, I will GLADLY be Merlin or Yen Sid's daughter. (But also would I kiiiiinda wanna be a VexDem daughter? This is the worst idea. Still wanna try)

#kingdom hearts

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loveafterthefact · 3 years

Text

Love After the Fact Chapter 76: Going Home? Question Mark?

Lance, Keith, and their ‘associates’ give their farewells and prepare to leave.

Sorry for my perpetual lateness :’(

First Previous Next

Keith sits across from his mother, sipping some tea. Krolia watches him. He’s very still, waiting patiently for her to speak. He's put his circlet back on, though not his Altean clothes, as they no longer fit. A part of her wonders if he has what it takes to be a leader. He always seems so gentle outside of combat.

Perhaps a little too gentle.

“Are you going to tell me, or are you two keeping it to yourselves for now?”

“Putting it like that sort of backs me into a corner,” Keith observes. He worries his lip. “We’re very excited, but I don’t feel ready to celebrate yet.”

“Because you don’t want to feel sad if you miscarry,” Krolia concludes.

Keith nods. Guilt stings at his hearts. “Lance is so happy. I don’t know what I’ll do if-”

“You’re allowed to be happy, kitten.” Krolia pushes some hair out of her son’s face. “Thace’s equipment only goes so far. A few movements ago, we weren’t certain you could get pregnant. Now, you know you can, and you will have every possible chance of bringing this kit into the world.”

"Right..." Gazing around his freshly cleaned den, Keith’s visibly saddened. The windchimes are gone from outside; BleepBloop’s climbing towers missing; the fireplace has been cleaned and scrubbed of soot. The den is empty, like it’s never been lived in. It feels wrong.

“Keith? What-”

“I don’t want to go,” he whispers, throat tight and ready to choke him. “I want to stay here with all of you. I want to see Lance be happy and feel like himself.” “Feel like himself?” Krolai’s ear cocks, trying to understand.

“When we return, Lance will become busy again, with no more excuses to delegate so much of his work. He’ll sort through it, and give me the easy tasks so that he finds time to eat and sleep, and we’ll be together, but apart all over again. He’ll be distant, and coy, and never touch me unless we’re alone and I’ll hate it!” The young man sighs, tugs on a lock of his hair. "I know he's trying, but I don't know how to help him break out of these habits. I don't think he can do it alone, either. I don't want him to."

Krolia fixates on her son, watching his frustration over the rim of her cup. “This is my fault. No one ever told you what being a bearer means on Altea, did they.”

“Obviously I know what it means-”

“No, you don’t.” Krolia’s stare is searing. “Pregnancy is power, Keith. A good man or not, the crown prince is no different than any other Altean sire. You carry his progeny, and he will worship at your feet. He will give you anything you ask for. If you want to be his fawned-over, spoiled pet, tell him. If you want power, tell him. If you want luxury, tell him. If you want to share in his duties, tell him. If you want him to hold you, keep you close all the days of his life, tell him. Whatever you want, he will give it to you.”

“Momma. That’s…”

“That’s survival, kitten. You have power over him. He’s desperate for heirs. After your first kit, hold out on him. You’ll have whatever you want.”

“Momma, what I want is my mate. By my side. Sharing my life.” Keith sips his tea. “I understand what you’re saying. And I understand that you still have concerns about me mated to an Altean, and living on Altea. But I promise, Momma. I promise I don’t have to manipulate Lance into giving me things that I need. I can just ask.”

He waits until his mother meets his gaze. When she does, her eyes are so very sad. Sad for everything they’re still struggling to build between them. He taps his fingers against the clay of his cup, tries to find a way to explain why he’s not worried about having to ask for things.

“You know, when I first arrived, I spent the first movement avoiding everyone, including Lance. I didn’t realize it at the time, but he was watching me. Asking the guards about me. He must have asked the gardeners, or was approached, because it’s the only way he found out about this flower I stole from a greenhouse.” Keith laughs. “The next thing I know this garden he built for me is full of orchids. I kept finding new blankets and pillows, uh. Puzzles. Random trinkets. Raw crystals. Snacks.

“We’re addressing his control issues, obviously, but… He was so desperate to make me comfortable, to make it easier. He cared about me even then. I don’t need to manipulate or use him to get what I need or want. Chances are he’ll give it to me before I even ask.”

“I hope you’re right. I do think better of him. But he wears the face of the species that slaughtered your father. My mate.”

“Are you sure we shouldn’t be blaming my uncle for that?” Keith asks, steady, completely serious.

“An excellent question, kitten. One I ask more every quintant.” The soldier woman gets to her feet. “We should go and meet your mate and your friends. It’s about time for you to leave and we need to stop by my den on our way to the Compound.”

Keith nods, reluctantly following his mother to her own den. BleepBloop is already on their ship, ready for Altea. It’s on the edge of the community. No one owns dens, or even has an ancestral den anymore. Too many people have left, or died. A den becomes empty, and whoever’s lived on the fringes the longest gets to move inward if they like.

“I have something for you,” Krolia tells him. “I suppose, in a way, you have your mate to thank for this. Perhaps you can educate him about it.”

“Okay?”

“Wait here.” Krolia ducks inside her den, coming back out seconds later with a very small wolf cub. “So your mate decided to save an orphaned wolf cub, which was incredibly honorable and respectful of him, but his mother’s companion could not find a surrogate for him, and now he needs a home. The hunter decided that since your mate saved him, you two might like to have him.”

“I-” Keith gulps. Being offered a cub is an extreme honor, especially as an outsider. And the cub is cute. He takes the animal from his mother, rubbing his ears, looking him over. “I love him already. So much.”

Not that he could turn down a wolf cub even if he wanted to. Especially not this one, the one that carries not only a piece of his mother's life force, but Lance's as well. He strokes the wolf’s midnight fur, working a tangle out of the pale blue ruff circling around the animal’s neck and down his back. The cub stares up at him with brilliant, golden eyes.

“I knew you two didn’t have the time for him, so I told Lance I’d keep him here. It was his idea to give him to you today. I guess he thought it might make going home easier.”

“It doesn’t,” Keith whispers. “But it’s still something. Stupid idiot, he’s really toeing that line between secret and surprise.” He holds the cub up to his face, smiling. “You had a rough start, huh?” The cub licks his nose. “Me too. Don’t worry. It gets so much better.” Keith smirks. “Finally someone to take BleepBloop down a peg. He’s gonna be so jealous-”

Keith’s comms unit buzzes in his pocket, a message from Adam: It’s time to go. He takes a deep breath. “Well, little one. Wanna come with me to Altea?”

The animal licks at his face again, tail wagging. Keith grins, cuddles the cub close. Yeah, he’s keeping this little guy.

Keith stalls on his way to the compound, stopping to talk to people, ask a few carefully worded questions about the political climate and what the villagers think of Lance, ask if those thoughts have spread. It’s good news. It means their kit will be a little safer.

“So… Lunch last quintant was a thing, huh?” Lance nibbles at his breakfast. He’s in Allura’s sitting room, one of the few rooms she and Lotor have deemed safe from prying eyes and ears. Meaning Lotor and Pidge searched the room from top to bottom.

Allura nods, eating as quickly and as much as her manners will allow. “It really was quite something.”

“What do you think?”

“I think…” Allura wipes her mouth with her napkin. “I think I should stay closer to Lotor and keep a closer eye on Romelle. I think you should keep an eye on yourself and keep closer to Keith.” She gives her brother a meaningful look.

“Was it that obvious?”

“No. The others wouldn’t have caught it. But I know you, and I know Keith. I could tell… Are you trying to keep it quiet?”

“For now. Keith may very well miscarry and feels too uncertain to make an announcement.” Lance sips his tea.

“And?” Allura gives her brother a pointed look. Lance sighs.

“And the longer we can hide this, the longer our child will be safe. The moment Alfor and Zarkon know, our baby’s future will be dictated to us.” Lance leans forward in his seat, expression tense. “Remember our cousin, Griffin? His son is four years old and rumor is Alfor’s already made an arrangement. Keeping it quiet means I have time to come up with something myself, or pass some legislation under the table to protect the rights of our children. We only have a few movements until the thaw, and I’ve just got ideas, nothing written.”

“Do you plan on including Nibling in that?” Allura asks, gesturing to her belly with her spoon. “Because frankly I don’t like the way Honerva’s been looking at me lately. Lotor doesn’t like it either.”

“Of course. Anyone possessing Altean blood, or under Altean rule.” Lance frowns. “How long do you have?”

It’s a more difficult question than it seems. Galra gestation is only five phoebs, their children born small-bodied, vulnerable and useless with eyes and ears still shut. Altean infants gestate for a decaphoeb and a half- three times as long. They’re born hearing and seeing, ready to learn how to walk and talk.

“Well, I’m about six phoebs along… We’re guessing six more, judging by their development.”

Lance nods. “I don’t know how long we have. I just- I want us to be safe and happy.”

“Lance…” Allura taps her finger on the table. “You don’t remember what Mother was like. She wasn’t at all how she’s described. I mean, she was kind and all that, but she was also wild and very strong. A powerful leader and presence. She didn’t die by accident, Lance. Her death was on purpose. When she was assassinated, they chose her for a reason.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Safe and happy are not available to us. Be respected instead. Be the type of leader that people will kill on purpose, because of who you are, not what you are. That’s how you can best protect our children. Be feared and respected.”

Lance nods, licks his lips. “I should visit Romelle before I go.”

Allura sighs. “I’d appreciate it if you would… I know father was lying about looking for more possible solutions. It was unusually kind of him.”

“I… had a screaming fit with him before we left Altea. I think I got through to him. Somewhat. He’s still Alfor, but he’s a slightly less frustrating Alfor.”

Allura laughs through her nose. “We must take what we can get.” She meets her brother’s gaze. “I am going to miss you, brother.”

“I’ll miss you, too.” Lance rises to his feet, giving his sister a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll come visit again when I can.”

“So… When I make you an uncle?”

Lance grimaces. “Or when Keith makes you an aunt.”

The princess nods, tucking a loose curl behind her ear. They stay like that for a long moment, Lance standing, Allura sitting, missing each other, still in the same room. This woman, his sister, raised him, loved him, supported every one of his choices, even if she disagreed.

Sometimes, he still feels lost without her.

“I love you, Lance.”

“Love you too, ‘Lura.” Lance kisses her cheek again, slips his hand from hers as he heads for the door. “I’ll see you again soon.”

Across the hall, in another room, Lance finds an even sadder affair. Romelle is sitting by a sunny window in yet another red stone room, eyes staring into some unfathomable distance. Despite her vacant expression, she’s visibly well cared for. Her hair is groomed and braided how she always wore it before and she’s clean. Her clothes are fresh, fingernails files short and round so she can’t hurt herself.

He wonders if she still knows how loved she is.

“Hey, Romelle. I just thought I’d come say goodbye. We’re leaving today, so…”

Lance sits in the chair opposite the frail woman, disrupting his sister’s imprinted shadow. Before he knows it, Lance’s eyes are stinging, welling with tears. He grew up playing with this woman, watching her and Allura fall in love. She was so, so young when she went on that final voyage with Alfor, and she won’t ever get better. Not hoping for conversation, Lance elects to sit quietly and keep his friend company for a while-

“Are you afraid of the water?”

“I-” Lance blinks, unsure of the proper response. He takes a chance on the truth. “No, I’m not afraid of the water. I love the water.”

Romelle hums, skeptical, quizzical. “No, I suppose you wouldn’t be. You would not even be aware.”

“Beg pardon?”

“What has come to pass will pass again... the love story theirs and yours are so very fond of. Only neither of you knows it.”

“Romelle-”

“Generations of flesh give way to the rebirth of souls… The guardian waits for the descendants.”

“...I understand,” Lance lies. It’s easy, like lying to a small child, promising that there are no monsters outside their door. He stands, having had as much as he can bear. He gently squeezes the woman’s hand.

“Do not fear the water,” Romelle whispers. “Even submerged, you will still burn.”

“Good, uh.” Lance clears his throat. “Good to know.”

As Lance leaves to gather Pidge and Adam and say goodbye to Lotor, Shiro, Thace, Ulaz, and a few other Blades, he can’t quite shake the anxiety. He struggles to convince himself that Romelle is unwell, just spouting random nonsense from her collapsing mind.

He doesn’t quite succeed.

Sooner or later, Keith finds himself in the courtyard where they arrived, the ship open, revealing a number of packages- gifts and other items they’ve accumulated since their arrival. Lance is talking with Thace and Kolivan, hands animated, eyes shining. Whatever they’re discussing, Lance is excited for it.

“Keith.” Krolia turns him to face her, grips his shoulder tight. “Listen to me carefully. Are you listening?”

Keith turns to his mother, nods, holds the wolf cub closer between them, petting his head.

“You train this animal well. You keep him close. Do not trust anyone except the crown prince… There is something in the stars. I have seen it. All we can do is brace ourselves and wait.”

“What do you mean?” Keith whispers, fear trickling like ice down his spine.

“I mean that the sociopolitical strain on Daibazaal is reaching a breaking point, and none of us are prepared. There are enemies in every corner, and fools behind and beside them. You are carrying the hopes and dreams of an entire civilization in your womb. Know your place, even if it is to run.”

“I-” Keith gulps, nods. “I will… I love you, Mom.”

“I love you too, kitten.” Krolia embraces her son, kisses his temple. “You tell that Altean of yours I’m allowed to visit, because I can and will.”

“Okay. Just let us know you’re coming. There’s an entry medical procedure.”

“Noted. I see your mate-”

“Ready to go, beloved?” Lance slips an arm around his waist.

“Not really,” Keith whispers.

The Altean’s smile is so, so sad and so very gentle. “Me neither. But we’ll come back soon; I promise.”

“I know.” Keith doesn’t want to ask for one more trip before their kit is born, but he imagines Lance is already trying to set up the same thing. Lifting his gaze, he spies Adam, holding both of Shiro’s hands. They’re talking quietly.

He’s not the only one breaking his heart today. As he watches, Pidge trots up to the Altean, tugs on his vest, gently whispers that it’s time to go. The look on Adam’s face is inscrutable as he nods, leans up, whispers something in Shiro’s ear before he slips away and onto the ship. The conflicted expression on Shiro's face tells Keith it was a tender confession. His heart breaks for his littermate and for Adam, who finally found each other only for them to be kept apart by duty and honor.

As the ship lifts off the ground, Lance catches Keith sniffling into his new pet’s fur, trying to hide it. The crown prince doesn’t question the cub’s presence, having known about it the whole time. Instead he just holds his husband close, lets him cry.

There’s not a whole lot else he can do. Pidge’s feelers creep over his hands, investigating them both. They hum, soft enough to barely register, sitting quiet for a moment before going to watch Altea loom larger and larger before them. They whisper quietly to Adam, who only shakes his head.

Leaving here is far harder than leaving Altea.

#LoveAftertheFact #LAtF #klance #galtean au #altean lance #galra keith #adashi #altean adam #galra shiro #voltron legendary defender #vld

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buckysrighthanddoll · 3 years

Text

Weaponized

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: meantions of trauma (SA related), angst, slight pining

Prompt: “If I love you, is that a fact or a weapon?”

Getting into Bucky’s mind was easy. The man was overanalytical and calculated every small detail. You didn’t need to say a word for Bucky to think about you.

Getting into Bucky’s heart, however, was entirely different. He was guarded like Fort Knox; he lined the walls with dozens of troops, and then he had even more waiting on the inside.

You always held sympathy for Bucky. He went through a lot; there was not a single thought in your head that called him a monster. He was brainwashed and had no control over his own actions--there was nothing he could do besides stay alive.

The first time you had any interaction beyond an introduction, it was because Tony put you and him on a case together. Basic recon--eastern Spain. The mission would be a week, but it wasn’t horrific compared to other missions.

Bucky was strict at first. Rigid, even. He never spoke a word unless you talked to him first, and he never let himself go. Well, not until you convinced him to.

“Come on, James, it’s just a drink,” You scoffed, offering him the glass of whiskey.

“Don’t call me James, please,” He responded. That was the thing with Bucky--he was polite, despite everything he wanted to say. “And we’re on a mission. Drinks are not a good idea.”

“You’re a super-soldier,” You pointed out. “I thought you couldn’t even get drunk.”

“I can’t, but you can.”

“Have one drink with me, and I’ll stop,” You bartered. Both of you knew that if Bucky didn’t want to, you wouldn’t make him. But you were hoping that this would loosen him up a bit.

Once the night’s work was done, you both drank some more. You were a lightweight and got tipsy relatively quickly. He was stone-cold sober.

You smiled upon the memory. It was easy to recall him helping you back to the shitty motel room, and it was even easier to remember him helping you to bed.

Things got a bit easier after that mission. It was hard not to when you spend a week alone with someone on a mission. Communication was imperative, and sleeping in the same room with someone else can (and will) bring someone closer together.

You had thought that maybe you were starting to get through to him, but then the mission was over, and you both went back to the tower. Bucky locked himself in his room like he usually did, and you went back to your daily activities.

Bucky came into the kitchen almost nightly. You were also there, although neither of you spoke to each other. You couldn’t sleep at night, so you usually stayed in the kitchen or communal area to catch up on some reading and writing. Bucky would grab some water and sit at the counter, not saying a word.

Both of you would sit in silence, despite your mind thinking of a multitude of questions. You wanted to talk to him like you did on the recon, but that seemed nearly impossible with his walls so high.

Six weeks had passed like this. One night, however, it changed.

“I get nightmares, too,” You said casually. “Not quite as intense, but I still get them.”

Bucky looked taken aback for a fraction of a second. “I’m sorry,” He muttered, looking up from his glass of water.

“You don’t have to apologize, Bucky,” You responded, placing a bookmark and setting your novel down. “I just want to put it out there that if you’d like me to try and help you, I’d like to.”

“But--”

“I’m not just saying it because I feel like I have to,” You interjected. “I’m saying it because I want you to get a good night’s sleep. You’re tired.”

“I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

“I’m not asking you to spill your deepest fears. I’m asking if I can help you.”

“You’re sure?”

“Positive,” You reassured. “Come on.”

Bucky led you back to his room, and then he awkwardly sat on his bed. You placed your book on the nightstand and got under the sheets on the opposite side of him, holding the blankets for him. He rested his head on your chest and put his arms around your torso. You grabbed the book with one hand and played with his hair with the other.

“Would you like me to read to you?” You asked. “It’s a poetry book if that’s okay.”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

“Okay,” You answered, opening the book to some of your favorite poems. You began reading to him, the words flowing freely and gently from your lips. For a fleeting moment, his mind told him that he wanted to drink those words from you as though he was parched.

Coincidentally, it was also the night you began to fall for James Buchanan Barnes.

He fell asleep on your chest, and you put the book down once his breathing evened out. You didn’t want to get up. You wanted to stay here and keep playing with Bucky’s hair, listen to his breath, and feel his heartbeat. He was resting, and it was beautiful.

When Bucky woke up at five in the morning, you were still awake. You had been scared to fall asleep next to another man, but that was a trauma you weren’t ready to dig up. The two of you were in the same position he fell asleep in but was nearly startled to find you still playing with his hair.

He hummed in relief when he noticed you there, burrowing himself deeper into you. It made your heart soar. You had guessed that this would be awkward. After all, you were still in his bed, hand dancing in his hair, and you hadn’t gotten a lick of sleep.

“You haven’t slept,” Bucky said. It wasn’t a question; it was a statement. He already knew.

“And you slept like a baby,” You countered, taking the attention off of you. You really didn’t want to admit to this man that you couldn’t share a bed with anybody. It had been nearly a decade.

“Why didn’t you sleep?” He asked groggily. He rolled over and stretched his body, exerting a yawn while he was at it.

“Just couldn’t,” You responded vaguely. “You going on a run?”

“Yeah; are you joining?”

“Another time,” You told him. “I have to get some paperwork done,” You added. Your hope was to avoid suspicion, but you knew that if anybody could read another human being, it was Bucky Barnes.

Lucky enough, he left it alone. You went on your separate ways for the day and repeated the process at night. Of course, he became wary about why you hadn’t been sleeping whenever you stayed the night with him. Even when you had slept together in your bedroom, you didn’t get a wink of sleep.

A month later, you were head over heels for him. It was easy to fall. There were numerous late-night conversations, coffee runs, and morning jogs. There were even more workouts and training sessions. Things were amazing. Bucky was finally starting to let his guard down around you, and the team noticed as well.

Bucky would come to team meals, but only as long as you were there. Steve noticed that he smiled and conversed with everybody he could, but only when he was by your side. You calmed his nerves. You offered him some form of emotional protection. He knew that if he wanted to leave at any point, you would follow him and hang out in his room with him. He fell for you, as well, but he wasn’t able to admit it to himself.

The only person who was worried was Tony. It wasn’t that he was unhappy to see you in brighter moods. He totally adored that. It was the concern of compromising missions because of emotions. Tony didn’t know how you’d be together. Any mission would be dangerous if one of you got hurt or went missing. Emotions could be used as weapons.

Tony pulled each of you aside to talk. It was a simple (yet stern) conversation that summed up to not letting the world know if you were sleeping with each other. If that information got into the wrong hands, the team could be threatened.

Both of you had the same reaction, despite not knowing about each other’s conversation; it was all “nothing is going on between us--we’re friends”.

Tonight was just like any other night. Once everybody decided they were going to bed, you went into Bucky’s room and laid in his bed.

“(Y/N), can I ask you something?” Bucky asked as he slipped on a shirt. You hummed a yes as you looked at him. “How come you never sleep when we do this?”

And there it was. The question you had been avoiding for nearly three months. “Buck, I don’t know if I wanna talk about this.”

“No, we need to,” He pushed. “I feel horrible seeing you with bags under your eyes because you’re not sleeping at night. You’re exhausted when we have to do things with the team. You pass out on any car ride or when we use the quinjet. Doll, you even nod off at debriefings.”

“I can’t sleep in the same bed as anybody,” You muttered, sighing as you gave in. This was Bucky, and as much as you didn’t want him to know, you had to tell him. He was a concerned friend. “I haven’t been able to in ten years.”

“Why’s that?”

“I’m not going into it right now. All I can say is that something happened to me when I was with this guy--it happened while I was sleeping. And it happened multiple times. So now whenever I try to fall asleep with someone, I just get the most intense nightmares; and that’s if I can fall asleep at all.”

Bucky didn’t say anything; he just nodded his head and got into bed next to you. He held his arms out to you, which was rare. Typically, you held him so that he could sleep. This time, though, he wanted to let you know that you could let your walls down.

“I wouldn’t wanna sleep beside me, either,” Bucky said after a couple of minutes. “I mean, I don’t even understand how you can put up with my screaming and kicking like you do.”

“That’s easy,” You state before realizing how awkward of a position you put yourself into. You couldn’t just tell him that you loved him. Not now. This wasn’t the right time (but then again, would it ever be the right time?). You quickly thought of something to add. “I like helping you rest better.”

“You need rest, too,” Bucky responded, rubbing his hand up and down your back. He had found that it was a quick way to calm you down--but it was never enough to help you sleep.

It wasn’t like he hadn’t tried staying awake longer than you. There were nights where neither of you slept because he wanted you to fall asleep first. It never happened.

“I get to rest, but it’s when you go for your run,” You said. You tangled your legs with his, welcoming the warm embrace that this man was offering you.

“I just really care about you, doll. I don’t want you to suffer because you’re helping me.”

The moment shifted. It went from being-a-concerned-friend to there’s-something-much-deeper-here. You looked up at Bucky and found that he was looking right back at you.

“What’s on your mind?” You asked. He looked between your eyes and your lips, furrowing his eyebrows. It was easy to see that he didn’t want to do whatever he was thinking about.

“I--it’s j--well, uh--it’s just that if I--if I said I loved you, I wouldn’t know if that was a fact or a weapon,” Bucky stammered.

“Buck, you’re not a weapon. What we have--” You said, trailing a hand up to his chest and motioning between the two of you. “--is not a weapon.”

“Can I kiss you?” Bucky muttered. Your stomach fluttered at the words, not only because he wanted to kiss you, but because he was so respectful of your boundaries.

“You don’t have to ask me,” You responded. He smiles and ever-so-softly connects your lips. A deep and contented sigh falls from both of you as if your entire lives had led to this moment. The moment when James Buchanan Barnes would hold you in his arms and kiss those celestial lips of yours. The moment when you felt the safest you had in ten years. The moment that tipped you over the edge and into something bigger. Something better.

“I love you,” Bucky says against your lips. He repeats the words, at first testing them out for size; but then he started saying it just because he loved the way you smiled against him and repeated them back to him.

That night, you slept next to Bucky Barnes. The smile on his face when he woke up to your calm breathing and steady heartbeat made everything in his long life worth it. You, he knew, were worth it.

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hiddlestonsbabygirl · 5 years

Text

Let It Snow (Steve x reader) part one

In which (Y/N)’s cousin, Bucky, comes home for the holidays with a friend along and decided to stay for Christmas Eve when a heavy snow storm hits home.

Contains: cousin!Bucky, fluff

Note: Hey guys! So this is my first story here on Tumblr and I think this is gonna be a long one, so there will be a few parts. For now I give you my first one so, I hope you’ll like it!

...

It was only two days left before Christmas and everyone at home was already buzzing. Every Christmas the whole family comes home and spends the holidays together. And by family, meaning your cousins, uncle and aunts, grandparents, practically everyone. Your mom was scurrying from room to room getting all the beds ready while your dad cleared out the front yard from the heavy snow last night with a little help from your younger brother. Your older sister, Christina, was in the kitchen getting dinner ready. According to your cousins, they were arriving tonight to help get ready for Christmas Eve. And with that you were excited, not just for the fun you were going to have with your family, but you were once again going to get a sweet taste of your aunt’s infamous pudding, your banter and laughs with your cousins, but above all, you were most excited for Bucky, your cousin whom you haven’t seen for almost three years already. Bucky joined the army and he was busy for a few years, not having to come home for the holidays, or at least most of the days. You didn’t communicate much with him because they only had limited time to use phones and you were also busy with college. Now that he was on break from work until they were being called in again, he was home and just in time for Christmas, too.

You checked the clock mounted on your room and saw that it was already six, and in less than an hour your family would arrive any time soon. You leave your bed, taking one long stretch, your muscles relaxing after being curled up underneath your covers for hours. You take a quick shower and threw on a pair of jeans and a cream-colored sweater before walking—more like skipping—down the stairs and going straight to the kitchen where you can smell the roasted chicken and mashed potatoes wafting through the air. It felt like it was already Christmas Eve.

“Some dinner you’re whipping up, huh?” You told your sister, eyeing the meal that was laid out on the kitchen counter, still to be laid out on the table where dinner will be held.

“Yeah, well, it’s always special when the family comes around.” Christina replied with a grin, putting down the last plate of mashed potatoes she just finished cooking. With a relieved sigh, she happily stared at her finished work, happy to be done what with hours of being concealed in the kitchen, making sure to have the perfect dinner.

“Help me set them up?” She asked, taking a plate of roasted chicken before making her way to the dining room and you followed suit, taking two in both your hands to make work quicker.

Once you both finished putting the dishes, you set the table with red and white clothings, bringing out the candelabra your mother always used to design the table for Thanksgiving and Christmas. You lined up the silver kitchenware, making sure they were perfectly aligned and in their proper places. Your sister began placing the champagne glasses on the table and with one last fix on a crumpled napkin, the table was already set.

“Wow, the table already looks like it’s ready for Christmas Eve.” You commented, pleased with the work you and your sister have done.

“We’re gonna make the set up look even better for Christmas.”

That’s when the doorbell rang. You checked the time on your phone and it was already seven, surprised that the time went by fast when you were working on the table with Christina.

“I’ll get it!” You volunteered, dusting off your sweater with any filth that might have stuck on to your clothes before running to the door. You quickly opened it, and you were then greeted by a whole family in front of you wearing coats and hats while the snow continued to fall.

“Uncle Rob! Aunt Jenna! Everyone! Hi!” You were too excited to even form a coherent sentence, letting them all in just as your parents and siblings got to the door to greet them with you.

You all exchanged warm hugs and excited laughs, already met each of your cousins, but there was still that specific someone you’ve been dying to see again.

As if on cue, Bucky comes inside all wrapped up in thick coats and a scarf around his neck and mouth and you didn’t waste another second to run up to him and give him the tightest hug. He was caught by surprise but when he realized it was you, he let out a chuckle before wrapping his arms around you just as tightly.

“Buck, I’ve missed you,” you breathed out, still hugging the life out of him.

“I’ve missed you more (Y/N). It’s been too long.”

“I know.” And you hugged him even tighter (if that was still even possible) as you felt a few tears leave your eyes, letting your head rest against his shoulder.

After a few more moments he gently let go, his hands still holding on to your shoulders at arms-length. He stared you up and down with a grin, shaking his head almost in disbelief. “Look at you now, I’ve been gone for three years and you’re so tall already!”

You preened at his compliment and shrugged, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. “Yeah, well, in a few more I could be just as tall as you are.”

But you both know you were joking. The man was literally six feet and you were proud enough to have reached 5’5. Well, almost 5’5. But what difference does it make?

“Oh! That reminds me!” Bucky exclaimed suddenly, loud enough for everyone to hear. Everyone stopped what they were doing to face him, waiting for what he was about to say.

“I almost forgot to tell you guys that my friend from work will be staying with us for the night.” He announced, taking a step to the side to reveal a blonde man just as tall as him standing shyly and unsure.

But he took your breath away.

He was beautiful. Perfectly-cut blond hair, blue eyes, thin pink lips, and cheeks flushed from the cold outside. He wore a thick brown jacket and a blue scarf that matched with Bucky’s wrapped loosely around his neck and tight jeans that hugged his legs perfectly.

“This is Steve Rogers. We work together in the army and he was supposed to go home today but bus liners stopped their operation for the day due to the bad snow storm. He’ll be leaving first thing tomorrow to spend the holidays with his family, but for now he’ll be waiting out the snow with us.” Bucky explained all in one breath, as if he had practiced what he was about to say. “If that’s okay, of course.”

Your mom was the first one to speak. “But of course darling! You’re welcome here anytime.”

She went up to him and held out her hand for a handshake and Steve took it with a smile. “Make yourself at home. Mi casa es tu casa.”

You rolled your eyes half-heartedly at your mom who was obviously trying to impress a visitor. More specifically, a hot and handsome visitor. And you don’t often get a visitor like that at home, let alone stay the night.

“Say, Buck, why don’t you introduce me to your friend later, hm?” You overheard your sister talk with Bucky behind you.

You fought the urge to roll your eyes again.

Bucky laughed behind you. “Of course. I’m gonna introdce him to the cousins later, anyway.”

“No, I mean, introduce me to him alone. If you know what I mean...”

You sighed, shaking your head in disbelief and decided to just head to the dining room instead. You love your sister, you really do, but sometimes when she sees someone she likes that she thinks she stands a chance, she’d do anything to get that guy’s attention. And somehow her target now was Steve.

...

Dinner was finally over and you were stuffed already. The family was in the living room talking and spending some quality time, and from your spot in the kitchen you could hear the faint sound of your grand piano playing and a few familiar voices singing Christmas songs. After dinner you decided to stay behind and clean up the table, gathering all the used dishes and utensils before starting to wash them.

While washing you couldn’t help but think about Steve, how happy and laid-back he was talking and laughing with your family during dinner. He sat next to Bucky and he was across from you, and every now and then you would steal glances at him just to see him smile or talk or laugh and he was fucking beautiful. A couple of times he’d catch you staring at him and you’d quickly look away, but even if you were already caught you still couldn’t help yourself because he was so irresistible and so fucking attractive and adorable and sweet and—

“You need a hand with that?”

You slightly jumped at the voice and when you turned to look your heart did a sudden somersault to see the man you’ve been drooling over for the past hour already. He wasn’t wearing a coat anymore and he only had a black sweater on, and you could clearly make out his taut muscles and thick stomach underneath his clothing.

Snap out of it!!!

“Oh! Uh, i-it’s fine. I’m good, thanks.” You nervously replied, giving him a shy smile as your went back to your washing, praying that he wouldn’t notice your shaking.

“Are you sure? Those seem like a lot of dishes, and from what your mom told me you and your sister cooked and set up the table. Which looks really beautiful, by the way.”

But not as beautiful as you are...

“Thank you, but Christina did all the cooking. I only helped in the set up.” You laughed a little, not daring to look at his face.

“Still, I wanna help. It’s the least I could do for letting me stay the night.” He insisted softly, feeling him come closer.

“Steve, no.” You said more firmly, your heart loving the way his name rolled out of your lips perfectly. “If mom sees you doing the dishes, she’ll kill me. You’re the guest here. You’re supposed to be in the living room with Bucky or meeting my cousins. They’re ecstatic to have you here with us.”

He chuckled, stepping even closer to you and you could feel his warmth brushing against you as he gently took the dish in your hand, slowly continuing your work, as if him moving slowly you’d finally give in to him helping you.

“Ecstatic? How come?”

You couldn’t help but smile even if you tried putting on a firm look, watching him carefully rinse the dishes. “We don’t always have a guest over aside from the usual folks that come around for Christmas. Plus, you’re Buck’s friend from work. They all adore him and they’re always so interested in his work.”

“Well, being in the army is not exactly the kind of work I’d like to call ‘interesting’. It’s more dangerous and serious.” He replied in a more serious tone.

“Is it really scary out there? You know, while in battle or being in the hideout?” You asked curiously, watching him finish off the last few dishes, your plan on shooing him away slowly dissipating.

“To be honest, yeah. It’s always so tense and that constant feeling you get that there could be danger anywhere always in the back of your head, and you couldn’t sleep well at night because you’re too on edge no matter how tired you are.” He replied with a somber tone, watching how he drifted back to when he was still in battle. It must have been hard for him to go through like that everyday, not knowing when the war will be over.

“But still...” you spoke out softly after a few seconds of silence. “It was all worth it in the end, right?”

He smiled. “Of course it was. I chose to be in the army. I wanted to help save our country. I wanted to protect and fight for the better good.”

You couldn’t help but smile at him. Taking advantage of the fact that he wasn’t looking at you, you took your time to marvel in how beautiful he was up close. His nose, his perfectly sculpted face, sharp jawline, and those lips that are to die for. Not to mention his brave and courageous and kind heart.

“I know we just met but I’m proud of you, Steve.” You suddenly blurted out. “You and Bucky. You guys are our heroes.”

This time he finally looked up at you and his storm blue eyes lit up. He didn’t know why, but he could feel his neck heat up that somehow trailed up to his ears and face, worried you might notice his intense blushing. He’s heard so many praises like that before, but when it came from your own mouth his heart rejoiced unexpectedly. He just met you, and he had a burning feeling that you’re going to mean more to him than just being Bucky’s cousin.

............................... ............................... .......................

Part two is up!

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queen-swagzilla · 4 years

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Born in Dreams, Forged in Blood - Chapter 2

Rated: M

Summary: Katsuki Bakugo was not a good communicator. To be fair, neither was Izuku Midoriya. Looking back on their dumpster fire of a friendship, communication was probably the most significant missing piece in their interpersonal puzzle. Luckily, their translator is back in town, and they're about to take UA by storm.

Like the story? Consider buying me a coffee!

Don’t know what’s going on? Read it all on Ao3!

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“I’m gonna give Sana a tour of the dorms.” Katsuki barked at the end of the day. “Then we’re going to see Deku, and we’ve got private shit to discuss. You extras better clear out before we get back.”

The look on Uraraka’s face told Sana that they’d have to forcibly remove her from the infirmary if they wanted any privacy. “I really don’t like that girl.” She muttered as they separated from their classmates.

“She’s impressive, but she’s nosy and she gets really territorial about Deku. Think she has some kinda claim over him or something.” He replied. “She has more right to be in Deku’s business than I do, though.”

“Yeah, what the hell is up with that? I know he hasn’t stopped being a friend to you, but he’s actually starting to believe that you hate him. And you told him to jump off the roof. He told me. What the fuck, dude?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Tough shit, Kacchan! The three of us are supposed to have each other’s backs against the world. It’s been that way since we were in diapers.”

“We still have each other’s backs. I’ve saved him. He’s saved me. I’m not turning my back when he’s in trouble or anything.”

“Yeah, but you act like a dick, and there’s more to friendship than literal life-threatening situations. You need to be there for the emotional shit, too. You help each other get stronger, work out problems together, just spend some fuking time together,—“

“Yeah, well Deku and I aren’t there anymore, okay? Drop it.”

“No! Tell me what happened!”

“He didn’t have a quirk!” He snapped, rounding on her. He looked around—they were outside the dorms now—and found no one in sight. Nonetheless, he grabbed her arm and pulled her inside—dragging her into the elevator. “If we’re doing this, it’s not gonna be where those extras can overhear us.”

“Fine.” She barked back, allowing him to pull her into his room and slam the door. “You could have just whispered. I would have heard you.”

“Yeah, but if AirPods is lurking, we’ll get overheard out in the open.” He replied, frustrated. “Okay, look. I started being hard on Deku because he didn’t have a quirk, but he still wanted to be a hero. He kept on putting himself in dangerous situations to get closer to hero fights and stood up to bullies and shit whose quirks were fucking violent. At first, I just wanted him to be reasonable and start looking out for himself, but he kept getting worse and I got more frustrated. He wasn’t even training physically at that point, just going off analysis and shitty self-preservation instincts. I just wanted him to think. I might have lost sight of what I was trying to get through his thick skull, but I was so fucking angry at him.”

“So you told him to kill himself?” She demanded. “You’re one of my best friends, but that’s seriously fucked up.”

“Yeah, I know.” He snapped. “I regret that, okay? Especially since that same fucking day, he saved me from the sludge villain. Before All Might showed up, I mean. But that still made me furious because what the fuck was he thinking?”

“Have you considered apologizing?”

“No, because now I’m pissed off for a different reason. He had a quirk and he let me have a fucking heart attack every time he pulled some crazy self-sacrificing stunt.”

“He said he was a super-late bloomer. Maybe it was triggered during the sludge villain attack? That’s when he started getting cagey with me, at least.

“That’s not it.” Katsuki muttered. “I have a theory now. I don’t know why I didn’t realize it sooner.”

“Wanna share with the class?” She replied when he didn’t elaborate.

“Not yet. But we should talk about it with Deku when we go see him later.” He admitted. “And your villain encounter. Don’t think I forgot.”

“You’ve had way more villain encounters than I have.” She paused. “Are you okay, by the way? After the kidnapping, I mean?”

He scowled. “Add that to the ‘we’ll talk about it later’ list.” He grumbled. “I mean physically, I’m fine. Mentally, I’m working on it.”

She sighed. “Fine. Wanna finish showing me around? You can tell me about our classmates while we’re at it.” She suggested, already moving toward the door. It was like talking to an emotionally constipated brick wall with him, sometimes.

“Uh, first…” He stopped her and she paused, turning back to look at him. “It’s good to see you. I’m glad you’re here.” He muttered, looking away. The tips of his ears burned, and she couldn’t help but smile. He might be emotionally constipated, but at least he was trying.

She threw her arms around his neck in a ferocious hug. “I missed you. Both of you. I’m really glad to be back. It didn’t feel right—learning to be a hero without you.” He murmured into his neck.

“I don’t want to get your hopes up about the team thing, because I dunno if Deku and I will be able to get past our shit. But yeah. It’ll be…nice. For the three of us to be together, I mean.”

“See? That’s a good first step!” She cheered. “Come on. Show me around.” She urged, pulling him back through the door.

He gave her a perfunctory tour, but ended up in the kitchen making food while he told her about their classmates.

“So…we like Kirishima, Kaminari, Ashido, Jirou, and Sero actively. We like Ojiro, Koda, Tokoyami, Yaoyorozu, Hagakure, Sato, and Todoroki passively. We don’t really “get” Sparkles or Tentacles. We aren’t sure about Frog Face, we dislike but respect Kirby and Four-Eyes, and fuckin hate Mineta. Sound about right?”

“Yeah. Froggy’s alright, but she tends to judge people too quickly. She’s kind of a know-it-all and she's pretty uptight, but she tells it straight and says what’s on her mind. She pissed me off today, but she was one of the people leading the charge to stop me from getting kidnapped at the training camp. She’s a real asset in a team, too. Level headed.”

“That was a whole lot of compliments. You better sling some insults to balance yourself soon.” She warned him. He threw a carrot peel at her face. “Rude. I was just trying to help.” She groused, picking the peel out of her hair.

“Yeah, well quit it.” He replied. He began ladling curry into tupperware over rice. “I was thinking we could take Deku dinner and eat with him while we catch up and talk through our shit.” He mumbled. Unfortunately for him, she heard him loud and clear.

“That’s really sweet of you, Kacchan.” She grinned, only smiling wider when he glowered. “Sounds like a plan. As long as we’re allowed to eat in the infirmary.”

He snorted. “We’re barely allowed to visit the infirmary. Aizawa basically told us to fuck off, remember? We’re going to sob-story our way in so that we can get his other visitors kicked out and stay past curfew.”

“The hell are you talking about?”

“You. Make up some bullshit about how much you miss Deku until she lets us stay.”

“I do miss Deku.” She deadpanned.

“Exactly. That’s fuckin perfect.”

“Kacchan.”

“Let’s go.”

As expected, Izuku’s room was occupied when they arrived. “I’m sorry, I can’t allow more than two visitors at a time. Otherwise it’s not fair to the other patients.” Recovery Girl informed them when they asked to see him.

“They already had their turn. Can’t you kick them out?” Katsuki growled. Sana smacked his arm (hard).

“It’s nice to meet you, Recovery Girl! I’m Sana Kimura—the transfer student. You’ll probably be seeing a lot of me.” She smiled, polite and charming. “Could you make an exception, just this once? I haven’t seen Zuku in over a year, and I wanted to surprise him today. I don’t want one of our classmates to give away the secret before I get the chance!”

She squinted at the newcomer. “Why does Bakugo have to join you?”

“We’re all childhood friends! Its been a long time since we’ve been able to spend time together. Besides, Kacchan is helping me navigate campus until I get settled.”

Recovery Girl squinted even longer—long enough to even unsettle Bakugo. “Very well. Wait here. I’ll let his other visitors know that their time is up. But I don’t want you to cause any trouble, do you understand, young man?”

Sana bristled, but Katsuki spoke before she could interject. “I understand. And uh…sorry. About the last time, I mean. I was out of line, and I destroyed a lot of your equipment.”

Recovery Girl smiled at him. “Thank you for your apology. I understand how frustrated you must have been. I must have scolded Miss Midnight for an hour after she put that muzzle on you.”

Sana scowled fiercely. “He should have been allowed to not accept the medal.” She said, seething. “That Todoroki kid didn't’ give it his all. Katsuki would have won, but that wasn’t a real win.”

“No need to convince me, dear. I agree.” She soothed. “I’ll go clear the room for you kids. Wait here.” She bustled into the room where Izuku was contained, and within seconds Sana heard loud protests booming from the occupants.

“You watched the Sports Festival?”

She snorted. “Of course I did. You and Zuku were both competing. Besides, Auntie Inko sent me about six million reminders. I wouldn’t have missed it, but I also couldn’t have missed it.”

“Oh. Well, what did you think?”

“About you? Or did you want me to give you a complete analysis of each match?”

“Just fucking tell me, dammit.”

She snickered. “You were great. I can’t believe how much control you have over your quirk now. I do think, however, that you need to work on your image in public.” He glowered. “Come on. You’re a hero. You can’t yell ‘die’. You gotta work on the rage. You want people to be hopeful when they see you, not intimidated.”

“Half my image problems came from the fucking muzzle and handcuffs. The rest of it was just treating my opponents like actual opponents. It’s shitty to pull your punches on someone who’s trying their best.”

“I agree. But really, yelling ‘die’ makes you sound unhinged. I’m pretty sure it’s a leftover habit from playing too many first person shooters, but really.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m working on it.” He conceded, pleased that she was impressed, but annoyed that she found his flaws noteworthy.

It didn’t escape her notice that Katsuki clammed up and bristled as soon as Uraraka and Iida entered the hallway.

“You got us kicked out?” Uraraka demanded, eyes fixed on Katsuki. “You actually think he wants you in his infirmary room? You’re usually the one who puts him in here!”

“He’s here because I’m here. Not that it’s any of your business. Just because you’re his friend, doesn’t mean you can dictate who Zuku spends time with.”

“Leave it alone.” Katsuki muttered, already walking into Izuku’s room. Sana looked like she wanted to argue, but if Katsuki was being the calm and reasonable one, she should probably leave it alone. She met Uraraka’s glare and Iida’s affronted, scandalized face with a venomous stare of her own, then followed Katsuki into the room.

“Kacchan? You’re my other visitor? Why are you here? Is everything—“ Izuku fell silent when sana walked through the door and stared, mouth ajar.

“Man, you two need to work on your greetings.” She joked as Izuku continued to stare at her in shock. “First time I see you two in over a year and Katsuki swears at me and you stare at me like I’m an alien. Not a single hello. You’re lucky I don’t take it personally.”

“Sana?” He choked out.

“Who the fuck else would it be, Deku?” Katsuki snapped. She slugged him in the arm.

“What are you doing here? It’s so good to see you!” He cried, automatically moving to get up before wincing and slumping back onto his cot. Apparently, he’d forgotten his injury.

“I told you I had a surprise for you!” She laughed, coming to stand by his bedside. “I transferred to UA!”

Izuku gaped again, eyes wide and jaw hanging open. “What?”

Katsuki rolled his eyes. “She had some mystery encounter with a fucking villain and didn’t totally suck at handling herself, so Principal Furry scouted her for the hero course.” He barked. “She’s in 1-A.”

To no one’s surprise, yet Katsuki’s immeasurable horror, Izuku began to tear up. “You’re really transferring to UA? We’ve missed you so much, don’t you dare say sike!” He blubbered, tears already dripping down his face. Sana cooed in comfort, immediately bending to pull him into a tight hug.

“Telling the truth, Zuku.” She promised. He sobbed louder.

“Stop crying, nerd. We brought you dinner.” Katsuki snapped, shoving the tupperware at him as he sat on his other side. “We’ve got shit to talk about, and visiting hours are almost up. We were gonna ask if we could stay past curfew, but that’s probably one too many favors for Recovery Girl, and we’re not gonna get privacy like this in the dorm. So hurry up and get your shit together.”

“You brought me dinner, Kacchan?” Izuku murmured, eyes wide as he stared at the tupperware in wonder. “You made me dinner? Thank you!”

“Whatever, nerd.” He muttered, looking away. Did he really have to act like he’d cured cancer or some shit? “You and I have shit to work out, but we can do that later. Just eat and listen while Princess Shithead explains how she was in a villain attack and didn’t tell us about it.”

Izuku frowned at Sana, simultaneously snapping the lid off his curry. “Why didn’t you tell us, Sana?” he pouted, sounding disappointed. Sana groaned.

“Let me tell you right now, the disappointed for withholding information thing is NOT going to work in your favor, Zuku.” She warned. “You have a quirk.” Izuku turned red, eyes dropping to his hands as they gripped the food container.

“Stop changing the fucking subject!” Katsuki snarled.

“Fine! It’s not that big a deal. There was this super gross villain who had robbed a bank and when he was surrounded, he started destroying everything in sight. I was picking up groceries for dinner and got caught on the scene. I got scouted because I cleared a space for triage and defended it from debris and shit. The only bad part was not having my compression sleeves or braces with me.” She rushed out.

“I saw that attack on the news! That villain leveled three city blocks and nearly took down Gang Orca!” Izuku cried. “You could have gotten seriously hurt!”

“If that’s not the fucking pot calling the kettle black…” Katsuki muttered.

Sana rolled her eyes. “We’re training to be heroes. That’s the territory.Seriously, I didn’t even get that badly hurt. All of my injuries came from my own quirk”.

“The hell is your problem?” Katsuki demanded. “Why didn’t you fucking say anything until now? You could have died! You could have died and you didn’t tell us? I’ll fucking kill you!”

“What good would telling you have done? You couldn’t do anything! Not to mention you were taken by the League like two days later! Izu’s arms got fucked up and he actually almost died because of his showdown with Muscular. You had your own shit to worry about!”

“Fucking christ.” Katsuki spat, dropping his face into his palms.

“Look, we’re all okay, right? That’s what matters.” Sana reasoned. “And next time we’ll be stronger.”

“Do you want a fucking list of how not okay this shit is? Deku has a quirk, and it breaks his bones every fifteen minutes. You could have died in a villain attack and didn’t tell us. I got kidnapped, and I’m the fucking reason All Might retired.” His voice broke on the last point. Deku turned to him so fast, Sana was surprised he didn’t break the sound barrier. “Fuck. This is my fault. Everything that’s wrong between us is my fault.”

“Oh, fuck no.” Sana snapped.

“That’s not true, Kacchan!” Deku hissed. “I’m the reason All Might retired. You’re amazing! You’re so strong and you stayed strong when you were kidnapped, even when most people doubted you. Sure, we had our struggles in middle school, but you’re still important to me and I admire you. The only reason I’ve been able to use this quirk is because I’ve been watching you grow all these years.”

Katsuki looked up at them then, and they were both horrified to find him crying. “If I’d been stronger—or if I’d listened to that cat lady and retreated earlier, All Might would still have his power.”

“No. No no no no no no no.” Deku muttered, scrambling for his phone on the bedside table. “Hold on for a second, but please stop crying Kacchan.” He pleaded. He fired off a quick text, looking unbelievably nervous. He already operated at a baseline anxiety of 60%, so now it looked like he was going to vibrate out of his skin. “Okay.” He said, looking back at them. “If I tell you this, it has to stay completely secret. Promise me.”

Katsuki sniffed and Sana nodded. “I promise.” She said.

“Whatever. Fine.” Katsuki muttered, wiping at his eyes. Izuku braced himself, anxiety palpably rising with every second. “Just spit it out, nerd!” Katsuki barked, intimidation undermined by the wavering note in his voice.

“All Might was always going to lose his power.” Izuku began. “He was badly injured five years ago, and his control over his power has been fading since then. He came to UA to find a successor.” He told them. Sana gaped at him.

“How the hell do you know that?” She demanded.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Katsuki spat. “All Might chose him. After the sludge villain, right? That’s when you two met.”

Deku looked at him in surprise. “Uh…yeah. The Sludge Villain attacked me first, and All Might saved me. He told me that I couldn’t be a hero without a quirk. But then the sludge villain got free and attacked you, and I happened to pass by. I was ready to give up, but as soon as I saw you, I had to help. It wasn’t a choice, it was an instinct. After you yelled at me, All Might caught up with me. He trained me for ten months, and on the morning of the entrance exam, he gave me his quirk.”

Sana’s jaw dropped, eyes glazing. Katsuki, however, looked barely phased. “I figured it was something like that. After Kamino Ward—All Might’s message…”

“Yeah.” Izuku nodded. “That was for me.” Tears pricked at his eyes. “He was telling me that his time as the symbol of peace was over. That it was my turn.” He looked down at his hands. “If anything, it’s my fault that he lost his power. Just like it’s my fault that you got kidnapped.”

“Come on, what the fuck?” Sana groaned.

“What the hell are you talkin about, Deku?”

“If I’d gotten to you sooner—if I hadn’t broken my arms, if I’d been able to reach you before Kurogiri—“

“I told you not to follow me! I told you to stay back. You know why I’ve been so pissed at you Deku? It’s cause you’re fuckin stupid. You keep getting yourself into shitty situations that you can’t handle. It wouldn’t have made anything better if we’d both died.”

“Kacchan—“

“No. Fuck no. I said we’d talk about it later, but it’s not like Sana doesn’t know what’s been going on. I didn’t want you hanging around me because you kept getting hurt and it drove me fuckin nuts. Sure you don’t need a quirk to be a hero, but you need to fuckin train or something! You were this skinny little nerd and you kept picking fights that you weren’t able to finish!”

“That’s bullshit, Kacchan!” Izuku snapped back. “Even after I got a quirk, you were being an asshole!”

“Yeah, because even though you had a quirk, you still treated your body like garbage and didn’t show any fucking restraint! If you know your bones break every time you use your quirk, you don’t break them twice to win a fucking festival game.” He snarled. “And you kept it from me!”

“I kept it a secret because you were being an asshole!”

“I was being an asshole because you kept breaking your fucking arms!”

“My body wasn’t strong enough to handle my quirk yet!” He argued. “I had to train and figure out how to use it! It’s not my fault the League of Villains kept showing up!”

“STOP!” Sana snapped. “Okay, this is conversation is set up to go in a really aggravating circle. Katsuki, you were worried about Zuku because he was quirkless and reckless, Then you were worried about him because even though he had a quirk, his body wasn’t prepared for it and it kept on hurting him. Despite that, he was still reckless. Gotta say, I’m not too thrilled about that either. I almost puked when I watched your fight with Todoroki.” She pinned him with a glare. “Not to mention, until today he thought you’d chosen to keep your quirk from him for years and just let him panic whenever you did something nuts.”

Izuku gaped. “I wouldn’t do that!”

“Well I know that now!”

“Shut it!” She growled. “Deku, you may not have totally given up on him, but you let yourself get intimidated by him, so you started hiding shit from him. He was trying to give you tough love but he went overboard because he was frustrated, and he didn’t explain his point of view. You didn’t really stop consider why he started losing his shit, and just assumed it was because you were quirkless. You let your toxic masculinity force a five-year miscommunication. Now your relationship is a goddamn dumpster fire and the two of you are fucking messes. You should both be in therapy for multiple reasons. I can’t believe you two are still so dense that you need a fucking translator to get along, but fuck it! I’m here now, and I’m done with this bullshit. I hope you’re happy. I’m going to be your interpersonal fire extinguisher and emotional housekeeper until you two dumb-shits can take care of it yourselves.”

Both Izuku and Katsuki were darting their glances between her and each other, growing steadily redder as she ranted. “You can’t just magically fucking turn Deku and me into magical fucking unicorns who fart fucking rainbows.” Katsuki snapped. Despite himself, Izuku snorted.

“Of course I can’t. But you two can stop being such gigantic tools and start talking to each other again. And when you can’t get it right, I’ll just…translate for you.” She nearly hit them both when they both offered her skeptical expressions. “Listen, fuckfaces. Our dreams and goals match because we designed them that way. We’re supposed to be a team. I’m not stopping until we’re a team again. So are you going to try? Or am I going to have to drag you both kicking and screaming?” She leveled them with a hard glare.

After many awkward glances and false starts, Izuku spoke first. “You still want to be a team?”

She scoffed. “I wanted us to be a team even when you were quirkless. Sure, you’d have taken a different role, but at least we’d be together.”

“Fuckin’ psycho. Clearly All Might’s grooming him to be a strong solo hero.”

“Right, and that’s gone so well for society. Now villains are organizing and we’re in deep shit for depending on him so much. Besides, are you really gonna let this self-sacrificial idiot fight by himself? Because let me tell you, if we’re not an official team, I’m just gonna show up wherever he goes to make sure he doesn’t do something stupid.” Katsuki snorted at that. “I’d rather be a team though. A strong hero team, all three of us symbols in our own right. Hope, Strength, and Victory—Stronghold, Aftershock, and Ground Zero.”

“It’s Last Stand, you motherfucker!” Katsuki barked, leaping to his feet.

“Who’s Last Stand?” Deku asked, a little dazed and confused, and therefore a little slow.

“No one. Your hero name is Stronghold. Kacchan is being overruled.”

“My hero name is Deku.”

“Not anymore. Keep up.” She replied, snapping her fingers for emphasis. “Look you were worried about a theme, right?” She asked Katsuki. “That’s why you wanted Last Stand?”

“That’s what I fuckin said, isn’t it?”

“So the name I chose fits a theme? Not the conceptual names and syllable matching—it’s the metaphor! Zuku’s the bunker, you’re the bomb, I’m the post-explosion shockwave. Stronghold, Ground Zero, and Aftershock! I put a lot of thought into this!”

Katsuki scowled at her mulishly. “Don’t I get a say?” Izuku asked hesitantly.

“If you go with Deku, Kacchan’s going with King Explosion Murder. So, no. We choose each other’s names. You and Kacchan chose mine, you and I chose his. Now we get to choose yours.”

“Neither of us agreed to be a team, dumbass. Let him choose whatever shitty name he wants.” Katsuki growled, throwing himself back into his chair. “Eat your fucking curry, Deku. We risked our fucking infirmary privileges to get that in here.”

Deku had slipped into overthinking mode, and so he dociley began eating on autopilot. He wasn’t so tuned out that he didn’t notice the conversation awkwardly picking back up. He even chimed in every now and then, but his gears were turning and they were churning new information into new conclusions at a dizzying pace.

Sana had transferred to UA, and had forced Kacchan to actually talk to him within ten hours of her first class. Kacchan wasn’t mad because of pride or ego damage, or even because he didn’t want to be near someone who was quirkless. He was mad because he was worried and was bad at expressing himself. Kacchan wanted him to be more careful. To take more precaution—both when he was quirkless and now that he had One For All. And, knowing how hard Kacchan had worked to gain control of his quirk, it had probably driven him crazy to see him acting so recklessly and expecting to catch up quickly. Kacchan had thought of a hero name for him. That meant that Kacchan believed in him. Izuku had thought that Kacchan hadn’t even wanted him to try. He thought that Kacchan believed he was useless without a quirk. Hell, he’d believed it, so why wouldn’t someone as amazing as Kacchan?

A knock came at the door.

“Young Midoriya?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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madamslayyy · 5 years

Text

You Want A What? (Trevante Rhodes x Reader)

Pairing: Dad!Trevante Rhodes x Black!Reader

Warnings: None, lil Angst if you squint

A/N: So I have no clue why I even wrote this but here we go. It’s a continuation of my previous fic Cake which you can read Here. Hope y’all enjoy it, let me know what y’all think!!

Trevante:

Malik:

Diane:

~*~

“Momma, are you sterile?” Your son, Malik asked, at the breakfast table. It was a beautiful Saturday morning and the three of you (your son, your husband, and yourself) were sitting at the dinner table currently eating breakfast as a family for the first time all week due to you all having conflicting schedules.

“Sksksksksks aaaaaaahhh,” Your husband, Trevante, burst into a fit of giggles, sinking down in his chair and clutching his side.

“Lik, you always keep it interesting, I’ll give you that,” he said fist bumping his son. You didn’t share his amusement.

“Keep laughing it up Chuckles and see what happens,” you said rolling your eyes as he continued to laugh at your empty threat.

“Honey, why would you ask me that? Where did you get that from?” You asked turning to your son seriously.

“We learned about it in Sex Ed. They also said statistically African American and Hispanic communities are more likely to have two or more children during their lifetime if given the opportunity plus all my friends have siblings. Look at Diane, her parents just had a baby-“

“Slow down Gregor Mendel, you think just because your girlfriends got a new baby brother then I’m obviously sterile,”

“Well... yeah...”

“Then how did you get here?” You knew you’d got him there.

“I could be adopted...”

“Ha! Not looking like that you not! Face it, lil man, you look just like your pops. Except for that line up maybe. You got ya Mama’s hairline, son, nothing I can do about that,” Tre laughed ruffling Malik’s hair.

“Yeah he also got your big ass head, which I had to push out! Don’t believe me I can show you the video-

“NO!” Malik and Tre called out in unison. No one wanted to see the birthing video. It was not a pretty sight.

“What I thought. Malik, why you suddenly so cursious about this? Somebody tell you that you were adopted? I bet it was yo dumbass uncle, he always-“

“No it wasn’t Uncle Jaime, I just.... thought it’d be nice you know.... to have a little brother. Diane has so much fun with hers, and she loves him, and her and her siblings are so close, and-“

“Since you love their family so much why don’t you let them adopt you, I can send them the legal papers today and have it finalized by Monday morning. You and Diane might have to break up though. Can’t date your sister, Lik, that’s white people mess,” you laughed but your son didn’t seem to share your amusement.

“El. Oh. El.” Your son deadpanned.

“Why now? You do realize if you did have a sibling now, there’d be a 14 year age difference between you two.”

“15 years actually babe, his birthdays in August, that’s less than 9 months away.” You chimed in with your husband.

“Okay, that’s fine with me.” Malik said finishing his pancakes.

“They’ll be a lot of crying. Dirty diapers. Less attention. You’ve been an only child your whole life, you ready to give that up?”

“Yep.” You and your husband looked at each other, quickly realizing he was serious about this.

“Okay well I think that’s enough baby talk for breakfast. Malik go get dressed before you’re late to Soccer practice,” you said picking up your and his finished plates and taking them to the sink.

“Tre you done?” You asked.

“Yeah, thanks.” He said handing you his plate. You could tell by the look in his eyes, he was still thinking about the prior conversation.

Twenty minutes later and your husband was gone to drop off your son at Soccer practice. The two of you had a routine that whoever cooked breakfast, the other one had to drop him off and pick him up from Soccer practice and today it was Tre’s turn at the latter.

You were currently in your study, going over the evidence the DA’s office had supplied for your latest case but your mind was on anything but. You and Tre had never really talked about more kids. As soon as you’d had Malik you went straight back to work for your law firm, and Tre, being a book editor and writer, was able to mostly work from home allowing him to pick up most of the baby rearing slack. The two of you loved Malik to pieces and didn’t feel the need to have another because you both were too busy pouring love into him.

Knock, knock

“Hey, you uh, you busy?” Tre said peaking his head through your study door.

“Nah not really. Can’t concentrate anyway.” You said taking off your readers and massaging your eye.

“You thinking about what I’m thinking about?” Tre sighed as he sank into one of the plush chairs in your study.

“If what you’re thinking about was our son enlisting our reproductive organs in his scheme for a sibling this morning.... then yes.”

“God, why’d you have to word it like that?Makes it sound so...”

“Technical?”

“Yep,”

“Well that’s how I’ve been trying to approach this... don’t wanna get too attached to the idea y’know.”

“And why’s that?”

“Because Tre... look at us. We’re past that stage. Past dirty diapers and kindergarten and... and...”

“Being parents?”

“We’re already parents.”

“You know what I mean. I love Malik but the boy’s mature for his age. Always has been. And he’s got his wits about him. We never really had to go through it with him like most kids.” Tre sighed.

“I know, he’s a great kid. We really hit the jackpot with him, why try to make lightening strike twice?” You said rubbing your temples.

“So you don’t want more kids?”

“Never said that.”

“Then what do you want?”

“What do YOU want? You’ve been pretty stoic about this whole thing.” You countered.

“I want us to be honest with each other for once. We’ve haven’t talked about it since... you know....” You did know but you didn’t want to talk about it.

It had happened when Malik was six years old. You and Tre were finally beginning to get into the groove of parenthood when you’d started missing your period. You felt sick constantly and the likeliness of the symptoms to your first pregnancy were uncanny.

You took the test and it was positive so naturally, you and Tre began to prepare. You were in the midst of one of your biggest cases to that date and wanted the first ultrasound to work for both you and Tre’s schedule all while balancing a second grader as well.

You were three months pregnant and due for your first ultrasound but meetings for your case and Tre’s own workload with a new book deal kept causing the two of you to reschedule. And reschedule. And reschedule. And before you knew it, you were five months pregnant but your belly hadn’t expanded barely an inch. You knew something wasn’t right.

On a haphazard will you went to the doctor without him. Turns our you weren’t pregnant. You never were. But you were sick. You had intestinal problems that were causing the disease to manifest to the rest of your body, causing your fatigue, vomiting, loss of period, everything. You were upset. You cried yourself all the way from the doctors office to your home and then there as well. When Tre finally got home with Malik, you took it out on him. Called him everything you could think of. Screamed, yelled, threw things. Finally when he realized there was no reasoning with you, he took Malik and left you.

You thought it’d be temporary, that he would eventually come home. He didn’t. A couple of days turned into a week and you eventually caught him dropping Malik off at school. You demanded the two of you talk.

“Where have you been staying with my son?!” You asked hastily after Malik was safely in the classroom though it wasn’t without a fight. He clung to you the second he saw you and started to cry, forcing you to stop your potential he’ll storm you’d had planned for your so-called husband and comfort your son.

“We’re not doing this here.” Tre said roughly, walking back to his Silverado. You’d thought he was walking away from you and the conversation when he held the passenger door open, waiting for you to get in. You got in silently.

The two of you rode in silence until he pulled up to the nearest coffee shop he saw. You sat down thinking the two of you were about to start but he headed straight for the front, and began to order. Only when he finally came back with his large black coffee extra expresso and your large (Y/F/D) were you finally able to get a word through to him.

“Where have you and Malik been Tre?”

“My sister’s.”

“Why haven’t you answered my calls? I am his mother.” You demanded.

“You think I don’t know that? You don’t think I haven’t been at my wits end the last few days trying to calm Malik down because he thought his mom had lost his mind. You’re an amazing mother but I won’t let anyone traumatize my son like that.” Tre said heavily and you knew you’d seriously messed up.

“I’m.... sorry. I was wrong. I never should have brought that around Malik. Or treated you li-

“This isn’t about me,”

“Yes it is. I love you Tre. And what I did to you wasn’t love. That’s no way to treat a stranger on the street, let alone my husband. And for that I apologize.” You reached over the table to hold his hand and you could literally feel how tense he was.

His jaw was set and he kept his eyes trained on your hand encasing his own. You felt your heart sink that maybe this really was it for you two until he finally gripped your hand back in acceptance.

“So are you going to finally tell me what’s really wrong with you? Since you’re not...,” Tre trailed off.

“Pregnant?”

“Yeah...”

“My lower intestines are failing and it’s wrecking havoc on the rest of my body. I have to have surgery to correct it or I won’t be here much longer.” You said solemnly.

“Shouldn’t you be in a hospital?”

“They can’t legally detain me there.”

“Damn it Y/N, this isn’t about legality for once, it’s about your health! When is your surgery?”

“.... In four days...” Tre stood up at this, nearly knocking the contents of the table to the floor.

“Why didn’t you tell me? All those texts and voicemails and you never once mentioned this?!” He walked out of the cafe and you followed behind him. You watched him from a distance not sure what he might do. You could see tears streaming down his face.

You wrapped your arms around his middle and hugged him while he buried his face into your hair and cried. You didn’t notice when the tears started to fall from your eyes as well, soaking his shirt.

“Tre...”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t wanna be the black people crying in the Starbucks parking lot,” you quipped causing him to chuckles.

“C’mon, lets go home,” Tre sniffled, opening the door for you. You got in and waiting while he got in on his side then the two of you pulled off.

“Aye, Y/N,”

“Hmmm?”

“Don’t you ever keep something like this from me again. If you’re sick, you gotta tell me. We in this together, right?” Tre took your left hand in his right and intertwined them, kissing the back of your hand.

“Right.”

“I don’t want another,” you said quietly, coming out of your thoughts.

“Are you sure, baby?”

“Yeah I’m sure. I love Malik to death. And you as well. You two are enough for me.” You smiled as Tre walked around behind you, kissing your neck.

“Great because I’ve got the perfect way to get Malik off this whole sibling kick,” Tre mumbled into your pulse.

“Hmmm? And how’s that?”

“We get him a Pitbull,”

“ABSOLUTELY NOT!”

~*~

So I’m tagging my lol Trevante taglist, one day I’ll make an official one for each person i wrote for but for now here goes

Taglist: @queennanayaa @chaneajoyyy @wawakanda-btch @killmongerthiskoochie @theunsweetenedtruth @blackgirloneshots @blmforeal @erikkillmongerstan @jozigrrl @quietstorm-73 @sailorsenshi420 @wakandamama @mxearth @chefjessypooh @macfizzle @chasingsunlight @dameshaemonique @rubiesandravens @raysunshine78 @melaninmarvel @melanisticroyalty @softnani @vibranium-soul @bartierbakarimobisson @teheeboo @lifelover4u @youreadthatright @doublesidedscoobysnacks @blackpinup22 @darkangelchronicles @thehomierobbstark @cinki-the-black-goddess

#trevante rhodes #trevante rhodes imagine #trevante rhodes x you #trevante rhodes x reader

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honey-bri-books · 4 years

Text

Angel of Thursday: CasSamDean

Sam, Dean and Castiel created by Eric Kripke, from television series Supernatural. Random SPN fan fic.

***

Dean yawned as he made his way to the kitchen. Coffee. Need...Coffee... It was only 9pm or so, but Dean was determined to watch every ‘All Saints Day’ film, in order and in one sitting. Tonight was the night he wouldn’t fall asleep. While it always happened that there would be a dry spell with cases, or word received that other hunters were already on the job and in control of the strange and unusual, the Winchesters never truly had a set block of time to themselves for extracurriculars. When they were able to catch a break, Sam preferring reading, research or exercise, while Dean preferred watching movies or television or por..(um, never mind).

As for Cas, Dean was never really sure what he did to relax (if he ever gave himself permission to relax). Sam had told Dean that he and Cas would sometimes read together in the library or in his room. Also, that they had tried binge-watching shows together. That almost became a pastime, until Castiel started to critique anything supernatural, sci-fi or religious. While Sam and Dean had been hunters pretty much their whole lives and knew more than most others about the true horrors that existed in the world, it was still sometimes difficult to realize how much science-fiction either happened to be accurately represented on television or even worse than they thought, according to Castiel.

Dean opens up the fridge, remembering seeing Cas last entering the bunker loaded with groceries. It had taken Castiel multiple trips to the kitchen to unload it all from the car.

DEAN: Hey! What gives?! The fridge is only a quarter full, if even by that much. All that Dean can find is a six pack of beer, a half empty package of bologna, four eggs, carrots, and two apples. He glances over at the pantry and sees half of the cereal boxes that were there that morning have disappeared. The freezer holds a half bag of golden crinkle fries, a full bag of sweet potato fries (Sam’s. Blech!), and a half bag of chicken nuggets.

Dean knew he saw Cas with at least six bags of groceries, only that morning. He goes to Castiel’s room and bangs on the door.

DEAN: Cas!! Yo, open up! [Bang, bang, bang] Sam looks out from his room with a book in his hand.

SAM: Dean? What’s wrong? He steps out into the hallway. Like Dean, he had planned on settling in for the night and was wearing his pajamas. He walks over to Dean, looking down at his copy of The Goldfinch and double-checking to make sure he’s holding his finger over the last line he was reading. Looking back at Dean, Everything okay? Did you hear about a case?..[Bang, bang, bang].

DEAN: Cas! C’mon, man. I know you’re in there. Open up. Dean raises his hand once more and is about to knock again when the door opens. Castiel furrows his brows at Dean, looking concerned.

CASTIEL: Dean. What’s wrong? Did you discover a new case that needs attention? Dean is about to respond when he notices something different about Castiel’s room. While usually bare except for a few essentials, Castiel’s room now held about forty grocery bags, on his bed, on the floor and on the dresser and desk.

DEAN: Hey. What’s all this? Without waiting for an answer, Dean walks past Castiel into his bedroom. He notices that half of the bags are full and others waiting to be filled. There are groceries laid out in a pile on the foot of Castiel’s bed. He turns to look at Castiel. Sam has walked up to the doorway and is looking over Castiel’s shoulder, confused like his brother. You wanna explain all of this to me? Sam raises an eyebrow at Cas.

CASTIEL: I was about to make my rounds. ……… ……… ……… Dean and Sam look at each other. Dean shrugs his shoulders.

SAM: Uh, what do you mean? What rounds, Cas?

CASTIEL: It’s Thursday...……. ………. ……… Dean puts his hands over his eyes and starts to rub them. Sam clears his throat and tries again.

SAM: Well, yeah. We know Cas. What rounds? What is all of this food for? Dean hopes the answer is “For the kitchen”. He notices a bag of pork rinds sticking out of the grocery bag nearest him. Castiel moves to the pile of food and starts to fill the bags that are empty. Wait, is he taking it all back!? C’mon!

CASTIEL: It’s for all of the locals who are forced to live outdoors, mainly under bridges. Some have found sanctuary in several locations, because they keep having to move around, with the police trailing them. Phillip’s back pack was stolen from him yesterday, when he took a nap in the library. It had his blankets in it. But also the money he had saved for his meals this week. I wanted to visit his grounds, first. Sam and Dean looked touched. Castiel was talking about the homeless community in the area. Sam loses interest in his book and loses his place to set it down. He goes over to where Castiel is dividing up his groceries.

SAM: Do you want help?

*****

An hour later, both the truck and the impala are full of the grocery bags. Both Dean and Sam had helped Cas to fill the rest and bring them up to both cars. Sam had also remembered the closet full of spare robes, shirts and blankets and grabbed as many as he could fit in with the food. Even after raiding their stores, there were plenty of supplies left if an army were to seek sanctuary at the bunker.

They drive to a nearby bridge, Castiel wanting to visit Phillip’s location, first. Castiel had marked many ‘X’s on a local map, for all of the locations he hoped to visit before dawn. His original plan was to be done before either Sam or Dean would be awake.

Underneath the bridge are several lit trash cans with some of the homeless hovered around them, trying to stay warm. There are a few tents and many old sleeping bags strewn around. One man in a tattered coat and a scarf wrapped around his head stands up from the lawn chair he’d been sitting on, when Castiel approaches with Sam and Dean, who each carry a bag and an armful of blankets. Other members of the community look over at them curiously, the brothers being unfamiliar to them.

PHILLIP: Castiel! You never fail to deliver, man! He turns back towards the rest of the people to wave them over. When the bags are transferred into their hands, they give many thanks to Team Free Will and sprint back to their families and friends, to immediately divvy up the goods. Phillip lingers behind, taking Castiel’s hands in his. You’re a good man. But....Well, we’ve all been talking and...you shouldn’t have to keep at this, you know? We understand. You’ve been better to us than anyone else, but...fuck, you can’t afford this, can you? We just don’t want you to get in trouble, and we.. Castiel stops Phillip by giving him a hug.

CASTIEL: There’s one more thing. Castiel reaches into a smaller bag he’s carrying and pulls out a few notebooks and a package of ball point pens. You have a brilliant mind, Phillip. The local paper has been including a section for short stories in their most recent issues. I hear they offer a small stipend. I really believe it could turn into something more. You should try and sell one of the stories you’ve been so kind to share with me, lately.

Phillip doesn’t know what to say. He always helped to distract his friends from their gross state by making up stories. During the day, he’d take shelter in libraries, and read to his heart’s content, before closing hours. Inspired by other authors, he took their stories and would embellish off of them for his friends, making the homeless community smile, and forget their hunger and their pain.

Recently, he’d been sharing stories with the kind businessman, Castiel, who would occasionally deliver food to their bridge. But he never thought he’d be given the luxury of actually recording his material. To be given the opportunity to share it with the larger community. He’s still standing there, dumbstruck with the pens and notebooks in his hands, when the impala and the truck pull away.

*****

CASTIEL: Next on the map is the south bridge. It’s not far from here. Castiel rides shotgun next to Dean, while Sam follows behind them in the truck. Dean doesn’t respond, so Cas looks over at him. He’s smiling, his eyes are shining. Cas raises his eyebrows. What is it? Dean lets out a light laugh, shaking his head.

DEAN: Cas, how long have you been doing this? Castiel shrugs.

CASTIEL: For over several years, when you and Sam are asleep or out on a case. Every Thursday, I play pool or poker and use my winnings to buy food from local markets. Sometimes clothing, but food comes first, not to mention clean drinking water.

DEAN: When did you become such a pro at poker and pool?

CASTIEL: I’ve watched you, when it comes to pool. I’m not quite as skilled as you are, so most of the money I make is from poker. Though, it’s not exactly earned. I cheat, of course. As weak as I am nowadays, I can still read minds.

DEAN: Every Thursday, huh? I never really gave that whole ‘Angel of Thursday’ any real merit. So, you’re thing is to make sure everyone eats, but on Thursday only? Why not every night? Castiel looks guilty. He turns to look out the window.

CASTIEL: I’m not sure, exactly. Whenever Thursday is upon us I feel as if there’s a part of me that’s empty, and wanting to be filled. There’s a hum all around me. I’m also more susceptible to pick up the prayers of those whose needs are most urgent. While those things are relevant almost every day, the pull is strongest on Thursdays. It’s like an alarm that will stay on unless a good deed has been performed, and I answer as many prayers as I can. Today, the most common prayer was due to hunger. I wish I could give more. Dean reaches over and places a hand on Castiel’s. Cas turns to look at Dean.

DEAN: You’re a better man than most, Cas. If it weren’t for the panic it would cause, you know I’d offer Phillip and anyone else who needed it a room at the bunker. They’d all have to learn about monsters and ghosts almost making their lives worse, if we took them in. But even if we weren’t under attack once a month by the creeps that go bump in the night or we weren’t constantly under threat, it would be a matter of minutes before we had to turn people away for lack of space. That’s gonna be on me and not you, okay? It’s my decision, not yours. You aren’t going to help everyone you can, because I’m a selfish son-of-a-bitch and I won’t let you. He squeezes Castiel’s hand and Castiel squeezes back.

CASTIEL: If we could make things easier for those who deserve even the most basic comforts...

DEAN: Stop. Alright? I really hope you mean Thursday and Thursday only, because every other night of the week, you’re gonna be reading or writing or listening to music or watching tv, or trolling Sam’s facebook or whatever you want. You can’t help others if you don’t do good by yourself, every once in a while. You deserve it, after what you did for Phillip back there. Promise me, Cas. R&R. We talked about this. I know you don’t sleep, but if both Sam and I are asleep it means you’re off the clock, too. Do you promise? You’re the Angel of Thursday, and it’s gonna stay that way. Promise.

CASTIEL: [Smiling] Promise... [Then after a moment] Thank you, Dean.

-The End

*Started to write this on Thursday, but spilled into Friday. Oops! Still, thanks for taking the time to read through to the end!!!!

#Homelessness #Supernatural #SPN #dean winchester #sam winchester #castiel #Food #Angel of Thursday #Cas #spn fanfiction #SPN Fan Fic #Writing #Writers #Libraries #library #thursday

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justheretolook214 · 5 years

Text

So octrainisms wrote me a small Fic regarding the Friends episode where the group talks about Sex or Food, and I loved it. I asked what they would like in return and this was it. Because I wanted to work on my writing and then, along the way I felt like drawing. I had it scanned and it came out really light. But anyways here it is!

@octrainisms Thank you so much for your work! You're an amazing writer and I hope you like this!

This is a link to their story

https://bamboozledhound.tumblr.com/post/185141366179/sex-or-food-a-drabble-for-justheretolook214

The wind gushed through Elliot’s hair as he stood at the edge of the jump ship, looking down at the familiar land just below them all. Once he got a feel of the direction the ship was coming in from, he stepped back running his hand through his hair trying to smooth it back into place. Octavio was watching Elliot with great interest as he observed the pro in his element. Octavio was experienced with stunts and stuff, but he knew that Elliot was made for this sport. Before and even after he blew his legs off, Octavio was a huge fan of the games. And who was he a fanboy for? Well none other than Elliot himself.

“Yeah I did my hair for this, nothing wrong with wanting to look good in the ring.” Octavio cracked a smile under his mask. He was caught staring again. “There’s nothing wrong with it Compadre, but next time save it for the ladies.” He placed a hand on his hip as he gave the other a thumbs up. “Then you’ll be golden, just like your years.”

Elliot smiled brightly at the younger, having not heard him quite clearly with the wind, “Padre? What are you trying to say? That sounds really cool! I like it!” The buzzer in the ship buzzed, letting the competitors know that they had 30 seconds until they could begin descending onto the playing field. “If you two are finished, I suggest we land at the Bunker. It offers a high probability for success.” Alex said soul-crushingly over the headsets they wore. Octavio had no quandary’s with Alex being their third, but the dude was kinda edgy. Not to mention the real reason he wanted to go where the foot traffic was.

“Yeah sounds good, you do that. But let me know about anything good. You know what I like!” Elliot smiled brightly as the timer began to beep down.

“I mean if you can keep up, you might be able to take my scraps old man,” With a cock of his head held up his radical sign, waiting for the official call of the horns and Alexander’s call to jump.

“I suppose that makes sense. But you’d do best following Alex, Mr. Rookie. I’m going to find- right there.” Elliot pointed towards the airship as the clock began to tick down. “Just depends on what everyone else gets is all I’m saying. So keep me posted.”

5...

“If you fall, just know that I will not be the one to revive you.”

4...

“Come on Alex, you know I’ll be fine!”

3...

“As you wish, but your death is inevitable.”

2...

Octavio watched Elliot with great interest as he began to ready himself to jump. He totally was amazing!

“Hehe No problem Alex, I’ve got Octavio to get me.” With a wink, Elliot turned away, ready to jump.

1...

The buzzer finally rang, signaling the squads they were allowed to jump to the lands below. Most squads jumped, hoping to get ahold of the legendary loot from the airship. But most, usually the newbies, strayed away once they realized how many people would go there. But not Elliot, as Octavio watched. He had managed to be one of the first ones there and was even more of a badass by kicking off someone who landed near him. Wow. So radical!

Once Alex and him were near The Bunker, they both hopped off. “This is my favorite part! YEAH!!!” Octavio followed Alex to The Bunker, having previous success there with other squads and having failures against Alex himself. There were a couple of other squads who decided to land there. Octavio noticing some people running away once they saw Alex. Whatever, it was his time to shine!

“Whole Squad down, looks like the dropship will land near there. I’ll catch up!”

Octavio had just only just picked up an R-99, Before taking aim at some enemies, urging them back where Alex was setting up his toxic traps.

“What? Best be careful Abuelo, don’t want to pull a muscle!” Octavio laughed as he ducked into one of the rooms as the traps went off, spewing the toxins. He listened as the other squads screamed in agony while he continued to loot the room.

“Come outside I don’t wanna be a part of Alex’s experiment.” Octavio chuckled to himself as he finished looting the room and went outside. There he saw Elliot standing in his glory, all legendary armor, and even a backpack.

“Wow guess luck thought you would need the most help, haha” In reality, Octavio thought it all looked great on Elliot. Gold really was his color. Snapping him from his side though, Octavio stopped as he felt his basic backpack was taken off of his body. “Hey-!”

“It’s all good, besides, it would be best used for you. It helps with faster healing so it should totally help with your passive shouldn’t it?” Elliot stripped off his backpack and took out his items and gave it to Octavio, who was in awe at Elliot. This had been his first time playing this bloodsport with Elliot on his team, since he wanted to hone in on his skills, and he never knew he was such a team player.

“Hey, Gramps! I gotcha a little something! Come on out so I can give it to ya!” Elliot put his stuff into the basic backpack and put it on as he looked to the door, where Alex was standing at the doors, looking rather proud of himself. “Here give me yours.” Elliot took off his legendary helmet and tossed it to Alex, who took off his and walked over to hand it to Elliot.

“Thank you, it is greatly appreciated.”

“It really isn’t a problem, just don’t use your ‘nade on Octavio or me, we have pretty faces.”

“Do not tempt me,” Alex groaned as he placed the helmet on, “I suggest we head to higher grounds, best to have the height advantage.”

As the game carried on, squad after squad was eliminated. They had somehow managed a pretty good peaking point, with Alex having some of the best sniper scopes with Elliot and Octavio bearing close to mid-range weapons for protection should anyone try to sneak up on them. Elliot had long accepted Alex’s tendency to camp a higher area, watching other squads behavior as they killed each other, bad thing about it was that Alex often left his six open even with his traps set. So Elliot often stayed close to Alex, ya know, for protection. However, Octavio never cared for staying still. He certainly had the skills and aim to be a great sniper, but he could not stand still. He needed to vent out his energy. He was bouncing on the spot as the area had been picked clean, there was nothing to do.

“You know, you don’t have to stay here right? You can go and bring other squads here if you want.”

Octavio stopped his bouncing, “You think? I know I am the greatest, but it would be a drag to have you come to save me if, and only IF, I needed help.”

“Oh come on, I wouldn’t mind at all saving you at all! I know I might not be as fast as you, and I do prefer to take things nice ‘n slow. But I would get to you eventually!”

“I am heading out then, see ya on the other side!”

With that, Octavio ran off. He relished in the adrenaline. He was alone, running towards a battle that was occurring not too far from where Elliot and Alex were. It was at the Bridges that he watched about four squads in a fight. But he noticed in one of the paths that looked down over the bridges, there was a team watching and waiting to ambush the remaining team. Upon further inspection, it was Anita, Bloodhound, and Ajay. Octavio smiled with glee, no doubt they would send at least Bloodhound to chase him down. They were always fun to run around.

Octavio took aim from below at Bloodhound and fired directly at their body armor, he would leave the killing to Alex. Of course Anita and Ajay stayed put knowing full well the Veteran Hunter could stomp the Adrenaline Junkie. Bloodhound took aim at Octavio, but he stabbed himself with his stem to run away. Bloodhound still hit his shoulder as he ran out of sight. But Bloodhound was already on the move, fully able to track down the other. As they followed him, they recognized his solo footsteps, easy kill they figured since Octavio often ran off by himself leaving his teammates for dead or otherwise.

As Octavio lead Bloodhound to the buildings just outside the Bunker, since Alex and Elliot were on top of the hill in the buildings. Octavio could hear Bloodhound running after him, he could hear their footsteps as well as their heavy breathing. They were close, so instead of taking another shot to the back, Octavio used his stim to rush into one of the buildings. “Hey Alex, I’ve brought Bloodhound for you. A thank you is expected.”

“Bloodhound? What did you do to piss them off?”

“It doesn’t matter, I’ve placed my traps in the buildings down there. Feel free to lead Bloodhound through them.”

“Aye Aye Compadre!” Just then, Octavio heard the door open with a whish, then pop and another whish of Alex’s toxic gas.

Octavio simply chuckled as he made sure to steer clear of the gas as he lead Bloodhound around. Several different times, while coughing, they had scanned the building only seeing Octavios silhouette inside. But it didn’t take them long to stay clear of the homes opting to cough out the toxic gas. Octavio stood by the windowing waving at the other.

“How long are you going to make Bloodhound suffer amigo? This is painful to watch.”

Alex didn’t respond verbally, only with a single shot to Bloodhounds head, knocking them down to the ground. Bloodhound stayed down coughing into their hand and pulling up their shield. “I’ve been downed.” They spoke into their communicator. Octavio knew that Anita and Ajay would come by soon, still hearing the gunfire from the Bridges. “You didn’t even look like you were having fun amigo, but I’m bored now. Maybe next time.” He could feel Bloodhound cold glare as he grabbed his grenade and pulled the pin. As he dropped the grenade he covered his ears and laughed in excitement as he was blown onto his back. “Yeah!”

“Anita and Ajay are coming, I'm heading down to a-asscis… to help out.”

Octavio looked towards the hill where he saw Ajay already aiming at him. Instead of running, he held up a peace sign as she took a shot. He stabbed himself with stim and ran into towards the two women. “No no Amigo I think I am fine, it’s just Anita and Ajay.” Just to be flashy, and because he had it ready, Octavio threw down his jump pad. He jumped onto the roof of one of the buildings and took aim at Anita, making sure to keep moving to knock off Ajay’s aim.

Octavio was skilled at aiming for vital areas in the body, but it was difficult to keep that aim when the target was moving. It was worse when Anita shot a smoke cloud his way. He groaned as he jumped from the roof and made sure to keep an eye out for Anita or Ajay. He heard footsteps approaching him from behind, he held up his weapon ready to fire. When he turned around, he realized it was Elliots Decoy running through the smoke since it glowed blue. As he began stalking the direction it was running from, it shattered before his eyes revealing one of the girls. He aimed and rushed forward to find Ajay aiming at him, point blank with a Peacekeeper with Precision. ‘Nice Ajay’, without a second thought, he pulled his trigger, seeing her armor break crack and crumble on her body. The same happened with his armor, but it only took one shot compared to his full magazine. Octavio quickly switched his gun out from the G-7 Scout to an R-99 then stabbed himself with his stim to avoid her next shot. He felt some of the shot dig into his side. He let out a groan and aimed at Ajay again, firing with his automatic. He could tell she was close to falling, just like Bloodhound, but she proved just how amazing she was. He felt himself falling to the ground, still surrounded by smoke. ’Shit’

Ajay reloaded her Peacekeeper, knowing full well Elliot was still around. Just as the smoke was clearing, Octavio looked around to see Anita down not too far from him. She was trying to shout out to Ajay, but an arc star quickly made her silent. Ajay looked to the building and began firing her weapon, assumably at Elliot. Octavio smiled as he turned over onto his back watching as Elliot used his Devotion to finish Ajay off. Still sprawled on his back, Octavio laughed as Elliot walked over. “My knight in shining amor~”

“Hehe don’t worry princess, I’ve gotcha.” Pulling a syringe full of an unknown liquid from one of his bags, Elliot laid a hand against Octavio's chest. He held Octavio still as he stabbed the needle into his chest. Of course, Octavio jumped at the sudden pain since this needle was far longer and thicker than the one he used for stim, but it was necessary. As Elliot helped Octavio up, another shot could be heard along with a scream. The two looked over to see a death box.

“You are the Apex Champions.”

“I must confess, you two are extremely mundane to observe.” Octavio cheered as he gave Alex a thumbs up. Elliot cheered alongside Octavio as a ship dropped over the two, a zip-line shot down several feet from the two.

“After you Compadre.”

“Oh! You had said Compadre! oh, hehe, I liked Padre way better.” Elliot winked at Octavio before he grappled onto the zip-line allowing it to zip him forward. Octavio felt his face grow hot as he huffed on the ground. ‘What a pervert you are Elliot.” After his moment of utter embarrassment, he smirked grabbing his bit to follow Elliots lead.

As the three rode the ship back to their headquarters, Alex was sitting near the back, writing in his little notebook he always kept with him. Elliot was staring at Octavio as he stood close by tapping his foot and pacing, ready to be home and doing something else. Anything really. He turned his head, catching Elliot staring at him. 3

“What is it, Amigo?”

“Nothing much. Just admiring the view.” Elliot began kicking his legs like a kid sitting on a chair., he raised an eyebrow, “That ok?”

Octavio stopped in his tracks, “Oh? Is that right Amigo?” He began walking towards Elliot with a small skip in his step, like a school girl, he leaned forward, “Can’t say I am too pleased with that. Why look when you can act, such a shame Amigo. I pegged you for something more in-“

With one quick swoop Elliot, held an arm under Octavios arms as he knocked Octavios legs with his arm. Clearly afraid, Octavio grabbed onto Elliot, wrapping his arms around Elliot's shoulders. “I may not have my way with words, but it seems that I have s-swoop? Swept?. I've swept you off of your feet.”

Octavio made no move to remove his arms, and in fact, he made himself more comfortable. “Ohh I like a man who takes the first step, Chico.“

“Oh no no, I think I really do prefer Padre, and FYI, I do know what it means,” A flew of coughs interrupted Elliot, the two looked to the back of the aircraft where Alex was writing in his notebook. He simply looked up and glared at the two for a moment.

“Sorry were we distracting you Muerto? I don’t think we can turn it down, glare at us as you will haha,” Octavio kicked his legs as the three of them felt the ship slow to a halt.

“Congratulations Champions.”

The back door opened and Alex stood up first and took quick steps to jump from the ship. He didn’t say a word as he stepped off, no doubt landing with composed grace. Elliot chuckled as he stood with Octavio in his arms, but soon after he lowered Octavio to his feet.  “Don’t want to carry me, Amigo? I am very sore in the legs.” Octavio chuckled as he turned and began making his way to the edge of the ship. But a hand round his wrist caught him and turned him around.

“I mean, that was too easy Tavi. That isn’t the live life in the fast lane Tavi I know. Give me more of a challenge,” Elliot leaned down slightly to look Octavio in the eyes, “Can ya do that?”  Octavio smirked as he reached up and took off his goggles and respirator. Letting his green tufts of hair fall over his face, he placed his other hand onto Elliot's chest. “Come on Compadre,” he pushed Elliot back a bit, “The fans are waiting.” He didn’t give Elliot a chance to respond as he stepped off of the edge of the ship, falling to the ground where his adoring fans waited, cheering. They cheered louder when he landed, all offering their words of encouragement and praise. After all, that was an amazing round. He, of course, thanked all the fans he could, shaking their hands and signing their posters. He even played dumb when asked about his mask. “Just thought I could see your pretty faces, face to face Mi Amores, hehe and I like what I see!” He held up his usual radical sign and hurried forward to the end of the crowds that lead to Apex Central. Behind him, he heard the screams of excitement from Elliot landing and activating his holograms. They covered more ground and even kept fans from getting jealous they couldn’t meet the real Elliot. Since no one could really tell the difference. Octavio heard two pairs of footsteps approaching from behind him, he turned around only to see the real Elliot and a decoy approaching to stand on either side of Octavio. “What-“

Each of the Elliot’s taking one of Octavio’s arms, pulling him to their torsos and each giving a small pack on Octavio’s cheek. “Give me a good chase Tavi,” Elliot whispered into Octavio’s ear, “on you go now,” Octavio smirked and shook his hand, shooing away Elliot’s decoy. “Catch me if you can Padre.” With that, he pulled away from Elliot and began to run toward the center. He wasn’t sure where he would lead Elliot, but surely he wouldn’t regret it.

#apex legends #apex mirage #apex octane #apex caustic #apex bangalore #apex lifeline #apex bloodhound #Mirage x Octane #Octane x Mirage #elliot witt #octavio silva

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junepop45 · 5 years

Text

Too Late, Too Late

Summary: Atlas doesn’t show up for some time and it greatly affects The Rose Thorns.

Co-written/edited by @no-need-to-apply

The Rose Thorns had been playing for about an hour, but their guitar section had one less riff in it. The mood was a bit awkward because of it.

"Yo, dude! Any word from Atlas?" River whispered during the chorus.

"No," JD said, dismayed. "I haven't seen him all week. Granted, it’s Monday, but still."

"Think he might just be sick?"

"Yea, probably."

"Or maybe he's flaking on us," the lead vocalist speculated, ending the song abruptly.

JD got pissed immediately. "He wouldn't do that, Mia!" They exclaimed. "Why would he not show up if he likes playing music?" This was a bit of a touchy subject for the wolf.

"Hey, I'm not sure. But we can't rule that out just yet. He's been late a couple times with some made up excuse so I feel like it's not unbelievable that he just wouldn't show up," Mia claimed.

The wolf sighed. "I guess. I still don't think he'd ditch us though.”

"We'll just have to see."

Practice ended, and Atlas was still nowhere to be seen. It was like that for a while. Days passed. Weeks drudged on. It was almost unbearable. It was an entire month until JD saw Atlas.

"Heya, Pu-" JD tackled their friend to the ground. He laughed. "You gotta stop tackling me or you'll snap me in half," he joked. For some reason, JD was trembling. They couldn't seem to get off of him. Atlas wriggled underneath JD’s grip. “Uh… what’s going on?”

"Where were you?" They choked out. Atlas didn't seem to follow. "You've been gone for one month and twelve days." The time traveler’s eyes grew wide.

"Shit. You don't really mean-"

"Yes, Atlas! I mean it! I counted it! Forty-two days, six weeks, twenty one practices and I haven't heard a word from you!" JD smacked a hand on Atlas’ chest. It didn’t really hurt, but he got the point.

“Oh sweet Jesus.” Atlas managed to sit up, burying his head in his hands. He looked genuinely upset at himself. “I didn’t… Fuck. I really had no idea. It’s only been like four days for me.” He glanced up at JD, his face one of stress and nerves.

JD made eye contact with him, they're vision getting blurry. "That's... not a long time," they said, not really having the right words to explain what they meant. "So time really does change depending on where you go?" They asked.

Atlas was hesitant to respond. "Yea," he said, sighing. "There's probably some brainiac explication but depending on the spin of the planets and where my tech decides to land me in the timeline, the difference can be days, weeks-"

"Years." JD finished. Atlas could hear the twinge of hurt and betrayal in his friend's voice.

"I get that you're mad at me. Hell, I'm pissed at myself. You gotta understand that sometimes I just lose track of time." Atlas pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Yea, I know," JD admitted. "It still hurts though. It's not good to feel... abandoned."

Atlas shuddered at those words. No smug look, no amount of jokes, no Atlas Charm could sugar coat his one of his biggest fears; to make his friends feel like he left them.

"Cmon! Let's just grab your guitar and we can jam out," the pale skinned man insisted. JD remained silent, got up and walked with him over to the practice lounge.

Before he could knock, the door opened.

"It's been a while," Mia muttered through gritted teeth. JD teared up.

"Y-yea. Too long. Let's not waste another second," Atlas agreed.

"You mean YOU! Better not waste another second-" she pressed her finger on his chest. "Where the hell have you been?!" She berated the band member. He looked uncomfortable and irritated.

"Listen here. It was fucked up I didn't show up for a month. I know that. But can't we leave that in the past?"

She scoffed, but moved out the door frame as the taller two entered the room.

Atlas was met with glares and begrudging welcomes. At this point, he took what he could.

Practice was all work and no play. The air was so stiff that Atlas could cut it with his nails. They didn't work on anything new, since JD was having a hard time looking at him, let alone talking with him.

"Cmon, we've played this song a billion times today," GD complained. "Let's call it quits, ok?" She hopped off her drum set and flopped onto the couch. Atlas stretched a bit before walking over.

"Mind if I sit next to ya, Nightmare Eyes?" Atlas joked.

"Only a little," she mumbled, making room.

Mia abruptly stormed out, River chasing after her. Atlas grumbled and looked over at GD.

"How do I make it up to them?" He asked.

"I don't know," GD responded. "You were gone for so long and with no good reason." Atlas looked back at JD.

"I- n-never told them.... I was-sn't sure I-if you wanted them to." They explained.

"I don't know what you guys are talking about, but it's too big to keep secret," GD said. "Have you been in a coma for a month? Are you dying?" She asked.

Atlas laughed out loud for the first time all day. "Actually, quite the opposite," he reassured. "I'll tell Mia and River when they get back, but I highly doubt you'll take me seriously if I tell the truth."

It was GD's turn to chuckle. "With all the jokes you make, it’s hard to ever take you seriously. It's better if you just tell us. If you need a place to stay, just crash here like JD does sometimes."

"I'd prefer he didn't stay with me for a while." JD mumbled.

"Oh, cmon. He apologized. You know better than I do-"

"IT STILL HURTS!" They cried out of frustration. They sat on the ground, facing Atlas and GD. The wolf began to carve into the cold concrete floor.

"No one likes being left behind or forgotten. Especially with zero contact for a month from your own best friend. It stings. I could barely think straight because everyday I thought more and more about you, but I thought less and less you'd show up." They sighed, grabbing their breath. "I-I'm not saying I don't accept your apology, Atlas. But I can't forgive you qu-quite yet. I'm not used to seeing you, let alone to sleep with you."

Atlas began chewing on a lock of his hair due to nerves. “I… I understand. I have a different place to stay. It’s fine.”

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Mia burst back into the room, fuming. Atlas looked up in surprise.

“Oh, Mia! Um… there’s a really good reason why I didn’t show up for so long, but-”

Mia suddenly turned on Atlas. “Oh, really? It better be the best damn reason ever!” She ran over to the couch. “You’ve been gone for a month! Or did you forget that as well? Huh? There’s no good reason for that!”

Atlas began chewing on his hair again, eventually biting down so hard that he accidentally broke a strand off. Mia didn’t even notice how stressed he was from the anger.

“You know what? Tell me. Give me your reason why. I wanna hear why you just left us!”

Atlas had enough. “Fine, fuck it. You wanna know why? Do ya? Do ya really?!” He tossed off his jacket, revealing his suit to Mia and the others. JD winced, realizing what Atlas was about to do. Atlas raised his arm up, revealing his wristcomp. “Access Arial Attack Orb footage from the last four days.” Everyone was silent in shock, not expecting anything like this.

The wristcomp displayed a video hologram, beginning to play back footage of Atlas on another planet, in the middle of a giant war. Incredibly advanced technology and unearthly creatures were both noticeable in the video. Atlas was seen at the front lines, fighting for his life. This went on for a couple minutes, before he closed out of the footage. “That a good enough fucking explanation for you?”

The band stood with their mouths wide open. Mia's temper fluctuated from confused to saddened to furious. "So you're some space soldier. Fan fucking tastic!" She paced back and forth between the couch and the stage. "Why didn't you tell us earlier?!"

"How the hell was I supposed to bring it up?!?! 'Hey guys, I’m a space traveler and sometimes I'll leave for days on end,' or something?" Atlas mocked.

"Yes! Or something!" Mia screamed.

"You wouldn't have believed me if I hadn't shown you the footage!"

"You're wearing a fucking suit under your clothes! You've got a robot on you that's definitely not from earth. And literally everyone in this band except for me isn't completely human. We're all fucking weird!"

Atlas stared angrily. Yea, Mia was right, but she had no right to berate him like this. River pushed Mia aside to get in the middle of them. "Both of you guys calm down!" She commanded. "I get it. Mia, you're mad at Atlas for not showing up. Atlas, you just wanna pick things up where they left off, right?"

"Right," they both said synonymously.

"Well, it's not that simple. We didn't know the full story. Atlas didn't know he'd be gone that long and we didn't know he'd be gone at all,"

"It was a mistake," he mumbled.

"Exactly! It's all just a mistake and some miscommunication," River agreed.

"Pshhh!!! More like no communication. We had no way to reach him. Hey, space cadet! You got a wrist watch or some advanced tech shit we can call you on?" Mia snidely remarked.

"Don't be an asshole right now, that's not gonna help," River cautioned.

"Whatever. We still need a way to at least get a goddamn message saying 'I'm gonna be out of town,'! I just want some communication because that's the only way this is gonna work."

"So why don't you just kick me out the band," Atlas questioned. Mia look shocked and offended.

"Why the fuck would I do that?" She asked. "You're a hell of a player and you've been a great member so far. I've only known you for a while but you bring an energy to the group that we need." She sighed realizing what she needed to say. "If you want to quit, that's fine. I can't force you to stay. But the last thing I want is for you to go AWOL on us. You can live your life however you want, but you gotta let us know beforehand. When you accepted being in the band you made a commitment to be here and be apart of The Rose Thorns. So when you left without saying anything, it took a toll on us, not knowing where you were or when you'd come back. We thought you just ditched us."

Atlas really didn't like feeling like a beaten dead horse, but he had to acknowledge that River did have some good points. He put his hands on his chest.

"It'll be difficult to find a device that won't give out our locations out to hackers. But I'll figure something out. You've got my word," he swore.

Mia reached out her hand to shake on it and Atlas gladly accepted.

"I've got an idea!" River exclaimed. "What if we go get some grub! It'll be Atlas first outing with us!"

Atlas shrugged. "I can't. I'm busy tonight," he declined.

Mia raised an eyebrow "Really?"

"No," he snickered. A unanimous groan came from the group.

"Too soon," GD joked.

"What can I say? Timing’s not my strong suit." He jumped up and walked over to the door. "Yea, let’s go get somethin' to eat! It'll be better than the slop they gave me over on generic war-planet 1000."

The group headed out, each learning something new about Atlas and somewhat forgiving him. It took time before the dust died down, but nevertheless, The Rose Thorns was still six members strong, one band making music, and a couple friends having the time of their lives.

#ert writes #The Rose Thorns #JD #Atlas #River #GD #Mia #Static

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mjsparkour · 5 years

Text

One Last Time

show: Chilling adventures of Sabrina

pairing: Rosalind Walker/ Harvey Kinkle

description: "Baby I don't care if you got her in your heart, all I really care is you wake up in my arms." They really should've met much sooner. It's the honesty of it. They're lives intertwine in more than one way, way too often. In Greendale, a seemingly small town where everyone knows everyone, the real stories lie in the lives of the residents. The real story lies in the lives of Harvey Kinkle and Rosalind Walker. Oneshot

They really should've met much sooner. It's the honesty of it. Their lives intertwine in more ways than one, way too often. In Greendale, a seemingly small town where everyone knows everyone, the real stories lie in the lives of the residents.

It's the town where Dorothy Walker took her young daughter, Rosalind Walker to the supermarket every Sunday and the park every Friday. It's where the town folk lived their daily lives in routine and tradition, no matter how suffocating it turned out.

It's where Evelyn Kinkle found herself trapped in a marriage gone sour. So she put in energy toward giving everything to her children, putting Tommy in a shop class on Sundays and taking her youngest Harvey Kinkle to the supermarket with her. When her husbands vice grip on her was just to much, on those days she would take both boys out to the park and they'd play.

In retrospect, they should've met sooner than they did.

It's finally Rosalind's first day at Baxter elementary school that they meet. Six year old, Rosalind Walker, felt like she was going to throw up in the back on her moms new SUV. "Mommy I don't feel so good. My tummy hurts, can we go back home?" Roz says as she pushes up her small glasses with a pout that could get her out of jail if she tried.

"Baby, it's just your nerves. Don't try that pouting stuff with me, you know it only works on your father. You gotta be strong Rosalind." Dorothy says with an amused smirk painted on her lips, reflection bouncing off the rear view mirror.

Roz sucks her teeth, "But mom I don't wanna start a new school, Riverdale wasn't a bad school mommy, I had friends there."

"Well then you'll make new friends. You know your mommy had to get you here so it would be easier for me to pick you up. Mommy doesn't work at Riverdale hospital anymore, so there is going to be some changes. Look at it this way, at least we dont have to change houses, we staying right here in greendale, everyday" She mutters.

"I'm not gonna make any friends with these alien eyes and monster puffs mommy!" The child complains, arms crossing with frown settled in her face, two seen space buns settled on her head golden in the sun streaming through the car window.

Dorothy's eyes narrow and her eyes brows furrow, Roz sat up knowing her mother was upset. "Now you listen to me Rosie, if anybody I mean any body wants to tell you anything about your hair you just tell them that you got that beautiful hair passed down from a long lineage of queens! Women who mattered in this world. Your hair is who you are and that is a smart and beautiful girl, don't you forget that." Her mother rants, as Roz looks out the window to the tall trees and orange leaves on the ground.

"Yes mommy", Roz sighs exasperated as her mother pulls over.

Rosalind's bright yellow shoes reach the pavement and she hears her mother drive away. She sees the students being dropped of by their parents. Some kissing them good bye followed by kids running away and groups of friends together. Rosalind gulps and pushes her glasses up, I don't need nobody, be strong just like mommy said.

Just like that she feels her head rise up along with her chin as she hears the school bell ring and enters with everyone else to the classrooms.

***

Rosalind just can't believe her luck.

On the first day of all days she meets a really shy girl with brown hair and light freckles on her face, Susie. During snack time they promise to be best friends no matter what, pinkies tied and all.

Then a blonde haired boy with a mean glare pushes Susie as she tries to empty out her lunch tray, leaving the garbage everywhere him and his four other goons laugh.

Roz quickly realizes Susie's only shy because she gets pushed around a lot, she knows a thing or two about bullies too.

"It's okay Rosalind." Susie says from her stance in the floor picking herself up.

It's really not okay Rosalind hears herself say in her head.

Just as she feels her mouth open ready to chew them out and her glare at the boys hardening for hurting her new best friend when a voice calls out "Hey! Leave her alone." A short girl with blonde hair takes a protective stance to Susie, whose trowing the trash with a renewed hope highlighting her features and an awestruck Rosalind.

"Oh I'm so scared what are you gonna do short stack?"

"I'll tell on you Zach Feldman, I'll tell Ms. Morrison you were the one who put the glue on her seat yesterday and not Gary Truman."

"Your such a tattle tale Sabrina Spellman, that's why nobody wants to be your friend and your weird." Kids gathered around the scene playing out in front of the cafeteria, began laughing at her and just as Sabrina was about to turn around, frown on her face.

With a chin tilted upward Rosalind found herself saying, "Oh yeah? I wanna be her friend."

Finding her voice from the background a now confidently smiling Susie says, "Yeah I wanna be her friend too."

"Cool you can all be weirdos together." Zach says getting laugh out of the students once again, the crowd disperses as he walks away but they don't matter. All Rosalind sees are the smiling faces of her new found friends and the beginning of something great.

"You guys can call me Roz."

***

Then there's him.

It's the next day, Roz was dropped off again waiting for her friends in front of the court yard when she sees softest boy with the softest brown eyes she's ever seen.

***

Harvey Kinkle likes to think he's a cool guy. His older brother always tells him so, his mother always tells him too so it must be true. So as he's walking to meet his friends on their usual corner in front of the school he doesn't understand why he loses all sense of body functions at the sight of this one girl but he does.

Harvey almost trips on his way to his friends when he sees her because she's just so pretty, it's the only way to explain it other than her having superhero or villain powers and she doesn't look that cool . Two sheen puffs proudly stand atop her head and she looks at him with these round eyes that hold him. When he finally looks away and gets to the guys they laugh and tease.

All the while Roz giggles at the sight of him wondering if he's okay.

***

"Does Harvey Kinkle have a crush on the new girl?!" A voice calls out, the boys laugh.

"Keep your voice down man!" Harvey says looking around wondering if she's still around.

"Why you don't want her to hear you've got cooties?" Zach yells to the class in the yard from his spot leaning in the tree.

"Shut up no I don't!" Harvey whines at the insistent teasing and the sounds of the young boys laughter.

"Why do you like her anyway? her hair's too big. I bet you could fit two apples in those puff balls." Zach says and the boys laugh.

Harvey looks down at the ground, "Don't talk about her like that." He says weakly.

"What was that Kinkle?"

"Just-just leave her alone Zach." Harvey stutters.

"Aww Harvey likes the new girl." Another boy sang out soon everyone joined in the chant.

"Yeah Harvey likes the new girl" Zach sang, as Harvey's fist clenched.

"No I don't!"

"Oh yeah prove it? Put gum in her stupid hair since you don't like her so much." Zach says with a smirk a chorus of "ohhh" "he's not gonna do it" follows.

Harvey gulped as Zach put a stick of gum in his open palm, "What are you gonna do Kinkle?"

***

Everyone's in there classrooms and as Harvey walks up to Roz, his hand shakes.

The next thing she knows, she's got gum in her hair, Harvey's eyes are as wide as he thinks there ever gonna get and a slur of apologies follow only to be out voiced by her cries for help with the sticky assailant in her hair. She officially hates this day and Harvey Kinkle.

***

There all ten when Harvey's mom dies in a horrible car accident. The whole community shows up to the funeral of Evelyn Kinkle and to the house with every different assortment of food imaginable. Harvey is told to stand up straight and is shoved around by his drunk father. Tommy tries to distract him a couple times as he usually does with TV and errands while he cleans up after dad's messes.

In the wake, Sabrina, the pretty blonde girl from school, hugs him for the first time and he's so nervous, hands sweaty, he thinks he's gonna throw up, she gives him a light smile and leaves; a part of him wishes she didn't. Harvey's eyes are still wide and Tommy asks what's wrong when he sees him.

Harvey blinks, "Sabrina Spellman just hugged me."

Tommy chuckles and pats his little brother in the shoulder, "Girl drama already? And here I thought I was gonna have to wait a couple years."

"Shut up Tommy."

Then he sees her and the lightheartedness of the moment passes and he's filled with dread, Harvey stiffens. Noticing once again his brothers expression and where his eyes traveled to he chuckles again, murmuring to himself this time, "Ahh they grow up so fast." Harvey still hears him, his brow furrows and he shoves Tommy off. His laugh provides Harvey with a little solace on such a bleak day.

Harvey knows Tommy would rather put up a front than see how he's really grieving in some ways he's grateful for it and in others, he just wishes he could help. He can't imagine it's easy being the older brother to someone who says they see demons, Harvey shakes the painful memory away, puts the awful shade of red out of his mind.

Harvey's eyes find Rosalind's again and the stiffness of his body returns. It fades when she gives him a sad soft smile across the room that says I'm sorry, Harvey graces her with one of his own and she shrugs.

Harvey breathes, and for the first time in a while for some reason he thought things were gonna be alright.

***

Flash forward forward a couple years later, there all fourteen and fifteen, and Baxter high school was in full swing and adamant chatter filled the soon to be transformed cafeteria because of the awaiting annual homecoming dance. Three girls sitting in their usual spots in the lunchroom had a conversation of their own regarding the dance while one was in her own head, a million miles away.

"So I was waiting on him to ask me because it seemed like he was, but he just said he had to go home." Sabrina says from her seat opposite Susie and Roz, a pale hand settled under her chin.

"Maybe he was nervous?" Susie replied

"I don't know, I mean he kind of seemed like he was. What do you think Roz?" Sabrina asks, eyes narrowing at her friends unfocused gaze.

"Roz?" Susie calls to her.

"I just think that we are not doing enough for the people out there who really need our help, we are panthers baby. We should be out there doing what we need to do for the good of the people!" Dorothy Walkers voice exclaims into the void of the Walker living room. Roz sits perched at the top of her brown stair case arms loosely wrapped around her figure.

"What we should be doing is looking out for the good of this family! Of course it's important to stay woke and fight the good fight but how long until fighting costs us our lives. Things got dangerous with that life style Baby." Micheal Walker replies to his wife's irrationality, reaching out to her trying to get her to understand.

"Jesus Dorothy we aren't kids anymore, we aren't teenagers, we're raising one and you gotta be there for her."

"You don't tell me what I don't do and do for my daughter okay." Dorothy yells, pointing an accusatory finger at him.

"She's just as much mine as she is yours, don't don't do that. At least I'm acting like it."

"Micheal, I don't wanna hear another word." Dorothy warns.

"Roz!" Susie says again, worried expression on her face, "You okay?"

Roz blinks, back to reality and meets her friends concerned expressions with a complacent one of her own, she tries to tug for a smile, "Yeah guys I'm fine just tired, I'll see you guys at the dance? Yeah?"

As Roz gets up the bell rings, and her friends share a look.

***

When Roz gets home the air just doesn't feel the same, a once warm cozy place felt desolate and cold.

She's alone in her homecoming dress, awaiting her mom whose been late to just about everything recently.

The heel of her black shoe clanks against the hardwood of the floor as she paces back and forth in her red dress. She sees the bright yellow light of her mothers black SUV in the garage and she gets outside with everything.

"Finally! Mom give me the keys I gotta go." Roz breathes out, palm up awaiting the keys in her hand.

"Oh honey you look beautiful." Her mothers eyes tear up, and Roz drops her awaiting hand looking to her mother confused.

"Mom are you okay?" She asks eyes narrowed.

"How about I drive you honey? Come on get in the car." Dorothy says sniffing huddling her things back in the car as Roz looks to her confused. "Well come on baby wouldn't want you to be late to your first high school dance would you?" Dorothy says on the brink of releasing a set of tears. In all her fourteen years, Roz had never seen her mother cry; no less cry to take her to a school dance so to say she was confused was an understatement.

The car ride is spent in silence. It's composed mainly of moments her mother would look at her for long periods of time and Roz would remind her the light was green and they'd go. They finally get to Baxter high and Dorothy looks to her for what seemed like forever, and cups her cheek, "My beautiful baby, you've grown into such an amazing educated young woman." Roz's eyes widen, okay so my moms officially lost it, she thinks. "Mom what's going on?" Roz asks confused.

"Go on and have a good time, don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Make sure to get Susie to drive you home. I'll be taking the car with me."

Roz hand drifts to the door handle, and it sills when she looks back at her mom. Dorothy has tears in her eyes again, "It's alright honey go on."

Roz walks out of he car and doesn't turn back, already fearing the worst as she steps through the school doors to the gym.

***

Roz gets back home an hour later, feeling an intense aversion to what awaits her. She looks at the simple cobble stone in path and steps leading to her once cozy brick home from Susie's car window and wants so badly to be far away. Susie had been the first of her friends to get her drivers license, never mind the age limit her dad was able to pull a few strings. Most kids in green dale had been learning to drive since they were in car seats.

"Roz are you sure your okay? You've been spacing out all night. We can go to my place? I can call brina and we could have a slumber party? All you'd have to do is go in now and ask your dad." Susie asks her softly.

Roz smiles, and that's why she's the best, "It's cool Susie, I've just got some stuff to deal with my family, my mom was acting weird before she dropped me off. I think we just have to figure stuff out." She lightly smiles, hoping to death she'll believe it.

"Alright Roz but call me if you need anything okay? Also careful on those steps, cobblestones and heels do not mix."

"I will" Roz laughs as she leaves her friends car and makes her way to the door. Moms car isn't in the drive way, huh she notices.

Roz gets in the house and she's greeted the same feeling she got when she came home from school, a cold and desolate energy only thing different this time, her father was here.

That feeling she feared for the worst came back with a vengeance.

Roz rushes up to walk towards him, head in his hands, he looks up to his little girl whose not so little anymore and gives her a weak smile, "Hi honey how was the dance?"

"It was nice. Where's mom?" Roz asks, getting straight to the point. Just like her mother Micheal thought, staring off into space wondering where it all went wrong.

"She left."

"What? where?"Roz asks, a million questions springing to her mind.

"I don't know baby, I just know she isn't coming back."

Roz backs away from her father taking in the news, and walks toward the stairs to her room.

"Rosalind honey...I'm so sor-" Roz already shaking her head frantically as tears form, "No, No dad don't apologize. Its not your fault. I've just got to get to my room."

Roz locks her self in her room, breathes and cries. Cries for the woman who would take her to the supermarket on Sundays, for the woman who told her her hair was beautiful and for the woman who would take her to the park nearly every Friday, The park she thinks. She looks up from her stance on the floor and trades her heels for a pair of sneakers and makes her way out the door.

Her father paces downstairs in the living room, "Rosalind where are you going this time of night?" He says arms crossed, Micheal knows the circumstances of the night are strange but she's still his daughter, in his house.

"Dad I just need to go out for a walk please."

"Roz-"

"Bye Dad."

***

Every now and again Harvey gets a little unsettled by the noise in his house, not that there is much, but the lack of it. His mothers calming pacifying voice is gone and its been years, but his dad never lets him forget it, not that he ever would. Sometimes Tommy's ever patient smile isn't enough. He's got plans and friends and a life. So once and in while Harvey quietly leaves and walks around town, Tommy's at a party and his father is too drunk to notice.

Harvey walks for what feels like hours. He feels his feet wandering of their own volition as he thinks about where he is in life so far. With joy division blaring in his ears, he thinks of Sabrina and her friends. They've all been hanging out as of late ever since him and Susie were paired to do an anatomy project together. Since then he's been like additional member to their group, and then theirs this unspoken thing with Sabrina. He thinks back to being that 10 year old kid with his world collapsing around him, a pretty girl giving him a hug and bringing good feelings to light in a dark place. Harvey suddenly looks down at his shoes in thought, man I shouldn't have chickened out asking her to the dance, he thinks to himself, upset he doesn't know what could've been. Then his thoughts drifted again as the cold front met his face to the other girl at his mothers wake and his chest tightens. Roz forgave him all with a smile, and its not like she hated him because he put gum in her hair when she was six but it was..weird because they never were really, friends.

Suddenly his view is changed by a gate, a view of a baseball field and endless grass, with his childhood playground in sight, with out knowing it Harvey realizes he's made his way to the park where his mom used to take him as a kid. He gets this aching feeling in his chest as he makes his way to the entrance, sometimes he really misses her so much it hurts and he breathes just like she always told him to when things got to much with his father. Harvey sees his condensation from his breath and opens the gate his eyeline immediately going to the swing set, his favorite playground object as a child and then he sees her. Roz and her soft cries are heard as he hesitantly makes his way to the other seat.

Harvey notices she's still wearing her homecoming dress, a short red dress that exposes her shoulders and sneakers, Shouldn't she still be at school? Did something happen there? He wants to check his phone in case Sabrina or Susie texted him something that he didn't see about anything that might've happened tonight but he fights the urge.

"H-Hi Rosalind." She quickly faces the other way and brushes away her tears, breathing deeply she corrects him "it's just Roz, remember" She's corrected him on it during the many times they've all hung out together for some reason it never really sticks.

"Oh sorry." Harvey says more than sorry about just that, but that stupid fateful day he put gum in her hair and about never really trying to talk to her after that.

Harvey looks to her, her thick glasses are off and her face has light pink tint as the autumn breeze picks up carrying her curls around.

"You know I'm really sorry about that day with your hair, I didn't really mean to do it you know I just wanted to fit in with my friends and they're not my friends anymore they haven't for a long time. I'm sorry I let them tease Susie for so long. I-I'm just sorry." She sniffles and finally looks to him, "you don't have to worry about the hair thing I got over that a long time ago." She lets out a breathy laugh, so soft as if it was barely there at all. "But I'm really not the one you should be apologizing to for Susie, that's for her."

"Right" he says meekly as he starts to swing.

They sit in comfortable silence, enjoying the cool air, and swirling yellow and orange leaves. They're both not looking at each other when Roz sneaks a couple glances his way and tells him that her mom left and she was here because this is where she used to take her as a little girl.

Harvey looks away, "You know we really should've met sooner than we did, my mom used to come here with me all the time too." Roz looks at him as if realizing the situation, "Harvey I'm so sorry, I didn't think-"

"It's fine Roz, it was four years ago." Four years that his dad wouldn't let him forget, four years of his brother single handily trying to keep the family together, four years of burying himself in his drawings and music. His mother always loved his drawings.

Again there's a silence for a while, two figures on a swing set in the moonlight just sit. "You know some stupid part of me thought she'd come back here, that she'd just know just where I was and take me back home, take us both back home." Her face is still wet streaked with tears.

Harvey has never had to deal with a crying girl before and his palms start to sweat, he's been hanging around Sabrina more often and thus her friends because they're cool people but he's never felt really accepted by Roz yet, it was good to clean the air. He didn't want to set her off in anyway.

"It's not stupid, to want to see your mom again. It just sucks that some white dude that um..does something to the patriarchy, came in her place." Harvey knows that Roz is all about social justice, her parents especially and he's still learning. She lets out a laugh, a strong one that he can hear this time, he'll count it as a win.

"They hold up the patriarchy, Harvey."

"Oh okay cool." His eyes widen as he says it, and Roz's one eye brow raises, in amusement. "I-I mean not cool like cool but I mean- I get- I unders-" the metal chain of the swing set rattles as Roz laughs with her entire face, eyes crinkling, head tilted back hand holding her stomach.

Leaves swirl around as the cold front comes and her laugh rings in his ear like a bell. She shivers from the cold and Harvey realizes she's still in her homecoming dress, he stands takes of his jacket, Roz looks at him in slight confusion as he puts his jacket on her shoulders. She blushes and remembers the soft brown eyes when they were six. Then she remembers this morning, Sabrina talking about how she wanted Harvey to ask her to the dance. Disappointment blooms in her chest at the realization, everyone with eyes and a pulse knew that Sabrina and Harvey had feelings for each other.

Harvey softly smiles at her while she looks down. The moonlight bouncing off her caramel skin, she puts her glasses back on and stands up. That warm feeling he felt when he was ten comes back again. The one that promised everything was going to be alright. He looks up to her from his seat on the swing set.

"Why didn't you ask Sabrina to the dance?" Roz asks, holding back has never really been one of her strong suits.

It's almost comical how fast his face changes from soft to taken aback. "Well I-" he clears his throat and feels the nervousness crawl back up like a viper, he looks back up to her face, her soft brown eyes and just breathes out, "I was chicken shit." Roz's eyes now widen at his bluntness and she lightly chuckles, Harvey's sweet smile comes back with a comfortable silence.

Roz looks away from him and back at the ground,"I uh gotta go it's getting kinda late and I don't wanna worry my dad. Especially with everything that happened." Its now that she realized the state she left her dad in, head in his hands in all, thinking his wife had left him and now his daughter too? She had to make things better at home.

"Oh uh..do you want me to walk you there?" He says strangely not wanting the moment to end.

"No it's fine." She reply's with a small smile.

"Are you sure?" He inquired further, not unfamiliar to the threat of the dark. Roz's smile unwieldy widens highlighting reassurance, "Looks like Harvey Kinkle isn't too chicken shit to take a girl home and protect her from the big bad darkness." She waves her fingers around and lets out a low "oooo" she giggles as he stands from his seat on the swings and shoves her, small grin placating his features. Soon they're both laughing and shoving each other as they both walk out of the park.

Roz's laughs pan out as they reach the entrance, and soft brown met large almond brown once again, with a light smile she says "Goodnight Harvey, and uh thanks for...this." He feels his head shaking as a response,"Anytime, night Roz.", And he's rooted in the spot, he can't let him self go and they stare until Roz turns around makes her way down the familiar path to her house. Harvey still standing there, on the spot, watching her leave like a creep. He's about to turn around and scold himself when he sees her look back, soft smile still settled on her face and she looks at the ground again toward the path ahead of her.

Harvey watches until he can't see her anymore and finally turns around.

***

They spend way to much time in the library, Roz helps him with his English homework and every now and then he'll show her a drawing and she'll come up with stories for them.

"Okay so she's a zombie mom with a cookie cutter family and they all...murder people in order to give her food to survive!" Roz exclaims marveling at her own brilliance.

Harvey lightly shades a spot on the paper featuring the zombie mom and his expression becomes confused, "Isn't that a show on Netflix though? The Santa Clarita diet?"

"What? No. This is the peak of my creative brilliance is what it is. I'm insulted that you'd think I never take my job as your comic writer seriously." Roz says jokingly hurt.

"You keep stealing storylines and I just might have to fire you Roz." Harvey shrugs, light smile painted on his face as he looks down at his drawing.

"I- Wha, Susie! Is my story a rip off-" Roz starts addressing Susie on the couch a few feet from the table, reading her aunts journal.

"Yes your story is a rip off Santa Clarita diet, frankly I'm appalled. This is lazy writing at its finest." Susie says not once looking away from the book in front of her as she cut Roz off.

Roz indignantly has her mouth open in shock and Harvey laughs, it's a hearty sound she wouldn't mind hearing more often. It's almost as if it happens in slow motion, Harvey is looking at her and she can see his perfect smile, soft brown eyes and upturned lips smiling at her then she's sees those same eyes leave her and look to another pair but this one with a short blonde bob. "Hey guys." Sabrina smiles as she sits with them. Harvey's eyes shine and Roz's stomach flops.

***

"Harvey I swear on my nana if you pick a romantic comedy for movie night we're not friends anymore." Roz says, exasperated from her seat on Susie's couch, limbs flailing everywhere.

"Agreed, you've picked that genre for the past three Friday's in a row." Susie says in slight concern for her friends taste in movies, as she eats her milk duds from the recliner.

Harvey brings in the two bowls popcorn from the kitchen and smooshes himself between a sleeping Sabrina and an unbothered Roz, "Hey don't judge the superior movie genre selection that brought is us comedic gold like the proposal and couples retreat. They're classics!" He argues looking at Roz' impassive face then to Susie, and gives her a look that says back me up here. She gives one back, not fighting this one bud, good luck.

"I got news for you Harv." oh no Susie thinks, sinking back into the recliner, eating her milk duds awaiting the chaos.

"Rom coms, not better than Horror movies. Like at all," Roz says looking Harvey dead in the eye with her thick rimmed glasses and takes the bowl of popcorn right from his hands, his eyes widen at her statement.

Nope no turning back now, Susie thinks looking between them. She wonders when there gonna figure out this whole thing between them out, it's probably gonna a while, inwardly sighing.

"I'm gonna give you a minute to process what you just said and take that back." Harvey says awaiting her next words. Roz eats a kernel and replies with a confident "Nope." popping the p at the end for emphasis. Harvey nods and smiles a smile that promises mischief and makes his way toward her, "Harv what are you doing?" Roz cautiously says eating another kernel slowly.

Immediate giggles erupt from Roz as Harvey tickles her further into the couch and a lightly snoring Sabrina moves, both Harvey and Roz' heads turn to the sleeping girl, not wanting to disturb her.

"If she woke up that would've totally been your fault" Roz whispers to him, holding his forearms while his hands are still splayed on her hips, both still as to not incite the blonde to wake. "It would not" He whisper yells and their heads turn back to each other and they realize there current position and how close their faces are, Harvey can make out the almond shape of her eyes and Roz can still make out his laugh lines; she wants so badly to trace it but again she realizes where they are and clears her throat. They both look away, Harvey turns his face to Sabrina's sleeping form and says, "At least your not at Sabrina's level of love for horror movies, that would be horrible." His words just oozing fondness and affection at the sleeping girl.

"Yea, I know right." Roz says adjusting herself to the couch more, feeling a familiar swoop at the stomach.

Susie sits up setting the empty box of milk duds on the table, oh yeah were gonna have to wait years, she thinks growing tired at the thought.

***

There at their usual spot in the back table near the computers in the library, while Roz tries to decode the famous Sir Lancelot and Queen Genevieve poem to Harvey. Endless rows of books surround them and a shroud of papers compiled nicely on the edge of the hardwood brown table.

"So basically Tennyson is saying through the use of endless creative metaphors and personification that Lancelot and Genevieve would do anything for their love and each other even die." Roz sums up with finality looking to Harvey's bewildered expression. "Okay what do you not get?" She asks, a stray hair falls in front of her face as Harvey looks at her he has the strangest powerful urge to push it behind her ear. He quickly realizes that she awaiting his response, when her eyebrows raise, "I uh, Well I just think its about something different that's all." He responds, looking down toward the book.

"What do you mean?" Roz asks, curious on his outlook of the poem. "Well I just think its about finding love in whats in front of him, seeing what he has and giving everything, all of his being toward it and Genevieve receives it."

"So you think Its one sided?"

"I think Lancelot had a lot more to lose in having an affair with the kings wife, I'm saying maybe she was a little selfish."

"Wow your opinion is wrong." Roz says with an incredulous expression on her face, looking away from his gaze and back toward the book.

"What?" He asks in disbelief

"If anyone is being selfish its Lancelot, I mean sleeping with your best friends wife? Come on and he didn't even have to pay for being an adulterer and his "love" for Genevieve with his life you know who did though? Genevieve." Roz huffed.

Harvey looked at her then back down at his copy and started reading,

'She look'd so lovely, as she sway'd

The rein with dainty finger-tips,

A man had given all other bliss,

And all his worldly worth for this,

To waste his whole heart in one kiss

Upon her perfect lips.

There's a stillness after he reads it between them both, she keeps her eyes on her copy and feels as his turns from the page and makes its way up to her face, to met the tug of her gaze and feel the pull they've felt so many times before. Then he speaks, "Maybe its not about what they gave up and who did more wrong than the other but the way he remembered her before they took there last kiss and the way she embraced and accepted him for who he was when it was all said and done." Harvey breathes out, and nervousness crawls back up from his stomach, even though he'd never felt more at ease with Roz than he had with anyone else. The contradicting feelings clashed and their gazes locked again.

A ping sound went off, a notification was heard from the table and both their heads turn fast to the device, "Sorry Roz I forgot to turn it off." He admits with sheepish smile and looks down at the notification, he's never been so relieved to see that Tommy texted him a picture of the grocery list.

Harvey gets his things into his bag and looks down to his phone again careful to avoid the pit of those almond brown eyes that he could fall into, and he rapidly explains his departure, "Sorry I gotta leave but Tommy just sent me this grocery list and I need to get the stuff like now. For dinner and the week and everything. So bye." Harvey says all in one sentence and with a final wave, leaves a confounded Roz in his wake.

***

Sabrina and Harvey finally become official in the summer after sophomore year and there group has never been closer. They go to the movies, hang out at the library, the bookstore and do normal teenager things of course.

But it's the fact that there are no more secrets between them and everything is out in the open that brings them together. Roz is going blind but gaining the sight, her cunning, Susie is talking to her dead aunt, Harvey saw an actual demon and Sabrina is a witch. However nothing was ever be normal again especially after Roz was finally struck blind.

It happens in the woods when they're on there way to the mines to expel a demon ready to reign loose on the town. The colors of the leaves are just being turned back to green as winter spells it's last goodbye. The brown trails on the ground seem endless and the path toward the mine is covered in branches, "How much longer till we get there?" Susie heaves, chalking this up to bring the only exercise she'll be doing for the year.

"Susie we've been to the mines, how do you not know where we are?" Roz breathes out as they trek through the leaves at a fast pace.

"It's probably the physical exhaustion talking, don't worry we're almost there Susie." Sabrina replies leading her friends, holding Harvey's hand as he trails next to her.

They approach an array of yellow and red signs telling them to keep out, they're at the entrance of the mine. Sabrina looks up to Harvey squeezing his hand. Roz looks at Harvey's empty expression knowing that he's thinking of his brother, he's already lost so much she thinks with a sorrowful expression. Harvey looks away from the cursed entrance and kisses Sabrina's forehead as Roz and Susie gather there bearings and make there way to them.

"I'm so not doing P.E on Monday." Roz curses and Susie breathes in agreement.

They huddle together as Sabrina goes over the plan, "Okay guys so we all stick together, we all know the mine is a maze and this could very well be where the demon is and conveniently where we need to trap it so there's no means to escape." Harvey takes a deep breath and nods

along with the other morals.

"He's going to want to separate us so we're easier to manipulate, he's going to whisper certain truths to your mind but you have to ignore it so we can find him and trap him. Susie I'm gonna need you to keep a look out side the mine in case anyone else comes, Roz I'm gonna need you to touch this inscription to find out where he might be in there and Harvey," Sabrina breathes out, "just stay safe and keep next to me okay?"

He pecks her lightly on the lips, "You got it 'brina." Sabrina smiles at him, and Roz focuses her eyes on the rocks below her.

Sabrina levitates the rocks out of there path as the three of them make there way toward the core of the maze. Roz trails behind the pair, still holding hands and holding up flashlights in their other hands. Are you lost blind girl? A grim scratchy voice echoes out in her mind. "Did you guys hear that?" Roz says.

"Hear what?" Harvey replies turning toward Ros.

"Never mind."

Never mind that your in love with your best friends boyfriend, how pathetic. Roz eyes widen at the raspy scathing voice and suddenly the light of her flashlight gets dimmer and the vision of Sabrina and Harvey in front of her gets blurred.

"Remember Roz we have to ignore the voice it's just trying to manipulate us to let it out." Sabrina cautions.

"Right" Roz breathes out in confusion as her eyes begin to blur out the brown of Harvey's hair, the blue of his jacket and the white light of Sabrina's flashlight.

"Uhh guys I think I'm starting to lose my sight now, I can't see oh my God." Roz says breathing hard now, she can't hear their foot steps anymore. "Guys?!" She yells out.

Roz feels wet tears fall from her eyes, as she whips her head around frantically trying to adjust to seeing nothing in any direction.

Useless, you couldn't even follow your friends and lead them the right way

The voice returns and rings back in her head like a song, she tries to cover her ears and block the sound.

She's gonna hate you when she finds out you know, the witch. She will find out and she'll leave just like your mother and your grandmother did.

The voice brings Roz to her knees as she cries out in full on sobs. The demon is right she's gonna hate me, they all are. They're gonna leave me. She feels the weight of her glasses on her face, they're useless to her now. Just like I'am, useless.

"Roz?" She hears his voice clear ring out before her. Harvey kneels in front of her to see if she's okay as she looks up to follow the sound of his voice. "Roz..your eyes.." he says rooted in the spot at the sight of her, the soft brown he always knew becoming a startling gray .

"I know, I can't see!" She exclaims frantically. The tears roll out once again,and make there way down her cheeks.

You can't see him anymore and you never will again. You'll never see anyone you love again.

Rosalind cried out loud sobs at the insistent demonic voice, "I can't see you." She cries out.

Harvey's heart breaks at the sight of her and hearing her cries, they have to get out of here. "Look Ros, brina found a way out of here, you've been trapped here for three hours okay-"

Roz looks up from her hands and sniffles, "What? no, that's impossible I just lost track of you guys." Her breathing becomes labored again, in out , in out.

No one can save you Rosalind Walker, no one will care.

Roz' eyes shut tightly.

"No Roz listen to me," Harvey says his hands now intertwining with hers, anchoring her to his words "We found the demon and trapped it, it's just all in your head, okay? You got lost, so I came to get you and Sabrina gave me this red yarn so we can get back." He breathes out to her hoping to everything they can make it out of this.

"I need you to slow down your breathing okay? In. Out." Harvey eyes frantically watch over her face trying to calm her breathing.

Roz's greys still in his direction and they shut as she breathes, in. Out.

I'll keep you here with me where you belong, forever. The voice picks at her mind and reverbs.

"Roz..hey, you with me?" Harvey asks his breath fanning across her face, she startles at the proximity and his voice. "Do you still hear it's voice?" He asks brows furrowed, suspecting the reason for there self imposed captivity.

He will never love you the way he does the witch

More unwilling tears roll out, as Roz faces the ground and lets out a meek, "Yes" in response.

"Hey Roz just focus on my voice, just me." Soft yet calloused hands cup her wet cheeks, the red string rests on the right side of her face, tied around his index finger, she holds her breath. She wishes so badly more than ever she could see him. Read the look in his eyes, the curve of his mouth, his laugh lines. Roz wishes so badly she could see him and is at the same time, more than grateful she can no longer see what she can't have.

A beat passes and they breathe together, Harvey feels a tug on his heart and a warmth that burns from his chest to his stomach, it spreads like a wildfire. Then he feels a tug on his hand, more specifically his index finger. Sabrina his mind rings out, putting out the fire in his chest with a swift feeling of guilt taking over his gut. Sabrina had pulled on the yarn signaling the time they had left.

Harvey drops his hands from her face and pulls Roz up, and tugs on her left hand and leads them back out following the string. Roz's heart skipping a beat and feeling heavy with every passing step and turn.

They make it out of the cave and the smell of Sabrina's citrus shampoo wakes her from her spell when her best friend takes her in to her arms. The seemingly endless stream of tears roll down her face once again and her eyes shut close breathing in the scent of her. Sabrina her best friend since she was 6, was embracing her like she was her life line right after she almost kissed her boyfriend. "Its okay, Your okay, You made it out, You did it." She hears Sabrina's voice whisper and Ros feels her eyes shut tighter holding her friend for dear life.

Roz feels Susie's small arms wrap around then both, and a sad smile rests on her face. She feels Harvey's eyes on her like a ray of light, she can't see it but knows the weight of his gaze, right down to the bone, it makes her shiver, must be my cunning, Roz thinks, she hopes.

When they finally let go, and Susie asks her for the millionth time if she's really okay, Roz hears Sabrina swarm Harvey with deep kisses, the rustling of fabric and smacking of lips the main indicator. Roz's eyes find their way downward when she feels Harvey's gaze again, with Sabrina in his arms, it's almost as if the wind whispers with his eyes. A phrase finds it's way between them again,

I'm sorry.

***

"So you can see the future right?"

"Well not exclusively, sometimes things from the the past and things happening around me now that I wouldn't know about if I didn't have the cunning." Roz tells Harvey, as the sunlight glistens into his room through the cracks of the dark curtains. It's a regular Sunday morning, they had to study for an English test, a break was needed and here she was adjusting the crossed position of her leg on his bed feeling it fall asleep as he absorbs the information. Harvey's across from her on his bed, mirroring her position.

"I wanna know about my future. And I know based on what you just told me that might not be what you see, but I still wanna know." He tells her, eyes alight with a renewed hope.

Roz face contorts to one of caution, " I don't know Harvey, I mean I think letting people know they're future is kind of dangerous don't you think?"

Harvey thinks about it for a second, "Okay so how about this if you think it's something I think I can live without knowing, don't tell me." Roz snorts at his request.

"That's so general how will I know what to tell you?" She exclaims crossing her arms.

"Something I can live with out knowing Roz, hello if I die! Duh." Harvey responds, stating the obvious. He notices her persistent hesitance, "Look you don't have to do it if you're not comfortable." He says in a gentle voice.

"It's not that I just hadn't...thought about you dying is all." She says with a frown on her face.

"I was only kidding Roz, I'm only asking you because I trust you." She can feel his eyes on her again burning through her greys, shame I'll never get to see them Susie always mentions how hot they are. Roz mulls it over in her head again, the pros and cons and ultimately, "I'll do it." She nods before she can talk her self out of it.

"Really? Okay so what do you have to do? Touch me, right? Be careful Roz, I'm spoken for." Harvey says with a playful smirk.

"Famous last words Kinkle, watch it." Roz replies just about sick of him, she imagines the sunlight bounces of his brown hair and how his smile is probably that much brighter because of it and shes just about sick of that too.

She adjusts her legs again and tries to get comfortable, she takes his hand and takes a deep breath, Harvey's even closed his eyes for good measure, "Okay I'm seeing something." She says in a serious tone.

Harveys eyes pop open and he exclaims in excitement, "What?!"

Roz's eyes are still closed and her eye brows furrow, "I see...a bright light...fog...water and oh my- Harvey!"

"What?! What do you see Roz." He says grip on her hand tightening, "I see...aliens! There comin-" she's tackled by Harvey and her giggles interrupt her false proclaims.

"Aliens really Roz?" Harvey says as he sits up a soft smile resting on his features. He pokes her face until she answers, "Really?!"

Roz' giggles don't cease even when she speaks, "That's for the comment." She breathes out, readying her body for an actual reading "Okay, I'm ready to actually tell you now, sorry" Roz says reaching out her hand.

"No your not" Harvey says indignantly taking her hand with a false sour expression, Roz feels her face light up with a warm smile. "Your right I'm not." She takes a deep breath, in. Out, brushing off the memory of the soft hand on her face in the mines, she takes his hand.

"How do you know it's gonna be a girl?" Roz hears a voice echoing in her mind, it's mature and familiar. The view gets easier to see the more she focuses. There's two people sitting on a couch, a woman and a man. She's pregnant.

"Because I just know." He responds, Roz can see his face clearer now, it's Harvey. He's wearing a blue collared shirt and jeans, his brown hair is cut short and he has facial hair; scruff. He reaches out to touch the woman very pregnant stomach.

"So you had Sabrina give Ambrose a call and do his witchy pregnancy gender test thing." Roz realizes why the voice sounds so familiar it's her, Staring at her own future. What the-

"Yep. I mean no-" Harvey sighs as Roz gives him a look, "Okay so I did but I really wanted to know, I couldn't wait until after the baby was born."

"Uh yeah you could've then it would've been like we'd agreed." Roz hears her self say as she pouts at him.

"Come on babe when have we ever done something according to plan?" Harvey pouts back and they meet in the middle faces inches apart.

Roz hears herself sigh somehow in content and exasperation, "You're lucky your cute." She says and their lips finally meet, it's a sweet slow kiss, she feels she's intruding on something even though it's her.

Harvey cups her face as their lips part and looks at her like she's his world as his other hand finds her stomach, Roz looks at her self smiling so big, she doesn't even remember the last time she smiled like that and her heart feels heavy.

"No more calling Sabrina for this type of stuff okay, she's high priestess now. She doesn't have time to make pregnancy house calls." Roz says putting her pointer finger to Harvey's chest making her case known. His hands go up in surrender "okay okay. Just as long as you don't go texting Susie every time the baby kicks, she's on her book tour. She doesn't need he distraction."

"What? I don't do it everytime , I mean-" now Harvey gives her a look and he laughs at his wife's shocked expression, her diamond ring glistens in the sun as he takes her hand. "Honey she told me to tell you to slow down a little bit with the baby talk, you can still talk to her about it, absolutely. But your kinda driving her crazy. Please don't kill me." He says with a flinch proceeding with caution not wanting to test his wife's mood swings.

Roz watches herself look away from her husband in shock, still holding his hand, "well at least I got yo- woah she's eager in there." Roz suddenly feels a fluttering in her stomach and she touches the flat surface, she looks back up at the future version of her. Her and Harvey cooing at their future child, hands interlocked at the stomach.

Roz gasps, opening her eyes, waiting to hear Harvey's voice, "Roz you okay? What happened? What did you see?" He asks as she breathes deeply, wanting more than anything to see those soft brown eyes again, but I guess those eyes are gonna spend the rest of their life looking at me, Roz thinks taken back by the outcome.

She feels Harvey's hesitance to touch her again and his concern so he turns her face toward him, "What happened?"

Roz finds herself smiling, there maybe a million obstacles between them now but shes not going to add one by risking it not happening in telling him what she saw so she leaves it at, "Just something you can live without." She says as she leaves his room.

A beat passes and he jogs behind her trailing to catch up. "What the hell does that mean?"

If only you knew Harvey Kinkle, if only you knew.

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