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#the lack of family so they turn to the closest things they have available
aradiamegiddy · 11 months
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thinking about how much i love Karna and how much i love Ylfa and how much these two have in common.
servants of death itself, who knew hurt and rot and hunger before they were even finished growing. my girls who never truly had a chance to live, whose destinies were to die and keep dying and cope by becoming something (or someone) else.
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Love-Gate - Steve Harrington x Reader
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WARNINGS: Some cursing, S4 EP3 Spoilers
Summary: Working as Ms. Kelly’s TA and having to stay late one night, you run into Dustin, Max, Lucas, and one of your closest friends, Steve. Revelations come to light and feelings are revealed.
Word Count: 2.8K
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Steve was excited, well maybe excited wasn’t the right word… Steve was ready to have a stable length of time in Hawkins. No monsters, no Upside Down, and more importantly, no girl problems. The first two had remained – he and the now group of freshman kids he had continuously slain monsters with had heard no whisperings of anything spooky going on. Maybe it was the fact that El had lost her powers, or even that she and the Byers’ had moved to bright and sunny California. But, Steve was thankful for the lack of creatures and Russians knocking at his door constantly.
However, the third part of his grand plan was, unfortunately, not playing out how he would like it to. Every girl he goes on a date with turns out to be not right for him, leading him to complain to Robin at work and to you on the phone. Normally, and during the past summer, all he had to do was stroll over to Claire’s to spot you restocking the poofiest scrunchies known to mankind or trying to comfort a crying ten-year-old as she gets her ears pierced. It was a daily occurrence for him – he would poke fun at the bedazzled scrunchie that helped tie your hair in a half-up half-down (it was part of the store uniform) and you would give a fake-salute and say “Ahoy!”. Starcourt mall stores were nothing if not consistent with how awful their store uniforms were. 
He’d talk your ear off about how, no matter how hard he tried, every girl he flirted with didn’t return his affections. “Poor Steve,” you’d reply, earning a playful smack on the arm from him. After his break time was up, he’d give you one of his classic Steve Henderson smiles, drum his fingers on the purple check out desk, and say a variation of “catch you later” before he’d amble off back to Scoops Ahoy. You’d watch him walk back, flipping that silly little sailors hat around in his hands, and a dazed smile would form upon your lips. However, as quickly as it appeared, your thoughts would be sobered up by a group of girls asking where the jelly bracelets were.
Now, he had to resort to phone calls when there was a drag of customers at Family Video since you were busy being a teacher’s assistant at the school, shadowing Ms. Kelly in the counselor’s office. You were lucky that, for the most part, you could answer his calls. Nowadays, Ms. Kelly was up to her knees in files upon files of kids who were seeking her out for counseling. Due to the code of conduct, you weren’t allowed in the room while she was talking to the students, so you gave yourself busywork. Organizing paper clips according to size and color, cutting and filling out hallpasses, and sharpening pencils were what took up most of your days - but the pay and experience was good, so you didn’t complain. Plus, you were right there and available to take Steve’s calls… but you hated them. You hated having to hear about all these dates Steve was going on with all these different girls – hated hearing how he went to grab dinner, or watched the high school basketball game, or went to watch that new movie Top Gun that just hit theaters. Being friends with Steve Harrington was a full-package deal – you got the endless laughter and fun, but you also had to hear about his dating life.
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Ms. Kelly needed you to stay late to organize some files, which would have been fine, except for the fact that it was 9:30 at night. You were feeling worse for wear with a lack of sleep and too many variables swimming around in your brain. Two kids have been found dead, the town had an edge to it again, and you hadn’t heard from Steve in a couple of days. You understood that he had his life and you had yours, but this four day period of time without a word left you feeling worried.
You shook your head, dragging yourself back into what you were doing as you re-alphabatized the files within subsections of grade. You were just finishing up with the freshmen when you heard a noise from the hall. The beam of light from your flashlight began to grow shaky as your hand trembled, carefully closing and locking the filing cabinet. Normally, you would have turned the lights on in the counselor’s room, but since it was Spring Break, they were conserving power. Taking a deep breath and arming yourself with the lamp stand to your right, you braced yourself against the corner of the room, ready to take action against whatever monster threatened you. Hell, you, Steve, and Robin had faced the Russians – if you could infiltrate a top secret organization, you could defend yourself… right? Ever so slowly, you saw the lock on the door begin to twist and shift, resulting in your breath getting lodged in your throat. What felt like hours only took seconds as the door was pushed open and you began your swing, only to halt yourself when you saw the shocked faces of Steve, Dustin, and Max.
“Y/N?!” They all yelled in unison, and in disbelief. You let out a shaky breath, dropping the lamp stand on the ground and leaning against the wall, like you got the wind knocked out of you.
“What the hell are you three doing here?!” You ask, exasperated. Wordlessly, Steve reaches out to help you stand firmly on your own two feet.
“Oh, uh, you know…” Steve begins to say as Max digs in her jacket pocket to produce a key, effectively opening up the files you tried to preserve.
“No, I don’t know, and– Max, you cannot look at those files!” You exclaim, shoving the drawer back despite the hold the red-head had on it.
“But we need to! Chrissy’s file is in here, and…” Dustin says, trailing off. You raise an eyebrow and then fully put your back against the cabinet, protecting its contents from the mock Watergate breachers in front of you.
“So that’s what this is about. You want to look at Chrissy’s file and see if it has any correlation between what’s been happening?” You ask, earning nods from all three. You closed your eyes for a second and began gnawing on your lip – a habit you’ve never seemed to break when you got nervous or were contemplating something.
“Y/N, please, can you ditch your goody two shoes mindset for just a minute? For the greater good?” Steve pleads, his expression earnest. Looking into his chocolatey brown eyes, you crumble. Huffing, you slide away.
“Fine, but only Chrissy’s file, okay? I can get in serious trouble for this.” You relent. A grateful smile unfolds on Dustin’s face while Max resumes her previous actions. “While you guys are in here snooping,” you say, making sure that a negative connotation stays on your last word, “Steve, can I talk to you a minute?”
“Yeah, sure.” He says instantly, leaning against the wall and making himself comfy. With a deadpan look, you flick your eyes to the door.
“Alone?”
“Oh, yeah.” Steve corrects himself, letting you lead the way out of the room with him on your toes. As soon as you’re out in the hallway, you let yourself slide down the wall so you’re sitting on the ground, Steve opposite to you. You twiddle your fingers for a bit before looking up at him again, a little shocked to find that his eyes were trained on you. “Everything okay?” You sigh and nod and then shake your head.
“I assume you and the rest have some idea of what’s happening?” You pose the question, fearing the answer. Reluctantly, Steve nods a bit.
“Max saw Chrissy in some kind of predicament, and then saw her go into Ms. Kelly’s office.” He says. At his words, your head goes into your hands. “Hey, hey, what’s wrong?” Steve says, kind of cooing but with clear concern heavy in his tone. From anyone else, you would have hated that. But it’s Steve. He shuffles over to you and wraps an arm around your shoulders.
“I’m in there, Steve, every day and I watch these kids come in. Now there’s someone that ended up dead who just recently had to seek counseling?! And I couldn’t do anything just cause I’m some stupid TA who isn’t allowed to help.” You say breathlessly, shaking your head.
“Y/N, you are not stupid. You were, like, the smartest girl in the whole school and always willing to lend a hand.”
“And look where that got me. With a low paying job and single.” You spit bitterly, your gaze on your knees laced with malice.
“Alright, that’s not fair. You’re the best person ever, everyone knows that – including me!”
“Then what’s stopped you?!” You shout, a sense of helplessness touching your expression and voice. Steve opens his mouth like he’s about to say something, but nothing comes out. About a minute passes before he’s able to speak again.
“What?” He croaks out, his face the definition of disbelief. Before you can think of something to say, Max bursts out of the classroom with not one, but two files. It pulls you out of your conversation with Steve instantly, your goody two shoes turtle shell concealing you again.
“Max, you were supposed to grab Chrissy’s file, that's it.” You gritted out, anger clearly etching onto your face.
“Yeah, but it’s not just Chrissy. Fred was seeing Ms. Kelly too.” When Max mentions the other kid’s name, the second confirmed death, it causes your mind to spin. You beckon her over to where you and Steve were sitting, ushering her to open up the two files to look at them side by side. Instantly, you found the similarities. Constant headaches, nosebleeds, past trauma – almost everything was lining up word for word between the two kids. Shaking your head, you squint at Ms. Kelly’s handwriting as if it would reveal something more to you. All of a sudden, Max stood straight up, her face clearly concerned, as she began to walk towards the end of the hallway, looking intently at the door.
“Max?” You ask softly, not wanting to startle her. Dustin and Steve repeated her name, more urgency with their voices until she finally stopped and looked back at you. Her skin was so void of color and her hands so shaky. To you, it was like she saw a ghost.
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You don’t remember how you got to Steve’s room – all you knew was that you were asleep on one his plaid-patterned bed, your neck bent at an unfortunate angle that will definitely leave a crick. Your eyes flutter open to see Steve sitting next to you, his fingers fumbling while flipping a page of a book. You blink the tiredness out of your eyes, rubbing away any lingering sleepy dust.
“Harrington,” you murmur, drawing his attention immediately, “you look like a fish out of water with that thing in your hand.” Eyeing you and then the book, Steve lets a little smile develop in his lips.
“Yeah, yeah,” he says, accepting your little jab. “You slept like a rock.” He notes, almost chuckling at the state of you.
“How many hours?” You ask, pushing your hair that most definitely resembled a rat's nest away from your face.  Steve twists his left arm, revealing his watch. Oh, how you adored that watch. With a simple leather band and a round clock face, it remained a constant of Steve Harrington’s.
“A little more than 10 hours.”
“Holy shit,” you breathe, shaking your head a bit in disbelief. “I haven’t gotten that much in… well, I don’t know how long.” Steve shifts so that he’s laying down a bit, his head level with yours.
“We should talk about what you said,” he says, a more serious tone touching his words. This was what you dreaded.
“How about we forget them instead–” You begin, but Steve shakes his head.
“You can’t feel guilty about what’s happened.” He says, which gives you both a moment of relief and a moment of dread. Relief that he wasn’t going to mention the other thing that happened and dread as you were forced to think about the recent events.
“Steve, how can I not? I obviously knew something was wrong the minute they entered that office, and instead of looking into it, I just followed direct orders from a teacher because that’s all I know how to do. I mean, just look at me last night! I could barely even let you guys look at these files even though I knew I could trust you. I knew that shady stuff happens in Hawkins since the Russians and that huge monster that destroyed Starcourt. And yet, I paused and hesitated.” Steve gives you a pitiful look. “If I had just… followed an instinct or a gut, none of this would’ve happened. Chrissy and Fred, they would be okay and alive. Max wouldn’t be in danger.”
“Y/N, that’s not fair.”
“But it is!” You exclaim, tears threatening to spill from your eyes. Wordlessly, Steve gathers you into his arms, and holds you to his chest. Your fingers grasped at the soft yellow material of his sweatshirt and you knew that your sobs were dampening the cotton, but he didn’t move. He just held you closer.
“It’ll be okay. Robin and Nancy are already on the case at this psychiatric place and Dustin and Lucas are with Max at the Wheeler’s.” You nodded and pulled away a bit.
“Sorry about… this. I didn’t mean to, well, you know.” You say, motioning with your hands towards your tear-stricken face.
“You’re allowed to feel sad, Y/N. You’re allowed to cry.” Steve says, a sad smile on his face now.
“I know, it’s just… this wasn’t what you signed up for when you befriended the happy go-lucky Claire’s employee.” You say, laughing a bit.
“Well, was all of this what you signed up for when you befriended the Scoops Ahoy employee?” Now you were freely laughing, him joining in as well.
“Secret codes and saving town were definitely not in the handbook, but I signed it all the same.” You say. Steve sits up, leaning against his headboard.
“I wanted to be your friend the second I saw you.” Steve admits, sobering your smile just a bit. “I’d seen you working dozens of times, but it wasn’t until that knucklehead Lucas stopped by to grab a gift for Max. Now, if I were you, I would’ve given him total grief for it – teased him to no end as he asked about what to get for his girlfriend. But you just smiled and showed him what you would recommend.” You were astonished that he remembered that, blinking back a look of surprise. Steve picks up your hand gently and rubs his thumb over your hand. “And then, when you began talking to me, you didn’t hold that same notion of ‘King Steve’ or whatever that shit was. I was a blank slate for you until I introduced myself. And Y/N, I swear to everything, I am the stupidest guy alive for trying to hide my feelings for you by talking to you about all my failed dating attempts, because the only girl I really wanted to date was you.” Steve huffs out, breathless from his confession. Before you have a second to think, you’re cupping his cheeks in your hands and bringing up towards you. Taking the message immediately, Steve closes the gap by pressing his lips to yours. The kiss is slow and a bit awkward due to where the two of you were sitting, but it was perfect. Each push and pull expressed a need for each other, assuring messages of love. With one final kiss and a peck on your lips, Steve pulled back, letting his forehead rest against yours.
“Steve Harrington…” you say, out of breath, “I love you, Steve Harrington.” A dopey, lovesick grin spreads across both of your faces.
“I love you, Y/N L/N. Glittery scrunchies and all.”
“Sailors hat and all,” you shoot back.
“Monsters and Russians?” He asks, making you giggle.
“As I said – my signature remains true.” You laugh. Steve’s arms were where you wished you could spend the rest of your day, probably even the rest of your life. But of course, a call from Dustin not so subtly told the both of you to, quote, “get your asses over here” to the Wheeler’s basement. With his hand in yours and a sense of fearlessness in your mind, you knew that whatever was going to happen, it would be okay. Everything would be okay.
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sillyandquest · 5 months
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Haven't mentioned that Mutant Mashup AU in a while, might as well bring something up that I've been stewing over for ever since I saw this YouTube video by skulltrot.
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It's a really good analysis on Leo and why he does the things he does in the movie. It even explains a few minor details you might've missed during a first watch, as well as a few other details that are mentioned in the series.
After watching this video I've seen Rise Leo not as an overconfident teen whose goofy for personal amusement, but an insecure kid who covers up that fact by telling jokes.
I'll explain more on Blue's character in the Au under the cut so you don't have to read it if you don't want to, but just as a reminder.
2012 gang's nicknames are:
Leo = DaVinci
Raph = Sanzio
Donnie = Niccolo
Mikey = Simoni
Splinter = Yoshi
April = May
Casey has the same name.
Rise fam's nicknames are:
Raph = Red
Donnie = Purple
Leo = Blue
Mikey = Orange
Splinter = Lou
Casey = Cass
April has the same name.
Now for Blue's character. I'm gonna focus on his insecurities here, as well as a bringing up his relationship with his brothers and cousins.
In the Au, Blue lives with his brothers and lives a few tunnels away from his cousins so there's plenty of interaction between them all. However, that also means that Blue picks up on his family's talents quickly and feels very insecure by the time the Au begins. Similar to canon, Blue doesn't tell anyone about his insecurities, using jokes to hide what's going on beneath the surface. It's hard for Blue to be vulnerable, even in front of his family. This was partially influenced by this father and uncle's relationship with each other, as well as how they treat Blue himself.
Yoshi and Lou absolutely care for Blue and don't want to see him hurt, it's just that they have so many other turtles to look after that sometimes Blue gets overlooked. He's not the only one either, Purple, Sanzio, Niccolo, even Simoni get overlooked from time to time. It also doesn't help that Blue's father has a habit of ignoring his issues through TV and other distractions. That meant Blue didn't get as much emotional availability from Lou as he should've growing up. Leading to Blue's lack of communication with his father, it just feels awkward at this point because Blue doesn't know if his dad will take his issues seriously.
Yoshi was a little different as he saw Blue growing up to be just like Lou and was worried Blue would turn out that way. That's why despite both sharing a similar sense of humor and getting along well, Yoshi was harder on Blue than the rest of his nephews. That led to Blue feeling like his insecurities were a weakness he needed to fix and feeling uncomfortable bringing them up to Yoshi.
Blue also doesn't like to bring his insecurities up to his brothers.
Blue noticed Red taking care of the family alongside DaVinci when their Dad and Uncle would fight. He understood, even at a young age, that something was wrong and that Red and DaVinci were stressed out over it. That's partly why Blue doesn't want to tell Red about his issues. He feels like Red already has enough on his plate and doesn't want to add more or feel like another burden his older brother needs to shoulder. Red and Blue do still tease and prank each other, as siblings do, but when it comes to internal issues that need to be addressed, Blue hesitates.
Purple is a different story because emotions are hard for him to get right. He tries, but Blue doesn't want to make his twin feel awkward or uncomfortable if he can help it. Even if Purple can understand being overlooked sometimes by the adults in their life, Blue doesn't feel the need to explain if it means an awkward infodump.
Orange is the closest to understanding Blue but isn't fully aware of the extent of his older bros issues. Blue is fully aware of Orange wanting to help and Dr. Delicate Touch his way into solving the problem, but Blue doesn't like how pushy Orange can be. Orange has a lot of energy with a passion comparable to his cousin Sanzio, but that eagerness to help isn't what Blue wants. Especially when he wants to protect Orange and not burden him with his issues, similar to Red.
The absolute last person Blue would explain his issues to is DaVinci. While Blue looks up to his oldest cousin, he feels inferior in many ways. DaVinci is strong, confident, efficient in battle and projects and air of safety that everyone can feel just by being around him. Blue wants to be like that but feels like he can't, that he's too weak to ever achieve that level of strength. DaVinci is pretty much the object of Blue's insecurities. That's not to say they aren't close, they both love Space Heroes and spa days. They care for each other, it's just that Blue can't help but compare himself to his cousin and other family members.
Sanzio is in a weird place though. While he would absolutely relate to Blue's struggles and maybe even offer some really good advice, Blue just doesn't explain to Zio. Blue is fully aware that Purple and Zio have an agreement between them, not the specifics just that there IS an agreement, and doesn't want to mess up with what they've got going on. Eventually, Blue will learn to lean on Zio after a talk with both him and Purple.
Simoni is similar to Orange in that Blue doesn't want to bog Simon down with his issues. Simon is fully aware that Blue's got some stuff to work out and is super go with the flow about it. He's not gonna pressure Blue into explaining something he's not ready to talk about and is totally cool with providing distractions. Blue appreciates that and spends the most time with Simoni because of it. Blue likes to divert his attention whenever his self criticism, or boredom, become too much.
The only person Blue willingly explains his issues to at the beginning is his cousin Niccolo, even the ugly parts.
Nico is calm, gentle, willing to listen and not give any feedback unless asked for it. Blue doesn't want others to find the solutions for him, he wants to find them on his own. He knows his brothers mean well, but Blue feels weak when he finally gets vulnerable in their presence. Blue wants to feel in control of his issues and Nico understands that. To others, Nico's silent presence might feel like detachment, but he's always listening and that's what Blue wants.
The Hamato's hooman friends are in a funky middle.
The Jones' definitely aren't the ones Blue would go to for insecurity assistance. Him and Cass aren't close enough for Blue to ask her for help, plus I think he'd view her as friend by association. She's a little intense like Orange so that doesn't help her case. Casey may be good at keeping a secret, but that doesn't mean that he's good at keeping a secret from his friends. Blue likes his secrets kept as such. Casey Junior lands in that same boat where Blue doesn't want to burden him anymore than he already is. I mean, kid lost everything and is considered the lone survivor of a doomed future. Maybe Blue might ask if his older self had any self care tips but just very subtly.
The O'Neil's try to get him to open up in their own ways. Blue doesn't go to Kirby or Carol unfortunately because he had a hard time leaning on adults growing up. April definitely encourages him to talk to DaVinci about his issues mean while May asks him to talk to Red. Both do their best but Blue is stubborn and stagnates a lot of the time.
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rayraygo1267 · 7 months
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A Gabenath Fanfiction: Admiration in Disguise Chapter Five
Note: Ahhh it's the last chapter you guys!
Rated: T
Warnings: Minor Language
Word Count: 3,716
Link to Chapter Four
Chapter Five
I greatly appreciate the opportunity you have given me—
Nathalie huffed, pressing a pointed finger to the backspace key of her keyboard. She could already feel a migraine beginning to form behind her eyes — pricking like sharp needles insistently into the crevices of her brain. She knew it would soon develop into a full fledged dizzy spell if not mitigated, but her focus was too captivated by her current objective to make any moves to do so.
This was her fifth attempt at a rough draft and once again she was staring at a blank white screen, the mouse cursor silently blinking back at her, daunting her as if they were in a silent standoff, the absence of words on her computer screen edging her on. 
It had been five days since she had tested the waters with Gabriel, crossing over the boundary line that she herself had set firmly in place, and five days since she'd made the decision that would alter her life in a way that she could have never anticipated, much less with permanent ramifications. 
Nonetheless, the decision had to be made and she knew it was the best option. It was the option that would give the Agreste family their best chance at being reunited with Emilie — their best chance at happiness. 
Nathalie  knew if she stayed with them any longer, she'd get in the way of that. Her feelings for Gabriel were only growing and getting profusely out of hand and if she pursued them any further she'd hinder any chances Gabriel had at accomplishing his goal. Her impending illness also didn't help matters, as it was seemingly only getting worse as the days went on.
She didn't know where she'd be going from here, for the Agreste's had been the closest thing she had obtained to any kind of family for the past decade. The mere thought of starting anew without them was akin to the feeling of a piece of dried up sandpaper being torn apart and shredded, like her own heart was being forcefully ripped from her chest. But regardless of how much it would pain her, she knew it was what had to be done.
Luckily, she loved the Agreste’s enough to let them go.
Gabriel Agreste was nearly finished with the spring's new clothing line. He just had to read over a few more documents and sign a few more waivers and then the line would be selling in stores worldwide, just in time for the beginning of April. The main features consisted of flowy spring dresses with the hem passing just below a woman's knees and brightly colored shirts with the Agreste brand logo printed across the front. Most critics would perhaps consider the design  to be overworked but Gabriel knew it would sell out like wildfire. 
And if he were being honest with himself, he couldn't wait to be done with this whole ordeal. It had been taking up too much of his time, and time wasn’t something he always had available to him — what with having another life as Hawkmoth? 
In spite of that, he wanted nothing more than to be rid of the fashionable obligation. Having a double life was far from easy and if he could take one burden off his plate then he’d also be able to turn his focus to more vital affairs. 
Just the thought of having such a weight lifted off his shoulders, made a small smile lift up from the corners of his lips as he took a sip of his miraculously still piping black coffee. As he swallowed, the warm liquid descending down his throat with a scorching aftertaste, Gabriel felt a small tinge waver through him, causing his tongue to go numb. He stared down into the mostly filled mug, then upward as his eyes reflected off the ceiling’s light fixtures then back down into the dark caffeinated fluid.
It was coffee, coffee that Nathalie had brought him just this morning. Her attitude had been stoic, permitting no comment other than regular pleasantries.
She had been, for lack of a better term, quite reserved these last few days, only assisting him when asked and of course firmly sticking to addressing him with respectable mannerisms.
Gabriel didn't enjoy the tension that was building up between them. It almost felt like two strangers living together in one house, only speaking when necessary and keeping to themselves their own personal lives. They had never previously held each other at such a distance and although they hadn't been as close as Gabriel wished for them to be, their friendship was better than this — than nothing. 
Friendship, Gabriel pondered, his eyes momentarily darting back to his design pad. It seemed they didn't even share that anymore. Not since that day, not since Nathalie had changed the wavelengths of their relationship to a more open ended setting.
He had wanted to talk to her about all this, in fact his brain started churning out speeches and scenarios — some with better outcomes than others — but how did one tell another of their desperate need for a closeness without opening their heart to them? Gabriel was not a social person, most people were aware of that. He didn't like overly drawn out conversations, or any sort of unnecessary intimate relations, he much preferred to keep to himself.
Just last night he had gone to see Emilie, asking her for her advice seemed like the best course of action to take. He felt foolish thinking back on it now, for Emilie seemed to be the only way he knew how to deal with his problems. Nevertheless, he had to inquire with her one last time and even without hearing her voice, he knew what she would say. He knew she would tell him to be honest with himself — with Nathalie — and he knew she was right.
Yet a problem still remained, one that had kept him up at night tossing and turning in frustration. 
He didn’t know how to proceed. He felt as though things were already set in stone, like even if he were to give Nathalie the world, she’d just hand it back to him with a simple but clipped, “No thank you sir.” 
Gabriel's forehead creased as he suddenly remembered his current task at hand and the time parameters that were in place along with it. He couldn't think of Nathalie right now, no matter how much his mind yearned to. He couldn’t… not when he had work to do, plus what most would call the ‘universe’ seemed to have a different agenda as a soft knock echoed from outside his office door.
"Sir," came Nathalie's voice, as velvety and soft as ever. Gabriel felt his sternum contract, his middle thumping soundly against his chest.
"I know you're very busy but may I please come in for a moment? There is something I'd like to discuss."
Gabriel stared down at the documents in front of him, frowning as a wet, brown smudge marked one of the pages, the remainder of a tiny droplet that had fallen from the rim of his coffee cup.
The knocking returned, though this time with a more forceful reverberation. Gabriel  jolted, the blood flowing back into his veins as he moved, hurriedly tidying up his mess of a workspace, suddenly self conscious of his cluttered surroundings. 
"Sir?" Nathalie called again, this time not accompanied with a knock.
Gabriel blew out a breath, forcing himself to remember how to speak.
"Erm, yes Nathalie, come in." He spluttered, mushing his work documents into somewhat of a neat pile.
Nathalie opened the door, her stance stiff and her gaze fixed. In her hands she held a manila envelope that her hands seemed to like fidgeting with the corners of.
"Hello, sir." She murmured, her tone vacant. Gabriel peaked up at her over the rim of his glasses, frowning.
"Is something wrong Nathalie? Are you feeling alright?” He spoke calmly, despite the soft yet consistent pound of his heart, “Is everything okay with Adrien?"
Nathalie blinked, "Your son is fine sir. He is currently at his fencing lesson."
Gabriel nodded, scanning her, trying to find an explanation for her unusual behavior, though this behavior had been rearing its ugly head for the last five days. 
Nathalie could see that Gabriel was trying to figure her out and rather than leave him in the dark, she pressed on, knowing that if she didn’t do this now, she wouldn’t be able to make herself do it at all.
"I'm resigning, sir."
The words were thick in her throat, yet somehow she had managed. Nathalie placed her letter of resignation on top of Gabriel's desk, not daring to meet his eyes.
Gabriel was stunned to say the very least. Perhaps he’d misheard her, for what she had just said had to have been a mistake. He couldn't bring himself to even acknowledge her words let alone some fruitless letter of resignation.
If he acknowledged it, it would take a presence as reality and he couldn't accept that. He could not accept Nathalie leaving. Not when he needed her — not when her presence was the one thing that brought him any amount of joy anymore. He wouldn't stand for this. He refused.
"What are you going on about Nathalie? I don’t think I understand," Gabriel snapped, voice shrilling as he bolted to his feet, his movements so haste that a splash of coffee flew from his white mug and landed in a nice little splotch onto one of his documents.
Nathalie sighed. She had anticipated this reaction but that did not take away from the fact that she didn't particularly want to witness it.
"I can no longer work for you, sir. I've come to realize that I am no longer a decent candidate in helping you achieve your quest in saving Emilie. Due to my illness and...other circumstances I know I will only restrict you."
Gabriel scoffed, scowling, color rising in his cheeks."Don't be ridiculous Nathalie. You know this is all pointless without you. I need you." As the words left his mouth, he could  feel all the emotion dripping from his voice like the ends of a drippy umbrella.
Nathalie's heart swelled at Gabriel’s words, though tinted with what felt close to a seething burning sensation. She really hoped Gabriel wouldn't beg her to stay. If he pushed too much she didn't think she'd have the strength to deny him.
"Please don't make this harder than it has to be sir. You know I only want what's best for you and Adrien—"
"You are what's best for me and Adrien!" Gabriel lashed, pounding his fist to his desk, causing his coffee cup to take a full tumble to the ground.
Out of instinct, Nathalie made a move to retrieve it but stopped short when Gabriel only kicked it farther out of reach, causing it to roll against the wall and crack on its side.
"Sir!" Nathalie yelped, "You need to get ahold of yourself!”
Gabriel’s cheeks burned, his eyes bulging, "How can I Nathalie?” He snapped.
“How can I? Huh? My assistant—” he paused, stumbling over his choice of phrasing, “my friend who has stood by my side for years suddenly decides to get up and leave? No notice, no explanation—"
Nathalie could practically palpate the sharp pang reverberating throughout her. She could feel a fervent heat building behind her eyes.
"I told you sir. I'm holding you back."
Gabriel huffed, crossing his arms,"You're not—"
"I'm sick aren't I?" Nathalie interrupted, causing Gabriel to hesitate. She was right. He had been taking precautions when it came to fighting for the miraculous and handling her illness, but he wouldn't say she was holding him back.
He needed Nathalie if he ever wanted to be reunited with Emilie. He needed Nathalie because without her his heart wouldn't be beating and oh how he missed that beat. The beat and thrum of loving another was something most only got to experience once, yet somehow he’d been fortunate enough to get to experience it for a second time. He was far too selfish to give it up now. 
Gabriel's telling silence had been enough of an explanation for Nathalie and a good decoy to shield him from the truth.
"I'll only make things harder. With me around, you won't be able to focus on saving Emilie, not if you have to constantly worry about keeping my health in check."
Gabriel's face twisted up into a bitter sneer, his eyes narrowed, "Your health can be dealt with. As long as you don't use the peacock miraculous—"
"But you need Mayura, don't you?" Nathalie reasoned, hands resting firmly on her hips.
Gabriel's eyes flickered, considering.
"Yes...which is exactly why you need to stay. I can't do this without you."
It was like being stabbed, her body leaking out from the inside. Those words confirmed it. That was all she was good for. She was his assistant, she was Mayura and nothing more.
Nathalie could feel her insides burn, her face heating with a flush of anger. Why couldn't she be good enough? Why did he beg for Mayura to stay? Why couldn't he beg for her? 
"I'm sure you can find a way to fix the peacock miraculous, sir. And then you'll be able to use it yourself. You'll no longer need me—“ she wavered, “er…or Mayura.” 
Nathalie sucked in a breath, prepared for Gabriel to have another outburst but all he did was sigh. A deep, wearied sound, his pointer finger and thumb resting over the bridge of his nose.
"Why are you doing this Nathalie? What have I done that has caused you to want to leave so badly? If you don't want to help Emilie, fine. I don't expect you to but I do want you here. You are my assistant after all."
The air in Nathalie’s lungs grew thick, her mouth parting. Sometimes one had to be more careful when it came to their desires.  "Sir..." her will power was crumbling before her like cracked plaster. 
Gabriel stared her down, his previous defeated demeanor glossing over.
"Is it a raise? Is that it? Is that what you want?" Gabriel hurled. He knew he was being unethical but his anger was getting the best of him — taking reign over anything else.
It was like being slapped, an abrupt showering burst of cold water while lying in the sun. A pang of hurt washed over Nathalie, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Are you serious?" She muttered, her voice hoarse and full of disbelief.
Gabriel cocked an eyebrow, testing her, despite his inner conscience trying to reign him back in.
Nathalie scoffed, her guilt for trying to let him down gently, washing away like dust on a surface.
"You really think I'm doing all this because...because I want your money?"
The fierce punctuation of Nathalie’s words halted Gabriel in his tracks. He immediately knew he'd overstepped, but he also knew it was too late to turn back, "Nathalie..."
"No!" Nathalie barked, raising a pointer finger. She was more than just angry now, she was pissed.
"I've known you for years, Gabriel. I was there when you were at your lowest, barely making damned near ends meet and you have the gall to think I, of all people, who has continuously stood by your side in all this," she paused, gesturing wildly, "madness? You really think that all I want out of this is your damn money? Are you kidding me?"
Gabriel felt himself unravel, even if he was aware that he was being illogical, he couldn't think of anything else to go off of, he was skin deep in this. 
"Then why Nathalie? Explain it to me! Why are you doing this?!"
Nathalie's eyes flared, red lights curving around the edges of her sight as she let out an enraged cry.
"Because I'm in love with you!"
The words hung in the air, potent and true and both parties were still in awe of them even after several moments. Nathalie's vision was fuzzy, shrouded by her tears. She imagined her face was blotchy, her glasses fogged, but she had to think fast, she had to say something. She had to make sure Gabriel understood. She hadn't wanted him to find out this way or rather at all but now that he has she had to regain control of the situation.
"And..." she breathed, voice choked and uneven, "that conflicts with your objective and this will only make things even more complicated."  She kept her gaze trained on the floor, not wanting to face the man she'd just admitted to loving.
Gabriel was dumbfounded. He felt like all the muscles in his body had turned to mush. His head spun, his heart raced. Was it true? Was Nathalie truly in love with him? Even after all he's done? Could she still have found a way to see the good in him? He wasn’t a fool, he was well aware that he was quite a difficult man to love but somehow, some way Nathalie managed.
Gabriel’s mouth parted, then closed again, words clogged in his throat, fighting desperately for release.
"Nathalie..." he breathed.
"Don't."
Nathalie didn't need to hear him say it. She didn't need his rejection when she was already planning to leave anyway.
"I'm going. You don't need to say anything." Nathalie said, moving back from his desk.
Gabriel tensed, his shoulders going rigid.
 "Nathalie—" he stammered again, trying to form words other than her name. He took a hesitant step towards her.
"Gabriel?" Nathalie questioned as she watched him move closer. His steps were slow and measured, as if he were a hunter approaching its prey.
"Nathalie," he raised his hands, gently cupping the side of her face, something he only dreamed about doing. Nathalie shuddered, for this was far more painful than any amount of rejection. Why couldn't he just scream at her and tell her to go, things would be so much easier then — painful — but easier.
Her eyes watered, tears spilling over, falling lazily down her cheeks. She trembled lightly as she felt Gabriel's thumb brush away the moisture dribbling down her chin.
"What are you doing?" She asked, breath eluding her.
Gabriel smiled softly, his eyes locking with hers, the fury in them completely evaporated.
"I thought you knew."
Nathalie frowned, "Knew what?"
Gabriel chuckled lightly, like an echo in a cathedral, his warm breath blowing against her face. Nathalie knew he wasn’t mocking her, Gabriel could be cruel but he wouldn’t do that to her. Nathalie took a step back, the step of her heel in time with Gabriel’s chuckle. Gabriel continued to laugh, a rare scarce sound. His hand took her own, pulling her back towards him, gently enough to give her enough room to object if she wished to. Nathalie let him guide her, her resolve completely abolished. 
Gabriel squeezed her hand, his smile giddy, "That I'm in love with you too."
Nathalie's heart jumped, her eyes dilating, a gasp escaping her. This couldn't be right. This had to be a faux pas of some sort. She couldn't let herself fall, not when all of this could crumble so easily.
"No...you…” She bit her lip, “What about Emilie?"
Gabriel smiled again, though bittersweet, his hand still holding her close.
 "I will always love Emilie,” He murmured, his eyes lighting with a misty-like haze.
“She was once the reason for all I did in life,” he paused and Nathalie watched as he let the nostalgia of his love for his wife consume him. Nathalie imagined that all those memories were flashing before his eyes, as people say they do when they are faced with accepting a loss. 
After a moment of this his focus returned to her, that smile that Nathalie had not seen in years returning once more, “but I've since found a new reason." He reached down to take both her hands in his, running his fingers over her knuckles.
"You, Nathalie. You are my reason. You are the reason I try so hard everyday in everything I do. I know I've made mistakes but I do truly want to be a better man for you...for Adrien. And although you may not believe me now, I promise I will prove it to you. I will not stop until you know just how much I love you."
Nathalie was full-on crying now, her lower lip trembling. She never thought she'd ever hear such words come from Gabriel's mouth, especially such words attuning to her.
"You...you...love me?" Nathalie murmured, still somewhat in denial.
Gabriel laughed softly, pulling Nathalie even closer, their chests pressed up against one anothers, foreheads nearly touching.
"Yes, my dear Nathalie." He replied. Nathalie’s heart pulsed as his gaze fell to her lips. Nathalie stared up at those grayish-blue eyes that resembled a hurricane once more. She could see the question there — that one small fragment of hesitation. She could only think of one answer.
Nathalie let her hands travel along the sides of his face, feeling the soft skin and crevices. She closed her eyes to him, allowing him to guide her.
The kiss was soft and gentle, almost as if he were asking her permission. Nathalie felt herself slipping away, not knowing where she'd land as she let herself fall. She'd never kissed a man like this. It was exhilarating and she couldn’t get enough of it — she couldn’t get enough of him.
Eventually Gabriel pulled back, his hands still cupping her face, his eyes studying her flushed cheeks and wet lips, his breath coming out rashly. He noticed that her glasses were fogged, similar to a murky sea. He removed them, setting them to the side. He used his thumb to push a strand of her auburn hair behind her ear, his lips landing in a soft caress against her forehead. 
"Do you understand me now Nathalie?" He whispered against her skin, his question reminiscent of the one he asked her in her room all that while ago.
Nathalie leaned back, letting her gaze fully take in the man she loved. Her heart was rising, her features easing as she finally let herself go, “Yes Gabriel.” 
A/N: Eeeek! I hope you guys enjoyed the final installment of Admiration in Disguise! Please don't hesitate to let me know what y'all think. I'm really excited to start some new fanfic projects now that I've completed this one. Next up will be a short gabenath drabble, so keep an eye out for that! And as always if you have any requests for fanfics or anything gabenath related please let me know! I'll be able to attend to them much more frequently now, seeing as I've completed this project. Finally, sorry for any grammatical errors I'm not the best editor.
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angsty-violet · 4 months
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Working to Exhaustion
After the war, after they had triumphed against Sauron, the Fellowship had been disbanded. There was simply no need for it anymore. It had been six years since the great war, and Aragorn still felt like it had only been a few months. He kept expecting to hear news of the hobbits from Gandalf or be plotting a vacation to the Shire. But that was just a fantasy.
The hobbits had returned to the Shire, and they were doing their best to fit back in. Boromir was gone, and that still tore at Aragorn. And finally, Gandalf and Frodo had gone to the Undying Lands with the elves and Bilbo. Aragorn understood why, but he still mourned their loss. It seemed sometimes all he could do was mourn.
But not all of their connections faded when the Fellowship ended. Aragorn knew that the hobbits would care for each other. He often thought of them there, in the Shire. They were all different than when they had left. Experiences like these are bound to change you. Aragorn wondered how they fared now, they had returned to their simple lives. Did they miss aspects of it? Did they tell stories of their brave deeds? Or maybe they just buried it. Carried it in their hearts and never spoke of the unimaginable things they had done. Aragon hoped they spoke of the things they had done and that their family and friends had even an inkling of what they had accomplished.
The other members of the Fellowship had certainly gained much acclaim. Aragorn found himself busier than ever. He had known that taking the throne would be a lot of work. He hadn’t been ready for how terribly tried it all left him.
There was little for it but to keep working and hoping it would ease up some.
Aragorn moved slowly. He couldn’t hardly see for the pounding in his head and the fact that his eyes kept trying to close. The last time he had felt this exhausted had been during the battle at the black gate. Where days of fighting and no rest had left him weary. Where grief had threatened to eclipse him. He didn’t understand how it was possible that just working was having the same effect.
Gimli and Legolas were waiting in one of the meeting rooms for Aragorn, and he wasn’t going to let something so paltry as a headache stop him. As soon as Arwen had told him they were in the city for a visit, he had started to rearrange his schedule. Arwen had helped quite a bit, of course. She and Faramir did their best to ensure his schedule was somewhat reasonable, even when it never seemed to be.
He opened the door quietly and took in the changes of his closest friends.
Gimli was considerably cleaner than he usually was. His beard was braided elaborately with new beads and tucked into his belt. His clothes were also of a much higher quality than anything Aragorn had seen him in.
Several months into the journey, Aragorn had discovered that his usual hard, rough cloth was because it was what he had grown up in, not lack of availability. As the son of a surviving member of Thorin’s company, he was entitled to almost anything in the mountain. He simply preferred the simpler fair. Now, his clothes were of a softer make and very well fitted to his body.
He wasn’t the only one who had changed. Legolas wore several beads in his hair and carried a small blade of dwarfish make. There also seemed to be a difference in the way he carried himself. A lightness to his entire person.
They heard his approach and turned to him, both faces lighting up. Then they both fell.
“You look awful.” Legolas’ words were blunt. Gimli nodded beside him.
“You both must have changed by this relationship if you’re agreeing on something.”
“Ah, no point in denying a plain truth.” Gimli’s words were tinged with worry.
Aragorn shrugged lightly and then clutched his head in pain. Legolas caught him.
“My friend, you’ve been working too much,” Legolas said.
Aragorn shook his head in disagreement. “No.”
Gimli snorted. “How can you say that when the result is plain in front of us?”
Aragorn felt the urge to argue, but his head was pounding, and his vision was swimming.
“A king is no good to his people if he has been worked to exhaustion. You must take some rest.”
“Absolutely not. I haven’t seen either of you in months! You may not have a chance to visit again from your part of the map for months or even years. I’m not going to sleep away the visit from the only friends I still have left.”
Gimli and Legolas glanced at each other, and Aragorn suddenly felt very alone. He wasn’t sure when they had developed the ability to know each other’s minds from a single glance. They hadn’t been able to do that when Aragorn had parted from them after the ring was destroyed. It felt like he had missed all of their relationship. And now he was going to miss more because he was too tired to stay with them.
“What if you were to rest with us there?”
Aragorn glanced at them. He must’ve been more tired than he realized because it took a moment for him to understand what they were saying.
“You mean you would….”
“Just sleep, mind you.” Legolas put a very firm point on that.
Aragorn glanced between them. He probably wasn’t the only one who could use a little rest. “Alright, as long as you promise to stay the entire time with me.”
Legolas narrowed his eyes, never liking to be told what to do by anybody.
“As long as you are actually resting, we shall stay.”
Aragorn beamed at them and motioned toward the door. Legolas took one of his arms, apparently deciding he wasn’t going to leave anything to chance. Gimli simply fell into step beside them.
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rhodes-music · 2 years
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Hi everyone! I’m so happy to announce the release of my new album ‘Friends Like These’! The full album will finally be yours on 27th January 2023 and the title track is available to stream NOW! LISTEN & PRE-SAVE HERE I’m so beyond grateful for all of your patience and support and I wanted to write a few words about the journey and how I came to release my second album more than 7 years after my first! So here goes… My emotions are mixed looking back on the last few years. I’ve been afforded some unimaginable experiences so far in my artistic pursuit of the next thing, but I’ve also been to some of the lowest depths imaginable to me. My constant need for creation and expression always keeps me here but it has been the love and support given to me by my closest friends and collaborators and my fans that have held me up when I needed it most. I will forever be indebted to you all and this is what led me to the album title song ‘Friends like These’. Growing up I never really had a place to belong, I would shift and change and move around. I would gravitate toward the most intense and all-encompassing thing I could find and obsess over it. Most of the time it’d fizzle out and I’d end up feeling abandoned and sad until the next thing came along. As I think about it now, I see that my anxiety and self-destructive nature caused me to run as far away from myself and my reality as I possibly could and I also see now how this has filtered out into my music and art. Almost like it is my place to hide. I am intense in life and music and I’ve changed direction so many times since releasing ‘Wishes’ in 2015, this is partly to do with industry pressures but also to do with my own lack of self-assuredness and it’s only in the last couple of years that I’ve realised and trust that it is my own voice and honesty that gives me a greater sense of acceptance and peace. I’ve been desperately trying to finish something I can call ‘my second album’ since early 2017. I’ve released singles and features, an EP, toured extensively and actually I’ve recorded and scrapped two full records, one in 2017 & one in 2019, after what seemed like endless, endless writing trips back and forth from the US and London and facing constant rejection from the team I had at the time. All of this whilst working my way out of some extremely toxic and damaging working relationships and trying hard to maintain my personal relationships and navigate my way around starting a little family of my own. ‘Friends Like These’ is 10 songs written over this period of time, some were written alone and in solitude and some were written in the middle of a drinking session with my best friends. All were written about moments of realisation, and reassurance, mostly they were born from night thoughts and dreams or conversations with very close friends about personal trauma and experience and trying to move beyond the feelings we cannot face alone. I picked out 10 songs out of about 100 that I thought best represented the chaos of my journey over the past few years both sonically and in narrative and just hit the studio to record them. It took a month to lay them down (with Rich Cooper) and then a lot longer on tweaks, mixing, additional production etc (with Rich Cooper & Ash Workman). There was one brand new song that I tagged on at the end (No Words) in replacement of one that didn’t turn out the way I wanted it (the song was called Despite All My Demons). The record is musically diverse and chaotic and this, I feel, is truly representative of my experience over the past few years of writing and finally now stumbling upon the right path with good friends, a good team and good people. I want this album to transcend all the things I thought it had to be and I want it to be heard and be a celebration of realisation, friendship and hope. My close friends are all over this record and if it wasn’t for them it wouldn’t exist. It took me a moment to get here but in such a chaotic and noisy world, I’ve always found that true beauty and clarity come in the pauses.
I’m also happy to announce that I’ll be playing a run of shows with Dotan across Europe this autumn and I will be doing a headline tour in the UK and Europe early next year.
All my love, always, Rhodes x 
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scarletinahare · 2 years
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Dear Anyone,
I hope this letter finds you well. I write to you in hopes of finding out what to do next; and that when someone reads this, I have moved onto the next journey.
Today is the 24th of August 2022, and I plan to leave by plane for Cuba in the coming hours. I shall be attended by my dear friend Al, as well as my parents. Times are well, but even so in lack of the usual turmoil I find myself, for lack of a better terms, lost. Lost in that many people who at one point I wished to share this world with, to be with me for the ends of time, have left me. Lost in that every time I take a step forward it's as though the endless fog surrounding my life becomes even more hazy. I feel I fast approach a crossroads in my life in which I will have to make hard choices, although I do not yet know which choices are available.
In one month I become a full adult according to my country and my peers. With the wisdom these many years have provided me, I find that I know even less than I once thought. My thoughts wander back to K, and the impact the loss of such a close friend has actually had on my life, making me reconsider many of the thoughts I once held as true to my soul. The ideas of which I would come to face my own mortality look back at me, bringing me much shame. I once wished to take my own life. In such thoughts I perhaps saught penance for my past misdeeds? Or perhaps I just was searching for an escape to my troubles; a cowards way out.
Still, these thoughts had once consumed me, leading to my hospitalization not once, but twice. I had attempted to slit my throat, although I am glad I had no partook in such acts, as I have brought much joy to those I hold dearest. If only they knew so many of the flaws there are to my character; or maybe they know more than they let on. Alas it shouldn't bother me now, after all this time I have given them many chances to walk away from me, yet somewhere they see a good that even I have yet to find in my own heart. I wonder if it could be something I bring to them, and that once I can no longer provide it for them they will leave me like so many before.
I fear even my closest of friends and loved ones may be drifting apart, If not at least our relationships wane and wax like the moon. J rarely speaks anymore, his words stolen away by a life of money and profit, I wish him well in finding what he already has lost once before. Al writes of happy times with other friends, making way for them alongside his career, finding a flock had always been a challenge for him, being such a difficult child. We both will attest to many childish deeds on our own and eachothers behalf.
I find A to be turning into a person who takes no accountability for his actions, someone who doesn't wish or aspire for things within his grasp, instead searching for the stars and falling time after time. When he cannot reach them he does not look to the land around him for tools to build a craft; he does not seek effort to ferry him. He looks below for the oft forgotten Ill deeds in which he can use to profit rapidly. Be it at the cost of his friends or himself. It worries me to no end for I once saw the brightest bulb behind his eyes, and yet it flickers, sometimes only showing it's beauty for but not even a moment.
T walks a winding path, unsure of where he truly wishes to stand, amongst the greats, the common, or the gutter rots of society. He passes that grape vine like a chalice of wine.
Then there are the ones I've lost along the way. The bodies laying just below the surface, where one peek and their true horrific beauty can be seen beneath my skin.
There was K, her family of misfits, and her broken Romeo; none of whom I could save from the crashing waves of time, nor the burning passions of youth. K took her own life and was soon followed by swaths of the misfit group she held dearly as family. I dare not speak I'll of the dead for she taught me many lessons. Those of which I still sometimes read back and teach to the young.
You have S, someone who I once considered family, now but more of a relic of a bygone time. The mental torement she saught for me, intentional or not, is of the kind to never be forgiven.
The G sisters who for every sake and word were my home; as the old adage goes, home is where your heart is, and my heart lies forever with them. The most loyal of companions any man could ever ask for, and not someone who could ever be replaced.
And Z, who truly breaks my heart, but I wouldn't be the one to love you like you wanted. I was but a hare you chased and never could see again. I regret the way things ended. When I told you I had died, I truly believed I was dead. I wrote it in a moment where I laid cold and motionless in a shower, crying while blood ran away from me. You were but a good man, and I wish; no, I know you'll find someone who makes you even more happy than I ever could. Service and pride shall keep you until that day.
To the many others I did not list I have more thoughts I surely shall someday tell, stories to share over drinks, and deeds to be repeated, just not at this time.
Looking towards my future I see a fog of mystery in which I cannot quite make out what is at the each of these forgotten paths, walked time and time again by myself in another place, at another time.
In my present I dare not jest about the beautiful tragedy that I am. The walking contradiction and hypocrisy to life and death itself.
I have many a good friend who I love, even if they may be only within a brush of my fingertips, because even a brush leaves swaths of gold in it's wake.
The woman I love, truly cares for me, and I believe one day I will marry her, although I wish that day would come sooner than not. Eternity is not enough for me to tell the universe how ever greatful that someone like myself stumbled upon a blossoming flower like her, even if it's only for a fraction of what time holds dear.
Lastly I must ask myself and to whoever reads this, what lies beneath that fog; and if my torch ever shines brightly down a road, be it one of tragedy or comedy, that you look to my guiding light and see that once stood a man just like you, who despite every mistake, and the haze that one cannot see through, walked on. Despite seeing blood on his hands, offers them to those who seek their aid. I wish you can forgive me for not being the wisest who can guide you to the pearly gates.
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lillywillow · 3 years
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Birthday Wishes
Summary: Bucky wants to plan the best party ever for his young daughter
 Word Count: 2430
 Square Filled: Free Space
 Pairings: Singledad!Bucky x Female Reader/ Steve x Peggy
 Warnings: None really
 Written for @star-spangled-bingo
Ever since the mother to Bucky’s daughter passed away when she was a baby, he had been totally devoted to her and every year on her birthday, he went all out trying to make it the best one ever.
 About a month ago, Tony’s daughter Morgan had a mermaid themed party; complete with a woman dressed as a mermaid. Bucky’s daughter Rebecca had totally raved about it and with her own birthday coming up, he made a note to take one of the business cards with him.
...
 The moment Bucky walked into the building, he was in awe. The front of the store was full of costumes, dolls, plushies, pirate treasure chests, fairy wings and wands... every kind of fantasy item a child could possibly want and a lot of it looked handmade. Out the back, he could hear squealing and laughter. A party in progress, perhaps?
 “Good afternoon, welcome to Childhood Dreams. How may I help you?” the receptionist asked.
 “Hi. I’m looking to book a party? It’s for my daughter...”
 “I see. Well, before booking a party, you’ll need to make an appointment with Y/N. She likes to customise her parties to the client. She’s currently doing a performance but if you’re happy to wait, she’ll be done soon...”
 “I can wait...”
 “Great. Follow me please...”
 Bucky followed the receptionist into the back. There was a pirate party taking place with all the children dressed up as pirates. There were props and decorations keeping in tone with the theme and an incredible cake. On the stage up the front was the same woman who had played the part of the mermaid at Morgan’s party, this time she was a pirate, enacting a mighty swordfight with another actor. She really put her all into the performance.
 Bucky watched her for a moment before the receptionist pulled him along and guided him to an office along the side. The inside of the office was just as cheerful and childlike as the rest of the place. The desk was lined with small trinkets. Along the walls were various photographs of the woman in different costumes. A princess, a fairy, a friendly witch... there was a costume for every occasion. Bucky was in the middle of admiring them when the door opened and the subject from the photos stepped in.
 “You must be the gentleman wanting a party,” she smiled, taking off her hat and eye patch before sitting at her desk and encouraging him to take a seat. “I’m Y/N.”
 “Yes, that’s right. My name is Bucky and I’m looking to do a birthday party for my daughter Rebecca,” he said, getting his phone out to show her a picture.
 Y/N smiled at the photo of the little girl who was dressed as a princess.
 “Tell me about Rebecca. I take it she’s a princess fan?”
 Bucky’s face lit up as he spoke about his little girl. Everything that she loved about princesses and fairytales, down to her favourite colours, animals and mythical creatures.
 “I’m probably rambling now...”
 “No, no, I think it’s sweet to see a father so dedicated to his daughter. Let me show you a few of our packages,” she smiled.
 Y/N logged into her tablet to show him a few of the princess themed parties they offered. Bucky looked through the options before deciding on a fantasy type one with princesses, wizards and all things in that vein.
 “Will you be having the party here or elsewhere?”
 “I think home would be best... unless... here would be better? I don’t know...”
 “Some children feel more comfortable on home base and some like going out. It’s really up to you. My job is to give your child the best possible experience...”
 Bucky nodded slowly and thought.
 “She might like a party in her own backyard...”
 “That’s totally fine. I’ll need to visit ahead of time just so I can work on a setup. Now, will you be providing your own cake? If not, I can recommend an excellent bakery.”
 “A family friend agreed to make the cake,” Bucky replied.
 Y/N nodded and jotted down a few notes.
 “What about food?”
 “Yes, we’ll be making our own food too.”
 Y/N nodded again and wrote down a few more notes. After agreeing on a price, a date and time to meet, his address and the date of the party, Bucky started heading out the door.
 “One more thing...”
 Bucky turned to look at her.
 “I like to ask our clients how they found out about our business...”
 “A while ago, you threw a mermaid party for a friend of mine’s daughter. Rebecca couldn’t stop talking about it for days after that...”
 Y/N smiled fondly.
 “I see... well, I guess I’ll see you when I come to do my inspection. Goodbye, Bucky.”
 “Bye.”
 As Bucky left the office, he could feel his heart fluttering like it hadn’t done in a long time. Ever since his wife’s passing, Bucky hadn’t even looked at another woman. Well, he had looked but he had always been so busy taking care of Rebecca, he didn’t really have time to be pursuing women. Sure on occasion, he would go on a blind date now and then and Steve would babysit but that would be the extent of it. Bucky thought for sure his dating life was over but talking to Y/N just now... it gave him a lot of hope.
...
 Time went by and eventually the day arrived when you went to meet Bucky at his place. Bucky greeted you at the door with a smile and ushered you inside. Smiling, you looked around the place. Pictures of Bucky’s life lined the walls and shelves. Photos of him with friends but most of them were of his little girl. One thing you noticed was the lack of pictures of the girl’s mother. There were a few of her before having the child but not many after.
 “So, um... what do you need to see?”
 “You mentioned a backyard?” you said, referring back to the interview you had a few days ago.
 Bucky nodded and showed you the way. First, you scoped out the best place to conduct your performance then took out your measuring tape to size up the props you might need. As you worked, Bucky could see the gears turning in your head.
 “Do you go out to different locations a lot?” Bucky asked, trying to strike up a conversation.
 “Not a lot but it’s always fun when we do.”
 “How long have you been in business?”
 “It’s taken me about ten years to get it off the ground. It’s only been gaining popularity in the last year or so...”
 “Wait, so you own Childhood Dreams?”
 “Sure do. You see, I always believed childhood should be about fun and games before going onto the drudgery of adulthood. And I help out local business in the process. Most of the items available for purchase were made by local artists. I’m always willing to lend a hand when they need it. That’s why I ask about food. There’s a small bakery a few blocks from the building we’re located who does the most beautiful cakes...”
 You suddenly were interrupted by something brushing up against your leg. Looking down, you saw the most adorable white cat.
 “Why, hello there. Aren’t you a cutie?” you cooed, bending down to pat the snowy feline.
 “This is Alpine. Rebecca is just crazy about her. She’s been a really big help ever since...” Bucky paused, feeling a lump in his throat and tears well up in his eyes.
 Alpine trotted over to him and purred as he picked her up.
 “Sorry. It’s just... ever since my wife passed when Rebecca was a baby; I’ve wanted to give her the best life possible. I try to give equal amounts of time between her so she can look up to me and work so she has the best things in life...”
 You went over and gave him a hug.
 “You’re a good man, Bucky. I’ve been in this business long enough to tell the devoted parents from the off-standers. Just by spending a few minutes with you, I already know that you love your daughter and think the world of her. Just make sure you spend a few moments taking care of yourself, okay? It doesn’t have to be much, just enough so you feel good too.”
 Bucky gave you a soft smile, knowing that you were right. Everyone had told him as such but sometimes, it’s harder to take advice from the people closest to you.
 “Can I get you anything to drink?” he offered.
 “Actually, I should get going. I’ve got a children’s charity event I need to get ready for. It’s been really nice seeing you again, Bucky. I guess the next time I see you will be for your daughter’s party.”
 “See you then,” Bucky smiled.
 He couldn’t wait for the party.
...
 Finally, the day of Rebecca’s birthday arrived. Bucky had spent the night before busily transforming his humble home into a castle fit for a princess. He wanted everything to be perfect for his little girl’s special day, buying the most glittery, ruffled princess dress for her to wear, complete with a sparkly tiara. Bucky himself hired a prince costume and even managed to obtain a kitty sized dragon costume for Alpine.
 Bucky spent the morning cooking, starting with a plate of pancakes for breakfast before moving onto the finishing touches on the food for the party. He had most of it prepared already but some of it needed heating.
 The first to arrive was Wanda with her twin boys who were both in costume. The boys instantly ran over to play with Rebecca while Wanda was left holding the cake she had made along with her purse and the present she had bought. Bucky rushed over to help her with the items and after exchanging greetings and pleasantries, she showed his the cake.
 It was everything Bucky could have ever hoped for and more. The cake was purple with ice cream cones decorated like castle turrets, topped with little princess and unicorn figurines and the words ‘Happy Birthday, Rebecca’ written in icing along with the age she was turning. Little pink flowers were piped along the sides.
 “Thank you so much, Wanda. Becca’s just going to love it.”
 “You’re welcome,” she smiled, giving him a hug.
 Soon after Wanda’s arrival was Steve and Peggy with their child followed by Tony, Pepper and Morgan, Sam with his kid and it wasn’t long before all the party guests had arrived. The adults all mingled while the children played together happily. Right on time, Y/N arrived with her scene partner in full costume. She was wearing a knight costume while her partner (whom she introduced as Phil) was dressed as an ‘evil’ wizard. Bucky settled the kids in front of the makeshift stage and let the performance begin.
 Y/N started by introducing herself as a knight dedicated to Princess Rebecca.
 “That’s me!” Rebecca squealed in delight, jumping to her feet and clapping.
 Y/N knelt down to be level with her, crossing her right arm over her chest in a salute.
 “I vow to protect you from the evils of the kingdom.”
 Suddenly, Phil jumped out of his hiding place.
 “Mwa-ha-ha! I am an evil wizard and I am here to change all the cakes into broccoli!”
 Bucky thought he was laying it on a little thick but there was a wave of horrified gasps from the kids.
 “Not so fast, evil wizard! We will defeat you! Kids, if I’m going to beat him, I’m going to need your help...”
 Y/N and Phil made an amazing pair. While Y/N encouraged the children and even a few of the parents to join in, Phil played off their reactions until he was ‘defeated’.
 “You win! I will change my evil ways and use my powers for good!” he dramatically cried.
 The children all cheered and clapped. The two actors took a bow and started to pack up as Bucky announced it was time for cake. The kids all raced over to where the cake was being brought out.
 “Would you two like to stay for cake?” Bucky offered.
 Phil looked at Y/N for permission, a hopeful glint in his eye.
 “Sure. We have some time before our next appointment,” she smiled. Phil gave a big, childlike grin.
 Once everyone had sung Happy Birthday to Rebecca and she had blown out the candles, the cake was served out. Steve approached Bucky.
 “Hey, man. How are you doing?”
 “A bit tired but seeing the smile on that little girl’s face makes it all worth it,” he softly sighed.
 Steve followed Bucky’s gaze to where Rebecca was talking animatedly to Y/N. He could tell the smile on her face was genuine and not just for show. This was a person who loved their job and loved children.
 “Is that the same Y/N you’ve been going on about all week?”
 “I haven’t been talking about her that much...”
 Steve gave him an incredulous look.
 “You know, it’s okay to like her. Why don’t you ask her out?”
 “What about Rebecca?”
 “Peggy and I can look after her while you go out on date. You deserve to be happy too...”
 Bucky thought about it for a while and headed over to Y/N and Rebecca.
 “Daddy, daddy! Y/N was the mermaid at Morgan’s party! She’s magical...” Rebecca was absolutely smitten with the woman.
 “I see... Can I talk Y/N alone for a minute? Then you can open presents,” he smiled.
 Rebecca giggled and hugged his leg before running off to play with her friends.
 “She’s a darling,” Y/N warmly smiled.
 “She is... Listen, Y/N... I was wondering... if you’re not busy tomorrow night... if maybe you’d like to have dinner with me...”
 “Like a date?”
 Bucky’s face flushed.
 “I mean, if you want it to be...”
 Y/N kissed his cheek.
 “I’d like that. How about 7:00 at the restaurant around the from the Childhood Dreams building. They do an amazing meal...”
 “Sounds perfect,” he smiled.
 This was one the best days of Bucky’s life. Not only did he pull off the perfect party for his daughter but he took a step back into the dating world with an incredible woman who somehow stole his heart.
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plainbrunettelbl · 4 years
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ABO (A) Firefighter Katsuki Bakugo x (O) Reader New Beginnings and Cold Glasses of Water
Word count: 2335
Warning: Mentions of fire. 
Title: ABO (A) Firefighter Katsuki Bakugo x (O) Reader New Beginnings and Cold Glasses of Water
Summary: You move to a new town and things start off a little rough. 
(Gif isn’t mine. Credit to owner)
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💥-It all happened so fast. 
💥-You had just moved into your new apartment, you were starting a new life in a new city. You had made a long drive so you only had enough energy to get down your air mattress and things you needed to shower for the night. 
💥-You were so glad you were too tired to move anything into your new apartment because that night your new home ended up in flames. 
💥-One moment you were sleeping peacefully on your stiff air mattress and the next a loud banging rang throughout your apartment. You gasped awake and frighteningly at the door. You let out a small chirp before you heard a males voice reach your ears. 
💥-“This is the Fire Department. Your building is under fire. Please open the door so we can evacuate everyone.” The person yelled. 
💥-You instantly jumped into action. You rushed to the front door and opened it. Your sleepy brain made you forget to check to see if the doorknob was hot before grabbing it. 
💥-Luckily it wasn’t hot.  
💥-The Alpha in front of you both scared and calmed you. His bulky frame was, even more, intimidating with his firefighting gear. You couldn’t see his eyes or much of his face because of his helmet but you just knew he was handsome. 
💥-“Is there anyone else in the apartment?” He asked, leaning over your frame and peering inside. 
💥-“No. Just me.” You assured. 
💥-The smell of smoke finally registered and you were quick to cough. The fireman didn’t ask before he tossed you over his shoulder and led you expertly out of the building. 
💥-You heard him radio his team a few times, making sure to know what was going on inside the building. Apparently the top levels were the most affected. Your apartment was near the middle section.
💥-As soon as you were thrown over his shoulder you were plopped onto the pavement in front of the building. Your savior turned around and walked right back into the burning building. 
💥-Your eyes caught the bold letters of “chief” on the back of his tanned coat before he was out of your view. 
💥-Not knowing where to go or what to do you went to your U-haul and stood against it. You kicked yourself for not getting your phone or keys before rushing to the door. 
💥-Fifteen minutes later you were regretting wearing shorts and a loose shirt to bed. It was starting to get chilly even with the building on fire right next to you. Twenty minutes later everyone was out of the building and the fire was put out. 
💥-You let out a sigh of relief. 
💥-Most of the residents were getting picked up by friends and family. You looked enviously at them. A few ambulances were still around so you worked up the courage to go up to one of them. 
💥-You weren’t injured or in need of oxygen so you didn’t want to bother them. When you got to the double doors a man with black hair and a straight smile greeted you. 
💥-He was wrapping up someone’s burn when he turned to greet you. 
💥-“Hello, what can I do for you?” He asked, peering down at your shivering form. 
💥-“I was wondering if I could borrow a phone? I was hoping to call up a shelter to see if they had any bed available.” You explained, nervously playing with the edge of your shorts. 
💥-“You aren’t going to a shelter.” A voice barked at you from behind. 
💥-In an instant, your body was engulfed in warmth, a heavy weight sat on your shoulders. You looked down and noticed the material radiating the soothing warmth was a fireman's jacket. 
💥-By the gruffness of his voice, you guessed the jacket had the letters “chief” on the back. 
💥-You turned to the bulky Alpha. Your heart skipped a beat when your eyes connected to his burning scarlet ones. Your Omega purred at his handsome face. 
💥-“Where else am I gonna go?” You questioned, discreetly slipping your arms into the sleeves of his jacket. 
💥-You told yourself it was just because you were cold and not the fact that his jacket gave off his scent cinnamon scent. Nope, nothing at all to do with his scent. 
💥-“You’re coming back to the fire station with us.” He demanded more than stated. 
💥-You blinked, not sure how to react. 
💥-“No, I’m not.” You said, not sounding too sure of yourself. 
💥-“Yes, you are.” He narrowed his eyes. 
💥-“Does your crew know you are picking up a stray?” You huffed, peeved that this Alpha was telling you what to do. 
💥-“Trust me, my crew wouldn’t mind having an Omega’s presence in the fire station.” He claimed, throwing a strong arm around your shoulders and leading you to the firetruck. 
💥-You knew you could have thrown off his arm and went back to the ambulance if you wanted to but a part of you was enthralled with the rough Alpha. You kicked yourself for liking Alphas with no manners. 
***
💥-You sat upfront with the Alpha whose name you found out was Bakugo. The unfamiliar buildings flew by. You eyed all the buttons and flashing lights on the console. 
💥-Feeling a little upset that he got his way you decided to mess with him. 
💥-“Can I ring the horn?” You asked, looking at the bright buttons. 
💥-His ruby eyes slid in your direction before turning back to the road. One hand left the wheel to point out a big red button. 
💥-“Only once.” He grunted, putting his hand back on the wheel. 
💥-Letting out an excited chirp you leaned over and pressed the button. The whine of the horn hurt your ears but the smile on your face didn’t leave your face. The Alpha had a hard time holding back his small grin. 
***
💥-Once at the firehouse Bakugo helped you out of the firetruck and led you to his private bedroom and bathroom. Being the chief had its perks. He gave you a big grey shirt that said, “Fire Dept” on the front and a pair of orange basketball shorts. 
💥-He set your clothes on the bed before walking back over and getting himself a set of clothes. 
💥-“Once you shower you can come down to the dining area and have dinner with us. Don’t make me come back up here and bring you down.” He said, narrowing his eyes before walking out of the room. 
💥-Dumb domineering Alpha. You scoffed. 
💥-Handsome domineering Alpha. Your Omega purred. 
💥-The soot on your skin was starting to get at you so you quickly showered and freshened up. You helped yourself to his hairbrush since you didn’t want to meet everyone with a nest on your head. 
💥-You opted out of putting on your dirty socks. You just realized you were shoe-less this entire time. You spotted a pair of black slides by his bed and slipped them on. 
💥-They dwarfed your feet and made you feel like you were walking in water flippers but they were better than the cold concrete. 
💥-You let your nose follow the scent of food. All of the firefighters were out of their gear and sitting around a big dining room table. You didn’t think you would be able to eat but the site of the food on the table made your mouth water. 
💥-You didn’t have to awkwardly claim an unoccupied chair. The big blonde Alpha pointed to an empty seat right next to him at the head of the table. You padded over to your spot and sat down. 
💥-You felt intimidated by the amount of Alphas in the room so you didn’t raise your eyes to meet theirs quite yet. 
💥-You noticed a lack of commotion and looked around. You tilted your head back when you noticed all eyes were on you. The Alpha closest to was a black-haired muscled woman. 
💥-She offered you a kind smile and nodded to the serving dish of mashed potatoes. “Help yourself.” 
💥-Oh, you forgot some Alphas didn’t touch their food until the Omegas were severed first. You weakly smiled before grabbing the large spoon and serving yourself. 
💥-Once your plate was full of everything that caught your eye, all the Alphas ceremoniously grabbed for the food. Two Alphas, a blonde one and a purple-haired one, shoved each other while trying to get a hold of the bread rolls. 
💥-“Thank you.” You said, looking at the ruby-eyed male who was observing you quietly. 
💥-All you got from him was a grunt in acknowledgment. You supposed he was done with talking for the night. 
💥-“Sorry about your apartment.” The kind Alpha with dark-hair said, patting you on the arm.
💥-You gave her a kind smile, thanking her for her kindness. 
💥-“I noticed your baggy clothes and big shoes. I might have some clothes and shoes that would fit you better.” She informed, wishing she didn’t say anything when she felt a pair of crimson eyes burning into her. 
💥-The blond Alphas narrowed his eyes at her and shook his head. He wouldn’t let you wear other Alphas clothes. Just the thought of it made his Alpha growl and get ready to pounce on anyone that posed a threat.  
💥-She might have been an Alpha herself but the chief was the top Alpha around the station. She instantly backed down, “You know what, I remembered yesterday was laundry day so I might not have anything.” 
💥-“That’s fine, thank you, I appreciate the offer.” The staredown between the two Alphas went unnoticed by you. 
💥-Once you finished your plate you bid everyone farewell and made your way back to the chief’s private room. You noticed a toothbrush on the bed and made use of it. 
💥-You sighed once your tired body rested under the soft sheets of the Alphas bed. The smell of his scent surrounded and comforted you. You didn’t even shut your eyes before a knock sounded on the door. 
💥-“Come in.” You sat up in the bed. 
💥-Bakugo walked into the room with a glass of water, he came over to the bed and set it on the nightstand. 
💥-“Thought you might need it.” He clasped his hands behind his back, trying to keep them from touching you. The urge to do so was strong. His hands had been itching to get you back in his arms ever since he set you down. 
💥-“Thank you, Bakugo.” Your fingers nervously played with the sheet. 
💥-He smelled your uneasiness. 
💥-“What’s wrong, Omega?” He questioned, tensing up at your scared scent. 
💥-“I’m grateful that you invited me to stay the night, but this is just temporary. I’m gonna need to start looking for other places. I was lucky enough to get that apartment. I don’t know I’ll be able to find another one.” You chewed on your lip, worried at the thought of being homeless. 
💥-“I have a house. It’s pretty big. I wouldn’t mind a roommate.” He couldn’t resist, his hand went up to your chin and pulled your lip away from your teeth. 
💥-“I don’t know. Living with an Omega can be difficult.” You said, trying not to nuzzle your head into his hand. 
💥-You Omega was very pleased with the Alpha and his gentle touch.   
💥-“We can cross that bridge when we get to it. If you are really worried about it, you can look for other places while you’re staying with me.” He reassured, glad his other hand was still behind the back, you weren’t able to his that his fingers were crossed. 
💥-He didn’t know if he would be able to let you go after you wiggled your way into his home and undoubtedly his heart. He knew for sure once you made yourself at home in his house, that it would never feel the same without you in it. 
💥-You felt a weight lift off your shoulders. 
💥-“It’s a deal! You make sure to tell me if I do something to upset you.” You smiled, relieved at his offer. 
💥-“I will, Omega. Now, you should get some rest. You had a long night.” He ordered, pushing you down lightly to the bed. 
💥-You snuggled down and looked up at him. “Thank you, Alpha.” 
💥-“No problem, Omega.” 
💥-He walked out of his room, knowing he wasn’t planning on letting you go anytime soon. 
Bonus: 
💥-Three years later. 
💥-You just brushed your teeth and crawled into bed, a hulking figure was already laying in the big bed. You settled down into the sheets and curled into his side. 
💥-You laid there a moment before letting out a huff. 
💥-“I forgot my cup of water.” You whined, getting up to walk to the kitchen. Before your back could leave the mattress your Alpha was already up and out of bed. 
💥-“I’ll get it, Omega. Stay here, you need your rest.” He commanded, gently pushing you back down. 
💥-You nodded, burrowing back down into the nest, your big stomach a small hill under the plush comforter. Your little pup was quiet tonight, they were lulled to sleepy by their father’s deep voice, earlier that night. 
💥-Suki walked in with a big glass of water. Your greedy hands took it from him, the cold water sliding down your throat making you shiver slightly. You felt a harsh jab against your stomach. 
💥-“Oops, someone isn’t a fan of the cold water.” You hummed, softly rubbing your stomach. 
💥-“Settle down, it’s time to sleep, little one.” Suki soothed, resting his large hand on your stomach. 
💥-They stopped kicking instantly. You handed him the glass and snuggled back down again. He was quick to set the cup down and slip behind you. His chest rumbling with a comforting purr. 
💥-You two laid there in sweet silence. 
💥-“I”m glad, I didn’t leave.” You whispered, melting into your Alphas embrace. 
💥-“I am too.” He rumbled, holding you tighter.   
💥-He wasn’t supposed to say it, as a firefighter, but he was glad your building caught on fire.
Lol it would have been a twist if he saw you earlier that day and set your building on fire to get closer to you.
That being said, I finished this yesterday before I got a request asking to make things more GN so while I did edit it to make sure it fits the GN standers I understand that the ending is a fuzzy area. (Please tell me if I missed something in my editing.) 
While male Omegas can get pregnant I understand if my masculine readers are put off by the idea. I hope to make my fics more inclusive from here on out! 💙💙
Please reblog and leave a comment! Reading your sweet comments really motivate me to write! 
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What do you think would happen if one of the Cullens realized they might also be "in love" with Bella during Twilight along side Ed. Mates be damned (not like their marriages are gonna last anyway), and everyone's on the table (just 1 love rival, not at the same time buuuuut could you imagine the chaos? *cough*). The usual Bella eaten/killed by Eddy boi is def on the table obvie, but like do you think there's a chance he might concede to one of his family (or just any other alternatives)? -Sw
Oh boy.
Why I Don’t Think This Is a Possibility
That said, I have to caveat that I don’t think this is a very likely path (sorry, I cannot resist).
It’s true I don’t think any of the Cullen relationships will last in the long term, but I also don’t think they’re inclined to cheat on one another or fall apart at a moment’s notice. They’ve made it this long, several decades, but more, none of them realizes anything is lacking from their respective relationship. 
Carlisle and Esme are very devoted to one another and don’t realize they have fundamentally conflicting values. Jasper and Alice think they fulfil each other’s needs and don’t realize that they share nothing in common. Rosalie and Emmett’s is the healthiest relationship in the house but don’t see their major issues (Emmett doesn’t really support or understand Rosalie and Rosalie loves Emmett mostly for his love of her).
My point being, none of them are going to realize it’s not working out anytime soon. They’re going to need a catalyst, and per the end of Twilight, one is coming. Either a confrontation with the Volturi occurs, Renesmee decides to leave, the Cullen lifestyle changes, or things with Bella go awry. It can be any number of things, and it will happen given time, but at the start of Twilight we haven’t hit that point yet.
There’s also the fact that of the Cullens, only Edward would do this nonsense, and even for him it takes Bella’s delicious blood to grab his attention. When she was an ordinary human, he was not interested in the slightest, not even in her gift.
Each of the Cullens (Sans Alice and Esme) is completely baffled by Edward’s emotional whiplash and attachment to this human girl he doesn’t even know. Bella only becomes a vague concept to them when she enters as a serious fixture in Edward’s life, but even then, they really don’t know what to think.
No one in the family will do what Edward did in Twilight. Look at this girl they don’t even know and say “Ah, yes, I’m in love.” 
Now, that out of the way, let’s play ball.
Alice
This actually will work out shockingly well if only because I suspect Alice will come up with the pragmatic solution of “sharing”.
First, Alice is by far the closest Cullen member to Edward. He holds her in high esteem, feels a strong sense of kinship with her, actually confides in her, and sees her as a very close friend. Edward looks up to Carlisle and adores Esme, but it’s not the same.
If Alice sees herself as getting together with Bella I don’t think she’d see this as mutually exclusive to Edward having Bella. Alice cares deeply for Edward’s happiness, far more than she does Bella’s general existence, and I think the idea of entering a joint marriage with Edward and Bella would be very appealing to her.
She’d have to ease Edward into it, of course, as he’d balk at the very idea of it, but I think he’d see it as a strengthening of his and Alice’s relationship as well as having the wonderful Bella. Better yet, Alice can be physical with Bella while Edward can go compose music about their love.
As it is this... This is kind of what happens in canon.
Alice tells Edward that not only is he in love with Bella, but that Bella is going to be her best friend, so he better not muck it up. She has to ease him into the idea of being in love with Bella throughout the first part of Twilight. Then, when the relationship is solidified, Alice is right there introducing herself as Bella’s new BFF. Bella’s friendship with Alice throughout the series is extremely homoerotic and I imagine it remains so after Breaking Dawn.
Edward is very pleased that Bella counts Alice as her best friend, Alice being far and away his favorite sibling and the one he approves of Bella spending time with (generally, when she’s not foiling his schemes). 
I don’t think Alice and Bella will ever have sex, per se, but I imagine they remain quite physical with each other and Edward looks on with approval thinking to himself that this is how all female friendships should be.
And if Jasper has the nagging suspicion his wife is cheating on him then he’s not functioning quite well enough to put it into words just yet.
Carlisle
Edward would lose his mind.
First, Edward is very into Carlisle, and for all he insists his feelings are filial they sound remarkably romantic. I’d drop a quote, but it’s pretty much every time Edward thinks of Carlisle in Midnight Sun. More than that, Carlisle is the man Edward aspires to be, someone he sees as profoundly more good than he could ever hope to be.
Edward projects a very similar personality onto Bella herself.
So, I imagine if Carlisle sits Edward down and says, “Actually, Edward, I have fallen in love with this Bella” Edward feels very conflicting things all at once.
On the one hand, this means Esme/Carlisle is collapsing. Edward personally brought those two together and adores the idea of their relationship. Their relationship is what he hopes his and Bella’s will look like and is to him the married ideal of a perfect Mother and a perfect Father.
Carlisle/Esme alone falling apart would give him a complete existential crisis. That’s not allowed to happen. 
And then that Carlisle wants Bella Swan for himself?! Edward would be faced with the immediate,horrifying, thought that for all Carlisle is a vampire he would be the perfect man for saint like Bella. Carlisle and Bella deserve one another, would be perfect together, and Edward should not begrudge them that.
On the other hand, Edward himself is in love with Bella, and while he thought he could nobly leave her, now he has to nobly stand to the side and watch as Carlsile and her marry. It’d be a very romantic and tragic thing to do, but there’s leaving Bella to her human life, and then watching her up front for the rest of eternity while bitterly hiding his feelings.
More, Carlisle will turn her. If Bella is his true love, then there’s no question of that. Edward’s seen where this goes with Emmett. He will destroy Bella Swan to be with her forever, and Edward will have to live with the shell of Bella Swan staring back at him, fucking his father, forever.
I imagine Edward desperately pretends to concede to Carlisle, to be happy for the pair of them, but as things progress and Bella’s permanent position in the family looks more and more likely, he loses his mind. He’ll snap and there is no telling what he might do.
My money’s on him mercy killing Bella while she’s still human behind Carlisle’s back. He’s sobbing while he does it, but he just can’t let Bella be tarnished by vampirism, and now he will carry this tragic, terrible, secret for the rest of time.
Whether Carlisle was going to turn her or not is up to debate. Given he turned none after Emmett, I think he learned his lesson from Rosalie and would be more than willing to let Bella go, even if he loves her, should it mean he would not force something she does not want and does not understand upon her.
That said, I think he’d never tell Edward his feelings for Bella, as that would ruin Edward’s fledgling relationship with the girl. This is Edward’s first brush with love and seems to be the only romantic love he’ll ever have. Edward has been so miserable for so long that Carlisle would easily give up his own happiness for Edward.
So, more likely, Twilight would happen anyway and Carlisle would spend the entire time being utterly miserable and pretending he’s perfectly fine. LOOK HOW HAPPY HE IS, ESME.
Emmett
Edward tattles to Rosalie immediately.
He loves Emmett, but he knows Emmett can’t possibly be serious about this, and more, fundamentally doesn’t understand how wonderful and amazing Bella is. He wants to turn her into a vampire, clearly, Emmett doesn’t know what’s best for the girl.
More, a man who would so easily break his marriage vows (even to Rosalie), does not deserve Bella Swan.
Edward watches Rosalie and Emmett’s marriage utterly disintegrate with a juice box filled with mountain lion blood and swoops in on Bella while Emmett is thoroughly distracted. Edward then gaslights Bella into believing Emmett is dangerous and despises her, making Emmett the new and improved Jasper.
Esme
Esme would never tell Edward or likely even realize her feelings for Bella herself. If she did though, she would give up the possibility of a future with Bella Swan in a heartbeat for Edward’s happiness, which means everything to her.
Esme will have no regrets, won’t even smile sadly at Bella, because she has Carlsile as her consolation prize and she gets to see the joy in both Bell and Edward’s faces which is far more important than having Bella to herself.
Esme would live vicariously through Bella and Edward’s relationship as well as the very existence of Renesmee.
Like Alice, this is one of those things that’s pretty much canon. I won’t say anything for Esme’s feelings, it’s more that Esme ships Bella with Edward (and mostly because Edward himself comes to obsess over her), but she does seem to vicariously get her joy through their nuclear family within the Cullen family.
Esme is a very strange person.
Jasper
Edward would attempt to murder Jasper or at least severely injure him. Jasper would be the ultimate threat to Bella, not even a man unworthy of her but not a man at all, and exactly what Edward needs to protect Bella against.
Alice tries to stop the fight, to no avail, and Edward will ultimately lose (despite all his confidence). I imagine Jasper doesn’t kill him, but tears apart his limbs, and uses Edward’s lack of mobility to kidnap and then turn Bella.
Bella has no idea what’s happening and the next thing she knows she’s a vampire and Jasper is telling her they have to leave the area (as he must now leave the coven).
Edward tries to track them down for the rest of eternity. He will get vengeance upon Jasper and save Bella this terrible demonic existence forced upon her. Of course, he ends up lost in Rio.
Rosalie
Edward would tell her that her feelings cannot possibly be real. Bella is a woman. More, Rosalie is unworthy of Bella in every possible regard, even more so than Edward himself.
Basically, Edward would lay into Rosalie in a way that he never has before with all of his venom. He will do everything he can to sabotage Bella’s opinion of Rosalie before Rosalie can even get a word in edgewise. He is successful at it due to Bella’s perilously low self esteem (much the reason he was successful with this endeavor in canon).
Rosalie and Edward get in a vicious fight and I imagine Rosalie eventually confronts Bella, making an opportunity to do so, and both warns her away from Edward, tells her everything, and offers to turn her despite Rosalie’s own mixed experiences.
Rosalie and Edward probably then fight and it quickly turns into something that’s very serious. If Edward wins, he murders Rosalie in the heat of the moment, and then leaves the coven in horror over what Carlisle must think of him now. If Rosalie wins... I don’t think she will, she cares for Edward far too much and would never truly be able to aim to kill or maim.
Edward disappears, drowning in his self hatred, and returns to find Bella Swan at some later date unable to resist the call of her scent. Depending where she is in her life, he likely murders her human husband if she has one and dvours her, as Alice prophesied so long ago.
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hxseok-honee · 3 years
Text
atlas heart || part 25
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a/n : so sorry it took so long getting this update out !! i had a disgusting amount of work to do and i really was not doing anything else for a few days -- i really hope you like it!! pls lmk what you think about things now that jimin (and we) know everything! its gonna get,,,, i wanna say messy but messys not even enough to cover how messy its gonna get
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Jimin can’t remember the last time he’d closed his eyes for more than a few minutes. Time goes by so fast these days that he’s partially convinced he’s been falling asleep and not realizing it. The hours between class and dinner every day are spent in the library, his headphones shoved into his ears haphazardly while he tunnel visions onto what’s been in the back of his mind since the beginning of the year.
Those spare hours had turned into days and days into weeks -- weekends where he doesn’t even glance at his phone, unaware of the growing concern of his friends. It’s almost May now, the chill of early spring having melted away around him without him realizing. His schoolwork stopped being a priority ages ago, and he knows his grades are really taking the hit for it. He vaguely remembers Namjoon confronting him one night some time ago -- a week? Two weeks ago? -- but he can’t for the life of him recall the contents of that conversation. Something about hating to play the ‘prefect card’, but having no choice. He doesn’t even know if he’s still on the quidditch team. It doesn’t matter -- nothing matters when seeing everything with the perspective he’s got now.
Practically buried in scrolls and books, Jimin could care less about the time and the fact that he’s very obviously breaking curfew right now -- the library’s been empty for hours now, and the light outside the window has well past faded into pitch black darkness. He had to hide from Pince around 10pm, barely managing to catch the click of the librarian’s heels through the music blasting in his headphones to keep him concentrated -- it’s a miracle that she hadn't caught him, really. He’d never be able to focus properly back in his room, not when he’s this close to putting the pieces together.
It’s there, right there, everything scattered in his brain. He knows it’s sitting right in front of him, he can feel himself trying to hyperfocus on anything that can blatantly tell him what he needs to know. Flipping through the pages of a book with one hand and shuffling through scrolls with his other, he glances down at a scrap of paper with his own handwriting, chicken-scratch on a ripped up piece of parchment for him to refer back to every few minutes. There, in black ink, the words ‘vampire’ and ‘veela’ are written and then, later, crossed out. There’s one below it -- ‘maledictus’ -- that remains uncrossed and haunts his every thought.
For the better half of the week, he’d spent his nights scouring the bookshelves for any text he could find on blood malediction -- there isn’t much to show for his efforts. Too rare a condition to have any extensive research done, he could barely manage to put together a few measly scrolls and one book with less than a full chapter on the subject. Sighing heavily, Jimin leans back in his chair, rubbing at his temples while he reconsiders the information for what feels like the hundredth time.
It fits the fact that she has a blood condition… but it’s not right. There’s no mention of a potion or even of regularly experiencing sickness. Y/n is in the Hospital Wing like once a month. There wouldn’t be anything Pomfrey or Hoseok could do to help her if she was a maledictus…
He considers that maybe those things are part of blood malediction and that there just isn’t enough documentation for him to verify it. But there’s something nagging at him, telling him this isn’t right. He thinks back over everything he knows, trying to pull up the major details that could help him finally get some sleep. Ignoring the fact that he very well could doze off, even with his loud ass music, he lets his eyes close so he can think. It takes a few minutes, but eventually he’s sitting up in his seat, eyes wide as he recalls something said to him almost months ago, forgotten amidst everything else on his mind.
“What’s the deal with your roommate, Tae?”
“Who, Stephen?”
“No, not fuckin’ Stephen -- Jungkook!”
“Well, how the hell was I supposed to know?”
“Because Stephen doesn’t look at me like I’m the bane of his existence.”
“Yeah… I don’t know what you did to make Jeon Jungkook hate you, but it must have be serious--”
“Just tell me what you know about him, Tae.”
“I mean… nothing crazy, really -- an only child, comes from old money. Probably as old as the Malfoys or the Potters. His family’s the purest of purebloods. And always Gryffindors, just like the Malfoys are always Slytherins. It’s kind of nuts, having a family history like that.”
Jimin stumbles out of his chair, already making his way down the aisles of bookshelves, almost crazed with concentration.
Purest of purebloods -- there’s not a single pureblood family that isn’t documented in a registry… registry… regis-- aha!
Turning down an aisle designated for family registries dating back centuries, he scans the shelves at a lightening speed, finally coming to a halt in front of a tome titled Gryffindor Legacies. Hauling it from the shelf, he doesn’t even bother returning to his table, taking a seat right there on the floor.
Flipping straight to the back to search for the family name, he locates it easily and heads to appropriate page. Searching the family tree down generations, it takes him several pages of flipping through Jungkook’s ancestors’ lives to finally get to his parents. They’re the most recent entry -- new editions of the book are printed with each new generation, the original, handwritten copy belonging to the respective families. It’s an inefficient system for sure, but Jimin’s not exactly complaining when he’s the one benefiting directly.
Scanning the page, from the birth of his mother -- Jeon Eunha -- to her school days, from her marriage to his father all the way to Jungkook’s birth. Jimin expects the next part to follow the same structure of his mother’s story, recounting his childhood, but it diverges from that almost immediately with some extra lines that he almost feels don’t exist in the original copy at the Jeon family residence.
Not long after the birth of their first and only child, they were met with circumstances leading to the adoption and care of another, the recently orphaned infant girl, Y/n Y/l/n. In her days at Hogwarts, young Eunha had become friends with a female Ravenclaw student, who had a noticeably sickly pallor about her at all times. She was to become her closest lifelong friend. The same night in which Y/l/n was to give birth to her first child, she and her husband met an untimely fate in the form of a violent animal attack in the backyard of their own home. The Jeon family were the first to arrive at the premises, deciding immediately to take in the infant child and raise her alongside their own son. Not much else is known about the girl, only that she and the Jeon heir were to become inseparable.
Jimin stares down at the page, unblinking. There’s a lot of information to process, but the things that stand out most to him are the fact that Y/n’s mother was also apparently afflicted with the same illness as Y/n, and --
‘Violent animal attack’? I knew the car accident thing was bullshit, but… did her mom not even die in childbirth? Why would she not tell me… there’s nothing suspicious about an animal atta--
Almost like his brain has started to short-circuit after the long nights and lack of sleep, Jimin’s thoughts are gone instantly, replaced by the mental image of a book sitting not a even a few aisles away, on a table littered with all of the information he’d ever needed in the first place. He’s completely incapable of registering anything around him as he races back to his table, his mind flipping incomprehensibly between the information in front of him and all of the pieces of his memories, details that make too much sense in this moment to match anything but this one conclusion.
Most Muggles, however, will die from the extent of their injuries… all known instances of Muggle attacks have been portrayed in the media as ‘animal attacks’ so as to preserve the secrecy of the wizarding world…
Given the extent of the available research and data, collected almost entirely from male subjects afflicted with lycanthropy, not much is known about the hereditary components related to a female werewolf. Therefore, it is unknown if a pregnant female werewolf's transformations would affect the ability to carry the pregnancy to term…
Without any humans nearby to attack, or other animals to occupy it, the werewolf will attack itself out of frustration…
“My mom died in childbirth and my dad… just a… just a freak accident you know, no one’s fault or anything…”
Because werewolves only pose a danger to humans, companionship with animals whilst transformed has been known to make the experience more bearable as the werewolf has no-one to harm and will be less willing to harm themselves…
“You want to talk about forbidden, Jeon? Let’s talk about your illegal animagus status-”
The way one must imbibe it is very unique among potions, in that a goblet full of wolfsbane potion must be taken each day for a week preceding the full moon…
“…you know how long it takes me to make a full set of vials for you. I barely have enough to make it last 3 days…”
The monthly transformation of a werewolf is extremely painful if untreated and is usually preceded and succeeded by a few days of pallor and ill health…
“He was lowkey carrying her down the stairs… she looked kinda sick actually…”
Throwing scrolls behind him without care as he searches for the one with the final detail, he pulls his phone out when he finds it -- a book listing all of the recorded moon cycles for over a century. Jamming his thumb down on the icon that’ll take him to his search engine and typing with blind panic, he finds himself yanking out his headphones by the cord with one sharp tug when the answer flashes back at it him on the screen, and he realizes that almost all of the pieces are in place.
The quidditch match against Slytherin -- it was the night before a full moon.
“No, no… no, no, no, this can’t be right. This isn’t happening, this can’t be right, she can’t be--” Jimin remembers the text he’d sent to her almost 8 hours ago, sitting unanswered, and he moves without thinking. Slamming his hands down on either side of the moon cycle record, he flips frantically to the cycle for this current month, April of 1978. What he sees there has his heart dropping out of his chest.
“Next week? It’s next week? But that means she’d have to be feeling the effects of it this wee--” He’s cut off by the feeling of his phone buzzing in his pocket, and he reaches for it almost desperately. It’s Y/n, finally responding to his concerned texts with nothing more than a single line. His blood turns to ice when he reads it.
I’m fine, just feeling under the weather.
--
When Jimin bursts through the door of Dumbledore’s office just past 3am, the headmaster’s already seated at his desk, evidently waiting for him. He’s donning a light blue robe with a matching sleeping cap perched delicately on his head, suggesting to Jimin that he’d somehow woken up knowing he was soon to greet a guest. All of the panic invading Jimin’s body is masked just slightly by guilt, only now realizing how late it is and how intrusive he must seem in this moment.
“Mister Park, you certainly are out quite a bit past curfew, no?” Jimin stands in the doorway cradling all of the scrolls and books he’d been hoarding the last few weeks -- he can’t very well have left a huge pile of evidence back in the library. It would have taken no time at all for someone to look through it and see there were connections everywhere to lycanthropy, even if he himself had been blind to it for so long.
“... Park? Mister Park?” Jimin jumps, lifting his tired eyes to meet Dumbledore’s concerned ones. The man continues once he’s got Jimin’s attention. “Surely, you must need something from me, or you wouldn’t appear so…” He doesn’t finish his sentence. He doesn’t need to. Jimin’s aware of the state he’s in -- the dark rings under his eyes, his ruffled clothes and hair, the way he’s holding his books like he needs to protect them with his life. He looks unhinged. He feels unhinged.
Realizing he has absolutely no idea how to approach the subject of a potential werewolf at Hogwarts with the school’s very headmaster, Jimin decides to start by moving toward the chair in front of Dumbledore’s desk.
Maybe I just need to sit down and take a deep breath. That should help--
He doesn’t even make it two steps before one of the many books he’s holding crashes to the floor between them, falling open to the page he’d stuck a pencil in to save his spot. The moon cycle for April of 1978 stares back up at him, and when he flicks his gaze up to peer at Dumbledore, he sees the headmaster’s expression has hardened with caution.
“Professor--”
“Have a seat, Mister Park.” Jimin’s heart lodges in his throat at Dumbledore’s tone, never having heard such a sharp edge to the kind man’s voice. He moves to the chair, setting the obnoxious amount of research haphazardly in his lap. His eyes will only go so far as the top of Dumbledore’s desk, unable to bring himself to meet the man’s eyes.
“Sir, I… need to ask you something.” When he isn’t granted a response, he swallows hard, pushing forward. “If there were to be a student at Hogwarts with a… peculiarity of sorts… how would you go about dealing with that?”
“How would I deal with what, Mister Park?”
“That student.”
“I’m not quite sure I know what you mean.” Jimin lifts his eyes then, confused, but he’s met with a deliberately ignorant smile.
“Sir?” Dumbledore’s smile, albeit strained, only widens.
“I think you may be suffering from a lack of sleep, Mister Park. There are no students at Hogwarts with any peculiarities, as you call it.” Jimin stares suspiciously up at him, knowing Dumbledore can tell that Jimin doesn’t for a second believe that claim. Breaking eye contact, he glances down at his lap, trying to figure out how to keep this conversation going. Trying to figure out why he’s even here.
Jimin looks down at himself and the pile of incriminating evidence, cursing his idiocy when he realizes just how bad this situation must look. A student out of bed way past curfew, barging into the headmaster’s office holding weeks of research and making outrageous claims about a potentially dangerous student. And he’s a Ravenclaw no less.
Shit. He probably thought I was some nosy little fucker trying to expose her and get her expelled.
Knowing that he’s risking a lot by being straightforward, he takes a single deep breath and meets Dumbledore’s eyes, his own filled with determination.
“Sir, I know about Y/n Y/l/n, and I know you do, too. I need to know how to take care of her. I need to know how to help her. I need you to tell me what to do because, to be honest with you, I’m freaking out.” The way Dumbledore’s examining him as he speaks tells Jimin that he’s right, but more importantly, it tells Jimin that Dumbledore hadn’t been expecting him to want to help.
“That is a very serious accusation you’re making, Mister Park, especially in this political climate. Very serious.” Jimin doesn’t waver when he responds.
“I know, sir. That’s why you’re the only one I’ve made it to. Because I need your help. Because I know you can help.” Dumbledore narrows his eyes, peering at Jimin over the tops of his half-moon spectacles.
“Have you considered the fact that just you knowing this information at all has placed Miss Y/l/n in more danger than she’s already in?” As soon as the words leave Dumbledore’s mouth, Jimin’s heart is stopping in his chest. All the times that Hoseok and Jungkook had told him to mind his business come rushing back, and he feels himself becoming sick to his stomach. Of course it’s more dangerous for her now that he knows -- he’d been too selfish to even think it through, too nosy for his own good. He had done all this to try to understand her, to try to be a better friend who can help when she needs it, but it’s all bullshit. Everything he thought he had done for her sake had actually been for his. For him and his stupid curiosity.
Lifting his head as a thought comes to mind, Jimin doesn’t even think twice before speaking.
“Can you erase my memories?” The headmaster’s eyebrows fly to his hairline, his expression becoming amused as Jimin continues rambling. “Can’t you obliviate me or something? Wouldn’t that be the best way for me to help her? Wait… but do you have to erase everything I know about her -- will I still know her? Can you make sure I still know her? I really like her! I don’t like Hoseok or Jungkook very much -- they kind of scare me -- but I like her! I don’t want to forget her, but also if me knowing that she’s a werewolf is only going to cause her more trouble, then I really think you should make me forget--” Dumbledore lifts his hand calmly, effectively silencing a frantic Jimin.
“Have you always had such a one-track mind, Mister Park?” Jimin smiles weakly, offering a half-joking response.
“It’s my only redeeming Ravenclaw quality…” Dumbledore chuckles before scratching at his forehead with a heavy sigh.
“Unfortunately -- and I do truly mean that -- I cannot erase a student’s memories. So, you and I will need to continue this difficult conversation.” Jimin considers the man’s words, knowing that it really would be better for everyone if he had his mind wiped clean and hating that he’d unknowingly put Y/n even more in harm’s way. He looks up when Dumbledore sighs again.
“Mister Park, you do understand that you are strictly forbidden from informing anyone else of this situation, yes?” When Jimin nods immediately, opening his mouth to assure the man that he wouldn’t say a word, Dumbledore only shakes his head. “No, Mister Park, I’m not sure you really understand. This situation is infinitely more complicated than you could ever imagine, so it is absolutely imperative that you keep this information to yourself.” Jimin blinks, unsure what’s meant by ‘infinitely more complicated’, but he nods again.
“I’ve put her in enough danger just by being here, Sir -- I’m not breathing a word of this to anyone.” Dumbledore examines him a moment longer, essentially staring into Jimin’s soul to gauge his trustworthiness. Eventually he nods, leaning back in his chair.
“What advice would you like me to give you, Mister Park?” Jimin stays silent, thinking hard about any way that he can make Y/n’s life easier, especially after all the trouble he’s caused up to now. His mind flashes back to the conversation he’d overheard in the library. He opens his mouth slowly, choosing his words with care.
“Sir… how does a student that isn’t even taking Potions know how to brew the wolfsbane potion? Isn’t it nearly impossible?” Jimin sees Dumbledore’s eyes flicker with recognition, and the headmaster responds cautiously.
“…If that student isn’t taking any kind of Potions course at all, they’d need to already be an expert from having dedicated all their studies to the art of potionmaking. They would also need an immense amount of private mentoring, even if they are taking Potions. We do not teach the wolfsbane potion in the curriculum. As I’m sure you can imagine, it wouldn’t fare well in these times…” Jimin squints, putting the pieces together quickly in his mind.
“And where would a student like that find this kind of… private mentoring?” The headmaster hums at Jimin’s question, peering down at him with knowing eyes.
“Well, Mister Park, if you wish to receive mentoring on much… safer forms of potionmaking, I’m sure Professor Slughorn would be happy to help you. However, if you are asking me about Mister Jung Hoseok of Slytherin House, and if you are wondering just how he became capable of caring for Miss Y/l/n at the young age of 13, well… you’re looking at his mentor.”
--
When Jimin leaves Dumbledore’s office almost an hour later, he feels like his head is going to explode. The nights of sleeplessness seem to also have come rushing back to him at once, and he’s not sure if he’s going to collapse first from the exhaustion or from the weight of everything he knows now. For a moment, he considers that maybe he really should ask someone to erase his memories -- Jungkook or Hoseok, perhaps.
Yeah, I’m sure they’d absolutely love to do me that favor.
Dragging his feet as he trudges down the corridor in the direction of Ravenclaw tower, Jimin stops short at a window when movement down by the Black Lake catches his eye. Almost as if thinking about them has caused them to materialize before him, Jimin watches the silhouette of Jung Hoseok stroll casually down by the shoreline, followed not long after by Jeon Jungkook racing toward him, a body perched precariously on his back. It’s not hard to see that Y/n’s clinging weakly to him as he runs, her arms wrapped around his shoulders as he keeps his hands hooked under her knees. Jimin can see that she’s got a gown on from the Hospital Wing, and it’s obvious that Jungkook and Hoseok have snuck her out from under Madam Pomfrey’s stern supervision.
They head for the Forbidden Forest, Y/n reaching back for Hoseok when Jungkook passes him. She beckons him forward, and Jimin watches as the three of them disappear together into the trees. He sighs deeply when he can no longer see them, muttering to himself under his breath as he makes his way to his room, overcome with extreme guilt at the entire situation.
“You’ve really gone and done it now, you fucking idiot.”
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alittlextrathatway · 3 years
Note
Penelope/Colin: “Give me one reason why I shouldn’t leave.”
YAY SOMETHING BESIDES BRETTSEY. (Not that I don’t love them.) I’ve never written Polin before! I’m excited to play! 🙌🏻 Thank you!
How about a modern AU for this one? Just cause.
******
It all started because of the pandemic.
He’d been perfectly happy traveling. It’s not like he had anything else to occupy his time. He wasn’t particularly talented and he didn’t have any hobbies or interests. Aside from eating but he doubted his mother would approve of him becoming one of those professional hot dog eaters and he didn’t care enough for the piddly portions of fine dining to become a food critic.
The only thing that truly distracts him from his lack of drive or ambition is traveling — learning about the world and it’s many cultures.
He has journal after journal full of his discoveries and experiences. Travel is really his only love.
Which is why he’d stopped and started his studies so many times. He took a year between high school and college to backpack through Europe. Then another year after freshman year to “study abroad”, not that he actually studied. Which is why his mother forced him to come back and finish his third year stateside. After that, he’d set off traveling again. Every year he found another excuse not to come home for any longer than a month or two, allowing him to put off his final year.
It’s not as if he’s getting a degree in anything useful. He’s an English major. And it’s not as if his career isn’t already decided for him. Upon graduation he’ll be given an office at Bridgerton Family Publishing. Doing what? Well, no one knows. Not even him.
So, what’s the rush?
He’d still be gone abroad right now if not for COVID forcing him to return home. God, he hates 2020. What a waste of a year. He came home too late for the spring 2020 term so he’s spent the last several months going absolutely crazy.
He’s a man of the world who is not being allowed to go out and see it. He can’t imagine anything more cruel.
Actually, no, he takes that back. There’s one thing:
Using the time he’s forced to stay in Mayfair to discover he’s completely and stupidly in love with his little sister’s best friend.
The friend who overheard him, last time he was home for any considerable length of time, declaring to his brothers that he would never be interested in her.
Because, of course, Colin Bridgerton is a colossal jackass who doesn’t know a good thing when it’s been staring him in the face his entire life.
There’s laughter coming from the direction of the foyer. Very distinctive laughing. One high and tinkling like a pretty little bell and the other deeper and hoarser. The alto to the other’s soprano. The alto in this case is his younger sister, Eloise, and the soprano is Penelope.
The woman he should have noticed long before now.
He gets up from where he’s lounging on the sofa, mournfully watching the Travel Channel, and takes his plate full of sandwiches with him.
He finds them giggling and applying lipstick in the mirror by the front door. They look dressed to go out. Eloise in her slick tailored pant suit and intricately adorned lace top, in monochromatic lavender. And Penelope in…
Holy shit, what is that?
Apparently, it’s the instrument of his imminent death if the erratic beating of his heart is any indication. He’s going to have some sort of attack and go into cardiac arrest right here in the foyer of his childhood home.
It’s a tight forest green dress that has an off the shoulder neckline. It hugs her curves so perfectly that he thinks someone must have sewn it onto her. It shows the perfect amount of skin along her neck and shoulders, giving just a tiny glimpse of cleavage.
And she’s had a haircut since she was here yesterday. Her ginger locks now rest against her cheeks in a wavy stylish bob. She was beautiful before. He was never blind to that as some other people around Pen have proven to be, but now...
She’s absolutely stunning.
So stunning that other people will surely see what he sees. And he’s grateful for that, truly. She deserves to be seen as she is — brilliant and beautiful — but that means he’s about to have competition while trying to win her over. And he is not grateful for that.
He’s been trying to be more forward with her when they’re alone but that doesn’t happen often and he’s not sure Penelope takes him very seriously. (No one does.) She seems to always be in disbelief when he flirts with her.
“Where are you two off to?” He asks, leaning against the wall opposite the mirror.
“Double date,” Eloise says, fluffing her hair in the mirror. “Pen arranged it. She met someone extremely gorgeous at the library today.”
Penelope blushes and grins demurely. “It’s the magic of a fresh cut,” she says motioning to her new hair. “He was there with his friend and we were all scrambling for resources for our bibliographies together and he asked if I wanted to get dinner and I asked if Eloise could come. No big deal.”
“It doesn’t look as if it’s not a big deal,” Colin observes, his gaze sweeping over Penelope from head to toe.
“His father owns that new super exclusive restaurant Kate’s been begging Anthony to take her too. You know, La Table Gourmande?” Eloise explains.
“The one that told Anthony the next available reservation was in two months? That restaurant?” Colin asks, trying not to scowl.
Really, there was no need for this guy to show off. He seems a bit full of himself.
“That’s the one,” Penelope replies with a nod. “He says he can get us the Chef’s table tonight. I’ve never done anything like that before. It sounds exciting. Might be the closest I ever get to authentic French cuisine. For a while anyway.”
Okay, so now he feels like a heel for wanting to keep her from going out. He knows he’s lucky his family is so well off. It allows him to travel. Penelope’s family, while not destitute, has spent most of their surplus funds putting three daughters, soon to be a fourth, through school. In fact, if not for a distant rich aunt who died they wouldn’t even have been able to afford that.
Any money Penelope used to travel would have to be her own, and he isn’t sure how much of that she has.
“Pen,” Eloise calls, interrupting Colin’s thoughts. “Have you seen my clutch? Did I bring it down?”
“I don’t see it anywhere,” Penelope says with a shake of her head. “Did you leave it on your dresser?”
Eloise groans in irritation, turning toward the main staircase of their massive house. “I guess I did. I’ll be right back.”
Finally, they’re alone. Colin clears his throat and sets the plate of sandwiches he’d been snacking on down on the hall table. He crosses the space until he’s standing mere inches away from her.
“Don’t go out tonight. I can take you somewhere else. Somewhere better,” Colin suggests.
“Better?” Penelope asks skeptically.
He nods. “I have a friend who opened a restaurant here that I met while I was in Nice. It’s smaller than that La Table Gourmand monstrosity and not quite considered fine dining but it’s real. It’s better. It’ll be closer to actually being in France than anything in that obnoxious place.”
“I don’t see why I can’t go with Marcus tonight and then you some other time,” she tells him, lifting one perfect brow and pursing her lips.
“This guy sounds like a prick,” Colin says with a scoff. “Bragging about his father’s connections on the first date? That’s not a good sign, Pen. Trust me, I know these things. I’m a guy.”
“Maybe,” she says with a shrug, a small knowing grin on her lips. “But I think I should decide that for myself. Don’t you?”
That grin…
She knows exactly what he’s trying to do.
She’s being difficult on purpose.
“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t leave,” she challenges him, continuing to grin smugly.
Well, if that’s the game she wants to play then so be it.
“Why waste a night figuring out what I already know when you could just let me take you out instead for what, we both know, would be a better time?” Colin asks, caressing the length of Penelope’s arm with a light tender touch.
She sucks in a breath at the contact, but doesn’t show any weakness in her expression. “Yes, but going out with Marcus would be a date that might actually lead to something. What would be the purpose of ditching a real date for you instead?”
“Oh, you want it to lead to something?” He asks, a smirk growing on his face as he backs her up toward the wall.
“Y—yes,” she stammers, her grin slipping as nerves shine in her eyes.
Her back hits the wall and he brings one hand to her cheek, cupping her face and trailing his thumb along her cheekbone.
He leans down, nearly closing the distance between them but stops just short of kissing her. “Come out with me, Pen, and you can choose where it leads. I’ll give you whatever future I have, even if I have no idea what it is. You set the terms, you call the shots.”
Her eyes widen and her cheeks flush but she instinctively leans into his hand. Call him a cocky bastard, but that’s the moment he knows he’s won. The moment he knows she’ll choose him.
“I set the terms?” She asks, biting her bottom lip while she stares at his.
He nods, waiting for the moment she leans up and kisses him.
“Well, then you know what I think?” She asks, rhetorically while she rests a hand on his chest.
“Tell me,” he pleads.
She smiles wickedly and pushes him away by one step. “I think you could do with some healthy competition.”
She sidesteps him and saunters off to the front door, leaving him gaping at her like a fool.
Like a besotted, astonished, completely smitten fool.
Eloise reappears, patting Colin’s shoulder as she follows after Penelope. “Tell mom we’ll be back late.”
They leave, the door shuts, and all he can think is…
Well played, Penelope Featherington.
But the Bridgertons are famously competitive and this game is only just beginning. He’ll win her over yet.
Wait and see.
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wordsnwhiskey · 3 years
Text
Is It Living If You've Left Your Life Behind?
Pairing: Dave York & GN!Reader
Summary: Thanks to you, Dave escaped the showdown with McCall. You planned to take him to a safehouse on the other side of the country where he could recover and get started on living a new life. In order to do that though, he has to leave his wife, his daughters and his life behind. He can't help but wonder, is it really living if he has to leave his life behind?
Rating: T for Language I guess
A/N: This is my late submission for @autumnleaves1991-blog 's Writer Wednesday. I got into my feels tonight and Dave was calling to me. It's my first time writing for him and this is a different take on Dave than I'd normally go for. A softer/angstier Dave but honestly, given this situation where he survives? I don't see classic Dave shining through, at least not until something kicks his ass into gear. The man is injured and more than a little lost. Also, I'll probably edit this later, it's 03:30 and apparently I have a knack for posting things when I should be asleep.
Masterlist | AO3
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There was nothing but the open road ahead of him as he sat in the passenger seat, a permanent grimace affixed to his face. His pain ebbed and flowed but at least that meant he was alive. Alive with nothing but the open road ahead of him and his entire life behind him.
Dave really only had you to thank for that. A life debt for a life debt even if it meant he no longer had his life, not really at least. His girls were well over a thousand miles behind him, everything he’d known and loved, he’d likely never see again. You were the only thing Mac hadn’t counted on and even though Dave had lost religion a long time ago, he thanked whatever god or higher power out there that you had kept your head about you during the showdown.
He had been furious at first that you hadn’t tried to kill McCall, only stalled long enough to get him and yourself out of there under the cover of the storm. His anger had quickly dissipated though, you had made the right call, of course. He still had trouble seeing out of his eye, a concussion from being blown off of his feet and plenty of bruises complemented the odd cut or two Mac had managed to land. Things would have been a lot worse had you not intervened.
You glanced over at Dave, hunched over, curling himself into the passenger window. Dave fucking York. He had really gotten himself in it this time but you couldn’t find it in yourself to blame him. In this industry, shit decisions had to be made all the time and Lady Luck was rarely ever kind. People died, that was the business. What else was the married father of two supposed to do when he was cut loose? Assimilate? That kind of thing wasn’t for people like you or Dave York, not really. McCall was too high up on his high horse to get enough oxygen to his brain and too blinded by his own grief to see it.
Then again, you were definitely biased.
“How’s your pain level?”
You asked, and were met with a withering glare, his newly-crooked, hawkish nose only served to further accentuate the harshness in his eyes.
He hadn’t talked much during the already several day trip. Not that you needed the conversation, but you understood better than anyone he knew who was still alive aside from the man you were fleeing from, what this felt like. You hated how people romanticized it, leaving everything behind and starting over. It never worked that way. Your family and friends lived and died and you couldn’t be part of any of it. And now Dave, Dave had two daughters and a wife but they might as well be poison now. Poison to his mind, torture to think about. Poison to the touch if he ever went to see them again, because surely McCall would be watching them from afar, waiting.
The same thoughts seemed to be on his mind, from the corner of your eye you could see him slump further into the window, clutching a small photograph he had pulled from his wallet. For all that he was, former agent, mercenary, murderer, assassin, he was still a family man, a soft man at heart and going into hiding away from this family had just as much likelihood of killing him as McCall did.
“I’m not going to see them again am I?” Dave murmured as he stared down at the photo, thumb grazing over his daughters’ faces.
You opened your mouth then closed it again, contemplating giving him platitudes or the truth. He chuckled at your reaction, a hollow sound devoid of any humor.
“Spare me the bullshit.”
Your grip on the steering wheel tightened and you let out a sigh.
“I don’t know Dave. If McCall winds up dead then yeah, that’s an option. I haven’t been back to see my family but I don’t have the same… things anchoring me somewhere or drawing me back.”
Silently, he turned to resume watching the passing orange and brown landscape fly by.
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It had been about another two hours since he last spoke and he had been so still and quiet, you thought he might have fallen asleep.
“Why’d you do it? Why are you doing this?”
His voice is gruffer, made thicker from the knot of emotion in his throat. It startles you out of your own reverie.
“Do what?”
“Why did you bother saving me? You could have made it out of there and been in another country by now. Fuck, you could have dumped me at a hospital anywhere along this godforsaken road and still be in another country by now.”
You frowned, somehow you had hoped his relative silence meant you would be able to get through this journey without delving into any sort of feelings.
“It crossed my mind, on both counts.”
He raised an eyebrow, not so much in surprise that you had thought about it, more so that you hadn’t gone through with it.
“I didn’t have any part in Susan’s death so McCall would have stopped hunting me eventually.”
You spared him a glance, he was staring at you intently, analyzing.
“Is this the part where you tell me you love me?”
You scoffed and looked at him incredulously then shook your head.
“No, it’s even more pathetic than that, Dave. You’re probably the closest thing to a friend I have and we’ve tried to kill each other before.”
That got a small laugh out of him, because really, what was more ridiculous in their line of work than friends?
Probably having a family. Dave grimaced as the thought echoed in his mind.
“We were the best at what we did.”
He said, with an air of nostalgia and you nodded in agreement.
“And the worst, somehow even with us each taking on contracts for the other, here we are, still living.”
The small smile faded from your lips at his silence and lack of a response. Your gaze fell on him again as he shrugged his mouth and sighed.
“Are we? Is it living if I’m leaving my life behind?”
This was not the Dave York you knew. Occasionally, you had seen the wry humor, and suave exterior give way to the side of him that accepted “New Hamster” as an answer instead of “New Hampshire” but not even that remained. The Dave next to you had all of those layers peeled back. He was raw and unsure.
You didn’t answer him for a few minutes, honestly there wasn’t much of anything you could say that wasn’t a load of shit. You were both too practical for pep talks. Moreover, it wasn’t a question you had even stopped to ask yourself. The answer and the journey to that answer was a dangerous one.
“I- …. It’s the best option you’ve got right now, Dave. It’s a pretty fucked situation, my advice? Take it one hour a time and if you can manage that, take it one day at a time.”
“An hour?” Dave shook his head and rubbed his stubbled chin with his hand. “All I’ve seen for hours is dirt and sand. While Mac is probably watching Carol and the girls like a fucking hawk.”
You pursed your lips, and eyed the upcoming sign detailing the available lodging and food at the upcoming exit.
“Well you’ll have the inside of our next motel room to stare at in another hour.”
Dave slipped back into silence and you simultaneously welcomed and detested it. Things were simpler without him getting all philosophical on you and contemplating what made living actually living. It hardly mattered though because he had already gone and planted that damned seed inside your brain.
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You pulled up to a not entirely shitty motel and paid for the night before going back for Dave who was waiting in the car. The room wasn’t terrible and after a thorough check, you could at least confirm there weren’t any critters who would be keeping you company. At least there were two beds.
After a dinner of pizza from the diner down the road you had taken Dave on a detour to the gas station to get a burner phone. In your haste to put as much distance as possible between you and McCall, you hadn’t bothered to get him one earlier. Once that was finished you both headed back to your room to unwind.
Dave sat in one of the rickety chairs at the small table that seemed to be actively trying to shed it’s veneer layer. With a sigh, he went to work stripping and reassembling his pistol. It was calming, relaxing for him. All of the pieces had a purpose, an order, to be pulled apart then reassembled, very much unlike his life right now. Nothing had purpose or order and everything had been pulled apart, leaving him broken shards to piece back together.
Hours passed and by the look of him, you figured Dave’s fingers might have gone numb from the repetitive movements and his eyes were drooping, well his good eye was drooping more than normal since the one McCall had nearly managed to gouge was still a little worse for wear.
“Dave, get some sleep. You’re no good to me or yourself if you’re half asleep.”
You know he’s been fighting sleep for a while now, he does every night just like he fights the pain you’re sure he’s feeling but refuses to take anything for. For the first time since you two set off, you’re not annoyed by it. He’ll sleep soundly at least once he let’s exhaustion take him. All the better for what you have planned.
It wasn’t until 01:00 that Dave was finally asleep soundly enough that you felt you could get up without waking him. Quietly, you made for the table, using the flimsy pad of paper and pen there to write a note before you walked out the door and shut it behind you. Thankfully, the city you had stopped in was populated enough that rideshare services were available and in less time than you had figured, you were on your way to the airport.
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Dave woke up and immediately knew something was off. It was too quiet and there was too much sun trying to peek through the curtains for it to be the usual time you both headed out for the day. He sat up quickly and grabbed his pistol, then looked around the room for any signs of danger until his eyes fell upon the pad of paper on the table. A sharp pain arched through his skull when he stood up, a remnant of his concussion. He took the note in hand and began to read:
Dave,
I figure, if I’m lucky, I’ve got 4 hours on you. If I’m really lucky, I’ve got 6. Anything more than that and I’m disappointed in you, Dave.
He looked up from the note at the digital clock on the nightstand, it read 07:30. A wry grin threatens to take shape on his lips. You’d be disappointed.
I’m not going to make this some sort of sappy letter. I don’t have time for that shit. You were right. It isn’t really living if you’ve left your life behind. Out of the two of us, you’re the only one who really has one to miss. The only way you get to go back to Carol, Molly and Alice is if McCall is out of the picture, so I’m going to give it a shot. I left you enough cash to pay the room through the week and then some. If you don’t hear from me after a week, call the number at the bottom of this note and tell him you’re cashing in a favor for me. He’ll help you out. Might even know someone else who can help with your family. I left you the car, keys are on my bed.
Good Luck.
Dave’s throat went dry and then he saw at least four shades of red before he finally calmed down to assess the situation. Then all at once, it was like ice had been poured in his veins and things began to shift into focus.
What the fuck was he doing?
This entire time he had been wallowing, perhaps well earned, but he should have been planning. He had let his grief for the loss of Susan, the storm of emotions he felt seeing Mac still alive and a simple job that had spun drastically out of control, completely cloud his judgement. He was just as well trained as Mac, but he had let his anger and emotions get the best of him on that watchtower, he couldn’t let that happen again.
Dave moved quickly and methodically as he collected everything he needed from the room and headed out to the car. He really shouldn’t drive with his eye being what it was but he only needed to get to the airport and he could make it that far at least.
He couldn’t let Mac kill you, like Ari, Reznik, and Kovac. Family.
Like hell if he was going to let the closest person he had to a friend get killed.
If anyone was going to kill you, it’d be him, just for you trying to pull off something as stupid as this.
He knew this was the best move though, Mac wouldn't be expecting an attack this soon this time, the attack wouldn't be in the middle of gale force winds on Mac's home turf. You... and he would have the upper hand this time.
Dave got through the airport with relative ease thanks to him having TSA pre-check, no one bothered to ask him about his eye which he did his best to hide with a baseball cap.
He sat down and waited for his flight to be called. Mentally, he began going through the disassembly and reassembly of the rifle he had with him at the watchtower to help focus himself and pass the time.
The PA system broke his concentration and alerted him that it was time to board. Dave was tense when he finally got to his seat and sat down. His jaw was set in concentration as he started to come up with a new battleplan and weighing his options. Yes, he was injured but he'd been through worse on missions and come out on top.
At least one person was going to die by the end of the week and he'd be damned if you and him weren't the last ones standing.
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Thanks for reading, tagging a few people interested/who might be interested:
@wheresarizona @pascalsimp @beesting77 @boxdyeblonde @lackofhonor @kaybrownies @agentwhiskeypussyindulgence @elegantduckturtle @janebby @faithkeeper-81 @doin-stuff @danniburgh @pascalslittlebrat @mothandpidgeon @mouthymandalorianalso @phoenixhalliwell @kesskirata @starlightmornings @wyn-dixie
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cannibal-witchh · 3 years
Text
Reader(Fem) x Alcina Dimitrescu
(PART 2)
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Written by cannibal_witchh
Part 1
:https://cannibal-witchh.tumblr.com/post/641589115086929920/readerfem-x-alcina-dimitrescu-part-1-written
⛓Trigger Warnings⛓
Story contains: Gore, sexual elements, vulgar language, violence, elements of sub/dom behavior, and captivity.
Notes: This is the 2nd part of the story and it will progressively get more sexual, and the elements between the reader and Alcina will become more dom/sub. It is a little bit of a slow burner so bare with me. It will get juicy soon! I want to add, I do not support in any fashion abuse, and or non consensual actions. ⚠️ I have clearly placed trigger warnings to indicate there may be elements that are not for every reader. I heavily gravitate with dominance and submission/gore so thats where the relationship in the story will go ⚠️ Again, limited information so nothing in the story really is canon.
The reader is referred to as:
Y/N- your name
Y/L/N- your last name
She/her- in italics and bold
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Her blood boiled as she felt the weight of humiliation and rage filter through her. She was in poor shape, bloodied up, bruised, and very little hope could be found within her. She stared at Alcina with a hateful expression, but the vampress had full awareness beneath that thin surface of loathing was absolute fear. "Don't be foolish. I will not say it again.", she continued a smirk as she rested her elbows up on the edge of the bath. Even in absolute indecency she was wicked and intense. Her body at full exposure, water glistening off her porcelain skin, and gentle beads of water trailing down her breasts. The moon was illuminating off her soft tall figure, as she tipped her head back and relaxed it on the edge. "I think I've been more than patient with you."
Y/N, had so many emotions cycling through her, there was disgust, hatred, and anxiety. But she had concluded that there was no point in stalling. Alcina would grow tired and eventually kill her if she wasted anymore time. She began to strip, peeling an article of clothing at a time, trying desperately to cling on to every second. Her hands trembling as she slid her panties down her ankles before the wicked vampire.
She submerged her body in the warm water, blood began to scatter out from her knee, and she watched fragments of the water become crimson. Fuck. "Relax, I'm not a shark. I can smell your wonderful nectar but I have no need to feed at this exact instance just because you're coloring my bath water red.", she teased pulling her head up. Loose black waves stuck to her wet skin, spreading out like a small web on her smooth pale skin. Her intense bright eyes focused on Y/N, her eyes looked so preditorial, and so hungry. Those eyes burned deep in Y/N's soul, it was haunting.
After about forty minutes of soaking and cleansing, Alcina decided to privilege Y/N by showing her the cellar room. She held a lit candlabrum guiding them deep inside. It smelled foul, there were variations of fresh corpses everywhere, limbs lost in other areas of the large hallway, and it was incredibly dark. The walls and floor were built with thick cobblestone, and there were numerous cellars with rusted bars. " Now, I believe I have treated you kindly with allowing you to stay in an actual guest room.", she said as she continued to lead Y/N deeper into the cellars. Abruptly, an incredibly dry groan echoed through the cellar, it sounded as if it was in absolute suffering and pain. Y/N darted her head in the direction she believed it came from but it was too difficult to really distinguish actually where it sounded. " Relax, I won't allow them to touch you.", she assured as she stopped and turned to face her. "Those are family.", she stretched a pearly grin, her fangs teasing under her satin red lips. Alcina instructed with just her hands for Y/N to come closer to her, and she obeyed the demand. "You look much better being cleaned up, pet.", that name alone flooded a pool of humiliation in her, being stabbed, bitten, and beaten countless times to this nonsense- it just delivered a wave of embarassment to her. Alcina let out a soft giggle, and for moments there wasn't words being exchanged.
Thud! With swift impact, there was a heavy hit that landed to Y/N's head, and she flew several feet back away from Alcina. She tried to gather herself but her vision grew blurry, and her knee still in poor condition to make quick movements. Dwindling in and out of clear vision, the sounds of agonizing groaning reverberated through the corridor infront of her. She felt shivers, hair raise, and another dose of adrenaline greet her. What could this be? Within moments, a strong smell of decay flooded through the damp cobblestone hallways, and echos of pain continuing to sound. A group of corpse like creatures swayed in, their bodies detierating, bones exposed, long sharp aged nails, and hollow dark eyes. Her family. Absolute horror welcomed Y/N, Alcina had lied, she wasn't going to protect her. The creatures began to hobble towards her, surrounding her, their stench choking her, and their groans ringing in her ear. She was fucked, no available escape was present for her to attempt. She closed her eyes and she felt the stroke of long thin nails brush against her face and arms. Felt the cold breath of their hissing near her ears, as she tried to control her panic. This was it. "Enough!", Alcina screeched, and immediately the creatures shrieked and fled away in the tunnels. She relaxed her hands on her hips and walked over to Y/N with a pleased expression. " This is what will become of you but worse if you do not submit to me. Do we have ourselves clear?", Alcina watched as Y/N nodded trying to control her panicked breaths, and maintain her shivering. "Good."
Without effort, Alcina had carried Y/N in her arms all the day back to her captive room. When they arrived, she locked the door, and rested Y/N on the sheets. Y/N felt some release of tension the moment she establish this was her room. She spread her arms out, tracing the creases of silk that collected under her. The presence of the fabric brought her slight comfort. "Honestly, you truely are pathetic.", she sighed as she sat the candlabrum on the wooden nightstand beside the bed. Y/N felt beside her sink, Alcina had sat beside her and began to run her fingers through her hair. Despite the cruel treatment, this minor kindness felt relieving to Y/N. She let out a small sound of relief as Alcina continued to lace her fingers through her hair. "I feel despite some tension, you have gathered an understanding of your place as my feeding pet. I appreciate that submission. I have mutually contributed. I awaited feeding until you were cleansed and in the comforts of your room.", a sharp spike danced in Y/N's stomach, she felt acidity well up, and her knee twitch with discomfort. It was time.
This time, Y/N did have opposition towards the situation this time. She fully gave in to the unfortunate circumstances. Her pants were removed, revealing a blackened knee with blood stains feathering out from the site. "I'm quite surprised how quickly you've adapted to your position to me. I have to admit, I am pleased with you.", Alcina leaned to her side, hovering over Y/N's wounded knee, her large breasts nearly spilling out from her nightgown. The closer she leaned towards her knee, the more her alluring breasts pressed gently against Y/N. "Despite my daughters, I have control over my hunger. I will treat you well, and I will know how to savor you slowly.", she looked down at her knee and let out a sound of disappointment. "So much for being patient. Its scabbed. I suppose I will make a new feeding site."
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"My f-femoral atery?", Y/N muttered as she felt her cheeks grow hot. A major artery, not even her daughters had fed on. The violent feeding they did more than likely would've killed her if they attempted to. " Yes, now please relax. I have fed in this location before and no one has ever died. I have lived a long life and acquired quite the knowledge on self control.", she began to move close to her upper thigh, her nose brushing lightly against her skin, and her mouth leaving light streaks stained from her rouge. The sound of skin break was heard through the cold air, Y/N let out a pained moan and held her breath. The pain was unpleasant, it was like having a canine bite but with small thin teeth. She tried focusing on the candle wicks, watching them sway and dance softly in the distance. The warm occasional crackle it did from time to time. It was the closest thing to resemble peacefulness during this taxing time. Alcina began to feed, siphoning Y/N's blood, she made sounds of utter bliss as the sweet flavor danced along her desperate tongue. Her body stiffening in surprise as pure satisfaction greeted her mouth. Her nipples growing erect through her night gown, brushing against Y/N's leg. Y/N felt light headed, feeling blood leaving her as she grew quickly cold. Strangely, she had no presence of panic, perhaps, the loss of blood delivered her brief emotional insensitivity. Alcina stayed down there for quite sometime, muttering muffled sounds of bliss, occasionally latching off revealing a bloodied chin, teeth, and lips. She met Y/N's eyes and immediately flashed a wide smile, it was almost sickening but in a way bewitching. Maybe the lack of blood was making Y/N confused. " W-why am I so relaxed?", she muttered feeling a heavy weight of tranquility possess her. " Shh...its the lack of blood. Soon I will stop.", Alcina whispered as Y/N felt her tongue lick her inner thigh. Her long tongue tracing and prodding the bite marks. Desperstely trying to drain whatever was left of the site.
" I believe, I am full. Thank you for the meal.", she wiped her crimson stained lips and chin with the back of her hands ,now tarnishing it with red. " I believe, I owe you a thank you, pet. You have been surprisingly obedient the whole time, and quiet too.", Alcina slowly adjusted herself until she was on all fours above Y/N. Her large smooth breasts draping down reaveling down her well tailored gown. She began to crawl slowly towards Y/N's face, her chest lighting brushing against Y/N's body. It was incredibly soft yet cold. " I am going to need you to open your mouth, won't you, pet?", without hesitation, Y/N dropped her mouth open for her. Alcina licked her lips and pressed her right fang into her plump bottom lip. Blood began to trickle out and run down her chin and onto her chest. Her hand traveled slowly up to Y/N's neck, gentle gripping it, and holding it against the mattress. Her opposite hand, explored under her shirt, and rested on her heart. Y/N, felt the a wave of heat flush away the cold that was residing in her. What was she about to do? "Can't let my obedient food die on me, yet.", Alcina leaned herself forward, pressing her lips against Y/N's. Her tongue inviting itself into her mouth, brushing metallic crimson inside. The flavor was terrible but Y/N did not seem to object. Alcina continued to kiss her, muffled sounds escaping between their lips as a warm blanketed feeling continued to lay over Y/N. Blood had managed to escape their lips, trickling down Y/N's chin, it was incredibly cold as it traveled down. Alcina ceased the kissing, her face revealed itself to be flush and pink. Strange for a creature of the undead. She moved her long delicate fingers along Y/N's blood covered lips and chin. Collecting whatever escaped under her finger tips. "Don't waste it.", she whispered softly nudging her fingers against Y/N's lips, as they slipped their way inside her mouth. More of that bitter flavor met Y/N's tongue, and she felt her body grow warmer and warmer. Alcina took her fingers out after a few moments, examining there was no trace of remaining blood present. She made a sound of approval that trailed with a small smile. An overwhelming amount of insatiable hunger found Y/N, she felt her body perk with energy, her senses incredibly alert, and her heart accelerate as if it was injected with caffeine. She brought a hand to Alcina's cheek and drew her to her own. Lips reuniting again, her tongue pressing its way into Alcina's mouth, and Y/N biting her lower plump lip. She was hungry, the introduction to Alcina's blood was intoxicating, addictive, and restoring. It brought her energy and she needed more. A small line of red flowed from Alcina's lower lip, and Y/N quickly licked it from her face. Her tongue returning back to Alcina's mouth the moment she collected all of her crimson. Alcina muffled a small moan, as her hand tightened around Y/N's neck, the opposite hand no long resting on her Y/N's heart but traveling down her stomach. Her incredibly sharp nails dragging into her sternum down to above her navel. She felt blood seep from those insicions, and she let out a pained moan. She buried her lips against Alcina's for a few more passionate moments until she broke it. Her lips pressing against Y/N's neck and her tongue dragging down her neck to the freshly bloodied cuts on her sternum and navel. She kissed and licked the bloodied wounds hungrily. Little delicate moans left her mouth as she glanced up at Y/N with her appreciative smile. Still continuing to clean the newly made cuts with her tongue. "Dont act as if this is an invitation of making love, foolish one. Vampires have restorative blood that gives humans the ability to briefly recover, replenish energy, alertness, and on some occasions enhance their libidio.", she rolled her eyes, " In this case, you acquired all of it. What a headache. I just wanted to make sure you didn't die of blood loss.", She sighed. " I suppose I will find more uses for you, pet. But don't think it will entirely feel good."
To be continued...
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enigma-im · 3 years
Text
Second Day of Christmas...
Trope: Teacher/Student (college) (Nsfw) Relationship: Saytr x Human Word Count: 5,426
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I quickly grab my clothes from off the floor, putting them on as I shuffle out of the bedroom. Stopping at the door I look back at the naked satyr lounging tangled in his sheets. I can't help but pat myself on the back with the lay tonight. He is a rather sexy man, putting my past one night stands to shame with skills in the bedroom. Hell, I almost overslept from how exhausted he got me. I debate leaving my number as I walk into the living room. Before I can decide my phone chimes, notifying me of my ride outside.
"Shh, shh," I hush the phone, wincing at its volume. Hearing shuffling from the bedroom I quickly abscond out the front door.
Breakfast with Shelby is live with juicy details of our weekend. She talks about her weekend vacation with her boyfriend to her parent's beach resort. I can't help but scoff at her rich family. They spent most of the time there humping like bunnies on every surface. Minimal time was spent actually on the beach.
I share my weekend events, explaining a night spent man hunting and coming up short till the last minute. A handsome satyr bought me a drink, wooing me with his words before getting me back to his place. The night was honestly great, to a surprising degree. He listened and adapted eagerly to every moaned instruction, going above and beyond before reaching his own end.
"Shame you didn't get his number," she says, swiping through her phone.
"Eh, don't think he would have written. He is more of a once in a lifetime lay more than a potential relationship," I shrug, hiding my true disappointment.
"Who knows, maybe you'll see him again," she giggles at her phone, thoroughly distracted now.
"If that fates demand it," I mumble, finishing off my drink in a single swig.
Classes begin today, starting off the spring semester. My day begins with Calculus, Satan's greatest creation. Bless first-day intros that lack any actual work. Next is ITE, the easiest class for someone using computers since they could read and write. Then the first day of classes ends with English, the most weirdly complicated college course besides science.
I walk in and take the first seat closest to the door. Dropping my bag on my desk I begin checking my messages before class begins. I respect the amount of money I spent on these classes not to get distracted by my mobile device. Don't respect that class, but the copious amounts of money spent to sit here and do nothing till I can go home and reteach it all to myself.
The class fills up till it's at compacity, normal for the first day. The teacher walks in shortly after we were scheduled to start, dropping his case on to his desk.
"Hello, hello. Welcome to English 111, I am Mr. Farfick," the teacher begins the class. I set down my phone, shoving it into my bag as I give my sole attention to Mr. Farfick. Our eyes meet immediately as he is already staring, stiff as a bored and white as a sheet. I feel to be in a similar fashion as my blood runs cold and a nervous chuckle wishes to leave my throat.
Hello, Mr. Best-One-Night-Stand-Ever.
The hour and a half are spent in thick tension. Everyone else seems oblivious to the teacher and I's strife. Tobias- Mr. Farfick is fidgeting as he hands out papers, avoiding all contact with me as I do the same. I can't bring myself to look to the teacher who spent hours last week between my legs. Like, how would any expect to look at this man and not have your first thought be him giving you bedroom eyes while eating you out? That's just evil.
2 o'clock couldn't come fast enough, me being the first to bolt out the room. I race to my car, flustered all to hell as unwanted images of his o-face pops into my mind. It plays on repeat, evening morphing scenes to him at his desk doing the same. I can't drop it, I'm not 100% sure if I want to. I shake my head at the idea.
I have to change classes.
The next day I head to the offices to talk with a counselor about changing teachers. I sit in the waiting room longer than necessary till I'm called back. I jump, following the woman into her small box office.
'Hello, what can I help you with today," she asks, already clicking away on her computer.
"Uh, I was curious about other English 111 classes, the day isn't really working for me," I lie.
She nods," of course, let's see. We have a Tuesday and Thursday class at 11 am with Mr. Farfick, or Monday and Wednesday at 12:30 am with the same teacher."
I wince," no other teacher?"
She clicks away again, giving a sorrowful look," no, it appears he is the only available English teacher this semester. I can promise you that he has received nothing but praises from the previous student. He is a good teacher."
'also a good student', I think to myself.
"Alright, I trust you. I guess I'll have to keep it as is and figure it out myself. Thank you," I stand, heading out the office," have a good day."
"You too, bye," she smiles sweetly. I smile back, dropping it with a groan once out of sight. It seems I have no other options besides wasting a semester taking one class later. I have to deal with him.
Class the next day is equally tense as the one before. He ignores me altogether, not even looking to my side of the room as he speaks to the class. I can't blame him, even though it stings a bit. Right now I can't stare at him too long or saucy images pop into my head. Instead of paying attention, I come up with a plan of attack.
The obvious option is to talk to him, getting all out in the open. We were two consenting adults, there was nothing wrong with what we did. He wasn't my teacher and I wasn't his student, if anything it was the other way around. His pleased grin as he watches me cum on his fingers comes to mind. I shake my head from the thought.
2 o'clock comes around, startling me from my thoughts. I watch as the class heads out, leaving me to slowly pack as to stall. As the last student walks out I make my move. I stand before Tobias-Mr. Farfick-, startling him when he looks up.
"H-hello," he greets. It's kind of cute to see him so flustered.
"We should talk," I get straight to the point. He drops his shoulders, sighing as he looks around. He stands from his desk, grabbing his bag as he heads to the door.
"Let's talk in my office then," he leaves me to follow.
We walk up to the teacher's offices, stopping by one as he unlocks the door. He waves me inside, shutting it behind himself as he lounges against it. I look around his station, stalling a bit as I admire his knickknacks and pictures.
"Nice office," I say.
"Thanks," he answers. I glance over at the couch against the wall.
"You have a couch," I say casually," that's neat."
"Yea, I sometimes sleep here when I need it," he answers.
The silence is deafening as small talk falls flat. I sigh, knowing avoiding this won't do us any good.
"About, uh, last week. We don't need to let that affect our school relationship. I won't bring it up if you don't and we can just pretend it didn't happen," I offer.
He jumps from the door," right! I'm sorry I've been so skittish in class, this kind of thing has never happened before and I really didn't know what to do."
"yea, can't say that I've run into this issue before either," I joke with a dry laugh.
The silence comes back just as strong, suffocating me as I try to think of anything to say. I kick my shoe against his carpet, cleaning off a bit of dirt. With a huff, I look back at him.
"Well, I guess that's it. I'm going to head out now," I point to the door," yep." I skirt past him, grabbing the handle. As I tug it open he speaks.
"Why did you leave in the middle of the night," he asks. I freeze, confused. I shut the door as I turn back to him.
"What?"
"Before, you snuck out before morning and I was really wondering why. I don't do the one-night stand thing often but when I have they normally stay for breakfast," he explains. I'm caught off guard by his genuine displeasure of me leaving that night. In my experience men generally don't want me around the next morning.
"You wanted me to stay for breakfast," I ask dumbfounded.
"well yea," he says like it was obvious," you were really fun at the bar and I wanted to try to get your number if you were up for that."
"You wanted my number?"
"of course. I thought the night was fun, even great, and going out for dinner sometime was something I wanted to do with you," he shrugs," but you clearly weren't up for that as you snuck out in the middle of the night."
I stare at him even more confused," you wanted to get dinner sometime?"
"Can you stop repeating what I've said," he snaps," you know what, never mind. I was just curious and for the next week I kept thinking, 'did I do something wrong' 'was the sex not that good'? It hardly matters now so excuse me for taking up your time. Feel free to see yourself out." he stomps out of the way, his hooves clomping on the floor. I continue to look at him dumbfounded, utterly conflicted at his confession. No man has ever wanted me to stick around.
His dejected face plucks at my heart as my emotions guide me forward. Without truly thinking I grab his tie and tugs him close, pressing my lips to his in a determined kiss. He jumps, not reacting as I pull away.
"If I'd known you wanted me to stay for breakfast I would have stayed. I would have love to give you my number. I honestly don't know if I would have agreed to dinner but my answer may have leaned towards yes, and you were the best sex I ever had," I ramble on, answering all his questions in one go.
It takes a moment for him to catch up, I give him a second to catch up. I fiddle with his tie, becoming nervous as he stares at me dazed.
"The best sex you ever had," he huffs with a smile.
"By a long shot," I smile wide. He grabs me and tugs me against his body as he steals a kiss. The taunt string that sat between us snaps as he backs me against his desk. He lifts me easily onto the tabletop, fitting himself between my legs. I run my hands through his hair, petting at his horns before tugging him closer.
Our tongues mix as we fiddle with one another's pants. I reach into his easily, finding his hard cock and pulling it out. He unbuttons my pants, tugging them hard down my legs. As I jerk him off he splits away from my lips, a string of saliva connecting us. I lick it away, grinning like a fool at his dazed face. I palm him, pleased to be reacquainted once more. With a groan he splits my legs farther, shoving my underwear to the side to pet at my cunt.
"So wet," he hums," I need you."
I squeeze his cock as I whisper in his ear," then take me, Professor." he rewards me with another moan, his head dropping to my shoulder as he shoos my hand away from his cock. He tugs me to the end of the desk, wrapping my legs around him as he thrusts in.
He whines," Divine.' I couldn't agree more.
He doesn't draw this out any longer, grabbing my hips and pumping into me. We both grunt and groan, keeping quiet despite the thumps of his thighs hitting the desk are louder than us. I hold on to him, already feeling the throbbing in my clit. Everything about this adds to the appeal. Fucking in his office where anyone can walk in. Fucking my teacher shortly after class. Fucking the sexy Satyr from last week. All together brings me towards my climax faster than normal.
Tobias grunts, stuttering in his movement. He begins panting, lazily kissing my shoulder. His hand snakes around from my hip to where we meet, beginning to rub at my clit with practiced ease. It seems he hasn't forgotten. I choke on a cry, burying my face against his neck as I tug on his tie and fist his hair.
"Please, please," I ramble under my breath. My body feels like fire as my coming climax starts to wash over me. I jerk into his next few thrust, wanting to worship his magic fingers. I cum with a surprised yelp, biting into my fist as my legs tremble around his hips. He grunts, his face pinching in agony as he bucks wildly. A few wavy moans leave his lips as he tosses his head back. I feel him cum, pulsing as he fills me. I shudder at the feeling, my nails digging into his hair.
He comes back to himself first, dropping his head so his hair obscures his face. With a large breath, he looks at me between his bangs. He smiles, getting me to smile back.
"Never disappoint, Annika," he praises. I nearly giggle like a girl at that.
"Not so bad yourself," I tug on his tie, pulling him into a kiss. We bask in the afterglow, feeling high as we lazily kiss. It isn't till someone knocks on his door does the reality of our situation sink in.
Quickly, he pulls out, tucking himself away as I right my underwear. He straightens his tie, fixing his hair as I hop off the desk to pull on my pants. I feel his cum dribble out, shivering in mild disgust at the feeling. I walk over to my bag swinging it over my shoulder as Tobias- Mr. Farfick- answers the door.
"Hello," an older woman greets," Do you have a moment?" she glances at me then back to him.
"Uh, yea," he jumps to attention," we finished our conversation, let me just see Mrs. Annika out."
The older woman walks in, stepping near his desk, as he guides me to the door. I step out into the hall, turning to him when I notice him lingering. He grabs the door and doorframe, leaning towards me to whisper in my ear.
"See you in class next week," he purrs. A blush curls up against my neck as I give an unsteady, 'ok'. He chuckles, warm and deep, before shutting the door.
I stare at the closed door for a moment, everything truly setting in now that I'm alone. A shiver of excitement rumbles around my body as I rush down the hall. I make it out of the building and to my car where I sit in silence to think about everything.
"He creampied me in his office," I say surprised," my teacher creampied me." I grab the steering wheel to steady myself, groaning in discomfort. "what the hell is wrong with me," I shout," nobody actually does this! I don't do things like this, I'm a semi-good person who definitely doesn't sleep with their fucking teacher!"
I try to scold myself, I really do, but it was all too good to be truly mad about it. Tobias is just… he is fantastic. I know if given the chance to sleep with him again I would take it, with no hesitations. Still, it's my teacher. Sure he is my teacher for just the semester and I met him before then, but should it be an issue? Will he get fired if someone knew? This isn't high school rules anymore, it's not illegal, but he could get fired.
"fuck," I thunk my head on the steering wheel," he better know what he's doing because I sure as hell don't."
I finally drive home, still going over what happened. The weekend comes and goes as I get the minimal homework I have done. When Monday comes I'm almost giddy at the aspect of having English today. Who knew the only way to get me excited over school was to fuck my teacher?
Calculus almost gets my mood down, almost. ITE continues to be the easiest class in existence. Finally, English 111.
Mr. Farfick is here on time, sitting on his computer and not paying anyone a bit of mind. I sit in my previous spot by the door, trying my damndest not to stare at him. We didn't decide if we were going to ignore what happened, the two cases of it. Are we pretending it didn't happen? Will it happen again? I nearly moaned at the idea of it happening again.
"Hello, hello," he greets," I hope you all had a lovely weekend and managed to get the one assignment I gave you done." he looks out to the class, not avoiding me but not paying attention. Are we pretending it never happened? A few people groan out a droll yes as we all get out our assignment.
He walks the room, picking them up at the end of each row. As he passes mine he stops.
"Did you do your homework," he asks casually. I hand him the stack with a nod. He mumbles loud enough for me," Good girl," and walks on. I choke on my breath, gulping hard as I try not to smile like a fool.
Guess we aren't ignoring anything.
Class is filled with subtle glances and double meaning remarks. It's hard to not give him flirty looks and twirl my hair like some freshman. I try to keep it professional while playing along. Class ends and I stall putting my things away. As the last student leaves, I walk up to his desk.
"Afternoon, Annika," he smiles to himself as he works on his computer," do you need something?"
"Besides you," I shrug, resting my hip next to his desk," maybe."
He looks up with a pleased grin," you need me? Should I be so tempted?"
"Not yet, I have some questions," I say with a bit more seriousness. He sobers a bit, leaning forward on crossed arms.
"What can I help you with, Annika," he asks. His genuine want to help shines through as he focuses solely on me. It makes me stutter a little, my heartwarming up more to him.
"two things," I start," what's happening here, and will we get in trouble for it?" it's best to cut to the chase with this.
He smiles again," worried, Annika?"
"About my degree, yes," I answer honestly.
He drops his chin to his desk," you won't get in trouble, I might, but it's mostly surface-level disciplinary actions like time off and pay cut."
"Are you so willing to lose money because of a fling," I ask, a little angry at his lack of self-preservation.
"A fling," he cocks a brow," would I be too bold to want more than that?"
I recoil at him, not put off but surprised. "You want a relationship or something," I ask.
He nods," I told you I liked you, Annika, and I'd like to see where this goes. Of course, I'm not going to force you but if I want something I generally go for it. To let a few weeks decide if I should drop all feelings for you or not seems rather stupid. I won't be your teacher for long, and you won't be my student for long. So why stall just so we don't feel weird about it?"
I watch him, a bit lost in thought. I mean, he has a point. As long as I don't get in trouble and he doesn't care about getting in trouble then what's the issue? Still, it begs the question of 'am I interested in being in a relationship with him?'. I look at his eager face, seeing the dorky man that lies within. He is excited and I think I feel that too.
"ok," I shrug.
"Ok?"
"ok, as in yes or sure. Generally another word for affirmation," I explain as I reach into my bag, ripping a small piece of paper out.
He watches eagerly," I know what that means, but what are you affirming?"
I write my number on the paper, handing it to him," to going out. Now I have to leave, feel free to write."
I walk out with a cute little wave. He looks from me to the paper, smiling wide as he gets his phone out. I walk out of the building with a pep in my step.
He calls later that day, to my surprise. I answer the unsaved number knowing fully well who it is.
"Hello, hello," I mimic his class greetings.
"evening, Annika, hope I'm not calling at a bad time," his voice purrs through the speaker. I lounge back in my bed, pinching the phone between my ear and shoulder.
"Of course not, I was just doing some boring English homework," I tease.
"Boring? How rude of the teacher to give out such lame assignments then," he answers. I snort, shaking my head.
"It's fine, he's pretty cute so he can get away with keeping English boring," I joke.
"We will get back to the cute part, you don't like English?"
I grab the paper on the bed, looking it over," it's not my favorite, I tolerate it. Perhaps I just need proper motivation."
"What kind of motivation?"
I hum," not sure, some positive reinforcement wouldn't hurt."
"like perhaps an evening with your 'cute' professor," he asks, his voice low and sultry. I nibble on my lip, feeling giddy.
"Wouldn't hurt," I bite back a smile," I heard he is really good in bed."
"Is that right? I don't think he would mind giving up some of his free time to keep you motivated to pass," he says.
"you would know?"
"of course, I'm really close with him," he drops his game, speaking without the erotic purr," can we stop pretending I'm not him, I'm getting hard and I wanted to have an actual conversation with you."
I bark out a laugh," you're hard? I didn't even do anything."
He snorts," oh, you did plenty. I could barely sit in class today without thinking about bending you over my desk. See your cute little pussy soaked and spread for my enjoyment."
"that's so cruel, how am I to sit in class now knowing what your thinking. Every time you walk by I just wanna grab your horns and drag you to you're knees to get you to work on getting this 'little pussy' ready for your enjoyment," I tease back. I hear a faint groan from him as if he pulled the phone away.
"Stop, I wanted to be a gentleman and ask you how your day was," he scolds.
"well it's better now, only if you were here to deal with this throbbing between my legs it would be amazing," I grin as he groans again.
"Naughty, naughty," he tsks," tell me about your day and we can decide tomorrow how to deal with you in my office."
"Promise," I ask.
"Promise," he says firmly.
We actually manage to talk about something other than sex. I talk about my day, as does he, and go on about my degree. It's sweet how attentive he is throughout, adding feedback about class courses and teacher drama. The entire time we talk I can't wipe the smile off my face.
The next day in his office is…eventful.
"Fuck," he moans near my ear. He pounds into me against his bookshelf, the shelves hitting uncomfortably against my back. I can't bother to care as his finger rubs my clit and his cock pumps into me. Small wails leave my lips, leading him to cover my mouth with his own. Our cries of pleasure mix, his hips adding the beat to our music of the body.
"Please," I beg against his lips.
"I got you," he mumbles. I grapple at his shoulders, squeezing him closer with my legs and grinding into his thrusts. He grabs my hands from around him, pinning them on the shelf with our fingers clasped together. He kisses me, swallowing my groans as I fall apart.
"T-Tobias," I shutter.
"Annika," he echoes back, squeezing my hand as his face pinches. His cum floods me once again, painting my insides with his seed. We rest against each other, breathing heavily in the silent room. Tobias rocks his hips slowly, leaning down to press sweet kisses to my cheek and neck.
"So beautiful," he whispers," I could stay like this forever."
I smile lazily," yea, I could to-" I'm interrupted by a knock at the door.
"Mr. Farfick," a younger voice calls out. Their silhouette is partially seen through the frosted glass.
"Shit," Tobias- Mr. Farfick- curses. He pulls out, setting me down gently on my feet. I watch him fumble with his clothes, tucking himself away and rebuttoning his shirt. He is quite the sight as I slowly fix my clothes.
"Seem a bit flustered there," I tease.
He looks to me a bit panicked as he fixes his tie," well yea, there is a student at my door."
"Mr. Farfick," they call again.
"Just a moment," he answers back.
I button my shorts as a mischievous smile curls my lips," I thought you didn't mind getting caught."
"No, I said it's not a big deal if I get caught, but I rather not if I can help it," he corrects. I stand at the bookshelf with my shirt still undone and bra unhooked. With him all proper and straight he looks to me, his eyes drop to my breast before he looks back to me.
He squints as he walks over and begins to right my clothes," Don't be evil right now."
I tug his tie and brings him in for a kiss," who says I'm being evil."
He closes his eye in frustration, growling low in his throat," be a good girl and go sit down by the desk."
"Ok, Mr. Farfick," I purr, kissing his cheek before I sit back down. He huffs, walking over to the door. Before he opens it he throws me a warning look.
"Sorry, I was speaking with another student. What do you need," he asks the tall lad before him. I don't bother paying attention, looking around his room, and thinking back on moments ago.
I don't hear him shut the door or walk over till he grabs my hair and slowly guides my head back. He scowls down at me, pulling my hair a little tighter
"Something wrong," I ask casually.
"You, young lady, are in big trouble," he twists my chair and frames me with his arms. I grab his tie again, pulling him closer.
"what? Little old me," I mock innocence. He rolls his eyes, letting me tug him in for a kiss.
The semester is a lot more fun than I anticipated. We have fewer moments in his office after the last incident with the student. But we make up for it at his place on the weekends. English becomes a lot more fun when every good grade is rewarded with gratuitous sex.
At the final week of class, I lay in Tobias' bed, snuggled up in his arms after another study session. I pet my foot up his hairy legs, relishing in the softness of his fur. He opens his eyes, a lazy smile decorating his face.
"Hi," I whisper.
"Hello," he shuts his eyes back, pulling me closer.
"Finals are next week, imma be a bit too busy to come over," I say quietly, not wanting to break the peace of the room.
He hums, answering in his gravelly voice," you sure you don't want some help studying?"
"I actually need to study," I answer," we do a lot less studying when together."
He gropes at my ass," I don't know what you mean, I think we did a lot of studying tonight."
I snort," yea if I was taking anatomy." he chuckles, snuggling his face against my chest. I pet at his hair, pushing it off his forehead and around his horns.
"I wanna make a deal if I have to spend a week without you," he grumbles from between my breast.
"What kind of deal," I scratch the back of his head. He hums, rubbing his cheeks against my boob.
"Pass all your exams and I'll take you out to dinner as a reward. Nothing cheap, but a genuine date," he looks up at me as he speaks. We haven't gone out before, deciding against it for reasons. The fact that he wants to almost knocks the breath from me. A part of me always saw this as a fling, even though he hasn't validated that thought. We talk, often, but sex is a given anytime we're in the same room. It's nice to be properly taken out, shown off without the threat of consequences.
"And if I fail," I ask instead of answering. He cocks a brow, rising and crawling over me. I pet at his chest, smiling at where this was going. He leans down, kissing under my jaw.
He whispers," let's just say, I suggest you don't." I can't stop the girlish giggle that leaves my mouth, relishing in the love bites being littered across my neck.
The next week is rather torturous. I nearly call Tobias just to get an excuse to stop doing study packets. I hold strong, keeping distractions to a minimum. For some reason, I really wanna get the best grade I can, perhaps to have something to be proud of when I show Tobias. I fluster at the idea that I want to impress him.
Exams are torturous, especially in Calculus. The ITE exam was a joke, only one or two questions being confusing. English wasn't hard but trying to focus with Tobias just a few feet away was its own form of torture. When he walked around the room I nearly covered my answers in pure nervousness. The one time I catch his eyes, he gives a sweet motivating smile. I keep that with me as I turn in the test and walk out.
I don't see Tobias till grades are posted, wanting to give him whatever news I have the second I know. I skip to his house, feeling giddy as I knock on his door. I bounce on my toes, waiting for him to answer as I pinch my phone in my hand. The door opens and I nearly shove the phone in his face with my excitement.
"I passed them all," I cheer. He takes the phone from me, checking it over.
"Got a C in calculus," he tries to scold, a smile still tugging on the corners of his mouth.
I roll my eyes," C's get degrees, you try taking that class."
"You're right, I can't talk, I failed calculus in high school," he sets my phone on the table by the door and picks me up. I wrap my legs around his waist, hugging him as we walk inside.
"So dinner this weekend," I ask, bouncing in his hold.
"Well, since you were such a good girl. I guess," he jokes," but first, I've missed you." he carries me over to his bedroom, dropping me on the bed before crawling over me. I drag him down for a kiss, smiling like a fool the entire time.
"Proud of you," he says between kisses," you did very well."
"it's because I had a good teacher," I tease. He snorts, working on removing my clothes as I work on his.
I do hope the sex isn't different now that he isn't my teacher. He makes me swallow those words that night.
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the-witty-pen-name · 3 years
Text
Can’t Help Falling in Love
Loki x Reader (Gender Neutral)
Summary: When Loki learns the traditions of Valentine’s Day, he asks you to be his Valentine- and reluctantly takes advice from Steve Rogers. 
Warnings: none; just fluff
Word Count: 2.9k
A/N: Thank you to @squadleaderchase​ for the suggestion! This was so fun to write!
Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!
I recommend listening to Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley towards the end of this imagine!  
There is also a female reader version of this fic, available here!
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“Can’t Midgardians have a holiday that doesn’t involve such a grotesque display of… red?” Loki asks walking into the living room of the Avengers compound. Loki arrived at the compound a few weeks before Christmas and so far, he’s experienced two Earth holidays: Christmas and New Year’s. Of course, Tony had picked the theme for both parties to be elaborately red and gold- he claimed the fact that it matched his suit was merely a coincidence.
“Just wait until next month,” you reply casually, your eyes not leaving the brief you were reading while you sat cozied up in one of the large armchairs. “I think you’ll like St. Patrick’s Day much more… color scheme wise at least.”
Loki looked up curiously at the hearts of all shades of red and pink Natasha had hung up to decorate the Avengers’ living quarters. She had gone to visit Clint’s family and his kids spent hours making Valentines and decorations out of construction paper and glitter. Loki looked almost puzzled at the lopsided hearts that hung from the ceiling on transparent line so they looked like they floated mid-air.
“Perhaps I might,” he mumbled to himself, the lovesick aura of his surroundings making him slightly disgusted. “Though I suppose I find your rituals as bizarre as you’d find on Asgard.”
“Mhmm,” you mumbled in response to his thinking out loud. It was rare that the compound would be this quiet. It was a Friday evening and in the middle of a team meeting earlier today, Tony declared exhaustedly that everyone needs to start the weekend early and dismissed everyone despite Steve’s protests. You weren’t sure where everyone else went and you didn’t particularly care- enjoying the rare peace and quiet.
You didn’t mind Loki’s company. He was a little aloof but overall, you found him more to be misunderstood than anything else. He wasn’t like Thor and sure, he had a very trouble ridden past to downplay it- but he’s confided in you all it wasn’t entirely his doing. Out of everyone living at the compound, he probably had grown the closest to you, or as close as Loki would allow himself to be to someone.
“What even is this holiday?” Loki asked, pulling his attention from the decorations to where you sat, binder in your lap. You looked up and closed the brief, tossing it onto the coffee table in front of where you sat.
“Sunday is Valentine’s Day,” you say looking back over to him, meeting his eyes. “I mean overtime the traditions and how we celebrate have changed but it’s originally the day meant to honor St. Valentine and commemorate his death. There’s a lot more to it than that and there’s all different of different origins, but now it’s more like a day where you celebrate love, because he was the patron Saint of Love.”
Loki nods, liking the idea of this holiday much more than New Years already. He didn’t mind Christmas, but the elaborate parties made everything not very appealing to him. You can’t blame the god for not having a good time at parties where every guest fears him or hates him. He walks over and takes a seat on the couch and crosses his legs. He was intrigued enough to continue the conversation and ask you more questions. “What are the traditions?” He asks curiously.
“Traditionally, you would ask someone to be your Valentine, and that’s the person you want to spend the day with,” you answer with a small shrug, trying to explain a holiday you’ve never had to explain before. “Some people have it easy and they ask their significant other, and if you don’t have one, you ask someone you’re romantically interested in to be your Valentine. Then you give each other gifts, like chocolates or flowers, anything really that’s romantic and you go out on a date, like a nice dinner but it doesn’t have to be. That’s the basic gist.”
“Thank you, (y/n),” Loki said, mulling over your explanation. “You’ve been helpful, as always. Tell me, who’s your Valentine?”
“I don’t have one,” you answered honestly. The only time you really celebrated was when you had been with someone. You’d never really participated otherwise. You planned to just spend the night alone or with Nat if she also didn’t have plans and probably watch a movie- most definitely Pride and Prejudice.
“Shame,” Loki said with a tsk. “Perhaps, if you would be interested, you could be my Valentine?”
“Really?” you ask, honestly surprised.
“I actually like the idea of the day,” Loki shrugged. “And I don’t know many people, people seem to hate me on this planet- no idea as to why. You’ve always been kind to me, and you are the most tolerable person I’ve encountered on this planet.”
“That’s oddly very kind of you,” you say with a chuckle. “I appreciate the sentiments. Um, yes. I’d be happy to be your Valentine.”
“Excellent,” he grinned. He clapped his hands together and stood up. “Splendid. I’ll ask Thor to help me plan something.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” you smile, picking up your paperwork again as Loki heads off to find his brother.
***
“Brother,” Thor’s voice echoed in the training room. “Spar with me?”
“As much as I would love to,” Loki said sarcastically, “I need your help with something I need to plan.” Loki walked over to the side of the mat where Thor had been training with Captain Rogers.
“Plan what?” Captain Rogers asked curiously. It was an innocent enough question but Loki took it as Rogers insinuating his distrust in him. Of course, Loki can’t blame the man but it did rub him the wrong way.
“If you must know Captain Rogers, I’m making plans for this upcoming Valentine’s Day,” Loki said matter-of-factly. “I’m sure since you have quite the active love life recently, your words of wisdom are probably of infinite value.”
“You can learn a thing or two from me,” Steve retorted as he put the punching bag beck into place. “But I don’t like your attitude.”
“I don’t know how I’ll ever manage without you,” Loki scoffed. He turned his attention back to his brother. “I need help to determine where I should take (y/n) and what I should get for a present.”
“(y/n) agreed to this?” Thor asks, his eyebrows raised in confusion. Rogers kept his mouth shut, deciding to see where this conversation will go before
“Yes, brother. I asked (y/n) to be my Valentine as stated by tradition and they said yes.”
“Ah! Good for you, brother!” Thor exclaimed, happily. “I’m glad you’re immersing yourself in the Midgard culture.”
“Yes, yes,” Loki waved him off, “Now, please, tell me what I should do.”
“I’ve never celebrated Valentine’s Day,” Thor says with a shrug and a sympathetic look. “I haven’t had much opportunity to explore the culture. Every time I’m on this planet I’m a little busy preventing its destruction. Perhaps Rogers can help you?”
Loki let out an exasperated sigh. He avoided Rogers as he knew the man had such a smug look on his face. Loki refused to give him the satisfaction. However, he realized that wouldn’t be fair to you. Rogers not only knew what to do, but he was also close friends with you. He quickly realized if he wanted to celebrate with you properly, he’d need to rely on the infamous super soldier.
“Captain Rogers,” Loki said with a charismatic smile, turning back to the man. “I wholeheartedly apologize for my lack of… social niceties. If you’d be willing to help me, to ensure your dear friend enjoys the holiday, I would be sincerely grateful.”
“Only because of (y/n),” Rogers says skeptically, waving a finger at Loki. “They deserve to enjoy their time and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I let you screw up their evening.”
“What a loyal friend.”
Years later, the Avengers would still talk about the fact Loki cared about you so much, he sought out advice from Captain America and Thor. And as Captain America said, he helped Loki with every last detail and Steve never let Loki forget it.
***
Loki had told you that he’d come to your room to get you at 6 o’clock Sunday evening. He wore clothes he had picked out, black dress pants, a white button-down shirt and shiny, black dress shoes. He had kept the last button of the shirt unbuttoned and he had rolled the sleeves up, a styling tip he had gotten from Thor. He had his long hair gelled back and tamed, ignoring Captain Roger’s horrible suggestion for a haircut. He felt very weird not wearing any green, but he took the advice he was given on his ensemble.
You were just putting on your shoes when he knocked at your door Sunday promptly at 6pm. Of course, Loki would be very punctual. You gave yourself one more quick once more in the mirror in your room before heading to answer the door.
You kept your appearance simple, sticking to how you usually styled your hair. Not wanting to keep him waiting, you quickly opened the door, your jacket in hand.
“Wow,” you say with a grin, when you take in Loki’s appearance. “You look very nice.”
“You look stunning,” Loki said, his eyes widening, taking in your appearance. The compliment made you have butterflies.
“Thank you,” you said with false confidence. Underneath, you were a nervous wreck as you took the arm that he extended to you.
“So,” Loki began to walk down the hallway with you. “Apparently, this planet has something called reservations, and anyone who tries to get one a few days before Valentine’s Day is a “moron,” according to a very rude young man I had the pleasure of speaking with- the first time using a phone too on top of that. So, I hope you don’t mind if the evening is a little… makeshift.”
“I’m sure it’ll be great,” you reassure him. You feel him relax slightly. You found how hard he was trying so endearing.
Where else did he bring you but just down the hall to the living room. At night with the lights dimmed, combined with Natasha’s homemade decorations, it actually looked quite beautiful. He had decorated with an eclectic array of candles as well that covered most surfaces of the room. It also looked like he had swiped every throw pillow in the whole compound and had them arranged the coffee table in the center of the room.
“Did you do all of this?” You ask in awe.
“Yes,” he replied, just watching you. “Do you like it?”
“It’s perfect.”
“I had to make my own version of advice I received,” he disclosed to you. You sat opposite each other on either side of the coffee table, you kicked off your heels and he did the same with his shoes. “Captain Rogers said- and I’m trying my best to quote verbatim, ‘You need to show a special someone a good time if you care about ‘em . You gotta take ‘em to dinner and dancing.’” He even mimicked Steve’s voice perfectly. It made you laugh.
“I can’t believe you subjected yourself to Steve for me, I’m touched,” you smiled. “I mean I love Steve,” you continue, “But I can’t imagine you too being best friends anytime soon.”
“No, I suppose we probably won’t be,” Loki chuckles.
“I hate to point it out,” you continue, “but I think you missed both the dinner part and the dancing part of that plan.” Loki smirked and when you blinked, he transformed the whole room.
“Did I?” he asks, with an eyebrow raised. You gasp, looking around the room you were now in. You knew it was an illusion, but it felt very real. The atmosphere, the breeze coming in from the large bay windows that weren’t there before. The coffee table now a table now one of many dining tables in an incredibly high-end restaurant. The table had food, and a bottle of wine. You were stunned. There was a live band and other couples in other tables and out on the dancefloor.
“Loki?” You exclaimed, looking around at your new surroundings. It was amazing. You couldn’t believe the magic right before your eyes. Of course, you knew it was just one of his tricks, but it felt so incredibly real. You picked up your fork and took a bite of the food in front of you. It was incredible, you questioned if you were even eating.
“It’s real,” Loki said, like he could read your mind. Honestly, he had only just anticipated your next question. “I made it. Well, I made it with Friday’s supervision.”
“It’s fantastic! I can’t believe you went through all this trouble just for me.”
“Sweetheart, you are very much worth it- worth much more than this,” he responded casually, throwing in the term of endearment to see how you’d react. He caught the way it made you smile.
You continued to talk for a little while, and shared stories. You were worried that compared to his life on Asgard, he’d find your stories incredibly boring and mundane. It seemed to be the opposite. His attention was only on you and he held on to every word you said. He created this elaborate setting just to keep you the center of his attention.
“Should we dance?” He asks suddenly, a glimmer in his eye. You looked down apprehensively.
“I’m not really a dancer,” you tried to insist.
“Do you actually not want to dance, darling? Because if so, I will not bring it up again,” he says earnestly, “But, if you’re saying no because you’re afraid I’m going to judge you, I honestly can promise you I would never dream of doing so.”
You give it another moment to ponder over his words. You were taken aback at how well he seemed to know how you were thinking. You let out a sigh of defeat, and smile. “I’d love to,” you reply.
He stands up and offers you his hand. His smile is enough to make you weak at the knees. You take his hand and he leads you over to the dancefloor as the band starts playing its next song. “Does that singer sound like Elvis?” You ask, the small glitch in the illusion throwing you off for only a moment.
“I don’t know who that is,” Loki says with a laugh. He pulls you in close and rests one hand on the small of your back and the other grasps your hand close. You wrap your other arm around his shoulder. You are both pressed up incredibly close to one another. You rest your head on his chest comfortably, and you can’t see how much the action makes his whole face go red. Guiding your movements together, it mostly just swaying in place. The steps were small, and with the music playing for the two of you.
“This place is incredible,” you sigh happily looking up at him. “But I think I liked the first place a little better.”
He nodded in agreement and you got to watch a green hue encompass the walls of the restaurant as they almost melted away, and everything around the two of you just fade away. The sconces on the walls, revealed themselves to be the candles that cluttered the living room and the couples evaporated with the green mist. The table you had both sat at, turned back to the coffee table but the empty plates remained. The elaborate statues that surrounded the room turned into the furniture you knew well, and then the live band faded away to reveal Steve’s record player indeed playing a 45 of Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley.
When the room finished revealing its true appearance to you, you laid your head back on Loki’s chest and mumbled that now it was perfect. He smiled to himself, thinking about how without a doubt in his mind, Valentine’s Day is his absolute favorite holiday on Midgard. He now couldn’t believe this reality was real. If he wasn’t holding you, he’d pinch himself. You were here, with him, in his arms, dancing in the middle of the living room on this godforsaken planet.
“(y/n)?” he whispered softly as the song was coming to an end.
“Mhmm?” You responded, your eyes closed, really just basking in the feeling of being so close to him and the smell of his cologne.
“Will be mine?” He asks carefully, remembering the phrase from Captain Roger’s advice. That phrase apparently being very important if today went well and he wanted to ask you to “go steady.” You chuckled softly, hearing Steve’s influence in the phrase.
“I would love to,” you say with a shy smile looking back up to him. He beams, incredibly happy you said yes. Swept up in his emotions, he swiftly leans down and presses his lips to yours capturing them in a passionate first kiss.
“Oh gross!” You hear someone exclaim, making you both pull away. It’s Tony- who was currently holding his side in pain as Pepper elbowed him in the side.
“You really had to do that?” she chastised him, rolling her eyes and giving an apologetic look to you and Loki before pushing Tony down the hallway to give you both your moment back, as sullied as it had become thanks to Tony.
“I never gave Rock of Ages permission to be… lovey dovey in my building! (y/n) you can do so much better than that greaseball!”
“I’m so sorry,” she said embarrassed by his outburst, ushering him out as quickly as possible.
Loki turns his head back to you, immediately after they are out of view. “Where were we, darling?” He smirks, pulling you in for another kiss.
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