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thiefoflight68 · 1 year

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I Will Always Love You

Snippet of my latest Long FanFic

A fun Bakusquad/Bakudeku/OjiroxShinso story about a rock band and their antics, troubled past and new romances.

Phone buzzing, Izuku stopped pulling it from his pocket, “hey guys, it’s my uncle,” he ran catching up to the group. “I gotta take this.”

“We’ll be in this store here, come find us when you’re done.” Shinso started towards the door, seeing Katsuki follow Midoriya, he grabbed his arm. “He’s fucking fine for ten minutes.”

“Let the fuck go, you’ve been dragging me out shopping for a fucking month, I’m done.”

“No, you’re done when we find what we need. Fuck, come on, I have some new ideas for us.” Tugging him through the door, he shot a look back to Izuku, he was sitting at a small table by the front door. “See he’s right there.”

“Make it fucking quick,” Katsuki clicked his tongue, watching as Kiri and Sero were already pulling clothes off the rack.

“Fuck, I love thrift shops,” Sero pulled a leather cowboy hat off a shelf, “whaddya think Yuga?” Putting it on, he spun around for him.

“Get that,” Yuga pulled it off his head, putting it on his own.

“Oh yeah, fuck, we gotta get that,” Sero’s eyes wide, his man looked outrageously sexy.

“Here, try this on,” Shinso handed Katsuki a shirt and vest combo.

“What the fuck is this shit, I’m good.” He pushed it back to him.

“Just go fucking try it on already, ten fucking minutes, the band, remember us? Ten damn minutes.” Shinso’s face was bright red.

“I fucking remember you, but this is stupid.”

“Fine,” Shinso leered at Katsuki, thrusting his hips up against his body as he squeezed his firm ass. “Go ahead and cuddle up to that sweet hole that you can’t have. Get me that much closer to landing this one.”

“You’re getting really close to dying Freak, I’m not fucking kidding.” Ripping the clothes out his hand, Katsuki stalked to the fitting rooms in the back.

Digging through the next rack, Shinso could feel eyes on him, he spun around. “I know you’re my bodyguard, but could you fucking guard me by standing outside?”

“You’ve been pushing him hard Toshi, especially in the concerts, he’s gonna snap on you.”

“What the fuck do you know driver? I’ve known him since he was a pup, believe me I know how far to go with him.” Purple eyes gleamed, “talk about someone bending to a strong hand.”

“Bakugou?” Ojiro shook his head, “never, other way around, he needs a soft touch.”

“What are you? Some fucking psycho analytical doctor or something?” He glared at him. Turning back to the clothes on the rack , he tried to focus on what he was looking for, he felt him move closer. Shinso clenched his jaw, the fucker had pulled back from him so fast it’d made his head spin. He’d warned him, so it hadn’t been a shock, or so he thought, but the fucking whirlwind of emotions that had been cascading through his mind since that day had been a huge surprise. It really pissed him off.

“I know people, always have and right now I can see you’re angry, fucking going 100 miles an hour to destruction.”

“Well that happens when someone fucks around with me.” Shinso turned on his heel to move to the next rack, Ojiro’s hand gripped his arm stopping him.

“I didn’t fuck around with you, I stepped outta line for about two seconds, but if you recall I was clear about everything after that. This is my damn job.” Ojiro’s nostrils flared, his mouth set, “my fucking life.”

“So do your job and go outside and guard me, leave me alone. I’ll follow your rules and won’t be a dick to anyone in this store, except for Bakugou.”

“And me.”

Flashing him a fake smile, he smiled sarcastically, “and you.” He heard him breathe out heavily before heading to the door, the store beeper going off as he stepped outside. Squeezing the cloth of the shirt in his hand tightly, Shinso closed his eyes. He hated that the asshole never got irritated, that he couldn’t push him like Katsuki. He hated that he was so fucking close all the time, but mostly he hated that he couldn’t be with him.

“Hey Shinso, what about these boots? Check ‘em out!” Kiri pulled down some purple boots, “they look like Daphne boots!” He laughed running over to him.

“Fuck you Kiri,” he tried to shake himself from his thoughts. Looking at the purple boots, he blinked, “shit those are nice, what size are they?”

Taking his uncle’s call Izuku found a spot by a coffee shop next to the store they’d entered. The entire street was lined with strange shops, he spotted at least four thrift shops, a smoke shop and what appeared to be a men’s lingerie shop.

“Midoriya.”

“Hey Mr. Aizawa, what’s up?”

“Not good news, they blocked our first try, minors are protected like crazy in this industry, so we’re going back showing that Eighth is doing the same thing.”

“Oh, okay, any news on the release of the promo?”

“No, but someone leaked this morning that the tour is starting in three months, my guess it will be soon, probably in the next few weeks.”

“Meantime Eri just sits and waits.”

“At least she’s back in school now, something to do.”

“I guess,” Izuku frowned, he felt like Eri was being strung along, “I’m sure she’s not happy though,” his voice irked, he picked at the wooden table with his nail.

“I’m doing what I can!” Shota shot back. “Go read the contract yourself,” he snarled, “I left you a damn copy.”

“Sorry,” Izuku murmured, “I know you’re trying.”

“Look, this is going to be tough and it may never happen. She could be stuck in that shitty contract. The only other breach clause is defamation of character, that can be tough, I’ve never seen anyone go down for that.”

“Defamation?”

“To do something that ruins your image to the point of making no money, or fans leaving you. Usually with stars its the other way around, most fans go nuts over stars being stupid. The P.V.’s don’t even have it in their contract, hell, I want them to go around and fuck with stuff, gets them on the news.”

“Oh, yeah.”

Shota tapped his fingers on his desk, he could hear the disappointment in his nephew’s voice, he leaned back in his chair. “At least the P.V.'s are doing well, that video, nice job, looks like it made the top ten today.” He clicked on a webpage plastered with The Pointless Vandals, it seemed like they were everywhere now. “I also like the interview you did live with Todoroki, it’s been picked up by several international music outlets.”

“Really?” Izuku was happy for Todoroki, he hadn’t been able to scoop him with Eri, so an exclusive interview around the new video had been his way of apologizing.

“Really, I just emailed you some stuff, I’ve got three different countries asking for them to tour.”

Sitting up straight Izuku looked into the store, he could only see Sero and Yuga, “international?”

“Yeah, good job, I always thought it was Midnight with the Lollipops but maybe it was you?”

“NO, no it was Midnight, I learned from her.” He heard his uncle chuckle softly.

“I like managers that don’t backstab either. Midoriya, when you get back, if you’re dead set on going home, I won’t stop you.” Shota hefted a sigh, “but damn, you’ve got something here. If you gotta fuck him, do it, but could you think about where this band could go with you?” The silence on the other end was deafening, he smiled, “Okay, sorry, you’re the one, the wedding fund is going into place. Think about it though, okay? Look at the email and let’s work on dates.” He hung up the phone. Spinning around in his chair, he stared at the huge poster of the idiots. How did this fucking shitty band turn it around so fast? Could it really be his bumbling nephew? Whatever the reason, they were starting to fill the hole the Lollipops had left behind.

Tucking his phone in his pocket, Izuku peered in the store, he didn’t see anyone. Ojiro was leaning on the wall by the entrance. “They still inside?”

“Yep.”

Glancing at the male lingerie shop, Izuku thought for a moment, “do you mind telling them I went to buy a shirt? Text me if you leave, there’s something I want to look at for a moment.” He blushed a deep red, “alone,” he added quietly.

“Sure,” Ojiro smiled, “this street’s got everything.”

“Yes it does,” Izuku smiled wistfully, crossing quickly with the light.

Ojiro laughed, Bakugou was one fucking lucky bastard. Manager and band member seemed to be working, but again, they were on tour, in close quarters, what about later? He hoped Midoriya was thinking this through. Walking to the small café he bought an iced coffee. He felt a pang as another rush of emotions hit him, fuck, was he going to regret not pursuing the purple brat? He’d been so close to taking the next step, teetering precariously. Seeing him with another person had laid him low. He couldn’t shake the image of his arm around her waist, fuck, not a moment went by where he didn’t think about him, what might’ve happened. What if Vlad hadn’t thrown him a fucking lifeline and reeled him back to safety? He was thankful, even if it did hurt like hell, at least he knew where he stood now. His own life was easy, not twisted and fucked up like his. He needed to stay impassive and cold, it was his specialty, they didn’t call him the machine for fucking nothing. Swirling his coffee cup, he drank, letting the bitter liquid soak on his tongue.

The shop was small, sandwiched between a thrift store and a shoe store, Izuku looked in the window at the display of sexy G-strings for men. Kacchan had liked his jocks, he’d worn the pairs he had, Izuku sighed, but nothing seemed to entice him to play with his ass. At first, he’d thought it was because of his inexperience but lately Kacchan seemed to avoid his butt altogether, focusing on masturbating in every way imaginable. Grabbing the door handle, he paused, everything they’d been doing together was incredible but he’d hoped for more. Biting his lip, he glanced back across the street, maybe Kacchan just needed a nudge, he went inside before anyone saw him.

“Hey.”

A soft voice in the back of the store caught Izuku’s attention, a man stood in front of a pile of multi-colored underwear, he was clipping tags on them. “Oh, hi.” Izuku stared at all the merchandise, eyes wide.

“Need something in particular?”

“Um, underwear?” Izuku looked at the wall of underwear and clothing that were for all kinds of fetishes.

“What are you into?”

“Nothing like this,” Izuku pointed to a leather outfit with chains. “I’m looking for something that would be similar to a jock, but,” his face burned a bright red.

“Sexier?” the man laughed, walking over to a rack. “These are great, some in different fabrics and colors.” He waved him over, “let me look at you.” Izuku walked over to him cautiously.

“Look at me?”

A smile cut across his face, “your ass, lemme see it, that way I can pick something out for you.”

“Oh,” Izuku's cheeks bloomed another shade redder, he turned around pulling his pants tight around his butt. The man whistled low. Izuku looked in the mirror at himself, “what?”

“Fucking Shangri-la that ass there.”

“Shangri-la? You mean the city from the book?”

“Yeah, imaginary, made up,” he looked at his backside again. “Your ass, it’s like a drawing or something, don’t see many like it, round at the top, but with a full smooth curve. If you ever need a job, you could be a model for underwear like these, every man in the world would buy this shit if it was on your ass.”

“Um, thank you?” Izuku wasn’t sure to be offended or flattered.

“I’m flatter, so I go with that style there.” He pointed to another pair of underwear, “gives a fuller look, but you,” he glanced at his ass again, “just need to frame that Mona Lisa.” Laughing at his own joke he dug through the styles. “Whoever gets to see this on you is one lucky man,” he winked.

“I guess.”

“You guess? Believe me, he’s very happy.”

“I suppose, not sure,” Izuku mumbled. The man held up two pairs from the rack, his eyebrows raised.

“That wasn’t a very confident answer.”

“I like that one,” Izuku pointed to a black pair that had a thick netting fabric. The back appeared to be circular.

“Good choice, want to try it on?”

“Can I?” The attendant handed it to him.

“Try this one too, I think he’d like it as well.”

Taking both garments, Izuku followed him to a small closet that had been turned into a fitting room. “Thanks, I’ll be right out.” He closed the door and began undressing.

“Are you trying to spice things up with these?” The clerk waited but there was no answer. “Sorry, if I’m being rude, I’ll leave you alone.” He wandered back to his pile.

Letting out a sigh of relief as he heard him head back to the counter, Izuku pulled on the first pair and the guy was right, they framed his butt perfectly. If this didn’t move their sexual games to his backside, he was ready to give up. Pulling his pants back on he approached the clerk, “do you have any like these in red?” He held up the pairs he had tried on.

“Yeah, we sure do, they looked good?” He laughed as he caught the mischievous glimmer in his green eyes. “It's fun to seduce your man, right?”

“It is, and you’re right, I’m trying to spice things up, well more like get things going.”

“Going? Is your man not into those sweet cheeks?

“He says he is,” Izuku leaned on the counter and sighed, “but he doesn’t do anything, you know, from behind, he wants to go slow.” He laughed harshly, “honestly I’m getting a little desperate.” Izuku closed his mouth shut, he’d just spilled his sexual frustrations to a complete stranger.

“Go slow, what do you mean?”

“Well, we only do things from the front, um” Izuku played with the underwear, “he never touches my butt, well except for a pat or squeeze.”

“Uh, sweetie your man, he’s not a bottom, is he?”

“A what?”

The clerk thinned his lips, “oh honey, let’s back up and start with you. From this underwear that you're buying I’m guessing you prefer to be the one getting, well not sure how to say this even delicately, getting it?”

“OH! Um, I think so, yeah,” Izuku blushed, “I tried a few things once and it seemed to be enjoyable.”

The shopkeeper looked at him closely, “sweetie have you even had sex?” The flame of red on his cheeks answered his question. Eyeing him, he moved to another display, “let’s back up another step. As one bottom to another, let me help you out. If your partner is a top, and,” He looked at him pointedly, “you need to figure that out right away.” Shaking his head, he looked back inside the display. “If he is a top, and you’re a virgin, what you need to do is prep. He’s right in that regard, you gotta go slow and get ready. These are the best we have.” He pointed to a shelf in the cabinet.

“What are they?” The entire shelf was filled with various toys, “oh, I’ve seen these before.” Another wave of red washed over him, Izuku touched his cheeks, he was never going to be any color but red in this store.

“This one,” he reached into the cabinet pulling out a box, “it’s soft, not thick and has a small end, you could go jogging with this thing in, I started with this one.” Leaning down he whispered wickedly, “wearing one now.”

“You are!” Izuku couldn’t help it, he stared at his ass. “Sorry,” his eyes darted back to the plug.

“Don’t be, it sounds like you don’t have anyone to talk to, I really don’t mind,” he held up his hands, “look where I work. I’m basically a sex therapist, just a whole lot cheaper.”

“I guess so, but how does this work?”

“It’ll soften you up, it’ll make it easier for him and then, well maybe he won’t be as worried about the first time.”

“You said I could jog in it?”

“Yeah, sure can, might make you cum though, so I wouldn’t go out very far,” He giggled, pushing two across towards him.

“Wait cum?”

“They’re supposed to make things feel good, if it doesn’t, then honey, don’t stick anything else in there.”

“Oh, okay,” Izuku laughed nervously. “Why two?”

“Work up, not sure how big your man is, this one is small,” he lifted the first box, “and this one is bigger,” he pointed to the second one. “You need to get as close to his size as possible.” He pointed to a row of dildos, “any of these look like him?”

“Uh,” Izuku studied all of the items in the cabinet, “these are all too small.”

“Fuck,” he blanched, “it’s always the big ones, huh?” Walking to a shelf he pulled down another box, “you can add this to the mix but this might be more challenging.” He handed him a larger dildo. He watched as his green eyes grew wide. “More his size?” He chuckled.

“Yes,” Izuku nodded, “this is much closer,” adding it to his pile, the attendant went quiet.

“Closer? Okay look, you need to start wearing one of these today, like now.” Reaching up he grabbed a tube of lube, “I’ll throw this in on the house.”

“Now?” Izuku squeaked.

“Sweetie, if he’s a top, who’s that big,” he pointed to the dildo, “and you show up wearing that underwear, you need to get things ready.” Ringing him up, he pointed to a small door. “Bathroom in the back, holler if you need help,” he smiled.

“Thanks, I think I can handle this, are you sure it’s okay?”

“Why do you think we have a bathroom?” He shooed him into the back.

“Where the fuck is he?” Katsuki looked up and down the sidewalk.

“He said he wanted to go into a store he saw, something about a shirt,” Ojiro kept his face straight.

“Fuck,” he glanced into the store, Sero was still paying for his hat and some clothes for Yuga. “Which way?”

“He said he’ll text us.”

“Why do I feel like you’re both up to something?” Katsuki clicked his tongue.

“What the fuck do I care if he buys a shitty shirt?” Throwing his now empty coffee container into the recycle bin, Ojiro stretched. “How many more places is he going to drag us to?”

“Fuck, I don’t know, he’s in a damn mood, could take him a while to blow off steam.”

“This really does it for him?”

“Yeah, but he’s worked up hard right now.” He raised a brow accusingly at Ojiro.

“Don’t look at me, I didn’t do anything.”

“Maybe that’s his problem.”

“I’m a damn driver asshole, not some fancy ass musician or manager, I live a different life, so leave me the fuck alone.” Pushing into the store, he walked to the counter where Sero was laughing with Yuga. “What’s next?”

Holding his bag tightly in his hands Izuku came back into the small shop, he’d given up trying to stop blushing, it was impossible. The clerk beamed at him.

“Well?”

“Uh, yeah, it all fits.”

“That’s good, by the way be careful.”

“Be what?” Izuku’s brows shot up.

“Your ass, it’s nice, but because of your shape it’ll move things around a little more than usual, so you might feel it faster than others, get my drift?”

“Move things? Okay, I think I understand.” Izuku sighed, what had he gotten himself into? “Thanks for your help,” he pushed the door open to leave.

“Oh! And if he turns out to be a bottom, just use the dildo on him.” The clerk called out laughing.

Izuku stared at him for a moment, the thought of using the dildo on Kacchan just about dropped him to the floor.

#bakudeku #bakugou x izuku #shinsou x ojiro #bakusquad #mha fanfiction #ao3 fanfic

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shutupanddance · 3 years

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hi hi!! could i request #7 on your prompt list for a josh lyman x reader?

i may have gotten the number mixed up but it’s the prompt like “i didn’t catch your name” “i didn’t throw it”…maybe they meet at some white house event or something and hit it off? sorry if that doesn’t make any sense haha

i love ur writing!!

Thank you!! And yes BABE I gotchu <3 Sorry for the delay!

tagging @girloncorneliastreet

Everyone knows that, at any Whitehouse event, Josh Lyman will be on the lookout for women. It’s a given.

So when he sees you standing across the room, looking stunning while sipping your drink alone, he makes a beeline to you.

He walks around the edge of the room, careful that you won’t see him yet. He creeps around slowly to your side, trying to make it look like he was just casually wandering by.

”You know, Mr. Lyman,” you say, twirling your drink with your back still to him, “if you wanted to say hello, you could’ve just introduced yourself up front like the rest of the civilized world.”

You take a sip of your drink, and Josh freezes for a moment. He shuffles his feet.

”I’m sorry, have we met?” He asks, and you can tell you’ve got him on the defensive.

You turn to face him now, and smile.

”We’ve never officially met,” you explain. “But I’m a friend of Amy’s.”

He tenses a little more at the mention of his ex. You laugh, and Josh is caught off guard by how beautiful your eyes look as they catch the light.

”Don’t worry, Amy and I aren’t that close. I won’t run you up a flagpole or anything.”

He chuckles, and you can see the tension dissolve from his shoulders as you joke. He steps forward a bit into your space, and offers his hand.

”In that case, want to dance?”

You had been warned by several women about Josh, but you never expected this level of audacity.

”Well, usually men give a little bow and ask a little more politely, but I’m bored, so I’ll stoop below my usual level.”

You swear he almost rolls his eyes when he scoffs, but he’s got a pretty dopey grin on his face, so you’d say you’re winning this so far.

He takes you out onto the dance floor, and you lean back a bit as you settle into the dance so you can see his face.

”Tell me, Mr. Lyman, what do you usually do about now when you get a girl on the dance floor?”

”It’s Josh, first of all. And I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

”Oh, come on!” You say, clicking your tongue at his raised eyebrows and feigned innocence. He caves.

”Well, usually I’d ask what a beautiful woman like you is doing alone at a party like this.”

”Cheesy, but women like a little cheesy.”

This time he really rolls his eyes.

”I’m here because I have nothing better to do,” you volunteer. “And you’re here because you work here. That was easy.”

”Well then,” he continues, “I’d twirl you around,” he does, “strategically, so you’d see a section of the Whitehouse that I happen to know something interesting about.”

”And you’d tell me about it.”

”Yes. For instance, through that door over there, you can see the Roosevelt room. Now, the Roosevelt room-“

”I’m gonna have to stop you there, cowboy. I work at the American History Museum. I was the first curator for the exhibit on the Whitehouse. You can’t tell me anything I don’t know.”

Josh takes that as a personal competition.

You spend two hours that night swapping facts about the Whitehouse, with Josh trying to find something you don’t know, laughing and teasing the whole time. The party is dissipating when he finally gives up.

”Okay, I yield. You’ve heard all my facts.”

You fake a yawn.

”Well then, Josh, I guess our time here is done. I can’t be bothered by boring men.”

You quickly wiggle out of the remaining mass of people, and it takes Josh a minute to regain his senses and realize he’s lost you. Smiling and ignoring your dancing companion shouting “hey!” and “wait!”, you continue to make your way through the party.

You make it to the door before you hear him say:

”I didn’t catch your name!”

You take a look over your shoulder, and once again, Josh is starstruck with the way the light dances in your eyes.

”I didn’t throw it!” You laugh, and disappear from sight.

For three days, the security guards at the Museum of American History really really hate Josh Lyman. He sneaks around the museum, during different employee shifts each time, searching for something. And the guards aren’t a fan. The Secret Service insists he’s harmless, but they’re still not too keen on him. So they call you in.

He’s staring at Dorothy’s ruby slippers when he hears a familiar voice behind him.

”Well, if it isn’t Josh Lyman. Fancy meeting you here.”

#josh lyman #josh lyman x reader #josh lyman imagine #the west wing #west wing imagine #the west wing reader insert #the west wing fanfiction #masterlist

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early2000smovieimagines · 3 years

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Jasper meeting his mate; a lost boys type of s/o, would include~

(Not my gif)(Requested by anonymous)

(Hope this is what you were looking for!)

- Denim, leather, vintage clothes; everything alternative. It was safe to say that you stuck out like a sore thumb in the small town of Forks and not particularly in the good way.

- You weren’t planning on moving to Forks nor were you even planning on sticking around for long; you’d just wanted to pass through. You were looking for something more ...crowded; a place that let you disappear in a mass of people and pick off poor party goers one by one.

- Turns out though, you’d stumbled into vampire territory and were about to embark on a very interesting part of your undead life.

- The Cullens are most likely the ones to approach you because they know their kind when they see them and want to warn you to stay away and not hunt there. And yeah, before meeting them, you were planning on passing through, but out of spite and the need to be a rebellious pain in the ass; you figure you’ll stay a while.

- So you park your ass in Forks and stay just on the border of their little eternal lives, smirking and taunting them whenever you can. To you, they started it and really, you’re only having fun.

- They don’t do much about you, mainly because they find it somewhat amusing and have dealt with far worse. As much of a bitch as you try to act like, you never actually hurt any of the residents of the rainy town, so who are they to start even more trouble and try to kick you out.

- We all saw how stand offish Jasper was to pretty much everyone. And after Maria, he’s especially wary of vampires who aren’t vegetarian which is most likely what really starts your rivalry.

- You think he’s an up tight weakling who needs to pull his head out of his ass and he thinks you’re a selfish bitch who has no decency or regard for human life.

- It seems that, for some odd reason, it’s always you and Jasper that find each other. You reason that it’s because he’s constantly going into the woods to have some air away from the people of Forks but you know that deep down, there’s this inexplicable pull that’s tugging you towards each other.

- And you enjoy lurking, popping out and taking him by surprise when he least expects it. The twinge of annoyance on his face whenever you arrive and the back and forth that you have amuses you and it amuses him as well; though he’ll never admit it.

- Teasing him is fun, mainly because of his reactions. He’ll say something like “easy there little lady” or “Didn’t realize you were still hanging around here ma’am” with an undeniable irritation and warning in his voice.

- The two of you usually wind up fighting in some way, a swing that you know you’ll miss here, a carefully thrown pine cone there. It’s usually fairly lighthearted all things considered.

- But then there was the moment where you actually finally come to realize; or at least can no longer deny, that you have a thing for him.

- He’s got you pinned up against a tree; having actually caught you for once, and he’s looking into your eyes and you’re looking into his and ...you get flustered. You actually get flustered, something that never happens with any other man you’re around because you’re what, sixty years old at this point? You’ve been around, seen all men’s charms; it’s not an easy feat.

- So you push him off and make some sarcastic comment, playing it cool like you’re so used to doing.

“Easy there cowboy” you tell him before disappearing in the blink of an eye.

- Its later that night that you seriously consider leaving forks. You dont know why you want to exactly, maybe because you’re used to freedom and having a mate is the opposite of that. Its too much commitment and you’re not one to be tied down. And what is Jasper but a vamp with a whole family as baggage?

- But as much as you try, you just can’t go. As far as you get that night, there’s still that pull, that urge, that draining longing that you’re growing to hate.

- Jaspers hot, we all know it. You know it and you knew it the moment you saw him. It’s not that you wouldn’t like being with him; it’s just that mates have never been your cup of tea. Destiny and fate and all that meaningful shit has never been your thing. You’re here to have fun and let loose, not find a place to settle down and love someone.

- It’s sort of evident that Jasper has a thing for girls who are out of the ordinary. He likes odd characters so you’d probably be right up his alley if it were any other siutation. But because its this situation; you butt heads and he feels the need to deny what he pretty much knows is true.

- But for once, Jasper is sort of seeking you out, mainly because you aren’t seeking him out. He’s going to places you usually are, scanning things closer, trying to zero in on you somehow, but you’re evading him; staying away as best as you can.

- Finally, you can’t help but go back to the woods you normally see him in, and; like clockwork, he stumbles across you; him and that fucking accent.

“Haven’t seen you ‘round these parts lately.” he teases, keeping things light; humorous for once.

“Was hungry.” you say and he’s reminded of the primary reason why he doesnt like you.

“You ever think of stopping it? Ever feel guilty?” You’ve had this same conversation before but this time it isnt judgemental or condescending. It’s curious; sort of hopeful.

“Dont know,” you say sincerely. “I dont think i’d feel too great about killing little bunny rabbits over inner city rapists and assholes. Besides, old habits are hard to break right?”

“I broke it.” He says and you nod. And after that? ...The two of you actually have a coversation.

- You walk around the woods and talk about your time spent living in all the iconic decades. He tells you a little bit about his life and you actually find yourself enjoying his company.

- And he likes you. He likes you more than he ever thought he would. This calm part of you, earnest, light, free spirited, and funny. You’re living for yourself without a care in the world and it’s only now that he’s realizing how attractive it actually is.

“We should probably talk about it, huh?” you say, catching him off guard, especially with how nonchalant you are when you say it. “About us being mates that is. I mean, I think it’s obvious at this point.”

- He cant disagree with you there, and so you do. You tell him that you’re not someone whose going to be tied down, how its not like you to be in a family or go to school or whatever.

- He just listens to your speech before looking into your eyes and earnestly telling you that you’ll “work it out”. All you can do in response is give him a genuine smile and agree.

#2000s movie headcanon #2000s movie headcanons #2000s movie imagine #twilight imagine #twilight imagines #twilight headcanons #twilight headcanon #jasper hale headcanon #jasper hale headcanons #jasper hale imagine

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spacedikut · 4 years

Text

“i want to love someone and be loved” ; spencer reid - part 1

pairing: spencer reid (criminal minds) x reader

summary: spencer makes a confession as you’re doing dishes together. this is from a prompt list but i can’t find it :( 1633 words. part 2

a/n: this was originally a poe dameron thing but i started thinking about it with spencer and then there were tears streaming down my face then i wrote it

Your favourite memories with the team are always those where you really feel like a family. Most days these are only fleeting moments, less than five minute conversations filled with banter and affectionate insults, but there are times, like now, where you’re all sat around Rossi’s dinner table with too much wine and too much pasta (although there is no such thing), and you feel like you might cry from happiness.

You’re a family.

The downside to being a family is you get treated like a family member, meaning when you and Spencer are assigned to clean dishes, dry them and put them away, you sulk to the kitchen just like you did when you were eleven and your younger sibling got out of helping by claiming he has too tired.

At least you can stare at Spencer as you do it.

In the kitchen, you’re working in perfect harmony – you, elbow deep in somehow tolerable hot water, scrubbing away at the bowls and plates stained with pasta sauce, and Spencer who methodically dries said bowls and plates with a worrying amount of scrutiny.

Right before you open your mouth to ask him if he’s okay, Spencer speaks.

“What do you think of love?”

Huh. Didn’t expect that.

“Love is… is good, I guess.”

You’re not sure what to say, or what he wants you to say. There’s obviously an answer he’s looking for, but you’re not sure you can provide it.

“Have you ever been in love?”

Your brows furrow. The question catches you off guard and your hand freezes mid-wipe. Why is he asking you this? It’s not that you’re not close with Spencer, cause you are, but you feel ill-equipped for this conversation. You wish you could somehow swap positions with Hotch, or Rossi, maybe Derek. Or Emily! Anyone, except you.

“I don’t think so, no, Spence.”

He grimaces.

“Why?”

“Well, because-cause…” He pauses and grits his teeth, as if the words are painful to force out, “I want to love someone and be loved.”

The confusion shines brightly in your eyes, “You are loved, Spence. Everyone in our unit would do anything for you, you know that. I’d go so far as to say you’re the favourite, probably the most loved person in the BAU.”

“No. No.” He shakes his head, “I want someone to love me. Romantically. Not Dr Spencer Reid of the BAU, notorious rambler and know-it-all who’s exceptionally good at pissing people off. I want them to love me – Spencer – the guy who is a technophobe, a pretty bad shot, and secretly wants to be a cowboy. The guy who has a recurring dream that Morgan forces me into a room where I’m plunged into darkness and Doctor Who is playing but it’s in a language I don’t understand. I don’t.. I don’t want someone that’ll make me feel like a baby, like the team sometimes does, you know? I think I’d be a great partner and I just… I just want someone to share something with. Something good, something pure, in this job where we face evil and demise every day.”

You’re in stunned silence when he makes eye contact, hands stilled mid-air as you gape at him.

“Sorry. Totally unloaded a lot of emotional stuff on you there – my bad. Uhh..” He clears his throat.

The air becomes awkward as you figure out how to reply. You flounder. You don’t know what to follow that speech with. It almost feels like the right time to admit your feelings for him, but a second later you realise this conversation sounds a lot like one you’d have with someone you definitely do not have feelings for. You’re just a consultation, you’re not the end goal. Suddenly, you wish you had been assigned to clearing the table rather than washing up.

Swallowing what feels like pure acid, you begin, “That’s sweet, Spence. Genuinely. And there’s nothing wrong with wanting that.” You want to reach out and touch him, but your hands are now submerged in water, and touching him might break you. “So what’s stopping you?”

“Huh?”

“What’s stopping you from getting that?” You ask. “I’ve seen you. When you put your mind to it, you can be preeeetty smooth with the ladies. Remember the magic trick you did for that one girl?” Spencer gives a small, shy smile, “Exactly! So what’s stopping you?”

Spencer looks like a deer in headlights. What is stopping him? He’s proud to say his confidence has exponentially grown since joining the BAU. When he started, his self-esteem was non-existent, but times passed and he’s grown to accept himself the way he is. It helps that you’ve been there, cheering him on and showering him in compliments whenever he starts to doubt himself. Initially, Spencer thought you were doing it just to get on his good side, maybe build some good karma, but somewhere along the line he started to somewhat agree with you. The compliments never ceased.

“Well,” He starts, “I’m picky.”

You scoff, “Yeah, if I was you, I’d be picky.”

You turn and squirt some dish soap into the sink, smiling when Spencer laughs, “What does that mean?!”

“You know what it means! I always say you could be a ladies man if you truly put your mind to it, and I stand by that. You’re a ten out of ten on a bad day so, yeah, you should be picky. I’m tempted to say no one is worthy, but I’ve already inflated your ego too much.”

He grins at your teasing and licks his lips, “There is one person.”

“Oh?” You ask, interest piqued. You ignore the pang in your heart.

“Yeah. She’s really cool. It’s kind of terrifying.”

You giggle at that. There’s a warmth to Spencer’s words, and you realise whoever this girl is is super fucking lucky. He’s completely and utterly smitten and she doesn’t even know it. You kind of hate her.

“So are you gonna tell her?” You ask.

He shrugs, “I guess so. Should I?”

Finally done with the washing up, you move to put the dried plates into their cupboards. With a quizzical look, you say, “You’re really asking me that? Yes, you should tell her.”

“Would you tell her?”

“God, no.”

“What?!”

“I’m shy when it comes to that stuff! I’d rather ferment my feelings and then tell myself to get over it and never think of it again.”

“Sounds healthy.”

You grin, turning to lean against the counter next to Spencer, “I would tell her if I was you, though. You’re sweet, attractive, and you have more than just your looks going for you. If I was you and got rejected I’d be like… okay, cool. I’ll just go bang every one of your friends, then.”

Spencer guffaws, “You’d what?!”

“I’m kidding!” You laugh, a hearty laugh at his expression. The pure shock and borderline disgust makes you oddly proud. It’s a rare reaction from Spencer.

He rolls his eyes but still smiles. His eyes lock on your face and you can’t pinpoint what emotion is pouring out of them, but it’s so strong that it shoots panic through you. You quickly turn and pick up as many glasses as you can, manoeuvring to the opposite side of the kitchen.

You can’t be thinking about him like that if he’s about to admit his feelings for someone else.

“So, you gonna tell her?” You try to sound nonchalant, but you can’t deny you’re unbelievably curious.

Spencer hums, but still sounds unsure, “I think I will.”

“If she’s as great as you think she is, no matter her response she’ll handle it well. Otherwise, she wasn’t worth your time anyway.”

Behind your back, Spencer barely contains a gentle smile and thinks, yeah, you are pretty great.

“What did you say?” You swing around to face him.

Spencer straightens up and furiously dries the last bowl, “What?”

“You mumbled something.”

“Oh, I don’t know.”

You’re visibly bemused but don’t say anything. Spencer opens his mouth to speak, maybe tell you what he should’ve a while ago, when Emily comes sliding in.

“Garcia has had too much wine and I’m one glass away from joining her. Y/N, are you ready to head home?”

You roll your eyes and nod. In hindsight, you’re glad that you refused the big glass of wine Rossi initially offered you because you knew this would happen and you’d be taking drunk girls home. “Yeah, all good. Spence, is it okay if I leave you to put the last few dishes away?”

Spencer nods eagerly and glances at Emily when she sways, “No problem. Drive safe.”

You mumble a thanks and move to the living room to collect your bag. Garcia is splayed across the biggest couch and you can’t help but aww at her sleeping form. Just an hour ago she was giving a sermon on why Hotch is the best dad and how that translates to the bedroom (why did no one stop her), and now she looks at peace with the world in the fluffiest pillows you’ve ever seen. Then she chokes, snorts, and springs upright with a loud “Derek!” and you jump back at her volume. When she sees you, she looks like she’s found the cutest kitten and makes grabby hands, asking for a hug.

Yeah, it’s time to go home.

Just before you leave Rossi’s house, you turn to Spencer and shout across, “Good luck, Spence!”

Morgan turns to Spencer and silently asks what? And Spencer barely acknowledges him, “I’ve got big plans for tomorrow.”

“Big plans, huh?” Morgan teases.

“Yeah. Big plans, big payoff, and all that.”

Looking over your shoulder, you give one final wave after tying Garcia to her seat.

Spencer wonders if you realise you’re his big plan.

#spencer reid x reader #spencer reid fanfic #criminal minds x reader #criminal minds fanfic #mine #uhhhh this has been edited so many times and i hate it and can't bear to look at it anymore #so if theres mistakes look away

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cham-chammity · 3 years

Note

Hmmmm.. Well.🤔 I do have this wholesome idea in my brain. We all know that Blitzø was in the circus as a clown YEARS before string his business, right? I can see him trying to pull a jumpscare prank on Striker as a cute lil joke. So.. This is how I see it playing out.. Blitzø comes up with the brilliant idea to hide in the closet until Striker comes close enough to, not only catch him off guard, but to scare the livin bajeezus out of the snek man. Unfortunately for Blitzø, Striker doesn’t come anywhere near the closet he’s hiding in… After waiting for so long, he gets bored and starts playing with the stuff that was put in there but even if he’s bored he’s not giving up. He’s a dedicated jokester that’s for sure :) Striker on the other hand was looking for Blitzø all day and was starting to worry.. aaand that feeling of worry turns into panic when night falls. He runs to the closet only to find his boyfriend sleeping in a box with a single handful of horses scattered but mainly around the box. Blitzø is snoring obnoxiously loud with his hand softly clenched on an item that Striker can’t exactly identify but… it looks like another horse. Anyways, the cowboy wakes up his clown boyfriend which resulted Blitzø waking up with a loud snort and mild confusion. Striker chuckles and asks.. “Uhhh.. Blitzø… You good? Whaddya doin in ‘er?” Blitzø explains that he just wanted to surprise him as a joke but apparently the joke didn’t exactly work in his favor😅😅 Blitzø also wanted to give Striker whatever he had in his hand which of course was a horse, as he suspected, but it has their initials with lil hearts on the sides… kinda like this (💕B+S💕), but on one side of the felt doll horse and along with that was an adorably sappy heartfelt note on other side of it (I’ll leave that up to your imagination on what the note said). But idk.. I’m not really good at these types of couple scenario headcannon thingys but i thought this would be super cute and silly lol

What do you think? 😂😅😅

AAAAAAAH THIS IS SO FUCKING CUTE I--

*inheritly dies*

Ok but I can imagine that this isn't the first time this has happened. Blitz early on in their relationship found out Striker is very easy to scare--he's very jumpy and defensive as it is. So every once in awhile Blitz will hide and completely scare the shit out of his boyfriend and it is fucking hilarious. I can also imagine Blitz's love language is making and drawing things for people. So he tends to make origami horses and draws them too, specifically Bombproof, for Striker (and Striker keeps every single horse craft Blitz has ever given him). And as far as the cute little notes Blitz writes, it's probably something horribly misspeled (due to his headcannon... or maybe cannon? dyslexia) but is actually very intamate and sweet... maybe like "i feel saef when you aer the big spoon" :,)

#helluva boss #helluva blitzo #blitzo helluva boss #striker x blitzo #helluva striker #striker helluva boss #blitzo #blitzo x striker #helluva boss blitzo #blitzstrike

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strawberrylemonz · 3 years

Text

Laying out Foundation

Part 1

Part 2 [CURRENT]

Part 3

Dedicated to @wintercat96 I’d like to thank them for sticking around and helping me out in the little ways!

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

“Who the FUCK are you?!”

“Me?! Who the FUCK are you?!”

“I’m TommyInnit!”

“Wtf? No you’re not! I’m TommyInnit!”

“Fuck you!”

“No, fuck you!”

Before either of the boys could say another word, a loud boom of thunder caught them off guard. Falling back in similar manners, the two yelled out in synchronized shock as a bolt of lightning barely missed them.

“AH, WHAT THE FUCK?!”

Catching their breathes, the two Tommy’s exchanged a look before scrambling to their feet. Quickly wiping off the dirt off their clothes, the Tommy with the yellow gem cleared his throat, speaking up.

“Okay okay okay okay, let’s figure this shit out after we find shelter.”

“Yeah, I can agree with that. Let’s get out of here before the weather turns all shit on us.”

The two of them grabbed their items, not that they had much on them. Aside from the blue gem, a handful of bread, some seeds, and a water bucket, Tommy didn’t own much at the time. Everything else was back at his house. The other Tommy seemed to only really have his yellow gem and a guitar. Giving a nod to each other, they made their way through the trees.

--------

They had managed to find a couple of large wooden crates and some strong bungee cords. Using their strength stubbornness, the two managed to pull one of the crates up into a large tree by a decently sized clearing. After struggling for a bit, they managed to secure it with some cords. A groan could be heard from the large crate in the tree.

“Why don’t we just chop down a tree to craft some wooden planks? We don’t have axes, so it won't be as fast, but it’ll be easier than this!”

The other Tommy just raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms. Giving out a partial laugh, he motioned towards the trees around them.

“Alright, big guy, then show me how it’s done.”

Rolling his eyes, the Tommy in question climbed out of the tree, grumbling as he approached a nearby tree. Looking at it up close, he noticed how different it looked compared to the trees back at home. Confused, he just shrugged and began punching, much to the confusion and concern of the other boy. Finally, afraid of having to clean a future infection without the proper supplies, he climbed down to stop the tree puncher.

“Alright, alright, stop stop stop stop. You don’t have to break your fucking hands because you’re annoyed with me, what the fuck ma-”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

He froze in place, completely baffled and unsure as to whether or not he was seeing things. His double, who he was sure was insane, had just punched a chunk of the tree out. That wasn’t the only crazy thing about, the tree was still standing up, despite missing the center of its trunk. He watched in silence as the boy continued punching the tree, somehow causing its leaves to drop apples, tree saplings, and stick. Once his double finished, he somehow turned the punched tree parts into planks, then used those and crafted a small table. He stared as the boy made ladders, stairs and planks.

“...whA T THE FU C K?!”

--------

The two soon realized that there are abilities that the two of them can both do, as well as abilities that only one of them are capable of doing. After a screaming of match about such stupid logic, they accidentally discovered that they could combine their separate abilities to create something new. This became evident when they accidentally created a rope ladder for the tree. After all their arguing, however, there was one thing the two discovered that they could agree on.

“This treehouse is kick-ass”

“Hell yeah it is!”

As the sun began to set, the two boys quickly climbed into their newly made shelter. As one Tommy pulled up the rope ladder, the other spoke up to get rid of the silence.

“I wonder how many mobs will spawn in tonight.”

“I’m sorry, how many what?”

“Y’know, mobs. Zombies, skeletons, creepers, endermen, spiders-”

“I’m going to stop you there because I have no idea what you’re going on about. Sounds like complete, utter bullshit.”

“You said the same thing about the tree”

“Fuck you”

--------

It had been a week since the two Tommy’s were brought to this strange world. After much debate, they had finally decided to give each other nicknames, hoping that it would make telling the two apart by other people (if they did ever come across actual people). Despite these nicknames, they still referred to each other as “Tommy” when speaking to one another.

“Dude, how did you learn to sew? That makes all this so much easier for us.”

“I just kinda learned back when I was younger. I actually ended up making the uniforms for the revolution back home.”

“Holy shit”

Rust!Tommy [Toms] shot himself a confident smile as he stared at his reflection in the glass. Adjusting the broach made from his yellow gem on his coat, he fixed the fingerless gloves on his hands. Turning to peer behind him at his counterpart, he stepped aside to allow him to see his reflection. Dsmp!Tommy [Thomas] adjusted his trench coat, admiring his his handiwork. He forgot what it felt like to make outfits for fun, for comfort, not for war or survival. Humming in approval, he clasped the broach, which was made from his blue gem, closed, closing his leather belt around his waist.

“Looks nice, bruv”

“Heh, I know”

“We should design hats for us! Know how to make a cowboy hat?”

“Why the fuck would you want a cowboy hat?”

“I’ll look fucking awesome”

The two laughed as they climbed out of their treehouse, which, to Toms, was surprisingly still in the tree. He had asked Thomas about how that was possible, to which he just replied with, “That’s just how my world works.”

“You grab the wood and mine some cobble. I’ll gather sand and get the furnace going”

“Have fun hauling around buckets of sand!”

“Oh, fuck off. You know I can’t just store it in thin air like you can”

The two wrestled with each other’s arms, trying to mess up the other’s hair first. Toms cheered in victory as Thomas grumbled, heading to the trees. Humming to himself, he pulled out an axe and began cutting down wood. The two were working on an actual house to live in. As much as they enjoyed their treehouse, it wasn’t very big on it’s own. That’s why, much to their delight, it was getting an upgrade. Once Thomas cleared out a good amount of trees, he took out some saplings and bonemeal. putting four saplings by each other, he stepped back and added bonemeal. A giant tree grew towards the sky, towering above the surrounding forest. He couldn’t help but smile at how the tree looked, being much more round than his trees back home. Patting the bark, he walked over the crafting table and began crafting. He was never a talented builder, but he did remember the different builds made back home. Besides, it was only his double that was sticking around. As different as the two were in most aspects, they wouldn’t seriously insult each other’s handiwork.

“That’s a huge tree”

Thomas, who was hallowing the inside of the tree, looked back at his double. Toms was staring up at the tree, bucket of sand in one hand, his other shielding the sunlight.

“Are we going to need all this room?”

“We’ll find a way to use all the space. I wouldn’t worry about it too much.”

Nodding, Toms started on loading the furnace, getting the glass started. Pulling out some rope, he began making more rope ladders for the tree. Thomas, on the other hand, finished hallowing out the tree and towered up the leaves using the inside. Sighing a content sigh, he began leveling the leaved area, shearing away the leaves and placing down wooden planks. He began putting up the third wall by the time his double climbed up. Looking around, Toms nodded in approval. Peering up at the leaves above them, he finally decided to speak up.

“What if we make large area? Just in case we have guests, or whatever.”

Thomas looked back at Toms, before also looking up at the leaves. Making a noise of agreement, he pulled out a piece of paper. Sitting down on the floor, he set out the paper and pulled out his ink and quill, handing it over to Toms.

“Let’s see what you’re planning. Go all out on the blueprints, I can build it.”

And with a warm look of approval at each other, the two got to work.

#into the Tommyverse #into the tommyverse au #rust! tommy #dsmp! tommy

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veryreallyfuckinbad · 3 years

Text

FIRE AND MOSS // Daryl Dixon X Reader// CHAPTER 3

His words hit you like a truck, one going full speed at that. You opened and closed your mouth, trying to process and understand what he meant. Your dizziness didn’t help you put the pieces together. What did he mean he recognized Jake? Was he watching you? You were sure you looked like a complete idiot, but that didn’t matter. ‘Better be careful than be dead’, after all. You tensed and grabbed Jake, pulling him closer to you defensively, glaring at the man in front of you. He must have noticed your confusion because he decided to speak up, albeit with a sigh.

“Remember the bag?”

Then it hit you. This was the stranger that left the gifts for you and Jake. Why would he do that? He certainly didn’t look like the kind of man to help someone who he doesn’t know. Resources were few and far between, the nearest stores were looted and scavenged long ago, and those that weren’t were overrun.

“Was it from you?” You shifted slightly, sitting up properly.

“Yeah” he said lowly, his eyes not leaving you. He didn’t trust you, and he had every reason not to. A few seconds passed before he spoke again, “Found ya in the woods when I was looking for a lost lil’ girl. Ya seen one?” He spoke matter of factly, as if watching a girl from the shadows was a completely normal thing to do.

“No, I haven’t. I’m sorry“ As soon as the words left your mouth, the man’s gaze hardened. He looked at the floor and back up at you, as if afraid that you would spring up and attack him in the few seconds he wasn’t looking at you. You looked into his eyes, squinting a little as you did so. You saw sadness, disappointment and guilt. His eyes were the only expressive part of this man- his body language was unreadable. Suddenly, you felt a pang of guilt hit you, it felt like a slap in the face. He probably only helped you because he hoped you’d have known something about the missing kid. Before you could think, you opened your mouth and spoke.

“I haven’t seen any kids around but…” you trailed off, once again petting Jake and catching the man’s attention “Jake here is quite the tracker” you smiled warmly at him, all of your defensiveness and fear washing away. A group so dedicated to finding a lost child couldn’t hurt you. Somehow, you felt they were good people, even after only meeting one of them.

But the man didn’t say anything, only looking at you with a mix of worry and confusion. You took it as a sign, one that told you that they neither wanted nor needed your help.

“Sorry” you sighed, “I should get going. Thank you for saving my life” you offered him your best smile and politely bowed your head.

Before you could stand up, the door suddenly open and three more people coming in. Two men and one girl. One of the men was clearly older, with white hair, wearing a white button up shirt with suspenders. The other man was younger, but still older than you. He was wearing a sheriffs outfit, you had to bite your tongue as not to yell out a “yeehaw!”. The girl was pretty- with short hair and an olive green tank top. They looked kind, but intimidating. The man who you graciously dubbed ‘cowboy dude’ in your mind walked up to you with a small smile.

“Don’t go yet.” He smiled softly, “I’m Rick, this is Hershel” he gestured over to the older man “and this is Maggie” he added, pointing to the girl. “You remember how you got here?”

You looked over at the man whose name you still didn’t know, as if wordlessly asking whether you should respond or not. Of course, he didn’t understand and simply stared back. You looked at Rick again, deciding to respond.

“Uh… All I remember is old cabin, walker, glass, ouch” you said with a sheepish smile, not really remembering much other than that. There were some flashes of you wandering through the woods aimlessly but you didn’t think you needed to add that.

Maggie chuckled a bit at your simple response, causing you to give her an apologetic grin. Hershel walked closer, almost touching the bed you were laying on with his knees.

“I’m a doctor. I just need to check up on your thigh; your back is mostly okay, although you needed a couple of the wounds stitched. Your thigh is a different story, you were impaled” he sighed and looked at you. His eyes were kind and warm, he reminded you of your grandfather.

“Thank you, I really appreciate it but I really don’t want to waste your stuff or time” you dipped your head and looked up at him, but he insisted.

“Listen, how about this- I’ll let Rick talk to you and then I’ll check up on you.” The man said, motioning over to Rick. You simply nodded. You were nervous. Usually when people wanted to talk to you, it was either important or you were fucke-

“Yeah. Thanks” Rick’s voice snapped you out of your thoughts. Hershel and Maggie made their way to the door, both of them nodding at you as they left.

Jake looked around, clearly confused. You didn’t blame him, you were the only living human he’s met so far, he didn’t know what to do or whether you were in danger or not.

“So...” Rick began and waited, taking a seat on a spare chair in the meantime. Now Rick sat on your right and the other man on your left, causing you to feel surrounded and uncomfortable. You instinctively glanced at the door, looking for potential escape routes, in case one was needed.

“(Y/N)” you finished his sentence.

“Right, (Y/N).” He stuck out his hand and smiled warmly. Before you could extend your arm to shake his hand, Jake snarled and snapped his teeth at Rick. Letting out a small gasp, you touched Jake gently but it didn’t calm him down. He was protecting you from this stranger and while you were grateful to Jake for defending you, you began apologizing to Rick. He let out a small chuckle and retracted his hand.

“It’s okay, really” he assured, “We got used to it, when you passed out and Daryl had to carry you to the house, he almost killed us all. Little guy clearly doesn’t like us touching you. When Hershel was patching you up he kinda calmed down but as soon as someone else tried to touch you, they almost got their hand bitten off” he chuckled, his body less tense than it was before.

“Yeah, he’s smart.” You let out a quiet laugh and continued “I suppose he knew Hershel was trying to help” Rick nodded, “But still, I’m sorry.” You ruffled Jake’s fur, the fox arching his body up into your hand. Rick cleared his throat and leaned over, resting his elbows on his knees. You took note of the fact that the man, Daryl, as Rick called him, still didn’t say anything.

“Daryl found you when we were looking for a lost girl, Sophia. He said you spared your last resources on this fox so he brought you some of ours. Said you got really pissed when he snapped a twig” he laughed under his breath, licking his teeth.

You looked at Daryl and smirked, catching him off guard. You apologized quickly and he mumbled something you couldn’t quite make out. You still wanted to help find the girl but didn’t want to impose yourself.

“I already told Daryl that my friend here is a great tracker, we could help look for the girl- Sophia” you corrected yourself and met Rick’s eyes. “I can also give you my map and show you where I was and be on my way, if you would prefer that” you added. You really didn’t want to go. The group looked really well stocked, they were kind and seemed trustworthy. This seemed like a perfect place to stay.

“Rick” Daryl finally spoke up, “Seen ‘er fight. She’s good. Helped a wild animal too” He added the last part quietly, as if afraid of saying something wrong. You figured Daryl wasn’t really a talker, hardly speaking in full sentences. You glanced up at him with nothing but gratitude and didn’t miss the tiniest, almost unnoticeable smile pulling at the corners of his lips. They looked at each other, as if having a wordless conversation that only they could hear. Jake looked at Daryl, then Rick, trying to figure out what was happening. You did the same. The sight was quite comical, you both looked like confused puppies. Finally, Rick nodded and Daryl relaxed in his chair a little.

“Would you like to join us?”

Your eyes glistened, you couldn’t believe it. You were on your own for so long, always having to look over your shoulder, having no one to look out for you. You became quite good at surviving on your own but having a group again was a dream come true. Unable to speak, you just nodded your head and grinned at the man in front of you.

“I’ll take that as a yes?” he laughed and extracted his hand, about to put it on your shoulder. Before Jake could snap at him, you placed your hand on his head, telling him that it was okay, that he wasn’t going to hurt either of you. The animal seemed to understand as all he did was look at Rick cautiously, never letting the man out of his sight. Rick placed his hand on your shoulder and smiled at you, then at Jake.

“Welcome” he whispered gently. You felt your eyes water a bit, it still felt unreal. Sniffling, you put your hand over the one Rick had on your shoulder.

“Before you can go out to meet everyone, I need Hershel to see if you’re in any condition to walk around, alright?” he asked, his eyes warm. You looked at Daryl, your big smile never leaving your face.

“Of course!” you exclaimed, louder than you wanted “Thank you so, so much”

Hershel deemed you fit to go out, and while you didn’t want to leave the comfort of the soft bed, you would dearly miss it, you knew you couldn’t overstay your welcome. Daryl was by your side the whole time, when Hershel left he offered you a hand and helped you up, not without a growl from Jake.

When you stepped out of the house the sky was already dark. Stars glowed above the beautiful farmhouse- it looked like something out of a dream. The moonlight lit the entire farm, it shone above the old mansion, a barn, the big, tranquil fields.

You noticed tents were set up on the grass, some distance between them and the house. You heard the chatter of people- a sound you didn’t know you missed. People were sitting around a campfire, their smiling faces illuminated by the flames.

You walked up to them, Jake and Daryl by your side. You suddenly felt nervous and a little self-conscious, wanting to make the best possible impression on your new friends. Suddenly, you stopped in your tracks. Daryl quickly stopped and walked up to you with a confused expression on his face, his icy blue eyes piercing through yours.

“I never introduced myself to you” you smiled and extended your hand “I’m (Y/N)”

Daryl looked at you, puzzled. He tried to understand, he already knew your name. Still, he decided to play along.

“Daryl” he said, giving you another blink-and-you’ll-miss-it smile

After you were done introducing yourself to the man, you kept walking to the group, not waiting for him to follow. He watched you, still puzzled. He already couldn’t figure you out.

The people around the campfire turned to look at you, most of them smiling, some looking at Jake with curiosity in their eyes.

“Well hello there!” a woman chirped, she had long dark hair and wore a plaid shirt. She stood up to take a closer look and shake your hand. Jake puffed his fur up and growled but stood back when you signaled him that it’s okay. “I’m Lori. I’m guessing you’re (Y/N)?” she grinned. When you cheerfully confirmed, she spoke again, “Rick told us. Come on, take a seat”

Daryl sat on the grass next to an empty seat which you presumed was for you. You motioned for Daryl to sit on the chair while you flopped down on the grass so Jake could lay his head on your lap. Daryl didn’t sit on the chair you offered him, he just shook his head and stayed put. You looked at the people around you. After they all introduced themselves, you took mental notes of their names- T-Dog, Dale, Carl, Carol, Shane, Andrea, Beth and Glenn.

“So? Tell us about yourself! Don’t keep us waiting, we have a little bet going on” Glenn shouted excitedly, causing you to perk up and smile at him.

“What’s the bet, and more importantly, what are the stakes?” you caused the group to burst out into laughter, even Daryl. Even though his laugh was quiet, as if he was trying to suppress it, afraid of anybody hearing it.

“Dale thinks you were a zookeeper,” he motioned towards Jake “but I think you tamed him by random chance”

You chuckled, “First of all, I didn’t ‘tame him’. He’s still wild, he just loves me, and I love him. He’s more of a companion than a pet.” You explained, earning nods from the group. “Second of all, nope, not a zookeeper.” You smiled as Dale groaned, digging around his pocket and pulling out a package of dried jerky and placing it in Glenn’s outstretched hand. Jake’s ears perked up, you smiled as his head jolted up.

“He’s a fan of those” you ruffled his fur affectionately. You looked over at Daryl and added “Not as good as your squirrel, though” you gave him your warmest smile. He stiffened a bit, clearly caught off guard but to your surprise, he didn’t brush you off.

“My squirrel’s the fuckin’ best”

You gave him a toothy smile, he gave you a small smirk in response.

“Anyway, I really wasn’t much before all this started. I went to art school, worked in fast food, the usual stuff you’d expect from someone” you said, your tone was matter of fact. You heard Daryl mumble something unintelligible. He really needed to work on speaking clearly, you thought with a smile.

“Woah, you draw?” Carl smiled and jumped up a bit “Can you teach me?”

“Sure! I’ll even draw you guys once I find a sketchbook” you chirped and laughed when Carol, Lori, Rick, Carl and Glenn began begging you to add them to your ‘to-draw’ list. They all smiled when you reassured them you’ll make portraits of everyone that wants one.

“What’s his name? I’ve never seen a fox up this close before!” Carl said quietly, looking at Jake with pure awe in his eyes.

“That’s Jake. I wouldn’t recommend you pet him just yet though, he’s a little nervous” you grinned when you saw him nod in understanding. A while of comfortable silence and the occasional hushed conversation passed before Rick spoke to you.

“We got you a tent. Tomorrow me and Daryl can go and get your stuff from the woods” you dipped your head with gratitude and thanked him with a huge smile on your face- you missed your knife.

When the campfire died out, so did the conversations. Everyone headed back to their tents, ready to sleep. Dale decided to take watch duty, sitting in a chair on top of his RV, a shotgun in hand. Your tent was close to the others, near Andrea’s. You were about to sit down in the small, grey, one-person tent but you noticed something. Jake was growling and pacing around the entrance, clearly uncomfortable with all the new people around while you both sleep. You sighed and walked out of the tent.

“I get it. Let’s move a little” you said and smiled at the fox. He panted and licked his nose in response, running over to a spot further away. Deciding that he can pick the place to set up your tent, you dragged it over to him. Before you set it down, you saw one stray tent, far away from the others. You immediately knew who it belonged to when you saw another, smaller campfire and some tripwire surrounding it and a man sitting on a log, looking at the flames. Daryl.

Hoping he wouldn’t mind, you dragged your tent near his. He looked up at you, tense but relaxed immediately as soon as he saw it was just you.

“Uh… Could we set up here? Jake really doesn’t want to be near the group for now, he needs time to adjust. He’s kinda like you that way” you blurted out, trying to explain your reasoning, the last part coming out of nowhere and surprising you, “he picked the spot”

“Do I got a choice?” his voice was low but his words carried no weight- he almost smiled, but you didn’t notice this time.

You smirked, “Nope!”

#daryl imagines #daryl dixion imagine #daryl x reader #the walking dead daryl #twd daryl #daryl x y/n #the walking dead #daryl dixon x reader #daryl dixon fanfiction #daryl x oc

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sheerfreesia007 · 3 years

Text

Finding Love In Legacy OaIs pt. 12

Title: Finding Love In Legacy Oaks pt. 12

Fandom: Kingsman

Pairing: Agent Whiskey x Reader

Author: @sheerfreesia007

Words: 8,768

Warnings: Fluff, mention of injury, mention of cheating, mention of mental & physical abuse

Permanent Tag List: @paintballkid711, @fioccodineveautunnale, @phoenixhalliwell, @linkpk88, @weirdowithnobeardo, @athalien

Author Notes: I’ve used the Old Farmer’s Almanac for the flower meanings since there are so many different cultures that have different meanings for the flowers. (I used a different meaning for Daisies though because I needed a get well soon flower) And I love Es calling Jack out on upping his flower game. “Tough nuggets” came from teaching myself and my husband not to curse in front of our son when he was younger, we came up with tough nuggets and the kid even started to say it which is super cute! We learn about the ex-husband, dun dun duuunnnn. He’s another piece of work just like Cynthia.

Gif Credit: Google

Stepping on the brake slowly Jack came to a stop at the guard shack as Jeremy stepped out of it early on Saturday morning with a slightly confused smile on his face. Jack lowered the volume on his radio and rolled down the driver’s side window so he would be able to talk to Jeremy as the man leaned against the doorframe of the shack.

“I thought you weren’t supposed to be home until tomorrow afternoon?” Jeremy asked curiously about the obvious change of plans. Jack nodded his head before looking over at him.

“Work wrapped up earlier and I wanted to surprise the girls. How’re they doing?” Jack replied with a question of his own. Jeremy smiled softly at Jack’s question before sighing softly, he crossed his arms over his chest and settled against the doorframe more securely.

“Well Es is still upset about Bunny breaking her ankle. Still feeling guilty that it’s her fault even though Bunny and I have told her that it’s not. Bunny’s been trying to keep her occupied and busy to keep her mind off of it. But Bunny’s drained, between the pain of her ankle and having to do things while on crutches it’s hard for her. Much harder than she was expecting I think. But you know Bunny she’s gonna put a brave face on and not show you how she’s really feeling.” Jeremy explained conversationally and Jack nodded along to his words.

“But Bunny’s big on checking in on everyone else and making sure that they’re all okay, who checks in on her?” Jack asked knowingly and Jeremy nodded his head in agreement.

“Well Penny Rogers checks in on her every once in a while and then I’ll call her at least once a week to catch up. But I don’t think Bunny has anyone who checks on her every day.” Jeremy said truthfully and Jack sat back in his seat for a moment silently contemplating that info.

“Her siblings don’t reach out to her? Or her parents?” he asked concerned and Jeremy shrugged his shoulders.

“Every once in a while but not all the time. Sometimes it’ll be months between her siblings calling her. And I think her parents call her about once a week. Her sister keeps up with her more because of her nephew but again I think it’s once a week. So she’s got people who check in but not every day.” Jeremy advised. Jack nodded his head at his words and sat there wondering if Bunny would think it weird if he began to check on her every morning or afternoon.

“Okay, well I know she’s probably gonna give me shit for it but I’ll help her out with anything that she needs done.” Jack said with a soft smirk and Jeremy scoffed before laughing knowingly.

“Oh yeah she’ll give you shit for it but I’m pretty sure you’re the right guy to put her in her place and let her know what’s what.” Jeremy said with an ecstatic glint in his eyes. Jack laughed loudly at Jeremy’s words and shook his head at the thought that he’d have to put Bunny in her place.

“Hey anyway, here I got this for you on the way here. In thanks for helping Bunny and Es out when that all went down.” Jack said as he turned to his passenger side seat and pulled out a plain bagel, some butter and cream cheese packets, as well as a large coffee and the sugar and milk containers. Handing it over to Jeremy through the window Jack smiled softly at the pleasantly shocked face of Jeremy.

“Oh wow! Thanks man, this is great.” Jeremy said in thanks as he took the food and drink from Jack.

“Yeah figured I’d pick ya up somethin’ since I stopped there for breakfast and just to say thanks and I appreciate you helping Es and Bunny.” Jack said with a shrug of his shoulders when Jeremy came back to lean against the doorframe with a soft smirk on his face.

“You care a lot about Bunny don’t you?” Jeremy asked knowingly and Jack instantly felt as if Jeremy was interrogating him. Jack looked over at Jeremy quickly who was still smirking at him. Feeling his anxiety rise slightly Jack tried to find a way to not divulge to Jeremy just how much he liked Bunny.

“Well yeah, I mean she’s been a huge help to me with Esme ever since we moved here. And she’s always so nice to everyone around here. How can I not like her?” Jack reasoned unassured as he watched Jeremy’s smirk widen on his face.

“Uh-huh, but that’s not what I’m talking about. And I think you know that.” Jeremy said cryptically and Jack knew that he had been caught out by the man standing before him. “You don’t have to on guard with me man. I’m loving that you two are feeling something out together. I think it’d be good for the two of you. I mean I don’t know your story but if you two wind up together it’d probably be great for Bunny.” Jeremy told Jack still sounding cryptic and Jack sat there wondering what he meant about it being good for Bunny to be with him. Jack also felt a seed of hope settle in his chest and he took in a deep breath feeling it start to pulse.

“I’m still trying to figure it out what’s going on between us.” Jack blurted out truthfully and looked over at Jeremy shocked. The man was nodding his head knowingly before he smiled softly down at the ground.

“There’s nothing wrong with that.” He admitted. “Plus I don’t think Bunny’s there quite yet either. You gotta give her a little bit of time to warm up to a romantic relationship. She’s been hurt really bad by her ex-husband, so she’s cautious and doesn’t trust easily when it comes to that type of relationship. So if you’re still figuring it out just know that so is she.” Jeremy advised softly and Jack got the feeling that Jeremy knew everything about Bunny’s past with her ex. He wondered silently why Jeremy knew everything and how the two had bonded over something like that to become such close friends.

“Thanks.” Jack said nodding his head as Jeremy cleared his throat softly and shuffled his feet underneath him.

“Just know that if you hurt her I’m coming after you and then I’d let Bunny adopt Esme once you’re taken care of.” Jeremy said nonchalantly as he shrugged his shoulders and stood to his full height. Jack burst out laughing at that and slid his car into drive.

“Well at least Esme would be well cared for that’s all I’d want.” Jack said jovially and Jeremy shook his head laughing at Jack. Jeremy then waved at him as he pressed the button to raise the gate at the entrance.

“Alright I’ll see you later. Tell Bunny I’ll call her before I leave work.” Jeremy said in farewell and Jack nodded as he slowly eased his car through the gate after waving at Jeremy.

*-*-*-*

Parking his car in the driveway to his house Jack stepped out of the car and stood next to it for a moment gazing around the quiet morning in the neighborhood. It was still too early for anyone to be up and about as the sun was just rising from the horizon. He smiled softly as he heard birds chirping before he saw they darting and dashing through the air. He relished in these quiet moments where he was able to reflect and just take in his surroundings as time slowly creeped by.

Shaking his head softly still smiling he moved to the passenger side of the car and opened the door so he could lean inside and pull out the bag of bagels and condiments, as well as the large bouquet of flowers he had ordered. Standing tall once more he nudged the car door shut with his hip before turning and walking across the street to Bunny’s house. Jack was reminded once again of the quiet morning as the only sound was the heel of his cowboy boots landing on the pavement of the street. It almost made him feel lonely as he listened to his footsteps, but then he heard the soft music playing as he neared Bunny’s house and he smiled as he saw the front windows were opened and he could hear Esme calling out to Bunny from somewhere inside the house.

Grinning widely he knocked on the front door as he came to stand before it. There was a loud call from inside and Jack heard running footsteps from the other side of the door. He chuckled softly when he saw the curtain on the side window shift and fall back across the window as a loud squeal was heard.

“Daddy!” Esme shouted loudly as she grinned up at him happily. Jack set the bag of bagels and the bouquet on the ground before kneeling down and opening his arms up to her. She quickly dashed forward and wrapped her small arms around his neck tightly as her small body collided with his. Jack wrapped his arms around her quickly and held her to him tightly.

“I missed you peanut.” He said fondly into her wild hair and she giggled softly.

“I missed you too. Love you lots like jelly tots.” She said softly and Jack felt his heart melt instantaneously as his arms tightened around her slightly more.

“Love you lots like jelly tots.” He whispered back to her before pressing a soft kiss to her temple. Esme took a step back and looked down at the flowers and bag of bagels before grinning up at him.

“Good thing you bought breakfast.” Esme said knowingly and Jack tilted his head to the side confused.

“Why?” he asked curiously and Esme hooked her thumb over her shoulder to the inside of the house.

“Bunny didn’t get a lot of sleep and she’s not used to her crutches yet.” Esme explained softly and Jack nodded his head in understanding. Just then there was the loud sound of crutches hitting the floor and a loud hiss of words that couldn’t be made out. Jack quickly grabbed the bagels and flowers before ushering Esme inside so he could see if Bunny was alright.

“Es, who was at the door?” came the called out question and Jack turned the corner to see Bunny leaning back against the kitchen island grimacing as she rested one of her crutches against the front of her body. Jack stood there in awe as he stared at an adorably bedraggled Bunny. She was dressed in an oversized long black sleep shirt that had the words ‘Amazing in bed, I could sleep for days’ on the front in white lettering. Her hair was piled up high on her head in a messy bun and she had a bunch of hair falling out of it around her face. Her right foot was in a large clunky white cast and the other was barefoot. Her left wrist was wrapped tightly in a bandage as she clenched and unclenched her fist. Jack’s eyes danced down her body and felt a warmth settle in his stomach as he imagined waking up to her like this every day. His eyes lingered on the lettering on her shirt as she finally looked up at him and he felt desire start to bloom inside him as he saw her eyes widen at seeing him standing in her kitchen doorway. “Jack!” she said shocked before he watched her cheeks flush with a pretty pink color as she tried to hurriedly move from her position over to him. Once more he dropped everything he was holding as he saw her try to twist and began to fall forward when her crutches escaped her hold.

Easily catching her around the waist Jack held her close to his body and gazed down at her trying to see if she had hurt herself with her movement. She grimaced softly with her eyes closed before opening them and looking up at him. He smiled softly at her and her cheeks seemed to flush once again.

“Second time you’d had to the catch me.” She said with embarrassment tinging her tone of voice as she grimaced softly up at him.

“I’ll always be here to catch you.” He promised softly and watched as her eyes sparkled with appreciation of his words. “Are you okay?” he asked as he began to straighten her posture against him. He bit his tongue harshly when he felt her soft body lean into him and he felt that she wasn’t wearing a bra under her shirt. Arousal spiked inside him and he felt the warmth from earlier begin to boil under his skin. His hands came to rest at the base of her lower back on her hip bones and the urge to drag her body into his was almost too great for his will power. But he managed to hold back on his desires as he watched her nod her head at his question.

“Yeah just a little clumsy with the crutches still.” She said a little dismissively.

“Well you did only get them yesterday Bunny.” Esme said self-assuredly and Jack was instantly reminded that it wasn’t just him and Bunny in the house. He turned his head to watch Esme set the bag of bagels and flowers on the kitchen island as she hopped up onto the stool at the island. Jack felt Bunny begin to pull away and he regretfully let her go as she took a step towards the kitchen island and grabbed her crutches again. “You still have to get used to them.” Esme said before she began pulling out bagels and the different cream cheese that Jack picked up.

“Yeah, I know. I’m just feeling sorry for myself.” Bunny said a little dejectedly and Esme looked at her with a sure confident look making Jack bite his tongue once more waiting for the gem that was going to pop out of his little girl’s mouth.

“Tough nuggets.” Esme scoffed and Bunny’s head whipped to her as she burst out with shocked laughter.

“Excuse me?” Bunny asked amused and Jack grinned as Esme squared her shoulders.

“Tough nuggets. You shouldn’t feel sorry for yourself.” Esme said assuredly and Bunny laughed happily at Esme’s words.

“Alright, alright.” Bunny said shaking her head as she held her hands up in faux surrender to Esme. “Jack these are beautiful.” Bunny said as she took hold of the bouquet and lifted it to her face to take a whiff of the pretty flowers.

“Yeah Daddy! They’re really big!” Esme said eyeing the flowers. “Bigger than the last ones.” Esme said as her eyes darted over to Jack who instantly felt like an ass for only buying grocery flowers the last time for Bunny.

Jack stood there silently watching as Bunny laughed amused as Esme called him out on his flower buying skills before she moved to the sink and awkwardly began to try and bend over to get a vase from under the sink. Jack quickly moved to grab one of the larger vases to hold the flowers. Bunny grimaced slightly and Jack knew she was feeling frustrated with needing his help so quickly. He nudged her hip with his and she looked up at him and he smirked down at her before speaking.

“Tough nuggets.” He said and her eyes widened slightly before she burst out into laughter.

“I’m gonna be hearing that an awful lot from you two aren’t I?” she asked amused and Jack grinned before nodding.

“Yep.” Esme said from behind them making Jack and Bunny burst out into laughter at her quick wit.

“Alright let me get the flowers and I’ll cut them.” Bunny said as she hobbled over to the island before leaning the crutches on the counter before moving back to the sink with the flowers in her hands. “They’re beautiful by the way. Thank you so much.” Bunny said as she set the bouquet on the counter and pulled out a pair of scissors from the drawer.

“I figured they’d brighten up your mood after breaking your ankle.” Jack said smiling at Bunny who nodded her head. “How are you holding up by the way?” he asked watching as she cut open the brown paper package and string tied around the flowers.

“Last night was rough. In a lot of pain. Had to sleep down here in the second guest bedroom last night. Wasn’t able to get up the stairs to the bedroom.” Bunny relayed to him and Jack nodded along to her explanation.

“Do you need me to move anything from upstairs down here for you? It’d probably be easier for you if you stayed down here until you got used to the cast more. Don’t want you to take a tumble down them stairs.” He said contemplatively as he looked over his shoulder at the stairs that were just outside the kitchen doorway.

“I’d have to check the bedroom to know what I’d need. I do have to go out shopping though. Get some baggy pants or shorts to be able to get them over my cast.” Bunny said as she pulled out two purple hydrangeas from the bouquet. Jack watched silently with baited breath as Bunny peered at the flowers in thought before snipping the end of it and handed it to him to place in the vase.

This past mission with Tequila had been an interesting one. They had an intel agent on the inside of a religious cult who was deep undercover and hadn’t been able to communicate with them in the traditional ways so they had to get creative. When Jack and Tequila had first visited the religious cult Jack had noticed all the large flower arrangements that filled the main building on the compound where the agent lived. He and Tequila had then put together a plan to communicate with the agent through flowers by slipping a flower of significance to reflect if it was safe to meet with them or not to relay the information they needed. Jack had done a lot of research on the language of flowers and their meanings. Which was why he had decided to order a special bouquet for Bunny.

As Jack placed the hydrangea in the vase he silently thought of what the flower meant, gratitude. He waited patiently as Bunny handed him the next bunch of flowers he had chosen. When she handed him a bunch of sunflowers he smiled down at the large flowers, adoration. Jack wondered silently if Bunny knew what each flower meant or if she just took the flowers at face value. The next bunch she passed over to him were some fern and basil leaves that he had asked the flower store clerk for specifically, fascination and good wishes were the respectful meanings of those two. Jack had to admit he had a lot of fun creating Bunny’s bouquet and felt like a secret that he had specifically created this bouquet for her, he was a little giddy that she might not know what he was saying with the flowers.

White daisies were the next flowers that she handed to him and he smiled down at the delicate looking flowers in his hand, get well soon. Jack looked over and saw that Bunny was looking down at the next bunch of flowers which were coral peonies. Jack sucked in a breath because this flower had numerous meanings to it but he was going for good fortune and compassion when he had chosen it. Bunny looked up at him with lightly pink dusted cheeks as she handed him the flowers, her reaction to the flowers making Jack wonder if she did know what the flowers symbolized. Jack’s eyes landed on the next two flowers and he felt his body tense with anticipation of Bunny noticing them. Two white gardenia flowers sat on the brown paper and as Bunny picked them up in her hands Jack avidly watched her reaction. She stood there staring down at the flowers as her cheeks heated up to a deep red color and her mouth parted softly. Her head snapped up to look at him and Jack felt like he had just been gut punched as her eyes were dilated and her breaths were coming out in soft pants. Secret love or you’re lovely was the symbolism for these flowers and while Jack was still figuring out how deep his feelings were for Bunny he had a feeling that it might easily morph into the first meaning.

“Jack.” She said softly and he smiled fondly at her waiting for her to say what she was thinking. “Do you know the language of flower?” she asked with her eyebrows slightly furrowed and he nodded his head grinning softly as her cheeks heated even more. “Oh.” She said in a soft shell shocked voice. Her eyes darted down to the flowers in her hands before looking up at him. “I-“ she began to say something and Jack rested his hands on top of hers.

“Right now I’m saying I think you’re absolutely lovely. And something is developing between us, but I’d like to take it slow if that’s alright with you. I’m still not sure what exactly I’m feeling and it’s been two years since Maria. I’d like to be close friends first before we explore this other side that I think is forming between us.” He said softly so that Esme didn’t overhear him. Bunny looked up at him with soft tender eyes and he could see the uncertainty swirling in her orbs but there was also longing at the edges of her eyes. Jack took in a relieved breath when he watched Bunny nod her head at his words.

“I’d love that.” She said softly and Jack felt like his heart just exploded in his chest with happiness. He nodded his head as he took the flowers from her hands and placed them in the middle of the bouquet. Bunny’s bright smile spread across her face and Jack watched as her eyes looked happily on the flower arrangement that he had created just for her.

*-*-*-*

“Alright so let’s talk about how we’re going to help you out with things you need done.” Jack said as he stood from the kitchen table and picked up the plates that they had used for breakfast.

“Jack you don’t have to do that.” Bunny protested as she began to ease herself out of her chair. Jack whirled around on his feet and pointed his finger at her.

“Sit. Down.” He commanded suddenly and Bunny stopped short in her ascent from her chair to stare at him with wide shocked eyes. She slowly lowered herself back into her seat and watched him silently in shock. “I got this. I think I can handle a few dishes.” He promised her.

“But Jack I’m not helpless.” Bunny protested as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“No you’re not but you’re injured and need to rest and heal.” Jack said firmly as he stared at her.

“But Jack, I can do that myself.” Bunny tried again to protest and Jack shook his head.

“Nope.” He responded. Bunny opened her mouth to retort once more and Jack shook his head quickly. “Tough nuggets.” He said before whirling on his heel and walking over to the sink. Esme’s happy giggles burst into the air and Bunny’s soft grumbling could be heard making Jack grin softly at the antics of them.

“So you’re not going to let me do much are you?” Bunny asked in a sour tone. Jack shook his head and chuckled lightly.

“Bunny, you need to heal and if you’re constantly on your feet aggravating the break it’s not going to heal quickly or effectively. You gotta let us help you as much as we can. Keep your ankle elevated and stay off your feet as much as possible.” Jack said adamantly. “I’ve broken bones before, recovery sucks but I’m gonna do my damndest to make sure that you heal as quickly as possible.” He leaned back against the sink and crossed his arms over his chest. Bunny was looking at him with soft eyes and Jack felt himself being pulled into her gaze from across the kitchen. “Besides, now Es and I can spoil you a little bit.” He said with a shrug of his shoulders. Bunny ducked her head quickly as Esme squealed in her chair with happiness. Jack smirked as he saw the soft blush on her cheeks at his words and Jack knew he won her over.

“Alright fine.” Bunny conceded and Jack beamed over at her as Esme clapped her hands happily.

“How often does Butter have to go out?” Jack asked kindly before turning back to the sink to wash the dishes quickly.

“Oh well, I normally take him around the block twice a day once in the morning and then once in the afternoon or evening. But he can go out in the backyard for now until I get into a boot.” Bunny said and Jack shook his head as he finished drying the dishes and stored them away in the cabinets. He turned and leaned back against the sink and sighed softly as he shook his head at Bunny.

“Will you let us help you? Please?” he asked softly as he looked up and over to her. “You’ve done so much for me and Es, it’s our turn to help you when you’re in need. Let us.” He implored her and she looked at him surprised. She sat there in her chair her eyes darting from him to an eager looking Esme for a few moments before nodding her head in compromise. “Thank you.” Jack said softly and Bunny pouted her lips slightly but nodded her head. Jack knew that she didn’t want to burden them and she was being stubborn but Jack was adamant about helping her and making sure that she was well taken care of. But while he was ready to fight her and glad that she was allowing them to help her, when she pouted her lips like that overtly all Jack wanted to do was walk over and kiss the pout off her mouth. Blinking his eyes rapidly he tried to erase the image from his mind of them kissing before he spoke again. “So Es and I will come over before we walk to the bus stop and we’ll take Butter with us. Same for in the afternoon.” Jack informed her and Bunny reluctantly nodded her head. Jack grinned and winked at her watching as she blushed and furrowed her eyebrows.

“Oh yes! I can totally walk Butter.” Esme said happily and Bunny chuckled softly.

“You’ll have to show your dad the doggie bags and everything.” Bunny said as she looked over to Esme who nodded eagerly. “Thanks Es.” She said softly before looking over at Jack who nodded his head. “Alright so that’s taken care of do you guys want to hang out? Or do you have things you have to get done?” she asks making Jack look at her with a disappointed look. “What?” she asks exasperatedly as she raises her hands in the air.

“We’re not done. But we do need to go food shopping. Are you up for a trip to the store or do you want to stay home?” Jack asked as he looked over at her. “Oh and we have to figure out what you need from your room upstairs moved down.” Jack suddenly clapped his hands together and rubbed them together eagerly. Bunny shook her head and Jack began to nod his head at her. “C’mon Es, head upstairs and get dressed while I help Bunny up the stairs. Pack up your stuff so that we can bring it back to the house before going out.” Jack instructed easily and Bunny looked at him offended as Esme quickly hopped off the kitchen chair and raced upstairs to her room.

Jack walked over to Bunny and set one his hands on the back of her chair, the other sat steadily on the kitchen table in front of her effectively caging her in her seat. He leaned forward and watched as Bunny took in a sharp breath as her eyes widened at his closeness.

“Look, I’m not trying to make you feel like you’re an invalid. But I don’t want you hurting yourself again because of your pride. You broke your ankle Bunny. That’s no joke and I really want you to heal. I want you in no pain. So please don’t think I’m just trying to take over here. I’m just trying to help you. I promise.” He said softly as he stared deeply into her eyes. He smiled softly as she silently nodded her head at him. He then stood to his full height and took a step back to grab her crutches for her. He stood a step away from her chair holding the crutches out for her as she stood from her chair. She took a hold of the crutches and began moving towards the stairs. When they had both reached the bottom of the stairs Bunny turned and looked up at him as she was hunched over her crutches.

“Let me try to do this. Just stay behind me in case I fall.” She said determinedly and Jack nodded his head in agreement.

“I’ll always be here to catch you.” He promised her and allowed her to do it her way.

*-*-*-*

Jack smiled as Esme chatted easily with Bunny as the two of them walked ahead down the aisle. He was stuck pushing the cart but he couldn’t complain as he was able to surreptitiously observe Esme and Bunny’s relationship right before his eyes.

Jack could feel his heart swelling in his chest as Bunny talked with Esme about everything the little girl brought up. And while Bunny was knowledgeable in a lot of things there were some topics that puzzled her. Like right now Esme was going off on a tangent about one of the shows that she watched and Jack had to bite his tongue as Bunny looked down at his little girl with a lost look on her face. He was shocked when he noticed that Bunny wouldn’t interrupt Esme in her ranting about the show and let her get it all out first. He chuckled softly when he heard Bunny begin to question Es on the show once she was done.

“So you mean her parents don’t even know that she’s a witch?” Bunny asked confused and Jack bit his bottom lip as he watched her eyebrows furrowed in confusion and disbelief.

“Yeah she’s been able to keep it a secret from them.” Esme explained, nodding her head. “She’s had some close calls where they’ve almost figured it out but not yet.”

“Oh okay, but her grandma knows?” Bunny asked, still perplexed and Jack was absolutely charmed as this woman before him took time out to understand more about his daughter’s favorite show. “Oh hold up, hey can you grab that box of crackers for me please?” She asked stopping next to the crackers and pointing them out to Esme, who eagerly grabbed the box and placed it in the shopping cart. “So how come the grandma never told the parents? Wouldn’t that be something she should tell the parents?” Bunny asked and Jack shook his head silently at the scene before him. He was relieved that he and Bunny were now on the same page for their relationship because now he was gifted with watching his two favorite girls discuss a tv show while the three of them shopped for groceries.

*-*-*-*

Jack finished putting the last box of pasta in the pantry and turned with a grin to Bunny who was leaning against the kitchen island with her crutches leant next to her hip on the island. She smiled softly at him as she shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. He walked over to her and let his eyes dart over her face to look for any discomfort. Standing in front of her he watched as her eyes darted up to his quickly.

“Are you in any pain?” He asked softly and she grimaced slightly at the question.

“A little, I was thinking of taking one of the pain meds and then sitting out in the backyard with my ankle up.” She answered him truthfully. Jack nodded his head at her response as he heard Esme coming back into the house from the backyard.

“Do you want us to head home? Or are you up for some company for a little longer?” Jack asked as Bunny hooked her crutches under her armpits and moved to the sink and leaned up to grab her medicine and a glass.

“Oh I’d love your company for however long.” Bunny said easily and Jack nodded his head as he opened her fridge and pulled out the iced tea that they had bought at the store earlier.

“Okay we’ll stay for a little bit longer. Wanna order dinner and have it delivered?” He asked as Esme walked into the kitchen and hopped up onto the stool at the island.

“Ooooohhh! Can we order pizza?” Esme cheered and Jack laughed happily as he set the iced tea on the island before turning to Bunny who moved to the island and set the glass down on it.

“Good choice!” Bunny said happily as she opened a drawer and pulled out a local pizzeria menu. “Here, pick a pizza and I’ll call them.” Jack watched as Esme peered over the menu while he poured Bunny a glass of iced tea that she thanked him for. Jack watched as she popped her medicine into her mouth and took a swig of her drink swallowing down the pills. With a grimace she blew out a breath after swallowing the pills and Jack chuckled softly.

“Don’t like pills?” He asked understandingly and Bunny shook her head.

“I don’t like the aftertaste they leave.” She explains as she takes another sip of her drink. Jack nods his head and looks over to Esme who’s still pouring over the menu.

“So what are we gonna eat tonight peanut?” He asked fondly as she looked up at him with his question.

“I wanna get a taco pizza.” She said with a shrug of her shoulders. “It sounds cool.”

“Oh, that’s a good one. They also have a good margherita pizza. And their garlic knots and mozzarella sticks are really good.” Bunny said as she pulled her cellphone out of her back pocket and began dialing the pizzeria number.

“Hey Es, c’mon. Let’s go walk Butter while Bunny orders and then we’ll come hang out once we’re done.” Jack said as he ushered Esme to the front door.

“C’mon Butter! Let’s go for a walk!” Esme called happily as she quickly made her way off the stool and towards the front door. Jack laughed as he watched Butter leap out of his dog bed in the kitchen and ran as quickly as he could to the front door where Esme stood holding the leash. Jack looked back at Bunny and she smiled and waved at him before focusing back on the phone call.

When Jack reached the door he saw Esme with her jacket on and Butter with his leash on. Esme handed Jack the doggy bag holder that was in the shape of a red fire hydrant, Jack laughed amused as he looked down at it in his hand. Esme smiled and turned to open the front door.

“So do you know Butter’s normal night time walk routine?” Jack asked as he began walking down the steps with Esme.

“Yeah, they normally walk to the bus stop before mine and then back taking the long way around the block.” Esme instructed and Jack nodded his head as he fell into step with Esme.

“Sorry that we’ve been with Bunny all day and haven’t had much quiet time together. Bunny just needs a little bit of our help since she broke her ankle. So we might be spending a bit of time with her.” Jack said softly as he looked over at Esme. He watched proudly as his little girl looked up at him with a furrowed eyebrow.

“Daddy, I like Bunny. I like being with her. I’m not mad that we’re spending time with her. Besides, she gives us time to be together even when we’re with her.” Esme explained reminding Jack of when Bunny wandered off in the grocery store leaving Esme and Jack to themselves to talk and check in with each other.

“I know, I just don’t want you to think that I’m ignoring you or paying more attention to Bunny.” Jack said insistently and Esme shook her head.

“Daddy, I-“ Esme began to say and then shook her head silently before looking up at him with a smile on her face. “I don’t think that. I know you’re not ignoring me. And Bunny needs our help, she's hurt.” Esme reassured him softly with a shrug of her shoulders.

“Ok, as long as you know that peanut. So how was school while I was gone?” He asked softly as they continued to walk towards her bus stop.

“It’s okay. We’re starting to do some projects in Science and I’m gonna need some help with that soon.” She said and Jack nodded his head along with her words.

“Ok, that’s no problem. You let me know what you need and we’ll go pick it up. And I’ll help as much as I can.” Jack said easily. “Anything else happen while I was gone?” He asked softly trying to see if she wanted to talk about what had happened at the sleepover.

“Are you asking about the sleepover?” Esme asked suddenly after being quiet for a moment. Jack turned his head to look down at her shocked, he was surprised that she had picked up on his leading questions, but he shouldn't have been as surprised since she was his little girl.

“Only if you wanna talk about it.” Jack offered easily. He watched Esme shrug her shoulders before letting them slump forward.

“I called Bunny Mom.” Esme said softly. “I didn’t mean to and Bunny said she wasn’t mad about it at all. But Cynthia wasn’t very nice to me about it. Said that I shouldn’t be spending so much time with Bunny because then I’ll get confused.”

Jack felt his heart clench in his chest at how lost Esme sounded. He stopped walking as they came to the bus stop before Esme’s and he kneeled down to be at her eye level. He placed his hands on her shoulders gently and turned her to face him.

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with calling Bunny Mom. I mean she’s been taking care of you while I’m away so I’m not surprised you did call her Mom. And I think that’s great that you’re getting so close to Bunny that you might see her that way. Don’t listen to Cynthia, I’ll talk to her and tell her to mind her own business. She has no right to say anything to you about that, okay?” Jack reassured Esme as he stared into her eyes softly. “I just want to make sure that you’re okay. I know we don’t talk about your Mom that much and we probably should talk about her more.” Jack said softly and Esme tapped his nose gently making him look up at her after his eyes had fallen to the ground.

“I miss Mommy. Every day I miss her and wish she was still here. But I have you Daddy and Bunny may not be Mommy but she’s a really cool babysitter and I like her being my babysitter.” Esme said softly as she smiled at him. Jack felt tears well in his eyes as Esme’s words and he nodded his head.

He knew that they should probably talk more about Esme calling Bunny Mom but he wasn’t sure of his own emotions and feelings in regards to that. On one hand it had only been two years ago that Maria was taken away from them and he wasn’t sure if he was truly ready to have another “mom” in his life yet. He was comfortable with flirting and figuring things out with Bunny right now but he wasn’t looking too far in the future just yet. But on the other hand, Esme was forming a bond with Bunny that seemed to be very deep, strong and meaningful. It was the first time since Maria’s funeral that Esme had become close to another woman that she hadn’t known before Maria’s passing.

It was a convoluted situation and Jack knew he was going to have to address it but wasn’t sure if he was ready to do that just yet. So while he was relieved that Esme was okay with her slip of tongue he would hold off on the more in depth conversation for another time when he knew for sure what he wanted with Bunny.

“She is a cool babysitter huh?” Jack asked softly and Esme grinned at him as she nodded her head eagerly.

*-*-*-*

The sun was slowly setting as Jack stepped out of the back door and moved down the back steps of the house to where Bunny was sitting in one of her outdoor chairs with her right ankle propped up on the ottoman. On the small table next to her chair sat a tray of three glasses and a pitcher of peach flavored iced tea. Esme was standing not far on the brick patio in front of her easel and paints while Butter lazed about in the grass in front of Esme.

“You gonna paint Butter for me?” Bunny asked Esme as she nestled back in her chair. Esme turned to Bunny grinning as she nodded her head. Bunny grinned as she nodded her head at Esme and rested her head back on the chair, closing her eyes slowly.

Jack felt the urge to sneak up on Bunny and press a soft kiss to her lips to surprise her, but then he suddenly felt insecure of his intentions. So he walked up behind Bunny letting his fingers trail along her right shoulder before moving to the chair on her left. He saw her warm smile as she turned her head to watch him take a seat next to her.

“This is nice.” Jack said softly as he sat back in the chair and settled himself. Bunny nodded her head as she grinned over at him. “So we talked about the whole sleepover incident.” Jack said softly as his eyes watched Esme begin painting Butter, she was far enough away that Jack felt comfortable bringing this up with Bunny.

“Does she still feel badly about it?” Bunny asked softly as her eyes landed on him and stayed there steadfastly.

“She doesn’t feel bad about calling you Mom. She feels bad about what Cynthia said to her.” Jack said with a hard edge to his voice at the end of his sentence. Bunny nodded her head in thought and Jack saw her left fist clenching tightly. Leaning over he placed a hand on Bunny’s fist and she slowly released it.

“Sorry, I just get so mad about what she had the nerve to say to Es. She had no right to make a comment and it had to be an ugly one at that!” Bunny ranted heatedly and Jack felt his heart swell once more as he saw how angry Bunny became on the behalf of his daughter. “I mean she’s already a mean spirited woman when she doesn’t get her way but to say something cruel to a child? That’s unnecessary and uncalled for.”

“I agree. I don’t like that she said something mean to Esme. Especially if it was a slip of the tongue.” Jack said as he nodded his head and watched as Bunny grew quiet and almost turned in on herself. “Hey, what’s wrong?” He asked concerned and Bunny shook her head at his question.

“It’s nothing.” She deflected and Jack grew curious of what was running through her mind but ultimately chose to table the questions for the time being.

“Say, you’re awfully good with kids. How come you don’t have any?” Jack asked curiously as he turned to see Esme giggling at Butter who began to wiggle in the grass on his back with his feet up in the air. He got lost in just watching his little girl that when he realized that he had asked a question he turned back to Bunny, surprised she hadn’t interrupted him. He saw her smiling sadly at Esme and Butter, her eyes somber as she gazed at the two of them acting silly. “Bunny?”

“Oh, uh, well, you see my ex-husband wasn’t the greatest guy to have kids with. For the six years that we were married he cheated for four of them.” Bunny said bitterly and Jack looked over at her surprised. He couldn’t believe someone would look at anyone else when they had Bunny right in front of them. “Yeah, we got married right out of college after being together for two years. We were young and dumb, thought we were in love. I mean I was, but for him it was more of a power trip. He liked that I didn’t ask questions when he said to do certain things, even though I knew that I didn’t want to do them. I always thought, I trusted and loved him why would he hurt me?” Bunny explained softly. “I slowly started coming out of the fog around the fourth year of marriage, but by then he had the manipulation so ingrained in me that I couldn’t quickly break free from it. It was a whole process of getting away from him, took two whole years to finally pull the trigger and send the divorce papers.”

Jack sat there in shock as he listened to Bunny’s retelling of her past. He sat there shocked to his core that this wonderful, confident woman next to him had been manipulated and abused by her ex-husband, someone who should have protected her from all others. But then as he thought further of Bunny’s mannerisms and character he understood the burst of confidence he would see from her when interacting with him. She was still so unsure of herself when it came to men, and he was instantly glad that he had asked her to go slow with him as they explored their relationship.

“It got really ugly towards the end.” Bunny said solemnly and Jack whipped his head to look at her. “He tired to convince me that it was all my friend’s Mercy’s fault for putting it in my head to get divorced. He lied about the numerous affairs he had and was still having. He kept telling me that I wouldn’t leave him, that I couldn’t leave him. I developed some serious panic attacks and anxiety attacks because of him, but thankfully they pretty much disappeared once I was away from him. But the worst was the night he was served the divorce papers, I had moved out that day while he was at work and the courier delivered the papers once he got home from work. He was livid, to the point that he found out where I was living and shoved himself into my apartment when I answered the door. Came in screaming and yelling about the papers, shoved me down onto the floor and the way I landed on my right wrist broke it in a few spots.” Bunny explained as she slowly and calmly took in a few deep breaths. Jack tapped his fingers along the back of her left hand that he was still holding in his hand from before, letting her know that she was alright and he was here for her.

Taking a deep breath in and slowly blowing it out she turned and looked over at him, nodding her head gratefully at him. Jack smiled softly and nodded his head at her as well. He didn’t know firsthand what she gone through but after all the missions that he had been on he had seen quite a few men and women who fell prey to their loved ones abusing them.

“Had to go through the whole divorce with a cast on my arm that he kept saying was for show. I managed to get a restraining order on him and still have it to this day because he’s tried to pop up a few times in my life since the divorce.” Bunny said solemnly and somber. Her head suddenly perked up when Esme giggled loudly as Butter began suddenly running around the backyard chasing the lightning bugs that had started appearing and lighting up. “I probably should have told you that before babysitting Es, but he hasn’t bothered me in almost a full year now.” Bunny said suddenly and quickly as she looked over at Jack worriedly.

Jack shook his head slowly as he gently cupped her hand in his, trying to reassure her. He gazed at her for a moment before clearing his voice.

“Bunny, relax. Your past is yours to divulge however you see fit. I know for a fact that you wouldn’t let anything happen to Esme if it was in your power to prevent it. I know you’re careful with her and hold her well being over your own. And I know you would tell me if something was happening that you couldn’t stop or protect Esme against.” Jack said confidently as Bunny nodded her head. “It’s alright Bunny. I’m just sad to hear that someone treated you that horribly. You shouldn’t have had to go through that. And I’m so sorry that you did go through that.” Jack said softly.

“It sucks that it happened, and I understand that it didn’t have anything to do with me that it was all him and his choices. But you gotta get through it and let me tell you therapy works wonders.” Bunny said before chuckling softly and Jack nodded his head at her words.

“Yeah, we’ve done some therapy after Maria passed to help Esme and I express ourselves properly to each other.” Jack said softly. “He really cheated on you?” He asked suddenly and Bunny chuckled softly as she nodded her head. Jack just shook his head in silence and Bunny chuckled again.

“Yeah, I know. I never understood the whole cheating thing, if you’re unhappy in a relationship just leave it.” Bunny said softly. “That’s why I don’t get along with Cynthia, she isn’t faithful to her husband and I don’t know if she ever has been. At least since I’ve known her she never has been.” Bunny said bewildered as she shook her head slightly.

“Don’t get me started on her. She’s already on my shit list for that and now for being mean to Es.” Jack said darkly and Bunny nodded her head. Jack tapped his fingers against the back of Bunny’s hand once more to gather her attention. When she looked over at him he smiled softly at her. “Thanks for sharing.” He said softly and watched delightedly as Bunny’s cheeks flushed deeply.

“Just answering the question.” She said softly and shrugged her shoulders at him. Jack shook his head at her deflection and gazed at her fully as he shifted in his seat.

“Not many people want to share that type of information about themselves.” Jack said knowingly and Bunny shrugged her shoulders again.

“Figured it’d be something to help get to know each other.” Bunny said as she turned and watched Esme dancing around the backyard catching lightning bugs. Jack watched Bunny a little longer in silence as Esme giggled while Butter barked happily in the early evening, he was surprised by her candor but he surmised that he shouldn’t be. There was still so much that he needed to learn about Bunny and so much he had to share with her. Settling back in his chair he began to look forward to learning more about her.

#my writing #kingsman the golden circle #FLILO #agent whiskey x ofc #agent whiskey

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yellowocaballero · 3 years

Text

The Crow’s Funeral AU: Martin Fixes Everything

Stared a long while ago and wrapped up at the request of an anon. This was written because, while I was wrapping up TCF, I thought...’man, if Martin had just been able to find Jon when he woke up, none of this story would have ever happened’. Like, Daisy and Jon enable each other, but Martin just shuts that shit down. No CW that don’t apply to TCF, except maybe for very oblique references to suicide attempts.

A shadow dimmed the reading light, and Jonathan Sims irritably looked up. From his vantage point on the floor, he saw a towering figure above him - a human, somewhat circular, faintly recognizable, looking strongly as if he had run into his own personal nightmare. But no, not quite - there was something far more complicated in that face than fear. Which was a pity. If it wasn’t fear, Jonathan Sims didn’t understand it at all.

“Jon? Christ, Jon, is that you? Jon!”

Ah, Jonathan Sims thought faintly. The man from the cabin.

Maybe he should have ran further.

The man found Jonathan Sims two weeks later, reading a romance novel as he lay on the floor underneath a table.

Upstairs, seized throats choked screams. Library patrons shuddered in the Dark, early victims of a terror just beginning. Some of them would escape, staggering home to their mourning families. Some would stumble home, only to find that their families were unrecognizable to them - or they were unrecognizable to their families. Others would not escape, shivering between stacks for the rest of time.

Jonathan Sims enjoyed the ambiance, and the vast quantity of books. Books were fun. Not that the world wasn’t fun and exciting and always filled with an interesting little drama to stop and watch, but books had things the world didn’t. Like dragons and spaceships and planes. Like happy smiles and...a horse ranch? Heavily muscled cowboys? But the farmer’s daughter would never let herself fall for a wanderin’ man -

“Jon? Christ, Jon, is that you? Jon!”

Ah, Jonathan Sims thought faintly. The man from the cabin.

Maybe he should have ran further.

*****

“I cannot believe you!”

Jonathan Sims - Jon, according to this very infuriated man who was currently clamping Jon’s wrist like a vice - could do nothing but stumble after the man as he was dragged through the village. To be fair, he didn’t mind - this was the first time he had been manhandled in his life, or at least so far that he could remember. Humans didn’t really tend to touch him. They did a lot of talking and crying whenever he met them. To be honest, he had begun assuming that they were interesting conversationalists but altogether somewhat dim-witted. It was interesting to see this contrary example currently chewing his ear off.

Experimentally, he tried to open his Eye and Know who this man was and what Jonathan Sims had personally done to wrong him. But all he received was grating feedback - an infuriatingly familiar roadblock that sprung whenever Jonathan Sims attempted to understand what had brought him to that small cabin in the midst of a storm so severe it turned the sky green.

“First you run off. During the apocalypse, of all things! I spend ages running after you, absolutely unable to find hide or hair of you. Then two weeks later I catch wind of a sketchy guy making a nuisance of himself interrogating everyone in Dunbeath, and I go - great, that’s our Jon for you! What on earth do you have to say for yourself!”

Jon - he was really warming up to this moniker, it rolled off the tongue nicely - tripped over a loose rock, almost sending himself sprawling in a tumble of gangly limbs before he caught himself. “Uh, I’m not -”

“Dunbeath, Jon! You made me walk to Dunbeath in the apocalypse!”

“I’m quite sorry -”

“I don’t want a sorry!” The man released him abruptly, forcing Jon to almost windmill his arms to right himself again, and he whirled on him. But where Jon was expecting a face red with anger, he instead saw an expression crumpled up in pain. Jon realized for the first time that the man was on the verge of tears. “I was so worried, Jon! I thought you were dead, or - or worse, or so much worse. You said you’d stop running. You said that we were a team now, that you’d never leave me behind. But you left. I needed you, I was scared, and you left me. You know I’ve been through hell, and you left…”

Then, horrifically, tragically, he really did start crying.

It was quiet, less gross sobs and more soft hitches of breath, but something about it was unbearably exhausted. It was the tears of a man who had been holding them in for too long, only released because he was too exhausted to keep them inside anymore. It was oddly bestial, and very sad.

It made Jon a little sad, to see the man crying like this.

He remembered something he read in a book, just that morning. One person had been sad, and the other person had...well, the book called it hugging. He thought he might have seen it a few days ago, when an older woman clung desperately to a younger woman who kept on screaming something about beatles. It was the same principle, wasn’t it?

Experimentally, he held his arms out, feeling like a bit of an idiot, and he was rewarded (?) when the man immediately moved closer and pressed himself close to Jon, his face buried in his shoulder. It was comfortable, familiar, and instinctual, and Jon found himself loosely wrapping his arms around the man.

They...hugged. Jon felt weird about it. But it was nice? Why was it nice?

Then the man casually reached up, gently took Jon’s cheeks in his hands, and bent him down to kiss him.

Jon’s brain short circuited.

It lasted an excruciatingly long time, and also no time at all. The man released him, stepping back and frowning. It must have been something in Jon’s reaction - the way he stiffened or tensed. Or maybe, from where he was pressed up against Jon’s chest, he didn’t feel a heartbeat. Jon had read that humans had those.

“Jon?” The man asked, face creased in sweet confusion. “What’s wrong?”

“Um,” Jon said, feeling unbearably awkward about all of this, “who are you, again?”

*****

At least they didn’t go back to that creepy little cabin.

Instead, Jon found that the man - “Martin, Jon, Jesus, my name is Martin!” - was staying in something called an ‘Air-Bee-en-Bee’ at the outskirts of the village. Or perhaps squatting was a better term - when Jon was guided inside, he saw the telltale signs of a life quickly disrupted. The previous resident of this cute little cottage had left in a hurry, as if it would save her.

He experimentally opened his Eyes, ignoring Martin’s - or was it Michael? - raised eyebrow, and let himself Know the information. Ah, excellent - the Hunt. She had thought that her ex-husband had chased her down to Scotland from France. Delightful. He wondered what the Ex-Husband was really doing -

“Jon! Focus, please.”

Jon guiltily let his eyes close and his hair float back down. Michael didn’t seem surprised by the display, just exhausted. He collapsed at a little circular kitchen table, a woman’s hairbrush and a newspaper still spread out on it. Jon cautiously sat down on the chair next to him, feeling strangely guilty. He didn’t know why. Maybe it had to do with how stressed out and afraid and tired the other man looked, and how Jon was sure that it was all his fault.

“This has been the worst two weeks of my life,” Martin said, face buried in his hands. “Which says a lot, really. I’ve had a real shite life, but this is really just - just beyond the pale.”

“Okay?” Jon didn’t know what to do with this. Martin seemed as if he needed to vent a little, but Jon didn’t know how to be comforting. Wait - wait, this was his speciality. He was too off guard to think of it before, but it would obviously fix this situation. Jon let his irises spin as Martin looked up from his hands, startled at their green light. “Why did -”

“Stop that,” Martin said sharply, and Jon did.

He shut up. He closed his mouth and swallowed the question. He had never - no Statement for the Archivist? - why had - what -

“I understand you’re scared and confused,” Martin explained, not answering the question of how he had done that. “But you can’t just compel people like that. No matter what the world looks like now, you know it’s wrong.”

“I - I do?” Jon asked, flabbergasted.

Martin faltered a little. “Do you not?”

They stared at each other until Jon began to feel a little defensive. As if he was doing something wrong by just - by just existing. It was eating, what wasn’t natural about that! Jon leaned back in his chair, finding himself crossing his arms. “You’re the first human I’ve had an actual conversation with, so excuse me if I don’t know how it works.”

But Martin just looked gobsmacked, mouth opening and closing as Jon begins to tire of this conversation. He unfolds his arms and leans forward, tugging the newspaper closer to him. The headline ran a cheerful story about how Farmer Douglas McIntyre had won an award for the biggest zucchini. Good for him! Jon wondered what Farmer Doug was doing now. Immediately after he had that thought, he knew exactly what Farmer Doug was doing right now, and he spared a second to feel very bad for him.

“Jon, you’re a human.”

Hm. Maybe this Martin guy didn’t know as much about Jon as he pretended. Jon didn’t look up from the newspaper, flipping the page. Oh, look, the Horoscopes. “Don’t be silly. I’m an Archive.”

That quieted Martin, who seemed to be thinking very hard. Jon tried to remember what his birthday was. He had read it on that little card that had been in his pocket - right, right, February 14th. Aquarius.

“I read the statement you left on the floor,” Martin said quietly, and Jon abruptly shut up. What statement? “Jonah lied, you know. That’s all he does, is lie. You’re not an Archive, a thing, you’re - even if you’re not human anymore, you’re a person. You know that, Jon. In your heart, even if you don’t remember. You’re more than what Jonah tried to make you.” He looked down at the table, as if he couldn’t bear to look at Jon anymore. “What he succeeded in making you, I guess.”

The words soothed an anxiety Jon didn’t even know he had. They settled something in him, calmed him and reassured him. But they incensed him too, this blatant disregard of something Jon knew was true. Martin seemed good at that, both riling him up and calming him. How was his control over Jon’s emotions so effortless, as if he wasn’t doing it on purpose at all. It was a talent.

“Who even are you?” Jon snapped, feeling flayed raw and vulnerable. But he always felt like that, really - lost and dazed. The world was too loud for him sometimes, too novel and exciting and relentless, and Jon spent long hours cooped up in a dark room with a good book just for some safety. There wasn’t anything around that could hurt Jon - he knew that like he knew he was an Archive, no matter what Martin said - but he still felt so scared, all the time. “What gives you the right to tell me who and what I am like this?”

What would ameliorate that fear? The only thing Jon could think of was to understand where he came from a little bit better, and understand what he had been doing before two weeks ago. If he had been doing anything at all. Jon had wondered if that moment was when he had been born, but - well, the clothing he was wearing had been somewhat threadbare, and the card indicated a history.

He hadn’t entirely ruled out that he was a sort of...manifestation of this newly apocalyptic world inserted inside the corpse of a man who took his last breath the second Jon took his first, but he was keeping his options open. If what Martin was saying was true, that he really was a person who had simply run afoul of Jonah Magnus and paid the ultimate price...he didn’t know if it made him feel better or worse. Maybe a little worse, actually?

But Martin just seemed shocked by the question, shocked by Jon’s need to ask it, shocked that he didn’t even understand. No, not shocked - maybe just very sad and tired. He seemed so tired. “Jon, I’m your boyfriend.”

“Oh.” That explained a lot. Jon narrowed his eyes. “But you don’t look like a cowboy,” he said, somewhat reproachfully.

Martin stifled a laugh behind a hand. Jon felt strangely pleased, even if he hadn’t been making a joke.

Then something seemed to occur to Martin, because he straightened abruptly. “Oh, god, Jon, you must have been so confused when I kissed you.” He buried his face in his hands again. “I finally get a boyfriend, and two weeks later he’s an amnesiac and it’s the apocalypse. I always said the world would end before I would find someone, I just didn’t know it would be two weeks after…”

“Do you need a moment?” Jon said sympathetically. “Or you can tell me about it? I’m quite a good listener.”

“I can’t decide if this is surreal or terrible.”

Jon felt a little lost. It was quite possibly the most familiar emotion he had - knowing what was happening but not quite understanding, frantically consuming information about the world around him while his perception of himself was hidden behind a thick wall of static.

He didn’t know what to say to make this man feel better.

“Are you sure you don’t want to give a Statement?” Jon asked hopefully. Statements were most of what he knew, and the only context in which he interacted with humans.

“I’m not giving a fucking statement, Jon!” Martin snapped, and Jon cringed. Martin’s face immediately crumpled, in what Jon was forced to assume was guilt. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have snapped. I’m just stressed - no, Jon, I shouldn’t have snapped. It’s just - Jon, the Statements are evil. They’re bad. You always knew - Jon, you have to restrain yourself. You can really hurt someone else. Do you understand?”

No, Jon didn’t understand. He didn’t understand Martin, he didn’t understand how to relate a ‘boyfriend’ to himself, and he didn’t know why Martin kept on trying to tell him that something good was bad. Statements were good. Jon knew in his gut that Jon was nothing but Statements: that he was fear, and fear was him, and that the world was fear. That Jon was the world, strung through a sack of meat. An Archive.

“Why are you always trying to make me feel bad,” Jon said lowly, and Martin shut up. He started at Jon with wide eyes, slightly alarmed. “For a boyfriend you really seem to hate me.”

“Jon, no. I love you. I’ve never hated you, not even - I don’t think I’m capable of hating you, do you get that?” Martin’s expression softened a little, but something about it was still deeply sad. “This is a problem, but we can fix it. We just have to work together. We’ve gotten through everything, we can get through - the apocalypse and this amnesia and everything. We can do it, Jon, we just have to stick together.”

Something mysterious swirled in Jon’s chest, yet another of the frustrating emotions he just didn’t understand. It felt quite bad. “There’s nothing to fix.”

They sat there in silence, Martin sitting at the edge of the bed with his face in his hands and kneading his forehead gently. He looked tired, and defeated. Jon just sat in the little chair at the little stand, flipping aimlessly through a newspaper that held no new information at all, lost and confused.

Of course, there was one thing Jon did know. He stared curiously at Martin, whose shoulders were shaking a little. “Are you going to cry again? I haven’t even done anything to you.”

“People cry even when you haven’t hurt them, Jon,” Martin said dully into his hands.

For some reason, this made Jon oddly anxious. “Why else do people cry? I don’t understand why people are always crying. All they do is cry and scream or wail or -” Jon threw a hand out, irritated, “ - try to put themselves out of their misery, or whatever. But nothing’s happening to you and I haven’t asked you a single question. Why do humans cry all the time?”

“When we are very, very sad, Jon,” Martin said quietly. “That’s why we cry.”

Jon stared at him. Martin wiped his eyes a little, unbending, and stared at Jon very firmly. His expression was creased in unhappiness, but there was something very firm in the set of his mouth and chin. As if what he was doing was very difficult, but he chose to do it anyway. Had Jon ever done that? Did he remember?

He stood up, and Jon cautiously leaned back in his chair as Martin walked up to him. But he just knelt instead, gently taking Jon’s hand and squeezing it tight. He met Jon’s eyes fiercely, now a little lower than him, and Jon felt something strange writhe in his chest.

What was this feeling? He had never felt it before. It was…

“I promised Jon. For better or for worse.” The corners of his mouth twinged. “Well, not that particular promise, but we wanted...anyway. I’ll promise to you, here. I am here to help you. I know it’s scary. I know you may not want it. But that’s when we need it most, okay? I know you’re lost and confused. I’m not going to push you.” He faltered, just a little, and looked away. “Maybe this is for the best. Maybe you - maybe you needed this. Even if it meant that I -”

“Meant that you what?”

Martin looked back at Jon, smiling weakly. “Don’t worry about it. But I’m not going to push you to rem - to act in a way that you don’t feel is right. I just need you to listen to me and take my thoughts into consideration, alright?”

“I still need to eat,” Jon said sulkily. “You can’t stop me doing that.”

“Yes,” Martin said, face curiously blank. “I can’t stop you.”

“Good!” Jon brightened. “I suppose having a human around would be useful. There’s lots of things around I just don’t understand. You can explain things.” In a hit of magnaminty, Jon proclaimed, “And I’ll make sure that nothing eats you. That’s a real tit for that.”

“Looking forward to it,” Martin said, already seeming a little exhausted.

“Then it’s settled.” Jon squeezed Martin’s hand back and, on impulse, leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek. Martin startled a little but didn’t pull away. It was nice, his stubble all scratchy and soft. “You’re the nicest person I’ve ever met, Martin.”

“That was always true,” Martin teased - teased! He stood up, and Jon stood up with him. He didn’t let go of the hand, strangely attached to its warmth and pressure. When Martin faltered a little, Jon squeezed his hand even tighter. It made Jon feel better, so maybe it would help Martin. That was a nice thought: that Jon could make someone feel better, instead of worse. “You haven’t asked about yourself at all.”

But Jon just shrugged. “I highly doubt I - or Jonathan Sims, whatever - had any loved ones. It’s a surprise you even exist, honestly.”

Martin opened his mouth, then closed it. “People cared,” he said weakly.

“Lie,” Jon said severely. “Don’t lie to me, I can tell and it’s unbecoming.” But Jon was nice, and he decided to let the lie go. This time. If there was one thing Jon couldn’t abide it was chronic liars, but Martin didn’t seem the sort. “That’s all unimportant, now. We should move forward. There’s a lot of apocalypse to see, and I want to see the Flesh’s Corpse Flowers for myself. I hear that they’re made out of real -”

“I had an idea, actually,” Martin said, stopping Jon short. He looked like he strongly wanted to press the ‘loved ones’ thing, but he was refraining. Good. People shouldn’t ask him invasive questions. “I can see the tower in the distance. It has to be in London, right? And that has to be the epicenter of this. I wouldn’t have gone by myself, but with you here maybe we can find Jonah Magnus and -”

Jon didn’t know what stopped Martin short. Maybe it was the look on Jon’s face. He didn’t know what the look was, and he didn’t bother to see. All he knew was the horror in his chest, so deep and overwhelming he felt as if he could drown in it. A strange, foreign feeling, that was as familiar to him as his own body. Something that, in another person, Jon would have labelled as terror.

“ - or we don’t have to,” Martin said softly. “Why don’t we try to find the others, then? Regroup. I’m worried sick about them. You can find anyone in this world, right? Can you dig up a few humans for me? They’re our frie - well, we’re close, anyway.”

That was much easier. Although Jon wasn’t sure how he felt about more humans, it would definitely be interesting. There had to be good stories from any of Martin’s friends - maybe even people who Jonathan Sims had known. “I can do that no problem. Names?”

“Uh.” Martin thought hard. “Basira Hussain, I think, but she can take care of herself. We should probably find Georgie and Melanie first, they have to be vulnerable. What with Melanie’s - yeah, we need to make sure she’s okay. Georgina Barker and Melanie King, then?”

Sounded easy enough. Jon did the only familiar thing and let his eyes open, letting his unkept hair float gently up. Jon Looked, and Saw -

“Don’t make people up,” Jon said scornfully, a little embarrassed. “Give me a real person now, please.”

Martin gaped. “They’re real, I swear! Are they dead, or -”

“No, I’d know if they were dead. They just...don’t exist?” Jon fought the urge to pout. “I hate it when people don’t exist.”

“...do they not exist or can you just not see them?”

“What’s the difference?” Jon asked blankly, and Martin shrugged in concession of the point. “Anyone else?”

“Okay, Mr. Apocalypse Google,” Martin teased lightly, and Jon surreptitiously downloaded what a ‘Google’ was. Ah! It was funny! But what was the internet? “Basira Hussain, then? You said that the last you saw of her, she was trying to find Daisy - or what was left of Daisy.” Martin’s mouth twisted unhappily. “If Daisy hadn’t gotten to her…”

Jon Looked again, and this time he got an easy answer fed into his mind. It was a great answer too, and made Jon grin in excitement. “Basira Hussain’s fighting her way through Manchester, but I have a bead on Daisy Tonner. Fantastic! She’s a few hours away!”

“She’s what!” Martin screeched. “Oh my god, she’s going to eat us!”

“Don’t be silly, I’d eat her first.” But Jon was bouncing on his heels in excitement. This woman wasn’t a human - she was a monster, a monster who knew him, and Jon couldn’t wait to find somebody who would understand what it’s like. “Let’s go, we have to catch up!”

“Look, I know you two were friends, but she is quite literally probably a giant Hunt monster right now - alright, alright, coming!”

Jon bolted out the door, Martin hot on his heels, and there was a strange lightness in his chest that hadn’t been there before.

Jon didn’t know what or who he was - if his gut was right, and he was a simulacrum of fear assembled by Jonah Magnus, or if Martin was right, and he was a lost man without a past who had doomed the future. Maybe it was both, or neither, or something far more complicated in between. Maybe it was too complicated to Know or See, and too big to understand. Maybe it was something Jon had to figure out for himself.

Martin would help. And if he didn’t help, then it probably wasn’t a real loss. He seemed to be going through something himself, which was none of Jon’s business. Even if he was the only person in the world who had ever seemed to care about Jonathan Sims.

Well. Everyone was disappointed eventually. Jon had gotten over his own early. Martin would realize, sooner or later. That Jon was a monster, who did not not know how to receive or give love, and that he would never be able to give Martin the human he loved back.

Jon had the feeling that a lot of people had realized that about Jonathan Sims.

#my writing #like seriously though jon had spent three years in the story wondering if he had started the apocalypse on purpose and martin just #shuts that shit down #am I an evil simulcrum of fear created by jonah magnus?#no you're my boyfriend shut up #am I human or monster - who cares look at this dumb couch #anyway one must assume that in this au of an au there's hilarious trio hijinks with jon martin and daisy rampaging their way through the uk

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