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pathetichimbos · 7 months

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First Meeting - Part Three

((part two here))

((part four here))

Thomas Hewitt/GN!Reader

tagslist: @goodiesinthecloset21 @shykoolade

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You've run away from home, hitchhiking around Texas as you come up with your next plan, only to find that life has plans of its own when a simple ride with a group of friends lands you at a lone gas station in Travis County, drawn to a mysterious man most seem to avoid.

---

"Oh my..."

It sounds like the second woman caught sight of you too.

"What are you doin' in my pantry!?" Luda Mae asks, as if she were scolding a small child for getting into the cookie jar.

"T-Thomas put me in here..." You stumble over your words as you slowly lower the bag.

She shakes her head with a tsk, looking you up and down, "And I suppose Hoyt don't know you're here?"

It was your turn to shake your head.

"Well he'll sure as hell find you if you stay here. Come on, get up." She motions for you to stand.

You do as you're told, avoiding Katie's pleading eyes as Luda Mae guides you through the kitchen and to the stairs.

You follow her up the stairs, down the hall and to the last room on the right.

"This is Tommy's room. Hoyt don't come in here. I'll let Thomas know when he gets finished with his chores."

You nod, the world around you feeling like a daze as you try to process everything happening.

She starts to shut the door, “W-Wait…” You catch her attention, “Can I ask you something?”

She hesitates for a moment but opens the door again, “Go ahead.”

You swallow, your mouth dry, “Are you…” She waits as you take a breath, “Are you going to kill Katie?”

“I don’t kill, honey. Don’t have the stamina for that.”

“N-No I meant--”

Luda Mae stops you in your tracks with a tight smile, “I know what you meant, dear.”

You sigh, watching as she shuts the door and leaves you alone once again.

You turn, your eyes scanning over the bedroom.

It was bare, save for the furniture one would expect to find in a bedroom.

To your left, there was a bed, pressed into the corner, neatly made, a floor lamp perched beside it. Above the left of the bed there was a window, viewing down to the side of the house. To your right, there was a dresser with a mirror placed against the wall in the middle. It was bare, no trinkets or pictures sitting on it. The mirror, however, was covered by a thin sheet.

The room didn’t seem like a bedroom of someone who had been there their whole life. It seemed like a guest room, untouched and without decorations.

You take a step forward, looking around the small space.

You walk to the window, leaning on the bed to look down at the overgrown yard below, empty and void of people.

You were tired. So tired. Tired from the traveling, tired from the day. You found yourself so exhausted from everything you could barely keep your eyes focused.

You take your shoes off and brush your feet off, setting your bag down at the foot of the bed before climbing on. You press yourself into a corner, knees to your chest as you look out the window.

You're not sure how much time passes as you wait, but the ache settles back in your bones as you stare, your eyes slowly drifting shut as you manage to fall asleep.

…

Your eyes open, body aching and numb from sleeping in such an uncomfortable position.

You uncurl and stretch, your eyes blinking as you look around the now dark room, the only source of light trailing in from the edges of the closed door. Silence creeps in from the floorboards, and for a second you wonder if you're alone in the house.

You discard that thought, however, when the low thuds of footsteps echo from the hall, heading towards the bedroom door.

You hold your breath, watching and waiting to see what would happen.

The doorknob begins to turn, and light casts over a small part of the room as the door swings open and Thomas walks in.

His shoulders were hunched and his head hung low, his dress shirt and slacks now covered in dirt and a few worrying dark stains.

Out of habit he flips the lights on, temporarily blinding you and causing you to scrunch your face as your eyes adjust.

Brown eyes lift to face you, and he seems almost ashamed. You shift closer in on yourself, your mind drifting back to Katie.

He shuffles on his feet, waiting for you to speak.

Your eyes scan over him and float back to the dark, blood like stains on his clothes.

“Are you okay?” You ask meekly, your voice cracking as you speak.

He looks down at the stains on his clothes and looks back up, nodding.

He was picking at his hands, nails scratching at the cuts he wouldn't let heal.

You shift in your spot on the bed, the ache in your bones still present as your eyes dart around the room, trying to think of something to say. What were you supposed to say in this situation? You didn't want to upset him, not after everything that happened today. Who's to say he wouldn't hurt you too?

You jump as he moves, causing him to falter for a second before he starts shifting through his dresser drawers, pulling out a large gray shirt.

But, instead of putting it on, or even leaving to put it on, he hands the fabric to you.

You hesitate, mind running slower than usual as you take the shirt from his hand, "...Thank you."

He nods a little, turning back to the dresser to pull his own change of clothes out before leaving the room, shutting the door behind him.

You look down to the shirt in your hand, feeling a little uncomfortable wearing the shirt of a strange man you had only just met that day, but the grime of your jeans and tank top rubs against your skin, a stark contrast to the soft fabric of the shirt in your hands.

You climb off the bed, tugging your shirt off before replacing it with the large t-shirt and shimming your jeans down and kicking them off.

You grab your bag, pulling a pair of shorts out and shoving your dirty clothes back in. The shorts weren't exactly the cleanest, but they weren't nearly as dirty as your other changes of clothes and paired with the clean shirt it felt like a dream.

You sigh, zipping your bag back up and setting back on the floor by the foot of the bed. You take a seat on the bed again, closing your eyes and rubbing your face, feeling more awake now as you wait for Thomas.

Your mind can't help but to wander back to the day, everything feeling like a hazy dream as your brain tries to cope with the traumatic truth you were faced with.

Part of you wondered if it was a dream, something that your under-fed and overworked mind came up with just to remind you that things can never be as good as they seem.

The door opens again, breaking your train of thought as Thomas steps back inside, now in a fresh pair of pajamas, shoulder still slumping with exhaustion.

You blink, looking up at him as he stands there awkwardly, as if he was aware of something you weren't.

You furrow your brows, and look down to the bed.

Oh. Right.

You shift in place again, "I can take the floor..."

He shakes his head, walking past you and to the closet, pulling out an extra blanket and pillow for himself, and laying them on the floor.

You sigh, "No, wait, it's fine, we can share the bed."

You weren't the most excited about it, but while the bed was rather small, it had enough room for two, and you wouldn't be able to sleep knowing he had to take the floor because you felt awkward.

He looks down at you again, eyebrows raised in a question.

"Yea, I'm sure. It's fine." You assure him, pulling the covers back and moving over to the wall.

He hesitates, but sets the extra pillow on the bed before half-folding the blanket, setting it on the dresser and shutting off the lights, climbing in next to you.

You're tense, and you can tell he is too. It's no one's preference to share a bed with a stranger, especially after the day the two of you had.

You press your back against the wall, staring into the darkness as your eyes begin to droop, your body quickly becoming tired, fighting against your wired mind.

Thirty minutes pass, and neither of you have fallen asleep. Thomas shifts uncomfortably across from you, rubbing at his mask and staring at the ceiling.

"...Is the mask bothering you..?" You ask in a whisper.

He nods, letting out a sigh as he tries to adjust it again.

"...Then why don't you take it off?"

He looks at you, but gives no response.

You stare at him, mouth running faster than your mind as you blurt out, "Did you kill her?"

He lets out another sigh, hesitating for a moment before giving a slow nod.

His answer doesn't seem real, falling into the same haze the rest of the day exists in as you nod at his response.

"...Why?"

He doesn't answer you, and you remember he can't. You sigh, closing your eyes as you rub your face, everything feeling numb as you try to process it all.

A gentle touch on your wrist catches your attention.

You look back at Thomas, who's now leaning on his side, eyes staring down at the sheets, almost nervously, as if he wants to ask you something.

You lower your hands, mind racing even more, wondering how someone so shy and nervous could be capable of hurting someone.

"...Do you want to ask me something?"

He nods, still not making eye contact with you.

You sigh, realizing finding out the actual question was going to be a lot harder.

The hand on your wrist gives you a slight tug, and you let him pull your hand down, resting it on his own palm.

You stare at him, wondering what he was doing, the rough callouses of his hand polar opposite of the gentle touches as he began moving his finger over your palm.

You flinch, a curt laugh coming out at the unexpected movement, and he stops, waiting for you to get used to the feeling before he starts to write something.

It only takes you a minute to realize that he was writing his question in your hand, slowly writing out the letters as you guessed each one, occasionally tapping to signal the next word.

"A-R-E U S-C-A-R-E-D O-F M-E?"

You look up, brown eyes still avoiding your gaze as he waits for your response.

"I don't know how to feel..." You told him, truthfully, staring down at where your hands touch, "It's a lot to take in..."

He nods in agreement, hsi finger beginning to write something else.

"I-M S-O-R-Y."

You sigh, closing your eyes, your voice still quiet, "...I know..."

"A-R-E Y-O-U G-O-N-A L-E-V-E?"

You open your eyes again, looking up to meet his own eyes, carefully looking over your features as he waits.

"...I don't know." You swallow, "I don't have a place to go, but... After everything..."

He sighs, his grip becoming a little firmer on your hand.

"S-T-A-Y."

You look over his face, trying to look for any reason to not trust him, or for any sign that he may not be genuine, but he's confident in his request, waiting for your answer as he looks back to you.

"...Why? You don't even know me..."

"U-R T-H-E O-N-L-Y O-N-E T-H-A-T-S N-I-C-E T-O M-E."

You contemplate his words for a moment, feeling them engrain themselves into your hand, leaving a faint buzz tickling through your palm.

His eyes are pleading, watching your expression with an anticipative, almost hopeful look that seems to fade with every second you take to answer.

"...Okay." You nod, "...I'll stay."

He nods, shoulders relaxing and seemingly content with your answer as he lets go of your hand, turning to lay on his back again and letting out a deeper sigh.

You can feel yourself start to relax as well, whether it be the relief of making a decision or the pure exhaustion finally catching up with you, you didn't care to think about as you sink into the warm bed, heavy eyes finally closing as you drift off to sleep.

#first meeting #thomas hewitt #thomas hewitt x reader #thomas hewitt x you #thomas hewitt x y/n #thomas hewitt x s/o #slashers #slasher fandom #slasher x reader #slasher x you #slasher x y/n #slasher x s/o

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footballffbarbiex · 10 months

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players: trent alexander arnold x oc x virgil van dijk words: 749 request and warning: 500 + words - no pref - Smut - Threesome with Trent and Virgil or (if it’s not too much Foursome with Trent, Jude and Mount 🙈)

“Lift,” you hear Virgil say with a well placed pressured slap to your ass. You do so, shifting your weight more onto your knees temporarily while doing your hardest to keep Trent’s cock within your mouth. He gives slow thrusts, careful to never push more than half of his dick inside of you. The last few times you’d had these stolen moments, you’d managed to take almost all but the last inch of him and you’d sworn you’d work on throat training with him.

Virgil makes himself comfortable beneath you before pulling your hips down slowly until finally, your exposed pussy is pressed to his own lips. He gives small kitten licks to part your folds, licking you from slit to clit and back to your wet hole. You’ve often thought about how he would feel between your thighs but this was nothing compared to the reality of it.

You try to compose yourself but you can’t resist moaning around Trent’s shaft as you hollow your cheeks, something which makes him whimper and buck his hips a little harder, pushing a few more inches into your mouth and past your gag reflex. He watches as your eyes widen, feels your throat work as it tries to expel him from there. There’s a brief look on his face as though he’s apologetic, but the way your throat closes around him feels too good for him to be 100% sorry for the invasion.

“Have I ever told you how gorgeous you look with a mouthful of my cock?” Trent asks, though it’s certainly more rhetorical. All you can do is remain between both men, players who you’re supposed to be looking after within the team, and be used however they wish. You’re pretty sure when you took the job and they explained the role requirements, sexually satisfying them wasn’t specified but it was certainly assumed after a few months.

Virgil swirls his tongue around your opening before darting it inside of you in quick succession. It’s enough to caress the sensitive nerves in the entrance of your pussy, enough to make you want more while still wanting to grind yourself upon his face and ride it. The light stubble on his cheeks and jaw scrape against your soft inner thighs and your cunt and as he pushes his tongue inside of you fully.

Spit is drawn from your mouth whenever Trent pulls his cock to the tip before pushing back in again, creating a well lubricated hole for him to fuck. Your hands remain on your thighs as he requested, but you know to put them on his thighs and tap if he goes too hard or fast. What you aren’t expecting is for Virgil’s large hands to cover yours as he pulls you down onto his face further once his mouth covers your clit.

He gives quick licks, swirling his tongue around your bead before giving little sucks which sends your vision into a burst of white noise. The groan that forms from him only vibrates against you, making you rock against his mouth until he applies the pressure you urgently need. Trent’s able to bend ever so slightly so that his fingers can pinch and roll your nipple between his fingers. His new position makes it so only the tip is between your lips but this is all you need to make him groan with frustration and pleasure while giving yourself over to Virgil.

You focus on how Trent’s fingers feel in comparison to Virgil’s mouth, the sharp pinch and soothing roll vs the perfect suckles and well timed flicks with the very tip of his tongue until you pull yourself from Trent’s cock and finally fill the air with your moans and soft calls of Virgil’s name. You remove a hand from your thigh and reach behind you as Trent gets to his knees beside you, finally wrapping his lips around your hard nipple. Your hand fills with Virgil’s aching cock, fingers already met with his pre-cum which drips down the shaft. He lifts you up slightly, enough for him to be able to moan “fuuuuuck” into the air and get his breath, not expecting you to play. “Want to turn around?”

“Are you ok if I play with Virgil for a bit?”

“I’ve only ever had a 69, not watched one. Can’t promise I won’t cum while watching you both.”

“I’ll clean you up after, if you do.”

“Then let me see you suck that cock baby.”

#trent alexander arnold one shot #trent alexander arnold smut #trent alexander arnold blurb #trent alexander arnold drabble #virgil van dijk imagine #virgil van dijk one shot #virgil van dijk smut

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fitrahgolden · 5 months

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It's hard to believe, as I watch you breathe

Soft, steady rain pitter-pattered against the window, audible even through the thick drawn curtains. Anthony supposed the sound should be aiding his sleep. However, it was not serving him tonight. He heard the steady breathing of his wife behind him, and was thankful that at least she wasn't having any trouble sleeping. The further into her pregnancy she got, the easier she seemed to find falling and staying asleep, though she complained about their son–for Kate was under the false impression that the baby was a boy, bless her–kicking and rolling against her every evening and every morning.

Having given up on sleep for the time being, Anthony turned over to face Kate. If he couldn't sleep, he would do what had become a regular part of his week–have a chat with his daughter.

He gently unbuttoned the lower half of Kate's nightgown, and snuggled close to his wife's swollen belly. He kissed his fingers and ran them down the dark line in the centre. He splayed his hand over the bump, and waited. Barely any time had passed before Anthony felt a firm roll against his hand.

“Hello, there. I am glad you are awake,” he softly whispered. “Though, I must ask that you please allow your mother to continue to sleep. I would very much like to speak to you in private.”

Anthony looked up at Kate’s placid sleeping face, then back down.

“Thank you. So… As you well know, I caught your mother taking you on a horseback ride this week, after she agreed with me that it was time to stop. Though, if I am being honest, I suppose she never truly agreed.” Anthony chuckled as he thought about it. “No, I suppose she simply stopped disagreeing, which I should know by now only means she is attempting to pacify me temporarily, fully intending to continue doing whatever she pleases regardless. Infernal woman. Know that I do not put any blame on you. I am sure you were protesting the entire time.”

Two swift kicks.

“Yes, exactly like that. She said it barely registered as a ride since her steed only walked the entire time, but you and I recognise the senselessness of that alleged justification. However, do not misunderstand me, darling. You are her first priority in all things. We simply… fail to see eye to eye on what is best for you on occasion. On many occasions. Though–and please do not tell her I told you this–I am aware that I should defer to her more often than I do. She does spend more time with you than I do. That… will always be the case, I am afraid. But you will see so much more of me once you are on this side of the world. Then, I can be justified in winning more arguments when it comes to childrearing.

That is not the only reason I wish to meet you, of course. It hardly signifies, in the grand scheme of things. I simply want to… know you. And take care of you. And do all the things my father did with us when I was a child. That feels almost sacrilegious to say. It is a lofty goal, likely impossible. But I will try… my best.”

Anthony cleared his throat as quietly as he possibly could.

“Darling, your mother and I have the love of five wonderful parents behind us, and we will pour all of it into you. We… It pains me that you will only meet two of them.”

A large roll across Kate’s belly.

“Yes, let us move on. I do not wish to upset you.”

He took a deep breath and ran a hand over his face.

“It is past time that I ask this. What would you like to be called? I would name you after your mother, but she would never allow it. So, have a think, and we will discuss it at a later time. Does that sound good?”

A long press.

“Oh, you do want to be called Kate? I knew it. I will try to appeal to your mother again. My case will be bolstered with you on my side.”

Anthony fell silent, and stared at the ceiling for quite some time, until a rapid series of kicks startled him.

“My apologies. I am still here. It is only that… I do not think I should say what is currently on my mind.”

Anthony looked up at Kate again for a moment.

“Though, it is probable that I am running out of time. I… Um, I know it is not fair to ask this of you, little one. But… if you have any control over it at all, could you… Could you please keep her safe?”

Anthony shook his head and wiped a tear he’d been denying was in his eye.

“It is wholly unfair. I know that, darling. I know I am the last person in the world who should even consider shouldering a child with such a burden. But… I find myself weak at times, especially when it comes to your mother. I desperately love you both. I…need you both. And I cannot… Please forgive me. Just try to keep her safe.

You must love her already. How could you not? She takes such good care of you. I fear at times she thinks I do not know that, that I do not appreciate all the care she takes with you, how much she thinks about you. And you must know that she loves you dearly. I admit I do not know how this works, your… connection with each other. But, surely, you must feel it, how much she loves you. Do you not?”

A roll, and then another.

“Good.”

—

Kate started to shift as she woke up the next morning, but stopped when she looked down. Her nightgown was half unbuttoned, her bare belly cradled in Anthony's hands as he slept, a peaceful smile on his face. She shook her head and sighed.

“So, what did you and your father speak about last night, little one?”

Nothing.

"Sworn to secrecy, are you?"

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runnerk · 5 months

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Hello @crazyspookies ! I was your ZR Secret Santa! I want to tell you that you were my PERFECT match - Stam/5tam is my *favorite* pairing. And I know it wasn't a requirement to put in every single thing you asked for, but I tried to include everyone on your list: Sam, Five, Steve, Simon, Janine, Amelia, and a Radio Cabel cameo.

This story is a Christmas Tree Farm AU. Title, "In the Bleak Midwinter" from the Christmas song of the same name. Sam has inherited the Yao family tree farm business. It's December 23d, closing day, and one last VERY PARTICULAR customer comes in demanding a tree. But when the closed sign goes up, the Christmas spirit (spirits?) take over and the lines of friendship get a little blurry.

Will post on AO3 eventually, but I wanted it to be here, for you, first. 🤶 Enjoy. Merry Everything.

Story under the cut. AU so no spoilers. Hints at NSFW material.

Thank you @notforconsumption and @delucadarling !

“If I were a wise man, I would do my part. But what can I give him? Give him my heart.” Quote from "In The Bleak Midwinter"

In The Bleak Midwinter

Five threw a log into the pot bellied wood stove and willed its hot breath to defrost her toes. She slammed the door closed and sighed as the wood popped and groaned.

The smell of burning wood.

It used to be one of her favorite smells.

It turned her stomach a little now. Since that one day - The Day - the day everything changed. .

She shivered despite the warmth wafting her way.

The door to the little shack flew open and Sam walked in, brushing snow from his hair, stark white falling from jet black. Sam grinned.

“Thanks for covering for me, Five. My alarm didn’t go off and-” Five cut him off with a shake of her head and a loud cough

“Janine knows about your car trouble.” She winked. Sam nodded his appreciation.

Sam never asked for this life. Heir to a Christmas Tree Farm. He expected his parents to grow old and die safe in their beds, hearts gently coming to a natural stop. He would also be old and would sell the farm to the highest bidder as he went on with whatever life he had chosen for himself.

But fate had other plans.

And now here he was, barely 30, owner of Abel Christmas Tree Farm. Even after all these years, he still had no idea how to run a business. Which is why he used the majority of any inheritance money (there wasn’t much) to hire Janine DeLuca as the farm manager. She was organized and..well…a little mean, if he was honest. She knew how to get things done.

“It’s okay, Sam.” Five continued, reassuring him. “It’s December 23rd. It will be a quiet day except for a few frazzled last minute tree getters.”

“It will be nice to close this place up and not have to think about it for a few months.” Sam sighed and made his way behind the register tucked away a corner of the little cabin.

“You still coming over to my place for Christmas? My parents are looking forward to seeing you.” Five grew up next door to the tree farm and spent most of her childhood chasing Sam through the trees. In the spring, racing between the saplings. The Yaos shouting reminders to watch their steps. Summers lying in the shade of the taller trees. Reading. Listening to music. Always in each other’s company. Then the fall would come and the cheerful holiday paths would be temporarily lined with skeletons, ghosts, and zombies. Haunted trails brought in money when finances were at their tightest. As soon as they were old enough, Five took on the job of acting as a zombie hunter. Sam would ride on the hay wagon and narrate stories. It was Five’s favorite time of year. As soon as the last zombie head was taken down, the farm once again became a magical winter wonderland.

Five and Sam had been the best of friends for as long as she could remember.

“Yeah, I think I will. It’s just…” He stopped. Thought. “I’ll be there.”

Five smiled. “You’d better. I’m making that cornbread stuffing you like. And I think Steve is stopping by with some shortcake.”

As if on cue, Steve threw open the door and entered with a bang.

“Happy closing day!” He stomped the snow off his boots.

“Close the door.” A voice came from a dark back corner. “We aren’t paying to heat the outside.”

“Merry Christmas, Janine.”

“Same to you, Mr. Sissay. Again, I ask you to please close the door.”

Steve turned to Five and raised his eyebrows before flicking the door and letting it slam closed.

“At least she said please.” He shrugged. He made his way to where Sam was tangled in receipt paper in an attempt to replace the spool in the register. “Merry Christmas, Sam.”

Sam looked like he was overheating.

“Uh, yeah. Same to you, Steve.”

Five turned away to organize the few ornaments they had left in the small sales section of the cabin. Truth be told, the little cabin was one of her favorite places in the world. It was the size of a garden shed, but there was a wall of sparkling ornaments for sale, a wood stove along the back wall to keep warm despite the lack of insulation, and in the front corner sat the register, a little stool, and an electric kettle for hot chocolate. The most recent addition was a janky folding card table in the darkest back corner, which Janine called her “office.”

It wasn’t much. But it felt like home.

“Where is Simon?” Janine muttered from her corner. Sam and Five often referred to her as Scrooge, but never to her face.

“He’s outside. I passed him on the way in.” Steve answered, continuing to look at Sam. “He’s just getting one last smoke in before he’s officially on the clock.”

Janine sighed, irritation evident.

A few minutes of silence passed. Five continued straightening ornaments, Janine shuffled paper. Steve had finally grabbed the roll of receipt paper from Sam and swiftly placed it in the machine.

“You can tell me I’m your hero. It’s okay.” Steve chuckled. Sam just looked at him with his mouth open. It was rare for him to be at a loss for words, but Steve somehow managed to tie his tongue with a single glance.

There used to be a team of people working at Abel Tree Farm. They stayed for a few years after…well, AFTER…but each year a few more would find reasons not to return. And the year before Janine was hired, Sam had to let any remaining staff members go. There was no money to pay for help.

Janine saved the farm within the year. She agreed to hire a few new people, but there wasn’t much interest in tree farm work. Sam was able to find two interested parties. One guy, Steve, was a pyrotechnician who spent summers working at a local amusement park in charge of their fireworks shows. The other, Simon, was a personal trainer at a local gym with a flexible schedule. And flexible…everything.

Janine hired them because their schedules were flexible.

Sam approved the hiring because he liked how they both looked like burly lumberjacks.

Simon burst through the door moments later, smelling of cigarettes and pine.

“Little things!” He sang, obnoxiously loud. Five watched Janine’s head fall into her hands. “Like that happy noise. As a brand new day is dawning on this lovely Christmas morning!” He barreled through the little shack over to Five and cradled her neck in his strong arm. He dug his knuckles into the crown of her head as she struggled to get away.

“I didn’t know ABBA had a Christmas song.” She joked.

“ABBA has a song for everything.” He replied, and flexed his bicep, keeping her in place. “Little things,” Simon continued singing. “Like your naughty eyes. You’d consider bringing me a breakfast tray, but there’s a price.” He let Five go and she kicked him in the shin. He winked at her. “Go on. Guess the price for bringing me a breakfast tray.”

“Stop being gross, Simon.” Five scolded, but she couldn’t contain her laughter.

“Mr. Lauchlan, this is a professional environment. If you can’t behave-”

“Aw, don’t be jealous Jenny. Come on, it’s almost Christmas.” He walked over to her with such long strides Five could swear it only took him two steps to cross the entire floor. “You know everyone has been calling you Scrooge?”

“Simon!” Sam yelled, a blush bursting across his cheeks.

“I do not care about how others feel about me. I wasn’t brought here to be popular. I was brought here to run a tree farm.”

Janine sounded stern enough, but Five noticed that Simon had begun rubbing her shoulders and she wasn’t shaking him off. In fact, she seemed to sink a bit lower in her chair and…was she relaxing?

That was new.

A Christmas miracle, almost.

Seems Sam wasn’t the only one who liked his lumberjacky-ness.

The rest of the morning went by in a lazy haze. Between small talk about holiday plans and organizing the store for closing, a peaceful calmness filled the shack.

Five sighed.

She was going to miss this.

There was something so unbelievably comforting about these people.

It was just-

“I need a tree.”

Nobody heard the door open, but a cold breeze wafted in with the most striking woman Five had ever seen. The room froze.

“This is a tree farm, is it not?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Simon spoke first, tripping over his own feet to get to her and take her hand. He grasped it and shook it wildly. “I can help you find something thick and sprucy.”

The woman’s face twisted in disgust and she took her own hand back. She shook it as if it were contaminated.

“A standard thickness will do. I need one that is tall and has all of its branches perfectly balanced.”

“One well-balanced tree coming right up.” Simon was at the door and gestured her out first.

“Simon.” Janine called after him. “Behave."

Simon smiled and winked.

“There is no chance of him behaving, is there?” Sam asked. Steve laughed.

“Not the slightest.”

They were back in minutes.

“Amy, I’m sorry! You can’t call a tree ‘perfectly erect’ and not expect a comment!”

“The name is Amelia and as a customer I have a reasonable expectation of professionalism no matter what words I choose to use.”

“Our apologies, Ms…”

“Spens.”

“Apologies, Ms. Spens. Our other associate, Mr. Sissay, will bring you the finest tree we have. AND he’ll be quick about it.”

“On it.” Steve disappeared outside as both Janine and Amelia glared at Simon, who, for his part, looked completely unashamed.

“Would anyone like cocoa?” Sam asked.

“Yes, please.” Five grinned. Of course Sam would know how to break the tension.

“I’ll take some, Sammy.”

“Oh no you won’t, Mr. Lauchlan.” Janine said. “I would like to see you out back.”

Five and Sam gasped. Out back was the wood storage shed. It was cold and dark and had a potent woodsy smell. Five had once compared it to the feeling of being buried six feet under in a pine box and since then…nobody wanted to go out back.

But Simon looked oddly intrigued.

“Have I been a bad boy, Jenny?” Janine’s cheeks flushed and she shook her head.

“Actually, yes. And I need to speak with you urgently.”

Five thought they left a little eagerly, but it was really none of her business.

“Anything for you, Amelia?” Sam pushed the button for the electric kettle and started setting out mugs.

“From an electric kettle? And is that…powdered mix?” She shuddered. “I’ll pass.”

“Please have a seat near the fire while you wait. I’m sure Steve will be back momentarily.”

“He does seem quite strong. Those biceps are certainly impressive.”

An awkward silence filled the room until the kettle began to boil. Sam poured two mugs of hot chocolate for himself and Five and offered Amelia a cup one final time.

“Absolutely not.” She shook her head. “Horrifying.”

Five took a sip, slurping loudly.

Sam immediately looked away. Five never slurped anything in her life. He knew if he looked over he’d see a devilish look in her eye and she would only double down on trying to annoy their only customer of the day.

Amelia was browsing their selection of ornaments.

“Some of these are quite beautiful.” She picked up a miniature snow globe hanging on a string. Five smiled.

“Oh, that’s a great one. It was handmade by-”

“This is the ugliest snowglobe I have ever seen.” Amelia squinted as she examined it. “I mean, really. As I was saying, some of these are beautiful, but this is not one of them.”

Five looked over at Sam, who was still facing the wall. She knew even without seeing his face that he was holding back laughter. Five, on the other hand, was not feeling overly playful with this terrible woman.

“Listen, I don’t know who you think you are-”

“Here you go, ma’am. The perfect tree. It’s almost 200 centimeters tall, blue spruce. She’s an absolute stunner.” Steve announced from the doorway.

“Do you commonly equate women with trees?” Amelia asked. Steve didn’t miss a beat. He leaned on the counter, making sure his arm muscles rippled under his flannel shirt, which was at least two sizes too small.

“No, ma’am.” Steve said. He seemed to be remembering that Simon was currently out back for his attempt at innuendo. “I rotate pronouns with trees so all sexes are represented equally through the…whole forest. Out of respect. For nature.”

Five winced.

“Hmm. Very well then.” Amelia walked over to Sam and leaned on the counter, gently bumping Steve with her backside.

“How much do I owe you?”

“Uh - no charge. Because of the - uh - trouble.” Five watched Sam die a little inside.

It was definitely a weird day.

“I guess this place isn’t as bad as I assumed it was. Happy Christmas, workers.” Then, to Steve, “You’ll be tying this to the roof of my car?” It was a question but also - not.

“It’s my pleasure, ma’am.” Steve grinned and followed her out.

Five and Sam stood frozen for a solid minute before Sam finally burst with laughter.

“What the hell was that?”

“That woman was a real piece of work. We need to hang up a picture with her face and never let her back in here again.”

“Aw, come on, Five. At least she didn’t take any of Simon’s nonsense.”

“Yeah, but she insulted the ornament that the children’s hospital made.”

Sam made his way across the little shack and folded Five into a hug.

“She couldn’t have known that. But I’m sorry she didn’t let you explain.”

“And she insulted your hot chocolate.”

“Well that was definitely out of line. You’re right. We should ban her.” Five giggled into Sam’s shoulder.

“See? I told you. She was terrible.” Five felt Sam start to let go but pulled him closer. “How are you Sam? Honestly?”

Sam paused and Five felt him tense up in the hug. He took a long breath, considering his answer carefully.

“I’m…okay. It’s been a long time but…some days are lonelier than others. Christmas still stings quite a bit. Which is inconvenient, you know? Since I pretty much sell Christmas.”

When silence and sadness fill the space between words, it’s hard not to fill it. Five fought the urge to say something encouraging like, “It will get better” or “Your parents are so proud of you for carrying on” because truly there was no way to know either of those things. She wasn’t in the business of making empty promises. Not to anyone, but especially not to Sam. Never to Sam.

“Which is why you shouldn’t have to wake up alone on Christmas. Why don’t you-”

Sam pulled back to look at her.

“Wha-”

“Oh! Am I interrupting?” Five and Sam both jumped. Neither one had heard Steve come back in.

“Nope. No. Not at all. Just - normal friendly conversation.” Sam stammered. Five laughed.

“You’re fine, Steve. Hey, listen. I’m not the owner of this place or anything, but I’m thinking that was probably our last customer. She was the only person all day looking for a tree and it’s getting late. What do we say to closing an hour early?”

“Also not in charge but I say that’s a great idea.”

“As the person who IS in charge, I’m calling it.” Sam walked to the small, frost covered window in the front and flipped the open sign. “Closed for the season.” He sighed.

“So I’m no longer an employee here until next season, right?” Steve asked.

“Right.”

“Then I can’t be fired, right?”

“Ummm, right.” There was a hint of a question in Sam’s voice.

“And, since we’re closed…” He pulled a flask from his pocket. “This isn’t drinking on the job, right?”

Sam shrugged. “I suppose it isn’t.”

“But only if you share.”

“Five, darling. I wouldn’t ever whip out whiskey and not offer it to a lady.”

“I’ll warm up more water for hot cocoa. Whiskey would be great in cocoa.” Sam added more water to the kettle and clicked it on. Five chuckled. She knew Sam wasn’t a fan of straight alcohol. Five on the other hand-

“I’ll take it straight from the flask.” She waited patiently for Steve to finish swallowing and grabbed it from his hand.

She took a long pull and the whiskey burned her throat on the way down. She felt the warm liquid sit in her belly and run through her veins. It was a feeling not much different than getting a hug from Sam.

She couldn’t remember exactly when she met Sam. Somehow it seemed like they had been together since the day they were born. The best of friends. There was never a question. Except lately something was changing. Something felt …more. She took another swig and handed it back to Steve.

He seemed to sense that she had been thinking about other things and gave her a questioning look. She smiled to reassure him that she was okay.

“Do you still have that little radio?” He asked. Sam, still behind the counter, reached down and pulled out a tiny radio. He turned it on and static blared through the shack. He adjusted the signal until he heard a voice break through.

“Today, Cit-i-zens, everyone here at Radio Cabel will be sharing our favorite holiday traditions!” Phil Cheeseman’s voice blared from the speakers. “You start, Zoe.”

“I like to start the day by making a nice breakfast and eating it in front of Christmas specials with my cats.” Zoe paused. “Later in the day I go see family and it’s busy and crazy, so I like having the time to myself to prepare for all of that.”

“That sounds kind of lonely.”

“It’s actually not. I like a balance of quiet and loud.”

“Not us.” Jack cut in. “Since Eugene and I have been together, we started a new tradition of blasting Christmas music and dancing in front of the tree while we open gifts.”

“No,” corrected Eugene. “Jack blasts music in front of the tree and dances. I try to get in as much coffee as I can to keep up with him all day.” Eugene let out a gentle laugh.

“And you love it.” Jack chuckled. “This next song is one of my favorites to annoy Gene with.”

The water was boiling and Sam mixed another cup of hot chocolate before joining Five and Steve in the middle of the cabin.

“You didn’t drink it all, did you?”

Steve winked and poured a large quantity of alcohol into his mug. Sam raised his glass as if to say ‘cheers’ and took a large gulp. He coughed and sputtered a bit but managed to play it cool.

“Yum.” He managed to squeak out. Steve laughed.

“Don’t worry. If we finish this, I have one or two backup flasks in my coat pocket.”

“Of course you do.”

The next song came on the radio. Over the intro, Phil gently spoke of how this song sparked memories of his childhood traditions.

Five found herself wrapping her arms around Sam, who responded in kind. They began some kind of involuntary swaying that she supposed could have been dancing.

Another set of strong arms wrapped around them.

The song ended with the three of them huddled together. They each took another drink - Five and Steve from the flask and Sam from his mug - and sat on the ground.

Sam leaned toward the merchandise for sale and pulled over a few tree skirts and some bags of cotton, sprinkled with glitter to look like snow. They wiggled around, arranging the items to make pillows and blankets. They cuddled together for warmth.

“Come on, loves. Tell me. Are you really best friends or is there something else happening here?”

“Yes.” Five said, while Sam stammered something incomprehensible next to her. The drink had loosened Five’s tongue and she continued without thinking. “We were always friends but since his parents died and his sister skipped out on him, I guess I want to be his family now. But not in a gross way. In a way that, like, I just want to be there for him all the time. I want to be the person who…” She trailed off, realizing that Sam had now propped himself up on an elbow and was staring at her. “Well…it’s true.”

“What happened?” Steve asked. Five, apparently a chatterbox when drunk, opened her mouth to answer. Sam never spoke about The Day. But he took a deep breath and launched into it.

“It … it’s going to be sad.” Sam warned. Nobody spoke. He shrugged and continued. “It was Christmas Eve. Everyone was home - my parents, my sister, and me. I had moved out into my little apartment down the road and my sister lived on her University campus. But as it was Christmas - this was the first time since the summer we were all under one roof. We had a fire going in the fireplace that morning, feeling festive and whatnot, and for just a few minutes - that was all it took - everyone was distracted. I don’t know where they were. I was upstairs in my room, wrapping some last minute presents when the fire alarm started blaring. I tried running downstairs but there was already so much smoke. The house - that damn house - we only had one working alarm. It was something my dad always said we needed to fix. But we never got to it. So anyway, by the time the smoke set off the alarm, it was already a pretty big fire. I don’t know what happened, but my parents never made it out of the house. Maybe they went to go get our dog? I don’t know. Maybe the downstairs just filled with smoke too fast? It doesn’t matter. The doctors tried explaining some theories but honestly I didn’t care enough to listen. What did it matter how it happened? My sister and I both made it out by jumping out the second floor windows. There were big trees around the house. Both of us could climb down. We got outside and it was just - the whole house. Flames out of every window. I don’t know. I can’t quite remember much. But I made two phone calls that morning. One to the fire department. The other…” His voice trailed off.

“Was me.” Five finished, quietly. “You called me. I ran over from my house as fast as I could. It was…awful.”

“Where is your sister now?” Steve asked cautiously.

“She didn’t stick around. Right after the funeral she took off with her boyfriend - his family is rich - and finished her schooling in some tropical location. I don’t even know where she is. She didn’t leave an address. She just said she wanted no part in the tree farm business and just - left.”

The room was quiet save for everyone taking a few gulps of their drink.

“I’m so sorry, Sam. I really had no idea.” Steve said eventually.

“Yeah. I don’t like to talk about it. I can’t bring them back. But it is why…it’s why I don’t go out to the tree field much. I like to stay in here. If I go too far back, to the last row of trees, I can see the foundation of the old house. They tore it down, but…they left that part.”

“Yikes. I’ve seen that before. I just figured it was torn down to make room for the tree farm.”

“Nope. Just the shattered remains of my old life.” Five patted his shoulder. “Anyway, it’s okay. I mean, no. Not okay. My therapist keeps reminding me that I don’t have to say it’s okay. Because it’s not. It’s just…thank you. Thanks for your…uh…concern. And stuff. I’m dealing with it.”

Steve leaned over and took Sam’s face in his hands.

“You’re doing really well, love. This is a great business you’ve got here. Everyone who comes here feels welcome and has a great time. Well, everyone except for Amelia.” They laughed. Despite his laughter, Sam squirmed a bit.

“Your face is..uh…close.” Sam licked his lips and winced, suddenly realizing how suggestive that was.

“You’re adorable.” Steve said and kissed him gently. Five raised her eyebrows.

“Well, that wasn’t on my list of things I thought I’d see today.”

“Oh, darling. You should always expect the unexpected. Especially when Christmas magic is in the air.”

“And whiskey is in the glass.” Five raised the flask and took another swig.

Sam remained still and silent as Steve backed up to give him space.

“Thank you.” He whispered.

Five laughed, but Steve just whispered,

“You’re welcome.”

The radio played another slow song, long gentle lyrics about bleak midwinters and moaning wind. “Snow had fallen, snow on snow on snow.” Caught up in the music, in the warmth, in the closeness, a shirt was discarded. Hands grasping. Not quite sure what belonged to who. Lips on lips on lips. Skin on skin on skin.

If anyone had approached the little tree farm shack that night, they would have had a hard time seeing through the windows, steamed with heat and want. Three bodies silhouetted in the light of the wood stove. Friends and passion and love.

It was close to midnight by the time Steve left. The drink long gone, a few hours of sleep, the fire snuffed. And then it was Sam and Five, closing the door to the shop. Closing the door on the season. Closing the door on the only closeness he still felt to his parents.

Five kissed Sam long and deep, knowing there was no returning to “just friends.”

“Don’t go home.”

“Where - what?”

“Don’t go home. Ever. Forget your little apartment. I want you with me.” She held him close but pitched her head back to look him in the eye. “Stay with me.”

“Five, you’re all caught up in the - whatever…”

“Christmas magic.” Five grinned. “Yes. But also, no. Sam - I have loved you for a long time. I’m your family. I’m your love. Stay with me.”

Sam was quiet, contemplative.

“Okay.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes. But…I’m not giving up my apartment yet. Just in case.”

“You won’t need it.”

“It’s just…it’s hard to believe things can be permanent. Awful things can happen, Five. I don’t want anything to happen but I know -”

“We’re going to be great, Sam.”

“How do you know?”

Five stopped and thought. How could she possibly know? She didn’t. Of course she didn’t. Just like she didn’t know that Sam would be okay or that his parents would be proud. But this didn’t feel like a lie.

“Sam, I don’t know. I have no idea if things will work. And I could be ruining the best friendship in the world. But here’s what I do know. I don’t want to spend another minute without you. You are my whole heart. I have loved you for as long as I can remember. We’ve wasted so many years treading so carefully. Without great risk, there can’t be great rewards. And Sam…a lifetime with you would be the greatest reward I could ever imagine. It’s worth the risk.”

Sam stared at her, mouth gaping.

“Okay.”

“Okay? I gave you all that and you’re giving me okay?”

Sam chuckled.

“I love you. So much. And I owe Steve my whole life for getting us over this friendship hump.”

“Wow. Poetic. And don’t get me started on how much Simon would love the use of the word hump.”

“Let’s go home.” Sam said. “To your place. I’ll move my toothbrush in tomorrow and it will be home.”

With that, Sam and Five started down a long, winding path. Winters are a lot less bleak with someone you love by your side.

#runner five #zombies run #sam yao #simon lauchlan #5tam #Zombies Run Secret Santa 2023 #ZRSS23

10 notes · View notes

meepmemez · 4 months

Text

Now that I got every design done for the main cast, time to get back to work on the SSSSSuper AU! This'll just be a list of their super powers because I don't feel like drawing today but still wanted to do something under the cut :3

Cuddles

His super powers consist of two main things: Super speed and super hops! Extremely helpful for him to get to his friends faster and confuse the bad guys! He's one of the weaker heroes, but Splendid sees major potential in him!

Giggles

Her super powers are similar to a fantasy princess! She can hover temporarily with the flow of her dress! Her kisses can also be deadly and can temporarily hypnotize the baddies into doing whatever she wants!

Toothy

He isn't much, but what he does have can shake up the battlefield! Literally! His tail is the strongest on the super island! When he slams his tail (and butt) on the ground, he can cause a small earthquake and cause the ground below to crack! His teeth are also just as strong, as they can munch right through material as strong as steel! His singing voice is also powerful enough to break minds if he puts his heart into it, but he hasn't realized it yet!

Petunia

Much more of a pacifist than a fighter, she has a form of chlorokinesis made for healing and cleansing others! She is incapable of self defense, but always carries around pepper spray and can use her plants as a getaway ride should danger arise!

Flaky

Her powers only active whenever they are anxious! Her spines become much more sharp, able to shoot out of his skin, regenerate, pierce hard surfaces, and are extremely hard to break! When he's not anxious though, he has night vision!

Nutty

His powers can only activate if he's eaten a piece of candy, which is why he constantly carries them around (and because he's addicted to sugar too)! He has super speed and an extremely strong stomach and teeth that can digest anything! His claws are also ridiculously sharp, cutting through and climbing up any surface! His weakness is black coffee.

Sniffles

This one should be obvious! An extremely high IQ! An IQ of around 5,000 to be exact! He uses his smarts to improve island life and build weapons to enhance the arsenal of his own and others (for a price)!

Handy

No, he still doesn't have arms sadly. HOWEVER, he has telekinesis! That's how he was able to work for so long despite the lack of hands. Also his skull is made of metal so his headbutts are absolutely going to break anything. The perfect battering ram!

Flippy

His powers are fairly simple. Super speed and super strength! He's the weaker of the two inhabiting his body, but he's fine with this reality!

Fliqpy

Now this is where shit gets real in the body he resides in. Not only are his powers enhanced when he's fronting, but he also gains smarts as well! He also can drink blood to heal up too. He loses all of his charisma in exchange, but no one wants to be close to this mad man... right?

Splendid

Honestly, what powers doesn't he have??? Super speed, laser vision, flight, frost breath, super hearing, and more! He's everything that the other heroes aren't and more! He's seen as THE hero of the island! Which explains why he's the head of it as well. Still weak to kryptonut tho.

Spendont

His powers are extremely similar to Splendid's! Some people even entertain the thought of them being siblings, which entertains the blue squirrel more than the red one. He's way less known than Splendid however due to his very few appearances around the place, but when he is seen in public, it's either going to be hectic or hellish.

Mime

His mimes become real! Like an invisible box around someone, a set of stairs leading to who knows where, or imaginary instruments! He can also clone himself as many times as he wants, BUT his powers get weaker the more it spreads to his clones. He wants to become a town hero one day, but in order to do that, he must learn to master his craft!

Disco Bear

His powers are very situational. He has the power to mind control people! However only whenever they listen to his music, which makes his parties absolutely the best! You just need to sign the waiver first before you enter his night club on the evenings he's performing... Does not having a heart attack after eating fried butter count as a super power btw?

Pop

Cub

In exchange for smarts, he can create forcefields for the folk he cares about most. Unfortunately he can't create any for himself and they can break after enough damage. Other than that, he has a little bit of pyrokinesis in his blood, but it's not strong enough to cause heavy damage.

His powers haven't fully formed yet, so it's a chaotic mess of what he can do at the moment! So far he's been recorded to shapeshift, spit acid, attract bad luck occasionally, breathe underwater, and/or have a very, very accurate aim!

Lammy

She can speak to inanimate objects/animals and they can talk back to her! She can also tell how you're feeling from just a glance, even if your face remains monotone! She's incapable of self defense, but she can lead her animal army against you, so just hope she only summons tiny creatures that don't have viruses and sharp teeth/talons!

Russell

He is a simple man trying to live a simple pirate life. Whenever he goes underwater, he turns into a merman and can breathe underwater! He's much better at combat whenever he's under the sea since he can actually move swiftly!

Mole

Lumpy

Ever since his acting gig that exposed him as a hero, he's leaned heavily into his agent role, finally using his powers extensively. Invisibility and disguises on the fly alongside super hearing and super reflexes to dodge enemy gunfire! However, even invisible/in disguise, he's our favorite blind and mute critter.

He is literally a walking talking metronome (as in the Pokemon move). Whenever he tries to activate his powers, it's always something random that will probably at least hurt everyone around him. Sometimes he gets the bad guys and sometimes he puts his friends in the hospital. However that doesn't set him back, he still believes he's a superhero!

Shifty

He has the midas touch AND super strength! Anything he touches with his bare hands turns into gold, making him suspiciously rich! He wears gloves so that he doesn't accidentally make his black coffee turn into liquid gold (does not taste good). He also can lock pick anything if that's a super power.

Lifty

He... He actually has none!!! Isn't that shocking in an AU made where EVERYONE is supposed to have powers? Well unfortunately not Lifty. He and his bro were both transported to the island because the agents there couldn't tell the difference between the two so they said fuck it and sent them both. What is powerful about this second hand man however is his jealousy.

Truffles

Teleportation. Yeah that's pretty much it. He doesn't use it to fight, but uses it to get away from conflict and observe people from afar as if they're living in his world.

Cro-Marmmot

Everywhere this block of ice goes leaves behind an ice trail! He can also speak via telepathy to anyone he wishes to. Otherwise it's good ol Cro-Marmmot from back in the day.

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quazart · 11 months

Text

The Emerald Comes First

(Modern/ X)Knuckles x (platonic!) Reader

He'd finally gotten the last piece of the emerald back. But, it being in the city had taken a while. Finding all the lost pieces had taken a while. Here he is, almost two weeks later, and barely finished.

Pathetic.

It was already a shame he'd let himself be cornered by that idiot doctor, giving him no choice but to shatter the very purpose of his being. But taking this long to find all the pieces? That made the guilt eat away at him even worse.

A growling interrupted his thoughts. He looked down at himself, disgruntled.

Or maybe it was just his stomach eating itself.

Frowning, he carries on. It didn't matter right now. Once he was back on his island, then he could relax and eat something.

He finds a tall enough jump point and leaps into the air. His dreads catching a gust and allowing him to ride the wind home. Picking a new current every once in a while to take him to his desired destination.

His eyes are dry and red from lack of sleep and it takes effort to keep them open. He's so very tired, having slept little to none during his quest.

But the emerald came first. He could recover later.

Unfortunately for him, his body disagreed. His eyes droop and shut for, what felt like, only a moment. This little mistake sending him diving into another current and traveling in the wrong direction. His eyes snap open at the shift and he attempts to right himself before he could fall straight out of the sky.

He growls and searches for another current to get him back on course. He had to be quick. His glide making him fall miles and miles the wrong way, with each passing minute.

'There's one!'

He feels for it and turns. The strong gust sending him back where he was originally headed.

A couple minutes pass before he finally sees his island come into view.

He sighs, so close.

His excitement and relief cause his muscles to relax, for the first time in a while. He is very close to passing out from exhaustion.

He'd been fighting and searching with no breaks for a little over a week and a half, and his body was more than ready for rest.

His eyes were beginning to fall again. Only one thought floating around in his mind kept him awake.

The emerald.

He's just a couple yards away now. Almost there. He begins to zone out.

Until he suddenly finds his vision taken over by a face full of, '(y/n)?!'

You both yell in surprise, not having seen the other until a second before Knuckles crashed right into you.

"Puah!!"

"Oof!!"

Both of you fall over, the echidna landing ontop of you and sending you back a couple feet before stopping. The emerald pieces scatter around you both. Having fallen out of Knuckles grasp, upon impact.

You stay on the ground, unmoving, for a moment. Temporarily, K.O.'d by the sudden echidna's arrival.

Knuckles was left dazed, but not from the impact. Yes, he was surprised to see you here, but his body is finally getting what it's needed, and he's not sure he can fight its urge to rest much longer.

He was home, his friend was here, the emerald was here.

Everything was fine.

'Wait, the emerald!'

With eyes half-lidded, but still alert, he lifts his head enough to count the pieces of the gem, ensuring they were all still there. They were. He releases a breath he was holding, in relief, and puts his head back on your shoulder. You wouldn't mind if he took two minutes to rest his eyes would you?

You were greatly surprised by your friends entrance. How had you not seen him? How did he not see you? A bright red echidna, or a human, on Angel Island? You don't see many humans here. Or any for that matter. Even mobians! How did he manage to run into you?

You take a good look at him. There are bags under his eyes. When did he last sleep? His frame seemed slightly slimmer compared to the last time you saw him. And his tail, which naturally stood raised high, laid limp behind him. He looked exhausted.

"Knuckles?... Knux?"

He groans as you boop his snoot. A violet eye peeks at you. Letting you know he's listening, more or less.

"Knux, when was the last time you slept?"

He weakly shrugs. Closing his eye. His fatigued brain and body wanting nothing more than some lovely sleep. A fuzzy, blissful feeling just from closing his eyes, taking over his senses. Making him not even bother to fight anymore.

You glare, what does he mean by a shrug? He doesn't know, or it doesn't matter? Either one isn't good.

But apparently not bad enough.

His stomach rumbles, strong enough to practically shake his little frame. He curls in on himself with a grunt. The grumbling lessening, but not going away.

'The idiot hasn't been eating either?!'

Now very worried for him, you quickly sit up. While upsetting your friend, you didn't care.

He remains in a dazed sitting position, watching as you quickly pick up all the emerald pieces and gesture for him to follow you. He gives you a blank face, but gets up. Or, tries to at least. His shaky limbs not wanting to cooperate with their neglectful owner. No sleep. No food. And on the move for almost two weeks, it was surprising he hadn't full on collapsed yet.

You sigh and frown, this is gonna take forever, unless you do something.

You walk over to where he's standing, his legs shaking under his weight, and gently pick him up and holding him like a sack of potatoes over your shoulder. Your arm looping over his side and back, and his limbs hanging on either side. His head facing behind you as you began your trek to the shrine.

Knowing where you were headed, and having nothing else to do, Knuckles relaxed and dozed off in your hold. Too tired to argue or fight against the ridiculous way you held him.

Although, he wouldn't admit it for the life of him, he secretly loved any and all physical contact. Especially when it came from you. You being the only one, of all his friends, that he trusted the most. Besides Sonic and Tails.

He fell asleep to the sound of your steps and sway of your walk.

The poor idiot.

You tell him, time and time again, 'Take care of yourself or there won't be a guardian to watch over the M.E.', but does he listen? No! Of course not! You're just a human who knows nothing about mobians, let alone an ancient tribe and their ways of protecting a big green rock. It's not like you're his best friend or anything, who he's repeatedly told the history and importance of the emerald and the island to. Or how echidnas, and any mobians in general, have the same basic needs as humans, such as the need for rest and food! No, no. You were an ignorant little human. You didn't know what you were taking about.

You take a deep breath and sigh, looking at your friend. Sound asleep. No. You couldn't blame him too much.

For neglecting himself, definitely yes.

His poor stomach still complaining, even after he'd fallen asleep.

You sigh.

You're upset, but you do understand where his stubborn efforts were coming from.

His job, since he could remember, had been compromised. His self-claimed ,'soul purpose' ,being taken away from him. Of course he'd do everything in his power to get it back, a.s.a.p.

You just wish he'd also dedicate some time to take better care of himself, along the way.

You make it up the shrine. Kneeling down to put the emerald shards in the pile he'd started and covering it with a net like device you'd brought, that Tails had made. With the push of a button it would act as a cage that would camouflage whatever was underneath it. Along with a defense system that would electrocute anybody that doesn't have a programmed chaos energy reading or DNA signature within a ten yard vicinity on the x, y and z axis, so nobody could get anywhere near it.

You didn't know how to put the M.E. back together and probably couldn't if you did. It was his thing. An echidna thing. So you leave it as it is, and walk down the steps.

You make your way to a small house Knuckles had recently fixed up, after you'd scolded and cared for him after getting sick from staying out when it was snowing, a couple months back. You walk in, bend down a bit to get through the door, and take him to his bed. Well, it was a hammock, but he used it as a bed so, same thing.

You look for his blankets and pillow to set him up with. He always folded and put them away after using them. You guessed to either keep the house tidy, or to keep them as nicely kept as the day you brought them for him. Once that's that, you turn away from him. Wondering when he'd wake up. And what to do in the meantime.

A groan from behind you brings your attention back to your friend.

The sleeping echidna turns in his hammock with a grimace, curling into himself and holding his middle, but doesn't wake up.

You sigh.

That's what you'll do, while you wait, then.

It's not for another three hours before he wakes up.

At first, he's confused.

How did he get here?

'Where's the emerald!'

He quickly sits up. Vision spinning from the sudden move. He holds his head for a second, giving it a little shake.

He looks around and finds you in the kitchen, washing a dish, he guessed you'd probably just used.

His senses finally awaken along with the rest of him. His stomach cramps at the smell of food. A pained noise escaping him.

You hear his short cry and see him sitting up with an arm gripping his abdomen.

"Well good morning sleeping beauty."

He frowns. You'd told him about human stories before. Human Princess stories, to be exact. So he understood your tease with little to no amusement.

You laughed at his expression.

"Put that face away you grump and come and eat."

His eyes gave away his interest for the food, but he didn't move.

"Where's the emerald." He asks pointedly.

"Up on the shrine, and don't worry. It's protected."

Now he tries to stand up, but his legs shake under him and give way. He falls to all fours with a gasp, and you hurry over to him. Now slightly rested and fully conscious, his pride was touchy, so you just help him to his feet rather than pick him up again. He grumbles under his breath about being fine, or something along those lines, but accepts your help nonetheless.

"It's alright Knux, just sit down. I'll bring it to you."

He shakes his head," No. I need to get to the emerald."

Now it your turn to frown. "Um, no, I don't think so. You're staying here. "

"Oh? And who's gonna stop me? You?" He taunts, but not in an entirely joking manner.

You glare at him and suddenly release him, for only a second.

"Woah!!"

Surprising him as he fell straight to the ground... almost.

You scruff him at the last second and stand him back up.

"You were saying?"

He turns away, crossing his arms. Glaring and mumbling again about who knows what.

You do pick him up this time, but just to get him back to bed.

"I don't need your help. I don't need anymore rest. I need to get to the emerald."

You look him over for a second."Not a chance."

His eyes widen, looking incredulous.

"Look kid, you can barely stand. Let alone walk over to and go up the stairs to the shrine. And then to use even more energy to put it back together? I don't think so."

He looks away from you. Angered by your argument and his predicament. His fatigued and starved body not helping his crabby attitude.

"Well, then why can't you take me there? So I can see for myself it's safe, at least?!"

You walk away toward the kitchen again, getting a bowl and spoon.

" Is my word not good enough for you? The emerald is fine. And, no."

His jaw nearly drops, and he glares."So, that's it then! You're just gonna leave me here?! I thought we were friends! Isn't that what they're supposed to do? Help each other when one is in need!?"

You fill up his bowl and grab a glass with water. Bringing it over to him.

"Well, yes, friends help their friends. Especially when they're in need."

"Well this is a need. A big need. I Need your help to get me to the emerald. Right about now would be preferable."

You sit beside him on a stool and place the water next to him on a little nightstand beside you two. The bowl of soup still in your hands, as you stir to cool it off.

"I thought I already said no?"

"Wha-! What is your deal?! Why not!"

"Why, so you can ignore my wishes and think,'Hey, I'm already here. Might as well put the emerald back together and get this island off the ground!' And then I'd have to pick up your comatose tail back to your hammock and fend off harder thieves like Rouge or Eggman by myself, on a floating island. Oh, yes, have the flightless, glide-less, not as durable as a mobian-human fight the tougher bad guys AND take care of you while you're unconscious."

He growls and crossed his arms again. Then you act like you'd just had an idea.

"Ah, you know what? I have a better idea."

He's about to snark and argue with you again, but you hold the bowl you had right infront of his muzzle. The strong smell of the broth and herbs getting to him, and sending another cramp through his torso.

You look him in the eyes. A serious frown on your face.

"Eat. Rest. Get better. Then, you'll be able to take yourself, whenever you want. I won't stop you."

He growls in frustration turning away from the bowl, but his stomach decides for him. A painful groan encouraging him to take the soup. Albeit, with a begrudged look on his face, but at least he's eating.

You walk away to give him space.

"And don't worry so much about the emerald. With the island already down, and you huddled up here, nobody would think to come here. Tails' invention will keep the emerald, along with it's energy signature, hidden. Without the emerald, the island doesn't float. No floating island or guardian, no precious emerald....I'll be at the shrine."

He watches as you leave the house. His earlier attitude fading away. You were right. What better time to recover than when the island looked emerald-less.

He looks down at himself. Cozied up with the blankets and pillows you'd gotten him. And a hot meal he never asked you to make.

His insides turn.

You'd been treating him like a friend since he'd gotten back. Maybe better than a friend. And he'd done nothing but argue and claim otherwise since he'd woken up. After you'd probably been watching over his island the entire time he was gone. Without him asking that of you either.

Thinking ahead, keeping the shards he'd already brought, safe. Keeping his home safe and secure.

And after all that. He just had to push and question your loyalty as a friend. All because he didn't get what he wanted. Even though you'd given him what he sorely needed.

He sighs. Setting his spoon back in the bowl. He was starving. Those couple of spoon fulls doing nothing but taunt his stomach. But after you'd departed, so did his appetite.

He set aside the bowl on the nightstand, beside his water, and tries to get up again. He knew if he didn't apologize now, he'd lose the courage to later.

He slowly stands on shaky legs.

He takes a breath and steadies himself. His feet holding firm enough, he begins a slow trek to the shrine.

Sure enough, there you are.

He'd just come to the clearing where the altar sat and he could see you at the top of the stairs. Keeping lookout, especially now that all the emeralds pieces were together, you knew they'd need watching out for, now more than ever.

He looks ahead and makes his way to you.

He doesn't make it very far before you disappear. Only to reappear behind him. Your sudden appearance startling him aback, he almost trips over himself.

He always hated when you did that.

You saw him coming even before reaching the clearing. Even among the lush forest greenery, a bright red echidna can catch your eye instantly. You looked away and fumed for a bit and quickly decided to mess with him. Not only for not resting like you'd told him, but to get a little even for how he acted earlier.

And it worked.

Knuckles hadn't seen you leave the altar and so missed you coming up behind him.

" What are you doing here?"

You asked, making him nearly jump out of his sneakers. You knew he was a little out of it, but you didn't think it was this bad.

He turns to see you, his mouth opening like he had something to say, but closing again. He repeated this again, but still said nothing.

While amusing, you were still very much upset.

"While I do find your fish impression pretty impressive, once again, I ask, why are you here?"

He looked down towards his feet. A couple bugs scurried about, distracting him for a moment. He knew what he wanted to say. So why couldn't he say it?!

'She's your best friend. You aren't a coward, are you?' He repeats in his mind.

He takes a deep breath and looks at you.

"Look, I just wanted to say.. I'm sorry. I know you were trying to help me, but..I didn't see that. I thought you didn't care about what needed to be done. That you didn't respect me or my job. But you did.. you do. You didn't give me what I wanted, but you did give me what I desperately needed. Even if i couldn't see it and fought you over it, you fought back for my own wellbeing. And..I'm sorry for taking you for granted like that, and for questioning you and acting like a jerk. If anybody wasn't acting like a good friend, it was me."

You stare at him for what felt like an hour to him, then reply with a frown.

"Knux, I'll always be there for you, whether you like it or not. And as much as I appreciate and accept your apology, you really shouldn't be here. You're still doing exactly the opposite of what you should be doing."

He doesn't understand. Shouldn't his apology have made things better?

"Look at me Knux, forget the emerald for now, it's safe. Forget about me for now, I'm safe, and I'm not mad at you, or going anywhere. You,-" you poke his forehead. He gives an almost cross eyed frown.

"You've done your job for now. You should be resting back in bed. Did you even finish the bowl I gave you?"

He frowns and dry swallows, giving you your answer. You roll your eyes.

"How many times-."

You pick him up over your shoulder, the same way you'd done earlier, with one arm. And surprisingly, he doesn't seem to mind. His head turns towards you as you spoke.

"You come first Knux. Before the emerald. Before the island. Without you, the emerald has no guardian." He tries to argue, but you quickly shut him down.

"But I-"

"shush*"

He blinks,"Ah? Did you just shush me-"

"Shhh."

He gave you an annoyed look, but doesn't comment anymore. Just glad you were still friends and you weren't mad at him.

You both get back to the house quicker than if you'd let him walk on his own.

You let him down to get to bed, while you get him a fresh bowl of soup.

He doesn't even bother to put the covers over himself. He just drops himself into his hammock. The hanging bed, swinging him back and forth. His fatigue weighing on him even more, now that he was accepting it.

You come over and hand him the food. With his appetite suddenly returned, he quickly sits up and eats.

After polishing off a couple bowls, he thanks you and hands you his dish after you'd come to take it. Laying down, he just stares at his ceiling. Listening to you moving about in the kitchen and then saying you'll be back, as you go to keep watch again.

He nods, and at the same time, thinking about you. His friend, who would keep a lookout for his island and the emerald. Looking out for him. The nice thoughts helping him to drift off into a peaceful slumber.

Just as your out the door, you hear his snoring and smile.

Finally!

#knuckles the echidna #knuckles x (platonic!) reader #this kid needs to learn he is just as important as the gem and island he so diligently looks after💗#X Knuckles #or #modern knuckles #reader is tired of this little echidna's self sacrificing attitude #echidna in need of a vacation #or at least a good nap #thank u @heckinconfusedparade for giving me the push I needed to publish my stories🥰💕

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sunkeeperxiv · 9 months

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FFXIV Write '23 Day 1: Envoy

Daca'li's nephew sees him off after the Greenbliss ceremony.

(no spoilers/extremely early ARR; ~1100 words)

Daca’li had barely made it back to the Carline Canopy when his nephew made his presence known, stepping abruptly in front of Daca’li and blocking his path toward the airship landing. Before saying anything, he looked Daca’li up and down, taking in the energetic sway of his tail and the lightness of his stance, his expression making it clear he had clearly expected something different.

Rashe’a crossed his arms and took a step back, enough that he wasn’t directly in Daca’li’s space but not enough to let him by. “What’d she want with you, then? You look like you’re in too good a mood to have just been yelled at.”

“She had a job she wanted me to do,” Daca’li answered, and Rashe’a relaxed a little.

“Good. They can’t be mad at you for fainting.” He seemed about to say something else, but instead closed his mouth and shook his head. “What’s the job, then?”

“I’m delivering a pair of letters,” he said, unable to stop a grin from spreading across his face. “I’m heading to Limsa Lominsa and Ul’dah. On an airship.”

Rashe’a’s ears had unpinned themselves slightly from his head already, but this news made him prick them fully forward, his mouth opening slightly. It lasted only an instant before he’d laid them back down, however, his brow furrowed. “You near fell off the amphitheater stage not twelve full bells ago, and you want to get on an airship? You want me to have to go and tell ma you plunged to your soddin’ death over Vylbrand because a chocobo carriage was too boring for you?”

“Too slow. The Elder Seedseer’s planning a remembrance ceremony for the Calamity. It’s important these letters get delivered in good time. Airships have railings, besides. I can sleep in a tree without falling; I’m sure I can manage a deck.” He leaned forward, trying to properly convey his excitement. “It’s an airship, ‘She’a. Do you know how rare it is to get to ride an airship?”

Rashe’a had a look on his face like he was cycling through responses in his head, but eventually he settled for grabbing Daca’li’s wrist and dragging him back out of the Carline Canopy, around the side of the building where the walkway overlooked the river. A spring chill was still in the air, and that combined with the spray from the waterwheels and waterfalls made the spot, at least temporarily, an inhospitable spot to loiter.

Once the two of them were alone, Rashe’a whirled on Daca’li, leaning in close, intentionally looming over him. “You can’t do this. This isn’t aether sickness and you know it. You can’t ask if the voyage or the surroundings or the— the air currents, or whatever, will set you off because they don’t know what sets you off. You don’t know what sets you off.”

“People set me off,” Daca’li countered, putting just enough of a growl into his voice to stop Rashe��a’s interjection in his throat. “Bad memories set me off, and there’ll be hardly any of either on a tiny airship that almost no-one’s allowed to be on. An’ besides, what would you have me do, then? Go back to your ma’s and lie in bed the rest of my life? Never pick up so much as a knife again, in case I go faint and fall on it?”

Rashe’a leaned back, tailtip still twitching but the rest of his posture slowly relaxing. “No, I don’t— I thought you were done with this, was all. You said it stopped. Then yesterday happened, and you didn’t wake up for hours, and then you told me it’s been happening again for weeks, and you’re just keeping up with adventuring like nothing’s wrong…” He sighed, bringing a hand up to the bridge of his nose, blue eyes plaintive. “I worry about you, Uncle ‘Li.”

“I truly haven’t had any near-death experiences because of it, I promise,” Daca’li said. “It’s not quite the same this time, either. It’s not all memories. Something’s talking to me through the visions.” He leaned in a little closer and lowered his voice. “The Elder Seedseer called it the Mothercrystal, said I had the power of the ‘Echo’. She knows something about it. Maybe these people,” he said, brandishing the letters he carried once more, “know more. So I'm getting on that airship. I want to know what’s going on with me, not hide from it.”

There was a tense moment of silence before Rashe’a managed a wan smile. “Alright, alright, you’ve convinced me. I’m too tired to argue with you after bein’ up all day. It’s hardly the most dangerous thing this adventuring lark has gotten you into, and I suppose it is quite the honor to be the Elder Seedseer’s personal messenger.”

“Given to a Keeper, no less.” Rashe’a’s smile widened into something more genuine.

“Hah! Every so often they have to admit we live here too. Go off, then, and be safe. I have one condition for you, though.” He leaned forward and pushed his forehead against Daca’li’s gently. “Whatever you find out, tell your family too. So we don’t have to worry about you?”

Daca’li pushed back and purred softly in affirmation. “Of course. Coming back to tell you everything just means I get to ride another airship, after all.” This earned him an exasperated huff right before Rashe’a pulled him into a tight hug.

---

Barely a bell later, not quite sure if the twisting in his stomach was excitement or trepidation, Daca’li felt the wooden planks of the airship’s deck vibrate under his feet as the engines roared to life. Despite his best efforts to brace himself, he found himself gripping the railing at the edge of the deck tightly as they left the dock, watching the river below him as they rose away from it.

He raised his gaze to the deck surrounding the Canopy and found Rashe’a still standing where he’d left him, more or less. He was slumped over the railing of the deck, fatigue clearly getting the better of him, but he straightened up when he saw Daca’li looking at him from the airship deck and waved.

Daca’li let go of the railing just long enough to rap his knuckles on it with a cocky grin; Rashe’a gave a thumbs-up in response before making a show of tightly gripping the railing he was leaning on, the smile on his face more strained. Before long, though, he had faded from view as they rose above the thick canopy of the Shroud, and Daca’li was entirely focused on this new perspective on the forest he’d thought himself so familiar with.

Still, he didn’t let go of the railing for the rest of their trip to Vylbrand.

#FFxivWrite2023 #fic snippets #Liath family #ffxiv fic #mooncat mindrot #day 1 down let's go

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skepticbeliever-bookclub · 2 years

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Hello once again, shippers & readers!

We have come out the other side of June, sparkling and satisfied because as of this week, we have completed our month-long read! Together, we dove head-first into the last four chapters of Ballad of a Thin Man by chapscher.

Contextually, the journey together gave us the rare opportunity to experience the thrills and the twists at the same time and getting to the conclusion and reacting all at once to what we felt was a fitting end (especially in the live read where we were treated to the author themself dramatically reading its conclusion), we are now mostly morose that our current "water cooler" fic is over.

In the end, we were so moved by the dedication the author put into detail and foreshadowing for where the fic took us and it was more than satisfying to be able to bring our long list of analyses about Shane's perspective in this and feel vindication and awe at the ending's execution.

Rating: M

Summary:

He was far too tired for this. He couldn’t even clearly remember what Ryan’s rental car looked like. He told himself that Ryan was probably out parking somewhere and expected Shane to check them in; which was essentially how they worked whenever they filmed on the road. But Shane didn’t think he ever checked them in while he was quite this tired before. He couldn’t even remember getting out of the car. - Shane finds himself in a strange hotel that lingers in the space between memories and the unimagined.

Some Long Book Club Thoughts To Go With Our Theme:

The intimacy at the end is so emotional, somewhat because their injuries prevent more physical intimacy, but also how far they've come to be close.

reading it was like true detective season one, trying as a whole group to put pieces together and find clues and talk through symbolism. very satisfying as a group read

i like, also, inside the sweetness of this moment they're having, this is really the first time all fic we get ryan-and-shane banter

The fic is so lonely up until now. Even though there's been figments for Shane to talk to, he's really just been alone with himself. And now Ryan is there and Shane can let himself really be with him

[the author's] analysis of Shane’s brain is probably one of the best character analyses I’ve ever read

[The author] really manages to be so immersive but without it ever feeling bogged down or too heavy. Like the subject matter is kinda heavy and the mental journey shane takes is A Lot but it’s not so dense storytelling that it slogs along or anything. Which I v much appreciate cuz sometimes stuff like this where it’s so heavy on vibes and esp when it’s all ~ooh it’s in their heads~ it can get tiresome. This didn’t

i love some solid visual psychoanalysis, my first "getting some strong mulholland drive vibes" instinct in chapter one was correct and it was extremely satisfying to experience that wild ride

i love scott and ryan's conversation that we hear, it feels very real and also like we've been dropped into the middle of something that's been going on for days

ryan anguishing over his guilt and trying to stay in the suffer space because he doesn't feel like he deserves rest or food and Scott just kind of coaxing him toward being normal againit's nice

i keep thinking about the two of them irl have sort of tested the waters now and then of dancing together when the whole journey of their relationship and meeting and getting to know one another has been its own parallel dance of never touching whether that's them on opposite sides of the country or in different headspaces in their belief or even now with their work but they're always side by side doing the same thing

THE LOVE CONFESSION AND THEM KISSING SO PASSIONATELY WHILE TEMPORARILY FORGETTING THEIR INJURIES BEFORE IT WAS LIKE OW AND RYAN KISSING SHANE SO BREATHLESS THEY HAD TO STOP LIKE FUCKING FUCKKKKK.

the experience of getting to read the story with so many people in here, going on the journey together, was such a treat.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO JOIN US FOR OUR NEXT DISCUSSION? CHECK OUT THE FAQ, AND SEND US AN ASK! IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR FIC RECS, PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR READS, NOMINEES AND BOOK CLUB REC LISTS!

#shyan fic #shyan #skeptic believer #otp: we took an oath #long fic #surrealism #hurt/comfort #sbbookclub long read #read of the week #angst with a happy ending

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melanielocke · 2 years

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The Stars Collide - Chapter 15

It's been over a week since I last updated, so I figured I should get this chapter out. After this I have one more written but I really should go back to writing this story (Alastember has been taking up lots of time) AO3 | Chapter list

@alastair-appreciation-month

Alastair couldn’t quite get Christopher’s words out of his head. He dreamt of the machine that night, of undergoing electroconvulsion therapy, although he guessed whatever he dreamt was more his imagination of the process than how it actually worked. According to Christopher it wasn’t something he’d be awake for. Perhaps he was being unreasonably paranoid, but Alastair couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen to him if he agreed to any of their machines.

He tried to remember the dream he’d had during his fever, but it had slipped his mind. Dreams weren’t like memories, and he didn’t always remember them, nor could he revisit them. Still, he remembered Charles had been there, telling him to behave. He hated how Charles used to treat him like a disobedient child. He was younger than Charles, yes, but he was a grown man.

Thomas was in his office working when he woke up, and Alastair didn’t think he should disturb Thomas with his worries and thoughts right now. Instead, he decided he might as well go out for groceries already. Thomas had made a list with everything he needed and today was the market for fresh produce in the palace courtyard. Thomas had expressed his concerns with Alastair’s safety, but the courtyard was within the palace and was guarded, and access had been temporarily restricted to those living or staying in the palace. He didn’t think anyone would try anything in broad daylight surrounded by so many people. Still, Alastair was on guard as he walked through the corridors. It was hard to feel safe here, but then it always had been.

Alastair closed his eyes as he felt the sun kiss his skin. It had always been a sensation he liked, and there was plenty of sun to go around. The climate in the area was suitable for growing all kinds of fruits and vegetables, and the choice at the market could be overwhelming. He started with the fruits stall, checking off everything of Thomas’ list and buying a basket of blackberries too. He’d always loved blackberries and he knew by now Thomas took no offense if he got anything for himself.

Another man joined him at the fruit stall, riding his chair over the grass. His former father in law had been in a wheelchair for as long as Alastair had known him. He hadn’t expected Henry Fairchild here. Exactly how often did he leave his lab? Charles never went to the market by himself that Alastair remembered.

‘Alastair, it’s good to see you,’ Henry said. ‘I have missed your visits to the lab.’

It had been a while. Early into his and Charles’ marriage, Alastair had spent time in the lab in an attempt to get to know Henry better. Alastair might not be a beta scientist himself, but he could follow along well enough. Matthew had never liked his presence there much though, and neither had Charles, claiming it was a waste of time. In the end, Alastair had stopped going. He didn’t know if Henry had ever appreciated his visits.

‘Good to see you too. I was wondering how your research has been. I admit I haven’t kept up, but Christopher Lightwood told me about your machine that reads magic.’

‘Ah, yes. I finished it, and we are learning more and more about how magic is situated in the brain. I know you never cared much for participating, but you’re welcome if you ever changed your mind.’

‘Who else can work with the machine?’ Alastair said. ‘Who else have all the data they need to make one, that is?’

‘Excuse me for a moment,’ Henry said when the market salesman asked him for his order.

Henry put the apples, pears and bananas he’d bought into a bag attached to his wheelchair and followed Alastair to the next stall.

‘Currently, just me and Christopher,’ Henry said. ‘I lent the machine to a scientist from Turan for a project a few years ago, but that is long finished and none of the researchers would know to replicate the machine.’

‘Oh,’ Alastair said. ‘That’s good, I guess. Wouldn’t want the wrong person to have access to it.’

‘Precisely. The machine is capable of both much good and great evil, and it must be protected.’

‘Father, I got the tomatoes.’

Alastair looked directly into the green eyes of Matthew Fairchild. He took a step back, he didn’t know what to do in this situation. He and Matthew had never gotten along and Matthew’s odd demeanor tended to bring out Alastair’s snarky side.

‘I wasn’t expecting you here,’ Matthew said.

‘You do realize I do my own shopping,’ Alastair said.

‘Of course,’ Matthew said, visibly uncomfortable.

‘We were just discussing your father’s research,’ Alastair said. ‘It’s fascinating, isn’t it, to be able to read and even manipulate magic through technology?’

‘Science has never been one of Matthew’s interests, Alastair,’ Henry said. ‘He has his own fashion business, did you know that?’

‘It is not exactly my style,’ Alastair said evenly. ‘But I was aware. How is Tilly?’

‘She misses you,’ Henry said. ‘She’s been asking when you’re going to spend time with her again.’

Matthew’s facial expression changed for a moment, but Alastair didn’t know Matthew well enough to read his emotions. It was something he learnt through pattern recognition, something he had to learn again with every new person who became important in his life. With Charles, he’d learnt to read every change in his mood. He’d had to. With Thomas, it was something he was working on.

‘I’d like to spend time with her again,’ Alastair said. ‘I’m sure Thomas would be fine with that.’

Charlotte and Henry had often asked Charles to watch Tilly for them. Charles, who rarely had time for his little sister, had delegated the task to Alastair instead and for some reason Tilly had taken a liking to him. She was a smart little girl, much like her father.

‘Tilly’s been wanting to spend more time with me in the lab, but it’s not exactly the safest place for a little girl,’ Henry said.

‘She’s the first of your children to be interested in your work, then?’ Alastair asked and he immediately realized that might not be the most sensitive thing to say in Matthew’s presence.

‘No, I don’t think so.’ Henry paused. ‘What I mean is that about a year ago, Charles did show a sudden interest in my machine and wanted to read the research behind it. He never got back to me about it though.’

Alastair frowned. ‘You mean to say Charles also would have had the knowledge to build the machine?’

‘Not without the scientists to understand it. But I did give him all my research. Charles only asked it so he could read it for himself, he would not have leaked it.’

Alastair nodded stiffly. ‘Of course. Charles took his duties as crown prince seriously.’

‘I’m going to go finish our grocery list,’ Matthew said and before anyone could say anything else he turned around and disappeared into the crowd.

‘I should get going, or Thomas will worry,’ Alastair said. ‘It was nice talking to you.’

He finished the rest of his grocery list quickly and returned to his and Thomas’ quarters. Thomas was still busy at work when Alastair started unpacking and storing everything, which gave him time to think about what he’d just learnt.

If anyone had done any experiments on him, Charles had known about it, Alastair had known that. In his nightmare, Charles had been right there. Charles had had access to the information he needed to rebuild the machine. He couldn’t have done it himself, sure, but he had all the necessary information to hire a team. But then why didn’t anyone know about it? If Henry had given Charles the information so easily, he could have requested official permission for an experiment. Unless Charles had done something he didn’t want his parents to know about.

Alastair knew he was awful person for thinking this way, but he could believe Charles had done such a thing. He knew deep down that Charles was not exactly a good person. And perhaps it had been Alastair’s fault. After all, he was not a good person either and he’d made Charles do things he’d later regret very often. But he could believe Charles would want to push ethical limits with the machine. Alastair suspected Charles had resented not having any special abilities. He’d considered Alastair’s memory a valuable asset, but had hated that he couldn’t do magic himself. He thought of magic as power, and he craved power more than anything.

If that strange man’s visit was anything to go by, Charles’ death had delayed the experiments, and without Alastair as a test subject they didn’t make progress. But if Charles had ordered these experiments, why did they want to continue with him dead? What was the point? An awful thought crept up. What if Charles wasn’t really dead? And if he turned up alive, what would happen to him? What marriage would be considered valid? Could they force him to go back to Charles? Alastair wasn’t sure he still could. As much as it bothered him that Thomas wasn’t interested, he couldn’t go back to being subject to Charles’ desires.

‘You’re lost in thought,’ Thomas said when he starting preparing the potatoes in the kitchen.

‘I’m usually lost in thought,’ Alastair said. ‘It’s nothing to be concerned over.’

‘You know, I went to a therapist for a while a couple of years back.’

Alastair raised an eyebrow. ‘Okay?’

‘I don’t have any psychiatric diagnosis, but therapy still helped me greatly with how I go into relationships and friendships. One of my closest friends has a personality disorder. He’s doing a lot better with it nowadays, but that wasn’t always the case and it took a lot out of me to support him. Anyway, what I mean to say is that therapy can be helpful for you too.’

‘I’m not crazy,’ Alastair said.

‘No, you’re not,’ Thomas said. ‘But I do think you could benefit from therapy. I know you don’t like talking about Charles with me.’

Alastair straightened his posture, tilted his chin upwards. ‘I didn’t realize you were so interested in my relationship with my dead husband.’

Thomas sighed. ‘That’s not what I mean. You could talk to a therapist, and they could help you process your feelings. Losing your partner is a lot, especially for someone our age, and I can tell you’re struggling. I want to help you, but I have my limits. That is something I learnt in therapy anyway.’

‘I don’t know,’ Alastair said. ‘I don’t really believe in the magic of talking about my feelings. People like to treat it as some sort of cure all, but I’ve never felt it made much of a difference.’

‘Okay. Therapy is more than just talking about it, though,’ Thomas said. ‘It is about learning what is or isn’t healthy in a relationship, and how to set boundaries. And learning better ways to deal with what you’re feeling. With you I get the sense you’re just pushing everything away.’

‘I’m not as emotional or fragile as you think,’ Alastair bit out.

It was a lie, Alastair knew that, but he couldn’t help but remain defensive. He couldn’t show weakness, he couldn’t show how vulnerable he was. He was far too ashamed of his emotions to let it show.

‘I’m not saying you’re fragile, just that I think you could use help. Think about it.’

Alastair nodded. Maybe Thomas had a point. He knew himself well enough to know that getting to the point of finding a therapist and making an appointment was very unlikely to happen.

‘I ran into Henry and Matthew at the market today,’ Alastair said.

‘Oh, Matthew mentioned he would be cooking and having dinner with his family tonight,’ Thomas said.

‘Henry said Tilly missed me and I thought maybe we could invite her over someday. I used to watch her sometimes when I was with Charles.’

‘I know Tilly,’ Thomas said. ‘She’s welcome here, you could ask Henry and Charlotte when is a good time.’

Alastair took in a deep breath. ‘Henry also confirmed that no one else was given access to his and Christopher’s machine. However, a year ago Charles asked him about it and Henry gave him enough of the files to have scientists recreate the machine.’

‘So if anyone did any experiments on you, Charles was involved?’

‘I still don’t know if it’s real or if I’m losing my mind, but Charles didn’t care for his father’s work at all. Henry believes he asked for the files only to read them, out of interest for his father’s work or something, but I can’t picture Charles reading these files in his free time. He would have asked them to use them.’

‘But nothing is legally registered. Do you think Charles would have led illegal research?’ Thomas asked. He paused. ‘Do we need to tell Charlotte?’

‘We have no evidence,’ Alastair said. ‘And this is her son we’re talking about, she’s not going to believe he did anything bad unless we can prove it.’

‘And if you could remember, would that work?’

‘I can show other people my memories,’ Alastair said. ‘So that would count as proof. I guess we should ask Christopher for help.’

He would rather not, and he hoped Charlotte would believe him without taking her back into any memories. He didn’t doubt the memories would also show how Charles had treated him.

‘I’ll let him know,’ Thomas said. ‘But there’s something else I think we should talk about. Or I guess at least I should. If what you’re saying is true, then Charles was not a good person. But I believe he was a bad person regardless. What I mean to say is, I’ve suspected for some time that he mistreated you.’

Taglist: @alastaircarstairsdefenselawyer @life-through-the-eyes-of @styxdrawings @justanormaldemon @ipromiseiwillwrite @a-dream-dirty-and-bruised @amchara @all-for-the-fanfiction @imsoftforthomastair @ddepressedbookworm @queenlilith43 @wagner-fell @cant-think-of-anything @laylax13s @tessherongraystairs @boredfangirl16 @artist-in-soul @broodyhawthorne

#Alastair Carstairs #Thomas Lightwood #thomastair #Henry Fairchild #Matthew Fairchild #the stars collide #the last hours #tlh #fanfiction

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storyofx · 5 months

Text

3:21 pm

My eyes red, voice hoarse, head aching, and a spirit burning with dark thoughts and fantasies of revenge dance around every inch of me.

I take a hit of the blunt…… the same thought ringing in my head….

It keeps happening……

Every chapter ends the same way. No matter what I do, no matter how I try to change, no matter what path I take.

It always happens the same way.....

Is it my fault? How? Treat people how you want to be treated. Always be kind. Always be respectful. Always think positive and be honorable, karma will reward you…..

Well, that’s fucking bullshit……

I always used to think that saying “nice guys finish last” was so stupid. Like, I don’t expect the world to bow at my feet because I say please and thank you. I don’t expect that just because I hold the door open for someone that they automatically owe me whatever I ask for.

All my life I was taught to always put people before me. “That’s how a man should be”. But as I ponder my life up until this point I cant help but notice that most selfish, the most arrogant, the most………..

{phone rings}

X: hello?

Q: Yoooooo man what’s going on!

X: Nothing much man. Not doing too good but I’m …..

Q: Hey man keep your head up, I need a favor....

{a few seconds of silence pass}

Q: you there man?

X: ….yeah man what do you need.

Q: I need you to take a ride to the usual spot.

X: look man I’m not feeling it today.

Q: c’mon man you said you’re feeling bad right? Use this trip to clear your head.

X: yeah, clear my head and my gas tank

Q: Cmon ma….

X: No you cmon man. I started taking these “trips” because I needed to make some extra cash. But since I’ve been taking these “trips” you haven’t paid me shit. At this point, I’m paying you to only benefit you. By doing this shit.

Q: Look man, that’s not how this works…

X: so how does this work? I risk everything, make you some quick cash, and then everything’s cool?

Q: bro you’re just having a bad day man…..

And right on cue…..It happens

X: you know what man. I’m done. I’m fucking done. Find someone else to do this shit.

Q: man quit fucking crying; all your doing is complaining when I’m pretty sure whatever you dealing with aint even no big fucking deal. Look man, come over to the crib after you done and we’ll smoke one and cool off.

X: It’s that easy huh?

Q: Yeah Nigga!!! Call me when it’s done.

X: bet that {hangs up phone}.

It’s been the same thing all my life. I get fucked over some way and when I try to defend myself or show any sign of frustration, everyone tells me that I’m overreacting, that I shouldn’t have anything to be mad over, that I’m basically being a bitch…….

Everyday I replay every situation in my mind. From childhood to where I am now. Was I overreacting? Am I just being a bitch? I’ve seen people give support to someone for the same shit, but whenever it’s me it’s the same thing. “You have nothing to be angry at”, “you grew up with both parents in the suburbs, you aint never seen a problem”, “act like a man”.

I try to rationalize. See if it was truly me whose was in the wrong. Every day I analyze every single situation. No man, I was wronged, someone did something to me that wasn’t fair, that wasn’t right. How come it’s me who’s in the wrong every time?

Be honorable, treat people the way you want to be treated, be a man.

No…..this is bullshit. I’ve lived these teachings. Am I perfect? Absolutely not. But one thing I can say is that I’ve never brought anyone into my bullshit. The shit I’ve done behind closed doors. The shit I’ve done to escape and temporarily fill this void. The alcohol, the women, all of it. After all its my fault I never been taught how to take care of myself mentally. I've never been taught how to set boundaries. I’ve never been taught how to defend myself as a man when I’ve been done wrong. The only thing I’ve been taught is how to be used......

And put others first. Like the “Man” they want me to be.

But you know what……it’s time to learn something new.....

{Picks up phone a makes a call}

Q: Yoooo man! What’s up? You done with that already?

X: Yeah I’m done.

Q: Cool ma…..

X: with you…….with all of you…………..

#therapy #writing #life lessons #mental health #short storiee #gaslighting #boundaries #anger

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wickedkittens · 11 months

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No one’s really on here any more and I feel the need to put this out somewhere… so why not do it here?

It’s been about a year and a half since someone who I thought was my best friend for about 13 years of my life pretty much abandoned me at the lowest point in my life. He left me at my lowest while he was at his highest and and told me it was my doing. I don’t know I if I’ll ever be able to recover, it surely feels like that right now since it’s been so long and I feel like I’m in the exact same place I was when he left. Mentally, it feels like it was so long ago yet like it happened last week.

I closed down my business “temporarily” in 2020 until things calmed down but was never able to fully recover once we reopened. We pretty much split everything up until I used up most of my savings at some point in 2021, that’s when he said it would be alright since this business was supposed to take care of us and our future. He convinced me by constantly telling me that and I stupidly believed him. When he left I told him I didn’t know what I was going to do and he told me that I had put myself in that situation. He started and ran his business out of my home which we did not buy or pay rent for since it was passed down to me by my parents. He loves to tell people he started that business out of a closet in his garage apartment and later on a bedroom in his house but never tells anyone whose it truly was. The business grew enough to the point he felt he needed employees. I would ask him why not just get me to help him before he hired anyone else? To which he said no because he didn’t want to be my boss. He didn’t want to be his long term girlfriend’s boss despite leaving her for his employee. He later on graciously allowed me to help fold shirts and pack orders but didn’t pay me for most of it (he did eventually put me on payroll and started paying me but this wasn’t until a couple of months before he left). I did not feel the need to ask to get paid because again, I believed him when he said the business was for us and our future. I gave him the benefit of the doubt with that and so many things because I trusted him. I trusted him when they went on bike rides together, trips to the refresqueria, the grocery store for office snacks, and I trusted him all of that time he worked alone with her. He’s told everyone there was no overlap but they worked together for a year, started dating within days of him leaving and started living together shortly after that. Can I give him the benefit of the doubt there?

He never laid a hand on me but does have problems with anger and aggression. He’s thrown things across rooms, broken a tv, punched a hole in a door. One of our dogs would hide in a corner or under our bed and shiver whenever he was in one of those moods because of how scary it would get at time and looking back at it, I would kind of feel the same. I stayed away because he would get angry when I asked if everything was ok or if there was anything I could do to help. He wouldn’t say much but would make it known he was upset by the sounds he would make and how he slammed things. When I told him I spent most of my savings when I wasn’t working, he got mad. When I told him I felt unimportant, like I was put on this earth to be a side character and die young, he told me it was unattractive.

One of the last times we spoke was right before 2022 where I confronted him about his relationship with his employee. I told him I did not want to hear from him unless it was something about our dogs or when he finally decided to take accountability for what he’s done. He simply said “ok” and I haven’t heard from him aside from the one or two times he asked if something was accidentally mailed to my house. My home will never feel like my home because this home was supposed to be for us. I’m constantly being reminded of the life we were supposed to have here. I can barely afford to pay bills alone and less to fix what needs to be repaired and even less to change the furniture to make it look different from what it was when he was still here. I was with him for 13 years but I put myself in this position.

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wandaromanova · 3 years

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Can you do a fluffy wanda one (with a little angst because of course) where reader and wanda are best friends, reader wants more, but thinks wanda is interested in vision so she doesnt say anything. And then one day a mission goes wrong, and reader gets into an accident that results in her getting powers, and it makes wanda wake up and confess her feelings?

Requited Love

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Fem!Reader

Warnings: cussing, injury, that’s all!

A/N: hello! i hope you enjoy what i’ve created out of your request, anon! sorry i couldn’t think about how i could incorporate the powers part of the request! not proofread, so i apologize for any grammatical errors! join my taglist here <3

Summary: Wanda Maximoff and Y/N L/N are your typical best friends who refuse to admit their feelings for each other.

Word Count: 3.3K (had a lil too much fun with this)

(gif is not mine)

You and your best friend, Wanda, had been friends practically since the moment she had joined the team. Being the youngest Avenger, you were so excited that there would finally be another member that was close to your age. Despite the events of Sokovia, you didn’t fear the woman. If anything, it only made the urge to get closer to her stronger.

Her powers absolutely mesmerized you. From the color of her powers to the different ways she could use them to her advantage; it was mind blowing how much power she had literally at her fingertips. As time went on, you and Wanda became very close. You’d always have movie nights together in your room, which eventually led to the Sokovian woman peacefully sleeping next to you in your bed.

Not only was Wanda drop dead gorgeous, but she was genuine and humble. She had confided in you about the many different traumas she had been through and expressed how the surreal amount of grief constantly consumed her. It broke your heart to know that such an amazing person was put through so much.

Her past could’ve easily turned her into a villain, but she decided to go the opposite direction. She came to the conclusion that her powers could help others and that’s what she had chosen to do in Sokovia and up to now. It was why she had agreed to join the Avengers in the first place. Wanda knew how awful the world could be and she wanted to be there for people the way that her family had been before they passed. The amount of respect you had for Wanda was immeasurable.

Over the span of two years, you and Wanda became joined to the hip. Wanda didn’t even sleep in her own bed anymore. Before, she would just accidentally fall asleep in your room or sneak into your room in the late hours of the night to sleep with you. But now, she just barged into your room every night and slept there. She said that you kept the nightmares she had at bay and you were more than happy to be there for her if it meant she got a full night’s rest.

You both jumped at any opportunity you guys could to be on the same mission as the other. You not only wanted to spend time with her, but you wanted to protect her. Lord knows that Wanda of all people could handle herself, but it kept you at peace when you were with her; knowing that she had you to back her up. Naturally, you fell in love with your best friend.

At first, you thought you were just confusing your special platonic friendship with Wanda for romantic feelings. But sometimes you caught yourself wanting to kiss Wanda. You knew damn well that friends don’t daydream about making out with each other. So, yeah, you definitely had feelings for Wanda, but there was one thing standing in your way; Vision.

Vision basically joined the team at the same time Wanda did. He was created during the Ultron situation and has been an Avenger since then. Wanda and Vision were very close. They weren’t as close as you and Wanda were, but he was a close second. They had a bond over the mind stone that you couldn’t ever compete with. This fact discouraged you and forced you to keep your mouth shut. You’d rather keep your feelings to yourself and suffer in private than risk your friendship with Wanda.

I mean, you didn’t even know if Wanda was into girls! She could be as straight as a wooden ruler and you would most definitely embarrass yourself if you told her. Vision wasn’t exactly a man by any means, he was a robot. If Wanda were to like Vision that must mean you had a chance right? Not to be an ass, but he’s literally a hunk of metal. Regardless of all these thoughts, you knew at the end of the day that you would have to hide your feelings for the sake of maintaining the relationship you currently have with the Sokovian.

You did pretty good at hiding your feelings for awhile. You acted as if everything was normal and not like you were emotionally crying out inside every time you saw Wanda with Vision. It began to get too much when you had caught sight of the pair cooking Paprikash in the communal kitchen. Cooking was something you and Wanda used to do together. It was kind of your thing. It may seem silly, but watching her do something with Vision that used to be sacred to you both hurt.

You began to distance yourself the closer Wanda and Vision got together. What sucked even more was that Wanda didn’t even acknowledge your sudden distance. She no longer slept in your room, opting to spend her nights with Vision. You were dying inside and Wanda didn’t even care to notice.

You had a mission to get to today. Usually, Wanda would be down in the hangar whenever you were going on a mission without her, but she wasn’t there today. She was probably off somewhere with Vision, again. It stung that Wanda didn’t even want to see you off. She was so preoccupied with Vision that she didn’t even give you a second thought. A toaster was stealing your best friend who you just so happened to be madly in love with away from you. And you couldn’t do anything to stop it.

So, you reluctantly got onto the Quinjet with Steve who was accompanying you on the mission. Fury only sent you two in for this mission because it was a simple one. It didn’t require the entire team to complete. You both were to capture and detain the scientist responsible for the latest human experimentations at the hands of Hydra. From the intel gathered by S.H.I.E.L.D, their security wasn’t that bad so it would be a walk in the park for you and Steve. You had just left and you already desperately wanted to go home and wallow in your own self pity in the comfort of your bed.

But first, you had to get this mission over with. The Quinjet landed a little far away from the small Hydra base. You and Steve made your way out of the jet and began to trudge your way toward the building. As you guys got closer, Steve stopped abruptly.

“No matter what, we stick together okay? Just because this should be an easy mission, doesn’t mean we should let our guard down. Understand?” He lectured you sternly as he stared at you intensely.

“Yeah. I got it, Cap.” You replied to him dismissively as you continued to make your way toward the building. You took note of the five guards that were guarding the entrance and gave Steve a nod before you both sprung into action.

After you guys had taken down the entrance guards, you both sneakily made your way into the building. It was pretty easy to find your target, seeing that the building was the size of a house. You and Steve barged into the room, the scientist whipping around quickly and freezing in shock at the sight of you both.

Steve quickly charged at the man and placed him into handcuffs. As Steve pulled the man up by the collar, forcing him to his feet, a thought crossed your mind. This is too easy. Only five guards and the professor was just conveniently in here? This had to be a setup.

Before you could voice your concerns to Steve, you felt a sharp pain rip through your shoulder as Hydra agents flooded into the room. You fell to your knees in pain as Steve threw the target to the ground. He quickly began to fight as many agents as he could. You stood up as you tried to temporarily forget the pain. You began to take on agents yourself. Despite being injured, you kicked their asses with ease.

You were down to the last agent while Steve was pulling the scientist back up to his feet, much more aggressively this time. For some reason, your thoughts went to Wanda. How would she react to your injury? Would she even bother to visit you to make sure you were okay?

Unfortunately, you had chosen the wrong time to become distracted by your thoughts of Wanda. While your thoughts were racing, you failed to notice the glint of a knife in the agent’s left hand. As you blocked one of his punches, he quickly stabbed you right in the stomach. At this, Steve jumped in to help you and made quick work of knocking out the man who stabbed you.

You fully fell to the floor this time, gasping for air. Not only were you shot, but now you got stabbed. Seriously? Did god decide you weren’t already having a shitty enough time? Steve quickly picked you up in his arms in a panic. He carried you to the Quinjet while making sure the scientist was following behind you both. Steve placed your body onto the medical table that was in the Quinjet, handcuffed the man to a railing, and sped off to the compound. He took note of how much blood you lost; it was a lot to say the least. If he didn’t get to the compound soon, he feared you wouldn’t make it; and that wasn’t an option.

The 30 minute trip to the compound turned into a 15 minute ride. Steve quickly rushed you into the medical wing of the compound and placed you into the care of Doctor Helen Cho. He knew he had to tell the team about what happened. The Avengers were a family, and you being the youngest meant you were like a child to them, well besides Wanda obviously.

Steve hurriedly made his way into the living room of the Avenger’s living quarters and made sure Jarvis informed everyone that it was an emergency. As Steve entered, everyone turned to face him with worry present on each of their faces.

“What’s wrong, Rogers? Is everything okay?” Natasha asked as she looked over his body. There was an insane amount of blood all over his star-spangled suit. “It’s Y/N.”

At Steve’s words, everyone in the room stood in shock as their jaws dropped. But no one’s feelings could compare to Wanda’s. She abruptly stood up from the couch and made her way towards Steve.

“What about her? What happened to her?” Wanda began to get angry as hints of her powers made their way to her eyes. Steve took a step back and looked at Wanda before returning his gaze back to the other people in the room. You could hear a pin drop in the silence of the room.

“We went on a mission together. It was supposed to be an easy in and out thing. But we were setup. She got shot in the shoulder and stabbed in the abdomen. She’s in the medical wing right now.” Steve spoke strongly, attempting to remain calm for the sake of the team, but he was terrified inside. Your state refused to leave his mind. Your limp body in his arms as your warm blood covered his hands.

Wanda didn’t say another word as she ran towards the elevator and impatiently hit the button to the medical wing. She didn’t bother to wait for anyone else. Nothing mattered right now except you.

Wanda had feelings for you. Ever since she met you, you were this light in the darkness that was her life. You could cheer her up when no one else could. You knew her better than she knew herself. You were not only her best friend, but you were the woman she was irrevocably in love with. She was terrified to tell you how she felt. She thought she would lose you if she had confessed how she truly felt for you. So, she remained quiet and tried to forget about her feelings for you by hanging out with Vision more. She wasn’t using Vision by any means, she genuinely did enjoy his company. But he wasn’t you.

Wanda didn’t even wait for the elevator doors to fully open as she squeezed herself through the small gap and made her way towards the medical bay doors. Before Wanda could open the door, Steve abruptly grabbed her hand, stopping her from going any further. He must’ve taken the stairs. Damn his super soldier abilities.

“Wanda. Stop. I know you’re worried about Y/N, we all are. But barging in there won’t be any help. You need to let Cho and her nurses focus on helping her.” Steve desperately tried to talk some sense into Wanda; it worked. Wanda’s shoulders slumped as she made her way towards the seating area that was right outside the doors. All she could do was sit, wait, and pray to whatever god there was that you would be okay.

Wanda didn’t even know you were going on a mission today. If she did, she would’ve went to the hangar and hugged you before she left, like she always did. Oh fuck, she didn’t even get to see you off and now look at your state. Now that she thought about it, she had been neglecting you for some time now. She let her fear of her feelings consume her. She spent more time with Vision than with you, and now she wasn’t sure if she would get the opportunity to be with you again. The thought of not being able to tell you how in love with you she was mortified her. This was the wake up call she needed.

——————————————————————————

2 hours later

After two agonizingly slow hours, Doctor Cho made her way towards the anxious group of heroes. Wanda shot up from her seat and approached Helen.

“How is she? Please, tell me she’s okay.” Wanda asks as she nervously chews on her bottom lip. “Y/N is fine. Luckily, the knife didn’t hit any major arteries. She won’t be able to make any sudden movements for the next few weeks which means no missions until I give her clearance.” At Cho’s words, the entire team was struck with relief. Wanda’s eyes lit up at the good news. You were okay. You were still here.

“Can we see her?” Steve asked from behind Wanda as he made his way to stand beside her. “Yes, shes awkward, but only one person can go in at a time. She’s very sensitive right now from the anesthesia.” Helen gave the team a smile before walking off.

Everyone looked at Wanda as she gave them a nod. Of course she had to go in first. You and Wanda may have been oblivious to each other’s feelings, but the team wasn’t. It was almost annoying how unaware you two were of how the other person felt.

Wanda quietly made her way into your room and almost let out a sigh of relief as she saw you laying on the table awake. You were trying to reach for a glass of water beside your bed, but the pain in your side made the small task a burden. Wanda quickly made her way to the table and handed you the glass of water. You were startled since you didn’t even hear her enter the room. You took the water from her hands and took a long sip before handing it back to her.

“What’re you doing here?” You asked coldly as you glared at the Sokovian woman. She was shocked at your animosity. You were never like this with her before. “I needed to make sure you were okay. I was worried sick.” Wanda frowned as she pulled a chair up to your bedside and sat in it.

“Oh. Now you suddenly remember I exist? It only took me nearly dying for you to notice me again.” You knew you weren’t being fair. You guys were just best friends and she was entitled to hang out and be with whoever she wanted. But the part of you that loved her and longed for more took over.

“Y/N. I’m sorry I haven’t been around as often. I got caught up hanging out with Vision when I should’ve been there for you.” Wanda’s eyes softened as she stared at your face. She missed you so much. She may have seen you around the compound, but she hasn’t been this close to you in what felt like decades.

“Yeah. You got caught up with Vision. Why don’t you just go back to him now. I’m fine.” You stubbornly spoke as you tore your eyes away from Wanda and stared out the window in front of your bed.

Wanda made a ballsy move and grabbed your hand in here. Thankfully, you didn’t move it away. “Y/N. I don’t care about Vision, I care about you. I love you and I mean that in more than a friendly way.” At Wanda’s words, your head snapped back to her as you looked over her features for any indication of a lie; you didn’t find any.

“I was spending time with Vision to try and forget my feelings for you. That obviously backfired and only solidified what I already knew I felt. I’m sorry it took such a terrible situation for me to finally grow the balls to tell you this. I love you Y/N.” Wanda squeezed your hand tightly as she stared at you full of love and adoration.

You were speechless. As cliche as it sounds, this was what you’ve wanted since the moment you laid eyes on her. She said the three words you’ve been longing to hear spill from her mouth. She loved you too.

“I love you too, Wanda. I’m sorry. I thought you had a thing for Vision and I let jealousy and insecurity get the better of me.” You looked down in shame as you tried to pull your hand out of Wanda’s hold, but she only gripped it tighter.

“Don’t be sorry. I completely understand. I’m so glad your okay and I’m so unbelievably happy that you feel the same way.” Wanda smiled brightly at you as you smiled right back. You guys must’ve looked like maniacs with your big, cheesy smiles, but you didn’t care.

Wanda began to slowly lean towards you. You attempted to meet her in the middle, but only ended up wincing in pain as you were reminded of your impressive stab wound. Wanda let out a laugh.

“Let me handle it, moya lyubov (my love).” Wanda said before closing the gap between you both and giving you a heated, desperate kiss. All the pent up emotions that you both had been withholding from each other were coming to light through this kiss. You guys were interrupted by the door swinging open abruptly and the sound of someone clearing their throat.

You both jumped apart as you cringed at the sting of your injuries. You turned to the door and caught sight of the team standing at the door with shit eating grins on their face.

“Sorry to interrupt you, lovebirds. But we wanted to check on Y/N too. Cho gave us the clear to come in now.” Natasha smirked at yours and Wanda’s flustered states.

“Pay up, Barnes.” Sam said as he held his hand out to Bucky, who groaned before placing 50 dollars in his hand. You and Wanda stared at the two confused, Bucky took notice of this and decided to fill you both in.

“We made a bet on when you two would get together. I said in the next two months, he said in the next two weeks. He won.” Bucky gave you both a shy, almost embarrassed smile.

Everyone in the room laughed, making you and Wanda turn even more red than before. You didn’t care about the inevitable, endless teasing you would have to endure after today. You would deal with the comments forever as long as it meant Wanda was by your side. You once thought that she didn’t feel the same, and you were so glad you were proven wrong. Sometimes, love can be requited after all.

#wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff #avengers #scarlet witch #request

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the-witty-pen-name · 3 years

Text

The Nanny Pt. 1

Lee Bodecker x Nanny!F!Reader

18+

Word Count: 3k

Warnings: mentions of alcohol, implied age gap (reader is in her 20s), cursing, Sandy and Carl being bad parents, 18+ content in later chapters

Summary:

Based on this Request: The reader moves to Meade/Knockemstiff while answering an advertisement for a nanny in the paper. We learn that the ad was posted by Sandy, who has the reader watch her child whenever she and Carl leave to do their secret thing. After one of these trips, Sandy and her husband never return, so the reader is left caring for their baby. With the new investigation into these events, she meets Sandy’s brother Lee, the older, out of shape, alcoholic bachelor, and they are suddenly thrown into each others lives as he begins looking into his sister’s disappearance. Through it all, Lee starts to fall for her, and they slowly become a family.

A/N: Here is the first part of my newest series and I want to thank the anon who reached out to me with this idea!

If I missed anything I should include as a warning that I missed please let me know!

Taglist Form is in my bio and should be updated to now to include this fic! (If for some reason it isn’t working send me a message and I’ll make sure you’re added!!)

“Damn it, Sandy, can’t you handle that?” Carl yells from his dark room as the baby starts crying again.

“Fuck you, Carl,” Sandy shouts back, hurrying to put out her cigarette before heading to the nursery.

Their little girl was just about a year old, and neither one of them knew what they were doing. Carl was incredibly indifferent and despite her honest attempts at motherhood, Sandy’s maternal instincts never kicked in like she thought it would happen. Carl was annoyed that it cut into their time they would be on trips. They weren’t able to photograph models with the baby on the road, so he’d been itching to get back on the road.

“Is she hungry?” he shouts back, not even bothering to take his eyes off of the most recent photographs he had been developing.

“I just fed her!”

“Then why is she crying?”

“Fuck if I know,” Sandy shouts back exasperated. She scooped up the baby from her crib and started to rock her back and forth in her arms. Sandy also tried burping her, humming a little lullaby she made up on the fly… no luck. She walks around the house with the baby on her hip, trying to rock her back to sleep.

“We haven’t able to get back on the road in a year,” Carl says, clearly frustrated.

“That ain’t purely my fault,” she spits back, “Takes two to make a baby, Carl.”

“Fuck I know,” he groans, “But I need new inspiration. If I take one more picture of nature…”

“If she’s such a hindrance, pay for a damn sitter like I suggested months ago,” she counters.

“We can’t have no stranger walking around the house Sandy,” he points out.

“Just keep your damn room locked, it’s not a huge deal,” Sandy sighs. “Besides, no one is gonna snoop around if you pay ‘em enough. You damn well produce your own incriminating evidence; you should always have that room locked anyways.”

“We only have to worry about your damn brother,” Carl points out, “We hire a fucking sitter that’s two people we need to worry about.”

“You’re just to goddamn cheap to hire somebody,” Sandy states, moving back towards the nursery, the baby now snoring softly.

“You know what? Fine,” Carl says defeated. “But you’re in charge of putting the ad out and hiring somebody.”

“Thank you,” she says in a sing song tone, happy she got her way. But the moment of quiet that follows is short lived as they baby starts crying again.

“Please for the love of God can you just take care of that?” Carl yells, and the argument circles back to the beginning.

You had sat in the small dinner in the corner booth hunched over the newspaper and nursing your now cold cup of coffee. You had just arrived in Knockemstiff and were looking for work. “Any leads?” Julie asked as she topped off your coffee. Julie was your roommate. You had found her the same way you were currently looking for a job. You must have answered at least ten terrible Roommate Wanted ads until you had found Julie. The two of you now share an apartment- the top floor of a three-family owned by a sweet older couple.

“Thank you,” you say without looking up from scanning the ads. “Maybe this one?” You say pointing to one of the ads. She looks to see her manager stepped out for his smoke break before sliding in the booth across from you. You slide the paper over to her and she reads the ad out loud.

NANNY NEEDED Knockemstiff, Ohio

Couple that travels for work in need of a nanny for one-year-old daughter.

Temporary live-in position for several weeks at a time. Pay negotiable.

Call Sandy Henderson at the below number.

“I can sublet the room temporarily while you stay there,” Julie offers. “It’s a pretty vague offer,” she continues. “I wouldn’t commit until you call and speak to that Sandy woman.”

“Oh, I’m sure I’ll need to be interviewed,” you agree. “What kind of people are comfortable just leaving their baby for weeks at a time with a perfect stranger?”

“Paul is still out back I think,” she chuckles, “I’ll let you use the wall phone.”

You take a seat at one of the stools at the counter, and she dials the number for you and then passes you the receiver. You mouth a thank you and she waves her hand in dismissal as she heads over to take someone’s order.

“Whaddya want?” the woman on the other end answers abruptly.

“Oh, I’m calling about the ad in the paper regarding the nanny position. Is it still available?”

“Oh, shit. I’m so sorry, hun,” the woman says, now in a much nicer tone. “Thought it was my brother calling. Yes, it is, and we need it filled as soon as possible. When are you available?”

“For an interview?” You ask.

“Yeah,” she says mumbled, like she is dangling a cigarette from her mouth. “Can you come today?”

“Oh, wow. Yes, I can,” you reply.

“Great, um, you got a pen? Take down this address.”

About two hours, a change of clothes and a cab ride later, you were standing outside a house towards the end of town. It was a little run down, but what building in this town wasn’t? You were a little nervous of course, but it was also the most unconventional way you have gotten an interview. Part of you was relieved, because the woman on the phone sounded real, not phony, but the circumstances still made you uneasy. Julie had the address and said you’d call when you got back to the taxi dispatch.

“Welcome, welcome,” Sandy smiled, opening up the door for you. She had one hand on the doorknob and one of the cutest babies you’d ever seen in the other. “Come on in, make yourself comfortable.”

“Who is this?” you coo, leaning down to the baby’s eye level. “She’s darling.”

“This little sweetheart is Valerie,” Sandy smiles, passing the baby to you. “She’s so well-behaved. Hardly ever cries.”

“She’s adorable,” you smile, as the baby cuddles up close, resting her head on your shoulder. “I didn’t properly introduce myself on the phone. (Y/N) (Y/L/N).”

“I’m Sandy,” she introduces herself. “Please take a seat on the couch, get comfortable. I hate things that are so formal. Bleh.”

You take a seat on the couch, and readjust the little girl in your arms so she’s sitting on your lap and her back is resting against you so she is supported.

“So, my husband and I are on the road a lot, usually,” she begins, “We took some time off when we had Valerie, but we really need to start working again, you understand.”

“Of course, what do you both do?” you ask politely.

“We’re photographers,” she beams, “Mostly nature and landmarks- which reminds me! We have a darkroom in the house, but that door will be locked when you’re staying here. We don’t want any damage to any of the negatives we have stored in there you understand. Everywhere else in the house is yours to explore! And of course we gotta spare bedroom you can call your own.”

“Fair enough,” you joke.

“So, tell me about yourself, honey,” she smiles, crossing her legs in the armchair where she sat.

“Well, I just moved here a few weeks ago actually,” you begin, “I just recently finished school, and now I’m looking for work. I just got my degree in early childcare from the state college.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful,” she says with a clap of her hands. “So, you’re local?”

“Yes, I live in town.”

“Excellent! We’d also love for this to be like an on-call thing as well, you know for date nights and things like that for times when we’re home. Like for a few hours here and there. And of course, we’ll always live money for groceries or whatever you need on top of your pay for emergencies incase Valerie needs formula or diapers or anything.”

“Perfect,” you smile, surprised how well the conversation was going. Sandy was easy-going and nice to talk to. The two of you sat and talked for a little under an hour, her asking all the standard questions you anticipated. You also were able to ask her some more of your own questions as well. It was the most effortless interview you had been on easily.

“I’m sorry you weren’t able to meet Carl today,” she says when she is showing you out. “But hun, I feel confident to offer you the job. We haven’t had many applicants and you’re the most qualified one I’ve spoken to. The job is yours if you want it?”

“When can I start?” you smile, making her laugh.

“Your number is on the resume, right?” she says, scooping up the baby. You nod, waving goodbye to the baby and then saying goodbye to Sandy.

“I’ll call you when I speak to Carl, but I think once he knows he’ll want to head out as soon as we can. Plan for Sunday,” she says as you get into the cab.

Just like she had promised, you get a call from Sandy on Saturday afternoon asking you to show up the next morning at 9. You spend the day packing up your clothes and anything else you’d need for a few weeks. Sandy said they’d be back in two weeks but you pack for three just in case. Julie was also nice enough to help you. You didn’t need to do much. Ever since you had settled in Knockemstiff, you had been pretty lazy with unpacking and for once procrastination played out in your favor.

Julie insisted on taking you out to celebrate that night before starting your job tomorrow. There was a small little bar, a little shack of a place just on the outside of town you went to. Julie had a car and you drove, anticipating she’d have a lot more to drink than you. It was a hotter summer night, so you drove with the windows down and the radio playing a little louder than you normally would.

The outside was decorated with string lights of primary colors and the wooden awning looked like it was one more storm away from collapsing. But the atmosphere inside was to die for. The jukebox was playing loud dance music, and the place was crowded. Empty recycled glasses lined the walls on a high shelf as decoration along with weathered posters of anything Americana. A row of motorcycles and trucks were parked outside the little place and it looked like a pileup from how crowded the lot was. People lingered outside as well, and you both hoped you’d find seats inside.

The two of you found a high-top table and Julie made her way up to the bar, skillfully maneuvering through the crowd to grab you both some drinks. You let your eyes wandering, surveying the room and just people watching. Couples were dancing closely to the music that was rattling the jukebox, and a group of people were sitting at the bar huddles in to watch the little black and white portable television. You also noticed a group of men in uniform several tables down, local police. They weren’t paying any attention to anyone but their own conversation, except one.

He just so happened to have looked up just as your eyes landed on their table. Steel blue eyes cutting across everything and just staring right back into yours. It was a fraction of a second and his gaze was broken by Julie taking her seat across from you. You cleared your throat, and finally allowed yourself to exhale. You felt her raise an eyebrow at you but she didn’t press, just gave you a knowing smirk you brushed off. You still felt his gaze on you even if your view was now obstructed.

Sandy and Carl were in a rush when you arrived in the morning. Sandy ran you through the details of where everything was kept and told you that she would call to check in when she could when they made stopped. She helped you carry your bags in from the trunk of the taxi while Carl packed their bags in their car. He was polite enough, but you felt in your gut to just keep your distance. Sandy led you upstairs to the guest room she told you she worked to clean out for you. It was simple, a bed and a dresser with a small closet. She said it mostly had been storage and her weekend project had been clearing it out for you. It was simple, but good enough for you for sure. You thanked her and she dismissed it saying you were the one doing her a favor, making you laugh.

The whole ordeal was very hurried. Carl was rushing to get on the road as soon as possible and you could tell he was clearly irritated at how long Sandy was taking showing you around and explaining things about Valerie. Carrying the baby in your arms, you finally were settled in to your new role and Sandy gave one more big hug and a kiss on Valerie’s head before rushing down to the car. You waved to the pair of them from the small front porch, Sandy looking back and waving to the baby from the passenger seat until they were out of your line of vision.

The first day was a little daunting. New space, living in a house that isn’t yours and a baby babbling in your arms. She was a sweet thing, and she already had taken a liking to you. Heading over to her nursery, you saw that she had a little play pen folded up in the corner of the nursery and you quickly set it up in your room so you could unpack while keeping an eye on her. She babbled just happy utter nonsense to you while you navigated around the space and her big eyes just followed you, just watching you was entertaining for her for now. You were a new face and she was entertained just by that for now.

A few hours later, Valerie had settled down for a nap in the early afternoon. She was sleeping soundly in her crib and you were getting formula ready for when she woke up. It was quiet, the only noise in the house was the small sounds of your own rustling in the kitchen. You wondered when you would hear from Sandy, if it would be later tonight or in a couple of days. You just were lost in your own thoughts when you were startled by a loud knocking on the door. Instantly, Valerie began to cry. You wiped your hands quickly on the skirt of your dress before grabbing her. You rested her on your hip and rocked her gently, shushing her to calm down while you went to grab the door.

The first thing your eyes saw were the same blue eyes who was looking at you at the bar last night. The man’s eyebrows furrowed and he looked really confused. He had one hand rested on his hip and the other against the doorframe, but he stood up straight when he saw it wasn’t who he expected. Your eyes then went down to the shiny Sheriff’s Badge fixed in place on his uniform.

“Who are you?” he asks abruptly. “Where’s Sandy?”

“Sandy and Carl left this morning,” you explain, not sure if he recognizes you. “I’m their nanny.”

He laughs and shakes his head as he looks down, almost like he doesn’t believe you, or he just doesn’t believe the situation. “Carl? Carl Henderson hired a nanny?” he scoffs and you nod, holding Valerie a little closer. The little girl rubs her eyes and yawns, when her eyes flutter open, she looks at the stranger in the doorway and immediately reaches out to signal she wants to be held by him. You ignore her resistance to wanting to be in your arms until you get more information about why the Sheriff is at their doorstep, though she obviously knows him.

“I’m Sandy’s brother,” he explains, “Did she say when they were coming back?” He doesn’t try to hold the baby yet, just holds out one of his fingers and her little hand holds onto it tightly.

“Two weeks.”

“They hire a complete stranger to watch my niece and live in their house unsupervised while they drive around?” he scoffs, shaking his head again in disbelief.

“I’m more than qualified…”

“It’s not a jab at you, sweetheart,” the man tries to explain, “More so a reflection on my sister and her husband is all. They are… fairly selfish people and I wished this situation surprises me more than it does.”

“Should I tell her you came by when she calls?” you ask.

“If she calls,” the man chuckles, “Sure, let her know Lee stopped by to visit.”

“You don’t think she will?” you ask, tilting your head.

“We’ll see,” Lee shrugs, “Do I know you from somewhere?” He rests his arm back up on the doorframe and looks down to the baby again, extending out his free hand to her again and scrunching her cheeks.

“I don’t know,” you shrug, not wanting to admit you remembered seeing him last night. He purses his lips together and nods, not pressing further. He pushes off from the doorframe and puts his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket.

“Must’ve been in a dream then,” he smirks, and you feel your cheeks flush. He walks down the steps and back towards his cop car. “What did you say your name was?” he asks, turning back around.

“I didn’t,” you chuckle.

“Hmm,” he nods, and raises his eyebrows, waiting for you to fill in the blank. You tell him your name and he repeats it back to you like he’s thinking about it, trying it out to see how it sounds.

“Well,” he says, standing behind the open driver’s door, “Good luck, and I hope Sandy proves me wrong. Let me know if she calls.”

Taglist:

@adelaide-walker @thedepressolit @samanthadegaro

#lee bodecker #lee bodecker imagine #lee bodecker x reader #lee bodecker x you #lee bodecker x y/n #the devil all the time #sebastian stan x reader #sebastian stan characters #lee bodecker smut #lee bodecker fluff #sebastian stan one shot #sebastian stan imagine #x reader #fluff #smut #nanny!reader #x f!reader #found family

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mandoalorian · 3 years

Text

Honeymoon [Din Djarin x F!Reader] - **SMUT**

Summary: You’ve been saving your credits for months in order to treat your husband to the surprise honeymoon you both deserve. He’s a little on edge though, despite the luscious, tropical environment he’s surrounded by. So, as his wife, you do everything in your means to get him to relax.

Warnings: unprotected p in v, riding, cockwarming, orgasm denial, cunningless, cum eating, spanking, anal fingering, breeding kink, slight sub!Din if you squint. 18+ only.

Word count: 2600+

Reblogs appreciated. 💙

Beyond The Sea Masterlist

-—-—-—♡—-—-—-

Marrying Din Djarin was the best decision of your life.

Standing dead centre in the middle of your hotel suite, your husband had never looked so out of place. The yon orange sunlight seeped through the crack in the voile curtains, and a warm, summer breeze waved gently through your hair. You could tell, even through his beskar Mandalorian helmet, that your husband was completely stricken by the beauty of the great outdoors. Your view from outside the hotel suite was a novelty, for sure. The beach’s water circled around the hotel and pooled outside into a tranquil, turquoise coloured ocean. A distance from your window, but not too far, was a growing jungle of vines and trees, habited by various reptilian animals that were distinct to the planet of Scarif. You couldn’t wait to meet them all.

You’d saved up credits, and it had taken almost a year, but finally— finally, you could afford this. A sanctuary. A small vacation. Something you could call your honeymoon. It was long overdue.

Din had warned you when you married him that a honeymoon wasn’t on the cards. It just wasn’t plausible. He was a bounty hunter and he worked every damn day, risking his life just so he could bring back enough credits to put food on the table for you and Grogu. A holiday of any sorts was out of the question.

But you’d been saving up in secret, and if he’d ever found out about your planned endeavour — well, he’d never approve. Good job he’d managed to keep out of your way when you bought the tickets for the five star hotel suite. What proved to be even more of a challenge, was persuading Din to take you to the remote and tropical island planet of Scarif.

You left the kid with Peli Motto on Tatooine, much to Din’s disdain. You’d spoken to Greef and broken a deal with him in secret; that the guild master was not allowed to provide Din with any bounties prior to the week you were due to go away. Everything rolled out perfectly, just as planned.

For the first time in a long time, your clan of three was living a stress free life, void of any anxieties related to Din and his profession. You loved him with your mind, body and soul, and accepted him for who he was. But part of you, a small part of your heart, hoped that one day, maybe he’d give up bounty hunting for good. He was getting older now. You’d occasionally pick out the greying hairs in his stubble, and the crinkles in the corners of his starry brown eyes were becoming increasingly more prominent. There was a beautiful galaxy out there, and he’d only seen the bad parts. The parts that were rampant with crime and death. You hoped that this honeymoon trip to Scarif would show him the true beauty of the world -- and everything he was missing out on.

He couldn’t bounty hunt forever. One of these days, he was going to have to settle down.

“I can’t believe you did this,” Din announced, picking up some complimentary hotel chocolates that had been left on his pillow. He pulled off his mustard coloured gloves and began to fiddle with the red foil wrapper. “All of this. I can’t believe you did all of this without me knowing.”

“I was afraid you’d be mad at me.” you mumbled, subconsciously rocking backwards and forwards on your heels. Din couldn’t even begin to imagine how much this trip had cost you, and to be honest, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to know the exact figure.

“I am mad at you.” He retorted, but you could sense the air of amusement in his voice. Din Djarin was an esteemed bounty hunter, the best in the Guild. He prided himself in being the best too. He was always one step ahead of everyone, always knowing what was about to come before others even knew themselves. Apparently though, his skill was lost on you. Part of him though, was proud. A pretty big part of him, to be exact.

He was chuffed to be able to call you his wife. He didn’t believe the day would ever come.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” you pondered out loud, looking around the hotel suite. “Did you see those big colourful birds as we walked in? They were enormous. We should check out the gift shop and buy a disposable camera. I know Grogu would love to see the photos when we get back.”

Din tilted his helmet in acknowledgement of your comment, but opted to stay silent, his eyes fixated on you and only you. Yeah, he was sure Scarif was a beautiful planet (there was no doubt in his mind), but not even all the colourful birds or glistening waters in the whole galaxy could ever compare to the beauty of you. Your eyes snapped back towards Din when he didn’t respond, and you felt your mouth part as a knowing sigh escaped your lips.

“Tell me you don’t…” you closed your eyes, already mentally preparing yourself for his answer. “...Tell me you don’t have hunting mode initiated under that tin can helmet of yours.”

You knew that, under his black tinted visor, he was always in hunting mode. He had to ensure your safety one way or another. When he turned off hunting mode, everything was normal and in colour (despite this one glitch of pixels he had to get fixed). But when he was in hunting mode, his vision was a dull chiaroscuro.

“We don’t know how safe this planet is,” Din declared, his voice stern as he tried to reason with you. “We just arrived and I’ve never been here before. I haven’t even done a recce.”

You extended your arm and shushed him. “You haven’t been here before because no bounty or crime syndicate ever comes to Scarif. Since the battle between the Rebellion and the Empire, it’s been under full surveillance by the New Republic. There is security on every corner.”

“That doesn’t exactly work well in my favour.” Din muttered, although deep down he knew you were right.

“Do you really think I would’ve taken you somewhere that wasn’t safe for either of us? I’ve been planning this honeymoon for months, Din. Please, trust me.”

It hurt, seeing your husband like this. After bounty hunting his whole life, he was so… on edge. He always struggled to relax. You thought a tropical vacation might’ve just done the trick but maybe he needed more.

“Okay, you’re right. I trust you.” Din sighed in admittance, and you cracked one of your sweetest smiles at his revelation. It was enough to ease Din, even just temporarily.

“It’s too late to do anything now,” you said, biting your lip as you peeked behind the curtains and watched the sunset. “We can just stay in the hotel room and order room service, if you’d like.”

Din nodded, following your direction. He didn’t know the first thing about vacationing. But if one thing intrigued him, it was the luxurious king sized bed that stood before him. It was dressed in ivory satin sheets and silk pillow cases, and it was certainly nothing like the plank of steel you’d both lay on, back in the Crest. No, this was a real bed. You’d caught him staring at it and couldn’t help but smile at the smirk that played on your lips.

“Take off your helmet.” You requested.

“I--,” Din hesitated. “Someone could walk in and see me.”

“The door is locked. We have privacy,” you assured him. Din fumbled around some more. His heart stopped when you planted both your hands on his shoulders and searched for his eyes beneath the visor. “Trust me.” you reminded him with a plea of desperation.

He nodded and slowly began to lift off his helmet. And there, he revealed himself. Your husband. Though you’d seen his face many times now, you’d still always get an out-of-body experience, watching him take it off. Like it was some kind of sin.

“I love you so much,” Din’s unmodulated voice announced, and his brown eyes bored into your beauty. You smiled, feeling a wave of heat wash over your cheeks as you leaned your head into his chest. You slowly began to undress his plates of beskar armour, dropping them to the ground as you discarded them into a pile on the floor. “Such a pretty girl,” he cooed, and you shuddered, feeling his warm breath fan over the shell of your ear. “My pretty girl. All mine.”

“All yours,” you confirmed, dropping the final plate of beskar to the floor. “You need to relax, my love.”

“That word is foreign to me.” Din told you, smoothing out your hair before dropping his large hands down to your hips.

“So let me help you.”

You guided Din over to the bed he’d been eyeing up all night and helped him out of his under clothes, stripping him down to his boxer shorts only. You straddled his hips, pushing him back down amongst the satin sheets and letting your hands wander along his broad, scarred chest. He groaned wantonly. Your tender touch combined with the unfamiliar softness of what lay beneath him was almost enough to make him enter a meltdown. You hummed softly, your voice lulling him in the most comforting manner imaginable. Your fingers dipped further down his body and traced the short tufts of brown hair that poked out the hem of his underwear. Feeling your fingers fiddle with his waistband as he lay on the king sized bed felt ethereal. It was almost too much, he had to stop himself from swatting your hand away. If Din could have it his way, he’d grab you and roll you over, so he was on top -- taking control over you. But you had done this, all of this, to try and help him relax. So, he just lay there and surrendered to you.

The sky was dimming as the minutes passed by. You made a good habit to take your time with him, missing this kind of intimacy. Truthfully, it was hard to ever catch moments like this with Grogu being around. You and Din practically always had to sacrifice loving, passionate sex for quickies in between his bounties; and it wasn’t always easy.

“You-- you look so pretty like this, on top of me.” Your husband gasped out, his already dark eyes growing shades darker with lust.

For a split second, you pulled off him and untied your tunic, letting your simple robe fall to the ground and revealing your almost naked body to him. He was obsessed with you. Absolutely smitten, and it was unlike anything he’d ever been like with anyone ever before. Straddling him once more, you began to grind over his half hard cock, moaning at the friction between his underwear and your lace panties.

You leaned down and pressed your soft lips against his, enveloping him into a sweet kiss. You drop your lips along his gruff jaw and down the column of his neck, making a conscious effort to suck at his sweet spot you’d memorised so well. Reluctantly, you pulled off him and hovered over his lap, signalling with your hands for him to pull down his underwear. He took his hardening cock in his hand and wiped the beads of precum that had developed at his head. Taking the salty seed on his index finger, he brought it up to your mouth and pushed the digit in between your lips. You moaned longingly, relishing in his taste before pulling off him with a pop.

Din pulled off your panties and began to stroke between your folds, groaning when he felt just how slick and ready you were for him. He squeezed your hips and nodded, illustrating that he was ready, and you took a deep breath, anticipating the delicious stretch his cock offered you. You sank down on top of him, your eyes snapping shut as you felt every amazing bump and ridge and vein of his manhood grind along your fluttering walls.

He seated deep inside of you, giving you a few minutes to adjust, and he began to rub tight circles into your clit. He was absolutely mesmerized by you. You chanted his name like it was a prayer, and Din wondered how he ever got so lucky.

Feeling you clench around him and sensing you were about to cum, Din removed his hand from your cunt and gave you a small spanking on the curve of your ass. Your gasp of shock from your orgasm denial turned into a wanton moan as you wiggled further down on him. You giggled, nudging your nose against his as you felt the same finger he’d used earlier on you, make its way to your puckered asshole. Anal was something you’d been working your way up to, but hadn’t tried yet.

“Do you want this?” Din asked, teasing your entrance with the tip of his finger.

“Mhm,” you nodded desperately.

“Are you sure you can take it?” he beckoned, a wicked smirk gracing his soft pink lips.

“Y-yes,” you whispered.

“I can’t hear you,” Din growled, giving you another spank. “Tell me you want it.”

“I want it,” you cried, “P-please Din, fuck, please. I want it.”

“Dirty girl.” He gritted out, slowly pushing his digit inside of you.

Maker, you were full. In every way imaginable, Din was filling you up, stretching you wide, and it felt… amazing. You began to rock your hips over his cock as he lazily thrust his finger inside your asshole, and you felt yourself panting with every little stroke and movement.

“You look so good, like this,” Din gasped. “Won’t last long.”

And, he didn’t. The second he felt you cumming on top of him, your walls gripping his girth tighter than a vice, he came undone. His load was large, as expected, as his seed spurted in ropes inside of you. Din’s hands wrapped around your stomach and he began to rub soothing circles in your tummy. You didn’t lift off him, but instead, relished the feeling of his cock softening inside of you.

“Maybe this time it’ll work,” he grumbled. “And if not, we’ll keep trying. I won’t stop til I’ve put a baby inside of you, cya’re.”

You hummed and stretched out over him, resting your sticky forehead against his. “Good job we have all honeymoon.”

Din chuckled, tucking a piece of hair behind your ear and cupping your cheek with his hand. Well, if you’d accomplished one thing, it was that Din was certainly feeling more relaxed, that’s for sure.

-—-—-—♡—-—-—-

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randomshyperson · 3 years

Text

Wanda Maximoff X Reader - The Parent Trap

Summary: When the identical twins Billy and Tommy Maximoff are sent to the same summer camp, they hatch a plan to get their mothers back together by switching places. Or, The Parent Trap AU. / AO3

Warnings: Fluff and a bit of language.

Words: 4.229K

Notes: I want to know if anyone likes this, please tell me your opinion ;) And good reading! By the way, gif is not mine!

Part Two

The whole thing looked suspicious to you. Billy was acting too strange. He didn't run and throw himself on the couch when he got back from camp, or throw his shoes around the house like he always did. He also didn't pick up the basketball reference you made to him in the car. At first you thought maybe it was puberty. But he told you he was tired from the trip, and you messed up his hair, and told him to go get something to eat. When your dog Krypto didn't recognize him, you told him that he needed to change his clothes, because he must be smelling the camp.

Running the vineyard was taking all your time, but you were hoping to spend some time with your boy now that he was back.

You were surprised when your fiancée showed up at your house unannounced. You were trying to find a way to tell Billy about Tabitha. You met her when Billy was at camp, and you hired her as a publicist for the vineyard. And even you yourself were surprised when she asked you out. Many dates later, you were engaged to be married. You tried not to think about it so much, and to remember Tabitha's words, saying that Billy would be happy to have two mother figures, that she would help you take care of him because she had a freer schedule than yours. Honestly, you were surprised that she was in love with you.

Natasha, your best friend and housekeeper, gave you an incredulous and debauched look when you told her about your engagement, but didn't question you. You imagined that she just wanted to make fun of you.

Tabitha told you that you should tell her about the engagement right away, like ripping off a band aid. You were trying to find the right moment.

When you and Billy went out riding, you decided to tell him, hoping that he would be happy. You were a little nervous, finding it strange when he didn't even remember your usual camping trip before the end of the summer, but you thought he was just distracted.

- Hey honey, I want to tell you something. - You said, and he looked away from the vineyard in front of him and looked at you curiously. - What do you think of Tabitha?

- Like what, Mom? - He replies. - Your publicist? Your friend?

- No, dear, just what you think of her as a person. - You clarify a bit awkwardly.

Billy thought for a few seconds.

- Well, she's pretty, has good teeth and nice hair. She can spell. - He replied. - But honestly, Mom, she's a complete stranger to me. Why do you want my opinion?

You hesitated for a moment, and swallowed your nervousness.

- Well, Billy, I'll tell you why. - You said with a trembling voice. - Because believe it or not...

- Race to the house, Mom! - He shouted, interrupting you and riding away at high speed.

You choked in surprise, as you shouted that you were trying to tell him something, but he kept riding away. You mumbled to yourself, as you rode after him.

When you finally reached the house, Natasha was crying. You ran up to her to ask if she was all right, but she just smiled, saying that they were tears of happiness, that Billy was so big and healthy. You frowned in confusion, but you were too distracted in telling your son that you were getting married to think much about it. And then Natasha left the room saying that she was going to prepare a special lunch for you both, and you sat with Billy on the sofa.

- Honey, we need to talk now. - You told him, trying to sound serious and gentle at the same time. Billy just nodded. - Honey, I want to know how you feel about Tabatha being part of the family.

- Part of our family?

- Yes.

- I think it's incredible. - He said, and you felt a wave of relief wash over your body.

- Really?

- Totally, Mom! It's a dream! - he said excitedly. - I always wanted a big sister!

It was as if a bucket of cold water had fallen on your head.

- Honey, I don't... I think you've got it wrong.

- No, mommy! I love it! - He says. - We're going to adopt Tabitha! That's so sweet, Mom.

- No, honey. - You deny it flatly. - I'm not adopting her. I'm marrying her.

It takes a second, and then Billy lets out a mixed exclamation of surprise and anger, getting up from the couch.

- Marry her? That's crazy! - he shouts. - How can you marry someone who is young enough to be my sister?

And then he starts shouting in a language you think is Russian as he paces in circles around the room, and you raise your eyebrows in surprise.

- Honey, calm down! - you ask, pulling him gently towards you. - And since when do you speak Russian?

- I learned it at camp. - He answers quickly, and then assumes an almost hurt expression. - You can't get married, Mama! It will ruin everything!

And he lets go of your grip, rushing out of the room. You let out a sigh of dissatisfaction, thinking about how it all went wrong, and throw yourself on the sofa. Natasha looks at you from the kitchen door.

- That was shameful. - She comments.

- He thought I was going to adopt her. - You retort with your eyes closed and your head against the pillows.

- That's exactly why it was embarrassing. - She scoffs, laughing softly. You don't answer, beginning to feel a slight headache forming.

You barely have time to absorb the whole conversation, when you hear a radio noise in the distance. But a few minutes, and Tabitha enters the room, sitting on your lap.

- Hello, sweetie. - She said - You look stressed.

And then she kissed you, wrapping both hands around your neck. You really just wanted to go back to bed. You let out an unsatisfied sigh, interrupting the kiss. Tabitha looked at you curiously.

- I told Billy about our wedding. - You said, and she seemed excited.

- And how was it?

- Horrible! - you said, upset. - He was furious. He yelled at me in Russian, and I didn't even know he spoke Russian!

Tabitha let out a giggle.

- Take it easy, sweetie. - She said, rubbing her hands on your shoulders. - It's a very common reaction. I'd be worried if he didn't have a reaction like that. - She argues, and begins to deposit kisses against your collarbone. You appreciate the touch, even if they don't really affect you that much. - Let me talk to him. He needs to know that I'm not an enemy.

You let out a low grumble, running your right hand over your eyes.

- Okay, Tabi. - You agree. - But be gentle.

She giggles mischievously, giving you a kiss before getting up. You sink your face into your hands as she leaves, feeling tired.

It's been a few days since you told Billy about your marriage. He hasn't mentioned it again, but he is treating you normally. Tabitha told you that the conversation went well, and you believed her.

Now you are packing your bags, getting ready to go for a weekend in the Hamptons, where Tabitha's parents, whom you haven't met yet, will be staying. You have a strange feeling, as if something is going to happen, but you can't tell what it is.

And when you drive to the hotel, you sit with Billy in the back seat while Natasha drives, and you share some snacks. Billy also begs you to take Krypto, and you agree while ruffling his hair.

Tabitha's parents seem nice, you think. They greet you quite enthusiastically, and you are embarrassed when Tabitha slips her hand to your buttocks for a moment when you hug.

After you check in, you and Tabitha say goodbye to her parents temporarily as they leave toward the bar, and you both make your way to the elevator to your rooms, with Billy and Natasha following a bit behind as they try to get Krypto to obey. Tabitha is particularly needy today, and you wish she wouldn't cling to you so much in such a crowded place, feeling uncomfortable.

As you press the elevator button for your floor, while Tabitha snuggles up to you, you look toward the lobby and widen your eyes in surprise. Your ex-wife, Wanda Maximoff is standing in the center of the lobby, and she waves to you just before the elevator door closes completely. You think you are hallucinating, and wonder if you have finally lost your mind.

Tabitha continues kissing your collarbone, but you are completely disconnected from reality. When you arrive at your room, she pulls you inside, trying to take off your clothes.

- No, darling. I'm sorry. - You deny it, pushing her hands away as you try to think of a plausible excuse. - I need to see if everything is okay with Billy and Nat, okay? We'll see about that later.

Tabitha pouts, but lets you go, strutting sensuously into the bathroom. You smile awkwardly, then leave the room.

You look around as if you're looking for someone, and you really are. And then you bump into Billy in the hallway.

- Hey baby! - You greet him by bending down to his height and putting your hands on his shoulders. - I'm going to go to the lobby. Do me a favor and look after Tabitha for me, will you?

- All right, Mom.

- Oh, honey. - You say hesitantly. - How do I look? Do I look good?

Billy smiles, giving you a thumbs-up.

- You look beautiful, Mom.

- Okay, okay. - You say clumsily, and mess up his hair before heading back toward the elevator.

When you reach the lobby, you look around, trying to locate Wanda around. And you're startled to see Billy again.

- Honey, I thought you were going to keep Tabitha company. - You say, and he looks slightly nervous. But you're not really paying attention.

- I will, Mom. - He says, looking around quickly. - I'm just trying to find her.

- Okay. - You mumble without really listening to him. - I'll walk around here, and see you upstairs.

But then Billy hugs you tight around the waist.

- It's good to see you, Mom. - He whispered, and you frowned in confusion, but smiled, bending down to return the hug quickly.

- It's good to see you too, honey. - You joked, and pulled him away slightly to make sure he was all right. He looked happy.

- It's okay, Mom, you can go. - He said, and you ruffled his hair before heading off in the opposite direction, looking around with a mixture of nervousness and excitement.

The hotel was quite large, and you had been looking for many minutes by the time you got to the pool area.

And then you saw her, in all her glory, coming down the stairs on the opposite side from where you were standing. A smile slipped from your lips at the same moment, and you felt your heart race. Wanda looked just as beautiful as the last time you saw her, almost twelve years ago.

Your feet moved automatically, but it seemed that suddenly all the people in the pool area were in your way to get to her. You heard Natasha call out to you, warning you to be careful, but then you are bumping into one of the waiters, stumbling backwards and falling into one of the pools.

You think Billy screamed in surprise, but you kept following Wanda through the water, she noticed you with all this commotion.

Coming out of the pool, completely drenched, you let out a happy sigh as you stopped in front of her.

You should be grinning like an idiot, but Wanda also seemed amazed to see you.

- Wanda. - You sighed.

- Hi Y/N.

- Wow, there you are. - You said, still impressed. Wanda just smiled at you, equally embarrassed. - Sorry, something's happened that I don't know about. I'm completely surprised to see you, but you don't seem surprised to see me at all. - You say and Wanda looks away quickly. - I haven't seen, or known anything about you for ten or maybe eleven years. And suddenly on the same day...

- Hi Mom. - Billy interrupts you, and you look at him in surprise. - I can explain why she's here.

- Honey, do you... do you know who she is?

- Actually, I do. - He says, smiling awkwardly. - And actually, I'm not Billy.

- Actually, I am.

You choke in surprise to see your two twins together, next to each other.

- What... You two...

- You and Mom must think alike, because you sent us to the same camp. - Billy says. You feel your heart racing, still completely in shock. - We met there, and everything came up.

- They switched places, Y/N. - Clarified Wanda beside you.

You let out a sigh.

- You mean I was with Tommy all this time? - you ask with emotion in your voice.

- Well, I wanted to know what you were like. - Tommy said. - And Billy wanted to know what Mom was like. Are you angry?

- Honey of course not. - You denied it by bending down to his height. - I just can't believe it's you, look how much you've grown. - You say happily, pulling him into a tight hug. You pull him away a moment later to look at his face tenderly, running your fingers over his cheeks. - My boy looks so handsome.

Tommy smiles at you, and then releases your grip, returning to his brother's side.

- And you, Billy, have you been in London all this time? - you ask, and he shrugs. You let out a short laugh before hugging him tightly. - I can't believe you're together.

- Mom is awesome, Mom. - Says Billy looking at you. - I don't know how you let her get away.

You laugh uncomfortably, then let him go.

- Boys, let me and your mother talk for a moment, okay? - Wanda asks with a smile. Billy and Tommy nod slightly, and you put your hands in your pockets awkwardly as you and Wanda walk around the pool until you sit on one of the benches, facing each other. You think you should try to stop smiling so much, but this must be the happiest you've been in twelve years.

- I can't believe this. - You comment, biting your lips for a moment. - Seeing them together. Seeing you.

Wanda giggles, a slight redness in her cheeks.

- How are you, Wands? - you ask, and realize that the nickname escapes your lips with ease. - Or does everyone call you Miss Maximoff now?

She smiles, a little awkwardly, denying it with her head.

- My brother still calls me Wands. - She says. - You can call me whatever you like. - She smiles awkwardly.

- And how is Pietro? - you find yourself asking. You were overflowing with curiosity, wanting to absorb as much of Wanda as possible, afraid that she would disappear at any moment. - Is he married?

- Oh no. - She giggles. - Pietro lives with me now. He retired from racing. He goes on casual dates, but he says he doesn't want anything serious.

- You haven't changed a bit. - You comment, looking at her adoringly. God, she looks so beautiful.

- There you are! I've been looking all over for you! - says a female voice startling you both. You look away from Wanda quickly, Tabitha looks at you both with a frown. - Good, you have met. Honey, Miss Maximoff designs wedding dresses, and she's going to make... Wait, how do you two know each other? And honey, why are you all wet?

You and Wanda stand up awkwardly, you run your hand straight down the back of your neck, trying to think how exactly to explain, feeling Tabitha's confused gaze on you.

- You are going to make my fiancee's dress. - You say, turning to Wanda.

- I didn't know she was your fiancée. - She retorts.

- How we met... How I know you... - You turn to Tabitha again, trying to find a way to tell her. - How do you two know each other?

- Sorry, am I missing something here? - Tabitha asks with narrowed eyes.

- You know, this world is so small. - You comment with a wry smile.

- How small? - She replies seriously.

- Hello, Tabitha. - says Tommy, appearing next to the blonde. She greets him back, but then looks at you waiting for your answer.

- How are you? - Billy asks, appearing on the other side, and Tabitha jumps in fright.

- How... - She spins her body around quickly, varying her gaze and finger pointing between Billy and Tommy. - Two of them... How?

- So, did I ever mention that Billy was a twin?

- You forgot that little detail. - She replies with slight irritation in her voice, looking at you and crossing her arms.

- Don't be upset. - said Tommy. - She didn't tell me either. And by the way, I'm not Billy. He is. - He explained. - I was pretending to be him, while he was pretending to be me.

- And that's our other mother over there. - Said Tommy quickly pointing to the redhead next to you. - Wanda Maximoff.

Wanda smiled, but Tabitha didn't look happy at all.

- Is that your mother? - she asked incredulously. The boys nodded in agreement. - Were you two married?

- Yes. - Both of you confirmed clumsily.

- Oh, yes. Small world indeed. - Tabitha says.

- It just got smaller. - You comment nervously.

- And what a coincidence that we are all here together at the same weekend. - She adds wryly, while the boys exchange a mischievous glance. - Can I talk to you privately, Y/N?

You nod slightly as she turns and walks away, and then you turn to Wanda.

- It was ... it's ... good. Good to see you. - You say awkwardly, Wanda smiles and nods slightly. - We... I don't know...

- Go change your clothes and talk to your fiancée. - She pokes you lightly. But her gaze is not malicious. - We'll talk later.

By the time you reached Tabitha, she was already entering the elevators. You think you should be worried, but you just feel uncomfortable. You want to go back to the pool and talk to Wanda. Tabitha doesn't say anything until you are in your suite. Then she yells at you. You think she said something about trust, but you're not really listening. And then Tabitha slams the door on her way out, and you have a smile on your face, thinking of Wanda.

Tommy and Billy insist that the four of you have dinner together. And honestly, you make no effort to find excuses not to go.

And then you find yourself standing in front of the hotel, completely breathless at the image of your ex-wife wearing a red dress that embraces her in all the right places.

You feel embarrassed, not knowing exactly what to say or do, but Wanda lets you hold her arm as you walk together toward the harbor, the boys ahead of you.

And then you approach a big ship, and you feel your heart soar.

- Is that ?

- Yes. - Wanda confirms with a smile, looking as surprised as you are.

Parked in the harbor is the same ship you met twelve years ago. As you walk up the stairs, Wanda asks how the boys managed to get all this, and they just say they pooled their allowance with a little help from Uncle Pietro and Aunt Nat, which makes you and Wanda laugh.

When you arrive at one of the private dining rooms inside the ship, the boys guide you both inside, and you frown as you look at the dining table.

- Darlings, why are there only two chairs? - you ask, looking at your sons. They exchange mischievous glances.

- We're not having dinner with you. - says Billy.

- What? - Wanda asks

- I should have known better. - You make a humorous remark.

- Come on, Mom. Don't be angry. - asks Tommy without looking the least bit sorry for his little plot. - We think you two have a lot to talk about.

You let out a sigh, agreeing. The boys leave a short time later, and you and Wanda sit down at a small table. It is an intimate and romantic dinner, and brings up feelings you have held for a long time.

- Are you okay with this, Wands? - you ask as soon as you are settled at the table. - With dinner I say. With me.

Wanda giggles.

- I'm the one who should be asking you that. - She says. - You're the one getting married.

The teasing makes something in your stomach turn nervously, and you give her an embarrassed smile and look away from her to the table. And then Pietro and Nat enter the room, dressed as waiters, and you both let out surprised exclamations.

- I won't even ask. - You joke, but the two of you just smile politely.

- Good evening, madames. - says Pietro. You notice how much older he looks since you last saw him. - We'll be serving dinner for you tonight.

- And these are the hors d'oeuvres. - Nat says as she places a few items on the table. You look at the dishes with curiosity, and are happy to see that they all look delicious.

They leave next, and you and Wanda exchange a look of amusement. You both sample a few things, and then you find yourself looking at Wanda again. She smiles when she notices.

- You want to ask me something. - she says with a smile. - Just ask.

- It's not a question, I think. - You say after a moment, trying to clarify your thoughts. Being with Wanda makes everything seem like background. - I was just wondering, how did this happen?

Wanda takes a sip of wine, raising her eyebrows slightly.

- What exactly happened? - she replies. - The ship? The children? The dinner?

You giggle, slumping back in your chair.

- Us, Wanda. - You say. - What happened to us?

Wanda looks away from you, looking slightly upset.

- I don't know Y/N. - She answers. - We were so young, immature and so, so temperamental. We both said stupid things. - She says with a slight nostalgia. - And then I left, and you didn't come after me.

She finishes her sentence with a quick sad smile, and you feel your stomach drop.

- I didn't think you would want this.

Wanda shrugged, a glint in her eyes that you couldn't read.

- It really doesn't matter anymore.

And then Pietro and Nat are back with the main courses, and you look away from Wanda quickly, an immense feeling of guilt and regret in your chest.

You have a lot to think about, but it has been so long, and now you had a fiancée, a life that went on without Wanda. You let out a sigh, raising your hand to the glass of wine, and turning it over in your mouth with a single gulp.

You ate in silence for a while, the food was tasty, but you thought you two had become quiet because of the conversation. But then Wanda looked at you again.

- What will happen now that they know? - Wanda asked, and you frowned slightly.

- Why would that be a problem?

- We live in different countries. - She clarified. - What are we going to do, half of the year I stay with Billy, and the other half with Tommy?

You laughed awkwardly, running your hands through your hair.

- Wow, this is a terrible idea. - You declare and Wanda raises her eyebrow slightly. - The kids will never accept this. We'll just have to find a way to make it work.

You're starting to get a migraine thinking about everything.

- Maybe... things could stay the same. - she says. - And then they visit each other on vacation.

You nod in agreement. You hold the smile on your face even as you feel a great wave of nervousness at the thought that it was settled: Wanda would return to London, she would be out of your life again.

You finish dinner in a polite and friendly way, not talking any more. You think you might cry, but you drink more wine to calm your body.

When you and Wanda say good-bye in the hotel lobby, you kiss her cheek, and see in her eyes the same sadness and longing that you have.

You are trying not to get angry with your children, even though they are stubborn brats. You have already checked out of the hotel, and were getting ready to leave, when Tommy and Billy came down from their rooms to say goodbye. And then they matched clothes, and refused to say who is who so that you could leave.

- This is absolutely ridiculous, boys. - You comment next to Wanda. - Your mother will miss her flight.

But your children just kept their arms crossed, and you let out an impatient grumble.

- Kids, what's this about now? - Wanda asked. - Even if I miss the flight, eventually Tommy will come with me.

The boys exchanged a thoughtful look.

- We want everyone together at the camp at the end of the summer vacation. - Said one of the boys, you thought it might be Billy, but you weren't sure.

- And when we get back, we'll tell you who's who. - Completed the brother, maybe this was Billy.

- I have an even better idea! - you exclaim. - You obey your mothers and Tommy goes back to London as we agreed.

And that's how you ended up in a car with Wanda, and your two sons, and your fiancée heading for home. Tabitha was not at all happy about the whole situation.

#wanda maximoff #wanda x reader #wandaxreader #wanda x you #wanda maximoff x reader #marvel imagines #the parent trap au #wandavision

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