#Gave up and had dinner early hoping this restores me

[the-jackalope-coffee-co]

supposed to be driving up to my residency this week and already it's been. Some Bullshit.

[creadigol]

Finally! I have a continuation of the Villain/Photographer prompt!

Villain and Photographer Part ii

I hope you all like it!

Photographer sat in their living room, looking out at the rain as it aggressively streaked down their window. The light sounds of vintage music from the ‘30s and ‘40s echoed from their kitchen, but it didn’t give them the comfort and focus it usually did. Not with them in the kitchen. Cooking like it was a normal Wednesday evening. Asking Photographer what they preferred, carrots or peas? Potatoes or noodles? Every now and then Photographer would ask that they go out and get something from the Thai place or sub shop, just to see their unwelcome guest’s reaction…

Photographer learned early on that such suggestions were not appreciated.

So here they were, looking out their own window, sitting on their own couch, getting ready to eat their own food…all while a prisoner in their own home.

“I added a little paprika to the stew, hope you don’t mind, I like a little kick to my food.”

Photographer worked hard not to flinch at the voice as it entered their space. They tried their best everyday not to show any semblance of emotion towards Hero, no matter how long they kept them here, no matter how much they threatened them. Photographer wondered how long they could keep doing it.

“You like a little kick to a lot of things,” Photographer replied. Like thugs, ruffians, Villain…and most recently, Photographer’s stomach.

Hero let out a long sigh, as if dealing with an impudent child.

“You know,” Hero said sweetly, “We could stop this whole dog and pony show if you would just agree to my terms…and tell me where the film is. Honestly, I can’t see why you’re being so stubborn. It’s not like anyone even supports you on this.”

Photographer didn’t look away from the window. It was true, no one supported them on this. Hero already had Reporter and Editor in their pocket…Photographer was the last piece of the puzzle to control everything in the popular news agency. Everyone in the city trusted their agency to be the one to tell the truth, that was the whole reason Photographer had started it with their friends in the first place. It seemed Photographer was the last to hold out.

Hero walked closer to them, leaning over their head and looking at both of their reflections in the window. They spoke close to Photographer's ear.

“What are you even doing this for? Pride? Stubbornness? Some silly inclination that you’ll be the triumphant whistle blower of a whole conspiracy? Please, no one really cares what the truth is anymore. They never did…”

They gripped Photographer’s shoulders painfully, “Or maybe you think you can win?” They shook Photographer, their head almost hitting the glass of the window.

“You can’t win…just give me the film and do your job as I say and your freedom will be restored to you.”

You liar, thought Photographer. If I agree, my freedom will never be restored…not truly. They chose to remain silent. Closing their eyes so as not to see their reflection so close to Hero’s in the window.

“Dammit Photographer!” Hissed Hero, their grip relentless. Photographer flinched at the tone. “You know what I’ll have to do if you don’t relent soon! You think I want that? Think about all we’ve been through! Why would you make me do that?”

Instinctively Photographer tensed up, sensing what was coming next from Hero. This had become their normal nightly routine in the last two weeks. It always ended with Photographer in pain on the floor.

Knock, knock, knock. They both swiveled their heads towards the apartment door.

Hero abruptly let go of Photographer and took a step back.

“You know the drill,” Hero said to them. “I’ll be in the kitchen finishing dinner. Get rid of whoever it is quickly. If not,” Hero gave a sinister smile, “you know what happens to them.”

Photographer only nodded. So far they had been good enough at lying to dissuade anyone from wanting to come into the apartment, but they knew if they messed up even once Hero would make good on their threat. They would probably even enjoy it.

Hero walked into the kitchen and Photographer heard the music being turned down.

With a fake steady step Photographer walked over and looked through the peephole.

Holy shit! It was Villain!

At first Villain had been worried that no one was home. Maybe Photographer moved? Went on an extended vacation and that was why they hadn’t been on the job in a while? Maybe took a job with someone else for a while just to avoid the politics of this city for a bit? But that thought soon fled their mind as they heard music from within the apartment on their approach. Old vintage…yeah, that seemed like Photographer’s style.

The music abruptly went down after they knocked. Villain waited for someone to answer.

They heard a small gasp on the other side of the door. Then the sound of a chain lock being removed.

Their heart jumped into their throat. What if Photographer told them to sod off? That they were the villain everyone saw them as? What if this was the wrong apartment?

The door flew open.

Photographer stood there. One hand on the door handle, the other clenched in a fist in front of them. They looked…god, they looked terrible.

Photographer’s eyes were sunken, dark circles outlining them and emphasizing emotion that Photographer was usually able to put away during a job. They stood slightly hunched, like their ribs were bothering them, and rather than stay in a fist, their fingers were moving and twitching like crazy.

My god, what happened to you? Villain wanted to shout. Instead they waited for Photographer to say something.

“Why are you here?” Photographer said in a calm and confident voice which did not match their appearance.

“I…” Villain took a breath. “You haven’t been underfoot taking pictures lately.”

Photographer’s hand made another movement and their fingers snapped impatiently.

“Perhaps because there’s nothing worth taking pictures of. The last time seemed information enough for the public.”

Villain felt their anger rise.

“And you just take it at face value then? I thought you were better than that.”

Photographer’s hand made flippant gesture. The other still on the door handle.

“Face value is my trade, in case you didn’t notice. Perhaps you should be talking to Reporter about this and not darkening my doorstep with your schemes.”

“As if…” Villain trailed off. Photographer was twitching their hand so badly now it was hard not to take notice.

H E L P

Oh….OH.

“Well excuse me for living,” Villain finished.

It was taking a moment. The other hand was still on the door handle so they could only do one letter at a time along with simple gestures.

“You’re excused. And while you’re at it, please inform whoever gave you my address that despite my love for putting images in the public eye, I myself enjoy privacy so if they could refrain from sending anyone else here…” Photographer kept signing as they spoke.

Trapped…Hero here…trapped…can’t leave…please

“I will. Can’t say I’m surprised…You’re all the same in the end,” Villain said it with disgust as they avidly watched Photographer’s hand.

Have film…hide film…Hero want

“Well, news is news. Whatever gets readers is all I care about,” Photographer flipped their hair out of their eyes. Villain saw a deep bruise on their neck. If they weren’t so focused on Photographer’s signing, they would have been overcome with rage.

Hero was so going to die for this.

Know truth…no trust…alone…alone…trapped…please

Villain nodded that they understood the message as they said, “Then I guess I’m done here. No more excuses now you know. I’m not going to avoid you when I let off an attack or let you take as many photos as you want…no more telling the other villains to leave off. You’re on your own now.”

If it wasn’t for the reassuring look on their face as they said it, Villain was sure these words would have broken Photographer who looked so close to collapsing under some unseen pressure.

“Fine. Goodbye.”

Photographer swung the door closed, but not before seeing Villain sign back.

You’re not alone.

[imatechbummerliketomholland]

I wish this trip never ends (sstbthw part 2) - h.h

Word count: 3768

Warning: angst, swear, mention of smoking

Pairing : harry holland

Request: no.

N/A: okay, i took me almost a whole month to write this but i'm kinda need to work on school too. Remember, english is not my first language, so be kind if you spot mistakes, i really tried my best. I asked you who the reader was supposed to end up with ... I'll let you figure it out but ... don't hate me for the end ... because after all ... it might not be the end. Don’t hesitate to tell me what you think of the fic! Love you all! xx

taglist : @angeliquekalampoka , @harryhollandsgirlfriend (the one and only harry holland's girlfriend to me)

ღღღ

previously - and you can find part 3

Restoring a relationship of trust and regaining the bond that you both had was particularly difficult. You had to learn to find your place in Harrison's life, but also in his relationship with Grace. You were roommates and friends, but it was complicated to plan meetings with Harrison's busy schedule. Between his job search after the cancellation of his Netflix series, his photo shoots, his dates with Grace, those with his family. It was getting harder and harder to find a moment to reunite with the two of you. It was without counting your schedule.

You were supposed to meet at noon for lunch at that restaurant Harrison told you about where he took his mother earlier this year, for Mother's Day. You felt uncomfortable going to such a place. It was very fancy; you had taken a look at the menu and you knew in advance that you would not be able to afford to split the bill. That was sometimes one of the downsides of being friends with Tom and Harrison. They sometimes forgot that their salary was significantly higher than yours. After all, they were still simple, good-natured guys, never saying no to a quick takeout meal or ordering pizza, drinking a beer at the local pub. And sometimes, they offered to go to prestigious places, not paying attention to money, wanting to please their friends or family.

Currently you were in your room. You were throwing countless of clothes across the room, trying to choose what you could wear to this lunch. Harry stopped dead when one of your dresses flew out of your room, right in front of his nose, blocking his way. You had left your door open and your spontaneity got the better of your best friend.

“Easy, Tiger. I had no idea your clothes had the capacity of Dr. Strange's cape.” He joked before coming into your bedroom.

You turned to find Harry leaning against your doorframe, a smirk encrusted on his face. You gave him an unamused frown and his smile widened. This wasn’t funny at all; you were stressed as hell. It’s not like you still had feelings for Harrison and try to impress him – to be honest, you still had feeling for your friend, but not as intense as before, you had drawn a definitive line on the possibility of a romantic relationship with him, which had helped you a lot. – But you didn’t want to be dressed down and looked like a clown.

“Come on Munchkin, it’s just a lunch. At worst, Harrison can still make it looks like he invited you out for charity, sort of “Make a Wish” event” Harry joked, in his significant humor.

“Go to hell, Robert. Don’t you have a pack bag to make, mister “I’m going to Spain to help my superstar brother to hold his tea while he’s filming”?”

“Rude… I’m a film director, now”

Not for that, you thought to yourself, but don't have the balls to tell your best friend. You didn't want to take this joke too far. You smiled at his cute pretending offended face. You pouted mockingly before biting your lip. You loved the dynamics of your relationship so much. Your humor, sarcasm, your outspokenness, that's what brought you together. Harry pulled you lightly from your closet with a comforting wink. He chose Yves Saint Laurent poppy red wool jersey flared pants that Tom gave you on your birthday. You smiled at his choice. You liked these pair of pants because they were sparkling with vitality, the color was flamboyant. Harry then gave you a satin pearl-colored shirt from Zara and you laughed at the drastic brand difference.

“Oh I see. A classy look but no more than £ 1000 that's pretty smart,” you joked.

The choice of your outfit once again proved the reality of hanging out with wealthy people. You were not poor; you could even be grateful for the life you had had. But it would never occur to you to give your friends clothes that were going over the miles and cents. To be honest, you wanted it. You wanted to live up to the gifts your friends sometimes gave you. But the truth seemed quite different: you had cried over the price of a used Rolex you wanted to give Tom for his birthday. Even having saved for 6 months, you could not afford such a gift.

“Shut up, don’t be so dramatic. Wear that necklace Harrison gave you for Christmas. I’m sure you’ll look fine”

“Thank you,Baz…I guess. ”

You kissed his cheek and then invited him out of your room so you could get ready. It didn't take you more than thirty minutes, time to put on the outfit your best friend had chosen and to put on light makeup. When you were finally ready, you walked to Tom's room. He had offered to take you to the restaurant where you were to join Harrison. But when you got to his ajar door, you could hear the soft sound of a slight snoring. You let out a chuckle before ordering an Uber. You knew he had spent almost a full month in Los Angeles and hadn't returned until early last week. You wanted to leave him as much as possible alone so that he could rest before his trip to Spain for the reshoots of his film Uncharted. Tom was a boy who loved being in touch with those close to him, but you also felt his need to recharge his batteries. That's why you preferred to let him sleep.

You went down to the kitchen to pour yourself a glass of water before leaving. When your Uber arrived, you left a note on the refrigerator to let the boys know you were safely gone. It was little everyday things that made you look normal that you enjoy. A post-it on the fridge, a table organizing household chores had been drawn up. Note to yourself; It was Harrison's turn to take care of the laundry.

☙♡❧

You had really hoped this was just a grotesque nightmare. That it wasn't real. He was going to arrive; he was just stuck into the traffic. Isn't it?

But you were there, waiting for over an hour and a half, without any news from your friend. Some people watched you with pity eyes, the others didn't give you any attention. You internally thank Harry for choosing your outfit. You didn't look like a lost kitten in this prestigious setting. It didn't prevent you from being ashamed right now. The waiter had urged you to order several times but you had told him that you were expecting someone, that he would arrive any minute. The last time, you didn't know if you were trying to convince him or yourself.

But it never happened. Harrison never came to your dinner. You were alone, sitting at a table, pathetically waiting for your friend to show up. It didn't look like him. He had never stand you up before. And not to improve this embarrassing moment, the waiter came to you again. This time, with a man in a suit. He was elegant, carried himself proud but diplomatic. They stopped at your table, a tight smile on their faces. No doubt the man in the suit was to be the manager.

"Miss, my employee told me that you seemed to have occupied this table for a while now. I am sorry to tell you that if you do not order a few things, you will have to leave the establishment"

You looked at him with misty eyes. You have never been so ashamed in your life. You just nod your head, not trusting your voice just yet. After taking a deep breath, you finally apologize to them before telling them that you are going to leave. The manager of the restaurant, out of politeness awkwardly apologizing for this uncomfortable situation.

You've finished the Dry Martini that you allowed yourself to, paying for it with whatever pride you have left. You pulled your cellphone out of your purse and decided to call one of the boys. After three rings, he picked up.

"Hey ... can you please pick me up?"

Your voice was shaky, you were so ashamed but it was less distressing than having to walk the Walk of Shame to your house or cry in an uber. You hung up and shared your location. You left the lobby, leaving the restaurant, standing in front of the entrance to the establishment. The air refreshed your cheeks burning with shame. Luckily it wasn't raining today. Which was pretty nice compared to that early summer you had had.

When you saw Harry's car pulled up in front of you, you slid into the passenger seat without a word. The curly redhead gave you a heartwarming smile but you definitely could see a spark of annoyance in his eyes. You sigh, resigned while shrugging your shoulders. It was obvious that your friendship with Harrison was still shaky.

"I'm sorry, love. He's a jerk about it."

Coincidentally, like a mitigating circumstance, your phone vibrated, receiving a notification from Harrison. You were chewing your lip with a sort of anguish and irritation, watching the message the blond had sent you.

"I'm sorry. So sorry. My agent called me for a pretty urgent casting briefing. She's detained me until now. Are you still okay for this dinner?"

You were angry. You were mature enough and had known the boys long enough to understand their obligations. The fact that Harrison had a lastminute meeting with his agent and missed your dinner wasn't a problem. The problem was, he made you wait for over an hour and a half before notifying you. You wanted him to call you to let you know, or a simple text just after he knew for the meeting. You typed a short answer, shorter than this was impossible. "No". You rested your head against the headrest, turning your gaze to your best friend.

"Hey, he's a Netflix star now" you replied to his last words.

Your voice cracked on the last syllables and your eyes filled with tears. You weren't usually that emotional but the anguish and shame really took over you. Harry noticed, unsure of how to instantly respond to your distress. He would have liked to stop on an emergency lane to take you in his arms but he already had 2 penalties to pay, respectively for speeding and prohibited parking ... a third fine would not be really welcome. He simply placed his hand on your thigh, drawing circles on your pants to comfort you. He simply moved his hand to shift gears and instantly rested it on your leg whenever he had the chance. This gesture soothed you, enjoying the touch, grateful to have someone as your best friend to mop up your pain.

☙♡❧

Arriving at the apartment, no sign of Harrison. When you walked in the kitchen, you saw Tom sitting at the counter, scrolling his phone. He looked up at you, not directly noticing your annoyed expression.

"Wow..you're ... gorgeous. I love these pants on you"

You smiled, a little amused by the compliment. Of course he loved the pants, it was a gift from him. But your smile didn’t reach your eyes. With a look on your expression then on the clock, the actor understood that something went wrong. Harry was right behind and still no trace of Harrison. It was suspicious. Tom gave you a worried look.

"Do I have to ask…Never mind, I’m still going to ask. How was lunch with Harrison?"

"I don't know, why don't you ask him? Oh wait... right, he didn't show up" you said sarcastically although you could hear the hurt in your voice.

Tom frowned, biting the inside of his lower lip in annoyance. Harrison was his best mate since forever and he knew him so well. It seemed strange from Harrison to not show up. The blond has told him he was happy to see you again and walking through this whole awkward “feeling situation” because he didn’t want to lose you. In a quick movement, he rose from his stool to walk around the counter. The next second, he took you in his comforting arms and you finally let yourself go under the sight of the two Holland brothers.

“It seems like you need a break of all this shit” Tom said while he ran his fingers through your hair.

You let a little laugh escape through your tears. He wasn't wrong. You really needed to get away from this whole situation for a moment. But how? Harry watched the scene unsure of what to do. You were his best friend and it seemed like the solace you found was never in his arms. He had tried in the car, however, as best he could. He walked over to the counter to make you both a cup of tea. It seems that as cliché as it sounds, tea comforts you, as the English person you used to be. As the redhead waited patiently for the water to boil, a flash of genius - according to him - crossed the glare of his eyes.

“Why doen't she come with us to Spain?”

His brother's words seemed to suit Tom, who released his hold on you. You opened your eyes wide, not sure of what you had just heard. Go to Spain, with them? Once again, you knew you were going to argue on this proposition. The idea was not bad, Spain seemed a rather pleasant country. But you had just graduated and had a student job to save as much as possible. However, you could not afford to leave for several days in Spain, at the last minute. Plus, what were you going to do while Tom was filming and Harry was assisting him? He was sure the film's production crew wasn't going to give you a pass because Tom had decided.

“Yeah! That’s it, you’re coming with us”

“Tom, I have a student job. I can’t just…decide to go to Spain.”

“You never take a leave, come on. It’s not negotiable”

You were looking at Harry for help but he just shrugged. After all, he was the one who had initiated the idea of ​​including you on the trip. You were trying to find a valid excuse to stay home. You really didn't want to impose yourself.

“I can’t afford that” you said, trying your best to convince him to quit the idea.

“I don’t care, it’s not even a problem. You coming to Spain with us.”

"Omg, does Z dominate you in bed to make you so bossy in life?"

Harry almost spitted his tea and laughed out loud while Tom gave you shocked eyes with pinky cheeks. You had always been sassy but hanging out with the boys had made you even more sassy than ever. How many times haven't you heard Tuwaine or Harry make fun of Harrison or Tom on the sex subject? Being a girl seemed to make you an untouchable character. The boys had never teased you about your relationships or your sexual partners. And while you've always had feelings for Harrison, you've had your own experiences. Anyway, you had just gone with the flow and Tom's brand-new romantic relationship with his co-star gave you the perfect opportunity.

“That's not the point.” stammered the actor.

Your smile widened, proud of your joke and the way Tom reacted. You heard Harry clear his throat. He had his phone in his hand and his own smile didn't bode well for you.

"The production is okay but it's at Tom's expense."

“You got to be kidding me…”

☙♡❧

You ended up in Spain with two of your best friends. You knew you had limited time before Tom had to fly back to Los Angeles for some Spider-man: No Way Home reshoots. So, you enjoyed as much as possible: accompanying the boys to the golf course - even though you weren't very involved in the sport -, spending time to visit touristic places when they were on set, talking with Rachael and other people from the set. You really enjoyed your trip.

On Wednesday evening you went out to a restaurant with Tom, Harry and two other friends/tom’s colleagues. You couldn't deny that it was fun. You had the opportunity to sunbathe a little while walking through the streets of Madrid. Spain was doing you good and not once did you think about your wobbly friendship with Harrison. You've just left the restaurant when a few fans politely show up to take pictures with Tom. You couldn't help but smile at the thought of how kind Tom had always taken in a few snaps when his fans approached him respectfully - and there weren't too many of them -. You sighed with pleasure before stepping away from the group. You leaned against a wall and took out the packet of cigarettes that Tom had asked you to keep in your clutch bag. Being an occasional smoker, he wouldn't blame you if you took one from him. You tilted your head back to admire the dark starry night when you felt a presence by your side. You narrowed your eyes in mischief as you looked sideways: Harry was there, his nose wrinkled from your cigarette. He didn't like it too much Silence filled your bubble despite the hubbub outside. You were in public and it was not surprising to meet travelers and Madrid residents mingling with the crowd to enjoy this pleasant evening.

"I wish this trip never ends." You finally said, breaking the silence.

Harry didn't know what to say to that. Instead, he was just looking at you. You were a little tanned, the Madrid sun had done wonders on you; your loose hair framed your face and the summer dress you had chosen for the restaurant looked great on you: It was a short red floral summer dress with a shingle collar. Light enough to keep you from suffocating but decent to wear on any casual occasion. You were beautiful, stunning. His heart exploded at the sight of you, so much that it hurt a few times.

"I wish I had been there for you more." he finally confessed

You finally turned your head towards him and shrug your shoulders, smiling shyly but sincerely.

“You were working, Baz”

“I meant…not only here in Spain. I’m sorry to have let you down recently”

You give him a confused look. He hadn't been a bad friend but he kept implying it. You just shook your head negatively to brush his words away. Harry had always been important to you. He had been the first to step towards you. It was him who introduced you to the rest of the gang. He had always been concerned about you.

The night you met, you immediately clicked up with him. And to be honest, for a moment, you thought he liked you that night. But he never took that step towards you and you never did either. You dreaded that if you kissed him, he would think you were interested in his notoriety by proxy. So you just acted like any reasonable person would - accept the status he gave you. And the second time he asked you to join him with his brother and his friends, you met Harrison and your heart exploded.

"I'm glad you brought me here"

“I'm happy you accepted to come.”

“I didn't really have the choice, Baz” you joked.

He laughed slightly. You weren't wrong, he and Tom had practically dragged you onto the plane, leaving you no choice to be by their side. But you could only thank them, especially Harry who had the idea. You took another hit on your cigarette before leaning back to check out where Tom was with his fans. He seemed to be talking with the girls and didn't seem overwhelmed. So, you didn't want to interrupt him and were just going to wait for him to finish. Harry played with his hands nervously, looking straight ahead and then at you. He seemed to be repeating this game for several seconds before finally asking the question that was in his mind.

“Have you heard from Harrison?” Harry asked quite casually

“He sent me several texts to apologize and wished me to have a good time in Madrid.”

“Do you still have feelings for him?”

You swallow hard before looking at him. There was an indecipherable glint in his eyes and you weren't sure what to make of it. You drew another puff from your cigarette, maybe that would save you from entering this conversation. But Harry's presence was all around you and you couldn't really escape. So you've decided to be honest.

“It’s complicated. I suppose so...”

“Mhmm”

“But my friendship with Haz is important, I don't want to lose him because of it.”

“Yeah, you can't imagine how well I understand you” he sighed

“What do you mean? Who’s the lucky girl..or guy ?”

Harry turned to you frankly and you did the same, stubbing out the half-smoked cigarette. You are well aware that the conversation was taking a more serious turn. He moistened his lips and walked over to you. Harry was full of things: he was full-loving, sarcastic, talented, daring, impertinent. But Harry was mostly awkward when it came to love. Not just an attraction, no, love with real feeling. Delicately, hesitantly, he reached out to your cheek, stroking it with the back of his fingers, cautiously. You were frozen, your eyes fixed on him admiring his audacity.

"She's the most beautiful girl I ever seen." he said with a small smile.

Harry walked over to you and your heart was pounding at breakneck speed. Harry had ... feelings for you? You were really confused. Since when had he developed his feelings? Why didn't he tell you about it? Why hadn't he tried anything so far? So, were you right from the start? Was there a tension between you since the beginning of your friendship, since your met? But above all, did you want him to take that step? Instinctively, your body responded. You parted your lips and closed your eyes. You enjoyed the warmth of his hand on your cheek and were waiting for the touch of his lips. But it never happened.

"Hey baz, y/n..we're going back to the hotel" Tom said, taking his eyes off his phone. "I…Mhmm sorry, did I interrupt something?"

[vdlest]

Convincing Mr. Barnes

Characters:

Bucky Barnes x GF!Reader

Summary:

Instead of going out of town with you, you convinced Bucky to help Sam in restoring their family boat.

Warning:

A little bit of smut

You, Bucky, and Sam were having dinner before the three of you went on separate roads. You and Bucky will be having a little vacation in San Francisco. Scott and Hope invited the three of you actually, however, Sam had a last-minute change of plan. You and Bucky just found out during your dinner that the reason he'll not be joining you and Bucky tomorrow is he has to start restoring their family boat in time for the buyer's request.

You thought that Sam just got lazy and just making up excuses, but after hearing his conversation with Sarah and after Sam discussed the need to sell their family boat, you had an excellent idea.

"Hey," you put your hand on top of Bucky's shoulder, "Why don't we just reschedule this San Francisco trip and let's just help Sam to restore their family boat?" you asked him.

Bucky's head tilted as soon as he heard your idea. He gave you a "what are you talking about" look as he shook his head while looking at you.

You know Bucky is looking forward to this trip with you. It would be his first time going on SFO after a long time, and it would be more special because he's gonna go with you. He planned to eat Clam Chowder and Crab with you along Pier 39, he also wanted to walk along the infamous Golden Gate Bridge, and he also wanted to explore Japantown with you.

And now here you are, postponing all his plans.

You did not mean to do that, you are also looking forward to this trip but you knew that Bucky working with Sam would help both of them work out their partnership even more. They're still struggling in doing missions together, as they are still always arguing and debating over stupid little things at times. So, this is your way of helping both of them work on their relationship and their partnership.

Sam must've seen Bucky's face so he denied and refused your offer, "That'd be awesome, y/n. But I know you and Bucky has some plans and I wouldn't want to intervene," he said.

You looked at Sam, "No, we could just reschedule it for next week anyway. I'll just talk to Scott and Hope about it," you insisted, moving your eyes back to your boyfriend, who is still confused, "Right, love?"

"Ye-yeah, that'll work," he answered, still in an uncertain way.

Sam eventually accepted your offer to help him, and he said the three of you will leave early tomorrow morning.

Your boyfriend gave you a "you have some explaining to do later" look all the time you were having dinner, and all you could give him were a wink and smile.

•••

The moment you and Bucky entered your condo, he walked past you as he removes his leather jacket off of him.

You knew he didn't like what you proposed to Sam during the dinner earlier, that's why he's showing you intentionally how pissed he is. So instead of persuading him to listen to you first, you did the same thing. You walked past him as well, entering the kitchen without giving him any attention. Nothing.

Cold treatment is what he gave you and you did the same thing.

You understand where his annoyance and anger are coming from. You didn't want to postpone your trip to SFO too but you knew how your idea about helping Sam restore their family boat would give benefit in strengthening Bucky and Sam's partnership and friendship as well. And you also thought that gaining a new friend is what Bucky needs to be finally open to you and other people.

You did choose to postpone your trip, not for you but for his benefit.

"Are you really just gonna ignore me?"

You are in the middle of placing your left-overs inside the fridge when he called your attention, asking you a question. You knew he would be the first one to break the attitude battle.

"Oh," you closed the fridge and faces him, "I thought of asking you that same question when we're on our way home," you shook your head as you chuckle sarcastically.

He scoffed, "So I'm the one who needs to explain something now?" he asked you.

From standing on the doorframe, he went inside the kitchen. He stands across from where you are standing, glaring at you.

"I wasn't the one who suddenly postponed our trip. I wasn't the one who came up with a sudden decision without even consulting or even asking me," he crosses his arms in front of his chest. "You could have at least warned me or give me a heads-up," he added.

"Okay," you came forward as you try to begin your explanation, "I get it, you're pissed because I postponed our trip to San Francisco with Scott and Hope. But Bucky, it was for your own good as well," you imposed.

"My own good?" he scoffed, switching both of his hands to his waist, "My own good is to postponed the trip I planned for us? Care to expound your point?" he requested.

"That's what I'm trying to do but you kept on interrupting me," you groaned as your eyes roll at him. You make your way across the island and stand before him, "Buck, I know you are looking forward to our San Francisco trip, and I am too. In fact, I'm well-packed and ready to go already. But," you sighed, grabbing both of his hands, "I know you and Sam still need to work out your working relationship, especially you two are still dealing with the Flag Smashers. I thought it would be a great help for your partnership if the two of you will spend time with each other, nurturing friendship and building a strong partnership," you explained.

Bucky's facial expression changed. He is calmer and he seems to understand why you did what you chose to do.

You walked closer to him, cupping his face, "I know that you have me, you'll always have me, but you also have to welcome other people in your life. Not other girls or women," you joked, giving him a warning look, "But yeah, you should make friends. After all, that's what your doctor advised you, right?" you reminded him.

He exhaled sharply and nodded, "Okay," he said, finally understanding your decision, "I get your point and I think you're right. So okay," he sighed again, "We'll help Sam."

"That's great to hear, Mr. Barnes," you plant a kiss on his lips quickly, "I promise when we get back, I'll make it up to you," you vowed, putting your arms around his neck, "We'll go on a trip, just the two of us and we'll do whatever you want to do."

A smile finally forms on his lips.

"Well, why do we have to wait before you could make it up to me?" he asked, "When we can do it now."

Before you could react, he pulled you up and wrapped your legs around his waist. He carried you from the kitchen up to your bedroom. He tossed you on top of your bed as he closes the door behind him and slowly removing his clothes.

"Is this part of me convincing you that we should replan our trip?" you asked seductively, playing with your buttoned shirt. "Because if it is," you get up to your knees on your bed and crawl at the foot of your bed, "Then let me do the convincing part."

"Oh, yeah?" he asked, taunting you as he undo his pants in front of you, "Can't wait to bury my cock around your tight cunt," he added, sending fire and wetness between your legs.

You've taken him a lot of times already, but making love with him is one of the things you look forward to doing with him. He makes you feel loved even more.

After he pulled down his pants, you pulled him towards the bed and lay him down.

"When I said I'll make it up to you," you kissed him on his lips before you crawl down to his enormous friend down there, "This is what I have in mind," you said before you take him, pleasuring him nonstop that night. And he did not stop making you cum either. You thought you can barely walk the next day after a tiring night with your Bucky Barnes.

In the end, you convinced him. More than convinced to be exact.

-v.dl

[fridayfirefly]

A Guardian in Gotham

Read A Guardian in Gotham on AO3

Masterlist

Written for Maribat March Day 19 - Guardian

Note: In this AU Master Fu gave out the Ladybug Miraculous to Marinette and the Black Cat Miraculous to Adrien before consulting the Kwami. Marinette turned out to be a true holder, but for the Black Cat Miraculous, not the Ladybug Miraculous. However, she and Adrien made it work and were able to defeat Hawkmoth anyway. After Hawkmoth's defeat she becomes Lady Noire full-time.

----------

Being the Guardian of the Miraculous was hard work. There were no family vacations, no sleeping in or going to bed early, no breaks. Marinette could not relax until Hawkmoth was defeated. Which explained why it was such a jarring change once the Miraculous Team defeated Hawkmoth.

Gabriel Agreste was behind bars. The citizens of Paris were free from the threat of akumatization. Tikki, Plagg, and the rest of the Kwamis went dormant in order to restore the damage done to Duusu's Miraculous. Marinette didn't exactly know what to do with herself. Suddenly it hit her that she was no longer the middle schooler who accepted the burden of Guardianship. She was in her final year of high school, nearly an adult. All around her, her friends were making future plans. Adrien was taking a gap year to help Emilie recover from her coma. Alya was accepted to a prestigious journalism program. Nino was DJing at one of the best clubs in Paris. Luka was releasing his EP. Kagami was training for the Olympics. Chloé took up an internship with her mother.

Marinette couldn't move on, the way all of her friends were able to. Marinette couldn't be a normal girl anymore. She couldn't go to university, start a family, live a normal life. She needed the rush of adrenaline that came from two little words - Spots on! or more recently, Claws out!

It was around this time that the Temple of Guardian got in touch with Marinette, offering her an opportunity to continue her work as a Guardian of the Miraculous. They send Marinette a box of old journals, dating back to the 18th century. The journals detailed the discovery of twin "wells of evil" located in the American cities of Gotham and Metropolis, then named Mortham City. The Masters of the Miraculous who made this discovery studied the evil and expressed the desire to find a way to remove it, but didn't have the chance to complete the task before the Temple of Guardians fell. When the Temple reappeared they believed that the Masters had managed to destroy the evil in Mortham, due to the reports of the city's recovery and renaming to Metropolis soon after, but were unable to destroy the evil in Gotham. The city festered, growing more and more troubled while Metropolis flourished. Marinette's task was to do her best to study and remove the evil in Gotham.

Marinette applied to Gotham University, feeling relieved that she might finally find her purpose.

----------

Marinette's dorm room at Gotham University was rather lackluster; it was the typical tiny, cramped American university dorm, complete with a stained carpet and a bathroom shared between six girls. Her roommate was a computer science major named Barbara Gordon. Barbara was older than Marinette, a senior while Marinette was only a freshman. It was a fluke accident that the freshman dorms had filled up before she was admitted. Secretly Marinette wished that she had been able to room with another freshman. Barbara was rarely in the dorm room, too busy with her coursework and her real friends to make small talk with her nervous roommate.

Marinette barely spent any time in her dorm room, either. She spent most of her time in class or at the library studying. Marinette had the ambitious plan of double majoring in both fashion and business, in order to start her own fashion company someday. Her classes overwhelmed her, and Marinette began to regret overloading her first-semester schedule. It gave her barely any time to work on her Guardian work, let alone join an extracurricular.

Marinette wanted to decorate the dorm and make it more of a home, but because of a plane delay, she ended up arriving at the university the day before classes started, giving her no time at all to go to the store and buy anything. Another unfortunate casualty of Marinette's late arrival was that she still hadn't figured out how Gotham's bus schedule worked, so she walked everywhere, even in the pouring rain.

Overall, Marinette's first week of classes was miserable. That was why Marinette was crying in her dorm room, alone, at six in the evening on a Friday night. It all started when Marinette saw a picture of her old class on social media. Alya and Nino were making faces at the camera; Marinette and Adrien were both grinning, Marinette's blue scarf wrapped around his neck; Ivan and Mylène were holding hands, staring into each other's eyes; Rose was posing, kissing Juleka's cheek; Alix was perched on Kim's shoulders; Nathaniel had his arm wrapped around Marc's shoulders; Max was holding up Markov so he could wave to the camera, Sabrina and Chloé were smiling, holding hands.

The photo had been taken years ago, on their first day of lycée. Marinette remembered it well. They had all been nervous about starting at a new school. There was no guarantee that they would all be in the same class. Max had calculated the odds for even half of their class staying together and it wasn't good. But that morning, when Marinette walked into her homeroom and saw all of her friends sitting there, she knew that it would be okay. Chloé revealed that she had gotten her father to provide a generous donation to the school to keep them all in the same class for the rest of their education. Marinette had been so happy to get to stay with her friends. Now she was on a different continent from them.

The tears started to fall, slowly at first, then more and more until Marinette was sobbing, face pressed into a pillow. How could she have made such a stupid decision? All of her friends were in France and she left them, all because she couldn't move on.

Two knocks on the door halted Marinette's sobs. "Babs? Are you in here?"

Marinette got up and opened the door, revealing a young man. He looked to be her age, tall, with black hair and blue eyes. "Barbara isn't here right now," she told the man.

The man blinked, looking at Marinette like she wasn't what he expected at all. "I guess I should have called her before I showed up. I'm Tim, by the way. I was just here to drop this off." Tim held up a container filled with chocolate chip cookies.

"I'm Marinette. If you want, you can drop the cookies off on her desk. I'll tell Barbara that they're from you, once she comes back to the dorm." Marinette wiped her eyes with her shirt sleeve, trying to get rid of the evidence of her crying.

"Are you okay?" asked Tim.

"Oh, I'm fine. Just a little homesick. Nothing to worry about."

"You should come with me to get dinner," offered Tim. "I was just about to stop in at the dining hall."

Marinette shook her head. "I wouldn't want to impose."

"It wouldn't be an imposition at all. I hate eating alone."

Marinette gave him a wary look. "I don't know you. Why would you invite me to eat with you?"

Tim shrugged. "You look like you could use some company, to take your mind off of your homesickness. Unless you want to spend the rest of your night crying in your dorm."

Marinette bit her lip as she thought it over. It would be nice to get out of the dorm and get something to eat. On the other hand, Tim was a complete stranger whose intentions Marinette still didn't trust. Then Marinette remembered the photo of her friends and made up her mind. If she couldn't have her old friends here in Gotham she would have to make new ones. "Alright. Just give me a few minutes to get ready."

Marinette threw on a pair of jeans, a Gotham University hoodie, and her sturdiest pair of sneakers.

"So what's on the menu tonight?" asked Marinette as they walked out of the dorm building to Tim's car.

"Uncertain. I can't remember the last time the dining hall actually updating its online menu. I was planning on crossing my fingers and hoping that they would be serving something edible tonight."

Marinette wrinkled her nose. "Is the food usually edible?"

"It's hit or miss. If you want, we could go to a diner instead?"

Marinette nodded. "I don't want to spend my weekend with food poisoning."

"Good choice." Tim turned the car around and started driving into the center of Gotham.

"Are you a senior like Barbara?" asked Marinette.

Tim shook his head. "I'm a sophomore. How about you?"

"Freshman. This is actually my first Friday in Gotham."

"Where are you from?" asked Tim.

"Paris, 21st arrondissement."

"That must be a pretty big change. What made you choose Gotham?"

Marinette shrugged, not wanting to give away her real reason. "I figured all the supervillains and Rogues might remind me of home."

Tim looked confused for a second before a realization passed over him. "I forgot about Hawkmoth. It was a big deal here in Gotham when he first emerged because the Mayor of Paris refused to allow the Justice League to intervene. All because he was worried about 'damaging the historic buildings of Paris'."

Marinette let out a bitter laugh. "That wasn't the real reason, you know. I was friends with Andre Bourgeois's daughter, Chloé. She says that he didn't want the Justice League to get involved in the fight against Hawkmoth because he couldn't merchandise any of the Justice League members. Ladybug, Chat Noir, and the rest of the Miraculous Team, on the other hand, never copyrighted their images. Paris used the Miraculous Team to bring in billions in tourism and Bourgeois never paid them a cent."

Tim looked surprised. "You sound like you know a lot about the Miraculous Team."

"I got to know them all pretty well. My classmates were known throughout Paris as the 'Children of Hawkmoth' - as if it was our fault that Hawkmoth targeted my school at a rate astronomically higher than the rest of the city. Of course, when it turned out that Gabriel Agreste's son was one of my classmates the nickname got a bit more personal."

Tim let out a break. "I suppose moving to Gotham makes sense when you've spent that much time in proximity to superheroes and supervillains."

"Gotham is an improvement to Paris under Hawkmoth. At least none one your Rogues can mind control." Marinette shuddered at the memory of her friends and loved ones turning against her due to Hawkmoth's influence.

Tim pulled into the diner parking lot. The pair got a booth in the back and put in their orders. Tim and Marinette spent the night trading stories of the most interesting Parisian akumas and Gotham Rogues.

Tim was enraptured. He told Marinette that for years it had been difficult for outsiders to get any reliable information about the Miraculous Team, outside of what Andre Bourgeois used for his tourism campaign. So Marinette did her best to share all the little details that every Parisian knew like the back of their hand: That Valentines Day was the worst holiday because all of the akumas were love-based. That they were trained in school to either lock their emotions down or let them all out, if they saw an akuma, to try and diminish the akuma's power. That Ladybug and Chat Noir, once they realized that their fanbase was primarily children, made it a point to never swear during their battles.

By the end of the night, Tim and Marinette made plans to meet up the following day. Tim promised to take Marinette out into the city for the shopping trip that her delayed flight caused her to miss. Marinette went to bed that night hopeful for her future in Gotham, a feeling she never thought she would have again.

----------

Over the next few weeks, things got better at Gotham University. Marinette started spending more time out of her dorm room with Tim, and eventually, with her roommate Babs and Tim's brother (and Bab's boyfriend) Dick. Tim became Marinette's lifesaver after he taught Marinette how Gotham's bus system worked. Marinette finally got around to decorating her side of the room. Her new style and color scheme (navy blue and sunflower yellow, Gotham University school colors) suited her much better than the pinks and whites of her high school days. Her productivity increased as she settled into the school, and Marinette found that she actually enjoyed her classes. It wasn't perfect, but Gotham University began to feel a bit more like home.

Most importantly, Marinette had begun to make progress on her work as a guardian. It had taken a whole weekend, but she eventually located the epicenter of Gotham's evil, a rundown tenement building in the heart of Crime Alley. The basement of the building housed storage units, one of which Marinette promptly rented. She set up her workshop there, bringing out the Miraculous Box so that she could consult the Kwami. Tikki and Plagg both woke up from their hibernation and Marinette got to work.

"I can sense the evil," spoke Tikki. "It's overpowering."

"It's like going from the Sahara Desert straight to the middle of the ocean," added Plagg.

"It does feel similar to drowning," Tikki agreed.

"Do either of you have any idea how to get rid of it?" asked Marinette.

Tikki shrugged. "I wish I could tell you how to defeat it, but it's unlike any enemy the Kwami of your Miracle Box have ever gone up against before. But look on the bright side, we know that it can be eliminating. I can only assume that the Kwami were involved when the evil was eliminated in Metropolis."

"The solution is easy. We cataclysm the evil," said Plagg.

"We don't know what would happen if we use cataclysm against something that isn't fully corporeal."

"Then we use Sass's second chance until we get it right."

Tikki brightened up. "Oh, that is a good idea - using second chance, not using cataclysm irresponsibly."

"See! I do have good ideas sometimes. We could also use Pollen's venom to freeze the evil in place and stop it from fighting back."

Marinette could listen to her two favorite Kwami argue forever. She had missed them terribly. But she had a job to do, so she interrupted their banter. "Do you think I should use Mullo to wield multiple Miraculous?"

Tikki shook her head. "You'll need at least one other person with you. If you get hurt, someone else will have to use second chance."

Marinette pondered that fact. "Luka's going on tour next month. He's stopping in Gotham for a weekend. Chloé is only an hour drive from Gotham, up in New York City, so she could be here any time. If we plan everything right, we could have the evil destroyed before the semester is over."

Once again, Tikki shot down Marinette's plan. "This is too strong for Luka's second chance or Chloé's venom. If you want to do this right you'll need to use true holders."

Marinette winced. Finding the true holder of a Miraculous was a near-impossible task. Of her entire Miraculous Team, only Marinette and Adrien were true holders. While the Kwami could sense a person's aptitude, they needed to be within fifty feet to get an accurate read. There was no way Marinette would be able to find the true holder of both Sass and Pollen. "Okay, new plan. What if I get Mullo to multiply myself and then have each copy of me take a different Miraculous?"

Marinette brainstormed with the two Kwami for hours, desperate to find a solution to the problem that had plagued Gotham for centuries. However, they still couldn't come up with a plan in which Marinette would be able to rid Gotham of the evil without enlisting the help of at least one other true holder. In the end, Marinette decided to take Tikki, Plagg, Sass, and Pollen back to the dorm with her, hoping that they might stumble upon another true holder.

"I wish we had a better plan," sighed Marinette.

"Keep your head up, Marinette. The only thing we can do now is stay positive and hope for the best," advised Tikki.

It wasn't a good plan, passively waiting for someone to solve her problem for her, but it was the only plan they had. Marinette had no other choice. If she tried to take on the evil alone, it would overpower her. It was disheartening. Marinette rode the bus back to her dorm. The streets of Gotham felt colder on the return trip.

Getting dinner with Tim was the only thing that could cheer Marinette up, so she pulled out her phone and sent him an invitation to meet up.

Marinette: Do you want to go get dinner? I heard the dining hall has vegetarian lasagne

Tim: Sure! Be there in twenty

Marinette put her phone away as she got off the bus and started walking towards the dining hall, dodging the sidewalk puddles that never seemed to dry. Even when it wasn't raining, Gotham was a dreary city.

Tim and Marinette chatted about their classes as they ate their food. By the end of dinner, Marinette felt a little better about her disappointing day. Tim could always lift her out of a bad mood. Marinette considered it his superpower.

"I'll see you tomorrow," said Marinette as she got out of Tim's car in front of her dorm hall. She expected to get to her room without incident, but as soon as she got into the relative privacy of the stairwell, all four of her Kwami were circling around her head, speaking in rapid succession, too quick for Marinette to keep up.

"I can't believe it!"

"You've got some luck, Pigtails!"

"This is great news!"

"I can't wait to meet him!"

Marinette blinked as she tried to make sense of the Kwamis' words. "What's going on?"

Pollen's eyes were bright. "Tim is my true holder!" the Kwami squeaked excitedly.

Marinette gasped. "Really?"

"He'll make a perfect Bee. He seems so smart and funny and considerate. I bet he'll feed me loads of honey and get fresh flowers for all of his rooms and be my best friend." Pollen sighed dreamily, pure joy in her voice.

"Pollen, have you ever had a true holder before?" asked Marinette.

"Of course. It's been a long time, though - at least a thousand years since my last true holder died. I missed it a lot. But now I have Tim!"

Marinette smiled, overjoyed that she finally had the means to complete her mission, that Pollen finally got to meet one of her true holders again, that Gotham might be freed from the evil that had loomed over it for centuries. Mostly, she was overjoyed that she met Tim all those weeks ago, that he took the time to get to know her, that he was there for her when no one else was.

----------

"So the Kwami are little gods?" Tim stared at Pollen with an almost scary intensity, as if he thought looking away might make the Kwami disappear.

Pollen flew up closer to Tim to explain. "The Kwami are linked to certain aspects of humanity: creation, destruction, intuition, protection, et cetera. We have a certain amount of control over these qualities. I am the Kwami of Subjection, of control and mastery. I can give you the power to incapacitate your enemies."

"Incapacitate them how?"

"Using the power of venom, you will be able to freeze your enemies in place."

Tim wrinkled his nose. "That sounds a little morality dubious. How do you know I wouldn't use it for evil. This is Gotham."

Pollen rolled her eyes. "You're my true holder, Tim Drake. I trust you with my entire being."

"What does that mean, for me to be your true holder?"

Pollen's cheerful expression turned sad. "Of all the Kwami, my powers are the most often exploited. The power of subjection, of complete and total control over your enemies, is corrupting. However, you, Tim, are my true holder. Your self-control is strong, I can sense it. You will not be corrupted by the power I give you. You will wield it fairly."

Tim glanced over at Marinette, and she gave him her most encouraging smile. "I need you, Tim. I've needed you for a while. First, as a friend, when I was at my lowest, and now as my partner. There's an evil that resides in this city, that I have been tasked with destroying. I can't get rid of it alone. I need you to help me."

Tim's eyes widened. "You mean there's a supernatural reason for Gotham's condition?"

Marinette nodded. "There's a well of evil underneath the city. Using the Miraculous, I can remove it. But it's too powerful for me to do it alone. I know this is a lot to ask, but-"

Tim interrupted Marinette before she could finish her sentence. "You know, Gotham is well known for its distaste for magic-users and meta-humans." Marinette opened her mouth to protest but was interrupted once more by Tim. "However, I trust that you want to do what's best for this city. I'll help you."

Marinette's face brightened. "Thank you! I have a plan but I still need to fine-tune the details. I'll get back to you as soon as possible. For now, you should take the Bee Comb with you. You'll need to form an emotional bond with Pollen before you can achieve peak performance."

"You seem to know a lot about the Miraculous and the Kwami."

"It's my job to be knowledgable. I'm a Guardian of the Miraculous."

----------

"So how does a girl like you become a Guardian of the Miraculous?" asked Tim as they ate their lunch in the storage unit after a long morning of pouring over plans.

"I was chosen by the previous master. It's a long-standing tradition that the Guardian can only be a true holder, because true holders notoriously incorruptible except in the most extreme situations. I was the only true holder that Master Fu knew of, other than himself, so despite my age and despite the fact that I wielded the Ladybug Miraculous rather than the Black Cat Miraculous, the Miraculous I was the true holder for, he passed the responsibility onto me."

"How old were you when you became the Guardian full-time?"

Marinette tensed her shoulders. "I was fourteen. Master Fu wanted to wait longer, but there was a situation. I lost my only mentor, with only a fraction of my training completed."

"That sounds rough," Tim's tone was sympathetic. He placed his hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

"It was difficult," Marinette admitted. "For the longest time, I was mad at Master Fu for waiting so long to start training me. It wasn't until I got older that I realized why he was so reluctant to start my training. He felt guilty for stealing my childhood away from me. The situation in Paris was bad and tough choices had to be made. I don't blame him, but there are a lot of things I wish had been done differently."

"I'm sorry that you had to go through that. I don't know what I would have done if I had lost my mentor-" Tim's thoughtful tone turned frantic. "Not that my experience with mentorship would compare to yours, because I wouldn't know anything about being a teenage superhero."

Tim's words were suspicious, but Marinette didn't have time to figure out what he was hiding. They had a job to do. "Well, it's time to get back to work. You need to practice using venom on non-corporeal objects. I want to see if you're able to freeze the wind."

"Sounds good, Bugs."

"Bugs?"

Tim nodded. "I figured you could use a nickname. Do you not like it?"

"No, it's fine." Marinette paused. "Actually, it's better than fine. I really appreciate it. Thank you, Tim."

"No problem, Buggsy," Tim teased.

"Okay, now you're pushing your luck," Marinette teased right back.

----------

Lady Noire and her partner Yellowjacket stood in the basement of a rundown tenement building in the heart of Crime Alley.

Lady Noire spoke the plan aloud, the rhythm of her words revealing that she had spoken them many times before in preparation for the event. "I'll start by drawing out the evil. As soon as it senses the power of destruction that I hold it will try and consume me. I need you to be ready to use your venom the moment it emerges. Once it is frozen, I will use cataclysm. Are you ready?"

Yellowjacket responded. "I'm ready."

Lady Noire closed her eyes and let out her breath in a drawn-out hiss. The shadows around her darkened and she let out a pained gasp as she fell to her knees.

Yellowjacket sprung into action. "Venom!" he shouted, thrusting his palms out to let his power fill the room. The whole room lit up with yellow light, bright enough to rid the room of all but the supernatural shadows.

The shadows, which had been growing exponentially, suddenly stopped dead in their tracks. Lady Noire got back up onto her feet, a vicious snarl on her face. "You have been terrorizing this city for centuries. No longer will I will allow this evil to haunt Gotham. Cataclysm!"

The shadows crumbled, leaving behind only natural darkness. The transformation disappeared from Lady Noire, leaving behind a girl, who gasped for breath. "Tim, we did it!"

"Pollen, buzz off," commanded Yellowjacket. He was so impatient to hug the girl that he had his arms wrapped around her before his transformation was finished. "It's over, Marinette."

The girl shook her head gently. "It's not completely over. The effects will surely linger - Metropolis still sees its fair share of villains - but it will be nothing like what it was before. I imagine the vigilantes that roam Gotham will have a much easier job, though."

The boy tensed up. "Speaking of the vigilantes that roam Gotham, I suppose there's something that I should probably tell you. I'm Red Robin."

The girl blinked once, a dumbstruck expression on her face then burst out into peals of laughter. "Just my silly luck that I ask a vigilante to be my superhero partner."

The boy grinned. "I am rather fond of your silly luck. It's what brought us together."

@maribatmarch-2k21

[fandom-imagines-stories]

Sweethearts

Troy Bolton x Reader

Words: 4327

Summary: Following the efforts of a smaller, eviler version of Sharpay, the reader doubts her abilities and her relationship. Troy must restore her faith in herself in time for the perfect Valentine’s day dance. 

Notes: Can I Have This Dance is literally my favorite scene from the whole series so I had to use it for this. Highly recommend listening to it before reading to get the feel.  Let me know what you think! I’m so sorry it's so long, but I really loved getting into the romance. I’m pretty proud of this one, so just a little extra love would be very appreciated.  (There’s also a 17 Again reference in here, if you catch it) Also, I couldn’t decide which gif I liked more, so I had to use both!

-

You couldn’t help the slight squeak of fear in your voice as the group of girls walked towards you. 

“Hi Sharpay.” You greeted anxiously. She flipped her impossibly shiny blonde hair over her shoulder. She really was terrifying when she wanted to be. 

“I heard that you might be signing up to perform in the Sweetheart’s Showcase.” She raised an accusing brow. 

“Oh, um, yeah.” You stammered. “I was thinking about doing a duet with-”

“Blah blah blah, I know that. What are you wearing?” Her glare intensified, as did your confusion.”

“I-I don’t-” “Just make sure it isn’t pink, okay?” Sharpay ordered and her little pack nodded in agreement. “Pink is my color.”

“O-okay.” Was all you managed to say. She and her posse strutted off, but Madison gave you a lingering stare. You gulped. Sharpay may be the leader, but Madison was the shark of the group. Once she smelled blood, she would not be stopped. And ever since you’d started dating the basketball captain…

“Guess who?” A pair of hands covered your eyes. Maybe it was from his time spent on the roof, but Troy always smelled like fresh summer air. 

“Hmmm… Mrs. Darbus?” You giggled. Troy’s arms wrapped around your middle and lifted you off the ground, making you laugh more. He swung you around before setting you back and spinning you so you were facing him. 

“Ha ha.” He snarked, eyes sparkling in a particularly suspicious way. “What did ‘Her Majesty’ want?” You shrugged.

“She told me I couldn’t wear pink for the show case because it’s ‘her color’.” You laughed. “I wouldn’t dare try to outshine the Princess of Pink.”

“Yeah… about the showcase…” Troy looked at the floor. You felt your heart drop a little.

“You want to back out, don’t you?” You sighed sadly. “I mean, I get it. Performing in front of everybody freaks me out too-”

“Woah woah woah.” Troy laughed, that sparkle shining brighter. “I was just hoping that you would wear this.” He dangled a chain in front of you. The necklace was a stunning heart-shaped charm made with little red gems.

“Troy.” You gasped, a smile stretching from ear to ear. “It’s beautiful.” 

“I figured you’d be stressed out over the showcase and the paper so I thought you’d like a little early Valentine.” He shrugged and you pressed a sweet kiss to his cheek before turning around so he could put it on you. His fingers grazed your skin as he draped the chain around your neck.

“I wish I had something for you.” You whined, draping your arms around his neck as his arms fell to your waist. 

“Just promise me a Valentine’s Day kiss and that is all I need.” He grinned and pulled you closer for a kiss. 

It was quite a shock to the status quo when you and Troy started dating. The shy editor of the school newspaper and the star player of the basketball team made an interesting pair. But when Mrs. Darbus paired the two of you together to paint set in detention, something just… happened. You opened up around Troy more than you could with anyone. You helped him realize that there was more to him than basketball when you got him to sing with you at your vocal recital last year. Somehow the two of you just worked. 

“I hate to interrupt,” Taylor scoffed. “But the yearbook won’t edit itself.” You gave your best friend a look and Taylor smirked. 

“Sorry Troy.” Gabriella laughed, grabbing your hand and dragging you down the hall. “We’ll see you at lunch!” The three of you rushed down the hall and Troy went to go find Chad.

“Ugh, he is so dreamy.” Libby, one of Sharpay’s sophomore groupies, sighed. Madison made a sound of disgust. 

“And yet somehow he got stuck with that.” She watched you vanish into the journalism classroom and closed her locker. “Shouldn’t the Crowned Prince of East High be with someone a little more, I don’t know, worthy of his attention?” 

“Who, like Sharpay?” Libby asked, applying another coat of lip gloss. Madison smirked. 

“Yeah.” She turned her head to the jersey-clad boy retreating down the hall. “Like Sharpay.”

-

“So can I have this dance?”

“Can I have this dance?”

Your eyes were locked together as the room erupted with applause. You were in Troy’s arms before you had the chance to move. 

“You guys, that was amazing!” Gabriella squealed with excitement. 

“I couldn’t imagine anyone better to sing it.” Kelsi smiled, tucking the music into her folder. Even Taylor was impressed.

“I still think you two should give it a shot.” Troy nodded towards Taylor and Chad. You laughed into his shoulder as excuses tumbled out of their mouths. 

“Let’s go, I think my mom is making some nachos.” You laced your fingers through his and told everyone you’d see them tomorrow. After practice rehearsals were exhausting for Troy, but he knew how happy it made you. Besides singing with you was the perfect way to relax after a long day of practice of running and shooting hoops. Plus, your mom made killer nachos. 

His truck sputtered to a start and he winced. You giggled and earned a playful glare. At least it started this time. Sometimes, the two of you were stranded in the school parking lot until Troy could get his truck to start. You never minded. With minimal bumps and jolts, Troy was able to get to your house. 

“I think the song is really coming together.” You said as the two of you made your way to the front door. “Ryan said he’d love to choreograph something for us.” 

“How sweet.” Your door opened and Madison gave you a seemingly innocent smile. You stopped so suddenly Troy almost walked right into you. 

“Maddie.” You tried to seem pleasantly surprised. “What are you doing here?”

“Didn’t your mom tell you?” She laughed and pulled you inside- rather forcefully you might add. “My mom and her are in the same book club! She invited us to join you guys for dinner.” She looked over your shoulder and a little menacing glint appeared in her eyes. “Oh, hi Troy.”

“Hey.” He greeted uncomfortably, following you inside. 

“I hope you don’t mind the extra company tonight.” Your mother beamed. “Julie was saying how excited Madison has been to work with you two for the musical and I thought it’d be fun for you kids to get to know each other.”

“That sounds great, Mr.s Y/L/N.” Troy put on that charming smile of his and pulled your chair out for you. Madison stood for a moment, as if she was expecting him to do the same for her. Being a gentleman, he moved her chair back before taking a seat. 

“So you guys were talking about your number for the Sweetheart’s Showcase?” Maddie asked, eyeing Troy in a less than subtle way. He glanced at you with the same slightly scared look he had when he had to sing with Sharpay at the resort. 

“Uh, yeah. Ryan said he had some choreography in mind.” Even after over a year of dating, sometimes the way he looked at you still gave you butterflies. “I mean, I think just singing would be fine-”

“You guys have to dance.” Maddie blurted. She flipped her hair over her shoulder- just like Sharpay, but like, pettier. “What I mean is, it would be so romantic, don’t you think?” 

“I agree.” Your mom said excitedly. You shot a look. 

“I’m sure what Ryan has planned will be great.” You concluded, hoping to drop the subject. You didn’t really want to discuss your super romantic duet in front of Madison. 

Dinner passed painfully. The only thing keeping you from screaming out in frustration was Troy’s silly antics. From funny faces to pretending his chips were fighter planes, he distracted you from Madison’s subtly back-handed comments. The adults mistook them for compliments, but you knew exactly what she meant. 

“Wow, I am totally beat.” Maddie exclaimed just as the parents started to go out to the porch, like adults do. 

“Oh, I guess we’ll call it a night.” Her mom frowned. 

“You stay and have fun, mom.” She smiled sweetly. “Troy can give me a ride. Right, Troy?”

“Um,”

“Great!” She practically skipped  to the front door. 

“You really are too good to be true, Mr. Bolton.” Her mother gushed before stepping out onto the back porch with your parents. 

“I’ll walk you out.” You said, not really sure if you were irritated, confused, or a little impressed. 

“You’re coming to the game tomorrow night, right?” Troy asked as you made your way down the front steps. Madison was already in the front seat, checking her reflection in the mirror. You shrugged. 

“Actually I was thinking about catching a movie.” His shoulders sagged with disappointment. You shook your head. “Of course I’ll be there!” You exclaimed with a laugh. Troy put his hands on your cheeks and leaned in for a goodnight kiss. 

“Oh Troy!” Madison called from the truck and the two of you pulled a part. “I should be getting home. I’m totally-” She yawned dramatically, “exhausted.” Troy sighed, settling for a light kiss on your cheek. “Goodnight.”

“Night.” He reluctantly ran to his truck and you went back inside. Before the door closed, you couldn’t help but smirk as you listened to the sputtering sound of his truck refusing to start.

-

The sound of the crowd was a driving force on it’s own. Troy raced across the court, keeping his eyes locked on his teammate. Chad passed him the ball and he made the shot, that satisfying swish of the net drowned out by the cheers. After a tiring week of practice and rehearsals, his body was pumping with adrenaline. 

“Go Troy!” He picked your voice out over the chorus of cheers. He found you at the edge of the bleachers towards the top and flashed you a smile before taking off again. Gabriella helped you hold up your #14 sign and Kelsi came back from concessions with the popcorn. You and Kelsi weren’t usually ones for sports, but ever since you’d started coming to games you’ve all had a blast. The buzzer sounded. 

“That ends the third quarter here at Wildcat Stadium,” The announcer’s voice boomed. “Hornets 40, Wildcats 58.” 

The fans hollered and you caught Troy’s eye again, giving him a grin that lit up the gym. He pressed his lips to his fingers and pretended to toss the air-kiss like a basketball. You pretended to catch it, accidentally stepping in the strap of the purse behind you.

There was a wave of gasps from the crowd and both teams stopped to see what the commotion was. Troy looked up to see a horrified Gabriella and an empty space where you had been standing. 

“Y/N!” He yelled, running across the court to where a group of people had gathered, including the school nurse. 

“Give her some space! Back up!”

“Let me through! That’s my girlfriend!” Troy pushed his way to the font. You were on the floor, but you were sitting up, trying to catch your breath. 

“Is she okay?” Gabriella yelled down at him. Behind her, Maddison tossed her purse over her shoulder and vanished into the crowd. 

“I think I'm okay,” You groaned. “Just got the wind knocked out of me.” You tried to stand, but cried out when a sharp pain shot up your let.” 

“Take it easy,” Troy soothed, kneeling at your side. 

“Where does it hurt?” The nurse asked. 

“My ankle.” You moved your leg so she could examine it. 

“Looks like it might be sprained.” She sighed. “Let’s get you to my office and take a closer look, okay?” 

Troy put your arm over his shoulder and helped you stand. The nurse took your other arm and gave Troy a reassuring smile. 

“I can take it from here. You go win this game, Mr. Bolton.” 

“But-”

“I’ll be fine, Troy.” You kissed his cheek. “Go get em Wildcat.” The nurse helped you limp out of the gym and Gabriella and Kelso followed close behind. 

Sharpay watched the whole scene from the very top of the stands, eyes narrowed with suspicion. She had seen Maddison pull her bag away just when Y/N fell and it definitely was not a coincidence. The little pirana was playing a dangerous game and Sharpay was not about to let her win. 

-

The show case was just a night away and your ankle still ached whenever you stepped on it, even after a week. You tried not to let it show when Ryan was teaching you the steps, but they hardly let you practice at all. Taylor was furious you were still going through with it. Mrs. Darbus was at least more than willing to let you rehearse during homeroom. 

“And, one two three, one two three,” Ryan tried not to sound irritated when Troy took another wrong step. 

“Sorry.” He grimaced. Ryan just took a deep breath. 

“Just start from ‘wherever we go next’.” He instructed and you tried to remember the steps. “And one two three and lift-” Troy lifted you up and spun the way Ryan showed him. When he set you back down, you stepped wrong. 

“Ow!” You cried, stumbling backwards into the piano. 

“That’s it. You can’t do this anymore.” Taylor said sternly. “You’re going to hurt yourself even more and then you won’t be able to dance at all.” 

“I can do this. It already feels better.” You insisted and she scowled. Troy took your hands in his, the sweetness in those perfect blue eyes just making you feel even more guilty. 

“We can figure something else out.” He felt awful for even pushing you this far. Tomorrow was Valentine’s day and you’d barely had a quiet moment, let alone long enough to destress. “How about we just call it a day? We can go to a movie tonight and just hang out. Just you and me.” You shook your head. 

“I can get this. I just need a second.” You felt ridiculous storming out with crutches, but it was what you had. Troy moved to follow, but Gabriella shook her head. 

“Just give her a minute.” 

You didn’t notice the troop of girls following you to your locker and you were too frustrated to care. You could get this right. Troy had worked too hard with after practice rehearsals and countless hours going over the music with you for you to mess all of it up now. Sometimes you couldn’t help but think he was too good for you. 

You opened your locker and watched dozens of paper Valentine’s float to the floor. At first, you thought this was a sweet gesture from your boyfriend. Then you actually read them. Talentless Freak. Get off the stage. East High’s Resident Loser. 

“Looks like Y/N has an admirer.” Madison sneered and her group of underclassmen terrors erupted with cackles, drawing more people out of Darbus’ room. You set your crutches to the side and picked up one note in particular. Troy’s Tragic Charity Case.

Your heart dropped and the laughing just got louder. You couldn’t even run. You had to stand there and listen, looking at the cruel smirk on Madison’s face as the words echoed in your head over and over again. Charity Case. 

“Y/N- oh my god,” Gabriella exclaimed, looking at the mess of fake Valentines. “Let’s get out of here. Taylor.” 

“I’ll drive you home.” Taylor picked up your crutches and the two practically guarded you as you made your way down the hall. 

By the time Troy got out into the hallway, most of the girls were gone, leaving only the notes scattered across the floor. He didn’t find you until you were already at Taylor’s car. 

“Wait!” He yelled before you closed the door. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going home.” You sighed, brushing away a fallen tear. “Everyone is right. I can’t do this. Even if my ankle was fine, I couldn’t pull off something like this.” 

“What are you talking about?” 

“I’m sure you can find a better partner, Troy. There are girls that would kill to perform with you.” Or sprain a few ankles. 

“Kelsi wrote that song for us.” If he kept looking at you like that, you’d break completely. 

“I’m sorry Troy.” You shut the door and Taylor drove off. Gabriella put a comforting hand on your shoulder. You couldn’t bear to look back. 

“It appears that I’ve lost three students.” Mrs. Darbus sighed, waiting for him back at the doors. “Care to explain?” Troy ran his fingers through his hair. 

“She’s not going to perform and I can’t do it without her.” He couldn’t imagine singing something so personal, so full of emotion, with anyone but the girl that he loved. Mr.s Darbus just gave him a knowing smile. 

“I suggest talking to her, Mr. Bolton. Show her the truth.” He opened his mouth, but she stopped him with a wave of her hand. “You’ll know what to do.” Her expression changed. “Now, I'm afraid that there’s quite a mess in the hallway I must take care of. As well as a few girls to track down.” She bowed her head and went inside. 

Troy’s head was spinning. He needed to fix this. After a few ideas came to mind, he pulled out his phone. Mrs. Darbus was right. He knew what to do. Hopefully. 

-

A light knock on the door pulled you from your sanctuary of blankets. Your mom slowly opened your bedroom door with a small smile. When she heard what happened, she had no problem calling you out for the rest of the day. 

“Why don’t you come down for some dinner, sweetie?”

“I’m not really hungry.” You pulled a loose string from your quilt.

“I really think you should come downstairs.” Her smile grew suspiciously and she left the door open a crack.

Eventually, your curiosity got the better of you and you tossed your blankets aside. The lights in the kitchen were off and the doors to the patio were open. You stepped outside and gasped. The twinkling lights looked like stars and little notes hung from the trees. In the middle of it all stood Troy and a candle lit dinner, complete with a bouquet of chocolate covered strawberries. 

“Glad you could make it.” Troy beamed, motioning for you to sit down. You did and he passed you a basket of breadsticks. “Don’t worry, my mom helped me cook.”

“Troy, this is…” You couldn't even find the right words. You started to read some of the notes. Deserves a standing ovation. Her recital rocked the house. She’s the best friend I could ask for. 

“When I saw what those girls wrote, I wanted to show you what East High really thinks of you.” Troy explained, placing a hand on top of yours. “Sharpay even wrote one.” You both laughed when you read it. She’s one of the few people I can bare sharing the stage with. You blew out a breath. 

“The thing is, I can handle being called talentless and all of that.” You took the folded piece of paper out of your pocket. “This one just… I don’t know.” Troy gently took it from you , his hand tightening around your as he scanned those four awful words. At first, he didn’t get it. You had changed him in all the best possible ways. You made him want to be himself. You inspired him not to be scared of what everyone thought. So how could someone say you were just a charity case?

“You-” He took a deep breath, still wrapping his head around it. “You don’t actually believe this, do you?” You shrugged. 

“I mean… sometimes, I guess.” You tore off a piece of bread and rolled it between your fingers. “When it’s just the two of us, I feel like nothing else matters. But when I see you out there on the court, I can’t help but wonder… why me?”

Troy almost looked hurt. He started gathering little heart shaped pieces of paper from the tree and walked around the table. You stood as he put the notes in your hand, reading aloud as he handed each to you. 

“September 17th, 2006. The day that we met. When we got stuck painting sets, you were one of the only people to talk to me about something that wasn’t basketball. You made me feel like a regular guy.

“October 31, 2007. The night I convinced you to come with me to Chad’s Halloween party. I was a pirate and you were Elizabeth Bennet. That was the first time that you really opened up and were able to be yourself around people who weren’t just me and Gabriella.” His eyes locked with yours. “Look at the back of your necklace.”

You flipped the heart charm around and read the date engraved in the silver. 

“January 3rd, 2007.” You felt tears building. “My recietal.”

“Being on that stage with you made me see a whole different side of both of us. Our voices fit together like we weren’t meant to sing with anybody else.” He brushed a hair out of your face. “It was the moment that I realised I was in love with you.”

“I love you too, Troy.” You cried, closing the space between the two of you. He was right. It felt like you weren’t meant to kiss anyone else. When you pulled away, you were both grinning. “Do you think we can still perform? It’ll be difficult but I still want to sing.” He just grinned bigger and kissed your forehead. 

“Ryan and I already have a plan. You just have to come to rehearsal tomorrow morning.” You nodded and the two of you sat back down to finish dinner. 

-

You couldn’t remember the last time you were this nervous. You and Troy were learning and rehearsing with the system all day and the number would hopefully be unforgettable. But there was so much that could go wrong and you were absolutely terrified. You nearly jumped out of your skin when Sharpay appeared behind you. 

“You don’t have to worry about Madison. She has enough detention to keep her from anymore plotting. And I had no problem reminding her who was in charge of any and all sabotages.” She smirked, eyes scanning your outfit. “Good choice.” And that was probably the closest thing to approval from Sharpay Evans that you would ever get. 

Ryan came to make sure everything was secure and connected, reminding you when you needed to stand and be ready. He assured you everything would be fine. 

“Looks like you’re on.” He gave you an encouraging thumbs up. You took a deep breath and used your crutches to walk across the stage. The audience murmured as you sat on the swing that hung from the ceiling. The lights were bright enough that you couldn’t see Troy stage. You gripped the necklace around your neck for courage. There was no backing out now. 

“Take my hand. Take a breath. Hold me close and take one step.” As you sang, Troy slowly made his way onto the stage. His smile made your nerves disappear. “Keep your eyes locked on mine and let the music be your guide.” With every word, Troy walked closer to the swing. His eyes asked if you were ready. You gave him a small nod and he swept you up in his arms as you both sang the chorus. 

“It’s like catching lightning, the chances of finding someone like you.” The choreography was a stunning mix of lifts and spinning in Troy’s arms, your feet never even touching the floor. “It’s one in a million, the chances of feeling the way we do.”

Troy lifted you up one more time and set you down gently before beginning the next verse. 

“Take my hand, I’ll take the lead. And every turn, will be safe with me.” He twirled you slightly and you fell back for him to catch you, kicking your leg out so your skirt flared. “Don’t be afraid, afraid to fall.” His strong arms wrapped around you and he swung you around. “You know I’ll catch you through it all.” He let go as you were pulled up into the air. The audience gasped. You had forgotten they were there. “And you can’t keep us apart.”

“Even a thousand miles can’t keep us apart.” He almost forgot the words as the light practically made your white dress glow against your skin. Your necklace sparkled. As cliche as it sounded, you looked like an angel. 

His wires lifted him up to meet you. 

“Cause my heart is where you are.” And so the floating waltz began. “It’s like catching lightning, the chances of finding someone like you. It’s on in a million, the chances of feeling the way we do.” You felt like you were dancing on clouds. Troy couldn’t stop beaming. 

“And with every step together, we just keep on getting better.”

For the bridge, the wires had you circling each other on opposite sides of the stage, slowly getting closer. 

“Oh, no mountain’s too high and no ocean’s too wide. Cause together or not, our dance won’t stop. Let it rain, let it pour, what we have is worth fighting for.” You finally came back together. “You know I believe that we were meant to be.” With Troy holding you, you leaned back into another tumbling spin in the air. 

The final chorus slowly brought you down to the floor, you sitting back down on the swing. 

“So can I have this dance?” Troy stood in front of you, bowing to kiss your hand as if he was really asking. 

“Can I have this dance?”

-

General Tag: @rae-gar-targaryen; @takemepedropascal; @childhood-imagination;  @mylovegoesto;

[guardianofrivendell]

The Way to a Hobbit’s Heart

Thorin Oakenshield x Bilbo Baggins (Bagginshield)

Requested: Yes and no! This piece is part of “The Hobbit Discord Server’s Holiday Gift Exchange 2020″ and is my gift to @misfit-with-a-pen​ 💖

Warnings: oh my goodness, all the fluff! I can’t! Also Sassy Bilbo because it’s still me who wrote this :) 

Summary: When Bilbo enjoys a nice afternoon walk in the Shire, he notices a smell... A rather foul smell, if he was honest. When he comes closer to his home, the smell seems to intensify. It couldn't come from his house now, could it? Because Thorin was home.... Alone. Oh dear!

A/N: This story couldn’t exist without the help of @xxbyimm​! She is such an amazing and fantastic person and always ready to listen to me rant about ideas, complaining about everything and gave me TONS of advice on top of that. How wonderful is that?

Bilbo always favored late afternoon walks over morning strolls.

Though he knew most of his neighbors wouldn’t agree with him and probably would think of him as even more peculiar than they already did if they knew, he just couldn’t help himself. 

You see, it was the way the sun hung low in the sky, giving everything it shone upon a warm golden glow. Furthermore, as most of the hobbit community was too occupied prepping the most important meals of the day, the town was practically deserted.

This meant Bilbo could enjoy the beautiful sceneries in peace without having to get involved in friendly banter and polite greetings. And finally - the temperature was nor too warm or too cold, which was just perfect. 

But there was nothing better than an afternoon walk in early spring. Birds were building their nest, flying past his head with twigs in their little beaks. 

It reminded him of that one time a thrush had landed on Lobelia’s straw hat and had absolutely wrecked the damn thing. It took her a while to notice and Bilbo had had the greatest difficulty in keeping a straight face. She went running through the Shire afterwards, screaming about a vicious bird attack. Since that day he couldn’t help but snicker every time he saw a thrush.

Yes, Bilbo loved his walks indeed. But he loved his home just as much.

It wouldn’t be long before any respectable Hobbit started working in their garden again after the winter break and every yard and patio would get overflowed with a soft and subtly sweet flowery scent. It wasn’t any different in his garden. 

The flower buds of the early bloomers were starting to show, some of them already in their lovely, bright colours. Just a few more days and he could bury his nose in the daffodils, tulips or primroses, taking in their flowery scent.  It was a moment Bilbo looked forward to every single year, but now he could finally share it with his husband Thorin. 

To everyone’s surprise, this grumpy dwarf had warmed up to the art of gardening. Under Bilbo’s patient supervision, they were able to turn their neglected patch of land into the beautiful garden it was today.  

Bilbo smiled to himself at the thought of his husband. He came a long way to get here... Both of them did. Literally and figuratively. 

Thorin had been under a lot of stress for a long time without barely any chance to breathe: the rebuilding of Erebor, restoring trade agreements, bringing his people back to the mountain, … It never stopped and he was close to getting a burn-out.

Bilbo had seen it coming from miles away and had raised the alarm on Thorin’s health. Bilbo’s home in the Shire proved to be the perfect place to get a much needed break from ruling a Kingdom.  

The mountain was in good hands with Fíli and Kíli as his advisor - Balin was still there to keep an eye on them - and the peace and quiet of the Shire was wearing off on Thorin. He was finally able to relax and enjoy the time with Bilbo.Even so, they couldn’t stay away forever and they’d made plans to return to the mountain before the annual Durin’s Day celebration.  

That didn’t mean they couldn’t enjoy the time that was still left.

Bilbo continued his way on the path that would eventually lead him back to his home, he stopped when he smelled something odd. He sniffed a few times, tilting his head sideways. What in the…?  

Bilbo couldn’t tell what the smell reminded him of, and yet it somehow seemed familiar. Was Lobelia trying to burn down her house again with another attempt at copying his famous rabbit stew? 

The closer he got to his home, the stronger the scent became. It couldn’t come from his house now, could it? Thorin was home so nothing serious could have happened.

Bilbo’s eyes widened.  

Thorin was home… alone.  

“Oh dear,” he murmured.

Thorin was not yet entirely used to living like a hobbit, still adjusting to life in the Shire. The more delicate, joie-de-vivre way of life that suited the hobbits didn’t always go well with the sturdy, rather head-on approach and maybe a tad brute way of the Dwarrows. He definitely wasn’t the domestic type. Yet.

Bilbo hurried up the lane to his front yard, struggled to open the gate in his haste and made his way inside. When the door closed behind him, it felt like someone had slapped him in the face.

Oh yeah, the smell definitely came out of his house. He coughed a few times, and his eyes started to water. He completely missed the leftover trails of smoke near the ceiling, and that was maybe for the better. 

“Thorin?” he squeaked between coughs. “Love?”

No answer. Was he even here? And what was that pungent smell? It almost smelled like an onion died a painful death and was left to rot! But with added spices. Now he almost wished it was Lobelia’s cooking instead... 

He left the entrance hall and stepped further into their home, making his way to the study. If Thorin was home, he would probably be there. Bilbo hoped to find his other half hunched over a book, or too focused on writing a letter to his nephews to hear his calls. Not that he didn’t trust Thorin to find his way back home on his own… okay fine, maybe he didn’t.  

Before he reached the study, his eye fell on the pantry. A rare curse escaped his mouth.

Empty jars, most of them tipped over, crumbs and pieces of vegetables on the ground together with a puddle of liquid that Bilbo wasn’t too keen on investigating further. 

He stood frozen in the round doorway. What had happened? 

Flashbacks of that one fateful night when the company had barged in - uninvited might he add - and raided his kitchen and pantry flooded his mind.

Could they...?

No, he shook his head. It was too quiet for the company to be here. Plus Thorin would have mentioned it. There were no secrets between them. Not anymore.  

He crossed the hallway and entered his kitchen. Or rather, what was left of it.

If he thought his pantry was raided, it was nothing in comparison to his kitchen. There were dirty pots and pans all over the place, as if the dishes hadn’t been done in weeks. Most of the cabinets were opened, the contents of the shelves in disarray or scattered over the counter. A lot of food made it to the floor as well, and it seemed like someone had tried to clean it up by shoving it to one side of the kitchen.  

It looked like Thorin had tried to make something for dinner. Or a snack maybe? At least, he hoped it was Thorin who wrecked the kitchen. Because there wasn’t a single hair on his feet that would even consider cleaning this up himself! 

“Thorin, I really do love you but you got to learn to clean up after yourself,” Bilbo muttered in frustration when he picked up a dirty kitchen rag from the floor. 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” a low voice sounded behind him.  

Bilbo swirled around and he forgot to breathe for a second.

There, in the doorway of the dining room, stood Thorin in just his dark blue tunic and black breeches, barefoot and an apron tied around his hips. A towel carelessly thrown over his shoulder and a casserole in his hands made it look like he belonged in a kitchen. But Bilbo knew better. 

The dwarf himself looked like a complete snack. If it wasn’t for the state of the kitchen and the foul smell still filling his nostrils, he would’ve jumped him without a second thought.

No, scratch the snack! His husband was a full five course meal. Bilbo took a deep breath. And by Durin’s beard, was he hungry... 

Thorin lifted the pot a little. Bilbo stepped out of the way so he could pass.

“It just needs a little more time on the fire.”

It didn’t. It really, really didn’t. 

That became abundantly clear when Thorin lifted the lid so he could stir in what looked like stew, and Bilbo had to grab the counter to steady himself.

Oh, well, at least now I know where that smell comes from, he thought. Breathe through your mouth, that’s the key! 

“You know, if you didn’t like my cooking, you could’ve just told me,” Bilbo joked while he took the pot off the fire again in an effort to save what could be saved, but not before he put the lid back on. “I think this is done, love.”

“Are you sure?” Thorin chuckled. The sound reverberated in his chest and it made Bilbo’s stomach flip. It was one of his favourite sounds and it still did something to him every time he heard it. 

“I wanted to repay you for taking such good care of me,” he said. “So I made us dinner.”

“You did?” Bilbo asked, endeared by the gesture but honestly, also a little afraid for his life by now. “Marvellous!”

“Go and take a seat at the table, I’ll be right there,” Thorin hummed and he gestured towards the dining room.  

Thorin came out of the kitchen and placed the pot in the middle of the table and wiped his hands on the apron. His eyes fell on Bilbo who still stood a bit to the side.  

When he entered the dining room Bilbo froze, stunned by what he saw. 

Thorin had set the table beautifully and had paid extra attention to details, the way Bilbo liked. Freshly picked flowers from their garden stood proudly in a white porcelain vase, napkins neatly folded on the right side of the plate and he had used Bilbo’s mother’s pottery. He really went out of his way for this. 

“Is it not to your liking?” Thorin asked, a slight tremble in his voice. “If it’s about the mess in the kitchen, I promise I’ll clean it up later.”

He was nervous, Bilbo realised when he looked at Thorin. The King under the Mountain who could face multiple armies with only twelve companions without a second thought or hint of fear was almost shaking with nerves because he had made dinner for his lover. It was adorable.  

“It’s lovely, Thorin. Really, it is,” he assured him, while Thorin pulled a chair from under the table so Bilbo could sit down. “I didn’t expect it, that’s all.” 

Thorin quickly made his way to the other side of the table and filled the mugs with ale and the glasses with wine. Bilbo however, eyed the food on the table cautiously. 

To be fair, from a distance it looked decent. There were carrots, mashed potatoes, other vegetables that he couldn’t quite name at first sight but seemed okay, bread,… And the pot of stew. On the corner of the table stood a bowl of what he suspected was some kind of gravy, but the chunks in it made him doubtful. 

He took some of everything on his plate and tried to keep it together when the aroma of the stew filled his nostrils once more.

Thorin looked at him expectantly. 

The things one does for the one they love, Bilbo thought while he took a deep breath and tried the stew. Oh dear, it tasted exactly like it smelled!

He tried to swallow it as fast as he could without a lot of chewing. His hand flew to his glass of wine and with a large gulp of the red substance his food finally went down.  

“Is there something wrong?”

“No! No, it’s… well, it’s a little hot,” he explained. That wasn’t exactly a lie. 

He tried to find the correct words to let him know cooking maybe wasn’t his strong point, but decided to change the subject instead. “Have you heard from Fíli yet?”

Thorin shook his head.  “I did not. It hasn’t been that long since I sent my last letter. Give him some time.”

He took a sip from his glass of wine. “But tell me about your afternoon, did you enjoy your walk?” 

Bilbo was relieved he could talk for a while - and avoid taking another bite - and told Thorin about his walk and how he was planning on asking old master Worrywort what he did to his wood poppies to get them so big and bright.

While he was listening intently, Thorin took a first bite of his homemade stew.

The minute he closed his mouth, his eyes widened and he almost choked on the meat. He let his fork drop on the plate with a loud clatter, a fist against his lips while he tried really hard to swallow the food.

Bilbo didn’t know whether to laugh or feel sorry for him. He decided on a neutral expression, like it was the most normal thing in the world for a person to choke on a spoonful of stew.  

Thorin brought the napkin to his mouth and wiped the tears out of his eyes, still panting from the effort.

“Mahal, why didn’t you say anything?” he groaned.

Bilbo eyed him carefully, not wanting to hurt Thorin’s feelings. He worked so hard to prepare all this, well, you couldn’t exactly call it food…

“About what?” he tried, gathering his courage and taking another spoonful. 

“The food! I saw you eat it!” Thorin murmured, his face distorting in absolute horror as he watched his husband trying his best to process another bite.

“Please don’t. I can’t believe you want to take another bite!” 

“You made this for me, of course I’m going to eat it,” Bilbo said, smiling at him. Please don’t make me eat it again, Bilbo pleaded internally. 

“To be honest, I don’t even think Bombur would touch this,” Bilbo added.

“That bad, huh?” he laughed. “Who am I kidding, of course it is, I tasted it. I still taste it!”

He took his mug of ale and chugged it down in one go. When he placed it on the table again with a thud, his expression had changed into defeat.

“I know you love your meals and this isn’t…” he rose from his chair. “This is not a meal worthy of any hobbit, let alone Bilbo Baggins.”

With the majesty only a true dwarven king can muster, Thorin strode from the dining room towards the kitchen. Bilbo shuffled in his seat, pondering what had happened before hurrying behind his One.

The sight that greeted him made his heart clench. Thorin had started cleaning up the mess, his back to the door, head low and shoulders slumped. Bilbo could see he was distraught and clearly wounded in his pride. 

In a few strides Bilbo stood behind his husband and threw his arms around him, giving a little squeeze.

”Don’t you ever think what you do isn’t enough. The fact that you went through all this trouble for me, means more to me than you’ll ever know,” Bilbo mumbled into Thorin’s neck before he placed a featherlight kiss there, which elicited a groan out of the King’s chest.

Thorin turned around and wanted to return the favor, but Bilbo stopped him. 

“No, no, no, Thorin. First we need to clean up this mess. I’ll help you.”

After an hour of cleaning, they sat on a spotless kitchen floor, looking over their work proudly.

“We make a great team, you and me,” Thorin said.

Bilbo rested his head on Thorin’s shoulder and sighed contentedly.

“Can you promise me one thing though?”

“What’s that?” Thorin wondered.

“Please leave the cooking to me?”

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[13atoms]

Centuries Together (Dhawan!Master x Reader)

A sequel to Centuries Apart - read that first!

Contains pregnant!reader, though no gender mentioned.

[3.1k, mainly fluffy / sappy]. Brief appearance from 13!

*

For you, it was like you’d been wrenched from the Master for decades. For him, it had been lifetimes. And you could tell.

He was everywhere, all around you, even more obsessed than when you were human. He wanted everything: your time, your attention. He had soothed you through regeneration sickness, coddling you, refusing to let you out of his sight as you settled back into a Time Lord’s body.

Each kiss felt like your first again, and you wondered how many lips he had kissed since you were killed. How many times he’d sought to replace you. If he’d wanted to kiss you as a human. He tidied your bedside table for the dozenth time that morning, half cups of tea and snacks replaced over and over until even the TARDIS warbled her irritation to the pair of you.

She was happy to have you, it seemed, a hum of contentment at your restoration to yourself projected into your mind from her very heart.

The Master’s fingers tangled in your locket, peering at the metal which had trapped your memories and true identity for so long, right under his nose. He gave the chain a thoughtful tug, his eyes drifting across to you again, afraid you might vanish.

“Penny for your thoughts?” you offered, voice soft in the quiet bedroom. You knew the Earth saying would tickle him.

He offered you a head tilt, a quirk of his lip as he considered the locket in his hands.

“I just keep thinking… what if I’d never opened it? How much longer could we have really been together, if I’d asked sooner?”

You went to speak, but he continued.

“I might never have got you back, if I hadn’t met you. If you hadn’t trusted a mad alien… if I hadn’t ”

You sat forwards against your pillows, feeling sleepiness still coursing through your veins, fighting the tingling regeneration energy which set your nerves alight. One hand found his arm as he hunched over beside your bed, and his eyes met yours in a nervous glance.

“Then it’s lucky you did meet me. And that you convinced me to stay, and eventually opened the locket,” you teased, shifting your legs across the mattress as the Master sat down heavily.

The necklace was still in his hands, and he pressed it to his lips.

“That’s too big to be left to chance. Too… too risky,” he muttered.

There was frustration in his voice now, a storm which you recognised from all those years ago at the Academy together. If there was ever any doubt he was the same man at heart, it was dispelled by the tinge of anger crossing his face like a dark cloud.

“The Doctor had no right, to risk you like that. Leaving you alone and unprotected, a human! What if I had never found you! You had spent the rest of your days as a… a…”

As he fumbled for a job, somehow still failing to remember anything about earth despite all his time there, you tried to force down a smile.

“But you found me,” you reassured, wincing as his hands shook with emotion, “I think you always will. We’re drawn to each other. Maybe it’s fate.”

He huffed, leaning back dramatically, practically rolling his eyes.

“The universe doesn’t work like that,” he insisted, a knowing in his voice which irritated you.

You raised your eyebrow as he fixed you with a stare.

“When you’ve lived as long as I have, love, you’ll learn that.”

“Don’t go all grandad on me now,” you teased, and he put his head in his hands. The locket was laying forgotten on the duvet now, and you scooped it up while the Master wasn’t looking.

“I don’t remember you being naïve enough to believe in fate, even when we were young,” he countered.

You let the warmed metal chain in your hand snake back onto the bedside table.

“The universe works in mysterious ways,” you told him seriously, only your smile betraying that you were taunting him.

His eyes flickered to your mouth, one hand reaching for your wrist and checking your pulse. His fingers were warm against your bare skin. Satisfied, he pulled away, but you took his hand in yours before he could escape.

He looked down at your fingers wrapped around his in wonder.

“I wonder if, maybe, it does,” he conceded.

With a smile, you leaned forwards in bed, feeling energised from regeneration and ecstatic from your reunion with the Master. He watched your every move in awe, apparently still afraid you would disappear if he blinked. The sliding of skin on silk sheets as overpowered only by the hum of the TARDIS, and the Master’s slow breaths.

His gaze found your lips once again.

“You know, even as a human, I still fancied you,” you admitted, one hand reaching to stroke his jawline. “Some things never change.”

With a smug laugh, the Master pulled you to him bodily, kissing you as soundly as that very first time.

*

You had blamed the regeneration energy, the TARDIS’ interference, the Master’s long dry spell, for the fact you had fallen pregnant within a week of being a Time Lord again.

It was a shock, especially so early into your reunion. Both of you had sensed the change almost instantly, and you longed to forget those tense few days of dancing around one another, afraid to even mention the elephant in the room.

Except, once you finally brought it up over dinner, the Master was ecstatic. Ecstatic that you wanted the baby, ecstatic that you would be staying with him, and over the moon at the idea of sharing a family.

“I had given up, after all these years,” he confessed one night, early in the first weeks of the pregnancy.

You had smiled and held him, warm and happy in the TARDIS library as the two of you took a sleepless-rest between days travelling. Laid out on a soft, he had pulled you onto his chest, ignoring your worries about him being uncomfortable. He had admitted that he loved feeling your heartbeats against his.

“I’m glad you didn’t,” you whispered to him, pretending not to notice as his arms tightened around you and his eyes shone with tears.

“Me too,” he muttered, pressing a kiss to the crown of your head.

He had projected a thought into your head, then, a series of moments, of holding a baby, chasing a toddler, teaching a child about the universe. A small boy balancing on the TARDIS console, the ship whirring with annoyance as you and the Master laughed, arms out to catch him should he fall. Then an adolescent boy, grumbling and groaning as the two of you sandwiched him between you in a bear hug, complaining all whilst smiling.

Then, an adult, taller than either of you and piloting the TARDIS, laughing with the two of you through a bumpy landing. You saw yourself glance at the Master, pride in both of your faces as your son strode from the console to fling the TARDIS doors open. He revealed a jungle, looking back at the pair of you with a grin before striding into the unknown. In the thought, you saw the pair of you reach for one another’s hands before scrambling after your son.

You were thrown from the images in your head with such a shock it made you dizzy, your heart aching from how real the Master’s imagination had felt. When you pressed yourself up from his body, meeting his gaze, you realised there were tear tracks running down his face. With one gentle thumb, he wiped away our own matching tears.

Suddenly both of you were laughing, hysterical, clinging on to one another with a desperation you hadn’t felt since you were lovesick children – desperately afraid the world would rip you apart.

“So, you think it’ll be a boy?” you choked out.

The Master’s chest rumbled beneath you as he chuckled, disbelief still fresh in both your minds.

“I was,” he shrugged.

*

When you found out, it was almost too early to hope. It had been emotional agony, sensing that there were a few unexpected cells dividing inside of you, knowing the precariousness of that process, and yet also thinking about the potential outcomes. About the life you might lead, once those cells had grown into another real being. Another Time Lord. The Master had worried endlessly since he first realised what had happened, disrupting your familiar old routine as his companion to move you in to his bedroom, to trail behind you every day.

Even the trips had become safer, more thought out. Whilst you missed the adrenaline, you couldn’t pretend to be sorry that the risks were lesser. Knowing everyone would be safe at the end of the day was satisfaction enough, even if there was less excitement.

The time had flown by, your days filled with places the Master had always wanted to take you, your nights filled with stories he had always wanted to tell you. A lifetime of misadventures, which always seemed to leave space for someone missing.

“I looked out over it all, and I just wished you were with me,” he had whispered to you one night, your bodies wrapped together in bed as he told you another tale.

You had pressed your face into the pillow, squeezing his side tightly and trying not to mourn the time you hadn’t even lived through.

“I’m here now,” you would reassure him.

The words became a mantra, leaving your lips over and over as he reckoned with your return. And slowly shared his past.

It took months for you to hear his first story about the Doctor, but you had asked. And the extent of their rivalry became clear.

It was no longer schoolboys bickering, you realised. Their friendship had warped into something else entirely.

Yet it wasn’t until a month before the baby’s due date that you finally saw her.

The Master had suggested a tour of the planet Ralafea, helping you relearn to pilot a TARDIS by skipping through time as the planet’s majestic hanging gardens were built. Between frustration and stress as the Master proved a useless piloting teacher, you had thoroughly enjoyed interludes wandering the gardens, picnicking, and sulking with one another if a flight went especially badly.

Most of all, you had enjoyed the Master’s excitement each time he saw you. His constant protectiveness as you passed strangers. His hands on you whenever he could cradle your hips, his fingers splayed across the bump as the pair of you stopped to sit down.

“One last flight,” he’d promised, “it’s all a bit same-y after the 3040s.”

You had laughed, and finally begun the landing sequence correctly, surprised that the Master looked on approvingly as you relanded in exactly the same spot you had taken off. His hand hovered over the emergency stabilisers as the ship settled, eyebrows raised as you piloted the TARDIS perfectly.

Well, almost perfectly. Both of you stumbled at the final jolt of the ship materialising, laughing at yourselves as the ship fell quiet.

“Okay?” he asked you, already peering across the console as you regained your balance.

“Perfect! I think that was a good flight, too!”

“Better than most of mine,” he conceded, stepping towards the doors, “assuming we’re in the right place!”

You jogged – as well as was possible whilst heavily pregnant – behind him, peering out at the gardens once again. It was exactly the same view you had seen each time you landed, with some changes to the plants themselves.

There had been some beautiful new vines added to the plateau you landed on, flowering along their draped form. You smiled at the sight, and the Master gave you a gentle clap in approval. You shoved his shoulder, unable to hide your excitement at piloting so well, when you noticed footsteps approaching.

“Built ‘em over centuries,” a Yorkshire accent was saying, and you craned your head out around the doors to see who was speaking. It was unusual to hear such a distinctive 21st-century earth accent around here.

“Get inside.”

With a jolt, you realised The Master was speaking, so low and quiet his words sounded like a growl.

“What do you mean?”

“Get inside,” he repeated.

He was pushing you, you realised, hands on your shoulders as he tried to manoeuvre you inside. Stunned, you stayed in place.

“What do you mean?”

You were standing in the TARDIS doorway, for Rassilion’s sake. No humanoid earth creature could pose much threat to you here, could they?

The Master was growing more irate, unable to verbalise his thoughts as he tried to pull the door closed. It was too late.

“Is that a TARDIS?” came the voice, footsteps speeding up as the creature closed in and…

They were humanoid. Blonde. Short. By all accounts… just a woman. Human, maybe. It would explain the accent.

“No,” the Master called back to the woman, and you realised with a jolt he must know her.

Who was that?

Then, you noticed a telepathic signature. One you had been trying to forget since that damn locket was opened.

“Doctor?” you asked, astounded.

The Master stepped behind you, one hand holding your shoulder protectively. Ready to grip on to you, if necessary.

“Yes?” the Doctor replied breathlessly, “oh… Oh!”

Realised crossed her expression. Apparently she still remembered your new face.

Good.

A gaggle of humans had arrived behind her, two breathless men and a young woman who seemed baffled.

“Doc?” she asked, but you ignored her.

You noticed her glancing nervously at the Master behind you, her eyes drawn to your baby bump. The Doctor had noticed too, eyes flickering between you and the Master rapidly as her brain seemed to work overtime.

“I opened the locket,” you supplied, the Doctor’s mouth open. Perhaps one of the curious bugs which fluttered around these gardens might fly in.

“Chameleon circuit,” you continued, “nice. Clever. Cruel.”

“It was to protect you.”

Her voice was whisper-quiet, ashamed. You narrowed your eyes, unsure if you believed her. The Master reached a second hand around your arm, shuffling so close to you that you could feel his body heat. It was comforting, you realised, a warmth in your stomach as his mere presence made you feel safer.

“From what?” you demanded.

“The War.”

The syllables fell from her lips like a confession, like they were embarrassing. You felt a jolt of pain zig-zag between the three of you, a shared trauma between the Time Lords. Her companions were watching on with confusion, although they seemed to know better than to meddle in these issues.

Humans, you assumed. Given what the Master had told you about her track record.

“Not from someone?” the Master finally spoke, his words spat.

Stunned, eyes-wide, the Doctor shook her head. Her eyes found your stomach again, and you reached down to rest your hands on it. Between her and your baby.

“No. You seem… happy,” the words were almost spoken to herself, reasoning out loud. She reached one hand to adjust her hair, taking a step back from the Master’s TARDIS, looking over your shoulder to the Master’s face.

You were sure his expression would not be a happy one, his thumb stroking a rapid pace over your shoulder, perhaps in an attempt to comfort himself.

“I am,” you countered.

An unnatural smile crossed her features, and you wondered if her body was new. Or just… new to smiling. It seemed forced, strange, as she took one last stare at the pair of you framed in the TARDIS doorway.

“Congratulations,” she nodded awkwardly towards you.

Another step back.

“I’m happy for you. Hope it all... goes well.”

She reached for her head again, boots stepping back further again over the paving slabs. Her companions remained in place, strange markers to her path as she made a strange escape.

“You’ve got my number if you ever need… babysitting. Or… name ideas. I’m rubbish at babysitting actually. And name ideas. Maybe… just a chat. If you want.”

For just a second she stopped, looking directly at you. Your mouth went dry as you tried to think of something, anything, to say.

“Look after yourself,” you called to her, feeling the Master tense behind you.

She looked strangely touched, shoving her hands in her coat pockets. Her companions watched on transfixed.

“You too,” she replied, so sincere it made your chest clench with emotion. “I know we’re… there’s a lot… but if you ever need me, call. Please.”

You bit your lip, feeling the Master’s hand slide down your arm to grip your fingers in his. You cleared your throat.

“I will. Thank you.”

With a nod and a strange little salute, she retreated, turning away. Her gaggle of companions followed, and the Master closed the door before the oldest one had even stopped staring.

Alone in the TARDIS with him, you expected the Master to say something. For jealousy or pain or something to make him lash out.

Wordlessly, he pulled you in to his chest, holding you as tightly as possible with the baby bump separating your bodies. You held him too, feeling his laboured breathing as he buried his face into your skin, playing with the hair at the back of his head as emotion rolled between your minds like waves on a rough sea.

“I really love you, you know,” you murmured.

He laughed, a strange exhale against your skin that made you shiver.

“Yeah, I do. I know. I love you too.”

You stroked his neck, taking deep breaths as old wounds seemed to reopen in your chest. The baby kicked, sensing the strong emotions around its developing mind, and you felt the Master move himself to press his hand to your stomach.

“I’d like to call her, at some point,” you admitted. “To… see what’s happened. We were friends, once. Whatever happened between you two, I’d like to talk to her myself.”

“Of course,” he agreed, his voice a low rumble against your skin.

“I won’t let her name the baby,” you tried, smiling as you wrung an exasperated laugh from him.

“Damn right you won’t.”

The TARDIS hummed as you stood in silence a moment longer, your feet starting to ache as the Master clung to you. His thumb stroked across your bump, his beard brushing against your neck as he fidgeted.

“I love you,” he repeated.

You stared up at the TARDIS ceiling, sighing, surprised at how contented you felt.

“I know.”

[reinerispretty]

rotations. (zuko x f!reader) pt21

hello and welcome back! i hope you are having a very good day :)

pt1

pt20

pt22

It was a rainy day at the palace when Mai had interrupted (Y/N’s) meeting with the newer war generals. They were young, but had moved up in the Fire Nation army rather quickly and were more open to change than their older counterparts. (Y/N) paused her speech to stare at me. “Oh, hello,” She said. 

“What happened?” Zuko demanded as they sat with the doctor. The poor man was wearing a nightcap and gown, but whatever the Fire Lord needed, he got. (Y/N) was very appreciative of the old man who was currently stitching up the cut on her arm and she gave him a smile before turning to Zuko and narrowing her eyes. 

“What do you mean, ‘What happened?’ I couldn’t exactly ask the details while I was fighting for my life!” Zuko opened his mouth to speak, then shut it and turned his head away from her. (Y/N) sighed. “I’m sorry, I’m still on edge. They didn’t tell me who they were or what they wanted. They just said that they were sent to punish me for crimes against the Fire Nation.” 

“What crimes?” Zuko asked. (Y/N) shrugged, wincing as the doctor stitched into her skin. 

“None that I can think of, unless trying to right your country’s wrongs is considered a crime.” 

“That has to be it. The people who are still loyal to my father...they must have sent someone after you.” Zuko turned to the guards standing watch at the door. “I want guards permanently placed outside of her rooms at all times. I want every inch of this palace watched.” 

“Yes sir,” One of the guards said, bowing and then leaving to go inform the others. 

“It’s not me they should be protecting,” (Y/N) said. “They’ll start coming for you next.” 

And (Y/N) was right, as she tended to be. Over the course of the next year, as she and Zuko tried their hardest to bring peace back into the world and make up for the hundred years of war their nation had caused, five attempts on both of their lives had been made. (Y/N) tried her best to remain strong, but she feared going to sleep at night, not knowing if she would wake up the next morning. 

Zuko’s seventeenth birthday came and went. Their friends could not pull away from their work of helping those who had been affected by the war and Uncle Iroh’s tea shop was taking off, leaving him little time to do much else. They all still sent Zuko gifts to show how much they cared, but she wasn’t sure if that was enough. (Y/N) had proposed the idea of a birthday dinner for Zuko, but he dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand. “We’re far too busy to worry about my birthday this year,” he had said as he signed scrolls at his desk. “I might just go to Mai’s house and have a small dinner with her.” 

“If that’s what you want,” (Y/N) said with a smile, but it really felt like a punch to the gut. The last birthday she had spent with Zuko was his thirteenth. It was so many years ago that she was looking forward to doing something special with him. But she supposed she couldn’t blame him for wanting to spend his birthday with his girlfriend. (Y/N) was the one who distanced herself from him, after all. Still, she gave him the best birthday present she could come up with: a portrait of him and his mother. It had sat in the catacombs of the palace, untouched for years. Ozai had probably ordered it thrown out after Ursa’s banishment. She left it in front of his bedroom while he was out with Mai. 

(Y/N) expected her sixteenth birthday to go somewhat similarly. She was pleasantly surprised to wake up that morning to find that her friends had sent her birthday gifts from areas they had traveled. Sokka sent her a whale-bone comb from the water tribe. Aang and Katara sent her a lovely portrait of her and her friends, complete with big smiles and goofy faces. Toph had sent a letter (with Katara’s help) stating that when they reunited, she’d buy her a birthday gift that (Y/N) picked out, since Toph was blind. (Y/N) giggled as she read that. From Iroh, she received dried tea leaves that made “the best tea in all of Ba Sing Se!” as his letter said. 

Each of her gifts made her smile widely, but Zuko’s gifts had surprised her the most. A warm fruit tart was left outside of her door, along with a servant informing her that she had the day off to do what she liked and that all the costs would be covered by the Fire Lord. Then, she and Zuko would have a private dinner that night. (Y/N) thought it was a pretty sweet gift from the busiest person in the entire Fire Nation. 

Her day had gone great. She bought all of the things she had had her eye on in the market for a while, and even bought the servants and guards who accompanied her a few things that she had noticed them looking at. The royal family was beyond beyond wealthy, so (Y/N) thought a few hundred gold pieces spent on the people who made their lives easier was a manageable expense. 

When she returned to the palace, she readied herself for dinner and joined Zuko in the dining room. A feast had been prepared for the two of them, complete with all of their favorite things they used to eat as children. (Y/N) and Zuko dug into the meal, leaving little time for conversation, but they enjoyed each other’s company just the same. For the first time in a while, (Y/N) felt like she was just spending time with her old friend again. 

That was, until a guard came in and whispered into Zuko’s ear. He looked at (Y/N) apologetically. “Fire Lord stuff, I have to go. I’m so sorry, (Y/N), it’s very urgent.” 

“Oh,” She said, swallowing her noodles. “Do you need me to come?” 

“No, no, I gave you the day off. Enjoy it.” He walked to her seat and bent down, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. “Happy birthday, (Y/N).” 

“Thanks,” she mumbled, before watching him be led away by the guards. (Y/N) had known for her entire life that Zuko would become Fire Lord, yet there was nothing she could do to prepare herself for it. She ate the rest of her birthday dinner alone, and then retired to bed at an early hour. 

---

The sixth assassination attempt was the final straw for Zuko. He kept the assassin prisoner and interrogated them for information. This interrogation led him out of the Fire Nation and to the Earth Kingdom colony of Yu Dao. All of his decisions were made in a split second, including the one where he left (Y/N) in charge of the entire Fire Nation. 

“You can’t possibly be serious,” One of his other advisors said, “Leaving this girl in charge of your country while you are gone.” 

“This girl helped save the entire world from destruction, so I suggest you start listening to her. Besides, as soon as I walk out these doors, she might choose to fire you, and I’d absolutely back her up, no questions asks.” Zuko raised his eyebrow at the advisor, who immediately kept his words to himself. 

(Y/N) approached Zuko and tugged on his robes. “If I’m interim Fire Lord, do I get to wear the thing?” 

“The thing?” Zuko asked. She put her hand behind her topknot and waved her fingers around like a flame. “You mean the Fire Lord crown?” Zuko laughed heartily for the first time in a while. “Yeah, you can wear the Fire Lord crown.” 

“Yes!” (Y/N) said quietly to herself. It wasn’t so much that she wanted the power of being temporary Fire Lord, but she had always thought the crown looked really cool. 

Zuko took the crown from his own topknot and placed it in hers. “There. Don’t go burning the city down.” (Y/N) scoffed. 

“That runs in your family, not mine.” She walked away with her head held high, already giving her fellow advisors briefings about what decisions she and Zuko had come up with for the nation. Zuko watched as the old men begrudgingly listened to the young girl’s orders before departing to the Earth Kingdom. 

Zuko made some very questionable decisions while he was away. He had sent a messenger hawk to (Y/N) informing her that the Fire Nation was now pulling out of the Harmony Restoration Movement. He had learned that some of the families within the colonies where blended mixtures of fire and earthbenders. He explained to her how he didn’t feel right separating families or making people leave their homes, so that was why he no longer wanted to back the movement. (Y/N) was nervous about this decision, because everyone else in the world was for the movement, but Zuko had essentially given an order. He was the Fire Lord and he was trying to do what was best for his nation. She had to remind that little voice in the back of her head that Zuko was not Ozai. He was not the person he was before. So, she informed the advisors of the order and planned for the repercussions accordingly. 

It was a rainy day at the palace when Mai had interrupted (Y/N’s) meeting with the newer war generals. They were young, but had moved up in the Fire Nation army rather quickly and were more open to change than their older counterparts. (Y/N) paused her speech to stare at her. “Oh, hello,” She said. 

“Could I speak to you for a moment?” Mai asked. (Y/N) nodded and left the table, promising that she would return shortly. She and Mai stepped outside the room. 

“What’s up?” She asked. 

“I’ve been worried about you and Zuko.” 

“Me and Zuko? Why?” 

“Because of all the assassination attempts?” (Y/N) nodded. 

“Right, those. Forgot about those.” 

“Listen, I asked Ty Lee if she and the Kyoshi Warriors would mind keeping an eye on the place, since the guards obviously aren’t doing great. I wanted to double check that it was okay with you.” 

That honestly surprised (Y/N). She had never had anything against Mai, except that she had tried to kill her on multiple occasions (but at this point, very few of her friends hadn’t) and was dating the boy she loved. They had grown up together but she had never really considered themselves to be friends; moreso acquaintances who had a lot of mutual friends. So, the fact that Mai was asking for her permission to bring in the Kyoshi Warriors because she was worried about her meant a lot. 

“That’s completely fine by me,” (Y/N) said with a smile. “Thanks for thinking of it.” 

Mai shrugged. “Both you and Zuko are way too busy to have to worry about keeping yourselves alive.” She leaned in close to (Y/N). “By the way, I’m pretty sure all of those boys in there are completely in love with you.” 

(Y/N) laughed. “Makes my job of getting them to do what I want easier.” Mai gave her a small, very Mai-like smile before walking away. (Y/N) wondered if maybe Mai was soft on the inside like she was. 

---

Tag List!

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[echoes-of-the-clockwork]

Book One: Gold (Prompto x Reader) Chapter XXXV

A couple years later, rebuilding Insomnia was still in full swing. People were beginning to return to the city after hearing their king was alive and well after the darkness was vanquished. Noctis was still trying to get used to his duties as king, but he had the help of his friends. Even Cor returned to help him. Many of the Kingsglaive returned to help with the restoration project.

Today, (Y/n) was watching Prompto puzzling as he ran around frantically in his new office located in the Citadel. Some of his papers fell off his desk, which she picked up for him. After laying them back down on the desk, she called out to him. "Prom, what is going on that requires you to be running around like a chocobo with its head cut off?"

The man, who was now sorting quickly through his paperwork while standing up, looked over at her. "Oh, right! I haven't told you yet." He looked back down at the papers and grabbed his pen, promptly signing the documents. "We're going on a vacation!"

"Huh?" She blinked in shock.

"Noct told me to take a vacation with you or he was gonna kick my ass," Prompto chuckled. "He wants us to have some alone time after spending these last two years so focused on the restoration project. We...really haven't had much time for our private life."

"Now that you mention it, we really haven't. Whenever we're done here, we always wind up crashing at home. And then when we wake up, we're back on the job."

Prompto grabbed the paperwork and turned to leave the office. Before he left, he hooked an arm around her waist, pulled her into his side, and kissed her on the cheek. "Meet me outside in ten minutes. We'll go home and pack as quick as we can and then we are outta here!" He stormed out of the room and began running down the hallway.

(Y/n) rearranged Prompto's desk before leaving the office. As she closed the door behind her, she spotted Noctis walking down the hallway. She smiled and greeted him. "Hey, Noct. Never expected you to threaten your best friend with a vacation."

"You two need some time off," Noctis said. "So do I..."

A smirk made its way on her face. "So you can spend more time with your special someone?"

The king rubbed the back of his neck with a groan. "Who told you about that?"

"Gladio did."

"Of course he did..." He combed a few stray raven locks aside. "Actually, I was hoping to find you before you and Prompto left. I was hoping you could tell me a little more about guardians."

Her eyes widen. "Wait, is this woman you like a spirit?"

"Guess Gladio didn't mention that part," he chuckled.

She smiled. "Then I'll tell you all that I can."

As Noctis and (Y/n) chatted, they had lost track of time. They didn't realize how long they'd been talking until Prompto came running down the hallway. "Hey! How could you keep me waiting?" He pouted childishly, poking her in the side playfully. "We're supposed to go on vacation together!"

"Sorry, Prom," she said. "Noct and I were talking."

"Is this about his new girlfriend?"

"She's not my girlfriend," Noctis groaned.

"Then ask her out already!" Prompto shouted.

"You're worried about her master, aren't you?" (Y/n) asked.

"Something like that," the king sighed.

"Listen, I know you're probably worried she and her master will say no because you're the king, but there's only one way to learn the truth. Ask her and see how it goes. Don't worry about her master. And if you need my help when we get back, I will gladly lend my services."

Noctis smiled in relief. "Thanks, (Y/n)." He walked up to Prompto, patting him on the shoulder. "You two have fun."

"Oh, we totally are gonna have a ball!" Prompto grabbed the guardian's hand and dragged her out of the Citadel. They returned to their apartment, where they packed their things before leaving Insomnia.

Prompto was behind the wheel as they drove through Leide and crossed into the Duscae region. (Y/n) was wondering where he was taking her until she saw a familiar yellow sign. Her eyes widened as they pulled up to Wiz Chocobo Post. As she went to exit the car, Prompto beat her to it. He opened the door for her and took her hand in his. Closing the door, he smiled like a child in a candy shop. "There's someone that's been wanting to see you again for a long time."

The spirit allowed her beloved to drag her towards the pens. She wondered who wanted to see her since she couldn't think of anyone outside the city she knew. However, a bell of recognition went off inside her when spotting a chocobo with (f/c) feathers. "No way," she gasped. Prompto let go of her hand and she walked up to the pen occupied by her favorite chocobo. When the bird recognized her, he chirped loudly and flapped his wings in excitement. She petted the top of his head with a smile. "Hey, buddy. It's been a long time. Did you miss me?"

The chocobo nudged his beak against her cheek, making her giggle. She wrapped her arms around his neck and combed her fingers through his (f/c) feathers. "I missed you, too."

Prompto vanished to find Wiz. He rented two chocobos, one being the (f/c)-feathered bird who was fond of (Y/n). He returned to her and they took the two chocobos out of their pens. The couple left the outpost, riding atop the birds as they traveled across the Duscae region. They enjoyed the warmth of the sun and the beauty the wetlands had to offer. Prompto, of course, was still fond of photography and snapping picture after picture.

The couple stopped at the Alstor Slough and admired the catoblepases roaming through the wetlands in search of their next meal. Hopping off the chocobos, they stood at the water's edge. Prompto continues to take pictures until he was satisfied. All of a sudden, he remembered something. "Oh! I totally forgot!"

"Please don't tell me you forgot to pack something," (Y/n) groaned. "I even gave you a check list!"

He chuckled. "No, I packed everything." He shoves his hand into his pocket and pulls out a piece of paper. "I never really told you what happened the last time I came to Wiz's." Unfolding the aged, wrinkly paper, he showed her the portrait that was drawn on it.

(Y/n) took the paper from him, eyes widening slightly. "This is our portrait from Altissia..." Looking up, she stared into Prompto's eyes. "You carry it around with you?"

He nodded. "Yeah. It's also how I knew who this guy was," he said, pointing to the (f/c)-feathered chocobo. "Two years ago, I was back at Wiz's after finishing a job. It was before I learned Noct was coming back. He managed to grab the paper from my pocket and recognized you in the drawing. That's when I decided to promise to bring you back here to see him."

"I still can't believe I slept for ten years," (Y/n) mumbled sadly. "I wish I was there with you, Prom."

"I wanted you with me too, but I guess we really never get a say in what the Astrals have planned," he said. "But those ten years without you made me realize something."

"And what's that?"

Prompto took her hand in his, entwining their fingers together. "Come with me to Galdin Quay and I'll tell you."

The two mounted their chocobos and headed back to the outpost. They parted with their birds and headed to their next destination. Arriving in Galdin Quay, they took their luggage to the room Prompto paid for. After settling in their room and unpacking, they decided to get a bite to eat. At the counter of the Mother of Pearl, they placed their orders and waited patiently. As they did, (Y/n) shattered the silence lingering between her and Prompto. "Well, we're at Galdin Quay now. You gonna tell me?"

"Hold your chocobos, (Y/n)!" Prompto exclaimed. "Just...give me a couple of days to find the right words. In the meantime, we can enjoy all this delicious food and the beautiful beach!"

"All right, fine. I'll try to be patient," she sighed before poking him in the side and causing him to jump slightly. "Just don't keep me waiting too long."

Their dinner was served. Munching down on the delicious seafood, they savored every bite. When the food was gone, they paid and returned to their room for the night. The couple fell asleep after a few hours of chatting and getting comfortable in the plush bed. Their slumber was peaceful and both woke up early the next morning to relax on the beach.

(Y/n) grabbed her swimsuit and took off her nightwear. As she hooked her fingers under the elastic band of her panties, two toned arms snaked around her waist and pulled her against a bare chest. She tensed up slightly when Prompto nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck and his goatee grazed her skin. "H-Hey, that tickles!"

He chortled, kissing the side of her neck. "Sorry. I couldn't help myself."

"Are you going to let me put my bathing suit on or do I need to prepare for something more intimate?"

"Maybe later, but not right now. Even though it's very tempting seeing you like this..." He kisses her cheek before releasing her. "I'll go find us a spot while you change."

"All right. I'll be there in a few minutes."

Prompto left with all they would need to enjoy the beach while (Y/n) changed into her swimsuit. Adjusting the strings one final time, she was ready to go. Leaving the hotel room, she walked through the restaurant and crossed the boardwalk. She found Prompto not too far from the fishing pier. He had everything set out and prepared for them to enjoy their day at the beach. There were a few other people who had the same idea as them.

Crawling onto the towel next to Prompto's, (Y/n) basked in the warmth of the sun. She closed her eyes as a content sigh fell from her lips. Her eyes, however, shot open seconds later when she felt a cold substance come in contact with her abdomen. Lifting her head off the towel, she saw Prompto smiling innocently at her as he put sunscreen on her exposed stomach. "You can try acting innocent, but I know what's going on in that head of yours, Prom."

"I am not thinking dirty thoughts, I swear!" He protested.

"If you say it a little louder, you just might be able to convince yourself," she snickered.

Prompto's hand gravitated towards her sides, where he caresses his fingers against her exposed skin. A smile manifested on his face after hearing her moan slightly. "Who's the dirty one now?"

She rolled her eyes and sat up, taking him by surprise. She snatched up the bottle of sunscreen and placed her free hand against his bare chest. She pushed him down on his back into the sand and straddled his lap. She did just as he did and squirted a decent amount of sunscreen on his exposed belly. "Damn, that's cold!" He shrieked.

Now it was her turn to laugh at him. She laid both of her hands on his abdomen and began rubbing the sunscreen in. Her golden eyes were focused on his face. What caught her attention was him biting his bottom lip. Smirking, she traveled south with her hands and stopped just above the waistband of his swimming trunks. She teased him by slipping a few of her fingers under the waistband. That was just what she needed to hear the moan he's been suppressing. She removed her hands and moved them up to his chest. "Guess we're both feeling a little naughty today." She climbed off of him and got to her feet. "Let's take a dip and clear our heads before we get lost in our hormones."

(Y/n) grabbed Prompto's hand and hauled him up onto his feet. She dragged him towards the clear waters of the ocean, where they both swam for the next couple of hours. After playing a few water games with each other, Prompto swam towards the guardian and encircled one arm around her waist. He pulled her closer when she rested her head against his shoulder. They floated aimlessly, enjoying each other's touch.

After ten minutes of silence, Prompto spoke up. "Hey, (Y/n)? Remember when I said I'll need a couple of days to think about what to say?"

"Do you need more time?" She inquired.

"It's the opposite, actually. I think I know exactly what to say." He pulled them towards the shore. "Think you could wait for me on the beach? There's something I've gotta grab from my suitcase."

"Sure," she responded, wondering what he needed.

They swam back to shore. Prompto ran back to the hotel room while (Y/n) remained on the beach. She stood at the water's edge, allowing the gentle waves to wash over her feet. The sand stuck to her wet feet, but she didn't mind. It was the first time in her life she was able to enjoy the beach. Galdin Quay is the perfect spot to go on a vacation, especially if you wanted to relax on the beach. The water was clear and sparkled as the sun's warm rays casted down on the surface of the ocean.

Hearing the padding of footsteps and the faint crunch of sand, (Y/n) looked away from the ocean and saw Prompto had returned. A nervous smile was plastered on his face as he hid something behind his back. He came to a stop in front of her, swallowing hard. "Okay, I know I said I have the perfect thing to say, but I completely forgot it because of how nervous I am." He wiped at his forehead that was damp with sweat. "I think I'm sweating..."

"Try to calm down. I don't know what has you in a tizzy, but you look like you're about to pass out," she said. "Whatever you wanna say, just say it. You don't have to use any fancy words on me."

"Then I'll just come out and say it." Prompto kneeled down on a single knee and revealed the small black box he was hiding behind his back. Opening the lid, he revealed a beautiful ring with a golden diamond that matched her eyes and gemstone. Along the sides of the yellow diamond were two smaller white ones. Along the silver band were golden accents that matched the yellow diamond. "It's taken me a while to find the perfect moment to ask you, but I figured why not while we're in the most beautiful place in Lucis?"

(Y/n) stared wide-eyed at the beautiful ring. "Prom, are you...?"

"Proposing? Yeah..." He blushed in embarrassment. He looked up at her face with worry. "A-Am I doing this right? Or have I totally screwed this up?"

"N-No! You're doing just fine," she reassured him. "Please, continue."

He took a deep breath before continuing. "Those ten years without you made me realize how my life isn't complete without you. I felt so empty and useless without you. I don't ever wanna feel that way again. Will you marry this loser?"

"I don't see a loser. All I see is the man I'm deeply in love with," she smiled at him. "Of course I'll marry you, Prompto."

The man smiled back, his heart racing in his chest as he took the ring and slid it onto her ring finger. Once the ring was secured on her finger, he stood up and engulfed her in a hug. "Thank you, (Y/n)."

<--------------<<<<<

Five years have passed since Prompto proposed to (Y/n). With help from Noctis, Ignis, and Gladio, they both had a wonderful wedding. Now, the thirty-seven-year-old marksman was searching for his wife and their new addition to the family. Searching the Citadel, he found her and their four-year-old son, (S/n), in the training room.

(A/n: (S/n) stands for son's name in case some of you aren't aware. I couldn't think of any names and thought you guys would have one in mind. It's also to make this story more x reader friendly.)

(Y/n) was in her spiritual form, laying on her belly with her front paws stretched out in front of her and her back paws tucked under her. Her tails were splayed out across the marble floor as (S/n) climbed across her back and up her neck to reach her head. When he did, he outstretched a hand and began messing with the white tips of her ears. Her ears flicked over and over again at the feeling of her son's touch. They were always quite sensitive and it would always tickle her whenever someone touched them.

Prompto watched with a gentle smile. He chuckled when (S/n) managed to crawl up just a bit higher and sprawl his small body across the fox's face. "Okay, buddy," he approached them as (Y/n) lowered her head for him to grab their son. He grabbed (S/n) and lifted him off the spirit's face. "Mommy's not a jungle gym."

"But we were having so much fun!" The (h/c)-haired boy whined. The child looked over at his mother with cerulean eyes that were just like his father's. Although he was the child of a human and spirit, he looked like a normal boy with no guardian features. "Tell him, Mommy!"

(Y/n) changed back and stretched her arms up in the air. "We were, but mommy needs a nap. It's been a long day. We can play some more tomorrow, sweetheart. I promise."

An idea popped into Prompto's head. "Hey, how about you go see Gladio in his office? I'm sure he'll play with you."

"Okay!" (S/n) dashed out of the training room when Prompto put him down.

(Y/n) eyed her husband. "Are you trying to drive Gladio crazy? Or just trying to get rid of our son?"

"I would never get rid of (S/n)!" He denied. "It's to drive the big guy crazy. Besides, (S/n) loves him!"

"Looks like Gladio's the favorite uncle," she giggled.

"Speaking of the favorite uncle, Gladio's agreed to watch (S/n) for the rest of the day. You and I have some time for ourselves. What do you wanna do?"

She placed a hand on her hip with an eyebrow quirked up. "Don't you have work to do?"

"I finished early just so we could go out." He took her hand, entwining their fingers. "So, where do you wanna go?"

She smiled. "Surprise me."

"Leave it to me, milady!"

They left the Citadel and spent their time together by traveling to a few places around Insomnia. It had been hours since they left (S/n) in Gladio's care and the sun was setting. After grabbing a bite to eat and stopping by a bakery to buy some sweets, they headed home. Stepping into the apartment, they saw Gladio knocked out on the couch with (S/n) running circles around the coffee table.

"Little guy's so full of energy he wiped out Gladio," Prompto chuckled.

"Maybe we should save the sweets for later," (Y/n) mumbled.

"Mommy! Daddy!" (S/n) shouted when spotting them.

Prompto nudged his wife towards the kitchen and whispered. "Hide the sweets before he sees them. I'll keep him distracted."

The guardian quickly made her way to the kitchen and hid the items from the bakery. She placed them up high so (S/n) couldn't see or reach them. Leaving the kitchen, she found her husband and son sitting on the couch by the sleeping Gladio. She wondered what they were talking about and eavesdropped.

"C'mon, daddy!" (S/n) whined. "Tell me the story of how mommy took down that big monster again."

"You mean the behemoth?" Prompto asked.

"Yeah!"

"Whoa, hold it," (Y/n) intervened, knowing the story was gory. "Don't you think that story's a little too grown up for him, Prom?"

"Nah, don't worry about it, (Y/n). I leave out all the graphic parts," Prompto explained.

"Well, then...tell away."

While Prompto told the story, she tapped Gladio on his shoulder and gently roused him from his slumber. When the shield was fully awake, she offered him a grateful smile. "Thanks for watching him, Gladio."

"Hey, I love the kid. I'll watch him anytime you and Prompto want a night out on the town," he said, standing up.

"But what about your duties as Noct's shield?"

"Our lovely king has been really busy with his own personal affairs lately," he chuckled. "He plans on proposing to his special lady soon."

"Maybe it's about time you found your special someone."

"Trust me, I've got my eyes on a special gal. Now all I gotta do is ask her out," Gladio explained. He patted her on the shoulder. "I'm heading out. You three have fun."

"Bye, Gladio. Thanks again," (Y/n) replied.

"Anytime, (Y/n)." He walked past Prompto and (S/n), ruffling the little boy's (h/c) locks. "See ya, squirt. Make sure you don't stress your parents out too much."

"Bye, Uncle Gladdy!" He giggled, waving farewell to the man.

After hearing the door close, (Y/n) checked the time before sitting down beside her husband and son. She combed her hand through (S/n)'s messy locks. "Have you already ate, sweetie?"

"Mhmm. Uncle Gladdy ordered pizza for us. There's even leftovers in the fridge."

Suddenly, (S/n) yawned and leaned against his father's chest. He was having issues keeping his eyes open and warding off sleep. "Whoa, someone's tired," Prompto said. "It is a little past eight. I think it's time for someone to go to bed." Scooping the little boy up into his arms, he stood up from the couch.

"You wanna put him down tonight?" (Y/n) asked.

"Yeah. Meet me in the bedroom?" He questioned.

"Yeah. I'll be there shortly." She watched Prompto carry their son to his room before locking the front door and heading to the master bedroom. She crawled on to the bed, laying on her back. She stared up at the ceiling, mentally sorting through what she would need to do tomorrow. Her train of thought was derailed when she felt the mattress dip and saw Prompto looming over her. "Is (S/n) asleep?" She inquired.

"Yep," he answered before leaning down and placing a kiss on her forehead. He snuck a hand under her shirt and traced circles on her soft skin. "So..."

"What do you want?" She sighed.

"You, uh... You think we could have another kid? Y'know, so (S/n) can have a little brother or sister?" Prompto muttered, eyes full of wonderment.

"You want another kid after four years?"

"Bad timing?"

She shook her head. "No, it's just...why now all of a sudden?"

"Well, (S/n) told me how much he wanted a brother or sister while I was tucking him in. And I think having another kid would be great! I just hope it's a girl this time. I want a little (Y/n) running around."

A smirk crept onto the guardian's face. She pushed Prompto down on the bed and straddled his lap. "Well then, I guess we better get started."

<-------------<<<<<

After their sexual escapade, it was only a little past nine. Both were sweaty and in need of a shower. (Y/n) wrapped the sheets around her bare chest as she sat up. "Guess I'll have to wash the sheets again."

"I would hold off on that," Prompto chuckled.

She looked over at him, puzzled. "And why's that?"

"We're gonna enjoy ourselves again tomorrow night, and maybe even the next night..."

She smacked him on the arm. "We're lucky (S/n) didn't hear us tonight. It's too risky to do this every night, especially since his room is literally right across from ours."

Prompto smirked as he sat up. "That just means we'll have to be extra quiet." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her naked body against his. He pressed a kiss against her forehead and hair. He tucked her smaller form against his side, resting his head on top of hers. "Honestly, I'm happy with just hugging and kissing you."

She wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled closer. "Me too, Prom. To be honest, I never saw this in our future, but I'm happy it was. I love you so much."

"I love you too, (Y/n)," he whispered. "You've made me the happiest man on Eos."

"Let's continue to make each other happy as long as we can, okay?"

He nodded his head with a gentle smile. "Deal."

••••••••••END••••••••••

A/n: This marks the end of Book One: Gold! Next up is Book Two: Sapphire (Ignis x Reader). I've also made a minor change to the lineup of books. Book three has been changed from Diamond to Amethyst. Hope you guys are excited for the next book because I know I am! Love you all!!!

Previous Chapter || Masterlist ||

[supraveng]

Moving On (2/?)

part 1

Summary: you have to confront your past….what could go wrong

Characters: former Bucky Barnes x reader, Sam Winchester x reader, Tony Stark, Natasha Romanoff, Sam Wilson, Wanda Maximoff, Steve Rogers, Thor Odinson

A/N:  here is the angsty piece, it will have at least 2 more chapters; does not follow any MCU story line; attempting an MCU/SPN crossover; let me know if you want to be tagged in the next chapters

@iamwarrenspeace  @mythandmagik   @lieswithoutfairytales​   @bbmommy0902  @hailmary-yramliah  @jessyballet

Returning back to the compound after the 3 day mission was bittersweet,  you missed your daughter but not being able to get Roman locked up made you want to continue the task until it was truly completed.  By the time you made it back, it was late and everyone was sleeping but you were far too wired to sleep any time soon so after checking on Joy and Kevin, you made your way to the common room for a night cap.  

Everyone had their own post mission tradition, Sam and Steve hit the gym, Nat and Wanda headed to the movie room, but Bucky was in the kitchen making food. You walked in to get ice for your whiskey and froze in the doorway just watching him. 

He addressed without turning around "hope you are hungry, I made a lot more food than I can eat''   “only if your cooking skills have improved, I don’t want food poisoning” you joked as you stepped closer and took a deep inhale of the food he was making.  

Looking at him shocked, “you’re making curry chicken?”  “Well, i know it’s your favorite and we haven’t had time to sit and talk, so consider this a peace offering” he shyly smiles at you while he hands you a full bowl and nods his head toward the table.  

“Go sit, I’ll grab us a few beers and join you”, you smile and nod as you sit down at the table and slowly take your first bite.   The food is amazing and you are completely shocked that Bucky threw this together, he was never one to do more than boil water or call for take out. 

The two of you sat in a comfortable silence while you ate, it was nice being friends with Bucky again, but you knew you need to discuss what went wrong if you wanted to truly restore your friendship.  

“Well Barnes, I am impressed, this is delicious” you told him with a smile.  “I’m glad you like it, and if you are going to be here more often, I’ll learn to make some of your other favorites” he grinned at you.  

“Bucky..” you sighed “I don’t think I’ll be back in NY much, I’m based in DC now and I have a great life there, I miss the team, but this isn’t my home any more” you tell him solemnly.  

“I thought we were going to talk, so we could fix us, you aren’t even gonna give us a chance?” he was angry and you didn’t understand why.  He was the one who decided he didn’t want to be with you any more.  He made that choice and you were the one to figure out how to live with it.  

“Bucky, I agreed to talk and get our friendship back, but there can’t be an us. I’m sorry, but It’s too late for us” you try to remain calm but you are shocked that he thought one dinner would fix everything.  

“I still don’t know why you dumped me like you did, and that was hard for me to deal with, but then seeing you a week later with some up and coming model on your arm at Tony’s party, it made me understand that what I thought we had was never real.   I had no choice but to move on, and right now, I’m not even sure there is a friendship to salvage” you stood and cleared your plate, rinsing it and placing it into the dishwasher before looking back at Bucky.  

“I don’t know what else to do here, so I’m going to turn in before either of us say anything we are going to regret. Goodnight” and with that you headed towards your room.  Immediately getting back into your room, you checked that Joy was still sound asleep, then headed to take a long shower.   

The heat from the water washing away the stress from the failed mission and the tension in your muscles from the short conversation with Bucky.   After drying off, you went to pull your pj’s from your clothes when something else caught your eye, an oversized plaid flannel shirt was tucked among the t-shirts you had packed.  With a huge smile on your face you buttoned up the shirt and crawled into bed, falling asleep almost instantly with the added comfort surrounding you.  

~~~~

Before you had fully woken up there was a knock at your door, you opened it to find Bucky with a sheepish grin.   “I was hoping to talk to you before things got crazy, can I come in?” you nodded and stepped to the side.  “I came to say that you are right.  Steve helped me understand that it’s not fair after all this time to expect you to forgive me or take me back, and obviously you have a family now, but i wanted to apologize and explain what happened” he told you as you both sat on the couch.  

“Thank you Bucky, and I accept your apology, but there’s no need to explain, we’ve both moved on and it's in the past.  I know you are a good man, and whatever made you decide to end things was probably to spare me in some weird way.  I’m ok, and I’m happy where I am now, and that wouldn’t have been possible if we hadn’t ended the way we did.” you smile at him, almost thanking him but you weren’t there yet.  

“Yea, you’re right, let’s move on and be the friends we used to be, please?”  “That works for me” you stood up and hugged Bucky, as mad as you once were, he was a good person and deserved forgiveness.  Just as you were about to speak you both heard the soft murmuring from Joy in the next room.  

“I need to get her, but can we join you for breakfast?”  he nods as he heads back out to the hallway.   By the time you were heading into the common room, most of the team was there in multiple varieties of awakeness.  

When FRIDAY announced a visitor coming up in the elevator you gave a questioning look to Tony who just shrugged.  You were too busy cutting up fruit and pancakes for Joy to notice that the elevator had dinged and footsteps were coming towards you, until they stopped behind you, Joy’s eyes lit up and she screamed “daddddyyy”.  

Turning around you gasped when you saw your fiancé standing behind you with a big wonderful grin.  Joy was crawling out of her chair as quickly as her little legs could carry her in order to reach her father as fast as she could.  He immediately scooped her up and pulled you into a hug, his warmth and scent making you feel calm and relaxed, home, you thought.  

When you finally broke apart and Joy started yammering on about all that had happened since you arrived you looked over at Tony, who was surprisingly quiet.  You wanted to question him, but the only thing that came out was a huge thank you.  

Once Joy settled you thought it best you introduced him to the team “So, everyone, this is Sam Winchester, honey, these are the Avengers”  you gestured to the table of your longtime friends.  “I can’t believe you are here, and so early” you joked.  

“What can I say, I missed my girls so much I ditched my morning run and hoped on a flight” he shrugged before leaning in to kiss Joy on the forehead.  

“Well, we were headed out for our run, we can wait for you to change if you want to join us?” Steve told him without really thinking about the whole situation.  

“Heck yea, running with Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes, I’m not passing up that opportunity” he almost yelled with excitement.  You giggled at how star struck he seemed, remembering how he was very nonchalant the first time he met Tony, until you were back at your apartment and he could fangirl all over.   

“Is that ok? I just got here, I don’t want to just bail on you, babe” he asked almost worried about your response.   Shaking your head you waved him on “it’s fine, go and enjoy your run” he placed a kiss to your lips before heading off to change.   “my daddy wun weally fas” Joy told the table and you just nodded as you laughed.  

“Well, you guys have a good run, and hey, now Steve and Bucky each have their own Sam to lap” you and the others laughed as the four headed to the elevators.  

“You don’t seem worried about Bucky and Sam spending time together” Nat mentioned as you started to clean up from breakfast.  “I’m not, Bucky and I talked, he apologized, I forgive him and Sam already knows everything, there’s nothing to worry about” you told.  

“Everything everything, or the cliff notes everything?” she asked.   Always the interrogator you shook your head and smirked at her.  “Everything, everything, this is the man I am spending the rest of my life with, he knows it all” 

“Even the kinky shit?” Wanda whispered, hoping your daughter wasn’t hearing the conversation.  You laughed harder and turned toward the two of them, wondering how much you should divulge.  

“Let’s just say, Winchester kinky is on a whole different level than Barnes kinky…..and I am done discussing this topic with little ears close by”  you left the two women gawking as you took your daughter to get cleaned up and dressed to spend the afternoon playing with Morgan.  

Once you had gotten yourself ready for the day, you headed to the gym for a light workout with Nat and Wanda knowing the previous conversation would probably come up again.  As you arrived in the gym you were surprised to see Thor, he had just arrived from Asgard and brought you into a bone crushing hug almost immediately.  

“Lady Y/N, it has been too long, but you look as radiant as ever.  I heard you have brought a suitor with you on this visit, I wish to meet him, find if he is truly worthy of you.”  Blushing you smiled at Thor, he was always so respectful and made you feel far more honorable than you usually did.  “Yes, he is currently on a run with the guys, there’s no telling how long they will be gone”

You were feeling a bit sore from the mission, so decided that some light weights and cardio would be enough for the day, considering it was technically your day off since there had been no new leads on Roman.  Taking a water break you looked over to find the guys coming back from their run.  They were all smelly and dripping in sweat but seemed to be getting along.  Sam came rushing over to you, picking you up and swinging you around with a huge grin on his face. 

“I take it you had a good run?” you smiled up at him once you got your feet back on the ground.  “It was amazing, you never told me how incredible this complex was” he was panting but still seemed happy about the overexertion.  

When you saw Thor approaching, you took a small step back from Sam and attempted to introduce the two.  “Lady Y/N, I assumed your suitor was of Midgard, but he’s much larger than most, sir, are you Asgardian as well?” he asked as if that would be the only logical explanation.   

You busted out laughing, but you calmed down as Sam explained he was born and raised in Kansas and not Asgardian.  Before you could fully understand what was happening next, you see Thor and Sam stepping up to spar.  

“Woah, Thor, he’s not Asgardian, I don’t think this is a good idea” you told them. 

“Lady Y/N, I understand in your delicate condition you are concerned, but I assure you no harm will come to the father of your children” Thor announced as he got into his ready stance.   

“My condition?....children?” you mumbled looking between Thor and Sam trying to figure out what he was talking to.  

“I apologize if I overstepped, I was unaware you being with child was a secret” he told you earnestly, almost worried you would be upset.  

“I what?”  “You’re what?” you and Sam both responded, looking at each other and then back at Thor, dumbfounded.  

“Were you two not aware?” he asked with a smirk, after you both shook your heads no in response he practically cheered “Surprise!” 

Part 3

[elfenbensord]

Hey I hope you are doing well. I have missed your writing and wanted to check up. For inspiration for the Loki series could you do something about the reader getting super sick? I understand if you don’t want to. I just have been thinking about your blog and this series💕

sorry if this is a double ask I don’t think my first one went through.

daisies

26.1.21

note: hi, lovely anon! i’m doing well, just went back to school so that’s why i haven’t had so much time/energy to write so much. i’m still really excited about this series, just tryna take things slow at the moment. but you’re so nice for checking in, that made me so happy!!

and you know what this gives me?? ‘you’ve got mail’ vibes! like the last scene, when tom hanks visits meg ryan when she’s sick and he brings her daisies.

loki series masterlist / request! / masterlist

---

“I can’t come in today.”

“Why not?”

 A cough rattles your lungs, making for a sickening sound through the phone. The room seems to bob slightly, like a boat. You close your eyes in protest, hoping the sea sick feeling will go away.

“... You have a point”, he says.

“There’s fries to heat in the freezer. Or just get McDonalds. But don’t be rude to the cashier!” You feel like a mother hen, which doesn’t fail to bug you. Loki’s clear voice tells you that he feels fine, even good. And here you are, feeling like a slow death is coming for you. But still, you're not the one getting fries for lunch.

Life isn’t fair, you think.

You can still hear him breathing down the mic of the phone. A stubborness in you eggs you to keep going, to be the last to hang up. Another cough rattles through you. Loki says nothing. You wonder if you’re gonna die here on the phone to him. There are worse ways to go, you guess.

“Fine. See you tomorrow.” He sounds harsher than he means to.

You’re already half asleep.

---

The shrill ring of your phone wakes you from a much needed slumber. The caller id says ‘Loki’. If it didn’t hurt so much, you’d roll your eyes.

“I’m coming over.” He close to shouts the words the second you pick up.

“You’re what?” you cough. 

“You’re clearly not well.”

“You’re really bored, aren’t you?” If you’d had the energy, you’d smirk.

The silence that follows confirms your theory.

“... I’ll be there in half an hour.”

---

Loki makes it to your apartment in less than the thirty minutes promised. You’re impressed -- with the state of the traffic, he’s done the seemingly impossible. But it also gave you less time to hurryingly trying to tidy up the mess in your apartment.

He arrives, all bright-eyed and slightly out of breath. He must’ve walked the final distance between your home and the closest subway station. His lungs heave in, out, in, out, with fully functioning breathing. A strong feeling of jealousy flares up within you. Jealousy mixed with… something else. Something warm. You let it linger.

“Hi.”

His eyebrows draw together. “Why are you standing up?”

“Well, I had to let you in.”

He looks at you, after close to forcing his way through the door. It’s an undeniably soft look. He reaches his hand out, touching your arm ever so slightly.

You sniffle.

“You should go lie down now”, he says softly.

“Okay, mum”, you mumble, trudging off to fall into your bed. 

He gives you a look for that final comment as he shrugs off his coat and neatly places it on the coat hanger by the door. He reaches into his coat pocket, and takes out a bouquet of daisies. 

He looks at you, almost bashful about the sweet gesture.

It’s enough to bring tears to your eyes. You're not yourself today. All your hard outer shell has been removed, leaving a soft and gooey center.

It suddenly becomes hard for you to meet his eyes. Loki doesn’t seem to have the same problem. He watches you with a tentative gaze, waiting for you to accept the flowers.

“I thought you’d like it because of that movie… ‘Collect your post’”, he says.

Collect your post?

Then, it suddenly clicks, “Do you mean ‘You’ve got mail’?”

“Yes.”

You remember when you watched it together. It was early days, really early days. Loki had mentioned briefly how he’d never seen a whole Midgardian movie, and you’d found it to be up to you to change that. But where do you start, with all the films ever made? You decided that Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks in Nora Ephron’s classic ‘You’ve got mail’ was the way to go. But you didn’t think Loki would remember that much about it, especially not since he’d forced you to pause the movie during several occasions, so he could go into the kitchen to calm down from the cringe of the big misunderstandings between the two main characters. In summary, you didn’t think he’d liked it, or even remembered it.

But he did. Another one of those warm, fuzzy feelings bubble up inside you before you have the chance to push down. 

This is ridiculous, you find yourself thinking. You’re like two bumbling teenagers, trying to figure how to act around each other again. Now that you’re more than you were before. Nothing has changed, yet it feels like everything has.

You pluck slightly at the petals of the small, white flowers. “Thank you. They’re lovely.”

He smiles the tiniest smile. “I’m glad you like them.”

---

A grey haze settles over the evening, as your fever turns worse. Loki is there. Around dinner time, he makes you some kind of soup. You don’t remember what he said it was called, but you remember the taste. Like saffron and golden butter. It tasted divine, out of this world. A bit like him. 

After dinner -- did you watch a movie as well? You can’t remember -- he left you to sleep. 

When you wake up the next day, you feel close to restored. Your fever isn’t as dramatic, and the cough is close to gone. 

There’s a note on your bedroom table. You recognise it as Loki’s neat scribbles. It’s beautiful, with long, swiping gestures. Penmanship fit for a prince. The words written make you smile. They’re careful, and trying, and very new, coming from him. Your mind sticks to the way he’s written ‘Darling’ and referred the rose coloured word to you. The last sentence easily brings a smile to your lips. 

Be well, darling. 

I miss you.

---

taglists

permanent: @rocking-like-a-ravenclaw / @kapolisradomthoughts / @siriusement / @classy-sith-lady / @hermione-who / @theseuscmander / @sleepingalaska / @moatsnow / @trueheroesneverdie

loki series: @lucywrites02 / @delightfulheartdream / @emilythezeldafan / @shesakillerkween

[belovasangel]

Kintsugi

Pairing: Peter Parker x Stark!GN!Reader

WC: 1641

Summary: Peter needs a push to help an old ally.

Warnings: Swearing, ANGST, hopeful ending

A/N: First off, thank you for reading this. I haven’t written in maybe a year so this might be not the best. I want to shout out Polaroid15 for inspiring me to write. Something else in this fic I should mention, Peter’s identity isn’t exposed and in the Blip he aged according to current-time (so in this he is 18-19)

“In Japanese culture, Kintsugi is the reformative art to repair broken pottery. The shattered pieces are taken and glued back together with a binding agency and gold paint. There is a metaphor between each crack and gold stroke, as the meaning is deeper than restoring a pot. It’s meant to give hope and to empower those who are deemed ‘broken.’ The point is to tell people to embrace their insecurities and you will be okay in the end.”

Peter Parker rolled his eyes and looked back at his notes. The background film of his art history course droned on, as the school stuck the Blipped students into a course to graduate faster. He began to doodle along the sides of the pages, drawing the Spider-Man suit and a few webs. He thought of Ned, sitting on his MIT campus, working on his computer engineering software, and hoped he was thinking of Peter as well. Him and Ned made a pact back in freshman year to attend MIT together and when the Blip hit, Ned kept his promise. And at this rate, Peter will be in their dorm room by March. 

He looked back up at the lecture briefly to watch the credits roll, only to notice afterwards the teacher had fallen asleep at the desk. The other students got the same idea to pack up and leave for the weekend early. Peter began stuffing his notes in his backpack and stood to walk out, only to bump into a fast body.

“Hey-” 

Peter looked up, his backpack falling to the floor in a heavy heap. He looked up angrily, fully expecting Flash to be staring back, however he saw the red-faced (Y/N) staring back with doe eyes. “Peter, I am so sorry...” 

He huffed and shoved (Y/N) back with his shoulder to grab his stuff. “You can leave, ya know? Don’t need to watch me pick up the mess you made.” He audibly heard them gulp and quicken their breathing. With a quick shuffle, they walked out of the class. Peter stood quickly and recalled the events leading to their icy encounter. He can feel sympathetic towards them, as Mr. Stark passed away tragically about a year ago. While Peter has come to terms painfully with his death, he can tell (Y/N) still is struggling. He knows they had a plan to attend Yale or Stanford after this, but those plans have derailed fully. Peter knew (Y/N) wasn’t fully ready to accept they need to grow up and move on. He wouldn’t be the one to put gasoline on an already erupting fire. Hopefully Pepper can say something

He began walking down the halls of the school, remembering the small memories along the halls. Lifting the lockers during Homecoming to get his suit, him and Ned discussing the plans to build the Death Star, and even when MJ first opened her locker next to the two (and immediately asked, “what are you two losers looking at?”). Fond, fond memories. 

Peter hopped on the subway, getting minorly excited to begin patrolling the city. May has plans tonight, he hopes it’s a date so he can spy once or twice, but overall it’s sitting on buildings and eating those amazing subs. The moment Peter stepped into the apartment, May was on him. “Hey, my beautiful boy genius, how was school?”

He laughed as she kissed and pinched his cheeks. “Hey May. It was fine, boring. How are you, need any date prep?” She turned bright red and looked back to the newspaper. “Peter, I told you it’s not a date. Happy and I are-”

“Your date is with Happy?” Peter popped his backpack to the floor with a quick thump. May gave a sheepish look, fully expecting this from him. “Peter I promise you, Happy is super kind and is going to treat me great tonight.”

He sighed, pulling at his hair minorly. “Do I need to chaperone you?” She laughed and shook her head, “we’ll be fine Pete. Anyways, to change the subject, Pepper called you earlier and asked for you to swing by the Tower when you get a chance.” Peter nodded, head still foggy with holy fuck, Happy is going to get with my Aunt.

He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and ran to his room, changing into his suit and flopping out the window. Within the first few hours, Peter stopped three guys from breaking into cars, saved a cat from a tree and rescued an old lady from oncoming traffic. As the sun was setting, and Peter got to enjoy the sunset with his sub, he decided to call Pepper.

“Hey Pep, what’s going on?”

He could hear her sigh on the other side, and he took a bite in anticipation. “I need your help Peter. And I know you won’t like it.” With a mouthful of spinach, salami and bread, he said muffled, “you can count on me.”

“I need you to help (Y/N).” Peter promptly spit his sub out of his mouth with a sharp cough and inhale. “What? What’s wrong?” Pepper sighed again. “(Y/N) isn’t okay. They’re only leaving their room for school and that’s it. I deliver them breakfast and dinner, we barely talk between the doors. Plus they come home late every night and I need to know what’s going on.”

Peter bit his inner cheek. Of course (Y/N) is being selfish towards Pepper, seems about right. Peter felt like this was a sign, to finally see what’s going on and help Pepper reconnect with her kid. Yet, Peter didn’t want to give (Y/N) any slack. They’re being rude and not grateful for what they have. “Of course, Pepper. I’ll keep you posted. Does K.A.R.E.N. have her location?”

“No, she turned off her location a while ago. Thank you Peter.” He nodded, knowing she couldn’t see. With a quick end, he threw the mask on and dove off the crane. He searched every alley in all of Queens, ever corner store, checked every rooftop and park and bridge and under every car. He found a huge ass tree and even climbed it. Peter didn’t want to let Pepper down, even if he felt more and more annoyed with (Y/N). He knew they wouldn’t leave the city, but this was getting ridiculous. Eventually, around 11:30 P.M., he found them sitting in front of a large mural of Tony. There were flowers along the painting, along with lit candles and teddy bears. Peter felt his blood boiling, knowing they could have had their location on this whole time. 

“What the fuck are you doing (Y/N)? Pepper is besides herself worried. You’re being so fucking selfish, leaving her alone every damn night. She is suffering, wondering why her own child won’t talk to her while you’re out here hiding! What are you scared of? Why can’t you grow up? He died! Get over it!”

Peter creeped up closer and closer to them, not listening to the sniffling and heaving breaths of (Y/N). As he reached them, he saw they were hunched over and panting. “What’s wrong? Get up,” Peter sneered as he pulled their shoulder back. He let out a gasp and let go, in complete shock of what he saw. Their face was littered with bruises and cuts. Their right eye was completely swollen and the under eye bags were as dark as the sky. “Are you okay?”

They scoffed and pushed away Peter’s hand, and struggled to get off the ground. Many groans and gasps were shed as they stood slouched. Peter quickly noticed the large gash on their side, and he could tell they were severely injured. “We need to get you to the tower right now, c’mon.” 

As he got closer, (Y/N) stumbled back to avoid his touch. Peter scoffed and tried to reach again, but with the same result. “Stop being stupid and let me help you.” They stopped and let out a large laugh. “Now you fucking care about me, when it will make you look good. I can just imagine Pepper telling me how great and caring you are, and how brave you were to go searching for their lost child. Fuck off with this savior complex, Peter, you can’t save everyone! Some people were meant to suffer and burn and fucking die in the end.”

Peter had never felt so confused in his life. He tried reaching out for the third time and was shut down. They began to walk towards him, fire and tears in their eyes. “Do you have any idea how much fucking pain I feel every day? When my father died, Pepper and I were so shattered, but instead of staying with family she decided to work with you, the great and friendly Spider-Man! Why help your own kin when the prodigy is doing just as bad? I am so sick of living in your shadow Peter! It’s like the universe is telling me I was a mistake! You ruined my life. You are the reason my father is dead. You are the reason I wish it was me instead!”

They fell to their knees in agony, letting out screaming sobs and pained sounds. He quickly recovered, wiping his own tears to comfort them. “I am so sorry (Y/N), I am so so sorry.” Peter put his hands under their arms and lifted them into his arms, as fast as he could go to avoid another lash out. He began to swing them back, and in a quiet voice, (Y/N) whispered into his neck. “Why wasn’t it me, Peter?”

And in that moment, Peter realized that some people need help being put back together. Maybe Kintsugi isn’t so dumb after all.

[sweet-taiyaki]

His Sunflower 🌻

Disclaimer: Kirishima is my favorite BNHA character. Might add a part 2. Idk yet. 

Pairing: ProHero!Eijiro Kirishima x GN!Reader

Featuring: Katsuki Bakugo. Called him Ground Zero for his hero name.

Word Count: 2.7k

Synopsis: You were studying abroad for college in Japan as a chef exploring cuisines. You have seen the duo of Red Riot and Ground Zero on the news and they just happen to be your guests. Since then, Red Riot can’t stop thinking about you. 

Quirk: Life Vision. Can view anyone’s internal clock by their wrist. 

Warning(s): Possible trigger warning from a previous toxic relationship, otherwise comfort & fluff. 

part [1] 2 3

—————————————————————————

I worked at a sushi bar in Japan. It was an exhausting shift. I bowed to my superior as my shift ended. I put on my jacket and walked my way home. Drunk people roamed the streets, so I decided to take a short cut through an alleyway to get home. I walked for a few minutes then a man in a red suit was thrown against the wall in front of me. “Oh my—are you okay,” I called out, coughing through the debris. He was grabbing his own shoulders it looked like. His face started to turn purple as he got further pushed in. His internal clock was nearing zero fast. He was dying and I didn’t know why. 

I felt around him, and it was a figure who was invisible. I punched as hard as I could to the figure and deactivated his invisibility. The man fell to the ground, unconscious. “Well well. Who are you,” the figure said. I learned jujitsu in high school for self-defense. I charged at him, breaking his ribs, before he got the chance to turn invisible. He fell to the ground and struggled to breathe. “Defending a pro-hero? Fine, you win this round. But I’ll be back. Stronger,” he said as he disappeared.

I turn back to the man. He was wearing a red, tool-like suit, red hair. I performed chest compressions so he could breathe again. After a minute, he caught his breath, grabbing my wrists. “You’re okay,” I comforted. His internal clock restored as I watched his time go up, dramatically. He coughed as he sat up. “I thought I had him. I’m so stupid to be that vulnerable,” he said beating himself up. He punched a hole in the brick wall and looked back over to me. “I’m sorry you had to see that,” he said as he walked away.

“Wait,” I said. He almost didn’t want to turn back, but he stopped in his tracks and looked back at me. “You will get him next time. I’ll be rooting for you,” I said. He smirked as he left in the opposite direction and flew off into the night sky.

I got to my apartment and laid on my bed, staring at the ceiling. Did I really save a pro-hero? Was he embarrassed? I felt awful. Of course, I wanted him to win. I couldn’t bear to see someone’s internal clock run down that quickly without me doing anything. It was a reflex.

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

The next day, I was scheduled another exhausting shift. However, I was privately scheduled for a party to create a unique sushi experience with some guests. It was a four-top, 2 men and 2 ladies. They take their seats as I prepare their courses. I greet the guests. One of the men looks familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I bow to them and my manager comes in to greet the guests. He seems excited to see them. “Thank you Ground Zero and Red Riot for your service. If there’s anything to make your experience more enjoyable, please let us know,” he said eagerly. Pro-heros. I’m serving pro-heroes. I remembered last night and immediately knew why I recognized that face. I saved Red Riot.

Red Riot pulled out the chair for his lady and so did Ground Zero. “Katsuki, this place looks amazing,” his date said. “All for you, baby girl,” he kissed her on the cheek. I kept my head low as I explained the process of the dinner and asked for their recommendations. Red Riot cocked his head to the side looking at me, but his date would pull his face into hers. I prepared the courses in front of them. Course 1 was a cold appetizer, course 2 was a hot appetizer. The ladies would tease their dates by cleaning off something on their face or random kisses at the table. I tried to not let it bother me. It wasn’t my business. Course 3 was a main course. I could tell that Ground Zero had his hand in his date’s skirt by her facial expressions. Red Riot was constantly showering his date with kisses. I let them enjoy their course, so I left the room.

I went to the bathroom to freshen up a little for the second half of my shift. When I left, I ran into Red Riot. “I’m sorry, chef. Please excuse me. Your food is so fresh and amazing,” he said. I thanked him. “Hey, I was wondering, do I know you from somewhere,” he continued. I simply shook my head ‘no’ and continued to walk back to the kitchen. I came back to the table for course 4, the palate cleanser and course 5 dessert. I got creative and made an interactive dessert for the ladies to enjoy. The ladies would feed their dates berries and lick chocolate off their fingers. It was just too much at this point. Get a room, already. The ladies excused themselves from the table as I was cleaning up my station. Ground Zero followed them, leaving Red Riot alone. He stared at me as I kept my head down. “Wait, it’s you. You were the one that saved me last night,” he said.

“No, sir,” I began, “You must have confused me for someone else.”

“Don’t deny that. I recognize your eyes. I should be thanking you for being there for me. Please tell me your name,” he said.

“I’m (Y/N). I felt bad that you felt vulnerable, so I didn’t want to take the credit for saving you since you’re the one supposed to be protecting me,” I said.

“Don’t you worry. I will beat him and protect you,” he said confidently.

“I know you will,” I reassured him. He smiled and I smiled back. The ladies and Ground Zero came back. Red Riot paid the bill. The men escort the ladies out. Red Riot looks back at me and smiles as he leaves.

I pull through the second half of my shift, but all I could think about was Red Riot. Was it his charm? Was he genuinely concerned for me? I mean, all pro-heroes are like that. Why would he give a civilian any attention when he has a lot to save? I clean up my station and bow to my superior.

Back in the alleyway, I found Red Riot, alone. “(Y/N),” he said as he ran over to me.

“Didn’t you have a date,” I asked.

“Yeah, but apparently she was more interested in Bakugo than me. Gotta love, modern dating, huh,” he laughed.

“I’m sorry,” I said.

“It’s alright. Would you want me to walk you home,” he asked willingly.

“S—sure,” I said, “So Red Riot—”

“I should probably introduce myself. I’m Eijiro Kirishima,” he laughed.

“Kirishima,” I continued, “Did you like the sushi?”

“Yes, thank you for an awesome experience, (Y/N),” he smiled. I take out my phone and browse through it. “Oh, sunflowers. Do you like them,” Kirishima looked at my lockscreen.

“Yeah, it’s the only flower that has a heart,” I said.

“Sunflowers have hearts?” he puzzled.

“Well not actually. When the sun is away, sunflowers turn to each other for light. I wish more people would be more open to give and receive light from others,” I smiled.

“I see,” Kirishima said. We arrive at the front entrance of my apartment. “Thanks again for everything,” he said. I smiled and thanked him for walking me home. I got in the elevator and he waved bye to me as it closed the doors.

…………………………………………………………………………

Sunday, the next day, I had the day off, so I decided to hit the gym in the morning. I worked on legs and arms with some cardio. When I was dripping in sweat, I stretched myself out on the mats. “(Y/N),” I heard a voice. It was Kirishima. He had a compression shirt to show off his muscles and loose shorts. “Hey,” I said.

“You’re an early bird too,” he laughed.

“I try to be sometimes,” I chuckled.

“Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to have breakfast with me. I know this awesome place for omelets,” Kirishima said.

“Just me and you,” I asked.

“Yeah,” he laughed, “If that’s okay with you.”

“S—sure. That—that’d be great,” I stumbled.

“Awesome! I’ll shower up and meet you at the front,” he said. He walked away, fist bumped a guy, and looked back at me and winked. Was he flirting with me?

Both of us showered up and I met him at the entrance. “Would you mind if I drive? I can drop you off back here,” Kirishima said.

“Sure, I guess,” I said. I got into his car and his car was fairly clean compared to other cars that I know.

We arrive at the restaurant. It has a calm atmosphere with waterfalls and foliage. We order some food and some to share. “I hope you’re hungry. I tend to eat a lot after a workout,” he said, bashfully.

We get to know each other a little better knowing our hobbies, interests, and things we like. His laugh was so pure, and I enjoy spending time with him. We parted ways. “Hey, would you mind if I got your number,” he asked. I smiled and gave it to him. “Awesome, I’ll see you around,” he smiled.

After a while, I would look at the news and watch Red Riot defeat villains with Ground Zero. I would smile at the television. I haven’t seen him since the breakfast, but clearly, he’s been busy trying to keep the city safe. I feel my crush getting stronger the more I think about him. No. I can’t let him get to me. My last relationship was too toxic, and I hate that it defers me from something great, but I have to keep my guard up. I started fading in and out of consciousness.

“Hey (Y/N), I’m about to pick up some food. Would you mind if I came over,” he texted me.

“Sure,” I texted him back with my address. About half an hour later, there was a knock at my door. It was him.

“Hi, may I come in?” He had takeout, sunflowers, and taiyaki. I invited him in and he has the biggest smile on his face. “Uh, these are for you. I thought you would appreciate them,” he blushed.

“Thank you Kirishima, you’re so sweet,” I looked for a vase. He saw that I had the news on. “Oh, so I see you were watching me defeat the invisible man with Bakugo,” he said.

“Of course,” I said, “I told you I would support you.” He blushed as he gathered the takeout to the couch. My couch was the ones where you sink into, he didn’t really expect that when he sunk in the middle. I chuckled. “Your couch is so comfy, but I need some help,” he laughed. I helped him up with the food and sat next to him. “Enough of the news, what are you currently watching on Netflix,” he asked.

“I’ve been watching this cooking show, but I’m sure you don’t want to watch that,” I said, embarrassed.

“No, I do! I love food,” he smiled. We ate takeout as we watched my cooking show. He seemed really into it. He had a lot of questions on different cuisines and questioned a lot of American combinations. I offered to clean up our food and enjoy our taiyaki.

“What do you want to watch? We already watched what I wanted to,” I asked. “Well I’m kinda nerdy and watch hero movies,” he said. “I like hero movies,” I smiled.

I chose the movie as I took another bite of the fish pastry and I look over to see him smiling at me. “Is there something on my face,” I said with a mouth full. He laughed. “No—no sorry,” he blushed. I finished my taytaki and so did he. I got us a blanket to share. “I’m sorry that my apartment is cold,” I said.

“Well come here,” he offered his arm around me. My heart stopped as I entered his embrace. I almost wanted to push him away. I know he was being nice to make me warm, but it was almost too overwhelming for me. I tried to hide that I was breathing heavier as my eyes started to water. I started twitching in his arms. “What’s wrong,” he asked with concern. He paused the movie and was all ears. I stood up in front of him.

“I’m sorry,” I said through my tears. “What is it? I want to understand,” he said.

“Eijiro, I don’t know how to think, act, or feel around you. You’ve been so nice to me and when you touch me, it is so comforting where I get overwhelmed because I want trust you. I haven’t felt that way in a long time and I’m sorry,” I vomited. I held my face in my hands in embarrassment, but then I felt his arms around me.

“Don’t be sorry,” he said holding me, “You are strong and full of light. I’m sorry to overwhelm you with so much. And for the record, I can’t stop thinking about you too. You saved my life. You would be a great sidekick, or even a hero.”

I started to tear up more in his arms, and he didn’t let go. He was so soft and warm, regardless of his hardening quirk. “Here, let’s continue this cuddle session on the couch,” he offered. We plopped on the couch and he started to laugh. “You know,” he began, “This is gonna sound weird, but you cry pretty. Most people I know cry ugly like this,” he wailed. I laughed through my tears. “There’s a smile,” he blushed. He resumes the movie, and he adjusts me to where I am on top of him.

His heartbeat was calm and content. I looked up at him and he looked down to me and smiled. I smiled back and put my head back on his chest. I started to fall asleep to the symphonies of his breathing.

Half asleep, I look up at Kirishima and he’s asleep to the credits rolling. I get up slowly off of him, which awakens him. “Looks like we both fell asleep,” he yawned.

“Yeah,” I laughed, “Would you like to stay the night,” I asked. Still half asleep he said, “Sure.”

He stood up and gave me a hug. In the hug, he cupped my face towards his and lightly kissed me. Initially, we smiled, but came to realization on what happened. “I’m sorry. That was too forward of me,” he whispered. I kissed him back and he didn’t want me to stop. “Now, we’re even,” I whispered back. Kirishima pulled me into an embrace kissing me softly. Our kiss turned slow and passionate. He lifted me from my waist and carried me into my room. We laid on the bed as our kiss deepens. He pulls away and smiles. He lightly traces my face. “So beautiful,” he said softly. I blush into his hands. We both cuddle each other and fall asleep.

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

The next morning, I reach out for Kirishima, but then wake up to the smells of breakfast. I walk over to my kitchen to see him making breakfast. “Hey, you’re awake. I hope you don’t mind. I made breakfast. That cooking show got me inspired,” he smiled. I laughed as I helped him set the table. We exchanged looks as we took our first bites. “Did you sleep okay,” I asked.

“Like a rock,” he said, “You kinda wiggle your nose a little when you sleep. I thought it was cute.”

Kirishima gets a phone call from Bakugo. “Excuse me,” he said. After a few seconds, his face turned serious and hung up the phone. “Hey, uh, I gotta go. But I hope you enjoy breakfast and I’ll text you later, okay,” he kissed me on the forehead and bolted out the door.

I turned on the news and there was a villain holding a child hostage. Ground Zero and Red Riot showed up at the scene to save the child. “I’m here to support you,” I said eating breakfast and watching the news. After a heated battle, the pro-heroes returned the child to their parents. Red Riot turns to the media and points at the camera. “You’re my sunflower,” he says.

[sorryimanon]

A Bit Stir Crazy: Pt 1

Summary: You’re bit of a hot head, so is Bakugou. So what happens when the two of you have to quarantine together for 30 days?

Warnings: cursing, mentions of sex, sexual tension, inevitable smut, slow burn.

Pairing: Katsuki Bakugou x fem!Reader

Spring finally makes it way to the city of Musutafu, which also means spring break is about to commence. There was only two days left of school before the students endure a week break of relaxation and the possibility of illegal drinking. However, the sudden outbreak of a deadly virus isolates you and your best friend of five years , Katsuki Bakugou, to quarantine together. Tensions are high, and so are both of your sex drive.

<<<

It was your second semester here at Hero University, and so far everything was smooth sailing. You’ve been on top of each of your classes, and most of your classmates are pretty much family by now. Of course, no one can replace Kirishima and Katsuki. Those two have been in your life since the second you stepped into Aziwa’s classroom. 5 years of friendship gave them the role of being your protective brothers. Every guy you’ve dated over the past 3 years had to face the wrath of both Kirishima and Katsuki. In most cases, some would find this possessiveness tedious, but you found it quite comforting knowing they are looking out for you. They were also hard on you and your studies, but only because they care for you. Both of them know about your dream of being a combat medic for pro-heroes, considering your energy restoration quirk, so they were extra tough on you.

However, everything came to a halt the day before spring break. You were currently in Advanced Hero History class when the announcement happened. The teacher, mid lecture, put her textbook down and glanced at the speaker above the door.

“Testing...1 2 3... this thing is working right? AHEM, attention students of Hero University, we’ve been told there’s recently been a sudden outbreak of a virus that’s described as deadly as the plaque!” The speakers voice reverberated across the whole academy. He continued,” We want to make sure that everyone is safe and sound and takes precaution of this virus. The board of admissions at HU have decided to cancel classes and all events at the university tomorrow-”

You didn’t get to hear the rest of the announcement. Everyone in the classroom was busy celebrating and screaming at the top of their lungs. Seems like the issue with the deadly virus evaporated immediately. The thought of getting out early for spring break was more important apparently.

Ms.Leech informed the class to still read the assigned chapters and be ready for a test the first day after break.

You quickly shoved everything your messenger bag and made a beeline to the door. The hallways were far from deserted. Usually classes don’t get out at the same time, but today every student occupied the cramped halls in the building.

“Y/N!” Someone yelled amidst the crowd of loud students. You overtly looked around and spotted the all too familiar spiky red hair and angry looking blonde by the exit. You giggled and maneuvered your way over to them.

“Did you hear the announcement! We get an early spring break!” Kirishima giddily said as you guys all walked side by side on the strip to the apartment complex.

“No shit Sherlock, the announcement was broadcasted across the whole school.” Bakugou responded while rolling his eyes.

“I’m so excited though! That means I have more time to study for my exams!” You jumped with excitement.

“Exams? That’s not for awhile you fucking nerd-” Bakugou was cut off when you grabbed a handful of his hair and aggressively pulled it. “YOU SHITTY WOMAN DON’T TOUCH MY HAIR!”

-

Spring break flashed by quickly, leaving only a day left before classes begin again. Thankfully, you seem to have checked everything off your list of things  needed to be accomplished during break. The only thing you had left to do was finish your reading for adv.hero history. 

After an endless hour of reading, you decided to make a hot pot of coffee. When you walked into the kitchen of your shared apartment with Kirishima and Katsuki, you noticed a sticky note hanging from the fridge.

It read, 

Went to go pick up Kirishima from the airport. Get take out plz. The usual

-B.

You smiled and immediately dialed the noodle shop to go. Kirishima used his spring break wisely and went to visit an exotic island with his family. He would FaceTime you and Bakugo occasionally telling funny stories about his time on the island. Although the thought never occurred at the time, you now felt like you wasted your spring break doing boring mundane things. Yes you had Katsuki to accompany you, but he was gone most of the time hanging out with his other friends. Which hurt, granted, but you understand that he has other friends besides you. Needless to say, you didn’t do that much “relaxation” during spring break.

Suddenly, your phone started going off on the countertop. Katsuki’s name flashing on the screen. Confused, you answered his call anyway, not thinking much of it.

“Y/N turn on the news now,” His said with urgency.

You didn’t argue back, knowing something is off, and raced to the living room. The tv was already on, so you just changed the channels till it reached the local news station. With the volume at its maximum, you sat still and listened to the news anchor.

“This just in, Japan has issued a nationwide lockdown due to the spread of the deadly virus. We’ve been told to report for all citizens to please stay in your homes till further notice. And as for anyone who has left the country, you’ll be permitted to stay within the country you’ve flown to and wait till further instructions...”

Oh shit

-

“Hey hey guys don’t worry I’ll be fine. I mean, isn’t this great news! We don’t have to go to our scheduled classes till further notice! Plus, I think I can score my shot with the maid here at my hotel for the time being,” Kirishima gloated with pure positivity.

“Baka. You do realize there’s a fucking virus going around right? Not to mention there’s a possibility you could die from it.” Bakugou said, trying to throw some common sense at Kiri.

“Right right right. Yes I do know...but that’s not going to stop me from getting laid bro.”

That was one of the few FaceTime calls you got from Kiri. After the third, he stopped calling all together. You grew worrisome for your best friend. Even though he doesn’t show it, Bakugou was worried sick not hearing from Kiri either.

It’s been 5 days since the initial lockdown. So far, you and Bakugou have been doing each of your usual routines at home. First thing in the morning you always prepared breakfast and read a few chapters from your current book. Bakugo did laundry duty and did the dishes after breakfast. Afternoon was just recreational duties. Both you and Bakugou would reside in your rooms doing whatever to ease off the bordem. Evenings were mainly for eating dinner and watching movies.

However, after 10 days, you couldn’t keep up with the routine anymore. You skipped breakfast and didn’t dare to open up another book. Your bedroom became a reminder on how much you’ve spent cooped up in there. Not to mention how easily angered you’ve become.

One day you got angry at how Bakugou was chewing his food. Usually it never irritated you, but now the sight just made your blood boil.

“Who the fuck taught you how to eat?” You spat abruptly.

“Says the person who forgets to clean the tub after they shave their whole entire jungle of a body,” he retored back.

A faint gasp left your mouth, uaware that you completely forgot to clean the tub last night after your feminine duties.

“Don’t know who you’re trying to look presentable for. It’s not like you got a boyfriend, not with all that hair, tch.” he hit you with one last punch to the gut.

You got up from where you were sitting at and begrudgingly walked to your bedroom, locking it in the process. Not daring to leave your room, you open your laptop and started a movie without Bakugou.

-

Out of all days, day 15 by far was the worst. The air conditioner unit stopped working, causing y’all to wake up with drenched bodies. Your room especially was humid, since you had no access to a window. The colored coordinated folders from your book bag had to suffice, using them as makeshift fans. Eventually your arms grew tired of constantly doing the same motion repeatedly, so you finally left your room in hopes for the living room to be much cooler.

You stopped immediately when you caught a glimpse of Bakugou slumped on the L-shaped couch. Not to mention, he was shirtless as well. Heat flushed to your cheeks, making you glow a crimson red. You couldn’t stop staring at the view in front of you. Yes you’ve seen Bakugou shirtless before. Countless of times in fact. The boys would practically walk naked around the apartment, not caring about how you’d react. You were deemed as one of the guys.

But this time it triggered something within you. Something you haven’t quite felt in a long time. Maybe it was the quarantine getting to your head, but you couldn’t help but to wonder how it would feel to be flushed against his naked chest right now. Or if he was the type to snake his hands around your waist and pull you even closer. The thought excited you for a second, but quickly realized this was Katsuki you were thinking about.

Katsuki shifted uncomfortably in his spot, eliciting a whimper during the process. The noise alone made your lower stomach tense with a warm sensation. This was creepy. Watching Bakugou shirtless while sleeping would surly make him go ballistic, but the sight of sweat glistening on his abdomen made his abs more prominent. An image of you being underneath him kept flashing in your head like picture show. A crude and undeniably satisfying picture show. More explicit thoughts kept trying to barge into your brain. So, you ran back into your room and planted yourself headfirst on the floor. Hopefully these thoughts will go away by tomorrow

The thoughts never went away. In fact, they were the reason you didn’t get any sleep last night. A half naked Bakugou Katsuki kept interrupting your innocent dreams, filling them in with dirty scenarios involving the both of you. You knew you were fucked once you heard the faint sound of Katsukis footsteps in the kitchen. You’ve been up all night, with no pure dream in mind. There’s no saving your sleep schedule now. Maybe if you apologize to Katsuki for acting irrational the other day, the thoughts would go away.

Defeated, you got up from your comfortable bed and treaded into unsafe territory. There sat Bakugo, criss cross on the kitchen island eating cereal. It wasn’t an unusual sight, he was the embodiment of a fucking cat.

“Morning shit head,” you playfully teased.

Bakugou raised his head and looked expectingly at you.

Even just looking him dead in the eye raised the temperature throughout your body. This is going to be a nightmare.

“You alright Y/N? Your whole face is flushed...” He paused, eyeing you suspiciously. “You’re not sick are you? If so, I’m kicking you out. I don’t wanna fucking die because of you”.

How charming.

You scratched the back of your neck. “Uh no Katsuki, I just wanted to apologize for the other day. My behavior towards you was unacceptable. This whole quarantine thing has really made me-”

“Shut up. No need to apologize for some stupid quarrel we got into. Besides, we’ve gotten into worse arguments right?” 

You nodded your head, agreeing to how truthful his statement was. It was true. 5 years of friendship and not one time have you guys stopped being friends because of a heated argument. 

“Exactly, don’t sweat about it. I’m just glad you finally came out of your hole. I missed my movie buddy.” He gave you a lopsided grin, to which on cue, your stomach tied itself into a knot.

“Great, because I found a movie last night on my queue that I think you’d like” You beamed as you started making yourself a bowl cereal. Katsuki grunted as a response and leaped off from the island. 

You were too busy focusing on making the cereal that you didn’t hear the faint thump of footsteps behind you. Then, almost as some sort of harsh punishment, Katsuki rested his head between your right shoulder blade. He hummed once he felt your body tense up. His lips were merely inches away from your outer ear. Any other movement from him and you wouldn’t hesitate to throw the gallon of milk at his head. But what he said next caused your whole face to turn pallid. 

“Also, its kind of rude to watch someone sleeping don't cha think?” he whispered before throwing his bowl into the sink beside you. 

At that moment you knew, you were completely fucked. 

[melmac78]

Care taking prompt: Gordon bandaging/stitching up Scott’s wounds?

Story injury maker is based on this green machine. The other item on right is an old icebox, aka refrigerator.

I wish I had a pic of a fully intact one, but the one I saw at the Trade Days yesterday that was restored is too small for the story. They’re fairly uncommon now, and wanted a reference for readers who may have never seen one.

For the record, I remember these being around in places as late as early 1990s. The few around now are also repurposed. Hope you enjoy:

••••••

“This is embarrassing.”

"I know Scott..." said Gordon as he assisted his oldest brother in Thunderbird Two's bay.

Scott shook his head. "No, more than embarrassing - this is ridiculous. I knew smoking could be bad for your health, but..."

Any thoughts were cut off with a sharp hiss when Gordon situated his brother onto a cot in the Sickbay to assess the injury.

The aquanaut scoffed slightly. "Second hand cigarette pack vending machines are even worse," he finished with a smirk as he started cutting away the neoprene around his brother's left calf.

Scott rolled his eyes at the bad joke. Thunderbirds one and two had to go to a rescue at a retro restaurant created by Francois Lemaire.

The restaurant was the peak of sophistication - two stories tall, featuring a variety of antiques from the 1950s to '70s.

A work of art for the high class tastes - including dinner.

Unfortunately for International Rescue - Lemaire didn't pay attention to the fact it was on top of a well known faultline, and Mother Nature showed her displeasure flatening the building with an earthquake.

The brothers were successful in rescuing everyone alive - albeit a few with injuries severe enough to require hospitalization.

Scott had finished helping Madeline, the last person inside, out of a pile of debris when an aftershock hit.

He protected her safely, but a broken cigarette vending machine fell on him.

Fortunately, the machine landed in a way it didn't crush his leg.

Unfortunately for Scott, the machine's glass window broke, slicing a 3 inch long gash in his calf.

After a bit of a struggle with the machine, freeing Scott's ankle from the slats that once stored cartons, Gordon and Madeline helped the eldest Tracy outside.

Madeline left with a couple of paramedics for a checkup.

Gordon and Scott ended up in TB2, thankful for once Francois elected to pay more attention how he nearly lost his wife than pester the Tracys.

Scott shook his head at the memory. "Seriously, how in the he... heck did Lemaire find one of those monstrosities?" he pondered outloud, before hissing l at Gordon's ministrations.

The aquanaut shrugged. "Don't know - but some folks years ago when the machines were made illegal to vend cigarettes bought then turned them into miniature art dispensers. Get a few more dollars selling postcard sized art,” he said, then whistled. "Yep. You're gonna need stitches, but you're in luck, you have the best stitcher in the world.

Scott was more concerned when he saw his brother put the needle in the ampoule for a local anesthetic. *oh no,* he thought, and paled slightly. "That's Virgil... I can wait a few minutes," he said.

"Yeah... I know he's the best, but they still need the jaws to move away that life sized replica of the Beatle’s Yellow Submarine blocking the main road," said Gordon as he tapped out the air bubbles out.

”Seriously Gords… I can wait…” said Scott, swallowing hard as the shot glistened. *Not now, not with Gordon present...* He thought, but he knew the signs. He felt light, had a feeling of dread, compounded with old memories...

To his dismay, his brother didn’t listen. “No you can’t. It’s a deep gash, and Virgil will have both our hides if you pass out from blood loss,” said the blonde bluntly.

He then turned back. "Now lie back Sc...."

The aquanaut froze slightly when he saw Scott staring at the needle, pale as a sheet and start to sway. "Scott..." he said warily, only to see his brother's eyes go blank and he listed to the side.

“Woah!” Gordon immediately caught his brother before he fell off the cot. He put the shot down and assisted his older brother flat onto his back. "Easy there bro," he said gently to the eldest as Scott started to come back around.

"'M fine..." said Scott muzzily.

"Sure, and that cigarette machine hit you with feathers," teased the younger man as he checked his brother's pulse. He sighed in relief to hear the older man snort in disgust, and once satisfied Scott wasn’t going to fall out on him, continued. "Blood or needle?"

"Huh?"

"Which one made you faint?”

“I did not…”

“Scott, seriously, you did: briefly” said Gordon gently. Seeing Scott wince in embarrassment, and pain, The aquanaut continued. “I’m not going to make fun - promise, but I need to know the cause because I'd rather like to know how to help.”

The eldest gave a faint blush. "Needle," he said. "Can give shots no problem, but..."

Gordon gave a half smile. "Getting them isn't such?" he said, and Scott nodded.

“Bad doctor checkup when I was in first grade. Complete accident, but gave me nightmares and a lasting fear. Virgil remembered my blackout back then though…”

"So that's why you'd rather Virgil help when you’re hurt? Didn't want us to know of a phobia?"

The raven haired man nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, don't know what's more embarrassing - getting cut by an antique cancer stick machine or fainting from a shot," said Scott, expecting a tease.

He was thankful he was lying down for what came next.

"Neither," chided Gordon.

“Huh?”

"Seriously there's nothing wrong with accidents or fears - besides a potential medical worry."

A confused Scott started to open his mouth as the younger man continued. "But there will be another one if I don't start stitching this, so stay laying down," Gordon said, pulling out a small stuffed toy and putting it in Scott's hands. "This should help."

Scott took the item in his hand and looked at it. "A sea turtle plushie," he stated perplexed, looking at the item. It was about 3 inches long, two inches wide with a swirly tie-dye printed shell. "Never seen this before.”

“I know, I keep Surfer in my baldric most of the time.”

“Ok… but what is, um ‘Surfer’ for?"

Gordon chuckled. "To keep people distracted, and I see that he worked his charms again," he said. Seeing his brother's confusion, he continued. "Gave you the shot - should numb your leg in a couple of minutes.”

Scott chuckled in relief. It was a distraction all right as he traced a pattern on the toy. “So, where did he come from?”

The aquanaut then paused for thought, growing a bit more somber. "I got it from Penny and Parker shortly after the Chaos Crew put me in the hospital."

Scott tilted his head, curious for more as Gordon checked his brother's leg.

Finding it was numbed - Scott was not reacting, started stitching the wound.

The aquanaut, sensing his brother's persistent look wanting for more, continued. "I never told any of you this - but I have a vague memory of coming to in my 'Bird and something sharp cutting through my broken arm."

“But nothing pierced your uniform,” said Scott, remembering the day his brother was lying unconscious in the bed he was now using. He was thankful though: based on what few photos EOS captured of the rescue, some items came too close to finishing the Chaos Crew’s job.

Scott shook off the memory, and saw the aquanaut nod as he started another stitch. "Yeah, I know that now - it was the actual break, but I think in my semiconscious state, I thought it was a knife stabbing me in the crook," he said. "The memory stuck so badly in my head that during a simple blood test in the hospital I fainted."

“Now hold up... they didn’t say you...”

"Well, I am adult you know: doctor/patient confidentiality. Especially as you are a bad enough smother hen without more fuel,” he said, and seeing Scott’s unimpressed look, continued. “Penny and Parker unfortunately were visiting when that spell occurred.

“I was embarrassed - thought when they came back Parker would tease me and Penny do her polite ignoring it,” the aquanaut continued, starting on the last stitch. “But, to my surprise, they gave me the turtle. Said if I ever was in pain or having issues with a shot, hold it, and know that there were people who loved you no matter your faults. Didn’t have a repeat then or since."

Scott started seeing where this story was going. "So you don't see my phobia as a fault?" he inquired.

"No Scott. You're human, like all of us, just sometimes you need a reminder," he said as he finished tying the last knot and started to bandage the stitches. "Personally, I think as ‘Surfer’ worked for you, as you didn't feel that shot, or flinch once from the stitches, maybe you should consider your own.”

Scott was about to speak when Virgil contacted them, saying he was returning back to the Thunderbird and that John was remote piloting One back to base.

"John better not ding my ‘Bird. That'd be worse than fainting and being cut up by a cigarette machine," said Scott, distracted from the talk about plushies.

Gordon chuckled. "At least Virgil isn't considering taking Thunderbird One and converting it to a miniature art dispensing machine. He talked about buying Lemaire’s… but I think it’s to scrap it into a weird recycled art sculpture after cutting you. Double when he eyed the icebox," he said, then laughed more when Scott rolled his eyes. "Now, lie back and rest. I'll stay here and keep you company so Virgil doesn't be a Smother Rooster."

"Papa bear," corrected Scott.

"OK, papa bear ... but same reason," he said, then grew sober, as he tapped the turtle, which Scott handed back. "And Scott, just remember, two things: 1. I won't tell anyone else about your phobia, and 2. Even if the others find out, we'll always love you - warts and all."

The eldest nodded and let himself relax into the comfort of the bed as Virgil flew them back back to Tracy Island...

When he later on woke up safe and sound in the Island's infirmary, brought there to double check the stitches and ensure no infection, he found his left hand was resting on something soft, and fluffy.

Picking it up, he found it was a tie dyed octopus. Just the right size to put in his baldric... just in case.

"Thanks Gordon," he said, smiling.